The Sangoo household depended almost entirely on him. The family is large, and their struggles have been constant. Bilal had two brothers and three surviving sisters, though two of his sisters had died years earlier. His father, Ghulam Hussain, had undergone eye surgery. His mother, Bibi Jaan, is a heart patient who cannot walk long distances or take any stress. Farooq, the eldest son, works as a laborer too but lives separately and struggles to look after his own family.
Their neighbor and village sarpanch, Idrees Ahmad, described Bilal as “the only hope” his household had. “They are extremely poor,” he said. “He was the one supporting his parents and his sisters. Today, after his burial, my eyes were swollen. I have never seen grief like this.”
Baba Nagri is a place where people know each other’s routines, marriages, tragedies and debts. It is also a place where many young men leave to work outside the state. Some go to Delhi, others to Punjab or Maharashtra. Most go out of necessity, not choice. Among them was Bilal, who had taken the difficult decision to move to Delhi shortly before the COVID-19 lockdowns.
Soon after Bilal reached Delhi, his parents began falling sick. First his father’s eyesight deteriorated and he needed surgery. Then his mother’s heart condition worsened. Every new medical bill meant Bilal had to work longer hours, take more shifts, and postpone his return home. He drove a rickshaw near the Central Market area in Delhi, navigating traffic, heat, dust, and long evenings, doing everything he could to keep the money flowing back to Kashmir.
Six years passed. He never came home, not even once. But this year, for the first time in years, his family allowed themselves to hope. His parents had finally begun talking about his return. His sisters had started preparing lists of things they wanted to cook for him. Relatives who had not seen him since 2019 waited eagerly for the day he would walk through their door again.
“His parents were so happy,” Idrees said. “After years of struggle, they were finally hearing that Bilal was coming back.”
