Cultural Affairs
Sir,
The time is always
right to do what is right. This is what the Chief
Minister has done, in establishing a separate
department of culture. As per news published in
this paper this Department will deal with the
affairs of the Departments like Directorate of
Libraries & Research, Directorate of Archives
Archaeology and Museums, Culture Academy, State
Gazetteers, Oriental Research Library, University
Complex, Hazratbal and Hospitality and Protocol.
Uptill now, all
these institutions had been tagged with the
Education Secretariat, which is pre-occupied with
its own huge problems and responsibilities. It
can afford no time to look into the affairs of
the above cultural departments. Intellegensia, in
the State who had been demanding freedom
separation of those Departments from the
Education Department. Will surely feel satisfied
at what our young Chief Minister has done and
offer their facilitation to him. Now, the first
work for the department of culture should be to
re-organise all these departments on sound lines.
They have remained inactive for decades. One
small example is that no research publication
came from the Oriental Research Library, since
the last 30 years from its vast collection of
Sanskrit, Arabic and Persian manuscripts. One
decade back the Tarikhi-i-Kashmir by Ramjoo Dhar
was published under my Directorship. There was
only one Archives Repository of Jammu, when I
took over as its Director in 1954. During my
tenure we did establish a records Repository at
Srinagar and another at Leh. We had to preserve
our records at District level also but no so such
thing was done.
In the domain of
Archaeology we had to establish a site museum at
Burzaham, Kutbal and Letpura what we could not do
it due to the apathy of the Administrative
departments and to make further excavation
programmes of the new sites explored by Deptt: of
Archaeology & Museums, during last 4 years.
It is gratifying
to note that a new museum building is coming up
at Lal Mandi. During all these previous decades,
we were only given dreams of Tehzib Mahal which
never matured.
It is a historical
fact that we have very rich traditions of our
composite culture-Be it Greek and Seythian, we
have its remnants at Akhnoor and Martand. If we
speak about the Habrew culture, we have legendary
graves of Moses for his ethipean wife at Bathpura
at Bandipur. The Mahayana progressive Buddhism
originated after the fourth Buddhist Council.
Ladakh represents the traditions of teaching of
Budha. Our silsila Risia or the Rishi order,
propounded by Lalla Ded and Nunda Rishi has given
to the world a message of peace, love and
brotherhood.
The newly
established Department of Culture shall have to
nourish our good traditions, our glorious
heritage and our bright future. For this it would
be advisable to have an advisory committee
consisting of eminent historian Archaeologists
Museologists and Scholars from the Jammu Poonch,
Doda and Ladakh. Maraz, Kamraz, Srinagar, Kargil
and Leh to pin point the steps to be taken to
revitalize our culture.
Yours etc...
Prof. Fida Hassnain
Tawi Vihar Colony
Sidhra, Jammu
Airport modernisation
Sir,
Airports are
becoming central to the development of the State.
There was a time when only a single flight
touched at Srinagar or Jammu airport. The
aircraft were small, a Fokker friendship or an
Avero in those time was all that Indian Airlines
could boast of.
Times have really
changed. Now at least seven flights touch the
airports at Srinagar or Jammu. The size of
aircrafts has increased and so have the number of
airlines which are more than six in addition to
Indian airlines. Soon there will be a time when
thousands of passengers per day will be
travelling by air. Keeping in view such future
demands the Government has to modernise airports
on a fast track basis. A news report was
published in this connection in this paper (Mar
21) which perhaps reflects the concern of the
authorities in this matter. There is an immediate
need to modernise and extend the runway of the
Jammu airport so that bigger aircraft land here.
Now Srinagar airport terminal has been modernised
and regular international flights will take off
from the airport especially to Gulf region.
Leh and Kargil
airports also need immediate changeover. The
runaways should be extended and atleast there
should be a daily flight from Leh to Jammu and
Srinagar. The State Govt has to improve as well
as to construct small airstrips at Kishtwar,
Doda, Rajouri, Poonch, Basohli so that smaller
airplans can land there. These airstrips shall
prove important when there, are exigencies.
Yours etc...
M K Tickoo
Manorma Vihar
Jammu
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