Ather Zia Why Afzal was killed in custody without even a patina of a fair trial? Why did India, which masquerades as a democracy in Kashmir, give in to a ‘murderous’ due process? I will not go into the nitty-gritty of the case which was cooked to kill Afzal. I … Read more →
The Eyewitness – [The Return of Rahima? ]
By Sheikh Saaliq The darkness has already crept in—stars glitter like emerald diamonds. I hear the whispers of air outside. I can smell the freshness of air, which it brings with it for the morning to come—the morning of summer. The hush outside is no longer mute. It brings a … Read more →
Loving, Dying (or being Killed)
Ather Zia The young girl in this story is looking out from the window, of what at one point must have been a large house, now divided into slim columns, probably amongst its heirs. Built with tiny scorched bricks that are held together by mud, the partitions are discernible by … Read more →
Prisoner No. 100: An Account Of My Nights And Days In An Indian Prison Gowhar Fazili
Book Title: Prisoner No. 100: An Account Of My Nights And Days In An Indian Prison Author: Anjum Zamarud Habib Published : 2011 by Zubaan Books Reviewer: Gowhar Fazili Prisoner No. 100 is Anjum Zamarud Habib’s personal account of five years in jail, nearly all of them as an under … Read more →
Carpentry
Ashfaq Saraf When she wakes up panting in the middle of night, he is wakened too; mostly without delay and sometimes only after she [heaves] Rasheed’s name. He lights on the torch, navigates the glow across the span of the room to locate her trembling face, moves it further to … Read more →
Faux Democracy
By Dibyesh Anand We do not like to ring you We do not like to come to you We do not like to listen to you We will hang your husband Under due process of law Dangle his body for 30 minutes To ensure he speaks no longer To ensure … Read more →
Cordoba
By Allama Iqbal Written in 1932 on Spanish soil, mainly in the Mosque of Cordoba I Chain of day and night Fashioner of events Basis of life and death Two tone silken thread Fiber of attributes Pitch of prospects Chain of day and night Sitting in judgment Setting a value … Read more →
Wanai Kyah – A Ghazal in Kashmiri with translation
by Rumuz e Bekhudi (Please scroll down for the English translation) WANAI KYAH Tim chaen qasam waad bay shumaar wanai kyah Tann harud kulen aav nov bahaar wanai kyah Aab e hayaat zaanha latti haavtam tchi roi Chaanen vattan hyund taap chum shehjaar wanai kyah Zulf e khaman roozith andar … Read more →
“Until My Freedom Has Come” – Sanjay Kak in Conversation with Nawaz Gul Qanungo
Sanjay Kak is an independent documentary filmmaker whose work includes Jashn e Azadi How we celebrate freedom (2007), a feature-length film about Kashmir. Nawaz Gul Qanungo is a journalist based in Srinagar. His essay “Languages of a Security State” appeared in the anthology under discussion. Here they are in conversation about … Read more →
India & Kashmir: Breaking the Silence
Pankaj Mishra in Conversation with David Barsamian Pankaj Mishra writes for The New Yorker, The New York Review of Books, The New York Times Book Review, and The Guardian. He is the author Butter Chicken in Ludhiana, An End to Suffering, Temptations of the West and From the Ruins of … Read more →
The story behind Mehjoor’s postage stamp
Haroon Mirani In 2013 India released a stamp featuring most famous pro-freedom poet of Kashmir, Mahjoor, who strongly detested Kashmir’s accession to the country in 1947. Peerzada Ghulam Ahmad popularly known by his pen name Mahjoor was a revolutionary poet, who never favoured Kashmir becoming part of India. Indian Prime … Read more →
Horizon
By Javed Ahmed Mir It is here, that Heavens plant a passionate kiss Onto the lips of earth, Imagination is fired A sun is born, that Lights but some faces Scorch many a souls It is here, that Eyes see what hearts adorn Hopes ornate what thoughts admire Real meets … Read more →
Stone Pelter
By Lubaid Khan I’m the brightest cloud in the skies of freedom I want to be the sunshine that eradicates dark In gentle autumn’s rain do not disturb my slumber Don’t cry at my demise, I’m still here. I did not die. Disperse from my grave and exhibit no empathy … Read more →
Taaran Garee (A Satirical Poem) with translation
Translated from Kashmiri by Sualeh Keen ‘Taaran garee’ is a Kashmiri word for trickery, roguery, knavery, dupery, skulduggery, jiggery-pokery, chicanery, etc. Lend ear, enjoy listening to this poetry Taaran garee, taaran garee Kashmiri is a foreign mystery Taaran garee, taaran garee City folk and villagers are out of their head … Read more →
Shehr-e-Kashmir: The Wealth of SRINAGAR (INTACH Srinagar Chapter)
By Mehmood-ur-Rashid It is not a book; an architecture of sorts. An architecture where labor undergirds love and discipline holds the weight of purpose. It’s like the tiered roof of a typical Kashmiri Ziyarat where each layer falls on the other ‘like the stanzas of a poem.’ May be it’s … Read more →
Conversation with Anjum Zamrooda Habib
Eminent Political and Social Activist and the author of Prisoner No. 100 Anjum Zamrooda Habib in conversation with Mushtaq Ul Haq Ahmad Sikander about her life, activism, Kashmiri women, political prisoners and present political scenario You have been active in Social work since 1980s. What is your experience regarding the … Read more →
The Kashmir Bakers!
By Shah Tavseef Mairaj Winters are known for their harshness in Kashmir. And talk about Chillai Kalan, the toughest forty days of the year, you would have to negotiate umpteen times with yourself and your wushnear to venture out of your cozy home till the sun is already halfway through … Read more →
Conversation with Parvaiz Bukhari
Parvaiz Bukhari is an independent Kashmir-based journalist whose articles appear in major South Asian newspapers, journals and magazines. David Barsamian is the founder and director of Alternative Radio, the independent weekly audio series based in Boulder, Colorado. Give a sense of what life is like in Kashmir, day-to-day interactions that … Read more →
I remember, I witness!
By Syed Zafar Mehdi When I peep into the past, I am swamped by a torrent of bitter-sweet memories. I grew up in a small-town of Himalayan valley, nestled amidst the gushing blue streams, lush-green meadows, blooming orchards and romantic houseboats. I would wake up in the morning to the … Read more →
Remembering Agha Shahid Ali
Nawaz Gul Qanungo Woh dard ki shiddat badhaatay hain, main apni yaadaasht They’ve been raising afflictions upon me I polish my memory. The subject is Kashmir’s incessant struggle for justice. And these political verses, written by Muzaffar Karim, a young Kashmiri writer, were whispered not in the corner of a … Read more →
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