Holding a mirror

Every Thursday afternoon, when I was growing up in a small North Kashmiri village, people would wait eagerly for the bus to come from Srin...

Every Thursday afternoon, when I was growing up in a small North Kashmiri village, people would wait eagerly for the bus to come from Srinagar. Itbrought the magazine Aina.

Aina, which means mirror,8217; carried essays and commentaries by Shamim Ahmed Shamim, a remarkable Kashmiri writer who held forth, in his inimitable style, on every issue of the day.

Even in a place where outside news mattered little, Shamim seemed to feel the pulse of Kashmir and express everyone8217;s unspoken thoughts. He made the villagers avid readers of Aina. Even those who could not read had it read out to them.

At his best, Shamim could skewer a greedy or hypocritical politician without being cruel or snide. He could expose bureaucratic corruption or ineptitude without becoming cynical. He could look into the heart of a matter, casting aside what was unworthy and preserving what was good. People devoured every word of his.

I never met Shamim. I never even saw him while he was alive. I came to know of his writing years after his death in 1980, poring through the files of my father. There were pieces on everything from a minor roadside dispute to a major political development and from a description of a marriage party to a profile of a famous politician.

Be it Savaal Naak Ka question of the nose or Khuli Chithi Maulana Abul Kalam Azad kay roh kay naam An open letter addressed to the spirit of Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, his stories were full of strong political comments that would generate excitement among the readers. His famous column for which he used a pseudonym Chirag Begh was noted for its outspoken stance on every issue. The beauty of his writings was his ability to blend literature and journalism.

I would read for hours on end, sometimes aloud to myself, savouring every word. Years later, when I myself became a journalist, it was Shamim whom I looked up to as a source of inspiration. Even now, long after his death at 44 and the demise of his beloved Aina, Shamim8217;s commentaries are amazingly relevant to contemporary Kashmir. Perhaps, the names have changed but the political patterns remain the same.

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Shamim8217;s work has been belatedly honoured with the publication of a collection of his selected writings, in a volume called Aina Numa. Noted journalists Kuldip Nayar and Ved Bhasin have paid handsome tributes to Shamim, whom they knew for his commitment to civil liberties and relentless fight against the censorship during Emergency era. Despite his avid following, Shamim remained largely unsung outside Kashmir and without benefactors inside the state.

It was unfortunate that Kashmir8217;s most penetrating political analyst ultimately fell prey to the temptations of politics, himself. An equally powerful orator, Shamim was persuaded to run for Parliament against the most formidable politician of the day and former Prime Minister of Kashmir Bakshi Ghulam Mohammad.

The writer won the election, but quickly lost the unerring journalistic instinct that had set him apart from and above the political fray. Like all great journalists who tried to make that leap, he lost his bearings in the unfamiliar political maelstrom, with its back-scratching customs and marriages of convenience.

After a brief flirtation with power, he finally returned to his craft, but he had little time left. Cancer claimed him at a young age. And Kashmir wasdeprived of a strong, clear voice just when it was about to plunge into darkness and confusing times. How I wish he were alive!

Muzamil Jaleel

Muzamil Jaleel is a Deputy Editor at The Indian Express and is widely recognized as one of India’s most authoritative voices on Jammu & Kashmir, national security, and internal affairs. With a career spanning over 30 years, he has provided definitive on-the-ground reportage from the heart of the Kashmir conflict, bearing witness to historic political transitions and constitutional shifts. Expertise and Investigative Depth Muzamil’s work is characterized by a rare combination of ground-level immersion and high-level constitutional analysis. His expertise includes: Conflict & Geopolitics: Decades of reporting on the evolution of the Kashmir conflict, the Indo-Pak peace process, and the socio-political dynamics of the Himalayan region. Constitutional Law: Deep-dive analysis of Article 370 and Article 35A, providing clarity on the legal and demographic implications of their abrogation in 2019. Human Rights & Accountability: A relentless investigator of state and non-state actors, uncovering systemic abuses including fake encounters and the custodial death of political workers. International War Reporting: Beyond South Asia, he provided on-the-spot coverage of the final, decisive phase of the Sri Lankan Civil War in 2009. Landmark Exposés & Impact Muzamil’s reporting has repeatedly forced institutional accountability and shaped national discourse: The Kashmir Sex Scandal (2006): His investigative series exposed a high-profile exploitation nexus involving top politicians, bureaucrats, and police officers, leading to the sacking and arrest of several senior officials. Fake Encounters: His reports blew the lid off cases where innocent civilians were passed off as "foreign terrorists" by security forces for gallantry awards. SIMI Investigations: He conducted a massive deep-dive into the arrests of SIMI members, using public records to show how innocuous religious gatherings were often labeled as incriminating activities by investigative agencies. The Amarnath Land Row: Provided critical context to the 2008 agitation that polarized the region and altered its political trajectory. Over the years, Muzamil has also covered 2002 Gujarat riots, Bhuj earthquake, assembly elections in Bihar for Indian Express. He has also reported the peace process in Northern Ireland, war in Sri Lanka and national elections in Pakistan for the paper. Awards and Fellowships His "Journalism of Courage" has been honored with the industry's most prestigious accolades: Four Ramnath Goenka Awards: Recognized for J&K Reportage (2007), On-the-Spot Reporting (2009), and Reporting on Politics and Government (2012, 2017). Kurt Schork Award: From Columbia University for international journalism. Sanskriti Award: For excellence in Indian journalism and literature. IFJ Tolerance Prize: For his empathetic and nuanced reporting in South Asia. International Fellowships: Served as a visiting scholar at UC Berkeley and worked with The Guardian, The Observer, and The Times in London. He has also received Chevening fellowship and a fellowship at the Institute of Social Studies, Hague, Netherlands. Professional Presence Current Location: New Delhi (formerly Bureau Chief, Srinagar). Education: Master’s in Journalism from Kashmir University. Social Media: Follow him for field insights and rigorous analysis on X (Twitter) @MuzamilJALEEL. ... Read More