ADIL MAKHDOOMI
Sonallah Bhat a member of voluntary association of physically challenged youth Kashmir University is one among the 3lakh disabled people in Jammu Kashmir. At present Sonallah is a student of Social Work in Kashmir University, but he terms his journey full of difficulties and socio-economic problems.
Belonging to a typical farmer family of a remote village in Ganderbal, he is among the only seven graduates of his village. In his childhood, he was forced to do needle work by his uncle otherwise he had to beg for his livelihood.
Carrying a deep pain in his heart, Sonallah managed to reach the highest seat of learning but now he seems to have no hope despite several measures taken by the government for the disabled people like him. For him it is the end of the road and he lost himself in despair.
During a one day workshop on “RIGHTS OF PHYSICALLY CHALLANGED AND OUR ROLE IN THE SOCIETY”, several statements were made by the panellists stressing on the social status and other essential conveniences required by the physically handicapped people. But Sonallah puts such programmes and seminars as a waste exercise which seems to be restricted only to the papers. Instead, as a sufferer, he suggests the initiation of the sensitization campaigns in the far flung areas that are still considered as a social stigma. He considers these seminars benefiting only those who are already aware and the rest percentage remains unattended.
Having lost his faith from the government and its schemes, Sonallah describes these schemes high jacked from midway and only a delusion to the innocent disabled people. “Government schemes have improper evaluation and improper implementation”. He says that there should have been an open access to the education for the disabled people but we have got the reservation only at the Post Graduation level. Bachelor of Education is the most convenient degree disabled students can get through the Distance Education in the Kashmir University but they find it impossible because of the thousands of rupees demanded.
Apart from these economic barriers, Sonallah describes other impediments disabled people face in their lives. They are still treated as second class citizens. “These beaurocrates and politicians are using us as ATM CARDS. They use us only for reaping the benefits of the schemes. There is a new term called ‘SPECIAL CHILDREN’ for the disabled people but even after so many seminars and awareness programmes, we are still called as DISABLED,” laments Sonallah.
Thursday, January 3, 2008
KU students protest Babri demolition
Adil Makhdoomi
Srinagar, Dec 06: On the 15th anniversary of Babri Masjid demolition, the students of Kashmir University today took out a protest march in the university campus shouting anti-India and pro-freedom slogans.
The students were carrying placards reading anti-India slogans, denouncing the demolition of the Masjid and other “atrocities” of the State government and New Delhi.
Babri Masjid was demolished by unruly Hindu extremists who were drawn to the site by the different Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) organisations including the Bhartiya Janta Party from all over India mostly from the Hindi speaking belt and western Indian states.
Kashmir University Students Union (KUSU) members also took part in the protest demonstrations
Coordinator KUSU, Nimer Qayoom said, “We are protesting the demolition of Babri Masjid which is only one example of Indian extremism. Several other Masjids have also been demolished in India. Muslims in India are used only for political interests.”
“Indian democracy is a big joke. We want the University campus to be demilitarised at the earliest,” he added.
“Minorities in India whether they are Muslims, Sikhs or Christians are not safe. They are living in a hostile environment. They have to prove their identity even in their own country. In Kashmir civilian Muslims are labelled terrorists and killed in fake encounters,” said Zahoor Ahmad, another student.
Srinagar, Dec 06: On the 15th anniversary of Babri Masjid demolition, the students of Kashmir University today took out a protest march in the university campus shouting anti-India and pro-freedom slogans.
The students were carrying placards reading anti-India slogans, denouncing the demolition of the Masjid and other “atrocities” of the State government and New Delhi.
Babri Masjid was demolished by unruly Hindu extremists who were drawn to the site by the different Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) organisations including the Bhartiya Janta Party from all over India mostly from the Hindi speaking belt and western Indian states.
Kashmir University Students Union (KUSU) members also took part in the protest demonstrations
Coordinator KUSU, Nimer Qayoom said, “We are protesting the demolition of Babri Masjid which is only one example of Indian extremism. Several other Masjids have also been demolished in India. Muslims in India are used only for political interests.”
“Indian democracy is a big joke. We want the University campus to be demilitarised at the earliest,” he added.
“Minorities in India whether they are Muslims, Sikhs or Christians are not safe. They are living in a hostile environment. They have to prove their identity even in their own country. In Kashmir civilian Muslims are labelled terrorists and killed in fake encounters,” said Zahoor Ahmad, another student.
‘Faces of Hope’ captivates attention
ADIL MAKHDOOMI
Srinagar Nov 19: In a bouquet of six documentary films which were screened in Allama Iqbal library auditorium at Kashmir University by the department of Media Education Research Centre on Monday, the documentary film ‘Faces of Hope’ captivated the attention of the audience.
All the documentary films were made by the students of MERC in collaboration with their department, except the ‘Faces of Hope’. According to the director of the film Arif Bashir, this film is the result of our own hard work and the department has nothing to do with it.
The film ‘Faces of Hope’ reveals the problems faced by the children of Gujar tribes on the outskirts of Gulmarg in terms of their education. Besides, the film highlights the SSA’s ( Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan ) efforts of implementation of mobile schools to reach the far flung areas in order to provide these children with education which otherwise remain deprived of it. The film beautifully projects the hidden desires of those innocent children who want to overcome the darkness of illiteracy.
The crew of the documentary film ‘faces of Hope’ consists of director Arif Bashir, Assistant director Mehboob Jeelani, researcher Ashfaq Ahmad, Amir, Tariq, Rashid and Raja Amir.
The crew describes the film as a rebellious activity because their proposal was rejected by the department authorities. They also said that it is their own production and all the requisites were made possible by themselves.
“We shot the entire film with a HI-Q Handy cam,” said one of the crew members.
Among the dignitaries present were Vice Chancellor Kashmir University Prof Abdul Wahid, Altaf Hussain of BBC, renowned documentary film maker Shafqat Habib and theatre and documentary film director Arshad Mushtaq.
Speaking on the occasion Vice Chancellor appreciated the efforts put by the students and hoped for more such activities by the concerned department.
The auditorium tuned to full of applauses when Arshad praised the efforts of the crew of ‘Faces of Hope’. “It is a brilliant attempt by the team by capturing the film with a handy cam.” He described the camera work of ‘Faces of Hope’ far better than the other documentary films which were shot by sophisticated equipment.
The director of the ‘Faces of Hope’ appreciated the support provided to him by his crew members. “It is a group effort and i thank my crew members who stood against all the difficulties and took the initiative. I am happy with the outcome of the film in terms of both cinematic as well as the technical things,” said the director of ‘Faces of Hope.”
Apart from the ‘Faces of Hope’, Date with Dachigam, Cruising Despair, Call me Juma, An Untitled Film and Begging Machines were among the other documentaries screened.
Srinagar Nov 19: In a bouquet of six documentary films which were screened in Allama Iqbal library auditorium at Kashmir University by the department of Media Education Research Centre on Monday, the documentary film ‘Faces of Hope’ captivated the attention of the audience.
All the documentary films were made by the students of MERC in collaboration with their department, except the ‘Faces of Hope’. According to the director of the film Arif Bashir, this film is the result of our own hard work and the department has nothing to do with it.
The film ‘Faces of Hope’ reveals the problems faced by the children of Gujar tribes on the outskirts of Gulmarg in terms of their education. Besides, the film highlights the SSA’s ( Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan ) efforts of implementation of mobile schools to reach the far flung areas in order to provide these children with education which otherwise remain deprived of it. The film beautifully projects the hidden desires of those innocent children who want to overcome the darkness of illiteracy.
The crew of the documentary film ‘faces of Hope’ consists of director Arif Bashir, Assistant director Mehboob Jeelani, researcher Ashfaq Ahmad, Amir, Tariq, Rashid and Raja Amir.
The crew describes the film as a rebellious activity because their proposal was rejected by the department authorities. They also said that it is their own production and all the requisites were made possible by themselves.
“We shot the entire film with a HI-Q Handy cam,” said one of the crew members.
Among the dignitaries present were Vice Chancellor Kashmir University Prof Abdul Wahid, Altaf Hussain of BBC, renowned documentary film maker Shafqat Habib and theatre and documentary film director Arshad Mushtaq.
Speaking on the occasion Vice Chancellor appreciated the efforts put by the students and hoped for more such activities by the concerned department.
The auditorium tuned to full of applauses when Arshad praised the efforts of the crew of ‘Faces of Hope’. “It is a brilliant attempt by the team by capturing the film with a handy cam.” He described the camera work of ‘Faces of Hope’ far better than the other documentary films which were shot by sophisticated equipment.
The director of the ‘Faces of Hope’ appreciated the support provided to him by his crew members. “It is a group effort and i thank my crew members who stood against all the difficulties and took the initiative. I am happy with the outcome of the film in terms of both cinematic as well as the technical things,” said the director of ‘Faces of Hope.”
Apart from the ‘Faces of Hope’, Date with Dachigam, Cruising Despair, Call me Juma, An Untitled Film and Begging Machines were among the other documentaries screened.
“Police Media Interaction” a Failure
ADIL MAKHDOOMI
Udhampur NOV 23: A two-day programme on “Police Media Interaction” was organised by SKPA (Sher-i-Kashmir Police Academy) at Udhampur from 21-22 Nov this month. Participants from different media organisations, including MERC students, and police officials of different ranks attended the programme.
Aimed to cultivate a positive image of police in the society, the programme was inaugurated by Kuldeep Khoda, IPS DGP J&K Jammu. On the occasion, Khoda appreciated the efforts of media personnel for presenting a true picture in J&K despite all compulsions and strains. During his entire speech, Khoda stressed on the role of police and media as a mutual responsibility for the benefit of the society. “As human beings let me assure you we are very good to serve the society,” he said.
Media and public administration, Role of media in conflict areas, Yellow journalism, and Role of media in welfare democratic state are the topics that were discussed during the two-day programme. Majority of the guests, which were supposed to deliver their respective talks were not present in the programme. Among the speakers present were Arun Joshi (Hindustan Times), Ashwani Kumar (Aaj Tak), A.K Swaney (Journey Lines), Harbans Nagokay (JK Channel), Pradeep Dutta (CNN IBN), and some persons from Jammu University.
Although the topics were relevant for such an interaction but all speakers were unable to execute them. A few of the speakers complained that they were informed late about the programme due to which their talk does not justify with the topic.
Moreover, the selection of few speakers was questionable. Instead of people from the field, speakers from sociology were assigned to deliver talks on the burning topics like Role of media in conflict areas and Yellow journalism.
Students from MERC University of Kashmir described the interaction as a total failure. They said that the entire interaction was disorganised and misdirected. “They should have involved the speakers from police as well if they wanted a media police interaction. This is going to bring no benefit to the society,” said Rashid, a student of MERC. Some students also called the programme as a picnic.
Lack of professionalism and tolerance on part of media as well as the police were the buzzwords of the interaction. One of the speakers held the increasing number of newspapers responsible for yellow journalism while a few termed it a healthy sign for a democratic state. Apart from this, there were several other statements which were raised during the programme like wrong reportage by media, perception of police about media, perception of media about police, role of media in modern world, and role of agencies in spoiling the public-force relationship in the country but none was shaped according to the situation.
Before valediction session, IGP and director of the academy Ram Lubhaya said, “Militancy is in its final phase and J&K will be in harmony back.”
Udhampur NOV 23: A two-day programme on “Police Media Interaction” was organised by SKPA (Sher-i-Kashmir Police Academy) at Udhampur from 21-22 Nov this month. Participants from different media organisations, including MERC students, and police officials of different ranks attended the programme.
Aimed to cultivate a positive image of police in the society, the programme was inaugurated by Kuldeep Khoda, IPS DGP J&K Jammu. On the occasion, Khoda appreciated the efforts of media personnel for presenting a true picture in J&K despite all compulsions and strains. During his entire speech, Khoda stressed on the role of police and media as a mutual responsibility for the benefit of the society. “As human beings let me assure you we are very good to serve the society,” he said.
Media and public administration, Role of media in conflict areas, Yellow journalism, and Role of media in welfare democratic state are the topics that were discussed during the two-day programme. Majority of the guests, which were supposed to deliver their respective talks were not present in the programme. Among the speakers present were Arun Joshi (Hindustan Times), Ashwani Kumar (Aaj Tak), A.K Swaney (Journey Lines), Harbans Nagokay (JK Channel), Pradeep Dutta (CNN IBN), and some persons from Jammu University.
Although the topics were relevant for such an interaction but all speakers were unable to execute them. A few of the speakers complained that they were informed late about the programme due to which their talk does not justify with the topic.
Moreover, the selection of few speakers was questionable. Instead of people from the field, speakers from sociology were assigned to deliver talks on the burning topics like Role of media in conflict areas and Yellow journalism.
Students from MERC University of Kashmir described the interaction as a total failure. They said that the entire interaction was disorganised and misdirected. “They should have involved the speakers from police as well if they wanted a media police interaction. This is going to bring no benefit to the society,” said Rashid, a student of MERC. Some students also called the programme as a picnic.
Lack of professionalism and tolerance on part of media as well as the police were the buzzwords of the interaction. One of the speakers held the increasing number of newspapers responsible for yellow journalism while a few termed it a healthy sign for a democratic state. Apart from this, there were several other statements which were raised during the programme like wrong reportage by media, perception of police about media, perception of media about police, role of media in modern world, and role of agencies in spoiling the public-force relationship in the country but none was shaped according to the situation.
Before valediction session, IGP and director of the academy Ram Lubhaya said, “Militancy is in its final phase and J&K will be in harmony back.”
Inefficiency of traffic department irks people:
Srinagar, Nov 12
Increase in traffic density in Srinagar has adversely affected the journey, particularly in passenger vehicles, and routine life of the people. Apart from traffic density, a majority of people hold the traffic department more responsible for the inconvenience.
The negligence of traffic policemen has catalysed the situation. Every now and then drivers breach through traffic rules and regulations. “You need not to have any tracking device to spot a driver red handed violating the traffic rules. It is quite visible but not to the concerned men” said Gowhar Ahmad Shah, a resident of Nishat.
The congestion of vehicles particularly from dalgate to residency road has put people to a lot of inconvenience. Vehicles are parked in front of shops, thus making it difficult for pedestrians to walk and maximises the congestion. “It is a mess. There is no proper parking facility in this business area,” Younis Ahmed Khan, a shop owner at residency road said. He added, “Traffic policemen often themselves violate the rules by allowing their departmental vehicles to ply on restricted routes”.
When asked about the inefficiency of traffic department in performing its duty, Shafqat Atar, SI traffic said, “It is a misconception among masses. It is not the only department to be blamed; R & B and licensing authority also have their share of responsibility. Roads are not wide enough to carry the burden of two way vehicular movements and what will happen when illiterate and disabled people are provided with driving licenses. We are helpless”.
“We are not able to cope up with the rate of traffic flow because since more than two decades the staffs have remained the same,” he added.
As long as illiterate, having no knowledge of traffic rules, and disabled people carry licenses, the implementation of electronic traffic signals seems to be far.
People find it difficult to make their journeys in passenger vehicles. “I am always terrified of this thought. Last year i had nearly missed my examination. Despite my insistence driver kept on overloading the bus and made to run it at a snail’s pace. Then i was compelled to hire an auto in order to save my career” laments Yasir Amin, a student of Kashmir University.
For bus drivers traffic rules seem to be only a matter of incinerating a cigarette to ashes. They follow and draw their own rules. They have become fearless. “We know how to tackle the traffic policemen. It is just a matter of few minutes”, said Abdul Hamid, a bus driver.
Shifting of blames is not going to heal the wounds. Despite several measures taken from time to time by the concerned authorities, there are numerous loopholes that are still to be plugged and till then the situation and the journey remains affected.
Increase in traffic density in Srinagar has adversely affected the journey, particularly in passenger vehicles, and routine life of the people. Apart from traffic density, a majority of people hold the traffic department more responsible for the inconvenience.
The negligence of traffic policemen has catalysed the situation. Every now and then drivers breach through traffic rules and regulations. “You need not to have any tracking device to spot a driver red handed violating the traffic rules. It is quite visible but not to the concerned men” said Gowhar Ahmad Shah, a resident of Nishat.
The congestion of vehicles particularly from dalgate to residency road has put people to a lot of inconvenience. Vehicles are parked in front of shops, thus making it difficult for pedestrians to walk and maximises the congestion. “It is a mess. There is no proper parking facility in this business area,” Younis Ahmed Khan, a shop owner at residency road said. He added, “Traffic policemen often themselves violate the rules by allowing their departmental vehicles to ply on restricted routes”.
When asked about the inefficiency of traffic department in performing its duty, Shafqat Atar, SI traffic said, “It is a misconception among masses. It is not the only department to be blamed; R & B and licensing authority also have their share of responsibility. Roads are not wide enough to carry the burden of two way vehicular movements and what will happen when illiterate and disabled people are provided with driving licenses. We are helpless”.
“We are not able to cope up with the rate of traffic flow because since more than two decades the staffs have remained the same,” he added.
As long as illiterate, having no knowledge of traffic rules, and disabled people carry licenses, the implementation of electronic traffic signals seems to be far.
People find it difficult to make their journeys in passenger vehicles. “I am always terrified of this thought. Last year i had nearly missed my examination. Despite my insistence driver kept on overloading the bus and made to run it at a snail’s pace. Then i was compelled to hire an auto in order to save my career” laments Yasir Amin, a student of Kashmir University.
For bus drivers traffic rules seem to be only a matter of incinerating a cigarette to ashes. They follow and draw their own rules. They have become fearless. “We know how to tackle the traffic policemen. It is just a matter of few minutes”, said Abdul Hamid, a bus driver.
Shifting of blames is not going to heal the wounds. Despite several measures taken from time to time by the concerned authorities, there are numerous loopholes that are still to be plugged and till then the situation and the journey remains affected.
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