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
Sabu Dastagir, or Selar Sabu, might be an overlooked name in Indian Cinema’s vibrant history but many wouldn’t be aware that he was perhaps the first actor to find bonafide success in Hollywood. These are the early 1930s that we refer to, much before the likes of Om Puri, Saeed Jaffrey, Irffan Khan or even Priyanka Chopra made their mark on the foreign shores.
Born in the Mysuru kingdom of the pre-independent India to the then king’s official mahout, Sabu was spotted at the age of 13 by director Robert Flaherty (or his wife, some sources claim) who would later cast him in the screen adaptation of Rudyard Kipling’s Toomai and the Elephants (from the Jungle Book). While portions of the film were shot in Mysuru, the rest of the film was shot in London which meant that Sabu was flown over, along with his brother, to England where he is said to have attended school for a brief period.
But this was only the beginning for Sabu Dastagir as he chanced upon more such golden opportunities with projects like ‘The Drum (1938), wherein he played prince Azim, or Zoltan Korda’s ‘The Thief of Baghdad’ in 1940 in which he played Abu, the outwitter who ultimately saves the princess. ‘The Thief of Baghdad’ won the Oscars for Cinematography, Art, and Special Effects while ‘The Drum’ ended up causing riots in Mumbai for its subservient attitude towards the British in the film.
Around the time of ‘The Thief of Baghdad’s release, the second World War was looming large over the entire world, and Sabu, during its peak, had just completed shooting for ‘Jungle Book’ in Hollywood.
He would go on to serve the American military and become an integral member of more than 40 air missions across the pacific as their tail or machine gunner. Along with the acting accolades he had received till then, Sabu also became a decorated military officer after being awarded the Flying Cross.
Sabu would then continue residing in the United States of American and become the face of the “Empire Movies” with several hits like ‘White Savage (1942)’, ‘Cobra Woman (1944)’, ‘Man-Eater of Kumaon (1948), and many more to his name.
It was on the sets of ‘Song of India’ in 1949 that he met actor and future wife Marilyn Cooper for the first time.
Sabu Dastagir breathed his last on 2nd December, 1963 in California, despite being in the pink of his health at the time.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / TimesofIndia.com / Home> Entertainment> Kannada> Movies / by Swaroop Kodur / September 07th, 2021
Rasheed Artist is one among these people in Malegaon, who despite all odds went on to achieve such a position, which is difficult for many even under most favourable conditions
Rasheed Artist – renowned artist of Malegaon
The powerloom factories in Malegaon might have been the only available option for the Malegaonians, the deprived people of the Muslim dominated textile town in North Maharashtra. Yet the amount earned after working in these factories was sufficient till a few decades ago to make one’s end meet easily. This perhaps is the reason why the town has surprising number of poets, laureates, scholars and artists who would work in these factories like petty labourers during the day and then indulge themselves in creative activities till late in the evening.
Rasheed Artist is one among these people in Malegaon, who despite all odds went on to achieve such a position, which is difficult for many even under most favourable conditions. Hanging against the walls of the main halls inside the plush bungalows owned by the dignitaries in India as well as in various other countries in the world, Rasheed Artist’s paintings are point of attraction for visitors since many years. Fabulous achievement indeed! However the journey that led to these walls was not easy, and for Rasheed Artist, it needed a matchless and unprecedented effort since childhood.
Malegaon in the sixties though had quite a good number of schools, managements could hardly find a good drawing teacher during those difficult days. Under these circumstances having a professional artist to teach the art of painting to students using watercolor was beyond one’s imaginations. However Rasheed Artist was resolute. He was just 15 but when he failed in fulfilling his strong desire for commercial art in the corridors of the education campus, he decided to quit schooling.
“It was my craze for paintings that forced me to drop out of the school in the early age”, he recalled.
Holding brush in one hand and color box in the other, he began roaming here and there to satisfy his lust for Art. It was then that Wad Saheb, a Director at Camel, the stationary giant famous for manufacturing pencils, watercolor and other stationary items till recently, came to Malegaon. Wad Saheb, as Rasheed Artist described the renowned artist from Shimla, visited Malegaon as part of his nation-wide talent-search program.
“He visited Malegaon for consecutive years in the seventies, shared valuable tips with the students like us and organised painting and drawing competitions to encourage us”, Rasheed Artist said adding:
“In his second visit to Malegaon in 1968, I won the competition. Wad Saheb was thrilled watching the improvement I had attained in one year.”
In Wad Saheb, Rashid Artist found a mentor. But he was not a lord and any further continuation from now had become unbearable for his parents. To bear the expenses hence Rasheed Artist began working in a local powerloom factory along with his father – without of course sharing hardly any money with him for regular household needs. Rasheed Artist would work for three to four days in a week and the moment he would get some cash would rush to Mumbai and wander around the city’s art galleries in his humble and simple attire which is part of his persona even now.
“Jahangir and Taj Art Galleries in Mumbai were my favorite hunting grounds”, he recalled.
His encounter with the masters of the time – including the legendaries Jahangir Sabhawala and Sarvayya at these galleries are still the precious moments of his life.
“My comments and discussions would make them dumb. They could not believe a humble looking person like me had such a sound knowledge of canvas paintings.”, he said.
Rasheed Artist
In 1970, Rasheed Artist permanently moved to Mumbai,and started working on banners, sketches and art works for the upcoming films at V. Shantaram’s Mumbai Central Film Department. He was earning reasonably well now. But to earn was never in his priority list. Therefore he decided to leave Mumbai and return back to Malegaon where his talent soon witnessed a surprising turnaround.
“Innovation and creativity have always been my passions. Back in Malegaon, I began working on popular couplets of Urdu poets and tried to portray them in my paintings”, he recalled.
There was no looking back after that. He soon acquired perfection in transferring Urdi couplets over the canvas with amazing interpretational skills. Hundreds of canvas paintings portraying Urdu couplets by the poets like Mirza Ghalib, Firaq Gorakhpuri, Meer Taqi Meer, Majrooh Sultanpuri, Rahat Indori, Shabina Adeeb, Parvin Shakir and others were ready in quick succession. Subsequently, it became customary for the Malegaonians to gift Rasheed Artist’s paintings to the dignitaries who would visit the town.
While the one gifted to veteran musician Naushad painted on the famous couplet Aabadiyon main dasht ka manzar bhi ayega; Guzroge shaher se to mera ghar bhi ayega is still greeting the visitors in his hall, Shabana Azmi has put the one presented to her father Kaifi Azmi portrayed on Aik woh keh jinko fikre nashaib o faraz hai; Aik hum keh chal pade toh behr haal chal pade in her office.
Rashid Artist with his paintings.
Majrooh Sulatnpuri was lucky to get two paintings. Of these two, the one on Sutoone daar pe rakhte chalo saron ke charaag; Jahan talak yeh sitam ki siyah raat chale is in Canada and the other on Phir koi masloob hua sare rahe tamnna; Aawaze jaras pichle pahar taiz bahut hai is part of the splendid collection at Dubai Urdu Library.
Simultaneously, Rasheed Artist also perfectly worked on portraits of the people he loved the most. They included freedom fighters, world leaders, artists and poets. When Dilip Kumar visited Malegaon in 1980, he was thrilled to see his portrait. The portrait presented to him is now greeting the people at his Bandra residence. The portraits of Iranian leader Ayatollah Khomeini and Mirza Ghalib presented to Ferhad Parizaad of the Iranian Cultural Centre in Mumbai in 1985 are in Iran.
Today Rasheed Artist is the ultimate and globally recognized name when it comes to canvas paintings. In fact, he is perhaps the only artist in the Indian sub continent who portrays Urdu couplets over the canvas with such a sound interpretational skills. Yet Rasheed Artist has few more dreams in his life.
“Apart from writing a book on Sketching and Painting, it’s my dream to transfer the history of Urdu Ghazals from Ameer Khusroo till date over the canvas”, he said in a determined tone.
Rasheed Artist at this stage of his life is finding it easier to run the expenses of his family. However to run his dream project is of course an expensive affair. Moreover, looking at him who resolutely turned down the offers by popular art galleries in London and Australia to auction his paintings, it seems impossible for him to make any compromises merely for the sake of arranging funds needed to work on these projects. Yet one thing is certain. The stubborn in him would not let him sit idle. It would be really interesting to see how he achieves these targets.
[An abridged version of this article was published by The Times of India, on August 25, 2010 in its Nashik edition.]
source: http://www.ummid.com / Ummid.com / Home> India> Life & Style / by Aleem Faizee, ummid.com / June 13th, 2009
