Akhnoor, June 16
A religious and picturesque tourist spot on the banks of the Chenab at Pandva Guffa ghat is in news for a number of fatal incidents and suicides that have took place here in the past few weeks.

An excellent dating spot, the place attracts youngsters from Jammu and other towns. Lovers can be seen perched on rocks along the river as the place provides them ample isolation.

However, in the absence any security personnel or lifeguard and warning signs about the fast current of the river and the slippery rocks, a number of mishaps have occurred here.

Besides the accidental falls into the river, a number of suicides and alleged murders have been reported from the place.

Three deaths have been reported within a fortnight i.e. suicide by a couple from Kathua city and the mysterious death of a woman employee of the wildlife department, who had gone to the riverside along with four colleagues, but had mysteriously fallen into the river.

To complicate the matters, the police found “charas” from the possession of four accused. The body of an unidentified woman was also found here recently.

Though the exact data of the number of deaths is not available, sources say fatal incidents are happening regularly. “More than 20 deaths were reported last year,” says Ramesh, an Akhnoor resident, who visits the place regularly.

“There are no warning signs for people to stay away from the river. The flow does not seem much along the banks, but actually the current is quite fast, which catches many unawares. The authorities must install warning boards or deploy lifeguards,” he says.

SSP Manohar Singh said it was not possible for the police to guard the whole stretch of the river. “It is practically not possible but we keep a vigil at this particular place to prevent crime.”

Sunny, a tour operator, says a lot of tourists come here but they go back disappointed due to the lack of facilities. “There are no eateries along the banks. People cross the river in old boats and there are no lifeguards”.

The Pandva Cave is much frequented as it is believed that the Pandvas along with Draupadi spent a year in hiding in Akhnoor disguised as servants or dancers.

Jammu, June 16
Presently housed in primitive and dingy buildings, post offices in Jammu and Kashmir will undergo a makeover under “Project Arrow”, being introduced in the border state this year.

Under the initiative, the department intends to give a facelift to the post offices and also make the organisation vibrant and responsive to benefit the customers.

Giving details, YPS Mohan, chief postmaster general (CPMG), J&K Circle, said, “The project has been introduced last year in some selected states across India. “This year, besides other states, the department has also chosen Jammu and Kashmir to bring its rural populace in direct communication with the world,” he said.

Mohan said initially 15 post offices located in the capital cities of Jammu and Srinagar and other major towns would be brought under the ambit of the scheme to convert them into model post offices.

He said these post offices would be fully computerised to offer a single-window facility for banking, money remittances and other financial products and services to the customers. “The post offices will further have elegant and attractive signboards so that they can easily be traced even at the busy markets,” he said.

“Similarly, from the next year, other post offices of the state, situated at the tehsil headquarters, will also be taken up for modernisation,” the CPMG said.

He brushed off the notion that in an era of Internet, the working of the post offices had become obsolete. “The present phase of recession and meltdown has established the firm belief among the masses that post offices were the safest place where one can deposit money and claim high rate of interest,” he said.

The charge of the J&K Circle recently, said his priority would be to bring in technology and improve the working of this multi-functional department. “Apart from providing banking and mailing facilities, the post offices have also been entrusted the job to collect the RTI applications,” he said.

Mohan claimed that all post offices were properly functioning in this militancy-infested state.

“During the initial phase of militancy, the department had to close down some post offices in the upper and hilly areas. But with the improvement in law and order situation, every post office is now functioning normally in all regions and sub-regions of the state,” he added.

Jammu, June 16
A jatha of Pakistani Hindus, currently on pilgrimage to the state, was awestruck at the sight of jean-clad girls. The Pakistani girls back home do not have such freedom and equality even in this 20th century.

“We are glad to see you in jeans, but our girls cannot come out of their house wearing such a dress. They are only allowed to wear kurta, salwar-kameej and dupatta. They cannot even dare to come out without a dupatta,” said Kartar Lal Arya, while talking to a female Journalist.

“People in Pakistan are crazy about Indian movies and serials. The majority of women love soap operas on various channels, especially the women-oriented ones,” said Meera Mata, a first-time visitor to India.

Arya is an advocate by profession and is running a school at Kandhkot in Kashmore district in Pakistan for imparting religious knowledge among the children. He runs an organisation called the Hindu Reformative and Revival Foundation (HRRF).

Pointing toward a girl wearing jeans, Arya said, “The thing which I like most here (Jammu) is that here women have the freedom of expression, but this power is missing in Pakistan. In our county, this power is enjoyed by elite women only and women living in the minority community do not have the right to think about it.”

“Indian women news anchors are also popular in Pakistan. They are stars in their own rights, but we all are most crazy about Aishwarya Rai Bachchan,” he said.

He said due to the lack of education and knowledge among the women, they had to suppress their career ambitions. They were not even allowed to have a chat with any male at public places.

Indian television is liked very much by the people living in Pakistan. Majority of them prefer to watch Indian movies and programmes.

Meera said visiting the Vashno Devi shrine overjoyed her. She said during this one-month trip, she would visit Shirdi, Raipur, to pay her obeisance to the replica of one goddess of Pakistan and then she would visit Santoshi Mata temple in Jopdhur also.

Expressing contentment that the government never stops them to follow their religion, she said the Hindus living there were following their religion without any hesitation. “They are happy there and the government always provides them all facilities to celebrate their festivals or any religious ceremonies.”

Arya said the only problem which they face in following their religion was that they failed to understand Sanskrit. He said they had translated around 200 mantras/’shlokas’ of the Geeta, the Vedas, the Ramayana and the Mahabharata, but they required Sanskrit teachers and more religious literatures there.

Jammu, June 16
In an era when fibreglass and so-called stainless steel goods are in vogue, earthen jugs, bowls and pots seem to have lost their relevance in the day-to-day lives of the present generation.

But, when it comes to the question of learning pottery as a subject, the youth of Jammu are showing a keen interest in this ancient craft.

Some institutions have come up here, who train the youth in the art of pottery. Incidentally, among the admission-seekers had been the girls from Uttrakhand and Madhya Pradesh.

“After doing a course in pottery from a local institute here, I intend to set-up my own unit to give a shape to clay and my ideas,” said Neeraj Sharma, a resident of Patoli.

Neeraj, who also taught pottery as a subject to the students of Kendriya Vidyalaya, Bantalab, last year, said, “This art needs an official recognition to flourish”.

“Since ages, children have a tendency to mould clay and fantasise the things. Pottery needs to be introduced as a subject in all schools,” he opined.

Neha Basera, who had come all the way from Champawat, Uttrakhand, to learn pottery as a specialised subject here, said there was a great scope to this ancient art in her home state.

“I have already done my masters degree in drawing and painting. The course in pottery will further help me in my future ventures,” she said.

The same views were expressed by Arti Paliwal of Habibganj, Bhopal, who has also done an IGNOU-recognised course in pottery at a local institute here.

Both Neha and Arti had recently organised an exhibition of their artworks at Kala Kendra here, where they put on display ceramic pottery and terracotta sculptures. Some beautiful necklaces, bracelets and other decorative items, made of clay, were purchased by the art lovers to encourage the young and budding artists.

Arti said to make the masterpieces, they obtained the high variety of clay from Kashmir. “The clay of Kashmir is devoid of sand and helps in making good products,” she said.

Bishambar Mehta, who runs an institution here since 2004, said he learnt the art of pottery at Baroda.

“My institution has so far produced a number of artists, who are remarkably doing well on a potter’s wheel,” he said.

Bishambar said although technology had posed a considerable threat to the items made of clay, still things like flower vases and decorative pieces were in high demand, even at the international level, where they were aesthetically treated as rich items.

Katra, June 16
Victims of the fire, which broke out in May in the Charanpaduka area due to the explosion of an LPG cylinder, are still waiting for compensation. About 50 shops were gutted in the incident.

“We have taken the issue with the authorities of the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board, but nothing has been done so far,” said Baldev Sharma, a local MLA.

He said the matter was brought to the notice of the authorities, who had promised to give compensation, but the promises remained only on paper.

Charanpaduka is a spot located on the 13-km track of the Vaishno Devi from Katra to Bhawan.

Fortunately, there was no loss of human life, but property worth Rs 5 crore was reduced to ashes in the incident. During the past two months, fire broke out in the Trikuta Hills four times, but no step has been taken so far to avoid such incidents.

Blaming the authorities for adopting casual approach towards the problem, the MLA said he had brought the matter to the notice of Chief Minister Omar Abdullah who had promised to depute a team headed by the Jammu divisional commissioner to assess the loss.

He said no action had been taken so far and charged the coalition regime with adopting indifferent attitude.

Repeated incidents have given sleepless nights not only to the shopkeepers but also to the authorities of the board as creating firefighting infrastructure in the mountainous area is an impossible task. Due to the topography of the holy cave, the biggest challenge before the authorities is how to deal with the high magnitudes of incidents in the area. Pressing fire tenders into service is not possible, so the authorities have been exploiting other options to deal with the situation in case of an emergency.

In June, this mountainous belt usually witnesses downpour everyday, but this year, the dry spell has been going on which is further aggravating the situation.

“Forest fires in May and June are a routine affair in the Trikuta Hills, but due to the regular rains earlier, it was not a problem in this belt,” said Raman, a resident of Katra.

He said due to the prevailing dry spell this year, forest fires have become main concern for the shopkeepers as well as the authorities.

Meanwhile, a team of the National Institute of Disaster Management (NIDM), headed by Shalin Kabra, inspected the 13-km track from Katra to the holy cave. The team inspected all areas of the Bhawan and prepared a detailed report.

Jammu, June 16
The ban on polythene carry bags enforced by the Jammu Municipal Corporation (JMC) needs more thrust to get the city rid of polythene menace completely.

Though shopkeepers in the main markets here have stopped selling their products in polythene bags, those in the interiors are still using polythene carry bags, which shows that the ban is effective in major markets only whereas in the interiors and peripheries it has no impact.

Rohit Kumar, a vendor who sells fruits at Jewel Chowk, says, “We purchase old newspapers from a scrap dealer daily for selling our products. Though our customers face problems due to the ban on polythene carry bags, we will obey the orders.”

Some shopkeepers expressed resentment over the ban as it has affected their business to some extent.

A shopkeeper in Sarwal Chowk, who sells vegetables, says, “The JMC has imposed a ban on the use of polythene without providing any alternative. Our customers who come from far-off places face problems in carrying vegetables in paper bags”.

“Due to the ban I have lost a majority of my customers who used to come to my shop from distant places. I cannot sell them cheese, milk or curd in paper bags. Now, only those who reside in this locality come to my shop. In fact, I have advised them to bring their utensils when they come to buy dairy products,” said Kanya Lal, a “halwai” in the Talab Tillo locality.

Jammu, June 16
Umpteen books have been written on the history of Kashmir, but nothing has been done exclusively on the struggle of Kashmiri Pandit women. One such book, “The History & Pandit Women’s Struggle for Identity” has been written by Prof Suneethi Bakhshi, which was recently released by Union Minister for New and Renewable Energy Farooq Abdullah.

The book attempts to trace the history of the Kashmiri Pandit community from their claimed origins in the region of the Caspian Sea through the millennia to the present times.

The book is unique as it brings a perspective about the women of the community, who have witnessed the worst of their exoduses.

It tracks the origin and history of the people of the valley, starting from the Aryans and Saraswat Brahmins through what was considered the foreign rule of the Mauryas, the Kusshans and local dynasties until the advent of Muslim rulers, the Shah Mirs, Chaks, Mughals and the Afghans until the takeover by the Sikhs, followed by the Dogra dynasty. All of these had a deep impact on the social, political and cultural milieu of the Kashmiri Pandit community, particularly its women.

The book also serves the purpose of a cultural guide, elucidating various festivals, customs and rites of passage, most of the them being presided over by the women of the community. The author has described the trials and tribulations, and the triumphs of the women through all these millennia.

At this point in time, following the event of 1989-1990, which forced the most recent of the transitions out of the valley, there is a serious felt need to record the history of the younger generation who are ignorant of their roots, heritage and culture. This is what the author has endeavored to do through this book.

Prof Bakshi said throughout the evolution, the Kashmiri Pandit men have been switching over places, and adapting themselves to new milieu, finding new vocation for themselves, but women remained ignored and subservient to the men in their life.

It is an irony of fate that in the past one of the most backward areas, “Kalakote”, never got representation in the state ministry. Once, the rich towns of Kalakote, Budhal and Kote Ranka (small rajwaras) vibrated with folklores and business hubs and represented vast remote tracks humming songs in this hilly area.

The subtle civilisation residing in the backward area never demanded much from the successive state governments. Kalakote needs immediate attention for its return to glory. Rashpal Singh has been twice elected as MLA from Kalakote. So, he deserves a chance to get a ministry.

Nowshera has been represented long by the Cabinet and state-level Ministers, but Kalakote has been neglected every time. Further, Ch. Mohd Aslam is sure to represent Poonch district as Cabinet Minister and it will be that decision of the Chief Minister to give representation to the Kalakote MLA. He has once again emerged victorious despite many adversaries this time.

Dr VS Charak, Channi Himmat Colony, Jammu

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