A New Life

Salman was a homeless boy from Kashmir, who fell into bad company. Trafficking drugs as a child, growing up into trafficking animal hides, hooves, and claws; blackmailing. To shoot someone for meager money, he did that too. No one was there to show him the high road.

Eventually, he was identified by the terrorist group and picked up and transferred to the training center. At last, a place to stay. A place free from the daily hunt for food and shelter. He was happy. He was shuffled in a number of Jihad camps and trained to be a martyr. One day he was ordered to shoot on innocent children in a school. Memories of his own orphaned, neglected childhood flashed before him. Memories of how he had spent countless days outside the school gates wishing someone would pity him and take him inside. Though hardened by circumstances, a humane child still lived inside him. His resistance was enough to incur anger from his leader, who in turn shot him. How he miraculously escaped, is still a mystery Life gave him another chance when a kind warden of a hostel found him and took him under her caring wings till he recovered completely.

In him, she saw the boy beyond his crimes. Life has other meanings too now this boy learned with time. With help from the warden, the homeless boy picked up his pen and educated himself. Replaced the gun with the pen.

Now he is a much-loved poet. Growing up in the picturesque town of Kashmir, he now often sits by the Dal mesmerized by its sheer beauty. Now Salman pens down the beauty of his motherland for the world to read and feel.