Transfer of female teachers

Sir,

It is a matter of pride for teachers community in J&K that a personality like Mr. Harsh Dev has become Education Minister of J&K. We hope that all the genuine and pending demands of the teachers shall be accepted under his kind stewardship very soon.

We know that whenever the matters relating to the teachers community had come for discussion in the State assembly during the regime of NC Govt., you were kind enough to show your full cooperation and solidarity in highlighting and forcing the Govt. to accept the genuine demands of the teachers.

Similarly, the issue regarding inter-district transfers of married female teachers was also raised by your goodself from time to time during the previous Govt. but no orders could be passed by the concerned department despite your best efforts.

Now, your goodself has taken over the charge of Education Department and you have all the abilities and courage to solve the problems of married female teachers, it is requested that our long pending demands may kindly be accepted so that our grievances are redressed.

Yours etc...
All Married Female Teachers
Through Usha Kumari, Teacher.

Attach priority to culture

Sir,

This has a reference to the article written by Ravinder Kaul entitled, 'Let Culture be the First Priority'. I am writing to express my support for the article. As an art conservator and curator at Amar Mahal Museum and Library, Jammu, I have keenly felt the apathy of the Government for art and culture.

The past Governments have not supported their rhetoric of " we must preserve our cultural heritage" with a well designed legislative framework. The respect shown to art and culture is reflected in the state of our museums, archives and art schools. Even the fine arts course at the Institute of Music and Fine Arts, Jammu which has produced such fine artistes for the country is not affiliated to the University of Jammu. Instead it has been linked with Academy of Art, Culture and Languages, which in the words of its own employees is only focused on theater.

I strongly feel that we have truly lost the ethos of our composite culture because every time a historic structure was burnt -be it Charar-e-Sharif or Mandi Mubarek, our Government and people just sat and watched. Our regions can still come together if only the Government and people work for community based cultural preservation programs.

By providing support to craftspeople from all three regions and organizing opportunities for exchange within regions the new Government will be taking a meaningful step toward strengthening inter community bonds. It has to be long term program with a vision.

To achieve this the government will have to engage in a dialogue with the community and not few self touted representatives of art and culture.

If the Government truly wants to influence the youth, it will have to rejuvenate the departments for social science in the state universities and introduce fields of study like cultural history, history of art and museology at the post graduate levels. Last but not the least we already have two state museums and an archives. Why can not we have special days that bind us together celebrated at these institutions? After all a museum stands for collection, preservation and dissemination of cultural heritage for the joy and enlightenment of its people. But where are the people in these museums? They are dirty, neglected sad spaces that exhibit sick looking artifacts. Why can not I as a citizen of J&K go to my state museum and learn about the art of Pashmina making or miniature making or paper making when Muslims, Hindus and Buddhists from this State together have been making all three in their different styles for a long time yet none of the museums even have a basic exhibition on this rich tradition of craft sharing. A pity, is it not?

Yours etc...
Aparna Tandon
Curator and Art Conservator
Amar Mahal Museum and Library, Jammu
At present: Conservation Guest Scholar at the J.Paul Getty Museum.