Falkia Khan, the Brand Ambassador of Mysuru City Corporation’s (MCC) Swachh Bharat Abhiyan and the Chairperson of Karnataka Junior Jaycees Wing, has been honoured with the District Kannada Rajyotsava Award this year, thus becoming the youngest to receive the award.
A 2nd PU student, Falkia has created multiple Records including in HI VIBE Book of World Records and India Book of Records, besides bagging Prerana Award- 2022 and Iconic Speaker of the Year-2024 award.
As a sports person, Falkia has bagged gold medals in District, State and National Muay Thai Championships. She has also demonstrated exceptional public speaking skills, winning numerous competitions and has been recognised as the youngest teen to deliver maximum public speeches.
Her philanthropic efforts, leadership and motivational endeavours have earned her recognition from esteemed organisations. She aspires to become an Indian Foreign Service Officer.
source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> News / November 10th, 2024
This commemorative volume is a timely and necessary reminder of the greatness of an extraordinary writer, film-maker and social commentator.
FL19 BK ABBAS 1
KHWAJA Ahmad Abbas wore many hats and distinguished himself in each of the roles he chose. As a pioneer of progressive cinema, a consummate writer of short stories and novels that depicted the human condition and a committed journalist whose Last Page column acquired legendary status, he blazed new trails and fashioned his own path.
Abbas was an important figure from a critical past. His body of work deserves to be studied and his life remembered by millennials and generations to come.
This commemorative volume, a celebration of the man on the occasion of his 100th birth anniversary, arrives as a reminder of the humanism that characterised his life and work. Lavishly produced and deftly edited by Iffat Fatima, an independent filmmaker from Kashmir, and Syeda Saiyidain Hameed, the social and women’s rights activist, educationist and writer, this book from the Khwaja Ahmad Abbas Memorial Trust provides invaluable insights into his mind and personality.
A man of many talents
Despite his many talents, or likely because of them, Abbas could never be boxed into any creative category. And he was well aware of it. As Syeda Saiyidain Hameed informs the readers in her marvellous introduction to the compendium, Abbas himself would often ask his readers: “Who am I? Writers say I am a journalist; journalists say I am a film-maker; film-makers say I write short stories.” The editors of this volume, who recognised that the only way to appreciate Abbas fully is to study him in totality, have paid a perfect tribute to his oeuvre by dividing the volume into 10 sections that feature selections from his writings, focus on his cinema through his interviews and conversations, talk about his beginnings and early life and adventures, and reveal the man behind the mighty pen through reminiscences and tributes by actors and associates.
The nature of the public adulation of Abbas also kept changing over the decades during which he was active. For one generation he was the man who collaborated with Raj Kapoor to unveil some of the finest examples of high-quality mainstream Indian cinema, such as Awara and Shree 420 , while another celebrated him as the writer of powerful and poignant stories such as Sardarji , a lamentation of the violence and mayhem the country witnessed in the wake of Partition. And much before Independence, his was a significant voice writing about the marginalised sections of society. Abbas slipped in and out of the many roles he had chosen to play with a rare finesse, much like a thespian.
Abbas was fortunate to have inherited a long tradition of intellectualism and reformist ideals from both sides of the family. His mother’s grandfather, Maulana Altaf Husain Hali, was a poet who used verse as a tool against social evils and as an instrument of reform within the Muslim community. Abbas began carrying forward the torch early on, even as a college student, when he published Aligarh Opinion , a handwritten weekly newspaper that he personally peddled on a bicycle.
This was the start of his life in journalism which would eventually see him pen one of the longest-running columns in the history of news in Blitz , a weekly tabloid founded by R.K. Karanjia.
Reading the compendium is like taking a train journey back in time, to a world far removed from the present. Be it Abbas’ harrowing first-person account of what he saw in Calcutta (now Kolkata) during the Bengal Famine—which inspired him to make the groundbreaking film Dharti ke Lal (1945)—or his active involvement with the Indian People’s Theatre Association (IPTA), his cinematic endeavours or his first meeting with Jawaharlal Nehru, the reader is taken on a walk-through of events, institutions and happenings that are now the staple of history textbooks.
A particularly striking example is his narration of the celebratory procession of people in Bombay (now Mumbai) on August 15, 1947, where he was one among the hundreds of thousands rejoicing in their new-found status as citizens of a free country.
“It was an inspiring sight to see a famous poet like Josh Malihabadi, a film celebrity like Prithviraj Kapoor with his film star son Raj, a dancer of international fame like Zohra Sehgal, and a front-rank writer like Krishan Chander, singing and dancing in the streets to celebrate this happy occasion….Today, they had come in the midst of the people, as singers of their songs, not to sing about the people, but to sing with the people; not to dance a symbolic representation of life on the stage, but to dance the dance of freedom with the people in the streets.”
The collection also offers a peek into his personal life; his own accounts of life as a newly married man and the banter between him and his wife Mujji (Mujtabai Khatoon) are straight out of the myriad Muslim socials that Bollywood was famous for a long time ago. The scenes from his marriage tragically culminate in the death of his wife.
Describing the day his wife died in an elegiac memorial, elegant yet heart-breaking, Abbas says: “It looked like her—but it was not her. For that life that was always bubbling with intelligence and compassion was no longer in her. I collapsed near the bed where she lay inert. It was not her—but something resembling her—like the lifeless photograph of a beloved person. When I returned after burying her I walked alone and knew that henceforth I would have to get used to walking alone.”
Pathbreaking cinematic efforts
Although acclaimed for his association with Raj Kapoor and, of course, for introducing Amitabh Bachchan to the silver screen in Saat Hindustani , Abbas deserves a special chapter in the history of Indian cinema for his breathtaking corpus of work that saw him don the mantles of producer, director and screenwriter at once and also established him as a pioneer whose films broke new ground. He took on challenging issues and translated his thoughts on to the screen, with varying degrees of success.
Only a man ahead of his times could make a film like Hamara Ghar (1964), a film about a group of children marooned on an island where the protagonist is a motherless Dalit boy.
As Ahmer Nadeem Anwer, who played the lead role of Sonu at the age of 10, says in an essay on the film: “It is this boy who embodies the defiance of those who shall not accept their exclusion from education, work, self-respect—or even recreation and pleasure.” The film, along with several others, is testimony to Abbas’ willingness to take risks and make the cinema that he wanted to make.
Collaboration with Raj Kapoor
Abbas liked to describe himself as a communicator. “I want to communicate my ideas, my impulses, my ideologies to other people. That is my basic interest in writing, in films and in drama.”
It is a moot point which vehicle of communication served his purpose best, but one could not make a better choice than his cinematic collaborations with Raj Kapoor, especially from the early days of the showman’s career, such as his directorial debut, Awara , Shree 420 and Jagte Raho .
These films manifest the distilled brilliance of a mind that displays an unparalleled skill in weaving riveting stories for the big screen. His phenomenal grasp of the medium and Raj Kapoor’s showmanship resulted in timeless classics.
Abbas himself considered Awara to be the best of his collaborations with Raj Kapoor.
It is another story that the two would later go on to make Mera Naam Joker , which Raj Kapoor considered his magnum opus but viewers thought otherwise.
The monumental failure of the film devastated him, driving him into debt and depression, and it was Abbas who helped him bounce back by writing the iconic teenage romance called Bobby , which turned out to be Raj Kapoor’s biggest blockbuster.
Nehru: A love story
It was love at first sight, as Abbas confesses, recollecting the first time he saw Jawaharlal Nehru, at the Aligarh railway station. The essay about the entire episode is a fascinating recollection of an awestruck student meeting his idol in flesh and blood and the resulting conversation, which culminates in Nehru signing his autograph book with the message: “Live dangerously.” Abbas certainly seemed to have taken it to heart, as his life demonstrated. He lived dangerously all his life, always true to himself and never wavering from his convictions, never hesitating to helm a project even at the risk of grave financial loss.
He firmly stood up for what he thought was right and did not shy away from opposing what he felt was wrong, irrespective of ideology.
His ability to introspect and accept criticism separated him from other giants of the screen or the world of letters of his time.
In his tribute, Amitabh Bachchan writes: “Mamu Jaan’s [Abbas] socialism was not just restrained to the books or columns he read, believed and wrote about. He practised it too in the way he lived and conducted his life, and in the way he made his films. I was a newcomer in the illustrious star cast of Saat Hindustani , but his treatment to all was universal. In his eyes we were all equals, and we were treated with the sameness that he followed and believed in.”
My sons, Morad and Yavar, were born in 1968 and 1972, respectively, and my daughter, Ayesha, in 1974. When I was pregnant with Morad, my husband said to me that he hoped for a girl in my image. But I gave birth to a robust ten-pound son! My male gynaecologist, Dr Beck’s remark is my first recollection when I regained consciousness from the Caesarean section, “Congrats, you have a little football player!” A Canadian could not have given a greater compliment. Later I realised that my husband’s desire to have a daughter had no firm basis. Holding his firstborn, he declared to all in the hospital room that from now he wanted only sons!
When I first set my eyes on Morad, I had just come out of general anaesthesia in the maternity ward of the University of Alberta Hospital. I saw his face and I can still feel my own gasp. His face was my mirror. He was lying, neatly bundled beside me. It had been a breach delivery. It took eight days for the stitches to heal before I could be discharged from the hospital. Hameed brought us home, both mother and child, wrapped and bundled. A memory that lingers is placing him on a white sofa before a large bay window overlooking the front lawn in which the grass had begun to turn brown. It was October 12, 1968.
Over the years, how did I see my older son? Introspective, and sensitive, he used to tease me by saying that his sensitivity was the result of his regressive genes! He was thoughtful, gentle, and he always had the right words for the right moment. One summer in Delhi, my children and I were at the Jamia Qabristan to recite Fatiha at their grandparents’ graves. As we waited in the drizzle for Mohammad Yunus, who was like family, to arrive to recite Fatiha for his son, Adil Shahryar, Morad must have felt the immediacy of death. “The land on which peoples’ marble is placed,” he said to me, “is incredibly fertile.” He remarked how lush and green the place was. Death, Morad said, was just a flash in this evergreen process of incarnation and reincarnation.
I think of another side of Morad: to put away his clothes, to pay his bills, to open his cheques, and to eat his packed lunches may not always happen. But he can pick up the brush and carefully clean the cobwebs. He has beautiful hands and a mane of dark curly hair. Tall like Yavar, a little stooping (which Hameed continually checked). Always a smile and word of encouragement for those around him.
“Mother, I was just thinking about you,” he said once as I came in, sweaty, rushed, and irritated.
“About me? What?”
“How beautiful you look and how much I love you.”
Sitting in my father’s home in Delhi years later, I wrote about my children in my diary. At the end of the piece on Morad, I wrote: I hope people can appreciate his quality and I hope I don’t fall into the trap of wanting to protect him. A man who has just finished studying five months of human anatomy. A man who has been running from work to school for two years. Surely, he doesn’t need his mother in that sense. Am I pig-headed?
My second son, Yavar, was born on Canada’s Dominion Day on July 1, 1972. Morad was the firstborn but Yavar was equally the joy of our life. He grew into a responsible young man, as well as a poet and an artist. One year, when I was away in India, he was invited to deliver his class valedictory address in Grade 12. He wore his father’s sherwani and delivered a beautiful speech. Why didn’t I return for the event? It remains one of the deepest regrets of my life. Through handwritten letters exchanged with him and with my sister I learnt how hard he had worked all year. Cleaning the house, mowing the lawn, hauling the garbage, washing dishes, folding laundry, and shovelling snow. Then he would sit down and compose a beautiful poem, play his guitar, paint, act, or run a marathon for the city. Initially, he had considered a career in community medicine or public health, but then he was accepted for a joint Master’s degree in law at the North Patterson School of Carleton University and the University of Ottawa. So he became a lawyer.
In 2009, I timed my return to Canada so that I could be in Ottawa for Yavar’s birthday. He received me at the train station since I had flown directly from Delhi to Toronto and taken the train from there. We drove straight to his office where I asked him about the landmark case he was fighting. Abousufian Abdelrazik was a Sudanese Canadian who was arrested in Sudan, while he was visiting his ailing mother in 2003. He was denied re-entry to Canada based on a United Nations anti-terrorism listing. The Federal Court of Canada later concluded that this arrest likely took place at the request of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS). Though never charged, Abdelrazik was beaten, threatened, and tortured during two periods of detention totalling a year and a half. Blocked from returning to his home in Montreal, Abdelrazik went public with his story and took refuge in the Canadian Embassy in Khartoum, where he remained a virtual prisoner for fourteen months. Finally, a groundswell of public support from across Canada and a Federal Court ruling forced the government to issue permission. It was his lawyer, Yavar Hameed, my son, who fought the case with unswerving grit. He flew to Khartoum and returned home with his client.
That night I wrote in my diary: Yavar is on the brink of something big, something which will make him rise to great heights one day. I am so proud of him. His name will be up there with global crusaders for human rights.
From his office, we drove to his apartment which was across the street from the hospital where I had worked when I first stepped on Canadian soil in 1967, General Hospital on Bruyere Street. It has another name now and looks nothing like it was thirty years ago, but its sight revived some precious memories. Looking around Yavar’s well-kept apartment, I was happy to see that my three gifts were beautifully displayed. Three carpets that I had given him over the years: one from Peshawar, a Killam, one from Baku in Azerbaijan, and the third from Bokhara in Uzbekistan. The next morning, Yavar drove me to the airport. I wrote in my diary, “I am going to Edmonton with a heavy heart; it is always painful to leave Yavar.” I told him, “Yavar, you will become our torchbearer towards better climes and hemispheres. I will arrange my work so I can spend a few months with you every year.” Happiness flushed his face. At the end of my life, I say with regret that it never happened.
Excerpted with permission from A Drop in The Ocean: The Story of My Life, Syeda Saiyidain Hameed, Speaking Tiger Books.
source: http://www.scroll.in / Scroll.in / Home> Book Excerpt / by Syeda Saiyidain Hameed / October 03rd, 2024
Saba did her MSc in Wildlife Sciences at AMU, earning a gold medal. She moved to the United States with her husband, who is a computer engineer
Ghaziabad :
Saba Haider, a former student of Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) and a native of Ghaziabad in Uttar Pradesh, has achieved a significant victory in the recent DuPage County Board election in the United States. Standing as a Democratic Party candidate, she won by a margin of over 8,000 votes against Republican candidate Patricia Petty Goston, sparking celebrations in her hometown. Friends, family, and well-wishers are visiting her parents’ home here to congratulate them on this remarkable achievement.
In an exclusive conversation, Saba’s father, Ali Haider, shared insights into her background. Originally from Aurangabad in Bulandshahr, he moved to Ghaziabad for work, where he raised his family. Saba, known for her academic prowess from a young age, completed her intermediate from Holy Child School in Ghaziabad and earned a BSc from Ram Chameli Chadha College. Later, she pursued an MSc in Wildlife Sciences at AMU, earning a gold medal for her outstanding performance. After her marriage, Saba moved to the United States with her husband, who is a computer engineer.
Ali Haider emphasised that Saba’s interest in social service and politics began early in life. In the US, she initially taught yoga and soon became actively involved in community services. Her engagement in local governance led her to run for a school board position, although she narrowly missed victory in that earlier attempt. Despite setbacks, she remained determined, embodying the family’s philosophy of resilience and perseverance.
Saba’s mother, Meh Jabin Haider, expressed her pride in Saba’s determination. “We always taught her that one should never give up,” she said. “When faced with setbacks, it’s important to continue pushing forward.” Reflecting on her previous loss in a close race, Meh Jabin emphasised that Saba’s unwavering dedication and perseverance finally led to success in this election.
In a competitive race with a total of 70,109 votes cast in DuPage County, Saba Haider garnered 39,365 votes, while her opponent received 30,844 votes. Saba’s victory margin of 8,541 votes stands as a testament to her popularity and commitment to the community she now serves.
Saba’s win brings a sense of pride not only to her family and Ghaziabad but also to Aligarh Muslim University, where she built the academic foundation that has supported her remarkable journey. Her parents are hopeful that her success will inspire more young women to pursue their aspirations and make a positive impact both at home and abroad.
source: http://www.clarionindia.net / Clarion India / Home> Indian Muslim> Women> World / by Clarion India / November 08th, 2024
The Singapore Community Long Service Award has been conferred on Syed Khalid Husain by the People’s Association, a statutory board in Singapore established in 1960.
Syed Khalid Husain is an eminent journalist based in Singapore. Originally from India, he has 47 years of experience in English and Urdu journalism in India, the UAE and Singapore.
Starting his journalistic career with RadianceViewsweekly way back in 1977, he progressed to work for reputed news agencies, newspapers, and electronic media in all these countries.
The mission of People’s Association (PA) is to nurture community participation for a caring and united Singapore.
Its network includes 2,000 grassroots organisations (GROs), over 100 community clubs, five community development councils, five passion wave outlets, Impact, and the National Community Leadership Institute.
The PA and its GROs promote national unity by bringing people together, bridging communities, fostering new friendships and creating stronger bonds. Through its network, it strives to build a ‘resilient and cohesive community’ that stands together, regardless of diversity and differences within the community, to achieve “one people, one Singapore”.
Different communities keep their distinct identities and cultural values while moving and interacting with one another in the common space. The vision of PA is one of all communities bonding closely together, increasing the common space and strengthening the nation.
source: http://www.radiancenews.com / Radiance News / Home> Pride of the Nation> Awards> Focus / by Radiance News Bureau / November 09th, 2024
Senior leader of Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and former chairman of Andhra Pradesh Legislative Council Mohammed Shariff Ahmed has been appointed as the Advisor to Andhra Pradesh government on minority affairs.
Shariff, who is TDP general secretary, will enjoy the rank of a Cabinet Minister. He is the first Muslim leader to be appointed as Advisor by the TDP-led NDA government.
Shariff’s name figures in the list of 59 leaders appointed on nominated posts by the Chandrababu Naidu government.
This is the second important post given to Muslim leader by Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu.
Nasyam Mohammed Farooq is the lone Muslim in Naidu’s Cabinet. The 74-year-old is the minister for law and minority affairs.
Shariff hails from Narsapuram in West Godavari district. The 70-year-old has been associated with the TDP since the party’s inception in 1982. He holds Bachelor of Commerce degree from a college in Narsapuram and Master of Commerce and LLB degrees from Bhopal University.
Shariff became chairperson of Legislative Council in February 2019 and held the position till May 2021.
TDP State Minority Cell president Moulana Mushtaq Ahmed has been appointed chairman of Andhra Pradesh State Minorities Finance Corporation. Hailing from Nandyal, he studied from Darul Uloom Sabeelur Rashad, Bangalore.
Shariff and Mushtaq are only two Muslim leaders in the second list of nominated posts.
In the first list released last month, the government had appointed TDP leader Shaik Abdul Aziz as chairman of state Waqf Board. Abdul Aziz, a former mayor of Nellore, is currently the TDP president for the Nellore parliamentary constituency. The 64-year-old industrialist-cum-politician was expecting nomination to the Legislative Council but was appointed chairman of the Waqf Board.
source: http://www.radiancenews.com / Radiance News / Home> Latest News> Report / by Radiance News Bureau / November 09th, 2024
Bijnor District / executed in Moradabad, UTTAR PRADESH :
Koi gul baqi rahega na chaman reh jaayega
Par Rasoolullah ka deen-e-hasan reh jayega
(No flower will be left, nor will any garden remain; but the beautiful religion of Muhammad (pbuh) will forever endure.)
Maulana Syed Kifayat Ali Kafi, a prominent Islamic scholar, poet, and freedom fighter, was executed by the British on May 6, 1858, at the crossroads of Moradabad. His execution marks a significant, yet often overlooked, chapter in India’s struggle for independence.
Early Life and Education
Born in Bijnor district, Maulana Kafi hailed from a respectable Sadat family. He pursued his education in Moradabad, Bareilly, and Badaun, gaining expertise in religious studies, traditional medicine (Hikmat), and poetry. His teachers included Sheikh Abu Saeed Rampuri in religious knowledge, Sher Ali in medicine, and Maulvi Mehdi Ali Khan and Zaki Moradabadi in poetry. Maulana Kafi was not just a scholar but also an accomplished poet, with works such as Diwan-e-Kafi, Diwan-e-Tanha, Kamalat-e-Azizi, and Naseem-e-Jannat to his name.
A Patriot’s Call to Arms
As British rule continued to oppress India, Maulana Kafi’s determination to see a free Hindustan grew stronger. When the First War of Independence erupted in 1857, Maulana Kafi actively participated in the struggle. His fatwa of Jihad against British rule, posted on the walls of the Jama Masjid in Moradabad, was a rallying cry for Muslims to rise against the oppressors.
Joining General Bakht Khan Rohilla’s forces, Maulana Kafi fought bravely from Delhi to Bareilly and Allahabad. After liberating Moradabad, he helped establish a local government under Nawab Majiduddin Khan, also known as Nawab Majju Khan. Maulana Kafi was appointed Sadar-e-Shariat, where he oversaw judicial matters according to the Sharia law.
Betrayal and Capture
Despite the initial successes, the freedom movement in Moradabad faced significant setbacks due to betrayals by local traitors and the Nawab of Rampur who had aligned with the British. As a result, the British recaptured Moradabad, and on April 30, 1858, Maulana Kafi was arrested, following a tip-off by a local informer named Fakhruddin Kalal.
Martyrdom
Maulana Kafi’s trial was swift and brutal. On May 6, 1858, after enduring severe torture and refusing to renounce his faith and commitment for his motherland, he was hanged by the British. His final moments were marked by an extraordinary sense of calm and composure.
Maulana Syed Kifayat Ali Kafi’s sacrifice remains a poignant reminder of the countless unsung heroes who fought and gave their lives for India’s freedom. His legacy, though forgotten by many, continues to inspire those who remember the courage and conviction of one of the nation’s noble martyrs.
source: http://www.themilligazette.com / The Milli Gazette Online / Home> News> Special Reports / by Sahil Rizvi / August 18th, 2024
“Down Memory Lane II”, the second in the autobiographical series of books authored by Abdul Muhib Mazumder, former Minister and Advocate General of Assam, was launched in presence of a host of dignitaries at the Guwahati Press Club on 29 July.
The book has been edited by Abdul Wadud Aman, a lawyer and civil rights activist and published by the Centre for Minority Studies, Research & Development (CMRD) Assam.
At the outset, a citation on behalf CMRD was presented to Mazumder by Anowar Hussain, working president while a sorai was handed over by Zamser Ali, general secretary of CMRD.
Mazumder addressed the audience on this occasion saying, “I am tempted to make an appeal to the readers to enter into a discussion on the subjects dealt with by me which have a pronounced effect on social restructuring of our polity.” He appealed to the legal fraternity, in particular, who were present at the event in good numbers, to take up the issues, discuss them, analyse them and suggest solutions acceptable to all sections of people and the polity to pave way for emergence of a resurgent Assam.
Harsh Mander, Director of the Centre for Equity Studies & Special Commissioner to the Supreme Court of India in the Right to Food case, was the chief guest. Along with other dignitaries on the dais, he released the book. In his address, Mander said that he was born in Shillong and has had a long association with the North East. He has been visiting the region regularly to bring succour to the victims of natural and man-made calamities. He appealed to the youth of the region to stand by the side of the oppressed and the persecuted and raise their voice whenever their human rights are violated.
Others who addressed the event included Justice Aftab Hussain Saikia, former Chief Justice of J&K High Court; Justice DN Choudhury, former Justice of Gauhati High Court; Prof Abdul Mannan of Gauhati University; Ram Chandra Saikia, President of the Gauhati High Court Bar and Chinmoy Choudhury, Advocate General of Assam.
Incidentally, except for Prof Abdul Mannan, all the above mentioned personalities were students of Mazumder when he taught law at Gauhati University and were his junior colleagues when they started practice at Gauhati High Court.
(Nurul Islam Laskar — nurul.laskar@gmail.com)
source: http://www.milligazette.com / The Milli Gazette / Home> News> Community News / by Nurul Islam Laskar / August 29th, 2016
Nitaingar Village (Hailakandi) / Guwahati, ASSAM :
One of the reputed lawyers from Assam, Makram Ali Laskar breathed his last on January 10. Veteran lawyer Makram Ali Laskar was not just a legal luminary; he was a great human being too.
Born in 1935 at Nitainagar village, Hailakandi in the then district of Cachar, Assam, Makram Ali Laskar had his early education at his village pathsala.
Laskar completed his Matriculation from Government Victoria Memorial High School, Hailakandi in 1952 and passed 10+2 from Gurucharan College, Silchar, in 1955. Laskar studied BA from Cotton College, Gauhati and then took his law degree from Gauhati University in 1962. Laskar also earned a Masters in Political Science from the same university.
Laskar joined the Gauhati High Court Bar as practicing lawyer and spend his time in researching and studying with Late Justice BL Hansaria who also joined the bar about the same time before Justice Hansaria joined as a District and Session’s Judge, who eventually became judge of the Supreme Court of India. Justice Hansaria noted his companionship and scholarly association with Laskar in his memoirs.
During 1969-1976, Laskar taught law in the Department of Law, Gauhati University, Guwahati. In 1976, he was appointed as the Standing Counsel for Union of India in the Gauhati High Court. He also worked as a Assam government panel advocate in the Gauhati High Court in the beginning of his career.
Laskar commanded a large private practice in civil, criminal and constitutional matters. He was designated as a senior advocate of Gauhati High Court in 1986 along with five other noted advocates. All of them were legal stalwarts of their time.
Laskar was a sincere and dedicated lawyer and he received many offers to serve in higher judiciary but always preferred to practice and remain active in Bar than a higher office.
Laskar was also appointed as an additional advocate general, Assam, in 1991. Former Assam chief minister Tarun Gogoi in a note wrote about Late Makram Ali as – “An amalgam of steadfastness and gentleness” while discussing Laskar’s performance as additional advocate general.
Due to high blood pressure and health problems, Laskar had to cut short his legal career where he last appeared in a case in 2002 before the court of Late Justice JN Sharma.
Laskar finally bade adieu to his noble profession on health grounds but his guidance to the young lawyers was indeed commendable. Many of his mentees in law mentioned about his amicability and excellence in his mentorship. One of his juniors who practiced in Laskar’s chamber was Justice Aftab Hussain Saikia, who retired as Chief Justice of Jammu & Kashmir High Court and currently chairperson of Assam Human Rights Commission.
Justice Saikia shared his memory with his mentor as: “During the time of my initial practice, I used to come from my permanent residence to attend the chamber of Laskar sir as I could not afford to have a rented house at Guwahati and my residence was too far from the chamber. It was a very hard life. One fine morning in 1977, Laskar sir asked me to accompany him to a place near his residence. He took me to a room in the proximity of his house. It was a big furnished room with all minimum requirements and a separate kitchen. When I enquired ‘Why have you shown me this room sir?’, he replied, ‘From now, you will stay in this house.’ Then I told him that I had no money to pay the rent. He said ‘Don’t bother for the rent. I will pay the rent. Your only duty is to attend my chamber regularly.”
Apart from his successful career in law, Laskar was a voracious reader of works from Shakespeare, Tagore and Kazi Nazrul. He was very fond of folk music of Assam.
The social life of MA Laskar is equally remarkable. He never hesitated to call a spade a spade. He was a practicing Gandhian and believed in the principle of non-violence and was inspired by the freedom fighter and first education minister of India Maulana Abul Kalam Azad. Politically, a Gandhian, Laskar was closely associated with Sarat Chandra Sinha and was heavily involved with anti-emergency movements in the late 1970s. He also unsuccessfully fought elections in 1983 as Congress (Socialist) candidate from Hailakandi legislative assembly that was a splinter group formed in protest against the tyranny of Indira Gandhi during emergency.
Hailing from the famous ‘Laskar clan’ of Nitainagar in the district of Hailakandi, Assam, he was born to merchant Habib Ali Laskar who died leaving behind eight children on their own struggles. However, their mother Masurjan Bibi ensured that all her children get education and get succeeded in the struggles they were facing. Advocate Laskar left behind his younger brother, Nurul Huda Laskar, who is the senior-most lawyer in the Hailakandi District Bar. Another lawyer brother, a noted public prosecutor, Nurul Islam Laskar passed away in 2012. The other brothers who had taken the path of family business were Moin Laskar, Gias Laskar and Siraj Laskar.
Two of his sons Azim Laskar and Imran Laskar are noted lawyers who are practicing in the Supreme Court and Gauhati High Court.
Advocate Laskar is survived by a large family who gathered in Gandhi Basti, Guwahati to perform his last rites as they were reminisce the glorious history of the ‘Laskar clan’ and its legacy in the history of Assam.
The author of this article, along with the younger son of Advocate Laskar, Imran Laskar are compiling a brief history of Nitainagar Laskar clan of Assam – an integral part of the historic colonial legacy of Assam Muslims who are targeted by a vicious circle in Indian politics as Bangladeshi immigrants without knowing an iota of the history and contribution of Muslim clans, societies across Assam who are equal ‘Bhumiputras- sons of the soil’ of Assam and were active in Indian freedom struggle and stood steadfast against the partition of India and social movements that happened post-independent India.
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About Dr Mustafa Barbhuiya
The author, Dr Mustafa Barbhuiya is a senior postdoctoral research fellow in the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA. He hails from Hailakandi, Assam and among kinfolk of the Laskar Clan through matrimonial alliance.
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source: http://www.thenewsmill.com / The News Mill / Home / by Dr. Mustafa Barbhuiya / January 17th, 2017
Hamed Aziz Safwi of Kolkata seeks to change the lives of many in Uluberia, an industrial town in Howrah, West Bengal and beyond through his coaching institute where he provides all support to those willing to sit in the competitive examinations for admission in professional courses, but can’t afford the expensive fee.
Two years ago, Safwi established the Haider Aziz Safwi Career Development Centre, on the death anniversary of his father Haider Aziz Safwi, bureaucrat turned political who served as MLA for nearly 7.5 years.
“In 2011, my father contested the Assembly Election and started his strong bond with the community. As an MLA, he interacted with people daily, and I used to accompany him since I was 11 years old.
Hamed Aziz Safwi with students
“When re-elected in 2016, he became a revered figure, with a park and statue now bearing his name.” He passed away in 2018 and is remembered fondly by people.
Safwi, an economics graduate from St. Xavier University, Kolkata says that he is happy that today, the center (in his father’s name) can serve 600 students, while the e-Shiksha Centre caters to 80, and another section 40 students.
The center is located within the premises of the Taj Mahal Library in Uluberia—a location dear to his father. The Library is a subsidiary of the Taj Mahal Gram Vikas Kendra.
Hamed Aziz Safwi gifting laptops to students
The library, initially founded with the help of friends and locals, provides expensive books and resources free of cost to students preparing for exams like IIT-JEE, NEET, CAT, etc. This initiative is useful for locals for whom such resources can be prohibitively expensive.
Uluberia has a sizeable Muslim population and a majority of them can ill afford expensive coaching for prestigious examinations for professional colleges and hence the youth don’t even dare to dream big.
Hamed Safwi set up his e-Shiksha Centre (digital learning center) to give students access to laptops, the internet, and virtual coaching, enabling them to pursue their education.
Hamed Aziz Safwi speaking at a function
Safwi said, “Access to books was the first step and to truly enhance the learning opportunities for the youth of Uluberia I introduced the e-Shiksha Centre, or digital learning center for better access to the digital world.”
Last year, he opened two digital literacy centers to bridge the digital divide in the community. These centers offer online classes and assistance, especially form-filling, particularly for those who struggle with technology. He felt the need for such a platform during and after the COVID-19 pandemic.
One center runs in collaboration with local club members and another in with the Hart Memorial Primary School.
Safwi said, “Locals are encouraged to come and learn, using the space to fill out forms or attend classes in their spare time. The community has been instrumental in these efforts, donating books, old laptops, and even stools to help fund and sustain these initiatives. The initiative is being run on Zero Cash policy here, we focus on providing resources rather than cash and are mostly funded by me.”
Hamed Aziz Safwi
“The e-Shiksha Centre provides essential resources to students who face financial hardships. It offers services to a maximum of 30 students per day, many of whom come from distant areas. For these students, the center serves as a crucial lifeline, offering take-home resources and digital access they otherwise couldn’t afford. Additionally, the center remains open from 10 am till 4 pm,” said local coordinator S K Faruk.
With support from Prof. Souvik Mukherjee of St. Xavier’s University, Hamed Safwi is determined to expand his reach to as many students as possible. “Together, we are working on plans to serve the educational needs of the community, ensuring that every student has the opportunity to access quality resources and support for their academic growth,” he said.
Nargis Parvin from Raghudebbati Mufty Para, Howrah, who works as a field facilitator at Nari o Shishu Kalyan Kendra on the Right to Food project the story is different.
She says, “Whenever I have free time, I visit the Haider Aziz Safwi Career Development Centre to read detective books by Satyajit Ray. These stories help shape my perspective on life.”
source: http://www.awazthevoice.in / Awaz, The Voice / Home> Story / by Hena Ahmed, Kolkata / September 11th, 2024
