Samay Raina recently recounted that the situation in Kashmir during the 1990s was dire. At that time, his maternal grandfather received death threats because his name appeared on a terrorist hit list.
Samay explained that his grandfather, Somnath Kaul, was a renowned doctor who provided free medical treatment to people. For this very reason, he was highly respected by the local community. When he received a threatening letter which read, “Leave this place, or we will take your life” the family was terrified.
However, during this difficult period, local Kashmiri Muslims stood by them. They not only offered their support but also assisted them in making a safe exit. Despite this assistance, the danger was so acute that Samay’s family was forced to flee Kashmir overnight. They hurriedly gathered their belongings and abandoned their home.
Samay notes that this incident had a profound impact on his childhood and his worldview. Even today, a sense of fear regarding Kashmir lingers in the minds of people from his generation. He said that when his mother visited Kashmir years later, she felt very emotional seeing how things had changed and started crying.
