PRIME POST

Page-24 RNI JKENG/2018/77291 Rs-30/= PRIME POST Vol- 1 Issue-16 01-15 June, 2019 News | Opinion | Analysis Indian Politics 2019 A cocktail of Development and Nationalism Worked A combination of nationalist rhetoric, subtle religious polarisation and a slew of welfare programmes helped Mr Modi to coast to a second successive win. Primepost MOHD ISHAQ SHAHDr. Swadesh Singh Vo l Pr Vol-1 Issue-16 01-15 June, 2019 -1 E Iss ue - 11 im Ne w s| 16 -3 1M arch , 20 19 e Op on Rs - Po st le ct 2k ion s io n 19 |A 30 /- Pa ge na ly si s - 24 Tit le Cod e- JK EN G12 69 ___ ___ ___ _ __F_ rom _____ ___ ' ___ Pa ____ ___ pp __ ___ u ___ ___ ' T ___ o ____ ___ 'Ch __ _ ___ o ___ wk ____ ___ id __ ___ ar ___ ___ ' C ___ h ____ ___ or ___ H _____ ___ ai _ ___ _ EDITOR M. Akbar Reshi MANAGING EDITOR Deepak Rana CONTENT ASSOCIATE EDITOR Mudassir Reshi REFLECTION HARDLINE KASHMIR BUREAU Muzamil Wagay JAMMU BUREAU Tousif Bhat MOHD ISHAQ SHAH Umesh Chaurasia Today's Cashmeres: A Lost Generation UTTER PARDESH I M PACT DELHI BUREAU M. Feizal ENTERTAINMENT Pallavi Talvar Junaid Choudhary Touseef Hamid UNDERSTANDING : The Article 370 EDITORIAL/BUSINESS OFFICES CONFLICT Wazir Bagh LD Hospital Rd, Srinagar 19008 +91 7006087699 Satwari Jammu Cantt, 180003 +91 9086000778 Ganjiwara Anantnag 192101 +91 7006331410 Email: editorprimepost@gmail.com +91 9906171735 Www.theprimepost.com VIEWS Syed Mujtaba PRINTED & PUBLISHED M. Akbar Reshi DR. JOHN MOHAN RAZU 2019 INDIAN POLLS "ORWELLIAN 1984": FUTURE TOTALITARIAN STATE DR.MASOON AHMAD BEIG Meer Abass Happiness Lies In Helping Others OPINION Dr. Swadesh Singh Revisiting Ambedkar's Idea of Nationalism HALF WIDOWS THE AND MARGINALIZED V I EINVISIBLE WS GROUP OF KASHMIRI WOMEN KIDZEE Brain Teasers Art and Craft REFLECTION Today's Cashmeres: A Lost Generation Politics has become a gambling rather than statesmanship. Leaders now seem gamblers more and leaders less. They have self interests in politics rather than what was known in olden days a service to nation. M MOHD ISHAQ SHAH 01-15 June,2019 Y memory compels me to recollect that I have read a concept during my Research on a renounced post Wo r l d - w a r a u t h o r - E a r n e s t Hemingway. The concept is manifested in the title here ie; lost generation. It was Gertrude Strain who confined this term to mean the generation that has come of an age during world war 1 and Hemingway exploited the term in full length in his first novel " The Sun Also Rises''. On the surface level the novel exhibits a mismatch between jack and his wife. Jack has been left 4 impotent by a wound during war and his wife has been already married many times before she would marry jack. Her extra marital affairs cause jack's mental trauma as he feels humiliated before the public. It is a common belief that every writer is the byproduct of his age and same was the case with Hemingway who himself participated in world war-ii, this way or that way. So for my observations during the years this political turmoil has been going on here in Kashmir, I could perceive that the people here have everything except metal peace and calm. Civic as well as war crimes are increasing at an alarming rate and day by day. Sexscandals, rapes, murders, loot and plunder have become the order of the day. Rape and murder incident of Kathua in Jammu division is just before eyes. Recently some more incidents about rapes with the minor girls have been reported from north Kashmir. In addition, domestic violence is no less than the primitive days. Women are still treated in an ill way. Employment opportunities are at zero level. A report compiled in 2017 by centre for monitoring Indian economy and in collaboration with Bombay stock exchange reveals that Jammu and Kashmir has highest PRIMEPOST REFLECTION rate of unemployment 12-13% as compared to some other states Kerala{9.6 % Assam{8.60%}Punjab and Haryana{7.16%}.The national unemployment level is 4.7%.Conseuently the youth are frustrated and in an anguishing mode. One may perchance conclude that it is the future prospects of the state that compels educated youth to take either stones or guns in their hands. It has become a preference to gun over pen. Joining of some prominent scholars with the militant ranks is indicative of this very prospect. Lack of private sector jobs adds fuel to the fire. It seems all dark to an educated young fellow when he leaves the college or university. Corruption being at peak has a special role to play in traumatizing the educated youth mentally as unfair selection lists by recruiting agencies has become here now common experience. Politics has become a gambling rather than statesmanship. Leaders now seem gamblers more and leaders less. They have self interests in politics rather than what was known in olden days a service to nation. Booth capturing, diverted EVMs and other types frauds in election have become now routine of the day. I may give you reminder that in recent past days a 01-15 June,2019 truck caught fire at Quazigund area and when the public went to extinguish the fire, they were astounded to see that the truck was loaded with currency notes worth crores. The irony of the fact being that instead of preserving the pubic wealth the public herself looted it and those who missed the chance would curse their fate and destiny. And all of us are well aware that on the next day there were lok-saba elections to be held in Anantnag constituency. Relations are now only material bonds. A father is here father only till he feeds his children and a son is here son only if he pays money to his parents. Brothers remain brothers only if accounts are balanced between the two. Superstitious beliefs are still prevailing despite the expansion of knowledge and information. Still it is the belief of a Saaasu-Maaan that all ill omens have been brought in the home by newly bride{Bahu.} The first news that comes to our ears, when we rise from the bed, is that an encounter has started, internet has been suspended, many people have died and what is then our expectation that it will be shut down for three, four or five days. There is only bloodshed and violence everywhere in Kashmir. Govt forces are hell bent on operation all out. But the irony of the fact being that despite clearing militancy they seem to add to the problem as with the death one militant two more join their ranks. When this trend going to end. The most tragic thing is that civilians are not even spared now. The last year hot rendering incident at LarooKulgam is an eye opener for all stake 5 holders. The first news that comes to our ears, when we rise from the bed, is that an encounter has started, internet has been suspended, many people have died and what is then our expectation that it will be shut down for three, four or five days. There is only bloodshed and violence everywhere in Kashmir. I can't imagine what has made us believe that war and weapon is our protection. G.B Shaw in his play "Arms and the Man'' puts that soldiers need chocolates more than that of cartridges. Realism in contradiction with the fanaticism. The fake nationalism has worsened the situation more. Being a nationalist doesn't mean that we must trample down others? Then the fact is that nationalism transcends all the narrow domestic walls like communalism and religious prejudice. Collectively all the selfish attempts of today's man has turned this valley into Eliot's waste land.The only hope left with us God only if He is happy with us. Andaaaze bayaan shokh naheen hay mera, Par shayed ab ki otter jayee dil ma teray meri baat AUTHOR IS A TEACHER PRIMEPOST HARDLINE 2019 INDIAN POLLS "ORWELLIAN 1984": FUTURE TOTALITARIAN STATE DR. JOHN MOHAN RAZU Professor, Social Ethics ijmrazu@yahoo.in A mixed bag of feelings, perceptions and opinions keep surfacing from cross sections of people across the world. Some say that the results were 'stunning', while others say 'expected'. It is in such a context, particularly in the emergent political landscape in India, I am reminded of George Orwell, a renowned futurologists, satirists and dystopian predicted in his novel Nineteen Eighty Four written 70 years ago which became seminal and relevant and eternal moving beyond times and space. For India in the Post-poll 2019 and the years to come "Orwellian 1984 shall be the guide post and goal post that is fixed at least of the next five-yearsnot changing of the goal post. This is the beauty of those who in their own ways envision and thus communicate, nuance and put their concepts in such ways that makes the readers and analysts to peel layer by layer in order to derive meaning and essence. an Razu. thics 01-15 June,2019 "Orwellian" is an adjective, defining a situation, idea, or societal condition that George Orwell identified as destructive to the welfare of a free and open society. Post-2019 is going to be a defining moment for Indiafor some their hopes and aspirations be fulfilled in consolidating their identity politics being projected in number of ways, but for many the current scenario presents hopelessness, despair and anxiety. Orwell precisely identifies and thus predicts the emergent factors that bear destructive trends to a multi-cultural, free and open Indian society. He describes a political system in which the government tries to control every facet and part of people's lives, similar to that described in the novel Nineteen Eighty Four. George Orwell is best known for his 1949 dystopian novel 1984 with its theme of social injustices and a controlling authoritarian government. 1984 elucidates the real-life situations that are reminiscent of a kind of state control and surveillance carried out by "Big Brother" could perhaps be expected in India in the coming days. Governme nt in a totalitaria n setting could go to any extent that crosses its limit by abusing its absolute 6 power. The BJP government at the Centre in due course of time could get involved in watching or listening or following its citizens who it suspects or goes against it in tapping the phone calls or watch closely the writing or speeches or whatever may be the modes of communication can best be described as Orwellian. The government that has been just elected under the leadership of Modi enjoys absolute majority and vested with absolute power and so the power leverage if not moderated could lead to totalitarian dynamic. The emergent landscape is perhaps the most dangerous template wherein power in absolute terms dominates in which the power cliché vis-à-vis the cronies and fringes eventually takes over "power" in totality and thus unleash at those who they consider as "others" and "they" as "non-entities". Their only justifying point would therefore be the tags that have been constructed as "majoritarian" and "we"; we the "nationalist" and others "against the nation and our brand of 'nationalism' and thus be called as "betrayers". This is indeed 'Orwellian'. PRIMEPOST MALALA YOUSUFZAI & KASHMIRI GIRLS! Syed Mustafa Malala Yousafzai is a stone in front of difficulties; Because she always looks for the waiting opportunities. She is a common girl like others but with the different qualities; And she works in the villages not in the cities. She overcomes every obstacle and makes her own way; Because she knows that if she loses then a majority of people will call it a day. She walks and walks for a greater cause so that life gets some divine ray; But she is targeted whenever she wants to say. In our lives, the river is going backwards; Because the Kashmiri girls don't know the worth of words. They like to come on the roads without having the depth of geometrical chords; And at the end of the day, the truth is something different and beat their heads against the rods. For a greater cause, emotional strength and optimism are the basic building blocks; But I am amazed that they(the Kashmiri girls) are always busy in useless talks. Introspection is the foremost rung of the ladder of development among the worldly folks; And they hate to go for the beneficial jogging but are in the front when it comes to the useless walks. What have we done at the collective level? Empty slogans, lethargy, selfish and the works of a dreadful devil. The purpose of all the lives is to be a civil; But the civility is gone and we are heading for a different travel. Creativity should be the concern of our girls in the long run; Because our lives aren't all about the fake fun. In the present era ,your responsibilities are more than the responsibilities of a sun! And if the work is done, say it is undone. Blocking highways and shouting abusive slogans in the colleges will make your future insecure; Because the foresightedness is not present in you ,so look for a cure. All of you want the system of the Caliphate but it has to endure; Because in this system ,the dirty will be set apart from the pure. Work collectively and try to bring a real social change; Because all of you have got an infinite range. Malala is doing this job in the world, called the strange; And what has happened to all of us who are not in a position to manage. No rape will happen if you will stand like the necessary human being; Because when anyone among you come down from the top ,she is only for seeing! The threads of bondage are very knotty but all of you should look for freeing; And when all of you are ready, the curtains of ignorance will begin lifting. Inconvenience is regretted and for the sake of one, don't make the lives of crores of people hellish; Because you disturb others and name it the best relish. Girls all around the world are progressing especially the Welsh; But all of you are mature but very childish. I can't compare and contrast Malala with all of you in reality; But I am on the run and looking for some variety. syedmustafaahmad9@gmail.com 01-15 June,2019 7 PRIMEPOST IMPACT UNDERSTANDING : The Article 370 Touseef Hamid touseef680.th@gmail.com I Historical Background:mmediately after the independence of Pakistan and India, Confronted with the chances of losing Kashmir to Pakistan, Maharaja Hari Singh requested help from India. Immediately, Patel's aid V P Menon arrived in Srinagar and told the Maharaja that India could take action only if Kashmir acceded to India. It is widely believed that Maharaja wanted to keep Kashmir independent but reluctantly acceded to India due to the grave situation at that time as per him. Thus, on October 26, 1947, Maharaja Hari Singh signed the Instrument of Accession. Here, we need to note that the accession was partly provisional. For example, clause 7 of this instrument read that Maharaja was NOT committed to accept the future constitution of India. Similarly, clause 8 said that nothing in the instrument affected the sovereignty of the Kashmir. The subjects that were surrendered to India included Defence, 01-15 June,2019 External Affairs, Communications and some ancillary subjects such as elections and jurisdiction of courts in these three m a t t e r s . With such an instrument in hands, India had sent its forces to Kashmir. Later, Sheikh Abdulla, who was under custody, was released by Maharaja Hari Singh. Abdullah, although condemned the invader's attack on Kashmir yet asserted the sovereign right of the people of Kashmir to decide their future. In 1948, he was made the prime minister of Kashmir. Meanwhile, Kashmir issue was taken to By 1949, Sheikh Abdullah and Maharaja Hari Singh decided that Kashmir should remain united with India with maximum possible autonomy. India granted a special status to Kashmir in article 306A of the draft constitution. This special status was given as per clause 7 of the Instrument of Accession. At that time, Hasrat Mohani had objected the special status. But he also expressed hope that in due course Kashmir would become ripe for the same kind of integration as similar to other states. The Article 306A was enshrined as Article 370 in the constitution as a "temporary provision". the UN by Nehru and the issue was given a tag of an international dispute between India and Pakistan. Not only that, but India also made a promise of plebiscite in Kashmir. Sheikh Abdullah did not want that to be a temporary provision and insisted for his iron-clad guarantee of autonomy but India did not accept that. 8 PRIMEPOST IMPACT I n t r o d u c t i o n : Article 370 of the Indian constitution is an article that gives autonomous status to the state of Jammu and Kashmir. The article is drafted in Part XXI of the Constitution: Temporary, Transitional and Special Provisions. The Constituent Assembly of Jammu And Kashmir, after its establishment, was empowered to recommend the articles of the Indian constitution that should be applied to the state or to abrogate the Article 370 altogether. After the J&K Constituent Assembly later created the state's constitution and dissolved itself without recommending the abrogation of Article 370, the article was deemed to have become a permanent feature of the Indian Constitution. The state of Jammu and Kashmir's original accession, like all other princely states, was on three matters: defense, foreign affairs, and communications. All the princely states were invited to send representatives to India's Constituent Assembly, which was formulating a constitution for the whole of India. They were also encouraged to set up constituent assemblies for their own states. Most states were unable to set up assemblies in time, but a few states did, in particular, Saurashtra Union, Travancore-Cochin and Mysore. Even though the States Department developed a model constitution for the states, in May 1949, the rulers and chief ministers of all the states met and agreed that separate constitutions for the states were not necessary. They accepted the Constitution of India as their own constitution. The states that did elect constituent assemblies suggested a few amendments which were accepted. The position of all the 01-15 June,2019 states (or unions of states) thus became equivalent to that of regular Indian provinces. In particular, this meant that the subjects available for legislation by the central and state governments was uniform across India. However, in the case of Jammu and Kashmir, the representatives to the Constituent Assembly requested that only those provisions of the Indian Constitution that corresponded to the original Instrument of Accession should be applied to the State. Accordingly, the Article 370 was incorporated into the Indian Constitution, which stipulated that the other articles of the Constitution that gave powers to the Central Government would be applied to Jammu and Kashmir only with the concurrence of the State's constituent assembly. As per Article 35A of the constitution is concerned it is only the derivative of Article 370, which allows the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly to define who is a permanent resident, who is eligible to vote and work for/in the state, who can own land and so on. Thus, under this article, residents of the state live under a separate set of laws, relating to ownership of property and fundamental rights. Most states were unable to set up assemblies in time, but a few states did, in particular, Saurashtra Union, TravancoreCochin and Mysore. Even though the States Department developed a model constitution for the states, in May 1949, the 9 rulers and chief ministers of all the states met and agreed that separate constitutions for the states were not necessary. They accepted the Constitution of India as their own constitution. The states that did elect constituent assemblies suggested a few amendments which were accepted. Why 370 is temporary? There is no doubt that article 370 was among the temporary provisions of the Indian constitution not because the state on the verge of integration with India but because as J&K is a disputed territory and was on the agenda of the United Nations. The position remains same and Jammu and Kashmir was and is yet to see its final solution. It is necessary to mention here that even Indian Constitution acknowledges this fact through a provision to Article 253. As article 253 of the Indian Constitution gives overriding powers to the Center in the domain of lawmaking for the sake of implementation of International treaties irrespective of the distribution of legislative power between the Union and the States. The Union is authorized to make laws even on those subjects that are otherwise placed within the state list. So, In context of J&K the Article 253 makes it clear "that after the commencement of the constitution (application to Jammu and Kashmir) Order, 1954, no decision affecting the disposition of state of Jammu and Kashmir shall be made by the PRIMEPOST IMPACT government of India without the consent of Government of that state." Constitution Application Order, 48, Sec 2 (6) (e) Since this disposition is yet to take place, therefore, Article 370 continues to be a temporary Article and will continue to be so unless Jammu and Kashmir reach its final settlement. And since this was a "temporary provision" in that its applicability was intended to last till the formulation and adoption of the State's constitution. However, the State's constituent assembly dissolved itself on 25 January 1957 without recommending either abrogation or amendment of Article 370. Thus the Article has become a permanent feature of the Indian constitution, as confirmed by various rulings of the Supreme court of India and The High Court Of Jammu and Kashmir, the latest of which was in April 2018. Need for concurrence:Jammu and Kashmir acceded to India by the Maharaja's Instrument of Accession on October 26, 1947, in respect only of three subjects: defense, foreign affairs, and communications. Article 370 "limited" the powers of Parliament to those three subjects. The President was empowered to make an order extending to Kashmir these three subjects and the federal structure in " co n s u ltatio n " w ith th e S tate government. But its "concurrence" was required if additional subjects or other provisions of the Constitution were to be applied to Kashmir. There was one overriding proviso. That concurrence was subject to ratification by the Constituent Assembly of Jammu and Kashmir (Article 370 [2]). This was made clear beyond doubt by N. Gopalaswami Ayyangar, the mover of Article 370 in India's Constituent Assembly on October 17, 1949. 01-15 June,2019 “ We have also agreed that the will of the people through the instrument of the Constituent Assembly will determine the Constitution of the State as well as the sphere of Union jurisdiction over the State. …You will remember that several of these clauses provide for the concurrence of the Government of Jammu and Kashmir State. Now, these relate particularly to matters which are not mentioned in the Instrument of Accession, and it is one of our commitments to the people and Government of Kashmir that no such additions should be made except with the consent of the Constituent Assembly which may be called in the State for the purpose of framing its Constitution. " Once Kashmir's Constituent Assembly was "convened" on October 31, 1951, the State government lost all authority to accord any "concurrence" to the Union. With the Assembly's dispersal on November 17, 1956, after adopting the Constitution of Jammu and Kashmir, vanished the only authority that alone could cede (i) more powers to the Union and (ii) accept Union institutions other than those specified in the Instrument of Accession. So, All additions to Union powers since then are unconstitutional. However, the abuse reduces Jammu and Kashmir to an inferior position. For, while in relation to other States, an amendment to the Constitution would require a two-thirds vote by both Houses of Parliament plus ratification by the States (Article 368), for Kashmir, mere executive orders by the President have sufficed since 1953 and 10 God forbid can continue until doomsday. "Nowhere else, as far as I can see, is there any provision authorizing the executive government to make amendments in the Constitution," President Rajendra Prasad pointed out to Prime Minister Nehru on September 6, 1952. Is this the state of things we wish to perpetuate? Presidential orders and their validity:As In exercise of the powers conferred by clause (1) of article 370 of the Constitution, certain presidential orders were made by the president of India viz; presidential order of 1950, 1952, 1954, 1956……to February 1994. But the main point in it is that up to 1954 the orders were issued with the concurrence of constituent assembly but after 1956 to 1994 all the presidential orders were issued with the concurrence of the Government of the State instead of the constituent assembly (which ceased to exist from 25th January 1957) and basically many orders were issued between 11th February 1956 to 1994 which makes various other provisions of the Constitution of India applicable to Jammu and Kashmir. And moreover, all these orders were issued with the 'concurrence of the Government of the State' without any Constituent Assembly. And as it is clear that any constitutional order of the president has to get the prior approval of the constituent assembly of the state. Which ceases to exist from January 1957. So whatever constitutional orders were made after 1957 had the concurrence of the state legislature. So it is clear that the validity of the constitutional order is disputed. Though the Supreme Court of India validated these constitutional orders in Sampat Prakash and Mohd. Maqbool Damnoo v. State Of Jammu And PRIMEPOST IMPACT Kashmir. 1972 AIR 963, 1972 SCR (2)1014, cases, yet there remain so many questions as to the legality of these Orders. The Supreme Court judgments pertaining to the validity of these orders were given in an era when the idea of the basic structure of the Constitution had not yet evolved. Supreme Court during those days perceived amending powers of the parliament vis-à-vis Constitution of India was unfettered. Whole of the Indian constitution in its opinion could be amended by the Indian parliament. Now, when it is settled that amending powers of the Indian parliament can't touch the basic structure, the principle mutatis mutandi applies in the context of the state legislature of Jammu and Kashmir. It does not and cannot have the same powers as that of the Constituent Assembly of the state. Once this issue is settled the validity of all those constituent application orders becomes disputed which were pronounced with the concurrence of the state legislature after the dissolution of the State Constituent Assembly in 1957. The concurrence is required to be given by an elected Sadre Reyasat. Can a nominated governor be a substitute for an elected Sadre Reyasat, raise a similar question about the Constitution Application Orders enacted after 1964? Calls for the abrogation and who has the power to amend it? There have been many attempts for the said article's abrogation beginning in 1956, 1961, 1970 but petitions challenging the Article 370 were dismissed by the court. The contemporary debate began after an RSS-linked NGO challenged it by filing a PIL in the Supreme court of India on December 2015 on grounds that Article 370 was added to the constitution through amendment under Article 368 , that is, through presidential order and was never presented before parliament, which the court admitted and is likely to hear on this m a t t e r . Let us take this case into account; if the Article 370 is a violation of the Article 368 and is unconstitutional then several other laws that were extended to the state through presidential orders also need to repealed. 01-15 June,2019 Thus scrapping of this article make all other presidential orders from 1950 onwards, invalid and nullifies all the 41 subsequent presidential orders, making various other provisions of the Constitution of India applicable to Jammu and Kashmir. Prior to the insertion of Article 35A, the Governor and the Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir were addressed as the Sadr-eRiyasat (President) and Wazir-e-Azam (Prime Minister). Its repeal must then lead back to the same arrangement. we can say that all such objections are without substance. The justification behind the attempts of abrogation is flawed. It is a gimmick to dump the Kashmir Issue once for the all. With its abrogation, the people of Jammu and Kashmir would not only lose their residency and property rights but it would trigger a demographic change that will have a negative impact on the UN resolutions that promise "plebiscite". It is, in fact , a well planned conspiracy to integrate Jammu and Kashmir completely with India that has acceded to India conditionally. Now as we all know that the Indian Constitution can be amended through procedures provided under Article 368. But It has been made clear that the Article 370 can't be amended through procedures provided in 368. The Article can be amended and abrogated through a presidential order with concurrence of the State which involves the approval of the Constituent Assembly. It is obvious that amendment of 370 is not within the domain of legislative or constituent powers of the Indian parliament. It can be done by President of India through a notification but only after concurrence of the State Constituent Assembly (which has seized to exist). But now for a moment if a new Constituent Assembly is formed that means current constitution of state along with its provisions including the one which declare the state of Jammu and Kashmir to be part of Indian Union will get dissolved. Will India take such risk? When in recent past Kosovo declared independence through a resolution of similar assembly which was recognized both by the UN Security Council and International Court of Justice. 11 In October 2015, Even the High Court of Jammu and Kashmir has ruled that the Article 370 cannot be "abrogated, repealed or even amended." It explained that the clause (3) of the Article conferred power to the State's Constituent Assembly to recommend to the President on the matter of the repeal of the Article. Since the Constituent Assembly did not make such a recommendation before its dissolution in 1957, the Article 370 has taken on the features of a "permanent provision" despite being titled a temporary provision in the Constitution.On 3 April 2018, the Supreme Court of India gave a similar opinion declaring that the Article 370 has acquired a permanent status. It stated that, since the State Constituent Assembly has ceased to exist, the President of India would not be able to fulfil the mandatory provisions required for its abrogation. Personal note:I would like to end it on a Personal note that Article 370 is the only constitutional or legal link between J & K and India. And its abrogation is next to impossible. As it can be only abrogated with the concurrence of constituent assembly which however has ceased to exist from 1957. However if India tries to abrogate it by one way or other {in legal perspecillegally}.There will be serious consequences for India like If article 370 is abrogated then tive article 1 in its application to Kashmir will also get abrogated. And obviously Kashmir will drop down from schedule 1 (territory). Then the result will be that the Kashmir will become independent de jure (legally) if not de facto (actually). In short we can say that If Article 370 was abrogated, then technically and legally the foundation of Jammu and Kashmir's accession to India would cease to exist. And More over these calls for abrogation by one party/N.G.O or by the other are only politically motivated calls. My Advice to these people (politicians/NGO'S) will be to stop this drama As you all know the reality that there are only two options in front of you (India) viz; either J & K's accession to India would cease to exist Or article 370 will still be part of Indian constitution. PRIMEPOST COVERSTORY Indian Politics 2019 A cocktail of Development and Nationalism Worked He's seen as the man who scripted the BJP's thumping wins in 2014 and 2019 - and who helped the party make inroads in states such as West Bengal where they barely had a presence earlier. The new cabinet is largely upper caste - and has few ministers from the south Nine of the 25 new cabinet ministers are Brahmins, who are at the top of India's tenacious caste hierarchy. Despite the fact that 131 seats in the Lok Sabha are reserved for members of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, who are among the country's most vulnerable communities, only 10 of them have been appointed ministers. Even fewer made it to the cabinet. Only three of the cabinet ministers - Ms Seetharaman, Mr Jaishankar and Sadanand Gowda - are from India's five southern states, which send 119 MPs to parliament. Only one Muslim made the ranks 16-31 May,2019 Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, the BJP's only Muslim minister, is an MP from the upper house or Rajya Saha, which is not directly elected. A long-time member of the BJP, he has been a minister in the previous government too but this is his first cabinet post. He has been appointed minister of minority affairs. Aligned to this, deftly, was the promise of development. Mr Modi's targeted welfare schemes for the poor - homes, toilets, credit, cooking gas have used technology for speedy delivery. However, the quality of these services and how much they have helped ameliorate deprivation is debatable. Mr Naqvi is the only Muslim member of the new cabinet This should not be too surprising since the new Lok Sabha has just 26 Muslim MPs - three more than in 2014. The BJP contested 437 seats but only fielded seven 12 Muslim candidates. And none of them won. Thirty two of the main opposition Congress party's 423 candidates were Muslim - only four of them won. Modi 2.0, as it has been dubbed by the Indian media, lost two veteran politicians in former finance minister Arun Jaitley and former foreign minister Sushma Swaraj who opted out because of poor health. The mystery of India's 'missing' Muslim politicians Muslim political representation in India's parliament has been steadily falling. While the community's population in India has more than doubled from 68 million in 1981 to 172 million in 2011, the number of Muslim MPs has nearly halved from 49 in 1980 to 22 in 2014. PRIMEPOST OPINION Revisiting Ambedkar's Idea of Nationalism Ambedkar stood with the most downtrodden and deprived sections of the Indian society; the sections which had no voice in public life. The social mobilization of these sections by Ambedkar helped in the national freedom movement. As the Chairman of the Drafting Committee, Ambedkar advocated a strong nation-state. Dr. Swadesh Singh Introduction Over thousands of years, human civilization organized itself first in the form of family, then as religion and today we are organized as nationstate. It makes you wonder which institution would the future generations be living in? I posed this question to a well-known social 16-31 May,2019 scientist during a discussion on globalization. He weighed several ideas but concluded that in the present context nation-state is still the most enduring institution and likely to be the organisational unit for the coming generations too. Today we live within this institution of nation-state. Foremost of our thoughts and actions, it serves as a centre of gravity, obvious at some time and obscure at others. It is one of the most organised, well designed institutions which has an organic relationship with mankind and where universal ideas like freedom, equality and democracy have a good chance to flourish. Western thinkers like Gellner, Anderson and Hobsbawm dealt with the idea of nation, nationalism and nationhood which 13 developed in the region over the last 400 years after the Treaty of Westfalia in 1648. The Bhartiya concept of Rashtra could be considered a parallel to the western term 'Nation' but both are also different on several counts. The primary difference between the two stems from the fact that Rashtra is more of an ethic-spiritual concept while Nation is a cultural concept.(1) Many Indian leaders like Sri Arvindo, Gandhi, Nehru, Tilak, Tagore and Deen Dayal Upadhyay delved into the idea of Indian nation and nationalism. Their ideas are either spiritual, metaphysical or statist. In this article we will try to trace Dr. Bhim Rao Ambedkar's ideas and reflections on Nationalism. He is the most celebrated Indian leader, thinker and PRIMEPOST OPINION and social philosopher of the 21st century who contributed in the 20th century. Large-scale celebrations marking his 125th birth anniversary were concluded recently. Observers felt that these celebrations were more wide-spread than those in his centenary year. One of the leading mainstream magazines termed him as the greatest leader of Modern India. Over the years, ideas of Ambedkar have become stronger and more relevant to the contemporary discourse. Ambedkar and his Narrative of Freedom At any given point of time, several parallel narratives can coexist. However, only one grand narrative at a time can push the discourse forward. Before the Indian Independence, the grand narrative was the freedom of India while several other narratives did exist. One such narrative was prescribed by the Congress party. It emphasized on freedom from the British colonisers. It can be said that this was the dominating narrative of the time. There were also other, though weaker or marginalized in comparison. One such narrative was that of the Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS) which saw India as a glorious nation since time immemorial land targeted reconstruction of the Indian nation by strengthening its socio-cultural institutions. It wanted to arouse the national consciousness of every common Indian. The core belief in this case was that once the society becomes strong no one could enslave it. Another narrative of the time was given by Dr. Bhim Rao Ambedkar. He talked about freedom of India from social inequality and untouchability. This could be understood as a 01-15 June,2019 subaltern narrative about the upliftment of downtrodden, deprived and marginalised sections of the society; the section that did not have any participation in public life of colonial India. Dr. Ambedkar became the voice of these 60 million deprived section known as Scheduled Castes (the term Dalit e v o l v e d l a t e r ) . Wi t h o u t emancipation of these deprived people, Indian freedom struggle was not deemed to be complete. The Indian national struggle in the first half of the century was not merely a struggle to wrest political power from foreign rule but also a struggle to lay the foundation of a modern India by purging the society of outmoded social institutions, beliefs and attitudes. Ambedkar's struggle constituted a part of the internal struggle, one of the divergent and sometimes conflicting currents all of which helped to secure 'freedom' from external and internal oppression and enslavement. The feeling of nationality may be present and yet the feeling of nationalism may be quite absent. That is to say, nationality does not in all cases produce nationalism. For nationality to flame into nationalism two conditions must exist. First, there must arise the will to live as a nation. Without Ambedkar's opposition to mainstream nationalism, the process of internal consolidation of the nation would not have been carried out sufficiently enough to strengthen and broaden the social base of Indian nationalism.(2) 14 Ambedkar's idea of Nationalism Ambedkar elaborated on the idea of Nationality and Nationalism in his book Pakistan or the Partition of India. He describes nationality as a, "consciousness of kind, awareness of the existence of that tie of kinship" and nationalism as "the desire for a separate national existence for those who are bound by this tie of kinship." It is true that there cannot be nationalism without the feeling of nationality. But, it is important to bear in mind that the converse is not always true. The feeling of nationality may be present and yet the feeling of nationalism may be quite absent. That is to say, nationality does not in all cases produce nationalism. For nationality to flame into nationalism two conditions must exist. First, there must arise the will to live as a nation. Nationalism is the dynamic expression of that desire. Secondly, there must be a territory which nationalism could occupy and make it a state, as well as a cultural home of the nation. Wi t h o u t s u c h a t e r r i t o r y, nationalism, to use Lord Acton's phrase, would be a soul as it were wandering in search of a body in which to begin life over again and dies out finding none.(3) Expanding Social Base of Nationalism Ambedkar had immense faith in the bright future and evolution of this country. Even when he spoke of attaining freedom for India, his ultimate goal was to unite the people. He said, "So far as the ultimate goal is concerned, none of us have any apprehension or doubt. Our difficulty was not about the ultimate thing but how to PRIMEPOST OPINION spiritual aspect of Indian texts and codes but not with its ritualistic aspects which had developed in last 1200 years. He talked about Annihilation of Caste not Dharma. He understood the importance of Dharma in India and when the time of conversion came as he had declared earlier, he chose Buddhism and not any other Abrahamic religion. He also had the option of declaring him as an Atheist but his rootedness in Indian ethos compelled him to choose Buddhism. Strengthening Nationalism through Constitution Ambedkar opposed insertion of Article 370 which gives special status to the state of Jammu & Kashmir but Nehru still went ahead with it to appease Sheikh Abdullah. Ambedkar wrote to Sheikh Abdullah on Article 370, "You wish India should protect your borders, she should build roads in your area, she should supply you food grains, and Kashmir should get equal status as India. But Government of India should have only limited powers and Indian people should have no rights in Kashmir. To give consent to this proposal would be a treacherous thing against the Interest of India and I, as the Law Minister of India, will never do it."(9) Justice K. Ramaswamy while probing into the legal aspects of nationalism likes to call Ambedkar a true democrat, a nationalist to the core and a patriot of highest order on various grounds.(10) He was the author and principal actor to make the 'Directive Principles' as part of the constitutional scheme. When it was criticized that the directive principles could not be enforced in a court of law, Ambedkar answered that though they were not enforceable, the succeeding majority political party in Parliament or Legislative Assembly would be bound by them as an inbuilt part of their economic program in the governance, despite their policy in its manifesto and are bound by the Constitution. Ambedkar, in his Constitutional schema of nationalism, 01-15 June,2019 undertook the task of strengthening the upper castes, while Brahmins provided Executive in particular and the notion of him vital help at key moments in his life; 'Integrated Bharat' in general. he dismissed the historical theory of the Rising above the regional, linguistic and Aryan invasion of the Indian communal barriers in a true republican subcontinent. He apparently also spirit, Ambedkar invented a democratic promised "shuddhikaran" or purification nationalism consisting of Uniform Civil for those Dalits who had converted to Code for India. His views of Uniform Islam in Hyderabad state in 1947Civil Code were radically different from 48."(13) his contemporaries including Nehru who It is evident from the above discussion in principles accepted Hindu Code Bill that Ambedkar was neither an antiand Uniform Civil Code but in practice, national nor just a leader of the Scheduled failed to get the Bill passed in one go, in Castes. He was a national leader who spite of being in Government with understood the problems of the most majority. Ambedkar on the other hand exploited communities and tried to bring made it a point to add the word 'fraternity' them into the main stream. He expanded in the Preamble to the Constitution in the social base of Indian nationalism order to inculcate the sense of common which helped first to attain freedom and brotherhood of all Indians, of Indians later to put the country on path of being one people; it is the principle which progress. Today, when all thought gives unity and solidarity to social life. converges around inclusive politics, He was also critical of Muslim Personal Ambedkar has become more relevant Law and tried his best to abolish it in than ever. favour of Uniform Civil Code. Nationalism is a dynamic process of Conclusion social assimilation and therefore There is no doubt that Ambedkar was nationalism is to receive its perfect vehemently opposed to the unjust social harmony in the realization of social stratification in India, but to say that he brotherhood of men irrespective of caste, was against the nation is wholly wrong. colour and creed. Nationalism is not He was definitely against the Congress antithetical to humanism or version of Nationalism. Ambedkar says, individualism. One can enjoy complete "I know my position has not been individual freedom within a nationalist understood properly in the country. I say framework. Everyone needs a space to that whenever there has been a conflict think, to grow and liberate. In the present between my personal interests of the point in time, Nation is the best institution country as a whole, I have always placed we have to fulfil this purpose. We do need the claims of the country above my a grand narrative which includes the last personal claims. I have never pursued the woman in the queue. Dr. Ambedkar did path of private gain... so far as the give us a grand-narrative of "equality in demands of the country are concerned, I socio-economic life along with political have never lagged behind'.(12) equality". Last year, In a seminar organised in New About Author: Delhi, Dr. Krishna Gopal (Jt. General PhD from Jawaharlal Nehru University, Secretary, RSS) claimed, "Besides being New Delhi and PG Diploma in Mass a champion of the untouchables, Communication from Indian Institute Ambedkar was, first and foremost, a of Mass Communication, New Delhi. Currently I teach Political Science in nationalist, a virulent anti-Communist Satyawati College, Delhi University, and had immense faith in Hinduism; he New Delhi. was against Brahminical structures but some of his closest friends were from 15 PRIMEPOST OPINION unite the heterogeneous mass that we are today to take a decision in common and march in a cooperative way on that road, which is bound to lead us to unity."(4) Ambedkar clearly spoke in a felicitation program of his 55th birth anniversary, "I have loyalty to our people inhabiting this country. I have also loyalty to this country. I have no doubt that you have the same. All of us want this country to be free. So far as I am concerned my conduct has been guided by the Consideration that we shall place no great difficulties in the way of this country achieving its freedom."(5) Ambedkar was not against the idea of nationalism but against the Congress's version which entailed freedom of India from British colonialism but not from Brahminical imperialism under which millions of Scheduled Castes had been yoked for hundreds of years. It was Ambedkar's political challenge which compelled the Congress to appreciate the national significance of the problem of castes and to adopt measures which significantly contributed towards broadening and strengthening the social base of Indian nationalism. Ambedkar's Challenge to 'Congress Nationalism' Indian nationalism in its initial stages, by the very nature of its historical development, was an upper class (upper castes) phenomenon, reflecting the interests and aspirations of its members. Naturally when nationalists spoke in terms of national interest they certainly meant their own (class) interests. The evocation of 'nation' was a necessary ritual to ensure the much needed popular support for an essentially partisan cause. This 01-15 June,2019 sectarian approach to nationalism could be seen in the writings of none other than Pt. Nehru who later singled out as an example of a 'left liberal' view. He writes in his seminal work Discovery of India that mixture of religion and philosophy, history and tradition, custom and social structure, which in its wide fold included almost every aspect of the life of India, and which might be called Brahminism or (to use a later word) Hinduism, became the symbol of nationalism. It was indeed a national religion. “ Without social union, political unity is difficult to be achieved. If achieved, it would be as precarious as a summer sapling, liable to be uprooted by the gust of a hostile wind. With mere political unity, India may be a State The sectarian character of Indian nationalism persisted even after the nascent upper castes' movement developed into a truly masssupported anti-imperialist national liberation movement enlisting the support of millions of people cutting across the traditional social divisions. And, it is this failure to change its basically pro-upper class/castes orientation despite a basic shift in its underlying social base that Indian national movement in due course helped the rise of new sectarian socio-political currents, running parallel to the mainstream national movement. Ambedkar's emergence on the Indian political scene in 1920s, commencing the advent of Dalit (the scheduled castes) politics, was simply the manifestation of the same 16 process.(6) Ambedkar's Dalit politics posed no really significant threat to the overall domination of the traditional ruling class, yet it certainly exposed the hollowness of the Congress's nationalist claim to represent the w h o l e n a t i o n . F i n a l l y, t h e unwillingness of the nationalist leadership to attack the long unresolved social contradictions at the base of the Hindu social order propelled people like Ambedkar to contest the claim of the Indian National Congress to represent the scheduled castes. (7) It was in the backdrop of this escapist attitude of the Congress brand of nationalism that an alternative subaltern nationalism was born through Ambedkar. Ambedkar took up this question from social below and elevated it to a political high by linking this social question of caste with the political question of democracy and nationalism. Such an effort to prioritize society over polity and then linking them together was unprecedented in India before Ambedkar. Gandhi can be said to have made such an effort but his approach was obscure and primitive. According to Ambedkar, "Without social union, political unity is difficult to be achieved. If achieved, it would be as precarious as a summer sapling, liable to be uprooted by the gust of a hostile wind. With mere political unity, India may be a State. But to be a State is not to be a nation and a State, which is not a nation, has small prospects of survival in the struggle for existence."(8) Ambedkar's Faith in 'Bharat' Ambedkar had faith in ancient Indian institutions and texts except caste. He was convinced with the PRIMEPOST OURTURN Happiness Lies In Helping Others What we give to others is our biggest investment because it will be returned back to us manifold by the Bank of God! Meer Abass Assistant Professor Department of English Govt Degree College Handwara Meerabas32@gmail.com T here is a Chinese saying that goes: "If you want happiness for an hour, take a nap. If you want happiness for a day, go fishing. If you want happiness for a year, inherit a fortune. If you want happiness for a lifetime, help somebody." For centuries, the greatest thinkers have suggested the same thing: Happiness is found in helping others. And so we learn early: It is better to give than to receive. The venerable aphorism is drummed into our heads from our first slice of a shared birthday cake. But is there a deeper truth behind the truism? The resounding answer is yes. Scientific research provides compelling data to support the anecdotal evidence that giving is a powerful pathway to personal growth and lasting happiness. Through MRI technology, we now 01-15 June,2019 know that giving activates the same parts of the brain that are stimulated by food and sex. Experiments show evidence that altruism is hardwired in the brain and it's pleasurable . Helping others may just be the secret to living a life that is not o n l y happier but also healthier, wealthier, more productive, and meaningful. But it's important to remember that giving doesn't always feel great. The opposite could very well be true: Giving can make us feel depleted and taken advantage of. Our passion should be the foundation for our giving. It is not how much we give, but how much love we put into giving. It's only natural that we will care about this and not so much about that, and that's OK. It should not be simply a matter of choosing the right thing, but also a matter of choosing what is right for us. The gift of time is often more valuable to the receiver and more satisfying for the giver than the gift of money. We don't all have the same amount of money, but we all do have time on our hands, and can give some of this time to help others whether that means we devote our lifetimes to service, or just give a few hours each day or a few days a year. Selfless giving, in the absence 17 of self-preservation instincts, easily becomes overwhelming. We have all felt the dread that comes from being cajoled into giving, such as when friends ask us to donate to their fundraisers. In these cases, we are more likely to give to avoid humiliation rather than out of generosity and concern. This type of giving doesn't lead to a warm glow feeling; more likely it will lead to resentment. Instead we should set aside time, think about our options, and find the best charity for our values. I don't want to discourage people from giving to good causes just because that doesn't always cheer us up. If we gave only to get something back each time we gave, what a dreadful, opportunistic world this would be! Yet if we are feeling guilt-tripped into giving, chances are we will not be very committed over time to the cause. It's easy to get so wrapped up in fixing your own life that you forget about helping others. And while it's important to put yourself first sometimes, it's even more important to help others whenever you can. It's easy to get so wrapped up in PRIMEPOST OURTURN fixing your own life that you forget about helping others. And while it's important to put yourself first sometimes, it's even more important to help others whenever you can. Being generous isn't even always about altruism becoming more generous and compassionate will have real tangible benefits in your own life, We live in a world where both kinds of people live, the people who spend their lives lavishly and the people who hardly get three meals a day. The second kind of people cannot even afford the basic requirements. One cannot make these kinds of people sumptuous but at least ease them by lending a helping them. We can assist the poor to achieve the essentials of life. We live in a world which is full of humanitarian needs; numerous people are dying of hunger every minute. Helping a single person to get food to eat and place to live can bring wonders to their life. It is the 21st century but the social era persisted from early times. No matter how strong someone is; at some or the other point, he has to seek for some kind of help from others. Offering a helping hand to the needy is the greatest job one can do to achieve inner peace and satisfaction. There are many people who are deprived of even the basic needs. On the other hand, there even is a huge crowd that has plentiful luxuries. In India, the rich get richer while the poor get poorer. 01-15 June,2019 How to help the Poor and Needy ? better place to be at. Not only in monetary terms but apart from financial conditions, there are eclectic people who seek for help and needs to be helped too. Happiness grows when it is shared. A sense of sharing needs to be developed in every individual for both personal and social uplifting. This has to be inculcated in every person right in the beginning ages of growth and maturity. Kids should be taught how to help the people who are not well off as them. Working class should take a step ahead to help their colleagues understand the areas they are not that good at. Old aged people should impart their experiences to the younger generation those who are in real need of it. We live in a world where both kinds of people live, the people who spend their lives lavishly and the people who hardly get three meals a day. The second kind of people cannot even afford the basic requirements. One cannot make these kinds of people sumptuous but at least ease them by lending a helping them. Help can be of any type; it is a personal choice to opt for it. A selfcentered and shrewd attitude might take you ahead in the career graph or let you achieve personal development; but, satisfaction and content can be achieved only when there is a social development. Collective efforts of being a help to the neighborhood of the needy ones will surely broaden the perspective of people and sow a better future, a better world and a The Joy of Helping Needy !! Some simple tasks could be carried out in everyday life by every individual will surely help the needy ones. Children should donate their old toys and clothes to the kids those who are poor and cannot afford to have all these luxuries. They should save some portion of their pocket money and offer it to abandoned or orphan fellow kids. People at offices should consider their house keeping staff, catering staff, transport staff etc and be nice to them. Home makers should engage some part of their time in teaching academically deprived students. A couple who is pretty rich can take the responsibility of educating a poor child who has immense potential. There are several ways in which one can be a help for the other. All that is to be done is understand its importance and follow your positive instincts. 17 PRIMEPOST CONFLICT HALF WIDOWS THE INVISIBLE AND MARGINALIZED GROUP OF KASHMIRI WOMEN DR.MASOON AHMAD BEIG T he derailment of the normalcy in Kashmir started in the year 1989 and the last 30 years of conflict brought the painful currents, unforgettable tragic memories, heavy loss of life and property. Some of the victims are very much visible, where some others are silent therefore invisible and marginalized .Such silent victims of Kashmir violence include the half widows- a new frame of reference first time employed in any conflict zone. well to do people or opt for some other much lesser important jobs in various small establishments which never are well paid. Thus, their financial needs remain half addressed besides being unsatisfactory. in future health issues. In a vicious cycle of, the worsening mental and physical health of half widows has adverse effects on their socioeconomic situation as well as mental health. The various socio-economic pressures do affect the psyche of half widows that largely go as unaddressed. Most of the half widows report anxiety (often described in terms of speeding up or palpitations) sleeps disorders and lack of interest in daily activities. Many of half widows exhibit post The various socio-economic pressures do affect the psyche of half widows that largely go as unaddressed. Most of the half widows report anxiety (often described in terms of speeding up or palpitations) sleeps disorders and lack of interest in daily activities. Many of half widows exhibit post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety attacks may be triggered by memories of the disappearance. Half widows are known as self medicated consuming easily available antidepressants resulting in future health issues. The fate of the half widows is totally different from that of widows. Half widows go through identity crisis owing to the disappearances of their husbands which lead them to be designated as half widows. Half widows are struggling hard to provide food and education to their children. They find it difficult to muddle through these additional complex responsibilities. Majority of half-widows are illiterate and therefore do some menial jobs like washing dishes, to work as part time domestic helpers in the families of 01-15 June,2019 traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety attacks may be triggered by memories of the disappearance. Half widows are known as self medicated consuming easily available antidepressants resulting 19 A half widow is shorn of the property rights, only death of her husband gives her the legal property rights. Under Islamic law a widow with children gets one eighth of her husband's property , a widow without children gets one fourth of her husband's property , but a half widow gets nothing till her husband is declared dead. The field experimentation and personal observation of the researcher reveals that "half widows" of the Kashmir are the unidentified faces who suffer from PRIMEPOST CONFLICT widows who had opted for re-marriage are not happy because their children have suffered a lot. unidentified faces who suffer from economic and social crisis. The case study of the half widows of Kashmir whose economic conditions are very unsupportative reveals that half widows are living in a despondent condition. They have become the victims of various psychological disorders. In most of the cases it was found that the poor economic condition is responsible for their ill health and psychological problems. The half widows of Kashmir are struggling hard to fulfill their basic requirements. The "Ulmas" and religious scholars have passed "Fatwas" in favour of half widows that a half widow can re-marry after four years of disappearance of her husband. It was also observed by the experimentation that these half widows are not ready for remarriage because of their children. Most of the half widows are still living with the hope that their husbands are alive and may return one day. Some half widows who had 01-15 June,2019 opted for re-marriage are not happy because their children have suffered a lot. The half widows of Kashmir are struggling hard to fulfill their basic requirements. The "Ulmas" and religious scholars have passed "Fatwas" in favour of half widows that a half widow can re-marry after four years of disappearance of her husband. It was also observed by the experimentation that these half widows are not ready for re-marriage because of their children. Most of the half widows are still living with the hope that their husbands are alive and may return one day. Some half 20 Half widows are emotionally disturbed and socially unhinged. Suffering from post traumatic stress disorders (PTSD) they do not sleep and have nightmares. Not only has this but they also experience stressful events which led them to emotional instability and strain. With the result they are prone to addiction of tranquilizers, sedatives and anti depressants. Most of the half widows are still waiting for their disappeared husbands which have stopped them from remarriage, but this status have also put grave impacts on their physical and mental health. Half widows live a very traumatic life under stress and strain and are living under fear and in the state of insecurity and inadequacy. Author Teaches Geography at Govt. Degree College Kulgam and has worked on Half- Widows of Kashmir Valley. PRIMEPOST VIEWS Traffic Mess: A Daily Affair of Common Kashmiri ! Muneer Sheikh sheikhmuni13@gmail.com I n the recent times every citizen must have experienced the worst traffic jams. It is an inescapable condition. Sometimes one gets caught for hours together. In the 21st c e n t u r y, w h e r e people were expecting to travel desired places in a calculated time but it is like building castles in air . Even to travel a kilometre here fetches an hour. Such is our plight. Traffic mess is the hottest topic of discussion in every social gathering. It stems from the widespread desires of people to pursue certain goals that inevitability overload existing roads and transit systems everyday. Congestion has become part of commuters daily leisure time and it seems to stay that way. What is the cause of this mess and can 01-15 June,2019 it be remedied or ameliorated ?The various causes may include disproportionate growth ratio between roads and vehicles , illegal occupation of footpaths , insufficient parking slots, inadequate vehicle stands and so on. However one of the most important cause is lack of traffic sense and mass education about it. Last but not the least is unpleasant security scenario restricting the free movement on all roads etc. Disproportionate growth ratio between vehicle And roads. The number of vehicles plying on roads are now competing with the population growth. Almost each member in a family owns a vehicle. Roads are same but new vehicles are added to traffic system at alarming rate. The roads have reached a saturation point consequently traffic mess is the result. Next comes illegal occupation of footpaths .Footpaths are invariably under illegal occupation forcing the pedestrians to 21 The various causes may include disproportionate growth ratio between roads and vehicles , illegal occupation of footpaths , insufficient parking slots, inadequate vehicle stands and so on. However one of the most important cause is lack of traffic sense and mass education about it. Walk on the roads. In some places almost half of the road on either side is used by shopkeepers to display their wares. Most disappointing is double sided parking nearly on all roads, consequently the driving space gets shrunk and results in a mess. Other interesting cause is mushrooming of fountains at road crossings. Already we have inadequate road space why are such decorative pieces constructed at such sites. They can be tucked on some selected spots on the road sides. The reason behind is such fountains obstruct the drivers view. Finally the unpleasant security scenario restricting the free movement on all roads is one of the i m p o r t a n t f a c t o r. U n w a n t e d barricades at crossings ,bridges etc. Flyovers are meant for reducing the traffic congestion but we have one PRIMEPOST VIEWS paradigm so called Jahangir ChowkRambagh flyover. It has increased the worries of common people as its prolong construction has made the surrounding roads worst traffic jam hit spots. Hope it gets completed this year and help to some extent not only in controlling the traffic congestion of the adjoining areas but also help in saving our precious time. Other aspect is traffic sense and knowledge of rules. The less said about it, the better. Fast lane, yellow line , Zebra crossings etc. And similar other words of traffic terminology are not only unknown to common people but the constables monitoring and directing the vehicular movement at different places. The other sad side is one doesn't need technical or other knowledge to get a driving licences. It can be delivered at your home provided you have means and resources. Age criteria doesn't matter here. Now the question is can it be remedied or ameliorated ? Yes is the qualified answer. Something like concept of ring roads 01-15 June,2019 can be productive. Keeping Check on the alaraming increase of vehicles in traffic system can reduce the mess. Implementation of strict traffic rules can be the good step. Proper and standard procedure for getting a traffic licences can be good enough. Moreover accidents can be avoided by this initiative. New spacious roads need to be constructed. Traffic awareness programs can be helpful. Parking slots are the need of the hour. Shopkeeper's need to be dealt according to law if found gulity. Public transport need to be used more. Traffic police need to be made active and accountable and surely more personnel's need to be recruited in traffic Police. Swift measures and initiatives need to be taken. People who are at the helm of affairs need to ponder on in order to get away from this dynamic and grave problem of Traffic Morass. Author is Pursuing BE Civil at SSM College of Engineering and Technology. MODERN BOOK CENTRE & STATIONERS WHOLESALE & RETIAL All kinds of stationery items, Academic Books, School Bags, Islamic Books, Gift Items, Photostat, Lamination, DTP Work. MODERN NEWS AGENCY All Types of Newspapers & Magazines Distribution, Advertisements (Print, Electronic) & much more MAIN MARKET HMT ZAINAKOTE SGR - 190012 Ph.No: 9622539711,9797182304, 9596277469 EMAIL-ID: mbcstationers1999@gmai.com 22 PRIMEPOST KIDZEE Art and Craft » Scary Skeleton T-shirts Brain Teasers Bus Driver You are driving a bus. Ten people entered the bus and three got off at the first stop. Five girls entered the bus and seven girls got off the bus at the college stop. Later three old men along with four couples entered the bus. In the railway station stop, 6 men got off. What was the colour of the driver's eyes? Scary Skeleton T-shirt Glow-in-the-dark paint and glitter work brilliantly for a trick or treat party or whenever the lights are turned out. The paint and sparkle goes a long way, so it is ideal for several friends to have a go at creating decorations or their own scary skeleton T-shirt. Things you need White paper Pencils (ordinary and white) Scissors Black T-shirt (preferably long sleeved) Sticky tape White fabric paint Paintbrush Glow in the dark paint Instructions Draw bone shapes on white paper: ten sausages for ribs, seven rough circles for back vertebrae and elbows, and four traditional cylinders with a bulb at each end of the arms. Cut them out and position them on the front of the T-shirt. Tape them down so they do not move. Draw around the shapes with a white pencil. Remove the sticky tape and paper bones, and place a piece of paper inside the T-shirt to make sure the paint does not go through to the back of the fabric. Paint the bone shapes with white fabric paint. When the paint is completely dry (leave it overnight to be sure), lightly paint over the bones with glow-in-the-dark paint. Add a second coat of paint for an even better effect if you wish. Variations Rain and Dry Hair It rained heavily. Mr. Ray walked with no umbrella. While he was completely wet and soaked in water by rain, not a single hair became wet. He neither wore a cap nor covered his head. How is that possible? Read with no light It was a new moon day. A girl was sitting on the balcony at 8 pm. There was no power in the house and the entire street was dark. She was reading in the dark. How? Word Power When you read a word normally or upside down, it remains the same. Name the word! How many children Mr. Sinha has 7 daughters. Each daughter has a brother. Now, tell me how many children Mr. Sinha has? Death! A thief was imprisoned for stealing precious jewelry and was brought in a King's court for punishment. The king asked for his one last desire; expect the desire that he should be discharged from the punishment. The thief was silent for a while and said, 'I have no desire'. The merciful aging king asked him how he would like to die. After hearing his answer the king happily freed him. What did the thief tell the king? Night sky Glittery glow-in-the-dark stars, moons, and planets are very effective party decorations. Simply fasten them on a wall or window with a sticky tape or hang them from a piece of cord. Party invitations Make a party invitation by sticking your motif to a card and complete it with a glow in the dark writing. Give clear instructions on the envelope that it must be opened in the dark. A Stranger in the car A man and his wife were driving to the nearby city. Since the lady screamed for her life, the man halted the car and rushed to seek help from the neighbors. When he returned back to the car, he saw his wife in a critically bad condition, near to death's door, accompanied by a stranger that he had never seen before. The police arrived to the place and never questioned the stranger. How? 01-15 June,2019 23 PRIMEPOST 24