Azad Hussain – The Kashmir Horizon

HARUD: The Season Of Golden Harvest

Azad Hussain — Sat, 30 Sep 2023 20:49:36 +0000

Just after the summer ends, Harud- the autumn season of Kashmir begins, in which the people of Kashmir find themselves completely immersed. For the native farmers of this region, Harud is not just a season; it’s a golden period of contentment and abundance. Harvesting is a universal concept, the culmination of a farmer’s tireless hard work. The satisfaction derived from reaping what was sown with sweat and toil is a reward like no other. However, in Kashmir, this feeling of contentment reaches extraordinary heights. Here, the season of harvesting, locally known as “Harud,” is celebrated with unparalleled fervour. One unique aspect of Harud in Kashmir is its timing. It arrives as a prelude to winter, a season of rest for most, including the farmers. The region’s inhabitants eagerly anticipate the respite from the intense summer heat in the upcoming three months of December, January, and February, which come just after culmination Harud. During Harud, which covers the period from ending week of September upto almost November, the temperatures remain optimal, creating the perfect atmosphere for both work and relaxation. In the rural areas of Kashmir, where agriculture, particularly paddy, apple farming and growing walnut reigns supreme, Harud takes on a special significance. Families come together to work in the apple orchards, paddy fiels and walnut orchards , making lunch a communal affair at the workplace. This practice harks back to generations, strengthening the bonds within families and passing down farming skills from parents to children. Kashmir’s autumn season, which spans from September to November, offers a visual spectacle like no other. The landscape is transformed as leaves turn golden and reddish, creating a mesmerizing panorama. The weather, with temperatures ranging from 9°C to 20°C, ushers in cool and gentle breezes, making it the ideal time for visitors to visit this picturesque region. Harud in Kashmir also brings with it the harvesting of the prized Kashmiri saffron, known for its unique flavour and colour. This fragrant spice has a wide range of applications, from food to pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, perfumery, and textile dyes. The saffron harvest season, from late October to mid-November, is a time of great significance for the local economy.

Harud in Kashmir is not just a season; it’s a celebration of nature’s bounty and the enduring spirit of its people. The beauty of this golden period, both in its landscapes and traditions, is something to behold and cherish. As the world transitions from summer to winter, Kashmir stands as a testament to the profound connection between the land, its people, and the seasons that shape their lives.

Rice cultivation is another vital aspect of Kashmir’s cultural heritage. All the districts of the Valley contribute to rice cultivation, which relies on 100% irrigated fields fed by melting snow at higher altitudes of Kashmir valley. This natural source of water is another blessing for the natives. The autumn season marks the paddy harvesting period, a meticulous process involving cutting, stacking, and threshing to separate the grains. The apple harvest, perhaps one of the most iconic features of Harud in Kashmir, is a sight to behold. Orchards across the region are laden with ripe, juicy apples. Families, friends, and farmworkers come together to pick the apples, creating a sense of togetherness and shared tradition. These apples, locally known as “Tschoont,” are renowned for their exceptional flavor and quality. Kashmir, alongside Himachal Pradesh and Uttaranchal, stands as a primary source of the nation’s apple output, because of its ideal climate for apple cultivation. Harud in Kashmir is not just a season; it’s a celebration of nature’s bounty and the enduring spirit of its people. The beauty of this golden period, both in its landscapes and traditions, is something to behold and cherish. As the world transitions from summer to winter, Kashmir stands as a testament to the profound connection between the land, its people, and the seasons that shape their lives.
(The author a school teacher by profession. The views, opinions and conclusions expressed in this article are those of the author and aren’t necessarily in accord with the views of “Kashmir Horizon”.)
Azadhussainganie91@gmail.com

Transition from Simple to Complex: Evolution of Kashmiri Culture

Azad Hussain — Mon, 18 Sep 2023 20:40:21 +0000

Kashmir, a region renowned for its mesmerising vistas, is equally known for its cultural heritage. Beyond its natural splendour , Kashmir boasts a unique way of life that has evolved over centuries. It's a culture that has transitioned from simplicity to complexity, mirroring the changing lifestyles and influences that have shaped its people. Traditionally, Kashmir was a place where life was lived simply but richly. It was a land where the values of mutual care,
respect, and cooperation were deeply ingrained in the community. These values, passed down through generations, formed the bedrock of Kashmiri society. Neighbours helped neighbours and there was a genuine sense of unity among
the people. The attire of the Kashmiri people was a reflection of this simplicity. Traditional clothing like the Kameez Pajama, Phelan etc. which are still prevalent in the rural areas, particularly among those engaged in cattle rearing. These garments, though not extravagant, spoke volumes about the modesty and down-to-earth nature of the Kashmiri way of life. The cuisine of Kashmir, too, was/is a testament to its distinct culture. What made Kashmiri cuisine stand out was its reliance on native ingredients, reducing the dependence on external sources. This connection to the land and its produce was a key element of Kashmiri identity. However, as time has passed, there has been a noticeable shift in the cultural landscape of Kashmir. The simple and less expensive way of living, which was once the hallmark of the region, is gradually giving way to complexity. The burden of expenses and the onset of health complications are driving this change. Language, often seen as the custodian of culture, is undergoing a transformation as well. Native languages hold immense value as they facilitate strong communication and deepen understanding, leading to greater wisdom. In Kashmir, however, a significant portion of the population is steering their children away from the native language, Kashmiri. Instead, they are encouraging the use of languages like Urdu and English to showcase a perceived superiority. This shift is troubling, as it risks erasing al part of Kashmir‘s cultural identity. While progress and development are necessary for any society, the question arises: Can’t progress be achieved without sacrificing the richness of one's cultural legacy? This balancing act is crucial for Kashmir. While it is essential to keep pace with the outside world and compete on various fronts, preserving the core values, traditions, and language of the region is equally important. In this dynamic era, where simplicity is often overshadowed by the allure of complexity, it is essential to reflect on the significance of preserving the roots of one‘s culture. While embracing modernity, it is possible to keep intact the legacy that makes Kashmir unique.
The transition from a simple, close-knit culture to a more complex one is not unique to Kashmir alone. It is a global phenomenon driven by the rapid pace of change in the modern world. Economic pressures, global influences, and
aspirations for a more comfortable life are pulling societies away from their traditional moorings. However, there is a profound value in simplicity.

The transition from a simple, close-knit culture to a more complex one is a universal phenomenon. Kashmir, with its rich cultural heritage, is no exception. While progress and development are essential, it is equally vital to safeguard the elements of tradition that define a people. The key lies in striking a balance, in cherishing the best of both simplicity and complexity. This way, Kashmir can progress while retaining the heart and soul of its unique culture, leading to happy, simple, and successful lives in a rapidly changing world.

The simple life, characterized by community bonds, modest attire, and traditional cuisine, fosters contentment and a deeper connection to one‘s roots. It offers a respite from the stress and complexity that can often accompany modern living. But is it possible to strike a balance between the simplicity of tradition and thecomplexity of modernity? Indeed, it is. Embracing modernity doesn‘t require abandoning one‘s cultural heritage. Rather, it is about integrating the old with the new in a way that preserves the essence of what makes a culture unique. For Kashmir, this means finding ways to embrace progress without forsaking its traditional values. It means valuing the native language, Kashmiri, not as a mark of superiority but as a vital part of cultural identity. It means recognizing that while modern clothing styles may be appealing, there's inherent beauty in the simplicity of traditional attire. In essence, it is about cherishing the best of both worlds. Progress can coexist with tradition, and the two can complement each other. The evolution of culture doesn't have to mean the loss of cultural identity. In the pursuit of development, Kashmir, like any other region, should remember that true progress is holistic. It is not just economic prosperity but also the preservation of culture, values, and traditions that define a people. These are the elements that provide depth and meaning to life. As the world races forward, it is incumbent upon societies to pause and reflect on what they hold dear. In Kashmir‘s case, it is the simplicity, the mutual care, the traditional attire, the distinct cuisine, and the native language. These are the threads that have woven the fabric of Kashmiri culture for generations, and they should not be easily discarded. There fore, the transition from a simple, close-knit culture to a more complex one is a universal phenomenon. Kashmir, with its rich cultural heritage, is no exception. While progress and development are essential, it is equally vital to safeguard the elements of tradition that define a people. The key lies in striking a balance, in cherishing the best of both simplicity and complexity. This way, Kashmir can progress while retaining the heart and soul of its unique culture, leading to happy, simple, and successful lives in a rapidly changing world.
( The author a teachers by profession has mailed this article tob Kashmir Horizon” for publication in this newspaper. The views, opinions, facts, assumptions, presumptions and conclusions expressed in this article are those of the author and aren’t necessarily in accord with the views of “Kashmir Horizon”.)
Azadhussainganie91@gmail.com

Inclusive Education, It’s Effective Outcomes

Azad Hussain — Fri, 23 Jun 2023 22:09:51 +0000

Normally, all the parents look forward for a good education to their children when they initially enroll them in schools. But expectations would have not remained too high, when the guardians of Tawsiya Nazir, an orphan child, would have enrolled her in the school, because of her severe impairment in both speech as well as in hearing. After her admission in the school, It was a first hand experience for the teachers to deal with such a kind of differently abled child who was completely deaf-mute and the job to teach her was not less challenging. In order to meet her guardian’s expectations, Bashir Ahmed Reshi named teacher of the same school came forward to embrace the challenge and he made it happen to teach her at par with other students in the same classroom. Despite being not a special educator or professionally well trained to deal with Children With Special Needs (CWSN) , he didn’t give up but provided equal educational opportunity to her anyway. Tawsiya Nazir is a student of Government Middle School Hardutooru of zone Achabal, district Anantnag, now studying in class 8th. She is now doing good not only in her studies, but also participating in co-curricular and extra-curricular activities. On asking how he made it possible, Bashir Ahmed Reshi said, ” First it was by the grace of Almighty Who gave me the courage , then my empathetic care for the specially abled child compelled me to leave no stone unturned to search for the relevant content on internet and learn sign language, then I made use of best of my efforts to teach the student and make her understand in every possible way”. When asked, had he not availed any special training for teaching CWSN, he said, ” Though periodically orientation programmes at district level are being conducted, which provide general and basic awareness about the CWSN, no methods like sign language are being taught to teach such particular section of CWSN. Getting internally well motivated for the good cause to teachCWSN children, Bashir Ahmed Reshi keeps his morale high and visits the family of another class 3rd student Danista Jan, a specially abled child with multiple disabilities, and teachers her daily. There would be thousands of students like Tawsiya who might be deprived of basic education. Latest reports of WHO show that there are about 1.3 billion people in the world who experience significant disability, among which there are about 250 million children who have some form of disability, which include those who have long-term physical, mental, intellectual or sensory impairments which in interaction with various barriers may hinder their full and effective participation in society on an equal basis”. Children with disabilities mostly face discrimination and are marginalized in every society. In this regard, CRPD ( Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities ) was adopted in 2006 by UN to protect the rights of such persons. The convention was a human rights treaty designed by representatives of the international community – including people with disability, government officials, representatives of nongovernmental organizations and others – to change the way people with disability are viewed and treated in their societies. A Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities was also constituted which is the body of independent experts which advocates human rights of all persons with disabilities, monitors , recommends and provides support for the implementation of the provisions enshrined in the convention and advocates for the human rights of all persons with disabilities. Keeping in view the growing need of educating the disabled children and the children belonging from other marginalized sections of the societies, with less or no access to education, Right to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act. 2009 mandated free and compulsory education for all children in the country including Children With Special Needs (CWSN).
We are very much fortunate that Almighty has bestowed upon us a wonderful gift that is good mental and physical health for which we should always remain grateful. But there is an innumerable number of the persons with impairments who deserve to be taken care of, get equal opportunities in terms of effective participation in the society, get good education and get equal human rights. Authorities of school education department are playing a good role to promote the concept of inclusive education, but it needs to be given more emphasis like providing more CWSN friendly environment in the schools and providing trainings for special educators.

New Education Policy (NEP) 2020 in a more broader perspective also recommended equitable and inclusive education for all including Socio-Economically Disadvantaged Groups (SEDGs). These initiatives have worked well and brought appreciable and effective results not only in other states of the country but in Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir as well. Zaiba Apa Institute for differently abled children in South Kashmir’s Anantnag district, which is a prominent Institute for inclusive education founded by Jevad Ahmed Tak a Padmashri Awardee, is bringing wonderful results. In recently announced JKBOSE 10th class results the students of this Institute have shown excellent performance. Education for specially abled children aims at their all-round development as well as making them economic independence. Ajaz Ahmad named specially abled boy from shopian district, whose story was recently carried by Bashart Amin a community correspondent of Video Volenteers, is working as a delivery boy after getting a scooty under Viklang Scooty Yojna, so has become economically independent. We are very much fortunate that Almighty has bestowed upon us a wonderful gift that is good mental and physical health for which we should always remain grateful. But there is an innumerable number of the persons with impairments who deserve to be taken care of, get equal opportunities in terms of effective participation in the society, get good education and get equal human rights. Authorities of school education department are playing a good role to promote the concept of inclusive education, but it needs to be given more emphasis like providing more CWSN friendly environment in the schools and providing trainings for special educators.
(The author is a teacher at J&K School Education Department. The views, opinions, facts, assumptions, presumptions and conclusions expressed in this article are those of the author and aren’t necessarily in accord with the views of “Kashmir Horizon”.)
Azadhussainganie91@gmail.com

School Education Deptt Switching Over to Infotech

Azad Hussain — Sat, 11 Feb 2023 19:40:07 +0000

With the speedy progress of information technology, digitalisation is succeeding by leaps and bounds. It has almost covered every sector of life like banking, business, communication, service delivery and so on. Still the IT technocrats are continuously moving forward to cover the odds and ends. Like in other parts of the country, Jammu and Kashmir is also taking best advantage of IT and is getting advanced with new expedited ways and means through modern technology to carry out the proposed official procedures in government as well as in private sectors. The advent of IT has made functioning in different departments more accurate, uninterrupted and less time consuming. Be it for the purpose of better service delivery to public or human resource management, government of Jammu and kashmir is fastly switching over to online mode, so these digital methods of functioning have now become the priority. So far, various online portals have been introduced for government employees of Jammu and Kashmir to manage their proper record of credentials, duties, accountabilities and performances. To get rid of manual overburden and minimise the frequency of manual errors in the system, government has chosen IT as a viable alternative. Various online portals to manage the record of government employees have been introduced so far which include Human Resource Management System (HRMS), Employees Performance Monitoring Portal, (EMP) Property Returns System ( PRS). However while talking about the feedback received from different departments, education department is having a leading role to withstand the modern digital technology. Besides continuing with online modes of teaching learning and various online training courses for teachers, Jammu and Kashmir School Education Department is now becoming the first to introduce two applications, one GPS based attendance online application and another online application for taking monthly feedback from the students of 6th stand and above stands. The launching ceremony of these two apps was recently held in Jammu and was attended by top level officers of Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir including Chief Secretary Dr Arun Kumar Mehta, Principal Secretary School Education , Director School Education Kashmir, Director School Education Jammu, MD Samagra Shiksha and many others. Dr Arun Kumar Mehta has called these apps the powerful tools to take the department to much higher efficiency and accountability. It has been said that the GPS based attendance application will track the exact location of an employee with Geo Coordinates and will record time of arrival, stay and departure of the officials in their offices. Therefore these applications would certainly tighten all the slack ropes of leniency for ensuring accountability and diligence of employees with no compromise with laxity. However the rating of quality and standard of these applications would come to fore only after their usage. Though it can be said that the introduction of GPS attendance app is not solely aimed at mitigating absences of teachers at large scale, because teachers have a good past record of punctuality and boundness to their legitimate duties, but withstanding the modern technology is the need of era. However such kind of applications are expected to plug the loopholes if any in the attendance breach of employees. It would be thought that School Education Department would be experimental for GPS attendance app which is first of its kind. If the application worked well, then in future, government may most probably use this application as a change setters in all other government departments to ensure instilling of more efficiency and accountability among employees.
Government employees in general and particularly the government teachers at large have already proven their worth in the Jammu and Kashmir School Education Department. They have been committed to their legitimate duties for which outcomes bear witness. Teachers have not been working only during working hours and working days but have been delivering their services during off School days and off School months ( winters) , with the result number of out of school children (OSC) has been mitigated to a large extent and letracy rate increased by leaps and bounds. Still, Introducing GPS based attendance system is an appreciable step and can ensure more accountability of employees. But just tightining nose around a handful of underperformers “because most of the teachers withstand their sence of responsibilities”, is not enough to overhaul department as a whole. So a lot of things need to be done to cope up with all the inadequacies. So far, the department has done a lot and is flourishing with flying colours but the advancement has always a scope. The need to bring holistic betterment in the department demands focus on upgradation of all of it’s other aspects as well, like infrastructure, providing good working conditions for teachers to carrying out their professional duties without interruptions due to non-teaching assignments, taking measures to restoration their self-esteem, dignity and honour , ensuring speedy mechanism of redressal of their grievances so that they may not need to roam from pillar to post for getting their issues redressed. Teachers need to be given ease of mind to work with full concentration to carry out their professional duties, if it happens, things would definitely turn out for the better.
(The author a teacher by profession. The views, opinions, facts, assumptions, presumptions and conclusions expressed in this article are those of the authors and aren’t necessarily in accord with the views of “Kashmir Horizon”.)
azadhussainganie91@gmail.com

Employees Dissatisfied With Insignificant NPS

Azad Hussain — Sat, 14 Jan 2023 19:20:39 +0000

Himachal Pradesh has announced to restore Old Pension Scheme ( OPS) for government employees just two days after Dehli High Court’s pronouncement for old Pension Scheme for Central Paramilitary Forces (CAPF). Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and Panjab are other states which have announced OPS instead of New Pension System (NPS) recently. Such back to back significant decisions in favour of employees brought a ray of hope for government employees, of other states and UTs of the country, working under NPS, because the employees feel completely insecure and disappointed with regard to post retirement life under NPS. Government jobs have always attracted the attention of aspirants for the reason that in a government job, an employee would expect a good pension to live declining years of life independently with ease. Broadly, life comprises of two stages one is productive stage , during which an employee remains healthy, safe, sound and active. Throughout this period of life one can easily earn his livelihood wheather in government job or in private job or in business. During this period he can easily ensure economic security for himself as well for his family, hence manages to keep a balance between his income and expenses. Another stage of life starts just after the productive years of a person are over, when, due to ageing one’s health starts deteriorating gradually and begins to develop health complications, he loses the ability to work and earn. During later stage of life a person becomes completely dependent on others for every single need of life. If a person is a businessman whether a small business unit holder or big, he makes proper use of his gained experience and he manages to continue the business even through old age to some extent. However a government employee after his retirement can’t start up any kind of business through declining years, because old age is not a right time to begin a business unit. In case of Old Pension Scheme, in order to secure the post retirement life of a government employee, at the time of his appointment a presumed mutual commitment was done between the government ( employer) and the employees that during productive years of his age, an employee would serve the government/ employer and once the employee would attain old age, say sixty years, when he would begin to lack ability to work and serve, the government as employer would hold the responsibility of providing him economic support in the form of monthly pension to make retired employee’s life independent. So in this way Pension means the minimal monthly income being given to an employee after retirement , by which he or she can get social and economic security to meet the basic requirements of postretirement life.
However in January 2004, a new Pension System called NPS was introduced in Indian, still subsists in most of states and UTs of the country, which is basically a voluntary long term investment plan under the purview of Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA). In this Pension System an employee has to contribute 10% of his basic salary and Dearness allowance and the government contributes matching share of its 14 % during the service years of an employee. This amount is invested to share market by different companies (authorised by the government). At the end of the service of an employee the 60% of accumulated ammount is paid back to the employee, and rest 40% of the accumulated amount is spent to buy an annuity, from any insurance company, for monthly pension to an employee working under NPS. In Jammu and Kashmir erstwhile state the same Pension System was introduced in 2010. Since the government employees belong to lower middle class, hence this market based Pension System has put the future of all the NPS government employees to stake, because the share market is not to provide guaranteed returns. Those who have recently retired are up in arms as their monthly Pension under NPS has remained completely unsatisfactory with just between rupees one thousand to two thousand per month, which is very insufficient even to buy required medicines in old age. Life is too expensive to be survived unde the meager Pension under NPS. The central government as well as J&K Government should take a review of insignificant NPS and initiate workable steps for restoration of Old Pension Scheme ( OPS)
(The author is a teacher by profession. The views, opinions, facts, assumptions, presumptions and conclusions expressed in this article are those of the authors and aren’t necessarily in accord with the views of “Kashmir Horizon”.)
azadhussainganie91@gmail.com

Rising Domestic Crimes, A Concern

Azad Hussain — Sat, 05 Nov 2022 19:49:39 +0000

The recent heart-wrenching incident of murder of a lady in South Kashmir, in which her own son was accused of her murder, sends shivers down the spine. It is the hight of heinousness and breach in the trust in most trusted mother child relationship. Even disloyalty to a mother is considered not less than a crime, murder is unimaginable. The hands of news reporters would have trembled while writing down the report of such most infamous incident. Tears start bursting from eyes when you come through the news reports of such kind of incidents. Mother is the name of a woman who patiently carries her child in her womb for nine months then bears the severe labour pain at the time she gives birth to him/her. Still deems it a fortunate period and feels blessed, because her most affectionate relative the child who always remains closest to her heart gets born. Then begins another chapter of her strivation for up bringing of her child. She braves all odds to give every possible comfort to her child while raising him/her. Thus a person remains deeply indebted to his mother. Most unfortunate are those who remain deprived of the blessings of mothers. Despite serving the mother and taking her care in best possible ways throughout the whole life, a person still can not equate the favourableness and beneficence of a mother. The high status of mother, who puts every thing to dust when it comes to take the care of her child and extend love and affection to him/ her, can not be explained in words. The recent incident made everyone to bow head in shame, in which the son relpays murder to his mother for all her pains she had taken while raising him. Criminal instances are raising not only outside the Jammu and Kashmir Union Territory but also in this part of the world where people were known for their empathetic nature.This is not for the first time in Jammu and Kashmir that such shocking incident happened. There are usual instances of such kind of incidents happening here in Jammu and Kashmir by every passing day.
A cursory glance at recent reports of domestic crimes:
• In April this year two men were arrested from Srinagar accused of very shameful act of killing their own father and dumping his body in Dal Lake.
• In June this year a man allegedly killed his wife and mother-in-law to death with an iron rod over some domestic issue in Rajouri district of Jammu and Kashmir.
• In October this year a man in Rajouri was accused of murdering his own one month old son.
These are a few examples of those countless horrific incidents that torment you. This is hight of cruelty, such incidents are even beyond inhumanity and should stop. The people have lost their conscience. Mankind has descended to the age of primate man who was not much concerned about, self conscience, feelings and care and respect for fellow beings. Uncivilised and unlawful incidents are increasing in the society like wild fire. It took hundreds of years to humanise the man but within just a few of years people have reversed to inhumanity. Present day people are in a rat race after materialism and modernity. So called modernization if on one hand is beneficial for mankind , so far as it’s technology is concerned, but on the other hand dissociative social processes have resulted with emergence of domestic issues, arising in families day in and day out. In thirst of material people have lost control over their own children. Children are not getting a good care from parents, about their mental well-being, social wellbeing and family involvement. If a child feels neglected he most probably mixes with a bad company, then indulges in bad activities like substance abuse and criminal activities. Carelessness from parents towards their children is taking a toll on character and behaviour of children. If children are not taken care of, they later became uncontrollable. Then people feel hopeless with regard to the good future of their children. By good future it doesn’t necessarily mean that the children should become independent by acquiring a good position in terms of livelihood and materialism, but acquiring good behaviour, good manners, good character, emotional development, moral values , ethics and conscience are the key requirements for the actualization of good future for a child. All these traits are mostly lacking in our young generation. For a child home is an institution where he is supposed to learn life lessons in an impactful way. The parents have to take prime responsibility to take a proper care of their children, give them time, keep a watch on their activities, forbade them to mix up with those involved in bad activities. At School leve teachers have to teach moral lessons aimed at humanization of children. Elders in the society have to act as responsible citizens to take measures to stop youngsters from bad activities.
(Author is a teacher by profession. The views, opinions, facts, assumptions, presumptions and conclusions expressed in this article are author’s own and aren’t necessarily in accord with the views of “Kashmir Horizon.)

azadhussainganie91@gmail.com

Worried NPS Government Employees

Azad Hussain — Thu, 09 Jun 2022 21:28:22 +0000

A person remains quite healthy and active through the productive age of his life, so can easily earn his livelihood. During this period of his life, he remains completely independent and can shoulder every responsibility not only for his own survival but also to run his family. But with the passage of time , as the law of nature brings a change to every thing, same holds true with the age and health. By the time a person enters the old age stage, he starts becoming physically weak, develops health issues and looses his earning capabilities. Subsequently he happens to become totally dependent on others for every basic requirement. Thus in the old age of one’s life, a person needs social and income security. Focusing on these to aspects of old age stage, government of India in 1999 commissioned a project called OASIS ( Old Age Social & Income Security). In 2003 OASIS came up with its report. Based on the recommendations of OASIS report, Government of India Introduced NPS (National Pension System ), for the central/ state government government employees who joined after January 1st 2004 except the armed forces. This pension system replaced the Old Pension Scheme (OPS). As the matter was state subject, in Jammu and Kashmir erstwhile state, NPS was introduced later with effect from January 1st 2010. Pertinent to mention that West Bengal was the only state which didn’t introduce NPS. In this new pension system an employee contributes 10% of his basic pay plus DA and the government contributes 14% of the same to the Permanent Retirement Account Number( PRAN) of an employee, provided to him by government. This accumulated amount is used to buy equalities from some insurance companies, which makes this pension a market linked pension. At the time of retirement an employee is paid 60% of accumulated amount including returns as lumpsum and remaining 40% of accumulated amount is used to buy an annuity from any life insurance company , choice of purchase is made by Pension Fund Regulatory Authority (PFRDA) to pay a monthly pension to a retiree. At the time of it’s implementation, authorities made tall claims that NPS is going to provide good income security to the government employees after retirement. However things turned otherwise. Those who have worked under NPS and retired recently have sad tales to narrate. If their narratives based on facts are to be believed, the dreams for secure post-retirement life, of government employees working under NPS, have shattered when all the tall claims, made by the government at the time of introduction of NPS, have fallen flat. Most of the retires have claimed that they took just between one thousand to two thousand rupees as monthly pension under the said system of pension, which is very insufficient for meeting the expenses, when the prices of commodities are skyrocketing, even not sufficient to buy the required medicines in old age.

There are various other reasons which have reduced the attractiveness of NPS, like there are some rigid rules for withdrawals of the NPS. During the service of a person. There are multiple occasions where he or she might need money. Under existing NPS withdrawal rules the maximum amount that a subscriber can withdraw during his service is up to 25% of his own total contribution. At such stages, partial accessibility to one’s own funds disappoints an employee for not enjoying financial freedom. Under NPS the pension of a retiree remains fixed, on the other hand there is year-on-year inflation in expenses. This will gradually lose the purchasing power of fixed pension of a person. On the other hand, time to time DA hike is made to monthly pension to Old Pension Scheme (OPS) pensioners. Over and above this, currently the matter of concern for NPS employees is the loss of assets. Over a period of last few weeks, bearing the brent of inflation, government employees working under NPS have got disappointed due to negative returns of their contributed money to their PRAN (Permanent Retirement Account Number). Most of the government employees have claimed to have lost around fifty thousand or more rupees and are still continuously loosing the total NPS account balance due to volatility in the equality market. As all employees are not economists, so why there is a huge loss in the NPS assets, nothing can be perceived from a layman’s point of view. However it can be said that market based pension system is risk linked. Keeping in view the reaction of retires under NPS and it’s drawbacks in comparison with OPS ( old pension scheme) , the government employees through out the country have started raising their voices against this pension system and putting forth a demand to restore old pension scheme. Recently a ray of hope emerged among NPS government employees when Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh announced the restoration of Old Pension Scheme for all those government employee who were working under NPS. Hope that same kind of significant decisions may come out for the other states and union territories of the country. This will give a sigh of relief to lakhs of government employees and their families by securing the post retirement life of such employees.

(The author is a school teacher by profession. Views are his own)

azadhussainganie91@gmail.com

The International Mountain Day-2021

Azad Hussain — Sat, 11 Dec 2021 19:53:47 +0000

Every year December 11, is observed as International Mountain Day in order to spread mass awareness about the importance of mountains, as resources, opportunities and constraints in developing them, mountains as dwelling places for about 15% of world’s population etc. The theme of this year’s International Mountain Day (IMD) was Sustainable Mountain Tourism. Jammu and Kashmir, as a favourite visiting place for most of the tourists, has a vast range of exhilarating popular tourist attractions which are all unique in nature. Kashmir fits for visitors of varied interests in exploring. Tourists from all over the world Kashmir come to have different exciting experiences of visiting and enjoying absolute natural landscape of aesthetic appeal, under the natural coolers fitted in Kashmir’s different climatic conditions. Besides pilgrimage tourism, some come to enjoy the Mughal gardens, some to have a shikara ride in the turquoise water of Dal lake, some come to have a horse ride at the famous hill stations of Gulmrag and Paghalgam, some to enjoy winter sports. However besides all purposes of visiting Kashmir, thousands of tourists come Kashmir to enjoy mountaineering activities. There is a good scope of promoting mountaineering activities in Kashmir. For mountaineers there are hundreds of thrilling tracks leading to different alpine lakes, the lakes which are at or above the 10000 feet of elevation. These lakes at high altitudes are put as destination targets, where a tracker needs to reach.
Some of the famous tracking destinations in Jammu and Kashmir are Gadsar Lake, Gangabal lake, Tarsar Lake, Tulian lake, Sheshnaag, Vishansar Lake, Satsar Lake, Marsar Lake, Krishansar Lake, Choharnag and many more. Besides outsiders the native people in present times have become passionate about mountain tracking. Tracking is not only good for health as it is considered the best exercise, but it gives you an internal confidence to achieve the set target. Besides that it has social benifits as well, while on tracking with a group you make good friends and develop a good bonding with them. You encourage and motivate each other to keep going when it becomes difficult for you to walk. Trackers love to observe and understand the vast range of natural resources which Almighty has kept available for mankind. Sharing my own experience of visiting just a half dozen of alpine lakes yet, one feels absolutely in a different kind of world once he reaches the mountain top. The crystal clear water bodies, lush green meadows and mountains, colourful rocks and their sky touching peaks, flora and fauna everything forces you to introspect that how much we the humans have disturbed the ecosystem by our greedy activities. Mountain tracking has so many benefits. As an aerobic exercise, it keeps you physically fit, provides you cardiovascular fitness and reduces body fat. It boosts your confidence. While you go for tracking in groups, it equips you with teamwork skills also. As the theme of this year’s (of the year 2021) International Mountain Day (IMD) is Sustainable Mountain Tourism. The concerned authorities need to bring all the explored tracks and tracking destinations of Jammu and Kashmir on the tourism map and take measures to develop and promote them. This will promote the Kashmir Tourism and will definitely increase the economy of the people whose livelihood directly or indirectly depends on the tourism.
(The author is a member of Passion Hiking and Mountaineering Club –PHMC. Views are his own)

Enrollment Drive An Initiative For Better Schooling

Azad Hussain — Sat, 20 Nov 2021 20:36:41 +0000

Through various unleashed initiatives, School Education Department is on toes for the last couple of years to bridge up the trust gap between the parents and teachers of government schools. One of these initiatives which the DSEK (Director School Education Kashmir) has taken is The Enrollment Drive, a campaign run by school education department to enroll more and more children in government schools in order to ensure universal enrollment and retention of children in government schools, which has significantly shown good results and attracted the attention and interest of parents towards government schools. This is not for the first time that school education department is rejuvenating the work culture in government schools through a different modus operandi. But in recent past , government school teachers have worked like the warriors to carry out their teaching learning process all through the covid period. Despite the complete closure of educational institutions in the backdrop of covid pandemic for almost two consecutive academic sessions in Jammu and Kashmir, the teachers have tried to the best of their abilities to compensate the academic losses of the students by every possible ways and means. Starting from online mode of education with the help of different online apps and electronic gadgets, through assignment distribution among the students to delivery of community classes while following the covid appropriate behavior, teachers have left no stone unturned to provide education to the children through tough times. In this way teachers played a remarkable role to save the sinking boat of education during covid pandemic period. However the need of bringing good efforts into action is yet not over for teachers, this spirit is needed to be kept high in future too, to achieve good results and the set targets. Yet a lot is needed to be done to overcome the trust deficit on government schools. Some people have still doubts about the competence of government school teachers, but the shadow of doubts needs to be cleared by acquainting them with the facts that highly qualified, dedicated and well trained teachers with a long experience of teaching are posted in government school. But the need is to utilise their services in a proper way, which is the right of every parent. Without the cooperation of a parent the teacher’s efforts are incomplete.
School Education Department is trying it’s level best and continuously utilising all it’s energy to bring the standard of education up in government schools and to motivate the commons to unfollow the age old trend of private schooling, in order to save their hard earnings from misspending, by making the department at ground level result oriented and most accountable. Necessary measures are being taken by the department to reach out to children and to bring them to school and to ensure them a better tomorrow. The Enrollment Drive an initiative is in full swing in all the districts falling under the jurisdiction of DSEK. In this regard cultural functions at schools are being held, door to door surveys being carried out and rally’s are being taken in rural as well as urban areas to aware the people about importance of education, to track the out of school children particularly in the jurisdictions of elementary schools, then to mainstream them through ongoing process of free admission in government schools. The need to go for massive enrolment campaign, according to official figures, was to raise the enrollment back in government schools which had earlier shown a slight dip. The underprivileged sections of the society have remained the main focus to reach out to them in order to achieve the universal enrollment of the children in schools. Pertinently disadvantaged and underprivileged children have been mostly seen subjected to child labour by their parents, the reasons being either lack of awareness about the importance of education or financial constraints of their parents to run their families. Director School Education Kashmir Dr Tassaduq Hussain Itoo on November , 11 himself kickstarted the Enrollment Drive from district Kupwara, with the directions to all subordinates that all stakeholders of education department particularly the head of the institutions (HOIs) and the teachers need to get sensitised to ensure the Enrollment Drive in every nook and corner of their catchment areas and that All officers of the Education department including Chief Education Officers, Principal DIETs, HODs of DIETs, Deputy CEOs, DEPOs, DIET faculty, Zonal Education Officers, and Zonal Education Planning Officers should visit at least one or more habitations as a part of the door-to-door campaign to inspire field functionaries. Just within a few weeks, this exercise of enrollment has shown appreciable results so far, the official figures show that thousands of children have been enrolled and mainstreamed to government schools. In addition to that there are various cases in which parents have transferred their children from private school to government school, citing the charging of hefty fees in private schools and on the other hand community classes conducted by government school teachers during closure period of school as reasons for the transfer. When the schools made commitment with the parents that they will impart quality education to their wards, the parents have come forward to enroll their children in government schools. However, it is said that accountability is the glue that ties commitment to the result. So now onwards teachers have to shoulder extra accountability and responsibility to prove their mettle like the way they did during the covid pandemic period. The enrollment is just a start where from the job of the teachers begins. Once the parents are made to accept that government schools can do at par with private schools or better, the teachers need to prove this commitment practically, which is possible only when you put your heart and soul in to work in the classroom and teach with great deal of enthusiasm and energy.
(The author is a teacher@J&K School Education Department. Views are his own)
Azadhussainganie91@gmail.com

Teachers Day No Longer Attracts Attention

Azad Hussain — Mon, 06 Sep 2021 21:38:06 +0000

Every year September 5 is celebrated as the teachers day to commemorate the role of teachers. It is actually observed on the birthday of Dr. Sarvapalli Radhakrishnan who was the first Vice President of India and highly respected teacher. Seminars and award distribution functions etc. are supposed to be organised on this special day to honour those teachers with good performances. On this day a student is given an opportunity to express his thankfulness to his teachers. But on ground such functions practically hardly happen in present times.
The role of teachers is undoubtedly matchless. A teacher guides a student to the right way of of living and teaches him the purpose of life. He takes a student from dark to light, from ignorance to knowledge and educates him by every possible means. The value and essence of guidance by a teacher is such that nothing in the world can equalise it. Being a good teacher is in itself a prestige for him. As education has now become one of the basic needs, we are indebted to our teachers who have taught us even a single word. We should salute those teachers who have taught us how to handle and grip a pencil, when we were beginners. If at present we at any level, we are because of those primary teachers who always provided a helping hand to us and held our hand firmly while climbing every step on the ladder of education. Looking from broader point of view, a teacher is not only one who is holding a job/ profession to teach the students formally but every such person who teaches even a single good thing to another is also a teacher. When it comes to the real meaning of a teacher, the profession is not a criteria. So teacher is not only one who teaches within the walls of a classroom but that person is also a teacher who makes you learn the ways of living. Celebration of teachers day brings all the teachers more close to professionalism, not by force which most often results counterproductive but by the means of motivation and appreciation. Once teachers with good performance are appreciated, the teachers with low performance also try their level best to bring their performance at par with those who succeed to make their teaching productive. So the purpose of observing teachers day is and should be to encourage the teachers to make their profession more result oriented and to make them feel happy with their job. On the teachers day those with good performance in the field of teaching are supposed to be conferred with different awards which enhance their motivation level and also awakes those who leave some loopholes in teaching. On this day students are also supposed to greet their teachers.Heads of schools are expected to offer appreciation certificates to the well performing teachers. The teachers day doesn’t mean that there is only one day spare for teachers but it infuses sense of respect for teachers among the students, which should never fade off from the student’s mind through out the year.
There is a great significance of teachers day. But the way it is being celebrated in present times is not sufficient. Excluding the big institutions like universities, colleges and some influential private institutions the day is not celebrated with full fervor in the institutions. Most of the government schools including elementary, and some secondary and higher secondary school don’t even celebrate the day at all. Every year school education department celebrates various spacial days such as plantation day, swachhta abhiyaan etc. for wich department formally issues instructions to observe them at the school level. Several activities are carried out on such special days in the schools. But it is very unfortunate that no such instructions are being give to school heads on teachers day. Neither are they intimated officially by higher quarters to observe the day prior to it’s arrival. However there are also no restrictions for teachers and heads of institutions to observe teachers day. Rather if they would celebrate it at their level, they would be applauded by higher ups. But It seems that the teachers and heads of institutions themselves have lost interest in celebrating such important events. This can also be guessed that may be some teachers avoid it for they would consider it’s celebration a sort of self praising. But one must know that the significance of teachers day is much beyond the praise and greetings to teachers. Real teachers have no thirst for praise. It is said, “a good deed is itself a reward”. There is no reward as good as self motivation. But once the good teacher is praised for his good performance he gets a recognition for his hardwork. At the same time a student learns the importance of a teacher. Respect and regard for a teacher is very important aspect of teacher-student relationship. Infusing the sense of respect for teachers is also a part of education for a student. Giving teachers a good honour depicts how important is, “what the teacher teaches” . That is value of teaching gets recognition once the teacher is respected by students. Hope that education department would make teachers’ day a practical reality in future and pay attention towards this important day.

( The author is a teacher @ J&K School Education Department. Views are his own)
Azadhussainganie9@gmail.com