Our Story & Mission

Dedicated to empowering communities through education, peacebuilding, mental health advocacy, and cultural understanding.

EQRA FOUNDATION

Established in 2020, Eqra is a civil society organization that works for the promotion of conscious, mindful living. We run 3 major flagship programs focused on Peace Education (Inner, Interpersonal, and Community), Religious Pluralism & Communal Harmony, and Mental Health in Jammu and Kashmir, India.

Founder's Note

Note from the Founder

Ms. Simran Kour — Founder, Eqra Foundation

When I was 11 years old, my school summer vacations were extended. As happy as I was for more holidays, I was also disturbed because of the reason. The year was 2008 and J&K had the infamous Amarnath Land Controversy that included month-long protests, injuries and deaths because the general population of the regions of Jammu and Kashmir were on opposing sides.

5 years later, the infamous Kishtwar riots took the lives of 3 people and injured 80 due to religion-based violence. It's hard to look past the exodus of Kashmiri Pandits of the 90s. In between the Jammu massacres of 1947, the mass rape at Kunan Poshpura in 1991 to the very recent Srinagar grenade attack in March 2022 that killed 2, there are plenty of examples of identity-based violence in Jammu and Kashmir.

"An act of violence is disturbing in itself. But it is made worse when instead of condemning it, we begin justifying it because of the victim's ‘identity’ and therefore, him or her deserving it. Biases, stereotypes, and identity-based discrimination fuel violence in the community."

At Eqra, we envision a peaceful and inclusive world and we strive to work towards it through our projects by co-creating solutions with community members.