Monthly Archives: August 2019

UP artist Zoaib makes 6 feet charcoal portrait of Sushma Swaraj

Amroha, UTTAR PRADESH :

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Amroha (Uttar Pradesh):

In a moving tribute to former external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj, an artist in Amroha city of Uttar Pradesh created a 6 feet portrait of Sushma Swaraj by using charcoal.

“I have made this six feet portrait using charcoal as today Sushma Swaraj has left us,” said Zoaib Khan said while talking to ANI on Wednesday.

The artist has made several portraits of political leaders in the past.

Swaraj was admitted to All India Institutes of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) following a deterioration in her health.

According to sources at AIIMS, the 67-year-old was feeling restless at 9 pm and reached the hospital at around 9:30 pm in an ambulance. A team of doctors tried to revive her for 70 to 80 minutes but failed in their attempt. Swaraj was declared dead at 10:50 pm.

Swaraj was appointed the foreign minister in the first term of Modi government in 2014. She opted out of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections citing health reasons.

India’s first flight carrying 18 Hajis took off from Hyd in 1946

Hyderabad, TELANGANA  :

www.siasat.com
www.siasat.com

Hyderabad:

India’s first flight carrying Haj pilgrims took off from Hyderabad On 22nd October 1946. Earlier, pilgrims used to travel by a sea route for performing Haj.

According to the report published in  Times of India , the first flight carried 18 Haj pilgrims. Two Deccan Airways Dakota aircrafts took off from the old airport of Hyderabad located at Begumpet in 1946 amid slogans “Allah-u-Akbar”. Khan Bahadur Nawab Ahmed Nawaz Jung was also traveling on that flight.

It may be noted that at that time, there was no flight from other Indian cities to Jeddah.

The name of the pilot who took off the first flight was Captain Cox and his junior was Munshi. The technical support was provided by Nasir, Radio Officer and Lord, Flight Engineer.

It may be mentioned that Deccan Airways was the leading airlines at that time. In 1948, the flights of Deccan Airways were discontinued due to uncertain political situation in erstwhile Hyderabad State. It was again started in 1949 after the Police Action.

source: http://www.siasat.com / The Siasat Daily / Home> News> Hyderabad / posted by Sameer / August 08th, 2019

Indian-Australian entrepreneur Aamir Qutub wins esteemed award

Aligarh, UTTAR PRADESH / Geelong ( VICTORIA ) , AUSTRALIA :

siasat.com
siasat.com

Melbourne (Australia):

Indian-Australian Entrepreneur and an alumnus of Aligarh Muslim University (AMU), Aamir Qutub, has won the Young Entrepreneur of the Year award in the Business Excellence Awards (GBEA) category in Australia.

According to a press release issued by his firm, established in 1986, and managed by the Geelong Chamber of Commerce, the Business Excellence Awards are the oldest business awards in Australia.

“With a record number of entrants participating in the Geelong Business Excellence Awards, and going through a stringent judging process, the Awards are now more competitive than ever, ” says Ben Flynn, CEO Geelong Chamber of Commerce.

Aamir Qutub is the Founder and CEO of Enterprise Monkey (a digital solutions agency), Tech Investor and Co-Founder in 6 startups. Aamir is also a member of Ministerial Advisory Committee to the Minister for Planning in Australia.

He was appointed as the General Manager of ICT Geelong (local IT Industry Cluster) at the age of 25. He was the founding Secretary of Pivot Summit – Australia’s largest regional tech conference.

Aamir was brought up in Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh. He did his Engineering degree from Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) and immigrated to Australia at the age of 23 to complete MBA from Deakin University.

“I had applied for around 150 office jobs but couldn’t get any due to lack of experience in Australia. I used to work as a cleaner at the Avalon Airport, and distribute newspapers in midnight to pay for my living and fee,” Aamir has reportedly said.

In 2012, Aamir got an internship opportunity with ICT Geelong. Impressed with his performance and passion for digital transformation, he was asked by the board to step up as the General Manager of ICT Geelong at the age of 25.

At AMU, Aamir was elected as Geneneral Secretary of AMU Students’ Union (AMUSU) in 2011. As AMUSU Secretary, Aamir organized the first-ever recruitment drive in the university which resulted in the placement of 2000 students in 30 companies. His passion for technology contributed in the digitization of AMU campus by introduction of free WiFi and Smart Classrooms.

In 2014, Aamir founded Enterprise Monkey – a Web and App solutions company in his brother-in-law’s garage. “I started with $2000 in savings,” says Aamir who led his company to establish in 4 countries with YoY revenue growth of 300% in the first 3 years.

Enterprise Monkey has established itself as a leader in web and app space. It is now growing it’s leadership in Artificial Intelligence (AI), Augmented Reality and Internet of Things (IoT) space. The client list includes NASDAQ listed companies as well as seed stage startups.

source: http://www.siasat.com / The Siasat Daily / Home> News> India / posted by Qayam / August 02nd, 2019

Beyond the Tipu Sultan legend: Why celebrating the great Mysore ruler today is so vital

KARNATAKA :

Karnataka’s BJP govt has cancelled Tipu Jayanti, celebrating a ruler once hailed for his bravery and genius, but seen by the right wing as a bigot. We must reexamine Tipu Sultan.

The BJP government in Karnataka has done away with Tipu Sultan celebrations. But, as it is vital to remember Tipu Sultan, in this first-part series, I lead you into the life of Tipu Sultan, the ruler of Mysore.

The recent efforts of the Hindu right to project him as a Muslim bigot show that their political stakes in him have changed.

Any opinion on the rule of Tipu Sultan in Mysore will in fact be incomplete without mention of the political situation prevailing in and around Mysore towards the end of the 18th century. Mysore, which had emerged from the ruins of the Vijayanagar empire, was moulded into a small but dynamic Hindu state primarily during the rule of Chikka Devaraja Wodeyar in the early decades of the 18th century.

The Wodiyar kings, who had been ruling Mysore for over 300 years, were only nominal rulers by then — the actual power was wielded by their prime ministers or ‘dalavai’.

Tipu’s father, Haider Ali, began his career in Mysore around 1749, as a soldier under one of these powerful ministers.

He used his tact and bravery to stave off Maratha raids into Mysore, fought against the British and expanded Mysore’s territory down south to the coast of wealthy Calicut. He thus eased himself into the title of the ‘sarvadhikari’ or ‘regent of the kingdom’ in 1760.

After Haider’s death in 1782, Tipu took over his father’s position, keeping the Wodeyar king as a proxy but publicly continuing to put on a show of respect. Tipu’s appropriation of this position would not have been possible without the assistance of some of Haider’s closest friends and advisors as well as the acquiescence of the local populace, who had by then come to see a stronger and more prosperous Mysore under Haider and the young Tipu.

From Madras, the British were cautiously observing the rise of Mysore — and resented Haider’s and Tipu’s push into Malabar.

Tipu Sultan took over Mysore in 1782: He remains its most iconic ruler. (Still from The Sword of Tipu Sultan: Via Author)
Tipu Sultan took over Mysore in 1782: He remains its most iconic ruler. (Still from The Sword of Tipu Sultan: Via Author)

A 17-year-old Tipu had given the British a fright by galloping with his army into the East India Company’s garden house near the beach in Madras.

He rattled them so much that the governor there fled offshore in a small boat. A series of four Anglo-Mysore Wars started in 1767. These propelled the hitherto unknown Kingdom of Mysore into the powder rooms of Europe and America.

The first war saw Mysore dictating terms to England at the gates of Madras; the second war was Tipu’s brightest moment. At the battle of Pollilur (1780), the sun-and-tiger-stripes banner of Tipu’s Mysore oversaw the worst disaster that ever befell an English army in India — out of 3,000 men in the British army, only about 400 survived.

With these two victories, the mood in England began to change — and a vicious propaganda and diplomatic campaign against Mysore began.

By 1785, one in seven Englishmen in India was imprisoned by Tipu. By this time, the British had won in Plassey and Buxar; the whole of India except the Punjab and the Marathas had capitulated to them. Tipu’s Mysore stood as a bulwark against the British. What rankled the British even more was that here was a native ruler — or ‘despot’, as they branded all of them — who was different from the others.

He did not while away his time in pleasure orgies, nor leave the management of state to some palace coterie; and not once did he ask the British for help against his neighbours. He created an army which, in the words of his nemesis, Arthur Wellesley (later Duke of Wellington), was “the best fighting force in the whole of India”.

He took advantage of the enmities being played out in Europe, recruited the French as willing allies and drilled his army in modern European manoeuvres.

Giving It Back: Unlike several other princely states, Tipu Sultan took the British head-on in ferocious battles. (Picture: India Today)
Giving It Back: Unlike several other princely states, Tipu Sultan took the British head-on in ferocious battles. (Picture: India Today)

Mysore was the first state to demonstrate the efficacy of rockets in war by modifying what was until then a mere firecracker into something that could carry a sword or wooden blade with it. Tipu even sent back French weapons with a letter stating they were substandard compared to the ones in his arsenal.

Working almost 18 hours a day, he kept meticulous records of revenue and personnel across his kingdom. He created a set of revenue regulations that rationalised land taxes — and even offered subsidies to farmers if they farmed more land. Landowners and temple trusts with excess landholding were asked to hand it over to landless or tenant farmers. He created a navy that sent ships with his diplomats to meet the Ottoman sultan in Constantinople and the French emperor in Paris. He built a powerful navy, consisting of 20 battleships of 72 cannons and 20 frigates of 62 cannons.

A separate board of admiralty was established in September 1786 and massive dockyards at Jamalabad, Wajidabad and Majidabad were constructed on the west coast to build 40 warships and a number of transport ships to strengthen the naval power. The 200-odd forts under Tipu’s reign were mostly named on Hindu script ions.

An elite group of Brahmin civil servants was nurtured during his early rule to make sure that revenue was properly collected. His forts were among the strongest in south India and his currency so beautifully minted that the Mughal emperor apparently felt slighted at receiving coins more beautiful than his own — he even minted coins with Hindu deities on them.

Deep in the midst of war, he wrote of receiving silkworms to create the silk factories of Mysore.

Sugar and paper factories were established for the first time under him. Sword blades and gunpowder were manufactured locally. He was also liberal with gifts to Hindu religious establishments in Mysore and Malabar after subduing it.

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A Visionary Leader: Tipu Sultan was an extraordinary mix of courage, skill and heart. (Still from The Sword of Tipu Sultan: Via Author)

The third Anglo-Mysore war in 1792, with Cornwallis at the helm of the British army, did not go well for Tipu.

He was hard-pressed by the British-Maratha-Nizam allied powers to surrender half his kingdom, submit to a war indemnity of ₹3.3 crore — and deliver two of his sons as hostages to the British. Thanks to his financial prudence, he managed to pay the British their ransom and have his sons released a year earlier than the stipulated three years.

This period between 1792 and the fourth Mysore war in 1799 was one of great tribulation for Mysore — rebellions raged and finances were tight on account of the indemnity paid. However, it is to Tipu’s credit that not once during his rule, in the midst of almost incessant war, did his subjects suffer from famine or pestilence.

At the same time in British Bengal, millions of Indians perished in a famine…

(To be continued).

source: http://www.dailyo.in / DailyO / Home> Open To Opinion> Politics / by Sanjay Khan / August 03rd, 2019

Expo on Muslim women achievers at SJM

Hyderabad, TELANGANA :

Booklet with profiles of the women also launched on the occasion

The travelling exhibition of path-breaking Muslim women achievers of the 20th Century rolled into the city on Saturday.

Called ‘Pathbreakers’, the invitation for the event had the enigmatic photograph of Tyeba Khedive Jung who was born in 1873 in Hyderabad. Moving away from Hyderabad, she became the first woman from the city who received university education graduating from University of Madras in 1894. Tyeba Khedive Jung wrote Anwari Begum in 1905 and she even presided over the annual conference of Brahmo Samaj.

“I stumbled upon the book Anwari Begum in my mother’s library. Then I realised I have to do something to tell the story about Muslim women who came onto their own at a time when the stereotype was that of a conservative society with many problems,” said Syeda Hameed of Muslim Women’s Forum, the brain behind the exhibition. A small booklet with the profiles of the women was also launched on the occasion.

Defying stereotypes

The exhibition had a captive audience as students from the Telangana Minority Residential School students as well as students from other government schools trooped in to listen to the stories of women who defied stereotypes. “We want the children to be inspired by these women. It will give them confidence that even they can achieve anything they want. We are giving them books with stories of these women to inspire them,” said A.K. Khan advisor on Minorities Welfare, Telangana Government.

One of the inspiring stories is that of Zehra Ali Yavar Jung who studied at Mahbubia Girls School and later started the Society for Clean Cities much before Swacch Bharat Abhiyaan.

“Hyderabad  is a city of Hayat Bakshi Begum. It is a city of Mah Laqa Bai Chanda who donated Rs. 1 crore to the Nizam Sikander Jah for educating women. It is great to have this exhibition of these inspiring women in the city,” said Oudesh Rani Bawa, who spoke about other women from the city who worked for women’s emancipation.

The exhibition at Salar Jung Museum will continue till August 7 between 10 a.m. and 4.30 p.m.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Hyderabad / by Special Correspondent / Hyderabad – August 04th, 2019

For 47 years, Rampur Nawab’s family fought over his inheritance. Here’s what SC decided this week

Rampur, UTTAR PRADESH :

The court said the Nawab of Rampur was a ruler only in name and cannot be immune to Muslim personal laws.

Via Royals of the Rampur Dynasty Facebook page.
Via Royals of the Rampur Dynasty Facebook page.

Rampur state came into existence on October 7, 1774. Ruled by the Nawabs of Rampur, it stayed under the British protection till Independence and became the first princely state to accede to India in 1949.

The Nawabs were known for many things, including their patronage of music and arts, especially the Hindustani classical music form of khyal. One member of the family, Ahmad Ali Khan, bred the Rampur Greyhound, a mix of the Afghan Tazi and the English Greyhound, characterised by its speed and endurance.

There’s another thing for which the Rampur family is noted: it was involved in one of India’s longest-running civil suits in the country, which the Supreme Court finally brought to a close this week after 47 years.

The case related to the legacy of Raza Ali Khan, the Nawab who decided to accede to the Indian union in 1949. In return, the Indian government, through the instrument of accession, bestowed two key rights to the Nawab. He was entitled to the full ownership, use and enjoyment of all private properties belonging to him on the date of the accession. Second, the government guaranteed succession to the gaddi or rulership of the state based on the customary law, which gave exclusive property rights to the eldest son. Former royal families that had acceded to India also received a payment from the government known as the privy purse.

When Raza Ali Khan died in 1966, he had three wives, three sons and six daughters. His eldest son Murtaza Ali Khan succeeded him as head of the state, as per custom. The government recognised him as the sole inheritor of all his father’s private properties and issued a certificate to this effect.

But his brother challenged this in the civil court. Thus began a royal property dispute in which the courts were asked to decide if inheritance should be based on Muslim personal law or the unique gaddi system the royal family followed before joining the Indian Union.

After 47 years, the Supreme Court on July 31 decided in favour of the Muslim personal law or the Shariat. This means the women of the family are also entitled to a share of the inheritance. One of them is Begum Noor Bano, who was elected to the Lok Sabha member on a Congress ticket in 1999.

The case

After Murtaza Ali Khan took charge as Nawab in April 1966 his brother Zulfiquar Ali Khan challenged the certificate of inheritance issued by the government. He was joined in the litigation by three of his sisters. In December 1969, the Delhi High Court quashed the certificate. Murtaza Ali Khan challenged this decision in the Supreme Court, which refused to intervene.

In the meantime, using the Delhi High Court judgement, Talat Fatima Hasan, the daughter of one of Raza Ali Khan’s daughters, moved a petition in a civil court in Rampur in 1970 asking for the properties to be divided. The court issued an interim order that the assets should neither be transferred nor disposed.

But the family squabble ran into an unexpected event: in December 1971, Prime Minister Indira Gandhi amended the Constitution and abolished privy purses. Murtaza Ali Khan, who was receiving Rs 7 lakh annually as a privy purse from the Indian government as the Nawab of Rampur, lost his income, with his wealth stuck in litigation.

For over 20 years, the suit to partition the properties stayed pending before the civil court. Then in 1995, the Allahabad High Court withdrew the suit from the civil court and placed it before itself. By then, Murtaza Ali Khan had died.

A royal building in Rampur. Credit: Royals of the Rampur Dynasty
A royal building in Rampur. Credit: Royals of the Rampur Dynasty

In the High Court, his descendants argued that two palaces – Khas Bagh Palace and the Sahbad Castle – had been recognised by the government of India in 1954 as the official residence of the ruler of Rampur. These palaces, along with their furniture, fixtures, equipment, pictures, motor garage, water works plant, dhobi-ghat, land and gardens were adjuncts of the ruler and could not be the subject matter of a suit, the argument went.

The High Court accepted this reasoning and dismissed the suits for partition in 1997. Talat Fatima Hasan then moved the Supreme Court.

Shariat or Gaddi?

The Nawabs are Shia Muslims. The central dispute in the civil suits was whether as Shia Muslims, the Muslim Personal Law (Shariat) Application Act would apply to the inheritance or the gaddi system that the family practiced before Independence. Murtaza Ali Khan wanted the gaddi system whereas the Talat Fatima Hasan pressed for the Muslim personal law.

The instrument of accession made a distinction between the Rampur state’s public properties, which became vested in the government of India, and the Nawab’s private properties, which formed his inheritance.

Lawyers for Murtaza Ali Khan and his legal heirs argued that private properties of the ruler were not entirely private – they were attached to the gaddi or the rulership. And so they stayed with the person declared the Nawab.

But the Supreme Court refused to accept this argument. In the judgement, the bench said following their accession to the Indian union in 1949 and with the Constitution of India being enforced in 1950, the Nawabs were merely titular rulers who enjoyed certain privileges and privy purses. They neither had territory nor subjects. With sovereignty lost, the gaddi system had ceased to exist. The court said:

“When they were actual sovereigns, their entire State was attached to the Gaddi and not any particular property. There are no specific properties which can be attached to the Gaddi. It has to be the entire ‘State’ or nothing.

Since, we have held that they were rulers only as a matter of courtesy, to protect their erstwhile titles, the properties which were declared to be their personal properties had to be treated as their personal  properties and could not be treated as properties attached to the Gaddi.”

Therefore, the court ruled that properties of the Nawab have to be divided according to the Shariat, which means that not only will male members of the family be entitled to a share, the women will also inherit a part of the estate.

Among them is Begum Noor Bano, the wife of Zulfiquar Ali Khan, who set the ball rolling in the courts when he challenged his brother, the Nawab’s oldest son, Murtaza Ali Khan, 47 years ago. And also Talat Fatima Hasan, the granddaughter of Raza Ali Khan, who took the battle further.

source: http://www.scroll.in / Scroll.in / Home> Matter of the Law / by Sruthisagar Yamunan / August 02nd, 2019

Shafiq R Khan is the first Indian to receive “Grinnell prize” for 2019

Patna, BIHAR / NEW DELHI  :

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New Delhi: 

Shafiq ur Rahman Khan has been chosen as the winner of the coveted “Grinnell prize” for the year 2019. Notably, he is also the first Indian to receive this award in recognition of his exemplary dedication in working to safeguard the rights of vulnerable women and children.

The Grinnell College Innovator for Social Justice Prize (the Grinnell Prize) honours individuals who have demonstrated innovative leadership in their respective fields and who show creativity, commitment and extraordinary accomplishment in effecting positive social change.

Shafiq R Khan has been honoured with the Grinnell prize for his outstanding contribution in working to eradicate the Indian bride trafficking trade (the selling of women into often multiple forced marriages) and further empowering the agency and leadership of survivors. He has risen above the norm and worked single-mindedly for the cause of rescuing girls who fall victim to “bride trafficking.” His humility and passion for social welfare is worth the commendation from the Global community.

Shafiq R Khan, 35 years, hails from Gaya, Bihar. His foray in activism began at a tender age of 15 when he joined a communist party with the hope of working for the well-being of the poor. He witnessed the sorrowful plight of people entrenched in poverty and bonded labour, and the power equations that worked to ensure the divide between the rich and poor remained wide and after around four years of work, he moved away from the party because he felt called to do more and do it differently.

In 2004, he moved to Delhi to explore different ways of tackling oppression and to understand the various dynamics more keenly. He joined the Bonded labour liberation front which was at the time working against sex-selective abortions where he became part of the back office team for ‘Multipath march against Female foeticide’. Shafiq especially noted the power dynamics with regard to gender and realised how a lot of the entrenched ‘societal values’ were actually ‘enemies of women.’

He began to study the movement of feminism which helped him understand the systemic nature of women’s oppression and thus the importance of land rights for women. He took up Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) for graduation in 2006 and it was during these days, that an event set him off on his unique path that he continues to walk 13 years on, even today.

ShafiqueRahmanKhan02MPOs04aug2019

Shafiq organised a 300 km long March against Female Foeticide in 2006 with a group of friends as part of a social mobilization campaign, where he met a trafficked bride who talked about her helpless plight and asked for his help. Due to the insistence of his co-travellers to focus on the March, he continued onward unable to do much at the time. Her story and plea though remained with Shafiq and he returned a month later only to find that she had been sold off and moved forward to another man. Upon further enquiry, no trace of the woman was found. She had disappeared. It came about as a shock for him to discover how men were uninhibitedly dealing in the sale and purchase of women in broad daylight and disposing of them once their needs were met.

Seeing someone suffer at the hands of others, seeing girl children being killed in the womb, seeing girls getting sold for less than a hundred bucks and living the life of slaves—all of these instances were a good enough reason for him to sharpen his focus on the issue of human trafficking and gender inequality. This incident served as a turning point in Shafiq’s life and he returned to Delhi with a decision to do something about it. He began chalking out a plan for bringing about a much-needed change while he continued advocating for the rights of women and applied for a fellowship to further his work. Notably, he became the first male fellow of Jagori, a prominent feminist organization in Delhi.

Shafiq founded an organisation by the name of ‘EMPOWER PEOPLE’ in 2006 with an initial aim to provide alternatives to women trafficked in the name of marriage. The organisation soon began working also on the factors contributing to Bride trafficking.

While Empower People began with the support of its founding members, it began generating funds from various individuals as well as community-based organizations. This phenomenon served to shape the organisation’s unique multi-pronged approach which involved spreading awareness among people about the menace of bride trafficking and the different ways they could engage with the work thus leading them to eventually become lifelong supporters of the cause.

EMPOWER PEOPLE is based out of New Delhi, India and operates in many regions across North and East India, most notably in Haryana and Assam. Today, the organization works to support law enforcement agencies and families of trafficked brides by locating and rescuing missing girls and women. The organization carries out due follow-up through an intensive rehabilitation and tracking process that aims to ensure that the women and their ostracized children live safer, more equitable lives and do not fall prey to trafficking again.

It may happen at times that the survivors do not wish to be repatriated to their families. Some women prefer to remain where they were brought to, and for such families, EMPOWER PEOPLE develops local communities of support and solidarity among trafficked brides. Led by the trafficked women themselves and supported by EMPOWER PEOPLE, these “communes” provide trafficked brides and their children with the education, resources and the skills they need to gain independence, to access justice, to avoid future trafficking, and to encourage men to accept new ideas about equality and ways of behaving.   

In addition to being CEO of EMPOWER PEOPLE, Shafiq also works to recruit male allies to the causes the organization promotes. Shafiq acknowledges that being a male places him in a privileged position to challenge patriarchy. He works to convince men of the importance of granting women power and agency and in order to change minds, behaviours and systems of oppression, Shafiq regularly organizes informal discussions with groups of village men and religious leaders to talk about issues of justice, gender equality, education, land rights, domestic violence, honour crimes, issues related to dowry, “share of daughters” in inheritance, and rights of women in general. 

Shafiq with his inspiring personality stands by his concept of making people the real instrument of change through awareness and participation. He believes in developing a holistic understanding of issues related to Violence against Women and addressing the problem at its root instead of working in project-wise schemes with a limited focus. He plans to have a mass movement and an ideological campaign within the society against female foeticide and gender-based exploitation.

He organizes Marches against Bride Trafficking for awareness generation and sensitization which serve as a platform for people’s participation and as an interface between the Government/NGO/NPO officials and vulnerable communities. In 2012, he carried out a 4400 km long March covering 2 Indian States while in 2018, he carried out a 14000 km long March covering 10 Indian States- an ambitious achievement to connect various dots across the breadth of the country and to gain an understanding of cross-State ground realities. He plans to conduct more Marches across the length of the country as well. His consistent curiosity to know the pulse on the ground and his willingness to modify and strengthen his approach based on new information gathered makes him a true innovator and a change-maker to watch out for and reckon with. 

The Trustees of Grinnell College have recognised Shafiq to be thoroughly deserving of the honour of being a recipient of the Grinnell College Innovator for Social Justice Prize (the Grinnell Prize) for the year for his incredibly worthy work of about 20 years. The honour will include conferring of a prize amount of $50,000 for the organisation and $50,000 for his personal use. The Grinnell Prize ceremony is scheduled to be conducted in the first week of October and will be accompanied by a series of workshops conducted by Shafiq R Khan in collaboration with the University.

source: http://www.beyoundheadlines.in / Beyound Headlines / Home> India / by Beyond Headlines News Desk / July 30th, 2019

Reliving a passion that Shihab Thangal cherished

Panakkad,  KERALA :

ThangalAntiquesMPOs02aug2019

The late IUML president had a treasured collection of vintage clocks and watches

Former Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) State president Syed Mohammedali Shihab Thangal had once described himself as a horophile.

But before he could show this reporter his collection as a testimony of his passion for clocks and watches, he fell ill and passed away on August 1, 2009.

On Thursday, the tenth anniversary of Thangal’s death, the watchmaker who used to support Thangal’s personal hobby by repairing some of his complicated clocks reached the Kodappanakkal house at Panakkad and overhauled dozens of timepieces that the Muslim leader had treasured.

K. Nasaruddin, the watchmaker from Thiruvananthapuram, said Thangal was an enthusiast of timepieces that he collected passionately.

Some of the winding clocks in his collection were more than 80 years old.

“It was a wonderful hobby that he cherished privately,” said Mr. Nasaruddin.

Thangal’s widow Shareefa Aysha Beevi told The Hindu that he was an aficionado of clocks, watches and pens. “During our travels abroad, he used to buy some curious clocks and pens. At home, he used to look at them closely for a long time enjoying their intricacies and beauty,” she said.

Once with his gaze fixed at the needle of a curious chronograph, Thangal told this reporter: “It reminds me of human lives. Whatever we do and however hard we try, our lives move in accordance with God’s design.”

Ms. Beevi said that Thangal used to give pens and watches from his collections to people who value them.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Kerala / by Abdul Latheef Naha / Malappuram – August 01st, 2019

Know IPS Noorul Hassan’s Story Of Grit And Determination

Harraypur District (Pilibhit), UTTAR PRADESH :

He completed his B.Tech from Aligarh Muslim University in 2009. “This was the place where I developed myself and prepared my personality for civil service and corporate world,” he said.

Know IPS Noorul Hassan's Story Of Grit And Determination

Civil Service Success Story:  IPS Noorul Hassan (2015 Batch, 625 Rank)

New Delhi :

Reaching the pillars of success traversing the lanes of hardship is the story of IPS Noorul Hassan. ” You may belong to any religion or caste, but if you have the determination to cross any limits by your sheer hard work, you can achieve anything”, he believes. An IPS Officer of Maharashtra cadre, he had earlier worked as a scientist in BARC for a year. Mr Hassan hails from Pilibhit, Uttar Pradesh. Overcoming the perils of privation and cracking one of the most coveted exams Noorul Hassan is definitely an inspiration for all such candidates who dream of acing the top bureaucratic exams of the country.

His preliminary education took place in Pilibhit and later the family shifted to Bareilly after his father got a group D job. Even though his father had a bachelor’s degree, due to lack of a good job, he had to continue working as a fourth grade employee.

Mr Hassan completed his B.Tech from Aligarh Muslim University in 2009. “This was the place where I developed myself and prepared my personality for civil service and corporate world,” he said. After completing his course, through which he witnessed financial constraints, he got his first job in Gurugram based company. Later he joined Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) as a Grade 1 officer.

“After completing 1 year in BARC I realized I need to start preparation as I want to contribute to the society in a better manner as well as I was not satisfied with my professional advancement. So I started preparation in the year 2012,” he said.

In 2015, he cleared the Civil Services exam conducted by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) and secured 625 rank.

In his message to the civil service aspirants he says, “Never get demoralize from failures. Civil service exam is the test for patience and self confidence. So fail but fail better every time. In the end you will get success.”

source: http://www.ndtv.com / NDTV / Home> Sections> Education / by Atharuddin Munne Bharti / edited by Maitree Baral / July 29th, 2019