Tag Archives: Muslims of Jammu & Kashmir

How businessman Manzoor Wangnoo restored Khushal Sar Lake of Kashmir

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Srinagar, JAMMU & KASHMIR:

Manzoor Wangnoo leading school Children during an environmental campaign in Srinagar
Manzoor Wangnoo leading school Children during an environmental campaign in Srinagar

About two and a half years ago when Manzoor Ahmad Wangnoo, a prominent businessman of Kashmir  was asked by the anchor during a television show that he must say in 20 seconds what inspired him to work for saving and restoring Kashmir’s water bodies, he replied “Ehsaas”.

His reply explained how realization and concern on seeing the water bodies of the Valley shrink and gets degraded due to human greed and official negligence became the key to his massive efforts to awaken the public and undertaking the work to restore the Lakes to health.

He remembers visiting the 1.6 km by 0.6 km Khushal Sar Lake located on Srinagar outskirts in February 2021 for the first time. “It was in bad shape, choked with solid waste and smelling foul”, he told Awaz-the Voice at his office in Kashmir Mahal Resorts in the Nishat area overlooking the Dal lake.

“When I told the residents that it needs efforts to clean up the lake, they laughed”, he said, as he was accompanied by his team of volunteers of the Nigeen Lake Conservation Organisation (NLCO), established in 2000. He remember his three counsins – Latief, Riyaz and Muzaffar also joining him from the beginning of his campaign. 

NLCO started with cleaning up the Nigeen Lake, and is currently focused on Khushal Sar, Manzoor Wangnoo recalled the oft-quoted couplet from India’s 20th century famous Urdu poet, Majrooh Sultanpuri (Asrar-ul-Hassan Khan): Meein akela hi chalaa thaa janibe manzil magar’; Loag Saath aatey gaye aur karwaan banta gaya”.“That actually happened”, he said.  The target of cleaning Khushal Sar was completed in 100 days under the “Mission Ehsaas” (phase 1), which began on February 21, 2021. With the help of SMC (Srinagar Municipal Corporation) and other agencies, NLCO removed “3000 truckloads of muck from the Lake till date”, Wangnoo said.

Wangnoo with local resident at Gilsur bridge

“Now this (Khushal Sar) is not a dustbin”, he said and appealed to the Government to provide a drainage system and demarcation on the lake peripheries. The traditional navigational route, Zadibal-Sazgaripora in the lake was restored in phase 2 of “Mission Ehsaas” last year. Wangnoo said that the lake was orphaned and had been neglected for the past 30 years.

Without the efforts of the Lake Conservation and Management Authority (LCMA), which keeps Nallah Amir Khan clean, the restoration work of Khushal Sar and Gilsar would not have been possible, Manzoor Wangnoo said. The authorities have prevented solid waste from flowing into the twin water bodies. He also praised successive Divisional Commissioners for supporting his work.

He called for a “competent authority” to take responsibility of the lake’s conservation, though J&K Lake Conservation and Management Authority (LCMA) looks after Dal Lake. “It (Khushal Sar) needs complete attention”, Manzoor Wangnoo told Awaz-the Voice, as phase 3 of clearing the muck began earlier this year.

“The mission received an encouraging response”, Wangnoo said and referred to its mention by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his Mann Ki Baat last year. Lt Governor, Manoj Sinha also expressed his “gratitude” to Wangnoo at least on three occasions in the last two years. “The idea of cleaning the Khushal Sar was of a prominent businessman of Srinagar city, Manzoor Ahmad, and the cleaning process was started with the help of the administration coupled with the efforts of the locals. It is a great example of public participation,” Sinha commented on one occasion.

“People in the vicinity (of Khushal Sar) have started to realize the importance of the conservation of the water body. Administration lent its support for the cause, especially SMC has been there to collect the waste from day one”, he commented.

The restoration of choked Khushal Sar to its pristine glory is not the first venture undertaken by Manzoor Ahmad Wangnoo, who has established his business in carpet and Kashmir handicrafts over the last nearly five decades. The 70 years old businessman, who was educated at Tyndale Biscoe School and S P College, Srinagar, learned the trade from his father in his early childhood.

Wangnoo in his office

As a businessman over the decades, what concerned him was the need “to create awareness regarding environment and saving water bodies of Kashmir, endangered by pollution”. Thus, he constituted a local NGO, Nigeen Lake’s Conservation (NLCO) in 2000 for the restoration of water bodies. “I took the challenge to restore the glory of the lake with the active participation of peoples… it aims to save the (Nigeen) lake from becoming a cesspool”, he said.

“This is our (team’s) identity wherever we go with efforts of saving the environment”, the devout Muslim pointing towards his white round cap, commented. “NLCO has taken on the role of a watchdog organization, to check vandalism, create awareness about the importance of conservation of water bodies in particular and the environment in general”.

Speaking of challenges, Manzoor Wangnoo said “land mafia and encroachers tried their best to stop us. But when three people, administration and NGOs – join hands everything becomes possible.”

After several years there was a sea change in the Nigeen Lake as “the people became aware of the importance of the pollution-free lake”, he said. Wangnoo has also contributed to helping the 2005 quake-hit people of Uri and Tangdhar by constituting Kashmir Welfare Trust and in the education sector by setting up Bilaliya Educational Institute.

Educational Institute, Srinagar

Nigeen Lake is connected via a narrow strait flowing beneath the Ashai Bagh bridge on the Lal Chowk-Rainawari-Hazratbal road. It is further connected to Khushal Sar and Gilsar through Nallah Amir Khan.

While he was continuing with his mission “to help enrich the quality of life of the community and preserve ecological balance and heritage through a strong environment conscience”, the October 2005 earthquake posed another challenge to him.

With the support of the concerned persons to deliver, he initiated the relief measures in the quake-hit areas of North Kashmir, which led to the formation of Kashmir Welfare Trust (KWT), an NGO to undertake the relief operations. The KWT, which initiated with the adoption of 69 earthquake victims from Tangdhar in 2005 has set up the Bilaliya Educational Institute in Srinagar where 1900 boys and girls are today enrolled. Also, it’s one of the leading schools in Srinagar.

He proudly says that some of the students of the school have shown excellent results with scoring distinction in the board examinations.

It Trust has also contributed to the relief and rehabilitation of the 2014 floods in Kashmir.

source: http://www.awazthevoice.in / Awaz The Voice / Home> Stories / by Ehsan Fazili, Srinagar / June 26th, 2023

School dropout Asif Sheikh’s UK company has Rs 5 crore turnover

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Srinagar, JAMMU & KASHMIR /Manchester, U.K. :

Sheikh Asif, founder, Thames Infotech, holding one of his books
Sheikh Asif, founder, Thames Infotech, holding one of his books

Breaking the stereotype of a company chief, Srinagar’s Asif Sheikh, a school dropout, is the CEO and founder of Thames Infotech, a Manchester-based company with a turnover of Rs 5 crore! He has just turned 28.

“I believe that a person who works hard, with dedication and honesty is always successful; he can never give up even when many a time one loses the courage to carry on. There were setbacks and at the time I did seem to lose courage, but I did not give up,” Sheikh Asif told Awaz-the Voice in a telephonic interview.

Asif’s success is extraordinary given his poor educational background and reaching a position that many persons with degrees from top-end colleges aspire to.

Besides being a successful entrepreneur, Asif is also a professional web designer, developer, graphic designer, digital marketer, and writer. He also gives back to society by giving free tuition to students from all over the world.

Sheikh Asif’s work profile is interesting: he worked with a tour and travel company, sold medical equipment for a company, and with telecom companies like Airtel, Vodafone, and Aircel.

awazthevoice
Sheikh Asif deliving a talk on business

In the year 2000, Sheikh Asif was 8 years old when his father’s health deteriorated. His father was a head constable. Due to his father’s illness, the family was reduced to penury. Sheikh Asif says that his father’s illness remains a mystery as the family consulted experts and eminent doctors but nobody could diagnose it.

Sheikh Asif told Awaz-the Voice that his mother sold most of the household assets and took loans to pay for his father’s treatment.

Recalling those days, Asif says that he can never forget one particular day when he was studying in the eighth grade and was to write his exam, but he had no pen. “I was leaving for the examination hall and was worried. My mother came to know the reason for my worry, she sold a copper dish from her kitchen to buy me a pen.”

He says that his mother often sold household goods for the family, especially to meet the needs of the children.

The conditions at home were not conducive for Sheikh Asif to continue his studies. He left school and started working to support his family.

“I went against my mother’s wishes, as she wanted me to become a doctor most parents in Kashmir do, but I gave up my studies to support my financially broke family,” said. He was 15 years old in 2008 when he started earning for his family by doing odd jobs.

awazthevoice
Sheikh Asif

Sheikh Asif was always fascinated by computers and spent a lot of time on them. Due to this, he got his first job as a data entry operator with a local tour and travel company at the age of 16. He earned a salary of Rs 1500.

Sheikh Asif said seeing his interest his father took a loan from a bank to buy him a computer. The turning point in his life came as he watched an interview with Microsoft founder Bill Gates on BBC.

He took full advantage of his computer and yet the challenge was the lack of a high-speed broadband facility in Kashmir. While the rest of the world was running 4G internet, in his locality only 2G internet was available.

He left his first job within two months and started working in a local shop as a salesman for four years. Here he honed his skills and learned all the basics including graphics designing, web designing, etc.

Again there was a rough patch in his life as in the 2014 Kashmir floods, his house was washed away. He used all his savings in rebuilding his house. The family had to start from scratch as all their household belonging had got damaged and washed away.

In the year 2014, he quit his job and started his business, but it turned out to be a year full of troubles for him.

awazthevoice
Sheikh Asif’s Srinagar office

However, fortunately, the next year Asif got an opportunity to work in Delhi, and the exposure there opened his mind to a bigger canvas.

“The 2014 flood severely damaged our house and we had to repair or renovate it periodically for four consecutive years after the flood and finally had to sell the house in 2018,” he said.

In the meantime, he worked with OLX from April 2015, and from there he was offered a job at Trimax Printing and Graphics, a UK-based company owned by Tajinder Singh. He was working for the company Hayes Harlington. The company runs an online general store and it had no element of graphic designing till then.

Sheikh Asif told Awaz-The Voice: “I worked for Chanda Trimax Printings & Graphics. Meanwhile, the killing of a militant in Kashmir saw the valley under lockdown for nearly three months. For this reason, I left for Delhi.”

When he met Tajinder Singh in Delhi, the latter was facing issues with his business. His business was suffering due to low sales. Having seen his latent, Tajinder Singh offered him a job at Hayes, Harlington, UK, where Tajinder’s brothers were already working.

Sheikh Asif says he consulted his mother before picking the UKL job. He signed an agreement to work for 18 months and an assured return flight ticket to India.

“They told me that they had changed the name of Trimax Printings & Graphics to Thames Infotech on June 6, 2016,” Asif said.

He set foot on foreign soil for the first time in the first week of November 2016. However, the business did not show positive results there either, thus Tajinder’s brother advised him to find a part-time job in the UK to meet his expenses.

“When I was looking for a part-time job, I met Rizwan, a Kashmiri man originally from Baramulla district in North Kashmir, who came to Manchester in 2000 and now runs a restaurant, Riz Spices.

Sheikh Rizwan offered him a space in his restaurant to set up a part-time business. “Two months later I met another man, Hamza Salim, a senior software engineer at Google, who asked me to build a website for his tech company, on the condition that only if he liked my work I would be paid,” he said.

After approving his website design, Hamza Salim offered him 50 percent equity in his firm.

pix05

During this time, Asif meet many people including natives and others, and kept looking for opportunities.

One such person was Rudrigo Ruiz Karvajal, who frequented the restaurant. He offered me a place that was quite conveniently located. He told me that his father had started his business from there.

“I got my first order for a logo for which I was paid 500 pounds and I was only expecting 30-40 pounds. They gave me another order to build a website for which I was paid 7000 pounds.”

 “I was wondering if it’s a dream. Never expected such high remuneration. This order was from the largest food chain in London called Zabka.”

On June 9, 2016, Asif took over the Thames Infotech Manchester UK company which has a current turnover of Rs 5 crore.

It has an office at Advent Colony in Naugam, Srinagar, Kashmir. He employs 35 locals including 32 in UK and 3 in Kashmir for website designing and development, digital marketing, graphics designing, personal branding, social media handling, etc.

Sheikh Asif told Awaz-The Voice that our company is a leading web designing company and has won the 2017, 2018, 2019, and 2020 awards as the Three Best Rated UK, and Best IT Service Provider Award 2018, 2019 organized by Top Developers USA, he claims.

Sheikh Asif said that he received the first award in the year 2003, less than one year after his launching of his company.

So far, Asif has trained around 1000 students, helped 40 businesses through the Covid-19 pandemic, and has published three books – Digitization In Business, Online Business Idea, and Start a Business.

Sheikh Asif was named Entrepreneur of the year 2022 by The Fireboxx. There he was honored by Google as a Digital Marketing Expert in 2018.

To the youth, Sheikh Asif says they must never lose hope and always keep their focus on business. Secondly, they must avoid drugs. They shouldn’t waste their lives by getting immersed in romantic liaison and heartbreaks; these are temporary phases of life and not a goal. “Your personality is your work,” he says.

source: http://www.awazthevoice.in / Awaz, The Voice / Home> Youth / by Shah Imran Hasan, New Delhi / December 17th, 2022

Meet Class 12 Student Arbeen Tahir Who Hand-Wrote Quran In 6 Months

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Hajin (Baramulla District) JAMMU & KASHMIR:

Srinagar:

Phones have not stopped ringing at Tahir Ahmed Parray’s home in North Kashmir Hajin after his daughter Arbeen Tahir completed handwriting Holy Quran.

It took Arbeen six months to write the Quran using her calligraphic pen. With no formal training, she learnt calligraphy by watching YouTube videos before she tried her hand at writing the Quran.

“It was my childhood dream to write the holy Quran. I had no experience or training in calligraphy. I started watching videos and trying scribbling on paper before I learnt the art. I started writing the holy Quran in June and completed it in November. I was regularly showing manuscripts to my cousin for any correction,” she said.

Coming from a religious family, Arbeen’s father is a businessman dealing with fruits. She has a younger brother who studies in Class 10. Arbeen is living in a big joint family with all her uncles and cousins under one roof. 

Arbeen received religious education from her childhood. Well versed in different languages, she developed an interest in reading theology and religious scriptures.  

“I have written the manuscript on 900 pages. Now I plan to preserve this copy for posterity. I plan to bind it and keep it in my study. It is the prized possession,” she said.

Arbeen has become a role model for her clan and society. A student of class XII, she is now preparing for NEET and wants to become a doctor to serve humanity.

“I am working hard to crack NEET. My cousin is a doctor and she is my inspiration. I too want to become a doctor to serve mankind. I am preparing hard to achieve my goal,” she said.

The 18-year-old is also working on her debut book. “I am writing a book. `Tragedy of Innocence’ will soon hit the stands,” she said.

Arbeen is not the first student who has handwritten the Quran in Kashmir. Last year, Adil Nabi Mir of Srinagar completed writing the Holy Book in 58 days. Mir said he wrote the Quran in his handwriting purely for the ‘sake of Allah’ and to inspire the youth to follow Islamic teachings.

Coming from a humble background, Mir’s father is a mason. Mir said he received a lot of encouragement from his father and other family members.

He started writing on January 27, 2021, and it took him 58 days to complete the work. He used to write in his free time and spend 6-7 hours doing this. His fingers would ache a lot, but he persisted. Mir would rarely move out of the house barring visits to the mosque so that he could finish his task. 

source: http://www.indiatomorrow.net / India Tomorrow / Home> Religion / by Ishfaq-ul-Hassan (headline edited) / December 13th, 2022

Meet Ruveda Salam – a doctor and Kashmir’s first woman IPS officer

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Farkin Village (Kupwara District), JAMMU & KASHMIR :

Meet Ruveda Salam - a doctor and Kashmir's first woman IPS officer

In 2015, Dr Ruveda Salam became the very first woman IPS officer from Jammu & Kashmir. When Ruveda was growing up, her father often used to say that he wanted his daughter to become an IPS (Indian Administrative Service) officer. That’s when she first thought of becoming one. It inspired her and she decided to aim for it.’

“As I have cleared the UPSC (Union Public Services Commission) exam for the second time, I will have to go for training again depending on the cadre. I think I will be posted as a sub-collector. Last year, I was selected to the Indian Police Service cadre. I went for training to Hyderabad. The training was very strenuous. Physically it was very hard. I joined the IPS cadre in Tamil Nadu and was posted as an Assistant Commissioner of Police in Chennai,” Ruveda said in a report in Rediff.com.

Before Ruveda cleared the UPSC (for the first time), she got into medical college, but even while studying medicine she used to read a lot. Ruveda found time to clear the Kashmir State Administrative Service exam. Instead of doing a post graduation in medicine, Ruveda started preparing for the UPSC.

As a young ACP, Ruveda has given motivational speeches to the youth, particularly girls. She encourages them to appear for the IPS exams in Jammu and Kashmir. Ruveda’s role is challenging. It carries a lot of responsibility. “I am in a state where people respect the police. I like it here (Tamil Nadu). When girls see me in uniform they look at me with admiration. I had conducted a workshop for girls in Hyderabad. The girls who attended said they wanted to join the IPS, but were apprehensive about whether their parents will support them,” Ruveda shared.

According to Ruveda, development will lead to peace in Jammu and Kashmir. “Peace and development go together. We should look to the future. Living outside has helped me understand the situation better,” said Ruveda.

source: http://www.yourstory.com / Your Story / Home> Inspiration / by Think Change India / May 11th, 2016

No strings attached: A craft withers in Kashmir

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Srinagar, JAMMU & KASHMIR :

Ghulam Mohammad Zaz is the last of eight generations of craftsmen specialising in making classical musical instruments in Kashmir’s Srinagar city.

In the heart of Srinagar’s old city, lives Ghulam Mohammad Zaz, an octogenarian whose expertise lies in hand-crafting musical instruments.

Zaz lives in a small house that’s built on the banks of river Jhelum, and the place where he works stands on the same block, just a few footsteps away.

However, when temperatures plummet to sub-zero in the Himalayan region during winter, Zaz does not go to his workshop — a small confined room, on the second floor of the 300-year-old building, roughly spread across 80 square feet, with mud-plastered walls and half-broken windows. The dimly lit staircase leading to the artisan’s workshop is so narrow that another person can not pass at the same time.

Zaz crafts and styles an array of traditional stringed instruments like Rababs, Sitars and Santoors. Some of his masterpieces have been played by acclaimed Kashmiri musicians like the legendary Pandit Shivkumar Sharma. Sharma has received several national and international awards, including India’s highest civilian awards like Padma Shri and the Padma Vibhushan.

Zaz inherited the craft from his ancestors, who have been making instruments for seven generations. He belongs to the eighth generation, and inevitably the last, as his ancestral legacy has run its course: Zaz has three daughters who have chosen different lines of work, and his art will likely one day fade into the abyss.

“This trade has given me livelihood and contentment. I have no remorse that there’s no one after me,” said Zaz.

During the second wave of the pandemic, Zaz contracted the Covid-19 virus and was bedridden for nearly three months. And since then, he finds it difficult to work as industriously as he would before.

Although his working hours have gone down, Zaz, the last Santoor-maker of Kashmir’s capital city, is not disillusioned.

“I am happy, and will keep on doing this as long my health allows,” added the old man, who started his journey as an apprentice in 1953 when he was just 12 years old.

Ghulam Mohammad Zaz, 80, the last Santoor maker of Kashmir’s capital city, sits quietly in the confines of his workshop. (Shah Umar / TRTWorld) (Shah Umar / TRTWorld)
Zaz busy tuning the Rabab he has made for a client based in the South Indian city of Bangalore. In front of him lies another handmade instrument called the Santoor, which he has crafted for a client based in Dubai. (Shah Umar / TRTWorld)

Pandit Shivkumar Sharma’s photo (top left) hangs on the grime-covered wall of Zaz’s workshop. Sharma is a globally acclaimed musician who was born in Jammu and has received awards like Padma Shree and Padma Vibhushan, considered as the fourth and the second highest civilian honours conferred by the Indian Republic. (Shah Umar / TRTWorld)
Zaz sits in a makeshift workspace— a hall on the second floor of his house. Owing to the harsh winter, Zaz finds the hall warmer than the workshop where he would usually work. (Shah Umar / TRTWorld)
Zaz lives in Srinagar’s old city. A skyline of Zaz’s hometown is seen in the picture. The wooden bridge, Zaina Kadal, seen in the picture was built by Sultan Zainul Aabideen in the 15th century, and hence the name ‘Zaina’ Kadal. (Shah Umar / TRTWorld)
Zaz with his grandsons Saadat (left) and Hassan (right). (Shah Umar / TRTWorld)

source: http://www.trtworld.com / TRT World / Home> News-Magazine / by Peerzada Sheikh Muzamil (text edited) / Pics: Shah Umar / February 02nd, 2022

Cop killed, CRPF personnel injured in militant attack in J&K’s Pulwama

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Wasoora Pulwama, JAMMU & KASHMIR :

Former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister and National Conference vice president Omar Abdullah condemned the attack.

Wreath laying ceremony held for SPO Javaid Ahmad (Image/ANI)

Srinagar :

A policeman was killed and a CRPF personnel injured when militants attacked a security forces team in Pulwama district of Jammu and Kashmir on Sunday, police said.

The attack took place in Pinglana area of the south Kashmir district.

“Terrorists fired upon a joint Naka party of CRPF & Police at Pinglana, Pulwama. In this terror attack, 01 Police personnel got martyred & 01 CRPF personnel got injured,” Kashmir Zone Police said in a tweet.

The police said reinforcements were rushed to the area and a search operation was launched.

A police spokesman identified the slain policeman as Javid Ahmad Dar.

He said the injured CRPF personnel was evacuated to a hospital for treatment.

Senior police officers along with reinforcement reached the terror crime spot, the spokesman added.

“We pay our rich tributes to the martyr for his supreme sacrifices made in the line of duty. We standby the family of the martyr at this crucial juncture and pray for the speedy recovery of the injured personnel,” the spokesperson said.

Police has registered a case, the investigation is in progress and officers are working to establish the full circumstances of this terror crime, he said.

The area has been cordoned off and a search is going on there, he added.

Meanwhile, former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister and National Conference (NC) vice president Omar Abdullah condemned the attack.

“While condemning this attack I send my condolences to the family of the J&K police personnel who laid down his life in the line of duty today. I also send my best wishes for the speedy recovery of the injured CRPF personnel,” Abdullah wrote on Twitter.

The Peoples Conference too condemned the attack.

“We strongly condemn the militant attack upon the joint naka party of Police & CRPF at Pinglana (Pulwama) in which 1 Police personnel lost his life & 1 CRPF personnel got injured. Heartfelt condolences & sympathies with the family of the deceased and prayers for the injured,” it said in a tweet.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Nation / by PTI / October 02nd, 2022 / (image edited by ANI )

“Heemal” — The unsung illiterate poetess of Kashmir

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Srinagar, JAMMU & KASHMIR :

Photo: Ahsaan Ali

Khatija Begum (75) over the past 40 years has written thousands of poems and has compiled hundreds of books. It was not an easy job for her to do so, being illiterate she could not pen it down by herself. Whenever some verse come to her mind she would call somebody to write it. It was through her dedication to poetry that she was able to compile her couplets into books successfully.

The narrow allies of Zaina Kadal area of Srinagar lead to her house. Every day she looks at the pile of her poetry collection placed on a desk in her room with a deep sigh hoping that her books will be published someday.

“While I was into the journey of my poetic life, It was not easy for me to memorize each verse of my poetry so I asked my son to bring a tape recorder for me”. Heemal (pen name) recalls how she used to wake up at night to offer prayers and on the same prayer mat record the verses that would come up to her mind.

When Khatija took bundles of those recorded cassettes to a writer for transcription he asked for 70 ₹ per page which was a huge amount at that time so she start doing hand embroidery to earn some money. And spend all that money to preserve her poetry.

It took her 7 years to get her first book published through J&K State Cultural Academy by the title “Ser e-Asraar” which means “The secret of Mysticism”.

Khatija says that the journey of her poetic life started when she was 35 years old. At that time she was busy with her ill mother spending all her time with her, praying for her recovery. One day when she brought her mother to visit a doctor she encountered something unusual, some verses came up to her mind but she was not able to apprehend what was happening to her. After returning home she told her niece about it who wrote those verses for her.

She believes that poetry came into her life because of the prayers she got from her ill mother during her ailment. She dedicates her poetry to a Sufi saint whom she was very close to and consider like her father.

“When I took my books to show him, he was overwhelmed and he told me to endure a lot of patience so that I can bear all the hurdles that will come to my path in this journey. Moreover, he told me that what I have achieved is priceless” with teary eyes she said.

When she recites her poetry, everything around gets blurred and one gets lost in those mystic verses. She is a poetess who needs love and support so that she will be always remembered among the great poets of Kashmir.

source: http://www.milligazette.com / The Milli Gazette / Home> Community News / by Urvat Il Wuska / The Milli Gazette Online / April 10th, 2022

Kashmir teacher innovates solar car

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Srinagar, JAMMU & KASHMIR :

Breaking the notion that only the elite can have luxurious rides, Bilal Ahmad, a mathematics teacher as well as an innovator from Srinagar has made a solar car which is not only luxurious but is also affordable for the common people. 

Hailing from Sanat Nagar area of Srinagar, Bilal has been working on this project for over 11 years and today he drives his solar car with confidence. The innovative car made by him works on solar energy and has solar panels all over the surface. 

He watched and studied about various luxurious cars which were made since 1950. He also studied about an engineer and innovator named Delorian who started a company DMC which helped him and motivated him to make a car which is luxurious and simultaneously affordable for the common people.

“Cars like Mercedes, Ferrari, BMW are just a dream for a common person. Only few people are able to afford it while it remains a dream for others to drive such cars and roam in it. I thought of something to give a luxurious feel to the people as well,” he said. 

He started working on the car and modified it by watching the various videos and started adding the features in it. 

Initially he wanted to make a car for disabled people but due to his financial conditions, he couldn’t conceive the idea which made him put his idea on hold.  “Government didn’t help me at that time. I was not financially sound so I couldn’t take the cost of the innovation,” he said. 

Keeping in view the rising price of the fuel, he thought of using solar energy to run the car. In 2019, he went to Chennai to get in touch with the solar panel making company. Furthermore he researched and brainstormed with a number of experts of the field. 

“In Kashmir, most of the time, the weather is gloomy. I used solar panels which can give higher efficiency even in low sunlight days. I went to many solar companies to check the efficiency of solar panels,” he said.

The challenge of how the solar panels can be used over the car and how much efficiency it can give on the less surface area was overcome  by him with the use of monocrystalline solar panels. 

“The surface area of a car is less as compared to the surface area of the roof of the house. I got the solar panels which take less space but give high efficiency,” he said.

Pertinent to mention here that there are two types of solar panels – monocrystalline and polycrystalline. Bilal used monocrystalline solar panels which occupied less space and gave more efficiency. 

Further he worked on the weaknesses of the solar innovative car. At times, the doors of the car when parked at the place received light sunlight, to overcome this problem, he made a Gullwing door which opens upwards like the ones in a Ferrari. Making and balancing the gullwing doors was a challenge as well as a difficult task for him. “With gullwing doors, the solar panels attached to the doors will also raise up and the sunlight will directly fall on them,” he said. 

Further, the solar panels automatically can change their direction with the changing directions of the sun. For this he has made a remote control which works within the range of 1.5 kilometers which can control the direction of panels so that more light can be absorbed by them. 

Also he has increased the seating capacity of the car. “The sports car only has seating capacity of two people but here 4 people can sit conveniently. Also the braking system will regenerate the power to its batteries to save energy. It is eco-friendly and works on free energy resources. It has a huge potential to revolutionize the market,” he said. 

“The car is not a prototype, it is a fully luxurious car. The other luxurious cars available in the market have huge costs in crores. I want affordable inventions to reach common people. I want people to make use of advanced technology at affordable prices,” he further said. 

He has driven the car on the roads and has received good response from the passers-by.

He said he has used a Lead Acid battery in the car. “We can also use a lithium battery in it but we have to use a protection circuit with it additional protection can be added,” he said. 

Talking about his difficulties, he said that the unavailability of the equipment and gadgets is a major difficulty which innovators face here. “Lack of exposure among the local mechanics is another problem. The knowledge they possess is limited which makes it really difficult to explain them,” he said.

He further said that the youth of Kashmir have more talent but lack exposure and platform to showcase it. 

He is of the opinion that a place like Kashmir should have attractive things to attract the tourists as well as locals. “The electric vehicles plying on roads don’t have that luxurious look. Kashmir is a tourist place and we should have attractive things like in any other foreign place like Switzerland.”

He wishes to soon start his company for its mass production which can also generate employment for the youth of Kashmir. “I will name the company as YMC after the names of my children- Yosha and Maisha. The company will be making luxurious cars for the common people,” he added. 

Bilal is an innovator associated with IIED center NIT, Srinagar. The center will provide him assistance for this innovation.  Saad Parvez, head, IIED center said, “The IIED center will help him to develop his innovation and will connect him with the industries or forum that can help him. Our local innovators need motivation and a marketplace. The challenge is to market the innovation.”

Despite having a B.Tech degree in civil engineering, he has a good interest in electronics. He has an experience of 14 years in teaching as he has worked in various colleges and schools as assistant professor. In the past, in 2009, he has made a LPG gas controlling safety device. The device which can automatically turn off the LPG cylinder from anywhere via a mobile app.  

source: http://www.risingkashmir.com / Rising Kashmir / Home / by Insha Latief Khan / June 20th, 2022

Medal winning girl credits father for success

Amazing Feats, Education, Women/Girls(since May26-2021), , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Siwan, BIHAR / Baramulla, JAMMU & KASHMIR / Lucknow, UTTAR PRADESH :

Shafia Khursheed

Lucknow :

She could leave her hometown Baramulla in Jammu & Kashmir to get quality education at a reputed institute in Lucknow only because her father supported her dreams.

Shafia Khursheed could not have expressed gratitude to her father in a better way than by winning a silver medal for BA (Hons) in Urdu.

“I owe it all to my father,” she said, while walking confidently to collect the medal during the convocation ceremony on Tuesday.

Like Shafia, Bihar’s Sumaila Ayub, the gold medal winner in BA (Hons) in economics and Lucknow’s Insha Rizvi, the silver medal winner in BA (Hons) in English, also owe their success to their father who fought against the conservative mindset which stop girls from going to far-flung places for studies.

“My father Khursheed Ahmad Lone is my pillar of support. To attain good education, he sent me not only outside the city but to a different state. I stayed back in the hostel, was regular with classes and visited home only once a year so that I can score high and make my father proud,” said Shafia, who wears hijab with pride, and aspires to become an Urdu professor.

Sumaila said, “I came all the way from Siwan, Bihar to Lucknow to achieve my goal of becoming an economics professor. This was not at all possible if my father Mohd Ayub had not given me the freedom to run after my dreams. I am the first gold medal winner of my family.”

“We are three sisters and our father Achchan Ali Rizvi not only gave us the best education but also stayed awake with me late at night to help me study,” said Insha.

Meanwhile, the winner of two gold medals, BA (hons) in computer science Deepali Singh’s from Malihabad said she had the support of both her father Satyapal Singh and her husband Sanjeev Singh to pursue education.

“I come from Malihabad daily to attend classes. My hard work paid off as I have won two gold medals,” said Deepali.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> News> City News> Lucknow News / by Mohita Tewari, TNN / March 23rd, 2022

Atiqa Bano’s Meeras Mahal heritage museum to be refurbished

Amazing Feats, Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Community Involvement / Social Issues, Museums, Libraries (wef. April 16th, 2022), Women/Girls(since May26-2021), World Opinion, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Sophore (Suvyyapur) Town (Baramulla District), JAMMU & KASHMIR :

Atiqa Bano
Atiqa Bano

Atiqa Bano’s vision that the generations to come must know how people lived in Kashmir over centuries had made this retired Kashmiri educationist collect ancient households articles like hey mats (Waguv), multipurpose earthen pots, wooden doors, latches, and possibly all things used by humans over two centuries and create the first-ever private museum in the Valley.

Called “Meras Mahal” (The palace of heritage), it houses more than 5,000 artifacts reflecting the social and cultural life of Kashmir over two centuries.

Atiqa Bano standing in front of Meeras Mahal

Atiqa Bano passed away in 2017 and her family continued to struggle to maintain it and not let forces of Nature damage this treasure trove. However, they always lacked resources for this gigantic task.

Finally, Atiqa Bano’s love of her labour is all set for a major revamp and scientific conservation as this historic treasure had attracted the attention of the Indian National Trust for Art and Heritage (INTACH), J&K Chapter.

Atiqa Bano, an educationist, had made great efforts to collect the exhibits over two decades after she retired from the J&K Government services in 1998. A woman of strong resolve, Atiqaji, as she was popularly called, had taken to looking after her father after her mother’s death. She had chosen to remain single and devote her life to education, women’s welfare, and society.

Household items on display in Meeras Mahal

It was during her campaigns for women’s empowerment that she was drawn to the collection of rare kitchenware, old ornaments, agricultural tools, clothing, earthenware, and manuscripts lying around in many Kashmiri households. It dawned upon her that with the changing times, all these human inventions would be lost to time if not preserved for posterity.

She started collecting artifacts in 2002 and continued her mission till her death.

Atiqa Bano is gone from this world, but her memory and work is commemorated for posterity, and, as she wished, for the generations to come.

A collection of watches and eye glasses on display at Meeras Mahal

Realizing the importance of Atiqaji’s rich heritage collection, the J&K Chapter of INTACH and HELP Foundation have taken up the gigantic task of rejuvenating  Meeras Mahal.

Saleem Beg, head of the INTACH, J&K Chapter, said, “Saima Iqbal and INTACH team are digitizing, curating and contextualizing the rich collection of vernacular objects after preventive conservation. The museum will have a thematic display demonstrated through sketches and write-ups supported by an elaborate digital presence.”

Saima Iqbal said, the work, supported by ALIPH- an international alliance for the protection of heritage in conflict areas, is getting streamlined. She stated that a team comprising a web designer, photographer, conservator, curator, and illustrator is working in tandem as all are interdependent and need to work in sync.

Earthenware used in Kashmiri households in Meeras Mahal

“I have to say that the challenges are many and we are making the best use of available meager resources here but the passion is alive and the project will be a great success”, she said.

“The first article preserved in the museum is Kondul, an earthen bowl that holds smoldering embers in Kangri, a personal and portable heating device of Kashmiri, said Muzamil Bashir Masoodi, Caretaker or (Honorary) President of the five-member Trust of prominent literary personalities, constituted to look after the museum.

Muzamil, who is also Atiqa Ji’s nephew had been taking a keen interest in maintaining and preserving the rare articles of the museum. The initially preserved items also included hand-written books of Ghulam Mohammad Hanfie, a scholar, Ateeqa Ji’s grandfather.

“All the items are counted one by one like 10 different Charkhas (spinning wheels) are counted as 10 separate items”, explained Muzamil.

The museum was initially set up in their private B. Ed College, Kashmir Women’s College of Education, at Noorbagh, Sopore. It was shifted in 2012 and called Meeras Mahal to a Hostel building of the College, at Highland Colony, where the rare items are “stored” due to the paucity of space.

Doors and windows used in Kashmiri architecture

Muzammil said that “we cannot provide the normal gap of at least two feet between the items”, which makes it difficult to maintain the entire treasure. “There has been no support from the Government”, he said. He said so far he has been getting a token amount from the college funds for maintaining the museum.

“During the Covid restrictions, when everything was closed, we managed to be in the museum to provide basic maintenance,” Muzamil said. He had submitted a detailed project report, for conservation and preservation of the museum to the UT Government in 2019.”

Nothing has came his way so far.

source: http://www.awazthevoice.in / Awaz, The Voice / Home> Culture / by Ehsan Fazli, Srinagar / April 11th, 2022