Winter Chill Plays Truant: Nostalgia Strikes Kashmiris
By Shabir Dar

With day and night tempera tures in the Valley above normal people are missing the winter chill. Experts believe it as a radical shift in the winter's character.
"Gone are those winter days when winters were blessed with huge snow and it for us make difficult to move outside. So people, mostly elders and children kept sitting indoors," remembers Abdul Khaliq, an octogenarian from South Kashmir's Kulgam village.
In past Kashmir winter was characterized with harsh chill and heavy snow, which is hardly seen in today's winters. To cope up with those winter days, valleyites adopted certain unusual and unique methods to escape the chill.
Khaliq remembers his childhood winter days, when he along with his other family members, used to sit in a common dingy room (kitchen) where dry wood used to burn in the mud oven through out the day.
Not only this, people used to fight with the biting chill in a traditional way-sipping hot noon chai (salt tea) prepared in samavour (traditional copper flask which is kept hot by burning coal), was enough that would keep Kashmiris warm during the chilly days. Also, listening to interesting Kashmiri tales from family elders was the cherishing entertainment for people. This was the norm in almost every household, however, more common in rural areas.
"I wish severe winter as it used to be decades back may come again. We would enjoy the season in a different manner," said Shamallah Satar, an old lady in her mid sixties.
Gripped in unique nostalgic feelings, Shahmalla recapitulates the winter of her mid twenties, when every domestic business in her in-laws house would be done in one common room. Men would weave the straw mats out of dried grass, which was the best thing to mat their rooms. The villagers also used to sell these straw mats in market.
At that time women's best job for women was nothing other than spinning wheel, which was the only job they could do for passing their time in winters besides doing other domestic chores. Women did not need to go out for bringing the wool for spinning purpose as every household enough stock of wool. Sheep rearing used to be one of the best small business for every household in rural Kashmir.
Interestingly, all these activities would be carried out in a common room in every household.
Every family elder at that time might have had mimicked the art of story telling from their elders. Sometimes the tales were directly read from the famous story books. But for this purpose, only few persons in the vicinity of a village or mohallah, who could read and write, were able to provide this service to villagers. So such people were in high demand in every village or in every house hold. Special invitations were extended to these people by every house hold. These experts would charge a simple fee for their services, i.e. mere one kilogram of home prepared ghee, maize bread or a dozen eggs.
Children had their own way of enjoying the weather inside the four walls of the house. Setting of hidden nets to capture birds, on the aisles and on the verandah, was the favourite pass time for children.
"I used to enjoy those moments of capturing birds in nets set by me and my cousin clandestinely to hoodwink the birds to fall prey," said Ghulam Rasool, who is now in his fifties.
For Shamallah, the most enjoyable moments for her in those winters were when she alongside her husband used to spin wheel, chatting and exchanging fun with him and other family members. She had to prepare meals in the same room and then serve it to the members of her family.
"How enjoyable moments those-were! Sitting besides my husband, in an air tight room, with my children and other family members, chatting and joking all the time; is what I miss, now," said the old lady, who feels suffocated with winter, that has under-went change in the present times. Moreover, now a days she remains confined to her room in isolation.
Now with the changing times, the dingy common rooms have been converted into modern kitchens, samavours have been replaced by new gadgetry flasks and the fashion of tale telling by elders is carried on now by television.
Now children are more interested to watch TV, youngsters remain busy on their mobile phones and elders are restricted to their secluded rooms. And for people like Shahmala, this modern age is "suffocating". In her childhood days, Shahmala says, the elders from other houses of neighborhood used to visit her house in the evening to discuss the day-to-day events with her parents and grandparents. "Tell me, is that tradition alive at present," she questions.
"No doubt, there is radical shift in the nature of winter in Kashmir," said a historian, who wishes not be named. He added that people in Kashmir, like other Indians, seem more impressed by the modern technology and western life style at the cost of their own culture and tradition.

Pop Love

We called it the Connaught, a name that the ancients had given it, and it was a name that could not have been more inaccurate in its' comparison to the famed Delhi market.. The place brimmed with life in the evenings, except on the evenings before the tests, when you'd just see a few "psenti" final years. It was the place to see and be seen. It was a place where we'd treat our tired hostel palates to fried maggi and milkshakes.
The popcorn man was a relatively new addition to Connaught. He'd been there one chilly evening in October with his little popcorn pushcart. It had been a hit from the start, the aroma of the popping corn being irresistible, and the snack itself cheap enough to suit our student allowances. Nobody minded that when you got down to the bottom of the little newspaper bag, you were likely to find yourself crunching sand with the corn.
She was buying popcorn when I first saw her, balancing her cycle and attempting to pay him at the same time, illuminated in the circle of light thrown by the street lamp. Like an actress in a spotlight, she tossed back her hair with a reckless shake of her head, and then got on her cycle and rode away towards the hostels.
Her name was Aarti, I discovered, and she was a year junior, which probably explained why I never saw her anywhere else on campus. Yet she was there every evening, buying popcorn. I knew nothing about her, and yet seemed to know her like a comfortable acqua-intance. I heard her laugh infectiously with her friends as they walked together sometimes. Other times she was pensive, and lost in thought while conversation swirled around her. To me she was the most attractive girl I'd ever seen, and irrational though it seemed, I wanted to get to know her better.
That of course, was easier said than done, me being mortified at the prospect of making a fool of myself in front of her giggling friends. I convinced myself, that I'd get to it someday, when opportunity would present itself. I had a plan, and I carefully rehearsed it, so as to make it sound natural when I did talk to her. "Excuse me" I'd say, "Aren't you Priyas' wingie?". I had no idea of where that would lead to, but it was a start.
That particular day, her friends had left ahead of her, but she was there at the popcorn cart, buying her usual rupees' worth. As I walked towards her it seemed to me that my carefully crafted conversation opener was so flimsy, a child could see through it. Panicking I thought of my other options - to ask her for change, to pretend I recognized her, to simply introduce myself. It was too late though, and I could hear her walking away with her cycle. I cursed myself for bungling my last chance. The popcorn man probably understood the desperate look on my face, for he was smilingly pointing at something lying on the ground. It was an ID card, hers. Instinct took over as I picked the card up and broke into a run. She had already rounded the corner out of Connaught, a good distance from where I was. I reached the corner and stopped to catch my breath.
The large trash bin at the corner hadn't been emptied today. Something on the surface caught my eye. It was a bag of freshly popped corn.

Bohras-India's Most Orthodox/Progressive Muslim Sect.
By K.D.L.Khan

Bohra muslim women wear the traditional rida ( a burqa -like coloured embroidered garment), but that does not stop them from riding a scooter. or wield a surgeon's scalpel. . For all we know behind the rida, there may well be a doctor or a chartered accountant. Bohra children attend regular Christian convent schools and go to madrasas in the evenings or on weekends to learn about their own religion. They are low-profile, soft-spoken and a minority population of about a seven hundred thousand in India, but are one of the most industrious communities in India.
Worldwide, there are an estimated twelve lakhs of Bohras, of which seven lakhs are citizens of India and four lakhs are in Pakistan, with the rest in other parts of the world, especially the Gulf States.. Despite the surging of religious terrorism, the Bohras keep away from extremism, as primarily because they are largely a trading community.
The community name, in fact, is derived from the Gujarati word 'Vyavhar' that means trade. Bohras have been historically, traders. Even an ethnographic survey published in 1920 AD noted that except for some Bohra farmers in North Gujarat and some members who rose to high government offices, most bohras lived by trade. They do not want any trouble and just want to carry on their businesses. Their identity is firmly rooted in Gujarati culture and tradition and their strong commitment to education is another reason why they have stayed away from extremist politics.
Except for businessmen who seek government contracts, the self-sufficient community does not depend on the government for jobs. As entrepreneurs, they are job givers and not job seekers
Over 200 years ago, the community came to Mumbai from Gujarat, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh. Today, they have a stake in nearly every major industry. Among the well-known businessmen are shipping magnate Shabbir Rangwala and tea baron Abid Jaferjee. Perhaps the best-known leader of Bohras was Justice Badruddin Tyabji, one of the top ranking leaders of the
Indian National Congress in the first decades of the 20th century, and the community it had provided Mumbai's first Muslim barrister, solicitor, doctor and engineer.
Even as Muslims, the Bohras do not follow the usual trend of Islam.They believe, that Prophet Mohammed named his son-in-law Maulana Ali ibn Abi Talib as his successor, and Maulana Ali is succeeded by his direct male descendants, the Fatemi Imams. There are, according to a 1909 gazetteer, also Sunni, Aliya and Sulemani Bohras. The last, says this source, separated from the community over a leadership dispute. The ordinary Bohra is highly conscious of his identity and this is especially demonstrated at religious and traditional occasions by the appearance and attire of the participants. The men wear a traditional white three piece outfit, plus a white and gold cap (called a topi), and women wear the rida, a distinctive form of the commonly known burqa, which is distinguished from other forms of the veil due to it often being in colour and decorated with patterns and lace. Besides speaking the local languages, the Bohras have their own language called Lis?nu l-D??wat "Tongue of the D??wat". This is written in Arabic script but is derived from Urdu, Gujarati and Arabic.
Bohras can boast of significant architecture and literature. The Raudat Tahera mosque in Bhendi Bazaar- Mumbai has the entire Quran -e- Majeed inscribed on its walls in gold, decorated with stones
They believe that there is always an Imam present on Earth. But until he chooses to appear, a representative known as governs the community. They also believe that when Umar the earliest Islamic compiler was collecting the Quran, he omitted parts of it relating to Ali, the nephew of the Prophet being the real Caliph. They believe the Bohras alone posess the 'real' Quran, and that it is with their religious head. He is known as the D??? l-Mutlaq and the present 91 year old Syedna BURHANUDDIN MUHAMMED (b. AH 1333/1915 CE), is the 52nd D??? in an unbroken chain of D??iyy?n. This distinguishes Dawoodi Muslims from other Muslim communities. For orthodox followers, all decisions go through him, including those regarding marriage, the naming of children and business. He has absolute religious power over all the Bohras and at his command any Bohra can be excommunicated out of the sect,
This absolute power is coupled with enormous financial clout, as the Da'I Mutlaq is the sole custodian of all religious taxes levied on the Bohras.
Quite a number of Bohra Muslims feel that like in other religious organizations, the Syedna should publish annually the financial contributions collected and as to the causes for which they are spent. A group called Progressive Bohra Muslims was formed forty years ago under the leadership of the eminent Islamic scholar Dr.Asghar Ali Engineer to ensure this accounting.
According to these radicals, taking the population of the Bohras of 1.2 million, the Syedna and his and his family yearly collects amounts over Us dollars $30 million ( 140 crores of rupees ) by way of these religious taxes and 'voluntary' payments. They demand that this income must be subject to law, by an Act on the pattern of Ajmer Dargah Sharif Act and Tirupati Temple Act so that a proper accounting will be given to the Bohra Muslim community.
But the Progressive Bohra Muslim Group were ex communicated by the Syedna. According to informed circles these radicals as on date number just two percent of Bohras numbering about 20 thousand, although , as secular education advances among the youth of the community ,the sympathizers could be as much as 60 percent, in support of the demands of the Progressive Bohras. Only time will show as to whether the Bohra community becomes progressive with regard to this challenge.
-Maharaja Features

The Battle For Basmati
By Dhananjaya Bhat

The world production of Basmati rice, solely the world monopoly of India and Pakistan is said to be about four million tons in 2005-06, worth about 2600 million US dollars. Of this Pakistan claims that it grows 2.2 million tones, while the Indian production is said to be 1.8 million tonnes with the export of basmati accounting for 1.1 million tonnes (Rs 3,030.32 crore).
In 2006, the bumper Indian harvest has further boosted basmati exports. "India has been so competitive, that Pakistan was simply outpriced, especially in the EU market. India's Pusa is selling at $480-520 per tonne compared to Pakistan Super at $520-530 per tonne" despite the fact that that the Pakistani exporters have an enormous exchange rate advantage, at Pakistani rs 63 to 64 for their dollar, against the Indian Rs 45-46.
A silent battle is raging in the international markets between these two growers of basmati and it is interesting to consider the saga of this famous fragrant rice.
Basmati is a variety of long grain rice, famous for its fragrance and delicate flavour. Its name means "Queen of Fragrance" in Hindi.It has been cultivated in India and Pakistan for hundreds of years. The Himalayan foothills are said to produce the best variety. The Super Basmati, a premium variety from Pakistan and Dehraduni from India, are the most prized of the basmati varieties. Even of the Dehraduni variety, the basmati grown in a location called Tapovan is said to be the superb. The best types of basmati rice are aged for several years before they are milled and sold, as rice cooks better with a lower moisture content. The grains of basmati rice are much longer than ordinary rice, and they grow even longer as they cook. They stay firm and separate, not sticky, after cooking. Basmati rice is available both as a white rice and a brown rice. Both these cook in about 20 minutes. Due to the high amount of starch clinging to the rice grains, many cooks wash this rice before cooking it. Soaking it for half an hour to two hours before cooking makes the grains less likely to break in cooking.
According to experts, the home for traditional Basmati is Dehradun region in Uttaranchal. Subsequently, new varieties were developed and grown in undivided Punjab during British rule. After partition, both the countries continued growing Basmati even outside the Dehradun region for domestic consumption and exports. Some agricultural scientists are of the view that India alone has the right of registration under geographical indications (GI) for Basmati..
But the International agricultural firms have not kept silent at the grand success of basmati in markets. In 2000, the US corporation Rice Tec attempted to patent three variants created, called Texmati as hybrids of basmati rice and semi-dwarf long-grain rice. The Indian government intervened and the attempt was thwarted. Meanwhile, the European Commission has agreed to protect basmati rice under its regulations pertaining to geographical indications.
India and Pakistan agree that they must jointly prevent all efforts by other nations to patent the basmati. But even here problems have erupted This is regarding a brand known as Super basmati, the ownership of which is claimed both by India and Pakistan.
The story of Super basmati is as follows:. The Rice Research Institute at Kala Shah Kaku (Pakistan) has been instrumental in developing various varieites of Basmati rice, including the popular variety of Super Basmati. Dr. Majeed is the scientist who developed this variety of rice in 1996.
Meanwhile scientists at Indian Agricultural Research Institute Pusa, New Delhi took the traditional basmati and genetically modified it to produce a hybrid which had most of the good features of traditional basmati (grain elongation, fragrance, alkali content) and the plant was a semi-dwarf type. This basmati was called Pusa Basmati-1. with a crop yield is higher than the traditional varieties (up to twice as much)and it has begun to be known is known in the international market as Super Basmati.. The dispute between the South Asian rivals arose after India registered aromatic Super Basmati variety under its Geographical Indication (GI) laws earlier in 2006.
Pakistan says it registered the same variety as a national trademark in 1995, and that it has been producing and exporting the rice for more than 20 years. Of the 10 lakh tonnes of basmati that
Pakistan exports, 'Super' constitutes over seven lakh tonnes bringing in 420 million U.s.dollars or equivalent of Indian rupees 2000 crores!. Pakistan already claims that the introduction of Indian Super basmati has brought down its exports of Pakistani Super basmati by 40 percent.
Meanwhile other rice growing nations have not been idle and many varieties of fragrant rice, like the Jasmine fragrant rice of Thailand has come in the market. But none have been able to match the Basmati in its appeal. Even in India, attempts to grow basmati in the southern regions ended in failure, as the out put could not match the north Indian variety.
-Maharaja Features

"No Indians Allowed" Hotels Of India
By John Kuriakose

For the 'back pack' variety of foreign tourists, India with its exotic locations and cities is a great lure. Over the years the Indian hotels they stay-range from big-city cockroach infested pits to stylishly appointed Rajasthani lodges: the good, the bad and the downright ugly. The more practical lodging houses catering to these travelers have learnt how to cope with their often brawling guests. For example, for the young Israeli just turned twenty and just released from the national conscription period of two years, India is a great temptation and it is estimated that more than 30 thousand of these back packers visit India every year and regrettably have earned a very unpleasant name for bad behaviour.So much so that in many Indian cities the cheaper lodgings houses say "No Israelis".
But believe it or not, there are Indian hotels in India, which allow only foreigners to stay in them and not Indians. Not even an NRI unless he has a non-Indian passport.
The Broadlands hotel in Madras is one of them. When I checked up with the Broadlands Hotel in the busy area of Triplicane in Madras, I found the owners evasive, but nevertheless firm in their decision not to permit Indians to stay in their lodge. It all started like this. Since 1951, the 155 year old Arcot Nawab built mansion housing the Broadlands Hotel has been a hotel.Its tree-shaded courtyards, decaying wooden blue-painted balconies and sunlit verandas hark back to colonial times. There are 44 rooms in this hotel, costing in daily rates from 250 rupees to 450 rupees including two cottages on the 'terrace' to cater for guests interested in Yoga. Twenty well mannered, carefully screened servants are available for all odd jobs, from procuring food from nearby eateries to ensuring that the rooms are tidy and the linen clean. The lodge management has conscientiously barred all noise. The rooms have no TVs and no phone extensions. There is only one phone at the reception and one TV set in a common entertainment room on the ground floor.
Outside, above the entrance, a sign says "Welcome, Namaste, pray stay at this worthy lodge." Many rickshaw drivers in the city know it as the "firang place". The Lonely Planet guidebook omitted it from its main edition a few years ago, partly in response to this racial implication.Otherwise the hotel has the honour of figuring in Lonely Planet show of the Discovery Channel few years ago. Some where in the 1970's, it appears that the founder of the hotel found that if he mixed up the Indian and foreign guests in his hotel, it created trouble, especially, as in the opinion of many 'adult' Indian males, foreign girls are an easy target for their 'sexual attention". He decided to turn his hostelry into a sober retreat for any foreigner especially ladies, who want a quite place for their stay in India.As such he banned all Indian guests from the establishment.
Krishna Rao, owner and grandson of the founder, says that he "chooses" his guests carefully and denies that discrimination exists. "I am preserving this heritage hotel to give the best, a secure place for a single foreign womans to stay. Can a five star hotel give that guarantee?".
Another reason, that has been given is that many residents stay long term, studying yoga, music or other aspects of Indian culture; if Indians were allowed, guests would not be allowed sufficient personal space or privacy. A further explanation for being "selective" is that the place has communal showers and toilets, and this can involve women walking to and from the facilities, perhaps dressed in the barest essentials. It is felt that as the norms and values surrounding gender and sexuality are different in India, this may cause problems.
One tourist operator sarcastically stated that for Indians, for the price one has to spend at Broadlands, better rooms are available in other local establishments, with bath and toilet facilities. This might be one reason, no agitated Indian group has taken up cudgels against the "foreigners only" policy.
Although Broadlands is an extreme example of "foreigners only" hotel, there are quite a number of hotels in prominent cities of India like Goa,Delhi and Jaipur, which adheres to the "foreigners only" principle without much fanfare. The word of mouth publicity/ the mention in influential travel guides like Frommer they get outside India by satisfied guests, ensures that this "foreigners only" policy, ensures that the hotels are always full.
-Maharaja Features