A thin blanket of snow-covered everything in the near vicinity of our house, as far as one could gaze with squinted eyes. The sharp crackle of the old Osmond radio - complete with four giant knobs and a mahogany coloured frame- catches the attention of my seven-year-old self. The reception is bad as the transmission quality deteriorates in turbulent weather. Turbulence is also the word that can best describe the mood in the strife-torn Kashmir valley in the mid-'90s.