HAPPY 2010 TO ALL MY READERS

SEASONN'S GREETINGS AND A  VERY VERY HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL MY READERS .

kashmir did not have  the much awaited snowfall as yet . We had a snowless Christmas and in all probabilities a snowless  First day of 2010. I have uploaded a view of  Chashme Shahi  Garden of Srinagar captured in january 2009 .I am also reminded of Ahmed Faraz  at this snowless Closure of   the year 2009.

Teri Nigaah ke jadoo bikhertay jatay hain,
Jo zakham dil ko millay hain wo Bhartay jatay hain.
Tere Bagair  woh  din bhi ghuzar gaye Akhir,
Tere Bagair  yeh din bhi ghuzartay jatay hain.


(Ahmed Faraz )

The magic of thy eyes is spreading far and wide ,
My wounds too have started healing now ,
Finally we lived those days of separation from thee ,
Lo !These days in thy absence too pass on .
( Translation a k Mota )

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THREE VIEWS OF ZIYARAT OF MAKHDOOM SAHIB SRINAGAR( DECEMBER 2009)

Maine khaake Gulistaan ke bosey liye ,

Aur yeh keh keh ke dil ko samjhaa diyaa ,

Aashiyaana Bananaa Mera kaam Thaa ,
Koi Bijli Giraaye to Mein Kyaa karoon.



Masjidon Me to Maine Yehi Ki Dua ,
Mein Jissey Chahataa Hoon Woh Mujh Ko Miley ,
Jo Mera farz Thaa Maine Puraa Kiyaa
Ab Khudaa Hi Na Chaahe To Mein Kyaa Karoon.

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DUSK TIME VIEWS OF SRINAGAR ( DECEMBER 2009)

  

    

SHAAM SE HI BUJHA SAA  REHTAA HAI,

 DIL HAI GOYAA CHIRAAG MUFLIS KAA..

O heart !  Why do thee behave like a poor man's lamp?

 Exinguished at the onset of  evening  every day .

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WINTER, OLD AGE AND LONELINESS IN KASHMIR

"Every happy man should have someone with a little hammer at his door to knock and remind him that there are unhappy people, and that, however happy he may be, life will sooner or later show its claws."

Anton Chekhov (1860-1904), in "Gooseberries,"

“The misery of a child interests a mother, the misery of a young man interests a young woman, the misery of an old person interests no one.”

Victor Hugo (1802-1885) in Les Misérables (1862)

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EVENING TIME VIEWS OF SRINAGAR CITY (DECEMBER 2009 )

SHAAM BHI THI DHUAAN DHUAAN ,

HUSN BHI THAA UDAAS UDAAS ,


DIL KO KUCHH  BHULEE   KAHANIYAAN ,


YAAD SI  AA   KE   REH  GAYEE.

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FIVE VIEWS OF PULWAMA BAZAAR

.Pulwama was carved out of Anantnag district in 1979. It is about 32 Kms from srinagar city . It is surrounded by Srinagar in North , Poonch area of Jammu province and Budgam district of Kashmir  in west and Anantnag district in east .Main crops of the area are Paddy , Mustard and Pulses . Fruits are  also grown in plenty.  Delicious and lately the Kulu variety of this apple is grown all over the area. This district has brought white revolution in Kashmir and about 60% of the milk consumed in Kashmir valley comes from this district alone .Payer Temple visited by Vigne and Cunningham is just three killometres from the Pulwama town.Saffron and kashmiri Red Chillies are also grown in this district.A memorial of well known kashmiri poet late Gh Ahmed Mehjoor has also been set up at village Mitrigaam in this district.Famous  Khankaah  at Tral built by Mir Syed Ali Hamdani, the great saint and scholar of Iran  lies in this district .Remains of beautiful temples  built by  king awantivarman in Awantipora town just on main Jammu -Srinagar  national Highway also fall in this district . The ziyarat of sufi saint Syed Mantaqi also lies on the main road near the Awantipora town.Dr Haseeb Drabu present chairman of J&K Bank hails from village Rajpora in this district .Enjoy some views of the town alongwith some lines from a poem of Parveen Shakir.

Neend Aa jaaye to kya mehfilein Barpa Dekhun ,
Ankh khul jaaye to Tanhai ka sahraa Dekhun .


Shaam bhi ho gai dhundhala Gai Ankhen Bhi Meri ,
Bhulnewaale mein kab tak teraa rastaa Dekhun .


Sab zidein us ki mein puree karuun har Baat sunoon ,
Ek bache ki tarah se usse Hanstaa Dekhun .


Mujh Pe chha jaaye woh barsaat ki khushbu ki tarah ,
Ang Ang apnaa ussi rut me mahaktaa dekhun .


Tu meri tarah se yaktaa hai Magar mere Habib ,
Ji  me Aata hai koi aur bhi tujh sa dekhun .


Mein ne jis lamhe ko pujaa hai usse bas ek Baar ,
Khwaab ban kar teri Ankhon me  utartaa Dekhun .


Tu mera kuch nahin lagta hai magar jan-e-hayat ,
Jaane kyon tere liye dil ko dharakta dekhun.

( Parveen Shakir )

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MANGLESHWAR SHRINE OF BABA DEMB FATEH KADAL SRINAGAR .

Everytime i went there , the shrine was locked . This is  700 year old Mangleshwar temple of kashmir . Due to collective efforts of hindus and muslims of the area,the gates of the temple were opened after 18 long years .  In April  2007,A hawan was performed at the shrine after about two decades. Located in Baba demb area near fateh Kadal srinagar ,the temple is dedicated to lord Shiva .

Charaagon ko aankhon me mehfooz Rakhna,

Badi door tak raat hi Raat hogi.
Musafir hain ham bhi mussafir ho tum bhi,
Kisi mod pe phir mulaaqaat hogi .
( Bashir Badr )



Place the  lamps safe in thy  eyes,
The night  of darknes has to  spread far and beyond.
You are a traveller  and so am i ,
Surely ,We shall meet again at some corner.
( Translation a k mota )

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PIGEONS AT ZIYARAT OF MAKHDOOM SAHIB

I have already conveyed in detail that bird feeding is an important aspect of kashmir's culture.  In every kashmiri pandit household , the ladies still serve  morning 's first prepration from the kitchen to birds .It is a pleasure to see these birds coming and flying away .You may be late in serving them but they come in strict punctuality .If  the grains or food stuff is not there , they make noise and seek it .

In every Ziyarat in valley one comes across a space meant for feeding grains to pigeons .Men, women and children serve grains to pigeons .  It used to be a great pleasure for us to feed pigeons at Ziyarat of Makhdoom Sahib on our morning visit to Hari Parbat .These birds would get  frightened once they saw  a stranger . Once you were a familiar face , they  would not fly away . Enjoy some views of pigeon feeding at Makhdoom sahib captutred in December 2009.

Lab sii diye Hain Taa Na Shikaayat kare koi,

lekin Har Ek zakhm ke munh  me zabaan hai Aaj.


Taariikiyon ne Gher liyaa hai hayaat ko,
lekin kisii kaa ruu-e-Hasiin Darmiyaan hai Aaj.


Ho Jaataa hun shaheed  Har Ahal-e-Wafaa ke saath ,

Har daastaan-e-shauq Meri Daastaan Hai Aaj.

( Ali sardar Jafri )


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THREE VIEWS FROM HARI PARBAT FORT SRINAGAR KASHMIR

These are three Views of Hari Parbat fort area .You can see the Gurudwara of chhati padshahi near kathi Darwaza . The views have been captured  from the Ziyarat  of Makhdoom sahib in Dec 2009. Incidentally a reader has asked me as to what connection Sahi Rajput kings of Kabul had with kashmir . For this i need to go to some details as revealed by Kalhana  in his Rajtaringini.


' Led by Vasantlekha , seventy Ranis , while the rest left , consigned their bodies to the flames
on the spot together with their daughter in laws."


(Taranga 7 canto 1580 Rajtaringini of Kalhana. Kalhana  is describing SATI performed by Royal Rajput ladies at Vijayeshwara  or Bijbihara )

Sahi Rajputs of Kabul also ruled LOHARA ( Present day Loren in Poonch ) during early 11th century . Their army consisted essentially of Tantrin tribe and other hilly Rajputs of Pir Panjal area ( Tantrins are present day Tantrays of Kashmir ).One Lohara king Simharaja married his daughter DIDDA( Didda Rani of Kashmir ) to KheshmaGupta a Kashmirian king . KheshmaGupta was weak and immoral and always busy in his sensual pleasures. Thus DIDDA RANI actually ruled Kashmir . Didda Rani brought her nephew SangramRaja a Sahi Rajput by caste to rule Kashmir after her death. Once Didda Rani was dead , Kashmir came under Sahi Rajputs during 11th and 12th centuary. Sahi Rajput kings like Abhimanyu , Nandigupt, Sangramraja , Anantraja, Kalsha , Harsha, Bhoja , Utkarsha,Bhima , Malla , Uccla , Sussla and Jaysimha ruled over Kashmir. Sahi Kings lived in Vijeyshwara palace  which they built.During this period Vijeyshwara was also a well known  Tirtha.. Kalhana says that Anantraja the Sahi King had a vagabond son Kalsha by name . He forced his father and mother Rani Suryamati to retire to Vijeshwara Tirtha and grabbed power .It was a practice in kashmir that kings would spend their retired life in some Tirtha like Zeshta Rudra ( present Zeethyaar ) or Vijayeshwara . Anantraja took entire Treasury with him to Vijeyshwara Tirtha . Without the treasury ,Kalsha turned furious and mad. He set fire to the Vijeshwara complex and the town in anger. He finally succeeded in getting hold of the treasury but his father King Anantraja committed suicide ( 1081 AD ) while Rani Suryamati, kalsha’s Mother committed Sati along with some other Rajput women inside the palace complex. Kalhana has described the fire and the Sati in detail in Rajtaringini.Thus Vijayeshwara Tirtha and  the palace suffered immensely at the hands of a foolish king . Again during the reign of king HARSHA ,Uccala led a rebellion against the king and defeated HARSHA and took possession of the Vijeyshwara palace , Tirtha and the town. Harsha’s queens committed SATI . During the reign of Sussala (another Sahi King) , DAMRAS ( a local turbulent tribe who always helped rebels and were against reigning kings ) used the Tirtha complex for fortification to fight the king .

I hope  the reader of my blog is clear as to what  connection sahi's of kabul had with kashmir .

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WINTER AND FIVE FACES OF KASHMIR .

It is late December .Everyone is feeling the absence of snow and intense dry cold. Though days are a little warm yet Night temperature falls to minus 4 degrees Celcius . No rains . No snow . Chills , fever and influenza all over . Allah Megh De , Paani De .

A reader has asked me as to who are the Boatmen (Haanjis )of Kashmir . He also says that they are not indigenous people and have possibly come from outside .

I Quote canto 101 from fifth Taranga of Rajtaringini to substantiate my reply.

“To this day are to be seen ancient trees , growing on the edges of the old canals of the rivers , with marks of boat ropes fastened by the Nisadas ”

I am not quoting out of context . In canto 99 and 100 of Fifth Taranga , Kalhana is describing The confluence of river Sindhu with Vitasta near Parihaspora and also how Suyya Shifted the confluence spot to present day shadiora to save Kashmir from the fury of floods in Vitasta . Nisadas are the present day Haanjis of Kashmir . I have also confirmed this  from Boatmen of PRAYAAG upon my visit to Allahabad Sangam . The Boatmen over there too call themselves as NISADAS or NISHADS .They are primarily engaged in ferrying people across rivers .Enjoy 5 faces of Kashmir captured in dec 2009 with some poetry of prominent kashmiri poet farooq Nazki. The lines are from poem Kaliyug.


(KALLIYUG)

Daftar Afsar Duniyaa Daari
Aabut Gaabut Fundh Bapaari
Apzis saetein Pazarich Milvunn
Naaruss Nooruk Laagun Rakh
Laaruk Daaruss Daaruk laar
Doah Gayee Chhoet Tae Shab Gayee Zeith
Kar Ous Vuchhmut Yuth Reit Koal.


( Farooq Nazki )

O  This office of mine!
Officers ,worldy affairs ,
Men discussing men , Men discussing failures of others ,
Men trading falsehood ,
Men connecting truth to Falsehood ,
Men Cheating  innocent men by calling fatal  Blaze as illumination ,
Men sending people seeking whereabouts of  LAAR to DHAAR ,
O ! The sun too sets early now  ,
Never had we seen such  brief summer days  .


PS
Laar and Dhaar are two areas . Both poles apart. It is said in kashmiri that some one had to go to Laar but was misguided and the poor fellow landed in Dhaar .

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GAS HEATERS NOW WARM UP ROOMS IN KASHMIR

Gas Heaters are fast replacing Kangris in kashmir. The gas flame heats up the Asbestos sheets enclosed in a wire mesh and the heat readiates to the room .I found the Gas Heater  ( Gas Bukhari  known locally ) in Ladakh too. It is  used liberally  in Hotels for heating purposes . Unlike Kangri , this new Heating arrangement consumes a lot of oxygen of the room . Should you use it within a closed room , it  may prove  fatal . A little window is needed to be kept open to keep fresh air circulating . This new heating system has relaced the age old timber bukhaaris  in offices and homes . You can adjust or regulate the supply of heat to three modes like full , medium and minimum. Four  hour's of use per day  for 10days   on medium mode consumes one gas cylinder , implying an expenditure of Rs350/=. .It obviously implies that about Rs1100 /= are needed to keep one room warm for 4 hours per day  with this system. The initial cost of the gas  Heater is Rs7500 to Rs8500 . Alternatively ,A month's use of kangri round the clock  works out at Rs200/=per person and the best Kangri does not cost more than Rs75/- .This  cost benefit analysis thus makes  the Gas Heaters  totally unaffordablle for common man .   Kangri has to remain the popular heating tool in kashmir.I have uploaded the front  and the rear view of this New Gas Heater in my room .

Raat Bhar Shamaa Ki Maanind Pighal Jaoongaa

Teraa Vadaa to Nahin Hoon Ki Badal  Jaoongaa.

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SOME SHRINES AND MOTI LAL SAQI'S POETRY

Tse chhuk ParvarDigaara kayanatuss ,

Hukum Chonuy Chalaan Manz Shehjahaatuss .

Me chha inqaar Karnuss bandigi Chein ,

Ghamav Nish Gaachh mokkij Aassin me Saatuss.

Khazir chhum Dil Panun Preth manziluss Kunn,

Amiss Chhaena Gulie Gandin kochh Chuss na Kenh deun,

Ye Gayee Panuss andher Panay Ziyaarat ,

Mangun Yuss Taegee Tagaan Nin Vaalinay Neun.

(Moti lal saqi)

Lord! You look after this Universe ,

Your order moves this world.

Then how can i not bow at thy abode .

Why did you not grant me

just one day free from pain and Agony ?

This mind is a traveller towards its own destiny,
It has not to be begged or bribed ,
This is a like a Shrine within every individual,

But this Ziyarat blesses only a seeker.

( Translation from original kashmiri by a k mota )


PS

In Photogralh No 1 , a woman enters to pray at shrine of Shogbaab sahib pampore . PhotoNo 2 is the Shahe Hamdaan shrine at Khaan Kaahe Moula Srinagar .No 3 is the Sharika devi shrine at Hari Parbat Srinagar . No 4 is the shiva temple at Bijbihara

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