More than a decade after the devastating deluge of September 2014, Jammu and Kashmir remains trapped in an agonizing cycle of panic whenever the sky darkens. A brief spell of monsoon rain should be routine weather in a Himalayan region; instead, it routinely turns into an acute regional emergency. National highways choke under landslides, school […]
Opinion
The High Price of Walnuts
Every autumn across Kashmir, a grim, preventable ritual unfolds high above the ground. As branches heavy with green husks are threshed, trauma wards brace for an influx of the fallen. What should be a season of agricultural bounty instead arrives as an annual emergency of fractured spines, crushed skulls, and severed livelihoods. We cannot continue […]
The Cost of Jealousy
When we obsess over the blessings of others, we quietly erode our own faith and peace of mind. Left unchecked, this silent resentment dismantles the trust, unity, and progress of entire communities. By Syed Mustafa Ahmad There are illnesses in human society that do not attack the physical body, but instead hollow out the heart, […]
Buried in the Surge
The catastrophic collapse at Langtang Lirung, which unleashed a 190-kilometer-per-hour slurry across the Nepal-China border, is not merely a natural disaster; it is a profound indictment of reckless Himalayan infrastructure and fragmented regional diplomacy. With nearly a thousand confirmed dead and over 4,400 still missing in submerged hydropower tunnels and erased border hamlets, the tragedy […]
Kashmir’s Quiet Health Struggle
In the valleys of Kashmir, a new and formidable public health challenge is taking root. What was once dismissed as a fleeting emotional reaction to life’s hurdles has evolved into a persistent shadow over the region. Medical professionals are raising the alarm on a surge of chronic stress that is no longer confined to specific […]
The Unexamined Existence
Life is defined far more by struggle and resilience than by the passive accumulation of worldly comforts. To find genuine peace, one must look beyond biological survival and engage with timeless universal truths. By Syed Mustafa Ahmed Life, by its very nature, is a continuous struggle. It unfolds as a complex tapestry woven with threads […]
A Heavy Shock to the Common Household
Governance often operates in the cold arithmetic of fiscal deficits and operational losses, but for ordinary citizens, policy is measured in daily survival. Chief Minister Omar Abdullah’s defense of the Joint Electricity Regulatory Commission’s 6.83% power tariff hike, framing it as a necessary step and pointing out that past regimes imposed steeper 15% revisions may […]
Guarding the Plate
Ensuring the purity and safety of everyday food items is a fundamental responsibility of administration. Recent official data detailing food quality inspections across Jammu and Kashmir over a five-year period presents a troubling picture: compromised food safety remains a persistent public health risk requiring urgent, comprehensive intervention. Between the fiscal years 2021–22 and 2025–26, field […]
The High Price of Ignorance
A society that rejects true expertise invites moral decay and endless conflict. To secure our future, we must break free from blind tradition and rebuild our institutions. By Syed Mustafa Ahmad While a comprehensive and logical definition of ignorance often eludes exact phrasing, its consequences are undeniably clear: ignorance is among the most destructive forces […]
Online Gaming and Our Kids
As digital play replaces traditional recreation, screen time is rapidly turning into a compulsive habit for the younger generation. Addressing this growing challenge requires immediate action from parents, schools, and society at large. By Mool Raj Gaming is fundamentally a pursuit in which people engage for fun, entertainment, recreation, and leisure. Both indoor and outdoor […]