J&K Wetlands: Lifeline of birds, fish, plants, and humans Every year February 2 is celebrated as World Wetlands Day to raise international awareness about the significant role of wetlands for people and for our planet. This day marks the date of adoption of the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands of International Importance in 1971. Currently, India […]
Steinbeck conveys his core belief that if we try to know people then it would be impossible for us to hate them The Great Depression of 1930s is considered as a classic example of failure of the free-market economy. That model caused misery to millions of people and its failure led to the rise of […]
Right to safe, efficient and reliable public transport is key to women’s safety Efficient, affordable and reliable public transport is a remarkable indicator of development and sign of a successful welfare state. Public transport attains more significance in non-egalitarian, gender-biased societies where safety of women is always at stake. Objectification of women is deeply embedded […]
Honourable Sir, I’m not used to the format of addressing highly dignified personalities openly in the public. I respect the seat your worthy self holds and I put my sheer respect and reverence before your honourable chair and your excellency. The reason for addressing you through the medium of this newspaper lies in what happened […]
The purpose of life is to find a mode of being that’s so meaningful that the fact that life is suffering is no longer relevant. To start with, this is totally not an advertisement because the person I’m writing about probably has no idea that I’m writing about him. I’m writing this article because a […]
Chaos is neither basic nor permanent, but it works as a restraint on disorder, instability and chaos itself. The pain it inflicts serves as chastisement for those who disregard order and stability and do not conform. Order and disorder are complementary to each other. It is actually the same thing in different guises. Have a […]
The United Nations (UN) was set up 75 years ago with the aim of maintaining world peace and security. However, the 21st century world is very different from the 20th century one. The humanitarian and economic losses due to the Covid-19 pandemic are comparable to that of major wars. Unemployment is worse than at any […]
Education has been virtually outsourced to private tuition/ coaching centres in Kashmir, without any checks and balances A few days ago I had to visit a local J&K Bank branch to replace my expired debit card with a new one. I had just driven a few kilometers from my home when I was caught in […]
In 750 CE the Abbasids took over from the Umayyads (661-750 CE) as rulers of the Muslim territories. While the reign of Khulfa-i-Rashidin ended with the martyrdom of Hazrat Ali (RA) in 661 CE, both Umayyads and Abbasids justified their rule by calling themselves as Khalifa and not king. Under the Umayyad and Abbasid caliphate, […]
Every teacher deserves respect, and one comes across many teachers in the course of one’s learning, but some teachers are remembered for ages to come. One such teacher is Mr Majeed Mir, who has a multi-dimensional personality and is an expert on a number of subjects. Though Majeed sahib is a history teacher, he is […]