Afshana gets personal with a story of a woman bifurcated between within and without
(Ms. Syeda Afshana, 35, was born in Srinagar. She attended the Vishwa Bharti High School in Rainawari, Srinagar, and the Government Women's College in Srinagar where she received a B.Sc. degree. She completed her Master's degree in Mass Communication and Journalism from the Kashmir University in 1999 and was the Gold Medallist (first position holder) in her graduating class. She is currently a Lecturer in the Media Education Research Centre (MERC) of the Kashmir University and pursuing her doctorate on the role of internet after 9/11.)
Between within & without
"No! I do not understand it.
But what is more important to me is that I understand Dr. Einstein".
One cannot but appreciate this prompt reply of Mrs. Albert Einstein as someone asked her if she understood her husband's theory of relativity. Actually, the woman behind the scientific genius like Einstein was what she was: creative in her own very valuable way. For her it wasn't imperative to decipher the dimensions of sci-logistics, as was the urge to read the mind of a man who was more a precious life-partner to her than a renowned scientist.
It happens that many common people are often more sensitive and understanding than others. Possessing a low-profile, they may not be famous but they are incredibly creative. And this naturally simple fact has been substantiated even by various research studies. A. H. Maslow, Professor of Psychology and a researcher of note in the field of creativity, admits that when he first began to study the subject, he had unconsciously confined creativeness to painters, poets and certain scientists and inventors. Then Maslow met a woman who was uneducated, quite poor, and a full-time housewife and mother. She did not write fiction or dash off new scientific theories. Maslow says that yet she was a marvelous cook, mother, wife and homemaker. With little money, her home was somehow always beautiful. She was a perfect hostess. Her meals were banquets. In all these areas, she was original, novel, ingenious, unexpected, and inventive. And Maslow just had to call her creative.
As far as the grain of creativity is concerned, it is hard to believe that some decades back a knowledgeable critic would have cried out: 'We are in danger of developing a cult of the Common Man, which means a cult of mediocrity'. However, today we seem to be in a jeopardy of nurturing a cult of "Extraordinary Man, or for that matter, Woman" who have a tendency to overdo things in the rush of getting noticed or recognized. This has rendered the concept of creativity crackpot.
In relation to woman, her creativity is linked quite closely to her mind than any external agencies. The more her mind is trained, the more creative she turns out to be. Education, of course, is the best training. But the people who are concerned with the formation and stimulation of women's minds have a recurrent nightmare. They envisage one of their graduates suddenly confronting herself in a mirror at some point of her age.
In college, she had been a first class student. Teachers had praised her prose style, her insights into modern history, her keen grasp of economics and social problems. The question arises as to what she has done with her intellectual skills or, to say, her creativity. The grim answer is: nothing. She has either become a wife or a working woman. Why, she may be asking herself, did she go to college if this was the ultimate object or aim?
This may again smack of a dilemma as inner contradictions are not a new thing for women. On the home front, a woman had to be able to manage children and home. The attempt to play these roles, and at once remain 'feminine' produced its share of conflicts and anxieties. Nonetheless, it wasn't that painful. She had no part to play outside. Today, she is bifurcated between within and without. Consequently, her creative output suffers on both fronts. And this is happening despite the much talked about social, economic and technological changes now in process. The growing mechanization and automation of home can hardly help a woman to live an actively creative outside life. Too many promising professional careers on the part of women wither away at present before their high points have been reached. The woman, who enters a profession and then marries and has children, has to 'interrupt' her career which, in majority of cases, is rarely caught up later. She does not retire, but she resumes in 'piecemeal style'. This obviously tells upon consistent productivity and efficiency in her career.
The moot point, as such, is that if dual responsibilities will face her in the home and in her career (she is already facing them badly), what kind of education will prepare her to lead this 'double life' efficiently? What are the ways that will succour in the fuller exploration of her creative resources with ever-increasing fervour?
It is sad but unarguable fact that most human beings go through life partially aware of the full range of their abilities. In our society, we could do much more than we now do to encourage self-development. We could drop the increasingly silly absurdities dominating our education (this can be done by any educator/teacher on individual level), and devise arrangements for lifelong fruitful learning. Of course, we cannot question the credibility of anything that has been made to stay as infallible and unchallengeable. But if the 'dual-role' of women is now being accepted as something inevitable in our society, we have to chalk out and display alternatives for refuting its logic. And this can be easily done by those engaged in women's education. If the target group is itself addressed, it can be a result-oriented exercise. Educating women properly and then letting them decide for themselves their course of action, is far better than thrusting dictates on them. Compulsion works but only transiently.
Women's minds are one of the major resources for any nation. We should be determined to help them achieve the success they—and, of course, their community—need to make the pursuit of happiness and intellectual satisfaction a realistic goal. Creativity in them ought to be recognized and nurtured through healthy means.
Saturday, January 24, 2009
Rejection of a Myopic and Decadent Leadership
Following is the text of the speech Hameeda Nayeem made on 5th January in a seminar organized to mark the right to Self-determination Day
(Dr. Hameeda Banu, 40+, was born in Tral, now in Pulwama district. She received her primary and secondary education in Tral and completed her college education in the Government Women's College, Srinagar. She received her M.A. and Ph.D. in English Literature from the University of Kashmir, and has been teaching in the Department of English at the University for the past 17 years. She is an excellent orator and an internationally travelled human rights activist. Her personal interests include campaigning for women's rights, global peace, interfaith dialogue, philosophy, psychology, literature, history and religious studies.)
Mr. Chairperson, first of all I seek your permission to be a truth–teller rather than a tranquilizer given the things as they are because I have no words of comfort for you, I mean for the top Hurriyat leaders both within and outside the two factions of Hurriyat camp. Though this time I will not take on those who are outside the camp and their antics and theatrics during the agitation.
Let me begin by interrogating the topic for the seminar and then go on to say how you miserably failed us when we were close to achieving our right of self-determination. Reminding UN of its commitments and asking it to implement the same is an exercise in futility as we have done so in the past without getting any dividends. UN resolutions are the basic document which endorse and legitimize our right to decide our political future and should be taken as the basis of our demand but let me dislodge your misplaced confidence in UN as a body that can implement these resolutions. Firstly because it is already written off as a grand failure in addressing the issues of peoples’ rights and demand for justice around the world. Secondly it is a bonded maid of Euro-America and they use if occasionally to serve their own interests and crush the rights of people and sovereignty of nations as is duly testified by the recent world history.
It is the Indian people who could help us in getting us our right to determine our future and we have to invoke their conscience persistently. They almost did it this summer when they responded to our unprecedented protest demonstrations in very positive terms but alas !it was the top leadership in freedom camp that let us down who fumbled and stumbled and helped Indian establishment wittingly or unwittingly in suffocating people’s voice and scuttling the peaceful revolution with all the conceivable repressive measures. On seeing a sea of people on the grounds and streets of Srinagar and other parts of the valley and Jammu, top intellectuals of India advocated in unequivocal terms our right to decide our future and asked GOI not to hold Kashmiris against their will. Sawaminanthan Ayer, Vir Sanghvi, Jug Suraiya, Arundahti Roy and many others. Not only that. 59% respondents in a CNN IBN poll agreed to the demand for Azadi of Kashmiris and their right to secede from India. Besides, Omar Abdullah, then played a very positive role in highlighting the aspirations of Kashmiris and on acceding to their demands by India. It was the sacred duty of freedom leadership to build on that, to broaden the support base in Delhi among intellectuals and Indian national political parties and keep up the momentum of the movement but most deplorably the leadership capitulated to authorities in several ways.
Yeh nadan girgayay sajday main jab waqat-e-qayam aya
Nay, hang on, not because of ‘nadani’ which one could forgive but because of naked capitulation to the authorities.
First by recalling two members from the Coordination Committee (CC) who were spearheading the unity moves which was an abject surrender to the demands of the dubious elements in Hurriyat for no other perceivable reason but to abort and scuttle the movement as they were out of it. Going by the calls at that time which people made to TV channels for the sudden, unwarranted and anti-movement decision, one can scale the disappointment in people and they started smelling something fishy in the Hurriyat camp.
Secondly, by committing the historical monumental blunder of calling off the strike abruptly on the pretext of the month of Ramzan when people had girded up their loins and were ready to do or die for the attainment of the right to decide their future.
In this decision, Mr. Chairperson, you were not alone, you had the holier – than – thou chairperson of the other faction with you, who gives the impression of being `always in communion with God and defending Islam,’ `infallible while branding everyone else as a traitor to the cause’. Both of you strangulated the revolution by calling off the strike call in September 2008. After your abject capitulation there was selective crackdown on those who were the mobilizers and organizers of the public demonstrations, and the unifiers of Hurriyat ,with the active connivance of black sheep in Hurriyat Camp.
Both of you particularly Geelani Saheb committed another blunder after having served one week’s imprisonment in posh hotels by describing the land issue as a non-issue forgetting within no time, that land issue had fuelled and rejuvenated the movement of the right to self-determination as also provided you fresh oxygen for survival when you had become almost defunct.
These series of bunglings greatly disappointed people and they started audible whisperings on the streets, in public places and in drawing rooms and started questioning not only your lack of commitment but your capacity to lead the movement. This was the turn around in the situation which your crass insensitivity to public sentiments and opinions missed, the public sentiment which you always invoke for your survival! People were disgusted with your leadership and found themselves in a deep sea of despondency not knowing what to do. How long could you take people for a ride and continue to commit blunders and serve your own selves? How long would you escape the public wrath? You stumbled when the iron was hot. You have taken people for granted. They had given you a fresh lease of life when you were faced with identity crises because of your acts of omission and commission. After this debacle, you made half-hearted, luke-warm statements which inspired none. It seemed you had already sung a dirge on your leadership, mind you, not on the movement. Then comes another thunderbolt from Geelani Sahib on his return from Delhi where he was convalescing when he accused Sajad Lone of fielding a candidate in Kupwara district and then the latter’s response in which he crossed all limits of civility, set people pooh phooeying you.
Instead of lambasting at the authorities for unprecedented curfews, arrest of leaders and the youth, Geelani Sahib chose petty squabbles with his own kind. Even if Sajjad Lone had done what Geelani Sahib alleged, it was only one out of 87 seats, which could not have dented the boycott call in anyway. By his ‘puritanical attitude’ towards others, not for himself, mind you, he is frightening away not only minorities but also the well-meaning people from his own community.
In the midst of all this one faction of Hurriyat closed down all the fledging organizational structures of Hurriyat in districts, which could have given a body to the movement, a solidity of specification and helped in the implementation of boycott call.
Mere sloganeering and emotional demagoguery do not help in achieving solid objectives, it is institutional base which concretizes your objectives. plus humility, accountability and transparency which engages people and not mere statements by one and appeal to religious sentiments by the other.
And when elections were announced, you once again gave a clichéd boycott call, being frigid of new ideas, you had not learnt from past experience of 1996 and 2002 when GOI managed to impose a government on us and boycott calls fully helped pro-establishment elements to strengthen their base. The popping up of PDP is a direct result of your boycott calls because people had no other alternative which you could have provided by defeating the colonial power with her own weapons.
Once again you fell in the trap of identifying elections with a sort of referendum for Indian control on Kashmir or so it was presented by GOI.
Having already disappointed people enormously which you missed in your perceptual blindness, the less politically conscious and under privileged out of anger did not heed your boycott call to show their disappointment with you.
They knew you could be of no avail to them as you are neither clear in your understanding of the issues involved nor capable of leading the movement. Geelani Sahib is too busy in issuing fatwas, others in ego tussles and power politics within and outside Hurriyat, yet others in increasing the graph of personal profiles, while throwing the interests of the people to winds.
People to you seem to be as expendable material as they are to the establishment. You did not feel the agony and pain of the families who lost 60 precious dearest souls and bread earners and over 2500 youth who have been crippled and disfigured for life. It meant nothing to you. People from all walks of life were ready to contribute for their welfare and I wrote at that time that Hurriyat or CC should form a committee to collect and distribute aid to the victims and the devastated families. But as usual there was no response from your side.
People knew you could not get your act together given the so-called forum politics and wretched collective leadership mantra. Those who boycotted did it out of their own volition. Having a raised political consciousness they knew their vote could be misinterpreted by GOI in the presence of boycott call and those who are less fortunate were taken in by the rhetoric of development, and voted for the administrative promises and not to endorse status quo in Kashmir, as I have explained in my earlier write-up.
Geelani Sahib did not realize for all these years that human life cannot be suspended, it needs governance on daily basis and there has to be some structure that will do just that and elections have only that limited mandate. Larger issues like Kashmir dispute which have far reaching consequences are decided by referendum, he did not realize that unless the body is taken care of, it cannot think of freeing the spirit. Mehjoor says:
“Ye Azadi chehh sorgich hoor ye phereya khaane pate khaanai”
Unless the belly is gratified it cannot crave for the luxury of freedom. This reality dawned on him too late when much was lost for him.
If people voted under whatever circumstances they still showed the wisdom of separating elections as an administrative affair from larger political dispute of Kashmir. And all the actors of the election have declared the same and now if GOI is celebrating the victory in Kashmir as legitimization of her control on Kashmir, she is suffering from self-deception. If she really believes in her fictions, let her have a referendum tomorrow and put a find seal of her control on Kashmir forever.
This vote, was, therefore, also in part, a rejection of divided, myopic, passive and decadent leadership out of a concern for a new vibrant, dynamic, inclusive, indivisible and pragmatic leadership.
If you want to continue in spite of all this, it is high time for you to introspect and take cognizance of the historical blunders you committed and make an agenda for this year because whichever new government comes in Delhi after the forthcoming general elections, cannot put Kashmir on the back burner any more. They have to take it by horns and you should be ready with an agenda of what you will dialogue about and achieve this year.
1. Apologize to people and selflessly make one broad party with one leadership, dismantle the present hierarchical structure and let those run the movement who are committed and capable of doing so and let others gracefully pack up and go and rid this movement of sickness, of petty bickerings, of paralysis of action and monotony of ideas. And much much more of the same stuff! The present state of affairs is a travesty of movement which means flow, kinetic flow rather than static arrest.
2. Demilitarization and internal sovereignty should top your agenda for the first phase.
3. Spell out clearly in written form the safe guards for minorities like Pandits and Sikhs. Make every effort to bring back our Pandit brothers and sisters who are living a miserable life in Jammu camps as they have been much abused by politicians across the political divide.
4. Bring on board all the three regions and give them written assurance of proportionate equitable distribution of resources and jobs. Look into their real and imagined fears.
5. Clearly Geelani Sahib’s ideology will not work. If you are interested in keeping the whole state together then make your agenda inclusive, a state that has more than 30 person non-Muslims can’t have Azadi Barai Islam as a slogan. Prophet of Islam never taught us to coerce people into submission or to force any system on people which they are not ready to accept.
If you insist on the actualization of your ideology in political terms, then what is the difference between you and Sangh Parivar who are also trying to impose their ideology on the whole of India where Muslims and Christians form a sizable minority?
We always castigate them for trying to impose tyrannical and oppressive majoritarianism on minorities. Your refrain of Azadi Barai Islam has also been frightening away minorities and they are skeptic about their future in that kind of setup even though you may give guarantees to the contrary.
Secondly, the concept of Ummah is an utopian dream which doesn’t exist anywhere. If the sovereign powerful Muslim countries of the world are not united and do not do anything for Palestine and other repressed Muslim of the world ,what can hapless, helpless and besieged people of Kashmir do to help your dream of Uma to became a reality and who is going to accede to that demand? If you really want to serve Islam, reform the people at every level to make them good, practicing and conscientious Muslims who could really help stem corruption at all levels be it social, political, moral, intellectual or economic which could make Kashmir an example for others to follow. If, even after getting what we want, people are the same, the Azadi could become sour within no time as it did in India and Pakistan!
PS: Yes I forgot to remind Chief Minister Omar Abdullah of his promise of releasing all the political prisoners the moment he takes over. What has happened to that promise?
(Dr. Hameeda Banu, 40+, was born in Tral, now in Pulwama district. She received her primary and secondary education in Tral and completed her college education in the Government Women's College, Srinagar. She received her M.A. and Ph.D. in English Literature from the University of Kashmir, and has been teaching in the Department of English at the University for the past 17 years. She is an excellent orator and an internationally travelled human rights activist. Her personal interests include campaigning for women's rights, global peace, interfaith dialogue, philosophy, psychology, literature, history and religious studies.)
Mr. Chairperson, first of all I seek your permission to be a truth–teller rather than a tranquilizer given the things as they are because I have no words of comfort for you, I mean for the top Hurriyat leaders both within and outside the two factions of Hurriyat camp. Though this time I will not take on those who are outside the camp and their antics and theatrics during the agitation.
Let me begin by interrogating the topic for the seminar and then go on to say how you miserably failed us when we were close to achieving our right of self-determination. Reminding UN of its commitments and asking it to implement the same is an exercise in futility as we have done so in the past without getting any dividends. UN resolutions are the basic document which endorse and legitimize our right to decide our political future and should be taken as the basis of our demand but let me dislodge your misplaced confidence in UN as a body that can implement these resolutions. Firstly because it is already written off as a grand failure in addressing the issues of peoples’ rights and demand for justice around the world. Secondly it is a bonded maid of Euro-America and they use if occasionally to serve their own interests and crush the rights of people and sovereignty of nations as is duly testified by the recent world history.
It is the Indian people who could help us in getting us our right to determine our future and we have to invoke their conscience persistently. They almost did it this summer when they responded to our unprecedented protest demonstrations in very positive terms but alas !it was the top leadership in freedom camp that let us down who fumbled and stumbled and helped Indian establishment wittingly or unwittingly in suffocating people’s voice and scuttling the peaceful revolution with all the conceivable repressive measures. On seeing a sea of people on the grounds and streets of Srinagar and other parts of the valley and Jammu, top intellectuals of India advocated in unequivocal terms our right to decide our future and asked GOI not to hold Kashmiris against their will. Sawaminanthan Ayer, Vir Sanghvi, Jug Suraiya, Arundahti Roy and many others. Not only that. 59% respondents in a CNN IBN poll agreed to the demand for Azadi of Kashmiris and their right to secede from India. Besides, Omar Abdullah, then played a very positive role in highlighting the aspirations of Kashmiris and on acceding to their demands by India. It was the sacred duty of freedom leadership to build on that, to broaden the support base in Delhi among intellectuals and Indian national political parties and keep up the momentum of the movement but most deplorably the leadership capitulated to authorities in several ways.
Yeh nadan girgayay sajday main jab waqat-e-qayam aya
Nay, hang on, not because of ‘nadani’ which one could forgive but because of naked capitulation to the authorities.
First by recalling two members from the Coordination Committee (CC) who were spearheading the unity moves which was an abject surrender to the demands of the dubious elements in Hurriyat for no other perceivable reason but to abort and scuttle the movement as they were out of it. Going by the calls at that time which people made to TV channels for the sudden, unwarranted and anti-movement decision, one can scale the disappointment in people and they started smelling something fishy in the Hurriyat camp.
Secondly, by committing the historical monumental blunder of calling off the strike abruptly on the pretext of the month of Ramzan when people had girded up their loins and were ready to do or die for the attainment of the right to decide their future.
In this decision, Mr. Chairperson, you were not alone, you had the holier – than – thou chairperson of the other faction with you, who gives the impression of being `always in communion with God and defending Islam,’ `infallible while branding everyone else as a traitor to the cause’. Both of you strangulated the revolution by calling off the strike call in September 2008. After your abject capitulation there was selective crackdown on those who were the mobilizers and organizers of the public demonstrations, and the unifiers of Hurriyat ,with the active connivance of black sheep in Hurriyat Camp.
Both of you particularly Geelani Saheb committed another blunder after having served one week’s imprisonment in posh hotels by describing the land issue as a non-issue forgetting within no time, that land issue had fuelled and rejuvenated the movement of the right to self-determination as also provided you fresh oxygen for survival when you had become almost defunct.
These series of bunglings greatly disappointed people and they started audible whisperings on the streets, in public places and in drawing rooms and started questioning not only your lack of commitment but your capacity to lead the movement. This was the turn around in the situation which your crass insensitivity to public sentiments and opinions missed, the public sentiment which you always invoke for your survival! People were disgusted with your leadership and found themselves in a deep sea of despondency not knowing what to do. How long could you take people for a ride and continue to commit blunders and serve your own selves? How long would you escape the public wrath? You stumbled when the iron was hot. You have taken people for granted. They had given you a fresh lease of life when you were faced with identity crises because of your acts of omission and commission. After this debacle, you made half-hearted, luke-warm statements which inspired none. It seemed you had already sung a dirge on your leadership, mind you, not on the movement. Then comes another thunderbolt from Geelani Sahib on his return from Delhi where he was convalescing when he accused Sajad Lone of fielding a candidate in Kupwara district and then the latter’s response in which he crossed all limits of civility, set people pooh phooeying you.
Instead of lambasting at the authorities for unprecedented curfews, arrest of leaders and the youth, Geelani Sahib chose petty squabbles with his own kind. Even if Sajjad Lone had done what Geelani Sahib alleged, it was only one out of 87 seats, which could not have dented the boycott call in anyway. By his ‘puritanical attitude’ towards others, not for himself, mind you, he is frightening away not only minorities but also the well-meaning people from his own community.
In the midst of all this one faction of Hurriyat closed down all the fledging organizational structures of Hurriyat in districts, which could have given a body to the movement, a solidity of specification and helped in the implementation of boycott call.
Mere sloganeering and emotional demagoguery do not help in achieving solid objectives, it is institutional base which concretizes your objectives. plus humility, accountability and transparency which engages people and not mere statements by one and appeal to religious sentiments by the other.
And when elections were announced, you once again gave a clichéd boycott call, being frigid of new ideas, you had not learnt from past experience of 1996 and 2002 when GOI managed to impose a government on us and boycott calls fully helped pro-establishment elements to strengthen their base. The popping up of PDP is a direct result of your boycott calls because people had no other alternative which you could have provided by defeating the colonial power with her own weapons.
Once again you fell in the trap of identifying elections with a sort of referendum for Indian control on Kashmir or so it was presented by GOI.
Having already disappointed people enormously which you missed in your perceptual blindness, the less politically conscious and under privileged out of anger did not heed your boycott call to show their disappointment with you.
They knew you could be of no avail to them as you are neither clear in your understanding of the issues involved nor capable of leading the movement. Geelani Sahib is too busy in issuing fatwas, others in ego tussles and power politics within and outside Hurriyat, yet others in increasing the graph of personal profiles, while throwing the interests of the people to winds.
People to you seem to be as expendable material as they are to the establishment. You did not feel the agony and pain of the families who lost 60 precious dearest souls and bread earners and over 2500 youth who have been crippled and disfigured for life. It meant nothing to you. People from all walks of life were ready to contribute for their welfare and I wrote at that time that Hurriyat or CC should form a committee to collect and distribute aid to the victims and the devastated families. But as usual there was no response from your side.
People knew you could not get your act together given the so-called forum politics and wretched collective leadership mantra. Those who boycotted did it out of their own volition. Having a raised political consciousness they knew their vote could be misinterpreted by GOI in the presence of boycott call and those who are less fortunate were taken in by the rhetoric of development, and voted for the administrative promises and not to endorse status quo in Kashmir, as I have explained in my earlier write-up.
Geelani Sahib did not realize for all these years that human life cannot be suspended, it needs governance on daily basis and there has to be some structure that will do just that and elections have only that limited mandate. Larger issues like Kashmir dispute which have far reaching consequences are decided by referendum, he did not realize that unless the body is taken care of, it cannot think of freeing the spirit. Mehjoor says:
“Ye Azadi chehh sorgich hoor ye phereya khaane pate khaanai”
Unless the belly is gratified it cannot crave for the luxury of freedom. This reality dawned on him too late when much was lost for him.
If people voted under whatever circumstances they still showed the wisdom of separating elections as an administrative affair from larger political dispute of Kashmir. And all the actors of the election have declared the same and now if GOI is celebrating the victory in Kashmir as legitimization of her control on Kashmir, she is suffering from self-deception. If she really believes in her fictions, let her have a referendum tomorrow and put a find seal of her control on Kashmir forever.
This vote, was, therefore, also in part, a rejection of divided, myopic, passive and decadent leadership out of a concern for a new vibrant, dynamic, inclusive, indivisible and pragmatic leadership.
If you want to continue in spite of all this, it is high time for you to introspect and take cognizance of the historical blunders you committed and make an agenda for this year because whichever new government comes in Delhi after the forthcoming general elections, cannot put Kashmir on the back burner any more. They have to take it by horns and you should be ready with an agenda of what you will dialogue about and achieve this year.
1. Apologize to people and selflessly make one broad party with one leadership, dismantle the present hierarchical structure and let those run the movement who are committed and capable of doing so and let others gracefully pack up and go and rid this movement of sickness, of petty bickerings, of paralysis of action and monotony of ideas. And much much more of the same stuff! The present state of affairs is a travesty of movement which means flow, kinetic flow rather than static arrest.
2. Demilitarization and internal sovereignty should top your agenda for the first phase.
3. Spell out clearly in written form the safe guards for minorities like Pandits and Sikhs. Make every effort to bring back our Pandit brothers and sisters who are living a miserable life in Jammu camps as they have been much abused by politicians across the political divide.
4. Bring on board all the three regions and give them written assurance of proportionate equitable distribution of resources and jobs. Look into their real and imagined fears.
5. Clearly Geelani Sahib’s ideology will not work. If you are interested in keeping the whole state together then make your agenda inclusive, a state that has more than 30 person non-Muslims can’t have Azadi Barai Islam as a slogan. Prophet of Islam never taught us to coerce people into submission or to force any system on people which they are not ready to accept.
If you insist on the actualization of your ideology in political terms, then what is the difference between you and Sangh Parivar who are also trying to impose their ideology on the whole of India where Muslims and Christians form a sizable minority?
We always castigate them for trying to impose tyrannical and oppressive majoritarianism on minorities. Your refrain of Azadi Barai Islam has also been frightening away minorities and they are skeptic about their future in that kind of setup even though you may give guarantees to the contrary.
Secondly, the concept of Ummah is an utopian dream which doesn’t exist anywhere. If the sovereign powerful Muslim countries of the world are not united and do not do anything for Palestine and other repressed Muslim of the world ,what can hapless, helpless and besieged people of Kashmir do to help your dream of Uma to became a reality and who is going to accede to that demand? If you really want to serve Islam, reform the people at every level to make them good, practicing and conscientious Muslims who could really help stem corruption at all levels be it social, political, moral, intellectual or economic which could make Kashmir an example for others to follow. If, even after getting what we want, people are the same, the Azadi could become sour within no time as it did in India and Pakistan!
PS: Yes I forgot to remind Chief Minister Omar Abdullah of his promise of releasing all the political prisoners the moment he takes over. What has happened to that promise?
Monday, January 19, 2009
Another Disaster in the Making
Basharat pokes into details about the Solid Waste and sees a disaster over the horizon
(Mr. Syed Basharat, 29, was born in Kreeri, Baramulla, and did his schooling in Kreeri, and later in Uri and Sopore. He graduated from the Degree College in Baramulla and completed his Master's degree in Mass Communication and Journalism from the Kashmir University in 2005. He has been a reporter for Kashmir Images, a Srinagar based daily, London based website Gaashonline.Com, and a Srinagar based journal, Globe. Currently, he is working as a special correspondent with Jammu based daily newspaper, The Kashmir Times.)
Srinagar's chaotic solid waste management turning into unmanageable crisis
Srinagar: Brazen violation of master plan, high urbanisation ratio coupled with the poor infrastructure has made Solid Waste Management (SWM) in Jammu and Kashmir a classic example of chaotic situation. The experts in the field believe that if not redressed in time, the situation may turn into an unmanageable crisis.
Srinagar district alone produces 350 metric tones of solid waste every day and the same quantity is generated by the district Jammu, said an officer in Srinagar Municipal Corporation (SMC). For this garbage, the SMC has only one land fill site (spread at 620 Kanlas of land) at Achen Saidapora in outskirts of Srinagar, where a 50,000 population is caught with no alternative, but to tolerate this 'nuisance'.
Health officer SMC, Dr Shafqat Khan, who is also a renowned expert in Solid Waste Management believes that unchecked urbanisation ratio in Jammu and Kashmir is one of the major causative agents of this SWM mess in the State.
"Our State's urbanisation ratio is 16.5 per cent while the same is 7 per cent at national level. With the rise in economic growth, the per capita waste generation has increased to 0.285 Kilograms in Srinagar. You can imagine the effects of this unplanned urbanisation," said Dr Khan, who is the member of Sweden based International Solid Waste Association and Jaipur based Indian Solid Waste Association.
Sources in the Jammu municipality revealed that there is no land fill site in this district and the Solid Waste along with the bio medical wastes is chucked on the banks of river Tawi.
Despite the latest trends framed by the World Bank and the union ministry for housing and urban development,ÿ Jammu and Kashmir lags behind in addressing the water and sanitation mission which talks of sanitary land fills for cities and a common sanitary landfill for regional levels.
Since there are no designated waste collection points in colonies, no designated space for installing dust bins in Srinagar, sources believe that government hardly bothers to address this grave issue. "There are only 100 dust bins in Srinagar district and in Jammu it may be 175. But there are no landfill sites at district levels. An order for another 50 dust bins was placed by the SMC but in view of their sub standard quality the entire process was stalled," sources added.
According to Dr Khan, unless the government addresses this issue with top priority, nothing will improve on the ground. "Like in Delhi, Mumbai, Chandigarh and Hyderabad where the respective Municipal Corporations have a memorandum of understanding with various foreign agencies including many Non Governmental Organisations for Solid Waste Management, it would be a breakthrough if our State government take some steps on these lines," Dr Khan opined.
He added that in order to streamline the SWM in Jammu and Kashmir, there is a dire need of a comprehensive plan which will include identification of solid waste collection points. These points, he added, should be well covered and maintained as well.
"You know the present garbage collection points have turned into breeding grounds for stray animals especially for dogs which create another nuisance. This comprehensive plan will also include up gradation of tools and equipment with which the scavengers handle the collection of garbage," the SMC health officer added.
He said that it was imperative to improve the primary collections of solid waste at house hold level, besides seeking cooperation from the public through an awareness programme.
In Srinagar there are only 1700 Scavengers even though as per the municipal limits the minimum requirement of Scavengers for 316 square kilometers is 4500, said one SMC officer pleading anonymity.
"The less number of Scavengers in Kashmir is a violation of one of the rulings from Supreme Court in this regard. Leave aside the scavengers, we have only one garbage compactor in Srinagar what can you expect from the SMC people," sources added.
Dr Khan believes that the violation of master plan is also a factor which contributes to loopholes in SWM. "You can see commercial establishments have been raised in residential areas, besides multiplexes without parking lots. This all in one or the other way contribute to the Solid Waste nuisance," Dr Khan who is an expert in SWM observed.
He predicted that time is not far away when the State government will face a crisis like situation if it failed to address the Solid Waste Management problem at this Stage. "Converting existing landfills at Achen into an engineered sanitary landfill does not make SWM a cumbersome process but the same becomes a burden on the State exchequer," Dr Khan opined.
(Mr. Syed Basharat, 29, was born in Kreeri, Baramulla, and did his schooling in Kreeri, and later in Uri and Sopore. He graduated from the Degree College in Baramulla and completed his Master's degree in Mass Communication and Journalism from the Kashmir University in 2005. He has been a reporter for Kashmir Images, a Srinagar based daily, London based website Gaashonline.Com, and a Srinagar based journal, Globe. Currently, he is working as a special correspondent with Jammu based daily newspaper, The Kashmir Times.)
Srinagar's chaotic solid waste management turning into unmanageable crisis
Srinagar: Brazen violation of master plan, high urbanisation ratio coupled with the poor infrastructure has made Solid Waste Management (SWM) in Jammu and Kashmir a classic example of chaotic situation. The experts in the field believe that if not redressed in time, the situation may turn into an unmanageable crisis.
Srinagar district alone produces 350 metric tones of solid waste every day and the same quantity is generated by the district Jammu, said an officer in Srinagar Municipal Corporation (SMC). For this garbage, the SMC has only one land fill site (spread at 620 Kanlas of land) at Achen Saidapora in outskirts of Srinagar, where a 50,000 population is caught with no alternative, but to tolerate this 'nuisance'.
Health officer SMC, Dr Shafqat Khan, who is also a renowned expert in Solid Waste Management believes that unchecked urbanisation ratio in Jammu and Kashmir is one of the major causative agents of this SWM mess in the State.
"Our State's urbanisation ratio is 16.5 per cent while the same is 7 per cent at national level. With the rise in economic growth, the per capita waste generation has increased to 0.285 Kilograms in Srinagar. You can imagine the effects of this unplanned urbanisation," said Dr Khan, who is the member of Sweden based International Solid Waste Association and Jaipur based Indian Solid Waste Association.
Sources in the Jammu municipality revealed that there is no land fill site in this district and the Solid Waste along with the bio medical wastes is chucked on the banks of river Tawi.
Despite the latest trends framed by the World Bank and the union ministry for housing and urban development,ÿ Jammu and Kashmir lags behind in addressing the water and sanitation mission which talks of sanitary land fills for cities and a common sanitary landfill for regional levels.
Since there are no designated waste collection points in colonies, no designated space for installing dust bins in Srinagar, sources believe that government hardly bothers to address this grave issue. "There are only 100 dust bins in Srinagar district and in Jammu it may be 175. But there are no landfill sites at district levels. An order for another 50 dust bins was placed by the SMC but in view of their sub standard quality the entire process was stalled," sources added.
According to Dr Khan, unless the government addresses this issue with top priority, nothing will improve on the ground. "Like in Delhi, Mumbai, Chandigarh and Hyderabad where the respective Municipal Corporations have a memorandum of understanding with various foreign agencies including many Non Governmental Organisations for Solid Waste Management, it would be a breakthrough if our State government take some steps on these lines," Dr Khan opined.
He added that in order to streamline the SWM in Jammu and Kashmir, there is a dire need of a comprehensive plan which will include identification of solid waste collection points. These points, he added, should be well covered and maintained as well.
"You know the present garbage collection points have turned into breeding grounds for stray animals especially for dogs which create another nuisance. This comprehensive plan will also include up gradation of tools and equipment with which the scavengers handle the collection of garbage," the SMC health officer added.
He said that it was imperative to improve the primary collections of solid waste at house hold level, besides seeking cooperation from the public through an awareness programme.
In Srinagar there are only 1700 Scavengers even though as per the municipal limits the minimum requirement of Scavengers for 316 square kilometers is 4500, said one SMC officer pleading anonymity.
"The less number of Scavengers in Kashmir is a violation of one of the rulings from Supreme Court in this regard. Leave aside the scavengers, we have only one garbage compactor in Srinagar what can you expect from the SMC people," sources added.
Dr Khan believes that the violation of master plan is also a factor which contributes to loopholes in SWM. "You can see commercial establishments have been raised in residential areas, besides multiplexes without parking lots. This all in one or the other way contribute to the Solid Waste nuisance," Dr Khan who is an expert in SWM observed.
He predicted that time is not far away when the State government will face a crisis like situation if it failed to address the Solid Waste Management problem at this Stage. "Converting existing landfills at Achen into an engineered sanitary landfill does not make SWM a cumbersome process but the same becomes a burden on the State exchequer," Dr Khan opined.
The "Save Hangul" (Kashmir Stag) Project
J&K Kick Starts 'Save Hangul'
Asifa Amin Koul (Kashmir Times)
SRINAGAR: Following the ringing of alarm bells about the sharp decline in the number of Kashmir Stag or Hangul, the state government has kick-started its "Save Hangul" project-a long-term captive breeding programme.
The Rs 1.67 crore project involves construction of an enclosure for the ex-situ breeding or artificial breeding of the highly endangered Hangul. According to state wildlife officials, the departmental plan has got assent by the Central Zoo Authority (CZA), an autonomous statutory body under Ministry of Environment and Forests, involved with conservation of wildlife. The plan is being undertaken by the financial assistance of CZA.
J&K chief wildlife warden, A K Srivastava told "The Kashmir Times", "We have started construction of the enclosure for the first plant in Shikargah Wildlife Conservation Reserve in Tral on an area of about five-acre as per the guidelines of CZA," adding that CZA has already released Rs 42.5 lakhs for the breeding programme.
"Besides the enclosure, the infrastructure to be set up for the breeding plant will include guard huts, watch towers, cabins for officials, pasture improvement, fencing and construction of road for round-the clock monitoring and management of Hanguls," he said.
He said the infrastructure is expected to be ready till April after which both male and female Hanguls not exceeding 10 in number and of the ratio 3:7 will be kept in the enclosure for breeding purposes.
"Once the fawns grow, they will be released into the forests after being fitted with radio collars in order to monitor their activities by the experts," he added.
When contacted Dr B R Sharma, member secretary, Central Zoo Authority, said that the funds to initiate the ex-situ breeding programme in Shikargah wildlife reserve has been released to the J&K wildlife department and depending on the success of the project, the programme will be expanded further.
Following the shocking revelation about the steep drop in their number by Wildlife Institute of India (WII), the state wildlife department is making knee-deep efforts to conserve Hangul-the only surviving breed of Red Deer family, by initiating various Hangul conservation plans. The March 2006 WII consensus estimated their numbers between 117 and 160 as against 2000 plus Hanguls in 1947. In Kashmir they are mainly found in Dachigam National Park.
The Hangul is listed as an endangered species in the Red Data Book of the international Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN). The downslide in their number, according to experts, is due to poaching, excessive grazing of livestock, forest fires and increase in the leopard population inside Dachigam Park.
Asifa Amin Koul (Kashmir Times)
SRINAGAR: Following the ringing of alarm bells about the sharp decline in the number of Kashmir Stag or Hangul, the state government has kick-started its "Save Hangul" project-a long-term captive breeding programme.
The Rs 1.67 crore project involves construction of an enclosure for the ex-situ breeding or artificial breeding of the highly endangered Hangul. According to state wildlife officials, the departmental plan has got assent by the Central Zoo Authority (CZA), an autonomous statutory body under Ministry of Environment and Forests, involved with conservation of wildlife. The plan is being undertaken by the financial assistance of CZA.
J&K chief wildlife warden, A K Srivastava told "The Kashmir Times", "We have started construction of the enclosure for the first plant in Shikargah Wildlife Conservation Reserve in Tral on an area of about five-acre as per the guidelines of CZA," adding that CZA has already released Rs 42.5 lakhs for the breeding programme.
"Besides the enclosure, the infrastructure to be set up for the breeding plant will include guard huts, watch towers, cabins for officials, pasture improvement, fencing and construction of road for round-the clock monitoring and management of Hanguls," he said.
He said the infrastructure is expected to be ready till April after which both male and female Hanguls not exceeding 10 in number and of the ratio 3:7 will be kept in the enclosure for breeding purposes.
"Once the fawns grow, they will be released into the forests after being fitted with radio collars in order to monitor their activities by the experts," he added.
When contacted Dr B R Sharma, member secretary, Central Zoo Authority, said that the funds to initiate the ex-situ breeding programme in Shikargah wildlife reserve has been released to the J&K wildlife department and depending on the success of the project, the programme will be expanded further.
Following the shocking revelation about the steep drop in their number by Wildlife Institute of India (WII), the state wildlife department is making knee-deep efforts to conserve Hangul-the only surviving breed of Red Deer family, by initiating various Hangul conservation plans. The March 2006 WII consensus estimated their numbers between 117 and 160 as against 2000 plus Hanguls in 1947. In Kashmir they are mainly found in Dachigam National Park.
The Hangul is listed as an endangered species in the Red Data Book of the international Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN). The downslide in their number, according to experts, is due to poaching, excessive grazing of livestock, forest fires and increase in the leopard population inside Dachigam Park.
Alarming Rise in Drug Abuse in Kashmir
Anantnag, Baramulla worst hit
Alarming rise in drug abuse in Kashmir
Tanveen Kawoosa (Kashmir Monitor)
Srinagar: The menace of drug abuse in Kashmir seems to be raging on and on with no apparent end seems to be in sight. Worse still is the fact that the district Anantnag tops with 45% of population consuming illicit drugs according to reports. Data provided by an NGO, Action Aid international indicates a steep rise in the consumption of illicit drugs especially by youth in the two major districts Anantnag and Baramulla.
According to study, the younger generation in the age group of 15 to 30 years is more indulged in drug abuse and males outnumber the female drug abusers in the district Anantnag. The study while quoting physician in sub-district hospital Anantnag, states that 45% of people are involved in the addiction. However, in Baramulla district, involvement of 40% of population has been reported. The uninterrupted illegal cultivation of Marijuana, Hashish, Bhang, Opium in various parts of the state in violation of the norms and laws prescribed under various legislations, is the basic cause of the spread of this menace, the study maintains The most affected areas in the district Anantnag include, Tulkhun, Sangam, Dupathyar, Sampthan, Nanil, located at a 7 km from Bijbehara. The substance used includes Poopy seeds, Phuki product of poppy, Charas, Ganja, Corex, Alprox, Diazipam. "School children being less risky group are employed for harvesting and processing of addictive substance,'' said Arjimand Hussain, Project Manager, Action Aid International "In the process they become more vulnerable to this menace,'' he adds. According to the report, doctors in the District hospital Baramulla, estimate that 40% of population are involved in the drug abuse.
The affected population mostly comprises drivers and youth from rich families. IV injection, cough syrup, alcohol, alprax and brown sugar is main addictive substance consumed. The study details that both school and college students are involved in this illicit practice. The study further alleges that the main suppliers are military camps and hotels in this district. "Several factors play a key role in initiating youth into addiction. Irrespective of their educational background drug abusers can be surprisingly ignorant of the extent of damage that addiction can cause,'' said Dr Sumeera, Sociologist She further states drugs are taking captive millions of our children, and even killing them. To prevent the present situation from further worsening, substantial measures need to be taken at the earliest. "If we don't do something right now about drug abuse, we are in danger of losing an entire generation of our children,'' adds Sumeera.
Alarming rise in drug abuse in Kashmir
Tanveen Kawoosa (Kashmir Monitor)
Srinagar: The menace of drug abuse in Kashmir seems to be raging on and on with no apparent end seems to be in sight. Worse still is the fact that the district Anantnag tops with 45% of population consuming illicit drugs according to reports. Data provided by an NGO, Action Aid international indicates a steep rise in the consumption of illicit drugs especially by youth in the two major districts Anantnag and Baramulla.
According to study, the younger generation in the age group of 15 to 30 years is more indulged in drug abuse and males outnumber the female drug abusers in the district Anantnag. The study while quoting physician in sub-district hospital Anantnag, states that 45% of people are involved in the addiction. However, in Baramulla district, involvement of 40% of population has been reported. The uninterrupted illegal cultivation of Marijuana, Hashish, Bhang, Opium in various parts of the state in violation of the norms and laws prescribed under various legislations, is the basic cause of the spread of this menace, the study maintains The most affected areas in the district Anantnag include, Tulkhun, Sangam, Dupathyar, Sampthan, Nanil, located at a 7 km from Bijbehara. The substance used includes Poopy seeds, Phuki product of poppy, Charas, Ganja, Corex, Alprox, Diazipam. "School children being less risky group are employed for harvesting and processing of addictive substance,'' said Arjimand Hussain, Project Manager, Action Aid International "In the process they become more vulnerable to this menace,'' he adds. According to the report, doctors in the District hospital Baramulla, estimate that 40% of population are involved in the drug abuse.
The affected population mostly comprises drivers and youth from rich families. IV injection, cough syrup, alcohol, alprax and brown sugar is main addictive substance consumed. The study details that both school and college students are involved in this illicit practice. The study further alleges that the main suppliers are military camps and hotels in this district. "Several factors play a key role in initiating youth into addiction. Irrespective of their educational background drug abusers can be surprisingly ignorant of the extent of damage that addiction can cause,'' said Dr Sumeera, Sociologist She further states drugs are taking captive millions of our children, and even killing them. To prevent the present situation from further worsening, substantial measures need to be taken at the earliest. "If we don't do something right now about drug abuse, we are in danger of losing an entire generation of our children,'' adds Sumeera.
Improper Disposal of Biomedical Waste is Another Disaster in the Making
Biomedical waste poses a great threat to the general health in our valley
Wake up to challenge
Iftikar Rashid Wani (Rising Kashmir)
Some days back I happened to visit one of the biggest hospitals of our valley. To my utter surprise I found heaps of garbage and littered in every corner of the hospital, much like the roads of Kashmir. My unease drove me to the dump where I felt disturbed because of the presence of Biomedical waste which was lying un-incinerated, perhaps from many days together. Biomedical wastes, which are generated during the diagnosis, treatment or immunization of human beings, including human anatomical waste, micro-biology and biotechnology waste, discarded medicines and cyto-toxic drugs, solid wastes, liquid wastes etcetera have now become the matter of great concern because it has been found that hundreds of diseases are caused due to the infection originating from such wastes.
One should not get confused between Biomedical and other wastes. Biomedical wastes have deadly impact on human beings. Every day valley dumps thousands of tones of the toxic waste on land effecting air and water also. The domestic wastes exacerbate the situation; however, the most serious problem arises due to the dumping of hazardous hospital wastes without any treatment.
In Kashmir valley there are 1536 government health care centers, including 8 district and 48 sub district hospitals, besides hundreds of nursing homes, clinics, private hospitals, diagnostic laboratories, dental clinics which contribute to the wastes of Biomedical origin. This type of waste forms 10-20% of the total waste of Kashmir valley. In Srinagar city alone there are 10 big hospitals which generate about 12,000 kgs of biomedical waste per day which is in addition to 350 metric tones which the residents of Srinagar contribute by way of day to day domestic waste. While analyzing the water qualities of certain polluted water bodies of Kashmir it has been found that the wastes like saturated items dripping with blood and body fluids, discarded medical equipments, soiled cotton, plasters and autopsy wastes are the major hazards as they provide fertile environment for harmful micro-organisms to multiply.
In the recent years, Kashmir valley has witnessed the rise in water borne diseases because of the water contamination due to the presence of pathogens like Escherichia, Salmonella, Vibro Hepatitis, and Shigella which remain active until incinerated. Recently there was an outbreak of water borne diseases in district Bandipora also due the dumping of Biomedical wastes from civilian and army authorities in the water bodies of Bandipora. The list of diseases caused due to improper disposal of hospital wastes are endless, however AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, Tuberculosis, Bronchitis Gastroenteritis, eye and skin related diseases deserve a special mention. On the one hand the life expectancy is increasing day by day but on the other there are more deaths due to these infections.
A study conducted by WHO reveals that more than 50,000 people die every day from infectious diseases, the cause is simple that there is lack of awareness in the public regarding the Biomedical wastes and the risks exposed due to discarded needles, syringes and other medical waste together with municipal garbage bins at disposal sites. Aren't the frequent reports in various news papers of Kashmir, highlighting the mental agony and health problems because of the large waste dumping site, enough to shake the responsible authorities off sleep. Near the waste dump sites few people try to pick rags to make their living out of it. These rag pickers are exposed to the risk of injuries from contaminated needles and other sharp objects.
It is surprising on part of the health care centers that their administrators are least bothered about the disposal of biomedical wastes. There are not even separate biomedical waste bins for the collection of the wastes in the wards of the health care systems and off course no question arises pertaining to the functional autoclaves, incinerators or latest STPS. On an average these infectious wastes are stored in the hospitals for more than 48 hours and after that they may be burnt in open or handed over to Srinagar Municipal Council for its disposal.
But no body asks The Lal Ded Maternity Hospital with 500 beds capacity (which is always in news for wrong reasons) how it poses threat than healing its inmates. It generates those wastes which include human anatomical waste (placenta, etc) and are thrown away on the banks of river Jehlum besides dumping it in the compound for many days which was observed by Chief Minister himself. Same is the case with SKIMS which is the main cause of dying Anchar Lake and other water bodies.
It is the mismanagement of the administration in the hospitals, lack of commitment, and non availability of scientific instruments, which is resulting in a state of crisis. Because of the failure of proper disposal of Biomedical wastes four problems arise; I. non-destruction of infectious pathogens, 2. illegal recycling of disposable hospital items like syringes, catheters, plastic bottles, blood bags, 3. making of quilts from soiled cottons , bandages and 4. direct bodily contact of the sanitary staff which handles the infectious waste without having any protective gear and rag pickers which with infectious material. These problems need immediate attention by government authorities who seem to be least bothered over this sensitive issue.
With the introduction of modern medical practice the biomedical wastes would get piled up in coming times. The condition that Kashmir valley is going through demands special attention to this problem. In normalcy if the hospitals generate such a huge percentage of these wastes what should be the level of the production of such waste in the present day circumstance. It has been estimated that there will be a growth of 8% of such waste annually in peaceful atmosphere assuming that each bed of the hospital generates about 2 kgs of such wastes. Is the government of Jammu and Kashmir ready to face the worst situation? Infact there has developed a relationship of hatred between the Municipal authorities and the people residing near the dumping site, what will happen if it spreads to other areas. Valley needs to prepare herself for the rising crisis if things remain unchanged.
We know, in Kashmir, the mass causalities and injuries are common, hundreds of blood transfusions are administered to the patients, can any body guarantee the safe quality of these bottles, bags and other such materials when there is constant threat from people having ulterior motives of reusing such materiel, because of the absence of incinerators, ovens and any other mechanism through which such material could have been disposed off. Perhaps answer is in negative. Now time has come when government should wake up from deep slumber and try to correct the derailed system on war footing, other wise outbreak of epidemic is waiting with open arms bear hug us.
Wake up to challenge
Iftikar Rashid Wani (Rising Kashmir)
Some days back I happened to visit one of the biggest hospitals of our valley. To my utter surprise I found heaps of garbage and littered in every corner of the hospital, much like the roads of Kashmir. My unease drove me to the dump where I felt disturbed because of the presence of Biomedical waste which was lying un-incinerated, perhaps from many days together. Biomedical wastes, which are generated during the diagnosis, treatment or immunization of human beings, including human anatomical waste, micro-biology and biotechnology waste, discarded medicines and cyto-toxic drugs, solid wastes, liquid wastes etcetera have now become the matter of great concern because it has been found that hundreds of diseases are caused due to the infection originating from such wastes.
One should not get confused between Biomedical and other wastes. Biomedical wastes have deadly impact on human beings. Every day valley dumps thousands of tones of the toxic waste on land effecting air and water also. The domestic wastes exacerbate the situation; however, the most serious problem arises due to the dumping of hazardous hospital wastes without any treatment.
In Kashmir valley there are 1536 government health care centers, including 8 district and 48 sub district hospitals, besides hundreds of nursing homes, clinics, private hospitals, diagnostic laboratories, dental clinics which contribute to the wastes of Biomedical origin. This type of waste forms 10-20% of the total waste of Kashmir valley. In Srinagar city alone there are 10 big hospitals which generate about 12,000 kgs of biomedical waste per day which is in addition to 350 metric tones which the residents of Srinagar contribute by way of day to day domestic waste. While analyzing the water qualities of certain polluted water bodies of Kashmir it has been found that the wastes like saturated items dripping with blood and body fluids, discarded medical equipments, soiled cotton, plasters and autopsy wastes are the major hazards as they provide fertile environment for harmful micro-organisms to multiply.
In the recent years, Kashmir valley has witnessed the rise in water borne diseases because of the water contamination due to the presence of pathogens like Escherichia, Salmonella, Vibro Hepatitis, and Shigella which remain active until incinerated. Recently there was an outbreak of water borne diseases in district Bandipora also due the dumping of Biomedical wastes from civilian and army authorities in the water bodies of Bandipora. The list of diseases caused due to improper disposal of hospital wastes are endless, however AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, Tuberculosis, Bronchitis Gastroenteritis, eye and skin related diseases deserve a special mention. On the one hand the life expectancy is increasing day by day but on the other there are more deaths due to these infections.
A study conducted by WHO reveals that more than 50,000 people die every day from infectious diseases, the cause is simple that there is lack of awareness in the public regarding the Biomedical wastes and the risks exposed due to discarded needles, syringes and other medical waste together with municipal garbage bins at disposal sites. Aren't the frequent reports in various news papers of Kashmir, highlighting the mental agony and health problems because of the large waste dumping site, enough to shake the responsible authorities off sleep. Near the waste dump sites few people try to pick rags to make their living out of it. These rag pickers are exposed to the risk of injuries from contaminated needles and other sharp objects.
It is surprising on part of the health care centers that their administrators are least bothered about the disposal of biomedical wastes. There are not even separate biomedical waste bins for the collection of the wastes in the wards of the health care systems and off course no question arises pertaining to the functional autoclaves, incinerators or latest STPS. On an average these infectious wastes are stored in the hospitals for more than 48 hours and after that they may be burnt in open or handed over to Srinagar Municipal Council for its disposal.
But no body asks The Lal Ded Maternity Hospital with 500 beds capacity (which is always in news for wrong reasons) how it poses threat than healing its inmates. It generates those wastes which include human anatomical waste (placenta, etc) and are thrown away on the banks of river Jehlum besides dumping it in the compound for many days which was observed by Chief Minister himself. Same is the case with SKIMS which is the main cause of dying Anchar Lake and other water bodies.
It is the mismanagement of the administration in the hospitals, lack of commitment, and non availability of scientific instruments, which is resulting in a state of crisis. Because of the failure of proper disposal of Biomedical wastes four problems arise; I. non-destruction of infectious pathogens, 2. illegal recycling of disposable hospital items like syringes, catheters, plastic bottles, blood bags, 3. making of quilts from soiled cottons , bandages and 4. direct bodily contact of the sanitary staff which handles the infectious waste without having any protective gear and rag pickers which with infectious material. These problems need immediate attention by government authorities who seem to be least bothered over this sensitive issue.
With the introduction of modern medical practice the biomedical wastes would get piled up in coming times. The condition that Kashmir valley is going through demands special attention to this problem. In normalcy if the hospitals generate such a huge percentage of these wastes what should be the level of the production of such waste in the present day circumstance. It has been estimated that there will be a growth of 8% of such waste annually in peaceful atmosphere assuming that each bed of the hospital generates about 2 kgs of such wastes. Is the government of Jammu and Kashmir ready to face the worst situation? Infact there has developed a relationship of hatred between the Municipal authorities and the people residing near the dumping site, what will happen if it spreads to other areas. Valley needs to prepare herself for the rising crisis if things remain unchanged.
We know, in Kashmir, the mass causalities and injuries are common, hundreds of blood transfusions are administered to the patients, can any body guarantee the safe quality of these bottles, bags and other such materials when there is constant threat from people having ulterior motives of reusing such materiel, because of the absence of incinerators, ovens and any other mechanism through which such material could have been disposed off. Perhaps answer is in negative. Now time has come when government should wake up from deep slumber and try to correct the derailed system on war footing, other wise outbreak of epidemic is waiting with open arms bear hug us.
Reinventing Character amd Ethics in a Modern Age
Afshana uses the parody of a make-believe princess to drive home a point
(Ms. Syeda Afshana, 35, was born in Srinagar. She attended the Vishwa Bharti High School in Rainawari, Srinagar, and the Government Women's College in Srinagar where she received a B.Sc. degree. She completed her Master's degree in Mass Communication and Journalism from the Kashmir University in 1999 and was the Gold Medallist (first position holder) in her graduating class. She is currently a Lecturer in the Media Education Research Centre (MERC) of the Kashmir University and pursuing her doctorate on the role of internet after 9/11.)
Cinderella and Beauty unravel the world of crude realities
Next morning bright
and early as always I awoke.
I saw my parent sleeping.
I thought it was a joke.
Wakeup, wake up! I shouted!
You've slept enough, I'd say.
What year is it? asked Mother.
Same year as yesterday.
We didn't sleep
a hundred years?
The Witch did us no harm?
She couldn't, I said proudly,
'Cause I set the alarm.
Sleepless Beauty
(Viking, 1996)
Cinderella is simpleton. An unlucky girl with disregarded merit and
beauty. She is despised because she is not cunning. She is maltreated
because she is not pretentious. Her step-sisters give her hell and
even get their eyes pecked out by doves out of malice. But Cinderella
endures everything silently until fairies come to her succour and
magic turns wind in her favour. More precisely, it's a magical
windfall and the fairy tale ends. Cinderella lives happily ever after.
Even today fairy tales end on happy notes. One of the most successful
contemporary revisions is Frances Minter's light-hearted Sleepless
Beauty. Written in verse and exquisitely illustrated, it stars a
resourceful Beauty who saves herself and also gets her prince.
This Beauty grows up in a swank Manhattan apartment. After she pricks
her finger on the needle attached to an old time vinyl record player
brought by a witch who crashes her 14th birthday party, she falls
asleep. However, in this tale, Beauty calls the shots.
Beauty writes a thank-you note to the comely rocker whose music helped
her fool the wicked stranger. They meet, and the rest is a fairy-tale
history.
Sleepless Beauty has an interesting crunch in it: the witch is creepy,
the threat is real, and Beauty triumphs romantically in the end. The
whole tale reworks just one popular rendering of Sleepless Beauty – a
sage of many incarnations. Unlike a passive heroine Cinderella, there
is a progressive twist in the character of Beauty who is a 'doer',
subverting traditional scenarios in order to skewer the values that
Cinderella reinforced sometimes back.
This paradigm shift, even in fairy tales, implies many a point. The
foremost is that the world is not same. And it won't be ever. Change
is something inevitable. Cinderella has not died. The fact is that she
is no more wanted. An embodiment of virtues, a paragon of
truthfulness, and a byword of nobility—Cinderella is confined to
archives. Beauty has stolen the march. She is on the stage, glittering
under the flash-bulbs, swaying the world with her bold persona. Yes,
she's bold!! Rather bold and beautiful. No hang-ups, no hesitations;
striking the iron when it's hottest, unmindful about burning of
fingers and carrying the day impudently. This is the quintessence of
Beauty. Witches won't stop her and world she won't leave. Pain she
cannot endure but prince she can entice.
The character of Beauty is all-alluring. Don't think she is 'Revamped
Cinderella'. She is Beauty out and out. No white dress, no long hair,
no golden wings, no magic wand: Beauty is bereft of all such frippery.
She is more or less a playboy. She thinks not of bees and butterflies,
but burgers and burgundy. She dreams not of flowers and fragrances,
but of fads and fans. Reason is her anathema; ardour her manna. Love
is her pet dog; lust her pet toy. She is the fast worker for she knows
the art of fast-talk. Relations matter only when they suffice her
interest. She is faintly amused to see emotions fluttering aimlessly
in the dust. Time is her slave, she rides it like a queen and whips it
like a sturdy horse woman.
Cinderella is antipathic. She is everything save Beauty. Her image
evokes no razzle-dazzle. She has gathered an anachronistic halo. She
is no oil painting but she symbolizes something living, pulsating and
seeing. Small wonder, Cinderella today seems unhappy even as her tale
has been rolled up, long back. She is witness to the pitiful
devaluation of her character. Every aspect belonging to her has met a
steep down slide. Something really seems jinxing Cinderella. Her
spoiled rival Beauty has rendered her a cockshy. People disdain her.
She fails to appeal their ogling eyes and appease their sentimental
loitering. More pathetic is the way she feels sorry about her
generation that has morphed into sheer "also-ran generation."
Perhaps, Cinderella epitomizes something that is never ancient
history. Some characters remain as ever. They don't just represent any
airy-fairy thinking but there is a complete ideology behind them. Mr.
Man Friday of Robinson Crusoe is still a password of loyalty. Dr.
Jekyll and Mr. Hyde still depict the duality inhuman nature. Lucy of
Wordsworth still resonates selfless love. Characters are not mere
contrived creations, they are connatural conceptions. They are born
because they exist somewhere around, and keep existing endlessly with
several changing add-ons.
So, no pink elephants around. Cinderella sans a fairy touch is a jolly
decent girl existing in our tangible, real world in a miniscule
proportion. She is anguished and concerned about us: the one of her
ilk. The truth is that we aren't like Cinderella. We've changed our
roles and we've come a long way since Sleepless Beauty. Even though we
hold on to smiles and songs, dreams and desires, we actually make lots
of hard choices and cry fewer tears. Stolidly oriented, we see nothing
beyond mirrors. We don't deserve Cinderella's concern. She needs not
to feel pity for us. She should value and preserve her tears for some
good cause.
Please Cinderella, don't cry for us!
(Ms. Syeda Afshana, 35, was born in Srinagar. She attended the Vishwa Bharti High School in Rainawari, Srinagar, and the Government Women's College in Srinagar where she received a B.Sc. degree. She completed her Master's degree in Mass Communication and Journalism from the Kashmir University in 1999 and was the Gold Medallist (first position holder) in her graduating class. She is currently a Lecturer in the Media Education Research Centre (MERC) of the Kashmir University and pursuing her doctorate on the role of internet after 9/11.)
Cinderella and Beauty unravel the world of crude realities
Next morning bright
and early as always I awoke.
I saw my parent sleeping.
I thought it was a joke.
Wakeup, wake up! I shouted!
You've slept enough, I'd say.
What year is it? asked Mother.
Same year as yesterday.
We didn't sleep
a hundred years?
The Witch did us no harm?
She couldn't, I said proudly,
'Cause I set the alarm.
Sleepless Beauty
(Viking, 1996)
Cinderella is simpleton. An unlucky girl with disregarded merit and
beauty. She is despised because she is not cunning. She is maltreated
because she is not pretentious. Her step-sisters give her hell and
even get their eyes pecked out by doves out of malice. But Cinderella
endures everything silently until fairies come to her succour and
magic turns wind in her favour. More precisely, it's a magical
windfall and the fairy tale ends. Cinderella lives happily ever after.
Even today fairy tales end on happy notes. One of the most successful
contemporary revisions is Frances Minter's light-hearted Sleepless
Beauty. Written in verse and exquisitely illustrated, it stars a
resourceful Beauty who saves herself and also gets her prince.
This Beauty grows up in a swank Manhattan apartment. After she pricks
her finger on the needle attached to an old time vinyl record player
brought by a witch who crashes her 14th birthday party, she falls
asleep. However, in this tale, Beauty calls the shots.
Beauty writes a thank-you note to the comely rocker whose music helped
her fool the wicked stranger. They meet, and the rest is a fairy-tale
history.
Sleepless Beauty has an interesting crunch in it: the witch is creepy,
the threat is real, and Beauty triumphs romantically in the end. The
whole tale reworks just one popular rendering of Sleepless Beauty – a
sage of many incarnations. Unlike a passive heroine Cinderella, there
is a progressive twist in the character of Beauty who is a 'doer',
subverting traditional scenarios in order to skewer the values that
Cinderella reinforced sometimes back.
This paradigm shift, even in fairy tales, implies many a point. The
foremost is that the world is not same. And it won't be ever. Change
is something inevitable. Cinderella has not died. The fact is that she
is no more wanted. An embodiment of virtues, a paragon of
truthfulness, and a byword of nobility—Cinderella is confined to
archives. Beauty has stolen the march. She is on the stage, glittering
under the flash-bulbs, swaying the world with her bold persona. Yes,
she's bold!! Rather bold and beautiful. No hang-ups, no hesitations;
striking the iron when it's hottest, unmindful about burning of
fingers and carrying the day impudently. This is the quintessence of
Beauty. Witches won't stop her and world she won't leave. Pain she
cannot endure but prince she can entice.
The character of Beauty is all-alluring. Don't think she is 'Revamped
Cinderella'. She is Beauty out and out. No white dress, no long hair,
no golden wings, no magic wand: Beauty is bereft of all such frippery.
She is more or less a playboy. She thinks not of bees and butterflies,
but burgers and burgundy. She dreams not of flowers and fragrances,
but of fads and fans. Reason is her anathema; ardour her manna. Love
is her pet dog; lust her pet toy. She is the fast worker for she knows
the art of fast-talk. Relations matter only when they suffice her
interest. She is faintly amused to see emotions fluttering aimlessly
in the dust. Time is her slave, she rides it like a queen and whips it
like a sturdy horse woman.
Cinderella is antipathic. She is everything save Beauty. Her image
evokes no razzle-dazzle. She has gathered an anachronistic halo. She
is no oil painting but she symbolizes something living, pulsating and
seeing. Small wonder, Cinderella today seems unhappy even as her tale
has been rolled up, long back. She is witness to the pitiful
devaluation of her character. Every aspect belonging to her has met a
steep down slide. Something really seems jinxing Cinderella. Her
spoiled rival Beauty has rendered her a cockshy. People disdain her.
She fails to appeal their ogling eyes and appease their sentimental
loitering. More pathetic is the way she feels sorry about her
generation that has morphed into sheer "also-ran generation."
Perhaps, Cinderella epitomizes something that is never ancient
history. Some characters remain as ever. They don't just represent any
airy-fairy thinking but there is a complete ideology behind them. Mr.
Man Friday of Robinson Crusoe is still a password of loyalty. Dr.
Jekyll and Mr. Hyde still depict the duality inhuman nature. Lucy of
Wordsworth still resonates selfless love. Characters are not mere
contrived creations, they are connatural conceptions. They are born
because they exist somewhere around, and keep existing endlessly with
several changing add-ons.
So, no pink elephants around. Cinderella sans a fairy touch is a jolly
decent girl existing in our tangible, real world in a miniscule
proportion. She is anguished and concerned about us: the one of her
ilk. The truth is that we aren't like Cinderella. We've changed our
roles and we've come a long way since Sleepless Beauty. Even though we
hold on to smiles and songs, dreams and desires, we actually make lots
of hard choices and cry fewer tears. Stolidly oriented, we see nothing
beyond mirrors. We don't deserve Cinderella's concern. She needs not
to feel pity for us. She should value and preserve her tears for some
good cause.
Please Cinderella, don't cry for us!
An Agenda for the Omar Abdullah Government
Amitabh Proposes an Agenda
(Dr. Amitabh Mattoo, 47, was born in Srinagar. He received his education from the Burn Hall School in Srinagar, the Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi, and earned a D. Phil in International Relations from the University of Oxford, United Kingdom. He is currently a Professor of International Politics at New Delhi's Jawaharlal Nehru University and a Member of the National Knowledge Commission. From November 2002 until early December 2008, Amitabh Mattoo was also the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Jammu, the youngest person ever to serve on this position. Professor Mattoo serves on the Governing council of Pugwash, and was, till recently, a member of India's National Security Council's Advisory Board, and a member of the task force constituted by Indian Prime on Global Strategic Developments. He has been Chairperson of the Centre for International Politics, Organization and Disarmament at the Jawaharlal Nehru University.)
Stitching a New 'Pheran': An Agenda for the Omar Abdullah Govt
One of the most abiding symbols of Kashmiri culture is the pheran. A combination of an over-coat and a gown, the pheran is a great leveler. For generations, all sections of Kashmiri society – the young and the old, men and women, Pandits and Muslims, the aristocratic and the subaltern – have depended on this long and loose robe to protect and comfort them in the harshest of winters.
This traditional Kashmiri dress has, of course, been both a symbol of resistance and haute couture. The militant's Kalashnikov virtually disappeared under the crease-less layers of the tweed variant, while embroidered pashmina designer-pherans have rarely been out of fashion even in Paris's Gallery Lafayette. Not surprisingly then, the pheran is also a potent acronym for the agenda that the new Omar Abdullah led National Conference-Congress coalition government should follow, with each one of the alphabets expanding into a weighty policy direction: planning, human rights, education, reconciliation, autonomy/ self-rule, and a new culture of governance. The Omar Abdullah government must begin the exercise of stitching this new pheran within the first 100-days of his government.
Jammu and Kashmir does, in a manner of saying, conduct an extensive planning exercise. But like much else in the state, the reality is starkly different. The evidence is not difficult to find. Earlier this week, the Financial Commissioner Planning and Development Department, presumably to endear himself to the new government, delivered a lecture in which he pompously declared that Jammu and Kashmir has pioneered planning decentralization in the country by creating district development boards. In fact, the planning department is the most over-centralized, inefficient, and idiosyncratic part of the government. Other than token meetings, there is rarely any significant consultation with stakeholders. Bureaucratic adhocism and administrative anarchy, are the liet motifs of the planning process in the state. Not surprisingly, there is a disconnect between the planning process and the people.
Omar Abdullah has signaled that he may set up a planning board, and this would be a very important initiative with far-reaching implications. The planning board must be manned, however, by primarily professional economists (and sociologists) and those who understand the importance of a more imaginative, organic, and a truly decentralized perspective to planning, especially from the NGO sector. The Planning Board must also be entrusted with developing a "Vision-2015" for Jammu and Kashmir which should reflect the aspirations of the people, and the government's commitment to realizing them within the next six years.
One of the most sensitive areas where the new government will be tested is the issue of human rights. Will the new government be able to strike the right balance between ensuring the dignity of the average citizen while continuing the fight against militancy and terrorism? There are four fronts on which the new government can and must act. First, the state human rights commission must be given real teeth. This should be possible through an immediate ordinance, so that citizens get greater confidence in the Commission. Second, the government must plead with the centre to seriously review the applicability of some of the draconian laws and gradually repeal them, district by district, if not in their entirety right away. Third, it is time to consider giving general amnesty to all political detainees from the state. Finally, ensuring the dignity and human rights of the Kashmiri Pandits must also form a centre-piece of the agenda of the new government.
Investing in Education, training and skill development have to be part of the fundamentals of the new government if it has to take advantage of the huge demographic dividend in the state. The youth can become the state's greatest strength, its soft power, in the years to come. Jammu and Kashmir – as we know - has witnessed, in recent years, a massive expansion of educational infrastructure from the school to the University level. At the higher-education level itself there are seven universities, more than 200 colleges and 14 off-site campuses. Much of this expansion, however, has been unregulated and there has been little attention paid to issues of academic direction, equity, excellence, public-private partnership and the needs of the market. The state has, consequently, witnessed high levels of educated unemployment and low levels of vocationally skilled human resources.
In order to ensure that education promotes employability, knowledge creation and its application in areas critical to Jammu and Kashmir like information and communication technology, agriculture, tourism, health and – most important- in the area of governance and work culture - there is a need to initiate key reforms in the education and knowledge sector. It is imperative also to create a broad policy framework and a monitoring and regulatory mechanism that can facilitate Jammu and Kashmir's movement towards truly becoming a "knowledge society and a knowledge economy."
It is essential also to give the youth of Jammu and Kashmir a greater stake in the country's booming knowledge economy. Public-private partnerships are also needed to enhance international connectivity by extending broad-band access in the state – with stronger incentives provided through the existing universal access funds for telecommunications. Given the geography of the state, and its growing endowments of skills, electronic exports of services may play a more significant role in its beneficial economic integration than the export of apples and handicrafts.
The state has rarely been as polarized as before, and, let us face it, with both a regional and a religious divide. Reconciliation should not remain a slogan but become a reality. It cannot merely be the embroidery on the pheran, but become part of the fabric itself. There is the need for multiple reconciliations at various levels : within the valley between the Kashmiri Pandits and the Kashmiri Muslims and between the separatists and those within the mainstream; between the valley and Jammu and Ladakh; and between the sub-regions in Ladakh and Jammu. While a reconciliation commission may be a formal mechanism needed to institutionalse the process of dialogue and revive the bonds of tolerance, pluralism and togetherness, much more can and needs to be done at the civil society level. The state can act as a facilitator and promoter of this people-to-people reconciliation.
In the long term, dealing seriously with the issue of autonomy, self rule and regional balance are critical . While key decisions on these contentious issues may have to await backing from New Delhi, the state government must initiate a dialogue on them between stakeholders from all over the state. The government must not hold its own views/ reports on the issue sacrosanct, but generate real creative thinking on these issues while considering other models and experiences in other parts of the country and the world.
Finally, the new government must initiate a new work culture and a new culture of governance that is rooted in the politics of positivism. This new culture must seek to channelise the immense talent within the state through inspirational leadership, which learns from the past, but does not remain a prisoner to past divisiveness and bitterness.
(Dr. Amitabh Mattoo, 47, was born in Srinagar. He received his education from the Burn Hall School in Srinagar, the Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi, and earned a D. Phil in International Relations from the University of Oxford, United Kingdom. He is currently a Professor of International Politics at New Delhi's Jawaharlal Nehru University and a Member of the National Knowledge Commission. From November 2002 until early December 2008, Amitabh Mattoo was also the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Jammu, the youngest person ever to serve on this position. Professor Mattoo serves on the Governing council of Pugwash, and was, till recently, a member of India's National Security Council's Advisory Board, and a member of the task force constituted by Indian Prime on Global Strategic Developments. He has been Chairperson of the Centre for International Politics, Organization and Disarmament at the Jawaharlal Nehru University.)
Stitching a New 'Pheran': An Agenda for the Omar Abdullah Govt
One of the most abiding symbols of Kashmiri culture is the pheran. A combination of an over-coat and a gown, the pheran is a great leveler. For generations, all sections of Kashmiri society – the young and the old, men and women, Pandits and Muslims, the aristocratic and the subaltern – have depended on this long and loose robe to protect and comfort them in the harshest of winters.
This traditional Kashmiri dress has, of course, been both a symbol of resistance and haute couture. The militant's Kalashnikov virtually disappeared under the crease-less layers of the tweed variant, while embroidered pashmina designer-pherans have rarely been out of fashion even in Paris's Gallery Lafayette. Not surprisingly then, the pheran is also a potent acronym for the agenda that the new Omar Abdullah led National Conference-Congress coalition government should follow, with each one of the alphabets expanding into a weighty policy direction: planning, human rights, education, reconciliation, autonomy/ self-rule, and a new culture of governance. The Omar Abdullah government must begin the exercise of stitching this new pheran within the first 100-days of his government.
Jammu and Kashmir does, in a manner of saying, conduct an extensive planning exercise. But like much else in the state, the reality is starkly different. The evidence is not difficult to find. Earlier this week, the Financial Commissioner Planning and Development Department, presumably to endear himself to the new government, delivered a lecture in which he pompously declared that Jammu and Kashmir has pioneered planning decentralization in the country by creating district development boards. In fact, the planning department is the most over-centralized, inefficient, and idiosyncratic part of the government. Other than token meetings, there is rarely any significant consultation with stakeholders. Bureaucratic adhocism and administrative anarchy, are the liet motifs of the planning process in the state. Not surprisingly, there is a disconnect between the planning process and the people.
Omar Abdullah has signaled that he may set up a planning board, and this would be a very important initiative with far-reaching implications. The planning board must be manned, however, by primarily professional economists (and sociologists) and those who understand the importance of a more imaginative, organic, and a truly decentralized perspective to planning, especially from the NGO sector. The Planning Board must also be entrusted with developing a "Vision-2015" for Jammu and Kashmir which should reflect the aspirations of the people, and the government's commitment to realizing them within the next six years.
One of the most sensitive areas where the new government will be tested is the issue of human rights. Will the new government be able to strike the right balance between ensuring the dignity of the average citizen while continuing the fight against militancy and terrorism? There are four fronts on which the new government can and must act. First, the state human rights commission must be given real teeth. This should be possible through an immediate ordinance, so that citizens get greater confidence in the Commission. Second, the government must plead with the centre to seriously review the applicability of some of the draconian laws and gradually repeal them, district by district, if not in their entirety right away. Third, it is time to consider giving general amnesty to all political detainees from the state. Finally, ensuring the dignity and human rights of the Kashmiri Pandits must also form a centre-piece of the agenda of the new government.
Investing in Education, training and skill development have to be part of the fundamentals of the new government if it has to take advantage of the huge demographic dividend in the state. The youth can become the state's greatest strength, its soft power, in the years to come. Jammu and Kashmir – as we know - has witnessed, in recent years, a massive expansion of educational infrastructure from the school to the University level. At the higher-education level itself there are seven universities, more than 200 colleges and 14 off-site campuses. Much of this expansion, however, has been unregulated and there has been little attention paid to issues of academic direction, equity, excellence, public-private partnership and the needs of the market. The state has, consequently, witnessed high levels of educated unemployment and low levels of vocationally skilled human resources.
In order to ensure that education promotes employability, knowledge creation and its application in areas critical to Jammu and Kashmir like information and communication technology, agriculture, tourism, health and – most important- in the area of governance and work culture - there is a need to initiate key reforms in the education and knowledge sector. It is imperative also to create a broad policy framework and a monitoring and regulatory mechanism that can facilitate Jammu and Kashmir's movement towards truly becoming a "knowledge society and a knowledge economy."
It is essential also to give the youth of Jammu and Kashmir a greater stake in the country's booming knowledge economy. Public-private partnerships are also needed to enhance international connectivity by extending broad-band access in the state – with stronger incentives provided through the existing universal access funds for telecommunications. Given the geography of the state, and its growing endowments of skills, electronic exports of services may play a more significant role in its beneficial economic integration than the export of apples and handicrafts.
The state has rarely been as polarized as before, and, let us face it, with both a regional and a religious divide. Reconciliation should not remain a slogan but become a reality. It cannot merely be the embroidery on the pheran, but become part of the fabric itself. There is the need for multiple reconciliations at various levels : within the valley between the Kashmiri Pandits and the Kashmiri Muslims and between the separatists and those within the mainstream; between the valley and Jammu and Ladakh; and between the sub-regions in Ladakh and Jammu. While a reconciliation commission may be a formal mechanism needed to institutionalse the process of dialogue and revive the bonds of tolerance, pluralism and togetherness, much more can and needs to be done at the civil society level. The state can act as a facilitator and promoter of this people-to-people reconciliation.
In the long term, dealing seriously with the issue of autonomy, self rule and regional balance are critical . While key decisions on these contentious issues may have to await backing from New Delhi, the state government must initiate a dialogue on them between stakeholders from all over the state. The government must not hold its own views/ reports on the issue sacrosanct, but generate real creative thinking on these issues while considering other models and experiences in other parts of the country and the world.
Finally, the new government must initiate a new work culture and a new culture of governance that is rooted in the politics of positivism. This new culture must seek to channelise the immense talent within the state through inspirational leadership, which learns from the past, but does not remain a prisoner to past divisiveness and bitterness.
Triangulating Omar's Future
Riyaz provides an interesting perspective
(Mr. Riyaz Masroor, 37, was born and raised in Srinagar. He is a Srinagar based journalist who writes in English, Urdu and kashmiri. Besides working in the local press, his articles have appeared on BBC Radio online, Himal Southasia and the Journal of International Federation of Journalists.)
Omar! Enjoy the grace period
Two days ahead of assuming office as the youngest chief minister of J&K, Omar Abdullah called on the former chief minister Mufti Muhammad Sayeed and sought his guidance as well as support for a challenging task he was about to take upon.
The otherwise reticent Mufti, whose distaste for Abdullahs is all too well known, wished him "good future" and hoped that the new government delivered on every front under the new leadership. Syed Ali Geelani, the uncompromising face of Kashmir separatism, had already sounded soft toward Omar when he wanted him to "deliver on promises" and obliquely complimented him for being the youngest ever CM. Mirwaiz Umar, whose party Awami Action Committee over past decades, especially during the Lion-Goat tussle of seventies, has almost embodied the politics of NC-bashing, also hurled an unexpectedly sober response. Mirwaiz, the youngest of all separatist stalwarts, urged his counterpart on other side to "deliver on promises" he had made during the poll campaign. Later, when Omar was being administered oath of office in Jammu on January 5, Mirwaiz, speaking at a seminar about self-determination in Srinagar, asked the young Abdullah to "represent Kashmir in Delhi rather than Delhi in Kashmir". BJP's J&K chapter is yet to sound out on Omar Abdullah's ascendance however its leading lights, Ashok Khujoria and Chaman Lal Gupta attended the swearing in ceremony and exchanged pleasantries with Mahbooba Mufti and Choudhary Aslam. BJP is yet to convene legislative party meeting and appears in a dilemma if it should pin down Omar at the very outset. And above all, despite a loud debate around why people voted close on the heels of a blazing street campaign against India, United Jihad Council remained content with its response to the Israeli aggression in Gaza, it did not have a word on the political changeover in Kashmir, its main forte.
Such a positive beginning should augur well for Omar but all this good talk has brought with it the challenge of meeting the expectations, which are running rife on either side of the political divide. From New Delhi (read Congress) to Mufti Sayeed (PDP is now single) and from separatist to militant camp, all key actors of Kashmir's labyrinthine politics appear in virtual agreement over the need to give Omar at least the margin of being the first-timer. Does it mean that our politics is finally maturing or it is like the levers are being moved from somewhere else? Any attempt to answer this would lapse into hypothesis. What is even more important to ponder on is, if Omar can really deliver change in Kashmir by appropriating this 'grace period', which his friends and foes have given him with invariable magnanimity. But this level playing field is actually lying within a sort of triangle. We need to place Omar Abdullah within this triangle of compulsion, ideology and expectation.
His compulsion comes from his need to forge political alliance with Congress, the party that has ironically twisted arms of both his father Farooq Abdullah and his grandfather Sheikh Abdullah despite the fact that Sheikh held sway on Kashmir population and Farooq had a tighter grip over mainstream politics. Omar no doubt enjoys a non-aggressive political audience in Kashmir yet his numbers in assembly make his compulsion even more troublesome. If the Congress has been in the habit of deposing Sheikh and Farooq despite their political and electoral strength, will it think twice if tomorrow it chose to switch over? And, it is quite easy to discern what would be Congress' brief for Omar. May be not in categorical terms but in a subtle way, he must have been conveyed: "Talk governance, be silent on politics?" Nonetheless we don't expect Congress to leash Omar so quickly even if he chose to blend his talk on governance with a dash of politics but his assertions are bound to raise eyebrows in Delhi. For any friction, if at all Omar allows it to appear, we may have to wait till the elections for Indian Parliament are over. After all, Congress considers Omar as its star campaigner in J&K, or may be elsewhere too.
As for ideology Omar, by saying that he would accept any solution better than autonomy, has creatively reached out to separatist circles. And, by re-branding the proposal as 'autonomy-plus' he has actually walked into the realm of Kashmir's neo-separatist politics, more loudly championed by Muftis. Both these postures are well within the discourse Mufti has floated amidst Pakistan's soft policy on Kashmir but Omar seems intent on something big. He wants to be remembered as the one who included the discourse of justice in the mainstream politics by pleading for a Truth and Reconciliatory Commission (TRC) in Kashmir, thus widening his constituency far beyond Muftis and separatists.
TRC is basically a South African concept. After the fall of apartheid in South Africa Nelson Mandela pleaded for setting up of TRC that would probe the crimes committed by the minority whites against the beleaguered and victimized majority of blacks. Let's wait to see how Omar moves about this agenda, which may include reviewing PSA cases, advocating compensation for losses to thousands of house owners who lost their property in disproportionate use of force during encounters, curbing armed forces and their allied agencies. Mufti did not make a big difference toward that end but he postured against Army and New Delhi and that worked. Will Omar Abdullah find it easy to go beyond Mufti's posturing and press for setting up of TRC? How will he tackle pressures from New Delhi? If he falters on this issue, how will the forces who gave him the 'grace period' respond? And, if he moves forward, how will Congress respond? America has reinvented its interest in Kashmir via Afghanistan; it has almost finalized Clinton's appointment as special envoy for the disputed region. Will Omar's nationalist or neo-separatist tendencies lead National Conference to yet another rebirth as Kashmir's best bet? Will Omar allow himself to be used as a preemptive tool by Indians or respect the national consensus around his abilities to deliver? These would be the questions hovering over 2009. Dear Omar! Enjoy the grace period.
(Mr. Riyaz Masroor, 37, was born and raised in Srinagar. He is a Srinagar based journalist who writes in English, Urdu and kashmiri. Besides working in the local press, his articles have appeared on BBC Radio online, Himal Southasia and the Journal of International Federation of Journalists.)
Omar! Enjoy the grace period
Two days ahead of assuming office as the youngest chief minister of J&K, Omar Abdullah called on the former chief minister Mufti Muhammad Sayeed and sought his guidance as well as support for a challenging task he was about to take upon.
The otherwise reticent Mufti, whose distaste for Abdullahs is all too well known, wished him "good future" and hoped that the new government delivered on every front under the new leadership. Syed Ali Geelani, the uncompromising face of Kashmir separatism, had already sounded soft toward Omar when he wanted him to "deliver on promises" and obliquely complimented him for being the youngest ever CM. Mirwaiz Umar, whose party Awami Action Committee over past decades, especially during the Lion-Goat tussle of seventies, has almost embodied the politics of NC-bashing, also hurled an unexpectedly sober response. Mirwaiz, the youngest of all separatist stalwarts, urged his counterpart on other side to "deliver on promises" he had made during the poll campaign. Later, when Omar was being administered oath of office in Jammu on January 5, Mirwaiz, speaking at a seminar about self-determination in Srinagar, asked the young Abdullah to "represent Kashmir in Delhi rather than Delhi in Kashmir". BJP's J&K chapter is yet to sound out on Omar Abdullah's ascendance however its leading lights, Ashok Khujoria and Chaman Lal Gupta attended the swearing in ceremony and exchanged pleasantries with Mahbooba Mufti and Choudhary Aslam. BJP is yet to convene legislative party meeting and appears in a dilemma if it should pin down Omar at the very outset. And above all, despite a loud debate around why people voted close on the heels of a blazing street campaign against India, United Jihad Council remained content with its response to the Israeli aggression in Gaza, it did not have a word on the political changeover in Kashmir, its main forte.
Such a positive beginning should augur well for Omar but all this good talk has brought with it the challenge of meeting the expectations, which are running rife on either side of the political divide. From New Delhi (read Congress) to Mufti Sayeed (PDP is now single) and from separatist to militant camp, all key actors of Kashmir's labyrinthine politics appear in virtual agreement over the need to give Omar at least the margin of being the first-timer. Does it mean that our politics is finally maturing or it is like the levers are being moved from somewhere else? Any attempt to answer this would lapse into hypothesis. What is even more important to ponder on is, if Omar can really deliver change in Kashmir by appropriating this 'grace period', which his friends and foes have given him with invariable magnanimity. But this level playing field is actually lying within a sort of triangle. We need to place Omar Abdullah within this triangle of compulsion, ideology and expectation.
His compulsion comes from his need to forge political alliance with Congress, the party that has ironically twisted arms of both his father Farooq Abdullah and his grandfather Sheikh Abdullah despite the fact that Sheikh held sway on Kashmir population and Farooq had a tighter grip over mainstream politics. Omar no doubt enjoys a non-aggressive political audience in Kashmir yet his numbers in assembly make his compulsion even more troublesome. If the Congress has been in the habit of deposing Sheikh and Farooq despite their political and electoral strength, will it think twice if tomorrow it chose to switch over? And, it is quite easy to discern what would be Congress' brief for Omar. May be not in categorical terms but in a subtle way, he must have been conveyed: "Talk governance, be silent on politics?" Nonetheless we don't expect Congress to leash Omar so quickly even if he chose to blend his talk on governance with a dash of politics but his assertions are bound to raise eyebrows in Delhi. For any friction, if at all Omar allows it to appear, we may have to wait till the elections for Indian Parliament are over. After all, Congress considers Omar as its star campaigner in J&K, or may be elsewhere too.
As for ideology Omar, by saying that he would accept any solution better than autonomy, has creatively reached out to separatist circles. And, by re-branding the proposal as 'autonomy-plus' he has actually walked into the realm of Kashmir's neo-separatist politics, more loudly championed by Muftis. Both these postures are well within the discourse Mufti has floated amidst Pakistan's soft policy on Kashmir but Omar seems intent on something big. He wants to be remembered as the one who included the discourse of justice in the mainstream politics by pleading for a Truth and Reconciliatory Commission (TRC) in Kashmir, thus widening his constituency far beyond Muftis and separatists.
TRC is basically a South African concept. After the fall of apartheid in South Africa Nelson Mandela pleaded for setting up of TRC that would probe the crimes committed by the minority whites against the beleaguered and victimized majority of blacks. Let's wait to see how Omar moves about this agenda, which may include reviewing PSA cases, advocating compensation for losses to thousands of house owners who lost their property in disproportionate use of force during encounters, curbing armed forces and their allied agencies. Mufti did not make a big difference toward that end but he postured against Army and New Delhi and that worked. Will Omar Abdullah find it easy to go beyond Mufti's posturing and press for setting up of TRC? How will he tackle pressures from New Delhi? If he falters on this issue, how will the forces who gave him the 'grace period' respond? And, if he moves forward, how will Congress respond? America has reinvented its interest in Kashmir via Afghanistan; it has almost finalized Clinton's appointment as special envoy for the disputed region. Will Omar's nationalist or neo-separatist tendencies lead National Conference to yet another rebirth as Kashmir's best bet? Will Omar allow himself to be used as a preemptive tool by Indians or respect the national consensus around his abilities to deliver? These would be the questions hovering over 2009. Dear Omar! Enjoy the grace period.
Leadership Challenges in a Coalition
Shuhab describes various challenges facing the incoming Chief Minister
(Shuhab Hashmi, 39, was born in Baramulla, and graduated from the Degree College in Sopore, and completed his M.A. from the University of Kashmir. He is a Columnist, and in his spare time enjoys reading, discussions and traveling.)
Problem path for Omar Abdullah
Omar Abdullah's landing in the most coveted post in Jammu and Kashmir is being seen as the continuation of the transformation that has been witnessed in Indian politics with the new generation taking over the responsibility of affairs.
External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee even quoted Omar's example during an interaction in Chennai on January 8 and made it known to people of India that the probability of Rahul Gandhi taking up the top job of Prime Minister in the country is highly likely. He was visibly upbeat while saying that one of the most important states in India was now being governed by a 38-year-old youth. Earlier this distinction was associated with Prafulla Kumar Mahanta only, who became Chief Minister of Assam in early 80s at the age of 30. So all eyes are set on Omar; set to see whether he is able to deliver on ground or not.
But given the fact that this scion of Abdullah family is not heading a single party government but is tied to the wedding knot of coalition between National Conference and Congress, things may not as easy as they may appear. Congress has a dubious distinction of making and breaking the coalitions in the state. History of Kashmir politics is a testimony to that. Though Omar wanted to start the innings on a high moral ground and with an indication of his being impeccable in dealings and execution but the tatters have started becoming visible. Leaving politics in Jammu and Kashmir aside, as it may not be the area where he would immediately burn his fingers, governance is something people have started looking at. The governance which is needed in the State at this juncture, and about which Omar and his father, Farooq Abdullah talked enough during elections, is the biggest challenge before him. To see that dream of people come true, the main stumbling block to be overcome is the menace of corruption in the state for which politicians, bureaucracy and the people are equally responsible, as they supplement each other to feed their interests.
It is a fact that Omar is dependent on Congress for its support to run the government and he cannot dictate to his coalition partners, especially on the issues of choosing the people for pivotal positions or assigning the ministerial berths. But the message, which has gone down to the people on the first day, is that the coalition will not be as clean as one could expect. There were many surprises, and shocking ones, as the people who are tainted and have been involved in scandals have found their way to the cabinet. One of them who grabbed the top job in the Congress was under fire from his own party's MP who levelled serious charges against him. The other one had to resign as a sitting MLA levelled charges of corruption against him on the floor of the House. What is the outcome of investigations into that matter is not known, but of hand it has sent a signal about how the new dispensation is going to take off. Against these choices the Congress sidelined one of its most reputed leaders, Chowdhary Mohammad Aslam, who returned to Assembly for the sixth time and has been Speaker of Assembly besides being Pradesh Congress Chief. Another junior-most MLA was inducted in the Cabinet only to cool down tempers between the two leaders who had fought elections in the adjacent constituencies. These choices in any case are not acceptable to ensure a system of transparency and corruption free government. This is also a fact that these ministers were duly elected by public but that is not the measuring rod for being above board, that too with latest controversies surrounding them.
This is the first uncomfortable situation Omar might be facing though publicly he would refuse to indulge in the issue saying that it is Congress' prerogative. The Congress culture which has its imprint in the state comes with these "misadventures". Going by the reports, the Congress has also bargained heavily on portfolios and has staked claim for the most of the developmental ministries, which are considered to be "lucrative". Here they have a point that they sacrificed the Chief Minister's post for six years. But putting the right man in the right job should have been left to the Chief Minister who has to lead the team in a crucial state like Jammu and Kashmir. Omar is very much confident in saying that he has stitched the coalition at the highest level in Delhi and what according to him "Mufti could not do in 20 days I did in less than an hour". His friendship with Rahul Gandhi did work out the coalition arrangement, but will that cast its shadow on the functioning of the government at the state level is difficult to predict. The way the Congress in the state has started behaving in the coalition arrangement, there seems to be no guarantee for a "clean and transparent" government.
Omar, at his maiden press conference in Jammu, on Friday, parried questions on the issue as he was in company of this "tainted lot" only and does not want to push to the wall his coalition partners. In his own way he is handling the situation in the manner, which would befit him at this juncture. But he has to keep an eye on the system, which he is to lead. For this, strengthening the State Vigilance Organisation and State Accountability Commission (SAC) should be his top priority. He has conceded that SAC has no teeth and its parameters need to be changed.
However, he has to see that it does not become a redundant body as it is right now, like the State Human Rights Commission, which recommends action to the government, but nothing actually happens on the ground. For him, the real challenge is clean government and not the politics as he himself says, "Separatists are demanding Azadi from New Delhi and not from the J & K Government". So Mr. Omar Abdullah let you not disappoint people on governance front; politics will be taken care of by those who can handle it!
(Shuhab Hashmi, 39, was born in Baramulla, and graduated from the Degree College in Sopore, and completed his M.A. from the University of Kashmir. He is a Columnist, and in his spare time enjoys reading, discussions and traveling.)
Problem path for Omar Abdullah
Omar Abdullah's landing in the most coveted post in Jammu and Kashmir is being seen as the continuation of the transformation that has been witnessed in Indian politics with the new generation taking over the responsibility of affairs.
External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee even quoted Omar's example during an interaction in Chennai on January 8 and made it known to people of India that the probability of Rahul Gandhi taking up the top job of Prime Minister in the country is highly likely. He was visibly upbeat while saying that one of the most important states in India was now being governed by a 38-year-old youth. Earlier this distinction was associated with Prafulla Kumar Mahanta only, who became Chief Minister of Assam in early 80s at the age of 30. So all eyes are set on Omar; set to see whether he is able to deliver on ground or not.
But given the fact that this scion of Abdullah family is not heading a single party government but is tied to the wedding knot of coalition between National Conference and Congress, things may not as easy as they may appear. Congress has a dubious distinction of making and breaking the coalitions in the state. History of Kashmir politics is a testimony to that. Though Omar wanted to start the innings on a high moral ground and with an indication of his being impeccable in dealings and execution but the tatters have started becoming visible. Leaving politics in Jammu and Kashmir aside, as it may not be the area where he would immediately burn his fingers, governance is something people have started looking at. The governance which is needed in the State at this juncture, and about which Omar and his father, Farooq Abdullah talked enough during elections, is the biggest challenge before him. To see that dream of people come true, the main stumbling block to be overcome is the menace of corruption in the state for which politicians, bureaucracy and the people are equally responsible, as they supplement each other to feed their interests.
It is a fact that Omar is dependent on Congress for its support to run the government and he cannot dictate to his coalition partners, especially on the issues of choosing the people for pivotal positions or assigning the ministerial berths. But the message, which has gone down to the people on the first day, is that the coalition will not be as clean as one could expect. There were many surprises, and shocking ones, as the people who are tainted and have been involved in scandals have found their way to the cabinet. One of them who grabbed the top job in the Congress was under fire from his own party's MP who levelled serious charges against him. The other one had to resign as a sitting MLA levelled charges of corruption against him on the floor of the House. What is the outcome of investigations into that matter is not known, but of hand it has sent a signal about how the new dispensation is going to take off. Against these choices the Congress sidelined one of its most reputed leaders, Chowdhary Mohammad Aslam, who returned to Assembly for the sixth time and has been Speaker of Assembly besides being Pradesh Congress Chief. Another junior-most MLA was inducted in the Cabinet only to cool down tempers between the two leaders who had fought elections in the adjacent constituencies. These choices in any case are not acceptable to ensure a system of transparency and corruption free government. This is also a fact that these ministers were duly elected by public but that is not the measuring rod for being above board, that too with latest controversies surrounding them.
This is the first uncomfortable situation Omar might be facing though publicly he would refuse to indulge in the issue saying that it is Congress' prerogative. The Congress culture which has its imprint in the state comes with these "misadventures". Going by the reports, the Congress has also bargained heavily on portfolios and has staked claim for the most of the developmental ministries, which are considered to be "lucrative". Here they have a point that they sacrificed the Chief Minister's post for six years. But putting the right man in the right job should have been left to the Chief Minister who has to lead the team in a crucial state like Jammu and Kashmir. Omar is very much confident in saying that he has stitched the coalition at the highest level in Delhi and what according to him "Mufti could not do in 20 days I did in less than an hour". His friendship with Rahul Gandhi did work out the coalition arrangement, but will that cast its shadow on the functioning of the government at the state level is difficult to predict. The way the Congress in the state has started behaving in the coalition arrangement, there seems to be no guarantee for a "clean and transparent" government.
Omar, at his maiden press conference in Jammu, on Friday, parried questions on the issue as he was in company of this "tainted lot" only and does not want to push to the wall his coalition partners. In his own way he is handling the situation in the manner, which would befit him at this juncture. But he has to keep an eye on the system, which he is to lead. For this, strengthening the State Vigilance Organisation and State Accountability Commission (SAC) should be his top priority. He has conceded that SAC has no teeth and its parameters need to be changed.
However, he has to see that it does not become a redundant body as it is right now, like the State Human Rights Commission, which recommends action to the government, but nothing actually happens on the ground. For him, the real challenge is clean government and not the politics as he himself says, "Separatists are demanding Azadi from New Delhi and not from the J & K Government". So Mr. Omar Abdullah let you not disappoint people on governance front; politics will be taken care of by those who can handle it!
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