Category Archives: Business & Economy

AMU Faculty Member Patents ‘Automatic Carriage Stopper’

Aligarh, UTTAR PRADESH :

Aligarh:

All lathe machine operators, constantly worried about the fly out accidents during the machining operation can now rest easier as Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) Associate Professor from the University Polytechnic; Mr Shamshad Ali has invented an ‘Automatic Carriage Stopper’ which will reduce the chances of accidents.

The invention has been patented recently by the Patent Office, Government of India.

“The carriage stopper can be installed as a utility tool clamped on the lathe machine bed with a station ratchet system. It will be used as a multi stage stopper mechanism for turning application”, said Mr Shamshad.

He pointed out that the purpose of the invention is to reduce the likelihood of accidents, improve productivity, reduce product cost, lessen the rejection rate during manufacturing process and decrease the mental and physical fatigues of the operator.

Explaining how the invention will work, Mr Shamshad said: “The ‘Automatic Carriage Stopper’ will open the split nut in conventional lathe machines automatically to disengage the power source from the carriage, resulting in the carriage stop at desired position”.

“Similarly carriage movement through the feed rod will also be stopped automatically by using the ‘Automatic Carriage Stopper’. This auto carriage stopper can be used for any conventional lathe machine without any change in its design and it is easy to manufacture, maintain and operate at a low cost”, he added.

Mr Shamshad has invented the auto carriage stopper with his students, Suhail Ahmad.    

source: http://www.amu.ac.in / Aligarh Muslim University / Home> Public Relations Office / February 08th, 2022

Hammad Ahmed is new Chancellor of Jamia Hamdard

NEW DELHI :

Prof. (Dr.) M. Afshar Alam, Vice Chancellor presents a bouquet to Hammad  Ahmed   Chancellor of Jamia Hamdard.

New Delhi: 

Hammad Ahmed, Co-Chairman, Hamdard National Foundation (India), President, Hamdard National Foundation (India) – HECA, and Chief Mutawalli (Trustee) of Hamdard Laboratories India (Foods), has been appointed as Chancellor of Jamia Hamdard (Deemed to be University).

In the Vice Chancellor Board Room, Jamia Hamdard, the Chancellor was greeted by Prof. (Dr.) M. Afshar Alam, Vice Chancellor, Prof. Iqbal S. Hasnain, former Pro-Chancellor, and. Syed Saud Akhtar, registrar, in the presence of various Deans of Schools, Dy. Registrar, Chief Proctor, DSW, FSA, Executive Engineer, and other senior officers of Jami

Hammad Ahmed is also a well known philanthropist, man of wisdom and exemplary character. He is one of the founding members of Hamdard National Foundation at its inception in 1964; he brings with him infinite wisdom and experience. Over more than 50 years, he has forged Hamdard National Foundation into one of India’s most prominent and respected charitable organizations. Hammad Ahmed’s quiet modesty hides the magnitude of his achievements in introducing new initiatives for contributions to society, and his relentless commitment to the charitable cause has improved the lives of countless people.

Late Janab Hakeem Abdul Hameed, the founder of Hamdard National Foundation and Jamia Hamdard, instilled in him a lovely and motivating personality. Hammad Ahmed’s gentle modesty belies the immensity of his contributions to society through the introduction of new initiatives, and his unwavering commitment to the charity cause has benefited the lives of countless people.

He has been involved in Jamia Hamdard before its recognition as Deemed University status in 1989. Over the years, he has served in the Executive Council, Finance Committee and various other advisory bodies of the University and has championed the growth of Jamia Hamdard through sustained personal attention and interest.

Since joining Hamdard Laboratories India as its Sales and Marketing Head in 1973, he has overseen a meteoric rise in business and the Hamdard name, in the process establishing himself as one of India’s prominent business leaders.

Educated in Sherwood College, Nainital, and then in Cornwall, UK and New York, USA for further studies, Hammad Ahmed has inculcated a strong sense of discipline in his life and work, and the results are self-evident.

source: http://www.muslimmirror.com / Muslim Mirror / Home> Indian Muslim / by Special Correspondent / January 26th, 2022

Innovative Dharwad farmer Nadakattin gets Padma Shri

Annigeri Town, Hubballi (Dharwad District), KARNATAKA :

pix: nadakattin.in

Hubballi:

Abdul Khadar Nadakattin, was on Tuesday named among the winners of the Padma Shri award.

He is an innovative farmer from Annigeri town in Dharwad district. Being a mechanic by hobby, he developed an interest in agriculture in his inherited land of 60 acres falling in dry area.


His experiments started with planting mango, sapota with intercrops like chilli and ber in the 1980s. His innovative ideas turned into reality in 1994 when he developed a device to separate tamarind seeds from the pulp after spending Rs 3 lakh and six months. In one day, this device can carry out the work equivalent to 500 labourers per day.

Nadakattin started innovating in 1974 soon after he left school as he could not get up early in the morning and his father wanted him to become a farmer. At that time, he had developed a kind of bullock drawn tiller capable of deep plouging in which whetting was not needed. He also invented a multi–purpose sowing machine in 1985.

He established Vishwashanthi Agricultural Research and Industrial Research Centre in 1975.

Now agricultural equipment named after ‘Nadakattin’ are famous across the country.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> News> City News> Hubballi News / by TNN / January 26th, 2022

‘This Is Us’ Honours Nasir Ahmed in Ep 8, Season 5 – Who is He?

Bengaluru, KARNATAKA / La Jolla California, U.S.A :

Nasir is the man behind Discrete Cosine Transform – the technology which makes it possible to share photos & videos.

If you’ve been following the Pearson family closely, you must have watched episode 8 from the fifth season of ‘This is Us’ introducing two new characters to the show – Nasir and Esther Ahmed.

The first time we see the pair, it’s circa 1963 in Albuquerque, New Mexico, where a man introduces himself as “I’m Nasir from India” as a young Esther is seen walking up to him, asking for a light.

The next time we see the couple, Nasir is cradling their son in his arms. Shortly after, another scene reveals their relevance.

As Esther is seen getting annoyed at Nasir for having returned late from work, Nasir replies, “When your mother wants a picture of you, what do we have to do? What if instead of waiting for the mail, she could see it instantly? They will be able to share images… Imagine if you could talk to someone on the screen but with a video.”

These lines from the show piece the puzzle together as viewers learn by the end of the episode that Nasir is the man behind the video-calling technology we use today. He’s the reason the Pearsons are able to stay connected using FaceTime amid the raging coronavirus pandemic .

From Bengaluru to USA

Nasir Ahmed hails from the southern city of Bengaluru, in India. He was born in 1940, and subsequently completed his schooling from Bishop Cotton Boys School. He earned his Bachelors in electrical engineering from the University College of Engineering in Bengaluru in 1961. Thereafter, he moved to the US for his higher studies and pursued both his MS and Ph.D at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque.

After his graduation, Ahmed worked as the Principal Research Engineer at Honeywell in St Paul, Minnesota from 1966 to 1968. He then took on the role of a professor at the Kansas State University and taught there till 1983, following which he joined the University of New Mexico and retired in 2001. He is currently Professor Emeritus of electrical and computer engineering at the University of New Mexico.

What is DCT?

In the 1970s, Nasir led a research team that developed the Discrete Cosine Transform (DCT), which makes it possible to share photos and videos.

In a paper on how he built the technology, Nasir says he had written a proposal to the National Science Foundation to study the cosine transform using two distinct polynomials. “Much to my disappointment, NSF did not fund the proposal,” he lamented, adding that a reviewer had deemed his proposal “too simple”. Not one to give up, Nasir kept at it through his P.hD until he finally cracked the DCT.

Today, Nasir and his team’s work on DCT is used in high-definition digital TVs, teleconferencing, and other image-sharing platforms, among numerous other commercial applications.

He is also credited with having invented the .jpg file format for photos, according to Bustle.

Finding Love

The real Nasir and Esther. /(Photo Courtesy: A still from the episode) /Esther and Nasir Ahmed video conferencing with This Is Us show creator Dan Fogelman and executive producers Vera Herbert and Jess Rosenthal in August of 2020.
NBC

Nasir met Esther Pariente, an Argentinian, at the University of New Mexico. According to the College of Graduates in Economic Sciences of Tucumán, Esther holds a master’s degree in English from Kansas State University and a Ph.D in Spanish and Latin American Literature. Their son, Michael Pariente, is a well-known criminal defence attorney based in Las Vegas.

The makers of ‘This is Us’ caught up with the couple over a video chat to know their story, before paying a fitting tribute to the couple in the eighth episode.

According to Bustle, Nasir and his wife Esther released a limited-edition book about their lives called Parallel Lives In Curved Space in 2018. The couple celebrated their 56th anniversary recently.

source: http://www.thequint.com / The Quint / Home> The Indian American / by Rinki Sanyal / February 19th, 2021

Udupi: UAE businessman B M Zaffer Thonse gets Indian Achievers Award-2021

KARNATAKA / UAE :

Udupi :

 B M Zaffer Thonse Chairman Thonse Health Centre (Nature cure and Ayurveda hospital) has been selected for the prestigious Indian Achievers Award-2021 by the Indian Achievers’ Forum for his outstanding professional achievements and contributions in national building.

Zaffer is a known businessman from UAE and the award is given for recognizing his excellence in business, health sector and social activities.

Zaffer is the founder secretary of Qidmath Committee, Hoode and founder sports secretary of Young Men’s Association Kemmanu.

Zaffer is also the founder president of Thonse Cultural Association in UAE and president of Alumni Association of Government Urdu School Hoode.

He also established Nirmal Thonse, a NGO to protect nature and rendered service as honourary president in the same.

source: http://www.daijiworld.com / DaijiWorld.com / Home> Karnataka / by Media Release / November 03rd, 2021

This Muslim youth’s charity org ensures underprivileged people don’t go hungry in Kolkata

Kolkata, WEST BENGAL :

Zeeshan Majeed distributing food. | Picture: Tribalbox

Thirty-two-year old Zeeshan Majeed from Kolkata, West Bengal has not only distributed food during the Covid-19 lockdown but also distributed masks, medicine and oxygen cylinders at times of crisis. For his noble work, he was featured as a Covid Warrior in IPL 2020. He is included among the Covid Warriors in the Limca Book of Records – 2020-22 as well.

Kolkata :

He has been feeding hungry people since he saw a child at a government hospital picking up food from a drain and eating it. Thirty-two-year old Zeeshan Majeed, a footwear manufacturer in Kolkata, started feeding 40 people with meals cooked by his mother once a week, but today more than 1500 people receive food daily from his Anti-Hunger Squad Foundation.

Zeeshan became a social activist after witnessing an accident on the street. It all began when he was on his way to work. He saw a young boy who had met with an accident and lay unconscious on the street near Sealdah railway station on April 15, 2018. 

Something strange caught his attention, so he stopped to help. In the chaos, he spotted rag-pickers attempting to grab his mobile and laptop bag, which were lying scattered along with the motorcycle. He was a bit scared to help, but he recovered his courage and rushed the unconscious boy to the nearby Nil Ratan Sircar Medical College and Hospital. 

At the hospital, he was shocked to notice the child. He later learned that many rural residents from deprived backgrounds in West Bengal travel to the capital city of Kolkata for treatment at the government hospitals. They arrive with their families and relatives. Some of these people can’t even afford to buy food, medication or accommodation. Most of them live on the streets for days and months.

Zeeshan went home with a heavy heart and recounted the story to his mother. He insisted on offering meals for the needy while he knew that her mother couldn’t possibly cook for this many people. “I asked if she could prepare meals for at least 40 people and I would take care of the rest. Her answer was yes. We decided that every Sunday my mother would prepare food and I would deliver it to people temporarily living on hospital premises or pavements,” Majeed told TwoCircles.net. 

Starting a charity
On May 20, 2018, he established the Anti-Hunger Squad Foundation, a charitable organisation. It started as a weekly event called ‘Dawat E Aam’ at NRS Hospital. Every week, the menu had a variety of dishes, such as simple hotchpotch, rice with vegetables, vegetable pulao, or rice with soya chunks curry. The menu consisted only of vegetarian meals since the recipients belong to diverse communities, which were served during the lunch hour. 

This vehicle carries Anti-Hunger Squad Foundation’s relief materials.

This weekly event has become a part of a daily routine since April 28, 2019, when he started receiving phone calls from different places. Helped by funds from friends, family and through social media, he launched the dinner service. He does not accept cash donations directly from his donors rather engages restaurant kitchens to prepare meals for donors, which he collects and distributes. It gets difficult for him to prepare lunch and dinner on his own, despite having a kitchen.

Covid warrior
Among the people he has fed are women, children and the elderly. Whether they are beggars, slum dwellers, destitute or prostitutes, all have benefited from his food distribution services. The underprivileged received food standing in a row during the Covid-19 lockdown while the middle-class people felt shy and refused to queue. They suffered the most during the lockdown.

Zeeshan wanted to help them, so he created a ‘Secret Santa’ project for them with a helpline. On his social media platforms, he advertised that those in need of the ration kit could send him a text. Their ration kits would be delivered to their homes without revealing their identities.

Zeeshan Majeed serving food to hungry people.

During the first lockdown, more than 1000 ration kits were distributed in Sonagachi, Kolkata’s sex-workers area. Ten kilograms of rice and five kilograms of pulses were included in the kits. Furthermore, the Anti-Hunger Squad Foundation distributed over 1200 kits each day under the Secret Santa project. Over 5000 people were helped. 

This Samaritan from Kolkata has not only distributed food but also masks, medicine and oxygen cylinders at times of crisis. For his noble work, he was featured as a Covid Warrior in IPL 2020. He is included among the Covid Warriors in the Limca Book of Records – 2020-22 as well.

Former Indian Cricket Captain Sourav Gangulay presenting a gift hamper to Zeeshan Majeed.

“I always had two police guards with me during the Janata curfew or lockdown periods,” he said, acknowledging the maximum support he received from the Kolkata Police. “Their presence allowed me to distribute food properly while maintaining social distance with chalk marking, increasing sanitization awareness. Sometimes on the footpaths, beggars or physically challenged people would form a queue while some forlorn person would hand out disposable plates,” recalls Zeeshan, the owner of Golden Plastic, a footwear manufacturing company in Topsia. 

His charitable foundation provided relief materials during natural disasters, such as floods or cyclones. He distributed food during the Amphan cyclone in May 2020 at Chandipur, Gosaba, Patharpratima, Basanti in Sundarban, as well as Harapur, Nalmuri, Bantala, Bhojerhat, Ghatakpukur in South 24-Parganas and other locations. When cyclone Yaas hit in May 2021, the food kits were also distributed to people in Mandarmuni, Purshottomnagar in East Midnapore and other Sundarban islands. 

Zeeshan was born and brought up in Kolkata. He is the only son of Tarique Majeed and Nazli Tarique, who have four children. He finished his tenth standard in 2005 at Saifee Golden Jubilee English Public School and completed his 12th standard in 2007 from the same school. He graduated with a degree in commerce from Maulana Azad College in 2012, as well as an MBA degree in marketing from Sikkim Manipal University in 2015.  

Zeeshan told TwoCircles.net, “Two days in my life are valuable—the day I was born and the day I discovered why I was born. Despite trying many things in life, including a job and a business, I never achieved satisfaction. That changed when I started distributing food.”

A Ballygunge resident, Zeeshan got married in October 2019. He plans to expand his charitable mission to the global level with this tagline – ‘Aao Ek Nayi Soch Banayay Kisi Bhukay Ko Khana Khilayay’ (Let’s think differently and help feed the hungry). 

“I wish to serve people of the world. There are many people around the world who rarely get a square meal. If I have an opportunity, I will ensure that no one sleeps hungry,” he added. 

Zeeshan can be reached at www.antihungersquadfoundation.com.

Partho Burman is an award-winning independent journalist based in Kolkata. He writes inspirational, motivational and environmental stories. He tweets at @ParthoBurman.

source: http://www.twocirlces.net / TwoCircles.net / Home>Lead Story / by Partho Burman, TwoCircles.net / December 30th, 2021

Entrepreneur Adil Qadri Announces Its Business Expansion Into Offline Markets

Navsari, GUJARAT :

A brand named after its founder name Adil Qadri has proposed a plan to operate its business through the brand outlets accompanying its existing model of operation – an e-commerce platform.

Adil Qadri

To root the offerings of the Adil Qadri brand deep into the daily lives of human beings, the attar brand has now entered the offline market. Adil Qadri wants to grab the offline shoppers who are not yet aware of the brand and products it has to offer.

A brand named after its founder name Adil Qadri has proposed a plan to operate its business through the brand outlets accompanying its existing model of operation – an e-commerce platform. India is wholly shifting the mode of purchase from offline to online, which has rapidly helped the e-commerce industry boom in the country. However, many people still choose to shop offline, especially when selecting the fragrances they want to use.

Adil Qadri jotted down the drawback of their current business model and felt the urgency to remove it as early as possible. He said in a statement that fragrances are the instrument to present our personality before the world without actually needing to show it off through conservation. Thus, people are very selective while buying the attars. Buying random attars online will not be their choice in any condition unless they first try them through the local stores. To win the trust of those customers, entering into the offline market was the necessity of Adil Qadri’s business growth.

The offline market has a huge demand but less qualitative and long-lasting attars. Adil Qadri is looking forward to capturing this untapped growth opportunity with its par at the excellence product line, added Mohammad Adil Asif Malkani.

Adil Qadri embarked on its offline services to launch its first brand showroom in Chikhali, a city situated on Mumbai Ahmadabad highway. The brand is exploring more locations for establishing the brand’s exclusive showrooms. Additionally, Adil Qadri has requested a franchise proposal from the interested entrepreneurs.

Launched in 2018, “AdilQadri Fragrance Store” has become a trusted name in the business of fragrances. The range of products Adil provides in his e-commerce store is exceptional. Many of his attars, such as AdilQadri Shanaya and AdilQadri Musk-Al-Ghazali, were extremely famous and attracted significant traffic to his e-commerce business. Adilqadri Shanaya is a perfume produced from deep soft oud. It has a nice smoky smell created from Agarwood – the most lavish wood on the market.

The brand has hundreds of products with regular additions to the list. Initially launched as a fragrance brand, Adil Qadri has increased its product line to several other categories. Luxury soaps, Barkati Topi, Islamic Caps, Thobes Jhubba, Bakhoor, Dry Fruits, Oils, Clothes, Car Hangers, Abaya, Home Décor, are a few of several other products available on Adil Qadri’s e-commerce site for sale. Adil Qadri products are also available on several online shopping sites like Amazon and Flipkart.

www.adilqadri.com

source: http://www.outlookindia.com / Outlook / Home> Outlook Spotlight / December 23rd, 2021

From creators to bloggers, these Bohra women are taking social media by storm

Mumbai / Indore/ Neemuch, INDIA / KUWAIT :

A bunch of Bohra women harness the power of social media to ace their careers, clad in their colourful traditional wear

The rida is the traditional attire of the women of the Dawoodi Bohra community, a sub-sect of the Shiite Muslims.

After an adrenaline-charged skydive from 15,000 feet in the USA, everyone around Arwa Merchant was in awe, not because of her daring performance, but for her insistence on doing so in the rida. She wrote about this in a blog post for Dawoodi Bohra Women’s Association for Religious Freedom in October 2019. 

The rida is the traditional attire of the women of the Dawoodi Bohra community, a sub-sect of the Shiite Muslims. The two-piece dress is distinguishable from other forms of the hijab by its bright colours, decorative patterns and lace. With their roots in Gujarat, the members of this peace-loving trading community follow the teachings of their spiritual leader Syedna Mufaddal Saifuddin. Although embedded in a tradition dating back to more than 1,400 years, this two million-strong Dawoodi Bohras in India have never been shy to embrace the latest technologies. They even have celebrated festivals like Eid and Shab-E-Baraat online due to the pandemic.

Not one to fall behind, the women of the community have taken social media platforms by storm. From content creators to food bloggers to creating clothing brands, they have managed to expand their careers online, but without giving up their rida.

Mariya Kanchwala, 31
Makeup artist and beauty influencer, Indore

Instagram: 28,000 followers
Kanchwala has carved a niche for herself in the glamour industry by showcasing her makeup skills while wearing her rida. After a brief stint as a public relations executive for a fashion brand, she turned her full attention to makeup. She started posting on Instagram in 2017 as a food blogger, but 2020 made her realise her passion for makeup and she began posting beauty looks on Instagram. In the past year, she has started working on beauty and looks projects for weddings and shoots for makeup.

Rashida Jawadwala, 20
Content creator, Neemuch, Madhya Pradesh
Instagram: 32,700 followers
Known online as GirlInRida, Jawadwala started posting comic content on Instagram while pursuing her degree in Computer Engineering from Indore in September 2020. And the follower count went up to 32,000 in a year. Jawadwala has brand deals from companies such as VLCC, Urban Clap and Dresscode. Also, offers came her way for anchoring TV and stage shows, but she declined them to focus on her studies.

Arwa Zakir, 25
Fitness expert, GoFit Studio, Salmiya, Kuwait
Instagram: 4,200 followers
Also known as GoFit Arwa on Instagram and YouTube, Zakir is a certified trainer from the American College of Sports Medicine and owns the GoFit Studio fitness centre in Salmiya, Kuwait, where she trains people of all ages and genders. Her parents are originally from Sagwara, Rajasthan, and until she turned 16 she never paid heed to her health and was an obese child. Today, she posts content around health and workouts on Instagram. Even though some people initially mocked Zakir for posting content in the rida, she never let negativity come in the way of her passion. Zakir believes that social media is the best place for small business owners to grow and for creative people to showcase their talent. 

Rabab J Ghadiali, 35
Founder, Rabab Life Coaching and Counselling, Mumbai
Instagram: 19,000 followers 
LinkedIn: 5,000 followers
YouTube: 700 subscribers 
(over 10,000 views)

Winner of the 2019 Women Icon of the Year Award in the field of coaching and the Best Life Coach of the Year Award, Ghadiali conducts workshops and seminars on motivation, personality development, life skills, etc—both online and offline—along with personal therapy sessions. Born in Tanzania, but working in Mumbai for the past 17 years, she has a master’s in Counselling Psychology along with a Life Coaching Certification from the International Learning Centre, Manchester, the UK. Ghadiali started posting videos and content on Instagram and Linkedin in 2015 when she found a lot of misinformation being circulated about mental health. It helped her grow from 2,000 to 19,000 followers on Instagram, which helped her garner many clients as well.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Magazine / by Zainab MM / December 12th, 2021

Bike Restored In City Impresses M.S. Dhoni

Mysuru, KARNATAKA :

Rare RD 350 HT added to cricket legend’s large collection.

Mysore/Mysuru:

Former Indian cricket captain M.S. Dhoni has a large collection of cars and bikes at his Ranchi home. The latest addition is a Yamaha RD 350 HT bike built by restoration expert from Mysuru Syed Jadeer Husnain. The mean machine was delivered to Dhoni last month.

This competition green-coloured bike may be the 34th or 35th RD 350 bike Dhoni has, Syed said. The all-new paint looks fantastic with white contrast that gives it a rich tone.

A resident of Manti at Belavatha in Mysuru, Syed restores RD 350 bikes. In fact, he restored one gold-coloured RD 350 for himself and he took both the bikes to Ranchi to show his craftsmanship. “Now, the gold RD 350 carries Dhoni’s autograph on the fuel tank which makes it a priceless bike in my own collection,” Syed told SOM.

 “I am a fan of Yamaha RD-350 and I try to make the best of that bike to find true pleasure. By profession I am a building construction contractor but I love to live my dream,” Syed said.

Picture shows an ecstatic Dhoni at his Ranchi farm house after riding the gold coloured RD 350 HT

Chance to meet Dhoni

On how he met Dhoni, Syed said that a close friend of his, who was in touch with Dhoni’s friend, shared the contact. “I had a restored RD 350 HT bike then which was the 19th bike that was rolled out in India and one of the best projects we had completed. My friend told me to contact Dhoni and get the bike included in his collection since it was a collector’s item. But it did not materialise,” he revealed.

After upgrading the next bike to the 1973 model as per US specification with minute detailing such as colour, seat shape and installation of disc brakes, Syed sent the photos of the competition green bike to Dhoni’s friend, who in turn showed it to Dhoni.

“Dhoni liked the photos and wished to see the vehicle in his farm house at Ranchi. This particular RD 350 was my own project bike which was built to US specification which is entirely different from the Indian Rajdoot specifications. After the project was successfully completed, we discussed it with Dhoni’s friend and the meeting with the legend happened,” Syed explained.

Painstaking process

On the restoration process, Syed said that he and his team first checked the bike for broken, damaged and worn out parts before replacing them. “The spare parts are restored before disassembling the bike so that it can be easily painted and fixed without any problems. Then the bike was disassembled and was divided to different teams for mechanical works, engine overhauling, painting and chrome-plating. New parts were sourced from different parts of India,” he explained.

“Everything was done to make the bike a perfect beast and was assembled. This bike was restored in six months but the process of collecting spares started six months ago,” Syed said.

Syed has different teams to work on his projects. “I try to make the best bike and people who work with me on my projects are all specialists. We specialise in two-stroke engines like Yamaha RX series, Suzuki Shogun and Shaolin,” Syed said.

After the message that Dhoni wanted to see the bike, Syed and his team had the challenge of covering the bikes with packing materials to prevent scratches while being transported in a train. He, along with his wife’s younger brother and a mechanic, boarded a train to Ranchi in November. 

A dream come true

“Dhoni is a fantastic gentleman who spared his time to look at our creations. I got goose bumps when he came in front of me. When we started discussing, I fumbled for words and I admired his passion and interest. He showed me his huge collection. For me it was like a dream come true to meet him in person,” Syed said.

Later, Dhoni took the bikes for a spin. “His eyebrows rose after the rides said it all,” revealed Syed. Dhoni later autographed the gold-coloured RD 350 tank. The cricketer also signed a few posters and posed with Syed for photos.

Yamaha RD 350 was one of the most powerful two-wheelers in the late 1980s and also India’s first performance-oriented bike. It had a 347 cc two-stroke twin cylinder engine that was de-tuned for the Indian markets to produce lesser power of about 30.5 bhp on the High Torque (HT) version and 27 bhp on the Low Torque (LT) version.

‘Race Derived’

The RD 350 from Japan was introduced in the Indian markets under the name Yamaha Rajdoot RD 350 by the Escorts Group from 1983 to 1989. Despite the common notion, RD stands for ‘Race Derived’ and not Rajdoot. It was given the name ‘Rapid Death’ because of the frequent fatal accidents because of its power.

The RD could go 0-100 in about 7 seconds and reached a top speed of around 160 kmph in the top gear. It had a price tag of Rs. 18,000 when it was launched in 1983 and Rs. 30,000 by the time it discontinued, which was expensive then.  A well maintained RD 350 bike will now cost between Rs. 2 lakh to Rs. 2.5 lakh, if at all it is available.

source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> News> Top Stories / December 12th, 2021

NRI businessman Yusuf Ali keeps promise, repays loan amount of poor family

KERALA / UAE :

Amina had taken a loan from the Keechery Service Co-Operative Bank for the wedding of their daughter by mortgaging their land and house.

The bank will return the documents for the land after changing it to Amina’s name at the earliest, officials said. (Photo| EPS)

Kochi :

Amina’s family will sleep peacefully at their home in Kanjiramattom, a suburb in Kochi, free from the fear of bank attachment, thanks to the large-heartedness of NRI businessman MA Yusuf Ali. 

She had been spending sleepless nights and had forgotten what it felt like to have a normal day due to a bank loan, which the family struggled to repay.  

Amina had taken a loan from the Keechery Service Co-Operative Bank for the wedding of their daughter by mortgaging their land and house. The land and house were under bank attachment due to the default in repayment. Her savings were used for the treatment of her husband, and there is no money left to pay the recovery amount. 

On Sunday, Amina rushed to Panangad to meet Yusuf Ali, who had come to the village to visit Rajesh and his family, who rescued the Lulu group chairman after his helicopter crash-landed early this year. As soon as Yusuf Ali heard about Amina’s distress, he instructed his coworkers to deposit the money and pay off her loan amount at the earliest.

Amina never thought that her problems would be solved quickly when she expressed her grief over the threat of losing her home to the bank to Yusuf Ali. Amina’s husband Syed Mohammad is suffering from cancer. 

On Monday, Amina and her husband were informed that someone had come to visit them. Both of them rushed to the place and were clueless about the visitors. They asked the visitors who they were and the purpose of their visit. 

The visitors were the employees of Lulu Group. Though Amina didn’t understand who they were initially, the employees of Lulu told them that they had paid off the loan amount of Rs 3,81,160 that the couple owed to the bank. Amina and her husband were beyond belief when the media coordinator of Lulu Group NB Swaraj, handed over the receipt of the repayment of loan and interest to Amina. He also handed over a sum of Rs 50,000, including medical expenses, to the couple for treatment expenses on Yusuf Ali’s instructions. 

The loan amount of Rs 2,14,242, and a total of Rs 3,81,160 including interest and penalty interest, was deposited by Yusuf Ali in the bank. The bank will return the documents for the land after changing it to Amina’s name at the earliest, officials said.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Good News / by Express News Service / December 07th, 2021