Monthly Archives: January 2024

Aster’s Azad Moopen: ‘Charity work led me to UAE, now I’m a billionaire’

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Kalpakancheri (Malappuram District), KERALA / Dubai, U.A.E:

Indian recalls journey from being a fundraiser to rebuild a mosque to emerging a tycoon.

A young Azad Moopen at the inauguration of one of his clinics / Image Credit: Supplied

HIGHLIGHTS

  • Dr Azad Moopen came to the UAE in February 1987 to raise money for the renovation of a mosque in his hometown, Kalpakancheri in Malappuram district, Kerala.
  • Dr Moopen leased a two-bedroom apartment in Bur Dubai to start a clinic
  • In 2008, Dr Moopen invited a private equity firm to invest in the company and they valued Aster DM Healthcare at $100 million.
  • In 2010 and 2011, Dr Moopen was awarded the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman and Padma Shri, respectively, by the Government of India.
  • Aster DM is listed at NSE and BSE

Dubai:

Azad Moopen came to Dubai 34 years ago to raise money for the renovation of a mosque in his hometown, Kalpakancheri, in the Malappuram district, Kerala. He needed Rs1 million then, or Dh250,000 as per the currency exchange rate in 1987. The plan was just to collect the funds and return home. He had no intention to settle in the UAE.

Destiny, however, had other plans for Moopen – a gold medallist in general medicine and a lecturer at the Calicut Medical College at the time. Looking back, Moopen said it was this noble intention that perhaps set the background for something big to happen in his life.

Fast forward to today, he is now a household name in the UAE. Just about everybody in the region knows him well as the multi-billion dollar businessman and developer of health-care facilities in the UAE and Asia-Pacific region. He is the chairman and managing director of Aster DM Healthcare, a conglomerate in the Middle East and India that Moopen founded in December 1987, just ten months after arriving in the UAE to raise funds for a mosque.

According to a report published in September 2018, he owned and managed 21 hospitals, 113 clinics and 216 pharmacies. The health-care company serves 50,000 patients a day in nine countries. In 2018, Aster treated 17 million patients across all its facilities. Of this these, 15 million patients were from the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, while two million were from India.

In 2017, Forbes ranked him sixth on the ‘Top 100 Indian Leaders in UAE’ list and his total wealth was estimated at approximately $5.9 billion (Dh21.7 billion).

How it all started

“When I finished collecting money for the mosque reconstruction, my job was over in the UAE. It was time to return home, but when I went home, I was not happy. There was something pulling me back to this country as there was magic here,” said Moopen. “In June (1987), I came back on a visit to the UAE. I stayed with a friend in Ajman who was a doctor as well. There were plenty of opportunities for a doctor like me and I was raring to tap into some of them.”

Azad Moopen receives a Lifetime Achievement Award / Image Credit: Supplied

Moopen’s friend was setting up a clinic in Ajman and he invited him to join there as a physician. Back in the day, there were no post-graduate doctors practising in Ajman and Moopen, who was a Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery (MBBS) and a Doctor of Medicine, with a a Diploma in treating Tuberculosis and Chest Diseases (DTCD), was already highly qualified. In fact, his varied degrees made him quite a sought-after doctor in Ajman.

“But my friend bowled me a googlie, as we say in cricketing terms! He turned around one day and told me to start a clinic in Dubai. To be honest, I thought he did not like me and that’s why he was pushing me away to Dubai. But I took his advice and today, I believe he is my guardian angel. That moment, when I heeded his advise and came to Dubai, it was the turning point in my life. I know now he was a friend, he was a God-sent and he is ‘the person’ in my life.”

No matter how successful you become in life, you never forget the people who helped you along the way. And this, to me, has been the biggest reason for my success.

– Azad Moopen

In December 1987, Moopen leased a two-bedroom apartment in Bur Dubai close to the Port Rashid area. “Port Rashid was one of the main areas in Dubai where there were many ongoing activities. A lot of people worked here and I wanted to serve them.”

He said the consultation charges were between Dh10 and 15. Some people got reimbursement from their companies while others paid the bills from their pocket.

“The challenge, however, was collecting money from some blue collared workers who could not afford to pay even this amount. So every Tuesday we started offering free consultations for half a day. We also kept sample medicines which we gave to these workers.”

Within a year, the clinic started receiving 100 patients a day. There were just two doctors – Moopen and a gynaecologist.

Dr. Azad Moopen receiving an award from late Indian President APJ Kalam / Image Credit: Supplied

“I myself worked from 8 in the morning until mid-night. But it was becoming very congested and we needed to move to a bigger place,” he said. “I found a three-bedroom apartment in Al Rafa and we moved there. We hired two more doctors – both paediatricians. We were able to see more patients as a result.”

By that time in 1988, Moopen was getting a hang of running a health-care facility. “One of the things we discovered early on was that people came to us for consultation, but were picking up medicines from another pharmacy. So, we thought why not make this in-house? And that is how Al Rafa Pharmacy was born.”

Moopen said that in 2008, he had his real brush with success. “Until then, I was just doing my job of opening clinics, hospitals and pharmacies. I was not really counting or sitting down to see and evaluate the success of my business. In 2008, as part of our expansion plans, we invited a private equity firm to invest with us. They valued our company at $100 million and that reality hit me. We had grown and how! It was an emotional moment for me, reading the valuation report and made me think of how hard the company staff and me had worked to bring it that far,” he said.

Dr. Azad Moopen with his youngest daughter Zeba Moopen who is now a practicing doctor / Image Credit: Supplied

In 2012, a second private equity firm came on board and they valued Aster DM Healthcare at $400 million. “This means we had grown four times in four years. It was massive.”

Today, Aster DM is listed at the National Stock Exchange of India (NSE) and the company’s total revenue in 2019 was fixed at a massive $1.4 billion.

Reason behind this phenomenal success

“Without batting an eyelid I will say that it is my staff, my people, my doctors who have made this company successful. I am blessed and lucky to have these people working for me for decades. Our doctor turnover at the consultant level is as low as five per cent. This means our doctors practically never leave us. And, because of this, our patients never leave us.

Azad Moopen with cricketer Sachin Tendulkar during the latter’s book launch. / Image Credit: Supplied

“No matter how successful you become in life, you never forget the people who helped you along the way. And this, to me, has been the biggest reason for my success. To give you an example, the other day, one of my CEOs brought me a staff member’s performance report. He wanted me to fire him as he was not performing well. When I saw the report I realised he was an old friend’s son. This friend, I remember, had loaned me Dh500 when I had come to the UAE for the first time.”

“As the memories flooded me, I simply refused to sign the sack letter. Instead, I called this young boy and his father and told them about the report. From my part, I have given this boy a second chance. I pray he will make use of the opportunity given to him.”

Challenges

Dr. Moopen during one of his philanthropic activities / Image Credit: Supplied

“There are always challenges in business. If you want your career graph to have a smooth ride, then you must not pick business as your profession. Success in business lies in finding your challenges and meeting them head-on,” said Moopen.

“For example, the UAE’s mandatory insurance has proved to be beneficial for the consumer, but for health-care providers like us, it is a challenge. People would come to us because of our credibility. Now, it has to do with the kind of insurance coverage they have.”

Philanthropy the way to life

Moopen has pledged to give 20 per cent of his wealth to charity. An off-shoot of this has been the ‘Aster Volunteers’ programme to help patients with free consultations, treatment and surgeries. More than 900,000 lives have been touched by the programme.

Dr. Moopen with his family in an earlier picture / Image Credit: Supplied

In 2010 and 2011, Moopen was awarded the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman and Padma Shri, respectively, by the Government of India.

Dr. Azad Moopen awarded the coveted Padma Shri in 2011 / Image Credit: Supplied

“By God’s grace, I have everything in life. Name, fame, wealth, a great family. It is my duty and responsibility now to help others. When I started out, I was in the right place at the right time with the right people. I want others to be in my shoes. I am nearing retirement and my only dream now is to hand over my business to my team of professionals who, I believe, will do a better job than me.”

source: http://www.gulfnews.com / Gulf News / Home> UAE Success Stories> exclusive / by Anjana Kumar, Senior Reporter / January 15th, 2019

The Hindu Lit Fest 2024 | Author Charu Nivedita and translator Nandini Krishnan on their new book ‘Conversations with Aurangzeb’

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Books (incl.Biographies - w.e.f.01 jan 2018 ), Royal Families, PreIndependence -Descendants (wef. Jan 02nd,2022), ,

INDIA:

‘Conversations with Aurangzeb’ reimagines the story of the most controversial Mughal emperor

A 17th century painting of Aurangzeb in his ‘darbar’. | Photo Credit: Wiki Commons

Tamil writer Charu Nivedita’s Conversations with Aurangzeb, translated by Nandini Krishnan,is an unpredictable book. In it, a writer begins a novel with an idea but soon meets the spirit of Mughal emperor Aurangzeb, who decides to seize the opportunity to tell his side of the story. This is an irreverent, indignant Aurangzeb, most unlike the historical character we are familiar with.The writer and Aurangzeb speak of the past and present, of Mughals and Marxism, of satire and Sunny Leone, and a host of other contemporary subjects. Krishnan says the novel is “defiant of all genres”.

discuss the wildly imaginative book, their collaborative process, and the latest translation fad. Edited excerpts:

Author Charu Nivedita | Photo Credit: Backiaraj M.

You’ve given an unpopular historical figure a voice to defend his actions. In a country where satire is often lost on a lot of people, did you ever feel this book was a risky proposition?

Charu Nivedita: All my writing is risky because I always choose taboo topics. I have always been a misunderstood guy. In a historical perspective, Aurangzeb is also a misunderstood guy. So, I find some similarity between Aurangzeb and myself as a writer.

There are Tamil references throughout the novel. Why and how did you decide to weave these in?

CN: Even though I live in Tamil Nadu, I don’t agree with the culture here. My fellow writers don’t consider me a writer; I always feel like an outsider. Though I write in Tamil, I imagine a European, South American or an Arab readership. I mock the land in which I live. I feel sometimes that I live in a circus when I see the film industry, the paal abhishekam (a ritual of worship with milk)for the cut-outs of actors, or the happenings in the political arena. Self-mocking is important. One who is ready to parody himself or herself can do that with others.

Translator Nandini Krishnan | Photo Credit: Vinay Aravind

You have said in your translator’s note that some books are untranslatable. Why is that?

NK: I mean there are certain books that are extremely localised. For example, anyone in India who has watched Hindi films would find the line ‘Kitne aadmi the? (How many men were there?)’ funny in any context. But if you’re going to use that line with an American audience or with someone who doesn’t watch Hindi films, it would make no sense at all.

The history of Tamil cinema is as old as modern Tamil writing. There are constant references and cross-references to it in literature. Even in (Nivedita’s) Zero Degree, there is a reference to a scene from the film Chinna Gounder. Unless you get its context, it is not jarring or funny or discomfiting in any way. That’s why I felt Zero Degree was untranslatable.

There is a larger reach now of Tamil books for an English reading audience. What do you think of this translation boom?

NK: Right now, translations are sexy because Geetanjali Shree won the International Booker Prize in 2022. In the 90s, because of Vikram Seth’s enormous advance and later because of Arundhati Roy’s Booker win, Indian writing in English became sexy. This is just a fad. This has also given space to some very subpar translations because everyone is trying to get 20 books translated. We need to maintain the quality of someone like a Charu Nivedita or Ashokamitran or Perumal Murugan or Thamizhachi Thangapandian. Translations do have reach, but does the same quality of work reach an audience? I don’t know.

Also, there is a lot of focus on the writer’s story rather than the story that the writer is telling. And by that, I mean the writer’s gender, caste, their politics, and so on. Unless we go beyond these to the quality of their stories, we are in trouble.

CN: There is a translation boom. But unless there is a miracle, as in the case of Perumal Murugan or Vivek Shanbhag, one is unknown outside their own region. I am unknown outside Tamil Nadu or Kerala. There is no controversy or award because of which people might know me. This is the sad state of affairs.

radhika.s@thehindu.co.in

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Litfest> Interview / by Radhika Santhanam / January 18th, 2024

The ‘Rogue Journalist’ Without Whom Gandhi’s Champaran Satyagraha May Not Have Happened

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Bettaiah (West Champaran District), BIHAR / Lucknow , UTTAR PRADESH :

The ‘Rogue Journalist’ Without Whom Gandhi’s Champaran Satyagraha May Not Have Happened

The Champaran Satyagraha is a landmark chapter in India’s history, and an important catalyst for it was journalist Pir Muhammed Munis, whose letter to Gandhi set the stage for the monumental resistance.

In 1917, when British rule prevailed over India, the government prepared a list to keep track of 32 of MK Gandhi’s closest associates. At number 10 was a name that history hasn’t forgotten since. 

Pir Muhammed Munis, a journalist known for the power of his pen, was instrumental in his role in the Champaran Satyagraha movement, also touted as India’s first organised act of civil disobedience.

Through his body of work, he scripted a record of heroism that is etched into the sands of time. 

To truly appreciate Munis’ role in the struggle for Independence, we trace our steps to 1916, when the British Raj was exercising exceeding control over Indians. One particularly vulnerable group were the farmers in Champaran, Bihar. 

The source of contention was the agrarian practices in the region. While the British were intent on the peasants growing indigo, a lucrative cash crop with sizable demand in the markets abroad, the farmers were deprived of land for growing food crops instead. This tussle culminated in a famine, causing the farmers to rise in revolt against the dominion of the British. As the conflict escalated, word reached Gandhi. How? 

Pir Muhammed Munis was behind it. 

Pir Muhammed Munis, a close aide of Mahatma Gandhi and a Hindi journalist

A ‘rouge journalist’ 

The uprising of the peasants in Champaran wasn’t going unnoticed. The country was reading about it thanks to Munis, who left no stone unturned in letting his views reflect his patriotic feelings. In the years to come, Pir Muhammed Munis would go down in history as the journalist who raised his voice when it was most difficult to be heard. 

He chronicled the efforts of the farmers, the unlawful practices of the British and more such news in Hindi — despite the elite class being fluent in Urdu, Persian and English — displaying his ardent love for the language. In his later life, he went on to advocate for Hindi to be propagated amongst the masses. Anecdotes suggest during his later interactions with Gandhi, Munis even went on to teach the legend the language, a skill that greatly helped the latter. 

So persistent and vocal was he about his patriotic opinions that he was termed as “notorious”, “bitter” and “dangerous” by the British, eventually being branded as a ‘badmash patrakar (rouge journalist)’. 

A British Police document from the Azadi Ke Deewane Museum at Red Fort reads, “Pir Muhammed Munis is actually a dangerous and hoodlum journalist who through his questionable literature, brought to light the sufferings of a backward place like Champaran in Bihar.”

The letter that set the stage for the uprising

Pir Muhammed Munis fought for the farmers in the Champaran region of Bihar
Pir Muhammed Munis fought for the farmers in the Champaran region of Bihar, Picture source: Twitter: Muslims of India

But nothing stopped Munis from continuing to write, his pen a double-edged sword. His works appeared frequently in Pratap, a Hindi weekly, and monthlys such as Gyanshakti and Gorakhpur. He was also on the editorial board of Desh launched and edited by Dr Rajendra Prasad.

The most famous letter among his repertoire of literary works is a letter he penned with local farmer Rajkumar Shukla, intended to be sent to Gandhi on 27 February 1917. Shukla conveyed the grievances of the farming community, while Munis coupled this with his power of words. An excerpt from the letter reads, “Our sad tale is much worse than what you and your comrades have suffered in South Africa”. 

In another letter dated 22 March 1917, Munis once again voiced his concerns about the peasants in Champaran, and asked Gandhi to pay them a visit. And when he did on 10 April 1917, people commended the bond between the two, often calling Munis Gandhi’s pillar as he hatched plans for the Champaran Satyagraha. 

As the first Satyagraha movement, it set the stage for future mass protests and uprisings. Gandhi set up schools in the Champaran area, gathered volunteers, conducted village surveys, organised protests, and strikes, and advocated for control over the sale of crops to be given to the farmers. And through this mutiny, Munis was by his side. 

This did not go down well with the British. As a letter written by W H Lewis, sub-division officer to the commissioner of Tirhut division indicates, “… Mr Gandhi got offers of assistance, the most prominent is Pir Muhammad. I have not (sic) full details of his career, but either Whitty or Marsham could give them. He is, I believe, a convert to Muhammadanism and was a teacher in the Raj School. He was dismissed from his post for virulent attacks on local management published in or about 1915 in the press. He lives in Bettiah and works as a press correspondent for the Pratap of Lucknow, a paper which distinguished itself for its immoderate expressions on Champaran Questions… Pir Muhammad is the link between this Bettiah class of mostly educated and semi-educated men and the next class, i.e. the Raiyats’ own leaders…”

The result of the tyranny 

History never forgets the cries of the just, and the Champaran Satyagraha was proof of this. 

The mutiny ended with the British officers agreeing to formulate the Champaran Agrarian Act of 1918. The Act abolished the forcible cultivation of indigo and thus relieved tremendous pressure being put on the farmers here. The event has gone down in history as one of the first major revolts that forced the English to introduce a Bill in favour of the Indians. 

With the Tinkathia system being abolished, the farmers thought the worst was over. But the British continued to oppress them in different ways. Fuelled by ending this once and for all, Munis started Raiyati Sabha, a platform that would advocate for and protect the rights of the farming community. For this, Munis faced a six-month jail term. 

This wasn’t the last of imprisonment. In 1930 he was imprisoned in the Patna Camp jail for three months for his participation in the Salt Satyagraha of the Civil Disobedience Movement. 

However, nothing could deter him from his goal of protecting the rights of his countrymen. In 1937, he led sugarcane producers who were protesting against intermediaries who were pocketing a major part of the earnings. He was also elected member of the Champaran Zila Parishad (District Board) on the Congress ticket and became President of Bettiah Local Board, from which he resigned to join the Individual Civil Disobedience Movement.

Throughout his lifetime, he advocated for rural development, popularisation of Hindi in primary schools and the rights of his fellow Indians. Until his passing away on 23 September 1949 Munis continued to be a leader worth looking up to for his countrymen.

Lauding the efforts of Munis on his passing away, Pratap editor Ganesh Shankar Vidyarthi, wrote in his newspaper, “We have the utmost sorrow that Pir Muhammed Munis of Bettiah, Champaran district has died. We have the privilege to see such souls who are quietly lying aside. The world doesn’t come to know anything about their issues. The lesser these sons of Mother India are renowned, the more profound is their work, the more philanthropic.”

He further wrote, “You recited the dreadful story of Champaran to Gandhi ji and this was a result of your hard-work only that Mahatma Gandhi visited Champaran which made this land a pious place and the place which is unerasable in the pages of history”.

Sources 
Here’s The Story Of Pir Muhammad Munis, A Hindi Journalist And Unsung Hero Of Champaran Satyagraha by Afroz Alam Sahil, Published on 10 April 2018. 
Republic Day 2022: From The man who designed the Tricolour to Unsung hero of Pasighat… saluting the heroes who made India great by Free Press Journal, Published on 25 January 2022. 
Pir Mohammad Munis: An organic intellectual activist of the Champaran Satyagraha by Two Circles, Published on 1 May 2013.  

source: http://www.thebetterindia.com / The Better India / Home> English> History> Inspirational / by Krystelle Dsouza / July 28th, 2023

A Wizard of Surgery Padma Shree Dr M Ahmed Ali

Amazing Feats, Bharat Ratna, Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan, Padma Shri Award (since January 01st, 2024), Business & Economy, Community Involvement / Social Issues, Leaders, Science & Technology, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Chennai, TAMIL NADU:

The President, Smt. Pratibha Devisingh Patil presenting the Padma Shri Award to Prof. (Dr.) M. Ahmed Ali, at an Investiture Ceremony II, at Rashtrapati Bhavan, in New Delhi on April 01, 2011./ pix: en.wikipedia.org

Dr. Ahmed Ali can perhaps scale Mount Everest  to gain knowledge in surgery, and will come back to serve the poor and needy. That is the thirst he has, and the skill gained by his extra ordinary, photographic memory power.

After obtaining the highest degree in surgery such as M.Ch, he was awarded the prestigious Doctor of Science D.Sc.in surgery.  

The Padma Shree Awardees, listed on January 31, 2011, Dr. Ahmed Ali, won the  nation’s prestigious award.

A dedicated, and most devoted to his profession, he declined an opportunity, assigned in New York soon after post graduation  in gastroenterology and proctology. Surgery is an art to him same as a gifted and a born artist plays with his brush and colors. There is no exaggeration that if it is said that his tournament is surgery.

He visits every month to his native town to impart free service, in addition he gives nutrient suppliments and other vitamins and other additives to less fortunates. He does this as a token of gratitude to the school he studied and for the  people who mutually loved.

Born in Ambur in 1940, graduated from Madras Medical College, and after retiring from service, he is concentrating his profession in Mehtha Nursing Home,Chetpet in Chennai.

His only son Dr. Mansoor is a surgical specialist in liver, pancreas, and bile duct (Hepato Pancreato Bilary Specialist) working in Kings Hospital, London UK. Dr. Mansoor is as good as his father, and was the student of Dr. Rela, the world renowned liver specialist.

Ambur, a town in Vellore District in Tamil Nadu is famous for leather industry, as well the elite of the society Ambur Muslim Educational Society, and it is fully devoted in concentrating women’s education and the students performance is par excellent.

Mr. Mecca Rafeeque Ahmed, a renowned leather industrialist, from Ambur also awarded Padma Shree for his industrial achievements.

Dr. Ali was felicitated with standing ovation by different groups elites, but he stood humble and modest.

source: http://www.amityindias.blogspot.com / April 05th, 2011

Padma Awards 2023: Who is scientist Khadar Valli, ‘India’s Millet Man’, left high-paying US job for healthier society?

Agriculture (since June 07th, 2021), Amazing Feats, Bharat Ratna, Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan, Padma Shri Award (since January 01st, 2024), Books (incl.Biographies - w.e.f.01 jan 2018 ), Business & Economy, Community Involvement / Social Issues, Green Products, Inventions, Innovations (wef. Nov 30th, 2021), Karnataka (under research project), Leaders, NRI's / PIO's, Science & Technology, Scientists (wef. August 27th,m 2023), World Opinion, , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Proddutur Town, (Kadapa District), ANDHRA PRADESH / Mysuru, KARNATAKA:

Dr Valli is the scientist who made the world realise the importance of food grains

article-main

He had a comfortable US job that he left to return to India and make it healthy. More than two decades since he launched his mission, India’s ‘Millet Man’ Dr Khadar Valli Dudekula was recognised by the government of India with the civilian honour Padma Shri during the 74th Republic Day celebrations on Thursday, January 26. 

Dr Valli is the scientist who made the world realise the importance of food grains. He has numerous researches to his name and has worked extensively for revival of grains over 20 years. As per The Better India, Dr Valli woke up to the problem of diet-related consequences in society around 1986-87 when he came across the case of a girl who had started menstruating at 6 years of age. Shocked by this, he decided to return to his country in 1997 and settled in Mysuru to work towards a healthy society rather than in a foreign nation. 

Dr Valli is an independent scientist and food expert. In his pioneering work, he has revived five types of disappearing millets. He is a leading advocate of Millet cultivation and use. He was born in a humble background in Kadapa District of Andhra Pradesh. He pursued his BSc (Education) and MSc (Education) from Regional College of Education, Mysuru before earning a PhD in Steroids from the Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru. Besides being an agricultural scientist, he is also a homoeopath. 

After completing education in India, he became a postdoctoral fellow in environmental science at Beaverton, Oregon for three years. He then worked as a scientist with Central Food Technological Research Institute (CFTRI) for four years before working with DuPont for a year in India and four plus years in the US. He discovered medicinal properties of grains during his research and named 5 specific types of grains he prescribed as “Siridhanyalu”. 

source: http://www.dnaindia.com / DNA / Home> India / by DNA Web Team / January 28th, 2023

Assam’s Ahmed Ali, Who Opened 9 Schools, Nominated for News18 Rising India Real Heroes of 2023

Amazing Feats, Community Involvement / Social Issues, Education, , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Khilorband (Patharkandi Village, Karimganj District), ASSAM:

By establishing nine schools with the money collected from driving an autorickshaw, Ali has helped bridge the gap between education and poverty in his community.

Ali started the first school in 1978 in his village Madhurband. (Photo: News18)

Ahmed Ali, from Assam’s Karimganj district, is a true inspiration for many, especially those who are determined to make a positive difference in their communities. Despite facing financial challenges, the 87-year-old decided to take matters into his own hands and established schools in his village to provide education to underprivileged children.

By establishing nine schools with the money collected from driving an autorickshaw, Ali has helped bridge the gap between education and poverty in his community. He understands that education is the key to unlocking opportunities and breaking the cycle of poverty. His schools offer affordable education to students who would otherwise not have access to it.

He is a resident of Khilorband, a marginal village of Patharkandi in the Indian state of Assam, bordering Bangladesh. Ali started the first school in 1978 in his village Madhurband. He sold some of his land and donated a part of the land to the school, on which it was built. Out of his 36 bigha land, he donated 32 bigha land for the construction of the school. Funding of the school is also done from its deposits, daily earnings and donations.

His high School was set up in 1990. In addition to it, he also established three lower secondary schools, five secondary schools and one higher secondary school. He hopes to establish a college in the future.

Besides donating his own land for the schools’ construction, Ali also works hard to keep them running. He drives a rickshaw during the day to earn a living, and at night, he cuts wood to help maintain the school’s finances. His dedication and hard work have made a significant impact on the education of many children in his community.

Ahmed Ali’s work has not gone unnoticed. He was nominated for the News18 Rising India Real Heroes Award in the education category, and he will be conferred with the award at the News18 Rising India Summit at the Taj Palace Hotel in New Delhi on March 30.

His story has been shared by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on his radio programme ‘Mann Ki Baat,’ inspiring many others to take action in their own communities. Narendra Modi said, “I have come to know that a rickshaw puller named Ahmed Ali of Assam’s Karimganj district has opened nine schools for the education of poor children. It is a beautiful manifestation of the will of the people of our country.” Ali was also invited to Delhi as a speaker by an NGO Jookto.

source: http://www.news18.com / News 18 / Home> India / by Akhi Das, edited by Jessica Nani / March 29th, 2023

The stirring raga rages on: Adjectives are too limited to describe the golden voice of Rashid Khan

Amazing Feats, Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Bharat Ratna, Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan, Padma Shri Award (since January 01st, 2024), Leaders, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Sahaswan (Budaun) , UTTAR PRADESH / Kolkata, WEST BENGAL :

He could captivate the audience and eradicate the thin line between a structured format and the playfulness of a classical composition while his voice moved through the shades of ragas.

Rashid Khan./ Sourced by The Telegraph

The name of Ustad Rashid Khan reminds one of the words of T.S. Eliot: “Music heard so deeply/that is not heard at all, but/you are the music/while the music lasts.’’

A born genius, talented and extraordinary musician… adjectives are too limited to describe the golden voice of Rashid Khan.

The fulfilment of an art form touches immortality when the artist becomes the art, as the poet said. Diehard listeners of Rashid Khan and ardent music lovers know the truth because they have discovered the artiste’s voice in different genres of music and steeped integrated melodies.

The great-grandson of the legendary Ustad Inayat Hussain Khan, the founder of the Rampur Sahaswan Gharana, Rashid was born on July 1, 1968, at Badaun in Uttar Pradesh.

Memory and melancholy created the soul of the artiste, although he was completely unaware he would one day become one of the greats of Indian classical music. He lost his mother and younger brother at a very early age; he found solace in kabaddi and cricket.

Rashid studied in Mumbai for about a year and after coming back to his hometown, his tutelage was started under his illustrious granduncle and guru, Ustad Nissar Hussain Khan. He also carried the lineage of renowned vocalists like Mushtaq Hussain Khan and Ghulam Mustafa Khan. But the rather authoritarian Ustad Nissar Hussain Khan changed the course of his life and made him what he became over the years. He nurtured the latent potential of Rashid through his training, first at his own residence at Badaun and subsequently at the Sangeet Research Academy in Calcutta.

Young Rashid Khan, an assured voice of the future of Indian classical vocal music, certified by none other than Pandit Bhimsen Joshi, was to evolve into a formidable talent, especially with his prowess in taankari and gamak.

His full-throated voice was an exceptional amalgamation of depth and rhythmic generosity. He could captivate the audience and eradicate the thin line between a structured format and the playfulness of a classical composition while his voice moved through the shades of ragas. He was adept at the instrumental stroke-based style which he inherited from his gharana, as well as an expert at infusing emotion into an elaborate musical verse.

Probably this is the reason he was successful in different styles of singing and innovation despite being a rooted classical musician.

For example, when he sang Tagore songs based on various ragas, he focused on the rendition of the quintessential flavour; his command over the notes and tunes brought out the charm of the song with skilful originality.

Rashid had fond memories of the town of Badaun and its surroundings where he spent his early days. The river which flows by the town was a witness to the number of hours Rashid spent by its side singing.

He paid his respects on his visits to his hometown at the cemetery where his parents and young brother were laid to rest.

It may well be the inexplicable pain and loneliness of childhood filtered through his every rendition of ‘Yaad Piya ki Aye’ (composed originally by Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan) — a Rashid reinvention that became very popular. As with the Bollywood hit ‘Aoge Jab tum o saajna’ from Jab We Met.

He skilfully obliterated differences between musical genres and was able to recreate a unique combination of love and exuberance with the full boom of his voice in three octaves, as manifested in each and every song. In numerous playback essays, he successfully broke traditional boundaries with his scintillating voice and evoked sensibilities even when he was out of his core expertise.

In the words of senior organiser of the Dover Lane Music Conference, Bappa Sen: “Rashid contributed an unparallel range to the music fraternity. We have seen him grow as a man as well as an artiste and witnessed his excellence in all spheres of music. He was an integral part of this music festival from a very young age and even performed in the periodicals. Along with his talent, he excelled himself to heights that required enormous hard work and open-mindedness. As a person he was as humble and respectful to all of us as he was from the very first day.”

Sarodiya Amaan Ali Khan thinks: “Unki voice mein to Ishwar hain.” He had countless memories with this senior artiste, fellow musician and co-performer who, Amaan says, was always an inspiration to him. “He was a person as clear as water,” said Amaan.

To his close friends and contemporary musicians, Rashid Khan was an irreplaceable voice and human being in every sense. The absence of Rashid’s mortal existence has now created a vacuum in the world of Indian classical music which is now devoid of his rich depth of voice.

Rashid’s son Armaan is carrying the torch of the legacy, his daughters Suha and Shaona are into Sufi music.

Rashid flourished as the breaking dawn with Lalit, Ahir Bhairon, Miyan ki Todi, returned to the root with Puriya Kalyan, Puriya Dhaneshree, Shree, sparkled with Sohini.

He has left behind an unforgettable repertoire of renditions and the gift of his unbridled imagination to lovers of his singular work.

source: http://www.telegraphindia.com / The Telegraph Online / Home> Culture> Music / by The Telegraph / January 10th, 2024

Padma Shri G M Mir who helped forces end terrorism in Kashmir lives a modest life

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JAMMU & KASHMIR:

Ghulam Mohammad Mir at his house in Magam, Kashmir

This is the story of how a powerful lobby in Kashmir comprising men and women in politics, bureaucracy, media, and academia was allowed to spread fake narratives for years with the apparent motive of currying favours with pro-Pakistan terrorists and separatists, and it went unchallenged. 

It’s interesting to note that the two Kashmiris, who were conferred India’s fourth highest civilian award—Padma Shri—for helping security forces in service of the nation, were poor and uneducated residents of Central Kashmir’s Tangmarg-Magam belt.

While Mohammad Deen Jagir of Tangmarg was conferred upon Padam Shri for foiling Pakistan’s “Operation Gibraltar” in 1965, Ghulam Mohammad Mir of Magam aka Moma Kanna, was honoured in 2010 for wiping out insurgency in its hotbed in the 1990s.

Ghulam Mohammad Mir receiving Padma Shri from President Pratibha Patil

Kanna, who claims to have neutralized “more than 5,000 militants”, also lost 10 of his relatives, including three family members, before his services to the nation were recognized in 2010.The announcement of Padma Shri to Kanna in February 2010 triggered controversy and prodigious reactions from the Valley’s mainstream politicians. In the era of competitive separatism being at its peak, the mainstream leaders outsmarted even the rank secessionists, raising questions about how a ‘collaborator of security forces’ had been selected for a prestigious national honour.

Interestingly, it was Farooq Abdullah, a Minister in Manmohan Singh’s cabinet, who had recommended the award for Kanna. Interestingly, his son, Omar Abdullah, then the chief minister publically distanced himself from the award. He denied that his party or government had recommended the name of a man who was seen as working against terrorists. 

Ghulam Mohammad Mir at the Padma Awards ceremony

In an op-ed in the local newspaper Greater Kashmir, a top bureaucrat, who later held key positions in Mufti Mohammad Sayeed’s cabinet also blasted Kanna and those behind Padma Shree to Kanna.All those in power alleged that Kanna was behind the custodial killing and fake encounters of “hundreds of innocent civilians”. Reports in the media claimed that Kanna was a pro-Pakistan militant who subsequently became a pro-India ‘renegade’. However, Farooq Abdullah quickly admitted that he had recommended Kanna “on the merit of his services to the nation”.

Kanna’s name was recommended by top Army and BSF officers and also the then Chief Information Commissioner of India, Wajahat Habibullah. Habibullah was Kashmir’s Divisional Commissioner when Kanna helped security forces.

The house of Ghulam Mohammad Mir at Magam, Kashmir

The local and the national media demonized Kanna, buttressing the populist narrative that informers and counterinsurgents were not entitled to Padma awards. They conveniently glossed over the fact that the very first Padma Shree in Kashmir had gone to Mohammad Deen, who had informed the authorities of the presence of Pakistani intruders in Gulmarg in 1965-66.

In an interview with Awaz-The Voice at his Magam residence this week, 73-year-old Kanna claimed to have neutralized “more than 5,000 militants” in the first 10-12 years of the insurgency but asserted that he had never killed a civilian in custody, a fake encounter or otherwise. He said that thousands of militants got either killed or arrested even as hundreds more surrendered. 

This 73-year-old man, who lives in a nondescript mud-plastered house under the Police and CRPF protection, and runs an ordinary sawmill on the premises to eke out his family’s livelihood, claimed he was never a militant.

Ghulam Mohammad Mir with security forces in Kashmir

“All those politicians and journalists were lying to the world as they were darlings of (Syed Ali Shah) Geelani and (Mohammad Yasin) Malik and their job was limited to their glorification and appeasement. Go and check the records at all Police Stations. Not a single FIR for murder or any other crime was registered against me”, Kanna asserted.

“I began helping the security forces from day one of militancy in 1989 as I firmly believed that gun culture, violence, and terrorism, would lead us to nowhere. Since I was never a militant, there’s no question of my becoming a renegade. All those media reports about me were trash. I never killed a civilian in custody or encounter. I never committed any atrocities on any human being. That’s why there wasn’t any complaint against me”, Kanna added. 

Ghulam Mohammad Mir with Dr Farooq Abdullah

“I didn’t kill anybody even after the militants killed 10 of my relatives including three of my family members”.

Kanna disclosed that being in the Congress party, he knew Mufti Mohammad Sayeed as J&K Pradesh Congress Committee president in the 1980s.

“I was given a temporary class-IV job in the Forest Department when Ghulam Mohammad Shah was the Chief Minister in 1984. In December 1989, when Mufti Sahab became India’s Home Minister and I heard about his daughter Rubaiya’s kidnapping, I did my bit to trace her to Uthura village of Baramulla with the help of a brick kiln owner who was my friend. Later, she was released when Mufti’s men struck a deal with the militants”, Kanna said.

“I met the Minister in charge of J&K in VP Singh’s government, George Fernandes, at Bakshi Stadium in Srinagar. He sought my help to contain insurgency. Ghulam Ahmad Itoo alias ‘Ama Kanna’ of Sultanpora was the first militant who surrendered before me”.

All the Padma awardees of 2010 with President Pratibha Patil in one frame

Later Qasim Khar of Nowgam and three militants of Dab Wakora surrendered before Kanna. This was the first group of Kashmiri youths who switched loyalties and helped security forces in counterterror operations. Within a year, it grew into a sizable network.

Kanna turned to the security forces’ side when some civilians and militants captured and killed Constable Samrat Singh of the CRPF 48th battalion. “They got him booby-trapped in our neighbourhood. They snatched away his .303 rifle. A government school teacher, who is still alive, set him on fire and burned him alive at Hagarpora. There was never any action against him and other killers”, Kanna said.

Unlike Moma Kanna, Amma Kanna indulged in human rights abuse and allegedly committed atrocities against the militant families. Over a year after his surrender, he was buying a lamb for sacrifice on the eve of Eid-ul-Azha near Magam when some militants seized him and chopped off his head with a butcher’s cleaver. It was carried to Budgam and hanged to a tree at Nasrullahpora to terrorize those daring to side with the forces.

source: http://www.awazthevoice.in / Awaz, The Voice / Home> Story / by Ahmed Ali Fayyaz, Magam (Budgam) / November 19th, 2023

Assam’s ‘family planning jihadi’ Dr. Ilias Ali finally gets his dues in form of Padma Shri

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ASSAM:

The retired surgeon of Gauhati Medical College and Hospital traverses like a nomad to advocate birth control, especially among Assam’s rural Muslim populace.

Dr. Ilias Ali. | Express Photo Services

Guwahati :

Assam’s “family planning jihadi”, who quotes from the holy texts, has finally got his dues, the Padma Shri.

For the past many years, Dr. Ilias Ali has been on a holy mission. The retired surgeon of Gauhati Medical College and Hospital traverses like a nomad to advocate birth control, especially among Assam’s rural Muslim populace.

The 63-year-old often adopts unusual but unique methods to motivate people to go for ‘No Scalpel Vasectomy’ (NSV). He quotes verses from the Quran and the Hadith to encourage people to go for NSV. He mostly works in the state’s Bengali Muslim settlements where people view NSV and the use of contraceptive pills as un-Islamic. Resistance is common, yet he has been able to motivate over 55,000 people to go for NSV.

“The first few years of my mission were very challenging. Those days, my family would get scared when I embarked on a journey to conduct an NSV camp. It feared for my life,” Dr. Ali, who is still a part of Assam’s NSV programme, told this correspondent.

Image
President Kovind presents Padma Shri to Prof Dr Ilias Ali for Medicine. A public health specialist, he has spread awareness about family planning and popularised different means of birth control / pix: rashtrapatibhvn

He is happy that the government has recognised his contribution to society.

“I am very happy that my contribution has been recognised. It is an honour to the entire medical team that I have been a part with for years,” he said.

Uddhab Bharali is the other person from Assam to be named for the award. The 57-year-old has to his kitty over 150 innovations.

Three decades ago, Bharali had to drop out of his engineering studies as he could not afford to pay fees and was required to take care of his family. However, that was hardly an obstacle. Riding on his passion for creativity and innovation, he started developing machines, mostly from scrap, for everyday use. The turnaround was when he created a polythene-making machine for surrounding tea estates. 

Much of his inventions are today centred round agriculture. His machines for de-seeding of pomegranates, peeling areca nuts and cassava, cutting tobacco leaves to extracting passion fruit juice helped in speedy agricultural process and provided livelihood to many.

Earlier, the BBC had done a documentary on the innovations of Bharali who is a recipient of several awards including three from abroad. He said he was very happy to be honoured.

“I’m feeling very happy that I have got a national recognition. I will continue with my work,” the innovator who works with students from various IITs, said. Bharali takes care of 25 families with poor financial backgrounds and is widely known for his philanthropic works.

Two others from the Northeast to be named for Padma Shri are archer Bombayla Devi Laishram of Manipur and flutist Thanga Darlong of Tripura. The 99-year-old Darlong is the last tribal musician to play “Rosem” which is a bamboo-made flute-like musical instrument.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Nation / by Prasanta Mazumdar (picture edited) / Express News Service / additional photograph of Padma Shri Award introduced – pix: source: rashtrapatibhvn: / January 26th, 2019

There is no shortcut but to study hard ,Assam civil services topper Rashika Islam

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ASSAM:

Rashika Islam, ASC topper
Rashika Islam, ASC topper

Rashika Islam has topped the Combined Competitive Examination (CCE), 2022 conducted by the Assam Public Service Commission (APSC). The results of the CCE which were declared on Wednesday also saw 54 Muslim candidates crack the tough examination to become civil servants, police officials, and administrators in allied State services. Rashika Islam, daughter of Colonel (Retd) Saidul Islam and Raihana Islam, of Matiabag, Gauripur in Dhubr district, has secured the highest marks in the CCE exam conducted by the APSC. Rashika’s achievement has delighted the residents of Gaurpur and the entire Dhubri district.

“I am elated after seeing my name on the top of the APSC results. In 2020 I had cleared the final of the CCE. But my rank was low and I got the job of a Tax Inspector posted in Dhubri district. However, I was not happy and wanted to improve my rank in the APSC exam. Though it was tough to study for such a tough exam while serving the job of tax inspector, my husband and parents were supportive. I took no coaching in any institute to prepare for the CCE 2022. I prepare a lot for the exam by watching free YouTube channels and websites on success mantra in civil service examination,” Rashika Islam told Awaz-The Voice soon after the results were declared on Wednesday evening. 

Rashika Islam has been selected for the Assam Civil Service (ACS) category. When asked about study tips to crack the exam like CCE Rashika said there is no definite answer to such a question.

“There is no shortcut but to study hard for the exam. Despite my hectic schedule as the tax inspector I managed to study four to five hours a day before the CCE-2022,” Rashika said.

Raashika’s husband who is also a bureaucrat with the Assam Government had been very supportive of his wife’s success. Due to her father’s pan-India job, Rashika studied in different army schools in different parts of the country, including the Army Public School, Narengi, Guwahati.

Besides Rashika, 53 other Muslim students cracked the APSC exam and have made it to the civil police and allies services of the government of Assam.

The Muslim candidates selected for the Assam Civil Services are Rashika Islam, Wahiduz Zaman, Zamanur Islam, Asfaq Laskar, Benazir Ilyas, Abu Saeed Mohammad, Golzar Hussain, Affan Khan, and for the Assam Police Service: Fayez Ahmed, Rubina Begum, Arshad Wasim Ahmed and SK Sajidur Islam.

Rashika islam

Shabnu Rahman and Shahjahan Ali have been selected as Superintendent of Taxes while Mohammad Abdul Wakil has been selected for the Assam Finance Services.

Others selected candidates are:

Block Development Officers: Mohsin Siddiqui, Zahid Hussain Hazarika Khorshida Khanam, and Antra Hussain.

Assistant Manager, District Industries Center: Farida Yasmin.

Assistant Registrar of Co-operative Societies: Pinaj Rahman. Tax Inspectors

Pakiza Begum and Javed Akhtar Laskar.

For Inspector of Excise posts Mohammad Tazim Ahmed, Imran Hussain, Sarnaz Mehboob. Sub Register, Mudrika Jhabiullah Hindi. Assistant Audit Officers Shabiha Shabnam, Tanveer, Parvez, Hamidur Rahman, Salim Majid, Anjum Parbin, and Jahangir Alam Barbhuiya have been selected.

For Assistant Account Officers posts Philorina Begum, Tanveer Amin, Wasim Ahmed, Syeda Tamanna Yasmin, Manin Uddin Ahmed, Nekib Zaman Ahmed, Zaffrin Rahman, Firdaus Rahman, Jackie Ahmed, Rauchna Parbin Akand, Mirza Kausar Ahmed, Shamsur Rahman, Abdul Ullah Ahmed, Khandkar They are Khairul Islam, Shabana Rakia Ahmed, Mohammad Ali and Abu Bakar Siddique have been selected.

Ahmed Faraz will be a Research Assistant in the Transport Service Department. For Assam Urban Administrative Service Azharul Alam, Asif Ali Khan, Baitul Alam Rahman, and Ajmal Hussain have been selected.

So far, 68 Muslim candidates have cracked the CCE conducted by the APSC between 2013-18.  This year, 54 Muslim candidates cracking the same exam in a single year is considered a very encouraging and positive development for the minority community in Assam. 

The number of Muslim candidates selected for ACS and Allied Services would be more in the future provided quality education spreads among them,” eminent surgeon and Padmashri Dr Illias Ali said.

source: http://www.awazthevoice.in / Awaz, The Voice / Home> Story / by Ariful Islam, Guwahati / January 19th, 2024