Each episode of violence in Kashmir reminds us that it is unlike any other place. Peace is relative in the Valley, so is violence. More than 50 people have been killed and over 5,000 (including civilians and security personnel) injured in the unrest that followed the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen terrorist Burhan Wani by security…
Two weeks ago, on a hot summer day, I visited Jagti along with my father. Jagti is a village near Nagrota town in Jammu province, which straddles the national highway connecting Jammu and Srinagar. At present, Jagti gives shelter to around 4000 families; seeing the clustered structures, I couldn’t fathom how they must live. Families…
Every new year brings with it gory memories of the loss of home for Kashmiri Pandits, the aborigines of the valley with a history of 5,000 years. It reminds Pandits of the dark times of terror they witnessed in Kashmir in 1990. It was the night of 19 January, 1990, when the valley reverberated with…
On April 7, 2015, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister (CM) Mufti Mohammad Sayeed called on Minister of Home Affairs Rajnath Singh in New Delhi. In the meeting, the return and rehabilitation of Kashmiri Pandits back to the Kashmir valley was discussed, among other things. Union Home Minister has reportedly asked the CM to provide land for…
A Fistful of Earth and Other Stories by Siddhartha Gigoo is a collection of short stories which takes you to the world of turbulence and banishment. The short-stories are about the loss of human lives, longing for the home, the resurrection of the exiled people, old friendships, memories, desolation and sufferings. The stories will move…