Kashmir: Is Not Story Of A Cricket Game
PUNCHLINE Kashmir: Not A Game of Cricket by Zahid .G. Muhammad I am not a cricket buff, equally not a great fan of the game; the last popular legacy of the British imperialism in all its colonies. Perhaps, in the crowd of millions of Kashmiris, I am an odd man out whose adrenaline never goes up while watching India-Pakistan cricket test matches, one day and T-20. My heart never collapsed for Indian cricket teams like Professor Akbar Ali … Read entire article »
Filed under: Editor's Take, Kashmir-Talk, Perspectives
Of Cart Pullers: They too their songs of oppression
Nostalgia Of Tumbrels and Barges ZGM The stories at night by our grandmother had a magical charm. The creamy clay daubed walls, with the greenish tincture, and a small electric pendant lamp hanging from a twisted silken wire looking like braids of damsels gave a mystical ambiance to the kitchen of our house. The story of Rostam and Sohrab, during power shutdowns under the dim light of an earthen lamp on Tchaengtaar, small shelf in the … Read entire article »
Filed under: Editor's Take, Kashmir-Talk
Classic Books On Kashmir Demolish Conjured Narratives
PUNCHLINE The Joy Of Re-reading Books Knock-Down The Dominant Discourses By Z.G. Muhammad In a scenario, when politics in our state has become crazy, the ‘hegemonic discourses’ have the sway, and a big lie projected as truth is accepted, restlessness is a natural corollary. To fight this restlessness instead of reading new books on Kashmir by authors published by big houses in India,- of course, tutored, of late, I have started re-reading books already read many … Read entire article »
Filed under: Editor's Take, Perspectives
Classic Books on Kashmir Demolish Conjured Narratives.
PUNCHLINE The Joy Of Re-reading Books Knock-Down The Dominant Discourses By Z.G. Muhammad In a scenario, when politics in our state has become crazy, the ‘hegemonic discourses’ have the sway, and a big lie projected as truth is accepted, restlessness is a natural corollary. To fight this restlessness instead of reading new books on Kashmir by authors published by big houses in India,- of course, tutored, of late, I have started re-reading books already read many years … Read entire article »
Filed under: Editor's Take, Kashmir-Talk, Perspectives
Governor “Sage or Saboteur”- debate in Kashmir Context
PUNCHLINE Chidambaram Has A Point Have Governors A Role In Kashmir Dispute By Z.G. Muhammad On Saturday, Oct 27, 2018, there was a graveyard silence outside, with people remaining indoors in protest against landing of troops from New Delhi at Srinagar airport in 1947. Everything was in mourning, mesmerizing autumn with its variegated colors had been converted into a season of killings – fifty youth killed in a month. In this somber scenario the moment I sat on … Read entire article »
Filed under: Editor's Take, Kashmir-Talk
Kashmir Women belie patriarchal medieval and Elizabethan ideas
Punchline Women on Forefront By Z. G. Muhammad In South Asia men, out of share bravado often use the phrase, ‘we are not wearing bangles.’ Interestingly, even top generals often use this phrase for sending a terse message to the enemy country that we are not as weak and breakable as women. This South Asian phrase is comparable to the famous soliloquy of protagonist in Shakespeare’s masterpiece Hamlet, ‘Frailty, thy name is a woman!’ that depicts women in a negative context as frail beings week in a character who fail to rise to the occasion and fight adverse situations with fortitude and courage. Women of Kashmir have long before belied these patriarchal medieval and Elizabethan ideas by not only standing by the side of men but also being in the vanguard of … Read entire article »
Filed under: Kashmir-Talk, Point of view
Srinagar is Not ‘Ghetto People’: Story of Collective Punishment of Downtown
Punchline They Are Not ‘Ghetto People’ Z.G.Muhammad Honestly, they ‘have been more sinned against than sinning.’ Distraught at the plight of a million people with bright minds and deft hands this Shakespearean quote knocked my mind while walking through the streets, lanes, and bylanes of the heart of Srinagar city. None but the people they catapulted to power after big struggle and sacrifices have betrayed them and made them powerless. Their collective story is akin to … Read entire article »
Filed under: Editor's Take, Kashmir-Talk, Perspectives