When Arifa Kodiyil, a Muslim woman started learning Kalaripayattu at the age of five, it raised many eyebrows. Now, the five-time-national champion is an example to strong women who fight their ground.
Mallapuram,KERALA :
Arifa can effortlessly handle many weapons including, Urumi, Vaal and Paricha, katara (dagger), kathi, kuntham (spear), kuruvadi (blunt wood stick) and neduvadi.
Kochi :
Kalaripayattu, the traditional martial art form that originated in Kerala, has always been a man’s game. But veteran Kalari trainer, Hamzathali Gurukkal brought a change to this custom when he decided to introduce his five-year-old granddaughter Arifa Kodiyil to the artform. The Malapuram-native didn’t have a good start. A Muslim girl learning Kalari did raise many eyebrows.
Having turned 26 recently, hijab-clad Arifa slays her competitors, flashing her urumi with all might, following the footsteps of legendary warrior Arackkal Ayesha. “Growing up, I used to watch the men in my family practice and teach Kalari. I used to think everyone needed to learn Kalaripayattu. At the age of five, seeing my interest in the art form, my uppuppa decided to train me,” says Arifa.
Road less taken This five-time national champion was the first girl from Malapuram to master the art form. “Since I didn’t have any women to practice with, my brother Ashif used to spar with me. At most competitions too, I was the only girl, or rather, the only Muslim who represented Malapuram back in the day,” says Arifa.
After the demise of Gurukkal Hamzathali, his son K M Haneefa Gurukkal runs the Hamzathali Gurukkal Smaraka Kalari. “When Arifa was introduced to Kalari lessons, many people from the community asked us to not let her perform on stage, that Kalari is not ideal for a woman to practice. We, as a family never paid heed to those words. We always asked our kids not to get bogged down by the comments,” says Haneefa.
The ones who pointed fingers soon clapped for the family when they realised the importance of self-defence techniques. “We are living in a time when both genders need to know how to protect themselves. More parents have started sending kids in the age of four to our centre,” adds Haneefa.
A woman’s game Arifa believes it is essential for women to learn martial arts. “In the women-only batch, around 50 girls are being trained at the gurukulam by my father, sister Anshifa, and me,” says Arifa.
Arifa claims that if you know the right moves, a woman can use anything — bag, umbrella, pen or purse — to protect herself. “After undergoing training in ‘Drishti’ a woman will be able to intimidate an attacker or an eve teaser with just a sharp gaze,” says Arifa.
Arifa can effortlessly handle many weapons including, Urumi, Vaal and Paricha, katara (dagger), kathi, kuntham (spear), kuruvadi (blunt wood stick) and neduvadi. Kalaripayattu trainees can wield weapons only after gaining several years of practice in Meytaari, the first step of training which focuses on grip.
Eyes Forward Arifa, an optometry graduate is now living with her spouse in Chekkannor, Palakkad. Her sister, 21-year-old Ashifa, manages the women’s batch. Arifa steps in during special classes and competitions. “My students bagged gold at the recent state competition held in Thiruvananthapuram. Due to Covid, classes are being now conducted online. The training for the upcoming national event is underway,” said Arifa.
The Central Government’s decision to include Kalaripayattu in the Khelo India Youth Games will benefit many students, says Arifa “It will be a major boost to Kerala’s centuries-old art form. A few of my students have secured scholarships as well,” says Haneefa.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Good News / by Mahima Anna Jacob, Express News Service / May 29th, 2021
Born in 1858, Begum Sultan Jahan ascended the throne in 1901. While she was the fourth female ruler of Bhopal, she is credited with many firsts. She was known for ruling in the present with her eyes set on the future. Her progressive policies for women, at a time when they were shackled by the forces of patriarchy, have made her a feminist icon even today.
Begum Sultan Jahan was a pioneer in the field of education and even authored a book, Dars-e-Hayat, about the education and parenting of young girls.
Nearly a century ago, when the term feminism was not yet part of common parlance, the princely estate of Bhopal was run by a line of powerful women. In the absence of male successors, they initiated a matrilineal reign from 1819, which continued till 1926. These rulers are often referred to as the Begums of Bhopal.
During this era, they ruled with authority, dignity and bold reforms — disrupting the patriarchal system that had been laid down centuries before them.
The last Begum of Bhopal was Begum Sultan Jahan. She ruled from 1909 to 1926 after which she stepped down and was succeeded by her son.
Begum Sultan Jahan died on May 12, 1930 at the age of 71. She was known for ruling in the present with her eyes set on the future. Her progressive policies for women, at a time when they were shackled by the forces of patriarchy, have made her a feminist icon even today.
Apart from being a philanthropist and prolific writer, she was a symbol of women empowerment, known for taking up the cause of female education. She was the first female Chancellor of Aligarh Muslim University, which she had nurtured during its nascent stage, when it was still known as the Mohammadan Anglo Oriental College.
In a time when it was rare for women to venture out due to a strict purdah system, she famously constructed a Meeting Hall for Ladies in Lahore.
But above all, Begum Sultan Jahan was an astute ruler who restored the glory of her estate.
It is hard to find a female ruler who authored over 40 books, designed school curriculum, founded women’s clubs, travelled to Europe, met British officials with authority, funded almost all major institutions — both in the country as well as one in Saudi Arabia — and even headed a University as its first female Chancellor.
Interestingly, film actress Sharmila Tagore is the granddaughter-in-law of Nawab Hamid Ullah Khan, the youngest son of Begum Sultan Jahan.
Begum Sultan Jahan, the ruler of Bhopal
Born in 1858, Begum Sultan Jahan ascended the throne in 1901. While she was the fourth female ruler of Bhopal, she is credited with many firsts.
She was not one to stand on the sidelines. An incident from the early days of her regime is often cited to highlight her penchant for ruling from the front. When she took over as Queen, there was only Rs 40,000 in the treasury which was not enough to even pay the salary of her employees. Begum Sultan Jahan decided to tour her kingdom and interact with the village folk. After learning their concerns, she set up the municipality system and even introduced municipal elections.
She also constructed a walled city and a palace for herself. She took steps for improving public health, sanitation, and water supply in the walled city and implemented widespread vaccination drives for its residents.
Apart from being a philanthropist and prolific writer, she was a symbol of women empowerment, known for taking up the cause of female education.
Recognising that women needed a space exclusively for them to assemble and discuss ideas, she laid the foundation stone for a meeting hall in Lahore in 1913.
To encourage women and promote handicrafts, she organised an exhibition called ‘Numaish Masunuaat e Hind’ in Bhopal, where she displayed her own creations. Queens from other kingdoms, such as Gwalior, Jhanjhar, Sultanpur, Narsinghgarh and Gulburgah also participated and displayed their handiwork.
Begum Sultan Jahan as an educationist
She was a pioneer in the field of education and even authored a book, Dars-e-Hayat, about the education and parenting of young girls. There was a time when almost every city of the country had one or more educational institutes for girls which were funded by Begum Sultan Jahan.
To encourage parents to educate their daughters, she set up several schools. However, most initially resisted the idea, as at the time it was considered socially acceptable to teach their daughters at home.
Undeterred, she started the Sultania School and also improved the condition of two existing schools — Madarsa Bilqisia and Madarsa Victoria. She even revamped the syllabus and added subjects such as English, Urdu, Arithmetic, Home Science and crafts. These schools were meant for underprivileged children and hence their expenses were borne by the Bhopal estate. Even in those times, she got the Madarsa Sultania affiliated to the Allahabad Board. This Madarsa was well equipped and even had an ambulance and sections for medicine and nursing. Later she also started a nursing school called Lady Minto Nursing School.
Begum Sultan Jahan did not solely focus on uplifting Muslim girls. She famously founded the Barjeesiya Kanya Paathshala’ and even instituted a scholarship for the underprivileged students of Jain Shwetambar Paathshala.
Despite being a small princely estate, Bhopal had an education budget of one lakh rupees. The educational institutions she supported were not confined to Aligarh alone. She was also funding a Madarsa in Deoband, Nadwatul Uloom in Lucknow and even Madarsa Sultania in Mecca, Saudi Arabia. Institutions such as Lady Hardinge Medical College, Delhi and some renowned colleges in Bombay (now Mumbai), and Calcutta (now Kolkata) received generous grants from her.
Begum Sultan Jahan established the Ladies Club in Bhopal with the aim of involving more women in her mission. She addressed the functions of the Ladies Club. Later, she even organised an event under the aegis of All India Women Association in Sadar Bhopal and established the Sultan Jahan Endowment Trust with a corpus of Rs three lakhs for helping needy students.
Begum Sultan Jahan also went as far as encouraging the rulers of other princely states to promote education. Even Lord Harding praised her efforts.
She authored 41 books, many of which were distributed for free. She also translated a number of English books into Urdu.
Begum Sultan Jahan and AMU
Around that time, more than 600 kilometres away from Bhopal, in the province of Uttar Pradesh, the Mohammedan Anglo Oriental College was taking shape in Aligarh.
In 1910, while returning from Mussoorie, she stayed in Aligarh for the first time. During her visit, she donated Rs 50,000 for the construction of the All India Muhammadan Educational Conference, which still exists today and is known as Sultan Jahan Manzil.
A monthly grant of Rs 100 was sanctioned by her for the girls school started in Aligarh by Sheikh Abdullah, which is now known as the Women’s College of AMU. She designed the syllabus herself and offered it to the school authorities. It was done at a time when there was a paucity of funds and women ’s education had taken a backseat. Later, when MAO College became AMU, she was named its first Chancellor.
During AMU’s centenary celebrations on December 22, 2020, Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid tribute to Begum Jahan and her contribution to the historic institution — “The AMU has the rare distinction that Begum Sultan Jahan took over the responsibility of its founder chancellor. How daunting it would have been one hundred years ago!”
In 1910, she stayed in Aligarh for the first time. During her visit, she donated Rs 50,000 for the construction of the All India Muhammadan Educational Conference, which still exists today and is known as Sultan Jahan Manzil.
As Chancellor of the AMU, she addressed its first-ever convocation ceremony in 1922 amidst renowned scholars from across the country. She also arranged cars and lodging for 175 persons during the jubilee ceremony of the University. Begum Sultan Jahan visited Aligarh seven times, with her last visit being in 1929.
Her speech during the foundation stone laying ceremony of Sultania Boarding House in Women’s College reflects her vision. She said, “Today is the beginning of a new era in the history of Muslims. And, whenever, in the coming time, the history of this era is recorded, today’s programme will be remembered as one of its brightest chapters.”
Her prophecy came true. The school patronised by Begum Sultan Jahan has grown into a college drawing over 3,095 female students from across the country and overseas enrolled in 34 courses taught by 107 faculty members.
The women’s college attracts international students from more than 20 countries including, Afghanistan, Malaysia, Turkey, Thailand, Indonesia, Iran, UAE, Iraq, Yemen, Bangladesh, Libya, Nepal, Syria among others.
The Nasrullah Hostel for Boys in AMU, too, was constructed with her support. It is often said that whenever AMU needed help, Begum Sultan Jahan of Bhopal Estate was among the first to step up.
Following in her footsteps, her son Hamidullah Khan, who studied in Aligarh, founded a Science College in the city, and donated Rs two lakh to it.
(Nasir is Assistant Professor, Department of Law, Aligarh Muslim University; Fareed is Media Advisor, AMU)
source: http://www.indianexpress.com / The Indian Express / Home> Lifestyle> Art & Culture / by Faisal Fareed & Mohammad Nasir (Aligarh, UP) / May 27th, 2021
The young poet represents an unapologetic Miya voice, one that the state’s new chief minister has described as a threat to Assamese identity and culture.
Ashraful Hussain (Twitter/Ashraful Hussain)
In an act of poetic justice, the people of Chenga, a constituency in lower Assam, have sent AIUDF’s Ashraful Hussain, a young Miya poet, as their representative to the newly elected Assam assembly. He is only one of 126 MLAs but the significance of his presence is that he represents an unapologetic Miya voice — one that the state’s new chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has declared as a threat to the Assamese identity and culture.
It has been said that the organisational skills of Sarma forced the BJP to prefer him as the new chief minister over the outgoing one but his brazen anti-Muslim and anti-Miya stance in the last five years can be a reason as well. He has openly said that his party did not want votes of the Miya Muslim community and that he wanted another NRC to identify these “outsiders”.
Ashraful Hussain’s victory has to be understood in this context. The word “Miya” is a slur used to describe Muslims who migrated from East Bengal to Assam over several decades, starting from the 19th century, and who live on the Char Chaporis (shifting riverine islands) of Assam. But Ashraful and his fellow poets have reclaimed it and turned it into a badge of honour. A poem written in 2016 by Hafiz Ahmed, the president of the Char Chapori Sahitya Parishad, took Assam by storm and inspired fellow poets. He wrote, “Write down/I am a Miya/My serial number in the NRC is 200543/I have two children/Another is coming/Next summer. /Will you hate him/As you hate me?”
Younger voices like Ashraful Hussain found courage in these plain words of their elder. “Who are they? Why can’t they be allowed to speak and sing the way they do? Ashraful writes: “And though I was born in Assam and pride in/Calling myself an Assamese/The language doesn’t slide down my tongue/My father wears a blue-checked lungi/My mother wears a saree/My sister wears mekhela or churidar/And me, brother, I wear jeans pants.”
For this audacity to make themselves visible and lay a claim for a space in Assam’s cultural landscape, the Miya poets had to pay a price. In 2019, FIRs were lodged against them and they had to go into hiding. I recall a meeting at the Press Club in Delhi organised by the writers of Delhi in their support. Ashraful was supposed to read his poems there but he could not come.
These were the charges against them: The Miya poets were writing in an artificial language, there was nothing like a Miya dialect and they were fracturing the Assamese identity. The truth was that the Miya poets had broken the myth of one single Assamese voice. The people of the Char Chapori use dialects of Mymensingh, Pabna, Tangail, and Dhaka, regions now in Bangladesh, with the influence of Assamese as well as other local languages of Assam.
The question before the people Ashraful calls “choruwa, bhatiya, immigrant shaykh, neo-Asomiya, Mymensinghia” in one of his poems was to describe themselves. Who are they?
Shalim Hussain, a Miya poet, asked, “So what do we call ourselves then? If and only if it is impossible for us to be known simply as Indians or Assamese let us be called ‘Miya’. The difference between Miya and Bangladeshi must be clearly demarcated.” He explained, “… in Assam Miya is a derogatory term used for a specific community — Assamese Muslims of Bengal origin. ‘Miya’ is a matrix within which fall descendants of people who migrated from Tangail, Pabna, Mymensingh, Dhaka, and other districts of present-day Bangladesh. However, there is a class angle to the equation too. An educated Bengal-origin Assamese Muslim who also speaks Assamese might be able to camouflage his ‘Miyaness’. Since I am university educated and speak decent Assamese, I might not be called a Miya, at least until I make it explicit. My cousin, on the other hand, who drives a cycle-rickshaw in Guwahati, will always be one. My class privilege might protect me from the feelings of disgust reserved for my cousin.”
So, it was not for a literary career but to identify with their lesser privileged brothers, who have to face this slur daily, that Ashraful and his colleagues decided to call their poetry Miya poetry.
Ashraful is a soft-spoken, shy person but he has with great grit and determination stood for those who are threatened by the process of the NRC. His poetry gave voice to his people but in the real world of democracy, they needed representation where it mattered. So, he decided to go to his people and ask them, “If he sings for them, can he also be given the authority to speak for them as their representative?” The people of Chenga overwhelmed him with their mandate. A greenhorn in politics, he defeated AGP’s Rabiul Hussain and Sukur Ali Ahmed, a longtime sitting Congress MLA, by more than 50,000 votes.
In the assembly, he will take oath as the representative of his people after the man who wants them disenfranchised takes oath as the Chief Minister. Ashraful Hussain will have the company of his poetry to respond to the violent politics of erasure: “I have grown a bud and two leaves on my hands/I have learnt to write two lines/I have learnt to open my mouth and say/… In the name of my mother who died/In a detention camp, I swear/That this voice in my throat will grow louder/And some day rustle the folds in your ears. /I swear sir, I swear by my dead mother.”
Let us thank the people of Chenga and celebrate this vote for Miya poetry.
source: http://www.indianexpress.com / The Indian Express / Home> Opinion> Columns / by Apoorvanand / May 13th, 2021
The Aishbagh Eidgah, which is the biggest Eidgah in Lucknow, will now double up as a COVID-19 vaccination centre. This will be the first religious establishment in the state capital which will be providing jabs against COVID-19 to the people. Till now vaccines were being administered only in hospitals in Lucknow. Two inoculation centres — one for ages 18-44 and another for people aged 45 and above — have been set up at the Eidgah.
Beneficiaries of all age groups above 18 years, who have registered on the CoWin portal, will be able to get the jab here. The officials of the All India Islamic Centre will also be assisting people with online registration for getting the vaccine shot. The nodal officer for COVID-19 in Lucknow, Roshan Jacob, reached Aishbagh Eidgah on Thursday to take stock of the preparations. “It is a very good initiative that has been taken by the Islamic Center. This will facilitate the people to get vaccinated,” she said.
Meanwhile, Imam Idgah, Lucknow and Chairman of Islamic Center of India, Maulana Khalid Rashid Farangi Mahli said, “People should keep in mind that along with precaution for prevention of epidemics like COVID-19, the best and most effective thing is vaccination. Lucknow has a lot of population, especially old Lucknow. Keeping in mind the population, two centres have been made at the ground of Eidgah. One center is for people between 18 years to 44 years and one center is for people aged 45 years or more.”
“The huge space here helps in maintaining social distancing and also lowers the risk of transmission of infection. There are a lot of people who are unable to register themselves for vaccination, our team at Islamic Centre of India will help such people in getting themselves registered online for the jab,” he added.
Meanwhile, the fresh cases of COVID-19 infection continue a downward trend in Uttar Pradesh as 6,725 new infections were reported in the last 24 hours. Additional Chief Secretary (Health) Amit Mohan Prasad said 13,590 patients were discharged in the last 24 hours, while there were 11,6434 active cases in the state. Of these, 82,801 were in infected home isolation. The recovery rate in the state has risen to 91.8 percent. The positivity rate in the state has come down to 2.4 per cent, while 238 corona-infected people died in the state. In the last 24 hours, 2,91,156 samples were investigated in the state.
still from Insha Allah | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
SPP Bhaskaran’s ‘Insha Allah’ now awaits a theatrical release after doing the rounds at film festivals
“Insha Allah is dedicated to the late Jabaramma,” says director Seerkatchi Pakhil Pandian (SPP) Bhaskaran, with a tinge of sadness in his voice.
Jabaramma ran a mess at the scenic Pillayarpuram near Coimbatore, the location where he shot his film. “She served all three meals for my entire team during our 30-day shoot there. I wrote a character based on her during my stay there, and even nudged her to play the role. Although she was shy to face the camera, Jabaramma learnt acting at a workshop done by the late Arunmozhi and his team during our shoot, and she performed confidently,” recalls Bhaskaran.
Insha Allah made it to the official selection in over 30 international film festivals, and won as many as seven awards for direction, cinematography, and other categories. “The reception has been overwhelming, especially at the Ubud International Film Festival and Accolade Global Film Competition,” he says.
An outsider’s perspective
Though Bhaskaran had to trim its runtime to 84 minutes for an international audience, he has now had the luxury of retaining some of the omitted scenes for theatrical release. “We were all set [for release] after we got the Censor Certificate. We timed it as an Eid release, but now because of the second wave we have to wait and watch,” he adds.
SPP Bhaskaran | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Insha Allah follows the happenings in a middle-class Muslim society, and is inspired from the short stories of authors Thoppil Mohammed Meeran (AnbirkkuMuthimai Illai) and Firdous Rajakumaran (Ranam). It also encapsulates the director’s observations of the Muslim community as an outsider. “I spent over six months at Karumbukadai, a Muslim locality in the city to understand the everyday happenings,” Bhaskaran says.
A still from Insha Allah | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
The film is produced by his friend Shahul Hameed (under his banner Nesam Entertainment) who runs an electrical motor manufacturing unit. Bhaskaran chose death as the film’s central theme and wrote a script that touches upon the five tenets of Islam: daily prayers, giving alms(zakat), fasting during Ramadan, pilgrimage to Mecca (Haj) and profession of faith.
The protagonist is an ambulance driver played by Mogly K Mohan (who has been a part of films like Kirumi, Bakrid and Master). Poet Vikramathithan (who played a supporting role in director Bala’s award-winning film Naan Kadavul) and his wife Bhagvathi Ammal play an elderly couple in the movie. Some of the NGOs like Jeevasanthi, which performs the last rites for unclaimed bodies, and New Generation Trust — which builds homes for abandoned women, most of whom are divorcees — are also a part of the narration.
As for his experience with the community, Bhaskaran adds, “It was heart-warming. I have also filmed at the Cheraman Juma Masjid, which is believed to be the first mosque in the country. It is located at Kodungalloor in Kerala. There is also footage of the 800-year-old mosque at Keeranur, near Palani. The film is an outsider’s view of the community.”
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Entertainment> Movies / by K Jeshi / Coimbatore – May 05th, 2021
Seeing the hardships faced by patients, the mosque committee took the decision, said Zunnoon Nomani Nomani, chief of the panel.
Lucknow, UTTAR PRADESH :
Jama Masjid (Photo| EPS/ Shekhar Yadav)
Lucknow :
The Jama Masjid in the Lalbagh area here has come forward to provide oxygen cylinders and concentrators to COVID-19 patients free of cost.
Half of the equipment have been reserved for non-Muslims.
Seeing the hardships faced by patients, the mosque committee took the decision, said Zunnoon Nomani Nomani, chief of the panel.
Nomani said, “Any needy person can come to the mosque, show his Aadhaar card and some other documents and take an oxygen cylinder or concentrator free of cost.
Fifty per cent of the oxygen cylinders and concentrators have been reserved for non-Muslims.
If needed, more help can be provided.” Nomani said initially they had only three to four oxygen cylinders.
Now, after the contribution of people, they have 50 oxygen cylinders and 25 concentrators, he said.
Nomani said whenever any person comes to donate money, he is requested to pay the amount to the seller of the equipment and send the bill via WhatsApp to the Masjid Committee.
Members of the committee collect the equipment from the seller by showing the bill, he said.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Nation / by PTI / May 18th, 2021
She reaches out to people in need with Oxygen cylinders.
Shahjahanpur, UTTAR PRADESH :
A 26-year-old woman from Uttar Pradesh has earned the moniker Shahjahanpur’s ‘Cylinder Bitiya’ (cylinder daughter), for reaching out to people in need with Oxygen cylinders on her Scooty.
Arshi Ansari’s father, Mashkoor (65), fell ill on April 2, the first day of Ramzan. Tests revealed that he was COVID-19 positive. Arshi went to the city magistrate to ask for an Oxygen cylinder for him but was told that there was no such provision for patients in home isolation. The official suggested that she finds a hospital for her father.
Arshi, a resident of Madar Khel area, went to the district hospital but was appalled by its stench and dirt. She then tried a few private hospitals, but was told that they had no Oxygen and that she would have to make her own arrangements.
“I did not want to leave my father uncared for, in a hospital,” says the woman who has completed her Bachelor of Arts in English and Urdu.
Next morning, she again went to the city magistrate and pleaded for a cylinder. This time she was given one.
Meanwhile, Arshi’s appeal for a cylinder on social media had attracted response from a group of volunteers in Rudraprayag, who sent her 10 cylinders.
Though Arshi’s father took a month to get well, after the first 12 days of illness, he did not need Oxygen cylinders. Arshi then decided that she would distribute these to the needy, who could reach out to her through a WhatsApp group. Around Shahjahanpur and even to Hardoi which is 67 km away, to the neighbouring state of Uttarakhand, Arshi has carried the life-giving gas over long distances without any charge. She also gets empty cylinders filled on request.
“No one hoards a cylinder. After have no use of it, they refill it and pass it on to others in need”, she says.
Arshi started distributing Oxygen cylinders during the month of Ramzan. Yet, she says, she never felt any discomfort or hunger. “It is my belief that I got success in my work because it was Ramzan and I had Allah’s blessings”.
When she started the work, she had to face nasty comments from passers-by and cat calling by boys. “There were even filthy posts and memes made on me”, she said.
However, the woman, who runs a computer coaching institute for underprivileged children, said, “It will be so much better to give up this childish behaviour and get out of your homes to help at least one person in need. This pandemic has taught that all we have are each other”.
source: http://www.theweek.in / The Week / Home> News> India / by Puja Awasthi / May 17th, 2021
According to colleagues and friends, Dr Nabila Sadiq, a PhD scholar from JNU, was teaching and helping students with their thesis until April 20.
NEW DELHI :
Dr Nabila Sadiq
Nearly a week after she tested positive for Covid — and sought an ICU bed for herself on Twitter — a 38-year-old assistant professor from Jamia Millia Islamia died at a Faridabad hospital on Monday night.
According to colleagues and friends, Dr Nabila Sadiq, a PhD scholar from JNU, was teaching and helping students with their thesis until April 20.
Ten days before Nabila’s death, her mother Nuzhat (76) had also died of Covid-related complications. Her father was hospitalised for Covid but was eventually discharged and is under home quarantine.
Friends and family said Nabila wasn’t aware of her mother’s death, and died “worrying” about her parents.
Among her last tweets, on May 2, was: “At this rate no one will stay alive in Delhi at least.”
Laraib Neyazi (27), an MA student from Jamia, said, “When I came to know about her health, I rushed to her home with other students, and we started looking for a bed. We found one at Alshifa hospital, where she also tested positive for Covid. Two-four students would always stay at the hospital. Meanwhile, we rushed her mother to Sanjay Gandhi Hospital but she passed away. We didn’t tell Nabila because she was critical…”
Students said Nabila was a caring teacher who loved writing poems, and discussing politics and gender theory. Her students helped perform her mother’s last rites on May 7. Around the same time, Nabila’s health deteriorated.
Waqar, a student from JMI, recalls calling “every hospital in Delhi-NCR to get an oxygen bed”.
“Her friends helped us get a bed at Fortis Hospital in Faridabad. However, her oxygen levels dropped to 32%. After a CT scan, the doctor said her lungs were damaged. I received hundreds of calls every day from her colleagues, relatives and friends asking about her health. We didn’t know what to do” said Waqar.
“Every student who was pursuing gender studies wanted to do their PhD under her mentorship. She helped so many people during the pandemic. We would talk to her and tell her that her parents were missing her, hoping she would feel better and recover. But on Saturday night she was put on a ventilator,” said Waqar.
Nabila’s doctors said she wasn’t responding to medicines and treatment. She died around 11 pm on Monday.
On Tuesday, her students and friends performed her last rites at Mangolpuri, where her mother was buried ten days earlier.
Nabila’s father Sadique (80), a retired professor who taught at Aligarh Muslim University and JNU, was told about his daughter’s death in the afternoon.
He told his family members: “I think she loved her mother more and left with her… leaving me alone here.”
Nabila’s colleague and friend Tarannum Siddiqui said she feels helpless because Sadique is alone. “I have known Nabila and her family for seven years. They helped me last month when I had Covid. When Nabila was admitted to the ICU, I sent her messages on her phone. I knew she wasn’t reading them but I was waiting for her to recover, read those texts and meet me. She was an honest woman. We both taught gender studies. I can’t believe she has left me. JMI has lost a great academician,” said Tarannum.
Manasi Singh, a professor from the Central University of Gujarat, said she has known Nabila for 18 years. “We pursued our Master’s and PhD at JNU together. She was a good friend and a great scholar. I would watch her seminars online and admire her work. She was jovial and I loved her child-like innocence,” said Singh.
source: http://www.indianexpress.com / The Indian Express / Home> Cities> Delhi / by Jignasa Sinha, New Delhi / May 19th, 2021
Pairaband Village (Rangpur),BENGAL (British India):
A PAST WE MUST PRESERVE | She was a pioneer of women’s education and feminist writing who started the first school for education of Muslim girls in Calcutta
Begum Rokeya, 1880-1932 / File picture
Rokeya Sakhawat Hossain, popularly known as Begum Rokeya, was a pioneer of women’s education and feminist writing who started the first school for education of Muslim girls in Calcutta. She considered education to be crucial to women’s emancipation.
She was born in 1880 at Pairaband village in Rangpur, now in Bangladesh. Her elder sister Karimunnesa, who was a poet who wrote in Bengali, was a great influence on her life. Rokeya at 18 was married to Khan Bahadur Sakhawat Hussain, who was 38 and the deputy magistrate of Bhagalpur.
A liberal man who spoke Urdu, he encouraged his young wife to continue her studies in Bengali and English and to write.
Rokeya chose to principally write in Bengali and her works uphold the equality of men and women. Matichur (1904, 1922) is a two-volume collection of her essays on her thoughts about women and society, Padmarag (1924) is about the oppression of Bengali wives and Abarodhbasini (1931) is a robust critique of the severe forms of purdah for women.
Ten years before the American novelist Charlotte P. Gilman published Herland, Begum Rokeya wrote her feminist utopia Sultana’s Dream in 1905. Written in English, it is a novella set in Ladyland, ruled by women.
A few months after her husband’s death in 1909, Begum Rokeya started Sakhawat Memorial Girls’ High School in Bhagalpur, with five students. She moved the school to Calcutta in 1911, where it is still located, but is run by the government.
In 1916, Begum Rokeya founded Anjuman-e-Khawateen-e-Islam (Islamic Women’s Association) to hold discussions on women, education and progress. She advocated change in Muslim women’s lives and spoke up against rigidity and conservatism.
She went from door to door to ask Muslim families to send their daughters to school. She was engaged till the very end of her life in ideas and activities that would lead to the empowerment of women. She passed away on December 9, 1932, shortly after presiding over a session of the Indian Women’s Conference.
Bangladesh observes Rokeya Day on her death anniversary every year.
source: http://www.telegraphindia.com / The Telegraph Online / Home> Culture> People / by Chandrima S. Bhattacharya / March 28th, 2021
A 100-oxygenated-bed facility was inaugurated at Haj Bhavan COVID-19 Care Centre in Bengaluru on Saturday. | Photo Credit: Murali Kumar K
8 doctors, 12 nurses, 12 housekeeping staff, data operator posted at the CCC
As many as 100 of the 400 beds at the COVID-19 Care Centre (CCC) in Haj Bhavan in Bengaluru have been converted to oxygenated beds. The facility was inaugurated by Minister for Revenue R. Ashok on Saturday. The Minister told reporters that in the second phase, 50 beds each would be converted to ICU and HDU beds.
According to a press release, 8 doctors, 12 nurses, 12 housekeeping staff and a data operator have been posted at the CCC, which is also a triaging centre. For emergency purposes, 2 ambulances are on standby.
Mr. Ashok said that to mitigate the oxygen shortage supply in the city, all CCCs have been equipped with oxygenated beds. Over 800 oxygen concentrators have been delivered to the CCCs apart from ‘Oxybuses’ to support patients. “Every day, we are striving to increase 100 oxygen beds. This will cut down the oxygen problem in the city,” he said.
CCC with 46 oxygenated beds
A COVID-19 Care Centre with 46 oxygenated beds has been established at the Kempegowda Community Hall, near Nandini Layout, in Mahalakshmi Layout Assembly constituency. The facility, which is also a triage centre, was inaugurated by Union Minister D.V. Sadananda Gowda and Minister for Excise K. Gopalaiah on Saturday.
Mr. Gowda said the CCC will be operational from Sunday. Three oxygen mobile vans have been making the rounds of the constituency to provide oxygen to patients in critical need, he said and added that a systematic plan is in place to contain COVID-19 in the city.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Bengaluru / by Special Correspondent / May 16th, 2021
