Dr Wazir Fahad Jan
Brighter Kashmir is an English language daily newspaper, launched by Farooq Ahmad Wani on September 10, 2010. As of August 2020, it is the only English newspaper in the Kashmir Valley which is based and published outside Srinagar city. The daily is based in Chrari Sharief, a high altitude township located some 30 kilometres south-west of Srinagar city.
Mr. Farooq Wani has been the Editor-in-chief of the daily since its inception. Mr. Wani is a senior journalist who started his journalistic career as a reporter with Mirror of Kashmir, a Srinagar based newspaper. For the next decade, Mr. Wani, worked with a number of national and international publications as well. Mr. Wani’s motivation behind the venture was a drive to address the problems being faced in his homeland with honest, accurate and comprehensive reporting, with a special focus on issues of suburban and rural places which often get neglected.
The Brighter Kashmir covers the sensitive issues of Jammu and Kashmir region, focusing on the problems faced by the common man. The daily also gives considerable space to national and international issues. It has a vibrant Op-Ed section too and provide platform to various issues like national security, geo-strategy, social, cultural and political issues.
From the original four-page black-and-white publication, Brighter Kashmir has now become a colour newspaper with four additional pages and currently it is a 12-page publication. The Brighter Kashmir has also laid its foot-frint in the digital media with a vibrant Youtube channel. The content of this channel is insightful and unbiased. Many reputed personalities from different walks of life have appeared on the programs of this channel, giving their expert opinions, thoughtful insights and sharing their experiences with the audience.
Today, Brighter Kashmir is one among the largest circulated English dailies in Kashmir. Its content is studied globally by international think tanks and governments as a repository of the actual situation in Kashmir.
Mr. Wani was recently honoured with the ‘Out Standing Media Person Award’ for the year 2020 by the Government of the Union Territory of Jammu Kashmir, India, for his honesty, dedication and commitment to upholding the true spirit of journalism. Apart from running the newspaper, Mr. Wani also publishes columns under his pen in several national and international publications and news portals. Mr. Wani’s aim is to launch a news magazine and an Urdu newspaper with an aim to reach out to the bigger audience across Jammu and Kashmir.
Having seen this newspaper from its infancy, the transformation from a four page black and white daily taking the baby steps in its initial days, to becoming a media giant now has been a remarkable journey. I wish the whole team of Brighter Kashmir the best of luck in their future endeavours, and hope that they will fulfill their duty towards responsible journalism.
Author is Doctor by profession and writes for many health related publications in The world
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