Of Asifa and Asiya's of Kashmir

It took 'Indian collective conscience' more than three months to wake up from slumber and protest against the rape and murder of an 8 year old child. Today as we see people from all walks of life holding placards and protesting the heinous crime.

 Various reasons can be attributed to the waking up of Indian so called liberals from the hibernation, one of which could be the ripping apart the Indian claims of calling it a so called largest democracy by international media houses like the New York Times, another as is being perceived by some sections of Indian nationalists is that the Indian state cannot afford to lose their own(gujjar) in the already conceded Kashmir.

One cannot think of other reasons, simply because the Indian liberal circle or its liberal class didn't wake up when more than 150 women were raped by it's forces. Instead they became the shield for the crimes it's army carries in Kashmir Valley.

None of the so called feminist actresses or cricketers said a single word when a duo of two sister in laws were raped and murdered, and then raped again after murdering them, by their forces. One of them being  17 year old teenager who had dreams of becoming a doctor and had secured a distinction in the last exam she had appeared in.
The Indian conscience didn't shake up because it was about their demigods - their army.

The drama today is clear for everyone with a sane mind to see.

Unfortunately, not even the so called feminists from kashmir have been able to make it big when it comes to protesting against the state crimes like rape.

It's easy to conclude safely that there are no liberals in India and that there are no feminists either. And if there are, then one must say they are irrelevant. As they are never heard of. Atleast to uphold the values they believe in

Virat Kohli Vs South Africa

Kohli the key in South Africa

Ever since Virat Kohli has taken up the mantle of Indian Cricket team, everything has been going his way. From becoming the number one test team to winning everything, that has come their way in the ODIS. India under Kohli have won 10 consecutive test series and 8 one day series too. However, what is common in all these wins is that either almost all of them come at home or against teams that are weak. Barring a series win in West Indies, India has won all the matches in Asia. 

At the start of 2018, India will tour to South Africa where they will play three test matches and 6 ODIS. The series has been dubbed as the ultimate test for both team India and its skipper Virat Kohli. If Virat manages to win the series on African soil, he will become the first Indian captain to achieve the feat and that will make him the cricket’s uncrowned king. He will achieve what no Indian captain ever has achieved.

Both Ganguly and Dhoni have been highly successful in the subcontinent and what has eluded them is the series win away from home on fast pacy tracks. And it is this feat of winning away from home that could set Kohli apart from the two greats of Indian cricket.  Ganguly came close to winning in Australia in 2003 and Dhoni almost did it against South Africa in 2008. Both came agonizingly close but were unsuccessful, however cricket pundits have high hopes on Kohli and that he could be the first Indian skipper to win a test series in South Africa.

While Ganguly struggled on foreign tours with the bat, Dhoni struggled with handling his bowlers on the overseas tours. And it’s here that the pundits believe that Kohli with his greatness could do what both of the former great captains could not. Kohli is both aggressive and a freak with a bat, and he could very well inspire his team into performing well in South Africa. His batting would be detrimental to the fate of his first overseas assignment against a strong team. If he performs with the bat, his performance would bring confidence in his captainship too, which will augur well for the team, and India will end up winning its first series in South Africa. If he fails with the bat , it will affect his captaincy and India might end up losing the series embarrassingly

Kohli has been in sublime form in both tests and ODIs, but his weakness with the moving ball was well taken advantage of by the English bowlers in his last tour to England . if Kohli finds a way to handle the swinging ball he might very well become the greatest captain ever. However, be rest assured it will take a lot of doing to negate the fearsome attack of South Africans that will be bolstered with the return of Dale Steyn

Is it the end of Broad and Cook

Have the Ashes ended careers of two England legends? 

In the build up to the Ashes of 2006, former Aussie great Glenn Mcgrath on being asked to predict the score line had famously said that Aussies would win the series 5-0.. Having lost the last Ashes in England , not many had taken Mcgrath’s prediction seriously. But come the last test in Sydney in 2006, England lead by Ashes hero Andrew Flintoff  had been drubbed 5-0 and the performance of the Poms had been described as one of the worst.

  Pre Ashes banter has been a trend since the beginning of cricket's oldest rivalry. Predictions before the series have been used as a ploy to  exert mental pressure on opponents. However it’s the Aussies who have raised the bar in the Ashes  and  have  lived upto the expectations of the nation and themselves. 

Continuing with its legacy of pre Ashes banter , A ploy to unnerve the English camp, the Aussies this  time managed to raise a few English tempers  by declaring before the Ashes that few English players would end their careers by the time the series is over . Nathan Lyon, who has been sublime with the ball during the course of the series, said at  the start of the series that they were looking to end few English careers. And boy hasn't he been spot on with his prediction. Not even at the end of the Ashes, that voices against two main England mainstays have grown and we might very well witness the end of Alistair Cook and Stuart Broad. 

Former cricketers have questioned cook's longevity, with former teammate Graeme Swann doubtful over his hunger for the game. Having scored just 83 runs in his six innings of the Ashes series so far in the ongoing Ashes series, it looks highly unlikely that Cook will feature in any future series; he might even hang his boots after the end of this very match. 

However, with over 11000 runs in 150 test matches 33 year old   is  a strong cricketer, and  one can only hope that he fulfills predictions  of the former Indian great Sunil Gavaskar who had once said that cook could very well score 15000 runs and make 50 centuries. With the way past 17 even innings have gone for Cook it looks highly unlikely. Not only has he looked weary but also his hunger to score to score big has been missing.

Same is the case with Stuart Broad who has been below par throughout the series. 31-year-old pacer has been bowling military medium with little effect on flat Australian tracks and has been one of the main reasons for England’s dismal performance. Broad who has been a lion hearted performer for the Poms has looked tired in this series; he has averaged more than 50 with the ball which goes on to show that the veteran of more than 100 tests is weary.  With Mark Wood and Jake Ball on the sidelines England might very well drop Broad in the next Match , and that could very well end the career of the pacer.

17 year old story teller from Pulwama

On an Eid day in summer 2014, then 14-year-old Sahil Ahmad Lone was busy, like many children of his Barpora village in district Pulwoam (Pulwama), in playing games. Throughout the day, Sahil and his friends made merry and were excited in celebrating the festival of Eid. Sahil’s day had started with a bath and wearing his newly-bought dress, in which he offered the ritual Eid prayers. As the day progressed, Sahil relished various delicacies with his family and friends. When dusk fell, he started to realize that the cherished festive day was now nearing its end.

At night, Sahil lay in his bed, unable to sleep. At 1 a.m. in the middle of the night, he rose up and started crying, profusely.

Recalling that night, Sahil said that it was the images of people affected in the more than two-decade-old conflict of Kashmir that started to haunt him. “As I closed my eyes, I pictured mothers of my nation who had lost their sons to the conflict, mothers who had been waiting for years for their disappeared sons. I thought of mothers whose daughters were raped by Indian forces. I saw a mother who had refused to sit in shade because her son had lain on the ground for days in the scorching sun. I saw a mother whose son was languishing in an Indian jail for decades,” Sahil said.

As a child, Sahil said, he couldn’t bear to see a horse being flogged by its master. How, then, could he bear to see his people suffer? “I am very sensitive. I couldn’t bear to see the tonga-wallah beating his horse while on my way to school. The beatings to the horse would make me cry at night. You can imagine how much the suffering of my own people must affect me. But unlike many, I didn’t choose the gun; I picked up the pen.”

The story of a woman who had been waiting for her son for more than two decades moved Sahil to write one of his widely-read stories, “Laash” (Corpse). “It was 1:30 a.m. and I started writing, while tears were rolling down my face,” he recalled. The story was published in one of the leading Urdu dailies of Kashmir, Taemeeli Irshad. Sahil received accolades for it from near and far. “Tameeli Irshad has a huge readership in Kashmir. I was praised by many. I was very happy that my work was being appreciated,” he said with a sense of pride.

Among those who praised his story was the human rights activist Abhay Singh of Chandigarh. “It was a great moment for me to be praised by such a renowned human rights activist,” Sahil said. He recalled Abhay Singh’s words about the story: “Skilfully portrayed pain of Kashmiris.”


A story about Sahil in an Urdu daily Srinagar Times.
Sahil has more than 40 publications to his credit, most of them fictional Urdu stories, “some of which are columns that talk about social issues prevalent in the society, and I write Ghazals too,” he said.  He has been published in leading Urdu dailies of Kashmir and in national and international magazines. One of his stories titled as “Gumnaam Qabr” or an unknown grave is about a woman whose husband is picked up by government forces, and is later disappeared. “Like thousands of other Kashmiris, he disappears too. The story is about the struggles of his wife how she searches for him and in the end finds an unnamed grave, and it is there she concludes the fate of her husband. And hence gives up the search, and that is why the title unknown grave,” he said.

The story was published in Pindar and Qaumi Tanzeem from Patna. Calling himself as someone whose writing stems from the surroundings, Sahil says he wrote “Khudkashi” or Suicide when there were student suicides taking place in valley, “The story was widely read and I received good feedback. It was about the discrepancies in the education system and how it was ruining lives of students,” he said.

Similarly, he has a story on the dowry system Known as “Jahez” translated in English as Dowry. The story talks about the prevalent social evil of domestic abuse due to non-payment of dowry, “During those day   reports of domestic abuse by the    

Lessons from Sammy's speech at the world cup final

There are many lessons that can be learnt from today's win by windies,  like never giving it up till end or even steering the ship when the  tide is against you , the way Samuels did it. But to me the greatest lessons  from today's game are always have self belief  and to never complain, no matter how bad things go. Just go about doing your business with hard work and dedication, you will definitely shine like the way this windies team did. Despite the WICB not backing their players, Sammy even mentioned they didn't have their uniforms ready until they arrived in Kolkata, which according to international standards is quite demoralising, but fighting all the odds windies tasted glory only because they never complained, and always believed in themselves. 

Excerpt from yasir's funeral

"All my life  I have been an azadar of imam hussain, and have lamented over his tragedies. But being a father  I have always wondered what imam hussain must have gone through after the spear hit the heart of his 18 year old son. Today at the funeral procession of yasir I have witnessed a father lament like I have seen none before, and I must admit I have found out the Answer to my age old curiosity." said a white bearded octogenarian who was participating in the funeral. 

Love Or Madness

Love or madness?

Girl elopes second time in one year leaves parents in shock

Saqib hussain

Srinagar November 6:  an 18 year old year old girl eloped second time in a year with a boy belonging to the other sect. Huzeifa left her family in deep shock when they found out their daughter had eloped the second time in just one year. She had tried to run away last year as well but was brought back with the help of locals.

It was another day of mourning for the Bhat family in Lal bazaar when they found out that their daughter had left them forever. “Last time around we had brought her back as she wasn’t eligible to marry in the court given that she was under age, now it is futile to even think of that as she has already got married in the court”, said Mukhtar, the neighbor of the girl.   “They should have got her married to her relative last time  when they brought her back and today they wouldn’t be mourning”, said another neighbor Vilayat, “this is so shameful for the family and not to forget the community”, he added.

In Kashmir the state marred with conflict, Love between a girl and boy is seen as a taboo, and eloping a big crime, there have been cases of honor killings in situations like these in the past. And speaking on similar grounds her brother Adil said “I wish I could meet her, the first thing I would do is chop her head and then I would feel happy”, “she has played with our honor, I am not able to move out of my home and I fear somebody would taunt me for the crime committed by my cursed sister, I hope she dies of cancer”, he added.

Speaking on the issue the Mohalla committee president Bilal Ahmed said “this is a   matter of grave concern and rather than speaking about the girl’s parents it is better we devise plans to further stop such incidents”, it is noteworthy here to mention that the girl’s parents contemplated suicide when they were repeatedly taunted by the locality members and it was only due to the repeated requests by the president that they decided otherwise. Further speaking on the issue he said “we need to devise a body of both youth and old people to monitor the actions of both the young boys and girls in the locality”. The parents of both the elopes weren’t available for any comments.

200 word try

In the busy streets of maharaja bazaar – named after Maharaja Hari Singh, buried are stories of joy, success, agony, and not to forget oppression. Bashir Ahmad comes up with yet another tale of brutality of Indian forces in Kashmir. Bashir, 65, is wearing traditional Kashmiri attire. His wrinkled complexion reflects his experience, and the sunken eyes reflect the agony. His white beard sprinkling like morning sun, seeking attention and giving an impression of him being a man of dynamism, standing tall he is well built and has a physique of an athlete, which he says is attained by his vigorous daily routine.

“It was one of those cold December mornings in Kashmir, when I was taking my cart with commodities to Maharaja bazaar when  around a dozen of troops stopped me on the pretext of knowing my identity, and started beating me ruthlessly. I was beaten to pulp and hit wherever they could including the private parts, the pain I felt was so severe, that words would fall short to explain it. My limbs got paralysed for one year”, says Bashir.”  With moist eyes. “This had a gruesome effect on my family, not only had they to feed their own bellies themselves but a burden that is me. And to do that they sacrificed and took to begging, something that will stay with me even after death”.

Badshah

When Badshah khan married a bihari widow with three children, everyone around including AMA laal were puzzled with his decision,little did they know 5 years later when they would construct their new complex, the three laborers who had worked day in and day out on this project were none but the three sons of that bihari widow, to everyone's dismay and to those who had laughed over Bad shahs decision were now shocked to know bad shah had brought them up only to make them work in Kashmir and would only pay them one third of the wages earned..

Mahideen

It was yet another day of same entertainment provided by Mahideen at yarbal. Mahideen was a 35 year old laborer, he had been in this trade since a long time now, infact he was only 15 when he had started taking rice and wood to different households of  raj mohalla. And his cheerfullness and sheer humor had added the tally to his admirers, although there were some who would always make fun of him whenever Mahideen brought in any thing to their house. 

To be continued...

It was a cold autumn day in srinagar, the cold had taken its toll on this shy little sunken boy, he had put up a light blue jeans jacket , his red cheeks and shrugging of his shoulders were proof enough of him being uncomfortable, to add to the soft hearts dismay a hoarse voice " hey boy come here" made life miserable to the boy. It was at this moment that the boy's eye fell on his counterpart, and with this he breathed a sigh of relief, "thank god I m not alone here ".

Time At The Times Master

There were times when I would tremble hearing your cars noise, there were times when I would skip a beat hearing your voice.. There were times when I would seek your demise, there were times when I thought you were nowhere near being nice, there were times when i thought it was impossible to break the ice, there were times when you were the only one to despise, there were times when you pushed us to rise...

A Try

In January 1996 after completing his exams, Maqbool decided to move to Delhi to help his brother in the family business. Little did he know that the move to shift the bases would land him in the biggest trouble of his life.
On 17 May, 6 months after landing on the Indian capital, Maqbool was taken to custody and allegedly accused of Lajpat nagar bomb blasts, the blast had killed many people and created ruckus in the Indian minds.
“I was a kid back then in fact I had just passed my 11th standard examinations. I was a fun loving boy and king of romance like Bollywood actor Shahrukh khan. Even in my wildest dreams, I hadn’t thought that I would land up in a prison for my alleged role in the blasts, that I had never been part of. It was more of a Bollywood to me than reality.  I was ruined of my youth and career by the so called largest democracy of world.” says Maqbool.
Today in my office where I work as a peon, I see myself in that Tihar jail, and there is a certain reason behind it, people who were studying with me are today big officers, engineers, professors, people who would ask for my help during exams are ahead of me  in every aspect only thanks to the flawed Indian judiciary. The judiciary where only 3 out of 834 total witnesses gave witness against me, two of them policemen and still I spent 14 damn years in that dreaded jail. That jail where criminals from all over world are inmates. For me every jail from Srinagar to Jammu is a five star hotel when compared to tihar, tihar is the worst I wouldn’t want even my worst enemy to land there Maqbool sighs. Tihar is the hub of the biggest criminals, and it is up to the individual what he wants to be, he has to choose between being good and extreme bad, says Maqbool. Either you end up being a big criminal living with the criminals there or you become closer to your lord. I chose the latter and became closer to my lord.  Inside the jail there is neither night nor day, I literally cried for 3 months continuously.  The jail officials and big criminals there have a nexus and are equally involved in larger crimes outside says Maqbool. You suffer even in the jail for only mistake of being a Kashmiri. Hadn’t it been for my other mates who were relatively elder to me I would have died of the trauma and pressure of other inmates. They later became literal kings of the jail.
  Today when I look back at the events that took place during my trial, I laugh on the biggest democracy. I spent more than 20 days in different police cells of Delhi, first at Lodhi road special cell than at Nizamudin police station. In the special cell all the other accused would tell the police men that I was innocent, and I had no role in the blasts but they would seldom listen to them or me. But the policemen would always tell me that I would be released soon. I was taken to court after some 20 days and on chalan they mentioned that I was taken into custody on 17 June and they had found the evidence against me on the same day. Such was a mockery that they took me to the court on a two wheeler without any chains or handcuffs. It was a mockery in my view they had an accused terrorist on a two wheeler, then in the court a gun was pointed on my back and i was asked not to speak, the judge didn’t ask me anything I was made to sign a paper and that was it. What followed was usual visits to court and routine continued till 2010. I lost my youth, my father, and my sister while being in jail, now they have given me this damn job as compensation. Is this enough? No it is not, says Maqbool. Now the only thing that drives me to live is the fact that when I die there will be a huge number of people in my funeral procession.  And I will be buried at the martyr’s graveyard that is what gives me sense of pride.

75 word short story

When Maqbool was in school his mother would make it sure he had his lunch, and infact she would walk miles only to make sure that her son had a filled stomach. Now at 75 Fatima cant even take 5 steps to answer nature's call. Fatima is on death bed and is thinking about her son who must not have his lunch for a week now,    that is what happens to anyone who is taken to that dreaded interrogation center. Now on her death bed Fatima rues being a mother.


By Saqib hussain 

A TRUE STORY

It is a baby boy said sara, Allah bless him he is so cute said his other aunt hameeda. Look at the hair it’s so beautiful. The cheeks are chubby and soft.  The atmosphere around is so joyous everyone at home is happy and gay .Congrats Nisar, said nisar’s mother, you are a father of a baby boy now. Hearing the news nisar ‘s  happiness saw no bounds. He hugged his mother and went to the hospital to see his newborn.

Are you happy asked nisar, yes Alhamdulillah I am very happy and lucky to be blessed with a baby boy replied  “noor, I hope and pray to Allah that he becomes a doctor one day. No he will be an engineer like his dad said Nisar. Oh stop the argument and let time decide what he becomes intervened Mustafa, the eldest brother of Nisar and uncle of the newborn suhail.

suhail is the light of the eyes of his family members. He is being treated like a prince by the whole family including the aunts and uncles of both sides. His attractive looks and behavior is giving him more pampering. He is just 1 year old but is already the heartthrob of the whole setup. noor is the most happy of the lot. It’s as if she has found a new partner in her son as in Nisar is mostly away and busy with his work.

Mama is the word that suhail speaks hearing the words noor bursts into tears, it’s the first word he spoke murmured noor.  Wish Nisar was here thought noor, listening to his son’s first word he would have been the most joyous. Mashallah said sara may devil’s eye never have an impact on my suhail placing an amulet around his neck and reciting a few verses of the holy Quran.

suhail has turned 3 today and it’s time to get him admitted into a school contemplated noor. Standard public high school will be the best choice as it’s near and even his cousins study there, they will take care of him and make him feel at home said Mustafa. Yipee now I will be with suhail whole day thought nahira the eldest cousin of suhail. Its school time get ready my cutie pie said noor to suhail. suhail was not happy and cried the whole day that first day. At lunch his mother would come to his school to make him eat the food. And it would then continue till he turned 12 .     

suhail has topped this year as well said nahira to his cousin I am sure he is going to be a Doctor. Yes he will and I have full faith in Allah and him. You know he was fiddling with his uncles stethoscope and was acting like a doctor I bet he will be a great doctor one day said Asif his cousin. Yes even his teachers were praising him and they believe he is an asset for their school said mustafa.

Its 103 degree Fahrenheit sighed nisar, stop crying, I had told you not take him with you to the wedding, I knew he would fall ill. I had no option but to take him there it was my cousin’s marriage after all sobbed noor. He needs three days rest and don’t send him to school doctor advised. Missing the school was the most painful thing for noor more than the suffering of suhail. Wake up my son its school time again. suhail is completely changed now he talks less takes less interest in studies and doesn’t wrestle around with his cousins. This thing is giving sleepless nights to noor little did she know that her son had developed a stuttering problem. suhail can’t talk properly. He can’t talk nonstop now. His tongue has developed a problem now.       
    

Its 13th march and it’s raining cats and dogs in Srinagar. noor is busy with the daily chores, suhail is at school,. Somebody is calling yelled rahman the butler at the house. He wants to talk someone in the family. Hello who is it? Its abdul  sattar from the roads and buildings department. We have a bad news for you nisar has met an accident and is currently admitted in SKIMS. What? Replied noor; beep beep and line is disconnected. noor couldn’t bear the news and falls on the floor.    

There is hue and cry all over, everyone at the funeral of Nisar is crying, after all he was only 39. The world of noor is ruined. She is in shambles. She has lost everything as in the husband holds most prominent place in every woman’s life. She has lost her soul mate. Nisar is no more he is dead in an accident on the national highway.  Though there is a speculation that he might have been killed by his counterparts as in he was going to be chief engineer.

Don’t do this to yourself  please think about suhail what will be the impact on him said mustafa. He is already depressed due to his stuttering problem and now the death of his father will almost make him go crazy. Yes I will live for him sighed gul wiping her tears. It’s his matric examination as well. I don’t want him to make this and excuse. I want him to pass with flying colors.  

The result of matric examination is out and suhail has achieved 70 % marks. I will take medical as my subjects. I want to be a doctor. Yes my son that has been my dream since your birth and I am sure you will make me proud one day. He had taken keen interest in his studies after the matric results and the results were showing. He has qualified the common entrance test and has bagged himself a seat in the Medical college of batra.      

The atmosphere at home is joyous again after a long time. The news has catched fire and has reached every relative. The stutter is a medical student now .  

Its 12 am and phone of sahil starts ringing. Sahil is cousin and a dear friend of suhail. I am depressed and want to finish my life sahiil said suhail. Why ? are you mad replied sahil . I am standing on the tawi bridge and I am going to jump off it. But why? you idiot! are you  out of your senses yelled sahil his heart pumping fast as if it might come out of his mouth. Yes I am said suhail and the phone gets disconnected.

Its 15th july sahil and suhail have caught up at pari mahal. What had happened to you that day enquired sahil. As if a mad dog had bitten you fumed sahil. Be in my shoes and then you would have known what it takes to be stutter  replied suhail sobbing. Stop bro I am sorry but you have a mother and you should have thought about her before even thinking of that drastic step. Do you even realize what would have happened to your mom. She lives only for you. Yes I know but my life is like hell when I talk girls make fun of me. Last week a patient laughed at me while I stuttered. You know that time I really wanted to die suhail said. Look bro nobody is perfect even I am not. You should really think of those who cant even talk. Yes you are right I will change now, and live for my mom said suhail. though he had plegded to change the feeling of bieng a stutter had given him a cause to ponder so much so that he started taking anti depressants.   
  

It was 12th may the news of suhail’s death had reached here. At his home people were saying that he has committed suicide by jumping into mansar lake. The atmosphere at home was very melancholy. Everyone around was seen crying right from the family to friends. noor had lost yet another part of her life. Her life is ruined , she is screaming asking yelling “why me God what have I done”. Her screams and crying make your heart wrench and only a heart made of stone can hold on their tears. “ina lillahi wa ina ilahi rajioon.”

suhail couldn’t cope up with the embarassement of being a stutter. A bully from a girl had been the reason of ending his life. He was high on anti depresaants and this thing had made him loose his concious. His body couldn’t be found for 6 months this inturn had brought in hope for the family,hoping against hope,and believing in th so called peers had given them a ray of hope. On 10th ooctober his body was seen floating on the mansar lake. This day was another setback for noor. This was the end of a boy who after 3 months would have been a famous doctor. The stuttering doctor had lost it. May God fogive him for what he did.

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A painful delight

Yeah! you were a beautiful dream but why did u make me scream.Yea h! You brought happiness dreams and light but i was better of whth my plight. Yeah! you made me cheer and live without fear but actualy you had no value for my tear..Yeah ! You tought me how to love but only to make me bow. Yeah! You made my heart like the glowing nile but it was only to create a turmoil..Yeah! You made me gain the killing pain and everything went into vain!

YOU

You were the sun that shined and made me fly. You were the moon that brightened my sky. You were the clouds that guarded me from ply. You were the angel that made me feel the bliss as if it was a divine kiss. You were the feeling that made me know joy of the esctasic feeling believing it was all kneeling. You! You were my life not knowing you werent in my clife. You! You were a soft heart not knowing you would tear me apart. You! You were my soul not knowing your only intentions were to befool. You! You made me try and try to fly not knowing it would eventually make me only cry cry and cry!...