M&C Saatchi India has appointed Parveez Shaikh as their senior vice president and executive creative director.Shaikh is best known for building Contract’s creative reputation during the 11 years that he spent at the agency before he quit, in 2003. He has worked as a creative consultant with a few leading agencies for a few years after that.
M&C Saatchi India has appointed Parveez Shaikh as their senior vice president and executive creative director.
Shaikh is best known for building Contract’s creative reputation during the 11 years that he spent at the agency before he quit, in 2003.
He has worked as a creative consultant with a few leading agencies for a few years after that.
Shaikh has worked on premium, blue-chip clients such as Philips Audio, Franklin Templeton AMC, Asian Paints, Shoppers’ Stop, ICICI Bank and Cadbury India.
He has won over a hundred national and international awards, including two Cannes Lions and five finalists at the prestigious Cannes Advertising Festival, an entry in the D&AD, the One Show, the New York Festival and the ‘Copywriter of the Year’ award.
He has also featured in the Indian Copy Book as one of the 16 best Indian copywriters of all time. Shaikh will be based in Mumbai.
source: http://www.campaignindia.in / Campaign India / Home> Advertising / by Campaign India Team / May 22nd, 2008
An alumnus of SMJN post graduate college in Haridwar has written a book “Muslim Vayask aur Media” which dwells of the views of the community members regarding their presentation in the media.
Dhanesh Dwivedi says that in his study, about 80 percent of adult Muslims in parts of Rajasthan, said that they felt as if media is not playing a positive role and at times is totally indifferent to them. This is based on an analysis of data from a 2014 survey conducted by research scholar Dwivedi.
A voracious writer, Dwivedi has worked as technician and interpretor of Russian language in Indian Air Force for almost 10 years. He conducted a survey of 600 Marwar Muslims, from the areas of western Rajasthan including Jodhpur, Jaisalmer, Barmer and Uttarlai in Hindi and his research work got published by Maulana Azad foundation. His questionnaire of 50 points was distributed at various Madrasas and other Islamic institutions where adult Muslims could understand Hindi language.
“On the question if the world looks upon Muslims with a different outlook and whether propaganda was being aimed at defaming Islam, 52 per cent opined that the media was responsible for negative propaganda while 30 per cent said that media was totally indifferent with 18 per cent of the responders terming the media’s attitude as positive,” said Dwivedi.
On the question of whether Muslims were treated as votebanks by political parties, 66 per cent replied in affirmative and 15 per cent in the negative while 19 per cent said that they did not know. Drawing conclusions from the study, Dwivedi says in his work that the heat is felt by Muslim community members, which is a matter of concern. The electronic media must rethink on how they can create a positive attitude towards the Muslim community members.
He told this correspondent that the adult Muslims he questioned in his study seemed to be much contented with the print media in comparison to the electronic media. Also, the young Muslim generation appears less interested in Urdu language and the print media can come forward to generate their interest in the language in some way, he added.
The secretary of Marwar Muslim Educational and Welfare Society, Mohammad Ateek opined,”In the past four years, the neglect factor towards the Muslim community has increased. The condition has worsened than what Dhanesh Dwivedi has highlighted in his book. It is pure vote bank politics being played with us.
source: http://www.dailypioneer.com / The Pioneer / Home> State Editions> Dehradun / by Radhika Nagrath, Haridwar in Dehradun / Monday – February 05th, 2018
AT HOME Visitors at Ghalib’s Haveli | Photo Credit: Sushil Kumar Verma
We know Mirza Ghalib as a Dilliwallah, but the bard had a strong emotional connection with Agra as well
Mirza Ghalib’s death anniversary on 15th February did not evoke the same interest as his birth anniversary two months earlier. Of course, there was a literary festival in Connaught Place and another in India International Centre, one can say the 210th birth anniversary drew greater public attention than probably that of any other Urdu (or Hindi) poet. The haveli he lived in and the Town Hall were the main venues of the functions then, along with the Subz Burj Park in Nizamuddin, now named after him. But nobody thought of holding a function at Kala Mahal in Agra, where Mirza Nausha was born on December 27, 1797 and of which he was so nostalgic because of childhood memories. Just goes to show how possessive Delhiwallahs have become of Ghalib and of Mir Taqi Mir, who was not only born in Agra but also had an affair with his cousin in the vicinity of the Taj. An enraged family then shunted off the Mir to Delhi where he attained great heights before moving to Lucknow at the invitation of the Nawabi Court of Awadh, where his outdated attire provoked him to recite his famous introduction: “Dilli jo ek Shahr tha alam mein intikhab…/Jisko falak ne loot ke bezar kar diya/Hum rehne wale hain usi ujre dayar ke” (I’m a resident of the same looted garden, Delhi, devastated by heaven).
Incidentally, it was the Mir Sahib who had predicted that the boy Ghalib (whose early recitals he had heard) would one day become a big shair. But Yours Truly spent a whole afternoon in and around Ghalib’s haveli last week and wondered at the sudden twist of destiny that has brought it into the limelight again. The area of Ballimaran, of which Gali Qasim Jan is a part, got its name (there are other versions too) from the boatmen who once inhabited it. Thereafter, it saw a sea-change with the high and mighty deciding to build their havelis there. It is after Nawab Mir Qasim Jan, an Iranian nobleman, that the gali is named. Qasim Jan at first lived in Lahore, where he was attached to the court of the Governor, Moin-ul-Mulk, in the 1750s. That was the time when Ghalib’s grandfather also migrated to India from Turkey.
Qasim Jan was an influential man and a great friend of the Governor. But when the latter fell fighting Ahmad Shah Abdali, who had invaded Punjab, Qasim Jan helped Moin-ul-Mulk’s widow, Mughlai Begum, to rule the province in the name of her infant son. He seems to have been particularly close to the begum, who admired his sagacity. But the admiration was mutual for Qasim Jan could not have been immune to the charm of the begum who continued to defy Abdali despite losing her husband.
It was during the reign of Shah Alam that Qasim Jan joined the court at Delhi. He was conferred the title of Nawab, and in order to be close to the Red Fort built his haveli in Ballimaran. After the death of Qasim Jan, his son Nawab Faizullah Beg resided in the haveli. Ghalib also lived in Ahata Kale Sahib for some time after his release from debtors’ prison and that is the time he is said to have remarked that after being an inmate in the “Gora” (white man’s) jail he had moved to Kale’s (black man’s) jail.
Ghalib subsequently moved to the haveli in Qasim Jan Street. But during the First War of Independence of 1857, he lived for some time in Sharif Manzil where Hakim Ajmal Khan’s father used to reside. The reason was that Sharif Manzil was a protected place in those days because its owner was the personal physician of the Maharaja of Patiala, who was on good terms with the British. After the upheaval, Ghalib went back to his house, where his wife Umrao Begum held sway and made it into a virtual mosque.
However, there is still a mosque next to Ghalib’s house. An old bearded man, wearing a brand new sherwani and with a stick in hand, was standing next to it. Asked if Ghalib ever visited the masjid, he shook his head and declared, “I don’t think so, unless when he became old. What else can you expect from a man who wrote: ‘Masjid ke zer say ek ghar bana liya hai/Ek banda-e-qamina hamsaye khuda hai” (I have set up abode in the vicinity of a masjid so a wretch is now God’s neighbour). As one walked away after hearing him, the first “degh” of biryani was being opened by the roadside seller and the smell was too appetising to resist the temptation of tasting it. Ghalib too must have eaten like this sometimes or sent his faithful servant Kallu to buy the stuff.
Before settling down in Gali Mir Qasim Jan, Ghalib lived in the house of his in-laws, where several mushairas were held. Why they were discontinued at the haveli is not known but one reason may have been the opposition of his puritanical wife. So the mushairas the poet attended were generally the ones held at the Red Fort and Haveli Sadr Sadur in Matia Mahal. In Agra, of course, he was too young to take part in poetry recitation and instead flew kites with the son of Raja Chet Singh at Kala Mahal, where some claim that his spectre is still seen on moonlit nights. He, no doubt, missed Kala Mahal and the Redstone Horse at Sikandra, Agra, to which he always sent greetings through his friend Mirza Tafta Secundrabadi. The Ballimaran haveli somehow did not evoke the same nostalgia in him, probably because most of his children died in it in infancy. Wonder if he would have approved of the museum set up there! But at Kala Mahal fateha is still offered for his repose.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Society> History & Culture> Down Memory Lane / by R.V. Smith / February 26th, 2018
Over a dozen students, all clad in burqas, are in a small classroom.Their teacher, dressed identically, keeps a close watch.Everyone is on the floor while books on Hadith (traditions of the Prophet), commentaries on the Quran and tomes on fatwas line the walls.
This is the Madrassa Jamiatul Mominath in Moghalpura, which is the city’s first and only institute that trains women to become muftias. Instruction is imparted in the Darul Ifta, or fatwa department.
Fatwa is an opinion that Muslims seek on a range of subjects, including marriage, menstruation, divorce, adoption, property issues, and rituals like namaz and roza.Countless madrassas in the country–such as UP’s Darul Uloom Deoband–run training courses, but most of them are for men.
“There are several questions that women hesitate to ask muftis. We thought women would be more comfortable discussing their issues with muftias. That’s why we introduced this one-year course 12 years ago,” said Hafiz Mastan Ali, Jamiatul Mominath’s founder.
Set up in 1991, the madrassa has 2,500 students today , of whom 400 are hostellers. The muftia course began with only five girls, but this year, the department is training 15.So far, the madrassa has produced 318 muftias.
The fatwa department’s head, Nazima Aziz, said making girls muftias is empowerment. “Once an alima (female graduate) completes fazila (post-graduation), she is eligible for the fatwa course.”
Aziz explained that the course is divided into five segments: prayers, women’s personal issues, limitations (what women can and can’t do), property issues and current issues. ” A fatwa is given in the light of Quran commandments and the Prophet’s traditions. Muftis try their best to be neutral while giving judgments on disputes. If someone is not satisfied with the decision, he or she can consult another mufti or muftia,” she said.
The girls share Aziz’s opinion on the importance of their role. A muftia in the making, Suraiya Shakeel Khan wants to help women. “I can guide people on religion.” Khadeeja Fatima feels she would get more respect in the community once she becomes a muftia. Most of them, like Aziz, are in favour of setting up more Darul Iftas for women across the country .
Interestingly, Aziz and her students backed the All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB)’s stand on triple talaq. “Talaq in one sitting should be discouraged, but it cannot be banned as that will be tantamount to interference in sharia laws,” said Mohammed Hasnuddin, head of Mominath’s fatwa department for men. “We don’t agree that talaq is a sword dangling over the heads of women. It’s an option to end an oppressive marriage and should be used as last resort.”
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News> City News> Hyderabad News / by Mohammed Wajihuddin / TNN / January 09th, 2017
Mir Mahboob Ali Khan was taken to court by the trader who sold him the huge Jacob diamond
Of all the Nizams who ruled Hyderabad ,Mir Mahaboob Ali Khan — the sixth Nizam — was the most delightful and pleasure-loving monarch. He had great liking for everything western, be it dress, cars, manners and habits.
Born in 1866, he came to the throne at the age of three after the death of his father Afzal ud Daulah, and ruled till 1911. Mahaboob Ali kept the most lavish court in Hyderabad that several native rulers in India tried to emulate. He had a passion for expensive jewellery and precious diamonds. A number of exquisite pieces of jewellery including that of the famed necklace of Mary Antoinette of France, found place in his prized collections. However, the most renowned in his collection was the Jacob diamond, said to be the fifth biggest in the world.
Victoria Diamond
Originally known as Victoria Diamond, Jacob diamond had a short, but eventful, history before reaching Hyderabad. It was found in Kimberly mines in South Africa in 1884 and was secretly transported to England to avoid heavy duties then in place for raw diamonds. It was sold to a consortium of jewellers at the Hutton Garden diamond market in London. The gem was then sent to Amsterdam in 1887 where it was polished in a specially erected workshop. The finished gem, with 58 facets, weighing 185. 75 carats was stunningly beautiful, in its cut, clarity and colour. (Kohinoor weighed only 105.6 carats).
It was this Victoria diamond, also called Imperial diamond that Alexander Jacob, the Shimla-based diamond dealer, sold to Mahaboob Ali Khan, the Nizam of Hyderabad in 1891. Since then it came to be called, Jacob Diamond.
Deal Went Murky
Like many famous diamonds of the world, Jacob diamond too had its own tale of woes due to the shady deal in its sale by Jacob to the Nizam. Jacob was a well-known, but notorious, Jewish merchant dealing in antiques and jewels having a shop in Shimla. Quite aware of Mahaboob Ali Pasha’s obsession for diamonds, Jacob arrived in Hyderabad in early 1891 to sell the Victoria diamond that was still in London. Jacob met the Nizam through Albert Abid, Nizam’s trusted Chamberlin, himself a jeweller and like Jacob, a Jew.
Jacob, with his alluring eloquence, spoke of the fabulous Victoria diamond and showed its glass replica that he had got made. Finally, after negotiations, both agreed for a mutual price of ₹46 lakhs. Half of the agreed amount, ₹ 23 lakhs, was paid as advance immediately by depositing in the bank and the remaining amount was to be paid on delivery of the diamond.
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Czar Nicholas views Nizam’s Jewels
Czar Nicholas II, the last Emperor of Russia, was a guest of Mahboob Ali Khan in Hyderabad. Nicholas, as the Grand Duke of Russia, visited Hyderabad in 1892, two years before he succeeded his father as Emperor of Russia. The Duke stayed at the Falaknuma Palace along with other Russian officials accompanying him. The Nizam exhibited his famed jewel collection for the Russian Prince at a specially erected grand pavilion at the Chowmahalla Palace. Nicholas went on a hunting expedition in the Nekkonda forests near Warangal. A number of sports events were also organised at the magnificent Mahaboob Mansion in Malakpet for the visiting Prince and his entourage.
Much later, in the wake of Bolshevik Revolution that broke out in Russia, Czar Nicholas II was executed with family in July 1917
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It was Jacob’s suggestion that the Nizam would use it as a paper-weight on his official papers and that his image would go up with such a use.
On July 21, 1891, when Jacob came with the original diamond, the Nizam to his disappointment found the diamond was much smaller than what the model was. Therefore he refused to buy the diamond and Jacob was asked to return the money paid as advance. But the wily Jacob by then, contrary to the understanding, had withdrawn all the advance money from the bank.
Jacob insisted that the Nizam pay him the remaining amount, and went so far as to file a case in the High Court in Calcutta. During the trial, the Calcutta High Court wanted to interrogate the Nizam as a witness. Accordingly, the Nizam met the commission at the Residency on October 5, 1891 but felt it an insult to go before a Commission of enquiry. On returning from the Residency, the angry Nizam, wrapped Jacob Diamond in a piece of cloth that was used to wipe the nib of his pen, pushed it into a shoe, and staved it off in his table draw, vowing never to open.
His son and successor, Mir Osman Ali Khan who succeeded his father in 1911, discovered it and used as paper weight, the purpose for which his father bought it.
What happened to Jacob?
The case Jacob filed proved to be his nemesis for, he had to spend all his money on his advocates. Born in Armenia , to Jewish parents, Alexander Malcolm Jacob was an ambitious and unscrupulous person. He came to India in 1871 with nothing and grew enormously influential as a dealer in jewels, diamonds and antiques. After his relations with the Nizam were strained, other native rulers treated him like the plague and refused seeing him. Jacob ultimately died in penury in Bombay. His life served a model for India-born Rudyard Kipling, to create the character, Lurgan in his Nobel prize winning novel, Kim, published in 1901.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Society> History & Culture / by K S S Seshan / February 21st, 2018
It all started with cars, as Saif explained to us. His dream of becoming an Automotive Designer started early on to which point he even enrolled into an Architecture Undergraduate program near Bangalore just to be able to pursue a Master’s degree in car design. There, in college, he also joined the Formula Student Racing Team, where he acquired diverse experience in design and technical know-how. Now that’s real commitment.
But things took a U-turn when later he dropped the plan to go ahead with his Master’s, thinking that it was too restricting to be involved in just one specific field. At that point, he had discovered that only an Industrial Design course could give him the freedom to be multi-disciplinary, and to be able to work on Architecture, Product design, Automotive design and more. Then, the rest is history.
Winning design from EDIDA INDIA 2017: Qaiser Series (T) and Cork Trays (B).
“Design, in general, is what gets me going,” he said, “So it is all a playful adventure.” Since setting up his creative office in 2014, Saif had been steadily creating designs that draw heavily from his appreciation of technology and processes. But it wasn’t until he won the recent EDIDA India for furniture and tabletop with the Qaiser Series and Cork Trays that he finally caught the eyes of the global design industry.
The former is a series of side tables with tops that used a unique craft form called ‘Bidriware’. “One of its kind in the world,” explained Saif, “It uses a special mud from the medieval fort in Bidar, in South India. So it is made by us with local craftsmen.” The latter, a quite self-explanatory design, takes the shapes of typical hanging cutting boards, but with a thick border to hold objects in their place. Akin to Enzo Ferrari who used to build and sell cars to fund his racing, the trays are currently self-produced by Saif but would definitely like to be mass-produced. “Maybe by a manufacturer from Scandinavia perhaps…” he hoped. And so do we.
We talked to him about his journey so far and his future endeavours.
Qaiser Series used a unique craft form called ‘Bidriware’.
In the process of making the Cork Trays.
For people who are not yet familiar with you, tell us about your background.
I’m an Industrial designer working on Architecture, Interiors, Product design, Brand Identity, Design Development, Creative Direction, Motorcycle design, Automotive racing, Furniture, Lighting, Craft & Jewelry. I’ve always had an admiration for things and objects: their materials, beauty and how they were made. I always found it fascinating to watch a carpenter or a mason engaged in his craft. I could make stuff out of anything that was around; I used to make miniature farms with plantations and worked on irrigation, inspired by the country life I experienced during the summer stays at my grandfather’s farm. I’d also make models of scooters and bikes out of wheat flour dough. That’s one of the reasons I still love scale models so much, making them and collecting them. It was around 16 that I discovered design could be a legit career. I wanted to become an automotive designer. I’m an autodidact, and it’s quite natural for me to pick up something that interests me and pursue it with certain passion on my own, learning and doing on the way.
How do you describe your design aesthetic?
I’m an ‘ESSENTIALIST’; my focus is on sensitive, thoughtful and meaningful design. I have quite a contrasting way of looking at things; some designs are practical and functionalist while others are poetic expressions that can have certain humour and curiosity. All in all, everything has to have that beauty. Making stuff has been a huge part of the process; so much so that some of the products hardly have any drawings or detailed sketches – it’s just straight from the concept sketches to the making of the prototype.
Designing cars, including racing architecture has always been Saif’s dream.
Lots of your pieces used natural materials like wood and cork. What's your fascination with these materials?
I love working with beautiful, humble natural materials; they have great quality regarding how they age gracefully. I love exploring their properties in new and expressive ways, for instance, the Cork trays have two variations of cork, the rubberised one for the strap and the hard one for the tray body, perfectly coming together, not to mention the ecological aspects of these materials.
Where are you based now? What made you want to be here? What are the advantages?
I’m based in Bangalore at the moment; I came here for my undergraduate about 12 years ago, while doing my Architecture I was part of the Formula SAE team which mostly had Mechanical engineering students, I used to design the Chassis, Ergonomics, Suspension, Brakes, Safety and Packaging. During this time I developed a great network of vendors and suppliers. This field felt quite indispensable when I wanted to start my multidisciplinary studio. But I seem to have exhausted the potential of the city. Maybe I will shift to Scandinavia in future; you’ll never know…
What is the current design scene in India?
Its still evolving and not that refined at the moment. There is this underlying fascination with Bollywood and Kitsch with a ‘Royal’ hangover from the bygone era of the ‘Maharajas’ that I feel is quite hindering. But otherwise, there is new breed of young designers with a more progressive perspective that is doing some significant work that I feel would be worth something in the coming years.
Where do you find your inspiration?
Inspiration to me comes from a social concern, a beautiful material, an inspiring craft, a practical need, a curiosity… I look to other creative fields too. At this moment, in particular, I’m fascinated with the contemporary culinary scene. Also, it’s quite difficult not to notice the tech-innovations of late…
Another EDIDA winning design from 2016: Poise Lamp.
The new Euclid Series of candleholders.
Where will we see you next?
We have several projects that we have completed and are speaking to different manufacturers to get them in production. Among other stuff, I’m working on an electric Café racer that will host a couple of very innovative features in response to the whole Autonomous vehicle scene. Also, I’ve been approached for an electric car; it’s more on conceptual lines at the moment focussing on the future of urban mobility in developing nations like India, I’m working on the Packaging, Interiors & Styling. One important thing at the moment is we are working with a manufacturer who is looking at working with a couple of craft form to launch innovative contemporary Art-Design pieces soon, hopefully during I Salone 2018 in Milan. This is a new direction for my work; I’m quite pleased with the progress at the moment.
Filmmaker Danish Iqbal’s movie, “Sadho” will be screened at UK Asian Film Festival. This festival will begin on 14th March and is planned to be held in Edinburgh, Manchester Leicester and London.
Sadho is a film based on true events and it highlights Child Trafficking menace.
Talking about the movie, Mr. Danish said that Sadho is a heart touching film. In the film, character Sadho finds a newborn child who survives in a car accident. He was supposed to make a decision whether to return the child to parents or not.
It may be mentioned that the movie was produced by Mr. Varad Gupta. Role of Sadho was played by Mr. Sukumar Tudu.
Earlier, Sadho was selected in nine international film festivals.
In Haryana International Film Festival, the movie won best film critics award and best actor award.
Filmmaker Danish’s career started from the theatre in 1994. He did graduation from Allahabad University and was a student of National School of Drama and Central School of Speech and Drama, London.
He got British Council’s Charles Wallace Award, Sahitya Kala Parishad’s Mohan Rakesh Award and Sangeet Natak Akademi’s Ustad Bismillah Khan Award.
source: http://www.siasat.com / The Siasat Daily / Home> Entertainment / February 21st, 2018
Saqib Majeed is the first Kashmiri and second Asian after Atul Kamble to receive the prestigious award.
A Srinagar based freelance photographer has done Kashmir proud, pocketing the prestigious 2016 Wisden-MCC (Melbourne Cricket Council) Cricket Photograph of the Year for a stunning image, which captured boys playing cricket in the outskirts of the city, clicked by him.
Saqib Majeed, an engineer by profession clicked the award-winning picture at the Nishat garden in Srinagar.
Majeed is the first Kashmiri and second Asian after Atul Kamble to receive the prestigious award. Every year MCC publishes a book titled Wisden Cricketer Almanack, which includes best sports pictures from across the globe.
This year’s edition includes Majeed’s picture.
Majeed’s picture in Kashmir’s autumn setting certainly had all the ingredients to make the cut. It had nature’s own beauty coupled with cricketers playing the game in their own way that typify the sport with the man behind the camera having a feel of the occasion to capture the decisive moment.
“The historic Lords Cricket Ground will display my image for a year,” said a visibly happy Majeed, who was chosen among 450 participants.
“It was an autumn day when I visited the Nishat Garden with a friend to click some pictures. When I reached the garden, some guys were playing cricket under the shade of Chinar trees. I started to click the pictures for next half-an-hour,” he said.
Majeed recalls trying different angles to get a perfect shot, but ended up clicking only a few.
“I am very thankful to my family, friends and The Counselor Magazine, who always encouraged me,” he added.
source: http://www.inuth.com / inUth.com / Home> Sports> Cricket / by ANI News Agency / May 06th, 2017
The Indian community here bid farewell to longtime resident and senior NRI Arch. Mohammed Abdur Rahman Saleem, who is leaving the Kingdom after over four decades here.
Saleem who spent 43 years in the Kingdom, was a prominent social activist and promoter of the Urdu language and culture. He established different cultural and social organizations and organized many cultural events.
Saleem was the torch bearer of Urdu culture and tradition. After successfully establishing many organizations he formed the Toastmasters Club in Riyadh. Bazm-e-Urdu Toastmasters Club (BUTMC), which is successfully running with many youth joining it to excel in linguistic skills along with personality development and public speaking abilities.
By organizing elocution competitions for the students of Indian schools in Riyadh, Saleem was successful in attracting students to get interested in and opt for Urdu in their studies.
Chief Guest Dr. Hifzur Rahman Azmi, First Secretary, Embassy of India Riyadh, said, “Nowadays people with positivity are rarely found in our society whereas Saleem is a multi-faceted person who is filled with positivity. He dedicatedly works likes an organization in himself, and has organized many events on a grand scale. Even the Embassy needs the help of different organizations to arrange such events. In addition to organizing cultural events for entertainment, he has striven for many constructive works and events; elocution competition for school students is one such example.”
Rahman also disclosed that Saleem holds the credit of organizing the first Republic Day Mushaira in Riyadh, over 25 years back, under the banner of the Indian Embassy. His organization was associated with all the Mushairas organized by the Indian Embassy as he regularly felicitated all the poets.
Saleem successfully tried to link the people from all parts of India and managed to make an excellent group of like-minded people and hoped that his team will carry forward his legacy, he added.
In his welcome address THH and OUAAAR President Mohammed Qaiser said, “As an architect Saleem played an important role in giving beautiful buildings to this country. In addition to his professional commitments, his services and contributions towards the Indian community and for the promotion of Urdu were remarkable.”
K.N. Wasif read out a sketch about Saleem and said that he always was for justice among all and hence represents the justice of Jahangir. Ghouse Arsalan also read another sketch titled “Hindustani Tahzeeb ke Me’maar” (Architect of Indian culture) and said, Saleem truly represented the Deccani culture and tradition in the Kingdom and in USA.
Firasat Ali Khusro paid poetic tribute to Saleem’s long services and contributions. He said Saleem always did good deeds and never showed off, and it is very rare to find such humble people in the current period.
Taqiuddin Mir presented a humorous sketch “Pati Patni Aur Woh” about Saleem’s addiction to mobile and using social media to get in touch with all his friends. The community leaders from all parts of India spoke on various aspects of Saleem’s personality.
Zaigham Khan from Aligarh said that Saleem is Baba-e-Urdu of the Kingdom and will be remembered here for the long time. Ghazanfar Ali Khan said that Saleem has been the cultural ambassador of India to the Kingdom for over four decades.
Ghizal Mahdi appreciated Saleem’s affection for the Urdu language. Representing Jamia Millia Islamia, he said, Jamia played an important role in freedom struggle and its founders laid emphasis on education through mother tongue. Due to this factor Mahdi had long time association and friendship with Saleem.
Prominent Businessman Nadeem Tarin said that Saleem and his associates played an important role in introducing Hyderabadi community to the north Indian community, especially Aligs. Due to this a new impetus was prominent among both the communities and it was evident with the successful and historical events arranged and attended by all these communities.
AIUS President Dr. Mohammed Ashraf Ali appreciated the contributions and services of Saleem as he invited many prominent personalities from India and offered a platform to the community to interact with them.
Senior banker Shahid Ali Khan recalled his long time association with Saleem. Vice President Hindustani Bazm-e-Urdu Eng. Abdul Hameed introduced Saleem with the help of PPT presentation. Prominent Businessman Mir Muzaffar Ali was the Guest of Honor.
Saleem thanked the organizers, speakers and attendees for the marvelous display of love and affection for him. He promised that he will continue to strive for the promotion of Urdu wherever he goes. He announced that he will try his best to start Urdu Toastmasters Clubs in Hyderabad and USA.
On this occasion Mubibb-e-Urdu award was presented to Saleem. The organizing committee members presented him a memento of appreciation in recognition of his contributions and services.
Floral bouquets and gifts were presented by different organizations — Deccan Cultural Association, All India United Society, Ghazal Sara Group, Telangana NRI Forum, Paradise Group, Bazm-e-Farogh-e-Urdu and Bihar community.
Organizing committee members Aftab Nizami, Mohammed Mubin, Sohail Siddiqui, Mohammed Kaleem, Syed Ateeq, Aliuddin Ahmed, Shakeel Mah presented freshly prepared beautiful garland specially arranged for the event.
Mohammed Farooqui Shahbaz conducted the proceedings, while Dr. Shoukat Pervez, principal IISR proposed the vote of thanks. Hafiz Abdul Malik recited verses of Holy Qur’an at the start of the event. — SG
source: http://www.saudigazette.co.sa / Home> Saudi Arabia / Riyadh – February 22nd, 2018
Aysha Mahmood, alumnus of St Joseph’s HSS, is campaigning for safe keep of 150-year old building.
Children at St Joseph’s Anglo Indian Girl’s Higher Secondar School, the first school for girls in Malabar, built in 1862. (Photo: Venugopal)
Thiruvananthapuram:
It was a chance meeting. Aysha Mahmood had come to her hometown, Kozhikode, to take part in the Offir Food Fest. She has been settled in Taiwan for a while, but couldn’t stop reacting to stories from home that shocked her.
Two years ago, she heard her beloved alma mater – St. Joseph’s Anglo Indian Girls’ Higher Secondary School – will have its oldest building demolished. A few of the alumni had then got together, spoke to the school and the idea had slowly died down. Now, after a chance meeting with someone she knew, Aysha heard the plan was back on.
Frantically, she gathered together some of the old girls who studied there, tried talking to the school, and finally had to start a petition online to save the old, old school – 155 years old.
“Some time back they celebrated the 155th anniversary of the building, now they are planning to pull it down, and in its place, build a glass and steel structure,” she says, remembering another old building that is no longer there. It was the boarding house where Aysha had spent many happy days. The building had a library in the centre which had a lot of really old Reader’s Digest magazines.
It was not accessible to the girls. But like in Enid Blyton novels, the girls found an old door from their dressing area that led to the library. Aysha’d sneak in, after opening the rusty hinge, and stay there with her torch or a candle, reading those old, old Reader’s Digest magazines.But that building and the library had got pulled down. Now there is only the original convent and this building they are planning to demolish, left of the first school for girls in Malabar, built in 1862. “We have very few 100 plus year old buildings left in Kozhikode. One reason they give for demolishing the building is space constraints. That they cannot have smart classrooms there. But there are architects interested in conserving it, who say, it can be done. We could add modern amenities, restore the building. A group from the NIT had gone there, to do a scientific study. But they were not allowed to. The school says they have done a study but they are not ready to share the report.”
The school has been giving the reason that it concerns the safety of the students. “But we feel that is an excuse,” says Abdul Hameed, an electrical engineer who runs an architectural consultancy. He got involved only because of his love for his hometown.
“We suggest we can get the best structural engineers from NIT, to ascertain the safety of the building. And then do a programme to restore it. The funding – can be thought out later. These kind of colonial buildings – were before concrete, so it is totally made with bricks and masonry. The main structure can last for centuries like the old churches and other buildings across the world. But maintenance should be done.”Abdul, with the collector, the new building’s architect, and a few others are planning to meet the headmistress on Monday. “Lots of people are calling. Venu IAS, former tourism secretary, K.K. Muhammed, former ASI director, have all shown their interest,” Aysha says.
Her petition has collected 2574 signatures as this is written. But she adds, “There is no question that the safety of the children is primary. Our request is to do a proper study and if there is no way out, let’s demolish the building.”There might be a way out. Architect and another alumnus of the school Lakshmi Manohar has just come back from a visit to the school on Saturday evening.
“We just wanted to meet the old teachers and find out what the issue is. According to us, the structure is weak. But there are provisions. They showed us the old classrooms. There are more students now, so the space is less, to take class. It is all congested. Their requirements need one or two floors more to the building. The question is whether the structure has the strength to withstand the extra floors. That’s what we should evaluate. The problems they cite are about the plaster wearing off, the laterite blocks becoming visible, foundation troubles, and so on – all of which can be fixed. But I am not a conservation architect. We should bring a technical expert to study the condition and tell what the situation is,” she says.
‘A collective memory which shaped Kozhikode society’
The St. Joseph’s building, since 1862, has played an undeniable role in making education attainable and accessible to girl children from all walks of life- par caste and creed. It contains the collective memory of thousands of women and girls, panning almost six generations. It has played alma mater to a large section of Calicut society- ensuring quality education. Keeping that heritage alive is of high importance.
Those interested in the demolishing of the building may be of the opinion that it affects the modern outlook of the management or that it is a threat to the safety. Both concerns can be addressed if the right people are involved.
There is a large Architects Guild active in Calicut that specialises in the restoration and strengthening of historical and heritage buildings. We must be prepared to give them a chance to present their expert opinion and help in this matter. The professors of NIT Architecture Department have made known their availability and deep interest in studying the building and presenting their proposal for the same.
While it does need some work, respected architects who have assessed it generally opine that the building is structurally sound. They feel that it could be refurbished at a cost lesser than that required for demolishing and rebuilding.The restoration will only add to the historical value and character of the school. A building that is 150 years old must be considered an asset to the city. In a world where characterless and soulless skyscrapers and steel-glass embodiments are dime a dozen, buildings like these serve as a place of solace for the soul and soothing to the sight. They embody our past and our culture. Caretakers of our colonial architecture and history must know that the St. Joseph’s School and its many buildings are rich and heavy with these values.To conclude, I think preserving buildings like these is essential because of the collective memories, Calicut and its people attach to it.
Generations are emotionally attached to this school building in which they have spend a big part of their childhood. It has had a formative and a positive role to play in all our lives and it will be the saddest day in our lives to see it being pulled down. (Excerpts from the online petition of Aysha Mahmood)
source: http://www.asianage.com / The Asian Age / Home> India> All India / CRIS / February 23rd, 2018
