Jammu and Kashmir
Water sports make a splash in Kashmir
Efforts from all quarters to encourage water sports in Jammu and Kashmir are bearing heartening results. Here’s a round-up of the current scenario in photos.
Dry winter hits Gulmarg tourism
Kashmir’s Gulmarg doesn't have much snow this season. A dry winter has been devastating to Gulmarg, one of Asia’s highest ski resorts, in India.
Kashmir stares at a saffron sunset
Pampore, the hub of Kashmiri saffron, casts a gloomy picture as production of the prized spice declines due to climate change, encroachment of fields, inadequate irrigation and intrusion of cheaper Iranian variants
“I’m proof that women can be wildlife conservationists”
With a love for animals, Aaliya Mir of Srinagar chose to be a wildlife conservationist. To her, every animal rescued from harm is worth the challenges, long hours and time away from her family.
Uri’s historic walnut market struggles to survive
The historic Lagama walnut market in north Kashmir’s Uri, dating back to pre-1947, is grappling with challenges such as cheaper imports, a 5% GST burden, and a drop in rates, impacting over 10,000 families.
Kashmiri women navigate success in water chestnuts
Locally known as Singhara, water chestnuts grow naturally on the margins of Wular - one of the largest freshwater lakes in Asia. From harvesting the produce to selling, it is an industry run primarily by women.
Creating art with pebbles
Manzoor Ahmad Bhat, 35, a self-taught artist from Ganderbal district in Jammu and Kashmir, has been passionately pursuing his passion of creating art using pebbles for the past two decades. Though he does not hold any formal education or training in arts, Ahmad has continued to follow his calling with dedication.
A widow becomes sarpanch at 80, busting ageism myths
Widowed young, Fatah Begum became a labourer to feed and educate her eight children. With a firm belief in women’s contribution to nation-building, she became a sarpanch at 80, busting myths about gender and age.
Border tourism boosts Keran village
Standing on the banks of the roaring Kishanganga river, Keran has become a new tourism sensation in J&K bringing both hope and fortune to the villagers.
For the love of farming
Nestled among the lush apple orchards of Gagran village in Shopian district in Kashmir, Ali Mohammad Mir’s two-story mud house is a site for a thriving vermicomposting unit. The seventy year old farmer defies conventional farming practices and embraces eco-friendly entrepreneurship.
Seasonal schools in Kashmir
On this World Literacy Day on Sept 8 we feature a unique education initiative by the Department of Education, Jammu and Kashmir, that aims to educate the children of the nomadic Bakarwal community.
Kashmir’s purple revolution with lavender cultivation
Prized for its oil, lavender blooms are being farmed on parcels considered wastelands before and these have cast a spell of hope, a promise of prosperity entwined with fragrance.
How Kud has become Kashmir’s sweet-making powerhouse
Nestled at the foothills of Patnitop, Kud stands as a sweat stop for Jammu-Srinagar highway travellers. Sweet making here isn't just a job, but a cherished labour of love, sustaining families and community bonds.
Gypsum jam: Rampant mining troubles Kashmir villagers
Villagers in Baramulla district of Jammu and Kashmir continue to suffer from health issues related to air and noise pollution even as complaints to officials against gypsum mining lie unattended.
My name is Shoaib & I am a trans woman
Harassed by family, Shoaib Khan, shut hurtful words out and focussed on breaking transgender stereotypes. After becoming a woman, she chose to retain her male name. Shoaib works at an IT company and hopes for society to become more inclusive.
Vermicompost: How earthworms helped this Kashmiri farmer succeed
This 70-year-old farmer in Shopian district of Jammu and Kashmir runs a successful vermicompost organic fertiliser unit from a mud house in his village.
Mandala art and Kashmir’s shikara sorceress
Mahira Shah, a 21-year-old artist from Kashmir, has overcome several challenges to pursue her passion, finally winning laurels for creating ‘world's smallest mandala shikara’.
Young musicians revive Sufi music in Kashmir
On this World Music Day on June 21, we feature two young musicians from Jammu and Kashmir who are working to revive the traditional Sufi music in the region by playing and promoting traditional instruments like the rabab and sarangi.
The last of Kashmir’s flour water mills
Traditional water flour mills once thrived in Kashmir but only a few survive now. Called aab-e-gratte, these mills are cost-effective and run on water current from streams. They are mostly operated by the elderly – perhaps the last generation pursuing this profession.
Fit to core: Kashmiri women smash patriarchy
Hundreds are enrolling in female-only gyms in cities and the countryside, smashing taboos and stereotypes that forbade women from sports and fitness training.