The suicide rate in Kashmir is increasing with each passing day. In the past week, four cases of suicide have been reported across the Kashmir valley. A study done by one of the government agencies claimed that around 127 people died by suicide in the Kashmir valley in last 16 or 18 months. The data by the State Disaster Response Force reveals that 365 attempts of suicide were recorded. Out of them , 238 survived after taking extreme steps.
The media report on which the commission took suo-moto cognizance mentioned that 20,000 people have attempted suicide due to the socio-political turmoil in the Valley. About 3,000 of them have died and most of them were in the 16- 25 age group.
Other report mentions that 575 cases of suicide attempts have been admitted in the SMHS Hospital alone . In the entire State, at least one suicide is recorded every alternate day and there is hardly a hamlet or mohalla that has been untouched by more than one incident of suicide attempts. Quoting a psychiatrist, the report said that the incessant violence in the valley has devastated the psyche of the Kashmiris and stress-related diseases have grown manifold across the social spectrum, driving people mostly youngsters increasingly to suicide.
Most suicidal individuals give warning signs or signals of their intentions. The best way to prevent suicide is to recognize these warning signs and know how to respond if you spot them. If a friend or family member is suicidal, you can play a role in suicide prevention by pointing out the alternatives, showing that you care, and getting a doctor or psychologist involved.
Major warning signs for suicide include talking about killing or harming oneself, talking or writing a lot about death or dying, and seeking out things that could be used in a suicide attempt such as weapons and drugs . These signals are even more dangerous if the person has a mood disorder such as depression or bipolar disorder , suffers from alcohol dependence and previously attempted suicide or has a family history of suicide. All must come forward in preventing suicides. It is a challenge and it needs to be dealt with proper guidance. Doctors feel that awareness among youngsters need to be increased across the Kashmir valley. Doctors also say that there is a suicide contagion that needs to be prevented.
Marriage is one of the most pious and highly revered occasion across the cultures and faiths, a mystical union of souls that binds together two people for the entire life. But owing to the variegated intrusions it has witnessed is more of a concern in the current times. Are we losing the plot? Kashmiri wedding traditions are unique. There are several things which makes Kashmiri wedding traditions quite distinctive from the traditions of other communities. However, this holy union has underwent swath of changes and its essence is fading at fast pace. Arrange & engage in cooking delicious meals ‘wazwaan’ but it should be simple as possible. Don’t add unimportant things to it in order to show dignity & shower impression on other. These things get noticed all the time & are put before one & other in a more complex way as ‘demand’. Dowry, being one of them is a necessary social evil. To get hitched is good but why to hiccup others. These given utmost attention & preference are nothing but ‘Biddah’ (unnecessary increments). Which results in trauma to parents & suicidal bag for others. We should care about the other members of society. In a society, we live in interdependence and any change favouring vague will automatically force every single individual to go with it. However, exceptions can’t be termed out. On a positive note, two souls can interpret and preferably can change two families without wasting time & notes.
A Bond defining Togetherness and Tradition Marriage ceremony is an important social duty performed by the families and it takes shape in presence of huge social gatherings. Plenty of people are invited in the dinner parties by the families of both bride and groom by strictly following rituals from the pre-wedding to post wedding ceremonies. Starting with matching the horoscope of the bride and the groom (sitaar). Our people stress on checking the compatibility between the family of the bride and the groom, check the backgrounds of each other’s family, reputation and status (Family Tree). Most likely a Middle man/woman fixes the dates of the wedding after matching the horoscopes and then the two parties agree to go with it. After that several steps are followed in the pre-wedding period like Vaana, Livun, Wanwun, Manzirat, Duribat,Devgon etc.
Vaana: Vanna is formal engagement or commitment ceremony that takes place after the two parties agreed to form the alliance. Vaana takes place in front of an idol, which is followed by the meeting of parents and other elderly persons from the family of bride and the groom. The two parties meet in a temple and exchange flowers that symbolizes the formalization of the ceremony. The bride’s family invite the groom party for a meal that comprises traditional Kashmiri food. Cash, dry fruits, candies and a pot containing nabad (misri) is sent by the bride’s family to the groom’s house.
Livun: Cleansing of the houses of both the bride and the groom before wedding. The participation of all female members in the Livun is customary.
Wanwun: It is the next part of the pre-marriage rituals and is held a few days before wedding. Wanwun are actually music sessions that are held every evening at both and are attended by the relatives and neighbours of both sides. However, these things are now-a-days not being performed at some hard religious followers. Message is spreading but it will take time to make people concisely conscious.
Maanziraat: The ceremony that take place a day before the wedding is the most depressing night, full of futile activities. All nonsensical things are performed that night. Further, coming on the ceremony, it begins with krool khanun, a ceremony for decorating the main entrance of both the houses. Then an elaborate bathing of the bride, then ‘henna’ or ‘maanz’. Women are invited in the ceremony and are served special Kashmiri meals & kehwa with saffron.
Apart from these the other parts of Kashmiri wedding traditions in the pre-marriage session include; Bariyan, sending of thaals, sending of phool ka gehna (ornaments made of flowers), mehendi (decoration of Bride’s hand, palm and feet with Mehndi), Diugun, Sanzvaru and Devgon. These things are really burden on a poor family. A poor girl rejects marriage proposals because of these factors. This type of marriage system in Kashmir has become a hell of fire. People wedded through such ceremonies rarely last for years. They only sow poison for other fellows and also in person end with the same fate – living dead.
Reviving the Charm again
Then, it comes to the reception of baarat; the groom and his party by the bride’s family, First, Vidai: (the farewell of bride from her home) and then welcoming the newly-weds at groom’s house. The newly wedding is also followed by some post-wedding rituals like, Satraat, Phirlath, and Roth Khabar. On a lighter note, these things make no sense in real sense. They only add burden to the poor families. This is the cause ‘love marriages’ are preferred over ‘arranged’ one’s viz. court marriages etc. to avoid extra time consumption in fixing dates and other futile deals. “Baje kore henz czhopei gye ankaar”- but marriage is a commitment (solid union). What I want to say is that, “get married but let always way open for other’s & never try to show off.” Please carry your daughter or son’s marriage in a social way, leaving a moral print for others to follow. Arranging feasts & squandering all along is letting us all down. Simply trying to be simple won’t be a problem.
Dr Shahid Iqbal Choudhary, Dr Shah Faesal and Fazlul Haseeb are among the top IAS officials of Jammu and Kashmir administration who have passed the UPSC exams in 2008, 2010 and 2017 respectively and became role model heroes of hundred of youths of Jammu and Kashmir those intending to qualify the UPSC exams from time to time to attain bureaucratic positions.
Dr Shahid Iqbal Choudhary is a 2009 batch Indian Administrative Service officer from Jammu and Kashmir cadre and the current administrative secretary of Tribal Affairs Department and Chief Executive Officer, J&K Mission Youth, Mission Director, Skill Development Mission. He secured an All India Rank 51 in the UPSC’s Civil Services Examination for the year 2008. Shahid was the first Muslim from Jammu region to get into Indian Administrative Service as a direct recruit.
Dr Shah Faesal, is an Indian bureaucrat currently posted as deputy secretary in the ministry of culture, Government of India. In 2010, he became the first Kashmiri to place first position in the Indian Civil Services Examination.
Faesal, who did his MBBS from Sher-i- Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences, Srinagar, topped the UPSC examination in his first attempt proves that anyone can achieve it by hard work.
Fazlul Haseeb cracked UPSC examination in 2017 and secured rank 36 is presently posted as Director, Jammu and Kashmir Tourism department, Kashmir. Haseeb topped the candidates from Jammu and Kashmir region in 2017 as he was groomed to get into the civil service and the idea was fed to him since childhood by his father, who kept guiding him and inspiring him to join the services.
Notably at least seven candidates from the Jammu region were confirmed to have made it to the latest batch of All India Civil Services while Kashmir Valley has been drawn completely blank. It is for the first time that no one from Kashmir Valley has been able to crack the Civil Services Exam for 2021 result of which was declared on May 30, 2022.
Shruti Sharma, Ankita Agarwal and Gamini Singla have secured the first, second and third rank respectively in the civil services examination 2021, results of which were announced by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) on May 30, 2022.
The IAS dream is exclusive to the millions of Indian youth who devote years of their time and make innumerable sacrifices to achieve it. Every year, thousands of aspirants enroll themselves in the best IAS academy they can find, in order to chart their course towards the IAS dream.
For those who harbour the IAS dream, it is essential to know the kind of duties, powers and responsibilities that are part and parcel of the illustrious post. Indian Administrative Service Officers are an intricate part of the Indian bureaucracy and government machinery. The career is a complete package comprising an attractive pay package, job security, social status, and an excellent platform for serving the nation on various levels.
Lakhs of aspirants fill the form every year with an aspiration to join Lal Bahadur Shashtri National Academy of Administration (LBSNAA) which is the last and final step before joining the duty and coming to terms with living the life of an IAS officer.
The civil services examination is conducted annually by the UPSC in three stages preliminary, main, and interview to select officers of the Indian Administrative Service (IAS), Indian Foreign Service (IFS), and the Indian Police Service (IPS) among others.
Once an IAS aspirant successfully aces the civil service exams, his/her life transforms into a very disciplined and busy one. IAS officers have to complete several duties in a day, based on their department. Most of the responsibilities involve going through daily reports, delegating duties, and overseeing policy formulation. The duties also involve extensive travelling across the length and breadth of their administrative area or district.
HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE
Civil Servants for the East India Company used to be nominated by the Directors of the Company and thereafter trained at Haileybury College in London and then sent to India. Following Lord Macaulay’s Report of the Select Committee of British Parliament, the concept of a merit based modern Civil Service in India was introduced in 1854. The Report recommended that patronage based system of East India Company should be replaced by a permanent Civil Service based on a merit based system with entry through competitive examinations. For this purpose, a Civil Service Commission was setup in 1854 in London and competitive examinations were started in 1855.
Nevertheless, in 1864, the first Indian, Shri Satyendranath Tagore brother of Shri Rabindaranath Tagore succeeded. Three years later 4 other Indians succeeded.
Throughout the next 50 years, Indians petitioned for simultaneous examinations to be held in India without success because the British Government did not want many Indians to succeed and enter the ICS. It was only after the First World War and the Montagu Chelmsford reforms that this was agreed to. From 1922 onwards the Indian Civil Service Examination began to be held in India also, first in Allahabad and later in Delhi with the setting up of the Federal Public Service Commission. The Examination in London continued to be conducted by the Civil Service Commission.
Similarly, prior to independence superior police officers belonged to the Indian (Imperial) Police appointed by the Secretary of State by competitive examination. The first open competition for the service was held in England in June, 1893, and 10 top candidates were appointed as Probationary Assistant Superintendents of Police. Entry into Imperial Police was thrown open to Indians only after 1920 and the following year examinations for the service were conducted both in England and India.
Indian Administrative Service (IAS) was formerly known as the Imperial Civil Service (ICS) is the Civil Services Examination and one of the toughest competitive exams in India. It is conducted by the Union Public Service Commission for the recruitment of officers for the All India Administrative Civil Service.
It is very important for aspirants to know and understand the requirements of the examination such as the UPSC IAS syllabus, pattern, eligibility criteria, application procedure and other such significant details before kick-starting the registrations.
The selection of the candidates will be made through the preliminary exam, main examination and an interview/personality test. This year-long selection process will begin in the month of June and conclude in April. The final merit list for the CSE will be released in May.
The role of IAS officers is very venerable, demands a great deal of responsibility and reverence. It is also important that an officer is physically and mentally fit and healthy to handle the work pressure without giving in. Handling affairs of government that involve framing and implementation of policy in consultation with the concerned minister Implementing policies through supervision and also traveling to the places where the approved policies will be implemented.
Implementing policies comprises disbursement of funds through personal supervision answerable to the Parliament and State Legislatures for any violation of rules while on duty functions and responsibilities differ at different levels of career. Initially, IAS officers join the state administration at the sub-divisional level, resuming their services as sub-divisional magistrates, and look after law and order, general administration and development work in the area assigned to them.
At the Centre, the IAS officers play a key role in formulation and implementation of policies related to a particular area for instance, finance, commerce, etc. During formulation of a policy and decision making, IAS officers serving at different levels i.e. joint secretary, deputy secretary give their valuable inputs. The policy takes its final shape through a final decision the minister concerned or the cabinet, depending on the seriousness of the situation.
With the roles and responsibilities of an IAS officer, aspirants might have understood that Civil Services is opted not for attractive salary or perks though the pay scale of an IAS officer is lucrative.
The life of an IAS officer is indeed hectic yet an interesting one! They are the ones who have the real power to bring about the necessary change in society and help the underprivileged get their rights in a real sense.
(The author is a regular columnist and can be mailed at m.hanief@gmail.com)
Social media are very useful for us . In today’s era, the use of social media has become a necessary activity. Billions of people around the world use social media to share information but we can’t say that it is only boon, but it has disadvantages as well. First of all let us look at the advantages of the social media.
Social media have changed the lives of modern society. People talk and chat with other people through this . It has the potential for employment opportunities for the unemployed . We can make many friends on it who live far away from us. People can express their talent on social media sites, they can get money for their talent. If any student gets stuck in any question, they can use the YouTube or educational apps to solve their doubt. Self study has become easy for . If We have no time to buy things from shops . we can use social media sites ( shopping apps ) and can order online from home. If we want to taste different types of food, we can also order them, wherever want to order. We can pay from our social media platforms . We can play online games with our friends.
Now let’s look at some disadvantages of the social media. Today, people are addicted to social media. They utilise it for entertainment. They are becoming lazy day by day. People have lose connections with the real friends and family members. Sometimes social media can provide us fake news. Some people cleverly steal other’s information to blackmail them. Sometime students don’t get the actual answers of their question from social media platforms. Shopping from online shops can prove disastrous. Kids have got addicted to the online games
Social media have both pros and cons. However, it is up to us to use social media in the best possible manner. Proper guidance is necessary in this regard. In the pursuit of benefits, we must not lose the sight of the disastrous sides of the social media.
Narrative of Kashmir has taken different shapes in the lives of people across India and it still stands as a very interesting topic of discussion among many stakeholders. While Kashmir has always been in the news for political paradigm shifts, killings, stone pelting etc but surprisingly representing the other side has been neglected too nicely which might have led to relevance and cohesion. There is more to Kashmir than Apples, Walnuts & Mountains. A place where sufi’s had curated mystic verses, where lal-ded/laleshwari saw shiv, where writers found poetry and where singers found songs in the breeze.
Kashmir has been always discussed through the lens of authorities and vested interests. When we talk about the modern day Kashmir narrative we forget to mention how women have equally played a role in shaping it. It’s very important to understand what type of information has been produced to build the Kashmir narrative and by whom?
This article is an attempt to represent a fresh perspective from an inverted lens of women in kashmir.
Kashmiri women have been rarely discussed in the media and amongst the political agenda and not much work has been carried out to make the discourse more gender neutral. It is personally very important for me to help people locate the place of women in ongoing Kashmir dynamics.
Women are as important as men for carrying forward the cradle of civilization. The women of Kashmir despite long decades of Turmoil have not let that be a roadblock and shine in every field of life. The propaganda voices in the past tried to paint Kashmiri women and their life a certain way which was far from truth. Kashmiri women didn’t even leave the place to pursue higher education let alone for jobs. But the truth has changed for the better, be it in the Silicon city of Country Bengaluru or the heart of country Delhi, Kashmiri women can be seen in every sphere of life contributing to national progress and building their careers.. They are not shying away when it comes to the more daring sectors like Media and aviation. Nowadays you can see Kashmiri women flying the planes in the country, contributing to academics, working in public policy, leading newsrooms and changing the scenario of male dominated journalism in kashmir.
Talking of entrepreneurship, four lakh women in over 48,000 Self Help Groups (SHGs) under the Jammu and Kashmir Rural Livelihoods Mission (UMEED) have revolutionised women entrepreneurship at the grassroots level.
There are also lists of schemes being implemented for women empowerment like:
Awareness Generation Projects for Rural and Poor Women (generating awareness among women regarding various issues like education, female foeticide etc) Condensed Course of Education for Adult Women (providing women above the age of 15 who did not have the opportunity to gain formal education a condensed general education along with vocational and skill development trainings in order to integrate them with the workforce),
Family Counselling Centres, Scheme for Working Women Hostels,
Swayamsidha Scheme (a Self Help Group based programme with an emphasis on convergence activities aimed at ensuring that the members of such groups avail all relevant schemes in an integrated and holistic manner),
Umeed (a Government of India flagship project to empower women in Kashmir), Sher-i-Kashmir Employment and Welfare Programme, Educational Loans, Micro Credit Loans etc. A plethora of government schemes are making an impact both in the education and employment scenario. For example, the Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana has resulted in the skill development and employment of a number of Kashmiri youth, especially women.
In 2021, Kashmir University had 94 gold medalists, of which 77% were girls. Similarly, during the Islamic University of Science and Technology convocation, most gold medalists were women.
In 2022, two women from kashmir were awarded with Nari Shakti Puraskar, but again the discussion around this topic will be very less.
The point i am trying to make here can be experimented by everybody, for eg; if we try to search on google or ask anybody what is the position of women in kashmir dynamics?
you’ll mostly see them painted as victims of violence and their resilience. Though i don’t doubt their resilience for a split second but we also need to acknowledge that resilience does not only work in violent situations, it exists in excelling at professions too.
So this makes us ponder upon the fact that it is part of the narrative that they are represented in only one way or is the Kashmiri society non accepting of the fact that young women can choose for themselves and break the shackles of victimhood.
Though not much has been done for the kashmiri women living outside, the central government needs to ensure that they are provided with proper incentives and platforms so that they find a clear path to work in other parts of the country. Kashmiri women should be given more options to choose from in order for their decisions to be unaffected by state boundaries. The major fact which has been neglected is that the more kashmiri women are empowered, the more kashmiri society will empower because they have the potential to equally contribute.
Tehmeena Rizvi
The author is a Public Policy Professional from J&K, Currently working in New Delhi. Her areas of work include gender, inclusion, conflict and development.
Students are an asset. They are past, present and future of a nation. It is they who keep the flame of development alive. The Poet of East, Sir Muhammad Iqbal, stressed upon this fact that the destiny of the students is not this worldly matter; but rising above the worldly bonds, is the main aim of students. Looking through this lens makes it clear how we sensitive we must be towards the development of students. No leniency is acceptable in this regard.
If we look at the developed nations of the world, they invest in students. They have experienced old people, who guide the youth or students in the best possible way. Japan and China are some live examples. Instead on spending on other futile things, they want to make their nation supreme in every respect. So, they are sensitive towards the all round development of their students. However, in our case, there is no such thing. Students are left with no opportunities to prove their mettle. They have world class brains but the absence of opportunities and some other factors, hurt their cause. It should be kept in mind that it is not the product of a single factor; rather it is the combination of many factors. Let us try to know some of them.
The first is materialism. When the main objective of life is to pile up material things, then there are cent percent chances that students will be neglected. Indeed, it is happening in our society. The associated-thing with it is that education itself has become a source of earning as much as anyone can. In this situation, no doubt, we have students but they are good for nothing. They want to complete their education because they think that education is an end in itself. So, getting a piece of degree, make them to feel that we have invested a lot in earning these pieces of degrees, now, let us extract as much as we can. In this way, the main objective before students, is thrown to winds.
The second is lack of knowledge. We do not know why we are here. When the elders and leaders do not their objective of life, it makes no sense that students of theirs can do miracles. They will toe the line and become good for nothing. Mark Twain says that only two days are important: One is when we are born and the day when we know why. This is the gist of life. Any sane person who, if asked, admits that there is an objective behind our creation. We are not useless. However, our ignorance has made it possible that neither we nor our students know anything about it.
The third is imitation. Well, imitating others in good principles is a welcome step. However, imitating others blindly, is a curse. Everyone is different. No two people are same. But we tend to forget this thing. The main concern of our students is to imitate those who earn a lot and are respected by each and everyone. They forget themselves and at the end of the day, are not found in any place. It is a big fault of our society that let students follow others without looking at both sides of the coin. In this way, the marvellous brains are destroyed.
The and last is corruption. Students feel choked in a corrupted society. Their wings are clipped before taking a flight. In our corrupted state, merit is taken for granted while show off and bribery take a long flight which no one can imagine. What can a student do in this environment? Obviously, he or she will feel that it is useless to be enlightened. However, he or she enlightens himself or herself but in some other way. A student asides itself from the mainstream learning where question papers are sold. In this way, the very aim of education goes for a toss and enlightenment hangs its head in shame.
In short, students should be taken care of. They have plastic minds. We are moulders. We have to come forward to mould them in the best manner. Let us to pledge that we will never let our students feel in want. Instead, we must be ready to help them in whatever way we can. Hope good sense prevails!
ShashiTharoor:A game changer for the future politics of INC.
Owais Ahmad Shah
PG Student at University of Kashmir.
In the tough & tumultuous political climate of today’s India, it has become rather indispensable that a strong, viable & vibrant opposition party emerges that can play a principal role by constructive criticism & healthy debate to help the ruling party to facilitate the strengthening of democracy,pluralism & free speech.India as a plural country has always been a standard-bearer of inclusivity, tolerance & acceptance. In the words of Martin Luther King Jr, “To other countries I may go as a tourist,but to India I come as a pilgrim”.Such was the reflection of rich diversity of India across the globe.The past few years have been rife with the turmoil & unending political storm.The rising incidents of hate & bigotry has brought India to a pretty pass.There has been a lot of international outrage & India is being debated for such incidents. The question of strong opposition that can constructively help India to revive it’s democratic strengths is much needed. Unfortunately, the democratic process has been only left for spewing venom at each other & debate has been reduced to political commotion that has no positive outcome.The mammoth support generated by BJP is undoubtedly their outreach to the people across the nook & corner of India. They have somewhere left their mark on the public mind leading to their thumping victory in two consecutive elections.The principal opposition party, Indian National Congress has undergone a metamorphosis. They have stepped down to the lowest rung on the ladder.The party has not only been open to criticism for it’s bad performances but also for it’s internal modus operandi. It’s leadership has been under scathing criticism & dynasty politics is being targeted. The party has also witnessed it’s veteran leader’s resigning & joining other parties or establishing their own parties & Gh Nabi Azad can be seen in the recent political developments.
The question of change for better has become an urgency now.There has to be a strong opposition party that maintains it’s check on the activities done by the ruling party.This opposition party needs a strong leadership that will take not only the party but the country to new heights & reclaim the glory of India’s past. In the recent political developments, the Indian National Congress after serious deliberation has finally taken a decision to conduct it’s party presidential elections & it has caught the attention all through India’s political sphere. There has been at the inception Ashok Gehlot, the CM of Rajasthan contesting elections which has now come to an end & Congress veteran leader, Malikarjun Kharge has nominated himself for the elections but the principal actor in this election is ShashiTharoor. He has been hotly debated for his intellectual strengths, mammoth global experience & erudition. Also, he has been subjected to the debate of “Elitism”. The support that ShashiTharoor has generated all across India is massive because people see in him an agent of change who can reinvigorate INC as a strong opposition party & can play a vital role in India’s democracy & plurality.The support that ShashiTharoor generates behind is for a reason & it’s because he has been a strong advocate of India’s plurality & secularism & can help through his statesmanlike gravitas to open doors of great success for Indias political health which has been adversely affected through past years. As some people rightly say that he is the oxygen that INC needs as it is on the ventilator.
It is keenly observed that how the election would be helpful to ShashiTharoor if he is elected as Congress President.His opponent doesn’t seem to get enough support behind & some have started projecting him as backed by the Gandhi family but what’s fascinating is the Tharoor for presidential elections & it has generated speed with every passing day.This has been a long public demand that ShashiTharoor should be pushed forward for taking the charge of the party to resuscitate it from the depths of disarray.Its not yet a foregone conclusion that ShashiTharoor will emerge as winner but the pendulum is swinging more on his side & he is supported not only by a good number of his party colleagues but a large number of people who are not associated with the party. The elections would not only decide who wins but it will also decide the future of the party & this is at a time when the next Lok Sabha election is in proximity. This is an election that would not only help INC to awaken form it’s political slumber but will also help public debate to re emerge & democracy to breathe a fresh air. It would not only be a humongous success if ShashiTharoor wins but also a massive challenge for the ruling party to deal with him.
THE OPENING OF A MULTIPLEX IN KASHMIR :A LANDMARK TOWARDS NORMALCY
Dr. Adil Malik
Art and its appreciation – is a gift that humans embrace in various forms. Cinema has always been a way of expressing oneself for many people – a way of rekindling, making memories and revisiting them, having good times and so on. The picturesque valley of Kashmir has opened its first multiplex for public with regular shows from 30th September 2022 marking a historic moment for the enthusiastic film lovers of Kashmir.
The first multiplex in India was started in New Delhi in 1997, however the valley of Kashmir had been deprived of not only multiplexes for almost 25 years ,but even cinema halls for the last 3 decades. Late 80s and early 90s saw Kashmir captivated by militancy, shutting down all cinema halls, also some of them were even set on fire and eventually calling a ban on theaters. Films were considered “haram” or unislamic by the fundamentalists in the region. There were efforts in 1999 by the government Led by Farooq Abdullah to reopen the cinema halls, but went in vain as a violent attack took place in the course of the first show leading to 1 casualty and 12 people getting wounded. Many years later, when a ban on cinema halls was lifted by Saudi Arabia, there was an attempt to reopen theaters in the valley by BJP and PDP collation government. However, again this move of the government was criticized by some ill in the region.
The youth of Kashmir has not enjoyed the privilege of watching cinema. Since, the only way the people could enjoy movies was with pen drives, DVDs and internet, on small screen, the younger generation has never experienced how it feels to watch movies on big screen with popcorns and snacks during the interval. The pleasure and satisfaction of watching a movie in a cinema hall cannot be substituted by other alternative means. Since the youngsters in the valley have been the biggest sufferers because of the uncertainties and atrocities they have gone through in their lives, cinema would not only provide them relaxation but also reduce their stress levels. It was an irony that “the paradise on earth”, which had been the hot favouritelocation to shoot movies, was itself not able to showcase those movies. People had to travel 300km all the way to Jammu in order to watch a movie in the theatre. It is unbelievable that an entire generation in the region has grown up without ever watching their most liked stars on big screen. Along with providing entertainment, multiplexes would also become a source to organize employment and business opportunities for the local people. It is also expected to add on to the revival of Kashmir’s sluggish economy. The younger lot would be able to relish the same entertainment provided by cinema, which their peers in other parts of the country adore.
With the inauguration of 2 multiplexes in the Pulwama and Shopian districts of Kashmir and inauguration of more in near future Lieutenant Governor of J&k , Mr. Manoj Sinha is very hopeful for a new positive change to take place in the region. It is a very nostalgic and emotional moment for the owner of the multiplex, Mr. Dhar, since his family has shared a special bond with the theatre world, as it owned “Broadway”, one of the oldest cinema halls in Kashmir. This first ever multiplex of the valley has been designed by INOX and will comprise of 3 auditoriums which will flaunt the most advanced Dolby sound systems. It will have a capacity to accommodate 520 people and will also be equipped with provision of recliner seats in addition to other comfortable seating facilities. In addition to the modern touch given to the multiplex by INOX, papier-mache designs, wooden chips and Kashmiri khatamband ceiling given by the local artisans has made it a unique design among all existing cinema halls in the country.
With things getting back in place and normalcy returning, the new generation is hopeful to see a mesmerizing Kashmir which they have read and heard about. The filmmakers across the world are again getting encouraged to choose Kashmir as a preferred location to shoot their movies ever since the Kashmir World Film Festival started in 2015. The open-air floating theatre at Dal lake, which started in 2021 has also opend the world of theatre for the valley. And 2022 saw J&K governmentorganizing the first-ever national film festival in Srinagar in the month of June. Since, there has been an extraordinary relationship between Kashmir and movies for decades, this move to start with multiplex in the union territory would surely strengthen the bond further. Because Cinema and theatre are also means to inspire social and cultural reflection in addition to providing entertainment, its rekindling implies that a new wind of change has started blowing in valley, which will finally help in restoration of what Kashmir already possessed for decades but had lost due to militancy and terrorism.
Author;
Dr Adil Rasool Malik ; Author besides being a Doctor and is very active in positive perception management of various political and social issues. Author can be reached at drmalikadil@gmail.com & twitter @drmalikadil
Whatever you hold in your mind on a consistent basis is exactly what you will experience in your life. This is something that the world’s most successful people realize – and the only difference between them and everyone else is that they are able to harness the power of thoughts to help them achieve. They’ve learned how to stop overthinking and start taking action.
The good news is that you weren’t born an over-thinker. Overthinking is the result of one fact of human existence: we all have patterns to our behaviour. These patterns, good and bad, develop over time based on life experiences. And just as patterns are learned, they can also be unlearned.
Overthinking is simply what its name suggests – thinking too much. Overthinking is going over the same thought again and again, analysing the simplest of situations or events until all sense of proportion has gone. The overthinking brain cannot translate these thoughts into actions or positive outcomes, so therefore creates feelings of stress and anxiety.
Surely we all overthink to some extent? As parents, sons or daughters, employees or business people, worrying about things is linked to caring about our loved ones, and about doing a good job.
However, people who really struggle with overthinking tend to be “ruminators”, going over events that have already happened. Plain old worrying tends to be about the future: can I meet this deadline? Can I find a nice residential flat for my mum? Often, our worries help us move forwards as we are working out how to mitigate them; however overthinking tends to be passive rather than active, dwelling on past events and building up disproportionately negative future results.
Take this scenario. You accidentally call your new boss by the wrong name. What do you think and feel when you realise this later?
The average worrier will feel mildly embarrassed, plan to apologise with some self-deprecating comment the next day, then forget about it and make dinner. The over-thinker will replay this error over and over, while rewriting different outcomes. By four in the morning, he or she will be mentally creating scenarios of being passed over for future promotions, or even chosen for redundancy. The incident has triggered big questions in the overthinking mind, which blow the whole event way out of proportion.
There was a question from a married couple, we think about every little thing and we worry a great deal. This is affecting our worship too; all the time we think about the worries and problems that we are going through. Is there any solution to this?
YES, FOR EVERY PROBLEM THERE IS ALWAYS A SOLUTION.
1 –Thinking about the matters of our daily lives, and our private and public affairs is something that is essential and important, it is necessary in order for us to deal with these matters and benefit from them in the appropriate manner. The Qur’aan – which is the word of Allah swt – urges us to think, in more than one verse, for example:
“…and think deeply about the creation of the heavens and the earth, (saying): Our Lord! You have not created (all) this without purpose…” [Aal ‘Imraan 3:191]
“And on the earth are signs for those who have Faith with certainty.
And also in your ownselves. Will you not then see?” [al-Dhaariyaat 51:20-21]
“Will you not then take thought?” [al-An’aam 6:50]
“Have you then no understanding?”[al-Baqarah 2:76]
And there are other verses which encourage us to think about our affairs and indeed about the life and creation around us.
So thinking in and of itself is not a problem, rather it is required, important and essential, and it is enjoined by our religion and encouraged by our Qur’aan.
2 – This “thinking” may become a psychological or social problem if it prevents a person from playing his natural role that is expected of him in life.
Such as thinking that things are more serious than they really are, or thinking too much about matters where thinking about them will not change anything at all, rather that only causes distress and becomes an obstacle prevents one from taking any initiative, and make him hesitant and confused, and unable to take any decision.
Thinking may become a problem in if it makes a person go beyond his intellectual limits in thinking about matters of the unseen and things that he can never comprehend, which may open many doors for the accursed Shaytaan to influence him.
3 – With regard to thinking a great deal about everything and worrying about every problem, this is to some extent a natural thing, so long as it does not prevent you from living your lives in a natural manner. What I mean here is, is this thinking helping you to come up with solutions to these problems that you are facing? Do these situations deserve all the time that you are spending on thinking about them? If the answer is yes, then there is no problem! But if the answer is no, then you yourself are admitting that they do not warrant that, and then you are halfway to solving the problem, which is to identify the problem and take a decision concerning it. Because when we know what the problem is, it is easy for us to find the right way of dealing with it.
4 – Overcoming these problems needs some discipline and some time. You can make the decision to start and you are able, with the help and support of Allah swt, to do that. You have to trust yourselves in this regard!
5 – Concerns and problems fall into three categories or levels:
1. Concerns and problems that have a direct impact upon your married and social lives in a serious manner that may lead to breakdown in relationships. These must be given their due measure of objective thought and you should try to reach an agreement and settle the matter. They should not be ignored for so long that it becomes too difficult to deal with them.
2. The second level is concerns or problems in which the positive and negative aspects are equal and in which you are involved. In these cases you should pray istikhaarah to Allah swt, and it is o.k. to consult others concerning them and to weigh up alternatives, then decide what you think is the solution, without going to extremes in worrying about it.
3. The third level is concerns and worries that do not concern you at all, because they have to do with other people. It is better not to get involved in them and waste your time with them, because they simply do not concern you and your opinion does not matter.
6 – The concerns and matters of our daily lives inevitably fall into one of three categories:
1. Matters which are in the past and are over and done with. We should not worry about these too much, except to the extent from which we can learn from our mistakes and experiences when dealing with things in the future. The past cannot come back and there is no need to worry about things that are over and done with.
2. Matters which lay ahead in the future. It is more appropriate not to think about these a great deal before they happen, because the future is part of the unseen, and all that we have to do in this case is to examine the choices we have in this matter if it comes to pass. When the time comes, we have to put our trust in Allah swt and take a decision.
3. Matters of day-to-day life. This is where we attempt to weigh up all the available alternatives, and it is o.k. to consult others with regard to these things and to exchange ideas without going to extremes or worrying too much. In the end, things will turn out as we hope, by Allah swt’s leave, so long as we pursue the means of praying istikhaarah and consulting others, and good lies in that which is chosen by Allah swt.
Like many traits of anxiety and depression, overthinking actually comes from one of our primitive preservation instincts. The primitive mind will always see things from the worst possible perspective. This is because the brain is being hyper-vigilant, trying to keep us alive – there’s no sense in being optimistic about those sabre-toothed tigers I’ve mentioned above!
On its own, overthinking isn’t recognized as a mental disorder. However, overthinking symptoms often indicate that another mental disorder is present, such as depression or anxiety. Even then it can become a “which came first?” scenario: Is overthinking a symptom of anxiety, or does anxiety cause overthinking? The important thing to know is that even if overthinking isn’t a mental disorder, it can have negative effects on your life and needs to be addressed.
The decommissioning of American forces from Afghanistan left quite a gruesome and horrifying image in all of our minds. We all saw the doomsday-like visuals of afghani’s falling out of american military carriers like sand off a boulder. It was a frightening concept of a fear mongering, highly patriarchal and un-democratic organisation running the show in a country.
Taliban takeover has made catastrophic situations for women on multiple fronts. More than one year after their takeover Afghanistan of today is becoming a hellhole for its women. From changing the system of women’s access to education to limiting their mobility, they have become an embodiment of every woman’s nightmare. In a place like Afghanistan where war and misery have been going on for decades, special attention was required and efforts were required in order to reestablish normalcy and education amongst the women. However, the current situation has only made things worse for them and even a slight hope of improvement has been tarnished by the present regime. The psychological and social wellbeing of the women has gone so low, that it would take several years of intensive care and counselling to return to the daily round. According to a U.N. Women report: “In practice, restrictions on women’s freedom of movement often go beyond what is prescribed in decrees,” due to the intimidation attached to taliban. After the Taliban takeover, women employees working in the government departments were forced to stay at home. Approximately three million girls are currently banned from getting secondary education in Afghanistan, according to UNICEF.
Just recently, innumerable number of girls have protested in Afghanistan’s Paktia province after Taliban authorities shut their schools just days after classes resumed, and the protest harboured global limelight. At a higher level, The academic week has been split so that male and female students can be taught separately, for three days each.
Academics and education experts opine that this segregation, and the shortage of female lecturers, has reduced the quality of education, particularly for women. Some subjects have even been discontinued for female students, according to some scholars and students. Human rights campaigners and groups have accused the Taliban of trying to erase women from all walks of public life. In June, several thousand Taliban clerics and tribal leaders gathered to discuss issues of national importance. But Taliban leaders did not allow women to participate, which drew worldwide outrage.
International bodies like the United Nations are openly spilling the beans on the painful scenario of Afghanistan women under Taliban rule. Recently a renowned UN rights expert said women’s freedoms had significantly deteriorated since the Taliban returned.
“There’s no country in the world where women and girls have so rapidly been deprived of their fundamental human rights purely because of gender,” Richard Bennett, the special rapporteur to UNHRC on the human rights situation in Afghanistan
Even the women participating in the economic activities in Afghanistan are dwindling after the Taliban takeover. A whopping 77 percent of women’s CSOs have had no projects in 2022 due to a lack of funding, while some heads of organisations and civil society members have left the country. Since the Taliban takeover, foreign donors have drastically cut aid to Afghanistan, where there is a major economic and humanitarian crisis. The gruelling poverty under Taliban rule has made women of Afghanistan its first victim.
Child marriage is not thoroughly tracked in Afghanistan, with gaps in concrete, holistic data about the number of children affected, UNICEF has reported children being sold as young as 20 days old for future marriage, with girls disproportionately affected. Now, amid spiralling poverty and the difficulty of finding sustainable jobs – only five percent of Afghan families have enough to eat daily, and inflation for essential household goods is at 40 percent (PDF) – even more families are struggling. THIS Makes most of girl child vulnerable for Child marriage.
Even before the Taliban seized power, Afghanistan was ranked among the five poorest countries in the world, with almost half the population suffering from chronic food insecurity.
A year after the Taliban took control, aid agencies say nearly all Afghans now live in poverty.
Amid all this, women of Afghanistan are grappling with horrible choices. A good number of Afghan women are now selling their babies. Poverty in Afghanistan has risen to a point where scores of women line up in front of bakeries in capital Kabul daily to beg for bread and keep their children alive. Women after selling their daughters are forced even to sell kidneys to feed their families. The fact of the matter is that 48 percent of the population in Afghanistan consists of women and thus Taliban need to dawn upon the reality fast that the country cannot progress without the active participation of its women in building society, especially one which is war torn.
The all important menstrual hygiene has palmetted to a new low in the past one year, with a very small percentage of women having access to basic menstrual hygiene. Afghan girls lack access to menstrual products and education not just at home, but in school as well. Nearly half of women and girls are left in the dark when it comes to menstruation in the first place since education in such areas is virtually non-existent. One hopes Taliban who call themselves the harbinger of so-called morality would look into this aspect ,the hopes of which are bleak .
The whole World needs to brainstorm on how to help the women of Afghanistan recover from trauma & tragedy and get them the basic human rights that they have been deprived of for so many years now. The media, having covered it immensely in the beginning but slowly fading, should get it back into the light of discussions. In its entirety, humanity should empathise with the plight of the Afghan people & especially the women, extending all the aid possible.
Tehmeena Rizvi The author is a Public Policy Professional from J&K, Currently working in New Delhi. Her areas of
