Finding a ‘home away from home’
An uphill task for Ladakh students
Jammu, November 25
In the wake of limited hostels, finding a ‘home away from home’ is proving an uphill task for students of the Ladakh region, who come to Jammu for pursuing higher education. Consequently, they have to go for rented accommodation or paying guest hostels, both provisions which are a costly affair.

Students from Ladakh on the Jammu University campus. Photo: Inderjeet Singh

Literature in exile
Jammu, November 25
When Maharaj Krishan Bharat left Kashmir 18 years ago, he never knew that living in exile would turn him to literature to portray the grief and pathos and also his yearning to go back to his roots.

Classical music getting a raw deal: Santoor maestro
Jammu, November 25
Internationally acclaimed santoor maestro, Pandit Shiv Kumar Sharma is highly critical the way classical music is getting a raw deal at the hands of a plethora of TV channels in India.

Plagued by problems
Jammu, November 25
Even as Jammu attracts around 80 lakh Vaishno Devi pilgrims annually, besides serving as a gateway to Kashmir, for thousands of tourists from across the country, its railway station is plagued by various problems. When a passenger alights at the railway station, the first problem he comes across is a shortage of coolies.

Stray animals have a field day at the Jammu railway station. Tribune photo: Anand Sharma

Automation whip on horseshoers
Jammu, November 25
Farriers (those dealing in horseshoeing) had a profitable business when horse-driven cart was the main mode of travel and transport, but the automobile revolution has pushed this trade to the verge of extinction. Mangal Dass Kaith, a blacksmith is no more doing the job of a farrier due to his ill health. However, his two sons Mohinder Kumar and Joginder Kumar are still engaged in this trade.

A farrier fixes an iron shoe to a horse in Jammu. Photo: Inderjeet Singh

Militancy hinders mountaineering
Jammu, November 25
The nearly two-decade long militancy has dealt a severe blow to mountaineering in the state. The Mountaineering Association (MA), formed in 1986, carried out numerous successful expeditions in the state. 

Letter