'Come Back, Momin': A Mother's Wait By Riverside For Her 10-Year-Old Son

Every few minutes, Shaheena rises from the riverbank and stares into the churning waters.The sight never changes.The river continues its relentless rush downstream, carrying with it the hopes, prayers and unanswered questions of a grieving mother.For four days now, Momin Ashiq's mother has been sitting beside Nallah Madumati in north Kashmir's Bandipora district, waiting for her 10-year-old son to return home.She wants to embrace him one last time."I just want to see him one last time," she says, her eyes fixed on the water.Relatives and villagers try to comfort Momin's mother inside a tent erected along the riverside.Photo Credit: NDTV, Ejaz Ul Haq BhatThe river, however, offers no solace.Four days ago, Momin Ashiq, son of Ashiq Hussain Ganai of Ganai Mohalla in Kaloosa, was riding his bicycle along the banks of the river with his friend, enjoying an ordinary evening that no one imagined would turn into tragedy.He spotted a…