A family in interior Srinagar reportedly got an unusual bird dropping, last week when an eagle sat on their roof to relish its catch. According to reports a neighbour watching from a nearby house informed the family, that the eagle was carrying something like a human baby. The family rushed to it roof to find that the eagle, in fact, was carrying a newborn male child. Before the eagle could poke its beak into the soft flesh, the neighbours’ hoots, and the rushing family whisked it away.
The family rescued the newborn which still had a navel rope clinging to it. Immediately afterwards he was taken to a hospital.
Sources close to the family said that they have decided to adopt the baby, which they deem as a God-send gift. Interestingly the family has three daughters and has been craving for a son. They are more than happy to adopt him.
Fruit bearing stones 
Regardless of the decrees that cops and clergy has been issuing from time to time stone pelting has remained just part of the routine in Kashmir. The easiest things that can happen to a politician is to become target of a stone pelting.
Last week, Nasir Aslam Wani was whisked away by his security guards in “his” constituency – Natipora when some youth resorted to stone pelting. Only one of his escort vehicles was “damaged”.
Then there was another high profile stone pelting. This time, it was in Nadihal village of Rafiabad and the target was PDP president and opposition leader Ms Mehbooba Mufti. Many people had gone to sympathise with the families whose young wards were lured to the LoC for jobs and killed. They were from NC, JKLF and PDP as well. But the “newsbreak” that she was targeted by the village stone throwers fetched her a news item in almost all newspapers in Srinagar and outside too.
But PDP says the reports were wrong. They say the TV screens flashed the news at a time when she had barely entered the village. The party believes the ‘newsbreak’ had more to do with politics than news. But, said an insider, the news was a blessing in disguise. We, he said, were being dubbed to be the sponsors of stone pelters. ‘Thanks to the news it showed the right thing that even we can be targets of the stone pelters,’ he said.
Pen in wrong hand 
District authorities have sealed the offices and printing press of bilingual Daily Alsafa for printing an obscene and slanderous caption of a picture.
The editor of the daily, Ashraf Shaban has been asked by the deputy commissioner Srinagar to appear before him to explain his position. Shaban went into hiding but police arrested him later. Police is also looking for other staff members of the daily. Shaban has already gained infamy for printing slanderous and mischievous news, mostly aimed to harass individuals he chose to. So Alsafa has mischievously reported of wives eloping with husband’s friends, just to defame the people involved. He has a few cases against him in Srinagar courts, including one initiated by the judiciary itself.
The PDP led government during its tenure gave the first big blow to the menacing daily, by closing it down for a long time, and dismantling its press complex which was violating building permission regulations.
However, Shaban resumed his business, and now as it is known, is back to his old ways.
Last week he surpassed his own set records, and printed a distasteful caption in a abusive language against Congress president Soz and his daughter.
Interestingly, informed sources say Shaban and Soz are known to share good relations, and even the two families are on good terms. It was in fact Soz, who intervened to secure a less harsh attitude towards him when the PDP led government went after Alsafa.
But the whimsical Shaban who is said to be facing problems from his family too, turned against Soz, after the latter was approached by Shaban’s family (read mother and sister) for arbitration. Soz, sources said, asked Shaban to get rid of his ways, and he in turn hit at him the only way he knows!
