Monthly Archives: March 2023

Bazme Sadaf International awards announced

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, NRI's / PIO's, Women/Girls(since May26-2021), World Opinion

Patna, BIHAR / Doha, QATAR :

Bazme Sadaf International (BSI) award is to be given to famous Urdu poet Shahida Hassan while Ambareen Salahuddin was selected for the new generation writer award, according to a statement received in Doha.

Ibrahim Kamal Khan (Qatar), Zahoorul Islam Javed (Abu Dhabi) and Sheraz Ali ( UK) were selected for Urdu Movement awards.


The awards will be presented in Doha at a grand ceremony on January 26-27, followed by an international literary festival and poetry symposium.

Delegates and eminent literary personalities from 12 counties are expected to attend the gala event.

Speaking at a press conference in Patna, India, BSI director Prof Safdar Imam Quadri announced the names of awardees of 6th BSI awards and enumerated their literary achievements.

Shahida Hassan is a Canada-based Urdu poet who has published three acclaimed anthologies of poems and also translated select pieces from contemporary literature of other languages into Urdu.


The new generation award, given to a promising writer below 50 every year, has been bagged by Pakistani academic and poet Ambareen Salahuddin. Both the awardees will be arriving in Doha to receive their awards and participate in the literary festival too.

BSI also gives awards to individuals who have served the cause of promotion of Urdu language and literature.

For 2020, this award has been given to Ibrahim Kamal Khan who, as the founder president of Anjuman Mohibban e Urdu in Doha, has provided significant service to the cause of Urdu language in Doha.


Abu-Dhabi-based poet Zahoorul Islam Javed would be given this award for 2021 and UK-based academic Sheraz Ali for 2022.

In the last two years, this award has been renamed after the late Sabih Bukhari, who was the chief patron of BSI until his death.

BSI chairman Shahabuddin Ahmad, in a message sent from Doha, congratulated all the winners and informed that eminent Urdu poets and literary figures from 12 counties have confirmed their participation in the event.

They include Shahida Hassan (Canada), Khalid Irfan (US), Zahoorul Islam Javed (Abu Dhabi), Hassan Kazmi, Safdar Imam Quadri, Azm Skakiri, Shadab Azmi and Dr Shakil (India), Ambareen Salahuddin and Ali Zariyun (Pakistan), Sadaf Mirza ( Denmark), Ateeq Anzar, Ahmad Ashfaq, Nadeem Jilani Danish and Wasiul Haq Wasi (Qatar), Masood Hassas (Kuwait), Ayesha Shaikh Aashi (Dubai) Jamil Ahsan ( Sweden), A M Tahir (Germany) and renowned journalist Dr Mohammed Gauhar.


BSI chief patron Hassan Chougule congratulated the awardees and requested all Urdu lovers to attend the poetry symposium in DPS-Modern Indian School auditorium, Al Wakra on January 27.

BSI Doha chapter president Dr Nadeem Zafar Jilani also expressed his happiness at the announcement of the awards and congratulated the winners.

source: http://www.gulf-times.com / Gulf Times / Home> Community / January 19th, 2023

Book on inspiring tales of Muslim women from Karnataka out

Amazing Feats, Books (incl.Biographies - w.e.f.01 jan 2018 ), Business & Economy, Community Involvement / Social Issues, Events, Exhibitions, Conferences (wef. Nov 18th, 2021), Karnataka (under research project), Leaders, Women/Girls(since May26-2021), , , , ,

Bengaluru, KARNATAKA:

“Rising Beyond The Ceiling was born out of the need to change the stereotypical narrative about Muslim women in India,” said Fatehally.

(L to R) Zoya Fatehally, Margaret Alva, Farah Usmani and Aiman Ansari at the book launch

Bengaluru:

 Recently, Rising Beyond the Ceiling launched their hardcover edition of Rising Beyond The Ceiling Karnataka publication, after releasing an e-book version of the same in November 2022. With 100 stereotype-shattering stories of inspiring Muslim women from Karnataka, the book is authored by Dr Farah Usmani and co-authored by Dr Zoya Fatehally and Aiman Ansari. Former Governor of Goa, Gujarat, Rajasthan and Uttarakhand, Margaret Alva was the chief guest while director Saad Khan hosted the evening’s launch party.

“Rising Beyond The Ceiling was born out of the need to change the stereotypical narrative about Muslim women in India,” said Fatehally. “The need to change the narrative behind the stereotype about Indian Muslim women not contributing to the nation much and how Muslim women are known for getting  married and having a lot of kids and not working was one of the inspirations that drew to author such a book,” said Aiman Ansari, the co-author. 

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Bengaluru / by Express News Service / March 01st, 2023

‘Acting is not the only thing I do’

Arts, Culture & Entertainment

INDIA:

confident Sara Arfeen Khan

Sara Arfeen Khan never really set out to be an actor. Armed with a master’s degree in psychology from London, the young lass returned to India to pursue her interest in social work. She was actively involved in training young people and working on projects related to women empowerment when she was offered a role in the television show, ‘Dhoondh Legi Manzil Humein’. She accepted it and has come a long way since. But Sara is selective about the kind of projects she wants to work on. The actor is clear when she says she wouldn’t work on just any project because her focus remains on working with young people. She wants to make a substantial contribution in making the young in the country a more secure force. In a chat with Nina C George, Sara talks about returning to the small screen and her journey so far.

How did you get into acting?

Before I started acting, I was actively involved in training youngsters in stress management and was also attached to projects related to the WHO. I was in a meeting with a few people in a cafe in Mumbai when I got a call asking if I was interested in working on the television serial ‘Dhoondh Legi Manzil Humein’. It was after several rounds of discussions that I agreed to work on it.

Your Bollywood debut ‘Total Siyappa’ changed a lot of things for you…

Yes. It made me realise that acting in films is not as tough as working for the small screen. You are on your toes when you are working in television but it’s not so in films. At least, you get a chance to go a bit slow.  

How is it to return to the small screen with ‘Jamai Raja’?

I play the central character called Mahi. In ‘Jamai Raja’, Mahi meets with an accident and after a plastic surgery, I will be a new Mahi. It’s a very positive role because I play the character who brings two warring groups together. But looks like the plot will change in the second half, and I may end up portraying a negative shade. So far, the project has been moving at a brisk pace.

What keeps you grounded?

Most people tend to put their eggs in one basket. This is precisely why some actors get into depression. If they don’t get as many lead roles as they used to, they get depressed and fall prey to drugs and alcohol. I make sure that I not only act but also work on a couple of things unrelated to the film industry. This, I think, keeps me grounded.

Why do you think you are different from the other actors?

Acting is not the only thing I do. I also work on projects related to women empowerment and with youngsters who need help dealing with stress-related issues. As actors, we make a name and have a huge fan following but I always wonder whether we do enough to give back to society. Working with youngsters means a lot to me.  

What keeps you going?  

I keep in touch with reality and in tune with my surroundings.

What next?

I’ve signed two projects because I found them very different but I am not allowed to talk about them just yet.

At close quarters Actor Sara Arfeen Khan made her debut on the small screen with ‘Dhoondh Legi Manzil Humein’. She soon made her mark in Bollywood with ‘Total Siyappa’ which marked her debut in Bollywood. She was also part of television series such as ‘Dilli Wali Thakur Gurls’ and ‘Zindagi Wins’. In between, she took a short break and has now returned to the small screen to essay the role of Mahi in ‘Jamai Raja.’

source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> Metrolife / by Nina C George, DHNS / November 14th, 2016

Shama Hakim first Muslim American woman appointed as judge in US appellate court

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

Mumbai, INDIA / California, U.S.A:

Judge Shama Hakim is the first South Asian American woman and the first Muslim American woman on any appellate court in United States. 

New York: 

In a first, Indian-American Democrat Shama Hakim Mesiwala has been unanimously confirmed as associate justice of the Third District Court of Appeal in Sacramento, California.

Mesiwala, 48, was administered the oath of office this month by Chief Justice Patricia Guerrero, chair of the Commission on Judicial Appointments.

She was confirmed by a unanimous vote of the three-member commission, which included Chief Justice Guerrero, Attorney General Rob Bonta, and Acting Presiding Justice Ronald B. Robie.

Judge Mesiwala, who would now be the first South Asian American woman and the first Muslim American woman on any appellate court in the country, would fill the vacancy created by the retirement of Justice Coleman A. Blease.

She has served as a Sacramento County Superior Court judge since 2017 and was a commissioner there in 2017.

Mesiwala is the co-founder of the South Asian Bar Association of Sacramento and the president of the Schwartz/Levi Inn of Court.

She served as the Americans with Disabilities judge for the Sacramento County Superior Court Hall of Justice and created the first Indian Child Welfare Act courtroom in Northern California.

Armed with a Juris Doctor degree from the University of California, Davis School of Law, Mesiwala also teaches appellate advocacy as an adjunct professor in the same university.

source: http://www.ummid.com / Ummid.com / Home> United States / by ummid.com with inputs from IANS / February 28th, 2023

First Private University For Meo Muslims Coming Up In Rajasthan’s Mewat Region On A Young Lawyer’s Initiative

Community Involvement / Social Issues, Education, , , , , , , , , ,

Mewat, RAJASTHAN:

For representation purposes only. Photo: India Tomorrow.

Jaipur:

A private university catering to the educationally backward Meo Muslim community residing in the Mewat region, falling in the Alwar and Bharatpur districts of Rajasthan, is coming up with the promise to impart higher and technical education. This will be the first university to be established in Mewat, which made headlines recently over the gruesome murder of two youths from Bharatpur’s  Ghatmika village by the cow vigilantes in Haryana.

The university will be named after the late Barkatullah Khan, a senior Congress leader, who was the first Muslim Chief Minister of Rajasthan from July 1971 to October 1973. He died in office after serving as the Chief Minister for over two years. A private member’s Bill for the establishment of the university is likely to be tabled and passed in the ongoing budget session of the Rajasthan Assembly.

A piece of land measuring 208 hectares at Chawandi Kalan village in Alwar district’s Tijara tehsil has been allotted to the university on token money. The initiative is the brainchild of a young lawyer from Tijara’s Tapukara village, Yusuf Khan, who has been working for education among the girls belonging to the Muslim and other marginalised communities under the banner of his organisation, the Missile Man’s Vision Foundation.

Thirty-four-year-old Khan undertook a project with the help of Jaipur police to enrol girls for distance education in the state capital’s  Walled City during the COVID-19 pandemic. Khan is also a claimant for the Congress party’s ticket from the Tijara constituency in the State Assembly election due in December 2023. Incidentally, the late Barkatullah Khan was also elected to the Assembly from the Tijara seat.

A trust, named as the Missile Man’s Vision Education Trust, has been formed for running the university. While the 17-member trust comprises some prominent academicians and other professionals, the proposed university will offer courses in some new, innovative and interdisciplinary subjects such as disaster management, pharmacy, environment, climate change, sports and engineering.

Thousands of young children in over 790 villages of Rajasthan’s Mewat region fail to reach up to the secondary level in their education for a variety of reasons, while the rural areas of the two districts lack the basic facilities of infrastructure, sanitation, healthcare and connectivity. Besides the Alwar and Bharatpur districts, the Mewat region is spread across a large area in neighbouring Haryana and Uttar Pradesh as well.

Khan said that the backward condition of his native place had prompted him to launch an initiative that would benefit large sections of the population of the region. The Congress MLA from Jaipur’s Kishanpole seat, Amin Kagzi, who is also the Chairman of the Rajasthan State Haj Committee, will move the private member’s Bill for the university’s creation in the State Assembly. Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot is scheduled to lay the foundation stone in Chawandi Kalan village in May this year.

The Congress Government in the state has promised to extend all possible support for the establishment of the university and provide grants for its functioning. However, the ruling party may expect some political favours from the Meo Muslim population in return, especially in the wake of the parties such as All-India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) trying to make inroads into the region.

Khan has a track record of promoting the cause of education among Muslims. During the covid-induced lockdown, Khan helped a large number of girls in the Walled City of Jaipur, who had dropped out of schools, in resuming their studies through the State  Government’s ‘Shiksha Setu’ programme, in which they were taught at home for X and XII classes through the Rajasthan State Open School. As many as 17 police stations took the responsibility to pay their fee and supply study material to them.

Khan pointed out that over 750 of these girls were continuing with their formal education and had appeared in examinations. The scheme is run by the Directorate of Women’s Empowerment through its Rs. 1,000-crore Indira Mahila Shakti Nidhi established in 2019-20. Girls in the Muslim- dominated localities, who dropped out of schools for doing household chores or taking care of younger siblings, have mainly benefited from the initiative.

The lawyer has helped in extending the scheme’s benefit through field functionaries and Anganwadi workers in the Mewat region as well during the current academic session by getting about 10,000 dropout girls enrolled in the open school. Besides, the Missile Man’s Vision Foundation, established in memory of former President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, has covered 132 villages for the distribution of sanitary pads to adolescent girls under the flagship “Udaan” scheme.

Khan, who has been practising as a lawyer in the Rajasthan High Court for six years, said that the educational intervention would herald a new era of empowerment of both adolescent girls and boys from the Meo Muslim community. The establishment of the university will encourage children to complete their school education and join the institution of higher learning, besides prompting the State Government’s Education Department to improve the poorly equipped primary and middle schools in the region.

source: http://www.indiatomorrow.net / India Tomorrow / Home> Education / by India Tomorrow Correspondent / February 28th, 2023