Looking back, it’s as if everything before that date was from another world; it certainly feels like another era. The abrogation of Article 370 was so unexpected, the manner in which it was done so shocking for Kashmiris, and finally the chokehold they were placed under to prevent people from expressing themselves about the decision: I think it took everybody’s breath away. It’s been a year, and no one is breathing normal even now. The information blackout was extremely difficult when it began, for it was near-total for everybody, and it brought everything to a standstill: lives, livelihoods, education, health, every aspect of existence—including, let’s not forget, emotions. And even though landlines and mobiles now work, and a weak 2G internet has been made available, I think we should be using a different word for what is ongoing in Kashmir: it’s a siege. The blackout may have been lifted, but that siege continues.