By Bilal Azad and Dr Aftab Jan
In today s world, life has become fast, modern, and full of technology. With the help of machines, everything is just one click away. We can buy things online, study from home, talk to anyone across the world, and order food without stepping outside.
While this digital life has brought comfort, it has also made our bodies lazy and inactive.
We are sitting more than ever at home, at school, at work, and even during free time.
Most people, including children, teenagers, and adults, now spend hours every day looking at screens whether it is mobile phones, laptops, or televisions.
Because of this, our physical movement is reducing day by day, and our bodies are slowly getting weaker.In the past, life was full of physical activity.
People walked long distances, worked with their hands, played outdoors, and did most things manually.
Their bodies were strong, hearts were healthy, and minds were fresh. But now, machines do everything for us.
Cars replace walking, lifts replace stairs, and even simple chores are done by devices.
Sadly, this has made physical fitness a forgotten part of daily life, and we are seeing the bad results: more people are falling sick, getting tired quickly, gaining weight, and feeling mentally stressed or depressed.
Fitness is not just about having a muscular body or going to the gym. Real fitness means being able to do your daily work with ease, without feeling tired or sick.
It means having energy, strong bones, a healthy heart, good sleep, a calm mind, and the ability to fight diseases.
When a person is fit, they feel light, active, and happy.
But when a person becomes lazy and unfit, they feel heavy, slow, and often fall sick.
Today, even young children are suffering from problems like obesity (too much weight), weak eyesight, back and neck pain, and lack of sleep.
Teenagers and young adults are facing stress, anxiety, and depression because their bodies are inactive and their minds are overused with screen time and digital noise.
One of the most dangerous effects of this lifestyle is that people think being sick is normal.
They believe that back pain, tiredness, stress, or even sugar (diabetes) is just part of life.
But this is not true.
These problems are often the result of ignoring our physical health.
The human body is made to move. If it does not move, it becomes stiff, tired, and full of diseases.
Regular movement, like walking, running, cycling, playing games, doing yoga, or even simple stretching, keeps the muscles strong, bones healthy, heart active, and brain fresh.
Exercise also helps release natural chemicals in the brain like serotonin and endorphins, which make us feel happy and relaxed.
Children need physical fitness not just for their bodies but also for their minds. Playing games improves their focus, discipline, teamwork, and memory.
Sadly, today s children are growing up in small rooms, with screens in their hands and junk food on their plates.
They need fresh air, outdoor games, sunlight, and physical activity to grow well.
Physical Education (PE) in schools should be given the same importance as Maths or Science. No child should be judged only by marks fitness and health should be part of learning too.
Adults are also badly affected by inactive lifestyles.
Office workers sit for 8 to 10 hours a day, eat quickly, skip exercise, and spend evenings watching TV or scrolling on phones.
This routine is slowly killing the body from inside. People suffer from heart attacks, cholesterol, weak muscles, poor sleep, and joint pain because of this silent damage. But even small changes can bring big improvements.
Walking for 30 minutes a day, taking stairs instead of lifts, stretching during work breaks, and avoiding junk food can save your body from future pain.
We must also talk about food. Our modern diet is full of harmful things sugary drinks, chips, burgers, packaged snacks, and fried food. These fill our bodies with fat but give no real strength.
If we do not opt for xercise and keep eating such food, we gain weight and become weak inside.
Healthy food like fruits, vegetables, home-cooked meals, and water is necessary for real fitness.
Sleep is also a big part of physical health. Staying up late on phones or watching screens until midnight weakens the brain and body.
Going to bed early and waking up fresh is a beautiful habit that supports total wellness.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the whole world saw how important physical fitness and immunity are. People who were fit and active recovered faster and suffered less. Those who were weak or had health problems suffered more.
That time was a big lesson: money, phones, and cars could not save us but health could.
Fitness is not something extra. It is the most important part of life. Without health, nothing else feels good not wealth, not success, not beauty.
Our religion, Islam, also guides us to take care of our bodies. The Prophet Muhammad (?) was physically strong, active, and full of discipline.
He walked often, encouraged sports like running, archery, and horse riding, and taught moderation in food and sleep.
He said, A strong believer is better and more beloved to Allah than a weak one.
Hazrat Ali (RA) beautifully said, Health is a crown on the heads of the healthy that only the sick can see.
This means we only realize how valuable our health is after we lose it.
Our body is a trust (Amanah) from Allah, and keeping it healthy is an act of gratitude and worship.
In the end, we must remember: fitness is not about looking good, it is about living well. In this modern world of screens, noise, and stress, our body is crying for help.
It needs movement, fresh air, natural food, and peaceful sleep. Don t wait for disease to teach you the value of health.
Start now. Move your body every day. Walk, play, stretch, breathe deeply.
Eat less junk, drink more water. Sleep on time, rise with energy. Thank Allah for your body and take care of it before it s too late. Because at the end of the day, no comfort is greater than a healthy body, and no wealth is richer than good health.
'Results likely to get delayed in absence of Chairman' Jammu, Jan 7: The Jammu and Kashmir Board of School Education (JKBOSE) on Wednesday said the result of the class 10th examinations will be declared soon after the appointment of the Chairman of the Board. The statement comes amid the uncertainty about the declaration of the results by JKBOSE. In an official handout issued here, JKBOSE has advised students not to pay heed to fake links and websites announcing declaration of class 10 results. "Result of class 10th will be declared within few days soon after the appointment of new Chairman," the statement reads. The JKBOSE has stated that the results of annual examination of class 10 of Kashmir valley and winter zone areas of Jammu Division are almost ready. "But its approval by Result Declaration Committee headed by BOSE Chairman is a pre- requisite before its declaration. In absence of the Chairman the results are likely to get a little delayed," it reads. The JKBOSE officials have advised the students to wait for the formal declaration on the official website of the Board- www.jkbose.nic.in. "Students should not get misled by scamesters and fake narratives circulated by some mischievous elements, whose sole aim is to create confusion in the innocent student community," the statement reads.
Suhail Khan Baramulla, Jan 6: A young aerospace engineer from Sopore in north Kashmirās Baramulla district is proving that dedication and ambition can propel one to global heights. Munaf-ul-Raquib who holds a B.Tech in Aerospace Engineering, has gained international recognition for his research on black holes and cosmology. Munaf-ul-Raquib revealed that his paper on the thermodynamics of black holes was recently published in the International Journal of Science and Research (IJSR). āAbout a year ago, I conducted research on the gravity of black holes and cosmology, which has now been published in IJSR,ā he said. He said that since his research was published in the international journal, he has been receiving opportunities from various countries to participate in research dialogues. Raquib added that in the coming months he is scheduled to participate in international conferences in Paris on April 16 and later in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. The Sopore aerospace engineer noted that he is also participating in various conferences across different countries. Speaking about his research, Munaf-ul-Raquib addressed a fundamental paradox in astrophysics: how black holes can appear to violate thermodynamic laws, particularly concerning entropy.āIf we observe a black hole, it seems to contradict thermodynamic principles,ā he said. Using the frameworks of Anti-de Sitter space (AdS) and Conformal Field Theory (CFT), Raqeebās research proposes a theoretical model that reconciles black hole mechanics with thermodynamics. āIn this paper, I have explained how a black hole can function without violating thermodynamic laws,ā he said. He described the achievement as both personal and symbolic. āIt is a proud moment for me to represent my state, especially Sopore, on an international platform,ā he said. Raqeeb shared that Astrophysics was his childhood dream, and his grandfather encouraged me immensely. "After my grandfather passed away during the Covid-19 pandemic, my parents continued to champion my aspirations. My parents left no stone unturned in helping me pursue my dreams,ā he said. He said that his academic path included taking the JEE and later the AME CET entrance exams, through which he secured a seat in aerospace engineering at the Nasik Research Centre. āMy parents not only supported me morally but also created an environment where I could pursue my dreams freely,ā he said. He emphasized the role of family in nurturing talent. āJust as my parents supported me, it is the responsibility of all parents to help their children follow their dreams.ā āYoung people should avoid wrong practices. They must dream of a beautiful tomorrow but work hard today to make their parents proud,ā he further added.
Srinagar, Jan 8:Ā The University of Kashmir (KU) has made the biometric attendance mandatory for the students of its affiliated colleges from Academic session 2026-27. The development comes in wake of the complaints about the thin attendance of the students in various private B.Ed colleges affiliated with the Kashmir University. A circular in this regardĀ has been issued by the Assistant Registrar Dean Colleges Development Council (DCDC) of the University. "All the Chairpersons and Principals of private affiliated colleges of the University of Kashmir are hereby informed that biometric attendance for all the enrolled students and staff has been made mandatory from the year 2026-27," the KU circular reads. The Principals of all the affiliated colleges have been directed to install biometric attendance machines in their respective institutions on or before the commencement of the Academic year 2026-27 under intimation to the Dean College Development Council of the University. "The college shall also ensure proper upkeep, maintenance, and systematic preservation of all biometric attendance records for future reference and verification," it reads. The Colleges have been directed to comply with this directive "without fail." The move comes in wake of the inspections conducted last year by the DCDC of KU in various B.Ed colleges where most of the students were found absent. An official said that there were complaints about the poor attendance of the students in B.Ed colleges. "The students do not attend their B.Ed classes regularly which defeats the purpose of the course," the official said. Earlier, DCDC of KU earlier barred the B.Ed students to appear in teh semester exams for falling short of attendance. The decision was taken in wake of the surprise inspection conducted by Dean College Development Council (DCDC) in various B.Ed colleges of Kashmir in June-July month of 2025 and several students were found absent from the classes. Following this, the students were directed to attend supplementary classes to complete the recommended attendance for appearing in their exams. Also, the exam of these students was deferred by few months.
Srinagar, Jan 8: The Director of School Education Kashmir (DSEK) has pulled up the officers vested with the powers of Drawing and Disbursing Officers (DDOs) as their additional assignment, for indulging in administrative works, beyond their domain. As per the order issued by the Director School Education Kashmir Naseer Ahmad Wani, the officers having additional DDO powers, have been reprimanded for going beyond their role of duties. "It has come to the notice of the DSEK that many officers of the department vested with DDOs powers are affecting transfers and doing administrative works having no authority to do so," the order reads. As per the order, all these DDOs holding charge in additional capacity have been asked to utilise the powers for the purpose of drawing and disbursing salary and other financial matters within the limits of the authority. "The officers shall not exercise any administrative powers particularly with respect to the transfer of staff," it reads. The DSEK has warned of disciplinary action in case of violation of the order by any officers. "Any deviation from the instant order shall be viewed seriously and invite disciplinary action," it reads.
Baramulla, Jan 9: Deputy Commissioner Baramulla on Thursday said that the situation caused by the landslides on Ur-Baramulla was temporary and would be resolved once the excavation process of the road is completed. The statement comes amid the concerns over recurring landslides on the UriāBaramulla road due to ongoing road widening project being executed by the Border Roads Organisation (BRO). Talking to Kashmir Square, Deputy Commissioner Baramulla Minga Sherpa said that such issues are common during the construction of hill roads and should not be viewed as an unusual development. āThere is no major issue. Whenever a hill road is constructed or widened, such problems are recurrent,ā he said. He further said that the slopes usually take time to stabilise after excavation. "The excavation process affects the natural stability of the hillside and it generally takes one to two years for slopes to fully stabilise," he said. Minga Sherpa said several slope stabilisation measures are already in place to minimise risks. āGrouting has been done and protective walling has also been constructed at several points,ā DC Baramulla told Kashmir Square. He further said that around 200 metres of excavation work is still pending on the stretch and the remaining cutting work is expected to be completed within a month. āOnce the excavation is finished, the BRO and concerned agencies will carry out full-fledged slope stabilisation measures. After that, such incidents will not occur again,ā he said. Over the past few weeks, the UriāBaramulla road, a vital link connecting the border town of Uri with Baramulla district witnessed intermittent traffic disruptions due to landslides triggered by excavation work, raising safety concerns among commuters. The BaramullaāUri National Highway remained closed on Thursday after another landslide struck the stretch - the third such incident reported in the last 20 days, causing severe inconvenience to commuters. A fresh landslide hit the highway on Thursday afternoon, forcing authorities to immediately halt traffic movement on the route as a precautionary measure. It was the third such incident in just 20 days on the BaramullaāUri National Highway, following two earlier slides that also triggered full traffic halts and diversions through alternate routes. Only emergency vehicles were allowed to pass, while all routine traffic was stopped to avoid any untoward incident. An official said the road clearance operations were launched soon after the incident, with personnel and machinery mobilised to remove debris and stabilise the affected area. "The highway was made motorable again from the evening hours," he said. The closure of the main BaramullaāUri National Highway compelled authorities to divert vehicles through the dilapidated KhadniyarāGantamulla road.
Bhat Hilal AhmadA policy framework backed by transparent Matrix only can withstand judicial interventions while maintaining social harmony.G D sharma report should be released for public scrutiny.True interpretation of rule of prudence be made.A revisit of Rule 17 is must for ensuring appropriate seat balance.Rationalisation of reservations is directly proportional to meritocracy and ensuring a just society.Jammu and Kashmir with a young demographic profile has one of the highest proportions of general category population in the country estimated arround 60 to 70 percent but lowest open merit quota which roughly stands between 30 to 40 percent.States across the country with comparatively lesser general category population continue to maintain 50 percent reservation for open merit share.A shift from policy decisions and demographic legal principles has resulted in a structural framework which significantly differs from the national norms.It is when courts across India have always emphasised that reservation policies must rest on contemporary quantifiable evidence.Though government maintains that the present reservation framework follows Reservation Act 2004 and its rules according to 2005 that should be read with new notification SO-176 of March 2024.But lot of reservations and concerns have emerged about the proportionality , transparancy and opportunity of merit where certain newly introduced reservations are found drawing benifit patterns on the basis of regions and geography.In its verdict on November 16 ( 1992 ) Supreme Court in Indra Sawhney verses union of India case held that reservations should not ordinary exceed beyond 50 percent except in the exceptional and extraordinary circumstances.However in 2022 in Janhit Abhiyan case court while upholding the ten percent reservation for economically weaker sections observed that fifty percent ceiling is not a compulsory limit but a rule of prudence.Taking a flexible and wider interpretation of this directive parliament in February 2024 ammended 2005 reservation rules and reservation percentages were altered by introducing EWS at 10 percent and increasing it to 20 percent for ST , 28 percent for OBC while RBA saw reductions.This was largely based on publicly available socio economic survey and not on an updated sensus or data.Consequently LG administration announced new quotas like Paharis , paddari , koli , Gadda brahmin and other casts.Social welfare department quickly followed by distributing new proportions which led to decrease of open merit quota.As per new policy 61% seats of government jobs and professional admissions are reserved and only 39 are for open merit share.This clearly shows that open merit candidates are slowly pushed out of the system though government stands by its constitutional interpretation by saying that it goes well with constitutional guidelines and court rules.In just last two years 8.21 lack reservation certificates were issued in J & K in which 6.78 lakh ( 82% ) were issued in jammu and only 1.45 lakh certificates were issued in kashmir.For scheduled cast only more than 69000 certificates were issued in jammu while it remained only 474Ā for Kashmir which is just 0.64 percent.Accordingly for ST 5.25 lakh certificates were issued for jammu while it remained 76656 for Kashmir.Out of 21386 , 18963 EWS certificates were issued for jammu and only 2431 certificates were issued for kashmir division.Similarly for ALC jammu is ahead with 85% and it is for RBA only where kashmir is ahead with 31804 certificates while jammu has 15550 certificates.While looking at the shares in the second line bureaucracy JKAS , JKAS ( accounts ) and JKPS the numbers itself tell the story of last three years.In 2023 only 39 selections were made for open merit in JKAS as compared to 50 selections made for reserved categories like Sc , ST and Ews.In 2024 open merit selections were 50 while 43 selections were made for reserved categories.In 2025 , 24 selections were made for open merit while the numbers remained almost equal in all the three civil services.In JK Accounts service 29 , 27 and 15 selections were made from open merit in 2023 , 2024 and 2025 while it remained 26 , 25 and 09 for reserved categories in 2023 , 2024 and 2025 respectively.Though the numbers does not go against any legal quota but it questions fairness and representation.In March 2020 J&K government constituted GD Sharma comission to examine backwardness and rationalise reservations for different categories and the report is yet to come in the public domain.The current reservation structural framework stands at ten percent for EWS, ten percent for RBA , 8 percent for SC , 8 percent of OBC , 10 percent for ST-1 10 percent for ST-2 and 4 percent for ALC/IB which makes a mighty total of 60 percent for the reserved categories.The rest 40 percent are shared by general category and horizontal reservations.An element of the centre of the debate is Rule -17 which allows reserved categories to initially take open merit seats and letter shift back to their respective categories.When this happens the seat already occupied does not automatically return to the open merit pool thereby further reducing the share available to open category competition.Not only so the horizontal reservations which cover women , ex servicemen , sports , and persons with special abilities appear to be applied largely on open merit quota rather than proportionally across all categories.This again makes general category to bear the brunt of disproportionate share of adjustments which was otherwise expected to be distributed evenly.In December 2024 a cabinet sub committee was constituted to consult all stakeholders for reviewing and revisiting the existing policy to reshape a much acceptable reservation policy.The report was approved by the council of ministers in the cabinet and sent for its final approval to honourable LG.If sources are to be believed the cabinet has reportedly slashed reservation of EWS by 7 percent and RBA by 3 percent while managing a much needed ten percent quota for general category subjected to approval from the LG administration.If the same trend follows in filling the vacancies it will be very hard for the merit to survive and that will lead to an absolute brain drain.Moreover , the absence of an updated data and matrix question the basis of the changes and modification.The question is not about reservation but the way of its dis-proportionate distribution.G D sharma lead committee report should be made public for its scrutiny.It is high time to go for a data driven neutral and transparent re-examination which is based on updated statistics.Recalibration rather than an overhaul of the structural framework will do the job.Open merit share must reflect demographic proportion.Distribution of horizontal reservations should be made across all categories rather than concentrating them fully on general category.The much controversial Rule 17 should be revisited and probably done away with to ensure a proper seat balance.This will lead to a structural framework which will be purely based on fairness and transparency and grounded on the principles of proportionality and opportunity thus maintaining a fine balance between merit and constitutional limits.That will give rise to an equitable and a rationalised reservation system which will be effective and acceptable to all sections of the society.Bhat Hilal Ahmad ( Biotech ) is a writer who comes up with a comprehensive analysis on Educational, Social and Political developments.
Mohammad NoumaanA parent always wants their child to rise, to do something great in life; something which can earn them a good reputation. There is a time in everyone's life that is Teenage, in the phase of life a child starts developing different habits and positive thoughts, teens go through many changes over this period.During this time a child longs for parental trust and support, but sadly this is where things go wrong, parents get lost in thoughts like "What if my child got involved in something bad" or "What if my child makes mistakes".And to stop the teen from exploring the evils of the society which are often tempting, because teenage is the time when curiosity among youth is at its peak. So to tackle this a parent has two options: first it can doubt the child unnecessarily, killing the young and ambitious mind, or most of the parents overthink about the child, listen to what opinions do their relatives have regarding their own child.Moreover, parents can talk to the child, show trust upon him/her or check what the child is actually involved in. Teenagers need trust, not suspicion; guidance, not restrictions. A little support can turn curiosity into creativity and doubt into confidence. Meanwhile, during teenage a teen starts to explore hobbies and passions, teens starts doing things which excite them, some get involved into bad company, bad habits or maybe the social evils, disrupting their life and reputation, but many others start to discover what truly excites them, some like playing cricket or any other sport, some take part in gaming, singing or something else.But over the changing times some children are drawn towards working online, or learning skills which they actually enjoy, like some of the new-generation teens like doing cinematography, some like doing photography at a very young age, some like doing freelancing, not to make money but to get exposure, to learn something new and more practical, some like creating content, not to get fame or money but to try something out of the box,but there is the problem.Ā This is the point where most of the parents fail, suppose when their teen says "I am going to play cricket!" Parents often reply positively, when the teen says "I am playing a video game" the parent allows without any second though, but when a child asks for a phone to learn cinematography, parents hesitates and think "what if this phone derailed my child from his studies", but they really forget that what if this phone was the gateway to their child's passion, what if that's the child's actual path! When a teen says "I am working for a client online", instead of doubting or over thinking, parents can simply ask the child;Ā "Son, can you show me what did you made for the client?" "Can you make a cinematic video of our kitchen?"By showing this simple interest a child gets deeply motivated, it shows the teen that their dreams really matter, which results in making them more ambitious and confident.A parent should always support a child, it should always listen to the child especially during the teenage years, and they should always try to understand what their child is aiming for.Ā If you see a child in the society doing something wrong, don't imprint the same on your child. Instead educate them about the pros and cons of every path and keep guiding them with love, trust and clarity. Why stick to traditional career paths just because that s what has always been done? The world is changing and so should our thinking. Every child is built differently, if you give the same task to 10 different children you will get 10 different outcomes, because every child learns, understands, and acts in their own unique way.So a parent must let their child learn and understand things at their own pace. You cannot force a child to learn something that they don t like.Today's parents often give wings to their children to fly but they forget to give them an open sky! A child can be a cinematographer, a cricketer, an entrepreneur or whatever they are passionate about. We as a society must learn to accept and celebrate such talents. Have we ever thought for how long are we going to stick to the traditional way of choosing professions, like completing school, getting a degree, the degree which is often chosen by the parents and relatives instead of the actual child, the question arises, Why? Just because that is what we have always been doing, but does that make it right?Now the world is changing, the upcoming times are going to be more crucial and challenging then we can actually imagine! Parents want their child to do something extra-ordinary but do they let their children explore? Do they let their children do what they are truly passionate about? Why is it necessary to be a doctor, an engineer, a civil servant, or a teacher?A child can be a cinematographer, a cricketer, an entrepreneur or whatever the child is passionate about! And we as a society, need to accept, encourage and celebrate such talents, and this is what is actually going to take us forward.I believe every parent needs to read this article, my parents have always been supportive, they have always trusted me for whatever I did, which is exactly why you are reading this article today.The author is a student of Faiz-e-Aaam secondary school Bandipora
