Farheen Farid is a PhD Research Scholar from the Centre of Dalit and Minorities Studies, Jamia Millia Islamia, an interdisciplinary research centre. She has been a student of literature and has always been interested in knowing about societies and the aspirations and fears of people through their stories. This love for stories made her delve deep into the narratives of women from Kashmir and she, as a part of her Ph.D. topic, is now exploring the Women Question in conflict, particularly the Kashmir conflict. Her areas of interest include- women’s writings, partition literature and black literature. Sometimes, her imagination takes shape that she pens down as short stories and also, scribbles expressions in the form of poems. The short-story, The Illuminating Light, talking about hope, faith and pain of separation dances on the reality of our existence and takes us on a ride to the interiors of a flooded Kashmir where Hamzah’s misadventure with survival keeps the readers worried and creates and emotional connect with him as he grapples to find a way out of his misery.