Latest news with #Sarhad
Time of India
11-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Amid ceasefire, Kashmiri singer's Marathi devotional songs calls for peace
Just as India and Pakistan announce a ceasefire after days of cross-border strikes and rising tensions, a young 's prayer for is resonating far beyond the valley. from a village in Bandipora near Srinagar, has been winning hearts with her soul-stirring renditions of Marathi bhajans and devotional songs, particularly , a centuries-old prayer for universal peace by Sant talented 30-year-old received a standing ovation from the audience, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and NCP president Sharad Pawar among them, at the inaugural ceremony of the 98th Marathi Sahitya Sammelan at Vigyan Bhavan in New Delhi in Feb. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now In fact, Pawar was so impressed by Shamima's rendition of the state's song 'Jai Jai Maharashtra' that he insisted she close the session with a Pasaydan, a prayer for world peace by Sant Dnyaneshwar. Her soulful rendition of Marathi songs left everyone, including Modi, spellbound."Presenting Pasaydan was not part of the original schedule, but Pawarsahab said the session must end with it. Modiji was scheduled to spend 45 minutes, but he sat for two hours till the session ended with Shamima's electrifying singing of a Pasaydan," recalled Sanjay Nahar, Shamima's mentor and founder of the Pune-based NGO Sarhad, which educates children from terror-hit in 1998, Sarhad discovered the shy Akhtar and helped her not just hone her skill but emerge as a major musical voice from the valley, spreading the message of peace and love through music. "Music knows no boundaries. My Marathi songs and bhajans are popular not only in Marathi homes, but even in Pakistan and Bangladesh," says Akhtar on the phone from her home in Kashmir, where she returned a few days after the Pahalgam terror attack."The barbaric killing of innocent tourists made me numb. Normalcy returned, and the valley was getting flooded with tourists. After the Pahalgam massacre, I felt a little insecure, and even Sanjay Sir suggested I go home till things normalise," she said a few days before the India-Pakistan conflict first visited Pune in 2017 as a participant in the annual Kashmir festival. "Many of my friends were already at Sarhad, and they introduced me to Sanjay Sir. I couldn't have found a better platform than Sarhad to learn, experiment, and grow with my passion for music," says Akhtar, who carries a legacy of music. Born into a family with a strong tradition of music and poetry—her paternal grandfather was one of the finest Rabab players in Kashmir, while her maternal grandfather was a Sufi saint, and her maternal grandmother wrote sharpened her singing, she admits, is her education. A graduate in music from Bhatkhande Music University, Lucknow, and later a Visharad or Master's in Hindustani classical music, she dived deep into the fascinating but also complex world of music, learning not just the notes but digesting different surs and ragas. It was at Bhatkhande Music University where she also met and befriended her future husband — her senior, Mazhar Siddiqui."I found a spark in Shamima. She radiated a musical light that comes from Kashmir, which has a long Sufi music tradition," says Siddiqui, who comes from a famous music gharana in Lucknow and is also associated with Sarhad Music. Together, they have helped Sarhad establish two studios. With help from Nahar, the husband-wife team has created Gaash (light in Kashmiri), a popular that Shamima is getting accolades, Nahar sees his dream coming true. "My idea was to take children out from terror-hit areas and give guitars in their hands instead of guns. When I see students like Shamima and her sister Ruqaiyya playing guitar and scaling heights with their singing, I feel my dreams coming true," says Nahar, whose dream of founding a music university remains unfulfilled.
Indian Express
04-05-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
Citizens should not pressure government into military action: Retd Lt. General Sudarshan Hasabnis
Speaking at the third Lalitaditya Memorial speech event organised by Sarhad in Pune, Retired Lieutenant General Sudarshan Hasabnis opined that Indian citizens should not create an internal environment that pressures the government into military action. He said, 'The national response [to the Pahalgam attack], I am quite sure, will be both covert and overt. It will be multidimensional. Like I said just the other day, there is no point in us citizens trying to create a situation inside our country which puts pressure on the government to take military action.' At the event organised in the aftermath of the Pahalgam terror attack, Hasabnis highlighted the media's role in creating such an environment and said, 'The media has a big role to play in this. In fact Mr Modi, in relation to the Ukrainian War and the Gaza War has repeatedly said that 'this is not an era for war'. I am sure India doesn't want war. At the same time, we as a united nation have to show that we have the resolve that in case and whenever we go to war, we will be prepared.' He explained that any war is like a boxing match where each boxer will be on the receiving end of some punches. 'If you go, if you take any action, there will be some reaction. There will be loss of life. We need to be prepared for that,' he said. Former Finance Minister of Jammu and Kashmir Haseeb Drabu delivered the keynote address at the event and said that the loss of social connectedness was a much greater loss to Kashmir rather than the economic loss. 'The far greater loss of this attack is the loss of social connectedness. Every tourist who goes to Kashmir is not an ATM machine from whom we take out cash. It's a relationship we have invested in. People have been going there for years and years and have built relationships. Tourism is an industry of peace. It is an industry which connects people,' Drabu said.
News18
04-05-2025
- Entertainment
- News18
Kishore Kumar: A Life Of Missed Opportunities But No Regrets
As Kishore Kumar woke up on the morning of May 4, 1976, he had a quirky feeling that this must be the wrong side of the bed. He was oblivious to the fact that the secretary in the I&B Ministry, Syed Burney, had already initiated a note to ban all his songs. Till last night, his songs were at ear's length from every listener. Not anymore. By the time, he started brushing his teeth, he was banned. For Kishore, it was a well-earned sabbatical. From Khandwa to Kanyakumari, with Amit by his side, he decided to relive his childhood with a tête-à-tête with nature encompassed by his raw voice. Did he miss anything? Was he to rue anything? Going by the long history of his tryst with missed opportunities, the answer seemed to be an emphatic no, as we try to explore here. Had these windows opened in full, Kishore Kumar would have been seen in an even broader light. It was the success of Andolan (1951) that triggered close friend Vrajendra Gaur to come up with yet another film Sarhad the same year. All the three brothers Ashok, Anup and Kishore were cast together for the first time, playing rival brothers vying with each other to win the love of Nalini Jayant. Cousin Arun Kumar was to wield the musical baton. The film failed to progress beyond the initial shoots. Sarhad was his first big miss.
Indian Express
04-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Indian Express
From Pune to Aragam: terror survivor returns to lead Kashmir's first ‘book and poetry village'
Aragam, a tribal village located 70 km from Srinagar in Bandipora district, has become Kashmir's first 'book and poetry village', where over 70 households have dedicated spaces for books. This project, which started in March last year, will now be managed by Manzoor Rather, who had come to Pune after witnessing his father's killing by militants. Manzoor Rather's return to his homeland comes at a time when many are leaving Jammu and Kashmir following the Pahalgam terror attack in search of safety. On October 5, 1998, while three-year-old Rather sat in his father's lap at the dinner table, a group of militants stormed their home in Ajas Bazipora village and killed his father. Aragam, a tribal village located 70 km from Srinagar in Bandipora district. (Express Photo) 'I could've been killed if my father hadn't thrown me away. Following this incident, my grandmother took me to Aragam, where I studied till Class 1. Then, with the help of the Sarhad NGO, I completed my schooling and graduation from the Sarhad Institute in Pune. And recently did my master's in English literature from the Azam campus,' he said. While in Pune, Rather discovered his passion for freestyle dance. He is now a professional choreographer who has worked in Marathi films and was the lead in the title track of Marathi movies like Redu and others. Despite achieving financial stability and settling in Pune with his wife, Rather felt a pull toward his native place. 'I was not content with life overall, as my people in Kashmir are still in search of education and economic opportunities, and I was thinking of doing something for them for many years. After seeing Mushtaq Khoja, a Kashmiri local who started Sarhad Public School in Dardpora village in Kupwara district, which now helps over 250 students study there, my resolve for Aragam strengthened. There I will teach my dance skills to help the budding artists, and connecting with residents there will enhance the cultural exchange which I have gained over the years,' he added. This project, which started in March last year, will now be managed by Manzoor Rather, who had come to Pune after witnessing his father's killing by militants. (Express Photo) Speaking to The Indian Express, Sanjay Nahar, founder of Sarhad, said, 'The Aragam project was implemented in March last year through the collaborative efforts of the Bandipora district administration, our NGO, and Siraj Khan, who initiated the groundwork and was inspired by Bhilar village in Mahabaleshwar. Currently, it has an open library, with over 3,000 books of different genres, which have been distributed to over seventy households and include contributions from the Maharashtra government's Marathi language department.' Sarhad is also planning to start a UPSC guidance centre at Aragam. 'With specialised study materials and civil services exam guidance sessions, our effort will be to help increase the representation of candidates from Jammu and Kashmir in central services,' explained Rather. Rather also aims to develop community-based tourism through homestays. 'This will be beneficial for tourists and locals as well, as economic opportunities will be created for residents while tourists can get a firsthand experience of local Kashmiri culture, which often gets missed in hotel stays. Scaling this initiative with an educational component will keep the youth engaged and divert their attention away from militant activities,' he added.
Hindustan Times
28-04-2025
- Hindustan Times
Sarhad to aid 100 children from J&K
In a heartwarming gesture, the Sarhad organisation has decided to adopt 100 children from families affected by terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir. The initiative aims to provide these children with the opportunity for a better education; despite the immense trauma they have experienced due to violence in the region. According to officials, after the recent terror attack in the Pahalgam area, the tourism industry of the region is badly affected. Sanjay Nahar, founder of Sarhad — an organisation working for the rehabilitation and welfare of Kashmiri students for over two decades — said, 'We have initiated the identification process of the children. Under this, we will adopt 50 girls and 50 boys and will provide them free education so that any such activity in the valley will not halt their education.''
