75 years after independence: Bandipora village sans electricity

 

75 years after independence: Bandipora village sans electricity

Tauseef Ahmad

BANDIPORA, Dec 19: The Wevan village of Bandipora district is perhaps one of the rarest places in entire North Kashmir that saw electricity just a year ago since independence. But this feat did not last for long and the village was again thrown into darkness because of the damaged electric infrastructure.  

The resentment against the authorities for failing to provide them with electricity is brewing up in this village and is well understood given the advancement in technology in today’s world.

Talking to Kashmir Despatch correspondent one of the local residents Mohammad Lateef said:  “The government is making tall claims of providing basic amenities to far flung areas but we have been forgotten since independence.”

“The residents of this village use wood sticks (Lashe) and candles for lighting purposes as the village is yet to get proper electricity. Most of the students left their education midway as the village lacked basic facilities,” the villagers said.

The village is located on the hills; around 45 km from district headquarter Bandipora.

“Cattle grazing is our main occupation. We lack all the basic amenities of life. When we compare our life with the urban populace, we find we are still living in the Dark Age,” the locals added. They said that some children who are keen to study are forced to use candles to prepare for their exams. “The government should listen to our woes and provide us with electricity at an earliest.”

“I have not seen electricity in the village since my birth only a few months last year. I want to become an IAS officer, but I don’t think it is easy to crack the medical entrance exam when you have to study holding a lighted wooden stick in one hand,” said Mehraan, a student of Class 9th.

Having a population of around 150 households all belonging to the Scheduled Tribe community, they complain of systemic government apathy as they are forced to live in the dark and without proper power supply in this digital age.

“The village was electrified around a year ago. After that we saw a few months of electricity. But many electric poles and wires were damaged after the construction of the road that started last year. The damaged infrastructure has not been put in place since then and we are forced to live in the dark. Our repeated pleas to the government have fallen on deaf ears,” Mustafa, a local resident of the village.

“The damaged poles and wires on ground give us hope we will see electricity again and our children will learn and work hard for their future goals,” he added.

Meanwhile officials from Power Development Department (PDD) while talking to Kashmir Despatch said that the village had been already electrified, but due to the construction work of the road, some poles have been damaged, now  tenders have been done  again for restoring power supply will try to restore it as soon as possible.

Bandipora girl completes hand written holy book of Quraan in 6 months

 

Tauseef Ahmad

Bandipora Dec 10: Hailing from a Hajin  village of north Kashmir’s Bandipora district Arbeen Tahir completed a handwritten Holy book of  Quran in six months  on 900 papers,and made her family proud.

Arbeena Tahir,  a class 11th student of Govt higher secondary school Hajin."I had completed hand written Holy book of Quran  on 900 pages in six months it was my dream from my childhood,Alhamdulillah i completed it",she added.

Taming it as her life's  biggest achievement,she  said the youth these days are least interested in  reading the Holy book of Quraan,“Reading a book, Islamic literature, or Holy Quran has got a separate charm and feel"she added.

She also said that earlier she started calligraphy work only to improve her handwriting. She started from the first chapter of the Quran . She found joy while doing so she decided to write the whole Quran by her hands and she completed it within six months.

"My family always supported me wholeheartedly,she also thanked her cousin Dr. Seerat  who according to her is her inspiration and also helped her '',she added.

"My message is to the youths as ups and downs are part of life,to improve your chance of success you have to work hard to achieve your goal and clear any obstacles which life throws at you",she also  added.

DDC Repolls : 100 year old Bandipora lady casts their vote with the hope of development in their locality.

 

Sopore's teenager girl publishes her first book of poems and short stories "Tik Tik Boom"

 

Sopore's teenager girl publishes her first book of poems and short stories "Tik Tik Boom"

Tauseef Ahmad

Bandipora Dec 01:- A 15-year old student from Sopore  town of North Kashmir  has authored a debut book, becoming one of the youngest writers from North Kashmir Baramulla district.  The author, Sadaqat Qasim, says her work titled 'Tik Tik Boom' establishes a discourse on serious issues like Dowry and Caste Descrimnation.

Hailing from sopore town of North Kashmir's Baramulla district Sadaqat Qasim is a 9th class student of Shah rasool memorial welkin school of sopore.

Her book "Tik Tik Boom blast of thoughts' ' is  full of enigmatic intrigue and shocking realities. It's a combination of short stories and poems in which the author has elaborated serious issues in our society like dowry system and caste discrimination. While as in her poems she has described love towards serious relationships and she has also written on serious matters like depression and anxiety.

"My journey in the field of literature was not as easy as it seems it was like walking on a thorny road and embers,ups and downs, struggles come in each and every step of life, I too have struggled in this field but it is said that future belong to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams",she added while talking to the said reporter

For being a writer you should believe in your writings, I have a great passion for writing. Her book, a collection of short stories and poems, was published by Vyth Publishing House Sopore. This has provided a great boost to the confidence of Sadaqat Qasim, who is fast becoming a bright young English poet.

 There are four important steps to become a successful  writer: “One is reading, second listening, third absorbing and thinking over what you have read, and lastly putting all that into words. That’s writing.''She added.

She wants to become an advocate in her life in future also.

Bandipora students innovated Samovar which boiled tea closed its lid automatica

 Bandipora students innovated Samovar which boiled tea closed its lid automatically 

Tauseef Ahmad

Bandipora:-Through years and centuries Kashmiri people shape our culture, thereafter culture shapes us. Our culture had a physical link to the past. Be it in the form of a 'Kangri' or a 'Samovar'.

Every Kashmiri home had One or Two Samavors in their home.But due to the advanced technologies we had forgotten what our culture and heritage is,Kashmiris make tea in the samovar. Kashmiris are very fond of tea. That is why any time is considered tea time. Inside a samovar there is a fire-container in which charcoal and live coals are placed. Around the fire-container there is a space for water to boil. 

"This was a matter of pride for all of us as we as a kashmiri has forgotten our culture we use advanced technologies for cooking and other purposes,this innovation helps us to adopt our old culture as most peoples don't use samovar because it was heavier in its weight and everybody hates to carry it from one place to another place,and especially when it boils,tea fells out which sometimes burned hands"added Abdul Razaq who recently heard about this innovation by local students in Bandipora.

The innovation was done by a group of six students of Kashovatics institute of Bandipora who discussed the idea first with his teacher and after finding a solution they worked on it and innovated it properly.

"We used thermal stability and thermal control in it " which not only pours the tea into the cup itself but when the tea boils too much its lid closes automatically and tea does not spill, which also avoids the risk of burning",added one of the while talking to the said reporter who was the part of this group who made this innovation.

Jehangir Bhat  University of Texas graduate, the passionate engineer from Bandipora Jahangir  is a five-time gold medalist in innovation and invention at the international level. "We have around one thousand students enrolled in Kashovatics institute in Bandipora and Pattan area of Baramulla,these innovations are from students the come with idea and discuss with us we only give them way how to do things the made models itself and works on it"Jehangir Bhat added while talking to the said reporter.

He also said that we can do still more changes in Samovar but the Samovar was the part of our tradition and don't want to change aesthetics of that.We have 20 more innovations on table students are working with them,will try to give more and more innovations to world with these young minds.