Haji Abdul Razak Kote Hejmady, owner of Metalco Group of Companies was conferred with ‘Best Entrepreneur of Bahrain’ award.
Former President of India Ramnath Kovind presented the award to Haji Abdul Razak.
Abdul Razak, who is the president of Dakshina Kannada Muslim Welfare Association in involved in social and religious works since many years.
Abdul Razak has been residing in Bahrain from the past 47 years. He hails from the Kote family of Hejmady in Udupi district.
He has been the voice of Muslim Community of this Island for three decades and with his vision he established Dakshina Kannada Muslim Welfare Association, which continuously works for the betterment of the community.
Abdul Razak has been a tireless advocate for the Tulu and Kannada communities. His contribution towards various programmes to promote Tulu and Kannada languages and culture has been phenomenal.
source: http://www.daijiworld.com / DaijiWorld.com / Home> Top Stories / by Daijiworld Media Network – Bahrain (MS) / September 23rd, 2023
It seems, on Thursday all roads led to a Swedish Furniture Store in Hyderabad — IKEA. The company’s name is an acronym — Ingvar Kamprad the name of its Founder, Elmtaryd name of his Farm and Agunnaryd the name of his Hometown in Sweden.
So the world famous furniture store IKEA opened its first store at HITEC City in Hyderabad and it lured so many people that traffic in the area came to a halt. Was it just curiosity that drove people there or a real desire to buy? Because Indians love heavy teak furniture that lasts forever and IKEA doesn’t really sell that kind of furniture.
IKEA produces light wood furniture and for the most part it’s a ‘Do It Yourself’ (DIY) project. Which means, when you go to an IKEA store and buy furniture, you will not get a fully assembled product. Instead, you take home all the required components and a detailed manual so you can assemble the furniture yourself.
When I mentioned IKEA’s DIY style of business to a friend he said, “What is this DIY? It’s like going to a restaurant, ordering a dish, and the waiter brings all the ingredients; you have to cook it yourself?” IKEA well understands this reluctance among Indians and has partnered with a company called Urban Clap which will send over a carpenter to assemble the furniture for a fee of Rs. 900.
Apart from contemporary furniture and lifestyle products, companies like IKEA bring something to a nation’s industrial landscape — they make our local companies globally competitive.
A month ago, I visited MAS Furniture, a Mysuru-based furniture manufacturing company headed by Shabbir Vagh. When I met Shabbir he was busy planting trees at the factory premises. When I enquired about it he replied saying, “We’re now manufacturing for IKEA and they have a requirement which states that every factory must have a certain amount of green cover.”
It seems to be qualified as an IKEA supplier one has to follow IKEA’s IWAY policy. IWAY is short for the IKEA-Way of doing things. One such IWAY is that vendors that partner with IKEA must have a healthy male to female ratio in the factory.
Shabbir says that ratio is 1:1 and now he has hired a whole lot of women to make for a 1:1 workforce. IKEA also wanted pay parity that is based on merit and experience rather than gender.
Strict standards have been laid out for workers’ safety, which means all workers on the shop floor have to wear gloves, bright vests and goggles. Apart from this, the vendor has to maintain clean accounting standards.
As for the raw materials, Shabbir shows me a beautiful vegetable crate made from pine wood which he supplies to IKEA and tells me the varnish on the wood has undergone innumerable tests to the point that the wood is safe enough even for a child to chew on.
He also informs me that every piece of wood used by IKEA is certified by the Forest Stewardship Council, an international body governing the sustainable and responsible use of forest resources.
So how has all of this helped Shabbir’s family furniture business? Thanks to following the IKEA way of manufacturing, the company has attracted new global partnerships. MAS Furniture now supplies furniture to the Trump Tower being built in Pune and is making furniture for the world famous French product designer Philippe Starck.
This is proof that when global companies with good practices partner with local manufacturers, they improve their standards making them globally competitive. When our industrialists can learn, adapt and become globally competitive, why can’t our politicians and bureaucrats? Well, it turns out politicians and bureaucrats of Telangana already have.
It was reported that IKEA was first to open in either Mumbai or Bengaluru but suddenly chose Hyderabad. The reason being that the Principal Secretary of Telangana, after reading about IKEA’s plans for India, contacted them and deputed a few proactive bureaucrats to help them get all the approvals and allotted land in HITEC City. The speed at which things moved ensured that IKEA opened its first India Store and the country’s largest retail space in Hyderabad while providing employment to 950 people in the store alone!
In contrast, a mobile phone brand based in Bengaluru approached the Karnataka government for industrial land to setup a mobile research and development lab in 2015. They even met the previous Chief Minister but nothing came of it. Later, Telangana heard about this project, called the owners, held talks and soon offered them 1.6 acres in Gachibowli to set up their Lab. Today the construction is on track and is expected to be completed by 2019 and will employ over 300 people.
The manufacturing philosophies of companies like IKEA are very relevant for a growing economy like ours. Karnataka needs such companies and for that our leaders have to be proactive. The last time we had such a Chief Minister was S.M. Krishna, who ushered in the IT boom. Now we have a coalition government and there is an atmosphere of industrial gloom.
e-mail: vikram@starofmysore.com
source: http://www.staromysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> Columns in Black & White / by Vikram Muthanna / August 11th, 2018
Giving a tight slap to all the protestors, 18-year-old Tabassum Shaik scored a perfect 100 in Hindi, Psychology and Sociology.
Image Source : TWITTER/@TAHSEEN_JNU Tabassum Shaik with his parents.
A year after Karnataka hit the headlines of major global media outlets following a controversy that erupted after a dispute pertaining to some Muslim students who wanted to wear hijab in classes were prevented by their classmates, it has again gained media attention. But this time, for some good reasons.
Among the Muslim girls who protested against the college uniform, 18-year-old Tabassum Shaik again hit the headlines and proved “Success is the best revenge”. Notably, Karnataka’s 2nd PUC results were declared on Saturday, April 21. Shaik, who faced thousands of her classmates agitating against her Muslim attire, topped the arts stream in the Second Pre-University (PU) exams.
Shaik scored 593 points out of 600
Among the highest scorers, the 18-year-old who still wears a black scarf proudly, received 593 points out of 600 and placed first in the Arts Stream. Giving a tight slap to all the protestors, she scored a perfect 100 in Hindi, Psychology and Sociology.
Meanwhile, speaking to Indian Express after her achievement, Shaik said that she preferred to choose “education over hijab.” “I decided to give up the hijab in college and pursue my education. We will need to make some sacrifices for education,” Shaikh was quoted as saying to The Indian Express.
Follow the law of the land: Proud father
Her proud father, Abdul Khaum Shaik, who played a significant role during her tough days, said he always suggested his daughter prioritise her education over other kinds of stuff.
He told his daughter it is important to “follow the law of the land. Education is more important for the children”.
Notably, all the Muslim girls including Shaik stubborn about wearing hijab, had filed a petition in the court, seeking permission to attend classes wearing hijab.
Tharoor praises efforts
When the controversy broke out, the matter was confined to some regions of the state but soon it evolved into a significant dissension that even the High Court had to intervene. According to the agitating students, wearing a black scarf was their ‘fundamental right’ bestowed under Articles 14 and 25 of the Indian Constitution. Besides, they also argued wearing a hijab is an ‘integral practice of Islam’. However, the Karnataka high court upheld a government order and asserted to continue banning religious attire in educational institutions.
Subsequently, Shaik said she accepted the court’s order and resumed her studies without the scarf. Meanwhile, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor praised the efforts of the student and said, “Success is the best revenge”. #ShabashTabassum!
source: http://www.indiatvnews.com / India TV / Home> English News> Karnataka / by Ajeet Kumar, New Delhi / April 24th, 2023
The Internet has been overjoyed with Ilham’s success. Many shared her success story and pointed out that her religious identity did not deter her from securing a top rank.
Ilham and Anisha Mallya
On June 18, as Karnataka PUC results were being announced, Ilham, a Muslim woman who wears a Hijab, discovered that she had scored overall state second rank in the science stream. Her batchmate Anisha Mallya from the Commerce section also scored overall second rank in the state.
Both the girls have scored first rank in Dakshina Karnataka. While Ilham scored 597 out of 600, Anisha secured 595 out of 600 marks.
Ilham and Anisha are students of St Aloysius PU College from Mangalore in Dakshina Karnataka. The irony is worth noting as a mere few months ago the hijab row had engulfed the country?
Speaking to reporters, Ilham said, “I am very excited. I checked my percentage which was 91.5%. I informed my relatives. After some time, I started getting calls from my cousins saying my name is coming in the news. At that moment I realised that I got a rank. Till then I was unaware.”
Ilham says she still has not come in terms of her success. Asked what would she want to become in the future, she said she was always interested in pursuing a career in BSc in Clinical Psychology.
Ilham’s parents are over the moon. Her father, Mohammed Rafiq, used to work in the Gulf as an IT employee and now is retired while her mother Moizatul Kubra is a housewife.
The Internet has been overjoyed with Ilham’s success. Many shared her success story and pointed out that her religious identity did not deter her from securing a top rank.
Her classmate, Anisha Mallya, who secured Karnataka second rank in the Commerce section said the results were unexpected. “I have achieved this feat with the help of teachers and they have been really supportive. I gave my 100 percent. I am very happy and content,” Anisha said. She plans to continue studying in the same college.
In December 2021, six Muslim students wearing Hijab were banned from their school in Udupi, Karnataka. The management stated that they cannot enter the school wearing a hijab as it represents a religious symbol.
The issue soon spread in other schools of Dakshina Kannada which then snowballed into a national issue. Female Muslim students wearing hijabs were not allowed on the school premises. Even the teaching staff faced the brunt and many resigned.
In fact, it took a deadly turn with many Hindu students, all from pre-university colleges (PUC) started supporting the anti-hijab movement and partook in proests. Visuals of saffron shawl-clad teenagers in their school uniforms began flashing in news channels as the students revolted against their Muslim peers.
The issue took a legal turn with the six Muslim students filing a petition at the Karnataka high court against the state government of Karnataka. Unfortunately, the verdict was pronounced against the girls and Hijab has been banned.
For many, especially members from the right-wing sector, it was a huge win.
The Karnataka government made it clear that those wearing Hijab will neither be allowed into the classrooms nor allowed to sit in the recently concluded PUC examination. As a result, many young Muslim girls opted to stay at home rather than abandon the hijab.
source: http://www.siasat.com / The Siasat Daily / Home> News> India / by The news desk (headline edited) /posted by Veena Nair / June 20th, 2022
India is home to 16 distinct varieties of coffee. (Supplied)
India, the world’s sixth-largest coffee grower, on an average produces about 3.2 lakh tons of coffee every year of which 75 percent are exported to countries like Italy, Germany, Russia, Belgium and Turkey. Today, India is home to 16 distinct varieties of coffee.
The journey of coffee to India has a vivid Arab connection. A devout pilgrim hailing from Chickmagalur, a picturesque hill station in India’s Karnataka state, Hazarat Shah Janab Magatabi, fondly known as Baba Budan, on his return journey, around 1600 AD via Yemen brought with him seven Coffee Arabica seeds by strapping them to his chest under his tunic.
Bababudangiri Hills in Chickmagalur where coffee was first planted in India. (Supplied)
Legend has it that Arabs were extremely protective about their coffee industry and taking the seeds outside was not allowed. The saint had known that they were magical seeds for making refreshing beverage as he had tasted the kahwa (Arabic for coffee) in Mocha, a port city of Yemen that overlooks the Red Sea.
Besides being a trading hub for coffee, Mocha was the source of the popular Mocha coffee beans. After reaching his native place, Baba Budan sowed the seeds in his hermitage garden near a hill cave at Chandragiri and the rest is history.
Chickmagalur is a picturesque hill station in India’s Karnataka state. (Supplied)
The coffee plants gradually spread as backyard plantings, and later on to the hills. The hills are now called Baba Budan Hills after the him. Today Chickmagalur, the birthplace of coffee in India, is filled with coffee plantations throughout its length and breadth.
Besides Chickmagalur, the charming region of Coorg is also one of the major grower of coffee. Coffee cultivation grew and thrived in India during the British rule and beyond.
A fall amid coffee plantations in Chickmagalur. (Supplied)
The Dutch began to harvest coffee in the Malabar region, but a major transition happened when the British led a relentless drive to set up Arabica coffee plantations across the hilly regions in South India, where the climatic conditions were more favorable for the crop.
Grown under a canopy of thick natural shade in ecologically sensitive regions of the Western and Eastern Ghats spread over Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu, Indian coffee quickly spread to non-traditional areas like Andhra Pradesh and Odisha on the Eastern Coast; Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Tripura, Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh in the North East. Despite many states growing coffee, Karnataka and Kerala, accounting for nearly 90 percent of total production.
The charming region of Coorg is also one of the major grower of coffee. (Supplied)
In India, based on region of production, 13 regional coffees are classified: Anamalais, Bababudangiris, Biligiris, Araku Valley, Brahmaputra, Shevaroys, and Pulneys (for Arabica) and Wayanaad and Travancore (for Robusta). Coorg, Chikmagalur, Nilgiris and Manjarabad are famous for both Arabica and Robusta.
Apart from these 13, there are three Specialty Coffees classified based on their international popularity. They are Monsooned Malabar, Mysore Nuggets and Robusta Kaapi Royale.
Stall owners are thankful to Arabia for the wonderful coffee. (Supplied)
During a recent visit to Baba Budan hills, this correspondent spoke to stall owners and few tourists who still are thankful to Arabia for the wonderful coffee.
One stall owner who sells cool drinks and snacks on the hills overlooking the shrine summed up, “It is because of Baba Budan that India got coffee so early and the credit for discovering coffee goes to Arabs who invented and discovered hundreds of stuff including the coffee.”
Little wonder then a small cup of coffee has so much history behind it.
source: http://www.english.alarabiya.net / AlArabiya News / Home> Features / by Aftab Husain Kola / October 07th, 2018
These were the first iron-cased rockets used in the military thus paving the way for rockets use around the world. (Supplied)
More than 1,000 unused rockets of India’s freedom fighter Tipu Sultan’s era found toward the end of July this year, will now be showcased at a newly created rocket gallery at the museum at Shivappa Nayaka Palace in Shivamogga city in the state of Karnataka.
The gallery, named as Bidanur Rocket Gallery after the famous Bidanur Fort at Nagar in Hosanagar taluk of Shivamogga district, will open to receive visitors in October.
Visitors will be able to feast on the rockets used by Tipu Sultan, the illustrious son of Karnataka, who was known as “Tiger of Mysore” for his daring acts against the British who ruled India then.
India rocket musuem
Bidanur served as an important administrative centre of Mysore State (renamed as Karnataka) and Tipu Sultan had even established a mint and an armory here.
Speaking to Al Arabiya English, R. Shejeshwara, Assistant Director of the Department of Archaeology, Museums and Heritage, said that the findings were discovered during a field excavation at a farmer’s well in Nagara village in Hosnagar Taluk, Shivamogga district, conducted by Department of Archeology, Museums and Heritage.
He said, “the shape of a cylinder and having a fuse at one end reveal that these rockets were used during the eighteenth century AD during Tipu’s time. Each unused rocket is of 7 to 10 inches in length and 1 to 3 meter in diameter and are rusted because of continuous exposure to soil moisture”.
India rocket musuem
Shejeshwara further said that like the earlier rockets found in 2002, those recovered recently also are iron-cased with black powder, a mixture of sulfur, charcoal and potassium nitrate filled inside. The 15-member crew of archaeologists, excavators and laborers took three days to unearth the armory and the ammunition.
Shejeshwara said that after the fourth Anglo-Mysore War, it is likely that Tipu’s army, stationed in Nagara, could have dumped the rockets in the well to prevent them from getting into the hands of the East India Company.
The media spotlight on the recent findings speaks volumes about how this powerful 18th century ruler of Mysore is remembered. Mysore under Tipu stood as a bulwark against the British.
Tipu conceptualized, designed and manufactured cylindrical iron tubes that ensured for great compression of the filled gunpowder and consequently, greater range (nearly 2 km). The brave freedom fighter then fastened them to swords or bamboo poles to provide stability, that would, in turn, lead to better accuracy.
Fitted with sharpnels that traveled a considerable distance, these air-borne weapons would target the enemy with edges of the sharpnels facing them.
India rocket musuem
These were the first iron-cased rockets used in the military thus paving the way for rockets use around the world.
The first rocket, which was fired by Tipu Sultan in 1792 against the British forces, is displayed at the British Museum. Though the British lost the war, they have exhibited the rocket.
After being the victims of these innovative locally-crafted rockets, the British eventually adopted the technology. Tipu Sultan wrote a military manual called Fathul Mujahideen in which he explains that 200 rocket men were assigned to each Mysorean cushoon (brigade).
Little wonder then the credit for developing the first-ever iron-clad rockets goes to Tipu Sultan and they were successfully deployed for military use.
In the Battle of Pollilur (the Second Anglo-Mysore War in 1780), Tipu’s rockets set afire the East India Company’s ammunition dumps. It was the British Army’s one of the worst ever defeats in India.
India rocket musuem
It may be recalled that a set of 24 rare and rediscovered preparatory paintings depicting the Battle of Pollilur was sold to a bidder for £769,250 at the Sotheby’s biannual Arts of the Islamic World Sale in 2010. The Britishers described these rockets filled with gunpowder on swords as “flying plagues”.
Tipu took advantage of them and established four taramandalpets (star-cluster bazaars, a name that refers to the pattern of mid-air explosions of these rockets that then pounded shrapnel on the enemy) at Srirangapatna, Bidanur, Chitradurga, and Bangalore to conduct research on Mysore rocket technology.
The armory in Kalasipalyam in Bangalore was among the four that were constructed by Tipu Sultan to store ammunition. The 18th century armory that housed the famed rockets of Tipu Sultan is hardly known.
After the death of Tipu in 1799, the British Army discovered as many as 600 launchers, 700 serviceable rockets and 9,000 empty rockets at Tipu’s fort.
One of the major beneficiary was the Royal Artillery Museum in Woolwich in the UK. The powerful ruler was killed in the fourth Anglo-Mysore war in 1799 after a slew of victories in battle against the British.
http://www.english.alarabiya.net / AlArabiya News / Home> Life > Travel & Tourism / by Aftab Alam Kola / August 09th, 2018
“The fishermen community of coastal Karnataka is much supportive and co-operative towards the Coastal Security Police and the activities we conduct,” said Adbul Ahed, SP Coastal Security Police Malpe.
Speaking at an interaction programme with the media fraternity organised by Udupi Press Club, Udupi District Working Journalists Association here, Abdul Ahed said, “We have an integral relationship with the fishermen community of the Karnataka coast. Both of us are interdependent and share a mutual relationship. They themselves identify and inform us about any suspicious activity at the mid sea. Often at times they themselves have brought the suspicious persons to the coast and have handed over them to us for further proceedings. We also take their boats for rescue operations when in need. We have been a model for coastal security. We, the coast guard and Indian navy work as a team for coastal security. This has resulted positively in our workings.”
“During last year we responded to 13 rescue operations. Our team is equipped with 80 power terrain vehicles, binoculars and even drones. The drones will be used for monitoring the activities in the island areas. We are expecting high powered boats also as this will equip the coastal security police in reaching the incident spots very quickly,” Abdul Ahed added.
Rajesh Shetty Alevoor, president, Udupi District Working Journalists Association, Ajith Aradi, convenor, Udupi Press Club, Ankith Shetty, co – convenor and Nazeer Polya, secretary were present.
source: http://www.daijiworld.com / Daijiworld.com / Home> Karnataka / by Daijiworld Media Network – Udupi (JD) / August 22nd, 2023
The 108th Annual General Body Meeting (AGM) of theMuslim Co-operative Bank Limited was held on Sunday in the 2nd floor of the Main Branch Building on New Sayyaji Rao Road in city.
Bank President Dr. Abdul Ravoof, who is also an Orthopaedic Surgeon, presented the Directors’ Report and Audited financial statements for the year 2022-2023.
He also spoke in detail about the overall development of the Bank and requested the loanees to repay their monthly instalments on time to reduce the percentage of NPA, which is very important for the expansion activities and overall development of the Bank, which is serving the community since 108 years.
Dr. Abdul Ravoof informed the share holders that the Bank has earned Rs. 1.66 crore profit during the year 2022-2023. The Board of Management proposed 15 percent as dividend for the year 2022-2023 which was raised to 20 percent on the demand from share holders.
The meeting began with the recitation of verses from the Holy book of Quran by young Moulana and Hafiz Umez Saheb.
On the occasion, children of the Members of the Bank who excelled in II PUC and SSLC examination held in the year 2022-2023 and senior share holders of the Bank were felicitated.
Bank Director Abdur Rahman Shariff welcomed.
Manager of Main Branch Md Khaleel-ulla Shariff presented the proceedings of the previous AGM.
Bank Director Md Akram proposed a vote of thanks.
Directors Rahmath Ulla Sharifff and Abdur Rahman Shariff were also present.
source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> News / September 06th, 2023
Falkia Khan, a teenager of the city, has been appointed as Brand Ambassador of Swachh Survekshan-2023.
Swachh Survekshan is the world’s largest urban sanitation and cleanliness survey.
The primary goal of Swachh Survekshan-2023 is to encourage large scale citizen participation and create awareness amongst all sections of society about the importance of working together towards making towns and cities better places to reside in.
A resident of Rajivnagar 2nd Stage, Falkia was handed over the appointment letter by Mayor Shivakumar at her house yesterday.
Falkia Khan is a 1st PU student at St. Joseph’s College in Sathagalli. She is the daughter of marble and granite businessman Ajajulla Khan and Farheen Khan couple.
Falkia, who passed SSLC in distinction, has taken PCMB as subjects in PUC. She is aspiring to become an Indian Foreign Service (IFS) Officer, according to her mother Farheen Khan, who spoke to Star of Mysore this noon.
Falkia, who is also a National Muay Thai Boxer, has won Gold in National Championship and many gold medals in boxing and kickboxing, apart from winning gold in Spellbee competitions.
She also holds ‘India Book of Records’ for delivering maximum public speeches.
Mayor Shivakumar told Star of Mysore that “Falkia Khan had been appointed as Brand Ambassador during the tenure of previous BJP led State Government. However, the process of issuing letter of appointment was pending, which was completed yesterday. Falkia is scheduled to visit every wards in Mysuru City Corporation (MCC) limits to create awareness among the people to make Mysuru the No. 1 Cleanest City in the country, in the forthcoming Clean City rankings.”
Chairperson of MCC Public Health, Education and Social Justice Standing Committee Savitha Suresh, Chairman of Finance Standing Committee R. Nagaraj, former Mayor and sitting Corporator Ayub Khan, Corporator Syed Hasarathulla, MCC Commissioner Ashaad-Ur-Rahman-Shariff, Senior Health Officer of MCC Dr. D.G. Nagaraj, Environment Engineers and Health Inspectors were present on the occasion.
source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> News / August 18th, 2023
Mysuru’s Falkia Khan (10th standard) has entered India Book of Records to deliver maximum public speakings by a teen.
She is the daughter of Ajajulla Khan, businessman and Farheen Khan, a housewife, residents of Rajivnagar, in city.
She is also a National Muay Thai Boxer who has won Gold in National Championship and many gold medals in boxing and kickboxing apart from winning gold in spellbee competitions.
source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> Sports News / June 11th, 2023
