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SACRED SPACE BOOK REVIEW Masterly Narrative of Kashmir Conflict and Identity Shrine of Koti-tirtha Lalit Gupta volunteers from Punjab in support of Jammu atmosphere in Jammu against the “secession- Muslims which flamed clashes in Reasi, ist tendencies of Kashmir Muslim leadership” Name of Book : Kashmir Conflict and Raj Nath Bhat la, Seven Kundas viz; namely:- Ram Kund, Sita Kunt, Lak- Rajouri and Mirpur and wave of violent unrest which subsequently led to greater “constitu- Muslims of Jammu in western parts of Jammu resulted which led tional integration of Jammu and Kashmir with sham Kund, Hanuman Ji Kun, Bharat Kund, Shatrugan Writer : Zafar Choudhary to appointment of Grievances Commission on India”, not only assuaged but also “reconciled Koti-tirath has significance of a pilgrimage place. It is Kund and Surya Kund are there. Men pilgrims go there Publisher : Gulshan Books, Srinagar 12 Nov 1931, the protests in many places and the anxieties of the Jammu Hindu sentiments”. said that two and a half souls achieve "Mukhshas (Sal- and after having rest do take bath at "Surya Kund" where uprising of Bherote area of Rajouri, where 25 The end to politics of agitation in Jammu also Price : Rs 795/- vation) after having bath near Koti-Tirath on every Mon- water flows through a sprout, while ladies take bath at Muslims were killed, also stand focused. relieved Muslims from the fear of communal day. Sita Kund. After having bath they enter Bhagwan Ram's With establishment of ‘The Jammu and backlash to a large extant. But they continued On Shrawan month Bikrimi Samvat Shuklapakhs 12th Zafar Choudhary’s latest book “Kashmir Kashmir Muslim Conference’, the Kashmiri to suffer discrimination and disadvantage in Temple. There are idols of Ram, Sita and Lakhsman in Conflict and Muslims of Jammu” is a landmark and Jammu Muslim leadership came togeth- jobs and promotions in Kashmir centric gov- the front and on sides are idols of Hanu- piece of scholarship due to the fact that it is the er on one platform. But Sheikh Abdulla’s strong ernment. man Ji and others. Baba Ji serves tea of pure first ever informed focus on the identity and articulation to include Hindus in the movement In the chapter “1965: Turning Point”, the milk. Hawans are performed at Gosani Teng, profile of Muslims of Jammu region over a peri- under the influence of Indian National Con- author in unequivocal terms points out that Koti Tirath and at "Bairou Sund." On vital od of more than hundred years while locating gress, led to schism between Sheikh Abdullah how “Muslims of undivided Jammu province and Jammu based Muslim Conference lead- Shistami, people of all castes, creed and reli- them viz a viz Kashmir Conflict. had favored Pakistan against India, and con- Based on critical readings of records in ers. Nonetheless the alliance between Mus- tributed in delivering a third of J&K to western gion go there and dance, sing songs, hymns, state and national archives, already published lim leaders of two regions held through the dominion”. But in the following years the and enjoy cooking varieties of dishes. literature on Kashmir imbroglio along with eye developments such as setting up of Con- umpteen proposals to solve the J&K problem In Dharamshala at Koti Tirath many reli- witness accounts and interviews with survivors stituent Assembly, its elections, Sheikh Abdul- such as standpoints of Nehru, Sheikh, US gious acts like Harish Chander Taramati of the Partition holocaust, political activists and la’s closeness to Indian National Congress, his Plan, Dixon Plan, Triste Model, Chenab Plan, are usually performed. At Gosani Teng, community leaders and further supported by attending annual session of INC at Tripura and 1962-63 Indo Pak Talks, Rajaji Formula—all demographic and economic statistics created a feeling of uncertainty among Mus- Behi-Tree (Bumb Chount) were at the gate painstakingly culled down from census lims especially those of Poonch and Rajouri, and in the left side is an orchard. Almonds reports—Zafar Choudhary’s book presents an who felt as pawns on the chessboard of the tree exist at the top of hill known as "Quil- alternative discourse that traces since 1890s settlement of Jammu and Kashmir issue la". It is stated that Bhagwan Ram Chan- the journey of Muslims of Jammu in terms of between India and Pakistan. On the socio-cul- der Ji has performed Yagya there in Tri- their political attitudes and socio-economic tural side the divided families on both side, ren- profile in relation to Kashmir conflict. tiya Yug, and a number of mulberry trees dered meaningless the Line of Control due to The book, written by the young journalist, constant crossovers. were there. Yatries would enjoy taking policy analyst and independent researcher It was in 1965, after feeling cheated by fresh, Chillies, Almonds etc. There is Shiv and son of the soil, is a welcome eye opener being left high and dry by overnight disappear- temple at the right side of the compound for all stakeholders both inside and outside the ance of the Pak sponsored Razakars, coupled i.e. at the entrance gate of Ram Temple. Jammu and Kashmir along with number of self with “operation clearance’ launched by Indian Behind Shiv temple is a water pond from styled ‘Kashmir experts’ who have mush- army to flush out remaining Razakars and roomed dime a dozen in last 70 years. where we get whey (Jadi Booti) to be used large scale migration to Pakistan by many Divided into nine chapters, Zafar Choud- natives of Poonch and Rajouri altered the on New Year Thali. hary’s book traces the position of Muslims of course of Muslim political aspirations. The saints of good repute like "Nanak Jammu in historical as well as contemporary The chapter “End of Ambivalence”, chron- Chand Ji" and others have done meditation, contexts to fill in the long-standing gap in icles rise of militancy in Kashmir, its overflow Yoga there, on the stone underground understanding regional and community across the Pir Panjal in mid 1990s and exo- dynamics while providing new insights in wherefrom water flows to Gupt Ganga. Dur- dus of Muslims and Hindus from villages to understanding the Kashmir problem. towns in of hill districts of Jammu region. But ing Shri Amar Nath Yatra the Sadhus com- The chapters “Jammu and Kashmir: The militancy did not become a wide spread phe- ing to Baramulla stay at Gupt Ganga Tem- Artificial Unity” and “Jammu: Profile of the nomenon as majority of Muslims of Jammu ple where there are big rooms with spacious Region”, dwell upon historic antecedents and barring those of Doda district, restricted local accommodation. There is a bathroom where responses of different regions which in 1846 youth to join ranks with militants. This chapter were amalgamated with formation of the mod- also focuses upon massacres of Hindus wood is burnt to keeps rooms warm during ern state of Jammu and Kashmir. The various finally naming of Muslim Conference to Nation- winters. between 1996 and 2001, in Doda and Rajouri measures initiated by Dogra rulers to hold al Conference in 1939. The Jammu Muslims districts. "Nanak Chand's Baagh" is still fresh in regions together including formation of Gilgit leadership aligned to Indian Muslim League, The “tension between the Hindu and Mus- disassociated itself from political movement of pind pradhan to the deceased is performed at Koti Tirath our memory. Now CRPF has occupied the upper storey Agency, biennial Darbar Move with Srinagar lim relationship did not exacerbate as it was Kashmir, exited the National Conference, and Ghat and the same rituals are done at "Khadiniyar" where of the building and bunkers are in that orchard viz: "Nanak as summer capital since 1872, and growing common knowledge that local Muslims were reinvented Muslim Conference in 1942. the biggest ever stone known as "Kani Majihund exists." disenchantment of Kashmiris and agitation not involved in any major way”. The clear sig- Chand's Baagh." With “resistance politics now polarized against autocracy in 1930 are dealt in detail. nals that Jammu Muslims are cold shoulder- All Yatries after taking bath there get relieved of the sins. There is a Murti of Lord Shiva. During "Qabaili Raid" along the regions”, there were different The chapter “Muslims of Jammu: Pre- ing the Valley’s political discourse centered Near Koti-tirath Shiv Mandir is one Asthapan known in 1947, a man whose height was 6'.2" fractured the nose responses of MC and NC to imminent division 1947 Setting” gives a comprehensive account round Kashmiri nationalism, also created a of the country. The NC which had launched as "Ganga Nour" Ganga Nour means flowing of Ganga of idol and within day's he turned blind and his wife name- as to how Muslims were placed in undivided feeling of undefined solidarity. Quit Kashmir Movement wanted maharaja to through pipe. The water flowing from "Gosaniteng" hill a ly 'Khati,' got sudden Thrombatic stroke. It was the mira- pre-1947 Jammu Province particularly in rela- Last chapter “Socio-economic Profile”, tion to Dogra rulers, other communities within quit and hand over the power to the people, place on the top of hill is cold in Summer and warm in cle of the holiest of holy shrines known as "Koti-Tirath" portrays a clear picture of discrimination met- the province as well as Muslims of Kashmir. while Jammu Muslims wanted a ‘responsible ed out to Jammu Muslims by successive State Winter. At Gupt Ganga i.e. "Ganga Nour" the water flows (crore tirthoon ka Samoh). Growth of social reform movements and socio- government’ with maharaja as its constitution- governments. The author has quoted statis- secretly through, the mountains. Amongst twenty two Kunds, there is one Kund political organizations like Arya Smaj (1875), al head and also favored an independent J&K. tics and tables to prove that how Jammu Mus- At Gosani Teng there is a vast tract of land on the top. Guru Sing Sabha (1893) along with home In the chapter “1947: The Bloodletting, Par- known as "Koti-Tirath" at "Rameshwaram Mandir in lims been systematically denied “representa- grown Anjuman-e- Islamia (1890s), Dogra tition” the author seeks to correct the hitherto Beside Rama Temple, a three storeyed house, a Goushal- Chennai." tion adequate and proportional to their popu- Committee (founded by Lala Hans Raj and distorted picture of carnage unleashed upon lation in public affairs and spaces of visibility Sahibzada Hazrat Aftab Shah along with aspi- Jammu Muslim with Jammu region as its epi- and significance” such as Secretariat, Police, CAREER COUNSELLING rations of Sikhs and Muslims for equitable center: The ‘unnatural division’ of erstwhile Universities, High Court, Education Dept, opportunities in education and government princely state, which led to communal violence Health services and other walks of life. Bioinformatics employment, which lead to formation of Sikh in which Muslims, Hindus and Sikhs were Youngman Association (1918) which along killed, and thousands of families on both sides The book, a comprehensive socio-political with now revived Anjuman-e- Islamia made of the LoC were displaced, the author empha- account of Jammu Muslims in last hundred representations to the Maharaja, are put in sizes it was Jammu province and especially years ends with optimistic Epilogue which pro- detail. Jammu Muslims who suffered the maximum. poses ‘The Way Forward’ that includes Next Generation Science Enhancing Regional Understanding, Pan There is a full account of pre and post-1931 The chapter “Post 1947: Assessing te Mohit Kumar Sharma that hasn't been done previously, then this is bioinformatics. Many movement developments, formation of Young loss”, offers an in-depth account as to how the India and Pan J&K Integration, Celebrating journals such as Nature and Bioinformatics have sections purely Men Muslim Association (circa 1928) with ceasefire lines which divided of state into two Unique Secular Identity of Pahari Speaking Bioinformatics is a meeting point of two key contemporary dis- for articles about new methods and tools. parts also brought geographical and demo- People, Cross-LoC Confidence Building, Polit- ciplines - Biology and Computer science. It has had a pivotal role Choudhary Ghulam Abbas as one of the The second path is what you might call "computational biolo- graphic changes that reduced the once major- in high throughput projects such the human genome project. Bioin- founder members and Jammu Muslims’ first ical Empowerment of Communities, Econom- gy", which is all about doing biological research, using a comput- political contact with Kashmiri leaders of move- ity of Jammu Muslims to an unsung minority. ic and Human Resource Development, Sec- formatics is the computer-assisted data management discipline er instead of a pipette. A strong understanding of biology is impor- ment against autocracy. In post-1953 scenario of emergence of ularizing the Administration and Designing that helps us gather, analyze, and represent this information in tant, as well as the ability to phrase, then answer a research ques- Formation All India Majlis-e-Ahrar, Ahrar Praja Parishad and heightened political order to edify ourselves, knowing the life's progression in the tion. For example, if you believed that duplicate genes were less Festival to Celebrate Diversity. healthy and disease conditions, and find novel or better drugs. well conserved compared with non-duplicates, and you tested this Bioinformatics is being practiced across the globe by education- hypothesis across a set of genomes, then this would be compu- al groups, companies, national and international research organ- tational biology. Natnusa reels under abject poverty (From Page 1) izations. This discipline should be thought of as core of current These two fields are not distinct, and overlap a fair amount...... and future biotechnology. The demands and opportunities for inter- Some universities have bioinformatics departments in both the There is no Self Help Group (SHG) age problem then entire village/area gets seeking behavior" is creating interruptions preting these data are expanding more than ever. Bioinformatics computer science and life science faculties, indicating the types formed in Natnusa so far. Sarpanch tried united against another (neighboring) village/ so that Natnusa does not get Backward Vil- is a discipline which uses computational techniques to analyze of research carried out in each. some utensil-making SHGs but villagers area and both the villages/ areas protest and lage status, because in that case it would the biological problems; the science of developing and utilizing Bioinformatics specialists must acquire an unusual back- computer databases and algorithms to accelerate and enhance ground, an eclectic blend of molecular biology, chemistry, and are not interested. There was low aware- fight against each other), and wait for gov- get access to more funds for development, biological research. It's commonly referred as dry lab work which computer science. They work in close collaboration with bench ness. Schemes like IAY, MNREGA and ernment support, in case difficulties pertain since eligible. People demand that negative accelerates the wet lab work drastically. Bioinformatics is a tool to scientists, helping them to plan and organize experiments and PMGSY are implemented in the village. to public utility. Sometimes district authority/ politics in economic development at lower solve the Biological problems based on existing data. It is a mode data collection so as to maximize the production of reliable and Total 15 works were completed in the vil- DDC Kupwara with police party (including end (village, GP) should be checked. to solve the Biological outcomes based on existing experimental useful information. They are found in academic, Government, and lage under MNREGA so far. Each year five- SHO other officers) has to reach there in thick Villagers demand supply of safe drink- results. It creates the way for the Biologists to store all the data. industrial research labs. six works are taken up e.g. bridges (cul- of midnight or early in the morning and inter- ing water, fit for human consumption. Drink- It makes some lab experiments easy by predicting the outcome There is no such thing as a typical career path in this field. verts), repair works, etc. Village road in Nat- vene in order to maintain peace and law & ing water supply scheme of Natnusa hav- Bioinformaticians need to per- nusa was constructed long back by PWD; order as soon as news of clashes reaches. ing a filtering plant near army cantonment form two critical roles: develop IT it is badly damaged now for so many years. It often happens, and particularly during one is supplying as villagers showed samples tools embodying novel algo- Villagers reportedly want to take up field visit in July 2013 this was witnessed of almost filthy water without chemical treat- rithms and analytical techniques, strengthening of this road under MNREGA when one such incident happened whereby ment. Physical filtering of water supplied is and apply existing tools to implemented by Rural Development two villages clashed with each other carry- also rudimentary. Technical staff operating achieve new insights into molec- Department but are not allowed by PWD ing arms/ 'lathis' over the issue of sharing of this scheme to supply water requires ade- ular biology. However, you must even as villagers petitioned so many times. nallah water desperately for irrigation pur- quate supply of diesel to run pumping motor remember that although powerful Basic amenities in the village are poor. pose since it had rained heavily during last in absence of power supply; supply of diesel and highly specialised in itself, Except middle road all other intra-village night and 'nallah' was filled with water. There- to the scheme is 5-6 liters per day though bioinformatics is only a part of roads are kutcha. Sarpanch has taken up fore, one village up in arms against another demand is 40 liters (for five hours per day). biotechnology. Specific areas that fall with- the matter with Executive Engineer (R&B). neighboring village for small but significant Some villagers consider water supplied in the scope of bioinformatics There is no pucca drainage system in facilities was not in any way a survival strat- through this scheme so-to-say "poisonous" Sequence assembly: streets. No streetlights are installed. At egy or coping mechanism against resource since 'Poru nallah' from where water for this The genome of an organism is some places electric poles are damaged or scarcities and adversities. The right and the scheme is sourced is basically a central of the lab experiment. Sometimes it shows the initial way to start assembled from thousands of fragments that must be correctly have fallen; electric wires pass through or best strategy of intervention would have dumping channel for filthy drains and the lab experiment from existing results. It helps the researchers "stitched" together sophisticated computer-based methods, is carried are tied with trees tops. Power supply dur- been to have a water harvesting structure in sewage of the city and army cantonment in to get an idea about any lab experiments before they start. Com- out by a specialist in bioinformatics. ing summer is termed by villagers as "sat- each village to tap rain water or link it with Kupwara. The same filthy water, after rudi- puters have become an essential component of modern biology. Database design and maintenance: isfactory" though it becomes problematic 'nallahs'. That is not done. mentary physical treatment, is supplied to Bioinformatics has established itself in just a few years as a foun- Many pharmaceutical companies maintain private databanks during winter even as two-three hours sup- Under MNREGA a link road between Natnusa. Villagers deserve supply of safe dation of modern biotechnology. Its focus on biological information of gene sequences and other biological and chemical information. ply is the normal trend. Drinking water sup- Natnusa and Kandi villages has been con- drinking water that should be fit for human management, independent of origin or representation, is enabling These repositories must be continually updated with data gener- ply is a major problem since treatment and structed while earlier a narrow footpath consumption. life science and novel drug discovery to progress much faster. Still, ated internally and from outside sources. This is a challenging cleaning of water is not given due attention. existed. It has benefitted apple orchard Villagers demand proper drainage and there are significant issues that challenge the industry. Integration task, and the design and maintenance of these complex databas- of data acquisition, storage, manipulation, analysis and dissemina- Filtration plant is lying defunct. Most of the owners. Now villagers desire to have a sewage system in Natnusa. They rued the es has become an important part of bioinformatics. villages in the area have drinking water motorized-bridge on Kandi nallah at site fact that sanitation scheme of Govt. of India tion in a cross-platform manner, unambiguous gene sequence Sequence (gene) analysis: assignment, and development and application of new, language problem. near pond of Mohammad Abdullah Wani was not implemented in their village. They Once the DNA sequence of a fragment of the genome has There is one Primary Health Center and Aziz Khan because new road passes were aware that in 2012, 100-150 house- and ontology-based approaches are all at the leading edge of the been determined, the work has just begun; one must next under- (PHC) in Natnusa. PHC building is impres- through that area and it is suitable for motor- holds in a couple of villages had benefitted field, with many companies and other institutions advancing these stand the function of the gene. This involves locating regions of areas. The ultimate prize is the computer-aided empowerment of the gene that code for a protein product that is involved in regu- sive and spacious though facilities are very bridge. Sarpanch has included this demand under the scheme but Natnusa which researchers to work seamlessly with multiple types of biological lation and control and also finding those sections of the gene poor. Its minimum required staff is not yet in Village Plan submitted to the Rural Devel- deserves benefit under the scheme, was information, as close to real time as possible. Once all this is (introns) that are clipped out and discarded. The gene may be sanctioned for posting: one doctor; one lady opment Department (RDD). However, not covered. achieved at multiple levels, including genes, proteins, cells, tissues, compared against databases of known genes with well-under- doctor; one nursing orderly; and one driver. Sarpanch was advised to shift the demand Awatkullah Mohalla of Natnoosa is the diseases, population variations, plants, animals and other organ- stood functions to find clues to its role in health or disease. All of Wage-labor is peoples' predominant for motor-bridge to Backward Region Grant most backward. People of this Mohalla isms, then the promise will have been fulfilled. these analyses are carried out using powerful computers and spe- mode of survival. Poor villagers' main prob- Fund (BRGF) Scheme. Survey reported demand that labor and fruits of develop- Career path & opportunities in Bioinformatics cialized software, and many would consider this activity the most lem is tackling cold weather due to snowfall. that MLAdeleted this proposed project from ment should reach their households also. Today's bioinformaticists are in for a real treat. With a seem- important area of focus within bioinformatics. PWD reportedly does not clear accumulat- the list of Village Plan without consulting vil- They want access to all facilities which are ingly endless stream of biological data being generated across Pharmacogenomics: ed snow on roads, link-roads and pathways lagers or Gram Panchayat. People lacked in their area. Except five government It is now realized that single-point mutations (alterations in the sectors, there is high demand for talented, experienced profes- efficiently. Villagers do not get supply of LPG demanded that funds for this bridge should servicemen all households survive on casu- sionals at the crossroads of biology, statistics, and computer sci- genome at specific positions) can be associated not only with par- cylinder in time during winter season. Vil- be allocated and bridge may be construct- al wage-labor. They do not find work some- ence. Scientists who can analyze large amounts of information ticular disease states (for example, sickle cell anemia) but also lagers use mostly own individual methods at ed under Village Plan by RDD, rather than times in summer season also though win- and present it in a clear manner to decision makers are finding with reduced or increase sensitivity to particular drugs or with side- household level to cope with such difficulties. proposing under BRGF. The informed wish ters are always meant as jobless. At times the sky is the limit in terms of jobs and career pathways, especial- effects to those medications. Databases of these single nucleotide They take good, healthy and nutritious food and desire of people may be respected. Vil- ly in the big pharma and biotech sectors. polymorphisms (SNPs) are rapidly evolving and promise to play with dry fruits to keep warm in cold season. lagers demand that Natnusa should be they won't find money and access to food; For life scientists with expertise and an interest in bioinformat- an important role in future drug development efforts and in the However, they do not have adequate access declared a backward village. Sarpanch entire family would go to bed without meals. ics, computer science, statistics, and related skill sets, the job out- design of clinical trials. Again, experts in bioinformatics are at the to LPG cylinders which is a generic problem reported that he filled relevant profoma (202 They hold 50000 migrant workers migrat- look couldn't be rosier. Big pharma, biotech, and software com- forefront of efforts to collect, analyze, and apply this crucial data. of villagers throughout the valley. Villagers' columns) on 21.11.2009 and submitted all ing from UP and Bihar to Kupwara respon- panies are clamoring to hire professionals with experience in bioin- Proteomics: third main difficulty pertains to corruption and required information about the village to the sible for their poor state of existence. Nat- formatics and the identification, compilation, analysis, and visual- A relatively new area, proteomics studies not the entire making repeated rounds of offices to get their district office concerned (Commissioner nusa is inflicted with unemployment, pover- ization of huge amounts of biological and health care information. genome but rather the portion of the genome that is expressed in work and due formalities completed. Vil- Secretary Backward Classes Srinagar) as ty and economic backwardness deserving With the rapid development of new tools to make sense of life sci- particular cells. This often involves cutting-edge technology, such lagers do not have control over extant situ- part of some survey conducted earlier. urgent attention of public agencies. Even ence research and outcomes, spurred by innovative research in as the use of microarrays ("DNA-on-a-chip") that allow the expres- ation of decadent system of public services However, he made rounds after rounds of bioinformatics itself, scientists who are entranced by data can pur- sion level of thousands of genes in a cell sample to be quickly apple - a golden commodity of Kashmir - is or strategy to control such "rent-seeking" office to get this village declared as back- sue more career options than ever before. determined. Once a large and diverse database of expression unable to remove the blot of poverty from When people refer to the field of bioinformatics, they're refer- data has been collected, the next step is to identify connections behaviors and practices in place. General ward village. The village has a number of the face of Natnusa. Perhaps it is due to blot ring to what might be aruged as two overlapping areas. The first between the patterns of expression of genes and a particular dis- approach to coping with adversities by vil- carpenters, artisans (kangri makers), lohar on apple which itself is diseased. Both is what you would call "bioinformatics", which is more technical, ease state. In this way, likely targets for drug and/or gene thera- lagers in Natnusa are: First they rely on self- (ironsmiths), kumhar (potters), and Apple and Avatkulla Mohalla of Natnusa are and examples are creating tools to analyse data for biologists, or py can be located. Bioinformatics specialists work closely with effort of households, and later supplement it "chamar" (leather-men) by economic pro- under stress and storm of deprivation. specific databases to store and retrieve information. For example bench scientists to accomplish the "data mining" that lies behind with collective villagers' action (depending fession. People and Sarpanch suspected (Author works for NABARD; views expressed are personal) if you created a new tool that could analyse sequencing in a way this next wave of the pharmaceutical industry. on nature of difficulty, e.g. if it is water short- that negative narrow politics and "rent- Feedback@[email protected]