Kashmir based photographer Dar Yasin’s freeze frame of an airborne masked Kashmiri man participating in a protest, shows him mid air, ready to land feet first on the bonnet of an armoured vehicle of Indian security forces. In his fist is a stone. It is one of many such photos taken by Yasin, an Associated Press photographer based in Kashmir. He and his colleagues AP Photographers Mukhtar Khan (kashmir) and Jammu based Channi Anand have been awarded  the coveted Pulitzer prize, in feature photography category, for their work documenting the sights of Kashmir, which in fact has been under lockdown much before anyone had even heard of the Coronavirus. 

“Congratulations to Channi Anand, Mukhtar Khan and @daryasin of @AP. #Pulitzer”

Congratulations to Channi Anand, Mukhtar Khan and @daryasin of @AP. #Pulitzer pic.twitter.com/SJzGyK3sXq

— The Pulitzer Prizes (@PulitzerPrizes) May 4, 2020

The announcement was simple, and powerful.

The images captured by these award winning photojournalists taken during the clampdown on Kashmir, show a stark reality of razor barbed wires, empty streets, roadblocks, ruined buildings protests, funerals, anguished faces of men, women, and children. There are of course plenty of armed uniformed personnel on duty, and there are clouded, and open skies with startled birds taking wing. 

Some of these scenes are now newly familiar across the country due to the Covid19 lockdown and the everyday challenges that it has thrown up. However in Kashmir, these are happenings that photojournalists based there have been documenting for a long time, often they find themselves navigating dangerous situations as they continue to do their jobs. The fact that they have had no internet for months, and then only the bare minimum, adds to the challenges journalists from Kashmir face on a daily basis. 

The Pulitzer 2020 awarded to the three photojournalists has once again put the situation in Kashmir on the international scanner. The images they took as the clampdown intensified are once again being circulated, and studied. A bullet hole on the wall, a lone resident crossing a rickety walkway over freezing waters, are reminding everyone what the situation in the now Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, continues to be. 

As reported in the Associated Press itself, the three photographers have won a Pulitzer in feature photography section for images made during “India’s clampdown on Kashmir, where a sweeping curfew and shutdowns of phone and internet service added to the challenges of telling showing the world what was happening in the region of 7 million people.”

According to AP, the photographers Dar Yasin, Mukhtar Khan and Channi Anand “snaked around roadblocks, sometimes took cover in strangers’ homes and hid cameras in vegetable bags to capture images of protests, police and paramilitary action and daily life. Then they headed to an airport to persuade travelers to carry the photo files out with them and get them to AP’s office in New Delhi.” 

The winners themselves had a  modest response to the honour. “Thank you Colleagues, friends, brothers. I would just like to say thank you for standing by us always. It’s an honour and a privilege beyond any we could have ever imagined. It’s overwhelming to receive this honor.” said Dar as the news broke and messages congratulating them flooded social media. 

Thank you Colleagues, friends, brothers. I would just like to say thank you for standing by us always. It’s an honour and a privilege beyond any we could have ever imagined. It’s overwhelming to receive this honor.

— Dar Yasin (@daryasin) May 4, 2020

Then, the Associated Press photographer based in Indian Kashmir, then continued sharing news as he always does. 

“Thankyou everyone” posted Jammu based Channi Anand, who made a rare appearance on Twitter to accept the congratulatory messages  (

Thankyou everyone https://t.co/4Sh4EP9s68

— Channi Anand चन्नी आनंद (@channiap) May 5, 2020

“It was a group entry that our office in New York had filed,” Dar was quoted by Kashmir Life. The portal shared a happy photo of Dar rejoicing with his family at home when the award was announced.

The three are being hailed for their achievement across social media platforms, and the award is being seen as one for “Indian journalism”

“Great news for Indian journalism at last! The Pulitzer Prize, journalism’s most prestigious award, has been won in 2020 by 3 Indian API photographers Dar Yasin, Mukhtar Khan and Channi Anand for their “striking images of life” in Kashmir after the Centre abrogated Article 370.” posted well known writer, and media personality, Pritish Nandy 

Great news for Indian journalism at last! The Pulitzer Prize, journalism’s most prestigious award, has been won in 2020 by 3 Indian API photographers Dar Yasin, Mukhtar Khan and Channi Anand for their “striking images of life” in Kashmir after the Centre abrogated Article 370.

— Pritish Nandy (@PritishNandy) May 5, 2020

Of course there were the expected conspiracy theorists, mostly affiliated with the Right Wing ideology who dismissed the award. Predictably, this troll team also included some journalists. Not one of the award winners have responded to trolls of course. Kashmiri journalists say they are made of sterner stuff. The award winning works of the three Pulitzer winners speaks for itself.

It is also important to remember  Masrat Zahra, another photojournalist from Kashmir,  who was recently called for questioning by Cyber Police, Srinagar. She was charged under the draconian Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) and Section 505 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) for posting some of the photographs she had clicked from the region.

“It’s such a moment of pride for all of us that our @daryasin and @mukhtarap have been awarded Pulitzer Prize for their work in Kashmir done under difficult circumstances. Congratulations, keep up the great work. It’s the global recognition of ground reality in Kashmir.” she posted.
 

It’s such a moment of pride for all of us that our @daryasin and @mukhtarap have been awarded Pulitzer Prize for their work in Kashmir done under difficult circumstances. Congratulations, keep up the great work. It’s the global recognition of ground reality in Kashmir. pic.twitter.com/o6i5Nwj2BX

— Masrat Zahra (@Masratzahra) May 4, 2020

Related:

 https://sabrangindia.in/article/journalists-are-not-terrorists-journalism-not-crime

The post A Pulitzer for Kashmir appeared first on SabrangIndia.

Image courtesy Masrat Zahra’s Facebook profile.
 
The Network of Women in Media, India, stands in solidarity with photojournalist Masrat Zahra, who is being subjected to online abuse and intimidation for carrying out her journalistic duty. 
On 15 May, 2018, Masrat Zahra, a female freelance photographer based in Srinagar posted a photograph titled ‘Gun vs Camera’, which shows her at work, covering an encounter between the Indian Army and a group of militants in Kachdoora, Shopian. The photograph, where Masrat is seen amid the four army personnel while covering the gunfight, was taken by a photographer colleague. She was also injured on the same day when the house was burned down during the gunfight and the photographers were asked to run for cover.
Soon, Masrat’s post received a comment labelling her as a ‘Mukhbir’ or informer.  This defamatory screenshot referring to Masrat as an informer who works for the army got viral within no time. Such vicious and irresponsible labelling of a journalist in an already polarised political climate is dangerous and must be unequivocally condemned.
Multiple Facebook pages shared the photo, used sexist and abusive language and called her a spy, traitor and collaborator. This was followed by online harassment in the form of threats, abuses and intimidation. 
The online abuse and threats have created immense fear and mental stress for Masrat, who is a student of central university of Kashmir studying convergent journalism. She also works as a freelance photographer and contributes to Hong Kong-based Editorial Photo Agency.
The NWMI is deeply concerned about the threats and abuse directed at a young woman photojournalist carrying out the important journalistic duty of informing the public about current happenings in Kashmir. She must be allowed to carry on her studies as well as her professional duties without fear.
The NWMI demands that:

• The cyber-crime cell of the police takes action against the perpetrators of the online abuse
• Social media platforms such as Facebook step up measures against violent and abusive content

The post NWMI demands and end to the Online Abuse and Intimidation of Masrat Zahra appeared first on SabrangIndia.