Repudiating The Fathers: Resistance and Writing Back in Mirza Waheed’s The Collaborator

by Rakhshan Rizwan I write on that void: Kashmir, Kaschmir, Cashmere, Qashmir, Cashmir, Cashmire, Kashmere, Cachemire, Cushmeer, Cashmiere, Casmir, or Cauchemar in a sea of stories? Or: Kacmir, Kaschemir, Kasmere, Kachmire, Kasmir. Kerseymere? (Ali 3) Agha Shahid Ali, the critically acclaimed Kashmiri-American poet, speaks of his personal and literary conundrum … Read more →

Kashmir As a Palimpsest of Violence: Reading The Wonder House (2005) and The Homecoming (2008)

Mohammad Atif Mysterious mountains, intriguing rivers and picturesque valleys, caught between political controversy, insurgency, militancy and infiltration: Kashmir has been a topic of interest for many writers. Throughout history, Kashmir has been known for its scenic beauty and closeness towards nature while being there. But in the past half century, … Read more →

Taliban In Context of Kashmir

Syed Zafar Mehdi A palpable buzz in the town is that after the withdrawal of NATO forces from Afghanistan by the end of 2014, the hard-bitten Talibani guerillas may trickle over to the Indian-occupied-Kashmir. Local media has been sent into a tizzy as seasoned political pundits discuss its possible repercussions. … 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 →

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 →

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 →

Of Kanger and Stories

By Majid Maqbool I can see my own breath on a particularly chilly winter morning. A thick, blinding fog is covering the street. The trees are withered, desolate, robbed of late autumn leaves that lie trampled on ground. I walk towards the road to board a bus. Inside the bus, … Read more →

Parveena Ahangar rejects CNN-IBN’s nomination for ‘Indian of the Year 2011’

While rejecting the CNN-IBN award Parveena Ahangar, founder chairperson of the Association of Parents of Disappeared Persons (APDP) released the following statement: Srinagar, December 10, 2011:  On this ‘International Human Rights Day’, December 10, 2011, the APDP (Association of Parents of Disappeared Persons), Srinagar, wishes to state that there is something … Read more →

Guru: A Mere Pawn in a Sinister Game?

By S Zafar Mehdi Safvi To hang or not to hang! The debate over barbarous capital punishment still lingers on. Many civil rights activists, lawyers, and liberal intellectuals have been arguing against it on humanitarian grounds for a while now. A potent argument against capital punishment is that it has … Read more →