A well compiled century by left-handed opener V.K. Fahad (104, 4x6s, 6x6s) and useful contributions from Kiran (87), K. Dilip (65) and Syed Zain (61) helped Vidyaranya CC to register a big 216-run win over Jawahars CC in the first round of the KSCA Mysore Zone Sri M. Gopalaswamy Memorial cricket tourney tie played at the Maharaja’s College grounds here on Wednesday.
Batting first, Vidyaranya CC scored 386 for six in 50 overs. In reply, Jawahars CC were restricted to 170 for seven in 50 overs. Faizan (67 n.o.) and Md. Ahmed Sherif (36) were the scorers. Medium-pacer M.G. Naveen took two for 34 for Vidyaranya CC.
Scores
Vidyaranya CC: 386 for 6 in 50 overs (V.K. Fahad 104, Kiran 87, K. Dilip 65, Syed Zain 61, Raghu 2 for 72, Keteshwar 2 for 78) bt Jawahars CC: 170 for 7 in 50 overs (Faizan 67 n.o., Md. Ahmed Sherif 36, M.G. Naveen 2 for 34).
source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> Sports News / January 07th, 2015
Mangalore University’s A. Dharun broke the men’s 400m hurdles record as he won his second gold at the 76th National inter-university athletics championship at Patiala on Friday. The 19-year-old Tamil Nadu-born Dharun had won the 400m flat on Thursday.
Meanwhile, Bharathiar’s University international Mohammed Salahuddin, son of former international Mohammed Nizamuddin, won the men’s triple jump gold while Mangalore’s K.A. Bharath and Lucknow’s Vijay Laxmi took the men’s and women’s 800m title.
The results: Men: 800m: 1. K.A. Bharath (Mangalore) 1:53.42s, 2. Anand K. Madhu (MGU, Ktm) 1:53.77, 3. Vellayatthevan (Madras) 1:53.83.400m hurdles: 1. A. Dharun (Mangalore) 51.34m NMR, OR 51.51; 2. Jasdeep Singh (Punjabi, Pat.) 52.63, E. Anees Rahman (MGU, Kt3. Mm) 53.58.E.
At the age of 104, Ustad Abdul Rashid Khan continues to enthral music lovers across the country with his vocal stamina, virtuosity and lyricism.Vandana Shukla has the honour of meeting the maestro
As he is brought to the stage, resplendent in silk kurtaadorned with gold chains, the audience gapes. His age alone makes him a phenomenon worth watching. By the end of his 90-minute recital, they are awestruck—Ustad Abdul Rashid Khan’s gamak taan can make a 25 year-old sulk for want of stamina. But there is no arrogance, only a childlike simplicity when the 104 year-old Ustad removes his black topi and shows us a layer of black hair sprouting from beneath his glorious silver. We wonder about his teeth; after a 100 years, the teeth are said to reappear as well. “The new ones will come only when the old ones fall,” chirps his grandson Bilal Khan, who accompanies him on the tabla.
A direct descendant and proponent of the third son of Miyan Tansen, Surat Sen, Ustad Abdul Rashid Khan sings like autumn leaves surrendered to the winds—in complete abandon. Sitting cross-legged while rendering Puriya Dhanashree, his arms spread like wings, releasing permutations of notes that even connoisseurs find hard to keep track of, floating across labyrinthine octaves. Those who came to the show to satisfy their curiosity about his age now find themselves impelled to stay mesmerised by his artistry. “He enjoys God’s blessings,” says eminent vocalist Pandit Ulhas Kashalkar. “Most vocalists can’t sing beyond the age of 80 years but he still sings with so much power.”
Ustad Abdul Rashid Khan has no concrete answers to offer on his longevity or mastery over music. All he allows us is a glimpse of an amazing mind and soul that live in complete surrender to the Almighty. He is creative like a child, energetic like a young man, and wise like a wizard. Two years ago, while arriving for a concert in Brindavan, he found people greeting each other with ‘Radhe Radhe’. He didn’t have any compositions using the term Radhe, though there were many with references to Krishna. Within 10 minutes of the drive that took him from the hotel to the concert hall, he composed two beautiful bandish.
The amazing vigour that defines Ustad Abdul Rashid Khan’s voice is as remarkable as his mesmerising control over complex notes
He still travels extensively, his concert tours sometimes running for a month at a stretch. We meet him in Chandigarh a day after he has performed at Kamani Auditorium in Delhi; the day before that, he was in Lucknow. In the days ahead, he will go back to Delhi for two consecutive concerts, and then to Varanasi and Allahabad. He attempts an explanation: “When I sing, only God is with me, I do not see anything; I do not do anything; everything is done by Allah!” His faith in the divine was reinforced many years ago. “I was close to
50 when I was given mercury in my food at Khagra in West Bengal,” he recounts. “In those days, when two artists engaged in a duel; one had to lose. The person who lost poisoned me out of envy. I lost my fingers and toes; how my vocal cords were spared was a miracle. I live so that I can sing, and it is His will.”
Ustad refuses to dwell upon what has been lost. “I don’t take any medication. I have only heard of older, and younger, people suffering from diabetes and high blood pressure,” he says with a chuckle. Still, he is a stickler for his routine—he doesn’t eat lunch because it interferes with his namaaz. He compensates with a good breakfast and dinner, which includes chicken, meat and a sweet, preferably rasmalai or gulab jamun.
His appetite for rhythm and rhyme is equally hearty. Gifted with a natural mastery over words—he has penned thousands of verses and compositions under the pen name Rasan Piya—Ford Foundation and ITC Sangeet Research Academy (ITCSRA) have recorded about 2,000 of his compositions for their archives. In the view of Ustad Mashkoor Ali Khan of the Kirana gharana, it is these recordings that enabled the world to learn about Ustad’s talent. “Once people heard him in Kolkata, they realised what a reservoir of knowledge he has,” he says. “It was then that ITCSRA decided to invite him to Kolkata. He has produced many shagird. He is an amazing vocalist; for his age it is no less than a miracle. This apart, he is an extraordinary composer.”
How many of his compositions does the Ustad remember? “Arre baap re!” he chortles. “I don’t remember anything. I just remember Allah.” Hundreds of bandish were, in fact, chewed by a goat, Bilal tells us teasingly and adds, “People plagiarise his compositions; somebody earned thousands of dollars by fusing his Bhairavi composition with French music, and recently I heard a group from Pakistan sing his composition as their own.” With his characteristically naughty smile, Ustad dismisses Bilal and says, “Let them steal; I will compose 10 new ones. Why should I feel sad over such triviality?”
As a child, he was forced by his father to leave kushti (wrestling), his great passion, fearing he might pull a muscle in the neck that might affect his vocal cords. “I had to leave akhada, I could not disobey,” he says. “He was my father and guru. In those days, discipline was foremost and so was obedience. My grandfather Ustad Bade Yusuf Khan was given the stage after 22 years of taleem. We were made to see that each raga had a personality, and you could not disrespect it by hurting its character, by singing it at a wrong time and season.” Those roots continue to nourish him. “Music has been my life and it has given me everything,” he says with candour. “Bismillah Khan, whom I revere, once asked violinist Dr M Rajam, who was heading the music department at Benaras Hindu University, to wait till he arrived. He wanted to hear my concert.” This is something he misses today, the paucity of good listeners who truly appreciated the value of music.
Does he, then, worry that the tradition is being diluted? “No,” he replies firmly. “There are organisations like ITCSRA, Devi Foundation and SPICMACAY [Society for the Promotion of Indian Classical Music and Culture Among Youth] that are doing a lot to save this tradition.” Part of this effort is to embrace change. For instance, girls were not taught music in his gharana—he deprived his own daughters of musical training—and his sons grew up to become contractors. But today, Ustad is proud of his female disciples, who include Rupali Kulkarni, Pampa Banerjee and Shashi Tripathi. “I was nine when Baba started teaching me,” recalls Kulkarni, a station director with Vividh Bharati. “He was as loving as a father while being an exacting teacher. He would get mejalebi, yet lay a lot of emphasis on varjish [exercise], telling me that controlling one’s breath and singing require a lot of stamina. He composed such difficult yet beautiful compositions for me.”
Ustad’s grandson Asad Ali Khan is equally fulsome in his praise—he is the only grandchild that Ustad has trained vocally and lives and travels with him, like Bilal. “In my opinion, there is no teacher in India more knowledgeable than Baba,” he says in a tone that borders on reverence. “He is my Baba; at the same time, he is the best teacher one could have. He never gave me special treatment and treated me like any other disciple. He never loses his temper, yet he makes us do what he wants. He is also fun to be with.”
Ustad too revels in the company of his disciples, particularly when they tour together for concerts. He speaks to them well into the night, not letting them sleep! “Why waste the night sleeping when there is so much to say and sing?” he wonders. When he is not on the road, he teaches music at Kolkata ITCSRA from 11 am to 4 pm. Ustad’s memory remains as active as the maestro himself. He still remembers all his students (past and present), the names of his 15 grandchildren, who all live in Rae Bareilly, and all the dates and places of significance to his life. He is reticent, though, on the subject of his wife—he lost her when his children were young and he appears to have drawn a gentle veil over that chapter. Indeed, setbacks or successes, the Ustad has handled them all with consummate dignity—and faith. As he tells us, “Himmat… sirf himmat se hi safar tay hota hai, aur himmat voh deta hai. (Only courage takes you along, and courage comes with His grace).
Featured in Harmony Magazine
December 2010
source: http://www.harmonyindia.org / Harmony India.org / Home> H People> Diary 100 / Featured in Harmony – Celebrate Age magazine, December 2010
Repository of the ancient wisdom of Unani medicine, 110 year-old Syed Mohammed Sharfuddin Quadri lives a Spartan and frugal life that has worked wonders for him, as Partha Mukherjee discovers
Almost 55 years ago, while I was journeying through a field in a cart, I caught sight of an old towering neem tree, immersed in soundless symphony with a swarm of fireflies. Barely five years old then, I didn’t know that the silhouette of a tree in hushed twilight silence would be a metaphor for a man around whom the sparkle of life never dims, even when ‘night’ tiptoes into his life.
Syed Mohammed Sharfuddin Quadri is famous for treating India’s first president Rajendra Prasad in Gaya in 1942-43 for breathlessness. Fondly known as Hakim saab, he has a photographic memory, sense of humour, never-say-die spirit and, above all, energy that never runs out. On 25 December 2011, he will turn 110. Yet he works for 17 hours at a stretch, preparing concoctions from dry fruits, herbs and roots and advising close to 100 patients (free of cost) every day. At 5 pm, every day through the year, Hakim saab attends to his patients at his Wellesley Square clinic in central Kolkata as well as those in the US. “Abba has patients all over America,” says his 40 year-old son Mohammed Sadique, who assists Quadri in his clinic. “He gives instructions to them over email or through a video conference. Earlier, he used to go to California, Los Angeles and New York, but now he’s restricted because of his gout.”
Sharfuddin Quadri answers all questions, except those about his achievements. Founder of the Unani Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata, Quadri published a magazine titled Hikmat-e-Bangala (Hikmat means Unani medicine) in 1959, which folded up soon for lack of funds. “Success means how much one has been able to help others,” he says, adding that he does honour the Padma Bhushan he was awarded by the President in 2007. He brings out the medal attached to his pocket by a silk ribbon. “I carry it to show my respect to the recognition of Unani treatment. Though I would be happier if I were given a grant so I could at least cover the place with a shed where my patients wait.” Indeed, patients wait for him for hours, sometimes till midnight, even in the rains. “There is no help from the government to collect herbs at a reasonable price,” adds Mohammed Sadique, Quadri’s youngest son (he has six siblings) who assists his father. “Sometime Abba is so frustrated that he thinks of giving up. If medicines aren’t available what is the use of continuing the treatment?”
From a family of hakim in the remote village of Kumrava in Nawada district of Bihar, Quadri trained in Unani treatment from Shafakhana Darsgah Tibbia (Gaya) in 1930. After immersing himself in the freedom movement, he started his practice in Calcutta where his family shifted in 1935-36. “Herbal medicines have a magical effect on our body; besides they have no side-effects,” he says sipping neem juice. If diagnosed, every disease responds to Unani treatment, Quadri claims, adding that with medication one must strictly follow instructions on diet and lifestyle as well. “During the diagnosis, one has to study the dam [blood], balgham [phlegm], safra[yellow bile], and sauda [black bile] of the patient [just like kapha, vata and pitta, the three dosha in Ayurveda], as they are the roots of all diseases,” he explains. “Anyone with any sort of ailment definitely has an abnormality in one of these.”
As for his own frugal diet—neem juice and half a piece of bread—he says, “The less you eat the more you live; the more you eat, the more you court ailments and health hazards. And to lead a healthy life you should have a healthy mind. My father lived to be 122 and never allowed any ignoble thought to cross his mind.”
How does he keep himself so physically fit even at 110? “I never sleep at night; I read books on Unani medicine when others are fast asleep. In the calm of the night, I try to explore things I don’t know about and let them melt into my inner self.” Unani medicine, he says, actually has its roots in Greece following extensive research by Hippocrates (460-377 BC). “It was he who laid the foundation of clinical medicine based on diet and symptoms.” He adds that a number of Greek scholars after Hippocrates—Galen (131-200 AD) followed by Arab physicians Rhazes (850-932 AD) and Avicenna (980-1037 AD)—enriched the system considerably. Rhazes and Avicenna authored Al-Hawi and Al-Qanun respectively, which were later translated into Latin and other European languages and taught in medieval European universities. They are said to have influenced western medical thought.
Unani medicine disappeared from the country of its origin, but found roots in India through Arab traders long before the Mughals. The Khiljis, Tughlaqs and Mughal emperors provided state patronage to Unani scholars and employed many as court physicians. The British imposed strict restrictions on every form of treatment but allopathy. Despite suspension of aid to Unani institutions, the system survived owing to the commitment ofhakim like Ajmal Khan, who served as the president of Indian National Congress in 1921—the Unani physician and scholar founded the Ayurvedic and Unani Medical College in Delhi.
Quadri reads till 4 am, when the city wakes up to fight for the day. “After my daily ablutions, I go to the mosque for namaz which involves many a yogic mudra—I do each of them,” he shares. “I walk back home at 5 am and sleep till 9, after which I go to my clinic. There’s no time to waste till 5 pm, when I go to the clinic, which I believe is the key to my fitness.”
Sharfuddin Quadri thanks his health for having been witness to an eventful century. The Dandi March with Mahatma Gandhi, confinement in Cuttack Jail and a memorable encounter with Maulana Abul Kalam Azad. “In 1943-44, in Ramgarh—then in Hazaribagh and now in Jharkhand—Maulana Azad was addressing the people and suddenly the skies opened up in a heavy downpur making everyone rush for sheds. Azad roared, ‘You are so scared of raindrops, what will happen when the British will rain bombs and bullets on you?’ And then no one moved even an inch.”
Finding his shadow lengthen by the day, Sharfuddin Quadri remembers Rabindranath Tagore through his lines and a brief meeting in 1912: Moron jedin diner seshe asbe tomar duare/sedin tumi kee dhan debe uhare?(When Death will knock at your door at the end of the day/What will you offer him as a gift?) “I wonder what I will be ready with to welcome the inevitable,” he signs off.
Featured in Harmony – Celebrate Age Magazine
July 2011
source: http://www.harmonyindia.org / Harmony India.org / Home> H People> Diary 100 / Featured in Harmony – Celebrate Age magazine, July 2011
RSRTC Chairperson Umrao Salodiya at press confrence where announced his decision to convert to Islam and apply for VRS from service, in Jaipur on Thursday. Photo: Rohit Jain Paras / The Hindu
After being denied the promotion that would make him the State’s Chief Secretary, senior IAS officer Umrao Salodia, a 1978 batch IAS officer from the Dalit community, on Thursday, appealed to Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje for Voluntary Retirement. Mr. Salodia, who alleged the Raje government of “victimising him on the basis of caste” also converted to Islam, on Thursday.
In a letter addressed to Ms. Raje, Mr. Salodia wrote: “For the first time after independence of the country, myself, an IAS officer from the SC/ST category would have been appointed today [on Thursday] as Chief Secretary [of Rajasthan] on the basis of seniority.”
In the letter, Mr. Salodia alleged that the current Chief Secretary C.S. Rajan was given a three-month extension, till March next year, to deny him the opportunity of becoming Rajasthan’s Chief Secretary.
“I hereby apply for Voluntary Retirement by giving a three-month notice under the All India Service Rules,” Mr. Salodia stated in the letter, adding that he must be granted the Voluntary Retirement as he did not wish to work under a junior officer.
In another drastic step, Mr. Salodia converted to Islam, on Thursday. While addressing the media he said that he believed in the equality that Islam, unlike Hinduism which discriminates on the basis of caste, offered to all its followers. “After conversion my name is Umrao Khan,” he said.
BJP dismisses claims
Rajasthan Parliamentary Affairs Minister Rajendra Rathore dismissed Mr Salodia’s claims. Addressing the media, on Thursday, Mr Rathore said that Mr Salodia had acted in violation of the law as he spoke against the government. “Mr Salodia’s allegations are baseless. Had the government discriminated on the basis of caste, the Rajasthan Assembly Speaker [Kailash Meghwal] would not be from the SC/ST community.”
“The government will get the matter investigated and will take a disciplinary action against Mr Salodia based on the results of the investigation,” Mr. Rathore said.
Congress condemns BJP govt
Condemning the Bharatiya Janata Party government in Rajasthan for “acts of discrimination against the Dalits”, Rajasthan Pradesh Congress Committee president Sachin Pilot said, “Mr Salodia’s appeal for Voluntary Retirement has put the working of the BJP government [in Rajasthan] under question. Also, it is tragic that the indifference of the BJP government led the senior officer to convert to Islam.”
Mr. Pilot added that Mr Salodia’s reaction is an expression of the increasing acts of discrimination against the Dalits in the State.
Mr Salodia, a 1978 batch IAS officer from Rajasthan cadre, is the Chairman of Rajasthan State Road Transport Corporation (RSRTC).
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> National> Other States / by Kavita Upadhayay / Jaipur – December 31st, 2015
DJ Hassan has been spinning magic since 2008. A remixer, producer, harmony-arranger and DJ trainer since seven years, Hassan has mastered his music in genres like house and electro Bollywood.
Though he started his journey by learning to spin hip-hop tracks, he is now devoting his time completely to Bollywood. A common name at club gigs and private events, DJ Hassan is known for belting out chartbusters and has his aces up his sleeve from ‘Desi Girl’ to ‘Dabangg’.
He is also a feted DJ internationally, in many places including Doha, Dubai and Sri Lanka.
How did 2015 treat you in the realm of music?
It was a great year for me. I went places and played all across the country. I mainly played at major parties. My biggest event was playing at a private party, where about 3000 people enjoyed the tunes that I spun.
What are you looking forward to in 2016?
All my shows. I plan everything two months in advance so I know that in the end, it will turn out great.
What’s the scenario like for young DJs entering the scene?
The younger lot have to struggle for about four years to survive in the market. Only then, they can establish themselves. Most people think that they can get by in DJing with high-end laptops and expensive mixers but without talent and hard work, they won’t be able to make a name for themselves in the industry.
Comment on the music scene in the City.
There is a lot of space to co-exist. People are extremely open-minded about classical, fusion, Western and Bollywood in Bengaluru.
There are also newer genres coming up by the day as youngsters listen to different kinds of music, travel more and are aware of world music. The crowd is the ‘shuffling’ sorts, who don’t stay in one place and have different influences in music, which is good for musicians and bands to experiment.
Álthough you started with hip-hop tracks and then moved to Bollywood, you are often considered as a Bollywood DJ. What is it that connects you to Bollywood music?
The sheer universality of the genre. It has a certain depth and is a genre that will stay on. At the end of the day, everyone wants to go back home and listen to Bollywood music.
The future of the DJ industry?
The youngsters are spoiling the market by accepting small-budget shows. They also don’t know how to attract the crowd in this industry. They should learn to stay true to themselves and their talent.
Your plans for the New Year?
I’m welcoming 2016 by playing an exclusive set on December 31 at Sutra, Lalit Ashok.
Any New Year resolutions?
I will get to know only in 2016.
source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> Supplements> MetroLife / by Anushka Sivakumar, DHNS / December 31st, 2015
