'Interestingly, now many locals in Jaipur say 'doctor sahib's brother is here' when they see me because my brother is a doctor there,' Sharma said.

Sharma like Shazadi and hundreds of other people who are non-state subjects, though they have a deep sense of belonging for Jammu and Kashmir, must leave when their time comes.

'It is like being thrown into a vacuum after all the best years of your life have gone down serving the place,' said another retired senior bureaucrat belonging to Delhi.

A senior police officer who still has 18 years to go in the job here said: 'When we get back home after serving for 30 years or more, we will find that most of our friends have either died or forgotten us. The family ties will have got broken or diluted.

'we will be left with our children who will be busy pursuing their careers in far off lands. One has to be very fortunate to have a spouse alive and around in such a trying hour.'

But Riyaz Ahmad, a senior advocate, explained the rationale behind the rules.

'The permanent resident rules originally enforced during the autocratic Dogra Maharaja's rule are still in force here and for valid reasons. Kashmir's accession to India is governed by Article 370 which gives a special status to Jammu and Kashmir,' he said.

'Though the permanent resident rules are not part of the Article 370, yet they are very essential to protect the peculiar ethnic and religious realities of Kashmir.

'These rules are a protection against demographic change and many other problems the state could face in their absence.'

Rules, regulations, legal protection and regional complexities are fine, but how does Kashmir's centuries-old tradition of hospitality and eclectic unison address problems of children like Shazadi or seniors like Gopal Sharma?

(F. Ahmed can be contacted at f.ahmed@ians.in)