Grief Is Ours, So Is Grace

New Delhi [India], April 23 : In the heart of Kashmir, where the air carries the scent of pine and prayers, where rivers glide like glass through valleys older than memory, a wound has torn through our peace.

In Pahalgam's Baisaran Valleywhere the mountains kiss the sky with such grace that the people of Switzerland might believe they have a piece of Kashmir at hometerror walked in with bullets, not boots. The land, known for its stillness and sacred calm, echoed with the crack of gunfire. What began as a quiet afternoon, wrapped in the hush of holiday laughter, became a symphony of screams.

At least twenty-six lives were taken. Touristsmothers, fathers, childrenhad come in peace. They came to rest, to rejoice, to breathe. And they were met with hate. But let us be clear: this was not an act of religion. It was an act against it.

These murderers came not as men of God, but as criminals cloaked in cowardice. They came not to protect a faith, but to profane it. They came as traitors to humanity, to the valley, to every belief they falsely claimed.

As Rabbi Shear Yashuv Cohen once said with piercing wisdom, "The greatest crimes committed against religion are the crimes committed in its name." These men had no iman, no dharam, no conscience. Their sermons are silent. Their scriptures are soaked in fear. Their god is not known to any temple, mosque, gurdwara, or church. Their only creed is chaos.

And today, as a Hindu, I grieve. As an Indian, I hurt. But more than that, as a human being, I weep.

What has been done is unspeakable. But we must speak because silence is too generous for those who walk with guns into our gardens.

We must speak not just in anger, but in resolve. Not just in mourning, but in memory. We must speak for those who now cannot.

In the hours that followed, our nation gathered not just in sorrow, but in spirit. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, cutting short his foreign trip, returned home and addressed the nation with unwavering clarity:

"Those behind this heinous act will be brought to justice...they will not be spared. Their evil agenda will never succeed. Our resolve to fight terrorism is unshakable and it will get even stronger."

Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, known for his intellect and humanity, called for national unity over partisan impulse:

"I call on all my fellow citizens, irrespective of faith, to stand up against this foul attempt by Islamist terrorists to divide us in the name of religious identity. We must respond with justice, not bigotry. With courage, not chaos."

Jammu and Kashmir's Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, shaken, but composed, said:

"This attack is much larger than anything we've seen directed at civilians in recent years. But this is not the identity of Kashmir. This is the act of outsiders who want Kashmir to bleed."

From across the oceans, solidarity poured in.

U.S. President Donald Trump condemned the attack and said, "The United States stands strong with India against terrorism."

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres offered his condolences, stating, "Attacks against civilians are unacceptable under any circumstances."

The world is watching. But more importantly, India is watching itself.

And now, we must choose who we will be in the shadow of this suffering.

We remember what the world did after 9/11. The rage, the invasions, the punishments that landed too far from the perpetrators. It is a lesson we must not ignore. Knee-jerk vengeance creates more orphans than it buries enemies. It feeds the fire it claims to extinguish.

India must choose differently. We always have.

Our nationflawed, vast, loud, and luminoushas always chosen to walk the harder road of reason. We do not punish the innocent to avenge the guilty. We do not lose ourselves to find justice. And we cannot allow ourselves to do so now.

Yes, the victims were Hindus. And yes, we must say so. We must acknowledge their pain, not dilute it. We must see the fear this has awakened in Hindu hearts across the country. But we must not let that fear become fire.

Because these terrorists do not represent Islam. They do not speak for the people of Kashmir. They speak only for terror.

Kashmir is grieving today. Not just the families of the fallen, but the shopkeepers who watched customers turn to corpses. The taxi drivers who had just dropped off guests. The hotel staff who folded towels in rooms that would never be slept in.

Kashmir's economyrooted in hospitality, in the hands of people who welcome the worldis again on its knees. And we must not let them fall further. Because this valley needs more than our outrage. It needs our embrace.

This is not just a time for justiceit is a time for amity.

We must be one with the families that are broken. One with the valley that is in shock. One with the soul of India that achesbut must not crack.

We must not become what they want us to be. Suspicious. Divided. Broken.

We must become what they fear most: united.

Let our retaliation be ruthless against those who planned this horrorbut let it be precise. Let our intelligence agencies do what they do best: work quietly, strike surgically, and protect every life they can.

Let our rage be wrapped in reason. Let our grief be held in grace.

To every Indian, this is your moment. Not to shout, but to shelter. Not to divide, but to defend.

Let temples ring with prayers, let mosques echo with peace, let churches sing with comfort. Let every home in this country be a vigil for humanity.

We are not fighting a religion. We are fighting those who have none.

And to the families who have lost, we say this: we are with you. We carry your sorrow in our chests like sacred fire. We walk beside your silence, and we hold your grief with both hands.

And we promise you: your loved ones will not be forgotten.

We promise them: their joy, stolen in that valley, will return to Kashmir one day.

We promise ourselves: that terror will never win.

We will walk again in Kashmir. All of us. Together.

And the trees will still rise. And the rivers will still run. And the mountains will still wait.

And when we return, we will carry not fear, but flowers.

Because India does not bend.

It remembers.

It rises.

And it walks again.

Jai Hind. (ANI/ Suvir Saran)

Disclaimer: Suvir Saran is a Masterchef, Author, Hospitality Consultant And Educator. The views expressed in this article are his own.

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