Syed Mustafa Ahmad I am lost in thin air.I don’t know of living a life;The life that is about introspection,Relearning, unlearning and learning.The life that is to know your worth.The life that is know your Creator.The life that knows relations with others.The life that is to die before death.The life that is to live before death.The life that is to dig your grave The life that is to cremate yourself.The life that means to mourn over your death.The life that means to decide your Paradise and Hell.The life that means to eat a mountain of poison.The life that means to cherish every moment.Life is Life when one knows its worth.
CARPET WEAVING AND ASSOCIATED DREAMSBy Syed Mustafa Ahmad Carpet Weaving ( qaeleen kaem), from Yarqand, was a flourishing business in the past. It is said that it was the gift from those who helped to spread Islam in Kashmir. The book “ Kashmir Under the Sultans” written by Mohibbul Hassan tells that Sultan Zain-Ul-Abideen, who ruled from 1420-1470, brought different kinds of profession or occupation from the Cental Asia. Badshah( Zain-Ul-Abideen) had good contacts with outside countries like Iran, Afghanistan, Iraq, etc. Today, we often listen about the Silk Route. The modern CPEC between China and Pakistan is a small replica of that grand route. It was the route that brought Islam and handicrafts to Kashmir. This route also took Buddhism from Nepal to China. Abdul Gani Sheikh from Ladakh has written about the route in eleventh class Urdu ( JK BOSE). Zain-Ul-Abideen was influenced by the traditions of his ancestors like Sultan Shihab-Ud-Din and Sultan Sikandar. Sayyid Mir Ali Hamdani and his son Mir Muhammad Hamdani brought different professions with them in order to be self- independent. Sayyid Hamdani had written a book about the economic system in Islam that left a profound influence over people. Moreover, they were aware of the physiography and the culture of Jammu and Kashmir. In this way, it helped the native people very much. It contributed about 9,000 crore to the state exchequer. It was a remedy for unemployment. It was a perennial profession or occupation that used to provide livelihood to those who could not go to school or were forced to abandon his studies like Adil. It was a privilege for some to be engaged in this profession with the charming things like the warp and weft, knife, beating comb, shears, silk of different colors, etc. A lot of stories are associated with this business. Adil is one of them. It is full of nostalgia. Adil and his family were happy that they had a loom at their home. Adil was the third child among five. His two elder brothers were illiterate and hence labourers. Adil’s younger siblings were not highly educated. His sister was unmarried and was an Anganwadi helper. His youngest brother was working as a porter in a defense camp. Adil’s ancestors were famous for learning, particularly in Persian and Arabic. But Adil and his siblings were not so lucky in gaining any good knowledge. The heavens as well as their individual levels could not support them to achieve something concrete. Agriculture was and is the main source of income at Adil’s village. His father and his elders brothers were busy in agricultural.work while Adil took to Qaleen Kaem. When he was in the primary school, he was forced to abandon his studies. It is because in the 1980s, some so-called rich of the village brought the Carpet Weaving to the village. As told earlier it was a craze at that time to be in this occupation. They were good in one respect that it would bring monetary benefits to the village and they would not remain idle at different places like margs( Meadows), charaaes( grazing lands), Wudars( Karewas), etc. But the misery was waiting for them after a brief lull. The village, being illiterate, had some hope of literacy when in the 1980s some students like Adil began to go to the local primary school. They were happy because there was a lot of innovative things to do. Books were windows for them to look at different things and places. They felt pity over those who were busy in child labor. But they didn’t know that the misery that was more horrible than theirs, was waiting for them, with mouth wide open. Adil was forced to abandon his studies. One day, as he was coming back for lunch from the school, in the corridor of his home, his modest school uniform was put off forcefully by his father. He could not understand at that time what his father was doing to him. But one thing was crystal clear that the liberty of theirs was going to be snatched away. The local primary school contained spaces for both the school and the Qaleen Waans( Carpet Looms). He wept to his might but his father, being a hardcore person, did not feel pity over him. He was told plainly that your freedom was over. Now, you had to go to learn Kasb( Skill) so that you could live your life with ease. It was not a surprising thing for him because at that time, poverty was common. People didn’t know the value of education. They only knew that it was best to earn than to spend time and invest in educations. In history, we learn about the bonded labor. Carpet weaving too was like that. Innocent children were to sign a contract for a year or two through their parents. A small amount of money was given in advance to their parents as a goodwill gesture that you were investing in something useful. Yes, for their parents, it was an icing on the cake. They could see the face of some notes and cherish them in their hands. They could walk proudly for they had money in their dirty pockets. As the building contained both the school and the looms, there only was the shift of rooms: from classrooms to Qaleen Waans. No, it was more than that. In classrooms, there was a new world in front of the students. They learnt that my Creator, you are my hope and never leave me in want while in new rooms, there were tight strings that hurt tiny fingers. In classrooms, a teacher would give some time to rest but in the new rooms, there was a lunch break of only 25 minutes. In the classrooms, there was a hope that one day would come when we would live like birds. There would be freedom but their wings of desires were clipped before the flight. Adil, after that day’s incident, woke up next day to prepare himself for the school but to his astonishment, he was gifted with some carpet weaving tools like a knife, beating comb, shears, etc. In place of pencil, slate, and ink, he was to take iron and wooden tools with him. He was looking at them minutely but could not differentiate between the two. The former things needed freedom but no money; while the latter gave money but no freedom. Caught in this situation, Adil accepted his mother’s advice and with brimming tears, left for the same building but with a lot of differences. The rhyming sounds from the adjacent classroom would haunt him. He yearned to be among them, though they were done in number. But his heart longed to enjoy those illustrated books. Days passed and he had to bow before his fate. Carpet Weaving had come to destroy him. Years passed and it took the shape of decades. Adil made this his occupation. Working under different teachers, he, at last, installed his own loom at his home under the tutelage of the teacher from Downtown area. For Downtown area was the hub of this craft. For 15 years, Adil worked for them. He helped his family with as much as he could. Barring Fridays, he was busy on his loom through out the year. However, the long relationship came to a sudden end when he left working under the teacher. The reason was simple: no liking for quality, introduction of machines, government apathy, etc. His teacher could not keep pace with the mechanized-world. Finding himself in this situation, Adil went to the same people who had snatched his childhood from him. For two years, he happily worked but before some months, when I went to meet Adil, I didn’t find him working on loom. I couldn’t believe that Adil who was always found working on his loom, was not there. I enquired about his whereabouts. His wife told me that his health is not so good. Sitting on a loom for almost thirty years has costed him his health. He had gone to do some labor work. I began to look at the loom. It has scars. The scars given to it by nears and dears. I put my fingers into it and began to feel the spirit of Carpet Weaving. I was reminded of my childhood when my uncle used to teach me how to make carpet. Weaving a carpet needs some music. My uncle had hundreds of cassettes of different periods of both Bollywood and local types. Muhammad Raf, Kishore Kumar, Usha Khanna, Rajesh Roshan, Shailendra, Raj Kapoor, Kumar Sanu, Udit Narayan, Lata Mangeshkar, Jagjit Singh, Nida Fazili, Majrooh Sultanpuri, Nadeem-Shravan, Gulzar, Mahesh Bhatt,cetc., were and are still find there. In local sense, he has Rashid Hafiz, Gulzar Ganie, Ghulam Nabi Bhat, Abdul Majeed Ganie, Farooq Ganie, Misgar, Abdul Radhid Farash, etc. He also has some Panasonic tape recorders there to display the ingenuity of the Japanese. Today, Adil hates to work on the loom. He doesn’t expect this craft to guarantee him a good life. He has two daughters. He is living separate. He wants government to intervene. He is hopeful that if government intervenes, there are chances that it may be revived. But according to me, it is buried under the Earth. No one is interested in taking up this profession. What is the fun of being engaged in such a profession that now is a source of misery and curse! I have seen Adil fighting with his wife over this profession. Yes, his wife was right in saying that if you could not afford to meet the basic necessities of life, you would better find some alternative. I think every carpet weaver has to find an alternative. Have they? The question remains. By: Syed Mustafa Ahmad
Insaaf Ki Dastak : A Ray of Hope Justice is the paramount need of every society and to run society in peaceful and progressive manner delivery of Justice is a must. Former Chief Justice, High Court of Jammu and Kashmir and Patron-in-Chief J&K State Legal Services Authority, Gita Mittal, who retired few days back but before that launched an ambitious legal outreach programme “Insaf Ki Dastak”.
A statement stated that the programme aims at providing access to justice at the door steps of people living in far-flung and inaccessible areas of the UTs of J&K and Ladakh who face severe hardships in reaching the courts for their legal issues.
The project “Insaaf ki Dastak” (Access to Justice for inaccessible areas) was envisioned by former Chief Justice, Gita Mittal and Justice Rajesh Bindal, Executive Chairman of J&K SLSA to ensure that no person is deprived of their constitutional rights enshrined in Article 39-A of the Constitution of India which provides that the State shall secure that the operation of legal system promotes justice, on the basis of equal opportunity and to ensure that the opportunities for securing justice are not denied to any citizen by reason of any disability.Pertinently, the rules governing the filing of suits, appeals and petition by the persons residing in remote areas were framed and by virtue of Notification no. 1617 dated: 07.03.2019, the High Court of J&K made necessary amendments to J&K General Rules (Civil) of 1978 svt. The High Court in Sch. (Schedule) A Chapter 8 of the J&K General Rules (Civil) of 1978 Svt. has notified certain areas of UTs of J&K and Ladakh as remote areas.One hopes wheels of Justice run smoothly in Jammu and Kashmir in favour of justice starved masses .
For achieving the target of the Project, the assistance of department of posts and certain government approved agencies providing public services (Common Services Centres) was also sought. The Para Legal Volunteers who form an important area of Legal Services Authorities would bridge the gap between the people living in inaccessible areas with Court and other Legal Services Authorities by facilitating filing of cases as per rules through the CSC’s /Post office located in their area.One hopes this programme changes dynamics of justice in Jammu and Kashmir towards betterment.
DDC election’s…The revival of electoral politics in Kashmir!!! Owais Ah Shah( The writer is rsuing PG in Pol.Science) The election’s of DDC in Kashmir have marked a new beginning of electoral process in Kashmir.The abrogation of Article 370,35A & statehood in the year 2019 had left the erstwhile state of J&K in a terrible climate.The political mainstream was pulled down & a new environment of Bearaucrcy possible was created by the central Govt in J&K.It has taken around a year for Kashmir to get fully politically conscious & the regional parties have forged an alliance known as PAGD which is voicing a unanimous demand for restoration of Art 370,35A & statehood of J&K.The PAGD is at loggerheads with the central Govt as both parties are not agreeing with each other & central Govt is reluctant of the demands placed by the PAGD.The recent amendments to bolster Panchayti Raj act’s has included DDC & election’s for J&K have also been placed on the menu.The candidates placed by BJP are spread across Kashmir & in a bid to kick out it’s candidates,regional parties of Kashmir & alliance of PAGD have placed their candidates in the fray to fight BJP. During the campaigning trails,the candidates of PAGD are vehemently addressing people to vote for PAGD & maintain dignity & honour of J&K.What’s fascinating in these election’s that young,educated youth are also in the fray fighting independently.People of Kashmir have never seen a febrile atmosphere of election’s as they are witnessing now.The poll record is also humongous & people are supporting candidates everywhere.The old & stodgy image of election’s fought by only politicians has shrugged off & a new image has sprouted up where the young generation find this platform a powerful vehicle to address public issue’s. These election’s are very important because the candidates who will emerge victorious will have a great role to play for the future politics in Kashmir.People are supporting this election to maintain dignity & honour of Kashmiri & also elect new faces who are supporting public cause & will carve out a space for political & public engagement.Kashmir is entering into a phase of new political stability where people will decide who to vote & why to vote.The politics of past is supplanted by the politics of present which will help Kashmir’s new growth of politics.
Brain Drain since decades is wrecking havoc in the valley of Kashmir.It is worth pointing outhere that Brain drain is a slang term indicating substantial emigration or migration of individuals. A brain drain can result from turmoil within a nation, the existence of favorable professional opportunities in other countries, or from a desire to seek a higher standard of living. The shifting to better places for employment is not only causing the brain drain meaning leaving of efficient human resources from native land in this case Kashmir bearing the brunt, but also causing pain and emotional trauma to the elders of families .
Change is the law of nature and Kashmir cannot be exception but since many years faster exodus to foreign lands is matter of great concern.
Syed Arshid Hussain Kashani, a writer and scholarly voices who ponders on this subject states :” Brain Drain is a very serious issue .There is a case of settling abroad in almost every locality now, with rest of family trying to adjust in the situation. We see a little jubilation in the beginning in most of the cases;however, the families with an old history of such development live in a different shade now. I few months back wrote how an uptown old couple wished to donate their entire property as despite huge properties because of well settled kids outside they had no one around when they needed them most. It was painful to note that the owner told the charity group that there was no dearth of money, he pleaded that he will be donating all his wealth provided in turn charity group will take care of them as long as they continue to live. This case is not exception but such cases and scenarios are now common thing throughout length and breadth of the Kashmir valley. “
Syed Arshad Hussain Kashani adds that to great worry settling abroad is now irresistible; parents and kids have almost surrendered on this issue. It has been found that settling abroad is usually one way traffic; you rarely return to attend your moral obligations and this trend is increasing. The voices of sanity on ground state that if this phenomenon remains unchecked and more youngesters began to abandon their homes, the need for setting up old age homes may become a reality.All this will also hurt the overall talent pool of the Kashmir valley .For decades, Kashmir’ s skilled professionals have preferred emigrating to the Gulf or West in search of better jobs, lucrative salaries and higher standards of living. All this is causing loss of talented humans to Kashmir and in this regard the Government of Jammu and Kashmir should create widespread opportunities so brain drain of talented humans is stopped .
Positive figures on JK Unemployment levels The problem of unemployment has been plaguing the present and future of Jammu and Kashmir youth since long . High percentage of unemployment among educated youth has been a much severe problem for Jammu and Kashmir.During Covid Pandemic and past Upheaval situation on this front had gone worse . Now in a ray of hope ,The rate of unemployment has fallen to 8.6% in the month of November from 16.1% in October in Jammu and Kashmir, as per the data given by the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE).
In July, Jammu and Kashmir Services Selection Board (JKSSB) published the recruitment notification for 8575 Class 4 for District/ Divisional / Union Territory (UT) Cadre. Pertinent to mention here according to official reports, A total of 1,35,590 registrations took place for the total vacancies of 8575; which depicts the inside picture of the employment crisis in Jammu and Kashmir. As per The Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE) figures, India’s unemployment rate is 6.7 per cent which means J&K has a higher unemployment rate than the national average. Among the states Haryana tops the list with 25.6 per cent of unemployment rate, followed by Rajasthan with 18.6 per cent.
The Kashmir Chamber of Commerce and Industries in its preliminary report suggested that five lakh job losses were recorded in Kashmir region only post abrogation of Article 370 last August which was followed by lockdown to combat Covid-19 pandemic.One hopes we continue to witness positive developments on unemployment front .
Successful and Healthy Marriage Suhaib Ashraf Bhat Abu’d-Darda’ (may Allah swt be pleased with him) said to his wife: “If you see me angry, try to calm me down, and if I see you angry I shall try to calm you down, otherwise we cannot live together. Love is a decision to be committed to another person. It is far more than a fleeting emotion as portrayed on television, the big screen, and romance novels. Feelings come and go, but a true decision to be committed lasts forever—and that is what defines healthy marriages. What you have to do is treat your wife kindly. Part of kind treatment is listening properly to what she is saying and responding properly. Being right is not limited to men; it may be your wife’s view that is correct and her suggestions and advice may be good. What is preventing you from letting her express her views and discussing them with her in a friendly manner? Marriage is a decision to be committed through the ups and the downs, the good and the bad. When things are going well, commitment is easy. But true love is displayed by remaining committed even through the trials of life. Honesty and trust become the foundation for everything in a successful marriage. But unlike most of the other essentials on this list, trust takes time. You can become selfless, committed, or patient in a moment, but trust always takes time. Trust is only built after weeks, months, and years of being who you say you are and doing what you say you’ll do. It takes time, so start now—and if you need to rebuild trust in your relationship, you’ll need to work even harder. Although it will never show up on any survey, more marriages are broken up by selfishness than any other reason. Surveys blame it on finances, lack of commitment, infidelity, or incompatibility, but the root cause for most of these reasons is selfishness. A selfish person is committed only to himself or herself, shows little patience, and never learns how to be a successful spouse. Give your hopes, dreams, and life to your partner. And begin to live life together. This is a simple call to value our marriages, treat them with great care, and invest in them daily. Remember how the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah swt be upon him) listened to the advice of his wife Umm Salamah (may Allah swt be pleased with her) and adopted it in a matter of great importance. That was during the well-known Treaty of al-Hudaybiyah, when she suggested to him that he should go out and not speak to anyone among his Companions until he had slaughtered his hadiy (sacrificial animal) and shaved his head. Our Prophet Muhammad (blessings and peace of Allah swt be upon him) did as his wife (may Allah swt be pleased with her) suggested and there was a great deal of good in that.On the other hand ,Remember that the consequences of harsh attitude towards your wife may backfire on you; she may refuse to give you any advice so long as you do not accept what she offers you and is forced to agree with you even if you are wrong. Thus you will be depriving yourself of a great deal of good and beneficial advice. It suffices us to say to you: This attitude, in which you insist on your opinion, do not admit your mistakes and do not acknowledge that your wife could be right is the very essence of arrogance, as the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah swt be upon him) defined it. It was narrated from ‘Abdullah ibn Mas‘ood (may Allah swt be pleased with him) that the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah swt be upon him) said: “No one will enter Paradise who has an atom’s weight of arrogance in his heart.” A man said: What if a man likes his garment to look nice and his shoes to look nice? He said: “Allah swt is Beautiful and loves beauty. Arrogance is rejecting truth and looking down on people.” Narrated by Muslim, no. 91 What is meant by rejecting truth is denying it out of arrogance and pride. Looking down on people means scorning them and thinking little of them. Don’t you see that this is the essence of what you are doing with your wife? Are you content to have this attitude and hence this fate may be yours? Do not forget that she is your life partner and the one who is helping you to raise your children and organise your household. So it is not appropriate to close the doors of discussion to her. You should not be too proud of your opinion and or feel that you do not need to discuss with her and hear her opinion. Do not neglect the words of your Prophet Muhammad (blessings and peace of Allah swt be upon him): “The best of you is the one who is best to his wife.” Narrated by at-Tirmidhi, 3895; classed as saheeh by Shaykh al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Jaami‘, 3314. Over and above that, do not forget the words of Allah swt (interpretation of the meaning): “And live with them honourably” [an-Nisa’ 4:19]. Discussion between the spouses increases the love between them and strengthens the bond between them; it also helps to reach the right decision in matters of married life and household and family affairs. We all have weaknesses and relationships always reveal these faults quicker than anything else on earth. An essential building block of a healthy marriage is the ability to admit that you are not perfect, that you will make mistakes, and that you will need forgiveness. Holding an attitude of superiority over your partner will bring about resentment and will prevent your relationship from moving forward. It is not the attribute of the wise and mature man to insist when he is in the wrong that his wife should be the one to apologise. Rather he is the one who should hasten to admit his mistake, apologise for it and ask his wife to forgive him. And her duty is to apologize to her husband if she is the one who is in the wrong. It is in this way that married life takes a correct course and lasting love and compassion are strengthened between the spouses. Abu’d-Darda’ (may Allah swt be pleased with him) said to his wife: “If you see me angry, try to calm me down, and if I see you angry I shall try to calm you down, otherwise we cannot live together.” May Allah swt bless you all and make your married life full of blessings.
PEACE AND ITS HISTORY Syed Mustafa Ahmad The concept of peace has the distinction of always having been relevant, whatever the age and time . It is inseparably entwined with the issue of human existence. Peace basically means harmony. It not only is among nature’s creations but between nature and man as well. With the passage of time, the concept of peace has gone through many changes. The concept of existence has widened to embrace global existence while isolated nationalism was discarded in favor of the independent existence. In the present circumstances, the need of peace has increased manifold. In the present, we are facing a lot of problems. Global warming, human rights violations, gender disparity, ethnic cleansing etc., are the evils that are looking us into our faces. These problems have the potential to set the ground for a ferocious war. Today’s age is the age of innovation. Nuclear arsenals can be disastrous, if not used properly. So, in this situation, the necessity of every kind of peace can hardly be overlooked. It should be clear that a war is not a sign of a civilized nation. But we will our best to look into this concept through different angles. In the onward march of civilization, the biggest threat to peace has been an inclination towards aggressive nationalism. Man was pitted against man since progress was linked to a particular regional identity, narrowly defined by physical borders. It is called regionalism. It was only after the two World Wars and the dropping of two atom bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki that it began to dawn on us what lack of peace meant. The destruction left by the “ hot wars” made us to think that it was of no use for the sake of a particular region. The mutual coexistence could be a better option. In the process of things, the “ hot wars “ were replaced by a Cold War. The World was divided between two superpower rival camps. The USA on the one side and the erstwhile USSR on the other side. It lasted for 45 years. This Cold War like the previous two wars, threatened the World peace on a large scale. The concept of deterrence stopped them from engaging in a hot war. The arenas of the Cold War like Korea, Cuba, Vietnam, etc., made it clear that Europe was again heading for a collateral damage. It is only now that we have begun to grasp the fact that peace is not merely lack of war but p positive concept in itself. It is multifaceted and includes political, social, economic components and all other issues involving man. It is a holistic concept that can’t be fragmented and viewed. The League of Nations was formed to promote the World peace. But it spectacularly failed in achieving this. It must be noted here that both the World Wars we’re fought for the sake of peace. The First World War was fought for “making the World safe” and the Second World war was fought” for implementing President Wilson’s 14 points”. It was after the Second World war that we achieved limited success in managing peace by the setting up of the UNO. Although it has been dominated by the big powers, it has done some commendable work in giving every nation an equal voice. There is one country- one vote principle in the General Assembly. It has also realized its goal in resolving certain conflicts during the Cold War like the Korean War. But overall the UN in the present conditions have failed to resolve many issues. The Palestine issue, the Kashmir issue, the Rohingyas, The Tamils, the Arab Spring, etc., to name few. Some issues among the above-mentioned problems can set the whole World on fire. We are witnessing it with each passing day when a nuclear power country incites another nuclear country for a war. In between, the helpless nations become the soft target. Until and unless, the grass root problems are not addressed, the achievement of global peace is a distant dream. Issues like poverty, global warming, female infanticide, genocide, loot of free market economy, fascism in the garb of democracy, etc., should be addressed on a war footing basis. For this to happen, everyone has to come forward for the sale of beautiful and tendering nature. If global peace is to be achieved as an objective, we must discard piecemeal measures and go to the root of the problem. It is the world divided into the ‘ haves’ and ‘have nots’. Until a balance is achieved between the two, there will always be disequilibrium and hence, a threat to world peace. The distribution of wealth and power is in favor of the industrially developed nations and until we redress this anomaly, there will continue to be disruptions in peace. The industrially developed Nations must develop their responsibilities towards developing band under developed nations. The under developed nations must also inculcate a culture of self-help rather than expecting anything from the international organisations. Cultural invasion must be restrained since it breeds a sense of insecurity among minority communities and religions. Fundamentalism of extreme type should be stopped at any cost. It is this mindset that proves very destructive for the global peace. Superpowers must also give the temptation of mistaking their interests for the interests of the world in general. Regional groupings can play an instrument role in standing up to big power dominance and promoting their own agenda of peace. The Non-Aligned Movement was the best exams let in this regard. It tried to mitigate the rivalry between the two super powers and put forth their own agenda of global peace, however that itself is mired by the paradoxes. SAARC, BRICS, RCEP and OIC can also play a decisive role in establishing to the global peace. Among them, SAARC has a large role to play, particularly in the South Asia. There are two nuclear weapons states in this group. They can act as a deterrence in the wake of any threat to the global peace. The change of mindset and living in a continuous mutual coexistence can help a lot. World peace and ecological stability are related since only peace can bring the focus back to preserving the earth, rather than destroying it. Both concepts appeal to the natural and stable instincts in man and are the two sides of sustainable development. Only if nations stop viewing each other with suspicion, they can divert resources towards creating a healthier environment, rather than simply defending a system and a way of life, which is no longer sustainable. Last but not the least, global peace is not a matter of policy. It is about survival. If we choose peace, we choose life and if we reject peace, we reject life. This painful experience has come to us after we have lost innumerable people. It is not too late to act. There is a change in the future. We can pledge that our actions should be in the direction of peace and not vice versa. We are hopeful that after a bloody battle, peace will embrace us. The only need is to be careful whatever we do. Before pointing at other person’s fault, we should look at ourselves. There should be a balanced world order. Inequality should be removed at the earliest. Let us walk hand in hand and make it our concern that we should be equal in the world of inequalities. Syed Mustafa Ahmad writer is based at Hajibagh near zainakote and can be reached at Syedmustafaahmad9@gmail.com.
Weak IT Sector Hurting Kashmir News Kashmir Technology Bureau
Information Technology is considered among the major sectors of world today generating a sizeable revenues and considerable proportions of employment throughout the world . Over the past few decades the IT Sector has taken center-stage in the progress of global economies and played a very important role in the development of Indian economy too. Pertinently, India, one of the most technologically forward moving countries in the globe; the IT sector plays a major role in economy and as a matter of fact sometime back it employed more than 3 million people and accounts for over five percent of the country’s gross domestic product and export earnings. It was stated that India’s outsourcing industry is expected to hit 225 billion dollars by in 2020. But unfortunate part is that in Kashmir not much attention has been paid to the development of Information Technology sector and despite producing huge number of IT professionals we do not have job opportunities for them.
Most importantly despite being announced several years back the dream of having Mega IT Park in Kashmir has remained an elusive dream. Now with Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir coming into being many voices are hopeful that IT sector of Kashmir gets due attention.
Experts from time to time have made it clear that there are a wide variety of career opportunities available for capable and experienced IT professionals. Experts are urging upon the government to take all the necessary steps for the promotion of IT Sector in the valley of Kashmir. Dvelopment of IT sector in Kashmir holds the key towards the path of peace and progress . The Information Technology sector outhere lacks quality IT Parks and a large number of IT Professionals are thus jobless in the valley of Kashmir.We have been witness to the negative fact that IT Parks have been promised but no pragmatic effort made to build the same. Javaid Ahmad ,an Information Technology professional said, “ Information Technology is big sectors of today’s world and no country or place can progress swiftly without it.We in Kashmir as a matter of worrisome facets lack quality IT Parks in Kashmir .The majority of IT Professionals in the valley of Kashmir are facing a host of issues and problems on account of lack of job avenues in this all important sector in the entire state especially kashmir valley. We are hopeful that major steps would be taken to promote IT Sector of Kashmir.’ One hopes IT Sector of Kashmir sees brighter tomorrow soon.
By Sufaya Yousuf Begum zaffar Ali was born in 1901 to Khan Bahar Agha Syed Hussain Thakur, the Judicial Minister during Maharaja Hari Singh’s rule. She begun her career as a teacher in 1925 at the Girls MissionHighSchool (present day Mallinson Girls School). A staunch believer of women’srights, she went door to door to raise awareness regarding girls’ education in the valley and empower them through.Her speeches at public events inspired women who started sending their girls to schools.Begum zaffar Ali was the first woman matriculate of kashmir who went on to become Inspector of schools in kashmir. She was an educationist,women liberation activist, Deputy Director ofEducation and later a legislator in the Indian state of jammu and kashmir. She was associated with the activities of the All India women’s conference and was its Secretary before partition, but a chance meeting with Muhammad Ali Jinnah and his sister,Fatima Jinnah in kashmir, who would later visit the family for banquets, influenced her and she left the conference to concentrate her efforts in women’s liberation movement in the pre-independantIndia.Begum zaffar Ali was married to Agha zaffar Ali Qizilbash, a scion of an aristocratic Afghan family settled in kashmir. The couple had three sons, Agha Nasir Ali, a civil servant who retired as Labour Secretary of Indiain1977, Agha shaukat Ali, who joined civil services of Pakistanduring the partition of India in 1947 and Agha Ashraf Ali, an academician who retired as the Commissioner of higher education in Jammu andKashmir.As a chief inspector, she also introduced midday meals in school. Before her retirement, she was also appointed as the Deputy Director Education Kashmir for the relentlessness efforts in the matter of empowerment. She was also a member of the social welfare Advisory Board, Jammu and Kashmir.Begum Zaffar Ali also established a technical training centre for women of limited means in the valley, in the capacity of Deputy chairman of the advisory board. Between1977-82, she became a member of the legislative Assembly and tried tobring out various reforms for education and women’s emancipation along with other social issues. The policies she endorsed were by and large progressive and directed towards the uplifting ofwomen.Begum zaffar Ali died in 1999 at the age of 99 at the residence of her son Agha Shaukat Ali in the United States of America. Her grandson Agha Shahi Ali an award- winning kashmiri American poet, wrote a poem in memory of her which was included in the collection “ The Veiled Suite: the Collected Poems”. The Government of India awarded her the fourth highest civilian honour of Padma shri in1987.However, renounced the award due to what she termed the undemocratic policies of the IndianGovernment in Jammu and Kashmir. Begum Zaffar Ali will be remembered forever for her efforts in the enlightenment of women. Such kind of people are difficult to find. Jammu and Kashmir is lucky in producing such kind of personalities who live for others. The writer SUFAYA YOUSUF is Currently pursuing bachelor’s degree atsrinager
