bhaskar saikia

You set out as a traveler — with a heart wide open and a map folded neatly in your pocket. The world, you believed, was stitched together by stories, cultures and the quiet kindness of strangers. You were there not to conquer, not to provoke, but simply to witness — to taste unfamiliar air, to walk unknown streets, to carry memories home like souvenirs.

But some journeys don’t end with postcards and photographs. Some end with a silence that will forever ache in the hearts you leave behind.

Your only crime was belonging to a different faith. A label you never wore like armor, never thought would shape your fate. But for the men of terror who held the guns, it was enough. Enough to turn a peaceful traveler into a target, enough to turn a visit into a verdict.

What greater madness can there be, than a world where the simple act of exploring its beauty — as a curious, peaceful traveler — becomes a death sentence simply because of the faith you carry in your heart?