The Evil Destiny!

This story is of a young woman Salma who in spite of her enormous struggle for her family failed to save her own life. Young Salma lived happily with his husband Iqbal and one son and a daughter in a town. Their house was not so big, yet beautiful. Salma's father-in-law and mother-in-law also lived with her in the same house. Salma managed the home and Iqbal worked in a company. He was the only bread earner of the family. They were not so rich but still the couple lived happily with mutual understanding and cooperation.

One day the door bell rang. Salma opened the door and a policeman stood before her asking her to come to the Police Station to identify a dead body which according to the police was of Iqbal. On hearing these words Salma was dismayed and felt unconcious. After sometime she gained control over herself and went to the police station. Her dreams were shattered like a mirror when she saw the dead body of Iqbal,her husband, who had died in a road accident. Iqbal's father had retired and now there was nobody to support the family. Even the Salma was uneducated.

After a few months, Salma's father-in-law (Iqbal's father) felt ill. He was rushed to the city hospital where the doctors diagonosed that he had throat cancer and about two lakh rupees will be required for his treatment. Also her children were discharged from the school as the fees of several months was pending. Now Salma was in a real trouble. Financial crises were running in the home and there was no source of income. Iqbal,the only source of income to the family was gone and Salma needed a lot of money for her family, for the treatment of her father-in-law and for paying the fees of her children but she could see no ray of hope. Even she could not do some job to manage the money as she was ignorant and illiterate.

After some days, her friend Noori who lived in the city visited her. After hearing all her story she assured her that she will manage a job for her in the city. Salma readily agreed thinking that the days of hardship will be over soon and everything will be all right but she was not knowing what the fate had already stored for her in the future.

Meanwhile Salma left the town leaving her mother-in-law and two children there. When she reached the city, her friend Noori took her to a house of prostitution (Brothel). At this moment Salma felt angry, disagreed to do the immoral job of a prostitute and cursed Noori for she had brought her there. In the meantime Noori consoled Salma and requested her to think that she had no other way of earning money to support her family. At last Salma had to cooperate and she finally agreed to do the immoral job of a prostitute.

She sold her body that day and continued it day after day to satisfy the demands of her family. After some time she managed two lakh rupees for the treatment of his father-in-law but unfortunately he died as now it was the last stage of his cancer. Meanwhile she again admitted her children in the town school and purchased a lot of gifts and toys like TV etc. for them. She wanted to see her family happy. She was not happy with her job but was continuing it so that she can run her family smoothly. Like every mother she wanted to give her children the best education and facilities. Perhaps some years continued like this. Then she felt tired of her immoral job and decided to shun it. Now she wanted to spend her whole time with her children. Then she left her depraved job.

After leaving the dark world of prostitution, she went to her home. Everything was running smoothly and now she felt the real happiness with her children. Again the luck did not favoured her. She felt ill and went to the doctor who advised her to get her blood tested. When the report came Salma realized that she was HIV positive. She was completely broken. She had no hope of happy life. Now she was dying slowly. And her life would continue like this until her death.

Ghalib has rightly said:

Gham-e-hasti ka Asad kis se ho juz marg-e-ilaj

Shama har rang mein jalti hai Seher hone tak

(What can relieve you from the pains of this life except death O Asad, And the candle burns and burns till dawn)

These verses exactly fit on Salma and many other women like her who prefer death over life because of the pains and hurt which life gave. Their lives continue anyhow till their demise which is just like a dawn for them as it puts an end to their agonies and sorrows.

(This Story Has Been written By Yaqeen Ul Haq Ahmad Sikander)

A Sad Love Story

Young Salman was dreaming in his sleep when there was a knock at his bedroom door. "Get up! Its already late", his mother said. Salman got up, took up a shower, dressed quickly and got ready for his college. His friend Kabir came in while he was taking his breakfast and then both of them went to the college together. Salman was very nice-looking, intelligent and humorous boy. He was very popular among his fellows. Everybody was impressed ny him through his qualities. The girls of the college were fond of him. But he didn,t liked even a single one among them and turned them down.

Meanwhile, the exams were coming near and Salman was preparing himself day and night. Later on when the results were declared in the college auditorium, Salman secured first position in the college. His joy knew no bounds. He got up to receive his prize from the principal on the stage. After receiving the prize when he went down the stage he felt some sort of dizziness but he controlled himself. His mother was very happy when she came to know about his results but Salman told her that he was not feeling well. Salman felt this dizziness sometimes before also so this time his mother advised him to visit a doctor. He went to a doctor who advised him to perform some medical tests. It was already late and he went home and told his mother about the doctor's advice. After saying so he went to sleep.

The next was a holiday. He didn't had to go to the college, so he decided to perform the medical tests as advised by the doctor. As he was walking down the street, his eyes caught the sight of a girl working in a CD store. Her heavenly presence made Salman forgot the real world. He started staring at her through the transparent glasses of the store and he was lost in the world of love. After some time his neighbour passed by and wished him Hi! which made Salman aware of his unconsiousness. He had lost his heart to her. He went inside the CD store, introduced himself to the girl and then got some CD's. After this he asked the girl for her introduction. Her name was Nur.

After this little conversation Salman felt very happy. He went outside the CD store and went straight to perform the medical tests. After performing the tests the doctor told him to come tommorrow for the reports. While coming back home Salman again looked towards the CD store and he was fortunate enough to see Nur, his first love, coming out of the CD store. He looked at her and smiled and she responded in positive. Nur said to him that she was living nearby from the past one month and was strange to this area. Both went along the road together saying nothing and Nur parted at a diversion of the road. She waved her hand to say good bye to Salman who inspite of saying nothing was feeling that he had the best conversation of his life. He then went to his home. He felt very joyful and was sleepless whole night, dreaming of her.

The next day he got up as usual and dressed up for the college. While on his way he again went to the CD store, exchanged wishes with Nur and had a little informal conversation with her. After that he got out of the CD store and went to his doctor. He thought that everything would be all right but fate had already stored ill-luck for him. The doctor diagonosed him with brain tumour and now it was the last stage. Now he had hardly a month to live. When he heard all this his dreams were shattered like a mirror and he was completely broken down. He suddenly began to think of his mother, college mates, relatives and above all his love, Nur.

Salman had decided that after taking the reports, he will invite Nur for a lunch and will tell her about his love towards her. But when he reached the CD store he saw Nur inside the CD store with some customers. Tears rolled down his cheeks. Now he was afraid to tell her about his love because he knew that his love was short-lived. And he couldn't fulfil his dreams and ambitions. This thought made him shiver from head to toe. His directly went home and told his mother about the reports and she wept bitterly but she was helpless. She couldn't do anything.

Each day Salman went to the CD store and got some CD's just to talk to Nur. Otherwise he hadn't any interest in the CD's. Each day he used to have brief conversations with her and her presence made him feel in heaven and he felt that his pain had subsided when he just looked at her. He was always anxious to tell her about his love but he resisted because he thought that if she had the same feelings towards him, then she cannot bear his loss. This thought made him scared of confession.

After about one month Salman died. When Salman didn't came to the CD store for a long time as per routine, Nur felt worried and decided to went to his home. She enquired about him from his mother and she told her about his death and took her to his room. There she saw all the CD packets unopened. And she cried bitterly. You know why? Because she had kept paper chits in all the CD packets to let him know how much she loved him!!!Isn't it really sad?

(This story has been written by Yaqeen Ul Haq Ahmad Sikander and it has been also published on Aspects Kashmir. Click the following link to read this directly from their website http://www.kashmir-aspects.com/shortstory1.aspx )

The Paradise Under Siege

Today there are so many diverse issues and problems for the people of Kashmir. Some people may point that unemployment is an important problem, some may say corruption and some may pass a verdict that militancy is hampering the development of Kashmir. Our society is full of various troubles, which to refer, drug addiction, black marketing, red-tapism, back-door entries in different departments, bribery, cultural pollution, and the list goes on and on.

But as a resident of the valley of Kashmir, I think that the 'Human Rights' violations going on here due to the ongoing conflict is the most significant issue for the people of Kashmir and everybody should be concerned about it no only in Kashmir but in the world as a whole. But I think that the minds of very few people are diverted towards this issue. This issue has raised so many relevant issues, shaking the very foundation of our society. The occupational army is the fundamental obstacle which is responsible for the sabotage of progress and enlightment of the Kashmiri people. Since the last eighteen years, the land described as the paradise of earth is virtually under siege with more than half a million armed personnel, the highest number of Army during peace time anywhere in the world - turning this Paradise into a concentration camp. The desire to fulfil other significant issues cools down because these forces have become the biggest threat to the security of the common people, whose lives they are supposed to secure. Lakhs are troops are present here to crush the eighteen year old genuine struggle of the innocent people who are the sufferers of every type of harrassment by the troops.

In the presence of occupational troops in any part of the world, the political, social, and the economic life of the people is victimised. In the spread of drug-addiction and alchoholism, the troops have a big hand. The boy at the age of attending the school becomes a victim of drugs. Parents spend their sweat-soaken earnings to make the child's future bright but he remains in addicted state of mind, wasting his precious time and proving as a bane not only to his parents but to the whole society. Many incidents have been reported where girls have been abducted and ruthlessly abused by the security forces. These abducted girls, if released alive, have a social stigma attached to them for whole life and espousing them is a agonizing task. Many times these girls commit suicide to put an end to their wretchedness.

The troops use the way of terror in the form of custodial executions, extreme torture, forced labour, gang rapes, fake encounters and enforced disappearances in order to supress the wishes and feelings of innocent Kashmiri people. Draconian laws like the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) and the Public Safety Act (PSA) not only increases the oppression but also gives more powers to armed forces to 'Catch and Kill'. The issue of Human Rights violations carries a great significance for all of us and this issue is the underpinning of various other issues that hold masses under their influence.

Due to modern technology, the whole world has become a global village. Any happening of any corner of the world becomes a highlight on every TV channel. Recently the whole world became aware of the fake-encounter cases of the innocent people of Kashmir which were killed just for a mere reward.. There are more than ten thousand disappearance cases in Kashmir alone. According to the report released by UN on November 8, 1992, disappearance is a serious crime against humanity and it is severe than the custodial execution. In case of custodial execution, the family members try to console themselves but in case of disappearance the search never ends. The victim's family remain in a perpetual trauma. Their life becomes a burden due to mental agony. They loose the charm of their lives. Young people of the family disheartened with the circumstances prevailing in the family loose interest in their studies and careers. The potential to become a significant organ of the society is crushed. The feelings of revenge get stronger and result is beyond the description.

The consequence of these unpleasant circumstances are hampering the real zeal and enthusiasm of youth in this valley. In any case whether custodial killing, fake encounter or enforced disappearance, the sole bread earner is lost in the majority of cases. The children or young siblings of the victim have to leave educational career either for financial crisis or for lack of concentration. In many cases the wives of the victims take the financial responsiblity. They are often sexually exploited by their employers. They become victim of many outside pressures because of their illiteracy.

In most cases of disappearance, the victims' family members are exploited by the para-military forces by make them move from pillar to post. They deceive them by saying that the victim is in their custody but it is simply a hallucination. These family members are financially looted there and if the family member proves as woman, she gets a social stigma. So many rumours are attached to her character, and sometimes it proves fatal for an innocent woman. They are socially out-casted and taunted as immorals by their nears and dears. It has been experienced that the victims of HR violations by army are deprived of every support by the society. There daughters are not taken in marriage, if they are wives, they are deprived of their share and thrown out by the in laws or if they are rape victims then life is a living hell for them and as a result of all this suicide rates are inceasing at alarming rates in Kashmir.

There has been a tremendous increase in the mental disease in Kashmir. The number of patients visiting the Government Psychiatric Hospital in Srinagar was 775 in 1985 but now it has increased upto 60,000 in the year 2006. The increase in the mental trauma is the impact of unpleasant circumstances, mental agony and stress, says a Psychiatrist Dr.Mushtaq Margoob.

The children of a victim are often made to work as child labourers to support the needs of their family or are left in the orphanages. They suffer from split-personality and frequently express their desire to revenge the death of their fathers or close relatives. To relieve themselves of this stress, these children and youths often opt for drugs giving rise to many other types of crimes. The daily mortification in the form of crack-down of important places like lal Chowk and frequent search in buses by armed forces contributes significantly to the feeling of depression. This savagery of para-military forces has developed Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) in many people. About 15-20% of the Kashmiri people are suffering from this disease, a research scholar reported this data recently.

It has been rightly said that only sound individuals can contribute to the advancement of any nation but in Kashmir the bulk of the people are mentally sick though they seem physically fit. "Women in Kashmir are among the worst victims of sexual violence and it has left their minds badly bruised", says a study done in mid 2005 by Medicine Sans Frontiers (MSF). According to this study, since 1989 sexual violence has been routinely perpetrated on Kashmiri women, with 11.6% of respondants saying that they were the victims of sexual abuse. This is a very high figure than that reported in conflict regions of Sri-Lanka, Sierra-Leone and Chechnya. These victims often opt for suicide to end their wretchedness. The Army is occupying the orchards and other agricultural lands around more than 10,000 acres, thus smashing the economy of Kashmir. The major trade centre of Srinagar i.e. Lal Chowk is many times cordoned daily, thus increasing the miseries of common man and ruining the business of shop-keepers.

The Army in order clean their image launched the program for the empowerment of women under the disguise of operation 'Sadhbhavana'. They on their part have actually degraded the status of Kashmiri women known for their modesty to mistresses and society butterflies who are mere tools in the hand of pleasure seekers and sex marketeers hidden behind the colourful screen of Art and Culture. These types of activities have given rise to a culture which is alien to us. So we have paid a huge price on every front whether it is social, political or economic.
The culture of Renegadism is among the fruits of troops present here and now the troops are turning this to Intellectual Renegadism. The recent example being the Allama Iqbal's couplet which has been translated by CRPF and erected near the gate of Bakhshi Stadium. Using Qur'anic verses, couplets of Habba Khatoon, Sheikh-ul-Aalam, etc, they are using our history against us, projecting our thinkers and our intellectuals against us.

In the presence of huge occupational forces, a nation, its people, its self-claimed leaders and rulers may claim about its progress. But their claim is nothing but a mirage. When the HR violations will disappear from Kashmir then only its people can contribute towards progress. The people can then only employ their mind-power and energy to make the valley of Kashmir a real Paradise. My humble request to my people is that please and please think about this issue for a while and then only you will realize its importance. Our Paradise is on fire and it is our responsiblity to save it. Our society especially our youth who are our future instead of working for the solution of this problem are alienating themselves away from it. Some may excuse that we are not politicians or intellectuals but everyone among us has to be active and no one can pass this buck to others. Aren't one lakh lives enough to inspire us to get up and do something for saving our Paradise? Are we going to make this dream come true? The question Laments.

(This Article has been written by Yaqeen Ul Haq Ahmad Sikander)

The History Of April Fool

April Fools' Day or All Fools' Day, though not a holiday in its own right, is a notable day celebrated in many countries on April 1. The day is marked by the commission of hoaxes and other practical jokes of varying sophistication on friends and neighbors, or sending them on fools' errands, the aim of which is to embarrass the gullible. In some countries, including the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, the April 1 tradition requires jokes to be played before midday: if somebody pulls an April Fools' Trick after midday, then the person pulling the trick is actually considered the fool. It is also widely celebrated on the Internet. Pranks performed on April Fool's Day range from the simple, (such as saying, "Your shoe's untied!), to the elaborate. Setting a roommate's alarm clock back an hour is a common gag. Whatever the prank, the trickster usually ends it by yelling to his victim, "April Fool!" Practical jokes are a common practice on April Fool's Day. Sometimes, elaborate practical jokes are played on friends or relatives that last the entire day.

ORIGIN:

The origin of this custom has been much disputed. Many theories have been suggested. The closest point in time that can be identified as the beginning of this tradition was in 1582, in France. Prior to that year, the new year was celebrated for eight days, beginning on March 25. The celebration culminated on April 1. With the reform of the calendar under Charles IX, the Gregorian Calendar was introduced, and New Year's Day was moved to January 1. However, communications being what they were in the days when news traveled by foot, many people did not receive the news for several years. Others, the more stubborn crowd, refused to accept the new calendar and continued to celebrate the new year on April 1. These backward folk were labeled as "fools" by the general populace. They were subject to some ridicule, and were often sent on "fools errands" or were made the butt of other practical jokes.

This harassment evolved, over time, into a tradition of prank-playing on the first day of April. The tradition eventually spread to England and Scotland in the eighteenth century. It was later introduced to the American colonies of both the English and French. April Fool's Day thus developed into an international fun fest, so to speak, with different nationalities specializing in their own brand of humor at the expense of their friends and families.

Though the 1st of April appears to have been anciently observed in Great Britain as a general festival, it was apparently not until the beginning of the 18th century that the making of April-fools was a common custom.

In Scotland the custom was known as "hunting the gowk," i.e. the cuckoo, and April-fools were "April-gowks," the cuckoo being there, as it is in many countries, a term of contempt. In France the person fooled is known as "poisson d'avril" or "April Fish". The French traditionally celebrated this holiday by placing a dead fish on the back of friends. Today the fish is substituted by a paper cut out.

The Dutch celebrate the 1st of April for other reasons. In 1572, the Netherlands were ruled by Spain's King Philip II. Roaming the region were Dutch rebels who called themselves Geuzen, after the French "gueux", meaning beggars. On 1 April, 1572, the Geuzen seized the small coastal town of Den Briel. This event was also the start of the general civil rising against the Spanish in other cities in the Netherlands. The Duke of Alba, commander of the Spanish army could not prevent the uprising. Briel is the Dutch word for glasses, so on 1 April, 1572, "Alba lost his glasses". Dutch people find this joke so hilarious they still commemorate the first of April.

Chaucer's story, the Nun's Priest's Tale, written c.1400, takes place on 32 March; that is, 1 April; it is Chanticleer and the Fox, a story of two fools.

Many media organizations have either unwittingly or deliberately propagated hoaxes on April Fools' Day. Even normally serious news media consider April Fools' Day hoaxes fair game and spotting them has become an annual pastime. A number of serious journals would publish hoax articles in their April volumes. The advent of the Internet as a worldwide communications medium has also assisted the pranksters in their work. For instance, The BBC television programme Panorama ran a famous hoax in 1957, showing the Swiss harvesting spaghetti from trees. They had claimed that the despised pest the spaghetti weevil had been eradicated. A large number of people contacted the BBC wanting to know how to cultivate their own spaghetti trees.

Side-effects of April Fools' Day:

The frequency of April Fool hoaxes sometimes makes people doubt real news stories released on 1 April.

The 1 April 1946 Aleutian Island earthquake tsunami that killed 165 people on Hawaii and Alaska resulted in the creation of a tsunami warning system (specifically the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center), established in 1949 for Pacific Ocean area countries. The tsunami is known in Hawaii as the "April Fools' Day Tsunami" due to people drowning due to thinking the warnings were an April Fools' prank.

Gmail's April 2004 launch was widely believed to be a prank, as Google was known to include joke pages on their website, until that point.

The merger of Square and its rival company, Enix, took place on April 1, 2003, and was originally thought to be a joke. Fans of the long running square series Final Fantasy often claim that the merger was in fact a joke due to the decline of the series after the merger.

The 2005 death of comedian Mitch Hedberg was originally dismissed as an April Fools' joke. The comedian's March 29, 2005 death was announced on April 1, 2005.

Demashita! Powerpuff Girls Z was announced for production by Aniplex, Cartoon Network, and Toei Animation on 1 April 2005 and was originally discredited, but turned out to be true when poster art and clips from the series were revealed days later.

People obeying hoax messages to telephone "Mr.C.Lion" and "Mr.L.E.Fant" and suchlike at a telephone number that turns out to be a zoo, sometimes cause a serious overload to zoos' telephone switchboards.

(This Article Has been written By Yaqeen Ul Haq Ahmad Sikander and it was published in Greater Kashmir, The leading daily newspaper of Kashmir on 1 April, 2008. Click the following link to read this article directly from the Greater Kashmir's website http://www.greaterkashmir.com/full_story.asp?Date=1_4_2008&ItemID=22&cat=14 )

Return Of The Peace (Poem)

I was always searching for peace and I could never pursue it. So I wrote the Poem "Where is Peace?". Then after attending the 3 day workshop by Islamic Voice editor Mr. Sadatullah Khan, I wrote this poem and the he is the Holy man that is reffered in this poem.

O PEACE! YOU HAD FLED AWAY FROM MY LIFE

PIERCING MY HEART JUST LIKE A KNIFE

LIKE AN INSANE, I LOOKED FOR YOU

BUT YOU WERE THE ONE I COULDN'T PURSUE

LONGED FOR YOU, MY ACHING HEART, MY TORN SOUL

TO GET YOU AT ANY COST WAS MY ULTIMATE GOAL

THEN I MET A MAN, HOLY AND PURE

THE ONE WHO PROMISED ME PEACE FOR SURE

OUTSIDE FOR PEACE I ALWAYS LOOKED

THATS WHY MY LIFE GOT HOOKED

THEN, IN MY HEARTSTRINGS, I LOOKED FOR PEACE

I FOUND IT THERE, IN EVERY BEAT

SO HAPPY I GOT, DISCOVERING THE PEACE

I PROMISE TO RETAIN IT TILL MY DECEASE

(This Poem has been written By Yaqeen Ul Haq Ahmad Sikander)

Where is Peace? (Poem)

O PEACE WHERE HAVE YOU GONE

JUST RETURN WITH THE PACE OF A FAWN

I SEARCHED FOR YOU EVERYWHERE

BUT EVERYTIME YOU LEFT ME IN DESPAIR

WHEN YOU ARE GONE THE HUMANS PERISH

IN YOUR PRESENCE THE NATIONS CHERISH

I WANT YOU IN THE WHOLE EARTH

BUT I MISSED YOU SINCE MY BIRTH

OH PEACE! PROMISE YOU WILL COME BACK

AND FILL MY LIFE WITH WHAT I LACK

(This Poem has been written By Yaqeen Ul Haq Ahmad Sikander. It has been also published on Aspects Kashmir. Click the following link to read this Poem directly from their website http://www.kashmir-aspects.com/poem1.aspx )

Confession Of A Broken Heart! (Poem)

WHEN THE HEART BREAKS, IT'S THE TIME WHEN IT REALLY ACHES

WHEN SOMEONE COMES, THEN BETRAYS AND FAKES

WHEN LOVE BECOMES FORGRANTED AND TURN IT TAKES

WHEN THE WET EYES REVEAL THE TRUTH & THE HEART BREAKS

THAT TIME A DEEP MYSTERY THAT WAS CONCEALED, IS REAVEALED, BY THE CONFESSION OF A BROKEN HEART

WHEN ONE LISTENS TO THE HEART NO MORE

WHEN ONE REMEMBERS THE FEELINGS, THAT THE BELOVED TORE

WHEN MIND GOES BLANK AND EVERYTHING SEEMS SORE

WHEN THE LOVE IS LOST AND THE EXISTENCE SHATTERED TO ITS CORE

THAT TIME A DEEP MYSTERY THAT WAS CONCEALED, IS REAVEALED, BY THE CONFESSION OF A BROKEN HEART

WHEN THE NIGHTS ARE RESTLESS AND THE DAYS SEEM LONG

WHEN ONE REMEMBERS THE OLD DAYS AND THE LOVE SONG

WHEN ONE LOSES CHARM AND LIFE BECOMES BURDEN

WHEN THE SADDEST EVENTS COME AT SUDDEN

THAT TIME A DEEP MYSTERY THAT WAS CONCEALED, IS REAVEALED, BY THE CONFESSION OF A BROKEN HEART

(This Poem Has been written By Yaqeen Ul Haq Ahmad Sikander)