A Mother's Love

ISHA NIGHAT
She was blessed with a son after a year of marriage, but as fate would have it—she is now the mother of 111 girls.

Isha Nighat, 49, was married in 1987, had a son, and was divorced ten years later. Soon after, she started her own boutique with the hopes of earning a livelihood, and completed a diploma in tailoring. In 1999, she got a job in a women’s center for tailoring—a center that was under the J&K Yateem Trust. Soon, Isha was guiding 40 women there on how to earn their livelihood.

After noticing Isha’s work ethic and nature for three years, the Trust’s chairman offered her the job of a warden for a girls-only orphanage. “Girls are a huge responsibility, one that can be only given to a reliable person; and I don’t know why the Chairman Sahib chose me,” shares Isha. She decided to accept the offer. Isha says her religious principles always made her want to contribute to society, and so she took the step. At this point, her son was in 9th, and she says he was able to understand why she took such a move.

So in 2002, Isha joined the girl’s orphanage Banaat Institute. Soon though, she began to feel homesick, and had second thoughts about her decision. “I used to cry during the late hours of the night for my son,” she says. “But with time I started realizing how God gave me this opportunity to be a mother of around 100 kids instead of just one. And these children were in more need of love. God is the best planner and I left my decision in his hands.” Gradually, she says her bond with the children grew stronger. more

Achievers of 2011

FELLOWSHIPS

Arshad Mushtaq was awarded the International Fellow at the Documentary Center, George Washington University in Washington DC, USA for the year 2010-2011. The fellowship, designed for practicing documentary filmmakers, brought together 20 filmmakers from across the globe to the United States.

A Kashmiri theatre play, ‘Wattepaed’ (footprints) directed by Arshad Mushtaq has been selected for performance in National School of Drama’s annual International Theatre Festival, Bharangam-2012, a rare feat for a Kashmiri production. Arshad has also directed plays like ‘Su Yee’ (He will come) and ‘Akh Daleel Loolech’ (A story of Love). ‘Su Yee’ was the first ever Kashmiri production to be showcased in the same festival earlier.


Showkat Nanda, a freelance photojournalist and formerly Assistant Editor with Kashmir Life has been awarded the Fulbright fellowship 2012-2013 to study photojournalism in a top American university. The fellowship is given by the US State Department to people who demonstrate excellence in their respective fields of study.

A postgraduate from Kashmir University’s MERC, Showkat began his career from AFP in Srinagar as a trainee photographer. Since then he has worked with several local national and international media organizations both as a reporter and photojournalist. He has also taught photography at IUST, Awantipora and Baramulla Degree College.

Earlier this year, he received the National Press Photo Award- the most prestigious honor given for excellence in the field of photojournalism in India. In addition to winning the top title, he also won two other prizes in the prestigious photo contest held in February 2011. more

Beat The Cold

The world famous Kashmiri Pashmina isn’t the only product that will keep you warm this season. Tweed is another Kashmiri product known for its pure quality of virgin wool, and it’s comfortably warm. Tweed coats are made from indigenous virgin wools; and as a result they provide good insulation during colder days.

Tweed cloth is available across the globe, especially in colder, European countries. The world famous tweeds are Scottish and British tweeds. Tweed can be tailored into long winter coats, blazers, jackets, suits, waistcoats, trousers, shooting jackets, caps and even wedding suits. However, in Kashmir it can also be tailored into a traditional Pheran.

“Kashmiri tweed is made of 100 percent wool, meaning it is of superior quality compared to other tweed like that from Amritsar which has also viscose in it. In Kashmir, there is an emphasis is on handmade weaving only, more closely woven because that way the product is of superior quality,” shares an employee associated with tweed sales. Tweeds from states other than Kashmir is reconstituted / recycled wool which is of inferior quality whereas Kashmiri tweed is the only tweed of 100 percent pure wool and sold at affordable price.

Tweed cloth is sold at Rs 500 per meter and the cost of a gent’s readymade coat is Rs 2710 whereas a female readymade long coat costs around Rs 3500. Presently there is a discount of 10 percent on tweed coats.

If you’re out shopping for tweed, you can get it in a variety of textures, such as checkered, herring bone, plain, striped, hopsack, matte, hondse tooth and in twills — as is the case in foreign countries. It also comes in different colors. Tweed can be lightweight, of 9NM (400-450 grams) or heavyweight, of 7NM (525- 550 grams). 9NM meters goes for Rs. 435 and 7NM for Rs. 500.

Tweed coats have been in fashion for many years and they never go out of season. Kashmir Tweed is durable and intricate in its design, and it lasts longer than other fabrics in your wardrobe. It is widely accepted as both formal and informal wear all over the world and is also used as a uniform in some foreign schools. Some big fashion houses like Bookster (UK) deal exclusively with the tweed suiting, and the brand Burberry also deals with tweed coats, which they sell for about Rs 82000. more

'FDI Crushed Even USA'

Kashmir Life: FDI in retail is the hot debate. You opposed the idea from the very beginning. Tell us what are its pros and cons in your opinion?
Yousuf Tarigami:Our party CPIM, the entire left, some political parties, social activists and some NGOs have always opposed FDI retail. UPA-I is lying about FDI retail trade. This retail trade has been under debate since UPA-I, and that time they were dependent on Left groups (part of coalition) and we didn’t allow it to happen. The issue was debated in Parliament and in almost every political party, and it was decided that the trade won’t be allowed to happen, because it will increase unemployment figures.

If it does not help us in promoting growth then how can the trade help us? USA, a developed country,was crushed due to this trade and they are suffering from this new liberalisation. Americans are crying ‘please put a stop to greedy cooperates’, they are facing massive unemployment. So if you want to have a strong economy then you must have toguaranteejobs for your population, and unless that is done, any measure in economic reform is bound to create problems for people—and is thereforeunacceptable to us.

This crushed a nation like USA, a world power. For countries like India, it is very important to first provide food for its starving population. Statistics reveal Indian economy is increasing but people should understand that the economy is of the corporate world and of monopolists. Once NDA said India is shining, but I want to ask them which India? The corporate world doesnot mean India, what about middle and lower class families? If India was shining, then why do farmers go for suicides, why do people wander from corner to corner for jobs? This new liberal frame has failed miserably, not only in India, but in the whole world, earlier it was in the US only, and now it has destroyed the UK too.

I feel there is no future for the younger generation. The government says we have to be with global economies, but we say it has collapsed. So why to be part of failed economies?This trade doesnot suit our population. It must be rejected.

KL: The government launched a new employment policy recently. Do you think it is in the interest of youth? more

Shazia's Father Fights for Justice

A day before Eid ul Azha, Shazia, 28, was found hanging to a ceiling fan in her house in mysterious circumstances. She was a mother of a three year old baby girl. She had disputes with her husband, Javaid Ahmad Wani ever since they got married.

Shazia, the only daughter and sister of her two brothers was living happily with her family. She was a gold medalist of her batch ( at University of Kashmir) and then got a job of librarian in Islamic University, Awantipora. After getting a job her parents started looking for best matches for her and selected one, Javaid Ahmad Wani and thought he has also done a masters in engineering so he will be compatible with their daughter and will keep her like princess as she used to be in her house but destiny had stored something different for her, extremely opposite to what her parents had dreamt of and now her father feels guilty of giving preference to an educated person. more

Women on Resolution, Government and Future

Kashmiri women has long been portrayed as a mute spectator of all that has happened and is happening. Considered to be a bystander in Politics of kashmir, more

The Ties That Bind

Rajeshwari, 30, has been known as Tabish since 2006 when she married Bilal Ahmad, a Kashmiri Muslim. Tabish has an MBA from London’s top school—but today she is a homemaker, trying hard to adjust to Kashmiri culture.

Tabish is originally from Kolkata. She and Bilal were pursuing their Bachelors’ degree in a Bangalore college when they met for the first time. Tabish was studying Journalism and Bilal, Business Administration.They were conscious of their religious restrictions, and so decided to separate for the sake of their families. Tabish says, “After completing my graduation, I went for further studies to London, so that I could come out of my past. But destiny had something else stored for me. Bilal started contacting me again and so our relationship started again.”

After coming back from London, Tabish decided to go against her family’s wishes, and marry Bilal. She came to Kashmir with the hope that her family would forgive her once she is married, as she is her parent’s only daughter. Tabish converted to Islam and married Bilal according to Islamic Sharia on the same day of her conversion. She is now a mother of two, a girl and a baby boy.

Now a practicing Muslim, Tabish says she has become so immersed in Kashmiri culture, that she sometimes forgets she was an outsider. But there are times when she feels her life could have been better, had she settled somewhere in India. She says, “I never imagined my destiny would lead me to such a naturally beautiful place that is unfortunately in so many disputes. Youngsters don’t have any opportunity to prove themselves, and neither do I. I have my Masters’ degree from London, but I am still sitting at home, since there are no good opportunities here, and my husband doesn’t want me to work for just 5000 or 8000 bucks.” more

Shrouded in Silence

Shameema (name changed), 47,a home maker, living in a single story house with her two daughters (22, 19) and a son (18), prefers to remain indoors.The house in Bag-e-Mehtab was gifted to Shameema by her mother. Her husband, Mushtaq Ahmad Shahis a driver. He rarely comes to stay with his family, and when he does, he beats his wife during the late night hours, either for the high expenses, or most of the time, for no particular reason at all.

After hearing their battered mother’s cries, the three children come to save their scared mother.Every day they step out of their house, they feel awkward, fearing that the neighbors have heard their mother’s cries at night. When their father is away, they try to live a relaxed and peaceful life, but when he is home—they are constantly awake, so they can be awake at night for helping their mother in case their father hits her again.

Just a few months ago, Mushtaq got into an argument with his supervising officer, and in return, he was fired from his job. When he was still employed, he would avoid coming home for six months—saying he had night duty. And for the six other months, he would be in Jammu with the Durbar move. But now,he is home and beats his wife all thetime. “He says these children are not his children. He beats me because I pray regularly and visit Shrines.He feels I go to peers and fakirs to harm him,” says Shameema woefully while showing the marks her husband left on her body a day before after trying to strangle her. more

Learning To Relax

Sitting on a sea of blue and green exercise mats, a row of young and middle-aged women listen intently to their instructor, chant the name of God, and carefully release their breath.

“Allllaaaaaaaaah, breathe out and open your eyes,” Sumaira, a yoga instructor, utters calmly at the end of a meditation session.Sumaira’s yoga and meditation exercises are one amongst an increasing number of such classes that are being taught in Kashmir, and those who practice these say they have been helped significantly.

Anjum, 35, mother of two, would go to a gym regularly, as suggested by her doctor. She was a bit overweight before she started her gym routine, and after hours of workouts for the past year, she lost 4 kgs. However, she would come back home feeling drained. She now attends yoga classes in Kashmir, and feels more relaxed and rejuvenated. When she comes home, she says she is able to resume her usual routine. “That’s something which wasn’t possible after my exhausting sessions at the gym,” she says.

Anjum was distressed about her back pain, leg pain, irregular monthly cycles and hypertension. She happened to chance upon information regarding yoga classes in Barbarsha hand joined in the first week of September. She has been going regularly since. “I can’t tell you how relaxed I feel,” says Anjum. “I feel like all my problems have disappeared. My blood pressure is under control, and I don’t even take any medication now,” she says blissfully. more

Ladishah, Ladishah

Ladishah, the art of embedded satire in songs pleasing the kashmiri ear since eighteenth century now faces extinction. The peculiar rhythm coupled with situational sarcastic lyrics can still be remembered by many.

Dressed in a pheran, white trousers and a white turban, Ladishah would arrive with his musical instrument and play the melodious musical notes and sing satire. Ladishah, the author himself communicates a particular message about the cultural, social and political vandalism. There are no metaphors in Ladishah, it is in the simple local language.

Ladishah is a type of folk literary genre. It is by a particular author and the same author narrates it. Other folk genres are collective work of various people. He would sing against the atrocities of the rulers to show his resentment. Ladishah was the classical character of Kashmiri literature and a believer of constructive criticism.

Some historians believe Ladishah is not an independent genre but Dr Farooq Fayaz, an associate professor in History department, University of Kashmir and the author of a book ‘Kashmir Folklore’, treats it is an independent genre and says that the name Ladishah is given after its creator who was from a village Lari of district Pulwama, South Kashmir. The creator was from this village and from shah dynasty so he was recognized as shah of Lari village so finally this genre got the name of Ladishah. more

Breaking Stereotypes

The first match was against a team from Delhi, and all odds were stacked against the team from Kashmir. “Girls from Kashmir were not even supposed to be playing the game,” says Soliha Yousuf, the captain of the girl’s rugby team from Kashmir.

That they had reached Pune to play in the ‘All India Senior Girls Tournament’ held in August, was a big achievement for them. Most of the players in the team aged between 14-16 years of age had started out playing rugby just to “chill out”, but soon fell in love with the game.

At home, the team did not even have a permanent rugby playground to practice on, but they made sure that whenever they got free time, they put it into the game.

“Sportsperson’s life is practice but here in Kashmir, our rugby team has only Sunday’s for practice and for that day also we first have to seek permission. We have to play in field meant for other sports, since we have no other choice.” says Dhuha Qazi, a player.

But all this was not visible in the game against Delhi Lions-a Delhi based team, who were taken by surprise completely. “When we play, we play for pride, and give it our best try. When we went into the game against Delhi, we forgot everything else and gave it our best try,” says Soliha.

The team won against the much fancied team from Delhi, and went on to win two more games, against “much trained” opposition. “The win against Delhi boosted our confidence, and we did not look back,” adds Soliha.

The team qualified for the finals against Bangalore. The match was progressing well and both the teams were equally poised. But as ill luck would have it, two players from the Kashmir team got injured and Bangalore had a narrow win. “I think we would have won, if there would have been no injuries,” says Bisma, a player. “But even reaching up to the final was a big achievement for us,” she adds. more

'Framed' by Paying Guest

WasimAkram Malik, a medical student believed to be the ‘mastermind’ behind the Delhi court blast on September 7 was actually handed over to NIA (National Investigation Agency) by his parents.The NIA had sent a letter to Wasim’s family on October 2, stating that the investigation agency wanted to question the boy.

Wasim, a resident of the Kishtiwar, was called by his father to reach New Delhi as soon as possible. He is pursuing his final year of MBBS from JalalabadRagibRabeya Medical College and Hospital at Sylhet near Dhaka, Bangladesh.

Wasim had reportedly called the NIA officials himself and provided them with his flight itinerary information. On October 4th, he reached the Delhi airport, where NIA officials and his parents were already present.

“NIA officials told me they will take Wasim for some time, as they have to question him about the Delhi blast. I didn’t have any objection as I was aware my son is innocent and they will release him after questioning,” says his father, ReyazUl Hassan, an employee of the National Hydro Power Corporation (NHPC). “Theyhave made my son a scapegoat. If he had actually been involved, then he would have never come back for answering their questions.”

Wasim’s family says they were shocked to hear claims telecast on TV channels that Wasim was arrested from the Indo- Bangla border. Wasim’s parents deny all allegation against their son and say, “We have bank records (ATM) which prove he has made transactionsfor shopping on September 7thfrom Jammu. He was charge sheeted by the Jammu Traffic Police for driving without helmet on September 8th. Moreover, there are CCTVs in all those malls from where he did his shopping. Why don’t these investigative agencies check that CCTV footage that can prove his presence in Jammu?”

Wasim was reported to police byAzhar Ali, who is presently lodged in Kotbalwal Jail in Jammu. Ali, a resident ofPaadar, Kishtiwar is allegedly the ‘underground worker ofHizbulMujahideen’ and has been in jail since 2009. But family members say Ali was their paying guest for 5 or 6 months in 2010. AzharbefriendedJunaidAkram, Wasim’s younger brother who was studying in 10th at the time.

But on November 8, 2010, Ali kidnapped Junaidfor ransom. The family members themselves got the call details of Junaid, traced Ali and lodged an FIR (no. 242/2010) in the concerned Police station of Kishtiwar. The family believes Ali had falsely dragged Waseem’s name in the Delhi blast case to settle personal scores.

Wasim has also been questioned about Junaid Malik, his younger brother, who is alleged to be ‘a HizbulMujahideen commander’ and is believed to be one of the key conspirators in the Delhi blast. But their mother Shameemasays, “Junaidwas born in 1995. When he was kidnapped, he had just finished his class 10th examination and had gone to attend a relative’s wedding. I have a copy of the FIR from when my son Junaid was kidnapped.more

The Young and The Restless

Muzaffar Ahmad Mir, 18, has been bedridden for the past year. The most he can do by himself is blink—to make any other physical motion is just too difficult. He is one among the 4000 youth who were injured during last summer’s unrest. A bullet pierced through his chest, damaged his spinal cord and leaft him paralyzed.

Muzaffar cannot move his legs nor can he stand on his own. He needs four people to change his position in bed. He’s just a teenager, but even his simple desire to go out in an open space on his own is a luxury now. “When he wants to go out in the garden, it takes ten people to fulfill his desire because we have to lift him along with the mattress he is on,” says his mother Sara.

After undergoig an operation on his damaged spinal cord, Muzaffar had to spend six months in the hospital. Most of the body parts of this young man are wrapped in bandages because he of the severe bed sores he developed over the course of this year.

“His wounds are so bad right now that there is constantly a transparent liquid that oozes out from them,” says Sara. “He has lost his appetite. It has been one and a half months since he had any solid food.”

According to doctors, a bed sore or an ulcer is the degeneration of parts of body tissues developing in a patient due to a prolonged bedridden state. more

651 Pandit Families Living In Kashmir

fifty two year old, Santosh and her two sons are among the 651 Pandit families who didn't migrate when turmoil started in Kashmir. their decision was taken by Hari krishan, Santosh's husband, who died shortly after his house in Barbarshah, Srinagar was burnt. more

Empty Nests

When Abdul Khaliq and Raja Begum sent their sonAamir to Bangalore to pursue higher education, little did they know that Kashmir would stop being home for him.They took the decision seeing a better career prospect for him. “A lot of my friends andrelatives sent their children to different states of India for professional education, and I followed them in doing the same,” recalls Abdul Khaliq. But after completing his education, Aamirsaw no point in returning. The career would now keep him away from Kashmir.

The decision would have a bearing on the couple’s life forever. After they married off their two daughters, they started feeling lonely. “We were now living in a house which was almost empty,” says Khaliq. He could also see that his wife was longing for her son.“It was not just the longing. We were old people now, and needed support,” he adds.

They decided that it was time that their son be married. “We thought that when he would be married in Kashmir he would decide to stay back,”saysRaja Begum. But this hope was in vain.

Aamir did get married according to his parent’s wishes, but after marriage he along with his newlywed wife headed to US, where he had landed a job. Things became more difficult for the Khaliq and Raja. Now Aamir would come back only once in two or three years, and that too only in holidays.

“I can’t express my happiness when Aamir is home, I have two grandchildren now who stay with them in America,” says Raja. “Even though they do not talk in Kashmiri and I do not speak English, I still understand what they have to say. We share a bond of affection,” she says with tears rolling down her eyes.She wishes she could see her grandchildren more often.

The daughters visit often, “but they have their own responsibilities so we can’t ask them to be here every time,” says Raja.

Sometimes, a granddaughter would stay to look after them when they had health problems. Both Khaliq and Raja are diabetic and hypertensive.

But soon this stopped too.“One day Aamir called to enquire about our health, and his niece picked up the phone. He asked ‘Why Afsha (his niece) was there?’ He told us that this meantthat we were wasting his precious money on our daughters and granddaughters. This stunned me for days, and since then we don’t allow anybody to stay here with us,” recalls Khaliq.

Collateral 'Sacrifices'

Shaheena is 42, and unmarried. Although she was engaged in 1994, her would-be in-laws broke up the engagement within a month after they learnt that Shaheena’s brother was a militant. Her family kept on looking for a match for her but had to face disappointment everywhere for the same reason.

“They tried to find excuses to get rid of us. They gave us a month’s time to make preparations for the marriage. We couldn’t get ready in that short period. Finally they broke up the engagement,” says Shaheena. In the same month Shaheena’s brother was arrested.

Her mother, who could not bear both these incidents, died of a shock.

A decade ago, nobody objected marrying a militant’s or ex-militant’s sister. But now, it is common for families not to marry off their sons in a family where a brother or any other member has been a militant. The reasons are many. The main reason is that the families don’t want to be the targets intimidation or raids by the army or police.

It is a painful reality for girls who are related to militants or those having some association with militancy.

“There was a time when being the sister of a militant used to be an matter of pride but now we are being treated in an entirely different way. I feel really angry about those people who reject us for beingrelated to militants.Our brothers took up arms and joined the freedom movement for the sake of these people only,” says Sahiba. more

Conceiving hope

Infertility has become a serious issue ensuring a lot of attention throughout the world.Some experts say the problem may have assumed proportions of ‘an epidemic’ with sterility almost tripled in recent years even among couples trying to have babies early.

The condition is somewhat similar in Kashmir. According to a study carried out by the Department of Endocrinology at Sher-i-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences in 2008, 15.7 percent of women in Kashmir who are of child-bearing age will never have a child without clinical intervention. PCOS (Poly Cystic Ovarian Syndrome) is believed to be one of the main reasons for this problem.Kashmir’s renowned endocrinologist, Dr. Ashraf Ganaiesays that in recent years there has been a tremendous increase in the number of PCODpatients. A specific unpublished study revealed that 90% of female infertility problems are due to PCOD and related diseases, 5% are due to POF (Premature Ovarian Failure) and another 5% due to other stresses in our lives.

“These problems are not only female specific. It is also present in males as a metabolic syndrome. We call it a genetic disorder,”says Dr. Ashraf, who believes late marriages areadding to this problem.

All these problems have lead to a blooming of IVF (In-vitro Fertility) treatment centers in the valley. The IVF is a treatment where fertilization of the egg is done outside the womb in a Petri-dish. The man’s sperm and woman’s egg are fertilized in a vitro (glass) dish and after fertilization the resulting embryo is transferred into the uterus of the woman.Worldwide success rate of this IVF treatment is 40%.

However, the percentage varies with age. It is highest when the patient is between 25-30 years while for patients below 21 and above 40 it can be less than 20 percent. Initially it was used on women who had tubal factor infertility, a condition in which the fallopian tubes are blocked, damaged or absent but today it is tried on most of the infertilitypatients.

IVF started in Kashmir valley in 2003 with Rotunda Hygeia Clinic that hire doctors from outside the state for the treatment.A few others are run by the gynecologists from the valley. The first clinic is believed to have done about 1000 successful pregnancies in 8 years. Such clinics witness a huge rush of patients with each passing year and with increasing number of problems leading to infertility.

“In females it is because of stress, POF, late marriages, endometriosis, fibroids, PCOS, tubal blocks, PID (pelvic inflammatory disease), pelvic Koch’s, hormonal disorders (prolactin and thyroids). In males it is due to contact with pesticides, alcohol consumption, smoking, in laptop users, people exposed to more heat like drivers and mechanics as due to heat their sperm count gets reduced so naturally their mortality decreases,” says Dr.Ruheel Nisa, Lab Director Rotunda Hygeia clinic. “Most of the infertility problems in males are due to the interrogation in jails.”

Infertility in tortured people is very common in Kashmir where two decades of conflict has inflicted psychological as well as physical sufferings.“In jails people (males) are interrogated on their private parts resulting in their infertility.

Females have also got effected equally, like PTSD (Post traumatic stress disorder) leads to their infertility.For the rape victims, mostly, it is very difficult to conceive,” says Dr. Ashraf. Dr. Arshid, Psychiatrist, government Psychiatric hospital is of the similar opinion.He also says stress changes neuro-hormonal environment of the body affecting fertility.

Stress disorders have reduced the reproductive age of Kashmiri women by almost 10 years, reveals a finding by Dr Abdul Hameed Zargar, former Director SKIMS. The finding shows that 11 percent women out of the 2,000 women examined between 2004 and 2006 in J&K suffered from premature menopause — a rise of 2 per cent from the late 90s. Some experts also claim reproductive age has reduced but Dr. Ashraf says it is puberty which starts early, then due to late marriages like at 30 or 32 reproduction period reduces. more

The grace of charity

About 100,000 children in Jammu and Kashmir are estimated (by UNICEF) to be orphans. A poor fatherless child under the age of 18 falls in the category of an orphan. Most of the orphans here are a result of the ongoing conflict.

According to surveys by various government and private agencies, Kupwara district has the highest number of orphans at about 24,000 follwed by Anantnag and Budgam with 10,000 each.

In the 2007, a survey done by Medicins Sans Frontieres (MSF) found that in some parts of Kashmir, one in three Kashmiris had lost members of their extended families to the conflict and a similar number had contemplated suicide. more

The Unexpected Day of My Life

Memories are sacred. How fortunate are those who have a sharp memory. more

Profile Zareef Ahmad Zareef

Zareef Ahmad Zareef was born on 17 April,1943 more

The hero of 13 July,1937

There have been a number of debates about the Hero of 1931 but nobody is clear who he was. Every historian, scholars, writers who has written about him lacks proof Abdul Qadeer Khan left the political scene of Kashmir as dramatically as he entered.

Leaders often have a lobby or what we can say followers who support them but Abdul Qadeer Khan had none. He came from nowhere, delivered a single speech which flared out the age old anger of civilians who were suffering under different autocratic rules of Sikhs, Afghans and then Dogras.

MAKING OF A HERO

21 June 1931

The ‘Young man’s Muslim Association’, led by Sheikh Mohammed Abdullah, had planned a public meeting on the 21^st June of 1931 at the Khanqah-i-Moulla. It was a unique meeting because all Muslim divines, irrespective of their schools of thought assembled at the sacred place.more or more

First girl's orphanage

They may not be related but they share everything with each other. Living together has give rise to a strong emotional bond. They live as sisters. They are all orphans.

“They come crying when they are brought here but with time, they get used to this place and begin to live as a member of this big family,” says Isha Nighat, chief warden of the Bannat Girl’s Hostel, a wing of J&K Yateem Trust. There are 110 orphan girls in the orphanage.

Rehana Razak was just one year-old when her father died. “My mother would say that he had been militant and was killed,” says Rehana.

Rehana’s grandfather and uncle took up the responsibility of looking after Rihana and her three siblings. But a few months later their grandfather died. Her mother also died a year.

“My mother’s hopelessness killed her. She was shattered by the death of our father and died of a heart attack,” says Rehana.

She became a part of the orphanage because her uncle could not take her responsibility anymore. She was nine then. The decision was also made by her brother so that Rehana, the youngest child of her parents, could continue her education.

“Initially I would remain alone. I would sit in a corner, hide my face with my hands and cry as long as I could. Then with time and after seeing other girls who had also passed through similar misfortunes, I got adapted to this place,” says Rehana. She wants to become a doctor.

Like Rehana there are 109 other girls who live in this girl’s orphanage. They are not allowed to move out of hostel premises and the administration has built a school in the vicinity of the hostel, where girl students from local areas also come to study.

The school was started at the same time when the hostel was established.

“We started with an idea that no child should be left uncared. The idea was to give them good education and this dream was inherited from my father,” says Zahoor Ahmad Tak, Chairman J&K Yateem Trust, who started the girl’s hostel in 2002. Tak says that his father’s dream would never have become a reality if they hadn’t the support of their donors.”

Girls living in this hostel seem quite satisfied with the facilities available to them.

“We have selected a representative from every room who takes care of the monthly needs like soaps, shampoos, clothes, beddings, etc. and, God forbid, if anybody falls ill, the representatives inform warden who then calls a doctor,” says Kausar Jabeen, a student of class 9 and representative of her room. “A ‘mother’ also sleeps in each room.”

There are three cooks in the hostel who prepare food for the children. Though they have every facility available in the hostel but the parents’ separation make them sad often.

“Some girls don’t have any of their parents alive. Their limited resources have brought them here and we agree that a children is safest where her or his mother is but to keep them here is only because we want to give them better education and want to make them independent,” says Tak, Chairman of J&K Yateem Trust. All the girls and workers in the orphanage call him Papaji.

“To take care of a girl child is a very tough job in the present circumstances and when it comes to 110 girls, one can think how tough it could be,” says Isha Nighat. “We can’t be liberal when it comes to girls. They need a lot of care because at times they get too emotional. Whenever that happens we try to be patient to motivate them.

I am not saying that they irritate us, but they treat this place as their home so they also expect to be treated in a similar way.”
The students have also got a female private tutor who takes care of their studies and teaches them languages like Arabic and Persian. For other subjects, their school takes care of that. Some special teams also visit this hostel to impart vocational training. In winters their warden teaches cooking. She says, “They are my daughters so I want them to have every skill so that they don’t get any problem in future”.

Life in this hostel starts from six in the morning. After the morning prayers, they make their beds and iron their uniforms. Then the children get ready for school. In the evening when they are back they do their homework. Seniors do their work themselves and for juniors there are mothers who take care of them.
“The upper class limit is 12th and the youngest one is Shakeela who is presently in 4th class and was brought here when she couldn’t even talk,” says Warden Isha Nighat.

J&K Yateem Trust dates back to 1972. It was started by Abdul Khaliq Tak, popularly known as Tak Zainagari, father of present chairman, in Hardushiva Sopore. After getting registered in 1973, they began their work in Srinagar 1974. Presently, J&K Yateem Trust has about eight orphanages in which there are about 400 children (orphans) and in whole valley they have 78 units.

Female foeticide: koor cha nur

Jammu and Kashmir which was declared a foeticide free zone by UNICEF in 1994-1996 was in headlines when Census 2011 was released. J&K state was topping the list with 834. The ratio has dropped from 941 since 2001.

After 2001 census authorities went in dormant mode as they believed J&K is a Muslim majority state so people won’t even think of aborting girl child as was done in pre Prophet (SAW) period when girl Childs were buried alive by their fathers.

In 2001, six districts showed a positive sex ratio in the 0-6 age group, including Kulgam (1,046:1,000), Kupwara (1,021), Shopian (1,011) and Ganderbal (1,014). But the trend has changed and in the latest census, the number of girl children in these districts has got reduced to 800s and became concern for everybody.

According to health department, the reducing sex ratio is believed to be a result of mushrooming of diagnostic centres. So the government is keeping its vigilant eye on these diagnostic centres and till now they have banned 78 clinics (till 16 June) for conducting pre-natal sex determination tests in its drive to check the practice. “We have sealed 54 clinics in Kashmir and another 24 in Jammu which were not following the set guidelines,” says Health Minister Sham Lal Sharma. He further adds “Sex determination tests are more prevalent in civilized (urban) areas of the state and effective steps have been taken by the government to curb the practice”.

Four years ago Gul Afroz Jan, who teaches law at Kashmir University, first raised the alarm that female foeticide was rampant in the Muslim-majority valley. She was ridiculed by government that her sample size was very small. She says, “They criticized me so much that I was beset with self-doubt, I was wondering if I had got it all wrong."

Her socio-legal survey on the Female Foeticide with Special Reference to J&K says that 13 per cent of the diagnostic centres in the valley carry out gender determination tests despite it being illegal. About 10 percent of respondents said that they have gone for gender determination tests. While 50 per cent of those going for the illegal test were doing it for the first time and 30 per cent for the second time. All those going for the test second time had already aborted a girl child.

The reason for aborting the girl child, the study says, were pressure from the husband (30%), pressure from in-laws (40%), joint decision of the couple (20%) and self choice of the woman (10%). While 40 percent of the abortions had been carried out outside the state, 30 per cent were done in local nursing homes and 20 percent in government hospitals, the study said.

“This practice is done quite secretly and silently in private hospitals and in government hospitals it is given the name of abortion for medical reasons by paying more money to medical and paramedical staff,” says Gul Afroz. However, gynaecologists and obstetricians completely deny any involvement in what they term as ‘criminal abortions’. “I think non-medicos and paramedics are involved in these unprofessional and unethical crimes but none of the gynaecologists as far as I know is involved in this type of crime,” says Dr Mehraj, Registrar at Lalla Ded Hospital . He also says that he has himself attended such kind of patients but only when they come to our hospital in a very serious condition as Para medicos can’t help if sometimes complicacies arrive.

The declining number of females shows that daughters are not preferred in the state. “We have a lot of unclaimed babies in the hospital whom their parents leave in the premises of the hospital after they are born, most of these are girl babies,” says Tasleema, a senior nurse in Lalla Ded Hospital .

The people mostly involved in this illegal act are mostly believed to be moneyed class, which has enough money and means to do this rather than poor who have their children starving. But there are also some people who move door to door for a child. “I didn’t have any child after 15 years of marriage, I thought of adopting a child so to reduce some stress of my wife but my parents didn’t support that. Then I went to Delhi in 1995 and there doctors suggested me for an IVF procedure and we got our first baby, our angle in our life and after that we got more two daughters without any medical process” says Manzoor Ahmad. He further adds,” I really feel blessed now, there was a time when we both partners used to literally cry in our room for a baby and now we feel like our Lord has payed us off for every single tear”.

There has been a baby boy preference always in the state but earlier it wasn’t on the verge of a baby girl.”I have 7 daughters and a son. I wished for a baby boy and then finally I got a baby boy after 7 daughters” says Ghulam Ahmad, a 65 year old man. And according to a survey done by BBC radio from Srinagar office, it was also found that a girl child was preferred more when it came to adoptions as such couples believed girls are more loyal and more caring than boys.

This sex ratio issue forced Separatists groups, Ullemas, Imams and government too to raise their voice against this heroinous crime against daughters and they all have appealed to masses to act on this issue.