The Urs of Sheikh Noorudin Wali at Chrar-e-Sharif, Budgam, Kashmir
Prof Farooq Fayaz Bhat, author and historian says that since over 80 percent of Kashmiri live in villages and are into agriculture, it’s just right that the Urs of Sheikh Nooruddin Wali, the founder of the Rishi cult (Sufi) and the Patron saint of Kashmir, be celebrated by his teachings which were not for the elitist but the common masses.
He was explaining the phenomenon of Noorudin Noorani’s Urs being celebrated last week, instead of on the date of his passing away. He said this fluctuation in the calendar of the Urs is in tune with the aspirations of people who are done with harvesting and therefore can visit the shrine for Urs.
“Sheikh-ul-Aalam gave religious philosophy based on the holy Quran and the Sunnah, aligned himself with the unlettered masses, and had a simple living in terms of dress and diet”, Farooq Fayaz commented. There was no reference to “Wazwan” or luxurious life with the Sufi saint, added Farooq Fayaz.
On the other hand, the elite and educated class knew two languages, Sanskrit and Persian, while the Sheikh represented the rural majority, who only spoke in their mother tongue. The rural majority would remain busy toiling for more than nine months but had sustenance only for three to four months a year, the historian commented.
People led by CM Omar Abdullah thronging the shrine
He said that October being towards the end of the harvest season of paddy, grains, and fruits, led to free time for over 90 percent of the rural folk. Elaborating on the sociological perspective, Prof Farooq Fayaz said that in the absence of cash, the rural masses had to resort to barter systems and “take asylum in the serene atmosphere of shrines”.
For the unlettered rural society, Sheikh Nooruddin Wali was Alamdaar-e-Kashmir (flag bearer of Kashmir), who would visit the shrines with all their offerings (in kind)”, the author said. The rural masses were “resourceful only in October” and thus, keeping in view the material, physical, and economical aspects has to be kept in mind.
For the past six decades, the practice of celebrating the life of Sheikh Nooruddin Noorani or Sheikh-ul-Aalam (1377 to 1440 AD) at the three-day Urs is being held in October every year, coinciding with the 26th day of the running Islamic month.
The Saint is revered as Alamdar-e-Kashmir, Nund Rishi, and Sheikh Noorudin Noorani. He lived for 63 years between the 10th of Dhul Hijjah 779 and 26 Jumada al-Thani 842 Hijri. He passed away on the 26th day of the month of Ramazan.
The Urs was organized on October 13 last year and October 23 in 2022.
The Urs began with the “Gilafbandi”, a change of sacred cloth on the graves of the saint and his followers on Monday, followed by night-long special prayers on Tuesday. The Urs was celebrated on Wednesday, 26th of Rabi ul Thani and the celebrations concluded with the following Friday prayers.
CM Omar Abdullah praying at the shrine
The Urs was earlier scheduled to be observed on September 30, coinciding with the 26th day of Rabial Awwal, of the Islamic calendar. However, on the recommendations of the J&K Wakf Board, it was rescheduled to be observed a month later on this day to fall in October.
The officials said that scheduling of the annual Urs had been worked out to be held in October, a practice for the past six decades, to avoid any inconvenience to the devotees during harsh winter conditions.
This schedule was adopted during the tenure of the former Prime Minister (as the head of the government was then called in J&K) Bakshi Ghulam Mohammad, who ruled J&K from 1953 to 1964.
On one such occasion, many devotees died due to harsh winter conditions prompting the authorities to devise a pragmatic approach to celebrating the Urs.
An official of the J&K Wakf Board told Awaz The Voice that October had been chosen for its moderate climate when farmers are free from the harvesting of paddy, apples, and other fruits.
Nund Rishi’s shrine, which is thronged by devotees daily, is also known for night-long prayers on Thursdays every week, attended by a larger number of pilgrims from all across the valley. This practice was restricted during Covid 19 period and has been restored over the last couple of years.
Sheikh-ul-Aalam is revered by both Muslims and Hindus for his eternal teachings. “His poetic expressions are universal. His guidance for a pious life is very impressive. His message of harmony and spiritual excellence is relevant everywhere and every time”, Chairperson of J&K Wakf Board Dr Darakhshan Andrabi stated.
source: http://www.awazthevoice.in / Awaz, The Voice / Home> Story / by Ehsan Fazili, Srinagar / November 02nd, 2024
Very few people have the distinction of excelling in the field of literature, besides being an equally excellent scientist or technocrat, and this is the quality that distinguishes Dr Arif Ansari from his peers, who has earned name as an accomplished translator, while at the same time being an excellent engineer.
Dr Ansari, an alumnus of the Zakir Husain College of Engineering and Technology who graduated from AMU in 1984, was today felicitated at the Faculty of Engineering and Technology, Aligarh Muslim University for his outstanding contributions in the field of Mobile Communication and Wireless Technologies and for his translations of Urdu books into English.
In his presidential remarks, Prof. M. Salim Beg, Dean, Faculty of Engineering and Technology, said that it is a moment of great pride for the Faculty of Engineering that one our distinguished alumni is among us who we can take pride on for several counts.
Prof Beg said that in addition to his work in translations, Dr Ansari has contributed immensely in the field of Telecommunication in general, and Mobile Communication in particular. He took a PhD degree from Southern Illinois University in 1993, after completing B.Sc. Electrical from AMU in 1984 and MS Electrical Engineering from Southern Illinois University in 1987.
He said that Dr Ansari, after starting his career in 1984, has served in various senior positions including as the Principal Technology Advisor, PDV Wireless, Chief Technology Officer, Reverb Inc., Practice Lead, InCode Consulting, Director, Network Design, Mobile Satellite Ventures, Hybrid Terrestrial Satellite Mobile Communications System, Senior Manager, Nextel Communications, Principal Engineer, Lockheed Martin Global Telecommunications and Design/Senior/Principal Engineer, LCC International.
Earlier, welcoming the guests, Prof M.M. Sufiyan Beg, Principal, ZHCET said that dr Ansari’s translation of Anis Ashfaq’s novel Khwab Sarab (winner of 2022 Sahitya Akademi award in Urdu) and Kaali Maati of Ali Amjad have received acclaim from the academic world.
His other translations include “Transience of Life” Vol I and II by Ghaus Ansari; “What Days They Were” by Qazi Jalil Abbasi; “A Branch of the Sapling of Sorrow” by Ali Amjad; “The Khilafat Movement” by Qazi Mohammad Adeel Abbasi; and “The Complete Lectures of Sir Syed” Vol. I-III.
Dr Ansari, who is visiting his alma mater after 30 years, reminisced about his days on campus as a student and fondly remembered two of his teachers, Prof Muslim Taj and Prof Tariq Aziz, for their excellent teaching and shaping his career. He also presented a copy of all his publications to the Engineering College library.
source: http://www.amu.ac.in / Aligarh Muslim University – AMU / Home / by Public Relations Office (headline edited) / October 28th, 2024
Experience gained in theatre teaches more than Ph.D which leads one to the path of righteousness and for actors it is important to be humble as arrogance will lead to their down fall, said senior theatre actor Julekha Begum, in city yesterday.
She was speaking at the monthly interaction programme Maatina Mane, organised by Rangayana at Bhoomigeetha. “An artiste must live the character on stage withstanding hunger and struggle. It is also important to note that artistes do not belong to any caste, creed or religion. They will have to face problems that come in their way and every house must have an artiste,” said Julekha Begum remembering her struggling days when she faced difficulties to provide education to her children.
Speaking on the occasion, Rangayana Director Satish Tiptur said that arts, which are on the verge of extinction and stories that are stored in the minds of artistes should be a part of the syllabus.
“The interaction programme has been organised to identify and recognise the real stakeholders of art and to bring out various art forms that have been neglected over the past decades,” he said.
Earlier, the programme was inaugurated by playwright Kotiganahalli Ramaiah.
Writer Abdul Rashid coordinated the event. Department of Kannada and Culture Joint Director V.N. Mallikarjun and Rangayana Deputy Director M.D. Sudarshan were present.
source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> News / October 27th, 2024
Teenager Adil Aftab, a resident of Waseypur looks for people to buy his art so he can support his mother’s medical expenses, who is getting treated at Fortis, Kolkata.
Some of the digital artwork and sketches of Adil Aftab
Kolkata:
When the name Waseypur, a locality comes into our mind, it always brings up a picture of crimes and gang wars. But like many other parts of the world, this place has people, who have extraordinary talents and are struggling with one or other challenges in their lives.
One such teenager is Adil Aftab. The senior secondary student passed out with 82 per cent marks, wants to become a software engineer and applied at a college in Kolkata, but getting admission into engineering college is not his problem.
18-year-old Adil’s mother, Shagufta Aftab has to undergo a kidney transplant and his family has no money to fund it.
Shagufta and her husband Aftab Alam, used to run a female tailoring shop in Waseypur itself, in which Shagufta used to cut the clothes, but as she is sick now, the shop is also shut down for over two months now.
So to fund her mother’s treatment, the 18-year-old son, who is also an artist, wishes to sell his digital artworks as well as sketches and paintings.
45-year-old Shagufta, mother of two is under treatment at Fortis Hospital, Kolkata. Shagufta and Aftab’s first child is a daughter, she is a commerce graduate.
“The transplant will cost Rs 10 lakhs and we have no such money. Till now we have already spent two lakhs on different tests, medicines and dialysis. So I want to sell my artwork if it can save the life of my mother,” informed Adil to eNewsroom.
Adil with his mother Shagufta Aftab
The young artist says about his work, “Most of the time, I sketch my emotions. Sometimes, I also sketch cartoon characters.”
Adil’s artworks look refreshing and meaningful too. However, he says, “I have not taken any professional training and nobody has guided me about it.”
“My sister-in-law is giving her kidney to my wife, but I do not know how we will bear the cost of the transplant. Now, every week three dialysis are taking place and every time it costs around 4 thousand rupees. After two months the transplant will take place and during which we have to arrange money for the treatment,” said Aftab.
It has not been easy for Adil to do these works of art when his mother is critically ill. “For the last seven years Ammi is not well and since last year when lockdown had begun, her condition has deteriorated fast,” rued Adil.
Adil says he can make art on the demand of art lovers also. “And, I have not fixed any price for my work. One can pay any amount, as per his and her capacity,” he added.
Would you like to buy the artwork of Waseypur’s young artist?
Please visit his other works on Instagram page @adil_aftab15, or contact him at adilaftab369@gmail.com id.
source: http://www.enewsroom.in / eNewsRoomIndia / Home> Freshly Brewed> Jharkhand / by Staff Reporter / August 16th, 2021
Two years after their viral cover of Ali Sethi’s Pasoori, Kerala’s beloved sibling quartet—Dana, Durra, Thooba, and Rafa Razik—have returned with an original album, Rooh-e-Mardem. This qawwali-inspired project is a deeply personal family affair, woven with love, spirituality, and the collaborative spirit that defines the Raziks’ musical journey.
The album opens with “Noor-e-Khuda,” a powerful track that gently pulls listeners into a realm of devotion and divine light. Dana’s partner, lyricist Ashfaque Ahamed, collaborated with the poet Khurram Murad to craft lyrics that honor God’s omnipresence and the search for spiritual connection. As Dana describes it, Rooh-e-Mardem “is a true musical family collaboration,” carrying forward the Razik family’s vision of uniting faith with melody.
Rooh-e-Mardem not only shines through its lyrics and vocals but also in its vibrant musical arrangements. Rafa Razik co-composed the music with Faheed Ali, a family friend, and musician who shares their deep appreciation for qawwali’s timeless beauty. Accompanying Dana’s soulful vocals are Roshan Haris on harmonium, tabla, and percussion, while Haris Veeroli’s guitar melodies lend an earthy charm to the compositions.
Directed by Haseeb Abdul Latheef, the music video features the entire Razik family, including their father, Abdul Razik, and beautifully captures the familial warmth that lies at the album’s core.
Dana, who is a rising playback singer with millions of views on YouTube and Instagram, has gained acclaim for her covers of Hindi and Malayalam songs.
Following her 2022 single, Veendum, with composer Afzal Yussuf, Dana has since ventured into film music with tracks in Once Upon A Time in Kochi and Kadakan. Her voice will soon grace the soundtrack of the upcoming film Turkish Tharkam.
With Rooh-e-Mardem now available across streaming platforms, Dana Razik’s family brings listeners a serene, introspective experience. As each song unfurls, it invites an awakening to the divine presence in everyday life, carrying forward their message of love, unity, and devotion.
Award winning film editor Nishadh Yusuf (43) was found dead at his residence in Pamapally Nagar in Kerala’s Ernakulam district on Wednesday.
The police officials are conducting the investigation. The cause of death is yet to be ascertained.
Nishadh was celebrated for his work on several popular Malayalam films, including Thallumaala, Unda, One, and Saudi Vellakka. He was also editing the upcoming project featuring Tharun Moorthy-Mohanlal, Mammootty’s Bazooka and Suriya’s Kanguva.
In 2022, Nishadh was honoured with the State Award for Best Editor for his work on Thallumaala.
“The unexpected demise of Nishadh Yusuf, film editor, who played a major role in determining the contemporary future of the changing Malayalam cinema is not something the film world will be able to quickly accept.
Condolences from FEFKA Directors’ Union,” read a post by The Film Employees Federation of Kerala (FEFKA) Directors’ Union.
Nishadh Yusuf was a native of Harippad. He is survived by his wife, a son and a daughter.
source: http://www.maktoobmedia.com / Maktoobmedia.com / Home> Film & TV / by Maktoob Staff / October 30th, 2024
A new biography examines the life and work of one of the most acclaimed modern Urdu poets.
The Call of Unknown Destinations
Phir kahin khwaab-o haqiqat ka tasadum hoga Phir koi manzil-e benaam bulati hai hamein
Once again, a conflict between dreams and reality will rage somewhere Once again, some nameless destination calls out to me
Naya Din Naya Azaab
Sard shakhon pe os ke qatre Hain abhi mehv khwaab aur sooraj Rath pe apne sawaar aata hai
A New Day A New Calamity
Drops of dew on cold branches Are still immersed in their dreams when the sun Comes riding on his chariot
A new kind of poetry began to be written under the influence of the progressives. It loosened the hold of tradition and opened the way to new subjects and styles. From the 1940s new experiments were being conducted in Hindi prose and poetry and the Urdu writer was neither unaware nor unaffected by them; it was much the same in Hindi. Despite the jingoistic nationalism that projected the cause of Hindi and the zeal with which language chauvinists promoted one language along with its literature and respective literary culture, at the expense of the other, there were still some spaces where Urdu and Hindi writers met and interacted.
Aligarh, with its robust Urdu and Hindi departments, had healthy interactions between their respective faculty and several common platforms where writers and teachers of both languages met and exchanged ideas. In fact, the microcosm of Aligarh reflected the situation at the pan-Indian level, that is, of concurrent movements in Hindi and Urdu which prove that the ideas that propelled these movements were collective and widespread rather than unique and localised to individual languages and their respective literary cultures. And, if not mirror images, the Urdu and Hindi literary landscape displayed sufficient similarities to point to a commonality of concerns and inspirations in the years leading up to the 1960s when Shahryar begins to find his poetic voice.
The publication of a slim volume of Hindi poetry, TaarSaptak (1943), opened the door to a new wave of experimentation (prayogvaad) which, in turn, laid the foundation of the nayi kavita (new poetry).
Taar Saptak contained the poetry of seven young poets: Agyeya, Muktibodh, Shamsher, Raghuvir Sahay, Sarveshwar Dayal Saxena, Kedarnath Singh and Kunwar Narain. All seven were firm in their belief that (i) they belonged to no “school” of poetry, (ii) they were merely fellow travellers along the same road, who had differing opinions and worldviews, and (iii) they had not reached a destination or arrived at any grand conclusion; the journey was their destination.
In fact, Agyeya, the compiler of the anthology, went so far as to say that his fellow contributors consider “poetry a subject of experimentation” and that they were “explorers of new ways”. This “new” poetry turned out to be new in both form and content. The Saptak poets – and others who came under their mesmeric, insistent spell – were caught up with the need to convey a deeply-felt, intensely personal, emotional experience.
This resulted in the evolution of startlingly new metaphors and images, radical experiments in form and content, new rhythms and sound patterns that were meant to reflect harsh new truths and the deliberate use of laconic, abstruse even occasionally dense images and ideas. The entire process – spanning close to two decades – bore spectacular fruit by the 1960s.
Elucidating the commonality between the concerns of the Hindi and Urdu poets of the 1960s, especially those who came in the immediate aftermath of the progressive upsurge, Manglesh Dabral, Hindi writer and poet, notes:
“In fact, poetry, both in Urdu and Hindi, of and after the 1960s carries the melancholy, irony and sadness of its time with a ‘pessimism of the mind and an optimism of the heart’, as famously put by the Italian Marxist philosopher Antonio Gramsci.”
The waning of the progressive movement coincided with several other factors that plagued the body politic all through the 1950s and 1960s: disillusionment with the fruits of independence, simmering communal tensions, rampant corruption and unemployment, increasing scepticism about the very idea of freedom, in fact, a fast-eroding faith in any form of organised belief system be it religious, political or intellectual. The nayikavita in Hindi and the jadeed shairi in Urdu were the result of this manthan or churning in the post-1947 India.
While acknowledging Shahryar’s closeness to the Hindi department in Aligarh, especially its most charismatic teacher Kunwar Pal Singh, Prem Kumar, who taught at a college in the City, Ravindra Bhramar, who was a distinguished poet and teacher in the Department of Hindi, and Neeraj, the pre-eminent Hindi poet of Aligarh who, no matter where he worked, always returned home to his perch in the city, the eminent Urdu critic Gopi Chand Narang however feels Shahryar possibly benefitted more from early models of modernist poetry available in Urdu itself, such as Majeed Amjad, Nasir Kazmi, Muneer Niyazi and the young Turks of the “new wave”. Then there were the French models, the symbolists who had influenced NM Rashid and whose influence was plentifully available in Urdu through some spectacular and image-laden poetry, as well as Ezra Pound and TS Eliot.
Narang mentions the small leftist group lead by Maqsood Rizvi and the influence of Munibur Rehman, poet and teacher, on an entire generation of young men at Aligarh. Shahryar was at the fringes of almost all “left” activity in Aligarh – from his student days, as well as when he was a member of the staff and then again post-retirement till his death. The campus leftists regarded him as a fellow traveller – as one sympathetic to their cause if not exactly one of them, technically speaking, that is. Narang puts it well when he says, succinctly enough, “Shahryar’s urge was inner and his own”.
Poetry, Shahryar believed, must necessarily have an element of music. Without music there can be no poetry and like music, poetry too must follow some rules and principles. Above all, like music, poetry must have rigour.
While it is easy to say that poetry, and music, come naturally to those who are gifted, Shahryar maintained that even the gifted must follow certain rules and regulations if they are to be true to their gift. Mere practice is not sufficient to become proficient as a poet. For a seed to sprout, the soil it is planted in must also be fertile. Also, any seed will not sprout in any soil – no matter how much you may plough it or water it or add nutrients. It might appear as though anybody with any imagination can produce a creative work, but that is not so. Everyone cannot marshal the ideas produced by their imagination, organise them into a coherent and meaningful manner and present them in a way that is pleasing or new. Nor can everyone gather together scattered ideas and thoughts in a way that is startling. The primary function of any art form is to surprise; it is the most magical effect that art can produce.
Shahryar held tradition in great regard. Possibly because he had come through the rigour of a formal and exhaustive education – including a PhD under the exacting early supervision of a teacher such as Ale Ahmad Suroor as well as the guidance of a scholar such as Azmi – that too at a university such as Aligarh’s whose Urdu department boasted some of the finest academicians and greatest connoisseurs of urdu zubaan and tehzeeb. Unlike many of his contemporaries in the new wave of poetry that came in the wake of the progressive upsurge, Shahryar was never one to cock a snook at the centuries-old legacy that the modern Urdu poet had ready access to. He believed that tradition could teach the nuts and bolts of poetry and especially the ghazal, for the tools of Urdu poetry have remained largely unchanged while the outer appearance has changed as has its vocabulary. The manner of crafting a ghazal – a bit like “pouring” ideas into a mould or wine in a bottle – has remained largely the same since the genre of the ghazal was first perfected by masters such as Mir and Sauda.
Like cooking, which Shahryar enjoyed enormously, poetry too was a matter of getting the ingredients right. The metaphors, symbols, abstractions need to be in the right proportion; excess or want can make all the difference between magical and mundane. And just as in cooking, there is that indefinable element called haath ka maza (its literal translation “the taste of the cook’s hand” does not come close to doing justice to its meaning), so also with poetry. The form of the ghazal does not allow much deviation and the vocabulary too is constrained by metre and rhyme; yet, within these time-honoured constraints, the master ghazal-go can produce magic when the reader exclaims with wonder at something that touches his/her heart. Ghalib expressed it best when he said:
Dekhna taqreer ki lazzat ki jo uss ne kaha Maine yeh jaana ke goya yeh bhi mere dil main hai
Look at the deliciousness of speech that when [s]he spoke I felt as though this too lies within my heart
Good poetry can indeed make the reader feel “I could have said this” or “This is exactly how I feel”. And when that threshold is reached, Shahryar believed, the real aesthetic experience happens which is essentially a mystical communication between the writer and the reader or the reciter and the listener.
Shahryar was averse to extreme topicality in poetry. For literature to pass the test of time, he believed, it must contain something within it that would live beyond the here and now. In this he differed from the progressives, especially the more ideologically-driven progressives, who wrote on intensely topical subjects and whose works acquired the tag of waqti adab (topical literature).
As Shahryar said in an interview, it is not important how many poems are written on Korea; instead, what is important is how many good poems we remember being written on Korea. The undue importance being given to mauzu (topic) and maqsadiyat (purposiveness), he believed, was one of the reasons for the decline of the progressive movement:
“Purposive literature must necessarily contain the known and familiar; it has no scope for new experiments. It must have common thoughts, common feelings, and so on. Naturally, therefore, it can only accommodate general things about people, not individuals.”
Making his own position vis-à-vis art and life amply clear, Shahryar was at pains to establish the importance of life in the centuries-old Art vs Life debate – Adabbarai Adab (Art for Art’s Sake) and Adab barai Zindagi (Art for Life’s Sake):
“I believe in having respect and regard for all forms of Art on the express condition that Life – in all its myriad glory – must be present in Art. If such a situation arises whereby I am forced to choose between Life and Art, I will choose Life. Poetry is nothing more than this for me…With the coming of the English we Hindustanis discovered that literature holds a mirror to society and a valuable tool for social change. And ever since then we have all, in our own way, been doing this work. Every now and then some of us have declined to – and declined most vociferously – to perform this role.”
Among his seniors, Shahryar has acknowledged the influence of Faiz Ahmad Faiz, Miraji, Muneer Niyazi, Akhtarul Iman; but among his contemporaries his own poetry was likely to have commonalities with Zafar Iqbal, Nasir Kazmi, Ahmad Mushtaq, Muhammad Alvi, Salim Ahmad because they had possibly read and been influenced by the same sort of people he had. In India, he regarded the ghazals of Hasan Naim, Khalilur Rehman Azmi and Shaz Tamkanat as being among the finest – both in terms of technique and content.
However, Gopi Chand Narang offers us another way of seeing Shahryar and viewing him alongside his contemporaries. For one, he doesn’t believe one should necessarily go by how a poet assesses himself with regard to his peers. In his opinion, a poet’s views about himself can be discussed but should not be taken at face value. Narang goes on to say how “all poets, including Ghalib or Mir, try to play safe … they may exaggerate or deconstruct. There is always a crisscross of influences…”
Narang is also willing to speculate that since Azmi was the earliest mentor, his must have been the earliest influence on Shahryar’s poetry and it is possible that Shahryar chose to list Shaz Tamkanat and Hasan Naim rather than Azmi as the two were indeed current in those days and he might even have liked their works. But Narang himself is of the opinion that there is no trace of either Tamkanat or Naim in Shahryar; the two score in terms of craft but little else, whereas Shahryar “speaks in his own voice, an authentic voice. There is no trace of even Mir or Ghalib what to speak of Tamkanat.” Though Narang goes on to concede, “there may be a bit of Nasir Kazmi or Muneer Niyazi…They were the poets of their age. Muneer in his own natural way of wonder and awe viz a viz the onslaught of urban culture and Nasir Kazmi, via Firaq Gorakhpuri, rediscovered the painful and lonesome voice of Mir.”
But Shahryar’s creativity, Narang insists, was his own. Even if he wanted, Shahryar could not go the way of Nasir Kazmi or Muneer Niyazi. Shahryar interacted with them just as he did with his other contemporaries and fellow poets at mushairas and nashists but “once he had found his voice he was content and hardly looked around.” (emphasis mine.)
So, was Shahryar a progressive? Or was he modernist? This question has vexed many, for while he started writing poetry and gaining recognition as a poet when the modernist movement was gaining momentum, Shahryar himself was at pains to establish his socialist-Marxist credentials.
We have already established that when it came to the crunch, in a debate on Art for Art’s Sake vs Art for Life’s Sake, Shahryar could not have aligned himself with the former. Asked if poetry can afford to be wilfully self-referential, his answer was equally unequivocal: “There can be no poetry without the self.” But he was also quick to clarify:
“At the same time, no one can be expected to be interested in the purely personal details of other people’s lives, in the joys and sorrows of others. Some poets have tried to do that, for instance Akhtar Shirani wrote poetry that was intensely romantic yet extremely personal. But that has never appealed to me. I have a Marxist world view. I believe in the social and political commitment of literature. You may not always find direct references to my worldview in my poetry. But you will find them in the oblique and the symbolic.”
Asked if poetry must necessarily have a social commitment, a framework within which it must be located and a frame of reference that is accessible to all its readers, Shahryar’s answer became more general. All good poets, be it Iqbal or Faiz, he said, speak of the world, to the world. And then he tossed a “googly” at me when I was least expecting it by declaring: “In some respects, Faiz is a greater poet than Iqbal precisely because he is more human, more interested in all humanity and not one community or group.” This one seemingly offhand statement, possibly made on the spur of the moment, seems to contain the kernel of Shahryar’s own poetic vision and holds the key to understanding his perception of a poet’s role in society.
Excerpted with permission from Shahryar: A Life in Poetry, by Rakhshanda Jalil, HarperCollins India.
source: http://www.scroll.in / Scroll.in / Home> Book Excerpt / by Rakshanda Jalil / August 24th, 2018
Accept Happy Women’s Day from Hello Mumbai News.com Team :
Each year, Hello Mumbai News takes the privilege to celebrate International Women’s Day on March 8th to propagate and recognize women’s social, economic, cultural, and political achievements through featuring stories on their successful journey in their field and to call for gender equality
This is with a goal to raise awareness about the need to end gender-based violence, promote women’s leadership, celebrate their contributions, promote entrepreneurs, startups and advocate for women’s economic empowerment around the World.
We, Hello Mumbai News Team have compiled a list of noteworthy and inspiring Entrepreneurs drawn from across the Country.
We hope their stories will inspire one and all. So guys read on:
There is a tremendous growth in Muslims foraying into Entrepreneurship in the country. Amid the World celebrating the International Women’s Day, Hello Mumbai News is taking the privilege to interview the Muslim Entrepreneurs from Mumbai and so forth in their Series International Women’s Day.
As of now Women Muslim Entrepreneurs have defied this stereotype even as cashing in on the rapidly growing market for Muslim-focused Business.
Muslim Women Entrepreneurs are and have proved they are nothing less. Today they are into varied businesses and are growing with it on their own merits.
They have adopted the business and labour practices of global capitalism.
Muslim Women Entrepreneurs have made a mark in Mumbai and they have emerged as successful at entrepreneurship.
Sana Khatri:
Famous As: Business Entrepreneur
Hello Mumbai News: Could you please Introduce yourself to our readers?
Sana Khatri: Hi. I am Sana Khatri, I was born and brought up in Mumbai and hail from a Muslim Menom Community. Though I was an housewife earlier, presently, I am the Founder of Grace Network Event and Exhibition Company.
Hello Mumbai News: What Inspired you to venture into your own Business?
Sana Khatri: Well, being a Muslim Woman I observed that there is a lot of potential and talent in our Muslim Women but there is no specific platform for them to explore their talent. Hence decided to do it. Moreover, I belong to a business family background, so business is in my blood. And in a bid to empower and promote Women Entrepreneurs, I decided to start this business.
Hello Mumbai News: What Challenges you faced as a Woman Entrepreneur and how did you overcome them?
Sana Khatri: Look, In every business challenges occur and it is very common. So for me to create a network of women professional and Entrepreneurs was a Big challenge. I became very active on social media and did hard work on ground level. From person to person i created this platform.
Hello Mumbai News: Tell us something about your Start-up and how people can benefit from it?
Sana Khatri: My startup company name is Grace Network which provides a platform to MSME and women Entrepreneurs to showcase their products. We organise Exhibition twice a month in different parts of Mumbai. Women Entrepreneurs participate in this Exhibition display their products and get benefits. In last five years and as of now, we have organized more than 24 Exhibition across Mumbai.
Hello Mumbai News: Where did your Inspiration come from?
Sana Khatri: I was inspired by my Family members and my Husband
Hello Mumbai News: Do you feel that in India there are enough structures and facilities put in place to assist women to expand their Startup Journey?
Sana Khatri: Yes. India is a Very huge Market and our present Government is doing good to support MSMES and small Startup.
Hello Mumbai News: How you balance your professional and personal life .
Sana Khatri: Well, though quite difficult, yet, I managed. In this, I always had the support from my Husband.
Hello Mumbai News: What advice would you give to someone who is aspiring to be a Women Entrepreneur?
Sana Khatri: My sincere advice is to be positive and increase confidence. Y will definitely get success.
Hello Mumbai News: Which Woman Inspired you?
Sana Khatri: Quite obviously my Mother.
Hello Mumbai News: What is your message on International Women’s Day?
Sana Khatri: Yes.To Empower Women Empower Nation. Happy Women’s Day.
Hello Mumbai News: Being a Muslim Woman Entrepreneur what type of challenges and difficulties you faced.
Sana Khatri: Frankly speaking my biggest challenge is to bring Muslim Women Entrepreneurs under one roof. Our Community Women follow Pardhaa still now. And being a Muslim Woman Entrepreneur, Networking among Women is the biggest challenge
Hello Mumbai News: What’s your vision and future plan about your startup?.
Sana Khatri: Well, I want to make Grace Network a big platform across India and to promote Women Entrepreneurship culture among Muslim women. Very soon I will be organising an Exhibition in every district of Maharashtra and Big Metro cities of India.
Hello Mumbai News: Do you agree Mumbai being a financial capital a good Market for Startup and Entrepreneurs?
Sana Khatri: Yes of course. No doubt about it. In Mumbai Entrepreneurship culture is growing day by day among women Entrepreneurs.
Sanaubar Aijaz Malik:
Famous As: Business Entrepreneur
I am Sanaubar Aijaz Malik the owner of Glamour and Style a well-known clothing brand in Mumbai. I was born and brought up in a Muslim family in South Mumbai.G
I graduated in psychology from St Xaviers College and postgraduated in counselling psychology. My life’s journey was so very professional as a psychologist to begin with. I then got the opportunity to join a special school run by an NGO as principal and administrator and dedicated nearly 15 years for the upliftment of underprivileged women and children with special needs. This was a different level of contentment altogether for me. I have such precious and unforgettable memories of these days of my life.
Alhamdulillah born in a well educated Muslim family, all my family members were professionals, I did not have to face any societal pressure. The school where I worked was run by an NGO run by broad minded women themselves. Being a psychologist, I knew the importance of mother’s role in the development of children so I left my ideal and secure job to give time to my two kids, Anam and Jawaad, thanks to my supportive husband Aijaz and in laws. My hobbies were reading, handicraft making, stitching, embroidery, painting, dress designing and so much more… During this time my husband had to shift to Pune for work and our kids started growing up. As a result I now had few hours free for myself. I then started giving voluntary vocational training to underprivileged women and children with special needs, helping them to lead independent self reliant lives. Suddenly, my life turned upside down with my mom’s death due to cancer, my own and my husband’s ill health. It was during this phase that I started selling self created handicraft items and dress material to keep myself busy and distract myself from such circumstances. Alhamdulillah, we overcame this depressive phase and grew stronger. Then came the lockdown that changed the lives of so many people. It affected my life too but in a positive way. My online sales improved Alhamdulillah. I also got involved in a lot of charitable work. I noticed that a few karigars and tailors were out of their jobs. Some even left the city. I then thought of getting suits stitched and selling so that they could feed their families. I participated in a lot of exhibitions where I met a lot of other women entrepreneurs especially those who organized exhibitions and encouraged small business owners. No act of goodness and hardwork goes wasted. Blessings of all those who were helped led to the brand called GLAMOUR AND STYLE today. Glamour and Style grew into a successful brand in a significantly short span of time. Today, we have a team of karigars each expert in their own forte, team salesgirls, team of photographer and models, a team handling my social media, a graphic designer and so on. From an individual person handling business, glamour and style is benefitting so many people, both men and women who work from home. Another major aim is satisfaction of customers. We are continuously striving to make the best exclusive designs at affordable rates especially for middle class families. Thanks to my supportive husband Aijaz Malik, my family and friends, who always encourage and motivate me, i have been able to reach here. During lockdown many businesses failed and women came to the forefront supporting the family. The only advice that i can give someone who is an aspiring women entrepreneur is to never give up. Allah taala is watching. If your intentions are good, you will get success. Faith, willpower, hardwork and perseverance pays.
I take inspiration from wife of our beloved Prophet(pbuh) Hazrat Khadija (r a) who was a successful Muslim woman entrepreneur. Fashion is a signature of your unique style and it has a lot of scope. Today, Sanaubar Aijaz Malik’s Glamour and Style is a well known ladies clothing brand boutique located at Dongri, Mumbai. The place vibrates with hues and sophisticated designs….a candy to the eyes. It deals in ready to wear Indian attires, keeping in mind the customers budget and latest trends. The price range is super affordable without stooping on the quality. You can pick a lovely casual wear cotton outfit @ just Rs 1200/- Each suit made is exclusive. One of its kind. They have sizes from Small( S or 36) to 5XL (or 50). Available at our outlet are Stitched and semi stitched Kurtis/tunics. Casual cotton and lawn suits embellished with laces. Festive collection with embroidery and patch work. Premium and designer party wear collections. and much more. You can WhatsApp on 9833873378 Website www.glamourandstyle.in Instagram glamourand.style Address: 233, Bundar bldg, SVP Rd, Next to Buland Darwaza, opp. Khoja Kabrastan, Dongri Mumbai 400009. There are over 1000 suits available to select from. Shop is open 11am to 9 pm Monday to Saturday. Courier facility is also available all over India. Best quality at affordable prices. We match style and class with luxury and comfort. With the changing mindset, Inshaallah Muslim women will continue to make great strides in the business world in the days to come. In future, I see myself continuing my endeavour of helping the needy and impacting the lives of people so that the world could become a better place to live in. Inshaallah I plan to expand my business to cater to the needs of more and more people. On women’s day the only message that I want to give to all women entrepreneurs is to maintain quality of life. You need to balance your family, career, health as well as friends. This will automatically lead you to success. If I could do it, you can do it too. Happy women’s day.
Sanaa Gaazi:
Famous As: Mehndi Artist
Hello Mumbai News: Could you please Introduce yourself to our readers?
Sanaa Gaazi: Hi. Privileged to connect with Hello Mumbai News. I am Sana Gazi, born and brought up in Mumbai and hail from a Muslim Community. Though I was an housewife earlier, presently, I am the Founder of Sana Gazi Mhendi Artist Beauty Startups.
Hello Mumbai News: What Inspired you to venture into your own Business?
Sanaa Gaazi: Well, Since my child i was interested in Beauty Industry specially in Mhendi Design. From the day one my mother supported me a lot and i joined Mhendi classes done course. After this i decidedly to make it a professional. and decided to start this business.
Hello Mumbai News: What Challenges you faced as a Woman Entrepreneur and how did you overcome them?
Sanaa Gaazi: Look, In every business challenges occur and it is very common. So for me to create a network of women client was a Big challenge. I became very active on social media and did hard work on ground level. From person to person i created this platform.
Hello Mumbai News: Tell us something about your Start-up and how people can benefit from it?
Sanaa Gaazi: My startup company name is Sana Gazi Mhendi Artist which provides a Mhendi designing specially Dubai flavour.our speciality is Designing which women like it very much.
Hello Mumbai News: Where did your Inspiration come from?
Sanaa Gaazi: I was inspired by my Mother Family members and my Husband
Hello Mumbai News: How do you balance your professional and personal life .
Sanaa Gaazi: Well, though quite difficult, yet, I managed. In this, I always had the support from my Husband.
Hello Mumbai News: What advice would you give to someone who is aspiring to be a Women Entrepreneur?
Sanaa Gaazi: My sincere advice is to be positive and increase confidence. Y will definitely get success. Work hard belives in your self
Hello Mumbai News: Which Woman Inspired you?
Sanaa Gaazi: Quite obviously my Mother.
Hello Mumbai News: What is your message on International Women’s Day?
Sanaa Gaazi: This International Women’s Day, is very special for me, because it was on this auspicious day that I got married. This women’s day marks my 4th Marriage anniversary. I want to give special message to all women to support and help each other grow together and Make Nation strong.
Hello Mumbai News: Being a Muslim Woman Entrepreneur what type of challenges and difficulties you faced.
Sanaa Gaazi: Frankly speaking my biggest challenge is to create good quality client because Mhendi is an Art and its difficult to convince the client about Designing.
Hello Mumbai News: What’s your vision and future plan about your startup?.
Sanaa Gaazi: I want to make Sana Gazi Mhendi Artist a Big beauty Startup through this platform i want launch Mhendi classes want to teach poor and needy girls.Through my Mhendi art i want to support my society.
Hello Mumbai News: Do you agree Mumbai being a financial capital a good Market for Beauty Startup and Entrepreneurs?
Sanaa Gaazi: Yes of course. No doubt about it. In Mumbai Entrepreneurship culture is growing day by day among women Entrepreneurs.
Farzana Imran:
Famous As: Makeup Artist
Predominantly Business is a male-dominated world, and in the Muslim community, where female modesty is held at a premium, one might assume that was doubly the case.
But as of now Muslim Women Entrepreneurs are making a Huge impact they have defied this stereotype even as cashing in on the rapidly growing market for Muslim-focused Business.
Like other Non-Muslim women entrepreneurs who have conquered the Male Counterparts in every field of profession, so too Muslim Women Entrepreneurs are and have proved they are nothing less. Today they are into varied businesses and are growing with it on their their own merits.
One such ambitious charismatic and vibrant is Farzana Imran recognised as Zaana Make-up Artist.
Hello Mumbai News took the opportunity to catch up with the enterprising Make-up artist for an exclusive interview on International Women’s Day. Excerpts of the interview.
Hello Mumbai News: Hi. Farzana, welcome to Hello Mumbai News. Could you please introduce yourself to our readers.
Farzana: Hello. This is Farzana Imran, a Make-up artist.
Hello Mumbai News: Farzana, how did u foray into the beauty business?
Farzana: Well, I forayed into the beauty business way back 4 years ago as makeup artist and a subsequently an hairstylist.
Hello Mumbai News: How would you Describe your Signature Look.
Farzana: I have always attempted to enhance one’s inner beauty, Pakistani bridal look and elegant party makeups are my signature looks. It has been my passion towards makeup and engaged in beauty industry is all that I had always wanted and it was my cherished dream.
Hello Mumbai News: What made you come up with your Own Make up line.
Farzana: Beauty is endless and one doesn’t need to look fair as far as beauty is defined, but just that you need to be a good hearted person to look beautiful…..(but a lil mascara never hurts)
Hello Mumbai News: Please throw light on your speciality and services you provide.
Farzana: It has always been my priority to provide with the best of service to my clients. I also visit venues where there is a need for makeup. And also visit accept destination wedding makeups
Hello Mumbai News: Which elements of job that attracts and you most enjoy?
Farzana: Well, I just love doing eye makeup and enhance eyes. As a saying goes “Keep going and never stop your bank account has more numbers than your mobile number”.
Hello Mumbai News: What type challenges you have you encountered amid your professional Journey.
Farzana: Yes. I did have had to face lot of hassles but by the grace of God I could hustle, bustle fight and bounce back. Let me tell you that Women are blessed with power if whatever they decide they will ultimately succeed in life
Hello Mumbai News: Whom have you looked up for inspiration?
Farzana: Yes, amid peels of laughter, Parul Gurg a seasoned Makeup artist is my inspiration and touchwood I am fortunate to have a very supporting husband so everything gets managed. Am accessible on @zaana_makeup_artist and on Mob No. 9022696457
Fatima Qureshi:
Famous As: Beauty Entrepreneur
Hello Mumbai News: Could you Introduce yourself for our readers.
Fatima Qureshi: I am Fatima Qureshi, Beauty Expert by profession.
Hello Mumbai News: What Inspired you to venture into your Business?
Fatima Qureshi: It was the need of the hour and an Urge to be self-dependent.
Hello Mumbai News: What Challenges have you faced as a Woman Entrepreneur and how did you overcome them.
Fatima Qureshi: Well, amid taunt from the society as this profession was not appreciated in those days. Then traveling to places for work. Maintaining balance between home and work
Hello Mumbai News: Tell us something about your Start-up and how people can benefit from it.
Fatima Qureshi: For venturing into any business one has to invest a lot of money. Hence, I started giving tuitions and then utilized that money as a freelancer beautician.
Hello Mumbai News: Where Did your Inspiration come from?
Fatima Qureshi: It was a safe job as I had to deal with females.
Hello Mumbai News: Do you feel that in India there are enough structures and facilities put in place to assist women to expand their Startup Journey?
Fatima Qureshi: No
Hello Mumbai News: How do you balance your professional and personal life.
Fatima Qureshi: I organize my work as per priority. It’s difficult but I systematically manage it.
Hello Mumbai News: What advice would you give to aspiring Women Entrepreneur?
Fatima Qureshi: Just go for it. Achieve your dreams. Make the Impossible possible.
Hello Mumbai News: What Women Inspire you.?
Fatima Qureshi: To be Enthusiastic Positive Confident
Hello Mumbai News: What is your message on International Women’s Day.
Fatima Qureshi: Nothing is impossible for a WOMAN. Stand up for yourself.
Hello Mumbai News: Where can our readers find you and keep in touch with you.
Fatima Qureshi: On Instagram and Facebook @Femsglamour
Hello Mumbai News: Being a Muslim women Entrepreneur what type of challenges and difficulties you faced?
Fatima Qureshi: Too much restrictions on work timings and travel
Hello Mumbai News: What’s your vision and future plan about your startup?
Fatima Qureshi: I am a self-starter who intend to make the most of every opportunity that life offers me I want to become an inspiration for all the women who want to become an inspiration for others I want to help all those to achieve their goals.
Hello Mumbai News: Tell us in brief about your services.
Fatima Qureshi: We deal with all types of skin and beauty services.
Hello Mumbai News: Do you agree Mumbai being a financial capital a good Market for Startup and Entrepreneurs?
Fatima Qureshi: Yes, by all means.
Aisha Tabrez Chinoy:
Famous As: Food Entrepreneur
Hello Mumbai News: Could you Introduce yourself for our readers.
Aisha: I am a mother of 2 lovely kids, housewife and an entrepreneur who loves to hustle and wants to make an identity for myself in the society and be an inspiration for a lot of females to do something on their own.
Hello Mumbai News: What Inspired to start your Business.
Aisha: the challenge that I was going through in the kitchen specially while making birista where we had to peel onions, cut, chop and fry them to make birista inspired me to make kitchen life easy for a lot of kitchen queens and also my passion for cooking.
Hello Mumbai News: What Challenges have you faced as a Woman Entrepreneur and how did you overcome them.
Aisha: There have been end number of challenges that I have faced… Taking care of joint family, kids, household chores, staff, sales, manufacturing and many more challenging… But I am fortunate enough to have my husband who is the strongest pillar of my life and also for S.A Foods. He has a lot of experience in the corporate world dealing into sales and customer service. He’s always ensures to share and implement his experience in S.A Foods…
Hello Mumbai News: Tell Something about your Start-up and how people can benefit from it.
Aisha: Firstly all our products are all made using the finest ingredients and we offer premium quality marinades, birista, ginger garlic paste, chutneys, mayos to make kitchen life easy and zaikedaar for kitchen queens. We have more than 5000 customers and they all share their feedback that our products have made their kitchen life very easy and zaikedaar.
Hello Mumbai News: Do you feel that in India there are enough structures and facilities put in place to assist women to expand their Startup Journey.
Aisha: It is only the will, passion and persistence that helps you achieve your goals whether it is India or any location in the world. Make use of the resources available and looking for solutions to your problem is the key to success.
Hello Mumbai News: How you balance your professional and personal life .
Aisha: It is difficult and challenging… But when your husband and your family support understands you passion and you dream you can do wonders. I am fortunate alhamdulillah to have a strong family with very strong values and also my staff who are more like my family… Then it becomes easy to distribute your work load. Special thanks to my entire staff of S.A Foods.
Hello Mumbai News: What advice would you give to someone who are aspiring Women Entrepreneur
Aisha: Only 1 advice… Understand what makes you happy and work on your product/service daily… Love what you do and also be consistent… It’s you persistence and determination that will give you name and then everything falls in place.
Hello Mumbai News: What’is your message on International Women’s Day.
Aisha: Love yourself, be confident about the work you do. Make your own identity not to compete with anyone, but just to discover your strength and discover yourself.
Hello Mumbai News: Being a Muslim women Entrepreneur what type of challenges and difficulties you faced.
Aisha: A challenge is a challenge when you don’t have anyone to support you… But alhamdulillah I am blessed with best husband, parents, in-laws and my entire S.A Foods family who have been my strength and never made me feel if there’s any challenge. I see a challenge and alhamdulillah my husband comes up with a solution and my entire staff supports to complete those challenges.
Hello Mumbai News: What’s your vision and future plan about your startup.
Aisha: Ek hi vision hai… Make life easy and zaikedaar for all the kitchen queen… #hargharsafoods
Hello Mumbai News: Tell us brief about your services.
Aisha: We offer home delivery services and any customer can book their products through our website, Instagram and WhatsApp. We also keep on uploading new recipes on Instagram for our customers so that they know how they can prepare some yummy recipes for their own family easily. We also share more than 150 recipes through WhatsApp to make their kitchen life easy and zaikedaar.
Hello Mumbai News: Do you agree Mumbai being a financial capital a good Market for Startup and Entrepreneurs.
Aisha: I was born and bought up in Mumbai… There is always a lot of scope to start your own business and make a name for yourself. Just believe in yourself and make small progress daily. Naam ke liye kaam karo… Kaam khud ho jayega…
My mom and my mother in law who coincidentally has same name Sabera n of course my name Aisha and that’s the initial in S.A Foods… Their never to give up attitude inspires me and I am blessed to have them in my life.
Nikhat Khan:
Famous As: Makeup Artist
Hello Mumbai News: Could you introduce yourself for our readers.
Nikhat Khan: Nikhat khan as makeupbykhan I am professional makeup and hair artist
Hello Mumbai News: when and how did you get into beauty industry
Nikhat Khan: Makeup is my passion and in makeup industry I am since 3 yrs
Hello Mumbai News: How would you Describe your Signature look.
Nikhat Khan: The best way to create a signature look is to think about what is you want to accentuate about your natural beauty and then play around and see what makes you feel best
Hello Mumbai News: what made you come up with your own makeup line
Nikhat Khan: It’s my passion which made me come up with my makeup line
Hello Mumbai News: What is beauty for you
Nikhat Khan: It’s our strength and self confidence to know that with or without makeup the real beauty is “you”
Hello Mumbai News: Tell something about your specialty and service you provide
Nikhat Khan: We provide makeup that should look soft elegant and natural
Hello Mumbai News: which elements of job do you most enjoy
Nikhat Khan: As a makeup artist you have the power to make beautiful when ur clients see them in the mirror after your final touch the smile that you see on their face is “princeless”
Hello Mumbai News: Do you have any tips or advice for Aspiring makeup artist
Nikhat Khan: You should have a strong passion for the makeup industry and you should be creative
Hello Mumbai News: What type challenges have you faced during your professional Journey
Nikhat Khan: We all have to accept a challenge in every job how to balance it it’s up to us
Hello Mumbai News: What’s your message on International Women’s Day
Nikhat Khan: Happy Women’s day to all the incredible women ! “Not just today but everyday “
Hello Mumbai News: who is your favourite makeup artist
Nikhat Khan: Mine favourite makeup artist is Nasreen ma’am coz she’s the one where I am today she’s my makeup guru
Hello Mumbai News: how you balance your professional and personal life
Nikhat Khan: We should be very calm in both personal and professional life
Hello Mumbai News: when our readers can find you and keep in touch with you
Nikhat Khan: I m on Instagram as makeupbykhan3 WhatsApp on 9082958822
Yasmin:
Famous As: Makeup Artist
Hello Mumbai News: Could you Introduce yourself for our readers.
Yasmin:My name is yasmeen i am a professional makeup artist
Hello Mumbai News: when and how did you get into Beauty Industry.
Yasmin: I just love to do makeup right from my childhood but I tried it as a profession after my marriage by getting inspiration from all the ladies out there in the industry who just want to pursue something on their own.
Hello Mumbai News: How would you Describe your Signature Look.
Yasmin: As I said I just love doing makeup but my clients and friends love how I do box liner and nude makeup a lot as it enhances the natural beauty of the person irrelevant of their ethnicity.
Hello Mumbai News: what made you come up with your Own Make up line.
Yasmin: Nothing just a passion for makeup and a love of sharing the knowledge which I have.
Hello Mumbai News: What is Beauty for you.
Yasmin: To me, beauty is all about being comfortable in your skin, its about knowing and accepting who you are.
Hello Mumbai News: Tell Something about your speciality and services you provide.
Yasmin:My specialty is makeup and knowledge in it and that is the service that I provide, by the grace of Allah I am very good at it
Hello Mumbai News: which elements of job do you most enjoy.
Yasmin:you know, when we are done with our work and we receive a beautiful smile and positive feedback from the client, that’s it that’s the best part of the job which I enjoy
Hello Mumbai News: Do you have any Tips or advice for Aspiring Make up Artist.
Yasmin:Do what you love and love what you do, and follow your passion blindly don’t run after fame make your work shout out your name and fame will come running after you.
Hello Mumbai News: What type challenges have you faced during your professional Journey.
Yasmin:Nothing can be achieved without any challenges as being a married woman and a mother the difficulty level for starting a career at this time of life is way up high and the list is way long enough from the tension of who’s gonna look after the children to how well everything will be managed. But as they say, where there is a will there is a way, everything will be managed gradually.
Hello Mumbai News: What’s your message on International Women’s Day
Yasmin:A woman can do anything she is willing to do, the only thing she needs is just a small backing from the family and people around her. She may not be strong physically but strongest emotionally and mentally.
Hello Mumbai News: who is your favourite Make up Artist.
Yasmin:The makeup artists who inspire me and whom I admire a lot are Khushi Virani, Sheena Kaur, and Meenakshi Dutt. No comments the best in the industry.
Hello Mumbai News: How you balance your professional and personal life.
Yasmin:My personal and professional life are way more different and wide apart but we have to balance between them like they both are connected with a rope of family support, sacrifices, passion, and enthusiasm for the work and you have to balance yourself on it, the stronger the pull is the stiffer the rope gets and so it gets easier to balance between them. Just ignore the “char log” who are always behind your back and come to disbalance your life.
Hello Mumbai News: when our readers can find you and keep in touch with you.
Yasmin:my instagram id Yasmeen–makeup–artist Makeup by yasmeen86 My youtub id Yasmeen shaikh Yasmeenshaikh4230
Mehvash Arfat shaikh:
Famous As: Business Entrepreneur
Hello Mumbai News: Could you Introduce yourself for our readers.
Mehvash Arfat shaikh: Mehvash Arfat shaikh Owner of Selfcare_station21 I deal in Oriflame Company products. Oriflame guarantees the quality of any Product which carries the Oriflame name and certify that they are manufactured by, or for us to meet the highest standards of quality. We are confident that our Customers will find our Products satisfactory in every way.
Hello Mumbai News: when and how did you get into Beauty Industry.
Mehvash Arfat shaikh: One year back Wanted to help & empower women to work with zero investment at their own time like work from home. We help all women and teenagers to be entrepreneurs…with zero loss…and zero investment..
Hello Mumbai News: How would you Describe your Signature Look.
Mehvash Arfat shaikh: You’re never going to get your best work done if you’re not satisfied with all aspects of your life.
Hello Mumbai News: What is Beauty for you.
Mehvash Arfat shaikh: A beautiful person is someone who stays true to themselves and their spirit; someone who is self-confident and can make you smile.
Hello Mumbai News: Tell Something about your speciality and services you provide.
Mehvash Arfat shaikh: When you register as Oriflame Brand Partner you will be one of our partners. You can take advantage of the opportunities we offer to make money by selling our products to others and to potentially build its own network of advisers.
Hello Mumbai News: which elements of job do you most enjoy.
Mehvash Arfat shaikh: Make people belive in themself …. And start earning from their own business. Being successful doesn’t just mean making a lot of money. It means achieving success in all aspects of life
Hello Mumbai News: What’s your message on International Women’s Day
Mehvash Arfat shaikh: Women are an inspiration to everyone. Cheers to all women on Women’s Day 2023! There is no limit to what we, as women, can accomplish.
Hello Mumbai News: How you balance your professional and personal life.
Mehvash Arfat shaikh: Organising your day and making a schedule for yourself will help in having a stress-free day. working from home can actually be the most efficient way to get things done.
source: http://www.hellomumbainews.com / Hello Mumbai News / Home> Mumbai Local / by Aleem Shaikh / March 08th, 2023
Unpacking the politics behind the Indian fashion industry’s biggest—but unsung— shareholders
Photo: Bikramjit Bose
At first glance, Indian jewellery brand Olio’s Instagram feed looks like any other of its kind: a visually resounding moodboard of sorts, chock full of Bollywood references, 90s nostalgia, and whimsical photos of its maximal, statement jewellery that is unforgettably cool.
But dig just a little deeper and you’ll find that beyond the beautiful aesthetics and jewellery accents, Olio isn’t afraid to make a cultural, social, or political statement. Case in point, when user ‘Shreya’ left a review for Olio’s website accusing them of ‘misinformation’ for attributing the origins of the haath phool to the Mughals “who brought it to the country by way of Persia,” as per Olio. But ‘Shreya’ claimed that the haath phool “is a Hindu jewellery that has nothing to do with Mughals”. So, Olio dedicated a post as ‘a history lesson for Shreya’ on how the Mughals played a pivotal role in shaping the art of jewellery-making in India. More on that later in the story.
In a country with over 5,000 years of history, the rise and fall of countless civilisations, the reign of rulers from all over the world, and 200-year-long colonisation, to deem something purely from one cultural corner is an abject erasure of aspects of the history of one the world’s oldest civilisations. “It’s just so crazy that people just want to rewrite history. We are so multicultural, and it comes from our history; there’s beauty in this diversity,” exclaimed Aashna Singh, one-half of Olio’s founding duo.
This might seem like any other incident of someone confusing their facts about history, but the erasure of the part of history that Singh is referring to is specifically that of Mughal and Islamic influence on India.
As represented by ‘Shreya’, there seems to be an increasingly divisive and communally charged sentiment amongst people bent on homogenizing what is a polychromatic amalgamation of cultural influences on our clothes, jewellery, art, culture, culinary history, among others, and in effect, risking the oblivion of its colourful tapestry of heritage, something Singh witnessed first hand with her brand. “That was the first time we took a strong stance about something, and it was very interesting to see the reaction to that. I mean, you also get a lot of love, and people who appreciate it appreciate it a lot. But then there have been customers who wrote to us saying they’re not going to shop with us again because they were just so upset by it, which is scary.”
But what does jewellery, and its design history, have to do with the country’s current inflamed state of religion-based viewpoints? According to Umair Shah, co-founder of a creative studio that works with lifestyle brands, and an amateur historian, a lot. “We need to understand that most of the ancient craft we cannot simply call ‘ours’ because everything has a nuanced historical aspect.
If you talk of silk that is used to adorn idols in the temples, it came through the Silk Route from China.
If we talk of carpet weaving in Kashmir, it came with Shah Hamdan, a Persian saint, scholar, and religious leader of the 14th century AD.
Zardozi came with the Safavid empire in Iran; what Suzani is in Central Asia just became Sozani in India.
All of these arts and crafts that are now celebrated in India have a cross-cultural, cross-boundary relation or derivation. And you will find that often the people who are carrying forward these traditional skills today in India may have ties that originated from those regions.”
“It serves as an element of forming your identity. One of the biggest reasons behind that was the absence of a caste system that could be related to any profession, whereas a majority of the population in medieval times were working as per their caste. But with a lot of Muslims, they were doing any kind of job that was fitting for them. Incidentally, one of the most important industries for India happened to be textile.” Shah further added that when we erase the association of religious identity, its ensuing history and heritage, with the karigars, we risk losing the identity and the history of the craft itself.
Make no mistake, India appreciates, celebrates, and continues to buy what is commonly known as ‘Mughal’ art and design, but Shah pointed out that’s only the case until something starts looking “too Muslim”. “A lot of crafts that we see in the market are popular because we have a tendency of fetishising anything that’s ‘Mughal’, so to speak. But the fetishisation is for the craft only, and not for the karigar. You don’t want to be associated with their religious identity.”
Last year in October, an Indianwear brand was forced to remove its ad after online outrage poured in over using an Urdu phrase, ‘Jashn-e-Riwaaz’, meaning ‘celebration of customs’ for their Diwali campaign. “Deepavali is not Jash[n]-e-Riwaaz. This deliberate attempt at abrahamisation of Hindu festivals, depicting models without traditional Hindu attires, must change. And brands should face economic costs for such deliberate misadventures,” tweeted a political leader. A year prior to that, in October 2020, a prominent jewellery brand’s ad faced similar outrage, this time for supposedly promoting “Love Jihad” in an ad that showed a pregnant Hindu woman escorted by her Muslim mother-in-law for her baby shower ceremony. The jewellery giant eventually took the ad down from all its digital platforms.
Kallol Datta, a Kolkata-based clothes-maker and finalist of the Jameel prize, is of the opinion that the root of the problem doesn’t lie in the lack of awareness of Persian and Mughal design influences. The problem is in a different ballpark and, as Datta predicts, is set to snowball into something of a different scale in the future. “Right now, you have fascists posting instructions on social media on how to do away with Urdu words in your vocabulary and substitute them with Hindi words. This could soon also include instructions on design language.”
Amidst Indic and Mughal influences, and the black and white of what’s ‘our’ history, and what’s not lies a line that is extremely blurred. The line being of who influenced what, and at exactly what point in time, or if a ruler’s reign affected change in the architecture or design of the era. When an idea is inspired by somewhere else it is often transformed into something new.
That’s why Pramod Kumar KG, who is the managing director of Eka Archiving Services, founder director of the Anokhi Museum of Hand Printing, and the first director of the Jaipur Literature Festival, emphasizes the importance of looking at the history of design, in all its forms, from a much more nuanced lens. “We look at something and we assume that this is Mughal design. We don’t realize that this is an assimilation of different things over the centuries which has come down to us in a certain form. We have brilliant portraits of, say, Jahangir wearing a bandhani patka waistcloth, bandhani being a technique that is more indigenous to the country or to the subcontinent. So this constant moving back and forth existed. Sometimes it’s convenient for us to look at something and say, ‘That’s Mughal, this is Rajput, this is Hindu, this is Muslim’. But the fact of the matter is that all of them are incredibly layered – designs, motifs, and even garments. It’s not a blanket answer and I really wish people would look at it that way and realize that we are far more than just one or the other.”
When I asked Sarthak Kasliwal, the youngest partner at Jaipur’s iconic jewellery institution, The Gem Palace, what he makes of such ‘influence’, he replied with a much more simplified version: “Artists always get inspired from different places. There’s no originality in anything in the sense that the first was also created by getting influenced by something else. So no one can actually own it. You date back in history, you say it because you know that part. You can trace it back. But to what date? And what about before that?”
Beyond debates and discussions of history, heritage, and lineage of craft forms, something much more tangible lies at stake – the livelihoods of generational Muslim karigars if their art is disassociated from their identity. But why should the fashion industry care? As per Datta, “The pattern cutters, sewing machinists, hand embroiderers, weavers, dyers and printers – a majority of people engaged in fashion production are Muslims. Fashion gets to profit off of culture and craft. But you cannot profit off the labour of an entire community and stay quiet when the same community is subject to intimidation, diminished access to education and livelihood.”
But as Kumar pointed out, “Everybody’s just too scared to speak up at all, to say anything contrary that’s also important. Be it celebrities or designers, nobody wants to toe that line. But by being silent, you’re equally a party to the problem.” That is why Shah thinks that designers and design houses hiring Muslim karigars need to step up. Beyond fair pay and regular work, Shah insists that they need to be given assurance that they work in an unprejudiced environment. “Beyond getting their work done by the karigars, designers need to be aware of the situation in the country and the realities of the lives of the people who are working for them. All these people don’t have a voice today. If they are getting humiliated or threatened, they will likely not know what to do about it. They need reassurance that the brands they’re working with will at least be their voice if something untoward happens.”
The way ahead is, undoubtedly, a more inclusive and diverse design and cultural sentiment wherein every influence is celebrated as part of the country’s fabric, agreed Kasliwal who envisions the same as a young businessperson and the heir of a prestigious design institution.
Singh and her partner Sneha Saksena, too, shared that they intend to use their privilege and Olio’s platform “to do the right thing”, even if it costs the brand a few angry customers or negative reviews. “ Fashion can be very frivolous sometimes. It’s just jewellery at the end of the day. Like, what am I doing? I’m just trying to sell jewellery. But if we can have an impact by using our privilege and our platforms to protect the most vulnerable, then why not? Because otherwise, what’s the point of it all?”
source: http://www.vogue.in / Vogue India / Home> Fashion / by Shubhangana Das / September 23rd, 2023
Al Sharq Youth India Hub organized a heritage walk on Monday onwards. This heritage walk was an interesting way to understand and experience the essence of Old Delhi’s life, which is immersed in a rich cultural tapestry.
Al Sharq Youth India Hub is an extension of Al Sharq Forum, an independent, international non-profit organization that aims to consolidate the values of pluralism and justice while developing long-term strategies and programs that contribute to political development, economic prosperity, and social cohesion in the world.
Zahid Afzal of Al Sharq Youth India Hub said heritage walks provide a tangible connection to a country’s rich history and diverse culture. He added that such educational experiences offer an understanding of recognizing cultural heritage as a valuable resource, which can encourage youth to explore career paths in fields such as archaeology, history, conservation, anthropology, etc.
Altogether, 15 youth embarked on the journey to explore the heritage sites of Old Delhi, which contributed to a stronger sense of identity. The group covered 20 heritage sites in old Delhi, which was formerly known as Shahjahanabad. It first visited the abandoned havelis of Gali Khazanchi. Through the Paranthe Vali Gali, the group explored Kinari Bazar.
The next stop was the Naughara, which is occupied by nine houses that were owned by the top nine elite families at the time of the Mughal Empire.
One of these houses is potentially a visiting spot for history lovers, as there are countless antique artifacts on display, including the original round pair of spectacles of Mahatma Gandhi. The owner of this house was one of the great freedom fighters of India and also a very close friend of Mahatma Gandhi.
With the visit to Ghalib ki Haveli and Ballimaran, the heritage adventure ended with the kullad of Nagori Chai.
Safia, the core team member, said, “The heritage walk organized by Al Sharq Youth Hub India was a wholesome experience for me. For someone who is extremely interested in Mughal history and the things they used in their daily lives, this walk in unexplored lanes of Chandni Chowk was a delightful experience.”
Khatiba Jamal, a class tenth student, said, “We learned a lot from the heritage walk. This was all interesting and we had lots of fun.”
Sumbul Atique, a resident of Old Delhi and a core team member of Al Sharq Youth India Hub guided the group through the walk.
source: http://www.radiancenews.com / Radiance News / Home> Art & Culture> Latest News / by Radiance News Bureau / October 28th, 2023
