Monthly Archives: February 2024

A year after receiving Padma Shri, Balti author Akhone Asghar Ali Basharat struggles to get book published

Amazing Feats, Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Bharat Ratna, Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan, Padma Shri Award (since January 01st, 2024), Books (incl.Biographies - w.e.f.01 jan 2018 ), Community Involvement / Social Issues, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Karkit Tchoo Village (Kargil District), LADAKH:

Balti litterateur Akhone Asghar Ali Basharat
Balti litterateur Akhone Asghar Ali Basharat

The only Padma Shri Balti writer, Akhone Asghar Ali Basharat from the Kargil district of Ladakh, is struggling to get his anthology of native poetry published.

Akhoon has already published five books and when he was conferred with the Padma Sri by the government of India in 2022, it looked as if his career would take to newer heights. However, a year later, he lacks the resources to get his latest book published.

Speaking to Awaz-the voice from his home in the village Karkit Tchoo, 13 km from Kargil town, Basharat said that he was trying to get the collection of his poetry in Balti language published; he was looking for a means of subsidy. “It is a huge collection of my poems in Balti language; it highlights multiple facets of the language and culture divided by the Line of Control between India and Pakistan.”

The Balti language is spoken in the Gilgit-Baltistan region in the PoK and Kargil.

When the Awaz spoke to him last year, he was working on Aeena-e-Kargil (Reflections on Kargil), unfolding its history, geography, culture, writers and poets, the life of people, their dress, house, common food, following the religion of Islam, religious, social and political organizations.

His book, published this year, dwells upon the plight of the region during the Dogra rule, and also other ‘untouched issues in the post-Independence era’, he said. The 320-page book is a comprehensive account of the life and political issues the Balti-speaking people faced. His efforts in compiling details over more than 15 years have won him appreciation.

People are so impressed by Basharat’s achievements that a local poet Ashraf Ali Sagar, who is also the general secretary of the Association of Baltis in Himalayan Ladakh Territories of India, Kargil, composed a poem praising him. The poem is printed on the back side of the book. One couplet of the poem goes as follows:

“Kis Tarah Pur Soz Hai Tareekh-e-Kargil Kya Khabar

Yeh Basharat Teri Mehannat Ka Samar Honay Ko Hai”

(How vibrant is Kargil’s history, who knew; Basharat this is going to be fruitful for your hard work).

Akhone Asghar Ali Basharat (72), has not been to a school and he has no formal education. He learned Balti, Urdu, Persian, and Arabic languages from his father Sheikh Ghulam Hussain, who had set up a Madrasa in their home in 1972 and taught the children of the village for free.

Inspired by his father, he was attracted to learning, reading, and writing different languages.

His first anthology of Naat (in praise of Prophet Muhammad) and Manqabat (in praise of Allah) was published in the early eighties. His second publication, an anthology of poetry was published in 2002, followed by Waseelai Najaat, based on translations from Persian, which was published in prose form four years later, and, Bazme-Basharat including Naats, Manqabats, and poems on other issues got published in 2011.

Balti language is a Tibetan language spoken in parts of Kargil while it is the second largest language in the Gilgit-Baltistan area across the Line of Control (LoC). It is also spoken in parts of the Nubra Valley of Leh, Ladakh. Some of the Balti-speaking families from Kargil have also settled in the Tral area of Pulwama district in South Kashmir. There are 3.79 lakh Balti speakers in Pakistan, while the total Balti-speaking people in the world are estimated at 4.91 lakh.

The number of Balti speakers in India has shown a decline over the decades; today there are 13,774, Balti speakers in India, as per the 2011 census. It was around 20,053 in the 2001 census and 48,498 in 1981.

Akhon Asghar Ali Basharat gained popularity when he conducted regular Balti poetry shows on the AIR station of Kargil that took off in 1999. He became a regular participant in the local Urdu Mushairas and other cultural activities.

Basharat told a news portal that his father has been his inspiration. His father was the first published author from Kargil in the decade of 1980s.

“My father is my sole inspiration. He was a well-known social and religious activist. He had a huge collection of religious books. I sometimes feel writing is my inheritance and in my DNA.”

He says AIR Kargil station was of great help to people like him who live in remote areas. “My radio shows made me popular and encouraged me to write more. I am today because of AIR Kargil station.”

He says he fears that the Balti language may become extinct in Kargil. The fear of extinction is more because people across Ladakh tend to speak other languages and not their native ones to sound fashionable.

Bashart says to preserve language and culture, reading and writing books, and holding seminars and cultural programs must be encouraged.

He feels book writing should not be seen as a lucrative profession. “I feel book writing is not a lucrative profession. The author has to spend money to publish his book. Since the reader base is small the youth do not feel encouraged to write in regional languages. He has suggested that government must support writers of smaller languages.

source: http://www.awazthevoice.in / Awaz, The Voice / Home> Story / by Ehsan Fazili, Srinagar / January 07th, 2024

Review of ‘Another India — The Making of the World’s Largest Muslim Minority, 1947-77’ : The original betrayers

Books (incl.Biographies - w.e.f.01 jan 2018 ), Community Involvement / Social Issues, , , , , , , , ,

INDIA:

Pratinav Anil argues that policies of the Congress and the Muslim elite ended up hurting Indian Muslims the most.

Muslim devotees praying on the street of Kolkata during the holy month of Ramadan. | Photo Credit: Getty Images/ istock

Unobjective commentators have, in the last decade, perfected the art of highlighting the tribulations of being a Muslim in “Hindu India” without contrasting them with the difficulties the same Muslim faced in “secular India” that supposedly existed before 2014.

Pratinav Anil is perhaps the only modern historian who has gone against this trend to put right the wilful muting of Indian Muslim history. His new book Another India: The Making of the World’s Largest Muslim Minority, 1947–77 is an in-depth analysis of anti-Muslim violence since Independence that exposes the Islamophobic facet of the country the Congress established in August 1947.

In simple terms, the question that Another India seeks to answer is: Was the Congress’s idea of India genuinely secular and based on communal equality? From the facts it lines up, the answer is ‘no’.

Riots and taunts

Not many know that the “most violent Hindu-Muslim conflagration of postcolonial India” was unleashed in 1964 in which a staggering 800,000 Muslims from Bengal were pushed into East Pakistan.

President S. Radhakrishnan visiting Central Calcutta, a predominantly Muslim locality, affected by the January riots. He is seen with the Muslims of the locality (Kalabagan area) on June 30, 1964. | Photo Credit: The Hindu archives

Indeed, it was under the Congress that the derisive “go to Pakistan” taunt was actualised when nearly 2% of the Indian Muslims were sent to Pakistan after being branded infiltrators who had sneaked in to convert Hindus to Islam. Before being expelled, they were dumped in makeshift camps on the border “like herds of cattle”, and forced to “sign papers declaring falsely that they were Pakistanis” when many of them were genuine Indians.

A large number of those who couldn’t be “sent to Pakistan” became the victims of the “riots galore” that dotted Nehru’s rule. The “institutionalised riot system” was so one-sided that Muslims made up 82% of the fatalities and 59% of the injured.

Prepossessed hostility towards Muslims was also the cause of the 1948 police action in Hyderabad which, for Anil, was “a mass pogrom” because it had resulted in the massacre of 40,000 Muslims, the rape of women, loot, arson, desecration of mosques, forcible conversions, and seizure of houses and lands. Nehru hastily suppressed the Sunderlal Report that brought out these facts.

Anil concludes that Nehruvian India was often “an Islamophobic agency” that wore secularism as “a fig leaf” to hide its pro-Hindu bias.

At the historic conference in New Delhi on June 7, 1947, when Lord Mountbatten disclosed Britain’s “partition” plan for India. (left to right) Jawaharlal Nehru, Lord Ismay, Adviser to the Viceroy, Lord Mountbatten, and M.A. Jinnah, President of the All-India Muslim League. | Photo Credit: The Hindu photo archives

The Ashraf betrayal

But how did the Congress get away with its brazen marginalisation of Muslims? With the help of “nationalist Muslims” and “notables”, says Anil.

The former were mostly Muslim Congressmen who harmed their community by conflating India’s progress with that of the Congress; shielding Congress from criticism by blaming Muslim communalists for Partition, and placing the constitutional protection of the shariah above the community’s political rights.

The “notables” comprised upper-class Muslims (the ashraf) such as mutawallis (custodians of waqf properties), waseeqadars (princely pensioners) and waaqifs (dedicators of properties for waqf) all of whom used their aristocratic agency to feather their nests in the guise of working for the community’s economic development.

A major preoccupation of these patricians was “the preservation of distinctive elements of Muslim culture in a non-Muslim environment.” Backing them to the hilt were the ulama, especially those belonging to the Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind which Anil calls a branch of the Congress in all but name.

The “ashrafised” Islam that the ashraf-clergy nexus promoted secured the class interests of the ashrafs and almost totally ignored the plight of common Muslims.

In a scathing attack on the Muslim elite’s obsession with the shariah-based Personal Law, Anil says that it furnished the patriarchs with “a private fiefdom to do as they pleased” without mitigating the community’s “despondent public existence in an Islamophobic society.”

No space for scrutiny

As a consequence, Muslim politics had no room for “trade unions, mass protests, anti-discrimination legislation, and subaltern solidarity” while it had plenty for “high cultural totemic symbols such as the AMU, auqaf, Urdu, and the sharia.” This suited the ruling “Hindu Congress” because a politically empowered non-Hindu group was not in its interest.

Even today the ashraf-clergy alliance prioritises religion and religious symbolism over social cohesion and political participation. If, for instance, ashraf-backed madrasas are fixated on anachronistic medievalism, many clergy-endorsed secular English medium schools controlled by wealthy Muslims promote religious identitarianism by making the skull cap (for boys) and the hijab (for girls) a mandatory part of the uniform.

At a hijab shop. | Photo Credit: Reuters

This self-ghettoisation, which is nothing short of an attempt to discourage the enrolment of non-Muslims in Muslim schools, sustains itself on the fear of the other and has the potential to render Muslim students incapable of living in multi-religious and multi-cultural societies after graduation.

Given this sad state of affairs, Another India couldn’t have come at a better time. Its neoteric narrative is not just a searing exposé of Congress’ betrayal of trustful Muslims who stayed back in India after rejecting Pakistan; it is also an invitation to Indian Muslims to acquire a sense of critical thinking and break free from the serpentine stranglehold of the ashraf-clergy alliance that is hell-bent on denying them the heaven-ordained right to intellectual liberation.

Another India: The Making of the World’s Largest Muslim Minority, 1947-77; Pratinav Anil, Penguin/ Viking, ₹999.

The reviewer is Secretary-General of the Islamic Forum for the Promotion of Moderate Thought.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Books> Reviews / by A Faizur Rahman / February 04th, 2024

Poet Farooq Nazki, voice of India in gun-ridden Kashmir valley, dies in Jammu hospital

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Books (incl.Biographies - w.e.f.01 jan 2018 ), , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

JAMMU & KASHMIR:

Nazki took over as the director of Doordarshan and All India Radio, Srinagar — the twin propaganda arms of the State — after Lassa Koul, his boss at Doordarshan, was shot dead by militants on February 13, 1990

Farooq Nazki / Sourced by the Telegraph

Farooq Nazki, the versatile poet and broadcaster who steered India’s ship in Kashmir during the turbulent 1990s when the Valley was up in arms against the State, passed away on Tuesday at a hospital in Jammu’s Katra.

Nazki was 83 and is survived by his wife, son and two daughters. According to his relatives, he had been battling various health issues, including lung and kidney complications, for the past several years.

“The passing away of a qalander (ascetic or a carefree man) is not to be mourned; his fulfilling life is to be celebrated. For he has left this station after enriching it in many ways. A societal loss which is a personal bereavement. RIP Mir Mohammed Farooq Nazki (1940-2024),” his son-in-law Haseeb Drabu, a former journalist and politician, posted on X.

Politicians, including those from the BJP, National Conference and the People’s Democratic Party, mourned his death.

Nazki took over as the director of Doordarshan and All India Radio, Srinagar — the twin propaganda arms of the State — after Lassa Koul, his boss at Doordarshan, was shot dead by militants on February 13, 1990.

Militancy, which had erupted months earlier, was at its peak and the twin media institutions were its foremost targets, forcing authorities to turn the joint complex into a garrison. Under Nazki’s stewardship, they continued their fierce anti-militancy stand.

“He was like a one-man army, perhaps the lone Kashmiri Muslim who wore his Indian nationality on his sleeves those days, although I do not know how much of that was conviction and how much, compulsion,” a journalist, who covered Kashmir during the troubled 1990s, told The Telegraph.

“He was perhaps the most guarded Kashmiri those days, and he moved in a convoy of security vehicles. They were no ordinary times. National Conference leaders, including Farooq Abdullah, deserted Kashmir, and police too were in a mood of rebellion. Certainly, that did not go well with the people.”

Kashmir was rocked by a police revolt in 1993, forcing the army to storm into their headquarters to crush it. There was, however, no bloodshed.

Early in January 1990, Farooq Abdullah resigned as chief minister in protest against the installation of Jagmohan as governor. The Assembly was dismissed and governor’s rule was imposed, which triggered mass protests.

A former colleague of Nazki said there were no resignations at Doordarshan and AIR when militancy started, unlike in 1953 when Sheikh Abdullah was removed from power.

“He (Nazki) would say that he was doing his job and if there was anybody else, he would have done the same. He was brave enough to do it openly. In his poems, you will find him reflecting on the pain and sufferings of Kashmiris. But it is also true he was against militancy because he thought it would bring us ruin,” he said.

“He continued the parampara (tradition) of hoisting the Tricolour at Doordarshan, and that was no small feat in those days. He retired as deputy director-general, Doordarshan, in 2000, and to my surprise, he was never harmed. I have seen him moving around Lal Chowk without security. That is perhaps because he was a multi-faceted personality.”

Former Doordarshan director Shabir Mujahid, who worked under Nazki, said he was an ace broadcaster and a poet.

“He was a trendsetter at the national level. It is he who gave the concept of soap operas to Doordarshan, starting with Shabrang in the early 1980s. He produced many plays and serials. He was equally a wonderful poet,” Mujahid told this newspaper.

In 1995, Nazki won the Sahitya Academy award in Kashmiri language literature for his book of poetry, Naar Hyutun Kanzal Wanas (Fire in the Eyelashes).

After his retirement, he served as media adviser to two former chief ministers, Farooq Abdullah and Omar Abdullah.

source: http://www.telegraphindia.com / The Telegraph Online / Home> India / by Muzaffar Raina, Srinagar / February 07th, 2024

Dr Farasat Hussain: Remembering a Doctor, Healer and a Remarkable Son of Magadh

Amazing Feats, Science & Technology, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Chhapra District / Gaya, BIHAR :

Dr Hussain was the kind of man, that if he himself were to read (or edit) this obituary, he would flinch at the mention of his generosity as a doctor or friend. Good deeds were to be done, he believed, not to be remembered or recounted.

Dr. Farasat Hussain (1952-2023)

This Sunday (August 6) when a group of people assemble to remember Dr Farasat Hussain, in ‘Renaissance’, an aptly named Cultural Centre in Gaya, set up by his lifelong friend, noted litterateur Sanjay Sahay and his wife Durba Sahay, the inter-faith gathering will be much more than a tribute to him. They will of course meet to talk about the good doctor who died on July 28 at the age of 71 in Delhi. But the meeting will embody the very essence of Dr Hussain’s life which was dedicated to bridging divides and building relationships. Be it religious, caste and class, there was not one single divide he had not jumped across.

The meeting will be very personal, no doubt, but it will also be a tribute to the India he inhabited for most of his life, where he was proud to serve as a doctor, live his life as a Magadh ka baashinda, a Bihari, an Indian, and all in all, a lively human being. But it will also be a necessary reminder in these vicious and polarised times of people who with their singular focus on humanitarian work are the secret sauce of what keeps or certainly kept India going.

Born in Bihar’s Chhapra district in 1952, Dr Hussain made Gaya his home soon after he completed his post-graduation in Orthopaedic Surgery at Government Medical College, Ranchi in 1983.

As a young doctor, he would kick-start his Rajdoot motorcycle and ride off to remote villages across Bihar to attend to emergencies. A pioneer in polio corrective surgeries in Bihar, he conducted scores of special camps where he performed more than 3,000 polio surgeries for poor children when he started his work here decades ago. He even conducted Caesarean sections when a gynaecologist wasn’t available.

In a state where public health was never really a thing, doctors like Farasat Hussain were the system. He was anyway an exceptional surgeon who had multiple opportunities and offers to make a career in the lucrative corporate medical sector, but he didn’t even consider it. He stayed in Gaya where he mixed his practice as a doctor with large-scale social work, community building and helped initiate a multi-faith effort to ensure communal harmony across the Magadh region.

But for people there, he wasn’t just a skilful surgeon and an efficient clinician, he was also a psychologist. His unique sense of humour, they suspected, was part of his treatment plan for a patient. Dr Hussain didn’t merely look at the disease of his patients, he treated the person. In a place where health infrastructure had crumbled in the decades of the 80s and 90s, he was an address for the sick where they knew they would surely get help.

He was also closely associated with the upliftment of the disabled population, who remember him as a mentor and benefactor for helping them with their livelihood. Several disabled people travelled from across the region, despite difficulties, and joined his funeral.

In 2010, the government of Bihar honoured Dr Hussain for his work. At that time, he was national president of the Association of Sports Medicine of India. He was honoured for his contribution to promote sports among disabled people, especially polio patients.

Dr Hussain was closely associated with Arpan, an organisation of disabled people in Gaya, where he was instrumental in motivating disabled youngsters to participate in sports and other activities to turn their physical challenges into opportunities that helped them move away from a life merely at the fringes of society.

Dr Hussain mentored Krishna Murari, who subsequently represented India at the sitting volleyball competition in the US.

Several other disabledyoungsters from the Magadh region also attended national sports events in cricket, volleyball and cycling. His focus on encouraging disabled youngsters to take up sports was to help in their inclusion in the social fabric, not as dependents, but as equal partners.

Dr Hussain was an integral part of the inter-faith dialogue, peace and harmony initiatives in the Magadh region.

This is why those who attended his burial say that it aptly exhibited the fruits of his lifelong work to build bridges between communities. Buddhist monks came to pay their respects to him. Hindus and Muslims came and prayed for him. Several disabled men came for the first time into a graveyard, only to express their love for the departed. There were madrassa children, who were helped by him when their institution was in extreme financial distress. A befitting farewell to a man of all persons.

Dr Hussain had been closely involved with one of Bihar’s oldest minority educational institutions – Mirza Ghalib College, where he consistently promoted progressive and secular values. Mirza Ghalib would be proud of all that he upheld there. He was also involved with a number of charity organisations, such as an orphanage at Cherki for more than two decades. This home for poor, underprivileged orphans is one of the biggest in India.

Dr Hussain was an exceptional man, who stood out because he was so restless and always busy, working, helping; a doctor in the truest sense of the word.

I happened to meet him several times, and saw an adoring grandfather to a precocious and thoughtful Farris. His quiet charm, polished demeanour and contagious smile did not mean that he ever held back on his views. A man capable of sharp candour and an openness of the heart, he could surprise you with his diagnosis of the social situation.

Dr Hussain was the kind of man, that if he himself were to read (or edit) this obituary, would frown and take serious umbrage at even a mention of his generosity as a doctor, friend, and human being. Good deeds were to be done, he believed firmly, and not to be remembered or recounted.

He is at eternal rest now. But his life needs to be celebrated for how he lived it and how he wanted the world around him to be. There is a need to nourish his legacy, intangible as it may seem. This is true today more than ever before, as we seem to have a hard time even imagining living a harmonious life as a collective.

He knew very well that there was no magic pill to fix the social fabric, no ready rafoo. But the good doc he was, he knew what it took to keep trying to get there and the importance of keeping all kinds of fevers down.

RIP, Dr Hussain.

source: http://www.thewire.in / The Wire / Home> English> Health> Rights / by Seema Chishti / August 05th, 2023

Mountaineer, AI scientist, among 19 children awarded with PM Rashtriya Bal Puraskar 2024

Amazing Feats, Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Events, Exhibitions, Conferences (wef. Nov 18th, 2021), , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

INDIA:

source: pib.gov.in

New Delhi:

A nine-year-old mountaineer, a young AI scientist, a specially abled painter and a ‘Google boy’ were among the 19 children who were conferred with the Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar 2024 on Monday.

President Droupadi Murmu presented the national awards to them for their exceptional achievements.

Among the winners is Aaditya Vijay Brahmane, 12, from Maharashtra, who was awarded posthumously for his extraordinary act of courage. He sacrificed his life to rescue his cousins Harsh and Shlok from drowning in a river while playing.

Aryan Singh, 17, from Rajasthan is another remarkable recipient of the award. Singh ingeniously developed an Agrobot, an artificial intelligence-powered robot aimed at simplifying the lives of farmers by integrating cutting-edge technologies such as the Internet of Things (IoT).

In Chhattisgarh, Armaan Ubhrani, also known as the ‘Google boy’, has earned the award for his outstanding prowess in mathematics and science. At the tender age of six, Ubhrani has achieved numerous milestones, including becoming the youngest author of a book series and solving 100 multiplication sums, garnering recognition both nationally and internationally.

In the domain of art and culture, eight-year-old Anushka Pathak from Uttar Pradesh has established herself in ‘Katha Vachan’ (religious text narration). Following in her esteemed father’s footsteps, Pathak has captivated audiences across 22 states with her performances, becoming a recognised figure in the spiritual realm.

Arijeet Banerjee, 13, from West Bengal, a prodigy in playing the traditional Pakhawaj, has made an indelible mark on the cultural landscape. Having performed at prestigious events like the International Dhrupad Festival, Banerjee has received accolades such as the Bharat Ratna M S Subbulakshmi Fellowship and the Asia Book of Records.

Despite facing severe cerebral palsy, 13-year-old Hetvi Kantibhai Khimsuriya from Gujarat has displayed extraordinary artistic abilities, creating 250 works of free-hand painting, receiving numerous awards, and selflessly donating her monthly disability pension to support differently abled children.

Ishfaq Hamid, 12, from Jammu and Kashmir has become a maestro of Rabab and Matka, receiving accolades during various festivals and being honoured with the Bhai Mardana National Award in 2020.

Md Hussain, 16, from Bihar has excelled in handcrafted arts, winning accolades in state and national-level competitions, and even presenting his indigenous toys to Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the ‘Pariksha Pe Charcha’ programme.

Pendyala Laxmi Priya, 14, from Telangana is a Kuchipudi dancer, winning the Kala Utsav National Award 2023 in the classical dance category and holding titles like ‘Laasyapriya’.

In the realm of innovation, 16-year-old Suhani Chauhan from Delhi has developed ‘SO-APT’, a solar-powered agriculture vehicle, offering an impressive solution for sustainable farming.

Despite obstacles associated with Down syndrome, nine-year-old Avnish Tiwari from Madhya Pradesh trekked Mount Everest base camp at the age of seven and received the Shresth Divyang Bal Puraskar in 2022 for his exceptional social service.

Nine-year-old Garima from Haryana, a visually impaired girl, is dedicated to providing education to underprivileged children through her initiative called ‘Sakshar Pathshala’.

AWARDEES OF PRADHAN MANTRI RASHTRIYA BAL PURASKAR-2024

Sr. No.NameStateCategory
1.Aaditya   Vijay             Bramhane (posthumous)MaharashtraBravery
2.Anushka PathakUttar PradeshArt & Culture
3.Arijeet BanerjeeWest BengalArt & Culture
4.Armaan UbhraniChattisgarhArt & Culture
5.Hetvi Kantibhai KhimsuriyaGujaratArt & Culture
6.Ishfaq HamidJammu & KashmirArt & Culture
7.Md HussainBiharArt & Culture
8.Pendyala Laxmi PriyaTelanganaArt & Culture
9.Suhani ChauhanDelhiInnovation
10.Aryan SinghRajasthanScience                    & Technology
11.Avnish TiwariMadhya PradeshSocial Service
12.GarimaHaryanaSocial Service
13.Jyotsna AktarTripuraSocial Service
14.Saiyam MazumderAssamSocial Service
15.Aaditya YadavUttar PradeshSports
16.Charvi AKarnatakaSports
17.Jesicca Neyi SaringArunachal PradeshSports
18.Linthoi ChanambamManipurSports
19.R Surya PrasadAndhra PradeshSports
source: youtube.com / pib.gov.in

source: http://www.millenniumpost.in / Millennium Post / Home> Nation / by Team MP (headline edited) / edited with inclusion of full chart of awardees and you tube video and photograph source – pib.gov.in / January 22nd, 2024

Impelsys CEO, Sameer Shariff enters elite IRONMAN Club

Amazing Feats, Business & Economy, Karnataka (under research project), Leaders, NRI's / PIO's, Science & Technology, World Opinion, , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Bangalore, Mangalore, KARNATAKA / New York, U.S.A :

Sameer Shariff, the CEO of Impelsys, a prominent IT company with global offices, including one in Mangalore, successfully completed the IRONMAN 70.3 Bahrain triathlon on December 8, 2023. The challenging event, held at Reef Island, witnessed the participation of over 1500 individuals, with more than 1000 successfully completing it.

By accomplishing the IRONMAN 70.3 course, which comprises a 1.9 KM swim, 90 KM cycling, and a 21.1 KM run, Sameer Shariff joined an exclusive club of global business leaders who have conquered this grueling challenge. Beyond personal achievement, Shariff aims to inspire others to adopt a healthy and active lifestyle. He expressed, “Completing the IRONMAN triathlon pushed my endurance limits, and I believe it sets an example for others. We are making strides with the CEO Fitness Challenge for associates at Impelsys.”

Shariff’s achievement has motivated many colleagues at Impelsys to pursue their fitness goals. Sripad, heading cloud services, shared, “Sameer’s dedication motivated me to run a half marathon in 2023.” Prachi, a project manager, added, “After seeing Sameer’s preparations, I decided to participate in a half marathon. I completed my first half marathon on November 5, 2023, in Mangalore.”

These accomplishments mark the beginning of a broader wellness initiative envisioned by Sameer Shariff. In 2024, Impelsys aims to encourage more participants, extend the challenge to partner organizations and customers, and promote overall well-being. The ‘CEO Fitness Challenge’ is a voluntary program that has seen over a hundred associates engaging in specific health and fitness activities, collectively achieving impressive milestones.

source: http://www.english.varthabharati.in / Vartha Bharati / Home> Gulf / by Vartha Bharati / January 12th, 2024

‘Quran in Embroidery’ a hand crafted phenomenon in 604-pages of velvet cloth – The Miracle of two Bengaluru sisters – Bibi Tabassum and Suraiya Quraishi

Amazing Feats, Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Books (incl.Biographies - w.e.f.01 jan 2018 ), Community Involvement / Social Issues, Karnataka (under research project), Women/Girls(since May26-2021), , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Bengaluru, KARNATAKA:

Bibi Tabassum and Suraiya Quraishi who embroidered the Quran.

Bengaluru :

This is a miracle. An awe-inspiring phenomenon took place in this city a few days back, as two sisters- Bibi Tabassum and Suraiya Quraishi- embroidered the sacred Quran onto 604 pages of plush velvet cloth.

Showing excellent craftsmanship, they used needles and threads to meticulously prepare an embroidered holy Quran. This embroidered Quran, prepared under the watchful guidance of an Alim-e-deen (religious scholar), is not only easily legible but also heavenly captivating.

Bibi Tabassum, the younger of the two sisters, holds a great fondness for doing embroidery ever since she was a child. In the beginning, she used to embroider only small verses of the Quran, but one day, an idea graced Bibi Tabassum’s mind – to intricately embroider the entire holy Quran. This took her on a laborious journey, one fueled by love and devotion.

Expressing extreme gratitude to Allah for giving them the opportunity to prepare this embroidered Quran, Bibi Tabassum says that she aspires to gift this embroidered holy Quran to a library in the holy city of Madina.

Venturing on this embroidery voyage of the Quranic verses along with her elder sister Suraiya Quraishi, Bibi Tabassum started with the first inaugural Surah of the Quran i.e. Surah Al-Fatiha, and continued diligently. The last surah- Surah An-Nas marked the culmination of their hard labour.

This embroidered holy Quran is divided into five volumes, and each volume consisting of six chapters. It went through a meticulous binding process by the skilled hands of its creators.

Initially, in the detailed process of embroidery, Bibi Tabassum used to inscribe the verses of the Quran with a pencil on the velvet cloth, followed by both the sisters intricately weaving threads along those sacred lines.

Carrying on the demands of daily life, both sisters, driven by unwavering dedication, used to finish their household chores and then engage in the embroidery work of the holy Quran.

To ensure the utmost accuracy of the embroidered work, a learned religious scholar closely scrutinized each verse upon the completion of a page. Bibi Tabassum says, ‘After completing every page of the embroidered holy Quran, we would show that to our scholar and do any correction if required.”

In the aftermath of this big achievement, family members are thoroughly elated for the two sisters. They say that the two sisters have utilized their time for a very noble endeavour. Extending heartfelt gratitude, they thank Allah for the manifestation of this lovely artwork, which stands as a testament to the beautiful blending of devotion and artistry.

source: http://www.indiatomorrow.net / India Tomorrow / Home> News> Society / by India Tomorrow (headline edited) / February 05th, 2024

Sheema Mohsin first Muslim woman on Karnataka wakf board

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Community Involvement / Social Issues, Karnataka (under research project), Leaders, Women/Girls(since May26-2021), , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Bengaluru, KARNATAKA:

Bangalore:

By her appointment as the member of the Karnataka State Wakf Board, a new chapter has been added to the history of the state where perhaps has never been a Muslim woman appointed on a statutory body like wakf board.

By profession a journalist and social activist Sheema Mohsin (36) is based in Bangalore.

She has been with “Spradha Prapancha” an educational magazine and All Rounder News Weekly.

Congratulating her on being appointed as the first woman member of the 11-member Wakf Board, TwoCircles.net asked her if she was taken by surprise at her appointment. Her answer was a simple No as she has been in the public field for long both as journalist and social worker.

She has been working in the areas of communal harmony, development of women, health awareness and awareness among backward classes.

She has been actively involved in creating awareness among the minorities about the schemes of Central and state wakf boards through the Institute of Research and Harmony (IRH).

She is the Secretary for Karnataka Chapter of Forum for Democracy and Communal Amity (FDCA), an organization formed in the post Babri Masjid demolition era by Justice Rajinder Sacchar, Swami Agniwesh and Kuldip Nayyar.

Being with FDCA she was part of fact finding committee into the riots which flared up in certain parts of Bangalore from January 19-21, 2007. Then FCDA submitted its report to the National Human Rights Commission.

Mother of three Sheema Mohsin is also the Convener of the Women’s Cell of Centre for Community Development (CCD).

She is also the Founder Secretary of Institute of Research and Harmony (IRH) and group leader of Humanitarian Relief Society (HRS).

At present among other social works, she is working with NIMHANS, a hospital in Bangalore.

She has also been actively engaged in providing awareness amongst the deprived classes and pursuing them to readmit the school dropouts, creating health awareness towards a better hygiene in the slums, conducted several free health camps for women and children.

Her mother Momina Naseer was the professor of Hindi Literature and also Principal of Al Hasnat Junior College, Bangalore. She studied literature in the college.

Not only this, she has a historical connection also. She said she is the great great grand daughter of Khumaiden Md. Ali, who was the Commander in Chief of Haider Ali.

The role of the man who appointed her as member of the state wakf board is not less. He is Mumtaz Ali Khan, Minority Welfare Minister of Karnataka.

“This is the first time in the recent government history of Karnataka that Muslim women are being given representation through their appointment on public post,” said Mumtaz Ali Khan to TCN.

The fact is that women constitute almost half of the total Muslim population in the country and also in the state. Who else will think about women’s development issue in a better way than the Muslim women themselves. They need to be given opportunities to raise topics pertaining to their problems and development, he reasons his decision to appoint Mohsin.

He further said that the person he has appointed is very dignified, reputed and hardworking social activist.

“Soon I am going to appoint not one or two but three Muslim women on the Tipu Estate Wakf Council, Shri Rangapatnam. I will also ensure that Muslim women are there on Minority Development Corporation,” points out the man.

Asked how he is going to address the conservative quarters of the community who are against this, the minister said, I will try to convince them. I told them when they raised questions on the appointment of Sheema Mohsin that I am not doing and I won’t do any thing against Islam. Whatever I am doing is sanctioned by Islam itself because Islam gives equal status to women.”

He said that the appointment has broken the stereotype, and made an initiative. It will go a long way in providing Muslim women of the state a representation and in their overall development itself.

Two.Circles.net learnt that there were some opposition of her appointment from a lobbying group named as the Waqf Protection Committee which recommended to the minority welfare minister the name of the Sajjadah Nashin of Gulbarga.

But largely it has been hailed as a historic and path-breaking decision when it comes to the representation of Muslim women, says Mohsin.In fact most of the Muslim scholars and religious organisations welcomed this historic decision.

TwoCircles.net talked to Syed Tanweer who is associated with Jammate Islami( JMI) and Muslim Muttahida Mahaz (KMMM),which is a conglomeration of JMI and Jamiatul Ulama Hind and others.

He welcomed her appointment as a “historic” and progressive and as the need of modern times.He appreciated her merit and her work in the social sector

Apparently agitated at the sheer lack of logic in opposing the representation of Muslim women, she pointed out that it doesn’t make any sense in keeping Muslim women isolated form such posts.

After all women constitute about 50% of the total Muslim population. Only women can understand the seriousness of women’s problems. In that case she questions,”who else will raise their problems and issues which concern them, if not they themselves, And that is not going to happen if they are not given proper representation.”

She said that on the issue of empowerment of Muslim women, the traditional quarters have always squirmed. There hasn’t been much work in the area. There is an urgent need to empower them on every level through the tool of empowerment like education, creating awareness among them about their rights.

What is also important that they be given representation at the higher decision making bodies, so that they should raise the problems of Muslim women at that level. This is how they will be able to influence and formulate the policy making so that the concrete decisions would be made for their welfare and development.

She said, “it should be kept in mind that if we are working for the development and empowerment of Muslim women it is actually the community itself which is being empowered and developed.”

She said that she wants to congratulate Dr. Mumtaz Ali Khan that he realized this need to work for the cause of Muslim women.

But what are the ways through which she is going to serve the interests of Muslim women.

She said that there are so much of Wakf properties which are going simply waste. They are not put to good and beneficial use.

What we can do is that they should be used to generate money. And this money can be used to uplift Muslim women.

She said that why every time we need to ask for the funds from the government when to an extent we can ourselves generate money if the Wakf properties are properly put to use.

So she wants to push the Wakf Board in this direction.

Until and unless women are empowered, how can you expect these women who are actually enslaved and helpless, to produce children who are on par with the merits of Sir Syed Ahmad khan and Moulana Azad.

It seems that her question is to all those who are against the idea of women on the key posts.

It is quite revealing here that her appointment is a part of the efforts to provide representation to women on higher posts. But actually this representation is not at all satisfactory as Sheema Mohsin will be a lone member of an 11-member Wakf Board.

Will she be able to break the stereotyped mindset It is early to say. TwoCircles.net wishes her all the best in her mission.

(Sheema Mohsin can be contacted at sheema.mohsin@gmail.com)

source: http://www.twocircles.net / TwoCircles.net / Home> Indian Muslim / by Md Ali, TwoCircles.net / September 11th, 2008

Tamil Nadu Govt Honours Fact-Checker Mohammed Zubair With Communal Harmony Award

Amazing Feats, Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Business & Economy, Community Involvement / Social Issues, Karnataka (under research project), , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Bengaluru, KARNATAKA:

TN chief minister M.K. Stalin with Mohammed Zubair at the awarding ceremony. Photo: Video screengrab.

The government noted that his “work helps prevent the occurrence of violence in society likely to be caused by fake news.” 

New Delhi: 

Fact-checker and journalist Mohammed Zubair is the recipient of the 2024 Kottai Ameer Communal Harmony Award given by the Tamil Nadu government.

The citation notes that Zubair has been “rendering various services to promote communal harmony.”

It observes that in creating the website Alt News – which he co-founded with Pratik Sinha – Zubair has set up an instrument to analyse the “veracity of the news coming out on social media,” giving primacy to real news.

The government noted that his “work helps prevent the occurrence of violence in society likely to be caused by fake news.”

The citation especially says that in March 2023, when there was a rapid spread on social media of the disinformation that migrant workers were being attacked in Tamil Nadu, Alt News‘s verification of the authenticity of the video was instrumental in proving that the footage was not from Tamil Nadu at all.

It “stopped the spread of rumours against Tamil Nadu and acted to prevent violence caused by caste, religion, race and language in Tamil Nadu,” the government said.

In 2022, Zubair was arrested by the Delhi police for a 2018 tweet in which he shared a screenshot from a 1983 Hindi movie. Six cases were slapped on him during the period of his incarceration until the Supreme Court gave him bail.

Zubair is often attacked online by Hindutva commentators for fact-checking viral claims and disinformation.

source: http://www.thewire.in / The Wire / Home> Media> Government / by The Wire Staff / January 26th, 2024

When a Muslim neighbour in Punjab helped columnist Ved Nanda’s parents escape during Partition

Uniquely Indian - Inter Faith (wef. February 08th, 2023), , , ,

PUNJAB / U.S.A :

US Congress honours the life and legacy of Punjabi-origin columnist Ved Nanda.

Ved Nanda. Photo: @SandhuTaranjitS/X

Washington :

Honouring the life of Indian-American columnist Ved Nanda, who was the recipient of the Gandhi-King-Ikeda Award for Community Peace Building in 2004 and the Padma Bhushan in 2018, the US Congress this week described him as a prominent figure and a bridge between the two nations.

A well-known columnist for the Denver Post who taught at the University of Denver for 50 years, Prof Nanda died early this month at the age of 89.

“For over five decades, Prof Nanda uplifted the students of DU and the Indian diaspora community, becoming a prominent figure and a bridge between our two nations. He also served in several illustrious positions, including Chairman of the Board of the Hindu University of America and Vice President of the American Society of International Law,” Congresswoman Diana DeGette said on the floor of the US House of Representatives this week.

According to the Denver Post, Nanda was tireless in pursuing justice and peace for moral and personal reasons. His seminal work for The Denver Post was his 2017 reflection on India’s Partition.

At the time, Nanda was a young child, fleeing for his life at his mother’s side. As a Hindu family in Gujranwala, a Muslim-majority town in Punjab, it was a Muslim neighbour who helped the Nandas escape neighbours who had overnight turned into “animals,” indiscriminately killing any Hindus who remained.

Muslims in east Punjab faced a similar fate as violent mobs forced them into what would become Pakistan, the Post wrote.

“Mr Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to a distinguished member of Denver’s academic community and a cherished friend, Prof Ved Nanda. His recent passing is a profound loss, not only to the University of Denver and our local community but to many across the US and the world,” DeGette said this week.

“Prof Nanda was more than just an esteemed colleague; he was a kind and passionate individual whose impact on our community extended far beyond the walls of the university. His commitment to education, international law and the promotion of cultural understanding left a mark on all who knew him,” the Congresswoman said.

“Born in 1934 in Gujranwala, Ved Nanda built an exemplary career starting at Punjab University where he received an MA in economics. He went on to receive a law degree from Delhi University, a law degree from Northwestern University, and completed subsequent postgraduate work at Yale University,” she said.

“In 2006, Prof Nanda was honoured with a USD 1 million founding gift from the University of Denver to launch the Ved Nanda Centre for International and Comparative Law, promoting programmes and scholarships in the field of international law. He was also honoured with the prestigious Gandhi-King-Ikeda Award for Community Peace Building in 2004 and the Padma Bhushan in 2018,” the Congresswoman said.

“These accolades are a testament to his significant impact on the field and tireless efforts to advance knowledge and cultural exchange. His work was noticed and rightly honoured for its impact. For more than 30 years, Prof Nanda shared his wisdom with the larger Colorado community through his regular columns in the Denver Post,” DeGette said.

His clear and reasoned explanations of international issues provided important perspectives to readers.

“As we remember and mourn the passing of Ved Nanda, we also celebrate the enduring legacy he leaves behind. I have no doubt his intellectual contributions, passion for education, and love for both India and the United States will continue to inspire us all,” she said.

In an op-ed, the Denver Post wrote that Nanda’s voice for peace would be dearly missed in a world beset with anger and violence, where Ukrainians, Russians, Ethiopians, Yemenis, Israelis and Palestinians are dying in droves.

“In a world where journalists can no longer freely travel to places once safe, like Russia, China and Saudi Arabia. In a world where women in Afghanistan and Iran are more marginalised than ever. We need more men and women like Nanda who follow a clear moral compass towards peace,” the daily said.

source: http://www.tribuneindia.com / Tribune India / Home> Diaspora / January 20th, 2024