Category Archives: Business & Economy

Amin Jaffer’s new chapter in Paris

Amazing Feats, Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Books (incl.Biographies - w.e.f.01 jan 2018 ), Business & Economy, Events, Exhibitions, Conferences (wef. Nov 18th, 2021), Leaders, NRI's / PIO's, Travel & Tourism, World Opinion, , , , , , , , , , ,

Kigali, RWANDA / Paris, FRANCE :

Amin Jaffer in his library dining room, standing in front of Yuntao Zhang’s painting of Cellini’s Medusa | Photo Credit: Architectural Digest / Antonio Martinelli

The Rwanda-born Indian curator, who has made the French capital his home, on the Al Thani collection’s first museum, his new book, and the importance of private collections

Writer, curator, collaborator, colonial furniture specialist: Amin Jaffer wears his titles effortlessly. And in the last couple of years, he’s added another one — that of Paris denizen — after he uprooted his English life of 25 years to move into a hôtel particulier (a grand townhouse) on Quai Voltaire along the Seine.

The move made sense. An “éminence grise of the international art world”, as an Architectural Digest article calls him (Jaffer is on the cover of the magazine’s 10th anniversary issue this month), he was “spending a lot of time in Venice, and the commute to London was becoming taxing”. But more importantly, his newest project, a private museum for the Al Thani Collection, is in the city, at Place de la Concorde’s Hôtel de la Marine.

“Sheikh Hamad bin Abdullah Al Thani was looking for a more permanent place to house the treasures of his collection,” says Jaffer, recalling how at the time, the French government body Centre des Monuments Nationaux was thinking of converting the former storage space for royal tapestries at the Hôtel — a four-year, €132 million restoration project. “They proposed that the Al Thani Collection could exhibit its masterpieces there.” With a 20-year agreement in place, acquiring a Parisian pin code thus gave him a twofold advantage, both with work and keeping up his continental way of life. (The last few weeks alone have seen Jaffer travel to Seville and Carmona in Spain and Parma and Venice in Italy.)

The Al Thani Collection at Hôtel de la Marine | Photo Credit: Marc Domage

Polaroid and a passion for art

The view of the Louvre from his third floor flat definitely tipped the scales in its favour. (The photos he shares on his Instagram, @aminjaffer_curator, are proof enough.) And the fact that Vivant Denon, the first director of the museum, had once been a resident in the 17th century building. Moreover, as he explains in an email that he squeezes in between flights, he’s always had a special connection with the Louvre. As a six-year-old, he had visited the museum with his mum, spending an entire day exploring its rooms, a Polaroid camera clutched tightly in his hands. He still has the photographs. “The adrenalin rush of seeing a great work of art inspired me then — as it does now,” he says, adding how by the time he turned 10 he had visited most of the major museums in Europe. “Other seminal moments include an early visit to the Musée des Beaux-Arts in Brussels and a trip to Rome to see the Vatican collections.”

The courtyard at L’Hôtel de Beuvron with its Rococo fountain | Photo Credit: @aminjaffer_curato

But he nearly missed his calling. Born into an Indian business family in Kigali, Rwanda, a career in art wasn’t an option growing up. His subjects in university were economics and commerce! That is, until he chose the history of French opera and French Renaissance châteaux as his first year electives and reignited his love affair with the arts.

Today, Jaffer, who is in his early 50s, is not only the chief curator of the Al Thani Collection, but also works with leading museums around the world in a “curatorial role, focussed on public projects, exhibition programming and producing catalogues”. His resume includes long stints at the V&A Museum in London as curator and as the International Director of Asian Art at Christie’s.

Amin Jaffer in his home office, sitting in front of a triptych by Reza Aramesh | Photo Credit: Architectural Digest / Antonio Martinelli

The perks of a private collection

“Born in central Africa, educated in Europe and America, I do feel something of a hybrid and I am drawn by works of art that are born from the encounter of two — or more — civilisations,” says Jaffer, who has recently “been fascinated by the fusion of Spanish and Amerindian culture, particularly in the domain of painting”. This ties in beautifully with the Al Thani Collection and its catalogue of more than 5,000 works of art drawn from across world civilisations.

It makes us wonder, how important are such private collections in the art world? “Pioneer collectors have vision and resources that compliment the public art offering,” he says, explaining how such collections play a significant role in the programming of national institutions. “Recent examples in Paris [besides the Al Thani Collection] includes the Bourse de Commerce and the Fondation Louis Vuitton. In India, Kiran Nadar has developed a programme of exhibitions around her collection that makes an essential contribution to the art scene,” adds the Indian art expert who played a key part in launching Christie’s first auction in Mumbai in 2013.

At Hôtel de la Marine | Photo Credit: Marc Domage

On board with digital

Jaffer’s personal collection is equally varied. A triptych by Iranian photographer Raza Aramesh, of Afghan refugees sitting in the Versailles’ Hall of Mirrors, takes pride of place in his home office, while a painting of Italian sculptor Benvenuto Cellini’s Medusa by Chinese contemporary artist Yuntao Zhang hangs in the library dining room. Elsewhere, Qing period armchairs, Louis XVI commodes, and Bouke De Vries’ Memory Jars are tucked into corners and under tables. “My most recent passions are French 18th century silver and hardstones from late Antiquity, especially objects in porphyry. I am learning more about Symbolist painting, too,” he says.

His days of confinement (as the French called the lockdown) helped broaden his base. When not watching life on the river, he was visiting digital museums and “researching parallel institutions” around the world. “What’s certain,” he says, “is that technology will play a greater role in the way we enjoy works of art — whether through the presence of more immersive, digitally-led exhibitions [such as the RMN Grand Palais’ immersive Venice show opening in autumn] or the sharing of information about works of art through digital platforms [like the one for the Palazzo Pilotta collection in Parma, which he experienced last weekend].” Does this mean he’s also on board with NFTs? “Of course, the phenomenon interests me,” he says, “but I do not yet have sufficient expertise to comment on anything in this new domain.”

The Al Thani Collection | Photo Credit: Marc Domage

Left Bank to the Concorde

For now, he’s back at his home at L’Hôtel de Beuvron, listening to Wagner and Mahler, and updating his Instagram. V&A’s new exhibition, Fashioning masculinities — on the male dress and its influences — has caught his eye, though he admits his personal wardrobe is rather formulaic. Tailored clothes in a limited palette of colours is the ‘uniform’, accented by pocket squares and ties that reflect the season or his mood. “Cufflinks are a weakness,” he shares, “and the best ones are by [Indian jeweller] Viren Bhagat, without doubt.”

Even as Jaffer immerses himself in life on the Left Bank, work at the museum is keeping up its momentum. “Some substantial pieces have been added to the collection in the past two years, which reflect the diversity of interests [of Sheikh Al Thani]. These will be shared with the public through displays at the Hôtel de la Marine,” he concludes.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Entertainment> Art / by Surya Praphulla Kumar / March 19th, 2022

Farman Ali, the last of the great chefs

Amazing Feats, Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Business & Economy, Leaders, Travel & Tourism, World Opinion, , , , , , , , , ,

Lucknow, U.P. / NEW DELHI / Bengaluru, KARNATAKA:

At Falak in Bengaluru, a custodian of the old Urdu-speaking culture and culinary traditions brings storytelling to the table

While the lights of Dubai-esque skyscrapers speak of a new Bangalore and its ambition, the salubrious weather on the terrace is a testament to an old city — pleasant and genteel, never mind traffic, chaos or climate change!

This convergence of the old and the new is a theme, as I sit down to a meal at Falak, the new restaurant at Leela Bhartiya City. The meal is to flow like a quintessential 19th century Lucknowi dastaan (story), hyperbolic and stylised, to mimic the oral storytelling tradition, dastaan-e-goi.

In my bookcase, I have a copy of Tilism-i-Hoshruba, the truly first Indo-Islamic romance epic, an extension of the dastans of Amir Hamza, of the Persian tradition, albeit in translation. When it was first published, in a serialised form, between 1881-93, by the iconic Naval Kishore Press in Lucknow, it marked an important moment for the Urdu-speaking-and listening audience of northern India, long familiar with the Persian romance tradition — with fantasy, adventure and the implausible built in. But I turn to Hamza, to also dive into the inherent syncreticism on the pages, as the mores of a Persian world collide and merge with those of local Braj Bhasha-speaking cultures of the Indo-Gangetic plain.

Finding nuanced Avadhi in Bengaluru

It’s a surprise to find a restaurant referencing this art form, to present Lucknowi (as also other Mughalai) dishes. Used to so much pastiche when it comes to Avadhi, the detailing in the menu is also unexpected. The food that arrives confirms that this perhaps is one of the most nuanced Avadhi/Mughalai restaurant opening in recent times — here in Bengaluru, rather implausibly, rather than Delhi, Mumbai or even London! Everything falls into place, however, when Farman Ali, all of 70, a chef who cooks behind the fiery range and sigri himself, and presides over the kitchens of Falak, makes his appearance.

When he hears about of my own Lucknowi antecedents, Ali abandons the idea of narrating food lore. With an extreme politeness that marks old Nawabi etiquette, he asks me, “ Ab aap ko kya dastan sunaye? [what possible tales can I tell you?].” And bursts into poetry, instead!

The rest of the evening goes by with the chef dropping verses from Daag or Ghalib or the other few who made 19th century Delhi one of the most literary cities in the world, even if we have forgotten that genre of poetry of lament created almost exactly at the time as Shelley, Wordsworth and the Romantics.

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Parts of an ancient story

For Ali, I realise, this is not performance — though it is quite in sync with modern chefs expected to be performative as they spend time building brands ‘front of the house’. Instead, this is a way of life, a culture that has all but completely faded. As the meal progresses — the nihari (pepper-laced stew of old Delhi’s spice market, concocted, according to lore, to ward off cold and flu thought to emanate from the Yamuna canal in Chandni Chowk) being replaced by the qorma ( nihari evolved into the subtle Avadhi qorma, catering to aristocrats who thought it ill-mannered to be smelling of spices after a meal) being replaced by the ‘ balai’ka tukda for dessert (not dubbed ‘ shahi’ royal bread pudding here; balai being the correct term for clotted cream) — we talk not food but art.

One of the dishes served at Falak | Photo Credit: Special arrangement

“After 1857, so many artisans and poets fled Delhi for the Deccan,” says Ali. “Culture spreads like this.” He is right, of course. But the ghazal or qasidas aside, it’s also the biryani that has diffused. Farman Ali’s is the old Delhi/Lucknowi style (he grew up in old Delhi and still has a house there) where rice is cooked in stock, and the ‘ pulao’ is not the layered and overtly spiced dish that its Hyderabadi cousin is. Old ‘Nakhlauwallas’ — such as yours truly — contend there was no Avadhi biryani at all, before the restaurants took over, just many fanciful and well-documented pulaos such as the ‘ moti’ (pearls) or the ‘cuckoo’, served with fried onions and thin yoghurt, no chutney or gravy.

The man behind Jamavar

Ali worked in restaurants in Delhi and Dubai before being handpicked by The Leela’s Capt CP Krishnan Nair to create the food of Jamavar nationally, to cook and serve pan-Indian food. Based in Bengaluru, he curiously escaped much national attention, retiring just before the pandemic, but was called back by the owners of Bhartiya City, foodies themselves, to cook food closer to his roots.

If cuisine is an expression of a culture, at a particular point in history, its custodians and storytellers are as important as the taste of dishes.

In India, at this moment in time, it is perhaps important to look back on the custodians of the old Urdu-speaking cultures and their culinary expressions. What kind of a society produced these stylised dishes? Farman Ali, in many ways, is the last of the great chefs, many of whom were feted much more and earlier in their careers than him — such as Imtiaz Qureshi of ITC Hotels (and his family, such as son-in-law Ghulam Qureshi of Dumpukht), and chef Ghulam Rasool of Taj Hotels.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Life & Style> Food / by Anoothi Vishal / March 19th, 2022

Maushir Ahmed to receive honorary doctorate from Asia Vedic Culture University

Business & Economy, Community Involvement / Social Issues, Karnataka (under research project)

Mumbai, MAHARASHTRA :

Mumbai : 

Asia Vedic Culture University honours special achievers in Karnataka and other states with honorary doctorate for their service in various sectors.

Moushir Ahmed Samaniga, social worker and young entrepreneur from Dakshina Kannada district is selected for the felicitation.

Moushir Ahmed and other achievers will be conferred the honorary doctorate in the convocation at Clerta Mahal, Hosur, Tamilnadu on March 20.

source: http://www.daijiworld.com / Daijiworld.com / Home> Mumbai / by Rons Bantwal / Daijiworld Media Network – Mumbai (EP) / March 17th, 2022

Ismail Optical: 90 Years Of Correcting Visions

Amazing Feats, Business & Economy, Karnataka (under research project), Leaders, , , , ,

Mysuru, KARNATAKA :

For 90 years, one optical store in our city has been framing and giving correct sight to Mysureans.

Ismail Optical and Co. on Sayyaji Rao Road, founded by Abubakar Ismail Sait and registered as A. Ismail & Bros on Feb. 16, 1932, was the first store selling optical devices, particularly spectacles with corrective lenses in city.

Speaking about how Ismail Optical Co. came into existence, Sadiq Sait, the present Proprietor and grandson of Abubakar, said that in the 18th century, a group of young entrepreneurs from Gujarat migrated to different parts of the country to try various business ventures and in South India they explored cities like Kochi, Hyderabad, Bangalore, Ooty and Madikeri, etc.

When the erstwhile Maharaja of Mysore learnt about these entrepreneurs who were in Kodagu, he invited them to start their business in Mysore. One of these entrepreneurs, was Sadiq’s great grandfather Ismail Sait, who started a supermarket called ‘Ismail Stores’ in 1878 in Mysore.

The Maharaja had gifted Ismail Sait a building to set up his supermarket. In fact it was so large that the building had 11 doors! Even to this day, one can see a painting depicting Jumboo Savari procession with old Ismail Stores in the background displayed at Mysore Palace, says Sadiq.

Ismail Stores was located near Olympia Talkies, which was earlier known as Shivarampet. The supermarket sold a variety of items including spectacles which was one of its kind in those days. When K.R. Circle was being constructed, the supermarket was demolished and the Maharaja then provided another store nearby.

Ismail Sait’s son Abubakar Ismail Sait took over the supermarket business and then added a new exclusive optical store and registered it as A. Ismail & Bros in 1932. A receipt for goggles sold for Rs. 3 and 8 annas in 1934 is still preserved at the present store.

While the supermarket closed down, the optical store thrived. In 1971, the optical store was shifted to the present Devaraja Market building and this store was run by Sadiq’s father Gul Mohammed Sait, son of late Abubakar Ismail Sait. The store had already become famous by then for not only selling corrective lenses and frames but also for selling sunglasses to actors and film crew during film shootings.

Sadiq recalls his father selling sunglasses to actors Dr. Rajkumar, Dwarakish, Srinath, Amrish Puri, Jitendra, Anil Kapoor, Jackie Shroff and Prem Chopra. The store had also supplied spectacles to the members of the Mysore royal family during the regime of Krishnaraja Wadiyar and Chamaraja Wadiyar, he added.

Sadiq says, in the early days of the business, glasses and lenses were manufactured in their factory which was discontinued after 2005 as plastic lenses came to the market and the demand for glass lenses came down.

“Earlier there were no eye hospitals and only Ismail Optical was testing eyes. Employees of the Railway Department were being sent to the stores for eye testing. All was well untill the building caught fire in 1977 and the store was gutted. It was later renovated and by that time, many eye testing centres had come up,” Sadiq revealed.

Now, Ismail Optical & Co. has 12 branches across Mysuru City which are managed by Sadiq and his brothers. They have also expanded to Kodagu and have a branch at Gonikoppal.

Over the years, Sadiq says they have managed to constantly increase the choices for their customers. “Carl Zeiss glasses from Germany, Altan frames and Crooks lenses from England are imported. We deal with a variety of frames and lenses from across the globe so our customers have choices. We also have qualified and trained staff to repair these frames,” Sadiq said.

When asked about the common complaint about buying sunglasses — fakes, Sadiq says it is very difficult for a common man to differentiate and hence it is best to purchase such sunglasses from an authorised store or dealer and added with a smile, “may be like you get a second opinion from a doctor for health, you may need to get a second opinion about the authenticity of your glasses from an authorised dealer like us,” he said.

Ismail Optical still has eye testing and an in-house eye testing clinic. “Our mission is to provide quality vision to Mysureans and we hope to set up an eye hospital soon to help achieve a cataract-free  Mysuru,” says Sadiq.

Innovative – ‘Dial a Spex’

Ismail Optical has also been innovative in their service. In 2016, a unique service called ‘Dial a Spex’ was introduced where a customer could dial for an appointment with an eye specialist and a mobile van, with eye testing equipment and a doctor, would then reach the customer’s doorstep. Once the spectacle is ready, it would be delivered to the patient. This service turned out to be useful during the pandemic.

Awards

The Optical store has won many awards for being the best opticals in Mysuru. In 1996, it won an award for being the Best Optical Store in South India; Best Optical Store in Karnataka Award in 2003 and it bagged the Mysore Excellence Award — Excellent Opticians in Mysore in 2018.

source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> Feature Articles / by S Kenneth Shishir / March 18th, 2022

Date with history: A family’s journey from Medina to Mysore kingdom

Amazing Feats, Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Business & Economy, Community Involvement / Social Issues, Freedom Fighters (under research project), Karnataka (under research project), Leaders, World Opinion, , , , , , , , ,

KARNATAKA :

Synopsis

When bullock carts were the prime mode of transport, an Arab businessman was pained to see the beasts carry loads up the steep, rough climb.

In the 1930s, when bullock carts were the prime mode of transport, an Arab businessman was pained to see the beasts carry loads up the steep, rough climb from Hebbal Tank. Their hoofs wore thin very soon. So, he levelled the path, spending Rs 10,000 out of his pocket. When this came to the notice of Sir Mirza Ismail, the then diwan of Mysore, he promptly informed Krishnaraja Wadiyar. A private citizen spending for public good, the king thought, reflected badly on his administration. He made good the businessman’s expenses and named the area at the junction of Bellary Road, Jayamahal Road and CV Raman Avenue in his honour. Today , we call it Mekhri Circle.

The selfless businessman was M Enayathulla Mehkri (not ‘Mekhri’ as it is spelt today). The Enayathulla Mehkri Square was inaugurated by Sir John Hope, governor of the Madras Presidency , in April 1935.The space had a lamp post with five lights. A garden around it was maintained by ward officers. Later, in 1965, RM Patil, minister of home and municipal administration, notified it as Enayathulla Mekhri Circle through a notification in the state gazette.

Mehkri’s story , however, goes beyond the one philanthropic initiative he is most known by.

Mehkris were originally based near Medina in Arabia and migrated to India after the Turkish invasion. The family’s legacy dates back to more than 600 years. “While people believe that our name is derived from a place called ‘Mehkr’ in Syria, documents suggest that we were named after Mekhar in Maharashtra,” said Fazal Mehkri, nephew of Enayathulla Mehkri.

In India, the family held key posts under the Mughals and the Mysore maharajas.

Enayathulla Mehkri, born in 1898, went on to become a freedom fighter. At 17, he joined the Indian National Congress.

A contractor by profession, he participated in the freedom struggle, and was jailed for six months at Madras Central Jail along with C Rajagopalachari and EV Ramaswamy Naicker.

Mehkri was the municipal commissioner (between 1947 and 1948) and a councilor of the City Corporation for 16 years before that. He was not only the only member from Karnataka to be on the Advisory Council of the Freedom Fighters Cell of the AICC, he also headed the Karnataka Freedom Fighters’ Association till his death on November 28, 1990.

source: http://www.economictimes.indiatimes.com / The Economic Times / Home> Panache> ET Magazine> Travel> Business News> Magazine / by Divya Shekhar, ET Bureau / April 28th, 2016

Mahbubul Hoque, Chancellor of USTM and P. A. Inamdar, Founder President, Azam Campus conferred with Edu Doctor Award

Business & Economy, Community Involvement / Social Issues, Education, Events, Exhibitions, Conferences (wef. Nov 18th, 2021), Karnataka (under research project), Leaders, NRI's / PIO's, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Ri-Bhoi (District), MEGHALAYA :

Mahbubul Hoque, Chancellor of USTM receiving Maeeshat Edu Doctor Award-2022 from the hands of P. A. Inamdar, Founder President, Azam Campus, Pune (centre) at Golmez Edupreneur Conference held at USTM on March 10, 2022

9th Mile, Khanapara, Ri Bhoi :

Maeeshat Media Pvt. Ltd, India’s first media outlet dedicated to covering economic activities of minority communities, has given away its 11th edition of business awards at the Golmez Edupreneur Conference held in association with the University of Science and Technology Meghalaya (USTM) here today. Mahbubul Hoque, Chancellor of USTM and P. A. Inamdar, Founder President, Azam Campus, Pune was conferred with Edu Doctor Award-2022 while Dr Abdul Qadeer, Founder Chairman, Shaheen Group, Karnataka was conferred with the Edupreneur of the Year Award.

The keynote address of the conference was delivered by Dr Frank F Islam, Chairman and CEO of FI investment group, USA. The conference has been attended by economic experts, business leaders, entrepreneurs, social workers, and professionals from across India.

Addressing the gathering of entrepreneurs, P. A. Inamdar urged, “Let us not talk about anything negative. We have to talk how much we have achieved and how far we have to achieve for development.” Emphasizing on imparting spoken English in all vernacular medium schools, he said that technology can create a much better environment and contribute to educational progress. He suggested all to think about how to empower neighbourhood small institutions.

(From left) Prof. G. D. Sharma, VC, USTM, Waqar Naqvi, Managing Partner, RDVLLP Mumbai; Danish Reyaz, Managing Editor, Maeeshat Media; M. Nurul Islam, Founder General Secretary, Al Ameen Mission, Kolkata; P. A. Inamdar, Founder President, Azam Campus, Pune; Dr Abdul Qadeer, Founder Chairman, Shaheen Group, Karnataka and Mahbubul Hoque,

Delivering the keynote address in the inaugural session, Dr Frank F Islam emphasized on the need for edupreneurship in India. “Much has been done for the development of education among the minorities in India, and unfortunately much remains to be done”, he said.


Welcoming the guests, Mahbubul Hoque said that through institution building one can change the environment of a particular place and bring progress to the people of the area. He thanked all the participants for coming over to the North East and for their desire to contribute for the development of the people through promotion of education. “We as Indians have to think for development of every citizen, not simply of the minorities”, he added.

Speaking on the occasion, Prof G. D. Sharma, VC, USTM mentioned about National Education Policy-2020 and said that USTM is preparing 82 teachers for technology oriented courses so that the university becomes a global university through technology. “We have to establish peace in the North East region though the means of education”, he added.

A magazine of Maeeshat Media was released on the occasion by M. Nurul Islam, Founder General Secretary, Al Ameen Mission, Kolkata and other dignitaries.

Some of the distinguished participants in the conference include: Waqar Naqvi, Former CEO, Taurus Asset Management Company, Mumbai; Danish Reyaz, Managing Editor, Maeeshat Media; Munir uz Zaman Deshmukh, Pearls Academy, Aurangabad; Rashid Nayyar; M Mohammed Tahir Madani, M Burhanuddin Qasmi, Director, MMERC, Mumbai; Moulana Mohammad Ilyas Nadvi, GS, AHAN Islamic Academy; Moulana Mutiur Rahman Madni, Founder, Imam Bukhari University, Kishanganj; M Azizurrahman, Founder, TCIS, Malda, Dr Nazibur Rahman, Principal, Kaliachak College, Malda; M Wajihuddin, Assistant Editor, Times of India, Mumbai; Zaya Ahmed from Delhi; Izhar Khan and Affan Ahmed Kamil from Mumbai.

source: http://www.muslimmirror.com / Muslim Mirror / Home> Indian Muslim> Positive Story / by Muslim Media Networks / March 10th, 2022

Women’s Day: Crafting The Future of Muslim Female Entrepreneurs

Amazing Feats, Business & Economy, Community Involvement / Social Issues, Education, Leaders, NRI's / PIO's, Videos, Women/Girls(since May26-2021), World Opinion, , , , , , , , ,

Azamgarh, UTTAR PRADESH / Washington, U.S.A :

The Frank and Debbie Islam Incubation Center at AMU mentors the women in their craft, upgrading their skill base and providing them design and marketing support.

Aligarh: 

The Frank and Debbie Islam Incubation Center of the Department of Business Administration at Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) is crafting the future of Muslim Women Entrepreneurs in Uttar Pradesh and elsewhere, and definitely the bells should toll for it on the Women’s Day that falls on March 8.

The Frank and Debbie Islam Incubation Center at AMU mentors the women in their craft, upgrading their skill base and providing them design and marketing support. This enables the incubation center to bring applique craftswomen to get trained in entrepreneurial skills to help start their small businesses.

This project was conceived during the world Alumni summit of 2008 when Mr. Ameer Ahmad (MBA1978) and Mr. A.G. Danish (MBA1988) committed Rs. 1 crore and Rs. 10 Lakh respectively for the building project.

The project got a major fillip when Dr. Frank Islam, a Washington-based AMU alumnus originally from Azamgarh and his wife Debbie Driesman, through their Frank Islam and Debbie Driesman, pledged USD 2 million for this project.

In addition to the contribution of Dr. Frank Islam, the project received contributions from other alumni, well-wishers, students, faculty members, and others from India and all over the world.

This building of this innovative project is constructed on a 3-acre plot in the Sir Syed House Complex. The Complex is the new home of the Department of Business Administration and Faculty of Management Studies and Research. The building is a state-of-the-art facility but maintains the architectural legacy of AMU.

The construction began in May 2015 and the foundation stone was laid on 15th February 2016. The Project was completed in a record time of two years, creating a facility of 50000 sq feet, containing an academic block, a faculty-cum-administrative block, a facility block comprising library & IT facilities, and open areas. Phase 1 of this Building was inaugurated on 12 Feb 2017 and it was occupied in June 2017.

Phase 2 of the project is being built with the help of Dr. Nadeem Tarin, another distinguished and committed alumnus of AMU. This phase shall house a seminar hall, an incubation center, additional classrooms, including facilities for executive training.

The additional facilities will broaden the scope of the MBA Department’s offering that has already started two additional Master’s programmes, namely MBA (Islamic Banking and Finance) and MBA (Hospital Management). Another MBA for working executive is due to be started soon. In addition, phase 2 shall provide additional space for other incubating start-ups.

source: http://www.ummid.com / Ummid.com / Home> Business & Economy / by Syed Ali Mujtaba / March 08th, 2022

Tehey: Badsha’s New Bridal Collection Shop Opens In City

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Business & Economy, Karnataka (under research project), , , , , ,

Mysore/Mysuru:

Badsha’s ‘Tehey’ is a one-stop shop for a new bridal experience in city.

‘Tehey’ means layers in Sanskrit and there are layers of ceremonial wear — from exquisite bridal lehengas for the foremost bride to classy ethnic wear for the guests.

‘Tehey’ traces its roots to the early 1900s when a successful silk and cotton textile business was established by their ancestor Abdul Rehman Badsha and his four sons in Virajpet, Kodagu.  The first formal retail outlet was opened in Mercara in 1922.

Now with the launch of ‘Tehey’ people can choose from a range of exclusively designed Indian ethnic occasion wear sarees, lehengas and salwars.

‘Tehey’ also offers Kodava attires for men and women, including the Kupya-Chele & Mande Tuni for men; Bottu Podiya, Kambi Podiya, Muskoli and Checked Vastra for women.

To enjoy the shopping experience, visit ‘Tehey’ which was inaugurated on D. Devaraj Urs Road in city on Feb. 26.

source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> News / March 03rd, 2022

Avesh Khan most expensive uncapped Indian ever after Lucknow Super Giants gets him for Rs 10 crore

Amazing Feats, Business & Economy, Sports, , , , , , ,

Indore, MADHYA PRADESH :

Avesh Khan became the most expensive uncapped Indian player after Lucknow Super Giants signed him for Rs 10 crore.

Avesh Khan was released by Delhi Capitals.   –  IPL/SPORTZPICS

Chennai Super Kings and Lucknow Super Giants were locked in a bidding war initially before Mumbai Indians came in as the bid jumped past Rs 4 crore.

Mumbai and Lucknow were then locked in a bidding war, with Sunrisers Hyderabad entering the fray as the bid reached Rs 9.75 crore.

Lucknow then held the bid at Rs 10 crore and acquired Avesh’s services.

source: http://www.sportstar.thehindu.com / Sport Star / Home> IPL Auction> Auction / by Team Sportstar / February 12th, 2022

Can you guess what this journalist’s day job is?

Amazing Feats, Business & Economy, Community Involvement / Social Issues, ,

Chittorgarh City, RAJASTHAN :

Passionate for journalism, Najir couldn’t pursue a degree in it due to financial constraints. | Photo by arrangement

Najir Hussain wanted to be a journalist ever since he distributed newspapers for work but couldn’t pursue his dream due to financial constraints. His dream came true when Bahujan news outlet The Mooknayak began publishing his stories. 

New Delhi :

40-year-old Najir Hussain wakes up early in the morning and sends his three daughters to school, says bye to his wife, and sets up his vegetable shop in the Bichhor, Chittorgarh city in Rajasthan. Najir is a vegetable seller and a journalist. 

While selling vegetables, he picks up his cellphone and scrolls through messages from his editor Meena Kotwal assigning him a new story. He credits Kotwal for his position as a journalist today. “Without Meena and a Bahujan space like The Mooknayak, who would have given space to my words?”  Najir told TwoCircles.net.

Najir has done all of 20 reports for The Mooknayak  in the last six months. The journey of becoming a journalist was not easy. “I used to  distribute newspapers in my village. Un surkhiyon ke beech kabhi mera bhi naam hoga, maine sapne dekhta tha. (I used to dream of having my bylines in those newspapers),” Najir said.

Najir could not pursue a journalism course, or for that matter any course, due to financial and social constraints. Najir is from a Pasmanda Muslim community. He was married shortly after finishing school and has ever since been a breadwinner for his family. “I used to be very smart in school and secured 1st division in my 12th standard examinations,” he said. 

Ever since leaving school, Najir has been engaged in many casual odd jobs— motor mechanic, a newspaper distributor and now a vegetable seller. His life changed when with the access to social media, and his passion for journalism got rekindled.

“I started using social media around two years ago and saw so many vocal Muslims, Dalits, Bahujans and Adivasis. It greatly inspired me and made me think of the days when I thought I could become a journalist. I started reaching out to editors of progressive newsrooms,” Najir said.

Najir said nobody responded to him, considering he did not have a degree and had no prior experience in the field. However, in September 2021, Meena Kotwal, the founder of The Mooknayak, wrote back to him asking him to send some reports.

Najir Hussain from Chittorgarh, Rajasthan sells vegetables and is a journalist. | Photo by arrangement

Talking to TwoCircles.net, Kotwal said that Najir is passionate about journalism. 

“You won’t believe me, but the truth is that big privileged journalists have failed in front of Najir’s passion. He ran the shop all day long and started reporting many unreported or new incidents of atrocities from Rajasthan. This is what I have intended to do with The Mooknayak, and I am happy that someone as passionate as Najir helps me to pass the mic,” Kotwal  said. 

Najir would make many mistakes when he started and would get help from Meena. “She is such a patient editor,” he said.  

“Other contributors in The Mooknayak would help me out and although I got scolded sometimes, I am glad I learnt so much,” he said. 

Najir used to be scared of the police before becoming a journalist. His socio-marginalised identity as a Pasmanda Muslim affected how he felt around police personnel. Reading news about police brutality made this even more pressing. Being a journalist now has helped him become more confident.

A Twitter threadposted by Meena Kotwal about Najir’s story became viral.

Najir’s eldest daughter is in 9th grade and uses Instagram on her mother’s phone. One day, as she scrolled through her feed, she was excited to find her father’s photo in one of her friend’s posts.

Everyone in the village calls him “Mooknayak vala Najir”. 

“It makes me feel proud to be addressed like this. My family is supportive and appreciative of my work. My heart swells with pride every time my 13-year-old daughter calls me ‘Mooknayak vale papa.’ It is all because of Meena didi, and Bahujan newsrooms like this,” he said. excitedly. 

Suchitra is an independent journalist working on social justice, focusing primarily on gender justice. She tweets at @Suchitrawrites

source: http://www.twocircles.net / TwoCircles.net / Home> Lead story / by Suchitra, TwoCircles.net / February 09th, 2022