Vice-Chancellor of Andhra University Prof. G.S.N. Raju inaugurates APJ Abdul Kalam Memorial Library at Andhra University in Visakhapatnam on Wednesday. (Photo: DC)
Visakhapatnam:
Managing and making the best use of human resources is a challenging task in the society, said Prof. G.S.N. Raju, Andhra University Vice-Chancellor. He was the chief guest at the launch of the head of the department’s chamber and a new library named after former President Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam, who died recently, at AU Human Resources Management Department on Wednesday.
Speaking on the occasion, Prof. Raju hailed the efforts of Prof. K. John, head of the department of AUHRM, in establishing a useful library for the students in the name of multi-faceted Dr. Kalam. He asked all the students to improve the attitude of working hard to achieve higher goals. “Coordinating thoughts and talent is vital for success. Students should keep themselves abreast with the changing technology,” he said.
AU Registrar V. Umamaheswara Rao said that the AUHRM department has contributed to the society so much by providing valuable human resources to the society.
“Providing infrastructure facilities according to the needs of the students is appreciable and students should make the best use of it,” said Prof. M. Sundara Rao, principal, AU Arts College.
BOS chairman Subba Rayudu, new HOD Dr. Arun Kumar, Prof. Rajani, Prof K. John, students and others were present at the inaugural function.
source: http://www.deccanchronicle.com / Deccan Chronicle / Home> Nation> Current Affairs / Deccan Chronicle / August 06th, 2015
Congratulating tennis stars Sania Mirza and Leander Paes, former India captain Rahul Dravid today said that both are “huge inspiration” for aspiring sportspersons in the country.
“Both Sania and Leander are huge inspiration for not only tennis aspirants, but also for sportspersons,” Dravid told reporters on the margins of announcement of second edition of Bengaluru Cup being organised by Hockey Karnataka here.
“I think it is phenomenal achievement by Sania and Leander to be able to win the U.S. mixed doubles and women’s doubles titles,” he added.
Sania and her Swiss partner Martina Hingis bagged the women’s doubles title after outplaying the fourth seed team of Casey Dellacqua and Yaroslava Shvedova 6-3 6-3 in the final.
This was Sania’s second consecutive Grand Slam title of the season and fifth overall.
Veteran Paes scripted history by notching up the US Open mixed doubles title with Hingis to become the format’s most successful male player in the Open era.
The fourth-seeded Indo-Swiss pair edged past unseeded Americans Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Sam Querrey 6-4 3-6 10-7 in a tricky final to win their third Major title together this season.
Dravid said it is incredible that at age of 42, Paes has been able to achieve the glorious feat three Majors in a calendar year.
“It is incredible what Leander has been able to achieve in this age. It is timeless – he keeps going on and on. It is terrific to watch him,” he said.
“Sania also have been good with her performances in the women’s category and by the time she hangs her boots she would have left a legacy behind for youngsters to follow,” Dravid said.
Dravid said it was lovely to watch Sania and Paes, playing the finals on television, as an Indian.
“I watched both the games. It was lovely to watch as an Indian,” he said.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Sports> Tennis / by PTI / Bengaluru – September 14th, 2015
Excessive bravery, like genius, comes with a touch of madness
Brian Close who passed away on Sunday was, by common consent in England, the bravest man to have played cricket.
As a batsman, Close stepped out to the West Indies fast bowlers Wes Hall and Charlie Griffith, taking blows to the body. As a fielder at short leg he was renowned for getting hit. His bare upper body was the staple of photographs on sports pages — complete with deep impressions of the cricket ball. In colour pages, you could tell the black from the blue! A well-known comedian said it was always possible to know when the cricket season began in England: “by the sound of leather hitting Close.”
Every country has its tales of the bravest — or the most foolhardy. Players, who, with scant regard for personal safety simply got on with the game. Many have become legends for a single act of bravery — Rick McCosker batting with a bandaged jaw, Colin Cowdrey stepping out to bat with his arm in a sling, Hanif Mohammed making a triple century even as the skin under his eyes kept peeling off.
Iron man of Indian cricket
Indian cricket’s bravest have always been measured against their first Test captain, C.K. Nayudu. On his final tour of England, aged 41, he was struck on the under the heart by fast bowler Gubby Allen. It was just the incentive he needed to make his highest Test score, 81.
Hit on the mouth by Dattu Phadkar in a Ranji Trophy match, Nayudu waved away assistance, swept away his teeth from the pitch, and when served up a full toss next ball, berated the bowler for this. He was in his 50s then. Chandu Borde has written about how “even at the age of 58, Nayudu was the iron man of Indian cricket.”
Nayudu played his last first class match in 1963-64. By then, Tiger Pataudi was India captain. Tiger was, perhaps, the bravest man to play for India. The mere thought of taking the field with just one good eye against bowlers around the world is mind boggling. For some years between the reigns of Nayudu and Tiger, India had earned a reputation for being soft. There were even stories of players pulling out of difficult tours.
With the arrival — and success — of Tiger Pataudi, things began to change. Apart from injecting his players with self-respect, Tiger also toughened them. He hasn’t been given enough credit for this. After all, it would have been ridiculous to whine to a captain who had such a serious handicap.
Thus was born the next generation of Indian ‘braves’ — Abid Ali, Eknath Solkar, Mohinder Amarnath, Sunil Gavaskar. Abid and Solkar at short leg picked up catches off genuine sweeps by batsmen that they ought to have been ducking from.
Amarnath’s heroics against the fast bowlers in Pakistan and the West Indies make up one of the inspiring chapters of Indian batting. For a brief period he was the best in the world. For barely getting hit as an opener in a career spanning 125 Tests, Gavaskar was special. A combination of technique and heart made up his game.
During a tour, we once calculated the number of days in a year when big, strong men with a cricket ball in their hands were attempting to incapacitate him. Sometimes bravery is calculated by what you don’t do. Close ensured he got hit; Gavaskar ensured he didn’t. That was perhaps even more admirable.
Kumble’s valour
In recent years, thanks to better equipment, better protection and better pitches, batsmen and fielders have felt safer. The single bravest act on a cricket field by an Indian remains, however, Anil Kumble bowling with a broken jaw in the Antigua Test of 2002. Kumble, hit by Merv Dillon while batting, sent down 14 consecutive overs and became the first bowler to dismiss Brian Lara while bowling with his jaw strapped up. He was due to fly back to Bangalore the following day for surgery, and said, “At least I can now go home with the thought that I tried my best.”
“It was one of the bravest things I’ve seen on the field of play,” said Viv Richards later.
An Abid Ali refusing to flinch, even charging out to the fast bowlers. A Solkar keeping his eyes on the ball, placing the taking of a catch above self-preservation. A Nayudu acknowledging a fast bowler’s dental skill. All part of legend now.
Close was a brave player. He was also, as Vic Marks has pointed out in a tribute, “a wee bit mad.” Perhaps, like genius, excessive bravery comes with a touch of madness.
by Suresh Menon
Suresh Menon
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Sport> Cricket / by Suresh Menon / September 16th, 2015
Mandu, the historical town in the Malwa region of Madhya Pradesh, resonates with memories of music and poetry, and its monuments display a vibrant fusion of Persian and Indian elements of architecture. Text & photographs by SHASHANK SHEKHAR SINHA
NESTLED in the volcanic plateau north of the Vindhyas in central India, Mandu has always been envied for its natural fortification. The town, located in Dhar district of Madhya Pradesh, about 100 kilometres from Indore, is separated from the main Malwa plateau by a deep ravine (Kokrah Koh) on three sides and drops on to the Nimar plain, around 1,200 feet below, on the south. This black-soil belt was once dotted with rain-fed lakes and dense forests filled with wildlife.
The hill fort has inscriptional evidence dating back to A.D. 555. However, Mandu’s glorious history began only when it became the seat of power of Hoshang Shah.
The province of Malwa, with the ancient city of Dhar as its capital, was conquered by the Delhi Sultanate in A.D. 1305 and was placed under a governor.
Dhar was the seat of the Hindu rulers Paramaras and Raja Bhoj. When the Sultanate started disintegrating, one of its governors, Dilawar Khan Ghuri, severed his allegiance to the Tughlaqs and declared independence in A.D. 1401-02. He laid the foundations of the independent kingdom of Malwa. His son Hoshang Shah shifted the capital to Mandu after ascending the throne and named it Shadiabad, or city of joy.
The fort city played an important role in some historic power struggles in Medieval India involving the Delhi Sultanate, the Bahmani Kingdom, the Mughal Empire and the Marathas besides the neighbouring regions of present-day Gujarat and Rajasthan.
It is ingrained in popular memory and folklore as the site of the famous romance between Baz Bahadur and Rani Rupmati and their musical and poetic achievements. What, however, makes Mandu distinct is the beautiful synthesis of Indo-Islamic architecture under the Muslim rule—a blend of Persian-Pathan elements with the Hindu traditions of Malwa.
The architecture and the surrounding landscape are imparted a special character by the presence of huge trees such as the banyan, the round mango, the tamarind and the baobab (probably brought from Africa).
Mandu and its monuments come alive during the monsoon, on moonlit nights and in the evenings (thanks to the summer breeze locally called the shab-e-Malwa).
The village setting. The architecture and the surrounding landscape is imparted a special character by the presence of huge trees.
One of the best ways to understand the monuments of Mandu is to see them through the frame of evolution of the architecture in the region.
The rock-cut caves of Lohani and Sat Kothari are among the earliest and rarer types of architecture among the more than 60 structural monuments declared to be of national importance by the Archaeological Survey of India.
The architectural evolution of Mandu can be divided into three phases.
The first phase of development is underlined by the construction of mosques at Dhar and Mandu, mostly using material available from the ruins of Hindu temples. Examples include the Kamal Maula Masjid (A.D. 1395) and the Lat Masjid (A.D. 1405) at Dhar and the Dilawar Khan Masjid (A.D. 1405) and the mosques of Malik Mughis at Mandu.
The Malik Mughi mosque.
An inside view of the Malik Mughi mosque.
The second phase begins with the shifting of the capital from Dhar to Mandu.
In this phase, the use of natural beauty as a backdrop in the composition of buildings became a significant component of the regional architecture. To this phase belong the Jami Masjid, Hoshang Shah’s mausoleum, the Ashrafi Mahal complex, and the Royal Enclave.
The Jami Masjid.
An inscription on the Jami Masjid mentions how Hoshang Shah constructed a mosque on the lines of the great Omayyad Mosque in Damascus, Syria.
The mosque’s basic plan consists of a liwan (a square courtyard) and the sanctuary. The three large domes and 158 cylindrical cupolas on the sanctuary make the red-stone mosque visible from a long distance. It is located on a high plinth (indented by a sarai) and is approached through a projected flight of steps on the east.
Inspiration for Taj Mahal
Hoshang Shah’s mausoleum is the first tomb in India made wholly of white marble.
An inscription at the entrance mentions that the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan sent four of his architects to Mandu to draw inspiration for the construction of the Taj Mahal at Agra. The mausoleum is a square structure standing on a broad plinth, surmounted by a central dome with a cupola at each corner. It is crowned with a crescent, thought to have been imported from Persia or Mesopotamia. The mausoleum’s wall is diversified first by stylobate, horizontal bands of masonry, eaves (with curved brackets), and a band of ornamental miniature arches carved in relief.
The tomb of Hoshang Shah, an inspiration for the Taj Mahal. It is the first tomb in India made wholly of white marble.
The Ashrafi Mahal (the Palace of Gold Coin) complex contains three buildings, mostly in ruins now: a madrassa, a tomb and the victory tower. The material used is red sandstone. The tower of victory, built to rival Chittorgarh’s Jaya Stambha, had seven storeys, of which only one is left now.
The Jahaz Mahal as seen from the Taveli Mahal.
Prominent among the Royal Enclave monuments are the Hindola Mahal and the Jahaz Mahal.
The Hindola Mahal is “T”-shaped with a main hall and a transverse double-storeyed projection. The side walls are strengthened with massive sloping buttresses, which have given the name Hindola, meaning swinging, to the building.
The Jahaz Mahal, on the other hand, is a long double-storeyed ship-shaped building constructed between two ponds—Kapur Talao and Munj Talao. Its interior arrangement consists of pillared compartments, cool corridors and luxurious bathing halls, while its exterior has an arcaded front. The roof has open pavilions and airy kiosks, with overhanging balconies. The earlier love of stone facing had given way to a softer, more pliable, plaster. The underlying idea was to give a sense of comfort and pleasure.
Ghiyas-ud-din, who graced this palace, is believed to have had a harem of 15,000 maidens. The enclave also houses two waterbodies, Champa and Ujala Baoli.
The Hindola Mahal seen through an arch in the Royal Enclave.
A more mature and refined phase developed towards the late 15th and early 16th century.
To this phase belong the palaces associated with Baz Bahadur and Rupmati, although they were not built by them.
As the historian Percy Brown says, they come across as “summer houses, palaces, and pavilions, the ground floor of which consisted of a series of compartments grouped around a central courtyard graced with pools and fountains, while above were arcaded loggias roofed with fluted domes, the surface everywhere gorgeous with painted tiles”.
A view of the Baz Bahadur palace.
As royal patronage for music and fine arts increased, these buildings depicted the lighter, emotional and romantic side of the court life. The terraces and pavilions of these two palaces are known for the famous musical evenings of Malwa resonating with the romantic liaison between Baz Bahadur and Rupmati.
The queen, it is said, used to come to the palace every day to have a view of the Narmada river, which can be seen at a distance on the Nimar plain on a clear, sunny day.
Other buildings of this phase include the Nilkanth Palace, Chisti Khan’s Palace, Gada Shah’s Shop and Gada Shah’s House.
Besides these more-famous monuments, one also comes across a smaller group of monuments at the Sagar Talao and the Darya Khan complex.
The other interesting places to visit in the fort complex are the museums at the Taveli Mahal and the Chhappan Mahal. The former has a collection of artefacts, some sculptures belonging to the 11th and 12th centuries and stone slabs with Quranic text.
The Chhappan Mahal, a forgotten mausoleum constructed in the 16th century, has a reasonably good, though unorganised, collection of Hindu sculptures and statues of Jain Tirthankaras. There are also galleries documenting tribal cultures.
One of the sculptures at the Chappan Mahal.
Details of a statue in the Chappan Mahal.
Baz Bahadur’s reign also saw a decline in Malwa’s fortunes.
After offering a stiff resistance to the Mughals, he later joined Akbar’s service, and the region became a suba of the Mughal Empire.
The Marathas, under Peshwa Baji Rao I, took control of Malwa in 1732 and shifted the capital back to Dhar. Mandu thus became a ghost town. However, its cultural legacy still lives on.
The region was an active ground for mutually enriching interactions between Islamic and Indian cultural traditions and this could be seen in the development of arts, literature and painting.
The Jal Mahal.
Persian remained the court language of the sultans of Malwa and the region attracted many scholars and theologians. There was growth in historical writings, translations and Hadith literature, and the region became known as “an object of envy to Shiraz and Samarqand”. Sufism, particularly Chisti and Shattari silsilas, became popular in Malwa while Jainism also gained a foothold.
Hindi and Sanskrit were patronised by Mahmud Khalji I, Ghiyas Shah and Nasir Shah, and many transcriptions, commentaries, and treatises were written or compiled. Hindi gained enormous popularity under Baz Bahadur. He was intensely devoted to music and poetry.
Rupmati herself composed poetry in Hindi and left behind a tradition still common among the bards of Malwa.
The sultans also patronised paintings, as is evident in Mandu’s Kalpasutra and the illustrated cookbook Nimatnamah. The fusion of Persian and Indian elements led to a growth of a new style, which inspired painting traditions in Jaunpur and Mewar.
Shashank Shekhar Sinha has taught history at undergraduate colleges in the University of Delhi. He is now doing independent research on issues relating to culture and heritage.
source: http://www.frontline.in / Frontline / Home> Arts & Culture> Heritage / by Shashank Shekhar Sinha / print edition : September 18th, 2015
Crossing hurdles:Dildar Ahmed Shapo, who is on a mission from Kashmir to Kanyakumari to mobilise and inspire those on wheelchair, reached Chennai. —Photo: B. Jothi Ramalingam
From Kashmir to Kanyakumari, Dildar Ahmed Shapo’s journey is one of grit and mental strength
Every day, for the last 20 days or so, Dildar Ahmed Shapo has been waking up at midnight, getting dressed, having a cup of tea and a biscuit before getting into his modified car to drive 500 kilometres.
Since August 19, Mr. Shapo, a wheelchair user, has travelled to over 20 towns in 10 states to say: ‘being confined to a wheelchair does not mean it’s the end life of your life.’
“I was 18 when a freak accident put me on a wheelchair. For eight years, I waited to die,” says the 39-year-old from southern Kashmir, who was in Chennai on Sunday. He recalls: “Back then, there were no rehabilitation centres where I lived and it took me a long time to recover. It was even more painful as I was the breadwinner of the family at the time of the accident.”
Speaking to wheelchair users across the country in his travels, he says he has seen that even his own home was inaccessible, let alone public spaces. “Very few wheelchair users go to school as the space is not accessible and even fewer are financially independent. When it comes to marriage, I have seen women marrying men on wheelchairs but not the other way around,” he says.
During talks in schools and rehabilitation centres, he focuses on mental strength. “I encourage them to be tough and to focus on a destination, a goal. While looking out of a window, you do not see your wheelchair,” he elucidates.
Mr. Shapo’s aim is to bring wheelchair users and organisations that work with them together, across the country, and perhaps create a pan-India portal. He will be visiting Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Odisha, West Bengal, the Northeast and other States before completing his trip.
While a majority of spinal injuries are caused by road accidents, there are also many caused by construction site accidents, sports injuries, surgeries gone wrong as well as congenital defects, points out S. Vaidyanathan, a volunteer at The Spinal Foundation, a self-help group for people with spinal cord injuries. On September 25, Mr. Shapo is hoping to reach Delhi, where ‘India Spinal Cord Injury Day’ is to be launched.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Chennai / by Zubeda Hamid / Chennai – September 14th, 2015
Manjeri native 17-year-old Aflah Madasseri adores Thomas Alva Edison and dreams to become like him one day. But to become an entrepreneur, his High School teacher Nasar was the inspiration. Seeing his English teacher takes his classes with his inner sight, Aflah always wanted to do something for him to help him as he was blind.
His thoughts have finally become the product, Blind Torch which got second prize in the contest held as part of the YES CAN 2015 event to find out innovative ideas.
Blind Torch is a device for guiding a blind person. The device has ultrasonic wave emitters which senses the obstacles in front of users and gives velocity information of obstacles to analyse the route and helps to walk safely.
Aflah has completed plus two from the Government School in Manjeri and wants to pursue mechanical engineering.
“Blind Torch is a device with only the size of a mobile phone. Blind people can carry it and can walk safely even without a white cane. The device can be made for Rs 500. I have applied for a patent for Blind Torch,” Aflah said.
He is also looking at funding options for the product. “I want to concentrate on entrepreneurship and studies together,” he adds.
Aflah, who came to receive the award with his father Ummer Madasseri and mother Sajida, wants to become an entrepreneur.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Kochi / by Express News Service / September 13th, 2015
Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh, during his recent visit to Myanmar (erstwhile Burma), offered floral tributes at the memorial of last Mughal emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar which lies at 6 Ziwaka Road in Dagon, Yangon. Prime Minister, accompanied by his wife Gursharan Kaur and External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna, offered prayer at the graveyard/mazar of the former ruler, who died four years after he was exiled to Yangon following his defeat in the 1857 war of independence.
It has been a tradition for the dignitaries from India, Pakistan and Bangladesh to pay their visit to the graveyard of the Mughal emperor and pay their respect. It is said that Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose started his “Delhi Chalo” campaign in 1942 after paying his respect to the former emperor. Rajiv Gandhi during his official visit to Myanmar in Dec. 1987 paid his tribute to the grave. He wrote in the visitor’s book placed at the grave: “Although you (Bahadur Shah) do not have land in India, you have it here, your name is alive… I pay homage to the memory of the symbol and rallying point of India’s first war of independence….”
Bahadur Shah Zafar [Photo Courtesy: exoticindia.es]The Great Uprising of 1857
Bahadur Shah was 82 years old and in poor health when the revolting sepoys from Meerut stormed into the palace on 11 May 1857. According to William Dalrymple (The Last Mughal, 2006), sepoys and cavalrymen from Meerut numbering 300 rode into Delhi in the morning and massacred Christian men, women and children they could find in the city, and proclaimed Bahadur Shah as their leader and emperor. Bahadur Shah gave his blessing to the sepoys. A.G. Noorani (Indian Political Trails 1775-1947) writes, “Bahadur Shah was the one around whom both the communities rallied as a symbol of revolt and unity…In him have still been centered the hopes and aspirations of millions. They have looked upon him as the source of honour, and, more than this, he has proved the rallying point not only to Muhammadans, but to thousands of others with whom it was supposed no bond of fanatical union could possibly be established.”
The outbreak started in Meerut and Barrackpur from January to May 1857, and then spread to Lucknow, Allahabad, Ghaziabad, Delhi, Allahabad, Kanpur, Jhansi, Gwalior, Bareilley, Madras, Bombay, and several places in Punjab. Leaders like Nana Sahib, Tantia Tope, Bhakt Khan, Azimullah Khan, Rani Laxmi Bai, Begum Hazrat Mahal, Kunwar Singh, Maulvi Ahmadullah, Bahadur Khan, Rao Tula Ram and Raja Nahar Singh of Punjab led the local uprisings.
Within 4 months the uprising was crushed by the British with a strong hand. Poets and princes, mullahs and merchants, Sufis and scholars were hunted down and hanged. Palaces, mosques, shrines, gardens and houses of Mughal Delhi were destroyed. The properties of the Muslims were confiscated. All the leaders of the uprising were either killed or drove out of India.
Bahadur Shah surrendered on 21 Sept. 1857. The next day, Major William Hodson set out to Humayun Tomb to arrest his sons, Mirza Mughal and Mirza Khizr Sultan, and his grandson, Mirza Abu Bakr. Hodson took the princes to Sher Shah Suri’s outpost, then known as Kabuli Darwaza or Lal Darwaza. They were stripped naked and shot. Since the incident the outpost came to be known as Khooni Darwaza. Hodson paid the price for his misdeeds. A few months after the shoot-out, he was killed at Begum Kothi in Lucknow on 11 Mar. 1858.
With the arrest of Bahadur Shah the four centuries of Mughal rule in India came to an end and the Mughal emperor was made a prisoner. He was brought to the walled city and kept under house arrest. Sadly, the poet was not given even a pen to write while in captivity. He scribbled some of his last verses on the wall with a burnt stick.
The Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh signing the visitors book during his visit to the Mazar of Bahadur Shah Zafar, in Yangon, Myanmar on May 29, 2012.
Last Days of Bahadur Shah
Bahadur Shah’s trial began on 27 Jan. 1858 and ended on 9 Mar. 1858. The trial recommended the transportation of Bahadur Shah to Burma. In Oct 1858, Bahadur Shah accompanied, according to William Dalrymple, by his wife Zinat Mahal and 2 sons Mirza Jiwan Bhakt and Mirza Shah Abbas and daughter-in-law and wife of Jawan Bhakt, Shah Zamani Begum (generally referred to as Raunaq Zamani, the granddaughter of the emperor), who all chose to follow the emperor departed from Delhi for Calcutta, where they were placed on board a warship called Magara and taken to Rangoon.
In Burma British Commissioner Captain H. Nelson Davies received Bahadur Shah and his family. The family was then lodged in a quarter near the Shwe Dagon Pagoda under the supervision of Nelson Davies. The family was provided 4 rooms each of 16 ft. sq., one allotted for Bahadur Shah, another for Jawan Bhakt and his wife Zamani Begum, the rest for Zinat Mahal and Shah Abbas. Pen, ink and paper were completely forbidden. The family was provided 4 Indian attendants (a chaprasi, water carrier, washer-man and a sweeper).
Bahadur Shah died on Nov. 7, 1862 at the ripe old age of 87. Fearing another revolt the last rites of the emperor was performed without informing anyone. The janajah was performed by an old Moulana along with the two princes. After a week Nelson Davies informed about the death of the emperor to the higher officials in London. He wrote in his letter, “Have since visited the remaining State Prisoners- the scum of the reduced Asiatic harem; found all correct…The death of the ex-king may be said to have no effect on the Mohamedan part of the populace of Rangoon, except perhaps for a few final triumph of Islam. A bamboo fence surrounds the grave, and by the time the fence is worn out, the grass will again have properly covered the spot, and no vestige will remain to distinguish where the last of the Great Moghuls rests.” The news of the death of Bahadur Shah reached Delhi a fortnight later.
In one of his couplet Bahadur Shah had lamented on the irony of his fate thus:
Umr-e-daraaz maang ke laye the char din/Do aarzu mein kat gaye, do intezar mein
Hai kitna badnasseb Zafar dafn ke liye/Do gaz zameen bhi mil na saki koo-e-yaar mein.
Na kisii kii ankh ka nur na kisii ke dil ka qarar hun/Jo kisii ke kam na a sake main vo ek musht-e-Gubar hun
Na to main kisii ka habiib hun na to main kisii ka raqiib hun/Jo bigar gaya vo nasiib hun jo ujar gaya vo dayar hun
hamane duniyaa mein aake kyaa dekha/dekhaa jo kucch so Khvaab-saa dekhaa/hai to insaan Khaak kaa putlaa/lekin paanii ka bulbulaa dekhaa)
I had requested for a long life a life of four days/Two passed by in pining, and two in waiting/How unlucky is Zafar! For burial/Even two yards of land were not to be had, in the land (of the) beloved./My life gives no ray of light, I bring no solace to heart or eye/Out of dust to dust again, of no use to anyone am I/Barred the door of the fate for me, bereft of my dear ones am I/The spring of a flower garden ruined/Alas, my autumn wind am I/I came into the world and what did I see?/Whatever I saw was just like a dream/Man is moulded from clay but/I saw him as a bubble of water.
In 1867 the family of Bahadur Shah was allowed to leave the prison enclosure and to settle elsewhere in the Rangoon cantonment. The long confinement made Shah Zamani Begum, who was just around 15 years old, became seriously ill suffering from extreme depression. She started getting blind. To improve her condition she along with her husband was given another house not far from the Rangoon jail. By 1872 Shah Zamani Begum became completely blind. Mirza Shah Abbas married a girl from Rangoon, a daughter of a local Muslim merchant. His descendants still live in Rangoon today. Zinat Mahal lived on alone, comforting her loneliness with opium. She died in 1886. Her body was buried near her husband’s grave. Few years later Mirza Jawan Bakht died of stroke. He was 42.
The Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh and his wife Smt. Gursharan Kaur pray after offering chadar at the Mazar of Bahadur Shah Zafar, in Yangon, Myanmar on May 29, 2012.
A delegation of visitors from India visited Burma in 1903 to pay their respects at the burial place of Bahadur Shah. By then, due to long years of neglect, the exact location of the graves of Bahadur Shah and his wife became uncertain. In 1905 the Muslims of Rangoon protest demanding that the grave of Bahadur Shah should be marked. The British authorities agreed in 1907 and a railing was also erected around an supposed site of the grave, and the engraved stone slab, marked, “Bahadur Shah, the ex-king of Delhi died at Rangoon Nov. 7th 1862 and was buried near this spot” and “Zinath Mahal wife of Bahadur Shah who died on the 17th July 1886 is also buried near this stone,” was placed.
Surprisingly, in Feb. 1991 labourers while digging a drain at the back of the shrine uncovered the original brick-lined grave of Bahadur Shah. It was found 3 feet under the ground, and about 25 feet away from the earlier supposed graveyard of the emperor. This original graveyard has over the years become a popular place of pilgrimage for the Burmese Muslims. The local Muslims, who believed Bahadur Shah as a powerful saint, come to seek his spiritual blessing and favours. A prayer hall was also constructed in front of the graveyard with Indian assistance, which was inaugurated on 15 Dec. 1994. Today the graveyard is managed by a trust named Bahadur Shah Zafar Mausoleum Committee. Before the military takeover in Myanmar, the shrine was managed by a trust set up by the descendants of Bahadur Shah.
[Photo Courtesy: PIB]
source: http://www.twocircles.net / TwoCircles.net / Home / by Dr. Syed Ahmed for TwoCircles.net / May 31st, 2012
Bollywood actors who make it big like to reward themselves after widespread popularity to an exotic vacation in Europe or the Caribbean but that’s not for everyone. Nawazuddin Siddiqui has a very different approach to vacations as compared to his colleagues in the film industry. The Manjhi- The Mountain Man actor was seen farming while on vacation to his native village in Uttar Pradesh.
He has been working back to back films and he deserves a break before he can get back to filming or listening to scripts for future projects. The actor wanted to go back to his village for quite some time reports Hindustan Times. He is relaxing at his native town and also indulging in some farming to make it a productive vacation.
Apparently Nawazuddin always does a bit of farming when he goes back to his village. He said that farming is his ancestral occupation and he has done it for nearly two decades. It gives him pleasure to as well and we love a people’s actor.
source: http://www.india.com / India.com / Home>Showbiz / by Rishabh Chakravorty / September 13th, 2015
Father of Hanjala Shafi, a boy from Begusaray district of Bihar, used to work at a shoe shop. Often he used to think if his life would go in the struggle for daily bread and butter.
Would his children have any better future?
Although his son Hanjala was a bright student, his condition was a big hurdle in making it big.
Source : Anand Kumar
A ray of hope and despair:
His father admitted him to a government school but the teachers were irregular and the school got shut down. To help in the family’s finances his Bua (paternal aunt) started working in a private school. After her persistent request she got him admitted to her school. Now things went smoothly as he did not have to worry about the school fee too.
But she got married after 3-4 years, leaving the school and the situation was bad again. He was asked to submit his fees and he couldn’t . On this, the school expelled him.
The guardian Angel and a dream:
Luckily, a teacher named Javed noticed this bright boy and assured him of fees, stating that he need not worry. Instead he should do something for which the world would look up to him.
Hanjala was relieved and immersed himself in books.
His one room home for everybody was too crowed for study, so he used to go out and study. He cleared his 10th exams and came to Patna with his mother with the dream of becoming an engineer in his eyes. He had heard much about super-30, so he wanted to get in to it. But the time was not on his side. The innocent mother and son got fooled by a similar sounding institute which asked them for fee.
His mother Yasmin sold the only jewellery she had for the fee. Soon they realized that it was not the Super-30 they were looking for. He passed 12th but could not get into engineering.
Now the bright Hanjala wished for another chance.
The second chance:
One day they reached me. With tears in her eyes her mother told the entire story. His father was earning 2800 a month and that wasn’t good enough for the family, leaving no choice for Hanjala. It melted my heart to hear his story.
I looked at the boy. He was sitting there with his head down. I felt that this bright kid needed a chance. And he was in our team. He was hard working and bright, he used to solve maths questions by different methods.
Our bond and beautiful memories:
In my batch there were only two Muslim kids. Considering them I declared holiday on Eid, and asked them to go home and celebrate it with family. Both the boys refused and said that when they had celebrated Holi, Diwali with me, we want to celebrate Eid as well. And we made ‘Sewai’ together, and enjoyed the festival.
That was a memorable ‘Eid’.
And the dream comes true:
Now came the time of test the 2013 IIT entrance exam. There was a spark in Hanjala’s eyes. Everybody was assured of his success. Hajala and his mother Yasmin had high hope in their eyes. And yes the result proved them right and he got a very good rank in the exam. Yasmin’s eyes were filled with tears when she came to me this time too, but for a very different and good reason.
A mother’s heart :
Today Hanjala is a second year student in IIT Delhi. Yasmin sometime visits us with her husband. They talk about many things, and help students here in cooking food. This mother says one Hanjala has got his dream come true and others are studying hard for the same. Hence, she never misses to take care of kitchen on their time of meal.
source: http://www.thelogicalindian.com / The Logical Indian / Home> Story Feed> Get Inspired / Anand Kumar / September 12th, 2015
Shehla Rashid Shora, the first Kashmiri girl to contest and win the Central Panel elections at the the Jawaharlal Nehru University, says that she found the political space in her state “too restricted”.
Shora, a candidate of left-backed All India Students Union (AISA), was sworn in as the JNU Students Union (JNUSU) Vice President amid shouts of “lal salaam” here yesterday.
The engineer-turned-activist polled 1,387 votes, maximum by any candidate this year. She trumped BJP youth wing ABVP’s Valentina Brahma by 234 votes.
“After studying engineering and management, I entered the corporate world only to be disillusioned by it. Turning an activist, I raised issues of juvenile justice and acid attacks in Kashmir but I found the political space there too restricted,” she said.
“At JNU, I found there is enough space to articulate your political spirit. The challenge, however, was to convince voters in favour of a Kashmir woman from a non-political background,” she added.
Asked about the issues she plans to focus on during her tenure, she listed 24X7 health centre, translation cell, reduction in minimum eligibility criteria for OBC students, more hostels and upgradation of on-campus safety.
Shora said she wants “to confront the rise of the right-wing ideology” to prevent it from changing the “real history”.
“Left has a progressive ideology and hence, a progressive understanding is needed in the society. There is a forthcoming neo-liberal attack on education, another anti-people onslaught of the BJP government, which we must resist,” she said.
Shora graduated in computer engineering from NIT, Srinagar, and studied political leadership at IIM Bangalore. At JNU, she is pursuing her MPhil in Law and Governance.
She said she is yet to take a call on pursing a career in mainstream politics. “But, I back the Left ideology and will continue to work for human rights issues, internet democracy and against privatisation of education.”
The new JNUSU panel took oath yesterday. Out of the total 22 candidates who tested their electoral fortunes for the Central Panel, Kanahiya Kumar, the nominee of CPI’ student wing All India Students’ Federation (AISF) bagged the Presidential post, opening the party’s account in the student union polls.
While the ABVP made a comeback to JNUSU after a gap of 14 years wresting the Joint Secretary post, AISA which had swept the polls during last two years, managed two seats-Vice President and General Secretary.
In the JNUSU polls held on September 11, more than 53 per cent students had exercised their franchise. 31 councillors belonging to several schools in JNU were also declared elected yesterday.
JNUSU is the representative body of the students in the varsity. The polls have been keenly contested over decades.
source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> National / by PTI / New Delhi – September 14th, 2015
![Bahadur Shah Zafar [Photo Courtesy: exoticindia.es]](http://www.mpositive.in/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/Zafar01MPOs14sept2015.jpg)
