Fayaz Ahmad Bhat

In 1900, L Frank Baum wrote the novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz and 39 years later, American Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer converted it into a wonderful musical fantasy film. The Wizard of Oz has remained a popular film with the children across cotenants defying the time space matrix. It tells the story of Dorothy who is lost in a magical world and befriends three characters: the Scarecrow, Tin Man, and Cowardly Lion. The straw-made scarecrow lacked head, the tin man a heart and the lion his courage. She takes them to the Wizard of Oz living in a make-believe world, a man himself lost to wilderness, who discovered that the trio had all the things they thought they were lacking. As the trio had replaced the Wizard if Oz, the film ends with Dorothy opening her eyes in her bedroom.

This film sounds relevant to Fayaz Bhat, who interestingly is nicknamed as Fayaz Teen because he once owned a tin-sheet shop in south Kashmir. He seemed to be all the three characters rolled into one. It was only after the BJPs official candidate Arif Majid Pampori – his wizard of Oz, resigned from the party’s basic membership that Fayaz Bhat got head, heart and courage to reveal himself.

It is interesting that Pampori backed off at the last moment. He was with BJP for five years, had risen to a “senior” position that he was given the mandate. Though everybody knows that BJP can never be a winning party in Kashmir, it was for the sake of the representation that BJP fielded Pampori. While Godhra could not help old-city’s Pampori to feel pained, it was his party’s manifesto that changed his mind. He opposed party’s idea of scrapping Article 370 that infuriated Pampori to put in his papers. But that is just the beginning of the story.

The real story got unveiled after BJP fielded Bhat in a few hours and made him to file papers within a few hours. Bhat has been creating news for the last few years in Srinagar and has been projecting himself to be the messiah of Kashmir. He has created many scandals while luring students to avail scholarships under PMSSS, an issue being investigated by the state police crime branch.

But the real interesting part of the story is the rise of this Tin Man, off late promoted by the Raj Bhawan, in Kashmir. His biodata released by his party suggest the man was VP Samaj Sudhar Committee Kashmir (1989-92), BJP founder member (1992), district president BJYM (1994-96), BJP district president (1996-97), president youth BJP (1998-99), and after many other things finally created the Peace Foundation. This is something people never knew. People also know what Bhat has hidden and why.

Another thing that was revealed is that Bhat is PhD in Sociology and this award has been showered upon him by Singhania University Rajasthan! Come Modi in 7-Race Course Road, Fayaz will teach peace at one of the seven universities in J&K!

– Bilal Handoo

This year’s NIT tech fest saw young students putting their brains together to find solutions to everyday issues like traffic, clean water, transportation.  Saima Rashid and Sheikh Tabish report the innovations

NIT – Techvaganza 2014 organising team lead by Er Shabir Ahmad (centre; blue shirt).
Pic: Sheikh Tabish

Jahangir Chowk in summer capital Srinagar often turns in to a mess due to loads of vehicles at drive. The very four way road at place is linked to Lal Chowk, Airport, High Court, Batamaloo and Old Secretariat. While the frequent traffic jam at the place often irks the passengers, the same motivated two engineering students of National Institute of Technology (NIT) Srinagar to throw an innovative solution for the persistent problem.

Vakas Hussain and Khalid Manzoor, both 6th semester civil engineering students at the campus have come up with ‘Intersection Model’ that makes use of medians and rotary design to streamline the traffic flow. “Look, it will be a bit time consuming process to drive one’s vehicle around the rotary,” says Manzoor, “but it will altogether reduce the vehicular traffic. And yes, widening of roads instead will consume a lot of money comparatively.”

The duo’s model comprises of the junction made up of the motorway sections, that diverts traffic flow: two-way traffic on Indira Gandhi road from Jahangir Chowk via Solina (four-lane divided carriage way); two-way traffic on Jahangir Chowk-Batmaloo/Qamarwari road (four-lane divided carriage way); two-way traffic on Jahangir Chowk-Shaheed Gunj Road (two-lane divided carriage way); two-way traffic Jahangir Chowk-Budshah chowk road (two-lane divided carriage way) and two-way traffic on Jahangir chowk-Amira Kadal/HSHS road (two-lane single carriageway).

“If implemented seriously, our model would surely end the frequent traffic menace,” Hussain claims.

Filter the Litter

Valley’s countryside localities often face problems owing to water scarcity and impurity. And what adds to their woes is that an average person cannot afford the water purifiers. Heeding to an old adage: Necessity is the mother of innovation; three NITians have come up with a model that can ‘filter the litter’.

Krishna Kumar, Pankaj Kumar and Sandeep Kumar, a trio studying civil engineering have designed: economical, reliable and efficient gradation curve to filter the water.

The trio made a sand filter that can clean up translucent water and turn it transparent. “It filters water at the fastest rate,” says Sandeep. “The translucent water used for testing contains non-toxic and inorganic impurities.” The trio believe that their model will pave a way for the larger benefit of the people living at fringes.

Bridging the gorge

Bridges are one of the most useful and magnificent structures of the modern civilisation. With ever-improving designs, bridges carry loads of immense magnitude and nature and are also expected to handle incidental loads due to natural gorges.

Muhammad Sakib and Sandeep Verma, 6th semester students of civil engineering department have come up with an innovation which can reduce the tension on one of weak sides of bridge and transfer the tension to the strong side. Moreover, the cables balancing the bridge will rescue the bridge to breakdown.

Cheme-Cars

Apart from industries and factories, major source of pollution is reportedly vehicles. Driven by the sense to put check on the obnoxious vehicular emissions, NITians have come up with an important innovation, Cheme-Cars. It involves the designing of an eco-friendly prototype car and has the ability to attain a maximum velocity. The model involves no use of mechanical device to accelerate the car.

The platform

Most of these innovations were at display at the recently concluded TECHVAGANZA 2014 at NIT Srinagar. The annual tech-fest that started in 2009 saw participations of students from the top engineering colleges across India.

Dianne F Bracken, a lady from California who participated in this tech-fest, rates the event ‘very special’. “It is really amazing to interact with such innovative and brilliant students,” she said. “But yes, lack of infrastructure disappointed me.”

“My students always come up with something innovative and new,” says Prof Rajat Gupta, Director NIT. “They [Students] remain all the time busy to innovate something beneficial for the humanity.”

The tech-fest might be over, but the innovators at NIT are upbeat to put their brains at work—so that the next year, they would come up with some more fascinating innovations. It seems creative cravings for novelty has indeed hit the campus.

Aijaz Rashid, 30, a researcher from Arwah in Budgam who is working on a cancer drug which is 8 times more effective than the present most effective drug in the market, defied set norms by leaving his job as ReT teacher to pursue his dreams. In a conversation with Irfan Rashid, Aijaz talks about his journey, inspiration and challenges  

Aijaz Rashid

Kashmir Life (KL): You are working on Cancer drugs, something extraordinary for a Kashmiri student who once worked as a ReT teacher. It must be an interesting journey? 

Aijaz Rashid (AR): Yes it is really an interesting journey as I feel good while working on problems related to cancer, pursuing my childhood dream of becoming a scientist and not a teacher. It was really a tough call when I left my job in Kashmir and opted for research. But it is the end that really matters.

KL: How hard was it to leave a government job?

AR: It was the most difficult phase of my life as nobody including my parents, close relatives and neighbours talked to me for over a month. They all thought I had done some kind of sin by leaving a government job. Even my villagers tried to convince me thinking I am under some bad influence. You are sort of an outcaste if you dare to leave a government job in Kashmir.

KL:  You were selected in AIIMS and IISC Bangalore for research, both are top notch institutions, but you opted for IIT Bombay. Any particular reason? 

AR: I was fortunate enough to qualify all top institutes in Technology, Medicine and Science. I topped AIIMS New Delhi, exam for Phd. But I chose IIT Bombay as it has best labs available for the kind of research I was intending to do. Second reason was that IIT Bombay offers international sandwich Phd programmes, something that helped me pursue research in Canada.

KL: How was your experience as a researcher in Canada? Does lack of exposure back home make it hard for Kashmiri to survive tough international competition?

AR: I found working with foreigners is easy and enjoyable. And I don’t think that it is tough to survive international competition. The fact is that Kashmiris’ are good at theoretical knowledge, so they cope up with the situation and new challenges. But one thing is true that we lack exposure which makes us less confident while opting for researches abroad. We hardly opt for GRE or TOFEL.

KL:  How is your research going to help Kashmir where Cancer related deaths are on the rise?   

AR: Being a Kashmiri I feel it’s my duty to help my people first. I want to work on some of the most prevalent forms of cancer in Kashmir like esophageal and breast cancer. I would be happy to apply my knowledge and experience to explore the mechanism and aetiology of cancers prevalent in Kashmir. But research is very costly affair and can’t be carried out at an individual level. It needs lots of money and infrastructure which government has to provide. Also I don’t think there is dearth of good researchers in Kashmir but Government is not providing adequate facilities.

KL: What were your important research publications? How they shaped your path to become a young scientist?

AR: During the course of my work I published a model regarding bacterial cell division in nature proceedings. It was big achievement for IITB, so when IITB signed a MOU with university of Alberta Canada, I was offered a sandwich Phd position under the guidance of Prof Walter Dixion and Prof Dulal Panda.

I also proposed a model of Bacterial cell division. I got Canadian scholarship as young Scientist and IIT Bombay provides me travel support for visiting Canada.

I worked for 6 months in Canada. I published many papers in reputed journals like Biochemical Pharmacology, Nature Proceedings, RSC Advance and Dalton Transition. I also got a patent for discovering three new potent compounds showing 8 fold high anticancer activity than well know Cisplatine anticancer drug.

KL: How exactly does Bacterial Cell Division model work?

AR: The most important thing about this model is that it is a novel strategy to combat bacterial infection by using the knowledge about mechanism of cell division rather than approach of using antibiotics. It is a novel mechanism based  on infection control.

KL: How hard was it to discover three new potent compounds showing eight fold high anti cancer activity than well known and most effective Cancer drugs available?

AR: I have screened several hundred compounds from Indian and international labs for anticancer activity and ultimately got 3 DNA targeting and two microtubule targeting anticancer compounds. It is very satisfying to have discovered something really helpful to people.

With most of the KU’s ‘talent’ landing here for their second innings, CUK is losing both its originality and identity. Kashmir Life reports the politics that overshadows education in a premier institution     

CUK transit campus at Zainakote.

Since its inception in 2009 Central University of Kashmir is attracting bad press. It could have been a welcome respite for students seeking admission in higher studies in ‘state run and controlled’ Kashmir University (KU), where they have only two option – go with the flow or go out.

But with most of the KU’s teaching ‘talent’ landing in CUK in their ripe days, the later ended up being a replica of the former.

For decades KU and its faculty has maintained a complete hegemony over education system in conflict torn Kashmir.

While the state government, led by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, ensured that university had to be constructed in his assembly constituency of Ganderbal over an area of more than 4000 kanals, a transit campus of the University was setup at Sonwar in Srinagar in August, 2010.

On August 13, 2012, President of India, Pranab Mukherjee, appointed renowned nuclear scientist Dr. Srikumar Banerjee, the first chancellor of Central University of Kashmir. During the years, CUK widened its operations and introduced a number of different and virgin courses in the valley’s outdated educational set up. However, as time passed, the air of “corruption, nepotism, misuse of authority and vested interests” started corroding the very structure of the CUK – beginning from the appointment of a non-teaching staffer to a top position like that of a Deputy Registrar.

Insiders point out that after CUK’s founding VC, Prof Abdul Wahid Qureshi retired in March this year, the officiating VC, Prof Mehraj-ud-din, has become a cause for the “dull and murky functioning of the university”, irking the faculty members who are worried about the state of affairs in the University. According to the sources, the University has been turned into a ‘personal fiefdom’ by Prof Mehraj-ud-din who is one of several shortlisted candidates for the post of CUK’s Vice-chancellorship, to be announced in the coming months.

The sources said that after 3rd May, 2014 – when the candidates for the post of VC interacted with the selection committee at New Delhi – Prof Mehraj-ud-Din intensified his Public Relations activities and has launched a massive campaign of providing a shiny picture of his tenure.

On May 10, 2014 the university organized a one-day interactive workshop at Nigeen Club, Srinagar with senior retired bureaucrats, businessmen and senior academics of Kashmir University, which, itself, is already under a chronic controversy for its bad administrative and academic politics. Formally, the workshop was conducted to “revisit” the university’s vision and mission statement but it was actually an event, at the scenic Club overlooking the Nigeen Lake, to enhance the in-charge VC’s relations with the people who the university has started calling “stakeholders.”

According to the officiating VC, “in the last meeting of University court, which is the highest advisory body, it was decided that university must revisit its vision and mission statement,” which can be achieved by “setting goals and objectives to see where this university (CUK) can be not tomorrow, but after 50 years.” However, the sources in the varsity contradict this and question “what is wrong with the already set vision and mission statement of the university in the act?”

CUK transit campus at Sonwar.

“Fearing that these retired bureaucrats and academics could create hurdles in his struggle for Vice-Chancellorship, Prof Mehraj-ud-Din took a preemptive measure to contain any adversity which could have otherwise become distasteful for his pursuits,” a senior faculty member of the university told Kashmir Life.

According to the sources, some retired controversial Police officers, old friends of the in-charge VC, like A M Wataali also attended the workshop but only for the lunch. The participants could see Wataali and his half a dozen security guards only sitting and relishing the buffet and leaving immediately after blessing Prof Mehraj-ud-Din for his goals. However, Prof Mehraj-ud-din says that he invited Wataali, because “Wataali is the chairman of Indian Institute of Public Administration (IIPA).”

“Vision and Mission of a university are something related to the future of the university which should be debated and discussed mostly among the young faculty, scholars and students of the university,” a senior faculty member said.

However, the most important drawback, which was also a proof of the activity’s PR purpose, of the workshop was that the young faculty or students of the varsity were not invited at the workshop to present their views on the vision and mission or whether these needed to be changed at all. Despite invitation, some senior professors and deans of CUK did not attend the workshop and chose to stay away from the event.

In the last few months, the University faculty including the officiating VC, the Registrar, and the other top officials are on a tour spree holding meetings with different schools and colleges of Ganderbal for what it calls “revisiting of University’s vision and mission statement,” resulting in the hampering of administrative functioning of the university. In one such incident, an Associate Professor of Management Department, Dr. Fayaz Ahmad Nikka, was involved in making preparations for the visit of Chancellor, Dr. Sri Kumar Banerjee, in May this year, for ten consecutive days, during which period, sources say, he didn’t take a single class, thereby making students suffer.

A look at Prof Mehraj-ud-Din Mir’s track record in Kashmir University, where he held different administrative as well as academic posts, reveals that Mehraj had a number of allegations of being involved in a number of recruitment scams and embezzlements. According to reliable sources in Kashmir University, Prof Mehraj-ud-Din, who served as Registrar, Controller of Examinations, Dean Students Welfare, Head and Dean Faculty of Law in that university, was “fraudulently appointed in the Kashmir University when some more deserving candidates were sidelined.”

The sources further add that Mehraj was tried in the Vigilance department for a case of amassing disproportionate assets for years. “He utilized all his resources and influence and was successful in shelving the case against him.”

According to sources, Prof Mehraj-ud-Din was reportedly removed by Raj Bhawan for misappropriation and other scandals in the Kashmir University.

Since the in-charge VC has been administering the Central University for almost four months, sources say that some of the senior professors of various departments, who have been colleagues of Prof Mehraj-ud-Din at Kashmir University earlier, have been successful in manipulating and influencing decision making of VC as per their wishes.

Foundation stone of CUK at Ganderbal campus site.

“Since these professors have come from the state university which is the state-level University of Kashmir (KU), either on leans or with a security of their pensions at KU, and happen to be colleagues of the officiating VC, they disregard the protocol of the VC and indirectly convey to him that the VC could only continue as VC provided he fulfils their demands,” an official of the university, wishing not to be named, told Kashmir Life.

The pattern is like that all the deans and HoDs of the Central University of Kashmir have been filled up only with the retirees, or those who were about to retire, from the Kashmir University and even top positions like Registrar and Vice-Chancellor have been filled up by those from Kashmir University.

 “The university has become a rehabilitation centre for the old, retiring professors of the University of Kashmir who get five more years of service in the Central University where the retirement age is 65,” said a varsity student wishing anonymity. “It is a pattern here that the entire top faculty, the deans and heads, are from Kashmir Univeristy. How is it not possible to have at least a single person from outside the state? One wonders. They have occupied all the decision and policy making spaces in CUK.”

However, the officiating Vice-Chancellor who himself joined CUK after retiring from KU, says that “the appointments have been transparent and the selections have been made on the basis of experience in the field.”

According to the sources, the Registrar of the varsity Dr. Mohammad Afzal Zargar, who too has come from KU on lean, instead of his own work, interferes in all the decisions with respect to the academic policies and plans of CUK; something that does not come in the domain of his functions and powers. Afzal, an Associate Professor of Biochemistry who also served as Chief Proctor, University of Kashmir and headed Clinical Biochemistry in Kashmir University joined CUK in September 2013, after the erstwhile Registrar, Dr. Abdul Gani Dar completed his term.

“The present Registrar has pampered one Assistant Registrar of administration, Dr. Javaid Wani who runs all the important affairs of the university,” an official source from the CUK said. The Assistant Registrar directly or indirectly controls almost every matter related to administration, purchase/estate and recruitment in the university. It is also being said by the sources that Dr. Wani is the principal advisor in all the major decisions and actions of the university including recruitment.

In one such blatant violation of authority and misuse of power, in last year CUK received above 1100 applications for a few lower non-teaching posts advertised by it, and surprisingly after a three-tier filtering, that comprised screening of the forms, a written exam and interview, only those were selected who happen to be the relatives and neighbours of the Assistant Registrar Dr. Javaid Wani and the Registrar from Shopain, Chrar-e-Sharief and Kani Taar, Hazratbal, Srinagar. Sources say that it is not even randomly possible to have one’s own relatives and favourite candidates in the selection list after such a multi-level sifting. A lab assistant happens to be a next door of neighbour of Registrar, Dr. Mohammad Afzal Zargar.

Since the Assistant Registrar himself belongs to Chrar-e-Sharief, most of his current subordinate staff, his orderly and section officer, belongs to Chrar, Budgam district. Highly placed sources in the university say that in the erstwhile Registrar’s tenure Dr. Javaid Wani had scandalously proposed two posts of Deputy Registrar through the university to University Grants Commission (UGC). After the posts were advertised by the university, Dr Javaid Wani, for his own promotion, showed himself eligible for the DR post. According to former VC, Prof Abdul Wahid Qureshi, who was one of the members of that three-member selection committee, Dr. Javaid Wani was one of the two recommended candidates after the interview of more than 35 candidates in the fray for post of Deputy Registrar. However, days before the Executive council could announce the formal appointment of Dr. Javaid Wani and the other candidate, Prof Qureshi received an “anonymous representation that highlighted; that proper procedure for selection has not been followed, with a case of favouritism in support of the Assistant Registrar.” Founding the grounds of violations valid and substantial, Prof Qureshi, with the strong disapproval by the Executive Council, quashed the appointment of Dr. Wani and made the whole process null and void. An investigation was ordered into the entire process of appointment. But as soon as the erstwhile Registrar’s term ended, the case was quietly closed and no administrative audit took place. No action to this day has been taken against the incumbent Assistant Registrar and even the Chancellor of CUK, Dr. Banerjee, doesn’t know about it. Sources say that the senior professors were making fun of the Chancellor in Kashmiri language while he criticised the standards of their power-point presentations during his recent visit in May. Instead of the academic performances or future plans of their respective departments, most of the deans in their presentations spoke of their own “achievements” through power-point presentations full of serious grammatical and graphic mistakes.

“He (Dr. Javaid Wani) continues to enjoy his position in the administration and is privy to each university matter as all the files have to pass through him,” sources said.

EdCil (Educational Consultants), a government of India undertaking, was appointed as consultant for preparation of Master Plan for the university. CP Kookeraja and associates, a Delhi based multi-disciplinary architecture and engineering firm, prepared the master plan for construction of CUK at Ganderbal which was approved in 2014. Since the Master Plan for construction of permanent campus of the Central University at district Ganderbal has been already approved, the university is planning to construct a temporary pre-engineered campus at Ganderbal that will come at the cost of rupees 14 crores plus. Kashmir Life has learnt that during the process of approving and meetings about the construction of pre-engineered structures at Ganderbal, the figure of estimated cost has significantly went up from 2 crores to more than 14 crores. According to the sources, “it is a way for some people to find out possibilities to embezzle and misappropriate.” Otherwise the varsity can straight away proceed for setting up the campus as already the Site Office of the CPWD, which has been assigned to construct the permanent campus, is in place on the campus land at Ganderbal. The banality of the decision can be ascertained from the fact that once the pre-engineered buildings are erected at Ganderbal, there is no provision for the accommodation of faculty and non-teaching staff who belong to different far-flung areas of Kashmir. Rather the University has availed the service of Government quarters at Bemina, which fall almost 30 kilometres away from the University campus.

According to Prof Mehraj-ud-Din, the pre-engineered campus at Ganderbal will come up in six to eight months, while the construction of permanent concrete campus will begin in phased manner after necessary formalities are finished. The minimum time-period for a concrete structure to come up is two years.

According to the official figures, 3700 kanals of land out of 4200 kanals meant for university have been already acquired by the University for the Construction of permanent campus. Against the approved 21 programs by the University Grants Commission (UGC) only 11 programs are currently being taught in CUK under eight different schools. At present the University functions from the three rented buildings at different locations of Srinagar city-Sonwar, Magarmal Bagh and Zainakote. Worth mentioning, the contract of the rented building at Zainakote is ending next month and the university has hired a new building as its replacement at Nowgam in Srinagar outskirts-even much before the construction of pre-engineered structures at Ganderbal will begin.

On the other hand, almost all the post-graduate departments severely lack proper faculty. More importantly none of the departments have been given the necessary non-teaching staff. Besides their academic activities the faculties have to carry out all the administrative work themselves.

According to a senior faculty member of the university, the Registrar indulges in constitution of committees after committees for carrying out various works of the university which are actually his and other assistant registrars’ jobs. The members of those committees mostly are the university teachers who often remain busy with their own academic activities. It takes a long time for actually executing the jobs.

“We are very worried about the chaos in the university as things aren’t going well. If universities have to be built upon dirty politics and personal interests than this is it,” said a professor of the university.

Like air rescue teams who handpicked victims during recent floods Omar’s cabinet too fell for elite trap while deciding future of students across Kashmir. Syed Asma talks to private school owners and educationists to understand what it means to defer academic session by six-months 

A scene of Kothi Bagh Girls Hr Sec School. Pic: Saima Bhat

‘Education can’t wait!’ is a slogan that educationists are echoing in the Valley. Though the thought is supported by all alike, apart from a few elite schools, but the government chose to go with the minority- the minority of elites.

After the devastating floods when the cabinet minister met for the first time, they came up with a ‘catastrophic’ decision, educationists assert. The state ordered – all the examinations up to under-graduation are to be postponed till March 2015. Without putting forward any valid reasons, the cabinet directed the institutions to follow.

A few hours before the Chief Minister passed the order, the concerned bureaucrats along with the Minister, Tara Chand, had decided that examinations would be taken either in later October or early November.  “It is nothing but lack of co-ordination between the state and the bureaucrats. For their personal benefits, they are making the children suffer,” says a member of Private school United Front wishing anonymity.

Educationists term the decision as catastrophic, mindless, and irrational for the students.

G R Malik, an educationist opines that the unnecessary delay in the examinations will induce an element of non-serious attitude among the students which would last for at least five months. “The student would be no longer interested in studies.”

Seconding Malik’s thoughts parents also share the same opinion. “My son no more studies nor does he listen to me anymore. He has put the books under lock and says will open them in March 2015,” says Shugufta Banday whose son studies in a missionary schools in Srinagar.

Some parents even accuse that the reason for delaying the exams is that in the recent floods the elites’ have sent their families to safer places in India and won’t get them back until the threat of the epidemic is over.

The cabinet order has disturbed the on-going schedule of the school which chose to re-open after floods. Most of the schools across the Valley, including the ones in worst hit areas of centre and south Kashmir, chose to re-open after floods. Only a few government schools, private schools like Iqbal Memorial School and the elite missionaries – Mallinson and Tyndale Biscoe School, Burnhall School, Presentation Convent School are yet to open. Even six weeks after the floods, the elite’ schools are yet to resort to their normal work.

“The three missionaries running in the pretext of charities in the valley are not re-opening as they are collecting relief funds from abroad for the damage they had in the floods,” alleged Riyaz Ahmad, whose son studies in one of the missionary schools.

Re-opening after floods, many schools even started conducting the final exams. As the flood had hit the Valley in early September, most of the schools had completed their syllabus and the students were ready to take exams.

“We started the exams in early October but had to stop them after the cabinet order was out,” says a member of managing body of a reputed school in south Kashmir. “We too had students whose books were washed away in the flood but we managed a new set of books and notes for them ourselves.”

He further informs that the suggestions of the two hour meeting between the Director Education, Tariq Ali Mir, and the Minister Education, Tara Chand, was far better than what came out in the cabinet.

In the two hour long meeting, it was suggested that the exams would be taken in late October or early November. Besides, some concessions in the syllabus were also offered.

Talking about the possibility of conducting exams in time Dr Mushtaq Ahmed, President Private School United Front says all schools have not been affected by the floods so asking the schools to postpone exams and deferring new academic session is completely irrational.

“Not more than 10 per cent of the schools have been affected so the rest 90 per cent can run smoothly besides catering to the students of the flood affected schools,” says Dr Mushtaq Ahmed.

A kid sun drying his flood-affected school books.

Considering school education as a grave concern, the unaffected private run schools which resumed their work had sent an open invitation to the students of other schools which are yet to re-open.  But the response is not overwhelming. Parents having ‘superiority complex’ are reluctant and feel disgraced to send their wards to the locally run private schools.

G R Malik says if the government would have actually been concerned about the education they would have hired campuses of University of Kashmir or institutions in other unaffected areas and conducted examination on time.

Or else, he adds, the state should come up with a proposal that they would conduct special examination for the students from worst hit areas as was done in 2005 earthquake for the students from Uri.

The cabinet decision of delaying the exams will subdue all the pressures that a student had in mind about his examination, he adds.

Besides, the decision increased the duration of this year’s academic session from 12 months to 17 months; and obviously will reduce the next academic session to mere six months.

Apart from inducing a non-serious attitude in the students it would affect their performance in the competitive examinations as well. “Our fresh batch of students would not be able to appear in this year’s Indian competitive examination as their results would be out by May or June. Their whole academic year is going to get wasted,” says Dr Mushtaq.

G R Malik says that the result sheets of the students would read the session as 2013-2015, “About 80 per cent of our students chose to go out of Valley for studies. They will have to explain the year’s gap in their academic session.”

How would an academic session of only six months help the students is an obvious question that arises and the government has not thought about it.

“For now only the examinations are postponed. It is not yet decided if the state would continue with Oct-Nov session or would shift to March-April session permanently,” says Tara Chand, the state education minister.

Dr Mushtaq runs Scholar’s School, in Natipora. The institution was submerged in 17 ft of water for more than a week but now is running smoothly.

“When we single-handedly could manage to clean the premises of the school why can’t an established government clean a few damaged schools,” says Dr Mushtaq.

Initial figures suggest that 2500 schools (partially and fully damaged) suffered a loss of rupees 180 crore in the recent floods.

When asked why schools that are ready to function are made to suffer, director education, Tariq Ali Mir, arrogantly responds, “To which area do you belong? Don’t you know how much floods have devastated areas in Anantnag or Srinagar? So we had to delay the exams.”

The makeshift offices and hampered mobile network helps the government authorities to get away with their lazy attitude.

Six weeks after Floods:  

Lanes smeared with mud and silt. Broken wooden furniture, books and official records taken out of filth and dirt is kept outside in the shy sunlight of October. It’s the premises of a Government Girls Higher secondary school, Kothibagh.  Same is the scene in any government run school or college in Srinagar which has been hit by the floods. The mud in the lanes and corridors in past 42 days has hardened so much so that while walking over it the layer breaks off. The edifices in the institution have been in water for almost a week and now its premises stinks. It has been a long time since the offices resumed in these colleges but no government authority has come to check whether the buildings are safe or not, though cracks in a few of them are vivid.

Besides, no assistance has been provided to clean the premises. The irony is that the faculty including lecturers, Assistant Professors and Professor had to help clean the campus.

Looking for a government job, get a degree first. Want to make laws and rule the state, fret not. You can be a cabinet minister without ever attending a school! Syed Asma takes a look at behind the scene drama that keeps the show running in J&K

Ghulam Nabi Sogami, then a cabinet minister, not sitting on a chair ‘out of respect’ for his leader and then prime minister Bakshi Ghulam Mohammad (speaking). The rest of the cabinet including Pandit Nehru are properly seated. Picture courtesy: Bakshi family album.

It is hilarious but it is true. The constitution of Jammu and Kashmir has put forward no criteria for being a lawmaker of the state. You can still be a lawmaker without even knowing how to spell it out! Zareef Ahmed Zareef, a historian and a satirist, says that politicians never want intellectuals to enter into politics, they only need faces.

“Mohammed Afzal Beg had once said, ‘humein siyasat mein daanishwuroon ki zaroorat nahi…hum mein kaafi daanish hai, humein sirf wur chahiyey’,” remembers Zareef.

Academic qualification can be a criterion for getting a government job but there is no qualification needed to frame the laws in the state.

There are many incidents and evidences that substantiate that the people who have never been to school are today Jammu and Kashmir’s law makers, cabinet ministers. They have been there since decades.

A school drop-out, Ghulam Nabi Sogami, Nasir Aslam Wani’s (Sogami) grandfather had once said, “Flood waaloon ko goli maaro, saihlaab zadoon ko imdaad karon.”

The senior Sogami, a cabinet minister of Bakshi Ghulam Mohammed’s era has been famous for his laughable quotes. The anecdotes are shared and remembered by the local historians but are not recorded anywhere. A few of them are shared by Zareef. It is said that once Senior Sogami was travelling in his car on a steep road in heavy traffic and his car couldn’t take a smooth drive. He asked the driver, “kya daleel?” the driver replied, “yath hais phith motion?” His reply was, “addiy motion keetis yee?”

Ironically, the state’s Prime Minister of that era, Bakshi Ghulam Mohammed, projected as the best administrator of the state dropped out of school after 8^th standard.

Many other ministers, MLAs and MLCs are in the list of being school drop-outs.

Mohammad Afzal Beg

A former cabinet minister who was sitting behind NC’s Abdul Gani Veeri, during a serious discussion in legislative assembly saw Veeri taking notes on a notepad. Given Veeri’s reputation, the said cabinet minister got curious and leaned over to see what Veeri is noting down. “He was drawing a duckling.” Presently, his son, Dr Bashir Veeri, has reportedly earned a doctorate.

Having poor academic background, many MLAs and ministers were caught on the wrong footing.

Once in a rally, an MLA of Chadoora, Abdul Samad Mir, having a humble academic background was requested in his constituency to sanction a fire and emergency station.

His reply was, “I would immediately sanction one but tell me if it would be a success there or not,” Mohammed Ramzan, a resident of Chadora says with a smirk. “What measures the success of a fire station, the number of fire incidents?” asks Mohammed Ramzan, “it is not even laughable!”

Talking about the helplessness of being illiterate, a famous incident of 1960’s is when a National Conference leader, Ghulam Mohammed Khan, a resident of Yakbug, Budgam was asked to put his thumb impression on a paper. Khan represented Khan Sahib Constituency in Budgam then known as Dreygam. The paper read his resignation. He had no idea what was written on it. Irony is after his resignation the bi-elections were announced but he did not file the nomination papers as he did not know about the notification. After bi-elections Ghulam Mohammed Sofi from Srinagar won in his constituency.

Tara Chand

These incidents are not limited to the era of Sheikh or Bakhshi but are happening today as well. It is said that the education minister, Tara Chand, makes his officers work a lot. The officers working with him say that he makes them to translate every single English sentence in Hindi. Perhaps, Chand has never been to school after Class 8^th.

Apparently, the academic records of politicians are never made public.

These incidents does not always involve illiterate politicians only, sometimes the literate ones are caught off the guard. In 2012, Ali Mohammed Sagar, the state’s law Minister had to speak in a conference of Chief Justices and judges across India including the one from Supreme Court of India. Sagar, a Law graduate, chose to speak in English. “The Minister hasn’t rehearsed well. He re-read each sentence a couple of times – first in his original accent and then in the rehearsed one,” says an officer who was a part of the conference.

The immediate response of the Chief Minister, Omar Abdullah, was, “the best part of today’s conference was that my law minister chose to speak in English.” Everybody including Ali Mohammed Sagar burst out laughing.

The real capabilities and abilities of a politician are best known to a bureaucrat. They are the closest to them especially while making the policies.

A higher rung officer shares an incident. Of late, the department of law proposed a need of State’s Law Commission to the cabinet of ministers. The proposal was rejected.

The reason of rejection was, he share was the introduction of the proposal, “As per the state constitution’s article 370 we need to form our own monitory body to review our laws. Without understanding the significance of commission the proposal was rejected just for the mention of ‘Article 370’,” the officer says.

“They believe everything related to ‘Article 370’ is controversial!”

Ali Mohammad Sagar

He adds, at times it is very difficult to convince a minister on even a genuine topic. “There are many ministers who just know a single English phrase, “shut-up”. They use it all the time, even if the person sitting across the table is talking sense,” he says.

The non-requirement of a proper qualification is such that state had Sham Lal Sharma as a Minister till recently.

Sharma was a store keeper in the Department of Health services and was dismissed from his services on charges of embezzlement. The constitution of the state is such that the same person became the minister of the entire sector.

It is Sharma who has often accuses Abdul Rashid, MLA of Langate, a qualified engineer, of being a Pakistani man. Er. Rashid often talks about revocation of AFSPA, ‘lawlessness of state police’ and about many other ‘sensitive issues.’

Many of the qualified MLA’s are of the opinion that like Pakistan, we at least need our law-makers to be graduates, so that they value their post and understand the significance of the powers they enjoy.

Apart from qualification of an individual age is another ‘exploited’ criterion when it comes to politics.

Even minors make it there. Example is Agha Ruhullah. He is the youngest Agha who represented assembly’s Budgam segment in the state legislature. He was a minor when he won for the first time in 2002. Ruhullah, rising over the sympathies created after his father, Agha Syed Mehdi’s, death defeated his relative Agha Syeed Mehmood. Mehdi a Congressman was killed in a mine explosion in 2000.

Apart from minors, retired professionals, senior bureaucrats, and police officials have started a trend of getting into the politics to enjoy the perks of being a politician.

The trend perhaps started in 2008 with B R Kundal, chief secretary, who resigned from his post to join Congress. In the list are many of them including Sheikh Ghulam Rasool and Vijay Bakaya joined National Conference (NC) after their retirement; Nayeem Akhtar who after retirement joined People’s Democratic Party (PDP).

Many in the list are those who did not have an appreciable service record but are now the lawmakers of the state.

Reportedly, Syed Asghar Ali, from Chenab valley who lately joined PDP was suspended by Mufti Mohammad Sayeed during his tenure as Chief Minister on the charges of corruption. Ironically, today Ali is a part of Mufti’s PDP. Another former bureaucrat, B A Runyal, joined PDP in June, 2014 also has number of corruption cases against him.

Similarly, names like Khursheed Alam, the trade union leader representing PDP would be contesting from Khanyar in the upcoming assembly elections. He being a store keeper in Food and Supplies department is reportedly an owner of stone-crushers, factories and flour mills.

Raja Aijaz Ali, a retired police officer whom once Mufti called a ‘killer’ would be contesting his party seat from Uri. Ali was the IGP Crime when Haji Yusuf died in the CM’s residence.

And in the latest significant development, former SSP, Ashiq Bukhari, joined PDP. Bukhari retired early this year. The party, later, disowned fearing impact on polls.

Seeing the people in politics or getting into it, Zareef says, in Kashmir you become a leader either by hereditary or by an accident!

With no educational infrastructure available back home students from Kashmir end up becoming victims of anti-Muslim and anti-Kashmiri rhetoric in mainland India. Saima Bhat talks to one of the eight students who was attacked in Haryana recently   

“Any Muslim who will look towards Hindus, we will chop him,” is what Mashoor Ali Wani, 18, recalls as the last words of that ‘horrible’ day of December 06, 2014 before getting unconscious. He was the most critically injured student among eight others who were allegedly beaten by local goons and a few college students at Global Research Institution of Management and Technology in Yumna Nagar Haryana.

Still in a state of shock, Mashoor, a first semester B.Tech student, looks pale with his head all over covered with bandage and clots on arms and hands. “It was around 1:30 PM of Saturday,” he recalls, “and I was planning to see a doctor as I was not feeling well.” He called his friend Shahid Mehraj to accompany him. It was then the duo heard noise coming from the mess. The boys didn’t read much from it. “But suddenly some boys came out shouting Bam Bam Boley,” he recalls.

Mashoor and Shahid were unaware of the happening around and were still thinking of what to do. Meanwhile, some boys came in cars with iron rods, some big and many 18 mm rods used in construction, in their hands and attacked Shahid, who was standing at a distance from Mashoor.

“As I saw they were beating Shahid with those big iron rods, I moved forward to save him but one boy, among attackers got his katta (country made pistol) from his pocket and pointed it towards me. I was in a state of confusion, to save my own life or to save my friend. But my friend shouted at me, chalu (run) in local language,” he recalls.

But as soon as Mashoor started to run for his life he heard two shots. Unaware of, if those shots hit him or not, he ran till a tall boy cut him short. He first thought he is safe but as he looked behind, some more boys were coming to hit him now. Somehow, the tall boy fell down, and Mashoor ran away.

As he looked back, every Muslim student on the campus was getting thrashed. A few were running to save their lives. To their dismay, the main gate of the college was already closed down by the goons. The security guard posted near the gate, yelled at them, not to come near him. “Whatever you have to do, do it, but don’t come near me. I am not involved,” the guard shouted repeatedly. Then boys left with no option, jumped over the gate, but Mashoor fell down.

“By then, two boys were already near me with iron rods in their hands and they started beating me,” he says. To save his head, Mashoor put his arms in front of his face, but one rod hit his head. As blood started oozing out, he heard the goons saying before becoming unconscious, “Any Muslim who will look towards Hindus, we will chop him.”

When Mashoor opened his eyes, he found himself lying in a pool of blood. “I thought, it was a bad dream,” he says, “but then, I suddenly saw blood on my clothes, hands, everywhere. I closed my eyes back so to give them a feel I am still unconscious or dead.”

Mashoor opened his eyes only when he heard voice of some friends and siren of ambulance. All injured were taken to a local hospital where their wounds were cleaned up. And from there they were shifted to another hospital where he learned that his head was injured at four different places. “That time I realized the goons continued to beat me even after I fell unconscious!”

About the other boys, around 50, who jumped out of the gate that day, Mashoor says, “I later came to know those boys were chased by goons for some 5 kms till they reached a nearby police station.”

Back home when Mashoor’s father, Mohammad Salim Wani, a banker posted in Kishtwar came to know about the incident he immediately left for Haryana.

“The director of the college first informed me, ‘it was a small scuffle between boys,’ ” says Wani. His woes didn’t end there. He was told all Kashmiri students have left for Kashmir in two different buses. “I was then directed to visit Chandigarh border,” he says. “My ordeal finally ended in Jammu where I spotted those two buses.”

Mashoor’s birthday was around, but for Wani it was his son’s ‘rebirth’. Later he came to know that his son has got compound fracture in head at multiple places. And, soon doctors at SKIMS kept him under observation.

MS Shalini, director of the institute who declared one week “preparatory off” for the students in the college, says argument started when a student from Jammu slapped a Kashmiri student during lunch break on Saturday afternoon. “Initially the matter was resolved on the intervention of seniors,” she says, “but then students again got involved in the scuffle.”

Meanwhile, the faces of those goons are still haunting him. “I can identify all of them,” he says. “Sarpanch of the area was also present among those goons.”

Vice Chancellor of Kashmir University Professor Khurshid Iqbal Andrabi tells Kashmir Life that there is no official ban on research related to Kashmir conflict at KU

Kashmir Life (KL): Seeing your academic qualification and exposure, how would you rate the University of Kashmir as an institution?

Khurshid Andrabi (KA): I would rate it 5/10. This institution is like an office or a school. It is yet to reach to a level of university. Over the last so many years our priority [in this university] has only been teaching. Research and knowledge creation is rarely seen here.

KL: Kashmir University is the oldest higher education institution in the Valley. Even after six decades if we consider it a school, what should the other universities, which are only ten years old, be called?

KA: It will take them [other universities] a lot of time to reach to KU’s level. See, KU or even the society, will take a lot of time to grow or to get educated. I am a second generation educated person. Seeking formal education started with our parents. So, it is normal and we have to face this transition. We should not take it as a reflection on our ability. The only thing is that the atmosphere has not gone to a point where everybody was educated at every point of time. KU was established in 1948 and there are universities which have been established in 1800’s. We stand nowhere in that comparison.

KL: Are you satisfied with the growth of the university over last 60 years?

KA: No, the growth should have been more but there were disturbances all over the state which retarded our growth. Still we are not that bad!

KL: Why is KU reluctant to allow students to do hard-core research on Kashmir conflict?

KA: Who told you? I don’t know it is possible. See, if the research is objectively presented and approached professionally no one can stop anyone from doing research on any topic. If someone proposes a topic, it is the prerogative of his supervisor to accept it or not. We have no problems. No one has imposed a formal ban on studying Kashmir conflict. Anyone can study any topic provided he has required specialization. It will be evaluated like any other synopsis, on merits and nothing else.

Actually no one here is an expert in studying conflict, so perhaps that is why no topic related to Kashmir conflict gets approved. A person without having an expertise in Peace and Conflict cannot do justice to a topic related to Conflict. A research guide needs to have at least a Phd and a few research papers related to the topic.

KL: A program of International Law (Human rights) was once started in KU but later it was mysteriously stopped. Why?

KA: I do not have any idea about it. I, perhaps then, was not holding the chair.

KL: Why University of Kashmir has failed to introduce courses of international relevance like International Law, International Relations or Peace and Conflict?

KA: An expansion of that level has not occurred yet in KU. We do not have multi-specialities subjects yet. That is why I told you I will rate the university as 5/10. We need to work a lot.

KL: The University is not teaching subjects like International law, International relation and Peace and Conflict at even post-graduation level?

KA: To start any [new] innovative programme, a concerned department has to send a requisition. For example, if the faculty of Law desires to teach a new programme of International Law. They need to come up with a proposal. We actually have dearth of individual who have expertise in these specialized subjects. That is why they are not in a position to propose any such new course.  A Vice Chancellor has nothing to do with it. A specialized person has to propose it and then it goes through different bodies who look at its different facets like feasibility, implementations and other implications of the programme viz a viz finance, faculty etc. Nobody can stop anyone from submitting any proposal about any programme.

KL: Has this university produced any big names in research?

KA: Not yet. The research mind set has kicked off since last 5-10 years. It will take a lot of time to evolve. I agree that we are still weak in social sciences but in biological sciences, physics and chemistry we are very strong. People interested in these subjects do not prefer to go out.

KL: Why are we weak in social sciences?

KA: Lack of exposure and inbreeding are the main reason.

KL: Are you working on rectifying it?

KA: Yes, the changes would reflect with the fresh recruits. The new members will mask out the short-falls of the older faculty members.

KL: How is a diploma holder heading a full-fledged media department?

KA: He has been allowed to do that…(smiles)…I do not know how has it happened but it has happened. See the problem is we have advertised a post of Professor so many times but we have received no significant response. Now if we want to elevate the existing faculty members in the department they do not fulfil the proper guidelines. There is no way out. So, we have got outsiders to head the department temporarily. He is just an in-charge and is on adhoc basis. He is not a permanent faculty member.

KL: What about the employees of the university who apart from working in University are working at some other place as well?

KA: Since, it came into my notice and I strictly warned every employee to restrict his role and I believe they have obeyed.

With most of the money spent for the welfare of teachers the leftover hardly helps the cause of providing quality education to the underprivileged lot in government schools. Saima Bhat reports the condition, the mess, the neglect that defines present day government schools

One of two buildings that house three High Schools in Hyderpora.
Pic: Bilal Bahadur

Surrounded and dwarfed by castle like houses on three sides Girls Government High School Hyderpora is perhaps the best reflection of Kashmir’s ailing education system. There are two buildings in the compound comprising 26 rooms in total. And from these 26 rooms three High Schools are operated at present. They include: Girls High School Hyderpora, Boys High School Hyderpora and Girls High School Barzullah.

Originally there was just a girl’s middle school housed in this building which later got upgraded to the level of High School some years back. There is an interesting story related to its up-gradation. It is said that once an official from Directorate of Education was passing by, who made an unexpected stopover at the Hyderpora School. He failed to read the rusted signboard outside the school and took it for some private institute. What he saw inside shocked him and he instantly ordered for its de-recognition. “The staff room of this school was neatly furnished with wall-to-wall décor. And a dry fruit container was placed in the middle of the room which was passed between the teachers. All the teachers were sitting in the groups of twos and threes discussing fashion, marital issues and latest tv shows. The staffroom looked like a drawing room of any well-off household,” said an official who was accompanying the inspecting officer.

The inspecting officer was told that he has no authority to cancel this schools affiliation as it is a government school and not a private one as he had perceived wrongly.

Later that year this school was upgraded to a high school level!

On any working day, the heads of all the three schools have to remain extra vigilant. “Imagine all boys and girls are together in one small campus and they have to share the washrooms. You tell me, is it possible for me to keep a continuous check on students all the time?” says Haleema Bano, the principal of Government Girls High School, one of the three schools located inside the small campus. “My school is no more a girl only school.”

During admission time, the school compound is a literal mess as all the three principals try to lure students into their fold. “Yes it happened initially because all the three schools are high schools, but now we are used to the situation,” says Ruksana, who is in-charge of High School Barzulla. The school is headless from last more than 10 months.

“We came here as per the directions of directorate office but we were not provided any class rooms. Initially we used to conduct our classes under the sky. But then we were allowed to use the Verandah of the school and now after repeated requests we have been given access to three classrooms. Imagine a high school, from class Nursery to 10th standard, running from three rooms!” says Ruksana.

Interestingly in 2014, no student was enrolled in the 10th class in her school.

The teacher-student ration of these three schools presents an interesting picture of how the state’s education system balances the void. In Girls High School Hyderpora there are 16 teachers for 50 students; Girls High School Barzulla has 25 teachers for 30 students and Boys High School Hyderpora has 20 teachers for 150 students.

But a close look at these 230 odd students studying in these 3 schools and you will instantly see that most of them are either from rural areas or no-local students from Bihar and Nepal. “Most of these non-local students are the children of helpers who work in the families of these teachers. They don’t pay those helpers and instead they tell them we teach your children for free,” says a support staff who wished not to be named. “Even these students work as domestic helps in their (teachers) houses after school and are not paid anything in return.”

According to reliable sources, most of the female teachers in these three schools are never transferred because of their bureaucratic or political connections. “They are either wives or sisters of bureaucrats or politicians. How can anybody transfer them? They are attached safely in an overstaffed school,” the source adds.

Showkat Ahmad Beigh, Director School Education claims, “For all government schools, the teacher-student ratio usually remains at 1:20. However, in some special cases, it goes up to 1:30.”

But G N Var, the general secretary of Private Schools United Front (PSUF) feels that the ground situation is entirely different.

“This ration reflects ideal situation, which is true for Srinagar city only, that too, in some cases. In far-flung area like Uri, Kupwara, Budgam, etc, the ratio is 1:200 or even worse,” claims Var.

“In these far-flung areas, enrolment in government schools is high as locals cannot afford costly private schools. But no government teacher wants to get posted to these areas. So, that is why, you have such a messy picture in Srinagar,” says Var. “Why only education department transfer male teachers to these areas to fill the void?”

In last financial year, Education Department had Rs 3238 crores budget but not much was spent on the up-gradation of infrastructure.

“Most of the money goes to the revenue part and other activities like salaries, mid-day meals, uniform, textbooks, scholarships and training for teachers. And the minimal left over amount is kept for infrastructure,” continues Director School Education Kashmir.

Interestingly, the percentage of students from first primary to twelfth class studying in state-run schools in Kashmir has shrunken from 65.42 per cent in 2008 to 61.62 per cent in 2012. Around 38.37 per cent of more than 2.5 million students were getting education at private schools – an appreciation of 3.80 per cent in four years by the end of 11th five year plan.

An interesting trend that is emerging out of the situation is that the most of the new enrollments prefer private schools over state-run schools. Between 2008 and 2012 during which 621035 new enrolments took place, 50.41 per cent students were straightway admitted at private schools. Most of the cases where the state-run schools got the bulk of new admissions were simply because the private schools were not available. Not only infrastructure, it is the quality of education in the state-run schools these days that matter. (The new data for 2013 and 2014 was temporarily unavailable with the department due to recent floods.)

In picturesque Pahalgam town’s Rangwar village, a government Primary School is operated from a private house. Interestingly, the owner of the house charges no rent for allowing school to function from two of his rooms and verandah. For lack of space, multiples classes are run from a single room.

Around ten students were pressed against each other in a not-so-large circle marked on the floor with a white chalk. “This is the only demarcation we have to distinguish between different classes,” says one of the teachers.

“We have to expand the reach of school because it is must to provide elementary education in every corner of state that is why we keep on adding the school even if it is run from a single room,” says Beigh, Director Education.

Two teachers, two classes and one classroom.

In order to improve the functioning of government schools Harsh Dev Singh, a lawmaker in the last government brought a private members bill in state assembly that made it mandatory for all government officials to get their wards admitted in state-run schools but he was laughed at. And when the same lawmaker became Education Minister, he didn’t fulfill his earlier wish!

“It will be better for the education system to either get privatized or nationalize it like it is done in America,” feels Var.

In 2011, the then DDC Mehraj Ahmad Kukroo along with a few local MLAs planned to open Model Schools across the state. The plan was to convert some of the state-run schools into model schools where all facilities will be given to a student. But the idea was dropped once the tentative costs were checked, shared an official who had drafted the plan.

Post Flood Scenario

Situated in the business hub of summer capital Srinagar, various schools and colleges got inundated in September flood and so did the higher secondary school, Amira Kadal, but after almost six months, the ground floor of its two buildings are still under water.

Out of the five buildings of this higher secondary school, three were declared unsafe by the R&B department, says Director School Education. But despite that, all the buildings have been kept ready for the use of students.

When Kashmir Life reporter visited the school, all of the buildings were painted in such a way that the cracks were not visible at first glance. In the main building, which was worst hit, the uneven surface of floor on the ground floor and the painted cracks gave a feeling that building is not ‘safe’. But still the school administration is presently conducting board examination (12th) in this building and very soon the normal classes will start from this building.

An informed source, wishing anonymity, says, “This main block building has been declared unsafe but still the cracks were filled up and then painted to give students a feeling that it is safe. Recently during an inspection hue and cry was witnessed in the college when officials were scolded for cheating, but I don’t know what happened after that and the students were allowed to use this building despite knowing it is not safe.”

As per the official figures, a total of 13680 schools (11633 government and 2047 private), 1096 schools (government and private) were damaged in the floods. It includes 60 partially and 495 fully damaged government owned, rented and private schools. Besides that around three lakh books (in the state run and private schools) were also damaged in the floods.

In the Srinagar district alone around 222 schools, including 65 government-owned and 157 rented buildings were hit by the flood. Out of which 63 have been declared unsafe by the R&B department.

“In case we don’t have a building available for some damaged school, we will be having classes in two shifts. Like till afternoon one school will use the building and another shift another school will use the same building, without disturbing the education,” says Beigh, Director Education.

As per the official data, Government Middle School Rambagh, which was running from a rented accommodation, was declared unsafe by the department and it was temporarily shifted to High School Natipora. “When we went there the school authorities refused to provide us with space. They are themselves facing space crisis. We are still in search of a rented space where we can shift our school,” says one official of this school.

As per the official records, every government primary school received Rs 5,000; Rs 7,000 to middle schools, Rs 10,000 to high schools and Rs 15,000 to higher secondary schools for the cleaning purposes from the Divisional Commissioner’s office but all private schools claim that they did not receive any such amount even if they too were inundated and severely hit.

In district Srinagar, the department of education has forwarded a requisition of Rs 522.70 crore (tentatively projected) for the renovation, repair and reconstruction of new buildings of government schools.

“Rs 15,000 is a meager amount for cleaning a school. Our school was inundated for two months so tell me how we would manage to clean our school when a labourer charges Rs 400 a day,” asks Qazi Arshid Hussain, vice principal Government girl’s Higher Secondary School, Rajbagh. He claims his school was among the worst hit where furniture suffered 70 per cent loss, while the library, laboratory and other documents are completely damaged.

He claims that in November 2014, when the water level receded and left-over water was drained out through motors, they cleaned up the silt from school premises and it cost them Rs 40,000. In February 2015, they cleaned up the school again and this time it cost them around Rs 30,000. “This time we painted the walls and got all school buildings fumigated. Our one building is unsafe but we are yet to get the directions from department for it reconstruction.”

But when asked about the newly fabricated 10 huts in this school compound, he says he has no information whether they are for the use of his school or any other school will be shifted to it.

A few miles away Government Boy’s Higher Secondary, Jawahar Nagar was inundated for more than two months. Principal’s office has been restored and the cleaning process has just started in the months of March 2015, for two other buildings. Nobody knows why the process was not started soon after floods!

Out of the six buildings in this higher secondary, one has been declared unsafe by the R&B department. But for the other buildings, the silt is still kept outside for drying. No device is visible in the science and geography labs which are filled with the mounds of mud, washed books and broken furniture.

An official adds, “It was because of the callous approach of government that this school, despite being the worst affected by floods, is yet to be renovated or even cleaned. This school was waiting for notice and in that garb, all staff was in their homes, relaxing.”

Gulzar Ahmad, principal government higher secondary school Jawahar Nagar says, “This year the school may cut down with the admissions for class 11 by 50 per cent at least. We don’t have space as some of our buildings are unsafe.”

Meanwhile as per the official figures, all private schools which are 2047 in number (4719 as per PSUF) have incurred a loss of around Rs 3000-4000 crore.

While all the private schools are already renovated, cleaned and reconstructed for ongoing academic session; the condition of government schools presents a distressing picture.

“I am done with all the reconstruction in school and it is already fit for conducting classes. We have properly fumigated it and we have all books available for students,” says Shahnawaz Ahmad, whose school was inundated in floods for almost a month. “We had to do it in time so that directorate doesn’t cancel our affiliation.”

Director School Education Showkat Ahmad Beigh

Showkat Ahmad Beigh

On Government Schools Condition
Our department is the biggest employer after police department; we have 17 lakh enrollments in our schools with 93600 manpower. A major part of our resources go to revenue and other activities like salaries, mid-day meals, uniform, text books, scholarships and training for teachers. So our maximum budget (out of Rs 3238.67 crores) goes to these items. And then from a very lesser amount left we have to make arrangements for infrastructure.

On Teacher-Student Ratio
In government schools we have a ratio of 1:20. But the norm is to have a ratio of 1:30. In private schools the number goes up to 1:50.
Our aim is to reach as many children as possible so that everybody can have easy access to education. That is why within half a kilometer you will find a school.

On increasing the schools
In urban areas, private schools are there but our focus usually remains on rural areas. In Srinagar and other major districts you will find a number of private schools, but once you move to peripheral areas, the number of such private school decreases.
If anybody will ask me to give recognition to a private school in areas like Karnah, Tangdar, Uri etc, I will give that readily with some concessions, but nobody is ready to open schools in these areas.
Private schools are accountable but our schools are socially bound.

On Quality of Education
We provide quality education in our Higher Secondary Schools who come up with positions but down the line the education system is suffering.
In primary schools, the students are usually from poor background and their parents are illiterate, so they don’t monitor them. We ask them to come forward for scholarships but they never come forward.
In city, the enrollments are lesser despite providing free books, uniform and meals. Instead they prefer to go to private schools and then send their wards for tuitions.

On Government Teachers
We have the highest qualified teachers who get selected after different types of screenings. They are the nation builders of our society.
It is the fault of our parents who don’t take the education of their wards seriously. They never come forward for parent teacher meets, so how can they blame teachers?
On private schools recognition
They also provide quality education but at the same time they charge more money. Locals have a stand that they will send their children to private schools and when it comes to getting a job, they need a job in Government school.
Recognition for a school has a revised performa on renewal basis, which we check after every two years. It is important as the enrollment changes in private schools. We need to check if the infrastructure is in lieu with the change in rolls of a school. It is to check if, they have not deviated from the set norms.
On post flood school preparations
So far we didn’t receive any relief so we couldn’t plan the cleanliness drive immediately after floods. So then we decided to use the local fund of our schools to clean them post floods, to make them functional. That is why we have made alternate arrangements for the schools which couldn’t get revived in time.
On Government and Private School Rules
Government schools have social obligations but private schools don’t have to worry about such things. Government schools are aimed at spreading education to a wider audience while private schools are out to earn money.
In private schools, students come themselves but we have to catch students. They teach students in ideal conditions, they don’t have to face harsh conditions like we do.
I will give you an example, last time we used choppers, on special request from Div Com and horses to send examination material to far flung area, in Bandipora, Kupwara and in some border areas. Can any private school do that?
On education standard
If we have 17 lakh students, it includes the students from Kupwara, Bandipora and even more far off places. That is why we have to set our standard low so that each student from city or border area can catch up the same line.
If we talk about our schools in Srinagar like Kothi Bagh, Amira Kadal, SP School then our standard is at par with any private school. But then we have to add schools of Machil which obviously means the outcome will get affected. Those students can’t compete with a student from Srinagar.

Naeem Akhtar, a former bureaucrat who after joining politics rose through the ranks and became state’s Education Minster, tells RS Gull that state’s education system is a fit case for a major reform as the focus is not on students but on the welfare of government teachers

Kashmir Life (KL): The ministry you are heading is the entire education system of state. What are the challenges that lie ahead, in both elementary, school and higher education?

Naeem Akhtar (NA): The biggest challenge is the distortion in the system. This is not aimed or orientated to provide education but employment. It is full of employment related things: contracts for construction and mid-day meal. Everything that has nothing to do with education. It is the teacher whose employment problem, whose postings, whose regularization is in focus. The child has unfortunately gone out of focus.

KL: So, it needs surgical intervention both in curriculum, its implementation and infrastructure? You already know there are colleges in cow sheds?

NA: That is already a failure because GOI has been so generous with scheme like SSA, RMSA, RUSA etc. All these are very well crafted, well-drafted and well-thought scheme but unfortunately they have been prostituted in our state and that is the word I use intentionally. I have come across instances where the entire block where you have appointed ReTs for running the SSA units, but they are alone. One single teacher and no students. That is the kind of thing we have done. Then there are instances where the teachers have been appointed but they do not exist. Although, salaries have been drawn against their names. Precisely, scandalous things do exist. Like you have schools in city where you have 15 students and 20 teachers. You have a school where you have 20 teachers and 73 students.

So, it basically is a fit case for a major reform. The reform to change minds. And I have set in motion the trend of training and refresher courses with the department. So, that the teachers are involved in the curriculum all the time and they are academic oriented.

KL: You have been reviewing the department for a few days. What are the challenges that you as a mangers of education see. How the bureaucracy sees its challenges to manage education?

NA:  I think I am myself against a huge mountain. I don’t know why Mufti sahib chose me for this job. Obviously, he is perhaps having more confidence in me than I deserve. But that I am responsible not just to my God, not just to my conscious but to a third factor also which is the faith that Mufti sahib has placed in me. I will try to do whatever I can and I have started off well. I have good team of officers with me trying to reorient the whole thinking in the secretariat. I am yet to go out of secretariat. I am yet to familiarise myself with the problems and the potentials that we have within the given scheme and perhaps how we could possibly get those back on rails which have been de-railed as RMSA and RUSA which could form the basis of the revolution.

KL: One great change that has taken place in last 15 years in government schools that more percentage of admission is taking place in private schools than in government schools? The trend was earlier urban now its sub –urban. And the rural part is still manageable. How can this be tackled?

NA: That is huge challenge. We are the largest providers of employment. We have 130,000 teachers working in school education alone. So, we are the biggest organisation in the government but we are not the best providers of education. That is a challenge how we make government schools working proactive. We have certain ideas. Mufti sahib has given certain ideas.  We are working on them and hopeful we are expecting to create parallels to your best private sector schools.

KL: I personally have studied this issue. The government schools in certain districts are performing better. For example the Jammu city, where you have got major enrolment in government schools than in private schools. But the trend in Srinagar is completely different. We in Srinagar city have reached a situation where you are left with only a little number of students. Is there a possibility that you will create a model school for these under privileged students?

NA: We are working on that. Let me break this news to you. I have had a meeting with the Vice Chancellor of University of Kashmir and we are working on that. He was very kind enough to except my suggestion that he should take over one of the schools of Srinagar which would be a university school and would be run by them only. It would be a model perhaps and would be a parallel to the best of your private sector schools. Similarly we will work in rest of the government school. There is a scheme in the government sector where you have to establish government run model schools with boarding and lodging facility. But till now not a single such school has come up. It is one of the areas in which we can intervene. And after that we are thinking of creating some model school because we have the amenities and infrastructure and we have the best teaching staff who come, at least, through some screening process. Who come with big degrees and who carry salaries and perks which are 10 times more than what private sector offers. So, we think we can perhaps bring it around.

KL: On the ideological front of education you live with a partner (BJP) who thinks completely different on the issue of history, on the evolution of mankind, on issues of science and technology. How will you manage that deficient? 

NA: I think we should rise above this. We have the issue of modern secular education that leaves a big gap in J&K. So, let us talk of science, technology, magnetic, and other subjects. This is best left to academics. We should not get into any controversy.

KL: Is there any situation that we are moving from NCERT to CBSE kind of syllabus?

NA: I have not given a thought to this.

KL: This early summer, are we changing the session?

NA: No, there is no chance.

KL: Will we be looking at some changes in the policy of private sector because it is emerging very fast and is comparatively coming up with better results?

NA: I know they have been doing well. They are in for some competition from the government sector.

KL: Are you planning to start English language at a slightly early stage in Government schools at Class 5?

NA: We will try to do that as well, as it gives an added advantage to students.

KL: Is there an option of Kashmiri language becoming optional and not compulsory? It is a huge burden on students?

NA: You will talk that to Kashmiri enthusiasts first. We will have to take everybody on board.

KL: You met the VC of University of Kashmir? He recently told the press that “he would rate his university 5/10 because my university is reduced to an office”. This is the confession that one of the best VC of our times has made. 

NA: I told you the same. Our educational system has become employment oriented rather than education oriented.

Hilal Ahmad, a KPS officer of 2010 batch tells Saima Rashid the ‘Dos and Don’ts’ of making it to Civil Services 

Hilal Ahmad (KPS 2010 batch)

KL: What do Civil Service exams mean in Kashmir?

HA: CSE is considered as the toughest and the challenging exam. Majority of the people think that it needs a genius mind and an excessive know how of the prescribed subjects.

KL: Who can appear into Civil Services and does it demand any specialisation in the prescribed subjects?

HA: Anyone who is a graduate from a recognised university can appear. Specialisation in any subject is merely a need; when I started preparing for it, every subject looked alien but then getting exposed to new subjects is simply fun.

KL: Is coaching important to make it to civil services?

HA:No, not at all. But yes, to approach a guide is important; he can tell you what to study and what not to. Every topic in a component doesn’t need detailed study, but what has been asked in previous papers gives you a clear idea that go through the basics only. And moreover, to keep the track of those topics in news helps a lot.

KL: Who  can make into Civil Services?

HA: Anyone who dedicates complete 8-9 months to its preparation. It needs focus and honest with one self. Even the most below average students are the civil services officials now. So simply forget everything for those nine months, and think making it to civil services is the only means of survival.

KL: Is there any particular study material prescribed for it?

HA: Study NCERT books of 11th and 12th classes for the prescribed components. And if your tutor suggests you to make notes, do that and revise those notes only instead of reading those 500 paged books.

KL: What is more important,  knowledge or the way of writing in CSE?

HA: Having good knowledge is tot OK, but what CSE demands is, how you will start your answer, the body and the conclusion should be quite crisp.

KL: How did you make it to civil services?

HA: My cousin had basically cracked the IAS, and that evoked a desire in me of doing the same. . It may sound funny, but I had no idea how many states are in India. But then I worked hard and was consistent in that hardwork. To me hard work, repetition and revision is important rather than intelligence.

Rameez Wani who recently joined America based Dunkin’ Donuts as Field Supervisor at its Riyadh, Saudia Arabia unit tells Saima Rashid how Kashmir’s tourism sector lacks professionals

Kashmir Life (KL): What is the procedure of getting into hotel management?

Rameez Wani (RW):  After passing class 12th, one has to appear in All India CET test, and then authorities select candidates on merit basis for prescribed colleges. But Kashmir is an exception; anyone from any field can be employed in this sector.

KL: What is the scope of hotel management in Kashmir?

RW: There is no scope for a person who holds a professional degree in hotel management in Kashmir. At most you will get Rs 8 thousand a month, that too when you give in more than 12 hours shift.

KL: What do you think our hospitality sector lacks?

RW: We lack professional attitude. People are not ready to employ professionals; rather they bring guys from villages and small towns and pay them meagre salaries. This is not how you can leave a lasting impression on visitors’ mind. Even big 5 star hotels like Taj Vivanta don’t have any professionals. That is why they hardly have any 5 star facility available there.

KL: How was your experience of working in Kashmir?

RW: I haven’t worked but interned with Vivanta by Taj  and Centaur Lakeview Hotel. Recently I joined Dunkin’ Donuts after I worked with Dominoz Pizza at its Raipur based outlet as Restaurant Manager for two years.

KL: Please share your experience at Dominoz?

RW: Dominoz Pizza is a 24X7 running service company and Kashmir is an unpredictable place where even strikes can last for months. And moreover Dominoz Pizza provides a good package and if employees prove good, they get promotions after every six months. In Kashmir, employees get promotions nearly after three or four years.

KL: Tourists often carry a bad impression at the end of their visit to Kashmir?

RW: It is because of lack of professionalism and professionals involved with the sector that tourists feel cheated. Product of Rs 100 is sold to them at Rs 1000. We don’t even know how to be courteous.

KL: How can we improve the hotel management sector here?

RW: There is an urgency of grooming the individuals, hiring professionals, and moreover we have to stop cheating tourists by showing them nothing on the quality food, good accommodation and so on.

Love for research took a Sopore born scientist to one of the best laboratories in America where he toiled hard to unearth the genetic behaviour, reports Saima Rashid  

In ever-evolving scientific world, fascinating experiments keep altering the outlook of human life. One such experiment happened recently when a Kashmiri born scientist in America used yeast, a unicellular organism known to be used in bread and beverage preparation, as a tool to test human genes.

The experiment was done by Dr Ashiq Hussain Kachroo along with his other post doctoral researchers, at University of Texas (Austin). The team carried out a lauding experiment on Baker’s yeast and transformed this single-celled organism to behave more like humans at a molecular level by a process called “humanisation of yeast”.

“This is something happening for the first time,” said Dr Hussain. “Scientists can now put a human gene in yeast cell to check if it will work well in yeast and moreover can tell us, if a certain human gene causes a disease, then you can simply try a specific drug for that disorder without affecting the other pairs.”

A son of retired teachers, Dr Hussain was born and brought up in north Kashmir’s Sopore. During his school days at Sopore’s Iqbal Memorial Public School, he was more into physics and chemistry, and less into biology. “It may sound strange, but biology never interested me,” he said. “But see the fate; I am now a scientist of molecular biology. I mean, you never know, when and where your interest shifts.”

After passing his class 12 in medical stream, he appeared in JKCET but was selected on payment seat. “My father wanted me to be a doctor,” he said, “and I was simply following his words, but getting admission on payment seat wasn’t acceptable to me. So, I gave up and joined Govt degree college Sopore for Bachelors instead.”

For the next three years, Dr Hussain was battling to give direction to his life. The confusion prevailed till he reached Kashmir University for pursuing Masters in Biochemistry and ended up meeting his mentor Dr Khursheed Iqbal Andrabi, the incumbent Vice Chancellor of the varsity. “He (Dr Andrabi) actually taught us (students) research not books,” he said. “University was fun. We used to have picnics every year outside Kashmir to visit scientific labs.” During one such trip, he visited IISC (Indian Institute of Science) Bangalore.

IISC Bangalore was his dream institute to pursue his PhD from, as some heavyweight scientists like CV Raman, CNR Rao, G Padmanabhan and others were part of it. To clear his doctoral decks, he appeared in All India level entrance test and availed a research slot in IISC. “The place is full of science,” he said, “it enhanced my scientific aptitude.”

It was at IISC, Dr Hussain started making forays in US universities for post doctorate. And the moment his PhD paper in molecular biology was published, it was ranked 19th worldwide and 8th in US.

Once out of IISC, he wanted to do research in Genome Engineering and Synthetic Biology. It was in the same quest, he secured a chance to do his post doctorate from University of Texas at Austin, where he started his research project with Dr Edward M Marcotte, Prof molecular sciences and co-director centre and systems of synthetic biology, in Oct 2010.

And with that begins the five year journey to experiment and publish “humanisation of yeast project”.

The basis behind the experiment was the assertion that humans in no way look like yeast but share thousands of genes with yeast cells. Dr Hussain said they are recognizable and this is because a billion years ago, “we had a common ancestor and we would like to know if their genes work the same way like ours. And for that, we carried out this experiment.”

To perform the experiment, they created hundreds of genetically engineered strains of yeasts, called humanised yeast. Each strain had a disabled yeast gene and a human version of the gene that they could either turn on or off. The human gene acted like a “kill switch”. “And if one turns off the human gene, the cell would die. If we would turn on the human gene, we would see if it is capable of living on active human gene,” he said.

For each gene pair, they tested with the human gene on and off. And with control groups, they were sure of the tests. They tested each pair of gene in three different ways. All of that added to thousands of mini experiments for about four years. The researchers found that half of the 450 yeast genes could grow and reproduce with just the human version. All the human genes roughly around 450 were obtained from Harvard University generated collection.

“We had over 30 news reports on this publication and top US journals published them, like Discovery News, Science daily, MeteoWeb (in Italian), NBS News, Washington Post and many more,” Dr Hussain said. “This was a crazy experiment. I had no idea whether it would be a complete failure or success. But, it was a great success.”

Strategy always fascinated a Sopore born scholar who rose to become Kashmir’s first doctorate in Strategic Studies. But the sad truth remains that in conflict region, there are no takers of this conflict specialist, reports Saima Rashid

Dr Shaheen Showkat

In 2006, a young scholar from Sopore visited neighbouring Baramulla with a motive to teach Military Studies in Degree College there. But the scholar who later became Kashmir’s only doctorate in Strategic Studies shortly had a rendezvous with the reality: The course was banned in the campus after militancy broke out in Punjab. And why it happened, is still beguiling his brains.

The ban was imposed in early eighties, but Dr Shaheen Showkat, who was eager to impart Strategic tutoring at the college, never knew it. With the result, he started focussing on research than chasing job. Nine years later, intriguingly, this post-doctorate fellow is still jobless.

Over the years, his acumen for research established him one of the finest brains of Kashmir trained in Strategic Studies. But before rising in research ranks, the young Showkat from Zainagiree Sopore was a “curious” student of Government Higher Secondary School Sopore, fascinated by strategy. Once done with schooling, he went for Humanities from Government Degree College Sopore, where his passion for Strategic Studies heaved. “During graduation,” he said, “people would ask me about my subjects. ‘I have opted for military sciences, medical sciences, and stone sciences,’ I would reply to thwart all attempts of poking fun of Arts students.”

By the time he was out of college, his passion for Strategic studies had skyrocketed. He shortly joined Pune University in 2003 for pursuing Masters in the subject. Two years later, he joined Pune’s Symbiosis Institute of Mass Communication to teach Journalism, particularly International Relations. A year later, he left the Institute and visited valley.

Back home with nothing significant to do, he returned Pune to pursue his PhD. That was the toughest and testing time for him “because I had to prove myself”. It was 2006 and by spring that year, Showkat started his PhD program. “Hailing from conflict mired state, I chose to do my doctorate in conflict management,” he said. “I was pretty well aware of the fact that conflicts never end, so all we have to do is, to learn managing that conflict.” One of the stark points in his doctorate thesis is: “any misunderstanding in a conflict region can be resolved only through negotiations”.

Once he began working on his PhD, he joined many institutes, either for research or teaching graduate courses. And shortly he realised, strategic studies has least scope in Asia due to “absence of war” in the continent. “But in countries like America with war history,” he said, “The subject is in great demand.” America and West always think on strategic lines, be it in war, or in peace, he said, “Basically war and peace are illness and wellness of a body. If you cannot diagnose the root cause of illness, you can’t sustain wellness.” So, he said, strategic studies—known as Security Studies in America, Military Studies in Australia and Strategic Studies in Asia—is relevant in all terms.

He termed America the “highly cultured strategic thinker”. To thrust on his point, he said, “When war was going on between Russia and Afghanistan, America intervened and pumped up Afghans in the name of Jihad. They knew Muslim countries will send huge monetary aid to Afghan warlords in the name of holy war, who would cash it to avail arms and ammunitions from America. The trick worked and thus boosted American economy thriving on war.”

Showkat said one component of Strategy Studies is “Advance Thinking”. It is a kind of pure analytical mentality asking where you will be tomorrow? What are your short term, mid term and long term plans? How you will achieve those goals which you have been assigned without referring your past or looking towards your past, he said, “the second component of the subject is Extra Mileage, stressing on the fact that you are not sleeping, lazy, luxurious, and a Profilist.”

Presently pursuing his Post Doctoral Fellowship awarded by Indian Council of Social Science Research, New Delhi (ICSSR) at University of Kashmir, Showkat has many national and international publications and few books to his name. “The decision of pursuing Strategic Studies was partly a risk and mainly adventurous for me,” he said. “But till I am not accommodated in government sector, I will do more research, as research opens our mind while money closes it.”

Strategy was always in the “blood” of this Sopore scholar, who is cutting a curious figure for himself. Simply because in the world’s oldest conflict registered with United Nations, this conflict expert has no takers.

Started on a high note with western model in mind, IUST is falling from grace even before a formal take-off. With political connections, family ties and lineage deciding its human resource, education seemingly is the last priority. Kashmir Life reports the unmaking of Kashmir’s Islamic University

A landscape view of IUST. Pic: Bilal Bahadur

It was summer 2005 when Prof Siddiq Wahid, a 54-year-old Harvard historian was chosen to establish a new university at Awantipora, Pulwama. Given his impressive academic exposure, a hope to see new, vibrant and a different educational institution took birth. With such high aspirations, Islamic University of Science and Technology (IUST) came into being at Awantipora.

Prof Siddiq Wahid, a PhD in Inner Asian Studies from Harvard University, was appointed as the first Vice Chancellor of the University. When a man who studied in Harvard and taught in Harvard and Metropolitan Universities for many years talked of ‘evolving a model of education with emphasis on leadership in (Islamic University) Kashmir’, it seemed achievable.

In the beginning, IUST looked different and impressive.  Wahid, then 54, was perhaps the only aged academic manager in the campus, rest of his colleagues were in the age group 28-42.

But today, 10 years later, a keen look into the university shows up a nasty picture.

In the first ten years, the land acquired by the university may have doubled, the number of students may have increased 6 times but there seems no subsequent improvement in the facilities and the infrastructure available to the students. Though new construction is taking place in the campus but a number of departments and laboratories are still run from pre-fabricated huts and tin sheds.

“Good teachers and good teaching make a classroom, rest does not matter,” justifies Dr Abdul Rashid Trag, present Vice Chancellor of IUST. “We lack some equipment but to provide a good practical exposure to the students, we share the infrastructure of comparatively better institutions like that of NIT, Srinagar. It is what UGC tells us to do.”

When compared to the other universities in J&K like Baba Ghulam Shah Badshah University (BGSBU) and Mata Vaishno Devi University (MVDU), which were established around the same time, IUST looks like a primary school, says an educationist wishing anonymity.

“No it very much looks like a university,” says Dr Trag, “even the UGC team that visited IUST recently highly appreciated our progress.”

Dr Trag admits funding has been a major problem for the university. “Since the inception of university, Muslim Wakf board – the parent funding agency – has only paid Rs 9 crores of the total due amount of Rs 58 crores.”

“The universities which you are comparing us with (BGSBU and MVDU) get lakhs of donation every year, apart from funds from their parent funding agencies like state and UGC,” says Dr Trag.

IUST was established by state’s Muslim Wakf Board under the Act No. XVIII of 2005 passed on 7 November 2005 by the state legislature. As per the act, Wakf Board is supposed to grant Rs 2 crore each year.

Dr Trag opines, when state had conceived the idea of establishing a university it should have reserved at least Rs 300 to Rs 400 crores to make it work smoothly. On the contrary, its lone funding agency – Muslim Wakf Board – got away after handing over just Rs 30 crores.

Till recently, university was managing its expenses mostly from the fees collected from the students.

The administration of the university informs that a team supervised by the VC is working in double shifts to come up with better and improved infrastructure.  They say the university is following a proper ‘Master Plan’ and will soon be shifting from pre-fabricated huts and tin sheds to concrete buildings.

Even the sole canteen in the campus is run from a tin shed has a significant population of flies in summers! The place does not offer proper sanitation and hygiene, students complain.

Influencing Recruitment

Muslim Wakf Board may have failed to pay the promised annual grant, but the Board has a considerable influence over recruitment of human resource in the University. They have had their share.

Shazana Andrabi’s appointment exemplifies the Muslim Wakf Board’s influences, perfectly. Presently In-Charge of the department of International Relations (Previously Peace and Conflict Studies), Shazana has done her post-graduation in History.

Her recruitment is an interesting case. Shazana is the daughter of Iftikhar Andrabi who in 2005 assumed the chair of Chief Executive Officer in the state’s Muslim Wakf Board. Besides, she is niece of Mehboob Beg, a former National Conference man who switched sides before recent state Assembly elections.

Former IUST VC Prof Sidiq Wahid with Governor NN Vohra.

Shazana with a Master’s degree, perhaps having no experience in administration, was appointed as an Assistant Registrar in the university in 2005. Of the six assistant registrars, she was ‘randomly’ picked up for one year masters course in Peace and Conflict in a university of Costa Rica.

Context: Prof Wahid on behalf of IUST had signed an MoU with the University of Peace (UPEACE), Costa Rica. Under this pact, IUST could send any Kashmiri to study this yearly program in UPEACE. In first year, Prof Wahid chose and sponsored Shazana Andrabi, an Assistant Registrar, and Wajahat Ahmed Peer, a contractual faculty member of a newly established department of Peace and Conflict Studies.

Prof Wahid wanted to establish a full-fledged department of Peace and Conflict in IUST. Interestingly, it is the only place in the state that offers a master’s program in the subject. IUST has now changed the nomenclature of the course from Peace and Conflict Studies to International Relations (Peace and Conflict studies).

“Professor [Wahid] was very eager to start a master’s program in Peace and Conflict Studies,” says Raouf Rasool, a former and founder faculty member of the department.

Raouf has done his Masters in Journalism besides holds a degree in Peace and Conflict from University of Norte Dame in Unites States and interestingly has earned a top merit of 3.89 out of 4.

While wanting to offer a two years master’s program in Peace and Conflict studies, Prof Wahid had called Raouf to IUST to ‘help’ him start and consolidate the course, Raouf remembers.

He agreed to contribute as he was wishful to use his expertise of Peace and Conflict studies and his experience in US.

“I am associated with journalism since 1997 but could hardly get an opportunity to use my expertise of Peace and Conflict Studies, so I could not reject this opportunity,” says Raouf.

Eventually, Wahid chose three people, Raouf Rasool, Muhammed Junaid and Wajahat Ahmed Peer to frame the course work. The three had to later sit in an ‘informal’ interview.

Two years later, June 2009, IUST invited applications for the permanent post of Assistant Professor in Peace and Conflict Studies. As guidelines of UGC suggest, the applicants with masters in the subject concerned, MA in Peace and Conflict Studies, with NET/SLET or PhD were invited. However, since Peace and Conflict Studies as an academic discipline is fairly uncommon, UGC is yet to institute NET in it; and even SLET too is not conducted in this subject. So, those applying for the post automatically get NET exemption.

Interestingly, even though the job advertisement had sought MA in the subject concerned as basic qualification, applications of candidates from backgrounds in Sociology, Political Science, Islamic Studies, Public Administration and Human Rights were also entertained, Raouf remembers.

“I did not apply but Prof Wahid forcefully made me to apply, as he said that he wants me to consolidate the department in next 5 to 10 years. It appeared he felt only I could do it,” recalls Raouf.

Of the 15 candidates who were interviewed on August 20, 2009, Athar-u-din Shawl topped the list, followed by Shazana Andrabi. Lubna, a PhD in Public Administration, was at number three and Raouf, a topper having masters in Peace and Conflict from an American University, was at number four!

Prof Wahid was very eager to start a masters programme in Peace and Conflict Studies.

Athar-u-din has done LLB and MA in Human Rights from Aligarh Muslim University, besides has qualified NET.

“This was insulting,” says Raouf. “But I believe Prof Wahid wanted to appease two major political parties, National Conference (NC) and People’s Democratic Party (PDP), to favour his extension as VC.”

Shazana being Mehboob Beg’s niece, an NC man then, and Athar’s father Muneer-u-din Shawl, a PDP man, satisfied both the parties.

Interestingly, Muneer-u-din Shawl, a lawyer from South Kashmir is believed to be very close to PDP patron Mufti Mohammed Sayeed and was reportedly Mufti’s chief campaigner in South during 2008 elections.

After the results were declared Raouf moved to court and challenged the merit list. Athar and Shahzana’s appointment are now subject to the final court orders. Interestingly, in these four years, Raouf’s case has not been heard in the court even once. Reason: “Athar’s father, Muneer, is a well-known lawyer of the Valley,” believes Raouf.

Apart from questioning qualifications of the duo, Raouf has an interesting mail to share.

This is an email note which the then VC wrote to Raouf while the interviews were on: “…Bore to mey ab ho gaya! One of the candidates we are interviewing for CIPACS just told us that Amartya Sen is a gender specialist, a woman and that ‘she has written many books on conflict’. A PhD, mind you!! So let me wish you luck with such stiff ‘competition’! Siddiq”

Dr Trag says, “I am not answerable to their appointments. It was not my tenure then. Besides, it is a matter sub-judice and we will act as the court directs us.”

Looking at Prof Wahid’s era as VC, there a many questionable appointments that come to fore. From Assistant Registrars to many Head of the Departments (HoDs), people have been appointed on the basis of their political associations, family status etc.

Sources say mediocrity, appeasement to political bosses and nepotism is what works in IUST.

Interestingly, in 2010, Dr Trag recruited Iqbal Mirza, a simple BTech, now pursuing his M Tech, as an Assistant Professor.

“There was no better candidate than him. Besides, he left a permanent government job as Junior Engineer as he was interested in academics. I had to adjust him,” justifies Dr Trag.

“The recruitments are already done and we can’t terminate them. To grow we would better like to concentrate on positive developments rather than the negative things of the university,” feels Dr Trag.

Pertinently, Iqbal Mirza and Dr Trag belong to the same town, Tral.

Besides, the pass-out students, especially from Social Sciences allege that they are being ignored while the recruitment drives are on for contractual as well as permanent posts.

Saqib (name changed), a former student at the department of Peace and Conflict studies having interest in academics has applied for the post of Assistant Professor since 2010. And repeatedly, his application form is being rejected despite having all the relevant qualifications.

“By repeatedly rejecting my application, aren’t they questioning their own teaching?” asks Saqib, “If I have a master’s program in the relevant subject from IUST, besides having attended few fellowships, why is my application being rejected? Interestingly people having degrees in allied subjects are being entertained.”

Similarly, a former student from the department of Mass Communication and Journalism, Aqib (name changed) having qualified NET was rejected in 2013 and the two other candidates, Janisar Qureshi and Ishfaq Shah, none of them had qualified NET then, were recruited!

“This is the most racist university campus in Kashmir. Only people from certain castes are promoted and entertained during recruitments,” says  Majid (name changed), a former student of the university who has been trying his luck since 2010 to teach in Mass Communication and Journalism department. “If you go through the names of all faculties especially HoDs, you will come to know what I am saying.”

The nepotism while recruiting human resources especially the faculty is taking toll on the students.

A student wishing anonymity shares an anecdote of his department: “My guide rejected my synopsis about Kashmir Conflict because she [Shazana Andrabi] thought I am emotionally involved with the cause, instead suggested me to study something about Egypt.”

Surprisingly, the students at Humanities Department are asked to submit a master’s thesis in their last semester without having research methodology in their curriculum!

“As far as I know research methodology is not important in Masters. It is essentially taught in PhD programs. Still I will look into the matter,” says the Vice Chancellor Dr Trag.

On hearing this response, a student sarcastically commented, “I think IUST has copied course design and curriculum from two different universities that is why they are not complementing each other. Research methodology is the backbone of any thesis whether masters or PhD.”

Prof AR Trag, VC Islamic University of Science & Technology

Prof AR Trag

On Infrastructure:

Good teaching and good teachers make a classroom, rest does not matter. Besides, we are improving our infrastructure. It may take some time but our progress is pacing up. I admit that if we compare IUST with other universities which were established around the same time, we are behind, reason being less number of working days and limited funds.

 Funding:

Presently the scenario is better. We are being funded by state, UGC and Muslim Wakf Board. However, the major part of our expenditure is covered by the fees paid by the university students. The state government till 2009 used to release Rs 1 crore annually in our favour, but when we submitted a proposal and forwarded our master plan [including buildings] they agreed to release funds in our favour. Since then we are getting Rs 8 crore for construction and Rs 5 crore under salary quota. This year we are expecting Rs 5 crore under infrastructure development and Rs 4 crore under salary quota.

Since last year, after we covered the 12 B status, UGC also started granting funds in our favour. They sanctioned Rs 7 crore under infra-structure and development.

Wakf Board is supposed to give us Rs 2 crores each year but they fail to maintain consistency. Till now of Rs 58 crore only 8-9 crores have been granted.

But overall funding has been a problem which has restricted our growth. We too realize that we don’t have infrastructure at par with the other universities but we are trying our best. Our team, led by me, work in double shifts. We too are interested to provide better infrastructure including laboratories and playground but we have our compulsions. In a nut shell, as compared to past six years University is progressing at a much better pace. Besides, a few other independent projects are granted in our favour which will help us to grow.

Recruitment policy:

For recruiting teaching staff we have to follow the UGC guidelines and if we fail they will stop funding us. For the recruitment of non-teaching staff we have framed our own policy. We have had some controversies regarding recruitments but the matter is sub-judice and we have to wait for the court orders. We try to focus on positive things rather than discussing negative things, as we want growth. I can’t fire any of them [Shazana Andrabi, Iqbal Mirza or Athar-u-din]. If I did they too will move to the court and will hamper the smooth going of my university, which I don’t want.

About Shazana’s and Athar’s appointment?

I was not the Vice Chancellor then so I can’t answer.

About Iqbal Mirza’s appointment?

Yes, I selected him and I can very well justify my decision. The appointment happened in 2010 when he was just a B.Tech but today he is pursuing his M Tech so his appointment should not be a problem. And now I can’t fire him. For the first time this year we received a number of applications otherwise the response used to remain poor. And we had to manage among the hand full of people. People with more competent degrees opt for better opportunities.

See, we do not have enough people in Kashmir who have qualified GATE or NET/SLET, so we have to compromise for the betterment of our students.

Is Sameer Wazir, finance officer of IUST, just a graduate?

He is working on the contract basis; he is not a permanent member. His contract gets renewed every year.

It is alleged that IUST ignores its own pass-out students during recruitment drives?

Own students are every university’s weakness. We know how seriously we teach our students. If the applicant [IUST’s pass-out] is competent we will never ignore them. The only thing we avoid is to select the recent pass-outs. We prefer to have a gap of at least one year as we believe it causes indiscipline in the class if the teacher and student belong to the same age group.

Why isn’t IUST starting PhD programs?

PhD is essential part of any university. We started in MBA, Islamic Studies, Arabic and English. In other departments the faculty members do not satisfy the norms which are needed to start the program.

Note:

Kashmir Life thanks its esteemed readers for showing overwhelming response to our stories. However we at the same time request our readers to refrain from any abusive comments that may harm anybody’s image or character.

We also request our readers not to go personal against any individual while commenting.

Kashmir Life retains the right to remove any such comment which it think goes against ethics, morality and decency. However positive response and healthy argument is always welcome.

Last September’s devastating floods left an impression on young Saqib Gulzar’s mind. In less than a year’s time, he came up with an award winning paper on Jhelum. Saima Rashid reports his feat and efforts

September 7, 2014 floods left none unscathed. There was no guarantee that another flood of the same intensity won’t hit Kashmir again.

The flood affected houses were soon categorized into partly damaged and fully damaged ones. Latter was like a dormant volcano which can erupt any time. Saqib Gulzar, an Engineering student compiled a book which can be a roadmap to rebuild Kashmir.

In January 2014, his research paper on Jhelum won him the best paper award at an international conference in Nagpur. He is the author of the book titled: Preliminary Guidelines for Repair, Restoration, Retrofitting and Rebuilding of Building Structures in Flood Affected areas of Jammu and Kashmir.

Saqib Gulzar, a final year civil Engineering student at NIT Srinagar likes to call himself jack of all trades and master of none. He is an engineer, innovator, researcher, orator, a leader and an artist.  “I am an unknown warrior who tries to be a little bit of everything,” says Saqib.

Saqib did his schooling from Valley’s prestigious institution, Green Valley Educational Institute. After completing his 12th in Non medical stream, he appeared in AIEEE test and got selected at NIT Srinagar as Civil Engineering student.

“Engineering is my passion, because I found it an application of fundamental sciences where you can address the needs of society directly,” says Saqib. “It is globally acknowledged field with highest local application particularly in developing countries.”

Saqib, a meritorious student throughout his career, topped all the eight semesters of his degree. “I never intended to study for being on the top of the list, but then it is my hardwork which doesn’t let me escape from No 1 position,” says Saqib gleefully.

Saqib says attending conferences, seminars and workshops across India gave him much needed confidence and exposure.

Saqib has already got 10 papers published in various reputed national and international journals. His field of research is: structural engineering, earthquake engineering, sustainable infrastructure development, water resource engineering and transport engineering.

“Floods left a great impact on everybody’s mind. And I was not an exception,” says Saqib. “Being an engineer, I thought of creating something which can make help us become active audiences at the time of disasters.”

The book is based on field survey of the flood affected areas, exhaustive literature survey, currently available research and global documents written on the same issue.

“It is not a novel, which I will document all on my own. But it is something factual and practical which demands you to do a lot of research, collect data etc.,” says Saqib.

The book also contains guidelines intended to help the people of Jammu and Kashmir to build a safer environment against the natural disasters particularly earthquakes and floods.

“After September 2014 floods caused colossal losses to the infrastructure, we at NIT Srinagar thought of coming up with preliminary guidelines followed by comprehensive and exhaustive guidelines pertaining to the repair and restoration of flood damaged structures,” says Saqib.

After continuous deliberations the team decided to incorporate seismic retrofitting guidelines as well owing to the fact that parts of Jammu and Kashmir falls under the High-risk earthquake zone, thereby intending to make flood damaged structures earthquake resistant.

Saqib is a role model for his fellow students. He was elected as President of Institution of Civil Engineers (United Kingdom) for the year 2014-2015. He is nominated in President’s Secretariat to represent NIT this year.

Besides, Saqib has earned student membership in the reputed Engineering societies like American Society of Civil Engineers, Institution of civil Engineers (UK), Institution of Engineers (India).

“All these achievements would have been impossible without the support of my loving mother,” says Saqib.

Shafinur Shafin

Poet, writer Shafinur Shafin standing third from left among her other SAARC mates.

I had heard of the fabled beauty of Kashmir as early as my childhood days. The words, Kashmir is a heaven on the earth and all beautiful people live there, reverberate in my ears to this day. So when I got the chance to come here, I did not miss it. But every coin has its opposite side.

The media always broadcasts political disputes about Kashmir, which gives a fearful impression to the people.  So when I got the chance to come here, everyone was so surprised and asked, “Why are you going there? You could have waited for some more days for another good opportunity to go to a safe and secure place! By the way, which Kashmir are you going: Indian Kashmir or Pakistani Kashmir?”

Even the visa officer at the embassy also looked at me in a manner as if I was going to a forbidden place. Officials at the Indian embassy ask many questions if a Bangladeshi is visiting Kashmir.

I was happy he did not waste my time. My solo journey to an unknown land had started then. Chittagong, my hometown is a little bit similar to Kashmir. Chittagong is surrounded by hills, so is Kashmir. But the new thing was I had never seen mountains wrapped in snow. I had my first bird’s eye view of the snow clad hills from the plane as it hovered over Kashmir skies.

The mountains looked like a squat white bear to me.

Earlier in the day, I had met a Kashmiri family at the Delhi airport who had a very cute kid. She surprised me with her abrupt questions. “Are you a Muslim? If so, then why do you put bindi on your forehead?” And then came the final indictment, “You are not a good Muslim!”

I was surprised that her mind should be harbouring such divisive talk at such a tender age! Her mother, however, was all apologies for her kid’s behaviour.  She apologized so many times saying, “I’m so sorry! Please don’t mind, she is just a kid!”

The flight was delayed by two hours. So the kid started playing with me, the game was teacher-student. She was my teacher in the game. Whenever I failed to give a satisfactory answer, she widened her brow and said, “Oh! Aap ye bhi nehi janti ho! Kya karun main apko leyker! (Oh, you don’t even know this! What should I do with you?)”

For three hours we were together, the family was so nice to me. My first and the best experience of Kashmir started with this family.

TS Eliot writes that April is the cruellest month of the year. I arrived in Srinagar at the end of this ‘cruellest’ month. Lok Sabha election was going on at that time, so every five minutes military vehicles and troops passed by. The car sped past the impassive faces of the troopers who stood erect like pine needles with their cold weapons.

My first impression about Srinagar was “Oh! There is more army than human beings!” The driver said, “This is very normal in Kashmir, it’ll be also normal to you within some days!”

I am the kind who cannot mingle with others so easily. So it took me seven months to make some very good Kashmiri friends. After coming to Kashmir, I noticed that Kashmiris respect foreigners. No one will feel insecure or cheated here.

Shafin Nur Shafin is a writer from Bangladesh.

Once we went to the Dargah (Hazratbal) to buy apples. As we picked apples from a lot with one vendor, he told us not to take those apples because those were too sour to be eaten. He could have made profit at our expense, but he did not.

Kashmiris are always very curious to know about Bangladesh, what compelled them to break away from Pakistan to become an independent country. One obvious question occurs after that, is there any difference between Indian Bengali or Bangladeshi Bengali, or everything is same.

Kashmiris are very warm and kind hearted. Although they live in a conflict zone, but their psyche is not complicated, but simpler than that of people of India. Which I like about Kashmiri people, they are very active to keep their traditions and culture alive. Another good thing about Kashmir is that the women are independent. They don’t get married before completing their education and the women are politically and socially well aware (which is usually not seen in other South Asian areas).

During winter vacation I was totally alone for one month, as fellow Bangladeshis left for home. That time I was ill. I went to Soura Hospital. The doctor was so curious to know about how I was finding Kashmir, more or less my experience etc. We talked a lot. I told him very frankly, “I don’t understand one thing why you people are so angry with India! India supports Kashmir a lot. Think of the flood time, if they had not been so prompt to send rescue teams, Kashmir could not have come out of that danger!” The doctor took a second to reply, “India first takes away all the oxygen. Then according to their will they give us some oxygen back. We can’t take breath with this little oxygen. What do you think should we be happy with this suffocative oxygen?”

That was the first time I began to look at Kashmiri people from a different angle. I started to think of a cage, howsoever beautiful it may be, that does not matter; a cage is always a cage.

I have so many experiences with people. My journey has not finished yet, so perhaps I will tell all the stories some other day.

Irked by corrupt ration distribution system, a group of five students innovated a biometric system that promises to eliminate black-marketing. Saima Rashid reports

The ‘Rationalising Ration’ team in the technical laboratory of Kashmir University’s engineering department. (Sitting: Mohsib on left and Tanveer Hussian on right)

It was a graduation day for engineering students of Kashmir University. The air of excitement was quite visible inside the auditorium. Soon their names would have a new prefix: Engineers.

Their excitement increased when the head of the department announced that the department was ready to assist any student who had an idea or project with innovative value.

Within no time the students formulated an idea to overhaul the ‘corruption ridden’ Ration Distribution System (RDS) of Kashmir.

Soon, the group, led by Tanveer Hussain, innovated a biometric based Electronic Ration Distribution System that would make ration distribution “completely transparent”.

“The idea was to put an end to overcrowding, wastage of time, regular fights, inaccuracy, black marketing and many such problems on Ration Ghats,” says Hussain.

After finishing their degree in Electronics and Communication Engineering from University of Kashmir, Hussain and his team of four other innovators (three girls and one other boy) were supposed to submit a combined project. That was when the idea about this ambitious project popped in their mind.

“For me, Ration Distribution System in Kashmir is as corrupted as any other government department where some manage to gobble most, while others are left with paltry, depending on how your relation with the Munshi is,” feels Hussain.

The group believes that once this innovation comes into practice, wrongdoings like black markeeting and inaccuracy will surely take a hit.

“The consumer will be allotted only 15 minutes to collect the ration and if he couldn’t pull off in this time, he will have to wait for next month,” says Mohsib, one of the innovators.

Undistributed quantity will go back to Food and Supplies Department, he adds.

Biometric system is completely finger print based, so whole process of printing Ration Cards will become obsolete, and details of the consumers will be saved in the Biometric system. The project is intended for public distribution of essential commodities like sugar, flour, rice, kerosene to a large number of people through a network, on a regular basis, in an automated way.

The project starts with fingerprint enrolment of every adult member of a particular family. Each family will receive a unique ID. Once the fingerprint of a specific family member matches the already enrolled fingerprint library, the message will be sent to the mobile handset of the controller of ghat. The controller will send the message in coded form to the system specifying the quantity of ration that has to be given to a particular family.

“Accordingly, the system will provide the allotted quantity to the customer. A feedback message will be sent by the system to the food and supplies department to update about the collection of the allotted quantity of ration and the remaining quantity of ration left in that particular ghat,” says Hussain.

The major drawback of current RDS is that, if by chance, a consumer is not able to collect ration on time, the distributor would black-market the undistributed ration without anybody knowing.

Hussain, the head of the team who hails from Lawaypora in Srinagar outskirts, is a multitalented person; a script writer, videographer, blogger and now, an engineer.

“I write scripts, and then turn them into videos. Since I have no platform to screen my work, I simply upload them on YouTube. Engineering is my career but script-writing is a passion,” he says.

Hussain is aware that to turn an innovation into reality, one needs capital, equipment, and a well organized lab.

Since Hussain and his group are no longer regular students of KU, they are uncertain if the university will let them work on the project anymore.

“No matter if the innovator is ex-university student or the student of any other college, they are welcome to present their ideas,” says Prof Mohi ud din, HoD of Electronic and Communication Department, University of Kashmir.

In 2014, the students of 4th, 5th, and 7th semester from this department had come up with a range of innovations like Baby Pee Sensor, Priority Wise Voltage System, Electronic Kangiri and what not. “But university has its own approval process.”

“We first make these innovators present their project at the University level in presence of concerned experts called Technology Angels. When they find them worth, only then I recommend their projects for further screening to DSIR and other national labs like PRISM and TOCIC,” says Prof Mohi Ud Din. Till now his department has released Rs 25 lakhs for such innovations.

 “Let these students approach me, they will receive similar support,” he assures.

A small town girl’s month long American tour changed her idea of education and life completely. Saima Rashid narrates her experience

Afeefa and other students who studied Robotic Engineering in US.

The  moment Afeefa Farooq, an 11 standard student from Pulwama district, stepped inside Harvard University in USA, her eyes sparkled in amazement. It was a dream journey. After every step she was promising herself that she will be part of this University, no matter what.

Afeefa was not the only one who was thinking on those lines. Her group mates from Pakistan, and different parts of mainland India were lost in the same thoughts. After sometime everyone started giving voice to their thoughts and unanimously spoke. “We promise to meet at this place after two years. Not as foreign students on a month long trip but as Harvard students. We will be back.”

Afeefa was among eight students selected from across India to study Robotic Engineering from University of Rhode Island’s (URI’s). Every year URI conducts a month long Building Bridges programme for students from across the world. This programme is conducted entirely on scholarship basis.  In 2015 eight students each from Pakistan, Turkey, India and the Province were part of this programme.

“I was the only student from Kashmir in the Indian group,” says Afeefa.  “I was very excited about this trip. Not because I was going to America, rather studying in any foreign land from any foreign University excites me.”

Afeefa did her initial schooling from Delhi Public School Srinagar then joined Dolphin International School Pulwama till 10th. Both of her parents are into academics.

“I am never pressurised to study hard or get good grades. My parents always advice me to study for the sake of learning and implementing rather than getting higher grades,” says Afeefa.

Maths is Afeefa’s favourite subject.  With a headphone in her ears she spends entire day solving numerical problems. “Music sharpens my mind rather than creating disturbance,” says Afeefa proudly.

Back in America, URI Building Bridges 2015 had made two more groups to participate from SEA (Summer Engineering Academy), but with a paid participation. “We had four counsellors, two from SEA and two from Building Bridges. Entire month was so productive that we learned to move and program robots in the direction we wished.”

Afeefa recalls that one of her projects was ‘Egg Drop Challenge’. “The aim was to drop an egg from the roof and not let it break,” says Afeefa.

A month’s stay taught Afeefa that ‘America lives in practicality’. American students don’t just read books but practice them, she says. “In Kashmir we are made to blindly follow whatever is written in our textbooks. Unless we don’t introduce a bit of Americanism in our education system we cannot grow,” says Afeefa.

The other projects she worked on along with her group mates were Trebuchet Contest, Propeller Car Challenge and Propeller Car Race. “We were given a motor to make a car propeller.”

Afeefa was part of a group of three students. “My other two mates were from Pakistan and the Province itself,” says Afeefa. “The aim was to see whose car is the fastest and I won the competition. That was the proud moment for me. Appreciation from professors followed,” Afeefa adds.

Afeefa credits her success to her school where she overcame her shy nature and gained confidence. “I still remember the moment when I learnt that my Visa was approved. It was a big moment for a small town girl like me,” recalls Afeefa.

At the end of her month long stay in America Afeefa recalls how everybody was in tears. “I felt terrible when I was about to leave America. But then the hope of coming back helped me smile,” says Afeefa confidently.

Indu Dhungana

SAARC students posing in their national dresses. (Indu Dhungana standing third from left.)

On April 6, 2014, I landed at the Srinagar airport in my first visit to the fabled ‘paradise on earth’ called Kashmir. The weather seemed hostile. On my first step on Kashmir soil, I was like: “Wow! Seriously, it is indeed paradise.”

As I marveled over the beauty of this place, my thoughts flowed in the same way as water in Jhelum did.

“Kashmir weather is very unpredictable and you must always carry a jacket,” a voice cried from behind. “Thank you, but this is my first time in Kashmir and I hadn’t made my mind about the fickle weather,” I replied. “Great! Welcome to our Kashmir.”

The image that I had of Kashmir slowly began to change when I saw smiling faces of people who received me warmly.

As I was moving along the river Jhelum, I brooded over the stereotype that “Kashmir was unsafe place” which had been rooted like pistia (an aquatic plant) in my mind.

I was taken aback at one instance when I saw people with black gown-like dress. At first, I thought they were hiding guns. However, later I came to know the apparel is calledPhern that Kashmiris put on in winter carrying Kangdi inside.

Half-truth is always dangerous. Media depicts Kashmir not more than a place of guns, deaths and mayhem. But Kashmiris – a terrorized lot – a fact that media has reported very little about.

It took me almost 15 days to convince my parents to seek permission for visiting Kashmir – all because of “half-truth”. As African writer Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie has phrased it very well: ‘The danger of single story’.

I had my virtual experience of the region through Bollywoodmovies like LoC, Mission Kashmir etc. I used to connect to the situation in accordance with the media depiction but slowly I realized how Kashmir is totally different from projection that media and Bollywood give to it.

Kashmir has the power to amaze people by its beauty but not many outsiders realise a bitter truth that this place has been scarred by tragedy. I have discarded the pistia which was deeply rooted in my mind and came to the conclusion that Kashmir is not the place of guns and mayhem: it is the place of humanity and hospitality.

Kashmir and Nepal have a shared feature in terms of conflict. Though it is history for Nepal but consequences are still prevailing.

Two incidents happened during the last one and a half year which are entirely different in nature but too close to me. The 2014 Floods of Kashmir and 2015 Earthquake of Nepal. In September last year, Kashmir was under water. It was my fourth month in Kashmir and everything got stuck; exams were postponed, communication was cut, hostels were full with sorrowful people who couldn’t go home. Same was the situation with us (SAF Scholars).

To stay for 15 days without any contact with my family wasn’t a joke for me. One day suddenly, my Kashmiri friend’s cell phone caught network.  In a compassionate gesture, she handed over her phone to me without even contacting her family. That day I realised that gods are not virtual, they are real. By her graciousness, I could convey about my wellbeing to my family.

The catastrophic earthquake in Nepal this year left my nation crying. As I was not present at that time in Nepal, I couldn’t help but wail helplessly.

But, I realized, crying and screaming was not the solution. So we (SAF Scholars including Kashmiri friends) decided raising funds for Nepal earthquake victims. We started our campaign and got amazing support from Kashmiris. Without posing a single question they gave us whatever little they had. Everyone asked me, “Aapkeghar mein sab theek to hein ne beta?” (Is everything alright at your home?)

By the end, we successfully raised Indian Rs 54,960 and sent the money to Nepal through Prime Minister’s Disaster Relief Fund.

Every coin has two sides. If I say Kashmir is always good, it won’t be justice to the other side. I encountered many people here who stamped a different concept of Kashmir in my mind. One day when I was heading to Dargah, an old man who passed by said, “Kaha se hoaap”? (Where are you from?) Nepal, I replied, “Muslim heinaap? (Are you Muslim?) I kept silent. “Bolo aap Muslim heinkay nahi”? (Tell me if you are a Muslim or not), he pressed again. “Nahi, mein Hindu hun,” (No, I am Hindu), I answered.

Indu Dhungana is a student at University of Kashmir.

“Muslim nahona to gunahheinauraapdopattasarperakhkechalo.” (It’s sinful to not be a Muslim and you must cover your head).

He then left murmuring something in Arabic. I could not comprehend the meaning of those words but wondered why he had problem with my uncovered head and half sleeved T-shirt.

I believe religion is something made to rule over the people, it doesn’t ‘make any sense’ in the life of human being; movies like PK depict it very nicely. Every Holy book mentions that humanity is the best religion. Yes, I am Hindu by religion but secular in nature.

If there is pond, there will are weeds as well. Likewise, we can’t isolate society from bad things. If there is good, presence of bad is inevitable as well. In Kashmir, good things are in majority while bad things in minority.

I have spent more than a year here and I still have one more year to spend. Scary image of Kashmir got changed into the effable one. I am hopeful that one day pistia will leave the Jhelum and lotus will bloom.