I grew up in a Muslim family in the old city of Srinagar. My childhood memories are of gatherings of Sunnis and Shias outside the shrine of Sheikh Jeelan, singing nouhas, songs commemorating the events of Karbala. The other vivid memories I have are of protest marches passing through my neighborhood. 

Even as a child, drawing was how I made sense of the world, how I would preserve my memories. These were, however, just the equivalent of scribbling in personal journals. I would observe the intense emotions. The interaction of those around me with the surroundings around them.