the time to change

It is quite surprising to know that when we solemnise marriages we waste lot of resources,energy and time but the end result is not always worth the salt.

Few days back I was at a marriage function at Bijbhara in a close relation but the arrangements made for visiting guests was exceeding in all departments,be it eating,beverages,decoration and what not. The arrangements were made for 1600 people,which makes it 400 tramies(4 people eat one trami) but only 300 tramies were served and this left the wastage of 100 tramies means 400 people have not turned up.

This wastage of money if utilized somewhere else would make lot of difference to the ailing society.
The cultural values of Kashmir are rich in source but the culture which we adopt in marriages is not a healthy one and it needs to be thought over and find a way out of this mess.

When we calculate the losses in marriages on eating front it crosses unimaginary figures. Generally one standard trami in Kashmir costs Rs 2000 and wastage of 100 tramies makes it 200000 but the people who earned it from undesirable sources laugh it off as a part of the game but the middle class gets crushed under the weight.

Let us all fight it and fight it tooth and nail.

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the summer in Kashmir

My son Marib clicked when I was proceeding to srinagar on 20th May 2012 to see my sister who had returned back after performing Umrah along with whole family.

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The patience for construction.

It is always tiresome to venture into the affairs of constructions. I myself knowing the headaches attached with this venture started my project to shape the dream deluxe bed room for myself.

On 27th March I started the work on the pliant and ground work got completed with the laying of iron rings inside the earth to give it a shock proof characters. After laying the raft inside the foundation,the D PC was erected and base for construction got the firm foundation.

It is altogether a different topic to discuss as why this is messy job,because in spite of availability of funds the market behaves abnormally day in and day out.
When we start purchasing the raw material the rates get fluctuated and the material at times is not made available by the dealers in view of the expected fluctuation in rates.

The brick kiln owners are playing a musical game by fixing rates to the load of 3000 bricks from Rs 17000 to 19000 and at times create artificial shortage to pocket more returns but at the cost of degrading mentality.

The timber is another component which is hardly found in the market at affordable prices but they are sky rocketing and some imported variety had made some alterations in the mushrooming of constructions in Kashmir. Kashmir is known all over the world for its rich source of timber but vandalization of forests have depleted the hopes. The Russian timber is these days used in constructions in Kashmir as local timber is neither available nor is it affordable. The rate ranges from Rs 1200 to 2500 per square foot(Kail and deodar.

The iron is also playing a hide and seek game and rate has fluctuated from Rs 4700 to Rs 5000 per quintal.
The cement which used to be very cheap has also behaved abnormally. When I started construction it was selling from Rs 265 to 350 per bag but now it has fluctuated to 340 to 390(Kyber and Khrew).

The ordinary souls find it difficult to think in terms of constructing new houses in view of the unrealistic increase in rates.

Anyway it is the part of the game and if one has to sustain one has to prosper so constructing new house sometimes don’t make esteem statements but at times it necessity.
I had made construction to make cozy rooms for kids and connect annex with the car porch.

The new construction was carried on the base of columns and first storey got completed on 13th May with the final concreatization on the top and with this the dreamy cozy and love storey got the shape for the final touch.

The work will stop for 7 days till the top gets hardened to withstand the pressure for another storey.

The second storey is going to house a deluxe bedroom,a dry and wet bathroom and a living room to give shape to my imaginary thoughts to house my loving family.

The walls for new storey will follow to give shape to attic under the roof where my son is planning to establish his play station with hytec fittings to land safely on his imaginary room.

Let me cross all my fingers till my dreamy house gets final shape..The conceal and floor lights will have to wait till they get life to illuminate my cozy space.

Let my dreams get wings to fly and reach me in the shape of whatever I have dreamed.

Khan Mukhtar

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The status report.

Diversification for the year 2011-12
———————————————————-
Kind Market Total quantity/qtl
——————————————————–
Apple. Jammu/Delhi 1397850
Dry. Locally. 508(Shells)
Jammu. 6290(Shells)
13180(Kernels)
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Cooperative sector
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No of Societies= 06
Outstanding =Rs.94567
(Banderpora,Khiram) SBI branch
Membership= 398
Individual share capital=Rs.78792
Govt. Share. =Rs.58770
———————————————————–
Marketing intervention liabilities
——————————————————-
Year. Name of zone. Amt. Place
———————————————————
2007-8. Sirhama. Rs 48120 Jammu
Bewera. Rs4525. DO
Marhama. Rs129800 Do
Obezan. Rs42200. Do
——————————————————
6 truck loads. Total Rs. 265645
——————————————————-
No of fruit association=20
South terminal fruit association is still unregistered.
Terminal catchment area of Dachinipora= 35 villages
No of band shaw owners=140(Regis/unregistered)
There are approximately 50 people who have encroached upon the proposed fruit mandi area and 115 kanals fall in this out of total area of 440 kanals.

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census for the year 2011-12 as per horticulture zones.

Area under production.
Bijbehara zone. Fresh 1775.3 hecters
Dry fruit. 625.00 hectors
Dachinipora . Fresh 2509.32 hecter
Dry fruit. 978.00 hec.
Sallar. Fresh 1173.00
Dry Fruit. 3032.00
Total production.
Bijbehara. Fresh.13614 MT
Dry fruit. 1076. MT
Dachinipora. Fresh.19419 MT
Dry fruit. 4047. MT
Sallar. Fresh. 6798. MT
Dry fruit. 4582. MT The information has been consolidated by the chief horticulture officer,Anantnag as per the requirment of Area marketing officer.Anantnag.

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The end of an era The dynasty called Kazalbaash.

With the demise of Mirza Shabir Ahmad Kazalbaash we are facing and experiencing the end of an golden era.

The parents of Mirza shabir were historical personalities and were occupying the highest civilian posts in Kashmir during the years 1960-61

There is a historical importance to the wedlock of the parents of Shabir Ahmad Kazalbaash as they got married after the legal intervention of Quad-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinah.

The Kashmiri History is testimony to the fact that the mother of Shabir Ahmad Kazalbaash Begum Halema Chibbu,fondly called Begum sahiba was engaged somewhere else but Meher Ali Kazalbaash, who had migrated to this part of the Kashmir from Pakistan was adamant to get married to the lady who had captivated his heart.

When Meher Ali,who was holding a senior position in police force approached the Chibbu family,the equally a noble family of Kashmir,the proposal was accepted but locals raised a finger on the arrangement as in view of the engagement of the lady to somebody else,the marriage could not be as per the islamic norms unless the previous arrangement is not consumed.

On this resentment the powerful Meher Ali Kazalbaash approached the Quad-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinah of Pakistan to plead his case and allow the marriage to take place.

The folklore had it that Mr Jinah who had just returned from England after completing his barrister ship agreed to take up this case and visited Kashmir for this very case and fought it to its logical conclusion.

The case was won by the Kasalbaash and marriage was made possible and this way beauty and power got united and two powerful families of Kashmir got united in this marriage proposition.

Out of this wedlock Mr. Mirza Shabir Ahmad Kazalbaash was born and he was treated like a prince from his early childhood. But his father could not see the blossoming of the son into a mature person as he passed away after few years of his marriage.

The Hallema Kazalbaash,mother of Shabir has now risen to the highest post in education department and was always on tours as those days whole Jammu and Kashmir used to be under the control of one head of the institution.

The official engagements would off and on compelled the mother to leave his son under the custody of many servants but the love of mother was sometimes compromised.

The further job responsibilities have now crept deep into the relationship of mother and son and at times the dotted son was missing the company of his father who was taken away by the destiny but now finding his mother also so much engrossed in her official engagements made the relation further stranger.

Mr Shabir had a golden spoon in his mouth right from the birth and was carrying the superior genes of superior parents and excelled in his academic field but could not translate his gifted qualities in a successful career. He completed his degree in law from Alligarh muslim university and joined local court for practice. The field of law could not satisfy his creative urge and left the promising practice and joined the education department as teacher. But here also he found something wanting and left this job as well.

Mr Shabir had a sizable about of immovable and movable property and started his business from a owned property in General bus stand Anantnag. He established a restaurant but after some time he closed this venture as well and purchased few more properties at Pahalgam,a world renowned health resort.

After some time he got married to a distant relative from Anantnag and lead a successful marriage life and converted his old big ancestral mansion into a educational institute and handed it over to a reputed institution on rent and life went on smoothly and settled for good.

He is blessed with one son and a daughter both studying outside the state and are doing fine.

Mr Shabir ahmad Kazalbaash passed away on 25th of February 2012 after a brief illness and left this world for eternal peace. May Allah bless the departed soul.

Before his departure he had made arrangements to construct a new house near the premises of his in laws in anticipation that in case something happens to him at least his family is secured in the company of their dear one,s.

Let us prey that the departed soul rest in peace and give courage to wife daughter son and other relatives to bear the loss.
The end of an era.

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The Eid-e-Milad-un-Nabi,The birthday Of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH)I

The birthday of Prophet of compassion,The messenger of Allah,The Hazrat-e-Muhammad (PBUH) has been a blessing for all the world in general and muslims in particular.

The messenger’s compassion towards the believers was of the utmost degree. The Quran describes His compassion in the following verse,which means; There has certainly come to you a messenger from among yourselves. Grievous to Him is what you suffer(i.e; your guidance) and to the believers is kind and merciful;(Quran:9:128).

The prophet muhammad has mercy for his enemies,mercy for women,mercy for children,mercy for slaves,mercy for animals and so on and so forth and had shown right path to all irrespective of their belief.

The Rabi-ul-wal,the third month of the Islamic calendar reminds us the coming of the last prophet of God. The Muhammad upon whom be peace and blessings of Allah. Every prophet of Allah preached and practiced Islam which as the name suggests,is the way of complete obedience of one God,Allah the Almighty.

Islam as the religion of Allah doesn’t take its name from any particular person tribe or place. The days when the orientalists would call it as Muhammadanism are gone. Now the staunchest amongst them call it by its very name,that is Islam.

Actually Islam wants to inculcate among the believers very traits and values that it stands for,Islam connects an individual, vertically, with Allah the Almighty and ;horizontally! With the humanity. Firmness of the believers bond with the Allah demonstrates his connection with his fellow beings. His being good to the human beings is directly proportional to the purity of his bond with the lord of the worlds.

In the prophetic history, Ibrahim(BC 2000-1800) faced difficulties of great magnitude. He was threatened,persecuted,isolated and finally was to be burned alive where only the divine intervention saved him and he established the centers for preaching monotheism at different places such as Palestine,to the east of the dead sea and he visited Egypt as well which then was a great centre of civilization.

According to the divine inspiration Ibrahim got settled his son,Is mail in the barren valley of Makkah. The reason behind this move was to create a segment of people totally free from polytheistic approaches and the Makkah was the most suitable place for this purpose. The valley was totally barren, uncultivable,un populated and free from the ancient polytheistic culture. The Ibrahim himself supervised his son from Palestine and he used to visit him frequently.

Meanwhile Allah continued to raise Prophets among the Banu Isra,I’ll for the continuation of the chain of prophet hood and when it was established that they have devalued themselves by not only opposing prophets but also by persecuting and killing many of them, (Jesus),Isa was sent to them with extraordinary birth and qualities to establish their transgression. They tried to kill Him but Allah saved Him. His followers (Hawariyyun) became the preachers of his word but the people who followed opened the ways for !neo-polytheism,in the form of trinity and monasticism.

The generation produced under the divine supervision for which Ibrahim had worked very hard was now looking for the final guide. Now since the message of Ibrahim had a universal bearing the final prophet had to be universal and ultimate. The Quranic expression Millata Abikum Ibrahim( this is the way or band of your father,Ibrahim signifies this fact).

This socio-political and commercial conditions of the world also demanded the finality, universality and the culmination of the prophet hood on Muhammad. We know that substantial part f the civilized world was under the Byzantines and the Sassanid. India had trade links with Europe through Makkah. Thus it was ripe time for the prayer of Ibrahim to get its fruition.

Ibrahim had thus prayed to his lord,”Our lord sent forth to them a messenger of their own to recite your revelation to them,teach them the scriptures and wisdom and purify them. You are the mighty and the wise one;( Quran 2;130). Ibrahim had invoked Allah while building the Ka,bah, the symbol of monotheism on earth.

In the whole inhibited world this band of people became the companions of the final prophet were ray of hope for the mankind and it was through these people that prophetic mission was culminated and prophet hood was sealed as the objective of eradicating the state patronage of polytheisim was brought about through these people. They were indeed the cream of the creation as is evident from the prayer of the prophet at the battlefield of Badr.

The muhammad, the last prophet of God (SAW) was send to lead the muslims towards the path of Allah and get removed the miseries of all the humanity. Peace be upon Him.

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The snow in Kashmir

The snow I Kashmir this year has broken the records of previous 20 years and people are shivering. We have the same snow in lot of countries but given known the proper arrangements the people enjoy it and never get handicapped as happen in Kashmir.

With the fall of few inches of snow everything comes to standstill and system get chocked and essential items take the back seat and people have to fend for themselves.

Take the case of last weeks snowfall the water electricity and eateries vanished from the scene and the conditions were compounded with the blockage of only high way to the valley and we were reminded of the primitive days when they had to remain indoors weeks together.

The conditions of other spheres of life had also turn turtle and medicines vegetables cooking gas could be found nowhere and miseries of people were so hard to digest that they felt as if they belong to the stone ages as there was no trace of government to apply balm to the ached heads.

The functionaries of state government are cooling their heals in the comfort hot zones of winter location at Jammu.
The national highway connecting Kashmir valley with rest of the country via Jammu(The winter location of the state offices,which remain there after 6 months presence in Kashmir during summers) had remained closed from the last 7 days. The premitiveness of Jammu and Kashmir can be gauged from the fact that this electronic age of miracles can hardly have any impact on the fate of Kashmir as basic requirements are still miles away to the unfortunate residents.

The India government who don,t stop parroting that Jammu&Kashmir is the integral part of country could never initiate any step to make the place the part of the countries developments and remove the miseries of the people.

It is easy to preach but difficult to put it into actions to translate the actions in the real solutions to make life a pleasurable experience.

Can we be part of the developments or as usual we will be treated as trouble makers and under this illusion bereft the public their basic rights which besides include daily needs of essentials include the decision to decide their future so that the future of the next generation is secured.

The Kashmiri Pheran to hit the chilly weather is the only tool we carry these days with us

The climate in Kashmir has now reached -19 degrees at many places and our outlook in dresses have too changed I have tried my raglar(A typical coat like jacket) which resembles the traditional Kashmiri Phe ran

kashmir calling

It is saddening that the city that had inspired Francis Bernier,first European to enter Kashmir in 1665 to write,In truth, the Kashmir surpasses in beauty all that my warmest imagination has anticipated” and Francis Young husband to compare this to Switzerland is dying faster than one could imagine.

It is dying not because of natural process but because of lack of political vision,official apathy and bad governance. The valley and its city Srinagar, counted before the departure of the British from the sub-continent as one amongst the best twenty cities of the Empire in terms of development of infrastructure is not now even comparable to the most backward cities in the tribal areas.

For managing the problems of the place and its adjoining areas the government has got master plans prepared a panel of expert at high costs. But what is ironic that these plans were neither $ade public nor implemented.

It is high time for the civil society to rise to the occasion to save the paradise from going to winds and from sinking further