Proddatur prodigy excels in sports while balancing academic commitments, with eyes set on the Olympics
New Delhi :
In a time when youth are often told to prioritise studies over sports, Mohammad Ubaid, a 15-year-old from Proddatur in Andhra Pradesh, is proving that both can be pursued successfully. Over the past three years, Ubaid has won nine gold medals in rifle shooting at state and national competitions, all while maintaining a strong academic record. His remarkable achievements are bound to inspire young athletes across India.
Ubaid’s journey in shooting began in 2021, when he attended a summer camp at the George Club in Proddatur. There, under the guidance of his coach Raghavendra, he discovered a passion for the sport. Despite being only in the seventh grade, Ubaid committed himself to hours of daily training, quickly rising through the ranks and gaining recognition for his skills.
“Balancing academics and sports isn’t easy, but I stay disciplined. When I’m not studying, I’m practicing,” Ubaid says, sharing the secret to his success.
His hard work paid off early, with Ubaid winning two gold medals in the open sight category at the Andhra Pradesh State Level Championships in 2022. That same year, he took home another gold in the under-19 category at the SGFI State Level Competition in Rajahmundry, earning a spot at the national competition. He went on to represent his state at the national level in Delhi.
Ubaid’s winning streak continued into 2024. At the Andhra Pradesh State Level Championships, he won four gold medals across multiple categories, including sub-youth, youth, junior men, and men’s divisions. He also claimed a gold in the under-17 open sight category at the SGFI State Level Competition in Rajahmundry, qualifying for the national competition in Indore later this year.
Despite his impressive achievements in shooting, Ubaid remains committed to his education. He trains for four hours every day but temporarily reduced his practice schedule to focus on preparing for his Class 10 board exams. He plans to continue his studies at Vishwa Shanti Junior College in Vijayawada, where he will pursue both his academic and sporting goals.
“I want to compete on the international stage for India at least once in my lifetime. My ultimate goal is to participate in the Olympics, and that drives me every day,” says Ubaid.
With his determination and impressive track record, Ubaid is quickly becoming an inspiration to aspiring athletes across the country. As he prepares for the Under-17 national competition in Indore this December, all eyes will be on this young shooting star who continues to defy expectations.
source: http://www.clarionindia.com / Clarion India / Home> Editors Pick> Indian Muslim / by Mohammad Alamullah, Clarion India / November 29th, 2024
Diwali melas, Ramzan fasts and Christmas feasts went together at Hyderabad’s Nasr School. With her passing on August 16, a quixotic idea seems to have died too.
Courtesy Nasr School/Facebook
Once a week around midday, Maulvi Sah’b would come in through the gates of our school in Hyderabad and class would divide briskly into two and troop off to different parts of the building. Those who were Muslim would be at religious instruction classes with him for the next half hour while the others trudged through moral science lessons. Something similar happened during language classes. We would hear a singsong chorus of “A-salaam-aleikum, Aunty”, from the Urdu classroom as we sat at our Sanskrit or Telugu lessons.
Through my nomadic childhood, I’ve been at many schools. None exemplified the idea of secular India as intensely as this Muslim school in Hyderabad. Begum Anees Khan, who made it so, died in Hyderabad on August 16. Her passing feels symbolic, as if it signifies the death of a quixotic idea.
Anees Khan was not given to seeking the limelight or making speeches. She never spelled out her secularism. It was instinctive: instead of words, there was action. Students of different faiths did their namaz or prayers separately, everything else together. Religion was not denied, but it was shown its rightful place.
When we were at Nasr School, we took all of it for granted, never suspecting goals or visions or manifestoes. It seemed natural for us that school should have both namaz and Diwali melas, that our classmates would fast during Ramzan and feast at Christmas. Maybe this is the reason for my rage and incomprehension when people around me casually describe neighbourhoods and towns as having “too many Muslims” in the way people might say “too many mosquitoes”.
It was not an easy act to pull off in the Hyderabad of the 1980s. Communal riots began on the flimsiest of pretexts and fear would ripple through the school. I remember panic-stricken phone calls to car-owning parents, who arrived and carried away groups of girls to drop them home before the riot came too close. The next day, we would return to school as if nothing had happened.
The school was identifiably Muslim: there was a signboard over the main gate with the name of the school, which means “Victory” in Arabic, inscribed below with a line in Arabic from the Koran, that means, “With God’s help victory is near.” Though murderous vigilantes didn’t roam the streets then, as they do now in certain parts of India, it was still a city divided down religious lines. Creating a school like Nasr was an act of wild courage and imagination.
Begum Anees Khan was born into the Muslim aristocracy of Hyderabad, and was an outlier who broke away from the feudal indolence that, according to an insider, characterised this world. Running a business was unheard of, the genteel lived off inheritances. It was in this milieu that Anees Khan began Nasr in 1965 as a small school in her garden. It became a family enterprise where gradually her sister, her husband, her two daughters and her son became involved. (There are now four branches, including a charitable school.)
Courtesy Nasr School/Facebook
My classmate Saira Ali Khan, whose older sister Fauzia was in that first lot of students along with Anees Khan’s youngest daughter, says there were few other English-medium options for girls then. Most schools were convents where Muslims didn’t want to send their children. Because Anees Khan was one of their own, conservative Muslims felt safe enough to send their daughters to Nasr School even though it was not a religious institution, nor was it exclusively for Muslims. In an act of daring, Anees Khan made it co-educational, but perhaps this was the one dream she had to sacrifice. By my time it was all-girls, though some of the teachers were men.
When I joined it in the 1980s, Anees Khan’s own home stood to the right of the school building. This was an old white mansion with an inner courtyard behind the raised entrance, and a playground in front of it. Lines of casuarina trees stood like sentries along the playground, and at the gate was a shack for us to buy deliciacies such as churan and sweets.
Mrs Khan presided over this little empire with the elegance and style that the British queen with her dumpy handbag and hat could only have aspired to. Elahé Hiptoola, a classmate of mine (producer of films such as Hyderabad Blues, Dhanak and Modern Love Hyderabad), has a vivid memory of Mrs Khan’s chiffon saris, her perfume, the remarkable way she exuded authority without ever raising her voice. I remember her telling us to give time and thought to our written signature – it had to make a statement, it was not merely the writing of your name. I wonder now if these were ways in which she had to assert her own identity, with calm firmness, within her deeply conservative world.
Reconciling differences in the school must have taken a great deal of effort for Anees Khan. A few of my classmates arrived in burqas, which they swiftly shed to reveal our standard-issue olive-green tunics or the white sports uniform. There were great disparities in income levels – many students were from landed, feudal families, while others came from humbler backgrounds. There was much swapping at lunch between tiffin-boxes containing venison, dry fruits, and salan, and those with parathas or idlis.
To make sure everyone could afford the school, fees were kept absurdly low, exercise books and stationery were free. Textbooks were handed down from one class to the next until they fell apart from doodles and grease. Even those who could afford new books had to have used ones. Each of us had a desk with a lock and key and we had to leave our books at school, carrying home only the ones we needed.
I now marvel at the imaginative ways by which Mrs Khan taught us to be spirited and daring, to look after our possessions, start small businesses, care for animals, and most of all, enjoy life. During the cool months, classes were cut in half and you could do what you pleased – provided you actually did something, such as painting or gardening or acting.
She made us start a plant nursery, look after animals such as rabbits and geese, collect money and cook food to sell during the Diwali melas. The teachers were given a free hand and some, like Chandra Dorai, our brilliant English teacher, spent whole afternoons making us write stories instead of attending to our grammar books or set texts.
Long before words like creativity and can-do became common currency, Anees Khan had made them a way of being. “It was a girls’ school,” said Elahé Hiptoola, “but she did not keep us secluded or confined. We were sent off to dance at the Asian Games. There was a school trip to Kashmir. She emphasised creativity and originality. She was far ahead of her time.” Very little discipline was enforced, though Hiptoola remembers being summoned to the principal’s room on occasion, and standing outside the thick green curtain at the door of her office, heart thumping, wondering what she had done.
My own memory of this ordeal has crept into my novel, The Earthspinner, which has a character based on Anees Khan. In the book she is called Tasneem Khan, and she has summoned a young student to her room. After their conversation, “she dismissed me with a wearily elegant motion which was both a wave and a gesture towards the door… Her green-blue eyes, usually watchful and impersonal, seemed amused, and maybe she was even smiling a little as she returned her gaze to the open file in front of her.”
What mattered to Begum Anees Khan was humanity, not religion. The school she created was in miniature the secular country that was dreamed up in 1947. With her death, she no longer has to suffer witnessing the destruction of that ideal.
With inputs from Elahé Hiptoola and Saira Ali Khan.
Anuradha Roy is a writer.
source: http://www.scroll.in / Scroll.in / Home> Idea of India / by Anuradha Roy / August 20th, 2023
When we talk about Baseball, India is not the country one would think about, but the game is not only catching up in the country, but India also has an internationally recognised umpire.
Meet Shaheen Begum, India’s first internationally recognised baseball umpire.
source: http://www.thecognate.com / The Cognate / Home> Sports / by Shaik Zakeer Hussain / March 20th, 2020
Nawab Shafath Ali Khan trains guns to save endangered species
Nawab Shafath Ali Khan Photo: K. Ramesh Babu
No arrogance, no laid back attitude or flaunting his privileged birth. This new age nawab is a quick draw. He can handle physical and mental strain; evidenced by the fact that he can sit motionless for hours at a stretch atop a 20 ft high machan in thick jungle with danger lurking close by.
Nawab Shafath Ali Khan, India’s celebrated hunter refuses to conform to the typical nawabi lifestyle. He doesn’t live in the lap of luxury, instead he loves to wallow in the lap of nature. He displays an unusual obsession for wildlife, conservation and guns.
At his villa in Hyderabad, stuffed trunks, elephant leg footstools and a bison leg pen-stand greet you. Then you are suddenly jolted when a trumpet rings from his mobile. His daily fare at Nilgiri Hills, Masinagudi village to be precise, where he usually stays, include a sighting of spotted deer, sambar, the piercing call of lapwings, chatter of macaques and the occasional roar of a tiger on the prowl. Sure, he is at ease with the sounds, sights and life in the jungles of south India where he has spent most of his 58 years.
Hunting runs into his genes. His grandfather, Nawab Sultan Ali Khan Bahadur, was an honorary elephant hunter for British India while his father, Nawab Arshad Ali Khan, was a target shooter, doyen of horse racing and secretary of Bangalore Turf Club. “I have inherited the love of wildlife and knowledge of flora and fauna from my ancestors,” says Shafath Ali.
At an age when most children love to play with toys, he played with weapons. Those days the nobility was exempted from the Arms Act, and there were 50 odd weapons at his house. No wonder he got a trophy for rifle shooting from the Governor of Madras in 1962 when he was just five years. At 10 he shot a spotted deer in Masinagudi. Since then he has been active in competitive rifle shooting. “Those days game licences were given and hunting blocks allotted. But there was strict code which hunters had to follow,” says Shafath Ali, fresh from the successful tranquillising of a man-eater tigress in Brahmapuri division of Maharashtra.
The only authorised tranquillising expert and culling officer in India, Shafath Ali is always at the beck and call of the forest departments of Bihar, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka and Telangana. If he is not tackling man-eating leopards, rogue elephants, stray tigers and sloth bear, he is training the frontline staff of the forest departments in the use of tranquillising dart gun on stressed tigers and leopards.
The dangerous missions he undertakes are a test of endurance. To work in close proximity of a man eater is perhaps the most dangerous sport. But for the last four decades it has been a way of life for Shafath Ali. “Tears of gratitude that I see in the eyes of poor farmers and forest dwellers give me energy and courage,” he says.
But he couldn’t have handled these death-defying feats without the support of his family. His wife, Begum Shaheen, stands by him with patience and understanding while son, Asghar Ali Khan, is ready to step into his shoes. The duo keep the fire burning at Safari Land Resorts, the family’s chain of restaurants at Ooty even as Shafath Ali is busy answering the call of the wild.
The sharp shooter often finds wildlife activists training guns at him for his trigger-happy ways. “Culling is a tool of conservation,” he explains. The Wildlife Tranqui Force set up by Hitesh Malhotra, head of Forest Force, Andhra Pradesh, of which he is a secretary, is intended to improve wildlife management through tranquillising and safe rescue of endangered animals.
Scientific management of wildlife population, he says, calls for evolving a strategy to deal with excessive wildlife. This is the only way to check the escalating man-animal conflict. It’s not whether animals will survive, it’s whether man has the will to save them. Save it to cherish or leave it to perish.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Hyderabad> Interview / by J S Ifthekhar / July 27th, 2017
Human life is a journey filled with challenges and triumphs, and through optimism, hard work, and determination, individuals can achieve remarkable success while inspiring others. Sharmin Banu, a student at Bearys B.Ed College in Kodi, Kundapur, has this spirit of achievement and serves as an inspiration to many.
A proud ranger of Udupi district, Sharmin is actively involved with the Bharat Scouts and Guides (BSG). With a background in commerce and education, she serves as an advocate for the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts (WAGGS) and she advocated for WAGGS first ever Global consultation on Climate Change & Gender.
Sharmin’s commitment to sustainability, a plastic-free world, and gender equality within the framework of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is evident through her impactful work. Her project, “The Wings of Peace Nature Based Solutions,” earned the prestigious Olave International Award at the World Conference in 2023.
In November 2024, Sharmin was the representative from the Asia-Pacific region selected to represent 10 million Girl Scouts and Guides at the World Conference on Climate Change, held in collaboration with UNICEF in Baku, Azerbaijan. During this event, she was honored as a “Girl Lead Action on Climate Change Advocacy Champion.”
In recognition of her outstanding achievements, Sharmin was recently honored at the Bearys Utsav 2024 by Syed Mohamed Beary, an entrepreneur, environmentalist and educational thinker, as well as the convener of Bearys Group of Institutions. As a further testament to her dedication, Sharmin has been appointed as the brand ambassador for the ongoing ‘Clean Beach – Green Kodi’ campaign, reflecting her unwavering commitment to environmental sustainability.
In the meantime, Syed Mohamed Beary in acknowledging her achievements, expressed his heartfelt prayers: “May her tribe increase, and may she stay blessed always.”
source: http://www.english.varthabharati.in / Vartha Bharati / Home> Karavali / by Vartha Bharati / December 07th, 2024
The Cheraman Islamic Heritage Museum is now home to the largest digital repository of Islamic history in Kerala.
TNIE speaks to researchers of the team to find out more about the project
Kochi :
About 10 years ago, a clutch of scholars embarked on an ambitious project to unravel the Islamic way of life by documenting and digitising its storied legacy. This work is now complete and available for public viewing at the Islamic Heritage Museum set up on the premises of Cheraman Juma Masjid at Kodungallur.
The project was not confined to unravelling just the centuries-spanning history, but also the lifestyles, literature, cuisine, art and culture. The archive is a treasure trove and contains information on customs, religious rituals, astronomy and navigation, mathematical findings and computation.
To facilitate this, over one lakh documents — texts, sounds, videos and photographs — were analysed by a team spearheaded by the Muziris Heritage Project.
While the data gathered came from all corners of the state, the epicentre was indeed the Kodungallur masjid. Established in 629 CE, it is the earliest mosque in Kerala.
Beyond the colonial lens
Though the contributions of Muslims or Mappila, as they are known in Kerala, are widely recorded, much of it is through a colonial lens. “Of late, historians have been at work to break this norm, shift the practice of tracing history from a land-based approach to encompass our rich maritime heritage. Today, trade documents are also taken into account,” says H M Ilias, an MG University professor and an instrumental member of the team.
As equally important are community lives and the history they tell us, points out P A Muhammad Saeed, another team member. “Documents were collected from families, masjids and madrassas, and private collections of individuals. They provided crucial findings which helped broaden the idea of Islam’s origin in Kerala,” he explains.
The vast collection, which is recorded in four languages — Arabic, Arabi-Malayalam, Malayalam and Persian, also contains the history of migration, the nuances of Sufism and insights into the medical practices of Muslim communities in Kerala.
The origin of Islam
The best place to start tracing the origin of Islam in Kerala was likely within the pages of the first history book in the state — Tuhfat Ul Mujahideen written by Zainuddin Makhdoom II of Ponnani in the 16th century.
“In its two volumes, it talks about the history of Kerala and why Muslims should fight the colonial powers (that it is their religious obligation to do). But beyond this text, we didn’t have much to go by. So during this project, we turned to question that grapples all — the origin of Islam. And Cheraman masjid, the first mosque in India became an intial focus point,” recalls Saeed.
According to the lore associated with the mosque, Cheraman Perumal, a Chera king, on seeing the moon split into two (lunar eclipse), wanted to glean its meaning and possible ramifications. His court and scholars couldn’t offer an answer that convinced him. On learning that there were traders from Arabia in his city, the king summoned them and listened to their ideas.
“Maybe he was found their answers more convincing. For he soon sailed to Mecca to meet the Prophet. That’s what the lore says. What actually transpired could be something different. All kings require a dogma. After the waning of Buddhism, Perumal too was reportedly searching for one. It likely led him to the Arabian shores,” Saeed says.
Perumal converted to Islam on his visit here. But the timeline of this incident remains obscured in history. “For some, it is in the 7th century, and for others, 8th century and 12th century,” says Ilias.
Also, there are two versions to this story, he points out. “One that says Perumal did indeed meet the Prophet. And another one which says otherwise. However, it is said that he died while returning to Kodungallur and was buried at a port in Oman. There are several stories of Perumal entrenched within Omani communities. However, to get epigraphic evidence of this, we need to study archaeological findings there as well,” says Ilias.
According to experts, it is his companions on this journey who, on returning to Kodungallur, propagated the religion in what is today Kerala.
Duffmuttu
Buddhist link
According to Saeed, the Cheraman masjid could also have been a gift to the community’s need for a place of worship. “It very well could have been an abandoned Buddhist temple,” he says, citing the lack of Muslim population around the mosque to back the theory.
Tracing the timeline of Perumal’s travels and the place where he died, he says, the mosque may have come into existence in the 8th century. It underwent major reconstruction after the 15th-century flood that destroyed Muziris port. But confirmations require much more larger research, which includes foreign shores.
However, soon, the project turned big as they began tracing the spread of the religion and the community’s life through centuries. Using lores, folk songs, letters and texts, trade documents and more, they stitched together the larger Islamic history of Kerala.
Rare findings
The digital archive is a repository of rare findings — from the first Quran translated from Arabic to Arabi-Malayalam and the details of Duffmuttu, an art form that some believe to be prevalent even before the time of the Prophet. Originating in Medina, it soon found its way to Malabar and is most prevalent in Kozhikode.
A few medicinal texts — Ashtanga Hridayam (in Arabi-Malayalam) and other ayurvedic texts and documents of Unani are also part of the archive. “Those days, medicinal texts — which included the method of treatment, preparation, precaution and ingredients — were documented in lyrical format,” Ilias says.
The team also found the first travelogue by a Muslim woman. “It was written in the 1920s by a woman who visited Mecca. She talks about her travel and mentions the time both in the Malayalam and Islamic calendars,” Ilias says.
The team included researcher A T Yusuf Ali and the Centre for Development of Imaging Technology, which aided in the digitisation part.
“In earlier times, Kerala was not known for using paper. But those who travelled for trade and Islamic traders who arrived here all carried information on paper. Some of it even resembles thick animal skin. These too are part of the collection,” says Yusuf, who helped collect and digitise the work.
Yusuf, along with the C-Dit team, also spoke to a person who was deported from Malabar to the Andaman Islands. “He was more than 100 years old. Maybe 115. In those days, the British punishment system included deportation to various colonies, including Australia and Southeast Asia,” he says.
Much of the documents were found from Edathola house, Thanoor and Ponanni mosques, houses of Nellikuthu Muhammadali Musaliyar, Abdu Rahiman Musaliyar, Kondotti K T Rahman Thangal and T M Suhara.
The research which started at a narrow point in history has now grown into something big. The Islamic Heritage Museum is one of the largest digital repositories of Islamic way of life in Kerala. “Now, available for researchers and scholars all over the world,” Ilias adds, “it widens the scope of history as we know it.”
Architecture
To study Islamic architecture, the team recorded the history and images of various mosques across Kerala. “There are many mosques which use a mix of Arabic, Persian and Kerala architecture,” informs the team.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Kochi / by Krishna PS / July 11th, 2024
Manikfan, who speaks 14 languages, including French, German, and English, once constructed a ship using indigenous technology from Lakshadweep for Irish voyager Tim Sirven.
Marine researcher and Padma Shri awardee Ali Manikfan. (Photo | A Sanesh, EPS)
Kochi :
Marine researcher and Padma Shri awardee Ali Manikfan emphasised the need to return to nature as the only way to escape the impact of pollution, which has led to rising temperatures and natural disasters due to carbon dioxide released into the air.
Speaking as the chief guest at the National Workshop organised by the National Institute of Oceanography (NIO) in Kochi, Manikfan shared his experiences growing up on Minicoy, the Lakshadweep island, where people used to rely on tubers, coconuts, and fish for their existence. However, the introduction of rice and other products from the mainland in 1956 caused a cultural shift, resulting in people leaving the island and settling on the mainland.
Manikfan, who speaks 14 languages, including French, German, and English, once constructed a ship using indigenous technology from Lakshadweep for Irish voyager Tim Sirven. The 27-metre vessel, named Sohar, was made of timber and coir and was used by Tim for a 9,000 km voyage from the Oman coast to China.
The ship is now kept at the palace of the Sultan of Oman. After dropping out of school after Class VII, Manikfan got a job at the Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI) as a lab boy due to his keen observation of fish species in Lakshadweep lagoons.S Jones, a former director of the CMFRI, helped him in getting the job. He worked with the CMFRI for 20 years and discovered a rare fish that was named Abudefduf Manikfani after him. Manikfan also developed a lunar Hijri calendar, which he claims is the most scientific one to accurately calculate months and years.
(Photo | A Sanesh, EPS)
“The burning of petroleum fuel has caused climate change but the concerns over rising sea levels and submergence of Lakshadweep islands are uncalled for. There is no change in the ecosystem of Lakshadweep. People from the mainland brought diesel generators for power generation in Lakshadweep which has polluted the water and atmosphere.
We should tap renewable energy sources,” said Manikfan. Regarding the intervention of the Lakshadweep administrator in the cultural sphere of the islands, Manikfan is of the view that no one should impose their culture on others.
“He wanted to stop the distribution of meat for mid-day meals in Lakshadweep. The people in the islands have been consuming meat for ages and nobody should interfere with the food culture,” he added.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Kerala / by Manoj Vishwanathan / April 07th, 2023
PG students of Department of Pharmacology with chairman Prof S Ziaur Rahman during the IPSCON 2024
Aligarh:
The Department of Pharmacology at Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College (JNMC), Aligarh Muslim University (AMU), achieved a distinction at the Indian Pharmacological Society Conference (IPSCON-2024), held at AIIMS, New Delhi, from November 28 to 30.
Faculty members and residents actively participated, showcasing their research acumen and academic prowess.
Prof. Syed Ziaur Rahman, Chairman of the Department, received the Dr. SB Pandey Oration Award and delivered a lecture titled “Exploring Medicinal Plants for Morphine De-addiction,” which drew recognition for its innovative approach. Additionally, Prof. Rahman also chaired a scientific session.
Dr. Jameel Ahmad, Assistant Professor, presented his research on “Evaluation of the Effectiveness of Different Inhalers in Patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease,” comparing their performance across varied age groups.
Dr. Syed Shariq Naeem, Assistant Professor, delivered a lecture on “Microplastics: Emerging Challenge for Pharmacology,” addressing critical environmental and health concerns.
Dr. Irfan Ahmad Khan shared his study on “Evaluation of Radio-Contrast Agent-Induced Adverse Reactions in Patients Undergoing Radiological Procedures.”
Residents, including Dr. Aditya Vikram Singh, Dr. Ammar Khalid, and others, presented their research, while several participated as delegates, enriching their academic exposure.
source: http://www.radiancenews.com / Radiance News / Home> Awards> Education> Latest News / by Radiance News Bureau / December 04th, 2024
Samaira cleared six examinations and gathered over 200 hours of flying experience in around one-and-a-half years..
An inspiration: Samaira Hullur from Vijayapura who has obtained commercial pilot licence at the age of 18. | Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
Samaira Hullur from Vijayapura has obtained a commercial pilot licence at the age of 18.
Her father Ameen Hullur, an interior designer, has said that she is the youngest in India to clear all tests and get the licence.
Ms. Hullur was trained at the Vinod Yadav Aviation Academy (VYAA) in New Delhi and later, she joined the Carver Aviation Academy in Baramati of Maharashtra.
She cleared six examinations and gathered over 200 hours of flying experience in around one-and-a-half years.
She credits Captain Tapesh Kumar and Vinod Yadav for training and mentoring support. Her initial training was with VYAA after which she faced several examinations and cleared them. She went to Baramati after obtaining her licence. She has about 200 hours flying experience.
Ms. Hullur said that she was inspired by Captain Kumar who got his licence when he was 25. “I always dreamt of being a pilot. My parents supported me in my pursuit,” she said.
Her father Ameen Hullur recalls that it was a joy ride in a helicopter that made her decide on a career in the skies.
A few years ago, the Vijayapura district administration arranged helicopter rides over the city during the Bijapur Utsav.
“We bought tickets and were seated next to the pilot. Samaira was attracted by the pilot’s attire and style and began asking him several questions. He patiently answered them. That was the day she decided she wanted to be a pilot. We supported her by saving money and looking for good quality aviation academies,” Mr. Hullur said.
A bright student all through, she completed her SSLC at 15 and 12th standard at 17. She has been a student of Sainik schools, Shishu Niketan and Shanti Niketan. She has joined the Kendriya Vidyalaya for her 12th standard science course.
“She cleared five of the six examinations conducted by the Directorate-General of Civil Aviation before she turned 18. She was not allowed to appear for the radio transmission technology paper as eligibility was 18 years. She cleared it later. The examinations are apparently tough but she passed all in her first attempt,” Mr. Hullur said.
She obtained over 200 hours of flying experience in night flying and various airplanes, including multi engine aircraft, in around eight months of flying in Baramati, he said.
Mr. Hullur and his wife, a fashion designer and teacher, were pleasantly surprised when her academy declared that she is the youngest in the country to get the licence.
“She is an inspiration for several other girls from backward North Karnataka, where the education levels of girl students is less than the State average,” Omkar Kakade, who is a professor and head of the Department of Journalism in Karnataka Akka Mahadevi Women’s University, said.
“Samaira Hullur’s success will definitely inspire more girls to make courageous and non-traditional career choices. We are proud of her and thankful to her parents for supporting her decision,” Dr. Kakade said.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> India> Karnataka / by The Hindu Bureau / December 03rd, 2024
Osman sagar lake or Gandipet, commissioned by Mahbub Ali Khan after the 1908 flood and completed by Osman Ali Khan, has been serving the water needs of Hyderabad for over a century.
A true Hyderabadi is one who has tasted the water of Gandipet. And once that happens, even heaven cannot entice one to leave Hyderabad. Such is the magic of Gandipet, a crucial lifeline of the city that is turning 100 this year. The city of Hyderabad got Gandipet in 1920, the reservoir then being constructed with the dual purpose of controlling floods and supplying drinking water to the citizens.
The idea of the Gandipet, it is said, stemmed after the havoc caused by the 1908 flood in Hyderabad. The aftermath of the flood forced Mahbub Ali Khan, the sixth Nizam, to think about the possibility of a repeat of such a grisly situation. Around 12 floods had already hit the city before the 1908 floods, each leaving behind its own trail of death and destruction. The 1908 floods alone claimed around 15,000 lives apart from rendering over one lakh people homeless.
Moved by the destruction, Mahbub Ali Khan pondered on finding a permanent solution to the problem. Historian Sajjad Shahid says Mahbub Ali Khan wanted a long-term and effective solution to prevent the flooding of Musi River. He was determined to find a permanent end to the problem and started a process to find an expert familiar with the local irrigation systems to devise a plan to prevent reoccurrence of floods.
The first to come to the rescue of the Nizam were the British who offered services of their experts. “However, the Nizam refused to consider the recommendations of the British who offered the service of Sir Michel Esthesol, the then Director General of Irrigation, Government of India. He also did not consider another British engineer, TD Mackenzie, who was chief engineer of the Nizam State,” said Sajjad Shahid.
And that is when the name of M Visvesvaraya came up. Mokshagundam Visvesvaraya was born in Karnataka in 1861. He worked with the Bombay Public Works Department for 25 years after joining in 1883. He resigned in 1908 and later went around the western countries to study different irrigation systems and designs. To his credit, Visvesvaraya had constructed several irrigation projects and other structures in Mysore and other places then.
After touring western countries, he returned to India in 1909 when he was approached by the Nizam to help in improving the Hyderabad irrigation system and to prevent flooding of the city. “The Nizam wanted a local expert to find a solution to the problem. He had heard about Visvesvaraya and was keen on taking his services,” said historian Mohammed Safiullah.
After accepting the task, Visvesvaraya conducted a detailed survey of Hyderabad’s network of rivers and reservoirs. He also studied the rainfall pattern in other places in India before devoting time towards understanding the engineering aspects of the problem.
After a detailed study, Visvesvaraya proposed to create storage reservoirs above the city to control floods. He submitted the report on October 1, 1909, and the suggestion was accepted by the Nizam. Soon, work began on the construction of two reservoirs – Osman Sagar across the Musi River and the other, Himayat Sagar, constructed across Esi – the tributary of Musi River.
While Osman Sagar was completed in 1920, Himayat Sagar was finished in 1927. It cost Rs 56 lakh for Osman Sagar while Rs 46 lakh was spent for construction of the Himayat Sagar, it is said.
The work started by sixth Nizam Mahbub Ali Khan was completed under the supervision of the seventh Nizam Osman Ali Khan. “The reservoirs are based on the Kakatiya model and are 100 feet above the level of the city. The flow of water was based on the reverse gravity principal,” said Saifullah.
Water was supplied to the city through dedicated water channels laid during the Nizam era. “The Nizam had promised free food to every household. He ensured that at least water was supplied free of cost to the household and he lived up to it. At no point of time, the administration collected any tax or money for water from the common man,” said Captain Pandu Ranga Rao, a historian.
Hundreds years have passed and still water from Gandipet is supplied to a few colonies in the city. “It is cost effective as the cost of supplying the water from Osman Sagar is bit cheaper compared to drawing water from far of places and supplying it to the city,” points out Captain Ranga Rao.
‘Never in his dream might the Nizam have thought that Gandipet, the popular moniker for Osman Sagar, would become a part of the local Hyderabadi lingo.
Hyderabadi standup comedian Khairuddin Baig alias Jani says Hyderabadi lingo has plenty of one-liners or idioms with reference to Gandipet. “See, it depends on the context and situation where the term is used. For example, if a person is a foodie, people generally say ‘tera pet hain ya Gandipet’,” he says and also recalls the popular idiom, ‘Jo bhi Gandipet ka pani piya woh Hyderabadi hua’.
Several local poets and standup comedians have highlighted Gandipet, a popular picnic spot for Hyderabadis for decades, in their narrations. “The sher-o-shayari describes the mood of young boys and girls meeting at the place or a newly-married couple visiting the place. Similarly, comedians refer to the family gatherings there with baskets full of meals and tiffin boxes or men spending time trying to catch a fish from the fresh waters,” he said.
Constructed during the Nizam era, the striking aspect about these twin waterbodies of Osman Sagar and Himayath Sagar is that they are operated manually unlike most other reservoirs, which have hydraulic gates.
Gandipet, popularly known Osman Sagar, along with its twin reservoir Himayath Sagar, has been quenching Hyderabad’s thirst for the last 100 years and continues to do so without any major operational costs.
Such is the significance of Gandipet that, apart from quenching thirst, the common belief for decades among denizens has been that the water reservoir bestows health and vitality.
Constructed during the Nizam era, the striking aspect about these twin waterbodies of Osman Sagar and Himayath Sagar is that they are operated manually unlike most other reservoirs, which have hydraulic gates. All the components like gear boxes, sluice gates, bushes, and ropes have to be maintained well to avoid any glitches during operations.
All the components used at the twin reservoirs belong to the Nizam era and have been functioning without any snags all these years. It is 100 years and not a single component has been changed and they are working perfectly without any signs of wearing out or damages, says a senior official from Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (HMWSSB).
Gandipet was constructed in the year 1920 followed by Himayath Sagar in 1928.
HMWSSB conducts overhauling of all components at the twin reservoirs before the onset of monsoon to avoid any glitches. Together, they have the capacity of supplying 40 million gallons per day (MGD) to the city without any cost as the water flows by gravity unlike Krishna and Godavari drinking water schemes.
But with growing population and the city expanding geographically in all areas, supply from Gandipet over the years has been depleting. Presently, only 5 MGD is being drawn from the reservoir and that too through emergency pumping from dead storage level and supplied to different areas in Mehdipatnam, Old Mallepally, Asif Nagar, Humayunnagar, Chintal Basthi and other areas.
Did you know?
Osman Sagar was named after Mir Osman Ali Khan Nizam VII
Dam was built in 1920 by Nizam VII
Built to protect city from flooding after Musi Floods of 1908
