Huma Sheikh

Kashmir Unmarked Graves; UN Mediation

2012-01-09T13:04:00.000-08:00

By Huma Sheikh

In August 2011, the unmarked graves atrocity came to light in Kashmir after the Jammu & Kashmir Human Rights Commission confirmed that more than two thousand bodies were buried in those graves in several districts of the Valley. The commission said many of the dead were civilians who had disappeared over the past two decades, the time of the bloodiest violence in Kashmir. The Association of Parents of Disappeared Persons (APDP) ---an association formed by parents and relatives of victims of enforced disappearances in Jammu and Kashmir--- had in 2008 reported to the commission about the presence of unmarked graves, and about their fears that those unidentified bodies might be their missing children.
According to the commission report, 2,730 bodies were buried in thirty-eight sites in North Kashmir’s Baramulla, Bandipora, Handwara and Kupwara districts. Five hundred seventy four (574) among the 2,730 bodies were those of missing local Kashmiris.
The Jammu and Kashmir government had earlier said the bodies in unmarked graves were those of unidentified militants, most of them Pakistani insurgents who were handed over to local people for burial. After the commission report, Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said all missing persons were not buried in unmarked graves. Some of these people had been doing small businesses—either driving cabs or something else-- across the Line of Control (LOC), the de facto border dividing Indian and Pakistani Kashmir. “I can say with authority that some of the persons buried in these unmarked graves were killed by militants,” Omar had told the Hindustan Times newspaper in India.
The issue of unmarked graves has become a major problem in the eight-decade-old conflict in Kashmir. People in Kashmir feel they are unsafe in the valley because of civilian disappearances by security forces and their subsequent killings in fake encounters to label them insurgents. The government, on the other hand, maintains the situation in Kashmir has improved and the Chief Minister established a truth and reconciliation commission to investigate unmarked graves. But this problem remains unresolved but can be resolved with the help of international third party mediation, or more precisely the United Nations mediation--mainly for two reasons:
1. The Kashmir conflict is a regional conflict because its resolution must include both India and Pakistan.
2. India is primarily Hindu and Pakistan is Muslim, and Kashmir, which is predominantly Muslim, is part of Hindu India.
The UN was involved in the Kashmir conflict from 1948 to 1965 after India reported to the Security Council on January 1, 1948 under Article 35 (chapter VI) Pakistan’s involvement in aiding tribal invaders. Pakistan denied, however, having ever supported the tribal invaders. Several resolutions were passed by the UN during its 17-year-old active involvement in the conflict. But neither India nor Pakistan agreed to them.
The recent Kashmir conflict (1989), however, is not the same. It’s one of the most dangerous conflicts of the world having now killed over 70,000 people in Kashmir. The U.N mediation to resolve the Kashmir conflict is a necessity for the best interests of people in Kashmir, India, and Pakistan. Here’s why!

Background: Kashmir Conflict
The Kashmir conflict is principally a regional conflict dating back to 1947 when two states of Hindustan---India and Pakistan-- were divided into two countries. Before 1947, Hindustan was ruled by Great Britain and Kashmir was one among 584 princely states not directly ruled by British Empire. Following Independence, the Hindu leader of the Muslim-majority Kashmir Hari Singh opted to accede to India as armed invaders from Pakistan were advancing on the Kashmir capital, Srinagar. According to the accession agreement, autonomy was promised to the people of Kashmir upon defeating the Pakistani invaders, autonomy to decide their future course of action i.e. whether to be part of India or Pakistan. This right to self-determination, has, however, always been bypassed by the Indian government. India and Pakistan have fought three wars over Kashmir since 1947. The two countries negotiated a Line of Control in 1971 dividing Indian and Pakistani Kashmir, but that border has always been restive.
The recent conflict--- a secessionist movement--- in Kashmir began in 1989 and has now killed over 70,000 Kashmiri Muslims, mostly civilians. The main demand of people in Kashmir is sovereignty and freedom (azadi) from India. This new wave of violence turned religious when minority Kashmiri Hindus left Kashmir in 1990. Kashmiri militants claim that Kashmiri Hindus left the state because it was the conspiracy of the Indian government so that it could without a hitch kill all Kashmiri Muslims in Kashmir. Kashmiri Hindus, on the other hand, claim that Kashmiri militants killed many of them, and they threatened them to try to move them out.

Similar Conflicts
Bosnia and Herzegovina (1992-1995) was an ethnic conflict over the partition of Bosnia. Ethnic Muslim Croats and Bosnians wanted to secede from Yugoslavia. But most of the Serbs opposed this desire for independence. The war claimed around 100,000-110,000 lives.
In 1992, the UN mediated the conflict and established the United Nations Protection Force (UNPROFOR) to facilitate peacemaking in the region. To extend its mandate, it passed many resolutions over time such as more UN military involvement and allowing NATO air strikes against insurgent Bosnian Serbs. In October 1995, all parties agreed to a ceasefire that resulted in Dayton Peace Accords (DPA) in December, 1995.
Iran-Iraq (1980-1988) war lasted eight years over several border disputes, the most important being the Shatt al-Arab, the major waterway connecting the Persian Gulf with the Iranian ports of Khorramshahr and Abadan, and the Iraqi port of Basra. The war killed about one million people.
The eight-year old war between Iraqi Arabs and Iranian Persians came to an end in the summer of 1988 after UN resolution 598 was accepted by both the countries. According to the resolution, the UN supervised ceasefire was established and UN Iran-Iraq Observer Group (UNIMOG) created by the security General monitored the ceasefire. The resolution also included prisoner exchanges and pulling out of forces to internationally recognized boundaries.

Appropriateness of UN mediation in Kashmir conflict
The Kashmir conflict has essentially much in common with Iran-Iraq and Bosnian conflicts in regional and religious contexts, and it calls for the UN’s involvement in effectively resolving the issue. The continued UN involvement after 1965 would have prevented 1989 freedom movement in Kashmir. Now the unmarked graves issue may have repercussions for another bloodier war in Kashmir especially after the commission report confirmed the burial of 574 civilians in those graves.
Weaknesses and Strengths of UN Mediation
Weaknesses: The UN mediation is arbitrary. Decisions are based on agreement of conflicting parties. In other words, the problem of mediation is to get the conflicting parties to agree. In Kashmir, the UN resolution 47 on April 21, 1948 called for holding a UN-supervised plebiscite in the Valley among other things, but both India and Pakistan rejected it. India feared that Kashmiris might vote for Pakistan because of their same religious identity. Pakistan refused the resolution for fears that referendum might be rigged because the Prime Minister of then still autonomous Jammu & Kashmir-- Sheikh Abdullah was an Indian ally.
Strengths: Arbitration insures a less formal setting to the mediation process. Unlike legal process, mediation compels the conflicting parties to change and see the common ground that can resolve the conflict. The UN is the most powerful international organization with 192 member countries from across the world. It can extend its mandate by passing several resolutions. For example in Bosnia & Herzegovina war, the UN passed several resolutions to extend its mandate that enabled UNPROFOR (United Nations Protection Force---to take control of Sarajevo airport in 1992 for humanitarian relief following fighting between Bosnian Croats and Bosnian Serbs over Bosnia’s referendum a month before.
The UN can also seek help from its member states, if necessary, to bring an end to the conflict. For example in 1995, UK and France—the two member states of the UN---supported NATO operations after the Sarajevo Markale market massacre and arrest of UNPROFOR forces by Bosnian Serbs.
Weaknesses and Strengths of war
Weaknesses: War results in the deaths of thousands of innocent people as well as widespread destruction of material and financial resources. Iran-Iraq war claimed lives of some five-hundred thousand to one million people and the financial cost was estimated at a minimum of $200 billion.
Strengths: War brings an end to the vexed conflict. People are willing to give in on ideological stances in order for the violence to stop because losses incurred in war are huge. In other words, war has the ability to bring about conclusion to the conflict because of casualties and costs. The winning country controls everything. There may be little negotiation. .

Weaknesses and Strengths of international law
Weaknesses: If a country is strong enough that it doesn’t care about the international law, then it doesn’t abide by the law. Example: When the US invaded Iraq the second time, it was against the UN mandate but the country could get away with it because of its superpower status.
Strengths: International law constricts countries (member states) in organizations such as the UN to abide by this law. This gives leverage to the UN because belligerents can be tried in the international criminal court. (ICC). Example: In Bosnia-Herzegovina conflict, the UN passed resolution 827 in May 1993 to create International Crimes Tribunal for former Yugoslavia (ICTY) to prosecute people responsible for serious violations of international Humanitarian law .

Weaknesses and Strengths of avoidance
Weaknesses: Avoidance is simply not addressing the problem as if it doesn’t exist. In some cases, the conflict may resolve itself with time or otherwise it may become a major problem. In case of Kashmir, avoidance is ignoring the reality of unmarked graves, human rights violations and thousands of people being killed.
Strengths: If conditions aren’t too violent or too extreme, time and changes in politics or world economy will resolve the problem peacefully without mediation, revolution, or military conflict. Any time a conflict is and will likely to continue to be violence-free, avoidance of violence might be one of the best solutions.

The Kashmir conflict is obviously too violent for the avoidance strategy. It is a major regional and religious conflict that has plagued not only people in Kashmir but also the two nuclear nations of India and Pakistan. India may be looking at the Kashmir conflict through the “strength of war” lens and assuming that Kashmiri people will eventually grow tired and give up violence. Pakistan, on the other hand, may be looking at the Kashmir conflict in the context of India’s weakness and hoping that its rival nation would finally leave Kashmir in favor of preserving its good reputation in the world as one of the fastest growing economies globally. But these assumptions are not valid and the continued large-scale violence in Kashmir proves it. The only resolution strategy for the Kashmir conflict is to develop an agreement that is mutually beneficial and will provide long lasting benefits to the people of Kashmir and India and Pakistan. This agreement should also help strengthen the ability of Kashmir as well as India and Pakistan to work together in the future. UN mediation is appropriate for the Kashmir conflict because neutrality is crucial to the UN’s record in peacemaking and peacekeeping and its final decisions are future-oriented and based on objective criteria. The UN recently expanded its peacemaking operations in regional conflicts. These services include provision of mediation services, good offices, and other forms of intermediary assistance; provision of fact-finding and observation commissions and the provision of humanitarian aid and assistance. India and Pakistan have not been able to resolve the Kashmir conflict since 1989. More importantly the conflict transformation since 1989 and its effects on the people of Kashmir and India and Pakistan—the two major nuclear powers--- threaten the security of the whole world. In other words, this conflict makes it a world security problem--- not just Kashmir and India-Pakistan conflict--- and therefore makes it a prime candidate for UN mediation. UN mediation will enable the conflicting parties to work toward a sustainable agreement and bring about positive change in Kashmir as well as India-Pakistan and the rest of the world.

Various cultures welcome 2012 in United States

2012-01-06T23:10:00.000-08:00

Various cultures welcome 2012 in United States

By Huma Sheikh
Published: Friday, January 6th, 2012

New Year celebrations unite cultures as every culture celebrates the beginning of a new year. But what’s even more interesting are the different ways the New Year is celebrated in various cultures.

In Venezuela, people set afire effigies made with explosives and gun powder on New Year’s eve. These figures symbolize failures, sorrows and anger of the old year and by burning them, people hope to enter the New Year which is full of happiness, joy and peace. “We call it ‘Muneaco De Ano Viejo’ and people are more passionate to practice this tradition because it gives us a new hope of cheerfulness for the New Year,” said Andreina Gomez from Venezuela.

“People in each neighborhood would burn the doll on New Year’s eve which gives them a sense of relief. They would then do fireworks, have drinks, sing and dance to celebrate the New Year.”

Gomez says family reunion is very significant part of the New Year in Venezuela. “We celebrate New Year’s eve with family and not with friends. New Year celebrations are very family-oriented.”

“December is a month of celebration. It offers great opportunities for families to get together; for family members who haven’t seen each other in a very long time, “ says Alfred Maingi from Kenya. Jamhuri – Kenya Republic Day – is celebrated on Dec. 12. It’s a national holiday in Kenya and patriotic songs are played the whole day on radio and television. Also on this day, articles about Jamhuri are published in newspapers. Then comes Christmas on Dec. 25, which is a very big celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ Finally we have the New Year. On New Year’s Eve, people like Christmas, attend the midnight mass till six in the morning to seek God’s graces for the New Year. For those who missed the midnight mass, they can attend daytime mass on January 1.”

“In Kenya like the European system that allows for four weeks of paid vocation per year, people get 30 days of paid holidays each financial year. Most employees in Kenya take a month-long vacation in December because of the three big holidays – Jamhuri, Christmas and New Year – of the month,” says Maingi.

Arman, a Bangladeshi student at USD, said Bangladesh is a Muslim country. There’s no obligatory or special prayer for New Year. But on New Year’s eve, we do ‘nafl salah’ (optional prayer) to thank Allah for His gracefulness and to seek His forgiveness for the mistakes we made in the previous year. We also seek Allah’s blessings for our good life in the New Year. People would then gather outside their houses to do fireworks.”

“Special TV and radio shows are broadcast on New Year’s eve that run till midnight. These programs cover highlights of all important political, social, as well as entertainment and sports events of the old year. Talk shows are also broadcast on New Year’s eve featuring major events of the previous year and discussing ways on what needs to be done in the New Year. Various cultural shows are also organized across the country.”

Customs may differ but Christmas remains a global celebration

2011-12-24T10:34:00.000-08:00

Customs may differ but Christmas remains a global celebration

By Huma Sheikh
Published: Friday, December 23rd, 2011

For Moses Ikiugu, who is a professor in the department of occupational therapy at the University of South Dakota, Christmas is a celebration that rekindles memories of his country Kenya – elaborate mass at church on Christmas Eve, a huge extended family get- together, and a wide variety of foods. “The midnight mass ends around six in the morning. The Creshe is quite Africanized also; a thatched house built around the manger.

“We have a special goat for Christmas. This goat is domesticated for about a year before it’s killed on Christmas Eve for a big traditional meal for Christmas. We celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ with our extended families – aunts and uncles, cousins and grandparents besides parents and siblings Because this is a massive get-together, the main dish of goat meat goes along with other foods like chicken, beef, potatoes, vegetables, chapattis (flat bread) and rice.” New clothes are worn for Christmas. People go to church in coat suits and wear new shoes. Everything that you are wearing has to be new. Parents buy clothes for their children to wear on Christmas.”

Christmas is, says Wycklyffe Mogondo, also from Kenya, “a very religious festival for us. We celebrate Christmas with fervor and devotion. The ‘Way of the Cross’ is the custom in my part of the country in Matunda that prepares us for Christmas. The priest, a few days before Christmas, would choose a spot some miles from the church and people and members of the church would gather there. The priest would then carry the cross and walk to the church with others following him in a procession. This follows the rosary broken into different parts for worship at the church.”

Roberto Gomez from Venezuela says Christmas is much louder in his country. “We celebrate Christmas in extended families and do a lot of partying, fireworks, and eating. The traditional Christmas food menu is extensive – bread stuffed Turkey, ‘Empanadas’ –corn meal meat pie (the pie has a half-circle shape, and it’s usually stuffed with ground beef), Ham, ‘Hallacas’ – meat wrapped in corn dough and steamed in a banana leaf, and sweet rice made with cloves, cinnamon, and Nutmeg.”

But good food doesn’t come easy. “We have ‘Novena’ – nine days of worship – that culminates into Christmas. We pray together for nine successive days to thank God for the special graces and to obtain God’s special favor.”

For Amimul Ehsan, a Bangladeshi student at USD, Christmas reminds him of Bengali New year (Pohela Boishaka) celebrated on April 14. “We do a lot of fireworks and make traditional food such as ‘Panta Ilish’ – Hilsha fish with rice. Cooked rice is soaked in water overnight and then eaten with Hilshaw fish the following day. On this day, people wear clothes of red and green which represent the colors of the Bangladesh flag.

Another USD student, Tridib from India, says Christmas evokes ‘Diwali’ feelings for him – ‘Deepavali’ or ‘Diwali’ is the festival of lights and is one of the most important Hindu religious festivals. “We celebrate ‘Deepavali’ in families and decorate our homes with ‘diyas’ – small clay lamps. ‘Diyas’ are placed in varied shapes inside the house, and they are usually in rows outside the house. Sweets are also shared with friends and families on Diwali.”

YALC changes lives of illiterate adults

2011-12-11T19:26:00.000-08:00

YALC changes lives of illiterate adults

Higher level grade requirements discourage adults to be part of literacy programs but at the Yankton Area Literacy Council (YALC), adults who cannot read beyond a third-grade level are welcome.

“Yankton adults don’t need a driver’s license to get in the program,” said Ms. Bev Calvert, YALC program coordinator. “We understand they can’t get a driver’s license without reading and writing skills.”

This is one of the major successes of YALC. Ninety three percent of adults in Yankton County are trained in reading, writing and speaking English as a second language. In Clay County, 6 percent of adult learners are American while in Bon Homme, the percentage of Americans stands at eight. All other adults are ESL learners. In a 2003 assessment, more than 550 Clay County adults lacked basic literacy skills.

Students work individually with a tutor for a minimum of two hours per week. None of the students are charged. Tutors are volunteers. Students and tutors set up times and locations to meet at the Yankton office.

“Students start at a lower level and do assignments. Their progress is assessed for about a half-hour by their tutors each time they meet,” said Calvert. “We have been blessed in Yankton. We have some wonderful teachers in Yankton.”

YALC is planning on coming to Vermillion.

“We are trying to set up for readings in Vermillion if we find a small location and funding will be best to go along with it. We buy books for students and each book costs about $25-30,” she said.

Community programs are held in malls and libraries to encourage kids to read so that they force their parents to read.

YALC also holds literacy programs in Yankton County and surrounding areas to inform people about their literacy activities. In September, a week-long ‘Adult Education and Family Literacy Week’ was held in Yankton to remind people that YALC helps students of any educational background to improve their literacy throughout the year. The second annual “Scrabble Tournament Spellebrate for a Good Cause” Scrabble tournament is set for Jan. 29, 2012, to raise funds for and awareness about the program.

Brochures are also issued to get the message out about the YALC. People who wish to volunteer or know someone in need of literacy services complete the form at the end of the brochure and send it back to the YALC. The brochures are available at the Yankton library and YALC office.

YALC is a volunteer-based organized founded in 1987. It organizes literacy programs in Yankton, Bon Homme, Charles Mix and Clay counties. Its work is funded by United Way and Volunteer Services of Greater Yankton and by community fundraisers.

The King of Music Is Gone

2011-11-19T22:28:00.000-08:00

The King of Music Is Gone

Vermillion Plaintalk - Jolley, Austin become PBIS schools

2011-09-30T11:38:00.000-07:00

Vermillion Plaintalk - Jolley, Austin become PBIS schools

Huma Sheikh

Vermillion’s two public elementary schools – Jolley Elementary and Austin Elementary – have become Positive Behavior Interventions and Support (PBIS) pilot schools as they implement the behavior management program to teach kids what behavior is expected for each student in each possible school setting.

At Jolley School, students on the first day of school last month went through Expectation Stations which briefed about school wide expectations. These expectations were a list of broad, positively stated behaviors that were desired of all students and faculty.

“We had, for example, each grade come to the lunch area to have the students watch our teachers go through the lunch line while discussing the expected behaviors and the proper procedures for going through the lunch line. We had the students attend stations for the lunch room, the playground, in the hallways, in the bathrooms and while in lines for morning and recess time,” said Principal Mark Upward.

“PBIS is a positive behavior management system to create a safer and more effective school. This system provides clear school wide expectations for our students and teachers so we can all work as a team for a common goal which is to have less behavioral issues and more learning time, “said Cindy Weis, who is the program coach at Jolley.

Austin Elementary School Principal, Kim Johnson said the school staff participated in professional development for positive behavior interventions three years ago. They had organized a School Climate Committee and studied the basis PBIS framework. The committee began developing a school discipline plan based on that framework.

“Becoming a pilot PBIS school through the Department of Education was a perfect extension of our philosophy, but also incorporated training, support and accountability,” she said.

Both at Austin and Jolley, the entire teaching staff had been involved in implementing the program to assure that the skills necessary to meet the PBIS expectations were worked on and evaluated frequently.

“Our PBIS team attended two workshops over the summer to train on the PBIS system. After the workshop, we trained the rest of the staff on PBIS. PBIS is a school wide system so every staff member, from the school lunch aides to the Principal, are involved in implementing this program,” said Upward.

At Austin, the PBIS Team had gone through the training and then devoted their back-to-school in-service to training the entire teaching staff.

“We also held a 'Welcome-Back-to-School Brunch' for our support staff (educational aides, playground and lunch supervisors) to show appreciation for their important role as well as build consistency and support for the PBIS philosophy,” said Johnson.

The schools also assess students’ progress toward reaching the behavior expectations in a number of ways. At Austin, progress is measured through data (i.e. office referrals) as well as through classroom and school-wide feedback of student behavior. The progress of students at Jolley is assessed daily and weekly by counting the number of students who get a Tanager Buck in each classroom.

Vermillion Plaintalk - Jolley, Austin become PBIS schools

2011-09-30T11:36:00.000-07:00

Vermillion Plaintalk - Jolley, Austin become PBIS schools

http://www.eastwestcenter.org/fileadmin/resources/education/aplp_pdfs/newsletter09s.pdf

2011-09-16T21:46:00.001-07:00

http://www.aljazeerah.info/News/2009/April/10%20n/US%20recession%20to%20end%20in%20second%20half%20of%202009.htm

2011-09-16T21:45:00.001-07:00

2011-09-16T21:43:00.001-07:00

Wenchuan earthquake: China’s turning point

2011-09-16T21:33:00.000-07:00

Wenchuan earthquake: China’s turning point

Story of a Successful Internship: EWCA Beijing Chapter Head hosts APLP Fellow at Xinhua News Agency

2011-09-16T21:32:00.000-07:00

Story of a Successful Internship: EWCA Beijing Chapter Head hosts APLP Fellow at Xinhua News Agency

Kids get cardio workout at skipping rope event

2011-09-14T11:19:00.000-07:00

When kids were jumping ropes to Kriss Kross’s “Jump” song at a jump rope event Friday afternoon at the Clay County Fair, they weren’t just doing it for fun. They were getting a good cardio work out.

The “Join in Jump Rope” event was sponsored by Sanford Health and was part of the Clay County Fair that began Wednesday and ended Saturday. “The kids who took part in the event had a great time. They learned that jumping rope does get your heart pumping,” said Mary C. Merrigan, director of public relations, Sanford Vermillion.

“The jump song was also longer than most kids are probably used to jumping rope, giving them a good cardio work out,” she said.

Sixty-six jumpers ages 3–14 participated in the event, setting a new Clay County record for kids jumping rope at the same time. Last year, which was also the first year for “Join in Jump Rope,” the event had set a record with 38 jumpers ages 7-17. The participants each received a free jump rope from Sanford.

“We had 66 kids who jumped rope on Friday afternoon from different age groups. They all wanted to have some fun exercise and break last year’s record jumping at once,” said Carol Lavin, the organizer of the event.

“Exercise is important for kids and doing it together in a large group can be even more fun! My son and daughter participated and they brought friends to join in. Kids who participated also got to keep their jump ropes, hoping they would continue the healthy exercise at home as well. ” said Carol, who is also a Sanford Wellness Nurse.

In the past, Sanford provided health screenings or set up an information booth at the fair. In 2010, they organized the first “Join in Jump Rope” event at the fair to involve youth in skipping sport whose health benefits include improved cardio fitness, muscle strength and flexibility.

Carol’s daughter, Maddie Lavin, 11, who participated in the event, said she had fun jumping rope.”I really didn’t realize how much time I spent skipping rope because I was really enjoying it,” she said. ”Jumping rope gets you up and going and it’s good for your health.”

Vermillion Plaintalk - Kids get cardio workout at skipping rope event

2011-09-14T11:18:00.000-07:00

Vermillion Plaintalk - Kids get cardio workout at skipping rope event

Vermillion Plaintalk - Turnout is strong at July 20 blood drive

2011-08-05T11:10:00.000-07:00

Vermillion Plaintalk - Turnout is strong at July 20 blood drive

Extreme heat didn’t deter 53 people from donating the gift of life.

The third annual All American Community Blood Drive was held July 20 at Sanford Vermillion Medical Center. The drive was a joint donor program by Sanford Vermillion Center and Community Blood Bank.

Each pint of blood donated that day has the potential to save three lives, meaning that July 20's drive could possibly have a positive impact on as many as 159 individuals, said Ken Versteeg, executive director, Community Blood Bank. “This was the third annual event at the Sanford Hospital and each year it gets better.”

A patient needing 180 units of blood over the July 4th weekend placed a heavy burden on the blood supply. “Besides, some additional traumas coming to our emergency rooms also challenged the blood supply that put blood usage up by nearly 20 percent,” said Versteeg. This drive was crucial to keeping the blood supply at an adequate level.

In addition to this, community drives are extremely important throughout the summer months when attendance is much lower at colleges and schools. During the fall and winter, “we have blood donation drives going on at the colleges and schools,” said Versteeg.

Sixty-three people attempted to donate blood but only 53 were able to donate. Others were excluded from donating because they were either running a temperature or had travelled out of the country earlier in the year.

Community Blood Bank serves 29 hospitals in South Dakota, southwest Minnesota and northwestern Iowa. It has donor rooms in two Sioux Falls hospitals where people donate blood Monday through Friday. Besides, Community Blood Bank drives also take place at the WalMart and Jones' Food Center.

Joan Reed, a donor from Sanford Vermillion Medical Center, said, “I have been donating for several years now and continue to do so because it gives me a sense of pride to know I am helping someone or impacting someone else’s life by doing so.

“Growing up my dad gave gallons of blood and was always on call with the blood bank because he had one of the rarer types of blood. Dad always told us they didn’t want to waste his blood and so they would call him and have him donate only when they were in need of his type. It was not uncommon that he would get a call and a short time later, he would be on the road to deliver,” she said. “Finding out that I also have one of the rarer types of blood and being told at one point they didn’t want me to do a 'double red' because they wanted my blood to send over to Afghanistan further inspired me to keep on giving. I have to admit, the first time giving I was a little nervous, but once I did it and realized how easy the process is, I donate as often as possible now.”

Nancy Ellison, laboratory manager, Sanford Vermillion, said, “We are always happy to work with the Community Blood Bank to promote blood drives hosted in Vermillion. On average, we use two to four units of blood products each week in Vermillion. Community Blood Bank is the sole supplier of blood products to Sanford Medical Center Vermillion.”

Mary C. Merrigan, director of public relations, Sanford Vermillion, said, “We want to thank all the community members who came out for the blood drive. We were especially pleased to have such a great turn out on a day of such extreme heat.”

Vermillion Plaintalk - Kids receive hands-on experiences at science camp

2011-08-04T10:27:00.000-07:00

Vermillion Plaintalk - Kids receive hands-on experiences at science camp
Like previous years, the 10th Lawrence Brothers Science Camp this year became a place for kids to do hands-on science.

Thirty middle school kids entering seventh, eighth and ninth grades participated in the 10th Lawrence Brothers Science Camp held at the University of South Dakota. The week-long camp started Sunday, July 10 and ended Friday, July 15, and was focused on the theme “Light and Vision.” Students got hands-on experience in a variety of activities like building a robot and programming it to seek out a light source and doing experiments with ultraviolet beads, investigating bird’s eyes and watching birds, and studying the effects of polarizing light.

“The purpose of the camp is to engage kids in fun science activities. The camp stimulates interest in science for kids by giving them opportunities to experiment with science. The camp also gives them a chance to see what the college is like,” said Sally Stoll, camp coordinator and Vermillion seventh grade science teacher.

Fifteen male students and 15 female students participated in the camp. The students came from 18 different schools from Chicago, IL, Nebraska, Iowa and South Dakota.

“The camp has grown, and kids are coming from all over the place. We offer scholarships and each year we have a lot of students coming for free,” said Stoll. The camp is supported by a grant from Battelle to the University of South Dakota Foundation for $15,000 each for five years. That five year period ends in 2011. Other sources of funding for future years are being sought.

In addition to Stoll, six undergraduate honors students acted as counselors for the camp. They were Kevin Cwach, Renita Goetz, Ashley Lynch, Steffani Donahoe, Tyler Bloch and Nahuel Telleria. SD BRIN Information Specialist Mark Maxon was in charge of photography and taught kids how cameras work.

Kevin Cwach, 22, who has been the camp counselor for four years, said “I am here to spread my science knowledge and share it with the children. That’s the reason I keep coming back every year. It’s a lot of fun.”

Dr Barb Goodman, director and principal investigator of SD BRIN/INBRE said, “The camp is in honor of E.O and John Lawrence, USD alums, who contributed to science by winning a Nobel Prize in Physics (E.O.) and being the “Father of Nuclear-Medicine (John).”

Kiana Cabrera, 12, from Jane Adams (Joliet, IL) school said, “I never used to like science. But it’s really fun. I really liked building robots. We also learned why older people lose their vision. Before coming to the camp, I couldn’t have imagined that the older people lose their vision because their eyeballs get stiffer. I also liked going to the Wellness Center.”

Hannah Doohen, 14, who was at the camp for the third time this year said, “It’s my last year. It is fun and I hope that USD does it again next year for more kids because it’s a really good opportunity and a great learning experience.”

Seventh grader Jack Padmore, 12, from East Middle School, Sioux City, IA, said, “It’s great to have kids know about science. The camp also gives us an opportunity to meet new people. Some students have roommates and its fun being around them and learn from one another.”

Another East Middle School student from Sioux City, Liam Parry, 11 said, “All the instructions help us learn about science. It’s fun. We also went to movies and the Wellness Center.”

The kids were housed in the residence halls at the USD and were provided daily meals.

It Was Not Just Any Other Loss. But It Reminded Me Of You Dad

2011-07-19T10:11:00.000-07:00

Your subconscious foretells tragedy! Dad’s last song “Kam yaar sapidt Khaab, wadan aase kune zoun” and Sajid Iqbal’s last post on Facebook “Daayaem aabaad raheygee duniyaa...hum na hongey koi humsa hoga” say so.
It was not just any other loss but a loss caused by tragedy. And it reminded me of you dad. It renewed the pain that took years to heal. It tore apart my heart and would have destroyed me if no changes had happened over the years to cure my wounds. I cried out loud, hoping to get some relief, but the pain got much worse as memories of the past played out.
Sajid Iqbal’s—a promising lawyer and senior IAS officer Iqbal Khanday’s son, death in a road accident gave me the pain I felt on your death dad. Both you and Sajid left home happy and never came back. Both were victims of tragedy. Sajid died at the young age of 27 when he was returning home from a wedding. Prominent Kashmiri Ghazal singer and Radio Kashmir senior Program Executive Ghulam Nabi Sheikh was murdered when he was travelling on a train to Delhi on the night of July 13-14, 2003.
Should we even count you as dead dad since we never saw your dead body?
I had never met Sajid, never spoken to him and never befriended him on Facebook. I wouldn’t ever have imagined that the tragedy of his loss would make this connection. It took me back to those painful memories, particularly when we heard about dad’s murder. It was word of mouth by Punjab police, and a picture of his blood-covered body. In the picture his face was severed and he was barely identifiable. We never were given his body which the Punjab Police claimed had in only a few hours been cremated.
Time is the great healer! All these years brought about changes that helped divert my and the family’s attention from those dreadful memories. The changes were mesmerizing for every passing moment took us farther away from painful memories. But Sajid’s tragedy drew us back to those memories because agony causes instantaneous change. Change to overcome trauma on the contrary happens over the years.
I was curious to see Sajid’s last post on Facebook. I had a reason! Two days before dad’s murder, he sang a song that spoke of pain, death and sorrows: “Kam yaar sapidt Khaab, wadan aase kune zoun.” I wondered if Sajid was feeling the same or had some death related vision before the tragedy happened. I could access Sajid’s Facebook wall page because no privacy settings let me see it. Scrolling down many tributes that had poured in from his friends only a few hours after the tragedy, I finally found his last wall post: “Daayaem aabaad raheygee duniyaa...hum na hongey koi humsa hoga.” (The world would continue to prosper. If I am not there someone else like me will be there).
I was right. Sajid’s last wall post, just like dad’s last song, spoke of death. Even when our conscious mind is unaware, our subconscious does foretell tragedy.

Vermillion Plaintalk - Local citizens pitch in to help battle flood

2011-06-22T08:20:00.000-07:00

Vermillion Plaintalk - Local citizens pitch in to help battle flood

Local citizens pitch in to help battle flood

2011-06-21T14:09:00.000-07:00

http://www.plaintalk.net/cms/news/story-249117.html
By Huma Sheikh
Published: Friday, June 17th, 2011
On June 2, people from Vermillion pitched in and filled sandbags to help people in battle flooding in Dakota Dunes and Yankton. The large group of volunteers included people involved with the Clay County 4-H Youth Organization, University of South Dakota employees, and other residents of Vermillion that gathered in an empty lot near the Clay County Courthouse.

Julie Fallan, senior secretary at USD’s dental hygiene department, who was representing the Clay County 4-H Youth Organization, was unhappy that it came down to this.

“If thought was put to what was happening months ago, we would not have come down to this,’’ she said. She was concerned about the people whose houses were affected.

“I and my family are not affected by flooding. But it’s the people whose houses are affected that we are worried about,” Fallan said.

Tom Sorensen, assistant dean at the USD School of Law, said many people from the Vermillion community are helping flood victims.

“These sandbags are 40 pounds each. It takes about 1,000 pounds to load a half-ton pick-up truck. We are also grateful to USD President James W. Abbott for allowing the use of university equipment,” said Sorensen.

Hundreds of USD employees and students have come together so far to help with flood control efforts. The university is allowing its employees to volunteer up to four hours per shift to help with sandbagging and other tasks with no loss of pay or leave.

Todd Mechling, CMJ Faculty at the USD, said, “I did something … I did what I could do. I brought my son. When all these things happen, you have got to help.”

He also said he would appreciate people coming to help from all walks of life. “There is some silver lining when a disaster happens. People are here to help,” he said.

Young Kashmiri designer makes waves in fashion world

2011-06-20T21:20:00.000-07:00

http://kashmirspeaks.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=36:young-kashmiri-designer-makes-waves-in-fashion-world-&catid=11:carving&Itemid=26

I wrote this one in 2007. Wow, time just flies.

New Delhi: He travels the fastest who travels alone. And up-and-coming designer from Nigeen area of Srinagar Zubair Kirmani is no exception to the axiom. Zubair may have embarked on the journey all alone but today he is a name to reckon with in the fashion industry in a short span of time and his creations are nothing but his metier. It is a triumph of sorts. Only few would dispute his aptitude and genius with apparel. But he refuses to sit on his laurels and bends over backwards to leave his imprints in the razzle-dazzle world of fashion for which he deserves unalloyed encomia, if nothing more.

Today, he calls it a mirror image of his inner-self that has taken an artistic form. It is an expression designer Zubair Kirmani coined to describe his first-ever dynamic label BOUNIPUN driven by his past experiences in his hometown Kashmir, as he forayed into the fashion industry to put on view the collection at the India’s biggest fashion savvy event-- the Wills lifestyle India Fashion Week (WLIFW). Born and brought up in Kashmir, Zubair Kirmani’s BOUNIPUN—in other words Chinar leaf- reflected the kaleidoscopic times in the state from worse to normal and at the same time the rising hope among its people through the inimitable apparel. “Having spent a large slice of my life watching the changing shades of Chinar leaves in the Valley, I just have brought my inside out in the form of BOUNIPUN and the collection has brought alive my inner feelings,” says the designer. The prominent shades of blacks, grey and whites revealing gloom, stability and hope in his BOUNIPUN collection symbolised both his passion and emotional bond to his hometown and his aesthetic sense, which is devoid of the erstwhile traditional Kashmiri outfit embroidered pheran (gown) and scarf coupled with jewellery. Zubair’s experimentation with Kashmiri tradition in the form of BOUNIPUN is contemporary. Zubair debuted BOUNIPUN in the 2006 WLIFW when he was part of Hi-5 category a group of five new designers. But, the existence of the label actually goes back to the time when Zubair was a student of Class 12th.

“One fine day while drawing the leaves on my t-shirt, I thought of writing the name BOUNIPUN. I somehow compiled the name. Now, I have also registered it under several Acts to build a brand,” he says. BOUNIPUN sent buyers and audience into a feeding frenzy when models showcasing his light embroidered and less embellishments exhibited with scintillating silhouettes strutted the catwalk. Going down the memory lane, this reporter was overwhelmed when she saw an array of buyers belonging to different countries had flooded this new designer’s hothouse atmosphere of stall despite the outlets of fashion luminaries such as Rohit Bal, Tarun Tahiliani and Rajesh Pratap Singh, among others. The label delivers subtle collections experimenting with textiles. Zubair has created a niche for himself with his signature surface ornamentation that makes his creations resourceful, discreet and elegant.

BOUNIPUN speaks volumes of Zubair’s forte as a talented fashion designer, especially because he had done training in fashion from not a very famed institute as NIFT. But BSc from a little-known institute in Bangalore. “When I was in class 6th, I started reading magazines, which carried photos displaying all kinds of razzmatazz. Then I used to make leaves and draw paintings on T-shirts. Gradually, I picked up a bit and became serious as I got into class12th; I began approaching tailors to know more about fashion,” recalls Zubair amid peals of laughter. “In fact, whenever I asked anyone about fashion in Kashmir, they criticized me. For any Kashmiri, fashion was something like wearing bikinis or shorts only,” says Zubair. “Fashion is beautiful provided ideas are intrinsically woven and systematically implemented into the collection; fashion is how you live. If you wear good things you will love it,” he believes.

BOUNIPUN primarily focused together on both contemporary minimalism and classic heritage from its roots. The brand rediscovered importance of crafted detailing in his avant-garde collection. The brand’s metier lies in sophisticated women’s western line and men’s fashion formals. “I do minimal changes in my new collection rather than making rash changes every season. All my apparel on the fashion shows since 2006 hardly have any major changes, except for some addition or subtraction in geometrical motives, recreation of detailing,” he affirms. Zubair, who belongs to Nigeen area in Srinagar, also has to his credit a mixed qualification background, though he left the degrees halfway in an attempt to devote more time to his most favored beat of fashion.

“My parents wanted me to secure a BSc degree in Electronics. I studied Electronics for a year in Kashmir. Unable to concentrate, I left for Bangalore to pursue Engineering. It continued for a year until I met with an accident,” he reveals. The designer adds: “It was a blessing in disguise for me because while I was recuperating, I told my parents I am not going to follow it and successfully managed to convince them. I got a chance to learn and develop professional skills in fashion when I finally started working with some choreographers. It was when I was doing the course in fashion in Bangalore.”

Zubair proudly says, “Fashion gave me a chance to bring out my creative instincts, which both science and engineering failed to do. And I am lucky because I began my career with Quintessential (Boun) Chinar, which has always inspired me and triggered a lot of poetic imagination in me.”

To a poser about his role model, Zubair says, “When I started, I was inspired by Rohit Bal, and Tarun Tahiliani . However, designers don't generally have any mentors as they always look forward to coming up with something new. Similarly, I developed my creation, which is unique in its existence. I do make mistakes and make strenuous efforts to improve upon it with each trial.”

When asked about his collections he has come up with so far, Zubair says, “The focus was mainly on interplay with subtle sensuality given by the effect of surface transparency. They were created by the use of natural fabrics crafted with motifs inspired by Kashmiri tradition, the purity of white remains undisputed with use of unadulterated natural hues.”

Zubair now wishes to develop his own signature in Kashmir and setting up some units in the Valley.

“Kashmir has a lot of potential in handicrafts and handloom products such as shawls and others. I want to ease the techniques in embroidery in the Valley, revive Kashmiri shawls and modernize embroidery to give them a new contemporary look. I will start with garments and my units in the Valley will be in coordination with my Delhi office,” he suggests.

Facebook and Kashmir unrest in 2010

2011-05-26T12:33:00.000-07:00

Role of Face book in Kashmir’s Summer 2010 protests
Facebook gives people a voice who otherwise wouldn’t have a voice. It allows them to communicate with people from other parts of the world so that they share a common vision globally. People get the exposure that wouldn’t have been possible without Face book in terms of sharing ideas and information. It gives disenfranchised people who don’t have any access to mainstream media a voice. This was illustrated in recent revolutions in Tunisia and Egypt.
The proliferation of social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter, and the coming of age of a wired young generation have combined to create a perfect storm threatening authoritarian regimes from Europe to the Middle East. In 2009, the group Canvas, which was founded in 2003 and influenced by the teachings of Mahatma Gandhi, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and Gene Sharp---the American author of several books on nonviolent struggle including “From Dictatorship to Democracy,” trained some 20 Egyptians activists on tactics they could use to promote change in Egypt. Some of the activists later founded the April 6 movement that supported the anti-government protests in Egypt. (Brooks, 2011, p. 1-2).
Social media has an important role to play in Tunisia. An estimated 18 percent Tunisian’s population is on Facebook and it was the place where many Tunisians shared updates relating to the protests. And with a paucity of on-the-ground media coverage, twitter excelled as a message in getting the information out, in driving mainstream media coverage, and in connecting activists on the ground with multipliers in the West. (Radio Free Europe Documents and Publications, 2011, p. 1).
“In Egypt, Google regional marketing manager Wael Ghonim was jailed by secret police for 12 days after he was identified as a key figure using social media to help orchestrate demonstrations. When Ghonim was released, he went straight to Cairo’s Tahrir Square, grabbed a microphone and rallied seemingly demoralized protesters to push for Mubarak’s resignation.” (Lindorff, 2011). But how are Tunisian and Egyptian revolutions like the Kashmir revolution? The summer 2010 unrest in Kashmir—“which claimed the lives of over 110 people”(Press TV, 2010). did not bring any change in socio-political institutions of Kashmir. Nor did it help Kashmiri people achieve their freedom from India---the long-standing cause for which they have been fighting for over two decades now.
The action in Kashmir essentially has a lot in common with these revolutions though it may not have gained independence from India. Tunisia and Egypt used Facebook to expose their struggle globally and expose to the international media the oppression of the authoritarian regimes that ruled the countries for 40 to 50 years. Kashmir has been longing for its independence from India since 1947, though the freedom movement in the Valley began in 1989. However, Facebook during the summer 2010 unrest gave Kashmiri people voice to share their stories with people from across the globe. The summer protests began in Kashmir in June in response to killings, excesses and arrests of innocent Kashmiris by Indian security forces in Kashmir. The unrest launched by the Hurriyat Conference---“a political front formed as an alliance of 26 political, social and religious organization in Kashmir” (Kashmir Herald, 2002, p.1) ---called for the complete demilitarization of Kashmir. (New York Times, 2010, p.1).
Young people created Facebook pages and updated posts, posted photos and videos on wall pages pertaining to the demonstrations in Kashmir. This helped them share the common goal with people in large groups at the international level. “The posts and updates on Facebook and the videos and photos during the 2010 summer unrest in Kashmir led to the increased international media attention toward the Valley.” (Prakash, 2011, p. 1). Concerned over the remarkable role of social media in terms of mobilizing people and in the wake of recent revolutions in Egypt and Tunisia, Indian Defense Minister A. K. Antony said “the separatists in Kashmir are misusing social networking sites.” ( Deccan Herald, 2011, p.1)
Wani in his 2011 article on India’s concern over social media use said:
The Indian Army stationed in Kashmir for the first has expressed concern over social Networking sites. General Officer Commanding of the Srinagar- (Kashmir’s capital state) based 15 Corps said face book and other social networking sites are being used as a tool of propaganda against the Army and other security agencies from Kashmir. (p1-1)
Facebook gave people in Kashmir a platform to understand the problem at home at a broader level through communication with people globally. This also helped expand small groups into large groups. Hundreds people from around the world have become members of the face book pages created during the 2010 unrest. The pages regularly updated posts of protests during the unrest and are still active featuring updates relating to the freedom struggle. During Tunisian and Egyptian protests that happened months after the summer unrest in Kashmir, people regularly updated these pages highlighting the crisis in the two countries. “There are already many pages devoted to the burgeoning Egyptian crisis on the social sites in the Kashmir Valley.” (Wani, 2011, p. 1).
Symbolic Convergence Theory
“The Symbolic Convergence Theory (SCT), developed by Ernest Bormann, posits that people in small groups come together to share a common goal. In other words, people in small groups--who are not familiar with each other—converge for the sake of achieving a common goal. (Young, 1998, p.1).
Symbolic Convergence Theory is based on two major assumptions. One is that communication creates reality and reality is not fixed but changes as our symbols for talking about it change. A second foundational assumption is that symbols not only create reality for individuals but that individuals’ meanings for symbols can converge to create a shared reality or community consciousness. (Foss, 2004, p. 109-110)
The basic unit of analysis of SCT is the fantasy theme.
Fantasy, in the context of Symbolic Convergence Theory, is not imaginary or grounded in unreality, but fantasy is the creative interpretation of events. The fantasy theme is the means through which the interpretation is accomplished in communication. A fantasy theme is a word, phrase or statement that interprets events from the past, envisions events in future, or depicts current events that are removed in time and/ or space from the actual activities of a group. (Foss, 2004, p. 110-111).
The second basic unit of SCT is the rhetorical vision. “A rhetorical vision is a unified putting together of the various shared fantasies to provide a particular interpretation of reality. (Foss, 2004, p. 112).
Fantasy themes are part of larger dramas that are longer, and more complicated stories called rhetorical visions. A rhetorical vision is a shared view of how things are, have been, or will be. In large measure, these visions form the assumptions on which a group’s knowledge is based, structuring a sense of reality. Fantasy themes, and even the larger rhetorical visions, consist of characters—heroes, villains or supporting players, plot line—action or development of the story, scene—is the setting, location and sanctioning agent—source that legitimizes the story, (Littlejohn & Foss, 2007, p. 163).
A fantasy theme depicts characters, actions and settings that are removed from an actual current group situation in time and space. Rhetorical visions contain themes relating to settings, characters and actions that together form a symbolic interpretation of reality. These visions also provide motive for action.” (Foss, 2004, p.112-113).
Literature Review
In 2008, Iran’s Face Book revolution triggered a sense of hope to achieve freedom from India among the people of Kashmir. Facebook presented two different concepts for people of Kashmir----non-violent protest and chaining out—i.e. bonding with people from across the world through Facebook to share their freedom fantasy. These characteristics of rhetorical vision---fantasy (freedom) and source (Facebook) --- in the Symbolic Convergence Theory played themselves out in Kashmir in 2008 and 2010. In 2008, Kashmiri protesters used stones instead of guns against the Indian Army. This protest was a transition from armed protests. They also used the social media such as Facebook and twitter to register their protests but not excessively. The movement, however, turned into a widespread Facebook revolution in the summer 2010 unrest. Protesters relied heavily on Facebook to get the messages out globally and mobilize support for their freedom. “The stone pelters use Facebook to debate the weekly calendar of protests, discuss ways to hold Kashmiri leaders accountable and trade daily news updates, some of questionable reliability.” (Hussain, 2010, p1).
Historical background of Kashmir freedom movement
In summer 2010, violent protests erupted in the Kashmir Valley after the killing of a teenage boy on June 17. The 17-year old student was returning from paying tuition when he was hit by a teargas shell. His death resulted in protests that later turned violent after security forces fired upon unarmed protestors and killed more people. This process continued for over four months and claimed the lives of 118 people. (BBC, 2010).
Security forces fired at the protesters, killing a teenage student and wounding at least six others, the police officer said. The protesters were later joined by thousands of residents from neighboring villages, leading to more clashes, he said. Anti-India sentiment runs deep in Kashmir, which is divided between India and Pakistan but claimed by both. Protesters reject Indian sovereignty over Kashmir and want to form a separate country or merge with predominantly Muslim Pakistan.” (Hussain, 2010, p.1).
The origin of the Kashmir dispute is as old as the creation of India and Pakistan in 1947. Before 1947, India and Pakistan were one country called Hindustan ruled by the Great Britain. Following Independence, the Hindu leader of the Muslim-majority princely state of Kashmir opted to accede to India as armed invaders from Pakistan were advancing on his capital, Srinagar. This led to the dispute between India and Pakistan.
Thottam (2010): Kashmir's story is complicated. India and Pakistan have fought three wars over the territory since 1947, when Muslim-majority Kashmir became part of mostly Hindu India over Pakistan's objections. The two countries negotiated a Line of Control in 1971 dividing Indian and Pakistani Kashmir, but that unofficial border has always been restive.” (p. 1).
According to the agreement made in 1947, Kashmiri people were promised the right to self-determination by the first prime minister of India, Jawaharlal Nehru. The various phases of self-determination, however, were always evaded by the Indian government. India never gave any freedom of speech to people in Kashmir because it feared they would go with Muslim Pakistan. Kashmir has since become the bone of contention between the two neighboring countries. “In 1989, a secessionist movement began in the Kashmir Valley with people demanding sovereignty and freedom (azadi) from the Indian state.” These demands were the transformation from their earlier demands for autonomy.” (Tremblay, 1996-1997). This movement sparked an armed struggle that has so far killed “more than 68,000 people, mostly civilians. (Yahoo News, 2011).
However, the freedom movement saw a transition from armed struggle to unarmed struggle in 2008 when young men led the protests to the Line of Control.
For the first time in eighteen years, the whole of Kashmir seemed to be out on the streets: hundreds of thousands of people had swelled the highway that penetrates the "line of control" (LoC) dividing Kashmir between India and Pakistan. With chants on their lips and fists raised high in the air, the crowd's aim was to march until they could - by sheer force of peaceful numbers - cross to Muzaffarabad (in Pakistan-controlled Kashmir) and thus trample this heavily militarized border. Thousands of young men like them, who were toddlers when the armed rebellion began across Kashmir in 1990, have become the aroused but peaceful frontline figures of this latest period of separatist uprising. (Jaleel, 2008, p.1).
Two years later in 2010, the non-violence transition saw a remarkable change in terms of social media. Although people used social media---Facebook and You Tube in 2008 as well, its use was limited. In 2010, Facebook became the hero. Young people created Face book pages featuring pictures of the Army beating up and firing the protesters during the demonstrations. “The status updates on Face book and videos and photos on the wall pages led to increased international media interest in the Kashmir agitation.
Posts on Facebook indicate a sense of optimism that the international community will back any pro-freedom unrest anywhere in the world. The desire to assemble in large numbers in Lal Chowk, in the center of Srinagar, and to keep all night vigils demanding azadi, is being discussed on both Twitter and Facebook. (IndiaTalkies, 2011, p. 1).
These pages continued to update posts featuring demands of Kashmiri people even after the protests were over. From SCT’s perspective, “when fantasy themes serve to maintain commitment, they begin to fulfill a consciousness-sustaining function. (Littlejohn & Foss, p. 163). The Cold War rhetorical vision of group consciousness continued to exist during the CW but in different shades. Group consciousness turned into consciousness creating, consciousness raising and consciousness sustaining before its decline and terminus. This illustrates the life cycle of the rhetorical vision. (Bormann, Cragan, Shields, 1996). In post-2010 unrest, people in Kashmir constantly updated the pages they had created during the unrest. This represented the continuity of the rhetorical vision. Although there is lull in Kashmir now, the constant updates of people in these pages illustrate the continuity of the vision (fantasy).
This global phenomenon of Facebook that connects people from across the world extends Symbolic Convergence Theory. In other words, SCT is a small group theory but social media due to its concise and instantaneous nature connects people in small groups to large groups nation-wide.
In SCT the starting point for the theory is that individuals’ images of reality are guided by stories reflecting how things are believed to be. These stories, or fantasy themes, are created in symbolic interaction within small groups, and they chain out from person to person and group to group to create a shared worldview. (Littlejohn & Foss, 2007, p. 162).
We might ask, quantitatively, what aspects of this social media revolution make it such an effective motivator of social activism? More specifically, in the Kashmir revolution, what demands, worldviews, fantasies, heroes were central to this mass action? In other words, we might ask this research question:
RQ: How is Facebook as a social media used to mobilize masses, particularly activism against oppression?

Operational Definition
This study used six Face book pages that were created during the 2010 summer unrest marked by stone-throwing protests in Kashmir. Thirteen Facebook pages dedicated to the 2010 summer unrest that started in June and lasted for three months were created but only six pages were used in the paper because privacy settings blocked the access to the seven other pages. These pages were found after using the key words such as freedom, stone and Kashmir unrest in the Facebook search bar and after collecting information from some people in Kashmir. The pages were aimed at broadcasting the demands of people for freedom in Kashmir, mobilizing masses and sharing information relating to deaths of people in protests, and about curfews and strikes. Random sampling was used to select six wall posts from each of the six pages. September was chosen because most pages were created in that month and the pages created before September didn’t show posts from previous months. The wall posts of the six pages determined the use of Facebook to mobilize protests and to get the message out locally and globally. The support of people in favor of the wall posts was determined by their comments.
Methods
A total of 13 pages were created during the 2010 summer unrest in Kashmir but the six of the 13 not encumbered by privacy settings were used in the study. Most pages were found by typing into the Facebook search bar the keywords such as Kashmir, summer unrest and stone (which symbolized the 2010 summer protests in Kashmir). The links to other pages were sent to me by people in Kashmir in response to my Facebook wall post asking for the information about these pages. All 13 pages were centered on the core demand “freedom” and the pursuit for independence through stone-throwing protests was illustrated by the title names of the pages---aalaw (call), kane jung (stone-pelting), sangbaaz kashur (stonethrower Kashmiri), Kashmir unrest, Kashur kot (Kashmiri boy), kale kharab (hot headed), kale kharab kashur (hot headed kashmiri), stone-pelter (1), stone-pelter (2), sangbaaz (stone thrower) stone, Meri Awaz Suno (listen to my voice), kale kharab (hot headed), frontline Kashmir, aalaw (call), Kane Jung (stone pelting). The six pages used in the study were--- stone-pelter, sangbaaz (stone thrower) stone, Meri Awaz Suno (listen to my voice), kale kharab (hot headed), frontline Kashmir and stone protestor. (Facebook, September, 2010). The wall posts of these pages during September 2010 were analyzed. The attempt was to include the wall posts posted in the three months of protests--June, July and August. However, the month of September was chosen because most of these six pages were created in that month and some pages created before September didn’t include posts from previous months. I randomly selected six wall posts from each of the six pages. A very few posts were totally unrelated to the protests so I used random sampling. But in the process of random sampling none of these few posts were chosen. Random selection also ensured that posts from different days of September were included in the sample. A total of 36 wall posts comprised the final sample. Besides wall posts, I also examined other sections like discussions, questions and notes but they were not used. The examination of the wall posts led to the following three variables. The units under each variable included comments---including photos and videos-- as well as comments of the persons who created the pages.
• Demands
 Azadi (freedom)
 Go India go back
• Mobilization
 Spread the news about Indian oppression
 Share the news about protests
 Links to local stories
 Photos (on wall posts)
 Videos (on wall posts)
• Information exchange route
 Share updates about what’s going on in your areas.
 Curfew tomorrow
For comparison purposes, I also randomly selected six January wall posts from each of the six pages (Facebook, January, 2011) to see if there were any variations in the variables. I chose January because it was the first month of the New Year (2011) and the situation was relatively calm during that month. Also the Tunisian and Egyptian revolutions accelerated by Face book happened in that month. There were slight variations in terms of the frequency of the updates in the first two variables of the Facebook pages. The third variable (information exchange route) however, was not used for Kashmir but was used for Egypt and Tunisia updates. In other words, people exchanged information and shared updates about what was going on in the two countries.
The variables reflected that Facebook was used in Kashmir because it gave disenfranchised people a voice to tell their stories. People shared their stories—“freedom (azadi) and go India go back”—on Facebook that wouldn’t have otherwise found access in the mainstream media because of the nature of the demands that were anti-India. Also, people in Kashmir used Facebook to mobilize masses. This mobilization in the form of posts such as “spread the news about protests” and videos and photo posts allowed small groups expand into large groups. In other words, the pro-freedom comments of people on the wall posts expanded this small group of people who created the pages. Besides, the instantaneous nature of Face book that allowed people to know what was going on in other areas and that kept them updated on any occurrences through posts such as “demonstrations going on in Maisuma, one teenage killed in Raj Bagh, curfew in Kupwara,” made Facebook as a hero in the freedom movement. Here are the results of this analysis.

Results
The analysis of the Facebook pages revealed that a majority of posts used ‘azadi’ (freedom), stone pelting and voice in their wall posts. In the September wall posts, people used “freedom” 97% of the time followed by “go India go back” at 88 %. The mobilization routes such as “share the news about protests,” “spread the news about Indian oppression,” “links to photos,” “links to local stories,” “ links to videos” appeared 94%, 90%, 87%, 86% and 84% of times, respectively, in the 36 wall posts and comments. For the information exchange route, features like “share updates about what’s going on in your areas” was mentioned 75 % of the time and “curfew tomorrow” was mentioned 68% of the time in September posts.

In January posts, freedom stayed at 97 % while “go India go back” had come down to 72%. The mobilization route like “share the news about protests,” “spread the news about Indian oppression,” “links to photos,” “links to local stories,” “links to videos” remained the same at 94%, 90%, 87%, 86% and 84% of times, respectively. Even though the violence had come down in January, “share the news about protests” highlighted small-scale demonstrations that occurred in different localities followed by the references to the summer 2010 protests. For the information exchange route, updates about Egypt and Tunisia were used 84% of the time.

Discussion
From the results, it is possible to answer the research question about the mobilization feature of Facebook, particularly activism against oppression. These Facebook pages allowed people from two opposite ends to share fantasies. People shared a common vision by using these Facebook pages between nation and across nations. This shows small groups are expanded into large groups. Facebook, in other words, has made this world equivalent of small world because of free flow of information. Protesters in Kashmir used Face book to mobilize masses, show the world what was happening in the Valley, arrange protests, and governmental and military responses to the demonstrations that killed hundreds of innocent people, mostly teenage boys. This mobilization not only got the information about the protests out but it expanded small groups into large groups when people locally and globally supported the demands of Kashmiri people. This also expands SCT, which postulates people in small groups chain out to achieve their fantasy/story, into large group application.
Also, these Facebook posts were from people who have no political status, no financial backing, and no excess to mainstream media, and that isn’t unrelated to giving a voice to people. In earlier revolutions, for example, the 1979 Iranian Revolution, the mainstream media was used to mobilize masses. “Iranian revolution built on many of the structural and organizational aspects of modernity—especially of course in the use of the media and modern organizational methods for the mobilization of the masses.” (Amineh & Eisenstadt, 2007, p.137). But now Facebook has replaced the mainstream media because of its limited access. Facebook allowed these disenfranchised people a voice and legitimized their fantasies when they were shared locally and globally.
Finally these people realized that this Facebook was allowing this to happen and so it became one of the heroes in the revolution because it gave strength to the Kashmir freedom movement. This has been called Facebook/twitter revolution because it gives people the faith that they can change the world by using social media. “The social media revolution 2.0 has just begun. Tunisia’s Twitter revolt sparked Egypt’s social media revolution that successfully ousted its leader of 30 years. Is Algeria the next ground zero in the people’s uprising to transform their nation?” (Nguyen, 2011, p.1).

Kashmir: An Overview of Problem

2010-11-19T19:24:00.001-08:00

(Note: I must clarify the focus of the article is unemployment, which has aggravated the root problem of Kashmir---struggle for Independence)

Unemployment is a growing problem in Kashmir, which has been struggling for its freedom for the last 21 years. The educated youth in Kashmir stay jobless because the government jobs are very few in the state and the private sector is almost non-existent in the Valley. Unemployment stress coupled with poverty force the youth to take up guns and indulge in violent activities. Many youths in Kashmir became militants out of frustration; some of them took up guns because they would get money from “Pakistan-sponsored terrorists” as they received arms training. Not only this, others have been driven to drugs. Despite so many years since the insurgency began in Kashmir, the unemployment problem is still unsolved in the Valley and it has aggravated the long-standing dispute in Kashmir.

Since 1989 ninety thousand lives have been lost in Kashmir, the northern Indian border state, and there is not one family that has not been affected by the brutal state repression and the raging insurgency. The origin of the Kashmir dispute is as old as the creation of newly independent states---India and Pakistan—in 1947. After the two states won their independence from Britain, the Hindu leader of the Muslim-majority princely state of Kashmir opted to accede to India as armed invaders from Pakistan were advancing on his capital, Srinagar. This led to the dispute between India and Pakistan. There were two major reasons: First, Kashmir was a Muslim-majority state and it was ruled by a Hindu. Second, Pakistan wanted to make Kashmir its own state because it was a Muslim-dominated state. According to the agreement made in 1947, people in Kashmir were promised the right to self-determination by the first prime minister of India, Jawaharlal Nehru. The various phases of self-determination, however, were always evaded by the Indian government. India never gave any freedom of speech to people in Kashmir because it feared they would go with Pakistan being Muslims. Kashmir has since become the bone of contention between the two neighboring countries. Both India and Pakistan fight for Kashmir, but none is bothered about the unemployment problem in Kashmir that has aggravated the freedom struggle movement in Kashmir. Sustained unemployment has fuelled the grievances of people and it's growing in time.

I am originally from Kashmir. I was born and brought up in Kashmir. I had to leave the state because there were hardly any job prospects in Kashmir. I am one of the very few people in the valley who have settled outside Kashmir. Every Kashmiri cannot afford to leave the state. Parents usually take loans to give their children good education; however, they end up being jobless. This has furthered the frustration of the people and they opt for more and more violent activities. According to a news report by PTI---the leading news agency in India—“stone pelting in Kashmir valley appears to be fast turning into a lucrative 'business' for some unemployed youths offering this 'service' for a price. Several youths are operating 'stone pelting' cartels funded by separatist organizations and some political parties. These groups are paid money ranging from $12,000 to $ 21000.’’

While recruitment process has stalled in government-run offices, which dominate Kashmir, old employees lament the policies and procedures of the government. They often protest against the government’s policies and procedures that are not consistent with the needs of employees. Also private sector enterprise is non-existent in Kashmir. Indian government hardly makes any investment in the private sector in Kashmir. It could revitalize the economy in Kashmir given the sizable number of educated youth who can be utilized in this sector. India emphasizes Kashmir is an integral part of the country but in reality it is doing nothing to address the unemployment problem in the state. Unemployment has aggravated the long-standing dispute in Kashmir.

What’s missing?

The leadership that is task-relevant and in which the leaders adapt their leadership style to the Maturity (“the capacity to set high but attainable goals, willingness and ability to take responsibility for the task, and relevant education and/or experience of an individual or a group for the task) of the individual or group they are attempting to lead/influence,” is terribly missing in Kashmir. Ever since India got freedom from Great Britain in 1947, the government has been dictating the roles and people follow it. The task behavior is dominant while relationship behavior is non-existent. The government has never encouraged participatory role in Kashmir and gave people same equal stake in the decision-making process. As effective leadership ensures that leaders change their leadership to match the needs of the people, the governments that have ruled Kashmir since decades, particularly after 1947, have lacked this kind of leadership.
The government in Kashmir is in significant need to exercise effective leadership that offers a solution to the long-standing problem of unemployment. In this case the solution lies in either expanding government job sector in Kashmir or creating private sector jobs. Once done, leaders should change their roles in keeping with the maturity level of the employees, paving the way for “employees-friendly” atmosphere at the workplace. For example whether or not employees lack specific skills for the job, and are not willing to do it, or else they have skills but are unwilling to perform. Or they are unwilling because they lack confidence. I think the government should either use participating or delegating types( the two-way communication process) where more focus is given to relation than task behavior. In the case of unemployed youths, the government should delegate with them to see what needs to be done to provide them an opportunity to work. On current employee’s issue who show their dissent against the government policies and procedures, the leaders should invite them to participate in negotiations, provide them support and endorse their demands. If the leaders will adopt a “telling”(one-way communication) approach in these cases, it will further complicate the situation.

Where’s the money going?
India spends millions of dollars on troops based in Kashmir but little has been done to address the unemployment problem in Kashmir. In 1992/93, for example, India’s spending on troops at the Siachen Glacier was approximately Rs 50 million (US $1.94 million) per day, working out at more than 10 per cent of the total annual defence budget.7. India and Pakistan together spend more on military purchases than any other country in the world. If one-third of this amount was used for creating employment opportunities in Kashmir, it would serve a great deal. However, India doesn’t seem to pay any heed to this festering issue in Kashmir.

Over the past two decades, the employment rate has drastically dropped in Kashmir. Hiring in the state has been at a virtual standstill. Young people in Kashmir indulge in drugs and take part in violent activities. They often take to the streets, block roads and throw stones at police and paramilitary personnel, causing unrest in the Valley. They do it to vent out their frustration with the government. In other words, agitation has become a tool for them to show their anger against the government. Security forces, in return, use tear gas and sometimes even open fire at the protestors. Several youths have been killed in such incidents; however, they continue to do it because they think death is better than being unemployed.

In Kashmir, only one fifth of the population lives in urban areas and not every urbanized person is employed. The large chunk of population living in countryside is farmers. Kashmir's economy is centered on agriculture. Farmers usually make their living selling vegetables and fruits across the valley. However, the continuous strikes in the valley disrupt the businesses of the farmers. They cannot sell fruits and vegetables in the event of strikes when all business establishments remain closed. The Valley wears a deserted look during a strike. According to Reuters report, “Kashmir has also lost over 1,500 working days (more than four years) to separatists’ shutdown calls in the past 20 years, dealing a crippling blow to its ailing economy. According to the Kashmir Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the region loses 100 million rupees (1 rupee is $49 approximately) for every day of shutdown.
Also tourism is the backbone of the Kashmir’s economy. Thousands of people in Kashmir depend on tourism industry for their survival. But for tourists peace and safety is paramount to visit the state, which is frequently disrupted by strikes and unrest.

Is there a Solution?
Unemployment has been a pressing problem in Kashmir and it has only aggravated the “unfinished task of partition” dispute in the Valley. The number of educated youths in the Valley increases every year, and with them increases the problem of unemployment. The Government of India should seriously consider unemployment problem and create private sector in the Valley to address the issue. Also it should adopt a delegating or participating approach to address the concerns of the people. Effective leadership is a necessity at this point in time in Kashmir. If unemployment problem is addressed in Kashmir, people may change their attitude toward India and start living peacefully.

Kashmir: An Overview of Problem

2010-07-21T13:38:00.001-07:00

Unemployment is a growing problem in Kashmir, which has already been struggling for its freedom for the last 21 years. The educated youth in Kashmir stay jobless because the government jobs are very few in the state and the private sector is almost non-existent in the Valley. Unemployment stress coupled with poverty force the youth to take up guns and indulge in violent activities. Many youths in Kashmir became militants out of frustration; some of them took up guns because they would get money from “Pakistan-sponsored terrorists” as they received arms training. Not only this, others have been driven to drugs. Despite so many years since the insurgency began in Kashmir, the unemployment problem is still unsolved in the Valley and it has aggravated the long-standing dispute in Kashmir.

Since 1989 ninety thousand lives have been lost in Kashmir, the northern Indian border state, and there is not one family that has not been affected by the brutal state repression and the raging insurgency. The origin of the Kashmir dispute is as old as the creation of newly independent states---India and Pakistan—in 1947. After the two states won their independence from Britain, the Hindu leader of the Muslim-majority princely state of Kashmir opted to accede to India as armed invaders from Pakistan were advancing on his capital, Srinagar. This led to the dispute between India and Pakistan. There were two major reasons: First, Kashmir was a Muslim-majority state and it was ruled by a Hindu. Second, Pakistan wanted to make Kashmir its own state because it was a Muslim-dominated state. According to the agreement made in 1947, people in Kashmir were promised the right to self-determination by the first prime minister of India, Jawaharlal Nehru. The various phases of self-determination, however, were always evaded by the Indian government. India never gave any freedom of speech to people in Kashmir because it feared they would go to Pakistan being Muslims. Kashmir has since become the bone of contention between the two neighboring countries. Both India and Pakistan fight for Kashmir, but none is bothered about the real problem concerning the people in Kashmir. Sustained unemployment has fuelled the grievances of people and the problem is growing in time.

I am originally from Kashmir. I was born and brought up in Kashmir. I had to leave the state because there were hardly any job prospects in Kashmir. I am one of the very few people in the valley who have settled outside Kashmir. Every Kashmiri cannot afford to leave the state. Parents usually take loans to give their children good education; however, they end up seeing them jobless. This has furthered the frustration of the people and they opt for more and more violent activities. According to a news report by PTI---the leading news agency in India—“stone pelting in Kashmir valley appears to be fast turning into a lucrative 'business' for some unemployed youths offering this 'service' for a price. Several youths are operating 'stone pelting' cartels funded by separatist organizations and some political parties. These groups are paid money ranging from $12,000 to $ 21000.’’

While recruitment process has stalled in government-run offices, which dominate Kashmir, old employees lament the policies and procedures of the government. They often protest against the government’s policies and procedures that are not consistent with the needs of employees. Also private sector enterprise is non-existent in Kashmir. Indian government hardly makes any investment in the private sector in Kashmir. It could revitalize the economy in Kashmir given the sizable number of educated youth who can be utilized in this sector. India emphasizes Kashmir is an integral part of the country but in reality it is doing nothing to address the unemployment problem in the state. Unemployment has aggravated the long-standing dispute in Kashmir.

What’s missing?

The leadership that is task-relevant and in which the leaders adapt their leadership style to the Maturity (“the capacity to set high but attainable goals, willingness and ability to take responsibility for the task, and relevant education and/or experience of an individual or a group for the task) of the individual or group they are attempting to lead/influence,” is terribly missing in Kashmir. Ever since India got freedom from Great Britain in 1947, the government has been dictating the roles and people follow it. The task behavior is dominant while relationship behavior is non-existent. The government has never encouraged participatory role in Kashmir and gave people same equal stake in the decision-making process. As effective leadership ensures that leaders change their leadership to match the needs of the people, the governments that have ruled Kashmir since decades, particularly after 1947, have lacked this kind of leadership.
The government in Kashmir is in significant need to exercise effective leadership that offers a solution to the long-standing problem of unemployment. In this case the solution lies in either expanding government job sector in Kashmir or creating private sector jobs. Once done, leaders should change their roles in keeping with the maturity level of the employees, paving the way for “employees-friendly” atmosphere at the workplace. For example whether or not employees lack specific skills for the job, and are not willing to do it, or else they have skills but are unwilling to perform. Or they are unwilling because they lack confidence. I think the government should either use participating or delegating types( the two-way communication process) where more focus is given to relation than task behavior. In the case of unemployed youths, the government should delegate with them to see what needs to be done to provide them an opportunity to work. On current employee’s issue who show their dissent against the government policies and procedures, the leaders should invite them to participate in negotiations, provide them support and endorse their demands. If the leaders will adopt a “telling”(one-way communication) approach in these cases, it will further complicate the situation.

Where’s the money going?
India spends millions of dollars on troops based in Kashmir but little has been done to address the unemployment problem in Kashmir. In 1992/93, for example, India’s spending on troops at the Siachen Glacier was approximately Rs 50 million (US $1.94 million) per day, working out at more than 10 per cent of the total annual defence budget.7. India and Pakistan together spend more on military purchases than any other country in the world. If one-third of this amount was used for creating employment opportunities in Kashmir, it would serve a great deal. However, India doesn’t seem to pay any heed to this festering issue in Kashmir.

Over the past two decades, the employment rate has drastically dropped in Kashmir. Hiring in the state has been at a virtual standstill. Young people in Kashmir indulge in drugs and take part in violent activities. They often take to the streets, block roads and throw stones at police and paramilitary personnel, causing unrest in the Valley. They do it to vent out their frustration with the government. In other words, agitation has become a tool for them to show their anger against the government. Security forces, in return, use tear gas and sometimes even open fire at the protestors. Several youths have been killed in such incidents; however, they continue to do it because they think death is better than being unemployed.

In Kashmir, only one fifth of the population lives in urban areas and not every urbanized person is employed. The large chunk of population living in countryside is farmers. Kashmir's economy is centered on agriculture. Farmers usually make their living selling vegetables and fruits across the valley. However, the continuous strikes in the valley disrupt the businesses of the farmers. They cannot sell fruits and vegetables in the event of strikes when all business establishments remain closed. The Valley wears a deserted look during a strike. According to Reuters report, “Kashmir has also lost over 1,500 working days (more than four years) to separatists’ shutdown calls in the past 20 years, dealing a crippling blow to its ailing economy. According to the Kashmir Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the region loses 100 million rupees (1 rupee is $49 approximately) for every day of shutdown.
Also tourism is the backbone of the Kashmir’s economy. Thousands of people in Kashmir depend on tourism industry for their survival. But for tourists peace and safety is paramount to visit the state, which is frequently disrupted by strikes and unrest.

Is there a Solution?
Unemployment has been a pressing problem in Kashmir and it has only aggravated the “unfinished task of partition” dispute in the Valley. The number of educated youths in the Valley increases every year, and with them increases the problem of unemployment. The Government of India should seriously consider unemployment problem and create private sector in the Valley to address the issue. Also it should adopt a delegating or participating approach to address the concerns of the people. Effective leadership is a necessity at this point in time in Kashmir. If unemployment problem is addressed in Kashmir, people may change their attitude toward India and start living peacefully.

Florida Tech will host the third annual Autism Conference on October 3-4,

2010-07-21T13:32:00.000-07:00

http://activities.fit.edu/crimson/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/091709.pdf
Kids suffering from autism will soon get treatment at the Scott Center for Autism
when it opens at Florida Institute of Technology. Applied behavior analysis or psychology students will be trained at the center to provide the highest
quality treatment to the disabled kids in Central Florida. Students from other majors can also join to provide behavioral analytical services to the children with autism.

The Scott Center is a learning institution for graduate and undergraduate students
majoring in applied behavior analysis or psychology. It will provide empirically supported behavioral and allied health care diagnoses, assessments and treatments for children and their families.

Children ages 1 to 8 years will get early intensive behavior analytic intervention from the center. Services for children beyond this age range may be provided
on a case-by-case basis. The center will also extend its services to older children with autism in near future. FIT’s School of Psychology also conducts free monthly
workshops to educate parents about how to deal with kids with autism disorders. The workshop is held on the last Wednesday of each month. will be held in September.

Kashmir: An Overview of Problem

2010-07-21T13:28:00.000-07:00

The Voice silenced

2009-12-14T12:56:00.000-08:00

The Voice Silenced

(By Huma Sheikh)

The recording was done in 2003, a few days before his killing when Dad was singing to a group of students and family at our home in Kashmir.

My father Ghulam Nabi Sheikh had sung and recorded those songs during reyaaz (practice) at our Srinagar home. His voice shimmered with his passion for Kashmiri music.

The recording tape was unlike his singing recordings created at home or for his radio and television shows. It was not a monument to Dad’s recording ability. As Program Executive in Radio Kashmir Srinagar and previously as producer and singer, he could create a high-quality recording whenever he presented or dubbed a show on radio.

But in this recording, pauses, little chats, laughing and sometimes throat-clearing sounds accompanied the songs. They brought him to life six years after death had taken him away from us suddenly and mysteriously.

In the recording, I could hear Dad ask his students to recall a line for a new song as he sang and composed it. He paused to clear his throat in the middle of another ghazal and thanked his tabla player, who skillfully matched his harmonium tunes. He joked and joined others in laughing before he sang another song. And all this made the recording priceless.

The power of Dad’s voice and his singing versatility earned him a title “Mehdi Hassan of Jammu and Kashmir,” and his compositions carried him to greater heights. Dad spent almost 40 good years of his life in devotion to music in Kashmir. He was “Top Grade” artist of JK and his songs and compositions blended with contemporary tunes yet retained their melodic folk texture that touched people’s hearts.

He further honed his singing and musical abilities by creating a breed of singers in Kashmir, who all are now popular singers in the valley.

Dad began his musical career at the age of 14. From these early days, he would participate in singing competitions in and outside of Kashmir, often winning first slots. His first international visit as a teenage was to Bangladesh, where he received first prize in a singing competition. Around the same time, dad began singing for Yuvavani service of Radio Kashmir.

He would be at the same recording room as popular singers of their days like Ghulam Hassan Sofi, Raj Begum and Naseem Akhtar. Dad received first prize in youth competition in 1980 by the Cultural Academy, Srinagar.

Dad soon joined a cluster of singers like Shaheema Azad, Kailash Mehra, who had started their singing career way ahead of him. Singers like Aarti Tikko and Vijay Mala came around the same time as dad. He started singing and composing songs for Radio Kashmir’s General Service while mesmerizing thousands of Kashmiris with his wonderful voice. Dad marveled people with his singing performances across all states in India. He won “Grade A” singer slot in light music.

In 1983, Dad was appointed Music Composer in Radio Kashmir. After 1989 when Pandit Bhajan Sopori, who was Program Executive at Radio Kashmir, left Kashmir, dad overlooked radio’s Music section. During those tough years of turmoil, he created a large set of singers in Kashmir, who eventually got recognition in the field of music. Among them are Rashid Farash, Waheed Jeelani, Muneer Ahmed Mir and others.

As approved Music Composer by Music Audition Board, All India Radio, New Delhi, dad also composed songs in Urdu, Dogri, Gojri, Punjabi and Bengali among others.

Years into his stint as Music Composer, dad cleared Union Public Service Commission examination to serve as Program Executive in Radio Kashmir. Dad was awarded “Top Grade Singer” in light music for excellence in the singing of Kashmiri songs--the other “Top Grade Singer” in light music in the Valley is Begum Akhtar. Dad also won “D-I Graded Singer” award in light music (Urdu).

Dad served as member of the Advisory Sub-Committee for Kashmir Folk Music in Cultural Academy (1995-2003) and member of Program Advisory Committee of Doordarshan Kendra Srinagar (1986-88). Dad was also empanelled with Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR).

But the voice is silent now. Today is the sixth anniversary of my father’s death, which is still a mystery.

My father was killed in 2003. He disappeared mysteriously from the train bound for Delhi from Jammu on the night of July 13 and was reported dead the following day by Punjab police. They claimed his body had been cremated. We only got his clothes and slippers and the ring and watch he was wearing.

The tragedy of his death has stuck with us and the ghosts of mystery haunt us as time passes. We have many questions but no answers. Dad’s death is a mystery and his killing didn’t linger with our Valley’s people, though he was renowned in Jammu and Kashmir.

We have questions about who killed him and what led to his death. We regret that the Jammu and Kashmir government couldn’t do anything to unravel the mystery. The luke-warm response of the government toward handling the case also adds to the lingering feeling every Kashmiri has that the people hardly have any power when it comes to dealing with cases that happen outside of state.

My father’s death is not the only case in the Valley; many tragedies have happened in Kashmir. At the end of the day, it is not the death of a person but a family. Over the course of six years, my mother has lost hope that her husband will ever come back and so have I and my siblings—a brother and sister.

What is more frightening for us is the possibility that the tragedy may not have happened. We just don’t know as we have never seen his dead body. “Someday, there will be a miracle when dad will knock on our door. We don’t stop thinking about it.”

China's capital city strives to clear skies

2009-05-02T02:36:00.000-07:00

By Huma Sheikh
http://www.cctv.com/english/20090502/101057.shtml
BEIJING, April 30 (Xinhuanet) -- Clearing the skies has been a major cause for concern for Beijing. The capital city has recently put in place a new pollution limits regulation for cars in Beijing to control climate-changing gases. Thousands of cars a day add to the list of Beijing's millions of vehicles, setting the stage for more pollution and traffic jam woes. The capital city is the hardest hit by the sweeping number of cars and during the peak time, a five-kilometer stretch could take a passenger a couple of hours to cover it. The new traffic rule follows the earlier Olympic and post-Olympic restrictions on vehicles. In order to help improve air quality during the Olympics and Paralympics last year, Beijing restricted use of vehicles through a system based on odd, even numbers. The system, which was in place from July 20 to September 20 in 2008, allowed cars with even number as their last digit on the number plate to hit the roads on even number days while cars with an odd last digit number would run on odd number days. The rule applied to an odd-even license plate system alternately. The rules were, however not applied to public buses, taxis, long-distance transportation and police cars, fire trucks, ambulance, wrecking cars or Olympic-used cars. During the two-month period, the system helped limit 45 percent cars and cleared the skies. But as the ban was lifted on September 20, traffic jams resumed. The government, after Olympic regulations showed promise, came up with another six-month rule to cut release of climate-changing pollution, especially carbon dioxide from the burning of fossil fuels. It adopted a regulation with relatively fewer restrictions. In post-Olympics car restrictions, from October 11,2008 to April 10, 2009, cars with number plates ending one or six were off the roads on Mondays, while those ending with two or seven on Tuesdays, three or eight on Wednesdays, four or nine Thursdays and five or zero Fridays. Weekends were free of the ban. The ban was effective from 6 am to 9 pm each day, excluding weekends. The ban also applied to government vehicles as 70 percent of them would take turns to run on roads on weekdays. However, it did not apply to police vehicles, ambulances, fire engines, buses, taxis and other public service vehicles. While the environmental protection regulation generated remarkable results-- removing more than a million vehicles from the streets each day--people were confused about the one-month rotation of the rules. In other words, a car owner who was off the roads on Mondays in the previous month had to drive on Mondays in the current month and the process rotated the same way throughout the six-month rule. The current rules, which took effect from April 10, 2009 and last a year, are designed to address confusion of people. Now a person can stick to his same off-day schedule for 13 weeks in a row than the four-week regulation previously while the number-based regulation will remain the same; cars with license plates ending with zero or five will be banned from the roads on Monday, plates ending with one or six on Tuesday, two or seven on Wednesday and so on.
There has been another change in the new traffic regulation. The ban will be effective from 7am to 8 pm on weekdays instead of the previous 6 am-9 pm rule.
The new rules are expected to take off the roads 20 percent of the city's 3.61 million vehicles each day, excluding on weekends.
"I felt like I saw the sky in Beijing for the first time during the Olympics. The sky would always be hazier in Beijing, but during the Olympics, I actually saw the blue sky. I liked it so much. It was such a visible and clear sky. I hope the government make the current rules as stricter as during the Olympics," said Pliny, a colleague of mine at Xinhuanet. Chris, another colleague, said the new rules are more convenient for people, especially for car owners. The two-hour relaxation from the previous regulation has given a chance to car owners to avail the time. In other words, they can enjoy early morning drive until 7 am and drive for a few hours after 8 pm.
"I am in favor of traffic rules in Beijing, given the terrible traffic situation here. It is a great relief from huge traffic jams, even though some car owners are troubled by the regulation," said Amy.
Karl said: " I fully support the current traffic rules. Although I don't own a car, seeing less cars on the streets while I walk down to my university and work place, presents a better picture of traffic management in Beijing besides providing a cleaner environment."
"I feel bad because I can't drive everyday now. But it is a wake up call for all of us, especially when climate change caused by gas emissions is increasingly threatening lives of people. It is high time that we all kept our environment clean and look for a chance to contribute to it in one way or the other," says a car owner.
Another car owner said: "before Olympics, I hardly realized how hard it was for people in public buses to travel amid serpentine line of cars. But when I started using public transportation it opened my eyes to the reality. The explosion in number of cars in Beijing is a major contributor to Beijing's hazier skies."

"Satisfying your taste buds in China"

2009-05-02T02:25:00.000-07:00

By Huma Sheikh
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2009-04/14/content_11183997.htm
BEIJING, April 13 (Xinhuanet) -- When thinking of some fine dining experience, China comes to mind! The country offers great cuisines of the world cooked in myriad ways. You can find world's best platter on table in China and dine on foods you have ever eaten anywhere. China's unique variety of cuisines represents different customs and style based on different parts of China. For example, each province in China has different kinds of cooking style and specialties. Some of the best-known Chinese cuisines today are Cantonese, Shanghai, Mongolian-Shandong, Sichuan-Hunan and Beijing. The Beijing (Peking) duck is one of the national foods of China. The roast duck is the famous attraction of the visitors from across the world, which is served thin and crispy in a duck-shaped platter and sliced before diners by the cook.
While Northern food is a little spicy, Sichuan cuisine is highly spicy with peanuts as its special ingredient for most of the dishes. Hunan cuisine is also hot but with moderate use of chili pepper.
Mongolian food is served in large meat chunks to be eaten with Mongolian-style knife or else barbequed or roasted. Cantonese food is defined by its variety, the freshness of its ingredients and its delicate sauces and seasoning. Fruit, vegetables, and seafood, such as crabs, prawns, abalone, and squid, are its popular cooking ingredients.
Shanghai cuisines, on the other hand, are delicately seasoned. The special feature of Shanghai food is sugar -- more sugar is used in its dishes than in any other part of China.
Hot pot, a bubbling broth container simmering in the middle of the dining table, is a popular dish in almost every part of China. The meat is cooked in the hot water along with vegetables. Both together are then dipped in spicy sauces and condiments and eaten with round sesame buns.
Then there is another uniqueness found in Chinese cuisine.
A simple dish of spinach and eggs cooked in various styles tastes so different that you won't feel you just had eaten the same dish an hour ago in another restaurant. The knack of Chinese chefs for cooking wide range of specialties in different styles is amazing.
But it was different on this day!
Had it not for Mr Zhang, an overseas Chinese, who called the Aquatic Wildlife Protection Center (Guangzhou), the nurse shark would have found its place on the luxurious food menu of the China restaurants.
A Guangzhou restaurant had invited more than 70 clients to dine on a nurse shark on March 18. As the stage was set for the grand banquet, Mr Zhang informed the protection center and was even ready himself to donate ten thousand yuan to save the animal. The environmentalists intervened and recovered the nurse shark after shelling out 130 thousand yuan. The shark was kept for ornamental use for some time.
But due to the deteriorating health of the shark because of lack of quality water and food, it was not immediately released in the ocean. Guangzhou Ocean World provided the animal free medical service and kept the shark in a little pool during the observation. The shark was released a few days ago in the seawaters.
China has so much to serve to satisfy food cravings of people from across the world and the shark incident cannot cause much of the exuberance about the Chinese delicacies to evaporate. As the saying goes, "there are two great cuisines in the world -- the Chinese and the French. And the Chinese cuisine is traditionally much older than the French".

Out of my mind: A few observations in China

2009-04-02T08:47:00.000-07:00

Huma Sheikh
(http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2009-03/31/content_11108050.htm)

Beijing, March, 31 (Xinhuanet) -- Working with people in Beijing who are living a life characterized by their humble behavior, rich culture and language has encouraged me to pour my mind out.
Chinese people, as I have mentioned in my earlier articles on Xinhuanet, are extremely hospitable. In fact, I should say I am overwhelmed by their ready-to-help approach; they are available any time you need them.
My visit to Beijing in November as a student and now as an employee is as "different an experience" for me as the two professions themselves. On the earlier occasion, my time (24 days) was split into different places to be visited in China, including Beijing. I traveled to four different places all across China, spending only a few days at each place, with Beijing an exception where I relatively spent larger amount of time. And as a result, receiving "superior treatment" from people in different places was obvious. A guest can expect a good welcome in the first place anywhere in the world. Things become, nevertheless, completely different when a person starts living and working with the same people at a newer place for a longer period of time.
A good relationship, I believe, doesn't often take longer to get bitter if people from different cultures lived together for a prolonged time-period. One of its reasons may be monotony; COM 'on; we need some change and really want to break out of the routine stuff!
But in Beijing, people have really proved me wrong. In fact, every time I come across my colleagues and friends, I get closer to them.
There are many things I like about China and its people and some have inspired me immensely. A few among them are unswerving determination and patience of the people.
The Chinese government has announced a 4 trillion yuan stimulus package to offset economic meltdown by boosting its domestic demand. The country is also keen to create jobs for the unemployed, especially for rural youth, that will help people to earn as well as to spend, thus generating revenue for the country to make up for their losses. The rescue package, which is 585.5 billion U.S. dollars, will be spent over the next two years to finance programs in 10 major areas, such as low-income housing, rural infrastructure, water, electricity, transportation, environment, technological innovation and rebuilding from several disasters, such as the May 12 earthquake, among others.
There has been a huge reduction in the illiteracy rate in China, the world's most populated country because of its strenuous efforts made in the past three decades. According to the United Nations Development Program Report 2007/2008, China's literacy rate stood at 90.9 percent.
Nonetheless, Chinese youth are building the capacity for use beyond their own country. They travel to faraway places to learn new things in order to expand their knowledge. They trust others and behave with integrity. Above all, they encourage others to act with them.
Amid economic, education and employment boom, Chinese youth have acquired the greatest amount of change in their interest. The development of their country has precipitated desire of the Chinese people to increase their bread of knowledge about different cultures and countries. I have seen almost 90 percent of the youth taking English classes either individually or in small groups given by some universities on weekends. Most of the teachers are from U.S. and the UK besides other countries. As Scott (my professor in U.S.) once said in the classroom, China in about a decade will have the highest number of English speaking people in the world. I indeed have no second thoughts about it. It is surely going to happen.
Apart from English, Chinese people are also learning other foreign languages such as German, Spanish, and French. In Beijing, there are approximately three specialized foreign language universities and ten in China. Other universities also offer foreign language classes apart from their coursework.
One of my Chinese colleagues is working so hard to make it to the electronic media. Xinhua News Agency has launched its audio and video channel and my friend's "amber like enthusiasm" is taking her to all places where she could hone her broadcasting skills in order to pass the audition. She yearns to acquire more skills to be able to do better in future and compete globally.
In a globalized world, individuals collaborate and compete globally. The competition, the dynamic force in globalization, calls for individuals to possess varied skills that would enable and empower them to go global. And in China, the youth is exactly answering the call!

Caffeine may reduce risk of skin cancer

2009-04-02T08:43:00.000-07:00

Al-Jazeerah: Cross-Cultural Understanding
www.ccun.org www.aljazeerah.info
News, February 2009
Editor: Huma Sheikh
(http://www.aljazeerah.info/News/2009/February/27%20n/Caffeine%20may%20reduce%20risk%20of%20skin%20cancer.htm)

BEIJING, Feb. 27 (Xinhuanet) - - Caffeine may prevent skin cancer because it disrupts a protein called ATR-Chkl that could cause the damaged cells become cancerous, says a leading U.S. researcher.
Dr. Paul Nghiem, an associate professor of dermatology at the University of Washington in Seattle, said, "We have found what we believe to be the mechanism by which caffeine is associated with decreased skin cancer."
For the study, Nghiem's team looked at caffeine's effect on human skin cells in a laboratory that had been exposed to ultraviolet radiation. They found that in cells damaged by UV rays, caffeine interrupted ATR-Chk1, which caused the damaged cells to self-destruct. "Caffeine has no effect on undamaged cells," Nghiem said.
ATR is essential to damaged cells that are growing rapidly, Nghiem said, and caffeine specifically targets damaged cells that can become cancerous. "Caffeine more than doubles the number of damaged cells that will die normally after a given dose of UV," he said.
"This is a biological mechanism that explains what we have been seeing for many years from the oral intake of caffeine," he added.
But, Nghiem added, people shouldn't increase the amount of coffee or tea they drink to prevent skin cancer. "You are talking a lot of cups for a lot of years for a relatively small effect," he said. "But if you like it, it's another reason to drink it."
Nghiem has also been experimenting with applying caffeine directly to the skin. "It suppresses skin cancer development by as much as 72 percent in mice, and human studies are moving ahead slowly," he said.
It's possible that topical caffeine preparations might one day be used to help prevent skin cancer, Nghiem said. "Caffeine is both a sunscreen and it deletes damaged cells," he said. "It may well make sense to put it into a sunscreen preparation."
Dr. Robin Ashinoff, a dermatologist and clinical associate professor of dermatology at New York University's Langone Medical Center, however, thinks these findings need to be verified before they can have any clinical application.

Why I as non-Chinese speaking foreigner let myself ride subway

2009-04-02T08:36:00.000-07:00

Huma Sheikh
(http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2009-03/23/content_11058367.htm)

BEIJING, March 23 (Xinhuanet) -- It's always like feeling panicky the first few times in a foreign country when your working place is not within the walking range. In China amid huge crowds of people, traveling, especially for a non-Chinese-speaking foreigner, seems intimidating, but not for me! I have enjoyed traveling in Beijing.
Getting around in busy Chinese cities, people mostly take the subway and buses, which is one way to save money than taking a cab. Both the subway and buses are extremely crowded throughout the day. People prefer to take the subway to avoid traffic jams even though they have to transfer lines between the stations to get to the destinations.
I also take the subway to and from workplace, covering about 13 km each day. Initially, I feared traveling as a non-Chinese speaking foreigner may do me trouble as I had to change the line in the middle of my journey and go out of the station to enter another line to get to office. Nevertheless, I preferred the subway.
The subway is very well equipped with electronic signboards almost everywhere, consistently popping out destinations both in Chinese and English as each train arrives. The announcement also follows the arrival of the next train, again both in English and Chinese and there is hardly any chance of getting lost, even for a first-timer who has just arrived in China. Every station has moving walkways for easier movement, escalators and a host of other relevant facilities amid huge crowds -- which is no wonder to find in Beijing, the capital of the world's most populous country.
As I started getting used to my route gradually, I would think how easily we overlook observing things around in our native country; maybe the comfort zone of being in one's own country and speaking native language is too much a reason to think about it. I have many a times traveled by the subway -- it's metro in India; nonetheless I had hardly paid any attention to the bilingual announcements made in Hindi and English. Nor did I know how it would be like to a foreigner if there were no English announcement, other than the native language.
Subway in Beijing, whose ridership averages 3.4 million per day and set a daily record of 4.92 million on Aug. 22 last year, looks like a different world where traveling and getting to the destination seem the only thing on the travellers' mind.
As a train rolls out, transporting thousands of people in one go, another large group of people shows up within seconds and with it continues their "unending" struggle to get to "behind the Yellow line" to make sure they embark on the next jammed-packed train. This process of jostling, embarking and disembarking repeats itself throughout the day until the last train at 2300 hrs. The service starts again at 0500 hrs in the morning. The time-line between the arrivals of each train is two minutes.
The Beijing Subway is growing rapidly with eight lines in service currently, covering a total length of 199.31 km. The extensive underground rail system is contemplating having a mileage of up to 561 km, much ahead of the well-established systems in Paris Metro and London underground, by 2015.
While I was satisfied with the way subway ride was going, I began to be soaking in an ususual feeling. A lady on a train sat beside me the other day and inadvertently put a volley of questions to me. She wanted to know about a specific station. Because of my inability to speak Chinese, I was unable to answer her queries. The moment was dreary to me and I felt that everyone was looking at me and waiting for me to answer. However, I also felt elated because the moment encouraged me to think I am part of the country, part of its people and that I must learn to speak Chinese as quickly as possible.

A Kashmiri in Beijing

2009-04-02T08:31:00.000-07:00

Huma Sheikh
(http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2009-03/11/content_10992587.htm)

In less over three months, Beijing never looked the same; perhaps it was the excitement about being in China for the first time. The "unusual feeling" kept me from exploring Beijing and extensive travel across China and living in five-star hotels also played its part. The sudden November cool in Beijing was another reason not to venture out, especially after coming from warmer Honolulu, Hawaii.
In November last year, Beijing, nevertheless, presented to me a "HOME-Like" picture; people talking in groups on roadsides, horn-blaring traffic sounds, jammed roads looked like Delhi, the national capital of my native country, India. The scene gave the impression of being in a neighboring Asian country, which has similar aspects to that of India. But, having come from USA-- a place of an entirely different set up -- and not from India at the time, I felt like feeling that way was inevitable. I was traveling to China from the U. S. and being in another developing country after having spent months in the developed country, Beijing was obviously to replicate Delhi.
But now things are quite different. Currently, I am neither a visitor nor a student on a field trip to Beijing.
On Feb 23, 2009, I joined the website of Xinhua News Agency and as time slipped by I realized my first impression about Beijing was absolutely realistic. I was right. Working as a journalist at Xinhua portal gave me a chance to know how it was like working in Beijing and living like a Beijinger. A routine work schedule, organizing time and shuffling between appointments at home and workplace was drawing me closer to China, the fastest economy of the world. The other advantage was sharing an apartment with a Chinese couple and knowing more about their culture and lifestyle. The home sharing, nevertheless, followed the two-day frantic search and thanks to my cousin and his friend who helped me to find the accommodation.
Living in Beijing was like living in New Delhi. Both China and India have so much in common culturally and both share the same social, moral values and respect for elderly, reflecting their common practices that have traditionally been followed by Asians for centuries. A crowded subway with widespread working class crowd was another shared feature.
China and India share economic, military and diplomatic ties and over the years both the countries--as emerging economies-have attempted to strengthen bilateral ties.
The Sino-Indian cultural history dates back to the first century when Buddhists from India transmitted to China. Even the Indian epic Mahabharata contains references to China, indicating their relation from the 5th century BC.
It was amazing to hear "culturally-embedded" similar "words of wisdom" from one of my colleagues, who said the other day: "My parents always ask me to get married and I tell them I would get soon. My concern is not the marriage but additional responsibilities. You have the responsibility of your wife and her parents too. I am marrying a girl and her family becomes my responsibility and their care my liability. My understanding is when I am economically sound, I should go ahead and tie a knot."
"We must draw on the achievements of all cultures, but the culture of respecting elderly and their decision that was honed since centuries is still the same for Chinese people. We are modern like any other western country but when it comes to marriage, parents have the upper hand in decision-making. I have a love marriage and my parents supported my decision. We still believe in conventionalism," said my friend, adding "conventionalism appeals and further intensifies adherence to cultural norms.''
Her words mirrored Indian culture and the fact that cultural determinism stays with us, however modern and contemporary we have become.

2008-12-31T18:36:00.000-08:00

http://forum.eastwestcenter.org/blog/2008/12/18/wenchuan-earthquake-china%e2%80%99s-turning-point/

2008-12-31T18:33:00.000-08:00

http://dailykashmirimages.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&catid=6%3Aopinion&id=947%3Ahappy-fathers-day-and-dad-thank-you-for-everything&Itemid=8

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY..... And Dad, Thank You For Everything

2008-12-31T18:03:00.000-08:00

By Huma Sheikh

Alas, the road-cruise we had scrambled on together with smiles on our faces had snatched him away forever. I was terrified at the thought that I am no more among the lucky daughters. My father, G N Sheikh, a renowned singer of Kashmir, was killed brutally -- after being suspectedly kidnapped while traveling on the train to Delhi

As the clock chimed 12 in the night, another soft set of notes from an invisible guitar wafted out. The serene influence of the lyrics-free sound had such a powerful impact that it slipped me into deep slumber. I felt as if I were falling to endless tunes of an enchanting harmony. For once, I took it for the regular morning alarm, which is otherwise a ''villainous tone', forcing me to stir up from bed. Typically, it should have distracted me from my sound sleep, mercilessly chopping off a sweet dream in its infancy. This time around, however, that wasn't to be the case. For, I had changed the alarm tone into my favorite guitar tune to happily get the day going.
But then, the sound dropped steadily and eventually died out in a minute. I couldn't press my finger on its button. Restlessness overcame me, forcing me to have a look at it. Lazily with eyes half-opened, I found out it was still dark. Well, it's my cell phone, and I reached out my hand to grab it. As I skimmed through the phone screen, a brief written piece popped up: 'one message received'. I was angry with myself. Because, apart from alarm tone, the guitar tone happened to be my message tone also -- so I presumed it could be one of those pesky 'ring tone' messages or something on new schemes our mobile phone providers often bother us with. I was settling down to be greeted at this point in time, I presume it was going to be something very 'useless', and in fact it only turned out to be rather grimmer for me.
''Today is Fathers' Day. Make this Day special for your dad. Make the most of it and dedicate a wonderful song to your dad,'' read the message. Just a quick read through, and I was completely dead, completely blank. The air-conditioned room, which seemed cozy a moment ago on a hot June night, suddenly gave me a cold sweat. The what little consciousness I had acquired died down in a jiffy -- completely. ''It is June 15: Father's Day. But, how can I make the Father's Day special for my dad who no more exists," I shuddered, ruefully.
So, what do I do to be with him, if only for this day? Is there a way out? How at all would I get some supernatural power to spend some quality time with him? As all these questions emerged in strings from the bottom of my heart, I sped back to the memories of that dreadful July 13-14 night. I took me to the haunting scene when I was crying helplessly to get a glimpse of my father who had disappeared mysteriously in the summer of 2003. Not even in the worst nightmare had I imagined that my father would vanish one day, never to come back again. That my loving father I was talking to just a few hours ago was to soon fade away from real sight? It was only he, who had hand-fed me at dinner --as if I were a small child --, on the train and shared his last moments of life with me. Without knowing it was to be so.
Alas, the road-cruise we had scrambled on together with smiles on our faces had snatched him away forever. I was terrified at the thought that I am no more among the lucky daughters. My father, G N Sheikh, a renowned singer of Kashmir, was killed brutally -- after being suspectedly kidnapped while traveling on the train to Delhi. So, the Dad's Day message has no significance in my life. That was a terrible thought. A moment later, I decided to do something to get rid of it. I got up and logged on my account -- the page opened up to another shock: This time in a riposte on my message: ''don't miss out sending a collection of beautiful cards to your dad on this Father's Day. Be the first one to wish your dad through these invaluable cards.'' The email inadvertently transported me back to the horror and invited unwanted thoughts again.
On July 13 in 2003, both my father and I took off on a trip to Delhi. My father was very adventurous and loved to explore things. So we booked a taxi for Jammu from Srinagar to stop by in Udhampur to pick up one of my dad's friends. The road cruise began merrily as we had planned to take breaks at several places during the course and make the most of it. As we were through some miles I loved how the scenery that started changed slowly -- all of it beautiful, picturesque landscape. My father gave me a precise description of almost everything we passed behind -- it was an unforgettable experience, I really loved it.
We stopped at a roadside 'dhaba' nearby Banihal, which is famous for Kashmiri tea. As is the case, dhabas would have its kitchen blending with the sitting room for visitors; I had the opportunity to watch the tea-maker preparing 'nunchai', the traditional salty tea of Kashmir. Dipped in butter with a dash of wheat powder alongside nans, his 'nunchai' didn't translate into a salty tea but it gave a lasting relief and refreshed us besides satiating our taste buds — unlike the one every household in Kashmir makes. At Udhampur, we had a nice lunch at dad's friend's place. We spent some wonderful moments with his family even though only for a short span of time before uncle accompanied us for the rest of the journey.
I was feeling a little upset because I terribly missed my mom and brother and sister. But dad was at his best at cracking up people — his forte of course. He was a great mimic and would often imitate people, act like them, make their voices and sometimes surprise others on phone by impersonating voice of his other friends with his incredible borrowing of others' styles. My father had a great sense of humor too. He started making voice of my mom, brother and sister and also acted like I do. I burst into laughter and couldn't control when he shared with me some of the funniest moments of his life ''My friend was very thin and I used to pester him a lot. On his marriage, I surprised him when I stuffed his wedding dress and told him if doesn't wear it, he would horrify his in-laws with his zero-size.
Guests would be terrified to see him in the wedding dress and all of them would run away. But, when he seemed to lose all his confidence, my friends told him I was joking. He looked okay only when I assured him all that I said was a joke.'' Our next stop was Jammu, which is only a three-hour drive from Udhampur. Another friend of dad had insisted us to drop by for dinner before pushing off for another overnight journey to Delhi. As we reached his house, we had some time to settle down and take little rest after the day's road voyage, but dad's friends and me alike were amazed to see daddy in such an unbelievable hurry, which sort of seemed the manifestation of some hysterical concern about missing our train. He insisted on leaving for the station long before the departure and all of us had eventually our dinner packed for us to have it on the train.
That kind of behavior was unbecoming of him. For his timing was perfect—he was never late or arrived before time at work or otherwise. Very punctual. That day, however, we had about two hours before the train finally scrambled at 9.30 in the night. During those few hours until our dinner at 11 pm -- which turned out to be my father's final moments with me -- I found in him a completely different person. He was never so philosophical, never so good as a preacher and never so very concerned about me. He made me sit up on the berth to talk with him; though I was a little reluctant and drowsiness had taken a toll me as if in an indication of an impending grief ahead of the tragedy.
"Look Huma, you have to be brave to confront adversities courageously and lend your voice to curiosity by voicing your concerns. Since you will be studying alone in Delhi, you have to be strong and bold. All the rest follows,'' he said. I wondered what prompted dad to start his 'preaching speech' at such an odd hour although I had similar sessions from him earlier as well. But the sullenness in his voice made it all the more different for me and it gave an impression that we would be apart forever, as if he was going far away never to come back again. He was in no mood to wind up his talk: '' You must take a cue from your father — I was only 16 years old when I ventured on an inter-state trip on my own, without my family's support, unlike you. Also in life, we should face adverse situations bravely as they are part of our lives.''
My father said that as I was also going to be in the media now (dad was working in All India Radio), I must learn to explore answers about various things that intrigued me. "One should always keep one's mind open to know about different things.'' He said: ''You can transform weakness into triumph on the anvil of sheer will power in your professional and personal life.'' The session happened to be my last conversation with dad. At dinner, which we had a little while ago, he spoon-fed me as one would deal with a toddler. And then all three of us drifted off to sleep. Dad bade me good night. That was the last time I saw him.
When I got up again in the night, my father had disappeared. He didn't even come again not even for his last rituals, which were performed in absentia. Neither police nor any judiciary found him ever. But his last speech has a lasting influence on me. So much so that every time I think of it, I feel I am born anew. "It is not only a rebirth but also a transformation, as I have become an entirely different human being now,'' I would think. His last words have helped me strengthen the confidence of my family and me alike to move ahead in life courageously.
And what better could be an honor to celebrate the Father's Day than doing what he wanted me to: '' One should face adverse situations bravely as they are part of our lives and transform weakness into triumph on the anvil of sheer will power.'' Thank you so much dad for giving us such a wonderful fatherhood—thank you for everything you have done for us. I got back to sleep again. Later, in the morning, I did purchase some cards -- to gift to the people I am quite close with. That, I thought, was the ideal way I can commemorate the Father's Day.

Wenchuan earthquake: China’s turning point

2008-12-31T17:25:00.001-08:00

Link to my article--Wenchuan earthquake: China's turning point--on East West center website

http://forum.eastwestcenter.org/blog/2008/12/18/wenchuan-earthquake-china%e2%80%99s-turning-point/

Wenchuan earthquake: China’s turning point

2008-12-31T17:25:00.000-08:00

By Huma Sheikh

Last month, I visited Sichuan province in China as part of the Asia Pacific Leadership Program and was curious to see survivors of the Wenchuan earthquake that killed 70,000 people and rendered thousands homeless, especially after witnessing another earthquake that was the worst ever natural disaster in my hometown of Kashmir in 2005.

In China, I went to Di Jian Yu, which is one of the worst affected areas, and was expecting to witness helpless survivors braving biting cold in makeshift houses. More so, the memories of Kashmir earthquake survivors still struggling in temporary houses, especially during snow in harsh winter, were fresh in my mind. ‘‘India is a democratic country but quake survivors are still in makeshift houses even after three years so the situation in China in a non-democratic setup will undoubtedly be worse as the Wenchuan earthquake was only six months ago,’’ I thought.

As I reached Du Jiag Yan, I saw some damaged houses with visible cracks. Some meters ahead were piles of brick and sand mounds of the affected houses dismantled for new structures. Some pre-quake residential colonies had become open grounds after damaged houses were razed to ground in the aftermath of the quake. The neighborhood looked like a newly-discovered place where people have just been settling down, with construction work going on in full swing.

I asked a pedestrian if there was any other place where huge damage had taken place, and I was surprised to hear the place I was standing was badly impacted by the quake. But everything had changed except for a few buildings with some visible cracks. Somebody suggested Puyang Lu colony, where most damaged houses still existed. It was a residential colony before the quake and one of the buildings, where a government-run company resided, was completely destroyed, burying over 100 people at the time of the disaster.

However, except for that damaged building, still in tatters, there was hardly anything different from what I had seen earlier. One of the ladies at the site, who was heading the company, was kind enough to give me the address of people in temporary houses. Li Mingyong said her family was also living in temporary shelters provided by the China government. And about her company, she said she was now running it from a nearby building provided by the government. She said the government was seriously considering shifting the quake survivors to their new houses as soon as possible, while she pointed to some construction workers at the site. Huge numbers of workers have been employed in order to expedite construction work.

Her version was enough to transform my perception about China, but her confidence and optimism even after her house was completely destroyed inspired me to know more about how other survivors were feeling. There was another reason behind my curiosity and that was Kashmir: The 2005 earthquake measuring 7.6 on the Richter scale and epicentered at Muzafarabad in Azad Kashmir (Pakistan-administered Kashmir) claimed lives of 1,400 people in the Indian part of Kashmir.

Three years on, most of the survivors of the worst-affected areas of Uri, Varmul, and Tanghdar in North Kashmir were yet to be rehabilitated. Not only was the ‘‘disorganized’’ planning of the government in distributing funds to be blamed — even some people who were not affected received compensation initially — but a huge amount of money was siphoned off by some local people working for international NGOs by exploiting the situation in the garb of surveys, which turned out to be unproductive later. Many survivors ended up getting no compensation for building houses as they had spent money the government had provided them in the first place, even far before the government’s announcement. The government announced that only those people would be compensated who had built plinth for their new houses, a pre-requisite to getting more funds. The phenomenon reflected collective failures of the government as well as NGOs and the people, who took undue advantage of surplus funds coming from the country and internationally, and bore the brunt eventually.

I headed to Qing Jian Ren Jia or temporary houses colony. There was no sullen silence in the colony but bustling activities with people wearing expressions that gave no sense of any remorse or the tragedy they had faced only a few months ago. The neighborhood of the colony was the perfect place of serenity. On the left side of the Qing Jian Ren Jia gate stood a policeman beside his office; the police guard the colony to avoid any untoward incident. As I walked past him and inched ahead into the lane, I saw a long stretch dotted with white painted one-storied mud-and-brick houses.
An elderly woman was knitting a beautiful sweater outside her door; I was not sure if she would agree to speak to me for a few minutes, but the woman instead invited me to her home. As she opened the door, I saw three Chinese names written on the door. My Chinese friends who were with me read the names for me, which I understood were the woman and her husband but I was confused about the third name. As I got into the room her husband was in there. The home was a big room divided into two parts. The room was stuffed mostly with clothes and there were two big beds that had covered huge space. We sat down on the bed and I asked them curiously about the third name on the door.

A couple in a makeshift house at Qing Jian Ren Jia, Chengdu, in ChinaThe man said “Yao Shi Kai is me, Ou Ye Zhen is my wife and Yao Ru Ping is my little daughter who died in the earthquake.” There was a one minute silence in the room and after a little while I asked him if they were comfortable in the makeshift house. ‘‘My family and I am very happy over here,’’ he said with a big smile on his face: a scene of gloom was quickly replaced by his gesture. ‘‘The government has helped us a lot. After the earthquake on May 12th, we shifted to the temporary shelter on May 29 and received Rs 300 Yuan from the government for the first three months. I have three children and one of my sons, who was unemployed, was given a job by the government.” About his house, he said it was not completely destroyed and the construction work was going on, though it would take some time because the damage of property in Sichuan province was huge.

Before we headed off to the next place, the couple insisted us on eating some oranges and didn’t let us go without having them. Chinese people are very magnanimous even more hospitable than Indians. Their friendly approach speaks wonders; they would go out of way in helping people, especially strangers.

Later, I met a young woman named Chen Ying. Her house was destroyed by the earthquake, but it hardly had made any difference for her. Before the natural calamity she was running a parlor at Di Jiang Yu and now she was doing the same business at the makeshift colony. She received monetary help from the government in addition to the compensation for the house. ‘‘My house was damaged in the quake and the government is rebuilding it now. I also got 300 Yuan for the first three months after the quake and a big room for my parlor in addition to the two-room apartment here. I have no regrets and the China government is great,’’ she said. Chen Ying has a son and her husband is working in a factory.

Not very far from there, I met another young lady, running an interior designing shop. Jiang Xiao Cui said everyone in her family was safe but her house was completely destroyed by the quake. However, she had no worries at all. Her family– husband, baby boy and Jiang– received 200 Yuan extra compensation from the government for another two months in addition to the first three-month 900 Yuan because the damage of house had surpassed the limit set by the government. The Chinese Government gives extra compensation to those victims whose house is damaged beyond the 70 sq ft limit set by the government.

The systematic management crisis approach of the so called ‘‘undemocratic’’ country of China shined through in the optimism, enthusiasm, passion, intelligence and remarkable pace to re-establishment of the people despite the worst natural disaster. The experience also validated the statement—which I earlier presumed was untrue—of a Canadian professor at Tsinghua University during a conversation I had with him at China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT) meetings in Beijing: the role of China government in managing Wenchuan earthquake was by far better than the US government’s response to Hurricane Katrina.
The Wenchuan earthquake has, without a doubt, proved China’ s efficiency in managing one of the country’s worst ever natural disasters. The China government has been credited for its rescue efforts and for its retroaction, despite the country’s initial reservation about allowing in foreign rescue teams.

The quake has been a turning point in Chinese politics: the Wenchuan earthquake has helped China divert the attention of the world from its controversial policies like restrictions on media and limitations imposed on people in general. In fact, the earthquake has brought people closer to the government, and they have all praises for the government’s remarkable approach to tackle the natural disaster in terms of compensation and rehabilitation of quake survivors. The quake has also helped China to regain its image affected by the widespread denunciation worldwide against its stand on Tibet.
The Chinese government has impressed the world and its efforts in dealing with the crisis have established strong credibility and accountability for this government among millions of Chinese people, who have been brought together by a wave of unity and patriotism. The quake has given rise to the emergence of a growing peaceful, unified and diversified China.

A brief China recall in a blend of experiences and thoughts

2008-11-29T16:34:00.000-08:00

By Huma Sheikh

China gives me a ‘home-like’ feeling

I AM HOME again was how Beijing looked like to me as I disembarked from the bus to the by lane leading towards hotel from the airport. Wide roads, people huddled in lanes, boys paired up on roadsides chatting and anxiously waiting for a quick glimpse of beautiful girls walking around all came alive as I landed in Beijing on November 6. The scene made it almost impossible for me to stay indoors even after my arrival at 10 pm from as far away place as Honolulu and the excitement headed me to a nearby restaurant.

A few of my friends also joined me and suddenly the jet lag faded away as the time set up in China suited me because it is only a few hours ahead of my home country India. Making our way to a restaurant we intended to have some snacks and coffee but the aroma in the room increased our appetite even if we had enough of food on the plane during 16 hours journey. The food was fantastic. I don’t eat pork and one of my friends who is from Hong Kong helped me order the food and also for the group before she headed off to the hotel. Another friend ordered fried rice and both of us decided to pack back some of it but it was so tasty that we had it all over there. We cleaned our plates and even wanted to have more.

On my way back, I traveled around to make sure I am in Beijing and not India but there was hardly any difference between the two. The next day we set off on a Beijing exploration mission. We were split into learning groups with some task to do in an effort to make ourselves aware about some places of significant importance as well as some commonly used activities and games and way of living in Beijing. The assignment was also measured on the basis of work and research each group had done and the winning team announced by the APLP staff was the one with the highest number of accurate answers.

Day two was a little bit academic. We (APLPeers G8) started off purchasing some tickets for our nine-day China GIST travel. I bought the tickets for my Scrambling Scribers team before we started off to discover Beijing. We--my learning group comprised five people, including me, and four of us were completely new to China-- had some outline to follow to acquire some points but for us exploring China was awesome. Although we were not the highest point takers, we were quite satisfied with what we did—we visited places as historic as Tiananmen Square, went to Russian Market, shopping malls and had food at a very good Chinese restaurant. The day culminated in meeting up with the staff at Tiananmen Square, which was followed up by dinner.

On Day three we toured to Beiwai to join participants from CFAU, BeiWai, Tsinghua, Beida and Renmin universities who delivered speeches as part of the ‘Joint Workshop on China and the Future’.

Day Four was quite exciting-- I visited Forbidden City with a guide provided for our group of six. We were together until we walked down half Forbidden City and disbursed in crowd. I lost sight of almost all group mates, including our guide, except Kamal who was with me taking pictures.

However, it was a blessing in disguise as both of us—Kamal and I—had a chance ride a rickshaw and bus all alone. The interesting part of our journey was how I managed to win an argument with a rickshaw puller even if I didn’t know Chinese.

We got onto a rickshaw from Forbidden City exit gate to subway, intending to take it to the hotel. The rickshaw puller, in an attempt to bluff us, after taking all the money stopped the rickshaw halfway and pretended his cycle tyre was broken. He called another rickshaw puller and something conspired between them in Chinese. As another rickshaw puller dropped us to some other unknown place and not subway, he asked for money, triggering an argument. Although the scene was weird as I justified our stand with gestures and some signs, the rickshaw puller had to give up finally. THE MOMENT WAS THE MOST MEMORABLE MOMENT OF MY LIFE. I WILL ALWAYS CHERISH IT.

We had CCPIT meetings on November 10, which culminated in a grand dinner hosted by APLP alumni hosted by Zhao Zhenge and Lin Honghong (G2). And the final day in Beijing on November 11 before we left for China GIST on Nov 12, was devoted to Tsinghua University where Director of Brooklyn Institute gave presentation on China and its development and economy at John Thornton Leadership Center . The lecture was of great help to literate us more deeply about China before China GIST.

Sichuan earthquake: Du Jiang Yan in making after Wenchuan natural calamity

2008-11-29T16:30:00.000-08:00

On a foggy morning of November 18, 2008, we set off to Chengdu Bus Terminal for Wenchuan province, the epicenter of the deadly May 12 earthquake that killed at least 80,000 people and destroyed tens of thousands of houses. But to our disappointment we came to know no public transport goes to Wechuan since the earthquake has hit the area. Two of my Chinese friends Liu Xiao and Liu Pie Gang from Southwest Jiaotong University suggested another place relatively closer and which was badly affected by the natural calamity; Du Jiang Yan became our new destination.

As the bus started off, the chilly morning—coupled with thick smog which barely made visible bare branches of trees along the road-- didn’t give any impression that we were heading to a place where thousands of people died only a six months ago. But as the bus passed Chong Yi and inched closer to Du Jiang Yan, signs of earthquake started emerging. I saw some damaged houses with visible cracks but those were dominated by makeshift houses built by the China government for the victims of the earthquake.

The bus touched down into Du Jiang Yan and we got off: As we looked around the neighborhood it seemed a mix of ruined structures and newly constructed buildings. The building where we stopped by to have breakfast was rebuilt after being completely destroyed by the effect of natural calamity. A look around was enough to gauge the losses incurred by the people in terms of thousands of lives and property. A little ahead was even worse; several stretches of about half a kilometer were completely destroyed by the quake. One among them was the colony at Puyang Lu or Puyang Road .

As I entered one of the colonies in Puyang Lu, I saw the buildings---most of the structures had been dismantled for new buildings-- which were yet to be razed badly affected by the quake. One of the buildings, which housed a local company, gave the horrific look; at least one hundred workers of the company were buried in the building when the earthquake had struck.

As I was taking pictures of the building, somebody said ‘nehaav’, hello in Chinese, to me. I turned back to find out a good looking lady behind me. I slipped my camera into my pocket immediately thinking that the lady might be offended by me for picturing a building that killed so many people.

My name is Li Mingyong. Your friends told me that you want to know about earthquake, she said in Chinese. Before I could say anything, Liu Xiao and Liu Pie Gang—my Chinese friends-- translated it for me. She continued, I am the head of the company (picture above) that was destroyed in the quake. I saw dead bodies of my employees buried under the debris after the earthquake struck. Some of the bodies were not recovered even after several days of the calamity.

I asked her about the other families who were living in the houses; Li Mingyong said they are all, including her, living in temporary shelters provided by the China Government. And about her company, she said she is running it from a nearby building provided by the government.

Li Mingyong pointed towards construction workers who were razing the buildings and said the government was seriously considering replacement of the quake victims in their houses and huge number of workers has been employed in order to expedite construction work.

Several damaged buildings were dismantled paving the way for open space while construction work was going on in full swing to rebuilt structures on the plots.

After spending some time at the spot, I decided to visit some families. I asked Li Mingyong the address of the place where temporary shelters were built and my two Chinese friends and I headed for Qing Jian Ren Jia.

The neighborhood of the location was very calm and soft as if in a bid to sooth the haunted memories of the people in the wake of natural disaster; the backdrop was the perfect place of serenity and for healing the wounds. On the left side of the Qing Jian Ren Jia gate stood a policeman beside his office; the police are guarding the colony to avoid any untoward incident. As I walked past him and inched ahead into the lane, I saw a long line of white painted one-storeyed mud-and-brick houses.

An elderly woman was knitting a beautiful sweater outside her door; I asked my friends if she would agree to speak to me for a few minutes. I was a bit skeptical but the woman agreed; she in fact invited me to her home. As she opened the door, I saw three Chinese names written on the door. My friends read the names for me which I understood were the woman and her husband but I was confused about the third name. As I got into the room her husband was in there. The home was a big room divided into two parts.

The room was stuffed mostly with clothes and there were two big beds that had covered huge space. We sat down on the bed and I asked them curiously about the third name on the door.

The man said Yao Shi Kai is me, Ou Ye Zhen is my wife and Yao Ru Ping
is my little daughter who died in the earthquake. There was a one minute silence in the room and after a little while I asked him if they were comfortable in the makeshift house. ‘‘My family and I am very happy over here,’’ he said with a big smile on his face: a scene of gloom was quickly replaced by his gesture. ‘‘The government has helped us a lot. After the earthquake on May 12th, we shifted to the temporary shelter on May 29 and received Rs 300 Yuan from the government for the first three months. I have three children and one of my sons, who was unemployed, was given a job by the government. About his house, he said it was not completely destroyed and the construction work was going on, though it would take sometime because the damage of property in Sichuan province was extensive.

Before we headed off to the next place, the couple insisted us on eating some oranges and we could not leave the place without having them. Chinese people are very magnanimous and I wonder if this kind of breed exists anywhere in the world besides China. My hometown India is also known for its people’s cooperation but the approach of Chinese people speaks wonders; they would go out of way in helping out people.

My next stop was another family at Qing Jian Ren Jia. Chen Ying runs a parlor at the makeshift colony.

Her house was destroyed by the earthquake but it hardly makes any difference for her. Before the natural calamity she was running a parlor at Di Jiang Yu and now she is doing the same business t the makeshift colony. She received monetary help from the government in addition to the compensation for the house. ‘‘My house was damaged in the quake and the government is rebuilding it now. I also got 300 Yuan for the first three months after the quake and a big room for my parlor in addition to the two-room apartment here. I have no regrets and the China government is great,’’ she said. Chen Ying has a son and her husband is working in a factory.

Not very far from the place I saw an interior designing shop. I got into it and confronted another young lady.

Jiang Xiao Cui with her son is an interior designer. Fortunately, everyone in her family was safe but her house was completely destroyed by the quake. However, she has no worries at all. Her family-- husband, baby boy and Jiang-- received 200 Yuan extra compensation from the government for another two months in addition to the first three-month 900 Yuan because the extent of damage of her house had surpassed the limit set by the government. The Chinese Government gives extra compensation to those victims whose house is damaged beyond the 70 sq ft limit set by the government.

The optimism, enthusiasm, passion and remarkable pace to re-establishment among the people despite all odds speak volumes about China Government’s systematic management to weather crises.

Wenchuan earthquake split into adaptive leadership, diversity, futures and Networks.

2008-11-29T16:28:00.001-08:00

In earthquake-hit Jiang Yan, the spirit of the people and their passion to move ahead in life exemplified the perfect example of the four themes of adaptive leadership, diversity, futures and networks.

When I visited the quake-hit family in Du Jiang Yan, I was stunned looking at the enthusiasm and passion of an elderly couple who had lost their little daughter in the May 12 earthquake. Their optimism about life and positive attitude towards the future of their children reflected China’s role as great emerging future of the country.

People from different color and caste live together in temporary houses, showcasing diversity among them. At a time of worst situation, they (victims of earthquake) started their businesses within the colony to make things available for other victims who had to otherwise go to the far away city to buy stuff. And today the colony looks like hundred-year old given the way people have adapted themselves to a new set up and the connection between the young and old to re-settlement reflects their networking skills.

Sichuan earthquake: Du Jiang Yan in making after Wenchuan natural disaster

2008-11-29T16:24:00.000-08:00

On a foggy morning of November 18, 2008, we set off to Chengdu Bus Terminal for Wenchuan province, the epicenter of the deadly May 12 earthquake that killed at least 80,000 people and destroyed tens of thousands of houses. But to our disappointment we came to know no public transport goes to Wechuan since the earthquake has hit the area. Two of my Chinese friends Liu Xiao and Liu Pie Gang from Southwest Jiaotong University suggested another place relatively closer and which was badly affected by the natural calamity; Du Jiang Yan became our new destination.

As the bus started off, the chilly morning—coupled with thick smog which barely made visible bare branches of trees along the road-- didn’t give any impression that we were heading to a place where thousands of people died only a six months ago. But as the bus passed Chong Yi and inched closer to Du Jiang Yan, signs of earthquake started emerging. I saw some damaged houses with visible cracks but those were dominated by makeshift houses built by the China government for the victims of the earthquake.

The bus touched down into Du Jiang Yan and we got off: As we looked around the neighborhood it seemed a mix of ruined structures and newly constructed buildings. The building where we stopped by to have breakfast was rebuilt after being completely destroyed by the effect of natural calamity. A look around was enough to gauge the losses incurred by the people in terms of thousands of lives and property. A little ahead was even worse; several stretches of about half a kilometer were completely destroyed by the quake. One among them was the colony at Puyang Lu or Puyang Road .

As I entered one of the colonies in Puyang Lu, I saw the buildings---most of the structures had been dismantled for new buildings-- which were yet to be razed badly affected by the quake. One of the buildings, which housed a local company, gave the horrific look; at least one hundred workers of the company were buried in the building when the earthquake had struck.

As I was taking pictures of the building, somebody said ‘nehaav’, hello in Chinese, to me. I turned back to find out a good looking lady behind me. I slipped my camera into my pocket immediately thinking that the lady might be offended by me for picturing a building that killed so many people.

My name is Li Mingyong. Your friends told me that you want to know about earthquake, she said in Chinese. Before I could say anything, Liu Xiao and Liu Pie Gang—my Chinese friends-- translated it for me. She continued, I am the head of the company (picture above) that was destroyed in the quake. I saw dead bodies of my employees buried under the debris after the earthquake struck. Some of the bodies were not recovered even after several days of the calamity.

I asked her about the other families who were living in the houses; Li Mingyong said they are all, including her, living in temporary shelters provided by the China Government. And about her company, she said she is running it from a nearby building provided by the government.

Li Mingyong pointed towards construction workers who were razing the buildings and said the government was seriously considering replacement of the quake victims in their houses and huge number of workers has been employed in order to expedite construction work.

Several damaged buildings were dismantled paving the way for open space while construction work was going on in full swing to rebuilt structures on the plots.

After spending some time at the spot, I decided to visit some families. I asked Li Mingyong the address of the place where temporary shelters were built and my two Chinese friends and I headed for Qing Jian Ren Jia.

The neighborhood of the location was very calm and soft as if in a bid to sooth the haunted memories of the people in the wake of natural disaster; the backdrop was the perfect place of serenity and for healing the wounds. On the left side of the Qing Jian Ren Jia gate stood a policeman beside his office; the police are guarding the colony to avoid any untoward incident. As I walked past him and inched ahead into the lane, I saw a long line of white painted one-storeyed mud-and-brick houses.

An elderly woman was knitting a beautiful sweater outside her door; I asked my friends if she would agree to speak to me for a few minutes. I was a bit skeptical but the woman agreed; she in fact invited me to her home. As she opened the door, I saw three Chinese names written on the door. My friends read the names for me which I understood were the woman and her husband but I was confused about the third name. As I got into the room her husband was in there. The home was a big room divided into two parts.
The room was stuffed mostly with clothes and there were two big beds that had covered huge space. We sat down on the bed and I asked them curiously about the third name on the door.

The man said Yao Shi Kai is me, Ou Ye Zhen is my wife and Yao Ru Ping
is my little daughter who died in the earthquake. There was a one minute silence in the room and after a little while I asked him if they were comfortable in the makeshift house. ‘‘My family and I am very happy over here,’’ he said with a big smile on his face: a scene of gloom was quickly replaced by his gesture. ‘‘The government has helped us a lot. After the earthquake on May 12th, we shifted to the temporary shelter on May 29 and received Rs 300 Yuan from the government for the first three months. I have three children and one of my sons, who was unemployed, was given a job by the government. About his house, he said it was not completely destroyed and the construction work was going on, though it would take sometime because the damage of property in Sichuan province was extensive.

Before we headed off to the next place, the couple insisted us on eating some oranges and we could not leave the place without having them. Chinese people are very magnanimous and I wonder if this kind of breed exists anywhere in the world besides China. My hometown India is also known for its people’s cooperation but the approach of Chinese people speaks wonders; they would go out of way in helping out people.

My next stop was another family at Qing Jian Ren Jia. Chen Ying runs a parlor at the makeshift colony.

Her house was destroyed by the earthquake but it hardly makes any difference for her. Before the natural calamity she was running a parlor at Di Jiang Yu and now she is doing the same business t the makeshift colony. She received monetary help from the government in addition to the compensation for the house. ‘‘My house was damaged in the quake and the government is rebuilding it now. I also got 300 Yuan for the first three months after the quake and a big room for my parlor in addition to the two-room apartment here. I have no regrets and the China government is great,’’ she said. Chen Ying has a son and her husband is working in a factory.

Not very far from the place I saw an interior designing shop. I got into it and confronted another young lady.

Jiang Xiao Cui with her son is an interior designer. Fortunately, everyone in her family was safe but her house was completely destroyed by the quake. However, she has no worries at all. Her family-- husband, baby boy and Jiang-- received 200 Yuan extra compensation from the government for another two months in addition to the first three-month 900 Yuan because the extent of damage of her house had surpassed the limit set by the government. The Chinese Government gives extra compensation to those victims whose house is damaged beyond the 70 sq ft limit set by the government.

The optimism, enthusiasm, passion and remarkable pace to re-establishment among the people despite all odds speak volumes about China Government’s systematic management to weather crises.

A brief China recall in a blend of experiences and thoughts

2008-11-29T16:20:00.000-08:00

Barack Obama is a global hero - Commentary

2008-11-04T23:14:00.000-08:00

Huma Sheikh
Issue date: 11/3/08 Section: Commentary
PrintEmail Article Tools Page 1 of 1 Barack Hussein Obama has become a global superhero. His supporters' enthusiasm reflects the growing desire among the people for change in the US. But does it make any difference to the world? It indeed does; after all America is the super power and its government policies have an impact on world politics.

Barack Obama has been a populous global figure, unlike many Presidential candidates in the history of the US. His sizeable lead in the polls and unimaginable global support show the long-standing desire of the world to see an American leader who can be honored as a great global leader.

If globalization means anything, it means that election in the US has a global role. What happens at home doesn't necessarily stay at home. The current financial crisis that began with the collapse of financial institutions in the US has triggered market instability worldwide after stock prices plummeted, says Vannarith Chheang, a Cambodian doing Asia Pacific Leadership Program at the East-West Center at the University of Hawaii.

Change is important to prevent uncertainties like the US economy crunch in the interdependent world. The world needs effective leaders to tackle complexities with potential global risks and I believe Barack Obama has the potential to make the world a better place.

APLP fellow Phatry Derek Pan says Cambodian-American refugees and other new Southeast Asians struggled when they first immigrated in the early 80s. But prosperity trickled in with Bill Clinton's policies in the 90s that favored minorities and the middle class. On a personal level, he received more financial assistance when he began his college education.

He says people like myself oppose war, because the truth is, his family never wanted to leave their country. So when George Bush decided to invade Iraq, it simply reminded them of our plight here and the struggle we endured.

Another APLP fellow Shawn P Hall, who is African-American, doesn't want to be classified unfairly on the basis of his vote to Obama who is also an African-American. ''For most of the people they feel it is automatic that I would support Obama since we are both African-American, nothing could be further from the truth! I shun anyone from voting based solely on race. For me it is about which candidate has the best vision for the country, and which candidate shares my hopes and views. The quality and efficiency Obama has shown in managing his campaign and his effectiveness in delivering message of change was remarkable.

Nevertheless, he is a little skeptical about what "Change" will encompass. There is a saying he once heard, "do not change for change's sake alone''. In this phrase is the understanding that we can change but possibly change into a worse condition. However, looking at the current state of affairs, I doubt there is much worse we can change into. With this said, he is willing to take a chance with Senator Obama, and cast his vote for Obama instead of Senator McCain, who historically has sided with President Bush over 90 per cent of the time. Sen. Obama's rhetoric addresses my concerns, however I would be less than honest if I didn't say I wish I had more time to examine him, or had some other choices. McCain and Obama are the only choices, he believes, so a relatively unknown and untested Obama seems the better of the two choices, says Shawn.

(Huma Sheikh is an Asia Pacific Leadership Program fellow at the East-West Center)

South Asia focus: conflict in Kashmir

2008-10-27T18:24:00.000-07:00

Huma Sheikh

Kashmir is a particularly beautiful, yet unstable, region in South Asia that lies between India and Pakistan. Over the past 60 years, both India and Pakistan have fought three wars over this territory. Kashmir has been grappling with incidents of violence since a separatist uprising in 1989 and now the recent spate of protests due to a controversial religious land transfer issue has added fuel to the fire.

On May 26, the Jammu and Kashmir Government, in consultation with the Indian government, reached an agreement to transfer 100 acres of forest land to the Shri Amarnathji Shrine Board. The board is responsible for the smooth and trouble-free pilgrimage to the holy cave shrine of Amarnath, and the acres were given in order to set up temporary shelters and facilities for Hindu pilgrims. This evoked a huge controversy; demonstrators from the Kashmir Valley were against the land transfer, while protesters from the Jammu region supported it.

At first, the people of Kashmir opposed the land transfer because they feared ecological imbalance in the region. The protesters later claimed that land transfer was an attempt to change the demographics of the valley.

But the acre agreement is not the real issue, as far as protesters are concerned. The people in the region have pent-up emotions and take advantage of any situation that arises. There are already thousands of acres of farmers' land under the occupation of the Indian Army in the valley. While farmers are still optimistic about getting back their land, it seems the Indian government is no longer interested in the reduction or withdrawal of troops from the valley. The land transfer has only helped to spread negative sentiment.

Kashmir has been recognized by the U.N. as a disputed territory. The origin of the problem in the valley is traced back to the non-implementation of the agreement made by the Indian government in 1947 when India and Pakistan won their independence from Britain. According to the agreement, the people of Kashmir were promised the right to self-determination by the first prime minister of India, Jawaharlal Nehru. The various phases of self-determination, however, were always evaded by the Indian government. The valley has since become the bone of contention between the two neighboring countries.
The protesters also said that according to Article 370 of the agreement - which grants special status to Jammu and Kashmir - no non-Kashmiri can own land in the valley. The recent row is thus a fight of Kashmiris for their rights.

Thousands of people took part in the processions in which 40 people, including a separatist leader, were killed and hundreds were injured due to police firing. As the protests turned violent, the Congress-led government in the region came under extreme pressure from its main alliance party, the People's Democratic Party. The party threatened to withdraw support if the government did not revoke the land order.

Though the order was revoked, the Ghulam Nabi Azad government had to step down after the People's Democratic Party didn't lend support to his government and the governor rule was imposed in Jammu and Kashmir.

The revocation of the order, on the other hand, provoked widespread protests in Jammu. Several people there were killed and many others injured in demonstrations. The people of Jammu, in support of the land transfer, enforced an economic blockade in the Kashmir Valley by stopping traffic on the Srinagar-Jammu National Highway.

The protest continued for 61 days, and on Aug. 31, a Jammu and Kashmir governor-appointed panel signed an agreement with the Hindu groups, who were leading the agitation in Jammu. According to the agreement, the shrine board would be making temporary use of 40 hectares of land during the "yatra" (pilgrimage) period.

Although the new agreement has brought the situation under control in Jammu, it has provoked Muslims in Kashmir. Though there was a lull in violence in the Kashmir Valley during the holy month of Ramadan, a string of violent incidents have taken place in the past few days. Recently, curfew was imposed in the valley and several separatist leaders were arrested in order to stop them from holding sit-ins in Lal Chowk, the heart of the capital city in Kashmir.

The question is how many more lives must be lost before there is a complete end to violence in Kashmir?

'Writing with Thread' at a glance

2008-10-27T18:21:00.000-07:00

Huma Sheikh

'Writing with Thread' uses a mix of textile art and jewelry to showcase the lives of Southwest Chinese minorities.[Click to enlarge]

'Writing with Thread,' an exhibition of Southwestern Chinese jewlery and textile art, started off as a bid to bring awareness to UH students about a community that scripted its history without a written language.The exhibition, organized by the University of Hawai'i Art Gallery, is the largest of its kind, featuring over 500 objects from 15 ethnic groups and 100 subgroups of Southwest China."The event is fascinating, as it provides the history of the ethnic minorities who lived without written languages and passed their customs and traditions orally through generations," UH Art Gallery Director Lisa Yoshihara said. "So one way to document their cultural beliefs was through embroidery. And the thread became their ink and the needle their pen."The exhibition, which is on loan from Taiwan, showcases what they choose to be the most outstanding examples of the textile arts and is assembled by Huang Yingfeng, the director of Evergrand Museum in Taiwan. Huang has worked for over 17 years to collect the objects of historical importance. According Yoshihara, he believes the collection reflects the meaning associated with the production of indigenous clothing."Mr. Huang has spent nearly two decades building the collection in order to preserve it before it is lost. So it's a real gift to the world," Yoshihara said.She also said the UH Art Gallery is committed to featuring both contemporary and historic works to acclimatize students to different traditions. "We encourage students to see this unique collection because this is once in a lifetime chance," she said.'Writing with Thread' began on Sept. 21 and will continue until Nov. 30. The collection's presentation, which showcases apparel, baby carriers, quilt covers, festive and religious vestments and silver jewelry, reflects the great river systems of the Southwestern region of China along which indigenous groups settled.For more information on the exhibit, contact the University of Hawai'i Art Gallery at (808) 956-6888 or visit their website at hawaii.edu/artgallery/The exhibition will be held next in the Chazen Museum of Art at the University of Wisconsin from Jan. 31, 2009 through April 12, 2009. It will then be opened in New Mexico from May 15 to Aug. 16 at the Museum of International Folk Art in Santa Fe.
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'Writing with Thread' at a glance - Mixed Plate

2008-10-27T18:18:00.000-07:00

'Writing with Thread' at a glance - Mixed Plate

South Asia focus: conflict in Kashmir - Commentary

2008-10-17T23:47:00.000-07:00

South Asia focus: conflict in Kashmir - Commentary

I am not unemployed, suggests Natwar

2008-10-11T03:15:00.001-07:00

I am not unemployed, suggests Natwar

Despite resigning, Mr Natwar Singh today

suggested on a defiant note that he would not remain unemployed

for even a day after losing his ministership.

''From tomorrow, I shall be writing a book and having a damn
good time,'' he said at the launch of a book written by India's
former Permanent Representative to the UN Chinmaya R Gharekhan.
''Half an hour earlier, I became gainfully unemployed,'' he
said, adding in response to questions, ''I will play with children,
read books, and have a good time''.
Asked later about the subject of his books, he said it would
be about ''diplomatic incidents'', but did not elaborate. Earlier
in reference to a remark about the Volcker controversy he said
that ''Mr Volcker, you know, is not one of my favorite
individuals''.
Mr Singh sought to give a positive spin to his return among
the diplomatic and scholarly community present for the launch.
'' Given the choice, I would have been here instead of meeting the
Prime Minister,'' he said by way of explaning his delayed arrival
at the function.
On the book 'The Horseshoe Table', Mr. Singh said, it not
only provided an insider's view of the UN Security Council but
was also a very ''sensible and solid contribution'' reflecting
on the ''working and non-working contributions'' of the world
body.
''There is a democracy deficit in the UN Security Council,''
he said, reflecting on the ''power games'' that are witnessed on
the world stage under the garb of ''morality and justice''.
No longer bound by the ministerial code, Mr Singh used the
occasion to highlight the growing ''interventionist'' role of
the United States in world affairs.
''The collapse of the Soviet Union, good or bad, had removed
an alternative point of view from the world, he pointed out.

Nixon, Bush, Palin

2008-10-01T22:53:00.000-07:00

Nixon, Bush, Palin
By Roger Cohen
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
NEW YORK: In 1970, in the midst of the longest bear market since World War II, President Nixon declared: "Frankly, if I had any money, I'd be buying stocks right now."
The market soared.
Now, I've been asking myself, for the heck of it, what would happen if President Bush tried his own jawboning of the market and said: "Frankly, if I had any money, I'd be buying stocks right now."
My conclusion is: Mr. President, please, please, whatever your next whim, do not say that! I reckon the market could tank in ways that would make this week's 777 point one-day plunge look paltry.
I'm not about to write a paean to Nixon. I watched him quit in a bar in Bolinas, California; I can still hear the cheer. But even his tortured nature betrayed some essential seriousness about the fate of the United States of America. By contrast, the Bush crowd has gambled the future of this country with abandon.
(And Nixon did resign. Whatever happened to the notion that someone - a Cabinet member, a Wall Street CEO, the inventor of credit-default swaps - might actually fall on his or her sword? Shame has become a quaint chivalric notion, like honor, a thing of another American time.)
Let's take a closer look at the Bush gamble. It's worth doing, because the first person in this country to re-price risk on the basis that it no longer existed was the president. Now, that's leading by example.
The gamble involved going to war in Iraq at an estimated cost to date of about $700 billion (does that figure sound familiar?) while opting not to raise taxes but lower them. It involved going into that war, and another in Afghanistan, while asking not for shared sacrifice but a collective maxing-out in the service of shopping.
At the same time, Bush, who often seemed to need directions to the Treasury, opted to allow an opaque derivatives market to grow into the trillions without supervision, regulation or information. The market knew best. Turns out that what the market knew best was how to turn capitalism into a pyramid scheme for trading worthless pieces of paper.
The terrible cost is now clear. But we should be grateful for small mercies. Remember Bush wanted to throw Social Security into the gamble, too, by privatizing it!
Market capitalism is a sophisticated thing that calls for transparency, ethics and rules. Bush and his crowd gambled that some "new paradigm" meant these things were passé.
They're not. We have to be careful now. Already the contagion of bank failures has spread to Europe. People are asking of the United States: What became of this country?
The Chinese have been ready to treat U.S. Treasuries as a rock-hard store of value and loan us the dollars they accumulate at a very low interest rate. But what if they start to doubt the U.S. government will repay its debt?
"We are getting closer to a tipping point," said Benn Steil, an economist. "People are asking, can we really trust the dollar as a store of value?"
The Bretton Woods system of monetary management collapsed in 1971. Since then the dollar's been the primary reserve currency. Now, we're reaching another point where a rethink of the foundations for a global economy is needed.
Global trade and capital flows are essential to prosperity. But it's illogical to have a global system with no global reserve as insurance. Perhaps the trillions of Gulf and Chinese surpluses could be used to fund that. Or perhaps it's time for a return to the gold standard.
I know one thing: This is no time for further gambling. I'm grateful to Bob Rice of Tangent Capital for pointing out that the actuarial risk, based on mortality tables, of Sarah Palin becoming president if the McCain-Palin Republican ticket wins the election is about one in six or seven.
That's the same odds as your birthday falling on a Wednesday, or a flipped coin coming up heads three times running. Is America ready for that?
When power is a passport to gamble, people can end up seriously broke or seriously dead. There is one capable, sober guy in the Bush administration: Defense Secretary Robert Gates. He recently said U.S. forces in Iraq had to learn how to do counterinsurgency there. "But that came at a frightful human, financial and political cost," he noted.
Gates warned that "warfare is inevitably tragic, inefficient." He urged skepticism of any notion that "adversaries can be cowed, shocked or awed into submission, instead of being tracked down, hilltop by hilltop, house by house, block by bloody block."
In short, he lambasted the Rumsfeld-Cheney-Bush war effort for its gambler's irresponsibility. The same has been true on the financial front. The equivalent of "Shock and Awe" has been "Sub and Prime."
And people's houses across America really did go up in smoke while fear stalked the land.
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2008-10-01T22:48:00.001-07:00

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