In this city of grief, I keep telling him that we should empathise with each other. But no, this old fox always points out faults in others. Streets arenโt the same anymore, so he thoughtโwatching footfall from his cobbler corner. That old bustle, as he remembers it, has long disappeared in the bludgeoning hush. Pretence,…
The fairer troupe that once drummed out the political support has now become frowning figures of lost politics. As one โmadamโsโ go-getter from downtown Srinagar, Kulsum is currently living a life of a political recluse.ย Bereft of yesteryearsโ zeal to participate in political pomp and show, she mostly stays indoors and no longer going out…
To retain sanity in trouble terrain, many young Kashmiris have found an escape route in hillwalking. Such recreational trips in times of substance abuse and searing regulations are now involving more and more distressed professionals from different fields. At the summit of the 2010 โsummer stormโ, Owais Shamsi became an โimpatient inmateโ in his own…
A group of Kashmiri Chevening Scholars have launched โChevening for Kashmirโ โ a pilot mentorship programme to help Kashmiri applicants with Chevening Scholarship and university applications in the UK. The mentorship programme is organised as part of the Project EduAccess, an upcoming non-profit initiative aimed at pioneering action towards improving inclusivity in higher education institutions…
Among the cultural symbols which have faded in the guise of modernity is an iconic Kashmiri rug called โGabeโ. But now, fighting this craft demise is a master artisan once again decorating Kashmiri drawing rooms with the revived rug. Change which Ghulam Mohammad Lone had long craved for has already taken place to his contentment.…
An epitaph may be the last tribute from a family to their loved ones but for some it also means a source of livelihood and craft which is now changing. Since the early eighties, Mehrajuddin of Malkah locality of Srinagar has been sitting in the graveyard silence to write last tributes to the dead. Operating…
Based on the oral history by Kashmirโs ace chronicler, Zareef Ahmad Zareef, the author in this piece narrates the iconic street of Srinagarโs unique brands and characters that made it illustrious for generation to come. Fronting Prime Minister Bakshi Ghulam Mohammadโs MA Road mainstay, the iconic Poloview market literally had a blazing beginning in fiery…
Lately, the videos of โIsraeli soldiersโ chasing Palestinians on horsebacks have triggered an argument among Kashmiri youth circles. Refilling the fuel tank of his TVS gearless scooter, Yasir Mukhtar, 26, has been spending over three thousand rupees every week for the long travels he makes from his home in the uptown area of Srinagar. Gulmarg…
Days after Delhi talks, another script has unfolded in the valley. A viral clip is now laying bare a new model for โNaya Kashmirโ and scrapping the political posturing of the 14 unionists. Lutyensโ Delhiโs diehard turned discarded โcrisis managerโโthe one who faced the 2008 land agitationโis said to be a new manager of โNaya…