Monthly Archives: July 2018

Chikankari Embroidery

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Leaders, World Opinion, , , , , , , ,

Lucknow ,  UTTAR PRADESH :

Rehana Begum, a master of Chikankari work. Photo: R. Shivaji Rao | Photo Credit: R. Shivaji Rao
Rehana Begum, a master of Chikankari work. Photo: R. Shivaji Rao | Photo Credit: R. Shivaji Rao

A pantheon of craftsmen and their art are on display at Kaivalam, under way in Chennai. Rashmi R.D. introduces us to some Living Legends of Indian crafts. Meet Rehana Begum

“I learned from my father Shree Hasan Mirza, who received a national award in 1969 for his craftsmanship,” says fifty eight year old Rehana Begum.

Hailing from a long line of chikankari exponents, Rehana Begum began her work with this form of embroidery at the age of thirteen.

Chikankari dates back two centuries. The word chikan is thought to be derived from a Persian word; one theory is that the form travelled to India when its artisans migrated from Persia in search of better patronage. I t is believed that these artisans found a patroness in Mughal Empress Noor Jahan, wife of Emperor Jehangir, and that she did a lot to promote and popularize this craft form.

Rehana Begum works from her home in Thakur Ganj, Napier Road, Lucknow. “We are Lucknowi, born and bred.” Her whole family is involved with making Chikankari embroidery. They work as a group in one room which has become the embroidery room of the house.

“When I was younger we embroidered kurtas, topis, angarkhas jaise nawab log pehn te te (just like the nawabs used to wear). Now we do saris, suits (salwar kameez), ladies tops, whatever the new styles of dressing are in fashion now we embroider.”

Chikankari, she says, was traditionally done only on pure, un-dyed white shazaada cotton or Dhaka ki mulmul, both sourced from Dhaka, Bangladesh. The katcha daagha, the thread used for the embroidery, was also white and procured from Calcutta or Dhaka. Rehana Begum defines Chinkankari in her terms as ‘white on white’ embroidery.

“The first thing I made all by myself was a table cover. It took me one and half years to complete.”

And how long does it take to embroider a sari? “About two years. We usually work six to eight hours a day. My eyes aren’t what they used to be, so now I only do about two hours of embroidery work a day. I spend the rest of the time supervising the work of my apprentices and teaching them the various stitches.”

Rehana Begum takes her inspiration for her embroidery motifs from Mughal architecture. The delicate marble jaali (trellis) pattern of Mughal-style windows and parapet walls is transposed onto the fabric as a fine gossamer trellis of thread work. She also replicates the inlay patterns from Mughal monuments on the fabric she embroiders.

Chikankari has six basic stitches and over thirty-five other traditional stitches used in various combinations based on what the pattern to be embroidered requires. The names of some of these stitches are phanda, chana patti, ghaas patti, bijli, jaali, tepchi, bakhiya, hool, zanzeera, rahet, banaarsi, kharau, keel kangan, bubul and hath kadi. Depending on the type of garment and the pattern to be embroidered the entire process happens in a series of stages over a period of months or even years. Also, the embroidery itself is divided among the artisans, with pairs or groups of three or more specializing in one particular stitch. When one group completes their particular stitch for a garment, it is passed on to the next group to add their specialty stitch. One group may also have mastery of two or more stitches.

The pattern to be embroidered is stamped onto the fabric by hand with a wooden pattern block that has been coated with neel (indigo). The fabric now has the outlines of the designs that will be embroidered into the delicate ‘shadow’ embroidery motifs that are the defining feature of Chikankari.

“I would like to open a shop of my own someday,” Rehana Begum says hopefully. “What we kaarigars (artisans) get at the end of the day, after the shops and agents have taken their percentage—it isn’t much. I’d like to be able to meet directly with people who want to buy our work. Maybe we should have something like a kaarigar market…”

She and her family do travel extensively to participate in national textile fairs and handicraft exhibitions, but though sales are good, the travel costs add up. The price of raw materials has increased too, with good quality cotton and thread getting steadily more expensive.

“I love what I do,” she says emphatically. “There’s no way I could have done this for so long if I didn’t. I get a lot of satisfaction when I finish a piece. I have a large sample swatch that I take with me to exhibitions or when I get called to travel abroad. It took me three years to embroider. When I show it to people they are always amazed by the work. I feel very happy when I see their reactions.”

Rehana Begum has been invited to show case her work in Hamburg (Germany), Ireland, Cuba, Dubai and Muscat (Oman).

In 1976, she was given a State Award from the Uttar Pradesh government, and her work has been on display in the Crafts Museum of Uttar Pradesh. In 2003 she received the Shilp Guru award for her contribution to Chikankari.

“I am excited about coming to Chennai in October. I haven’t been to that city in a long time. I see it as an opportunity to show the international artisans who will be attending this event that Hindustan has great craft talent. They will be able to see what a wealth of kaarigars we have. Jo bhi kaarigar waha maujood honge, hum sab milkar hamare desh ka naam roshan karenge. (All of the artisans who gather for this event, together we will make the name of our country shine).”

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Indian Crafts> Crafts / by Rashmi M.D. / Chennai – October 10th, 2012

Young achievers honoured by Stars of North East

Community Involvement / Social Issues, Education, Leaders, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Burnihat, ASSAM  :

Armeen Shahneela, Flying Officer, Indian Air Force; Salma Hussain, human rights worker; and Anjim Sabiha, research scholar, Jamia Millia Islamia University Delhi at the “Star Talk Seven” event held at Burnihat on Saturday
Armeen Shahneela, Flying Officer, Indian Air Force; Salma Hussain, human rights worker; and Anjim Sabiha, research scholar, Jamia Millia Islamia University Delhi at the “Star Talk Seven” event held at Burnihat on Saturday

Guwahati:

Three young achievers  -all girls and path breakers were felicitated at the “Star Talk Seven” event organised at the Goat Research Station Auditorium at Burnihat on Saturday. Anjim and Armeen received the “Star Role Model Award” given by the Unity Education Foundation, Guwahati. They were also presented gifts by the University of Science & Technology Meghalaya (USTM). Fauzia Khan, MD of Ascentials, presented diamond jewellery to the achievers.

Along with the girls their proud parents were also facilitated.

Anjim Sabiha and Armeen Shahneela sisters from Puronigudam Assam are both top achievers in their respective fields.

Anjim Sabiha, research scholar, Jamia Millia Islamia University Delhi and Armeen Shahneela, Flying Officer, Indian Air Force, who received “Star Role Model Award” at a function held at Burnihat on Saturday are seen together
Anjim Sabiha, research scholar, Jamia Millia Islamia University Delhi and Armeen Shahneela, Flying Officer, Indian Air Force, who received “Star Role Model Award” at a function held at Burnihat on Saturday are seen together

Anjim Sabiha is pursuing her PhD from Jamia Millia Islamia University New Delhi and has been selected for presentation of a research paper titled “Women Empowerment through Microfinance in Assam” at the forthcoming International Conference on “Empowering Women: Fostering Entrepreneurship, Innovation and Sustainability” to be held in Delhi on 16-17 July.

Her sister Armeen Shahneela, an alumnus of Jorhat Engineering College Assam, was commissioned as a Flying Officer of Indian Air Force at the Investiture programme at Hyderabad Air Force Academy where she was commissioned by Admiral Sunil Lanba, PVSM, AVSM, ADC, Chief of the Naval Staff on Dec 6, 2017. On Sunday, Armeen is reporting for duty at one of the Indian Air Force bases in the North East.

Armeen Shahneela, Flying Officer, Indian Air Force receiving the “Star Role Model Award” from Abu Zakaria, IT & software entrepreneur, at the “Star Talk Seven” event held at Burnihat on Saturday.
Armeen Shahneela, Flying Officer, Indian Air Force receiving the “Star Role Model Award” from Abu Zakaria, IT & software entrepreneur, at the “Star Talk Seven” event held at Burnihat on Saturday.

And the third star Salma Hussain, a youngster from Sontoli Village in Kamrup Rural District of Assam, has been selected for the Andi Leadership Institute Programme 2018 for Young Women Peace Builders. One among only eight young women selected from all over the world and only one from India, Salma will undergo training from August 5 to18, 2018 in Washington, D.C.

Salma plans to visit a few other places and meet important human rights workers to gather ideas for implementing her dream project of adopting a village in Assam and make it a model abode of peace.

Members of Stars of North East, guests and students from Shaheen Academy Guwahati are seen together with Anjim Sabiha, research scholar, Jamia Millia Islamia University Delhi and Armeen Shahneela, Flying Officer, Indian Air Force at an event held at Burnihat on Saturday.
Members of Stars of North East, guests and students from Shaheen Academy Guwahati are seen together with Anjim Sabiha, research scholar, Jamia Millia Islamia University Delhi and Armeen Shahneela, Flying Officer, Indian Air Force at an event held at Burnihat on Saturday.

source: http://www.twocircles.net / TwoCircles.net / Home> Education> Event> Indian Muslim / Guwahati – July 08th, 2018

When the Vellore sepoys rebelled

Amazing Feats, Community Involvement / Social Issues, Freedom Fighters (under research project), World Opinion, , , , , , ,

Vellore, TAMIL NADU (formerly MADRAS) :

Site of awakening: The Vellore fort today. Photo: Curator, Government Museum, Vellore
Site of awakening: The Vellore fort today. Photo: Curator, Government Museum, Vellore

Though it preceded the First War of Independence by almost 50 years, not much is known of this brief act of valour by the sepoys of the Vellore fort.

In the late-18th Century, the fakeers played a key role in spreading the message of unity amongst Indians and the need to throw out the British.

AT three, in the stealth of the dawn, on July 10, 1806, when it was still very quiet and the calm enveloped the Vellore fort, the doors of the native barracks suddenly flung open. Five hundred brave Indian sepoys were on the threshold of a mutiny they had so carefully plotted. Armed with muskets, they tiptoed out, dragging in their midst two heavily muffled six-pounder guns. They reached the European barracks, briefly halted, lifted the muskets to their shoulders and waited expectantly. The signal they anticipated was issued presently. It was at once fire works that shattered the still and the quiet. Windows and glass crashed while the English inmates woke up to their peril. Either they were killed in their beds whilst in deep slumber or were put down while running out in night robes trying to make sense of the pandemonium that had broken out so suddenly.

Losing direction

The Vellore War of Independence against the East India Company occupation was now well on its bloody course with all the trappings of romance associated with mutinies manifesting itself on that fateful morning. Underdogs defying authority, secretive planning, courage against intimidating authority, bravery and fearlessness towards death – all moved by a deep sense of right being on their side. By the time the smoke cleared and the guns became quiet by 5 a.m., about 15 British officers and about 100 English soldiers had been killed.

Col. Fancourt, the Commander of the Fort and Garrison was the first to be shot. Jamaidar Shaik Cossim, one of the principal leaders of the rebellion, had arranged to hoist Tipu’s Mysore flag over the fort signalling that the fort had been taken over. As the flag was fluttering proudly, the course of the mutiny floundered and lost its sense of direction and purpose.

Some of the sepoys started looting the houses of the Europeans, whilst others were busy abusing sepoys who did not take part in the mutiny. Yet others were conducting inconclusive discussions with Tipu’s sons, who were held captive within the fort, to come out openly and lead. Tipu’s princes hesitated and vacillated.

Though this rebellion preceded the First War of Independence (Sepoy Mutiny of 1857) by over 50 years, it has not been given the importance and significance it deserves as a determined early attempt to throw out imperialism and alien rule from Indian soil. We will take a brief pause from the fast-paced events of that fiery morning and analyse the causes for and significance of this rebellion before coming back to July 10, 1806 once again to complete our story.

Key influence

At the time of the Mutiny, the Vellore fort was station to the following Infantry Military units.

Battalions of the 69th Regiment and 23rd Regiment with 1,500 native troops and about 370 white officers and men present inside.

And great dissatisfaction was brewing amongst the Indian troops on various counts. And this had a good deal to do with the Fakeer Movement of the late 18th Century.

These fakeers were mystic mendicants (at times doubling up as mercenaries!) commanding the respect and affection of both Hindus and Muslims. In large numbers, they went from town to town conducting discourses, prayers and even puppet shows. They played a key role in spreading the message of unity amongst Indians and the need to throw out the British. They often got in touch with sepoys and native officers and instigated them to rebel. Their methods were secretive and the appeal powerful. These fakeers fanned all over the South and hence one can see that in the early 19th Century, there were several rebellions in the South.

The Chittoor polygors fighting the British between 1804 and 1805, the Travancore Mutiny in the same period and the Madurai outbreak of 1804 are examples to cite.

The famous valiant Wayanad hero, Pazhassi Raja gave the English anxious times till his capture and death in 1805. There was a ground swell of nationalism and a strong undercurrent of hope. And the fakeers sure had a significant role to play. Cantonments from Wallajahbad to Palayamkottai had been caught up in this freedom fervour.

The fakeers had a simple and enduring message: “we are many and they are few”.Like the gunpowder in the cartridge that needs a spark to ignite, the spark for the Vellore uprising came in the form of new uniform regulation announced by John Cradock in March 1806.

Cradock was the Commander-in-Chief the Madras Army. A new cap was prescribed in place of the turban and caste markings on the face were prohibited. The beard was to go. The hair over the upper lip was to be regulated and the wearing of earrings abolished. The troops saw this as the first step to Europeanisation and conversion to Christianity. Hindu and Muslim soldiers resented the regulations. Muslim soldiers expressed solidarity with Hindu sepoys who despised the use of cow leather in the new cap prescribed in the revised uniform regulation issued by the office of Cradock. Hindus and Muslims together rose as one in the name of religion and liberty.

Yet another factor that helped shape events in Vellore was the presence of Tipu’s family in the fort. They were confined and housed in the palaces and mahals formerly of the Nawabs of Arcot which lay within the precincts of the fort. After his heroic death on May 4, 1799, Tipu’s 12 sons and six of his eight daughters were brought to Vellore along with a retinue of servants and the party totalled 1,378.

In Vellore town itself a number of people had settled down following Tipu’s heirs. A certain Lt. Col. Marriott (pay master of Stipends) and his brother Capt. Marriott (the assistant paymaster) were in charge of the privileged prisoners.

Ironic twist

The presence of Tipu’s princes undoubtedly inspired the sepoys. Ironically, the princes perhaps did not provide decisive and inspiring leadership to the uprising.

Prince Moiz-ud-Deen is reported to have conducted some parleys with the leader of the uprising and Prince Fettah Hyder offered support in the early phase of the planning, albeit not too openly. Prince Moiz is said to have met key leaders like Subedar Noor Mohamed, Subedar Shaik Hossain and Jamaidar Shaik Cossim prior to July 10.

After assuming control of the fort, when Sheik Cossim and the others asked the princes to come out and openly lead them, the princes were insisting that they see the body of Lt. Col. Marriott first. This response did not help the course of the uprising which was already beginning to lack organisation.At that point and at about 9.30 am on July 10, 1806, Col. Gillespie of the 19th Dragoons, commanding the Cavalry Cantonment 16 miles away at Arcot, reached Vellore to put down the Mutiny. One Major Coates of the 23rd Regiment had earlier dispatched a letter through an officer at around 6 a.m. to the Arcot Cavalry unit seeking help. Gillespie arrived with an advance force. Lt. Col. Kennedy from the same cavalry reached a little later with heavy guns.

Swift end

The dislocated mutineers did not regroup in proper defence. The gates were blasted open by the 19th Dragoons and they stormed in. The rebelling native sepoys were mercilessly hounded and killed. It is reported that around 800 of them were found dead at the fort alone. More lives were evidently lost. By 2 p.m. in the afternoon the rebellion had not only been completely silenced but had come to be a brief pale memory of heroism – a flicker that was sadly extinguished.

As was expected, the British ordered a Court of inquiry into the events. It was also considered risky to keep the Tipu’s family in Vellore, so close to the seat of their former glory. They were taken and resettled in faraway Calcutta. The news of the Vellore War of Independence had sent shockwaves in England. The Governor, William Bentinck and Commander-in-Chief of the Madras Army, Sir John Cradock both were recalled on this count.

Historians should do more to research this not so well documented act of heroism, to inquire into questions like the impact of this event on the 1857 great rebellion.

Commemorating this unique rebellion, the State Government on the Bicentennial Anniversary held a function on July 10, 2006 with the Chief Minister participating and releasing a special volume on the Vellore uprising.

Voluntary groups and students are planning cycle rallies to Vellore to take home to the people of India the message of sacrifice behind these sepoys who dared to rebel so that we may live in a free country.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Features> Sunday Magazine / by A. Rangarajan / August 06th, 2006

Former minister B.A. Moideen passes away

Books (incl.Biographies - w.e.f.01 jan 2018 ), Education, Karnataka (under research project), Leaders, , , , , , , ,

Mangaluru, KARNATAKA :

B.A. Moideen. File photo. | Photo Credit: H.S. Manjunath
B.A. Moideen. File photo. | Photo Credit: H.S. Manjunath

Former Karnataka Higher Education Minister B.A. Moideen passed away in a hospital in Bengaluru on Tuesday. He was 81.

Born to Abdul Khader and Haleema at Pejawar in Bajpe village in May 1938, Moideen, joined Congress in 1969 and held various positions in the party before getting elected to Karnataka Legislative Assembly in 1978 from Bantwal assembly constituency in Dakshina Kannada district. However, he was denied party ticket to contest subsequent elections following which he joined Janata Dal in the later days.

Moideen was a member of the Legislative Council for two terms, from 1990 to 2002. He was the Minister for Higher Education in the J.H. Patel government between 1995 and 1999, when he earned the name of a honest administrator. He rejoined the Congress later. Moideen, a staunch follower of D. Devaraj Urs, was conferred with the Devaraj Urs Award instituted by the State Government in 2016.

Moideen’s autobiography, Nannolagina Naanu (Me within Me) was to be released shortly. Though he was reluctant to pen down his life,  two writers, Muhammed Kulai and B.A. Muhammad Ali, coaxed him to do so and wrote the book.

Moideen, recalling his early political days, was learnt to have blamed three senior Congress leaders, M. Veerappa Moily, B. Poojary Poojary and Oscar Fernandes for his political debacle after 1983. “I didn’t do any harm to them and in fact had helped them when needed. Yet I can’t understand why they did hold grudge against me,” he had said.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Karnataka / by Special Correspondent / Mangaluru – July 10th, 2018

Refugees crisis of our time

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Books (incl.Biographies - w.e.f.01 jan 2018 ), Community Involvement / Social Issues, World Opinion, , , , , , ,

Kolkata, WEST BENGAL :

MokterMPOs10jul2018

The world saw its worst refugee crisis between 1988 and 1994, coinciding with the end of the so-called Cold War, increasing globalisation and civil wars along ethnic lines.

After two decades of relative ease, 2015 and 2016 again witnessed an upsurge in refugee population, starting with the Syrian crisis and the latest, the Rohingya exodus from Myanmar.India is home to nearly 2 million refugees, with a large percentage coming from China (including a large number of Tibetan refugees) and Sri Lanka (which was torn by civil war from 2006-09).

A book called “Dui Hazar Ekush”for the Refugees worlwide is published today at Kolktata Press Club. Renown Poet & Journalist Mokter Hossain Mondal has written this book for the Refugees people in Mynanmar and Syria. He dedicated this book to the refugees people across the globe.
The cover of this book has been unveiled by Ayesha Noor, three time gold winner in karate championship who dwelt in a slum area in Kolkata.
The life story of the footpath dwellers and the life story of the Refugees of Syria, Somalia & Rohingya people were narrated in this book. Here the poet tried to make the way to solve their problems.
This book has been published by Disha Prakashani.
source: http://www.financialsamachar.com / F Samachar / Home> Metrolife / July 05th, 2018

Meerut scissors struggle to cut through Chinese competition

Business & Economy, Leaders, World Opinion, , , , , , , ,

Meerut, UTTAR PRADESH :

GI Tag Product Buyers demanding local high quality product at the price of Chinese scissors, say manufacturers.

Sunil Sharma / HT Photo(“The cottage industry that used to manufacture around two lakh pieces a month, has declined to almost 40% of its size now.”)
Sunil Sharma / HT Photo(“The cottage industry that used to manufacture around two lakh pieces a month, has declined to almost 40% of its size now.”)

The Meerut scissors are straining to cut through the intense competition being offered by low-cost Chinese scissors that are flooding the domestic market, say local businessmen. Despite being a WTO geographical indication (GI) registered product since 2013, the scissors are still to find the national and international recognition that is deserved, they say.

“Meerut scissors have a unique identity. For centuries, this was a popular product across the country. But the industry received a set back in the past one year with the imposition of 18% GST. That and the inflow of low-cost Chinese’s scissors in the domestic market badly impacted the sales, and there is no sign of improvement,” said Sharif Ahmad, a seventh generation craftsman and the owner of Asli Akhuji Scissors Works.

“The cottage industry that used to manufacture around two lakh pieces a month, has declined to almost 40% of its size now,” he added.

Octogenarian Saeed Ahmad, who has been running ‘Sheikh Scissors’ since 1965, agrees. “I have never seen such a bad condition of the industry in the past five decades. This is due to imposition of high tax and Chinese scissors flooding the market,” he said.

Manufacturer Farmanuddin said that many clients in South India cancelled orders for Meerut scissors over the past few months because of “escalated prices”. “We manufacture scissors ranging from size of 3 inches to 18 inches. They are priced from Re 1 to Rs 1,000. Our problem is that buyers have now started demanding our quality product at the price of Chinese scissors! We don’t know how to deal with this situation,” he said.

A 350-YEAR-OLD COTTAGE INDUSTRY

Scissors manufacturing is a 350-year-old cottage industry in Meerut.

A local blacksmith Akhunji is said to have combined two swords to cut leather in 1645 during the Mughal period, creating the first scissors in India.

“Since then, our family has been in the business,” said Sharif Ahmad who represents the seventh generation of the family. “Scissors manufacturing is still our family business. Gradually, the sizes and designs of the products changed. Today, our scissors are used for multipurpose cutting,” he said.

At present, Meerut has 225 small and medium scissors manufacturing units, out of which there are 30 registered units that feed only the domestic market. Although there are some vendors who cater to the overseas markets too, they don’t export directly.

More than 25,000 artisans and their families depend on this industry.

GI TAG IN 2013

Sharif Ahmad said the scissors manufacturers collected historic evidence for over two years to represent their case in front of the GI committee that examines documents before declaring a product GI certified.

Ahmad, who is also the vice president of the Meerut Scissors Manufacturers’ Special Purpose Vehicle — an association of scissors manufacturers — said that officials of the association worked hard to plead their case in front of the committee. “With our combined efforts, Meerut Scissors was certified as the country’s first GI scissors,” he said.

Association president Farmanuddin added, “We provided the GI committee with printed packing material, copy of Gazette and other evidences to support our claim that the scissors first originated here (in the country).”

However, he added that although it was a great achievement and a matter of pride for the city and the state, “very few people are aware of the Meerut scissors’ international status”.

Uttar Pradesh has only 20 GI products. Out of these, 15 are handicraft and two are agricultural products. Only three products from the state figure in the ‘manufactured’ category of GI products.

To recall, after the Meerut scissors received the GI tag, the then state government had established a scissors cluster at Lohia Nagar here in 2014. However, manufacturers assert that unless the issues of heavy taxation and competition from Chinese scissors were addressed, the industry would not revive.

GI PRODUCTS OF UP

  • Lucknow Chikan Craft (handicraft)
  • Mango Malihabadi Dussehri (agriculture)
  • Varanasi Glass Beads (handicraft)
  • Khurja Pottery (handicraft)
  • Saharanpur Wood Craft (handicraft)
  • Agra Durrie / Dari (handicraft)
  • Farrukhabad Cotton Print (handicraft)
  • Lucknow Zardozi (handicraft)
  • Banaras Brocades and Sarees (handicraft)
  • Meerut Scissors (manufactured)
  • Banaras Gulabi Meenakari Craft (handicraft)
  • Banaras Metal Repousse Craft (handicraft)
  • Varanasi Wooden Lacquer Ware & Toys (handicraft)
  • Mirzapur Handmade Dari (handicraft)
  • Nizamabad Black Pottery (handicraft)
  • Azara Ghansal Rice (agriculture)
  • Firozabad Glass (handicraft)
  • Kannauj Perfume (manufactured)
  • Kanpur Saddlery (manufactured)
  • Moradabad Metal Craft (handicraft)

INDIAN GI PRODUCTS IN ‘MANUFACTURED’ CATEGORY

  • Meerut Scissors
  • Mysore Agarbati
  • Coimbatore Wet Grinder
  • Mysore Sandalwood oil
  • Mysore Sandal Soap
  • Goa Feni
  • Nashik Valley Wine
  • Kannauj Perfume
  • Kanpur Saddlery

source: http://www.hindustantimes.com / Hindustan Times / Home> Cities> Lucknow / by S. Raju, Hindustan Times,Lucknow / July 09th, 2018

Meet the ‘mango man’ who has grown 300 varieties of mangoes on one tree

Amazing Feats, Business & Economy, Green Products, Leaders, World Opinion, , , , , , , ,

Malihabad (Lucknow District)  , UTTAR PRADESH :

HajiKalimullahKhanMPOs09jul2018

Last year, when newspapers and social media woke up to the news of a certain mango variety being dedicated to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, everyone’s attention shifted to 78-year-old “Mango crusader”. Hailing from Malihabad in Uttar Pradesh, Haji Kalimullah Khan is a mango cultivator who is either growing varieties of mangoes, experimenting with its flavors, naming a celebrity over each of the indigenous brands, or growing 300 varieties of mangoes on a single tree. Yes, you heard it right!

This sixth standard pass-out has pioneered the art of cultivating mangoes. He says,

Mango cultivation runs in our family, and we have been doing this for the past 300 years. Our ancestors in our rajwadas used to have huge mango orchards that grew beautiful hybrids. I cultivated a mango tree at the age of 17, which had seven varieties of mangoes in it, and all had different tastes and flavours.

Since then, I have been trying to grow new hybrids every year to show that it is possible to introduce newer varieties, he told NDTV.

Father of eight children, Kalimullah grabbed the headlines when he named a mango variety after Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and called it “NaMo Aam“. A hybrid of Kolkata’s Husn-e-Aara and Lucknow’s Dussehri, he plans to grow the variety at Modi’s hometown. In the past, he had dedicated mango varieties to yesteryear actor Nargis Dutt, Bollywood actor Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Cricket prodigy Sachin Tendulkar, and Anarkali, the popular character in the movie “Mughal-e-Azam.”

Source: AmarUjala
Source: AmarUjala

“The ‘NaMo’ mango will remain even when we are gone and will remind people of Narendra Modi and his success. We wish to meet him once. We will be very happy if he visits us once and sees the ‘NaMo aam’ ripen, he told Zee News .

He also grows a certain breed of guava, which on ripening becomes as red as an apple. Kalimullah is also the recipient of the Padma Shri award

source: http://www.yourstory.com / YourStory / Home> Social Story> Think Change India / June 07th, 2018

KT Impact: Dubai honours Indian boy for using Eid money to send out green message

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Community Involvement / Social Issues, Green Products, NRI's / PIO's, World Opinion, ,

Dubai,  U.A.E :

(KT File / Kiran)
(KT File / Kiran)

Mohammed distributed hand-decorated reusable ‘World Cup’ bags to a number of groceries.

A 10-year-old Dubai student who turned his love for the World Cup into an innovative way to reduce plastic bag waste, has been honoured by the Dubai Municipality (DM).

Following the Khaleej Times article on June 25, ‘Boy uses football frenzy to send a message against plastic waste’, Abdulmajeed Abdulaziz Saifaie, director of waste management department, was keen to meet the boy behind the story , Faiz Mohammed. And during a meeting between the two on Tuesday, he named the youngster one of the municipality’s ‘Sustainability Ambassadors’.

Using his own Eid money, Mohammed distributed hand-decorated reusable bags to a number of groceries near his home in Karama, after he grew tired of seeing so many plastic bags being wasted on home deliveries.

His own investigations revealed that on average, each small grocery was using about 1,200 bags a month to deliver goods. To combat the excess wastage, he distributed the free tote bags in replace of plastic ones. And it was that smart and sustainable thinking that caught the attention of Saifaie.

“I was so proud and happy to see the story. If you keep doing what you’re doing, we will see big change. Going forward I want you to keep in close contact with my team and give more ideas to help tackle waste here in the UAE,” Saifaie told Mohammed.

The municipality’s Ambassador for Sustainability initiative was launched in 2013 with the aim to train students on how to carry out lectures and workshops on various environmental topics.

“The fact that this boy didn’t use that Eid money to buy a ball, toy, something for himself, is commendable. He has a good hobby. If his family and community keep encouraging that, he will have a good future and so will the environment.”

Discussing different ideas to work on together in the future, Mohammed said his plan is to scale up his reusable bags initiative to groceries across Dubai. Only this time, Saifaie told him that the DM will help fund his move.

“We will visit you at your school and speak to your fellow students to spread awareness about what you are doing. We spend millions per year to bring this idea of sustainable practice into students’ minds, but you are doing it on your own. We will support you. You do not need to take money from your own pocket anymore.”

Thanking the municipality for the opportunity, Mohammed said he felt honoured to be named a Sustainability Ambassador.

“I feel so glad to be here. It gives me much encouragement to meet the director of waste management. He has been telling me to continue in my path to help curb waste so I will keep urging friends, family and shop workers about the importance of using reusable bags in place of plastic ones.”

kelly@khaleejtimes.com

source: http://www.khaleejtimes.com / Khaleej Times / Home / by Kelly Clarke , Dubai / July 04th, 2018

Dine Like a Nawab of Bengal

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Books (incl.Biographies - w.e.f.01 jan 2018 ), Community Involvement / Social Issues, Leaders, , , ,

BENGAL :

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Mir Qasim Ali Khan Bahadur was the Nawab of Bengal between 1760 and 1763. He is most famous for his dealings with the British: he was put on the throne through the intervention of the East India Company, but a few years later was defeated by their forces at the Battle of Buxar. This defeat marked the decline of the political power of the Nawabs of Bengal and was an important moment in East India Company imperial consolidation in Bengal.

All of this is important, of course, but I’m here to discuss a far more pressing question: what did the Nawab and his contemporaries eat?

I encountered this manuscript, titled Khwan-e Nimat, “The Beneficent Table,” at the library of Jamia Millia Islamia here in Delhi. Composed in Persian, the text promises its readers a description of “the art of cooking from the private kitchen of the chef of Nawab Qasim Ali Khan Bahadur.”

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The text describes how the Nawab’s chef prepared fish kabab with rice, several types of meat kababs, fried eggs, sweets made with almonds, a few different types of pickles, pulao, khichri, qorma, various dals, mango jam, sheermal (a sweet bread), and on and on.

Although I originally encountered this work in manuscript form at Jamia, after some hunting I discovered that a lithographed version was printed in 1871 in Lucknow.

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The printing was done by a small press, but it means that there was at least some awareness of and interest in the text in the late nineteenth century, a century after the political power of the Nawabs of Bengal had waned. As such, it offers us insight into not only the culinary preferences of Mir Qasim and his court, but also the culinary interests and understanding of food history among North Indians in the high colonial era.

Over the course of my research I’ve stumbled on several cookbooks written in Persian and Urdu over the course of the eighteenth and nineteenth century, but I’ve found there is very little written on colonial-era traditions of writing about food in these languages. Many of the Indian food histories written on this period focus on the British adaptations of Indian cuisine, and exchanges between British and Indian cooks and palates. This text and its later publication tell an alternative (and I’d argue more interesting!) story: that of Indian interest in various local cuisines, and the desire of members of broader literate classes to know and perhaps try to prepare cuisines cooked by regional elites and leaders.

I’m craving fish today, so here’s a rough translation of how the Nawab’s chef prepared his fish kabab. Following these recipes is a bit of a challenge because most of the units of measurement appear to be regionally or temporally specific, and have changed significantly; many are not in any of the Urdu or Persian dictionaries I’ve consulted. I’ve therefore taken educated guesses based in large part on what I know about cooking, and the limited information I could find on the units used.

Ingredients:
Fish (type not specified, perhaps about 650 grams)
Butter (possibly referring to ghee; approximately 80 grams)
Onion (perhaps two-three)
Curd (approximately 15 grams)
Malai (approximately 20 grams)
Coriander (approximately 20 grams)
Black pepper (approximately 15 grams)
Gram (Chickpea) Flour (approximately 60 grams)
Pepper (mirch, presumably red?) (approximately 20 grams)
Cloves
ٓA pinch of lemon juice
A pinch of cardamom
Several pinches of salt

Cut the fish into chunks in the size of kababs and place them aside. Prepare the gram flour well (toast it?). After that, mix it together with the salt, pepper, crushed coriander, and some of the butter. Mix this into each kabab. Then finely chop up the onions, and fry them in some butter and then also mix the onions with some butter into the kababs. Then mix the lemon juice, cloves, and cardamom together. Drain the curd of water and strain the malai, and coat the kababs with these things. Then place these kababs in pot with the (cooked?) rice, and take the remaining spices and sprinkle them into with the rice and kababs. Roast/fry (prepare over a hot surface) and enjoy!

source: http://www.archivaldistractions.wordpress.com / Archival Distraction / by Amanda Lanzillo / July 07th, 2018

Dirty sands of time: Review of ‘The Night of Broken Glass’ by Feroz Rather

Books (incl.Biographies - w.e.f.01 jan 2018 ), NRI's / PIO's, , , ,

KASHMIR / Florida, U.S.A :

Underneath the violence, the festering heart of Kashmiri society

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Fiction has the power to transform our perceptions about peoples and places. Feroz Rather’s The Night of Broken Glassis such a book; it hits you right in the gut. The author peeks into the dark, festering heart of Kashmiri society, while dramatising the spectacle of military violence. Recurring characters interconnect the 13 chapters/ short stories of the novel. Through these characters the author reveals the larger issues of religion, caste and gender that shape Kashmir.

The first story, ‘The Old Man in the Cottage’, is a disturbing tale of unfulfilled revenge, narrated by a man who seethes with an anger he has buried inside for 25 years. He broods and savours the idea of killing a policeman who tortured him along with Major S, a sadistic military man.

Major S’s presence hovers like a dark cloud over the lives of all the characters. After inflicting unthinkable violence on them he has to deal with his restive subconscious. ‘The Nightmares of Major S’ captures his internal chaos acutely and is probably the most powerful story.

The author pierces the blanket of violence that envelops the lives of these characters, and draws the reader’s attention to the internal contradictions of Kashmiri society. The mosque, for example, is a site of caste hierarchy, where Gulam, a lower-caste cobbler, is under great social pressure.

When two friends, Mohsin and Tariq, are incarcerated together, I was struck by the force of Tariq’s words: “Faith, my friend, is the consolation of the weak and foolish…”

Rather’s lyricism evokes the scarred landscape beautifully. His sense of place is so strong, it reminded me of Banville and Nabokov.

Rather is a poet at heart who has decided to engage with history, a sentiment reflected in the epigraph from the Polish poet Wislawa Szymborska: “History did not greet us with triumphal fanfares/ It flung dirty sand into our eyes.”

The writer is assistant editor with New York-based magazine Café Dissensus, and writes for several publications in India and Pakistan.

The Night of Broken Glass; Feroz Rather, Harper Collins, ₹399

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Books / by Adil Bhat / July 07th, 2018