In Humra Quraishi’s death, we have lost not just a prolific writer and a committed liberal and feminist, we have lost a beautiful human being – whose grace, humility, and generosity are unparalleled.
A regular columnist for the Kashmir Times for over two decades, her passing away is both a personal and professional loss for me. I enjoyed her endearing affection, the many conversations I had with her, and our professional relationship which was always smooth.
My association with her has not only been a long one but also a strong one, deepened by our shared vision and values of democracy, secularism, and humanity.
I was probably introduced to her by my father, Ved Bhasin whom she would visit in Jammu and Srinagar, and spent hours discussing history and politics. Dressed well, often in a saree with long hanging earrings, she was a picture of grace. Her voice was always calm and her tone polite.
Her passion for these issues was as amazing as the range of subjects she wrote about, revealing her vast knowledge and dedication. She wrote about politics, society, communities, gender, literature, poetry, and culture in a language that was simple and freely flowing. She wrote as much from her heart, as she did from her head, persuasively making an argument based on facts.
She not only wrote columns for news publications, but she also authored several books, which include Kashmir: The Unending Tragedy, Kashmir: The Untold Story, Meer, Diary of Gull Mohammad (all three on Kashmir), Divine Legacy: Daggars & Dhrupad, and More Bad Time Tales. She also co-authored a book with Khushwant Singh, ‘The Good, the Bad and the Ridiculous’.
There was an interesting blend of beauty and ugliness in her regular column ‘Signs of the Times’ for Kashmir Times. She often started with political and social issues, highlighting the injustices and sufferings in the world, and ended with mesmerizing poetry. It was interlaced with personal anecdotes or memories of an old interview with Khushwant Singh, Gulzar, Zakir Hussain or any notable person.
But two of her qualities stood out. One was the regularity of her writings and her punctuality in sending her columns. The other was her unwavering dedication and commitment.
After 2019, when Kashmir Times was badly impacted by the state repression with a deleterious impact on its finances, I told Humra that we were in no position to pay her and that she should discontinue. She spellbound me with her selflessness, refusing to quit. She said she would continue to write in solidarity even if we couldn’t pay. She kept her word.
Her last email came on January 2 with her column on Manmohan Singh, farmers, and Bollywood’s silence on social and political issues. The one before that was on rising attacks on Christians in India.
On January 13, I received a call from her cell phone. There was a man’s voice at the other end. Mustafa, her son, informed me that she couldn’t write her regular column as she was indisposed. Very thoughtful of her to convey this, I said to myself. What came next was horrifying!
She had a heart stroke and underwent surgery, but unfortunately, there were complications and multiple organ failure. Even at the time that Mustafa spoke to me, her condition was critical, and she was in deep pain. Despite the painfully harrowing reality, all she thought about was her work.
Anyone else in that condition would have forgotten the world. Not Humra. She was passionate about making the world a better place and by writing she contributed to its realization.
Sadly, she went. Sadly, it was a painful end.
Her writings and her many conversations with me in recent years conveyed that she had been in emotional pain for many years – saddened and aghast at the fast-paced backsliding of Indian democracy, the destruction of its secularism and the consequent injustices perpetrated on minorities and those who dared to speak. A true patriot and a humanist to the core, the morphing of Indian secular democracy into an authoritarian country crushed her immensely.
Humra was a beautiful person, and it was an honour to know her. Her simplicity, grace, humility, generosity, compassion, and affection kindled hope and faith in humanity. And, that’s the memory of her I want to keep!
(The news article was updated with corrections)
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