Date: 2025-09-03 12:50:36 Tags: Kashmir, Kashmiri Festivals, Celebrations Private: No Body:

For several years now, I have been out of my hometown.

It was after completing my 12th class that I went for my graduation in Chandigarh. Left Jammu and Kashmir.

Little did I know that I would not be coming again.

This is not only me, but many Kashmiri Pandit Youth these days leave their hometowns, especially from the Jammu and Kashmir region, for their higher studies, and then settle in other states of India for their jobs.

Later, they get married and have kids, and then it becomes nearly impossible to visit their hometowns anymore.

Sometimes it is because of the workload, leave accumulation, and sometimes it is because of the kids' studies.

Why should we go home for Kashmiri Festivals?

As a society, we are already spread across the globe, and our distances are increasing daily. Today, we are in India in some other state, and the next moment, we see ourselves moving abroad.

If today it is difficult to take out time to visit our home town, then in near future it might become nearly impossible to do so.

I remember when I graduated and got my first job in a hotel, I didn't visit my home for almost 3 to 5 years. It was a long time to stay away from home and all that for the sake of settling down.

I missed marriages, functions, and celebrations that mattered to me. Missed festivals like Shivratri, Pann, Diwali, et, just to build a career. But today, when I see to the past, that wasn't really necessary. I just missed some precious time that I will never get again.

While I was running, everyone around me was taking breaks and going to their families. My roommate just took off for Dusshera, and now, on Diwali, was again going home. Before that, on Ganesh Chaturthi.

I was the only one at my work location not going home to celebrate anything.

It was at that time that I realised what I was missing. What we as a society are missing these days.

I determined in my mind that I will go to Jammu on every Shivratri, and till today I am doing that, and I cannot be happier doing that.

It is the time of year when I am excited. I must go home on Shivratri in any way possible. This year I went to Jammu in my car with my wife and 1-year-old daughter.

It was an incredible experience to travel 5000 km to and fro.

This reason that I have made it mandatory for me to take leave and go to my home during Shivratri has allowed me to be connected to my roots.

There is nothing that can keep you grounded and connected to your community more than going to your home during Kashmiri Festivals. These festivals are so vibrant and happening when we go there. Without us, there is no meaning to these festivals. More than that, there is nothing in us without these festivals.

Our net worth, the money we have or the money we might make, is not worth the connection that we as humans feel when we are in our native place. Especially when we have kids.

Kids love to explore. They want to learn where they come from and what is their legacy.

I believe if we are not able to introduce our kids to Kashmir and its legacy, then we have failed as parents.

Everyone has the right to know their history, and by visiting our hometown during Kashmiri Festivals, we become more connected to our culture and traditions.

Let us know in the comments section below when you last visited your home.

Date: 2025-05-30 18:54:01 Body: "Yekjah" is a prominent Kashmiri Word meaning "at One Place". This is an important word that describes where people are and in what situation. It denotes a feeling of community. A feeling of togetherness. A sense of brotherhood among people all around the world. When you use this particular word, it denotes that we are together in all situations and are available for help. It can also be used to describe collaboration, because collabs happen when people come together. This website, "www.yekjah.org", revolves around this feeling of togetherness. You can join, and in one place, you can contribute to making this world a better place. This is not only limited to Kashmir, but also about the innovation that Kashmir was always been central to. Intellectuals from all across the world used to come to the Kashmir Valley to learn and share their insights about this world and their perspective. Kashmir was the center of knowledge. It was a place where pundits in their skill and craft used to prosper, and this is what "YEKJAH" denotes. A SENSE OF TOGETHERNESS A sense of being in One Place and putting our efforts for the betterment of humankind. So, take your step towards being part of something bigger. Something that has meaning and provides a tool to share insights and knowledge, not only limited to Kashmir, but also knowledge of the world. If you know about Science, History, Mathematics, Language, or anything else in this universe, which is useful and powerful for humans or so for any organism in this universe, this is the place you deserve to be. Join "Yekjah" and share your knowledge with the world, and also learn from other experts. Share with the community and be part of a safe environment where humans thrive and not just bots. We are ensuring that there are no bots on this platform, so that humans can get real feedback and appreciations, unlike any other platform that also allows bots, which only spread propaganda.

Date: 2025-07-03 13:08:35 Tags: Job, Perspective Private: No Body:

A few years back, when I was jobless after Karvy Stock Broking Limited got into some trouble with SEBI, I started hunting for jobs. This was 2019 as well, and most of us were working from home. That was a tough time. Although I spend my whole day sending invitations to people from the Industry, especially the HRs, I was also working on a few of my projects.

These projects included;

1. Developing HR HR-related websites, like Job Portals, HR Repositories, Employee Survey Websites, etc
2. Community website
3. Knowledge Repositories
4. HRIS Systems using Advanced Excel and VBA
5. Google Apps Script Automations

And somewhere, I was also integrating them in one way or another.

I was even taking some classes for ISTD (Indian Society for Training and Development) with regards to HR Analytics, and trying to get clients for providing my expertise as a service.

I got lucky, and one fine day, I got a call from a Manufacturing Firm to help them with HR automation. At first, they were a bit skeptical to hire me, this is when I told them to try my skills for automation for free of cost for a few days, and if they liked, they could hire me or I could walk away after completion of the two-week work.

At that time, I didn't think about any salary, but to prove my worth.

This was because my skills were worth more than what I was earning at Karvy, and I knew that a small setback wouldn't be able to demotivate me while working towards my goal.

I used to work day and night on my projects, which helped hone my skills, which helped me get my first job after placements, and that too with a good salary hike.

What do I want to convey with this?

By this incident, I want to indicate that when we work towards enriching ourselves with knowledge, we get opportunities that can help us earn good, but if we are only searching for opportunities that may result in wasting our precious time that we could have used to become more knowledgeable than we were before.

Having said that, many people feel as if their companies pay them for the work that they do, which is wrong, and it ties their hard work to a number. Instead, people should understand that they are business owners, even if they work as full-time employees.

Companies are not of a single person; they are made up of people working towards a certain goal. You are an integral part of that company's journey, and you are also a part of your journey to learn and develop.

Someone can have more executive power than you, but no one can take your skills and capabilities from you. You can work anywhere in the world if you are skilled in your work and can be happy because you know what you do.

If you know how to use your skill sets, you can earn millions. The only catch is to keep updating yourself and also be open to opportunities.

Thinking about a job as an owner and servant is not correct.

Jobs are a mutual agreement on how we provide our services to our clients, and it is perfectly fine if you do a job for the rest of your life. I have seen people making a fortune with their jobs, and it is one of the best ways to make a living, as it also gives you time to explore your passion when you are free.

But that is true when you are free after your work day, and for that you have to set your boundaries.

I will tell more about how to set boundaries before and after joining a job in the coming blogs. So, stay tuned and have an awesome day ahead.

Date: 2026-03-26 14:19:30 Last Modified: 2026-03-26 14:20:41 by MithBooks Tags: Job, Work, IT Companies Private: No Body:

Many people from Northern India come to places like Hyderabad, Bangalore, and even Maharashtra for work. These people work especially in the IT and Consulting industries. Several companies in India build their offices in places like Bangalore, Hyderabad, Pune, Mumbai, etc. Although Delhi and Chandigarh also have a few companies, the scale is not as massive as that of those cities.

This is not just a random thing that has happened over the years.

Cities like these have subsidised several aspects of businesses, because of which the barrier to entry is quite simple. One reason is obviously the weather, which is most of the time similar, because of which the challenges are not much.

Having said that, the governments of North Indian states should try to encourage IT companies and big firms to set up their offices in their states.

It's not that Jammu and Kashmir only needs tourism; the government should encourage big multinational companies to open their offices in those locations. This is because when opportunities are created, students will get good jobs, and they will not have to leave their hometowns.

Also, because there will be offices of companies, people will also be able to transfer their jobs to these places, and that will help in developing the city as well.

If people earn well, they will spend more, and this will, in turn, result in a better economy and per capita income of the people of Jammu and Kashmir.

Although we need this system for every other state in Northern India, I would still like the Jammu and Kashmir government to focus their kind attention on this issue, and it will help us stay in our hometowns. If there are opportunities in our state that pay us well, then we will also be able to stay there and spend there, which will again help in the development of the local infrastructure faster.

I will give you my example.

I studied in Chandigarh, then got a job in Lonavala, Maharashtra, then worked for a few years, completed my MBA from Pune, and got a good-paying job in Hyderabad.

Today, even if I want to, I won't be able to move close to my hometown, because the opportunities there are far fewer than the ones I get here in Hyderabad.

Having said that, I still feel that if I will earn more, I will shift to Jammu and Kashmir, but till the time I will become financially independent, I know that my family will be settled in Hyderabad with the comforts that this city provides, as education of our children will also be in this city only, so it will be a bit difficult for me to move as easy as I can do it now if got an opportunity.

This is not only a case I am facing, but also one that several thousand people from Northern states are facing. They want to be near their hometowns, but because of limited opportunities, it becomes nearly impossible for them to move.

How can it be solved?

One of the major setbacks for any big firm to move to Jammu and Kashmir is the infrastructure. Having a good and reliable power supply and internet is one of the most essential things for any company that would like to come to this region.

Second is roads. If there are no proper roads and traffic management, it will just be a havoc for companies to source items and humans both.

There are many other things that play an important role in solving this issue, but having a robust infrastructure project is a must-have. How are Chief Ministers of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana go to corporates and ask them to come and set up offices in these states? Why can't the Jammu and Kashmir government provide special subsidised entries to big firms so that the lives of people living there become easier?

Conversations like these should be initiated by the government. We cannot let the Jammu and Kashmir region be dependent only on tourism. There is a need for big multinational companies to come to our region. This will help people stay there, and in turn, this will also help in making the infrastructure more robust because companies cannot survive on suboptimal or average infrastructure.

Date: 2026-03-23 14:43:59 Tags: Watch, Horology Private: No Body:

Automatic Watches have always mesmerised me with their engineering.

I remember starting with my grandfather's camy watch, which was a mechanical watch, which we had to hand-wind to keep it working, but it was something amazing to me, because every time I used to wear it, it kept me closer to history.

I was fascinated by the fact that something can last ages, or even centuries.

Fast forward to today, I didn't have many mechanical watches, but one fine day, my daughter just decided to throw my wedding watch, which was a Tommy Hilfiger watch, out of the balcony, and since then, I have been watchless.

My daughter was only 1.5 years old, so nothing to do about it, but I always had this habit of wearing something on my wrist. Most of the time, quartz watches.

But when I went to the mall, I decided to buy a watch. There I saw several mechanical and automatic watches, and it was time I bought my first automatic: the Titan Stellar Cupola Automatic, with Titan's in-house movement.

It was great, but I was missing the day and date complication of Tommy's watch, so I thought of searching for an automatic watch that can provide me with that functionality.

To be honest, the search was not that easy.

The Heirloom Factor

Just like I used to wear my grandfather's watch, I wanted to buy something that my kids would like to keep with them in the future. Mechanical watches, especially the automatics, are one of the best heirloom pieces.

When I was searching for the watches, I got many options, like Citizen Promaster Puffer Fish edition, Seiko Asia-Pacific, etc.

I decided to go to the mall and check for myself which one is available and how many pieces are available in the world.

There I saw the Seiko India Limited Edition, and that too, 1200 pieces in the world.

The watch that I chose was 0453/1200, which means only 1200 people can ever have this watch.

Although many people can call this a marketing gimmick, buying a limited edition watch can be one of the best heirloom pieces. This is not unique because you have worn it for your life, but it is also unique because these timepieces were limited in number and engraved on the watches.

You can literally see the unit number on the back case of this watch, which is "453" in my case. This is also amazing because it is under 500, which makes it even more special.

I am not saying limited-edition watches are always better, but if you are looking for an heirloom, I believe it is one of the best ideas to choose a mechanical or automatic watch in a limited edition.

30 or 40 years later, there will be several watches, and some of them will be in production for a long time, but when we talk about limited edition watches, although their movements will be available, the same design might not be available anywhere in the world. These design changes can be a simple color attribute or some special insignia, and sometimes only the numbering makes all the difference.

Having said that, I would always recomment to have a watch that is limited to 2000 or less, as that makes it more unique and not many people around the world can get hold of those timepieces.

Well, this simple take is my opinion, let me know what you think about the same, and do you own an automatic? If yes, which one is it?

Date: 2026-03-05 07:25:41 Tags: Kashmir, Terrorism, Weapons Private: No Body:

When anyone talks about Kashmiri Pandits and their exodus, they always ask why Kashmiri Pandits never stood up and revolted against terror groups in Kashmir.

We are questioned why our parents never fought back against the people who were killing our brothers and sisters.

Some people even say that the Kashmiri People cannot stand up for themselves in times of distress.

Reality Check

During the time of militancy, terrorist groups were helped by Pakistan, and other Arab countries, and some can even trace money coming from west to keep that area disturbed.

Terrorist groups had automatic rifles, Guns, Pistols, Grenades, and many other weapons. They were not bare-handed heroes. They were well-equipped and trained militants that had proper military training and equipment, which they used to kill Kashmiri Pandits.

Meeru Pandit Dhar was a fighter, and my ancestor who fought in Hyderabad, long before anything like this happened. There were several Kashmiri Hindus who were fighters and had fought against atrocities.

Today, our Blood Boils like a fighter when we see any terrorist attack, and we want to fight like our ancestors used to do, and the same happened with our parents. They were not cowards. They again went to Kashmir after the exodus. They were not ready to accept the fact that they were not able to be in their hometown.

My father went back to the Kashmir Valley on several occasions during the terrorism to check on the situation.

Given a chance, they would have fought back.

Today, at several border areas, village people are given AK-47s and proper training to defend themselves.

During the time of insurgency, no one was with the Kashmiri Pandits, who were just a fraction in numbers compared to Muslims. They were not even vote banks.

If they had been given a chance to defend themselves, they would have found their way back for sure.

Who would have supplied guns and ammunition to them?

There was no WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram, or other social media platform. TV channels were rigged by the J&K local government. They were displaying as if nothing was happening, while several Hindus were massacred in the valley.

There was no support, no training, no ultimatum to the small community of Kashmiri Hindus.

When my parents went outside after the events of Jan 1990, local muslims used to gather around. Some even said that they made a mistake and that they should have taken Kashmiri Pandits with them to protest and demand a separate nation.

They killed Kashmiri Pandits point-blank. They had guns and weapons.

Kashmir Pandits even asked for resettlement

Kashmiri Pandits, after the insurgency, had asked for resettlement.

The government can provide land to Kashmiri Pandits and provide them with weapons to defend themselves (obviously with training).

The government can even settle and provide land to retired army officials. I am not saying that this can be done in one day, and not everyone will be able to resettle there in shot time, but Kashmiri Pandits are willing to do so and this can be seen by the number of applications that Kashmiri Pandits fill for job posts in Kashmir Valley, even though some of them know that they might never be able to come out of Valley alive.

One bad day, and they will also be a number in the KP list that were killed in the valley due to terrorism.

There are not many communities that can survive such atrocities

Kashmiri Pandit community is strong. They are brave, and all of them stand against injustice.

They have a legacy of fighters. They were warlords, and the only thing that was against them was their honesty and gentle nature.

They were well-educated and never exploited anyone. Even today, no Kashmiri Pandit ever harms any other person intentionally, and that is not because they cannot fight, but because they believe in "live and let live".

As a Dhar, I believe in Shakti because of my Kul Devi Mata Kheer Bhawani and Mata Roopa Bhawani, who was one of my ancestors. And one should understand that all fighters had a Devi as their Kul Devi.

Kashmiri Pandits might be pushed out of Kashmir, but Kashmir can never be pushed out of our hearts.

Date: 2025-06-03 14:25:10 Body: Kashmir was always the center for learning and innovation. People from around the globe used to come and practice their skills and share their expertise. Yekjah Platform is one such initiative to connect the world to the culture of learning and innovation. As a member of YEKJAH Community, you will be able to; 1. Learn about the Kashmiri Culture 2. Contribute your knowledge and skills for the betterment of humanity 3. Develop your skills and share them with like-minded people 4. Get recognised for your work 5. Sell your products and services in the marketplace 6. Plan your next trip to Jammu and Kashmir with natives There is so much to win by just signing up with a community that focuses on innovation and learning. You have got potential, but need a platform to share your thoughts, and that can be done by joining YEKJAH. https://yekjah.org

Date: 2025-07-12 10:54:04 Tags: Yekjah Private: No Body:

Yekjah is an initiative to connect everyone from the Kashmiri culture on one platform. Although not limited to Kashmir and its geography, it started as a movement to document everything that is available in written form as a historical record of Kashmiri Culture and Traditions.

Yekjah means being at One Place.

It doesn't matter where we are coming from, but when we are together, everything starts making sense.

As a community, we can bring about significant changes in the world, especially in the lives of our children, who need to be made aware of the heritage that they are part of.

Kashmir has always been a place where knowledge used to flow. People from all over the world came to Kashmir to research in their specializations. There have been poets, writers, scientists, and many more who have given immense knowledge to the world, and this is the actual meaning of Yekjah.

The place where everyone comes together and shares their knowledge is the place which is called Kashmir and Yekjah. We can make all the difference.

If you are from Science, Commerce, or any other background, it doesn't matter. You can still join the Yekjah platform, share your knowledge with the world by publishing blogs and articles.

You can showcase your talent by linking your videos on our video platform or uploading your songs in the "Yekjah Music" section.

Being in one place also helps each of us. We are spread around the world, so it makes sense that if someone needs help in relocating, we can trust each other to provide accurate information.

I am based in Hyderabad these days. If any of you is reading this and thinking of relocating or coming to Hyderabad, just send me a message on this platform and I will get in touch with you. This is the bare minimum I can do for anyone from my community traveling to Hyderabad, and I have done it in the past.

I always love to be in touch with other KP families in Hyderabad, or anyone from Jammu and Kashmir, as such, because I know the pain of moving to a new city, as I had also done that a few years back, and had no contact in Hyderabad.

Being one of the big metro cities, finding a residential apartment or even locating food joints was a big task. Had to travel long distances to find housing and food or other convenience items, which obviously cost time and money both, and after going through this all, I can't see anyone else facing those issues while coming to Hyderabad.

This is just one aspect of showing how we can help each other by connecting on an individual level. There have been scenarios when we, as a community, have helped people find jobs and start their careers in different parts of India, and that is just to ensure that our community grows and prospers.

As time has changed, so have our ambitions and desires. If you have the capability, you should try to help others in need; this will give you a sense of accomplishment and a new friend.

Let's come together and start building the future we all have dreamed of. Let's connect on one platform and share knowledge and wisdom with the world.