Sultan-ul-Arifeen: A saint with spiritual heights

Bashir Ahmad Dar Among the most venerated Sufis of Kashmir, Sheikh Hamza Makhdoom occupies the conspicuous position. Sheikh Hamza is regarded next to Sheikh Nuruddin Rishi, who is considered as the leader of the spiritual domain in Kashmir. If Sheikh Nuruddin is revered as Sheikh-ul-Alam, Shiekh Hamza is remembered as Mehboob-ul-Alam. Whereas the former is known as Alamdar-i-Kashmir, the latter is called as Sultan-ul-Arifeen. The locals as well as the foreigners have regarded these two Sufis as the leading spiritual leaders of Kashmir. It was most probably the reason that…

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Sheikh Abdullah: A victim of betrayal

Mohammad Muzaffar Thakur Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah opened his eyes in a middle class family at Soura on December 5, 1905. He went to Lahore and then to Aligarh Muslim University for higher education, where he met some intellectuals, prominent among them was Dr. Sir Mohammad Iqbal which broaden his vision and understanding. Sheikh Sahib dominated the political horizon of Jammu Kashmir for more than half- century and his political career can be classified in four phases that is from 1930-1947, 1947-1953, 1953-1975, and 1975-1982. Due to continued deprivation, poverty, slavery,…

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Online Shopping

Nazim Humayun E-Commerce has grown immensely in past few years and it is expected to grow further in a very fast manner given the fact it has grown more than 30 per cent from 2012 to $12.6 billion in 2013. Some days ago, I saw a post on Facebook that instead of an Iphone a ‘Stone’, Yes!  A stone was delivered to a customer by E-Commerce giant. All of us must have heard and also encountered personally some of these mistakes by the companies. Some months ago a soap bar…

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Is E-commerce boom hurting Kashmir’s traditional markets?

Boom or Bust Go into an upscale neighbourhood of the city and chances are you would run into a motorbike-borne man riding with a big rucksack on his back. Every morning, hundreds of such men ride out from their office spaces in Srinagar in the morning with bags full of goods to deliver them at the homes of the buyers. Welcome to e-commerce in the Kashmir valley. As the growth of the internet spikes, more and more internet users are realizing buying online has many benefits. Apart from having to…

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Back To Dark Ages

Kashmir possesses huge capacity to harness hydro-electricity and does produce an impressive amount of electricity. But, inspite of these very facts the power situation deteriorates as soon as winter sets in, and most of the areas of Kashmir are thrown into darkness with never ending load shedding. As a matter of fact, the power generation in Kashmir, which is said to be capable of generating more than 20000 MW power, seems by and large a Delhi-controlled affair as State government has failed to bring back the ownership of several power…

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Kashmir’s Gone Halcyon Days

From self-sufficiency to dependency Daanish Bin Nabi Till 1953, Kashmir was self-sufficient and did not import anything apart from salt, tea and clothing. However, the political coup and the subsequent arrest of Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah on August 8, 1953 changed the political as well as economic course of Kashmir. In 1947, the import-export ratio of Kashmir’s trade was 1:3, indicating that Kashmir had a surplus trade. But 68 years down the line this ratio has taken a u-turn. Today the trade ratio of import-export of Kashmiri goods stands…

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Mahjoor: The Patriot

Mansha Ashraf Peerzada Ghulam Ahmad Mahjoor commonly known as Shair-e-Kashmir is one of the most remarkable lyrical poet of modern Kashmiri poetry. Eminent poet of India Rabindranath Tagore always referred to Mahjoor as Wordsworth of Kashmiri poetry. He was born in Mitrigam, Pulwana on August 11, 1887. Mahjoor first worked as a patwari (village accountant). During these years he got an opportunity to spend many years in various parts of Jammu and Kashmir including Leh and Kargil. As a result of his stay he started to learn the richness and…

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Dynastic Succession

There had been a strong rumour that Mehbooba Mufti may take over as the State Chief Minister soon. Now, Mufti Sahab himself has confirmed that she may take over as the State Chief Minister. He declared that she is not only capable but deserves to be the Chief Minister because of the tremendous work done by her on the ground. One would not question her capability or tremendous ground work even during peak of militancy but the moot point is why there has to be only dynastic succession? If Mufti…

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Autumn of my love

Dr Qayum Hamid Changal Autumn or ‘Harud’ is not same abroad. Dwelling here on one island in Maldives, it’s nostalgic when I see the pictures of golden Chinar posted on Facebook. Sometimes my receptors nudge its fragrance, but it’s all imaginary. It is an art beyond all the expressions, God’s own painting brushed with perfection and refinement. Though I’m not there in the bosom of my love—Kashmir, yet her beauty allures my heart and mind. It may look insanity for many, but I wish it to prevail till all my…

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Examinations and Evaluation Reforms

Dr. Nazir Ahmad Gilkar To sustain an innovative practice, the 4th post ESE-Workshop on Examinations and Evaluation Reforms was held on November 2, 2015 at Central University of Kashmir. Through this platform faculty of the university got an opportunity to share mutual experiences and thoughts. The workshop spread over four micro-presentations, activity based and open-house sessions. The Vice Chancellor of University of Kashmir Prof Khurshid Iqbal Anrabi, in his inaugural address called for complete revamping of examinations and evaluation system in higher education sector. Vice Chancellor of Central University of…

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