These candidates, despite being from a poor financial background, worked hard to achieve their goals.
JEE Advanced, NEET toppers felicitated at Hyderabad Institute of Excellence
Hyderabad:
Hyderabad Institute of Excellence (HIE) recently organized a felicitation program for the toppers of the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) Advanced and National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET).
Notably, distinguished guests and esteemed personalities graced the occasion, including Zaheeruddin Ali Khan, the Managing Editor of Siasat Daily, who attended as the chief guest.
During the program, Md. Anas Khan who clear JEE Advanced and secured rank 1745, and Sayed Affan who secured 572/720 in NEET were felicitated. Apart from them, two more candidates, Md. Rayan Mohi Uddin and Md. Sadeem who secured 471 and 422 respectively in NEET were also felicitated.
These candidates, despite being from a poor financial background, worked hard to achieve their goals. HIE played a remarkable role in students’ achievement.
During the felicitation program, Javed Hood, the Dean of HIE, expressed his gratitude towards Zaheeruddin Ali Khan for his unwavering support in HIE journey
Zaheeruddin Ali Khan, while addressing the audience, expressed his belief in the transformative power of education. He shared a profound vision, stating that if every successful student from HIE commits to supporting a student from a financially challenged background, it would eradicate the cycle of poverty in the country.
source: http://www.siasat.com / The Siasat Daily / Home> News> Hyderabad / by Sameer Khan / June 27th, 2023
Dr Ayesha Ahmad, Department of Pediatrics, J N Medical College, Aligarh Muslim University received the prestigious Fellowship of The Royal College of Physicians (FRCP), London.
The honour given to her at the fellowship conferment ceremony earlier this year is in addition to her Membership in the Royal College of Pediatrics and Child Health (MRCPCH), for which she qualified in 2015.
According to a press release from the AMU, it may be noted that the Fellows of the RCP are distinguished consultants or SAS doctors and are given the honour of using the FRCP post-nominal.
Dr Ahmad was awarded the European Society for Paediatric Endocrinology Fellowship (ESPE) in 2016 for working in Paediatric Endocrinology in the United Kingdom. Currently, she is involved in developing the Paediatric Endocrinology division in the department, which will address the ever-increasing cases of Type 1 diabetes, thyroid, growth disorders, and other endocrine issues of the paediatric age group. Her main thrust in research and publications covers the fields of Paediatric Endocrinology and General Paediatrics.
source: http://www.siasat.com / The Siasat Daily / Home> News> India / by News Desk / June 15th, 2023
Firdousa Jan receiving the Florence Nightingale award from president Droupadi Murmu at Rashtrapati Bhawan
It was a moment of excitement for Firdousa Jan, Staff Nurse at the Sher-e-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS), Srinagar, when she received the information that her name was on the list of awardees for the National Florence Nightingale award. She was excited and thought of her mother, whose motivation had made her decide in favour of joining Nursing as profession, 21 years ago.
Firdousa Jan received the award from President Droupadi Murmu in Rashtrapati Bhawan on June 22; she was among 15 other nurses from all over the country to receive the award. Her husband, Dr Manzoor Ahmad, who works in Saudi Arabia, was also present at the event. Their school-going daughter and son watched with bated breath their mother being honoured by the President.
“My mother has been the force behind my choosing the profession”, she told Awaz-the Voice over the phone from her Baghe-Mehtab residence in Srinagar. “I was least interested in the medical profession, as I could not see people in pain”.
Firdousa said that when she could not get into a medical college she decided to be a Nurse and joined the SKIMS. “My mother kept reminding me that facing challenges is a great learning in life.”
She completed her disploma in General Nursing and Midwifery from SKIIMS; B.Sc Nursing from IGNOU in 2002 and her M.Sc again from SKIIMS. She has submitted her Ph.D. thesis in Nursing and is waiting for her final presentation – called defending the thesis.
Firdousa has two booklets and a couple of articles published to her credit and her thesis focuses on handling cancer patients.
Firdousa Jan (Extreme right, sitting) with President Droupadi Murmu and other awardees at Rashtrapati Bhawan
Firdousa Jan teaches at the Nursing College of the SKIMS. She has also the distinction of working with the victims of drug addiction who require psychiatric treatment. She also did great work in the vaccination drive during the Covid-19 pandemic.
“It is a challenging job at the SKIMS as a large number of patients are referred to from other hospitals” in the valley, Firdousa commented. “All the professionals at the Institute, including doctors and nurses deserve not only national but international awards as they are doing a challenging job to the best of their capabilities.”
“It is a challenge for a nurse when she has to make a balance between family and profession”, she commented. “I was kind of a strong woman and knew how I have to make a balance between my job and the family”, Firdousa added. “I had that kind of strength…without my parents”, she said.
Firdousa admits she never thought that her work deserves an award because she only worked hard. “Recognition and appreciation help one to move forward, but ultimately a job requires dedication and honesty”, she said.
“It was very difficult and a great challenge to manage my family and profession”, Firdousa said. “In Nursing, we are taught how you have to be strong and take care of yourself”, which eventually became the title of one of her papers, “Who will nurse the Nurses?”
with her husband and children
Even as she faced the struggle amid stereotypical beliefs about the profession, her mother’s words that she is into the noblest professions kept her going. “I have proved myself.…many, including my relatives, have been inspired by me”.
Many of her relatives joined Nursing after her. She said the mantra for her is that keep improving her skills each day for self-satisfaction.
Her husband’s family hails from Chrar-e-Sharief; while Firdouse, her doctor husband had shifted to Srinagar for work. Besides her husband, her supportive family includes her elder brother and sisters.
Firdouse has not seen her father, for he had passed away as soon as she was born; her mother also died in an accident. She did her schooling at Chrar-e-sharif, the venue of the shrine of Kashmir’s patron saint Nund Rishi. Firdausa Jan received her early education from a Government school in Chrar-e-Sharief.
“I haven’t seen my father….there were little resources for us”, and therefore no facility to study in a private school, while many others were studying in private schools,” she said.
Firdousa would manage to get textbooks from the senior students. Never did the lack of resources come in the way of her studies.
source: http://www.awazthevoice.in / Awaz, The Voice / Home> Story / by Ehsan Fazili / June 29th, 2023
Learning Point, founded by Sarvath Adil Khan in 2018 with only six students, has since expanded to accommodate a student body of 300.
Education, in today’s world, is more than just conferring a certificate. It is granting a child an equal opportunity to compete and excel in a fast-progressing world that is only growing every day in ideas and possibilities. It is to equip children with the necessary skills, techniques and information that build in them the confidence to challenge, create, innovate and allow them to contribute towards the betterment of societies and the upliftment of their communities. It is this confidence that Sarvath Adil Khan, founder of Learning Point , talks about when she says, ‘I want to give them the gift of confidence, so that they can, at least believe that they too, like every other child, have a right to dream. And then over here, with the help of this project, I want to equip them with the necessary tools with which they can turn their many dreams into a reality.”
Learning Point, located in Bangalore’s Tannery Road is an NGO that works to offer youth, struck by fate, a second chance at pursuing their education in various fields, and to make a difference in their lives. The NGO works with school drop outs who had to discontinue their education early to become breadwinners for their families. Learning Point’s alumni, of the past four years boasts of children who were formerly working as maids, house helps, waiters, table cleaners, garage boys and are now either successfully placed in decent jobs or are pursuing their higher education as lawyers, paramedics and engineers. The course seeks to offer firstly a basic training in spoken English and then goes on to incorporate the students in an NIOS program. The National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS) is a government initiative that provides courses and programs up to pre-degree level through open and distance learning mode. The NGO also organises job placements, vocational counselling, teachers training and workshops on women empowerment, computer skills, interview skills, personality development along with scholarship programs.
Learning Point began in the year 2018 with only six students and has now grown to a 300-student strength, with a well-equipped, qualified staff, catering exclusively to youth, single mothers, widows, abandoned women, child laborers and drug addicts who wish to give themselves a second chance at breaking free from their circumstances for a better future. A unique initiative by the NGO is their AEMS (Academic Education for Madrasa Students) program that aims to empower huffaz, alims and students enrolled at madrasas with a formal English education along with personality development and computer courses, without hindering their Islamic education. The program even allows the students to write their exams, three subjects at a time, so as to not overburden their curricula.
‘We hope to make madrasas a haven of both Islamic and academic education’, their brochure optimistically says. The AEMS program is already being implemented in four madrasas in Bangalore and has yielded vibrant results. The NGO prides itself on a 96.7% pass rate for tenth standard and 98.1% for twelfth standard of which madrasa students too had between 98-100% pass rate.
Sponsored by a few organisations across Bangalore, the NGO was founded by Sarvath Adil Khan, who has nearly seven years of experience in social service. A former parent leader at Oasis International School, Sarvath did not let her early marriage deter her from seeking a higher education for herself. A certified Cambridge trainer with a Masters in Psychology, she has previously served as headmistress in Elegant International School, before establishing her own centre for schooling and service.
“Maybe it was my own circumstances that moved me towards my brainchild, the Learning Point,” she says when asked about her source of inspiration. “I was married too early, depriving me the chance at education, training and self-reliance. It is only when I pushed myself to study after the birth of my two children that I realised that every school dropout should also be given this second chance at bettering themselves.”
“Parents from poor economic backgrounds enrol their children in a madrasa for many reasons. But the foremost amongst them is that it offers some sort of a formal education, free of cost, that allows the child to have at least a meagre income in the future. But as a society we have stereotyped our alims and huffaz to a point that we don’t see them beyond their kurta pajamas as individuals who are deserving of respect and opportunities just like other members of the society. All they end up with is having to stand in BPL ration lines for food and less than sufficient incomes while they are only approached by the community on a ceremonial basis.”
While many aspects differentiate Islam from other religions, the pursuit of education stands out as a significant one. Islam considers the acquisition of knowledge as a fundamental duty for all believers, irrespective of gender, age, or profession, rather than a privilege for a chosen few. The AEMS program that works with madrasas empowers the students to balance both the worlds and face the society head-on without any feelings of deprivation and inferiority, as they enhance themselves with their Islamic education accompanied by a formal English education that enables them to have careers of their choosing.
After completing their pre-degree level courses with NIOS the students are integrated into colleges across the city where they can meet and learn from diverse cultures and thought processes to become individuals who understand the society better and can offer more than what they themselves received.
Sarvath emphasises on the need for teachers to be more aware of the skill-based opportunities that are now available, making it possible to create careers out of every little hobby. It is with this guidance and encouragement that many lives and futures and can be given a chance so that they too can become contributing members of the society instead of dependents on government schemes.
“My students give me the energy boost I need to carry on with my initiative whenever I’m feeling overwhelmed or discouraged by the lack of support in our community. I watch them talk about their dreams with a twinkle in their eyes and I know that I will continue to work for them.” Learning Point has already made a difference in 317 lives that have now been removed from the shackles of illiteracy and unemployment and are already on a path of determination, confidence and compassion.
source: http://www.thecognate.com / The Cognate/ Home> Education / by Zainab Aliyah / June 15th, 2023
Workshop to develop entrepreneurship in Imams and Ulema.
In Kolkata, West Bengal, a workshop organized by the Maaeshat Foundation and Tarbiyah Cambridge International School provided imams and ulemas with an opportunity to acquire entrepreneurial skills.
The day-long workshop took place at the Indian Science Congress Auditorium, where Ahmad Hasan Imran, the chairman of the West Bengal Minorities’ Commission, engaged in interactive sessions with the religious leaders.
Ahmad Hasan Imran said that the primary objective of the workshop was to assist Imams and Ulema in initiating their own businesses and achieving financial independence.
“In the Muslim community, Imams play a significant role. In West Bengal, imams and Ulema are financially weak. We need to do something to make them financially strong. Their salary is very low. The objective of this workshop is to make the imams and ulemas learn business skills. This will help them to start their own business and earn their livelihood,” said Ahmad Hasan Imran.
Ahmad Hasan Imran highlighted the teachings of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), emphasizing the significance of business.
Referring to the neighbouring country Bangladesh, Ahmad Hasan Imran said: “In Bangladesh, there are Islamic institutions which give different types of business training to imams. In India, Islamic organisations give different types of small business training to religious leaders. For example, Maaeshat Foundation is conducting an entrepreneurship workshop for imams and ulemas to learn the trade of tea, either, dates and items.”
At the workshop, experienced businessmen shared insights on the fundamentals of business with the participants. The clerics had the opportunity to engage with business experts and address their inquiries, thereby gaining clarity on various aspects of entrepreneurship.
During the workshop, Mr. Huzaifa Arshad, the proprietor of Natural Shine, a tea trading business, encouraged businessmen who were involved in trading tea or dates to step forward and participate in this noble cause. He emphasized the importance of leveraging their business expertise and resources for a greater purpose, possibly referring to initiatives that benefit the community or promote social welfare.
“It should be done keeping in mind the Akhirat. There are two types of human beings in the world. The first type of human being is the one who live for his children, wife and family. The other type is the one who thinks about the society and do good deeds for the society for the sake of Allah (God). They do for sadqah jaria. Businessmen should contact Maaeshat for this purpose,” Arshad said.
Mr. Md Arif of Dania Dates International addressed the concern of hesitation or apprehension among imams regarding potential business losses. He emphasized the importance of dispelling such worries, stating that it is not necessary for imams to exclusively purchase dates from his company. He stressed the need to raise awareness among imams about entrepreneurship and self-sufficiency, encouraging them to earn their livelihood and reduce dependence on others.
Earlier, on March 12, 2023, the Maeeshat Foundation and Tarbiyah Cambridge International School joined forces to host a comprehensive day-long workshop on entrepreneurship for Ulemas and Imams. The event took place at the Tarbiyah Cambridge International School Auditorium in Badanagar, Danga, Jalalpur, Malda, West Bengal.
During the workshop, Reyaz highlighted the primary objective of the Maeeshat Foundation, which is to equip religious leaders with the necessary education and training to engage in business ventures across the country. The foundation aims to empower Ulemas and Imams by providing them with the skills and knowledge required to successfully navigate the world of business, thus enabling them to pursue entrepreneurial opportunities with confidence and competence.
“We want they (imams) not have to rely on the pay provided by the Masjid committees for their basic needs, but rather develop their own sustainable sources of income,” he said.
During the workshop, the Clerics and Ulema were presented with hampers called “Madina Basket”.
The “Madina Basket” is an assortment of goods intended for distribution among mosque clerics and imams. It includes various items such as non-alcoholic fragrances (attar), dates, honey, caps, handkerchiefs, and more. Each “Madina Basket” carries a retail value ranging between Rs 25,000 and Rs 30,000, encompassing a selection of products that hold significance in religious and cultural contexts. These baskets are designed to provide essential items and meaningful gifts to support and show appreciation for mosque clerics and imams.
In connection with the Tea business, Natural Shine’s proprietor Huzaifa said: “We want to promote Madina Basket because it’s a noble concept. It is my privilege to be part of it Madina Basket and this initiative (community change programme). We want to sell our product (Tea) at a reasonable price to imams and ulemas. They (imams and ulemas) can purchase our tea (suppose 5 – 10 kg) and then re-sale it. They will earn some money after reselling it.
Concluding the workshop, Reyaz said: “The goal of conducting training programmes and entrepreneurship workshops here (West Bengal) is that. It is the belt where such workshops are needed the most. We will find that there is a huge population of ulemas and imams in West Bengal. They go to other states and carry out imamat. Poverty here is more than in other states. The salary of imams is also very low in West Bengal. They are being utilised the politicians to influence the masses. We want that they should not get utilised, become financially strong and lead a life with dignity. Madina Basket or the Maeeshat’s programme is trying to solve this issue.”
He emphasized that Maeeshat Foundation has dedicated several years of effort to this endeavour, and their work has now achieved success in creating awareness among the public.
source: http://www.muslimmirror.com / Muslim Mirror / Home> Indian Muslim> Positive Story / by Muslim Mirror Network / June 28th, 2023
Two girls have made Kashmir proud by not only memorizing Holy Quran but excelling in academics as well.
Baserah Mehraj, who memorized Holy Quran from Darul Bayan in old Srinagar, cracked NEET 2023 with flying colours.
“We need to balance between academics and religious education. If we maintain balance, we can achieve our goal,” she said.
Baserah enrolled in Darul Bayan at a very young age. She completed memorizing Holy Quran when she was in Class 10 in 2019. Later, she started preparing for NEET which she cracked early this month. “When the result was declared, there were tears of joy in my eyes. It is a proud moment,” she said.
She devised a timetable in such a way that there was perfect harmony between her religious studies as well as her academics. “There was no specific strategy. After attending tuition classes, you have to revise everything otherwise you tend to forget things. A clear concept is very important. Plus NCERT is the core of NEET. So one needs to read NCERT books for clarifying concepts,” she said.
The family’s joy knew no bounds after Baserah cracked NEET. “We are overwhelmed with pride and happiness. Baserah’s dedication has been exemplary. It is a testament to the power of balance and the potential it unlocks,” said Mehraj Ahmad, Baserah’s father.
A kilometer away from her residence, another girl earned a rare honour by memorizing Holy Quran as well as passing the matriculation exam with flying colours in a span of three months.
Afeefa Khan of Shaheen Public School, Ganderpora, Safakadal, scored 486 marks in the matriculation exam for which the result was declared today.
“I completed memorizing Holy Quran on January 27. Later, I fully prepared for my class 10 exam which was held in March. I had devised a timetable in such a way that I could do justice with my Quranic education as well as my studies,” she said.
Coming from a humble family of Noorbagh, Afeefa started memorizing Holy Quran when she was only 14. “It took me two years to memorize Quran. I took classes at Darul Bayan and by the grace of Allah completed Hafez Quran in two years,” she said.
Afeefa was inspired by young girls who were enrolled in the Darsagah for Quranic studies. “I saw small girls memorizing Quran. It motivated me to the extent that I also decided to memorize Quran. My parents were fully supportive. In fact, they told me that you should not worry if you get fewer marks. But I worked hard on both. I was studying during the day and learning Quran in the morning and evening,” she said.
Afeefa wants to become a doctor. She has already started preparations for NEET. “I want to serve society. My aim in life has been to become a doctor. I will now work hard to crack NEET,” she said.
source: http://www.indiatomorrow.net / India Tomorrow / Home> Education / by A Correspondent / June 20th, 2023
Ahmad’s book, Caste and Social Stratification Among Muslims in India, is celebrated as pioneering work in the field.
Imtiaz Ahmad (1940-2023). Photo: Twitter/@syedurahman
New Delhi:
Imtiaz Ahmad, renowned scholar who taught political sociology at the Jawaharlal Nehru University in India, has died. He was 83.
Ahmad’s book, Caste and Social Stratification Among Muslims in India, is celebrated as pioneering work in the field.
Ahmad got his BA and MA degrees from the Lucknow University in 1958 and 1960 respectively. He started as a senior research analyst at the Institute of Economic Growth at the Delhi University in 1964 and two years later, became a lecturer in sociology in the same university.
After three years as visiting professor of anthropology at the University of Missouri in the US, Ahmad joined JNU as associate professor in political sociology in 1972. He became a professor in the department in 1983 and taught there for three decades.
Among his numerous publications are those which throw light on Muslim empowerment, minority rights, the role of education among Muslims, how Islamic ideologies mesh with social realities, how Muslim women are studied in India and communalism.
Ahmad also wrote critically on the Gujarat riots of 2002 in particular and communal politics in general. His work has been lauded as having shed light on the composite culture of India.
source: http://www.thewire.in / The Wire / Home> Education> Society / by The Wire Staff / June 19th, 2023
Nida Ansari, is a Delhi based development practitioner and consultant with over 12 years of experience in working with national and international non-profit foundations, grassroots organisations and funding agencies in the field of youth centric development, organisational development, agency and ending violence, community development and social entrepreneurship. She describes herself as a community campaigner, and an ‘Arctivist’ with a decade of experience of designing, facilitating and leading large scale national programs and campaigns.
She is also the co-founder of Mazdoor Kitchen, and has been closely involved with many grassroots initiatives, public campaigns associated with food security, public health, education and rights-based movements with workers, farmers, women and marginalised communities.
Q. How did the idea of the Kitchen come to be?
ND: Mazdoor Kitchen is a citizen run voluntary initiative, working to provide meals and subsistence to daily wage workers in North Delhi. Run by a dedicated team of volunteers comprising professors, students, artists and people from the community itself, it has been providing meals and ration kits to hundreds of people across north Delhi, ever since the beginning of the lockdown since May 2020.
In March, my parents – Delhi University professor Nandita Narain and her husband Rashid Ansari, a martial arts instructor and performing arts practitioner-director, joined a collective of teachers in North Delhi to start ‘Mazdoor Dhaba’ (workers’ café). It had 3 community kitchens running under its banner in North Delhi, from the garage of the Principal’s house in St. Stephens College. I remember my mother, Nandita saying , “I’d heard from many of my colleagues that this isn’t something we, at the age of 60+ years, should be doing. But we felt that even if there is risk involved, we want to take that risk; after all, when there are wars, people who volunteer, go to the frontiers to support wounded and war-affected people. And if they can do that, then the risk is surely not greater for us.”
By July, the lockdown in Delhi had ended and many in the group felt the need to shift operations away from cooking to other relief work. But my parents decided to venture out independently and started ‘Mazdoor Kitchen’ (a citizen-run voluntary workers’ kitchen) in Jawahar Nagar, Malka Ganj- as they felt there was still a need to support people with food and rations. I recalled what my father said to me in 2020 – when hoards of migrant workers walked back to their homes, on feet – “how can I be comfortable sitting in the confines of my home, eating a hot meal, when there are people on the road who have to travel thousands of kilometres just to be safe and alive?’,”
Q. In what capacity are you associated with MK? Pls describe the team and their responsibilities.
ND: I have been associated with MK right from the beginning supporting my parents, raising funds, running the crowdfunding campaigns and building collaborations with many grassroots groups, CSRs, partners, voluntary groups.
Q. What are the pros and cons of running an independent, voluntary citizen run initiative?
ND: The 500 meals, ration kits and monthly rations that we’re able to support people with, is the pros. These meals are distributed to individuals and marginalised communities, who do not have the socio-economic means to feed themselves. Cooked meals are given in North Delhi across- Nigambodh Ghat – Monastery market road, behind geeta mandir, north delhi. These areas have a growing population of displaced vulnerable people, living on the streets – homeless, beggars, daily wage workers, migrants, rickshaw drivers, rag pickers etc. For some of these folks, the cooked meal packet that they get from Mazdoor kitchen, is their only source of food in the day.
For many migrant families, these cooked meals allow them to save some of their meagre daily earnings, which they can then put to use for other purposes of everyday living like medicines, rations , education of their children and deal with inflation. We have also been able to generate livelihood, medical and education support through direct reliefs/ cash transfers to different families, individuals from marginalised socio-economic communities. We’ve also been able to support disaster responses to support groups during floods, and extreme hunger through kits, ration, blankets, clothes, medicines and other relief material across the country.
We’ve been able to demonstrate how a community owned – and run kitchen can benefit countless people and bring people together. But there have been a host of challenges – running a community kitchen is not easy! From being a small team, to managing with small budgets and the constant challenge of raising more funds, persuading people to donate – in face of the widespread belief that ‘since the pandemic is now over, people in the community are alright. ‘ This is a complete mismatch with reality, because poverty, unemployment, rising expenses and cost of basic living all remain a stark reality and crisis for those on the margins.
The country has been witnessing unending cycles of migration and now, reverse migration of workers who found no support in the cities and now, find no sources of income in the villages too. Most who have lost employment as industries stand devastated by the economic repercussions of the virus and the safety concerns brought about by physical proximity, will not see opportunities open up for months to come. The need to continue the work of the kitchen remains urgent. Several beneficiaries of the initiative have no other source of income or subsistence.
Q. Apart from cooking daily meals, what are the other issues MK deals with?
ND: While the initiative was born in the middle of the pandemic, as a response to the urgent need of the hour, over the last few years it has developed deeper relationships with the local communities it serves in slum colonies of Kingsway Camp, Pul Bangash, Bahadurgarh Road, Azad Market, Roop Nagar, and Patel Chest, Nigambodh Ghat. Many working-class people and migrants who had travelled back to the cities hunting for jobs depend on that one meal a day that the kitchen provides. In the heightened phases of Covid till 2021 they fed up to 800+ people daily in different communities and supplied dry ration kits, blankets, and gas cylinders, even relief material and clothes in the areas. Currently the kitchen runs daily and feeds people with up to 500 meals in a day, and supports 20-70 families with ration kits in a month.
Through a sustained effort, the initiative has also developed a keen relationship with members of the community. We also give monthly ration kits to families, medical relief and gas subsidies, Aside from food and ration, we’ve has also started a ‘livelihoods initiative’ , under which local community members (women) have been making and distributing thousands of masks and other small vendors like balloon sellers and food carts have been able to restart their businesses with small funds, Our relief efforts have included helping those struck by natural disasters with material or monetary support, supporting students from underprivileged communities pay their college fees, rickshaw pullers procure a new rickshaw if needed and medical fees.
Q. Would you like to share an incident that personally left a deep impact on you?
ND: In 2020-21, a migrant worker, who received daily meals from MK, from bada hindu rao- Bulla, a daily wage labourer from Bihar, had an accident and his spine was dislocated. He was admitted into Safdarjung hospital and had an operation on his spine. Bulla was living alone in Delhi, in shanties on the streets, and after hearing about his accident his family had just come to Delhi. His time in the hospital was dismal and scary to say the least, as none of the family members were literate and struggled to engage with a chaotic hospital system. Our team, including my parents, visited the hospital- and talked to the floor doc, name of the unit head etc. Bulla has had one surgery, doesn’t require another, but was paralysed from the waist down, with physiotherapy after the stitches are opened, might regain mobility in maybe six months, maybe longer, maybe never! Our team, along with the help of good folks like Ankit Jhamb of Aao Khilayein, were able to facilitate Bulla’s discharge from the hospital to a rented accommodation that we managed to procure and furnish in time for him to get there, including a much-needed air mattress.We tried to provide all the necessary things required for day to day living, and what is needed for his medical care too. We have engaged a day nurse, Raj Rani, to come and do his dressing etc. every alternate day. His recovery is going to be long, arduous and difficult. We and more importantly, Bulla and his family, needed all the help that they could get. While initial surgery costs have been taken off by the hospital, we knew that supporting a family who has no source of income ( as bulla was the main bread earner), rented accommodation for 6 months, food, medical expenses, nurse for day care, physiotherapy- will cost anything from 2.5-3 lacs in total. We were able to raise the funds to pay off Rajrani who was a compounder in a hospital and would go and do his physiotherapy every day. But eventually the trauma from his accidents were too grave – and he passed away. For me – this was a mirror image of the shattered socio-economic structure of our society – it felt futile and overwhelming, just how deep this structural inequality goes. I had the same feeling in 2022 when I started hearing about more and more migrant suicides. It made me more resolute to keep trying to do whatever bit we can, no matter how small the impact.
Q. Have you come across issues of caste purity and untouchability with respect to the menu?
ND: While distributing food we have by and large not come across caste purity and untouchability with respect to our food. All the 400+ people we feed, love our meals, they wait for us graciously. In the middle when we were shut for a week, while shifting to a new place – when we went back the 1st day so many of them came howling to us – ‘ where were you? had you forgotten about us ? ‘ Many people distribute food near nigambodh ghat, but often it is baasa, waste food. My father had told me, “The other day I had people take 2-3 meals from me; they sat on the pavement and ate those meals, telling me how hungry they were. We give the food packets to them in their hands and we ask them to take care. We give them as many meals as they ask for, as long as we have it. We try to ensure that everyone who’s standing in the line gets food. I don’t differentiate between a rag picker or a drunkard or someone who’s dressed well. I don’t question anyone; I just give them food.”
Q. Do you see MK as a long term venture especially when the State is refusing to perform its basic duties of providing food and shelter?
ND: While it is constantly challenging to raise enough funds to sustain the kitchen – we are always trying. In a country like ours, if communities were to go an extra mile, support their own local vulnerable populations just around their homes – the 80% of this country on the margins would not be as vulnerable as they are right now. Why can;t we have a community owned, run, funded and employed community kitchen in every mohalla ? Despite everything, we are trying to continue this initiative as long as we can. My father says, “This might be just a drop in the ocean, but it is a regular consistent drop,”. My mother said to me once – ” ” There was this idea amongst friends that this sort of work doesn’t really bring about any social transformation. You are just doing charity. You are just filling in where the government should be doing it. But I don’t even see it as charity. I see myself as a beneficiary of this inequality. The fact that I have got a public funded education, there is a debt of gratitude. There is a debt. On my soul, or psyche or whatever you call it. And that is a debt that I cannot repay in one lifetime. ”
Q. Anything else you’d like to share?
ND: I would like to thank the supporters and funders of this initiative and would appeal to more people for funding. Because of them MK has been running for almost 3 years, supporting people from marginalised communities with cooked food, ration and financial assistance. I have never been prouder of our small team of 10 community members which keeps the kitchen going. With 1 in 4 suicides in India being of a migrant worker, the need for food, rations and financial assistance for marginalised communities is still very dire.
We are currently running out of funds and may only be able to sustain till the end of the year. To keep the kitchen running till 2025 and beyond, we need support to raise funds.
In a latest development, Mansoor Ali took charge as the Commissioner of Mangaluru Urban Development Authority (MUDA) on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, The Mangaluru Urban Development Authority (MUDA) earlier in the day announced in a press release, that the public can directly contact the authority during office hours to discuss their grievances and any matters falling within the authority’s jurisdiction.
Manzoor Wangnoo leading school Children during an environmental campaign in Srinagar
About two and a half years ago when Manzoor Ahmad Wangnoo, a prominent businessman of Kashmir was asked by the anchor during a television show that he must say in 20 seconds what inspired him to work for saving and restoring Kashmir’s water bodies, he replied “Ehsaas”.
His reply explained how realization and concern on seeing the water bodies of the Valley shrink and gets degraded due to human greed and official negligence became the key to his massive efforts to awaken the public and undertaking the work to restore the Lakes to health.
He remembers visiting the 1.6 km by 0.6 km Khushal Sar Lake located on Srinagar outskirts in February 2021 for the first time. “It was in bad shape, choked with solid waste and smelling foul”, he told Awaz-the Voice at his office in Kashmir Mahal Resorts in the Nishat area overlooking the Dal lake.
“When I told the residents that it needs efforts to clean up the lake, they laughed”, he said, as he was accompanied by his team of volunteers of the Nigeen Lake Conservation Organisation (NLCO), established in 2000. He remember his three counsins – Latief, Riyaz and Muzaffar also joining him from the beginning of his campaign.
NLCO started with cleaning up the Nigeen Lake, and is currently focused on Khushal Sar, Manzoor Wangnoo recalled the oft-quoted couplet from India’s 20th century famous Urdu poet, Majrooh Sultanpuri (Asrar-ul-Hassan Khan): Meein akela hi chalaa thaa janibe manzil magar’; Loag Saath aatey gaye aur karwaan banta gaya”.“That actually happened”, he said. The target of cleaning Khushal Sar was completed in 100 days under the “Mission Ehsaas” (phase 1), which began on February 21, 2021. With the help of SMC (Srinagar Municipal Corporation) and other agencies, NLCO removed “3000 truckloads of muck from the Lake till date”, Wangnoo said.
Wangnoo with local resident at Gilsur bridge
“Now this (Khushal Sar) is not a dustbin”, he said and appealed to the Government to provide a drainage system and demarcation on the lake peripheries. The traditional navigational route, Zadibal-Sazgaripora in the lake was restored in phase 2 of “Mission Ehsaas” last year. Wangnoo said that the lake was orphaned and had been neglected for the past 30 years.
Without the efforts of the Lake Conservation and Management Authority (LCMA), which keeps Nallah Amir Khan clean, the restoration work of Khushal Sar and Gilsar would not have been possible, Manzoor Wangnoo said. The authorities have prevented solid waste from flowing into the twin water bodies. He also praised successive Divisional Commissioners for supporting his work.
He called for a “competent authority” to take responsibility of the lake’s conservation, though J&K Lake Conservation and Management Authority (LCMA) looks after Dal Lake. “It (Khushal Sar) needs complete attention”, Manzoor Wangnoo told Awaz-the Voice, as phase 3 of clearing the muck began earlier this year.
“The mission received an encouraging response”, Wangnoo said and referred to its mention by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his Mann Ki Baat last year. Lt Governor, Manoj Sinha also expressed his “gratitude” to Wangnoo at least on three occasions in the last two years. “The idea of cleaning the Khushal Sar was of a prominent businessman of Srinagar city, Manzoor Ahmad, and the cleaning process was started with the help of the administration coupled with the efforts of the locals. It is a great example of public participation,” Sinha commented on one occasion.
“People in the vicinity (of Khushal Sar) have started to realize the importance of the conservation of the water body. Administration lent its support for the cause, especially SMC has been there to collect the waste from day one”, he commented.
The restoration of choked Khushal Sar to its pristine glory is not the first venture undertaken by Manzoor Ahmad Wangnoo, who has established his business in carpet and Kashmir handicrafts over the last nearly five decades. The 70 years old businessman, who was educated at Tyndale Biscoe School and S P College, Srinagar, learned the trade from his father in his early childhood.
Wangnoo in his office
As a businessman over the decades, what concerned him was the need “to create awareness regarding environment and saving water bodies of Kashmir, endangered by pollution”. Thus, he constituted a local NGO, Nigeen Lake’s Conservation (NLCO) in 2000 for the restoration of water bodies. “I took the challenge to restore the glory of the lake with the active participation of peoples… it aims to save the (Nigeen) lake from becoming a cesspool”, he said.
“This is our (team’s) identity wherever we go with efforts of saving the environment”, the devout Muslim pointing towards his white round cap, commented. “NLCO has taken on the role of a watchdog organization, to check vandalism, create awareness about the importance of conservation of water bodies in particular and the environment in general”.
Speaking of challenges, Manzoor Wangnoo said “land mafia and encroachers tried their best to stop us. But when three people, administration and NGOs – join hands everything becomes possible.”
After several years there was a sea change in the Nigeen Lake as “the people became aware of the importance of the pollution-free lake”, he said. Wangnoo has also contributed to helping the 2005 quake-hit people of Uri and Tangdhar by constituting Kashmir Welfare Trust and in the education sector by setting up Bilaliya Educational Institute.
Educational Institute, Srinagar
Nigeen Lake is connected via a narrow strait flowing beneath the Ashai Bagh bridge on the Lal Chowk-Rainawari-Hazratbal road. It is further connected to Khushal Sar and Gilsar through Nallah Amir Khan.
While he was continuing with his mission “to help enrich the quality of life of the community and preserve ecological balance and heritage through a strong environment conscience”, the October 2005 earthquake posed another challenge to him.
With the support of the concerned persons to deliver, he initiated the relief measures in the quake-hit areas of North Kashmir, which led to the formation of Kashmir Welfare Trust (KWT), an NGO to undertake the relief operations. The KWT, which initiated with the adoption of 69 earthquake victims from Tangdhar in 2005 has set up the Bilaliya Educational Institute in Srinagar where 1900 boys and girls are today enrolled. Also, it’s one of the leading schools in Srinagar.
He proudly says that some of the students of the school have shown excellent results with scoring distinction in the board examinations.
It Trust has also contributed to the relief and rehabilitation of the 2014 floods in Kashmir.
source: http://www.awazthevoice.in / Awaz The Voice / Home> Stories / by Ehsan Fazili, Srinagar / June 26th, 2023
