Category Archives: Arts, Culture & Entertainment

Lakshmibai, Hazrat and the Revolt of 1857

Amazing Feats, Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Books (incl.Biographies - w.e.f.01 jan 2018 ), Community Involvement / Social Issues, Freedom Fighters (under research project), Leaders, Women/Girls(since May26-2021), World Opinion

Faizabad, UTTAR PRADESH / Kathmandu, NEPAL :

Two women, one war. What sets them apart? Professor Lakshmi Subramanian explores Rudrangshu Mukherjee’s ‘A Begum and A Rani’.

The focus of this work, as evident in the title, is two women who fought the same war in 1857 but who never met, whose lives were strangely similar and yet were recalled very differently. Why this was so, what made for a particular telling of their afterlives and how in course of the retrospective retelling, one became a legend and the other a mere trace, forms the core of Rudrangshu Mukherjee’s narrative.

It departs from his earlier work on the Revolt of 1857, where he placed emphasis initially on the diverse structural elements that made up the popular uprising in Awadh and subsequently on explaining the violence that characterised the actions of both the insurgents and their suppressors. Here, in contrast, Mukherjee prefers to focus on the individual as the actor of history and on the politics that animated the reconstruction of individual lives. He does so with elegance, ever attentive to the dictates of Clio, in unravelling the complexity of the context in which the two protagonists found themselves as they were sucked into the vortex of real politics and popular expectations.

(A Begum and A Rani was published by Penguin Allen Lane in July 2021. Buy it here.)

The first two chapters of the book give the reader a taste of the Revolt in its early stages, when a series of military mutinies collapsed into agrarian rebellion, bringing myriad elements into the fray, ranging from the aggrieved taluqdar to the oppressed peasant, from the disenfranchised ruler to the urban dweller. Amidst the clamour of the rebels for a return to Mughal rule and for an end to the unholy power of the hated firang, emerged a slow political front to embark on campaigns against the British forces and coordinate military activity. 

Two parallel centres of authority

In Lucknow, the discarded wife of Wajid Ali Shah found herself at the epicentre of protest, whereas in Jhansi, Lakshmibai was urged by the rebels to take up their cause. While the latter was found in active combat, Hazrat seems to have attended to the day-to-day requirements of the troops, making sure that they were provisioned and supported. Hazrat seems to have also been pitted against one of the most charismatic leaders, Maulvi Amir Ali, who insisted on Hazrat becoming his disciple — which Hazrat herself resisted. 

That these two individuals represented two parallel centres of authority is clear but what this implied in terms of differing conceptions of freedom is not readily apparent. However, in the analysis of the ishtahars or proclamations that were issued, Mukherjee makes the important point that religion was the integral and unifying idiom in the Mutiny.

The Afterlife

It is in the chapter titled Afterlife that the book really comes into its own. Here, Mukherjee tracks the moments in the emergence of a nationalist historical consciousness in Maharashtra, Bengal, and subsequently in North India, in which the status of the martyr queen gained traction. Analysing poetry, local memories, eulogies and early historical work on the Rani of Jhansi, Mukherjee tracks the making of a very particular historical memory and its amnesiac other, thereby engaging with the complex relationship between myth and history. 

He suggests that these categories were not necessarily oppositional. Rather, both were exercises in remembering and forgetting and reconstructing. It is to his credit as a practitioner of history that he reconstructs as well as he does the lives of two women — one of whom was subsequently pushed on to the centre-stage while the other was relegated to the margins.


Lakshmi Subramanian is professor of History in BITS Pilani, Goa. She is the author of several works on music and nationalism as well as on India’s maritime history. Her latest book is Singing Gandhi’s India: Music and Sonic Nationalism. When she is not steeped in teaching and research, she likes to travel to the hills.

source: http://www.telegraphindia.com / The Telegraph, Online / Home> My Kolkata / by Lakshmi Subramanian / December 03rd, 2021

Ishrat Nowshehri: Kashmir’s first female architect

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Srinagar, JAMMU & KASHMIR :

“A successful woman is one who can build a firm foundation with the bricks thrown at her,” says Ar. Ishrat Nowshehri who has chosen architecture as her career and has been in the profession for the past two decades.

Talking to Rising Kashmir, Ishrat shared her vast experience of a 23 years career, when architecture as a career for a woman in Kashmir was unheard of. 

Hailing from Soura area of Srinagar, Ishrat says that everything is possible if there is a true commitment behind that.  She is a qualified architect by the Council of Architecture, New Delhi (COA). 

Ishrat was awarded in 2005 by the J&K government for her architecture designed for the famous handicraft market “Kashmir Haat” which is located in the heart of Srinagar.

“When I started my schooling, I had an inclination towards designing, drawing and my parents were expecting that I may become an engineer,” she said.

After completing 12th class examinations from Presentation Convent School in Srinagar, it was not difficult to pursue her studies in architecture as her mind and heart were already ready for that.

Her father was Civil Engineer and she feared that he may force her to pursue studies in the same field. It was totally different when her parents supported her dream, she said.

They realized that it was in architecture and design that her heart lay; they backed her unconditionally, and later Ishrat became the first female architect of the Valley.

After that, Ishrat got enrolled in a five-year course for a bachelor’s in Architecture at Karnataka University in 1999, because in J&K there was no such college at that time providing such a course.

“I topped in my final year design jury among the three colleges of architecture in University,” she said while recalling her college days.

 Ishrat said she got a couple of partnership offers in architectural firms in Dubai, UAE way back in the year 2008 but I opted to stay back in Kashmir and serve my own people.

“I believe that to be successful one needs to be committed, hardworking, and dedicated towards their profession,” she said.

Despite facing many difficulties Ishrat did not look back and continued her journey. After that, she was awarded nationally and internationally and has taken up projects like residential, commercial, interiors, renovations, landscaping, and turnkey projects too,” she said.

In 1999 she did her practical training with senior architects of India including “Ar. Munir Khan” for six months and then started her own architecture consultancy “Ishrat Nowshehri Associates” in the city.

She was awarded in 2005 by the Jammu and Kashmir government for her architecture design for the famous handicraft market, Kashmir Haat, located in the heart of Srinagar.

After that she got job offers to work in other places across India but love towards her motherland forced Ishrat to work in Kashmir and serve her own people.

She worked with many famed architects of Kashmir and under their guidance, she got an opportunity to work on projects in Srinagar city.

Apart from tradition, she also had an interest in contemporary Islamic architecture.

“I feel proud that I have designed architect work for both Masjids and Shrines in Kashmir. From my designs, I want to promote every local thing that is made here.

It may include wood carving, to promote Kashmiri designs and heritage rather than using imported things,” Ishrat says.

She believes that local architects know in depth the weather conditions; culture and house style of Kashmir and can serve them in a better way.

“Now people have become aware and they consult us before going for any construction because architects use the space which a normal mason cannot do,” Ishrat said.

She believes that there is a good scope in this field because people have become aware and they are coming forward.

Apart from Kashmir, she is also getting orders from outside states like Himachal Pradesh and Uttrakhand for special designs for houses, hotels situated at hill stations.

Ishrat works both on traditional and contemporary designs. Over the years, she has worked on various large projects including government buildings, hotels and residential houses.

Some of her architect master designs include Kashmir Haat at MG Road, Sheikh-Ul-Alam (RA) Chair at the University of Kashmir, Hotel Village Walk at Sonamarg, Jehlum automobiles at Awantipora, and many more private works across Kashmir.

As Kashmir witnesses moderate to heavy snowfall during winters every year, due to which scores of rooftops in the Valley collapse, Ishrat suggests that people should consult qualified architects and structural engineers for designing before going for any construction.

She believes that it is not fear that people are not consulting architects but there is a lack of awareness and information.

Ishrat believes that parents should not force their choices on their children because everyone has their own interests and taste.

Working in the male dominated sector is a challenge itself but she says that during the span of 23 years she had not faced anywhere gender bias.

This year in April, she was awarded by Brand Opus India for Outstanding Excellence in Architecture & Designing in Srinagar. Ishrat Nowshehri Associates and Innovative Architecture & Interior Design was adjudged as the Firm of the year 2021 by Architecture & Interior Design Excellence Awards & Conference 2021 Bengaluru.

She has also been awarded under various titles like “Finest architect in Srinagar”, “Bespoke residential architects and designers in Srinagar”, and awardee for “Women entrepreneur (architect) in Srinagar J&K”.

Apart from these awards, she was also nominated and awarded under the category of “finest architect in Srinagar” in India’s most prominent architect and design awards-2020 in New Delhi and “Best residential architects and designers in Srinagar” in “design Icon Awards-2020”.

She also bagged women entrepreneurs (architect) “The Real SuperWoman Award 2020”- at New Delhi. Global Icon Award of the year, Asia’s Creative Architect of the year award” from “RULA International Award” – at Malaysia, Global Shanti Samman & World Peace conference 2021 – at SKICC Srinagar, and other awards.

About her message to aspiring architects, Ishrat said there is always scope when one works with patience, dedication, and commitment.

“I always advise aspiring architects not to be forced into this field. Get in only, if they have patience and a good imagination for design with that one has to be hardworking, dedicated and committed towards their work,” she said.

source:http://www.risingkashmir.com / Rising Kashmir / Home / by Irfan Yattoo / November 07th, 2021

AR Rahman’s daughter Khatija’s animated music video wins global award

Amazing Feats, Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Videos, Women/Girls(since May26-2021), World Opinion

Chennai, TAMILNADU :

Although the award will technically go to AR Rahman for being the music director and the producer of the video, it is clear that Rahman considers the video to be the work of his daughter Khatija.

Chennai :

Noted music director AR Rahman’s daughter Khatija Rahman seems to be doing her dad proud. The gifted singer’s music video – ‘Farishton’ – has won the award for the Best Animation Music Video at the International Sound Future Awards.

Although the award will technically go to AR Rahman for being the music director and the producer of the video, it is clear that Rahman considers the video to be the work of his daughter Khatija.

He tweeted the news of the musical video having won the awards. “‘Farishton’ wins one more award. @Rahmankhatija EPI.”

This is not the first award for ‘Farishton’ as just a couple of days ago, the music video won an Award of Merit at the Global Shorts.net, an international short film competition.

The video has also received a special mention award at the Los Angeles Film Awards.

‘Farishton’ is significant as Khatija Rahman considers it to be the beginning of her musical journey.

In a post describing her video on YouTube, Khatija says, “I was born in Chennai in a multicultural family with different genres of music and with friends from diverse backgrounds. I’ve always been fascinated with the wonders of life. As Mawlana Rumi says – ‘There are a thousand ways to kneel and kiss the ground; there are a thousand ways to go home again’. The video’s main character Amal was created with such experiences of mine and the longing to explore the unknown. I hope all of you find your own journey of the unknown.”

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Tamilnadu / by IANS / November 09th, 2021

Nawazuddin Siddiqui’s ‘McMafia’ wins Best Drama at 47th International Emmy Awards

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Budhana, UTTAR PRADESH / Mumbai, MAHARASHTRA :

Nawazduddin Siddiqui was also nominated with David Tenant and Roy Nik in the Best Performance as an Actor (Male) category.

Nawazuddin Siddiqui.

Mumbai : 

Bollywood actor Nawazuddin Siddiqui had a moment of pride as his British show ‘McMafia’ won Best Drama Series at the 47th International Emmy Awards, and he accepted the award for the entire team on the stage.

The actor was also nominated with David Tenant and Roy Nik in the Best Performance as an Actor (Male) category.

Nawazuddin said:

“For me getting recognised and nominated on such a huge level is something I had never dreamt of in my wildest dreams. David Tenant who is nominated with me in the same category makes me feel extremely special.”

“I have watched Des, Hamlet and many other films. He is a performer to watch for and he portrays every scene and character to its perfection and getting nominated alongside such a talented man means a lot.”



The actor will be seen in the upcoming film ‘Jogira Sa Ra Ra’, ‘Heropanti 2’ and ‘Adbhut’. His film ‘No Land’s Man’ was premiered at the Busan International Film Festival and Cairo International Film Festival.

source: http://www.ummid.com / Ummid.com / Home> Life & Style / IANS / November 15th, 2021

Ghizal Mahdi’s resolve in his farewell function in Riyadh

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Nehtaur Town, Bijnor, UTTAR PRADESH / Riyadh, SAUDI ARABIA :

Ghizal Mahdi’s friends organised a farewell evening in his honour, on the occasion of his bidding good-bye to Riyadh, KSA, after spending an active social life for around quarter of a century.

The speakers paid rich tributes to Ghizal Mahdi’s immense contribution to the Indian community in Riyadh in general, and the Riyadh chapter of Jamia Millia Islamia Alumni Association in particular.

Speakers spoke very highly about his versatile self, sincerity and commitment towards the community.

Notably, Ghizal Mahdi was a founder member of two chapters of Jamia Millia Islamia Alumni Association (JMIAA) in KSA – Riyadh and Dammam.

He was elected president of the Riyadh chapter in 2014 for two years. The JMIAA-Riyadh Scholarship Program for bright and needy students of Jamia Higher Secondary School was initiated during his presidency. His team also brought out the first directory of Jamia Alumni employed in KSA.

In his farewell speech, Ghizal Mahdi highlighted the need to delve deep to understand the current sensitive situation of our country. He emphasised the importance of reducing socio-economic inequalities, religious and sectional antagonisms, and strengthening the brotherhood, and sharpening the joint struggle for the rights of socio-economically weaker sections and working class; and this is possible only when our thought process and actions are based on oneness of humankind.

Throwing light on his future plans, Ghizal Mahdi told that he would devote himself to the cause of creating health awareness in the countryside – and he would start this programme from his home town Nehtaur, Bijnor, U.P., and along with other activities, this Health Awareness Programme would include – organising medical camps, lectures for creating awareness about health and ailments, designing courses and motivating children to do voluntary service in the field of health, involve teachers and other socially conscious people in the project, launching awareness campaigns among children and youngsters against gutka-chewing, smoking and other harmful substances, establish diabetes centre so that the fast-spreading diabetes can be checked.

The farewell program was conducted by Aftab Nizami. Along with paying tribute to Ghizal Mahdi’s services, the following distinguished people also promised to extend support to the proposed health awareness program:

India Islamic Cultural Centre, Delhi’s Riyadh Branch convener, Murshid Kamal, senior Jamiaites – Baba Salman Azmi, Ex-President JMIAA-Riyadh Aftab Nizami, Ex Vice President JMIAA-Riyadh Ghayasuddin Ahmed, Prof. Anees Ansari, Prof. Afzal Ahmed, Arabic Translator Shahabuddin, religious scholar Shabbeer Ahmed Nadwi, Engr. Ghufran Ahmed, Economist Nisar Khan, Architect Ahmed Shukri, Flight Engineer Ateeq Ahmed, Engr. Anwar Pasha, Gulf Air Staff Neemu Khan, Arif Partapgadhi, Chaudhri Ehsan, Maulana Abdurrehman Alomri, Wasiullah Nadwi, Moosa Raza Amrohi, Shakir Jafri,– and Director Abdurrehman Al Mishari Hospital Dr Musharraf Ali, Dr Hameed and Naqi Ahmed Nadwi.

source: http://www.muslimmirror.com / Muslim Mirror / Home> NRIs / by Naqi Ahmed Nadwi / November 17th, 2021

Tongue of pearls: Mutribi al-Asamm Samarqandi’s ‘Conversations with Emperor Jahangir’

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Books (incl.Biographies - w.e.f.01 jan 2018 ), Leaders, Travel & Tourism, World Opinion, , , ,

DELHI :

Emperor Jahangir’s inquisitive mind is revealed in his conversations with Mutribi al-Asamm Samarqandi

The 18 decades of the Great Mughals (1526-1707) produced some first-rate literature.

Many fine books came from the rulers themselves, steeped in a tradition of high culture that required them to be literate. The Baburnama, the first memoir/ autobiography of the subcontinent, is as readable today and as modestly written as Julius Caesar’s books (Cicero said of Caesar’s prose that it is unadorned, like a classical statue). The Tuzuk of Jahangir is filled with bombast, vanity and anger, but it is so honest and has so much detail, particularly on the side of his interests as a naturalist, that it is a work of the highest order.

And then there are the works that are smaller but sparkling, like little jewels. One such is the life of Humayun by his sister, Babur’s daughter and Akbar’s aunt, Gulbadan Begum. Written in Persian, as opposed to the Chagatai Turk that Babur wrote in, it is clear and direct, and as thorough a portrayal of Babur and Humayun as what they produced themselves. The story we know of Babur circumambulating the bed of a very ill Humayun and asking, in pagan fashion, to be taken instead of him, is from her book.

Courtly manners

The work we are looking at this time is from a lesser noble, a traveller from Samarqand called Mutribi al-Asamm, who spent time in Jahangir’s court. It is available in translation as Conversations with Emperor Jahangir. The Mughals loved having people over from their ancestral lands, which they would never see again, and lavished them with gifts and honours. Mutribi came to India (Jahangir was based in Lahore) roughly 400 years ago in 1627, when he was 70 and the emperor 58, only a few months away from his death.

Mutribi’s writing reveals a lot about the flowery manner of the court. He visits Jahangir a month after arriving in India and the emperor asks why he has waited this long. Mutribi refers to himself in the text as the “incompetent narrator” and Jahangir as possessing “a tongue of pearls”. At that first meeting, Jahangir gives him a thousand rupees and Noor Jahan (“may her chastity be preserved”) another five hundred, possibly the equivalent of crores in our time.

At their next meeting, Jahangir inquires about the hue of the black stone from which his ancestor Timur’s sepulchre is made in Samarqand. The emperor produces stones which Mutribi compares unfavourably to the original (“it is so bright you can see your face in it”).

Lord bountiful

The transactional manner of the exchanges is apparent from another meeting in which Jahangir asks Mutribi which of the Iraqi thoroughbred horses on display he would like to be given. Mutribi says, “whichever is more expensive,” possibly to make the emperor feel that he is being generous rather than his supplicant greedy. Again, when Jahangir offers him a choice of saddle — velvet or broadcloth — the answer is velvet, because it is more expensive. Jahangir says velvet gets wet easily, to which Mutribi says that the monsoon is far off. The two meet 24 times in two months before Mutribi returns. Towards the end, the following conversation is held:

“The pleasantness of Samarqand was being discussed. The Emperor asked me, ‘Is Samarqand spelled with a ‘q’ or with a ‘k’?’

‘Either way is correct,’ I replied. ‘In Tabari’s history and several other books it is referred to as Samarkand, but in popular usage it has become known as Samarqand. Some say that the name comes from Samar and Qamar, two slaves of Alexander the Great who built the city which was then named for them. Their graves are situated in the main market square of Samarqand.”’

Then Jahangir inquires about an ancestral tomb, asking how much it requires to be maintained. ‘“If you want to do it properly, 10,000 rupees,’ I [Mutribi] said, ‘otherwise 5,000 rupees just to keep it going.’

‘If 10,000 rupees will maintain it,’ he said, ‘then we have decided that in accordance with your information we will send 10,000 rupees, in order that that blessed station be maintained.’

I said, ‘O God, as long as the Sun and the Moon shall be, may Jahangir son of Akbar remain King.’”

Aakar Patel is a columnist and translator of Urdu and Gujarati non-fiction works.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Books / by Aakar Patel / November 13th, 2021

Meet Rafiq, once a tea vendor, now professor at Kannur University

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Echome Village (Panamaram Panchayat), KERALA :

Rafiq Ibrahim has beaten heavy odds to earn a doctorate, spurred by a love of reading, reports M A Rajeev Kumar

Rafiq Ibrahim

Wayanad :

Rafiq Ibrahim used to call Echome, in Panamaram panchayat, a dead village. “During my childhood, I watched with amazement how time stood still there, almost oblivious of the world outside,” says the 34-year-old. 

The son of a tea-shop owner, Rafiq had a difficult childhood, and at times stared at poverty too. But he persevered to get better at life. He sold tea, went as a cleaner in jeeps and worked in a hotel. At one point, he even had to discontinue his studies. Through all that, he kept reading books, and managed to earn a doctorate. On November 6, Rafiq joined the Nileshwar campus of the Kannur University as an assistant professor in the Malayalam department.

“I am not a hero,” Rafiq says. “But the reality should not go unaddressed, as there are thousands of underprivileged people like me.”  Like his father, Ibrahim, his mother, Nabeesa, too did not attend school. Though the conditions at home were not too conducive for studies, both Rafiq and his older sister, Bushara, passed the SSLC examinations. “Though I had a first class, my first thought was to try some manual jobs in the area. Once out of school, boys would work in a jeep as a driver or a cleaner, and girls would be married off. That was how it was in Echome,” he says.

Caught in debt, however, his father had to sell the tea shop and the income of the family dried up. So he went to a friend in Mysuru, at 19, and became a tea vendor. He had joined a BSc course then, and completed the first-year examinations. But he was pulled down by typhoid and had to return home. “As the condition at home remained the same, I went to Wandoor in Malappuram district where I got a job in a hotel at the bus stand,” he recalls. 

Rafiq started reading books and magazines at the book shops there during his free time. “I found that reading keeps me happy, and took a liking to the ideas expressed by great writers,” he says. However, Rafiq lost his job yet again as the hotel eventually had to be closed down after the authorities decided to renovate the bus stand. “During my journey back home, I read an article by Sunil P Ilayidom about politics of identity and class. That instilled a spark in me,”  he says.

Rafiq then worked as a salesman at a footwear shop in Kalpetta. He worked there for two years, and the situation improved as his sister got a teaching job in a parallel college. Encouraged by his friends, he joined the BA Economics course under Calicut University. “During that period, I read plenty of books at the district library in Kalpetta,” he says.

Later, he attempted the entrance examination for the MA Malayalam course at the Sree Sankara Sanskrit University in Kalady with the sole aim of meeting his idol, Sunil P Ilayidom, who was the head of the Malayalam department. “I enjoyed every moment there, and the atmosphere helped me change my outlook as a student and human being,” he says. 

From there, things became a lot easier for Rafiq, going on to complete his MPhil, and earning a doctorate in ‘literary form and cultural history’ under the guidance of Ilayidom. Rafiq says his life is an example of generosity changing fortunes. “All that people require to come up in life is a helping hand at the right time.”

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Good News / by M A Rajeev Kumar, Express News Service / November 14th, 2021

The Handsomest Star We Never Knew

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Leaders, World Opinion, ,

Peshawar / Calcutta (now Kolkata), BRITISH INDIA :

The Telegraph tells the story of another Pathan from Peshawar who galloped his way into Indian cinema, and then galloped away much too soon.

Gul Hamid / Courtesy, Film Heritage Foundation

Let’s start from the very beginning, a time when celluloid was just opening up to the light of day. And in those first few pages of the history of Indian cinema, one place finds mention again and again — Peshawar.

The city, some say, derives its name from the Sanskrit Purushapura, meaning the City of Men. Perhaps by divine direction, it truly went on to gain a reputation as the city of stars. Prithviraj Kapoor, Raj Kapoor, Dilip Kumar, Vinod Khanna… were all born in Peshawar or nearabouts. Shah Rukh Khan’s clan too belongs there. It was also home to Gul Hamid, a Pathan who shone bright on the silver screen like few stars did.

Born in 1905 in Pirpai village, Hamid was known for his handsome looks. Nasir Shah, whose great grandmother was the actor’s sibling, reveals how a young Hamid galloped into the movies, quite literally. “He was a constable with the British police in Peshawar and was sent to Lahore as part of a contingent to manage a political event — a public address by Gandhiji. This was around 1928-29,” Shah tells The Telegraph over phone from Australia, where he works as an engineer. 

A member of the mounted police, Hamid was ambling on horseback after work when he came upon a film shoot. The director of the unit was the famous A.R. Kardar, and the scene that of an abduction — of the heroine by the villain, also on horseback. Seeing a helpless woman being chased, Hamid — unaware of what shooting really meant — rode his horse straight into it and brought the villain down. “Kardar was struck by the handsome Pathan and talked him into working in his film,” Shah says.

That’s how he debuted in Sarfarosh, a silent film made in 1930. Hamid was also part of the first Punjabi feature film, Heer Ranjha (1932). After working in several films in Lahore, he followed Kardar to Calcutta, which was then one of cinema’s biggest laboratories. He acted in Debaki Bose’s Bengali film Seeta (1934), which became the first Indian talkie to receive international recognition, at the Venice Film Festival. He was also part of Yahudi ki Ladki (1933), directed by Premankur Atorthy. And then, Hamid made his way to Bombay, to another budding industry for some more action.

“I would call him the first real stud of Indian cinema; his appearance was just so perfect,” says Shivendra Singh Dungarpur, filmmaker, archivist and restorer, “…the kind of star, say, John Wayne was in the Westerns of Hollywood.” Dungarpur shares an anecdote from those times. “When Bose saw the astonishingly good-looking man from Peshawar, he wondered what kind of a role would suit him… and thus Hamid got to play the character of a god, as if to justify his looks.”

The film also featured Prithviraj Kapoor as Rama and Durga Khote as Sita.

In fact, the entire story of Hamid’s career — and untimely death — is in many ways quite incredible. The actor died when he was all of 31, after battling Hodgkin’s disease for a few months. But by then he had acted in 14 films, earning for himself the title of Sitar-e-Hind or Star of Hindustan.

Hamid fell in love with and married the Calcutta-born Patience Cooper, his co-star in many films. But he had to keep it a secret from his family back in Peshawar for obvious reasons.

“He was even engaged to a simple, traditional girl of his mother’s choice,” says Shah. His family came to know about the marriage only after Hamid’s death, when his brothers broke open a chest full of letters shared between the two. It was almost like he was living a double life, feels Shah, “His family clearly had no idea of his stature or the big picture.”

The film world in those days was ruled by the trinity of Prithviraj Kapoor, K.L. Saigal and Hamid. “The scenario would be much altered if Hamid hadn’t died so young,” says Dungarpur. And although very little documentation survives, Hamid — given his pairing up with Cooper — was quite the star people were talking about. “I recall seeing magazines from the era with photographs of couples such as them, and Devika Rani and Himangshu Rai,” says he.

Perhaps the most significant of all of Hamid’s films was Khyber Pass (1936), which he also scripted and directed. “It was made in Peshawar; it was his effort to showcase Pashtun culture,” says Shah.

In an interview reminiscing those days — it is available on YouTube — Prithviraj Kapoor talks about Hamid, “Badi khoobiyat thhi usme, bahut pyara admi thha… Woh mujhey bade bhaiyya pukarte thhe (Hamid was a talented man and lovable man, he would address me as big brother).”

As a very sick Hamid lay on his deathbed, Kapoor went to visit his friend one last time. Shah’s grandfather, who was then a little boy, witnessed a conversation between the two that could very well have been lifted straight out of a script.

Kapoor asked, “Gul Hamid, kaise ho… how are you?”

And Hamid answered, “Andar se aag ki tarah garam aur bahar se barf ki tarah thanda (Burning like fire itself from within and as cold as ice on the outside).”

It is said that cinema never again saw an actor with Gul Hamid’s looks.

source: http://www.telegraphindia.com / The Telegraph Online / Home> Culture / by Paromita Kar / October 31st, 2021

G Santha Teacher Memorial Journalism Award 2021 for Kashmir-based journalist Mudassir Kuloo

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JAMMU & KASHMIR :

The award has been instituted in the memory of G Shantha, an English teacher hailing from Thalavadi in Kerala’s Alappuzha district. 

Rekha Satheesh from The New Indian Express was the first winner.

The specially-crafted stone memento made by noted mural artist MS Chandramouli that will be awarded to Mudassir Ahmad (right). (Photos | Special Arrangement)

Bengaluru :

Mudassir Ahmad Kuloo (33), an independent journalist from Kashmir, has been awarded the 5th G Santha Teacher Memorial Journalism Award instituted by the Inspired Indian Foundation (IIF), Bengaluru.

The award will be presented on November 6 in Bengaluru, during the 5th Guru Kalam Memorial Lecture, an annual national event being organised by the IIF to commemorate the birth anniversary of former President Dr APJ Abdul Kalam. The IIF spearheads several missions of Dr Kalam in association with Dr APJ Abdul Kalam International Foundation, Rameswaram.

This year the award carries a specially-crafted stone memento made by noted mural artist MS Chandramouli from Karnataka in addition to Rs 25,000 as a cash component.

The 2021 jury included aerospace and defence scientists, writers, teachers and activists in addition to the trustees of IIF. Mudassir was chosen from a list of three shortlisted Indian journalists.

Mudassir pursued his Masters in Mass Communication and Journalism from University of Kashmir and has been a Senior Correspondent with The Kashmir Monitor for six years. 

His reports have also featured in The Third Pole, TRT World, First Post, The Tehelka, HuffPost, CNBC TV and Dainik Bhaskar among others.

Ashfaq ul Hassan, Editor of The Kashmir Monitor, termed Mudassir as a dependable journalist who covers all possible angles of a story. “His honest, enthusiastic and realistic approach is highly commendable,” Ashfaq noted.

Ishtiyaq Ahmad, Editor of Kashmir Indepth, also hailed Mudassir terming him an extremely intelligent journalist who has always strived to highlight issues of human rights, gender, social justice, environment and health. “A perfect team man who has his ear to the ground” was how Ishtiyaq summed him up.

The award has been instituted in the memory of G Shantha, an English teacher hailing from Thalavadi in Kerala’s Alappuzha district. Born in 1942, she dedicated her career to instilling in her young wards an unshakeable determination to chase their dreams wherever she taught, including at Seethalakshmi Ramaswami College, Trichy, Tamil Nadu, and Devasvom Board College, Thalayolaparambu, Kerala, and Mahatma High School for Girls, Chennithala, Kerala. 

G Shanta passed away in 2007 at the age of 65. She worked selflessly to promote the English language among rural kids. She also found time to write short stories and poetry.

Rekha Satheesh, a Senior Chief Sub-Editor with The New Indian Express, Kochi, was the first recipient of the award in 2016, while Rajeev Kumar Mishra, a Chief Sub-Editor with the Bengaluru edition of Rajasthan Patrika, won the honour in 2017. 

The award went to Jugal Purohit, a Senior Broadcast Journalist with BBC India, in 2018 and in 2019 M Nanjundaswamy a Mysuru -based stringer of Kannada daily Vijay Karnataka, was the recipient.

(Mudassir can be reached at: mudasirkuloo00@gmail.com | Twitter: @MudasirKuloo)

If you have any queries w.r.t. this release, please contact the following: Madhusoodanan A: 9731065269 / Snigdha Jha: 7899778888

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Nation / by Press Release – Madhusoodanan / November 01st, 2021

Leander Paes and Nafisa Ali join Trinamul Congress in Goa

Amazing Feats, Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Community Involvement / Social Issues, Leaders, Sports, Women/Girls(since May26-2021), World Opinion, ,

Kolkata, WEST BENGAL :

While the names of swimmer and activist Ali and Deshprabhu had been doing the rounds, the tennis icon was a surprise for most.

Mamata Banerjee with Leander Paes in Dona Paula, Goa / Telegraph picture

Trinamul chief Mamata Banerjee on Friday inducted celebrities such as Leander Paes and Nafisa Ali and entrepreneur Mrinalini Deshprabhu into her party for its Goa foray, which she formally launched over the course of a busy day of political and PR exercises.

While the names of swimmer and activist Ali and Deshprabhu had been doing the rounds, tennis icon Paes was a surprise for most.

“When, at the age of 14, I went to play tennis for India, Didi (Mamata) was the (junior) Union sports minister. She used to always encourage, always support…. Now, after three decades of tennis, I would like to support the lady who has been going forward with immense courage. She is a real champion to me,” said Paes, 48, a Calcutta boy and now a resident of Goa.

Regarded as one of the greatest players in doubles, he won 18 Grand Slams in men’s and mixed doubles, and a bronze for India in men’s singles at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta.

“I would like to serve the people by means of politics. I would like to serve the youth of the nation. That is why I have joined Didi,” said Paes. “India is the world’s largest democracy. There cannot be division here on the basis of caste, creed, or religion,” he added.

Now 64, Ali was a Congress candidate against Mamata in Calcutta South in the 2004 Lok Sabha polls. She lost. Ali also had a brief stint with Samajwadi Party before returning to the Congress in 2009.

Mamata Banerjee with Nafisa Ali in Goa / Telegraph picture

“She (Mamata) is such a champion for the cause of protecting the inclusive ethos of India…. It is important, now more than ever, to close the ranks on forces that seek to divide this great nation,” said Ali, a Calcutta girl who was the national swimming champion in the early 1970s, was crowned Miss India in 1976, and went on to act in films.

Sources in Trinamul said Mamata was keen on engaging civil society members in politics in Goa, something she did successfully in Bengal.

The BJP’s Pramod Sawant-led government would seek re-election to the 40-seat Goa Assembly in  February 2022.

The principal Opposition there is the Congress, with the AAP testing waters there for some time.

Last month, Mamata inducted Goa’s former chief minister Luizinho Faleiro, with four decades in the Congress. He is now a national vice-president of Trinamul, helping it not only in Goa but also in several states of the Northeast, which he handled organisationally for the Grand Old Party.

After Faleiro came a number of political leaders from Goa, from various parties there. From the civil society, Trinamul has already managed to get the likes of poet N. Shivdas, filmmaker Tony Dias, environmentalist Rajendra Shivaji Kakodkar, footballer Denzil Franco, and boxer Lenny Da Gama.

source: http://www.telegraphindia.com / The Telegraph Online / Home> West Bengal / by Meghdeep Bhattacharrya, Calcutta / October 30th, 2021