Author: Kashmir Newsline

How a young poet-podcaster from Chandigarh is celebrating love, healing wounds and bridging gaps.  Lily Swarn Amy is a French female name meaning ‘beloved’. Though I have known Amy since long, I felt a strong urge to write about this spunky ‘beloved’ after a longish telephonic conversation with her. I have always admired her never-say-die spirit, but I know that very few people are aware of her traumas and what she has been through – she has been through fire and water. “I haven’t spoken about myself to anyone since 2018. I was never after recognition, but when it came my way,…

The China-brokered deal heralds a new era in West Asia. Saurabh Kumar Shahi             It’s a balmy February morning in the Middle East as the United States, with the UK in tow, brings together a motley group of countries to counter the influence of an upcoming superpower. Turkey, Iraq, Iran and Pakistan sign on the dotted lines as a militarily alliance takes shape. It is seen as a major diplomatic victory for the US as it entrenches itself in the region. The year is 1955 and the Baghdad Pact has come into being as an alliance against the Soviet Union.…

Editorial Staff Dubai-based Kashmiri author Sana Altaf has been nominated for AutHer Awards for her debut book, Forgotten Tales: Stories from the Kashmir Valley. Set in the Kashmir of the conflict-riven 1990s, the book is a collection of short stories. The anthology was released in 2022 and was widely acclaimed. A journalist by profession, Sana moved from Kashmir to Dubai in 2014 when the book was a work in progress. Her book is a work of fiction based on the traumas and experiences of the author, as she puts it, while growing up through the tumultuous 1990s in Kashmir. “My book is about…

There is a dire need to preserve the vernacular architecture, not only for its traditional character but also for being earthquake-resistant. Jaspreet Kaur On February 06, 2023, two major earthquakes – measuring 7.8 and 7.5 on the magnitude scale – flattened several buildings and killed thousands of people across southern Turkey and northern Syria. It was also one of the strongest earthquakes ever recorded in the Levant. It was felt as far as Egypt, Israel, Palestine, Lebanon, Cyprus, and the Black Sea coast of Turkey. In less than two weeks, another massive quake ripped through an adjacent region. Shortly after…

Shaped by life’s trials and tribulations, Sahir worked on his own terms. Remembering the people’s poet on his 102nd birth anniversary.  Salim Arif Enamoured by a couplet of Allama Iqbal, a young Abdul Hayee adopted Sahir (wizard) as his takhallus – nom de plume. True to the word, Sahir rose to become a wizard of words, overcoming several setbacks in his early life, including a troubled childhood inflicted upon him by his depraved feudal father.  Duniya Ne Tajurbaat-o-Havaadis Ki Shakl Mein Jo Kuchh Mujhe Diya Hai Wo Lauta Raha Hoon Main (Whatever the world threw at me I am only…

In the coming days, efforts to wean India away from its traditional friend Russia will intensify. by Sanjay Kapoor From the very outset, it was apparent that in a world deeply divided due to Ukraine-Russia conflict, for the host of G20 summit, India, it would be well-nigh impossible to get all the 20 ministers of this elite grouping to come together for even a group photo, let alone issue a joint statement. However, the managers tasked to get all the ducks in a row seemed to have grossly miscalculated the differences between US and its European allies on one side…

Islamabad is dangling a carrot in front of the Talibs while also sending out a strong, unmistakable message that it’s willing to act on terrorism emanating from the Afghan soil.  Saurabh Kumar Shahi On a balmy morning a few weeks ago, two unidentified gunmen stay waiting at the corner of a well-guarded compound in the interiors of the Kunar province in Afghanistan. The compound looks ordinary from the outside but inside stays one of the most dreaded commanders of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). A few minutes later, the commander, confident of his security, comes out for a walk. As he approaches…

The country is struggling to remain afloat as it is disowned by its own people, abandoned and set adrift in an ocean flooded by disloyalty, corruption and selfishness. by Lt Gen Tariq Khan I see chaos before me and confusion all around – the future dark and hope illusive. People have become irrelevant. The judiciary is an accessory to crime and the government an accomplice to anarchy. US senator Frank Lautenberg famously said: “One thing I have learned in my politics is that if one of the parties is shameless, the other party cannot afford to be spineless.” PTI, the…

 Each poem in this book is a meditation on what it means to be human. Mahua Sen  A good poem is a contribution to reality. The world is never the same once a good poem has been added to it. A good poem helps to change the shape of the universe, helps to extend everyone’s knowledge of himself and the world around him.  –Dylan Thomas Dr. Santosh Bakaya’s ‘What is the Meter of the Dictionary?’ is an impressive collection of poems that compels us not only to delve deeper into our inner core and the world around us, but also…

Remembering Mir Taqi Mir on his 300th birth anniversary. Salim Arif Mir Ke Sher Ka Ahvaal Kahoon Kya Ghalib Jis Ka Deevan Kam Az Gulshan-e-Kashmir Nahi (What do I tell you about Mir, Ghalib Whose poetry is no less than the beauty of Kashmir) ~Mirza Assadullah Khan Ghalib  With a vast corpus of poetry consisting of more than thirteen thousand couplets noted for their breadth and sweep, Mir Taqi Mir can be credited with setting the template of Urdu ghazal and masnavi. Known more for his ghazals, his mastery over other genres like masnavi (a long poem in rhyming couplets),…