Badge of Borrowed Identity – and “Mainstream politicians”
PUNCHLINE Kashmir Leaders: A ‘Borrowed Identity’ By Z.G. Muhammad On Wednesday, a music track, “who they are” from a famous album of 2010 started to ring in my ears. It became louder and louder, as one after another news tickers on the television screen started crawling about the government formation in Jammu and Kashmir. The political parties, part of power game in the State for past seventy years in different avatars, the National Conference, the Indian National … Read entire article »
Filed under: Editor's Take, Kashmir-Talk, Perspectives, Point of view
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
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
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
My Bombay Days: Looking For Manto In the Island of Giants
Nostalgia Island of Giants ZGM The tinsel world of India has an intrinsic charm- a beauty that makes its distinct from any other metropolises in the sub-continent. Those, who adopt the city as their abode remotely move out of it. Those who live in it hardly forget about it. For many, like me, the city in all its shades rings like Dr. Faustus mesmerizing lines on seeing the Helen of Troy, ‘was this the face.’ Like a magnet … Read entire article »
Filed under: Editor's Take, Featured, Perspectives
Autobiographical: Khawaja Ahmad Abbas and Kashmir
Nostalgia Meeting K. A. Abbas ZGM In the city of seven islands, every Sunday had its beauty for me; it always had a new thrill and excitement. To enjoy the poetic beauty of the city in all its aesthetics, I more than often boarded a red double-decked bus at the bus stand outside my home in Colaba. Those days at the bus stands, elevators, and escalators the city was also magnificent for its discipline. … Read entire article »
Filed under: Editor's Take, Kashmir-Talk, Perspectives