The week-long annual Urs of Sufi saint, Hazrat Syed JanbazWali (RA) was observed with religious fervour here and thousands of people including women and children braved the chill Friday morning and thronged the shrine of the saint to pay their obeisance.
Thousands of devotees offered Friday prayers at the mosque near the shrine and later caught glimpse of the holy relics of the revered saint.
On the occasion, the shrine was decorated with tiny colourful electric bulbs while as the streets were illuminated properly to avoid hampering of smooth movement of the devotees during evening hours.
Devotees held night-long prayers for peace and prosperity of Muslim brotherhood and communal harmony in the State at the shrine.
The district administration had made enough arrangements of transport, drinking water and power supply for smooth observation of the Urs.
source: http://www.greaterkashmir.com / Greater Kashmir, Srinagar / Home> Kashmir / by Tahir Ibn Manzoor / Khanpora (Baramulla) – January 23rd, 2015
Apart from fire proof and earthquake proof, the Jammu and Kashmir Academy of Art, Cultural and Languages has added flood proof code to its list of precautions for building any new strong room to store rare manuscripts and paintings.
The Academy, whose collection of valuable artifacts was damaged during the last year’s flood, has taken the decision to prevent the occurrence of such a situation in future. The academy is in possession of some of the rarest manuscripts, many of which are the only surviving copies.
“Just a day before the floods, on September 6, we shifted majority of our manuscripts and paintings to the second floor,” said Haroon Rashid, Secretary of the Academy. “That saved our treasure from total annihilation.”
The floods damaged around 40 newly acquired manuscripts and 50 paintings at the Academy’s repository. “To restore these manuscripts and paintings we got a team of four experts from National Museum of India, New Delhi, and National Research Laboratory For Conservation Of Cultural Property, Lucknow,” said Rashid.
The experts worked for over two weeks by employing latest techniques for the preservation of manuscripts. “With their efforts we were able to save our entire flood-affected collection,” said Rashid. “As of now the damage to the cultural treasure of Kashmir remains minimal.”
Rashid said that the Academy was never prepared for floods, although precautions were always taken against other dangers like fire, theft and earthquakes. “Now we have added another safety measure of protection against floods. Whenever our strong room is built it would be flood proof too,” said Rashid. The Academy has currently shifted the strong room to the top floor.
The Academy is in possession of over 400 manuscripts and 500 rare paintings. Their total value runs into hundreds of crores although the officials say that they are priceless. Some of the manuscripts include first Quranic manuscripts handwritten in the subcontinent in 1237 AD by Fateh-ullah Kashmiri, the Holy Quran dating back to 1594 written in an ink prepared by blending gold with saffron, another Quranic manuscript written in gold dating to 1711 AD and a Persian manuscript written in embossed calligraphy with nail of thumb popularly known as Khat-e-Nakhun.
The paintings include those of M F Hussain, GR Santosh, NS Bendre, VS Gaitonde, Tayeb Mehta, J Swaminathan and others. One of Hussain’s paintings with the Academy is worth Rs 5 crores.
source: http://www.greaterkashmir.com / Greater Kashmir, Srinagar / Home> Kashmir / by Haroon Mirani / Srinagar, January 23rd, 2015
Crowds thronged the 12th All-India Urdu Kitab Mela at the Jamia Millia Islamia,being held for the fourth time in Capital. The nine-day book fair,organised by the National Council for Promotion Of Urdu Language (NCPUL),was inaugurated by noted Hindi film lyricist and Rajya Sabha MP Javed Akhtar and actor Shabana Azmi on Saturday.
For centuries,Urdu has been propagating the ideas of secularism even before the word secularism was invented in the West, said Akhtar. It is unfortunate that today in our country,where languages are associated with regions,Urdu is the only language which has been tied to a particular religion.
Those who try to dump Urdu forget that it is very deeply connected to Indian culture,and if we forsake Urdu it will be a great loss to our culture. Beware of throwing the baby with the bathwater, he said.
Referring to the recent rendition of Urdu shers by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Leader of Oppostion Sushma Swaraj while debating in Parliament,Shabana Azmi said: Only shayari cannot help a language survive,for the language should be that of communication and for daily usage. We must also take into account the economic aspect of the issue, she said.
The mela,which usually has around 100 stalls of publishers from Hyderabad,Aurangabad,Bhopal,Srinagar and Bangalore,has roped in around 45 stalls this year,mostly from Delhi. Among the prominent stalls are NCUPL,Anjuman Taraqqi-e-Urdu Hind,Jamia Maktaba,and the Ghalib Institute.
The NCUPL stall showcases books on as many as 1,500 subjects. The stall of Anjuman Taraqqi-e-Urdu Hind presents a large section on books from Pakistan,which is an opportunity for Indian authors and readers to get acquainted with recent developments in the Urdu literary circle of Pakistan,according to the stall manager.
Organising such a fair exclusively for Urdu has its own importance,said Professor Shahryar. This will prove wrong the rumours that Urdu is dying. With so many stall exclusively selling Urdu books and young people who are eager to buy them,the future of Urdu is glorious, he said.
Some visitors,however,pointed out the predominance of religious books over those on fiction and poetry. Subhan Ali,a resident of Ghaziabad,said: I was hoping to find some rare books. Barring a few exceptions,the stalls are filled with religious books,which one can easily get elsewhere. It would have been better if the stalls had focussed on poetry and secular literature, he said.
Jnanpith Award-winning Urdu poet Professor Shahryar and Group Editor of the Rashtriya Sahara Roznama Aziz Burney were other eminent personalities at the inauguration.
The reporter is a student of the Express Institute of Media Studies
source: http://www.indianexpress.com / The Indian Express / Home> Cities> Delhi / by Atikh Rashid, New Delhi / March 28th, 2011
Nargistan, a Persian translation of the Ramayana, and Guldasta-E-Haqiqat, a lyrical Urdu translation of the Bhagavad Gita in the form of a ghazal, are two of the dozen-odd century-old books of Hindu scriptures that the Anjuman-E-Islam, Mumbai’s largest Muslim educational institution, has restored and preserved.
The 141-year-old Anjuman-E-Islam, which runs colleges and schools catering to over 1.10 lakh students, came across these manuscripts amid a renovation of its 120-year-old Karimi Library, a treasure trove of over 5,000 books. Officials at the institution said they stumbled upon over 100 Hindu religious texts written in Persian and Urdu. The institute has presently restored and preserved over a dozen such books that were displayed to the public on Saturday. Most of these books were published in the late 1800s.
“The books not only showcase the richness of the Urdu language but also symbolize the syncretic culture of our country and how we had a history of respecting each others faith,” Anjuman-I-Islam President Dr Zahir Kazi said.
Officials said they stumbled upon over 100 Hindu religious texts written in Persian and Urdu.
The institution was recently in the news when a student of one of its colleges joined the Islamic State in Syria. The Persian books restored include a Mahabharata from 1875; Haday-Kul-Marifat, a Persian book written on the Bhakti movement and Bhushan Leela, a book on Lord Ganesha.
Most of these books are by Hindu authors highly proficient in Urdu and Persian, said Anjuman-E-Islam officials. Almost all the books bear Islamic motifs, including the usage of the numerical 786.
The translation of the Ramayana in poetic from by Mirza Bedil, titled Nargistan, interestingly begins with the phrase “in the name of Allah.” There are also Urdu translations of the various adaptations of the Ramayana, including those written by Valmiki and Tulsidas, as well as copies of the Bhagavad Gita. One of the adaptations of the Gita is titled “Guldasta-e-Haqeeqat” and has been written by Munshi Shital Prasda in the form of a ghazal. Kazi, one of the driving forces behind the project that was initiated five years back, says: “Most of the books were in an abject condition when we came across them. We had to undertake an extensive restoration process where we not only treated the pages but also bound them again.”
source: http://www.indianexpress.com / The Indian Express / Home> India> India-Others / by Zeeshan Shaikh, Mumbai / February 03rd, 2015
NCC cadets of Andhra Loyola College, who participated in the Republic Day celebrations in New Delhi, shares a light moment before being felicitated by Krishna district collector Babu A on the college premises in Vijayawada on Tuesday | Express Photo
Vijayawada :
Pride of achievement was writ large on their faces and their demeanour spoke of confidence. They were eight NCC cadets engaged in a banter while waiting outside the auditorium in Andhra Loyola College (ALC) on Tuesday to be felicitated by the district collector for representing the state in Republic Day parade.
ALC had achieved a rare distinction of being the first college to have eight NCC cadets selected to participate in Republic Day parade. Sharing their experiences and future plans with Express, the cadets expressed their joy and pride of being able to participate in Republic Day parade.
‘Awesome’, ‘Most cherished moment of life’ were their immediate response, when asked how they felt being part of such a momentous occasion. Many of those cadets want to join civil services and become IPS officers while some want to pursue their career in defence services.
Senior Under Officer D Venkata Krishna, pursuing BSC (MPC) second year, was the contingent commandant from the state. It was a proud moment when he got selected for the RD and had seven members of his own group also getting selected for the event.
Venkata Krishna, the only cadet from Andhra and Telangana to get selected for the All India Guard of Honour – 2015 at RD camp, said it was one of the best moments of his life. “I had been able to perform cultural programme in Teen Murti Bhavan in the presence of the Prime Minister,” he said. He along with another cadet R Divya Sai got selected for Youth Exchange Programme (YEP) for 2015. They will be visiting a foreign country, yet to be finalised, in March.
Cadet Captain R Divya Sai was part of the Prime Minister’s rally and bagged All India second best cadet award (silver medal). She also won the Governor’s gold medal for excellence in RD camp 2015 along with Chief Minister’s gold medal at state level. “It was one of the most cherished moments of my life ,” she said. Sergeant M Vikram, who too was part of the PM Rally, said he is proud of his achievement.
Cadets S Naga Balaji and Tijo Thomas said they were excited to march along the Rajpath on Republic Day.
Cadet Shaik Riyaz, who got 3rd place in static model presentation ‘Eurofighter’ explained how he workedhard to prepare for RD camp and the stages he had to cross to get qualified.
Corporal P Gayatri got selected for RD contingent and secured All India fourth place on Gold Star and she was the only girl who could complete the novice show jumping arena with two different horses.
Junior Under Officer Meer Akbar Basha was part of Swachh Bharat Ballet presented by the AP contingent in PM’s house.
“I am proud that I got an opportunity to show culture of both AP and Telangana through my cultural programme,” he said.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Andhra Pradesh / by S. Guru Srikanth / February 25th, 2015
A valuable knock by Liyan Khan 117 (12x4s, 2x6s), helped hosts Karnataka to score 231 for seven in 90 overs in their first innings at close on the Day-1 of the four-day semi-final played against Himachal Pradesh in the Col. C K Nayudu Trophy 2014-15 tie played at the SDNR Wadiyar Platinum Jubilee University Grounds here on Thursday.
Opting to bat first, Karnataka got off to a bad start losing three wickets for 42 runs, but some resolute batting by Liyan Khan (117) and K.N. Bharath (37, 6x4s) who added 69-valuable runs for the fourth wicket brought some respite for the home team.
Later Liyan and skipper Dinesh Borwankar (36, 4x4s) steadied the innings further with a valuable 105-run fifth wicket partnership. Medium-pacer S.N. Nirmohi impressed for Himachal Pradesh taking three for 29. Left-arm spinner R.K. Singh took two for 61.
At stumps Mysuru lad J. Suchith (4 n.o.) and Ronit More were at the crease.
The Scores: Semi-finals: Karnataka: 231 for seven in 90 overs (Liyan Khan 117, K.N. Bharath 37, Dinesh Borwankar 36, S.N. Nirmohi three for 29, R. K. Singh two for 61) vs Himachal Pradesh.
source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> Sports / Friday – February 20th, 2015
Books and the sea filled her life, and the city gave her enough of both. That’s author Anita Nair reminiscing her Chennai days.
“Growing up in Avadi, my main interests were to go to the Moore market to buy books and hit the beach where the sea seemed like an endless horizon of abundance and hope,” said Nair, whose latest novel is ‘Idris: Keeper of Light.’
She was addressing English literature students of Justice Basheer Ahmed Sayeed Collegefor Women as part of a collaborative lecture series organised by the Madras Literary Society (MLS) to create awareness about its project to restore books, digitalise its catalogue and enroll more members.
In a sense, writing the book itself was a journey for her as she “travelled to places beyond to tap into the great unconscious world” where she visualised Idris, an African trader who is the main character of her novel, named after a prophet who wielded a pen. She wrote in long hand and it took six years to complete the book. ‘Idris’ was inspired by stories narrated by an acquaintance on a boat ride on the Nila river, now called the Bharatapuzha in Kerala, about a group of warriors in the 1600s who unsuccessfully tried to assassinate the Zamorin of Calicut every 12 years. Historical fiction, she said, “makes history palatable and fiction relevant.” She researched the period and culled material from foreigners’ travelogues and records kept by a Portuguese clerk called Duarte Barbosa. Dr FathimaBanu, head of English department, Admiral M Raman and Padma Padmanabhan of MLS were among those present.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Chennai / TNN / February 25th, 2015
Senior Professor of Botony P. R. Mohana Rao shares excerpts from his book “Flora of Guntur City Andhra Pradesh,” in Guntur. Photo: T. Vijaya Kumar / The Hindu
A former professor of Botany from Acharya Nagarjuna University has brought out an exhaustive treatise on the wealth of flora in Guntur City. The book, “Flora of Guntur City Andhra Pradesh,’’ a brain child of P.R. Mohana Rao, Professor Emeritus and former HoD, Department of Botony, Acharya Nagarjuna University, is considered the only available and authentic work throwing light on the numerous species of plants and trees in the city.
Dr. Rao was assisted by Assistant Professor of Botony, ANU, S.K. Khasim and former research student Bibi Aasiya, who are the co-authors of the book published by Bishen Singh Mahendra Pal Singh from Dehra Dun.
Dr. Rao had a rich global experience working in University of Cambridge, Delhi University, Himachal Pradesh University before settling at the ANU. He founded the Bio Technology Centre and started M.Sc (Biotechnology) course.
His association with the renowned systematic Botanist Professor late Olov Hedberg at Uppasala University, Sweden, during 1982-83 inspired him to take up the seminal work.
“The book has up-to-date information on flora which will help students, naturalists, tourists and town planners in identifying plants,’’ Professor Rammohana Rao told The Hindu on Tuesday.
The book listed 431 flowering plants, shrubs and trees belonging to 76 families of angiosperms. The families were arranged systematically following Bentham and Hooker System of Classification. The authors besides giving current nomenclature to families, genera and species, also gave original citation and a brief description of species, local names, flowering and dispersal mechanisms. A city map is also incorporated in the book.
It was late Rev.Dr.Uhl, former principal of Lutheran Mission College, Guntur who attempted a book on Flora of Guntur in 1930 but it could not be considered a complete work as Dr.Uhl had not followed any system of classification.
Dr. Rao’s work is based on three years of intensive research during 1990-1993. Leading a team consisting of Dr. Khasim, Aasiya and other students, Dr. Rao began an arduous task of collection of plants from fields, road margins, railway tracks, parks, gardens etc. Field observations included studying habit, habitat, time of flowering and fruiting.
Dr. Rao had also penned a note on the selection of plants for road margins, public parks useful to town planners. Some of the recommended trees included, Adansonia digitata (Baobab tree), Albizia lebbeck and Delonix regia (Gold Mohur) for gardens and parks etc.
“Most of the roads in the city are devoid of tree cover. Unfortunately, the city is lacking in public parks and green spaces. With the town gaining importance due to proximity to capital region, town planners could take a cue from the book on tree planting,’’ Dr. Rao added.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Vijayawada / by P. Samuel Jonathan / Guntur – February 24th, 2015
Bengalureans can now walk into the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA) and treat themselves to vocal and instrumental music of legendary singers, free of cost.
Carnatic and Hindustani musicians like Chembai Vaidyanatha Bhagavathar, Shemmangudi Srinivasa Iyer, M S Subbulakshmi, N Ramani, T R Mahalingam, D K Pattamal, Pandit Ravi Shankar and Ali Akbar Khan will be available at the newly set-up digital music archive.
Vikram Sampath, executive director, IGNCA, southern region, said: “I started working on the project soon after I took charge of the centre a year ago. R T Chari, MD of TAG Corporation, shared 1,000 hours of live recordings of Carnatic music since the 1930s. They are from his collection that he has put together in the past 30 years, digitized and catalogued.”
The collections include concerts of artistes like Chembai, Subbulakshmi, K V Narayanaswamy, Alathur Brothers and M D Ramanathan.
Vikram, too, donated his collections from the Archive of Indian Music (AIM). “They include recordings on gramophone discs from 1902 in Hindustani and Carnatic music, folk music, movies and plays. Works of Gauhar Jaan, Peara Sahab, Kesarbai Kerkar, Ariyakudi Ramanuja Iyengar, Salem Godavari, Bidaram Krishnappa, Veene Sheshanna, Bal Gandharva, K L Saigal, P Kalinga Rao and speeches of Mahatma Gandhi, Rabindranath Tagore and Subhash Chandra Bose are part of this collection,” he said.
Chari also helped IGNCA develop user-friendly software that allows users to select songs by using parametres like raga, genre and names of composers/singers. They are categorized in alphabetical order. He has also donated paintings and murals of Indian music icons to adorn the walls of the archival unit.
The unit, reprography and library are open from Monday to Friday between 9.30 am and 5.30pm.
Contact: executivedirector.igncasrc@ gmail.com
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Bengaluru / by G S Kumar, TNN / February 24th, 2015
Geo technical research vessel Fugro Scout setting sail amid cheers at Malpe fisheries harbour in Udupi on Monday.
The state-of-the-art Geo Technical Research Vessel (GTRV) ‘Fugro Scout’ manufactured by Tebma Shipyards Ltd. set sail to Singapore via New Mangalore Port from Malpe fisheries harbour here on Monday.
The company constructed the GTRV in 18 months and delivered it to The Netherlands-based company Fugro here. The Fugro Scout has been registered in Panama and will function under its flag. It was constructed at a cost of Rs. 240 crore.
The vessel is a mini-drill ship capable of drawing soil samples up to 3 km below the sea bed for exploration of oil, natural gas and other resources. When the vessel was flagged off by Pramod Madhwaraj, MLA, there was a loud applause, lot of cheering and waving of hands.
P. Aboobacker, Vice President – Operations, Tebma Shipyards, said the entire ship was constructed at its shipyard here. Since beginning operations in Malpe port in 2008, the company had built 18 vessels.
These 18 vessels included 10 tugs for the Indian Navy, while the remaining vessels were built for commercial purposes. “This is the second GTRV we have built for Fugro. The first one – ‘Fugro Voyager’, was awarded the ‘Best Research Vessel of 2014’ by the magazine ‘Work Boat World’,” he said.
Efficient ship
The Fugro Scout is powered by diesel electrical propulsion systems driven by active front-end drives for best fuel efficient operation. The vessel has an automated pipe and tool-handling equipment to promote safe drilling floor operations for sea bed sampling and testing.
Graeme Alexander, Project Director of GTRVs, Fugro, said the Fugro Scout would start its work in Vietnam in May. Then it was expected to sail to Iceland.
Mr. Madhwaraj said Tebma Shipyards had donated Rs. 1.10 crore for the construction of slipway for the third stage of Malpe fisheries harbour. “We want the company to do more for the fishermen here under their corporate social responsibility schemes,” he said.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> National> Karnataka / by Ganesh Prabhu / Udupi – February 24th, 2015
