Category Archives: Business & Economy

SFBF NGO plans to have cloth banks all over India by 2026

Business & Economy, Community Involvement / Social Issues, ,

NEW DELHI:

Gifting clothes in progress at a Cloth Bank
Gifting clothes in progress at a Cloth Bank

Roti Kapda aur Makkan; (Bread, Cloth, and house) are considered the basic needs of human beings. Just as many people in the world today do not have enough food, many do not have proper clothing to protect them during extreme winter.

This reality triggered the idea of a cloth bank that is run by the Society for Bright Future. The project executive of the campaign Mohammad Marghub says they are working in Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, and Delhi.

He however says the need for proper clothing is everywhere and for this reason, his NGO is planning to open Cloth banks all over the country.

“We appeal to people to donate new and used clothes or money. We do not accept torn and unusable clothes, says Mohammad Marghoub.

Society for Bright Future organised Cloth Bank

Only clothes that are in wearable condition are accepted. “We wash, iron, and pack these clothes well and distribute them at the camps set up for the purpose.”

He says each cloth has a token price. “We don’t give away these clothes for free, the prices are nominal says – Rs 5 to 10.”

Marghoub says it is done to give people dignity and make them feel these are not donated or bought by them with their money. Accepting free stuff has a psychological effect. One tends to misuse and mistreat a thing that has come free but takes care of it when it is purchased.”

The NGO thus also recovers a small cost that goes into waching, ironing, and packing the donated clothes.

He said the poor people feel the loss of prestige while accepting free stuff. They are also embarrassed to know that others know about accepting or wearing donated clothes.

The NGO thus takes extreme care not to expose the people who are benefitted from this campaign. The activists are careful in clicking pictures for their documentation purposes, etc,

“This is the reason why even while taking photos of the users, we take care not to highlight their features. Marghoub says that we also try to make the beneficiaries realize that today they are the needy ones but tomorrow when they are fine, they must donate to others.

Mohammad Marghob says that just a few months ago, we conducted a cloth bank campaign at Milli Model School in Abul Fazl Enclave, New Delhi, from which thousands of people benefited. He said that hundreds of people donated clothes for this campaign and many people gave money so that we could buy clothes and deliver them to the needy. Now we are looking for a place where we can set up a permanent Cloth Bank.

According to Mohammad Marghob, setups have been readied for the launch of Cloth Banks in  Jharkhand, Bengal, Bihar, and Assam.

awaz
Clothes being gifted by Volunteers of Society for Bright Future

We try to get different beneficiaries each time we set up a camp,” he says. Don’t distribute things in the same place every time. There are needy people everywhere. Our job is simply to bridge the gap between givers and takers.”

How do they find the area with the most in need of clothes? To this, Marghoub explained that the NGO first holds a survey on the ground, and a camp is set up after sifting through the facts and reports of the survey.

The first cloth bank was started two years ago. Last year they set up three cloth banks at different locations.

So far this campaign has been launched in five states. The NGO has hundreds of trained volunteers in 16 states of India and Marghoub feels the cloth banks can be easily established in each state.

He says, the NGO is planning to raise a force of 5,000 volunteers by 2026 and then spread its work all over India.

source: http://www.awazthevoice.in / Awaz, The Voice / Home> Story / by Ghaus Siwani, New Delhi / posted by Aasha Khosa / April 03rd, 2023

From Designing Clothes To Designing Cakes: The Journey of a Hijabi Cake Artist From Panjim

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Business & Economy, Women/Girls(since May26-2021), , , , , , , , , , ,

Panjim, GOA:

Nadia with the GoWomania Award 2023

Nadia Aslam, a resident of Panjim, Goa has always had a love for baking cakes. She used to bake delicious cakes for get-togethers and her close friends, but that changed when she went to college to study textile designing. She started a boutique business for a few years after college before having her first child. Nadia returned to making cakes as a career in 2016 after a gap of two years to devote more time to caring for her newborn.

“I shifted from designing clothes to designing cakes,” the 40-year-old cake artist explained to Two Circles.

Nadia has baked over 2000 cakes and pastry products, including cupcakes, for weddings, birthdays, and corporate events in the last seven years.

Nadia’s designer cakes

Challenges Faced in the Baking Business

Nadia faced several hurdles at the start of her professional career as a pastry artist. “I began very small. Because I used to earn little money, I would reinvest it in buying more stuff to meet the requirements,” she explained. 

Nadia and her family used to live in a modest residential society that didn’t have a lift or enough space in the flat where she could set up her baking business in the early years. “For the business and classes, I needed space and a lift for efficient transportation because the bakery products are very fragile,” she explained.

Nadia moved to a larger flat for the sake of her business endeavour. Then after four years of baking at home, she rented a small property solely for cake production and hired an employee. 

One of the major issues Nadia still encounters is a power outage while baking cakes, as well as bad roads, which leads to the fraying of the cake.

According to Nadia, it takes 17 hours to prepare, make, bake, and decorate a single cake. It became difficult when she began receiving orders for great corporate events and large parties. She said her customers want her to focus more on the decoration and general presentation of the sweet delicacies, which takes a lot of time and work.

Nadia’s creations

Earlier Nadia was preoccupied with household chores, raising children, and running the cake shop. “It messed up my sleep schedule, and I was frequently sleep-deprived,” she explained.

‘Men Should Encourage Their Wives’: Nadia Receives Support From Her Family

Nadia faced challenges, but she also received tremendous emotional support for her business from her family. Her husband, Rehan Shaikh, was always encouraging and helpful, from getting baking supplies to delivering cake orders. 

“Men should encourage their wives,” said Rehan, beaming with pride at her success. Shaikh is in charge of handling the accounting of the cake business.

Nadia is assisted by her three children, aged 17, 14, and 12, in addition to her husband and two employees. “My kids help me after school and during the holidays,” she explained.

Nadia with her family

Teaching Women How to Bake

Nadia shared her experiences as a Muslim Hijabi pastry artist. “We Muslim women can financially support our families while practicing Islam and following its guidelines,” she said.

Nadia stated that her mother, a former beautician, is her greatest inspiration. 

Aside from baking cakes, Nadia offers paid baking workshops that last two to three months and has taught hundreds of women how to bake and decorate cakes. Nadia hopes to build an academy where women bakers learn from chefs from all over the world.

The ‘Moist choco truffle’ is the most popular item in her diverse menu of cakes. “It’s my customers’ all-time favourite item, and they often come back to request more,” she explained.

Nadia teaching her students to bake

Receives Order From Across India

Nadia does not currently own a shop, but she receives a large number of orders through her Instagram and Facebook pages.

“We not only get orders from Goa, but also from Mumbai, Maharashtra, Belgaum, Bangalore, Tamil Nadu, and other places,” she explained. Nadia uses roadways to  deliver cakes within 100 kilometers of Goa, and railways to deliver cakes to Mumbai, Belgaum, and other distant locations.

Nadia received multiple awards for her cake-making abilities, including the “Star of the Month” award from Gowomania Goa, an organisation of Gaon women, in 2017. 

Sobiya Inamdar is an independent reporter based in India

source: http://www.twocircles.net / TwoCircles.net / Home> Indian Muslim> Lead Story> TCN Positive> Women / by Sobiya Inamdar, TwoCirlces.net / August 29th, 2023

Meet Nigar Shaji from TN’s Tenkasi, Aditya-L1 mission project director

Amazing Feats, Business & Economy, Education - Gold Medallists, Toppers, Merits, Achievers (wef. June 12th, 2023), Science & Technology, Scientists (wef. August 27th,m 2023), Women/Girls(since May26-2021), World Opinion, , , , , ,

Shengottai (Tenkasi District) , TAMIL NADU:

The 23-hour-and-40-minute countdown for the Sun mission has begun. Aditya-L1 satellite will lift off from Sriharikota on Saturday at 11.50 a.m

Inside: Project director of the ambitious Aditya-L1 Nigar Shaji

Tenkasi : 

The contribution of Tamils to India’s Space Odyssey seems to be enduring as a woman scientist from the state’s southern district of Tenkasi will have her tryst with destiny when Aditya-L1 satellite soars into the sky on Saturday.

 Nigar Shaji (59), a native of Shengottai, is the project director of the ambitious Aditya-L1, which is the first space-based mission deployed by India to study the Sun.

Speaking to TNIE on Friday, Shaji’s brother S Sheik Saleem said Shaji completed her schooling in English medium at the Shengottai government higher secondary school.

“She did her graduation in engineering from the Tirunelveli government engineering college and joined ISRO in 1987. She resides in Bengaluru and visits Shengottai whenever there are family functions. Shaji’s husband, an engineer, is working in a Gulf country, and her son is also working as a scientist in the Netherlands. Her daughter and our mother are staying with Shaji in Bengaluru. We lost our father 30 years ago,” Saleem said. Incidentally, Chandrayaan 3 project director P Veeramuthuvel is also from Tamil Nadu.

Countdown starts

The 23-hour-and-40-minute countdown for the Sun mission has begun. Aditya-L1 satellite will lift off from Sriharikota on Saturday at 11.50 a.m. 

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Tamil Nadu / by Thinakaran Rajamani, Express News Service / September 02nd, 2023

Muslim family from Harekala taste success in dairy farming

Agriculture (since June 07th, 2021), Business & Economy, Community Involvement / Social Issues, Karnataka (under research project), Women/Girls(since May26-2021), , , , , , , ,

Harekala (Mangaluru Taluk, Dakshina Kannada District), KARNATAKA:

The farm has different breeds, including Holstein Friesian, Gir, Australian and jersey. Her aim is to own 101 cows as dreamt by her father.

Muslim family from Harekala taste success in dairy farming
Maimoona and daughter Marzeena with the cows in their farm at Harekala. Credit: DH photo

Maimoona, with her three daughters, re-started her venture of dairy farming with just one cow at Harekala, situated on the outskirts of Mangaluru, about two years ago.

She now sells 320 litres of milk daily and owns 40 cows. The shed has a total of 67 cattle, including calves. The striking point is that she sets aside a portion of her earning for helping the needy.

“When my husband Abdul Majeed died in the year 2020, we were shattered. He loved cows and had started Majeed Farm and owned around 25 cows. His dream was to own a farm with 101 cows. After his death, we sold all the cows. However, we did not spend money earned from selling cows. Later, it was my second daughter Marzeena, who is an engineering graduate, persuaded me to purchase a cow and re-start the venture,’’ Maimoona told DH.

Initially, she purchased one cow and later added more into the fleet of cows.

Maimoona said, “I re-established the farm with the support of my daughters Ramzeena, Marzeena and Azwena. Initially, we only managed all the work. As the farm grew, we hired labourers to help us. The cattle are milked using two machines. In spite of using a machine, we have to milk manually at the end. Along with labourers, my daughter Marzeena and I take care of the cattle.”

The farm has different breeds, including Holstein Friesian, Gir, Australian and jersey. Her aim is to own 101 cows as dreamt by her father.

“We are happy with the initiative and it is the only source of our livelihood. Our driver Prashanth is helping us in reaching out the milk to the dairy at Ellyarpadavu and Konaje in time. Maintaining a dairy farm is challenging as we need to constantly work hard,” Maimoona said.

The family also sells cow dung.

I am planning to grow grass required for the cows in my own farm. Now, we procure the required dry hay from Hassan, she said.

The family owns about two acres of land in which they have cultivated arecanut and coconut. In addition, the house is surrounded by a variety of fruits, like apple, grapes, chikoo, fig and musambi.

‘’We also have started goat farm and have a poultry farm on small scale. At present, there are 23 goats. When my father was alive, we had 150 goats,” Marzeena said.

“My husband was keen that we lend a helping hand to those in needy. Accordingly, I keep aside a portion of my earning from the farm to charity,” Maimoona added.

Lauding the success, Harekala Gram Panchayat president Badruddin said people need to learn from the success of Maimoona. With hard work and dedication, she has proved that anything is possible.

‘’She lends a helping hand to the needy and has donated AC, cooler, and an aquarium to the newly built Harekala GP building and has also donated money to distribute financial assistance to the differently abled,” he said.

source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> India> Karnataka / by Naina J A, DHNS / January 24th, 2023

Dr Abdul Shakeel to be conferred with Asia Achievers award

Amazing Feats, Business & Economy, Community Involvement / Social Issues, COVID 19 - Community of Soldiers, Education, Karnataka (under research project), Leaders, NRI's / PIO's, SCHOLARSHIPS, World Opinion, , , , , , , , ,

Deralakatte Renjali (Ullal Taluk),Mangaluru, KARNATAKA / Saudi Arabia/ UAE:

 Dr Abdul Shakeel has been selected for the coveted Asia Achievers award given by Indian Council for Cultural Relations, Swami Vivekananda Cultural Centre Colombo and High Commission of India Colombo for his social service including providing rice to more than 10000 eligible families cutting across religion and caste during Covid pandemic, adopting students who are financially poor and encouragement to outstanding students.

The award will be presented by Vidura Vikramanayake, minister for religious and cultural affairs, government of Sri Lanka and higher education minister of Sri Lanka Surena Raghavan at the 40th International cultural convention that is organized on August 25 at the auditorium of University of Visual and Performing Arts in Sri Lanka.

Dr Abdul Shakeel is the son of Abdul Khader Harekala and Maimuna couple, residents of Deralakatte Renjadi under Ullal taluk.

He is NRI entrepreneur having business interest in gulf countries. Dr Shakeel is the managing director of MMA Advertisement and interiors Saudi Arabia, Dubai, managing director of Grey Line Interior and Advertisement (UAE) and director of Readymix Concrete, India.

Dr Shakeel reserves 50% of profits of his business for social work through Dr Abdul Shakeel Charitable trust. During Corona pandemic he felicitated doctors, medical profession helpers and social workers who worked risking their own lives. Dr Shakeel supports youth, who are financially poor, to compete in national and international level sports and other activities. He has encouraged hundreds of children to get educated. He has also adopted several children. Dr Shakeel paid the educational expenses of students of backward community who have scored high marks in examinations and also took complete responsibility of their education. He has built houses for homeless people. Dr Shakeel also rendered financial help to those who get stuck in overseas countries. In addition, he has provided employment to hundreds of people in gulf countries.

source: http://www.daijiworld.com / DaijiWorld.com / Home> Karnataka / by Daijiworld Media Network – Mangaluru (MS) / August 25th, 2023

From the womb of necessity, delectable inventions

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Business & Economy

Sitapur, UTTAR PRADESH / Kolkata, WEST BENGAL:

The Telegraph goes to a Calcutta anachronism — a sweetshop that has very little Bengali about it.

Candy crush: Haji Nizamuddin (in white kurta) believes their sweets are turning out better than the Arabian originals. / Moumita Chaudhuri

Haji Allauddin, the sweet shop on Phears Lane in central Calcutta, is more than a hundred years old. Haji Nizamuddin, who is the owner now, is Allauddin’s great-grandson. He says, “My grandfather had started this shop and it is named after him. We have heard that in the early days there was no shop, just some wares on a bench in north Calcutta’s Colootola .”



Haji Allauddin had come from Uttar Pradesh’s Sitapur with his family.

Nizamuddin does not know what drove them all the way. “Maybe our
ancestors were farmers, maybe my ancestor was of rebellious nature and left Sitapur in search of better opportunities,” says Hamd Sultan, who is Nizamuddin’s son.


“The earliest registration papers in our possession go back to 1904 but I have heard from my elders that the shop was operational even a decade before that,” adds Sultan, who is now getting involved in the affairs of his ancestral business.Sultan and his cousins are planning to expand.

Haji Allauddin, a sweet shop on Phears Lane, north Calcutta./ Moumita Chaudhuri

There are three branches of the shop already, one on Beck Bagan Row, another on Ripon Street and the other on Dent Mission Road in Kidderpore. The shop owners want to open branches in the Middle East next.


Allauddin had started his sweet journey by making batashas. He would go door to door and sell them. Batashas were not only used in every religious ritual in Bengal, but was also part of the daily diet of certain sections.


Some years later, he opened the shop in Colootola.

In the initial days, Allauddin would stock gond ka halwa, a kind of mashed sweet dish made from the extracts of the babul tree with a sprinkling of dry fruits. It is also called battisa after the 32 ingredients in it and is considered good for pregnant women as well as the infirm. He also sold mawa laddu and gulab jamun fried in desi ghee.


From whom or where Allauddin learnt to make these sweets remains a mystery. Says Sultan, “He chose to use ghee made in Samastipur in Bihar only as its flavour and texture were best suited to our kind of sweets.” In deference to his wisdom, his progeny continues to source all the ghee they need from Samastipur. “It has now become our USP,” adds Sultan.

After Allauddin, his son Nasiruddin and, thereafter, his son Nizamuddin introduced many more sweets — Bournvita sweets, patisa, milky soft bar, coconut-based products, milk halwa, walnut halwa.
Nizamuddin also introduced gajar ka halwa, dudhiya halwa and halwa sohan. The shop sells Kanpuriya laddu, mansuri and Karachi halwa too.




Claims Sultan, “These sweets are not found in any sweet shop in Bengal. Even the kalakand in our shop is flavoured.” Their outlets sell carrot and mango-flavoured kalakand. 



A year-and-a-half ago, Nizamuddin had made a trip to Dubai. He says, “I went to several shops to taste the sweets they sell. The Middle East does not have a good source of milk. Camel milk is available but is not abundant, cow or buffalo milk is hard to find. So the sweets have very little or at times no milk in them. For example, we make patisa from pure milk, they make it with besan and just a dash of milk.”




Since his return, Nizamuddin has introduced in his shops what has since been branded Arabian Sweets. In the kitchen of Haji Allauddin in south Calcutta’s Picnic Garden, cooks are busy making Arabian sweets.

“It is made of six types of dried fruits and honey. No sugar is added to it,” he says. There are five other sweets that have been influenced by the sweets of Dubai — khajur dry fruit barfi, anjeer roll with poppy seeds sprinkled all over, kaju diamond, dry fruit crunch and chocolate dry fruit ball.

“In making these sweets we have moved away from our legacy — there is no ghee or mawa in them,” says Sultan. The owners are now trying their hands at two more Middle-Eastern sweets — baklava and kunafa.

Nizamuddin says, “Nobody has shared any recipes with us. We are learning to make them by trial and error and I believe our sweets are turning out better than the originals.”

The proof of their pudding will, of course, be in the eating. Go, find out.

source: http://www.telegraphindia.com / The Telegraph Online / Home> Culture> Food / by Moumita Chaudhuri / August 27th, 2023

Wajid Ali Wah!

Amazing Feats, Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Business & Economy, Community Involvement / Social Issues, Inventions, Innovations (wef. Nov 30th, 2021), Leaders, Royal Families, PreIndependence -Descendants (wef. Jan 02nd,2022),

Awadh, U.P. / WEST BENGAL:

Calcutta may not have a birthday, but there can be no disagreement that the city is an alchemy of multiple events and influences. One such is the arrival of the ruler of Awadh. Wajid Ali Shah arrived in Calcutta in 1856, remained here till his death in 1887 and continues to tick on in the city’s DNA.

Illustration: Visual artist Soumyadeep Roy’s portrait of Wajid Ali Shah, a detail from his exhibition Dastaan e Akhtar celebrating the King’s bicentenary year at his resting place, the first ever exhibition held at the 159-year-old Sibtainabad Imambada in Metiabruz / Sourced by the Telegraph

Metiabruz

Before 1856, Metiabruz was a nondescript place on the outskirts of Calcutta taking its name from a matiya burz or earthen tower. The shipbuilding yard of Garden Reach had just started developing. It was the advent of Wajid Ali that transformed the very nature of the place. He purchased land from the King of Burdwan and built around 22 palatial
residences in Metiabruz. With these at the core, an entire mini-Lucknow came up. “He made this city his home and left a legacy, some tangible and mostly intangible,” says Talat Fatima, one of the king’s progeny and currently working on the English translation of the book Wajid Ali Shah Ki Adabi Aur Saqafati Khidmat by Kaukab Quder Meerza. Meerza Sr’s son, Kamran, points to the remnants of the king’s mimic kingdom — Sibtainabad Imambara, Begum Masjid, Shahi Masjid, Baitun Nijat and Quasrul Buka.

Thumri

Until the early 19th century, Calcutta’s aristocracy had some exposure to Nidhu Babu or Ramnidhi Gupta’s semi-classical tappa. As for dance, there was the form practised by the khemtawalis of the red-light areas of Chitpore and Bowbazar in central Calcutta. Enter Wajid Ali Shah. He was, historians note, an “enthusiastic” patron of the arts. The “light classical” vocal form of thumri flourished in his court. He himself composed thumris under the pen name of Akhtar or Akhtar Piya. The thumri was traditionally performed by tawaifs or courtesans. And though there are arguments to the contrary, their dance style had “undeniable links” with Kathak. To make a long story very short, the king arrived in Calcutta with his musical entourage, thus stirring into its environs and culture a new rhythm. Courtesans like Malka Jaan were appointed by his court. Other ustads and musicians arrived too and many Bengali-speaking singers such as Bamacharan Bandyopadhyay were also groomed. A new style of thumri evolved with folk influences and it came to be known as the bol banao thumri. The babus of Calcutta loved it. Many of the musicians and courtesans settled down in the Chitpore area of north Calcutta, turning it into a production hub of musical instruments. This legacy, somewhat contagious, influenced commercial theatres and produced musical exponents such as Gauhar Jaan, Angoorbala and Indubala who went on to cut gramophone records and became the first artistes to do so. If Wajid Ali had not left Lucknow nagari, Ray’s Jalsaghar would be missing the jalsa; the sound of Begum Akhtar singing, “Bhar bhar aayi mori akhiyan piya bin…”

Haute Couture

It was not just Wajid Ali who arrived in Metiabruz; he was accompanied by his family, his many wives, dancers, a retinue of specialised servants and tailors. By some estimates, within a decade of his arrival, the palace had 2,000-plus employees and 1,000 soldiers. All of these people needed clothes, as did the king, who loved to dress. In his early 20th century work Lucknow: The Last Phase of an Oriental Culture, Abdul Halim Sharar suggests that the achkan was Wajid Ali’s gift to Indian haute couture. And so the fitted tunic with its stylish necks debuted in Bengal, as did the angrakhas. The king also wore an elaborate cap called the alam pasand. The royal tailors, their pupils and their descendants popularised Awadhi fashion — the chapkan, the churidar, the shararas, the ghararas… Their progeny has now turned Metiabruz into one of the largest tailoring hubs of unbranded garments. None of this would exist if it had not been for the good old trendy king. But for him, homegrown celebrity designers who are synonymous with wedding wear, sherwanis and fancy achkans would have been making patterns on their bottom line today.

Kabutarbazi

The king was famous for his menagerie and also for the thousands of kabutars or pigeons he reared and kept. He employed hundreds of people to look after the birds. Among the varieties were peshawari, gulvey, choya, chandan, shirazi — many fetched from Lucknow. Some of them were trained to perform manoeuvres during flight. “You’ll still find breeders invoking the royal pigeons while making a sell in the bird market,” says Kamran Meerza, the great-great-grandson of Wajed Ali Shah. Many babus of north Calcutta eventually embraced the hobby and pigeon roosts were a common architectural feature in old mansions of the city. The king also brought one of the best kite fliers of Lucknow, Ilahi Baksh Vilayat Ali, with him. He himself could design kites and encouraged others to compete with his team of kite fliers. The tradition of flying kites from those days still survives in Calcutta. Beginning August 15, right through to winter, the city skies are dotted with kites, most of them made in Metiabruz. Kabutarbazi and kite flying are not just random sports, they are synecdoches of a culture of great panache even in great leisure.

The Calcutta Biryani

The king’s khansamas gave Calcutta a taste of the Awadhi style of dum pukht or slow oven-cooking. Their descendants spread across the city and continued to popularise and adapt this style of cooking to fit the plebian kitchen. The Calcutta Biryani would be nowhere on the culinary map had it not been for the banished king. Manzilat Fatima, who is Wajid Ali’s great-great-granddaughter, wields her secret family recipes to create the Calcutta Shahi Biryani and Awadhi Galauti Kebab among other Lucknavi delicacies in her boutique restaurant in south Calcutta. Manzilat clarifies that the potato, an exotic tuber in the 19th century, was used as an experiment by the king to enhance the taste of the biryani and not to incorporate a cheaper substitute as has been suggested. Jab tak rahega biryani mein alu…

source: http://www.telegraphindia.com / The Telegraph Online / Home> Culture / by Prasun Chaudhuri / August 27th, 2023

Novigo Solutions mark decennial celebrations

Business & Economy, Karnataka (under research project), , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Mangaluru, KARNATAKA:

Honors long serving employees with Electric Scooters and Gold Coins.

Mangaluru: 

Mangaluru based IT Company Novigo Solutions on Saturday evening celebrated its 10th year anniversary at the Avatar hotel hall in Attavar, marking a significant milestone in the city’s rapidly growing IT Infrastructure.

The company in April this year giving a major boost to the city’s IT sector unveiled its new offshore delivery center at Karuna Pride Center in Falnir. The event was graced by Anantha Radhakrishnan, CEO of Infosys BPO.

The Decennial celebration program was inaugurated by the Managing Director and CEO of Novigo Solutions, Praveen Kumar Kalbavi, along with the co-founders: Chief Technology Officer Mohammed Hanif, Chief Operating Officer Mohammed Jarood, and Chief Customer Officer Shihab Kalandar.

Following the inauguration of the event, addressing the gathering CEO Praveen Kumar Kalbavi mentioned that Novigo Solutions, which began a decade ago, has provided immense employment opportunities to locals and has achieved remarkable success in the global IT market. Besides, the company has also successfully created an environment where employees can work freely. The company that started with just 20 individuals, now proudly employs over 800 IT professionals. Its development centers are operational in Bengaluru, Mangaluru, Chennai, and Kochi. He also expressed plans to expand to other cities in the future.

He further added that “We have global offices in USA, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Netherlands, and Singapore, . Recently, we have established our center in the UK as well. Our company has clients from over 20 countries around the world.”

Commending his co-founders and the Novigo family, Kalbavi added that “I would like to thank my three co-founders for this achievement in this decade-long journey of the company,” he said that he is especially proud of all the members of the Novigo family, especially of those who have been serving the company as employees for several years.

In the event, nine individuals who completed 10 years of service in the company were honored with electric scooters as tokens of appreciation. At the same time, the company also honored 45 employees with a gold coin for serving the company for five years, all of the employees were specially honored by the company along with their families.

Various competitions including singing and cultural dance were organized for the employees, and winners were awarded. Apart from the competitions, several entertainment programs were also conducted.

Novigo Solutions: an overview

Novigo Solutions is an IT company that has made a significant impact in the industry since its establishment in 2013. Founded by four experienced professionals, Novigo won a major project from one of the largest credit unions in the US, which highlighted the company’s strong delivery capabilities and gave them a foothold for further growth. Novigo expanded its workforce to 100+ professionals and gained clients from multiple countries, leading to the establishment of a second data center in Bangalore. In 2018, Novigo earned its CMMI level 3 certification and increased its global reach by registering an office in Singapore. Novigo consolidated its customer base in 12 countries, including 5 Fortune 500 clients, and continued to expand with the acquisition of Karanji Infotech. The company now has clients from across 20 countries across the world. Novigo’s reputation continued to grow, leading to the acquisition of a SAAS company, Nyletech. The company currently has development centers operational in Bengaluru, Mangaluru, Chennai, and Kochi, and global offices in USA, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Netherlands, and Singapore. The Company is one of the first to join hands with UiPath, and became its first diamond member and gained USN certification in the APAC region. Novigo’s hard work was recognized in 2016 when it was awarded the “Emerging Company of the Year” award at the Indian Achievers Forum and was also awarded as a Microsoft Gold Partner. Novigo’s success story is a testament to its founders’ determination to place Mangalore on the global IT map, and it has become a leading IT company recognized globally.

source: http://www.varthabharati.in / Vartha Bharati / Home> Karavali / by Vartha Bharati / August 19th, 2023

Yenepoya Specialty Hospital gets Dakshina Kannada’s first Joint Replacement Robotic Unit

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Dakshina Kannada, KARNATAKA:

Yenepoya Specialty Hospital gets Dakshina Kannada’s first Joint Replacement Robotic Unit

Mangaluru: 

Yenepoya Specialty Hospital marked a significant milestone with the launch of its cutting-edge Joint Replacement Robotic Unit. The launch event took place at the Taj Vivanta Hotel in the city on Tuesday. Gracing the occasion, Karnataka Health Minister and Dakshina Kannada In-charge Minister Dinesh Gundurao inaugurated the revolutionary unit, which is a collaborative effort with Meril Life, a global med-tech company.

This pioneering initiative stands as the first-of-its-kind facility not only in Dakshina Kannada but also as the first outside Bengaluru in the state of Karnataka.

Dr. Muhammad Thahir, the Director – Medical at Yenepoya Hospital, extended a warm welcome to the esteemed guests and attendees, setting the tone for the event. Dr. Yenepoya Abdulla Kunhi, Chairman of Yenepoya Group, followed with introductory remarks that shed light on the transformative potential of the newly launched robotic unit in the realm of healthcare. Dr. Kunhi also emphasized the need for adapting to technological advancements for the betterment of humanity and acknowledged the district’s continuous commitment to healthcare excellence.

Suvdeep, representing Meril, provided an insightful overview of the Cuvis Joint Replacement Robotic Unit, now available at Yenepoya Specialty Hospital. Highlighting its uniqueness, Suvdeep explained that it’s the sole fully-automatic robotic joint replacement unit currently accessible. The technology empowers doctors to offer personalized alignments based on a generated 3D model from CT scans, underscoring the critical role of medical expertise in the process.

Dr. Deepak Rai, Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon at Yenepoya Specialty Hospital, applauded Abdulla Kunhi and Mohammed Farhaad Yenepoya for their visionary efforts in elevating healthcare standards in Dakshina Kannada. Dr. Rai elucidated the profound impact this robotic joint replacement unit is anticipated to bring to the future of healthcare over the next decade.

Explaining the concept of Joint Replacement Robotic Surgery, the Cuvis system was described as a tool that employs accurate CT scans of the knee and meticulous measurements pre-surgery, delivering enhanced precision and benefits in the field of joint replacement.

Minister Dinesh Gundurao commended the new service and urged the public to utilize such advanced offerings in the region. He also stressed the importance of researching why arthritic issues are increasingly affecting the younger generation. Minister Gundurao applauded the healthcare contributions of Yenepoya Group and underscored their resolute commitment to elevating healthcare in the district.

The event concluded with Dhanush Shetty extending a vote of thanks, while Clinical Dietitian Haifa Ansari efficiently compered the proceedings.

Managing Director of Yenepoya Group, Yenepoya Mohammed Kunhi, Director Operations Yenepoya Abdulla Javeed, Pro-Chancellor of Yenepoya Deemed to be University Yenepoya Mohammed Farhaad, Vice-Chancellor Dr. Vijay Kumar, Former Minister Ramanath Rai, Dr. Bhaskar Shetty, Dr. CP Habib Rehman, Dr. Savita Shetty, and others were present during the significant occasion

source: http://www.varthabharati.in / VarthaBharati.in / Home> Karavali / by Vartha Bharati / August 15th, 2023

Zaheeruddin Ali Khan: A journalist and philanthropist in boundless relationship

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Hyderabad, TELANGANA:

 Zaheeruddin Ali Khan

Hyderabad: 

A journalist. A Telangana protagonist. A regular figure at protest meetings. A pensive figure at conferences. A concerned citizen whose heart beats for the poor. A secularist to the core. A force to reckon with. Sure.

That gives a word picture of Zaheeruddin Ali Khan, former Managing Editor, The Siasat. In his 62 years, he was more than just a friendly, smiling face. He epitomised the essence of selflessness and compassion. He touched many lives, particularly of Muslim boys and girls, struggling for quality education. In his later years he took on the mighty Wakf mafia and showed by example what protection and conservation really means. Quiet, firm, and unrelenting. His passing away has brought the curtains down on a multifaceted career.

As I sit down to pen a few words about my friend of 30 years, I am at a loss for words. Zaheer Bhai, as he was affectionately called, was so talented and versatile that it is impossible to describe all his traits. But suffice it is to concentrate on just one aspect: his love and care for the well-being of the community. More than a journalist he was a social worker – a true humanitarian. He espoused causes that are not essentially part of a newspaper job. He went the extra mile to help people, especially during times of strife. Zaheer sab was there to lend a hand, be it the Gujarat massacre, the Mumbai riots, or the Bihar floods. He raised money through the Siasat Millat Fund and mobilised resources to help the affected. He was always at the forefront, ready to ease pain and suffering. This compassionate trait earned him a special place in the hearts of people. His innate sense of empathy touched countless lives and brought a ray of hope to despairing souls.

Zaheer Sab’s philanthropy was not limited to just emergency situations. He was always ready to support the needy and destitute. People made a beeline to his office for all sorts of things. Some would come to him seeking a job, some for educational support, and few others for help in corrections to Aadhaar cards and things like that. He lent an ear to everyone patiently and did the best he could.

For him, education was the master key to success. He believed it to be the best investment one could make. And all through his life, he tried to open the doors of opportunities through education to the poor and underprivileged. Women empowerment was a cause dear to his heart. Realising the difficulty the community faced in marrying girls in view of rising dowry demand, Zaheer bhai came up with the idea of ‘Do-ba-do’ (face-to-face) programme. This unique programme helped many families find a suitable match for their daughters without having to run around.

Though I knew Zaheer bhai for a long time, I drew close to him after my retirement from The Hindu newspaper. He wanted me to write for Siasat.com, a news portal set up by him. After initial hesitation, I agreed. He interacted with me on a day-to-day basis discussing story ideas. Like many others, I was touched by his boundless energy and infectious smile. I met him at a book release programme at the P.S. Telugu University on Saturday evening. We chatted together. But I never knew that it would be our last meeting.

The love and respect commanded by Zaheer bhai was evident from the huge turnout of people at his funeral prayers at the Shahi Masjid on Tuesday morning. Rest in peace Zaheer bhai. Your efforts to transform lives will continue to have a ripple effect.

source: http://www.siasat.com / The Siasat Daily / Home> Featured News / by JS Ifthekhar / August 08th, 2023