J-K’s Shaista Khan wins ‘Sahitya Akademi Yuva Puraskar’ in 2022
New Delhi [India], (ANI):
‘Sahitya Akademi Yuva Puraskar’, initiated in 2011 to promote language and literature, has served as an inspiration in the lives of youth in Jammu and Kashmir, leading to the rise of their interest in the Kashmiri language.
Sahitya Akademi New Delhi had started this award in 24 languages. Nine writers have received this award for the Kashmiri languages so far, according to a report.
The latest in the list is a Srinagar-based young writer Shaista Khan who won the award for her fictional collection “Brand Birs Peeth” in 2022.
“It has been observed that due to this award, other novice writers are also getting inspiration and they are getting interested in Kashmiri language and literature,” the report said.
According to the report, the previous recipients of this award in the field of fiction, poetry, and criticism in the Kashmiri language include Nishad Azam, Farooq Shaheen, Adil Mohiuddin, Nighat Sahiba, Diba Nazir, Sagar Nazir, Muzaffar Ahmad Pare, and Razi Tahir Baghat.
A young writer, Nisar Azam, was the first one to receive this award in 2011 for his poetry collection ‘Pathalej Zone Dars’.
Farooq Shaheen was awarded this award in the year 2012 for his literary criticism book “Gash Miller”. Adil Mohiuddin received this award for criticism in his book “Zol Dith Sardars” in 2016. Nighat Sahiba was awarded the Yuva Praskar in 2015 for her poetry collection “Zardpankh Dear” while Diba Nazir won the award for her fictional collection “Zarin Zhom” in 2018.
Sagar Nazir won the award for his poetry collection “Thar Anganch”. Awarded in 2019 for Uva Proscar while the 2020 Yuva Proscar was won by Muzaffar Ahmed Pray for his poetry collection “Wauch Baath” and the 2021 Uva Proscar recipient in the Kashmiri language is Razi Tahir Bhagat who received this honour for his fictional collection “Yela”. Awarded for “Ain Phath”, the report said.
A certificate of Rs 50,000 is given to writers up to 35 years of age in a grand ceremony.
“This is a welcome step by the Sahitya Akademi to encourage young writers. It gives more inspiration to the writers and encourages them to produce quality literature,” the report quoted researcher Mohammad Salim Salik as saying. (ANI)
This report is auto-generated from ANI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.
source: http://www.theprint.in / The Print / Home> India / by ANI / January 01st, 2023
Budding Photographer Mohsin Javed’s Photographs were selected for the France Exhibition, which will be held in Paris from 4 to 13th July 2023.
According to a release by the organizer of the exhibition, 24HourProject, Photographs of 120 photographers will be on exhibition at La Maison Hall.
24-hour Project is a climate action supporting NGO. The income earned through the selling of Photographs will be used for environmental causes.
Mohsin Javed told that his three photographs will be on display at the exhibition. These photographs document many faces of Delhi.
Mohsin Javed’s Photographs were also exhibited at Kirkkonummi, Finland from 13-29 August 2021 and at Hong Kong Exhibition from 3rd December 2022 to 3rd January 2023. AT Hong Kong exhibition introducing Mohsin’s Photograph World famous Photographer P H Yang described it as ” a very exceptional Picture.”
Mohsin, who has a Diploma in Electrical Engineering from Jamia Millia Islamia, realized his passion for photography when he was in class 8 and took it seriously after class 10.
His picture of Humayun’s Tomb was selected for the International Photo contest “Youth Eyes on the Silk Roads” organized by UNESCO’s Silk Road Project 2019. The international selection committee chose his picture as one of the best 60 pictures among 6625 entries.
UNESCO in a letter of appreciation to Mohsin described that his picture was selected by “taking into consideration its quality, creativity, and diversity.” This picture was later published in a coffee book by UNESCO.
Mohsin Javed’s pictures have been widely carried by many national and international agencies and publications including international photo agency Getty Images, Germany’s Public International Broadcaster Deutsche Welle (DW) website, and various magazines in India. He is also contributing to the International news photo agency, Pacific Press Agency (PPA), Philippines.
source: http://www.muslimmirror.com / Muslim Mirror / Home> Indian Muslim> Positive Story / by Muslim Mirror Network / July 01st, 2023
Traders from the Middle East introduced the beverage to the Mughal empire but the British made tea the subcontinent’s preferred drink.
Mughal men drink an unidentified beverage in a 17th century painting later recreated as a drawing by Rembrandt (Public domain)
The sun sets behind regal yet dilapidated Mughal mansions and the magnificent dome of the Jama Masjid as the call for the evening prayer fills the auburn sky in Old Delhi.
Chandni Chowk’s bustling streets reverberate with the sound of honking cycle rickshaws navigating the serpentine lanes.
The sunset marks the beginning of business hours in the neighbourhood, which emerged during Mughal emperor Shah Jahan’s rule; a pocket within the once spectacular walled city of Shahjahanabad, founded in 1648.
Immersed in the soundscape, one’s senses are drawn to the aroma of food being prepared, complemented by the unmistakable scent of masala chai – the Indianversion of spiced tea.
Tea stalls, resembling busy beehives, draw Delhiites patiently waiting for their daily dose of evening tea – some having travelled from the far ends of the city to satisfy their craving.
Tea is without a doubt a national obsession in India. However, the incredible popularity of the drink in the subcontinent is less than two centuries old and only came about as a result of British rule in the region.
It may come as a surprise, but before the arrival of the British, it was coffee that Indians preferred.
Sufis and merchants
Coffee was brought over from the Horn of Africa to Yemenat some point in the 15th century and later spread north into the Near East and then to Europe by the 16th century.
The beverage also spread eastwards, and India’s Mughal elite was quick to adopt it as their beverage of choice.
While the Mughal Emperor Jahangir had a penchant for wine – preferring the Shiraz variety – both Hindu and Muslim nobility in his court freely indulged in coffee.
Edward Terry, a chaplain with the English embassy at Jahangir’s court, mentions that members of the court were captivated by the then-novel qualities of coffee, believing it could “invigorate the spirits, aid digestion, and purify the blood”.
The coffee bean was brought to the subcontinent by Arab and Turkic traders who had strong trade ties with the Mughal Empire.
They not only brought coffee, but also other items, including silk, tobacco, cotton, spices, gemstones, and more from the Middle East, Central Asia, Persia, and Turkey.
By the time Shah Jahan ascended to the Mughal throne, interest in coffee had grown exponentially across Indian society (Public domain)
Such goods would reach the farthest corners of India, including the easternmost region of Bengal. By the time Jahangir’s son, Shah Jahan, ascended to the throne (1628-1658), interest in coffee had spread across society.
Coffee was considered a healthy drink, an indicator of social mobility, and an integral part of Delhi’s elite social life.
Like Terry, another contemporary European visitor, the German adventurer Johan Albrecht de Mandelslo, wroteabout his travels in the east through Persia and Indian cities, such as Surat, Ahmedabad, Agra, and Lahore in a memoir titled The Voyages and Travels of J Albert de Mandelslo.
A painting titled ‘The Ottoman Sultan and His Haseki’ by an unnamed artist (Wikimedia)
In 1638, Mandelslo describes kahwa (coffee) being drunk to counter the heat and keep oneself cool.
In his workTravels in The Mogul Empire (1656-1668), Francois Bernier, a French physician, also refers to the large amount of coffee imported from Turkey.
Besides its use in social settings and supposed effects to ward off heat, the drink also had a religious purpose for the subcontinent’s ascetics.
Like their brethren in the Middle East and Central Asia, India’s Sufis consumed coffee before their night-long reverential rituals known as dhikr (the remembrance of God).
Legend has it that a revered Sufi saint named Baba Budhan carried back seven coffee beans in the folds of his robe on his way back from Mecca in 1670, planting the seeds for Indian-origin coffee cultivation in a place called Chikmagalur.
While this story may or may not be true, today the Baba Budhangiri hill and mountain range in the Indian state of Karnataka bears his name and remains a significant centre for coffee production, as well as housing a shrine dedicated to the Sufi saint.
In another variation of the legend, shared by the government’s Indian Coffee Board, the Sufi saint travels to Mochain Yemen and manages to smuggle out the beans discreetly despite strict laws on their export.
Culture of consumption
From the 16th century onwards, India became host to a cafe culture influenced by the one emerging in the Islamic empires to the west, particularly cities such as Damascus, Aleppo, Cairo, and Istanbul.
The nascent coffee culture found expression in Shahjahanabad’s own “qahwakhanas”, or coffee houses.
In her essay Spilling the Beans: The Islamic History of Coffee, food historian Neha Vermani describes the coffee served at the Arab Serai, which was “famous for preparing sticky sweet coffee”.
The Arab Serai became known for its sticky sweet coffee (Wikimedia)
The Serai, which was commissioned in 1560 by Hamida Banu, the wife of Mughal Emperor Humayun, still stands today as part of a Unesco heritage site ; the wider complex of Humayun’s tomb.
Historians say it was used as an inn by Arab religious scholars who accompanied the royal on her pilgrimage to Mecca and that it was also used to house craftsmen from the Middle East who were working for the Mughals.
Historian Stephen Blake in his 1991 workShahjhanabad: The Sovereign City in Mughal India 1639-1739 describes coffee houses as places where poets, storytellers, orators, and those “invigorated by their spirits” congregated.
Blake described how vibrant these coffee houses were, their milieu of poetry recitals, storytelling and debates, long hours of playing board games, and how these activities impacted the cultural life of the walled city.
Coffee houses of Shahjhanabad, like those of Isfahan and Istanbul, accelerated the rise of a culture of consumption and a thriving food culture, with residents frequenting snack sellers offering savouries, naanwais baking bread, and halwais specialising in confectionery.
This is a legacy that continues to be felt in Old Delhi’s Shahjahanabad area to this day.
While Blake’s descriptions paint a picture, there are no extant visual depictions of the interiors of these establishments, and unlike their Ottoman or Safavid counterparts, there are no miniatures or Orientalist artworks depicting what they would have looked like.
Rembrandt depictedMughal men drinking something very closely resembling coffee but the Dutch artist does not identify the contents of their cup, and never visited India. But his images were inspired by Mughal paintings brought over to the Netherlands by Dutch traders.
The man who swore by his Turkish coffee
Provincial courts sought to replicate the ambience of Shahjahanabad and embraced the cafe culture on offer there. Among them, none cherished coffee more than Alivardi Khan, the Nawab Nazim of Bengal.
Khan was of Arab and Turkman descent and ruled Bengal from 1740-1756. Known as a diligent ruler, coffee and food were the two biggest pleasures of his life.
Seir Mutaqherin or the Review of Modern Times, written by one of the prominent historians of the time, Syed Gholam Hussein Khan, offers a fascinating description of Alivardi Khan’s routine.
Alivardi Khan, seen here on his throne, liked the finer things in life, including coffee (Metropolitan Museum of Art/Public domain)
He writes: “He always rose two hours before daylight; and after having gone through evacuations and ablutions, he performed some devotions of supererogation and at daybreak, he said his prayers of divine precepts, and then drank coffee with choice friends.
“After that he amused himself with a full hour of conversation, hearing verses, reading poetry or listening to some pleasing story.”
This morning routine was followed by a bespoke Persian dish prepared by the nawab’s personal chef.
Khan’s portrayal presents Nawab as a man of fine taste, who valued the luxuries of courtly life as much as effective governance.
A connoisseur of exquisite food, witty conversations, and premium Turkish coffee, Khan went to great lengths to acquire the best coffee beans, importing them from the Ottoman Empire and bringing them all the way to Murshidabad, his capital.
The coffeehouse ‘is a social space created and shaped by the people themselves’ (MEE)
He believed in nothing but the best for his court. Not only were his coffee beans imported, but his kitchen staff also hailed from places renowned for their culinary excellence, such as Persia, Turkey, and Central Asia.
The royal household employed a diverse range of professionals, including storytellers, painters, coffee makers, ice makers, and hakims (physicians).
Tea has been grown in India since the 19th century (Wikipedia)
Khan personally handpicked his baristas (qahwachi-bashi), who brought along their specialised coffee-making equipment.
The descriptions paint a vivid picture of courtly culture, a world of opulence, artistry, and a profound affinity with caffeine.
It is puzzling, therefore, to pinpoint exactly when Mughal coffee culture vanished from pre-colonial Bengal, but it likely lasted until at least 1757.
Siraj ud-Daulah, Khan’s grandson and successor, could not live up to his grandfather’s legacy, and faced with threats from the British, the courtly culture swiftly dissipated, along with Bengal’s fortunes.
When Bengal lost the decisive Battle of Plassey in 1757, the East India Company took control of the region, and slowly coffee vanished from public consumption and consciousness.
Tea farming takes over
The rise of the East India Company, which was the primary agent of British control in India, marked the end of the subcontinent’s dominant coffee culture.
Britain’s penchant for tea began in the late 17th century and China was its main supplier.
Lizzy Collingham writesin her book Curry: A Tale of Cooks and Conquerors that between 1811 and 1819 “70,426,244 pounds” out of a total of “72,168,541” pounds of imports from China were associated with the tea trade.
She remarks that Britain, therefore, had an “interest in finding an alternative source for tea”.
The Indian Coffee House is run by Indian worker’s cooperatives and is open to all (Wikipedia)
With its fertile soils and appropriate weather conditions, India was the perfect spot.
In February of 1834, then Governor General William Bentick appointed a committee to look into India’s potential as a place to set up the East India Company’s own tea production unit.
In the native Indian population, they found not only workers who would cultivate and harvest the leaves but also consumers of the beverage.
As coffee production became overshadowed by tea farming, Indian tastes also shifted to the latter.
Further consolidating the decline of Indian cafe culture was the British ban on Indians visiting coffee houses, which were barred to all but Europeans.
Nevertheless, reports of the death of coffee in India were premature.
Regardless of British influence on local culture, the subcontinent was not immune to global trends.
The Indian historian and author, AR Venkatachalapthy, writes in his 2006 book In Those Days There was No Coffee: Writings in Cultural History that there was no escaping the physical effects or symbolism of coffee in late 19th century British India.
“Drinking coffee, it appears, was no simple quotidian affair. Much like history, the nation-state, or even the novel, coffee too was the sign of the modern,” he writes.
Enthusiasm for coffee grew at the turn of the 20th century, and the same book quotes adverts for coffee in south India in the 1890s: “Coffee is the elixir that drives away weariness. Coffee gives vigour and energy.”
This energy and vigour were first reflected in the east, in the colonial city of Calcutta (present-day Kolkata) where the first Indian-run coffee shop, named Indian Coffee House, opened in 1876.
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Turning into a chain in the 1890s, by the first half of the new century the name Indian Coffee House would be adopted by a growing network of 400 coffee houses run by Indian workers’ cooperatives, with only Indian-origin coffee.
These were the people’s coffee houses where any Indian could walk in without being discriminated against on the basis of their race.
Today, the ambience of the Indian Coffee House reminds one of the inclusivity of coffee shops in historic Shahjhanabad.
The chain is one of many Indians can visit, with others including the Bengaluru-based Coffee Day Global, which now has more than 500 outlets in the country despite only opening its first in 1996.
Six years later Starbucks entered India’s voluminous urban market and the rules of the brew changed forever in the subcontinent.
source: http://www.middleeasteye.com / Middle East Eye / Home> Discover> Food & Drink / by Nilosree Biswas, New Delhi / June 05th, 2023
Books have been Maryam’s passion ever since she learnt to read. She turned her passion into a mission of starting a library for children with the books from her own collection.
Two years ago, Maryam had amassed nearly 150 books of her own when she started her very first library in the balcony of their home in Baijipura called Dr APJ Abdul Kalaam Library.
How it began
It was during the lockdown, with no school or homework to occupy her time, that she noticed many idle children in her neighborhood. Inspired by this observation, Maryam approached her father, Mirza Abdul Qayyum, who runs the popular bookstore called Mirza World Book House.
The first library in the balcony of Maryam’s house
Mirza, being an avid reader himself, readily agreed to support his daughter’s idea. Mirza is also affiliated with the Read and Learn Foundation (RLF), a movement dedicated to promoting reading habits, particularly among children. Starting a library for children aligned perfectly with the foundation’s objectives.
Thus, Maryam and her father gathered around 300 books, including donations, and set up the first library named Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Library, located in the balcony of their home in Baijipura. The library inauguration was attended by local children, and from that day forward, they began visiting the library, borrowing books, and returning them within a week.
More libraries for more children
The library was a hit and soon Maryam and her father were thinking of starting another library in another locality. Thus, the second library was started under the aegis of RLF in Rahemaniya colony with another 300 books. Here also the response was good.
Seeing the enthusiasm of the little girls and boys, Maryam resolved to have more libraries and her father assured her that he would support her. Maryam wanted to reach out to the children dwelling in slums. Her aim was to have at least 10 libraries for that year.
Supporting her were her elder sisters too who, like, were students in college. Maryam started collecting funds from the people to set up the Mohalla libraries. The neighbours and other donors began contributing with small amounts and with each Rs.5000/- collected, Maryam purchased a cupboard, books and some stationery to maintain the records of the library.
Some of the places where the libraries have been set up are the anganwadi centre of the mohalla, a place in the school yard, a mosque, or a room in the house of a generous well-wisher. In a span of 14 months Maryam had 31 libraries functioning including one in her own school.
“In some localities we needed to put in more work”, shared Maryam with Twocircles.net. “Sometimes the people of the locality were not very responsive to the idea of having a library. They did not see any use to having a mohalla library. We motivated them by explaining the importance of reading and how it develops the personality of their children”.
While in some areas the people were very cooperative, they offered space to run the library and even offered cool drinking water to the children who come to read in the library.
Managing the libraries
There are nearly 30 children who are involved in the day-to-day functioning of the libraries in different Mohallas. The library is open for an hour daily in the evenings offering books in English, Hindi, Urdu, and Marathi.
There are books of general knowledge, adventure stories, and biographies of historical figures.
“The USP (unique selling proposition/ point) of these libraries is that Urdu and Marathi – the two regional languages are getting readers, apart from encouraging the reading habit in children.” Says Maryam’s father, Mirza Abdul Qayyum Nadvi
felicitated by her school teachers
The children take their responsibilities seriously, ensuring that borrowed books are returned on time and in good condition. Their dedication has impressed not only the adults but also the neighbors, who sometimes assist the children in maintaining the libraries. Additionally, Maryam and her father conduct awareness campaigns on various topics such as educating girls and eradicating child labor.
Maryam aims to establish 50 libraries by the end of 2023. The mohalla libraries are named after Urdu writers, poets and other well-known personalities. Some libraries are named after the parents of the generous donors who sponsor a complete library.
Her efforts have inspired similar initiatives in other towns surrounding Aurangabad, such as Jalna, Beed, Jalgaon, and Ahmednagar.
Receiving the FAME Award in Aurangabad
Recognition and awards
Maryam’s remarkable achievements have not gone unnoticed. In 2022, she was honored by the American Federation of Muslims Indian (AFMI) Origin, The award was presented to her in New Delhi at the hands of the former Lieutenant Governor of Delhi, Najeeb Jung.
In May 2023, she received the Mukta Samman from News 18 Lokmat in Mumbai.
At the awards ceremony Maryam quoted Safdar Hashmi’s poem ‘Kitabein’ to a thundering applause.
Receiving the Mukta samman award in Mumbai
Despite the recognition and accolades, Maryam remains grounded, acknowledging that her father’s bookstore has greatly benefited from her library project, as most of the books are purchased from there.
Looking ahead, Maryam aspires to become a neurosurgeon. Her favourite books are the Harry Potter series. And when she is not reading, she likes drawing and colouring.
source: http://www.twocircles.net / TwoCircles.net / Home> Children / by Nikhat Fatima, TwoCircles.net / May 31st, 2023
Ghazal singers Ahmed Hussain and Mohammad Hussain (Photo/ANI)
Jaipur, RAJASTHAN (ANI):
Ghazal singers Ahmed Hussain and Mohammad Hussain of Jaipur will be awarded Padma Shri in the field of arts.
Hussain brothers have thanked the central and state government for this honour.
In conversation with ANI, the Hussain brothers extended their greetings to the people on Republic Day and Basant Panchami.
Ahmed Hussain said, ” those interested in this field should not be in a hurry to create a platform, do not care about the echo of applause. If someone gets trapped in the trap of publicity and money, then he drifts away from his art.”
He said, “get an education from the one whom you consider a guru in the field.”
The brothers further said, “we are thankful to the central and state government for the award.” He said that after being named for the Padma Shri award, now our responsibilities have also increased. We should never look back.
The recipients of this year’s Padma awards were announced on Wednesday evening, on the eve of the 74th Republic Day.
On the eve of the 74th Republic Day on Wednesday, Padma award winners were announced by the Central Government. (ANI)
source: http://www.theprint.in / The Print / Home> India / by ANI / January 27th, 2023
Sadaat Bano Kitchlew with a foreigner (Courtesy Heritage Times)
Qudsia Bano once remarked that in a family led by a towering personality, the other members will always remain dwarfs. She failed to add that if the other family member is a woman, her stature will diminish further.
This is so true about many women including Saadat Bano, who was the wife of the well-known freedom fighter Saifuddin Kitchlew. It was against his arrest that the people were protesting at Jallianwala Bagh in Amritsar when Dyer fired upon them, killing 379 and injuring more than 1200 people. Not many would remember Saddat Bano since our patriarchal society teaches us “Saadat was married to Saifuddin” and not that “Saifuddin was the husband of Saadat”.
Seldom do we find any mention of Saadat Bano in our history textbooks as an independent woman or for her work.
Should Saadat be only remembered as the wife of a great man? Especially when she was a published writer and women’s rights activist even before she married Kitchlew. She was an excellent orator on social and political issues.
Born in 1893 in Amritsar, Saadat was home-tutored in Urdu, Persian, and English. At a very young age, she started writing in leading magazines of the early 20th century like Deccan Review, Tehzeeb e Niswaan, and Khatoon. With a series of articles by the title of Hurriyat e Niswaan (Freedom of Women) published in Tehzeeb e Niswaan at 16, she became one of the leading women thinkers in India. Her writings were not limited to women’s issues; she wrote about the educational reforms of Sir Syed Ahmad Khan, the politics of Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, fashion, etc.
Years before marrying the Cambridge-educated Saifuddin Kitchlew in 1915, she also had a name as a poet. She composed poems on nationalism and humanism. One of the couplets from a poem, “Pyare watan ke naam pe jaaun nisaar main, Ujde chaman mai dekhun Ilahi bahaar main” (I wish to sacrifice my life for my country and bring back its lost glory), bears testimony to her emotions.
After her marriage at the age of 22, she became more active in public life. Saifuddin was a prominent leader. After her marriage to a leading nationalist leader, Sadaar could write without fear. When Lala Lajpat Rai returned to Punjab after a long exile, Saadat welcomed him with an emotional poem. She wrote, “even when thousands are oblivious of the national duty, Lajpat has kept the honour of the nation”.
In 1919, Saifuddin was jailed for agitating against the Rowlatt Act. People organised a public meeting at Jallianwala Bagh to register a protest against it. What happened at Jalianwalla Bagh is history, but not many know that Saadat was supposed to be there addressing the protesters. People had gathered to listen to Saadar but she could not reach the venue in time.When Saifuddin was in jail, Saadat addressed meetings, met political leaders, attended Congress sessions, wrote in newspapers, and participated in All India Women Conference activities. She was a good orator.
Saadat along with Saifuddin was one of the most severe critics of Jinnah’s demand for Pakistan. When most of the Muslims from Amritsar fled to Pakistan the couple left Delhi. After India gained freedom, Sadaat remained active with Women’s organisations and Peace Conference till her last day – 18 August 1970.
source: http://www.awazthevoice.in / Awaz, The Voice / Home> Stories / by Saquib Salim / May 21st, 2023
Princess Gulbadan was born in 1523, exactly 500 years ago. From a young age, she was a precocious child – very intelligent and curious about the incidents that were happening around her. The book narrates her life within the zenana.
The lifestyle of people who lived 500 years ago, especially those belonging to the Mughal dynasty, has been vividly brought to life in the pages of a book written by British author Rumer Godden. The title of the book is Gulbadan, Portrait of a Princess at the Mughal Court. The story is essentially a biography of Princess Gulbadan, youngest daughter of Babur, founder of the Mughal Empire in India.
The author consulted a variety of sources to gain information to write this fascinating book. Among her sources was a translation of the Humayunnama into English by Annette Beveridge, a well known Oriental scholar who also translated the Baburnama.
Rumer Godden, who authored the biography of Gulbadan lived in India and grew up with her sisters in Narayanganj (now in Bangladesh) where her father, a shipping company executive, was posted. Later Godden lived in Calcutta (now Kolkata) and in Kashmir for several years.
According to the biography, Princess Gulbadan was born in 1523, exactly 500 years ago. From a young age, she was a precocious child – very intelligent and curious about the incidents that were happening around her. The book narrates her life within the zenana.
When she was a small girl, her father Zahiruddin Mohammad Babur was ruling in Kabul. The Mughal dynasty had not been established in India. As a child she used to play with her brothers and sisters. Her brothers included Humayun, Kamran, Askari and Hindal, and she had three sisters.
The toys that the children possessed included small statues of horsemen, archers, farmers and others made of wood, painted in gay colours. With these they conducted imaginary battles. Another popular activity was to fly kites. From the highest ramparts of her father’s fort, it was a great pleasure to fly kites. Buffeted by strong winds, the kites would soar high in the sky and be made to dance under the skillful control of the children.
Babur was a very active ruler and would often be away from his fort for days and months. If he was not fighting battles, he would go on hunting trips. Little Gulbadan would miss her Baba very much. She was proud that her father was an important man and respected by everyone. From the topmost ramparts she would sometimes see rising clouds of dust far away in the fields. This sight would excite her. For it meant that horsemen were approaching. Perhaps her father was returning. Or at least a messenger from her father was coming bearing a letter.
This peaceful and happy life of childhood ended when Babur passed away. By then the family base was in India. There followed a period of hardship for the family because Humayun was not the strong and decisive leader that Babur had been.
The worst happened when Sher Shah overthrew Humayun. In one of the battles between Sher Shah’s troops and the Mughal contingent (which also included women and children of the royal family), the latter were forced back to a river from where they could not retreat any further. In a wild battle many innocent lives were lost including that of six year old Princess Aquiqa, the only daughter of Humayun.
She fell into the river and her body was never found. It was a sad day for the entire family and they were all grief stricken.
Many years later when Gulbadan was an adult, her nephew Emperor Akbar instructed her to write a biography of her father Babur and brother Humayun. By this time she wielded great influence in the imperial household and was much loved both by Akbar and his mother. Her biography of Humayun later became a famous work of literature.
She was an educated, pious, and cultured woman. She was fond of reading and she enjoyed the confidences of her brother, Humayun, and nephew, Akbar. A copy of the manuscript of her handwritten biography is kept at the British Library in London. Rumer Godden has written about the life of the Princess in a simple style which is delightful and informative.
source: http://www.siasat.com / The Siasat Daily / Home> Featured News / by Abhijit Sen Gupta / May 29th, 2023
Syed Ubaidur Rahman is an author based in New Delhi who seems to have completely dedicated his life for preserving Indian Muslim history. In the last five years he has authored at least five books, three of which have been highly acclaimed. Among these are ‘Forgotten Muslim Empires of South India: Bahmani Empire, Madurai, Bijapur, Ahmadnagar, Golconda and Mysore Sultanates’, ‘Ulema’s Role in India’s Freedom Movement’, and ‘Biographical Encyclopaedia of Indian Muslim Freedom Fighters’. His objective is to systematically preserve Indian Muslim history. In this interview, we discuss his work and the obstacles he has encountered. Following is an excerpt from his interview.
MM: Why you are trying to preserve Indian Muslim history?
SUR-This is a bitter truth that as a community Muslims are good in forgetting their heroes. If I ask you to name a couple of heroes here from south India, there may not be many people who would be able to name more than a couple of names. And certainly not about the Bahmanis or the Adil Shahis or Nizam Shahis. This is a tragedy of Himalayan proportions and we are paying the price for our ignorance when our own history is being threatened with completely being erased not by other people or other organizations or the government, but by ourselves.
Books on Indian Muslims history penned by Syed Ubaidur Rahman
MM: Muslim history was usually written in Urdu language. Why did you find the need to write in English
SUR: That assumption might not be true. Books have been written on the history of South India, including Bahmani Empire, Adil Shahi, Nizam Shahi, Qutb Shahi and Mysore Sultanates, though in very small numbers. However, most of them are out of print. Haroon Khan Sherwani, a renowned historian from Hyderabad had written an excellent book on the history of Bahmani Empire, besides also writing in detail on the history of the Qutb Shahis of Golconda Sultanate, however, unfortunately these books are out of print and nowhere available. I don’t find any meaningful book written either on the Bahmani Empire or the subsequent Deccani sultanates in Urdu. There are many good books written on the Mysore Sultanate, especially on the life of Tipu Sultan and the best of them are in English. Muhibbul Hasan’s biography of Tipu Sultan is English and it is among the best.
MM: Why you wrote on the history of South Indian Muslims?
SUR: There is no denying the fact that there is a huge population of Muslims down south. However, unfortunately, unlike Muslims in North India, the history of South Indian Muslims, their ruling dynasties and the Muslim empires hasn’t been documented in as much detail as it was needed. Even in the case of north India, the focus has always remained on the history of Mughals who ruled the country for close to three hundred years. The history of the Delhi Sultanates and its different dynasties has been rather very well documented. But other than the Mughals and the Delhi sultanates, not much has been written on different dynasties that have ruled different regions in the North including the ruling dynasties of the Sharqi Sultanate that was based in Jaunpur or the Muslim sultanates of Bengal, that were very powerful and existed for centuries. Similarly the history of ruling Muslim dynasties of sultanates of Gujarat, Malwa and Khandesh hasn’t been given much attention.
I am trying to document the history of Muslims in medieval India and my book ‘Forgotten Muslim Empires of South India’ is the first volume of the series. This book documented Bahmani Empire, Adil Shahi Sultanate of Bijapur, Nizam Shahi Sultanate of Ahmadnagar, Qutb Shahi Sultanate of Golconda and Mysore Sultanate that was founded by Hyder Ali.
The next volume will cover the history of Sultanate of Gujarat, Sultanate of Malwa and also the sultanate of Khandesh, besides a detailed chapter on the Nizams of Hyderabad, inshaAllah.
I must add here that the history of the Muslims in South India is as dazzling as the Delhi Sultanate or the Mughal Sultanate. At one point in early fifteenth century, the Bidar based Bahmani Empire was the most powerful empire not just in South India but across the Indian Subcontinent.
MM: What do you feel about the rewriting of history project in India
SUR: There is no denying that among the many serious challenges facing the Indian Muslim community at the moment, the foremost is preserving their history and heritage. Without any iota of doubt, this has become all the more important given the fact that there are efforts to rewrite Indian history now. And the most important period they intend to rewrite is the medieval period. This project, spearheaded by the Indian Council of Historical Research titled ‘Comprehensive History of India’, is expected to have at least twelve volumes. They have emphasized that while writing these volumes they will not be depending on ‘Euro-centric’ resources and would go by vernacular resources. However there isn’t much literature available on history in vernacular languages even regarding important political events of the medieval period. It may sound completely bewildering to many, but there is no reference at all in any medieval Indian texts regarding the numerous raids conducted by Mahmud of Ghazni deep inside India. Abraham Eraly believes the Indian chroniclers of the time didn’t consider those events worth recording as they were more interested in penning ‘inane romances’.
MM: What is the impact of your work till now?
SUR: It is a rather very short period of time to make any impact felt. It will take time to reach a wider audience and create awareness about our own history and heritage. However, my books on the freedom movements including ‘Biographical Encyclopaedia of Indian Muslim Freedom Fighters’ and ‘Ulema’s Role in India’s Freedom Movements’ have helped create awareness about the Muslim community’s major contributions in India’s different phases of the freedom movement. Without the involvement of the Muslim community, especially the clergy or ulema, the dream for an independent India would have remained a mere pipedream.
Similarly, my latest book ‘Forgotten Muslim Empires of South India’ has brought the history of Muslim kingdoms, sultanates and empires in South India in focus. Many people, who call themselves well-read, have admitted to me personally that they never had any idea that there was a Muslim sultanate in Madurai. Not many thought that a powerful empire ruled a huge swath of land in South India, an empire that stretched from coast to coast. Bijapur’s Adil Shahi sultanates, in the 17th century had taken over the remnants of the Vijayanagar Empire and had become a huge empire in itself. Besides, the beauty and splendour of the Bahmani courts or the courts of the subsequent sultanates was dazzling. The rich history of the Muslims in south India is mesmerising and a revelation of sorts for not just people in the north, but in South India itself.
source: http://www.muslimmirror.com / Muslim Mirror / Home> Indian Muslim> Interview / by Syed Ubaidur Rahman / May 28th, 2023
Renowned Urdu writer Abul Lais Javed passed away today in Al Shifa Hospital at 5.15 pm after prolong illness, according to a close family friend.
Author of several books and a retired Bihar Government senior employee, he was unwell for the last many months and was suffering from prostate cancer and other ailments.
He was 85 years old.
After retirement, Abul Lais Javed settled in Abul Fazal Enclave with his family and devoted his time to writing Urdu books.
Very recently, he wrote a book on history of Akbarpur in Sasaram his hometown.
Namaz-e-Janaza and tadfeen is to take place on Tuesday at 9 am in Shaheen Bagh graveyard, said a reetired Jamia school teacher Mohammed Shamim, very close to the family.
He was admitted in Al Shifa for the last one week. He was a resident of H17 Abul Fazal Enclave.
source: http://www.theokhlatimes.com / The Okhla Times/ Home> Local / by the okhla times / May 22nd, 2023
Dr Rakhshanda Roohi Mehdi, prominent fiction writer and a teacher of Syed Abid Hussain Senior Secondary School, Jamia Millia Islamia New Delhi has bagged the prestigious Hamid Saeed Khan Award of Madhya Pradesh Urdu Academy for her Urdu short story collection titled “Monsoon Store” and will receive Rs.51,000/- as award money.
This award recognizes the efforts of progressive women and the exceptional achievements of women who have broken barriers and demonstrated outstanding skills in their respective fields.
JMI Vice Chancellor Prof. Najma Akhtar congratulated Dr Rakshanda Roohi for her great achievements and wished her good luck for her future endeavours.
Dr. Rakhshanda said, “I am deeply honored and grateful to have been selected for this award. I am passionate about my writing and this award truly reflects what I believe in – a woman’s courage and her strong role in improving lives. I am committed to continue my efforts and empower women in the society”.
Apart from “Monsoon Store”, Rakhshanda has also penned another Urdu short story collection “Magar aik shaakh e nihaal e gham”. She has also written “Aik khwab jaagti ankhon ka”, a Hindi short story collection and one Book on Sufism named “Alakhdas.”
She has also translated two novels namely “Aakhri Swariyan” and a Pakistani novel titled “Naulakhi Kothi” in Hindi from Urdu.
Earlier, DD Urdu has broadcasted a tele film “Chilman k paar” which was based on her story named “Bahut sambhala wafa ka paiman magar…”.
A play “Kahan hai Manzil e Raah e tamanna” on her story has been staged in Ram Lal Bhawan New Delhi.
In addition to this, she has authored many articles which have been published in renowned magazines and newspapers. She is a regular participant of talk shows and story narrations of All India Radio and DD Urdu.
She has been honored with many other awards for her literary work.
source: http://www.ismatimes.com / Isma Times / Home> Country> National / by Afzal Shah Madudi (headline edited) /May 03rd, 2023
