SRINAGAR: Due to the devastation caused by relentless rains and flash floods across Jammu and Kashmir, a bride was forced to walk miles to her own wedding after National Highway 44 was rendered impassable.
The highway—Kashmir’s lifeline connecting it to the rest of India—was completely shut down after overnight rains triggered flash floods, landslides, and widespread chaos. Among the many stranded by the destruction was a bride in south Kashmir, who had to make the unimaginable choice: either call off her wedding or walk the distance. She chose to walk.
Earlier in the day, her groom, Hashkhor Ahmad, also set off on foot with his family, determined not to let the deluge wash away his wedding day. Speaking to local reporters, Hashkhor, soaked in rain and emotion, said, “I am getting married, and we are going to Neel Gaganaan. With the rains yesterday, the situation is such that we had to leave our cars and walk over 7 to 8 kilometres. We left at 6 in the morning. Now, we’re just walking, hoping to find a vehicle after that stretch.”
But the tragedy did not end there. With the road still buried under debris and hopes of repair distant, Hashkhor feared he might have to bring his wife back the same way.
“Whatever God has willed has happened,” he said with a quiet resolve. “But if the road is not fixed by the time I have to bring her home, we’ll walk again. I just request the government—please, clear the highway. There are people stuck with children, in buses, with nowhere to go.”
What should have been a day of joy became a day of grit and heartbreak, as two families trudged through mud and uncertainty to fulfil a vow that even nature’s fury couldn’t stop.
As the rainclouds loom over Kashmir, residents are left clinging to hope—and in this case, love—that refuses to be stranded.
