Tag Archives: Muslims of Calcutta

Professor Badiur Rahman – An Exemplary Personality

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Hooghly / Kolkata, WEST BENGAL:

Professor Badiur Rahman, former Head of the Department of Arabic and Persian, University of Calcutta, a well-known educationist, celebrated writer, accomplished journalist, prominent Islamic scholar and a beloved teacher passed away in Kolkata on September 19, 2023.

He was scion of an illustrious and religious family of district Hooghly of West Bengal. His father Abdur Rahman was also an MBBS and associated with Tablighi Jamat.

He got his basic education at Darul Uloom Pandua, Hooghly, West Bengal. Thereafter, he did Alim in 1967 and Fazil in 1969 respectively from Madrasa Alia, Calcutta. He derived considerable benefits from a galaxy of eminent Islamic scholars over there. Especially, he achieved immense academic gains from noted Islamic scholars like Maulana Abu Mahfuz Karim Masumi and Maulana Rahatullah Azhari. After that, he did his B.A. (Hons) in 1974 and M.A. in 1976 respectively from University of Calcutta. He also did L.L.B and Ph.D therefrom.

Professor Badiur Rahman was an institution in himself. He was a familiar figure among the intellectual circles throughout India. Due to his extraordinary knowledge and being a paragon of morality, he carved a niche in the temple of fame. He had a say at the University of Calcutta. Despite being an Islamic scholar, he considerably impressed all faculty members, including VCs of University of Calcutta. Because of his profound knowledge of different languages, noble qualities and sublime norms everyone held him in high esteem.

Visiting Professor of Alia University, Kolkata, Dr. Rahman was also on the Senate and Syndicate of Calcutta University and Ph.D. Communities, Calcutta University and Alia University. He was also Ex-Chairman of PG Board of Studies in Arabic, Calcutta University, and U.G.B.O.S in Arabic, Kalyani University.

My acquaintance with Professor Badiur Rahman
I think it was during the summer of 2009 when I first met him. The meet was actually regarding my Ph.D admission at University of Calcutta. Dr. Masihur Rahman, now professor at Alia University, Kolkata introduced me to him. Since then till his last breath, I remained in touch with him. I am fortunate enough to have done my Ph.D. under his supervision and guidance. He always treated me like his brother. Whenever I met him, I gained immense inspiration from him. Despite being a celebrated scholar, he was devoid of arrogance.

As a Teacher
Professor Badiur Rahman started his teaching career as a lecturer at the University of Calcutta in 1983 and retired in 2016. Even after his retirement, he kept on teaching as a visiting faculty in the University of Calcutta and Alia University, Kolkata. He always proved himself as a selfless and dedicated teacher. He was an embodiment of all sublime qualities and virtues necessary for a good teacher. His method of teaching was unprecedented. It was his sword which he wielded so effectively that very few persons could match him. During lectures he pointed out such subtle points as students could not help without being impressed with him. He left an indelible mark in the domain of the teaching profession.

Undoubtedly, he was a beloved teacher. He was fondly described as B.R. Sir by his students. Scores of students quenched their thirst for knowledge from him. His talk was very touching. He met everyone cheerfully. His deep knowledge of comparative studies made him popular among his contemporaries. His learning was varied and profound. His personality was many-sided and balanced.

Right from the beginning, he was laborious and punctual. He was a man of transparent heart. No doubt, his extraordinary scholarship and erudition brought him wide reputation and fame. His main mission was to spread education. He left a galaxy of pupils behind him who impart education and work in various fields in and out of India. In fact, it is an everlasting tribute to him.

Dr. Badiur Rahman and Dr. Taha Husayn
Dr. Rahman was an ardent admirer of Dr. Taha Husayn. He had vast knowledge about Dr. Taha. He did not only study all his books but he digested them. He also wrote a book titled, “Essays On Dr. Taha Husayn” published by Mazhar Education and Welfare Society, Malda.

Maulana Alauddin Nadwi, Head of the Department of Arabic, Darul Uloom Nadwatul Ulama, Lucknow wrote in the Preface of the said book, “To a great extent Dr. Badiur Rahman tried to introduce Dr. Taha Husayn in the Introduction to his book. The author regards Dr. Taha as a born critic. He presented Taha’s thoughts in a lucid way. To clear his viewpoints, he propounded various references from Dr. Taha’s books. Besides, he holds Taha as a moderate critic to the core.”

He had also done several research works on the first Nobel Laurate in the Arabic language Dr. Naguib Mahfouz.

Dr. Badiur Rahman and Rabindra Nath Tagore

Like Dr. Taha, Dr. Rahman was also a fan of Rabindranath Tagore. He wrote various articles and short stories on Tagore’s life and works in Arabic. And thus he introduced him in the Arabic World.

It should be noted that Dr. Rahman participated in different national and international seminars and exhibited his scholarly caliber there.

Because of his outstanding and remarkable services to the Arabic language and literature, he was conferred the President Award in 2018.

As a Writer
Dr. Rahman was a prolific writer. He wrote several books on different subjects. Some of his major publications are:

  • History of Arabic Literature (Pre-Islamic Period)
  • Textbook for B.A. Arabic (Hons.) Calcutta University
  • Textbook for B.A. General, Calcutta University
  • Essays On Dr. Taha Husayn

Besides, he had 31 research articles in Arabic, English, Urdu and Bengali published in different literary journals. He had earned distinction in Belles Letters, short stories, poetry in English, Arabic and Bengali. He had long experience of research guidance in Arabic. He had examined about 26 theses and 15 M.Phil dissertations of various universitas of India and abroad.

Truly speaking, the comprehensive knowledge and intellectual brilliance of Dr. Rahman had been acknowledged by his contemporaries.

Describing his yeomen services, Professor Mohammad Noman Khan, former Head of the Department of Arabic Delhi University stated that the passing away of Dr. Badiur Rahman was a personal loss to him. He played a leading role in spreading the Arabic language in West Bengal. He gave new impetus to the students of W.B.

Professor Sanaullah Nadwi, Head of the Department of Arabic said, “Dr. Badiur Rahman was a highly qualified person and he was an emblem of morality. Everyone who observed him very closely would testify it. He also described his outstanding contribution in the field of education.

Similarly, Professor Ashfaq Ahmad Nadwi Head of the Department of Arabic Banaras Hindu University stated that Almighty Allah bestowed upon him different qualities. His personality was a marvellous amalgamation of teacher, writer and guide par excellence. Besides, he was a righteous, God-fearing and pious personality.

Dr. Rahman’s death caused a great vacuum. His myriad contributions to promotion and propagation of the Arabic language and literature will always be remembered. He is survived by his wife.

Thousands of his admirers thronged to attend the last rite of the departed soul. He was buried at Ghobra-1 Graveyard, of Park Circus Kolkata. May Allah adorn his grave with luminosity and refulgence and grant peace to his soul. Aameen!

[The writer is Faculty Member, Darul Uloom Nadwatul Ulama, Lucknow]

source: http://www.radiancenews.com / Radiance News / Home> Latest News / by Dr. Obaidur Rahman Nadwi / Radiance News Bureau / September 24th, 2023

Heritage walks uncover new angles of Indian history

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DELHI:

Historians and enthusiasts are taking public education into their own hands to tell the story of the country’s Muslim communities.

The Chronicles of Mehrauli heritage walk. Sonia Sarkar for The National
The Chronicles of Mehrauli heritage walk. Sonia Sarkar for The National
The walk takes visitors through Mehrauli Archaeological Park. Sonia Sarkar for The National
The walk takes visitors through Mehrauli Archaeological Park. Sonia Sarkar for The National
it is led by Purani Dilli Walo Ki Baatein. Sonia Sarkar for The National
it is led by Purani Dilli Walo Ki Baatein. Sonia Sarkar for The National
It is one of the oldest inhabited places in the subcontinent. Sonia Sarkar for The National
It is one of the oldest inhabited places in the subcontinent. Sonia Sarkar for The National
Mehrauli is rich in historical ruins, tombs and monuments from many eras of Delhi's past. Sonia Sarkar for The National
Mehrauli is rich in historical ruins, tombs and monuments from many eras of Delhi’s past. Sonia Sarkar for The National
The Qutb Minar heritage tour. Sonia Sarkar for The National
The Qutb Minar heritage tour. Sonia Sarkar for The National
Pigeon-watching on a tour. Photo: Purani Dilli Walon Ki Baatein
Pigeon-watching on a tour. Photo: Purani Dilli Walon Ki Baatein
A kotha, now a private property, in old Delhi taken during the walk titled 'Tawaifs and Kothas: Exploring Chawri Bazaar' by Enroute Indian History. Sonia Sarkar for The National
A kotha, now a private property, in old Delhi taken during the walk titled ‘Tawaifs and Kothas: Exploring Chawri Bazaar’ by Enroute Indian History. Sonia Sarkar for The National
The road leading to Jama Masjid in old Delhi, with guide Anoushka Jain showing an old picture of the same road in the 19th century. Sonia Sarkar for The National
The road leading to Jama Masjid in old Delhi, with guide Anoushka Jain showing an old picture of the same road in the 19th century. Sonia Sarkar for The National
A tour group on the steps of Jama Masjid. Photo: Enroute Indian History
A tour group on the steps of Jama Masjid. Photo: Enroute Indian History

Chaotic narrow lanes lined with opulent old mansions, shops selling spices, dried fruits and kebabs, all overhung by dangling power cables – any trip to Old Delhi, a bustling Muslim hub built by Mughal ruler Shah Jahan, is a full sensory experience.

Abu Sufyan weaves through the crowd with about 20 people in tow, making his way through streets smelling of flatbread soaked in ghee, the call to prayer at a nearby mosque mingling with the bells of a Hindu temple.

He is on a mission to change negative perceptions of Muslims by showing visitors more of their history in the capital.

“People in old Delhi were labelled as ‘terrorists’ and ‘pickpockets’ because they were predominantly Muslims from the lower economic background, and Mughal rulers were vilified as cruel invaders, as they were considered the ancestors to Indian Muslims,” Abu Sufyan, 29, says.

“My walks involve the local community members including calligraphers, pigeon racers, cooks and weavers with ancestral links in the Mughal era to showcase old Delhi’s heritage beyond these stereotypes.”

Abu Sufyan is one of a growing crop of enterprising men and women using the medium of heritage walks to educate the Indian public and tourists on the nation’s lesser-known history.

He started his walks in 2016, when hatred against Muslim communities was on the rise after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party introduced several anti-Muslim policies.

People walk on a road earlier named Aurangzeb Road, after the Mughal emperor, now renamed to Dr. A. P. J Abdul Kalam, India’s former president, in New Delhi, Thursday, June 2, 2022. / AP Photo/Manish Swarup)

In 2015, a BJP politician urged the local civic body in Delhi to change the name of Aurangzeb Road to APJ Abdul Kalam Road. The civic body immediately obliged, removing the reference to the Mughal ruler from the road by naming it after the former president of India, who was always considered a “patriotic” Muslim.

Later, the 2019 Citizenship (Amendment) Act caused further division, as critics said it could be weaponised against Muslims, who are designated as “foreigners” under the National Register of Citizens.

Occasionally, divisions lead to violence: Thirty-six Muslims were killed in Hindu mob attacks for allegedly trading cattle or consuming beef between May 2015 and December 2018, according to Human Rights Watch.

‘A sense of belonging and togetherness’

Chennai city is also a major cultural site, offering many things to do and sights to see. Frederic Soltan / Corbis

Over 2,000 kilometres away in Chennai, documentary filmmaker Kombai S Anwar hosts walks in Triplicane to tell stories of Tamil Muslim history, Tamil Nadu’s pre-Islamic maritime trade links with West Asia, the arrival of Arab traders, Mughal emperor Aurangzeb’s rule, the appointment of a Mughal minister’s son Zulfikhar Ali Khan as the first Nawab of Arcot, and the lives of the subsequent nawab’s descendants.

“Predominantly, non-Muslims participate in these walks because they are ‘curious’ about local Muslims and their heritage. During [Ramadan], they are invited to the historic Nawab Walaja mosque, where they experience the breaking of fast and partake in the iftar meal,” Mr Anwar says.

Tickets for heritage walks across India range between 200 and 5,000 Indian rupees ($2-60).

Historian Narayani Gupta, who conducted heritage walks in Delhi between 1984-1997, said any controversy related to history generates more interest.

“Whether history is right or wrong or good or bad, it has to be backed by research findings,” she says.

17th-century Jami Masjid, India’s largest mosque. Unsplash
17th-century Jami Masjid, India’s largest mosque. Unsplash

Saima Jafari, 28, a project manager at an IT firm, who has attended more than 30 heritage walks in the past five years, says it is hard to ignore the historical monuments in the city since they are almost everywhere.

Delhi-based Ms Jafari recalled one of her best experiences was a walk, in 2021, trailing the path of “Phool Waalon Ki Sair”, an annual procession of Delhi florists, who provide sheets of flowers and floral fans at the shrine of Sufi saint Qutubuddin Bakhtiyar Kaki and floral fans and a canopy at the ancient Hindu temple of Devi Yogmaya in Mehrauli.

“When I walked along with others in that heritage walk, I realised that heritage enthusiasts across religion walk together in harmony,” Ms Jafari says.

“One of the best parts of heritage walks is the storytelling that connects places with lives of people of a certain period. Plus, it always gives a sense of belonging and togetherness.”

Anoushka Jain, 28, a postgraduate in history and founder of heritage and research organisation Enroute Indian History, which holds walks to explore the erstwhile “kothas (brothels),” and “attariyas (terraces)” of old Delhi, said during pandemic lockdowns, posts on Instagram helped sparked interest.

“Before the pandemic, barely 40 people participated in two weekly walks as opposed to 50 in each of the four weekly walks which we conduct now,” she says.

But it is not all smooth sailing.

Ms Jain says some people feel uncomfortable when they are given historical facts and research that show Hindu and Jain temples constructed by Rajput rulers were repurposed during the rule of Delhi Sultanate, Qutb ud-Din Aibak.

Iftekhar Ahsan, 41, chief executive of Calcutta Walks and Calcutta Bungalow, adds that sometimes, participants come with preconceived notions that Muslims “destroyed” India for more 1,000 years – but walk leaders hold open conversations to “cut through the clutter” with authentic information.

For some, heritage walks often change perceptions.

“Until I visited mosques in old Delhi during a walk, I didn’t know that women were allowed inside mosques,” law student Sandhya Jain told The National.

But history enthusiast Sohail Hashmi, who started leading heritage walks in Delhi 16 years ago, cautions that some walk leaders present popular tales as historical fact.

A mansion called Khazanchi ki Haveli in old Delhi’s Dariba Kalan is presented as the Palace of the Treasurer of the Mughals by some walk leaders, Mr Hashmi says. The Mughals, however, were virtual pensioners of the Marathas – Marathi-speaking warrior group mostly from what is now the western state of Maharashtra – and later the British and had no treasures left by the time the mansion was built in the late 18th or early 19th century.

Another walk leader had photo-copied an 1850 map of Shahjahanabad, now old Delhi, passing it off as his own research, he adds.

“The walk leaders must be well-read and responsible enough to ensure that the myths are debunked,” Mr Hashmi says.

source: http://www.thenationalnews.com / The National / Home> World> Asia / by Sonia Sarkar / June 01st, 2023

Ex-VP Hamid Ansari’s ‘Challenges to a liberal polity’ book review: The politics of being Indian

Amazing Feats, Books (incl.Biographies - w.e.f.01 jan 2018 ), Business & Economy, Community Involvement / Social Issues, Leaders, World Opinion, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Kolkata, WEST BENGAL / NEW DELHI :

A collection of speeches and articles by former vice-president Hamid Ansari, offering engaging insights into our democracy.

Challenges to A Liberal Polity: Buy Challenges to A Liberal Polity by Ansari M. Hamid at Low Price in India | Flipkart.com
Challenges to a Liberal Polity: Human Rights, Citizenship & Identity / by M Hamid Ansari / Publisher Penguin / Pages 277 /Price 799 INR

For the past decade, public discourse in India has remained sharply focused on challenges to the liberal polity and the threats that have grown to human rights. Issues of citizenship and identity are entwined inextricably in this. It is in this context that Challenges to a Liberal Polity: Human Rights, Citizenship & Identity assumes not only topicality but also a significance that can be overlooked only at the readers’ own peril.

Hamid Ansari is a distinguished diplomat, academic, statesman and also, the often misused word, a public intellectual. He has, in his long career, worn many hats. He has served as the Indian ambassador to Afghanistan, Vice-Chancellor of the Aligarh Muslim University (AMU), Chairman of the Minorities Commission and the Vice President of India. Throughout his life, Ansari has never shied away from speaking his mind—bluntly if need be.

The author has, at times, been exposed to unfair criticism and deliberately humiliated by persons in high office who should have known better. When bidding him farewell, PM Narendra Modi was unnecessarily sarcastic—some thought gracelessly—by mentioning that Ansari had spent most of his diplomatic career in Islamic countries and perhaps he would be more comfortable now that he was relieved of the burden of the constitutional position to freely voice criticism of whatever he didn’t agree with. The PM conveniently forgot that the former vice-president served with distinction as India’s permanent representative in the United Nations and as Chief of Protocol when Indira Gandhi was the prime minister in an era of dynamic Indian diplomacy. But, let us not digress.

This volume is a collection of speeches, forewords and articles contributed by the author on subjects that overlap and cover a vast time span from the turn of the century to the present day. The introduction is stimulating and thought-provoking. It presents a distilled essence of state-of-the-art research in political science and Indian society. This prepares the readers for what is to follow.

The book is divided into three sections. The first section deals with human rights and group rights. The subsections or mini-chapters can be read profitably as independent essays. Of particular interest are the ones titled––‘India and the Contemporary International Norms on Group Rights’, ‘Minorities and the Modern State’ and ‘Majorities and Minorities in Secular India: Sensitivity and Responsibility’.

The second section is titled ‘Indian Polity, Identity, Diversity and Citizenship’. This is more substantial than the preceding segment and covers a range of topics that should engage readers with different interests and ideological orientations. Examples include ‘Identity and Citizenship: An Indian Perspective’, ‘Religion, Religiosity and World Order’, ‘Two Obligatory -isms: Why Pluralism and Secularism is Essential to our Democracy’. There are shorter pieces like ‘The Ethics of Gandhi’ and ‘The Dead Weight of State Craft’, ‘India’s Plural Diversity is Under Threat: Some Thoughts on Contemporary Challenges in the Realm of Culture’. How one wishes that these themes had been explored in greater detail.

To some it may appear that this is nitpicking, but this is the hazard of compiling a collection of comments and observations made on commemorative occasions such as inaugurating or concluding a seminar, a workshop or writing a short preface. Ansari is primarily a scholar, who is deeply distraught by the happenings around him and is restless to share his constructive thoughts and not just the distress and despair. The tone is always cautiously optimistic.

The concluding section deals with ‘Indian-Muslim Perception and Indian Contribution to Culture of Islam’. The essays on ‘Militant Islam’, ‘Islam and Democratic Principle’ and ‘India and Islamic Civilisation: Contributions and Challenges’ deserve to be read by all Indians, particularly the young. One may disagree with the author, but it is impossible to imagine that any meaningful dialogue can take place between the majorities and minorities in India without an understanding of how the ‘other’ thinks and perceives the world.

His convocation addresses delivered at Jamia Millia Islamia (where he taught) and the AMU (his alma mater) have a different flavour. The tone is personal and evokes shared nostalgia. The final essay is a review of India and muslim world.

The book has substantial end-notes that provide useful bibliographical information. One can flip through these pages to pursue the themes dealt in the book according to one’s own inclination and at leisure.


This book is for all. The general reader, who has no scholarly pretensions, too can turn the pages of this book with great pleasure. Many a time, the author peppers the prose with Urdu couplets that hook the reader to his line of arguments. One such piece is his Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed Memorial lecture. Most people remember this vice-president as the supine individual who signed on the dotted line with dimmer when Indira Gandhi declared Emergency at midnight. Ansari, however,  has used the book brilliantly to make some hard- hitting comments that are im- possible not to take on the chin.

The chapter begins with: Yaad-e-maazi azaab hai yaa rab/ Chheen le mujhse hafiza mera (The memory of the past is torturous, O God/Take away my memory from me), and concludes with: “Can the amnesia, the compromises and the misconceptions of recent and not-so-recent past be overcome?” Yes, only if meaningful alternative is offered. We do stand at the crossroads.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Lifestyle> Books / by Pushpesh Pant / Express News Service / November 06th, 2022