Mirza Salma Baig is India’s first woman to man the Railway crossing. She is stationed at Malhore Railway Crossing, one of the busiest intersections of railway and road traffic, located a few kilometers from Lucknow, the capital of Uttar Pradesh.
Salma Baig, 29, a mother of a toddler, has been working at this crossing for the past 10 years.
Seeing a hijab-clad woman turn a heavy wheel to shut the gate when the train is about to arrive at that point and then open it for pedestrians and other road traffic, the onlookers often stop to take selfies with her.
People show respect to Salma Baig for her job. Seeing her for the first time, many people stop to just look at how she works.
Mirza Salma Baig was appointed as the country’s first Gate Woman in 2013 at the age of 19. She hails from Lucknow, Uttar pradesh.
Malhore crossing is a busy intersection between railway track and the city road and it’s challenging to control and direct the traffic. She has to frequently close the gate for the vehicular traffic as many trains cross this point all through the day. Salma turns a heavy wheel with a lever to close the gate and then unwinds it to open it.
The gates open as soon as the train passes. Salma says that while closing and opening the gate, she has to take care not to hurt anyone. She stands with a red and green flag in hand until the train has crossed the gate.
Interestingly, many people had questioned Salma’s appointment in 2013 as the newspaper reports of 2013 suggest.
Mirza Salma Baig opening the railway gate
The railway authorities had to clarify that this job was always open to women but not many serious contenders for this job had ever applied.
Salma’s father Mirza Salim Baig was also a gateman at the Railway crossing. Due to hearing impairment and other ailments, he had to take voluntary retirement much earlier than it was due. Salma’s mother had suffered a stroke and after father’s retirement, there was no bread winner in the family.
At this stage the Indian Railways offered Salma a job. Salma quit her studies and accepted it. Her relatives were angry but she chose what was best for her and the family under the given circumstances.
She credits her parents for her success.
Salma is proud of her 10-year career and smiles when asked about the snide comments made by many when she first joined.
When she started working at the crossing, the staff told her that being a girl she would not be able to open the crossing gate. They told her that a train passes this crossing every one minute and many predicted she would leave the job in four days. Salma worked hard and never gave up.
She has been standing here for the last 10 years. Salma says, everyone in the staff has become her supporter.”
She performs her 12-hour long duty with full responsibility and competence. Salma says that girls should have the same freedom as housewives.
source: http://www.awazthevoice.in / Awaz, The Voice / Home> Women / by M Mishra, Lucknow / November 07th, 2022
Jamaat-e-Islami Hind (JIH) President Syed Sadatullah Husaini has mourned the passing away of renowned economist Dr. Nejatullah Siddiqui
In a media statement, the JIH President said that Dr. Nejatullah Siddiqui’s contribution to the field of Islamic economics was unparalleled and he pioneered the concept of Islamic banking and laid the foundations of what is currently a thriving multi-billion-dollar industry.
Mr.Husaini held that Dr. Nejatullah was a very versatile personality dedicated to learning and development and, despite living abroad, he contributed intellectually to many forums and institutions in India. Calling his demise, a great loss to the Muslim world and the Islamic Movement, Mr.Husaini said, “his passing away leaves a great vacuum in the field of Islamic economics and finance.”
Offering his heartfelt condolences to the bereaved family members, the JIH leader said, “May Allah forgive him, grant him the highest position in Paradise and bestow patience upon his family members.”
Dr. Mohammad Nejatullah Siddiqui, an Indian economist, was awarded the King Faisal International Prize (Saudi Arabia) for Islamic Studies in 1982. Born in India in 1931, he was educated at Aligarh Muslim University as well as Rampur and Azamgarh.
He served as Associate Professor of economics and Professor of Islamic studies at the Aligarh Muslim University and as Professor of economics at the King Abdul Aziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, in its Center for Research in Islamic Economics.
He later became a Fellow at the Center for Near Eastern Studies at the University of California, Los Angeles (USA), and after that a visiting scholar at the Islamic Research and Training Institute, Islamic Development Bank, Jeddah.
He was a prolific writer in Urdu and English with 63 works in 177 publications and 1301 library holdings to his credit. Several of his works have been translated into Arabic, Persian, Turkish, Indonesian, Malaysian, and Thai languages. He was also the recipient of the Shah Waliullah Award in New Delhi for contributions to Islamic Economics.
Some of his notable books are Recent Theories of Profit: A Critical Examination, Economic Enterprise in Islam, Muslim Economic Thinking, Banking Without Interest, Partnership and profit-sharing in Islamic law, Insurance in an Islamic Economy, Teaching Economics from in Islamic Perspective, Role of the State in Islamic Economy, Dialogue in Islamic Economics, and Islam’s View on Property.
source: http://www.indiatomorrow.net / India Tomorrow / Home> National Interest / November 12th, 2022
20-year-old Roshna created the longest cartoon strip measuring 430m, titled ‘The Billion Dollar Journey’ honouring businessman MA Yusuff Ali
Father and daughter duo M Dileef and Roshna M. Photo: Nasreen Abdulla
The ongoing Sharjah International Book Fair (SIBF) houses two record-breaking installations — tucked away in Hall 7, the world’s largest screwdriver is displayed and right next to it is the world’s longest cartoon strip depicting the inspirational story of UAE-based businessman MA Yusuff Ali.
Both of these Guinness world record-holding creations have been made by Indian expat father-daughter duo M Dileef and Roshna M. “It feels great to be exhibiting here,” said 20-year-old Roshna, who broke her own record for the longest cartoon strip established in 2021 with her latest creation. Measuring 430m, the new strip titled ‘The Billion Dollar Journey’ is stretched across two wheels and can be read by rotating the hand.
On Sunday, the illustrious Indian businessman from Kerala, MA Yusuff Ali, visited the stall and commended Roshan’s efforts.
Roshna’s father, M Dileef, a seasoned record-setter, said this is his third Guinness World Record. “Due to space constraints, I could only put the head of the screwdriver on display,” he said. Completed in March, the tool measures a whooping 6.6m in length. The artist was recently granted a Golden Visa in the UAE.
The longest cartoon strip
The cartoon strip charts the journey of businessman MA Yusuff Ali, from his childhood in a village in Kerala to his meteoric rise as one of the most influential businessmen in the world.
“I have always looked up to him,” she said. “I want to be an entrepreneur; he is my role model, so I wanted to make something to honour him.”
It was in 2021 that Roshna set her first world record with a cartoon strip measuring 404 metres in collaboration with Global Village. This year, she has broken that record. According to the youngster, who recently graduated with a bachelor’s in fine arts, making this strip took her 8 months, five months of which was just for research.
“I had a team of six classmates,” she said. “We had decided that we wanted to do something to make our mark, and this is the idea we came up with. They helped me in the entire research process and aided me when drawing the cartoon strip as well.”
The graduate now dreams of pursuing a master’s degree in Europe and hopes to raise funds for her education with her artwork.
Largest screwdriver
The masterpiece by Dileef was first displayed at World Art Dubai in March of this year. “I wanted to pay tribute to the working-class population in the city,” he said. “No other country has honoured and valued the contribution of the working class like the UAE has. So many lives were transformed because of Dubai. This piece was a homage to that.”
Made out of mahagony wood and mild steel, the screwdriver was constructed in Dubai. The handle, which has a diameter of 70cm, also has storage space for knickknacks.
Dileef has earlier set two world records- one for curating the world’s longest Quran and another for the largest badminton racket.
www.dileefartgallery.com
source: http://www.khaleejtimes.com / Khaleej Times / Home> UAE / by Nasreen Abdulla / November 06th, 2022
Meer Mohammed Ghouse, assistant fire station officer, Udupi received the President’s medal for his meritorious service from Karnataka state governor Thawar Chand Gehlot at the Raj Bhavan, Bengaluru on November 7.
Ghouse had joined the fire service in 1992.
He had received promotions during his service period of the last 30 years and is serving as an assistant station officer at present.
The department has presented cash prizes to him 33 times and two certificates of excellence.
He was felicitated with the chief minister’s gold medal in 2012.
source: http://www.daijiworld.com / DaijiWorld.com / Home> Top Stories / by Daijiworld Media Network – Udupi (JS/EP) (headline edited) / November 09th, 2022
A collection of speeches and articles by former vice-president Hamid Ansari, offering engaging insights into our democracy.
Challenges to a Liberal Polity: Human Rights, Citizenship & Identity / by M Hamid Ansari / Publisher Penguin / Pages 277 /Price 799 INR
For the past decade, public discourse in India has remained sharply focused on challenges to the liberal polity and the threats that have grown to human rights. Issues of citizenship and identity are entwined inextricably in this. It is in this context that Challenges to a Liberal Polity: Human Rights, Citizenship & Identity assumes not only topicality but also a significance that can be overlooked only at the readers’ own peril.
Hamid Ansari is a distinguished diplomat, academic, statesman and also, the often misused word, a public intellectual. He has, in his long career, worn many hats. He has served as the Indian ambassador to Afghanistan, Vice-Chancellor of the Aligarh Muslim University (AMU), Chairman of the Minorities Commission and the Vice President of India. Throughout his life, Ansari has never shied away from speaking his mind—bluntly if need be.
The author has, at times, been exposed to unfair criticism and deliberately humiliated by persons in high office who should have known better. When bidding him farewell, PM Narendra Modi was unnecessarily sarcastic—some thought gracelessly—by mentioning that Ansari had spent most of his diplomatic career in Islamic countries and perhaps he would be more comfortable now that he was relieved of the burden of the constitutional position to freely voice criticism of whatever he didn’t agree with. The PM conveniently forgot that the former vice-president served with distinction as India’s permanent representative in the United Nations and as Chief of Protocol when Indira Gandhi was the prime minister in an era of dynamic Indian diplomacy. But, let us not digress.
This volume is a collection of speeches, forewords and articles contributed by the author on subjects that overlap and cover a vast time span from the turn of the century to the present day. The introduction is stimulating and thought-provoking. It presents a distilled essence of state-of-the-art research in political science and Indian society. This prepares the readers for what is to follow.
The book is divided into three sections. The first section deals with human rights and group rights. The subsections or mini-chapters can be read profitably as independent essays. Of particular interest are the ones titled––‘India and the Contemporary International Norms on Group Rights’, ‘Minorities and the Modern State’ and ‘Majorities and Minorities in Secular India: Sensitivity and Responsibility’.
The second section is titled ‘Indian Polity, Identity, Diversity and Citizenship’. This is more substantial than the preceding segment and covers a range of topics that should engage readers with different interests and ideological orientations. Examples include ‘Identity and Citizenship: An Indian Perspective’, ‘Religion, Religiosity and World Order’, ‘Two Obligatory -isms: Why Pluralism and Secularism is Essential to our Democracy’. There are shorter pieces like ‘The Ethics of Gandhi’ and ‘The Dead Weight of State Craft’, ‘India’s Plural Diversity is Under Threat: Some Thoughts on Contemporary Challenges in the Realm of Culture’. How one wishes that these themes had been explored in greater detail.
To some it may appear that this is nitpicking, but this is the hazard of compiling a collection of comments and observations made on commemorative occasions such as inaugurating or concluding a seminar, a workshop or writing a short preface. Ansari is primarily a scholar, who is deeply distraught by the happenings around him and is restless to share his constructive thoughts and not just the distress and despair. The tone is always cautiously optimistic.
The concluding section deals with ‘Indian-Muslim Perception and Indian Contribution to Culture of Islam’. The essays on ‘Militant Islam’, ‘Islam and Democratic Principle’ and ‘India and Islamic Civilisation: Contributions and Challenges’ deserve to be read by all Indians, particularly the young. One may disagree with the author, but it is impossible to imagine that any meaningful dialogue can take place between the majorities and minorities in India without an understanding of how the ‘other’ thinks and perceives the world.
His convocation addresses delivered at Jamia Millia Islamia (where he taught) and the AMU (his alma mater) have a different flavour. The tone is personal and evokes shared nostalgia. The final essay is a review of India and muslim world.
The book has substantial end-notes that provide useful bibliographical information. One can flip through these pages to pursue the themes dealt in the book according to one’s own inclination and at leisure.
This book is for all. The general reader, who has no scholarly pretensions, too can turn the pages of this book with great pleasure. Many a time, the author peppers the prose with Urdu couplets that hook the reader to his line of arguments. One such piece is his Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed Memorial lecture. Most people remember this vice-president as the supine individual who signed on the dotted line with dimmer when Indira Gandhi declared Emergency at midnight. Ansari, however, has used the book brilliantly to make some hard- hitting comments that are im- possible not to take on the chin.
The chapter begins with: Yaad-e-maazi azaab hai yaa rab/ Chheen le mujhse hafiza mera (The memory of the past is torturous, O God/Take away my memory from me), and concludes with: “Can the amnesia, the compromises and the misconceptions of recent and not-so-recent past be overcome?” Yes, only if meaningful alternative is offered. We do stand at the crossroads.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Lifestyle> Books / by Pushpesh Pant / Express News Service / November 06th, 2022
The 52-year-old Devanahalli farmer grows Avocados, Macadamia nuts, Rambutan, Bush Orange, Water Apple, Star Fruit and Lychee Thai Guava among others in his one-acre nursery.
Avocados. (Photo|Associated Press)
Bengaluru :
Eleven years ago, Mohammed Adil bid adieu to his 20-year-old gemstone business and turned to his interest in growing tropical fruit plants full-time. The decision helped him reap rich dividends as now his turnover by selling exotic saplings in Bengaluru is over Rs 1 crore annually.
The 52-year-old Devanahalli farmer grows Avocados, Macadamia nuts, Rambutan, Bush Orange, Water Apple, Star Fruit and Lychee Thai Guava among others in his one-acre nursery.
“I had 4 acres of land where I had many Jamun trees. But, since the yield was less, I searched for exotic fruit trees and my journey as a farmer began 11 years ago. I converted one acre into a nursery where I grew all the mother saplings. In Avocado alone, I have 13 types with four types named after Bengaluru nursery,” said Adil.
In the last five years, he has sold over lakh Avocado saplings. “This tropical fruit is easy to grow with zero maintenance and the yield is just in three years. All one has to do is ensure good care for the first two years,” said Adil.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Bengaluru / by Mohammed Yacoob , Express News Service / November 04th, 2022
“The Yenepoya organization, which backs grief-stricken people and is in the forefront of humanitarian service, is model to all. Organ donation is very important is present times as many are dying due to organ failure. All have to think about organ donation,” opined Bishop of Mangalore Diocese Dr Peter Paul Saldanha.
The bishop was speaking after inaugurating the Yenepoya Nephro Urology organization under the aegis of Nephrology, Urology, Renal transplant and Robotic surgery departments of Deralakatte Yenepoya Medical College.
The bishop further said, “Yenepoya organization has recently given honorary doctorate to president of Gulbarga University recognising his humanitarian service. This is really appreciable. There is a possibility of giving life to five people from a person who is brain dead. Many make their death a fruitful one. We have to learn a lot from the people who are dying. Greek believed the whole world as one life. It is important to save lives.”
Prof Dr Ravindra Prabhu of Nephrology department, KMC Manipal said, “There was time when anyone with kidney ailment was going to die for sure. Very few were coming to hospital with kidney disease. Many have died due to heart attack because of psychological pressure of kidney ailment. Others were not even taking any medicine. Now many are getting cured due to innovative technology. Let the Nephro Urology department which has begun in Yenepoya, give good training to students.”
Vice chancellor of Yenepoya University Dr M Vijayakumar said, “The corporate zone is ruled by the renal department treatment method. The organ donation when one is alive shows the highest form of humanitarian values.”
Seven people who donated kidney to relatives were felicitated on the occasion. Farhad Yenepoya, Associate vice chancellor of Yenepoya deemed university, Dr Gangadhar Somayaji, registrar, Dr M S Moosabba, dean of Yenepoya Medical College, Dr Prakash R M Saldanha, medical superintendent of Yenepoya medical college were the chief guests.
Senior urologist of Yenepoya Speciality Hospital Dr Ashok Pandit, head of Nephrology department of Yenepoya Dr Santhosh Pai gave details of the felicitated people.
Dr Altaf Khan welcomed the gathering. Dr Mujib Ur Rehman did the introduction. Dr Nishchith D’Souza proposed a vote of thanks.
source: http://www.daijiworld.com / DaijiWorld.com / Home> Top Stories / by Mohan Kuthan / Daijiworld Media Network – Mangaluru (MS) / October 31st, 2022
Forest watcher Fairoz has been nominated for the Wildlife Service Award 2022 by the Karnataka Forest Department. Fairoz, who is currently employed with the BRT tiger reserve, will be felicitated by former India cricketer and current National Cricket Academy director VVS Laxman on November 5 at the Global Academy of Technology campus, Rajarajeshwari Nagar Bangalore.
Three wildlife conservationists – Sunitha Dhairyam (Mariamma Trust, Bandipur Tiger Reserve), Akhilesh Chipli (Shimoga) and Colonel C M Muthanna (Kodagu) – will also be felicitated by VVS Laxman. Laxman is often remembered as the cricketer who in association with Rahul Dravid (180) had redefined Indian cricket in their epoch-making 376 run partnership against Australia at the Eden Gardens in 2001.
Fairoz will be the tenth forest watcher to be honoured with the prestigious Wildlife Service Award, constituted by Cricketers for Wildlife Conservation. Former Indian cricketers Sandeep Patil, Yusuf Pathan and Harbhajan Singh had conceptualised the award to motivate the unsung foot soldiers of our forest.
Fairoz will be presented with a cash award for his meritorious service to forest and wildlife protection. Besides daringly arresting 22 poachers, Fairoz has rescued 15 leopards and safely released them back in the forest.
pix: savetigersbandipur.org/founders-story/
Sunitha Dhairyam is a godsend for wildlife in Bandipur Tiger Cup. She is a guardian angel who protects tigers and leopards when they inadvertently make a cattle kill. To ensure farmers don’t poison the carcass, she pays on-the-spot compensation from her Mariamma Trust. Sunita Dhairyam has dedicated her life to wildlife conservation. She lives in the immediate vicinity of Bandipur tiger reserve.
pix: twitter.com/akhileshchipli
Akhilesh Chipli is a diehard wildlife activist from Sagar. He is the voice of the forest and its denizens in Shimoga district. Akhilesh Chipli has risked his life and fought tooth and nail to protect the flora and fauna of the Western Ghats. He has created awareness of the importance of biodiversity amongst people. In collaboration with Bangalore-based entrepreneur Suresh Kumar, he has successfully converted a barren 21-acre barren land into a verdant forest in Sagar.
pix: starofmysore.com
Colonel C P Muthanna has been at the forefront of environmental conservation of Kodagu district. He has dedicated his life for conservation for more than three decades. He has been able to bring the people of Kodagu together to stop large scale destructive projects in the Western Ghats.
Col. Muthanna has assisted the forest department in recovering 4000 acres of ecologically-sensitive forest landscape. He has been working closely with the Karnataka Forest Department and eco development committees on Human Elephant Conflict mitigation in Kodagu.
source: http://www.oneindia.com / One India / Home> News> Bengaluru / by Anuj Cariappa / pix credits under each pic / November 02nd, 2022
Ishana Ismail of Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, used the money saved by her parents for her marriage for starting a boutique, three years ago. She was only 18 years old then. In a year, she had decided to switch over to making sanitary pads.
Today, Ishana commands a sanitary pad-making unit with nearly three dozen women tailors and has regular clients in her hometown and across India. She has also received business inquiries from the domestic and overseas markets.
With an investment of Rs 8 lakh, Ishana has made a name in the market with her brand ‘Ana Cloth Pads’. These cotton pads filled with terry towels are eco-friendly, leak-proof, and can be reused up to 25 times.
Ana Cloth Pads receives orders from companies and also delivers pads by courier to individuals across India.
Her father’s friend, Rajesh who works as a manager, also invested nearly Rs three lakh in the business. Ishana’s 19-year-old brother, Ijas finds time from his hotel job to help her.
Impressed by her healthy initiative, many colleges and universities in Tamil Nadu have invited Ishana to their campus for addressing the students about menstrual hygiene. She has also been honoured by the Rotary Inner Wheel Club, Coimbatore, and many NGOs.
Ishana Ismail
Ishana completed her Class XII from Krishnammal Girls Higher Secondary School, Coimbatore, and a course in Fashion Designing.
She has so far traveled to Karnataka, Kerela, and Tamil Nadu and yet has a global vision.
Keeping in mind the needs of her five full-time workers, Ishana also allows them to bring their children along to the unit. ” Most of the tailors carry the fabric home and only five tailors work from my premises. At present, we are facing a shortage of orders because people don’t want to reuse sanitary pads. At the same time, some people have suffered by using commercially produced sanitary pads and are now preferring to use eco-friendly pads. We are looking for bulk orders that will also support poor women, some of whom are semi-literate. We would like to give employment to 200 women.’’
After completing a course in Fashion Designing, Ishana was clear-sighted about her choice of career. Her conviction about what she wanted to do was so strong that she did not think twice before investing eight lakh saved by her parents for her marriage.
She succeeded in persuading her parents. Starting the business was not easy. She had hardly settled in when the pandemic threw normal life out of gear. Her father’s untimely death a year and a half back was a huge blow and the family had to face several financial hardships.
Ishana says that she started this boutique in 2019 with the blessings and support of her parents. When Ishana made up her mind to start her own business, the family had modest means. Her father was working as a labourer in a grinding company in Chinniyampalayam in Coimbatore and her mother was running a beauty parlour. However, Ishana was determined.
Initially, she tried selling bridal outfits and then switched over to sanitary pads. During the COVID 19 pandemic, Ishana also made facial masks. Her company recorded a net profit of Rs two lakh a month.
Ishana says that till Class XII she was using sanitary pads available in the market. “I was reluctant to use pads that could have been easily made at home because I was embarrassed about what my friends would think. I decided to use homemade pads as I fell sick. The pads available in the market also cause cancer.’’
Sanitary pads made by Ana cloth pads company
Ishana’s initiative is clearly in the public interest. Most of the sanitary napkins available in the market today are loaded with chemicals and are made using plastic, which can affect health after prolonged use. In addition, after each use, they need to be trashed because there is no recycling mechanism, and they end up clogging up landfills.
Every year, there are around 12.3 billion disposable sanitary napkins that need to be disposed of in India alone. According to the Menstrual Hygiene Alliance of India (MHAI), there are around 336 million menstruating women in the country, of whom 36 percent use disposable sanitary pads.
Initially, Ishana made sanitary napkins only for her use, but when she came to know that her friends are facing a similar problem with the use of regular sanitary pads, she began making more napkins and asked them to try the homemade pads.
Ishana said, “ I am doing this for the people of India. Every girl is facing problems because of regular sanitary napkins made of plastic. They cause health problems like rashes. According to Ishana, the pad can be soaked in turmeric powder after washing and has to be dried in the sun. Before using them the following month, I recommend placing a wet cloth over the pads and ironing it for at least two days before using them for added comfort,” she said.
She added, “Many women suffer from various health problems related to periods. This is mainly due to the synthetic fabrics used in disposable sanitary napkins. These napkins are disposable but not biodegradable.. So, I was thinking of an alternative solution to this. The result is reusable napkins.”
Ishana says, “If the pads are properly exposed to the sun, then washing and re-using will not harm our health. This pad is very easy to handle and can be washed in normal water. It should be soaked in water for 30 minutes before washing. It should be dried first in the shade and then once in the sun. It should be ironed for two days before use next time.”
She wants to educate more people about how to make sanitary pads from cotton cloth.
Ishana is also being approached by traders from Hyderabad and Kerala for pads. On her plans, Ishana said, “In the future, I would like to make pads for bedridden people and also baby diapers”.
Ishana is keen to tap CSR opportunities which will help her unit create more work for her 25 full-time tailors and five tailors.
(The Author is Research Scholar at JMI and President of MSO of India. Additional inputs by ATV)
source: http://www.awazthevoice.in / Awaz The Voice / Home> India / by Mohd Modassir Ashrafi / November 03rd, 2022
Mahnaz Faquih teams up with local charities to distribute food parcels at worker accommodation in Al Quoz.
Mahnaz Faquih has helped donate tens of thousands of iftar boxes to the needy in the past 20 years in Dubai. Chris Whiteoak / The National
Dubai resident Mahnaz Faquih, 51, feeds 500 needy people every day during Ramadan.
She started when she moved to Dubai from India in 2002, distributing food during Ramadan to those around her, including the security guard in her building.
In 2018, thanks to the help of her friends and community members, she delivered 500 iftar boxes a day to workers and unemployed people during the holy month.
That trend has continued every year since.
This year, because of Covid-19 restrictions on sharing and distributing food, Ms Faquih joined up with local charities to distribute food parcels at worker accommodation in Al Quoz.
In 2020, she worked with Sahana, a Sri Lankan Welfare Association in the UAE, to help provide meals to those who lost their jobs during the pandemic.
“I moved to the UAE from India where I lived in a joint family of 10 people and there was a lot of Ramadan fervour,” Ms Faquih said.
“For me, Ramadan meant being involved in charity.
“My parents always encouraged me to help others and I wanted to keep that tradition alive.
“I started sending iftar boxes of fruit, laban or juice to my local mosque,” she said.
Mahnaz Faquih with her daughter Alina and son Mikhail. Chris Whiteoak / The National
Ms Faquih, an interior designer, said she ensured her children understood the importance of giving while realising their own privilege.
“The initiative has grown so big. It started with a wish to treat others to some good food or a box of biryani,” Ms Faquih said.
“Before the pandemic, I asked my children to give away the food packets so that it touched their hearts.
“I wanted them to have the consciousness that others are needy and they are privileged.
“My parents always gave away money or gifts through us, and I wanted my children to think about others.”
Her daughter, Alina Shaikh, 16, has been helping her mother since she was six and her son, Mikhail Shaikh, 12, also helps to distribute boxes.
“When we were little, we used to bring food and juices to workers every single day during Ramadan,” Alina said.
“We feel happy and grateful that we are lucky enough to help others.
“It’s such an amazing and rewarding feeling.
“It’s allowed us to understand how others live and empathise with them. It has helped us become humble and open-minded to people from different walks of life,” she said.
Mikhail also enjoyed being able to help others.
“In the past, we helped in packing the food boxes, but most of the time we handed out the iftar meals to people,” he said.
“We think that giving back is extremely important and when you have the ability to help others, why not do it?”
Ms Faquih said her friends supported her, too.
Shanu Hathiramani, an Indian from Nigeria living in Dubai, has known Ms Faquih for the past eight years and often helps her with her charitable work.
“Mahnaz is a very giving and helpful person,” Ms Hathiramani said.
“In the past, we have helped feed people during Ramadan. My son also helped out with the charity work.”
Iftar boxes being distributed at a workers’ accommodation – in picture
Sri Lankan community volunteers hand out meals for 300 people at a labour accommodation block in Sonapur, Dubai. All pictures by Antonie Robertson / The National
source: http://www.thenationalnews.com / The National / Home> UAE / by Anam Rizvi / May 07th, 2021
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