Former Director of AJK Mass Communication Research Centre, Jamia Millia Islamia, Obaid Siddique, also congratulated Aliya.

Independent journalist from Kashmir, Aliya Bashir, was conferred award by Schizophrenia Research Foundation and Press Institute of India for her reportage on mental health issues from Kashmir.

The award, SCARF-PII Media for Mental Health Awards, running in its third year, was given to her in Chennai for her piece ‘Kashmiri Women Explore Spiritual, Psychiatric Treatment for Mental Illness’ in which she chronicles the lives of three women with mental illness and how they cope up with the problem.

Aliya bagged the first prize in the English category while the second prize was given to Divya Chyandrabbau of The Times of India.

Meanwhile, senior journalists and academics have congratulated Aliya on her feat.

“For us, it is a moment of pride and happiness. Congratulations Aliya,” veteran Kashmiri journalist Yusuf Jameel wrote on social networking site, Facebook.

Former Director of AJK Mass Communication Research Centre, Jamia Millia Islamia, Obaid Siddique, also congratulated Aliya.

In her talk at the awards ceremony, Aliya has noted that there is need of telling more stories of people with mental illness and how they live.

source: http://www.greaterkashmir.com / Greater Kashmir / Home> Kashmir / by GK News Network / Srinagar – October 22nd, 2015