SRINAGAR: Actor Celina Jaitly has penned a deeply personal and moving reflection on her childhood in Kashmir, recalling life as the daughter of a soldier in a conflict zone where fear was a constant companion. Sharing an excerpt titled “A Soldier’s Daughter in the Land of Shaivism: Dodging Bullets, Not Fears”, Jaitly opened up about her early years in Udhampur, Jammu and Kashmir.
Posting a childhood photograph from North Star Camp in Patnitop, the actor wrote that she was eight or nine, studying at Army Public School in Udhampur. “As the daughter of a Pahadi Regiment army officer, I had the privilege of growing up across the breathtaking mountains of India from Kashmir to Uttarakhand to Arunachal Pradesh. But my memories of Kashmir are deeply tinged with fear,” she wrote.
Jaitly recalled travelling to school in military vehicles, escorted by armed guards. “Army brats will relate to the military three-ton truck or a Shaktiman school bus,” she said, recalling how she would question her late mother about why life had to be lived under such constant threat. “I still vividly remember the protocols drilled into us… how to duck, how to stay silent if firing broke out around us.”
In sharp contrast to her earlier childhood in the peaceful hill stations of Ranikhet and Shimla, where she was born, Jaitly said life in Kashmir meant giving up simple joys like wandering in meadows or picking wildflowers. “It broke my heart that in Kashmir, I couldn’t freely play safely with friends,” she added.
The actor expressed sorrow at the transformation of Kashmir — once celebrated as Rishi Vaer, the Valley of Saints, and a cradle of Shaivism and ancient wisdom — into a region wracked by violence. “Kashmir, once a beacon of spirituality, philosophy, and natural beauty, had been slowly consumed by violence and terror,” she said.
Referring to the recent terror attack in Pahalgam, in which 26 tourists were killed, Jaitly wrote that the tragedy had stirred up many of her buried memories. Calling for an end to the violence, she said: “It is now or never. We must put an end to this cycle of fear that has gripped generations. Only then can we reclaim the true spirit and purpose of these sacred mountains to be places of peace, wonder, and spiritualism once again. Jai Hind!”
