Monthly Archives: January 2021

P.B. Nooh, a man with a gift for instant decision-making, at Kerala’s ground zero of crisis

Amazing Feats, Community Involvement / Social Issues, COVID 19 - Community of Soldiers, Leaders, , ,

KERALA :

PB Nooh opened a control room with some 50 young doctors and volunteers for the exercise, which technology helped a great deal.
PB Nooh opened a control room with some 50 young doctors and volunteers for the exercise, which technology helped a great deal
  • P.B Nooh, who grew up in Kerala’s Perumbavoor, near Ernakulam district, studied in a public school before graduating from the University of Agricultural Sciences, Bengaluru
  • PB Nooh opened a control room with some 50 young doctors and volunteers for the exercise, which technology helped a great deal

P.B. Nooh, the collector of Pathanamthitta district, is known to be an aggressive young man, facing adversities with a smile and having the capability to take quick decisions. And, he is at the ground-zero of Kerala’s coronavirus crisis.

While he has been regularly hitting the streets without any complaint, for many other young civil servants it would have been a nightmare. In fact, this is third attempt to help the state sail out of a crisis of giant proportions.

Shortly after he was appointed as the district collector, and just 15 days after having a surgery, Kerala had witnessed the worst floods in over a century. In August 2018, when the waters started rising, the low-lying areas of Pathanamthitta were one of the most affected. Nooh was tasked with the largest rescue operation ever seen: Around .14 million people were rescued and moved to safer locations uphill within hours.

Months later, the district hogged national headlines as the epicentre of the Sabarimala protests. But Nooh stood tall as the protests over the ban on the entry of menstruating women in the hill shrine, and dealt with the situation with an iron hand.

Nooh, who grew up in Kerala’s Perumbavoor, near Ernakulam district, studied in a public school before graduating from the University of Agricultural Sciences, Bengaluru. He followed his elder brother P.B. Saleem to the civil services, with a ranking of 48 in 2012.

“Ever since, he has weathered crisis after crisis, but the current one has simply been no match to all previous occasions,” said an official of the chief minister’s office who has worked with closely with Nooh, requesting anonymity.

“When we called him to enquire about the first three Covid-19 cases (in Pathanamthitta), he was away on work in Trivandrum. He reached Pathanamthitta around 12am the same night, did not rest until he traced those three patients, and their primary contacts, isolated them in hospitals, and prepared an action plan in consultation with several experts, including doctors,” the official added.

“It must have all ended by 3am or so. We would have faced a bigger crisis if he had not acted that quickly. He has the gift for instant decision-making, and is a god-sent gift for us. Young turks like him are the ones who really enable chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan’s CEO style of operation.”

The next day, on 8 March, the district administration announced about five residents of Ranni, who had evaded health screening at Kochi airport on their return from Italy about a week ago, and subsequently tested positive for Covid-19.

The case of the couple and their son came as a shocker to Kerala, as it came to light only after two other relatives were infected with the deadly virus. The state was immediately put on high alert, as the family had travelled to several places across Pathanamthitta and Kottayam districts, including a local health clinic. Two nonagenarian family members were also shifted to the Kottayam Medical College hospital with high fever.

“The Italy-returned family hid their travel details from the health authorities. Such practices have to be seen as a crime,” said an angry Kerala health minister K.K. Shailaja to reporters that day. By the following day, it became clear that the family had inflected about eight others, India’s most number of Covid-19 cases for a district back then. And, Nooh was key to the success of the rapid action team.

Mint could not get Nooh’s comments. But, in an interview with Mathrubhumi News on Thursday, he said: “That was a scary moment. This was an unprecedented situation. Until we set an action plan, I was a bit disturbed.”

“Societally, we knew the news would create a lot of panic and trauma. Second, the government is answerable on how they escaped. So, I called the superintendent of police and said, look we only have this night, we have to get hold of these guys before sun rise. SP The did a good job and by 1.00am we had them.” The district administration then went into a massive drive to trace the contacts who were in touch with the family.

Nooh opened a control room with some 50 young doctors and volunteers for the exercise, which technology helped a great deal. Soon after, Nooh helped devise a strategy with the help of the police to track a patient’s phone number and trace tower locations, before marking the places of visit on Google Maps to zero in on possible contacts. Within six days, all contacts were traced and at least 4,000 people, including 2,000 people who returned from foreign countries, were traced and home quarantined. The challenge for Nooh will only increase by the day, but he could be central to Kerala’s fight against Covid-19.

source: http://www.livemint.com / Mint / Home> India / by Nidheesh M K / March 21st, 2020

Assam epitome of Hindu-Muslim unity: CM Sonowal on new book ‘The Identity Quotient: The Story of the Assamese Muslims’

Books (incl.Biographies - w.e.f.01 jan 2018 ), Community Involvement / Social Issues, Freedom Fighters (under research project), Leaders, , , , , , ,

ASSAM / NEW DELHI :

CM Sarbananda Sonowal calls Zafri Mudasser Nofil’s new book, The Identity Quotient: The Story of the Assamese Muslims, an informing and inspiring read as it significantly highlights the Assamese Muslims and their lineage to the medieval period when Muslim rulers and generals invaded the region

Assam epitome of Hindu-Muslim unity: CM Sonowal on new book 'The Identity Quotient: The Story of the Assamese Muslims' | Hindustan Times
Assam epitome of Hindu-Muslim unity: CM Sonowal in foreword of Zafri’s new book(Twitter/zafrimn/sarbanandsonwal)

Assam has over the years set a perfect example of harmonious coexistence and is an “epitome of unity” between Hindus and Muslims, which is reflected in the Zikir devotional songs popularised by Muslim mystic Azan Pir and inspired by Vaishnavite saint Srimanta Sankaradeva, says Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal.

He makes these remarks in the foreword to a new book “The Identity Quotient: The Story of the Assamese Muslims” written by journalist Zafri Mudasser Nofil and brought out by Har-Anand Publications.

“Assam has over the years set a perfect example of harmonious coexistence of Hindus and Muslims. The state has been an epitome of Hindu-Muslim unity which becomes evident from the symbiosis of Hindu-Muslim friendship,” Sonowal says.

“The Zikir and Zari of Azan Pir inspired by Srimanta Sankaradeva essentially preach the secular message, the same way as to how Dr. Bhupen Hazarika’s songs reverberate the message of equality, peace and unity between religions and humanism,” he adds.

The Zikirs and Zaris are Muslim devotional songs in Assamese ascribed to Azan Pir who has become a spiritual icon of Assam exemplifying universal brotherhood. He was inspired by Srimanta Sankaradeva and was successful in building a bridge of unity.

The chief minister notes that the book significantly highlights the Assamese Muslims and their lineage to the medieval period when Muslim rulers and generals invaded the region. Nofil, himself an Assamese Muslim, covered Assam for ‘The Sentinel’ newspaper in Guwahati before moving to New Delhi where he is now working as a Senior News Editor for Press Trust of India (PTI) on its national desk. “I am happy with the book which encapsulates vignettes of the contributions of the Muslims of the state, their customs, traditions and their unique cuisines. With its uniqueness of being a narrative non-fiction with vivid quotes from historical texts, I am sure the book will be read and appreciated by all. I hope the book informs and inspires many,” Sonowal says.

In the book, Nofil traces the history of Muslims in Assam in the medieval era, their amalgamation with the locals and discusses their contribution to the state up to the present day, when talks of a controversial citizenship law and national register of citizens (NRC) have caused tension among the community “This book tells how Muslims of Assam are different from the rest of the country. They take pride in calling themselves Assamese first and never consider themselves to be lesser Assamese than Assamese Hindus,” Nofil writes. The book draws information from multitudes of credible historical documents and archives, interactions with litterateurs, scholars and artistes.

The contribution of Assamese Muslims has been multifaceted, diverse and immense. Be it politics, civil services, literature, art, education, law, sports, music, films and entertainment, they have excelled in every other field, Nofil says in the book.

It profiles several achievers, who have made a mark in their respective fields. They include former president Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed to actor Adil Hussain and classical singer Begum Parveen Sultana, to several people from the community who have many firsts to their names.

But of late, he says, the indigenous Muslims have been “suffering the ignominy” of being bracketed with illegal immigrants as ‘Miya’, an Urdu word meaning gentleman, which is, however, used in Assam for Bangladeshi-origin Muslims who mostly live in ‘char’ areas or floating river islands.

(This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text. Only the headline has been changed.)

source: http://www.hindustantimes.com / Hindustan Times / Home> Lifestyle / by Press Trust of India / posted by Zafarshan Shiraz,New Delhi / December 14th, 2020

How Sumiya Faruq Built Taqva, The Islamic YouTube

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Community Involvement / Social Issues, Education,

Hyderabad, TELANGANA :

While the majority of children today are born with gadgets loaded with raunchy music and sensual dance videos, 25-year-old Sumiya Faruq wants to change the way kids are growing up.

Meet the Hyderabad-based entrepreneur and founder of Taqva — the single largest video repository of Islamic content, who is fast replacing irrelevant music and inappropriate videos with faith reviving content, inspiring the younger generation to honour integrity, morals, values, ethics, and principles to adopt righteous behaviour.

Started as a way to help toddlers and kids of the digital era to find a safe online audio-visual zone, and to shield young minds from exposed danger of inappropriate video content that has now overtaken creative online space with distracting adverts, and illicit pop-ups, Taqva was created to provide virtuous online space for families and children, where scholarly erudition of faith, etiquettes and mannerisms are being taught at the forefront, gradually but firmly establishing reverential consciousness of God.

Realising the monumental threat to the 21st-century children being exposed to explicit online content, Sumiya recalls the earlier times where the online space was still non-existent.

“During my childhood, my parents used to have a collection of cassettes and CDs containing Islamic content. We used to exchange and share these collections with friends and relatives. Over time, this practice changed as the content was being available and accessible by anyone on the internet, thanks to content sharing websites such as YouTube, Vimeo, etc. But unfortunately, these sites are like a jungle. You can find any and every type of content on there and it’s possible for a person watching Islamic videos to get lost in that jungle and get into “haraam”/ forbidden zone. Even the advertisements on these channels could be distracting and often have forbidden content.”

“Internet has become a huge jungle where kids might soon end up learning things that are completely inappropriate for their age,” says Sumiya Faruq, who also holds a Masters degree in Psychology and a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science & Engineering.

Taqva, a video-aggregation platform of beneficial videos was created to jeopardise the great peril of early exposure to illicit websites. Created and curated with the assistance of volunteers from various parts of the world. Taqva comes with the ability to link the best of videos from content sharing websites such as YouTube, Vimeo, Vine, etc.

The videos are suggested by a group of enthusiastic volunteers who analyse the Islamic videos’ quality of content, such as the content’s suitability, reliability, and authenticity, along with various other important parameters.

“There are various categories of Islamic videos on Taqva such as — Quran recitation, Tafseer, Hadiths, Islamic reminder videos, Prophetic stories, Inter-faith debates, Revert stories, Islamic cartoons for kids, etc” adds Sumiya.

However, Taqva’s major USP is the Kids section, which is a huge collection of Islamic cartoons for Kids. It is one of website’s most viewed sections — a testimony that its audience love it.

Gaining a popular momentum, Sumiya and her team are making their online presence felt by marketing their brand using social media as their marketing tool. Taqva is available and active on major platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Pinterest, as “TaqvaOfficial” added Sumiya who has created a niche of her own with her brainchild — Taqva, which is an exclusive one-stop destination for all Islamic Videos.

Today, Taqva has become the YouTube of Islamic videos. “Currently, we are reaching to 50,000+ users and have over 20,000 active followers on Social Media outlets such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter & Pinterest. Our Target viewership for Taqva is definitely, all the Muslims across the globe — and of course, many non-Muslims too! We want Taqva to be the go-to website for Islamic Videos” says Sumiya, who believes Taqva.com is an “Islamic” video hub.

“It has been designed to be intuitive, easy to use and clutter-free. Also, it’s Ad-free and all the videos are neatly categorised into several relevant categories making it easy for users to browse Islamic content says Sumiya excitedly. The Taqva team also curates posts based on Islamic quotes, mainly from the Quran and the Hadith (authentic sayings of the Prophet), featured videos and shares them on social media platforms such as Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

“We are not biased towards any particular school of thought. We fundamentally believe that there is only One Islam, the religion completed by our Prophet” she further explains.

With Taqva, this determined entrepreneur is sure to influence and change the way Muslim families are engaging with online platforms. The enterprising youngster who also works full time at a Multinational corporation as a software engineer aims to extend her team of dedicated volunteers, to help identify and list the best of Islamic content being produced in various languages across different countries.

“By 2020, we envision Taqva to become the largest video repository of Islamic Content reaching to millions of Muslims across the world,” she adds.

source: http://www.thecognate.com / The Cognate / Home> Startups / by Hajira Firdouse / March 02nd, 2018

‘Ambulance Dada’ Ferries Over 5500 Patients to Hospitals On His Motorbike

Amazing Feats, Community Involvement / Social Issues, FREE : Healthcare / Assistance, Useful / HEALTHCARE, World Opinion, , , , , , , ,

Jalpaiguri District, WEST BENGAL :

Awarded the Padma Shri in 2017, Karimul Haque began helping the sick commute to the hospital in his village. But his reason will bring you to tears.

Jugaad – a flexible approach to problem-solving that uses limited resources in an innovative way.

The reason I start with this definition of a colloquial Hindi term is only because the protagonist of my story—Karimul Haque (55), who is also referred to as ‘Ambulance Dada’—truly embodies the meaning of the word jugaad.

Losing his mother due to the non-availability of an ambulance in time led him to start his own motorcycle ambulance in 1998. Since then he has ferried over 5,500 patients from across 20 villages in West Bengal’s  Jalpaiguri district.

In 2017, Karimul was also awarded with a Padma Shri for his service. Karimul is a stellar example of the phrase – ‘service above self’.

No one should die for lack of treatment

Karimul Haque – Ambulance Dada

Having seen his mother pass away due to lack of timely access to treatment, Karimul says that his constant thought was to find a way to ensure that this does not happen to anyone else. He says, “It was just another day when I was working in the tea garden. I saw a fellow worker collapse and without thinking about it, I put him on my motorbike, tied him to me and took him to the nearest hospital.” It worked and Karimul managed to save his life.

“That incident was all the push I needed. I decided to use my motorbike to ferry those in need,” he says, adding, “I realised that in my area, a motorbike works better than a van or a full ambulance. The reason why a bike ambulance works best in this area is because the roads are not conducive for a larger vehicle to cross and sometimes even the rivers overflow. It is easiest to maneuver a motorbike in these conditions.”

‘People would mock and even laugh at my face’

Ambulance Dada providing first aid to an elderly.

Since the ambulance that Karimul operates is not one that follows conventional norms, he says he was often mocked and even laughed at. “But once they saw the work that I was able to do and the number of people I was able to help, people’s perception started to change,” he says. Besides always being there for people when he is called upon, Karimul also seems to always have a solution to the problems people come to him with.

Not just an ambulance service provider

Day and night ambulance service.

With the passage of time, Karimul and his sons also got trained in administering basic first aid to patients. He says, “Today, I also organise regular health camps in the village. The kind of poverty that the villagers live in often stops them from visiting a doctor or the hospital. With these camps, many small niggling health issues are being corrected.”

Karimul has also gone one step further and converted a part of the land his house is built on to serve as a hospital. “We have tie-ups with doctors who also do video consultations now. Basic tests like sugar and blood pressure are also conducted at the hospital. In the case of an emergency, I am also trained to administer saline drips,” he says.

With former President Pranab Mukherjee.

Dr Soumen Mondal, a general surgeon practicing in Jalpaiguri says, “I have known ‘Ambulance Dada’ – Karimul since 2013. Not just dedicated but he is also someone who will go out of his way to help those in need. I have personally trained him in many of the basic first aid techniques and often help through video consults as well.”

Even busier during the pandemicpix06

At a time when a majority of us stayed indoors during the lockdown period, Karimul and his sons have been busy. “Besides ferrying patients to the hospital on my motorbike ambulance, we also saw that many of them were not even able to afford one meal a day. That was when we decided to start supplying rice to as many people as we could,” says Karimul.

So far close to 1,000 people have benefitted by the rice that Karimul and his family have distributed and another 200 families have been provided with cooked food. “These are migrant labourers, and with no work, they had no income whatsoever. We started cooking at home and serving these families,” says Raju, the elder son of Karimul.

He goes on, “Now people know baba (Karimul) and we also get donations and sponsorships. We have used the money to buy and provide blankets and food to those in need near our village.”

Raju ends the conversation by saying, “We have grown up seeing him readily available to everyone at whatever time they needed. Even though he is in his 50s, the energy he has sometimes even puts me to shame.”

This nine-times over grandfather says, “I may be 55 years of age but mentally and even physically I am not a day older than 30. It is my duty to serve those in need and will do so until the day I can’t any more.”

(Edited by Yoshita Rao)

source: http://www.thebetterindia.com / The Better India / Home / by Vidya Raja / December 04th, 2020

Drugs Laboratories becomes first Unani Company to get prestigious ‘Ayush Premium Mark’

Business & Economy, Science & Technology, , , , ,

Meerut, UTTAR PRADESH :

Dr. Sirajuddin Ahmad

New Delhi:

Meerut- based Unani drugs manufacturing company ‘Drugs Laboratories’ is the one and only among the Unani pharmaceuticals companies which was recently accorded the prestigious ‘Ayush Premium Mark’ by the Ministry of AYUSH.  Now it would able to export Unani medicine abroad legally.

Considering the  state of  Unani pharmaceuticals industry in the country, it is not a mean achievement for the DL,  especially  if one compares it with well-known Hamdard company  which even did not get such certificate despite having much more popular and  older than the DL.

Talking to Muslim Mirror, Dr. Sirajuddin Ahmad, chairman of Drugs Laboratories said “Ayush Premium Mark’ assures that the product quality and GMP requirement is of international standard”.  Terming it a big achievement, Dr Ahmad said DL has become the first Unani and top Ayurvedic Company in India to get this prestigious certificate.

India has emerged as the world leader in Unani medicine but it has not been able to export Unani medicine to the world and Ayush Premium Mark has opened new horizons and possibilities for the promotion of Unani system, he said.

 Ayush Premium Mark’ recognition is given by the Quality Council of India in collaboration with Ministry of Ayush government of India. ‘Ayush Premium Mark’ is mandatory for export of Ayush products and supply of medicine in government institutes.

The certificate recognises that the products of a particular company are based on GMP requirements that are based on WHO guidelines and followed worldwide.

Dr. Ahmad said ‘Drugs Laboratories’ is the first Unani Company to modernize Unani products according to market needs which has 64patented drugs.

Currently company has more than 50 patented products and 64 classical Unani products. Apart from this Ayurvedic product are also manufactured.

We have developed 12 highly-effective drugs for instant relief ranging from cough to fever and even now allopathic doctors also prescribed these drugs to patients, he said.

Drugs Laboratories” with a fervour to keep Unani and Ayurvedic flag high and to serve the mankind, initiated extensive research in the field of Herbal with modern techniques in quality control and production.

We are also working how to make Unani medicine more popular across the communities and the country as it is a very effective medicine which has no risk of any side-effect, he said who’s father Padma Shree Hakim Saifuddin Ahmad was a very prominent Unani Physician. Hakim Saifuddin was also served as a Unani Physician to three Indian Presidents and was also appointed as the first Unani advisor to the government of India.

Talking about his family association with Unani medicine, Dr. Sirajuddin said this profession has been running in our veins for more than seventh generation as he has inherited this from his father Hakim Saifuddin Ahmad. His both sons have also been assisting their father in this venture.

 We did not keep the family prescriptions secret but made it public for the benefit of the humanity, he added. Highlighting the company’s future plans, he said we are doing scientific research on a number of drugs including how to get rid of the dialysis  which has become a mandatory for a kidney patient and many more things.

source: http://www.muslimmirror.com / Muslim Mirror / Home> Indian Muslim / by Abdul Bari Masoud / March 26th, 2019

Kashmir’s first-ever igloo restaurant turns selfie spot for tourists

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Gulmarg (Baramulla District) , JAMMU & KASHMIR :

It’s well furnished inside and leaves one wondering in awe, says a visitor

With the minimum temperature plummeting to minus 18 degree Celsius in north Kashmir’s tourist hotspot Gulmarg, a spherical 22-feet-wide and 15-feet-high igloo restaurant has become a major attraction among the tourists, more for selfies than food served inside.

“We threw the igloo restaurant open to the public two days ago. It’s the country’s biggest igloo ever made. It took 15 days to construct it with the help of 20 workers,” Waseem Shah, managing director of the Kolahoi Resorts, told The Hindu.

The all-snow covered restaurant has eight tables, serving lunch and dinner inside it, and can accommodate 18 people simultaneously. The novel idea has been picked from the cold places of Europe.

“I have travelled to Switzerland, Norway and Finland and saw similar snow sculptures. We too have snow in abundance and can experiment on such projects,” Mr. Shah said.

He said the cafe shall make it to the Limca book of records as Asia’s biggest igloo. “So far tourists come more for selfies than food. But I am happy they are leaving with cherishable memories,” he said.

Sonia Kapoor, a tourist from Delhi, said the restaurant is a must for a selfie. “The sight of igloo is amazing. The fact that it’s well furnished inside, leaves one wondering in awe,” Ms. Kapoor said.

The idea has come as a shot in the arm of tourism, which was struggling in Kashmir, first due to the abrogation of special status in 2019 and then by the pandemic.

Director, Tourism, Kashmir, G.N. Itoo said Kashmir is fast emerging as “an all season destination”.

“Kashmir is offering visitors not only mesmerising beauty of its natural landscape, its perennial rivers and lakes, gardens and meadows, mountains and valleys, forests and wildlife but also diversity of tourism products with its adventure potential, cuisine, heritage, pilgrimage circuits and plenty of leisure tourism,” Mr. Itoo said.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Other States / by Peerzada Ashiq / Srinagar, January 28th, 2021

Eight Muslims selected for Padma awards this year

Amazing Feats, Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Community Involvement / Social Issues, Leaders, Science & Technology, World Opinion, , , , , , , , , ,

NEW DELHI : 

The BJP-led Hindu nationalist government has conferred Padma awards on 119 personalities. The awardees include eight Muslims.

Two renowned Islamic scholars, Maulana Wahiduddin Khan and Maulana Kalbe Sadiq have also been selected for the award.

Padma Vibhushan, the second-highest civilian award have been presented to Maulana Wahiduddin Khan, while Maulana Kalbe Sadiq have been provided Padma Bhushan, the third-highest civilian award.

Both the scholars had urged Muslims to give away their claim on Babri Masjid. Currently, a Ram Temple is being constructed on the site where Babri Masjid was standing till its demolition by Hindutva mobs, aided by BJP-RSS veterans, on 6 December 1992.

The awardees include, polymath Ali Manikfan, who has been awarded with the Padma Shri for his contribution in grassroots level innovations at Lakshwadeep. Born into an aristocratic family in 1938 in the Minicoy Island of Lakshwadeep, Manikfan is as marine researcher, ecologist, shipbuilder, agriculturist, and a polyglot.

Gulfam Ahmed from Uttar Pradesh for his contribution in the field of Art, Lakha Khan for Literature from Rajasthan, and Ghulam Rasool Khan for Art from Jammu and Kashmir, Sanjida Khatun for Art from Bangladesh and Col Quazi Sajjad Ali Zahir for Public Affairs from Bangladesh are among the recipients of the Padma Shri.

These awards cater to various disciplines including art, social work, public affairs, science and engineering, trade and industry, medicine, literature and education, sports and civil service. While ‘Padma Shri’ is awarded for distinguished service in any field, ‘Padma Bhushan’ is awarded for distinguished service of high order. ‘Padma Vibhushan’ is awarded for exceptional and distinguished service.

source: http://www.muslimmirror.com /Muslim Mirror / Home> Featured / by Muslim Mirror Staff / January 28th, 2021

All you need to know about Padma Vibhushan awardee Maulana Wahiduddin Khan

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

Badharia Village (Azamgarh District), UTTAR PRADESH / NEW DELHI :

Maulana Wahiduddin Khan has been given Padma Vibhushan, India’s second-highest civilian award, for his exceptional contribution in the field of spiritualism.

All you need to know about Padma Vibhushan awardee Maulana Wahiduddin Khan | Hindustan Times
File photo of Maulana Wahiduddin Khan.(CPS Global)

The Centre on Monday released the list of Padma awards on the eve of India’s 72nd Republic Day in which it has honoured 119 people for their achievements and contributions to their respective fields of work.

One of the names that is sure to pique interest is that of renowned Islamic scholar Maulana Wahiduddin Khan. He has been given Padma Vibhushan, India’s second-highest civilian award, for his exceptional contribution in the field of spiritualism.

Khan first shot to limelight when he gave a clarion call to Muslims to relinquish claims over the disputed Babri Masjid site, one the first community leaders to do so.

He then floated, along with others, the “Vajpayee Himayat (support) Committee”, which had extensively campaigned for the former BJP prime minister in the Lucknow constituency in the 2004 Lok Sabha elections.

Khan is known for his association with Vajpayee and his senior colleague in the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) L K Advani.

Khan has contributed articles to the RSS mouthpiece Organiser which presents him “as an enlightened alternative to Islamic fanaticism” for “reportedly counselling Muslims to abandon their claim on Ayodhya”.

His verified Facebook page describes the Islamic scholar as, “Maulana Wahiduddin Khan is an Islamic spiritual scholar who has adopted peace as the mission of his life. Known for his Gandhian views, he considers non-violence as the only method to achieve success.”

He established Centre for Peace and Spirituality (CPS) in 2001 to promote and reinforce the culture of peace. The website of the organisation says the Khan was born in Uttar Pradesh’s Azamgarh in 1925.

Padma awards – conferred in Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan and Padma Shri categories – are among the highest civilian awards given in various disciplines/fields like art, social work, public affairs, science and engineering, trade and industry, medicine, literature and education, sports, and civil service.

source: http://www.hindustantimes.com / Hindustan Times / Home> India News /by HindustanTimes.com – edited by Amit Chaturvedi / January 25th, 2021

Ayodhya’s Dhannipur mosque project launched with unfurling of tricolour on R-Day

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Community Involvement / Social Issues, Leaders, Travel & Tourism, World Opinion, , , , , , , , ,

Ayodhya, UTTAR PRADESH :

The Dhannipur project includes a mosque, hospital, museum, library, community kitchen, Indo-Islamic Cultural Research Centre and Publication House.

A plantation drive was also organised to mark the launch of the Dhannipur project(Sourced)
A plantation drive was also organised to mark the launch of the Dhannipur project (Sourced)

The Uttar Pradesh Sunni Central Waqf Board (UPSCWB) formally launched the Dhannipur project on the allocated five-acre land at Dhannipur village of Ayodhya by hoisting the national flag and planting saplings to mark Republic Day celebrations on Tuesday.

The Dhannipur project includes a mosque, hospital, museum, library, community kitchen, Indo-Islamic Cultural Research Centre and Publication House. The land was allotted to UPSCWB in compliance with the Supreme Court directives in the Ayodhya title dispute case in which the apex court, on November 9, 2019, paved the way for construction of Ram temple at the disputed site.

“I believe there is no better way than to start the project by planting saplings on the five-acre land. The plantation was carried out in the area of the project meant to be developed as a green area. The area will have plants and trees from all different geographical regions of India and from different parts of the world in order to create awareness about the imminent threat of climate change,” said Athar Hussain, spokesperson for Indo-Islamic Cultural Foundation (IICF) which has been set up by UPSCWB to look after the construction of the Dhannipur project.

Senior members of the board along with the members of the IICF hoisted the flag at 8.30 am on the 5 acre land in Dhannipuur village. The flag hoisting was followed by plantation drive where members and trustees of IICF planted saplings.

On December 19, the trust had released the blueprint of the mosque and other structures designed by Professor SM Akhtar, a Lucknow-based architect and town planner, whom the trust has hired to design the mosque that would come up in Dhannipur in place of the Babri Masjid that was demolished in 1992.

Akhtar is the founder dean of the Faculty of Architecture at Jamia Milia University, Delhi.

source: http://www.hindustantimes.com / Hindustan Times / Home> India News / by HT Correspondent / January 26th, 2021

Indian community in Jeddah slaute patriotic valor of Army hero Brig. Usman

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Bibipur (Azamgarh District) , UTTAR PRADESH / NEW DELHI / Jeddah, SAUDI ARABIA :

Acting Indian Consul General Y.Sabir poses for photos with winners of Brig. Usman Storytelling Contest and Organizers of the event at Indian Consulate in Jeddah

Jeddah :

Members of the Indian Community in Jeddah gave a big salute to the patriotic valor and great sacrifice of Brig. Mohammed Usman, who laid his life defending the honor of his great nation. Brig. Usman, who at a young age, declined the offer to assume the highest military rank of another country and instead preferred to defeat them in a crucial war by sacrificing his precious life on the war front and thus becoming the highest-ranking Indian Army officer to be martyred in the war.

This great Indian war hero, nicknamed as the “Lion of Nowshera,” was remembered recently during the community’s celebration of the Indian Army Day, which falls on Jan. 15, and that marked paying rich tribute to members of the Indian Armed Forces.

Acting Indian Consul General Y. Sabir was the chief guest of the event, titled “Salute to our heroes,” held in the presence of prominent community members at the conference hall of the Jeddah Consulate in which several highly decorated officers of the Indian Army joined virtually to speak about their experiences right from the field with great enthusiasm and passion.

The most distinguished among them was the keynote speaker Lt. Gen. Bhupinder Singh, former lieutenant governor of Andaman and Nicobar Islands. The younger generation of the community also were part of the celebration and posthumous honoring of the great Indian war hero with their participation in the “Brig. Usman Memorial Storytelling Contest.”

In his speech, Sabir shared with the audience how an Indian Army soldier goes through tough and arduous training that enables him to achieve all round personality development as a true role model of an Indian citizen.

“An Indian Army soldier is the epitome of courage and determination to his duty, and his role and responsibilities are not limited only to warfronts but rather cover much wider areas of serving the entire nation and people,” he said, while calling on the younger generation to come forward to take up a brilliant career in the Indian Armed Forces.

Sabir also lauded the efforts of Indian community for holding a unique event in honoring Brig. Usman, coinciding with the Army Day.

President of India Forum Mir Ferozuddin, who hails from the bloodline of Brig. Usman, spoke about the ‘josh’ of the soldiers that is more ferocious than the roar of a lion. “It is this josh that made the “Sher of Nowshera” reject the offer to become the Chief of Army of the neighboring country and continued to command his country’s army until he became a martyr on the soil of his own beloved country,” he said.

Ferozuddin invited Kargil war veteran Capt. Yashika Tyagi to join the session virtually to give a brief biography of Brig. Usman and insights into his heroic martyrdom.

She began her speech with the remarks of “Shera Shera Nowshera” feeling of pride of belonging to the banner of the great Brigadier. Tyagi described the courage and determination of Brig. Usman in recapturing Jhangar village in Kashmir. “In all senses of the word, Brig. Usman was a great warrior, who faced each set back in his life head-long and defeated each setback with the strength of his character.”

Capt. Tyagi, the first lady officer to be posted in extreme cold weather, also spoke eloquently about how a woman, a mother of a toddler and four-month pregnant, fought bravely to safeguard India’s borders. She motivated Indian girls and boys to join the Indian Armed Forces, with a promise to train them personally.

In his keynote address, Lt. Gen. Bhupinder Singh recalled: “Brig. Usman continued to remain an inspiring war hero all throughout my military and civil life ever since my joining of the Indian Army at the age of 19. Brig. Usman was among my heroes about whom I have been mentioning in all my writings,” he observed and lauded the family of Mir Ferozuddin as a fine example of true patriots.”

The event also saw a virtual CatFit deliberations to mark the Army Day. CatFit, a pioneer of M.A.S.T.S (Military Application and Special Forces Tactics for Students), covers all domains of psychological, mental, physical and emotional development and thereby ensuring that students achieve their optimum potential. Global Head of CatFit Arpan Dixit introduced the speakers.

Maj. D.P. Singh, a distinguished military officer who fought in the Kargil war and sustained serious injuries, spoke about the sheer determination of a soldier. Singh talked about the kind of soldiers the Indian Armed Forces develop with tough trainings. He showed his journey from 1999 when he got injured by a mortar bomb in Kargil to being the first blade runner of India.

Defense expert Brig. Anjum Shahab, who has over three decades of services in Indian Army, addressed the young generation and motivated them to join the Armed Forces and showed direction on how they can join. On his part, Maj. Mohammed Ali Shah drew attention to various TED (Technology, Entertainment and Design) Talks, giving full of inspiration and well connected with the young generation. Shah started off as an actor and then joined the Indian Armed Forces where he served for five years.

The Squadron Leader Meena Arora narrated her stories from the war field. She mentioned the use of technology in the Air Force and how it is influenced in winning a war. Arora talked about the strength of the Indian Air Force and mentioned the fight of Wing Commander Abhinandan Vardhaman, who landed in the enemy area but showed bravery in the face of death.

Zakaria Biladi, a prominent Indian community leader, was mainly behind organizing this unique event with the core objective of creating awareness among the younger generation about picking their brilliant career path in the Indian Defense Forces. In his speech Biladi said: “There is a dire need to ignite the passion for such services in the Indian youth living in Saudi Arabia particularly because they are not exposed to seeing the activities of Indian Army as much as the youth living in India are.”

Earlier, the event began with a welcome speech by Asim Zeeshan, the master of ceremonies, while Mohammed Hyder proposed the vote of thanks. The organizers of the event also included M. Siraj, Mohsin Sharif, KTA Muneer, and Imran Kausar.

Acting Consul General Y. Sabir gave away prizes to winners of the Brig. Usman Memorial Story telling contest. The winners are the following: Junior Category (7-9 classes) — Kavin Adhitiya & Ms. Danhushri Subramanyan (first); Syeda Umamah Qadri (second); and Ashwin Karuppasamy & Ms. Aishwarya Jayasankar (third). Senior Category (10-12 classes): Rimy Tomy (first); Marial Aranha (second) and Sana Ferozuddin (third).

Speaking to Saudi Gazette, Biladi said that the competition has been instrumental in inculcating a huge amount of patriotism and passion among the Indian students as well as to instill in them high esteem to the great sacrifices of Brig. Usman in defending the homeland.

Brig. Usman was the highest ranking officer of the Indian Army killed in action during the Indo-Pakistan War, immediately after the partition of the subcontinent in 1947. At the time of the partition, he, along with many other Muslim officers, declined to move to the Pakistan Army and even turned down the offer to become the first Chief of Army of the new state of Pakistan, and thus becoming a great symbol of India’s inclusive secularism.

It was during the defense of Jhangar in Jammu and Kashmir Usman was killed on July 3, 1948, by an enemy 25-pounder shell. He was then 12 days short of his 36th birthday. His last words were “I am dying but let not the territory we were fighting for fall for the enemy.”

For his inspiring leadership and great courage, he was awarded posthumously with the second highest military decoration for gallantry in the face of enemy, the Maha Vir Chakra. India’s first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and his Cabinet colleagues attended the funeral of Brig. Usman, who was buried in a grave in the Butla House near the Jamia Millia Islamia campus in New Delhi.

source: http://www.saudigazette.com.sa / Saudi Gazette / Home> Saudi Arabia / by Hassan Cheruppa, Saudi Gazette / January 25th, 2021