On vacation with fond memories
MALEEHA RAGHAVIAH
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Victims of insurgency, they now have a second home here.
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A NEW HOME: Looking forward to an exciting holiday
Kozhikode
Parvez Najar and Wakar Yunis boarded the Nizamuddin-Mangala Express from Kozhikode to New Delhi, recently. They are on holiday to Kashmir.
Parvez and Wakar, both from Anantnag, are among the more than 250 children who have been studying at the Marqaz School run by the Markazu Ssaqafathi Ssunniyya, at Karanthur in Kozhikode, since the last two years.
From New Delhi the boys travelled to different centres in Kashmir such as Anantnag, Baranmulla, Pulwara, and Srinagar, with fond memories of their stay and schooling in Kozhikode. The Kashmiri boys had been brought here on the initiative of Mr. Mufti Mohammed Syed, former Chief Minister of Kashmir, so that they could continue with their studies.
Mr. Syed had made a request to the Marqaz authorities to provide the children hostel and schooling facilities in view of the insurgency in Kashmir.
Mr. Kanthapuram Aboobacker Musaliyar, Secretary of Markazu Ssaqafathi Ssunniyya, had extended a hand of friendship so that the Kashmiri children could study in the peaceful ambience here.
Fond memories
The boys along with 161 others are in Kashmir, their home state, for the summer vacation and look forward to spending time with their relatives and friends.
They had looked forward to this holiday in their beautiful land of snow-capped mountains, gliding `shikaras' and tall chinar trees.
The memories of the Chinab, Dal Lake, apple orchards and gardens full of flowers are fresh in their minds despite the violence in their State. Many had lost their fathers, brothers, uncles and male members of the family in the insurgency. Life had changed for them, all of a sudden, one fine morning.
"There are a few too among the boys, majority of them in the seven to nine age group, who have lost both parents", says M.K.M. Jabir, Public Relations Officer, Markaz. During their stay in Kozhikode, they had been exposed to a culture different from their own.
Their classmates and hostel mates have been kind and friendly. Kerala has become a second home for them. "In turn, the Kashmiri children are very accommodative, and intelligent too", Marqaz authorities say.
They have learnt a smattering of Malayalam and have come to like Kerala food. In fact, the children carried coconuts and coconut oil from here, items scarce in Kashmir, as presents for those at home. Parvez, for instance, dreams of becoming an engineer, and start a school for orphans such as the one in Karanthur. The Marqaz School authorities had booked eight coaches for the children who were accompanied by the teachers from here. The 30 odd boys who are in Class X would return after a month.
The others would spend the whole of the two-month summer vacation in their home State.
"Last year too a batch of boys had gone to Kashmir during the summer, and their parents and guardians were happy that the exposure had had a positive impact on them," says Mr. Jabir.
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