One victim had recently returned home after decades working abroad to enjoy a retirement filled with travel and family time; another hoped the trip into the beauty of Indian-administered Kashmir would cheer the spirits of his semi-paralyzed wife.
Both men were among 26 tourists shot dead by militants this week in a massacre that has ripped open old wounds between India and its neighbor Pakistan, tipping them a step closer to military escalation.
Both countries claim Kashmir in its entirety, but each control only part. They have fought three wars over the territory – which is famous for its dramatic mountains and lush meadows – since their independence from Britain in 1947.
A bloody, decades-long insurgency in India’s part of the region has killed tens of thousands, waged by militant groups demanding either independence or a merger with Pakistan.
India says those groups are supported by Pakistan, which Islamabad denies.
Tuesday’s attack – during which men were singled out and gunned down from close range, according to survivors’ testimony – was the latest in a list of bloody incidents to stain the region.
Balachandran Menonparambil feels as though he’s lost his “right hand,” after his friend of six decades Ramachandran Narayanamenon was killed in the attack.
Having spent decades working in Qatar, Narayanamenon “looked forward to a life of retirement,” according to his friend, who described him as “a happy man,” caring and reliable.
“He was on a trip with his wife Shiela, daughter Aarti, and two grandchildren and was looking forward to enjoying himself with his grandchildren,” said the 70-year-old.
He recalled how “excited” Narayanamenon, 69, sounded in their last call before he boarded the flight to Kashmir on Monday.
A day later, Menonparambil was told that his friend was dead.
“I was watching TV and they began to show what was happening in Kashmir… so I called him, but he did not pick up,” he said.
He then reached out to Narayanamenon’s son Arvind, who told him that “Dad is gone.”
He said people came up to offer condolences to him at the cremation. “Everybody was asking me what I will do, only half of me is working now. I told them he is there with me in my heart,” he said.
Other survivors speaking to local media said the gunmen accused some of the victims of supporting Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
In 2019, Modi’s Hindu-nationalist government stripped Muslim-majority Kashmir of its previous autonomy, sparking protests.
After Tuesday’s massacre, New Delhi swiftly pointed the finger at Pakistan, downgrading ties and suspending its participation in a crucial water-sharing treaty. Pakistan has denied involvement and said any attempt to stop or divert water belonging to it would be considered an act of war.
All three men, described as “loving fathers” and family breadwinners, came from just outside the megacity of Mumbai. They had taken the trip to Pahalgam together, according to Kadam.
Sanjay and Hemant were both accountants working for small private firms, while Atul worked for the Indian Railways, he said.
For the Leles, Kadam said, the trip was long planned. His sister-in-law suffers from a form of paralysis on the left side of her body that means she walks with difficulty.
“They had been planning this trip for a while but because of her health issues… it had gotten postponed. Once her health was doing better, they finally all lined up their schedules and managed to go,” he said.
“Lele told his wife that if you won’t go, none of us will go. So she agreed and finally they all went,” said Kadam.
Kadam himself did not go on the trip, but later traveled to Kashmir to help bring the shell-shocked survivors from his family back home.
The holidaying family bought food from a stall not long before the attack. Unaccustomed to the realities of the restive region, they initially mistook the sound of gunfire for fireworks, Kadam said, but were warned to take shelter by locals who sensed danger.
All three men were shot shortly after, he said. A bullet grazed his 20-year-old nephew Harshal’s hand.
It took almost four hours for disabled Kavita to struggle down the hill to safety, he said.
He said the families have taken hope from protests in India demanding justice for the victims and their families.
Still, their lives have been changed forever.
“This is not something that can end,” he said.
“We have to now live with this.”
