A large majority of voters in the Indian-part of Kashmir have sent a clear message to the world that they want democracy and will not bow to the diktats of militants/separatists.
London’s Financial Times reports: “Separatists who want an independent state. or a merger with Pakistan, had urged Kashmiris to boycott the election (to the State assembly). Yet the turnout was about 60 per cent and voting was largely peaceful.
“The Indian government on Sunday proclaimed the result of elections in Jammu and Kashmir as a lesson for Pakistan, its adversary in two wars over the disputed territory, and other countries in the region.
“India has blamed Lashkar-e-Taiba, a Pakistani militant group that fights against Indian control of Kashmir, for the devastating strike on its financial centre. The final stages of the ballot in the Himalayan region were held as tension escalated between India and Pakistan following the Mumbai terrorist attacks at the end of November, which killed 179 people.” More here…
The young 38-year-old politician, Omar Abdullah, the president of the National Conference party in the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir has emerged as the favourite to become the new chief minister, reports the BBC.
The Reuters says: “Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has called the high voter turnout a ‘vote for democracy’ and Congress President Sonia Gandhi has said this should be a message for ‘our neighbours’ (about what the people of Kashmir want).
“Fed up of living under the constant shadow of violence in a state divided under religious lines, Kashmiri voters surprised seasoned political pundits by turning up in large numbers to cast their ballots.” More here…
The Indian Express reports: “And for a change, nobody was tuning in to the few Pakistani channels which are aired in the Valley, as none of them covered the Kashmir poll results.” More here…
The Times of India reports that “J&K poll result leaves Pakistan media cold.” More here…
Swaraaj Chauhan describes his two-decade-long stint as a full-time journalist as eventful, purposeful, and full of joy and excitement. In 1993 he could foresee a different work culture appearing on the horizon, and decided to devote full time to teaching journalism (also, partly, with a desire to give back to the community from where he had enriched himself so much.)
Alongside, he worked for about a year in 1993 for the US State Department’s SPAN magazine, a nearly five-decade-old art and culture monthly magazine promoting US-India relations. It gave him an excellent opportunity to learn about things American, plus the pleasure of playing tennis in the lavish American embassy compound in the heart of New Delhi.
In !995 he joined WWF-India as a full-time media and environment education consultant and worked there for five years travelling a great deal, including to Husum in Germany as a part of the international team to formulate WWF’s Eco-tourism policy.
He taught journalism to honors students in a college affiliated to the University of Delhi, as also at the prestigious Indian Institute of Mass Communication where he lectured on “Development Journalism” to mid-career journalists/Information officers from the SAARC, African, East European and Latin American countries, for eight years.
In 2004 the BBC World Service Trust (BBC WST) selected him as a Trainer/Mentor for India under a European Union project. In 2008/09 He completed another European Union-funded project for the BBC WST related to Disaster Management and media coverage in two eastern States in India — West Bengal and Orissa.
Last year, he spent a couple of months in Australia and enjoyed trekking, and also taught for a while at the University of South Australia.
Recently, he was appointed as a Member of the Board of Studies at Chitkara University in Chandigarh, a beautiful city in North India designed by the famous Swiss/French architect Le Corbusier. He also teaches undergraduate and postgraduate students there.
He loves trekking, especially in the hills, and never misses an opportunity to play a game of tennis. The Western and Indian classical music are always within his reach for instant relaxation.
And last, but not least, is his firm belief in the power of the positive thought to heal oneself and others.