Monthly Archives: September 2015

Interaction with author of ‘Talat Mahmood – The Velvet Voice’

September 26, 2015Arts, Culture & Entertainmentmpositiveone@gmail.com

It will be held at 4.30 p.m. on Saturday

The Manipal University Press will hold the ‘Author Meets Readers’ event ‘From the Horse’s Mouth’ with Manek Premchand — author of the book ‘Talat Mahmood – The Velvet Voice’ — at the AC Seminar Hall on the MIT campus here at 4.30 p.m. on Saturday.

According to a press release issued by Manipal University here on Thursday, Mr. Premchand will share his thoughts and feelings in a conversation with Manipal Centre for Philosophy and Humanities faculty member Gayathri Prabhu.

A film will be screened and that will be followed by a music programme with Premchand and a few others singing Talat Mahmood’s songs.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> National> Karnataka / by Special Correspondent / Manipal – September 25th, 2015

How I survived Haj stampede in 2006

September 26, 2015Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Books (incl.Biographies - w.e.f.01 jan 2018 ), Community Involvement / Social Issues, Education, Karnataka (under research project), Travel & Tourism, World OpinionA K Pasha, A M Ahmadi - Chief Justice of India, Aftab Kamal Pasha, AK Pasha, Chief Justice of India - A M Ahmadi, CJI A M Ahmadi, Prof A K Pasha, Prof A K Pasha - West Asian Politics - JNU, Prof Aftab Kamal Pasha - JNU, Prof AK Pasha - West Asian Politics- JNUmpositiveone@gmail.com

Mysuru, KARNATAKA / NEW DELHI :

People usually hurry to reach Mina creating tremendous risk for themselves and others. It’s during this ritual that chaos is triggered.

I went for Haj pilgrimage with my wife in December-January 2006. During the journey, we noticed that the Gulf region was unstable owing to the trial of the deposed Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein in Baghdad and emotions were running high among the Arabs. The political fever in the region also spread among Haj pilgrims. Emotions and arguments add to the atmospherics of Haj. One can imagine the energy and excitement of a pilgrimage in which millions of people from diverse linguistic, ethnic and racial backgrounds are united by religion.

Our delegation was special as we were being accompanied by former Chief Justice of India A.M. Ahmadi and other dignitaries from different parts of India. But from the beginning of the journey, I saw that arrangements on the ground were not quite right. The Saudi officials gave out instructions only in Arabic, though most of the pilgrims were unfamiliar with the language.

Countries that send the largest number of pilgrims are from South and Southeast Asia like Indonesia, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Afghanistan and India. People from this region speak many languages. Special attention is needed for the elderly, many of whom undertake foreign travel for the first time and, therefore, are quite disoriented and find it difficult to adjust to sudden orders yelled out in Arabic by policemen.

Also, the Saudi rules aim at segregation of men and women which creates a lot of problems for first-time travellers from our region. Often families which are separated by the Saudi police have to endure hardship, which is multiplied because neither the pilgrims nor the police can understand each other.

The process of Haj starts from Mina where one has to begin early after a prayer, followed by the circumambulation of the holy mosque Kaaba. The pilgrimage ends at Mina following the ritual of ‘Stoning the Shaitan.’ This last ritual at Mina needs to be completed before sunset and people usually hurry to reach Mina creating tremendous risk for themselves and others. It’s during this ritual that chaos is triggered.

On January 12, as we were returning to Mina for the last ritual of Haj, we saw the big stampede from a distance as waves of people collided. Dust and fear enveloped us. Our group stopped midway out of fear and went back to Mecca.

Next morning, we started early at 3 a.m. for the dash to Mina. On the way, we saw huge piles of shoes, clothes, and water bottles left behind by the stampede victims being loaded onto the trucks by the police. Officials informed us that around 350 people had died in the stampede and hundreds more were injured. The possessions of the pilgrims left behind made me suspicious of the official account.

The road to Mina which is where the stampedes often happen is very risky as it’s the only one for the journey to Mina and for returning to Mecca. I am told that the Saudi government has created an alternative route for the pilgrims returning to Mecca but that route is longer and many pilgrims continue to return by the old, shorter and narrow route which puts them at risk.

Year after year, stampedes have taken place on the same route near Mina, yet the Saudi authorities have failed to do anything to reduce the risk.

The occasion of Haj brings more than three million pilgrims to Mecca. A number of factors can trigger a crisis and a stampede on the ground where the crowd is united by religion and divided by political sentiments of the Arab countries. Sabotage is often suspected when such tragedies take place.

The Saudi government should also be open to learning from other countries where a large number of pilgrims congregate, for example in India’s Kumbh Melas and in the Vatican where authorities take care of the linguistic differences while managing people. There is no harm in learning from others.

Prof. Pasha teaches West Asian politics in JNU.

(As told to Kallol Bhattacherjee)

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> National / by Prof. A.K. Pasha / September 26th, 2015

Motocross is the ultimate mix of Man and Machine, says Mysuru lad Tanveer

September 18, 2015Sports, World Opinionmpositiveone@gmail.com

Motorcycle racing is one of the most exciting and thrilling competition one could see. The riders or skilled racers risk serious injury or worse to become champion. Racers are part of the bike and both the machine and rider have to work in harmony.

Mysuru city has produced good racers and one such racer is Abdul Wahid Tanveer, fondly called as Tanni by his fans.

This bike-riding fanatic is the youngest member of a family full of motocross riders, who started racing (Dirt Track) when he was studying in class eight at St. Mathias School in city.

Tanveer’s skills have led him to scoop a collection of medals and trophies. “I had a room full of trophies and medals, but I gave away some to my fans as mementos as I did not have place to keep them all,” said Tanveer with a grin.

Tanveer, speaking to SOM, said that he was crazy about motocross racing since a kid and the interest grew when he used to see his elder brother Abdul Majid, a National-level bike racer practice.

He said that his first race was when he was studying in eighth standard where he finished fourth and added that this encouraged him to practice more to become perfect. In the next year, when he was studying in ninth standard, he won his first title ‘Best Rider’ award by riding his modified Yamaha 135 two stroke and Yamaha YBX 4 stroke bikes.

His father late Mohammed Shafi, a wrestler, popularly known as Chirag Pailwan, who was a timber merchant and his mother, a housewife, initially refused to allow him to go racing as he was the youngest and the most pampered kid in the family.

But when he overcame all odds and won the first title in the National-level racing in Bengaluru while he was studying in 10 std., his parents began to encourage him and from then, there was no looking back for Tanveer, it was only winning trophies and medals.

Tanveer, who joined TVS as a racer in 2014, has won many championships including MRF Championship and Rally De Bengaluru in 2014, where he was the overall champion, Dakshin Dare Rally in 2015 in which he was adjudged as the ‘Best Rider’ in the Ultimate Bike category and an Overall Champion.

He has won races in Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Hassan, Chikkamagaluru, Coorg and other places in the country and aims to make it to the Great Himalayan Rally this year. He says “I have participated in all categories in different events and Indian Open Class is my favourite.”

Tanveer said, “You got to finish to win. Of course, you got to be fast to win too, otherwise everybody would be doing it.”

This year, Tanveer has participated in over 25 races, both local and National and has won prizes in all.

He is now participating in the MRF Championship which is being held in six rounds in Ahmedabad, Chennai, Hyderabad, Coimbatore and Pune. Of which, three races have been completed with the first held at Ahmedabad, the second at Coimbatore and the third at Chennai.

He said that he now leads the race with 12 points and the remaining three races will be held at Hyderabad, Bengaluru with the final race to be held in Pune.

When asked which bike he uses for the races, he said that he races in three groups and uses three different bikes such as a custom made TVS 300FX for Group-B, custom made Apache RTR 180 for Group- B and Apache RTR 160 for Group-C and said that he enjoys riding his Apache RTR 180.

Speaking about injuries, Tanveer said that in 2014, when he was leading in the MRF Championship, he crashed during a practice session and suffered elbow fracture besides suffering from severe burns as the bike fell on him leaving him hospitalised which resulted him being out of the race.

When asked if racing got encouragement in Mysuru, Tanveer said that there is no encouragement for racing in Mysuru and it was only his family members and a few friends who are encouraging him from the beginning. He said that earlier, Zabiulla, a mechanic near Ya-allah Masjid, used to tune his vehicle when he began racing.

He also said that as there was no encouragement, he had stopped racing for a year in 2012 and added that it was a person from Kerala who persuaded him to continue and it is then he began to race again and continue his winning streak.

Speaking about precautions to be taken during racing, Tanveer said that it is always necessary to wear safety equipment, no matter what the circumstances, wear well fitting Motocross Protection equipment, if you are just starting out, take things slow, find an experienced person who knows about Motocross to give you tips, do some practice before you race, keep in mind that your protection is always more important than winning and finally, do not be afraid to race.

Strength Training

Tanveer said that racers need a strength training programme that targets key muscle groups and keeps them in balance. He said that his strength training is based on four principles that improves not only the strength but the lap time too.

Tanveer says concentrate on your back as the back muscles are equally important in maintaining a proper riding stance. A weak posterior chain will lead to a slumped posture and fatigue the chest, shoulders, arms, and quads, more rapidly leading to general fatigue.

Strong Core Muscles are Key: Proper training of the core region is needed to maintaining proper form and function during a race.

If the core muscles are weak, a rider will alter his posture and riding position, therefore transferring work to the weaker shoulders and arms. When this happens, the arms, shoulders and even legs do more of the work and become fatigue quickly.

Weight Train for Strength not Endurance: Motocross racers are experts at endurance training and therefore usually weight train for endurance. But lifting heavier weights for fewer reps is necessary for building strength.

Concentrate on Total Body Movements: The key to an efficient total body strength programme is to incorporate exercises that require the use of multiple joints versus isolation exercises.

Giving his piece of advice to youngsters, Tanveer said “The streets or roads are not racing tracks,” this should be always in the mind of youngsters. Do not race on streets as it will not only cause problems to the riders but also to others which is against the law. While on road, follow traffic rules.

It does not matter if you are the smoothest rider or you are out of control, pain does not discriminate and wearing proper safety gear could save you, or someone else from a painful experience, Tanveer said.

source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> Feature Articles / by S. Kenneth Shishir / September 18th, 2015

CM honours IIT crackers

September 17, 2015Educationmpositiveone@gmail.com

Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav honoured seven more students who cracked IIT examination this year and said that achievement of these students in adverse circumstance is praise worthy.

“These students did not have resources, but had determination to achieve their targets. Adverse conditions and poverty did not deter them and cracked IIT examination which is dream of students,” Yadav said in a felication function held here on Wednesday.

These students were given a laptop and Rs 1 lakh during a function held at 5, Kalidas Marg, the official residence of Chief Minister.

“The state government is committed to support talented students. Government’s laptop distribution is a step in this direction. The poor students will now stay connected with the world. The Government is also providing free WiFi at some places. These students can avail this facility too,” he said.

Students who cracked IIT were: Vishnu Gupta (Sultanpur), Kapoor Saroj and Shubham Yadav (Pratapgarh), Muzammil Khan and Alok Maurya (Sonebhadra), Nilesh Yadav (Amethi) and Shashank Awasthi (Rae Bareli). Despite his fading eye sight Kapoor Saroj scored fifth position among SC students while Shashank Awasthi scored 97 per cent marks in ClassXII.

Talking to The Pioneer Shubham Yadav said that his only aim was to crack IIT. “I do not have any hobby. I only used to study or sleep. In between I did nothing,” he said.

He along with Kapoor Saroj want to study in IIT Kanpur. It is the best. “I want to go to Mechancial stream, I and Saroj have the ranking to get top position,” he said.

Saroj said he has not taken any coaching. “I cracked the exam on the basis of self study,” he said. Both of them though belong to UP have studied in Navodaya Vidyalaya in Pune.

source: http://www.dailypioneer.com / The Pioneer / Home> State edition> Lucknow / by PNN, Lucknow / Thursday – June 25th, 2015

CM Office directs to craft plaque

September 17, 2015Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Community Involvement / Social Issuesmpositiveone@gmail.com

With an aim to add sheen to its Heritage zone scheme the Uttar Pradesh Government is all set to put up plaques on the buildings of Lucknow where once historical personalities lived in bygone era.

The Chief Minister’s office has asked the Tourism Department to prepare a plaque that could match the flavour and history of Awadh and identify the houses once inhabited by historical personality – may be artist literature or even freedom fighter..

“This is a small gesture that will help people to identify the buildings where say once Premchand lived or where Mir Taqi Mir wrote his gazals. People might have passed through these buildings without knowing the historical importance of those structures,” a senior official in CM’s office told The Pioneer here recently.

The idea to have plaque at important buildings has been borrowed from London’s Blue Plaque. This plaues, which are in blue in colour, are put up on the buildings where famous people had lived and worked. It celebrates the architecture of London’s streets and the diversity and achievements of its past residents. London’s blue plaques scheme, founded in 1866, is believed to be the oldest of its kind in the world.

The official said that the scheme is aimed at to celebrate the link between people and buildings. “The buildings carrying plaques will invoke interest of the people about the person and the building where he lived. This will not only add to the historical importance of the city but also help the Tourism department to give added tinge to its Heritage zone scheme,” the officer said.

The Chief Minister’s office has asked the Tourism Department to prepare a detail proposal including the design of the proposed plaque. It has been asked to rope in historians like Yogesh Pravin to identify the buildings of city where the celebrities of olden era once lived.

There are over 50 litterateurs, artists, freedom fighters and people associated with films were either born or worked in Lucknow. From Mir Taqi Mir to Begum Akhtar, from Prem Chand to Sri Lal Shukla and from Pahari Sanyal to K.P. Saxena all have their share of association with Lucknow. Then there are people like Amrit Nagar, Kaifi Azmi, Bhagwati Charan Verma, Mirza Hadi Ruswa, Josh Malihabadi, Jan Nisar Akhtar and this list is endless. This scheme only aims at identifying the buildings where they lived.

“The buildings tell a lot about the character of the person who lived or worked there. Some of them may be dilapidated but they are rich in history,” he said. “The Plaque will not offer any kind of special protection to buildings, but will raise awareness of their historical significance. This in turn can assist in their preservation,” he said.

source: http://www.dailypioneer.com / The Pioneer / Home> State edition> Lucknow / by Biswajeet Banerjee, Lucknow / Saturday – July 25th, 2015

Bangla director lifted father’s story: Mustafa Siraj’s son

September 17, 2015Arts, Culture & Entertainmentmpositiveone@gmail.com

Kolkata :

Syed Mustafa Siraj’s elder son Abhijit Siraj has alleged that a Bangaldeshi director has made a film based on his father’s story without acknowledging the renowned writer.

Murad Parvez, director of ‘Brihonnola’, has rubbished the allegations.

The allegation of lifting comes close on the heels of an “inspiration” controversy regarding a short story of Mustafa.

Speaking about the controversy, Abhijit said, “I have not watched the movie yet. A person from Bangladesh drew my attention to the similarity between the film and Baba’s story titled ‘Gaachta Bolechhilo’. That’s when I came to know about the overlaps.”

Murad, Abhijit pointed out, is not unknown to the Siraj family. Earlier, he had directed a movie titled ‘Chandragrahon’ which was based on Mustafa’s story ‘Ranir Ghater Brittanto’. Director Anjan Das had made his Bengali film ‘Faltu’ in 2006 based on the same story.

“My father was alive then and Murad had officially taken the rights of the story from him to make ‘Chandragrahon’. I don’t know the exact figure but I am sure that the rights must have been sold for a few lakhs of rupees. Baba died in 2012. Thereafter, I feel he (Murad) never felt the need to ask for rights and made this film without crediting my father,” Abhijit alleged.

Siraj’s ‘Gaachta Bolechhilo’, which was later translated in English as ‘Die, said the Tree’, is the story of some myths surrounding a tree in a village.

The tree, which is believed to be gifted with strange powers, becomes the pivotal metaphor in the story that explores the psyche of villagers plagued by superstition.

‘Brihonnola’ is a tale of the goodness inherent in human nature prevailing over religious prejudice and racial dogmatism. The film, starring Ferdous Ahmed, Sohana Saba, Azad Abul Kalam and Jhuna Choudhury, is set in a village where everything goes well for ages till an ancient banyan tree becomes the focal point of dispute between the two sections of the village community.

Siraj’s younger son, Amitabh Siraj, had spoken to a fan of his father in Bangladesh who has watched the film and read the story as well.

“According to that person, this film is a very skillful and careful adaptation of my father’s story. The germ of the film is from there. Subsequently, a lot of other subplots have been added to give the film a new dimension. Some cinematic characters seem to bear a lot of resemblance with the characters in baba’s story. I wish Murad had acknowledged baba’s story somewhere in his credit line,” Amitabh said.

However, Murad insists that giving credit is out of question since he has not even read ‘Gaachta Bolechhilo’.

“My film was based on a self-written story titled ‘The Poisoning Sap’. I was inspired by the Babri Masjid incident while writing it. I had read Siraj’s ‘Ranir Ghater Brittanto’ in 1998 and bought its rights in 2007. ‘Brihannola’ has also bagged the Best Actress and Best Original Screenplay awards at the Jaipur International Film Festival,” Murad said.

Abhijit countered Murad saying, “The core of the film is undeniably my father’s story. In order to give a contemporary relevance to the screenplay, I’m guessing that Murad has added some political and religious dimensions. But, baba’s story transcended all these issues to reach another level.”

It’s not just plays and movies. Even publishers happily violate copyright norms, say Mustafa’s sons. Abhijit pointed out, “At the last book fair, we were zapped to find that a new publisher had mentioned his name as the copyright holder of ‘Payer Shobdo’! We don’t want mud-slinging. Expecting credit is just part of decent behaviour.”

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News Home> City> Kolkata / by Priyanka Dasgupta, TNN / September 04th, 2015

TOI gets 3 honours at scribe awards

September 16, 2015Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Educationmpositiveone@gmail.com

Kolkata :

Journalist Uday Banerjee received the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 6th edition of the Journalism Awards on Sunday. Banerjee, who covered government and administration for four decades, is known for his honesty and is revered in the fraternity. Tripura governor Tathagata Roy presented him with the trophy and citation.

Consumer affairs minister Sadhan Pande presented the ‘Hall of Fame Award’ to sports journalist Debashish Dutta at the same ceremony.

Of the 18 other categories of awards, the Times of India group bagged five. Out of the total 10 journalists from TOI and 12 from Ei Samay shortlisted as finalists, three each from TOI and Ei Samay won the honours. Two TOI scribes shared the Best Journalist News (English) award while another won the Best Journalist Lifestyle & Cinema (English) award. Ei Samay picked up Best Journalist Lifestyle & Cinema (Bengali), Best Journalist Sports (Bengali) and Best Journalist Features (Bengali).

Judges included Abhijit Dasgupta, retired station director of Doordarshan and secretary of Kolkata Sukriti Foundation, Dilip Banerjee, former photo editor of Mail Today, Tapas Ganguly, former chief of bureau of The Week, Manik Banerjee, former chief of bureau of UNI, Pradipta Sankar Sen, vice-president of Calcutta Film Society and ex-resident editor of Hindustan Times, Shyam Afif Siddiqui, visiting faculty at Management Development Institute, Murshidabad.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News Home> City> Kolkata / TNN / August 11th, 2015