Category Archives: Arts, Culture & Entertainment

Dilip Kumar, the pole star of a golden age of Hindi cinema, no more

Mumbai, MAHARASHTRA :

Dilip Kumar (1922 – 2021): The end of an era

Actor Dilip Kumar  

The right blend of star and actor, he was part of the discovery of cinema in India as a means of mass communication seen today

When Marlon Brando was struggling to find a footing in Hollywood, a shy Pathan boy from Peshawar was practising method acting in what was then the Bombay film industry, helping it come out of the Parsi theatre’s influence. As Dilip Kumar transcends to a new stage , the pole star of the golden age of Hindi cinema would be remembered for setting a template of acting for generations to come.

A veritable cultural icon who inspired economist Meghnad Desai to draw parallels between his films and the newly independent India’s tryst with socialism and capitalism in his seminal work, Nehru’s Hero: Dilip Kumar in the Life of India, there is a bit of Dilip Kumar in everyone’s life.

Discovered and later rechristened by Devika Rani of the famed Bombay Talkies, Dilip Kumar, along with Raj Kapoor and Dev Anand, were part of the discovery of cinema in India as a means of mass communication as we see it today. They had had few examples to follow and perhaps it worked to their advantage as each one carved out his own niche.

Out of the three, Dilip Kumar’s naturalistic style never became stale or dated. The right blend of star and actor who could keep both the public and the purist engaged with his craft, he kept his performances subtle, understated but always believable.

Not just his younger contemporaries like Rajendra Kumar, Manoj Kumar and Dharmendra, generations of dependable actors, from Amitabh Bachchan to Shah Rukh Khan and Aamir Khan to Irrfan, built edifices of their performances on the foundation laid by Dilip Kumar. Mr. Bachchan, who played Dilip Kumar’s son in Shakti, once said there was such finality to Dilip sahib’s performances that once he enacted a scene, there was no alternative to it. Irrfan once told this journalist that he often wondered when trained actors like him found it difficult to deal with scars left by tragic roles, how Dilip Kumar, who learnt the craft on his own, came to terms with it. Well, he did approach doctors in London, who advised him to consider lighter roles.

Film historians often label the thespian as the tragedy king for his moving portrayal of a loner who loses everything in love in a series of films such as JugnuDeedar and Devdas, but the eight-time Filmfare Award winner was equally compelling as a winsome romantic in ShabnamAzaad and Kohinoor. Not to forget his intense performances as a revolutionary in Shaheed and a trade union leader in Paigham.

Be it the lawyer who rapes a village girl in Mehboob Khan’s Amar, the journalist who becomes black-marketeer in Zia Sarhady’s Footpath, the atheist in love with a mendicant in Kidar Sharma’s Jogan or the wheel-chair bound Raja Sahib in Aadmi, a role earlier essayed by Sivaji Ganesan, the Padma Vibhushan constantly lunged for complex characters where he was expected to evoke multiple emotions in a single frame.

He experimented not just with characters but also directorial styles. Both Amar and Footpath deal with moral guilt but while Mehboob Khan visualised a mass entertainer, Zia’s treatment was neo-realist. With Tapan Sinha’s Sagina Mahto, he ventured into parallel cinema and earned praise from his contemporaries.

At the time of Mughal-e-Azam, he was the top draw, but the narrative demanded Kumar to play second fiddle to Prithviraj Kapoor, a senior and a friend of his father. He delivered a restrained performance, a subtle counterpoint to the bombastic Kapoor that is etched in the minds of cinegoers. The way he caresses the luminous face of Madhubala with a feather is perhaps the most elegant romantic sequence filmed without a dialogue.

The one that stands out and inspired many adaptations is the dacoit in Gunga Jumna, his ambitious home production where the sophisticated Kumar transformed into an Awadhi speaking rustic who’s forced to pick up the gun.

He played serious roles with such dignity that he didn’t need to be loud to make people laugh. He brought his craft to comic roles as well. In Ram Aur Shyam, the scene that still leaves everyone in splits is the one where Shyam starts playing a poor copy of Ram.

It is this constant urge for variety and chiselling of the craft that the megastar, despite the world at his feet, chose to do only around 60 films spanning over almost five decades. He refused Guru Dutt’s Pyaasa for he found the character similar to Devdas. He said no to David Lean for Lawrence of Arabia as he was not keen to commit the amount of time that the director was asking from him.

In a BBC interview, he once said that when the director came to him with a 30-year-old character, he tried to find and build the first 29 years of his life from the script so that, “I start identifying with the character. Often directors leave it to me to interpret the character.”

Known to help out his colleagues in finding a rhythm that suited the narrative, the actor is said to have ghost directed many films such as Gunga JumnaRam Aur Shyam and Aadmi.

He took the preparation for a character to a different level. For “Madhuban Mein Radhika Nache Re” from Kohinoor, where he played sitar on screen, he trained with sitarist Ustad Halim Jaffar Khan for six months.

It is said while filming for Dil Diya Dard Liya, he ran four rounds of the studio because in the next sequence he was supposed to snatch a rifle from Pran, playing the villain, in a state of breathlessness.

Even in his second innings, when his mannerisms became marked, he impressed with power-packed performances in ShaktiMashaal and Karma.

Off-screen, as a philanthropist, he always maintained that “industrialisation has made us narrow-minded”. He would always say “being developed and being civilised are two different things”.

In the late 1960s, when an argument was made about films promoting alcoholism and that they could be used to promote population control, Dilip Kumar said he was for promoting good values through films but that didn’t mean films become “instructional” or a “vehicle for propaganda”.

A connoisseur of the finer things of life, he had an abiding love for poetry and literature. Often, when he had to sidestep a controversial topic, he would come up with an Urdu couplet that would capture his emotion on the subject. Once when he was asked about his relationship with Madhubala, Kumar invoked Sahir Ludhianvi: “Mohabbat tark ki mainegarebaan see liya maine, zamane ab toh khush hozehar ye bhi pi liya maine” (Love I have renounced and sewn the collar [of the soul/ conscience] that was ripped; O world, now you be happy, for this poison as well I have sipped).

Deeply entrenched in Indian ethos, he never got over his childhood connection with his home town Peshawar where the young Yusuf Khan would be found dribbling a football or listening to stories at Qissa Khawani Bazaar. He remained a symbol of the undivided India as the Pakistan government bestowed upon him its highest civilian honour, the Nishan-e-Imtiaz. He wrote to the then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee that if he considered it prudent, he would surrender the award. However, many feel it made his wait for the coveted Bharat Ratna longer.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Entertainment / by Anuj Kumar / New Delhi – July 07th, 2021

Meet Manjuwara Mullah from Assam’s riverine sandbank who is leading Muslim women to social, financial empowerment

Rupakuchi Village (Barpeta District), ASSAM:

Manjuwara Mullah from the north-eastern state of Assam is a social activist whose initiative Amrapari has changed the lives of many women in the poorest region of Assam. This is her story.

Manjuwara Mullah | Picture by Amrapari

Guwahati :

As a woman social activist Manjuwara Mullah from Barpeta district’s Rupakuchi village in the north-eastern state of Assam would get anxious when distress phone calls from numerous women from the Char areas would pour in seeking her help to get their male family members back home during the Covid-19 lockdown. She faced twin problems — getting the sole breadwinners of the families back home and ensure income for these people so that the impoverished families can sustain the pandemic as well as the economic hardship.

The people of the riverine sandbanks, known as Char areas in Assam, are one of the poorest in the state, have the highest illiteracy rates, a fewer number of landholders and very limited source of income. This crisis, along with the devastating yearly floods force massive labour migration from Char areas of the state to southern Indian states where they work as daily wagers.

For 36-year-old Mullah facilitating the process of getting the migrant labourers back home was an immensely difficult job, and as the migrant labourers took the uphill task of travelling thousands of kilometres to their homes, she started to focus on the women members of the migrants’ families and how they could be engaged in something that earns them money to fend for their families.

Being an activist and with academic exposure to the workings of non-profit organizations, Mullah incorporated her learnings from the sector to form a collective called Amrapari, which eventually turned into a non-profit organization, intending to employ the organic and traditional knowledge of the women from Char areas to provide them financial independence.

Amrapari, a Bangali as well as Miya (dialect) phrase for “we can”, initiative weaponized the traditional knowledge of the women of stitching Kanthas, an embroidery craft on clothes with multiple usage (used as bed covers or also as summer blankets) and also considered as a traditional and cultural artefact of the Bengali origin Muslims of Assam.

“I have been working with urban as well as rural communities for more than a decade. That’s how I am connected with the people at large. My work involved microfinance for the upliftment of women, citizenship issues, child marriage and women rights in the chars. When I got to know about the ensuing financial hardships of these families with whom I have been connected, I was in a lot of distress,” Mullah said when she narrated the circumstances that led to the foundation of Amrapari initiative.

The Char areas are also grappling with issues of girl-child rights violation, women rights violation apart from women in the family facing the economic burdens as men generally migrate for work to other states.

“Amid the trying times of coronavirus induced hardships, I was thinking about change in the Char areas. Merely supporting the women would not help them in the long term. Until they are financially independent their social condition will not change much,” she said.

The women from Char areas and the community, in general, are traditionally skilled in stitching kanthas. “I facilitated the use of the craft and ancestral knowledge to weave for their independence and empowerment,” she said.

The initiative is currently operating from Rupakuchi village, around 130-kilometers away northwest from state capital Guwahati, and sandwiched between Beki and Chaulkhua river which cause ravaging floods and erosions during the monsoon months.

At least 35 women are working as stakeholders, following a model of cooperative benefit sharing at Amrapari.

Women supported by Amrapari doing stitching work | Photo by Amrapari

Mullah said that during the initial days of the organization, Anjuman Ara Begum, a human rights activist, helped her a lot. “We discussed at lengths with women from villages and they said that they know stitching and were interested in engaging with the traditional craft,” she said.

More than monetary gain
For 24-year-old Nur Nehar from Rupakuchi village, her engagement with Amrapari means she can bear the educational expenses of her two children.

Married in 2009 as a child bride, Nehar used to stitch small fishing nets at her village which would earn her a meagre amount and living on the constant fear of being uprooted from her house by the annual flooding waters from Chaulkhua river, she is now confident that she will be able to earn the months ends by weaving the quilts.

“Though I knew stitching, but I didn’t know the designer works. It was Manjuwara madam who introduced the designs to us,” Nehar told TwoCircles.net, being happy with the fact that she has earned Rs 15,000 by working with Amrapari.

Moreover, the small initiative has been a ray of hope for many women from remote Muslim villages. Many find respite from the mental trauma that they endured when their husbands had done injustice to them.

A note on the social media page of Amrapari narrates the mental trauma that a woman had to go through. The post reads, “The most painful incident that had happened in my life was when my husband married twice. My mental health was badly affected. But upon working here, I can distract myself and pay the fees of my kids for their education which matters the most,” said one of the members from the group no. 2.”

It has also boosted confidence among many of the participants associated with the organization.

30-year-old Inuara Begum was said, “I would get shy and angry when I first saw my photograph in the posters. But now my photos have become some kind of viral on (social media). The people here and my family encouraged me so much so that I am not shy anymore. This has given me a lot of courage.”

For Umme Sabira Khatun, who is in her mid-twenties and coordinates among the women groups at Amrapari, her imaginations becoming arts on the kanthas is more than satisfactory. “Amrapari has given that platform where I can see my designs turn into appealing arts which I could never have imagined before,” Sabira said.

Mullah said that more than financial aid to the women, Amrapari envisages empowering the women from very remote places. “The experiences shared by the women reflect their own sense of self-identification as well as their independence,” she said.

Promoting their products via social media and e-commerce platforms, the women from Amrapari have been able to tap the market for their traditional kanthas and the women are extending their range of products as well.

source: http://www.twocircles.net / TwoCircles.net / Home> Lead Story / by Mahibul Hoque, TwoCircles.net / May 28th, 2021

An Indo-American’s pursuit for vanishing Islamic heritage sites

Toronto, CANADA :

Chennai:

Mr. Siraj Thakor, from Toronto, Canada, has undertaken the monumental task of creating an online database of all the Islamic Heritage Sites of India. He likes to preserve it digitally and make it available to all to cherish the Islamic past of this great country.

Mr. Siraj is looking for volunteers to assist him with the information on Islamic Heritage Sites in India. In response to his call, someone wrote to me with detailed information about a graceful mosque that lies in ruins in the Gaya district of Bihar.

This mosque popularly called ‘Lodi mosque’ was built around 1536 AD during the Lodhi rule in India. It is believed that Sultan Ibrahim Lodi, one of the rulers of the Lodhi dynasty had taken initiatives to get this mosque constructed.

This mosque is about 25 km from Gaya on Gaya-Patna road. It is exactly near Kundwa village at Khijrasarai block in Gaya district. It is situated on the banks of the river Falgu, a kilometer from village Kundwa. On the West of the river is Lodhipur village colloquially called Lodpur, while on the east is Kundwa village.

The mosque becomes functional only during ‘Eid’ and ‘Bakrid’ festival when some Muslims from Kundwa village come to offer prayers in this mosque.

For the rest of the years, this mosque remains a picture of neglect and want for maintenance. There is no Azaan called from this mosque as there is no one to take care of this house of worship. Some people have illegally occupied the land around this mosque but there is none to challenge such encroachments.

This historical mosque comes under the Archaeological Survey of India but neither ASI nor the Bihar government nor the Waqf Board, have any concern in protecting this Islamic heritage site.

It is in this context people like Mr. Siraj Thakor, who is Past President of the American Federation of Muslims of Indian Origin (AFMI), comes into the picture.  He wrote to me:

“Dear Brother Syed Ali Mujtaba, ASAK, I am a Past President of the American Federation of Muslims of Indian Origin (AFMI), We have undertaken the monumental task of creating an online database of all the Islamic Heritage Sites of India to preserve it digitally and make it available to all. I would take this opportunity to request you to be part of our team to collect info on Islamic Heritage Sites in your area. Alternatively, can you put in touch with someone or the organization which would be interested in such a historical task and leaves a legacy for the Indian Muslim generation to come? Wassalaam- Siraj Thakor.”

Mr. Siraj has started an All India campaign to document such historical Islamic heritage sites in ruins. If you have any similar story of any such Islamic heritage site near you, please write to him directly with photographs; (thakorsiraj@hotmail.com. You can even contact him on ‘WhatsApp’ -+1 416-277-7082.

This is a huge initiative and the efforts of people like Mr. Siraj needs to be strengthened by giving him a helping hand. Anyone, anyone where in the country who feels concerned about vanishing  Islamic Heritage Sites in India must come forward and join his team.

 Maiñ akelā hī chalā thā jānib-e-manzil magar– log saath aate gae aur kārvāñ bantā gayā –

(Translation: I set off alone towards my goal, but, people came along and it began to turn into a caravan!)

Syed Ali Mujtaba is a journalist based in Chennai. He can be contacted at (syedalimujtaba2007@gmail.com)

source: http://www.muslimmirror.com / Muslim Mirror / Home> Indian Muslim / by Syed Ali Mujtaba / June 19th, 2021

Taking a scalpel to pencil, Qatar resident carves a miniature world

KERALA / Doha, QATAR :

Doha:

Le Pouce, or the giant thumb sculpture at Souq Waqif, is a popular public artwork installed by Qatar Museum. What would happen when that same larger-than-life art piece is carved onto pencil graphite. That’s the thought that inspired Farhan Hameed, a carving artist residing in Doha to recreate the same artwork. The result was another beautiful miniature artwork atop a pencil! 

A motion graphic designer from Kerala, India, Farhan in his free time fiddles with his pencil and scalpel, and creates miniature carvings of popular buildings and other art pieces with the most recent one being Burj Doha. 

Farhan has also received compliments from contemporary Qatari artist Ahmed bin Majed Al Maadheed whose signature he had carved and shared. Ahmed commented on the Insta post writing, “Amazing details job. Thank you brother for your work.” 

Without any knowledge about pencil carving, he attempted to carve ‘I Love My India’ onto a pencil. About a dozen pencils later, his carving was complete. “This was my first work and it was nowhere near perfect but then it was something that I made with a lot of effort. I had no knowledge of carving tools and the pencil lead would break easily. It took over three days for the piece to be completed,” says Farhan. He attempted a few more and then sent some of the snaps to Afsal who shared his knowledge about the tools used – scalpel to sharpen and needles for detailing and making holes. 

He moved to Doha for work and that is when he took up pencil carving again and started sharing them on his Instagram page. People started liking his work and recognition came when his artwork was shared by a few in the Kerala film industry. “I carved a movie name “Thamaasha” and that was part of the movie’s 25th-day screening celebration. It was then that my parents came to know about my carvings. They would see me fiddling with the pencil and doing something but allowed me to carry on with whatever I loved,” says the 27-year-old artist. 

Of all the pencil carvings that he has done in the last few years, heart lock is one of his favourite and one that took many trials. He says, “In a heart lock, you have to carve the pencil in such a way that there are two hearts locked within each other. I tried it many times but it was recently that I was able to finish it successfully.” 

The carvings on social issues have garnered the most support on social media, with the most recent one named Eid With Aqsa – a pencil carving of the Al Aqsa Mosque. Prior to that Azaadi carving on the CAA issue in India was also much appreciated among his Instagram followers as he says, “Social issues connect with a larger audience and it is a way for us artists to share our opinion as well.”     

Though all his carvings take a lot of patience, he would like to continue his work and bring many more carvings to life. “There are quite a few beautiful structures in Doha. My dream is to carve them in a miniature form and if possible to set up an exhibition sometime later,” he concludes.

source: http://www.thepeninsulaqatar.com / The Peninsula / Home> Doha Today> Community / by Anisha Bijukumar, The Peninsula Online / June 06th, 2021

Find out why Aslam TP and Mujeeb Rahman are walking from Kasargod to Kanyakumari

Kasaragod, KERALA :

Mujeeb (left) and Aslam share a laugh with locals along the highway   | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

The two will cover a distance of 600-odd kilometres on foot, to raise money for children’s education

Ambling through the streets of Kozhikode, a visibly tired Aslam TP and his childhood friend Mujeeb Rahman are intercepted by an auto driver.

He wants to know where they are heading, and why they looked so drained. When Aslam tells him about the cause they are trying to raise money for, the auto driver promptly pulls out ₹100 from his pocket and hands it over.

In just seven days of their walk, Aslam and Mujeeb have been met with overwhelming tales of generosity, and as a result, 62% of their target amount (₹7 lakh) has been raised. They are covering a distance of 600-odd kilometres on foot, from Kasargod in Kerala to Kanyakumari in Tamil Nadu, to raise money for children’s education in Kasargod for the Najath Educational and Charitable Society. With the amount raised, they will buy smartphones for online classes. “We walked from Vadakara to Kozhikode on Monday, covering around 49 kilometres, the longest stretch so far,” say Aslam over a call from Kozhikode, Kerala. A serial fund raiser, Aslam took up a similar challenge in Bali last year, where he cycled 397 kilometres to support the education of 45 Balinese children. Currently, he runs a company called Yourfitrip in Bali, which encourages fitness holidays. These include surfing, kayaking, volcano trekking… activities that have helped Aslam stay fit over the years.

He also runs a community called Cause is Life that connects blood donors to receivers. It kept him and his pan-India volunteers busy through the second wave of COVID-19. Just before the lockdown this year, Aslam was in Nagaland, setting up Yourfitrip there, running up hills and walking from one village to another meeting the locals.

“For this walk, Mujeeb and I trained in Kasargod, our hometown, walking 15 to 18 kilometres everyday. We are training our brain to know that we are good to go, even when we are tired,” he laughs. They prepare a chart, based on which their daily route is fixed. “We average about 30-35 kilometres a day. On somedays, it goes up to 45 to 48.”

They start walking at 6.30am and wind up for the night by 7pm. “In case of emergency, we have a backup car that stays 15 kilometres ahead of us,” he adds. They take the highway, spilling into Tamil Nadu from Nagercoil before heading to Kanyakumari. With everything functional in Kerala and food available for takeaway, things have so far been under control.

Aslam says he will complete the walk in 21 to 23 days. Though planned as a 21-day project, the end date is uncertain as they get enveloped by hospitality from people they come across. So far, the duo has been pleasantly surprised by receptions planned in their honour, invites for meals from strangers, and the willingness of people to contribute even if it means handing over the last penny in their pocket. At one of the villages, a group followed them in a car as they wanted to be part of this mission. “I want people to know that we are collectively strong and can do so many things to give others a better future,” he says as he and Mujeeb stretch, lunge and soldier on, with the rain for company.

For details, check out Aslam’s Instagram handle @aslucha

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Society / by Priyadarshini Paitandy / June 30th, 2021

Shafeeq UR Rahman

Hyderabad, TELANGANA :

A thorough businessman who believes in work hard and celebrate harder.

When you are determined, Nothing can Stop you!!

Shafeeq runs the company, The star life- Hyderabad with an objective to promote the new talent in the field of fashion and to provide the right platform and the opportunity to the youth to achieve their dreams and inculcate the habits of dreaming big star life as it introduces many top class models and fashion designers.

Mr. Shafeeq ur Rahman is also a well-known personality in the field of fashion lifestyle and entertainment publications and he is also an Editor-in-chief City Hi-life magazine Hyderabad. So far he has attended 100+ fashion pageants as a chief guest. Star life Hyderabad is one of the renowned entertainment companies which organizes Beauty pageant, fashion photo shoots with well-known celebrities, fashion houses, and fashion designer. It is the wide variety of activities being celebrated at Star Life which makes it extremely unique.

Passion Vista got an opportunity to meet Mr.Shafeeq Ur Rahman on the sidelines of 3rd Business Leadership Awards, an event conceptualized by Unified Brainz powered by Passion Vista Talks in association with Asian-African Chamber of Commerce and Industry in June 2019 at the Taj, Santacruz, Mumbai.

Mr.Rahman was honored for running a Promising Emerging Enterprise in Event Management.

Here are the excerpts of our conversation with Mr.Shafeeq Ur Rahman

Mr.Rahman, how did you feel being a part of the 3rd Global Business Leadership Forum?

‘Star Life’ is just five years old and yet, it has been able to create a niche for itself and the right kind of people have started noticing us.

Mr.Rahman, what influenced you to start The Star Life and what are your plans for it?

I want to create a platform where all new models and actors can approach and showcase their talent. I want to especially reduce hardships faced by them till the point of nullifying them. I eventually would like to extend Star Life internationally too.

Is The Star Life your core profession or you are also involved in other businesses?

Well, earlier I was also into constructions but nowadays, with the positive response and multi-skilled hard work talents coming in, I plan to be dedicated to The Star Life.

That’s about business, tell us what your hobbies are? How do you usually Chill?

Well, it is not too tough to guess, whenever I get time from my schedule which is extremely tough these days, I like to watch old movies, I love yesteryears performances.

That’s interesting. Which are your favorite ones?

I can watch the old Devdas and Andaz Apna Apna infinitely. In fact, I would also urge the makers of Andaz Apna Apna to either remake the movie or release it again. Current generation needs to witness the purest form of Comedy of Errors on the Silver Screen.

Being a movie buff, Your favorite actors?

(Lol, Before the question is completed) Shahrukh Khan of Darr & Kareena Kapoor of Jab We Met

Who is your Role Model?

I have followed the life of Shri Amitabh Bachchan very closely and I would definitely like to meet him once in person to ask whats the best way to deal with the ups and downs.

Your Midnight Friend/ Philosopher/Mentor for advice?

My older brother Khaleeq Ur Rahman. I am thankful for the almighty to bless me with a brother like this, without whom I am incomplete. He has this calm demeanor that helps me always.

What is your Advice to Budding Entrepreneurs?

There is no short cut to the most beautiful place in life, hard work eventually succeeds, keep sharpening your skills, the day you don’t sharpen them, you are heading for decline.

source: http://www.passionvista.com / Passion Vista / Home> – Featured Stories / June 2019

Arshia Khan

Mumbai, MAHARASHTRA / Doha, QATAR :

COO, Crowdbridge Consultants Pvt Ltd;
Editor, Crowdteck.com – A CSR Digital Magazine;
Associate Director, Crowd Central Technology

Against all odds, Arshia Khan lives to tell the tale. The year was 1985; city, Mumbai. The building Arshia’s family was residing in, collapsed, and they lost everything including her elder brother. Arshia was declared dead and taken to a morgue. Destiny however had other plans. Arshia suffered a loss of eyesight and memory, but thanks to God’s grace and timely medical intervention led by Dr Machiswala, she gradually bounced back to normalcy.

From then on, Arshia’s fighting spirit battled every obstacle in her path to emerge victorious.

One of six siblings, Arshia grew up in humble surroundings. Despite being the lone breadwinner, her father ensured good education for all. And so Arshia attended St Anne’s High School in Bandra, Mumbai which is also alma mater to renowned personalities like actor Aamir Khan and politician Baba Siddiqui.

Valuing everything that life had to offer, Arshia worked hard and excelled at everything in school. From being among the top three rankers in class to winning scholarships and best students awards, Arshia was God’s favourite child.

Following an interest towards daily affairs and national issues, Arshia pursued a degree in Mass Media (Journalism) at Rizvi College of Management. During this time, she was academically adopted on merit by an NGO called MESCO, which supports educational necessities of worthy students. The selfless service of MESCO went a long way in encouraging her to participate in social causes. Now one of her co-ventures that she is passionate about is Crowd Bridge Consultants Pvt Ltd which covers all that creates and promotes social development, wellbeing and betterment.

At Rizvi College, Arshia was mentored by (late) Prof P K Ravindranath who was an iconic journalist in his days. Following her mentor’s advice, ‘If you want to be a journalist, be on the ground, network, and build relationships’, she didn’t pursue her masters. She started networking, which eventually landed her a job at the Indian Express Newspapers. She learnt everything about journalism and media at The Indian Express. In 2010, she moved to Network 18 Media and Investments Ltd. as a Features Editor, managing a bigger team. She later diversified into the PR industry and worked at Perfect Relations’ healthcare arm – Imprimis. Two years hence, she moved to Adfactors, the PR giant, as an account manager.

As her professional life flourished, marital bliss followed. Soon after having her first baby Yahya in 2017, Arshia moved to Doha, Qatar. During 2017 – 18, she worked as a freelance consultant. By the end of 2018, she joined Crowd Central Technology as the Head of Content. Crowd Central’s CEO, Waseem Ahmed Kazi, always spoke at length about how he wanted to make a positive difference in society. Their thoughts resonated, and eventually Arshia was leading an exciting new venture, Crowdteck.com – a CSR Digital Magazine.

The objective of the magazine is to encourage good work in humanitarian causes, irrespective of cast, creed or religion. Their aim to restore faith in humanity helped them to connect with a global audience, and their online global readership quadrupled in two years.

From Mumbai to Qatar, what has been Arshia’s biggest challenge? “I have always been a passionate journalist, but was naïve about the business aspect until 2018 when I was promoted as the Associate Director at Crowd Central Technology. This big push meant that I was not only dealing with publishing of content but also specialised areas like revenue, business, and the like. As I was delegated the responsibility of handling international business across India, I learnt the specifics of a brick-and-mortar business model, including the online implications of its cyber footprint,” shares Arshia.

Although professionally satisfying and rewarding, this leap posed some challenges at the personal level. “My husband and I would work separate shifts and take turns to be with our toddler. It can be heart-breaking to leave your months-old toddler for work, and all new mothers will relate to this.”

However Arshia was lucky to be working with a company like Crowd Central Technology, which not only accommodated her requests as a new mother but also rewarded and motivated her to continue unabated.

On the other hand is Arshia’s most gratifying moment. Without a blink, she says, “Motherhood! Being a mother has been a blissful journey, which has taught me that patience and perseverance take you far. My child has disciplined me in more ways than one, and I can’t thank the Almighty enough for this little bundle of joy.”

As a parting note, inspirational Arshia shares a very important piece of advice, “I was embarrassed to seek aid or assistance of any kind. It is important that we inculcate the habit of reaching out for help in our children, who will be future leaders.”

source: http://www.passionvista.com / Passion Vista / Home> Collector’s Edition – Featured Stories – Women Leaders 2021 / April 2021

Jamia Millia Islamia Students’ Film ‘Dhaai Peher’ Receives An Award At LIAFF

NEW DELHI :

Dhaai Peher (Two and a Half Moments), a Jamia Millia Islamia (JMI) student film directed by M.A. Mass Communication students Amal Devasiya, Danish Qazi, Jamshad Ali, Kashif Shakeel, and Pankaj Rawat, won the Outstanding Achievement Award in the student category at the L’Age d’Or International Arthouse Film Festival (LIAFF).

The story follows a series of events that unfold in Punjab in the 1990s. During the COVID outbreak, the film was made when outside venues were scarce, and Punjab had to be conjured up in and around Delhi.

LIAFF’s mission is to foster a film culture that inspires and brings together cross-cultural innovations that enrich people’s lives through entertainment and services that enlighten, educate, and entertain them.

The AJK Mass Communication Research Centre is India’s most prestigious media institute. The MCRC, founded in 1982 by Anwar Jamal Kidwai (previously VC of Jamia Millia Islamia and later Chairman of the Centre), offers graduate and post-graduate courses in new media art, craft, and technology. With professionally and academically skilled staff and a diverse range of visiting professionals, the MCRC provides the highest media education and training standards.

Lately, AJK MCRC has produced many eminent journalists and filmmakers. Barkha Dutt, Kabir Khan, Meenu Gaur are some of the examples.

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Jamia Millia Islamia (Central University)@jmiu_official

An AJKMCRC),@jmiu_official student film Dhaai Peher (Two and a Half Moments)directed by Amal Devasiya, Danish Qazi, Jamshad Ali, Kashif Shakeel and Pankaj Rawat won the Outstanding Achievement Award at the L’Age d’Or International Arthouse Film Festival in the student category.

source: http://www.thenationalbulletin.in / The National Bulletin / Home> Education / by Jitesh Dhawan / June 17th, 2021

M.A. Momin dead

Hubballi, KARNATAKA :

Urdu writer and Calligraphy expert M.A. Momin died in Hubballi on Sunday due to COVID-19 related complications. He was 72.

He frequently organised Urdu learning training courses for non-native Urdu speakers. He also conducted calligraphy training sessions for school and college students. He was an active member of Idara Farogh-e-Urdu Hubli, a literary organisation.

Momin was famous for his Nizamat or anchoring Urdu Shayari sessions across North Karnataka districts. He was a recipient of Karnataka Urdu Academy award.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Karnataka / by Special Correspondent / Belagavi – June 27th, 2021

Decoding history cast in stone

Birur town (Kadur taluk-Chikkamagaluru District), KARNATAKA :

It became an abiding interest  while studying Kannada at the pre-university level at Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru Memorial College.

Shivamogga :

To D Ismail, the mastigallu (masti stone) is a fascinating storyteller. It talks about the history and the people as he peers into the inscrutable inscriptions whether it is in Modi lipi or Halegannada (ancient Kannada).

The epigraphist from Birur town in Chikkamagaluru district took a fancy to the knowledge hidden in stones, and is one among a small number of people who can understand ‘Modi lipi’, a cursive script used to write several languages, including Kannada. It is just like English running hand, he says. It became an abiding interest  while studying Kannada at the pre-university level at Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru Memorial College.

Ismail (63) says Modi lipi is a kind of early Kannada writing found from the times of Ashoka to the 18th century, which was used to record events and facts about emperors and their empires. In English, it is termed ‘cacography’, which according to the Kannada dictionary, means ‘illegible handwriting’, seen mostly in ancient stone inscriptions called mastigallu and veeragallu (hero stone).

Ismail is studying stone inscriptions to analyse their contents for anything related to astronomy and is compiling a research paper on the subject ‘Astronomy in Inscriptions’. Other issues that he is studying include natural calamities, music and life events, recorded in inscriptions to understand the culture of people going back to the Cholas, Gangas, Rashtrakutas and others who ruled South India.

The curiosity that drew him to these stones soon became his passion. “I studied various books related to Modi script, and under the guidance of epigraphist Shambhu Lingappa, I visited ancient sites in and around Birur, Kadur and Chikkamagaluru with him. I learned to read inscriptions in Modi script and also in Halegannada. I started reading books written by famous epigraphists like M M Kalburgi, Chidanandamurthy, A V Narasimhamurthy and others.”

Though Ismail could not pursue his education after pre-university, he never missed an opportunity to upgrade his Halegannada-related knowledge. Today, he is a well-known epigraphist who offers guidance to students of Kannada literature researching inscriptions and Halegannada in various universities. He has a rare collection of more than 5,000 books related to epigraphy, Halegannada, mastigallu and veeragallu.

He has written a book titled ‘Madhya Karnatakadalli Beeradevaru’ (still a manuscript) about Beeradevaru, a deity worshipped by the Kuruba community. The book throws light on the community, where they came from, and how they settled in Shivamogga, Chikkamagaluru and Chitradurga districts. He has travelled the length and breadth of these districts to collect information and did a field survey for more than two years.

He suggests that people interested in inscriptions read the book ‘Kannada Lipiya Ugama Mathu Vikasa’ by A V Narasimhamurthy, and ‘Lipi, Lipikara, Lipi Vyavasaya’ by Shettar, for those who want to learn Halegannada.

Ismail is one of the four sons of E M Dastagir Saab and Razia Begum of Birur, who have had a grocery business at M G Circle in Birur town for many decades. Even today, Ismail is the one who opens the grocery shop in the morning and takes care of the business.

He has a rare collection of more than 5,000 books related to epigraphy, Halegannada, mastigallu and veeragallu.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Karnataka / by Ramachandra V Gunari / Express News Service / June 27th, 2021