Disability is no way making unable to perform. (Mazoori chena Mahroomi)

Having full faith on the capacity and talent of any physically challenged persons, i started a series of programmes in Monday "Payame Subh" programme highlights the personality with his/her physical challenge and talking to the person with varied interesting questions. Started in August 2017, The persons which were highlighted till Nov.2017 include: Stephen Hawking, Sudha chandran, Ajaz Hussain Mir, Amir Hussain, Razia samoon, Azra qureshi, Mohd sultan, Shaheel Ahmad, Dr. Arshid, Javed Tak , Tariq Bashir, and Dildar Ahmad shapoo.

kashmiri Marsiya mazmooni Yousuf BY Alhaj Zakir Syed Hussain

| Video | Visually challenged girl faces discrimination in J&K | India Videos | - India Today

| Video | Visually challenged girl faces discrimination in J&K | India Videos | - India Today

Freelance journalist/Broadcaster: Kashmir University discriminates with visually challenged student : India, News - India Today

Freelance journalist/Broadcaster: Kashmir University discriminates with visually challenged student : India, News - India Today

Kashmir University discriminates with visually challenged student : India, News - India Today

Kashmir University discriminates with visually challenged student : India, News - India Today

Kashmir University DENIES SERVICES OF A SCRIBE TO VISUALLY HANDICAPPED GIRL

July 4, 2012/ Authorities at Kashmir University today denied services of a scribe-of-choice to a visually handicapped girl appearing in entrance test for admission to 5-year integrated LLB course. When, Sanya Zehra, who was earlier allowed by authorities at Delhi University, Central University of Kashmir and CLAT to sit in exams along with her scribe, today went to appear for admission entrance test at Kashmir University’s linguistics department, she was disallowed by the authorities the services of the scribe of her choice.“Earlier when my daughter appeared for the test at the KU itself, she was allowed to appear with a scribe writing the exams for her”, said her father Syed Abid Hussain of Lal Bazar Srinagar. Authorities had cancelled the examination later. “However when the exams were re-conducted today, my daughter was not allowed the scribe and instead they asked some university official to write for her”, he said adding a visually handicapped girl cannot feel comfortable with a stranger. “How can she have faith in a person she doesn’t know? The university officials attitude is irresponsible and pathetic”, he lamented. Pertinently, the girl had earlier passed her 12th class examination from CBSE with 84% marks and stood first at National Institute of visually handicapped at Dehradun. However, the authorities seem to be ignorant about laws apart from been grossly insensitive. According to experts, the University was bound by a Supreme Court ruling to allow the visually challenged girl with a scribe of her choice. However the scribe should not be studying in the same class or a higher class than the girl appearing in exams, experts added. “I always wanted to become a lawyer, but I found people outside Kashmir much more understanding and sympathetic towards me”, a crying Sanya told KNS over phone. “They don’t know rules and on top of that they are heartless”, she added. The candidate Sanya Zehra who was appearing in the entrance exam under Roll No 430195 had earlier been allowed a scribe of her choice namely Qurat ul Ain a student of class XI, father of the candidate said. “I don’t know how rules changed within a period of 20 days”, Abid lamented. (KNS)

Kashmir's Great Football legend Mohammad Yousuf Dar forgotten for what?

At the age of 63, he still loves the game of Football with heart and mind and watches the big International matches of Football on television no matter how long they will go during nights. The veteran footballer of the valley is still highly remembered for his exuberant football skills during his playing days, a man who had retired from his active government service as Joint Managing Director of J&K SRTC five years ago, has the distinction of being the first international footballer of the J&K State and first from the valley of Kashmir to play professional club football in early 70’s. Football fraternity of the valley still loves him and highly acknowledges his contribution in the game of Football during 60’s and 70’s. As a Football coach he has produced many footballers for the State which include the famous International Footballers like Abdul Majid Kakroo, Mohd. Shafi Nari, Khursheed Ahmad Baba, Lateef Baba, Zahoor Ahmad, Syed Ahmad and Aslam Parvez Dar, who all have represented India in many international matches. Hailing from Dalgate Srinagar and born in a family where the game of Football has remained the first love in sports, Mohd. Yousuf Dar is presently engaged in his hotel business but he keenly and silently watches all the developments of the game around in the valley. Although football lovers of the valley would expect his active contribution in the State football, but he has been found of scene for many years now and till today does not want to comment over his long absence in administration or contribution in the field of Sports in general and his first love Football in particular. After many long years of his silence, Mohd. Yousuf Dar was pushed to break it when persons concerned with Sports programmes of Radio Kashmir Srinagar approached him with a recorder. In an exclusive interview aired on Radio Kashmir Srinagar on June 20, 2012 in Sports Magazine at 9.30PM, Mohammad Yousuf Dar spoke about his early football life, his contribution and representation in State football. Some unexceptional and angry feelings also came in place regarding due respect and recognition not been given to him over the past many years by the Jammu & Kashmir Football Association (JKFA). “When they (JKFA) don’t want me, why should I go to attend their meetings and activities” said Dar in an angry mood. “If they would have called me for any participation, suggestion or contribution i would have surely loved to be a part of that” He revealed. Reacting to the plea, one of the Executive members of JKFA, Fayaz Ahmad said that Mr. Dar had resigned as Chairman of the selection committee long back and has never looked back or attended any meeting of JKFA. “He was the direct member of the Association and as per the constitution, one who doesn’t attend three meeting in a row is disqualified from the membership of the executive Committee” added Mr. Fayaz. Pertinent that Mr. Dar has done diploma in coaching in Football from National Institute of sports Bangalore, represented India XI in the year 1977-78 and represented Mohammadan Sporting Club Kokatta in the year 1971-72 to become first footballer of the State to play professional football. He has also represented J&K State in Santosh Trophy for 15 years during the period 1964-78 and also captained State Football team twice in Santosh Trophy tournaments. It looks very unfortunate and unfair that a football legend of the past like Mohammad Yousuf Dar is not presently involved in the affairs of State Football.

Story of a stone-pelter

Here is an interesting story of a 26-year man from Kashmir...How I became a Stone-Pelter... I am from downtown Srinagar born in 1986. I was admitted to one of the best school of valley. As a child I had dream to become engineer. Whenever somebody used to ask me about my aim I would proudly say engineer. As I started to grow up I started to become familiar with many words which everyone used to talk about that among them few were “azadi” (freedom), “hartal” (shutdown) but I was unable to understand the meaning of these words. I loved the word hartal as it was holiday, so I always wished for hartal. As I grew up I came to know about mujahids. I used to listen to the stories of mujahids. I would often ask my elders to tell me about mujahids. They told me stories of many mujahids like Isaaqh, Ishfaq, and Jan Malik which I liked to share with my friends. ? Even I was named after a Shaheed Mujahid (martyr fighter) who was killed before few weeks I was born. Then Came the summer of 2007, I was passing by Nowhatta, It was month of Muharram. There was heavy stone pelting going on. I found it very interesting. I saw youth pelting stones and shouting freedom slogans. Initially I was afraid to go in front and pelt stones on Police and CRPF. I used to think they are some angels fighting on the front. Days passed. Now I too had gathered guts to pelt stones on the front line. It was now 2008 I was busy with my exams. I heard about Amarnath Land Row. Things started changing very fast I had never seen kind of hartals (shutdowns) before. I had never seen kind of stone pelting before. It was totally new experience to me. Now tear gas shell wasn’t shot anymore, now bullets were fired directly. I saw many boys hit by a bullet and dying on spot. I was disturbed by this. I asked my grandfather once why they directly shoot on us. His answer was “Tse chuk mangaan azadi” (u are asking for freedom). This answer changed my mind. I started realizing neither we are part of India nor India considers us their part. Now I started reading history about our freedom struggle. I came to know about many things about the Kashmir struggle. Now I started reading newspaper, magazines very keenly. I started observing everything about the political system. I wept when I read about Gawkadal, Zukura, Hawal, Bijbihara, Sopore, Kupwara massacres. I too wanted to became Mujahid. I once joked with my mother that I will become Mujahid, her answer was pain full, first give me poison then you will become Mujahid. Came 2009 I again started to remain busy with my studies but whenever there was stone pelting in Nowahatta I used go there and pelt stones. Stone pelting for me now, has become a reaction to the atrocities and d illegal occupation of India. I do it for a cause. I was once caught by police and was put in custody I was also beaten but that also couldn’t break me. When I was released I again started pelting stones. A policemen in custody told me why you pelt stones, do you think you will get freedom by pelting stones. If it is the case I am also ready to pelt stones, he said. But still it is the only thing which makes me feel that gun or bullet cannot suppress my thoughts my sentiments and to live in occupied I want to be free….. I am happy when I pelt stones because I want to take revenge for every innocent killing. I know my stone wont harm them but remember it is not stone it is my feelings. I pelt stones because we are oppressed. It was June 2009 Shopian rape had occurred. It was unbearable to hear rape and murder case of a girl and her sister in law. Tears rolled from my eyes when I read story of Asiya in newspaper. Once again hartals, stone pelting emerged with more boys felling to bullets to a response for protesting for justice from brutal Indian military. I watched a press conference of Omar Abdullah on news channel promising to bring culprits in front of people and punish them in 24 hors. Honestly I was happy with his promise I saw a hope in him in bringing justice to the duo. But nothing happened instead of justice their relatives were beaten. This made me more aggressive I wanted to take revenge, I wanted to punish murderers. More ever I considered cm for all this because his behaviour made me much aggressive much angry against India and their brutality here. After one month of continuous strikes life was back on track. Again we started to remain busy with our studies. But I always used to think why didn’t the duo got justice I once had seen news of a 14 year old girl from Delhi who was killed by unknown person in her bedroom. But Police wasn’t able to solve the case. It was then handed over to CBI who arrested the culprits in few weeks. But in case of Kashmir CBI solved the case differently they didn’t arrested the culprits but made a funny story of the victims that they died due to drowning in stream whose depth was hardly unto knees. This clearly showed policy of India in Kashmir. But whom could I ask these questions why didn’t they get justice? Why they shoot us if we protest for seeking justice? These questions always were in my mind. By pelting stones I dint got answer but I was happy I felt I am taking revenge by pelting stones but what else I could do who was their to listen me. I felt satisfaction by pelting stones by pelting stones I wanted to say them give us justice leave our Kashmir let us leave in peace let us live in place where no mother has fear that her son may return dead. These are not stones these are my feelings. Came 2010 it was January once I saw Wamiq Farooq, He was a neighbour of one of my relatives residing at Rainawari area of Srinagar. Wamiq was very good boy he used to offer my times prayers. He used to call me bhai (brother). After few weeks on one Friday evening I heard that a boy has been martyred after hitting by tear gas shell but I didn’t know unfortunately it was Wamiq the same guy whom I had seen before a day. When I woke up next morning I saw a picture of boy whose identity was yet to be revealed in newspaper. After few minutes I got call from my cousin that Wamiq has been martyred. For few minutes I totally froze I wasn’t able to speak. A boy hardly 13 was no more. You can understand how it feels when you hear death of person whom you know. Wamiq was like my little brother I had never thought an innocent young boy will fell prey to their brutality. Once again hartals (strikes) and stone pelting emerged with more boys getting injured and martyred. Indian occupational forces were responding with more brutality, they are occupational forces their cruelty and brutality is not a surprise to us but I was surprised by the role of Jammu and Kashmir police our local police they are playing absurd role. One fails to understand the cause of their cruelty and brutality, Is it they want to show more loyalty to India or they are killing their brothers for money. What ever the reason is but the way they behave with their own countrymen is painful. Maybe they have became blind because of power government has given to them. Wamiq’s death gave birth to a powerful revolution. The revolution shook the existence of Indian rule in Kashmir. Now India started to show their military power to unarmed civilians. The way they deal with protests is answer to those people who call India integral part of Kashmir. India has started to engage its every front to curb this revolution from politically to technically even media is being used to curb this revolution. Streets of Kashmir have become red with the blood of innocent people. Jhelum has become red with blood of innocent people. I know one day may be I will also fell to their bullets even I am mentally prepared for that because I have attained extreme limit of stone pelting. But remember my death will give birth to hundreds of kale kharab (hotheads). As I became kale kharab (hothead) after death of innocent boys from last three years. 65 deaths have already given birth to hundreds of kale kharab (hot head) who are ready to fight till their last breath. These kale kharab (hothead) are present at every corner of Kashmir. What ever will the future of

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)

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Kashmiri Language Facts:

Kashmiri is spoken by approximately 5.5 million people, and most speakers live in the northern Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir. Because its roots lay in the border area between India and Pakistan, Kashmiri, unlike most other Indian languages, includes a number of loan words from Persian and Arabic. Kashmiri is classified as one of the 22 official languages of India, meaning the country is responsible for developing and promoting its use. Kashmiri is written primarily with the Devanagari script, though historically it has also used the Perso-Arabic and Sharada writing systems. Kashmiri has a poetic tradition dating back over 750 years, placing its literary tradition at roughly the same age as modern English’s. Kashmiri uses the verb-second word order, which is more common in Germanic languages than in other languages more closely related to it. Service Categories You can rely on the following services: Legal translation Patent translation Litigation support Technical translation Certified translation Interpretation services Transcription services Multimedia subtitling Voiceover work and translation Website translation My English to Kashmiri translation comes from a wide range of professional backgrounds and can provide accurate, focused translations that correctly utilize technical and industry-specific vocabularies and idioms. Our English to Kashmiri translators include professionals with education or experience in the following fields: Life science and medicine Legal Finance and banking Manufacturing Consumer products Government Non-profit organizations Human resources Electronics and mechanical Energy and natural resources Multimedia and mass media production I assure you that i will deliver accurate translations when you need them, so you can focus on what’s most important to your clients.

E-Governance through CSC centers A Dream project, nearer to come true in J&K

By: Abid Gowhar

In the ensuing electronic age, where e-mail, e-bank, e-chat, e-paper etc. have become a cakewalk around the globe, where every corner of the life is embraced by technology and the livelihood of every common person is supported by tech savvy products and services, e-governance is no more a dream for those who govern a democratic country like India. Impressed by the other developed countries, the e-governance initiatives in India have been crucial developmental activities undertaken in the past few years.

As a part of its commitment in the national common minimum program to introduce e-governance on a massive scale, the government of India approved a National e-Governance Plan (NeGP) in May 2006 to create specialized electronic service centers in rural-India.

The Government of India aims at providing support for establishing one lac Common Services Centers (CSCs) in six lac villages of India by the year 2010. The Scheme envisions CSCs as the front-end delivery points for Government, private and social sector services to rural citizens of India, in an integrated manner. The objective is to develop a platform that can enable Government, private and social sector organizations to align their social and commercial goals for the benefit of the rural population in the remotest corners of the country through a combination of IT-based as well as non-IT-based services.

Eventually Karnataka became the foremost state in India in implementing many of such e-governance related developmental projects. Such projects were run by NGO’s and rural youth in the remote villages of the State by creating specified centers called Common Service Center (CSC).

The CSC thus became the title name of India’s e-governance plan with different local designations to provide high quality and cost-effective services in the areas of rural development, communication, education, health, telemedicine, entertainment as well as other private services.

Role of CSC

As per the envisaged project an ICT enabled CSC has to (a) provide citizen centric services of the State and Central Government in a convenient and efficient manner through the CSCs across rural India, (b) enhance the accountability, transparency and responsiveness of the Government to citizen’s needs, (c) provide efficient and cost effective methods of service delivery to departments and agencies, (d) allow private and social sector to collaborate with the Government to offer world-class services in rural India and (e) empower the rural citizen through information dissemination and market linkages.

Apart to act as an agent for various private and public services, it is mandatory for a CSC to deliver certain key government services like maintenance of land records, Registration of vehicles, Issue of certificates/ Government schemes, issue ration cards, IT enabled electoral services, pension schemes, road transport, public grievance and utility/Telephone Bills (Government undertakings).

The Business to Consumer (B2C) services included in the scheme are to provide public easiness for digital photos, web surfing, photography, DTP,email/chats, CD Burning, typing, printing and Form downloads/estimates. The financial services available at the Centre would be the delivery of low volume transactions like old age pension, electricity bill collection, small withdrawals and deposits, completion of certain steps of account opening and loan appraisal.

The Scheme creates a conducive environment for the private sector and NGOs to play an active role in implementation of the CSC Scheme, thereby becoming a partner of the government in the development of rural India. The PPP model of the CSC scheme envisages a 3-tier structure consisting of the CSC operator (called Village Level Entrepreneur (VLE); the Service Centre Agency (SCA), that will be responsible for a division of 500-1000 CSCs; and a State Designated Agency (SDA) identified by the State Government responsible for managing the implementation over the entire State.

Some of States in India have also taken various other innovative steps to promote e-governance and have drawn up a roadmap for IT implementation and delivery of services to the citizens on-line. The applications that have been implemented are targeted towards providing G2B, G2C and B2C services with emphasis on use of local language.

Different projects for a single mission:

Under the project “BHOOMI” in Karnatka State, the department of Revenue has computerized 20 million records of land ownership of 6.7 million farmers in the State. The Department of Information Technology, Govt. of India has embarked upon a major programme to rollout Land Records Computerization in several States of the country.

The “E-SEVA” (electronic Seva) project launched in the year 2001, is the improved version of the TWINS project launched in 1999, in the twin cities of Hyderabad and Secunderabad in Andhra Pradesh. Thes e-Seva centers spread across the twin cities of Hyderabad and Secunderabad offer 118 different services like payment of utility bills/taxes, registration of births/deaths, registration of applications for passports , issue of births/deaths certificates, filing of Sales Tax returns etc.

The project “ FRIENDS” is the Fast, Reliable, Instant, Efficient Network for the Disbursement of Services in Kerala State. FRIENDS counters handle 1,000 types of payment bills originating out of various PSUs. The payments that citizens can make include utility payments for electricity and water, revenue taxes, license fees, motor vehicle taxes, university fees, etc.

“LOK MITRA” is first of its own kind of Electronic service in the state of Rajasthan. It aims to deploy Information Technology for the benefit of the masses. It is a one-stop, citizen friendly computerized centre located in the heart of the city in Jaipur. This has provided relief to a common man as he gets efficient services through IT driven interfaces at a single window.

“SETU” is a bridge for facilitation between Citizen & Government that is harnessing the benefits of Information Technology for effective and transparent functioning of the administration through IT policy of the Government of Maharashtra. It offers the possibility of making routine interactions faster, smoother and transparent.

“JAN MITRA” is an integrated e-platform through which rural population of Rajasthan through which people avail services related to various government departments at kiosks near their doorsteps.. This project has been successfully implemented on pilot basis in Jhalawar, Rajasthan. Jhalawar is the first district among five project location districts in India, where the project has been implemented before schedule.

“DRISHTEE” Project offers a software platform that enables e-governance and provides information about and access to education and health services, market-related information, and private information exchanges and transactions across the rural villages of Haryana, Punjab, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat and Orissa. It aims to be the window to the world' for Indian villagers. Drishtee services not only provide financial benefits in terms of reduced costs and increased incomes, but also other social benefits like access to education and health information. Drishtee kiosks provide viable employment opportunities for unemployed rural youths and help stem rural-urban migration.

In less than two years, Drishtee has successfully demonstrated its concept in over 90 kiosks across various Indian states. It is a state-of-the-art software which facilitates communication and information interchange within a localized intranet between villages and a district center. Apart from these projects in many of the north-eastern states a new structure of localized governance called Community Information Centers (CIC) were introduced , that are well-equipped with modern high-tech facilities and are running in Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim and Tripura.

A prestigious project ready to get launch in J&K State

Few months back J&K Bank has entered into a ‘Service Center Agency’ (SCA) tie-up with J&K government for setting up 1109 IT Kiosks in the state. The Kiosks, set up on a Franchiser-Franchisee basis, will act as Common Service Centers (CSC) for delivery of G2C (Government to Customer) and B2C (Business to Customer) services including financial services in all the rural areas of the state. The centers shall be called as “KHIDMAT” and run by Village Level Entrepreneurs (VLEs) identified through a comprehensive selection process made by J&K Bank. This prestigious project will help the Bank in extending its services at the door-step in all the 22 districts of the state.

“We are ready to set up 250 CSC centers to the end of November 2009 across Pulwama, Anantnag, Ganderbal, Bandipora, Kulgam and Shopian, Budgam and Doda districts of J&K state” said, an Executive of the Bank associated with the project.

“To initiate their functioning, the “Khidmat” centers shall process banking loan documentation, social welfare pension disbursement, collection of public utility bills like electricity fee etc and other DTP works” The officer added. He however said that some state government departments are casual in their approach by not updating their departmental records electronically or not creating their electronic database.

Claiming high that the country is harnessing the benefits provided by the Information & Communication Technologies (ICT) to provide integrated governance, a faster reach to the citizens, provide efficient services and citizen empowerment through access to information, the story at implementation level throughout the country is still lingering despite the idea of a Smart Governance is well knitted in the books and projects.

Can we dream of getting our land revenue record without paying unwanted bribe to the most corrupted patwaris of the State?

Can these “Khidmat” centers help to demote our corruption ranking (ironically in 2^nd rank)?

Shall the electronic window get open to our rural farmers to minimize their cost and time delays?

Can our old age pensioners feel real relief in getting their monthly social welfare fund at their door-steps?

Can our rural educated youth find their way to the web-enabled services?

Can we think of getting or submitting recruitment forms without remaining in the long queues?

Is there a real possibility of obtaining school and college admission forms without quas and hectic procedures?

These questions will definitely find answer in coming two or three months after the “Khidmat” centers will start function by virtue of vigorous efforts borne by J&K Bank’s during last five months or so.

(Author is a freelance journalist/ broadcaster)

Kamalbir Singh Jaggi,A blind leading from the front to run a National Blind school

48 year old Kamalbir Singh Jaggi, a visually challenged person is administrating country’s biggest blind school in National Institute of Visually Handicapped (NIVH) as Principal of the school since December 2008. A cool and calm sardar has proved himself as a tough administrator and effective teacher of the Model Secondary School in the vast campus of the institute situated at Rajpur Road Dehradhun, the capital of Uttrakhand State.

National Institute of Visually Handicapped (NIVH) in Dehradhun , Uttrakhand is an institute for visually handicapped and is considered as one of the biggest blind educational cum training institutes in Asia

Mr. Kamalbir Singh Jaggi in a face to face with Abid Gowhar, is really upbeat in speaking about his role to perform and his cherish for the sightless (blind) students of the school. Here are the excerpts of the interview.

Q: Being himself visually challenged, how big challenge it is for you to administrate a blind school?

A: The challenges there of course are many but in fact the whole life is a challenge. The challenges we generally confront are related in handling the students that are coming from different parts of the country and staying together and not being able to integrate some times. But we know that the students are also willing to cooperate as much as possible and our staff makes all effort to confront these challenges together.

Q: How was your choice as Principal made by the authorities to replace a sighted person?

A: in fact when the interview for the post was held, I was the only one blind among the candidates. It was the performance of the individual that counted rather than selecting a person on his disability. I think I was selected on my merit only. Perhaps they thought that I should be able to run the school much better keeping my life experience in view vis-à-vis to understand the blind’s psychology better .

Q: This being the biggest school of its kind in the country, what are the specialties you are offering in the school?

A: Yes the institute (NIVH) is certainly quite big, it has its own reputation all over the country. It is been there since 1959 and this year we celebrated its golden jubilee also. Actually the Model secondary school is a part of the Institute that runs a variety of programmes providing training to adult blind, education to blind children, equipment and text-books to the visually handicapped and their institutions at highly subsidized rates and supply of books in Braille and cassettes. It also runs a wide-variety of staff training programmes and research and development project. The model School attached to this institute provides free education to blind boys and girls from preschool stage to class XI. Nearly 250 students from various parts of the country, are provided free boarding, lodging, clothing and monthly pocket money with separate hostel facilities for boys and girls. The school is affiliated to the Central Board of Secondary Education.

Q: As you said, the year 2009 is the golden Jubilee year of the school, At this point of time, have you taken any special initiatives for the overall betterment of the school?

A: This has also being my first year in the school as Principal and I have been involved in many new initiatives like we have first time introduced Science and Mathematics in the school from class IX to replace music and Sanskrit. Also we have sent our students to different kind of competitions at zonal, state and country level. Three students from our school have gone to Colareda America into participate in an international athletic event in July this year. Sanjay, a IX class student made us proud by bagging the most gold medals by an Indian at the International Blind Sports Association (IBSA) Youth and Students Championship held at Colorado, USA. He secured three golds for the Indian team. At the Games, our students bagged four gold and two bronze medals in the championship in which as many as 27 countries participated. Among girls, Gulshan won a bronze medal each in 100 m and long jump. This year we have we have achieved good results in Board exams with highest 82% marks in XII class and 86% in 10th . I plan to continue with the same efforts and enhance the activities this year.

Q: The students are coming all over the country. Who do you cope with the students coming from different social-cultural back grounds and traditions?

A: You are right, an example is that majority of the students presently hail from J&K, UP and Uttrakhnad. Out of 234, the large number is from J&K, other majority is from UP and. Bihar, Assam, Meghaliya are other parts from whom good number of students are coming every year. Although there may be differentiations in their different habits but we try to integrate them by offering various kind of foods offered in different regions of the country and expose them to different cultural activities.

Q: Why the studies in the school can’t be transformed from Hindi to English medium?

A: yes, we have started to transform Hindi medium into English so that our students should be able to compete well with others in CBSC exams. Initially we have introduced it up to class 3^rd and at the same time we have to recruit new staff for which we have a long project ahead. In a phased manner, we shall be able to complete the project in next five to six years.

Q: Other than providing schooling to the visually disabled children through specially trained teachers, how do you cope up with their other extra ordinary intelligence and of course problems?

A: What are the problems with them? Why don’t we look at them as normal being? Why so we segregate them? They are intelligent as other people are. I do not look at them as separate identity. I want them to be integrated along with other people. In fact our individual societies should change their attitude towards all blind persons. All our students who have passed class 12 from this school have joined different colleges, which are not specifically meant for visually challenged.

Q: Coming to your personal life, as a blind person how do you differentiate your schooling and the present day experience in running a blind school?

A: I have passed out my schooling in 1983. Till then, we didn’t have Braille books ourselves. We used to share one copy of the book in whole class of about 15-20 students. Now the students have abundant of books available, they have copy with each of them and they always get new set of books, once they tear or mal any of the books. When I was studying only audio cassettes were available, now compact discs are given to the students. We faced scarcity of books, which today is no more. Other than that the education in all parts has become tech savvy. There is a special computer software available by which students can also benefit.

Q: How is your personal family life?

A: I am married and have two kids. My spouse is alright with me and is living in a nuclear family. There great support is always there to boost my morale in life.

Q: Sir, last but not the least, any strong message you would like convey to the people in general and sightless in particular?

A: My sincere message to the common masses is that whenever they see any visually challenged person, please guide and help him to be educated, try to create awareness about the parents. My message to the visually challenged would be, not to consider themselves weak in life, be confident that they are as good as every body else and be bold to face the challenges of life as physically- normal people are facing also.