Letter To Agha Shahid — By Mahshida Hamid
To Agha Shahid,
Shahid Sahib, I am a Kashmiri just like you. I write this letter to you so that I could tell you how your homeland is like, for I know that you love it. I know I can not post this letter but my letters will reach you, for you are our beloved.
Everything here has turned upside down. Doordarshan is no more, people are no more, every one has died and I feel helpless. Shahid Sahib I know living your life far away from your homeland is very difficult but it is bleeding. The knots at Shah-e-Hamdan are still tied. No one has untied them, for everyone is lost.
I wish you were here. I would take you to Pampore, you would see the dried saffron leaves, the dry land. Oh Shahid! The flowers no longer bloom.
The chinars are red, soaked in blood. Trust me, if you see them you will cry.
Shahid Sahib, some people don’t understand you, it breaks my heart. Let’s leave the pain for a while; I want to appreciate you.
Your words are magic. Whenever I need comfort or whenever I am away, I randomly read one of your poems. You aren’t dead, you live within those words. Every chinar leaf reminds me of you. I even wrote to Amitav Ghosh. I asked him to pay my respects at your grave. I hope he did.
The day when the dead resurrect, I will run to you, and meet you by the gates of the villas of peace.
Truly yours,
An Autumn Leaf.
Written by : Mahshida Hamid
The author can be reached on her Instagram by clicking here.
