Tufail haunted them all...

"...Tufail haunted them all.They attacked his funeral. But he defied the restrictions. He was laughing. Laughing at their helplessness. Tufail was proudly walking through the thousands of graves in Malkhah. He was betterly different. He traversed the best path to reach the same end. They were jealous also. They fired in Gojwara chowk and expressed their jealousy to harrass tufail's soul. But the soul was liberated. Liberated from the time and space coordinates of their understanding. He gave a smirk and marched ahead. The tear smoke cannister and bullet could no longer scare, injure or murder him. He was laid to rest with all those who laughed in the same way at their own turn. Who haunted them the same way. Whose funeral was attacked the same way. It was a repetition of a sort. The repetition that many of us may be a part of once. The repetition that is gathering mass. The mass that at one time will have a mass effect. Even coffin of Tufail was enough to push them to enforce the restrictions again. They didn't allow the coffin to reach back to Saida Kadal the place Tufail was grown up for eighteen years to see this friday. The coffin scared them to the extent that they fired again and again and again. Tufail a student of science with no history of 'involvement' gave another smirk from Eidgah as the barriers were no longer there. He laughed at them again. Tufail could see his father wailing on the way back home and mother still not accepting the transition of his only son. He just wanted to share with his mother how he was murdered, he wanted to give his version. The version that matters. He wanted to convey how a coin for busfare felt on the ground when they attacked him. He wanted to say that he had plans to complete the homework that evening. He wanted to say how he was silenced for the real real world. But he couldnot. He bade a goodbye to his parents.He left the a huge homework for others. An assignment that may be given many twists and turns now..."

The Red Factor!

Before driving red Alto death dropped him dead

http://www.risingkashmir.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=24226&Itemid=1

"Who will drive the red-colour car now?" wails Rubina, mother of Tufail Ahmad Matoo (17) of Saidakadal, allegedly killed in police action in Rajouri Kadal area on Friday evening, while he was returning from tuition. Tufail, the only child to his parents, had few days back alongwith his father Muhammad Ashraf Matoo made a choice of buying a red-colour Maruti Alto for the family. They were to purchase the car next week. "He saw his own red blood spilled, not the car," says Rubina, who has taken ill after the incident. Rubina is yet to accept the reality and is reminiscing the labour that went into the upbringing of Tufail. Muhammad Ashraf, who works with a MNC in Mumbai, was just looking at the sky in his lawn as if counting stars in broad daylight. "My holiday was soaked in the blood of my son. I shouldered his funeral; who will shoulder mine." This joint family of Saidakadal has lost its 'blue eyed' boy. "He was the centre stage of all happenings in the family. Everybody used to envy his shy but intelligent self," says Showkat Ahmed, uncle of Tufail. "His ambition was to become a doctor and had passed the 10th standard with distinction." A popular football player of the area, Tufail had knack for the computers as well. "During leisure time, it was all him and his computer," says Showkat. Renovated recently, the multi-storeyed, ancestral house of Matoos wore a dreary look. The flowers in the garden, even though in full bloom, appeared drooped as if pointing to an early death of a loved one. "He was a rose in our garden. The garden has lost its essence now," says Showkat while poiting towards the room of Tufail. Nadeem, 15, cousin of Tufail, was sitting in the corridor of his house, with tears rolling down his cheeks. "I lost a playmate. He was an inspiration for me." A student of science at Dargah Higher Secondary, Tufail seemed to have foreseen his death. "He gave me a long and passionate hug while coming out of the mosque after Friday prayers. He did not utter a word and just smiled. As if we were meeting for the last time. It proved true," says Muhammad Afnan, a friend of Tufail.

F for functions; F for flattery!

http://www.risingkashmir.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=23553&Itemid=51 Of the functions, for the functions, by the functions... Darbar has shifted to Srinagar. His Highness is here and so are all the functions, ceremonies, innuagrations, validictories, openings, parties and outings as well. The much disturbed air again meets the ear-piercing sirens of the cavalcades of Very Impotent (of course for jobs) Persons. All departments have geared up, not for the regular work but for the “special functions” to appease their bosses for the next six months. The coming months at the summer capital will be quite busy till October at least unless something “too happening” comes our way. Amid all this the poor dust in the auditoriums of government offices and other ceremonial places becomes victim of the “happening capital”. It has to migrate after a settlement of six months. The Public Relation Officers (Media Relation Officers) in offices too are a species of its kind. They all have been sucessful in 'redefining' the term 'public.' Inboxes of mails and cellphones of journalists are full of information and invitations these days. They are considered to be the public. Journalists are hyper-busy as well for few months from now. After all who will cover the functions? All this has to get recorded somewhere and thanks that His Highness has more faith on many journalists than his people on rolls. Coming back to functions, it seems the government is all about of the functions, for the functions and by the functions. The function pattern in government is set like the expired syllabus of the traditional educational boards or the sequence of a DD Kashir serial. It all starts with inaugural part: panacea for all the problems you have with your higher ups. One just has to manage a seat of the immediate officer in front row and speak a line about him from podium. Inviting him or her for lecture on dias is cherry on the cake.Promotion or some favour is just moments away! This is the most important session for journalists. People who want to show face just for attendance too are seen in the session. Interestingly distribution of bouquets and momentos happens during the innuagral as well. The officials in the department distribute momentos amongst themselves. Commisioner Secretary gives to Minister, Director gives to Commisoner Secretary, Deputy Director gives to Director and chain follows according to demand. It is a perfect family scene but the members behaving like strangers and many a time it is true as well. Interestingly the show is managed from money spent from the pocket of another dowtrodden family called 'public.' Public (not the PRO definition) often sit and clap on how their money is being distributed on stage. The host plays the role of traditional 'Qasidda Khaan' narrating all the poetry of Iqbal, Galib and other poets to shower praises on officials and policy makers who many a time are under the scanner for different 'issues.' Now comes the best session of a function. Luch break! The part everyone enjoys but the poor family called 'public' are discriminated here as well. They are chased away to make way for those who have really put in all the efforts in innuagral session. Leave the public! we are talking about the 'elite.' Here comes the grand feast and department or whoever is the host gets cleanchit for next six months at least. Luncheons can really turn tables in favor or against. What follows is the technical session which nobody understands. Everybody is in the post lunch trance. The sincere minority of the learned men are speaking with the projectors or their papers in this session. It is a session to give stomach some rest for the time being! Children of many delegates are seen roaming in the conference hall as well to add to the color of the conference. Kashmir University recordings of last year conferences are a good refrence material for all this. Now too much of work has been done. A tea break and validictory function with thanksgiving lecture. Suddenly the host declares conference as a 'revoltuionizing step' in certain direction that will remove all the concerns as everything has been discussed in the conference. Now the delegates are requested to accompany hosts for an outing to Gulmarg and Pahalgam.