Roots and Reflections - Exploring Ideas, Experiences and Wisdom

In our fast-changing world, shaped by technology, culture, and lifestyles that keep changing there is one disturbing trend among children today: children are neglecting their elderly parents. Parents who once represented knowledge, experience, and love are now considered lonely, isolated, and forgotten members of their own family. The respect and reverence we once had for our elders has lessened with each addition to our modern and unique lives. It was not long ago that families were typically together in joint family structures raising children and eventually raising their grandchildren. In joint family systems, the elderly were inherently the heads of the family unit; they were involved in all the big decisions made by the family and provided caring companionship to their children and grandchildren. They were thought of as gifts, blessings, and included aspects of your life that were necessary. Parents of today live an independent life in a nuclear family structure. In our world toda...

Author :- Prof. Rattan Lal Hangloo Publishers:- Francis & Taylor in London / Manohar Publishers in India Price:- 146 USD The book "The state in Medieval Kashmir" is an honest effort by Mr Hangloo into the The state in medieval Kashmir is a book that is an honest attempt by Mr Hangloo into the thin veneer of state in medieval Kashmir and it is a threadbare effort of the author to lay open all the factors, processes, and interplay of forces, rituals, traditions and religious implications related, if at all, to the process of state formation in Medieval Kashmir. In the field of Indian historiography, which is expanding rapidly, regional studies are finally getting grasp the emphasis they long desired. One of the real contributions to this new fold is the latest presentation of Professor Rattan Lal Hangloo, an eminent historian of medieval India. His book on the political processes and power structures of medieval Kashmir is notable for being a sincere, theoretically expansiv...

I had the opportunity to visit the ancient temple of Kulwagishuri in Kulgam District of South Kashmir, which is not only important spiritually, but it is also renowned for its ancient heritage, four years back. It is a holy temple full of natural beauty and it is an important place for the Kashmiri Pandits. I spent a week in the temple premises and my relative, Rahul Koul, who lives in the temple complex, welcomed me warmly and made my visit personally special. Rahul not only allow me appreciate History and sanctity of Kulwagishuri but also accompany me to several other shrines across Kulgam helping me value this unique pilgrimage experience. The tranquility, divine vibe and natural nag (spring) in the premises made the visit poignant and amazing.  Kashmir, or the land of spirituality, is famous for its venerable temples and sacred shrines that symbolize the cultural and religious syncretism of generations. From the revered Shankaracharya Temple standing above Srinagar, to the Khee...

                  Amarnath Vaishnavi, an iconic figure among the Kashmiri Pandits, was born in August 1925, into a family rooted in deep cultural and traditional values. His birth in a momentous year - the same year that witnessed the coronation of the last Dogra Maharaja, Sri Hari Singh - symbolized, in many ways, the bridge between a fading era of monarchial rule and the impending winds of political change. Amarnath Vaishnavi was the son of Sri Sarvanand Vaishnavi and Smt. Divyamali, both of whom belonged to a respectable Kashmiri Pandit lineage. Although their family hailed from Srinagar, the heart of Kashmir, circumstances related to his father's transferable government job led them to be settled in Jammu by the time of his birth. The early years of Amarnath Vaishnavi's life unfolded against the backdrop of a state undergoing considerable social and political transformation. The Dogra rule, although still firmly in place, was increasingly...

Today one of my childhood friend Salim planned my visit to the sacred Khanbarni temple which is situated at Devsar Kulgam district of Kashmir valley. This temple is located in south Kashmir and is an important place of worship for all devotees especially Kashmiri pandit community and thank God I was fortunate enough to visit this place. The visit had particular significance as it was a personal visit to my roots, albeit one made difficult through my upbringing in Jammu, as the knowledge of contemporary Kashmir ideology limits geographical knowledge at both the local and regional narratives. I really feel proud that I had the privilege of visiting the Khanbarni Mata Temple, a place of deep spiritual significance and serenity. Accompanying me on this journey was my dear university friend, Mohd. Salim, a local Kashmiri from Tullinowpora Danow, Kulgam. Salim, with his vast geographical knowledge of the region, was the perfect guide and companion. His warm welcome and heartfelt hospitality ...