The Kashmir Pulse

Srinagar: The month long “Shirin-Saaz Te Awaaz” – a Kashmiri Group Singing Competition organized by the Delhi Public School (DPS) and D.P. Dhar Memorial Trust concluded here last evening. The grand finale of this mega cultural event was held at the DPS Athwazan, Srinagar. Ten teams from different schools of Kashmir Valley presented mesmerizing performances which kept the 6-7000 audience spellbound. N.N. Vohra and First Lady Mrs. Usha Vohra were guests of honor and Mr. Haseeb Drabu, Minister for Finance and Culture was a distinguished guest.
Lauding the efforts of the DPS management for promoting the local culture, the Governor said that events of this scale would provide a most welcome opportunity to the young boys and girls of the Valley to display their high potential in the arena of music and arts and also give them the confidence to perform in public programmes, adding to their personality development. He said that such events being organized by other educational institutions would go a long way in boosting the future of our children and showcasing their skills in extra-curricular activities. The Governor complimented Mr. Vijay Dhar, Chairman DPS and D.P. Dhar Memorial Trust, for his initiative to organize such a wonderful programme, involving the children of over 200 schools, which is first of its kind in the Valley and provided an excellent opportunity to hundreds of school children to exhibit their talents. He said he has not seen such a wonderful event in the State earlier where young students, particularly the girls, performed with so much talent and enthusiasm.
The creative concept of the stage and for encouraging the development of the intrinsic potential of the children the Governor announced a contribution of rupees one and a half lakh.
The Governor urged Mr. Drabu to consider providing suitable support for budding artists being provided appropriate opportunities for developing their talents. In this context he suggested that perhaps the J&K Tableau at the next Republic Day parade could be a presentation of our talented youth. He also urged the media to allocate special space for reflecting the achievements and encouraging the youth of the State.
The First Lady presented awards to the first three winners of the finale, complimented them on their success and wished them a bright future. Drabu, who gave away the consolation prizes, lauded the initiative of the DPS for organizing such a wonderful event which, he said, will boost the morale of the budding youth. He said that suitable steps would be taken to encourage youth in the cultural arena.
Over 200 schools of the Valley participated in this mega event, out of which ten made to the final. The participants of the final include, DMPS, Pampore, Dream Land Educational Institute, Ganderbal, Govt. Boys High School, Pantha Chowk, Srinagar, Presentation Convent Higher Secondary School, Rajbagh, Govt. Girls Higher Secondary School Bandipora, Govt. High School Shadipora, Dr. AGM’s City School Nowgam, Srinagar, DPS, Budgam and Govt. Boys High School, Sadhoonara.
Govt. Boys High School, Sadhoonara was adjudged the best performer and awarded with trophy and first prize of Rs. 1 lakh, Govt. High School Shadipora won the second prize of Rs. 75,000/- and New Dream Land Educational Institute, Ganderbal stood third and won Rs. 50,000/-.
Besides, consolation prizes of Rs. 50,000 were also distributed among the participants. The award money was sponsored by the Old World Culture of Delhi, Taxala Hospitalities, J&K, D.P. Dhar Memorial Trust, Ms. Kiran Dhar and State Education Ministry.

Dr Drabu announced setting up of Cultural Centres in different districts of the State with the support of cultural activists and groups. "My ministry is working on building cultural infrastructure including cultural centres in different districts. I have already decided to fund a state-of-art cultural center in Baramulla with the support of Adbi Markaz Kamraz," he said.
He said during his six months of tenure as minister, he has found that Kashmir language is alive and has not reached the crisis level, which other languages are facing. “Kashmir language is alive and has not reached the crisis level which other languages are facing,” he said.
Regretting the lack of proper research work on Kashmir and Kashmiri, Dr Drabu said, “We should come forward to have proper work on Kashmir and Kashmiri while finding the social incentives and market for Kashmiri speaking community.”
Drabu expressed his concern about losing ancestral cultural traits and said that cultural philosophy of Kashmir should reach out to commoners.
“We have lost the undefined social control which was edifice of social culture,” Drabu said adding “there is an urgent need of cultural dissemination at mass level while defining the role of individual.”
“No solution lies with the Government for this cultural issue, it can only be redefined at individual and collective level,” Drabu said.
Drabu said that language cannot be groomed by introducing language in schools institutes only. “It is not necessary to have Kashmiri language in schools and it will not matter till our society and family is lingo-culturally equipped,” he said.
Senior journalist and President AMK, Shujaat Bukhari gave welcome address and noted broadcaster and writer, Avtar Krishan Rehbar gave the Presidential address. General Secretary AMK Muhammad Amin Bhat read out a brief report on the past activities of AMK for the promotion of culture and Kashmiri language.
Known Kashmiri poetess Naseem Shifai, Secretary Tourism Farooq Shah, Secretary Jammu and Kashmir Academy of Art, Cultural and Languages (JKAACL) Aziz Hajini also spoke during the inaugural session.
On the first day, a theme paper was presented by Mushtaq Ahmad Mushtaq and reviews were presented by Farooq Fayaz and Mehmood-ur-Rashid. The comments were presented by B N Betaab, Muhammad Zaman Azurda, Hasrat Gadda, Aijaz G M Lallu, Shantiveer Kaul, Muhammad Shafi Pandit, Er Rashid, Bashar Bashir, Majrooh Rashid and others. Later, a book reading session of 'Jahanamuk Panun Panun Naar' by Late Akhtar Mohi ud Din was held.
Other prominent poets, writers and delegates of AMK attending the conference included Muhammad Rafi Bhat, Ghulam Nabi Atish, Prof Shad Ramzan, Prof Ayaz Nazki, Neelofar Nehvi, Mushfiq Hussain, Prof Mashal Sultanpuri and AMK media secretary Khurshid Qureshi.
AMK General Secretary Muhammad Amin informed that the organization was founded in 1971 and since then it has been striving to promote and encourage the Kashmiri language among the citizens of J&K and other parts, where Kashmiri speakers reside in abundance.
In the past, AMK had organized similar conferences in Doda, Ramban, Kishtwar, Poonch, Rajouri, Banihal and in many districts of the Kashmir valley.
The conference is being organized in association with JKAACL, Radio Kashmir, DDK Srinagar, JK Tourism, Information Department, JKTDC, J&K Bank and Sahitiya Academy.

Srinagar: 'Dabangg' actor Salman Khan, who is currently tied up with his upcoming movie 'Bajrangi Bhaijaan' at the beautiful locales of Kashmir valley, can't stop raving about it. Salman has surely fallen in love with the beauty and charm of the 'heaven on earth', as is evident from a number of tweets he posted recently. Khan took to Twitter to post beautiful pictures from the locations of his shoot. He tweeted about how exquisite the Kashmir valley is.

Kashmir nahi dekha toh Kya dekha kehtey hai kahin jannat hai toh woh idharich hai idharich hai idharich hai pic.twitter.com/CaEtqs0lxz

— Salman Khan (@BeingSalmanKhan) May 19, 2015

Flood Kashmir with only tourism tourism tourism pic.twitter.com/JShlsAShjD

— Salman Khan (@BeingSalmanKhan) May 19, 2015

Kashmiri sev se sweeter hai Kashmiri bachhe pic.twitter.com/5JtWGYsdc9

— Salman Khan (@BeingSalmanKhan) May 19, 2015

KASHMIR bahut AMEER in natural beauty... Maashallah Maashallah pic.twitter.com/y6r6n78rTv

— Salman Khan (@BeingSalmanKhan) May 19, 2015

Maashallah Maashallah se yaad aya katrina kaif bhi Kashmir se hai

— Salman Khan (@BeingSalmanKhan) May 19, 2015

Interestingly, the 49-year-old actor, who has always been in news, wrote how Kashmir reminds him of none other than his former girlfriend Katrina Kaif. The Barbie Doll is believed to have her roots in the state. One of the most awaited movies of this year, ‘Bajrangi Bhaijaan’ is expected to be out with its trailer by May 21 and is slated to hit screens around Eid this year.

As we all know it is 21st century and every kind of controversy can be seen croping up. One among famous controversies in day to day life is divorce. It may be normal in high class societies or in metro cities but not normal in small cities. In J&K, divorce cases are rare and is a big step if taken that too after lots of problems being together. These cases exist when there is misunderstanding, lack of trust, black magic, hidden unbearable and unbelievable torture from the in-laws forces couples to separate.
There are many such cases happening in small areas of J&K and the shocking thing is that couples take divorce at the age when their loved ones are mature but helpless in making patch up between their parents.
We have heard 'love is blind', 'Love has no end'. Yes, I agree with such statements because after separating couples forget the fights, quarrels and still have love, sympathy, care for each other because they have spend a lot of time together. They know the taste, temperament of each other so closely and deeply that no one else can understand.
During dispute between couples, no one takes serious interest or steps in to convince them. Everyone makes fun of their dispute, backbyte and make fake stories of the couples and on their children. But after the divorce of the couples, people take initiative to step in to convince them, show fake sympathy and give them hope of making patch up again. The ill knowledge or concept of well educated people is that a divorced woman can marry a green tree by giving few rounds around that tree and tying a thread or a piece of cloth on it and then she has to separate the piece of thread or cloth from the tree after that she can marry the man from whom she separated.
By giving false hope to the victim, the victim is forced to remind his/her whole moment spent with her/his partner and results the person being frustrated. He/she is unable to concentrate on anything else.
While talking to Ayibar and Narmi, the children of a divorced victim, they said respectively: "In absence of my mom, I find my home like desert, and in absence of my siblings, I find myself empty, incomplete and dull' and "I find myself unsafe, unprotected because I don't find my brother here beside me puting his hand on my head and on my shoulder". Such horrible and touchy words!
They said that they used to travel near about 150 km to make their thrist of love, sympathy, care calm down. They added by saying that when they used to hug their siblings and parents they felt relaxed, superior and felt in heaven.
Here are some of the answers the victims had for a few of my questions:

What happened exactly that your parents separated after such a long time being together?
Once there was a time when people of our locality used to say that the chemistry, love, and understanding is just super awesome between our parents but the truth which we personally noticed is that our parents slowly slowly started to get far from each other and the result is now infront of us.

What were the exact reason of divorce?
Misunderstanding rised and the whole credit for the dispute and separation of our parents goes to black magic. Otherwise, there was nothing like seperation in the mind of our parents.

Will your parents remarry?
There is no such concept in our parents mind and as we observed, they still feel for each other.

How you manage to carry your daily expenditures?
It was very much difficult for us to handle all this but now with the blessing of Allah, we got good job in best place with good pakage and Alhamdulillah it's to some extend smooth financial condition to make the daily expenditure quite easily.

Who do you find much faulty for the divorce of your parents?
Black magic.

The most suffering parties are their young ones who suffer a lot. He/She has thousands of unanswered questions.
In this conflict-torn valley, these divorce cases has risen rapidly due to so many reasons.
I want to ask few questions to you all whether you are student, an employee, bussinessman, politician or someone else:
1. Is divorce a right step ?
2. Can't we make patch-up instead of mocking ?
3. Can't these in-laws step back from doing such unbearable and unbelievable acts ?
4. Shouldn't black-magic be banned or boycotted ?
5. Can't we erase or remove the ill knowledge from our society ?
6. If divorce happens can't we help the person by giving support instead of making mockery ?
7. Why we are ignoring such things as small ?
8. Why we are absent from helping ? Why?
There are many more questions in my mind but what to ask you when you are going to ignore and will forget after reading this article!

Chowdhary family of Planger

Where Kashmiris are busy in adopting different cultures, Planger is one such area within the state where some tribes are fast adopting Kashmiri culture!

The new generation of Planger has been out to different parts of the country as well as the state for jobs, study and various other purposes. In the meantime, they observed and experienced different cultures. They have tried to introduce many new things to make their small hilly village a modern village, especially trying to change the outlook of its inhabitants. But the introduction of Kashmiri culture is what has attracted its elder village folk. They are now fast adopting Kashmiri culture.
While the village elders see their people as changed with the new culture but for the youth of Planger, it is the "need of changing times".
Nowadays, Feran (a Kashmiri dress), Kangri (a Kashmiri fire-pot), Somawar (Kashmiri kettle) and many other things typical to Kashmir can be seen being used by people in Rajouri district of Jammu and Kashmir.
Years back, elders (old persons) were being seen laped with a cloth called Chadder while grazing their cattles on the mountains.

Brief Profile:

Srinagar: An internet radio service CityFM JK was officialy inaugrated here in the head office of the organisation at Chanapora, Srinagar.
According to the manager of cityfmjk, Mr. Arshid Dar: “Internet station will be aired as one of its kind in the state of Jammu and Kashmir targeting the general audience with events of kind.”
“The Radio, shall serve the society in fields of education, sports, tourism, entertainment, current affairs, interviews, and especially news”  he said adding “ Innovative programming, vivacious radio jockeys and experienced professionals will entertain the listeners.”
Shri Farooq Khan, vice president JK PDF was the chief guest and Asha Kachru was the guest of honour who entertained audience with a Kashmiri song. Asha is actualy a Kashmir-born but spend her childhood in London and she was impressed by the App. In her speach, she said "I am very much impressed by the youth of the valley who are contributing a lot towards their culture". In a token of love, she gifted two lakh rupees as cash reward for the organisation.
The founder, Tariq Ahmad Bhat who has seen so many ups and downs said in his speach "I feel joy and ambition but it is incomplete without my team". Besides, many media persons and police officers were also present on the occasion, who spoke to the audience.

London: South Africa's Rolene Strauss bagged the Miss World 2014 title here Sunday. The 22-year-old was crowned by Miss World 2013 Megan Young, who also co-hosted the pageant with Tim Vincent. Rolene, a medical student, said that her family made her who she is today. She praised her father's influence and for interesting her in medicine, her mother for teaching her the power of the mind and her brother, for compassion and patience. With a holistic approach to living, she hopes to create a business along these lines focusing on women's health, alongside her plan of studying for an MBA and becoming a doctor. The second spot went to Miss Hungary Edina Kulcsar and the third to Miss US Elizabeth Safrit. India's Koyal Rana could make it only to top 10. Priyanka Chopra was the last Indian to clinch the crown in 2000.
(IANS)

New Delhi: In a bid to gather funds for flood-ravaged Kashmir, several cinema personalities including the likes of Aamir Khan, Anupam Kher and Farhan Akhtar came together for a special musical and dance concert here Saturday.
The entertainment industry led by the Event and Entertainment Management Association (EEMA), the Film and Television Producers Guild and the global media conglomerate Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd. (ZEE) initiated the fund-raiser campaign to raise funds and awareness for flood-stricken Kashmir.
The concert was titled Hum Hain... Umeed-e-Kashmir.
Bollywood superstar Aamir Khan, who was seen sporting a beard, took to the stage to announce a donation of Rs 25 lakh to United Way, which is helping in the rehabilitation process in Kashmir, flood victims of Assam and the cyclone-hit areas of Odisha and Andhra Pradesh.
"This is a very unfortunate event that has happened in Kashmir. But here we are all gathered together to help the people of Kashmir and Assam as well. Natural calamities are unavoidable but now we should join hands and make as much contribution possible to rehabilitate the states," said the 49-year-old actor.
Kher, who is a Kashmiri, made a very emotional appeal to people to generously contribute so that normalcy in the Valley is restored as soon as possible.
Dressed in a traditional Kashmiri pheran, the 59-year-old actor said, "I am very shattered seeing the situation in Kashmir. I can only ask you to do as much as you can for the people there."
The benefit concert saw performances by actor-director Akhtar, Shaan, Sushant Singh Rajput, Daler Mehendi, Parineeti Chopra, Aditi Rao Hydari, Javed Ali, Shantanu Moitra among others. The event was also attended by Delhi BJP president Satish Upadhyay, J&K Chief Minister Omar Abdullah's sister Sara Pilot, actors Vivek Oberoi, Neha Dhupia among others.
(PTI)

New Delhi: A concert is being organized at Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium in New Delhi on Saturday by top Bollywood stars to raise funds for flood-hit Jammu and Kashmir.
Known for its world famous locales, lofty mountains and crystal waters, Kashmir was hit by a massive deluge in September that killed at least 300 people and displaced thousands besides damaging the infrastructure.
The concert - simultaneously being organized in six other Indian cities - was announced by Amitabh Bachchan who has shot a number of films in the valley, mostly in ’70s.

Mumbai: YRF's upcoming film Kill Dil which stars Pakistani actor, Ali Zafar, alongside Govinda, Ranveer Singh and Parineeti Chopra is facing the ire of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
After ceasefire violations by Pakistan along the Jammu and Kashmir border, the BJP warned filmmakers and production houses against working with Pakistani artistes. Sanjay Upadhyay, vice-president, BJP, Mumbai unit, said that they would protest against the release of Kill Dil as it features a Pakistani face. “After the state assembly elections, we will be launching a stir because whatever is happening at the border is shocking. Our film industry provides employment to so many people from Pakistan but do they give our actors an opportunity in their films? The producers and directors need to understand that we have ample talent in the country. Instead of scouting for Pakistani artists, they should give Indian talent a chance,” he said, adding that they would oppose tooth and nail any filmmaker or production house giving work to Pakistani actors and singers. “We will ensure that this practice stops. They need to respect our country,” Upadhyay added.

New Delhi: A two-day festival from October 6 will celebrate the centenary of the inspiring works of ghazal and thumri singer Begum Akhtar, the organisers said Friday.
The festival 'Jamal-e-Begum Akhtar' will bring ghazal maestros like Pankaj Udhaas, Anoop Jalota, Penaz Masani, Talat Aziz and Chandan Dass on a platform together to recite her popular ghazals, share poetry and watch an audio-video presentation on the legendary singer who was born October 7, 1914.
Organised by NGO Kaladharmi, in association with Teamwork Arts, the festival is curated by Begum Akhtar's disciple Rita Ganguly.
"Pankaj Udhas will be conferred lifetime achievement award for his immense contribution to the ghazal genre, while eminent poet Amjad Ali Amjad of Pakistan will be conferred with another award," said a statement.
(IANS)

Srinagar: An Indian movie set in Kashmir is receiving thumbs-up from reviewers for daring to move away from Bollywoodized memory of valley’s Dal lake, flower-laden shikaras and snow-capped mountains.
Haider, an adaptation of Shakespeare’s Hamlet, will release Friday, October 3, in cinemas across India.
The film is set in 1995 when the armed insurgency against the State was at its peak.
Actors Shahid Kapoor and Shraddha are filmed in dark alleys of Kashmir, where militants and government forces regularly clash with each other.
Kashmir born author of Curfewed Night, Basharat Peer has co-scripted Haider.

Srinagar: 92.7 BIG FM in collaboration with some voluntary groups has started humanitarians effort to reach out the flood hit people of Srinagar.
“In order to make a difference and contribute towards the society, 92.7 BIG FM owned by the Reliance ADA group, has joined hands with MISSION BRAVE HEART - a selfless group of Biscoe school alumnus, working professionals across the country and team of 92.7 BIG FM and other volunteers working relentlessly not in just the ambit of the City but also across the globe, for PROJECT PALZUN,” a handout said.
“This group and the young team of 92.7 BIG FM is in complete support of the people of Kashmir who have been suffering due to the floods… “The distribution of the relief material is not haphazard or random but it is all well researched,” said a team member of ‘Mission Brave Heart’. The team has covered many areas including the inner parts of Dal Lake and Bemina where they distributed free ration packets, chlorine tablets, blankets etc.”
The Regional Programming Head for 92.7 BIG FM, Sulakshna Bali is monitoring the project and also working on ground and extending every possible support from the regional office in Chandigarh on behalf of 92.7 BIG FM.
“All 45 stations across the country have been working and extending support in the rough times of this state and till now the tremendous response has been coming from all the stations across,” said Sulakshna.
RJ Nasir and RJ Sameem and other members of the radio team are also going on ground to be a part of Mission Brave Heart. “The team is being directly supported by their corporate team in Mumbai (Reliance group) which is sending relief material for the victims of flood in the valley. The group is also supported by people who are been making generous donations,” a spokesman said.

New Delhi: From red roses to lush greenery, ace designer Rohit Bal's upcoming Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week Spring Summer 2015 collection 'Gulbagh' is inspired by the rich landscape of Kashmir Valley.
Rohit will close the five-day fashion week (October 8-12) with his ready-to-wear ensemble soaked in different shades of red and floral designs. "My collection is about Kashmiri flowers and the beauty of nature in Kashmir. The lush and absolutely delicious flowers in the Mughal Garden of Kashmir are my inspiration for this ensemble. I have tried to bring in the essence of the Valley.
"When I think of Kashmir, I think of flowers in hues of red and other colours. It is for me a bed of roses hence I have given the name 'Gulbagh'," the designer said.
The models were seen in bright-coloured lehangas and sherwanis, which had a tinge of Rohit's favourite colour, ivory, and their accessories like 'maang tika' and earrings made of fresh red roses became one of the highlights of the collection. "Ivory will always be there in everything I do and this time I have taken the beauty of red, its different shades like orange and flame and put them on ivory and it has become more dramatic. I am also trying to bring red back into the prominence," he said.
The designer adds he has tried to make a simple collection, departing from the usual intense and heavy finale display, to make it look appealing to the masses.
"My collection's highlight is its simplicity and I have consciously tried to not make it heavy and serious. It is dramatic enough for a fashion week finale but at the same time something which can be worn by everyone. It is affordable too.
"My approach has been different from how others do a finale show. It has been a great challenge for me to balance simplicity with attractiveness," Rohit said. The designer also says he has stuck to his usual handloom fabrics like muslins, raw cotton, chanderis, matka silk and khadi.
"I can't go for crapes and georgette or chiffons. That's not my style so I stick to what I like," he said. Rohit considers this collection special as he feels it transcends all seasons.
"It feels wonderful to show uninhibited creativity and express myself through 'Gulbagh' as it transcends all seasons and reflects my sense of aesthetics without any constraints," the designer said.
(PTI)

Srinagar: Popular radio station - the 92.7 BIG FM, which remained off air for three weeks due to devastative floods is back on air from a makeshift arrangement.
The 92.7 Big FM studios in Karan Nagar locality, was hit by floods while its communication facilities at Radio Kashmir were equally devastated.
Sources said it would take a few more days to resume activities from the Karan Nagar facility as the technical equipment was being replaced.
The station went on air with RJ Nasir interacting with listeners through SMS as the 92.7 Big FM phone lines continue to be out of order. Nasir took former Health Officer Dr Shafqat Khan on air for expert opinion on health. RJ Sameen is also going on air.
The Station Head Muzaffar Shah: “We didn’t wait for our own studio to get ready but resumed the affairs from where ever it was possible at an earliest in these testing times when we want to reach out to our listeners.”
The 92.7 Big FM Programming Head Abrar Zargar said “It feels great to be back on air and we will do our best to serve the people of the Kashmir in whatever capacity we can.”

New Delhi: After the success of '2 States', bestselling author Chetan Bhagat and Bollywood beauty Alia Bhatt may soon be working together once again. If reports are anything to go by, then Alia will soon be seen playing the lead in the film adaptation of Chetan Bhagat's soon-to-be-released book 'Half Girlfriend'.
According to recent reports, filmmaker Mohit Suri, who will be directing the flick zeroed in on Alia's name as he thinks that the young actress is perfect for the role.
The book which is all set to be launched on October 1 is about a young and modern girl, Riya, who is student of St. Stephans college.
However, there is no confirmation on the casting from either the makers of the film or the actress.
As of now, the guessing game about the lead actors in the much awaited film is still on. Meanwhile, take a breather and just wait and watch!

New Delhi: Kashmiri folk and sufi music dominated a concert led by santoor players Pandit Bhajan Sopori and son Abhay Sopori to raise funds for those affected in floods of Jammu and Kashmir.
Organised by German Ambassador Michael Steiner on the lawns of his residence here, the concert late last evening evoked sublime melodies with typical Kashmiri instruments like Tumbaknaer, clay pot (matka), banjo and tabla among others.
Sufi singer Ragini Rainu also gave a special performance.
(PTI)

New Delhi: Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan-starrer 'Happy New Year' has created a buzz in the virtual world much before it's release. After registering a record number of views for its trailer and already superhit song 'Manwa Laage', the film has reached yet another high in terms of popularity.
The Farah Khan magnum opus has crossed three million likes on its official Facebook page.
The makers of the film took to micro-blogging website confirm the news and also to thank all the fans for their love and support.

Srinagar: 'This message is for Mohammad Ashraf from Jawahar Nagar. If he is listening to this broadcast, please contact Radio Kashmir to inform about your well being'.
This message was aired on Radio Kashmir, which was operating from a makeshift transmitting station on Shankaracharya Hill after the local station office was inundated by flood waters.
Thousands of messages like these were read out by anchors of All India Radio's Kashmir station after the century's worst-ever floods snapped almost all communication links like mobiles and landline telephone connections.
Radio Kashmir, as the AIR's local station is known here, on September 4 started a messaging programme by keeping a dedicated e-mail address and telephones for receiving distress messages from the affected people.
An official of the Radio Kashmir said the station received nearly 2,000 emails per day of varied nature.
"We would get messages seeking help, we got messages about missing people, we would even get information about rising water level in the rivers and also villages, which we would air promptly in the hope of being of some help to people," Syed Humayun Qaiser, an official of the AIR Srinagar, said.
Qaiser said while many employees of the Radio Kashmir were themselves affected by the floods, they gave preference to call of duty.
"It was our duty to act as a bridge between the authorities and the people ... And also between the people amongst themselves," he said.
Qaiser said when the Radio Kashmir started the SMS service after floods in Srinagar, it was flooded with messages.
"We received an average of 2500 messages per day and it was not possible to read all of them. We gave preference to informative messages like those seeking help and those seeking information about missing relatives," he added.
While mobiles and telephones were not working in flood-affected areas, these services including Internet facilities were available in some areas not affected by the water.
Flood victims who had taken refuge in these areas were able to trace their loved ones quicker due to Radio Kashmir's special broadcast on floods.
"I was happy to know my brother is safe when his message was read on Radio. Though I have not seen him yet, just the knowledge of him being alive is a great consolation," Shamima, whose brother was stuck in Soura area of the city after floods hit Rajbagh, said.
Qaiser said the special broadcast from Radio Kashmir will continue in the coming days as well.
"We have passed through the worst time, hopefully, but we will continue the special broadcasts to help people deal with the aftermath of the floods," he added.
In reply to a question, he said Radio Kashmir over the years has been trusted medium of information but the floods had only strengthened that image.
"Radio as a medium might have lost listeners over the years but that was not the case in Kashmir. I agree that floods have increased the popularity of this medium," he added.
(PTI)