From shared meals to silent hallways, this is the story of how communities dissolved into strangers. By Abid Hussain Rather There was a time—close enough to remember, distant enough to ache for—when life unfolded in the open, stitched together by neighbours who lived not just beside one another but with one another. In the neighbourhoods […]
The Unspoken Vows
Why Kashmir’s Couples Are Choosing Therapy Before the ‘Qabool Hai’ By Sualiha Zubair The Chinar leaves had just begun their descent into fiery hues of crimson and gold back in October when the household of 26-year-old Mir Afsa (Name changed) in Sanat Nagar was buzzing with a familiar, frenetic energy. It was the peak of […]
Srinagar’s Harissa Wans
Imagine the scent of slow-cooked mutton, the sizzle of hot mustard oil, and the warmth of a freshly baked Girda. Harissa isn’t just a dish; it’s a morning ritual that brings the community together in the pre-dawn frost. By Manzoor Akash When the frost of Chillaikalan—the harshest forty-day period of the Kashmiri winter—tightens its grip […]
Parents vs. Private Schools A Battle Over Transparency
Parents across Kashmir say private schooling is slipping into a marketplace maze — with fee shocks, vendor tie-ups, and shifting curricula pushing families to the edge By Javid Amin Every year, as Kashmir wraps up its examination season, families brace for the familiar scramble of admissions, supplies, and new routines. But in recent years, what […]
A Saint Still Speaks In Kashmir
In a valley of many faiths, Nund Reshi’s simple ethics became a unifying language of compassion and humility. By Khursheed Dar Kashmir is a land that remembers. Its rivers remember the footsteps of poets and kings; its mountains remember whispered stories of love, loss, and quiet resilience. And woven into that collective memory walks a […]
Valley’s Drug Explosion
Heroin has tightened its grip on Kashmir, pulling teens, families, and entire neighbourhoods into crisis. This is the inside story of the Valley’s silent epidemic. By Umar Farooq Kashmir’s drug epidemic is no longer a crisis hiding in the margins — it has surged into one of the Valley’s most devastating social emergencies. What began […]
APEDA: Powering India’s Rise in World Food Markets
By Dr. Azra Mufti The Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority, better known as APEDA, was born in 1986 with a straightforward mission: push Indian agriculture onto the global stage. Set up as a statutory body under the Government of India and replacing the old Processed Food Export Promotion Council, the Authority has […]
Autumn: That Brings Back the Boy I Was
A return to fields where grasshoppers were heroes, kites carried dreams, and life unfolded without hurry—or money. By Peer Mohammad Amir Qureshi This year, autumn arrived as if carried on swift wings—too soon, too suddenly—like a memory slipping through the narrow throat of an hourglass. Time seems to dissolve into golden dust, leaving behind only […]
The Price of a Daughter
Even as society celebrates modernity, one ancient practice continues to ruin lives. Dowry demands are rising, not fading — and the human cost is becoming impossible to ignore. By Saba Saleem Modern life loves to advertise its progress, but if you scratch beneath the glossy surface, some of our oldest and ugliest social habits remain […]
SKIE Coaching Row: Crime Branch to Investigate Govt Employees’ Hidden Role
In a significant directive, Farooq Ahmad Bhat, Additional District Judge, Srinagar, has ordered a detailed investigation into the alleged involvement of government employees in running a private tuition centre, SKIE, through proxy partners. The order was passed during the hearing of a partnership dispute filed by petitioner Mufti Hamid through his counsel, Advocate Sajad Ahmad […]