SRINAGAR: A group of 25 students from National Institute of Technology (NIT) Srinagar have developed Kashmir’s first racing model, Go-kart (G-01) which will be participating in All India Go Karting Competition to be held in Coimbatore Tamil Nadu next week.
Department of Mechanical Engineering Team Garuda’s first racing model, G-01 was flagged off on Thursday by In-charge Director NIT Srinagar Prof. MF Wani and Registrar Prof. Syed Kaiser Bukhari. The ceremony was attended by all Deans and HOD’s of various departments.
The team of 25 students was formed by Head MED, Prof. Adnan Qayoum and they worked under the mentorship of Dr.H.S. Pali and Dr. Dinesh Kumar Rajendran from the past several months on the campus.
Go-Kart has been designed from various equipments and Bajaj Pulsar 150 Engine has been used in the vehicle. It runs on Diesel and goes extreme to 150 kilometers per hour. Trail run was conducted successfully and it passed all normal tests before going on the road.
In-charge Director Prof. M.F Wani appreciated Team Garuda’s model and stated that it is a proud movement for the entire Institute.
“It is the first time that students have developed the G-Kart model. It is just beginning and more is to come. Our students are working day and night on innovations and we are also upgrading our infrastructure on the campus,” he said.
In his message, Director NIT Srinagar, Prof Rakesh Sehgal said that GoKart is a new edition in Kashmir but is more popular in south Indian states.
“The trend of innovations in the Valley is evolving with advanced technology in every field and our students are performing well,” he said.
Institute’s Registrar, Prof. Syed Kaiser Bukhari said NIT Srinagar is progressing towards nation building and is empowering students with innovation and skill development.
“The young bachelor’s across the country were working together for months to make it happen. Despite all odds, students worked hard and developed the first racing model, Go-kart (G-01). It is their gift for the entire region,” he said.
HOD MED, Prof Adnan said that the department is using the latest technologies in various fields. Youth who are fascinated with automobiles and dream of making a career in that field, he said.
“We have created a dedicated team to establish changing trends in Kashmir. The department is working on many platforms to use the advanced technologies on the campus,” he said.
Coordinator Garuda Team, Dr H.S.Pali said that it is the biggest milestone in the history of NIT Srinagar. The G-01 model is the culmination of months of hard work, dedication and collaboration by the team members of Garuda, he said.
Faculty coordinator of Team Garuda, Dr Dinesh Kumar Rajendran said it is a testament to the ingenuity and innovation that is synonymous with the NIT Srinagar community.
“We have pushed the boundaries of what is possible from students of Kashmir. The launch and demonstration of G-01 is an opportunity to showcase the capabilities of our Karting model,” he said.
Dr. Dinesh said NIT Srinagar’s student team will be participating in All India Go Karting competition to be conducted by Kari Motors Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu.
“The students are well trained and capable enough to make wonders in the coming days,” he said.
SRINAGAR: Weatherman on Sunday forecast mainly dry weather with possibility of “isolated thundery development” towards afternoon in Jammu and Kashmir on Sunday.
A meteorological department official said that mainly dry weather was expected till April 16 while generally cloudy sky with possibility of light rain was likely for three days thereafter.
Regarding the temperature, the MeT official said that Srinagar recorded a low of 5.1°C against 4.7°C on the previous night and it was 1.8°C below normal for the summer capital.
Qazigund, he said, recorded a low of 4.4°C against 3.5°C on the previous night and it was 1.3°C below normal for the gateway town of Kashmir.
Pahalgam, he said, recorded a low of 0.5°C against minus 0.4°C on the previous night and it was 1.7°C below normal for the famous tourist resort in south Kashmir’s Anantnag district.
Kokernag recorded a low of 6.4°C against 5.2°C on the previous night and it was 1.0°C above normal for the place, the officials said.
Gulmarg recorded a low of 1.5°C against 1.0°C on the previous night and it was 1.0°C below normal for the world famous skiing resort in north Kashmir’s Baramulla district, he said.
In Kupwara town, he said, the mercury settled at 2.5°C against 1.8°C on the previous night and it was 3.0°C below normal for the north Kashmir area.
Jammu recorded a low of 17.4°C against 14.8°C on the previous night. It was 0.4°C below normal for J&K’s winter capital, he said.
Banihal, he said, recorded a low of 6.3°C (below normal by 1.1°C), Batote 10.2°C (above normal by 0.1°C), Katra 14.6°C (0.5°C below normal) and Bhadarwah 6.3°C (0.3°C below normal). Ladakh’s Leh and Kargil recorded a low of minus 3.0°C and 0.8°C respectively, he added. (GNS)
SRINAGAR: An infiltrator was killed as the army on Sunday claimed to have foiled a major infiltration bid along the Line of Control in Poonch sector.
“On the intervening night of 8/9 April 2023, alert troops of Indian Army on the LoC in the Poonch Sector(JK), detected some suspicious movement of a group of individuals,” a spokesperson of defence ministry based in Jammu said in a statement .
“The individuals were challenged by Army on own side of LoC, close to the fence,” he said, adding, “On being intercepted, in the ensuing operations, one dead body has been seen and the other intruders ran into the forest area.”
He said a cordon of the area has been established and search operation is in progress. “Update will follow,” he added. (GNS)
Till orthopaedics graduated as a key biological science, Kashmir, like many other societies, would get its bone corrections from the bone setters. Nidah Mehraj meets a second-generation bone setter who remains busy for most of the days
Ali Mohammad, Kashmir bone setter at work KL Image: Nidah Mehraj
In the early morning, a group of people gathered in the yard of Ali Mohammad, a vaatan gour, a traditional Kashmiri bone setter, in Aali Kadal. Popular among his clientele as Papa, he has set aside two rooms in his house for his patients. As patients wait, a few are coming out after getting ‘treated’ for their minor fractures and bone displacements.
Ali’s yard and his two rooms are huge spaces for people to know each other. As they wait for their turn, they start understanding each other and sometimes these conversations become life-long friendships.
Papa is revered by his patients and the residents of his locality. They believe they really have recovered after being treated by him. Ali Mohammad does not charge much. He asks for the bandages and herbal medicines, which do not cost more than Rs 200. Families with low incomes and those believing in the tradition are usually the most of the crowd at Papa’s home cum clinic.
“My knee got injured badly two months ago. I wasn’t able to walk, sit or stand properly, nor could I do any household chores. I went to a doctor who prescribed various medical check-ups and medication but I didn’t recover from them quickly,” said Shaista Bhat, 35, from HMT area of Srinagar. “Then I went to Papa and in two weeks, I could see a lot of difference. I’m sure I will recover properly this week.”
In the people waiting in the yard and the rooms, there were interestingly different cases including fractures, dislocations and herniated discs. Sharing problems with each other, some of them were very tense.
A lady was sitting in the room corner with her 5-year-old son in her lap. ” I am very scared for my son. He was playing and suddenly fell from his bicycle. His back is hurting and he has been in a lot of pain,” said Zubaida Aslam, 38, a Budgam resident. Papa revealed that kid’s scapula bone is broken. “Do not worry, he would be fine very soon.”
For most of the day, Papa remained busy with patients. To some, he was putting on bandages and to a few, he gave cryo-therapy and herbal medicine mostly for massaging.
30 Years
Ali Mohammad is in practice for 30 years now. He has gained a loyal following that is across Kashmir. People come to him for bone setting, herniated disc and herpes zoster.
“I met an accident in 2011 and survived injured. I got treated by a doctor quite nicely,” Shahid Akbar, 35, a resident of Shopian said. “However, my left arm hasn’t recovered properly. I could not raise my arm up, and if I do some work with it, it hurts. In winter, my arm gets completely numb and I can’t work with it. After visiting Papa, it recovered in just a few weeks and today is my last week of keeping bandages on it.
Ali worked constantly till 2:30 pm with only a short break for Zuhar prayers. In between watching patients, he would go from one room to another to check how his new patients are behaving during his treatment. He does ask people from far-away places to get in first so that they can reach home early. While examining the injuries of people or bandaging them, Papa cracks jokes.
A female paramedic technician busy in a X-ray of a patent.
Minutes before Papa could call a day, a couple rushed in. It was Nisar Ahmed, 55, and his wife, who had come from Ali Jan Road, near Eidgah. An ironsmith, an iron tool fell on Nisar’s hand and injured his left thumb. He has not been able to work for a month now. Papa bandaged his thumb and wrapped it in gauze, warning him to not work for a week till he is fine.
Papa was about to close the door when at around 3 pm, a 27-year-old man almost crashed in. “I was doing exercise at the gym and suddenly my Scaphoid bone got dislocated,” he said. Asking him to continue his exercise, the bonesetter told him he will manage his issue.
A Skill Inherited
Ali Mohammad Guri, 67, lives in Aali Kadal, downtown Srinagar, and has been setting bones since 1984. He was 22 when he learned the skill from his father, who was a cloth merchant and a part-time bone setter. Besides, he became a disciple of Pir Gayasuddin, a faith healer in Magam. Ali sees him as his teacher.
After the death of his father, Ali Mohammad took over. He continued working at his ancestral clothes shop as well.
“I set bones as a service to people. I just take the money for the unani medicines and bandages that I also have to buy,” Ali Mohammad said. Ali said he mostly treats fractures, bone dislocations, urinal infections, herniated discs, Herpes zoster (Mal-der), and some minor injuries. “I have worked for decades as a bone setter and now I’m experienced enough to tell by touching the injured part of another person, what is the matter with him and how I should treat him.”
Even after years of experience, he tries to stay careful while treating the injuries of patients. “Whenever a patient comes to me, I clearly examine his fracture and if I feel, I cannot cure him and he needs to go to the doctor. I tell them straight away, I cannot treat this, you have to visit the hospital for this. As I believe I can never challenge the medical field with what I do,” he said.
Ali doesn’t give any pharmaceutical medicines to his patients, but Unani medicines that he either buys or makes himself. As he has also learnt this process from his father. “I usually give my patients cryotherapy and herbal medicines to massage their tendons, ligaments and the areas where they are injured. And like any other bone setter, I bandage and gauze their injured part,” he said.
His Regrets
Ali believes if the traditional bone setting is not learned by young people, the skill may vanish completely in the coming years. “I tried to teach this skill to many young girls and boys without charging anything for it. But they didn’t want to learn it,” Ali said. “The ones who learned left the skill after two to three years because they didn’t want to practice hard enough. Now, I have been teaching this skill to my son, Bilal Ahmad, 33, for the past three years, who learns it while working at our clothes, shop as well.”
Papa is so engrossed with the art that he sometimes skips lunch or even breakfast. There have been instances when people with problems visit him at inappropriate times like late at night. ” I do scold them but I cannot let them leave without treatment,” he said.
“There are times when I feel sick and am not able to do any work. People from different areas still come to visit me and I cannot let them leave without treatment. But as I have devoted my life to this work and in the service of people, I cannot hesitate to do so,” he added.
SRINAGAR: The Tulip Garden in Srinagar has witnessed a rush of nearly 2.50 lakh tourists, including domestic and foreign visitors, in the last 20 days. The garden was opened for the public on March 20, 2023, and recorded a huge influx of tourists in the first week.
According to Floriculture Officer Shayiq Rasool, 2,49,433 tourists have visited the garden since its opening. He mentioned that there has been a rise in the number of foreign tourists, with 1,248 foreign tourists visiting the garden so far compared to only 150 last year.
The officers have informed that over 50,000 locals have visited the Tulip garden so far, with a total of 51,008 people having visited the garden this year. Additionally, they reported that 197,177 tourists from various parts of the country visited the garden in the last 20 days.
Notably, a few days ago, Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted that Jammu and Kashmir is beautiful, particularly during the Tulip season. In response to the Srinagar District Administration’s tweet about the blooming of the Tulip garden located in the foothills of the Zabarwan Range, adjacent to Dal Lake in Srinagar, the Prime Minister tweeted, “Jammu and Kashmir is beautiful, and even more so during the Tulip season.” (KNO)
SRINAGAR: According to the police statement on Saturday, both accused involved in the Baghi-e-Mehtab prostitution case and the Chanapura sex scandal case have been booked under the Public Safety Act (PSA).
Both the main accused of Chanapura Sex scandal case booked under PSA as well. They are :- 1) Mohd shafi hajam S/o abdul khaliq hajam R/o karimabad Pulwama. and 2) Arshad ahmad bhat S/o mohd shaban R/o Pampore, Pulwama. pic.twitter.com/pd9CFN7JUq
The Srinagar police tweeted the names of the accused as Mohd Shafi Hajam, son of Abdul Khaliq Hajam, resident of Karimabad Pulwama, and Arshad Ahmad Bhat, son of Mohd Shaban, resident of Pampore, Pulwama.
SRINAGAR: There is a shortage of essential prescribed medicine for the treatment of drug victims in Srinagar city, according to reliable sources. Drug victims who are either admitted to de-addiction centres or being taken care of by their families are finding it hard to obtain the prescribed medicine.
Official sources said that last month, District Magistrate Srinagar Aijaz Asadh stressed on ensuring the availability of medicines to drug-affected patients at authorized medical stores, on proper prescription duly signed and sealed by the concerned doctor, during a meeting he presided over.
The health officials present at the meeting admitted that there is a non-availability of the prescribed essential medicine for the treatment of drug victims at medical stores.
One chemist candidly admitted that he does not keep medicine given to drug victims at his shop. He explained, “I don’t want to put myself in trouble. You know there are clear-cut directions from the top that medical stores must maintain the proper register or database of sold medicine, and the Drug Control Department would audit the prescriptions at medical stores. During the audit, officials repeatedly ask questions about the sale of such drugs, so to avoid the problem, we don’t keep such drugs.”
It is worth noting that the Drug Control Department has been instructed to cancel the registration of those chemists who violate the laid-down guidelines under the Drugs & Cosmetic Act. [KNT]
SRINAGAR: Mushtaq Ahmad Parrey, a 38-year-old local cricketer, passed away due to a severe cardiac arrest in Putushay village located in the Bandipora district of north Kashmir on Saturday morning. The news of his sudden demise has caused immense grief and sadness among his family, friends, and the entire village community.
According to media reports, Mushtaq experienced the attack at his home during Sehri time, following which he was immediately taken to the District Hospital Bandipora in an unconscious state. Unfortunately, the doctors declared him dead on arrival.
Mushtaq, who was known for his exceptional skills on the cricket field, was associated with several local cricket clubs, and his untimely death has left his fellow players and loved ones in a state of disbelief. The entire community is mourning the loss of this talented athlete, who will be deeply missed.
SRINAGAR: A local court on Saturday sentenced a man to two years imprisonment in a cheque bounce case and imposed a penalty of Rs 10 lakh on him.
The Court of Special Magistrate (PT&E) sentenced the accused, who was identified as Altaf Hussain Rather, to two years simple imprisonment after finding him guilty for the commission of offense under section 138 of the Negotiable Instrument Act.
“A fine of Rs 1000000 (Rupees ten lacs) which is double the cheque amount is also imposed upon the accused. The fine of Rs 1000000(Rupees ten lacs) so imposed shall be paid as compensation to the complainant,” the judge Fariqa Nazir said, in an order. (KNO)
SRINAGAR: School Education Department is likely to issue two types of textbooks for school students from this academic year.
Director of School Education Kashmir (DSEK),Tassaduq Hussain Mir has said, “We will be issuing two types of textbooks for school students in terms of paper quality.”
Mir said, “One of the textbook which we provide free of cost to the students will have different type of paper quality while another type of textbooks which will be open to purchase from market will have different quality of paper.”
The director said that it has been decided in view of ‘financial constrains’.
“Most likely, this matter will be implemented from this academic year,” he said.
Mir further said, “This matter has been taken up with the principal secretary, School Education Department and he has given a positive response to it.” (KNO)
