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| 30 Kashmiri youths break stereotypes, enrol for NEET preparations | | | Early Times Report
SRINAGAR, June 20: Even as Jammu and Kashmir is increasingly becoming synonymous with unending cycles of violence and encounters, a group of youth in the Valley are harbouring aspirations of pursuing medicine.
The ambitions of these youth, however, bring forth a different side of the Kashmir that differs from the usual narrative.
A group of 30 youths are being trained to appear for National Eligibility Cum Entrance Test (NEET) at a secret facility located near Srinagar. The facility is being overlooked by the Indian Army.
"I am liking it here," 17-year-old Yasir said from the facility which will be his home for the next one year. Although, the youth here are not allowed to go out of the facility, their parents are permitted to visit them occassionally.
Yasir, a native of the restive Shopian district of Jammu and Kashmir left his home to prepare for the competitive exams. He and his classmates were busy with their studies when a team from India Today met them. The blackboard in the facility was replete with diagrams and many students were seen haunched over their course materials.
The students here are racing against time as they have to crack the competitive exam in a year if they want to fulfill their dreams of becoming a doctor. "No one can help people more than a doctor," said Adil Reyaz Mir, a youth from Kupwara noted for being the hot bed of militancy.
For their neighbhours, these students have left to stay with their relatives. With over three decades of violence, associating oneself with any government or Army-backed project is fraught with perils. Therefore, the youth here do not return home till they appear for the exams. Even their parents do not mention that their children have been sent to study.
Yasir, Adil and other youths are part of the Super-30 programme run by the Indian Army and National Integrity and Education Development Organisation (NIEDO). The project is funded by corporates like HCL as a part of their corporate social responsibility.
Yasir's father is a security guard and makes a meagre living. "I was surprised when Yasir's mother approached me. Later I learned that Yasir's parents work for a private security agency and take turns to watch the tower at a BSNL facility. There is so much talent here, it is unimaginable," Dr Srivastava, managing trustee of NIEDO, told India Today.
In order to help the students, to match up to their counterparts from other parts of the country, experts from various fields of medicine have been assigned to train them. The mentors also including professors from Kashmir University.
At the facility, the boys follow a schedule similar to the military routine. The classes begin at 6 am and ends by 12 pm. Apart from academic work, extra-curricular activities have also been included in their hectic schedule.
Some of the students even hinted at the ongoing turmoil in their hometowns. "At the facility, it is better, and the students can concentrate," added Srivastava.
"I want to tell the youth of Jammu and Kashmir that the best way out is education. It has all the answers," said Adil Reyaz Mir.
The project has raised serious questions on the state of affairs in the Valley. These 30 youths have gone incommunicado in a bid to become doctors, while there are many out in the streets engaging in violence. The paradox here is tangible. |
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