It was an unusual summer morning, but everything was locked down, all communication barred, all streets filled with men in uniform and we were waiting at our doors as the siege was laid upon us! This state of fear became our new normal and we had no idea we would be living like this for many months to come. We were surrounded by mountains and military and through this illustration, I have tried to show that. A glimpse of our life post August 5. I remember, I used to look at the same empty streets and other people, peeping through the windows of their homes, waiting! Waiting for everything to end. I would wonder where I could flee to, and what I would take with me. And in the end, I decided to take the memories of my beloved land with me. I tried to make an impression of every house and every mountain in my memory for I didn’t know, and I still don’t know how long I will be able to call my home, My Home!
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Barooja Bashir Bazaz is a freelance artist from Kashmir. A Master in Computer Applications from University of Kashmir, her artwork is generally themed around her musings on Kashmir- its people, geography and locale. She paints mostly with watercolours, acrylics and does thread work too.