Handwara tragedy: Now tulips for an eternity!

Peerzada Madiha

A tribute to Maymoona and Aasiya—two souls who left us on a road lined with dreams and tulips—and to all those shining stars who are fighting for their lives in hospitals!

گلوں کی آس لیے نکلے تھے راہ پر
مگر نصیب میں تھا فراق کا سفر

The day that was meant to be filled with laughter, a day away from books and classrooms, a day where memories were to be made under the open sky, turned into a day of mourning.

On 12 April 2025, our college picnic, meant for joy and celebration, turned into a scene of sorrow and grief when the bus met with a tragic accident at Vodhpura, Handwara. The news hit us like a storm, leaving behind silence, shock, and immense sorrow.

We grieve not only for their absence but for all the dreams, conversations, and shared moments that will now remain incomplete. Two stars faded from our sky too early. They returned to their Creator before spring could welcome them. While some returned home with bruises, others are still embraced by hospital walls. A few were critically injured and referred to Srinagar.

We lost our two young, bright students forever—they were not just students, but daughters, friends, sisters, and young women with ambitions and dreams. Their laughter and kindness would light up the entire college campus. The road was meant to lead them to tulips, joy, and memories—but fate had other plans. Maymoona and Aasiya didn’t reach the garden, yet their souls have surely found a place more beautiful than we can ever imagine.

But the grief remains within us. We could never have imagined we would be separated in this way. You are gone from our sight, but never from our hearts. We extend our deepest condolences to the families of the deceased. There are no words that can ease the pain of such a loss, but we hope they find strength in knowing how loved and cherished their children were by an entire community.

We will always feel the absence of those two empty seats, two lost hopes, two names we won’t call during attendance, and two faces we won’t see in the college corridors—smiling, dreaming, and learning. Your absence is not just a silence—it’s a haunting ache that words struggle to capture. We pray for the lost souls. May Allah (SWT) grant them a more beautiful garden in the Hereafter.

To the injured, we extend our heartfelt prayers for a full and swift recovery. We admire your courage and resilience in facing such a traumatic event. The road to healing may be long, but you are not alone—our thoughts, support, and strength are with you every step of the way. Know that your pain is ours. Your strength inspires us, and we stand with you. Please know that our hearts and hopes walk with you side by side.

This tragedy has left us with wounds that time alone cannot heal. Yet, within our collective mourning lies a powerful truth: Maymoona and Aasiya will never be forgotten. In the midst of our daily routines and dreams, we often forget how quickly things can change. Let us not forget the faces we lost. Let us remember their laughter, their kindness, their presence that lit up our classrooms and corridors.
To their families, we offer more than words—we offer you our hearts. We know your loss is beyond measure, but may you find some comfort in knowing how deeply loved, admired, and respected your daughters were. Their stories, their goodness, and their light will never fade. As a college community and family, we grieve together. We share the burden of this loss and vow to never forget the bright spirits that were taken too soon.

And though the bus never reached spring, their souls surely did. Maymoona and Aasiya now live beyond the pain, beyond this world—etched forever in our hearts, in our prayers, and in every tulip that blooms without them. You may no longer walk among us, but your footprints will forever remain—etched in the hearts of those who knew you, and even in the souls of those who didn’t.
In eternal memory of the two stars we lost, May your souls rest in peace. You are gone, but never forgotten.

Peerzada Madiha is a student of Islamic Studies at GDC SOGAM Lolab and hails from Chandigam Lolab