The Deepening Divide in Kashmir

The gap between the rich and the poor is widening in Kashmir


Inequalities Highest in Kashmir’

Srinagar: Inequalities between the poor and the rich are highest in Jammu and Kashmir even after two decades of economic liberalisation, broadly implying that poor people are getting poorer and rich are getting richer, according to a recent analysis undertaken by The Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM).

The average household monthly per capita consumption expenditure (MPCE) at current prices was deflated by consumer price index to arrive at a realistic measure of change in real economic well being of people across regions and classes.

The ASSOCHAM study confirms that growth rate of both average per capita expenditure and resultant demand increased during 2004-05 and 2009-10. But while the average per capita consumption expenditure remained unchanged for the poorest, 20 per cent people, the average household income of the richest 20 per cent increased by 7.7 per cent.

This broadly led to increased inequalities. On an average, a rural household in the richest 20 per cent category spent more than 258 per cent of what a household of similar size falling in the poorest 20 per cent category spent in 2004-05. This difference further increased to 286 per cent in 2009-10.

“The resultant market size of richer MPCE classes too increased at a relatively faster pace,” said ASSOCHAM secretary general D S Rawat. “While the size of consumer markets expanded at a healthy rate of 7.9 per cent, economic inequality further widened over these five years.”

The calculated gini coefficients for states indicate that income inequalities increased in Jammu and Kashmir by 7.37 per cent, Madhya Pradesh including Chattisgarh 4.96 per cent and Bihar including Jharkhand by 4.9 per cent.

At the same time, gini coefficient values indicate falling inequalities in Orissa by 5.75 per cent, Maharashtra 3.85 per cent, Haryana 2.36 per cent and West Bengal.

Rajasthan, Karnataka, northeastern states and union territories too have seen some fall in the degree of income inequalities.

“Along with achieving higher economic growth, more efforts need to be made to make it more inclusive,” said Rawat adding reducing income inequalities is necessary for accelerating economic and human development. State governments must play a major role in developing social sectors and critical infrastructure.

J&K Has the Highest Illiteracy in Northern States

The State with highest per capita enrollment is also the one with low ilitracy - proof that money (easy money) does not buy success

J&K Most Illiterate Among Northern States: Census Report

Early Times Report

Jammu: Jammu and Kashmir is least literate among northern states including the newly carved out Uttarakhand, reveals the latest census report.

Though the state's literate population has been pegged at more than 68 percent of the total 1.25 crore persons - with a decadal growth of 13 percent - it is far behind other northern states like Himachal Pradesh (83.78 percent), Punjab (76.68 percent) Haryana (76.64 percent), Delhi (86.34 percent) and newly created Uttarakhand (79.63 percent). Jammu and Kashmir's literate population was recorded at 55.50 percent in 2001 census.

According to the census data, more people in JK are leaving farms and villages to settle in towns and cities. Around 30 percent of over 1.25 crore state population has been recorded to be living in urban JK, the report says.

The share of urban population in the state has gone up to 27.21 percent and the people living in rural areas constitute 72.79 percent of total populace. He said the urban population has shown steady growth of more than 6 percent in past three decades as figures in 1981 stood at 21.05 percent. Data says that the gap between the urban and the rural population is narrowing and the two may cut across each other in coming few decades.

These figures have been revealed by recent Census carried out by the Union Government. As per 2011 census, Jammu and Kashmir has over 72.45 lakh (78.26 percent) literate persons including 43.70 lakh males and 28.74 lakh females. More literate population (48.98 lakh) is living in rural JK compared to 23.47 lakh in urban areas of the state.

The ratio of rural to urban literacy rate is 64.97%: 78.19%. The winter capital tops in the literacy rate at 83.98 % followed by Samba at 81.08%, while Ramban and Bandipora districts have the lowest literacy rate in the State.

Fleecing Natives

Fleecing Tourists was always a local mantra, but fleecing locals is new

Valley Boutiques Fleecing Customers

By Khurram Rasool (Kashmir Monitor)

Srinagar: Despite charging much higher rates than the usual tailors, the boutiques of the summer capital of the state have failed to live up to the expectations of the local women, who wish to get their clothes stitched according to the latest fashion.

Sheeba, who claims to have got her clothes stitched at almost every boutique in Lal Chowk area, says she and her young friends are not satisfied with their services. Calling the boutiques mere money minting machines, Sheeba says, “I am fed up with their hollow promises of providing perfect stitching and designing of dress material. Designing is secondary thing, these local boutiques cannot even make a properly stitched salwar kameez”.

“And their rates always keep on increasing with every single month”, she added.
While the erstwhile tailor shops are said to do all the stitching and designing works within the range of Rs 120-150, the same services costs anything around Rs 250-350 in these modern boutiques, with no extraordinary designing or stitching.

Like Sheeba, a lot of female customers are disappointed with the services provided by almost all such locally run boutiques. Aqsa, who got her dress stitched at a so-called ‘designer’ boutique at Poloview, was seen fuming with anger over the bad designing of her expensive engagement dress. She says, “It’s disgusting. Look what they have done to my clothes. They have spoilt my special salwar suit which my late grand mom had bought for the special day of my life.”

“They talk big but fail to deliver. Why can’t they make the stitching the clothes worthy of the money we pay them for their services”, questions Aqsa.

With myriad of such lady shops spread across the city alone, these boutiques are said to be silently bluffing the vulnerable female customers. Moreover, claiming of having professional degrees in fashion designing from distinguished fashion institutes of India, these boutiques according to sources actually hire non-local ‘chai-walas’ from outside the state and import them to the valley as ‘masterjis’.

Life is Unfair, Government Makes it Worse

Javed reports on the World Braille Day (4th January) and wonders if the "Right to Sight" will ever materialize in Kashmir, much less by 2020

(Mr. Javed Ahmad Tak, 37, was born in Bijbehara in the Anantnag district. He received his schooling from Government schools in Bijbehara, and his B.Sc. degree from the Government Degree College in Anantnag. Unfortunately, at the age of 21 he became a victim of a terrorist bullet which hit his spine and disabled him for the rest of his life. However, he overcome mental and physical odds to complete his Master's degree in Social Work from the University of Kashmir, and also completed certificate courses in Human Rights and Computers from the Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU). Although wheel-chair bound, Mr. Tak is recognized as a leader who has relentlessly and with extreme passion taken up the cause of disabled people in J&K, seeking full citizen rights guaranteed under the J&K Disability Act but never implemented in the past. He is a founder-member of numerous NGO's dealing with issues and sensitizing public about challenges faces by physically handicapped people in Kashmir. He has received numerous awards and citations for his selfless work and has attended numerous workshops on disability rights around the country.)

Can’t You See!

On 4th January hundreds of people gathered at the Press Enclave in Srinagar to protest for their rights – nothing unusual for a city that holds a history of protests except that carrying placards in their hands, this time, was the group of visually challenged people driven by an impetus to make the state government “watch” their plight.

It was in the year 1829 that the first ever Braille book was published after the name of its inventor Louis Braille who lost his eyesight at the age of 3. It was his gift to thousands of people around the world to feel the joy of reading despite being blind. Today, the Braille, Daisy Formats, audio software integrated with Information communication technology [ICT] has carved a less difficult road for the blind people to read and write. However, that road has been unable to reach the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir where on the occasion of International Day for the Rights, in spite of celebrating the day, the disabled community is carrying out protests for simple demands like introducing Braille in schools and making public places blind friendly by installing Braille sign boards.

As per Census 2001, out of the total 3,02,670 disabled persons in J&K, 2,08,713 face visual disability. The 2011 census report on disability is expected to be more alarming and astonishing. The ten years of hard work invested by WHO in the global initiative "Vision 2020: the Right to Sight" to achieve zero blindness up to the year 2020, seems to hold no good in J&K where there is an overall paucity of eye hospitals. The Situation is worst in the interiors where hospitals and primary health centres fail to serve the needs of the visually challenged by not offering standard ophthalmic check-ups. Lack of infrastructure at the district hospitals is a major drawback that doesn’t allow doctors to perform critical surgeries. Fear of heavy debts inhibits poor patients to consider private hospitals as an option for corrective medical care. They prefer to remain blind.

In a recent disability assessment camps organised by Department of Education under Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan funding for Children with Special Needs (CWSN) component - out of around 8000 children with special needs in a district, more than 3000 were found to be suffering from visual impairments. With each day passing by, the situation of children with low vision problems is deteriorating and they have started getting themselves enlisted in the record of blind people.

Nazima, a student of Class 9 in the educational zone Anantnag, needs corneal transplantation to maintain her vision. Since there are no separate schools in the state where Braille education system exists, she is forced to struggle with the conventional black board education and is therefore losing her sight. Except for a few special schools where a handful of children with blindness seek education with the help of Braille slates, Jammu and Kashmir is among the few states which are yet to introduce Braille technique of education in the schools.

Education is one aspect of development the visually disabled are demanding; but more fundamental is the very basic right to live, live with dignity, which certainly isn’t true of the remote villages of the state. Aisha and Khadija (names changed) hail from a small hamlet in Anantnag and today after spending 30 years of their life in darkness, both are awaiting death. “No doctor advised our parents to rehabilitate us,” said Khadija. “I have developed diabetes sitting at home. We are not allowed to go out and always face discrimination by our family members and relatives. For them we are the blind people,” said Aisha who firmly believes that if provided, vocational training can make both of them self reliant.Seeing the situation of ‘Abhinanda Home’ located in the heart of the city – Solina, Srinagar, one can understand the plight of the disabled lot for whose service this home was created. It is the only school for deaf and mute students, now on the verge of closure. Various Ministers during their visit to the place announced grants for the school but did not bother to keep track of the situation thereafter. The school compound, already encroached by security forces, is full of trenches and not looked after. A few ruined buildings and untidy rooms house deaf and mute children accompanied by some normal children from poor families. The conversion of the special school into an inclusive school does not reflect the principle of inclusion in any manner; it is merely a means of collecting some revenue to pay the teachers there. A few rooms are occupied by some blind adults who were earlier trained in Braille, besides learning how to make chairs and chalks. With no means of earning a livelihood with such out of date skills, the blind people are only fed there as dependents without any future career planning. It would have been better if the Social Welfare or education department of the state would adopt the school and provide special education for deaf, mute and blind students there.

Despite the darkness, there are a few responsible groups which have taken on the onus of becoming the beacon of light for the visually challenged people. Yasmeena, 38, of Chee, Anantnag, is an artisan by profession responsible for feeding herself and her old-aged widow mother. Today with the help of Zaiba Appa Institute of Inclusive Education, Bijbehara, she along with others, government school drop-outs, are now pursuing their education with the help of Braille system and computer education with Jaws software facility.

A rally organised by the NGO Humanity Welfare Organization Helpline along with the Zaiba Appa Institute of Inclusive Education, was an initiative to raise unheard voices for a system where each and every individual is provided a platform to realise their potential and become independent on the basis of their special talent. “We do not need government sympathy but want protection of our rights in the society. No worry that we are deaf, dumb and blind: we can sustain our lives with dignity,” says one of the protestors, clearly reflecting the respect and place they seek within society.

It has been a week since the rally and the strong voices that created uproar in the region have started fading away. Next year the crowd will gather again, probably with an upsurge in the numbers of the visually challenged reflecting how much attention the care takers of the public have devoted to the disabled lot. Donations and sympathy won’t take away the blame. The promising answer would be to provide them with equal opportunities to explore their hidden qualities. This will not only empower them but will guarantee a clear vision much needed to create an unbiased society. (Charkha Features)

"Let There Be"

Adfar and Soubiya have some words of caution for today's technology obsessed youth

(Mr. Syed Adfar Rashid Shah, 28, was born in Watlar, Ganderbal. He did his basic schooling at the Government High School in Watlar, and then went to the Government Higher Secondary School, Ganderbal, for 11th and 12th grades. He completed a diploma in computers through The Industrial Training Institute (ITI) Ganderbal, followed by a diploma in the urdu language through the National Council for Promotion of Urdu Language in India (NCPUL). Mr. Shah completed B.Ed in 2009, his Masters in sociology from the University of Kashmir, and enrolled in M.Phil at the Center of Central Asian Studies (CCAS), University of Kashmir when he accepted admission to the Ph.D. program in social sciences at the Jamia Millia Islamia Central University in New Delhi, where he is currently enrolled. He is interested in diaspora studies, and sociology of religion, change and development. He loves interactions with people of all religions and creeds, and enjoys writing.

Ms. Soubiya Yousuf, 22, was born and raised in Srinagar, and is currently doing her Master's degree in Sociology from the University of Kashmir.)

Kashmiri Youth - A Sociological Slimpse

Youth is typically regarded as an ascribed status or socially constructed label, rather than simply the biological condition or stage. As per United Nations criteria, youth has been categorized as people in the age group of 15-24 years and as per National Youth Policy 2003 of India they have been put in the age group of 13-35 years. Youth are characterized by freshness, vigor and spirit. Youth is the spring of life, an age of discovery and dreams.

It is the youth who make or mar a society. Youth has the capacity to awaken the consciousness of the nation and bring about desirable change in the existing system.

Kashmiri youth though bearing tremendous resilience and moral conscience, however have been wrongly exposed to the whims of modernity in the form of certain dysfunctional cultural and social encounters. The prolonged turmoil since decades has ravaged their individuality and liberty and has turned them into a confounded personality and put them to identity and personality crisis. If treated in sociological terms modernity in real sense hardly connotes the total annulment of one’s own traditions and societal-cultural ethos, which we as Kashmiri youth are taking wrongly and forgetting the principle of continuity and change. We ignore to acknowledge that no genuine modernization is possible through mere imitation as it is a process of expansion, elevation, revitalization of traditional values and cultural patterns. Modernity should be defined in relation to, and not in denial of, tradition. Kashmiri youth have been blindly following a culture of hollow imitation which has led to declining emphasis upon the spiritual and local cultural settings. Education is cool for them but selecting the right course becomes difficult. They often find themselves at the crossroads when it comes to make a career-choice. Although, the State Government is a high-wage place but that is too saturated to offer any gainful employment. Very earlier the government was needed to promote self-help, self-employment and vision for reaching the universalistic standards of educational pursuits but due to lack of efficient, sufficient and timely policy interventions by the state administration, the youth are caught between the devil and the deep sea, on one hand thinking to move ahead and while on the other dragging the burden of economic dependency on. As a matter of fact, the youth remains susceptible and become an easy victim to despair and despondency. They are provided false optimistic hopes which serve as a mere placebo and hence remain unsolved. This is entirely not their fault but partially because of the incompatibility between various institutions like education and economy, family and religion, kinship and competition, etc. Education for instance has not been able to fulfill or inculcate the collective behavior or morality; even it is not compatible with justice or egalitarianism, as unemployment problem faced by Kashmiri youth can be attributed to aspects like curriculum-dysfunction, relationship between disciplines taught and job market value, lack of efficient policies and ample empowerment of student community. Another aspect of the said intimations reflect in the form of silent/polite violence in higher education like suppression of students and research scholars in universities, the growing moral corruption in academia and suffering of youth in many aspects, violence on gender basis, sense of feeling insecure among girls and violence of all forms inflicted on Kashmiri youth. Hence they are caught in a sort of a created vicious circle which is actually responsible for their frustration and may be youth bulge. Nevertheless, we salute Kashmiri youth for bearing it all and moving ahead despite all these odds and obstacles, be that lack of right guidance or economic crisis, no ample family support, etc,.

Youth in today’s time are bound to suffer when the system has been eaten by the dragon of corruption at every nook and corner. The other aspect pertaining youth stereotyping is that there has always been a tussle between our tradition and modernity and the youth have often been misunderstood by the elders. The elders feel that the youth being immature and inexperienced usually indulge in thoughtless activities, which otherwise are not so but shaping up the growing inter-generational gap. The fact is not only with the voting age of 18 years, the youth have increasingly become politically important but the state’s high political culture since decades due to political instability, chaos and turbulence; youth are highly politically conscious and important as well due to vested interests in them from all corners. Realizing this, they (youths) more or less shape Kashmir politics etc.

In early 90s the youth joined the chaos because of their being vulnerable and energetic as well and with the introduction of gun-culture in the valley, youth and women suffered the worst. The dance of unaccountable deaths and destruction on a large scale continued and youth responded to it group wise. One which was send outside the state by parents to suffer, another which crossed LoC to suffer forever, another which left out of fear (Pandit youth),another which deviated to the extreme and carried out robberies, thefts, scared people, looted innocents, threatened government officials and thus marred the whole regulatory system and what not. Another is the section of youth who simply lived with the turbulence and watched things as they happened. So it can be argued that youth suffered to the worst in post 90’s. In short, some were guided and some unguided and the rest were misguided, shaping up Kashmir as the growing geography of anger and chaos. Besides conflict situation amidst growing unhappiness, frustration, mental trauma and above all economic crisis and acute dependence culminated into different nature of crimes and undesirability’s in the valley which had negative ramifications mostly for youth like drug abuse, torturing thefts, eve- teasing, smuggling, murdering and many other sorts of deviant behaviors.

With the arrival of cell phones in the valley in 2004, instead of taking due advantage from it, a negative trend took place out of our transitional character as most of youth turned Nomophobic and this mobile-mania has had lots of ramifications and social implications like fostered lavishness, loitering, excessive addiction to social networking, excessive and increased love affairs, misuse and immorality, etc. The sociology of Kashmiri youth reveals that they are anxious, politically disturbed and has been caught in identity and personality crisis and as a result try every damn thing to follow or fell prey to venomous ideologies and adapt to practices without judging and applying their reason. They have developed a strange busyness and undirectional priorities for themselves where by media has placed them on a new platform through advertising patterns, serials, unceasing reality and request shows, spread of new fashion channels, nude shows, etc, forcing them to exercise the experiences and be vulnerable to new situations like fantasy dressing, vagrancy, vulgarity and thereby defeating the actual goal of modernization, religiosity, reasonable life and rational sense.

Today when many of the youth are shouting for social reconstruction, morality, socio-economic development, crime free society, religious revivalism, etc, the fact cannot be ignored that in the maximum of the prevailing chaos baring political scenario, youth are to a greater extent themselves responsible for the mess. In the existing negative social order they face acute repression at every step, consequently the rest shun their responsibilities and even resort to live aim-less while believing in the empty slogan of “sab chalta hai”. It has to be acknowledged that the youth in itself are responsible for the social degradation, social pathology, inter-generational conflict, culture of perpetrating violence upon others and blind imitation of alien cultures not suitable to Kashmiri normative structure.

Apart from that, Youth are in dire need of sustainable and overall social development which could be met with many primordial elements like education, health, justice, economic security, self evaluation, discipline, spirituality & conformity of societal codes. The Department of Youth Affairs, Government of J&K is implementing a number of schemes for youth development. The Department caters to the personality development aspect of school children by encouraging them in various social activities at the State and National level. It covers a wide spectrum of activities like organizing Domestic & National level competitions in various games and sports for school children, conducting Physical Education activities like Mass Physical Display in various schools, promoting adventure sports, promoting talented school children in extracurricular activities like dance and drama, organizing Youth and Cultural Festivals across the State and outside, promoting Scouts and Guides activities, besides providing opportunities to school children for participation and excellence in various sports activities.

Tail piece:
The problem with Kashmiri youth is their indifferent attitude towards things, situation and politics. The new formula of “Let the things be” is proving fatal to state’s development. Lack of unity and spirit is another major problem. The valley youth have to realize their power, their role, their duties and their responsibility and stand up for their rights but simultaneously taking care of their duties before that. Also youth need to subject themselves to psycho-social maturity and instill in themselves the cognitive-intellectual skills and develop a complete self to get rid of all chaos, crisis and confusion. There is need of guidance by Experts/Educationists to provide them proper counseling in a conducive atmosphere to ensure a platform for a developed personality besides government’s functional and sustainable youth or student friendly policies.

Power Generation in J&K

Ashraf conducts a due deligence on the power situation in the state

(Mr. Mohammad Ashraf Fazili, 68, was born in Srinagar. He received his early schooling from the Government Middle School, Nowhatta, Srinagar, and from M.P. High School, Baghi Dilawar Khan in Srinagar. Mr. Fazili completed his F.Sc. from the Sri Pratap College in Srinagar, and received his Bachelor's degree in Civil Engineering from the Annamalai University with honours grade. He joined the J&K government service upon graduation and steadily rose up the ranks to the position of Chief Engineer at his retirement. He managed a number of important infrastructure projects during his government service, including the Model Town Chrar-i-Sharif, Lower Jhelum Hydro Electric Project, Solid Waste Disposal Scheme Srinagar City, Circular Road Project Srinagar City, etc. He has numerous publications to his credit, including Srinagar the Sun City, Our Ancestors and Saints of Kashmir, etc., which were presented in seminar and symposia. He writes for various journals and is presently working on the Jhelum Valley Civilization.)

POWER SCENARIO OF J&K STATE

Power Development Corporation:

Power Development in Jammu and Kashmir has a long and distinguished history. 9MW Mohra Hydro-electric Plant, among the first of its kind in the subcontinent, was developed as early as 1905. The estimated hydel potential is about 20,000 MW, out of which projects of about 16,200 MW capacity have already been identified. These projects are techno-economically viable, besides being eco-friendly and socially beneficial. In order to harness this potential in a sustained manner, the Government of J&K established the Jammu & Kashmir State Power Development Corporation Limited (JKSPDCL) which has been incorporated as Private limited company on 16th February 1995. The Corporation was incorporated to takeover, execute, complete, operate and maintain all power stations and power projects of the State. The assets of all the power projects in the State, both existing and under implementation were transferred to the Corporation. The Corporation presently has 20 hydroelectric projects with installed capacity of 758.70MW located in various districts of Jammu & Kashmir including 450MW BHEP. The Corporation has Gas Turbines based on HSD with installed capacity of 175 MW at Pampore near Srinagar. In accordance with the State Hydel Policy, 2003 JKSPDC has allotted 10 small HEPs with a total capacity of 110.50 MWs under IPP phase-I. The State Government is presently reviewing existing State Hydel policy, 2003 for project implementation from 2-100MW to make it more investor friendly and thus attract investment and expertise from private players in the sector on a large scale. J & K State in one its achievements took lead in award of a mega hydro power scheme on tariff based competitive bidding process. J & K is the first State in India to award 690 MW Ratle HEP (mega hydro power project) on BOOT basis through a tariff based competitive bidding process. The corporation is also pursuing the development of geothermal project in Pugah valley of Leh, Ladakh.

Existing Projects:

Lower Jhelum 3 x 35 105
Upper Sindh-I 2x11.3 22.6
Ganderbal 2x3+2x4.5 15
Upper Sindh-II 3x35 105
Pahalgam 2 x 1.5 3
Karnah 2x1 2
Chenab Basin
Chenani-I 5x4.66 23.30
Chennai-II 2x1 2
Chenani-III 3x2.5 7.50
Bhaderwah 2 x 0.5 1
Baglihar 3x150 450
Ravi Basin
Sewa-III 3x3 9
Indus Basin
Iqbal 3x1.25 3.75
Hunder 2x0.20 0.40
Sumoor 2x0.05 0.10
Igo-Mercellong 2x1.50 3
Haftal 2x0.50 1
Marpachoo 3x0.25 0.75
Bazgo 2x0.15 0.30
Stakna 2x2 4
Total 758.70
CENTRAL SECTOR
Salal HEP 6x115 690
Uri -I 4x120 480
Dul-Hasti 3x130 390
Total 1560

Upcoming Projects:

Name of Power Project Capacity in MW

STATE SECTOR
Baglihar Stage-II 450
Pahalgam (3rd Unit) 1.50
Matchil 0.35
Baderwah (3rd Unit) 0.5
Sanjak 1.26
Total 453.61

CENTRAL SECTOR
Uri-II 240
Sewa-II 120
Nimo Bazgo 45
Chutak 44
Total 449

Projects being taken up for the development in State/Central Sector.

S.No. Name of the Project Name of the Basin Estimated Capacity ( MW)
1. Sawalkote I&II Chenab 1200
2. Baglihar-II Chenab 450
3. Parnai Jehlum 37.5
4. New Ganderbal Jehlum 93
5. Lower Kalnai Chenab 50
6. Kirthai-I Chenab 240
7. Kiru Chenab 600
8. Ratle Chenab 690
9. Kawar Chenab 520
10. Ujh Multipurpose Project Ravi 280
11. Pakul Dul (Central Sector) Chenab 1000
12. Bursar (Central Sector) Chenab 1020
13. Kishenganga (Central Sector) Jehlum 330

IPP Phase-I (Under Implementation)
S.No. Name of the Project District Capacity
1. Ratle Kishtwar 690.00
2. Athwathoo Bandipura 10.00
3. Tangmarg Baramulla 10.00
4. Aharbal Pulwama 22.50
5. Hirapora Pulwama 12.00
6. Brenwar Budgam 5.00
7. Kahmil Kupwara 4.00
8. Boniyar Baramulla 12.00
9. Mandi Poonch 12.50
10. Ranjala Dunadi Doda 15.00
11. Drung Kathua 5.00

NEW GANDERBAL HYDRO_ELECTRIC PROJECT
The existing Ganderbal power station is the last of the hydro stations at the tail end of Sindh river and was commissioned in 1955. The station is located at Ganderbal -20 km from Srinagar city on Srinagar-Leh highway. The installed capacity of the station is 15 MW. The station has served 56 years and outlived its normal life. The station had been giving trouble and units had been derated Thus PDC decided to take effective measures to improve the power generation at this power station. It was decided in 1990 to build a new station and utilize the existing derated units with some renovation for 6/7 years till the new ones are commissioned.

DEMAND OF POWER
The growth of power demand in the J&K State has increased tremendously specially in view of the demand on account of Lift Irrigation, Agro Industries, Extension of Rural development, Industrial Expansion, Telecommunications, Water conveniences etc. The total installed capacity in the State is about 758.70 MW plus stand by gas turbine capacity of 175 MW and the total requirement far exceeds it. The present power demand is estimated to be 1850 MW, hence there is a shortfall of about 1100 MW.

The population of Srinagar has increased since independence to about 12 Lakhs. Increase in generation of power to the existing system is microscopic as only a small percentage of the generated power by NHPC is shared with the State. (There has been much contoversy on the issue of taking back the projects from NHPC) This hopeless situation prevails is inspite of the connection of the valley to the northern grid and any import of power is to be bougght at a heavy price.. The miserable condition of the city of Srinagar and the rural areas is evident to the residents as well as to the visitors. The speedy completion of in-progress projects is the need of the hour, besides the proposed New Ganderbal project so close to the city of Srinagar, would go a long way to help the State.

SINDH RIVER BASIN
The river Sindh is one of the major tributaries of Jhelum, starting in the mountains of Sonamarg at Panchtarani. It has a fall of 2110 meters in a length of 87 Kms upto Ganderbal. The river has large power potential and efforts are under way to tap this renewable source of energy. The various projects which are existing and those which are planned are as under:

Existing Projects: (in order of ascendency)

a) Ganderbal Project: The old power station at Ganderbal was commissioned in the year 1955 and has an installed capacity of 15 MW, now derated to about 11 MW. This station utilises a head of 140 m.
b) Upper Sindh Hydel Project (Stage II)
This project utilizes the head of about 220 m between Sumbal and Kangan. The power house at Kangan has an installed capacity of 70 MW. There was also a provision for adding another unit of 35 MW in the second phase of the project.
c) Upper Sindh Hydel Project (Stage I)
This power station utilises the head of about 150 m between Kulan and Sumbal. The power house at Sumbal has an installed capacity of 22.6 MW This was commissioned in the year 1974.
Future Projects:
a) Shitkari Kulan H.E. Project ( Stage I) -head = 500m, Proposed Inst. Capacity= 84 MW.
b) Shitkari Kulan M.E. Project (Stage II) high dam,proposed inst. capacity= 165 M.
c) No proposals to utilise the drop of 950 m between Panchtarni and Nilgrar due to severe winter conditions and complex geological conditions.

Proposals:
PHE Department have under consideration a proposal to provide a free flow tunnel for augmenting the supply of rain water to Srinagar City water supply system for meeting growing demand. This scheme consists of diverting the water of Sindh river near Prang. It was considered that this tunnel for municipal water supply can be usefully utilised for conveying water for generation of power requirements also. A new diversion structure would also be necessary in view of the bad state in which the present structure is functioning. The existing power station will be abondoned only after the new station comes into operation which may take about 7/8 years after sanction and making availability of funds possible.

In addition the Kangan Power House has been planned to be operated as peaking station. The releases unless picked up and stored at Preng, will be wasted during peak hours. The bad state of rockfill weir at Prang plus losses along 14 km. length of canal are reasons for the less discharge supposed to be diverted from the tail race of the USHP at Kangan.

To meet the power, water supply and irrigation demands the water conductor system for a discharge of 49 cumecs has been designed. With the amount of water available for power generation and the balancing capacity, provision of an installation of about 60 MW consisting of 4 units of 15 MW have been found appropriate. A free flow/pressure tunnel of about 4.80 m diameter horse-shoe shape conducts water from the diversion weir to the forebay surge shaft from where penstocks take off.

The project is located on the outskirts of srinagar city. srinagar has registered a phenomenal growth of population from 2 lakhs in 1941 to 12 lakhs at present. added to this, the city attracts a large number of tourists, commuting population and this makes the population almost double in peak tourist season. Being close to the city, the transmission losses from the power station to the city are minimum as compared to those of the other power houses located in farther areas. The head race tunnel of 4.8 m diameter is 10.8 km long, from surge shaft one branch tunnel of 2m diameter takes off for feeding the water supply requirements which shall empty at Rangil reservoir.

The new power house site is proposed to be adjacent to the existing power house and the tail rasce channel passes through low lying area and open fields and the discharge falls into river Sindh, just before its start fanning out into the Anchar lake. The proposed alignment has got built up during the past few years due to pressure of urbanisation.

Office and residential complexes were proposed to be constructed on the open land at Nunar to be acquired for the purpose.

The construction of infrastructure facilities were taken up in the year 1994-95, when I was posted as Executive Engineer in the project and procurement of materials besides land acquistion proceedings were initiated besides tendering process for tunnel construction, but the work got stalled due to unfavourable circumstances created in the valley.

The Stage-I of the project was estimated to cost about Rs. 115 crores and the generation cost was worked out to 61 Paise/ KWH.

Now recently it has come in the media that Government has the intention of resuming the work on this vital Hydroelectric Project. Let us pray for early action on this behalf.

Another Industry in Ruins

As if deforestation was not enough, growing competition due to imports from U.P. and China are slowly killing Kashmir's furniture industry

Kashmiri Furniture Industry Breaths Last

Srinagar: Once bedecking the hotel rooms and houses across the globe, Kashmiri furniture industry is facing a great threat as the competition from outsider furniture is mounting over it and giving a tough competition for its survival. This furniture industry which was once patronized by rulers in Kashmir is onslaught owing to the changing scenario across the world.It is also believed that only few people have remained continue with this business owing to the dark future they find in this industry.

"Our sons are showing least interest to run this industry as it is at the verge of extinction. We are not properly able to feed our family and majority people turned to other businesses," says, a local furniture worker, Lateef Bhat, "this industry has been totally ignored by the successive regimes for its promotion. It could generate thousands of job opportunities in the state if government takes steps for its development."

With increasing deforestation, the industry is also facing tremendous shortage of timber, thus paving way for sales of the imported furniture to the Kashmir Valley.

Sidiq Ahmad Shah, a local furniture worker shares how imported furniture gives tough competition to the local one. "Most of the timber for furniture is importing from Uttar Pradesh popularly known as the Sheesham wood. Sheesham brings its own workers and experts, thus giving a tough competition to the Kashmiris furniture industry for its survival," says Lone.

He further said that Sheesham furniture cuts the cost to '50 percent' as compared to Kashmiri furniture. 'A layman cannot differentiate between Sheesham and walnut at the first sight,' he added.

When asked about the growing popularity of Sheesham furniture in Kashmir, another local furniture owner Manzoor Ahmed told the Agence India Press that, "No furniture wood can match Kashmiri wood on the part of color, design and durability. But Kashmiri societies being the middle class prefer to buy the Sheesham as compared to the Kashmiri furniture."

Mushtaq Ahmad Wani, who used to run furniture industry Sarted to run the grocery shop, He claimed that Kashmiri furniture industry would not sustain for five more years.

Know Your Right

Muzaffar conducts a short training on what to expect under the J&K Public Services Guarantee Act

(Dr. Raja Muzaffar Bhat, 36, was born in Wathoora village in the Budgam district and matriculated from Tyndale Biscoe Memorial High School in 1993. He completed his Bachelor's degree in Dental Surgery from from the Karnatka University in 2000. He has a private dental practice in Chandoora and is a social activist dedicated to educating public on the Right To Information (RTI) legislation. He is the Convener of the J&K RTI Movement and associated with the Commonwealth Human Rights Intitiative (CHRI) office in New Delhi.)


J&K PUBLIC SERVICES GUARANTEE ACT 2011

Corruption is eating into the vitals of the society and it is not only the biggest problem in Jammu & Kashmir but it is one of the serious global issues now. Getting public services is not an easy job in our State. Whether somebody wants a building permission, a ration card or to get a State Subject Certificate people have to pay bribes and have to wait for months together. Now after the enactment of J&K Public Services Guarantee Act 2011(J&K PSG Act 2011) on April 13th 2011 people may get some relief from paying bribes and also from unnecessary delays in Government offices.

It is a matter of right for the people of J&K now to get public services from the various Government offices within specified time. The preamble of this act clearly says that J&K Public Services Guarantee Act 2011 is an act to provide for the delivery of Public Services to the people of the state within the specified time limit. This act can only be useful to public if it is implemented in letter and spirit. It is not only the job of the Government to implement it but the best way to implement it is to make rigorous use of this act.

WHAT IS RIGHT TO PUBLIC SERVICE?
The public service can be defined as a service which common citizen is supposed to get from the Government. Let us take an example:
A resident of Jammu & Kashmir state has to have a Permanent Resident Certificate (PRC) which is commonly called State Subject Certificate. Providing this certificate to the permanent resident of J&K state is the duty of the Revenue department officials and this can be called a public service. Similarly obtaining building permission, caste certificate, backward certificate, water connection etcetera can all be called public services and now people have the right to get these services within stipulated time and if these services are not provided to the applicants, the officials responsible can be penalized for the same. People won’t have to wait for months or years together to get a ration card , PRC or a building permission. The job has to be done within a specified time.

WHERE TO APPLY UNDER J&K PUBLIC SERVICES GUARANTEE ACT 2011 ?
As per section 4 sub section 2 of J&K PSG Act 2011 the Government may for different areas and different services designate officers who will be responsible for providing each of such service to the eligible persons. This means that there will be officers designated in various offices across nook and corner of the state who will be responsible to provide the public services to the people. For example in order to get Permanent Resident Certificate (State Subject Certificate) the Assistant Commissioner Revenue (ACR), Additional Deputy Commissioner (ADC) or the Sub Divisional Magistrate (SDM) of the concerned area have been designated as the Designated Officers (DO) and the person who wants to get a PRC (State Subject Certificate) must apply before him under PSG Act 2011 by writing a simple application and attaching the relevant documents with the application. Similarly for getting a ration card the eligible person must apply before concerned Tehsil Supply Officer (TSO) in rural areas and Assistant Director in urban areas of the Consumer Affairs & Public Distribution department (CAPD). Details regarding relevant documents and other designated officers will be elaborated in future. The designated officer (DO) is bound to provide the public service within specified time which varies from fifteen days to months for various service. The time period to receive various services will also be elaborated in future.

If the applicant does not gets the service within the stipulated time or the service provided is deficient in any manner he can file 1st appeal under section 6 sub section 1 of J&K PSG Act 2011 against the Designated Officer (DO) before the designated 1st Appellate Authority (1st AA) within 30 days of getting deficient service or expiry of the time to get the particular service. In case of PRC (State Subject Certificate) the concerned Deputy Commissioner of the area has been designated as 1st Appellate Authority and for getting a ration card the 1st Appellate Authority is the Deputy Director of CAPD. The 1st Appellate Authority has to dispose off the 1st appeal within a time of 45 days under section 6 sub section 2 of J&K PSG Act 2011.

Naseem Shafai's Genius

Betab introduces the reader to a true Kashmiri intellectual


(Mr. Brij Nath Watal "Betab", 55, was born in Akingam, Anantnag district. He attended the Government High School in Achabal, and completed his pre-professional studies at the Amar Singh College, Srinagar. He received a Master's degree in Political Science from the Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU), New Delhi. He is presently employed as a broadcaster/journalist by the All India Radio (AIR), New Delhi. Mr. Betabhas published three poetry collections, and received a National Award for poetry. He has traveled to Central Asia, and attended many national and international seminars. He is a regular contributor to half a dozen magazines, and is the honorary editor of the Hindi edition of the "Koshur Samachar." Mr. Betab is a member of J&K Academy of Art, Culture and Languages (JKAACL) subcommitte on Kashmiri language. He isassociated with various Sahitya Academy projects, and served as its jury. In leisure time, he enjoys writing and reading poetry, oriental studies and Shaivism.)

Naseem Shafai--- the Feminist Crusader

Professor Naseem Shafai's Sahitya Akademy Award winning book 'Ne Tschai ne Aks' (neither shadow, nor reflection') is a Kashmiri poetry collection of 44 poems and 36 Ghazals, Published in 2007.
Priced at rupees three hundred, the 208 page volume opens with a small canto dedicated by the author to her journalist husband 'Zafarji', with gratitude for his 'adoring encouragement'.

The 'radically feminist' poetry has a few stanzas , as prelude to the foreword, that portray the poet's emotions, and outlook towards the life.This works as a preamble to Naseem's poetry, where feminism is discernible in her almost every poem.

The title of the book has been taken from the first poem, BE NE TSCHAI NE AKS'( I am neither a shadow nor a reflection).

This poem is apparently a beautiful piece of romance, woven with epical Warf and weft and the threads from the legends of iconic Kashmiri women. The message is feminist and universal.

I am not like you, neither a replica of your dream
You have your own subsistence, I have an existence of my own
If you hanker to know, you shall realize a new world
My endurance is different, and you shall comprehend that....

Decrying the " male domination and a woman's afflicted subordination', like Kate Millet, the political theorist, the 1952 born poetess argues that through the ages, the woman have been on the receiving end. But now the world "must not stand in her way".

After a long time, I have realized my identity
Comprehended that I have to have a vision
well, I have to fill my rim with sunshine
I am the mother Lalla and the Habba Khatoon
Now the world must not stop me.

In another poem MOZREYN,(the female laborer) she poses the question. "What is it that the common (working) women folk in our society achieves.? Why is her entire life spent just for a morsel of food and a shred to cover the body . Why has she to shed the tears and always be a prey to the sexual exploitation by the ever famished husband.?

My inner voice warned,
He is not in his usual today
The man-eater is hunting a prey
There, I, opened Shiva's third eye
Stared at him
Made him to fall from the grace
His entire existence burnt down
Reduced to ashes
He was no more…(He died)

The poem is a 'gender identity interface', that is the reflection of the ideological advancement of the feminist ethnologists. However for the poetess Naseem Shafai, it is not the Sex, but the Gender inequality that poses the challenge.

Oh, you too got on to this boat
You also strayed at last
Oh, you also got swayed slowly
By this word smith
Oh, you also followed
Your late mother
shall you also live by cursed destiny
by your virtue the world is wonderful
please realize now
see, the Adam will be worthless
without you'.(Adam's trap)

This type of poetry is an expression of a woman's inner passion for self esteem, and self admiration. This type of passion is termed as 'Sun Passion' by Kshemendra, the 10th century writer from Kashmir. This passion, says Kshemendra , 'can create illusions of pleasure.' It is perhaps due to this illusion that it has been alleged about Naseem Shafai that 'she does not seem to bother about the equality of man and woman'.

When we de-construct her poems, as critics like Terry Eagleton advocated , it becomes crystal clear that the poetess does bother for the man-woman equality. It is in fact this equality that she, in her poetry, is fighting for.

I would never look for you, but my heart sometimes induces me
Finding no reason, it maneuvers somehow
Those, who studded my every gaze with stars
Should be aware that I am dreaming?

Naseem may not be dreaming of 'equality of opportunity', but she certainly is fighting for 'equality of persons, that is common to cultural, religious and moral traditions'.

The poetess, who is a retired professor and a post graduate of Kashmiri language and literature, from the University of Kashmir, does not challenge the existence of 'A woman's partner', a lover. She is rather active about love and romance in life.

The doors are still engraved with longing for someone
The gaze hanging through the window is fixed at the path.
Read my heart, if you can read my face
Write the reply to quires, if you can rub.

It is however her 'desire' to be treated at par and with dignity. It is this dignity in family and society that the women's lib stands for and Naseem Shafai is its crusader for that in Kashmiri literature.

Enter deep into me and trace me for a moment
I am something beyond the body and the beauty
Descend from skies like Krishna and worship me
Oh Rama, become like me, I shall test out…….

Naseem Shafai propagates the existence of self in flesh and bones. 'The Self' that for a women is a matter of existence. Existence with quality and equality.

For Naseem it is the denial of this quality and equality for a woman that finds an emotional outburst in her poetry.

"She knew
How to look straight into others eyes,
She was, but, taught
In her early life
That those who cast their eyes down
Achieve heights,
She would laugh
And enjoy hilarity
Celebrate the childhood,
She was, but, taught
Right from her birth
That a giggle does not augur well,
She was handed over such a fear
That frightened, she would say
"It is the world of satanic influences
Beyond the threshold,
Outside the doorsill" {Fareeb (Deception)

Poetess Naseem Shafai, who gave new diction to feministic Kashmiri poetry, is a woman of substance who enjoys not only womanhood, but the life itself and wants others to enjoy, following perhaps Antony Hopkins who said, ' I love life because what more is there"?..

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MOTHERS LEARN KASHMIRI TO TEACH THEIR KIDS NOW

Naseem Shafaie has become the first Kashmiri woman to win the country’s highest literary honour, the Sahitya Akademi Award, in recognition of her contribution to the revival of Kashmir’s long tradition of poetesses. Shafaie talks to Sameer Arshad about giving life to dying literary traditions of her state

What does the Sahitya Akademi award mean to you?

I do not see it as a source of fame, but as recognition more than anything else. As kids, we look at our elders for appreciation and that pushes us to set higher standards for ourselves. Similarly, this award means that I have grown as a poetess and now I have a place of my own in the world of literature. It has been a long journey and I thank my teachers for encouraging me to write in Kashmiri when everybody else was writing in Urdu. My teachers told me to stick to Kashmiri and I think that has paid off. Moreover, it is Allah’s gift. I am very happy, but it’s also a source of great relief that my work has been finally recognized.

What is the nature of your poetry? The anthology that won you the award is about female emancipation and individuality? Is your poetry purely womenoriented or does it also reflect suffering caused by the turmoil in Kashmir?

My poetry addresses a wide range of issues from a woman’s perspective. My first collection of poems — Daerche Mutchrith (Open Window) is about a Kashmiri woman looking out of her window, a metaphor for her yearning to explore the outside world in the 1970s when the women began to take to higher education and their representation in government jobs began to increase.

My second award-winning book Nah Chaien Tshay Na Aks (Neither Your Shadow Nor Reflection) —released in 2007— is about women’s empowerment and individuality. In the title poem, I say that a woman is neither a man’s shadow nor his reflection; she has a position of her own and that she can do wonders on her own. But it is not irreverent towards men. It talks about men and women being different but equal. Men are neither more important, nor superior to women. They should at best complement each other. Meh Tog Nah Ranun (I Could Not Cook) is about how life changes for a woman after marriage and the struggles of adjustment. Another poem is about a father’s love for his daughter and his apprehension that she may not be treated that well after him.

And the pain and suffering?

How can anyone, who lived through the difficult times, be immune to it? It has had a tremendous impact on my poems. My poem Bakh (Wail) is about women and their insecurity in letting their kids go out in Kashmir of the 1990s. Its last stanza mate martaw yen chew wansi kam (do not die, you are too young to die) is about women mourning young sons who have died in last 20 years. Another poem deals with enforced disappearances. Du Wuth (Two Ways) is about Kashmir of my childhood and my lament that our future generations may not see the same Kashmir again.

You have been credited with reviving the tradition of poetesses in Kashmir. Whatisthestateof Kashmiriliterature at the moment?

The basis of Kashmiri literature is the poetry of famous poetesses like Lal Ded, the 14th century mystic poetess; Habba Khatoon of 16th century, and Arnimal of the 18th century. They were very strong women who challenged the norms of patriarchy. We have had a rich legacy of women poets but we had nothing on what they had written in their own handwriting. Their works were passed from one generation to another orally before they were written in the 20th century. It has been challenging, but now many women are coming forward. I was the only one to go to mushairas in the 1970s. Things are changing now.

You started your literary journey from a vibrant Kashmir University campus in the 1970s. Has the campus retained that vibrancy?

It was extremely vibrant when I started in the 1970s. We used to have weekly literary gatherings on Saturdays. There was a lot of critical thinking and appreciation. We were really groomed well. Besides, the local radio station has played a vital role in grooming poetesses like me. We had outstanding guides like Avtarchand Rehbar, Lassa Koul, who gave us proper guidance and taught us the nitty-gritty of poetry.

Is the Kashmiri language dying as many fear?

I am an optimist. The language has been introduced as a compulsory subject till Class VIII. It is optional after that. The best thing about it is that mothers, who are more comfortable with Urdu and English, have now begun to learn the language to teach their kids.

Speaking Kashmiri Language

Iqbal pitches for the mother tongue


(Mr. Iqbal Ahmad, 49, was born in Parigam Chek, Kulgam. He is a graduate with Diploma in Numismatics, Archaeology and Heritage. He is an archaeologist, writer, and a cultural historian. He is employed by the Jammu and Kashmir State Government. Mr. Iqbal Ahmad has published 12 reference books on Kashmir archaeology and heritage.)


‘Koshur’- The Language of the Land

Beyond any doubt, ‘Kashmiri’ has been the primary language of people living in the valley of Kashmir. Its antiquity is being traced to the period of Kalhan Pandith, a famous historian who lived in the 11th century AD. A Scholastic analysis of Kalhan Pandith’s historical chronicle “Rajtarangni”, written in Sanskrit, reveals a number of Kashmiri terms incorporated in the text. Scholars have come across few such terms in this historic chronicle which later became a source book for most of the historical writings and other relevant explorations.

At one place Kalhan writes, Nav Sheen Chhu Pranis Sheenas Galan (It is the fresh snow that melts the old snow layers), a pure Kashmiri proverb, which is a clear indication of how the local dialect influenced Kalhana’s pen when he sat to write a historical chronicle. In fact this dialect has served as the main spoken language for its people though it was hardly used for any writing purposes.

Surprisingly, despite its popularity among the masses in the valley, ‘Kashmiri’ could never succeed to reach to any official position where it could have been used for any kind of official business which would usually be carried out either in Sanskrit or Persian. These two languages has dominated not only the official scenario but even the common mans writing traditions. The Kashmiri speaking people also neglected their own dialect and preferred to write in other scripts famous for writings during those ages.

There were only a few poets who used to compose lyrics in their own dialect. But this would remain an oral activity and would never be scripted in black and white. Historical researches and findings suggest that, during its initial periods, ‘Kashmiri’ served only as the spoken language of this land and nothing was written in this language. It was Sanskrit and Persian which somehow filled the vacuum leaving a literature of the land in foreign languages instead of its own one. That is probably why thousands of ancient manuscripts of Sanskrit and Persian are found in various olden book collections of this land while as one fails to spot even a single ancient Kashmiri manuscript.

Such findings motivated several scholars to believe that Kashmiri has been a spoken dialect rather than a written one. They also believe that it was the Persian script and language which served as the alternate for writings. The historical records also suggest that Persian has been the most popular official and written language of this land. Although today this language has almost disappeared from writing traditions of this land but it has had its golden period here when it dominated the writing and educational culture of Kashmir.

Persian, therefore, became a fundamentally essential language for people living here in the valley. They needed to know this language in order to know their past and the literary traditions that have existed here. People, it is said, developed a yearning for this language and till late 20th century, the language was being taught in formal and informal institutions. But this centuries old language promoted here by Sultans and their learned men stands neglected in Jammu and Kashmir now as it is now simply an optional subject in the University classes.

This language has a very long and interesting history of its own. Kashmir seems to have had cultural relations with Persia from ancient times. The Terra-Cotta tiles unearthed at Harwan, dating back to the fourth century AD, depict Sassassin characteristics. Besides, the Persian titles like Shah Nanoshahu adopted here by few Kushan princes are few earliest evidences of these ancient ties which existed between Kashmir and Persia.

These influences did not dominate, fully, the local culture and dialect. It was the Muslim rule did in the middle of the fourteenth century AD that left indelible influences on the local language and culture. The arrival of Sayyids and learned men from Persia and central not only brought various techniques and craftsmanship here but also left a deep influence on the literacy and cultural aspects here. This was the time when the two countries came closer for various types of trades and traditions. The royal patronage of Sharda and Sanskrit collapsed and it extended towards Persian script and language. The earlier writing mechanisms receded into the background, the students switched over to the study of Persian which became the language of the royal men and educated classes and even found its way into the villages.

As much as, the society of Kashmir reached a stage when education became synonymous with Persian learning’s. During the period of Sultan Zain-ul-Abidine, the language had a tremendous patronage. He established several translation bureaus where the earlier Sanskrit works got translated into Persian while as Persian also earned the honor of being practiced in courts as well. Chak Sultans left no stone unturned in patronizing Persian which is very much evident from the coins of that period.

The Shahmeri Sultans promoted Persian as well as Arabic learning’s while as Chaks devoted their full attention towards Persian. They were so eager to popularize Persian that the reverses of their maximum coins represented the Persian legends. This tradition of Chaks in Kashmir remained unchanged till Dogra rule. The status of Persian as official and court language was maintained by Mughals and Durrani rulers too. Durrani rulers adopted different Persian couplets in praise of their money market and displayed those on the obverses and reverses of their coins. This tradition became so deep in royal mints that when the Kingdom passed to Sikhs, they did not, at once, make any big change in the status of Persian language. No doubt they introduced Gurmukhi and Punjabi script and language but it had hardly any impact on Kashmir culture. They too did not disturb the judicial and official status of Persian. They continued to make Persian legends on their coins and so did the Dogras too. The Sikh coins minted in Srinagar had the following couplet on the observers:

Degu-Tegu-Fateh-u-Nustrat Bayed Rang Yaft Az Nanak Guru Govbid Singh

It was the court language of the Darbar of Kashmir too and was written and spoken even by local Pandits. Besides its literature, books on history, art, culture, philosophy, astronomy, astrology, geometry, and mathematics are written in this language. The Hindu religious books were also translated into it. Those manuscripts are preserved in various institutes of Kashmir.

The language lost it royal patronage in later years of Dogra rule when it was replaced by Urdu as the official language. But it was taught as a compulsory subject in school and colleges till late seventies of this century. Later on, it was neglected and was treated as an optional subject that too for University classes, while in schools it vanished altogether. Today neither government nor any private institutions are showing any interest in its promotion. The thousands of manuscripts written in this language are not taken due care of.

Truly, things have almost changed, the roman script and English language has superceded the Persian and even the Urdu language of this land. To revive the olden traditions seems to be a Herculean task. We can still preserve the olden Persian and Sanskrit manuscripts and books and translate them into simple Urdu and English. These manuscripts are the sources of excellent knowledge on astronomy, astrology, physics, medical science, mathematics, geometry, history , culture, and fiction. There are valuable researches, on the above mentioned subjects, carried out by learned Kashmiri scholars. Unfortunately, this treasure of knowledge cultivated by our own ancestors has always remained behind the access of present day experts. Steps are needed to be taken to explore this treasure for present day researches.