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SRINAGAR: You may have seen different types of traditional art in Kashmir, be it paper machie, carving or other handicrafts, but today we are introducing you to a new art, which is an innovation of a young Kashmiri boy.

He is Mohsin Rashid of Nishat area of Srinagar city. Mohsin has made different traditional decorative items with papers. He makes Shikara Boat, Traditional pot Kangri and many more.

No teacher, no guide Mohsin has introduced this amazing art which is widely appreciated in the valley. This boy has participated in various events at state level.

A commerce student Mohsin has lost his father at the early age. Since then he was toiling hard to get a job at hotels and restaurants to shoulder the responsibilities of his mother and three younger siblings.

“I lost my father when I was a kid. I had responsibility to feed my family. I was hunting for a job and I start working in a hotel, but I was not satisfied. I decided to pursue my art as a par time and I got good response. Now I am planning to focus on it if I get some sort of support to get its recognisation and establishing it,” Mohsin told.

Interestingly Mohsin made his passion for art a source of livelihood now besides inspiring many other like him.

He has bagged many awards in the new art. Last year Mohsin bagged the prize in an event at Kala Utsav in Jammu. Mohsin has also sold some of items. Kangri was sold for Rs 12, 00 and a Shikara for Rs 2,500.

He is now planning to make a Samovar. “I got several orders in a shorter period of time and sold many of my hand mad decorative items”, he said.

Mohsin is running a Facebook page “Paper Art of Kashmir” through which has also sold some of items. Mohsis said that social networking is an important tool for him to reach his customers around the globe.

“If I am being provided little support, I can create many more unique items with this art. Even I have myself start building a group of boys, girls of my age to train them to promote this art. We are focusing on social marketing as at this stage can’t afford a shop or place to rent for display of these unique art related to Kashmir tradition, culture”, he added.

Let’s buy these unique creations of paper art of Mohsin to encourage, support him and to inspire other youth with talent. (PTK)

SRINAGAR: Dropped out from school twice, Abdul Hamid Bhat, a leading businessman of capital Srinagar has been selected to be a Bartos fellow at the USA.
Bhat said, “First time, a school dropout is going on a fellowship. It’s a proud moment. I am excited about the conference. Something has to be said and something has to be learned.”
Bhat is CEO and managing director of the Rahim Group of companies dealing with car servicing and generators. Apart from it, he will be attending a conference at Harward Business School and Harward Kennedy School of the US government.
Bhat’s focus in the conference would be on entrepreneurship in a conflict zone. With the concept called business for society, Bhat wants people to be aware of social entrepreneurship.
“We don’t have any NGO. We are introducing the concept of social entrepreneurship in Kashmir. It has become a culture that every person here wants to do social work with the help of NGOs. We are moving away from that and doing some good for the society with our own money,” he said.
Bhat has also been a volunteer in various social works. “A volunteer has to work more on society and in business, you get an opportunity to work for the welfare of society,” he said. One of Bhat’s areas of work is to teach students about entrepreneurship.
His aim is to give exposure to children of Kashmir. “I believe in education. I want Kashmiri students to explore the world broaden their vision and understanding,” he said.

Srinagar: The state Archaeology Department on Wednesday claimed that it had found a treasure-trove of coins, minted almost a thousand years ago, during excavation in central Kashmir’s Budgam district.The department said its expert team recovered a “hoard of ancient copper coins” from a plateau of Nonar village in Budgam’s Khan Sahib area.“During the trial excavation, a hoard of coins was exposed and recovered. The hoard consisting of more than 800 coins were later on collected by the team of the state Archaeology Department,” it said in a statement.It added that the archaeologists who were investigating the findings from Nonar village believe that the coins were from the “11th to 12th century AD, when Yassakara and Lohora dynasties ruled over Kashmir”.The department said the coins had gathered rust and were being chemically treated in the conservation lab of the SPS Museum in the city here.The department further said “this kind of numismatic discovery from Budgam district was very rare”. “It is the first time that the department has recovered such a large hoard of coins from this area,” it said.The state Archaeology Department has made 11 discoveries in the last 13 years, of which four were numismatic findings.

Srinagar: A gunfight broke out between government forces and militants in Padgampora, Awantipora of south Kashmir’s Pulwama district Thursday.
Troops launched an anti-militant operation after receiving a tip-off about the presence of militants in the area early morning, police sources said.
They said about three to four militants were suspected to be hiding in a house.
This is the second major encounter in the area in last four days.
Local sources said that they heard some gun shots initially which was followed by firing after intervals.
Earlier, two militants were killed in a gunfight in Tral area of the same district. A policeman was also killed in the gunfight

Srinagar: The J&K Government today dismissed reports that LED bulbs distributed under the UJALA scheme had surveillance cameras fitted in them, saying that the initiative was not Kashmir-centric but pan-India, whereby 40 crore bulbs had been distributed so far.“There is absolutely no truth in these reports that surveillance cameras have been fitted inside the LED bulbs. This is not a Kashmir-centric scheme,” said Hashmat Qazi, Nodal Officer for Demand Side Management of the scheme.“We had set a target of distributing around 80 lakh bulbs in J&K and so far, we have achieved nearly 75 per cent of the target,” he said.Qazi said J&K and Goa were the only states where the LED bulbs were being provided at subsidised rates.An official of the state Power Development Department on condition of anonymity said some LED and CFL bulb dealers in the Valley were hell-bent on sabotaging the UJALA scheme. — PTI

SRINAGAR: The family of Gowhar Nazir Dar of Mustafa Abad Zainakote locality of Srinagar here, who died after a teargas shell fired allegedly by CRPF hit his head in November 2015, Wednesday demanded that the probe report about the killing should be made public.

The family of the slain youth told CNS that it is irony that authorities are trying to “hush-up” the probe report despite promise to them made by the then Chief Minister late Mufti Muhammad Sayeed that probe report will be made public within two weeks time. “Over a year and half has passed and yet we are not being informed about the outcome of the probe report,” Nazir Ahmed, the father of the slain engineering student, said adding that probe report is complete and “yet to save the killers the report has been dumped”.

“Authorities had ordered a magisterial probe into the killing of my son who died in CRPF action last year. Additional Deputy Commissioner Nazir Ahmed Baba was appointed inquiry officer. We produced 18 witnesses before the inquiry committee who all held CRPF guilty of killing my son. Even a murder case stands registered against CRPF officer Mr Rakesh in police station Parimpora. Still the government is mute over the outcome of the probe report,” he said and added that the name of his slain son recently figured in the government compensation list, “which made it amply clear that he was innocent”. “Neither the government wants to inform us nor it is ready to make the findings public. This is sheer injustice with us,” he said.

Inquiry Officer, Nazir Ahmed Baba, who is currently posted as Additional Deputy Commissioner Baramulla, said: “I completed my job and submitted the probe report to the government. The report is with the Home Department and it has to take a call on it.” (CNS)

Srinagar: “Militants should realize that they too have families.” This was said by the Jammu and Kashmir police said in a strong warning after an attack on an officer’s home on Monday.
“Militants should realize they too have families. Let militants take this as a warning,” Jammu and Kashmir director General of Police Shesh Paul Vaid told NDTV.
The police chief also said, “This is between police and terrorists, families should not be brought into this conflict. If the police start doing this, what will happen to their families?”
The warning came after an attack on Monday night on a police officer’s home in Shopian in south Kashmir. AS per reports at least a dozen militants barged into the house when the officer wasn’t in, held his family hostage and also vandalized the house.