Malik Mumin
From being an outstanding student to one of the youngest boys to pick up the gun from south Kashmir, Farhan Wani, a lad from Quimoh kulgam was the youngest member of his family survived by four other family members.
Farhan studied in one of the finest schools in Islamabad (Anantnag). He was a brilliant student and outstanding at maths. He was fond of mildly hot Lipton chai with bakerkhani (Kashmiri bread).
He was my classmate and my dearest enemy. we used to fight for reasons unknown. Farhan was the most honest and sincere student of our batch & had the most lavish lifestyle among us all. He had an unusual habit of tasting everyone’s lunchbox not only during our lunch breaks but also even during classes. I wanted to punch his stomach (back then) but today I wish he was here among us to open and eat our tiffin boxes again.
He always loved an edge technologically in gadgets and then guns.
Farhan came from an upstanding family. His father Ghulam Mohd Wani, is a very calm man who is a headmaster in a govt. higher secondary. His mother worked in a social welfare department. His sister is a Junior engineer and his Elder brother is pursuing his BSc.
Farhan from his early school days was fond of talking about Rebels. I often used to hear stories of Majid zargar, Dawood, and many other Militant commanders from him. As he came from one of the most sensitive areas of south Kashmir, Khudwani.So, protesting against atrocities was in his blood.
After clearing his 10th by getting a 9.6 CGPA, Farhan took non-medical. I still remember his physical appearance as an Afghan. Oiled long hair, kameez yazaar, long shoes sometimes.
on June 14th, 2017 Farhan left his home for tuition to attend his physics class but never returned.
Instead, he had joined a group of militants. Farhan survived for almost 7 months after joining the militant ranks. During this time we saw his several photos with other commanders. This path always had a short life but we all avoided this harsh truth.
These 7 months were the toughest period for his family members and everyone who cared for him. His father even wrote a letter to him on Farhan’s facebook timeline saying,” My dear son, since you left us my body has started to betray me. I am screaming of pain which your decision has inflicted on us and still believe that you will come back home. I can’t explain how much I miss your smiling face, it has almost been six months, and there is not a minute that goes by that I don’t think about you. I hope you are OK. I hope you are well. I am your father and if I do not tell you this, no one else will. Don’t bear a grudge towards those who are not good to you. No one in this world is going to treat you well except your father and mother,” he added.
He then requested Farhan to come back and start afresh.
“Dear son, we request you to come back and start again and we will help you in every manner otherwise the path which you have chosen will not lead you to anywhere other than pain and betrayal and may be the time will come that you come back and never see us again,” said Ghulam Wani.
“Come back, we are missing you,” he concluded.
On 9 January 2018, the family and everyone woke up to the news that nobody wanted to hear.
Farhan was tracked by Indian security forces and a gunfight had begun in larnoo village of kokernag, Farhan had attained martyrdom.
And we had lost another budding flower and a pious soul to this occupation.
On Jan 9, 2019, we (batch mates) went to his home on his 1st death anniversary. As we entered the main gate i had a flash in my mind that someday Farhan would have entered the gate and today he was not present between us. His mother broke into tears as soon as she saw us. Maybe she was trying to find her son in us. We talked to her & she was smiling and crying at the same time as she recalled the moments from the past. “Aaz te chum basan farhan soub ye te wanam mummy chai de banayeth” (Even today i feel Farhan will come and say mummy prepare tea for me) she said and cried. I could feel the pain of a mother how she was dying to see her son again and that hurt.
She asked us to have lunch at their place but we at first instant started to refuse to say we already had our lunch. But she said “zan basem farhan soub chum khevan ye” and slit my heart into a million pieces.
This time it was uncontrollable and we all stood up went to her, crying. we hugged her and I felt like I was hugging Farhan and probably she too was feeling the same.
A mother lost her son to this war and the pain can’t be described in words.
we miss you Farhan. I miss you a lot. Your voice still echoes in my head. You will be always in our hearts.
Forever, Till we meet on the other side.
The Views Expressed by the author are is own