Category Archives: Arts, Culture & Entertainment

Kochi mosque hosts leaders of other religions

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Community Involvement / Social Issues, , , , ,

Kochi, KERALA :

Members of different religious communities at the congregational prayers at the Kochi Grand Mosque, Kacheripady in Kochi on Friday.
Members of different religious communities at the congregational prayers at the Kochi Grand Mosque, Kacheripady in Kochi on Friday.

Members of various communities attend Friday’s congregational namaz

In a friendly gesture, the Kochi Grand Mosque at Kacheripady threw its doors open to members of other religious communities to attend Friday’s congregational namaz at noon.

For its first ‘open day’, possibly the first such in the State according to organisers, the mosque committee had invited believers of different religions to observe the jumma prayer and listen to the khutba, the sermon delivered by the Imam, that precedes the prayers.

“The committee hopes to make the open day a regular affair, inviting not just prominent people to attend prayers, but also encouraging believers to bring their friends, at least once in two months. Attempts will be made to encourage this in mosques across the State,” said Imam M.P. Faisal, whose sermon for the day stressed on the idea that the world subsists on compassion.

Members of the committee said in the current political climate, such a gesture was thought necessary to familiarise people with Muslim customs and religious practices to dispel the fear of the unknown.

The invited guests observed the prayers from the back of the prayer hall and addressed the congregation after the namaz.

Justices Devan Ramachandran and Alexander Thomas of the Kerala High Court who attended the prayers pointed out that it was the first time that they had got to witness the namaz.

“This could be the starting point for inter-religious dialogue and fraternity,” said Justice Thomas.

Fr. Vincent Kundukulam, professor at the St. Joseph’s Pontifical Seminary, Aluva, said such a gathering of people for prayers was in keeping with the diversity of the country, and would send out a strong message that could bring down the walls between religions and allow for conversations among those who practise different faiths.

Chaithanya Jnana Thapaswi and Gururethnam Jnana Thapaswi of the Santhigiri ashram attended the prayers, along with P.K. Shamsudheen, retired judge of the High Court.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Kochi / by Abhinaya Harigovind / Kochi – January 11th, 2020

The richness of Islamic theatre

Arts, Culture & Entertainment

Taoos Chaman ki Myna

Taoos Chaman ki Myna

A classroom debate moderated by this writer last week, with students of drama, brought to the fore misapprehensions regarding what one might term ‘Islamic theatre’ in India. The phrasing itself was called out as parochial in its scope, or too strongly affiliated with religious identity, and some even questioned the need for such a classification since we don’t usually talk about ‘a Hindu theatre’ (but of course we do, by glorious default). This was all compounded by the fact that there were no Muslims in the room, but arguably, one might say there were many among us whose world-views might have been influenced or even shaped by Islamic mores and values, given that we live in a country with one of the largest populations of Muslims in the world and even if insularity runs really deep, parallel cultures do meet at some point. Or, at least, we hope they do.

Rooted in culture

To explain further, when it comes to semantics, many use the words ‘Islamic’ or ‘Muslim’ as adjectives rather interchangebly, often in incorrect contexts. While the word ‘Muslim’ refers to those people who are followers of Islam and not to events or ideas or things, the word ‘Islamic’, according to scholar Ahmed E Souaiaia of the University of Iowa, “can be used to describe things that are present in Islamic societies and cultures, even if their origins are not rooted in Islam or produced by Muslim people.” It is an adjective that connotes a civilizational ethos and encompasses almost everything from architecture and art to philosophy and history and, yes, theatre. It is, without a doubt, an inclusive term, even if speaking it out loud might seem odd to our tongues, laced as they are with a multitude of conditioned prejudices. A corollary might be drawn with the word ‘queer’. For some it is an all-embracing cultural umbrella that covers an entire spectrum (the veritable rainbow), for others it remains a social label that is pejorative and reductive and can never be reclaimed. Even words like ‘feminist’ are double-edged these days, given the rise of ‘male anxiety’ culture post the advent of the #metoo movement. It is unfortunate that there are many who seek to interpret politically charged labels by being selective, or even cavalier, about the meanings that they want to extract, and that is a problematic privilege of gaze that most might be hard pressed to discard.

The notion of an Islamic theatre does not encourage the politics of exclusion or discrimination. Instead it is a canopy of cultural richness, even if the categorisation might make some uncomfortable if only due to its lustre. From aesthetic forms like the Dastangoi (or traditional Urdu storytelling) to mainstream fare like the stage adaptation of K Asif’s Mughal-e-Azam to sub-cultural gems like Bhagi Hui Ladkiyan, performed by young women from Delhi’s Nizammudin Basti, it cuts a large swathe across the cultural landscape and perhaps, acknowledging its cultural roots shouldn’t threaten those who live insecurely in majoritarian systems.

Tip of the iceberg

Plays such as Taoos Chaman Ki Myna, directed by Atul Tiwari and based on Naiyer Masud’s story, are set in a milieu where Islamic culture prevails — old-world Lucknow during the ill-fated reign of Nawab Wajid Ali Shah. However, the vein of progressiveness that pervades the piece makes a strong case for its liberal credentials. This is different from a play like, say, Imran Rasheed’s Bade Miyan Deewane, based on Shaukat Thanvi’s Budbhas, where religion might be absent, but a patriarchal structure is very much in evidence, even if it lends itself to far-fetched but hilarious comic situations in the mien of the Urdu farces of yore, which wore their ‘Muslimness’ both lightly and without reproach. Then there is Deepan Sivaraman’s masterful theatrical adaptation of O V Vijayan’s Khasakkinte Ithihasam, in which Islamic religious fervour is ingrained in the soil of the small hamlet of Khasak, rather than being ‘othered’.

Where purportedly non-Muslim theatremakers come into the picture, there is usually an outsider’s gaze that might codify everything from hijabs to prayer mats to skullcaps, while often, Muslim theatremakers operate from within the status quo without commenting on ages-old practices and customs, but focusing instead on humanising the people who abide by them — Rasheed’s Phir Se Shaadi, where a divorced Muslim couple seek to remarry, but not before negotiating a minefield of Quranic regulations. As Anamika Haksar’s Ghode Ko Jalebi Khilane Le Jaa Riya Hoon showed us, these works are just the tip of an iceberg.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Entertainment> Theatre / by Vikram Phukan / November 08th, 2019

Song of resistance and renaissance

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, , , , , , ,

KERALA :

Tuning in(clockwise from top left) Renji Panicker and Paris Laxmi in a still from Kalamandalam Hyderali , a biopic on the late Kathakali musician; Kiran G Nath; Nikhil Renji Panicker / Special arrangement
Tuning in(clockwise from top left) Renji Panicker and Paris Laxmi in a still from Kalamandalam Hyderali , a biopic on the late Kathakali musician; Kiran G Nath; Nikhil Renji Panicker / Special arrangement

Kiran G Nath’s biopic Kalamandalam Hyderali pays an euphonious tribute to the trailblazing Kathakali musician

There is an incident in the late seventies that, in a way, summarises Kalamandalam Hyderali’s journey in Kathakali. Festival committee members of Thalathotta temple in Haripad had invited the Kathakali musician par excellence for a recital. However, tradition decreed that only Hindus be allowed inside the temple premises. To ensure that Hyderali sang, the compound wall was demolished and the stage extended. As a result, technically, although Hyderali remained outside the temple precincts, his fans ensured that the late maestro did sing for the recital inside the temple. It was just another hurdle in the eventful career of Hyderali, a star among Kathakali musicians.

Moved by the life and times of Hyderali, cinematographer and adfilm maker Kiran G Nath decided to make his debut as a director with a biopic on the Kathakali musician. Speaking on phone from Kochi, he says that he had always been drawn towards Hyderali’s career as a musician in a tradition-bound art like Kathakali with strong feudalistic and ritualistic mooring. “Here was someone whose only calling card was his immense talent. No one could push him aside because of his gifted voice. Although he suffered a lot of discrimination, it is also true that there were greats like Kalamandalam Gopi who supported him and helped him mark his space among the greats of Kathakali vocalists,” says the director.

Son of mappilapattu singer Moidutty, Hyderali’s flair for music and economic necessity took him to Kalamandalam, the bastion of traditional art forms of Kerala. Although hounded by the orthodoxy and the casteism that were still prevalent in Kalamandalam in those days, Hyderali prevailed and completed the course.

“Nevertheless, he had to go through several trials and tribulations to practise what he had learnt because Kathakali was still a ritualistic temple art form in many places in Kerala. Since many of the temples were out of bounds for non-Hindus, Hyderali had to struggle to gain a foothold. Nevertheless, there were many who came to his rescue and thanks to MKK Nair, a patron of arts, he was able to get a job in the Kathakali school run by FACT,” narrates Kiran.

His travails and eventual success as a celebrity singer had enthused many filmmakers to plan a biopic on the singer but none of them were able to get it rolling. “In my case, when I decided to make a biopic on the musician, I was able to strike a rapport with his biographer, Vijayan sir, and Hyderali sir’s family. They told me of many incidents and struggles in his life that were not in the public domain. When I heard all that, I felt that his was a life that needed to be documented and shared with a large audience. It is relevant to the times we live in and will force each of us to introspect,” explains Kiran.

Scripted by Aju K Narayanan, the film with Renji Panicker in the lead role of Kalamandalm Hyderali reaches cinemas today. With its accent on music, the movie traces the musician’s journey to the limelight. “It is a musical biography of a youngster from a lower middle class Muslim family who captivated discerning Kathakali viewers with his evocative rendering and became a star in his own right,” says Kiran.

Finding a producer for such a subject was not easy. Kiran managed to get his film rolling thanks to Vinesh Mohan who has produced the film under the banner of Vedhas Creations. “I was lucky to get a team that put their heart and soul into the film. Renji’s dedication was inspiring and his son Nikhil Renji Panicker plays the young Kalamandalam Hyderali while Reihan Hyderali, the maestro’s grandson himself, appears in the part depicting Hyderali’s childhood. Paris Laxmi, Meera Nair, Ashokan and TG Ravi are some of the actors in the film. Moreover, this was perhaps ace cinematographer MJ Radhakrishnan’s last work for a feature film. To ensure that the music was authentic, I turned to leading Kathakali vocalist Kottakkal Madhu and Anil Gopalan for the music. Kottakkal Madhu has also rendered the padams. Sreevalsan J Menon has composed and sung the famous padam ‘Enthiha manmanase’ from Karnashapatham ,” adds Kiran.

Based on facts

Shot in Kalamandalam, Thrikkadeeri in Palakkad and Haripad, the film, which was two years in the making, depicts real incidents. Nothing has been fictionalised or added to enhance the narrative or make it melodramatic, emphasises the director. According to him, the maestro had to undergo so many trials and tribulations that there was no need to spice it up for any dramatic effect. “From childhood, he had experienced a lot of discrimination. He had mentioned in his biography how during the lunch break in Kalamandalam and in class, there would be sufficient space on either side of him to accommodate another student. That was the kind of difficulties he had to endure and surmount,” he narrates.

Despite the many hurdles that were created to prevent him from singing during his lifetime, the film does not make him out to be a tragic hero. It is a tribute to his determination and how his musicality saw him conquer the hearts of all people who enjoyed Kathakali. Says Kiran: “Hyderalimaash was a celebrity whose voice and talent immortalised him. His life and career are an intrinsic part of the spirit of renaissance of Kerala and now it is important to remember greats like him who refused to let his talent or life be hemmed in by walls of religion and caste.”

It is a musical biography of a youngster from a lower middle class Muslim family who captivated discerning Kathakali viewers with his evocative rendering and became a star in his own right

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Features> MetroPlus / by Saraswathy Nagarajan / January 10th, 2020

Meet Salma Mahfooz: World’s first Muslim woman to do her PhD in Sanskrit

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Books (incl.Biographies - w.e.f.01 jan 2018 ), Education, Videos, , , , , , ,

Dibai, (Bulandshahar District) , UTTAR PRADESH :

Born as Salma Begum in a Muslim family of a small town Dibai, District Bulandshahar in the northern state of India, Uttar Pradesh, she went on to become the first Muslim woman in the world to do her PhD in Sanskrit (1969), India’s ancient language. After marriage she changed her name to Salma Mahfooz.

“My father, Ishtiaque Ahmed and mother, Ehsaan Fatima encouraged me to pursue my higher studies in Sanskrit as I was deeply interested in the language.

After completing high school from the UP board, I came to Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) for higher studies in 1961 and opted for Sanskrit,” says Dr. Salma Mahfooz.

Salma Mahfooz completed her BA and MA in Sanskrit and finally went on to write her PhD thesis in Sanskrit on the ‘Types of Heroines in Sanskrit Dramas’ under the supervision of India’s acclaimed Sanskrit scholar Dr. Ram Suresh Tripathi. She also did an MA in Hindi literature.

“In my PhD thesis, I have analysed several roles that a woman portrays in multiple Sanskrit literary forms,” says Dr. Salma Mahfooz.

She taught Sanskrit at Rani Bhagyawati College in Bijnor and later joined AMU as a Lecturer.

Under the fellowship of India’s regulatory body for higher education, University Grants Commission, she authored a book ‘A Critical Study of ‘Sirre Akbar visa-vis-The Upanishads’ by Dara Shikoh (1615 – 1659), the eldest son of Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan

“I have taught Upanishads, Hindu religious texts, and various other Sanskrit literature components,” adds Dr. Salma Mahfooz.

A practicing Muslim, Salma Mahfooz has studied Hindu scriptures and texts, including The Bhagavad Gita, a 700-verse Sanskrit scripture that is part of the Hindu epic Mahabharata, and Kama Sutra, an ancient Indian Sanskrit text on sexuality and eroticism.

She was a Senior Research Fellow and Research Associate at the University Grants Commission and also headed the Sanskrit Department of the Aligarh Muslim University.

source: http://www.youtube.com / www.cineink.com / Cine Ink / January 10th, 2019

Mujtaba Hussain – A humorist par excellence

Amazing Feats, Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Books (incl.Biographies - w.e.f.01 jan 2018 ), Community Involvement / Social Issues, Leaders, , , , , , ,

Hyderabad , TELANGANA :

Padma Shri Mujtaba Hussain who completed 50 years of humour writing in Urdu. Photo: G. Ramakrishna | Photo Credit: G_RAMAKRISHNA
Padma Shri Mujtaba Hussain who completed 50 years of humour writing in Urdu. Photo: G. Ramakrishna | Photo Credit: G_RAMAKRISHNA

Many people have learned Urdu just to read his articles

Laughter is the shortest distance between two people. But in this case, it spans the entire Indian sub-continent. Whatever he writes, creates ripples of laughter across the Urdu world.

No prizes for guessing who the writer is. If it is Urdu and humour , it ought to be Mujtaba Hussain.

For the past half a century, this Padma Shri recipient has been dishing out what is in great short supply today – humour.

Mr. Hussain’s writings open up the lips and the heart and at the same time show the pearls and the soul.

At 77, he is anything but tired.

This Hyderabadi humorist doesn’t believe in resting on laurels. Week after week, he churns out sharp and witty write-ups that are lapped up by his growing fans club.

Two books recently published by the Educational Publishing House, Delhi, bring out some of the finest writes-ups about Mr. Hussain penned by critics and writers of no mean repute.

The book “Mujtaba Hussain Jaisa Dekha Jaisa Paya” is all about his personality while “Mujtaba Hussain Aayeinon ke Beech” deals with his art and style.

At a time when the Urdu language has few takers, Mr. Hussain has revived interest in it through his satirical writings.

Many people have learnt Urdu just to read his articles.

Today a number of people have done research on him and many waiting to do Ph.D on his art.

The enduring appeal of his writings is a tribute to his uncanny sense of humour and the Urdu language itself.

Well known writer-journalist, Khushwant Singh, is an unabashed admirer of Mr. Hussain and feels he is rare among Indian writers of humour.

Pakistan writer, Syed Arif Hussaini, calls Mr. Hussain a purveyor of wit and humour.

“He excels in his field due to simplicity of his language, racy style and absence of overlapping themes,” he says.

Sure, Mr. Hussain’s brand of humour is wholesome and straightforward.

He creates humour without offending anyone. Borrowed brilliance is not his forte, says Mohd Ali Siddique, Pakistan’s well known critic.

No compromises

In a bid to tickle the funny bone, Mr. Hussain doesn’t compromise on the language either.

The simple but literary touch in his works comes as a breath of fresh air.

“His humour is laced with a bitter truth which only a honest person can perceive,” says his daughter, Rashida Samdani. Those who have read his “Apni Yad Mein” composition will know. It is a masterpiece of self obituary wherein the author highlights his own follies while taking pot-shots at life.

The two publications unveil interesting facets of Mr. Hussain’s personality. Several real life incidents are cited to show his ready repartee, subtle intellect and scintillating humour even during trying times.

Man knows how to cry from birth, but laughter takes some learning. But with Mr. Hussain’s ready wit, the job sure becomes easier.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Hyderabad / by J.S. Ifthekhar / Hyderabad – April 01st, 2013

An engineer with a witty approach to Urdu writing

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Books (incl.Biographies - w.e.f.01 jan 2018 ), , , , , , ,

Mumbai, MAHARASHTRA :

NadirKhanMPOs22dec2019

Nadir Khan Sargiroh’s stories about trivial things like raasta, chuha-billi and joote are full of proverbs, puns and punchlines.

To improve is to change, to be perfect is to change often. He has done  just that and is garnering significant attention. Nadir Khan Sargiroh, the new kid on the block, has come as a breath of fresh air in Urdu literary circles. With a whole new approach to humour writing, he is trying to be ahead of the curve.

What is different about him is his out-of-the-box thinking and alternative way of telling stories. As his name suggests, Nadir has novel ideas. He has chosen to move off the beaten path, think freely and creatively. He doesn’t carry the burden of his contemporaries or constraints of his predecessors. Humour gets a fresh lease of life at his hands.

Humour is usually created by poking fun at someone. Urdu humourists do it at the expense of biwi, saas and saali. Nadir Khan steers clear of these stereotype characters. He doesn’t need a fixed image to construct his story or connect with readers. He is adept at creating humour by talking about such trivial things like raasta (way), chuha-billi (mouse and cat), janwar ki dum (animal tail), joote (shoes). He sets store by well-known phrases and expressions. His writings are proverb-packed and pun-based, something unheard of in Urdu literature.

In the story Duniya Bhar Ke Raaste Waaste, he writes: Kisi bhi manzil tak pahunchne ki awwaleen shart hai raasta. Shahron main raaste iss liye banaye jaate hain ke waqt be-waqt khudai ke liye koee maqool jagah maissar ho, aur hadison ka koee bahana ho (Roads are the prerequisite to reach any destination. In cities roads are laid so that they come in handy for on and off digging and there is some pretext for accidents). About the roadways in China, he says Cheen ke raaste duniya ke raaston ke muqable main zara chain ka saans lete hain. And here is the masterstroke: Cheen ke tamam raaste Made in China hain.

Nadir Khan has developed the craft of playing on words. Idiomatic construction of sentences is his strong point. And he loves to exploit multiple meanings of a term. There is, of course, spontaneity in the use of expressions and this adds to the charm. Readers never feel that an expression has been squeezed in needlessly. In the story Hunooz Billi Door Ast, Nadir Khan’s writing prowess comes to the fore as he goes on a wordplay binge. The story is all about the terrific time rats give, their secret holes and clever exit points. There is nothing new about rat infestation, but the way Nadir Khan weaves the story with idioms and expressions makes it highly readable. Sample these sentences:

Baaz janwar dil main ghar kar jaate hain aur chuhe ghar main bil kar jaate hain. Nadir plays on the word ‘ghar’ and ‘bil’ to say how some animals make a home in hearts while some a burrow in homes. Then, he goes on to explain the ‘naak main dum’ created by rats and also the importance of ‘har-bil azeez’ rodents in medical testing. If only they stopped making runs from here to there. For this wishful thinking, he puns on Mirza Ghalib’s famous verse: Gharon main daudte phirne ke hum nahin qaail

Nadir Khan, who hails from Mumbai, is an engineer in urban designing. He took to Urdu fiction writing in 2006 but soon realised that he should write something different if he wants to stand out from the rest. Endowed with a natural flair for humour, he decided to make it his passion. But here too, he faced challenges as there are many big names in Urdu humour writing like Ibne Insha, Mushtaq Ahmed Yousufi (Pakistan) and Mujtaba Hussain of India.

“I have evolved a different style of humour writing which is engaging and full of proverbs,” says the 48-year-old writer who enthralled the audience at the recently-held annual humour conference of Zinda Dilan-e-Hyderabad.

Nadir Khan is careful in avoiding double meaning words and below-the-belt remarks. His stories are humorous in a dignified way. No wonder he has a good fan-following among women. The title of his first book itself is humorous. He has named it Baa-Adab Baa-Muhaawara Hoshiyaar.  His second book Nadir Shahi Tukde is almost ready and will be released shortly.

Nadir Khan keeps his short stories really short, sometimes just a few paragraphs. But, every para is laced with phrases and punchlines. When he writes about cricket, he says how Australia ‘cricket ko khel samjhta hai’. Describing the nabbing of a thief from a well he twists the well-known proverb to say ‘chor geele hathon pakda gaya’. In a ten-line write-up on Payedar Paye, he uses as many proverbs. Playing on the word ‘paya’ (goat’s legs), he writes how badi der tak paye aag par aur hum intezar main galte rahe (for a long time, the lamb trotters on fire and me in waiting kept roasting). In the short piece on Ainak Ka Bojh, he explains how spectacles rest on naak ke sar par pate ke bal while uski tangon ka bojh donon kanon ke kandhe sambhalte hain.

Writing about the shoe-hurling incident at George Bush by an Iraqi journalist, he says the media highlighted the targetted attack more than the gola-bari on Iraq. But, see the bravado of Bush who jootiyan kha ke be-maza na huva. Nadir Khan resorts to Ghalib’s famous verse to deliver the punch by replacing the word ‘gaaliyaan’ with ‘jootiyan’. His write-ups are such that readers will die laughing. And surely zindagi naam hai hans-hans ke mar janeka.

Nadir Khan’s sense of humour and irony come out in the story on matrimonial ads. He writes: Alliance is required from a teacher who is educated, a policeman who is honest, a professor who is attentive and a politician ‘jo galiyan kha ke be-maza na hua’.

Like all humour writers, a sidekick figures in Nadir Khan’s stories. This Quixote goes by the name Purjosh Puri and comes in handy for the author to take pot-shots. Many writers, including the king of humour, Mujtaba Hussain, feels Nadir Khan has the potential to emerge as the leading humour writer of Urdu.

Karta nahin hai tanz-nigari main aiyen-gaiyen

Khail hain iske rang ke khud Mujtaba Hussain

Ye Sargiroh-e-Khafila haraf saaz hai

Iss par to Urdu ke adeebon ko naaz hai

source: http://www.telanganatoday.com / Telangana Today / Home> Literature / by J S Ifthekhar / December 15th, 2019

Masjid Jamaths Launch 100-days Awareness Campaign against Drug Addiction

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Community Involvement / Social Issues, Karnataka (under research project), Leaders, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Mangaluru, KARNATAKA :

Mangaluru:

Taking note of the growing incidents of drugs abuse and increase in the number of youth falling prey to drug menace in Dakshina Kannada District, local socio-religious leaders of Mangaluru and Dakshina Kannada on Saturday, December 14 called a press meet and announced the launch of the campaign by Masjid Jamaths across the district against the menace.

Photo : mangalorean.com
Photo : mangalorean.com

Addressing the mediapersons Syed Mohammed Beary, Chairman, Bearys Group, said, “In Dakshina Kannada District especially in Mangaluru the drug menace has been rising rapidly and to curb the drug menace educational institutions, as well as the NGOs, are working along with the police department. If we don’t curb it now, in three years from now the situation in Dakshina Kannada will go out of control and will be worse than Punjab”.

Syed Beary further said, “The most tragic part of the story is that the curse of drug abuse has already found inroads into our rural areas wherein school going students are being exposed to the addiction. Students of sixth and seventh grades including girls are falling prey to addiction. The situation is turning worse with each passing day. Some of the youth take it as a means of easy money and indulge in drug peddling. Some take it as business and the business addiction always results in the swift increase in crime rate. This has a direct impact on the safety and security of the people in the region”.

Syed also said, “Normally almost every parent believes that their children are innocent and will not get addicted to drugs. Such an illusion prevents them from being vigilant. Mosques in Dakshina Kannada have already decided to run a campaign across the District to fight against the drug menace. Their focus is to educate the parents, the students and the youth on the issue and create awareness in every family under their jurisdiction. The 100-days campaign will include a series of awareness programs involving all the Masjid Jamaths and Committees across the region. The drive will run under the guidance and supervision of Twaqa Ahmed Musliyar and Bekal Ibrahim Musliyar, the two prominent Qazis of the region. The District and City Police have offered their full support to this campaign”, he added.

“The District and Mangaluru City Police have initiated various campaigns and drives against drugs and have been on a constant state of alert. Several voluntary organization have also been doing their bit to curb the menace. Despite all the efforts, lack of awareness among the masses, the youth, and their parents have resulted in the situation going out of control”, he stated.

Speaking at the press conference B M Mumtaz Ali, General Secretary Karnataka Muslim Jamath, Dakshina Kannada added that the Masjids alone cannot curb the drug menace in the District and called on religious leaders and places to play their part in order to make the District drug-free. There is an immediate need to educate people in the region about the power and networks of the drug Mafia, the cunning ways used by them to promote extremely dangerous addictive substances and the grave consequences of addiction. Temples, Mosques, Churches and all such places revered by the masses can play a great role in educating the masses and making the entire society vigilant against the devastating epidemic of addiction.

Syed Mohammed Beary also called for support from all sections of the society and anticipated the active participation of the leaders and representatives of all the communities, parties, educational institutions, NGOs, Social activists and various student and youth organizations in this campaign. He also called for support from the media and other organizations in the noble initiative.

Haji Mohammed Haneef, General Secretary, Zeenath Baksh Juma Masjid, Mangaluru, Haji Golthamajalu Mohammed Hanif, President, Hidaya Foundation, B A Mohammed Ali, Member, Karnataka State Food Commission and Riyaz Ahmed Kannur, President Talent Research Foundation, Mangalore were also present.

source: http://www.mangalorean.com / Mangalorean.com / Home> Mangalore News / by Violet Pereira, Team Mangalorean / December 14th, 2019

Meet Malik, the teashop owner VVS Laxman had tweeted about

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Community Involvement / Social Issues, Education, Useful / SCHOLARSHIPS, , ,

Kanpur, UTTAR PRADESH :

MalikMPOs17dec2019

A quaint teashop on one of the dingy lanes in Sharda Nagar in Kanpur has been the talk of the town for the past few weeks. The teashop is often seen crowded. It is not the tea but the owner of the teashop Muhammad Mahboob Malik who draws the crowd now. This 29-year-old commoner  had become an overnight celebrity in the locality after he was mentioned by former cricketer VVS Laxman in one of his tweets recently.

Laxman had shared the incredibly inspiring life of Malik who has been sponsoring the education of 40 poor kids, for the last three years, using 80% of his income. Forty students study in various divisions till class 4 in his school.

Malik’s father was the only earning member in his family which had six children. His income alone was not enough to make the two ends meet. So, the kids didn’t have enough opportunities to fare well in their studies. Amidst all these struggles, Malik could only study till class 10.

Soon, Malik too began working at his father’s teashop. It was then that he began noticing how a few  kids from the poor families in the locality were roaming around or begging, without attending  school. Most of them were the children of single mothers who struggled even to feed their kids at least one meal a day. For them, sending their children to the school was unthinkable.

Malik, who saw himself in those kids, had decided to sponsor their education. He believes that he would not have ended up in the small teashop on the street and could have done more for the development of the nation had he got the opportunity for better education. It was this thought which motivated  Malik to take the significant decision to help the poor kids complete their education.

In the beginning, Malik opened coaching centers in the locality and also at Gurudev Talkies and Kanshiram Colony where around 350 children were taught for free. He even appointed teachers for a  remuneration of Rs 2,000 per day for training the kids for two hours every day. However, soon he realized that the two-hour classes were not enough to bring significant changes in the attitude or life of those poor kids.

In 2017, as instructed by a friend, Malik began an NGO called the Tujhe Salam Foundation with the sole aim to provide free and quality education for the poor children in the locality. A core team of 5 members and other volunteers are responsible for training the 40 kids. The NGO provides uniform, shoes, socks, bag and other stationery items to these students absolutely free of cost. Malik finds the money to run this school, which functions in a rented building, from his income at the teashop.

Malik, who wakes up at 5 in the morning, works in the teashop from 5.30 am to 7.30 am. After 7.30 am, his father would manage the teashop when Malik goes to the school. He returns in the afternoon and would again work in the shop from 3 pm to 11 in the night. Malik tries to save at least Rs 500 per day to meet the expenses at the school.

In the beginning, a few neighbours had criticised Malik for spending his hard-earned money on this social cause. Some had even called him mad. But the same people began appreciating him when more people came to know about his amazing effort. After Laxman’s tweet became viral, lots of people are coming to meet him at his teashop and school.

Now, Malik is all set to register his NGO and secure 80G certification that will enable tax exemption for donors. Malik wishes to work even harder so that he can extent his school to class 10 where he could give free education to at least 200 poor kids.

source: http://www.english.manoramaonline.com / OnManorama / Home> News> Campus Reporter / by OnManorama / December 15th, 2019

AR Rahman composes anthem for global climate change

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Community Involvement / Social Issues, Leaders, World Opinion, , ,

Chennai, TAMIL NADU :

The AR app will allow people to download 3D volumetric-captured celebrity holograms and take photographs standing beside them, holding their hands.

Oscar-winner AR Rahman (Photo | PTI)
Oscar-winner AR Rahman (Photo | PTI)

Oscar-winner AR Rahman will be composing a special anthem for Hollywood music veteran and humanitarian Ken Kragen’s climate change effort.

Rahman, along with a team of international composers, will create a track titled Hand in hand for the initiative. Kragen, who was honoured with United Nations Peace Medal in 1985 for producing the charity anthem We Are the World, has joined hands with entertainment entrepreneur Neil Morgan to set up an augmented reality (AR) project named Hands Around The World.

The project aims at raising money and awareness for the cause of climate change. The initiative will be launched on April 22 next year, on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of Earth Day.

The AR app will also be launched the same day. While details about Rahman’s composition are still kept under wraps, it’s rumoured that the number will thematically be reminiscent of We Are the World.

The AR app will allow people to download 3D volumetric-captured celebrity holograms and take photographs standing beside them, holding their hands. They will then combine users’ photographs with hundreds of millions of others to form a virtual selfie chain that will become the digital Hands Around the World. Users will be prompted to spread the word and encouraged to donate towards ending climate change.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Entertainment> English / by Express News Service / December 11th, 2019

JMI Faculty gets American research fellowship to study Amarnath Yatra

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NEW DELHI :

Dr Adfer Rashid Shah of Sarojini Naidu Centre for Women’s Studies, Jamia Millia Islamia (JMI), has received George Greenia Research Fellowship of USA to study Amarnath Yatra.

Dr Adfer Rashid Shah of Sarojini Naidu Centre for Women’s Studies, Jamia Millia Islamia (JMI) has been awarded with George Greenia Research Fellowship in Pilgrimage Studies from USA’s William & Mary University for a qualitative study of Amarnath Yatra in Kashmir Valley.

The fellowship by George Greenia, the second-oldest university in the US after Harvard, provides funding for faculty to support original scholarship on pilgrimage.

Dr Shah’s project titled, ‘Understanding a Perpetual Pilgrimage in a Conflict Zone from Stakeholders’ Views and Experiences: A Qualitative Study of Amarnath Yatra in Kashmir Valley‘ has been accepted for the fellowship.

Dr Shah has been researching Muslim Endowments (Auqaf), peacebuilding and pilgrimages in India, especially Amarnath Pilgrimage in Kashmir valley for many years, this fellowship is the recognition of his years of work in this field.

He was chosen for this award during the Annual Symposium hosted by William and Mary’s Institute for Pilgrimage Studies in November this year.

The award also contains a cash prize of one thousand US dollars. Dr Shah also presented a paper (in absentia) titled ‘pilgrimage and peacebuilding in conflict zones: Notes on Amarnath pilgrimage in India’s Kashmir Valley’ in the symposium.

About Dr Adfer Rashid Shah

Dr Shah earned his doctorate in Sociology from JMI in 2015 and has authored three books and about 40 research papers in prestigious journals. He also edits Eurasia Review as Associate Editor and also served Women’s Link Journal as Associate Editor besides writing columns for leading newspapers.

source: http://www.indiatoday.in / India Today / Home> News> Education Today> News / by India Today Web Desk / New Delhi – December 07th, 2019