Submissions

Kashmir Oral History or KOH is an ongoing collaborative effort. We intend to make this oral history project as representative as possible of all the shades of experience of all the people impacted by the Kashmir conflict. Unfortunately, it is not possible for us to reach each person. Thanks to the internet, however, you can collaborate with us and send us your recordings — say, of yourself, your family, your neighbours, and your friends. If you wish to share an oral narrative (video or audio recording or a written account) of your personal experiences or of someone you know, we will be happy to upload it on the KOH website.

Let the people speak…

Submission guidelines

A. Audio and Video Recordings

We accept audio and video recordings via email or file-transfer, but that depends on file size and format compatibility, among other things. Before sharing your recordings, please send us the following details in an “Introductory Email”:

1) File format (avi, mpeg4, mp3, wav, etc.)
2) File size (in MB)
3) Date of recording
4) Type of sharing: i. Open, or ii. Anonymous
5) Narrator’s photograph (jpg, gif, png, tif, etc.)
6) Narrator’s biodata *

B. Transcripts

You can email us the transcript in word or text format directly. Do not forget to include the following details:

1) Type: i. Self-written by Narrator, or ii. Transcription of interview with Narrator
2) Date of writing / transcription / date of original interview
3) Type of sharing: i. Open, or ii. Anonymous
4) Narrator’s photograph (jpg, gif, png, tif, etc.)
5) Narrator’s biodata *

* Narrator’s biodata

a) Direct submission: We want witness accounts of real people only. As such, we require your – Name, Native Place, Present Residence, Profession, Gender, Age, and Contact Details.

b) Indirect submission: If the oral narrative is not directly submitted, but is forwarded to us by an Intermediary, we also require a similar biodata of the Intermediary, specifying the relation with the Narrator.

Please note: The Narrator’s biodata (and photograph) will be required for the internal records of KOH, even if you wish the recording or transcript to be shared anonymously.

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Narrator’s consent

1) The Narrator must send us his/her consent with the submission.

2) The Narrator will not expect any monetary compensation for contributing to the archives. We seek oral narratives on an entirely voluntary basis.

3) The Narrator is the best judge of the possible benefits, potential risks, and/or discomforts of keeping a personal narrative in the public domain. There is no compulsion involved.

4) The Narrator has the option of keeping his/her personal narrative anonymous. In case the Narrator requests anonymity, no personal details of the Narrator will appear in the public archive, apart from gender, community, and district. In case a video recording needs to be shared anonymously, we will archive only the audio track with no video footage.

5) In case of indirect submission, the Intermediary is responsible for acquiring the consent of the Narrator.

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Terms of use

We are open to all narratives and are happy to accept submissions irrespective of the community, political ideology, or ethnicity of the narrators. However, we want only witness accounts and personal experiences. No opinionated political pieces, please. The KOH team reserves all rights to accept or reject submissions.

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Disclaimer

The promoters of Kashmir Oral History archives bear no responsibility for any inaccuracy of facts or opinions expressed by the Narrators.

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Send your Introductory Email and/or Transcripts to: kashmiroralhistory@gmail.com