We call up Umar Meraj, a Kashmir-based videographer on a Thursday evening from Mumbai, hoping to catch him free at that hour. After getting no answer, we are about to hang up, when there’s a sudden, harried 'hello' from the other side. "I’m covering the protests. There’s too much commotion here. Can’t speak. Talk later,” Meraj, who works as a freelancer for a news agency, breathes hurriedly. For the 31-year-old, the co-founder of Everyday Kashmir, an arresting photography account on Instagram, this is as everyday as it gets.

Founded in November 2014 by Meraj and his cousin Imran Shah from Srinagar, Everyday Kashmir depicts life in the conflict-ridden Valley. The account was created in the wake of the Kashmir floods, when all other means of communication had taken a hit.