By Buland Kashmiri : “We all have talent …….. give us those facilities which the children of the rest of India enjoy and we can touch the sky” says Rubina from one of the militancy affected remote villages of Kupwara. The confident smiles on the faces of the children from valley says it all. The children of Kashmir are now ready to make a new beginning. “We want development in Kashmir. Computer labs in Mumbai Schools were there as early as 2008 when Army had taken us on a tour. But such facilities are still lacking in most schools of the Valley” says Abdul from another village of Kupwara district. Abdul is one of the more fortunate children than his peers in the village schools who can only read about computers, but have never seen or touched one. The children who are the future of Kashmir, want only peace and opportunity.
They have seen others who suffered alot when militancy was at its peak. Being the most vulnerable victims of the conflict, they are now filled with hopes and aspirations. “My aim in life is to become a lawyer because I want to walk on the path of truth” says Gulsan who lives in one of the orphanage for girls in Kupwara. There are numerous stories of children who with little support from individuals or organisations are making marks in life and becoming inspiration for others.
Success story of Shameema is one such befitting example of how an indomitable sprit of youth can overcome all the odds of life and realise even the most difficult of dreams. SHAMEEMA AKHTAR belongs to a very poor family from Bandipore district. She is a school dropout after 8th standard. Nature had bestowed her with a melodious voice and she cherished the dream of making a mark in singing, However, the financial circumstances did not allow her to pursue her dream. As part of her struggle to get a breakthrough in singing, she approached the officers of one of the Security Forces in Bandipore for support and guidance.
The officers recognised her talent and provided an opportunity for training on classical singing through a local instructor at Srinagar. The financial and moral support served as a catalyst for learning, however, the quality of training provided locally was not incompatible to her talent. It was telt that she needs a proper ustad who could impart a professional training. Accordingly, the arrangements were made for her to be trained at Agra. One of the officers whose family was in Agra volunteered to accommodate her in his house. Family of this officer treated Shameema as their own child and made all the arrangements to enable her training by a professional. During the course of her training, an opportunity came her way in the from of “Taj Mahotsav” which was being held at Agra. With concerted efforts of friends and acquaintances of the family with whom she was staying, she got a chance to perform on stage during Taj Mahotsava. She shared the stage with many established artists and received as over whelming response from the audience. This turned out to be a life changer for her, boosting her confidence and giving wings to her dreams. It translated into an invite for voice
testing by a studio, which she easily cleared. Subsequently, her two Punjabi songs were recorded by the studio.
There was no looking back for Shameema and even before she realised, her dreams were taking the shape of a reality. With four more songs recorded, an album with six songs named “Aapke Kareeb” is ready for launch. Due to her love for Kashmir, the album is dedicated to the Valley with lyricist and music directors, all belonging to Valley. It is her passion, ernest effort and a helping hand which were instrumental in her monumental success. There is abundance of talent in the Valley and most of the youth have tremendous motivation. Little guidance, little support and may be a pair of tender wings is all that is required to translate their silent passions into huge successes.
This is just a start of her career and needs to go a long way in this field. It was dedication and earnestness towards her passion that has helped her to look out for various options where she could get help for pursuing her dream and was fortunate enough to get the support and guidance to pursue her passion. There are lot of Shameemas, however, there is lack of individuals and organisations who could come forward to support them.
There must be many more children like shameena who just require guidence & support, I would like to join you in this endeavour, which is close to my heart. My services are availabe to you in case you should feel they would add strength to your noble endeavour.
PS: I am a Sujok Therapist and Teacher of Sujok Therapy.