Dissent and Democracy: Banning The Jama’at-e-Isamia
Punchline Dissent and Democracy : Banning The Jama’at-e-Islamia Jammu and Kashmir By Z. G. Muhammad For four million people living in an area of 85,805.8 square miles in the bosom of mighty Himalayas, Saturday ‘12 March 1932’ was a momentous day. On this day after years of struggle and sacrifices, ‘Maharaja Hari Singh, the autocratic ruler of Kashmir on the recommendations of the Glancy Commission Report announced the grant of the rights to freedom of press and platform to the people of the State.’ … Read entire article »
Filed under: Kashmir-Talk
Nostalgia : Prison Tales III
Nostalgia Prison Stories III In A Different School ZGM In the din of war cries, with eyes glued to the television screen couple of lines from the book ‘Prison Writings: My Life Is My Sundance’ started echoing in my ears: “I don’t know how to save the world. I don’t have the answers or The Answer. I hold no secret knowledge as to how to fix the mistakes of generations past and present. I only know that without compassion and respect for … Read entire article »
Filed under: Kashmir-Talk
War Cannot Dissolve or Resolve Kashmir
PUNCHLINE War Cannot Dissolve The Kashmir Dispute Z .G. Muhammad Saturday morning, I woke up to many a disturbing news on the grapevine. From the Masjid door to long waiting at the bakers’ shop for hot loaves of traditional bread, lots of news about frightening rattling of aeroplanes and helicopters from 2 A.M in Srinagar, deployment of hundreds of additional companies’ of paramilitary troops in Kashmir to the mid-night crackdown on the cadres of the Jamat-e-Islamia and other organization was making … Read entire article »
Filed under: Kashmir-Talk
Prison Tales: Watching Them From Hillock
Some old black and white photographs are evocative as scent, years after having been clicked they fill the air with fresh fragrance and bring a blush even on cheeks crumpled as withered leaves. Of late, posting pictures of Kashmir clicked long ago by European travellers and photojournalists on social media and microblogs is a new hobby that is catching up with some friends as an expression of their love for the land. Many of … Read entire article »
Filed under: Kashmir-Talk
Kashmir Scholars: Revisit The Past And Tell The Untold Story
PUNCHLINE Scholars Must Revisit By Z.G. Muhammad Some friends, are opposed to the idea of relating the history of the land, old or of the recent past to the current ‘dominant discourse’ or the contemporary ‘people’s narrative’. They have the right to do so; everyone has the right to hold an opinion. Nonetheless, to quote Frederick Douglass, a nineteenth-century American social reformer and leader to end slavery in America. ‘It is essential to keep a record of … Read entire article »
Filed under: Editor's Take, Kashmir-Talk, Point of view
Kashmir’s Young Ambassadors – Songs and Music Is Their Language
PUNCHLINE Kashmir’s New Ambassadors By Z.G. Muhammad Like many others in my tribe; opinion writers and columnists, guided by screaming headlines I am also oblivious to the urges and aspirations of our youth. That there is a strong undercurrent in a whole generation of them to use music, arts, literature, theatre and modern mediums like Instagram and YouTube for telling their stories, and articulating their pain and agony. I understood it first time some six years … Read entire article »
Filed under: Editor's Take, Kashmir-Talk
Meeting Downtown Boy On The Champs-Elysées Paris
Nostalgia Downtown Boy On The Champs-Elysées ZGM Every one of has a treasure trove of reminiscences. I love to share them and make my friends nostalgic- nostalgia, I believe is cathartic. I don’t know; it is the job of the scientist to decide if nostalgia could be described as autobiographic, episodic or semantic memory. Nevertheless, it is something that takes us down the memory land instantly, at an unimaginable speed. Sometimes, a whirlwind that all children lovingly … Read entire article »
Filed under: Editor's Take, Kashmir-Talk