Why people don’t believe in helping hands?

Sameer Ahmad

Anantnag: Aarifa jan 29, hails from verinag area of south kashmir’s Anantnag district had no idea   that one day she will turn to social media for help .Afrifas husband is suffering from chronic kidney disease diagnosed  three years back ,since  then she has spent huge chunk of  money on his treatment.

Aarifa lives  in a one room  house at verinag in pathetic conditions. His husband is a baker and was running a small shop in the  locality to  meet up family expenses. Aarifa has left no stone unturned to get help for her husbands treatment. She ran pillar to post to get help for her husband however,very few people showed concern.
Aarifa is living with her three kids, unfortunately one of her kids  is suffering from an eye disease and since the treatment could not be pursued and  was left unattended due to   to lack of finances.

Presently, Aarifa has no source of income hence no means to  feed her family or get her husband treated for the chronic ailment.

Arifa ,explaining her plight said her husband needs 3 dialysis that is being done  at GMC Anantnag, and each dialysis costs about eight to ten thousand rupees.presently Arifa needs at least eight to ten lack rupees for her husband’s treatment and she doesn’t have money which she can  spend on  her husband’s treatment.Arifa says her penniless situation gives her   sleepless nights .

 With tearful eyes Aarifa told our correspondent that she does not even have any extra asset like piece of land that she could sell off  and  get her husband treated.  Aarifa has requested  general public in a video on social media for financial help so that she can treat her husband.

There are several cases like Aarifa in kashmir valley that  social media witnesses on daily basis requesting public for help of ailing patients.

Few days ago a video clip of siligam Anantnag  also went  viral on social media in which a small kid with tearful eyes is requesting  people for financiall help for his father’s treatment.

Talking to Arising state Arif Rasheed a journalist working with regional media said that in kashmir there was a time when people were helping each other be it their friend,relative or neighbour  without any ulterior motive  .He further  said that once  every village of valley had a Bait-ul- Maal .Its job was to collect money for destitute  people

In the existing system the objective of the Bait ul Maal was the well being of people, the economic uplifting of weaker sections of society to end economic disparity and rehabilitation of sufferers.

The aim was that  Bait ul Maal was putting obligatory alms and voluntary donation collected from the rich people, into use, effectively, to ensure the well-being of society in general. By means of ‘Bait-ul-Maal’, we can provide general services for the advancement of economically and educationally backward class of society. Bait ul Maal can serve as an effective tool to eradicate poverty,he said

Arif said that people are nowadays focusing on modernisation & in every village, town & other religious places, we are competing with one another & doing unnecessary expenditures, like decorations, costly minars in our masjid’s & shrines, instead of that, it was our religious duty to find out needy people & try to ease their hardships by donating them from the funds raised in masjid’s & other religious places, he said.

Khalid Muntazir another journalist working with national media said that the majority of NGO’S charitable trusts in South kashmir Anantnag district are not working on ground as they are only registered on papers.

He said that if we see the activity of these charitable trusts or NGO’S in ground they are good for nothing. Only few NGO’S in South kashmir’s Anantnag district are working and helping the needy people, he said.

However, Advocate Farooq Ahmad Ganie chairman SRCK social reconstruction center kashmir while talking to Arising state said that it is very sad to say that nowadays people have taken these charity trusts, NGO’S as their personal properties they don’t feel the pain of the needy people except few, he said

Added that once he too had his own registered charitable trust and had worked alot during covid19, but the only thing that demotivated him was that  people have made it business. People have taken these trusts NGO’S as their personal properties and with the result he handed over his  trust to the government, he said.

Meanwhile, Rao Farman Ali a researcher, author working on peace building While talking to the Arising state said that since last three decades because of the uncertainty a clash deficit has emerged within the communities and among the ethnicities of Jammu and Kashmir with what we can call confidential crisis due to which different NGO’S trusts have emerged in jammu and kashmir in the name of helping the poor and the needy people.

He said that only a few NGO’S/ international NGOS in   Jammu and Kashmir have started their desired rehabilitation and support system, but the maximum voluntary organisations instead of  rehabilitating the poor and needy orphans in districts  are rehabilitating themselves.

Added that the lack of proper monitoring system from the administration and in previous and current government has been inefficient.

It is very unfortunate that the messages which are floated on the social media platforms  don’t abide by laws prescribed from time to time.  whether it is child protection act, privacy of the women or honour or the dignity of a poor family. It comes in public domain which makes them more vulnerable in  the society, Rao said.

Arising state  tried to contact District social welfare officer Anantnag, but he didn’t receive our call.