This is a work of historical fiction.

Olive trees have become symbol of resilience, attachment and belonging for Palestinians – one without which the idea of home and homeland cannot be complete.

Instead of asking who was the ‘killer’ and who was ‘killed’, the reality that a person was killed again needs to be recognised and mourned collectively by all the communities of Jammu and Kashmir.

The trauma and loss that the young living in conflict zones experience has been reported to be among the most severe manifestations of the mental health crisis affecting children anywhere in the world.

Due to decades of violence across borders, a large chunk of the population living in the borderlands has been bereft of good education and health, which should be prioritised now.

Despite a lifetime spent in a zone of conflict and violence, the villagers of Degwar-Maldayalan in Poonch district of Jammu and Kashmir seem to have made peace with their surroundings.

In addition to the lurking danger of land mines exploding, villagers in Poonch district struggle with the lack of basic amenities.

A narrative from a partitioned borderland of Poonch.

Pahari in Jammu and Kashmir has always been the symbol of diversity that has existed in mutual cultural exchange. Yet it is not in the list of officially accepted state languages.