Marriage with a distinction!
At the end of a typical Kashmiri marriage when everybody is gone, the Chief Host called Yezman in local parlance, is seen retrieving the wood charcoal from the cindering fire place or makeshift kitchen used by Kashmiri Cooks called Wazas. The Wazas come and play their innings by being extravagant to the peril of the host. Where he could use firewood as fuel, he uses Ghee or edible oil.  This is the general perception carried in Kashmiri society. And the Yezman in his bid to minimize losses he suffers in throwing the party that is essentially extravagance he is seen salvaging wood-charcoal. This is true with every typical Kashmiri Kori-Mole (Father of a bride) or Gobra-Mole (father of groom).
 The other day the marriage of the daughter of noted farm scientist Prof Kamal Ahmad Farooqi, could be safely described as a marriage with a distinction. It was attended by a cross section of society including politicians and opinion makers of all hues, academicians, bureaucrats, social activists, businessmen and even religious scholars. Most of them had come uninvited. It was the fair amount of goodwill enjoyed by the family that brought them to the Mughal lane, Zakura residence of Farooqis to bless their daughter. Well the meals served to the guests were modest by current standards and Farooqi him-self saw to it that no food was allowed to go waste. The feast was restricted to 7-courses or Sath-Seuen. A widely traveled Farooqi told the author that he tried his level best to be modest in every respect while organizing the function. He did make compromises here and there. There was Geundun- Drokun, Assun-Ta-Lassun- with a troupe of singers to create noise. At the end of the day, however, instead of retrieving wood charcoal the Professor was seen feeding the wayfarers fresh food instead of the leftovers, which the others serve them with on such occasions.
SAGEER AHMAD

…Tum ko magar nahin aati
The patients in the Valley are suffering and the City is watching it all. This is because the City houses almost all hospitals right from Valley’s sole maternity hospital –the Lal Ded to that for bones the B&J Barzulla. From far off place the patients come to summer capital for treatment but these days return untreated.
 This is just because the doctors of a majority of hospitals are on strike. They want a hike in their Pagaar at par with other places. Their demands are all the way genuine. Doctors in Kashmir hospitals are over burdened. They need to be paid justly.
 But then Sarkaars in Kashmir have never been caring(much against the trend elsewhere). Arushi case was solved within months but the poor City boy Mehran of Habba Kadal in Shahr-e-Khaas is still missing since May 2008. Why? This is because the Mantris of successive regimes weren’t as caring as the Netas of other Rajyas.
 The doctors must realize this all. They must also realize the fate of SRTC employees and the “concern” of government towards them. Doctors must realize many things. But prior to everything they should realize whether it suits or not to go on strike. Their strike has badly affected not the Sarkar but the patient care. For protesting doctors Paisa seems to have turned more precious than the Jaan of a Beemar.
 But then what has happened to those doctors who often criticize the genuine issue of SKIMS medicos demanding a revocation of ban on private practice. SKIMS doctors are very much needed even after their working hours.  But then many non-SKIMS doctors oppose the revocation of ban on private practice, which is the need of the hour.
 But then why such voices and many other doctors who have returned home from abroad gone so “philanthropist” in defending the ban on SKIMS private practice? Why they wanted the SKIMS doctors to sit idle in the leisure but not got for practice? If they were truly so concerned about healthcare why they didn’t oppose the ongoing strike by medicos on Pagaar issue?
 Anyways money matters. Pagaar is separate issue and politics behind SKIMS ban a parallel. For salaries they mean equality but for private practice they go a vernacular maxim: Baaye aas tu bajah mieni khaout kamm pahnmath…
M Hyderi

Exploiting orphans!
Running orphanage is turning vogue! Whether or not its founders could manage running an orphanage, they want to run it. Whether or not those poor kids get proper diet, they want to run it. Whether not they have adequate space for the kids, they want to run it.
 Every Tom, Dick and Harry pretends to be philanthropist whether or not the Yateem Kahana, he or she runs benefits the orphans.
 Take the case of Holy month of Ramadhan. Scores of mobile vans could be seen seeking charity for the orphanages. But Alas! Why they had kept the pictures of orphans they “care” for display on display on the cabs? Couldn’t it have adverse affect on the future of those orphans? Well the orphanage runners don’t seem to be bothered about that.
 At Lal Chowk one could find every van collecting charity showcasing pictures of the orphans for whom they claimed to be seeking the charity. Some had even kept albums available.
 The issue triggered concern from many like our Kashmir Uzma colleague Sheem Meem. He was annoyed why the pictures of the orphans were being exploited for the collection of donations. Why do they run an orphanage if they can’t do without such cheap tactics? A variety of questions like these whirled minds of many at the newsroom.
 But then perhaps people like Sheen Meem haven’t seen places like this Masjid on the City suburb, which also runs an orphanage where children are yet to get washroom facilities. Even though some central government organization had volunteered to construct the facility, the Intizaamiya was hesitant on the “nature” of money which the organization would spend.
 And they had reasons to reject the offer. They had reasons to plead being ‘brave’. None of the orphanage caretakers faces the problem of not having hot water to take a bath for himself or his families. None of them faces the problem of not having a bathroom at home. It was the case of poor children, so the Intizaamiya rejected the “Hindustani paisa”.
 But then why to showcase the pictures of the orphans on the Masjid wall. Couldn’t it affect the future prospects of those orphans?
 Well people have many queries. But such orphanage runners seem to be least bothered. They just want to run the show for the sake of it.
 And then they have reasons to do so. It fetches them prominence in the society.
 But then such orphanages and their tactics could prove detrimental for the cause of orphans and the people who run true orphanages to really benefit the needy.
 Kashmir houses many good orphanages run by organizations like Darul Aloom Rehamiya. But the present rat race to run orphanages could prove detrimental for the genuine cause.
 Hope good sense prevails and all those running orphanages really serve the society.
M Hyderi

Lastupdate on : Sun, 18 Oct 2009 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Sun, 18 Oct 2009 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Mon, 19 Oct 2009 00:00:00 IST