Shams Irfan
A journalist with seven years of working experience in Kashmir.
Birth pangs
In a civil society that has an extraordinarily high sense of ethnic, class and nationality issues,
Women in cross fire
In a seminar on Women’s day at Gandhi Bhawan in Kashmir University, I got the opportunity to examine the problems of the women from the perspective of patriarchy and gender bias as built in the idea of nation when some women activists working at grassroots level shared their experiences in the one day seminar.
Ignoring ground issues
As politicians rhetorically raise terrorism and security threat issues in parliament elections, Iftikhar Gilani reports the disconnect between the slogans and issues on ground....
A growing car avan
Car manufacturers are competing for market share in Kashmir as bank finances ensure that more and more households can own one. R S Gull ...
Countering Recession
J&K Bank has came out with four products including the revised DastKaar Finance, a product launched a few years back. Avowed objective for the...
Failing to plan is planning to fail
Tarique A Bhat
The one hundredth day of Omar Abdullah led coalition government was a day like any other. 
Shameem, A Pioneer Of Electoral Politics
Naeem Akhtar
His contribution to journalism, oratory, wit, repartee and literature are recounted regularly and they never sound like stale or repetitious. But one aspect of the late Shameem in my opinion remains understated. That is his contribution to making votes relevant in real sense to the electoral politics. And, his role in doing that and creating a consciousness about it is without doubt pioneering.
A Forgotten Kashmir
By Zamir Ahmad
Last week after the separatists called for a 50-hour strike, I imagined the deserted streets, the patrolling soldiers, and the city under...
BUDGAM
In 1830 A D, Budgam was a tehsil known as “Tehsil-e-Sri Partap Singh Pora” and formed part of Wazarat-e-Shumali in District Baramulla. It later...
Newsmakers
DISSOCIATED: Thupstan Chhewang, who heads Leh based Ladakh Union Territory Front (LUTF) – the new avatar of Ladakh Buddhist Association – has dissociated himself...
Providing order to chaos
Tarique A Bhat
Today, our schools (mostly, tuition shops) do everything but education. Despair is writ large on the face of our future generation, though in receipt of all directionless education regrettably losing its spirit of enquiry. We are on the edge of the abyss because of an irresponsible education system.
I ask, with this customary education, do we have a clear, firm and precise understanding of what Kashmiri society is to be in times to come? Are we bringing education to life? Are we really longing for meaning and fulfillment of our child’s life? We have lost the real purpose of education. And having a purpose is the difference between making a living and making a life. Obtaining 90 plus percent marks has become a syndrome, more than proving the capabilities of a child, is a status symbol for both the school authorities and the parents, who can flaunt their children’s report cards to put on show their own ‘superiority’.
Today, our schools (mostly, tuition shops) do everything but education. Despair is writ large on the face of our future generation, though in receipt of all directionless education regrettably losing its spirit of enquiry. We are on the edge of the abyss because of an irresponsible education system.
I ask, with this customary education, do we have a clear, firm and precise understanding of what Kashmiri society is to be in times to come? Are we bringing education to life? Are we really longing for meaning and fulfillment of our child’s life? We have lost the real purpose of education. And having a purpose is the difference between making a living and making a life. Obtaining 90 plus percent marks has become a syndrome, more than proving the capabilities of a child, is a status symbol for both the school authorities and the parents, who can flaunt their children’s report cards to put on show their own ‘superiority’.
Turnout makes everyone happy
From over 1.65 million voters, when around 300 thousand came out and voted on Thursday, the polling pattern made both sides– the government and...
Omar’s Hari Niwas turndown
A house of his own was apparently the only factor for the chief minister to decide against making the Rs 500 cr spooky Hari...
Newsmakers
SUSPENDED: The Election Commission has placed under suspension the services of Shahnawaz Bukhari, the returning officer of Hazrtabal by- election. The officer had upheld...
Being Devil’s Advocate
Naeem AkhtarThe decision of Sajjad Lone to revert his party to electoral politics has obviously generated some debate. Some cynics read it as the...
