By Ajaz Rashid Every September, the orchards of Kashmir burst into their most important season. Red Delicious and Gala apples hang heavy on the branches, ready to be plucked, packed, and shipped to markets across India. For lakhs of families in the Valley, this is not just a harvest—it is the payoff for months of […]
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Rains That Stilled the Mountains
By Chasfeeda Shah The last week of August 2025 has left Jammu and Kashmir battered by relentless rain, triggering a cascade of landslides that transformed daily life, paralyzed crucial infrastructure, and created unprecedented challenges for authorities and residents alike. The once bustling roads now stand silent under the weight of water and debris, schools sit […]
Kashmir Battles August’s Monsoon Deluge
By Ajaz Rashid The recent floods in Jammu and Kashmir have written a new chapter of devastation in the region’s long battle with the monsoon, inflicting loss, sorrow, and profound questions about preparedness in a changing climate. The deluges—fed by relentless rain, bursting rivers, and sudden cloudbursts—have left communities battered, rescues ongoing, and survivors clinging […]
SDRF: Kashmir’s First Line of Defense Against Nature’s Fury
By Ajaz Rashid In August 2025, when torrential rains lashed Jammu and Kashmir, turning streets into rivers and mountain slopes into sliding walls of mud, one force stood between chaos and catastrophe—the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF). With inflatable boats, life jackets, ropes, and sheer grit, these men and women became the lifeline of thousands […]
Khelo India Rides the Waves
By Ajaz Rashid Srinagar: The calm, glistening waters of Dal Lake witnessed a rare transformation this week. For three days, from August 21 to 23, the lake—long celebrated for its shikaras, floating gardens and poetic reflection of the Zabarwan hills—turned into a sporting arena where adrenaline and elegance met rippling waves. The Khelo India Water […]
Fury in the Himalayas
By Ajaz Rashid Jammu and Kashmir, cradled in the lap of the Himalayas, has always been a land of beauty and fragility. But in August 2025, nature’s fury struck twice in quick succession—a pair of devastating cloudbursts unleashed tragedy on Kishtwar and Kathua districts, leaving a trail of death, destruction, and haunting questions about the […]
Waves of Saffron, White and Green
By Ajaz Rashid The first light of morning touched the rippling surface of Dal Lake like a painter’s brush, turning its calm waters into molten gold. Houseboats bobbed gently in place, their wooden hulls whispering against the moorings as the breeze carried faint notes of drums, bugles, and patriotic songs from the boulevard. In the […]
‘Sindoor Ki Laali, Shaurya Ki Kahaani’
By Ajaz Rashid In a powerful and emotive address to the Lok Sabha, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh defended India’s retaliatory strike—Operation Sindoor—as a calibrated and historic response to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack. Kicking off a 16-hour special debate, Singh laid out a gripping narrative of precision, restraint and resolve, framing the 22-minute cross-border […]
The Engineer of Change
By Ajaz Rashid In an exclusive interview marking nearly five years in office, Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha reflects on Kashmir’s remarkable journey from conflict to development Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha’s tenure in Jammu and Kashmir represents one of the most transformative periods in the region’s modern history. Since taking charge on August 7, 2020, in […]
Voices of the Silenced
By Ajaz Rashid In an unprecedented move that shattered decades of silence, Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on June 29, 2025, met with families of Kashmiri civilians who have been the forgotten casualties of Pakistan-sponsored terrorism since the 1990s. This groundbreaking initiative, supported by the Save Youth Save Future Foundation, marked a historic turning point in […]