Oasis in a Desert

Never fall-back, face everything with determination. 

For sure, you will be victorious at the end

There is that one yearning soul, who never felt his thirst until he glimpsed a spring in the middle of a desert. So adorable, captivating or enchanting that it took him only a fraction of second to comprehend its value.  Paradoxically, the Oasis, we are talking about is rigidly showing a disregard to the desperate requisition[s] made. It (Oasis) addresses him, “to pass away, the pure water available here is not meant for you. For sure, you deserve not to afford it. It is so costly that you cannot even imagine affording it”.

The sad soul is repeatedly being pushed off, put down & mercilessly being dejected.

Regardless of what he is being said and directed for, he keeps on insisting, requesting & petitioning. That he is not willing to give up.

Initially, he was not feeble, but, some (self-created) ordeals have made him lose some fortitude. Now he goes unconscious. At times he falls down. For some moments, he does become silent.

Despite that, as soon as he comes to life again, he finds himself in the very deplorable condition, near the same reservoir, with the same intensity of thirst. So for the time being, he once again realizes the purpose of traveling to the oasis. Thereby, it inspires him. He gets overwhelming hope. Though he is still thirsty, however, time and again he won’t be given even a drop of water in mercy. Ruthlessly he gets demoted. But, what keeps him alive is the intention to live on to hope and dream.

He holds onto beseeching for some amount of water, but of no value. This time he is purposely being disheartened to not drink the water, he pledges. “For it is poisoned. You will die. Get some fresh water from another pond, which may be nearby”, with these words he is ignored.

When, he regains his conscious, yet, another time. It is being said, “The cold water you ask for is polluted. You’re fooled and deceived by its shape. It has [no]thing kept for you. Except that you’re allowed to peer at”.

Against this, what seems [un]realized is, the oasis he has reached, happens to be at a place which is bleak outside. There is nothing except the hope of this reserve. Had been there something else, perhaps, the fate of this wandering soul would have melted and greeted that.

The spring, which will quench his thirst, and put in a new life in him, is definitely passing through agony, as is evident from its location. But, it is so appealing spring that it is utterly ignorant of its true fascination. So magnetic and striking that it has come as a blessing for the desperate man, in a place where nothing, but only fate meets destiny. Its serenity has made him felt that he is yet [un]dead. Its essence for him is such that it cannot be put into words.

Nonetheless, whatever endeavors, pledges & attempts he may make. All gets struck down and yelled upon by the glamorous spring. It seems not bothering about the repeating calls from the thirsty soul. It keeps on watching, how the person, in an urge to quench, will die while soliciting for a savior. Though it knows he is murmuring. It still is freezing, readily, in refusal to the soul of least recognition.

Whether it is a crystal clear ‘No’, or it is like his ‘forbearance’ is being examined. Whatever! It cannot break him down.

The striving soul’s morale to stand there in extreme ‘heat & humidity’ may result in his going-into-unconscious. But, the oasis has to medicate his quench. It has to prevent him from dehydration. Because he didn't go there, his path and luck made him land there. He happens there not to pass on like others do; He reach[ed] there to get involved in the very delightful spring of sweet-fill-in. He knows there lies nothing outside. It is all dreadful for him to even envy for what lies in the surrounding.

The blessed soul is though stoic, but he has been told by someone, “You get everything, provided you ask for it with a true heart”. Thus he has asked for this oasis of beautification.

He is honestly examining, where this belief will take him…! Whether it the with poison or cool clean water? It doesn't matter for him. For, he’ll love to die again and again by tasting its poison. Now, if it is the thing which may quench his thirst; he, if allowed, would immensely and unstoppably be quenching his thirst throughout his life, from the-only-oasis. Until then he keeps on asking, praying, wishing, hoping, aspiring and conveying, proposing or waiting for the affirmation of spring, which has the ‘blended beauty and the tantalizing aroma’…….

Mashooq Yousuf Malik

The Doubt People Possess

After all, we are humans. We can fall prey to anything.

 May it be a doubt or contagious disease.

People appreciate; then they ignore. People trust; then they get hurt. People build; then they destroy. People plead mildly, and then they swindle, too. But there exist some who can realize; resort trust; build firmly; remain honest and illustrate the life to the extent of inspiration. 

Enough literature is written to describe the theories- of right and wrong, confidence and doubt. Yet, every generation brings out its own way of fear, suspicion and craft of living. 

Talking of which (doubt), reminds me, “We are a generation of broken hearts and catastrophic souls”. We get killed and cheated each day. We get attached and go apart. We get vegetated, then, we start life again.

But, do we know where things are good for us. Or, we don’t wish them to be good. We want them broken, so that they may not create much of fuss. We live in fractions of time, why would we want to talk for life. Our life begins on foreign land and ends with a see off. Our perceptions change like a chameleon’s character. Our life takes a rebirth, but, before that, we never lived once.

We were people, but, we started to haunt. We were social, and then we got stuck with freebies (as of Wi-Fi). We used to be original, but we became manufactured. Our hurts are more than our wealth. Our joys don’t overlap. We prefer to be an introvert, and then we share life. We want to live, but, then again we don’t want to miss a much. Our miseries are more often self-created. Our beliefs are becoming disloyal. We weep, and then we find a reason to smile.

We search. Again go for research, but we conclude that ‘alternatives’ should be there to make us happy. We maintain a network, which becomes a ‘chronic disease’. We name relations, which we never mean.

We judge people on others estimation, and on our own. We miss opportunities for meagre flashes; fallback, not to face the world. We let the things go; don’t want them to stay around. We become broken; however, we don’t let the world feel. We know things are polluted; then again we buy some. We love taste than that of smoothness. We equate between love and friendship. We keep wounds open to feel the oozing of blood.

We fall for one thing and compromise on another. We create disaster under the garb of falsified sympathy and affection. Then, again we repent of not dying the way we had prepared.

We believe in destiny, but we don’t want to strive. We become moderate. And, then, far away from props, we start cloning the destiny, which at times kept knocking on the door, until the dusk put it away.

In the backdrop of all of this, we forget who we are. We rely on nothingness. We pretend that history repeats but prefer not to create. We sideline ones who are being sent by destiny. We sleep to ease burdens, whereas someone(s) remains awake in thoughts. We feel all people are same; sailing in one boat. Then, we label them. Warn ourselves against them. We agitate against caste and classism. However, we practice otherwise. We refuse to be social. But, we don’t acknowledge the adversary of refusal.

We pledge to be happy, but we push away happiness. We believe in nature, but don’t want to be part of the fascination, sorrow and misery. Mostly ‘we don’t let our questions to be answered, reasons to be justified, and fate to be accepted’. We keep examining the real objects until they get buried… For, we’re people; we raise and live in doubts… sometime to clarify the truth, but, most often, to transform the reality and disregard the honesty.

A Promise of Love

Love never fades away;

With the silliness of time;

It keeps breathing anyway…..

At times in shape of memories;

It keeps us pinching straight away….

The strange iridescent limpidness;

Keeps pulping in a sharp way…..

Rejuvenates at the promising stint;

It always engulfs the lit of affection;

And jellies one to not shy away…..

Remember it never fades;

With the quench of certain warmth,

It keeps breathing in a soulful way.

Medical (Un)Ethics: Undermining the Hippocratic Oath?

(Also published in  http://kashmirreader.com/2017/06/21/medical-unethics-undermining-the hippocratic-oath/ )

Days before, I overheard a conversation of a group of girls at my university campus. One of them complained to others “doctors these days fail to diagnose the patient, yet provide the prescriptions and recommend tests.” With all energy, they would refer to particular cases.

Being a sacrosanct profession, the profession of a doctor distinguishes its successors as noble human beings. Like other professions, it has also been, however, subject to some intrinsic ethical principles famously known as ‘Hippocratic Oath.’ The Indian Medical Council Regulations, 2002 which endorses the Hippocratic Oath states that “the prime object of the medical profession is to render service to the humanity at large; reward or financial gain is thereby a subordinate consideration.”

So, why has the profession of a doctor earned an infamy? There can, possibly, be an indefinite number of reasons given the magnitude and proportions the rot in the profession has taken. I, however, identify the following:

1.      The fact that Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) is a hub of spurious medicines is now an open secret. It has rather become a fact of life in this part of the world. Only recently, a national level drug survey in India has claimed that 8.37 per cent of drugs provided in government-run hospitals in J&K have been found “not of standard quality” (Tribune India, Feb 22, 2017). All this happens despite the existence of a full-fledged central level legislation on the point. This’s horrifying. What’s more, doctors are very part of the phenomenon in that they prescribe drugs with the trade name rather than the generic. This’s actually the point where the problem, in fact, starts.

2.      Currently, over five million cases of medical negligence are recorded on an average every year in India ranging from wrong drugs to the uncalled for surgeries (India Today Magazine, Oct 9, 2014). Needless to say, doctors contribute to the problem in a phenomenal way. India Medical Times reported a 110% cumulative increase in medical negligence cases per year in India.

3.      Doctors posted at the government hospitals more often lure patients to their private clinics. A local weekly Kashmir Life (Feb 27, 2017) recently reported one such incident wherein a doctor posted at the state’s premier medical institute (SKIMS) had recommended a patient to a private clinic for some medical tests. While the said doctor had done so despite the facility at the institute, rest part of the story is not hard to understand.

4.      Recommending medical tests have become the norm with the twenty-first century doctors. A casual visit to a doctor’s clinic can land you in a medical laboratory for an unnecessary examination.

5.      Again, doctors aren’t at a bay in matters of sex selection and the killing of female fetus. The recent census figures, which show a skewed sex ratio in the state, are an indicator. The National Centre for Biotechnology Information has, in 2014, reported selective abortions of girls in India tallied about 4·2-12·1 million from 1980-2010.

6.      The scenario got worse when the Apex Court, in 2011, after hearing a writ petition that challenged a government order banning private practice of doctors, ruled that “defying the ban doesn’t amount to any illegality or corruption.”

Having reached a point of no return, all this’s an utter disregard of the Hippocratic Oath. All this happens despite the Geneva Declaration, 1948, adopted by the World Medical Assembly, directed the member countries to take punitive measures against the violators of sacred oath. Now, financial gain appears to be the prime object of medical profession; “service to humanity” only supplementary. It’s time to translate the Geneva Declaration, 1948 into action.

Tailpiece: An advocate may cause asset-loss to his client; a teacher may seek pearls from private tuition, but a doctor’s deviation destructs life, results in economic loss and causes mental agony.

(Mashooq Yousuf Malik is the student of LLM at School of Legal Studies, CU-Kashmir. Feedback at mashooq.law@gmail.com)

Falter the Love

I inscribed the task to dodge the love;

But, my soul dumps to indicate it.

I may not hesitate to turn up the rear;
But, my heart is feeble to accept it. 

My physique is, but soaring high;
Yet my scruples don't embrace it.

I may discern my feelings too;

But, the reasons in mind tumble for it.

I want to explore the shining bits;

Still, I'm fearful to finish in it.

Every movement I see, I fall;

Yet, I am inept to render it.

I fixed to avoid the turmoil;

My soul rebuffs to verve thru it.

Oh! My soul let you decide my fate;

Until that my heart will indicate it.

I won’t repent to abandon it;

But, if I may have a drop of it.

      

The Journey of Five Years at Central University of Kashmir (Some Pleasing and Bitter Experiences…!)

During the days of my high school I was very much anxious to join the college level of education, since I had perceived from elders about the impression and compassion of college life. People used to tell me that college life is filled with lot of charm, excitement, fun and it gives us an opening to live an independent student life. Heedless of this when it comes to University life; Oh gosh! They would speak that in University there is solemnity on the part of students and people distillate mostly on the studies than on any other undertakings. Not only this, University life is the life where people hardly remain societal. But astoundingly, what I experienced in university life throughout my five years of experience went all against the taboos-of which I had earlier heard about. Undoubtedly, I missed the fun wrapped life of college and it gave me a sort of disdain too but wait… let me complete; I must mention that auspiciously the same gap is filled by my direct admittance into university from school which presented me the loads of glorious movements to remember and to share with other people for rest of my life.

Flashing back to year 2011; the year I began my course of law at Central University of Kashmir. I was quite enthusiastic about my admission in the university and so much enchanted for the picturesque which my mind had formed about the varsity of university campuses, that they are so much enormous and thousands of students cum scholars study there. Thus I was eager for joining the class work which was to begin in the month of August that year. Being so much impatient, on the very first day of same month, I left for the university which at that time was placed at Magarmal-Bagh Srinagar. Searching for the University campus with so much vehemence for quite a long time, what I found was a white-coated rented building based on three floors with a big billboard (displaying Central University of Kashmir) held on its rusted and spoilt gate. Ash! This entire scene shocked me, because I hadn’t realized my university campus like the nest of a bird. Subsequently there was only one building of this kind, thus I thought it was reserved only for one department, but then from the gate keeper I came to distinguish that the building was reserved for five departments with two rooms for each. Someone showed me the rooms available for ‘School of Legal Studies’ and in the mean time I found that the building was jam packed by students of all five departments, who like me also seemed dejected by their (big!) campus. With this my journey of five years integrated law at Central University started, besides I silently buried my expectations of ‘Fantasy University Campus’ on the gate of that block of University. Being the high school pass out I was quite zealous about the versatile University campus but what I got was like the same school building, where I hit the road for bigger dream of the University and this made me feel like I have been promoted to new class in my school….!!!

Although being upset for not getting what I had expected, I got something more mesmerizing and undreamed-of. Absolutely… and that was the genus of gift which was endowed to me in the form of tutors and my own batch buddies of the School of Legal Studies, CuK. Perhaps, this gift was bequeathed to me for being aggrieved of the amenities which are vital for the university level students.  I didn’t get what I had anticipated but what I got was & is acceptable replacement for all that I looked-for. The teachers here I got were perfect for my guidance and hardly anyone can replace their adoration towards the students. Wow! I can fairly recall the scene of our first year; that startled environment of our class and the acute supervision of our teachers which at that time made us to beat the time also. Oh! How can I forget to comment upon that motherly assertiveness of our beloved ma’am “Asst. Prof. Gul-Afroz”, who used to teach us three subjects and in each session she was having the apt avatar. Bravo! It provides me an immense pleasure to inscribe about our other teachers too. They were great and solely resilient towards our learning. They used to motivate us each and every time by every possible approach. Occasionally they make us to watch documentaries, even in the class room. I can still dredge up every such thing, but trust me it makes me emotive every movement I think of those times and I wish to live them again, as now I realize the significance of those priceless days.

With the passing of first year and shifting of the University block to Zanakote, some things got thinned down. Because, now we were the seniors and our attitude towards the studies has reformed. Perhaps, now we comprehended ourselves as University students. May be, it was because the building we were recently shifted-to was big, and here in Zanakote, our 2^nd university-block was surrounded with paddy fields or here library was a slight bigger than the first one. One more horrible stance with this block of University is the accident of my few batch mates on the passing-by national highway, which still makes me scared and at that time made me felt like we won’t survive until the last semester. Apart from this, often times students used to stuck in the traffic jam and eventually reach late to the classes. Due to the escalation of burden of studies (don’t be stunned!), and University campus being situated in the out skirts of city, I felt like our three semesters at Zanakote passed more quickly than first year of our degree.

As soon as our campus moved to Nowgam, where everything as related to aforementioned blocks was much satisfying, however… not as much worthy that it could wipe-out my memories of previous places. Impulsively at Nowgam block, I started to become conscious about the passing of halfway journey of our degree, but time here also went too fast and I till the last semester of my degree could not feel that soon I have to leave the family which was worth a gift to me for last five years. It may be because I tried to gear up myself to handle the different assignments necessary for my course of law. But wait... how it is possible? For, I could not easily gather my serenity to daunt of our teachers like ‘Burhan Sir’. He off and on used to scold us in order to see the improvisation on our part. I would love to listen to him again but I know time will never allow me a one more chance, even if I wish to. I could not get enough time to be guided under the patronage of our respected Head of Department ‘Dr. Sheikh Showkat’. At the verge of my degree, now I realized the importance of being the student of ‘Mubashir Sir’, ‘Mashooq Sir’, and ‘Dr. Mudasir Sir’. I still wish to take the prolific words of advice from ‘Dr. Rehana Ma’am’ and ‘Unanza Ma’am’. It was always nice to get encouraged by the ‘Hilal Sir’. Actually due to this keen attention & sober attitude of our teachers I always felt like I study in a preparatory school and not in a University.

Last but not least; as is said that people come and go, like the waves of ocean; but there are some whom you want to retain in your life. And, those whom I wish to retain in my life are my batch mates. Yes, you read it right…. They always were grateful and humble to me. In fact, they form the family of mine. I learnt innumerable things from them; they all are wise and unique in persona. They made me felt the value of collectiveness and how it looks to be social. I acknowledge that sometimes there were some differences but at the same instance I always felt their truthfulness to each other. I have always observed that whatever riffs there happen to be were all immaterial. These guys were unified, gutsy, compassionate, sympathetic and mostly amusing enough to become everyone’s favorite. Wish I should not leave this family, but I know it is the established precedent of life that we have to move on to continue the journey of life. I cannot stop anyone of them even I cannot pray that they shouldn’t leave me. I hope the moments we lived together remain olive forever. And always stay blessed wherever they go. I pray to my Almighty Allah! to confer my batch mates with bigger triumphs and long endurances.                                                                                                                 …………….Cheerios...!!!

Regards…..

Mashooq Yousuf Malik

Batch: 2011-2016

Email: mashooq.law@gmail.com

Changing Perspectives of Gender Prejudice……

A woman is an ingenious gift and the sensitive art of nature without whom the world is
incomplete. Despite the fact that women constitute almost half of population of world, they are also the largely suffered section in every society. Everything has developed in the contemporary times of globalization, but position of women continues to be astonishing and worse. From times immemorial a woman is treated as a commodity, a slave who is submissive for household, bound to look after the children & to stay indebted to the orders of her spouse without any sigh of relief, even sometimes contrary to her will. To rouse up early in the morning she has to prepare breakfast, drop the children at school, and till the end of day has to endure with domestic labor. Still the reward given to them is-they do not work. It is accredited that women are the honor & prestige of family, but it is very ill-fated that their interests are being looked down in a disheartened and disgraced manner. In case of education she is either totally snubbed or given improper education i.e. to represent her as literate but not educated. Studies divulge that in rural areas a girl is seldom allowed to opt to a job and that too
should be nothing other than a moderate job. In the modern parlance once the girl brings to an end her course of college education, she is abandoned to go out, and reluctantly arrangements for her marriage are commenced. In this way her life & liberty is shortened to the four walls and thus condensed in a well fashioned manner.

The system of relegating the women starts right from her birth. Conventionally in Kashmir, when a newly baby takes birth, first thing being queried is ‘what is the sex of child’, if it is girl child, the head bows down and humiliation is expressed. While as for a male child the blessings, gifts and presents come from everywhere. It is very pity that even father of a girl child introduces himself as ill-starred and heirless. No sooner the girl starts crawling, instead of bringing playing toys, parents start depositing securities for her marriage. When begins to understand the people around her, she is being reminded of her identity. A girl cannot rule, perhaps she has born to be ruled. In the parental home, she follows her parents and is dominated by the brother(s), similarly after marriage trend to follow never gets offshore.

At the intellectual level seminars, debates, conferences and discussions are held to
subsidize this irregularity. Fatefully, this discussion obsoletes until those lunches & suppers,
which take place in such conference halls under the shelter of women empowerment. Irony is that the people who mostly talk about it, become perpetuates of same in one or other way. At large, women empowerment is advocated in the jam-packed courts of law. But experience and study reveal that the gender bias has immanent in these courts too. Even the lawyering of women is discouraged at its best. On the papers every civilized society has drafted a framework for the respect, equality & dignity of women. The constitution of India as well as constitution of J&K consists of principle provisions in terms of Preamble, Fundamental rights, Fundamental duties and directive principles which enshrine and safeguards the rights of women. Per constitutional provisions given within these heads, States are empowered to adopt the measures of positive discrimination in favor of the women, for the mere purpose of intensifying the status of women. However, taking the note of these constitutional
safeguards, on one side it looks that drafting committee has left no leaf unturned to prevent the women from falling prey to the exploitation and violence. But on the other side position at the ground level in honoring these safeguards has always been an outrage, which is more clearly displayed by the heavy increase in day-to-day foul plays like sexual assaults, acid attacks and domestic violence. It looks that ‘we people’ generally being the members of ‘civil society’ are ready to rectify the interest of women, but at individual level we never are ready to fall all over oneself. It shows that our patriarch freedom is intimidated in such spine-chilling and terrible way that it puts no constraints on individuals (men) while they resort to the disgusting acts against this victim (women) folk.

Irrespective of the factual certainty that females contribute in every sector of the state, yet the position of women in our society is deplorable at its best and cruelty against them is at its worst. Till present, women are unable to attain the environment of exactness; where there could be no more teasing and sexual harassments; where there could be respect and dignity for them; and where women could no longer be treated as commodities and shall be free to room in safe and secure way. Alas! Instead of coming out of it, the paradigm of ill-treatment for women has shifted from one form to other. Earlier it was quite informal now it is purely organized. One such illustration is the projection of negative & degrading images of women in the mass media. As of general perception that violence against women in State of Jammu and Kashmir as compared to other parts of India is rarely prevalent. But, continuing heavy armed struggle has affected the lives of whole people in general & women of the Kashmir in particular. It demoralized, degraded & debased the women folk, simultaneously resulted in the issues of half widows, destitute and sexual abuse, which paved the way for their traumatic disorders.
Without stretching & embellishing the words further it is to be concluded that modern scenario does not ask us to educate the educated, or produce the papers to fetch the degrees under the banner of women empowerment. Nor it is time to keep defining theoretically the status of women, moreover it is time to redefine pragmatically what from decades has been incorporated & enacted for the betterment of women.

 (Mashooq Yousuf Malik studies law at School of Legal Studies, Central University of Kashmir.
Feedback at mashooq.law@gmail.com )