Kashmiri students in Jaipur have no contact with family, pray for their safety

The Kashmiri students here may be living far away from home, but are nevertheless affected by the flash floods which have hit their state.

Every day they pray that they will receive news from their families, conveying that they are safe.

Javed Ahmed from Anantnag, who is pursuing his BSc Nursery has been here for only a month. He said, "Kashmir is in a terrible shape right now due to the floods. For seven days, I have not had any contact with anybody from my family. I appeal to the government to get the mobile networks up and running there as soon as possible."

Another student Tauheed Gulzar said, "Unlike the olden days, today we keep in touch with people back home through mobile phones and social networking sites. Due to the floods, neither the phones nor the internet is working. Television news channels are only showing the rescue work taking place in cities but some of us are from smaller towns like Anantnag and Sopore, due to which our worries are increasing."

Speaking about himself, Gulzar said, "I am really anxious for the safety of my family because the last time I spoke to them, they had left the house to find shelter someplace above the rising water level."

Flash floods have thrown normal life out of gear in Jammu and Kashmir and Prime Minister Narendra Modi has termed the calamity a national disaster. The toll of the deceased has crossed 175, with lakhs stranded across the state.