So many books, So little time to read ;

There are kids on this side of LoC in Poonch Sector who want to read all these books, however they find no time as they do not have any , Writes M S NAZKI...

‘A room without books is like a body without a soul’. (Marcus Tullius Cicero)

Fairy tales are more than true: not because they tell us that good prevails over the evil, but because they tell us that evil can be beaten and chased out of the society. Every small child right from the very beginning of his formative years is taught this thing. In fact the parents very lovingly buy books for their children so that they begin to lay their basic foundations to strengthen the building of their future. It is nice to see the fathers and the mothers used to tell their children, one must always be careful of books and what is inside them, for words have the power to change us and children reading deeply absorbed in the written lines. The children here on the LOC too want to do the same and have all the capabilities to do it but they cannot lay their hands on them for varying reasons right from availability to affordability. But that does not mean that they should be deprived of them. This was one thing that the Indian army unit deployed in Hari Buddha realized since most of the people staying in the village are extremely poor and have seen the worst in the times when terror fury was at its ugliest in district Poonch.
The place rightly deserves the name Kashmir-e-Sageer (Mini Kashmir. The place has a very big history and one can trace the same to the periods of the great Eics, Ramayana and Mahabharta were written. The natives believe that Lord Rama and the Pandavas had visited this area. According to a popular legend, Poonch got its name from Maharishi Pulastya, grandfather of Ravana. It is said that in ancient times Pulastya worshipped here for a long time. After him the area came to be known as Pulast Nagar, which, with the passage of time, got distorted from Pulast to Printus, Printus to Prooms and then ultimately to the present name of Poonch. In Kashmiri language Poonch is still known as Proons. The place has been a citadel of learning and has produced some great scholars and writers especially the masters of some splendid Urdu poetry but times have been cruel for the people who have seen gory violence after the partition and the dreadful period of murders when Pakistan unleashed terror as a fierce arrow from its quiver. The people suffered immensely but those who got blown over in the intense heat generated were the kids of that generation who have now grown up and have their own kids. Obviously they will not allow them to fall flat in those harrowing dungeons in which they found themselves once upon a time.

The parents want that their kids should study and rise in the future. At the back of their minds is also the fact that though education is an extreme necessity at the moment yet they have to struggle to put their children right up there amongst those who are better off. In other words it’s the virus of poverty that is hurting most of them in Hari Buddha. This was what the officers and the men of the Indian Army realized and thus had a plan for this also. People indeed have benefitted a lot from the Op-Sadhbhavna project and it is the children from the district who have been given all the help so that they get educated and move on with their lives. Trust me a couple of decades back it seemed that time had come to a standstill in the interiors of the district and education seemed to be struck up in the cement but it was due to wholesome efforts of the Army that the shackles and barriers were removed and the wagons of education began rolling moving about. Even in these covid-19 times when everything seems to be at a hold up stage the army men are moving about and helping out the children/students to be on the ball as far as studies go.

Books give the feel of clockwork angels. Sometimes, you read a book and it fills you with this weird kind of zeal and enthusiasm, and you become convinced that the shattered world will never be put back together unless and until all living humans read the book. Thus it is books that basically build up the foundry levels of the child. But in village Hari Buddha there are children who do not have them. But the men from the olive greens knew that If there's a book that you want to read on this village, but it hasn't been written yet, then we must write it and it was with typical nonchalance and ease since it was a necessity for the girls and boys living here.

* The aim was to promote education in the region

*So books were provided books along with stationery items to school children from BPL families of village Hari Budha under Sadbhavana project.

* I told you earlier in the piece that majority of the children studying are from poor families and are forced to quit studies due to financial constraints for school fees and expenditure towards study material.

* The villagers of remote area approached Indian Army for assistance. That was perhaps the most trusted option and it was taken by the people.

* ‘No problems here’ was the response given. So to assist the awaam as per their requirements, study material including books and stationery items were provided to BPL families.

* The event brought cheer and joy amongst children of the BPL families with hope for a bright future. The joy and enthusiasm was evident on the faces of the students receiving the study material.

*The teachers, students and villagers dignitaries appreciated the continued efforts of Army in addressing genuine needs of the populace especially those from the poorer strata of humanity . Large numbers of students attended the event.

After hearing about the event organized, I was convinced after all there is no enjoyment like studying! How much sooner one tires of anything than getting educated! The children have realized that books are a uniquely a portable magic. And the magic is spreading. The children in the interiors of the district Poonch have all know the importance of education because without that they know that they would be heading nowhere. So they are hurrying and scurrying for books. This is one thing that they have learnt from the Indian Army who has been coaxing and cajoling them to keep moving along with the books because they are the quietest and most constant of friends; they are the most accessible and wisest of counselors, and the most patient of teachers. With everything positive happening it all augurs well for the future of the district Poonch in general and village Hari Buddha in particular! Trust me it would be that way from now onwards!