Srinagar: A summer has
ended peacefully in the valley and Kashmiri youth have certainly
warmed up to it as they look for campus placements, surf for
employment avenues on the internet, compete for the coveted civil
services and even scout for jobs in the private sector.
In a land that witnessed some of the bloodiest clashes between
irate youth and the security forces, the youngsters are now
focussing on career building.
"Hundreds of local boys and girls, including my son, are attending
coaching classes at some reputed institutions to make it to the
IAS (Indian Administrative Service) and other such services,"
Mushtaq Ahmad, 49, an official with the central customs, told
IANS.
"Gone are the days when Kashmiri boys and girls would shy away
from facing all-India competition for civil services, medicine,
engineering, information technology, management and other
professions," he said.
"At least seven locals made it to the all-India civil services
during the last two years. Given our population in comparison with
the rest of the country, it is a major achievement.
The summer of 2011 passed peacefully, after three continuous
summers of unrest which had made it difficult for youth to focus
on education and careers. Boys and girls in local colleges and
universities are also looking for jobs abroad and in other parts
of the country.
"I have applied for post-graduate courses in Australia and
Britain. I have also applied at some of the prestigious
institutions in the country," said 27-year-old doctor Rayees.
Sameer Ahmed, 21, who is studying management in Pune, said:
"Contrary to my peers, because I'm a Kashmiri student, my teachers
and course mates take extra trouble to help me in my studies. The
apprehensions which Kashmiri students have against pursuing
studies outside the state are completely unfounded."
Rouf Shafi, an engineering student in Bangalore, too sounded
optimistic.
"Before I moved out to Bangalore, I did not realise the tremendous
opportunities that await Kashmiris outside. In fact, if you're
hard working and determined, there is no limit to your ambitions,"
he said.
Many private companies are making campus selections at the local
university to select managers for their enterprises.
"Campus selections are something our students hardly expected
until recently," said Ashok Aima, a management professor at a
varsity in Jammu and Kashmir.
"Big companies and even multi-national enterprises are now making
campus selections at Kashmir University's business school. This
happens in Jammu University as well. But you must understand the
difference," he said.
"Youth in the valley have been through bad times. And they are
making up excellently for lost time. I have no doubt our boys and
girls have the potential to compete with the best in the country
and outside," he added.
What is encouraging is a society that for ages had looked upon
government jobs as the only occupational avenue is foraying into
the private sector in a big way.
Said college teacher Muzaffar Ahmad: "The mindset has undergone a
sea change. Boys and girls with promise now look upon government
jobs as their last option."
"The reluctance and the fear that the world ended for a Kashmiri
youth at the Pir Panchal Mountains is finally over. With no dearth
of talent and the willingness to brave the odds, sky is now the
limit for our boys and girls," he added.
Ahmad's son is doing a literature course in Delhi's St. Stephen's
College.
In a lighter vein, a police officer who did not want to be named
said: "Our boys would no longer be known for their stone pelting
'skills'!"
"They have the capacity to conquer the world with their talent and
hard work. It is precisely in recognition of their potential that
we have been organising coaching courses for civil services,
sports, etc, for youth."
(Sheikh Qayoom can be
contacted at sheikh.abdul@ians.in)
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