Introduction to KashmirForum.org Blog
Vijay K. Sazawal, Ph.D.
I launched the website and the Blog after undertaking a thorough search of literature dealing with Kashmir. Finding existing choices that varied from harsh zealotry as expressed by multiple political antagonists and religious bigots, I undertook multiple visits to the valley to make a first hand assessment of the situation as well as seek input from those on the ground – common people, civic and academic leaders of both genders, minorities, and bureaucrats both in Srinagar and New Delhi. After having spoken to government officials, political analysts and security experts specializing in South Asian affairs from three continents, it became clear to me that when Kashmiris are suffering and the world has its own set of prior-
-ities, we need to find ways to help each other. We must be realistic, go beyond polemics and demagoguery, and propose innovative ideas that will bring peace, justice and prosperity to all the peoples of Jammu and Kashmir. Above all, it is incomprehensive how violence can lead to any political closure or human justice when it simply impedes any healing, development or normalcy.
We encourage hearing from the disfranchised “silent majority” in Jammu and Kashmir. Please send your comments by contacting us. Thank you.
Kashmir’s Sufi Heritage
Iqbal resurrects the time when Kashmir was the center of divine light(Mr. Iqbal Ahmad, 47, was born in Parigam Chek, Kulgam. He is a graduate with Diploma in Numastics, Archaeology and Heritage. He is an archaeologist, writer, and a cultural historian. Mr. Iqbal Ahmad...
Restoring Heritage
It is not every day that you find an Editorial in the Greater Kashmir addressing an issue that resonates with all of usA people without heritage are like blades of grass without roots. They resemble straws blown by the wind from place to place. Appreciation of...
Return of a Native
Heritage that affirms ones faith in ancestral culture becomes pain in exile, writes Mahesh Kaul(Mr. Mahesh Kaul, 29, was born in Ghat Jogi Lankar, Rainawari, Srinagar. He completed his Master's degree in Tourism Management (MTM) and is now pursuing Ph.D. degree at the...
An Interview With the Vice Chancellor of the University of Kashmir
Ishfaq Mir (IM) from the Rising Kashmir interviews Professor Riyaz Punjabi(Prof Riyaz Punjabi is a distinguished academician and an expert on International Peace and Conflict Studies. He started his career from Kashmir University and holds a Doctorate in Law. He has...
Achieving Economic Self-Sufficiency
Aatif shows the way(Mr. Aatif Ahmad Mehjoor, 25, was born in Srinagar. He received his primary education in London and Srinagar, with the final two years at the Burn Hall School. He attended Ernest Blevin College London in 1999-2001, King's College London in...
The Indifference Towards the Weak and the Meek Extends Beyond Religious Faultlines
Musavirr exposes the underbelly of a society used to sweeping inconveniences under a rug(Mr. Musavirr Wani, 27, was born in Srinagar and attened the Burn Hall School. He graduated from the Meerut University and joined the Kashmir Times as a reporter. Loves driving his...
Mr. Mayor: Visits Abroad won’t Help!
A foreign trip is good, but that alone won’t do. Our city stinks, it needs emergency care, not foreign adviceMushtaq SidiqiThe Greater Kashmir (18th October) carried a press release of the Srinagar Municipal Corporation (SMC) apprising people about the visit of its...
A Shakespearean Tragedy of Inconsequential Proportions
Afshana looks for heroes - tragic or otherwise - in a land of sycophants(Ms. Syeda Afshana, 34, was born in Srinagar. She attended the Vishwa Bharti High School in Rainawari, Srinagar, and the Government Women's College in Srinagar where she received a B.Sc. degree....
Kashmir is Bearing its Share of the World-Wide Economic Downturn
Global meltdown melts Valley software industrySrinagar: Of the financial crisis the world is witnessing presently, Kashmir has begun to get the heat and the kill is Valley’s software development companies.“We are a software development company and we sell our products...
Connecting Kashmir with the Central Asia
Ashraf, with his keen eye for tourism, sees many interesting possibilities(Mr. Mohammad Ashraf, 65, was born and raised in Srinagar. He attended the S.P. High School and the S.P College before joining the Regional Engineering College at Naseem Bagh in Civil...