Soldier's letter to his wife from Kashmir

My love,

I am really sorry, baby, for making you wait, this long. I know you have been awaiting this letter anxiously. But evidently, things have turned out a bit unfavourable for me, up here. I couldn’t write to you in spite of thinking about it all the time. You know, how things work here.

Baby, how have you been? Tell me? You can’t imagine how much I think about you all. You sometimes become my biggest weakness, as I keep worrying about you and your well being when I definitely should not, having a very serious task at hand. Sometimes though, when I am down, lying broken on my bed, of the day’s ordeal, I see your photo and plant kisses on that piece of paper. The kisses, which I feel, deserve the underprivileged skin of yours. This makes me forget all the pain and hardships that I am enduring here. This makes me feel, I have to live, I have to fight and sustain so that once this is over, I can come back to you and my lovely daughter, whom till now, I have seen through your letters only. So badly, I want to see her…touch her and play with her…..This makes me realize that you people are my biggest strengths and you only keep me going.

My love, you are a strong woman. I know these times are not the best we can have; still you have to be stronger; stronger for yourself, for our little one, for us. I believe that you will keep supporting me through this and I promise, I will make it up to you once I come back, with so much love that you can’t even possibly imagine.

Life here is definitely not a bed of roses these days. When things are normal, I come back at 8 while with curfew imposed that can go down to 1 am, nevertheless, I have to wake up at 5 in the morning.

You know all about the infiltrants and militants. Now, apart from them, apparently, we have made some enemies from the inside, the locals. People, with whom we are dealing now, have been confused and misguided by some hardliners and local leaders. You may be aware of ways of protests that these people are adhering to. Stone pelting on us has become the new popular means of showing distrust here. I know, these people have genuine complaints but certainly this is not the way.

All people here do not actually think like that. They have been misguided by the local leaders. Some of the younger breed of protesters doesn’t even listen to these leaders and have started independently carrying out acts of vandalism and hooliganism. They have been made dubious about accession of Kashmir into Indian Territory by Raja Hari Singh at the time of independence. Now some of them want secession from Indian sovereignty and subsequent accession to Pakistan while some of them insist on having independent Kashmir. Both of these ways are not practical for a normal kashmiri denizen. Certainly, the suicide-bomb-esque Pakistan should certainly not be a ray of hope for them while the independent Kashmir would live a bubble’s life. I just don’t have any idea how much longer would it take to get things settled over here.

While the elite talk about Indian secularism, I say, that doesn’t exist here. Religion is the biggest issue here, in this muslim dominated area for politicians and extremists alike. The local muslims call us ‘bloody Hindustani’ while if we show some concern about them the rest of Indians say that you are not an Indian. This is the most unfortunate thing to hear, for an Indian soldier. But we still have hopes and will do our best to ensure a generalized welfare.

Meanwhile, I am trying to apply for leaves. Let’s see what happens. If God permits, I will be with you all very soon. Let’s hope for the best. Convey my share of love to the little doll. You know that I love you for being there always, for reciprocating that love unconditionally and enduring the troubles all alone there. I just love you for that. All this will be over soon baby, and I will fly back to you. Please… hang in there for me.. for just a little bit longer.

 I love you….

Your man.