Udupi’s Assistant Director of Prosecution (ADP) Mumtaz has been appointed as the district judge, making her the first Muslim woman in Karnataka to become a district magistrate.
Mumtaz secured the first rank in the judicial exams held in Feb-March earlier this year. She is among the 12 among people who got selected to become district judges.
Mumtaz completed her LLB degree from SDM Law College in Mangaluru before moving to Mysuru for master’s degree.
Mamtaz was selected as the assistant public prosecutor in the JMFC court of Bhatkal in 2010. Later, she was shifted to Udupi JMFC. In 2018, Mamtaz got promoted as ADP to the district SP office of Udupi.
source: http://www.thecognate.com / The Cognate / Home> News / by Shaik Zakeer Hussain / August 06th, 2021
Nallur Village, Bajagoli (Karkala Taluk -Udupi District), KARNATAKA :
Karkala:
Naseera Banu, who was born in a poor Muslim family in Bajegoli near here has written the examination for the post of judge and is waiting for the appointment order.
Naseera’s father Aliabba owns a driving school and her mother Nabisa is a housewife. Naseera is the first lady, who will become a judge in their family. Naseera studied in the Kannada medium school of her village. But she realized that it is necessary to be proficient in English language, if she wanted to achieve her goal. Now she has reached the destination. Her parents also have supported her whole-heartedly.
Naseera’s achievement has made her parents proud. Her father Aliabba says, “We, who have spent the whole life with difficulties, were dreaming that our children should achieve something in their life. My daughter Naseera has realized my dream.”
The other two daughters of Aliabba and Nabisa are married. Their son is working in Qatar. Naseera completed her PUC in Bajegoli. Later she completed her LLB in 2010 from Vaikunta Baliga Law College in Udupi.
After completion of LLB, she was getting law training with advocate Vijendra Kumar in Karkala. At present she has been working as an assistant with advocate G Muralidhar Bhat where she began in 2015.
“I was involved in games and studies like any other child. But I always had an eye on my goal.” she says.
Naseera had faced her last round of interview on June 13 for the position of judge.
sourc: http://www.daijiworld.com / DaijiWorld.com / Home> Top Stories / by Daijiworld Media Network – Karkala (MS) / July 12th, 2019
Serving the people of the UAE as a doctor for the last three decades has been a feeling of unconditional love for Dr Saleema Wani.
The greatest treasure for me as a doctor in the UAE, has been to witness babies born at my hands, go on to become mothers and fathers themselves!
During my three-decade’ plus journey in the UAE, I have been at hand to see generation after generation bring in beautiful children into this world.
I remember holding the hands of a young mother giving birth to her daughter. And then years later, holding the hands of her daughter as she gave birth to her two children.
And to think that when I landed here with my husband on April 15, 1989, I thought I would be spending probably a year or two, before returning to my home country.
The second day after landing in the UAE from Kashmir, I began work as a junior doctor at the Corniche Hospital in Abu Dhabi. Interestingly, when I arrived here, I had still not resigned from my previous role. I had planned on staying here for a few years, before returning to my home country. Little did I know then that those ‘few years’ would extend into a ‘few decades’ — thirty-two years to be precise.
In those years, I have walked in and out of the hospital day in and day out. There were times when I was extremely tired and desolate, as life kept marching ahead, but I could not give up. I was on a mission, with little time to spare!
When I think about leaving the UAE, it is hard to imagine. It is hard to leave a country when it feels like home and you are surrounded by family — not only your own blood, but the many who have become my extended family here — thanks to my profession.
I have served two generations of mothers, and today I am helping those women born through my hands, give birth to new babies! Many of them still call me up and ask for my advice, and treat me as if I were their second mother. How could I possibly leave my children behind?
When I look at these mothers, I see that while so many changes have taken place in the UAE over the last three decades — be it socio-economic change or in other aspects, two things have re mained constant — the values and traditions instilled in Emiratis and expats by the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan al Nahyan. The second is the weather! And while not much can be said about the weather, it is fair to say that it was these values and traditions of love and patronage showered by families and elders, that made me feel like I was at home — just like a member of each of their families. It gives me comfort knowing my two sons Mohammed and Ammar are never going to be alone.
Raising two sons whilst working as a doctor, being a wife, and earning qualifications all at once was not easy. But how could I not upskill when the path was paved for me through the pragmatic and visionary leadership of the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan and Our Nation’s Mother Her Highness Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak, Chairwoman of the General Women’s Union (GWU), President of the Supreme Council for Motherhood and Childhood, and Supreme Chairwoman of the Family Development Foundation (FDF).
Sheikh Zayed once said: “No matter how many buildings, foundations, schools and hospitals we build, or how many bridges we raise, all these are material entities. The real spirit behind the progress is the human spirit, able man with his intellect and capabilities.”
This particular quote resonates deeply with me. It inspired me to work on my growth in order to remain abreast with the latest technological advancements, as well as give back to the community by assuming several teaching and mentoring roles in the education sector.
Erich Fromm once wrote that: “People who manage to learn to love in a mature and conscious way understand that love isn’t possession nor conditions. Love is a caring and firm desire to promote the growth of all those people we love.”
Simply put, serving the people of this country as a doctor for the last three decades has been a feeling of unconditional love for me. As I reflect on my time in this country, and the years to come, I feel that life is not about us doing what we love; rather, we need to love what we do.
source: http://www.khaleejtimes.com / Khaleej Times / Home> Year of the 50th / by Dr Saleema Wani / July 29th, 2021
It is Henry Ford who said, “Anyone who stops learning is old — whether at twenty or eighty. Anyone who keeps learning stays young. The greatest thing in life is to keep your mind young.” While it isn’t a crime not to know who AR Rahman is, one must also know icons who fill each cell of your body with pride are hard to come by. A true legend of his craft, it is never late to know a thing or two about the gifted man who has made every Indian proud. Here are 10 facts that could help a complete stranger to know the giant AR Rahman is, and why he is a true emotion that bonds the entire country.Winner of six National Film Awards, two Academy Awards, two Grammy Awards, a BAFTA Award, a Golden Globe Award, fifteen Filmfare Awards and seventeen Filmfare Awards South, AR Rahman is fondly called “the Mozart of Madras.”(Photo | AP)In 2012, AR Rahman revealed that he was invited for a dinner at the White House by the family of the President of the United States. (Photo | AP)Considering his professional experience ARR was given the scholarship to study at Oxford’s Trinity College, where he received a degree in Western classical music. (Photo | PTI)AR Rahman is the first Asian to win two Oscars in the same year. (File Photo)In 2013, a street in Markham, Ontario, Canada, was named after him to honour his contributions to the world of music. (Photo | Twitter)In 2000, a French TV commercial for Volvic starring football icon Zinedine Zidane used a piece of theme music composed by ARR for the movie ‘Bombay’. (File Photo)In 2011, GQ (formerly called Gentlemen’s Quarterly), an American international monthly men’s magazine, elected him Legend of the Year. (File Photo)In 2003, ARR-composed ‘Chaiyya Chaiyya’ from ‘Dil Se’ was voted 9th in “The World’s Top Ten” songs of all time by BBC World Service. (Photo | PTI)ARR composed Airtel’s signature tune, which had over 150 million downloads by 2019 – the most in the world in the mobile music genre.(Photo|Facebook.com/arrahman, BTOS PRoductions)In 2009, Rahman’s soundtrack for ‘Lagaan’ was ranked No. 45 on Amazon.com’s “The 100 Greatest World Music Albums of All Time” list. (Photo | Youtube screengrab)11 / 13‘Roja’, ARR’s debut soundtrack, was listed in TIME’s “10 Best Soundtracks” of all time by film critic Richard Corliss in 2005. (File Photo)‘Heroes get remembered, but legends never die!’: Max Holloway (File Photo)
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Galleries> Entertainment / July 22nd, 2021
Zakariya Senior advocate P M Zakariya passed away on Monday. A condolence meeting was held at the district court in Madikeri.
Bar Association president K D Dayananda said that advocate Zakariya was friendly and used to interact with all advocates. He had vast knowledge.
District Principal and Sessions Judge Jinaralakar Bheemarao Lagamappa, Judges P S Chandrashekar, Subrahmanya, K Roopa, Manu, Smitha, Madikeri Bar Association vice president K S Ratan, secretary M K Arun Kumar and others were present.
source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> State> Mangaluru / by DHNS, Madikeri / July 26th, 2021
The firing at the border of the two states was unprecedented. While the versions offered by the Assam and Mizoram chief ministers differ, Amit Shah’s failure to prevent the clash raises questions about the role of the Union home ministry.
Damaged security force vehicle at the site of the Mondays clashes at Lailapur on the Assam-Mizoram border, in Cachar district, Tuesday, July 27, 2021. Photo: PTI
New Delhi:
Visiting Shillong on July 24, Union home minister Amit Shah had grandly declared that the Narendra Modi government was keen to resolve all border disputes between north-eastern states. Barely 48 hours later, the Assam-Mizoram border witnessed a massive escalation of tension, ending in violence which claimed the lives of five Assam policemen. At least 42 Assam Police personnel were injured.
As violence broke out along the border town of Vairengte in Mizoram’s Kolasib district – which is adjacent to Lailapur in Assam’s Cachar district – at around 4.40 pm on July 26, so did a Twitter war of words between the chief ministers of the two states, Zoramthanga and Himanta Biswa Sarma.
Ironically both CMs, who are members of the BJP-led North East Democratic Alliance (NEDA), began tagging Shah, the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) and Modi, as if expecting them to come to their rescue. Sarma uploaded video clips for people to “know how personnel of Mizoram police acted and escalated the issue” and purportedly showing “Mizoram Police and goons celebrating” after causing the death of Assam Police personnel.
Those who lost their lives in the skirmish were Assam Police sub-inspector Swapan Roy and constables Liton Suklabaidya, N. Hussain, Samsul ZamanBarbhuiya and M. H. Barbhuyia. Among the injured was the superintendent of police, Cachar, and the Inspector General of Police.
Sarma also accused Mizoram Police of using light machine guns (LMGs). He said the use of LMGs “speaks volumes about the intention and gravity of the situation.”
Police personnel during a clash at Assam-Mizoram border at Lailapur in Cachar district, Monday, July 26, 2021. Photo: PTI
Meeting and the border
The only problem with appealing to Shah is that the Union home minister has once again been found asleep at the wheel. For months now, North Block has received inputs of mounting tension on the Assam-Mizoram border. But Shah appears to have been oblivious to the gravity of the situation.
The fact that he met both Sarma and Zoramthanga in Shillong and yet was unable to forestall Monday’s deadly clash will reinforce the impression that Shah’s interests are primarily political and not administrative.
According to ANI, Zoramthanga, at the July 24 meeting with Shah and Sarma, had said that the areas claimed by Assam were used by Mizos for more than a 100 years. He had also alleged that Assam had started claiming those border areas because of its population growth due to a spike in the number of ‘migrants’ settling down in the Barak Valley.
Three districts of Mizoram – Kolasib, Mamit and Aizawl – share the state’s 165 km boundary with three districts of Assam’s Barak Valley – Cachar, Hailkandi and Karimganj.
The Assam-Mizoram border. The marker is on Vairengte. Photo: Google Maps
A day after the violence, on July 27, Sarma, along with his trusted aides, minister Pijush Hazarika and MLA Ashok Singhal, along with local MLAs, visited the disturbed district of Cachar.
At a press meet in Silchar, Sarma said that for the past two months, there had been at least 12 to 13 attempts to occupy “Assam’s land in five sectors” along the inter-state border.
He said, “But I can assure people in Assam that not an inch has been ceded by Assam after May 10 (the day Sarma took over as Assam chief minister).”
“In the Shillong meeting, I had told Zoramthanga, ‘Let’s do a satellite mapping of the present border even if it is till May 10 (2021) and maintain the status quo and let the Central government decide on the permanent status,’ to which he agreed. But after the draft was readied, his government refused to sign on it.”
“I was on phone with Zoramthanga on July 26 from 11.30 am, till 4.40 pm when the firing began. I requested him to intervene and stop the violence. When the firing happened, I informed him and he said I am sorry about it. That was the last we spoke on phone.”
The Wire breaks down what led to the unprecedented firing involving the police forces of two neighbouring states on July 26.
What happened on July 26?
According to Assam chief minister Sarma, on July 25, his administration in Guwahati received input from the Silchar district forest officer about a road being constructed by Mizoram inside the inner line reserve forest on the border near Lailapur.
He said this led a delegation of Assam officials to visit the spot led by an IGP, the Cachar SP and the district commissioner on July 26. “They found that not only was a road being constructed inside the reserve forest (the road was stated to be going towards Renti Basti in Assam) by breaching the status quo and destroying the Inner Line reserve forest in the Lailapur area, but there was also a new armed outpost of the Mizoram Police.”
“The team requested that the outpost created next to the camp of a neutral force, the CRPF, be removed and status quo be maintained. While they were still in dialogue with the Mizoram police personnel, a number of civilians atop a hillock began to fire at them, leading to injuries and death of our personnel. I have video evidence with me to show that the civilians were armed. Now the question is, who gave arms to them?” he told reporters in Silchar on July 27.
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma interacts with media after visiting the police personnel injured in a clash at Assam-Mizoram border, at Silchar Medical College & Hospital. Photo: PTI/Twitter
In a statement issued on July 26, the Assam government accused Mizoram Police of supporting the civilian mob.
“The aggressive behaviour and posture of this mob along with the fact that they were brandishing weapons and wearing helmets is clearly seen in all available video footage. While the mob pelted stones on (at) the Assam officials and destroyed three vehicles including the DC’s car, the Mizoram Police simultaneously fired tea gas shells on (at) the delegation. The IGP was injured in this barrage.”
It further said, “In the afternoon, SP Kolasib along with two additional SP level officers held a discussion with the Assam delegation during which they were requested to control the mob and not let them take the law in their hands, thus disturbing peace.”
The Assam government statement said that though the Mizoram police personnel ostensibly went to speak to them, they soon said they cannot control the mob. “Horrifically, even while the SP Kolasib, was in talks with the Assam officers, the Mizoram Police opened fire on the Assam officials and civilians, who had by then gathered there (on the Assam side), from two dominating high features (hillocks) with automatic weapons including LMGs.”
However, according to a statement by Mizoram government, “around 200” Assam Police personnel led by an IGP came over to the Mizoram side (the Vairengte auto-rickshaw stand) at around 11.30 am and “forcibly crossed the duty post manned by CRPF personnel stationed there and overran a duty post manned by one section of Mizoram police personnel.”
The Mizoram statement said, “The Assam police also damaged several vehicles that were travelling along the national highway between Vairengte and Lailapur.”
Damaged security force vehicles at the site of the Mondays clashes at Lailapur on the Assam-Mizoram border, in Cachar district, Tuesday, July 27, 2021. Photo: PTI
The statement said the residents of Vairangte town assembled after the violence occurred. Though a video shared by both the chief ministers featured civilians armed with sticks, the Mizoram government’s statement called them “unarmed” and stated that they were instead “assaulted by Assam Police with lathi charging…tear gas, thereby causing injuries to several civilians”.
The Mizoram government also accused the Assam Police of not only using tear gas on the Mizoram Police but also firing at them first. On Tuesday night, the state chief minister tweeted that one policeman from the state had been injured.
The government’s statement said, “Mizoram Police responded spontaneously by firing back at Assam Police in spite of the fact that the SP, Kolasib district, was still inside the CRPF duty camp negotiating with Assam Police authorities.”
Recent developments leading to the July 26 incident
As stated by Sarma, the situation on the Assam-Mizoram border has been particularly uneasy for the last two months.
As per news reports , early this month, around 25-30 people from Mizoram attempted to encroach into land inside Assam – leading to a number of blasts which were claimed to be IED explosions by the Assam Police. Reports said the Assam Police had claimed that these blasts took place in the Cachar district, and were engineered allegedly by “miscreants from Mizoram during an eviction drive” in Khulichera area.
The last instance of violence in the Lailapur and Vairangte area can be traced back to October 2020 when civilians on both sides had engaged in clashes. Around the same time, a similar pattern of violence was reported from Assam’s Karimganj side which is adjacent to Mamit district of Mizoram.
In February 2018 too, the Mizoram-Assam border, along Hailkhandi district, witnessed violence with Assam Police reportedly baton charging supporters of the powerful student body Mizo Zirlai Paul (MZP) who had protested the removal of a shed it had constructed. The Assam Police had called it an encroachment. Several journalists were also injured in that lathicharge.
In recent times, the border clash has only intensified.
What is the dispute?
The boundary dispute of Assam with states carved out of it after Independence is not new. Among those disputes, the one with Nagaland has led to large-scale violence and deaths for considerable time and the volatility of the situation along the Golaghat district of Assam continues. There was a clash between the Assam and Nagaland police on the border dispute in the 1980s, in the Merapani area of Assam’s Golaghat district.
The Assam-Mizoram border dispute has, however, never seen such an escalation before.
The basic premise of the dispute between Mizoram and Assam has been around two notifications dating back to the British era. Mizoram, before it became a Union Territory in 1972 and a state in 1986, was the Lushai Hills District of Assam.
Locals during a clash with police personnel at Assam-Mizoram border at Lailapur in Cachar district, Monday, July 26, 2021. Photo: PTI
While the Mizos acknowledge the colonial era notification issued in 1875 which separated the Lushai hills from the Cachar plains, because it was done after a discussion with the tribal chiefs, Assam acknowledges yet another British era notification issued in 1933 which demarcates the boundary between the Lushai hills and Manipur. Mizoram argues that the 1933 notification was issued without consulting the Mizos, and thus calls for the 1875 notification to be accepted instead – also because it was derived from the Bengal Frontier Regulation Act, 1873, based on which a non-Mizoram resident still needs an inner line permit to enter the state.
Speaking to reporters in Cachar on July 27, Assam chief minister Sarma addressed the issue, stating, “Mizoram was carved out of Assam. Earlier it was all Assam’s land. When the Union territory of Mizoram was created, a particular area was given away as the UT. The rest remained as Assam’s land. What was there in the British era is different.”
He also said, “If tomorrow the Centre decides to give certain areas to Mizoram from Assam, I will have to let it go because it is Centre’s prerogative to decide it but till then status quo has to be maintained.”
Most of the states “carved out” would dispute Sarma’s claim that their territory was “all Assam’s land”. After all, undivided Assam and other ‘provinces’ and territories in British India were demarcated by the colonial authorities for administrative and political purposes – often at the cost of trampling on the identity of the different ethnic groups they lumped together.
What is the present state of affairs?
According to the Assam government, its police have moved away from the outpost created by the Mizoram Police as per instructions issued by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs. “Our police is stationed a hundred metres away from the CRPF camp but the Mizoram Police has not vacated it yet,” Sarma told reporters.
Meanwhile, the Assam government has announced compensation of Rs 50 lakh and a government job each to the deceased’s families. The 42 police personnel injured in the July 26 violence will be given compensation of Rs one lakh each.
Sarma announced that the Assam Police personnel who are guarding the volatile border would be paid the salary of an additional month. He also said new companies of battalions comprising a total of 3,000 police personnel will be stationed along the border aside from the CRPF. Since the incident took place on land within “Assam’s jurisdiction”, the chief minister said an FIR would be filed which would lead to an inquiry into “who armed the civilians”.
The DGPs of Assam and Mizoram have been summoned by the Ministry of Home Affairs on July 29 to sort out the matter.
source: http://www.thewire.in / The Wire / Home> Politics / by The Wire Analysis / July 27th, 2021
Over the last decade, individual Muslims have started breaking from the tradition of sacrificing animals on Bakra Eid, motivated by the thought that the considerable amount spent on buying and sacrificing animals would be put to better use for the community’s welfare, specially education.
Paigambar Shaikh (with beard) flanked by Rafique Shaikh, left, and Alam Pathan with the beneficiaries of Aarthik Qurbani in 2020.
Wednesday was a busy day for Pune activists Paigambar Shaikh, Alam Pathan and Rafique Shaikh. It marked the start of the distribution of funds collected by Paigambar through his ‘Aarthik Qurbani‘ campaign.
It’s happened elsewhere, but the ‘Aarthik Qurbani‘ movement started by Pune activist Paigambar Shaikh is unique.
Over the last decade, individual Muslims have started breaking from the tradition of sacrificing animals on Bakra Eid, motivated by the thought that the considerable amount spent on buying and sacrificing animals would be put to better use for the community’s welfare, specially education.
In Bengaluru, some of these Muslims have managed to convince others to follow their example. After the 2018 Kerala floods, social media helped convince many across the country to donate the money kept for the sacrifice, or at least a part of it, for the floods, as reported in Rediff.com.
However, Paigambar Shaikh’s Aarthik Qurbani movement is different from all these, in that it is not restricted to Muslims. In fact, the campaign run by this self-employed content writer on Facebook, gets more responses from Hindus than Muslims, and the beneficiaries of the monetary sacrifice are also from all communities.
This reflects the concerns of 31-year-old Shaikh and his colleagues: All three are social activists, not just community activists.
“Not once has any Muslim who has contributed Aarthik Qurbani told us that his/her money should only go to Muslims,” Paigambar tells Rediff.com Senior Contributor Jyoti Punwani. “And we would never accept such a condition.”
The meat that is sacrificed on Bakra Eid, points out Paigambar, does not go only to Muslims. “It’s in three parts: One kept for yourself, one for those who are needy among your relatives, and the third for the poor. The poor need not be from your community only,” he explains.
“Also, the money you spend on buying animals does not go to Muslims; most of the sellers are non-Muslims,” he points out.
However, since he started his campaign in 2014, more and more Muslims have been getting drawn to it. This year, of the 117 persons who donated, 50 were Muslim.
They collected almost Rs 95,000, less than earlier years, but more than what they expected, given the financial blow dealt by the two lockdowns.
On Wednesday they kicked off their distribution by donating educational material to two women, one Hindu, the other Muslim, who teach poor children for free. Needy students are their main beneficiaries, but they have also helped flood victims in Kerala and Maharashtra.
Distribution of Aarthik Qurbani in 2021.
While orthodox Muslims oppose substituting animal sacrifice with monetary sacrifice, Paigambar reveals that it was his study of the Quran that prompted him to begin this practice.
“In the Quran it says one must sacrifice that which is dearest to our hearts. How can an animal that is purchased with the express aim of sacrificing it be the closest thing to our hearts,” he asks.
In the last two years, the Maharashtra government has insisted that because of Covid compulsions, Muslims should perform a ‘symbolic’ sacrifice. But community leaders have rejected this suggestion, saying no such concept of symbolic sacrifice exists.
However, Paigambar Shaikh maintains that the Bakra Eid sacrifice is symbolic. “Hazrat Ibrahim dreamt that Allah had asked him to sacrifice that which was dearest to him, and prepared to sacrifice his son. But at the crucial moment, Allah presented a dumba (ram) for the sacrifice. Doesn’t that show that it was a symbolic sacrifice? Our Aarthik Qurbani too is symbolic.”
Finally, what set the seal on Paigambar’s conviction were the words from the Quran: ‘Their meat will not reach Allah, nor will their blood, but what reaches Him is piety from you.’
“It’s the intention that counts,” says Paigambar.
Those who oppose the concept of substituting charity for animal sacrifice point out that Bakra Eid is the one occasion that the poor get to eat mutton which is otherwise out of their reach.
However, asks Paigambar: “What is more important — eating mutton or getting out of poverty? Those who go around distributing mutton to poor families, would be surprised to know that some of those families can’t even afford to buy the half-a-dozen notebooks needed for their children’s school. It’s not in our hands to abolish poverty, but by enabling a poor family to educate its children, we are providing them a means to come out of their poverty.”
At any rate, he adds, the prime motive for the animal sacrifice is not feeding the poor; it is pleasing God.
This year’s distribution of Aarthik Qurbani: Rafique Shaikh and Paigambar Shaikh with the recipients.
Rafique Shaikh joined Paigambar’s campaign in 2019, when Sangli, Satara and Kolhapur were hit by floods. The eldest of four brothers, this 33-year-old businessman decided that the money they’d kept aside for sacrificing goats would go for the flood hit.
“The satisfaction we got from wiping the tears of those in distress by this sacrifice was a completely different experience,” he recalls.
Alam Pathan was already performing Aarthik Qurbani since 2009. That year, Pathan’s father died a day before Bakra Eid, and the family felt it inappropriate to celebrate the festival. Instead, they donated the money they would have spent on the animal sacrifice to the poor, and have since stuck to that practice.
Opposition from the orthodox, including threatening calls, have not fazed these men.
“We don’t tell anybody to give up animal sacrifice,” points out Rafique Shaikh. “This year, I could afford to sacrifice a goat and also make an Aarthik Qurbani, so I did both. One can buy a goat for Rs 11,000 or Rs 50,000. Isn’t it wasteful to spend so much on one goat? We just suggest that instead of spending all that money on an animal, why not keep a part of it for those who need it?”
Alam Pathan has one way of dealing with opposition: Ignoring it.
Were he to heed opposition from the orthodox, this 39 year old’s life would be very different.
Paigambar Shaikh derives his inspiration from Prophet Mohammed and Shivaji Maharaj.
As the only Muslim family in his village, says Pathan, the palkhi carrying the padukas of Sant Tukaram taken out during the annual Pandharpur pilgrimage, would stop at his house. He would participate in all the village bhajans and keertans, and continues to do Shri Dnyaneshwari Pravachan — he lectures on the Dnyaneshwari written by the 13th century poet Sant Dnyaneshwar. He also visits the famous Tirupati Balaji temple in Andhra Pradesh every year.
“This is how my father brought us up,” says the real estate dealer.
Paigambar Shaikh has received threatening calls for his campaign. But says he, he derives inspiration from two personalities when confronted with such opposition.
First, Prophet Mohammed, who said nothing even to the woman who threw garbage on him whenever he passed by her house. The day she didn’t do so, he went to check if she was okay and tended to her.
That gesture made her accept Islam.
Paigambar’s second inspiration is Shivaji Maharaj, who never accepted defeat.
“Aarthik Qurbani is now here to stay. No one can stop us. Next year onwards, we will be spreading the movement from Pune to other districts of Maharashtra.”
My journey has been very tough. However, every success story has a struggle behind it. I too had to struggle as we were financially weak, says Tanveer.
Srinagar :
Tanveer Ahmed Khan, son of a rickshaw puller and farmer, has secured second rank in the prestigious Indian Economic Services (IES) examination conducted by Union Public Service Commission (UPSC).
“My journey has been very tough,” Tanveer said. “However, every success story has a struggle behind it. I too had to struggle as we were financially weak. It was my positive side that made me want to change our poor condition by studying and making it count.”
Tanveer’s father hails from remote Nageenpora Kund in South Kashmir’s Kulgam’s district. He also works as a seasonal rickshaw puller in Amritsar, Punjab, during the winter months to earn extra money to provide quality education for his son.
He has done his schooling in government schools and got his BA from Government Degree College Anantnag in 2016. He secured third rank in the entrance test for a post-graduate course in economics at University of Kashmir.
“I worked very hard and my family fully supported me. The support from my parents, uncles and teachers has brought me to this point,” said Tanveer. Tanveer secured Junior Research Fellowship (JRF) during his last year of post-graduate programme and says the fellowship helped him a lot. He went to Institute of Development Studies, Kolkatta, for Masters in Philosophy (M.Phil) in Development Studies, which was awarded to him in April. Tanveer is in the Open Category.
Tanveer’s father said he is proud his son did not waste the parental toil and effort. “I am very happy that mine and my son’s hard work has paid off,” he added.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Nation / by Fayaz Wani, Express News Service /August 02nd, 2021
Prominent Lawyer Advocate Mehmood Pracha was honoured with the 2021 annual award at the ‘Safai Mazdoor Divas’ last week for his work in supporting the Safai Karamcharis’ demand for equal status in society.
The ‘Safai Mazdoor Divas’ is commemorated every year on 31st July which is observed in the memory of a Safai Karamchari ‘Bhoop Singh’ who was shot down by Delhi Police during the strike of Safai Karamcharis on 31st July in 1957. The day is also celebrated to highlight the contribution of Swachchta Karamcharis to society despite being extremely marginalized and deprived.
Advocate Mehmood Pracha in his address said, “I have received many awards on national and international platforms till now for various activities, but I consider this award as one of the most important awards of my life and career, as this has been given by the community, who made every individual of the country self-sufficient and talked about equal rights for all”.
“Manual scavengers who carry our filth with their bare hands are the first and foremost frontline workers of the society, before and after the pandemic, because they prevent us from getting ill to diseases”.
He asserted, “They should be given equal and even more status than the doctors and army of the countries, as doctors treat our diseases but these workers prevent us from getting these diseases. Army protects us on borders but these workers protect and save us within the country”.
“Privatization of the work done by manual scavengers should not be done, if the government wants to replace the manual work with machinery, the Dalit/Valmiki community should be given the contract of the machines and not the Savarnas, who already enjoy the privilege of being the upper caste and majority”, he further said.
The award was handed over to Adv Pracha by Rakesh Tikait, farmer leader and national spokesperson of Bhartiya Kisan Union. He extended his support to Swachchta Karamcharis for their struggle in getting equal and fair status in society.
He said, “The support we have received from the Dalit community is overwhelming, we are also ready to lend our possible support to the workers in their struggle”.
Along with Mehmood Pracha, the award for the year 2018-19 was given to Bharat Kesari Birju Pehelwan (Valmiki) and for 2019-20 to Professor Dr Kaushal Pawar of Delhi University.
The event was jointly organized by Dalit organizations which include, Rashtriya Dalit Bachao Andolan, Mission Save Constitution, Valmiki Chaupal, Safai Mukti Andolan, and Delhi Municipal Worker Sangh.
The event was joined by many eminent figures, including Dr OP Shukla, President Rashtriya Dalit Bachao Andolan, a retired bureaucrat of Valmiki caste, and Justice BG Kolse Patil and moderated by Harnam Singh, former Chairman of the Delhi Commission for Safai Karamcharis.
source: http://www.thecognate.com / The Cognate / Home> News / by Ghazala Ahmad / August 02nd, 2021
Having learnt about it, senior students joined the project and the college managing director had approached Dassault Systemes in France for help in designing the ambulance.
Anantapur :
Deeply moved on seeing a report of a man carrying the body of his mother due to non-availability of ambulance during the Covid-19 pandemic, S Yashwant, a second year student of GATES Engineering College, Gooty, hit upon an idea of developing a cost-effective two-wheeler ambulance, which is easy to operate even on village roads. He immediately shared it with his friend Izaz Ahamed and both of them started giving a shape to the idea in Idea Lab of the college.
Having learnt about it, senior students joined the project and the college managing director had approached Dassault Systemes in France for help in designing the ambulance. Impressed by the idea and the objective behind it, Dassault had developed the prototype of ambulance using 3D design platform CATIA. The French company also sent its representative Suhas Preetipal to provide help to the students in the project.
Yashwant and Izaz Ahamed, under the supervision of Suhas Preetipal and college chief administrative officer V Anand, started giving a shape to their idea based on the design provided by Dassault. After 40-50 days of effort, they developed the two-wheeler ambulance, which can be attached to any 100 CC two-wheeler and it costs around Rs 50,000.
The maximum speed of the two-wheeler ambulance is limited to 35 kmph and it can be operated on any type of roads due to its sturdy structure. It is equipped with oxygen cylinder and other emergency medical equipment. It can be used not just for Covid cases, but also for any medical emergency.
Village secretariat to get first ambulance
Speaking to TNIE, Anand said the first two-wheeler ambulance designed and produced by them will be donated to the village secretariat for use in medical emergencies. “If produced in a large scale, the cost of ambulance can be brought down to Rs 25,000 to Rs 30,000.
We are not applying for a patent for it, but uploading the design of ambulance on Dassault Systemes website, so anyone can download and make it. Our objective is to ensure that it is useful to all,” he said. Expressing happiness over the success of his project, Yashwant said their efforts were made easy with the involvement of the college management and help from Dassault.
Izaz Ahamed said their objective is to make an ambulance that is immensely useful to people, especially in rural areas, during medical emergencies. “Idea Lab in our college helped us give a shape to our plans and if not for the support and encouragement from the college management, our idea might not have transformed into a reality. We designed the two-wheeler ambulance in such a manner that it is not only lightweight and economical, but also sturdy at the same time,” he said.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Good News / by CP Venugopal, Express News Service / August 01st, 2021
