Oh, I been flying... mama, there ain't no denyin'
I've been flying, ain't no denyin', no denyin'

Mehran, 29, and Zuhaib, 30, are cousins from Kashmir, currently studying computer science at New York Tech, and they have been in the U.S. for eight years. Stone Mountain was on their list of sights to see on their road trip through the Great Smoky Mountains, Georgia, New Orleans, Austin, and Houston. “But you have the Himalayas,” I said, as if questioning what could they want with a mere foothill like Stone Mountain.
“But this is granite,” said Mehran as if it were referring to a rare gem.

Truthfully, before we even got very far along in conversation or covered perfunctory facts like how Kashmir is often referred to as Mini Switzerland and contains regions administered by Pakistan, India, and China, it was the song “Kashmir” by Led Zeppelin that was the first common thread among us. And for days after encountering the Kashmiri men, I confess to playing this song many consider one of Zeppelin’s greatest numerous times.