PHYSIOGRAPHY OF MAGAM

LOCATION AND SIZE:- Magam village is located in Handwara Tehsil of Kupwara district in Jammu & Kashmir, India. It is situated 10km away from sub-district headquarter Handwara and 30km away from district headquarter Kupwara. As per 2009 stats, Magam C is the gram panchayat of Magam.

The total geographical area of the block or village is 609.9 hectares or the geographical area of Magam is 6.09 km2. Magam has a total population of 6,909 people. There are about 1,150 houses in Magam . Handwara is the nearest town to Magam wh is approximately 10km away. Magam is situated at an altitude of 5335 feet, above sea level with coordinates, at 34°27' degree latitude in the north and 74°13' to degree longitude in the east. The village has varied topography with a karewa area on the west, north, northwest and northeast being hilly and the southern parts of the block are plain. Magam is surrounded by thick forest, hilly slopes and karewas from three sides. the southern parts of the village are plain, which is mostly irrigated land.

Drainage: Dangerwari Nalla, the only important Nalla originating from the Himalayan range, flows through the southern areas of Magam from the west to east. This Nalla is the main source of irrigation in our block. There are other smaller seasonal streams which originate from local hills but they remain dry most of the time. Climate: The climate of Magam is pleasant in spring moderate in summer and cold in winter. During summer mercury goes up to 32 oC and in winter it falls down to minus 10 oC. The average annual rainfall in Magam is about 100 centimeters, which is rather the same for the whole district Kupwara. Type of soil: The character of the soil in Magam can be studied with reference to board physiographic division and according to this classification, the soil in the valley has been classified on the basis of its chemical properties and suitability for the cultivation of different crops. This classification with local names is given under: Gurti or Silt, owes its origin to plants which are frequent. Bahil or Loam is a prized soil and possesses great natural strength. when dry, it appears black. Sekil is an important type of soil used for growing rice. It is a mixture of Loam and Sand. Suramin is a soil used for growing vegetables. Wudar is tableland used for fruit cultivation such as almonds, apple, and cherry etc. Land under cultivation: Net area sown is 462.2 hectares. Wasteland is 98.3 hectares. The total un-irrigated area is 367.5 hectares. The total irrigated land is 98.3 hectares. Area irrigated by canals is 94.1

Geology: Kashmir constitutes the, “Nappa Zone “representing a tectonic depression characterized by folded (anti-lines and synclines) and faulted ( normal and low angle thrusts )structure with the strongly altered crystalline as the basement. Supported on the basement is the most interesting development of a series of deposits ranging in age from Cambrian to Eocene. In this meta-sedimentary basin, the Pleistocene deposits (karewas) cap the pre-existing rocks at various localities.

Flora: The forests of Magam have a wide range of woods and flowers, Deodar, Kail, Pine, Fir, Elm, blue fir are found in abundance, Chinar, Poplar, Willows, Walnuts, and variety of other trees are grown in the areas as well. The forests are also rich in minerals and many other forest products. There is a wide range of medicinal herbs in the area. The local names of the herbs are Ratanjog, Kuth, Memaakh, etc. Magam is currently witnessing worst timeber smuggling crisis in the whole tehsil . Northwest area of Magam forest is most badly effected area of Magam forests. Fauna: The Magam area has a vast range of wildlife. The dense forest provides a good habitat and conducive environment for birds and wild animals. Among the birds are Ravan, crows, vulture, woodpecker, swallows, bulbul, bush cat, Fly, Catcher, Doves, Pigeons, Sparrow, and Wild cock. Wild animals like Black Bear, Jackal, Fox, Monkeys, and leopards are also found in the forests. Man and wild animal conflicts can be seen frequently. Natural Wealth: The following are the mineral occurrences known from various parts of Kupwara district. The information given in this section is about the substances which are profitably exploited from the earth. Some of the deposits do not conform to the proper standards of atomic structure, a definite chemical composition and is not formed by inorganic processes of nature and hence should not be regarded as mineral substances in the strict sense of the term. As for as Magam is concerned, there occurs stone for building construction, people also talk about low-grade iron ore deposits. The silt, bolts and the sand is extracted from Dangerwari Nalla.

            History of Magam

Origin of Magam:- The meaning of word 'Magam' is disputed, yet there are three theories about the meaning of this word 'Magam'. During my interaction with the village elders, there are two views about this disputed term. One view is that the word Magam has been derived from Sanskrit word 'mahagam', maha means big and a gam is a corrupt form of sanskrit word "grama "which means village . On the other side, there is another view which speaks about this name being derived from Persian and Kashmiri languages. This group believes that the word Magam means moon village or bright village . They believe that the word is made up of two words, the 'ma' is derived from Persian word 'Mahsa which means moon or bright and 'gam' is a Kashmiri word for village, which collectively means the moon village or bright village . But the scholars believe that the suffix 'gam' is usually associated with indo-greek settlements, which may take Magma's history back to the bactarian-Greek period. But it is unlikely, because of the lack of any archaeological evidence and literary records. When we talk about lack of archaeological evidence, it does not mean there can be are no archaeological evidences. During my interaction with the people of Magam, we come across many stories which speak about the recovery of weird tools by the locals. But at the same time we must also admit that without conclusive proofs we can not generate any hypothesis about Magma's ancient past. From the surrounding historical records, we can say that village may have sprung up in the late medieval era, because Magam lies between Handwara tehsil and Ramhal area, both of which are known to have ancient roots dating back to ancient times, which indicates that there could have been some small settlements who might have provided a link between the two above mentioned areas. The real or documented history began during the last phase of the Sikh rule in Kashmir when the present village was given to Salam lone as salary, who was a military commander probably in the Imamuddins army. The later was the son of Shek Ghulam Mohiuddin (First Muslim governor of Kashmir during the Sikh rule). At Shihlal a hamlet in the north-west of Kashmir, the governor's son, imamuddin with a force of 12000 men was defeated by bombas. (Valley of Kashmir page no.200-201). One may conclude that Salam lone might had taken part in Shilal battle also. But still this village was sparsely populated,it was after the establishment of Dogra rule, Salam Lone’s grandson Sidiq lone received the surrounding villages as a Jagir from Dogra authority and Magam became the center of the small hamlets surrounding it. This area was converted by dogra's into Jagir, which remained a Jagir till 1950 when Jagirs were abolished by Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah. But the jagir which he received from dogra's was not fertile at all, rather it was dry land(khshki zameen).during my research,I met sidiq lone's great grandsons they told me that this area received greater share of water from kahmil nala through dangerwari nala before the creation of jagir, however after the creation of jagirs, the flow of nala was diverted by sidiq lone's rivals towards kupwara area. But sidiq lone turned the tide in his favour, when sir walter lawerence was making land revenue settlement. According to the story,Lawerence saheb (as they say his name) was preparing a map of the area for irrigation purposes,Sidiq lone accompanied him at that time, But Lawerence put a partial line on the map,which meant a small share of water for Magam area, according to the story Sidiq lone draw a full line on the map, when Lawerence was busy, converting the half share into full share, which magam used to get before. when Lawerence saw this later on,this incident prompted lawrence to appreciate his smartness and give him the name a "cleaver former" . Because of sidiq lone's smartness Magam received greater share of water from kahmil nala which originates from kazinag glacier. After the availability of water, his next task was to build a network of irrigation channels and bring more and more land under cultivation. Due to the small population of Magam, he faced critical manpower shortage. But his strong willpower and determination were his virtues which helped him to overcome many such hurdles in order to making Magam a fertile and habitable land. To fulfill his dream he brought from different parts of the kamraz region(northern region of Kashmir valley) different kinds of people, who were skilled in their respective fields, such as cultivators, artisans, labourers, etc.they were provided land for habitation and work. Eventually agrarian production of the area increased rapidly. Once again Sidiq lone showed his smartness to make this place a happy and glowing place. Because of his wit and charm Magam still receives water in abundance from kahmil nala for irrational purposes and people still cultivate rice in their fields, however these rice fields are shrinking day by day.

When political awakening started in Kashmir, it took deep roots in Magam also, whose evidence can be found in 1931 uprisings, when the Dogra troops killed 22 people, among the dead, 2 were from utter Machipore (Handwara) with one of them from Magam area.     which sparked protests across handwara tehsil. Historical evidences say that Maharaja’s troops opened fire on protesters at several places like Handwara, Sopore, Shopian, Pulwama, and Rajouri.

Thanks to Gulam Ahmad Mehjoor, noted intellectual and famous Kashmiri poet of that era, who has provided authentic documentation about one such occurrence. Mehjoor was the Patwari of Handwara tehsil at the time when 11 innocent people were gunned down by Maharaja’s forces there in 1931.

  Magam also witnessed violent clashes during the tribesmen invasion, also known as Kabale raid to the locals, which took place on 20 Oct 1947. Magam was turned into a battlefield. One women  was killed when the Indian army started artillery shelling with a shell exploding near her house. Eventually, Indian army pushed back the tribesmen and Magam area was liberated. The village elder's  still recall the horrors of the kabale raid, How they (tribals) slaughtered people  for samovar handles, which they thought was made up of gold. In reality the samovar handles were made up of bronze metal. They killed large number of non muslim also, they raped Hindu women and  forced Hindus to eat  beef, which was prohibited in their religion.In short tribal raid brought devastation to Magam  area. After the termination of tribal raid, political scenario of the state  was changing rapidly, which affected Magam directly, Sheikh Abdullah succeeded in changing the age-old political system of Kashmir. The  old monarchical  system was replaced with democracy. Two year later after the democratization, he new govt. Abolished the jagirdari system or feudalism in the state. Magam jagir  also came under this act and land was transferred to the tiller. From 1950's on words Magam became politically   an important area of Handwara   constituency, because of its large population. The period from 1948 to 1989 was peaceful for Magam in terms of political history.

  MILITANCY IN MAGAM 

The militancy in Kupwara district started during the late 1960's when Maqbool Bhatt (A tall political figure) started arms struggle against the Indian establishment. Unfortunately, he was arrested from the langate area of Handwara, and was hanged in Tihar jail on 9th Feb 1984. After few years of his martyrdom, his party Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) launched a full-scale armed struggle against India and Pakistan. In 1987, a disputed state election acted as a catalyst for the insurgency when it resulted in some of the state's legislative assembly members forming armed insurgent groups. In July 1988, a series of demonstrations, strikes, and attacks on the Indian government began the Kashmir Insurgency, which during the 1990s escalated into the most important internal security issue in India. large number of people mostly young turned into militants,during early 90's JKLF(Jammu and Kashmir liberation front ) was the most active militant group in Magam, They enjoyed huge support in Magam at that time, they succeeded in recruiting large number of people in their organisation and it was peoples favourite party at that time. But soon after betrayal of Ikhwan-ul-muslimeen, which was a militant organisation changed its loyalty to Indian government and after the creation of Hizbul mujahideen, things changed rapidly for JKLF. Soon insurgent groups clashed with each other over ideological differences as a result of which JKLF declared a ceasefire in 1994 and Ikhwan ul muslimin changed their loyalty to the Indian camp in the armed struggle. Basically, the Indian government used them as scapegoats, against their own people and former partner groups. Ikhwanis unleashed a terror campaign against the innocent masses throughout the valley, and Magam was also affected by the Ikhwanism. During late 90's Magam was engulfed in frequent shootouts, bomb blasts, grenade attacks, crackdowns, search operations, and disappearances as a result many casualties were witnessed. One such grave incident happened on Jan, 25 1990 when about Twenty-one people fell to bullets of the paramilitary BSF men in this frontier town, barely four days after Gaw Kadal massacre in Srinagar where 52 unarmed civilians were shot dead by the paramilitary CRPF men. The Handwara bloodbath was carried out when around 10,000 people were heading towards Handwara Chowk to protest against the Gawkadal massacre. The Kashmiri were nevertheless subjected to a fierce repression. By the end of 1990 decade, the Indian military presence in the state had escalated to an approximately one-armed soldier for every five Kashmiris, with 30,000 civilians dead and more than 10,000 civilian disappearances. During 1990's uprisings Magam again witnessed fierce violence. Many people were killed during the insurgency battles, one such incident can be recalled when 21 people were killed on 25 Jan.1990, who were protesting against Gawkadal massacre, two of the 21 deceased belonged to Magam area. During early 2000's three fadiyeen attacks were carried out by jash-mohammad militant on Magam military camp. Magam witnessed daily grenade and mine blasts when militancy was at its peak. The influence of militants on every aspect of the life was greater than governement agencies. But someone has rightly said that everything witnesses rise and fall, Militancy in magam was no exception to it. After 9/11,which subsequently led to the American invasion of afghanistan and ceasefire agreement between india and Pakistan in 2003, Magam witnessed decline in militancy as it was witnessed by the rest of the state. The respons of indian army towords militants and civilians was brutal, they killed large number of militants and some civilians. They unleashed terror campaign against civilians which affected the normal life of Magam to a large extent. Whenever military suffered from fadayeen attacks, they were unleashing a brutal force against the civilians. They crippled many innocent people without even flowing basic investigating procedures. The memory about the brutality of indian army is still fresh, during early 2000' indian army established a bunker on the main road and they were searching every vehicle running on the road, almost every person was brutally beaten by indian army during these unworthy searches. The basic aim of the search was to fill peoples heart with terror and fear. Mass agitation After a short period of peace, Magam again witnessed mass protests in 2008, when government transferred land at Pahalgam to Amarnath shrine board, which invited huge protests across the valley. Soon these small protest rallies turned into a mass movement. Magam witnessed daily protests and minor stone pelting incidents, women also participated in these protests. People also participated in Muzaffarabad Chalo call. In June 2010, Magam again erupted against the fake Machil encounter, which was carried out by Indian army in which innocent Kashmiri civilians were killed. Protests and peaceful demonstrations were held on daily basis. This was a large scale mass movement because every one participated in it, like students, women, young and old. The students were more active during this mass agitation. As the movement went deeper and deeper, there emerged economic crisis in the state. The people of Srinagar faced worst crisis, there was a food shortage in Srinagar city. At this crucial time rural people supplied huge quantity of food to the city people. Magam also supplied huge quantity of food to the people of Srinagar and money was also collected and distributed among the needy people. In mid October government deployed military in troubled area, they once again unleashed terror campaign and movement came to an end. In 2011 Magam was closed for one and a half month after Afzal gurus hanging. Again violent clashes broke out in April 2016 when Indian army killed 5 civilians in handwara town. During 2016 crisis the people of Magam held protests against the civilian killings.

POLITICAL HISTORY Handwara is in a politically active and volatile area of Kupwara. With the increase in the political awakening in the state from 1925 onwards led by Shiekh Mohammad Abdullah, Handwara played an important role. The blood of the martyrs (1931) paid off when Kashmir became a democratic state in 1947-48 under the leadership of Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah. The first MLA from the Handwara constituency was Ghulam Mohammed Rajpuri elected in 1951. It is pertinent here to mention that the National Conference has won assembly and parliament elections, most of the times in this constituency thereby making it the paramount party of the entire constituency. The most immense political figure in Handwara constituency is Chowdhary Mohammad Ramzan, who has been elected four times as the constituency MLA and is currently serving as the deputy president of the National Conference, the biggest political party of the state. The complete list of MLAs from the Handwara constituency is given in table below. Handwara was the home constituency of the late separatist leader Abdul Gani Lone. The current Member of Legislative Assembly (MLA) from Handwara is Sajjad Gani Lone who is affiliated, (and is serving as chairman), with the Jammu and Kashmir People's Conference formed by his late father, Abdul Gani Lone. Sajjad lone became the MLA first time in his life by defeating Chowdhary Mohammad Ramzan of the Jammu & Kashmir National Conference in the 2014 assembly elections. The list of MLAs elected from this constituency is shown in table 1. Handwara is a politically active constituency with some controversies appearing in the past, especially the election of Sajjad Gani Lone who won his first assembly election in 2014 with the alleged collaboration/help of BJP, as the latter party is seen as a anti-Muslim party, largely in the state. This move if his was largely criticized by the political bigwigs of the state. Another important political development in Handwara is related to the popular political leader from Handwara was late Abdul Gani lone, he was a politician turned the separatist leader, he was killed by an unknown gunman at sher-i-Kashmir-stadium Srinagar in 2001.

Local Administration PANCHAYAT:The village Magam for administrative purpose has been divided into 3 panchayat halqas or the block possesses 3 panchayat units, namely Magam A, Magam B and Magam C. It comprises of 36 wards. The panchayat is elected on basis of adult franchise or adult suffrage. Last panchayat elections were held in 2011 and large number of people took part in it. The panchayat is elected for 4 yethe ars and during these 4 years large scale development was initiated by the elected panchayat. For example, street lights were installed in every street of Magam, drainage system was improved , foot paths and small bridges were constructed on a large scale, the schemes sponsored by center government were decorously implemented by the panchayat.

BLOCK DEVELOPMENT OFFICE MAGAM:- A Community Development Block was substantiated in 2014 for the betterment of the people, but unfortunately it fell prey to the local politics, but is still partially functioning. There are only two departments currently functioning in our block, first is department of block development and second is that of Nawib tasildar. Almost four years had passed since 2014, when it was established, it is painful to witness the slow growth of the Community Development Block. Usually there are 22 departments in a Community Development Block, but in our case only two departments are functional and 20 fell prey to pitty politics. It is the duty of the current government to make such administrative units properly functional to ease the pain of the people and initiate a new era of de avelopment, which is in the common interest of all section of the society. Patwari: The first patwari office was established here by Dogra government, the patwari is a revenue record officer. He keeps revenue records of the village. Patwari office has a separate building in Magam which is functional.

Police Station: Magam falls under the jurisdiction of police station Handwara. However, it has its own Police post which was established in 2001. It is headed city a police Sub-inspector. 

Nayabaat: Magam has a Nayabaat, headed by Naib Tehsildar. He functions on behalf of the Tehsildar of the Tehsil Handwara, who enjoys the powers of the executive magistrate, assistant collector and sub-registrar. In the Nayabaat, revenue records are prepared and maintained. Nayabaat was establisted here in 2014. Education Amenities Brief history the of Schools in Magam: The school has been established in the year 1910 AD as govt primary school at lalpora, lolab Kupwara. The school was later on shifted from Lalpora to Magam Tehsil Uttar Machipora (Nowadays Handwara) on 15th January 1913. Govt. Primary school Magam was later on upgraded to Govt. central school in 1958. The central of school was then upgraded to Middle school in 1960. After that, this Middle school was upgraded to Boys High school Magam on 6th April 1961. On 6th of august 1986, it was upgraded to Higher secondary school by the order of Shri jagmohan then the governor of J&K state who visited the school at that time.

        The type of different educational facilities available in the block is given in the numbers. Both Government and private educational facilities/institutions are considered for this purpose. If there are composite schools like Middle schools with Primary classes, or Secondary schools with middle classes, these are included in the number of Primary and Middle schools respectively. The first school in Magam was a middle school, which was established in 1910 according to school records. 

Pre-primary (pp): Now-days ,the children are sent to school at very early stage. lot of pre-primary schools private schools in particular, have come up in villages and towns. these may or may not be recognized by the competent is sownorities. even many secondary schools have classes starting from pre-primary levels. Pre-primary classes include nursery, k.g, pre-basic, etc. the first pre-primary school of magam was sidiq mir memorial public school magam, it was established in 1992. primary School (P): Schools providing education from Standard 1 and upward up to and inclusive of Standard V are classified as Primary Schools. The number of primary schools are 09 in Magam centerof which 8 are government and one is private. Middle School (M): Schools providing education from Standard VI and upward up to and inclusive of Standard VIII are classified as Middle Schools. A School with Class 1 to VIII is treated as two units, i.e. one Primary School and one Middle School. Magam has 11 middle schools, out of which 7 are government schools, it also includes one girl's school and 4 private school. Secondary School (S): Schools providing education from Standard IX and upwards up to and inclusive of Standard X are classified as Secondary Schools. A composite school with 1 to X standard is treated as three separate units and counted separately under the categories of Primary School, Middle School and Secondary School. There is only one high school in Magam block and it was upgraded in 2006 from middle to high school. Secondary School (SS): Schools and colleges that provide education for Standards XI and XII and first and second year of the Pre-University Course fall under this category. There are Senior Secondary Schools with Standard I and upwards up to Standard XII. Magam block had one higher secondary school which was established in 1986. Medical Facilities

A hospital is an Institution, where sick or injured are given medical or surgical care.

Primary Health Sub- Centre (PHS): A Primary Health Sub-centre is the first contact point between the primary health care system and the community. As per the population norms, one PHS has established for every 5,000 population in plain areas and 3,000 population in hilly/ tribal/ desert areas. Each PHS has a sanctioned strength of one male and one female health worker. In Magam there is only one health center for 7000 thousand people, which is above national criteria. This health center was established in 1962 according to official records of the hospital.

Veterinary Hospital: Mostly run by the State Government or local body for treatment and preventive measures against diseases of domestic animals like cows, buffaloes etc in rural areas. Magam has a veterinary center which is providing modern facilities to the people to raise their cattle wealth. It was established in 1970. Medicine Shops: A shop which sells drugs and medicines of any system of medicine viz. allopathic, homeopathic, ayurvedic or Unani medicines, is considered as a medicine shop. There are dozens of medical shops and a, private clinic in our block. Drinking water

First water supply scheme was introduced here, in 1962. The following are the main source of drinking water facility (ies) available in the block:

Tap Water-treated: This source of drinking water refers to a source of drinking water which is provided to the people through pipes within their premises or through common taps (public taps/community water points) by the Government departments, local bodies, panchayats, public or private estate agencies, etc. after treatment. Such a source is treated as ‘Tap water from treated source’. Tap Water-un-treated: If the people get drinking water through pipes either directly from a well or bore well or after pumping the well or tube well water, or the water is supplied through pipes to the households of the block or through public taps without treatment, such a source is treated as ‘Tap water from un-treated source’. Covered Well (CW): A well that is (1) covered on sides from run-off water (i.e., excess water from rain, snowmelt or other sources flows over the land) through a wall lining or casting that is raised above ground level on a platform that diverts spilled water away from the well and (2) covered so that bird droppings and animals cannot fall down the hole. It is considered as covered well. Un-covered Well (UW): A well which uncovered-covered on sides from runoff water, (2) uncovered from bird droppings and animals; or (3) both. Hand Pump (HP): Hand pump means where groundwater is taken out manually by operating a hand pump. Tube wells / Borehole (TW) Tube well denotes the ground water source from where ground water is taken out through electrical or diesel pump. Spring, River/Canal, Tank/Pond/Lark are self-explanatory. Communication and Transport Facilities SUB-POST OFFICE : First sub-post-office in Magam block was established in 1970.Sub-post office includes Extra Departmental Post Offices and those providing franchise postal services and also part time services in lieu of some honorarium. The limited postal services include sale of stamps, receipt of letters and money orders and also distribution of letters.

Telephones (landlines): If the block is having the Public Call Office (PCO) either run by the Post Office or by individuals or by a private shop, there are 2-3 PCO in Magam village, but the introduction  of the mobile phones proved to be a nightmare for PCO business, it reduced its scope and applicability.

Mobile phone Coverage: Mobile phones are now very common particularly in urban areas. In Magam at least 90% people have access to mobile phones. There are 4-5 mobile companies active in Magam. The village is equipped with full mobile network access. Transport system:-Magam is well connected with urban centers. It has all-weather connectivity with district headquarter, tehsil and other small blocks. These roads are Water Bound Macadam (WBM) which is the road layer made of a crushed or broken mixture of sand and rock fragments mechanically interlocked by rollareg and voids filled with screening and binding material with the assistance of water. The first place road was constructed in 1973. Almost all link roads in Magam are blacktopped. Banks and other facilities Banking facility means a place where a person can operate a bank account. Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) bank: The first bank established in Magam was a J&K bank, it was established in 1989. There is only one branch of the J&K bank currently functioning in Magam, which is accompanied by the ATM facility also.

Cooperative Banks: A co-operative bank is a financial entity which belongs to its members, who are at the same time the owners and the customers of their bank. One such bank called the Baramulla cooperative bank established its branch here in Magam in 1997. Anganwadi Centre:- Each center under the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) scheme is run by an Anganwadi Worker. One Anganwadi worker is appointed for a specified population of the block. They are basically local women. They are assisted by an Anganwadi helper. They provide pre-school non-formal education at the Centre and provide food to the children. There are 4 Anganwadi centers in Magam and the first center was established in 1996. Newspaper Supply: The availability of the Newspaper(s), both in English or vernacular, published within the valley and outside the state, is quite a descent in the block. Availability of Electricity/Power:- Almost every house in Magam is electrified. It is used both for domestic as well as for commercial purposes. Electricity was first introduced here in 1971.

The system of drainage:- The drainage system is well established, our area has a vast network of the drainage system to channelize the domestic water and the rainwater. this network of the drainage system is connected with the dangarwari Nalla. Chapter 4 POPULATION Magam is a large village located in Handwara Tehsil of Kupwara district, Jammu and Kashmir with total 1150 families residing. The Magam has a population of 6909 of which 3540 are males while 3369 are females as per Population Census 2011. The population of Children of age 0-6 years in Magam village is 1323 which constitutes about 19% of the total population. There are 726 male children and 597 female children between the age 0-6 years. Thus as per the Census 2011, the Child Sex Ratio of Magam is 822 which is less than the Average Sex Ratio (952) of the state . Magam block has a lower literacy rate compared to Jammu and Kashmir. In 2011, the literacy rate of Magam block was 64.98 % compared to 67.16 % of Jammu and Kashmir. In Magam Male literacy stands at 76.15 % while the female literacy rate was 53.64 %. Among the total population of Magam, the total number Tribal population is 674 out of which male count for 350, and women population is 324.

       Work Force: Total number of workers is 2457 persons, among 2457, 1494 are males and 963 are females. A total number of main workers is 794, males account for 723 and females 71. Other workers population is 597 person, which include 597 males and 61 females. The total number of population which is engaged in household industry work is 29, (males 27, females 2). The block has 56 agricultural laborers, among this, males are 52 and females are 4. The population of marginal workers is 1663, males are 771 and female are higher than males 892

ECONOMY Agriculture: Jammu and Kashmir State is full of natural resources of great economic potential. The physiographic location imposes a number of constraints, particularly in agriculture and allied sectors. Substantial land-use pattern in the Magam village was purely agriculture. It has changed over a period of time to agri-horticultural Silvi-pastoral. Although the net area sown has downscaled. The total net sown area is still 462 hectare. The area under fruit and vegetable cultivation has marginally increased over the period of time. The total area under fruit is 367 hectare. Rice, the staple crop of the village. It is sown in May and harvested in late September. The area under rice cultivation is constantly diminishing. The people are converting rice land into orchards, residential lands and vegetable gardens. The population engaged in rice cultivation is about 30% of the total population. Maize is the second most important crop. The best soil for maize is reclaimed swamp and enormous crops are raised from the black peaty land. In the high lands occupied by the Gujjar grazers, very fine crops of maize are grown. Other important summer crops are millet, pulses (legumes such as peas, beans, and lentils). Cropping pattern: Agriculture is the main source of livelihood in Magam as it is in the rest the state. Rice and Maize are cultivated during April and May and harvested during September and October, while as Wheat, Barley, and Oilseeds, are cultivated during October and November.

IRRIGATION :-Nature has blessed Kashmir in many ways. The availability of water in abundance is one of them. Nevertheless, artificial means of irrigation is required in those areas which has no means of natural irrigation . In Magam, Chowkibal-Magam Khul known as Dangerwari is the only canal which brings water to Magam area for irrational purposes. As I have mentioned in the history of Magam. The flow of Dangerwari nala was diverted by sidiq lone's rivals towards kupwara area. But sidiq lone turned the tide in his favour, when sir walter lawerence was making land revenue settlement.According to the story,Lawerence saheb (as they say his name) was preparing a map of the area for irrigation purposes, Sidiq lone accompanied him at that time, But Lawerence put a partial line on the map, which means small share of water for Magam area. According to the story Sidiq lone draw a full line on the map, when Lawerence was busy, converting the half share into full share, which magam used to get before. When Lawerence saw this later on, he called sidiq lone, and appreciated his intelligence. Because of sidiq lone's smartness Magam received greater share of from kahmil nala which originates from kazinag glacier. After the availability of water. He build a network of irrigation channels and vast strech of land was brought under cultivation. Magam has two storage dams,/tanks. these tanks or dams are very useful for agrarian production. Total irrigated land in Magam is about 94.7 hectares

HORTICULTURE:- Many temperate fruits are also grown in Magam. Large orchards in the of the produce apples, pears, peaches, walnuts, and cherries. Apple cultivation is highly profitable economic activity in Magam village, which is famous for its quality apple. It is farm-based, labor-intensive and commercially attractive economic activity. The income per acre is much higher than any other horticulture crops, if it is done in a saystematic way. Apple production plays an important role in improving the standard of living, per capita income and employment generation. More than half percent of the population is engaged in the cultivation of apple directly or indirectly in Magam . The improvement in production is quite important, but the marketing has equal importance to develop a commercial crop. It has been found that the farmers face numerous problems like marketing, storage facilities, good quality pesticides, irrigation etc which contributes a lot to the low production. It has been suggested that if these facilities are provided sufficiently, productivity could be enhanced just like in China. The farmer uses a lot of fungicides and pesticides which makes fruit little bit unhealthy. To accrual fruit production agronomist uses different kinds of fertilizers, for example, Urea is used for the growth of leaves, potash is used for plant and fruit growth, similarly Diammonium phosphate (DAP) is used for fruit color. Different kinds of Apples are grown in Magam such as. Red delicious Golden delicious American Kasri Maharaji Hazratbali

. The area under fruit cultivation is about 20,000 kanals. Second most important fruit grown in Magam is walnut. Walnut is produced in abundance which therefore generates huge employment and wealth. ANIMAL HUSBANDRY:- The Animal Husbandry has achieved a major breakthrough in bringing genetic improvement in local cattle by crossing it with jersey breed. The jersey and Sindhi bulls Magam have been kept in government veterinary centers for cross breeding purposes besides, artificial frozen semen technology has been introduced to improve the breeds of local cows. Magam has grazing pastures and meadows with rich vegetation providing a conducive environment for the promotion of the sector.

       Livestock :  Livestock rearing is an important occupation for villa folk in general and the migratory population in particular. Every effort is being made to give proper coverage to breeding so as to improve the health and quality of animals like, information on livestock population, health breeding programme, number of animals, health and breeding institutions existing, measures taken, treatment is given and operations performed on animals etc.

Poultry farms:- Over the last decade, there has been a tremendous growth in the poultry industry in Magam in private sectors. Poultry farming has come up in a big way and has given employment to a number of people and raised the economic status of farmers. Currently, there are three poultry farms active in Magam, these farms are not sufficient to meet the current demand, we can say that the Magam is not self-sufficient in the poultry production, but the poultry business is becoming faddish day by day. CRAFTS:-Magam is not known for any famous crafts. However, common crafts like like kangri, pottery are still produced in Magam though in small numbers. Leather products:-During the early times, the leather work of Magam was very famous. There are a tiny number of cobblers who are well versed in their profession, they make excellent handmade shoes. the 20th century, people were fond of handmade shoes, they used to wear handmade black leather shoes, those shoes were a little bit expensive, but their durability was excellent. Unfortunately, this art is about to die due to the influx of industrial goods. Miscellaneous products :- Before the rise of militancy, the village was famous for its excellent guns. The blacksmiths of the block were experts in gun making. Unfortunately, this art is also dying, there are few blacksmiths alive today who know this art. Goldsmiths (Sundder):- During the early times, goldsmiths were producing nicely crafted gold and silver ornaments. Today there is only one old man in Magam who knows this art, but unfortunately, due to his age, he has left this work long ago.

SCOPE FOR ADVENTURE TOURISM There is a huge scope for adventure tourism in Magam because of its topography. Adventure tourism offers an excellent option for undertaking a large number of activities such as mountaineering, trekking, mountain biking, hag-gliding, para-sailing, heli-skiing, etc. PILGRIM TOURISM Pilgrim tourism in the village has also registered considerable improvements during the last few years because of the better road connectivity between Magam and the rest of the state. There is a shrine of a local sufi darvesh, Khawaja Mohammad Sidiq Mir sahib, who lived in 19th century, which is located on top of a small cliff looking over the village. He has a quite significant following, including that from Pakistan administrated Kashmir (PAK), most of which are from Gujars and Pahari communities, besides Kashmiri speaking people. The pilgrims visit his shrine whole year, but during his urs Mubarak, the village gets filled with pilgrims, which generates huge buzz and employment for people. His urs is celebrated by whole village with great enthusiasm and respect. Special meat dishes are prepared in every house and special prayers are held in every houses and in the Mosques for For those who had left this world. A shab is also observed by his followers during his urs mubarak, which adds more importance to this day. This is the most important festival of the village after major muslim festivals. About 30% of the population is working in the service sector. a large number of people are engaged in government services, some are working in private sectors like private schools, public transport, shops, carpentry, masonry, cloth making etc. TRADE Magam has a huge trade market owing to its central geographical position between the Raamhall area and the town of Handwara. Moreover, a significant number of hamlets are dependent on Magam market which includes many wholesale shops, and small shops which acts as a source of many goods to these hamlets like, daily use goods, besides Magam has direct transport services to other important towns of the valley thereby making it a business hub of the area with a huge population dependent on it. The scale of the market can be imagined by the number of shops currently functioning in the block which is around 150 distributed in two main submarkets. GOVERNMENT SCHEMES Govt. schemes have been introduced by the state and central govt. to initiate a new era of development and generate more employment opportunities. But the main issue faced by these schemes is the implementation at the grass root level, which have been subjected to nepotism and favoritism.

     Government of India is implementing a number of Centrally Sponsored Schemes (CSS) in the areas of rural development, urban development, health and family welfare, education, agriculture, women and child development, sanitation, housing, safe drinking water, irrigation, transport, border area development, social welfare throughout the country, including Jammu and Kashmir. The main objectives of all these schemes is to generate employment, reduce poverty & economic inequality and improve the quality of life. Besides, some of these schemes aim at the creation of basic infrastructure and assets essential for economic development in rural areas. Despite the fact that huge allocations have been made by the central government through centrally sponsored programmes in Jammu and Kashmir, the development in basic infrastructure and improvements in amenities/facilities has been inadequate, especially in rural areas of the state. The standard of living of the people has not improved to the desired extent and the employment opportunities for the youths are few and far between. These schemes have been implemented in our village to some extent, but unfortunately fell prey to the local politics. However, the Panchayats elected during 2011 rural election had done a tremendous work by implementing the government sponsored schemes . The funds were properly spent on development works. Nevertheless, the list of following schemes have been implemented in the block: 

Social Welfare Integrated Social Security Scheme National Social Assistance Programme National Family Benefit Scheme State Marriage Assistance Scheme Orphan Homes MFI MEI Aam Aadmi Bema Yojna Contributory Social Security Scheme for marginal workers Prosthetic Aid Scheme Financial assistance to Gad Hanjis NGO Grant Aid Employment Assurance Scheme/Sampoorna Gram Rozgar Yojana Indira Awaas Yojana Swaranjayanti Gram Swarozgar Yojana Integrated Child Development Services National Old Age Pension Scheme Student Schemes Scholarships

Pre Matric Post-Matric Minority

Stipend to ITI Reimbursement of Examination FeeSericultur Construction of Rearing House Supply of rearing kits to Silkworm Weavers Women Health Insurance SchemeHandlooms Weavers Credit Card Scheme Credit Plan Scheme

CULTURE The culture of Magam is same as it is prevalent in the rest of Kashmir, which is a diverse blend and highly influenced by northern South Asian, Persian as well as Central Asian culture. Along with its scenic beauty, Kashmir is famous for its cultural heritage; it amalgamates Muslim, Hindu, Sikh and Buddhist philosophies and has involved composite culture based on the values of humanism and tolerance which is collectively known as Kashmiriyat. DRESS:- The colorful dresses of the people of Magam block are very attractive. The majority of the population wear traditional clothes. During the winters people wear a kind of loose overcoat called Pheran. It is basically worn over a kurta. And under the Pheran, is a warm pot of charcoals called 'kangri', is being kept which helps in keeping them warm. But the traditional dress of kashmir is disappearing from magam,which is being replaced by the western dress code.The people are mad about the western culture, especially the young generation.

LANGUAGE:- The main language of Magam is Kashmiri, which is the largest branch of dardic language which itself falls in the category of indo-aryan language. The other languages spoken here are, pahari, gojri, urdu, etc. The official language is English and Urdu with the former preferred over the latter. FAIRS AND FESTIVALS:- Numerous fairs and festivals are celebrated with great joy and enthusiasm in Magam. Some of the famous fairs and festivals of the village are Eid-ul-Fitr, Ei-ul-Azha, Nawroz and especially urs of Sadiq mir sahib( 22nd April of every Year).

DANCE AND MUSIC:- Ruf dance, Bachha Nagma dance are the major dance forms of the block. Ladishah is a famous sarcastic form of singing, filled with a lot of humor.

CUISINES:- Kashmir has a variety of meat-based dishes like Rogan Josh, a lamb dish, Rista, Goshtaba, Kebab and a whole lot of other meat varieties as well which is included in Wazwan. These cuisines are also familiar in Magam and are served on special occasions like weddings, party functions etc.

SOCIAL STRACTURE

Society means an organized group of communities which share common culture, tradition, beliefs etc. The family is the basic unit of society in Magam. In every society, the family is considered as mans first school where from he learns how to behave with others. It is from a family that a man learns morals and values of good citizenship. In past times the people of Magam lived in joint families mostly in single houses which is manifested in close links between grandfather, grandmother, father, mother, brothers, sisters, cousins, uncles etc. The families are patriarchal in nature headed by the eldest male member of the family. All important decisions are taken by him. The woman of the block enjoys respect and honor although they have no say in important matters of family. They are mostly uneducated and are busy with their day to day kitchen activities, but at the same time, they are acting as a helping hand to their man folk in agricultural activities. There is a complete change from the last few decades because the joint family system has now got totally converted into the nuclear family system which may be because of a lot of factors, with the important ones being listed below; 1. In past times the population of Magam was not too high, but with the passage of time population of the village got increased very rapidly and it became very difficult for the head to manage such huge families. 2. In past times people were simple and no one had a daring to challenge the authority of the family head, but with time those things now got completely changed with the advancement of modernization and new concepts of development. 3. Now the modern period is the period of material things for pleasure and comfort. People thought in joint families they would not be able to increase their wealth or provide good education to their children so they preferred to live in nuclear families rather than joint families.

ETHNICITY Ethnically, people of Magam belonged to Kashmiri ethnicity,which itself is a branch of indo-aryan race.but a small minority lives there, who belong to the different ethnic groups like gujars, Paharis, and sheikhs who speak a different language, they have probably Indian origin.

DIFFERENT KRAMS OF MAGAM : The social structure of Magam is heterogeneous; there are about thirty Krams present in Magam. lone Kram is the most dominant Kram in the village, because they are the founders of the block and they are financial at the top of the social ladder. The krams enjoy different social status according to their position in the village, for example, those who possess large land holdings are very much respected in the block, the wealthy families, educated people are equally respected in Magam. In order to have a better understanding of different Krams of the block these krams are divided into the following three groups: Upper class Middle class Lower class UPPER CLASS: The families belonging to this Kram or class are very much respected. These families possess large tracts of land with big orchards. They are educationally and economically at the top of the social pyramid. a) Lone Kram: They are the original inhabitants of the village, originally from Chilas valley in Gilgit baltistan. They posses’ big holdings of land from ancient times. Presently they are engaged in different economic sectors like business, govt. services, trading activities, apple farming etc. As we know education is luxury as in our society education is received by those who are financially strong. Lone's were the first who received education in Magam block, because of their material wealth, they received jagirdari rights from the Dogra kings and enjoyed a high standard of living. They used to give much importance to the education from early times, they were the first class who were appointed in govt. services.

They have good political relations from ancient times. According to official records, most village headmen were lone, because they were the landlords.

b) Mir Kram: This Kram in Magam is next only to the lones in terms of population and social status, they are also original inhabitants of the block. They are economically well developed with there own landholdings. They are mostly working in their own land holdings for their subsistence. From ancient times they have been mostly illiterate, but nowadays they are responding towards modern education very positively. They are also engaged in peer-muradi, which therefore is also their source of income sometimes. c) Dar Kram:- They too have big land holdings and orchards. Among these families, most people are engaged in agriculture and are working as govt. employs in a number of departments. c) Wani Kram: -Although there only a few families of wanis in the block Magam but they are economically stable. They are not considered as original inhabitants of block. MIDDLE CLASS:- These krams are not much wealthy in part because they have small land holdings in which they cultivate paddy, rice, and other things, but nowadays they are moving towards progress because they converted their paddy lands into apple orchards. The krams like bhats, maliks, telis etc are considered as middle-class families in our block. a) Bhat Kram:- They have there own land holdings but usually small. In past times they are mainly dependent upon agriculture for there subsistence. They are at present well qualified and are acting as teachers, lawyers, etc and are moving towards progress. b) Ahanger Kram:- They are mostly associated with metal works, Ahanger Kram actually means blacksmith. Before the upring of 1990 they were excellent gun makers, but now are gaining education and have few teachers in their kram. c) Najar Kram:- They are mostly associated with woodwork, they are professional carpenters. LOWER CLASS:- This section includes the people who are socially and economically backward. The literacy rate within this section is insignificant. This section includes the people like, Telis, Dombas, Mochis, ganaies and Sheikhs. a) Telis: There are at least ten families of this in our block. In past times they are associated with the profession of oil-pressing and are called as teli-wanis. They were mostly poor in the past but nowadays they are improving their socioeconomic position by adapting to other professions like carpentry, technicians etc. These families are still illiterate but nowadays due to the pressure of modernization their children are inclined to modern education. b) Dombas: They too are considered as lower class in our block. Kalhana and Alberni mentions that Dombas are low caste in Kashmir although they have their small land holdings for their subsistence. However, still, they are dependent upon other professions for fulfilling their day to day needs. They are still illiterate and are presently working as laborers, etc. c) Sheikhs:- They are outcaste, their physical features resemble with Indians and they also speak language which is alien to the other dwellers of the block. They are scheduled castes and can be seen as sweepers in govt. and private offices. d) Mochis: They have been involved with the leather business in making leather goods and shoe making since ancient times. Their living standard is increasing due to the popularity to education which is coupled with the reservation in the govt jobs therefore pushing them out of the low living standards. MARRIAGE SYSTEM IN MAGAM Marriage is a sacred legal bond between two persons that is Male and Female who are designated as husband and wife after marriage. In Kashmir, the wedding takes place along the lines of the traditions and rituals followed from centuries. These traditions and rituals are followed in each and every block of Kashmir from ancient times. In our Magam, both endogamous and exogamous marriages are performed. The upper sections usually marry within there own castes. Intermarriages between high and low castes are very rare. The upper sections, if possible, marry their children with some near relatives. Sometimes parents, marry their lone daughter in relation where the groom can be adopted by the daughter’s family. This type of marriage is called gare pathe, (live-in son-in-law) whereby groom lives with his in-laws forever. Before arranging marriage in the block, certain conditions are taken into consideration like Boy’s and girl’s character, family background, and economically condition.

RELIGION

Majority of the population of Magam belongs to the religion of Islam and according to Islam, society should be based on love, brotherhood and compassion. There was a Hindu pandit minority living in Magam till 1990, but due to the uprising in early 1990's, they migrated to other parts of the state mainly, Jammu province. It is worthwhile to mention here that there was no temple in Magam, however, the pandit community used to worship a deodar tree called yed mouj, in kashmiri language, which is still standing there. Moreover, there was a small temple built in an adjacent hamlet of Magam where the pundits used to gather for worship. That temple is still in that very position and form which it was when abandoned by the worshippers. Most of the people belong to the Hanfai Maslak of Islam from old times, but at the same time we find some followers of jamati- e-Islami in our village but their number is very small. In our village not only old but young generation too is very much concerned/interested with Islam like Nimaz, Rooza, zakat etc. At present there are three Jamia Masjid and seven other local masjids in our village. There is also a eidgah present in our block. There is also a religious institution (madrassa) in our village. So far as the celebration of religious festivals is concerned they are celebrated with great pomp and show. eid-e Milad Nabi (SAW), Eid-ul-Fitr, Eid-ul-zuha, Shab-I-qader, Nowroz etc are some of the festivals which are celebrated in our village from ancient times with great pomp and show.

Another important festival celebrated in our village is urs of local sofi saint Sidiq Mir sahib who lived in 19th century. It is celebrated with great enthusiasm by all section of the village  on 22nd April of every year.
HOUSING PATTERN

Most the rural areas in Kashmir have their own features and traces of architecture besides, the climate of the region plays a role in the housing pattern and livelihood of the people. The 19th and 20th-century houses were made up of sun-dried bricks of loess mixed with the chaff and water. The roofs were flat and made of popular beams and reeds covered with clay. A hole was kept in the middle of the roof for the ventilation and houses were generally of one storey but well to do families were having two storey houses. Almost similar looking houses were built in blocks with a covered backyard and open front yard. A strong front door opened in the front yard where a small-scale kitchen/vegetable garden was placed. Their boundary walls were built of rammed earth and were mud plastered. The roof and pillars were decorated with charming patterns known as chip carving and sometimes designs were carried out on windows and doors also. But the wealthy people of the villahe lived in huge and beautiful houses. These houses were often three stories buildings. The interior and exterior of these were beautifully decorated. Due to change in the lifestyle of the people living in Magam, hardly anything resembles the medieval housing pattern. The new houses are mostly made up of concert material and nowadays the tradition of making Hamams (warm rooms) are in vogue. Besides people are making huge fences around their houses with kitchen gardens within these walls. Almost every family in Magam owns a house (small or big).

CONCLUSION If we believe oral history and the surrounding political developments since its beginning Magam block had witnessed many ups and down till this date. But when we compare today's situation with pre-1947 situation of Magam, it has many credits to add. Magam has achieved huge success in many fields like its population has increased from a few hundred persons in 1950's to 7000 persons in 2011. Human resource is the biggest resource, Magam has it in abundance. The growth in population naturally indicates the economic boom in people’s lives. The population growth directly depends on the economy as Karl Marx said ‘the economy is the base, rest is the superstructure’, the same can be found in case of Magam. Magam's economy mostly depends on horticulture (Apple business), trade, service sector, and other primary and secondary economic activities. Magam has witnessed a high economic growth since 1947 which in turn has helped in spectacular population growth and increase in living standard of its common people. Education in Magam is at par with the rest of the state, with the literacy rate of 64.5 which is above average level. The credit for these developments can also be given to the improvement in communication and transport system, and of course, without democratic government, these things would have remained a distant dream. It was because of the democratic government and democratic institutions that the development at the grassroots level was started soon after the firs election were held in 1951. But still, we have not yet achieved our goal of large-scale development, we still lack some basic facilities, the government needs to do more. But we can say that Magam had achieved many things and much needs to be achieved.

Bibliography 1) Walter, Roper Lawrence. (2014) The valley of Kashmir, Ali Mohamamd and sons 1, Budshah Hotel Building 2) Ray, S. C. (1995) Early history and culture of Kashmir, Munshiram Manoharlal Publishers,54, Rani Jhansi Road, New Delhi, Delhi-110055 3) Hasan, Mohib Ul. (2005) Kashmir under Sultans, Gulshan Books Lal Chowk Srinagar-190001 4) Bamzai, P. N. K. (2016) A History of Kashmir, Political, Social, Cultural, From Earliest Times to the 5) Present. Gulshan Books Lal Chowk Srinagar-190001 6) Patwari revenue records 7) Chowkidar's birth records

Websites 

1) Kupwara census 2011 part A & part B: www.census 2011.co.in 2) www.Kashmir division.nic.in 3) www.Kupwara.govt.in 4) Election commission website: www.eci.nic.in 5) 25 Jan.2016 greater Kashmir/handwara massacre.

6) www.wikipedia.com/Kashmir  culture

Oral Histories. Personal Interviews. 1) Ghulam Nabi lone 2) Mohamamd shakeel town to Magam wh is approximately 10km away. Magam is situated at an altitude of 5335 feet, above sea level with coordinates, at 34°27' degree latitude in the north and 74°13' to degree longitude in the east. The village has varied topography with a karewa area on the west, north, northwest and northeast being hilly and the southern parts of the block are plain. Magam is surrounded by thick forest, hilly slopes and karewas from three sides. the southern parts of the village are plain, which is mostly irrigated land.

Drainage: Dangerwari Nalla, the only important Nalla originating from the Himalayan range, flows through the southern areas of Magam from the west to east. This Nalla is the main source of irrigation in our block. There are other smaller seasonal streams which originate from local hills but they remain dry most of the time. Climate: The climate of Magam is pleasant in spring moderate in summer and cold in winter. During summer mercury goes up to 32 oC and in winter it falls down to minus 10 oC. The average annual rainfall in Magam is about 100 centimeters, which is rather the same for the whole district Kupwara. Type of soil: The character of the soil in Magam can be studied with reference to board physiographic division and according to this classification, the soil in the valley has been classified on the basis of its chemical properties and suitability for the cultivation of different crops. This classification with local names is given under: Gurti or Silt, owes its origin to plants which are frequent. Bahil or Loam is a prized soil and possesses great natural strength. when dry, it appears black. Sekil is an important type of soil used for growing rice. It is a mixture of Loam and Sand. Suramin is a soil used for growing vegetables. Wudar is tableland used for fruit cultivation such as almonds, apple, and cherry etc. Land under cultivation: Net area sown is 462.2 hectares. Wasteland is 98.3 hectares. The total un-irrigated area is 367.5 hectares. The total irrigated land is 98.3 hectares. Area irrigated by canals is 94.1

Geology: Kashmir constitutes the, “Nappa Zone “representing a tectonic depression characterized by folded (anti-lines and synclines) and faulted ( normal and low angle thrusts )structure with the strongly altered crystalline as the basement. Supported on the basement is the most interesting development of a series of deposits ranging in age from Cambrian to Eocene. In this meta-sedimentary basin, the Pleistocene deposits (karewas) cap the pre-existing rocks at various localities.

Flora: The forests of Magam have a wide range of woods and flowers, Deodar, Kail, Pine, Fir, Elm, blue fir are found in abundance, Chinar, Poplar, Willows, Walnuts, and variety of other trees are grown in the areas as well. The forests are also rich in minerals and many other forest products. There is a wide range of medicinal herbs in the area. The local names of the herbs are Ratanjog, Kuth, Memaakh, etc. Magam is currently witnessing worst timeber smuggling crisis in the whole tehsil . Northwest area of Magam forest is most badly effected area of Magam forests. Fauna: The Magam area has a vast range of wildlife. The dense forest provides a good habitat and conducive environment for birds and wild animals. Among the birds are Ravan, crows, vulture, woodpecker, swallows, bulbul, bush cat, Fly, Catcher, Doves, Pigeons, Sparrow, and Wild cock. Wild animals like Black Bear, Jackal, Fox, Monkeys, and leopards are also found in the forests. Man and wild animal conflicts can be seen frequently. Natural Wealth: The following are the mineral occurrences known from various parts of Kupwara district. The information given in this section is about the substances which are profitably exploited from the earth. Some of the deposits do not conform to the proper standards of atomic structure, a definite chemical composition and is not formed by inorganic processes of nature and hence should not be regarded as mineral substances in the strict sense of the term. As for as Magam is concerned, there occurs stone for building construction, people also talk about low-grade iron ore deposits. The silt, bolts and the sand is extracted from Dangerwari Nalla.

            History of Magam

Origin of Magam:- The meaning of word 'Magam' is disputed, yet there are three theories about the meaning of this word 'Magam'. During my interaction with the village elders, I found two views about this disputed term. One view is that the word Magam has been derived from Sanskrit word 'mahagam', maha means big and a gam is a corrupt form of sanskrit word "grama "which means village . On the other side, there is another view which speaks about this name being derived from Persian and Kashmiri languages. This group believes that the word Magam means moon village or bright village . They believe that the word is made up of two words, the 'ma' is derived from Persian word 'Mahsa which means moon or bright and 'gam' is a Kashmiri word for village, which collectively means the moon village or bright village . But the scholars believe that the suffix 'gam' is usually associated with indo-greek settlements, which may take Magma's history back to the bactarian-Greek period. But it is unlikely, because of the lack of any archaeological evidence and literary records. When I talk about lack of archaeological evidence, it does not mean there can be are no archaeological evidences. During my interaction with the people of Magam, I come across many stories which speak about the recovery of weird tools by the locals. But at the same time we must also admit that without conclusive proofs we can not generate any hypothesis about Magma's ancient past. From the surrounding historical records, we can say that village may have sprung up in the late medieval era, because Magam lies between Handwara tehsil and Ramhal area, both of which are known to have ancient roots dating back to ancient times, which indicates that there could have been some small settlements who might have provided a link between the two above mentioned areas. The real or documented history began during the last phase of the Sikh rule in Kashmir when the present village was given to Salam lone as salary, who was a military commander probably in the Imamuddins army. The later was the son of Shek Ghulam Mohiuddin (First Muslim governor of Kashmir during the Sikh rule). At Shihlal a hamlet in the north-west of Kashmir, the governor's son, imamuddin with a force of 12000 men was defeated by bombas. (Valley of Kashmir page no.200-201). One may conclude that Salam lone might had taken part in Shilal battle also. But still this village was sparsely populated,it was after the establishment of Dogra rule, Salam Lone’s grandson Sidiq lone received the surrounding villages as a Jagir from Dogra authority and Magam became the center of the small hamlets surrounding it. This area was converted by dogra's into Jagir, which remained a Jagir till 1950 when Jagirs were abolished by Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah. But the jagir which he received from dogra's was not fertile at all, rather it was dry land(khshki zameen).during my research,I met sidiq lone's great grandsons they told me that this area received greater share of water from kahmil nala through dangerwari nala before the creation of jagir, however after the creation of jagirs, the flow of nala was diverted by sidiq lone's rivals towards kupwara area. But sidiq lone turned the tide in his favour, when sir walter lawerence was making land revenue settlement. According to the story,Lawerence saheb (as they say his name) was preparing a map of the area for irrigation purposes,Sidiq lone accompanied him at that time, But Lawerence put a partial line on the map,which meant a small share of water for Magam area, according to the story Sidiq lone draw a full line on the map, when Lawerence was busy, converting the half share into full share, which magam used to get before.when Lawerence saw this later on,this incident prompted lawrence to appreciate his smartness and give him the name a "cleaver former" . Because of sidiq lone's smartness Magam received greater share of water from kahmil nala which originates from kazinag glacier. After the availability of water, his next task was to build a network of irrigation channels and bring more and more land under cultivation. Due to the small population of Magam, he faced critical manpower shortage. But his strong willpower and determination were his virtues which helped him to overcome many such hurdles in order to making Magam a fertile and habitable land. To fulfill his dream he brought from different parts of the kamraz region(northern region of Kashmir valley) different kinds of people, who were skilled in their respective fields, such as cultivators, artisans, labourers, etc.they were provided land for habitation and work. Eventually agrarian production of the area increased rapidly. Once again Sidiq lone showed his smartness to make this place a happy and glowing place. Because of his wit and charm Magam still receives water in abundance from kahmil nala for irrational purposes and people still cultivate rice in their fields, however these rice fields are shrinking day by day.

When political awakening started in Kashmir, it took deep roots in Magam also, whose evidence can be found in 1931 uprisings, when the Dogra troops killed 22 people, among the dead, 2 were from utter Machipore (Handwara) with one of them from Magam area.     which sparked protests across handwara tehsil. Historical evidences say that Maharaja’s troops opened fire on protesters at several places like Handwara, Sopore, Shopian, Pulwama, and Rajouri.

Thanks to Gulam Ahmad Mehjoor, noted intellectual and famous Kashmiri poet of that era, who has provided authentic documentation about one such occurrence. Mehjoor was the Patwari of Handwara tehsil at the time when 11 innocent people were gunned down by Maharaja’s forces there in 1931.

  Magam also witnessed violent clashes during the tribesmen invasion, also known as Kabale raid to the locals, which took place on 20 Oct 1947. Magam was turned into a battlefield. One women  was killed when the Indian army started artillery shelling with a shell exploding near her house. Eventually, Indian army pushed back the tribesmen and Magam area was liberated. The village elder's  still recall the horrors of the kabale raid, How they (tribals) slaughtered people  for samovar handles, which they thought was made up of gold. In reality the samovar handles were made up of bronze metal. They killed large number of non muslim also, they raped Hindu women and  forced Hindus to eat  beef, which was prohibited in their religion.In short tribal raid brought devastation to Magam  area. After the termination of tribal raid, political scenario of the state  was changing rapidly, which affected Magam directly, Sheikh Abdullah succeeded in changing the age-old political system of Kashmir. The  old monarchical  system was replaced with democracy. Two year later after the democratization, he new govt. Abolished the jagirdari system or feudalism in the state. Magam jagir  also came under this act and land was transferred to the tiller. From 1950's on words Magam became politically   an important area of Handwara   constituency, because of its large population. The period from 1948 to 1989 was peaceful for Magam in terms of political history.

  MILITANCY IN MAGAM 

The militancy in Kupwara district started during the late 1960's when Maqbool Bhatt (A tall political figure) started arms struggle against the Indian establishment. Unfortunately, he was arrested from the langate area of Handwara, and was hanged in Tihar jail on 9th Feb 1984. After few years of his martyrdom, his party Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) launched a full-scale armed struggle against India and Pakistan. In 1987, a disputed state election acted as a catalyst for the insurgency when it resulted in some of the state's legislative assembly members forming armed insurgent groups. In July 1988, a series of demonstrations, strikes, and attacks on the Indian government began the Kashmir Insurgency, which during the 1990s escalated into the most important internal security issue in India.large number of people mostly young turned into militants,during early 90's JKLF(Jammu and Kashmir liberation front ) was the most active militant group in Magam, They enjoyed huge support in Magam at that time, they succeeded in recruiting large number of people in their organisation and it was peoples favourite party at that time. But soon after betrayal of Ikhwan-ul-muslimeen, which was a militant organisation changed its loyalty to Indian government and after the creation of Hizbul mujahideen, things changed rapidly for JKLF. Soon insurgent groups clashed with each other over ideological differences as a result of which JKLF declared a ceasefire in 1994 and Ikhwan ul muslimin changed their loyalty to the Indian camp in the armed struggle. Basically, the Indian government used them as scapegoats, against their own people and former partner groups. Ikhwanis unleashed a terror campaign against the innocent masses throughout the valley, and Magam was also affected by the Ikhwanism. During late 90's Magam was engulfed in frequent shootouts, bomb blasts, grenade attacks, crackdowns, search operations, and disappearances as a result many casualties were witnessed. One such grave incident happened on Jan, 25 1990 when about Twenty-one people fell to bullets of the paramilitary BSF men in this frontier town, barely four days after Gaw Kadal massacre in Srinagar where 52 unarmed civilians were shot dead by the paramilitary CRPF men. The Handwara bloodbath was carried out when around 10,000 people were heading towards Handwara Chowk to protest against the Gawkadal massacre.The Kashmiri were nevertheless subjected to a fierce repression. By the end of 1990 decade, the Indian military presence in the state had escalated to an approximately one-armed soldier for every five Kashmiris, with 30,000 civilians dead and more than 10,000 civilian disappearances. During 1990's uprisings Magam again witnessed fierce violence. Many people were killed during the insurgency battles, one such incident can be recalled when 21 people were killed on 25 Jan.1990, who were protesting against Gawkadal massacre, two of the 21 deceased belonged to Magam area. During early 2000's three fadiyeen attacks were carried out by jash-mohammad militant on Magam military camp. Magam witnessed daily grenade and mine blasts when militancy was at its peak. The influence of militants on every aspect of the life was greater than governement agencies. But someone has rightly said that everything witnesses rise and fall, Militancy in magam was no exception to it. After 9/11,which subsequently led to the American invasion of afghanistan and ceasefire agreement between india and Pakistan in 2003, Magam witnessed decline in militancy as it was witnessed by the rest of the state. The respons of indian army towords militants and civilians was brutal, they killed large number of militants and some civilians. They unleashed terror campaign against civilians which affected the normal life of Magam to a large extent. Whenever military suffered from fadayeen attacks, they were unleashing a brutal force against the civilians. They crippled many innocent people without even flowing basic investigating procedures. My memory about the brutality of indian army is still fresh, during early 2000' when I was gaining consciousness about the surroundings, indian army established a bunker on the main road and they were searching every vehicle running on the road, almost every person was brutally beaten by indian army during these unworthy searches. The basic aim of the search was to fill peoples heart with terror and fear. Mass agitation After a short period of peace, Magam again witnessed mass protests in 2008, when government transferred land at Pahalgam to Amarnath shrine board, which invited huge protests across the valley. Soon these small protest rallies turned into a mass movement. Magam witnessed daily protests and minor stone pelting incidents, women also participated in these protests. People also participated in Muzaffarabad Chalo call. In June 2010, Magam again erupted against the fake Machil encounter, which was carried out by Indian army in which innocent Kashmiri civilians were killed. Protests and peaceful demonstrations were held on daily basis. This was a large scale mass movement because every one participated in it, like students, women, young and old. The students were more active during this mass agitation. As the movement went deeper and deeper, there emerged economic crisis in the state. The people of Srinagar faced worst crisis, there was a food shortage in Srinagar city. At this crucial time rural people supplied huge quantity of food to the city people. Magam also supplied huge quantity of food to the people of Srinagar and money was also collected and distributed among the needy people. In mid October government deployed military in troubled area, they once again unleashed terror campaign and movement came to an end. In 2011 Magam was closed for one and a half month after Afzal gurus hanging. Again violent clashes broke out in April 2016 when Indian army killed 5 civilians in handwara town. During 2016 crisis the people of Magam held protests against the civilian killings.

POLITICAL HISTORY Handwara is in a politically active and volatile area of Kupwara. With the increase in the political awakening in the state from 1925 onwards led by Shiekh Mohammad Abdullah, Handwara played an important role. The blood of the martyrs (1931) paid off when Kashmir became a democratic state in 1947-48 under the leadership of Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah. The first MLA from the Handwara constituency was Ghulam Mohammed Rajpuri elected in 1951. It is pertinent here to mention that the National Conference has won assembly and parliament elections, most of the times in this constituency thereby making it the paramount party of the entire constituency. The most immense political figure in Handwara constituency is Chowdhary Mohammad Ramzan, who has been elected four times as the constituency MLA and is currently serving as the deputy president of the National Conference, the biggest political party of the state. The complete list of MLAs from the Handwara constituency is given in table below. Handwara was the home constituency of the late separatist leader Abdul Gani Lone. The current Member of Legislative Assembly (MLA) from Handwara is Sajjad Gani Lone who is affiliated, (and is serving as chairman), with the Jammu and Kashmir People's Conference formed by his late father, Abdul Gani Lone. Sajjad lone became the MLA first time in his life by defeating Chowdhary Mohammad Ramzan of the Jammu & Kashmir National Conference in the 2014 assembly elections. The list of MLAs elected from this constituency is shown in table 1. Handwara is a politically active constituency with some controversies appearing in the past, especially the election of Sajjad Gani Lone who won his first assembly election in 2014 with the alleged collaboration/help of BJP, as the latter party is seen as a anti-Muslim party, largely in the state. This move if his was largely criticized by the political bigwigs of the state. Another important political development in Handwara is related to the popular political leader from Handwara was late Abdul Gani lone, he was a politician turned the separatist leader, he was killed by an unknown gunman at sher-i-Kashmir-stadium Srinagar in 2001.

Local Administration PANCHAYAT:The village Magam for administrative purpose has been divided into 3 panchayat halqas or the block possesses 3 panchayat units, namely Magam A, Magam B and Magam C. It comprises of 36 wards. The panchayat is elected on basis of adult franchise or adult suffrage. Last panchayat elections were held in 2011 and large number of people took part in it. The panchayat is elected for 4 yethe ars and during these 4 years large scale development was initiated by the elected panchayat. For example, street lights were installed in every street of Magam, drainage system was improved , foot paths and small bridges were constructed on a large scale, the schemes sponsored by center government were decorously implemented by the panchayat.

BLOCK DEVELOPMENT OFFICE MAGAM:- A Community Development Block was substantiated in 2014 for the betterment of the people, but unfortunately it fell prey to the local politics, but is still partially functioning. There are only two departments currently functioning in our block, first is department of block development and second is that of Nawib tasildar. Almost four years had passed since 2014, when it was established, it is painful to witness the slow growth of the Community Development Block. Usually there are 22 departments in a Community Development Block, but in our case only two departments are functional and 20 fell prey to pitty politics. It is the duty of the current government to make such administrative units properly functional to ease the pain of the people and initiate a new era of de avelopment, which is in the common interest of all section of the society. Patwari: The first patwari office was established here by Dogra government, the patwari is a revenue record officer. He keeps revenue records of the village. Patwari office has a separate building in Magam which is functional.

Police Station: Magam falls under the jurisdiction of police station Handwara. However, it has its own Police post which was established in 2001. It is headed city a police Sub-inspector. 

Nayabaat: Magam has a Nayabaat, headed by Naib Tehsildar. He functions on behalf of the Tehsildar of the Tehsil Handwara, who enjoys the powers of the executive magistrate, assistant collector and sub-registrar. In the Nayabaat, revenue records are prepared and maintained. Nayabaat was establisted here in 2014.

Education Amenities Brief history the of Schools in Magam: The school has been established in the year 1910 AD as govt primary school at lalpora, lolab Kupwara. The school was later on shifted from Lalpora to Magam Tehsil Uttar Machipora (Nowadays Handwara) on 15th January 1913. Govt. Primary school Magam was later on upgraded to Govt. central school in 1958. The central of school was then upgraded to Middle school in 1960. After that, this Middle school was upgraded to Boys High school Magam on 6th April 1961. On 6th of august 1986, it was upgraded to Higher secondary school by the order of Shri jagmohan then the governor of J&K state who visited the school at that time.

        The type of different educational facilities available in the block is given in the numbers. Both Government and private educational facilities/institutions are considered for this purpose. If there are composite schools like Middle schools with Primary classes, or Secondary schools with middle classes, these are included in the number of Primary and Middle schools respectively. The first school in Magam was a middle school, which was established in 1910 according to school records. 

Pre-primary (pp): Now-days ,the children are sent to school at very early stage. lot of pre-primary schools private schools in particular, have come up in villages and towns. these may or may not be recognized by the competent is sownorities. even many secondary schools have classes starting from pre-primary levels. Pre-primary classes include nursery, k.g, pre-basic, etc. the first pre-primary school of magam was sidiq mir memorial public school magam, it was established in 1992. primary School (P): Schools providing education from Standard 1 and upward up to and inclusive of Standard V are classified as Primary Schools. The number of primary schools are 09 in Magam centerof which 8 are government and one is private. Middle School (M): Schools providing education from Standard VI and upward up to and inclusive of Standard VIII are classified as Middle Schools. A School with Class 1 to VIII is treated as two units, i.e. one Primary School and one Middle School. Magam has 11 middle schools, out of which 7 are government schools, it also includes one girl's school and 4 private school. Secondary School (S): Schools providing education from Standard IX and upwards up to and inclusive of Standard X are classified as Secondary Schools. A composite school with 1 to X standard is treated as three separate units and counted separately under the categories of Primary School, Middle School and Secondary School. There is only one high school in Magam block and it was upgraded in 2006 from middle to high school.

Secondary School (SS): Schools and colleges that provide education for Standards XI and XII and first and second year of the Pre-University Course fall under this category. There are Senior Secondary Schools with Standard I and upwards up to Standard XII. Magam block had one higher secondary school which was established in 1986. Medical Facilities

A hospital is an Institution, where sick or injured are given medical or surgical care.

Primary Health Sub- Centre (PHS): A Primary Health Sub-centre is the first contact point between the primary health care system and the community. As per the population norms, one PHS has established for every 5,000 population in plain areas and 3,000 population in hilly/ tribal/ desert areas. Each PHS has a sanctioned strength of one male and one female health worker. In Magam there is only one health center for 7000 thousand people, which is above national criteria. This health center was established in 1962 according to official records of the hospital.

Veterinary Hospital: Mostly run by the State Government or local body for treatment and preventive measures against diseases of domestic animals like cows, buffaloes etc in rural areas. Magam has a veterinary center which is providing modern facilities to the people to raise their cattle wealth. It was established in 1970. Medicine Shops: A shop which sells drugs and medicines of any system of medicine viz. allopathic, homeopathic, ayurvedic or Unani medicines, is considered as a medicine shop. There are dozens of medical shops and a, private clinic in our block. Drinking water

First water supply scheme was introduced here, in 1962. The following are the main source of drinking water facility (ies) available in the block:

Tap Water-treated: This source of drinking water refers to a source of drinking water which is provided to the people through pipes within their premises or through common taps (public taps/community water points) by the Government departments, local bodies, panchayats, public or private estate agencies, etc. after treatment. Such a source is treated as ‘Tap water from treated source’. Tap Water-un-treated: If the people get drinking water through pipes either directly from a well or bore well or after pumping the well or tube well water, or the water is supplied through pipes to the households of the block or through public taps without treatment, such a source is treated as ‘Tap water from un-treated source’. Covered Well (CW): A well that is (1) covered on sides from run-off water (i.e., excess water from rain, snowmelt or other sources flows over the land) through a wall lining or casting that is raised above ground level on a platform that diverts spilled water away from the well and (2) covered so that bird droppings and animals cannot fall down the hole. It is considered as covered well. Un-covered Well (UW): A well which uncovered-covered on sides from runoff water, (2) uncovered from bird droppings and animals; or (3) both. Hand Pump (HP): Hand pump means where groundwater is taken out manually by operating a hand pump. Tube wells / Borehole (TW) Tube well denotes the ground water source from where ground water is taken out through electrical or diesel pump. Spring, River/Canal, Tank/Pond/Lark are self-explanatory. Communication and Transport Facilities SUB-POST OFFICE : First sub-post-office in Magam block was established in 1970.Sub-post office includes Extra Departmental Post Offices and those providing franchise postal services and also part time services in lieu of some honorarium. The limited postal services include sale of stamps, receipt of letters and money orders and also distribution of letters.

Telephones (landlines): If the block is having the Public Call Office (PCO) either run by the Post Office or by individuals or by a private shop, there are 2-3 PCO in Magam village, but the introduction  of the mobile phones proved to be a nightmare for PCO business, it reduced its scope and applicability.

Mobile phone Coverage: Mobile phones are now very common particularly in urban areas. In Magam at least 90% people have access to mobile phones. There are 4-5 mobile companies active in Magam. The village is equipped with full mobile network access. Transport system:-Magam is well connected with urban centers. It has all-weather connectivity with district headquarter, tehsil and other small blocks. These roads are Water Bound Macadam (WBM) which is the road layer made of a crushed or broken mixture of sand and rock fragments mechanically interlocked by rollareg and voids filled with screening and binding material with the assistance of water. The first place road was constructed in 1973. Almost all link roads in Magam are blacktopped. Banks and other facilities Banking facility means a place where a person can operate a bank account. Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) bank: The first bank established in Magam was a J&K bank, it was established in 1989. There is only one branch of the J&K bank currently functioning in Magam, which is accompanied by the ATM facility also.

Cooperative Banks: A co-operative bank is a financial entity which belongs to its members, who are at the same time the owners and the customers of their bank. One such bank called the Baramulla cooperative bank established its branch here in Magam in 1997. Anganwadi Centre:- Each center under the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) scheme is run by an Anganwadi Worker. One Anganwadi worker is appointed for a specified population of the block. They are basically local women. They are assisted by an Anganwadi helper. They provide pre-school non-formal education at the Centre and provide food to the children. There are 4 Anganwadi centers in Magam and the first center was established in 1996. Newspaper Supply: The availability of the Newspaper(s), both in English or vernacular, published within the valley and outside the state, is quite a descent in the block. Availability of Electricity/Power:- Almost every house in Magam is electrified. It is used both for domestic as well as for commercial purposes. Electricity was first introduced here in 1971.

The system of drainage:- The drainage system is well established, our area has a vast network of the drainage system to channelize the domestic water and the rainwater. this network of the drainage system is connected with the dangarwari Nalla.

POPULATION Magam is a large village located in Handwara Tehsil of Kupwara district, Jammu and Kashmir with total 1150 families residing. The Magam has a population of 6909 of which 3540 are males while 3369 are females as per Population Census 2011. The population of Children of age 0-6 years in Magam village is 1323 which constitutes about 19% of the total population. There are 726 male children and 597 female children between the age 0-6 years. Thus as per the Census 2011, the Child Sex Ratio of Magam is 822 which is less than the Average Sex Ratio (952) of the state . Magam block has a lower literacy rate compared to Jammu and Kashmir. In 2011, the literacy rate of Magam block was 64.98 % compared to 67.16 % of Jammu and Kashmir. In Magam Male literacy stands at 76.15 % while the female literacy rate was 53.64 %. Among the total population of Magam, the total number Tribal population is 674 out of which male count for 350, and women population is 324.

       Work Force: Total number of workers is 2457 persons, among 2457, 1494 are males and 963 are females. A total number of main workers is 794, males account for 723 and females 71. Other workers population is 597 person, which include 597 males and 61 females. The total number of population which is engaged in household industry work is 29, (males 27, females 2). The block has 56 agricultural laborers, among this, males are 52 and females are 4. The population of marginal workers is 1663, males are 771 and female are higher than males 892

ECONOMY Agriculture: Jammu and Kashmir State is full of natural resources of great economic potential. The physiographic location imposes a number of constraints, particularly in agriculture and allied sectors. Substantial land-use pattern in the Magam village was purely agriculture. It has changed over a period of time to agri-horticultural Silvi-pastoral. Although the net area sown has downscaled. The total net sown area is still 462 hectare. The area under fruit and vegetable cultivation has marginally increased over the period of time. The total area under fruit is 367 hectare. Rice, the staple crop of the village. It is sown in May and harvested in late September. The area under rice cultivation is constantly diminishing. The people are converting rice land into orchards, residential lands and vegetable gardens. The population engaged in rice cultivation is about 30% of the total population. Maize is the second most important crop. The best soil for maize is reclaimed swamp and enormous crops are raised from the black peaty land. In the high lands occupied by the Gujjar grazers, very fine crops of maize are grown. Other important summer crops are millet, pulses (legumes such as peas, beans, and lentils). Cropping pattern: Agriculture is the main source of livelihood in Magam as it is in the rest the state. Rice and Maize are cultivated during April and May and harvested during September and October, while as Wheat, Barley, and Oilseeds, are cultivated during October and November.

IRRIGATION :-Nature has blessed Kashmir in many ways. The availability of water in abundance is one of them. Nevertheless, artificial means of irrigation is required in those areas which has no means of natural irrigation . In Magam, Chowkibal-Magam Khul known as Dangerwari is the only canal which brings water to Magam area for irrational purposes. As I have mentioned in the history of Magam. The flow of Dangerwari nala was diverted by sidiq lone's rivals towards kupwara area. But sidiq lone turned the tide in his favour, when sir walter lawerence was making land revenue settlement.According to the story,Lawerence saheb (as they say his name) was preparing a map of the area for irrigation purposes, Sidiq lone accompanied him at that time, But Lawerence put a partial line on the map, which means small share of water for Magam area. According to the story Sidiq lone draw a full line on the map, when Lawerence was busy, converting the half share into full share, which magam used to get before. When Lawerence saw this later on, he called sidiq lone, and appreciated his intelligence. Because of sidiq lone's smartness Magam received greater share of from kahmil nala which originates from kazinag glacier. After the availability of water. He build a network of irrigation channels and vast strech of land was brought under cultivation. Magam has two storage dams,/tanks. these tanks or dams are very useful for agrarian production. Total irrigated land in Magam is about 94.7 hectares

HORTICULTURE:- Many temperate fruits are also grown in Magam. Large orchards in the of the produce apples, pears, peaches, walnuts, and cherries. Apple cultivation is highly profitable economic activity in Magam village, which is famous for its quality apple. It is farm-based, labor-intensive and commercially attractive economic activity. The income per acre is much higher than any other horticulture crops, if it is done in a saystematic way. Apple production plays an important role in improving the standard of living, per capita income and employment generation. More than half percent of the population is engaged in the cultivation of apple directly or indirectly in Magam . The improvement in production is quite important, but the marketing has equal importance to develop a commercial crop. It has been found that the farmers face numerous problems like marketing, storage facilities, good quality pesticides, irrigation etc which contributes a lot to the low production. It has been suggested that if these facilities are provided sufficiently, productivity could be enhanced just like in China. The farmer uses a lot of fungicides and pesticides which makes fruit little bit unhealthy. To accrual fruit production agronomist uses different kinds of fertilizers, for example, Urea is used for the growth of leaves, potash is used for plant and fruit growth, similarly Diammonium phosphate (DAP) is used for fruit color. Different kinds of Apples are grown in Magam such as. Red delicious Golden delicious American Kasri Maharaji Hazratbali

The area under fruit cultivation is about 20,000 kanals. Second most important fruit grown in Magam is walnut. Walnut is produced in abundance which therefore generates huge employment and wealth. ANIMAL HUSBANDRY:- The Animal Husbandry has achieved a major breakthrough in bringing genetic improvement in local cattle by crossing it with jersey breed. The jersey and Sindhi bulls Magam have been kept in government veterinary centers for cross breeding purposes besides, artificial frozen semen technology has been introduced to improve the breeds of local cows. Magam has grazing pastures and meadows with rich vegetation providing a conducive environment for the promotion of the sector.

       Livestock :  Livestock rearing is an important occupation for villa folk in general and the migratory population in particular. Every effort is being made to give proper coverage to breeding so as to improve the health and quality of animals like, information on livestock population, health breeding programme, number of animals, health and breeding institutions existing, measures taken, treatment is given and operations performed on animals etc.

Poultry farms:- Over the last decade, there has been a tremendous growth in the poultry industry in Magam in private sectors. Poultry farming has come up in a big way and has given employment to a number of people and raised the economic status of farmers. Currently, there are three poultry farms active in Magam, these farms are not sufficient to meet the current demand, we can say that the Magam is not self-sufficient in the poultry production, but the poultry business is becoming faddish day by day. CRAFTS:-Magam is not known for any famous crafts. However, common crafts like like kangri, pottery are still produced in Magam though in small numbers. Leather products:-During the early times, the leather work of Magam was very famous. There are a tiny number of cobblers who are well versed in their profession, they make excellent handmade shoes. During 20th century , people were fond of handmade shoes, they used to wear handmade black leather shoes, those shoes were a little bit expensive, but their durability was excellent. Unfortunately, this art is about to die due to the influx of industrial goods. Miscellaneous products :- Before the rise of militancy, the village was famous for its excellent guns. The blacksmiths of the block were experts in gun making. Unfortunately, this art is also dying, there are few blacksmiths alive today who know this art. Goldsmiths (Sundder):- During the early times, goldsmiths were producing nicely crafted gold and silver ornaments. Today there is only one old man in Magam who knows this art, but unfortunately, due to his age, he has left this work long ago.

SCOPE FOR ADVENTURE TOURISM There is a huge scope for adventure tourism in Magam because of its topography. Adventure tourism offers an excellent option for undertaking a large number of activities such as mountaineering, trekking, mountain biking, hag-gliding, para-sailing, heli-skiing, etc. PILGRIM TOURISM Pilgrim tourism in the village has also registered considerable improvements during the last few years because of the better road connectivity between Magam and the rest of the state. There is a shrine of a local sufi darvesh, Khawaja Mohammad Sidiq Mir sahib, who lived in 19th century, which is located on top of a small cliff looking over the village. He has a quite significant following, including that from Pakistan administrated Kashmir (PAK), most of which are from Gujars and Pahari communities, besides Kashmiri speaking people. The pilgrims visit his shrine whole year, but during his urs Mubarak, the village gets filled with pilgrims, which generates huge buzz and employment for people. His urs is celebrated by whole village with great enthusiasm and respect. Special meat dishes are prepared in every house and special prayers are held in every houses and in the Mosques for For those who had left this world. A shab is also observed by his followers during his urs mubarak, which adds more importance to this day. This is the most important festival of the village after major muslim festivals. Service sector About 30% of the population is working in the service sector. a large number of people are engaged in government services, some are working in private sectors like private schools, public transport, shops, carpentry, masonry, cloth making etc. TRADE Magam has a huge trade market owing to its central geographical position between the Raamhall area and the town of Handwara. Moreover, a significant number of hamlets are dependent on Magam market which includes many wholesale shops, and small shops which acts as a source of many goods to these hamlets like, daily use goods, besides Magam has direct transport services to other important towns of the valley thereby making it a business hub of the area with a huge population dependent on it. The scale of the market can be imagined by the number of shops currently functioning in the block which is around 150 distributed in two main submarkets. GOVERNMENT SCHEMES Govt. schemes have been introduced by the state and central govt. to initiate a new era of development and generate more employment opportunities. But the main issue faced by these schemes is the implementation at the grass root level, which have been subjected to nepotism and favoritism.

     Government of India is implementing a number of Centrally Sponsored Schemes (CSS) in the areas of rural development, urban development, health and family welfare, education, agriculture, women and child development, sanitation, housing, safe drinking water, irrigation, transport, border area development, social welfare throughout the country, including Jammu and Kashmir. The main objectives of all these schemes is to generate employment, reduce poverty & economic inequality and improve the quality of life. Besides, some of these schemes aim at the creation of basic infrastructure and assets essential for economic development in rural areas. Despite the fact that huge allocations have been made by the central government through centrally sponsored programmes in Jammu and Kashmir, the development in basic infrastructure and improvements in amenities/facilities has been inadequate, especially in rural areas of the state. The standard of living of the people has not improved to the desired extent and the employment opportunities for the youths are few and far between. These schemes have been implemented in our village to some extent, but unfortunately fell prey to the local politics. However, the Panchayats elected during 2011 rural election had done a tremendous work by implementing the government sponsored schemes . The funds were properly spent on development works. Nevertheless, the list of following schemes have been implemented in the block: 

Social Welfare Integrated Social Security Scheme National Social Assistance Programme National Family Benefit Scheme State Marriage Assistance Scheme Orphan Homes MFI MEI Aam Aadmi Bema Yojna Contributory Social Security Scheme for marginal workers Prosthetic Aid Scheme Financial assistance to Gad Hanjis NGO Grant Aid Employment Assurance Scheme/Sampoorna Gram Rozgar Yojana Indira Awaas Yojana Swaranjayanti Gram Swarozgar Yojana Integrated Child Development Services National Old Age Pension Scheme Student Schemes Scholarships

Pre Matric Post-Matric Minority

Stipend to ITI Reimbursement of Examination FeeSericultur Construction of Rearing House Supply of rearing kits to Silkworm Weavers Women Health Insurance SchemeHandlooms Weavers Credit Card Scheme Credit Plan Scheme

CULTURE The culture of Magam is same as it is prevalent in the rest of Kashmir, which is a diverse blend and highly influenced by northern South Asian, Persian as well as Central Asian culture. Along with its scenic beauty, Kashmir is famous for its cultural heritage; it amalgamates Muslim, Hindu, Sikh and Buddhist philosophies and has involved composite culture based on the values of humanism and tolerance which is collectively known as Kashmiriyat. DRESS:- The colorful dresses of the people of Magam block are very attractive. The majority of the population wear traditional clothes. During the winters people wear a kind of loose overcoat called Pheran. It is basically worn over a kurta. And under the Pheran, is a warm pot of charcoals called 'kangri', is being kept which helps in keeping them warm. But the traditional dress of kashmir is disappearing from magam,which is being replaced by the western dress code.The people are mad about the western culture, especially the young generation.

LANGUAGE:- The main language of Magam is Kashmiri, which is the largest branch of dardic language which itself falls in the category of indo-aryan language. The other languages spoken here are, pahari, gojri, urdu, etc. The official language is English and Urdu with the former preferred over the latter. FAIRS AND FESTIVALS:- Numerous fairs and festivals are celebrated with great joy and enthusiasm in Magam. Some of the famous fairs and festivals of the village are Eid-ul-Fitr, Ei-ul-Azha, Nawroz and especially urs of Sadiq mir sahib( 22nd April of every Year).

DANCE AND MUSIC:- Ruf dance, Bachha Nagma dance are the major dance forms of the block. Ladishah is a famous sarcastic form of singing, filled with a lot of humor.

CUISINES:- Kashmir has a variety of meat-based dishes like Rogan Josh, a lamb dish, Rista, Goshtaba, Kebab and a whole lot of other meat varieties as well which is included in Wazwan. These cuisines are also familiar in Magam and are served on special occasions like weddings, party functions etc.

SOCIAL STRACTURE

Society means an organized group of communities which share common culture, tradition, beliefs etc. The family is the basic unit of society in Magam. In every society, the family is considered as mans first school where from he learns how to behave with others. It is from a family that a man learns morals and values of good citizenship. In past times the people of Magam lived in joint families mostly in single houses which is manifested in close links between grandfather, grandmother, father, mother, brothers, sisters, cousins, uncles etc. The families are patriarchal in nature headed by the eldest male member of the family. All important decisions are taken by him. The woman of the block enjoys respect and honor although they have no say in important matters of family. They are mostly uneducated and are busy with their day to day kitchen activities, but at the same time, they are acting as a helping hand to their man folk in agricultural activities. There is a complete change from the last few decades because the joint family system has now got totally converted into the nuclear family system which may be because of a lot of factors, with the important ones being listed below; 1. In past times the population of Magam was not too high, but with the passage of time population of the village got increased very rapidly and it became very difficult for the head to manage such huge families. 2. In past times people were simple and no one had a daring to challenge the authority of the family head, but with time those things now got completely changed with the advancement of modernization and new concepts of development. 3. Now the modern period is the period of material things for pleasure and comfort. People thought in joint families they would not be able to increase their wealth or provide good education to their children so they preferred to live in nuclear families rather than joint families.

ETHNICITY Ethnically, people of Magam belonged to Kashmiri ethnicity,which itself is a branch of indo-aryan race.but a small minority lives there, who belong to the different ethnic groups like gujars, Paharis, and sheikhs who speak a different language, they have probably Indian origin.

DIFFERENT KRAMS OF MAGAM : The social structure of Magam is heterogeneous; there are about thirty Krams present in Magam. lone Kram is the most dominant Kram in the village, because they are the founders of the block and they are financial at the top of the social ladder. The krams enjoy different social status according to their position in the village, for example, those who possess large land holdings are very much respected in the block, the wealthy families, educated people are equally respected in Magam. In order to have a better understanding of different Krams of the block these krams are divided into the following three groups: Upper class Middle class Lower class UPPER CLASS: The families belonging to this Kram or class are very much respected. These families possess large tracts of land with big orchards. They are educationally and economically at the top of the social pyramid. a) Lone Kram: They are the original inhabitants of the village, originally from Chilas valley in Gilgit baltistan. They posses’ big holdings of land from ancient times. Presently they are engaged in different economic sectors like business, govt. services, trading activities, apple farming etc. As we know education is luxury as in our society education is received by those who are financially strong. Lone's were the first who received education in Magam block, because of their material wealth, they received jagirdari rights from the Dogra kings and enjoyed a high standard of living. They used to give much importance to the education from early times, they were the first class who were appointed in govt. services.

They have good political relations from ancient times. According to official records, most village headmen were lone, because they were the landlords.

b) Mir Kram: This Kram in Magam is next only to the lones in terms of population and social status, they are also original inhabitants of the block. They are economically well developed with there own landholdings. They are mostly working in their own land holdings for their subsistence. From ancient times they have been mostly illiterate, but nowadays they are responding towards modern education very positively. They are also engaged in peer-muradi, which therefore is also their source of income sometimes. c) Dar Kram:- They too have big land holdings and orchards. Among these families, most people are engaged in agriculture and are working as govt. employs in a number of departments. c) Wani Kram: -Although there only a few families of wanis in the block Magam but they are economically stable. They are not considered as original inhabitants of block. MIDDLE CLASS:- These krams are not much wealthy in part because they have small land holdings in which they cultivate paddy, rice, and other things, but nowadays they are moving towards progress because they converted their paddy lands into apple orchards. The krams like bhats, maliks, telis etc are considered as middle-class families in our block. a) Bhat Kram:- They have there own land holdings but usually small. In past times they are mainly dependent upon agriculture for there subsistence. They are at present well qualified and are acting as teachers, lawyers, etc and are moving towards progress. b) Ahanger Kram:- They are mostly associated with metal works, Ahanger Kram actually means blacksmith. Before the upring of 1990 they were excellent gun makers, but now are gaining education and have few teachers in their kram. c) Najar Kram:- They are mostly associated with woodwork, they are professional carpenters. LOWER CLASS:- This section includes the people who are socially and economically backward. The literacy rate within this section is insignificant. This section includes the people like, Telis, Dombas, Mochis, ganaies and Sheikhs. a) Telis: There are at least ten families of this in our block. In past times they are associated with the profession of oil-pressing and are called as teli-wanis. They were mostly poor in the past but nowadays they are improving their socioeconomic position by adapting to other professions like carpentry, technicians etc. These families are still illiterate but nowadays due to the pressure of modernization their children are inclined to modern education. b) Dombas: They too are considered as lower class in our block. Kalhana and Alberni mentions that Dombas are low caste in Kashmir although they have their small land holdings for their subsistence. However, still, they are dependent upon other professions for fulfilling their day to day needs. They are still illiterate and are presently working as laborers, etc. c) Sheikhs:- They are outcaste, their physical features resemble with Indians and they also speak language which is alien to the other dwellers of the block. They are scheduled castes and can be seen as sweepers in govt. and private offices. d) Mochis: They have been involved with the leather business in making leather goods and shoe making since ancient times. Their living standard is increasing due to the popularity to education which is coupled with the reservation in the govt jobs therefore pushing them out of the low living standards. MARRIAGE SYSTEM IN MAGAM Marriage is a sacred legal bond between two persons that is Male and Female who are designated as husband and wife after marriage. In Kashmir, the wedding takes place along the lines of the traditions and rituals followed from centuries. These traditions and rituals are followed in each and every block of Kashmir from ancient times. In our Magam, both endogamous and exogamous marriages are performed. The upper sections usually marry within there own castes. Intermarriages between high and low castes are very rare. The upper sections, if possible, marry their children with some near relatives. Sometimes parents, marry their lone daughter in relation where the groom can be adopted by the daughter’s family. This type of marriage is called gare pathe, (live-in son-in-law) whereby groom lives with his in-laws forever. Before arranging marriage in the block, certain conditions are taken into consideration like Boy’s and girl’s character, family background, and economically condition.

RELIGION

Majority of the population of Magam belongs to the religion of Islam and according to Islam, society should be based on love, brotherhood and compassion. There was a Hindu pandit minority living in Magam till 1990, but due to the uprising in early 1990's, they migrated to other parts of the state mainly, Jammu province. It is worthwhile to mention here that there was no temple in Magam, however, the pandit community used to worship a deodar tree called yed mouj, in kashmiri language, which is still standing there. Moreover, there was a small temple built in an adjacent hamlet of Magam where the pundits used to gather for worship. That temple is still in that very position and form which it was when abandoned by the worshippers. Most of the people belong to the Hanfai Maslak of Islam from old times, but at the same time we find some followers of jamati- e-Islami in our village but their number is very small. In our village not only old but young generation too is very much concerned/interested with Islam like Nimaz, Rooza, zakat etc. At present there are three Jamia Masjid and seven other local masjids in our village. There is also a eidgah present in our block. There is also a religious institution (madrassa) in our village. So far as the celebration of religious festivals is concerned they are celebrated with great pomp and show. eid-e Milad Nabi (SAW), Eid-ul-Fitr, Eid-ul-zuha, Shab-I-qader, Nowroz etc are some of the festivals which are celebrated in our village from ancient times with great pomp and show.

Another important festival celebrated in our village is urs of local sofi saint Sidiq Mir sahib who lived in 19th century. It is celebrated with great enthusiasm by all section of the village  on 22nd April of every year.
HOUSING PATTERN

Most the rural areas in Kashmir have their own features and traces of architecture besides, the climate of the region plays a role in the housing pattern and livelihood of the people. The 19th and 20th-century houses were made up of sun-dried bricks of loess mixed with the chaff and water. The roofs were flat and made of popular beams and reeds covered with clay. A hole was kept in the middle of the roof for the ventilation and houses were generally of one storey but well to do families were having two storey houses. Almost similar looking houses were built in blocks with a covered backyard and open front yard. A strong front door opened in the front yard where a small-scale kitchen/vegetable garden was placed. Their boundary walls were built of rammed earth and were mud plastered. The roof and pillars were decorated with charming patterns known as chip carving and sometimes designs were carried out on windows and doors also. But the wealthy people of the villahe lived in huge and beautiful houses. These houses were often three stories buildings. The interior and exterior of these were beautifully decorated. Due to change in the lifestyle of the people living in Magam, hardly anything resembles the medieval housing pattern. The new houses are mostly made up of concert material and nowadays the tradition of making Hamams (warm rooms) are in vogue. Besides people are making huge fences around their houses with kitchen gardens within these walls. Almost every family in Magam owns a house (small or big).

CONCLUSION If we believe oral history and the surrounding political developments since its beginning Magam block had witnessed many ups and down till this date. But when we compare today's situation with pre-1947 situation of Magam, it has many credits to add. Magam has achieved huge success in many fields like its population has increased from a few hundred persons in 1950's to 7000 persons in 2011. Human resource is the biggest resource, Magam has it in abundance. The growth in population naturally indicates the economic boom in people’s lives. The population growth directly depends on the economy as Karl Marx said ‘the economy is the base, rest is the superstructure’, the same can be found in case of Magam. Magam's economy mostly depends on horticulture (Apple business), trade, service sector, and other primary and secondary economic activities. Magam has witnessed a high economic growth since 1947 which in turn has helped in spectacular population growth and increase in living standard of its common people. Education in Magam is at par with the rest of the state, with the literacy rate of 64.5 which is above average level. The credit for these developments can also be given to the improvement in communication and transport system, and of course, without democratic government, these things would have remained a distant dream. It was because of the democratic government and democratic institutions that the development at the grassroots level was started soon after the firs election were held in 1951. But still, we have not yet achieved our goal of large-scale development, we still lack some basic facilities, the government needs to do more. But we can say that Magam had achieved many things and much needs to be achieved.

Bibliography 1) Walter, Roper Lawrence. (2014) The valley of Kashmir, Ali Mohamamd and sons 1, Budshah Hotel Building 2) Ray, S. C. (1995) Early history and culture of Kashmir, Munshiram Manoharlal Publishers,54, Rani Jhansi Road, New Delhi, Delhi-110055 3) Hasan, Mohib Ul. (2005) Kashmir under Sultans, Gulshan Books Lal Chowk Srinagar-190001 4) Bamzai, P. N. K. (2016) A History of Kashmir, Political, Social, Cultural, From Earliest Times to the 5) Present. Gulshan Books Lal Chowk Srinagar-190001 6) Patwari revenue records 7) Chowkidar's birth records

Websites 

1) Kupwara census 2011 part A & part B: www.census 2011.co.in 2) www.Kashmir division.nic.in 3) www.Kupwara.govt.in 4) Election commission website: www.eci.nic.in 5) 25 Jan.2016 greater Kashmir/handwara massacre.

6) www.wikipedia.com/Kashmir  culture

Oral Histories. Personal Interviews. 1) Ghulam Nabi lone