Miles To Go Before I Sleep

By Maharaj Krishen Raina  

It is a privilege and an honour to serve one's community in any manner one can and I feel honoured to have been entrusted with the task of editing 'Milchar', the mouthpiece of Kashmiri Pandits’ Association, Mumbai once again. I am particularly grateful to the President and other office bearers of the KPA who have reposed confidence in me and considered me competent for this job. I shall endeavour to come up to their expectations and address the aspirations of our esteemed readers and members of the biradari.

I have been associated with this magazine earlier also and I am conscious of the fact that this task is onerous and challenging. I, however, accept this job on the strength of three most essential factors. Firstly I resolve that I shall put in all my ability in carrying out this difficult but rewarding work earnestly and honestly. Secondly I feel assured that my writer friends will stand by me in writing for this magazine on various topics of interest to our community. Thirdly and most importantly, I am confident that our readers will help us in making this magazine a great publication by giving their views and suggestions from time to time.

We have set a very high standard for 'Milchar', which we will try to reach in as short a period as possible. It will be a tri-lingual journal (English, Hindi, Kashmiri), carrying articles on our culture and civilization, our tradition, our rituals and rich heritage of philosophy, thought and life-style. It will reflect on contemporary problems confronting the community and highlight the activities that are carried out from time to time to strengthen the mutual bondage and further the interests for the common good. We shall also try to give glimpses of our literature, both past and present and an account of personalities who have or are serving the community selflessly and sincerely. We invite articles on these and allied subjects from our honoured writers. We also request that some of them may like to write for every issue of this journal serially, for which we shall be pleased to reserve suitable space. 'Milchar' will no doubt carry the news about the members of the community living in and around Mumbai and give priority to their views and suggestion.

We intend to make 'Milchar' a Monthly journal in a short span of time. We will also ensure that a copy of this journal reaches every KP home at least in Mumbai, to start with. We would like to request members of the biradari to pay subscription for 'Milchar' on a regular basis, to make it self-financing and appear regularly without breaks. Those members of the community who wield influence in commercial circles can be of great help. They are specially requested to bring in regular advertisements for this magazine so as to make it financially sound and qualitative superb.

An exclusive page captioned 'Your Own Page' has been introduced from this issue to carry exclusive photographs, news, achievements, laurels etc. of the members of biradari and their children. Input in this regard will be highly appreciated.

Source: Milchar