MUMBAI
The American talk show host known for her historic The Oprah Winfrey Show has been one of the most influential media personalities and the richest African-American media person of the twentieth century. Recently, her picture on the cover of a fashion magazine became viral in which she was wearing Saree embroidered with Kashmiri Tilla, by famous Indian fashion designer Sabyasachi Mukharjee. Since 2002, the designer has built a business with an annual turnover exceeding 100 Cr (USD 16M), and he employs over 3000 craftsmen in 18 craft clusters in the different regions of India, including Kashmir.
LAL CHOWK
The Wall of Kindness has finally made a grand entry in Kashmir, and it became an instant hit. The wall is covered with used clothes neatly arranged on hooks. The Wall is a novel concept in Kashmir where people can donate their used clothes and needy ones can take whatever they need without revealing their identities. The initiative was started by Who is Hussain (whoishussain.org), an organization started in 2012 in London, which is working globally for the betterment of people. In 2015, the Organization started their work in Kashmir with the hashtag give, under which they provided ration and other basic necessities in packets to the destitute in the month of Ramadhan. The concept was soon replicated in Budgam area of central Kashmir.
KHANYAR
Police whisked away “student-turned-militant” Ethisham from his home on Sunday. But his family says when he reached home he was bleeding from his nose and was not well. In October, Ehtisham went missing from Sharda University where he was an engineering student in Uttar Pradesh. Ehtisham was beaten during a scuffle that took place between students of India and Afghanistan. Then his purported photograph appeared on social media in which Ehtisham was seen with the ISIS flag in the backdrop. But police say that he has been “kept in preventive custody and has not been arrested.”
GUJRAT
Two residents of Jammu and Kashmir including a minor, Altaf Najar (23) and a 16-year-old boy, allegedly involved in pelting stones at government forces, have been detained in Kutch district of Gujarat. Police say they had three FIRs registered against them in J&K. They were detained from a guest-house in Bhuj town of the district a few days ago and have been kept under preventive detention till the J&K police take their custody.
NEW DELHI
Kashmiri writer and broadcaster Mushtaq Ahmad Mushtaq was awarded with the prestigious Sahitya Akademi Award for literature in Kashmiri language. This year’s award was given to Mushtaq for his collection of short stories titled ‘Aakh’. ‘Aakh’ is a collection of 18 short stories that was chosen from the 13 books in Kashmiri language. The writer is presently posted as head of the regional news unit at Radio Kashmir Srinagar. He has served in Doordarshan news unit at Srinagar Kendra for nine years apart from having worked in other media units of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting as an Indian Information Service (IIS) officer.
