Quote by Agha Shahid Ali: “Call me, I'm at the address of my own voice.”

This line beautifully encapsulates the idea that one's true identity and connection can be found in the uniqueness of their personal expression or artistic voice. It suggests authenticity is a form of self-location.

In the late 20th and early 21st centuries, as global conflicts and diaspora experiences intensified, artists like Ali used their distinctive voices to navigate complex identities and claim a sense of belonging through their art.

Kashmiri-American poet, born in New Delhi in 1949 and raised in Kashmir, whose ghazals in English brought the classical Urdu form to American poetry. His collection The Country Without a Post Office lamented the violence in Kashmir with devastating lyricism, and he taught at many American universities before his death in 2001.