Fierce inferno turns wedding celebration into tragedy
Anantnag, Mar 21: The quiet bylanes of Gajinag-Kadipora in Anantnag, usually buzzing with life, now echo only with sorrow. What was meant to be a time of joy and celebration for Muzafar Ahmad Bhat, a 58-year-old driver, turned into a nightmare as a raging fire consumed his home, along with the dreams he had carefully woven for his daughters’ weddings. On the afternoon of March 20, a fierce inferno swept through the congested by-lane, reducing over twenty homes to rubble and leaving more than forty families without shelter.
Among them was Bhat’s family, who watched in horror as the fire swallowed everything they had meticulously gathered for the weddings of Roshni and Mushaira, scheduled to take place after Eid.
The blaze showed no mercy. Wedding dresses, delicate copper utensils, precious jewelry, and the hard-earned savings meant for the ceremonies—all turned to ashes in a matter of moments. Even their food stock, beddings, and vital documents were lost to the flames, leaving the family with nothing but despair. “All our dreams, all the preparations, are gone in an instant,” Bhat said, his voice choked with grief. “I had worked tirelessly to ensure my daughters had a beautiful wedding. Now, I don’t even have a roof over my head.”
Like many others in the locality, Bhat’s wooden and mud house was no match for the fast-spreading fire. The family barely managed to escape, but with no belongings salvaged, they now find themselves sleeping under the open sky in makeshift tents. The tragedy was compounded by an earlier heartbreak. Just four months ago, Bhat lost his wife, who had been battling chronic kidney disease. He had spent every last penny on her treatment, only to lose her in the end. Now, the fire has taken whatever little he had left.
“I am still grieving the loss of my wife, and now, this fire has taken away everything else,” he wept. “I should have perished in the flames rather than witness such devastation.”
As the Holy month of Ramadhan ends, instead of preparing for joyous wedding festivities, Bhat faces an uphill battle: rebuilding his home and finding a way to ensure his daughters’ marriages. But with no savings, no home, and no possessions, he is left asking one painful question— How?
