Dubai-based Asad Haque on the “incomparable” fruits of taking his hobby to the next level.
Dubai resident Asad Haque is a CEO. He’s also a date farmer. The two pursuits could not be more different from each other and yet, the Indian expat dons both hats with the ease that can only be born of passion.
Asad’s love for gardening goes back to his childhood, when he would tend to plants and flowers in the large compound around his home in Bangalore. Although he’s been a resident of the UAE for 30 years, it was only when he moved to his villa in the Meadows that he finally had the opportunity to take his hobby to the next level. It’s a mark of his love for Nature that he decided to embark on the intensely challenging pursuit of date farming while at it.
“The date palm is the one tree that suits the local terrain and can survive the terrible summer heat, while also producing a fruit both wonderful and nutritious,” he explains.
Few things are as representative of Emirati heritage as dates, a deliciously sweet fruit that has long been associated with the culture and history of not only the UAE, but also the Arab world. There is a recorded population of over 40 million date palms producing 199 varieties of dates in the UAE alone.
“The date palm has been mentioned in the Quran more than 20 times, and Muslims are well known for breaking their fasts during Ramadan with its fruit, so there is a spiritual and cultural connection too,” he adds.
Asad’s Dubai residence is home to eight of these trees – each one producing eight to 15 large bunches of fruit and up to a total of 1,000 kilograms every year. The bounty is no mean feat, considering the labour-intensive process of nurturing them from pollination to harvest.
Skilled gardeners are required to scale the trees (that can grow up to a height of 20 metres), using rope harnesses hitched around their waists and navigating the thorns that grow to about six inches long, in order to reach the flowers and pollinate the trees by hand. What follows are six to eight months of rigorous care, especially with regard to keeping pests like the red palm weevil at bay. Asad ensures he personally oversees every step of the process and loves giving the trees “baths” every other day. After 15 years, says the entrepreneur, the trees have become “like family” – and, if nourished well, can grow to about 150 years old.
“It’s been a fantastic experience here in the UAE,” says Asad, who is CEO at ICT Consultants. “Although I had a liking for gardening, it is Dubai that gave me the opportunity to nurture this hobby into a full-fledged passion.” With an annual crop so bountiful, the 54-year-old not only gifts the fruits to family and friends, but also distributes them generously among charities, labour camps and mosques, crediting his wife Reshma with “doing a beautiful job of packing them” every time.
There are other intangible ‘fruits’ of his labour that he cannot discount, he notes. “For one to take up date farming, one has to either have a lot of patience or cultivate such a trait. That’s something I’ve learnt after all these years of date farming; it’s given me a lot of patience. It also connects you to the supernatural, to creation and the Creator,” he says. “There is a deeply spiritual satisfaction that comes from seeing something through, from flowering to harvesting, that is difficult to express in words.”
Asad is quick to shoot down any notions that desert lands like the UAE are unsuitable to home farming. “Although the palm tree is the most naturally suited to the local habitat, it is not that nothing else can grow here. We grow a variety of other plants and trees in our garden: moringas, mangoes, lemons, figs, curry leaves, pomegranates and tomatoes are just a few.”
A strong advocate for cultivating a green thumb, Asad says, “Whatever you have at home – whether it’s a garden or even just a balcony – I would strongly encourage everyone to attempt growing fruits and vegetables at home. Not only are there a lot of green benefits to reap from it, but you will find a connection to nature and beyond that cannot be compared.”
karen@khaleejtimes.com
source: http://www.khaleejtimes.com / Khaleej Times / Home> WKND (Weekend) > Interview / by Karen Ann Monsy / July 16th, 2020
A.R. Rahman has been named the most influential person in Asia by the New York Press News Agency. The others in the list of 100 include Shruti Haasan, Benny Dayal, Sania Mirza, Saina Nehwal and Wasim Akram.
The Isaipuyal’s current release ‘Dil Bechara’ touted as the last movie of Sushant Singh Rajput is streaming on Disney Plus Hotstar. His upcoming films include Mani Ratnam’s multistarrer ‘Ponniyin Selvan’, Vikram’s ‘Cobra’, Sivakarthikeyan’s ‘Ayalaan’ and Dhanush’s Bollywood venture ‘Atrangi De’.
The multifaceted Shruti Haasan who is currently starring in ‘Laabam’ with Vijay Sethupathi has posted a video on her social media page expressing her thanks for the recognition. She has written “I’m so honored to be voted one of the 100 most influential people in Asia 2020. Interviewed by Kiran Rai @kiran_rai99. Talking about a whole bunch of fun things !! Stay tuned”.
source: http://www.indiaglitz.com / IndiaGlitz / Home> Tamil > Cinema News / July 16th, 2020
The Kashmiri photojournalist has received the Anja Niedringhaus Courage In Photojournalism Award and been booked under the UAPA. She continues to tell stories from one of the most militarized zones in the world.
Afew days after 5 August 2019, when the Union government revoked Kashmir’s special status, 26-year-old photojournalist Masrat Zahra hopped on to her scooty and rode to Anchar, a locality in Srinagar’s Soura. The region had been plunged into a communication blackout, curfew imposed, military presence heightened and people detained as some of the mainstream media pushed the narrative of normalcy.
Soura was seen as a pocket of resistance—protests and rallies were commonplace.
When Zahra reached, Friday prayers had just ended and the protests began almost instantly—residents raised flags, chanted slogans and began to march towards the main road, Zahra recalls. “From the other end, the (Armed) Forces began to fire tear-gas shells and pellets; there was smoke everywhere. Smoke from the tear-gas shells, and from the cardboard people lit on fire to protect themselves,” says Zahra. “A few pellets hit me as well but did not penetrate (the skin) since I was further away,” she adds. Zahra began taking photographs with her DSLR from behind a tree.
Suddenly, she saw a young woman emerge from among the smoke and protesters. Her face was covered in salt (which helps neutralize the effect of tear gas) and she was screaming in Kashmiri, “Come out, the forces have entered. We have to save ourselves!”, to the other men of the locality. For Zahra, this was a powerful visual. “Meri nazron se, I saw a courageous girl with anger in her eyes. It was so stunning in that moment,” she says.
It was a memory and photograph that endured. Zahra, who describes herself as “the only woman photojournalist in Kashmir”, reporting the conflict from close quarters, is driven by the need to inspire women. Documenting their role and space in Kashmir as more than grieving mothers or devastated kin presents a break from what Zahra calls “the male gaze with which Kashmir was previously seen”.
A woman in Kashmir puts salt on her face to neutralize the effect of tear gas shells fired by the forces. Credit: Masrat Zahra
In a span of two months, Zahra has been awarded for her work by an international forum and booked by the cyber police under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (Uapa) for uploading “anti-national” posts on social media. On 11 June, she was honoured with the Anja Niedringhaus Courage In Photojournalism Award by the International Women’s Media Foundation (IWMF)—named after German photojournalist Anja Niedringhaus, who was killed in Afghanistan in 2014.
“This award was for my work. When I was charged under Uapa, they didn’t even acknowledge I was a journalist, they called me a ‘Facebook user’,” she says. “But the outpouring of support has made my mother, who was initially reluctant about my profession, come around to accepting it.” So far, Zahra’s work has appeared in The Washington Post, TRT World, Al Jazeera, The New Humanitarian and several other media outlets.
The photojournalist grew up in the 1990s, at the height of militancy in Kashmir. As a young girl, she recalls looking out from her school bus at military personnel, jackboots entering her home during cordon and search operations, taking officers around the house when ordered. “We would talk to our friends about it in school the next day—yesterday the army men came to our home with guns, you know! We had no idea at the age of 8 or 9 what those operations were, we only found out much later,” she says.
A resident of the old town in Srinagar, Zahra is no stranger to clashes, rallies and funeral processions. As she grew older, she began noticing that every photojournalist in the field was male: “They were telling intimate stories even of women and I would wonder, is this profession made only for men?” She recalls she had no role models to cite to explain her aspirations to her reluctant family. She studied for the journalism entrance test in secret, heading for the exam amidst curfew the city.
“When I was in college (Central University of Kashmir), I would go on assignments with my friend, who was already a journalist. I learnt on the field from a group of photojournalists. Some of the first few things they taught me are things that have stayed with me even today,” she says. “They taught me not to take photographs from the protester’s side, otherwise we would get hit by pellets or bullets, we had to be alert to stones and slingshots, they taught me where to hide, where to get the most powerful shots,” adds Zahra.
She is driven by the conviction that as a Kashmiri, she is able to provide more authentic accounts of her home and people. “When everyone is supposed to be celebrating Eid with their families, I report clashes,” says the photojournalist, describing a time in 2018 when she was hit with pellets on the forehead. “But I know I will not stop doing my work, especially at a time like this when the authorities are trying to muzzle journalistic voices in Kashmir.”
Since 5 August, the government has not allowed high-speed internet access in the valley. Functioning on 2G speeds for nearly a year has made work difficult, particularly during a pandemic. In a region like Kashmir, Zahra maintains, social distancing is a distant dream. On 20 May, for instance, a gunfight between the Armed Forces and militants left a trail of tragedy—at least 15 homes were completely destroyed. “A 12-year-old boy died—small rooms packed with so many people grieving,” says Zahra. “Everyone says stay home, stay safe, but if homes are destroyed, where are people supposed to stay?” she asks.
Still, she has been reporting through the pandemic. Zahra files stories from the media facilitation centre for journalists set up by the government, where they are granted internet access for a few hours of the day. This, she says, increases the risk of contracting the coronavirus, given the number of people using the limited systems available.
But Zahra says nothing can deter her—not being “falsely branded a mukhbir” (informer), not “intimidation by the State” and certainly not any form of discrimination. “I remember on one of my first assignments covering clashes, a boy told me to go home because I will get hurt.
“It has always made me wonder, do male photojournalists not get hit by pellets? Would they not bleed the same way I do? Why must I leave?”
source: http://www.livemint.com / Live Mint / Home> Explore> Lounge> Features / by Asmita Bakshi / June 20th, 2020
At 88, actor Farrukh Jafar, whose scene-stealing turn as Fatto Begum in “Gulabo Sitabo” is the highlight of the movie, has retained her childlike enthusiasm and love for camera, which she considers as the secret behind her acting.
“I never feel nervous in doing any role. I only see the camera and my role and nothing else. That’s my secret,” the actor told PTI over phone from Lucknow.
Jafar plays the 95-year-old wife to Amitabh Bachchan’s 78-year-old Mirza who is awaiting his Begum’s death to finally own Fatima Mahal, the derelict mansion at the centre of the conflict in the movie streaming on Amazon Prime Video.
Begum, with her quick repartees and a fondness for Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, keeps a tight control over Mirza and is responsible for the film’s surprise twist in the final moments.
Jafar said director Shoojit Sircar and writer Juhi Chaturvedi came to her home in Lucknow to offer her the part.
“I am a big Amitabh Bachchan fan. I was like ‘Wah! I will get to work with a superstar. I had his romantic image as the star of ‘Silsila’, a tall and handsome guy but in this film his get-up was ugly. He was playing Mirza with a fat nose and big beard,” she said.
“Shoojit told me ‘Please forget that he is Amitabh Bachchan. He is the greedy, old Mirza and you are his wife, Fatto Begum’. I immediately understood what he meant.”
The actor said she had hoped to talk to Bachchan on the sets but the actor would disappear after doing his scenes.
One of the first radio announcers of Vividh Bharti Lucknow in 1963, Jafar made her acting debut with 1981 movie “Umrao Jaan” where she played Rekha’s mother.
After her debut, roles in TV shows beckoned but it was Shah Rukh Khan-starrer 2004 film “Swades” that gave her a memorable second innings in Bollywood.
In 2010, she starred in “Peepli Live” where her expletive-laden rants as the bidi-smoking mother-in-law made her an instant hit.
She followed it up with roles in Salman Khan-starrer “Sultan”, Aamir Khan-starrer “Secret Superstar” and “Peepli Live” co-star Nawazuddin Siddiqui’s “Photograph”.
Jafar said she also wanted to work with Irrfan Khan but with the actor’s untimely death in April this year, it is no longer possible.
“I wanted to work with Irrfan but he left us early. I really liked him. Nawazuddin is like my child. I met him during ‘Peepli Live’. Nobody recognised him then but he has now become famous. I got to work with him again in ‘Photograph’,” she said.
The actor credits radio for giving her a career as a performer.
“I had a relative who needed a job. I told her I cannot do much but I know someone in the radio so I will take you there. We went there and ‘mujhe vahan ka mahaul bahut achha laga’ (I really liked the atmosphere there). I asked them whether I could also read the script. They said I could. I started reading and later got to know that I had been selected,” she recalled.
The actor is happy that her performance is being appreciated.
“Maine suna ki Begum baazi maar le jaati hai picture mein. ( I have heard that Begum outruns everyone in the film). Such praise about my character makes me happy,” she added.
Jafar, who was married to journalist-politician Syed Muhammad Jaffar and has two daughters — Mehru and Shaheen, said her bond with camera always pulls her towards cinema.
“I will keep acting if I get good offers. When the camera is on, I forget everything,” she said adding that some of her projects are currently stuck due to the coronavirus situation.
PTI BK SHD SHD
source: http://www.outlookindia.com / Outlook / Home> The News Scroll / by Bedika / PTI / June 20th, 2020
The author and academic says science fiction, whether set in the near future, a nearby planet or even in an alternate universe, is almost always about our today
Chatting with Sami Ahmad Khan is always fun. When he said he was re-reading Douglas Adams’ seminal Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy as he was including the increasingly inaccurate trilogy of five in an elective course, one’s curiosity was naturally piqued. Sami teaches at the University School of Humanities and Social Sciences, GGS Indraprastha University. “We run MA, MPhil and PhD programmes in Literary and Culture Studies,” says the 34-year-old author of Red Jihaad and Aliens in Delhi.
“The senior faculty members are quite receptive to new ideas, and constantly seek strategies for the school to stay updated with a rapidly-mutating world. Consequently, we are encouraged to undergo frequent syllabus revisions, especially for our MA (English) course.”
Science fiction electives
The latest revision Sami says was in 2019, and gave the faculty the opportunity to engage with their core areas of research in a classroom setting. “These teacher-specific courses (offered in MA second year) range from exploring multiple dimensions of art, philosophy, gender, drama and culture, temporal/event excavations (such as Partition studies) and trans-media (cinema) to area and genre studies (such as Science Fiction). Under this paradigm, I am pleased to offer two electives on SF in the upcoming semesters: the first course is on global SF and introduces learners to stalwarts such as Jules Verne, H.G. Wells, Isaac Asimov, Ray Bradbury, and Phillip K. Dick and recent films such as Christopher Nolan’s Interstellar to study the origins and theories of SF in the Global North.
The second course is on Indian SF, and utilizes, as starting points, select works by Satyajit Ray (Bangla) and Jayant Narlikar (Marathi) among others, and Shankar’s Enthiran, to explore how our own SF traditions operate across different narrative forms (short stories, novels, films, web-series etc). These courses simultaneously function as introductory primers for those interested in knowing more about SF as a genre/mode, and also address the textual/contextual depths and theoretical complexities an MA student must navigate.
Don’t panic
The author says he included The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy in the course on global SF “the same ways dolphins don’t. What better novel to study about the end of world during the end of the world? It questions the philosophical underpinnings of our world and exhibits how SF toys with semantics/syntax of the narratives around it. Like a timeless classic, it doesn’t fail to respond to our contemporary material realities. Above all, it “has the words DON’T PANIC inscribed in large friendly letters on its cover.” We could use this helpful advice in the maddening times of COVID-42”— Could it possibly be the answer to the questions of life, the universe and everything?
Sami says the lockdown has been treating him better than expected. “I’m privileged enough to have a full belly, a roof over my head, a broadband connection, a Netflix subscription, and a gargantuan reading list. Usually, too, I’m happy being left to my own devices. I just need a book/film/web-series (i.e. a text) and the time/space to construct (and deconstruct) random ideas in my head, which this lockdown has given me. If only the circumstances weren’t so grim. This is when we begin to “question the nature of our reality” (as per Westworld), and start looking for our towel.”
Descriptive not predictive
These are troubling times and Sami hits the nail on the head when he says it is easier to read about dystopia than live it. “Through its monsters, future wars, zombie apocalypses, rogue AI, invading aliens, environmental fiascos, and alternate histories etc., SF, whether set in the near future or on a nearby planet or even in an alternate universe, is almost always about our today. Even Ursula Le Guin finds SF ‘descriptive’ and not ‘predictive’.”
The Delhi-based author says, “SF foregrounds and amplifies the feedback we receive from these dystopian narratives to our present(s), which then radically changes the way we approach our own lives and societies. SF’s dystopias and their hapless characters translate into an almost quasi-utopian connotation for us (the readers). A shared nightmare in/of the future suddenly awakens us to the lacunae of our times.”
Opposite sentiment
A real dystopia, according to Sami, portrays the exact opposite sentiment. “It is built on the premise that the SF dystopia (and its feedback) has failed to warn us, and in doing so, birthed an actual one in our lived reality. All that we are doing to this planet today – and what it is doing to us in return – makes it clear that the present has been colonized by the future. The age of men is over; the age of superbugs has begun.”
When we last spoke, Sami had spoken of a sequel to his 2017 SF thriller Aliens in Delhi, where reptilian creatures take over the capital. “I am a fanboy who has been lucky enough to not only get the opportunity to teach SF but also research and write it. I just finished a short story called Biryani Bagh, which brings aliens (and this time I may use this word differently) to a Bagh that has haunted contemporary popular imagination. I’ve been told it would appear in the second Gollancz Book of South Asian Science Fiction (Sami’s last story, 15004, appeared in the first volume). My next full-length project is an academic monograph, a critical catalogue of Indian Anglophonic SF for a university press. After that, perhaps, I might start writing the sequel of Aliens in Delhi – but only if the world hasn’t produced it already, not as fiction, but as a lived reality.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Life & Style / by Mini Anthikad Chhibber / June 16th, 2020
Habib Tanvir travelled through the interiors of Chhattisgarh, meeting and working with local village artists, and used folk traditions in his plays.
YouTube screengrab of Habib Tanvir
Director, actor, playwright, poet, Habib Tanvir was a man of many colors, all rolled into one. His vibrant personality and talent are fondly remembered by many in theatre and cinema. Tanvir’s plays like Agra Bazaar, Jis Lahore Ni Dekhya, Charandas Chor, Gaon Naam Sasural Mor Naam Damaad, among many others are widely recognised as classics of contemporary Indian theatre.
Actor Naseeruddin Shah once said that he cites the example of Habib Tanvir as one of those who has guided actors even in their darkest of days. “When I interact with newcomers, I have the example of people like Habib Tanvir, Girish Karnad, Om Puri, Shyam Benegal, Satyadev Dubey. When I was a youngster, they were idols for me” he said.
“I remember Tanvir ji as a very witty man, he would make everyone around him laugh. He would always tell us important things during the production very casually. The first time I met him was when Agra Bazaar was staged at Delhi’s Indraprastha College for women. He had this enigmatic quality that would leave all of us in awe. He would sit in a corner, engrossed in work but would keep a keen eye on everything and everyone. It’s like he would make a small tilt of the head and would know what is going on in the rehearsals. There was an energy about him all the time,” actor Sayani Gupta told ThePrint, remembering her experiences while working with the legendary playwright.
Born on 1 September, in Raipur, Chhattisgarh, Habib Ahmed Khan changed his name to Tanvir after he started writing poetry. After having studied in Aligarh Muslim University, he moved to Bombay in 1945 where he got actively involved with the Indian Peoples’ Theatre Association and the Progressive Writers Association, as a writer, actor and journalist. Nine years later he moved to Delhi, where he delivered his major productions.
In 1959, Tanvir founded the Naya Theatre group, which produced plays using folk performances by native tribal artists of what is now Chhattisgarh. As a writer and director, Tanvir spent years researching folk traditions in drama, music and story-telling. He travelled through the interiors of Chhattisgarh meeting and working with local village artists, and used folk music in his productions.
He was the recipient of a Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 1969, Jawaharlal Nehru Fellowship in 1979, Padma Shri in 1983 and Padma Bhushan in 2002, among other national and international awards during his lifetime.
On his death anniversary, ThePrint looks back at three of his famous plays.
Agra Bazaar
When Tanvir moved to Delhi in 1954, the theatre scene in the national capital was dominated by groups that focused on the 19th and 20th century European models of theatre. His Agra Bazaar stood in complete contrast, in terms of content and form.
Agra Bazaar is a homage to Nazir Akbarabadi, an 18th-century Urdu poet who wrote in a style that was disregarded by poetic norms of his times. Tanvir cast a mix of people — educated middle-class actors, street artists and even regular residents of Okhla village in Delhi and used street language in his play. In fact, the play was first not staged in a confined area or a closed space, but in an actual bazaar.
Gaon Naam Sasural, Mor Naam Damad
Habib Tanvir once said , “This play was like a milestone in my theatre journey and this play also helped me to give a way to my next production, Charandas Chor.”
Gaon Naam Sasural, Mor Naam Damad, first directed by Habib Tanvir in 1973, is a light comedy and folk tale. The story starts with the harvest season festival of Chher-Chhera and revolves around the love of two youngsters, Jhanglu and Manti.
The comedy kicks in when Jhanglu pretends to be a brother-in-law to Manti, and uses tricks to elope, after her father fixes her marriage with an old village head. The folk songs of Chhattisgarh are a part of the play throughout.
Charandas Chor
In 1975, Tanvir wrote and directed Charandas Chor, which won him an award at the Edinburgh festival in 1982. The play, an adaption of a classical Rajasthani folktale by Vijayadan Detha, is based on the life of a thief, Charan, and a foolish policemen.
Even though Charan is a habitual thief, he is a man of a strange sort of integrity, and the audience sympathises with him. In an attempt to outsmart the police, Charan enters a Guruji’s ashram and expresses his desire to become a disciple. The guru extracts four vows from him, and how he navigates life by trying to live by those vows forms his struggle.
source: http://www.theprint.in / ThePrint / Home> Features / by Bismee Taskin / June 08th, 2020
In the wake of countrywide protests against CAA-NRC-NPR, India is witnessing a watershed massive movement led by women. From organizing to mobilizing to leading – women are at the forefront, often gaining stronghold over their male counterparts. Never in history we have seen such a political scenario where women leaders are emerging from every nook and corner, every village and metro city of the country.
To mark this International Women’s Day (IWD) on March 8, we have featured 10 women across India who have not only contributed to the changed definition of women empowerment but have also changed the way an Indian Woman is perceived across the globe. Through our feature, we honor and celebrate the courage of some of these inspiring women – those who have led the anti-CAA-NRC movement across India without any fear from state machinery.
Sadiya Shaikh, Mumbai
Sadiya, has visited several states to address anti-CAA-NRC rallies. She is a student of B.A at Rizvi college, Mumbai. Working to create awareness about NRC-CAA, she has shared the stage with the country’s foremost youth leaders – Kanhaiya Kumar, Umar Khalid and many other activists. Recently, Umar Khalid posted that “Sadiya is only 17 years old, but one of the best speakers I have come across during the Anti CAA-NRC movement”.
Disturbed by the Jamia incident, she became a part of these protests to challenge the brutality of state sponspored violence on the students of Jamia in Delhi. “I thought if we choose to be silent now then distorting the constitution and atrocities on students will become a norm,”says Sadiya.
She feels proud discussing that she had studied democracy as a subject but now, she says, “I am practically trying to exercise what I was studying till now”. She had always dreamt to be a part of Young India Challenge, this year she got selected but gave up just to be a part of these protests. This movement has brought a change in her, she reads more about history now and she feels more confident. She is just 17 years old so her father accompanies her on travels to another city or state to address protest gatherings.
Ayesha Renna, Kerala
Ayesha is a 22 years old student from Jamia Millia Islamia. Coming from a small town Kondotty, in Malappuram district of Kerala, she became the poster girl after her photo went viral a day after the 15th December police brutality on Jamia students. In the photo with two other women students and a student journalist, Ayesha can be seen warning the policeman against their brutal behaviour. Ayesha became the icon of Women in Hijab breaking the stereotypes and struggling for her rights.
Ayesha is associated with a Kerala-based NGO called ‘Yes India’ since 2016 which works for “educational development of students belonging from marginalised sections”. She started her protest for CAA-NRC on the very next day when the bill was passed in Parliament. She was the part of the JMI girls march to the parliament. Being a history student herself, she feels, “For me, history is not linear and it’s not only about recorded events.” She says that history is something which gives hope and energy in the age of political depression which is very similar to Nazi Germany.
Being a woman born and brought up in Kerala, specifically in a Muslim populated district, Ayesha is breaking the stereotypical image framed by the popular culture where a Woman in Hijab is hailed as “oppressed.” She says “My identity was always a subject of liberal saviours, the immediate possibility of a hijabi is limited into the immediate binaries of oppressed.”
Khalida Parveen, Hyderabad
Khalida Parveen, a 64-year-old social activist from Hyderabad, was detained by the police while protesting. That did not dampen her spirits and since then, Parveen has been actively engaged in educating women about the impact of NRC and CAA by guiding them how to maintain peaceful protests.
“Muslim women have always been targeted for being inside their houses and not standing up for their right, this movement has shown that when necessary they can do every possible thing to safeguard their rights,” says Parveen, who also runs an NGO with the aim to empower the nation by empowering its women.
She has been arrested by the police during protests and has boldly faced it, advocating the weeding out fear psychology of police in society. She is currently working on the ground by reaching out to women in rural areas and slums to educate and aware them about CAA-NRC. Parveen sights every woman as a leader in these protests. “Our responsibility is to keep fighting against these unjust laws, I am not afraid even if I die struggling for the rights of our citizenship” adds Parveen. Her active participation in mobilizing women and appealing them to come out of their houses to protest has inspired many women, who see her as their role model.
Aman Mohammadi, Saharanpur
Aman Mohammadi, 27-years-old artist from Saharanpur, is pursuing her PhD in Theatre and Performance from JNU. She is a performer who does theatre mainly on socio-political issues. Moving around in the protests she noticed that, women are leading the protests but when it comes to performance, mostly male were seen. To counter this, she became a part of the newly formed ‘Zanana Ensemble: Zanana ka Zamana.’
Anyone who identifies herself as a woman performer was open to join the group. The group has composed some very creative and engaging slogans, one of which is
“aya zanana ka zamana, hai zanana ka zamana, khub pakaya ghar mai khana, inquilab ko hai pakana”
The group did a musical protest “Hawaon mein, yaaron jawaab milega, Fizaon mein, jawaab milega, which went viral on social media and was later covered by The Quint. They performed at several protest sites including Shaheen Bagh,Shahi Eidgah, Azad market, Inderlok and many more.
Aman has been very active and vocal on social media about the empowerment and rights of women. “This movement has brought up a beautiful form of resistance which is helping women to reclaim the space which was already taken by men, through this protest they are reclaiming these spaces” says Aman Mohammadi. Aman was deeply moved by the spirit of resistance among the ladies of mohalla who have come together to establish Shaheen Baghs at different places throughout the nation. She opines that despite the patriarchal set up of our society this movement has been able to break many barriers, the women have come out and led these protests which will always be remembered.
Shiba Minai, Hyderabad
Shiba, originally a 33-years-old journalist from Hyderabad, has now become an activist and protester. She is known for kick-starting the momentum of Hyderabad protests and also called as the Lady Flash protester of Hyderabad.
Shiba calls herself an Urban Freedom Fighter who is fighting for the rights of the citizens of India and humanity.“Women have always been the backbone and very integral part of this society but were not acknowledged by the people because they were busy thinking that Muslim women are not capable,” says Shiba. She thinks this movement has given a beautiful realization to people with traditional mind-sets about women belonging to the household.
Shiba is the mother of a 3-year-old but she manages to be an active part of these protests, just like hundreds of other women who balance their daily routine with protest schedules across the city. According to her, now “the protests are as important as having daily meals because there is nothing more patriotic than disagreeing with what is wrong and the voice of dissent is necessary.” She says that by bringing the CAA into force, we have wasted our democracy and now women must fight to save India one more time by setting an example for women throughout the world. Shiba was also detained by the police amid the protests but this didn’t stop her from voicing her dissent. She is very determined that these protests will surely bring victory and people like her will continue to resist even if it takes years.
Swati Narayan, Mumbai
Swati, originally from Mumbai, is a Visiting Fellow at the Institute for Human Development, Ranchi. She is a distinguished activist having previously worked on social issues like Right to Food, Right to Education and Social Justice for more than a decade now. She has been actively working at grassroots level, working closely with different groups and organizations to mobilize and aware people. Swati says to have Muslim women and students at the forefront have been a completely new phenomenon.
“Through this movement they are countering fascism and patriarchy in the liberal establishment as well as right wing establishment,” she says. She believes anti-CAA movement is a strong inflection point which will empower Muslim women beyond today. She hopes that this sisterhood which has emerged out of organic and pure movement should grow stronger and stronger.
Rehna Sultana, Assam
Rehna is a research scholar from Guwahati University, Assam. She is an academician turned full-time activist owing to the social circumstances at her place. Some people from her village started getting the notice for D-voter and would come to Rehna’s family to help them understand about it. It was around that time she started enquiring about citizenship issues in Assam. Soon, she started helping people with the NRC process. In her village, people used to charge 1000 rupees per head for filling the form for NRC, which didn’t even ensure that the form would be filled correctly. So, she started filling up forms for people free of cost. In the wake of CAA, she is now currently working to help people across Assam through awareness drives. Through her reach-out programmes, she is countering misconception and misinformation about citizenship laws. She informs people about the know-hows of producing documents and dealing with government authorities.Rehna hails from Bengal origin Muslim community in Assam and has been working for the upliftment of women by raising awareness against child marriage, domestic violence and education. Rehna says women and children have been worst affected as they are unable to produce the needed documents.“Birth certificate and matric certificate are two important documents to prove citizenship. Most of the women get married early and can not complete their formal education to obtain even the class 10 certificate,” she says.Rehna, who has been working tirelessly on the ground for women empowerment, believes education should be the top most priority for women.
Dr.Shagufta Yasmeen, Ranchi
She is an activist who runs a women empowerment group and recently have been very active in NRC-CAA protests. Jamia incident instigated her to join the anti CAA protest. She gradually started learning about the Act and then started the awareness program to inform people about it.
There were many misconceptions about CAA-NRC among the people. Some students and a ladies group came together to initiate the awareness drive. This movement has empowered the women in many dimensions, this has made them more confident. Shaguftais very confident in saying that “Our protest is a peaceful protest; it might take time but definitely it will be fruitful”
After her awareness sessions, people from all communities are coming and joining the protests. She considers women as more responsible and powerful which is the reason behind the success of these Anti CAA-NRC protests. It is the patience of women which has led to the strengthening of this movement and that is why everyday more people are joining the protest.
Jacinta Kerketta, Ranchi
Jacinta Kerketta from Ranchi is best known for her poetry which touches various social issues of Adivasi and Dalits. She is also a journalist and social activist. Working on the education of girls she has been travelling across the world, delivering her poetry on varied subjects including independent writing and environmental issues at the International level. Through her poetry she has also registered a protest against CAA-NRC at various public talks. Adivasis in this country have been struggling for dignified life which is yet to be actualized. Jacinta says CAA-NRC is not just Anti-Muslim rather it is also against Adivasis, Dalits and Women.For women to get empowered they need to pave their own way, aligning their own development with that of society. Only then we as society will get emancipation.
Ladeeda Farzana ,Kerela
Ladeeda, a 22 years old student of JamiaMilliaIslamia who hails from Mallapuram District of Kerela emerged as a face of resistance from the Anti CAA-NRC protests. She was seen as the one amongst the four girls protecting a male student from the police lathi-charge. Later, she has been to different states to convince people regarding CAA-NRC protests.
Ladeeda became an icon of resistance and have been very active through the movement. She has been to many universities and protest sites to encourage people to participate in the protests. She was brutally trolled but she didn’t give up. She is a role model for many of the student protestors. “The fight for justice is incomplete, unless we have solidarity from people of all faiths, ideologies and communities,” says Ladeeda.
source: http://www.twocircles.net / TwoCiricles.net / Home> TCN Positive / by Nazish Hussain and Musheera Ashraf / TwoCircles.net / March 08th, 2020
Langas and Manganiyars are hereditary professional Muslim musicians residing mostly in Rajasthan’s Jaisalmer and Barmer districts.
Civil society groups and research institutions here have joined hands to help out the Langa-Manganiyar folk artistes of western Rajasthan, struggling during the COVID-19 pandemic. The closure of tourist places and hotels has deprived the celebrated musicians of their livelihood for more than two months.
A social media campaign titled “Maru Mani” (jewels of desert) was launched earlier this week for receiving monetary support from the public at large for preserving the rich heritage of traditional music and dance forms of the Thar desert. The community’s music was supported by wealthy landlords and merchants before Independence.
Langas and Manganiyars are hereditary professional Muslim musicians residing mostly in Rajasthan’s Jaisalmer and Barmer districts, and Sindh province’s Tharparkar and Sanghar districts on the other side of the international border. The COVID-19 lockdown has stopped their global performances and posed a challenge to the survival of the popular art form.
Nek Mohammed, an internationally travelled performer, has composed a song narrating the difficulties faced by the community during the present crisis, and the lack of support when they had lost their livelihood. The State government has started giving them a one-time assistance of ₹2,500 each under the Chief Minister’s Lok Kalakar Protsahan Yojana.
Jaipur-based Lok Samvad Sansthan’s secretary Kalyan Singh Kothari said here on Thursday that the drive for supporting Langa-Manganiyar artistes would continue for the next three months. The institutions that have joined the efforts include Rupayan Sansthan of Jodhpur, Apeejay Institute of Mass Communication, and the University of Petroleum and Energy Studies, Dehradun.
Mr. Kothari said the folk musicians would be provided with guidance for creating multimedia content with their art, utilising smartphones so as to leverage social media platforms. A crowdfunding platform has also been created for community mobilisation to get financial support.
The Rupayan Sansthan has established a folk music school in Jodhpur for training young underprivileged boys from the Langa community in the presentation of their repertoire with proper expression and diction. The school also offers academic education to the boys between the ages of 7 and 14 years.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Other States / by Mohammed Iqbal / Jaipur – June 05th, 2020
June 3 marks the anniversary of thespian and theatre legend Qadir Ali Baig.
Bengaluru :
June 3 marks the anniversary of thespian and theatre legend Qadir Ali Baig. In the ‘old normal’, stalwarts like Habib Tanvir, M S Sathyu, Rohini Hattangady and Shabana Azmi have performed on the occasion. But this year, which marks the 36th anniversary of the veteran theatre person, has his son Mohammad Ali Baig, a Padma Shri recipient himself, doing the different.
A dramatised reading of Alone, a story of a yesteryear movie actress coming to terms with her role in real life during the lockdown, will be ‘staged’ online on Wednesday. “A new theatre spectacle, titled My Father – His Exalted Highness, on the life of the last Nizam of Hyderabad, was scheduled for its London and Russian stagings this year. But owing to the pandemic, both the shows got rescheduled,” says theatre revivalist Baig.
Later this month, their globally-acclaimed plays, Quli: Dilon ka Shahzaada and 1857: Turrebaz Khan, and a collection of 10 short stories, A-Quaint-Essences by the doyen’s daughter-in-law, actress-writer Noor Baig, will be launched. The online tribute would be in the form of Baig reading one of the stories from that collection, titled Alone.
Known for extravagant sets, Baig wasn’t keen on going ahead with an online theatre experience, which would neither be a play, web series or film. “Our historical works don’t fit into the online format and I felt doing so would only be a compromise. Not wanting to lose the charm of our works, we decided to go ahead with a format where the focus is on words, story, accent and storytelling,” he says about the one-man show in English, Hindi and bits of French.
He adds, “Since the premise of Baba’s work was that theatre should transcend boundaries, serving the true spirit of humanity and oneness, reaching out to those who make theatre around the country possible is important in these critical times.”Alone can be viewed on Qadir Ali Baig Theatre Foundation’s YouTube channel and Facebook page on Wednesday at 7.30 pm.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Bengaluru / by Express News Service / June 03rd, 2020
Wajid Khan of Bollywood music composer duo Sajid-Wajid passed away on Sunday in Mumbai.
Wajid Khan was 42.
Wajid Khan of Bollywood music composer duo Sajid-Wajid, credited with albums like Dabangg and Wanted, passed away in Mumbai on Sunday due to complications arising from a renal ailment and COVID-19. He was 42.
Wajid’s final rites were held on Monday morning in Mumbai.
Wajid Khan was admitted to Surana Hospital and Research Centre in Chembur after he developed an infection. A treating doctor said Wajid had a long history of infection, and had also undergone a kidney transplant. And since the operation, he was immunocompromised.
The doctor added, “Later, we conducted a COVID-19 test, and it came positive.”
Dr Prince Surana, medical director at Surana Hospital and Research Centre, confirmed Wajid Khan died due to complications from a renal ailment and COVID-19 infection.
Wajid Khan’s colleague and music director Salim Merchant mourned his demise on Twitter.
“Devastated with the news of the passing away of my brother Wajid of Sajid -Wajid fame. May Allah give strength to the family. Safe travels bro @wajidkhan7 you’ve gone too soon. It’s a huge loss to our fraternity. I’m shocked & broken. Inna Lillahi wa inna ilayhi raji’un,” read his post.
Many other Bollywood celebrities took to Twitter to pay tribute to Wajid.
Priyanka Chopra tweeted, “Terrible news. The one thing I will always remember is Wajid bhai’s laugh. Always smiling. Gone too soon. My condolences to his family and everyone grieving. Rest in peace my friend. You are in my thoughts and prayers. @wajidkhan7”
Harshdeep Kaur wrote on Twitter, “Extremely sad to hear about @wajidkhan7 ji… Gone too soon!! May god bless his soul”
Sona Mohapatra posted on Twitter, “Heartbreaking news. Wajid no more. Spent time on the SRGMP show with him as a co-judge & he was so kind & generous. I know he was ailing for a while, regret not picking up the phone on him in this lockdown. Stunned & sad.”
Babul Supriya @SuPriyaBabul – June 01
Shocked to hear about the cruelly untimely demise of Wajid of the renowned Composer duo of SajidWajid•Incredible loss of a very very dear friend & a very very talented musical mind – a Gr8 sport…. @BeingSalmanKhan @singer_shaan @Ramesh h Taurani
“Heartbroken. Both @SajidMusicKhan and @wajidkhan7 have been close & true friends. The kind who might see the light on and show up at our studio in the middle of the night just to meet and talk and share a laugh. Can’t believe Wajid and I will never speak again,” Vishal Dadlani said via Twitter.
Sajid-Wajid made their Bollywood debut with Salman Khan starrer Pyaar Kiya Toh Darna Kya in 1998, and later went on to score many albums for the superstar’s films, including Chori Chori, Hello Brother, Mujhse Shaadi Karogi, Partner, Wanted and Dabangg (1, 2 and 3). Most recently, Sajid-Wajid composed Salman’s “Bhai Bhai” single.
As a singer, Wajid Khan began his career with Partner in 2008. He has crooned popular tracks like “Hud Hud Dabangg”, “Jalwa”, “Chinta Ta Ta Chita Chita” and “Fevicol Se” among more.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Entertainment> Bollywood / by Priyanka Sharma, Tabassurm Barnagarwala / Mumbai / June 02nd, 2020
