Monthly Archives: March 2014

Turkish delights

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Travel & Tourism, World Opinion
A cold mezze platter. / Photo: K. Ramesh Babu / The Hindu
A cold mezze platter. / Photo: K. Ramesh Babu / The Hindu

The Turkish food festival at Park Hyatt offers a lot more than the staple doner kebab

The connection between Hyderabad and Turkey goes back a few centuries; Alauddin Khilji of the Khilji dynasty which ruled the state in the 14th century was of Turkic origin, Sultan Quli Qutb Shah who founded the Qutb Shahi dynasty too was of the same ethnicity, Princess Durre Shehvar, wife of Azam Jah, the eldest son of the seventh Nizam of Hyderabad is the daughter of the last Caliph of Turkey and more recently, Princess Esra, wife of Prince Mukarram Jah too hails from the country.

Surprisingly, while Hyderabad still retains much of the Mughlai and Iranian influence when it comes to culinary matters, Turkish food still remains quite different in flavour, ingredients and in technique. Moreover, while Mediterranean food is quite popular in the city, the fare is restricted to Lebanese, Greek and Italian, with the latter being present in almost every restaurant. So we head, all excited, to the Turkish food festival at The Dining Room in Park Hyatt with Turkish chef Turgut Tonbol from the Grand Hyatt in Istanbul. We sit down with the chef, who hails from Bolu, a province which he informs us is a region known for its contribution to Turkish culinary heritage.

“Turkish food mainly consists of the cold mezze and grilled or boiled meat,” he informs us, “but we also have a lot of broad beans, chickpeas and lots of soups in the diet.” Hyderabadis are no strangers to the cold mezze platter which has become a staple in many multi-cuisine and continental restaurants but the platter offered by Chef Tonbol has more than the usual Hummus and Tzatziki. The most interesting of these is the vine leaves, stuffed with rice, nuts and spices doused in olive oil. The platter also contains a simple preparation with broad beans and a mild chilli sauce. The freshly baked pita bread goes well with all or any of these accompaniments.

The cold mezze includes mainly vegetarian dishes. “In Turkey, we don’t have meat for mezze. It is only vegetables,” points out Chef Tonbol who says that the festival includes at least one dish from all the different culinary traditions in Turkey.

Chef Turgut Tonbol./ Photo: K. Ramesh Babu / The Hindu
Chef Turgut Tonbol./ Photo: K. Ramesh Babu / The Hindu

Ask Chef Tonbol what his favourite dish of the afternoon is and he doesn’t think too much before naming the Shrimp Guvec, a mild stew spiced with chilli and herbs. He also suggests the Chicken Sheesh, a grilled meat dish very similar to our own kebabs, except it is marinated with a special Turkish red chilli, a milder version of the Indian chilli. “It is more similar to Kashmiri chilli which is bright in colour but less spicy in taste,” he informs adding jokingly that to eat Indian food, you “must be a strong man” to be able to take the level of spice. “The Yayla soup, a yoghurt based soup with mint, rice and egg is also a uniquely Turkish dish and a must try.”

Desserts include the favourite Baklava, a Turkish rice pudding and Turkish pumpkin, a simple but fresh and tasty dessert of sweetened pumpkin and cream cheese. But whatever you may pick for the main course, Chef Tonbol advises that you don’t leave without savouring the Turkish coffee accompanied by Turkish delights. The strong black coffee is a must after a meal, “for the gossip sessions”.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Features> MetroPlus> Food / by Zeenab Aneez / Hyderabad – March 13th, 2014

Hyderabad, The City Of Wings As Well

Uncategorized

“See the skies from the air on Fridays at 2 pm for `10.” Amused? This was on a famous poster of the Deccan Airways of the circa 1950’s Hyderabad. Walk into the ‘History of Civil Aviation in India’ stall at the India Aviation 2014 at Begumpet airport and you will possibly stumble upon such fascinating records, be it aviation stamps or airline schedules, of a glorious past of aviation in Hyderabad and the country.

Deccan Airways, as the company owned by the Nizam of Hyderabad was called in 1945, had chartered flights to as far as Quetta and Rangoon, and were also the first one’s to start the Haj chartered fleet from the country in 1948.

“Hyderabad had a regular air-strip even back in 1932 at Habshiguda. PM Reddy and Babar Mirza of Aero Club of Hyderabad used to regularly fly from here. In 1934, it became Hyderabad State Aero Club and started operating from Begumpet airport, which is presently one of the oldest airports in the country,” says P Anuradha Reddy, who is the author of ‘Aviation of Hyderabad State’.

According to her, PM Reddy and Babar Mirza, both of Hyderabad, were among the firsts in the country to complete their flying training in England and obtain licenses.

Hyderabad was also the first princely state to have a coordinated transport system in place. Speaking about the fleet of flights procured by the Nizam, she says that at the start of World War-II, Royal Airforce of the UK took over the Hyderabad State Aero Club to convert it into the first Elementary Flying Training School.

“After the World War-II, Dakota DC-3 aircrafts used by the US Air Force were lying out of use at Assam. It was considered no good and were being given away for throw away prices. Hyderabad state bought 21 of them and flew them down here, worked on them and later the same aircrafts became the backbone of civil aviation in India,” she informs.

The Hyderabad state had five airfields with concrete runways in Aurangabad, Warangal, Bidar, Hakimpet and Begumpet. Photographs of Hyderabad’s first licensed pilots Capt PMM Reddy and Capt PN Reddy, first trained woman pilot Aban Peston Chenoy who passed away two years ago, and some of the earliest forms of trainer and chartered aircrafts are featured in the gallery.

Surprisingly, the Nizam of Hyderabad took his first flight only in 1951 in the capacity of Rajpramukh. Quoting Captain PM Reddy, who was also Anuradha Reddy’s father-in-law, she says that the Nizam was never really interested in flying and had his own worries.

“So finally, he took a test flight around Hyderabad city. He was as excited as a child to see his own King Koti palace. And he asked if others also can see his palace from the air. Getting an answer in the affirmative, he imposed a flying restriction on top of his palace,” she says.

So how did the Deccan Airways become the backbone of civil aviation? Unlike the other flight companies, the Deccan Airways enjoyed a much wider coverage, operating from Madras-Hyderabad-Nagpur-Bhopal-Gwalior-Delhi and Bangalore. Hyderabad also had the Night Air Mail Service, something akin to the present day Speed-Post.

“Passengers and mails were carried from Chennai, Bombay, Calcutta, Delhi and Hyderabad and interchanged at Nagpur, which was a major hub. Even newspapers were airlifted to their destinations. In fact, the Indian Express was the first news publication to be delivered via air, it was taken from Chennai to Delhi on the same day through Deccan Airways,” she adds. The world’s first aerial post also took place in Allahabad in February 1911. A humber sommer biplane that flew to Naini five miles away in 13 minutes carrying 6500 letters and cards was the first aerial post.

To pay true and fitting tribute to the city’s aviation history, she suggests a civil aviation museum. “There is so much to offer about Hyderabad’s aviation history. The oldest terminal at Begumpet airport, which isn’t in use, could be turned into a museum to protect the legacy,” she opines.

Titbits of aviation’s history

The Nizam’s Government owned 71 per cent of Deccan Airways and the remaining was held by Tata Sons and others. Launched with three aircrafts, it went on to have a fleet of 13 Dakotas by the early 1950s. It merged with Indian Airlines in 1953

When the seventh Nizam Mir Osman Ali Khan took a test flight in 1951, he was initially excited to see his King Koti Palace from the air. However, paranoia set in soon after and he imposed a no-fly zone over his residence

Deccan Airways had chartered flights to as far as Quetta and Rangoon. It was also the first to start the Haj chartered fleet from Indian in 1948

Hyderabad based Deccan Airways was of the one of the premier airlines of the country, operating on Madras-Hyderabad-Nagpur- Bhopal-Gwalior-Delhi, Hyderabad-Bombay and Hyderabad-Bangalore sectors. Though founded in September 1945, the first flight took off on May 25 the following year.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Hyderabad / by Rahul V. Pisharody / Hyderabad – March 15th, 2014

The world in an album

Arts, Culture & Entertainment

DJHamzaMPos24mar2014

DJ Hamza, who has travelled and lived in three different continents shares his experience in the form an his first full length album Gitano 

If you had to sum up over three decades of your life, more than half of which you spent travelling and residing in foreign countries, how would you? Some would probably write a novel, some short stories of selected experiences from here and there and for others a photo book would seem apt. But, 32-year-old DJ Hamza who grew up in Delhi (though his family is from Hyderabad and Mumbai) has travelled and lived around in South Asia, Europe and North America, summed up his story in a ten-song album called Gitano. Gitano means Gypsy in Spanish, which is what Hamza considers himself, having lived in Paris, Boston, New York among many other places.

The ten track album is more than just progressions, scratches and mixes unlike other DJ’s albums. Gitano in all true sense is an offering of new sounds and fabulous fusion. For a DJ to be incorporating elements from Latin, Celtic, Flamenco with house music as a base is something new. For him, electronic sounds are just one aspect of dance music. “Organic sounds are in fact as important as they bring out the primal instinct in us that makes us connect with our core,” he reckons. “The two always have to be in balance in order to reach out to all our sensory points in our bodies. You can always have a completely synthetic sounding track but then there is no soul in it and something having a completely organic track does not give you that punch and thump to drive you to dance.”

It took eight months for Hamza to work on the album. A challenge for sure, he first got the ten ideas in place, then started building on them, later finishing them before finally mixing and mastering the tracks. Gitano is more than just an amalgamation of sounds. In it’s own way, it also describes each place that Hamza has been to. “The title track Gitano has flamenco influences with an underlying African melody as well, which I came across in Barcelona. I have been to Senegal and Mauritania and fell in love with the local music there. It was also interesting to see that the poorest continent in the world had the happiest music, which is something to think about,” says the DJ. From guitars sounds that represent New Orleans to Latin influenced New York house sounds the album has it all.

Hamza goes to the local place in any country where traditional music thrives and he looks at it from two angles — it has to be an essential part of the history of that particular place or it must be so advanced that it automatically fits into the future. Interestingly Hamza was studying to be an investment banker but came out as a music producer. He credits three people who taught him to work at the studio, on stage and as an artist — Danish pianist Niels lan Doky, Jasbir Jassi and Taz from Stereo Nation. His experience of working with many folk helped him.

He and Jassi shared their studio with a gangster rapper back in New York, who had been shot nine times (reminds us of 50 cent) and who even stole their TV. “We then sent one of our friends from the Gurudwara who had a long white beard to get the TV back from him and he had never seen a Sikh person before so he called the police thinking our friend was a Pakistani Ninja,” he says. Hamza plans on taking his music pan India, along with collaborating with local artistes thereby sparking off a new Indian house music scene in the already existing musical revolution.

Catch DJ Hamza live on March 29 at Loft 38

source: http://www.bangaloremirror.com / Bangalore Mirror / Home> Entertainment> Lounge / by Prashanth Vidyasagar, Bangalore Mirror Bureau / March 23rd, 2014 (print mar 24th, 2014)

She brought ‘ghararas’ to Ludhiana

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Business & Economy, , , , , , ,

In this town of good taste and high living, women score high on the trend-o-meter. Fashionistas, dance divas, art connoisseurs, bloggers or activists, the ladies don their hats with consummate ease. When it comes to their homes, they keep it both chic and regal. Whether it’s designer cutlery they’re picking or a Louis Vuitton  they’re packing,  Ludhiana’s women make both seem effortless. Every Wednesday, TOI traces these euphoric raconteur women as they share interesting tales…

The tiny little board announcing ‘Naurah’ (flower in Arabic) welcomes city’s shopaholics to this designer wear store. Tucked away in a Sarabha Nagar neighbourhood, this place is no less than a fascinating world of floristry.

The banter inside the charming store is a cinch to transport the womenfolk back to the 1980’s Doordarshan days.

Geti  Kidwai, the dynamic young owner of the boutique, is mobbed by the frenzied girls as she greets each with a wall of chatter and a display of unusual bridal wear. With apair of “karan phool” in her ears, she unwittingly reminds one of a diva news presenter from India’s first public service broadcaster.

“Yes yes… we make ‘ghararas’ here. The one that royal women in Lucknow wear. The one that have ‘zari’ and ‘zardosi’ work. Royal blue, pink, purple… all for your princess. And yes, the iconic newsreader Salma Sultanji is my mother-in-law,” she tells them, speaking breathlessly and with enormous liveliness in her voice.

Geti, who moved to Ludhiana along with her husband Saad in 2007, is credited to have brought a breath of fresh air to designer circles of this fashionable city. Four years ago, she had set a new trend by using ‘ghararas’ with their short, mid-thigh length and a pair of wide-legged pants as the trousseau wear for Ludhiana’s beautiful women. The outfit became an instant hit among the affluent and urbane women of the town. And, Geti developed her own fan following from a closed cohort of women looking up to her as their fashion icon, much like her mother-in-law.

If one were to measure Sarabha Nagar outlet ‘Naurah’ on a style-o-meter, the results will please its owner Geti Kidwai no end. High on vintage and also on modern twists to outfits, the place is all about the 21st century woman’s take on trousseau and bridal wear. And Geti, much like her mother-in-law Salma Sultan — a popular presenter on Doordarshan, has a style of her own.

“Style icons… bhai kuch aisa karo ki log kahe aapko dekha kya cheez hain aap bhi koi tareekhi cheez hain..,” she grins, recollecting a couplet that Salma recited to her. Between 1967 and 1997, Salma Sultan had initiated a trend: of wearing a flower low in her hair and draping the border of her sari around her neck in a modern yet traditional way. It was later picked up by almost all the women newsreaders.

All Geti’s ‘ghararas’ are bespoke and come in different varieties. They are either made of Kimkhav, Jamavar or Banarasi tissues. The embroideries are done using a lot of kundan and jadaau.

From graduating in sociology and fine arts in 1997, through post graduation in interior designing, her journey has been eventful.

There are traces of effusive child-like prattling when she talks about her venturing into modelling and choreography that even drew mild ire of her father.

“Shauk bahut tha na har cheez mai kudne ka… papa kehte hai are bhai ab ruk bhi jao…” she recollects and then breaks into peels of laughter again.

“He then asked me to step out of modelling and do something which involved… like getting into choreography. But here again, I will jump onto the stage and start moving my legs,” she adds.

Her zest to conquer everything took her to contesting Miss India pageant, ramp shows and even setting up a gourmet shop called Just Kebabs in south Delhi. “Kakori… tikka… bharra… you could get all of that there… ab Lucknow se hai toh khaane ka shauq toh rakhenge,” she quips.

There is no economisation of smiles on her face. Every long sentence must ensure a belly laugh for she tells you hilarious incidents, some in Urdu and others in English – both impeccable.

“Ab yeh bhi nahi ki hum bilkul hoosh hai (not that I am an ill-mannered garrulous talker)… gappe lagane mai maza aata hai,” she points out.

When fulfilling her professional duties, she is punctilious and spick and span.

“I like dressing up girls, telling them how to comport at their or other’s weddings, how to carry a clutch bag, eye contact…” she goes on.

Her kids — son Samar, 12 and daughter Mehar, 7 — have begun idealizing her. Samar has been focusing on his chess classes and Mehar has taken up choreography. “Dangayee bachche nahi hai… I tell them shareef hona theek hai… but dumb mat hona… thoda mischievious toh hona chahiye,” she laughs.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Ludhiana /  by Rohan Dua / July 18th, 2012

I am… Fousiya M – Football coach

Sports, ,
Fousiya M. / Photo: K. Ragesh / The Hindu
Fousiya M. / Photo: K. Ragesh / The Hindu

Train journeys are a nightmare for me since I am responsible for all the young girls. While everyone sleeps, I stay awake

“I am a football coach of the Kerala Sports Council who has been on an assignment at the Nadakkav Girls Higher Secondary School for the past 12 years. I have trained many young girls who have gone on to play in the junior international, national, state and district teams. Two of my girls, Nikhila and Ashily, have played in the junior international team and Nikhila even attended the senior’s camp.

My day starts at 6.30 a.m. when I am at the ground. Practice goes on till about 8.30 a.m. and then I come back in the evening by 4 p.m. and coach children till about 6.30 p.m. I formed a Women’s Football Club in 2007 and every April-May we conduct training camps to which children from all backgrounds come. If about 100 come, there would be 20 who are really interested in the game. One knows how serious they are when they arrive for practice on time every day. That is the first sign. If they show promise we get them admission in the school and training begins.

For me, football is passion. My favourite footballer is Argentina’s Gabriel Batistuta, though as a team I tend to root for Brazil for their complete football. I studied in this school and my sports began here. As a student, I played a bit of everything — football, handball, cricket, hockey. The school boasted an active sport culture. I remember being the goalkeeper in Kerala handball team at the junior championships. I was also active in power-lifting and even won medals in it. But football is my enduring love. Initially at school, the seniors never let us play. All you could do was collect the ball when it went out, dribble for a while and give it back. We mostly practised at the Mananchira Square and the handful of us knew every blade of grass on that ground.

I was always the goalkeeper. Though short, I could dive well. I played at the national level, both junior and senior, for four to five years. Most of my friends who played with me have a Government job now. I met with an accident a few years ago and it interfered with the movement of my left hand. I could not undertake the mandatory training at the National Institute of Sports (NIS), Ludhiana. Though I used to play till about a few years back, the accident has made it impossible now.

When it comes to coaching, I impart all that I have imbibed from my coaches. I also constantly interact with trainers who have NIS training and pass on what I gather to my children. Earlier, women’s football was not part of school championships and now after constant requests from our side it has been included.

I am mostly travelling with my children taking them to different championships. In fact, I returned from Jharkhand two days ago. Most parents send their children as a woman coach is accompanying them. So train journeys are a nightmare for me since I am responsible for all the young girls. While everyone sleeps, I stay awake. But coaching and being on the ground is what I love, for football is part of life now.”

(A weekly column on the men and women who make Kozhikode what it is.)

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Features> MetroPlus / by  P. Anima / Kozhikode – March 21st, 2014

Gracefully yours!

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Community Involvement / Social Issues, Uncategorized, , , , , , , , ,
Salma Sultan at her home in New Delhi./ Photo : Rajeev Bhatt / The Hindu
Salma Sultan at her home in New Delhi./ Photo : Rajeev Bhatt / The Hindu

What makes Salma Sultan click even at 63?

“I belong to a city where women ruled for 100 years. So much is the pride in that place that till date most women don’t attach their father or husband’s surname . Most girls still use ‘Sultan,’ just like I do.”

Personifying pride coupled with grace and humility – meet Salma Sultan, the woman who ruled the small screen as a newsreader for over two-and-a-half decades. A rose became synonymous with her and news reading — an elegant exercise.

Today Salma , over 63 years of age, hasn’t lost her charm and poise. Looking at her on television , no one would have imagined that she possessed such a tremendous sense of humour. Barely a sentence of hers is free of effortless wit and hilarity.

A Delhiite for over two decades, Salma now lives in her palatial three-storey bungalow at Jangpura and has to her credit the greenery of the area starting from Sahi Hospital to its back and beyond. An ardent nature lover, she has turned the ugly , illegal parking area to a lush meadow. “Delhi is my karmbhoomi. It has shaped my confidence and given me immense strength to fight contradictory situations.”

As one enters her drawing room through the Rajasthani fort style gate, peace greets through a painting of the Buddha and class via an original M. F Husain painting . “Husain saab gifted it to my father,” that familiar voice falls on the ears as one spots the beautiful woman with her dimpled smile and motherly warmth in her kohl-less eyes. She has “taken great pains” to get ready – a yellow and brown sari, “touch-ups with talcum powder and lipstick”, and stuck a red rose on insistence for the photo shoot. “I don’t like getting ready and ‘pose’ for pictures,” she says politely. She is shy and camera conscious despite, ironically, being in front of the camera from 1967 till the late nineties.

But Salma , quite contrary to her appearance on the small screen, had been a naughty child. “I was very assertive, irrepressible, naughty but not spoiled. Not a single day of my life would go without a prank in school.” For instance, the day “our teacher would ask us to bring the geography book, I would make it a point to give it to someone to get the ‘punishment’ of standing outside the classroom with three others equally party to this plan,” she laughs as her dimple grows deep.

Born to scholar and secretary in the Ministry of Agriculture Mohammed Asghar Ansari and a “Moghul” homemaker mother, Salma was her parents’ second child. “I was an unplanned child but a blessing to my lonely sister (Maimoona Sultan, four-time Member of Parliament) who would protect me from the wrath of my disciplined father who would make sure that I offer all my prayers (namaz) and read the Quran on time. But he has a great contribution in the making of my personality. He used to emphasise education and extra curricular activities in school. He would prepare my debate and make me rehearse in front of him,” recalls Salma about her Sultanpur school days in Bhopal. Salma did her graduation from Bhopal. “I did my post graduation in English from Indraprastha College, and simultaneously gave audition for an announcer on Doordarshan.”

On to news reading

Salma became a newsreader by fluke. “Those days”, she recalls “only Pratima and Gopal Kaul used tor read news. Kaul wanted to become a producer, so his tussle with the DD was a regular affair. Once, as a protest and to make sure not to read news anymore, he shaved his head. As he entered the studio, the producer was shocked.” In the frantic search to replace him, Salma became a casualty. “But there was a hidden desire to read news as it was a well-paid, comfortable job where the newsreader, unlike an announcer like me, had to come at 4 p.m., read the news a couple of times and go back.” A nervous Salma read the 15 minutes news in eight minutes and “paused”. “The hapless producer decided to train me and that’s how the journey began.”

She narrates the story behind the signature rose in her hair. “I once wore a pink rose to match my pink sari and read news. Telephone calls and letters of appreciation poured in. Then the day I wouldn’t tuck a rose, letters of complaints and requests would follow. So, a rose became a regular affair.” And to hunt for matching roses, Salma would either grow her own or “steal from the neighbourhood.”

After her retirement , Salma moved to direction. Her serials Panchtantra, Suno Kahani, Swar Mere Tumhare and Jalte Sawa drew attention. She recalls, “To shoot Panchtantra on minimum budget, I went to Mumbai to look for a set of rajmahal. Someone told me that B.R. Chopra’s set for Mahabharatawas being dismantled after the shooting. I met him and he was kind enough to let me use his set.Panchantra used to be telecast soon after Mahabharata and did very well. I will never forget his compliment , “Mujhe is ladki ki daad deni padegi. Mahabharat ke baad bhi log isse dekhte hain”.”

The mother of an Income Tax Commissioner Saad and a choreographer daughter Sana and two grandchildren, Salma’s quest for learning hasn’t waned. “I am learning synthesiser and , harmonium for my love of music, and computers to be tech-savy.” Salma also does interior designing. She began by doing up her 13-room bungalow in Bhopal followed by an apartment in Patparganj. Her residence is proof of her refined taste.

How does she keep fit? “I do yoga, walk and take supplements. I treat my body as a gift from God…. To purify my inner self, I offer namaz regularly,” she signs off, poise refuses to fade.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Features> MetroPlus / by Rana Siddique Zaman / February 22nd, 2010

Abdul Hai takes a trip down memory lane

NRI's / PIO's, Sports, , , , , , , , , , , ,

 

PIONEERING FEAT: Mohammed Abdul Hai entered the record books in 1973-74 as the first century-make in Deodhar Trophy. / The Hindu Photo Archives
PIONEERING FEAT: Mohammed Abdul Hai entered the record books in 1973-74 as the first century-make in Deodhar Trophy. / The Hindu
Photo Archives

Mohammed Abdul Hai became the country’s first century-maker in the earliest avatar of abridged cricket, introduced through the Deodhar Trophy in 1973-74.

“The first doctor to play for India was my dream, but that was not to be,” the general physician settled in Michigan sighed wistfully, when reminiscing with The Hindu.

“There was a fairly large turnout at the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium for the 1974-75 quarterfinal in Chennai,” continued Hai. For taking on North Zone was a star-studded South, led by S. Venkatraghavan.

Legends lined up were M.A.K. Pataudi, G.R. Viswanath, Abid Ali, Jayantilal Kenia and E.A.S. Prasanna, all of them Test players, three of whom were Hai’s Hyderabad Ranji teammates.

A consistent scorer in the event’s opening edition a year before and having played for Brondesbury CC alongside Mike Gatting in the Middlesex league, Hai felt equipped for the 60-overs-a-side challenge. With one opener gone for no score, the stylish southpaw walked in and began scoring at a brisk pace.

“Raj Singh Dungarpur’s eyes widened with amazement at what was then an astonishing rate — four runs an over — as also on South ‘amassing’ 248 for nine,” Hai recalled, his endeavour ending at 101, castled by Madan Lal.

Hai also played in Prof. D.B. Deodhar’s benefit match in Pune, the patriarch’s hometown.

He was offered an opportunity to play in/for Pakistan by Asif Iqbal, a senior at Hyderabad’s Nizam College.

The college’s alumni includes two India captains — Ghulam Ahmed and Mohd. Azharuddin — Test players M.L. Jaisimha, Abbas Ali Baig and Jayantilal Kenia besides Habeeb Ahmed, who led the Indian Starlets to the aforementioned nation.

“A decade after the Deodhar Trophy began, India clinched the Prudential World Cup in 1983, thus making the nation a cricket super power,” noted Prof. A. Prasanna Kumar, a Fulbright Fellow, sports columnist and author.

“If the sport’s reign was divided into eras, the 1970s belonged to Sunil Gavaskar, the ’80s to Kapil Dev, the ’90s to Sachin Tendulkar and thereon to M.S. Dhoni. Much credit is due to the limited-over version named after the Grand Old Man,” added Prasanna Kumar, who was a commentator during Visakhapatnam’s first One-Day International between New Zealand and India in 1988.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Sports / by A. Joseph / Visakhapatnam – March 22nd, 2014

HR Khan replaces Gopinath as RBI deputy governor

Business & Economy, Leaders, , ,

Mumbai :

Harun Rashid Khan on Monday took charge as the deputy governor of the Reserve Bank of India for a period of three years. He replaces former deputy Shyamala Gopinath, who retired last month, the central bank said in a statement.

As one of the deputy governors at RBI, Mr Khan will look after external investments & operations, government & bank accounts, payment & settlement systems, foreign exchange, internal debt management department, inspection & central security cell.

Prior to this, he has been an executive director at the central bank in charge of DEIO and IDM since 2007. He joined the banking regulator in 1978 after masters in political science from Utkal University. He is a Certified Associate of the Indian Institute of Banking and Finance and also holds a diploma in business management.

An MPhil from JNU, Khan, who spent 32 years with RBI, is said to be mild but sharp. He has worked under former deputy governor Usha Thorat and handled internal debt management cell for several years. He has handled diverse responsibilities in areas of rural credit, currency management, banking supervision and regulation, debt management, reserve management, exchange control, personnel administration and internal accounts of RBI. He has also been associated with a number of internal and external committees, including technology exports, ways and means advances to states and working group on model fiscal responsibility and budget management bill for states, among others.

He also chaired a panel which was involved with rural credit and microfinance and popularly known as the Khan Committee. Khan was also the nominee director of RBI on the boards of  Dena Bank , Bank of Maharashtra , Punjab and Sind Bank, Bank of Rajasthan and Orissa State Finance Corporation.

The other three deputy governors at the central bank are KC Chakrabarty who looks after banking supervision, Subir Gokran in charge of monetary policy department and Anand Sinha in charge of banking operations and development & non-banking supervision.

source: http://www.articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com / The Economic Times / Home> News> News By Company> Corporate Announcements > Central Bank /  ET Bureau – July 05th, 2011

HR Khan

Business & Economy, Leaders, , ,
HR Khan, Dy Governor RBI
HR Khan, Dy Governor
RBI

The government has appointed Harun Rashid Khan a deputy governor of the Reserve Bank of India ( RBI) .

Khan, who gets a three-year term, will monitor the foreign exchange department, payment and settlement systems and external investments and operations, among others.

H R Khan’s deputy governor’s position at the central bank became vacant after Shyamala Gopinath retired on June 20. RBI has four deputy governors. They serve for five years or till the age of 62, whichever is earlier.

Khan was an executive director (ED) at RBI since October 2007. He is credited with evolving the information communication technology-based business correspondent model for financial inclusion. He chaired the RBI internal committee on rural credit and microfinance. Based on the recommendations, RBI had issued guidelines to expand banking outreach through business correspondents.

As an ED, Khan was in charge of the department of external investments and operations, the foreign exchange department and internal debt management, among others.

He joined RBI in 1978, after a Masters in political science from Utkal. University, Bhubaneswar, and an M.Phil from the School of International Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi.

source: http://www.moneycontrol.com / MoneyControl.com> ELITE / Home> Economists> HR Khan

One woman in Khushwant Singh’s life

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Community Involvement / Social Issues, ,

Author Sadia Dehlvi on her friendship with Khushwant Singh

Khushwant Singh and Sadia Dehlvi
Khushwant Singh and Sadia Dehlvi

 If you ask me about the women in author Khushwant Singh’s life, I would say I am the only one. That’s how special he makes all those around him feel. Women are drawn to him because he doubles up as confidante, friend, father and mentor.

For women afflicted with heartbreak, Khushwant readily provides his shoulders to dry the tears and at celebration time he shares the cheer. He has the remarkable ability to suffer all kinds of people, often getting bullied into inviting them home to his evening durbar. I know many women whom Khushwant helped get jobs, admissions, transfers, and senior government posts. Many authors including me owe their career to his mentoring.

I first met Khushwant thirty years ago at the Arab Cultural Centre where my friend Ameena Ahmed happened to be exhibiting her calligraphic paintings. He walked up to me and said “Why are you so beautiful?”. I laughed replying, “Because I am a beautiful person.” Khushwant asked me to come to his house the next evening and the visits to Sujan Singh Park have continued ever since. His flat became my window to the world of the rich, famous and the absurd. Here I met presidents, parliamentarians, religious zealots, intellectuals, artists, poets, businessmen, harassed women, ambitious men and proud transvestites.

Very soon Khushwant began to mention me repeatedly in his newspaper columns and I too openly wrote of my love for him in my columns. It furthered his notoriety and capitulated me into the public arena. Saying, “I want to show you off”, he took me along to people’s homes and to public functions. When there were special invitees for dinner, I played hostess at his home, ensuring guests were comfortable. Khushwant’s wife Kanval was fond of me so my presence in the living room was never a problem. The women Kanval disapproved had to be entertained in his study and were not welcome to stay for dinner.

In 1993, Khushwant dedicated his book Not a Nice Man to Know to me: To Sadia Dehlvi, who gave me more notoriety and affection than I deserve. Many amongst his women friends turned green with envy and to our amusement, some began to accuse him of ghost-writing my columns. We grew to share an incredible bond, a friendship that continues to nurture me intellectually and emotionally.

We share a common love for the city of Delhi and Urdu poetry. Khushwant has a soft spot for Muslims and Muslim women in particular. His house is adorned with calligraphies from the Quran and the Muslim greeting ‘Salaam Alaikum’ is printed on the curtains. One thing that he despises is dishonesty and religious prejudice. I know many well-known people harbouring communal biases who have been dropped permanently from his circle.

Despite the celebrity status, Khushwant answers the phone himself, replies to letters and till recently was accessible to all those who wished to meet him. Taking a prior appointment used to be the only criteria for visiting rights.

With age and exhaustion, the numbers of those invited to the evening Durbar e Khas has shrunk and one rarely encounters a new face. Conversations are shorter and the poetry is usually Ghalib’s. Khushwant now finds it stressful to meet new faces and I have been ordered not to bring friends any more. I try explaining my helplessness with people seeking access to him. He says, “Just tell them that I’m an irritable, senile and nasty old man.” The truth is that at ninety plus, Khushwant is maashallah just as alert, lovable and wonderful as ever.

This piece is an excerpt from thedelhiwalla.com, where it appeared in 2010

source: http://www.livemint.com / Live Mint & The Wall Street Journal / Home> Leisure / by Sadia Dehlvi / Thursday – March 20th, 2014