Zainab, a 24-year-old postgraduate at Government Degree College Anantnag, never thought she would find love through a screen. "My parents were looking for a 'settled boy' via the Khandaan (family) network," she says over a carefully monitored voice call. "But all those boys wanted a housewife who wouldn't question the Wi-Fi bill."
Their love story, which began at a mutual friend's Wanvun (marital song ceremony), is devoid of poetry. "We don't talk about love," Reyaz admits. "We talk about Rishta (alliance)." beating for themselves.
Anantnag is changing. The saffron is still golden, the water at Verinag is still cold, but the hearts of its youth are finally, cautiously, beating for themselves. beating for themselves.