Peace: What Does It Mean?

Let’s understand the history and facts better to make it happen

By: Kashoo Tawseef

There have been many deliberations about the word peace and so called peace processes in various parts of the world including Jammu Kashmir. What it means to the world and what it means to Kashmir remains to be seen. But Dalai Lama has something interesting to say where ignorance is our master; there is no possibility of real peace. If one puts the words of Dalai Lama in context of Jammu Kashmir; it seems very clear that its ignorance of the facts and history that is a big hindrance in the peace at large. 

The struggle for peace is going on in most of the war and conflict ridden areas of the world; for some the state of Jammu Kashmir is part of this on going struggle. Sagar Parsi in his novel Discovery of Peace says the peace is that state in which one feels free to survive. Here a question arises that is this peace persisting in Jammu Kashmir, if yes, how much?

Celebration or Observation?

Human Rights!

By: Kashoo Tawseef
Hostility seems never ending in today’s day and age. Bombing, shooting and countless other acts, will the violence ever end? Will peace and stability ever come? The answer is perhaps more complicated than the conflict in itself. What is that which turns these common citizens into killing machines and there is no regard of their basic, fundamental, inalienable and inherent rights called the human rights. In the words of Nelson Mandela, “to deny people their human rights is to challenge their very humanity.” The subject of human rights is one of the most fundamental human issue and also one of the most sensitive and controversial one in contemporary world. During the recent decades, this problem was more political than either ethical or legal. Although the influence of political motives, rivalries, and other considerations have made difficult, the correct formulation of this problem , but this should not prevent thinkers of the world and genuine humanists from probing into this problem and ultimately obtaining a good solution. As Noam Chomsky once said, “the most effective way to restrict democracy is to transfer decision-making from the public arena to unaccountable institutions: kings and princes, priestly castes, military juntas, party dictatorships, or modern corporations.” 

Volunteerism!

A Noble Concept Called Volunteerism!

Let’s Join Hands to Serve Humanity

By: Kashoo Tawseef

Every religion including Islam talks about humanity (Insania) umpteen times, as it does on justice (Haq) and charity (Sadaqat) one needs to understand these concepts. To help humanity in any shape and form is the best endeavor one can do and volunteering is one such action that can add to your deeds much more than anything else. To volunteer is an integral part of the lives of many people, communities and societies in the world who want to serve humanity across the board rising above the differences of class, race, sect, colour, gender or nationality that exists in certain societies even today. Individuals in need benefit from the valuable assistance of volunteer work in many ways who not only share their knowledge and expertise, but other things including skills, valuable time and resources in the areas like social services, humanitarian support, technical assistance, and so on.

A system based on Justice!

A dream to imagine in this day and age!

If parties to the dispute act justly, the issues are solvable! 

By: Kashoo Tawseef

In the words of Martin Luther King, Jr., human progress is neither automatic nor inevitable... and he further adds that for every step towards the goal of justice; it requires sacrifice, suffering, and struggle; the tireless exertions and passionate concern of dedicated individuals and such individuals make up the system or a nation based on justice. The various systems and nations that exist in today’s world are based on some sort of principle, but the underlying fact is that if any of such system or nation is based on justice, then only one can expect good out of it, otherwise it is not going to last for long and history bears witness to this fact, how systems and nations collapse. One should stand up for justice and side with the just and distance from in-just as Malcolm-X once said, I’m for truth, no matter who tells it. I'm for justice, no matter who it's for or against. There are various interpretations to this deliberation as to what justice is all about and how justice can be the principle of any system and how justice can be incorporated into nation building. 

Third and First World

With each passing day, gap widens!

By: Kashoo Tawseef

In the words of Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz, a politician and revolutionary who served as Prime Minister and then President of Cuba, more than 820 million people in the world suffer from hunger; and 790 million of them live in the third world. Question remains why? Every nation has something good to offer and the word ‘under’ makes the difference between developed and (under)developed nations. It kept bugging me for a long time, especially when I was a kid, what is the difference between “third world” and “first world.” I had this imagination that may be first world is in a different planet, somewhere in the solar system; but in-fact the countries that make the first world exists on this very planet, yes the same planet or may be is it that the people living there are different, but in-fact they are same people as the ones in third world, they eat, they drink, they sleep, and they work pretty much same way. They have the system of governance in place; they also have some system of management, and they too have dreams for the better future. Then what is the difference? To dig into this difference there are many aspects to look take into consideration. The next couple of paragraphs will explore some of the possible reasons. 

Word K

Interchangeable lexis of twenty fist century 

By: Kashoo Tawseef

Freedom is a timeless value. The United Nations Charter encourages respect for fundamental freedoms. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights mentions freedom more than twenty times. All countries have committed to protecting individual freedoms on paper - but in practice, too many break their pledge, these were the words of current Secretary General of United Nations; but Mr. Ban Ki-moon, these declarations and charters’ are being torn apart every day and night in Kashmir. 

Jour (na) lism

Everything but journalism 

By: Kashoo Tawseef

Some media houses are of the opinion that if they do good journalism that will have financial, political and social repercussions on them, on the contrary, a leading journalist, Christiane Amanpour, believes that good journalism, good television, ‘can make our world a better place,’ by simply following ABC’s of journalism. Media tells news stories to its readers (in the case of print media) or viewers (in the case of electronic media) but there are always two sides to it. And if they are able to present both sides, they have done justice to it, otherwise these are not balanced news stories, and there are different names that come-up with that kind of news stories; some call is plainly as ‘biased’ news story, while as others call it one-sided report, and if media houses just exaggerate the story, then other names follow like yellow journalism etc.

Floods Anniversary

Did we learn any lesson?

By: Kashoo Tawseef

No one can forget this month as it marks the anniversary of deadly floods that shattered the Jammu and Kashmir in all its shape and form last year, but the question remains; have we learned any lesson? The floods last year this month surprised everyone as the floods were disastrously jiffy in almost a century in the history of Jammu and Kashmir. Death and destruction was at large scale and left thousands homeless and many more destitute. 

New Media Helps To Documents The Events

There is even difference of opinion between Indian and Pakistani administered Kashmir.

By: Kashoo Tawseef
Kashmir has been bone of contention between subcontinent’s two nuclear giants, India and Pakistan for which they have fought four wars in 1947-48, 1965, 1971 and 1999. The sensitivity of the conflict, as Asad Shah, a political science graduate says, can be realised with the fact that there are United Nations missions UNMOGIP (United Nations Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan) ‘located in both parts of the divided region’ and are ‘observing the ceasefire along the line of control(LoC)’. The recent cancelation of NSA’s talks once again proves the point that unless Kashmir issue is not solved, the India Pakistan relations are not going to move forward, he adds.

Win-Win Prevailed Over Lose-Lose

Take-aways from The Deal

By: Kashoo Tawseef

After months of negotiation, the so called P5+1, the United States, the United Kingdom, France, China, Russia and Germany -- and the European Union, came up with a long-term comprehensive nuclear deal with Iran, according to them, this will prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons. At the very outset, it was never proved that Iran had one nor it was proved that Iran is acquiring one. In addition, this deal is to ensure that Iran's nuclear program is exclusively peaceful, same argument that Iran has been insisting on from last more than a decade substantiated by IAEA reports time and again.

Freedom

Freedom

By: K Tawseef

Freedom− Yes!

It is absolute− others doubt

Yes it is not

They say absolute freedom doesn’t exist

Change

Change

By: K Tawseef

Change begins, begins and begins…

With alteration of thoughts,

Modification of ideas,

Variation of situations,

They say− change is natural!

Soul

Living Soul

By: K Tawseef

Existed, existing, exist;
Incessantly and ceaselessly,


Still breathing;
Enduringly and everlastingly,


Alive as always;
Unendingly and perpetually,

Thought

In a deep thought

By: K Tawseef

Considering the considerations;

Contemplating various contemplations,

In view of opinions,

Thinking good, thinking bad,

Patience

Patience

By: Kashoo Tawseef

Patience is endurance for survival;

For the existence, for the subsistence,


Patience is staying power;

To hold strength, to hold vigor,

Conscious Souls

Conscious Souls

By: Kashoo Tawseef

World− full of pain, full of agony,

World− full of distress, full of sufferings’,

World− full of hungriness, thirstiness,

World− full of starvation, full of famine,

Objectivity...

Objectivity

By: K Tawseef

Objectivity is objective;

Objectivity fetches’ independence, freedom, liberty,

The foundation of sovereignty,

Objectivity brings impartiality, fairness, neutrality,

The foundation of autonomy,

Few Stanzas

In search of peace 

By: K Tawseef 

Can you be at peace anytime? 

Want to search for that time, 

The time to be in peace, 

Peace in myself, peace in thyself, 

Peace in oneness, peace in entireness, 

Perfection

Perfection

By: K Tawseef

What composes precision?

Fineness or excellence,

What makes up perfection?

Health or wealth,

What hoards faultlessness?

Looking

Looking for a leader

By: K Tawseef

Leader− a personality with vision,

Leader− a disposition with foresightedness,

Leader− a revolutionary character,

Ahead of all, in-front of all;

Ready to sacrifice,

Verses From History With Reality!

Persecution!

By: Kashoo Tawseef

Being hounded, persecuted, why?

From last 1400 years, why?

Just coz believing in righteousness and,

Deem for justice,

It happened in deserts of Arabia and,

It’s happening now,

Few Free Verses

Bad Time

By: K Tawseef

Having bad time, strugglin, stressed;

Advice's start pourin, from all sides, all walks,

Every tom, dick and harry advice's,

Personality seems futile to natives,

You’re worthless to you!

Open Air

Open Air Prison

By: Kashoo Tawseef

Prison− yes prison;

A four wall boundary,

Yet an open air prison,

You can move, you can breathe;

Free Verses

Long life

By: K Tawseef

Thâ say
Life is temporary
Life is short
Life is diminutive
Thâ are right but
Thâ are wrong

Freedom

Freedom

By: Kashoo Tawseef

Free− free as freely,
Of everything,
And anything,
Free from force;
Free from law,
Free to talk,
Free to express,

Verses About Time and Space

Time and Space

By: Kashoo Tawseef

The Frame of time and space,
Every moment− has its frame;
That defines the very existence of jiffy,
Every subject− has its frame;
That defines its significance,

Verses About Words

Language

By: Kashoo Tawseef

Language− Collection of alphabets,
Language− Collections of words,
Language− Collection of sentences,
Language− Collection of sounds,
Alphabets can make and break the words;

Few Words

Being superior

By: Kashoo Tawseef

I’m superior, I’m better, I’m greater;

This is an illusion, isn’t it?

That I can do anything;

Whatever I want, whenever I want, wherever I want,

I’m in fantasy that I can do anything;

Good or bad, best or worst,

Verses From Poem

Humanity! 

By: Kashoo Tawseef 

Humaneness, kindness, and goodness, 

Magnanimity, fraternity, and generosity, 

Humanity is human, 

First be human; 

Then have human heart; 

That way you have human feelings, 

Feeling of sympathy and, 

Feeling of empathy, 

Verses

Political Conflict! 

By: Kashoo Tawseef 

Dispute over land 

Dispute over region 

Dispute over territory 

Dispute between powers 

But 

People suffer 

Suffer badly 

Yes 

Very badly 

Stanzas From a Poem

Unique Occasion!

By: Kashoo Tawseef

Yes it has happened and, 

Yes time has come, 

To Congratulate!

Applaud and, 

To praise, 

Congratulations! Congratulations!

Free Verse Poem

Success! 

By: Kashoo Tawseef 

Tho with many nuances, 

Some say can be quantified; 

Reckoned or; 

Qualified or; 

It can be worthy of, 

Call it Success! 

Verses of Poem

Today’s World 

By: Kashoo Tawseef

Today’s world— gloomy, very gloomy;

Full of bloodshed and,

Killings,

It’s full of Deaths,

Just Devastation and,

Destruction,

Just Wreckage and,

Ruins, 

Free Verse Poem

Life 

By: Kashoo Tawseef

Life— starts, starts, starts: 

Existence of living; 

With fresh arrival and,

With fresh appearance,

Fresh, fresh, fresh, 

Verses of Poem

I’m Lost! I’m Lost!

By: Kashoo Tawseef

Lost in myself and lost in thyself 

Yes I’m Lost, I’m Lost!

Lost in psyche and lost in personality

Yes I’m Lost, I’m Lost!

Lost in body and lost in soul

Yes I’m Lost, I’m Lost!

Sonnet ©TK

I’m a Common Man! I’m a Common Man! 

By: Kashoo Tawseef

With no political or bureaucratic influence 

I’m a common man! I’m a common man!

With no front or back door entry 

I’m a common man! I’m a common man!

With no bucks or bribe to pay

Free Verse Poem

Childhood 

By: Kashoo Tawseef 

Childhood— begins, begins, and begins: 

With innocent cries and, 

Innocent smiles; 

With no worries and, 

No sorrows, 

Free Verse Poem

Walk of Life

By: Kashoo Tawseef

Walk — walk, walk with time: 

Starts with time,

With space,

With age,

And with age, 

Free Verse Poem

Death

By: Kashoo Tawseef

Time — Yes, time comes and, 

No excuse please, 

Some are smiling and,

Others crying, 

Free Verse Poem

Time

By: Kashoo Tawseef

Clock —ticks, ticks and ticks,

Time —flies, flies and flies,

Life —starts starts and moves on;

Kids grow, grow and grow,

Sonnet

Yee Mauj Kasheer! Yee Mauj Kasheer! 

By: Kashoo Tawseef

Full of Beauty and Full of Magnificence 

Yee Mauj Kasheer! Yee Mauj Kasheer! 

Full of Sunlight and Full of Moonlight 

Yee Mauj Kasheer! Yee Mauj Kasheer! 

Poem

I’m Kashmir I’m Kashmir!

By: Kashoo Tawseef

Some call me, paradise, others heaven.

Yes I’m Kashmir Yes I’m Kashmir!

Some call me, dreamland, others ecstasy.

Yes I’m Kashmir Yes I’m Kashmir!

Middle East Crisis is Human Calamity!

Hope the sanity will prevail

By: Kashoo Tawseef

When one looks at the history, war is not a solution and war has never been a solution to any problem in the world. It has only brought death and destruction and more importantly increased the sales of fancy artillery and weaponry in the form of fighter jets like F-16’s and F-17’s worth millions. These days world is witnessing another war in the Middle East, earlier it used to be outsiders bombing Middle East, but this time its the neighbouring country bombing another sovereign country and ironically, that too a Muslim nation bombing another Muslim nation. Some analysts have called it ‘Saudi adventurism’ in the Middle East. One has to be careful in expressing their views with respect to this situation before getting labeled. 

Poem

I’m Occupation I’m Occupation!

By: Kashoo Tawseef

Some call me, incursion, others invasion.

But I’m Occupation I’m Occupation!


Some call me, conquest, others control of territory.

But I’m occupation I’m occupation!

Book Review: ‘Melancholy’ Story

By: Kashoo Tawseef

The book is about art, love, culture, nostalgia and it’s about Kashmir. The Book of Gold Leaves is the second book by the author after The Collaborator. The book gives an in-depth detailed account of daily life in a Kashmiri household and neighbourhood in the 90's usually called the dark days of Kashmiri history. It talks about the natural beauty of Kashmir, the lakes, water bodies and streams and how that are endangered and some have changed into habitation disturbing the ecosystem considered as one of the reason for the recent floods that devastated the whole infrastructure and left hundreds homeless. The book makes the reader feel like walking through the war-torn alleyways of Valley once as beautiful as paradise.

Quote of the Day: (K)ashmir

Quote of the Day

Kashmir has a place more to  Central  Asia  than to  South Asia, owing to i  ts  heavenly  ties with the area as  far  as   society, conventions, religion, and so forth, said Professor Gregory Gleason, chief  of  the  Central   Asia    program  at  the  George C. Marshall European Center, upon his landing in Srinagar at some point back. 

"To be completely forthright, when I touched base in Kashmir, I quickly perceived the sort of related association with the Central Asian Countries. There are social peculiarities and qualities in Kashmir that help me all that much to remember nations we've generally viewed as the Central Asian nations," Marshall adds.

Experience and Skills

It has a role to play in personal development 

Kashoo Tawseef

Rising Kashmir

When one considers the experience and skills that one learns and has most affect in his/her personal capacity building and development, the most striking are those that have taught people something new and helped them to develop a greater insight into (their)self. People have had a few intellectual experiences that have taught them important things but there is always some or I should say one experience, that perhaps more than any other, has allowed people to learn new things and develop an interest in their career goals.

Social Media

Redefining news coverage from East to West

By: Kashoo Tawseef
Rising Kashmir, Mar 15: Stuart Allan and others write in the book, ‘Citizen Journalism’ that in the global perspective, media has passed through a change. Consumers can now choose either the traditional media with its many limitations, or the new media which offers unimagined access. The new media refers to what we call the social media, now seen in tools like: 

Twitter, YouTube, Facebook, blogging et cetera.

VISUAL GRAPHICS PHOTO ESSAY

Visualisation of Media

By: Kashoo Tawseef
This photo essay is to understand the meaning of visualisation of the text (here media) that symbolizes 'out of the box' meaning.

ESSAY

Visualisation of Text

By: Kashoo Tawseef

Text besides being the combination of alphabets to make a word or a sentence or a paragraph or an essay, has its own meaning and that symbolises the visualisation of the text and such visualisation is out of the box meaning, this photo essay is an effort in that regard.

Theme: Conflict

In East and West Asia

Use of New media as a News(gathering) Tool

By: Kashoo Tawseef

In the words of Allan, (eds.) in his book, Citizen journalism: global perspective, media has passed through a change where the consumers have choice of information to access to either to the traditional media with so many limitations or to the new media with easy access and adds that “the new-media model is horizontal, with the consumer of the information in the middle of a flow of information seemingly, the equal of every other bit.” The new media has positive effect on the way the recent events were covered in print and electronic media related to Middle-East in general and in South Asia in particular, in 2011 during Egypt uprising as compared to five years ago in Lebanon war in 2006. 

PHOTO ESSAY

Nature and Natures Beauty...

By: Kashoo Tawseef

When one looks at the beauty of the nature, it has many stories to tell. We need to go into the depth of each of its components, and analyse and ponder upon them carefully. Each component has an answer to many of our unanswered questions in this life. This photo essay is an attempt to analyse and find such answers to those unanswered questions as Albert Einstein, summarises this argument in one beautiful line, "Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better."

‘Melancholy’ Story

Kashmir Observer

The book is set in early 90’s of Kashmir; the book revolves around a heartbreaking love story between Roohi, a young Sunni woman, and Faiz a Shia Papier Maché artist, set in the heart of the downtown, Srinagar. The story gives an insight about the every day life as it used to be in war-torn Kashmir in the early 90’s, and particularly how conflict affects the normal life, and how military presence impacts on every affair of the life including the love affair."if there is a paradise upon earth, it is here, it is here, it is here"

Read full article

Letter to Editor

Double standards in defending free speech

Kashmir Times

Dear Editor

This is in reference to the “One-sided Journalism” by some media sections of our society in this day and age. Not both sides of the story are being present to the readers. Those who expose the hypocrisy of some sections of media and their so called sermons over freedom of speech need appreciation.

The Book of Gold Leaves is a ‘melancholy’ story

Review:

By: Kashoo Tawseef
About the Book:
Title: The Book of Gold Leaves.
Author: Mirza Waheed.
Paperback: 339 pages.
Publisher: Viking an imprint of Penguin Books-2014.

Book Review:

Social Media

Platform for political discussions

Kashoo Tawseef

Kashmir has been bone of contention between India and Pakistan for which they have fought three wars in 1947-48, 1965, and 1999. The sensitivity of the conflict, as Asad Shah, a political science graduate says, “Can be realised with the fact that there are United Nations missions UNMOGIP (United Nations Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan) located in both parts of the divided region and are observing the ceasefire along the Line of Control (LoC).” 

Healthcare System

Zov Aur Jaha'an Aur...

Republishing this article after five years: we haven’t learned lessons!

By: Kashoo Tawseef

Healthcare of Jammu and Kashmir is always in struggling phase and this is an opinion that I expressed five years ago on 27-02-2010. As goes the adage ‘zov aur jaha'an aur’ meaning health is wealth but unfortunately here we don’t focus much on it and lack of infrastructure and health consciousness adds more to the agony. The debate well started and illustrated by Dr Khuroo’s article about state healthcare, and the subsequent letters and opinions provide food for thought for one and all as it concerns all.

26th January!

And this time Obama is visiting

By: Kashoo Tawseef

Right to live, that too in ones own place, is an inalienable, birth and basic human right as Nelson Mandela said, ‘to deny people their human rights is to challenge their very humanity,’ Jammu and Kashmir is an example of such challenge to humanity where this right is being violated day in and out.

New Media in 2015

In conflict areas it plays an active and dynamic role

By: Kashoo Tawseef

Power of the people is paramount to the development and peace of any nation but in a conflict situation, this people’s power is always in jeopardy. Social media has a given new hope to the people to retain this power as Mark McKinnon, states “technology and social media have brought power back to the people.”