Download - Praagaash June 2020.cdr - Kashmir As It Is

PraagaashÒççiççMç

For Private Circulation Only

Dedicated to Our Heritage, Our Language and Our Culture

Net-journal of 'Project Zaan’

Jç<ç& 5 : DçbkçÀ 6 pçÓvç 2020~ Vol 5 : No. 6 June 2020~

ß vçcçççÆcç lJççb Mççjoç oíJççR, cçnçYççiççR YçiçJçlççR kçÀçMcççÇj hçájJçççÆmçvççRçÆJçÐçç oççÆ³çvççR j#ç cççcçd j#ç cççcçd~ vçcçççÆcç lJççcçd~

Pahalgam by Baabu

Praagaash02

ÒççiççMç

In this issue

Editorial�

�

�

�

�

�

�

�

�

�

�

�

�

�

�

�

�

�

�

�

�

�

�

�

�

�

�

�

Cover - Pahalgam by Baabu 01

Editorial - M.K.Raina 02

03

04

Covid-19 Pandemic : Dr. Suneem Khan- An Unprecedented Situation 06

08

From the Pages of Ancient History : M.K.Parimoo- Burzahom in the Historical Perspective 08

Poetry : Meem Hai Zaffar- Covid-19 12

Documentary : Ashok Kaul- May Universe be Kind to Humanity 13

16

My Medical Journey : Dr. K.L.Chowdhury- The Stroke Look 17

21

Personalities : Prof. Kanwar K. KaulDr. Gwasha Lal Kaul - A Legendry Physician 22

28

Kundanspeak : T.N.Dhar ‘Kundan’- Influence of Advaita on .... 2. 29

32

On Negativity : Ashok Dullu- Why is Negativity so Popular in Media 33

37

38

On Maqbool Shah Kralwari : Nayyar Makhdoomi 39

40

Life : Manzoor Nawchoo- Strength to Fight a Crisis 41

Spirituality & Religion : Dr C.L.Raina- Dedicated to Divine Mother 43

46

Environment & Life : Prof B.L.Kaul- Our Common Mother 47

49

Kashmiri Short Story : Akhtar Mohi-ud-Din- Tootan Khaman (Nastaliq & Devanagari) 51

Letters to the Editor 53

JççKç lçe ÞçáKçkçÀçJ³ç : mçJçç&vçbo kçÀçÌuç ÒçícççÇ - ªoe pçô³ç&

kçÀçJ³ç : mçávççÇlçç jÌvçç hçBçÆ[lç - lççj çÆoKçvçç

kçÀçJ³ç : çÆvçiçnlç mçççÆnyçç - ]pço& hçvçekçw³ç [íj

kçÀçJ³ç : Òçícç vççLç Mçço - ³çço h³ççícç

kçÀçJ³ç : cççÇcç nçF& ]pçHçÀj - iç]pçuç

kçÀçJ³ç : Òççí. içáuççcç cçánccço Mçço - yçe jçJççvç sámç

kçÀçJ³ç : [ç. MççÌkçÀlç çÆMçHçÀç - oáDççkçÀçJ³ç : mçcço cççÇj - hççlççuç DççkçÀçMç

kçÀçJ³ç : Òçícç vççLç kçÀçÌuç Dçhç&vç - c³çç@v³ç F&o

kçÀçJ³ç : HçÀçªkçÀ MççnçÇvç - Dçuuççn nÓ

kçÀçJ³ç : Dçyoáuç içvççÇ vçoçÇcç - cçáuççkçÀçLç

The COVID-19 does notseem to be sparing us anytimesoon. Though the scientistsworld over are busy working ondevelopment of an effectivevaccine, we can only pray toAlmighty and hope for the best.Doctors, medical staff and paramedical personnel are busyfighting the pandemic, workingbeyond their means, only to let us live. Oursincere tributes to all of them, as also to thoseworking on essential services to keep all of usgoing. We salute all of them.

Praagaash is progressing day by day in terms ofreadership which is evident from the mails, postsand messages received from readers, some ofwhich are included in the ‘Letters to Editor’pages. We are thankful to them. We reiterate ourappeal to our readers, authors and columnists tocontribute to Praagaash by way of write-ups. Weaccept articles on Kashmir’s History, Geography,Language, Culture, Historical Monuments,Great Personalities, Rites & Rituals and all thatconnected to our motherland. We do notentertain or publish articles which are hatefultowards a person, tribe, caste or community.

Praagaash is also avai lable now atmkraina.com/category/praagaash/

kpamumbai.org/praagaash/in addition to the KPA Mumbai website

��

`Òççípçíkçwì ]pççvç' kçÀçÇ vçíì-HççÆ$çkçÀç Jç<ç& 5 : DçbkçÀ 6 ~ pçÓvç 2020

Project Zaan is the Literary Initiative of Kashmiri Pandits’ Association, Mumbai.Project Zaan is supported by Kashmiri Pandits’ Association, Mumbai.

ÒççiççMç 02June 2020 ~ pçÓvç 2020

Inspiration : Late Shri J.N.Kachroo ~ Guide & Consulting Editor : Shri T.N.Dhar ‘Kundan’ ~ Editor : M.K.Raina ~ Overseas Assistance : Dr. Zarka Batul, LondonEditorial Office : 104-B, Galaxy, Agarwal Township, Kaul’s Heritage City, Babhola, Vasai Road (W), Dist. Palghar 401 202, Maharashtra, India

E-Mail : [email protected] ~ Cell : +91-9422473459 ~ Website : kpamumbai.org/praagaash/ ~ mkraina.com/category/praagaash/ ~ Layout & DTP : Ashwin Raina

ÞçáKç - MçíKç vçÓj-Go-oçÇvç JçuççÇ

kçWÀ]®çvç mççnôy³ç çÆo]®ççJç ¬çÀ]®çjuçç@çÆvçmç uçôK³ççÆlçmç kçw³çç kçw³çáLç kçÀjí~kçábÀn kçÀçô©vç sçôvç lçe kçWÀ]®çvç yç@j]®çj

DçççÆmç vç³ç Dç@j]®çj kçÀJçe HçáçÆæs çÆ³ç]pçí~~

kçWÀ]®çvç kçÀyçj s³ç HççíMç ]pçvç MçíjíkçWÀ]®çvç kçÀyçj s³ç çÆmç³ççn ®ççn~

kçWÀn iç@u³ç mçççÆnyçe ®ççvçí JçíjíkçWÀn iç@³ç ]pçíjí DççÆkçÀ içácçjçn~~

��

��

JççKç - uçuç Ðço

oçôy³ç ³çôçÆuç sç@Jçevçmç oçôy³ç kçÀçÆvç H³çþe³çmç]pçe lçe mççyçvç cç@æsvçcç ³ç@]®çe³ç~

mçe]®³ç ³çôçÆuç çÆHçÀjecç nçÆvç nçÆvç kçÀç@]®çe³çDçoe uççÆuç cçô Òçç@Jçecç Hçjcç içLç~~

Üço Mççblçe cçb[uç ³çmç oçÇJçmç LççÆ]pçvçççÆmçkçÀe HçJçvçe oççÆj Dçvççnlç jJç~

mJç³çcç kçÀuHçvç DççÆvlç ]®ççÆpçHççvç³ç mçá oçÇJç lçe Dçjæ®çávç kçÀmç~~

��

��

Praagaash03

ÒççiççMç `Òççípçíkçwì ]pççvç' kçÀçÇ vçíì-HççÆ$çkçÀç Jç<ç& 5 : DçbkçÀ 6 ~ pçÓvç 2020


Praagaash04



ªoe pçô³ç&mçJçç&vçbo kçÀçÌuç ÒçícççÇ

vçyçe Jç@æseKç³ç vçç]pç kç@À³ç& kç@ÀçÆj³çímççí]pçí çÆouç c³ççívç yççí]pççÇ ªoe pçôçÆj³çí³çôçÆuç JçmçevçákçÀ mçb]pç n³ç kçÀçô©Lç³çcJçKlçe DçBÐç DçBÐç hççvçmç pççô©Lç³ç

mçól³ç Jçç@çÆuçLç uççÆs yç@Ðç HçôÀçÆj³çí, mççí]pçí çÆouç c³ççívç yççí]pççÇ ªoe pçôçÆj³çí

DççHçÀlççyçmç hço&e kçw³ççn LççíJçáLçuççíuçe mççí]pççn uççíuçe yççí]pçevççíJçáLç

mçy]pççjmç cJçKlçe pç@³ç& pç@çÆj³çí, mççí]pçí çÆouç c³ççívç yççí]pççÇ ªoe pçôçÆj³çí

$çííçÆMç nçÆlçvçe³ç $çíMç çÆhçuçevçç@JçeLçcççje cççÆlçvçe³ç vçôboejçn hçç@JçeLç

oçÆpç [Ó³ç& kçw³ççn DçççÆ³ç yç@³ç& yç@çÆj³çí, mççí]pçí çÆouç c³ççívç yççí]pççÇ ªoe pçôçÆj³çí

lçvç vçç@JçeLç mçbiçjcççuçvçJçá[ejvç lç³ç yçôçÆ³ç hççbæ®ççuçvç

DçBÐç DçBÐç lç³ç yçôçÆ³ç yJçvç nôçÆj³çí, mççí]pçí çÆouç c³ççívç yççí]pççÇ ªoe pçôçÆj³çí

Mççíj kçÓÀlççn Ðçálç kçwJçuçJç DççjJçmççÆvçjJç lç³ç yçôçÆ³ç JJçiçev³ççjJç

mçiçeçÆJçvç lççv³ç iç@çÆ³ç kçw³ççn mç@çÆj³çí, mççí]pçí çÆouç c³ççívç yççí]pç ªoe pçôçÆj³çí

mçiçevççJççvç ³çç³ç&vç çÆoJçoçjvçmçy]pççjvç yçôçÆ³ç içáuç]pççjvç

hçvçev³ç lç³ç yçôçÆ³ç JJçhç@³ç&³çí, mççí]pçí çÆouç c³ççívç yççí]pççÇ ªoe pçôçÆj³çí

Continued on next page

Praagaash05



ûçççÆ³ç cççjçvç Jç&çÆvç oçcççvçmçlçuçe ]pçcççÇvç lç³ç h³çþe Dççmçcççvçmç

ÞçJççÆvç oçj kç@Àc³ç iJç[e kç@À³ç& iç@çÆj³çí, mççí]pçí çÆouç c³ççívç yççí]pççÇ ªoe pçôçÆj³çí

lççÇ]pççÇ kçw³ççn ®çç@çÆvçmç kçÀçjmçmççWlçmç lç³ç ÞççJçevçmç nçjmç

hççíçÆMç Jçvç kçw³ççn sçÇ çÆouççJç@çÆj³çí, mççí]pçí çÆouç c³ççívç yççí]pççÇ ªoe pçôçÆj³çí

kçôbÀn çÆs kçáÀçÆvçjákçÀ mççí]pç ®ççívç yççí]pççvçkçôbÀn çÆs lççyçôn æ®çô³ç kçáÀvç jçí]pççvç

kçôbÀn çÆs $ççôhçeçÆjLç oççÆj lç³ç yçje³çí, mççí]pçí çÆouç c³ççívç yççí]pççÇ ªoe pçôçÆj³çí

sávçe kçÀçbn DçKç yçíiççvçe æ®çô³ç çÆvçMçmçççÆjvçe³ç h³çþ vç]pçjçn ®çç@v³ç çÆnMç

Dçyçoe yçÐçvç ®çç@vççÇ ³ççJç@çÆj³çí, mççí]pçí çÆouç c³ççívç yççí]pççÇ ªoe pçôçÆj³çí

çÆnJ³ç çÆs mçç@jçÇ æ®çô³ç çÆvçMç FvçmççvçpççvçJçj lç³ç yçôçÆ³ç mçç@³ç& n³çJççvç

]pçjoçj lç³ç yçôçÆ³ç yçí-]pçje³çí, mççí]pçí çÆouç c³ççívç yççí]pççÇ ªoe pçôçÆj³çí

lççíje uççjçvç ³ççôlç n³ç Dçç³çKçmç@oejmç çÆvçMç ³çmç n³ç ]pçç³çKç

ûçççÆ³ç cçç@³ç& cçç@³ç& o@çÆsv³ç KççíJçeçÆj³çí, mççí]pçí çÆouç c³ççívç yççí]pççÇ ªoe pçôçÆj³çí

®çç@v³ç mçç]pçvç KJçMç DççJçç]pçvçkçÀçôj ÒçícççÇ Jçç@kçÀeHçÀ jç]pçvç

oÓj içæsevçmç mçç@jçÇ þ@çÆj³çí, mççí]pçí çÆouç c³ççívç yççí]pç ªoe pçôçÆj³çí

��

Covid-19 Pandemic - Dr. Suneem A. Khan

Coronavirus Outbreak

An Unprecedented Situation

Praagaash06



COVID 19 : What the pandemic hastaught us so far. The outbreak of novelc o r o n a v i r u s h a s c r e a t e d a nunprecedented situation around theworld. Mankind is no stranger to suchcalamitous outbreaks of diseases.However, this is the first viral-outbreak ofthis nature and scale in our lifetime,something that we have witnessed as a‘generation'. All of us have come to knowthis fairly by now that hygiene is the firstand obvious take-away. Precaution is theonly ‘visible' cure for this new strain ofcoronavirus, so far. As precaution, whatdoctor's advice is basic hygiene, apartfrom social distancing. Sanitation andcleanliness are among the humblest ofthe civic virtues, and it's fairly easy forone to underestimate their significance. Itneeded a Mahatma to attach the utmostpriority to them. In South Africa and inIndia, his historic campaigns alwaysbegan with or ran parallel to the questionof sanitation and hygiene. In the year

1896, Gandhiji wasvisiting India, andplague broke out inM u m b a i ( t h e nB o m b a y ) . H eoffered his servicesto the state, whichwere accepted. Asa volunteer Gandhiji inspected latrinesand exhorted people to pay attention tocleanliness. We need to imbibe all hislessons in our daily life, and in this ongoingyear of his 150th birth anniversary, wemay at least begin by rededicatingourselves to the cause of personal andsocial hygiene. The nation-wide 'SwachhBharat Abhiyan' (Mission Clean India) is aprecursor to this great social awakening.Incremented respect for nature may beanother great lesson intended for us toshift our collective focus on. Homosapiens are the only organism havingoverpowered all other animals, pretendingto have assumed almost total control ofthe whole planet, and even set foot on theMoon. Now it stands humbled by a meremicroorganism. We would do well to keepin mind the fact that at the end of the daywe are merely biological organisms,dependent on other organisms forsurvival. Mankind's fetish to control natureand exploit all its resources forprofit can bewiped out in a stroke by an organism andthe mother of all ironies would be that we

Praagaash07



cannot even see what's going to devour uswith the naked eye. Time to remindourselves that our ancestors saw natureas mother, and asked us to respect it. Atsome point in history, we forgot ancientwisdom. When pandemics and abnormalweather phenomena are becoming thenorm, it's time to pause and seriouslyintrospect about where did we go astray onour way, and how we can still make acomeback on a pre and well defined 'trackof life'.This new virus strikes beyond man-made classifications of religion, race andregion. The world has been busy drawingdistinctions and waging wars over us-versus-them, have's-versus-have not's,fair-verus-black. But we suddenly realisethat in the face of a grave mortal & a threatof microbiological size (I'm actuallylaughing while writing this one) like theCoV2019, we have none but one identity –'that we are human beings, uniformlysusceptible to pathologies'. We alsohappen to realise how deeply each one ofus is connected with everybody else. Weare as safe as the care we take of others'safety, not only of human beings but alsoof plants and animals. Faced with anextraordinary crisis, most people tend tobe selfish, but this is a crisis that teachesus to think equally of others. Though

voluntary services through socialmobilisation are not encouraged due tothe highly contagious nature of thedisease, there are many ways in whichpeople can help contain and mitigate theviral spread. Ever ycitizen can contributetowards raising awareness and equally byrefraining from spreading panic, peddlingfake news and taking prudent precautionsadvised by the government. Those whocan, should also care to share resources,especially with ill affording, daily wagersand less resourceful neighbours, and beextremely careful and cautious vis-a-vissenior citizens who are 'the most'vulnerable to the disease. Mother Natureis also giving us subtle hints toacknowledge, withhumility, our basicequality and interdependence. It's alesson - impartedthough at a heavy price –that will come handy in mitigating globalchallenges for instance climate change aswell as in building a better, commonfuture.

[Author Dr. Suneem A. Khan is a Medicowith CRPF (Srinagar). He can becontacted on Twitter @DrSuneem]

Praagaash08

ÒççiççMç `Òççípçíkçwì ]pççvç' kçÀçÇ vçíì-HççÆ$çkçÀç

lçjçvç mç@oejmç mçjçvç smç lççj çÆoKç vççiçjçvç smç mççW®ç DçLç Dçvçnçj çÆoKç vççcJçuçmç ¿çcçLç yçe oçJçmç Òççvç uçç@çÆiçLç

æ®çe sáKç ]pççÇçÆvçLç cçô ÜnçÆoMç nçj çÆoKç vççiçuççvç ]pçvç MççÇlçpççje®ç MççÇvçe cçç@v³ççDç]pççyçmç sámç lçe æ®çívçávç vççj sácç vçç

JçæsJç ®çôMcçJç içá]pççjev³ç jçLç kçwJçmçe kçÀLç³çálçá³ç JççBmçvç cçô ³ççqKlç³ççj çÆoKç vççæ®çuççvç sávçe suçvçe ]pçç@lççÇ oçiç JççBmçþ

yçuççvç sávçe yçuçvçekçáÀ³ç Dççmççj çÆoKç vççsá oçcççvç ®ççívç kçÀçÇJçuç DçKç Jç@mççÇuçç

mçkçÓÀvçe®ç kçÀLç cJçuçáuç F]pçnçj çÆoKç vççJçæsj çÆpçiçjmç lçe ]kçÀoejvç neb]pç vç]pççkçÀLç

n³çç vç]pçejvç Mçánáuç içáHçwlççj çÆoKç vçç

��

lççj çÆoKçvççmçávççÇlçç jÌvçç hçBçÆ[lç

Jç<ç& 5 : DçbkçÀ 6 ~ pçÓvç 2020


From the Pages of Ancient History - M.K.Parimoo

Burzahom in the Historical Perspective

Praagaash09


The word 'burzahom' is a combinationof two words, burza and hom. Burza insanskrit means Bhoj i.e. bhojpatra andhom is the equivalent word of Ashram.Hence Burzahom is a place of birchindicating that in ancient days, it must havebeen a storage godown for birch leaves.

Burzahom is the name of an ancientcivilization of Kashmir, which belonged tothe Stone Age and that is why Burzahomhas been a place of intensive research forh i s t o r i a n s , r e s e a r c h e r s a n darchaeologists. Burzahom is situatedtowards North East of Srinagar Kashmiron the road connecting Naseem Bagh andShalimar, about 24 kms away fromSrinagar situated at a karewa, an upland.From there one can have a panoramicview of the Dal Lake. There are somemonoliths of stone found at Burzahom andthis ancient site of civilization in Kashmirwas discovered long back in 1928 by anarchaeologist Peterson because of veryhuge stones called Megaliths. Accordingto him, the stone findings are said to

belong to the NeoIithicage. Moreover someblack coloured potteryhas also been found atBurzahom as well as atNunar Kashmir. In1 9 6 1 , C e n t r a lGovernment took theinitiative of excavation through itsarcheological department under theguidance of a Kashmiri ArchaeologistT.N.Khazanchi. Excavation continued upto1982.

The Stone Age w.r.t. Burzahom hasbeen dealt within four periods. In the firstperiod of the Stone Age, the dwellers ofBurzahom used to live in the cup shapedp i t s as d i scove red by va r iousarchaeologists and historians. The pitshave been chiseled with indigenous sharpstone tools depicting the skill of age oldcraftsmanship in the Valley of Kashmir.The pits were dug according to therequirements of the dwellers and t

parts of thepits. Over the pillars, the dwellersused birch leaves and mud placedon the horizontal stone monolithslabs, so as to give a covering

hat iswhy all the pits were not of the same shape

and size. The biggest pitexcavated up to 1982 had acircumference of 274 meters atthe top & 458 meters at thebottom. The measured depth is395 meters. Pillars of stone wereerected near the upper



Burzahom Aechaeological SiteImage : alchetron.com

Praagaash10


roof to the pits. Such roofs used to give thepits a cover against the rains & snowduring the wet seasons. Some burnt birchleaves were also found within the pits.Coal, ash and some baked clay pots werealso found during the pit excavations,testifying the human habitation inside thepits.

Some cooking stoves made of loosestones were also found outside the pitsabove the ground level, clearly indicatingthat the pit dwellers must have been livingover and above the pits in accordance tothe suitability of the climatic conditions.According to various archeologists, the pitdwellers of the ancient stone age musthave been using the pits during the winterseasons. In addition to the pits, somesquare & rectangular shaped rooms havealso been excavated. Some of the roomsmeasured 7x4.40 meters. In some of thepits, some round shaped grinding stonesbear the proof of pit dwellers at Burzahom.During the first period of the last stone age,the pit dwellers were using the utensilsmade of clay. The colour of the utensilsvaried from black to dark red though notperfect in shape. They must have beenusing mats vowen out of dried grass. Suchmats are called PATTEJ in Kashmiri. Suchmats were used by the pitdwellers for drying the claypots made by them as wasevident from the mat markson the outer surface of theclay pots.

According to variousresearchers, no remains ofthe dead bodies e.g. bonesetc. were found, not even intraces at any place in

Burzahom, thus clearly indicating that thehabitants must not have been burying thedead bodies, but must have beencremating them. Moreover the pit dwellerswere nomads and used to catch the fishalso. The archeological findings andresearches, some tools and instrumentsmade of the bones clearly indicate that thepit dwellers had mastered the art at theadvanced level. They also used staghorns for making various types of toolsand weapons as well. In addition to thebones, stones were also used to maketools and utensils etc. Some instrumentsmade out of bones and copper indicatethat either such instruments must havebeen coming from China or must havebeen duplicated. During the secondperiod of the last Stone Age, the habitantsmust have been using the residentialplaces made of mud bricks and borders onthe ground were also made out of browncoloured mud. Pits of any shape wereeither used or re-used. They also used tofill the old pits either with mud or withstones. The pit dwellers had also beenusing the potter’s clay to make both theirutensils as well as some instruments.Weapons as well as some instruments,



Image : newslaundry.com

Praagaash11



they made with copper also. Suchweapons and instruments of copperbelonged to the second phase of lastStoneAge, indicating clearly transaction ofbusiness with other civilizations in thoseancient historical days of Kashmir.Archeological findings also included someunpolished handmade potteries as well aspolished and coloured potteries. Thesethings found at Buzahom indicate clearlythat they must have come somewherefrom out side Kashmir. One of the curio inthe shape of a hand made pottery has alsobeen found, belonging to the secondperiod of paleolithic age which is in theshape of a huge vessel filled with ninehundred & fifty semi precious stones. Thestones indicate the skill of the artisans ofthat age. Some special types of graveswere also found from the dwellings duringthe second period of the Stone Age. Thegraves were either found in the groundfloors or in the courtyards of the dwellings.White wash was used inside the walls ofsome graves also. Human skeletons in thebowed pose were also found in some ofthe graves, but no instruments or weaponsof any kind were found in any of thegraves. However skeletons of some deadanimals such as those of dogs, wolves andgoats were also found in some of the

graves. Some researchers believe thatdogs must have been domesticated bysome of the dwellers. Also among theskeletons found during the first period ofthe stone age, a skeleton of a tall deadwoman was also excavated.

During the third period of the lastStone Age, mega monolithic andpaleolithic stones have also been found atBurzahom, though very few instrumentswere made out of stones or bones duringthis period. In addition to the huge stones,some goods made of metals have alsobeen found at the site. In the excavationsat Burzahom, a huge stone was also foundwhich was used as a lid to a huge pond.Some decorations have also been

engraved on the stone which clearly showthe skill of the craftsmen of that era inKashmir. The image of the Kashmiri deerpopularly known worldwide as Haangul isalso engraved on the stone. Along thepicture of Haangul, there is also thepicture of the Sun, which according to thearcheological view indicates that theHaangul must have been killed during theday time.

Author can be contacted at:[email protected]

Image : yatra.com

Image : Economic Times

Praagaash12


The poisonous arrows of a conditioned existence kill me everyday.

Every night I am born again.

Again to be annihilated by the same vicious arrows

The play goes on and on.

No reflection of an omniscient Self.

No awareness of Divine Continuties.

Only blank spaces and empty intervals.

Life is a suspended anticipation woven of pain.

The hell-fires are scorching the barren earth.

The indifferent sky is overcast with rainless black clouds.

In this ambiance,

A poisonous seed has sprouted.

A non-hope has propped up,

Revealing the black holes of the universe

Poetry - Meem Hai Zaffar

Covid-19

��



Praagaash13


May Universe Be Kind On Humanity

- Major Ashok KaulA Poem and a Documentary



Dççmçcççb içjpç jnç yççouççW mçímçcçbojçW kçÀçÇ uçnjçW cçW nuç®çuçiççÆuç³ççb mçáv

mçkçíÀ ³çn DçOççÆKçuçí HçÓÀuçhçí[çW kçÀçÇ ìnçÆvç³ççW mçí yçjmçí DççbmçÓmççiçj þnj iç³çç

hçnç[çW mçí çÆvçkçÀuççÇ oo& kçÀçÇ DççJçç]pçyç´ïççb[ cçámçkçáÀjç³çç

çmççvç, IçjçW cçW KççcççíMççÇcççvçJç GuçPçvç cçW DçkçÀççqmcçkçÀ Dççhçoç mçí

®çuç yçmçí kçÀF& uççíiç DçOçÓjí mçhçvçí çÆuç³çícççvçJç kçÀç oo& kçÀYççÇ mçn vç

Watch documentary on Youtube :https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NueTwOdsgFY&feature=youtu.be

Praagaash14



çÆpçmç cççvçJç vçí çÆkçÀ³çç lçácç hçj Dçl³çç®ççjkçÀj jní nçí lçácç mçyç GmçkçíÀ çÆuç³çí hçákçÀçj?

mçyç pççÇJç pçblçá hçíæ[ hççÌOçí mççiçj çÆcçuç iç³çí SkçÀ mççLçPçákçÀ iç³çí yç´ïççb[ kçÀçÇ DççíjkçÀjoçí cççvçJç kçÀçí cççHçÀyç´ïççb[ ³çn oíKç çÆJç®ççÆuçlç náDçç

çÆpçvç hçj cççvçJç vçí çÆkçÀ³çç Dçl³çç®ççjJçnçÇ kçÀj jní nQ cççvçJç kçÀçÇ oo& kçíÀ çÆuç³çí hçákçÀçj?yç´ïççb[ Mççblç náDççSkçÀ vçF& mçáyçn náF&

çÆcçì iç³çç cççvçJç hçj ÒçkçÀçíhçDççmçcççvç Kçáuçç

Praagaash15



mçcçbojçW kçÀçÇ uçnjW cçámçkçÀájçF¥iççÆuç³ççW cçW [çíuç yçpçíIçjçW cçW KçáçÆMç³ççb DççF¥cççvçJç kçÀçí mçboíMç çÆcçuççDçyç YççÇ Jç]kçwlç nÌ, kçÀj uççí pççÇJç pçblçá mçí h³ççjcççvçJç kçÀç DçnbkçÀçj náDçç ®çÓj ®çÓjyç´ïççb[ mçí DççF& çÆHçÀj mçí DççJçç]pçDçyç YççÇ Jç]kçwlç nÌ, kçÀj uççí nj pççÇJç pçblçá mçí h³ççjvçnçR mçávçÓbiçç çÆHçÀj kçÀYççÇ çÆkçÀmççÇ kçÀçÇ hçákçÀçj

Major Ashok Kaul served the Indian Army till the rank of Major, received Chief ofArmy Staff's Commendation for gallantry. He worked closely with Raj Kapoor inmaking Ram Teri Ganga Maili, Hena and other movies, and headed the famous RKFilms and Studios both at Creative and Production levels. Major Kaul establishedIshaan Films. He wrote, produced and directed the critically acclaimed film 'ParamVir Chakra'. This film was invited for fund raising by American Cancer Society inUSA. He also wrote, directed and executed the production of India's first animationfilm with live action 'Bhagmati – The Queen of Fortunes' which laid the foundation ofAnimation and VFX industry in India. The film raised the importance of communalharmony and the need to rise above religious divisions up to a space where onlyhumanity and love live. Major Kaul also made a film for QCGC, a US Federalgovernment organization for children and youth.

Praagaash16


��



]pço& hçvçekçw³ç [íj

çÆvçiçnlç mçççÆnyçç

içìe ]pçáçÆJçmç Dçç]HçÀlççyç mççí]pçKç vçç³ççoe yççiçekçw³ç içáuççyç mççí]pçKç vçççÆ³çcç lçáuççvç Dçç@m³ç vçôbçÆê mçnjvç yçç@i³çDç]pç çÆlçcç³ç MçÓæ®³ç Kjççyç mççí]pçKç vçççÆouç, cççônyçlçcç iç]pçuç, içáuççyç, JçHçÀçkçÀçbn ³çáLçá³ç ¿çÓ Dç]pççyç mççí]pçKç vçç®çç@v³ç uççovç cçô lçççÆuç h³çþ n]pçjlç³çÓlç mçÓ]pçáLç æ®çô pççyç mççí]pçKç vçç?mççÇçÆj³çç ®³çvç mçJççuçe yçá]p³ç cççp³çvçDççmçcçç@vççÇ pçJççyç mççí]pçKç vçç?

o³ç ]pçççÆvç çÆ]pç kçÀmçDçKç iççÆo& HçÀçôuçç çÆnMç JççJçmç cçb]pçDçKç hçvçe Jç@Lçejç çÆnMç no&mç cçb]pçDçKç lççhçe ]pçeæ®çç çÆnMç cççiçmç cçb]pçDçKç æ®çç@bi³ç jônç lçÓHçÀçvçmç cçb]pçDçKç çÆ]pçlçv³çç içìe hçs jç@æ®çvç cçb]pçDçKç cççÇuçe kç@Àv³çç çÆnMç Òççjçvç smço³ç ]pçççÆvç çÆ]pç kçÀmço³ç ]pçççÆvç çÆ]pç kçÀmç

Praagaash17



My Medical Journey - Dr. K.L.Chowdhury

The Stroke Look(The Sardar with a Headache)

Those were halcyon days. I hadgraduated in medicine and was posted asa house physician at SMHS hospital. Mybrother-in-law, Mr. P L Raina (PLR) was ageologist in the formative years of hisillustrious career in the department. Theyear was 1964. He was the projectmanager conducting geological surveys inKhrew and the surrounding region, knownfor rich deposits of limestone, the essentialingredient for producing cement. Thecement factory at Wuyan was in dire needof raw materials for a profitable production.So PLR had set up an establishment atKhrew. He had pitched large tents for theoffice and the staff, and also hired a privatebuilding for residential purpose in thetown.

One time, PLR invited us to spend acouple of days with him at Khrew. Besidesme, there was my older brother Robin, anengineer by profession, and Mohan Ji, myolder cousin, a young police officer.

I t w a s a nencampment on agentle slope strewnwith stones and rocksjutting from thistle andbush, the hills aroundp r o v i d i n g a no t h e r w o r l d l yambience. The place bristled with activity,what with nearly half dozen assistants,surveyors and drillers, orderlies andcooks, as also some inquisitive villagers.

We were welcomed with traditionalfanfare. It was summer and the coolmountain breeze lifted our spirits themoment we settled down. We spent theevening on the rocks near theencampment, savoring chilled beer andsnacks of , potato chips, androast lamb.

It was a Sardarji who made rounds toserve the snacks. He was also the chiefcook. Possibly it was from my longassociation with Sikhs when I was amedical student at Patiala that I took amore than ordinary interest in the cook. Itanimated him to indulge me; urging me tohave another and yet another helping.

“Sardarji, you tend to be moredisposed towards Doctor Sahib than therest of us. It seems you are investing inyour health, eh?” Mohan ji asked himjocularly.

“Why not, sir? After all, health iseverything. And we hear he is a smart

nadir churma

Praagaash18



doctor. Raina Sahib speaks so high ofhim.”

“That is why we feel neglected here,”Robin guffawed, and all of us laughed.

The Sardar felt a bit uneasy, butPLR immediately comforted him that wewere just having fun, enjoying a joke andnot really serious. He was a great bossand treated his staff with respect.

“No, I serious. He is moredisposed toward my little brother,” insistedRobin, although he couldn't mask thelighthearted and jocular tone, his soleintention being to tease both the Sardarand me a little bit

“Sir, you never know when you needa doctor.After God, there is only the doctorto protect us,” reflected the gentle Sardar.He was around fifty, tall and burly, with asalt and pepper beard, seemingly quitehealthy. His blue turban sat well on hisfriendly demeanor. I took an instant likingfor him.

“You can always depend on me,Sardarji,” I said genially and meant it.

“Thank you, Doctor Sahib,” hereplied gratefully.

Mohan ji clapped his hands to inviteeveryone's attention. “There, there. Theysay in Kashmiri: the way to loyalty isthrough the palate. Our Sardar here hasalready earned it.” He winked at memischievously. The laughter grew louder.

I feigned protest, “Now that is a bit farfetched.”

“He may have earned our doctor'sloyalty but that doesn't earn himinsurance. When the final call comes,none can help, not even the greatLukman. ” I t was Robin , ra therphilosophical than bantering.

am

Everyone nodded in agreement, butthe Sardar riposted, “At least one will notdie unattended.”

The moon rose from the hills and theplace was bathed in romance, evokingpoetry and song. We spoke of our days atthe different institutions from where wehad graduated (Robin from Varanasi, PLRfrom Lucknow, Mohan Ji from Mt. Abu), ofour nascent experiences in our respectiveprofessions, of our hopes and aspirations,our loves and dreams. We recited poetry,especially Ghalib and his tantalizing love

, ' 'We just wouldn't move inside from themesmerizing atmosphere until late in thenight. Mohan ji was rather high, almostinebriated, more by the utopian ambiencethan the bottle of beer he had consumed.He had been a top student, had topped theJ&K Matriculat ion and done hispostgraduate from the prestigious DelhiSchool of economics, he was possibly inthe wrong profession, but he had alreadywon appreciation for his diligence andefficiency.

Dinner was served and we slept late.Next morning, we rose early and

went up the stairs to the nearby JawalaTemple, the high abode of the goddess offire. We paid obeisance and had our puja.

ghazal phir voh deedae tar yaad aya...

Praagaash19



After breakfast, we went for a climb up thehills surveying the bewitching placefamous for its springs and saffron. We metthe villagers and walked the narrow pathsto the fields. It was a rejuvenatingexperience. By the time we returned, itwas already lunchtime.

Nearly fifteen of us including theguests and the staff sat in an L-shapedformation in a large room on the floor, along white sheet of dining cloth spread infront of us and food being served in .Boiled rice was followed by various dishesserved hot from the kitchen in tandem bythe servers. Finally, the Sardar emergedwith a and started dishing out hotsteaming with a large serving spoon.He was two guests away from me when heuttered a low groan. He stopped a whilebut continued to serve soon after. I lookedup when he was near me and asked, “Areyou alright, Sardarji?”

“I got a headache?”

thalis

deegchakalia

“When?”“Just now.”“Is it bad?”“Yes.”“You should rest. “ I suggested.He looked rather confused. “No sir, I

will be soon alright. Let me finish serving.”He poured two heaped spoonfuls ofin my and moved on. I watched himuntil he had finished, then called him back.

“How are you now?”“Bad.” He slurred a bit, or that is what

I thought“Please leave the here and

go and rest.”He placed the on a side

table and walked away.Everyone looked at me.“What happened?” PLR asked me.“He has come down with a

headache.”“He suffers headache now and then;

migraine I believe. I will give him aSaridon.”

I think he has developed a stroke.” Ideclared.

“Stroke! You mean some sort of aparalysis? But he seems to be walkingfine.”

“He has a stroke look.”“What is a stroke look?”“I can't explain, but he has it.”In fact, there is nothing like a stroke

look, nor will you find any such term inneurological treatises on stroke. It was justintuitive that I felt that Sardarji hadsustained a stroke. I had read about'thunderclap headache' in my graduatedays. It is a sudden excruciatingheadache like the clap of thunder, a resultof brain haemorrhage. But the Sardar

Kaliathali

deegcha

deegcha

PLR with his littlethe author, Dr K

and an olderauthor, Shri Hira

daughter Jyoti,L Chowdhury

cousin of theLal Chowdhury.

Praagaash20



didn't seem to be in any great discomfortnor did he complain of severe headache.Yet, the look was there. I could swearabout it.

Everyone continued to eat but mythoughts were with the Sardar. I asked oneof the junior cooks to check on him. Hecame back to report that the Sardar wassleeping soundly. That alerted me. I stoodup at once and rushed to find out.

He lay on the floor, a small pillowunder his neck, his turban tilted to one siderevealing a balding head. I called hisname. There was no response. I shookhim lightly, and then a bit harder and triedto move him and pinch him, but there wasno response. Evidently coma had alreadyset in. His pulse and breathing was fast.The right cheek puffed in and out with each

breath. Saliva drooled from the corner ofthe mouth. The right arm was somewhatstiff. There was no doubt about stroke now.

Everyone was shocked when Iconfirmed my initial hunch. PLR wasalarmed. He was a man of many qualities,intelligent and ingenious, but he was alsoa man of action. He wouldn't lose time,especially where his staff member's lifeseemed in danger. He called everyone tohelp.

The Sardar was lifted and laid in thevan. I sat by his side monitoring his vitalsigns as we drove to Srinagar and on toSMHS Hospital. By that time his breathingbecame irregular and the pulse slow, hiscoma deepened and his pupil was dilatedon one side, indicative of rising pressureinside his brain. It was a rapiddeterioration.

Despite all the resuscitativemeasures we lost him within four hours ofadmission in the hospital. It seemed as ifthe whole event was choreographedduring our conversation the previousevening while he served us the snacks.Robin had spoken a truism that not evenLukman could help when the final callcomes, for I couldn't do anything for theSardar. But true also to his propheticwords, I saw to it that he did not dieunattended. I stayed with him until his lastbreath.

Aheady holiday ended suddenly on agloomy note. I never visited Khrew againthough PLR was stationed there for long.After decades of the tragic event, I still feelsad about the Sardar.

Contact doctor at :[email protected]

PLR with Robin Chowdhury

Praagaash21


��

³çço h³ççícçÒçícç vççLç Mçço



Mççuçecçç@©kçÀ mçJç& Mçánáuç ³çço h³ççícç

Mççcç MççÇlçuç Mççblç jçílçáuç ³çço h³ççícç

JççÇçÆj Jçç©kçÀ ¬çÀóuçe cçÓjvç nábo içáiçÓmç

DçççÆuç vçí©vç æsççÆuç yçáuçyçáuç ³çço h³ççícç

æ®çíje kçáÀçÆpç çÆlçnçÆjmç oá]pçç@çÆuçmç kçáÀkçw³ççÆuç Dççíuç

lççWçÆlç cçb]pç Dççôvçcçálç êcçvç lçáuç ³çço h³ççícç

hççLçeçÆuçmç kçáÀvç vçíçÆj JççôLçcçálç lççÇ³ç& K³ççôuç

uçÓm³ç çÆsje mçeb]pç JJçþ lçe JJçsáuç ³çço h³ççícç

jççÆ³ç vççÇçÆjmç vçççÆHçÀ cç@u³ç cç@u³ç hççíçÆMç Hç@Àl³ç

cçççÆMç cççjçvç njvçe nçbiçuç ³çço h³ççícç

MççíkçÀe Mçyçvçcç yçáLç suççvç ³çôcyçej]pçuçvç

Dç@lçej s@kçÀjçvç yç´ô[îç cçáMkçÀ kçÀáuç ³çço h³ççícç

JççJç mçáyçnákçÀ çÆ]pçboeçÆiççÆ³ç vççôJç jbiç yçjçvç

vçÓje JJçMçuçávç mJçjcçe Mççcçáuç ³çço h³ççícç

yççíçÆvç yççiçe®ç vççiçe vçôboej mJçKç mkçÓÀvç

çÆoiççÆvç yçuçákçÀ vç]içcçe j@m³çáuç ³çço h³ççícç

JççBmçe Jççovç nábo cççôoáj çÆcçuçeæ®ççj Mçço

³çs lçe hçæs mçjcçççÆ³ç cJçuçávç ³çço h³ççícç

Praagaash22


Personalities - Kanwar K. Kaul

Dr. Gwash Lal Kaul



Dr Gwashlal (Gashlal), born 1900, atFateh Kadal, Narpirastan, Srinagar, thesecond of six brothers; was the firstKashmiri physician and one of a few in thecountry to qualify and obtain the MRCPfrom the prestigious Royal College ofPhysicians, London. On return fromEngland in the nineteen twenties he wasappointed Medical officer Civil Hospitalsituated at Hazuribagh, serving as thes e n i o r p h y s i c i a n a n dPhysician to Maharaja HariSingh, in 1931. He wore atypical English three piecesuit and felt hat, and a watchin the waist coat pocket withthe chain dangling along! Itwas the influence of Englisheducation and culture amongthe educated during theB r i t i s h R a j . H i scontemporar ies in themedical field were Drs. GLVaishnavi, first ENT andEye surgeon and Sham LalKaul Karihaloo, specialist in ChestDiseases, and others. His passions werelistening to good music and seeking thecompany of and saints.

was 'notorious' for hislove of good music and the company ofseers and sages. He would never miss anopportunity to hear a good musician orseek the company of a saint. He had

SufisDr Gwashlal

A Legendry Physician of Kashmir

earned himself a bit of'notoriety' in thesepursuits which hefollowed, sometimes,in preference to hisp r o f e s s i o n a lcommitments.

Once, sought bythe Maharaja urgently,

could not be traced. TheMaharaja, knowing his'addictions' is said to haveordered his men to look forhim sitting in the company ofa recluse ascetic or listeningto music somewhere! Suchw a s h i s r e p u t a t i o n .Professionally however, hewas unmatched.

Patients attributed'miraculous cures' at

hands. He wasknown as a legendary figurein the medical field onaccount of his mysterious

treatment modes, so much so that a wellknown Kashmiri Urdu writer Arif Baig hasdevoted a chapter in his book

to his professional genius andthe ways he treated some of his patients.Baig narrates the story of a relation's childwho was diagnosed by surgeons as aperforated appendix, a serious and oftenfatal condition in those days of

Dr Gwashlal

DrGwashlal’s

1

'NyariYaadein”

Praagaash23



nonavaila bility of antibiotics. When myfather was consulted, he ordered ice andplaced the child in an ice filled tub tofreezing point for a while. The boy is said tohave recovered in a few days after thisprocedure!

A Kashmiri author, Dr Gulzar Mufti -a surgeon settled in England has thefollowing account of Dr Gwashlal which Iquote from his book:

He loved poetry and often quotedgreat poets, both in Urdu and Persian. Hisaffable nature, attractive personality andprofessional competence as an eminentphysician attracted people to him.

2

“ My mother recalls those times when he

was in his prime and used to be the finalport of call for all health matters. It wouldbe fare to say that he was the first Kashmirito introduce and establish the specialty ofGeneral Medicine in the Valley, and thetitle of a Physician Specialist”.

As a medical student in the nineteentwenties, at the King Edward Hospital andMedical College in Lahore now inPakistan, would often visitIqbal the great poet at his home. Iqbalused to smoke and had a longdecorated smoking pipe connected to it ata distance. He was often found lost inthought while smoking, not noticing myfather's presence for a while and thensuddenly 'waking up' with apologies!Incidentally, the great poet is known tobelong to a Kashmiri Pundit .His family had embraced Islam. At homeat Sheikh Bagh in Srinagar, gatherings offriends with common interests in musicand poetry were frequent at our home.Performers of , and Hindudevotional forms of Kashmiri musicplayed on indigenous and ,

Dr Gwashlal

'Hukka'

'Sapru' family

Sufiana Kalam

rabab santoor

On return from England withDr. R.K.Bhan & Pt. Shivji Vali(1920s)

In Srinagar (standing right) with Dr.G.L.Vaishnavi (sitting left) 1920s

Praagaash24



both string instruments, sometimes theharmonium, accompanied by localpercussion instruments Among theperformers were well known KashmiriSufiana musicians including MohamadAbdulla Tibatbaqaal on santoor, SanaUllah on rabab and Satlal on sitar.Kashmiri poetry has its own romance andspirituality. Lalded, Habba KhatoonShams Faqir and many others providedsoulful poetry on Soofi philosophy uniqueto Kashmir. A noted poet and his teacher,Master Zinda Kaul, was frequently anhonored guest at these gatherings. (SeePragaashApril 2020 p 24)

Ruling princes in India were well-known for holding performances of musicin their courts, by famous national singersof classical music. This has been one verysignificant reason for keeping alive thetradition of classical Indian music until thepost-independent India which otherwisecould have become extinct. My father'sdiscerning ear for music was well known atthe Maharaja's court. As a result he wasoften required to hear the singers beforethey performed and to recommend thechoicest pieces that would be presentedat the royal court. The names of MallikaPukhraj , Begum Akhtar, HirabaiBadodekar, Balramsingh, GangubaiHangal, and Kesarbai Kelkar fromBombay (now Mumbai) and many morewhose names do not come to my mindnow.

KL Saigal, the legendary singer,belonged to Jammu and sometimesvisited his home town. Dr Gwashlal knewhim and was his physician while at Jammuand once in Calcutta. At one of his Jammuvisits, sometimes in the forties, a private

.

3

gathering was arranged for the familyand a few very close friends whom Saigalconsented to meet. Being a celebrity thiswas not possible at Gwashlal's Rehariresidence or at a public place where hecould be thronged by people. Thegathering was thus arranged at theresidence of the Chief Warden, JammuCentral Jail, which was under

administrative jurisdiction. Thecampus of the jail was of out of bounds tothe public. He sang to the delight of thosepresent. Sitting right in front of him, heasked me what I would like him to sing forme. As a young boy of less than eightyears I had heard of his

which, to my utter delight, he sangfor me!

Kashmir valley was known for saintsand seers of all shades, and with genuinecredentials, both Sufi, and Hindu. I havehad personal experiences of these as aboy, accompanying my father at almostevery visit. I distinctly rememberSahib, who lived in a secluded place nearthe Pari Mahal and gave black peppercorns as Some I heard aboutand some that I met include Sati Ded,Sonabab, Kashkak of Wayil, Nandbab,

DrGwashlal’s

3

'ik bangla banenyara”

Sobur

Tabarruk.

London during his studies forMRCP, as paying guest

Praagaash25



Gopinathji and Swami Laxman joo - all wellknown in the valley. Swamiji was anintellectual and an authority on KashmiriShaivism. Sonabab once asked

to carry firewood on his headand walk through a busy market,apparently to teach him the value ofhumility and to shun his ego forever. Thishe did gladly.

I have been a personal witness to abizarre sight I saw one nightwhen I was a primary schoolboy. , a reveredsaint, smoked a ‘ of

(a Cannabis herb),and remained in trance forlong hours. wasan ardent devotee of his.Walking in one late night he'ordered' him to drive for avisit for an audience with

the f i regoddess. He seemed to bein a hurry and hurled allinvectives for not hurrying upto keep the appointment.The driver was asked to pullout the car from the garageand move. I, my father and acouple of others from thehouse got into the car but the driver,Kanahya Singh hesitated saying that therewas no fuel in the tank. He had measured itwith his wooden 'gauge' and it showedonly about half inch of petrol. Moreexpletives from and we had no choicebut to move whatever the consequences.My father addressed the driver and quietlytold him go on till we were forced to stop.

ordered the driver to driver towardsB , a village on the Srinagar-

DrGwashlal

Dr Gwashlal

Sona BabChillum’

charas

' Jwa la Dev i '

Bab

Babijbehara

Jammu highway. As we neared the BatraPetrol pump along the golf club for a fill up,severer invectives rained in on the poordriver and we were compelled to move on.After we had driven some miles on theroad, ordered a right turn into a dryrice field where he ordered us to get out,line up facing the north with folded hands.As we stood in anticipation, I witnessed asight seen never before or thereafter. A

b r i g h t b l i n d i n g l i g h tappeared in the sky, unlike alightening, stayed for a fewseconds and disappeared!S e e m s b e y o n d a n yscientific reasoning andunbelievable, but it seems tome as if it was yesterday!We returned, leaving athis downtown home in. Aswe stopped back home atour garage, the car had tobe pushed in as it was out offuel! There may be doubtsabout the quantity of fuel inthe car, but the bright lightthat I saw that night isindisputable.

Once, with the intention ofhaving of Sobur

Sahib, I followed in tow with my father tothis visit. We drove to alongthe Dal Lake parked our car and took a

ride across the lake. Climbingtowards we reachedSahib's abode. He welcomed us in thatlonely hideout and put a pot of water to boilfor tea. While we sat, he was at hisfor a while, praying. He pulled out someblack pepper corns and gaveone each to us with blessings. A moment

Bab

Bab

'deedar'

Gagribal point

ShikaraPari Mahal Sobur

Tasbih

(Tabarruk)

Sometime in1930s

Praagaash26



later he looked up at the clear sky and all ofa sudden beseeched us to leaveimmediately, before the water for tea couldcome to boil. Fearing something ominous,we rushed down the slope, took the boatacross the lake, boarded our car anddrove back home. Gusts of wind overtookus and in a while the sky was overcast,and by the time we reached home asevere thunderstorm, with strong windsand rain lashed the valley. That was astorm of a magnitude the likes of whichwere rarely witnessed in living memory,uprooting the massive century old Chinartrees, raising high waves of water in riversand lakes, razing buildings to the ground,floods, power failure and blackout. Manyboats in the lake had capsized and were itnot for Sahib's timely warning wemay not have made it to home that night.

One evening was seatedon a carpet spread out in our lawn in thehouse where we were living in a rentedaccommodation, behind the Nedou'shotel. Around him were his devotees,watching him smoking his , almostin a trance and at which he would stay forhours. He spent nearly three days in thelawn rarely going into his tent nearby forsleep, resuming his seat during the day. ALadakhi on horseback happened to passby on the road outside overlooking thelawn. He went back and forth severaltimes looking intensely at the gathering.Presuming that he was looking fordirections, our gardener went out to helphim. The Ladakhi, seemingly astonished,asked the gardener about , whohe was and since when had he been there.The gardener explained, adding that hehad been there for the last 3 days.

Sobur

Sonabab

Chillum

Sonabab

Disbelievi ng him, the horseman said hehad seen himself the same person at

in the morning

Thegardener said he must have beensomebody else. The rider sought to seeSonabab closer and after satisfyinghimself insisted that was the person hesaw. Swearing, he said he had offered his

to him as he stopped by! Thisanecdote was remembered well and as ayoung boy, even though I could not thenunderstand the mystery of the situation, Iwas a witness to the scene. As I grew up, Itried to analyze the story to offer a rationalview of the incident from my scientificthinking as a professional, and brush itaside, but have found difficult to do so!Could a person be present at two different

Baltal . “How could he behere when I saw him seated on a rock atBaltal, smoking his chillum? I have beenriding from there all day, faster than anyperson could reach here before me?”

he

chillum

With Sona Bab aspre-school kid (1930s)

Praagaash27



places simultaneously? Or could onedisappear from one place to reappear onanother? Or did the horse rider have anillusion?(See the story of 'the saint with two bodies'- Swami Pranabananda in the book'Autobiography of a Yogi' by ParamhansaYogananda).

After settling in Jabalpur, in MP,after my retirement in 1991, brief visits toJ&K, mostly to Jammu, were confined toweddings, I had not visited Srinagar after1979. I expressed my desire to do so to myson during one of his visits home toJabalpur from US. He managed tosqueeze a five day visit in July, 2016. Theintention was to see old friends and visitplaces I had been missing, essentially torevive memories down the lane. It was adelight to meet Qazi Shahdeen, over ahundred years old who lived at KaranNagar with his doctor son (Retired DeanMedical College Srinagar). He knew andremembered my father with nostalgia. Atthe age of 103 years he was alert and hismemory was sharper than one wouldexpect at his age! Mr. Shahdeen hadretired long back as Deputy Commissionerin the Kashmir government Civil Service.He had a story to tell us about my fatherwhich goes thus:

“

When asked why agentleman of his status was following aman in rags, my father said

“

(4)

Well dressed, in a three piece suit,he was following a 'faqir' in rags”. The faqirwas Sonabab.

I h a v e o b t a i n e d h i g h e s tqualifications in my profession but stillwish to have the ability to diagnose a sickperson's ailment as he enters my doorwhich my elite qualifications do not provide

- it is for that divine quest that I follow theseascetics” .1. Mirza Aarif Beig; ‘Niyyari Yaadein’ Kitaab Ghar,Maulana Azaad road, Srinagar, July 2002, page1322. Gulzar Mufti; 'Kashmir in Sickness and inHealth”. Partridge India, Penguin Books India Pvt.Ltd. 2013 page 25.3. Kanwar K Kaul; See Master 'Zinda Kaul'PragaashApril 2020 Page 244. Paramhansa Yogananda 'The saint with twobodies' Autobiography of a Yogi, Jaico PublishingHouse 1975 Bombay, 1975, page 19.(Excerpts in this article are drawn from the book“When My Valley Was Green”, Kanwar K Kaul-Notion Press, 6 McNichol's Road, Chetput,Chennai 600 031 2017).

Contact author [email protected]

Praagaash28


��



kçáÀmçlççcç ]pçHçÀj DççJç lçe kçw³ççnlççcç kç@ÀçÆjLç içJçmçjcçççÆ³ç cçn]pç Dççímç æs³ç&j, lç@L³ç mçá Hç@ÀçÆjLç içJç³çLç MçççÆ³ç çÆmçjçÇ JçççÆlç sá FcçkçÀçvç m³çþçn kçÀcç

kçÀmç Jçvçe yçe cçô kçÀLç pçççÆ³ç çÆiççÆjHçÀlççj kç@ÀçÆjLç içJçcçvçmççJç oçÇnákçÀ cççôn oçôhçávç cçeæ®çjçJç ]pçáJçekçw³ç yçbo

lççb[Jç mçá kçÀçô©vç, ÒçôLç Mçnmç Mçncççj kç@ÀçÆjLç içJçoçÆ³ç içLç æ®çe mçjKç vççj ³ççôo æ®ççhçKç lçe yçvçKç jônlç@c³ç ]pçç@u³ç cçvçekçw³ç Jçvç lçe vç]pçj vççj kç@ÀçÆjLç içJç³çKç yçmlçe Mçnj MççÇvçe Jçvç J³çiçuçççÆJç lçmçeb]pç kçÀLç

nj MçççÆ³ç ]pççÆcçmlççvç l³çáLç cçb$ç mçá hç@çÆjLç içJçmç@oejvç sá mçôçÆkçÀmlççvç ohççvç vçjiçe çÆyçlçáj sámç

kçÀj ]pççvçe Jç@çÆvçLç vççje iççôj kçáÀmç vççj pç@çÆjLç içJçDçuçHçÀç]pç cç@çÆjLç LççJçe nç hçÓMççÇoe hçvçávç yçáLçKççcççíMç Jçásávç nçuç lçe Dç]Kçyççj hç@çÆjLç içJç

oçôhçávçcç sá çÆvçjçkçÀçj æ®³çlçákçÀ ªhç mçjKç kçÀj?çÆcçmcççj ]pçHçÀj Dççq]kçwuç nebÐç lçn Kççvçe kç@ÀçÆjLç içJç

iç]pçuçcççÇcç nçF& ]pçHçÀj

Praagaash29


Kundanspeak - T.N.Dhar ‘Kundan’

Influence of Advaita on Muslim Rishis of Kashmir - 2

Dhams Faqir

Lal Ded had said 'We only were and we

only shall be, it is we only who kept oncoming and going.' Shams said the samething in his own way. '

.Do not forget birth and death because Hisabode is beyond this transmigration.'

The Gita has stated that people seethe secret of life with awe and wonder andno one knows the reality of self. This ideahas been conveyed by him thus: '

What is life andwhat is death, what shall I call the Self (orthe Divine)?' Lal Ded had said, '

Telling the beads of the rosary youhave rubbed the flesh of your thumb andfinger but the duality has not gone fromyour mind.' The same idea has beenconveyed by this Sufi in the followingverse. '

What are you doing youfool, you have been telling the rosary dayand night. Going after fake things you arelosing the real pearl. Have I lost the jingleby untying the bells?'

Again Lal Ded had dissuaded fromgiv ing sp i r i tua l message to anundeserving person in these words: '

Asi aes tai asi asav asidore kaer patavath.

Yun ta gatshun momashrai, tami gatshit chhu tuhund garai

Kyahchhu hayat kyah chhu mamat, kathcheezas nav kara bo zaat.

Phiranphiran nyoth anguj gaji manech dui tsajino.

Ha zahida kyah chhuk tsa karan,raath doh goi tasbih phiran. Mokhta ravifotus rachhit zom, roni mutsrith shronishroni ko't gom.

Syekishathas byol no vaevze, Kharas gore dinaravi doh. Moodas jnanach kath no vaenze,

kom yajyan raavi teel.

Nasihat kaerzi nonasli shaitanas, tala kani zanzyan aasi makham. Maarfat kyah kari napak banas, tasnaadanas kar tsali tshai.

Bo chhuskenh nai kho'd panay, bo kenh nai kasvanay panay

Myevuchh har shayi su yaar, chhuno kanh moiti khali. Vanai bo siri israr yino aasakhvubali.

Do not sow seed in asandy belt; you willwaste a whole day infeeding a donkey withjaggery. Do not givespiritual knowledge to afool, as you will waste oilin preparing cakes fromchaff.' Shams Faqir hasput the same thing thus: '

Do not giveadvice to a satanic person becausebasically he is raw and not ripe.

Mysticism is a waste for an impureone. Alas! When shall his ignorance goaway.' The opening lines of one of hisghazals are an excellent example of thenon-dualism of the Vedanta. '

. I am nothing; it is He himselfin my form. How shall I explain my notbeing anything to any one.' This can bec o m p a r e d w i t h t h i s l i n e f r o mShankaracharya: 'Tad-eko-vashishthahShivah kevalo-aham. I am Shiva andShiva alone'. He has describedomnipresence of God in these words: '

I perceive the Divine at every place.Not an inch is without Him. This is thesecret I reveal to you; do not get lost.'



Praagaash30


Ahmad BatawariAhmad Batawari was a contemporary ofShams Faqir and lived from 1845 to 1918.He was an advocate of the immortality andcontinuity of life. In the footprints of Lal Dedhe has said '

–The Sun of life never sets, why don't youunderstand that the Divine pervadeseverything equally.' He has freely used theHindu mythology to bring home his point ofview. A few examples are given here.'

A seeker, a child, Shiva andNarayana, all these four are together to beremembered through the vital breath. Thisis the auspicious time to bathe in the springof contemplation.

The individual self is united with theuniversal self. Maha Ganesha isbewildered in the gathering of the sages.He sees Vishnu, Krishna among them andwhom he should salute in reverence. TheLord of the Ganges is seated at the sourceof the Ganges. Ravana has gone astraywhile Sita is engrossed with her consort.She is there with Shri Rama. It is theShastras (the revealed text) that give thesecret knowledge. The life essence for theknowledgeable are these texts while their

Hayatuk aaftab chhuna zanhlosan, bozan kona chhuk yi chhu yaksan

Saalkas balkas Shiva Naranas, tsonvenikavata pranas saet. Tarkas saath chumvetsarnag sranas, jan chum meelithjahanas saet. Veshnas, Krishnas, Reshmadanas, Maha Ganish tati kas karinamaskar, Ganga raza byuthumGangabal thanas… Ravun rovmut manztawanas, Sita sata rats He chhavan, TsayiRama Tsandras manz daricha khanas…Shaster dendar gupt gnanas, zuv chhukShaster dil sat noor, Ahmad Batawar guptrood panas, jan chum meelith jahanassaet.

hearts are full of divine light. AhmadBatawar has remained hidden and his selfis one with the universal self.’

This poet lived around the same time in avillage named 'Yander' in Pulwama. Hewas an ardent believer in non-dualism. Hesays, '

Me and you arenot to be taken as different becausedualism is a delusion.' '

I asked Him to revealHimself to me. He replied that for that youhave to go beyond your self.' Long before,Lal Ded had stated, '

. In the middleof a field I constructed a house anddecorated it on all sides. The houseremained here and I only went away as ifthe shopkeeper left after downing theshutters of his shop.' Swachh Kral has thisto say in the same vein, '

You have to spendjust a night in this mortal inn. Do not start abusiness here. For you have to die now orin the morn; it is all a delusion.' Headvocates adopt ing a vis ion ofdiscrimination to see right from wrong.'

I asked him what use is thecollerium of discrimination in ones eyes.He replied that this enables one todistinguish right from wrong.' He sees theDivine in everything, the ocean in every

Swachhi Kral

Akh tsa te byeyi bo ganzer maba,haba yi chhui gumanai.

Dapyomus bavtampananui mye aasun, dapunam pan panungatshi thari kasun.

Larah lazam manzmaidanas aend aend kaer mas takiya tagah. So rooz yati tai bo gayas panasvonye gav vanas falav dith

Yath fan sarayidyun chhui shaba, ath manz mo travdukanai. Path chhui marun az ya saba,haba yi chhui gumanai.

Dapyomas swarma laegith kyah chhubanan. Dapunam poz ta apuz ada chhunanan.



Praagaash31


drop. 'The river exists in a

brook, water inside a boat and boat insidethe water.’

Nyama saab was senior (born 1805) andhe also lived at Chinikral mohalla ofSrinagar. He has time and again reiteratedwhat Lal Ded had said in these words: '

I set out in search of Him early at dawn andwandered day and night. Ultimately I sawHim within myself and that was theauspicious moment for me.' At one placehe has said, '

That onewhom I call aloud is near me. What a cup ofwine he has made me drink!'At other placehe repeats, '

TheLord is seated within me, he has taken myheart away.' Again he says, '

MyBeloved is within me but I failed torecognize Him.' Nyama seems to havereached a stage where he has shunnedthe notion of 'I' and 'my'. This is the highpoint of Upanishadic Vedanta. '

He came with all Hisgrandeur and declared that everything isHis. The notion of 'I' in me was gonebecause no reason or intelligence is of anyuse in this arena.' He has described thestatus of the Divine purposefully inindefinite terms because he feels thatnone of the religious schools has any clue

Joyi manz basith chhui daryav, navdar aab tai aab dar nav.

Lalbo drayas lolare tshandan lustum dyankeho raath. Vucchhum Pandit pananigare, sui mye rotmas nyechhther ta saath.

Yas naad layi su chum nishi,kamyu sheeshi chovnas mai.

Shah chhui basith pananegare, hoore mye nyunam tsure dil.

Yaar chhuigari panane, su no me vane aaw.

Orai aayovladith chhav, dopnam sorui myonui gav. Badapun myonui vasith pyav, ath nav aalimhaarith pyav.

Nyama Saab

to that. '

Bouddh congregations(Sangha) and Hindu centers ofspiritualism (Maths) are themselvesbewildered; the boat of my life is in thepure sacred waters. Even nihilism ismeaningless there for I realized that Heand I are one – with the same name.’

This great holy man lived in the beginningof 19 century at village Chhivan inBadgam. He has adopted the Vedanticdictum 'So-aham' (or I am He) in itspristine purity and has written a full poemwith this title. '

Seek toknow the trinity of Brahma, Vishnu, andShiva as they are the givers of your life. Ifthey hide themselves from you give yourlife at their feet. Adopt always the greatmantra of 'I am He'. '

Leave the individual soul andgo after the Universal soul. Remain withGod and you will become God. For thatyou have to shun your self. There are tendifferent incarnations of God. Narayanaonly shines in all of them like the Moon. Soyou need not feel hesitant. Repeating thename Rama is the way to remember God

Sang ta gnyana math haeratas.Nyermalas manz myani naav. Shubishinyah tati khidmatas, pyom tsyatas taschhu myon naav.

Brahma, Veshan,Maheeshwar garun, shuft ho chhuityuhundui zuv. Pan hai khatanai jan hyekhmarun, darnayi darun suhamsu.

Bashar travith, Ishartsa garun, Isharas saet roz sapnakh suiIshar sapdun sharir gav marun…. Dahchhi avtaar zanh lagi na tharun, mah zanprazlan naran chhui, Ram Ram karun gavnaam sandarun, daranayi darunsuhamsu.

Shah Ghafur

th



Continued on Page 50

Praagaash32


yçe jçJççvç sámç! jçJçe vççkçÀç@[îç ]pçe³ç çÆscçÜ³çJç cçb]pçe çÆlç pççímçÓmç DçKç, ]pçvç yçv³ççícçálççÆ³çcçvç Üvç çÆlç nj hççvçeJçç@v³ç JççíKçe Jç@æscçeæ®ççÆ³çcçvç hççvçeJçç@v³ç mççí®ç njiççn kçáÀvçá³ç DçççÆmçníkçáÀvççÇ kçÀLççn mççí®çenvçJçkçwlç Òçô]pçevççJçenvç, hççvç mçjenvç, hçiççn ]pççvçenvçuççíuç yçálçjç@æ®ç nábo jæsenvçìç@þ yçálçjçLç, hçvçevçá³ç Jçlçvç mççcçenvçjç@s kç@À³ç& kç@À³ç&

��

yçe jçJççvç sámç!Òççí. ]içáuççcç cçánccço Mçço



��

Praagaash33



On Negativity - Ashok Dullu

Why is Negativity so Popular in Media

Generic Issues:

Let us examine, what ideally are Mediaobjectives, in general:

To uncover wrongdoingsTo hold the powerful to accountTo look for and protect, pioneers,

trailblazers, best practices, unsungheroes, ideas that work, ideas that might,innovations whose time might have comefrom a general perspective, News,whichever source it comes from, doesn'thave to be negative always.

Is there a world of news which ispositive generally ?

Yes,there is and can be!“Away from the horror and conflict,

the shouting and the skullduggery,awayfrom the tragedy, disaster and zero-summisanthropy ,there is a wide world ofanswers and improvements, of win-winand mutual support, of selflessness andcuriosity ,of movements and innovations.”Media studies show that bad news faroutweighs good news by as much asseventeen negative news reports for everyone good news report.

T h e r e i s n o s h o r t a g e o fpsychological & other studies explainingwhy we love to read and watch bad news.Surveys also indicate that news standmagazine sales increase by roughly 30per cent when the cover is negative ratherthan positive. It is no surprise, then, that a“good news day” resulted in a 66 per centdecrease in readership in an onlineRussian newspaper.

♦♦♦

The conclusions fall inbroadly in the followingcategories:

Our brains make usdo it. Negative eventsare more memorablea n d e m o t i o n a l l yimpactful than goodones.

The media only give the people whatthey want.Let us examine these two factors:

Negativeevents are more memorable andemotionally impactful than good ones.The reasons could be any or all of thefollowing:

Humans seek out newsof dramatic, negative events. Theseexperts say that our brains evolved in ahunter-gatherer environment whereanything novel or dramatic had to beattended to immediately for survival. Sowhile we no longer defend ourselvesagainst saber-toothed tigers, our brainshave not caught up.

Every second of every day our brainis bombarded by way too much data thanwe can possibly process and becausenothing is more important to our survival tothe species than survival all our visualdata, auditory data is funneled to a sliverof the temporal lobe called the amygdala.The amygdala is our danger detector. It'sour early warning system. It literallycombs through all of the sensory input

Our brains make us do it :

Evolutionary :

♦

♦

♦

♦

Praagaash34



looking for any kind of a danger on puttingin on high alert .It evolved during an era ofhuman evolution that was of theimmediate type- the tiger in the bush. Youwould hear a rustle in the leaves and youwould think tiger, not wind .The point isthat one percent of the time that it was atiger, and it saved your life.

So today the amygdala literally callsour attention to all the negative stories andif you see a thousand stories you're goingto focus on the negative ones and themedia takes advantage of this – “if itbleeds it leads”. Well that's why 90% ofthe news in the newspaper and ontelevision is negative because that's whatwe pay attention to and the sales of theitems goes up.

A growing body of evidenceillustrates the human tendency to prioritisenegative over positive news content. Butwhy is this? Stuart Soroka suggests thathumans may neu ro log i ca l l y o rphysiologically predisposed towardsfocusing on negative information becausethe potential costs of negative informationfar outweigh the potential benefits ofpositive information.

Even as we may tend to forwardpositive material via social media, ournews-reading habits may still prioritizenegative information. There is after all agrowing body of evidence illustrating thehuman tendency to prioritise negativeover positive news content.

Many studies haveshown that we care more about the threatof bad things than we do about theprospect of good things. Our negativebrain tripwires are far more sensitive than

Neuro-scientific:♦

our positive triggers. We tend to get morefearful than happy. And each time weexperience fear we turn on our stresshormones.

And as it turns out we also have anumber of what are called cognitivebiases. The Nobel Laureate DanielKahneman addressed these first. Wehave a negativity bias, which is thetendency to give far more information tonegative details than positive ones andthe Confirmation bias, which is ourtendency to selectively look at informationor see information that confirms ourpreexisting notions. This would be fine,except that our pre-existing notions aretypically negative and therefore, we'rereconfirming our negative expectations.

So ultimately we are kept in thisnegative state of mind and when theamygdala goes on high alert becausemuch of the dangers around us today areprobabilistic dangers, a pandemic mightstrike, an asteroid might hit, we end up in asituation that our amygdala is always onhigh alert and it's screening out thepositive news and allowing in the negativenews.

In essence,negative and unusual things happen allthe time in the world.

Unusual things don't happen toindividual people very often. That's whyvery local news like a neighborhoodnewsletters tends to have less bad news.

But in a large city of 1 million, dramaticand negative incidents happen all thetime.

But most people watch national orworldwide media where news reports

Probability perspectives :

♦

♦

♦

Praagaash35



come in from large cities at a large scale,so the prevalence of negative storiesincrease.

Add the size of social networkingcommunication, and we expand badnews, geometrically.

Does the current newsnegativity bias reflect Media or PublicPreferences ? Most news we see and hearis negative, and replete with disasters,terrorism, crime, scandals and corruption.Does the media create that negative newsbias? Or Does it respond to our preferencefor bad news over good news?An old study by the Pew Research Centerin 1986 for People & the Press Studyauthored by Micheal J Robinson indicatesa few conclusions drawn from thestudy,which will perhaps apply universally:

That the national news audience doesnot shift its news diet nearly so quickly asnews organizations shift their news menu .

Even the smallest shifts in ratings cancause news organizations to altersubstantially their news focus often toward“a lower common denominator.”

Robinson implies that on a nationalscale changes in coverage tend to mouldpublic interest rather than vice versa.

The optimist might argue that mediaoutlets skew negative because the badnews is the important news, andspreading it can affect positive change.Reporting on natural disasters, forexample, can prompt act ion onenvironmental issues. Writing aboutcenturies of institutionalized racism,corrupt government officials, andineffective social policy can - maybe,

“

“

The media only give the people whatthey want :

♦

♦

♦

hopefully - bring about incrementalpositive change. It's not about ratings orpage views, those optimists would argue,it's about making the world a better place.On the other hand, not every newsorganization is basing its news decisionson altruism. No matter what the motivationof news organizations, one fact remainsthe same: People just aren't thatinterested in good news,this at least will bethe explanation by News room editors.

While thetreasure of goodies is still unravelling , wehave monstrosities too appearing .We arealmost in a Frankinesteinian situation asfar as Social Media & Internet isconcerned. The problem here is that wesee a development which has unlimitedpossibilities ,both negative and positive.

Creators , Users & Regulators of thisform of Media can be Heroes and Villains,all at the same time.

At this moment of time , we find a lotNegativity in the world around us,particularly on the internet .One of thecompelling reasons given for this on theinternet is the anonymity offered to theuser, which makes it easier to expressyour righteous indignation.

The last U.S. presidential electionswhere the results bringing in Trump baffledall .It also set the media and academicpundits scratching their heads over whatwent wrong with polls, studies andpredictions.

A reader Robert Conroy in responseto Stuart Soroka 's Blog ,comes out withsimple explanation of this huge misstepby media and academic pundits. Ofcourse these can also be extrapolated to

Media specific issues :

Praagaash36



other issues in this domain of socialmedia/internet.

Media and academia are totallydivorced from and out of touch with themasses.

The hate, negativity, and lies postedand forwarded far outweighed thepositive.The negativity was such that fakenews sites proliferated and profited off offake negative news stories.

The Trump supporters were especiallyrabid. Posts that saw receiving the mostengagement, which is Facebooks profitgenerator, were long ugly fights thatalmost always involved bullying and namecalling. It was a feeding frenzy that, gavepeople the opportunity to show the uglyface they would not otherwise show, say ina public setting.

There are, of course, touchy-feely poststhat go viral and many people trying tofigure the exact recipe for creating them forprofit.

As someone who has had experienceworking in the field of human behavior(before Facebook), my observation hasbeen that, in the U.S. anyway, riots andfights generate more excitement than"Come by Here, My Lord" moments.Witness the death of the hippie and otherpassive lifestyles/movements and thegrowth of wanna-be “Bikers” and warriorswho have never seen a battle.

Nor do we know if there are ways toadjust our negativity biases.” I am sure youare aware of Facebook's secret study, nownot so secret, demonstrating that theycould impact human emotion which bydefault can impact human behavior.

Also, group think, herd behavior and

“

♦

♦

♦

♦

♦

♦

♦

mob psychology.Location and culture are key as

p o s i t i v e s a n d n e g a t i v e s a r einterchangeable. I consider racism anegative. In my area, many consider it apositive. To an extent that I believe wouldshock media, political and academicpundits. Which goes back to mycontention that media and academia havebecome insulated from the streetscontributing to the proliferation of bogusinternet sites that will feed the masseswhat they want to hear, true or not.

believe this development will havesevere global implications in a worldwhere the two-minute attention span hasdevolved to a two-sentence and a memeattention span.

I stumbled across the article looking forinfo on negativity reinforcing negativity ornegativity generating rewards/value, e.g.U.S. election results and it struck a chordwith my contention that if the knowledgethat one finds does not fit their world view,the knowledge to accommodate the worldview will be created. I would end with donot dismiss sites such as Facebook. Theirpower is scary.

Sharing news content on socialmedia is a fundamentally different thingfrom selecting and reading articles orchoosing a particular TV programe.

There's a counterpoint argument tothe negative news bias issue.

I

♦

♦

♦

To be continued

Contact author at :[email protected]

To be continued

Praagaash37


sáKç yççuçç yçjlçj ³çç cççÌuççDççÆmç jç@s hçvçev³ç kçÀj ³çç cççÌuççsá³ç kçÀçbn çÆlç vçe ncçmçj ³çç cççÌuçç

çÆ³çcç ]kçÀlçje lçe oçvçe çÆs mçç@jçÇ ®çç@v³çvç@³ç Òçç@v³ç Kçpç]çvçe çÆs mçç@jçÇ ®çç@v³ççÆ³çcç Kçç@uççÇ nuçcç yçj ³çç cççÌuçç

DççÆmç jç@s hçvçev³ç kçÀj ³çç cççÌuçç

DççÆmç jç@s hçvçev³ç kçÀj ³çç cççÌuççJç@m³ç hçô³çlçvç vçHçÀjlçekçw³ç oíJççjyçmç uç@m³ç lçvç cçç³ç lçe yçôçÆ³ç çÆcçuçe®ç]çjJJçv³ç mççÇvçvç Dçboj ³çç cççÌuççDççÆmç jç@s hçvçev³ç kçÀj ³çç cççÌuçççÆouç mçç@v³ç çÆsvçç sdJçkçÀeoç@J³ç iç@cçel³ççÆ³çcç çÆpçiçj çÆsvçç jlçe oç@J³ç iç@cçel³çJJçv³ç kçÀçmç lçe DççÆmç Mçj ³çç cççÌuççDççÆmç jç@s hçvçev³ç kçÀj ³çç cççÌuççlçmç yççí]pççvç sáKç ³çámç vçço çÆoJççvçlçmç yçKMççvç ³çámç yççqKMçMç sá cçbiççvçDç@m³ç DçççÆ³ç cçeæ®çj yçj ³çç cççÌuççDççÆmç jç@s hçvçev³ç kçÀj ³çç cççÌuççkçáÀvç ]pççôvç vçe çÆMçHçÀç sá³ç vçço çÆoJççvçDçDçuçcç mççí©³ç Hç@ÀçÆj³çço kçÀjçvçkçÀj lççÇ ³ççÇ yçônlçj ³çç cççÌuççDççÆmç jç@s hçvçev³ç kçÀj ³çç cççÌuçç

oáDçç[ç. MççÌkçÀlç çÆMç]HçÀç



Praagaash38



Praagaash39



Maqbool Shah Kralwari Nayyar Makhdoomi

Author Nayyar Makhdoomi is a descendent of PoetMaqbool Shah Kralwari. He sets the controversyregarding date of birth of the great poet to rest here.

Praagaash40



c³çç@v³ç F&oÒçícç vççLç kçÀçÌuç Dçhç&vç

iççôæs KJçoç içájyçLç cçô kçÀçmçávç ]pççvçe nç cçô çÆlç F&o Dçç@mç³ç[ yç@çÆjLç yçlçe iççôæs cçô Dççmçávç cççvçe nç cçô çÆlç F&o Dçç@mç

yJççÆs oçoí sámç yçe ]pçjÐççícçálç lçJç³ç nçôKçcçálç yçe sámçiççôæs cçô jçÆiç jçÆiç KçÓvç yççmçávç pççvçe nç cçô çÆlç F&o Dçç@mç

DçççÆ³ç F&o nácç êççÆ³ç MççÇçÆjLç Hççvç HçóçÆjLç pççcçe ]pçjc³çç@v³çd Mçá³ç& yçç@]®ç v³çLçevç@vççÇ cçboesçvç çÆkçÀLçe vçíjvç v³çyçj

DçBoje kçÀçÆvç Mçjcçboe içç@cçel³çd ¿çLç iç@jçÇyççÇ nábo n]®çjiççôæs vçe çÆ³çcçvç cçboesçJçávç pççvçe nç cçô çÆlç F&o Dçç@mç

Dççvçe ]®ççíj ]pçívççvç sámç mçáyçn Mççcç HçÀçÇçÆjLç yçç]pçjmçlççÇuç lççôcçáuç ]p³çávç lçe m³çávç kçw³ççn kçw³ççn cçáçÆn³çç kçÀje içjmç

Hççvçe K³çcçe kçw³ççn yçôçÆ³ç Mçá³ç&vç yçç@]®çvç yçe çÆocçe kçw³çç kçÀ³ççn kçÀjmçiççôæs cçô kçÀçbæsç H³çlçejçJçávç pççvçe nç cçô çÆlç F&o Dçç@mç

DççJç Jçboe scç lçóçÆj Lçje Lçje ®ççje sácç cçç vçíjevçmçvçHçwmçe oçoí jçÆyç ªomç kçÀçíçÆ®ç kçÀçí®çí HçíÀjevçmç

lççÆcç ncççcçvç cçb]pç çÆyççÆnLç çÆ³çcç oç@Ðç çÆouçekçÀçÇ yççJçe kçÀmçc³çç@v³çd ]pçç@jçÇ iççôæs mçá cççvçávç pççvçe nç cçô çÆlç F&o Dçç@mç

DçKç cçô mçKlççÇ scç Hçvçev³çd çÆ³çcç ÜKç lçe oç@Ðç ]®ççuççvç sámç®çççÆvç yççHçLç ]pçáJç ]®çìçvç sámç Hççvç jçÆ]pç Kççuççvç sámç

yçôçÆ³ç yçe ®ççvçí vç]pççÆj lçuç kçÀJçe yço lçj Dç]pç n³çJççvç sámçyçe çÆlç iççôæsámç Fvçmççvç ]pççvçávç cççvçe nç cçô çÆlç F&o Dçç@mç

Praagaash41


Life - Manzoor Nawchoo

Strength to Fight a Crisis



PHYSICAL. MENTALAND SPIRITUALSTRENGTH TO FIGHTACRISIS.

There are different types and kinds ofcrisis which a human being faces in livingthe life on this planet. Every crisis has itslongevity with respect to its type / kind,magnitude and severity to torment aperson.

Every tormented person has his / herown strength or weakness to fight aparticular crisis. Some prove very strongto fight an equally severe crisis and someare too weak to succumb to even to aminor crisis.

There are crisis which either can befought out with physical, mental andspir i tual strength individual ly orcollectively by these virtues. Oneencounters crisis at one's personal levelor community level. At personal level onecan have health problem, family problem,matrimonial / marital problem which oneneeds to fight out at one's personal levelwithout taking any external support fromanybody else except one's familymembers or trusted friends.

The crisis at community level can besocial, political or official for which oneneeds support of others to give asuccessful fight to it. Since it is verydifficult to have generous supporters thecrisis whatsoever kind gets compoundedand very difficult to fight it out. Thus oneneeds to bear the burden by one's ownself to tackle a crisis with chosen outsidesupport. Sometimes there are one'sdetractors in the garb of friendly faces whoplay a hidden negative role in damaging

the morals and morale of aperson facing some crisis.But to identify and secludesuch supporters from one'slife is also another crisis.

This can be achieved by involving oneselfin certain physical exercises on daily basiswhich are not damaging to one's bodystructure. These can comprise of walking,swimming, Yoga, gymnastic and athletic.Physical exercises also give mentalstrength to a person.

For getting physical strength oneshould engage physical coaches andtherapists who can impart right kind oftraining to person for achieving perfectphysical strength. Otherwise there canhappen any reversals with one'sphysique, detrimental in achievingphysical strength.

This is why physical exercise trainingsessions is a vital part of Army Training.Best physical exercises produce bestp layers , a th le tes, fas t runners ,mountaineers, hikers and army men whoprove very successful in facing any crisisin their lives.

The mental strength can be achieved byreading books, magazines, novels, newspapers and religious books. It can also behad by indulging in group discussions with

FIGHT WITH PHYSICALSTRENGTH :

FIGHT WITH MENTAL STRENGTH :

Praagaash42



one's family members, neighbors,relatives and friends. Some minor verbalbrawls and altercations not havingelement of animosity can also make aperson mentally strong. One needs to takecare that over burdening one’s mind canresult in mental disorders which can behazardous for one's life. So care needs tobe taken in making one's mind strong bychoosing healthy mental exercises. Forthis purpose your group partners shouldalso be mentally healthy. Otherwise it cancreate another crisis in fighting out thebasic crisis.

This strength is the most vital element in ahuman being which in fact infuses bothphysical and mental strength alsosimultaneously. Meditation, introspectionand submission to Almighty bringsspiritual spirits to a person making onestrong enough to fight out any kind ofcrisis. Indulging in one's religious ritualsincluding reading and understandingreligious books also impart spiritualstrength to a person. It is an undisputedfact that all humans ultimately have toreturn to their creator and all want to gowith some or more spirituality to live apeaceful eternal life hereafter. This faithmakes a person very strong to fight anykind of crisis minor or major whicheverybody encounters in one's life at onepoint of time or the other.

If mixed together physical, mentaland spiritual strength can make a personvery strong and successful in giving atough fight to any sort of crisis even likep resen t Co ronav i r us Pandem ic

FIGHT WITH SPIRITUAL STRENGTH :

eradication fight.As far as Coronavirus Pandemic

crisis is concerned, it can be best foughtout by Lockdowns, quarantines andisolations as no vaccine is yet available forkilling this virus.

Though to remain under lockdowninside one's home is not an easy remedybut can be made result oriented byresorting to physical, mental and spiritualexercises, positive thinking and religiosityon daily basis which can make a personstrong enough to give a successful fight tothis dreaded virus.

It may not be out of place to mentionhere that adopting of prescribed andrecommended dietary habits also play avital role in becoming physically, mentallyand spiritually strong to fight out a crisis.

Most beneficial and healthy dietcomprises of green vegetables, greenfruits, some dry fruits like nuts andcrackers, salad, fluids, some juices, greenor lemon tea , over and above all plenty offresh water and air.

Wish all the best with the prayers thatmay Almighty protect us all from theonslaught of Coronavirus Pandemic bymaking it vanish very fast from this worldso that we resume our happy and healthylife to work for the betterment of humanityin our respective capacities which shouldbe everybody's goal.

Contact author at :[email protected]

Praagaash43



I am the Divine Mother Durga - the Life UrgeTeaching through Markandeya how to adore Me.The vision of Medha Rishi makes you to see Me.

I am Chandi - the Eternal Durga Sapta Shati.Suratha is just the personification of Human desire,

who oblates me through the Celestial fireTo be in Samadhi is my Primal breath.I abide in all the creatures of the earth,

Perceived through the senses, I alone do exist.Touch, taste, smell, sight and sound are just functions,

To rhythm and balance the body, in spirit and mindI am myself the Super sensuous Atman of Brahma.

I am the eternal spirit revered as Vishnu MayaI am Maha Kali-the eternal timelessness.Measure of the time, is my eternal play

I create day and night, month, year and aeons.I rise with glaciers, beautiful vales and jungles

The ocean is just a drop before me.I am a swimming action and a drifting march

I am thus revered as Shailaputri.I am the graphics of the universe.

I am the sound, syllable and the seed of existenceI am a curve and a cone, a triangle and a square.

I am the tangent touching the circle of transmigrationI paint with Divine brush and cosmic colors

Shades and tones are my impressions and sistersThe realms of Brahma Vishnu and Shiva…,Are just the glimpses of my Primal thought

I bring light on the canvas of humanityI am revered as the First Brahmacharini

Philosopher's wisdom is the shadow of my visionBeing Durga…, I am Existent the Eternal one

I am embodiment of creation, sustenance and dissolutionRishis deciphered my Mantra in syllable, word and meter.

Visible I am in the flash of the Markandeya's eye,Who adored me with the Anushtubha - Jagati meter

Spirituality & Religion - Dr. Chaman Lal Raina

Dedicated to The Divine Mother

Praagaash44



Dressed me in various colorful robesPutting sword and missiles in my hands.Seeing me on the couch of a roaring lionI alone gave a vital breath to Lord Vishnu

Ananta serpent was his couch then,Giving birth to Brahma through his naval root, just for fun.Simultaneously Madhu And Kaitabha were born and seen

With Demonic and fierce looks they had beenBorn of Vishnu's ear – wax, a miracle

Rishis deciphered the Mantra in meter and rhythm.Hastening they were to kill the Brahma- The Lord of creation

Universe was filled with all commotionIt received the Divine recognition.

The Primal Ratri Sukta was born thenIt was all dark ,eclipsed was the Sun

Thus the spontaneous Eternal cry was heard.He begged for lease of life, s was not murdered

with the praises of Svaha and Svadha,The "Vak" got vibrated in A U and M (OM) in Vashatkara

A new scene with unknown Sun was seen, as an annotation-Gods were commissioned to help Brahma for procreation.

Markandeya portrayed me as Vishnu - MayaWho was aroused from Cosmic sleep of Yoga

Yoga Nidra Was seen in the EternityOrnamented with conch disc, lotus and Mudra.

With the praises of word were deluded Madhu – Kaitabha:O demons! You are really brave and great

Ask for a boon to create your Eternal fate.”Vishnu Maya, killed them on the thighs,

Not in water and not in space.Take me verily, I am that Mahakali

I am Maha Lakshmi killing Mahishasura-My own creation to justify Dharma

For Vishnu, Brahma and Indra could not defeat Mahishasura.I was visible to other gods and to Indra .

Committed to help the Divine beings of SwargaThus was known with the name of Durga

I am thus revered as BrahmachariniI play the role of Chadra Ghanta

Making the universe see the dance of Shiva Tandava

“

Praagaash45



I bring luminosity around the globe.It is just a twinkle of my eye

To keep Nine planets in motion.Brihaspati is my intellect, Shukra is my ego.

I am the Eternal Seed and destroying every foeI am found in all and in One

I teach “Aham Brahmasmi, Tat Tvam Asi”I am revered as Kushmanda, I am Saraswati .I am the beauty and aesthetics of the Vedas .

I adore the Agamas , I sing the songs in the PuranasAm being fashioned in Tantra-Mantra –Yantra

For I am Skanda Mata of Kumar Kartikeya.I again am invisible in Kala RatriI crush the jealousy of the Gods

Guiding them to the path of early dawnThus I am slightly visible to the Yogic eye

I m the Eternal Usha and Devi SuktaI took birth to fulfill the dream of Kashyapa

I was born as the daughter of HimalayaRevered as Parvati and Shiva Priya

For certain, I manifested as the Maha GauriFor I am stronger than reason,but not in hurry

For I am the perfection of the cosmic viewThis universe is but a drop of dew,

To see and playing with own self as Siddhi Dhatri

I again and again am born as Nava DurgaSome praise with the words of prescribed Puja

Some seek me for peace and prosperity.Some adore me to arouse Kundalini .

But I lift the devotee , who loves me joyfully,Lifting his conscience in my eternal lap.

Abiding in every tissue,nerve, vein and cellI am Durga -- Mother of the brave, but honest one,

Feeding all without discrimination.Some adore me with Thouand Names

Others with Kali--Chandi andSeven hundred celestial NamesBut I am only Nine Syllabled One

Call me Durga, the Mother of vibration

Praagaash46



Praagaash47



Environment & Life - Prof. B.L.Kaul

Our Common Mother

The Foundation of the modern scienceof Genetics was laid by an Austrian monknamed Mendel in 1865. He did wonderful

c r o s s b r e e d i n gexperimental workon garden peas andd i s c o v e r e d t h ep r i n c i p l e s o finheritance whichhave come to beuniversally known asMendel's Laws.

It may sound incredible but is truethat the same principles of inheritanceapply to the mankind as to peas and evento cats and flies. The inheritance ofcharacters in sexually reproducingorganisms follows the same Mendelianprinciples. And as we know man is asexually reproducing organism.

Research in Genetics all over theWorld encompasses varied fields. It isbeing pursued with results of greatconsequence for mankind in the fields ofagriculture, horticulture, microbiology,medicine, animal and plant sciences toname only a few. The word "genes" hasnow become fairly common in usage.

Most people now understand thatgenes have something to do with traits. Sothere are good people with good genesand bad people with bad genes. A cobrahas poisonous fangs because it gets suchgenes from its parents. That is so simple.

Now what is that makes up genes?Genes are segments of an organic

substance called DNA( D e o x y r i b o n u c l e i cacid). This substance isfound in Chromosomesa n d a l s o i nMitochondria (smallparticles found in cells).Both the types of DNApass from the parents totheir offsprings.

Research in human genetics haslately come up with the revelation thatevery human being alive today carriesmitochondrial DNAthat can be traced backto a single woman who lived in the Eden ofAfrica about 150,000 years ago.

Stephen Oppenheimer has nowcome out with a book "Out of Eden: Thepeopling of the world" [Constable, BritishPound 18.99, 440pp] tracing the roots ofmankind. His book refers to the welldocumented and published work ofRebecca and her fellow geneticists inAmerica who had isolated one tiny portionof our mitochondrial DNA which we inheritsolely from our mothers and which is keptintact-unlike chromosomal DNA shuffling

Praagaash48



o f g e n e s t h a th a p p e n s a treproduction- andtrack it back throughthe female line to asingle population ofpre-historic womaninAfrica.

The work ofRebecca et al has atone stroke solvedthe long runningd e b a t e a b o u t

whether the present human race hadoriginated in Africa and spread out fromthere or whether they had evolvedseparately from different populations indifferent places.

Oppenheimer pieces together thestory in his book. Through a vividsynthes is o f DNA stud ies wi tharchaeological, climatic, anthropologicaland other findings, he comes to theconclusion that not only a11 humansdescended from one Africa mother line,but that all non-African people derive froma single daughter of that mother.

The question is as to why, how andwhen did our ancestors leave that originalmotherland in Africa to populate the wholeglobe? Oppenheimer claims that insteadof heading for Europe they headed by asoutherly route, about 80,000 years ago,already equipped with language and anarray of technologies.

Hopping from island to island inboats across the Red sea to the southernArabian Peninsula, this daughter of the"Eve" and her genetic family then wentaround the coast of India to South and,East Asia. Within 10,000 years

descendants of these colonists hadreachedAustralia, 20,000 years before thefirst modern. humans arrived in WesternEurope.

In the meantime offshoots from thatoriginal coast-trotting group pushed inlandusing river valleys to penetrate themountain ranges that block off CentralAsia and the Middle East. At the sametime, other adventurers spread north fromSouth-East Asia into China, Japan,Mongolia and ultimatelyAmerica.

Drawing on evidence from the otherpart of our DNA on intactthe Adam-line, ornon-recombining DNA of the maleYchromosome to bolster his theory,Oppenheimer unravels in fascinatingdetail a complex history of progressivecolonization and cultural evolution.

There is a question that many mayask. Why is it that the major races ofmankind differ so much in their features, ifthey have come from a single mother? Thestory of the evolution of races is closely knitwith the vast reaches of time and space.As continents shrunk and swelled and icecaps advanced and retreated, the array ofhuman populations evolved and our faceschanged shape, our bodies grew lighter orheavier and our skin colour lightened ordarkened.

What seems to us a mass ofdifferences is in fact an evershrinking poolof genetic diversity. As we are the childrenof one mother, we are dangerously placedin this ever-evolving world.

For example we are ill equipped tofight new diseases like Bird flu and AIDS. Itis really unfortunate that despite having

Continued on Page 50

Praagaash49



cçáuççkçÀçLçDçyoáuç içvççÇ vçoçÇcç

mçÓb®ç Jçkçwlçmç Dç@çÆkçÀmç cçô hççvçmç mçól³çoÓj ³çôçÆcç mç@oje çÆkçÀmç DçhçççÆj yç@çÆþmç³çççÆj iççÆvçjmç Dçboj sá DçKç DççuçcçJççÇçÆj JççjJç DçBoe³ç& sô Jççlççvç vççJçyççuçe oçcçvç sá ÒçôLç nbiççcçe çÆyçoÓvçMçÓçÆyç cçjkçÀ]pç ³çôl³çvç Dçcççjvç nábo

¿ççôLç cçô DçBÐç nççÆj cçvçmçjççÆ³ç cçáçÆMçkçÀDçççÆ³ç mçjlçç]pçe çÆ³çJçeçÆvç mççWlçe®ç yJç³ç

vççje çÆ]pçlçv³çvç çEiçoçvç sô Mçyçvçec³ç Dç@smçnjKççvçmç çÆlç kçÀçMç KççÆmçní kçÀç@HçÀ

yççBi³ç yççbiçe³ç Dçiçj vçe oçÇní Dç]pçkçÀççÆ³çvççlçmç çÆlç JçKç cç@çÆMço iççÆæsní³çLç vçyçmç jçíçÆ]pçní ³ççôn³ç DçKç jbiçæ®çÓçÆj Mçá³ç& uçç@³ç kç@Àv³ç ìçÇvçe hçMçmç

kçÀçílçejvç náçÆlç-³ççôlç kçáÀvççÇ sKç uç@pçlçççÆj kçÓÀìîçvç sá cçÓuç ]pçvç ÒççìçvçkçÀçJçe ³çôçÆvçJççíuç lççb mçhçáo KççcççíMç

uçççÆj cçb]pç kçw³çç Kçyçj sô kçáÀmç kçÀçôlç uççôiç³çLç JçvççJç@v³ç yçô-]pçç@v³ç yç@m³çlççÇ cçb]pçvçço kçÀmç uçççÆ³ç kçáÀmç Dç@svç lçuç sácç

Praagaash50



Influence of Advaita .. From Page 31

and once you get habituated to that youwill feel one with the Divine.' Saying so, heis at once reminded of the crucification ofMansoor and he warns, '

When ShahGhafur says that the Divine and I are one,he should not be crucified for this truth.'Again he says, '

Intentionally Shah Ghafuravoids telling the truth. After all he has tosave his skin for the life is very precious. Ifhe reveals the truth (of oneness of Godand man) he will be killed.' One isreminded of these lines from a Urdupoetess of repute: '

Speaking the truth isnecessary but to live also is essential, oneshould not give up one's life like Mansoordid simply to speak the truth.

Asad Paray is a later poet who lived invillage Hajin (1862 to 1930). The effect ofHindu mythology and philosophy isapparent from most of his poems. 'Narannaguk mas' is a glaring example of thisinfluence. It would suffice to quote a fewstanzas from this poem. '

Chhu vananShah Ghafur vaati ma marun.

Shah Ghafur pazichi hanchhuna bavan, tan chhas rachhni lachhabo'd jaan. Po'z gatshi aashkar asimaranavan.

Sach bolna bhi lazimjeena bhi hai zaroori, sach bolne ki khatirMansoor ho na jana'.

Om ba karithdrass Omkarasay, Om Narayan sat logumsaet, tosas Omki pan khalmasay ba rasarasay kornas tayar. Suhamsu yaar vuchhanovnasay tathya Rama tsander sholyav,sayas tahndis tal thovnasay. Jugyah lagithd o o n y a z a j m a s a y , k h a l v a k hdandakvanasay manz, pranay abhyas sa

Asad Paray

sharir zolmasay. Bhavanaki nagarada tannavmasay, bava sara vuchhim ivay jan.Haramokha bala paan mansovmasay, borasa rasay kornas tayar.

d

I started myspiritual journey uttering the sacred 'Om'and the Divine accompanied me allthrough. I went on chanting Om as if Hewas preparing me for the journey slowlyand steadily. When by His grace I realizedthat He and I are one, I perceived theradiance of Shri Rama. He kept me underHis refuge. In the solitude of a forest I lit thesacred fire like a Yogi. I burnt my body inthe fire of breath control. In the sacredwaters of the shrine at Bhavan I cleansedmy body. This helped me to see the divineradiance here itself. I sacrificed mychildhood at the sacred foothills ofHarmukh, the abode of Shiva and Hegeared me for the journey slowly andsteadily. (To be continued)

Contact author at:[email protected]

made strides in the fields of science andtechnology, humans are fighting and killingeach other for no valid reason. Innocentpeople including women, children, old andinfirm are maimed or killed in mindlessviolence and suicide bombings. In a bravenew world there is need of resolvingconflicts of race, religion and territory andwork towards greater welfare of mankindbound together by the bond of being thesons and daughters of a common motherfrom the Eden ofAfrica.

��

Our Common Mother .. From Page 48

Episode

3Page 3

Stories

fromN

ation

al

Book

Tru

st’s‘å

zyú

kk

äsh

úr

afsà

nû

’Ed

ition2008,

Ed

itedby

Dr.

R.L

.Sh

an

tPraagaash51



��

Episode

3Page 1

çÆmçuççÆmçuçeJççj

DçKlçj cççínçÇ-Go-oçÇvç

lçÓlçvç KççcçÓvç

Sto

ries

from

Na

tion

al

Boo

kT

rust

’s‘å

zyú

kk

äsh

úr

afs

àn

û’E

dit

ion

2008,

Ed

ited

byD

r.R

.L.S

ha

nt

Praagaash52



cçáçÆpç æ®çôçÆìmç mçól³ç lçá©vç yçlçe K³çLç ³çôçÆuç mçá vçíjçvç Dççímç,uçákçÀvç Dççímç çÆlçnebÐçvç vçocçvç cçb]pç Jçáæs, çÆlçneb]pçvç kçÀLçvç cçb]pçûçv³çj lçe Mççn KçmçJççÆmç cçb]pç Þç]pçehçjvç neb]pç Mçáv³ç çÆlçkçÀelççj çEiçoJçev³ç çÆmççÆjmçç@J³ç DççJçç]pçyççmççvç~ çÆlçcç Dçç@m³ç çÆlçnábo JçpçÓo cççípç]pçe ]pççvççvç lçe DççÆcç cç]çípç]pçeçÆkçÀ çÆnmççyçe DççímçáKç mççí©³çDççôo hççôKç mççWlçemççíJç yççmççvç~ jbiçe çÆjJçávç lçe mJçvçe ]pçeæ®çuç~

cçiçj Üne DççÆkçÀ HçáÀì çÆ³ç çÆlçuçmçcç çÆlçkçw³çççÆ]pç lçmç DçççÆ³ç Dçkçwuç~ Dççqkçwuç nebçÆo ]pççíje]pççívçávç çÆ]pç cçáçÆpç æ®³ççôì sá mçônlçe yççhçLç cçáçÆ]pçj~ æsçW[ávç c³çÓþ lçe lççÇ yçôìîççímç~ DçcççÇ cç]pçe uççôoávçcçkçÀçvçe~ cçkçÀçvçe çÆlçLçá³ç ³çáLç uJçkçÀe®ççjmç içáhçkçÀçjmç cçb]pç Jçáscçálç Dççímçávç~ DççÆlç HçÀç@çÆj]içmçhççÆoLç yçvçç@çÆJçvç iJç[eçÆvççÆkçÀmç ]HçÀj]pçbomç, hçlçe oçôçÆ³ççÆcçmç lçe hçlçe mçççÆjvçe³ç ]HçÀj]pçbovç içáhçkçÀçj®çççÆuç Jççj³ççn cçkçÀçvçe~ DççÆlç ]HçÀç@çÆjiç mçhççÆoLç yçvçç@çÆJçvç ]HçÀj]pçbovç nebÐçvç ]HçÀj]pçbovç lçeçÆlçnebÐçvç ]HçÀj]pçbovç çÆ³çcç Dç@]p³ççÆkçÀ yç´çôbn kçáÀvç æ®çlçpççÇn Jçene³ç& ³çLç mçcmççjmç çÆ³ççÆ³ç nvç, DççÆcçKççôlçe çÆlç Lç@Ðç cçnuç~

çÆ³ç mççí©³ç kç@ÀçÆjLç LççJ³çvç hçvçeçÆvç Kçç@lçje hçvçev³çvç ]HçÀj]pçbovç lçe çÆlçnebÐçvç ]HçÀj]pçbovçnebçÆo Kçç@lçje y³ççôvç y³ççôvç mJçvçe mçíçÆj pçcçn~

DççÆlç cJçkçÀeçÆuçLç yçvççíJçávç hçvçeçÆvç yççhçLç mçbiçí cçcç&©kçÀ cç]kçÀyçje, lççÆcç hçlçe lçLç Dçbojmçjlççyçe lçe Dçç@Kçejmç oçôhçámç Dççqkçwuç çÆ]pç Kçyçj sç KJçoç mçç@yç cçç kçÀçÆj kçbÀpçÓmççÇ~ DçJç³çyçvççíJçávç hççlççuç³ç hçvçeçÆvç Kçç@lçje lçe hçvçev³çvç ]HçÀj]pçbovç lçe çÆlçnebÐçvç ]HçÀj]pçbovç nebçÆo Kçç@lçjeDçuçiçe³ç pçVçLç~

Dç]pç ³çôçÆuç Dççjkçw³ççuççípççÇ Jççu³çJç çÆ³ç mççí©³ç KçÓuç, DçKç uçy³çKç mJçvçe mçíçÆj lçe yçôçÆ³çuç@çÆyçKç JçámlçeKççvç~ mJçvçe mçíçÆj hçj]pçevçççÆJç ÒçLç Dç@kçw³ç cçiçj ¬çbÀ]pç uççôiç vçe kçÀçBçÆmç Dç@çÆkçÀmç çÆlçDççÆLç çÆ]pç lçmç lçÓlçvç KççcçÓvçe mçábo kçáÀmç DçKççn sá~

Dç@çÆkçÀmç ]kç@ÀoçÇcç çÆcçñçeçÆkçÀmç yççoMççn mçábo vççJçlçÓlçvç KççcçÓvç :

Letters to Editor

Dear Raina Sahib,This issue kept meengaged in the morningimmediately after Sehriand I was shocked whenclock hand struck past 30mts to six in the morning.So I realized that mymorning Nimaz is over today. Anyway Ireally congratulate you with out extollingetc, that the quality of contents in differentwrite ups in the magazine impressed meto the core. Although one may differ withthe authors of different opinions/articlesand write ups, however something is verymuch substantial in the magazine whichprovokes cognitive exercise and enrichesfaculties. I too may differ with the opinionof couple of authors at several places.

T.N.Dhar Kundan's Advaita onMuslim Reshi's enlighten reader andprovides a window for understanding whatKashmiryat as a philosophy is composedof. Please convey my appreciation to theauthor. Though there are areas whereopinion is divergent, however suchdiscourses have potential to create ahealthy debate which will further cementour composite cultural ethos.

Pandit Govind Koul ji, Kalhan of histimes and people of his ilk remind me ofgreat Ram Chand Kak who was forgottenby same people for whom he fought andsacrificed. My opinion lowers about ourculture for not recognizing such people.

Gopadri temple by M K Parimo jionce again encourages about ourinherent secular predilection towardsmutual understanding, respect and

Praagaash53



coexistence on which we can predict hopeof bright future. At the same time a debateof 'Kashmiris' being lost 12th tribe of jews &Solomon's presence in or around Kashmircan be initiated. Few scholars like ParvezDewan have deliberated on this issue atlength in his works on Kashmir.

Pheran & Taranga by Trishal &Koul: Mention of its (Pheran) backgroundof Mughals subjugating a warrior people ismore relevant to our contemporarycircumstances. Though it is now ourcommon heritage with minor variationsused by both the Kashmiri communities.

Main write ups about Mehjoor byZubair Hamid and Corona virus by one ofour eminent physician Dr K L Choudary &Dr Showkat were enlightening, rich andlatest in content. Such discussions &debates are need of the hour to face thechallenges, enrich oneself with latestin format ion. Dr. K.L .Chowdury 'sdeliberation on Covid 19 is full of wisdom,technical details, precautions for safety &its post effects.

Zubair Hamid has wonderfullyfocused on different facets of our greatpoet philosopher known as 'Shayer iKashmir' who was in line with scholars likePt Govind Koul & nationalist like RC Kak.

Prof B L Kouls Bird Song & Narvanaby Meem Hai Zafar is equa l l ymesmerizing.

God bless you Raina Sahib.Praagaash is coming up a big way, Iguarantee you, Sir. A lazy person like mereacting is proof of its potential. Iremember my late friend Shuja Bukharialways complaining for not writing for his

Letters to Editor

Praagaash54



paper. Now you can yourself judge aboutthe contents in your magazine whichprovoked even a lazy person like me.

Regards,

I have been enjoyingPraagaash, particularlyso because I have beenaway from my people andhome ever since I left thevalley in 1955 and haveonly been an infrequent visitor since.(

I have another article ready for yourapproval and publication. I have been alittle hesitant to write about my own father,but on persuasion from friends andrelations, I am doing this in view of hisbeing rated the first ‘legendary’ PhysicianSpecialist in the valley. I however, leave itto your discretion.

Just completed the reading of theSupplement on Shri Sarvanand KoulPremi, released by Praagaash. It is abefitting tribute to the great multifaceted

Dr. S. BashirA. Veeri.Bijbehara,Anantnag Kashmir.

Namaskar Raina Saheb,

Kanwar K KaulProfessor Emeritus & Retired DeanNSCB Medical College, Jabalpur

Kuni kuni chhu bada lol yewan).

Dear Sir,

��

��

[Editor replies : It is an honour for us topublish a write-up related to the popularand veteran doctor of the Valley. Thanksfor sharing with Praagaash.]

literary figure of kashmir.Huge efforts and labourhave been invested byPraagaash and Shr iM.K.Raina in its makingand its release. All thewords are insufficient toapplaud the laboriouswork done.

Undoubtedly a great tribute offeringSupplement by Praagaash.

You have been doing ay o m a n ’s s e r v i c e t opromote and preserve ourMaji-zev so selflessly forthe past so many years,which you still continue.You, as editor of the Hindi-Kashmiri Section of Aalav,Bangalore reproduced Urdu Gita of LatePremi Sahib and reproduced his bookRusi Padshah Kathae in Devanagari-Kashmiri. Now yesterday on his 30thmartyrdom day, you compiled and broughtout the special Supplement on Pragaash,for which the whole community and alsothe art lovers all over India will remainindebted to you.

I thank you again and thank allthose who created a storm ofShardhanjalis on social media thismartyrdom day.

Namaskar Mahara,

Rajinder PremiNew Delhi

UpendraAmbardarJammu

��

��

Letters to Editor

Praagaash55



Namaskar Mahra,I have been a reader ofPraagaash and a bigfollower of your page

and Iwanted to thank you for allthe contributions youhave done for Kashmirilanguage. Your webpage looks somarvelous since you have updated it.

My name is Imran Qazi. I am a HalfKashmiri and Half French. I was born inNovember 1990 in Trivandrum, Keralawhere my paternal family had startedhandicraft business. Your page hashelped me to improve my vocabulary inKashmiri, thanks to your Basic Readerand Vocabulary PDFs. I really loved yourDictionary of Peculiar Words.

Mahra, I am able to speak betterKashmiri now, thanks to my Grandfather. Iremember I told him that I don't wantpeople in the valley consider me as a "

So I made great efforts tounderstand and speak the language. Athome, I speak French (my mother tongue)with my mother, English with my fatherand Kashmiri with my grandfather. I havealso learnt Hindi and Urdu reading andspeaking thanks to my master's degreedays in Pondicherry University as itallowed me to make friendship withpeople from Rajasthan and UP.I have learnt in 2013 on my own to readKashmiri in Nastaliq script with the help ofstate board books available in Srinagar.

On your web-page, you havementioned that Kashmiri language wassimply taught till 1953. I want to make a

mkra ina .com

/

توتہطوطــہ

�".

correction here. Since 2008, Kashmiribecame once more a compulsory subjectin government and private schools from1st to 8th standard. In 2017, thegovernment ordered that the language bemade compulsory till 10th. But for 9th and10th it has not been implemented yet.

I am currently in Grenoble, SouthEast of France since 13th September2019 pursuing master degree in PoliticalScience.Imran QaziGrenoble, France

��

Dear Raina Sahab,

N a m a s k a r . I t w a swonderful to go through thecontents of May issue ofPraagaash. As usual thisi s sue con ta i ned thecons iderab le read ingmaterial about our cultureand language. The coverpage showing the Covid19picture depicts the concern we all shouldhave about this deadly virus. The portraitof Amar Shaheed Sarvanand Koul Premi,a poet and philosopher of high repute, is agreat tribute to him on his 30th deathanniversary. The write-ups and poems ofall writers were of high order andinteresting too. The articles by ouresteemed Dr. K L Chowdhury and by Dr.Showkat Hussain Tali on the ongoingpandemic were very informative and madeus conscious about the precautionsneeded to be taken. In fact every page ofthe magazine, be it, respected T N Dhar

Letters to Editor

Praagaash56



Rafeeq MasoodiRafiabad, SrinagarFormer ADG DoordarshanPatron, Rafiabad Adabi Markaz

[M.K.Raina replies: manzûli bäth are notmy creation. These are Kashmiri folksongs, compiled by J&K Academy of Art,Culture & Languages decades back. Ihave rewritten them in Devanagari anduploaded on my website. I have alsonarrated them under myProgramme.]

vålív zàn karav

��

Kundan's write-up on influence of Advaitaon Muslim Rishis of Kashmir, write-up onpoet Mahjoor by Zubair Hamid, the poetryby Sh. Rahman Rahi, Prof. G M Shad,Farooq Shaheen, and other poets, iskeeping the reader spell bound. Theancient history of Shankaracharya temple(Gopadari temple) by Sh M K Parimoowas quite interesting. In fact your hard toilin bringing forth the magazine everymonth, having wonderful poetry andarticles on our culture, history andlanguage is highly appreciable, and hasvery rightly been recognised by variouscultural forums by awarding you that youreally deserved. I wish you success inevery future endeavour.M K Dhar

Jammu.

��