Why Kashmiri Matters?

Writing Maryam

In this episode of Khaèr Paŧh with Sobiah, we are joined by Mirza Waheed to talk about his novel Maryam and Son—a deeply intimate story of motherhood, loss, and the quiet weight of grief. Together, we explore Maryam’s emotional world, the subtle ways grief lives within us, and the delicate bond between memory and survival. This conversation moves beyond plot to reflect on what it truly means to carry absence, to wait, and to endure.

Zanaan Wanaan

In this episode of Khaèr Paŧh with Sobiah, we are joined by two powerful voices of Kashmiri literature, Naseem Shafai and Nighat Sahiba. Together, we explore the world of Kashmiri women’s writing: its silences, its strength, its memory, and its quiet resistance. The conversation moves through language as inheritance, the inner landscapes of women’s lives, the role of memory in shaping literature, and the evolving space for Kashmiri women writers today. At its heart, this episode reflects on what it means for women to write from within Kashmir not as subjects of history, but as its authors.

City as Memory

In this episode, we speak with Sadaf Wani, author of City as Memory, about Srinagar as a city shaped by memory, lived experience, and everyday life. The conversation explores how cities are remembered beyond maps and official narratives, touching on questions of history, trauma, and belonging.

Why Kashmiri Matters?

In this episode, we are joined by Asif Tariq Bhat to discuss the importance of conserving and promoting the Kashmiri language and its rich literary tradition. Alongside this conversation, we explore his book Khwaban Khayalan Manz and reflect on dreams memory, and inner life as sources of creative expression. A thoughtful discussion on language, literature, and why Kashmiri continues to matter.

The Art of Carrying Across

In this episode, The Art of Carrying Across, we sit down with educator, author, and translator Neerja Mattoo to explore the power of translation in keeping culture alive. With over three decades of teaching experience, works published by the Sahitya Akademi, and a fellowship and visitorship to Oxford awarded by the Ministry of Education and the British Council, Neerja ji has dedicated her life to carrying Kashmiri literature across languages and generations. We talk about what it means to translate not just words but worlds, her journey as one of the few Kashmiri Pandits who remained in the valley post-1990, and the responsibility of preserving the essence of voices that go back centuries.