Muharram is a rebellion against sleeping consciences. Karbala shatters complacency, unmasks hypocrisy, and demands moral courage. If your mourning does not awaken your conscience against injustice, oppression, and falsehood, you have remembered the tragedy but betrayed its truth.
Life isn’t meant to be lived on borrowed beliefs. Question what you see, stand firm against what feels wrong, and don’t mistake silence for wisdom. History doesn’t remember those who adjusted to injustice; it remembers those who challenged it.
the mind matures when it stops mistaking chaos for purpose. With age, you unconsciously rewire; overstimulation loses its appeal, solitude becomes therapy, rest becomes discipline. You don't shrink. You shed. Simplicity is not giving up on life. It's finally understanding it.
I am a Kashmiri Sunni Muslim.
On my paternal side, my family believes it descends from a Hindu Ruler-Warrior clan linked to the Governors of Kashmir between the 11th and 13th centuries, which later accepted Islam and ended up giving Kashmir one of its most influential Kashmiri Muslim Sufi scholars.
My maternal lineage traces its origins to missionaries who travelled from Baghdad to Kashmir between the 14th and 16th centuries.
In our present form, my entire extended family looks, speaks, and lives like any other ordinary contemporary Kashmiri family.
As a Sunni Kashmiri Muslim, I stand in solidarity with the people of Iran. I mourn the passing of Iran's Leader Ayatollah Syed Ali Khamenei, while celebrating the fact that he attained Martyrdom at such an advanced age.
I do so not because of his position as a religious leader of the Shia community, but because I viewed him as one of the few contemporary leaders willing to openly challenge the imperialist designs of Israel and the United States. I do so because he consistently positioned himself in support of Palestine & Gaza and did whatever little he could for that. I do so because he repeatedly called for Shia–Sunni unity throughout his life, despite resistance from hardliners within his own fold. I do so because his leadership clearly unsettled powerful global actors. I do so because he did every possible thing to ensure that the people of his nation do not become prey for the likes of Epstein. And I do so because he was the only Muslim leader in the world, at this point, that Israel felt the urgent need to eliminate.
I do not agree with the position taken by many Sunni-majority governments on this matter. In my view, enabling or remaining silent in the face of aggression, that too against a fellow Muslim nation just cannot be justified.
I believe that both Shia and Sunni brothers & sisters must move beyond historical disagreements and refocus on what unites us: Tawheed and Shahadah. A divided Muslim world has only empowered external forces and weakened us collectively.
Perhaps it is time to allow our shared foundations of faith, as laid down by Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) to take precedence over inherited ideological divisions, and to let that unity serve as our defining principle, if we are to survive, if we are to thrive.
Today marks a deeply tragic & shameful point in history with Israel & USA boasting about the killing of Iran’s beloved leader Ayatollah Ali Khanenei. What’s more disgraceful & shocking is the explicit & implicit support given by Muslim countries who chose convenience & expedience over conscience.
History will stand testaments to who fought for justice & who helped the oppressors. Prayers with the people of Iran. May Allah grant them strength & victory over forces of tyranny & injustice.
Deeply saddened and outraged at the brutal killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Syed Ali Khamenei by the US and Israel that has shaken the Muslim world. The people of JK collectively condemn this brutality and the ongoing aggression against Iran, as well as the massacre of innocent girl students in Minab.
In this hour of immense sorrow, our hearts beat with the resilient people of Iran. May Allah grant strength to the oppressed, elevate the martyrs, and bring swift justice to those responsible for this
This is a moment for the Ummah to rise above divisions and stand united and register our protest and solidarity against this killing and the continued aggression in the region. Mutahida Majlis-e-Ulama (MMU) has called for a complete strike tomorrow. We urge the people to observe it with unity, dignity, and complete peacefulness.
"My life has little value. I have a disabled body. I have a bit of dignity which you all have given me. I put all this on the line, ready to sacrifice everything-
May all this be sacrificed for you."
Ayatollah Sayyed Ali Khamanei
Lost in the grey monotony of existence, I search for meaning in the rain's rhythm. I'm sleeping while awake, standing by the window, leaning against it as against everything. The weight of inner emptiness lingers, even as the sky clears.
Recognizing reality as illusion & illusion as reality is equally necessary & useless. The contemplative life sees accidents as premises of an unattainable conclusion & dreams as worthy of attention. To see something in constantly new ways is to renew & multiply it.
A visit to Bait-ul-Meeras, Aalikadal organised by JKCS.
Young students from Downtown explored our rich meeras, took part in activities like painting, and spent quality time with friends and mentors, away from mobiles, closer to culture, creativity, and connection.
To educate is to awaken the soul to its own potential, to kindle the flame of passion that illuminates one's true calling. The right teacher is a gentle breeze that fans this flame, dispelling the shadows of mediocrity, revealing the inherent dignity of being.
From Welfare to Neglect:
The Urgent Need to Redefine Power Policy in Jammu & Kashmir.
Imtiyaz R. Chashti
In Jammu & Kashmir, electricity must no longer be viewed through the narrow lens of commercial consumption or revenue generation. It must be recognised as a critical public utility directly linked to human survival, public health, economic continuity, and social justice. When traditional state support systems such as timber, coal, firewood, and kerosene have been systematically withdrawn, electricity has become the sole remaining lifeline for millions facing unforgiving winters.
To charge exorbitant tariffs or subject people to prolonged outages in such conditions is not just poor governance, it is a failure of moral responsibility. A region blessed with enormous hydropower potential should not be reduced to energy insecurity, especially when its own natural resources are generating power that is exported elsewhere.
The power policy in Jammu & Kashmir must therefore transition from a profit-oriented framework to a welfare-driven model that accounts for geography, climate vulnerability, and historical context. Winter power subsidies, priority domestic supply, investment in local hydropower infrastructure, and restoration of region-sensitive welfare measures are not concessions, they are obligations of a responsible state.
Electricity here is not about convenience; it is about preserving life, protecting dignity, sustaining livelihoods, and ensuring that no household is forced to choose between warmth and survival.
In a territory where winter dictates the rhythm of life, denying affordable and reliable electricity is equivalent to denying the right to live with dignity.
@JKPCOfficial
Solitude exposes the mind's restlessness, revealing its aversion to silence and uncertainty. Embracing aloneness can cultivate self-awareness, emotional resilience, and maturity.