A little attention

Here is the caption of a picture showing the mosque at Hazratbal and the library of the University of Kashmir that appeared in the online edition of the Srinagar Newspaper 'Greater Kashmir':

"GK lensman Habib Naqash brings together the icons of faith and knowledge- the Hazratbal shrine housing the relic of the Prophet (SAW) and the central library of Kashmir University, named after poet-philosopher Allama Iqbal."

While I noticed what the caption read, my eyes also saw something I didn't want to see. The picture also had Dal lake in the foreground. It could have been picture perfect but wasn't to be. The water of the lake appeared sick and on the verge of death. It was bizarre. The same picture depicted, as the photographer called it 'icons of faith and knowledge' and we failed on both fronts.

Our religion demands from us that we take care of our environment and our knowledge of science should tell us how we could do it efficiently. How is it that we are ignoring both and expect a miracle to happen and things to change on their own. The picture could become perfect if we just pay a little attention to these two icons and heed what they are telling us. Money does not solve problems, application of knowledge does. We have people praying everyday and academicians learning new things each day, both groups on the banks of the same dying lake, yet we can't apply the teachings of either one to give a new lease of life to this beautiful('dying') lake.

Hail Democracy

Democracy is good when it is seen on ground under all circumstances. A biased selected application of it at some places and gross violation of it at most other places renders it not only worthless and useless but just a rhetoric.

You might be wondering what I am talking about here. It was a photo that finally made me give vent to these expressions. It was a photo of a man in Srinagar protesting against the bad treatment of Kashmiri prisoners in various jails inside Jammu and Kashmir and outside. It was okay as long as the picture had this person protesting but not to be. He had company. Six of them. All in police uniform dragging him and hitting him with their batons. These were the cops in Kashmir trying to probably prevent this dangerous person from registering his protest against something very shameful. Ironically there was a shop(closed) in the background. The front shutter of the shop was rolled down and it had an ad on it. The ad was of a soda and it read 'CRUSH'. Yes, crush is a soda. Apparently, the cops took a cue from it.

This is democracy for you in Kashmir and most of the politicians out there are proud of this form of democracy in Kashmir and brag about it in the international forums where people hardly see it working on the ground. Shame.