At 88, actor Farrukh Jafar, whose scene-stealing turn as Fatto Begum in “Gulabo Sitabo” is the highlight of the movie, has retained her childlike enthusiasm and love for camera, which she considers as the secret behind her acting.
“I never feel nervous in doing any role. I only see the camera and my role and nothing else. That’s my secret,” the actor told PTI over phone from Lucknow.
Jafar plays the 95-year-old wife to Amitabh Bachchan’s 78-year-old Mirza who is awaiting his Begum’s death to finally own Fatima Mahal, the derelict mansion at the centre of the conflict in the movie streaming on Amazon Prime Video.
Begum, with her quick repartees and a fondness for Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, keeps a tight control over Mirza and is responsible for the film’s surprise twist in the final moments.
Jafar said director Shoojit Sircar and writer Juhi Chaturvedi came to her home in Lucknow to offer her the part.
“I am a big Amitabh Bachchan fan. I was like ‘Wah! I will get to work with a superstar. I had his romantic image as the star of ‘Silsila’, a tall and handsome guy but in this film his get-up was ugly. He was playing Mirza with a fat nose and big beard,” she said.
“Shoojit told me ‘Please forget that he is Amitabh Bachchan. He is the greedy, old Mirza and you are his wife, Fatto Begum’. I immediately understood what he meant.”
The actor said she had hoped to talk to Bachchan on the sets but the actor would disappear after doing his scenes.
One of the first radio announcers of Vividh Bharti Lucknow in 1963, Jafar made her acting debut with 1981 movie “Umrao Jaan” where she played Rekha’s mother.
After her debut, roles in TV shows beckoned but it was Shah Rukh Khan-starrer 2004 film “Swades” that gave her a memorable second innings in Bollywood.
In 2010, she starred in “Peepli Live” where her expletive-laden rants as the bidi-smoking mother-in-law made her an instant hit.
She followed it up with roles in Salman Khan-starrer “Sultan”, Aamir Khan-starrer “Secret Superstar” and “Peepli Live” co-star Nawazuddin Siddiqui’s “Photograph”.
Jafar said she also wanted to work with Irrfan Khan but with the actor’s untimely death in April this year, it is no longer possible.
“I wanted to work with Irrfan but he left us early. I really liked him. Nawazuddin is like my child. I met him during ‘Peepli Live’. Nobody recognised him then but he has now become famous. I got to work with him again in ‘Photograph’,” she said.
The actor credits radio for giving her a career as a performer.
“I had a relative who needed a job. I told her I cannot do much but I know someone in the radio so I will take you there. We went there and ‘mujhe vahan ka mahaul bahut achha laga’ (I really liked the atmosphere there). I asked them whether I could also read the script. They said I could. I started reading and later got to know that I had been selected,” she recalled.
The actor is happy that her performance is being appreciated.
“Maine suna ki Begum baazi maar le jaati hai picture mein. ( I have heard that Begum outruns everyone in the film). Such praise about my character makes me happy,” she added.
Jafar, who was married to journalist-politician Syed Muhammad Jaffar and has two daughters — Mehru and Shaheen, said her bond with camera always pulls her towards cinema.
“I will keep acting if I get good offers. When the camera is on, I forget everything,” she said adding that some of her projects are currently stuck due to the coronavirus situation.
PTI BK SHD SHD
source: http://www.outlookindia.com / Outlook / Home> The News Scroll / by Bedika / PTI / June 20th, 2020
The author and academic says science fiction, whether set in the near future, a nearby planet or even in an alternate universe, is almost always about our today
Chatting with Sami Ahmad Khan is always fun. When he said he was re-reading Douglas Adams’ seminal Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy as he was including the increasingly inaccurate trilogy of five in an elective course, one’s curiosity was naturally piqued. Sami teaches at the University School of Humanities and Social Sciences, GGS Indraprastha University. “We run MA, MPhil and PhD programmes in Literary and Culture Studies,” says the 34-year-old author of Red Jihaad and Aliens in Delhi.
“The senior faculty members are quite receptive to new ideas, and constantly seek strategies for the school to stay updated with a rapidly-mutating world. Consequently, we are encouraged to undergo frequent syllabus revisions, especially for our MA (English) course.”
Science fiction electives
The latest revision Sami says was in 2019, and gave the faculty the opportunity to engage with their core areas of research in a classroom setting. “These teacher-specific courses (offered in MA second year) range from exploring multiple dimensions of art, philosophy, gender, drama and culture, temporal/event excavations (such as Partition studies) and trans-media (cinema) to area and genre studies (such as Science Fiction). Under this paradigm, I am pleased to offer two electives on SF in the upcoming semesters: the first course is on global SF and introduces learners to stalwarts such as Jules Verne, H.G. Wells, Isaac Asimov, Ray Bradbury, and Phillip K. Dick and recent films such as Christopher Nolan’s Interstellar to study the origins and theories of SF in the Global North.
The second course is on Indian SF, and utilizes, as starting points, select works by Satyajit Ray (Bangla) and Jayant Narlikar (Marathi) among others, and Shankar’s Enthiran, to explore how our own SF traditions operate across different narrative forms (short stories, novels, films, web-series etc). These courses simultaneously function as introductory primers for those interested in knowing more about SF as a genre/mode, and also address the textual/contextual depths and theoretical complexities an MA student must navigate.
Don’t panic
The author says he included The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy in the course on global SF “the same ways dolphins don’t. What better novel to study about the end of world during the end of the world? It questions the philosophical underpinnings of our world and exhibits how SF toys with semantics/syntax of the narratives around it. Like a timeless classic, it doesn’t fail to respond to our contemporary material realities. Above all, it “has the words DON’T PANIC inscribed in large friendly letters on its cover.” We could use this helpful advice in the maddening times of COVID-42”— Could it possibly be the answer to the questions of life, the universe and everything?
Sami says the lockdown has been treating him better than expected. “I’m privileged enough to have a full belly, a roof over my head, a broadband connection, a Netflix subscription, and a gargantuan reading list. Usually, too, I’m happy being left to my own devices. I just need a book/film/web-series (i.e. a text) and the time/space to construct (and deconstruct) random ideas in my head, which this lockdown has given me. If only the circumstances weren’t so grim. This is when we begin to “question the nature of our reality” (as per Westworld), and start looking for our towel.”
Descriptive not predictive
These are troubling times and Sami hits the nail on the head when he says it is easier to read about dystopia than live it. “Through its monsters, future wars, zombie apocalypses, rogue AI, invading aliens, environmental fiascos, and alternate histories etc., SF, whether set in the near future or on a nearby planet or even in an alternate universe, is almost always about our today. Even Ursula Le Guin finds SF ‘descriptive’ and not ‘predictive’.”
The Delhi-based author says, “SF foregrounds and amplifies the feedback we receive from these dystopian narratives to our present(s), which then radically changes the way we approach our own lives and societies. SF’s dystopias and their hapless characters translate into an almost quasi-utopian connotation for us (the readers). A shared nightmare in/of the future suddenly awakens us to the lacunae of our times.”
Opposite sentiment
A real dystopia, according to Sami, portrays the exact opposite sentiment. “It is built on the premise that the SF dystopia (and its feedback) has failed to warn us, and in doing so, birthed an actual one in our lived reality. All that we are doing to this planet today – and what it is doing to us in return – makes it clear that the present has been colonized by the future. The age of men is over; the age of superbugs has begun.”
When we last spoke, Sami had spoken of a sequel to his 2017 SF thriller Aliens in Delhi, where reptilian creatures take over the capital. “I am a fanboy who has been lucky enough to not only get the opportunity to teach SF but also research and write it. I just finished a short story called Biryani Bagh, which brings aliens (and this time I may use this word differently) to a Bagh that has haunted contemporary popular imagination. I’ve been told it would appear in the second Gollancz Book of South Asian Science Fiction (Sami’s last story, 15004, appeared in the first volume). My next full-length project is an academic monograph, a critical catalogue of Indian Anglophonic SF for a university press. After that, perhaps, I might start writing the sequel of Aliens in Delhi – but only if the world hasn’t produced it already, not as fiction, but as a lived reality.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Life & Style / by Mini Anthikad Chhibber / June 16th, 2020
Varis Sayed of Fincasa Capital owns homes in four countries and plans to snap up distressed sales as real estate markets contract amid Covid-19.
Varis Sayed says he made his first Dh1 million in the UAE in the second half of 2015 after launching a business advisory service. Antonie Robertson/The National
Varis Sayed is the founder and chief executive of Fincasa Capital, a global advisory firm specialising in cross-border investments and offering services for residency and citizenship through investment. The millionaire, Indian-born entrepreneur, who moved to the UAE in 2011, invests in real estate across the globe and believes the coronavirus crisis will throw up lucrative property opportunities for those with cash to spare. Mr Sayed, who is in his late 30s, lives in The Springs with his wife Shruti and their children, a five-year-old daughter and two-year-old son.
How did your upbringing shape your attitude towards money?
I grew up in Vadodara in Gujarat, an Indian state known for its entrepreneurial spirit. My dad was a successful serial entrepreneur with many businesses. I learnt from him that while money is good to have, it is equally important to pursue a good lifestyle, which comes from enjoying life and the luxuries that money can buy.
How much did you earn in your first job?
I started working while still in school, with a series of summer jobs – events support, distributing magazines, selling mutual funds and a bit of modelling. It was important for me to make my own money, and the jobs allowed me to meet new people. My first earnings were 600 Indian rupees (Dh28.96), as a commission for selling mutual funds.
Who has been your biggest financial inspiration?
Richard Branson. He knows how to enjoy life, but is also unafraid of setting up multiple businesses – many of which have been failures. As he says, unless you take part, you can’t win.
When did you make your first Dh1 million?
Dubai is truly the land of opportunities and possibilities, which has made me what I am today. I made my first Dh1m in this country in the second half of 2015 after launching a business advisory service. It took me about four years.
What has been your weakest financial moment?
In 2014, as I was incorporating my first business in the UAE. I made several early entrepreneurial mistakes. To add to that, my wife was pregnant and I had no financial backup to even pay my bills. With the strong support of my wife, who has always been my backbone and stronghold, we came out of it quickly and within a short span, by the end of the following year, we made a profit.
What is your investment philosophy?
It’s important to choose your investments carefully. For me, investments in real estate offer a way to secure the future for my family. So, research, analyse and judge before you take the plunge to make an investment. If you’re looking at stocks and trade, for instance, it’s important that you weigh the situation and the markets, rather than just counting on your luck.
What is the most important financial lesson you’ve learnt as an entrepreneur?
Planning is important to stay ahead of the game. As an entrepreneur, I don’t jump into every second project or investment that I am offered any more. I did this in the early days of my business – and that’s when I lost money.
Why did you set up your business?
I saw my father invest overseas, and that attracted me to the field. When I began my career in India, I worked with a small advisory firm and saw the potential the field offers. That was enough for me to decide this would be my bread and butter going forward. We offer boutique, customised solutions for each client such as private equity, venture capital and investment projects across varied sectors, including real estate, start-ups and more. We also offer advisory services for second residency and citizenship.
What return can investors expect from a golden visa?
It depends where you invest. Each investment is customised in line with an investors’ retirement goal. The ROI (return on investment) varies typically from 2 per cent to 15 per cent or more, depending on a number of factors, including the investor’s risk appetite.
Have you bought into a golden visa scheme yourself?
Yes, I have taken Greece residency.
Mr Sayed says investing in real estate offers a way to secure the future for his family. Antonie Robertson/The National
What’s your financial dream?
I want to own a mansion in West Palm Beach in Florida, a penthouse facing Central Park in Manhattan, a three-storey building in central London and vacation homes in Cannes, Greece and other corners of the world.
What financial goals have you already met?
I haven’t met all of them yet, but I now own a villa in The Springs in Dubai, as well as property in Vadodara in India, in Toronto in Canada and New York in the US. Buying property is my hobby. I like real estate. It brings me happiness.
Why did you choose these countries?
As a principle, it’s always advisable to diversify your exposure. The US, Canada and Greece all are different real estate markets, priced in different currencies. At the micro level, events in these markets are not related to each other. Also, the nature of my business means I often come across amazing deals which I cannot refuse. Because of the coronavirus crisis, real estate markets are likely to contract further, and we will see more distressed properties come on the market.
Have you already seen any distressed properties?
Certainly. You can now buy an apartment in downtown Athens for €50,000 (Dh206,452). The same amount in Dubai will only get you a property in International City.
What else do you invest in?
Investing is my passion. I like investing in stocks, start-ups and real estate.
How has the coronavirus pandemic affected your portfolio?
My personal investments are mostly in real estate and start-up companies, so from a book value perspective, the valuations will show losses but that’s OK – the underlying asset remains. However, I have made sure to maintain a significant amount of cash to buy more real estate. In particular, I am bullish about Dubai.
Are you a spender or a saver?
Money is to be spent and enjoyed so why not buy whatever money can buy? Saving is boring. Getting 2 per cent a year is rubbish. Either spend or invest. I like investing and spending. I believe in collecting experiences. As a traveller, I want to see how life is lived. So rather than go to an amusement park, I make sure to go to the most expensive restaurant in a city I am visiting. In New York City, I’ll make sure to eat lunch on Wall Street. Even if I’m broke, if I lose everything, at least I will have enjoyed it.
What is your most cherished purchase?
I am fond of watches, particularly my Patek Phillipe Aquanaut, Rolex Yacht-Master and Rolex Explore.
How do you plan to fund your retirement?
I invest in real estate, which can then be easily sold or rented out when needed.
How much do you have in your wallet right now?
Dh4,000.
What car do you drive?
I drive the latest new model GLS500 Mercedes Benz and an Audi.
Do you have any financial regrets?
Yes, I have missed many good investment opportunities. In 2015, I nearly booked a flat near Wall Street in south Manhattan but didn’t go through with the purchase. Now it’s being sold at a 40 per cent higher price.
source: http://www.thenational.ae / The National / Home> Business / by Keith Fernandez / June 18th, 2020
They simultaneously provided 14,100 kilograms ration to the office of Imran Hussain, Minister of Food and Civil Supplies, Government of NCT of Delhi.
They simultaneously provided 14,100 kilograms ration to the office of Imran Hussain, Minister of Food and Civil Supplies, Government of NCT of Delhi.
Hamdard National Foundation (India), formed in 1964 at New Delhi, under the aegis of the century-old Hamdard brand, extended its food distribution drive through identified NGOs and individuals who have been working round the clock to ensure that no one dies of hunger in the Capital.
Following the pandemic and subsequent nationwide lockdown, HNF had undertaken initiatives to provide food to the underprivileged who have been the most affected by the ongoing health and financial crisis.
Under the initiative, ‘Ration Distribution Drive’, HNF undertook food relief measures for migrant workers and daily wage labourers. In the second phase of their ration distribution drive, HNF distributed over 7,000 kilograms of dry rations to the Moemin Foundation, 5,305 kilograms of rations to Rehab India Foundation, and a similar quantity to the Society for Social Welfare and Development for direct distribution to poor and needy individuals.
They simultaneously provided 14,100 kilograms ration to the office of Imran Hussain, Minister of Food and Civil Supplies, Government of NCT of Delhi.
The organisation donated more than 20 Food Ration kits to the DM (South East) Delhi, for direct distribution to the families from where they were receiving distress calls, in addition to the 300 kits already provided in Phase-I of relief efforts.
Caring for the underprivileged
HNF has distributed over 7,000 kg of dry ration to the Moemin Foundation, 5,305 kg of ration to Rehab India Foundation, and a similar quantity to the Society for Social Welfare and Development for direct distribution.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Good News / by Express News Service / June 16th, 2020
Aftab Siddique am born and brought up in Khar. She did her schooling from Duruelo Convent High School and R.D.National College. Aftab is a teacher by profession from last 27 years.
She says about her job as a teacher
As a teacher, we impart a specific syllabus but when kids face practical difficulties in real life, they are unaware of how to deal with them. Not only the children but as adults, individuals, professionals we too are unaware of our rights, Dos and Dont’s. This is what inspired me to contribute time to the community. Create awareness, bring people together , help, live together as one. Aftab is very attached to Bandra & Khar. Before becoming an activist, she used to unaware of BMC Ward , Police stations or any other government office. However after working with ALM, Citi Space and Federation, She met many like minded people who were very experienced.
Here is interview we did with her, do read below to know more.
1. How long have you been an activist? Do you take up issues on in your ALM or any issues in Bandra ?
It’s almost a decade , I am a social activist.I have been awarded by Bombay Catholic Sabha, H-W Federation, NDTV for my good work for contributing in bringing a change in community. and nominated by Mumbai Mirror as Top Ten Mumbai Heroes. I work not only with reference to my alm issues but across city BMC, Police, SRA , MHADA etc for all the distressed genuine people who need help or want to be a part to learn and contribute to the community.
2. Could you tell us what projects you have undertaken as an activist in the past and what have been their consequences ?
Various projects, I have taken till now.
a.) Deleted more than 2,700 names from Bandra Constituency of voters who didn’t exist .
b) Exposed 4000 crores SRA scam in Santacruz W Daulat Nagar. Already case is in criminal Esplanade court with help of EOW and lately an inquiry by Housing Secretary initiated with help of Hon CM .Almost 895 people from 17 years not rehabed and almost more than 150 residential and commercial sale buyers who paid 45-75 lakhs have not got possession. More than 125 crores is outstanding dues.
c.) Exposed the Maulana Azad Minority Scam which was bungled by Anti Corruption bureau in connivance with the accused . Inspite inquiry reopened by ACB Mr Nangre Patil other successors linger. Reason best known to them
d.) Got Educational Open plot 1751 sq mtrs on 15th & 33rd junction evicted in 2016 after pursue with Adtnl MC in 2012, lately learnt BMC has given it back after pressure from Bandra MLA.
e.) In December 2016, got BMC to reenter the Balgandharva Theatre but once again under Bandra MLA pressure it was given back . Issue now with Lok Ayukt where Hon Lok Ayukt has questioned MC in various breaches and flouts wilfully ignored. Waiting for MC to reply. Next hearing on 23/ 03/17 .
f.) Fernandez Chawl in Old Khar in 2016 got it signed for 27 families who were in deep trouble because of no proper procedures were followed and alot of violations in submissions. Project is initiated but cases we have not withdrawn as they are compoundable cases .
There was too much of political and Police pressure. Atrocities of police due to political pressure is very high in Bandra , Khar. This is not accepted by us.
g.) Lost files and missing files . Got an order in 2009 from Lok Ayukt to regenerate files of Mumbai City . The order directed BMC to upload all old and new files on BMC site, register FIR for the files which are lost.
h.) Formed a like minded group with people of H E/W and K (W) citizens where unanimous agenda is decided and pursued bimonthly or as on when its need of the hour.
i.) Opposed Road Events ( Equal Streets) staying 19 days in Khar Police station as cops refused to help.The event caused inconvenience to residents confining residents and 16 hospitals and nursing homes. at a stretch of 3 kilometres. Service charges not paid to government. With support of Mumbai Police managed to cancel it. Last event in 2016, Mumbai Police ensured service charges was paid.
j.) Since 2011 ,Opposed illegal vendors during Ramadan in Kharie Village old Khar. Our representation to Adtnl CP was considered unlawful and under political pressure FIR was filed. Court cracked a whip on police for falsely accusing and I was acquitted in 2014. My agitation continued and ……
Last year , Khar police filed FIR on shop owners who put their ware on road and against anon people who set up boxes with help of local political karyakartas.
k.) Opposed poster banners and defacement on road . Under political pressure had faced FIR but was accepted as we had opposed in street with police who accompanied the protest March. Hon Home Minster Mr Jayant Patil and Mr Majeed Memon helped.
l.) In 2012-13 , Proposed the basement parking below Patwardhan Garden. In 2014, Jt CP traffic also gave his consent.I filed the same in DP revision in 2014 too. Presently, it is approved by BMC.
m.) In 2012-13 Proposed another full fledged Municipal Hospital opposite Bandra Rly Colony , SV road for people in HW along with Dialysis centre, OPD, OT, beds , Scan and pathology facility. Last year a five floor building has been approved. alm144 has received letter for BMC. .
n.) Proposed swapping of Khar Danda Police plot with present Khar Police station.Present place for police station is small and on lease. No space for citizens facilitation, filing documents, ATS is operated on road. The same has been filed in DP reservation suggestion, objections.West Region Police has also filed from their end. Police file in CP office, Kaksh- 8.
o.) Got the Mahatma Phule Hami Yojna room from political clutches and requested BMC to hand over to Khar Police .Now one sees Khar Police beat chowki nos- 1 on SV road.
p.) Next to Khar Police beat chowkie ,the open space garden got it redeveloped with BMC H/W funds with multipurpose play installed. Earlier, there was illegal garage being operated .
q.) Appealing from 2012 to all concerned BMC authorities for allowing children to play( Football,Cricket & other free play outdoor sports) in the Patwardhan Garden 14,571 sq mtrs open space Mid Circumference. There are no open space in 3 km for kids to play not only in H/W but also in H-EAST. After inspection, DMC Zn-III in 2014 has put up a report in favour of citizens. Last month we had signature campaign on this too. Almost more than 500 students from vicinity colleges and residents have signed.
r). Answered in question 3 below.
Presently, BMC has no plans on illegal hawkers and compound encroachments in 7 malls in 33rd road.
In Jan-Feb 2017,15 days residents and stall owners sat in Silent Protest against BMC demanding FIR against BMC.
Yesterday, too we filed a complaint against BMC for playing mischief, instigating people, creating riot like situation, damaging public property.
s.) Helped in Reunion of a female with her family in Andheri W, ( DN Nagar )where she was trapped in Saudi . Through agents in City, she was employed as nurse and once she reached Saudi , she was made to do odd jobs & suffered a lot of ill treatment. This was with help of His Excellency Mr Ahmed Jawed. Ex CP of Mumbai Police.
t. )With help if Sneha (NGO), Located a young lady who fled from the torture of her husband. Family disowned her. She fled from Muscat and is now living in a woman’s shelter home. She has started working to make ends meet.Issue related to Amboli Police stn.
u.) Got may over due officers, internally rotating officers transferred from BMC and Police. alm strongly objects officers patronizing politicians.
v.) From last 6 years a lot of individuals in their individual capacity donate books & basic amenities for poor deserving people.
w.) Disproportionate assets of Bandra Ex Councilor is still on in ACB.
x.) 7 illegal constructions inquiry in ACB is still on .
y.) SIC fined BMC BF Officer in 2008.Rs 25,000 for not providing information on time. 1st officer to be fined in BMC BF dept .
z.) alm144 with help of DMC Spl pursue initiated in Railway authorities paying fees to all hoardings to BMC. & now we are also pursuing with agreement with Dairy Commissioner and BMC for all Aarey, Aarey Sarita.From last 60 years BMC has no agreement with Dairy Commissioner. Only ground rent of monthly fee Rs 150 is being collected.
3. What do you think about the current project of underground shopping mall at Patwardhan Park and what would be the eventual fall out of the hawkers?
From Dec 2015, Residents in support of licence stalls are having a strong fight with BMC opposing the mindless beautification proposal of linking road Khar opposite National College .The proposal is 100 crores and not approved by any authority but BMC wants to shift 167 licence stalls on road . Underground shopping mall is out of question as it’s unsafe not only for stalls but also shoppers as Mumbai City is in red alert most of the time. It will be a very costly affair for stall owners . Cost if A/C etc. Health hazard too. Concept of basement pedestrian walk of shopping plaza is a failure in Mumbai City.
4. Could you tell us, about your life in Bandra and what do you particularly think about bandra and some of your favourite places in Bandra?
My favourite place in H-W where I love to relax or just sit with my friends chatting or eating is at Carter Road. I’m a non vegetarian and relish food from quite a few restaurants. Fortunately H-W ward is blessed with many restaurants .
I am a foodie but not a party animal. I’m an introvert. I love to spend time with my family, friends and close associates which I hardly get time.
5. What are some of the changes you would like to see in Bandra which doesn’t conflict with the current governments vision of development?
The changes that I would like to see in Bandra, Khar, Santacruz is :- I had carried a lot of Silent Protest agitation against BMC and Police high handedness demanding quality and timely services.
1.) Politicians should stop interfering with every government work and accept citizens perspective positively. Politicians seek help from alms and associations but both bureaucrats and politicians don’t like them and are always opposing in alm meetings.
2.) Curb encouraging illegal work.
3.) Greenery seems to be disappearing from HW ward. Our important main roads have started to look concrete.
4.) Organise Sporting Events in Public Spaces (RG and PG) for all age groups.
5.) Remove that major Bandra skywalk obstructing traffic.
6.) Presently all redevelopment projects in Bandra specially Khar and Santacruz ( W) are getting open space condition. In near future, how will roads be widened.
7.) There has to be a soft approach of BMC and specially Police officers. The West Region Police seems accountable to no one and is turning to be a shelter home for anti-socials. People are being assaulted , proper cases are not being registered. Every issues Police has started to ask people for sections and IPC or directing people to move to court.
8.) Install CCTV in sensitive and crime areas such as Linking Road KFC Jn , SV road at Khar Traffic junction, Lucky junction.Cameras installed by cops are not accurately focused.Seems deliberate. No proper PWD to maintain.
Police has a huge back log of inquiries. In hurry they end up diluting issues.
9.) Too many VIP bandobast in Bandra & Khar has to be stopped. Why so may Police staff is in Special duty of politicians. eg Narayan Rane , Sushil Kumar Shinde etc. When is Police going to serve a common man.
10.)I want youth to not only participate in organising programmes but also be a part of the system. Help being eyes and ears for good governance.
11.) I want the Gazdhar Bandh area, Daulat Nagar area and Road attached to Bandra Rly stn to look better. One can’t believe that in heart of city such areas and antisocial joints exist.
12.) Improve or Redevelop the Railway quarters on SV road , Police quarters at Carter Road. The conference room of Adtnl CP on ground floor.
13.) Improve all Municipal Markets.Implement Vendor Policy pending from 2014 so that people do not suffer and are not deprived of livelihood. This will make Roads free from illegal vending. (Loacl Police is responsible to put illegal vendors).
14.) Make parking slots or space for all heavy vehicles defacing SV road.
15.) Uplift Municipal schools infrastructure and standards. We have 7-8 major slums in HW ward and around 7 big Municipal schools.
source: http://www.bandra.info / Bandra.info / Home / by Bandra Info / March 13th, 2017
Muslim medicos in worst-hit Gujarat have been going an extra mile to fulfil their medical-course pledge for helping and curing run-down patients and have proved that not all white-coats are money-grubbing pill-pushers and bone-benders.
On March 1, the state government asked the medical fraternity to gear up for the pandemic and the medics of the minority community rolled up their sleeves to swing into action for serving the sick-as-a-dog patients of the dreaded coronavirus disease.
Even during the holy month of Ramadan and after, Muslim interns and resident doctors of the overcrowded state-run hospitals or physicians of private clinics not only sacrificed their comforts and academic studies but also risked their own lives to save precious lives with the situation worsening day every passing day – as one infected person expired every hour.
Doctors have to wear suffocating PPE suits for several hours.
Wearing suffocating plastic PPE suits for as long as 12 hours, the dedicated doctors in the frontline of the fight against the mysterious pathogen work in frightful COVID centres near infectious patients. And yet, they offer their services and personalized care gratis to all castes for a noble cause, not to mention the fact that some healers have to work without PPE kits, N-95 masks and proper gloves.
Not surprisingly, in Ahmedabad alone, some 200 doctors have tested positive and at least 11 of them have died with their boots on even as Gujarat registered the highest mortality rate of 6.2 per cent in India on June 15.
Besides creating awareness and sensitizing unlettered patients about the viral infection and dealing with uncooperative relatives, the hard-pressed medicos have had to stay away from their dear one’s back home lest the latter get infected by the coronavirus.
Dr Muhammad Husain
Dr Muhammad Husain of Vadodara has been a great inspiration for doctors of his community. As the corona crisis escalated, the local administration was worried stiff after senior doctors washed their hands off the global pandemic and in turn, the juniors had to meet the challenge of treating the patients in municipal hospitals.
But Dr Husain, who is also the chairperson of the Baroda Muslim Doctors’ Association, decided to pick up the gauntlet and presented proposals to set up four up-to-the-minute COVID care centres in Gujarat’s cultural capital. The beleaguered civic body was too happy to give its go-ahead with the result that hundreds of patients recovered in quick succession in fewer days compared to the discharge rate at other state-run facilities, thanks to round-the-clock monitoring by him.
When blood banks in the city ran dry and patients’ relatives running from pillar to post for the vital fluid, Dr Husain went round Muslim mohallas and sought the help of youngsters who, for the first time, donated blood on the day of Eid al-Fitr at a quickly-organized camp where 300 bottles were collected within just a few hours.
Community leader Zuber Gopalani told TwoCircles.net that, “Dr Husain, along with his bleeding-heart doctor friends, has stood on the road under the scorching sun and distributed immunity-boosting tablets bought from his earnings. All this has made him a real corona warrior.”
Dr Muhammed Dohadwala (right)
In Dahod city in central Gujarat, Dr Mohammed Dohadwala, a diabetologist, and his 67-year-old father Dr Kaizar, a senior consultant physician, kept their clinics open during the lockdown to help their regular patients even though most of the private doctors remained inaccessible, fearing the deadly viral infection.
“We decided that the work must go on and formulated a foolproof strategy for the safety of staff and patients, and even devised a video consultation platform in our centre for outstation patients,” he said.
Conscious of their social responsibility in these tough times, the Dohadwalas, with the help of a local NGO, distributed special kits of daily essentials among migrants, workers and other needy families in the city.
Dr Shakeel Vadaliwala (left) in PPE suit (right)
Ahmedabad-based Dr Shakeel Vadaliwala is a neonatologist specializing in the care of newborns but the dutiful doctor was so busy in serving COVID patients that he could not be near his wife when she delivered a baby girl last month. Even though he was away from home during Ramadan, he observed his fast and performed prayers and made do with simple food but he is happy that as many as 400 of the 800 COVID patients under his care at a government hospital were cured and discharged within a week.
Members of Ittehad Medicos’ Academy have not only kept their clinics open but have also been offering free services to COVID-hit men and women at three hospitals in Ahmedabad.
According to Dr Junaid Shaikh, who has a hectic schedule taking daily rounds at all these three care centres, he had to rent a house for several days to keep his family away from infection.
“I also had to use a PPE suit for three or four days because of shortage,” he told TwoCircles.net.
Mona Desai, president of the Ahmedabad Medical Association, said that Muslim doctors like Dr Didar Kapadia, Dr Murtza and Dr Iftekhar and others are doing a yeoman’s service in these tough times but wondered why cases of assaults on doctors by patients’ relatives were on the rise.
Mujahid Nafees, convener of the Minorities Coordination Committee, Gujarat sums up and says, that, “The sacrifices made by Muslim doctors fighting the pandemic are greater than even those of a soldier battling the enemy troops on the border. A soldier can see the enemies but for doctors, the coronavirus is not visible.”
Dr Muhammad Husain (second from right) and Dr Zuber Gopalani (second from left)
source: http://www.twocircles.net / TwoCircles.net / Home> TCN Positive> Indian Muslim> Lead Story> Pandemic / June 15th, 2020
A total of 37 students from different districts of Himachal Pradesh have figured in the HPBOSE Top 10 Merit List 2020
Himachal Pradesh 10th Result 2020:
Laila Mohammed Ali and Hatika Zafar Ahmed are among the HPBOSE Toppers 2020 of Himachal Pradesh Board of Secondary Education Class 10 Exam 2020 result of which was declared on Wednesday.
Himachal Pradesh Board of Secondary Education (HPBOSE) Dharamshala declared Class 10th or Class X 2020 or HPBOSE Matric result 2020 on its official website hpbose.org Wednesday.
37 students in HPBOSE Top 10 Merit List 2020
A total of 37 students from different districts of Himachal Pradesh have figured in the HPBOSE Top 10 Merit List 2020.
Kumari Tanu Tilak Mali of Ishan Public School, Har Samloti, district Kangra topped the exam by scoring 98.71% marks. The 2nd position is secured by Kshitiz Sharma of New Gurukul Public School, Gopal Nagar, Hamirpur who scored 98.57%.
Vansh Gupta of Glory Public School, Bilaspur; Shagun Rana of Ishan Public School, Har Samloti, Kangra and; Anisha Sharma of Government High School, Pantehra, Bilsapur jointly shared the 3rd rank with 98.43% marks.
Shreya Sharma of Minerva Senior Secondary School, Ghumarwin got the 4th rank with 98.29%.
09 students share 10th rank
Laila Mohammed Ali of DAV Public School Manali got 98.14% marks and shared the 5th rank with four other students of the state.
On the other hand, Hatika Zafar Ahmed of Holy Himalayan Sr Sec School Chamba scored 97.43% marks and bagged the 10th rank. A total of nine students from different schools of Himachal Pradesh shared the 10th rank in Himachal borad class 10 toppers list 2020.
HPBOSE 10th Pass Percentage 2020
A total of 1,04,323 students had appeared for the class 10 exam March 2020. Of them, 53,526 were boys while the rest i.e. 50,094 were girl students. A total of 70,571 student2 cleared the 2020 HPBOSE 10th exam with an overall pass percentage of 68.11%.
A total of 27,197 students have been declared Failed whereas 5617 students will appear for Compartment exam.
source: http://www.ummid.com / Ummid.com / Home> India> Education & Career / by Ummid.com News Network / June 11th, 2020
In Ira Mukhoty’s narrative, Emperor Akbar is an able reformer, the earliest advocate of inter-religion dialogue, and marked for greatness because of his quality of empathy
Charismatic, curious, catholic, compassionate — Emperor Akbar (1542-1605) has long exercised the imagination of Indians of all hues. For the lay person, he is the lumbering giant with the booming voice and grand moustache as depicted by the actor Prithviraj Kapoor in K. Asif’s magnum opus Mughal-e-Azam (1960); while ostensibly a love story between Akbar’s son, Salim, and Anarkali, the film belongs to the father in the eponymous role of the Great Mughal.
For the liberals, Akbar is the embodiment of pluralism, multiculturalism and the earliest advocate of inter-faith dialogue.
For the right-wing ultra-nationalists he is the most ‘tolerable’ of all the Muslim rulers for his reverence for all faiths and abolition of the religious tax, jiziya, from non-Muslims.
An Indian icon’
From school textbooks to the Akbar-Birbal qissa-kahani to popular culture, Akbar has consistently remained an Indian icon.
Several books too have been written on him, both by the professional historian and by non-academic but extremely engaged and passionate writers. In the latter category are two recent books, both eminently readable and both written by journalists: the simply-titled Akbar by Shazi Zaman and Allahu Akbar: Understanding the Great Mughal in Today’s India by Manimugdha Sharma. Ira Mukhoty’s gargantuan book is nevertheless a welcome addition.
However, her assertion that “few full-length biographies have been written in recent times” is not entirely true. One is also wary of the sub-title; “definitive” biography sounds like a publisher’s overkill, for a book’s size alone (over 600 pages) cannot define its scope nor ward off any future explorations on the subject.
Given the absence of Endnotes, Bibliography and Index in the uncorrected proof copy sent for review, one is unable to fully gauge the extent of sources and primary texts studied by the author and whether, if at all, she has accessed Persian sources that have largely been beyond the reach of non-academic writers relying as they do on English translations.
One is, however, struck by two curious omissions by the author. One: footnotes to indicate where quoted matter is sourced from.
Two, a similar omission in the photographs of Mughal miniatures; more detailed captions and information about sources would have been helpful given, especially, that the book focuses on the role played by the royal ateliers (tasvir khanas) in chronicling the lives of the royal patrons and leaving behind a vast visual archive of Mughal history, a rich load that is now being mined by art historians as a supplement to recorded history.
Access to a king
Mukhoty’s strength as a writer lies in her ability to recreate a scene, flesh out characters, find the human element, in a word, narrate history.
Her previous book, Daughters of the Sun: Empresses, Queens and Begums of the Mughal Empire, contained ample evidence of her sophisticated prose and her felicity in providing a luminous account of the many women who lived in the shadow of their men yet led remarkable lives during the Mughal period. Here, too, she impresses with her ability to make history accessible in ways that professional historians sometimes don’t, or can’t.
Mukhoty shows her mettle as a narrator virtually from the opening paragraph where she describes two young hostages, a young Akbar and his sister, on their way to meet their uncle Kamran: “In the frigid mid-winter of 1544, two children were sent north from Kandahar to Kabul, 500 kilometres away. While the snow fell silently and relentlessly on a desolate landscape, the small party stumbled on through the mountain passes and ravines, their horses’ steaming breath loud in the night.”
She goes on to chart the growth of that terrified child upon whom the weight of being Emperor of Hindustan is thrust at the tender age of 13 when his father, Humayun, dies unexpectedly: “In fact, Akbar was a distracted, undisciplined, rambunctious child and youth who, in the parlance of the twenty-first century, may have suffered from an attention-deficit disorder. So unruly and self-willed was Akbar that no tutor was able to hold his attention and he grew up effectively unschooled and practically illiterate.”
Pioneering genius
And yet this young emperor would evolve into a fine human being, a patron of the arts, initiator of some of the greatest works of translation not to mention a pioneer in ship-building, metallurgy, alchemy, military technology as well as administrative reforms. Mukhoty shows us the man behind the emperor who brought in the largest territory — after Ashoka and his Mauryan empire — under his control.
Despite Akbar’s intellectual curiosity, his epiphany at the age of 36, his visionary idea of sulha kul (universal peace), it is his compassion and empathy that marks him for greatness. As he said in one of his proclamations: ‘The best prayer is service to humanity.’
Akbar The Great Mughal: The Definitive Biography; Ira Mukhoty, Aleph, ₹999.
The reviewer is a writer, translator and literary historian.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Books> Reviews / by Rakshanda Jalil / June 13th, 2020
With countless migrant labourers deciding to journey home on foot amid the Covid-induced lockdown, an Anganwadi worker in Telangana’s Nizamabad decided to take it upon herself to feed as many hungry travellers as possible.
She has been buying and cooking food with her own salary, savings, and her children’s monetary help.
Ameena, who wakes up at 3 am every day to cook the food, has also been receiving donations in the form of money and food to continue her noble work.
Watch the full video for more.
source: http://www.hindustantimes.com / Hindustan Times / Home> HT Salutes / June 10th, 2020
Mohammad Akhtar says elephants came to him as family heritage. Photo: IANS
Patna:
Even as the death of an elephant in Kerala in extremely tragic circumstances, is raging on social media, an animal lover in Bihar comes under the spotlight after he bequeathes his entire wealth to two elephants. He says one of them had saved his life from a criminal.
Mohammad Akhtar (50) from Janipur in Phulwari Sharif near Patna has two elephants aged 20 and 15 years. Moti and Rani live with him.
Akhtar says elephants came to him as family heritage, and that Moti and Rani are the “children” of those elephants. “I have lived with them since my childhood. The two are my family members,” he said, adding there are people who would like him to take care of the animal brought by them.
Akhtar is also chief of the Asian Elephant Rehabilitation and Wildlife Animal Trust (AERAWAT), an NGO. “I gave my 6.25-acre land to the two elephants to ensure that when I am not alive, the animals do not suffer hunger,” Akhtar told IANS.
He also revealed how Moti saved his life. “Moti had gone along with a mahout to Bhojpur district’s Shahpur area, where he fell ill. I had to rush there to treat him. One day, while I was asleep there, I was woken up by Moti’s roar. I saw one man pointing his gun just outside the window. I ran away to save my life,” recalls Akhtar.
He alleged that some of his own family members had joined hands with animal smugglers and were trying to sell the elephant by killing him.
Akhtar says he still fears for his life from his own family members because he has registered his land for the two elephants. He has written to Chief the Wildlife Warden and Patna police chief alleging threat to his life from his family members.
The elephant lover also trains mahouts. He says if the government does not intervene to protect the elephant, “the time is not far when we would see the elephant only in books. He says the elephants are headed for villages in search of food.
source: http://english.manoramaonline.com / OnManorama / Home> Lifestyle> News / by IANS / June 10th, 2020
