Monthly Archives: June 2021

These Muslim Covid Warriors helped Hyderabad in overcoming Oxygen crisis

Amazing Feats, Community Involvement / Social Issues, COVID 19 - Community of Soldiers, FREE : Food, FREE : Healthcare / Assistance, Leaders, Useful / HEALTHCARE, Women/Girls(since May26-2021), , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Hyderabad, TELANGANA :

Relief organizations of Hyderabad, run by Muslims, have come to the rescue of the state and offered help to fight the shortage of Oxygen.

A TCN Ground Report features some of them. 

Amid a surge in Covid-19 cases in Hyderabad in the southern Indian state of Telangana and rise in deaths due to the virus, the severe shortage of oxygen, ventilators and beds in both the government and private-run hospitals exposed the shortfalls of the healthcare system of the state.

Reports said that many patients were turned away from the hospitals due to a shortage of beds and died in their homes. Those admitted to the hospitals died due to lack of oxygen supply and delay in oxygen tankers reaching them. This lead to hundreds of deaths in Hyderabad alone. 

Reports also said that hospitals were overcharging Covid-19 patients. These factors contributed to many people choosing to opt for home treatment. 

It was then that the relief organizations of the state, run by Muslims, came to the rescue and offered help to fight the shortage of Oxygen. 

Talking to TwoCircles.net, Shiba Minai, an activist said, “I make at least 50 to 60 calls to get a bed for a patient”. 

Shiba helps people by connecting them with groups, hospitals and organizations that have been helping patients with beds and oxygen facilities. 

Shiba has been doing relief work since the first wave of the Covid-19 pandemic by providing food for the homeless, migrants, poor people in the slums. She has also helped with the funeral services of the victims. 

She said that a lot of people reach out to her during crisis time. To help these desperate families, she would seek financial help from friends and family members. 

“I get calls from people who are unable to find a bed or oxygen if they are already in the hospital or are under home treatment. Then, I call up hospitals and once I get the right hospital, I then connect the patient or the attendant to that hospital,” she said.  

Shiba said the work she does is exhausting. “Making several calls to hospitals that want to know how much can the patient be able to pay and meanwhile handling calls from attendants of patients is taxing,”. 

Talking about an incident wherein a 45-year-old woman whose saturation levels dipped low and her family could not find a hospital with a bed, Shiba said that she tried her best but “the hospitals refused to admit her after coming to know that her oxygen levels were quite low and she had fewer chances of survival.”

The family of the patient roamed to 6 hospitals, who earlier had assured of the availability of bed refused to admit her once they saw the saturation levels. The woman was taken home where she later succumbed. 

“I tried to help this lady from 9 p.m. till the wee hours of the morning when it was time for Suhoor (early morning meal during the Muslim month of Ramadan). Sadly, she could not be saved,” Shiba said in a sad tone. 


Although Shiba has helped sixty persons with beds with oxygen facilities, what makes her sad is that the “number of patients who I could not help is higher than the ones I helped.” 

Shiba is not alone in doing Covid-19 relief work. Like her, several organizations have helped Hyderabad overcome the Covid-19 crisis from the last year. This year too they have come forward to battle the oxygen shortage in the state. 

‘Oxygen on Wheels’

Mohammed Asif Hussain Sohail, the chairperson of Sakina Foundation, who is popularly known as the ‘Hyderabad Hunger Warrior’ for feeding the hungry for more than 10 years, has been receiving close to 200 calls every day from patients who are being treated at home. He also gets calls from hospitals especially Osmania and Gandhi General Hospitals requesting him for oxygen facilities. 

“The price of oxygen cylinders is quite high at Rs 30,000 and the cost of refilling has gone up to Rs 2500 which a common man cannot afford,” Sohail said.  

Md Asif Hussain Sohail of Sakina Foundation

Sohail said that as hospitals are running out of oxygen and due to black marketing, he has to verify if the patient needs oxygen or not before helping. 

“Sometimes, they don’t need oxygen and we have to counsel and advise them not to give in to their fear and explain to them that a needier person requires it more,” he explained.

Sohail claims that he has “spent more than Rs 10 lakhs from his pocket to buy cylinders and send them to the homes of the needy.” 

“Every day, in Hyderabad itself, my Foundation has provided more than 200 free cylinders. We have reached out to at least 2000 people so far,” he said. 

Oxygen on Wheels is another initiative of the Sakina Foundation. As part of this initiative, oxygen cylinders are provided to patients who are on their way to the city for treatment from their towns and villages. 

“Many people were dying on the way to Hyderabad. Not being able to get proper treatment in their villages they would travel to advanced hospitals in the city. The patients would only be saved if they arrived on time and if the hospital had oxygen,” he said. 

“I wanted to save lives so I came up with this idea to provide emergency oxygen cylinders on the highway,” Sohail said.

As soon as they receive an SOS call, his volunteers drive to the spot where the patient is and help him/her with the oxygen. 

Sohail said that they have driven up to 200 kilometers to provide oxygen to a patient on the highway.  

“Patients were coming not just from the districts of Telangana state but also from Bhopal, Maharashtra, Karnataka. We met them all on the highway and immediately helped them with the oxygen if their saturation levels were low,” Sohail said, adding, “Nearly 150 persons were helped on the highway.”

Sohail said that “love and compassion are necessities, not luxuries.” “Without it, humanity cannot survive,” he added. 

700 people given oxygen aid by Helping Hand Foundation

With the oxygen crisis in the state, volunteers of the relief organization Helping Hand Foundation (HHF), headed by Mujtaba Aksari, have been at the forefront. 

The group distributed a flyer with their contact numbers for people to seek help in cases of Covid-19 emergency. The group also provide help with giving decent funeral services to Covid-19 victims deaths irrespective of religion. 

Mohammed Fareedullah, who heads the project told TwoCircles.net, “When we receive a call for help, our doctors consult them online and based on the doctor’s recommendation, if the patient needs oxygen, we advise the attendant to come to our godown and take the oxygen cylinder without paying any advance or rent. 

A patient receiving oxygen help from HHF | Photo by HHF

Fareedullah said that the families of the patients just have “to pay the refilling charges.” 

“The plant where we get the cylinders refilled have begun to charge double of what they used to charge earlier. But we charge the people a nominal amount,” he said.  

 “The cylinders provided by HHF are usually for home patients but if the patient develops complications and their saturation level drops despite the oxygen therapy then we help them reach the hospital where again our counsellors in the hospital help them with other needs. When the patient recovers and is discharged we ferry them home in HHF ambulances. If they do not recover the volunteers help the family with the last rites too,” explained Fareedullah. 

Helping Hands Foundation owns about 15 ambulances which are free for all patients. The group has 100 cylinders and a luggage trolley to transport the cylinders to the houses of people who cannot come to their go down.

To date, HHF claims to have helped more than 700 people covering the entire old city and many other localities.  

Humanity First Foundation: from feeding hungry to procuring Oxygen

Mohammed Shujatullah,founder of relief organization Humanity First Foundation has been feeding patients and their attendants at three government hospitals for the last 5 years. 

One day when Shujatallah received a call requesting help with oxygen, he decided to buy cylinders and give them for free to patients and then refill the empty ones and help whoever needed them. “Prices had doubled for both the oxygen cylinders and for refilling but through donations to Humanity First, I continued helping people every day with the 110 cylinders we have,” he said. 

Md Shujatullah of Humanity First Foundation checking oxygen cylinders | Photo by HFF

His organization has an ambulance, which carries the oxygen cylinders to hospitals and homes of patients. 

In the month of Ramadan, Shujatallah said that his foundation received good donations and he managed to help as many people as was possible for him. 

Patients at the gate of a hospital supported by SDIF | Picture: SDIF

‘Our motive to save lives keeps us going’

Another local initiative known as Social Data Initiative Forum (SDIF)founded by Azam Khan and Khalid Saifullah started oxygen services during the first wave of the pandemic with their stock of 15 cylinders. 


During the second wave, as the oxygen crisis has only gone worse, the group has been adding to their stockpile of oxygen cylinders. 

The founders said that they had to pay more than the normal price for both purchasing and refilling the cylinders. 

“Our services are not restricted to just providing oxygen cylinders. We also set up an oxygen bank at Government notified Covid-19 hospitals where usually the poorest of the poor come to access health care. People from the rural parts come to Hyderabad with hopes of quality treatment and they face a lot of hurdles waiting to get admitted after already having travelled a long distance,” Azam Khan said. 

“The waiting period at the hospital and the travel time further delays the process of the treatment, which is why we opted to help in the government hospitals,” he clarified. 

In Gandhi Hospital alone, which is the largest Covid-19 hospital of Hyderabad, Azam Khan said they have “20 oxygen cylinders in circulation which are serving at least 400 patients per day.” 

“This supply of oxygen is crucial to their recovery,” Khalid added. 

Apart from the 20 cylinders, they have 100 more cylinders at the other two government-run Covid-19 hospitals of Hyderabad. 

They said they have helped more than 100 people so far. 

Azam Khan narrated an experience that made them realise the significance of their work. 

The King Kothi Government hospital had requested SDIF to set up an oxygen bank. 

“I felt we had to start the work immediately and even though it was Sunday, our team went to the hospital. As soon as we reached the hospital, we saw four dead bodies being carried away. We were told the hospital had run out of oxygen causing the death of these four persons. We immediately set up our oxygen cylinders. Later the doctors informed us that our timely help had saved three persons who were critical and would not have survived had we not reached on time. This experience both saddened us and also made us feel happy that we could at least save the lives of other three persons,” he said.  

“Our motive to save lives keeps us going,” the duo said.

The SDIF is helped by two other charity organizations from Hyderabad namely Safa Baitul Maal and Access Foundation, who work in close collaboration with them. 

Pre and post-Covid care given by Al Hamd Foundation

Al Hamd Foundation, a charitable trust that helps widows, students and the poor, took up Covid-19 relief operations during the last year’s lockdown. 

Amid the ongoing second wave, the foundation is continuing with online consultations of patients with doctors. 

When patients contact them online, they are connected to doctors who advise home treatment keeping in view the severe crunch in the hospitals and also the fact that many cases can be treated at home with proper medications and care.

Al Hamd Foundation Covid relief services

The foundation has provided home treatment to fifty-two patients, who had reported low oxygen levels. 

The founder of Al Hamd Abdul Azeem Mohammed told TwoCircles.net that the treatment cost they incurred for each patient would have run up to Rs. 7 to 8 lakhs had they been treated in a hospital. 

“The team of AL Hamd ensures that the patient does not panic and develops a strong will to fight the disease and survive. The team also helps with the oxygen cylinders, the medicines and regular monitoring by the doctor who visits the patient. At times when the patients are poor and the team notices that they need provisions apart from the medical assistance, Al Hamd provides the family members with rations as well,” Azeem said. 

Al Hamd has given 300 oxygen cylinders and 6 oxygen concentrators to other organizations that are helping people affected with Covid-19. 

They have four oxygen hubs and seven ambulances in Hyderabad-Secunderabad and a fifth one is coming up soon.  

“We have ordered 25 oxygen concentrators from the UK which is likely to arrive by in the last week of May. Each oxygen concentrator of 5-6 litres costs around Rs 46,000. We have also ordered 5 C PAP machines that cure respiratory disorders. And since we are not a hospital, we intend to donate these C PAP machines to the hospitals where there are facilities to treat patient with respiratory disorders that are linked to Covid” explained Azeem. 

“We also give post-Covid care by giving immunity-boosting drugs and foodstuff,” he added. 

Al Hamd is run with funds from family and close friends. 

50-bed oxygen therapy centre set up by Jamaat-e-Islami Hind 

Well-known socio-religious organization Jamaat-e-Islami Hind (JIH) Telangana has also set up a 50-bed oxygen therapy centre in Wadi-e-Huda near Shaheen Nagar, Hyderabad. JIH’s sister concern Students Islamic Organisation (SIO) supports recycling the cylinders, rifling them, coordinating with other organisations for availability. 

Post Script

To support Helping Hand Foundation, you can make a GooglePay donation here: 8125203286

Donate to Humanity First Foundation here: https://www.donatekart.com/humanity-first/Help-Shujatullah

To help SDIF reach out to more needy persons, donate here: 

https://www.donatekart.com/SDIF/Help-SDIF

source: http://www.twocircles.net / TwoCircles.net / Home> Lead Story / b y Nikhat Fatima, TwoCircles.net / May 21st, 2021

Umaira Habib’s is empowering women with her cosmetic range Honey n Beaute

Business & Economy, Women/Girls(since May26-2021), ,

Kattubava (near Pudukkottai), TAMIL NADU :

Umaira Habib: The Young Visionary, Versatile, Decisive Entrepreneur setting new benchmarks for the industry to follow with her startup “Honey n Beaute”.


Mother of two kids Umaira Habib who has made a remarkable name for herself and her firm “Honey n Beaute” in the the beauty and personal care industry.

The young gritty talk of the town entrepreneur gaining tremendous popularity in recent time is Umaira Habib.

This millennial businesswoman rising from all the clutches and clutter of challenges that life had thrown at her, she raised to eventually become a successful entrepreneur and the most popular name for umpteen others to talk and follow about.

This determined and go-getter individual is mother of 2 kids, and now owns a successful company under her kitty “Honey n Beaute”.

Honey n Beaute is now home to millions of women who want to look and fell better about them.

The very discrete and unique product list of Honey n Beaute includes various herbal shampoos, soaps, body lotions etc that touch upon millions of lives across the country and provide the necessary momentum to boost about their confidence and energy.

Umaira’s company not only provides these products to look better but in turn enables them to feel good about hem, being happy about how they carry themselves thereby ingesting super confidence in the modern-day women.


Umaira Habib, born in a small town of Kattu Pava near Pudhukkottai, Tamil Nadu didn’t race the roads of success that easily.

Coming from a middle-class family she had to face many challenges to rise in life. Language barrier was also a concern for her, but her meticulous efforts in learning other languages and studying hard took her to many places.

Umaira pursued a course in beauty and personal care management from Kolkata to eventually learn the tips and tricks of the trade industry and finally setting up the firm “Honey n Beaute”.

Managing work life balance, content with her professional work but striving hard to make her company attain global recognition, Umaira has turned every stone to success. Honey n Beaute now caters to more than 25,000 customers pan India. Who would have ever thought that a firm coined in March 2019 would ever make it so large in relatively short period of time? But Umaira and her dedicated team has made sure that their dreams are a reality today.


Honey n Beaute signature product is their Hair oil with herbal ingredients which is the most selling product for the firm, Henna Body lotions which does wonders for skin tan removal, 24k gold serum with 25 herbs and many more. The exciting range of products enthralls the customers all across the country and is penetrating more and more in upcoming and potential markets.


Honey n Beaute also caters to the cream of the crowd list, with celebrities like Rashmika Mandanna, Ishwarya Menon, Janani Iyer, Aalya Manasa, Youtuber Ahmed Meeran and many others who are proud customers of her firm. Umaira Habib has also been adjudged as Best Young Entrepreneur of the Year 2020 and is continuing her dream run.


We wish Umair and Honey n Beaute to keep continuing their good work and touch upon millions of lives ahead in their journey.

source: http://www.timebulletin.com / Time Bulletin / Home> News> Business / by Derek Robbin / May 2021

Muslim Woman Cremator Shatters Gender and Religious Stereotypes Amid COVID-19 Crisis

Community Involvement / Social Issues, COVID 19 - Community of Soldiers, Women/Girls(since May26-2021), , , , ,

Irinjalakuda (Thrissur), KERALA :

Kerala-based cremator Subeena Rahman

Subeena Rahman has been supervising funerals at an electric crematorium run by the SNBS Samajam at Irinjalakuda in Kerala’s Thrissur, since the last two and a half years. Amid the devastating wave of the coronavirus, the 29-year-old cremator along with her male coworker Sunil has been cremating almost 10 COVID dead bodies daily from Hindu and Christian communities. 

The crematorium is run by the Hindu minority Ezhava community. She informs that if higher authorities permit, they could even perform cremations at night in view of the piling number of COVID-dead.

What prompted Rahman to take up a job at a crematorium? “Financial burden is the main reason for entering into such a job,” she informs. “Since my son was little at that time, I took up work at this crematorium as it’s near my house. This way I manage both my work and my child. I also save on food, travel and other expenses.”

But, being a funeral director is an unusual career choice for a woman. “Initially, I was ashamed to tell people that I work at a crematorium,” says Rahman. People had several questions for her and their own biases. Among handful women in a male-dominated bastion, Rahman stands true to her duty in managing after-death rituals in India, a profession that also intersects with her own identity as a minority Muslim woman.

Hindu funeral rites are officiated by the Brahmanical priestly class, and age-old tradition has prescribed against the presence of women at a funeral site making the space a preserve of men and patriarchy. But, at a time when COVID-19 is taking a devastating toll on people in the state, and families, friends and priests have turned their face away from the dead, Rahman’s role of overseeing the funeral passage of Hindu and Christian communities assumes greater significance. She has not only broken the gender divide but also that of religion when it comes to performing Hindu upper-caste last rites. While she and her colleague would only cremate the dead of the Ezhava earlier, the pandemic and its ensuing strain on human resources has only meant they now cremate bodies irrespective of caste.

Taking pride in her work, Rahman serves as a frontline worker attending to the dead; giving them dignity at a time when the dead are merely statistics, or bodies wrapped in plastic bags. Her work is as much technical as much as it stems from a space of empathy.

So, how does it work? Well, Rahman has to lay a dead body inside the crematorium to cremate. Booking for the next cremation is accepted only after a gap of one and a half hours, the time taken to cremate a body. The presence of just two chambers allows only two bodies to be cremated at a time.

During the first wave, there were only one to two COVID-related cremations. “But since the second wave hit, it has been challenging to manage the amount of work with just the two of us but we are somehow dealing with it,” says Rahman.

Rahman was initially designated as an office staff for duties pertaining to accounting and paperwork. A male coworker was responsible for cremation duties. “As I used to sit alone, I started accompanying him and soon my interest shifted to that work. It’s been two and a half years and I am still doing this work,” she informs.

Reflecting on her role, Rahman is quick to remind that gender equality is not about big ideas but groundwork and self-mobilisation as a response to one’s immediate surroundings. She asks, “Is there differentiation between a man and a woman’s work? If we have the guts, we can do any work. Women are doing all kinds of work from climbing coconut trees to driving trucks, so this differentiation should change. If we can climb coconut trees; why can’t we cremate?”

(Subeena Rahman’s quotes translated from Malayalam by Apurva P.)

(Edited by Amrita Ghosh)

source: http://www.in.makers.yahoo.com / Makers India – Yahoo / Home> Makers / by Sanhati Banerjee and Apurva P / May 20th, 2021

Covid: Last journey breaks barriers of religion

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

Rampurhat (Birbhum District), WEST BENGAL :

Muslim tutor helps cremate Hindu trader who died of the infection

Ataur Rahaman with the Hindu trader’s body in Rampurhat, Birbhum district, on Friday / Telegraph picture

A Muslim private tutor in Birbhum’s Rampurhat spent an entire day to overcome hurdles and cremate the body of a Hindu trader who died of Covid-19 on Friday.

Sudhanshu Karmakar, 37, a trader hailing from Bankura who stayed in Birbhum’s Mohammedbazar, died at a private nursing home in Rampurhat town on Friday.

Radharaman, his elder brother who stays in Bolpur, came to Rampurhat but had no idea how to cremate Sudhanshu.

“I was completely helpless after hospital authorities asked me to receive the body. I had no idea what to do apart from crying out loud,” said Radharaman.

He tried to reach out to people at the hospital but most did not help as the body was of a Covid patient. It was at this point that Ataur Rahaman, 47, appeared.

Ataur, a member of the local social outfit Bangla Sanskriti Mancha, assured Radharaman that he would arrange everything for him. “It was my first experience in handling a Covid body. I took the risk seeing Radharaman’s helplessness,” said Ataur.

However, Ataur had no idea what he would have to face. He arranged a hearse for Rs 1,000 from Rampurhat Municipality but the driver backed out when told he would have to ferry a Covid body to the crematorium.

A local driver, Akbar Ali, agreed to drive the hearse to the crematorium.

But the challenges did not end here.

As soon as the body reached the crematorium in Nalhati, people who found out that the body was of a Covid patient started pelting stones at the hearse.

Ataur called up the former chairman of Rampurhat municipality, Aswini Tiwari, who asked him to take the body to a crematorium dedicated to Covid-19 bodies. “There, I was told Covid bodies are cremated after dusk to avoid protest from residents. But I had to break my Ramazan fast in time too,” he said.

He added that he hired three people who knew Hindu cremation rituals, and went and bought garland and other items needed for last rites. Then, Radharaman cremated his brother and Ataur broke his fast. 

“I honestly never thought whether the body was that of a Hindu or a Muslim,” the private tutor told this paper.

Almost in tears, Radharaman said: “I have no idea if there is a God or Allah but he (Ataur) appeared to be that supreme power. I am really grateful to Ataur bhai.”

Samirul Islam, president of Bangla Sanskriti Mancha, said what Ataur did sent the message that Bengal would never allow division on communal lines. “We have seen forces trying to divide Bengal on religious lines. But it can’t be done in Bengal. Here, brotherhood is beyond religion and politics,” said Islam.

Ayodhya couple cured

The Covid-infected couple who had travelled 850km in an ambulance from Ayodhya to Bengal’s Hooghly for oxygen, have recovered and were  released late on Friday.

Lalji Yadav, 50, and his wife Rekha, 48, who were denied treatment in their home state Uttar Pradesh, apparently for lack of oxygen, recovered in a private hospital in Hooghly’s Chinsurah. 

The couple profusely thanked the hospital and the Bengal government. Lalji said he would return to Uttar Pradesh and tell people that if there was some hope for life amid the pandemic, it was in Bengal. “I have no words to thank the Bengal government and hospital,” said Lalji. 

The state government had also arranged Remdesivir for him at the private hospital.

source: http://www.telegraphindia.com / The Telegraph Online / Home> West Bengal / by Snehamoy Chakraborty, Rampurhat / May 09th, 2021

Meet Dr. Nafisa Begam: Uncovering Polymer Nanocomposites And Protein Dynamics

Education, Leaders, NRI's / PIO's, Science & Technology, Women/Girls(since May26-2021), World Opinion, , , , , , , ,

INDIA / GERMANY :

Dr. Nafisa Begam.

This is the fourth part of the series named `Scientist Says’, where we bring for our readers some of the significant and commendable research works of young scientists in their respective fields.

Dr. Nafisa Begam completed her Ph.D. in the year 2016 at the Indian Institute of Science(IISc), Bangalore. Presently, she is working as Alexander von Humboldt postdoctoral research fellow at the Institute of Applied Physics, University of Tuebingen, Germany. She shares her significant research works with Rashida Bakait of India Tomorrow. Here are the excerpts of the interview.

Q. Please give a brief explanation about your research works.

Ans: During my PhD, in the group of Prof. J K Basu, Department of Physics, IISc. Bangalore, I characterized polymer nanocomposites with a desire to create novel materials with unique and remarkable physical properties (such as electrical, optical properties sometimes with high temperature resistance) but considerably lighter weight, compared to their conventional metal-based counterparts. Polymer nanocomposites is a material where organic/inorganic particles, rods or cylinders of nanometer dimensions (i.e. nanofillers) are embedded in a polymer matrix. I investigated several experimental parameters (e.g. temperature) that influence the processing of these composites and studied their dynamics using state-of-the-art technique- coherent X-ray scattering.

Besides the above-mentioned research, I have currently deviated my work towards bio-physics. Now I am studying structure and dynamics of proteins, in the University of Tuebingen (the Schreiber group), Germany, as an Alexander von Humboldt postdoctoral research fellow, including steering biochemical reactions rates, sensing, or signaling.

Q. What was the aim behind your research works on `polymer nanocomposites’ and dynamics of protein?

Ans: During my masters, I experienced several experimental techniques in the department of physics, Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur. I was inspired by the quality of work being done there and decided to carry out research in the field of experimental physics. As I got into the laboratory of Prof. J K Basu, conducting extra-ordinary researches in the field of soft matter physics, especially polymer nanocomposites, for my Ph.D research, I started my work aiming that I will have a contribution in this field. The worldwide application and interest in the research of polymer nanocomposites led me to choose this system and explore the underlying physics behind its unique properties.

The aim of my studies on structure and dynamics of proteins is to understand the behaviour of protein-based systems such as egg white which are versatile products in our daily life, food industry, biotechnology, medicines and also in condensed matter physics. I study the temperature sensitivity on protein systems as it is highly impactful on proteins’ applications in bio-physics, foods, and their functions in intracellular organizations.

Q. What kind of new findings were highlighted in your research works?

Ans: My research work on microscopic dynamics of nanoparticles inside polymer matrix revealed an anomalous temperature dependent viscosity which enhances under confinement as well as with reducing temperature due to the presence of hydrodynamic slip at nanoparticle-polymer interface. This work highlights that the interface slip present in a polymer nanocomposites can alter the properties significantly with respect to their pure polymer properties. My work was published in various reputed journals such as, American Chemical Society, Royal Society of Chemistry, Nature Communications (Nature), Polymer (Elsevier), American Institute of Physics and American Physical Society.

I would also like to share my recent, very interesting, investigation on the gelation process, i.e. the cooking of egg white which reveals how the structural growth occur and the transparent egg white forms a turbid and solid gel. During this process, the proteins in the egg white denature and form a network structure due to heating. Understanding such gelation mechanism not only has important implications for food science, but also for polymer, soft matter Physics, and biophysics researchers. Due to the special interest of this system and the importance of the sophisticated technique used, this study has been highlighted in American Physical Society, and various press release in Germany, and UK.

Q. What kind of challenges did you face?

Ans: Researchers struggled to understand the dynamics of nanoparticles in polymers or complex protein based systems, particularly at the length scales of hundreds of nanometers to micrometers, relevant for the taste buds of our tongue. We tackled this problem with a powerful tool: coherent X-ray scattering. In order to examine the exact molecular structure of the material, short-wave radiation such as X-ray light is necessary, which penetrates the opaque systems and whose wavelength is no longer than the structures to be examined. Such a sophisticated technique is only available in few synchrotron radiation sources, e.g. Petra III (DESY, Germany), ESRF (Grenoble, France). This facility is provided to a very few research groups every year through exclusive review process by the synchrotron experts.

Q. Any scholarships or awards for research?

Ans: I was honored by the Prof. Anil Kumar Memorial Medal for best PhD thesis 2016-2017 (in experimental Physics, IISc. Bangalore), India. Recently, I received the Alexander von Humboldt postdoctoral research fellowship since February 2019 in Germany.

Q. How do you think your research would be beneficial to the society or any other industry?

Ans: During my PhD, I worked on the characterization of polymer nanocomposites which is a new class of materials with unique properties such as electrical, optical, thermo-mechanical properties. By doing so I could contribute to the understanding of the materials used in various applications, e.g. high quality food packaging, coating, painting, electronic devices (solar cells) and automotive industries.

As far as my recent research on protein dynamics is concerned, it is expected to have benefits in condensed matter physics, food industry as well as our daily diet. For example, the famous “spring egg” is cooked at temperatures between 63 oC and 66 oC, resulting very soft and transparent gel. My research will contribute towards understanding the underlying mechanism behind such gel properties and hence helping to produce food gels of desired properties.  

Q. When did you begin and complete your PhD/research?

Ans: I started my Ph.D on polymer nanocomposites in the group of Prof. Jaydeep K Basu, department of Physics, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore in August 2011 and finished in July 2016. Presently, I am doing my postdoctoral research work on the protein dynamics.

Q. What was the conclusion of your research on polymer nanocomposites?

Ans: I observed that the nanoparticle-polymer interface nature plays a crucial role in deciding the microscopic dynamics of these materials and hence their thermo-mechanical and rheological properties. My research shows the tunability of the dispersion of nanoparticles and how it influences the relevant physical properties in a polymer nanocomposite. This outcome could have potential in processing high quality materials in various application field, e.g. in automotive industry, an appropriate polymer nanocomposite can significantly enhance the fuel efficiency.

Q. How do you think your research works can be carried forward?

Ans: Polymer nanocomposites is a broad field. It can be carried out further in many directions. For example, to completely understand the dynamical behavior of the nanoparticles inside polymer, it is needed to investigate the systems by varying the nanoparticle/polymer interactions over a broad range. It would be interesting to study the microscopic dynamics of such systems. In addition to that, model a system which can represent the thin film behavior and explore the confinement effect using simulations to understand the observed experimental phenomena microscopically.

My present work on protein dynamics has tremendous potential for researchers working in the area of soft condensed matter physics, food science, biotechnology, medicines as well as the understanding proteins’ functions in living organizations i.e. in biology. Proteins’ functions are not fully understood due to their complexity and technological limitations. Our study is one among the first investigations along this line and we expect it to pave the way for future experiments to shed light on processes in proteins highly relevant for the food industry and soft matter physics. This work can be continued by employing this newly developed experimental technique to investigate other relevant proteins and materials making foams, gels etc. in one of our primary interesting fields, food industry.

Q. Apart from the above-mentioned research works, would you like to share any other new research works you are working on now?

Ans: Currently, I am working on the dynamics of a chocolate melt at temperatures close to human body temperatures. This work is expected to have potential impact on colloidal physics as well as the chocolate industry by providing information over the parameters to control the chocolate quality.

Q. Lastly, please give few suggestions to the budding scientists.

Ans: Research is entirely different from the usual courses or subjects we study where we can easily acquire information from the available sources, whereas in research one has to tackle an unknown problem which requires a deeper and thorough understanding of the related subject/field. You might fail or succeed. Research requires patience to continue after learning from the failed attempts. Failing in one research attempt is most probable but that is the only way to learn and a way to move forward towards success.

source: http://www.indiatomorrow.net / India Tomorrow / Home> Education> Featured / by Rashida Bakait , India Tomorrow / April 10th, 2021

BJP leader Mukhtar Pathan’s son dies of COVID-19

COVID 19 - Fatalities, Karnataka (under research project), Leaders, , , , ,

KARNATAKA :

BJP leader and chairman of Karnataka Minorities Development Corporation Mukhtar Pathan’s son Imran Khan Pathan died in Belagavi on June 13.

He had recovered from COVID -19, but suffered from other complications, family sources said.

He was 27. He was the son in law of senior journalist Saleem Dharwadkar.

Imran Khan Pathan, an IT engineer, had returned to Belagavi a few months after his company allowed him to work from home. He had contracted the virus two weeks ago. He was admitted to a private hospital since then.

“He had recovered from COVID-19, but developed other complications. Efforts of doctors did not succeed in saving him,” family sources said.

The final rites were held in the Idgah burial ground on June 13.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Karnataka / by Special Correspondent / Belagavi – June 13th, 2021

This hearse driver from Belagavi is there to say final goodbyes to Covid victims

Amazing Feats, Community Involvement / Social Issues, COVID 19 - Community of Soldiers, Karnataka (under research project), , , , , ,

Belagavi, KARNATAKA :

Working for the last 13 years with BCC, Samsher has been picking up dead bodies of several persons and taking them to the graveyard till date for performing their last rites.

Nisar Ahmed Abdulgani Samsher

Belagavi :  

Dedicated to his work, Nisar Ahmed Abdulgani Samsher, a driver of hearse van belonging to Belagavi City Corporation (BCC) has proved himself to be an outstanding Covid warrior by performing his work beyond his duties which can only be said for ‘humanity’.

Working for the last 13 years with BCC, Samsher has been picking up dead bodies of several persons and taking them to the graveyard till date for performing their last rites. But after the Covid – 19 pandemic commenced, his profession was a big challenge for him, which he accepted heartily.

Speaking to ‘The New Indian Express’, Samsher said that on an average he used to pick as many as 40 to 50 dead bodies per month located within BCC limits. But, he said that during Covid pandemic, he has been picking up more than 70 to 80 dead bodies per month. And many of them have died due to Covid, he said.The most tragic thing that comes after Covid is the question in the minds of relatives of the deceased which asks – ‘Who will perform the last rites of the Covid positive patient?’, said Samsher.

He said that he has seen several people refusing to receive the dead body of their relative because that deceased has died due to Covid. Following the same Samsher started taking the responsibility to perform the last rites of those persons who have died due to Covid as his or her relatives are denying to perform the last rites due to the same. Several people have paid him the required amount to perform the last rites of the deceased, who has died due to Covid which amounts about Rs 2,000 to Rs 3,000 per body.

He has even collected the ashes of the cremated dead body from the graveyard and handed it over to the relatives of the deceased at their door steps on their request. Recalling an incident, Samsher said that an old woman died to Covid recently and she had no relative in Belagavi to perform her last rites. He said that there were two sons of the deceased who had died a couple of years ago and her only daughter was residing at Goa.

“The daughter of the deceased called me on my mobile phone and requested to perform the last rites of her mother. Following the same I performed the last rites of the old woman and managed to send the ashes packed in a box to her daughter at her Goa address. The expenses for performing the mentioned last rites was donated by a social worker,” he said. Samsher is working from 6 am to 8 pm per day and during the ongoing Covid pandemic he has been working in a very hectic schedule.

Due to the same, most of his senior officials attached to BCC have appreciated him and several organizations have felicitated him. When speaking to TNIE, Samsher was carrying three orphan dead bodies to the Sadashiv Nagar graveyard and all of them had died due to Covid. Samsher said that he feels happy to help people and the profession into which he is, is the best way to help them. ‘And for whatever good I do, there is a god to bless me, which is more than what earning matters to me,’ he concluded.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Karnataka / by Tushar A Majukar / Express News Service / June 13th, 2021

Dr. Nahid Kaisar : Towards Next Generation Li-S Battery Technology

Business & Economy, Education, Leaders, NRI's / PIO's, Science & Technology, World Opinion, , , , ,

INDIA / Taipei, TAIWAN :

This is the ninth part of the series called ` Scientist Says’ where we bring for our readers the significant research works of young scientists in various fields.

 Dr. Nahid Kaisar is currently working as a postdoctoral fellow in Academia Sinicia, Taiwan. He completed his PhD in Material Science and Engineering from National Taiwan University of Science and Technology, Taiwan. His work is published in several international journals and he has also presented his work in several conferences in USA and Japan. He has also patented his research work for future commercialization.

Here are the excerpts of an interview of Dr. Kaisar with Rashida Bakait of India Tomorrow.

Q. Please briefly explain your research.

Ans: I am working on the development of nanomaterials and their applications on Lithium-ion battery and Lithium-Sulfur battery. I completed my PhD  on the development of Li-S battery, which is also known as next-generation battery technology. We have worked in direct collaboration with industries who manufacture battery for electric car and other applications, which makes the research work more challenging. While working on the materials and its application, always keep in mind about the market viability and industry viability.

At this moment we have well developed Li-ion, Li-polymer battery technology which has wide range of applications that include electric vehicles, consumer electronics and grid technology. But the energy density does not satisfy the current demand. We are doing research on the Li-S battery, which has five times higher energy density and discharge capacity than the current Li-ion battery.

Petrochemical industry produces plenty of Sulfur as by-product, which makes Sulfur abundant element and sulfur is environment friendly compared with the heavy metals used in Li-ion battery. A successfully commercialize Li-S battery not only increase the battery energy density but lower the battery cost.

Q. What was the objective of your research?

Ans: The main objective of my research work on Li-S battery technology is to develop a successful product that is cheaper than recent Li-ion battery and at the same time exhibits higher energy density. The main aim of my research work is to develop a successful Li-S battery that will help to replace the use of toxic heavy metals (like Co, Mn, Ni) which has adverse effects on the environment.

Q. When did you begin and complete your research?

Ans: I started my research in the year 2016 as a graduate student in National Taiwan University of Science and Technology, where I  worked on the thin film technology. Later, in 2017 I started working in Academia Sinica, one of the premier research institutes in Taiwan. I completed my Ph. D in April 2020. Later, in the month of  May 2020 I started working as a postdoctoral fellow in Academia Sinica.

Q. What were the findings of your research?

Ans: There are two aspects of my research work:

  1. Material development: I do research on the design and synthesis of nanomaterials for various applications that include energy storage system. I keep in mind that the synthesis process must be market friendly and easy to process in industry.
  2. Energy storage: Li-S battery face drastic capacity and active materials loss after few charge-discharge cycles. I have successfully developed new materials and battery technology that have successfully stabilized the battery performance.
  3. Q. Any scholarships or awards for research?

Ans: I have been awarded National Taiwan University of Science and Technology graduate scholarship. I have also been awarded CTCI outstanding research award in 2020 for outstanding research work during PhD.

Q. How do you think your research would be beneficial to the industry or society?

Ans: LI-S battery technology is a new topic of research compared to Li-ion battery. My research work adds few innovative research ideas to the field that would help in the development of a commercial product.


Q. Any new research you are working on now.

Ans: Currently, I am working on the development of new anode materials for Li-ion battery. Presently, commercial Li-ion batteries use graphite as anode material, which has lower discharge capacity and low conductivity. I am doing research on new materials that can replace the state-of-the-art graphite while exhibiting similar performance.


Q. How do you think your research can be carried forward?

Ans: Research is a never-ending process. We need to design industry feasible synthesis   process for battery materials using safe and non-toxic materials. We need to collaborate with battery management system that will help to produce an outstanding product. There is a need of strong collaboration between academic and industry to achieve a fruitful product.

Q. Please give few tips and suggestions for the budding scientists.

Ans: All the students who are looking forward to start research journey, should focus on finding an outstanding supervisor. Your supervisor will be the key in success during your research career. University and country play a secondary role.

source: http://www.indiatomorrow.net / India Tomorrow / Home> Education / by Rashida Bakait, India Tomorrow / May 28th, 2021

Indian student gets 10-year UAE Golden Visa

Amazing Feats, Business & Economy, Education, NRI's / PIO's, Women/Girls(since May26-2021), , , , , , , , , ,

Alappuzha District, KERALA / Dubai, UAE :

Standing: (from left) Safeer (husband of first daughter Sumayya), Amal (daughter); (sitting) Aslam with grand son Mazyoun , Tasneem Aslam and mother Sunitha Syed. (Supplied)

Tasneem Aslam is pursuing a PG degree in Islamic jurisprudence from the University of Sharjah.

Tasneem Aslam, an Indian student from India’s southern most state Kerala’s Alappuzha district and a namesake of Pakistan’s career diplomat and a former spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, is a proud recipient of a coveted honour of the UAE government.

Her hard work, diligence and intelligence have paid off.

The UAE government has recognised her merit and excellent academic credentials to extend her a 10-year Golden Visa, which is reserved only for prominent global personalities.

Tasneem received the Golden Visa in the exceptional student category and is allowed to stay in the country till 2031, as the UAE unveils major reforms to attract global talents from people belonging to all walks of life.

Tasneem, but naturally, is thrilled by the honour.

“This is one of the best moments in my life. I feel privileged to achieve this and I am thankful to Almighty Allah. My parents ‘support has been enormous, and Insha Allah I hope to sponsor them in near future,” Tasneem told Khaleej Times.

“I take this opportunity to express my gratitude to the wise and visionary leadership of this great nation that has been making rapid strides to promote education. Students, educators, and institutions enjoy great value in this young nation that’s celebrating 50 years of its foundation. I seek solace in the immortal words of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, that ‘knowledge is the shortcut to success,’ ” she said.

Tasneem studied Islamic Sharia from Al Qasimia University in Sharjah and topped her class, which consisted of pupils from 72 nationalities, with a grade point average (GPA) of 3.94 on 4.

Tasneem has memorised the Quran. She has enroled for a postgraduate degree in Fiqh (Islamic Jurisprudence) at the University of Sharjah.

She had attended the Emirates National School in Sharjah, where her mother Sunita works as a teacher, and had secured 95.6 per cent in her Grade XII examinations.

Tasneem’s father Muhammad Aslam is a former employee of the Sharjah City Municipality and now runs a typing centre in the emirate.

Her father is ecstatic about their daughter’s feat.

He said: “I’m proud of her achievements. We’ve been flooded with congratulatory calls and messages for the past two days from our friends and relatives from across the globe.”

Tasneem, who is proficient in Arabic, has multitasking skills. She helps her father with Arabic translation at the typing centre and simultaneously manages the social media account of Zahaar perfumes.

Earlier, she worked as a teacher at Nobel Qur’an and Sunnah centre in the emirate. She also taught the Quran and hadith at the Abu Bakr Siddique mosque in Sharjah.

“Tasneem is very creative, and she spends her free time designing her own abaya,” her father signed off

source: http://www.khaleejtimes.com / Khaleej Times / Home> News / by Syed Ayaz Basha, Dubai / filed May 29th, 2021 and updated June 02nd, 2021

Dr. Rizwan Nabi : Developing Single-Molecule Magnets For High Density Data Storage

Business & Economy, Education, NRI's / PIO's, Science & Technology, World Opinion, , , ,

Yadipora Hyderbeigh (Baramulla), JAMMU & KASHMIR / Manchester, U.K . :

Dr Rizwan Nabi

This is the tenth part of the series called ‘Scientist Says’ where we bring for our readers the significant research works of young scientists in various fields.

Dr. Rizwan Nabi completed his Ph.D in June 2020 at IIT Bombay (India) under the supervision of Prof. Gopalan Rajaraman. Presently, he is working as a Research Associate “European Research Council Fellow” in the Department of Chemistry at The University of Manchester. He talks about his research with Rashida Bakait of India Tomorrow.

 Q. Please briefly explain your research.

Ans. My research broadly focuses on the Single-Molecule Magnets. Single-Molecule Magnets (SMMs) are the metal-organic compounds (complexes) which show magnetic relaxation of purely molecular origin below a certain blocking temperature . In this temperature range, a SMM exhibits magnetic hysteresis of purely molecular origin. In contrast to conventional bulk magnets and molecule-based magnets , collective long-range magnetic ordering of magnetic moments is not necessary.  Organometallic molecules have emerged as clear front-runners in the search for high-temperature single-molecule magnets. Within this family of structurally similar molecules, significant variations in their magnetic properties are seen, demonstrating the importance of understanding magneto-structural relationships to develop more efficient design strategies. Efforts in this field primarily focus on raising the operating temperatures of single-molecule magnets to liquid nitrogen temperature or room temperature in order to enable applications in magnetic memory. Apart from the higher blocking temperature, efforts are being made to develop SMMs with high energy barriers to prevent fast spin relaxation. Recent acceleration in this field of research has resulted in significant enhancements of single-molecule magnet operating temperatures to above 70 K.

Q. What was the objective of your research?

Ans. The Main objective of my research is to check the stability and hence magnetic properties of the SMMs on different surfaces like Au(111) and many other surfaces like MgOAg(100), carbon based surfaces (graphene and graphite). Here we are trying to develop an ab initio spin dynamics methodology and check if it is capable of quantitative prediction of relative relaxation rates in the Raman/Orbach regions. The ultimate goal of our study is to develop a SMMs which can be fully modified to develop a high density data storage memory devices, qubits or spintronic devices. The ultimate miniaturization of classical memory devices lies in the use of atoms or molecules to store binary data. Single molecule magnets (SMMs), molecules that exhibit slow magnetic relaxation and memory effects, provide a flexible platform for realizing high-density data storage.

Q. When did you begin and complete your research?

Ans. I started my research after joining Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay in July 2014 as a Ph.D student in the department of Chemistry. I completed my Ph.D in June 2020.I have completed my Ph.D  at IIT Bombay (India) under the supervision of Prof. Gopalan Rajaraman. My research lay emphasis on describing magnetic properties in 3d and 4f SMMs on different surfaces such as Au (111), MgO/Ag(100), and studying cobalt complexes for spin filtering purposes. Currently, my research interests revolves around computational study of the chemical control of the vibronic coupling of SMMs. Fortunately, recent theoretical efforts have begun to establish robust and systematic methodologies to treat these problems, targeting a new approach of engineering spin−phonon coupling.

Q. What  were the findings of your research?

Ans. Our  group looks into the stability of SMMs on surfaces which is a great challenge itself if one wants to develop memory devices from the SMMs. Our findings are published in peer reviewed journals like American Chemical Science (ACS) and Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC), where we have discussed how challenging it is to study these SMMs on various surface. We have reported Lanthanide complexes as molecular dopants for realizing air-stable n-type graphene logic inverters with symmetric transconductance which is published in the Journal of Material Horizon . Also, we are the first to report a large molecule with 19 Metal ions on gold surface using DFT calculation as Deciphering the origin of variation in the spin ground state and oxidation state of a {Mn19} cluster on Au (111) surface: is the Au (111) surface innocent. This study is published in the Journal of Chemical Communication which is a Royal Society of Chemistry Journal.

Q. What was the conclusion of your research?

Ans. In order to develop memory devices from SMMs one needs to check the stability of these SMMs on various surface for the purpose of device fabrication. There are tremendous SMMs which are stable as pristine molecules but loose SMM features upon grafting which can be due to various reasons like charging effect of surfaces, change in the geometry of the molecules on surface, spin-phonon interactions etc. Thus, while fabricating one needs to be sure enough about these challenges and how to stabilize these molecules on surface.

Q. Any scholarships or awards for research?

Ans. I have been awarded European Research Council award as a Post-Doctoral Fellow at The University of Manchester (UK).

Q.  What  challenges did you face?

Ans. Challenges are an integral part of the research. There are many things associated with the research apart from the things which one learns from the books or some other sources. One needs to be fully motivated to work as a researcher. You may feel down at times but you need to have guts to work and find the loopholes. It’s never a well beaten path to walk on, one needs to set his/her target and work day and night to get that achieved. You need to balance your social life and life as a researcher which is quite challenging itself were many people fail. I have faced problems in designing a DFT protocol for stabilizing these molecules on particular surfaces, which is not an easy task to do with DFT. You never know which surface will suit your molecule unless you do some calculations, thus your study may be time consuming since lot of problems need to be addressed.

 Q. How do you think your research would be beneficial to the industry or society?

Ans. Modern magnetism or SMMs is in general quite a fascinating field, which aims at developing memory devices which can be used for the high density data storage, qubits and quantum computing. Once the stable SMMs have been obtained at room temperature (which is yet a dream to be achieved), this will revolutionise the modern data storage limits and also the future aspects of the super computers. Modern electronic gadgets (cell phones, laptops and iPad) will be improvised when the SMMs will be stabilized at the room temperature. This way our study would be beneficial not only to the industry but also to the common people.

Q. Any new research you are working on now?

Ans. Currently, the core objectives of my research programme are to develop a modern theory of solid state vibronic coupling and to determine how vibronic interactions can be controlled with chemistry. This can be achieved by undertaking an integrated computational and experimental research programme in tandem.

Q. How do you think your research can be carried forward?

Ans. Designing molecules with better SMM features using the state -of –the- art principle and targeted design criteria together with the knowledge of DFT and ab initio studies can help to reach a particular target of obtaining memory devices. Moreover, the stability at room temperature by increasing the blocking temperature and effective energy barrier to the relaxation of magnetization can help better to move this study to next levels. Also, stability on a particular surface will produce better results.

Q. Please give few suggestions for the budding scientists.

Ans.  I would suggest budding scientists to not to lose hope in any circumstances. Work hard and maintain consistency in research. Challenges may come but we need to face them with a smile.

source: http://www.indiatomorrow.net / India Tomorrow / Home> Education / by Rashida Bakait, India Tomorrow / June 12th, 2021