New Delhi: Jibran Gulzar, the founder of Gatoes, a hyperlocal startup based in Jammu and Kashmir, has been nominated for the prestigious Forbes 30 Under 30 list for Asia in 2023. This marks a historic moment, as Jibran becomes the first person from Jammu and Kashmir to be nominated for this coveted list.
Forbes 30 Under 30 is an annual list that recognizes the most promising young entrepreneurs, leaders, and game changers across various industries in Asia. The list is highly regarded, and being nominated for it is considered a significant achievement in the business world, a press release informed.
Jibran’s nomination is a testament to his vision, dedication, and hard work in building Gatoes into a successful startup despite the challenges he faced in a region plagued with political instability and poor internet connectivity, it said.
Jibran Gulzar who is 24 years old and an alumnus of Chandigarh University, has also become the first person from any university in Punjab to be nominated for the Forbes list. His inclusion in the 30 Under 30 list has brought attention to his remarkable journey as an entrepreneur and how he has been able to overcome several challenges to make Gatoes a success story, the press release further said.
In a statement, Jibran expressed his gratitude for the nomination, saying, “I am deeply honored and humbled to be nominated for Forbes 30 Under 30. This recognition is a testament to the hard work and commitment of the entire Gatoes team, who worked tirelessly to make this possible. We are proud to represent Jammu and Kashmir on a global stage and hope to inspire more young entrepreneurs in the region to follow their dreams.”
Jibran ‘s journey to success has been remarkable. Despite facing numerous obstacles, including lack of high-speed internet and low technological adoption in the region, It became the first startup to reach multi-million dollar revenue and also became the highest downloaded app of J&K. The startup has onboarded over 1850 merchant partners and completed over 10 lakh deliveries in the valley alone.
Jibran’s nomination is a source of pride for the entire region and a reflection of the untapped potential that exists in Jammu and Kashmir. The nomination serves as a reminder that with determination and innovation, entrepreneurs from even the most challenging environments can achieve success on a global scale. Jibran’s story is one of hope, perseverance, and the transformative power of technology, and his recognition by Forbes is a testament to the potential that exists in the region. It is a historic moment for Jammu and Kashmir and serves as a source of inspiration to young entrepreneurs in the region and beyond, the press statement said.
(Disclaimer: The above press release comes to you under an arrangement with PNN and PTI takes no editorial responsibility for the same.)
Kupwara, Apr 19: Police arrested two drug peddlers including a government employee in North Kashmir’s Kupwara district.
The police said that the duo had become a threat and their arrest is a blow to the drug mafia in the Lolab Belt of the district.
The police made these arrests near Wavoora crossing. The accused who had taken drugs at the time of arrest have been identified as Bazil Manzoor Mir of Khurhama village, presently working in Education Department as a Junior Assistant, and Ishaq Abdullah Khan alias D-Khan of Maidanpora, Lolab.
The police said during a search of their vehicle (JK01X 6548) 109 grams of the heroin-like substance and some quantity of charas-like substance were recovered from a hole that the drug peddlers had concealed adjacent to the mudguard of the rear tyre on the left side of the vehicle.
A formal case against them has been registered at police station Sogam. [KNT]
The digitized twenty-first century has bestowed almost everything upon the cell phone to the extent that it has replaced more than 50 things. While the Ramzan drummers were competing with the mosque loudspeakers, the mobile phone alarms have led to their decline in Kashmir villages and towns, reports Raashid Andrabi
Asked what he misses during Ramzan, the month of fasting, in comparison to his childhood, Ishfaq Ahmad, 50, a Ganderbal resident said, Waqt-e-Sehar. “There were drummers who used to wake people at Sehri and it was an interesting tradition that is no more around,” the resident said. “Now everybody has alarm bells at home.”
Muslims in Ramzan fast for a long day after having Sehri, the pre-dawn meal. They breakfast at Iftaar, the exact dusk when the Mouzin, the man who calls for prayers, invites the faithful to Magrib prayers from the mosque.
Getting people up from their beds when they are in deep slumber is a heady task. Various civilisations have had human alarms deployed to wake-up people early, mostly for work. It was a common sight in parts of industrial Britain till the alarm clocks were perfected and made cheap for commoners that knockers-up (also called knockers-uppers) were engaged in waking up people early for pre-dawn shifts in the factories.
These knocker-ups would use batons or short, heavy bamboo sticks to reach windows on higher floors. Some would use pea-shooter or snuffer outers to make people get up from their beds. These people were either hired by the factories or the workers would pay from their own earnings.
Following the Muazin
However, Islam’s knockers-up preceded the industrial revolution. Muslim historians see Bilal-e-Habshi, actually Bilal bin Rabah, Islam’s first Muazin, as the first-ever Mesaharthi, an Arabic word meaning the person who wakes up people during early hours.
Apart from calling Azaan, Bilal would be accompanied by Ibn Umm Maktoum to wake up people for Sehri (actually Suhoor) in the month of fasting. Their exercise was informal.
A drummer (Seharkhaan) who wakes up people for sehri durimg the night
Gradually it emerged as a voluntary exercise for people and by the time, the Fatimids started ruling, soldiers would wake up people at Sehri.
The Mesaharati origins, however, remain disputed.
“Historian Abdelmajid Abdul Aziz said mesaharati first appeared in Egypt during the Fatimid dynasty, arguably the most decorated period for Ramadan celebrations,” Saudi newspaper Arab News reported from Coiro. “According to 15th-century Egyptian historian Mohammed bin Iyas, the profession began in the days of the Caliph Bi’amr Allah, who commanded citizens to sleep immediately after the Taraweeh prayer.”
The Caliph, the newspaper said would then send out his soldiers in the early hours, knocking on doors and shouting before dawn prayers began, to wake people for suhoor.
“Abdul Aziz said that the Egyptian Governor Ibn Ishaq was the first to individually perform the task professionally in 832 AH (1432 CE). He would walk from the city of Fustat to the mosque at Amr ibn Al-Aas, and call out “O worshipers of Allah, eat. Suhoor is a blessing.” Fustat was the capital of Egypt during the Fatamid period.
In certain societies, the rulers would use cannons at Sehri and Iftaar time.
Diverse Tools
The mesaharati’s use different tools to wake the people from their slumber. Mostly they use a drum because it has a louder voice. In Egypt, they use Baza, a tumbakhnari-style small drum.
In various other parts of the Muslim world, diverse musical instruments are used. It is a flute in certain areas but mostly it is a different form of drum. In various societies, certain families are working as mesaharati’s for generations on a voluntary basis. Dalal Abdel Kader, an Egyptian female mehsaharati’s was asked why she is doing it when alarm clocks do it better, she said: “The mesaharati reminds you that it’s Ramadan and people love this.”
The Sehr Khwans
Given the fact that Islam came to Kashmir through Central Asia, it brought with it cultural influences. In Kashmir and most of South Asia, the Ramzan drummers are called Sehr Khwan. It is Persian which means a person who recites at Sehr. Quran Khwan is the person who recites the Quran.
There are no records of the Kashmiri mesaharati’s. However, it is being said that earlier groups of men would move around streets, reciting the Quran in high-pitch. Later, they started using drums and gong bells.
Unlike towns, the responsibility of waking people would be with a well-to-family that could own a bell and had the means of knowing the exact timing. While Kashmir has used the erstwhile Radio Kashmir Srinagar’s evening broadcast to have Iftaar, the Sehri timing, however, was to be managed locally without any radio support.
Loudspeakers came as a huge relief as one person would somehow reach the mosque and make the announcement. Even today, the mosque continues to be a contributor in getting up people for pre-dawn meals and announcing the breakfast as well.
Declining Numbers
With the arrival of the cell phone, however, the mesaharatis have started disappearing from the streets. It is as true for Sudan as it is for Kashmir. A lot of people rely on alarm clocks to wake up early for Sehri.
In Kashmir, villages have technically given up the Sehar Khwan tradition. They use the mosque loudspeakers instead, in addition to the alarm clocks. Conflict and militancy played a key role in undoing the tradition in villages. The impact of conflict on this job can be gauged by the fact that some of the Ramzan drummers wake up and beat the drum within their own home premises and not moving around. It is only the major towns and the city where the tradition survives.
In 2018, it was a Sikh who became the news for being the Sehr Khwan in a Pulwama village. It was in fact a video that went viral and fetched him praise for the communal harmony. He used to say: “Allah Rasool de pyaaro, jannat de talabgaro, utho roza rakho (The beloved of Allah and his messenger, the seekers of paradise, wake up to start your fast).
The Srinagar City may have the highest number of active mesaharatis. Mostly equipped with drums, they recite hymens and ask people to get up and have sehri. Usually, they roam the streets almost an hour ahead of the Sehri time.
Most of these sehr khawns are non-natives, mostly from the north Kashmir periphery. Some of them are already working in Srinagar as mosque managers or doing other jobs. A few of them actually move to Srinagar for the month to operate as the sehr khwan because it fetches a good income.
“I have been working as Sehr Khawn for many years now,” Wali Mohammad, who operates in an uptown locality of Srinagar, said. “I live in the locality and I already work within the locality including managing the Hamams of people and other things.”
Most of Srinagar’s localities have their own mesaharati. Though most of them are professionals, a few of them say they are doing it as part of their spiritual well-being.
In anticipation of Eid, these mesaharati’s picked up their drum and move from one house to another, getting blessings and money. People usually liberally try to compensate them because they know they are more than the push button alarms. There have been cases when the localities were on fast without Sehri as Sehr Khawn was indisposed and overslept.
SRINAGAR: In a display of spiritual devotion, over 600 Muslims from both inside and outside the Kashmir Valley have gathered for 10 days of Itikaf at Darul Uloom Raheemiya, the biggest Islamic seminary in the Bandipora district of Kashmir.
Notably, Itikaf takes place during the last 10 days of Ramadan when worshippers seclude themselves and devote their time to prayer, supplication, and reading the Quran. It starts from the sunset of the 20th day of Ramadan and ends when the Eid moon is sighted. During Itikaf, worshippers live and sleep in mosques.
The gathering of individuals from diverse backgrounds at Darul Uloom Raheemiya highlights the importance of this practice in Islam and the desire of Muslims to connect with Allah and seek spiritual enlightenment.
The participants will spend their days and nights engaged in prayer, reading the Quran, and seeking a deeper understanding of their faith.
The atmosphere at the mosque is serene and filled with the sound of supplications and recitation of the holy book. “We are grateful to Allah for providing us with the opportunity to host it, and we hope that it will be a source of spiritual upliftment for all those who participate in it,” said one of the participants.
He further added that Itikaf is a highly respected and long-standing tradition in the Islamic faith, dating back to the time of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him).
“It is observed by Muslims all over the world, who use the final 10 days of Ramadan to retreat from worldly distractions and focus on prayer and reflection,” he said.
To make the stay of the Muatakifs hassle-free and provide them with a peaceful environment to perform ‘Ibadat’, dozens of youngsters from Bandipora spend their nights in Darul Uloom to serve evening meals, Iftari, and Sehri (pre-dawn meals) to them. “Serving meals to 600 persons in limited hours is a Herculean task, but the locals make it easier as they voluntarily serve the guests,” said an organizer of the event.
A volunteer named Muhammad Umar said: “These people are guests of Bandipora. They worship, and we try to make their stay easy so that they worship in peace. We will get rewarded also.” (KNO)
In Kashmir’s largest seminary, 600 muslims perform Itikaaf
Bandipora, Apr 14 (KNO): In a display of spiritual devotion, at least 600 Muslims from both inside and outside the Kashmir Valley have gathered for 10 days at Itikaaf at Darul Uloom Raheemiya, the biggest Islamic seminary of Kashmir located in Bandipora district.
Notably, the Itikaf takes place during the last 10 days of Ramadan when worshippers seclude themselves and devote their time to prayer, supplication, and reading the Quran. It starts from the sunset of the 20th day of Ramadan and ends when the Eid moon is sighted. During itikaf, worshipers live and sleep in mosques.
As per the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), the gathering of individuals from diverse backgrounds at Darul Uloom Raheemiya highlights the importance of this practice in Islam and the desire of Muslims to connect with Allah and seek spiritual enlightenment.
They will spend their days and nights engaged in prayer, reading the Quran, and seeking a deeper understanding of their faith.
The atmosphere at the mosque is serene and filled with the sound of supplications and recitation of the holy book. “We are grateful to Allah for providing us with the opportunity to host it, and we hope that it will be a source of spiritual upliftment for all those who participate in it,” said one of the participants.
He said that the Itikaaf is a highly respected and long-standing tradition in the Islamic faith, dating back to the time of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him).
“It is observed by Muslims all over the world, who use the final 10 days of Ramadan to retreat from worldly distractions and focus on prayer and reflection,” he said.
To make the stay of ‘Muatakifs’ hassle free and provide them a peaceful environment to perform ‘Ibadat’, dozens of youngsters of Bandipora spend their nights in Darul uloom to serve evening meals, Iftari and Sehri (Pre-dawn meals) to them . “Serving meals to 600 persons in limited hours is a Herculean task but the locals make it easier as they voluntarily serve the guests,” said an organiser of the event.
A volunteer Muhammad Umar said: “These people are guests of Bandipora. They worship and we try to make their stay easy so that they workshop in peace. We will get rewarded also.”—(KNO)
It took a long time to undo the government’s monopoly over the printing press. Scholar Nayeem Showkat details the evolution of the printing facility and allied newspaper sector in Jammu and Kashmir since 1858
Rising Kashmir Printing Press
Four centuries past the invention of Gutenberg’s press, dotted by fervent production of information, the Dogra rulers of the erstwhile State of Jammu and Kashmir acquired its first printing press Vidya Vilas Press in 1858. Its purpose was the printing official documents in Jammu. The facility was equipped with facilities to also print Persian and Devnagri script and it has published several books as well.
Pandit Bankat Ram Shastri from Banaras is said to be instrumental in helping the Maharaja in the establishment of the press. Meanwhile, Saligram Press was also established in the erstwhile State of Jammu and Kashmir. It is noteworthy that both the presses were endowed with the technology to print Urdu script as well, and as mentioned in Akhtar Shehanshahi, these facilities were cardinal for the birth of Urdu journalism in Jammu and Srinagar.
Translation Department
Roping in various eminent scholars under the supervision of Pandit Govind Koul, Maharaja Ranbir Singh, concurrently, established a translation department to translate books from Sanskrit, Arabic, Persian and English into Dogri, Urdu and Hindi. The books encompassing extensive areas of astronomy, geology, mathematics, physics, zoology, and chemistry, were printed for free distribution to scholars of government schools, pathshalas and madrasas.
With aforethought of higher studies in oriental languages, schools were instituted in every wazarat and tehsil, with two such principal pathshalas in Raghunath Temple, Jammu, and Utterbhani respectively, imparting instructions in Vedas, grammar, Kavya Shastra and Nyay. For the accomplishment of the desired goals, books were supplied free of cost, and scholarships were granted to the scholars and teachers.
A portrait of Maharaja Ranbir Singh, Pic: National Portrait Gallery London
Besides, Maharaja Ranbir Singh also constituted a body of scholars in view of the translation of shahparas (writings) of various languages into Urdu and Hindi, which triggered debates on their critical and historical context. The rationale behind his intention of floating an organisation called Vidya Vilas Sabha, was to bring together various intellectuals and literati as its members, to discuss and debate different literary issues for the promotion of various languages including Sanskrit, Persian, Hindi, Dogri and Urdu.
It was in that era that numerous manuscripts of Sanskrit and Persian were printed and translated into Dogri, Hindi, and Urdu. It is worth mentioning that a substantial number of texts written in the Sarada script of Kashmiri were transcribed into Devanagari. The library then consisted of around 5000 manuscript volumes, some of which were printed in Vidya Vilas Press.
The News Media
The watershed moment in the history of news media in Jammu and Kashmir came when Vidya Vilas Sabha started to publish a double-column bilingual – Urdu and Hindi (Devnagari script) – a weekly newspaper, Vidya Vilas Jammu, covering the proceedings of this sabha. This laid the foundation of the first-ever newspaper of the erstwhile State of Jammu and Kashmir.
However, according to the First Press Commission Report, an independent periodical namely Vrittanta Bilas was published from Jammu in 1867. Surprisingly, no evidence could be found to further substantiate it.
The reference of Vidya Vilas is found in Savaaneh Umri Akhbarat, which was published in June 1896 with the name of Akhtar Shehanshahi from Lucknow by Akhtar u Daula Haji Sayed Mohammad Ashraf Naqvi. The newspaper is said to have been started by Maharaja Ranbir Singh at the suggestion of Munshi Harsukh Rai, the editor of a Lahore-based popular Urdu newspaper Kohi-i-Noor.
Published from Vidya Vilas Press, Jammu, this newspaper came into existence in 1867. In contradiction with other writers, DC Sharma claims the year of its publication to be 1868.
Growing up in the shade of the palace, this weekly newspaper contained eight pages. However, according to Tahir Masood, the newspaper comprised 16 pages. The news on its right column used Urdu script and the left column had Devnagari script.
Most historians have referred to this news sheet as Bidya Bilas. It is notable that both the Hindi words Vidya and Vilas denote The Luxury of Knowledge. However, the word Bidya is the same in Urdu as Vidya, while no such word called Bilas exists in either Urdu or Hindi language.
It raises certain doubts regarding the usage of these words either due to the local parlance or it could have simply been a mistake of an inscription. So, the title of the newspaper may be written as either Vidya Vilas or Bidya Vilas.
With a subscription rate of 12 rupees per annum, the newspaper was published every Saturday. Khojo Shah Sadrullah was the manager, while Bakshi Krishan Dayal was the editor of the weekly. According to Akhtar Shehanshahi, Maharaja himself was the patron, with Pandit Bankat Ram as its owner.
Maharaj Ganj Press
Following his ardent interest in the development of the Urdu language, Deewan Kripa Ram recommended Munshi Harsukh Rai of Koh-i-Noor to establish a private Urdu printing press in Srinagar, alsopromising to offer him certain facilities for it. Consequentially, in response to the offer, came to the fore the printing press Tohfa-e-Kashmir, which was established by Rai in Sheikh Bagh Maharaj Ganj area of Srinagar in 1875.
The press brought out a weekly newspaper with the same name, Tohfa-e-Kashmir from Maharaj Ganj the next year. This is said to be the first newspaper ever published fromthe province of Kashmir, though the practice couldn’t sustain for long. It is the same press where Abdul Salam Rafiqi’s weekly Al-Rafiq was printedin 1896.
The periodical’s critical approach, however, led to its closure as well as that of the printing press Tohfa-e-Kashmir Press. Rafiqi, later on, is said to have published the newspaper from Rangoon. However, the claim of certain historians that Rafiqi resumed publication of this newspaper from Rangoon in 1906with the support of Sir Syed Ahmad Khan in Aligarh looks dubious as Sir Syed had died in 1898.
Further, the development of the printing press received a major setback when Muhammad Din Fauq submitted an application in 1904 seeking permission to initiate a newspaper from Srinagar. This request evoked an opposite reaction with the prime minister issuing a command for the formulation of a decree banning the setting up of a printing press. It was the time when the Moravian Mission under the leadership of Father FA Red Solob as the superintendent had already instituted a litho-press with an aim to publish the translated books in its Leh office.
Ranbir Takes Off
With no visible impact of the invention of the printing press five centuries ago on the erstwhile State of Jammu and Kashmir, the press here took a long to set in motion and develop. It was on March 27, 1924, Mulk Raj Saraf was conveyed the State Council’s order permitting the initiation of a newspaper in lieu of cash security of Rs 500 as laid down in the Jammu and Kashmir State Press and Publications Regulation Samvat 1971. Besides issuing a newspaper Ranbir, he was granted permission for initiating a printing press in Jammuunder section 5 of the Act.
However, with no clue about the printing press, Saraf on his query was apprised by the establishment that “the permission to a newspaper implied the starting of a press as well.” Maharaja also agreed to donate Rs 50 per year to Ranbir. Thus began the journey of the State’s first regular Urdu weekly Ranbir. Saraf in his autobiography claims to have initially thought to name his newspaper Pahari and printing press Dogra Press in place of Ranbir and Public Printing Press respectively.
The office of Ranbir was set up in Thakur Kartar Singh’s cutcha quarter near Rani Talab. Unable to afford a power-driven plant, a hand-driven litho printing machine was installed for printing Ranbir.
Besides that, owing to the lack of katibs (calligraphists) and machine men in Jammu and Kashmir, a government katib Munshi Taj Din assumed the job of calligraphist on the condition that the necessary material be supplied to him at his home instead of him coming to Ranbir’s office.
A Government Monopoly
It is noteworthy that the government had a complete monopoly on the printing press till that time. All the earlier Census reports including the report of 1911 were silent on the inception or existence of printing presses or periodicals in the State.
For the first time, it was only the Census report of 1921, which mapped the printing presses prevalent in the State of Jammu and Kashmir. The Census report of 1921 mentions a total of four printing presses in the industry of luxury category. Revealing that no private printing press remained in existence, all the printing presses have been specified as ‘Government of Local Authority’.
Front page of newspaper, Inquilab on July 17, 1931
It is recorded that one printing press was installed in Jammu, one in the central jail, and the remaining two litho presses also in central jails. The report further delineates that there was a printing press in the Jammu district employing 165 people including one direction manager, one supervising and technical staff, 17 clerks, 133 skilled workmen and 13 unskilled labourers.
One printing press called Printing Press (Jail) was also functioning in the Jammu district employing 31 workers including supervising and technical staff, two clerks, eight skilled workmen and 18 unskilled labourers. Similarly, there were two printing presses (jail) in Kashmir South, hiring 116 employees including four supervising and technical staff, two clerks, 37 skilled workmen and 73 unskilled labourers.
The Glancy Commission
In light of a paradigm shift across the world, Maharaja Hari Singh eventually accepted Glancy Commission’s suggestions and repealed the Jammu and Kashmir State Press and Publications Regulation Samvat 1971 on April 25, 1932. A new act, Jammu and Kashmir State Press and Publications ActSamvat 1989 came into force on the same day.
Largely on the lines of a similar law in vogue in British India, this Act liberalised the press in Jammu and Kashmir. This ‘gambit’ of Maharaja Hari Singh to liberalise the press in the princely State was not only lauded in the territory but across British India. The new Act legitimised publication of dozens of newspapers since May 1932.
Within a demi-decade of the enforcement of the new Act, a spurt in publication rate was witnessed in Jammu and Kashmir, subsequently resulting in the birth of several dozen newspapers. It is estimated that the number of newspapers increased to three dozen by the end of 1937.
Erstwhile Information Minister, Choudhary Zufiqar inspecting the archives section of DIPR Jammu and Kashmir in Srinagar.
According to the Census of India, 1941, the Indian union had some 3,900 newspapers including 300 dailies and 3,600 others, with a cumulative circulation of seven million. However, according to the Report, there were 44 newspapers in the State in the spring of 1941.
The document reveals that the growth of newspapers during the period (1931 to 1941) in Jammu and Kashmir was significant. In 1931, Jammu province had only one newspaper, and Kashmir province had none. However, in 1941, Jammu province had 24 newspapers, and Kashmir had 20 newspapers, making a total of 44 newspapers in the state. Interestingly, the report also mentions that Frontier districts did not have any newspapers until 1941, as indicated in the Census document.
Proclaiming that a fair number of such newspapers were issued punctually and regularly, the census data further revealed that while a portion of it couldn’t last long, others were published at uncertain intervals. The Census discloses that local newspapers were mostly printed in Persian (Urdu) script; a few were also printed in English (Roman) and Hindi (Devanagiri) script.
Though expounding that the standard of journalism has improved like never before, yet the Census data divulges that the influx of newspapers at that time was so high for a minimal newspaper-reading public that most of such newspapers would hover between life and death.
Surprisingly, the Census of India 1941 betrays that the first printing press in Jammu and Kashmir was installed in 1912. It further documents the growth of printing presses between 1931 and 1941, stating that in 1931, State of Jammu and Kashmir had eight printing presses, with four installed in Jammu province and four in Kashmir province.
In 1941, the number of printing presses in the State of Jammu and Kashmir had increased to 37, as per the Census of India report. Of these, 22 printing presses were present in Jammu province, while 15 in Kashmir. Needless to say, the Frontier districts remained without any printing press during both the time intervals discussed.
Text Books
The Census Report of 1941 notes that information about the publication of non- educational books in Jammu and Kashmir is mostly unknown. Albeit, it highlights that the number of non-educational books was small but increasing in the region.
No textbook, according to an official document, was printed in the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir till 1936. It was during Maharaja Hari Singh’s reign only that the textbook business was nationalised in the late 1940s. To ensure prompt publication of the approved manuscripts, and further accelerate the process of printing in the State, the services of all the private presses were rendered.
Abdul Salam Rafiqi, the first Kashmir journalist
The opulence of this milieu, armed with the freedom of expression, was further reinforced with various other platforms of generating public opinion like sabhas and societies set in motion. The Census of India betrays that a total of 435 sabhas and societies had been instituted in the princely State till the spring of 1941.
Since then, some of those itemised would perhaps have become obsolete whereas others may have emerged. Of these, 125 were classified as social, 258 as religious and 52 as political in nature.
It was the time when a foreign electronic printing machine from Lahore was also imported to Kashmir in 1932 along with an experienced machine-man namely Pandit Balik Ram for Ranbir. In 1943, Saraf purchased new machinery for his printing press – which was later named Prem Printing Press – for the purpose of enabling it to print English, Urdu, Hindi, Sanskrit, etc. An adequate number of newspapers from Jammu were now published at Prem Printing Press.
Post Partition Era
As a result, the literary activities in Jammu and Kashmir were further enhanced with the literati starting book shops and printing presses for the mass dissemination of literature across the length and breadth of the erstwhile State of Jammu and Kashmir.
Further, in an attempt to modernise the printing presses, the government of Jammu and Kashmir led by Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah installed new machinery in the government presses in the State. The presses were developed under a three-year plan and a team of officers was sent to visit the presses in other parts of India.
The government also intended to send some students to England for getting the requisite training in handling the modern printing press. The machinery costing Rs 94,000 was procured for Srinagar, while Rs 50,000 for Jammu.
These decisions were taken at a time when Kashmir had many printing facilities, up and running: Brokas Press, Nishat Press, Srinagar, Clifton Press, Srinagar, Guru Nanak Printing Press, Srinagar, New Kashmir Printing Press, Commercial Printing Press, Srinagar, to name a few.
However, it seems that the events that unfolded in the backdrop of partition had an impact on the press and printing industry of the erstwhile State of Jammu and Kashmir to the extent that the whole printing industry was back to square one.
Owing to the topography of Jammu and Kashmir and only a few printing presses in place, it is conspicuous from the Census report of 1961 that the state couldn’t progress much in the field of printing. So was the condition of those minuscule presses that most of the printing work of the erstwhile State of Jammu and Kashmir was outsourced to Aligarh Press. It was still the government press in Jammu and Kashmir which was well equipped, but not to the extent that it could handle large consignments.
A Grim Situation
The situation in the erstwhile State remained quite unchanged even two decades after partition. As is evident from the Report of the Enquiry Committee on Small Newspapers, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India, New Delhi, 1965, the periodicals in Jammu and Kashmir mostly don’t own the premises housing the periodical.
Besides, the equipment used by the majority of the newspapers also doesn’t belong to them. It was also revealed that the majority of the press undertook works other than printing newspapers to sustain itself.
It came to the fore that a major chunk of newspapers in Jammu and Kashmir had no printing facilities of their own and used to print their newspapers at other presses. To much surprise, it was found that not a single newspaper in Jammu and Kashmir had subscribed to any news agency at that time.
Further, according to the report most of the newspapers in the State were not illustrated at all. It is remarkable that no newspaper in Jammu and Kashmir had its own block-making facility. The newspapermen in Jammu and Kashmir were of the opinion that a financial corporation should be established which would grant loans to newspapers for the purchase of printing presses and equipment.
One of the major concerns of the newspaper industry at that time was the lack of good printing presses in the erstwhile State. The report also unveils that otherwise obsolete and out-of-fashion litho presses were ubiquitous in Jammu and Kashmir.
The output of these presses was as little as 600-700 copies an hour. During the Committee’s visit to two printing presses in Srinagar, it was also revealed that most of the presses were installed on premises which were unsanitary.
The newspapers were informed by the Committee that since the government had taken some steps to facilitate the printing of certain newspapers at the government presses, yet owing to newspapers’ failure of paying the printing charges, the experiment failed.
With an intent to avail printing facilities at economical rates, the Committee was told by the publishers of various newspapers that the government should consider the establishment of printing estates on the lines of industrial estates.
The Calligraphists
Not only the lack of efficient printing presses but also the printing of Urdu script through the litho process was impossible without the help katib (scribe). It is noteworthy that Urdu newspapers had a monopoly in the media industry of Jammu and Kashmir.
So, there was an unprecedented demand for katibs, who were employed on a salary as well as a job-rate basis, with the development of the press in Jammu and Kashmir. The getup of a newspaper relied completely on a katib.
Nayeem Showkat (Media Scholar)
As per the recommendations of the Enquiry Committee on Small Newspapers, the katibs were to be provided training in Polytechnic Schools so as to standardise Urdu calligraphy. This recommendation was further supplemented with a note by Hayat Ullah Ansari, according to whom Urdu calligraphy was standardised centuries back, that instead of the breadth of the nib as a unit to fix the dimensions of letters, the measurement of graph paper should be used so that writings of different katibs would look similar.
Ansari also suggested some changes, particularly in joints of the letters, like meem goes so much down that it occupies upon the second line and in the same way markaz goes so high that it touches the upper line. These changes would further improve the quality of Urdu writing and will save much space, he suggested.
What made the erstwhile State of Jammu and Kashmir quite a peculiar case in this regard is that no school for katibs was established in the erstwhile State or in any other neighbouring state, thereby resulting in numerous printing faults arising from the low efficiency of katibs as was observed by the Committee.
(The writer is a Post-doctoral Fellow in Media Studies at the Indian Council of Social Science Research, New Delhi.)
SRINAGAR: The government of Himachal Pradesh is readying to introduce water body tourism in the state on the analogy of Kashmir’s Dal Lake.
The HP government is contemplating to introduce shikaras, houseboats and cruise boats under a new scheme of tourism department, in its major water bodies which are mainly the reservoirs of the hydropower projects, besides promoting the water sports, Hindustan Times reported.
The proposal to introduce the shikaras and houseboats at the Maharana Pratap Sagar (Pong Dam) in Kangra district on the lines of Dal Lake is expected to become a major hit in tourism sector in North India, HT reported.
It reported that the Himachal Pradesh government has approached the Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB) and National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) to allow setting up tourism infrastructure along the water bodies.
The NTPC operates 300-megawatt Kol Dam Hydroproject while the BBMB operates Bhakra Power Project and Pong Dam project.
Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu had recently asked the officers to prepare a new policy to promote Chamera, Pong, Bhakra and Koldam from a tourism point of view.
Notably, tourism constitutes seven percent of Himachal’s GDP and 14.42 percent of direct and indirect employment to the total employment in the state.
To develop new tourist destinations, the state government had implemented a new scheme “Nai Rahein Nai Manzilein” in the year 2018-19 to develop the unexplored areas of the state from tourism point of view.
The government is further mulling to develop infrastructure for promoting water sports activities and other tourism related activities along these water bodies in the state.
Baramulla, Apr 10: Police recovered charas from the possession of two ladies and subsequently they were arrested in North Kashmir’s Baramulla district.
These arrests were made near Roads and Building Office, police said.
Both the accused in whose possession all but 200 grams of charas were recovered hail from the Dewanbagh area of Baramulla.
Police while issuing the photograph of these peddlers identified them as Shakeela Begum wife of Bashir Sheikh and Muskaan Jan wife of Irfan Sheikh.
A case under relevant sections of the NDPS Act has been registered against the duo and both are under custody at Baramulla police station.
Locals appreciated the action and appealed to the police to name and shame all the drug peddlers. [KNT]
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.
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.
