PADGAMPORA
As thousands had assembled to bid adieu to the slain boy Amir Nazir who was killed in wake of an encounter in which two militants from Lashkar-e-Toiba were killed, a news photographer Javed Dar clicked a picture that symbolized the crisis: a minor boy crying in pain. The photograph went viral in the virtual world and might have been shared ten thousand times in a day. Exhibiting, pain, anger and hopelessness, the photograph, many think, offers an idea of how the next generation is seeing the unfolding events.
NEW YORK
Kashmir Snowshoe racer Tanveer Hussain accused of sexually abusing a 12-year-old girl in the US has batted for his innocence. He could walk out and go home had he agreed to accept a minor charge. They would return his passport instantly. But he has decided to stay there and contest the charges so that he can convince Kashmir that he was framed and was innocent. His case will now be heard by a grand jury in Essex County.
SKICC
J&K Bank and MetLife continue to survive a relationship despite PNB coming in between as a major master. Last week, it launched an innovative product: Family Protection Saving Back Account (FPSBA). It is a bundled co-product with inbuilt insurance cover. Insurer will deduct a yearly premium from the saving account and will repay the mean average income in case the account holder dies. Unlike all other insurance products, it will not require health certificate. But Finance Minister Haseeb Drabu said the same product can do wonders if it is redesigned: seek an average balance and take its interest as premium. If it happens, people who do not consider interest as income will avail it.
DELHI
Rappers from Kashmir, Nagaland and Nigeria joined to sing We Gonna Rise Kashmir and dedicated it to mass rape victims of Kunan. They are Aamir Ame and Husteer (Kashmir), Shady Joe (Nigeria) and Vsumi (Nagaland). They earlier did a song: Dead Eyes. The fast paced song has some of the lyrics in Kashmiri too and both the languages blend smoothly in the song. The video released on Youtube already has pictures of 2016 unrest collaged with the video of singing rappers.
BUDGAM
There is a new find by Archaeology Department. They have discovered over 800 coins from 11th and 12th century Kashmir. This is the largest recovery in recent years. Almost all minted in copper, the coins were recovered from a plateau in Nonar village (Khan Sahab). The particular plateau is considered rich by archaeologists. Preliminary evaluations suggest they date back to the era of Yassakara and Lohora dynasties. The coins are currently being treated chemically. This is the eleventh discovery in 13 years.
MUMBAI
Bollywood is back. Shabana Azmi was in town shooting debutant director Piyush Panjuani’s Idgahm, based on Hindi litterateur Munshi Premchand’s celebrated short story about an orphaned eight-year-old boy and his grandmother. She is happy to be in Kashmir. “I am shooting in a pristine valley called Nagin. I play a woman of the hills, named Ameena, who loses her only son and daughter-in-law in an accident, and is left to look after their son Hamid,” she was quoted saying. “It’s a tender tale of a grandma and grandson.”
CHENNAI
Suchitra Vijayan is a lawyer who has worked with US military in Afghanistan and with UN. She has authored a book Borderland about and around Kashmir. She is in talks with various publishers. Publisher Hachette India had approached her for the book in October 2016, which she refused. Now she is told that the same publisher has published a book by author Pradeep Damodaran with the same title. The book is scheduled to release later this month. She has gone to court and got a stay. Bench has found merit in her application.
SRINAGAR
In the latest development, the army inducted 134 fresh recruits from J&K into JAKLI. They completed one year of training in its regimental centre. The parade, in the Bana Singh Parade Ground, was witnessed by the families of the recruits as Maj Gen D V S Rana presided over the function. Ajay Singh Jamwal (Udhampur) received Sher-e-Kashmir Sword of Honour and Triveni Singh Medal for being Over All Best Recruit. Tawseef Ahmad (Islamabad) bagged the Chewang Rinchen Medal for being the Best in Firing.
J&K can send 7960 pilgrims to Mecca in 2017 compared to 6359 in 2016
After two years wait, J&K Bank appointed more than 1600 new staffers last week
