One Sunday afternoon in Delhi, we went to cheer up the teams, including a newly formed girls' team. We had no special reason, just a genuine desire to support everyone playing that day. The city buzzed around us, but our focus was on the energy of the players and the small moments of joy that sports bring. As we arrived, she greeted me and handed me her books, asking me to take care of them. That simple exchange felt like a quiet bond formed in the midst of the day's excitement. Later in the evening, we reunited by the field to watch the last girls' match. The game was not intense, but ground was, and with a penalty goal, though not won, celebration was in the air. The cold climate, pollution, and threats to health went unnoticed as we immersed ourselves in the spirit of the game and comradeship. After everyone slowly departed, myself went to my room, the team manager called and asked whether it's possible to arrange dinner at our room. We agreed, cleaned the rooms, arr...
So after a few weeks in Delhi, I thought of traveling across the nearby states. The reason was the inmates who prompted it — a night walk with Mubashir inspired me a lot. Then the stories here and there by the Gulmohar family members created such a bucket list. So the planned states now changed to a “Delhi-first” approach. Started with the Taj Mahal with Suhail and Raashid, then ended up with Fawas to listen to Qawwali and visit the universities — Jamia, DU, and JNU — at least once. So I created the calendar; Qawwali was the first one, and yes, we did it. On Jamia Foundation Day, we visited the campus, listened to Shayari, and then moved to Nizamuddin Dargah. It was a different experience. How people see the place, what diverse cultures expect from such a dargah and Qawwali — many questions, excitement, and still wonders. Certain Qabars were well maintained, some were not. Mehfy(?) said the Qabar was of the first Sultana, Razia. We got upset that it wasn’t cleaned or maintained prop...