Wednesday, June 27, 2012


Indeed a very sad day in Kashmir.
The historical Peer Dastgeer Sahib shrine in Srinagar was gutted in a blaze on Monday morning, authorities say all the relics of the 11th century saint are safe. Reverence for the 11th century saint in Kashmir cuts across religious barriers. While Muslims call the saint Ghaus-e-Azam, Hindus revere the saint as Kahnoow. 


I was at the office when the fire was blazing and no idea this had happened until evening. This was a beautiful mosque and very highly revered by all who live here. I am just amazed that there were no more casualties as the mosque is in a densely populated area. Of course there is a lot of suspicion as to how the fire started and this has caused tension and some street riots, which in turn has caused the army and police to impose a curfew.
Emotions are running high and for fear of people protesting the curfew has been imposed through Friday. Secessionist leaders have also called for strike.
So shops are closed, no one has gone to work and the barbed wire has once again been rolled out  to cordoned off the old town. Just when things were appear stable this happens. I just hope that by Saturday there will be some answers as to how the fire started and that people do not turn this into an opportunity to start protests for a separate/independent Kashmir.
Of course for everyone in the valley daily life is at a standstill and all plans are on hold. For the family I live with that means no engagement part tomorrow


Articles on the fire
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2164855/Protests-erupt-200-year-old-Kashmir-shrine-gutted-fire.html?ito=feeds-newsxml


Local writer tells of watching the fire


Sunday, June 24, 2012

Report reports reports!

They have me doing reports at HELP on their projects which will be uses for funding proposals. They have so many projects all of which are so needed and often interconnected.g. the ladies who are employed in the tailoring project make the school uniforms for the orphans. This all goes to making the projects practical. I have also been handed the task of rewording the website form Hindlish to English, which is a brain twisted at times but thanks to the endless stream of chia that the chia lady serves at the office, the job is much easier. This week I may take another trip to Kupwara with one of the managers in the office who will check on the school and see how the ladies income generation training program is doing.

Some photos of Srinagar from this week
Humeria + me at the children park

local fruit seller

sweet seller outside the mosque


fish sellers on the bridge in Lalchowk 
Next week one of the guys in the family I live with is getting engaged and the family will be having a party on Thursday. Engagements and wedding are a big deal here so all the family will be showing up. Now since I seem to be the only foreigner for miles around and all the family and neighbours see or have hear about the foreigner living at the family's home, I thought it best to buy a Kashmiri long shirt just so lessen the gossip that will no doubt be circulating about me. Shopping in Kashmir for ladies clothes is a nightmare because you have to have a shirt tailored and all the materiel is way to bright, to synthetic. The in expensive embroidery around the necklines is well cheezy, and plastic stitched on gems are just down right gaudie or too girly.

braving the crowds in the heat
I had to drag the other brother in the family with me to help with translations but was up for the challenge. The ladies market was packed and I mean packed, you could hardly walk without bumping into some fanatic shopper. The market sold all what a Kashmiri girl might need, cloth, jewelry, cosmetics, undies, headscarf's, shoes, bags, etc, etc etc all at a "cheap and best price, madam." After 1 hours of searching I had had it and gave up, you need stamina for that kind of expedition. Anyway we found a tailor by the river who had some traditional Kashmiris embroidery designs and could make a simple Indian style shirt. Good enough, my neck and upper arms will be covered and a long scarf will hide my chest, so the neighbours should be happy.  
Saturday evening on the Dal Lake after a successful shopping expedition


So it has been another good week, interesting work and getting to know the people in the office that bit better. The family I live with are great and I am getting more familure with the city and it feels nice that I now get a good morning from the shopkeeper in my neighbourhood.

Wednesday, June 20, 2012

Fantastic 2 days
Just spend two days in the audience at the International Conference on Kashmir sponsored by The Sajid Iqbal Foundation for Peace and Human Rights        http://www.thesajidiqbalfoundation.com/
in collaboration with The Australia India Institute.
http://www.aii.unimelb.edu.au/
The conference was held at the most beautiful hotel and conference center on the edge of Dal Lake, the Sheri-i-Kashmir International Conference Center (SKICC)  http://www.skicc.in/

The Conference was on Peacebuiding in Kashmir and what the next steps to take in terms of trade and commerce between India, Kashmir and Pakistan, opening up dialogue between all three parties, engaging the Kashmir youth of Kashmir in social peacebuilding and gathering academics, politician and social leaders to make recommendations for changes in policy.
Also discussed was the need to address Human Rights violations, the removal of the Special Forces Act which has been in place since the period of armed insurgency. Big on the agenda was the question of, is Kashmir ready for a transitional justice processes such as truth and reconciliation process and or truth commission?
It was so inspiring to be with academics that offered an international overview of the situation as well as local leaders and young people who presented their papers on what they thought a political solution would look like. We were all very impressed by the amount young people showing interest in peacebuilding instead of just arguing over politics. 
The local paper Great Kashmir covered the conference article link below
.http://www.greaterkashmir.com/news/2012/Jun/20/young-minds-churn-out-roadmaps-for-k-resolution-21.asp
Of course there was also a portion of the two days dedicated to woman in Kashmir, their victim hood in the conflict was addresses but I am glad to say the discussion moved on to how to encourage women to become more connected to each other and become social and politically active.

Dr Nyla Khan, professor at Oklahoma University and  author of many books on Kashmir
http://faculty-staff.ou.edu/K/Nyla.A.Khan-1/index.html
gave a great presentation on the effects of conflict on women but also gave theKashmiri historical  example of women's unification in times of conflict. During Partition the women of Kashmir untied to form the Women's Self Defense Corp (WSDC). This indigenous grassroots movement of women came from all class backgrounds and were both Hindu, Sheik, Sunni and Shia Muslim. They formed to defend democracy, Kashmir territory and it's unique cultural. ( There are some great photos of this women's armed corp and historical information at the following link.)  phttp://www.andrewwhitehead.net/kashmir-47-images.html     Dr. Khan also talked on how today's Association for Parents of Disappeared Persons  (APDP) has skillfully used the images and social status of the 'mother' to challenge the state and the justice system. In a conservative society such as Kashmir using the feminist framework to advocate for women's inclusion does not always work well, whereas the 'mother' framework always gets good buy in from the masses. Dr. Khan suggestion was to use the APDP's 'mother' framework and the example of women's unit of the WSDC to show women's agency, to encourage women to re-think and  and update the female Kashmiri identity and advocate for women's inclusion in the social and political arenas 

Due to years of conflict and turmoil women were more confined to the home and in order for woman to be active in peacebuilding today  there is a need for women of all back grounds to once again interact and bridge the boundaries of age, class and religion like they have done in the past. Women do not need to pick up guns today, but instead wage peace skillfully with wisdom, truth and unity.

Wednesday, June 13, 2012



Today I got this e-mail from my Nepali friend Vinita who works to assist victims of sexual abuse, due to the conflict  in Nepal. If anyone reading this would like to support her work I know she would be very very great full 

Dear Linda,

A very warm greetings from Nepal!
It’s been a long time since we communicate. Hope this mail finds you well. I am doing good. 
Well, the weather in Nepal is very hot and we are expecting the monsoon to start soon. As for the political ground it’s as usual, the politician are blaming each other…

I am also writing this mail to inform you that we are going through a very tough time in the office since our donor rejected our proposal this year. They just informed us yesterday saying that at this point they cannot support us.

I am wondering if there is any chance, by any means you could support us to sustain our residential center for sexual abused kids. We at the moment have 18 children at the center.

We are trying from our side also to get connected with the government of Nepal.

I am writing emails to all our well wishers to see if there is any chance of getting donations so that we don’t have to let got the children like that………..

I am really worried….Please support us!  Hope to hear from you soon….

Regards,
   
 Vinita Adhikari
Founder Director
Antardristi Nepal
Ph: 00977 1 5527196
Mobile: 00977 9851049576

Tuesday, June 12, 2012

Some info on HELP.

Fearless Nighat Shafi, founder of HELP   http://www.boloji.com/index.cfm?md=Content&sd=Articles&ArticleID=1820

HELP small film on women's income generation. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wQTKwyEXJFM




Ms. Tazeen Matto pictured on the right has her MA in psychology nd
she is the Childline councilor. She was inspired to become a councilor when she worked with children during her studies for her MA. She told me that at that time she found it easy to communicate with children and thought that if she could help a child at a young age then you can help mold then into good citizens. Since Kashmir has so much suffering, both physical and mental and since children will do whatever you teach them, it is so necessary especially in a conflict zone, broken society and underdeveloped area such as Kashmir to help them develop their personality teach good form bad and guide them into a positive life. There are so many children who have lost one or both parents or come from broken families and as a result they are emotional instability, suffer from depression and feelings of isolation and have developed behavioral problems.  So I feel my job is to provide emotional support and guidance to such children so they can develop self confidence, overcome their feelings of inferiority and adjust and interact even contribute to society.


Saturday, June 9, 2012

The weekend.
So all is going good at HELP foundation. I am on call with Childline, so when calls come in they
will let me know. I may have the chance to assist children when they are picked up, let's see what happens. In the mean time, I am contributing to the Widows and Orphans Program which is to be implemented in Kupwara, also the next training will be in about 10 days, so I will probably be going out to the region again. The widows and orphans program is a huge undertaking. Apparently there are many widows and orphans in the area but many have not received any help from government schemes because they either do not know about the schemes or they are far into the county side where the electric lines do not go and cannot get into town. So HELP wants to do a survey of every household in the area in an attempt to locate these widows and orphans so they can  help them get enrolled in government schemes which can give them financial help or HELP themselves can get involved in assisting them. So this past few days has been meeting that team, concocting questionnaires, making a training manual for the interviewers, planning the logistics of such a project and of course the costs. Hey I have never done this before so I am learning lots and the team seem to be happy to have my input and ideas. One of the guys after looking at my questionnaire  laughed and said that even the government does not have such an in depth and easy questionnaire. So looks like I will be busy here which is just what I wanted.

This week has also been tough in that I have been getting a lot of harassment from people of the male gender and I mean a lot. I think it is because the guys are so happy to be busy and to have the tourist business back after years of curfew. Trouble is I think the extra business and extra cash in hand has set off  all male macho hormone's into hyperdrive. Every time I step out I have to endure, leering, lustful or judgemental stares and sexual comments from men pedestrians Indian armed personnel in the bunkers on street corners as well as the drivers of cars, bikes and autorickshaw drivers who drive so close to me and shout comments. It is becoming a real pain. What cracks me up is that I am not tall, blonde, beautiful and 20 something so these hormone crazed boys, of all ages must be completely blind or completely mentally disturbed. Om Mani Padme Hug  and universe give me strength to deal with this one.

Thursday, June 7, 2012

I always seem to do this during cloud cover, i.e.cozy up to the Internet.
After a few days off due to catching a bad cold I started volunteering at the HELP Foundations office. They have many projects and today I found myself assisting the team of  Childline  http://www.childlineindia.org.in/  Childline is a Indian national NGO  and in 2011 HELP requested  Childline collaborate with them in Kashmir. A child can call day or night if he or she is in trouble and needs urgent help. The calls get screened in Mumbai and then transferred back to Srinagar where the team here, in collaboration with the police, go out to find and assist the child. HELP does not have a safe house for children in need but it does connect or take the child to hospital, government or other NGO's facilities which can provide safely and other necessities for the child.The hotline get calls from children of all ages and in all different kinds of situations, it is heartbreaking to hear some of the cases.
the Childline team

There are many children in Kashmir enduring child labour, from domestic servants to making those nice, expensive Kashmiri carpets. Children are trafficked from poor states such as Bihar, Bangladesh and Uttar Pradesh but also Kashmiri children in the lower classes are working. Of course conditions are terrible, wages low, that is if they even get paid and often children endure beatings and sexuall abuse. This all happens because due to the overarching political situation/conflict and India's focus on 'security' in Kashmir, other issues which are viewed by the authorities as less important, such as the abuse of children and women  slide under the radar, even flourish.
So since Childline is only a year old in Kashmir the team have to do a lot of raising awareness and leg work in the communities, so we went into one of the small villages next to Dal Lake close to Srinagar. We put up poster and talked with the villagers in attempts to raise awareness about child abuse and child labour. It is really interesting to talk with people because they honestly think that child labour is okay and even more okay if the child has come to work in Kashmir from a poor Indian state. As far as child sexual abuse, it happens but in such conservative and close communities it is hard to talk about far less find the victims. It was interesting that while in the villages three lads from Bihar around 9 or 10 years old were selling in a road side food stall. I chatted with them to find out where in Bihar they were from, Patna and Gaya were the answers. Such a weird situation to be in, i.e. raising awareness about child abuse/labour while right there under everyones nose is the problem we are talking about and non of the locals even notice. Proof once again that in the human mind bad things are only felt when it happens to me and mine.

Sunday, June 3, 2012


 Srinigar



Dal Lake
goat and sheep jam
Hazerbal Mosque

Nishat Gardens
Well the trusty backpack is finally fully unpacked. Since the tourist session is very busy this year the process of rooms for rent has gone through the roof. However I have been very fortunate to have good friends here. You have all made me feel so welcome, relaxed and at

 home.  The weather goes back and forth from blazing hot sunshine to thunderstorms and wind that feel like winter. As you may guess today is a thunderstorm so I can catch up with this. It is also nice to be back in Srinigar just soaking up the holiday atmosphere and going back to some of my old haunts, restaurants and the walks around the Jelum river. Even though the barbed wire and bunkers with armed police are still very much present it is defiantly a happier atmoshpere  around the lake than last time I was here.
The lake is beautiful and roses are blooming in all the parks in some parts of town it is easy to forget the problems here just for a wee while and I just pray that no troubles arise this year.

A funny thing just now in town is that the sheep and goat shepards. along with their herds are coming down from the mountains to sell the animals. Next month is Ramadan and families finish their month long fasting with a feast of mutton. So the poor wee beesties are only in this realm for 2 more month. Om Mani Padme Hung. Every day there is a sheep and goat jam in the roads of Srinigar somewhere and the poor animals just get so scared when tuck tucks, trucks and car drives insist on honking there horns.


 Kupwara, next to the LOC
Stone wall builder, Pakistan in the distance
Making traditional guilded silver plates
Kupwara gentleman

Kupwara's main st.
Kupwara kids
Speak about hitting the ground running, since arriving in Kashmir I have not yet fully unpacked. Human Effort for Love and Peace (HELP) foundation  http://www.jkhf.in/  in collaboration with the Self Employment Women’s Association (SEWA) http://www.sewa.org is starting a 3 year program in Kupwara which is close to the Line of Control (the DeFacto border with Pakistan).  I am here see how to do a small base line overview of the women’s interest in the program, their needs and ability to attend and implement the things they learn. Also I think just to encourage them to participate and show interest in their learning process. This region has endured tough times during partition, infiltration of militants from Pakistan and Afghanistan and Kashmiri militants crossing the LOC  to go for training in Pakistan. During the militancy many women suffered rape and had their husbands or sons taken into custody on suspicion of being a terrorist. Due to the conflict between India and Pakistan this region has also received little or no infrastructure improvement, no more than basic education and health facilities. There is no other source of income other than farming or laboring so a family’s income is meager not unless a family member has left the region for work in Srinagar or in other cities in India.
brass pots for sale
Making chili chutney
This week the first training is taking place and given by the ladies from SEWA in Gujarat. Around 35 Kashmiri women from different villages in this region are learning how to make and market jams and chutneys, make compost for their gardens, use and install solar power and start a savings group. The training is for 10 days with each component being 7 or 10 days long with the Kashmiri women choosing which component they want to take. As the years pass SEWA will send other trainers to teach different subjects ranging from different forms of income generation, sustainable agriculture and animal husbandry, solar power, health and infant care. The program will all be adapted to Kashmir culture and environment as well as women’s particular needs in a conflict area.
Trainees attempting to get a headscarf on me
So of course the first training of the program had its teething problems such as having to relocated to a different and not so conducive building because the hotel was double booked. 35 very excited young women eager to learn but not so focused and just enjoying being together. The equipment and training supplies not available, the electric going off and on etc etc. However we all pulled together and took turns cooking, turned the bedroom by night into a classroom by day and of course we had one night of Gujart, Kashmiri and Scottish dancing which was a great laugh.
Receiving Solar light and stove






Gujarati trainers day off in Kashmir
The women are keen to learn and very happy to have HELP and SEWA commit to 3 years. It was so humbling to talk with the women and find out how they manage on small budgets, what had happened to their families during the conflict and what their dreams to help other women are. I hope I can go back and follow up with these women and get more stories.