A journey through river Vitasta...stories of divided families of jammu and kashmir

THE CREW:
Mohd Urfi (L), a Pakistani journalist, and Pawan Bali, a Jammu-based woman scribe, with their team.
A Tribune photo

Bridging divide on the Jhelum
Jupinderjit Singh/TNS
Jammu, March 25

For many years, Altaf Mir (50) has stuck to a daily routine. He walks down to the banks of the Jhelum near Muzaffarabad in Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK) and stands there gazing at the gushing waters of the river.

“The water brings with it the fragrance of my motherland, Anantnag, where I was born,” he says, pointing towards the Indian side of Kashmir. His misty eyes have just one dream in them - to travel to his homeland.

Across the border in Tangdhar in India, Mubina Begum (55) looks at the same river, hoping to reunite with her younger brother, Javed, who had crossed over to Pakistan in 1989. “I wish I turn into a drop of water and along with this river flow to the place where my brother is,” yearns Mubina’s elder brother, Izaz Ahmed.

Jhelum, which originates from VeriNag in Srinagar, acts like a natural barrier and a virtual Line of Control between India and Pakistan at many places. But for Altaf and Mubina and many other families separated for decades by the long-running conflict between India and Pakistan, it is also the river of hope. These families want to move freely back and forth to meet their near and dear ones on the other side of the border. This hope and also the suffering of staying away from your loved ones is aptly reflected in VITASTA (another name for Jhelum), a short film made by two journalists - one from India and another from Pakistan.

In a first ever initiative of its kind, the duo - Pawan Bali and Mohammad Urfi - overcame constraints of language, communication, apart from traditional barriers, to come up with the film, which was virtually edited online via SKYPE.

“Jonathan, Director of Conciliation Resources, introduced us in 2010 over phone. As direct calls between Indian and Pakistan were not allowed, we struggled to be in touch with each other,” says Bali.

“Our plan was to travel along the Jhelum. I started from VeriNag, the source of the river in the Valley, and he started from a dam on it on the Pakistan side. The idea was to do shoot some footage on the way and meet at the LoC. I reached there, but Pakistan authorities didn’t allow him to meet me,” recounts Bali.

The scribe said she was struggling to understand Urdu and Urfi wasn’t comfortable with English. “When nothing worked out, we turned to Skype to remain in touch and even edited the film online. It was eventually in August 2011 that we met in Dubai in a conference organised by CR and gave final touches to the film,” says Bali.

Talking to The Tribune, Urfi says the film doesn’t touch upon the causes and reasons of the divide. “We have shown the human side of suffering and hope that things move on between the countries.”

The film shows real-life scenes of divided families meeting each other in Poonch in Jammu and Tangdhar in Srinagar.

“At Tangdhar, people from both countries come on the opposite banks of the Jhelum. They wrap their letters on stones and hurl these at each other. It is pity that in this age of communication, they have to rely on this method of remaining in touch. We hope our film brings the two countries closer,” says Pawan and Urfi.

Funded by a UK-based NGO, Conciliation Resources (CR), the film was screened at a conference of UK parliamentarians in London and in PoK Legislative Assembly early this year. It is yet to be screened in India. However, the film has found its way on the YouTube and already has many hits.

story link : http://www.tribuneindia.com/2012/20120326/main6.htm

Sarkanda and songs--life and death for soldiers on Indo-Pak border

Here film songs, swaying grass may mean life or death

Jupinderjit Singh at Chicken Neck Point

The tall elephant grass serves as a natural fencing on the Indo-Pakistan border at the famed Chicken Neck point in Jammu region. The average distance between Indian border outposts on either side of Pakistan ranges between 2 km and 15 km. The Chenab, which flows along the north-west side of the man-made fence that abuts the tall grass, makes the land fertile on both sides of the border.

For the gun-totting uniformed men of the Border Security Force (BSF), who maintain a 24/7 vigil on the border in perhaps the harshest working conditions, ‘sarkanda’, as the elephant grass is known in local parlance, and songs, mainly of Hindi movies, may mean life or death at times.

It means life as the dried up ‘sarkanda‘ sticks held together by ropes make up for walls and roofs of the border outposts, which unlike the concrete blocks of Pakistan, are covered with tin sheets only. The grass keeps them warm as the bone-chilling winter sets in. The grass on the opposite side of the fence can have death lurking around. This grass hides the movement of the Pakistani troops and helps terrorists hide for infiltration bids.

There is not much to cheer about at the border where life is always on the edge. Poor mobile connectivity, wild boars, reptiles, snakes, and above all hostility across the fence make survival the top priority. Yet, the place is abuzz with Hindi movie songs played on radio stations. The BSF’s counterpart - the Pakistan Rangers- appear to enjoy listening to Indian songs too which they play on their loudspeakers. Music clearly knows no barrier.

But death lurks around here also. “We have noticed that there is always some movement, some conspiracy when songs are played on high volume. There is always an attempt to smuggle stuff or to push terrorists in our territory,” revealed a BSF source. “So, while we enjoy songs, we remain alert,” he stressed. The “Pardesi, Pardesi” song of Raja Hindustani is the Pakistan forces’ favourite. The Pakistan farmers on the tractors, however, have a special liking for songs from the film ‘Border’. BSF sources revealed, “We are rather surprised as the movie shows Pakistan forces being humbled yet they play it a lot.”

Ladakh not "girl killer"

Ladakh’s ‘worst’ sex ratio is a Census glitch!
Leh Council itself claims it has 1,030 girls against 1,000 boys
Jupinderjit Singh & Ashutosh Sharma/TNS

Jammu, April 26
Leh district of the state may have reported the worst sex ratio of 583 girls against 1000 boys in the country in the 2011 Census but it has successfully averted the dubious distinction of being called a “girl killer” region.

Twenty days after the shocking figures were declared, Ladakhis can finally hold their head high as Census officials admitted they had included the defence and para-military forces in the count. Now, the Census Department would conduct sample survey in Nubra and Leh to assess the figures afresh.

The Director Census -Jammu and Kashmir Dr Farooq Pakhtu admitted to The Tribune that the sex ratio was detected as worst in the country because defence and para-military personnel were also counted. As the high number of those are males, the sex ratio was directly affected.

There was further embarrassment in store for the Census Department. The Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC) has brandished its own figures based on survey of the Health department. Dismissing the 583/1000 sex ratio in Leh, Dr Sonam Wanchuk, Executive Councillor (Health), stated that the ratio was, in fact, in favour of girls, “We have as per our data 53, 475 females against 51,909 males.

Rigzin Spalbar, Chief Executive Councillor of the LAHDC, said they were contesting the figures ever since those were released on April 7 this year, “You go to any school and you would find more girls than boys.”

The Ladakh Development Council (LDC), social activists and the state Tourism Minister Rigzin Zora, who belongs to Ladakh, were up in arms refusing to accept the Census figures calling it highly derogatory for the people where women have held a dominant position in society since ages.

When asked to comment on the dismal figure, Zora became furious saying the figures are wrong and claimed the number included defence personnel. “How could they report population of Ladakh as over 2.80 lakh as our figures of 2010 reported the population to be around 1.05 lakh?”

He said the picture went wrong because of the counting of the defence personnel and the Director, Census Operation, has agreed to it. He said another factor could be that a large number of females are studying in Jammu, Chandigarh or Delhi and may not have been counted.

He insisted that women in Ladakh enjoyed more rights and power than they did in other parts of the state, “We have women in all spheres of life, including Air Force, IAS, Army and other vocations where males generally dominate.”

Dr Farooq Pakhtu said the sample survey would help in rectifying any anomaly. “Our brief was to count anyone who was present there for a considerable period of time,” he said.






Source - http://www.tribuneindia.com/2011/20110427/main7.htm

Kashmir and hope of solution!!!!!

M A I N N E W S
Panel returns leaving behind hope, anxiety
Jupinderjit Singh
Tribune News Service

Jammu, September 22
They came, they saw, they listened, but did they conquer? Residents of the state are eagerly awaiting answer to this question as the 39-member all-party delegation left for Delhi this morning after a two-day visit to Srinagar and Jammu.

While differences were evident among delegation members on who to meet or not, the delegation definitely raised hope among residents by breaking free from the set schedule of meetings arranged by the Omar Abdullah-led National not intend to see the state through the prism of groups and organisations arranged by the state government.

Many organisations of Kashmiri Pandits, including the Panun Kashmir and the YAIKS, were not invited by the government, but a section of the delegation members went to their relief camp in Muthi. This erased fears that the members had come only to meet the separatists or anyone whom the government had lined up.

The delegation met separatist leader Shabir Shah despite opposition by the BJP. The meeting, however, seemed to be pre-arranged as Shabir was admitted to a private hospital hours before the delegation came.

Observers feel by reaching out to different communities, the delegation members have allayed fears that they were just part of a government-sponsored mechanism to buy time so that violence in Kashmir dies down or subsides.

Delegation members also courted controversy by speaking out of turn. While Ram Vilas Paswan said in Delhi today that the families of those killed in the Valley should be given Rs 20 lakh and a job each, another delegation member, S Siddiqui, had told Kashmir Pandits at the Muthi camp, Jammu, that there had been enough of violence in the Valley and now the government’s toleration to it had reached its limits.

The report of the delegation would have a major effect on the situation in the state in the coming days. Just a week is left for the Assembly session in Srinagar. The session, scheduled to begin on September 30, is already raising controversy with the Speaker rejecting a large number of questions submitted by the PDP. The questions were almost the same, but came through different members, sources said.

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2010/20100923/main5.htm

who said rich and influential mostly make it big in India?

Cigarette seller’s son makes it to Indian roller hockey team







Ankush Gupta with his father at his residence in Jammu on Sunday. Photo: Inderjeet Singh




M A I N N E W S


Cigarette seller’s son makes it to Indian roller hockey team


Jupinderjit Singh
Tribune News Service




Jammu, June 27
A roadside cigarette vendor’s son from Jammu has made it to the Indian roller hockey team.

Living true to the saying “where there’s a will there’s a way”, Ankush Gupta (19), a resident of Peer Mitha Devidwar Gali here, has excelled against all odds to be chosen to represent India in the Asian Roller Hockey Championship scheduled to be held later this month.

Ankush, who plays as a goalkeeper, will have the company of his state mates - Vinay Bakshi and Gurjeet Singh in the Indian roller hockey (quad) team. Two other players from Jammu, Deepinder Singh and Arjun Gandotra, have been chosen for the roller skating (in-line) hockey team, a communication received by the JK Roller Skating Federation said here today.

Ankush Gupta’s father Ashok Kumar Gupta considers it as a major achievement for him as he single-handedly raised his son and four daughters after his wife died of cancer a few years ago.

“If only she was alive today, she would have been dancing with joy,” he remarked struggling to stop his tears. Ankush is doing BCA course.

His coach PP Singh says, “This (selection) can get him a good government job. He is young and has the potential to make a mark at the international level.”

Ankush remembers the day when his father took him to the skating rink. “I learnt it quickly and caught the eye of my coach. But soon I realised the game was not for me as the goalkeeper’s kit cost over Rs 15,000. It was here that my paternal uncle helped me. Later, GS Khurmi, president of the J&K Roller Skating Association and vice-president of the Roller Skating Federation of India, helped me a lot,” Ankush said.

Khurmi said he was proud of Ankush and four other players from the region who would be representing India soon.

cover against biological, chemical attack

M A I N N E W S

Two disaster management battalions for C-Games
Jupinderjit Singh
Tribune News Service

Jammu, December 22
Next year’s Commonwealth Games would among other security arrangements have in place a cover against biological, chemical and radioactive threats. The National Disaster Management would be deploying two battalions trained in handling such disasters.

Though there was no specific alert , the battalions would be deployed as a precautionary measure to ensure the safety of over 8,000 sportspersons, officials and thousands of spectators.

National Disaster Management Authority vice-chairman and former Army Staff chief NC Vij said here today that disaster management was all about remaining in a general state of preparedness. “We have raised eight battalions, which are deployed in zones prone to earthquakes and floods. Two of them will be deployed at the Commonwealth Games, scheduled in October next… No, there is no terrorist threat. It’s only a precautionary measure.”

Vij, who belongs to Jammu but mostly remains in Delhi (as he manages the NDMA affairs), enjoys the status of a Union Minister of State. He was here to attend a three-day conference on “Integrating hospitals, safe from disasters”.

The NDMA vice-chairman — Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is the chairman — said of all the structures in the country hospitals should be made resilient to earthquakes. “These are the places we need the most after a disaster. They have to be the safest.”

Discussing the paradigm shift in the disaster management policy, Vij said the NDMA aim was not to be caught in a state of non-preparedness during an emergency, if ever. “Though disasters like earthquakes can’t be predicted, we still have (earthquake) prone areas. Also, disasters like floods come without a warning... We are sensitising people to respond on their own so as to ensure minimum loss to life during emergencies.”

when few footballers saved Srinagar-------a rare story of civilian courage

M A I N N E W S


62 years on, tribal invasion fresh on his mind
Jupinderjit Singh
Tribune News Service
Jagannath and his wife at Bakshi Nagar, Jammu. Photo: Inderjeet Singh


Jammu, October 22
As the world today remembers the tribal invasion of Jammu and Kashmir, 85-year-old Jagannath Thapar sits in the verandah of his house at Bakshi Nagar here, remembering how a crude combination of 300 youths, a bunch of football players, a buried brass canon of Hari Singh Nalwa and a madari changed history by delaying for two days the advance of the tribals to the valley 62 years ago.

“But for those curious events, the kabayili (tribals) would have reached the valley and history of the region would have been different, and definitely against India,” claims the retired sub-inspector of JK police, holding a small notebook in his trembling hands.

As he speaks in a highly-animated tone, his aged wife, who cannot walk and is hard of hearing, gently holds his hands. And why should not she? For, it was during this attack that the two had come together, far away in Muzaffarabad in Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir (PoK). And the bond continues till date.

Those were unusual times and the story of these youths was the most unusual. “Please write about it. Let the world investigate,” he implores.

Jagannath was one among lakhs of migrants who came to India during the tribal invasion in October 1947 from areas falling under PoK. “We lost everything, but not before putting up probably the only civilian resistance to the tribals, which history failed to record,” Thapar, who was 23 then, says. “We were crazy about football. There was a talk of Partition but we never believed it. We played football with bare feet on the vast ground between a fort of Hari Singh Nalwa and the Jhelum river outside Muzaffarabad.”

Thapar recalls: “The ball often used to fall in the mighty river and no one could recover it. It was a terrible loss. A football cost a few rupees then. We scrapped for even one paisa in our pockets. Eventually, we thought of clearing bushes inside the fort and play there.

The high walls of the fort would have kept the football inside.” While digging a mound to level the ground, they found a brass canon. “It had inscription in Gurmukhi. We were afraid the cops will punish us. We left it there.” The political and communal scenario changed rapidly within a few months. “People had not left their homes after the creation of Pakistan in August 1947 but then we heard of the tribal attacks.”

The residents of Muzaffarabad, he says, were quite rich and knew the tribals would target them. “The Indian troops had not reached there and no one trusted the army of Maharaja Hari Singh, as it included 80 per cent Muslims. Then, one evening we saw a madari showing how a trained sparrow ignited blast in a small canon he carried.”

The bunch of footballers, he claims, got the idea of using the buried canon. “We told the elders and soon the canon was readied for our defence. We got eight .12 bore rifles, which we looted from the forest office. People manufacturing crackers for Diwali provided us with ammunition.”

The 300 youths and their families and others gathered in the large house of judge Gopal Krishan Anand and placed the canon on a mound. “The tribals, under the guidance of Pakistan army, were advancing towards our colony. One Azim Khan was leading them. An army officer, Lt Col Narayan Singh, of Maharaj’s army had already been killed by Muslim soldiers under him.”

Jagannath claimed when they fired at the advancing tribals from the canon, the Pakistan army thought Indian troops had reached there. “They stopped and we kept them engaged for two days. Many tribals ran saying the Indian Army is here.”

However, the youths were overpowered by October 23 night as the ammunition finished. “Two hundred of us were killed. They looted everything we had. In fact, our wealth also saved Kashmir, as a large number of tribals went back to their villages as they got much more gold and jewellery and pounds than they had imagined they would get after capturing Kashmir.”

A very few, including Jagannath reached India. They stayed in camps in Kurukshetra, Uttar Pradesh, Yol Camp and eventually reached Jammu eight years later. “Our sacrifice helped Kashmir, but till date I have not got the permission to visit my family, the fort and the football ground. We have got peanuts in compensation as compared to other migrants who moved from one part of India to another,” complains Thapar, adding he desired of getting erected a memorial in Muzaffarabad in the memory of the youths (his companions) who laid down their lives.







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