Shia Imami Ismaili Muslim community observes 53rd Imamat day with simplicity; special prayers were held for peace,inter communal harmony& prosperity:

speakers in public gatherings highlight Aga Khan's contributions for humanity;

GILGIT,HUNZA, GHIZER, July 11: Shia Imami Ismaili community of Muslims Ummah celebrated 'Yaum-e-Imamat', the day of succession of Shah Karim al-Hussaini,known as Aga Khan (4th) as 49th Imam (leader) on Sundary 11 July, 2010. The day marked with and started with special prayers for integrity, global peace, inter communal faith harmony, prosperity of the country and for the resolution of challenges by humanity in to days world. Speakers in public gatherings highlighted contribution of Aga Khan (iv) for human well being across the world through a comprehensive net work named Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN), working for the improvement of health care facilities, socio-economic, cultural, intellectual development and inter-communal faith harmony across the globe.
Shah Karim Al-Hussaini succeed his grand father Sir Sultan Muhammad Shah (Aga Khan iii) around 53 years back in 1957 as an Imam of the community in a young age. Like his grand father, he proved himself a leader of global rapport and delivered numerous accomplishments not only for his own community, Muslim umma but also for rest of the world without any discrimination of caste, creed, faith,and culture. It was his dynamic leadership of Him and his grand father that with in a short span of time, his community emerged as a stable, well organized and knowledge based entity across the world. According to the senior citizens of the the region, it was first ever visit of Aga Khan (4th)in 1960s, this area started to stand on its foot as he started new initiatives to improve standard of living of the people under the banner of Aga Khan foundation.
His unprecedented efforts in Islamic world for preservation of civilization as a mean of Identity as a nation and constant emphasis to respect pluralism, diversity, tolerance, acceptance, integrity, co-existence, equal opportunity, hard work, humanitarian work and after all to hold ourselves responsible of our acts before a supreme power are the some of the key factors to solve the challenges faced by the contemporary world in term of revolts, extremism and violence.

Shah Karim Al-Hussaini, Aga Khan, 49th contemporary spiritual leader of the Shia Imami Ismaili Muslim community enjoys global regard for his philanthropic work for humanity.
Image source:Simerg.com
On the occasion of Imamat day, we the team of VoH would like to extend our heartiest wishes to the followers of Shia Imami Ismaili community and pray for a violence free just global society where terms namely uneven distribution of wealth, oppression, tyranny, intolerance, apathy and arrogance hardly found there in.
HUNZA, Hyderabad: A community centre elumintated with lighening bulbs give a chamful feelings on 53rd Imamat day of Aga Khan as 49th Imam

Yet, there exists concerns of even those belong to the community over the conventional methods and projects hardly address the socio-economic and intellectual needs of the the people saying a visible deviation for the reason these institutions under AKDN were established.
Courtesy: Voice of Hunza

YAIN (Water Mill) A Socio-Economic Agency of Gilgit-Baltistan and Chitral

By: Abbas Ali

YAIN (Water Mill) was a manifestation of the local wisdom and innovation while modern technological revolution was not known for the people living in Gilgit-Baltistan. Perhaps YAIN was the only industry which was operating on the best known technological knowhow of its time.

Photo By: Muhammad Fayaz

Many of us may well remember while special preparation were made to take wheat, Maze, Barley and many other types grains to be milled in the YAIN. It was like a festivity at home. Looking at YAIN and its function may be seem a simple basics mechanics, however, analyzing its role in the socio-economic context of Gilgit-Baltistan and Chitral sketches an important symbolic expression of the way of life of the people.

It helps to trace the food items used by the people, it does not only help to highlights some of the very important food items, it also help us to trace the processes involved in preparation of food items. The grains processed through YAIN was used for bread (Shapic, Khamali, Qistam, Giyaling, Khamishdoon, shuroo, Fiti, Shiroo, Khamoloot, Baroo-e-giyalin, duldoongi, Diramp hiti, Diram Khamishdoon) [Names are in Burushashki] and these many varieties of bread were used to make further a huge variety of dishes from Guhmaldi to Tarbatiti.

In terms of economy the owner of the YAIN was the prosperous industrialist of his own time. Everyone who was milling anything in the YAIN was supposed to give a certain amount of the flour to the owner and it was called FEE. On times where the cultivatable land was very small, productivity of the land was perhaps at its minimum and there was a highly level of scarcity of the grains, the owner of the YAIN was getting enough to be self-sufficient rather at times of need he was lending to others because he was accumulating enough through FEE.

Preparing the grains to be taken to YAIN was one of the major agencies for the socialization of women, particularly young women. Cleaning grain was the responsibility of women. Cleaning enough like 80 to 100 KGs of wheat grain take almost a day for three to four women. Women used to gather for helping each other to fasten the process of cleaning the grain, three to four women used to gather for the purpose of cleaning the grains, while their hands and eyes were busy in cleaning the wheat grain, their minds and lips were used to discuss a lot of personal issues and issues related to society of the village under supervision of an old lady. During these times the women were used to brainstorm, develop their opinions and frame their minds to look at individual and social context.

YAIN at the same time shades light on the level of technological knowhow of the people, the economic status of the area, as well as a significant benchmark to look at transition from the traditional means of technology to the new area of hi-tech technology. In a way the YAIN could be seen as an agency in the pre 1980s time period of the societies of Gilgit-Baltistan and Chitral. Although, many of these agents of the past do not survive any more but it would be highly appreciable to preserve some of the these as one of the important parts of our collective identity and our progress.

Source: gbtimes.wordpress.com