Kashmir bleeding due to bad politics

It is uninterrupted violence going on in the Kashmir Valley that has bothered some international communities but not the country itself. Watching the death toll to 65 in just 80 days since the grim and volatile situation arose in June 2010. The protests are not the aftermaths of the turmoil running for last twenty one years in the State but these are fresh violates in the form of stone pelting by the youth between 12 to 25 years of age. There are no arms, no militants, no Pakistan backings or no such organised outfits to run the violence against Indian troops, but the angry youth who became volatile after Tufail Ahmad a 12 year old boy was gunned down by police unlawfully. The protests continue due to one after another killing during demonstrations and the cycle goes on and so too the killings of youth and use of brutal power against the stone pelters.
The bad governance of the ruling political party added salt by doing nothings except to invite more army and troops to stop the protests. even after two months the chief minster of the state went to hospital to see the injured and start advising people to restrain from stone pelting over police.
The angry mob is becoming more and more volatile after every passing day as the government of India is passing comments that again hurt the sentiments of the youth.
It is heavily bleeding here in this part of world and the world humanity just watching and passing their willful comments leaving no concrete idea or suggestion to the country holding Kashmir due to military power since 1947.

Where does India Stand in World Football......A Debate On..............

During and after the recently concluded World Cup Football tournament in South Africa, a hot debate was on as where do India stand in world Football? If small and poor countries like Nigeria, Slovenia, Serbia Ghana, Ivory Coast and Honduras were able to felt their presence in the just concluded biggest sports mela on earth in South Africa, why a big developing nation like India couldn’t make it . The smallest country which took part in the event was Slovenia with population of just around two million people.

Sports analysts, football pundits and critics have put discussions around, articles written about it, debates held on television and radio about India’s international football status and football lovers in India flew their interest to make Facebook discussion crowded over internet during last many days.

Online, networking sites like Facebook and Twitter have seen some of the top Bollywood stars adding their thoughts on events in South Africa. Bollywood star Sharukh Khan was supporting Germany. Heartbroken, he tweeted: "Germany my team lost...feel bad taking my lil ones to matches where our team loses..."

Some celebrities say like “ Kaash bharat ki team bhi world cup mein hoti to kitna mazza aata”

Many interesting inputs during the online discussions over different via- media could make an impact over the issue, if taken seriously by the authorities of the game.

Sorry to say that the country has so far never made to the biggest sporting event of the world “ World Cup Football”. The fact is that football is the only global sport with 208 nations and territories as members in FIFA with another dozen countries and territories wanting to be part of the global football family. So it has become more difficult to qualify for a football World Cup with the qualifiers in Asia amongst the toughest with only four direct spots available amongst 46 Asian nations.

Amongst Asian countries North Korea was one among 32 teams in the recently concluded World Cup Football held in South Africa and that India’s records against reveals that the team isn’t that much better than Indian national team, but still they could made it to the maga event at South Africa.



History Says:

India has never played in a football World Cup and haven’t qualified for it, but was invited to one. In 1950 FIFA invited India to be play in the World Cup played in Brazil. The world football governing body was willing to pay for the flights and it would have been Delhi via Amsterdam to Rio de Janeiro tickets with KLM. But the then AIFF administration decided against sending a team as FIFA made it mandatory in 1950 to wear football boots. Indians in those days used to play barefoot and such a change would have hampered the teams performance. At least it is the thinking which was prevalent amongst the authorities. The players weren’t asked and the AIFF declined the invitation. Another version of the history is that India was playing barefooted with reasonable ball skills and it actually qualified for the World Cup in Brazil in 1950 - the only time it has done so. But lack of foreign exchange, the prospects of a long sea journey and an insistence on playing barefoot meant that the team never made it to Brazil.

Had India participated then, it could today at least say, we have taken part in the 1950 World Cup. Plus in those days football wasn’t as competitive as it is today, so India might have pulled off the one or the other surprise. And who knows where our football might be today. We might have taken a similar route like Brazil did in the following years and we would have been amongst the best in the world.

A million dollar question arises as why does a country of a billion people with a red hot economy fail to produce a football side which qualifies for the World Cup?

India's ranking in world football is a miserable 133. To put this into perspective small states like , Burkina Faso, Benin, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Swaziland, Haiti and Fiji rank higher.

India can take solace in some backbencher consolation that others in its neighbourhood are doing worse: Bangladesh (157), Sri Lanka (159), Nepal (161), Pakistan (165) and Bhutan (196). This is truly the bottom heap of the 202 football playing nations in the world.



It wasn't always like this:

India even picked up the gold in football in the first Asian Games in 1951, beating a suitably booted Iran by a solitary goal. In 1956, after having put on its boots, India reached the semi-final in Olympics football, the first Asian country to do so. It stood fourth in the tournament. In 1962, India again picked up the football gold in the Asian Games.

Thereafter it was all downhill. India never qualified for the Olympics after 1960. It picked up a bronze in the 1970 Asian Games in Bangkok, described by commentators as "the swan song of Indian football".

So why can't a country where a third of its population is under 14 years of age - a nursery of potential footballers - with a long history of club football can't put together 11 young men who can kick ball and take it to the World Cup?

There are many obvious reasons one could pinpoint. The game , like most things in India, is run by politicians, who have wrested control of most sports - the chief of the football federation now is the federal aviation minister. Lack of professionalism, cronyism, indifference and politicisation is not letting the game thrive. The sponsors are also indifferent because the quality of the game is appalling.

In retrospect, it would appear that India was never serious about football the way it was about cricket. The All India Football Federation, which runs the game in India, was formed in 1937, but took more than a decade to get affiliated with FIFA, the world's apex football body.

There have been occasional bursts of hope followed by darkness again. India's only football icon of sorts is a not-so-young player called Baichung Bhutia from the small north-eastern state of Sikkim. He was the first Indian player to sign up with an European Club and had an indifferent three-year stint in the third tier of the English league. Bhutia brought some glamour and respect back to the game in India, but what can one player do? Half a dozen foreign coaches have been hired over the years to whip the national side into a competitive outfit, but nothing much has happened.



What the critics Say:

“Today there is a great confusion whether hockey is our national game or not. The Indians have totally sidelined other sports except cricket. Cricket is deemed a religion in our country. Why are the cricketers given cashewnuts and football players peanuts?” says, a Karnatka based sports journalist Dhanashree Kumar. The Indian media is also responsible for this it doesn’t give coverage of football.

“India will definitely qualify for the worldcup, if Indian politicians leave the chair of Football Association higher posts”, says Somashekar over facebook chat.

Amit Gupta, a sports reporter from Hyderabad says “Everyone wants to see India qualify for world cup. I have seen many fans saying India will qualify for 2018 world cup. But they also say that hard Work, passion, dedication is required for it.We need to have long term plans with short term goals. Improve grass roots to qualify for U-17 WC,U-20 WC, Olympics etc and then dream about India in World Cup. If we cannot have such plans then India can’t even cross 2 round of WCQ”





Broader Impact:

There is an old proverb in India: "Padhoge Likhoge to banoge nawab, kheloge koodoge to banoge kharab." It means that if you study properly you will be successful in life, but on the other hand if you play too much you will simply waste your life. This mentality has contributed to India's poor performance in sports. And it is probably why India has made an impact on the world map more as a country which has produced more software professionals, doctors, engineers etc. rather than as a nation of sportsmen.

Before a Cricket World Cup win in 1983, India's other major sporting victory was in 1975 when the national field hockey team won the World Cup. With the beginning of European countries' domination in hockey, Indian Cricket World Cup triumph in 1983 gave the nation something new to cheer for. Cricket picked up the pace in India and world class players like Kapil Dev, Sunil Gavaskar and Sachin Tendulkar helped in boosting the popularity of game.

Football, was a once popular game but has now fallen into a vicious cycle. It needs funds to attract the talent and popularize the sport, but to attract sponsors they need a team with which the sponsors would like to associate themselves. It needs proper infrastructure and introduction of leagues at school level, it demands commitment and zeal of all state Associations and a well-knit sports policy at government level and above all a lesson from other small and poor nations that would motivate our youth towards the game.

A few English Premier League teams like Manchester United, Chelsea and Liverpool have initiated some talent hunt schemes in India - a sign that the nation may yet produce some world class footballing talent.

Only funds can’t help the country football and if only funds would have some impact over, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) last year announced to give 250 million rupees (around $5m) to the All India Football Federation (AIFF) to improve the condition of football in India, but no fruitful result is before the nation.

(author can be mailed at agowhar6@gmail.com)

Visually impaired Kashmiri girl, Saniya Zehra achieves rare feat

Close on the heels of Dr. Shah Faesal’s triumph in the IAS, another young Kashmiri has achieved all India academic distinction, literally with eyes shut.
Shy and self effacing, Saniya Zehra, does not want her feat talked about, not until she realizes her dream of becoming a lawyer, but the principal at her National Institute of the Visually Handicapped (NIVH) in Dehradhun is not so reticent.
He lost no time to ring up Zehra’s father, Abid Gowhar, to tell him that his daughter had broken all previous records of the institute in the CBSE examination for Class 10 when results where declared on May 28.
Blind from birth, Zehra had scored 9 grade points in four out of five subjects with a rating of A-2, the highest ever in the institute of the visually impaired, considered to be the largest such school in Asia.
A banker and broadcaster, Gowhar had tried in vain to find a school in the state suitable for his highly talented daughter to foster the promise she had displayed at quite a young age.
But the lack of such a facility here had finally convinced him to send Saniya to far away Dehradhun for the special education she deserved and wanted.
The NIVH received her withj open arms at the age of 11, inducting her straight into Class 5 because of her superior IQ.
And the daughter has done the father proud, by excelling in Hindi, Sanskrit, Vocal Music, Social Sciences and English, and re-writing the record books in the process.
Proud though they are of their daughter’s achievement, Saniya’s parents are deeply concerned about the fate of the hundreds like her in Kashmir who may not get the same opportunities.
With a blind population said to top the list in the whole of India, the state of Jammu and Kashmir does not have an appropriate facility to nurture the special gifts of visually impaired children.
Gowhar has been trying hard to get the state to fashion a school on the NIVH pattern, but his vigourous write-ups in newspapers and magazines highlighting the dire need appear to have fallen on deaf ears.

Arshad Sauleh-Creating riot of emotions through colours

“Rang ho ya khishat O sang,changg ho ya harf-e-soot,
moujzayee fann ki hay khoonay jigar say namood”……..Dr. Sir Allama Iqbal
(Painting, music, poetry, carving etc. the miraculous arts like these get birth from the blood of heart). It needs a man to be something special, something different in senses to become an artist like Arshad Sualeh. A young charismatic artist from Alamgari Bazar Srinagar, has won national and international fame, many awards and applauds for his artistic works and paintings. With high degree of aesthetic and literary sense, the 38-year old man carries enough mental strength and many specialties, in his art and subject paintings. His portraits and paintings with unique colour combination have spoken much about the landscape natural beauties on the earth, interne faith on Quranic verses and about the social concerns and causes. His recent recognition has been made by the state’s premier bank, J&K Bank in its year-2010 calendar, while carrying the artist’s one special piece “crowdy dusk” on February page of the calendar. Arshad has been duly ranked by the bank as one among the twelve contemporary artists of J&K state, whose marvelous paintings appear in the bank’s this year wall calendar.
In a latest interview with Abid Gowhar (Srinagar based freelance journalist and broadcaster), soft spoken Arshad Sauleh find his mood to elaborate about his life and art. Here are some experts of the interview.
Q: How was an artist born within Arshid Sauleh?
A: My art got birth with me. I was only five years old when I realized that certain instinctual forces are within me which compel me for painting and drawing. Incautiously my pencil in hands was drawing and sketching lines to express something. It is actually some expression of observation which most people think is wastage of time in child play. My family had an atmosphere of art and paintings as my father Muhammad Sauleh is a traditional Paper Machie artist. He saw me playing with brushes and colors and set me free in doing all kinds of rough works in painting. I used colours without any care and fare to express my feelings. Perhaps my father was aware about one saying that if a natural artist is trapped in a room and not allowed to express himself through his art, he will suffer from neurosis (a mental disease).
Q: Who guided you to become a professional artist and when?
A: I remember at the age of ten, I was making a landscape in the lawn of my home which incidentally one of my neighbors was watching. He was so impressed by that painting that he rushed and told me that if I would give him that painting, he will give me a gift of my interest as reward. I agreed and that was my first painting loved by some one. I got a box containing oil colors as gift, which not only encouraged me but helped to get familiar with.
Q: Other than your father how was the family support?
A: I am the youngest of my two brothers and one sister. The eldest one was pursuing MBBS and was strongly urging me taking medical subjects, so that he could help me to take medical profession. The second brother was not interfering in my interests. I was good at studies too, so nobody had worry about me, while pursuing my interests.
Q: What about your schooling and role of teachers in your creative art work?
A: Initially I was reading in S.P.School and later joined MPML High School Baghe Dilawar Khan. There was a Pandit teacher, Mohan Lal Raina, who was our drawing teacher. He was so delighted to see my drawing book full of many portraits and landscapes that he arranged made an exhibition of my drawing work in the school and displayed all the pages of my drawing book in that. He also appreciated me to pursue Fine-art after schooling. I joined Govt. Fine-Art College in 11th class in 1992, where Mr. M.A. Mehboob was my first teacher. I studied Art there for five years. Gayoor Hassan and Shujah Sultan like great artists were there who influenced my art. I completed my degree in 1999. During my studies in Art College, I started to participate in competitions and contests. During the college life, I got very good chances to display my paintings in many art and public galleries.
Q: Any thing you remember most since your childhood?
A: I remember once in my teenage when I by saw the full moon, I was so much disturbed that I went standstill for some time and my of-age friends surrounded me saying that there is some problem with Arshad. I still can’t forget that night and those beautiful moments. Actually all beautiful scenes have remained painful for me like, John Keats is saying in his poetry, “ beauty makes me sad and angry”. Perhaps one who perceives the beauty becomes angry in some pathetic situation.
Q: Your highest honor or appreciation you feel you have received of your paintings other than an award?
A: In 1992, I made a portrait of one renowned person of my locality Haji Gh Muhammad Wani, The oil paint portrait was out of my complete efforts and when I gave that portrait to their kiths, they were so happy that they gave me a gift in the form of a good quality camera, which I needed most at that time. Second time a young lady got drowned in Dal Lake and I was told to make a portrait of the lady. I specially made portrait of that lady keeping a little more water in her eyes making them tearful. Every person who saw that portrait wept vigorously and I thought I got a big reward of that. Another prestigious honor presently is that J&K Bank has given me a space in its year-2010 calendar.
Q: What were your feelings, when you first saw, one creative piece of your art being chosen by the bank for its wall-calendar?
A: I was immensely delighted, because I know JK Bank’s yearly calendar reaches not only to almost every household of the State, but it goes to the different corners of the country also. I hope the general masses would like my that piece of art “crowdy dusk”
Q: What about state or national awards you have won?
A: The first state award I received in 2002 by AIFACS (All India Fine Art and Craft School) New Delhi. Next year I won State award from J& K Academy of Art, Culture and Language and in 2008 I won state award again declared by AIFACS. In 1997, I got Award from Mrs Wani Devi (Daughter of former PM Shiri Narsimha Rao at National Student Art Camp Hyderabad and in the year 2003, I got Certificate of Honour from Ministry of Heritage and Culture Islamic Republic of Iran. Besides these, I have participated in many exhibitions and have received many local wards.
Q: How did it happen to participate in an art exhibition in Iran?
A: Iran Cultural House, New Delhi had organized a calligraphic painting exhibition in 2002 about which my brother told me. I went and displayed all my Quranic paintings there. During week long show, thousands of people saw my paintings and I got a good response and most of my paintings got a good price there. Even founder of Hamdard University Dr.Auwsaf Ali encouraged me to purchase all my remaining paintings for his university at a good cost. Next year the embassy invited entries for an international exhibition in Iran and I submitted my samples there. I was lucky to get selected from India and so in 26 participating countries, I represented India in that event inaugurated by then President of Iran, Syed Mohammad Khatmi.
During a month long stay in Iran, I met various international artists and learnt a lot from them. My one Islamic calligraphic art in landscape “Wama Arsalnaka illa Rehmatal-Lil-Aalameen” was mostly liked by the people of Iran.
Q: What are your interests other than Art and painting?
A: I love light music, I love to read philosophical and religious books, I am writing some poetry in Urdu and Kashmiri and sometimes, I sung some gazals all alone in my room.
Q: How do you see future of an Artist in the state?
A: It is not so healthy. Here very few people bear the taste of Art and most of the people do not know its true value. Here the sense of decoration is different and so people don’t bother to buy paintings or Art impressions.
(The interviewer can be mailed at agowhar6@gmail.com)