The Observer Volume 20 Issue 9

facebook.com/ twoiijnm/

The Observer An IIJNM publication

Vol 21, Issue 9

School managements not happy with state govt’s order to charge only 70% of term fee | P 2

By Abhisek Dutta Bengaluru: The Sarakki lake bed, in south Bengaluru, has been encroached upon in such a way that its southern end, where three temples have been built illegally, has turned into a thin tail.

The Observer visited ten of the 15 illegally built religious structures on the lake bed.

At the southern end, encroachment starts with a two-storey Shri Sathya Ganapathi Shirdi Saibaba Temple, built illegally on the Sarakki lake bed | Abhisek Dutta end, has exquisite sculptures. It has a high dome painted in white and golden colours.

An engineer working on the lake’s beautification project informed The Observer: “Puttenahalli road and Ganapathi Temple are built on the lake bed.”

The area of Sarakki lake, Bengaluru’s largest lake, was once 84 acres. Today, almost 34 acres

have been encroached upon.

The Sarakki Lake Area Improvement Trust (SLAIT) was formed in 2012 to rejuvenate the lake, but the construction of illegal structures did not stop.

In September 2009, the apex court ordered the state governments to demolish, relocate or regularize all illegal structures built on public property. On Feb-

ruary 26, the BBMP informed the Karnataka HC that 277 illegal religious structures were built in Bengaluru after the SC ruling. Of these, 36 were built on lake beds – 15 on the Sarakki bed alone.

A BBMP official said: “Within the lake area, 15 religious structures are identified as illegal. We informed the HC whatever information we had. Now we are looking forward to the HC’s decision.”

Narayana S, a resident of Jarganahalli, said the lake was once almost rectangular, but now it has taken a conical shape due to encroachments. Illegal structures have narrowed the southern end and given it a conical shape which looks like the tail of the lake.

Some temples cannot be razed because people visit them daily.

Shanta Kumar, a resident of Puttenahalli, said the temples should not be demolished. Instead, the BBMP should take care of the illegal structures.

K.S. Bhat, an SLAIT member, is happy with the high court’s intervention. He had approached the HC, the Supreme Court and the National Green Tribunal to save the lake.

Continued on page 3

Auto drivers cut up as No smartphone or card? govt fails to help them You can’t board Metro

By Dhruv Raghav Bengaluru: Autorickshaw drivers are facing a crisis as the government has failed to provide the financial support it had promised.

“We have to feed ourselves, take care of our families, and maintain our autos. What government are you talking about; we are our own government,” remarked Lokesh H, an autorickshaw driver.

The drivers are unhappy with the government’s attitude towards them. On March 3, they took out a rally from the Majestic railway station to Freedom Park in protest against rising fuel prices, traffic fines and the government’s alleged lack of will to help them.

“We did not get anything from the government, not even the promised Rs 5,000,” Lokesh added.

In December 2020, the Karnataka government announced that a one-time amount of Rs 5,000 would be given to autorickshaw drivers as compensation for the losses they had incurred during the lockdown.

The government opened a registration portal for them. They were asked to furnish Aadhaar card, a passport-size photo, registered transport driver proof, residence certificate, vehicle registration certificate, driving licence and voter ID card while registration. Even after submission, some drivers weren’t assisted.

Continued on page 3

Website: http://www. theweeklyobserver.in

Animal shelter homes expect more donations to run operations smoothly amidst pandemic | P 3

Creation of trust fails to prevent illegal structures

Mahalakshmi temple. Beside it, two smaller temples have been built with iron angles and sheets.

Sri Lakshmi Narayana Swami temple has occupied more than half an acre on the south-western bank. The temple area consists of a 25-sqft stage-like concrete structure built around a peepul tree.

Sri Sathya Ganapathi Shirdi Saibaba Temple, at the northern

Epaper:https://issuu.com/ theweeklyobserver/docs

Thursday, March 4, 2021

Sarakki encroachments have changed shape of water body

Observer special

@theweeklyobserver

By Nidhi Kajaria Bengaluru: Namma Metro’s cashless transaction policy has put commuters without smartphones and digital payment methods in trouble.

BMRCL had discontinued token sales at counters to ensure contactless and cashless travel in the wake of the pandemic.

Rakesh Ranjan, a BMRCL customer care employee, informed The Observer: “There has been no update from the government about the changes in the cashless transaction policy.”

He said has seen many people returning from the counter because they didn’t have smartphones to make payments through UPI or other digital

News Briefs Jaishankar in Dhaka ahead of Modi visit

External affairs minister S Jaishankar arrived in Bangladesh on Thursday ahead of a visit by PM Narendra Modi amid efforts to resolve the fate of 81 Rohingya refugees that are adrift in international waters.

Myanmar constables cross over to India

Three Myanmar police constables have crossed over to Mizoram. They are seeking shelter in the country, a police official said on Thursday.

V.K. Sasikala quits political arena

V.K. Sasikala, ousted former interim general secretary of the ruling AIADMK and close aide of J Jayalalithaa, decided to stay away from politics.

‘PSB

stocks may give moderate returns’

State-owned lenders are expected to see moderate additions to bad loans, but structural issues at the banks could cap returns on their stocks, Morgan Stanley said on Thursday.

EPFO fixes 8.5% interest on EPF

Retirement fund body EPFO on Thursday decided to retain 8.5 per cent rate of interest on provident fund deposits for the current financial year.

Around the city Celestial Teapot at Fandom at Gilly's Redefined, 1st floor, 100 Feet Road, 4th Block, Koramangala on 7th March 2021 Sun Innellea at JW Marriott Hotel, 1, Vittal Mallya Rd, KG Halli, Shanthala Nagar, Ashok Nagar on 7th March 2021 Sun Pukkate Salahe (Comedy Drama) at KEA Prabhath Rangamandira, C A Site No. 1, 8th Main Road, 2nd Cross, Kamalanagar on 7th March 2021 Sun

Commuter using debit card to make a payment | Nidhi Kajaria methods. “I have noticed this trend mostly in elderly people; they don’t have smartphones. If they do, then they seem unfamiliar with digital payments.”

Continued on page 3

Weather Temperature Maximum-31 degrees celsius Minimum-14 degrees celsius Precipitation- 0 per-cent Humidity- 15 per-cent Wind-18 km/h

CITY

2

The Observer Thursday, March 4, 2021

Schools urge govt to reverse fee cut order

Parents hail the move; teachers oppose it

By Mahitha Owk

Bangalore: The closure of schools because the pandemic caused them losses, a burden increased by the government’s order to charge only 70% of fees.

“We give fee discounts to a lot of students, but still parents don’t pay fees. Now with this new order, we won’t have money at all.

How do we run the school?” said Dr Charles Thomas, principal of Bethel India Mission School. He described his condition as “a fine kettle of fish”.

Nearly 4,000 private schools will have to follow the government order to collect only 70% of the fees. In such a situation, schools could be left with the option of reducing the salaries of their employees.

Mani Ratna, a private school teacher, said she opposes the government’s decision. “My husband and I are earning members, unlike many of my colleagues who are single parents. It will be really difficult for them.” They received only 50% salaries as classes were held online. The government order has worsened their situation.

On February 23, more than 25,000 teachers, school management authorities and non-teaching staff of private schools protested in Bengaluru against the government’s refusal to roll

The Delhi Public School is waiting for students to come back | Credit: Mahitha Owk back the order.

Delhi Public School administrator Biji Kumari said classes are still being held online “We can do nothing but wait for the government to reverse its order.”

The school administration has also said that they are paying full salaries to all teaching and nonteaching staff despite the lockdown and the government's new order.

When The Observer checked with one of the non-teaching employees about salaries, she said: “They are lying. They are only paying Rs 3,000 of my Rs 7,000 salary.”

Thomas said pointing at a kid: “Look, his father is a government employee and he is earning good, but still they are so reluctant to pay the school fee.” It’s not a financial problem but negligence that is stopping parents from paying fee.

For many parents, the 30% cut in tuition fee has come as a blessing. The government has also asked the school managements to not increase school fee. Still, many parents are complaining that the schools are forcing them to pay the full amount.

“Despite the government’s decision, the school management is

behind us to pay the full amount.

They keep calling us every alternate day asking for money,” said Chandrakala, a mother of two.

Another parent, Prameela K, said the management has been charging full fee since the pandemic started.

School authorities said they have lot of expenses such as salaries of teachers and nonteaching staff, lab expenses, sports and transportation costs, and maintenance of infrastructure. According to them as the schools are reopening, Covid-19 measures are being taken and regular sanitization is being done.

Number of visitors to State Library dips due to Covid and digitization Some people are sceptical about visiting libraries

By Nidhi Kajaria Bangalore: The Covid-19 pandemic and digitization of public libraries have taken a huge toll on the number of visitors at the State Central Library, Cubbon Park. The number of visitors has come down by about 60%.

Librarian Lokesh informed The Observer: “Earlier the library used to operate at full capacity.

But now we hardly see 100 readers.” This number includes people who come to read newspapers.

As per the Unlock 4.0 guidelines, public libraries reopened in September 2020 after five months.

The capacity of the library is 1,000 users at a time. During preCovid times, around 500 people visited the library. The number has declined to 150-200.

Suman S, a regular visitor to the library for a year, shared: “I

State Central Library is almost empty | Credit: Nidhi Kajaria have observed a tremendous decline in the number of readers.”

Despite a decline in the number of new Covid-19 cases in Bengaluru in the past few months, people have been sceptical about visiting public libraries.

Though authorities have followed Covid precautions such as sanitizing the library and books, only a few show up, Lokesh said.

Bharat, a UPSC aspirant who

has been using the library for two years, said he had returned to the facility just three days before.

He didn't visit the library for six months because he doubted the Covid-19 protocols followed by the administration.

There hasn’t been any Covid case recorded at the library, an employee responsible for sanitization said.

Owing to the pandemic, many

readers have preferred to avail of the online public library service introduced on February 26, 2020.

According to Department of Public raries data, 23.79 lakh people signed up for the online service during the pandemic.

Around 10.9 lakh ebooks and 5.49 lakh videos have been accessed so far. The number of registrations from Bengaluru Urban district was 2.37 lakh.

“To provide easy access to readers, the government brought the idea of digital libraries even before the pandemic. Nevertheless, because we had a pandemic, it allowed readers to visit websites,” said Sarojamma M, deputy director of the department of public libraries.

Fareen Azimi, a reader who began visiting the library on March 1, said: “Even if we have digital libraries, we don’t get the same environment at home as we get at a library.”

The low number of visitors to the Cubbon Park library has affected vendors in the area. They said that their earnings have declined on account of this. nidhi.k@iijnm.org

These are additional costs.

Sudha Dinesh N, principal of the Vivekananda Public School, said: “We sanitize the entire school every day, and we are not asking parents any additional money for that. We are not a very big school. We don’t get any funds. We charge a very little fee.

It is going to be a tough time for us now.”

Deepa P S, Jnana Jyothi Vidyaniketana School’s accountant and Kannada teacher, said: “We don’t want parents to suffer either, The management is talking to the parents. We will come to a decision very soon.” The school is suffering losses as enrolments have come down this year.

Many students have dropped out due to the pandemic.

Many petitions have been filed against the government order to cut fee by 30%. A bench of Karnataka High Court, led by Justice R Devdas, has ordered the state government to file its statement of objective within 10 days from 25th February.

One of the petitions was filed by the Associated Managements of Primary and Secondary Schools in Karnataka (KAMS). The secretary of the association, D Shashi Kumar, said: “We are not against parents, but the decision is affecting us. On what basis did the government take this decision is not clear.” He added that on paper, it’s a 30% fees cut, but it is more than that, it is around 45 to 50%.

“We don’t have a problem if it’s 10% but 30% is too much; moreover, the government does not provide us with any aid.” mahitha.o@iijnm.org

Words of the day Contaminate: To soil, stain, corrupt, or infect by contact or association Organoleptic: Being, affecting, or relating to qualities (such as taste, color, odor, and feel) of a substance that stimulate the sense organs Gazette: A paper that is printed and distributed usually daily or weekly and that contains news, features, advertising etc.

Deference: Respect and esteem due to a superior or an elder; affected or ingratiating regard for another's wishes Turbid: Thick or opaque with or as with roiled sediment Megillah: A long involved story or account.

Quiz Corner 1. Which Karnataka minister recently resigned over a leaked sex scandal?

2. In which state’s Legislative Assembly was the Love Jihad bill recently introduced?

3. In which hospital did Prime Minister Narendra Modi take the Covid-19 vaccine?

4. Which company’s vaccine did the United States’ FDA approve recently?

5. Which football club won the Indian Super League Shield 202021?

For answers see page 3

3

CITY

The Observer Thursday, March 4, 2021

Bengaluru’s animal shelters struggle as donations dry up

Rise in price of fodder adds to their burden

By Nishita M. Agath

Bangalore: Animal shelters in Bengaluru are unable to function smoothly due to a drastic decline in funding.

Dr B.C. Ramakrishna Patron, owner of the Karuna Animal Shelter Home, which provides shelter to 4,448 animals, said: “When all the organizations were closed during the lockdown, Karuna functioned normally, fulfilling the requirements of the animals at shelter home.” They also rescued stray animals.

“The shelter home is facing financial loss of around 80%. Earlier, we used to receive donations of around Rs 10 lakh a month which have now reduced to less than Rs 2 lakh.”

After the implementation of the anti-cow slaughter law, lakhs of cows were abandoned by their owners. The government plans to construct shelter homes for such animals.

Dr Thippuswamy, additional director, animal husbandry and

Quiz Answers 1. Ramesh Jarkiholi 2. Madhya Pradesh 3. AIIMS, Delhi 4.Johnson & Johnson 5.Mumbai FC

Twitterati Talk Rajnath Singh @rajnathsingh Salute the efforts of India’s scientists and doctors who developed the Vaccine in a short span of time. I also thank the Doctors and paramedic staff at the RR Hospital for the vaccination. I urge everyone who is eligible to take the vaccine and make India COVID free.

Team Observer Editor: Nidhi Kajaria Copy Editors: Nishita M. Agath, Dhruv Ragav, Mahitha Owk, Abhisek Dutta, Ashutosh Acharya, Nidhi Kajaria Page Editors: Nishita M. Agath, Abhisek Dutta, Nidhi Kajaria Reporters: Nishita M. Agath, Dhruv Ragav, Mahitha Owk, Abhisek Dutta, Ashutosh Acharya, Nidhi Kajaria Photo Editors: Dhruv Raghav Supplements: Ashutosh Acharya

Animal shelters face several challenges including food shortages, reduced adoption rates and rise in abandonment. | Nishita M. Agath veterinary services said: “Under MGNREGA, the government is planning the construction of gaushalas at the taluk level… .”

The increased price of fodder is making it worse for the animal shelter homes to fulfill the needs of animals.

Sunil Dubey, secretary at Akhil Karnataka Prani Daya Sangh, said the situation has improved a bit. Earlier, there were restrictions on transportation. Adding to the trouble was the migration of

employees to their hometowns.

“However, at present, with the donations reducing by 90%, the maintenance of 1,200 animals, 40 employees and their respective families seems a difficult task. It is tough to fulfill the fodder need of 20 tonnes a day.” Fodder price has increased by 60%.

Abhu Ratiya, a fodder seller, said: “During the pandemic, we experienced the highest surge and fluctuations in fodder price… .”

Dr M.K. Syeed, a veterinarian,

Aged struggle with smart cards Continued from page 1 y father hasn’t allowed me to use debit cards or other digital payment methods. Hence, it gets very difficult for me to travel on the Metro when I’m in a hurry, said Riya Rathode, a student, said.

BMRCL’s decision has forced people without smartphones to figure out different ways to travel on the Metro.

The Observer saw Gayatri, a senior citizen, asking another commuter to help her to get her Metro card recharged in lieu of cash.

Experts say any order should be passed only after considering its impact on senior citizens.

Vijay Mallick, public relations manager, Helpage India, Delhi, said: “The government often neglects the needs and problems of senior citizens and people with special abilities.” In this case, BMRCL should have considered different options.

M

People standing in queues for Metro card recharge said that using debit cards for small transactions has become tedious and time-consuming. “There have been many instances when I have found it difficult to make the payment because of technical issues.

It wouldn’t have been the same if there was an option for cash,” commuter Shivam Agrawal said.

BMRCL staff at the ticket counters cite the pandemic as the reason for not accepting cash as a mode of payment. Sheela George, who works at a ticket counter at the Cubbon Park station, said: “We aren’t accepting cash to avoid the chances of getting affected by the virus.”

However, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there is no strong evidence of transmission of the virus from contaminated money to people’s bodies. nidhi.k@iijnm.org

shared: “Treating animals is expensive. However, the lack of donations didn’t affect the treatment of animals.” He did his duty during the lockdown with special police passes.

Soubagya, an employee at the Karuna Animal Shelter Home, said the shelter homes provide a better life to not only animals but to employees too. Despite a fall in donations to the shelter home, she didn’t suffer a salary cut.

Animal shelters require support from philanthropists to meet their needs. Lack of awareness among people is one of the reasons for insufficient funding.

“People must consider animals as an integral part of their life.

They must have compassionate feelings; else the lives of animals will be pathetic,” said Dubey.

Impana S.M., a donor, said: “I always donate either to an NGO or an orphanage. We aren’t aware of the work done by animal shelter homes. Therefore, we hesitate and don’t realize the need to donate to animal shelter homes.”

With the economy slowly returning back to normal, the shelter homes now are getting better.

They hope people will make efforts and donate funds liberally. nishita.a@iijnm.org

SLAIT member expresses joy on HC’s intervention Continued from page 1 C will take a decision (on) which will stay and which will go. We are waiting for its decision,” KS Bhat said.

The Sarakki lake comes under the jurisdiction of the Jarganahalli BBMP office. Sathyanarayan Reddy, a BBMP official at the office, said: “We have not received any directive from the head office.”

In the past 15 years, the custody of the lake has been shifted from the forest department to BBMP, BDA, Lake Development Authority and back to BBMP. According to a report in Deccan Herald, the State Level Apex Committee held four meetings over lake encroachments till January 2021. It has ordered all the deputy commissioners to submit the soft copies of water body surveys done in the respected districts. They have been ordered to make a list of lakes surveyed, marked encroachments, encroachments removed and those which will be removed soon.

That report says that Kaggadasapura Lake has 23 encroachments by private people; Begur Lake has almost 10 acres of encroachment while Subramanyapura Lake, in Uttarahalli, has shrunk from 25.6 acres to 18.6 acres in the revenue records. abhisek.d@iijnm.org

H

No assistance to registered drivers

Autorickshaws parked at Mysore Road Metro station | Dhruv Raghav Continued from page 1 ven autorickshaw drivers registered with the transport department have not received any assistance. Autorickshaw driver Aslam Pasha said: “I applied for the compensation. I submitted all my documents.

Still, I have not got any money.

The lockdown was difficult. I had to face huge losses. I had to pay an insurance premium, as also money for my auto’s maintenance. I received a message on the completion of the filing process but not the money.”

Prakash M.V., another driver said: “We have received absolutely nothing from the government. It did not give us enough support. Our business is down by more than 60%.”

B.B. Raghavendra, a member of the Federation of Auto Drivers in Karnataka, said the increase in fuel prices and traffic violation fines have added to the drivers’ financial burden.

Leslie Carvalho, a commuter, said: “Fuel prices have shot up, so their reason to feel distressed is

E

justified. They should also be ready to adjust the fare when things normalize as this will burn a hole in our pockets. If they increase fares, maybe people will start walking and it will be good for their health. I would rather walk if it’s a short distance.”

Swathi Pramod, another commuter, said: “If it (the fare hike) is very high, it will be problematic for us; but if it’s reasonable, then it would help the auto drivers and not burden on us.”

S. Natarajan, assistant superintendent of traffic police of the Ashok Nagar station, said: “Only 50% of the autorickshaw drivers are correct; rest of them lie. I have never heard of police brutality against them. They ask for extra money. They do not turn on their meters, and if they do, they tamper with them.”

Last-mile connectivity is a huge problem in Bengaluru because most places are still unconnected

by Metro. The problem could worsen if the drivers decide to hike fares. dhruv.r@iijnm.org

Observer 4 The Thursday, March 4, 2021

POLITICAL Can BJP win the South?

SUPPLEMENT

Hardcore nationalism won’t let the saffron party come to power in the southern states, writes Mahitha Owk

T

he BJP, which power at the Centre, has a motto of one nation, one rule. But it is still far from ruling the whole nation. It is in power in only seven states on its own, and in power with alliances in 10 states.

The BJP mainly depends on regional politics and hardcore nationalism to win elections. These don’t work in the South. Most of the South’s politics are based on caste. For example, in Tamil Nadu, the anti-Brahmin sentiment plays a prominent role.

Vanniyars, Thevars and Gounders strongly influence the politics of the state. In Karnataka, Vokkaligas and Lingayats, and in Andhra Pradesh, Reddys and Kammas, influence politics. The chief minister of Telangana is an upper-caste Velama. But the Reddys hold top positions in most political parties.

To understand state politics in India, we need to understand the power centres. These consist of the BJP, Congress and regional parties. A strong regional party is most likely to rule a state, leaving very little scope for the BJP. The people of the state feel more connected with their regional parties and leaders than with national parties like the

The BJP mainly depends on regional politics and hardcore nationalism to win elections, which do not work in the South. | Credit: KPN Congress or BJP. One of the plus points of regional parties is that they understand the state and its issues better than the national parties.

Damodar Prasad Patakamuru, a political analyst, said: “People don’t choose voters based on the candidates in the elections but based on the symbol and the face of the party. Name at least five BJP politicians apart from Modi

and Shah. Most people cannot because both of them are the face of BJP and people vote for them.”

In Karnataka, the BJP already is in power. It is yet to find a successor to the 78-year-old B.S. Yediyurappa.

Even though Telangana state was created during UPA rule, voters of the state preferred the Telangana Rashtra Samithi, led

by K Chandrashekar Rao. There

is little scope for the BJP, which may win at the Centre but is not fully aware of regional politics.

Andhra Pradesh is another state where the BJP is slowly crawling to the forefront. The Telugu Desam Party (TDP) was an ally of BJP until early 2018.

Later, the TDP, led by N. Chandrababu Naidu, criticized the BJP severely. After its defeat in the 2019 assembly elections, the TDP has softened its stance against BJP. Many major leaders have left TDP and joined BJP. Now there is speculations that Yuvajana Sramika Rythu Congress Party, the ruling party, may side with the BJP. If that happens, the BJP will surely benefit.

“The Congress is not anymore a powerful national party. They can no longer contest elections only by telling that they fought in the freedom movement; it needs strong leaders and a proper agenda to come back,” said Damodar Prasad. his is the first time that Tamil Nadu is going to polls without Amma and Kalaignar. So it’s not clear who will win the elections. The DMK and AIADMK are strong players, leaving little space for the BJP.

T

With the entry of ‘Metroman’ E. Sreedharan, the BJP is looking forward to making a mark in Kerala. The state with India’s highest literacy has often titled towards the Left in state assembly elections.

“The people of Kerala do not give a chance to just one party; they keep rotating. For a rightwing party like BJP, coming to power in a communist-dominated state is not possible anytime soon,” said Damodar Prasad.

Recently, the Puducherry government fell after several MLAs of the Congress resigned. The BJP is looking to set its footprint in the Union territory.

“The BJP didn’t have a single elected MLA in Puducherry, and that’s the reason they are luring MLAs of other parties to resign, or using central agencies like ED and CBI to raid the houses of opposition MLAs,” said Damodar Prasad.

If at all the BJP wants to come to power in the South, it should tune into the voters’ mood. It should focus more on regional issues rather than religion and nationalism to attract more voters and make its mark. It should also have strong regional leaders. mahitha.o@iijnm.org

Tales of resistance and feminine will ‘The Kashmir Podcast’ presents another reality of the state, writes Tasmia Ansari

K

ashmiri women have always been portrayed as ‘Kashmir ki Kalis’ in shikaras filled with flowers and their beauty being praised by men dancing around them. Stories of Kashmiri women are not often written or spoken about in the mainstream media. Only their elegant appearance is referred to. The female gender is seen as a subordinate, linked to housing chores, and not the one indulging in a conversation about politics and history.

In the fifth episode of ‘The Kashmir Podcast with Ifat Gazia’, she talks about life and work in the past few years with four Kashmiri women. The episode provides a fresh perspective from women’s point of view.

It throws light on issues faced by Kashmiri women of different age groups and how their normalcy is defined by check points and barbed wires. The biweekly podcast focuses on different issues faced by Kashmiris.

The episode begins with Gazia speaking about the women’s definition of oppression. Further, it gives an insight into its multi-layered effects which an outsider cannot think about. There’s the physical element of bunkers and military being present at every

The female gender is seen as a subordinate, linked to housing chores, and not the one indulging in a conversation about politics and history.| Courtesy: Avani Rai corner of the street. The economy has been doomed after the abrogation of Article 370.

It also highlights the humongous amount of psychological trauma the people of Kashmir carry even after leaving the place.

They also mention the dilemma of ‘half-widows’ who struggle for closure. ‘Half-widow’ is a term used for a Kashmiri woman whose husband disappeared but

is not declared dead.

Freedom of speech in India has become a controversial subject in the past few years. With Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) being slapped on activities around the nation and extra strict guidelines in Kashmir, the episode discusses the day-to-day struggles of Safina Nabi, a fulltime independent Kashmiri journalist.

T

he most recent story is that of a man booked under UAPA for playing cricket while wearing a jersey bearing a terrorist’s name. The present government’s action of slapping the draconian law is one of the problems, apart from the constant communication barricade and an increase in military deployment.

The stories narrated by these women will transport you to their

lives and give a rough idea about the atrocities. They create empathy and make one count their privileges.

Listening to these women maturely speak about the omnipresent military makes one feel these stories are right out of a George Orwell book.

Mughal Emperor Jehangir once said when he visited Kashmir in the 17th century, “Gar firdaus bar-rue zamin ast, hami asto, hamin asto, hamin ast”, which translates to “If there is a heaven on earth, it’s here, it’s here, it’s here.” Rabia Bukhari, a senior fellow in Department of Sociology, Jamia Millia Islamia University, contradicts this with, “Something is wrong with our world; it’s not normal. Everything is not so heavenly about this place.”

This episode provides an overview of the atrocities committed against Kashmiri women in an elaborated manner. It works as a frame of reference to understand the helplessness experienced by people of the Kashmir Valley through their experiences.

One can sense resilience in the voices of the four Kashmiri women. Each one of them has a different notion of oppression. tasmia.a@iijnm.org