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College teachers warned against private tuitions
Winged guests set to bid adieu to Kashmir
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Shivratri festival losing sheen among KPs
Shiv Khori dangal on Mar 3
‘Insecure’ Doda queues up for arms licences
Noted filmmaker delivers lecture at Kashmir varsity
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College teachers warned against private tuitions
Srinagar, March 1 Shagufta Parveen, director, School Education, Kashmir, and senior officers of the Education Department, representatives of managements of coaching centres and parents participated in the meeting. The divisional commissioner informed that strict action would be taken against the college teachers who indulge in private tuitions as the government had already imposed a ban in this regard. However, government teachers and lecturers of the School Education Department had been allowed to take tuitions, but only after the duty hours. These instructions would be implemented in letter and in spirit, the divisional commissioner asserted. Highlighting the importance of education in the nation building, Dr Samoon said education was the top priority of the government and should be kept away from conflicts. Teachers, parents, administration and society as a whole had a responsibility in this regard and only a participatory attitude and community effort would raise the standard and the quality of education, he said. The meeting was informed that 72 coaching centres impart coaching to about 30,000 students in the Valley. The divisional commissioner and the director, Education, emphasised for adequate infrastructure and physical facilities as envisaged in the government instructions issued in this behalf. The director, Education, informed the meeting that 50 coaching centres had applied for registration so far. Parents participating in the meeting put fourth suggestions with regard to registration of coaching centres, infrastructure, modernisation, separate classes for boys and girls, regulation of fee and mode of payment on a monthly basis instead of advance in lump sum and shifting of coaching centres from the civilian areas. The divisional commissioner asked the director, Education, to examine the suggestions and take necessary steps in this regard. He also asked the coaching centres to adopt some bright poor children and sponsor their coaching. |
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Winged guests set to bid adieu to Kashmir
Srinagar, March 1 “The eldest of the flock leads the journey back as scores of others line up behind the leader to fly thousands of miles back to their summer homes,” said Pir Mushtaq, range officer at this bird reserve. “Different species of birds fly separately and usually they prefer clear night skies to begin the journey. It is a marvel of navigation that baffles even the best flight engineers of the world,” he says. He tells how these birds, wigeons, greylag geese, teals, brahmany ducks, coots, gadwalls and pintails eat vigorously to add to their bodyweight and fat before migrating to summer homes in East Europe, Japan Siberia, China and Japan and the Philippines. “The distance is long and journeys are tough...so much so that a greylag goose, that weighs around seven pounds at the start of migration, weighs just three pounds at the end of it,” Mushtaq says. He has been studying bird behaviour inside the reserve for over three years now. “I have a strong emotional attachment with them and this perhaps is the reason why I took a few vacations during the winter months when this wetland was thronged by thousands of migratory birds,” he says. Spread over 13.75 sq km, the reserve is well guarded by boundaries. And if that is not sufficient, there is security guard Gulam Hassan Dar to keep poachers at bay. “Poachers sometimes use horsehair loops to trap unsuspecting birds and I keep vigil to ensure nobody lays a trap,” says Dar, who has been guarding the bird reserve for 20 years. “The reserve needs a lot of care, especially during the winter freeze when the birds are unable to find their choice of food of Trapa nuts, which grows in the reserve waters. We had to arrange a lot of paddy for the birds this winter as the water bodies froze for many days because of sub-zero temperatures,” he adds. As he rows a boat showing bird watchers around, flocks of teals, mallards and brahmany ducks fly past the boat. “Don't worry. They will fly round the reserve and then settle down again,” he says while looking at them fondly. “They huddle together during the extreme cold and their body temperatures prevent small pools of water around from getting frozen,” he says. “In the evenings, greylag geese and other species leave the reserve and fly to
the Wullar Lake and other larger water bodies for feeding. They invariably come back in the mornings,” he adds. Located just 10 km away from the city centre Lal Chowk, privacy is a far cry for these warbling guests. Residential houses have come up all around the reserve. Discharge of effluents from human settlements is polluting the water inside the reserve. “Despite this, we are doing our best to preserve the environment inside the reserve,” says the range officer in charge of the reserve. “No shooting is allowed in and around the reserve as the wildlife laws of the state forbid shooting of any sort, except with a camera!” says the officer. “We are developing infrastructure at the reserve to make it a tourist destination under eco-tourism. This is done through desilting, de-weeding and regulation of optimum water levels inside the reserve,” he adds. He also talks about a recent phenomenon wherein mallards - finding the environs congenial for breeding - are spending their summer here, ignoring the nature’s call for reverse migration. As the range officer tells the story, a flock of cackling geese settles at a distance. “It is time to leave the birds alone. We should not tire them for long. They have to undertake their long journey back to their summer homes in the coming days,” the officer says while directing the guard to row back the boat to the shore.
— IANS |
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Shivratri: Prices of walnuts, lotus stems hit the roof
Jammu, March 1 The Kashmiri Pandit community, which performs Shivratri puja a day earlier, and celebrate it as the main festival, has been using such items for ages both within and outside Kashmir. They offer walnuts as “prasad”after performing Shivratri puja for four consecutive days. This year, the festival falls on March 1 when walnuts will be immersed in two earthenwares symbolising Lord Shiva and Parvati. With no check on the prices of walnuts, certain shopkeepers have been fleecing them by charging exorbitant rates. “I was compelled to purchase walnuts for Rs 300 per kilogram. Only a week ago, superior walnuts were sold in the market for just Rs 160”, remarked Sunil Raina, a Kashmiri Pandit migrant living in the Muthi Camp area. Similar views were expressed by Hriday Nath Koul of Bhagwati Nagar, who had bought walnuts for Rs 290 per kg. Koul said he purchased about 12 kg of walnuts to distribute them among relatives, particularly his three daughters. The community has been following the centuries-old tradition of offering walnuts, a new kangri ( firepot) and a pouch of salt to their daughters every year on this festival. With the Jammu-Srinagar national highway remaining closed for the last few days due to bad weather, most of the parents could not, however, purchase new “kangris” , which generally come from towns like Tral, Chrar and Bandipur in Kashmir. Similarly, the prices of “Nadrus” have alarmingly shot up. Apart from using the item in puja, Kashmiri Pandits use it as a major dish to be cherished during the festival days. Some families have a tradition of cooking fish on this festival. Both these things, which are otherwise found in abundance, are scarce in the market these days. “I had to purchase just 3 kg of nadrus for Rs 450. There seemed to be no check on their price,” remarked Niranjan Nath Dhar of Chinore. He recalled the days when the Kashmir administration would ensure the availability of walnuts, nadrus and other items associated with the Shivratri puja at reasonable prices. “Now, nobody cares to keep a check on market rates”, rued Dhar. An official of the Consumer Affairs department, however, claimed that the authorities had made available “adequate” walnuts at certain outlets in the city and at some migrant camps for the benefit of Kashmiri Pandits. |
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Shivratri festival losing sheen among KPs
Jammu, March 1 However, for the past over two decades, circumstances have deprived this section of Kashmiri Muslims from participating in the celebrations and conveying wishes to those with whom they lived in coexistence in the Valley. The younger generation of Kashmiri Muslims, mostly born after the mass migration of 1990, is, however, ignorant of the social importance of the day and the rituals associated with this festival. Ghulam Nabi Kumhar is one such elderly man from Kulgam Kashmir who curses the day when KPs had to leave Kashmir. Turning nostalgic of those peaceful days when he and his clan would sell fresh baked earthen pots and utensils to Kashmiri Pandit families for their weeklong annual Shivratri Puja, Nabi prays for the return of that era when he would sell earthenwares like "Nout", "Dulej", "Senweir" and "Dupzoor" used by the Kashmiri Pandit families to undertake certain rituals on the blissful night of Shivratri. "Prior to 1990, Kashmiri Pandits used to purchase freshly baked "Nout" and "Czod" from me that symbolise Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati and put walnuts in these pots while chanting mantras in the praise of their deities," recalls Nabi. His grandchildren, Abid and Aijaz, are, however, unaware of this fact. "There is no Kashmiri Pandit family presently living in our village. There are no Shivratri celebrations in our vicinity," said Aijaz. Abdul Samad, a retired teacher from Sopore, recalled how he would visit the house of every Kashmiri Pandit to pay greetings to them on Shivratri. "To keep the tradition alive, I even now ring up every KP of my acquaintance presently living in different cities and towns. I wish my grandchildren to continue with the same practice," said Samad. Gulzar Ahmad Ganai, a noted Kashmiri singer, said he had been meeting most of his KP friends here on this festival and also chants bhajans in praise of Lord Shiva. Like other elderly Kashmiri Muslims, Gulzar too yearns for peace and return of those days when Muslims and Pandits were living together in Kashmir. |
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Shiv Khori dangal on Mar 3
Katra, March 1 The wrestling meet is being organised by the J&K Indian Style Wrestling Association in association with the Department of Tourism and Shiv Khori Dangal Committee, as part of the annual three-day Shivratri festival (March 1 to 3). Modalities regarding the event were finalised in a meeting held under the chairmanship of Pondurang K. Pole, Reasi deputy commissioner, who is also vice-chairman of Shri Shiv Khori Shrine Board. Shiv Kumar Sharma, president of the association, appreciated the gesture of the DC who sanctioned Rs 50,000 to organise the event. Sharma, who is also treasurer of the association, informed that nearly 70 wrestlers from various parts of the state and outside would participate. |
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‘Insecure’ Doda queues up for arms licences
Jammu, March 1 In a written reply to a question by MLA Choudhary Zulfikar Ali, the minister in charge stated in the Assembly that these licences have been issued under Section 13 of the Arms Act, 1959, and the Arms Rule, 1962. Interestingly, the licences were issued both in peaceful areas and militancy affected regions. According the official figures, 6,073 licences were issued in Jammu, 199 in Kathua, 484 in Samba, 551 in Rajouri, 3,153 in Poonch, 15,878 in Doda, 5,154 in Kishtwar, 3,170 in Udhampur, 9,976 in Ramban, 46 in Reasi, 6,297 in Srinagar, 13 in Budgam, 45 in Shopian, 151 in Anantnag, 27 in Ganderbal, 17 in Bandipora, 13 in Baramulla, 236 in Kupwara, 82 in Leh and 53 in Kargil. The issuance of 15,878 licences in militancy plagued hilly district of Doda is a clear indication that people of the region were more particular about their security. At the same time, such large number of arms licences has raised many eyebrows. The licences issued by the district magistrates are valid in the whole of the country, but the same should be renewed from the issuing authorities after repeated intervals. During the past two years, the government has also issued 21 licences for the sale of arms in the state and all these licences have been issued in Jammu province only. In 2009, as many as 18,509 weapons were manufactured and the state government had earned Rs 7,81,595 from these weapons. Similarly, in 2010, 20,907 weapons were manufactured and revenue worth Rs 4,33,246 was generated in Jammu district alone. In Srinagar district, 296 weapons were manufactured in 2009 and 593 in 2010. An amount of Rs 2,25,782 and Rs 3,21,043 were earned, respectively, by the government. In Kathua district, 4,179 weapons were manufactured in 2009 and 3,085 in 2010 and the government earned Rs 96,300 from it. |
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Noted filmmaker delivers lecture at Kashmir varsity
Srinagar, March 1 Abbas, 91-year-old Indian born, who arrived here on his maiden visit to Kashmir, was speaking on “Real Life Films versus Documentary” organised by the Media Education Research Centre (MERC) of the University of Kashmir here recently. He also dwelt upon his passion for reel life and said how he had to physically and emotionally get involved with his subjects and the context in order to try to make the best. “You have to have patience to live with the subjects and to go through the hardships which they have gone through to reach nearer to the truth,” he said. Some of his best short films, including Delhi Ka Tonge Wala and India! My India!, were screened on the occasion. Ved Bahsin, chairman, Kashmir Times Publication Group, was the chief guest on the occasion. Prof AR Yousuf, dean, academics of the University of Kashmir, presided over the function. A number of teachers, students of MERC, scholars, professionals and other members of the civil society were present on the occasion. It was also attended by Prof Shohab Inayat Malik, head, Department of Urdu, University of Jammu, as the guest of honour. In his remarks, Prof Shohab Inayat Malik described Abbas as a writer, broadcaster, journalist and filmmaker, who comes from the home of Urdu, Lucknow, UP. “A love of classical Urdu literature was second nature to him,” said Prof Inayat and added that it was a great honour to host this great filmmaker at the University of Kashmir. Earlier, Shahid Rasool, head, Department of MERC, termed Abbas as a great filmmaker who was equipped with lots of creative ability who moved freely between making films, broadcasting and translating from English into Urdu plays and features he produced and directed for the BBC. |
JAMMU DIARY
When all modern techniques fail in controlling any situation, the traditional methods definitely solve the problem.
It seems the Jammu and Kashmir Traffic Police has now adopted a traditional method to grapple with traffic chaos on various city roads.
The traffic police has started blocking roads with a rope at busy intersections and rotaries in the city to mitigate the problem to some extent. One see cops blocking the road with ropes at Bikram Chowk (See picture). Cong factions
The PWD rest house in Gandhi Nagar has become a war room for the rival Congress factions. One group sits in rooms on the first floor while the second sits on the ground floor. Both plan their strategies and leak vital information to the media as well as the Congress high command. They plan strategies against each other. If they manage to bridge this small distance, the Congress could be a force to reckon with in the state. Rules given a go-by
Total chaos prevails in the Information Department as far as the making of passes for journalists to cover the Budget session is concerned. One can ignore the spelling mistakes and typing errors but some journalists, who were not even on the rolls of any newspaper, have managed to get I-cards. There were instances where I-cards of national dailies were made in the name of individuals who were not even remotely attached with the organization concerned. It is a serious cause of concern in the security sensitive state. What corporate responsibility, this!
Many business organisations have strange ways of promoting their brand. Before setting out on any social work taken up under their much-touted “corporate social responsibility” they never forget to drop invitations at the media houses followed by press statements along with photographs and gifts. With such acts, their philanthropic actions seems to take a back seat as one is compelled to think if their corporate social responsibility has been reduced to economic publicity campaigns
only. (Contributed by Archit Watts, Dinesh Manhotra, Jupinderjit Singh and Ashutosh Sharma) |
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