SRINAGAR: An aged childless couple who had married against the wishes of their families, passed away in Budgam on Wednesday, one after another, leaving their ancestral house all empty and a kitten, who followed their mortals remains as they were taken for burial.

Emotions ran high as hundreds of people offered Nimaz-e-Jinaza for the deceased who were buried adjacent to each other. They had no children. “Haji Ali Mohammad Bhat, 70, and his wife, Khurshi Begum, 65, were a symbol of love, affection and loyalty in the area,” Khursheed Ahmad, a local of Qanoongo Hushro, Chadoora, told Kashmir Life.

“When Ali Mohammad was being offered his last bath (Gusul) after he passed away on Wednesday, his wife Khurshi breathed her last screaming, ‘now for whom I will live’,” he added.

According to locals, Haji and Khurshi had married against the will of their families decades ago and they were so loyal to each other that they could not even think of living without each other. The old couple had no children of their own; they had raised a kitten. They used to feed the kitten with milk and everything they would like for themselves.

“When the old loyal couple was being taken for burial, the kitten followed them before stopping outside their house,” another local, Abdul Razaq, told Kashmir Life.

The locals were so impressed by the loyalty of the couple towards each other that they managed a joint Nimaz-e-Jinaza for them and buried them adjacent to each other in their ancestral graveyard.

13 COMMENTS

  1. Life goes on till it does, until it doesn’t …..
    Love transcends human notion of belongingness………..
    Shaheed-e-mohabbat na kaafir na gazi
    mohabbat ki rasmein na tarki na taazi
    woh kuch Aur shai hai, mohabbat nahi hai
    sikhati hai jo gaznavi ko ayyazi
    na mohtaaje sultan, na maroobe sultan
    mohabbat hai aazaadi wa be niyaazi…..
    Allama Iqbal

  2. What a touching love story…wish somebody had written about their life as well…

    A few couplets dedicated to the couple:

    Love is from the infinite, and will remain until eternity.
    The seeker of love escapes the chains of birth and death.
    Tomorrow, when resurrection comes,
    The heart that is not in love will fail the test.

    – Rumi

  3. Its the love which takes two unknown bodies so close to each other that they easily enter into souls and live for ever. Death is a journey where no death again will happen. May Allah grant both of them Janatul Firdous and give them chance to live together in a eternal place which is hereafter. Ameen Suma Ameen

  4. Their living together against their familys’ will and their dying almost together itself means that they had been made for each other…….may almighty grant both of you jannatul firdaus…. . . .

  5. RIP……stories of the sort r really a food for thought. Thanks KL for taking journalism in Kashmir out of the confines of “senseless hard reporting” to elevated level of socially relevant, psychologically relieving and professionally substantial journalism….Keep it up.

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