SRINAGAR: The Jammu and Kashmir Board of School Education (BOSE) Saturday reopened links for submission of online forms for annual regular examination 2023 for classes 10th to 12th standard.
The online links for submission of the forms will be opened from February-14 to February-15 with a late fee Rs 6000 in addition to last prescribe Fee.
News agency KNO quoted Director Academic BOSE as having said, “It is notified for the information of all concerned students who have not so far, submitted their examination forms can now submit their examination forms for Classes 10th, 11th and 12th Annual Regular Examination 2023, online with a late fee Rs 6000in addition to last prescribe Fee.”
“The link for submission of online examination forms shall be made available on official website of JKBOSE with immediate effect from February-14 to February-15,” BOSE said.
SRINAGAR: Jammu and Kashmir Haj Committee chairperson Safeena Baig Saturday said that this year Haj 2023 will be cheaper by almost Rs 80,000 and that each pilgrim is supposed to pay Rs 350,000 to 3,70,000 maximum for performing Haj this year.
Addressing a press conference here, Baig said after hectic deliberations between Haj Committee of India (HCoI) and the Saudi Government, Haj has been made cheaper this year. “As per our estimates, Haj 2023 will be cheaper by Rs 80,000. Each pilgrim who would otherwise pay Rs 4.50 lakh will have to pay between Rs 3,50,000 to Rs 3,70,000,” news agency KNO quoted Baig as having said.
She said that this year, over 10,000 pilgrims from J&K will perform the holy journey of Haj. “Haj office in Srinagar will facilitate every pilgrim including those who are having issues related to passport,” Baig said, adding that the Haj applications are already up on the official website of Haj Committee of India: www.hajcommittee.gov.in free of cost. “Earlier, every pilgrim had to pay Rs 300 for the form. Now, the form can be downloaded and filled with ease,” she said.
The J&K Haj Committee chairperson said that in case of need of conducting the RTPCR test, the government will bear the expenses and take samples of the pilgrims free of cost. She said that the pilgrims above 70-years of age will be prioritised for the Haj while women aged 45 years, without Mehram, can perform the pilgrimage in the groups. “A group of four women without mahram can perform the Haj 2023,” she said, adding that the Saudi Government has given a relaxation to the women who are not having any mahram but yearn to perform Haj.
She also said that from Azizia to Haram, pilgrims are likely to get direct bus services. “This has been the demand of pilgrims who performed the Haj in 2022,” she said. Asked whether there was any plan to address the issues of pilgrims in Makah and Madina as last year, many pilgrims complained of ill treatment by the hotels there, Baig said: “This year, Haj officers will create different groups on Whatsapp and stay in touch with pilgrims. In case of any issue or grievances, immediate redressal would be done.”
Pertinently, there will be 25 embankment points across the country for the pilgrims this year. HCoI has maintained that the pilgrimage this year will be much smoother than previous pilgrimages.
Historically, the women in Kashmir have remained empowered enough to be part of every sphere of life. Though they have traditionally picked a set of jobs as their careers in education, governance, business and medical science to suit their homemaking role, some of them have opted for challenging careers. Humaira Nabi talks to a number of Kashmir women scientists detailing their journeys in the challenging field and their core research focus
A group of Kashmir women scientists (L to R) Zahida Qamri, Beenish Rufai, Manejah Yaroob, Humaira Gowhar, Samina Raja and Nasheeman Ashraf. KL Graphics
In Kashmir, throughout history, women have remained equal partners in life. It was the partnership between the men and women that made Cashmere Shawls dictate the fashion trends on Paris streets even when they hardly had enough to manage their meals. Two centuries later, half of the doctors in Kashmir are women. They are part of every field of life and, off late, they are academically performing better than men at all levels. So, how could they not be in science?
Though women have routinely chosen particular areas as their careers, there are dozens of Kashmiri women who have opted to be scientists, comparatively a challenging area. Some of them have impressive research to their credit and a few have actually pioneered newer systems and protocols to understand the complexity and diversity of life. Most of these scientists are serving offshore laboratories. Their journeys were interesting and belonged to the era when the infrastructure, back home, was not adequate enough to encourage their return. Most of them did research in these institutions and settled there. However, a few younger ones in recent years availed new openings to return home and serve Jammu and Kashmir.
The trend has only started and is expected to improve in the near future.
The Saffron Scientist
Kashmir has remained home to the world’s costliest spice for many millennia. Though there were efforts to study it scientifically and certain things were better understood. However, the spice waited for Srinagar scientist, Dr Nasheeman Ashraf to study it at the genetic level.
Nasheeman’s interest in Kashmir’s agriculture developed with her graduation when she studied at SKAUST-K’s Wadura campus in Sopore. With an All India Ranking (AIR) of 25, she passed the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) postgraduate admission examination and joined GB Pant University of Agriculture and Technology, Uttarakhand for a master’s in Biochemistry. She did her doctorate from The National Institute of Plant Genome Research, Delhi.
“It took me six years to complete my PhD. My research was based on chickpea, where I studied Fusarium wilt- a widespread plant disease that impacts its yield,” Nasheeman said.“I along with my fellow researchers developed transcript profiling of susceptible and resistant genotypes during chickpea-Fusarium interaction.”
This study led to the identification of a set of differentially expressed genes among which some were common to both genotypes while a subset of genes was specific to either of the genotype. “This helped us plan a strategy to develop the resistant cultivars,” she said.
Within a month after defending her PhD, Nasheman was offered a principal scientist position at the Indian Institute of Integrative Medicine (IIIM), an institution tasked to discover new drugs and therapeutic approaches from natural products. She picked Crocus sativus, the Kashmir saffron. The choice was dictated by her urge to work on something that finds utility back home.
“The desiccated stigma of Crocus sativus forms the saffron, however, in some species of the plant, many other parts of the flower also form saffron,” Nasheeman said. “So, I tried to study the regulatory pathways of Crocus which enable these varieties to form saffron in the stigma and in petals as well.”
She started working on developing a transcriptome map for Crocus, which was used for the identification of genes involved in the regulation of this process. This helped her understand that Corcuspathways can be manipulated to develop the required components in other parts of the plant as well, which can increase the biomass produced. Normally, one kilogram of saffron demands the cultivation of 25o thousand blossoms. If the manipulation at the genetic level becomes a success, it can improve the yield, manage the demand-supply chain better and have better returns for the grower.
As an acknowledgement of her research, Nasheemanwas awarded with CSIR Raman Research Fellowship in 2016, which enabled her to work as a visiting scientist at the University of Kentucky, USA followed by an EMBO short-term fellowship to work in Spain.
“In Spain, they were already working on Saffron. It helped me to incorporate their expertise in my research and I got to study some of the plant samples, which produce saffron in petals as well,” Dr Nashman said.
Currently exploring non-traditional areas having the potential for saffron production, Dr Nasheeman asserts that all Kashmir districts can produce saffron. “Last year, I distributed saffron bulbs among a group of my students belonging to various districts for cultivation. We covered all the 10 districts and found that it grew everywhere,” she said. “The findings of the study will determine whether any other areas of Kashmir have the potential for saffron cultivation.”
Apart from starting her laboratory literally from the scratch and making it big, Nasheeman, now a principal scientist, has pioneered developing a gene database of Saffron which consisted of around 64000 genes. After she published the data, many offshore laboratories picked the thread and are following it up.
Planning For World
From Gagribal in Srinagar to the United States and then devising urban planning systems that interested a key UN agency, it has been a fulfilling journey for Dr Samina Raja. Trained as a civil engineer from Jamia Millia Islamia, Dr Samina Raja had a predicament that while she was being trained to build she was not trained to think. With apprehensions about the impact of building on human health, Dr Samina saw challenges on a bigger scale and decided to pursue her Master’s in Planning, with a focus on housing, from the School of Planning and Architecture, Delhi. Later, she opted for a PhD programme in the Department of Urban and Regional Planning, University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Prof Samina Raja heads the Food Systems Planning and Healthy Communities laboratory in the University of Buffalo, New York. Photograph by Alexender J Becker
“I remember the first lecture I attended during my PhD programme being about ethics, which, despite being an important aspect in all fields, is not widely discussed in developing countries,” Dr Raja said. “It focused on the fundamental concerns of why and for whom we are building while planning. It was a pivotal lecture. So, my PhD ended up being about land development and layered on to that was public finance. I studied the impact of land development decisions and buildings on human health and future generations.”
Subsequently, Samina Raja focused her training with economists and urban planners on what happens to local government’s public finances and taxes in the United States when an urban planner develops land for construction.
“There is a concept of the highest and best use of land in urban planning. It is also used sometimes in Kashmir and in South Asia. So, there is a heuristic notion that if, for example, farmland is converted into a building, we conceive that to be the best use of the land,” Dr Raja said. “I actually measured whether that was accurate. There is a widespread global method that teaches urban planners how to judge whether land development is good or bad. I tested the accuracy of the methods and discovered that the methods that planners use are flawed. It led me to my judgment that some ways an urban planner plans can be hurtful to the general public. To simplify, if you see a patch of farmland converted into a mansion and you think it’s a sign of progress, it turns out that it’s not, it’s complicated.”
Dr Raja’s PhD raised more questions than it offered answers for herself and many others. The key question her dissertation raised was about the general understanding of the appropriate use of land. That research forced her to reimagine how to plan and set her on a trajectory to develop tools and resources for healthy city planning.
“I ended up contributing to the newly emerging field of food systems planning. My research lab was the first one in the world that uses urban planning to improve food systems,” Dr Samina Raja, who now wears many hats said. Now Prof Raja is an Associate Dean and Director of the Food Systems Planning and Healthy Communities Lab, which operates within the School of Architecture and Planning at the University of Buffalo. “So, I was able to take my learning from the dissertation and apply it in one particular way to develop the lab, work with city governments, develop technical assistance models and train students. So, I think the impact of that dissertation is translated into the real world today in unexpected ways.”
In 2014, Dr Samina Raja along with her team conducted a national survey of urban planners in the United States. With 40,000 local governments across the United States, her team reached out to them about the impact of urban planning on human health and food and found that only one per cent of local governments were focused on the impact of their planning decisions on food systems. Dr Raja took note of the situation and along with her team pushed for a change to help urban planners in the United States to impetus their planning techniques.
“There is an association called the American Planning Association, which is the largest professional association of urban planners. In 2008, they published Planners Guide to Community and Regional Food Systems, the first advisory report on the topic for American planners. It was written by me and my colleagues and that was one of the contributions of our lab. Our lab trains local governments across the United States about the impact of a comprehensive plan, Master Plan as it is called in Kashmir, on human health. Similarly, I led the development of a report for the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) on the impact of urban planning on food and health. Our team with the help of GIS and other technologies monitors the impact of urban planning on human health,” Dr Samina Raja said.
She is now dividing her time between teaching, supervising research, and advising civic organizations, local governments and national and global agencies. She has many researchers from Kashmir on her team, and her laboratory is already working with various scientists in Kashmir.
A Caset Scientist
Keen to talk hard science into Kashmiri, Dr Humaira Gowher is a Srinagar-born biochemist who is an Associate Professor at Purdue University and an Adjunct faculty at the University of Kashmir-run Centre for Interdisciplinary Research and Innovation (CIRI). She is studying the regulation of DNA methylation in development and disease in her high-end laboratory.
Having persuaded her early education at Caset Experimental School, Karanagar, Humaira considers herself being lucky to have grown up in a school which had the word ‘experiment’ associated with it. “Prof Chuni Lal Vishen, chairman of Caset Experimental School was way ahead of his time. He was a Princeton returnee, and had a vision of imparting education which was prevalent in the west but was not much appreciated here,” HUmaira said. “I believe that a fair share of my inherent knowledge has come from the school, and I’m very thankful to him for that.”
Being fond of biochemistry from an early age, Humaira joined the Aligarh Muslim University, then the only institute offering the course. “I completed my bachelor’ and subsequently my master’s in Biochemistry from the AMU. During the course of my studies, I developed an inclination for research. I was fortunate enough to be a part of experimental research as a summer trainee for a couple of months in Dr SE Hasnein’s lab at the National Institute of Immunology, Delhi, which instilled a love for the subject and associated research.”
After qualifying GATE examination, with a very high percentile, Humaira applied for the Indian Institute of Science and topped the biochemistry department. This made her the first Kashmiri woman to enrol at the institute. After spending two years at ISC, she left the programme and flew to Germany with her engineer husband. There, she continued her PhD at Justus Liebig University.
Having picked her research skills in India, she completed her PhD in 30 months. Her PhD revealed that the short catalytic domain of the mammalian DNA methyltransferases Dnmt3a and 3b are active without their large N-terminal part, which led to characterization, crystallization, and those enzymes in multiple labs around the world. There, she published seven first-author research papers. She was awarded Summa cum laude, an honorary title used by educational institutions to signify a degree that was earned “with the highest distinction”.
“I received a lot of offers from UK and US, but I chose United States because I felt it to be more inclusive unlike Europe,” Humaira said. “I joined one of the pioneers in the field of chromatin Biology named Gary Fasenfeld, who is a student of the legendary Linus Pauling. I had the privilege of working in his lab for eight years and the experience was outstanding. While I learned science and associated things, the best thing about working with Gary Fasenfeld was that I learned how to be humble. Working with someone, who has produced around eight Nobel laureates, you don’t expect him to be that humble but he is.”
With a vision of working independently and owing a lab, Humaira after her postdoc, was appointed as an Assistant professor in the Department of Biochemistry at Purdue University. During the course, she has established her own laboratory and is working independently.
Perfecting A Vaccine
A Ramanujan fellow and previously a Senior Resident at AIIMS Bhopal, Dr Beenish Rufai is a young Kashmiri scientist who did the genome-sequencing of all the tuberculosis strains inflicting India and for the first time created the circular reference genome of the pathogen Myobacteriumorygis. Student of Kothibagh Higher Secondary School, Beenish chose Microbiology as a major during her graduation and post-grad studies in Dehradun. “I chose microbiology because I was always fascinated by the microbes,” Beenish said. “I loved to see these tiny creatures under the microscope who happen to be a cause of much of the disturbance in the world.”
At AIIMS in Delhi where she did her PhD, she joined the clinical microbiology division under Dr Sarmand Singh. For more than a year, she studied various aspects of microbiology. It included studying all the seven strains of Mycobacterium tuberculosis that have come up right during the course of its evolution.
“I studied these lineages with the basic goals of analysing how they spread in India, how they are evolving, and why there is such a high prevalence of drug resistance in India,” she said. “We found 52 per cent of patients infected by Beijing lineage prone to drug resistance.”
The study revealed every stain of Mycobacterium tuberculosis has occupied specific geography. In North India, they found a Central Asian strain of Mycobacterium Tuberculosisis. In South India East African lineage of the disease dominates. The Beijing lineage was in the North Eastern region because of its Chinese origin but during the epidemiological transmission survey, it was found that these strains are circulating all over India.
“We found North Eastern part more TB drug resistance and more vulnerable to the disease,” Beenish said. “It was at that time we did comparative genomics-aligning the genome of all the strains of TB and studied their commonalities. We found that a particular gene known as CRISPR, which is known to provide some adaptive immunity to the bacterial cell is deleted in Beijing strain.”
Later, she went for postdoctoral training at McGill University in Canada, where she researched Mycobacterium Bovis. Mycobacterium Bovis is a zoonotic disease which spreads from infected animals to humans. This settled a myth forever. Earlier, it was presumed that in India people get infected by TB transmitted from animals but it was not. “In microbiology, there is a strain, known as a reference strain, which is defined as any microorganism acquired from a recognized culture collection,” Beenish explained. “It is the standard that allows it to be compared to other strains. We didn’t have any reference strain of Mycobacterium orygis so I had to develop a circular reference Mycobacterium orygis so that we could distinguish a suspected sample of Mycobacterium orygis from other strains. I got successful and developed the first circular reference genome of Mycobacterium orygis.”
It was later that Beenish started probing the TB vaccine in vogue and came to the conclusion that humanity lacks an effective TB vaccine. Discovered in 1921, the BCG vaccine was the outcome of science when the genetic architecture of the strains wasn’t fully understood. With evolving strains and increased drug resistance, the efficiency of the BCG strain to provoke our immune system and give protection against TB has also rained down.
It was this project that brought her back home to work at IIIM in Srinagar where she had to establish her laboratory from a scratch, almost following Nasheeman. She is working on techniques that can improve the efficacy of the BCG vaccine. “I work on membrane vesicles of TB that are released from the bacteria inside the host body,” explained Beenish. “These vesicles are already known to have a role in immune invoke evasion. I thought to engineer the BCG strain. If there are some vesicles that are actually helping our immune system in a positive manner against infection, so we can engineer this BCG strain so that they release these vesicles. I aim is to work on the BCG strain to engineer it with such genes that aid in the secretion of these vesicles thus enhancing the efficacy of the strain.”
Dr ZahidaQamri
For Zahida Qamri, it was a quantum jump when she convinced her family that she must move out and study. This led her to get admission to Jamia Hamdard. Fighting weather and managing the cosmopolitan culture, Zahida did her master’s and a PhD in biochemistry.
Her research work was around diarrhoea, one of the major health problems in children under one year of age. In certain cases, it could prove fatal. “During my doctoral programme, I examined the stool of the children and developed DNA fingerprinting of the bacteria I found,” Zahida said. “The purpose of my study was to identify and characterize the bacterial strains which cause diarrhoea in infants, by using various techniques. I also studied drug resistance among diarrhoea-causing bacteria.”
During her post-doctoral programme in microbiology, Zahida developed an interest in oncology. She was selected to Safdarjung Hospital, Delhi as a research scientist, where she worked on breast cancer. “During our research, we hoped to identify a cancer-causing gene in the North Indian population. If we locate that gene in any person during genome sequencing, we can inform them about their propensity for cancer.”
At that time, there was a job opening at Harvard Medical School for breast cancer and she applied for a post-doc. “ I had studied breast cancer at Safdarjung Hospital; I incorporated brain and lung cancer in the study during my postdoc at Harvard. It was a great opportunity. I started drawing experiments and writing grants independently,” Zahida remembers.
After spending 30 months at Harvard Medical School, she moved to Ohio State University where she worked for 12 years. Later grants dried up. Then, she did a master’s degree in clinical and pre-clinical research from the same university. “The programme helped me get into a new field of managing clinical research and the impact of our work that we do in labs, on common people,” Zahida said. Clinical trials, she said, is a new and emerging discipline. “For better management, Western countries are outsourcing the field. To enter the field, you do not require a specialist degree. You may even participate from home, thus the current work-from-home culture made forth by the pandemic is a bonus. Internet access and electricity are two fundamental requirements in this field.”
Now, she spends her time with JK Scientists, a Srinagar-based network of scientists who identify and guide new talent.
Medical Innovation
Married to a networking engineer from Silicon Valley, Dr Manijha Yaqoob was a successful medical professional from SKIMS, Soura, when destiny subjected gave her an opportunity to get into the technology side of health care in San Francisco after marriage. She is into medical innovation. “While I enjoyed medical practice, I decided to take leverage of the immense technology that I was surrounded with,” Dr Manijha said.
Currently serving as a Physician Scientist at Roche USA, Manijha for the last 18 years has been working with various companies including Abbott Vascular, Medtronic Neurovascular and many others. Apart from working on various drugs and medical devices, her most remarkable work includes a drug-eluting coronary stent called XIENCE V. Whereas coronary stent, made of plain metal, was invented long back, XIENCE V decreased its risk reduction which included restenosis, a stage when an artery previously opened with a stent or angioplasty becomes narrowed again. Besides, she has also been a part of the team whose innovation helped retrieve clots from stroke patients’ brains.
Stressing upon the importance of health technology, Manijha believes that medical students must not shy away from choosing an interdisciplinary medical profession if they have a bent on technology. “I have trained medical professionals across the world,” Manija said. “Doctors have a major role to play in innovating products and devices, by giving a medical perspective thereby proposing inventions with better efficacy. Doctors must not stick to writing a prescription, they must broaden their vision.”
(This report is merely a start to showcasing the Kashmir women in science. More is in pipeline.)
JAMMU: A prominent political activist, Sanny Sangral along with dozens of youth has joined Apni Party in presence of the President of the Party, Syed Mohammed Altaf Bukhari sahab.
The joining programme was organized at the Apni Party Office in Gandhi Nagar which was chaired by Apni Party President Altaf Bukhari.
Bukhari Sahab welcomed Sunny Sangral into the party fold along with dozens of youth and hoped that their joining would strengthen the party.
In his speech, he said that Apni Party has gained popularity among the youth in Jammu and Kashmir and the joining of Sunny Sangral has boosted the morale of the party’s youth wing.
He referred to various issues being confronted by the people of Jammu and Kashmir especially increasing unemployment, public concern regarding the anti-encroachment drive, unscheduled power cuts, slow pace of developmental activities, poor infrastructure in the health and education sector, etc.
“Our fight is against the elements who want to create division in the name of region and religion will continue. Apni Party is committed to bringing stability, peace, and prosperity,” he said.
He said that “We want to give you your own Govt which can provide equitable development to both the regions. In fact, the people of both regions are facing similar problems and the solutions to their issues are also the same.”
Expressing concern over the continuous anti-encroachment drive, he said that ‘This Govt has no other option but to regularise the unauthorized colonies. Even the Govt in Delhi has regularised such colonies from time to time, but it seems they do not understand the issues of the poor people,’
He further said that ‘The elected Govt will take a decision regarding unauthorized colonies. The administration has no right to displace people from their land. If we form the next Govt, we will reverse anti-people decisions of the administration like stopping of the darbar move practice and anti-encroachment drives, etc.’
He assured that ‘We will not allow the non-locals to settle in Jammu and Kashmir. The land in J&K belongs to the people of the erstwhile state of J&K.’
He criticized some elements who want to disturb peace in J&K on communal, and regional lines and erase the emotions of the people with the anti-encroachment drive.
He, however, appealed to the people to maintain peace and criticized the civil administration for its anti-encroachment drive.
Meanwhile, the Provincial President, of Jammu, S. Manjit Singh also spoke on the occasion and welcomed Sunny Sangral who joined Apni Party from the Samba district with his supporters.
SRINAGAR: The University of Kashmir is set to host a two-day C20 Working Group Meeting on ‘Gender Equality and Disability’, a mega event that draws national and international experts to formulate Policy White Papers for discussions on the G20 platform.
Civil-20 or C20 is the Official Engagement Group of G20 providing a platform for civil society organisations, NGOs and policy-planners to engage important stakeholders and address the root causes of “gender inequality and disability”.
The event being held at KU’s Gandhi Bhawan on February 13-14 comes amid the University’s selection from amongst 15 premier institutions in the country to host Youth20 events as part of India’s G20 Presidency, a significant milestone in the varsity’s imprint and visibility on the national academic landscape.
The C20 GED WG Meeting focuses on policy dialogues concerning two sub-themes including “Women’s Safety” and “Engaging Men and Boys”, besides highlighting ‘Udharaan’ as a successful intervention to address gender inequality. It also envisions evolving a grassroots approach to create pathways for improving women’s access to legal aid and other social support systems. A special focus of deliberations will also be on gender concerns related to specially-abled women.
National and international Coordinators and Co-Coordinators of C20 GED Working Group are among 50 delegates expected to join deliberations in both online and offline modes. Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham is coordinating the event.
Vice-Chancellor KU Prof Nilofer Khan, who is personally monitoring the arrangements, said it is a historic occassion for the University to be associated with events related to the country’s G20 Presidency.
“It is recognition of the University’s commitment to not only promote our national policies and programmes but also to advance the country’s G20 goals and objectives,” she said.
The Vice-Chancellor has already constituted a task force of academics and officers to oversee arrangements for the February 13-14 event.
Notably, the University of Kashmir has been chosen amongst 15 premier institutions in the country to host a Youth20 event, marking a significant moment in its history and transition to come up as an institution of excellence in the country. Youth delegates from G20 countries are scheduled to attend the Youth20 event in the second week of May 2023 at the University’s main campus.
SRINAGAR: The Jammu and Kashmir National Conference President and Member of the Parliament Dr Farooq Abdullah on Saturday said the recent move of J&K administration to nominate Numberdars/Chowkidars for villages and towns across J&K runs contrary to the government claims of strengthening democracy in Jammu and Kashmir.
Echoing the concerns of a delegation of Numberdars that had called on him, Dr Farooq said that the government is trying to bring in their own people for this important position through backdoor.
Dr Farooq said the association members who called on him resented the manner in which the incumbent Numberdars were being shown the door and the new ones nominated by the incumbent administration ditching all established norms and procedures.
“The incumbent numberdars who command public confidence as persons are being shown the doors. It seems the administration, by nominating candidates of their choice, is trying to set a political discourse in the villages and towns that suits their cause,” he said.
“The positions of Numberdar and Chowkidar are very significant in terms of better coordination at the grassroot levels and for that reason the government should have acted more sensibly rather than in this arbitrary way,”Dr Farooq said adding, “The process of selection cannot evade accountability and public scrutiny. The manner in which the process is being carried out raises a number of questions and it’s the government which has to come clean.”
To create a more inclusive and supportive culture for introverts, societies must strongly discourage negative feedback about them from their talkative counterparts. This may require providing more opportunities for privacy and quiet environments.
Introvert extrovert, a LinkedIn graphic
Sitting in the cafeteria of his college, Rehan is nursing his coffee but is lost in thought. His heart races as he watches one of his peers approaching him – his mind scrambling for a way to avoid the impending interaction. Shrinking into his chair, he tries to focus on his coffee.
The boy is upon him, his voice cutting through the noise of the restaurant like a sharp-edged blade. “Rehan!” said the boy. His voice boomed – shattering the silence and causing Rehan to jolt in his seat. He wanted nothing more than to be alone. He is desperate to escape the constant barrage of noise and attention. The sound of his name is like a physical blow – such hard that Rehan can feel himself shrinking under his weight. His mind is a whirlwind of emotions as he struggles to find a way out of this situation.
Such incidents occur on a regular basis in Rehan’s life. It holds nothing new. He has devised numerous ways to get out of such tight spots. On some occasions, Rehan may have to pretend to be on the phone and skip the gathering to trick everyone else. Or he may have to devise new ways to escape scenes that are unfavourable to his persona.
Why is Rehan feeling this way? Why is he suddenly so unwilling to interact with others? The answer is not so complex. Rehan is an introvert! He cannot do anything but deal helplessly with such situations – in a society that does not recognise introversion at all.
People like Rehan are individuals who prefer to be alone or engage in quieter, solitary activities because they are more introspective and reflective. They may be more sensitive to stimuli like social events and crowds. They generally prefer to spend time in quiet, low-stimulation surroundings. Introversion is a spectrum feature. But make no mistake, people like Rehan are not a monolithic group. They possess their own unique set of characteristics and tendencies, existing along a spectrum.
Take Rehan, for example. He may exhibit traits of social introversion, finding comfort in small, tight-knit groups of friends. Or perhaps he is a thinking introvert, drawn to the depths of seclusion where his mind can wander through the labyrinths of thought. Or maybe, an anxious introvert, feeling suffocated by the pressures of social interaction and seeking refuge in the safety of his room environment.
It is possible for a person to be both shy and extroverted, or talkative and introverted. These characteristics are not mutually exclusive. It is common for people to have traits from both ends of the spectrum. A shy extrovert may enjoy socializing and being around other people, but may still feel nervous or self-conscious in certain situations, such as public speaking. On the other hand, a talkative introvert may feel comfortable speaking in front of others with no stage fright, but may still prefer to spend time alone or in a small group rather than in a large crowd.
MBTI Assessment
Introversion is one among 16 different personality types identified by the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI). The MBTI is a popular personality assessment tool constructed by a mother-daughter duo Katharine Cook Briggs and her daughter Isabel Briggs Myers.
It defines introversion as a preference for inward-focused attention and reflection instead of seeking external stimulation and interaction with others. The MBTI is based on the theories of Swiss psychiatrist Carl Jung and is used to help people understand their own personality characteristics and how they interact with others. People who score high in introversion on MBTI tend to be more introspective and reserved, while those who score low tend to be more outgoing and sociable.
However, it is important to distinguish between introversion and shyness because they are two distinct characteristics that must be handled in separate ways. Understanding a person’s individual traits, whether shyness or introversion, can aid in identifying solutions to cope with or overcome the trait. It can also assist in the improvement of communication and understanding within relationships, as well as in the development of a more inclusive and understanding society.
Introversion versus Slyness
Shyness is characterised by a tendency to feel uneasy or self-conscious in social circumstances, particularly with strangers. It is a fear of rejection. It implies submissiveness—which can further lead to avoiding social contact and deteriorating relationships altogether. Shyness is often perceived as a negative trait; however, it is not always an issue until it interferes with a person’s everyday routine.
Introversion is characterised by a fondness for isolation and calm surroundings. Introverts may prefer to spend their time alone—thinking and pondering—and may find social circumstances exhausting or overwhelming. They may not be shy, but they do prefer solitude and introspection and ghost-quiet surroundings.
A shy person may long to be in the spotlight and gain exposure, but a lack of confidence can inhibit their ability to say or do what they need. An introvert, on the other hand, likes to spend time alone and avoids the spotlight. These two personalities are fundamentally opposed—with one wanting attention and the other seeking isolation. In order to follow their need for exposure, the shy person may need to focus on improving their self-esteem, whilst the introvert may need to push themselves out of their comfort zone in order to fully adapt to social situations.
The Introvert Behaviour Introverts tend to speak a lot less than extroverts, but this does not, in any way, signify that they dislike people or that they need to be fixed. Thinking (a lot) before speaking is one of their main characteristics, followed by communicating in writing rather than speaking out loud. Chatting on the internet does the job!
This does not make them any less social; it simply means they interact with the environment in a different way. Both introverts and extroverts have unique abilities worth bringing to the table. An introvert, though, is always hesitant to ask for favours, no matter to what extent they need them. They always prioritise self-reliance and believe more in helping those who are in dire need of it. Rather than attempting to alter someone who is an introvert, it is comparatively better if their distinctions are respected and appreciated.
Introversion is not a medical condition that narrows a person’s ability to achieve success and reach the pinnacle of their profession. Many prominent introverts have accomplished significant success in their respective fields, including Albert Einstein, JK Rowling, Bill Gates, Mahatma Gandhi, Abraham Lincoln, Johnny Depp, Manmohan Singh, and Sachin Tendulkar.
Charles Bukowski, a well-known German-American writer, an introvert himself, famously remarked, “I do not hate people. I just feel better when they are not around”. This quotation exemplifies Bukowski’s conviction in the benefits of isolation—as well as the notion that introverts can thrive when given the opportunity to be by themselves.
Not Taken SeriouslyUnfortunately, introverts are undervalued in many of our societies. Most cultures place a strong emphasis on extroversion. This can make it difficult for introverts to completely express themselves and feel comfortable in their own skin. The urge to adhere to extroverted ideals is perhaps the most familiar obstacle that introverts encounter in society.
They may feel intimidated to participate in social activities with which they are uncomfortable. To engage in small chats and other superficial exchanges may not come naturally to them. This can be especially difficult in places, where socialising is sometimes regarded as crucial for prosperity and job progress. Because of their quieter and more reserved character, introverts are frequently targeted by bullies. As a result of being viewed as easy targets or weak, they may be exposed to emotional, or verbal abuse— if not physical.
Introverts are prone to suffer social complications that extend beyond instances of bullying. Because of their more reserved persona, they may be hesitant to call a waiter in a restaurant for fear of drawing everyone else’s attention to themselves. They may also be concerned about making a loud phone call or engaging in other forms of public communication. Shopping—which frequently requires engaging with salespeople—may be a difficult experience for introverts. In these instances, it is essential to acknowledge and promote introverts while also working to create a more inclusive and accepting atmosphere for all individuals.
Another difficulty that introverts may confront is the stigma of being introverted. Introversion is perceived as a negative personality trait, and introverts are treated as socially distant, or even anti-social. This might leave introverts feeling misunderstood or alienated, making it more difficult for them to connect with others. Lack of support and understanding for introverts can easily contribute to feelings of isolation and loneliness. Introverts may find it difficult to locate others who share their interests and values and may feel as if they do not fit in with mainstream society. This can be especially difficult in contexts where there is a strong emphasis on teamwork and collaboration, such as crowded offices, schools, or businesses.
To create a more inclusive and supportive culture for introverts, societies must strongly discourage negative feedback about them from their talkative counterparts. This may require providing more opportunities for privacy and quiet environments.
Ajaz A Khawaja
If asked, they should be allowed to work separately. Tailored communication and fostering a more tolerant and understanding attitude towards introverts may also entail fighting the stigma associated with them. They just get more out of a peaceful sunset evening than a large crowd partying together. They can be assisted in reaching their full potential by providing them with a more inclusive and welcoming atmosphere. Identify them with their behavioural patterns.
Stay informed, one among the four of us is Rehan!
(The author is a teacher in the Department of School Education in Jammu and Kashmir. The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not purport to reflect the opinions or views of TheNewsCaravan.)
SRINAGAR: The Central Bureau of Investigation has arrested a Junior Assistant, for demanding & accepting bribe of Rs.15,000 in Samba district.
Quoting a statement the news agency KNO reported that a case was registered on complaint against the accused, wherein it was alleged that the complainant had taken loan of Rs.10 lakh from SBI, Samba under PMEGP Scheme, which was sponsored by District Industries Centre (DIC), Samba.
The statement reads it was further alleged that to avail the subsidy in respect of the loan, the complainant needed NOC from DIC, Samba.
“It was also alleged that the Junior Assistant, District Industries Centre, demanded bribe of Rs. 20,000/- from the complainant for issuing NOC. Later, the bribe was negotiated at Rs.15,000/-. CBI laid a trap and caught the accused red-handed while demanding & accepting bribe of Rs. 15,000/,” it reads.
It also reads searches were conducted at the premises of the accused. “The accused Gopal Raj Sharma will be produced before the Special Judge, CBI Cases, Jammu tomorrow,” it reads.
SRINAGAR: New Digital Cath Lab in SKIMS was inaugurated by Chief Secretary, Dr Arun Kumar Mehta, on Saturday.
Chief Secretary E-Inaugurates Digital Cath Lab At SKIMS Soura
The Cath lab was procured at a cost of 8.5 crores and has led to a significant enhancement of the capacity of SKIMS in handling interventional cardiology procedures at SKIMS.
Established in 1982, the cardiology department is the flagship department in SKIMS and is one of the highest volume centres in the country for coronary interventions.
The centre does interventional procedures from the ages of 1 day to 90 years and is the only centre in the UT doing Pediatric cardiac interventions as also removal of infected pacemakers. The centre is the second leading centre for pacemaker placement in the country.
Dr Mehta dedicated the Cath Lab to the people of UT and emphasised that healthcare in J&K should should evolve to such a level that no patient should ever be required to go out of the UT for medical treatment.
SRINAGAR: The Srinagar Municipal Corporation (SMC) on Saturday warned people to remove the illegal structures built over the Dhood Ganga Nallah.
In a notice, Srinagar Municipal Corporation Commissioner Athar Aamir Khan said that Dhood Ganga Nallah from Alochi Bagh to Chatabal is an important channel for the management of storm water and for preventing of urban flooding in the Srinagar City.
The rejuvenation and restoration of Dhood Ganga Nallah from Alochi Bagh to Chatabal has been taken up under Srinagar Smart City Limited with Drainage Circle (Civil), SMC as the executing Agency, it reads.
“Whereas, it has been found that a number of encroachments and illegal structures have come up on the site of Nallah; Whereas, removal of these encroachments and illegal structures and restoration of Nallah is important for flood and storm water management in the City,” reads the notice.
“Now, therefore, through this Public Notice, all such individuals/encroachers are given 07 days’ time from the issuance of this notice to remove all encroachments/illegal structures erected on and along the Nallah, failing which Srinagar Municipal Corporation shall initiate action including removal of these encroachments at the risk and cost of the offenders/encroachers,” reads the notice issued by Srinagar Municipal Corporation Commissioner Athar Aamir Khan.
