Author: Web Desk

Dr. Upendra Kaul Persecution of Kashmiri Pandit (KP) community is not a story of the early nineties. Dr. Upendra Kaul, popularly known as U Kaul, who himself is a Kashmiri Pandit, traces the community’s history back to the first human settlements in the Valley over 4,000 years ago. Quoting historical evidence he has come across, Dr. Kaul says Kashmiri Pandits are Saraswat Brahmins, one of the oldest ethnic groups of the Indian subcontinent. Even as he is a medical doctor by profession, Dr. Kaul’s love for his historical roots can be traced from his regular columns appearing in cross sections…

Is Silence on Lead Toxicity a Slow Suicide for the Next Generation? Umair Ashraf Walk into any hospital ward in Kashmir today. The first thing you notice is the cleanliness–the smooth, glossy, freshly painted walls that reflect a sense of hygiene. It’s the same in our schools, with their vibrant yellow buses and brightly painted desks. Even in maternity wards, where newborns take their very first breath, the environment feels sterile and safe. But there is a dark irony here: that very “shine” we associate with safety might be the very thing quietening the potential of the next generation. This…

Serving people requires humility, even if that means knocking on doors or holding someone’s feet for the sake of justice, says Syed Mohammad Altaf Bukhari Governance in Jammu and Kashmir has emerged as a hot issue after the elected government took over reigns of power vested with them under the Union Territory structure. The Lieutenant Governor has the supreme power when it comes to the governance of the region. To be precise, the governance here is loaded with a double engine where the elected government remains powerless without the power of a second engine – popularly known as the LG…

Why Rural India Holds the Key to Viksit Bharat Dr. Noour Ali Zehgeer India stands at a critical juncture in its telecom journey. Over the last two decades, telecommunications have transformed the country – connecting villages, empowering small businesses, enabling digital governance, and shaping India’s role in the global digital economy. Yet, even as broadband and 5G conversations dominate urban narratives, the real test of India’s telecom resilience lies in rural India. Rural and semiurban regions account for a majority of India’s population and remain central to future subscriber and data growth. However, this vast market has largely been served…

How Looking Within Shapes How We Act in the World Gowher Bhat Some people move through the world quietly, noticing themselves. They pause. They breathe. They watch their own thoughts before acting. Studies show that this kind of self-awareness changes how people handle stress, solve problems, and relate to others. It makes them calmer, more grounded, and more effective. It shapes not only the person, but the world around them. Emotional intelligence, the ability to understand and manage emotions, is closely linked to leadership, teamwork, and decision-making. A review of more than 100 studies in the United States found that…

“Dogreya di mitti vich sanskar te maryada ghuli hundi ae.” (The soil of Dogras is soaked with values and dignity.) Anil Kumar Sharma These words return to me often, especially when I reflect on my childhood—an era when Dogra culture was not preserved in museums or debated in seminars, but lived instinctively in homes, streets, fields, and places of worship. Culture then was not an identity to be asserted; it was a natural inheritance, quietly shaping behaviour, relationships, and choices. Life moved at a human pace, bound together by shared customs, collective conscience, and an unspoken moral code. In those…

Mohammad Younis Bhat (Zahid) In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful Ramadan is not merely a month of fasting, rituals, and routines; it is a comprehensive system of spiritual training designed by Allah for human reform. Unfortunately, many Muslims restrict Ramadan to hunger and thirst, while its true purpose is inner transformation and moral development. Ramadan comes to change lives, not just eating habits. Ramadan as a Complete Training System Ramadan is a divine training program that disciplines time management, self-control, and obedience to Allah. It reforms habits and builds spiritual strength that can last throughout…

“Time is free, but it’s priceless. You can’t own it, but you can use it. You can’t keep it, but you can spend it. Once you’ve lost it you can never get it back.” Sajjad Bazaz Stock market, known as share market in common parlance, is a place which has failed even a gem of market experts for its unpredictable nature and the uneven pattern of operations. The market has left most of the market experts red-faced for their farce predictions about its movement. For instance, just at the beginning of the pandemic in early 2020, the market experts dished…

Surah Ar-Ra’d (13:11) reminds us: “Allah does not change a people’s condition until they change themselves.” Mohammed Younis Zahid Makafat-e-Amal, the divine law of consequences, grinds every action like a mill turning grain into flour. Rooted in the radiant guidance of the Quran and the sacred duty of parenting, it serves as a beacon for the younger generation (15–25) and young married couples (25–35). The Quran declares: “So whoever does an atom’s weight of good will see it, and whoever does an atom’s weight of evil will see it” (Surah Al-Zalzalah, 99:7–8). This verse underscores that every deed, however small,…

How the earliest moments of life shape learning, health, and happiness for a lifetime Gowher Bhat In the morning, a father sits on the floor of an Anganwadi centre, his knees bent, his back slightly tired. His two-year-old daughter sits across from him, holding a wooden block. She turns it slowly in her hands, studying its edges as if it carries meaning. The father watches her without interrupting. He does not rush her. He waits. In this simple act of waiting, something important is taking shape, though it will never be recorded or measured. The earliest years of life are…