Author: Kashmir Newsline

Newsline Report Hundreds of sheep in Srinagar’s Mulnar area are on the verge of starvation as forest officials have erected barbed wire fence to bar the herders from entering the nearby grazing areas. Sheep farmers in Mulnar area said the officials of the forest department don’t allow sheep to graze in the area, where they have been taken for grazing for ages. The negative approach of forest officials towards sheep grazing hits at the core of the government’s efforts to promote sheep farming as a robust entrepreneurship in the region. The farmers complained that the move of the forest officials…

Photo Essay: Fighting the Dal Fires Jaspreet Kaur Fire incidents in Srinagar’s famed Dal Lake are becoming rather frequent in the last few years. In one incident, last year, three Bangladeshi tourists lost their lives. Kashmir’s beautiful houseboats are literally struggling to stay afloat. The number mber of houseboats has come down to 750 from 2000 in the last three decades, primarily due to a court-imposed ban on the construction of new houseboats, says the Houseboat Owners’ Association. Older houseboats are not getting repaired on time due to delays in official permissions. Timely procurement og cedar wood is also compounding…

December 21, winter solstice known as Chillai kalan in the Valley, has come to be celebrated as International Pheran Day over the last few years.  Jaspreet Kaur Traditional clothing isn’t just a matter of style or tradition; it’s often deeply intertwined with emotions and feelings and is also an important reflection of a community’s cultural values and history. Clothes play a significant cultural role in creating a sense of belonging, unity and collective identity. Occasionally, politics and conflict can lead to a revival of traditional dress, as can be seen with some Palestinian attire. Once upon a time, the now-symbolic…

December 21, winter solstice known as Chillai kalan in the Valley, has come to be celebrated as International Pheran Day over the last few years. Jaspreet Kaur Traditional clothing isn’t just a matter of style or tradition; it’s often deeply intertwined with emotions and feelings and is also an important reflection of a community’s cultural values and history. Clothes play a significant cultural role in creating a sense of belonging, unity and collective identity. Occasionally, politics and conflict can lead to a revival of traditional dress, as can be seen with some Palestinian attire. Once upon a time, the now-symbolic…

The dynamics of Indo-US intelligence relations have evolved from Cold War tensions to contemporary challenges. Shome Basu India and the USA have a history of expelling diplomats, often suspected spies, reflecting a complex relationship that dates back to the Cold War era. During this period, India’s alliance with Soviet Union led to tensions with USA. One incident in 1997 stands out starkly that involved Rattan Saigal, a senior official from the Intelligence Bureau (IB), engaging in seemingly friendly interactions with the CIA station chief and deputy in New Delhi. While such meetings were not inherently illegal, the lack of notification…

The noted surgical oncologist heads a surgical oncology unit at Apollo Hospital. Jaspreet Kaur Brought up in Srinagar, Kashmir where he studied at the Burn Hall School, Dr. Sameer Kaul did his MBBS from Government Medical College, Srinagar in 1978, followed by a Master’s in Surgical Oncology at the Tata Memorial Hospital, Mumbai. Later, having acquired varied surgical skills at Nanavati Hospital, Jaslok Hospital, KEM Hospital and Breach Candy Hospital in Mumbai, Dr. Kaul left for London to work at the Royal Marsden Cancer Hospital. He got Fellowship in Oncology in London. “I always intended to return to India and…

It is that sinister feeling that you cannot write anymore and that the end of the world is near. Santosh Bakaya Yes, I am a writer, who has tried her hand at everything – poetry, prose, essays, fiction, non-fiction, plays and biographies, writing with an untethered, exhilarating passion about anything that catches my fancy. And, let me confess, almost everything has caught my fancy. Be it a magical moonbeam, a sparkling sunray, a swaying sunflower, a thrush trilling, a rippling or a roaring river. Even a pup running after a paunchy man! I have always been on the lookout for…

The anthology is mystical and a must-have for nature lovers and poetry lovers alike. Rakesh Bhola Some people are so much sunshine to the square inch. ~ Walt Whitman In quest of her sunshine, Lily Swarn keeps on discovering and celebrating her own deepest selfhood, revering nature, singing praises to humanity and radiating warmth, cheer and happiness in each of her literary gems. And the flowers cannot but bloom when the sunshine kisses them. Born with an imaginative mind in a city which is a splendid exhibit of nature’s endless beauty, she deftly decodes the divine dialect of flowers through…

Our journey was not only a test of physical endurance but also a testament to the spirit of exploration and adventure that drives us to push the boundaries of what is possible in the world of mountaineering. Shahnawaz Khanday In the wee hours of September 19, our seven-member group comprising Kaiser Jameel, Latief Hussain, Gulzar Ahmad, Muzammil Ashraf, Masrat Iqbal, Umar Shafi Khan and myself embarked on an epic journey to conquer the majestic Mount Tatakooti, which stands tall  at an impressive elevation of 4760 meters above sea level. This towering peak, highest among the entire Pir Panjal range of…

A celebrated food critic and writer, Marryam H Reshii recently received the Lifetime Achievement Award fromThe Big F Awards. Jaspreet Kaur Marryam, a star in the culinary world, has been writing about food and lifestyle for over 30 years. She has been the Times of India food critic since 2008, besides being an independent writer on cuisine. She has a weekly column published in the Friday edition of TOI. Marryam has several books to her credit, including those for the Times Group Books imprint about India’s food scene in terms of best restaurants, notable chefs and cuisines. Apart from that,…