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Videoconferencing to be introduced in courts
Shivratri Festival
Work on Zoji La tunnel to begin in Aug
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Police to organise talent
hunt on Feb 21
Folk art festival showcases state’s rich culture
58 pc of cultivable land not irrigated: Minister
srinagar DIARY
Sufi music festival concludes at Katra
Music classes in jails soon, says
santoor maestro
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Videoconferencing to be introduced in courts
Jammu, February 17 The proposal was mooted to expedite the judicial process, cut the expenses borne by the state in the transportation and security of prisoners and early clearance of pending cases. Official sources told The Tribune that the National Informatics Centre (NIC) has started a detailed survey of the requirements to implement the project under the Centrally-sponsored “E-court” project and it was aimed at expediting the trial process. “The project will be implemented in a phased manner. The Central Jail, Srinagar, Central Jail, Kot Bhalwal, and the District Jail, Ambphalla, will be connected to courts via the videoconferencing facility in the first phase. The ruling dispensation has shown a keen interest in the project. It will not only expedite the trial process but also reduce the expenditure incurred on the to and fro movement of prisoners from courts,” the sources added. The sources said the state unit of the NIC had already started its exercise to prepare a detailed project report about the requirements and problems to be faced, as and when, the project was started. Naveen Aggarwal, Director-General (Prisons), J&K, confirmed that the Prison Department of the state had set in motion the process to connect jails to courts. “Once the jails are connected to courtrooms, it will not
only expedite the judicial process but also cut the expenses borne by the state on the transportation and security of prisoners who are brought to various courts,” the Director-General said. There are a total of 13 jails, including two hypersensitive central jails, in the twin capital cities. The number of undertrials —many of whom are in for petty crimes — has also exceeded the convicts by seven times, due to slow judicial process. The sources said out of the total 2,716 prisoners, including 106 females lodged in various prisons in the state, over 2,100 were undertrials. While most of jails were plagued with overcrowding, around 2.7 lakh cases were still pending in various courts of the state. The sources said the total cost of the project, including expansion and modernisation of jails, would be between Rs 75 crore and Rs 100 crore.
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Shivratri Festival
Jammu, February 17 Despair is palpable in his words as he reveals the story of change that has come about due to mass exodus of his community decades ago. For him the festival of Shivratri has changed since the migration as all their customs and traditions are changing with a change in climate and dwellings. Shivratri, which is considered to be the major festival of KPs, falls in the month of February or March. Kashmir is a zone which falls under the influence of Shaivism and Kashmiris are considered to be strong and old followers of Lord Shiva. On this day Hindus offer prayers to Lord Shiva celebrating his wedding day. The festival has changed due to families of the community getting scattered, lack of time and a drift from their native place. Shivratri was a four-day festival for the Kashmiri community, which has now reduced to a two-day affair. Pandita said, "My son works in a software company in Karnataka and is hardly able to visit us on any festival. We never insist him to come as it is a matter of his livelihood". "My wife and I offer prayers to Lord Shiva and nothing exciting happens as it happened in Kashmir. The rest of the day passes just like any other day. We miss the time when people of other communities used to join us on this occasion". Shivratri is the most popular festival among Kashmir Pundits and is meant for celebration and feasting. After three days of worship, the earthen pots which represent the various deities are taken to a nearby river or water body and are immersed. Before immersion, walnuts are removed from the pots and are brought back and are distributed as ‘prasad’. Walnuts used on this occasion as sanctified sweets (prashad) are either of their own household or gifted by a neighbour. Villagers used to get vegetables from Srinagar due to their unavailability in villages. Snow was also used during prayers, said Pandita. With the change in their native place, all these rituals have become
redundant.
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Work on Zoji La tunnel to begin in Aug
Srinagar, February 17 The foundation stone of the first phase of the 6 km-long tunnel to be built at a tentative cost of Rs 200 crore per km from Gagangir to Sonamarg will be laid in August, according to Minister for Transport Qamar Ali Akhoon. He issued the statement here after attending a high-level meeting convened by the Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways C P Joshi in Delhi on Thursday. Akhoon said the Director-General,Roads, would oversee the work.The date for starting work on the second phase from Baltal to Mainamerg would be announced at the foundation laying ceremony. Stating that the feasibility report for the tunnel project had already been prepared, he said the Union Minister had set March as the deadline for submitting the detailed project report. Akhoon also said Beacon and other agencies looking after the road had been directed by the Union Ministry to clear the accumulated snow so that the lifeline to Kargil and Leh was opened as early as possible. The Minister said the construction of the tunnel at the identified places would help keep the road open round the year. The 420 km-long Srinagar-Kargil-Leh National Highway, which happens to be the only road link from the valley, remains closed for a major part of the year due to inclement weather and heavy snow in the higher reaches from Sonamarg to Drass in the winter.
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Police to organise talent
hunt on Feb 21
Jammu, February 17 Israr Khan, SSP, Samba, who is the state-level chief coordinator for the talent hunt, said six winners from the Jammu-Kathua-Samba range competition would then move in to compete with the winners of other three ranges viz Rajouri-Poonch range, Reasi-Udhampur range and Doda-Kishtwar-Ramban range. “This way, the six winners, three each in the senior and junior category, will be selected to represent the Jammu province and likewise, the six winners will be selected to represent the Kashmir province. The winners of these provinces will compete for the top slot of the contest and the grand finale will be held in the first week of March,” Khan said. The chief coordinator said Chief Minister Omar Abdullah would be invited as the
chief guest for the occasion. Eminent persons from outside the state like Ustad Sakhawat Hussain Khan (Seswan Gharana Vocal), Ismail Darbar (instrumental music), professor Narang from Jalandhar and a Bollywood actor or director will be the jury members for the grand finale. During the conduct of the grand finale of “Choona Hai Aasman” last year, the Chief Minister had promised that, if required, the government would provide all possible assistance to the Police Department for the smooth conduct of the contest. This year’s talent hunt is not limited to singing only as it involves various categories viz orchestra (western or contemporary), solo dance, group dance, acting which includes mimicry, one-act play, mime, comedy, ventriloquist, puppetry, and instrumental music like guitar, sarood, violin, tabla, jal tarang, flute, shahnai, sitar, santoor and rabab.
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Folk art festival showcases state’s rich culture
Jammu, February 17 In the just concluded four-day Folk Art Festival of the Jammu and Kashmir Academy of Art, Culture and Languages (JKAACL) here recently at Abhinav Theatre, various art forms of folk culture were displayed where artistes from across the state participated and revealed the beauty of composite culture of their regions and sub-regions. Kapil Anirudh, an eminent art critic from the state, said, “Such festivals should be organised as mega events. With a huge participation of folk artistes from the remotest regions of the state, anyone can realise the richness and diversity of these art forms in the contemporary era”. Many dignitaries, including Speaker of the Legislative Assembly Mohammed Akbar Lone and Minister for Tourism Nwang Rigzin Zora, who witnessed the event, said they would try to ensure that such events were held on a regular basis. Atal Dulloo, secretary, JKAACL, said, “As the state is the hub of folk art and we have observed an overwhelming response in this festival, the academy will hold such folk festivals in the Kashmir and Ladakh regions also in the coming summer”. Appreciating the endeavour of the academy in holding the folk festival, celebrated folk artiste Thoru Ram said, “It was nice to see that activities were going on in full swing. I wish that such festivals be organised frequently for encouraging our artistes”. Noted master of ‘Bhand Pather’, a Kashmiri folk art form, Rehman Khoja, said the centuries-old ‘pather’ traditions of Kashmir got a very heartening response in the
festival. As many as 50 folk dance and music groups from all the three regions of the state took part in the four-day folk marathon. Those who performed at the event included Balwant Singh and party, Ravi Sharma and party, Ram Ditta and party, Challant Cultural Forum, C S Katal and party, Shabir Hussain and party, Krishan Singh and party, Jeet Ram and party, Arjun Singh and party, Shakuntala Devi and party, Master Kartar Chand and party, Daya Ram and party, and Katreshi Bhand Theatre, Aditya Bharati and party, Thoru Ram Premi and party, Madan Lal and party, Namgyal and party, Rattan Lal Shugal, Dilsher Singh and party, and Kashmir Bhagat Theatre, Ramalo Ram and party, Raj Ali and party, Mohan Mistry and party, Ved Prakash and party, Nissar Ahmad Dolwal and party, Arif and party, Hans Raj and party, Preeto Devi and party, Kasturi Lal and party, TR Tagotra and party, Durga Dass and party, Kulbir Singh and party, Mohan Lal and party, Gulistan Bhagat Theatre, Khem Raj and party, Ravi Sharma and party, Vishwanath Ratta and party, Sanjeev Shastri and party, Dhamali dance centre, Allah Rakha Chichi and party, Qazi Kashmir theatre, CD Magotra and party, Stanzin and party and Dhani Ram and party.
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58 pc of cultivable land not irrigated: Minister
Srinagar, February 17 The minister was speaking at a workshop, “Measures to enhance productivity, profitability and sustainability of Indian agriculture with special reference to farmer-industry partnership”, which was held in New Delhi recently. Mir said the production potential of dry land areas had not been fully tapped and there was a huge scope for improving the productivity of agriculture land in such areas through knowledge-based management of natural resources and strategic interventions. He said such steps would help in increasing the production and income of the farmers to achieve food security and sustainability. The minister said the state needed to be provided special assistance covering all aspects of available prospects for enhancing production, productivity and prosperity in the rain-fed areas. He said the rain-fed farming had suffered neglect. “In J&K, nearly 58 per cent of the cultivable area is still not irrigated. Our farmers are still dependant on the goodwill of monsoons in Jammu and the western disturbances in Kashmir. What makes me optimistic about the enhanced production, if dry lands are properly exploited, is the quantum of dry lands available in my state, where only 3.00 lakh hectares represent the irrigated land as compared to 4.13 lakh hectares of un-irrigated land and 1.39 lakh hectares of cultivatable wasteland,” Mir added. He said the dry lands were home to many nutritious crops and there was a scope for diversification towards livestock, horticulture, forestry, apiculture, mushroom cultivation, fodder development, floriculture and medicinal plants etc. He added that there was a tremendous scope for promoting and pursuing organic farming regimes in these areas. Mir said there was a need to conserve and utilise all possible resources through rain harvesting, construction of mini, small and medium check dams and small and medium lift irrigation schemes on nullahs and streams flowing through these areas. To help the state in conserving these resources, the minister said the Central Government could help in these endeavours by way of mapping the water sources and determining the feasibility of constructing rain harvest structures and small and medium irrigation schemes through remote sensing and other advanced technologies.
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srinagar DIARY Most of these stinking drains in the city continue to remain choked with the overflowing filthy water (see photo). At many places the drains have not been cleared for years and these have started posing a threat to the health of the residents. It is high time that the authorities wake up to the call and press into service its men and machinery to maintain a hygienic atmosphere for keeping the citizens healthy. All work and no play Earlier, schoolchildren used to carry heavy backpacks to schools only. But now, they can be seen carrying heavy school bags to tuition centres as well. Though these kids are currently on a winter vacation, most of their time is spent studying. Besides being burdened by school bags, they have also been given a huge load of winter work. Given that the harsh winter months this season saw heavy snow, the children did not get much time to play outdoor games. As a result, most of their free time was spent watching TV or on the computers. (Contributed by Ehsan Fazili & M Aamir Khan)
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Sufi music festival concludes at Katra
Katra, February 17 The seventh annual SaMaPa Aalap Festival was presented by the Sopori Academy of Music And Performing Arts (SaMaPa), in collaboration with the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board (SMVDSB) and the Department of Tourism, Jammu and Kashmir. The concert started with the lighting of a traditional lamp by Dr MK Bhandari, Additional CEO, SMVDSB; SM Sahni, Director, SGC, Katra; Dr Agrishekhar, eminent writer, along with Pandit Bhajan Sopori and Abhay Rustum Sopori. Dr MK Bhandari presented Mata Chunnis to the performing musicians and guests, seeking Shri Mata Vaishno Devi’s blessings. The programme began with the Sufi vocal by young Sufi singer of the country Ragini Rainu, who presented Baba Bulle Shah’s ‘Ke Bedarda Sangh Yari’ and Kabir Bhajan ‘Ras Gagan Gufa’ composed by Pandit Bhajan Sopori. She was accompanied by Sachin Sharma on tabla, Abid Hussain on sarangi, Ustad Sajjad Ahmed on harmonium and Kamal Sharma on naal. Ragini, who represents the Sufiana Gharana of Kashmir, demonstrated a strong base of classical gayaki embedded with fluency, aesthetics and expressions. Her exuberance and inimitable voice brought to life the ecstatic expression of Sufism, each rendition drowning the audience in the richness of this tradition and sending it into raptures. This was followed by the concluding concert of the SaMaPa Aalap Festival featuring a duet santoor recital by Pandit Bhajan Sopori and Abhay Rustum Sopori. They presented Raga Patdeep with Aalap and Jod and compositions in ‘Ektaal’ and ‘Teentaal’. Pandit Bhajan Sopori made the audience sing with him, explaining the nuances of classical music. Abhay also sang the Bandish ‘Anhad Bajee Re’. The recital was filled with a high degree of technical virtuosity combining highly intricate ‘layakari’, legendary ‘chandhkari’, speedy ‘taan’ patterns running through three octaves and a melodious ‘Alaap’. They were accompanied by Sachin Sharma on tabla and Poushali Dutta on tanpura. Biplab Kumar Dutta coordinated the proceedings of the concert. Music legend Pandit Bhajan Sopori said he wanted to touch the hearts of the people through music. He said the SaMaPa Aalap provides a musical healing touch and wishes to make Jammu and Kashmir the cultural capital, as already announced by Abhay Sopori. Earlier, Abhay expressed his gratitude to all who made the festival a success and supported it in different ways, especially the SMVDSB and the state Tourism Department. He also thanked Governor NN Vohra, Deputy Chief Minister Tara Chand, Minister of State for Home and Tourism Nasir Aslam Wani, CEO, SMVDSB, Raj Kumar Goyal, Additional CEO, SMVDSB, MK Bhandari and Commissioner Secretary, Tourism, Atal Duloo for being a part of the festival. He also thanked various institutes and centres, who hosted the festival, the Department of Information, the Jammu and Kashmir Academy of Art, Culture and Languages, and all those who had come forward in making the festival a success. The festival had begun on 28th January and vibrated the City of Temples for 17 days. More than 35,000 people witnessed the festival this year. The 8th edition of the festival would be held in January 2013.
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Music classes in jails soon, says
santoor maestro
Jammu, February 17 He visited the Kotbalwal Central Jail on the outskirts of Jammu city recently after the 7th edition of SaMaPa Aalap Festival, which also featured the first-ever music concert at the Kotbalwal Central Jail. Sopori, along with his son Abhay Rustum Sopori, visited different workshops, academic section and even barracks and blocks of the jail interacting with the jail inmates. “I will create a music school under the banner of SaMaPa for them where musicians of repute will come and teach them. At a time when we are looking with an optimistic approach to build a world that is united, we also need to create better human beings even from jails as it’s our duty to reform society irrespective of barriers like religion or region,” Sopori said. The musician said he wanted to create an emotional bond between society and the prisoners so that when they leave jails they respect others and others respect them. He added that social isolation and deprivation of civil acceptance could lead to mental and emotional breakdown. “It’s important that the prisoners don’t go through any social depression once they are out. Even if they are in the prisons, they deserve an emotional support,” he said.
— PTI
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As the winter season in Kashmir is on the threshold of saying adieu, the lanes and bylanes here have become filthy with the flow of dirty water of drains. The drains, having been choked by overflowing of wastewater and solid materials, are becoming a civic issue at this time of the season.