Pahalgam Valley (PTI Image)

Haptnar (Anantnag): His scorched hands and bullet-riddled body told the story of courage and sacrifice. Syed Adil Hussain Shah, the pony-tailed man who held the barrel of a terrorist’s rifle to save tourists during the horrific massacre at Baisaran Valley in Pahalgam last year, came to symbolize the spirit of Kashmir and the soul of India in his last act of selflessness.Adil was the sole breadwinner of his family when he was murdered on April 22, 2025. Over the past year, her family has gone through a profound and complex transformation – from a life defined by daily uncertainty and frugality to relative financial stability, even as they grapple with irreparable loss.Once living in a 40-year-old fragile house made of mud and wood, they are looking forward to moving into a newly constructed single-storey house adjacent to the old structure. The house, which cost around Rs 10 to 12 lakh, was financed by the party of Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister and Shiv Sena leader Eknath Shinde. The family says Shinde is expected to visit them on the first anniversary of the attack, after which they plan to shift to a new residence.Additionally, the family has received financial assistance of around Rs 20 lakh from government sources and other organisations. Even Adil’s widow Nazim has been given a permanent job in the fisheries department, while her brother Najakat has got a daily wage job in the Waqf Board. Another brother, Naushad, who once drove a taxi, now owns a cab worth around Rs 12 lakh.His father Syed Haider Shah said, “We have no shortage of money now, but we miss Adil.” “My son used to earn around Rs 300-600 a day and we were happy with it,” he said. “They sacrificed their lives for humanity. When tourists came to Pahalgam, they trusted us and we tried to save them,” he said.Sitting outside the newly constructed house, Haider says he feels proud when people from across the country come and acknowledge his son’s courage. “He lost his life, but he made our lives more secure,” he said.Haider says that he knows that there are different opinions about his son in Kashmir and beyond. Haider, who is fluent in Pahari, Kashmiri and Urdu, says people from across the country keep coming to meet the family to express their condolences. “The people of the valley value what he did by giving his life to save the tourists and ensure their safety,” he says. “But people outside Jammu and Kashmir perhaps understand his sacrifice more deeply. They see that he did not think on religious lines and gave his life for others.“He told that there were many people present in Baisaran that day who managed to escape. He says, “My son could have also saved himself. But he did not do so. His conscience did not allow it and I am proud of it.”Memories become fresh. He says, “His fingers were injured as he tried to snatch the rifle. Then he was shot in the back.”“That day was the heaviest day of our lives. It was the day of doomsday,” he says almost in a whisper. “When I heard there was firing in Baisaran, I started calling him. He didn’t respond. Since there was no network there, I thought he would respond. I kept calling till about 4 or 4.30 p.m. At 6 p.m., when there was no response, I went to Ashmukam police station and told them my son was missing. They asked me to go home.”He becomes silent for a while; Then, with a deep breath he says: “When I reached home, I was informed by the police that my son’s body was in Pahalgam Hospital…” Haider stops there, his eyes filling with tears.When the family reached Srinagar hospital to collect Adil’s body, a female tourist, who had lost a member of her family, said that Adil had tried his best to save them by snatching the gun from the terrorists. Medical reports showed that he had been shot at close range – there was a hole in his neck, there were bullet holes in his chest and part of one of his shoulders was mangled by a bullet.