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Basit now keeps staff and a manager to look after his operations across his stores, while he oversees work from Kashmir only.

A fish enthusiast from his childhood, Basit Zargar started to collect aquariums at his home from his school days. He would rear different types of fish in his aquaria and kept gaining knowledge and interest about aquarium fish and other aquatic creatures.

A mechanical engineering student now, this 23-year-old from Buchpora has turned his hobby into a full-fledged business, which not only deals with aquarium and fish keeping but all types of pets, be it dogs, cats, reptiles, birds or any other type of animals people keep.

In 2013, Basit starting an online portal, Aquatic Kart, to sell aquatic products and food items, however, as he gained the popularity and demand increased he turned his home into a proper warehouse and widened the range of his products to all types of pets and related items of pet care. In October 2015 he opened a full-fledged store at Buchpora and besides the pets and food has made available all the accessories like aquarium tanks with inbuilt filtration so that customers don’t have to take water out time and again. Everything has been made available by him on his official website aquatickart.in.

“Aquatic Kart is a great choice and probably the only place for finding top quality pet products and foods. We sell a variety of high-quality food brands for your fish, dogs, cats, small animals, reptiles etc. Whatever interests you in pets we have that,” says Basit.

It is the youngsters of Kashmir, who are mostly attracted towards the hobby of keeping pets. “Majority of my customers come from the age group of 18 years to 30 years,” says Basit. “Though people here show interest in all types of pets, the majority prefer aquatic pets.”

Due to online presence, Basit has received ‘overwhelming’ response from outside Kashmir. He has opened warehouses in Kolkata, Banglore and Pune. His presence has increased and earnings are encouraging due to this newfound market. The social media presence has also helped in flourishing the business.

“The business works very well outside Kashmir, the demands are high there but in Kashmir, it’s in its initial stage. There is not much exposure of pets in Kashmir as compared to other states of India,” Basit says, however, hastens to add, “In Kashmir, the love for pets is also on the rise. People are now aware of keeping pets. Particularly, the aquarium culture is flourishing fast in Kashmir.”

Basit now keeps staff and a manager to look after his operations across his stores, while he oversees work from Kashmir only.

A follower of Chinese entrepreneur and billionaire Jack Ma, Basit says he has ambitious plans of expansion and to take his business to next level. As a socially responsible person, he also wants work on animal welfare.

Basit believes that success is inevitable if one follows his passion with consistency and advises youngsters to resist from jumping into different things.

The Story Was First Published On Kashmir’s Leading Daily Greater Kashmir

Uri: Police Monday claimed that six infiltrators from Jaish-e-Muhammad were killed in a joint operation in North Kashmir.

According to Army spokesperson, all the six infiltrators have been gunned down while search operation is underway.

Jammu and Kashmir Police and army said that infiltration bid from Jaish-e-Muhammad was foiled and six infiltrators have been killed so far. The incident occurred at Dulanja Uri area of North Kashmir’s Baramulla district.

“2 more dead bodies of terrorists recovered from encounter site taking the total to 6,” Jammu Kashmir Police Chief SP Vaid tweeted.

Earlier, Director General of Police (DGP) S P Vaid said that four militants of the Jaish-e-Muhammad outfit were killed in a joint operation launched by the police, army and the Central Armed Police Force (CAPF).

He said that three suicidal JeM militants were killed in Dulanja Uri while infiltrating in a joint operation by police, Army and CRPF.

In another tweet, he said that the fourth militant was also killed.

Senior Superintendent of police (SSP) Baramulla Imtiyaz Hussain said that the militants were apparently planning a Fidayeen attack.

“From the recovery of arms/ammunition and other war like stores it appeared that the militants had come with a plan of undertaking a Fidayeen attack and belonged to Jaish-Muhammad militant group,” he said.

Hussain said that the “alert” troops challenged the group of three to four militants after they attempted to infiltrate into this side of the LoC in Dulanja.

“Alert troops challenged the group and all the militants were killed,” he said.

Meanhwile, Government of Pakistan on its official Twitter handle claimed that four of its soldiers were killed in Indian firing.

“Four soldiers of #Pakistan Army have embraced martyrdom in unprovoked #Indian firing along the Line of Control in Jandrot-Kotli Sector. The troops were busy in line communication maintenance when they were fired upon and hit by heavy mortar round by Indian forces,” it tweeted.

When contacted, Jammu based Defense spokesperson Colonel NN Joshi said that they don’t have any information about the incident. “Pakistan is claiming so, but we don’t have any information about it,” he said. (CNS)

Srinagar: Army claimed to have foiled an infiltration bid by killing five militants along LoC in Uri sector of north Kashmir’s Baramulla district on Monday.

Army’s Srinagar based defence spokesman Col Rajesh Kalia told GNS that an infiltration bid was foiled by the alert soldiers near LoC in Uri.

“Five militants were killed in the ongoing operation”, he said, adding the operation is still in progress. (GNS)

Srinagar: As the winter’s core period in Kashmir remained unusually sunny and warm, a forecast by the meteorological department suggests no major wet spell and snowfall in the region this month.

January — the main winter month in the region — is the coldest month in Kashmir with the daily minimum temperature averaging at minus 2.1 degrees Celsius in Srinagar, the state’s summer capital, and minus 7.9 degrees Celsius in Gulmarg, a skiing resort in north Kashmir. The daily maximum temperature has been averaging at 6.3 degrees Celsius in Srinagar and 0.7 degrees Celsius in Gulmarg.

The first fortnight of the month, however, has witnessed the daily maximum temperatures rising several degrees above the average, described as “markedly above normal”, and the forecast suggests no major change in this pattern during the next fortnight.

During the first 10 days of the month, the state had a large deficiency in expected precipitation. The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) noted that there was 98 per cent deficiency as the state received 0.5 mm rainfall instead of the expected 21.4 mm rainfall from January 1 to 10.

The state’s 18 districts received no precipitation during the first 10 days of the month while two districts received largely deficient downpour, said the IMD weather report.

Kashmir’s tourism industry had pinned hopes on snowfall to revive the stagnant sector while the lack of downpour during the winter’s core period will have a long-term negative impact on water bodies in the region which are already flowing at record low levels.

The precipitation during January, when the weather remains freezing during nights, is of significance as it gets stored in the frozen form and later provides supply to rivers and streams during summer months.

Sonum Lotus, Director of the Srinagar Meteorological Centre, told The Tribune the weather over the next seven to 10 days was likely to remain dry in the region with no forecast of any major wet spell. “There are chances of light snowfall in the higher reaches; otherwise the weather is likely to remain dry,” he said.

The Kashmir valley has so far received one major wet spell when heavy snowfall was recorded across the region in the second week of December. The snow, however, melted quickly as the winter’s core period, which begins on December 21 and lasts till the end of January, was yet to begin and the minimum temperatures were still on the higher side.

The precipitation in Kashmir is mostly caused by the western disturbances, an extratropical storm originating in the Mediterranean region that causes downpour in the north-western parts of the Indian subcontinent.

The few western disturbances that were approaching the Kashmir valley this month weakened midway or changed courses, causing dry weather in the region. The first western disturbance became less effective on January 5 and moved away the next day.

A second western disturbance over the state and its neighbourhood also became less effective last week and a third one is likely to pass over the state this week with no significant change in the pattern.

Poor rainfall 

The first fortnight of January has witnessed the daily maximum temperatures rising several degrees above the average. A Met forecast says no major change in this pattern is expected during the next fortnight. 

During the first 10 days of the month, the state saw 98 % deficiency in the expected precipitation. It received 0.5 mm rainfall instead of the expected 21.4 mm rainfall.

The state’s 18 districts received no precipitation during the first 10 days of the month while two districts received largely deficient downpour, said the IMD weather report.

Reported The Tribune

Srinagar: The government has been asked to ready men and machinery for snow clearance and other activities by the state disaster management department after predictions of snow and rain on January 18.

Weather is likely to remain dry till January 17, and there is possibility of light to moderate snowfall and rains in Jammu and Kashmir, especially in the hilly areas on January 18, reads a letter sent by under secretary to the government, department of disaster management to various departments.

“I am directed to request that men and machinery may be activated and kept in a state of preparedness, so as to minimize any adverse effects,” the letter reads.

The two divisional commissioners of Kashmir/Jammu have been requested to ensure that movement of traffic, on vulnerable roads, is restricted during this period, as a precautionary measure.

The letter adds: “The deputy commissioners (chairman district disaster management authorities) may be requested to take all necessary precautions and to keep the department of disaster management updated about the preventive and precautionary measures taken and to promptly inform about any untoward incident that may occur and response measures taken and also to provide regular updates through the regional police control rooms and SDRF/EOC control room.”

Met officials, meanwhile, said the prevailing cold conditions showed little respite.

Srinagar recorded a minimum temperature of -4.6C, down from -3.2C the previous night.

Gulmarg was the only place in Kashmir where minimum temperature increased last night.

Srinagar: JK Education Minister Altaf Bukhari snubs Army Chief Gen Rawat says don’t need lessons on education he should mind his own business. 

Altaf Bukhari slams army chief  for his comments on schools of Kashmir. Education Minister Altaf Bukhari says ‘Army chief is not an academician he shouldn’t deliver sermons.We know how to run our education system. Nothing wrong in teaching student maps. Every state has its map’

Srinagar: Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) chairman Yasin Malik was arrested from his residence in Srinagar on Saturday, said a spokesman.

He said that Malik and another party leader Bashir Ahmad Kashmiri were arrested “to prevent them from leading protests against civilian killings”.

A police party raided the residence of Malik in Maisuma and arrested him.

Pertinently, the Joint Resistance Leadership comprising Syed Ali Geelani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Yasin Malik has called for a strike today.

Says “spreading disinformation campaign”; asks for “control” over them

New Delhi: Social media and government schools in Jammu and Kashmir are spreading a “disinformation campaign” resulting in radicalisation of youth, Army chief Gen. Bipin Rawat claimed on Friday, and called for “some control” over mosques and schools in the state.

He said a “major revamp” of the education system was needed in the state to deal with the problem.

Rawat said the issue of exercising some amount of control over mosques and schools to check the flow of disinformation was being looked into.

Addressing a press conference on the eve of the Army Day, Rawat said each classroom in government schools in Jammu and Kashmir has a separate map of the state besides that of India which sowed the seeds of thought of some kind of “separate identity” among the children.

“The damage done to us is through the social media. A very large amount of disinformation campaign is being spread in Jammu and Kashmir which is radicalising the youths through the social media and through the schools,” he said.

“The other issue is the schools and mosques— what is being informed to them (the students) or incorrectly informed to them is through the schools and mosques. I think some controls have to be exercised there and that is what we are looking at.” He, however, did not elaborate on what kind of control he was suggesting over such institutions.

Rawat also suggested that some stone throwers in Kashmir were youth from government schools, and stressed on the need to reform the education system.

“If you go to any Kashmir school, you will find two maps — one is the map of India and one is the map of Jammu and Kashmir. There are always two maps in every classroom. Why should there be a map of Jammu and Kashmir. If you are putting a map of Jammu and Kashmir, then you may as well put map of every state.

“What does it mean to children that I am part of the country but I also have a separate identity? So, the basic, grassroots problem lies here is the way the education in Jammu and Kashmir in government school has been corrupted,” said Rawat.

He said students from schools like DPS were not found involved in activities like stone-pelting, and added         that is why the ‘goodwill schools’ run by the Army are accorded higher status.

The Army chief noted opening more public schools, more CBSE schools, was the way forward.

“In the schools in Kashmir—the government schools—what is being taught. I will only be happy if you can visit some of the schools and attend the classes and see what is being taught,” Rawat said, without elaborating.

Will Destroy All Pak Terror Pads: Rawat

Indian Army will destroy all those military posts from where the Pakistani Army ‘launches the terrorists’ into Kashmir, said Army chief General Bipin Rawat on Friday.

Interacting with mediapersons here ahead of Army Day, Gen Rawat said, “We target all those posts from where they launch terrorist. Terrorists are a disposable commodity in Pakistan and the Indian Army’s approach is to ensure that Pakistan felt the pain.”

On increased number of ceasefire violations and casualties, he said India was ready to retaliate against any threat and will continue the approach till it sees a decrease in violations. (Agencies)

Transgender people in Kashmir are seen only when they perform at weddings or when they are acting as matchmakers. A new book reveals the extent of their marginalization
Shabnam Subhan starts getting ready at 5pm: rouge on her cheeks, lipstick, kohl in her eyes, nails brightly painted. She wears a faux-gold necklace and bangles, and a pair of shoes which go with her embellished dress. Wrapping herself in a shawl, she gets into an auto-rickshaw, which takes her to the house where a wedding is taking place. A colleague joins her there. The hosts welcome them respectfully: kehwa is served with kandi kulcha (a type of local bread) and pound cake, typical fare at every Kashmiri maenzraat (mehndiraat).

After they have eaten, Subhan and her colleague are accompanied to the tent where the women have gathered to wait for the bride. The duo settles into position—Subhan with the tumbaknaer (a drum-like musical instrument), and her colleague with a tambourine. They begin with sombre Sufi songs. Then come long, soulful laments, drawing the occasional tear. Pretty soon they’re mixing it up, sometimes moving to Bollywood before returning to Kashmiri tunes. They dance, swinging their hips and arms to the music through the night. When the sun comes up, they take their fee and leave.

As long as it is dark, as long as they are entertaining others, people like Subhan can dress the way they want. At the crack of dawn, they become men again. Transgender people in Kashmir typically lead an invisible life. They are seen only when they perform at weddings, or when they’re acting as manzimyors (matchmakers).

“It’s not just us,” says Subhan, 44, a transgender woman from Srinagar. “Even people who identify as men dress as women to perform at weddings. At weddings, when we wear the clothes we want, behave the way we want, it’s not a sign of society accepting us as normal. We’re just performers. It is just an act, night’s play.”

In public they refrain from flamboyant clothing, taking care not to stand out, wary of being ridiculed for being lanczh (a Kashmiri term, often pejorative, meaning a powerless, impotent male). But there are markers, say those in the know. They recognize each other through behavioural codes, which includes their stride, the manner in which they talk, the plucked eyebrows and hand gestures.

First ethnography

Though the transgender community of Kashmir lives within this enforced invisibility, a new book, Hijras Of Kashmir

—A Marginalized Form Of Personhood, by Aijaz Ahmad Bund, an LGBTQ+ rights activist, released in November by the non-governmental organization Kashmir Women’s Collective, brings parts of their lives into focus.

The state has not been able to ascertain the exact number of transgender people, but Bund, who is 29, says it is fair to call the community an ethnic minority, with differences not just in mannerism but also in language and culture. Bund’s book delineates some of the differences.

Male to female transgender persons are biological males who reject their masculine identity to identify as women. The book explains that male to female transgenders in Kashmir are of three types: Khunsi are those with ambiguous genitalia, or with no trace of genitalia except a tiny hole for urination. They can be flat-chested or big breasted. Zanaan lanczh are those who cross-dress and have a tiny non-erectile phallus, though in some cases they could have a functional penis. Zanaan lanczh look and act like women. Mard lanczh or Pant lanczh look like men and do not cross-dress. They may or may not have an erectile phallus but their mannerisms resemble that of the opposite sex.

“Transgender people here are triply disadvantaged. For their gender, because they’re living in a Muslim state with a strong social control, and because Kashmir is a conflict zone. This happens in any conflict. Other social problems are overshadowed ”

– Aijaz Ahmad Bund

Bund’s book is the first ethnographic study of transgender people in Kashmir, based on interviews of 24 transgender people between the ages of 15 and 55. Most have only primary education, only one is a post-graduate; five are unemployed; four work as matchmakers, four earn their living by singing and dancing at weddings. Just about half of this group earns around Rs5,000 a month or below. None of them earns above Rs25,000.

On the margins

These figures are representative of the lives of most Kashmiri transgender people, who struggle with a sense of worthlessness, unemployment, recurring humiliation and a lack of access to basic resources, including housing and education.

Subhan’s story is also full of struggles, a crisis of identity, of abuse, and of eventually coming to terms with her difference. She is a male to female transgender. Like many others, she was bullied in school, rejected by her own family, consigned to a marginal—even desperate—life. As a teenager she struggled deeply with the very basis of her identity: trying to figure out if she felt like a man or a woman. In the presence of those who knew her, she would dress like a man, but once in a while the sense of being a woman trapped in the body of a man would overpower her. She would then wear her aunt’s burqa, high heels, and lipstick stolen from her cousin’s drawer, and roam the streets as a woman. Soon enough the family found out. She was thrown out of her home for “bringing shame” to the clan. Subhan comes from a village in north Kashmir but has been living in Srinagar for the past 25 years. “Getting accommodation is not easy,” she says. “Since most of us don’t have a regular income, house owners are hesitant in giving us rooms, which means we’re often homeless. We are denied basic property rights.”

Subhan, who couldn’t continue her education beyond high school, makes a living as a matchmaker and by performing at weddings. Both these occupations are becoming less relevant as people opt for DJs or invite folk singers at weddings, and use social media or their own friends and family to find a match.

Most of the transgender people seen in mainstream Kashmiri society perform the same jobs as Subhan. Bund says this is because these are the occupations society approves of.

“Many of them are sex workers, or do trivial jobs,” he says. “They want to work but physical labour isn’t possible, because labour contractors don’t hire them. They have faced discrimination since they were children, so they usually don’t have enough education for white collar jobs.”

Transgender people in Kashmir have sub-groupings based on caste, class, involvement in sexual activity (most transgender people stay away from the ones who work as sex workers), and geographic location (rural, urban).

Unlike the transgender community elsewhere in India, Kashmiri transgender people are not organized. They stay connected, following more or less the same social structure as the hijras in the rest of the country: A transgender person joins the community through a guru. The guru takes care of the chela’s (disciple’s) material, economic needs, and the disciple, in turn, gives all her earnings to the guru. On the death of the guru, her wealth is supposed to be distributed among the disciples. This transfer of wealth does not happen in Kashmir.

Family and rituals

Subhan, like most in the community, was scarred by an incident that took place a few years ago. The body of an old transgender person was found lying on the road, the ear half-eaten by a dog. This person had not joined a transgender family.

Transgender people here are triply disadvantaged,” Bund says. “For their gender, because they’re living in a Muslim state with strong social control, and because Kashmir is a conflict zone. This happens in any conflict. Other social problems are overshadowed.”

Even though transgender people in Kashmir are not castrated, to become a member of a transgender family is to pledge completely to a feminine lifestyle. The transgender family is matriarchal, like elsewhere. The family includes the naien (grandmother; the equivalent of a guru), a koor—the daughter or the disciple, who is initiated into the family after a formal ceremony—and sisters (benih) and aunts (maaseh). There is no role for a male member.

In 2008, after years of thinking herself different, Subhan entered a transgender family in a ceremony called dupteh traawun, an age-old custom by which a transgender person is accepted as a sister. She remembers wearing a maroon salwar suit. Getting ready took 2-3 hours. When she was ready, she was led into a room full of other transgender persons. There was traditional chorus singing. “We have to dress up like a bride,” says Subhan. “We apply make-up, we wear our best clothes. It is just like any other wedding.” A dupatta was spread over her and gifts and cash (typically Rs1,100) given to her.

Bund’s book explores another ritual, called sether thaawun, marking the entry of a daughter. The grandmother makes the young transgender person suckle from an inflated cotton breast, symbolizing the mother-daughter relationship through breastfeeding.

Words as walls

Transgender people in Kashmir also have a dialect in which they interact with one another. Their subculture is, in part, hidden away so that they can defend themselves against any infringement from outsiders, and language comprises part of that. The language, called lanczh Farsi, has words like chzatuk (young man), chateh (young woman), moorat (passive partner), poatch (active partner), cheesa (handsome), and beela (ugly). Despite its name, there is no significant overlap with Persian. The language has no written script and is passed on from one generation to another orally. Different versions of it are followed in different places. While Muslim transgender persons speak hijra Farsi, Hindus use Gupti. “If I have to say I liked that girl, I will say mehram cheesi,” laughs Subhan. “If I have to say the tea is good, I will say laend achi hai. If I have to say the boy is good, we say czhogur cheesa. All of it wouldn’t make sense to the outsider, but that’s the point.”

Decades ago, the image of a transgender person in Kashmir was of someone dressed elegantly in a pheran, wearing long, dangling earrings, on the same lines as an ornament worn by married Kashmiri Pandit women, blessing a young couple at the birth of a child or a wedding. “Once they were respected a lot in society,” says 74-year-old Kashmiri poet and writer Zareef Ahmad Zareef. “People used to be scared of their curse because it was believed the community is closer to God, as they suffer so much.” The struggles of transgender people in Kashmir are the same as the problems faced by other such people elsewhere.

Just like most people from the wider community, transgender people in Kashmir follow Islam—practising the basic rites. Since mosques continue to be male-dominated spaces, the community’s visibility is largely restricted. “Of course, we offer prayers, but dressed as a man, standing right behind the men,” says Subhan. It is perhaps ironic that in the early years of Islam, eunuchs were trusted with the guardianship of a number of epicentral sites, including the Prophet’s tomb and the Ka’bah.Even though transgender people in Kashmir are not castrated, to become a member of a transgender family is to pledge completely to a feminine lifestyle. The transgender family is matriarchal, like elsewhere. The family includes the naien (grandmother; the equivalent of a guru), a koor—the daughter or the disciple, who is initiated into the family after a formal ceremony—and sisters (benih) and aunts (maaseh). There is no role for a male member.

In 2008, after years of thinking herself different, Subhan entered a transgender family in a ceremony called dupteh traawun, an age-old custom by which a transgender person is accepted as a sister. She remembers wearing a maroon salwar suit. Getting ready took 2-3 hours. When she was ready, she was led into a room full of other transgender persons. There was traditional chorus singing. “We have to dress up like a bride,” says Subhan. “We apply make-up, we wear our best clothes. It is just like any other wedding.” A dupatta was spread over her and gifts and cash (typically Rs1,100) given to her.

Bund’s book explores another ritual, called sether thaawun, marking the entry of a daughter. The grandmother makes the young transgender person suckle from an inflated cotton breast, symbolizing the mother-daughter relationship through breastfeeding.

Words as walls

Transgender people in Kashmir also have a dialect in which they interact with one another. Their subculture is, in part, hidden away so that they can defend themselves against any infringement from outsiders, and language comprises part of that. The language, called lanczh Farsi, has words like chzatuk (young man), chateh (young woman), moorat (passive partner), poatch (active partner), cheesa (handsome), and beela (ugly). Despite its name, there is no significant overlap with Persian. The language has no written script and is passed on from one generation to another orally. Different versions of it are followed in different places. While Muslim transgender persons speak hijra Farsi, Hindus use Gupti. “If I have to say I liked that girl, I will say mehram cheesi,” laughs Subhan. “If I have to say the tea is good, I will say laend achi hai. If I have to say the boy is good, we say czhogur cheesa. All of it wouldn’t make sense to the outsider, but that’s the point.”

Decades ago, the image of a transgender person in Kashmir was of someone dressed elegantly in a pheran, wearing long, dangling earrings, on the same lines as an ornament worn by married Kashmiri Pandit women, blessing a young couple at the birth of a child or a wedding. “Once they were respected a lot in society,” says 74-year-old Kashmiri poet and writer Zareef Ahmad Zareef. “People used to be scared of their curse because it was believed the community is closer to God, as they suffer so much.” The struggles of transgender people in Kashmir are the same as the problems faced by other such people elsewhere.

Just like most people from the wider community, transgender people in Kashmir follow Islam—practising the basic rites. Since mosques continue to be male-dominated spaces, the community’s visibility is largely restricted. “Of course, we offer prayers, but dressed as a man, standing right behind the men,” says Subhan. It is perhaps ironic that in the early years of Islam, eunuchs were trusted with the guardianship of a number of epicentral sites, including the Prophet’s tomb and the Ka’bah.

Subhan, like most members of the community, refers to Allah often in her conversation. “We are ridiculed all the time,” she says. “But if I am a mistake, then I am Allah’s mistake.”

The story was first published on Livemint