The decorated public library rebuilt by Syed Ishaq. | Photo Credit: M.A. Sriram
It offers more than 1,300 books in various languages
More than nine months after the public library he started in Rajiv Nagar in Mysuru was destroyed in a fire accident, Syed Ishaq, the 64-year-old daily wager, has managed to put in place a makeshift structure in the same place to house his collection of books.
The public library rebuilt with corrugated metal sheets was inaugurated on the occasion of Republic Day in the presence of seer of Suttur Mutt Shivarathri Deshikendra Swamiji, Mysuru MP Pratap Simha, former Mayor Ayub and representatives of various Kannada organisations on Wednesday.
Though Mysuru City Corporation (MCC) and the Department of Libraries, Government of Karnataka, had promised to rebuild the library, the promise had remained unfulfilled for various reasons, forcing Mr. Ishaq to take up the construction of the library through the funds he had received from people’s representatives including former Minister Zameer Ahmed Khan, Mr. Pratap Simha, Minister for Cooperation S.T. Somashekar and others.
The rebuilt library now offers the reading public not only more than 1,300 books in various languages particularly Kannada, but also daily newspapers in Kannada, English and Urdu. Mr. Ishaq is hoping to accommodate hundreds of more books that had already been collected and donated to the library by various people and organisations.
After the library was destroyed in an accidental fire in April last year, MCC, Department of Libraries and Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA) had jointly decided to take up the responsibility of constructing a full-fledged library. While the MUDA offered the plot of land for construction of library, the process of construction of the building continued to be delayed, much to the disappointment of Mr. Ishaq.
Mr. Ishaq, who professes his love for Kannada and passion for spreading knowledge among the locals, continued to subscribe for a total of 18 newspapers, besides bringing a small collection of books from his house nearby to the library every day and taking them back.
But, during the rainy season, he used to struggle to keep the books and newspapers dry. As the construction of the full-fledged library by the government continued to be delayed, he decided to put up a shelter and took up the construction of a makeshift structure using the funds donated by the people’s representatives and others.
“About 100 to 120 people come to the library every day to read the newspapers and books. With the new structure in place, I expect the numbers to go up to 170 to 180 every day”, he said.
While he had spent around ₹4 lakh for the makeshift structure, Mr. Ishaq said the donations amounted to around ₹3.5 lakh. “I raised the remaining money by cleaning drainages, painting and doing other odd jobs”, he told reporters after the inauguration of the make-shift structure on Wednesday. Mr. Ishaq said he would like to appeal to the government authorities against making “false promises”.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Karnataka / by Special Correspondent / Mysuru – January 26th, 2022
Women Summit is the annual get together of the members and well-wishers of Women’s Manifesto, a national level NGO formed in 2014. It gives Women Manifesto Award to eminent women from different fields, who have contributed significantly to society and achieved great heights in their professions.
New Delhi :
Manasa Yendluri, a young Telugu short-story writer and Shani S. Hameed, a physiotherapist and Founder, Director and Rehabilitation Child Specialist of Alfa Paediatric Rehabilitation Centre, received awards from Women’s Manifesto New Delhi at the Women Summit 2021.
Women Summit is the annual get together of the members and well-wishers of Women’s Manifesto, a national level NGO formed in 2014. It gives Women Manifesto Award to eminent women from different fields, who have contributed significantly to society and achieved great heights in their professions.
Women’s Manifesto New Delhi organised Women Summit 2021 virtually on 30 December 2021. Dr Rashmi Singh, IAS, Special Secretary-cum-Director, Department of Women and Child Development and Department of Social Welfare, Govt. of NCT of Delhi, was the chief guest of the event.
Talking to TwoCircles.net, Yendluri said, “Receiving an award from women’s manifesto is truly an honour as it not only helps women in need of guidance and support but also encourages and identifies the women of substances.”
“It was a great evening listening to the eminent women across the nation. I sincerely that women’s manifesto and appreciate its deeds”, she added.
While sharing her proud moments with TwoCircles.net, she said, “I won Kendra Sahitya Akademi Yuva Puraskar for 2020 for her collection of short stories ‘Milinda’.”
Manasa did her graduation in Psychology and English literature and did her masters in linguistics from the University of Hyderabad.
Her father Prof. Sudhakar and mother late Dr Putla Hemalatha were also eminent writers in Telugu.
Most of her short stories talk about women from varied backgrounds. She focuses more on the plight of educated Dalit Christian women in the urban setup. She also has written stories on queer characters as an ally.
Her works have been translated into English and have been appreciated across the country.
She has also translated famous Marathi writer Sharan Kumar Limbale’s novel into Telugu. She received many awards for her stories from prolific Telugu writers.
Shani S. Hameed is another winner of the Women’s Manifesto New Delhi.
Hameed has won this award for her initiative called ALFA. ALFA is one of the leading Pediatric Rehabilitation centres and child development established in 2012 and started its operation with a 100 sq ft clinic in Changampuzha Nagar, Kochi, Kerala.
Around 10 kids were given pediatric physiotherapy treatment during the initial year. In 2013 the centre has expanded 1000+ sq feet own centre with more focus on early intervention programs. The program includes medical assessment speech therapy, occupational therapy and special education.
While speaking about ALFA, she said, “ALFA’s vision is to enhance the quality of life for children with special needs, nurture them for a self-reliant existence and support their parents to bring them back to the mainstream of the society”.
“With focused early intervention therapies and multidisciplinary team approaches the centre could make significant achievement in rehabilitating the children with special needs,” she added.
Alfa has been recognized for its work over the past 9 years in the field of rehabilitation, for its coordination of over 50 Alpha team members with over 100% female representation, and for its efforts to make women who have had a career break due to having children with disabilities self-sufficient.
According to her, Alfa has received numerous accolades at the state level since 2014, this year’s national recognition, Alfa is proud to be able to grow from the single-member team from Car Porch converted centre to more than 50 team members today to serve more than 200 children per day at 5 centres across Kerala.
“Now, I am serving more than 200 children who come from different parts of Kerala. Among them, 100 kids are from a very poor financial background and cannot afford treatment expenses or travel expenses. I have been providing the same quality of services irrespective of their financial capability,” Hameed said.
She also talked about ALFA’s short film on social awareness about inclusive education, which is available on YouTube.
While receiving the award, she said “I am very excited and happy on winning the award of Women’s Manifesto in the New Year. Many thanks to the Women’s Manifesto organization and those who are behind this initiative”.
source: http://www.twocircles.net / TwoCircles.net / Home> Lead Story / by Snobar, TwoCircles.net / January 07th, 2022
Sunday’s Google Doodle: Alongside fellow pioneers and social reformers Jyotirao and Savitribai Phule, Sheikh co-founded the Indigenous Library in 1848, one of India’s first schools for girls
pix: Google Doodle / Janaury 9th Google Doodle features India’s first Muslim woman teacher, Fatima Sheikh. (Image: Google.com)
Google is celebrating the 191st birth anniversary of Indian educator and feminist icon Fatima Sheikh, who is widely considered to be India’s first Muslim woman teacher, by featuring a doodle for her. Alongside fellow pioneers and social reformers Jyotirao and Savitribai Phule, Sheikh co-founded the Indigenous Library in 1848, one of India’s first schools for girls.
Fatima was born on this day in 1831 in Pune. She lived with her brother Usman, and the siblings opened their home to the Phules after the couple was evicted for attempting to educate people in lower castes. The Indigenous Library opened under the Sheikhs’ roof.
Here, Savitribai Phule and Fatima Sheikh taught communities of marginalized Dalit and Muslim women and children who were denied education based on class, religion, or gender.
The Phules’ efforts to provide educational opportunities to those born into lower castes became known as the Satyashodhak Samaj (Truthseekers’ Society) movement. As a lifelong champion of this movement for equality, Sheikh went door-to-door to invite the downtrodden in her community to learn at the Indigenous Library and escape the rigidity of the caste system.
She met great resistance from the dominant classes who attempted to humiliate those involved in the Satyashodhak movement, but Sheikh and her allies persisted.
Although Sheikh’s story has been historically overlooked, the Indian government shone new light on her achievements in 2014 by featuring her profile in Urdu textbooks alongside other trailblazing Indian educators.
Majority of domiciles and secularists of Hyderabad State love and respect HEH The Nizam even today.
source: commons.wikimedia.org
The Nizam of Hyderabad Deccan His Exalted Highness Mir Osman Ali Khan Siddiqui was the last Ruler of the Asaf Jahi Dynasty who ruled the largest princely state of Hyderabad & Berar by population and the second largest by size.
Factual stories about HEH the last Nizam of Hyderabad’s riches are well documented worldwide. He reportedly used a £50m ostrich-egg sized diamond as a paperweight.
HEH The Nizam VII was the second Indian to be featured on the cover-page of Time Magazine February 22nd1937 edition as the Richest Man of the world.
HEH The Nizam VII was a secular Ruler, a philanthropist & a genius architect of modern-day Hyderabad.
During the period of war, HEH The Nizam donated truckloads of gold coins to the National Defence Fund of India & as a philanthropist his generous donations of large sums of money to the Benares Hindu University & other Hindu institutions are irrefutable evidences of his secular rule.
Time Magazine with Nizam’s Cover Photo
The majority of domiciles & secularists of Hyderabad State love and respect HEH The Nizam even today; whereas his adversaries especially India’s Hindutva Rightwingers never leave an opportunity to malign his name ®ularly try to distort the history of HEH The Nizam & other Muslim Rulers of erstwhile Indian Empire.
Nevertheless, even today HEH The Nizam & his golden era is highly regarded & commands great respect worldwide to an extent that even today any antiques and works of art of HEH The Nizam’s era are highly sought-after, command a high price and every antique collector’s delight. High value bidding at international auction houses to acquire Nizam’s era antiques are a common sight wherein collectors from around the world and new generation of super rich Hyderabadis vie to own a piece of Hyderabad’s heritage & bring it back to the City of Pearls – Hyderabad.
It’s worth mentioning here that during the last eight decades, a huge quantity of immensely valuable antiques of Nizam’s era were sold at throw away prices by some of the Nizam’s descendants, stolen or looted and smuggled out of the country and sold unlawfully by the caretakers of the Nizam’s Estates, taken away as war booty by the British Indian forces and few others received them as gifts bestowed by The Nizam’s Government & passed on to the future generations as family heirlooms.
Mr. Amarbir Singh – a Numismatic Expert&Authority on Nizam era Hyderabad currency and co-author of ‘Indian Paper Money’says, “Nizam’s Hyderabad had its own railways, airways, central bank, currency, including paper notes, army, and a high court.
After Operation Polo and subsequent trifurcation of Hyderabad State, it lost a bit of its sheen which is now regained by the efforts of the experts and enthusiasts of heritage and history.
Technology has given the impetus to the curiosity and the collection interests of lot of people, many who do not even have their roots in the Hyderabad State. The coins, currency, medals, tokens, stamps, and militaria issued by the Nizam’s Government are very sought-after collectibles today. So, are the vintage books related to Hyderabad and the 1937 Time Magazine which are getting rarer by the day.”
Dr. Mohammed Safiullah – City’s well-known Historian says, “The entire world came to know about the existence of two large Gold Mohurs from Mughal era weighing 11.200 kgs and 2.240 kgs from the Nizam’s treasures after they were put up for sale in an auction three decades ago in 1986. But due to the intervention of the Indian Government, it was withdrawn by the Fine Arts Auctioneers – Habsburg Feldman of Geneva, Switzerland and later sold privately.”
In June 2019, in a single largest auction that lasted for 12 hours at Christie’s, over 700 crores worth of Nizam’s antique jewellery and regalia were sold. Among them a ceremonial sword of the Nizam of Hyderabad for a huge price tag of over $1.5M, The Nizam of Hyderabad Necklace for over $2M, Sarpech for over $1.5M apart from many other antiques.
A lesser price antique “A large Guilded Firman in the name of the Nizam of Hyderabad Sikandar Jah was sold for £1500 at Christie’s in 2016. A large and highly detailed design of the Osmania General Hospital based on the Islamic Architecture of South India by Esch was sold for over £6875 in 2011 at Christie’s also. Vincent Jerome Esch, (1876-1950) was engaged by the Nizam of HyderabadcHEH Mir Osman Ali Khancin 1914 as an Architect to assist in the redevelopment of Hyderabad city following its devastation by floods and plague in 1908 and 1911.
Mr. Ahmed Rahmatullah Khan, a Hyderabadi Techy who works for HP is one among new generation of collectors who recently acquired a rare historic military medal in an Australian auction spending over 180 AUD. The medal has an interesting story behind it as it was issued by HEH The Nizam of Hyderabad for the safe deliverance of Lord and Lady Hardinge’s (Viceroy of India and his wife) after they escaped a bomb attack by the Indian revolutionaries in 1912 while travelling on an elephant in Delhi. The medal was expected to sell for 60-90 AUS but due to the historical story and the Nizam’s tag attached to it, it was sold much over the expected price for 140 AUS plus the auction house fees and logistics.
Muzammil Rizwan Khan based in Australia is a newer generation of Hyderabadis and a proud owner of the Nizam of Hyderabad’s 650 Flintlock Cavalry-Pistol made in the year 1825 and was in the personal possession of the Nizams until 1974. Rizwan purchased the antique gun after spending few thousand pounds last year in a UK auction and imported it to Australia. Whilst the Hindutva Rightwingers are inciting hate with their rhetoric to forcibly revert Indian Muslims to Hinduism (GharWapsi), Indian origin Hyderabadi Muslims like Rizwan exerting efforts employing their resources, time & money to bring back the lost heritage &antiques of Hyderabad & India. As he proudly stated in the unboxing video on his Facebook page “Mein ne Hyderabad ki cheez Hyderabad Alhamdulillah GharWapis le aayahoon. This pistol is just not owned by me but it belongs to all Hyderabadis and I have bought it back home and in the hands of a Hyderabadi again.”
In another recent auction on 17th of December 2021, a small white metal silver plate place holder depicting a young Edward VIII (Prince of Wales) on his Royal tour of India and HEH the Nizam measuring approximately 8 inches was sold by East Bristol Auctions in UK for £110. The antique piece had some minor damages, one of the figurines of the tiger on the Coat of Arms of HEH The Nizam had a tail missing & the coloured photo of HEH the Nizam was considerably faded.
“The picture of HEH Nizam VII is hand coloured and depicts the Star of India Robes awarded in July 1914 decorated with orders and garters – a hierarchy of awards and medals granted to the Rulers, Princes, Nobles and Chiefs of the princely states of India. HH Nizam VI and HEH Nizam VII both were awarded the Star of India Robes by the then British Monarch, Dr. Mohammed Safiullah added.
On 29th October 2020 a commemorative silver scroll holder dedicated to the Nizam of Hyderabad dated 1903 from the Anjuman-i-Islam of Bombay was sold much over the expected price for £1,125 plus fees and vat.
Collectors crave to acquire Nizam era Hyderabad related antiques is ever growing and has reached to an extent in the last 80 years since India’s independence millions worth of Nizam’s antiques were traded at the international private and public auctions as well as local auctions, but there isn’t any data to give an exact figure or value of the trade.
Ahmed Shareef Askander is a Researcher based in London, UK.
source: http://www.siasat.com / The Siasat Daily / Home> Opinion / by Guest Contributor – Ahmed Shareef Askander / January 07th, 2022
B M Zaffer Thonse Chairman Thonse Health Centre (Nature cure and Ayurveda hospital) has been selected for the prestigious Indian Achievers Award-2021 by the Indian Achievers’ Forum for his outstanding professional achievements and contributions in national building.
Zaffer is a known businessman from UAE and the award is given for recognizing his excellence in business, health sector and social activities.
Zaffer is the founder secretary of Qidmath Committee, Hoode and founder sports secretary of Young Men’s Association Kemmanu.
Zaffer is also the founder president of Thonse Cultural Association in UAE and president of Alumni Association of Government Urdu School Hoode.
He also established Nirmal Thonse, a NGO to protect nature and rendered service as honourary president in the same.
source: http://www.daijiworld.com / DaijiWorld.com / Home> Karnataka / by Media Release / November 03rd, 2021
Thirty-two-year old Zeeshan Majeed from Kolkata, West Bengal has not only distributed food during the Covid-19 lockdown but also distributed masks, medicine and oxygen cylinders at times of crisis. For his noble work, he was featured as a Covid Warrior in IPL 2020. He is included among the Covid Warriors in the Limca Book of Records – 2020-22 as well.
Kolkata :
He has been feeding hungry people since he saw a child at a government hospital picking up food from a drain and eating it. Thirty-two-year old Zeeshan Majeed, a footwear manufacturer in Kolkata, started feeding 40 people with meals cooked by his mother once a week, but today more than 1500 people receive food daily from his Anti-Hunger Squad Foundation.
Zeeshan became a social activist after witnessing an accident on the street. It all began when he was on his way to work. He saw a young boy who had met with an accident and lay unconscious on the street near Sealdah railway station on April 15, 2018.
Something strange caught his attention, so he stopped to help. In the chaos, he spotted rag-pickers attempting to grab his mobile and laptop bag, which were lying scattered along with the motorcycle. He was a bit scared to help, but he recovered his courage and rushed the unconscious boy to the nearby Nil Ratan Sircar Medical College and Hospital.
At the hospital, he was shocked to notice the child. He later learned that many rural residents from deprived backgrounds in West Bengal travel to the capital city of Kolkata for treatment at the government hospitals. They arrive with their families and relatives. Some of these people can’t even afford to buy food, medication or accommodation. Most of them live on the streets for days and months.
Zeeshan went home with a heavy heart and recounted the story to his mother. He insisted on offering meals for the needy while he knew that her mother couldn’t possibly cook for this many people. “I asked if she could prepare meals for at least 40 people and I would take care of the rest. Her answer was yes. We decided that every Sunday my mother would prepare food and I would deliver it to people temporarily living on hospital premises or pavements,” Majeed told TwoCircles.net.
Starting a charity On May 20, 2018, he established the Anti-Hunger Squad Foundation, a charitable organisation. It started as a weekly event called ‘Dawat E Aam’ at NRS Hospital. Every week, the menu had a variety of dishes, such as simple hotchpotch, rice with vegetables, vegetable pulao, or rice with soya chunks curry. The menu consisted only of vegetarian meals since the recipients belong to diverse communities, which were served during the lunch hour.
This vehicle carries Anti-Hunger Squad Foundation’s relief materials.
This weekly event has become a part of a daily routine since April 28, 2019, when he started receiving phone calls from different places. Helped by funds from friends, family and through social media, he launched the dinner service. He does not accept cash donations directly from his donors rather engages restaurant kitchens to prepare meals for donors, which he collects and distributes. It gets difficult for him to prepare lunch and dinner on his own, despite having a kitchen.
Covid warrior Among the people he has fed are women, children and the elderly. Whether they are beggars, slum dwellers, destitute or prostitutes, all have benefited from his food distribution services. The underprivileged received food standing in a row during the Covid-19 lockdown while the middle-class people felt shy and refused to queue. They suffered the most during the lockdown.
Zeeshan wanted to help them, so he created a ‘Secret Santa’ project for them with a helpline. On his social media platforms, he advertised that those in need of the ration kit could send him a text. Their ration kits would be delivered to their homes without revealing their identities.
Zeeshan Majeed serving food to hungry people.
During the first lockdown, more than 1000 ration kits were distributed in Sonagachi, Kolkata’s sex-workers area. Ten kilograms of rice and five kilograms of pulses were included in the kits. Furthermore, the Anti-Hunger Squad Foundation distributed over 1200 kits each day under the Secret Santa project. Over 5000 people were helped.
This Samaritan from Kolkata has not only distributed food but also masks, medicine and oxygen cylinders at times of crisis. For his noble work, he was featured as a Covid Warrior in IPL 2020. He is included among the Covid Warriors in the Limca Book of Records – 2020-22 as well.
Former Indian Cricket Captain Sourav Gangulay presenting a gift hamper to Zeeshan Majeed.
“I always had two police guards with me during the Janata curfew or lockdown periods,” he said, acknowledging the maximum support he received from the Kolkata Police. “Their presence allowed me to distribute food properly while maintaining social distance with chalk marking, increasing sanitization awareness. Sometimes on the footpaths, beggars or physically challenged people would form a queue while some forlorn person would hand out disposable plates,” recalls Zeeshan, the owner of Golden Plastic, a footwear manufacturing company in Topsia.
His charitable foundation provided relief materials during natural disasters, such as floods or cyclones. He distributed food during the Amphan cyclone in May 2020 at Chandipur, Gosaba, Patharpratima, Basanti in Sundarban, as well as Harapur, Nalmuri, Bantala, Bhojerhat, Ghatakpukur in South 24-Parganas and other locations. When cyclone Yaas hit in May 2021, the food kits were also distributed to people in Mandarmuni, Purshottomnagar in East Midnapore and other Sundarban islands.
Zeeshan was born and brought up in Kolkata. He is the only son of Tarique Majeed and Nazli Tarique, who have four children. He finished his tenth standard in 2005 at Saifee Golden Jubilee English Public School and completed his 12th standard in 2007 from the same school. He graduated with a degree in commerce from Maulana Azad College in 2012, as well as an MBA degree in marketing from Sikkim Manipal University in 2015.
Zeeshan told TwoCircles.net, “Two days in my life are valuable—the day I was born and the day I discovered why I was born. Despite trying many things in life, including a job and a business, I never achieved satisfaction. That changed when I started distributing food.”
A Ballygunge resident, Zeeshan got married in October 2019. He plans to expand his charitable mission to the global level with this tagline – ‘Aao Ek Nayi Soch Banayay Kisi Bhukay Ko Khana Khilayay’ (Let’s think differently and help feed the hungry).
“I wish to serve people of the world. There are many people around the world who rarely get a square meal. If I have an opportunity, I will ensure that no one sleeps hungry,” he added.
Partho Burman is an award-winning independent journalist based in Kolkata. He writes inspirational, motivational and environmental stories. He tweets at @ParthoBurman.
source: http://www.twocirlces.net / TwoCircles.net / Home>Lead Story / by Partho Burman, TwoCircles.net / December 30th, 2021
Maqsud S. Alam has set an example of community harmony in his region. | Photo by Partho Burman
Forty-seven-year old Sheikh Maqsud Alam is a caretaker of a Christian cemetery. He looks after the Barrackpore Cemetery, which is one of the oldest burial grounds of the Christian community in West Bengal. He took charge at the age of 23 after his mother passed away in 1997. To this day, he continues to look after the cemetery with dedication.
Kolkata :
His responsibility doesn’t allow him to take a day off from his duty. Whether it rains or shines, he performs the last rites by laying coffins at the century-old Christian cemetery in Barrackpore, Kolkata. He sets the perfect example of communal harmony, yet his dawn-to-dusk relentless service towards society has gone unnoticed for the last 24 years.
Meet Sheikh Maqsud Alam, a 47-year-old caretaker of a Christian cemetery. He looks after the Barrackpore Cemetery, which is one of the oldest burial grounds of the Christian community in West Bengal. He took charge at the age of 23 after his mother Thurran Bibi passed away in 1997. He resides in a small room within the graveyard compound along with a few pet dogs.
The entrance to Barrackpore cemetery in Kolkata. | Photo by Partho Burman
The Diocese of Barrackpore notifies him before the coffin arrives. “I have to document the details of the departed soul in my register once the funeral group attends here. The burying process takes place only between sunrise and sunset. The excavation work is done based on the size of the coffin,” Sheikh Maqsud Alam told TwoCircles.net.
Born and brought up at the cemetery in a thatched house, Alam is one among nine siblings. He could not continue his studies after primary level due to poverty. Father Hanif Mali has also worked here as a gardener. Till he was alive, he was assigned to maintain the burials of World War I and World War II.
Established in circa 1820 AD, the Barrackpore Cemetery is also known as the Commonwealth War Grave. Situated at Barrackpore in Kolkata, it is one of the oldest Cantonments in India. It has 21 burials of the soldiers from the First World War and 113 graves of the combatants from the Second World War.
Second World War graves at the cemetery | Photo by Partho Burman
Officer on Special Duty at the West Bengal Heritage Commission, Basudev Malik told TwoCircles.net, “The Barrackpore Cemetery is declared as ‘Heritage’ property in 2019. The importance of heritage declaration is to create awareness among the local citizens. The declaration doesn’t mean that the State government would restore or renovate it, since the graveyard is under the Church authority, they will have to preserve it. However, they can move to the Chief Minister or ministers or local public representatives for it.”
A grave dating back to 1862 is found here. Some entombments of yesteryears might have been even older but those are either buried or veiled behind the cluttered dense woodland. Some British tombstones reflect colonial architecture while some contain loads of love, respect and care shown by their daughters, wives, fathers or sons – all of them have their feelings inscribed on the marbled tombstone in fond memories of their beloved.
Various stones such as sandstone, marble and granite were used. Some have canopies while some are quite simple. The garden of remembrance serves all the Christian communities in the area, including Catholic, Protestant and Pentecost. They show up when the mortal remains of their relatives or friends to be rested in peace here. Some Christian tribal communities also utilize the last resting place for their kith and kin.
The burial place has over 1100 memorials spread across 20 Bigha of land. It is also covered with plenty of trees, including palm, coconuts, guava, jackfruit, Indian blackberry, Indian plum, mango, neem and unwanted weeds. It also houses a number of bird species, venomous snakes, mongooses, jackals, civets, etc.
Talking to TwoCircles.net, secretary of Barrackpore Cemetery Committee, Father Achal Kumar Naru said that 3-4 are reported on average every month. There are certain norms required before burying the dead. “We issue a slip to the bereaved family and that needs to be produced before the caretaker to carry out the necessary work. We charge a nominal fee of Rs.600 for that,” informs Father Naru.
The ground is dug up to 5-feet for laying the coffin. In order to prevent the casket from surfacing, 10 bags of sand, 5 kg stone chips and 50 bricks are required to hold the box back in the soil. Two labourers assist the caretaker, who takes Rs 1500 for it.
Digging is not his only responsibility, but also to supervise the century-old mausoleum. Alam only draws Rs 1000 as salary per month from the Barrackpore Cemetery Committee for these uphill struggles. However, the short-figured man always wears a smile on his face and has no qualms about it. He couldn’t exactly remember the numbers of corpses he buried but it was around 400 bodies in the past 24 years. “Death is unpredictable. Sometimes 2-3 dead bodies come up in a day and sometimes you find none in the entire month,” claims Alam.
Married to Saina Sabina in 1992, the couple have two daughters. His family stays at a rented house in Naya Basti about 10-minute walking distance from the cemetery. Despite poverty, Alam sent his daughters to school with great struggle and both his girls are educated. The elder daughter has completed her 12th standard while the younger has finished her graduation in Arts.
Alam with his younger daughter Nilu Khatun at the cemetery. | Photo by Partho Burman
“I tried my best to educate my daughters under these hardships. I don’t want my daughters to follow the legacy of what our generations have been doing. Both are schooled and I wish to see them opting for some other profession,” concludes Alam.
Partho Burman is an award-winning independent journalist based in Kolkata. He writes inspirational, motivational and environmental stories. He tweets at @ParthoBurman.
source: http://www.twocircles.net / TwoCircles.net / Home> Lead Story / by Partho Burman, TwoCircles.net / December 20th, 2021
K.V.G. Medical College Sullia duo team comprising of Akshitha Anand and Ankitha Anand emerged as winners and clinched the glittering Medi Quiz – 2021 Trophy. The competition witnessed a very exciting close finish as they faced stiff competition from the rival team Kanachur Institute of Medical Sciences comprising of Nusaiba Farheen and Nithya G.S. who had to settle for Second Place.
The Dept. of General Medicine Kanachur Institute of Medical Sciences conducted their Annual State level Inter Medical Collegiate Quiz Contest “Mediquiz – 2021” exclusively for the M.B.B.S undergraduate Students on Dec 4 in their conference hall. The Quiz was exclusively on Medical subjects.
College President Haji U.K. Monu graced the occasion as Chief Guest and awarded the glittering Trophy, Merit Certificates to the Winners and Runners up and congratulated them on their exemplary achievements.
Medical Superintendent Dr Devidas Shetty, Vice Principal K.G. Kiran, Chief Administrative Officer Dr Rohan Monis were the guests of honour. HOD of Medicine Dr Devdas Rai was the Quiz Master.
The contest drew participants from different Medical Colleges comprising 37 teams.
Dr Preethika Welcomed, Dr Narashimha Murthy proposed a vote of thanks, Dr Pooja Shekar compeered the program.
source: http://www.newskarnataka.com / News Karnataka / Home> Features / December 04th, 2021
Chief Justice of India N V Ramana on Wednesday presented the annual ‘RedInk Awards for Excellence in Journalism’, instituted by the Mumbai Press Club, in a virtual event.
Reuters Chief photojournalist Danish Siddiqui was killed in clashes in Spin Boldak district in Kandahar, Afghanistan. (Photo | Twitter)
Mumbai :
Photojournalist Danish Siddiqui, who died during an assignment in Afghanistan, has been posthumously awarded as the ‘Journalist of the Year’ for 2020 by the Mumbai Press Club.
Chief Justice of India N V Ramana on Wednesday presented the annual ‘RedInk Awards for Excellence in Journalism’, instituted by the Mumbai Press Club, in a virtual event.
He presented the prestigious award to Siddiqui “for his spectrum of investigative and impactful news photography”.
Danish Siddiqui’s wife Frederike Siddiqui received the award.
“He was a man with a magical eye and was rightly regarded as one of the foremost photojournalists of this era.
If a picture can tell a thousand words, his photos were novels,” Chief Justice Ramana said while paying tributes to the scribe.
Senior journalist Prem Shankar Jha, 83, was bestowed with the lifetime achievement award “for his long and distinguished career of incisive and analytical writing”.
“His reputation for hard work, the highest ethical standards, and intellectual rigour are unparalleled in the field,” CJ Ramana said while congratulating Jha.
The Mumbai Press Club instituted The RedInk Awards a decade ago to recognise good investigative and feature writing and raise the bar of journalism in the country.
Apart from Siddiqui and Jha, variour other journalists were awarded in 12 categories as part of the 10th edition of the award event.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Nation / by PTI / December 30th, 2021
While the origin of Mygurudu is unknown, it is believed that the word originated from ‘Mozhi Kurudu’, which means misleading with words.
The 1921 revolt grew as an agitation against the feudal lords who aided the British. (Photo | Special Arrangement)
Kozhikode :
The centenary observations of the Malabar rebellion of 1921 are also becoming an occasion to retrieve many forgotten things part of local history. Mygurudu, the secret language that was prevalent in some parts of Malabar, is among them. For the coded language was used widely by the rebels to hoodwink the British during the rebellion.
While the origin of Mygurudu is unknown, it is believed that the word originated from ‘Mozhi Kurudu’, which means misleading with words. The language was developed by swapping Malayalam alphabets. For example, Malayalam alphabet ‘Aa’ is replaced by ‘Sa’ and ‘Eee’ by ‘See’.
In his book ‘Anglo-Mappila War 1921’, historian A K Kodoor recorded that the rebel leaders had instructed that all messages should be communicated through Mygurudu. He added that rebels’ meeting at Vellinezhi had decided to teach all group members the language, and that the Mappilas of Malabar used the secret language from 15th century AD when they were battling the Portuguese.
The Students Islamic Organisation (SIO) recently organised an exhibition ‘Al Jamia Mygurudu’ at the Al Jamia Al Islamia at Santhapuram near here. “The exhibition was part of a protest against the move from the Indian Council of Historical Research (ICHR) to delete the name of those who participated in the 1921 rebellion from the list of freedom fighters,” said Ayman M A, convener of the exhibition.
Dr Pramod Irumbuzhi, who has done extensive research on the language, said he first came to know about it when he was studying at the Calicut University. “I realised that some people can still speak the language. There will be around 500 people who can fluently speak Mygurudu in the seven districts of Malabar,” said Pramod, whose book on the subject has run into the fourth edition.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Kerala / by Express News Service / October 24th, 2021
