Children of a Forgotten War

Years of war and frequent lockdowns have left an entire generation of young Kashmiris traumatized. More than two and a half years of confinement, first because of a military siege and then COVID-19, has turned into a major mental health crisis for children and teenagers in the disputed region. Psychiatrists say the number of youngsters with various mental health disorders including depression and PTSD has risen to ‘hopelessly’ high levels in the last two years. This project provides a glimpse into the traumatized lives of Kashmiri children and unravels the inhumane disruptions; it reveals individual stories, which are strung together representing a collective pathos. Through a dignified portrayal of their lives, this work is an attempt to translate into visuals the unseen trauma they have been living with for years. This work of mapping psychological vulnerabilities among children in Kashmir has always escaped visual documentation since there are no ‘visible’ scars to show. It, therefore, is an attempt to get into this terrain of documenting the invisible pain in order to generate hope for a possible psychological intervention.