Dr Sharmeen Mushtaq Nizami is a J&K-based philanthropist and adventure trekker who helps cancer patients, widows and orphans. (Waseem Andrabi)
Dr Sharmeen Mushtaq Nizami, a J&K-based philanthropist and adventure trekker, feels that a girl can do big things in life when her parents support her; she has set up a charity trust that helps cancer patients, widows and orphans.
Whatever life throws at Dr Sharmeen Mushtaq Nizami, she takes it as a challenge, overcomes it and moves on. She believes one’s life should be an inspiration for others.
Dr Nizami, in her early 40s, works at a Srinagar hospital and runs a trust for cancer patients besides pursuing her hobby of being an extreme mountain trail motor-sport traveller. Since childhood, she has pursued her passion whether it was studying medicine in the 1990s when militancy was at its peak in Jammu and Kashmir or her love for jeeps.
Her biggest challenge in life came when her husband was diagnosed with cancer and died in 2007 within six years of their marriage, leaving her to bring up their two children, a three-year-old son and a year-old daughter.
“It was a traumatic phase. I struggled but my parents supported me. Initially, being a single parent appeared tough but gradually I came to terms with reality,” she says.
As time went by, she decided not to remarry and moved back to her ancestral home in Srinagar from her husband’s house in Jammu.
Dr Nizami, who is now the medical officer in-charge at a Srinagar hospital and on Covid duties, says that her experience during her husband’s illness pushed her towards helping patients and the needy.
“Though we were relatively well off, we had to go outside for treatment as he was suffering from pancreatic cancer. We realised that the treatment is expensive and drains most families’ savings,” she says.
Even before her husband’s death, she would collect money from attendants using charity boxes outside OPDs. Later, friends and colleagues asked her to setup a trust with a separate account where people could donate money. “We get a lot of donations during Ramazan, which are primarily used to help cancer patients and those needing a kidney transplant. The trust also helps widows and orphans who have no source of income,” she says.
Nizami, the eldest of four siblings, says that her parents Mushtaq Nizami, a military contractor, and Shahida Parveen, a homemaker, have been her strength. “Any girl can do big things in life when her parents support her,” she says.
Ask her what got her interested in jeeps, and she says, “I have imbibed my father’s passion for driving jeeps. In 2018, I came upon some videos of the Kashmir off-road club which organises competitive events and overland expeditions, and decided to participate in a snow-race event (Frozen Rush) at Gulmarg.”
Nizami, who always wears a hijab, was the only woman to participate in the adventure sport and created quite a buzz on social media. “I hadn’t realised that I was breaking stereotypes , until I saw people’s reactions,” says Nizami, who has since participated in dangerous events like mud race and river crossing.
“Some people tried to dissuade me saying it was risky, but I remained unafraid,” says Nizami, adding that she gets a lot of messages from young girls who admire her.
She says her faith in the Almighty has never wavered despite the many challenges in her life. “Not just driving, but life in general throws a lot of challenges at us. We have to accept the challenges and move forward,” she says.
source: http://www.hindustantimes.com / Hindustan Times / Home> Cities> Others / by Ashiq Hussain, Srinagar / September 16th, 2021
The story of what used to be Bengal’s highest seat of power and of some who braved the ascent
SOVEREIGN STONE : The throne of the Subedars of Bengal (in the foreground) at Victoria Memorial Hall in Calcutta / Paromita Sen
In the circular throne room of Hazarduari, or the palace of a thousand doors, in Murshidabad sits a solid silver chair on a marble platform whose fretwork shows signs of having once been gilded. That intricately carved chair, shaded by an intricately worked silver umbrella, used to be the seat of the nawabs of Bengal.
The maroon velvet cushioned throne, no bigger than a dining chair, might make one wonder how comfortable Siraj ud-Daulah would have been seated on it — after all, it is believed he was nearly seven-feet tall. It most definitely could not have been shared by two as was the black stone throne of Bengal.
In 1766, Robert Clive shared the black stone throne with Najm ud Dowla, second son of Mir Jafar. The East India Company had been granted the dewani of Subah Bangla by the then Mughal emperor. “Clive, as a representative of the company, sat on the throne because he had the right to collect revenue, while the Nawab had the right to dispense justice,” explains Santanu Biswas, amateur historian and Murshidabad resident.
Should you wonder into the Durbar Hall of Calcutta’s Victoria Memorial, you will find a low black table. You might be tempted to put your feet up on it — it is that inconspicuous. But that is it — the erstwhile musnud or throne of Subah Bangla. The throne that was once Shah Shuja’s, son of Shah Jahan; Murshid Quli Khan’s, after whom Murshidabad is named; Alivardi Khan’s, who stopped the Bargi attacks; Siraj ud-Daulah’s, the last independent Nawab of Bengal; the infamous Mir Jafar’s and Clive’s.
The throne is not round but 16-sided; each facet has a simple design inscribed and one of them bears a Persian inscription that declares it was made by “humblest of slaves, Khwajah Nazar of Bokhara” in Munger, Bihar, on November 11, 1641.
How did someone from Bukhara in Uzbekistan end up in Munger? Says Jayanta Sengupta, secretary and curator of Victoria Memorial Hall, “The Mughals were originally from that region. A lot of people came with them. Some kept the place of their origin as part of their name even after having lived in India for generations. It had prestige value.” So, Nazar may never have seen Bukhara.
Back to the musnud. The 18-inch-high platform, six-feet in diameter and sitting on four fat legs, is carved from a single block of black slate from the Kharkpur or Kharagpur Hills. A framed write-up at the memorial states that the throne must have belonged to Sultan Shuja and had originally been kept at Rajmahal (in what is now Jharkhand) before being moved to Dhaka and then Murshidabad (by Murshid Quli Khan) as the capital of Subah Bangla changed.
In Murshidabad too, the throne often changed residence. Mir Jafar, for instance, was enthroned in his palace in Mansurganj, on the western bank of the Bhagirathi, while Clive was enthroned in Motijheel Palace on the eastern bank. It seemed to be the practice for the throne to be moved to wherever the Nawab resided.
The throne is an austere structure. “In India it was always a takht or platform,” says Urvi Mukhopadhyay, associate professor at West Bengal State University. The chair-like throne is a European concept and came later. According to Mukhopadhyay, who is a medieval history expert, the king would always kneel on the throne as it was rude to display his feet.
The throne itself was not made of valuable material, its value derived from the post of the man who sat on it. Says Mukhopadhyay, “It was usually made of stone. You can still see Shah Jahan’s marble throne at the Red Fort, though guides are likely to tell you that it is a platform on which the throne was placed.” There was also a beautifully-embroidered chandoya or canopy over the throne and a richly embroidered screen behind it. The musnud of Murshidabad had four holes in four corners through which the poles that held the canopy were set.
The only readily-available photograph of the black stone musnud shows it in its unadorned state on the terrace before the Moti Mahal of Murshidabad’s Mubarak Manzil. This area was once called Findallbagh after the Briton who developed it.
Mubarak Ali Khan II, better known as Humayun Jah, was the great great grandson of Mir Jafar and the man who built Hazarduari. He bought Findallbagh in 1830 and built the Moti Mahal and the pleasure garden around it that he named Mubarak Manzil. He gave the throne of the Nawab Nazims of Bengal pride of place, but he held court in Hazarduari, on the silver throne that is called the chair of judgement of Humayun Jah.
In The Musnud of Murshidabad (1905), Purna Chandra Majumdar writes, “Drops of reddish liquid issue from certain parts of the stone which when dried up leaves stains, perhaps due to the presence of iron. These are, however, popularly regarded as tears which have flowed ever since the Subadars of Bengal handed the dewani over to the East India Company.”
At the height of their power the nawabs of Bengal sat on a simple platform of black stone, but when they turned puppets of the British their chair of power was solid silver. Perhaps there is a lesson in there somewhere.
source: http://www.telegraphindia.com / The Telegraph Online / Home> Culture / by Paromita Sen / November 28th, 2021
Emperor Jahangir’s inquisitive mind is revealed in his conversations with Mutribi al-Asamm Samarqandi
The 18 decades of the Great Mughals (1526-1707) produced some first-rate literature.
Many fine books came from the rulers themselves, steeped in a tradition of high culture that required them to be literate. The Baburnama, the first memoir/ autobiography of the subcontinent, is as readable today and as modestly written as Julius Caesar’s books (Cicero said of Caesar’s prose that it is unadorned, like a classical statue). The Tuzuk of Jahangir is filled with bombast, vanity and anger, but it is so honest and has so much detail, particularly on the side of his interests as a naturalist, that it is a work of the highest order.
And then there are the works that are smaller but sparkling, like little jewels. One such is the life of Humayun by his sister, Babur’s daughter and Akbar’s aunt, Gulbadan Begum. Written in Persian, as opposed to the Chagatai Turk that Babur wrote in, it is clear and direct, and as thorough a portrayal of Babur and Humayun as what they produced themselves. The story we know of Babur circumambulating the bed of a very ill Humayun and asking, in pagan fashion, to be taken instead of him, is from her book.
Courtly manners
The work we are looking at this time is from a lesser noble, a traveller from Samarqand called Mutribi al-Asamm, who spent time in Jahangir’s court. It is available in translation as Conversations with Emperor Jahangir. The Mughals loved having people over from their ancestral lands, which they would never see again, and lavished them with gifts and honours. Mutribi came to India (Jahangir was based in Lahore) roughly 400 years ago in 1627, when he was 70 and the emperor 58, only a few months away from his death.
Mutribi’s writing reveals a lot about the flowery manner of the court. He visits Jahangir a month after arriving in India and the emperor asks why he has waited this long. Mutribi refers to himself in the text as the “incompetent narrator” and Jahangir as possessing “a tongue of pearls”. At that first meeting, Jahangir gives him a thousand rupees and Noor Jahan (“may her chastity be preserved”) another five hundred, possibly the equivalent of crores in our time.
At their next meeting, Jahangir inquires about the hue of the black stone from which his ancestor Timur’s sepulchre is made in Samarqand. The emperor produces stones which Mutribi compares unfavourably to the original (“it is so bright you can see your face in it”).
Lord bountiful
The transactional manner of the exchanges is apparent from another meeting in which Jahangir asks Mutribi which of the Iraqi thoroughbred horses on display he would like to be given. Mutribi says, “whichever is more expensive,” possibly to make the emperor feel that he is being generous rather than his supplicant greedy. Again, when Jahangir offers him a choice of saddle — velvet or broadcloth — the answer is velvet, because it is more expensive. Jahangir says velvet gets wet easily, to which Mutribi says that the monsoon is far off. The two meet 24 times in two months before Mutribi returns. Towards the end, the following conversation is held:
“The pleasantness of Samarqand was being discussed. The Emperor asked me, ‘Is Samarqand spelled with a ‘q’ or with a ‘k’?’
‘Either way is correct,’ I replied. ‘In Tabari’s history and several other books it is referred to as Samarkand, but in popular usage it has become known as Samarqand. Some say that the name comes from Samar and Qamar, two slaves of Alexander the Great who built the city which was then named for them. Their graves are situated in the main market square of Samarqand.”’
Then Jahangir inquires about an ancestral tomb, asking how much it requires to be maintained. ‘“If you want to do it properly, 10,000 rupees,’ I [Mutribi] said, ‘otherwise 5,000 rupees just to keep it going.’
‘If 10,000 rupees will maintain it,’ he said, ‘then we have decided that in accordance with your information we will send 10,000 rupees, in order that that blessed station be maintained.’
I said, ‘O God, as long as the Sun and the Moon shall be, may Jahangir son of Akbar remain King.’”
Aakar Patel is a columnist and translator of Urdu and Gujarati non-fiction works.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Books / by Aakar Patel / November 13th, 2021
Ornithologist Dr. Salim Ali’s forgotten radio-casts now come ‘alive’ in a book. / In memory of Ornithologist Dr Salim Moizuddin Ali.
Dr Salim Moizuddin A. Ali (November 12, 1896-June 20, 1987) was the first Indian to conduct systematic bird surveys across undivided India and even later, and then penned several bird books which popularised ornithology in the sub-continent.
Mumbai :
In a unique initiative, the forgotten radio broadcasts of legendary ornithologist, the late Dr Salim Ali have been compiled and brought ‘alive’ in a book form, which will be released on November 12, marking the 125th birth anniversary of the ‘Birdman of India’.
Dr Salim Moizuddin A. Ali (November 12, 1896-June 20, 1987) was the first Indian to conduct systematic bird surveys across undivided India and even later, and then penned several bird books which popularised ornithology in the sub-continent.
The book — “Words For Birds” — edited by renowned author Tara Gandhi, comprises all the 35 broadcasts of Dr Ali on All India Radio (AIR) — from British India to Independent 1980s — probably unheard of by most people in the current century.
“I had worked with Dr Salim Ali for long… I have even worked on his other papers and documents and I came across these broadcasts that are well-preserved by BNHS,” the book editor Gandhi told IANS briefly, as the book awaits official release.
It will be unveiled as part of the ongoing 125th birth anniversary celebrations of the great ornithologist conferred with the Padma Vibhushan (1976), at the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS, founded 1883), said Education Officer Raju Kasambe.
The 35 talks that comprise “Words For Birds” were broadcast over 45 years, between 1941-1985, revealing Dr Ali’s exceptional skills both as an oral communicator and a passionate bird propagandist.
“The object of these talks is really to interest listeners, in the first instance for the healthy pleasure and satisfaction bird watching affords rather than for its intrinsic scientific possibilities,” the ornithologist had said of his radio transmissions.
The enthralling radiocasts, in a story-telling style, cover a wide range — bird habits and habitats, risks they face, the crucial role of avian in nature’s cyclic processes, how they benefit agriculture, unseen or little understood contributions to the economy, etc.
On his passion, Dr Ali said how 50 years ago bird watching in India was nowhere as popular, or indeed respectable, as it has become now, and in his younger days he would time and again fall in with persons who left him with a feeling, as they withdrew, that they were inwardly tapping a pitying finger on their foreheads.
“Their first glimpse of me very often was, it is true, of a distinctly shabby khaki-clad individual of the garage mechanic type, wandering leisurely and rather aimlessly about the countryside and surreptitiously peeping into bushes, and holes in tree-trunks and earth banks…” said the legend modestly.
Though he had focussed mainly on birds in his radio talks, it is evident that he was interested in all forms of wildlife and contemporary conservation issues, too, with each talk reading like a short essay, and the reader can even glance randomly through it to be immensely educated and entertained.
Dr Ali’s best-sellers from his massive collection include “Book Of Indian Birds” and the monumental 10-volume “Handbook of the Birds of India and Pakistan” (co-authored with S. Dillon Ripley), “The Birds of Kutch”, “Indian Hill Birds”, “Birds of Kerala”, “The Birds of Sikkim”, and his autobiography, “The Fall of a Sparrow”.
The book editor Gandhi was guided by Dr Ali for MSc (Field Ornithology), and she works for biodiversity conservation, conducts surveys to document birds and other wildlife in India.
Besides scientific and popular articles on nature and ecology, she has penned several books like “Birds, Wild Animals and Agriculture: Conflict and Coexistence in India” and edited the two-volume “A Bird’s Eye View: The Collected Essays and Shorter Writings of Salim Ali”.
Published by Black Kite and Hachette, “Words For Birds” (256 pg/Rs.599) will soon be available from BNHS and Amazon platforms. — IANS
source: http://www.clarionindia.net / Clarion India / Home> India> Life> Books / November 05th, 2021
Auto drivers Sunil and Mujeeb returned a bag with cash, a mobilephone and documents to its owner at Suntikoppa in the presence of the police
Two honest auto drivers have returned a bag containing Rs 28,000 in cash, a mobile phone and documents to its owner.
Auto drivers Mujeeb and Sunil had found a bag lying on the ground at Panya Junction in Madapura. After opening the bag, they found that it had cash, documents and a mobile phone.
The duo handed the bag over to Autorickshaw Drivers and Owners’ Association president A M Shareef, who in turn handed it over to PSI Puneeth Kumar.
The police informed the owner of the bag.
It is said that plantation labourers Ravi and his wife were travelling in an auto and did not realise that their bag had fallen while they were travelling.
source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> State> Mangaluru / by DHNS, Suntikoppa / October 27th, 2021
Chunnamal Haveli carries many fascinating tales about the change in lifestyle and architecture of Delhi after 1857
Chunnamal Haveli carries many fascinating tales about the change in lifestyle and architecture of Delhi after 1857
The redone arterial road of Shahjahanabad has attracted attention towards conserving the historical architectural facades of several buildings along the stretch that connects Sri Digambar Lal Jain Mandir to Fatehpuri Masjid.
Along with the facades of heritage homes, there is an urgent need to conserve family and lifestyle histories as part of intangible heritage. In this regard, Lala Chunnamal, the largest living mansion on the iconic street, illustrates a fascinating account.
The Chandni Chowk and surrounding lanes and by-lanes represent, along with several other layers, the lifestyles of the landed elites, merchant classes and evolving middle-class professionals. Several mansions reflect the Mughal period and the British rule in Delhi. Many of these families aligned with the Mughals for practical reasons and changed their allegiance to the new British masters, impacting the nature of lifestyles and architecture.
‘Lalacracy’ era
The period and predominance of merchants and the new landed class in different cities have been described as ‘Lalacracy’ by eminent historian Narayani Gupta in Delhi Between Two Empires 1803-1931: Society, Government and Urban Growth.
Built in 1864, the Chunnamal Haveli continues to be used by Lala’s sixth-generation descendant Anil Pershad and his family. A successful trader, Chunnamal was primarily a cloth merchant (indicative of the exact location of the house in Katra Neel) and had significant trade links in Kolkata, and a summer home in Shimla.
Soon after 1857, Lala Chunnamal bought a large part of the present-day Chandni Chowk and the Fatehpuri Masjid in an auction for a pittance. “Most mosques were closed for a couple of years after the rebellion; many Muslims fled the city. My grandfather, a practical businessman, watched out for the shops around the mosque. The family-owned shops built Shivalayas, dharamshalas and drinking water kiosks in Shahjahanabad, Mehrauli, Nangloi, etc. So why could he not manage a mosque,” remarks Pershad.
He says the family owned the shops from the erstwhile Majestic cinema to the Baptist Church and the area behind the present Bhagirath Palace. “After some years, the family returned the Fatehpuri mosque to the Muslim community. The British recognised the gesture and gave us some villages as a gift,” adds Pershad.
Unlike many others, knowingly or inadvertently, the Chunnamal family saved a mosque from being demolished or turned into a bakery shop or a garrison for the armed forces when the British took over after the First War of Independence.
The grand mansion integrated sturdy cast-iron balconies and spun spiral staircases, wooden Venetian windows, and used stained glass. The interiors characterise Indo-Western aesthetics decor like the famed Osler glassware chandeliers for candles, Belgian mirrors, European furniture, clocks, telephones, fireplaces, and even maintenance tools for the fireplace. Sophisticated crafts to embellish the interiors include clay tiles from Sindh that provide a carpet look. The gold-plated stucco work in the ceiling is offset with natural indigo. The roof is decorated with ceiling cloth that displays the best of Indian crafts.
Ice emerged as a much-wanted product since the British required it to cool their drinks and water. Chunnamal owned the famous Baraf Khana or the ice-making unit in North Delhi, the Old Subzi Mandi and Pul Bangash. “Twice-elected to the Municipal Corporation, he was one of the few Indians who were granted membership of the exclusive Delhi Gymkhana Club during the British days,” remembers Pershad. He was also a member of the Roshanara Club, Delhi Race Club and the National Sports Club.
High life
The Chunnamal family bred horses, some were housed in their home stables, while others were in the Delhi Race Club. Members of the family rode horses from Chandni Chowk to New Delhi. A special place for the family was their Rambagh Garden near the Roshanara Club. Viceroys visited, Indira Gandhi came to dine, and the family participated in horse races, including winning the Aminabad horseshow in Lucknow. Some members of the family even came to be members of the secret society of the Freemasons, who continued to meet in the Qudsia Bagh in Civil Lines.
The courtyard hosted gatherings of courtesans, which women of the family watched from behind the bamboo curtains. Pershad’s daughter-in-law Swetcha Pershad described how female service providers like washerwomen and barbers transmitted ‘news’ from one zenana or women quarters to other havelis. The hustle-bustle of the home saw the women under the guidance of a Parsi governess acquire skills in cooking western dishes, accessing recipes from the Woman & Home magazine launched in the 1920s.
Organisations like the UNESCO and urban governments in different parts of the world attempt to formulate policies to balance development with preserving historic urban landscapes. They involve stakeholders, incentivise owners of heritage homes to retain facades while making the inside of dwellings modern.
The remaking of the Chandni Chowk requires holistic policies and their execution before many of more than 30 private-public owned heritage buildings are replaced by buildings that do not go with the character of the historical landscape.
(The author is an expert on cultural heritage)
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities / by Navina Jafa / October 10th, 2021
Rejimol, 46, is known as “Thatha”, or elder sister, by everyone in and around her hometown
Thiruvananthapuram:
A burqa-clad, highly-religious woman in Kerala’s Kannur district has become a role model for women and youngsters for her entrepreneurial spirit and philanthropic activities.
Rejimol, 46, is known as “Thatha”, or elder sister, by everyone in and around her hometown. She is not a teacher, doctor, advocate, or social worker, but exemplifies courage, determination, and a kind heart while being owner – and worker – of a private bus service.
She, and her husband Mohammed, bought a bus for plying in Kannur, and while several people joined as attendants, all used to leave after serving for one or two months. This led to the determined Rejimol taking up the job by herself, while her husband became the driver and her son, Ajuwad who has completed his plus 2, the conductor for collecting money.
In Kerala, private buses have an attendant who rings the bell after people enter and exit at their respective stops. It has been a male bastion, as the job also involves cleaning the bus after the daily trips as well as changing tyres as and when they puncture, as also guiding the driver while overtaking a vehicle or when negotiating a curve.
All these jobs are now taken up solely by Rejimol, who has become a role model for women and youngsters alike by the determination, grit, and love for the job that she had shown.
“This is a job like any other job and when people first found a burqa-clad woman entering a male bastion, they were surprised. Some were laughing and I asked them whether they were insulting me, they said no and that they were just surprised and were full of respect and admiration for me. This made me carry on and I now have the courage and strength to face the society and life during any upside or downside,” Rejimol told IANS.
She said that life has been tough during Covid-19 times but in all, her life has been good and she used to save money for her pilgrimages to Makkah, and has done the Hajj as also the Umrah.
She said that daily she saves a portion of her income to be distributed to orphanages, adding that she was also supporting two orphanages. Rejimol also said that she intervenes in any social issue at her neighbourhood and also helps people as much as she can.
She said that she has allowed her daughter to study as much she can before giving her off in marriage.
“Education is important and marriage can come after that,” she maintains.
Her stand is in contrast to the prevailing situation in certain villages of Kerala where Muslim girls are being married off at an early age. However, signs of changes are slowly being seen in the community with more and more Muslim girls studying hard and coming up in academics and entering prestigious institutions like AIIMS, IITs and even qualifying for Civil services. However, there is still a trend of marrying off the girls at a tender age and Rejimol is strongly opposed to this.
Rejimol’s daughter, Ajinas A.M. is a PhD scholar doing her research in political science at the prestigious Karyavattam Campus of Kerala University. She did her Masters in political science from Central University of Puducherry.
The highly-determined woman entrepreneur maintains:
“Life is woven around love and without love and mutual help, nobody can survive and my policy is to love everyone and support everyone in whatever means we can. Women must be hard-working and not sit idle at home but chip in for the support of the family.”
source: http://www.ummid.com / Ummid.com / Home> India> Life & Style / by IANS / September 05th, 2021
He has been transferred from the Transport Department
The State government, on Wednesday, appointed senior IAS officer Anjum Parwez as the new Managing Director of the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Ltd. (BMRCL).
Mr. Parwez will relieve Rakesh Singh who has been holding the post as concurrent charge for over three months. Mr Parwez is a principal secretary ranking officer and is transferred from the Transport Department. He told The Hindu that expediting the ongoing phase II Namma Metro project will be his priority.
Challenges ahead
The new MD has various challenges before him including the timely execution of the metro tunnel network between Dairy Circle and Nagawara which has faced several hurdles in the past, resumption of metro work between Kalena Agrahara and Swagath Cross Road that was stalled and expediting much delayed 58-km Outer Ring Road – Airport metro line to Kempegowda International Airport (KIA).
“After taking the charge, I will study the developments in the Namma Metro project and measures will be taken to expedite the ongoing projects. Focus will also be given to integrating various modes of public transport in the city, thereby shifting people using private modes of transport to public transport,” he said.
With BMTC
Mr. Parwez, a 1994 batch IAS officer, has also worked as the MD of the Bangalore Metropolitan Road Transport Corporation (BMTC).
Senior IAS officer Rajender Kumar Kataria has been placed in concurrent charge of principal secretary of the Transport Department, the post that fell vacant after Mr. Parwez’ transfer.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Bengaluru / by Special Correspondent / Bengaluru – July 15th, 2021
She was not allowed to go on school trips. There was a reason behind it though. She had a habit of wetting her bed at night. Since then she wanted to travel, savour in the free-spiritedness of exploring the world alone. And Amish Mushabir has come back after embarking on a solo trip to Kashmir.
This entrepreneur and mother of two kids took to Kashmir without any prior planning on a stringent budget. She savoured the snow-capped mountains, luminous lakes, and the gorgeous gardens before heading back.
Love for travelling is hereditary
Amis is Tirur Kainakkara Mohammed Ibrahim’s second daughter. Till the age of 40, Ibrahim travelled travelled the world. He came back and married at the age of 40. Her mother hails from Kozhikode. Five years ago he passed away. Amis has inherited his love for travelling.
Amis after finishing her MBA got married at the age of 21 and settled in Saudi Arabia. She worked in an American Company in Saudi for 10 years. Her husband Mubashir, who works as an HR Manager in a Saudi company is aware of her wanderlust.
From Saudi to home
There was a restriction for women to drive alone in Saudi. But Amis would take time off to travel despite the restrictions at GCC.
Two years ago, she came back to India. She had two things planned- a place to pursue her psychology and another to take up her love for travelling. Through a vlog called Travel Badaais, she hoped to chronicle her solo travels. But lockdown put a lid on her plans. Earlier she would book the best of resorts, chart route maps to ensure safety before getting ready to travel. But this time she decided to dodge such safety measures and travel like a common man.
Heaven on earth
So Amis decides to travel to Kashmir without any prior plans. From Kerala, she reached Delhi by train. The plan was to reach Srinagar from Delhi by road. But they weren’t allowing tourists to take the road to Srinagar. That’s why she decided to take a flight to Srinagar. From Srinagar, she hired a scooter and scouted the length and breadth of Kashmir. While travelling to Gulmarg and Pahalgam, she would meet villagers on the way and uploaded them in her vlog. In 8 days she covered 800 km. She would make do with the offered food and lodging and explore Kashmir. No wonder it turned out to be one of the most memorable days of her life.
A few unusual places to see in Kashmir
Kokernag: Which translates as “Hen shaped springs” is 80 km from Srinagar and 25 km from Anantnag and is situated 7,000 feet above the sea level. You can see a collection of freshwater springs, which is also the largest freshwater spring of Kashmir. Trout fishing is hugely popular in this part of the world, and they are even sold to tourists. It’s also famous for Namdah, handicrafts, Gabbah carpet and shawl weaving. You can also catch several places of worship like Hazrat Baba Reshi, Shilagram Temple, Goswami Gund Ashram, Hanuman Temple, Sita Temple, Nila Nag, Ganesh Temple, and Shiva Temple.
Daksum valley: This valley is located in Bhringi River which is ahead of the Mughal Gardens of Achabal. It offers something for everyone—stunning scenery, mountains, picnic spots, plenty of romantic getaways, cone-bearing forests; hidden grassy meadows and snowy mountains. You can see the beauty of natural springs and embrace the lifestyle of traditional villages. It is also a perfect place for camping and trekking. The path that leads to the Simthan Pass is exquisite so are the wooden slopes on either side of Daksum which are covered with grass coating. It’s also a great place for trout fishing.
Gurez: This high-altitude Himalayan village is perched at a height of around 2400m and is 86km from Bandipore and 123km from Srinagar. The valley is encircled by snow-coated mountains and presents a spectacular view of the Kishanganga River flowing through the valley. It’s considered as one of the most amazing places to visit in Kashmir as this valley gives shelter to a small number of exotic wildlife including snow leopard and brown bear. Due to heavy snowfall, Gurez is cut away from the world from November to May. By this time Razdan Pass will be completely snowed out. The tourism department of Kashmir provides Gurez Helicopter services for tourists to promote tourism. Trekking can be dangerous due to its close proximity to the border. However, the scenic landscapes, the beautiful green turf on the woodlands, fishing in Kishen Ganga River, Potato and maize fields posses distinctive charms of their own. Endless forests cling from the bottom of the valley to the peaks; mesmerizing beauty of the Habba Khatoon Peak offers a blissful experience to the tourists. It is difficult to describe the colours of Gurez valley without visiting it once in life.
Tulail Valley: Adding Tulail Valley to your Kashmir Tour list is a great idea. In fact, it can be covered on the same day trip from Gurez as it is a Himalayan sub–valley of Gurez. The road to Tulail from Gurez passes through the scenic landscapes of the Kishanganga River. En route, you will cross the villages of Barnai, Chakwali, Kashpat, Zargai and finally, you can get to see the Purani Tulail Village. The scenic landscapes are a visual treat to your senses. The virgin valley which keeps flourishing in summer is ideal for Instagramming. Again, you can find a lot of freshwater trout here. The green mountains and the flower meadows add a special beauty to this valley. You need a permit to enter the Tulail region from Dawar Police Station. As the village is on the LOC, it is compulsory to seek a series of permissions from Army Camps and SP of this area.
Bangus Valley: This hidden gem is located in the north of Kashmir in the Kupwara district and lies within the Handwara sub-district. The valley is positioned close to the line of control between India and Pakistan and has some really interesting ecological areas surrounded by green grasslands,, meadows, and springs. It is even proposed to be a biological reserve as it produces a fine quality of grass for cattle which also has a medicinal value. Try the spring and summer seasons (April to June) as the weather is pleasant and even monsoon months (July to September) are favourable.
Poonch: Undoubtedly one of the most beautiful places in Kashmir, you can see lush green meadows, snow-capped mountains and the eighteenth century Poonch Fort which is spectacular to say the least. The seven lakes of Girgan Dhok have to be in your itinerary, alongside many religious shrines like Baksh Sahib and Gurudwara Nangali Sahib.
Jama Masjid: This mosque, situated in Nowhatta is considered a pivotal one in Srinagar. This was constructed by Sultan Sikandar during the 1400 AD and was expanded by Sikandar’s son, Zain-ul-Abidin. You’ll find 370 wooden pillars in this mosque and a mesmerizing courtyard – both of them are considered to be the major highlights of this mosque.
Aru Valley: Aru Valley, put together against the snow-clad peaks of the Himalayas is only 12 km from Pahalgam. The valley serves as a base camp for several treks and lakes including Tarsar Lake and Kolhoi glacier. It is also home to the Aru River which is a tributary of the Lidder River. Apart its scenery, you can also try horse riding and hiking. During the winter months, the view of the whole valley covered with snow is a comfort to the eyes.
Amis will be the guide
That’s her dream! A travel institution along with her training academy. She wants to organize travel vacations for single and group tourists. Thankfully, both her children (Faila and Faas) enjoy travelling. Her next plan is a trip with her daughter.
source: http://www.onmanorama.com / OnManorama / Home> Travel / by V Mithran / July 08th, 2021
Forgotten amidst waves of bad news, including geopolitical conflicts, environmental disasters and the global pandemic, is the humanitarian crisis caused by a civil war that began in 2014 in the fabled country of Yemen. For several centuries, the southern Arab country was a bridge between Kerala and lands to the west such as West Asia, Africa and Europe.
It was enterprising merchants from modern-day Yemen who began to make use of the monsoon winds to come to Muziris. The word monsoon comes from the Arabic mawsim, which means season. These businessmen lived a pretty globalised lifestyle by splitting their time between the Malabar Coast and southern Arabia at a time when there were no identity cards, passports, visas or even a concept of a nation-state. Some of these Arabs chose to settle down in the Malabar Coast and marry local women.
In a paper for the Indian History Congress in 1976, noted historian S M Mohamed Koya was able to trace the origins of the Malabar Muslim community.
“Some of these Arabs may have come from Hijaz, Oman and Bahrain. However, they were chiefly businessmen from Yemen and Hadramaut and many .Mappila families, particularly those known as ‘tangal’ families trace their origin to this area,” Mohamed wrote.
Interestingly enough, at the time of their migration to India, these merchants probably spoke Hadramautic, a language that belongs to the Old South Arabian subgroup of Semitic. “A large number of Mappila families find their origin in the interior Hadramaut town of Tarim, a wealthy town dominated by Sayyids which was once the intellectual and religious centre of Hadramaut,” Mohamed, who was a professor at the University of Calicut for decades, added.
In the paper, Mohamed stressed the fact that the traders started coming to India well before the advent of Islam, but their presence and established relations with the people of Malabar helped spread the religion in Kerala. “As pre-Islamic traders, the Arabs provided a friendly situation that facilitated the introduction of Islam and as Muslims, they introduced the faith,” he wrote.
Ponnani’s Makhdum family
Ponnani, a historic town that was once a major trading port, is also linked to Yemen. The town, at the peak of its glory, was home to the revered Makhdum family of Islamic theologians. Under Zain-ud-Din Makhdum and his grandson Zain ud-Din Makhdum II, Ponnani became a major centre of Islamic studies and is believed to have attracted students from Java, Sumatra, the Malay Peninsula and Ceylon.
It was also in this coastal town that the Arabi Malayalam or Ponnani script was invented. Since only 28 letters of Arabic orthography were available for 53 phonemes of Malayalam, additional letters established for Persian were used for this script.
Several old Mappila folk songs and works of literature were written in the Ponnani script, which stayed popular among Kerala’s Muslim community until the middle of the 20th century.
It has been on the wane since Indian independence and is taught mainly in a few madrassas in northern Kerala and the Lakshadweep Islands. There is no clear evidence though that this script has a Yemeni connection, but it was the script of choice for the Makdhum theologians.
This brilliant article by Kozhikode-based journalist Nijeesh Narayanan provides insights into the script, which is now in serious peril.
Zain ud-Din Makhdum II’s Tuhfat Ul Mujahideen chronicles the struggles between the people of the Malabar Coast and the colonial Portuguese. The book, originally written in the Ponnani script, describes the fierce resistance put up by the Kunjali Marakkar’s navy along with the Zamorin of Calicut against the Portuguese.
Culinary and cultural impact
There is little doubt that Yemeni elements have given an extra layer of depth to Kerala cuisine. Meen Pathiri and Irachi Pathiri are the results of Malayali and southern Arabic cuisine coming together.
Another dish that found its way from Hadraumat in Yemen to Kerala is Mandi or the famous Malabar Biriyani. Interestingly enough, the Yemeni version of the dish is usually made with chicken or lamb, and not with beef. If the Yemenis did bring Saltah, their delectable stew and the national dish, to Kerala, it did not manage to survive in its original form in the state, although many Malabari families have their own variations with different names.
Professor Mohamed in his paper wrote about how the mingling of the Yemeni immigrants with Malayalis has enriched the society of Kerala. He wrote, “Culturally the Malayalis were as far removed from the Arabs as the high topical scenery of Kerala is removed from the austere landscape of Arabia. But once wedded, the offspring of that union, the Mappilas have remained loyal to both parents.”
Before Yemen slipped into its latest civil war, there was a small and vibrant Malayali community in the country. One can only hope that the geopolitical puppet masters that have brought so much misery to the country allow it to once again live in peace. It is only when peace returns to the country that its millennia-old links to Kerala can be traced and re-established.
(The writer is the author of ‘Globetrotting for Love and Other Stories from Sakhalin Island’ and ‘A Week in the Life of Svitlana’).
source: http://www.onmanorama.com / OnManorama / Home> Lifestyle> Column / by Ajay Kamalakaran / June 28th, 2021
