By Sibti Muhammad Hassan

In the late 1980s, Kashmir newsrooms were small islands of debate and discovery.

The Soviet Union was collapsing, the world was changing its axis, and in Srinagar, a new generation of writers and editors was learning to steer that shifting landscape through stories.

Among them was a young editor named Faiyaz Dilbar, who spent his days at Srinagar Times shaping the Sunday Adab Nama page under the watchful eye of Sofi Ghulam Mohammad.

Those were different times. The newsroom carried the earthy smell of newsprint and the clatter of typewriters. Writers gathered around Faiyaz's desk, waiting for his silent nod of approval.

The newsman from the Qazi clan of Maharaj Gunj was patient with manuscripts, never in a rush to reject or accept. He would read each word as if it carried a secret. His edits were gentle but firm, always meant to lift a piece rather than trim it down.

Faiyaz had a rare gift for understanding how the global and the local intertwined.

Back then, Indian media was opening up, satellite television was making its first appearances, and Kashmir's own socio-political landscape was beginning to tremble.

In that environment, Dilbar tried to preserve a space for thought and culture.

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