The Kashmir Walla

The Kashmir Walla
Editor Fahad Shah
Categories social, art and political
Frequency Monthly (content refreshes 7th of every month)
First issue 7 May 2011 (2011-05-07)
Country India
Language English
Website http://thekashmirwalla.com

The Kashmir Walla is a monthly online magazine[1] that focuses on society, art and politics. It publishes features, profiles, opinion pieces, investigative pieces, reportage, along with, art, photography, fiction and poetry. It also publishes interviews, personal narrative pieces and reviews. A team of journalists, activists, freelancers, artists, and poets, contribute to the magazine apart from the coverage by its staff writers. The Kashmir Walla's mission is "to highlight the issues which are shadowed behind the dark curtains and to bring the fresh content of art, politics and society to the world". It also has a section called "Daily Post" wherein daily pieces are published.

It is a first such online magazine, unique in itself, based on a particular theme every month. According to The Indian Express newspaper "The Kashmir Walla tells stories of Kashmir".[2]

It is run from Jammu and Kashmir, India. The first issue came on 7 May 2011. Inspired from this magazine many other websites have come up from the region. Before being an online magazine it has a long history which goes back to the winter of year 2009.

History

The Kashmir Walla was first started as a blog[3] in February, 2009 from Srinagar, Kashmir by Fahad Shah,[4] a journalist and writer. The blog published stories, opinions and photos of the founder himself and also the contributions from many prominent bloggers and journalists of many countries. In the summer of year 2010, the blog was converted into a full-fledged website thekashmirwalla.com[5] in which videos, fiction, poetry and paintings were added to the existing features. The website with all its features received good response from readers throughout the globe. In its short time as the website and operated single handedly it was a success in attracting a good readership.

After twenty-six months as blog and then website, it became an online magazine with focus on art, political and social issues. The first issue of magazine received thousands of hits in early hours of the day.

The content of the magazine is re-published by many different organisations throughout the world.[6][7][8]

Contribution

The magazine welcomes submissions from anyone. Students, writers, poets, photographers, artists and journalists are submitting their work to the magazine. It has, so far, published contributors like Mridu Rai, author of Hindu Rulers, Muslim Subjects,[9] Omair Ahmad who is an Indian writer. His book Jimmy the Terrorist was shortlisted for the 2009 Man Asian Literary Prize,[10] David Barsamian, a well known independent journalist and commentator, Siddhartha Gigoo, author of the novel, The Garden of Solitude, and many others.

Mirza Waheed,[11] the author of critically acclaimed novel, The Collaborator[12] while talking to Al Jazeera said: "There has been brutal murder on the streets of Srinagar and that has not been reported well in India, so they turned to new media...opened up websites like Kashmirwalla and I'm heartened by that."[13]

Accolades

"...story of ordinary Kashmiris, and the havoc that the conflict in the Valley has unleashed in their lives, that is mirrored on the Kashmirwalla website...the Kashmirwalla aims at painting the real picture of Kashmir across the world sans censorship and biases...Short stories, poems, profiles and autobiographical narratives published on the website poignantly reflect the chequered everyday lives of the people of the valley...has photo essays that chronicle the changing times in Kashmir."[14] - The Sunday Guardian

"The Kashmir Walla, a monthly online magazine, which tells stories of Kashmir."[15] - The Indian Express

"There has been brutal murder on the streets of Srinagar and that has not been reported well in India, so they turned to new media... opened up websites like Kashmirwalla and I'm heartened by that." —Mirza Waheed, author of The Collaborator.[16] - Al Jazeera

"Fahad Shah...publishes the nascent monthly online magazine The Kashmir Walla."[17] - Mint (newspaper) "A monthly online magazine called, The Kashmir Walla."[18] - NDTV

Awards

Fahad Shah, the founder and editor-in-chief of The Kashmir Walla was shortlisted as finalist for the 2011 Manthan South Asia Award that felicitates emerging digital innovators. It was for his contribution in the field of e-news and media field. The nominations for this award come from eight countries of South Asia. He was nominated for his foundation and work, The Kashmir Walla magazine.[19][20]

References

  1. ↑ On NDTV, 2011
  2. ↑ The Indian Express, October, 2, 2011
  3. ↑ The Kashmir Walla Blog
  4. ↑ Fahad Shah
  5. ↑ The Kashmir Walla
  6. ↑ The Kashmir Walla on hindujagruti.org
  7. ↑ One year after Tufail Mattoo's killing
  8. ↑ Kashmir: The Other Side
  9. ↑ Hindu Rulers, Muslim Subjects
  10. ↑ 2009 Man Asian Literary Prize Archived 24 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine.
  11. ↑ Mirza Waheed
  12. ↑ The Collaborator
  13. ↑ Kashmir: South Asia's Palestine
  14. ↑ The Sunday Guardian Newspaper
  15. ↑ The Indian Express, October, 2, 2011
  16. ↑ Kashmir: South Asia's Palestine
  17. ↑ Mint Newspaper
  18. ↑ On Ndtv
  19. ↑ 2011 Manthan South Asia Award
  20. ↑ Manthan Award
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