CULTURE

A twelve-year-old girl from south Kashmir’s Shopian has written 30 chapters of the holy Qur’an by hand in just 60 days. Soliha Shafi, daughter of Mohammad Shafi Bhat, from Watchi Shopian, is a student in the 8th class at Al-Saba School Watchi. Talking to the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), Soliha said she wrote the holy Qur’an on close to around 750 pages. “I started reciting the Qur’an when I was 4 years old. I have memorised five chapters of the holy book,” she said. A local Imam Sahib comes to our residence on a daily basis to teach us the holy Qur’an and after seeing my handwriting, he suggested I write the Qur’an, the girl said, adding, “It was a challenging task and I had to balance the studies and writing the Qur’an.” “I would like to thank my parents for sup...

The Department of Handicraft organized a spectacular exhibition at the Sher-e-Kashmir International Convention Centre (SKICC) Srinagar to coincide with the highly anticipated G-20 summit being hosted in the Valley for the first time. An official told the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), that this initiative aims to provide local artisans and craftsmen with a unique opportunity to display their exceptional talent on the international stage. "Dozens of stalls have been meticulously set up on the lush lawns of SKICC, each offering a mesmerizing glimpse into the world of Kashmiri crafts," he said. "Visitors to the exhibition were captivated by a diverse range of exquisite creations, including the renowned Pashmina shawls, intricate silk carpets, masterful wood carvings, delicate ...

The Department of Handicrafts and Handloom has submitted the dossier for registration of Kashmir Tweed to Intellectual Property India, Chennai, an apex-level organization for the registration and better protection of geographical indications relating to goods in India. The Director, of Handicrafts and Handloom, (H&H) Kashmir, while commenting on the downswing of the centuries-old craft of Weaving Tweed said that the GI certification of Kashmir Tweed will give a fresh impetus to the craft. The primary goal of registering it is to seek protection for Tweed of Kashmir, which further promotes and pushes it to grow on a global scale. “The department felt it necessary to get Kashmir Tweed recognized on National and International markets owing to its uniqueness of having 100 percent woo...

Two Kashmiri Pandit men on Thursday donated blood for a Kashmiri Muslim girl admitted at a hospital in New Delhi. Confirming the development to The Kashmiriyat, a Kashmiri Pandit settled in New Delhi said that the daughter of Showkat Ahmed Teeli of Sopore area in north Kashmir was in requirement of two pints of blood on Wednesday. He said that the  two year old admitted at Narayna hospital in Delhi is undergoing a liver transplantation surgery. Two Kashmiri Pandits named Sanjay Sapru and Sunil Kaul received the blood requirement notification online and within moments they rushed to the Narayana hospital in Gurgaon to donate blood for the two year old sopore girl, the Kashmiri pandit said. Mohit Bhan, a Kashmiri Pandit leader took to social media and said that incidents like suc...

A highly talented papier machie artist from Srinagar has been working for the last four decades to keep the exquisite artwork alive. Papier machie artists are abandoning the craft in the face of low wages with the younger generation little interested in carrying forward the trade. But Hakeem Manzoor Ahmed of Ganai Doori Alamgari Bazar Srinagar is now training his son to keep the paper machie art alive. Talking to News Agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), Manzoor said that he was just 14-15 year old when he started learning this art from his elder brother who later abandoned it. But Manzoor created a niche for himself by his unique papier machie products with different colour combinations. “When this craft was in decline, we got an offer to work at Jamia Masjid Charar e Sharief. ...

A well-known coppersmith's innovations has infused a new life to the dying art as he hasn't kept copperware confined with utensils only. Muhammad Aslam Bhat, from KK Mohalla Shamaswari, Srinagar has given new life to this dying art by making innovative things with different designs. Bhat while talking to news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), said that his parents and even grandparents were associated with this craft and it was his passion to make innovative things and from an early age he started working at their workshop. “I have faced many difficulties which everyone faces in any field but earning anything with hard-work always makes you feel happy,” he said. “Despite working for decades, I am still passionate about making new things that are going to benefit the public". ...

Kashmiri Pandits on Friday took out Shoba Yatra here on the occasion of Janamashtami in the heart of Srinagar city. The marchers, which included children dressed in traditional attire, started from Kathleshwar temple in Tankipora area of Srinagar and passed through Habbakadal, Ganpathyar, Barbar Shah, Regal Chowk, Lal Chowk, Hari Singh High Street and Jahangir Chowk amid tight security. Chanting religious slogans, a healthy number of Pandits took part in the event. The President of the Hindu Welfare Society of Kashmir, Chunni Lal, prayed for the peace and prosperity for the whole of humanity. He said the traditional brotherhood among the people of Kashmir should flourish for centuries peacefully.Kashmiri

Following the fresh directions regarding ban, the authorities in Waqf on Wednesday removed over 100 Mujavirs and dozens of donation boxes and other related stuff installed by them decades ago from major shrines in Srinagar and elsewhere in the Valley. Details available with the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), said that following the directions by the Waqf Board regarding ban on unethical practices at the shrines, the officials have removed the Muajvirs from the shrines where they had occupied the spots for decades. Officials said that it was a very hectic process to remove these Mujavirs from the shrines as they had occupied the spots a few decades ago. “We faced tremendous hardships while removing the Mujavirs from the spot, but successfully, we have managed to come up with the e...

A renowned Kashmiri Pandit cardiologist, Upendra Koul has opened a Heart Centre for needy patients in the Hawal area of south Kashmir's Pulwama district. Dr. Koul's centre which is named after his grandfather Prasad Joo Khan is expected to serve a lot of patients in the area who have to travel for several miles to reach the nearest heart facility. Originally a resident of from Pulwama’s Hawal area, Dr. Kaul, is the chairman and dean of academics and research at the Batra Hospital in New Delhi. "I will attend to patients at the centre’s outpatient department in Pulwama once in a week, and also meet them Srinagar," he was quoted as saying by the Hindu. On Saturday, locals accompanied the doctor to the inauguration of the project. Many Pandits from the Hawal transit camp also atte...