Sniper's Debt (7even #2)

by Mainak Dhar

I had met a lot of young men like him in Kashmir. Men who got off on their power trip by killing helpless civilians or abducting and raping local women. Perhaps some liberal journalist sitting in an air-conditioned studio might talk about how the violence they had witnessed as children in Kashmir made them who they were, and how they needed understanding and rehabilitation. I didn’t care what made them who they were – I wasn’t a shrink and I didn’t care about their trauma. I was only interested in stopping the cycle of violence they were perpetrating today. And, I was well trained on how to cure them. A bullet to the middle of the head or a broken neck usually did the trick, without needing to pay the psychiatrist’s bills.

success is defined not as living as long as you can, but living life well in the time you have.

‘Bravery is not about not being scared, but about being able to keep going in spite of how afraid you are.

we are not defined what we see, do or say while we spend our time here. We are defined by the memories we leave behind. So, do everything your heart desires, but never forget that what matters ultimately is what you awaken in the hearts of others.’