SOME lATEST VIEWS OF MATA KHEER BHAWANI SHRINE

Ba Mouji Kenh Ti zanaay na Pooz Chenei,

Kshema Karizeum Agar Manthir Mashiem Kanh.

O Mother! I do not know the art of thy worship,

Forgive me should i forget a Mantra !

( Translation from original kashmiri by A k Mota )

PS

We visited the shrine of Mata Kheer Bhawani at TulaMula on sunday the 23rd of August 2009.Credit goes to J&K government especially JKPCC and Tourism Department for integrated development of this historic shrine .Sh Harshdev Singh Ex minister for education J&k Government had also come to offer Pooja at the shrine .He informed that he is a regular visitor to the shrine since 2003. The water of the spring inside the shrine had sea blue colour . Blue is for peace .let peace prevail everywhere.

THE ONLY FLYOVER IN SRINAGAR CITY.

Dears

Srinagar city has its first and the only flyover in Jahangir Chowk. One end of the flyover is connected to Budshah Bridge while the other side landing is just opposite to AG's office Gate on Batmallo road. The Flyover eased Traffic Congestion in Jahangir chowk.It also Made direct passage for secretariat staff and officials from BudshahBridge.Enjoy some views of this Flyover taken from various points.

One of my readers has asked me to upload something on WADALI BROTHERS of PUNJAB. Here goes a brief write up on WADALI BROTHERS:-

Puran Chand and Pyare lal wadali are a strange lot. Puran Chand a wrestler and Pyre lal a village Ram lila actor in in Amritsar district rose to become the leading folk and sufi singers of Punjab . Puran Chand the elder brother looks like a village JAT with LACHHA and JUTTI as his favourite attire used in the most rustic Punjabi style . The brothers are semi literate and had no agent (to negotiate fee for their performances )when i knew them . They would come and sing for any fee. Never would they bargain their fee. They were simple , smiling and god fearing. Puran Chand was a perfect master of Gayaki and sur. He trained Pyare lal who always accompanied his brother. They lived in a joint family in village Guru Ki wadali in Amritsar district with their mother and wives and even grand Children.They would frequently perform in and around Amritsar.Baba Bulle Shah is their favourite but they also sing waris shah and sheikh fareed . Heer and Gurbaani is a treat from these masters. One literally weeps to listen the Pathos projected by them in Waris shah's HEER.Puran Chand Plays on the Harmonium . They were truthful in their dealings and punctual in their performances. I vividly remember that Puran Chand in partuicular was not very comfortable with modern electronic gadgets and singing under the dazzle of stage lights.Both of them would speak Chaste Punjabi in MAJHA Dialect ( Amritsar area is also called Majha while Jalandhar area is called Doaba and Ludhiana and its adjoining is called Malwa in Punjab ) would any one talk to them in Hindi or Urdu . Puran Chand has had some training under Ustaad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan sahib . He would cook for the Great Ustaad as his Guru Dakshina.At the moment they have no equal to match their style , purity and quality in Sufi and folk singing of Punjab .Thanklfulness to almighty is pouring from these masters at every performance . Listen to their compositions like Dil Lena Te Dil Mangna ve Sauda Ikko Jeya , Aa mil Yaar ,Tu Maane Ya na Maane Dildaara Assan te Tainu Rab Maniyaa, Ghungat Chak ve sajna ,Bulleya Ki Jaanan mein kaun,Heer and Allah Hoo to get a glimpse of their Versatility . They have superbly resung the Thumri YAAD PIYAA KI AYE sung orginally by Ustaad Bade ghulam Ali Khan sahib. Gulzar sahib has engaged these masters for scoring music of his movie PINJAR lately.I end this write up by some lines from Baba Bulle Shah the towering Sufi poet cum faquir of Punjab .

Bulliya Pad Pad Aalim Faazil Baniyaa

Kade Apne Aap Nu Padiya nahain

faj faj wadadha Mandir Masidi
Kade Apne Ander Tu Wadiya hi Nahin

Aiwain Roz Shaitaan Naal ladadha

Kade Nafas Apne Naal Ladiya hi nahin

Bulle shah Asmaani Udd diyan Fadadha

Jeda Kaar baitha ounoo Fadiyaa hi nahin.

( Baba bulle shah )

O learned Bulle Shah !you certailnly did study many scriptures ,

Never did you study your own self !

How swiftly you rush to the temple and the mosque ,

Never did you venture to travell inside the self.

Every day you quarrel with your enemies

Never did you pick up cudgels with your desires .

Bulle shah You looked to sky to catch even the flying birds,

Pity you ignored the bird sitting within.

( Translated from original Punjabi By a k mota )

Photographs Bear copyrights

THE WAZWAN WORKSHOP

Dears

Everything in life is dynamic , changing and shifting . The living style , spending style , and dressing style has undergone sea change in Kashmir too . Kashmiris spend a huge portion of their hard earned or disposable income on House Building . To have a good house is to join elite class for social acceptability . Inspite of the nuclear family system making fast inroads in present society , big houses ,much beyond need are built by one and all, Most often by raising loans from Banks . Houses which are difficult to maintain once children settle outside (due to their employment ) continue to be the craze . Scratch the background of most of the good looking buildings in New colonies today , a saga of struggle with Loan EMI repayment exists behind the scene in most of the cases.

One thing that has not undergone any change is the lavish WAZWAN in marriages . As a matter of fact things have deteriorated on this front. Too many dishes , Too much wastage , late eating and extravagance force many families to borrow for these functions to be in social race . WAZWAN as such has become a full fledged industry . Pandits too spend wastefully on post marriage Reception functions and Ghar Achhun .They too spend their hard earned money on meals having a variety of dishes including Rogan Josgh , Yakhani , Tabbak Maaz . Muchh , Kalee , Chicken , Fish ,and lately Goshtaaba and Kebab and also adding to it many Punjabi and north indian food items through various stalls .Wastage is unavoidable but it is on a little lesser scale in view of the facts that Pandits have shifted to Buffet system.

The Workshop Fuel of Cooks in valley continues to be traditional Timber while Pandits have shifted to Cooking with LPG cylinders . Noise by cooks in action is prevalent in both the workshops .Enjoy some views of a WAZWAN Workshop in valley taken by me in August 2009 at Pampore . I attended this Marriage function wherein Daughter of a colleague got married to a boy working as an Engineer at Banglore .Similar was the WANWUN and the ISBAND burning in Kangris by Ladies of the household as I would have seen in a Pandit marriage . Let us ponder for a while as to how essential it is to marry within our own set up or society to carry forward the tradition and culture from One Generation to another . I am firm believer that the culture of any Society or group is essentially kept alive by women folk only. Men contribute little on this front. Kudos to our ladies for keeping culture tied to the soil of Kashmir alive even in most trying circumstances both in kashmir as well as outside.
A K Mota

Photographs bear copyrights .

GANDERBAL( KASHMIR ) AREA VIEWS

Dears

We opened a branch of the bank at Ganderbal Kashmir on 24.08.2009 and accordingly i was supposed to overlook the work relating to opening operations on saturday and sunday.I visited entire SUMBAL , TULAMULA, GANDERBAL , NUNAR , MANASBAL , KANGAN, WUSAN , MANIGAM and other SINDH VALLEY VILLAGES TO MOBILIZE BUSINESS for the new branch of the bank. Obviously i interacted with lot many people and officials of the area.The area has undergone rapid development in last two decades . Ganderbal town itself shows visible development . Roads are in good shape . The Manasbal lake is undergoing development .A Beautiful garden has come up near the lake . Kudos to Manasbal Development Authority for maintaining the ancient Three piece stone Shiva Temple and making 75% of the temple visible from the water of the spring wherein it had submerged totally. This temple is an excellent piece of ancient stone work possibly relating to early 8th centuary.The road from Manasbal to Sumbal is well maintained . So is the road from Ganderbal to Kangan.The views of Dense forests and gushing Sindh are breathtaking . I also went upto the head works of Sindh canal where from water is fed to Ganderbal power house and to Alastaing filteration Plant for supply to city. The sindh water is ice cold and good to taste . Some water from the Sindh canal is also used for irrigation in Ganderbal District. We also went to Mata kheer Bhawani temple .The water of the spring was deep blue on 23.08.2009. I have uploaded a view the ancient Shiva temple of Manasbal maintained by Manasbal Development Authority , a View of The spring of Mata Kheer Bhawani shrine, A view of Sindh River , A View of Sindh Canal supplying water to Ganderbal Power house and Alastaing filteration Plant, a view of the Manasbal garden and some other views of the area.
Enjoy them till my next upload.
A k Mota

Except Mata kheer Bhawani Temple and Shiva temple of Manasbal , all other views bear copyrights .

FIVE TYPICAL TRADES OF KASHMIR PART VI

VEGETABLE SELLERS OF KASHMIR

Gar Aaj Tujh Se Juda hain To Kal Baham Honge,

Yeh Raat Bhar Ki Judai To Koi Baat Nahin.

Gar Aaj Auz pe hai Taale Raqeeb to Kya ,

Ye Chaar Din Ki Khudai to Koi Baat Nahin.

Issi Sabab se Phalak ko Gilaa Nahin Karte

Tere Firaq me Hum Dil Buraa nahin Karte

(Faiz Ahmed Faiz)

No doubt we are away from you today,

But certainly we shall be together tomorrow.

These nights of separation shall have to passs over.

If the fate of our enemy is at peak today ,

worry not for that my love !

This present power with our foe is not a big thing ,

this too is short lived .

Never have we lodged any complaint to thee lord!

Never shall we get disheartened in this separation!

( Translation from urdu by a k mota )

Photographs bear copyrights

FIVE CAPTIVATING VIEWS OF KASHMIIR

Hamaare dil se mat Khelo ,

Khilona Toot Jaayega .

zara si Thais Pahunchegi ,

Yeh Sheesha phoot Jaayega .

( A Popular song sung by Mehdi Hassan )

Do Not Play with this tender heart ,

This toy is bound to break.

A little hurt and lo!

This brittle glass shall

break to pieces.

( Translation by a k Mota )

Photographs Bear Copyrights

SINDH VALLEY NEAR PRANG GANDERBAL KASHMIR

Dono Jahaan Teri Mohhabat Me Haar Ke
Woh Jaa Rahaa Hai koi Shabe Gham Guzaar Ke
Veeraan hai Maikada Khumo Sagaar Udaas hain
Tum Kya gaye ki Rooth Gaye Din Bahaar Ke.
Duniya ne teri Yaad se Begaana kar Diya
Tujh Se Bhi Dil Fareb Hain Gham Rozgaar ke
( Faiz Fhmed faiz)

Losing the struggle for thy love in both the worlds ,
Here leaves some one after that terrible night of sorow.
Deserted lies the Tavern so are the Glasses of wine sad ,
The sunlit days of spring did never visit once you departed.
The world erased traces of your memory from our minds
How tempting were the sorrows of struggle for existence!
( Translation by A k Mota)

Photographs bear copyrights