Kashmir on the verge of people's revolution(Part-II)

Thursday was followed by a historic Friday when the world witnessed the true rise of a giant…An awakening, a united resistance…A people’s revolution
"Eidgah Chalo" call by the separatist Hurriyat Conference was met by a tremendous and unprecedented public response…A massive crowd of well over a million ordinary suffering Kashmiri’s marched towards the historic Eidgah grounds and gathered for pro-freedom slogans and even more attended the Friday prayers calling for a revolution…
The over whelming numbers in itself is a history in the making…the whole valley had united for a common cause…the most fascinating thing about the protests in Kashmir is that unlike Jammu, all the religious parties stood shoulder to shoulder…non-muslims and muslims alike for one cause…The suffering fruit growers unable to trade with the markets in rest of the country due to highway blockade, showered the sea of people with apples as if it was raining apples for the protestors…the martyrs were remembered and their suffering families got the deserving respect…such a tremendous sense of kashmiri nationalism as never seen before
Amazingly the whole sea of people went unnoticed in the national (Indian) media which never highlighted the fact that over one million ‘PEACEFULL’ protestors shouted for freedom and independence…
All the Indian media managed to report was that a bunch of people led by separatists carrying anti national green flags carried a rally to Eidgah grounds...!!!
Wake up people…this is no longer a separatist led movement…they are mere spectators…It’s a people’s movement…
The most important fact being that the pro-Pakistan slogans were replaced by pro-independence or rather pro-freedom slogans…Literally every Kashmiri including the very old woman and the very young children were shouting for freedom….!!!
This truly can be put as a beginning of a revolution when Kashmiri people have decided to put an end to this life of misery and grief, a life of despair and disparity, a life of struggle for the very basic human rights to survive…This is the time to undo the curse of the ‘cursed heaven’…never before in our history, not even in 1990 such a movement was witnessed which was entirely a peoples movement…this time the leaders are mere spectators and have been led by the people and the people unlike the early 1990’s are un armed and using non-violent ways to protest…the slogans for Pakistan have given way to slogans for freedom…this is entirely a peoples movements…a peoples struggle…
The martyrs of this land have sacrificed their souls for a generation of intellectual protestors who have decided to follow the non-violent resistance like the great Mahatma Gandhi…
The optimism in the eyes of the common people is quite easily visible but it’s rather hard to believe that we can ever be independent…though the people sense a revolution coming, but it’s rather difficult to even think of independence when we actually are so dependent…!!!!!
The spirit and the will of people isn’t ready to realize the fact that India is not just any ordinary country but a prosperous and flourishing nation with a very strong military…
The Indian military hasn’t yet retaliated to the pro-freedom slogans…It’s just a matter of time before the armed forces decide to end this aimless show or the so called mass movement….and when that day comes, we won’t have any place to hide or run to…we won’t be able to resist the brute force and the piercing bullets that will shatter our homes and our dreams too…we will bleed and we will suffer…we will die in pain and anguish over the fact that we never got what we deserved and what was rightly ours…once the men in uniforms and the men in arms come searching for us, we won’t have a place to hide….the freedom which has been stolen from us will never be ours….
BUT…world has witnessed the most amazing turnover’s in its history…so many times have we seen the impossible and unbelievable happen…take the example of India which over turned the imperial British Empire to win it’s freedom or the great revolutions of Europe and America…
The people hold the ultimate power to rule and to ruin any kingdom…it’s the people who hold the supreme strength…
In recent days we have seen many intellectual Indians such as the Bookers Prize winner Arundhati Roy supporting the Kashmir cause…many other intellectuals in India have questioned the Indian democracy for suppressing the will of Kashmiri people when the people are struggling for basic survival leave aside freedom….Why can’t the people push towards the United Nations solution to the whole dispute…A justified PLEBISCITE….??? Doesn’t that sound fair enough???...and even if it ever happens we all know that most of the kashmiris from Azad Kashmir (Pakistan Occupied Kashmir) will vote against Pakistan and most of kashmiris from Indian Occupied Kashmir will vote against India…That will mean an independent Kashmir…!
Although it sounds great on paper but the fact remains that independent Kashmir is an impossible existence….!!!
In the midst of all the politics and all the drama, we the common Kashmiris suffer every day and every night…We are the children of despair and grief….WE ARE A CURSED BUNCH OF PEOPLE LIVING IN THE CURSED PARADISE….!!!
I guess the media can no longer hide the fact that this is no longer a protest over the Amarnath Land Row or any fight with communal forces in India…but this is much more of a mass awakening to the much bigger Kashmir issue… The massive public movement for freedom and the peaceful unarmed protestors (ready to stand up against the strongest and the most brutal enemy for freedom) makes an intellectual think that a revolution is a genuine possibility…we got all what it takes to begin a revolution…now all we need is an unselfish leader who will guide through the right track to a land of peace and salvation…..and that’s what I think this revolution lacks….a great leader fighting for the sake of kashmir…
What so ever happens in the coming days..one thing is for sure…blood will be shed…it might be a bloody revolution which will either manage to give us our freedom and basic human rights or it will be a mass murder brutality which will give a life even more miserable than the one we already have….
Personally, I wish we continue to be a part of the prospering BRIC countries (Brasil,Russia,India,China) and I wish the future of my fellow peers would not be lost in this so called revolution which seems to be fighting a lost battle….Moreover the innocent youth is protesting as if celebrating an event or as if on the verge of victory…but least they know that the way ahead is the most difficult and hardest with unseen dangers and unthinkable risks that may ruin their future or even take away their precious lives…!
I am leaving for college in Middle East and I have no idea that by the time I come back what history would have written for my people…Freedom is all what we seek….!!!
Monday has been declared the day for carrying a pro-freedom rally to Lal Chowk (Lal Chowk Chalo)…I guess we will see even more people attend the peaceful agitation and cry for freedom…Expect to see Ghanta Ghar (clock tower in the middle of Lal Chowk) covered with green flags…
I don’t know if I ever will be able to blog again or not…I don’t know what fate holds for me…I don’t know what turn history will take at this important time for both me and my valley….!!
Well, I better start packing my stuff for college before it’s too late….It’s quite an exhausting job when you have to pack your stuff in such chaos …I don’t know when will I be able to meet you guys next time, until then good bye and stay well….
And yes, one request to all you folks out there reading this blog...try to uncover the realistic truth behind the superficial truths which the biased Indian media will put in front of your unaware eyes in the coming days….Know both the sides of story before forming any opinion over the Kashmir issue…
If you can then pray for my valley which is crying out for help and a revolution seems not so unlikely possibility…May God bless Kashmir with enough strength to fight through these difficult darks days into the days of freedom and prosperity...
FREEDOM DOESN'T ALWAYS MEAN INDEPENDENCE...!!!

Freedom Blogger...Signing out indefinitely

Kashmir on the verge of a people's revolution (PART-I)

"A sleeping giant waking up to this world of injustice and oppression"

It was Thursday, The last day of the three day deal which Hurriyat conference had announced for giving people a breather before another week of continuous strike and protests….
Sensing the urgency in the eyes of every Kashmiri rushing to markets that this might be the last day when day get a chance to go out and buy themselves a bag of rice before their lives get crippled again with the indefinite strikes and curfews…Even I rushed to the overcrowded and busy Lal Chowk (city centre)….No, not to buy any rice or processed food packs of the Italian pasta or Chinese chowmein but instead to buy my essential stock of groceries and clothing to help me survive in college…
Yea finally I found a college ready to take me in...The current scenario doesn’t allow a Kashmiri to live freely in India (AS IF WE WERE LIVING FREELY IN OUR OWN VALLEY….!!!)
Most of the Kashmiris living or studying in the more greener pastures of India don’t feel secure anymore…Thanks to the communal forces acting in this great nation that forced me to go for college to Middle East (Dubai) rather than our own thriving metros….
The shops seemed so empty and the clothes looked like they belonged to some ancient age….!!! Maybe the highway blockade and the strike kept the newer and trendier stuff from reaching the windows of our cities beloved shops….!!!
Totally frustrated, I decided to come back home empty handed…But just as I was about to go back to the car parking which happened to be quite adjacent to my school (C.M.S. Tyndale Biscoe which sits handsomely at the heart of the city centre), I heard a familiar sound…The ‘ding-dong’ of the famous school bell (which is already a piece of history due to its age and the high pitch sound it creates throughout the otherwise chaotic Lal Chowk streets)
I turned back and remembered that I was standing right next to the glorious and historic school gate…All the memories of the nostalgic childhood flashed across my eyes and I stood there as if a spectator witnessing his wonderful childhood pass by him…and then this moment of wonder was broken when a sharp voice thumped my ear…"Hum Kya Chahte???……Azaadi,Azadi…Azadi" (What do we want?....Freedom, Freedom…Freedom)
It was a huge crowd of young students in their school uniform (in fact the students of historic S.P. College) protesting the death of their beloved batch mate at the hands of Indian troopers….The students in their school uniforms and handsome ties over their sparkling white shirts with their broken voices portrayed the dismal future of our next generation..Following them were the girls of Womens College with their own slogans for freedom…
I stood by the side of my school as a mute spectator witnessing the historic scenes…Youth bringing a new life and new energy to this struggle against oppression and brutal force…What better way to compliment when a group of bar association (lawyers) dressed in black joined the students in their cry for freedom…
The intellect is finally getting vocal and driving home the point that they are not ready to give up their basic human rights…
Seeing the huge rush and chaos in the crowd, I somehow managed to make my way to home…
The scenes are still quite vivid in my eyes…
And then late in the evening I peeped out of the window in my room on hearing someone shout out from a loud speaker…"Hum kya chahte??"(what do we want?) followed by huge chorus from people "Azadi Azadi Azadi" (freedom freedom freedom)
The huge crowd of ‘ordinary’ people protested throughout the night with the mashals (torches) burning and flames rising high…
I could feel the heat even from a safe distance…! The heat which spoke a lot more than the crowd on the street…The heat which spoke of the fire that had been ignited twenty years ago and now had grown into a full blown resistance…The flames which spoke of the ray of light which the common people had chosen to follow….The smoke which told the untold story of a ‘burning paradise’…It was quite indeed a sign of waking of the giant…
The common ordinary soul has finally waken up to its struggling conscience which isn’t ready to give in to the brutal oppression….A conscience that is ready to fight and struggle for freedom…The conscience of the common ‘people’ which has finally woken up to this world of injustice and cruelty…
To be continued...

We need some 'real' heroes not any virtual messiahs

I know it’s been some time since I blogged and yes, I know the very basic rule for blogging succesfully is to blog every single day even if you don’t feel like writing or even if all you can do is to spit out all the poison which has already erroded and corrupted the minds and souls of humanity…!
Leave aside the thought of blogging as a carrer option…even if you ever dreamed of blogging as a leisure, you can’t stop blogging even for a single day….!
Well, talking about me….I have got my own reasons…..Read On
As always I have been absconding for days together and that adversely affects my audience which needs to improve in quantity (not quality!)….Actually it’s something like this; ”I blog for few days and gain a huge audience who like to type my blog address every morning but then I go missing for another few days and lose the dedicated traffic which once had promised to take me to glory…!”
Don’t worry, I won’t quit so easily….!!!
I am a fighter as I said…I fight the depressive unconciousness into optimistic consciusness and then after losing all the audience, I chose a day (just like today) to restart my blogging venture and start from scratch….(ooow….I love it…!!!!) heh
(I call it “BLOGGING IN BITS AND PIECES”…!!!)
Ahem…So coming back to quench the needs of the very few people who still are in the hope that maybe I wake up some day from my miserable and lethargic life and write something which they might just love to read…(or maybe copy for their own blog…..!!! SWEAR… have seen my blogs get copied sometimes…!)
Don’t worry folks I already know how irritating I am when I think of myself as some SUPER blogger whom the world can’t get enough of…hehe
But honestly, lately my blogs have seen a massive increase in traffic and tremendous response in the form of commments plus the additional encuoragement from a local newspaper…wow I think I’m finally writing some shit which people feel like reading (maybe to get their daily dose of points to win some debate or discussion with another fellow about the situation in Kashmir…or maybe to win some points in their favour for the ‘BLAME GAME’ with another communal friend…or most probably reading my blogs just for the sake of ‘Time-Pass’ because they might wanna know what’s happening in the kashmir valley which otherwise was in their families tourist calendar for the season….!)
Hah...Such great resons to read about the plight of oppressed and suffering people…(What a shame!)
Well..talking about my blogs, I guess it was quite a wonderful week for me…Such glorious comments and traffic from all around the globe, the news item in a local paper plus people showing their support through comments(and equal number of people with stern oppossition..!)
But then I went missing as always and I know most of you folks out there would have been seriously pissed with me for not writing everyday about my valley and it’s people….at least not since the independence or let’s say DEPENDENCE day…!
Alright I know I am just an 18 year old small time blogger….But still I think I don’t need to write again what we people went through and how the whole valley burnt and the way it burnt since last week…
For Gods sake…I can’t dedicate rest of my life to punishing myself with blogs about how me and my people suffer everyday…and that too when it won’t make any difference because I know just like any stuff you folks read out there…you will read my blog as well, and give a sigh of sympathy and then move on with your busy lives….!
Or even if somehow someone might wanna do something after reading my blog, at most that would be to put in a comment or some stuff like that….
For heavens sake…tell me how does that make any difference…????
The things will remain as they always were...
Oppressed and un heard people forced to remove the word joy and it’s synonyms from their dictionary…a bunch of people with no hope or no messiah to put an end to this suffering….or may I say, cursed people living in the ‘CURSED PARADISE’…!
I guess at most the only difference my blog will make is just that you folks will see us now more sympathetically than before….
BUT WE DON’T NEED YOUR SYMPATHY OR YOUR AFFECTION…we need you to stand up and fight with us for what is right…
But I guess, there ain’t any more revolutionaries left in this country of the Great Mahatma Gandhi who will have the courage to stand up for what is right, even stand up against his own country just for the sake of justice…I guess, all what we read in our Indian history books about the great Indian revolutionaries or the freedom fighters is actually JUST HISTORY….!!!
Maybe the ‘legendary’ generations and the ‘legends’ left nothing for the future world but just few tales of heroic deeds…!
So basically it won’t make any difference if I blog when an army man murders a father,rapes a sister or burns a mother….
What the hell am I gonna blog for…??? A lost cause…!!!
No, I am not saying that I am some kind of a heroe or a messiah for my people but I can promise you onw thing…if asked to fight, I will stand up and shout through my VOCAL throat to let the world know that we are the children of despair and depression….Struggling to establish our own identity when the very basic thing that keeps us away from being murdered are our “Identity Cards” with our latest photographs on them….!!!!!!

I can see some of you folks out there giving a sympathetic sigh of grief over our suffering or maybe trying to absorb the fact that Indian militia has deprived the people in Kashmir of their very basic human rights….or maybe some of you might be copying my blog to some another page or taking down some points foryour own communal debate…even maybe some of you folks would be steaming with anger and furiously posting a comment for this blog….
I DON’T WANT ANY ENCOURAGEMENT OR ANY OPPOSITION…NEITHER ANY TRAFFIC NOR ANY AUDIENCE…
ALL I WANT IS SOME COURAGEOUS AND BRAVE SOUL TO STAND UP AND FIGHT FOR OUR CAUSE….even if not for justice then for the sake of humanity
Honestly it won’t make any difference if after reading this piece of honest and true confession you might have an adrenaline rush to do something for us because all this counts to nothing until you stand up and do something…………..
We want some ‘REAL’ heroes and not any virtual messiahs….!

Black Out (Blogging in Dark)

India celebrates it's 62nd Independence Day and we Kashmiris haven't still figured out a way in last 20 years to call this day as anything but a 'DEPENDENCE' day....!!! lolz
The whole valley has once again gone into complete darkness (literally darkness!)... A total black out
No, not the type which we witness in winters when our high voltage power lines snap off but this time it's something of a voluntary black out where people themselves turn off each and every source of light they can find....!
This all has been termed as a united way to protest the opression by armed forces and a unique way to celebrate our very own BLACK DAY..! (even the moon couldn't betray us tonight, it's hiding beneath the DARK clouds which no longer seem to have a silver lining and it looks like a storm is gathering in the dark....)
In fact if it didn't sound dramatic enough, people have decided to continously beat their roof tops for half an hour as a way to raise their voices in unison....and as I write this blog, I can hear the tapping of tinned roofs all over the valley....! (must confess, it sounds quite cool when all roofs go..BANG BANG....!!! surely some music directors can take some inspiration...I mean the different kind of new age music...let's say 'BLACK eyed peas' !!! hehehe)
I guess in the last two decades we Kashmiris have really taken protesting to an all new level....! heh... we have invented such ways to protest that can put any revolution to shame (though the only difference being that we ain't any revolutionaries but a bunch of suffering people who have been pushed to wall and have been left with no other choice but to revolt against opression and aggression..!!!)
Well, talking about the whole Kashmir issue...I have already made my point in my previous blogs and it doesnt make any sense to repeat the same miserable story again and again....though I am only 18 and still inexperienced but I have enough 'grey matter' to understand the complexity of an issue and especially when it's an issue of my very own people....maybe my point of view might not sound too authentic but I have my way, an original way of looking at things....and it gives me great satisfaction to see that at least my point of view has been recognised by a local newspaper..thus it won't make any sense if I start repeating the same old tragic tale time and again...! (hope you agree)
Hmmm....so with lights off and freedom resricted, there isn't much joy left in my newly found ADULT life...and moreover, my DVD library has already exhausted so now no new stuff left in the stock....
But then there exists a ray of hope, something I am really looking forward to...
Have been waiting almost three months for this day and it's here...
The brand new EPL (English Premier League) season starts tomorrow....and it promises to be yet another cracker...some mouth watering clashes on the first week end and my beloved Manchester United in action against age old rivals Newcastle United...(still remember those early days when Man United used to put 6 past the otherwise talented Newcastle goal keeper....!!!)
The best thing is that Fergie (Sir Alex) stayed and he made the wonder kid Ronaldo to stay...(Real Madrid still can't believe that money can't buy a Ronaldo..!!!)
This might well be Fergie's last season and we all expect it to be an absolute belter...the expectations are really high after the last seasons league and European double...We might repeat a treble or who knows with this young and talented squad a quadruple is possible.....Glory Glory Man United
With the valley gone into crisis...I think the devils are calling me, Oh yeah, they are the Devils in RED....!!!!
Finally, I got my team back in action....normal services resumed...(no longer sitting at home would be such a pain in the ass....all hail Man United....)

Anyways coming onto a serious note...My eyes can no longer suffer the pain of reading a blog in dark and when that blog reflects the misery of your own folk it causes even more pain....
I better put out my laptop lights before some one starts calling me a traitor....!!!
The whole valley has gone into such darkness that I can see no lights being turned on from anywhere....
Let's hope the morning would be bright and sun would shine for ever....(and yes one more wish, may Man United kick some ass...!)

FINALLY, some one hears me out (I am on newspaper..!!!)

Page 8 of the Greater Kashmir, which made me famous...ALMOST...!!!!
I told you I need some motivation for blogging, be it some comments (which rarely come!), the international traffic (which actually is increasing everyday) or some burning issues which make me open the laptop and start typing or else you will see an end to my already struggling 3 month old blogging career...! (still can't recover from the "Google AdSense" depression...they kicked me out...!!!!)
Well ,yesterday happened to be a special day for me and my motivation...22 COMMENTS on a single blog...(whoa..!! Am I dreaming or what...!!!!!!)...but miserably most of the comments were targetted against the sentiments of my fellow Kashmiris and were highly debatable issues…
as I told you before,there are a lot of stories which are not reported in the media and go un heard in the rest of India thus making it difficult to make them sound authentic and credible....(unfortunately they happen to be the stories of Kashmir).....so it was quite predictable to see the anger in the Indian public which reflected in the comments....(still wondering which comments??...read the previous blog "Kashmir Burns (blogging LIVE from war scene) " )
It was a highly turbulent and tense day in the valley with protests taking place in every nook and corner of the city, infact I couldn't sleep till late midnight because this time the VOCAL protests continued late into the night and robbed me of my precious sleep...(what a shame..I sleep when my city burns and my fellow people shout out loud for the ones hiding in their homes to come out and join their hands in this revolt against opression and human rights violation…)
Yes, the people were all fired up against Indian armed force's late night actions of breaking into houses and beating up harmless women and innocent children...but still it didn't make any sense to raise pro Pakistan slogans.....maybe the attrocities by Indian armed forces pushes the people to turn towards Pakistan as a ray of hope (wish they had the vision to see beyond a Muslim majority country...!!! and see the real UNDEMOCRATIC truth behind our so called sympathetic neighbours....!!!)
But somehow, I did manage to put my conflicted conscience to rest and went into a deep slumber ..!
Woke up today late in the morning with the same fear of not knowing what worse the day holds for me and my fellow people who had been suffering since last twenty years and were now caught in the middle of a marsh from where none of the ways look like leading to heaven...! (hope you got that)

As usual,the first thing I do in the morning is to search for the local newspaper "Greater Kashmir" which happens to be the only source of un biased, unheard and untold stories of my valley....but I couldn’t find the newspaper on the dining table nor anywhere in the kitchen…it was already quite late(almost noon!!) and I supposed that after drinking the habitual glass of milk (in fact chocolate milk...!!) I would as usual find it in the store room with rest of the out dated newspapers…!!!
Alas! It wasn’t even in the store and that’s when I realized that I was living in the middle of a valley in which every single home was surrounded by an army regiment and your ‘identity card’ forms your basic right to prove that you are not an extremist….!!! (pity me and my fellow peers who can’t go out of their homes without an ‘Identity card’ and if somehow some of the younger youth forget it……then we may never see them again..!!!! )
The civil curfew is actually so strict that hardly any newspaper is available in the morning…..(aaahhh…thus goes the chance to read some true stories for the day…!!!)
And then as expected, I logged online to see what my friends had been up to or what they had to talk about on ‘Orkut’ and ‘Facebook’…..
Suddenly as I logged into Facebook, one of ma friend buzzed me up with ‘Congrats’…n I wondered what for…..!
That’s when he sent me this link which changed my fortunes for ever……!!! (hahhaa…wish it had changed my fortunes for real….!!!)
http://www.greaterkashmir.com/full_story.asp?Date=14_8_2008&ItemID=29&cat=21

My eyes stuck on the headline:-
"Kashmiri bloggers discuss Muzaffarabad march, police action, curfew"
Some kind of 'déjà-vu' feeling which I usually have before such things…. there it was....my blog on newspaper.........whoa...!!!!.........Such an adrenaline rush…!!!
I went bonkers, seeing the article with my MISPRINTED blog address....(unfortunately the newspaper misprinted ‘2virginz’ as ‘virginz.blogspot.com’) which unfortunately didn’t help me increase my blog traffic....!!!
But anyways I felt as if I had achieved something big, really big…I had attempted to tell the other side of Kashmir’s story and now I had a reason to believe that some one was listening…..

Here’s what the news item read:-
Kashmiri bloggers discuss Muzaffarabad march, police action, curfew
by Majid Maqbool

Srinagar, Aug 13: Kashmiri bloggers are making their presence felt on the net by posting their views uncensored as curfew across the valley entered its second day on Wednesday. A blogger from Kashmir, under the domain name kashmir-truth-be-told.blogspot.com in his August 11 post writes, “The unprecedented brutality unleashed by Indian paramilitary troops on unarmed Kashmiri protestors marching towards Muzaffarabad defies all logic.” On August 12, the same blogger rued whether justice will be done and those responsible for the killing of unarmed people across the valley brought to book. He writes in his post, “I wonder whether the murderers of these thirty protestors will ever see the justice? Or will they be treated as heroes as all other previous Indian paramilitary personnel have been for similar crimes in the past?” The comments, in response to blogs from Kashmir on the issue, pour in from across India and the world. Mrinmoy comments in response to the post of the Kashmiri blogger kashmir-truth-be-told”, “I heartily pass condolences to those persons who have lost their lives in the recent agitations all over the Kashmir. I am from West Bengal and this type of act should be actively restricted. I and all my fellow friends from West Bengal love the land of GOD, the people of Kashmir and their tradition.” Suchi, in her comment to the blog regretted the loss of life during the protests. “I sincerely regret whatever happened in the valley yesterday, if I could, maybe I would want to erase the entire day from history,” she writes.
An eighteen year old Kashmiri blogger (virginz.blogspot.com) in his recent blog writes about his inability to move out due to the imposition of curfew in the city. “Just logged online to see what the world had been writing about the situation in Kashmir. The civil curfew is so strict that we can’t even step outside our houses to breathe the fresh air of the valley, leave aside the daring task of buying very few local newspapers with an unheard side of Kashmir’s story…!” It brings tears to my eye to see such a biased media, the young blogger writes about national media coverage on the present situation. And no, it’s not the fault of ‘an ordinary Indian citizen, he writes in his post. “He sees only what the media wishes him to see…an ordinary patriotic Indian who thinks that Kashmiris are some religious fanatics seeking independence from India without any explainable reasons, or maybe some other fellow Indians putting the situation in Kashmir as a work of some separatist Kashmiri leaders misleading the otherwise innocent and peace loving people of Kashmir.” The Kashmiri blogger also writes about the role of ordinary netizens like him in Kashmir. “When the media fails, it’s the responsibility of the ordinary people to find out the actual truth hiding beneath the superficial truths”, he writes about the present situation in Kashmir. Blogosphere remains a potent forum for discussions—and disagreements—on issues and controversies related to Kashmir. And Kashmiri bloggers continue to login to post their viewpoints on their blogs—uncensored, unedited, and for the world to read.

Holy shit…! I am on newspaper uncensored and un edited…!!!
I rushed to my cousins house who somehow had managed to get his copy of Greater Kashmir and there it was the magical “Page 8” with it’s story about Kashmiri Bloggers….
Wish the newspaper had not misprinted ‘2virginz‘ as ‘virginz’....aah! I lost such a big chance at gaining some audience and some popularity…heh or maybe not!.....(maybe ‘2virginz ‘sounds too complicated for even the most complicated Kashmir issue...lolz)
Anyways, now at least after seeing the mention in newspaper, I have managed to gain enough pride to look back into the eyes of the protestors on the streets who previously looked down on me as some kind of shameless coward hiding in the corridors of his luxurious home....!!!!
Freedom Blogger...PROUD TO BE A BLOGGER

Kashmir Suffers (What the media never reports)

Kashmir erupts to the massive opression and agression...A tremendous wave of unified strength and sympathy is being witnessed through out the state...These are some images to show the world what Kashmir has been going through over the last two decades...An uprising against the human rights violations which go unheard and un written in the Indian media....This is the other side of the story which the media always fails to report

Finally, the volcano erupts and people unleash their anger and frustration with both the state and the country for their policies in Kashmir....The will to fight opression and agression...A revolt against brute force in the land of the great Mahatama Gandhi...

Kashmir burns

One more murder to add to the already rising toll of innocent Kashmiri souls...Another teenager dies for a lost cause...

One more mother wails for her murdered son...The already widowed mother doesn't deserve to endure any more pain...

Defying the laws...Oppression being resisted

Even the ambulances will not be spared...

The end of every Kashmiris story...A dead young son leaving behind his widowed mother and ailing grand father to suffer till eternity....

THIS IS THE STORY OF EVERY OTHER KASHMIRI WHO EVENTUALLY DECIDES TO TAKE UP ARMS TO FIGHT AGRESSION AND OPRESSION
We need to understand the basic problems which forces a school going child to pick up arms and risk his mortal life for a cause which the enemies call as struggle for freedom...The enemy controls his uneducated but spirited mind and hatred rules his heart, leading him to a path which leads to spilling of more innocent blood

Time to ponder...Where did all those militants come from???

(These images have been copied from the newspaper 'Greater Kashmir' and all the photographs are coutesy of the photo journalist 'Habib Naqash')

Kashmir Burns (blogging LIVE from war scene)

"I swear to speak the truth, nothing but the truth”
Just logged online to see what the world had been writing about the situation in Kashmir (The civil curfew is so strict that we can’t even step outside our houses to breathe the fresh air of the valley, leave aside the daring task of buying very few local newspapers with an unheard side of Kashmir’s story…!)
The media is shockingly biased as always (though nothing seems like shocking anymore, not even the FALSE truths shown on T.V…!)…they are behaving as if nothing is happening in Kashmir and even if they ever tried to add some small news item about the situation…It would be only one side of the story…surely not our side…!
Going through the websites of some of the leading newspapers both national and some international, it was really shocking to see that how the written media had portrayed the whole situation and even the headlines of some leading daillies read something like “Kashmir back to 1990”…And the whole “Muzaffarabad Chalo” march had been portrayed as an attempt to cross the border into Pakistan….
But no one ever wondered what prompted the people do all that kind of shit which could result in the destruction of their beloved homeland and the loss of their precious ones…No ,one ever wonders what the people dare to risk their lives for….
The media has gone blind and deaf over the real issue which happens to be a total non-issue when one reaches the ‘Ground Zero’ i.e. to the root of the whole Amarnath Land row…
Ask any Amarnath Yatri if he or she ever wished that the arrangements would have been better or if they they ever felt that they needed more land….???
TRUST ME, the answer will a BIG NO….

It brings tears to my eye to see such a biased media…And no, it’s not the fault of ‘an ordinary Indian citizen who sees only what the media wishes him to see’…an ordinary patriotic Indian who thinks that Kashmiris are some religious fanatics seeking independence from India without any explainable reasons, or maybe some other fellow Indians putting the situation in Kashmir as a work of some separatist Kashmiri leaders misleading the otherwise innocent and peace loving people of Kashmir…Or as the common opinion goes around the country, no one sees a patriot in a Kashmiri…!
Yes, you are right to some extent to think of us as the initiators of our own doom…Quite true, we have started our own destruction and maybe our end will come even before the actual dooms day but I wish the whole world could see the cause of our this so called ‘self destructing nature’ which we never ever possessed in our history….
Our fellow Indian brothers you need to awaken your conscience and see beyond the beauty of this cursed valley…you need to act upon your right to information act….all our fellow Indians never get to hear our side of the story…The unheard side…As they say, "Every coin has two sides”
When the media fails, it’s the responsibility of theordinary people to find out the actual truth hiding beneath the superficial truths….
Even the local media news channels have been barred from extensive reporting….Holy heavens, at least freedom blogging still prevails…!!!
The Jammu-Kashmir highway which happens to be the only single route connecting Kashmir with the rest of India (also known as lifeline of Kashmir) has been choked leading to the fears of starvation and eventually death…Yes, the situation might not get as bad as starvation leading to death because thanks God at least the DEPENDENT Kashmir is independent when it comes to local vegetables supplies but the fact remains, we are being subjected to the worse case scenario by a bunch of influential, unchallenged communal fanatics trying to win the votes and the seats for their political parties in the upcoming elections…Even the print media that includes the only few newspapers which report the real story of Kashmir have been badly affected by the highway blockade…print media is running out of paper and ink and soon they might just stop reporting the truth….!!!
Even worse.. the power hungry politicians termed it as a ‘Jammu VERSUS Kashmir issue’
The fact still remains that Kashmir suffers and suffers badly…And as always, we remain unheard and un cured..!!!
The rally to the LOC(Line Of Control) ”Muzaffarabad Chalo” march which the media along with BJP and VHP portrayed as an attempt to cross over into Pakistan was actually an attempt by the ordinary local people (mostly fruit growers) to save their families from being starved because their only source of income comes from the markets outside Kashmir valley..and no highway means no life for the ordinary and poor…”Muzaffarabad Chalo” was an attempt to at least save their lone source of livelihood, if not from the traditional Jammu-Kashmir national highway then from the forgotten traditional detour which goes through the forbidden city of Muzaffarabad…It was deperation which urged them to take such extreme measures which would sent a wrong message trough out the country (and that was where the only hope of salvation lay)
No, definitely the people would have never actually expected the Government to allow them to cross over the border but it was just an attempt to put some pressure on the Indian government to open the life giving highway…
Tell me now, how can anyone justify the fact that army opened fire on around 500,000(five lac) strong crowd leading a peaceful procession in Baramulla to fight for their right to earn their three meals a day…!
If they used such force to disperse a five lac strong unarmed Kashmiris then why not the same force has been used to prevent the protests in Jammu and open the highway???
And as if the devil itself had arrived, the military blasted some tear gas shells and fired inside the various city hospitals adding to the miseries of the already injured….
My heart bleeds…..
Had I not been an educated mind, I would have definitely joined the people on the streets or taken up arms to fight back….But my mind is strong enough to understand the policies and propogandas which have led us to our own destruction
Now tell me why won’t the innocent and young next generation fall in the enemies trap and pick up arms to dedicate the rest of their mortal lives for what they would call as the struggle for freedom????
Time to ponder over the fact, where did all those militants come from….???
What motivated them to take up arms and risk their lives…???
I think…though unintentionally but the armed resistance is actually a creation of the opressive Indian army itself…the oppression and the aggression over the innocent will finally lead to some freedom fighters who will have their minds controlled by the enemy and their hearts by their emotions to wage a war against the army which burnt their mothers, raped their sisters, tortured their fathers and murdered their brothers…
The emotion of hate has taken over the emotions of joy and happiness, the anger over the will to forgive and forget…The volcano has to erupt some day…
The fact remains that people themselves are not quite sure which side are they with, but believe me…they are very sure what they are fighting for, a fight against oppression and aggression over the innocent families which forms the beginning of an extremist mind ready to take up arms against India….
As, I am writing this blog I can hear the voices of the people who have defied the civil curfew and have come on the streets raising anti India and pro Pakistan slogans (least do they know, true friends are rare and not even the hope of a fake Pakistan can make their lives a little less miserable)…
I swear it’s a war like situation on the streets with people raising anti India slogans and military crushing the people with open air firing and shelling on the protestors…(Have you ever heard of the term, ‘Take no prisoners’..!)
The sound of ambulance sirens and the tear gas shells is not enough to break the will of the people…I just stepped on the street outside and felt ashamed to sit at my home and watch the procession go by from the lanes and alleys surrounding my locality…a guilty feeling of not doing anything to save my people…The people in the procession looked down on me as a betrayer or some coward…and I couldn’t look back into their eyes, feeling humiliated I rushed to my room to write this blog as an attempt to do something for my people and put my conflicted conscience to peace …
And even as I sit here by the window of my room trying to look over the nearby houses onto the streets to see my people in blood and sweat being crushed by army, my parents pull me back…they can’t even let me sit near the window during open air firing session when the orders are loud and clear “FIRE AT WILL ”..they say it’s unsafe to sit near the window because you never know when a stray bullet might just knock you down…..
No, I have never ever hailed the protestors who fight on the streets with just their spirit as their weapon against an army batallion armed as if in a war…No, I never hailed the aggressive ways to protest an aggression …BUT this time, for the first time the cause is justified and right…this time it’s a fight against brute aggression and oppression…a fight to save our people from starvation…a fight to stand up for our rights, the basic human rights to live and live freely, a fight to account for the death of the innocent civilians…a fight to save the future of our land….
Yes, I know all you fellow Indian out there , reading this blog might think of me as some anti-national element…But trust me, I am enough educated to differentiate between what’s right and what’s wrong and I can’t be mislead by some fellow…I know, it’s not easy for you patriots out there to understand this blog as anything other than an anti-national article but believe me sometimes I speak my heart out and my heart never lies…You have to be a Kashmiri to feel the pain and grief hidden in this blog…A kashmiri who dies everyday for a fight which is all but lost…and the last ray of hope we have left is you….Yes, YOU
This is an appeal to our Indian brothers to realize the fact that we Kashmiris are not against any religion or region, we are just a bunch of ordinary but resilient people who have been subjected to tremendous oppression and torture…Our fight is not against India but against the policies of government when it comes to Kashmir…we are fighting to account for the death of our sons and daughters who are murdered every day and the murderer never faces any trial….this is an unheard side of the tortures of Indian army which the media never reports…
I know all you people out there love your country and your brave army but what I just told you will not be told to you by any news reporter or any newspaper because they go blind when it comes to Kashmir…
India is a great nation and even greater are it’s secular and warm hearted people…WE WANT YOUR SUPPORT…WE KASHMIRIS ARE ALONE AND INJURED IN THIS NEVER ENDING BATTLE AGAINST OPPRESSION…WE NEED OUR INDIAN BROTHERS TO STEP FORWARD AND HELP US WHEN WE NEED THEM MOST….WE ARE TIRED AND WE ARE BATTERED BUT WE WON’T GIVE UP…WE ARE CRYING OUT FOR HELP…

I better hurry now before some stray bullet pierces the armor of my room and straight into my skull or some military official finds about this blog and charges me with an attempted propoganda…so I better get going and hide myself shamelessly somewhere in the corridors of my home…..!!!!!!!!!!!

Freedom Blogger, blogging LIVE from the war scene…..!
(These views are mine but reflect the opinion of the general public…Just an 18 year old trying to raise the awareness among the warm hearted and unaware Indian brothers about his fellow people whom he can’t see bleeding anymore…)
“I SWORE TO SPEAK THE TRUTH, NOTHING BUT THE TRUTH”

THERE WILL BE BLOOD (Amarnath Land Issue communalised)

It's been some time since I stepped out of my room or logged online to see what all you folks upto...
No, I didn't die...! (had a car accident few days ago...Don't worry fellas I am fine, will be blogging about it soon)
The State Government has imposed a strict 'Civil Curfew' in Kashmir for the fact that we people are not ready to give up our land and our will to fight for what's right...
The curfew has really restricted our very basic rights...(I wonder if there exists any right such as right to freedom of movement...!) They won't even let us move out of our homes and that too for no fault of ours...Our fellow Jammuites have been mislead and their craziness has taken it's toll on our already struggling tourism as well as horticulture industry..They have choked the 300km long Jammu-Kashmir national highway which happens to be the only single and precious route which connects the valley with the rest of the world (the other ofcourse being thorugh the forbidden city of Muzaffarabad which happens to go through Pakistan..!)...So basically, it's not only that we the civilians have been restricted to our miserable houses but the whole valley and it's already burdened traders have also been isolated from the profitable markets outside the valley...Almost a collapse of local economy

Just half an hour ago,I tried to step outside on the street to buy some toothpaste from a local grocery who happens to be a near by neighbour (my Pepsodent "dishum-dishum" is outta stock and I can already feel the rumbling of the bacteria having a ball inside my calcium rich teeth..!)
Though I managed to step outside the main enterance of my premises but had to run my ass back to the room because the heavily armed army men somehow suspected me to be a protestor before I had to show them my home and my life saving identity card (with an unusually shabby photograph which hardly resembles me now...I ain't a photogenic type..!)....and when they sensed the innocence in my truth, they asked me to get a glass of water for their THIRSTY fellas.....!!!! (life can't get any more adventurous..!)
heh...I better give them poison for making my life a living hell...(lolz now they would be searching for the guy who never turned up with a glass of water...remember the movie "Panic Room"....!)
The heavy AK-47 rifles and the ready to be exploded tear gas shells along with the heavily armoured army vehicles hiding behind the army bunkers(infact it's a "One-Tonne"...a WAR vehicle) gives it all a sense of war...the only thing that seems to be lacking is a Russian made tank and we would soon have our very own 'Gaza' fighting for it's land..
But the tragedy is that...Its not any 'no man's land'...It's Kashmir, my beloved mother land

Well, the question still remains what prompted the whole issue....
In the most simplest words that I can use is that, they took our land as an excuse for building some structures for the pilgrims but the people protested this attempted land grab in the name of holy religion and that too when it was against the law to buy or transfer any land in the state of J&K by any one else than a state subject of J&K (Indian Constitiution ARTICLE-370 refer to my previous blogs "Don't sell Kashmir")...The government rightly revoked it's land transfer order after massive protests in the valley and decided to construct the same structures (which SASB had promised)themselves with their own funds..infact the state even promised to make even better infrastructure than what SASB had planned....it seems to be such a happy ending.......but but but...
This time it wasn't a D!V!N3 but unfortunately as always when it comes to my mother land..it had to be a D3V!LS intervention....!

The fucking communal BJP and VHP as always with an aim to win some votes, started the communal agitation in Jammu...
Still can't figure out what the hell is Jammu protesting for...!
All the fellow Jammuites are being mislead by some filthy,wicked, evil minds trying to win votes for the upcoming state elections....And the people as always have gone blind in the name of religion just like our so called 'free' Indian media who have continued to report only the one side of story...(Ofcourse NOT the Kashmiri side..!)
Time to wake up people...
No, today I am not in my usual relaxed mood to crack some jokes while posting a blog...But I am dead serious...It's time to wake up and realise that our sense of pride and unity is being destroyed by a bunch of filhy politicians...'WE' can't let another Gujarat riots happen in this sacred and mystical land...A wake up call before it's too late
No, matter what ever the Prime Minister decides in New Delhi over the whole issue but we have to stay strong and united...We have to fight for what's right and we need to open our eyes and ears to figure out the bastards who have communalised the whole issue and are aiming at dividing the United States of Jammu and Kashmir....

Well; coming on to my personal reason for absconding for so many days, the recent events and the various factors have made me to go into a deep slumber reflecting upon what is said and done in this world of superficial reality...The mystic in me seems to make a come back every now and then and more powerfully during the last few days...It seems like I have got all the time in this world to think and to re-think about what I think...an eternity to re-discover and re-invent myself as an individual....
Have been reading the inspirational book, "The monk who sold his Ferrari" and some D!V!N3 thoughts are keeping me more than busy
It seems like I have got all the time in this world...And still I can't get enough time to even blog
"How can you love others....If you can't love yourself..!" (hope you got that...)

People let's take a pledge today and by people I mean the united people of Jammu, Kashmir and Leh
Yes, THERE WILL BE BLOOD....!
No, not the blood of dumb and deaf, innocent civilians....
but the blood of the demon hiding in the skin of the blood thirsty politicians...let's take a pledge to wipe out every communal force in this country....

Kashmir neglected (Amarnath Land Row)

The Bhartiya Janata Party and its saffron brigade is going all-out to foment anger against Kashmiris on the forest land revocation issue. The BJP prime ministerial candidate Lal Krishan Advani in his speech in the Parliament on July 21st lamented the ‘grabbing of Shri Amarnath Shrine Board land’ in Baltal and the JK government’s ‘interference’ in the yatra. Kashmir has been literally choked by the blockade of Srinagar-Jammu highway. Only yesterday, the BJP announced a fresh India-wide agitation on the issue. But the BJP-led campaign is coinciding with something significant and relevant. Government of the same party in Uttrakhand is boasting on restrictions put on the Kavad yatra to protect Goumukh glacier from further damage because of the pilgrimage. Newspapers across India are replete with stories and paid advertisements, proudly announcing the restrictions. Same issue, two yardsticks! But the double-dealing is passing off silently. According to observers, the reason why the BJP is getting away with the arrogance towards Kashmir is the frailty of the mainstream political parties here. If these parties have no hesitation in advocating New Delhi in Srinagar, why do they falter when they have to make Kashmiiris’ voice heard in New Delhi, more so in times when a Kashmiri is being demonized and Kashmir virtually projected as a nation of terrorists. When slogans like quit Jammu, highway blockade are heard. When Kashmir’s horticulture produce worth crores of rupees is rotting in trucks and orchards. If National Conference and Peoples Democratic Party were vocal while supporting peoples’ agitation against land transfer in Kashmir, why don’t they publicly take a stand in Jammu and oppose the demand for restoration of land transfer? Why don’t they inform India that a record five lakh-plus yatris have already visited Amarnath last month, observers question. Kashmir watchers say both Omar and Mehbooba, unfortunately, limited their recent Parliament speeches to Congress appeasement, forgetting Kashmir advocacy. When whole India was watching, none exposed the BJP’s dual standards on a similar issue in two states, perhaps keeping their options open in case the present Leader of Opposition happens to be the Leader of the House next year. Now when the saffron brigade in Jammu is buoyed by a formal talks invitation from the government, the Kashmir bashing is sure to increase in scope and intensity. Although supported by only a section of people, the Jammu agitation is already intensifying. Many Kashmiris feel it is being helped covertly by some elements in police, bureaucracy and overtly by Indian media. In Kashmir, police answered slogans with bullets. In Jammu they are more discreet - water canons for petrol bombs! We don’t demand brutality there, but prudence here. According to a survey by Geological Survey of India, the Goumukh is receding at the rate of 40 metres per year because of the pilgrimage involving lakhs of people. In response, the state government has restricted the pilgrims to 150 per day, closed all dhabas along the road to Goumukh, banned ponies and horses in the area and imposed a fee to discourage people coming for the pilgrimage. If Uttrakhand can think of Goumukh, why Kashmiris have to forget Kolohoi? If a forest conservator can limit number of pilgrims in Uttrakhand, why can’t even a chief minister do the same in JK? If Uttrakhand can declare an entire forest area out of bounds for general public, why Kashmiris have to offer six lives for 800 kanals? When Uttrakhand can attribute water scarcity in the state to Kavad yatra, why in JK one can’t even inquire about the reasons of gastroenteritis epidemic in south Kashmir? Why government departments run in to dispel any connection even without a corroboration, when we all know the Lidder River takes the maximum brunt of pilgrimage pollution? Why it is conservation in Uttrakhand and ‘interference in matters of faith’ in JK? Why two yardsticks for two states? Questions are endless. Answers none. Political analysts say perhaps the answer lies in the ideology spearheaded by BJP and finding more and more buyers across India. Citizens have right to live and the right to protect their resources. Kashmiris have none.
(copied from the newspaper Greater Kashmir)
http://www.greaterkashmir.com/full_story.asp?Date=2_8_2008&ItemID=47&cat=1

Abraham Lincolns letter

I found this letter during my school days in my English text book...This is a letter which Abraham Lincoln wrote to his son's teacher...I was so moved by the letter that I still keep a copy of it with me and read it when ever I feel down or lonely...This letter conitnues to give me inspiration when ever I feel lost...This letter really keeps me grounded when ever I feel like I ain't in control of myself...This letter is a gift to this world and all its students...
A truely D!V!N3 letter...!

He will have to learn, I know,that all men are not just,all men are not true.
But teach him also that for every scoundrel there is a hero;
that for every selfish Politician,there is a dedicated leader…
Teach him for every enemy there is a friend,
Steer him away from envy,if you can,teach him the secret of quiet laughter.
Let him learn early that the bullies are the easiest to lick…
Teach him, if you can,the wonder of books…
But also give him quiet time to ponder the eternal mystery of birds in the sky,bees in the sun,and the flowers on a green hillside.
In the school teach himit is far more honorable to fail than to cheat…
Teach him to have faith in his own ideas,even if everyone tells him they are wrong…
Teach him to be gentle with gentle people,and tough with the tough.
Try to give my son the strength not to follow the crowd when everyone is getting on the band wagon…
Teach him to listen to all men…but teach him also to filter all he hears on a screen of truth,and take only the good that comes through.
Teach him if you can,how to laugh when he is sad…
Teach him there is no shame in tears, Teach him to scoff at cynics and to beware of too much sweetness…
Teach him to sell his brawn and brain to the highest bidders but never to put a price-tag on his heart and soul.
Teach him to close his earsto a howling mob and to stand and fight if he thinks he’s right.
Treat him gently,but do not cuddle him,because only the test of fire makes fine steel.
Let him have the courageto be impatient…let him have the patience to be brave.
Teach him always to have sublime faith in himself,because then he will have sublime faith in mankind.
This is a big order,but see what you can do…He is such a fine little fellow,my son!

This letter might be a solution to all the 'modern' social and moral problems in the Kashmiri society...

Let God breathe...( The Holliest Pilgrimage )

The Holy Amarnath Cave

Hurrah!...Bravo!...The State Government finally succumbed to the massive public pressure and decided to revoke it's land tranfer order (rather land grab)...
A true example of a living and breathing Kashmiri Natioinalism...We got together and fought together for one common cause...we stayed united and WE DID IT....we got our land back...
The scene on the streets depicts a sense of pride and celebration amongst the people with fire crackers going off in the air every now and then as if last two decades had never happened..!
The spirit of the people finally won against all the odds and opposition forces....A perfect proof of people power...
But we must not forget the huge cost of this victory...It cost us 5 precious lives...5 Kashmiris had to lay down their lives to get us our land back...they are the real heroes of this victory...I salute the BRAVE families which had the heart and courage to give us such martyr's who could sacrifice their lives for our soil...
A tribute to all those who lost their lives in this battle against oppression and aggression...
Well, coming on to the issue....We might have won one single battle but we are in a WAR...A war against brute aggression and oppression...a war against human rights vioalation...a war against the propoganda carried by some communal forces portraying Kashmiris as communist...A war against media who only reports one side of a story...a war against the way BJP and VHP has communalised the whole issue and the way it killed this tourist season....a war to save our forests and rivers...a war to be regain our lost identity and freedom
Although the State Government might have dared to take a blow by going against BJP or VHP who supported the 'land grab' and destrengthening of SASB (Shri Amarnath Shrine Board) might have sent a wrong message to the rest of India and it added to the problems of the government...
anyways it still means the same thing other way around...First, the SASB would have constructed the CONCRETE structures over our virgin forests and destroyed the whole landscape but now it's the state government which has got the licence to cut through all the beautiful and dense PROTECTED forests and convert the tourist resorts of Pahalgam and Sonamarg into concrete jungles...
We need to stand up ONCE AGAIN to fight against the odds, this time the issue is of global recognition...the issue is to save environment
The media along with BJP has played a villainous role by reporting only one side of the story thus sending a wrong message out that Kashmiri people are against the Yatra and against the Hindus...when the truth is that we Kashmiris are the most tolerant and hospitable community in the world...and by kashmiris I mean all our Pandit brothers, the Sikh brothers, and the few Budhist and Christians...such a religious harmony..
India curently a growing world power has to play a major role in global issues such as global warming and environment degradation...After all, India is a part of the 'BRIC' nations..that means we are on the verge of being called developed nation....so why can't the Indian government come up with an alternative solution to accomodate all the Yatris and leave our forests untouched...?
Yes, we all agree that the Yatris need some world class infrastructure....But no, not at the cost of forests....
Dare I say, the Hindu God's living in the mountains won't be too pleased to see all their trees being chopped off.....(sorry if I might have sounded rude or unintentionally disrespectful, but I think no religion will ever allow us to ruin nature)


I don't know how many of you would be knowing it because it hasn't been yet popularised in the media...but there is an amazing fact...When one reaches the Holy Amarnath Cave and looks behind at a mountain with concentration...there it appears...carved into the mountain with coloured stones (mostly white)...naturally carved on one side of the mountain is beautifully written "MOHAMMAD" (in Arabic script)...I SWEAR, IT'S TRUE....I have seen the photographs myself...and my dad who once went to the cave in search of that very mountain, actually found it...very few locals (Gujjars and Bakerwals) know it..in fact it was one horse owner who showed my dad the mountain....such a tremendous proof of the holy harmony between all the religions.......with holy Shri Amarnath cave on one side and Mohammad NATURALLY carved into the mountain on other side...It's a miracle...This truely is God's own country


Our Hindu brothers and rest of India must realise the way BJP and VHP are communalising the whole issue and the way media is reporting only one side of the story...otherwise we Kashmiris might be left with a tarnished image which would kill our already struggling tourism industry...
If God created this paradise on earth...He must have created it for himself...
All you devotees out there on a pilgrimage to this valley...WAKE UP...awaken your conscience, elevate your minds, purify your souls....Join our hands to raise one single and united voice to save environment...

Allow God to breathe.....!

let's hope for a DIVIN3 intervention......

Spain end the drought...Enrique Iglesias in wonder land!

Torres didn't choke!

Spain finally end the long drought which kept them away from the major trophies over all the years when they had enough talented squads to run over a tournament....

I swear, just before the match I had predicted it to be a 2-0 victory to Spain with Spain scoring both the goals on break and Torres scoring one at least..And as it turned out the match was exactly as I had predicted it to be...only the second goal never came..maybe because Spain missed out so many chances and even when they could have scored in the last minute, they prferred to keep the ball and the possession....(I know, now you folks would be really fuming at the fact that I'm praising myself for predicting a WRONG scoreline...!!!!)

It was Shakira in the last world cup, Ricky Martin in 1998 and this time another Spaniard in Enrique Iglesias started the show with his own official song of the tournament......Spain just had to win thsi time!

Well coming on to the match...
Simply fantastic, the movement from Spain was so quick and amazing to watch...Marvellous football from Spain...Iniesta might be responsible for over doing a trick or two, otherwise Spain might have shown Germany what they really are....(A bunch of average players led by the only superstar in Michael Ballack)....
The workmanship and the resillience of Germany had to ultimately faulter at the final hurdle when they faced the most talented team of the tournament....(Maybe the Dutch might have the most talented individuals, but I am talking about a team!)

All praise to the lone striker Torres for the way he scored the goal out of nothing...Maybe it can be called as a goal keeping error from Lehman for coming out of his goal when Lahm had it covered but all credit to Torres for the phenomenal strenght and tremendous pace which took him past Lahm and the skill which made him to dink the ball over Lehman into the net...(Let's try to forgive the oldie.... Lehman at 38 ain't no Oliver Kahn!)

For me; Liverpool protege Torres, Brazillian born Senna, Real Madrid number one Casillas along with the ever so talented (supposedly next Maldini) Real Madrid defender Sergio Ramos (nicknamed Tarzan!) were the true suprestars of the match......

And yeah...after a really long time we had a football match worth being called a final...Spain with swift passing and tremendous pace consistently broke into the German defence which seemed wanting in some tight situations....
it was a reallly an entertaining match...
(whoa!...I wonder where does Torres get his pace from...he must have been an Olympic sprinter...!)

Well to be honest it didn't really matter to me who won or who lost because there was no England in the tournament...but at the end of the day, we all would agree that the best team won...CHEERS...we finally had the kind of tournament we all desired for with all the teams playing more positive football than negative (unlike EURO 2004)

So now with EURO over and English Premier League almost two months away...I am really looking forward to Wimbledon...(since Maria Sharapova got eliminated I am just hoping for a Nadal-Federrer dream final...)

aaah....n yea the strike still continues in my valley and I am still sitting my ass in my room HOPING to do something.....!

DON'T SELL KASHMIR ("It isn't the time to cry but the time to unite and fight for one COMMON cause")

If you ever loved your mother then it’s the time to show that you really do love her…!

800 canals of land has somehow been transferred to SASB (Shri Amarnath Shrine Board)…The State Government says that it’s temporary but we all know that it’s permanent…
A total violation of the Article 370…The very article which was used to convince Kashmiris to call themselves as Indians…The article which promised to protect and safeguard the identity of Kashmir…

Article 370, according to which no foreigner not even an Indian citizen other than the state subject of Jammu and Kashmir can buy any property in the state
( http://www.jammu-kashmir.com/documents/jk_art370.html )

And here we stand, almost 60 years later trying to absorb the decision of the state government to transfer 100 acres of our state land to SASB…And that too happens to be the resourceful and protected forest land…!

The reasons which the state government is giving for the so called transfer of land are totally unaccepted and ridiculous…they say that SASB needs some land to raise their structures for a better organized and improved Amarnath Yatra for the pilgrims…

(It won’t take a genius to figure out the evil in the deal)…
Why State Government doesn’t raise the structures themselves under the control and guidance of Central Government with funds given by SASB just like the way PMGSY is currently operating in our state….
THEN WHY THE NEED TO TRANSFER LAND ???????????

Trust me people, it’s just a beginning…A beginning of an end…The end which will see us Kashmiris with nothing left but some nostalgic memories of the days when we used to play in the streets and alleys of the place we once called home…!
It’s time to raise our voices and fight for one COMMON cause…and this time it’s our very own cause…

In the eighteen years of my existence, this happens to be the first time when I think the cause is just and genuine, the cause is common, the cause of an ordinary kashmiri just like me or you…it’s the first time that we are finally fighting for something our very own…united with a single aim and single objective…The first time when I feel, that it’s time to get united and join hands to save Kashmir…

No, this is not an ‘independence day’ fight…or a cry for a republic…or any other political issue…but it’s our very own issue…It’s an issue of every kashmiri…
We can’t let them sell our mother…
We can’t keep quiet this time…We can’t let them rob us of our identity…We have to fight and fight it through…

No, I don’t believe in breaking my neighbors’ window or burning the cars of our fellow Kashmiris…Or raising anti-India slogans…We need to think and think deeply…What we want and what are we fighting for…

Trust me, this time the writing is on the wall…it’s very clear what we really are fighting for…we are struggling to save our identity…we are fighting to save our mother…we are striving to prevent the violation of the very article which gave our predecessors enough reasons to chose India over Pakistan..
We must realize whom we are fighting for and whom we are fighting against…No, we are not fighting against our neighbors or the fellow motorists on the roads but it’s a fight against the violation of Article 370 by our state government…
We must fight till last…We can’t give in…We can’t give up…

If you ever thought you were a patriot then it’s time to show that your blood is of a Kashmiri…Please don’t just sit in your homes criticizing and contemplating the fact that we are being victimized…
It’s time to wake up and realize the fact that ‘Kashmiriyat’ is on the verge of a forced extinction…

No, I didn’t participate in the aimless agitation right outside my home…But at least I figured out writing something might help me ease out the guilt in my heart that they are robbing my mother and I ain’t doing anything….
Please do something…anything and everything which you can to stop this beginning of an end…

(Follow up this blog with a chain of comments to at least show your support…We need some young and EDUCATED voices)

Biscoe through to finals...

In the ongoing U-19 inter school tournament for district Srinagar...Biscoe school thrased MP school 10-0 in the semi final to make it a repeat of last years clash with SP School in the final...
I still remember the unfortunate daylast year, the day we somehow lost the final against SP school...(The match happened to be the last I played for my school in the famous blue jersey!)
This year Biscoites are back and back with a bang...A fantastic team with all the talent required to thrash teams...!
Come on Biscoe, win it this year...show the world, why we brought football to Srinagar....!

DIVIDED WE STOOD...UNITED WE FELL (Second Half-'Demon Prevails...Time for reality check')

“The Demon is in every one of us…It’s in me, it’s in you, it’s in the crowd….!!! ”
What a great day for us all...we the Kashmiris standing together...supporting our team...our very own team...for our very own cause...and the team didn't disappoint...they really showed the spirit and heart by taking the game to the defending champions...We might not have our "El-Diego" (Diego Maradonna) to start a revolution but we have the likes of the Kashmiri born and Biscoe bred Ishfaq to unite the people with one single goal in their herat and soul.....!!!
And to put icing on the cake, ZEE Sports just announced that the match is not only being broadcasted live all over India but even across the Middle-East and USA....such a great occassion for Kashmiri people to display their spirit and hospitability...

”The demon is too timid to come infront of GOD’s human…and too evil to allow the things go in God’s favor without a fight…Demon always searches for the weakest of the prey… (always a human)….the demon, hiding some where in the crowd…”

“defending champions really never knew that a valley could echo so loudly…”
No, I won't be writing how it all happened and what happened...We have already got enough reasons to bring some water in our eyes...and there were enough reasons in the ground to bring some water in my eyes...and if you still wouldn't cry, they had the boom of a tear gas to make you cry...I am too weak to revisit the moments which scream out loud, "You murdered your own mother"...and there is no denying the fact, we ourselves are the criminals of our mother....united we stood, divided we fell...
Still, if you need to know what exactly happened in the stadium then refer to my previous blog "a tale of hartal ...and they all cried"....Only this time, if there was any shame left after invasion of the pitch....we wasted it all in chasing away the lives out of the tough Punjab players with stones and weapons...(and that's where I guess the pride comes from...chasing away the enemy...but I still wonder whose the real enemy)....!!!
Enough of this blame game......No, I won't be blaming anyone...neither the journalists,nor the JKFA officials...Not even the police or the crowd.....It's time for a reality check....for all of us to realise, "if we are not part of the solution then we definitely are part of the problem"....
We have put the whole nation to shame...(mind you...talking about the nation, You know which nation!)...a showcase of our real character...the character which infamously has made us enough famous all around the globe for being the people who hate their very own identity...people who can't bear to see their fellow people prosper...people so drenched in illiteracy and agony over the last two decades that they have forgotten the very basic fact which made them call themselves Kashmiri and take some real pride in the fact that they belong to the land proclaimed as heaven , a land of mystics and saints...a land of love and eternal grace...a land of unity and strength...a land where the sun shone brighter than anywhere else in the world and a land whose waters were heavenly enough to purify the most miserable souls....a land whose sons used to teach the world the character and values needed to reach the seventh heaven....a land above any other land...a land blessed by God himself...a land whose people would call themselves Kashmiri......
I wonder where did those souls come from which called themselves Kashmiri and set an example for the world to follow...people so strong in character and so sublime in faith...people with enough courage and gutts to even sacrifice their own lives for the sake of an ailing enemy...people who led through example...
a land far from the land of the evil...a land unknown to Demon....Gods own country....
let us all pledge to dedicate our lives to restore the lost glory of our land and the lost values ofur people...Devil might have taken over our minds but it can't take over the heart and soul of a born Kashmiri....all we need is to go back to the basics and realise we all are at fault....let's change ourselves before talking about changing others....
Don't we dare criticise the people for what they did at Bakshi stadium....It's time for a reality check..."If we are not a part of the solution then we definitely are part of the problem"

DIVIDED WE STOOD...UNITED WE FELL (First Half-'Living the dream')

“The time came to raise our united heads with pride and honor, demanding respect from those who ever doubted….Shameless, we ran away!!!”
“A step forward and ten steps back“ can be best described as the fast forward story of the destruction and turmoil in Kashmir since the day I breathed my first breath(unfortunately the day I was born…30 sep 1989….the day the whole city finally united for its own destruction, burning down their own homes for the sake of Shabir Shah, a rebel leader…what a great cause…!!!) and at the Bakshi stadium it was a déjà-vu situation…
Almost an hour into the dream match, all tied up at 0-0…The biggest game in the Santosh Trophy tournament so far…A high voltage match between the holders Punjab and the highly spirited Home team…The first half most definitely belonged to the team in whote,the home team, playing with the backing of big and VOCAL home support…Attacking the Punjab defence time and again…Chance after chance…Not exactly “CHAMPAGNE-FOOTBALL” but not much far away from the kind of football, champions are made of…The defending champions needed all the defence they had in order to defend what they loved the most, their clean sheet record…and they somehow managed to keep a clean sheet in the first half…Ishfaq,Adil and Rohit pushed by the crowd, were pressing the Punjab defence with super fluency and brilliant counter attacking moves…Punjab rarely had any possession of the ball and it was looking like we finally have got a team which could give the full house crowd, a reason to raise their voices in unison and celebrate their throats out…Such a wonderful mix of the united Kashmir in the crowd…the oldies in their khan dresses…the Sikhs in their turbans…few pundits with their renowned wits!…..the ever so vocal youth with enough stamina to shout their way into the match….Quite rightly as the press had put it, ”J&K team play with 12 players, 11 on the pitch and 12th in the stands…!”…the spirit which the home team had shown, brought the 12th man into play , “defending champions really never knew that a valley could echo so loudly…!!!”
So it was JK in the driving seat with almost half an hour left in the match…”Joga-Bonita” (playing football with a smile on the face) and the united crowd gave enough reasons to put a smile on the ‘fair’ faces of JK players!!!…Punjab absorbing all the pressure from the players and the crowd…Really what a success story, no matter even if we lose now but we have won all the hearts by showing the world, united we STILL stand to support what we love…a revival of footy back in the valley…a revival of united voices back in the valley….what a reason to celebrate…
But there had to be an intervention (as always)…No, not DIVINE…In fact, as expected in my mother land…It had to be a ‘DEMONIC’ intervention….!!!(as always)
Suddenly the photo journalists could be seen shouting and fighting with some JKFA officials (who are really worthy of being appreciated for conducting such a big tournament with such huge media coverage… a real successful effort)…but but but…
”the demon is too timid to come infront of GOD’s human…and too evil to allow the things go in God’s favor without a fight…Demon always searches for the weakest of the prey… (always a human)….the demon hiding some where in the crowd…”
Raisng slogans in between the already high voltage, fast paced match…what a mess…!!! And amidst all the chaos Punjab score……….a fantastic long ranger but can be equally considered as a goal keeping error…and take my words on that…I have watched enough football to say, that the shot was perfectly savable and it can be considered a goal keeping howler by the new goalie…(had the crowd given the given the team whole match to play, the way we were playing suggests that we could have esily equalised and who knows maybe gone onto win the match)
But who cares…the crowd are now really on their feet...Demon ready to rumble
“defending champions really never knew that a valley could echo so loudly…”

to be continued…

come on JK we will do it...

So here it is, Santosh Trophy and JK in the quarters and in some style(thrashing the capital of our vey own country)...!!!!!!!!!

yes, we might have lost against Kerala infront of a packed crowd at Bakshi Stadium but trust me, we really showed the attitude and the spirit to win the hardest hearts...!!

and when Ishfaq scored the goal....Oh My God!...the whole stadium erupted...the celebrations which made the folks remember the glory days of early 80's...celebrations that seemed to come from a land unknown to the valley...celebrations which made most of us forget two decades of our lives...finally uniting for one common cause and celebrating as one single unit.....the moments which seemed to have lasted an eternity. ..!!!
JK really did play well and deserved at least a draw...but the absence of star defender Mehrajuddin Wadoo (currently on national duty) proved to be the defining factor of the game...attack after attack, and chance after chance...JK team was on fire but then were caught out "3 TIMES" on counter attack!...wish Wadoo had been at the back to stop all moves and make it a first win for JK in the quarter finals...

Anyway, the atmosphere was electrifying and crowd didn't lose heart...and I am all prepeared to buy a ticket for tomorrows big match against the defending champions Punjab...Yes, they might be the toughest team...a team which can beat us and beat us easily.... the hardest opponent with enough strength and class to brush aside any team....but we have got the heart and the spirit to keep us going when the going get's really tough....
Come on you folks out there, let's all go the stadium to cheer our team on....no matter if you don't like the battered Bakshi stands but trust me its an honour to support your own identity....time to get united.....And yes, tickets are gonna be short, it would be a full house so better plan early...
let's all pray and hope we come out on top and show the world that we though maybe the eternal under dogs but still possess enough character to fight, and fight back hard...... a bunch of unfortunate players struggling to find enough oppurtunities to showcase their immense talent.....

One final request, please people keep out the stupid posters which say,"JK will defeat INDIA"...!!!
ridiculous and totally unacceptable...show some respect as well....cheer for your state..support your team.....unite for kashmir....no matter if you are not much of a football lover...but it's time to finally get united and to finally fight for one common cause, and this time our very own cause..we will shout, we will cry and no matter whatever the outcome we will be the real winners...winning the hearts and souls..united we will stand and if the unfortunate happens, united we will fall..
don't just sit in your homes and watch the match live on ZEE sports...be there to raise the spirits of the 11...
hand in hand, shoulders together.....it's time to show the world
WE are no pushovers....!!!!!!!

The religion I chose...

I was born an atheist…
We all come from a land of magical interpretation…A land beyond comprehension…A land beyond imagination….And I wonder if a land beyond God…!!!
They say, we were born to be somebody…We are that somebody
Never did I chose a religion…I never decided what God had already decided…I dare ask you, which religion do you follow???
Some say, “nothing is good or bad, only thinking makes it so”…
I say, “the good is well distinguished from the bad, all we need to do is to peep into our souls and see if God ever lived in us…!!!”
The religion I chose is still to be chosen….A D!V!N3 intervention to show me the way…A land of infinite possibilities…A land of eternal happiness…A land of the 'religion of God'
The religion I chose, still remains to be chosen...

Let's start a "Kashmiri wave"...!

Santosh Trophy is here...the biggest tournament in Indian football arena
Yes, we all agree the game played with feet has a long way to go....but it has come a long way at least in Kashmir valley....giving the current stars to the Indian team such as..
Mehrajudin Wadoo, Ishfaq Majid and Arun Verma....only to add to the legends of the greats like Nari and Kakroo....
No, m not a sports commentator but all I want is to see football back at its best in the valley...It really did hurt during my school days to see all that talent going waste...
Just want to make the people aware of what potential the valleys youngsters hold when it comes to football.....
Let's start encouraging something of our own...Let's at least fight for some cause of our own...!!!
Let's take a pledge with ourselves that we will at least go to one match of the upcoming Santosh Trophy only to support our own team and encourage the talented youngsters in the stands....who knows...some day we might have our very Maradonna or a Pele....or a Zain-ul-abidin Zidane....
We all know what the "mexican wave" is......Can't we atleast immitate something (this time for our good) and start our very own Kashmiri wave...????
Yes, I know how ugly would the wave look in our battered stadiums and grounds..!!!
but atleast we can try...can't we??

Finally footy is back to valley..(we will shout..we will cry!!)

It's here...after almost 3 decades valley gets a chance to wake up from the long sleep only to the nostalgia of the glory days long gone by...Footy is coming back to valley....SANTOSH TROPHY 2008 is back to Srinagar...Hurrah....finally the footy fans get a way to express wot they had been going through all these years...finally we can all raise our voice in UNISON and shout out loud...GOALLLLLL GOALLLLL........!!!!!!!!
over the years gone by, such huge talent has been wasted..I myself remember at least a dozen players from my school (Tyndale Biscoe) who could have easily made it to the national team and who knows maybe the international arena.....But all they needed was a channel...a way....n that's what they never got...n all the potential and talent instead of driblling and juggling around, went on to become...the same old doctors and the same old engineers...n yea some turned out to be succesful models as well........!!
ahhhh...it hurts.....to see such talent being wasted...guys with olympic legs....still remember few of my very own batch mates with enough skill and pace to easily play in Europe....No, I ain't exageratting...but all these comments came from an English football scout on tour of valley...!!..huh
well.... so fortunate young footballers of this era gonna be... at least they will be able to see the action live infront of their eyes in the Bakshi Stadium n the very beloved Polo Ground....would be a great tournament only if WE THE PEOPLE get together n realise the importance of this tournament and what it will mean if it succeeds to make an impact.....so lets all pledge that we will at least this time leave our houses to buy a "very cheap" ticket at a ground....and see the action unfold live.......we will shout, we will cry...and eventually we will celebrate ..coz its not about JK football team its about the young talent in the stands...and in that case..it's a win win situation.....hurrah........
finally the most popular game of the valley is back......to its prime....

How football came to srinagar???

If football is most popular game in valley today, credit goes to Tyndale Biscoe. In autumn of 1891, Biscoe brought one football from Mumbai to Srinagar. At the time idea of introducing football in the valley was making rounds in Biscoe’s mind. After arriving in the valley, Biscoe with this beautiful idea went to CMS School Fateh Kadal. He talked of football with his students, but only few seconds later his dreams were broken as all the students refused to play the new game. Students asked Biscoe, “What is this?” he replied, “It is a football.” Students said asked what is done with it and Biscoe replied it is used to play a game called football, a very nice game. Till then questions were simple and most usual ones but what followed made things worse for Biscoe and his dreams seemed diminishing. Student asked from what material it has been made, Biscoe replied, leather. Student said, then we will never play this game because we cannot touch it. Biscoe who was determined to make his students play, didn’t listen to them and said in furious tone, “You have to play this game today at 3 pm.” Biscoe immediately started to make his students aware of the rules and other related facts about it. But contrary to this Biscoe heard before the closure of school that students are against this game and they have made their mind not to play. Biscoe gave his staff members’ instructions about carrying all students to playing field. He also instructed them to carry sticks in their hands, otherwise students will run away. At exact 3 pm, students tried to runway, but they saw all teachers carrying sticks. Teachers carried them like a bunch of cattle towards playing field. Field was cleaned and football was kept in centre of it and Biscoe blew the starting whistle but none of the students moved. Biscoe thought that students were not able to understand the whistle and he blew it again, but this time too students did not move. Biscoe asked students the reason and they replied that they are Brahmans and can’t touch leather, as it was considered impure. Biscoe glared at all of them and got watch out of his pocket and told students that if in five minutes they will not start the game, he will instruct teachers who were standing nearby to beat them. Five minutes passed, but none of them moved and Biscoe called upon teachers. The students started to play. There was total chaos as all the students started to kick the ball from all corners. Amid all this ball struck to mouth of a Brahmin student and there was pin drop silence as he started to cry. They were all looking furiously at Biscoe, but suddenly one word got into the mind of Biscoe that was ‘water’. Yes it was water that did the trick. Biscoe asked teachers to carry this student nearby Jehlum River for bath to clear impurity. It worked, hearing this they all started to play and football became popular game.
for more visit official website of FIFA:-
http://www.fifa.com/aboutfifa/developing/news/newsid=76711.html