Category Archives: Arts, Culture & Entertainment

Amid Nagorno-Karabakh clashes, an Indian restaurant is helping displaced Armenians

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Parvez Ali Khan’s restaurant in Armenia’s capital Yerevan is delivering packages of cooked food to those forced to flee their homes in the Nagorno-Karabakh region.

Patiala (PUNJAB) INDIA / Yerevan, ARMENIA :

When fresh clashes erupted between Armenia and Azerbaijan in Nagorno-Karabakh in the South Caucasus approximately two weeks ago, Parvez Ali Khan knew that he had to do something for the country that he now calls home. Khan, a 47-year-old from Patiala, India, had moved to Armenia five years ago with his wife and two daughters, in the hope of economic prospects and now runs Indian Mehak Restaurant and Bar, a two-year-old establishment located in the heart of capital Yerevan, just minutes away from Republic Square.

Parvez Ali Khan runs Indian Mehak Restaurant and Bar in Yerevan, Armenia. (Photo credit: Aqsa Khan)

Since fighting broke out on September 27, Armenian officials have said that the total military death toll has gone up to 244 as of October 6, according to a Reuters report, making it one of the most violent clashes in the region since the 1990s. It is unclear how many people have been forced to leave Karabakh since the fighting began, but social media posts and witness reports suggest the numbers are high.

“I must have seen approximately 30,000 refugees in Yerevan,” Khan says. On October 4, on the restaurant’s Facebook page, the family announced that they were providing freshly-cooked Indian food to people who had fled the Nagorno-Karabakh region and were seeking refuge in the capital. “We are Punjabis and we help people wherever we are. We have always done it,” Khan says.

Since the clashes have intensified, Armenians across the country have stepped in to help in whatever way they can, and Khan says he wanted to do his bit. So he turned to the resources he had easy access to—his restaurant’s kitchen.  People from the Nagorno-Karabakh region who were seeking refuge in Yerevan were being given dry ingredients, with no access to facilities where they could cook, Khan says.

Overnight, he turned his kitchen into a space where his staff could prepare hundreds of food packages to distribute in the capital. “I had some savings that I had kept aside to open a restaurant in Prague. That didn’t materialise due to the coronavirus  outbreak. So I am using those funds for this.”

“We started on October 4, and it just blew up,” says 20-year-old Aqsa, Khan’s elder daughter. “We knew there were refugees, but we didn’t know there were so many.” Since then, Khan and his family, along with four employees, have been working 12-hour shifts to prepare boxes with rice and naan, chole-bhature, vegetable dishes with potatoes, brinjal etc., all cooked using less spice than what is customary in Punjabi cooking, to suit the preferences of Armenians.

Aqsa Khan (right) and her sister Alsa pack prepared food in their restaurant’s kitchen. (Photo: Aqsa Khan)

But the family doesn’t think they are doing anything unusual. “There is a lot of unity in Armenia,” Aqsa explains, pointing to citizens who have come together to donate whatever was possible—from money to essentials. “We were thinking about how we could help. So we first posted on the Facebook page about donating proceeds from delivery and take-out orders. But then we saw that the refugees didn’t have access to fresh food and we thought this was more impactful.”

Employees at Indian Mehak Restaurant and Bar in Yerevan, Armenia, work round the clock to prepare food packages. (Photo: Aqsa Khan)

Aqsa says that the family found inspiration for the initiative when a local resident approached the restaurant asking for dry ingredients that she could use to prepare food for children to whom she was providing shelter. The family offered cooked Indian food instead. “We thought that we would be doing it for 25 to 30 people only,” says Khan. But the family soon realised that there were many more who needed their assistance.

Aqsa and her sister Alsa, 18, then took to Facebook and announced that the restaurant was offering Indian food to whoever was coming in from Artsakh, another name for Nagorno-Karabakh. “On the first day, some 400 people asked for help,” says Khan. “It grew from there,” Aqsa adds.

As their social media post has spread, the Khans’ phones haven’t stopped ringing. While some callers have been requesting for food packages, many others have reached out to the restaurant to offer assistance in any way they can. “Women are calling us to ask if we need help in the kitchen. People are bringing their cars to help distribute the food,” says Khan.

Recently, a volunteer delivered food from the restaurant all the way to Hrazdan, a town some 50 kms away, where some residents of Nagorno-Karabakh have sought refuge. Another volunteer has helped deliver food to Tsaghkadzor, a town a little further away. While the Khans are cooking the dishes, four Armenians have stepped in to help package the food and deliver it across Yerevan.

“Now refugees are calling us directly, as are organisations who are helping them. Some hotels who have been hosting refugees have also asked us to provide (food packages) for one meal a day,” says Aqsa. “I have never seen anything like this.”

Parvez Ali Khan helps load food packages into a waiting van outside his restaurant in Yerevan, Armenia. (Photo: Aqsa Khan)

Since the initiative is only a few days old, for now, Khan is making use of his restaurant’s supplies to prepare these food packages. The restaurant has found an outpouring of support from people across Armenia and even those in the diaspora. Many have left them messages of gratitude, promising to visit the restaurant when they can. “After the war, I will visit your restaurant and celebrate our victory,” says one message on their Facebook page, with hundreds of others in a similar vein.

There aren’t too many Indians in Armenia, says Khan, and his establishment is among the few prominent Indian restaurants in the country. In Yerevan alone, he believes, there must be around 100 Indian families, with approximately 4,000 Indian students studying medicine, scattered in universities across the country. Following the Indian government’s operation of Vande Bharat flights to help citizens overseas return home during the coronavirus pandemic, many have temporarily left.

The Khan family and their employees pose with the Indian and Armenian national flags in their restaurant’s kitchen in Yerevan, Armenia. (Photo credit: Indian Mehak Restaurant and Bar)

Over the past five years, Khan says his daughters have developed a fondness for Armenia. During their years at school and college in the country, they have made friends, learnt the language and the culture and have adapted well here, while holding on to their Indian citizenship. “They like the country.” The family has been working non-stop to prepare the food packages and they don’t have too much time for more questions. For Aqsa, Nagorno-Karabakh is as much a cause as it is for her Armenian friends and she is doing whatever she and her family can to assist the country that is now home.

source: http://www.indianexpress.com / The Indian Express / Home> World / by Neha Banka, Kolkata / October 07th, 2020

Ravutharpalayam villagers recall Hindu temple made by Muslim commander

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Ravathurpalayam – Neduvacheri Village (Tirupur District) TAMIL NADU :

Villagers of Ravutharpalayam are aware of the Hindu temple built by a Muslim army commander under Hyder Ali in their locality and worshipping Goddess Mariyamman.

Tirupur :

Villagers of Ravutharpalayam are aware of the Hindu temple built by a Muslim army commander under Hyder Ali in their locality and worshipping Goddess Mariyamman. The temple is located 5 kilometres from Avinashi city in Neduvacheri village in Tirupur district.

Speaking to TNIE, Neduvacheri Panchayat President TG Varadarajan said, “Oral tradition point out the Mariyamman temple was built by a Muslim man. The small temple was built with Hindu style of architecture but has small dome on the top. The small dome instead of Gopuram was very unique.” Kumravel a local resident said, ‘Earlier I never believed that the temple was built by a Muslim man. Later, I got to know the facts from the local historians.

Goddess Mariamman is invoked several times a year to regenerate soil, fertility and protect the community against disease and death. Apart from the local villagers, residents from Coimbatore and Erode also visit the temple to get the blessings of the Goddess . According to Virarajendran Archaeological and Historical Research Centre, Director S Ravikumar, “The temple structure is similar village style Hindu temple. It is built in square type 8 feet by 8 feet.

Historical evidences point out, that Hyder Ali a powerful ruler of Mysore Kingdom, had the big influence over Kongu region such as Coimbatore and Erode in 18th Century. These places were ruled by several army commanders who were also in charge of revenue collection and administration. One such officer named Ravuthar was incharge of this region.

His daughter  reportedly fell ill with chicken pox. Despite medical treatment the infection couldn’t be cured. Villagers told him the idea of worshipping Goddess Mariyamman. After he made offering and prayers, his daughter was cured. He immediately built a temple dedicated to the Goddess. Currently the temple is more than 250 years old. The entire locality is known by his name Ravutharpalayam.” Neduvacheri Panchayat secretary Kannan said, “The temple attracts quiet a following in the village. Donors have donated several tracts of the land.”

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Tamil Nadu / by Saravanan MP / Express News Service / October 05th, 2020

Ishrat Firoz — A Fearless Activist Who Championed AMU’s Cause

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Azamgarh , UTTAR PRADESH :

OBITUARY

Senior Aligarian Ishrat Afroz passed away on September 30, 2020.

A senior Aligarian and one of the soldiers of the struggle of AMU’s Minority Character, Ishrat Firoz, breathed his last in JN Medical College, AMU on September 30, 2020.

He was my senior in VM Hall’s Nasrullah Hostel. For two years, I lived in Room 33 and he was in 34 and thus we were neighbours as well. Later, I moved to Room 25 with my classmate and close friend Waseem Ahmad Qadri (now a senior advocate at Supreme Court of India). Nevertheless, Ishrat Bhai and I lived in Nasrullah Hostel for nine years—1974-83.

Although much junior to Javed Habeeb, Arif Mohammad Khan (sorry to mention the name of this man who does not want to have anything to do with the community but a historical fact has to be mentioned), Akhtarul Wasey, Z.K. Faizan, Mushtaq Ahmad Khillu and several others, Ishrat Bhai and his close friend Nadeem Tarin —both PUC (Pre-University Course) students at that time—took an active part in the long struggle for the restoration of AMU’s Minority Character and went to jail for this cause.

In our student days, AMU used to be the hub of positive Milli activities. In such a lively culture and environment, our hostel, with residents like Azam Khan, Nadeem Bhai and Ishrat Bhai, was bound to be more vibrant and active. Not only was Ishrat Bhai an active student leader, he was also a cabinet member (perhaps senior cabinet, if my memory is not failing me) in the students’ union in which Azam Khan was Honorary Secretary.

In order to give young Aligarians and non-Aligarians an idea of the Aligarian spirit of those days, I feel it necessary to narrate an interesting incident. In our hostel, we had two groups: anti-Azam Khan and pro-Azam Khan. The pro-Azam Khan group was led by three seniors and very close friends:  Ishrat Bhai, Nadeem Bhai and Akhtar Zameer Bhai. Akhtar Bhai and Ishrat Bhai were roommates as well.

Akhtar Zameer, Nadeem Tarin and Ishrat Afroz in 1970

After leaving AMU Akhtar Bhai got a job in Dubai. Like any dutiful son and brother, obviously, he would have shared the joy of getting his first salary by sending money or gifts to his parents and siblings. But, along with them, he remembered his hostel mates as well and sent some money to Ishrat Bhai to arrange a dinner for the whole hostel total numbers of whose residents were around 109. Since Ramadan started only a few days after, Ishrat Bhai arranged a magnificent Iftar instead.

During the emergency, an atmosphere of fear and suffocation had gripped the country. Everyone was trying to be more loyal than the king and outdo even the most loyal Congress members by doing something extraordinary. In AMU, students’ union was dissolved and Azam Khan was arrested. As per tradition, our hostel was going to have an annual group photograph.

Even in that fear-stricken atmosphere, Ishrat Bhai, Nadeem Bhai and Akhtar Bhai showed the courage to propose that in the group photo Azam Khan’s portrait be put on one of the front chairs reserved for senior students, warden and the provost. 

Obviously, this was opposed by the anti-Azam Khan group and the warden and, as a result, that year there was no group photograph.

Born in Azamgarh in 1955, Ishrat Bhai came to Aligarh at an early age to join Minto Circle . He was a bright student and did his Ph.D. in Psychology from AMU. He was not only a good writer but was a fine orator too. He conducted cultural and social gatherings in his typically attractive Aligarian style quoting Urdu verses. But he had a passion for writing, took journalism as a career, and published a serious magazine Satoon from Delhi. But sadly, he could not pursue his journalistic career for long. He suffered from diabetic and related ailments affecting his kidneys and worsening his health rapidly forcing him to close his magazine and take leave from an active life. 

After leaving Aligarh, I lost touch with him. Whenever he happened to see my uncle (chacha), Dr Mohammad Yusuf Khan (Dept of Arabic), he told him without fail that he wanted to talk to me. But Chacha jan always forgot to give Ishrat Bhai my number or take his phone number. When Ishrat Bhai came on Facebook, I talked to him via voice mail and later by phone. On a couple of occasions when I phoned him he was not feeling well and had been hospitalised. Thinking that I might be disturbing him, I stopped calling him this way. I remained in touch on Facebook though. From his Facebook activity it was becoming clear that he was not keeping well.

In Ishrat Bhai’s demise, I have lost a good friend and the community has lost a sincere and dedicated activist. May Allah SWT grant him maghfirah (forgiveness) and bless his family the courage to bear this loss.

source: http://www.clarionindia.net / Clarion / Home> India / by M Ghazali Khan , Clarion India / October 05th, 2020

Welcome to Bengal, Where Thirty Muslim Professors Teach Sanskrit

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WEST BENGAL :

At a time when faculty members both present and past have even written to the President of India, Ram Nath Kovind, requesting him to intervene and stall the appointment of Dr Feroze Khan in Banaras Hindu University (BHU)’s Sanskrit Dharam Vidya Vigyaan department, West Bengal seems to embracing its Sanskrit professors hailing from the ‘other’ community, comfortably.

Going by a loose headcount there are at least 30 Muslim professors in West Bengal, teaching Sanskrit. Around 14 were recruited last year through College Service Commission and 12 this year. The most recent recruitment being of Ramzal Ali at the Sanskrit department of Ramkrishna Mission Vidyamandir, Belur. Speaking to eNewsroom, regarding his recruitment, he said, “I am in a state of shock with so many calls being made to me, seeking my comment. A Muslim learning Sanskrit is nothing new. There is a history to it. In every Sanskrit department across the state, you will find at least one Muslim student. Muslim Sanskrit teachers in Bengal, is also not rare.”

Perhaps Ali has a point. For, Dr Shaikh Sabir Ali, a gold medalist in Sanskrit from the University of Calcutta has been teaching the language for almost a decade now. Dr Ali, at present, teaches Sanskrit at the West Bengal State University, Barasat. According to him, Sanskrit, as a language is beyond Vedas and Upanishads.

He said, “There is more to this language, apart from the Vedas, Purans and Upanishads. This language has a rich literature and grammar too. It was these two that attracted me as a child. Luckily, my teachers encouraged me to take up this language for my higher studies. You, see one can’t make people take up a language simply based on one’s religion. History is a witness to many Muslims mastering this language.”

Speaking from experience Ali said, “Every batch has at least one Muslim student in the Department of Sanskrit. In Kolkata, I presume, Rabindra Bharati University has a huge number of Sanskrit students.”  Dr Ali is also a topper from Ramkrisha Mission Vidyamandir.

Adding to the experiences of Muslim Sanskrit teachers in Bengal, Rakibul Sk, assistant professor at SBS government college said, “I have never been discriminated on the basis of my religion, neither while I was mastering Sanskrit, nor while teaching it. I would like to add that while I hail from a small place like Jangipur, my place of birth has taught me that there is no religious attachment to any language. Hence, when I took up Sanskrit for my higher education, the Hindu neighbours of mine never raised an eyebrow. On the contrary, they were quite happy. The teachers who guided me to reach this position are all Hindus. It’s sad that today, we are discussing all this from a religious perspective.”

However, on being asked about the faculty members writing to the President of India, Ali, said, “I don’t want to open up a new controversy. But let me be very clear, there is a particular department of Sanskrit, which is accessible only to the Brahmin. Even Hindus from other sect are not allowed to enter that domain, so the question of a Muslim being appointed in that domain can be quite challenging. As per my knowledge, Dr Feroze Khan has been appointed in the Sanskrit Dharam Vidya Vigyaan department, which is the domain that I just talked about. I don’t want to get into a further debate, but I guess, his recruitment in the literature department wouldn’t have caused this huge controversy.”

Given the new twist in the story, it would be interesting to see President Kovind’s call on the letter written by the faculty members of BHU, seeking his intervention to stall Khan‘s recruitment, especially when earlier this year, he had awarded Padma Sri for Literature and Education to Sanskrit Scholar Mohammad Hanif Khan Shastri.

(Courtesy: Sabrang India)

source: http://www.janataweekly.org / Janata Weekly / Home /by Shabina Akhtar / December 10th, 2019

Designing change, one stitch at a time

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Bengaluru, KARNATAKA :

Fashion, as we know it, is one of the most influential industries in the world.

Bengaluru : 

Fashion, as we know it, is one of the most influential industries in the world. And when brands not only make top quality products but also come full circle and give back to the community through their choices, they become good influencers of fashion.

Kulsum Shadab Wahab, based in Bengaluru, is a philanthropist recognised by Chime for Change, a global campaign founded by Gucci, which features 25 women activists from around the world working to advance gender equality.

A true fashion enthusiast, she believes in altering the perception of high fashion through inclusivity. Ara Lumiere, an initiative by her Hothur Foundation, works with acid attack survivors in making avant-garde head gears. Worn by the likes of pop star Katy Perry, Ara Lumiere’s head gears have won many international awards. They have also collaborated with Shah Rukh Khan’s Meer Foundation to create awareness on skin banking.

Ara Lumiere X Dhruv Kapoor bucket hat collection

The spring summer ’21 edition of Ara Lumiere, in collaboration with ace designer Dhruv Kapoor (Ara Lumiere X Dhruv Kapoor), which was made out of diligence, love and hope by the survivors, was recently unveiled at the first-ever digital Milan Fashion Week.

Showcased through a short film, the gender neutral collection features embroidered bucket hats in sheer organzas and taffetas, handcrafted and hand embroidered by the brave acid attack survivors. All proceeds have gone into the rehabilitation of the survivors, where fashion has acted as a powerful tool in empowering these women. 

The government’s leather ban in 2015 destroyed jobs for leather work artisans, mainly from marginalised communities. A fight for justice against caste and ostracised communities got artist-activist Sudheer Rajbhar to develop a new recycled material – one that is made from waste but close to leather in its texture and durability – to celebrate and conserve crafts from a banned industry. This is how Mumbai-based Chamar Studio was conceived.

Says Rajbhar, “Chamar was once used as a slur and we have tried to end that. Our brand’s promoters in Germany, the USA and France tell us the name sounds like a mix of ‘Chanel’ and ‘Shalimar’ and associate it with luxury.” These bags, which come in striking bold colours, are high on functionality, design and skilled craftsmanship and proudly stand at par with any global luxury brand. These timeless pieces are waterproof, cruelty free and vegan as well. 

Brands with a cause make us believe that fashion can be something bigger, more than just a style statement. Along with creating high quality products that are recognised globally, fashion also puts out good into the world. Whether it is supporting a cause or sourcing sustainable material, these brands are definitely the game changers of fashion today.

(The writer is a lifestyle consultant and mindful fashion advocate)

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Bengaluru / by Sarayu Hegde / Express News Service / October 01st, 2020

Historian Rana Safvi gets Yamin Hazarika award

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NEW DELHI :

istorian Rana Safvi. Credit: Twitter/@iamrana

Read more at: https://www.deccanherald.com/national/historian-rana-safvi-gets-yamin-hazarika-award-891896.html

Historian Rana Safvi has been conferred an award instituted in memory of Yamin Hazarika, the first woman from the Northeast to join the central police service.

Safvi, who has published several books on culture, history, and monuments of India, was chosen for her “contribution to the syncretic culture of India”.

Hailing from Assam, Hazarika was selected for the NCT of Delhi, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Lakshadweep, Daman and Diu and Dadra and Nagar Haveli Police service (DANIPS) in 1977. She held the post of assistant commissioner of Police in Chanakyapuri (Delhi) and went on to become deputy commissioner of police (Crime against Women Cell) in the national capital.

In the crucial period after the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, Hazarika was in-charge of three key police stations. In 1998, she was posted in Bosnia as part of the UN peacekeeping force. But her life was tragically cut short by destiny as she succumbed to cancer at the age of 43 in 1999.

The ceremony was held online though Hazarika’s daughter Huma presented the silver salver to Safvi in Delhi. Assam DGP Bhaskar Jyoti Mahanta was the guest of honour. He recalled the contribution of Hazarika and also spoke about her grit and determination.

The award is given every year by a collective of women professionals since 2015. Previous winners are author Indrani Raimedhi, athlete Tayabun Nisha, actor Moloya Goswami, environmental activist Purnima Devi Barman and social activist Hasina Kharbhih.

source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> National / by PTI, New Delhi / September 23rd, 2020

Jobless Kerala anthropologist goes down history lane

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Vatakara (Kozhikode District), KERALA :

Illustrated book on legendary hero Kunjali Marakkar brought out for children

The popular witticism – when the going gets tough, the tough get going – has literally set off a young anthropologist- cum- archaeologist to author a book for children on Kunjali Marakkar, the legendary hero of the 16th century.

For N.K. Ramesh, a guide at the Kunjali Marakkar Memorial Museum at Vadakara, it was an opportunity to trace the history of the four Kunjali Marakkars, when his contract was terminated after the museum was closed to the public from March.

“Certainly a difference existed between writing for children and for adults. So I put down a simple narration and included illustrations based on important events during the period of Kunjali Marakkar and also a picture of a mural painting of a sea war,” he says.

Kunjali Marakkar was a honorific title given to the Muslim naval chief of the erstwhile Zamorin of Calicut. “The four Kunjali Marakkars who were the naval commanders of Zamorin fought against the Portuguese from 1507 to 1600. In fact, the Kunjali Marakkars were maritime merchants and supporters of Arab trade who lived in the coastal regions of Kayalpattinam, Kilakarai, Thoothukudi, and Karaikal. But they shifted their trade to Kochi and then migrated to Ponnani after Portuguese trade interference,” Mr. Ramesh says.

He took about four months to pen the book with 104 pages. The book has already hit the stands although the official launch has been deferred in view of the COVID-19 protocol.

Historian M.G.S. Narayanan has given an introduction to the book on Kunjali Marakkar, whose battles against the Portuguese were portrayed as a symbolic national movement.

The book also delves into the objective of the construction of a fort by Pattu Marakkar, the third Kunjali Marakkar, at Iringal (Kottakkal) in 1571 and the political dispute between his nephew Mohammed Marakkar, who became the fourth Kunjali Marakkar, and the Zamorin.

Later, the Zamorin joined hands with the Portuguese to defeat the last Kunjali Marakkar. The fort was also demolished and Kunjali executed by the Portuguese. The decline of Kunjali Marakkar, he says, led to establishment of Dutch Dominion and later British rule in India.

Mr. Ramesh, who holds a postgraduate degree in anthropology from Kannur university and Post M.Sc. Diploma in Museology from Aligarh Muslim University, has been credited with numerous discoveries, including the unearthing of Palaeolithic tools from north Malabar.

For a living, the 34-year-old is now engaged in de-husking at farms and odd jobs at Nadapuram and adjoining areas.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Kerala / by Biju Govind / Kozhikode – September 15th, 2020

Memoir of India’s first woman radio newsreader to be out in October

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Lucknow, UTTAR PRADESH / NEW DELHI :

The book, co-published by Zubaan Publishers, will hit the stands on October 12

The book will hit the stands on October 12. (Source: University of Chicago Press)

The life and times of India’s first woman radio newsreader Saeeda Bano will unravel in a new book, originally written as a memoir in Urdu, Penguin Random House India announced on Monday.

The book, Off the Beaten Track, has been translated into English by Bano’s granddaughter Shahana Raza from her 1994 memoir Dagar Se Hat Kar“.

The memoir takes the reader through events of great personal impact in her life such as walking out of a suffocating marriage, witnessing the violence of the Partition, moving to Delhi from Lucknow as a single mother, eating toast with prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru , and falling in love with a married man — Nuruddin Ahmed, who would, in the course of their twenty-five-year relationship, become the Mayor of Delhi.

“Unflinching and riveting, ‘Off the Beaten Track’ offers a personal account of the Partition and the burgeoning capital city of a newly-independent India.

“A story of hope and resilience, it’s an unforgettable exploration of a fascinating woman; beckoning readers to reflect upon what it means to live and love passionately in the face of conformity and social pressure,” the publishers said in a statement.

The book, co-published by Zubaan Publishers, will hit the stands on October 12.

source: http://www.indianexpress.com / Indian Express / Home> Books and Literature / by PTI, New Delhi / September 28th, 2020

Sons stitch together Kerala tailor’s dream of ‘longest’ Quran copy

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Eruva (near Kayamkulam), KERALA :

The dream of a tailor at Eruva near Kayamkulam was fulfilled by his four sons who created the 3.1-kilometre-long handwritten copy of the Quran in the world.

Noushad and his sons with the box in which the collar cloth rolls of handwritten Quran are fixed on a rotator | Express

Alappuzha :

The dream of a tailor at Eruva near Kayamkulam was fulfilled by his four sons who created the 3.1-kilometre-long handwritten copy of the Quran in the world. Kadharsha Moulavi, son of M K Noushad, said his father’s dream was to create the holy text on a cloth canvas as a handwritten copy.

The Quran teacher of Tharbiyya Madrasa at Palluruthy in Ernakulam said, “He had expressed his wish a few years ago, but the lack of time did not allow us to complete the task. In the Covid lockdown period, we decided to undertake it. We etched the text on the stiff collar rolls of 1.5-inch width stitched together. It took us around 111 hours to complete the writing. Ten green marker pens and 40 bottles of ink were used and  and the whole project cost us Rs 20,000.” 

Noushad himself had created records by stitching a huge shirt joining the flags of 54 nations and made the Indian Tricolour using buttons. When the then president, APJ Abdul Kalam, came to Kochi in 2003, Noushad was called there and felicitated by him.

His four sons are educated in the Quran and Arabic studies and all are teaching in different institutions. Muhammad Shafi, a teacher of KIT School, Kayamkulam, said the siblings started the work on June 8 and completed it by July 26.

“As many as 155 collar canvas rolls were used to create the long strip. One collar canvas is 20m long. The copy was written using marker pens in neat handwriting. The special box to fix the canvass roll was designed by our father. People can read from Volumes 1 to 30 without any difficulty. If the reader turns the rotator fixed in the box, the text starts unrolling for easy reading,” Shafi said. “As per our knowledge, such a long handwritten copy of the holy text does not exist in the world,” he added. 

Noushad said the national flag with buttons was a novel idea and he got several accolades for it. He had tried to get these recognised by the Guinness World Records but could not pursue it  then. “President Abdul Kalam felicitated me after hearing about the flag. I had stitched it using 20,454 buttons and presented it during the official Independence Day celebrations in Kayamkulam on August 15, 2003.

Another initiative was a shirt that was stitched together with the flags of 54 countries. Each flag was stitched in my shop and the shirt in the end had a height of 10 feet. It was released on the 54th Republic Day in 2003.

I had also created a floral arrangement using small pieces of clothes on the Thiruvonam day in 2004,” Noushad said.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Good News / by Biju E. Paul / Express News Service / September 26th, 2020

Adil Hussain-starrer Netflix drama ‘Delhi Crime’ gets nominated for Emmy

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ASSAM / NEW DELHI :

‘Delhi Crime’ is also set for the second season. The first season was based on 2012 Delhi rape survivor Nirbhaya

The show that stars Adil Hussain, Shefali Shah and Rasika Duggal in the lead roles, is based upon the real-life incident of 2012 Delhi rape of a medical student|Twitter

The nominations for the best drama are revealed, after Emmys 2020 for the comic category concluded. In the list of nominations is Netflix’s popular show ‘Delhi Crime’. The show that stars Adil Hussain, Shefali Shah and Rasika Duggal in the lead roles, is based upon the real-life incident of 2012 Delhi rape of a medical student.

The news was shared by Adil Hussain on his Twitter handle . He wrote, “As we speak. Just now I came to know that #DelhiCrime, that I am a part of, has been nominated for Best drama series at @iemmys International #emmyawards #Emmys.”

‘Delhi Crime’ is also set for the second season. The first season was based upon Nirbhaya (the name given by the government), who was gang-raped in 2012 in a moving bus in the capital of India.

Recently, Schitts Creek sweeped all the awards as being the best comedy show.

source: http://www.eastmojo.com / EastMojo / Home> National / by Pratisha Borthakur / September 24th, 2020