Jagan Bi Patel, a home-maker who played host to B.R. Ambedkar in 1927, died in Karoshi village in Belagavi district on Tuesday. She was a little over 108. She died of natural causes, her family said.
Jagan Bi, also called Munni Bai, served food to Ambedkar in her native village of Aurwad in Kolhapur district in Maharashtra. As a 15-year-old girl, she served tea and lunch to the national leader and eminent lawyer when he stayed in her parent’s house for a week, as he was fighting a civil case for her father. Ambedkar represented Mohammad Patel, Jagan Bi’s father, in a property dispute.
Jagan Bi settled down in Karoshi after her marriage to a farmer in 1930. She used to relate stories of Baba Saheb’s visit to her paternal house and how he saved her father’s land by winning cases in Chikkodi and Mumbai in the 1920s. She spoke of how her father and Ambedkar would at times walk to the court in Chikkodi. Her favourite episode was an unrelated incident where Ambedkar rode a horse to Nippani.
She became some a sort of celebrity in Chikkodi after Bahujan Samaj Party leader Kanshi Ram met her during a visit to Belagavi district in 1995.
“She told Kanshi Ram that Ambedkar fondly called her Munni,” Bahujan Samaj Party leader from Chikkodi, Rajeev Kamble, who was present during that meeting, recalled.
Her husband died 30 years ago and she lived in Karoshi where her sons tilled land and sold farm produce for a living. She spent her last years reciting and reading the Quran among women’s groups.
She spoke Marathi and Urdu and entertained the village children by telling them stories.
The final rites were conducted in the village on Wednesday.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Karnataka / by Special Correspondent / Belagavi – June 04th, 2020
Like to any other woman in her slum near Lakshminarasimha Kere in Dharwad, the inevitable COVID-19 lockdown brought misery to Yasmin Nisar Mangalavadekar. A trained tailor, she was forced to stop work temporarily as there were no fresh orders. Tailoring is the only source of income for this single mother of three.
While she was struggling to make ends meet, similar plight of women in the neighbourhood moved her to think of an activity that could help them sustain through the crisis. She decided to put to use her tailoring skills to stitch face masks and create livelihoods for women in the neighbourhood.
A family engaged in mask making
For the last 50 days, five women from the locality have been stitching masks in Yasmin’s 12X15 ft single-bedroom house. Around 20 slum dwellers engage in the activity from their homes. These women are now earning around Rs 5,000 per month, the sole income for their families during lockdown. They are among hundreds of women trained by Yasmin in tailoring in the past two years.
“We stitch masks that are crucial to protect people from Covid-19. This, in turn, helps us subsist,” says Yasmin.
She acknowledges the support rendered by people and organisations who bought masks from them. Hubballi-based Deshpande Foundation purchased over 20,000 masks to be distributed among the frontline Covid-19 warriors including Dharwad Zilla Panchayat workers, Hubli-Dharwad Municipal Corporation civic workers and police personnel. Yasmin is also grateful to Vani Purohit, the chief executive officer of Rehabilitative Assistance for People in Distress, for making this possible.
Deshpande Foundation’s Sandeep Sabarwal recalls Yasmin as a determined woman, who not only wished to lead a resilient life but also ensure that women around her are empowered. “Realising her qualities we trained her to become an entrepreneur, who, could lead a team and help others earn a living,” he said
Yasmin has trained more than 400 people to stitch dress, bags and do embroidery work. Today, she has become a guiding light to many women in her locality.
“Like me, many people living in our slum have lost their sources of income due to lockdown. As dignified bread-earners, waiting for someone else to feed us was out of question. Deshpande Foundation supported us by giving a big order,” said Yasmin andher team completed the consignment of 20,000 masks in just eight days.
“Each one of us worked for 8-10 hours a day and completed the task in record time,” said Saleema Bilagi. Her husband is a carpenter and couldn’t get work even for a single day in the past two months. She shudders to think of her family’s plight had she not got this opportunity.
Deshpande Foundation helped them with the know-how to stitch good quality masks apart from giving the first big consignment. Other NGOs and individuals followed with orders. The team has also sold over 5,000 masks to them at Rs 15 per piece. The team stitches two-layered and three-layered cotton masks.
Over 100 women from the locality have approached her to be part of the team that emerged from the crisis. Yasmin wants to accommodate as many people as possible but they don’t have any fresh orders now. “With so many families in need of a livelihood, we can stitch about one lakh masks in 15 days,” she said.
For details, contact Yasmin on 8722620230.
source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> Spectrum / by Pavan Kumar H / May 16th, 2020
Actor-turned-producer Sanjay Khan speaks about his second book ‘Assalamualaikum Watan’ and what he is doing during the lockdown
Actor-turned-producer Sanjay Khan’s second book Assalamualaikum Watan dwells on Islam’s history in India’s multicultural society, the role Muslims have played in nation-building and the issues they face. In the book, Khan emphatically declares that he “considers himself an Indian first and then a person of the faith”. In a conversation with Lachmi Deb Roy, he talks about the book and what he is doing during the lockdown.
What is Assalamualaikum Watan about?
Muslims in India number around 200 million. They contribute significantly to the cultural vitality and vibrancy of India. This number represents the second-largest mass of Muslims in any nation in the world. As Indian Muslims, we should feel tremendous pride, a sense of empowerment and responsibility because we contribute to the achievements of Muslims in the world. The age-old saying is ‘safety in numbers’, but there is also ‘inspiration in numbers’. Our social responsibilities should serve as the spark for the guiding light that Indian Muslims can provide. Through the power of education, I would like all Muslims to illuminate their path and contribute to the exchequer by joining the mainstream as involved citizens. This vast human resource can certainly propel the country’s economic growth.
How is your second book different from your first?
They are poles apart. Assalamualaikum Watan deals with the need for education in the Indian Muslim community, while my autobiography The Best Mistakes Of My Life is just my story.
You have had a successful career as an actor. How does it feel to be a writer?
God’s greatest gift to mankind is the art of writing. I feel fortunate to have authored two books.
What are your favourite films?
My favourite film is Raj Kapoor’s Awara, David Lean’s Lawrence of Arabia and Doctor Zhivago. Among recent films, I liked Aamir Khan’s Dangal.
What do you like about world cinema?
The professional finesse, technical excellence, remarkable performances and extraordinary scripts. James Cameron’s Avatar is one of my favourite films.
Which directors do you like?
David Lean, Steven Spielberg, Ridley Scott and James Cameron.
Any plans of returning to acting?
In the past couple of years, I have been offered quite a few roles, but I am waiting for roles that excite me. In the meantime, I have just finished writing the script of a major biopic that I will direct and produce.
What are you doing during the lockdown?
I am keeping myself busy by reading, exercising and talking to friends and relatives. I am trying to reach out to the people working with me and those who are in need. I love watching Hollywood classics. I am also studying new technologies in filmmaking. I listen to Mohammed Rafi, who sang a total of 48 numbers for my films, and Lata Mangeshkar.
source: http://www.outlookindia.com / Outlook / Home> Magazine> Arts & Entertainment> Interview / by Lakshmi Deb Roy interviews Sanjay Khan / May 08th, 2020
Born on February 5, 1936 at Devanahalli on the city’s northern outskirts, Ahmed was a prolific writer in Kannada and penned poems, plays, short stories and novels.
KS Nissar Ahmed
Bengaluru :
Eminent Kannada poet and writer K.S. Nissar Ahmed passed away here after prolonged illness, an official said on Sunday. He was 84.
“Ahmed died at his residence in the city’s south-west suburb after prolonged illness due to age-related complications,” a state information department official told IANS here.
Born on February 5, 1936 at Devanahalli on the city’s northern outskirts, Ahmed was a prolific writer in Kannada and penned poems, plays, short stories and novels.
A post-graduate in geology, Ahmed worked in the mines and geology department of the state government at Gulbarga in the state’s northern region in the 1950s-60s before moving to Bengaluru to teach the subject (geology) at the state-run central college in the city centre and later at Chitradurga and Shimoga in the state’s Malnad region during the 1970s.
“Ahmed is a recipient of several awards and honours, including Padma Sri and Sahitya Academy award in 2008 and state awards like Pampa in 2017, Nadoja in 2003 and Rajyotsava in 1981,” the official recalled.
Kuvempu University at Shimoga awarded honorary doctorate to Ahmed in 2010.
Ahmed is well known for his poems “Nityotsava” and other popular works such as “Manasu Gandhi Bazaru”, “Sanje Aidara Male” and “Manadondige Mathukathe”.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Karnataka / by IANS / May 03rd, 2020
They load their vehicles with rice, pulses and spices as also medicines and hygiene kits for distribution in these villages, just 50km from Bengaluru.
Bengaluru :
Siddanapalya and Chinnaiahnapalya—two backward villages in Anekal taluk of Bengaluru Rural district—daily see a band of youngsters come there and give them gyaan on coronavirus and provide essentials.Murali Prabhas, a young startup entrepreneur, and three other fellow engineers, Thasneem Fathima, Sushmitha Singh and R Nisha, trudge every day from Whitefield to Anekal to provide succour to these affected villages due to the lockdown. Another member is Dr Raj Kumar who is busy with his medical duties but contributes to their volunteering programme in kind and cash.
They load their vehicles with rice, pulses and spices as also medicines and hygiene kits for distribution in these villages, just 50km from Bengaluru. The group tries to create awareness about the deadly Covid-19 disease and the need to maintain personal hygiene – hand washing and social distancing. However, it is easier said than done as the professionals from Bengaluru say the attention span of people is just five minutes when one talks about coronavirus and its deadly effect while the attraction for food and hygiene kits is more.
The ‘Humanity First’ group has been involved in social work for the last five years and they say the present work has not been easy as the villages with a population of 1,000-1,200 are completely unaware of what is happening in the world. Murali says, “None of them adheres to any rules of the national lockdown. As far as social distancing is concerned, it is an alien concept for them.”
Members of Humanity First distribute food at a village in Anekal taluk | Express
Presently, this group has been preparing food like pulao/tomato bhath/bisibele bhath/puliyogire at the villages itself as any packed food is not welcome here. The day’s menu is prepared taking help from a select band of 10 villagers while the vegetables are purchased from the farmers here. This makes it easy for the group to deal with them as they are highly suspicious, says a group member. “Only 4-5 of us go every day as we have to maintain social distancing. The villagers crowd around us as soon as we reach.”
Food is such an attraction that some residents bring vessels instead of plates. “We have been teaching them how to wash hands, wear masks and keep a distance of 12 feet from one another. For them, the kit is a big attraction apart from the food and within 5 minutes, we have to teach them about hygiene.”
The hygiene kit comprises a bottle of sanitiser, mask, bath and washing soaps, sanitary pads, shampoo and a strip of Dolo 650 – a paracetamol. Every day, kits worth Rs 12,000 are distributed to children who are above 14 years. For food preparation, they spend about Rs 6,000 per day.The group is managing this work from its own savings and small donations from their friends and relatives while one of the members brings his vehicle for distribution work.
In these villages, one can find migrant labourers from UP, Bihar and Odisha who work in the nearby iron and steel fabrication units, garment factories and a pharmaceutical company. Since the units are closed, the migrants have been managing with free rations from the government. For the migrants, these are hard times and even a single food item that they get from these youngsters is welcome.
The Humanity First has tied up with a women’s group who are making sanitisers and masks and they are helping them to market 2,000 masks and 10 litres of sanitiser.For this dedicated group of youngsters, it is with a prayer on their lips that they go to these villages to do their bit. “People await our arrival every day and we cannot miss it even for one day in such harsh times,” they say.
Service their motto
From 2014 onwards, Murali Prabhas has done a lot of backend work for charity trusts and Rotary. He and his friends built four washrooms for the Divine Blind School in 2016. After his visit to a school in Kolar district where children were wearing torn uniforms, Murali and his friends decided to take up social work and adopted two slums between Kadugodi and Whitefield in Bengaluru. For three years, they taught science and mathematics and distributed textbooks to Class 10 children in the slums.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Bengaluru / by Meera Bharadwaj / Express News Service / April 26th, 2020
From chips to dosas, to toys and games to razors and nail cutters … whatever the patients need, they have it.
Bengaluru, KARNATAKA :
Dr Asima Banu, Nodal Officer, Trauma and Emergency Care Centre, Victoria Hospital, Bengaluru | EXPRESS
Bengaluru :
From chips to dosas, to toys and games to razors and nail cutters … whatever the patients need, they have it. Because their wish is her command. And she gets them whatever they want with her own money. Yet, the patients don’t know who this angel is. Meet Dr Asima Banu, Nodal Officer of Trauma and Emergency Care Centre at Victoria Hospital which has now turned into a COVID-19 facility.
It is not easy for Dr Asima, who is in charge of the entire block, to meet all the requirements of the patients. Yet, she does with a smile. “It is very new and challenging for me. Not only do I have to check on the treatment but even look into what other things the patients want. As they stay until they are fully recovered, we need to keep them happy and satisfied,” she said. Dr Asima said when patients come for testing, they just come with a phone.
If they are symptomatic, they are moved to a quarantine unit until their results come. And once they test positive, they are directly sent to the designated hospital. “When they come here, naturally, they don’t bring clothes or other essentials. And once they test positive, their primary and secondary contacts are traced and are quarantined as well. So the patient has no way to get the necessary stuff for their daily use in the hospital. And they, in turn, ask us. And we have to provide them.”
“Some patients do not want to wear the hospital garments and want their own clothes. So in such cases, I call my family and ask them to send some clothes which are completely clean and some which are unused as well. I give it to the patients. Some need sandals. I check on the size and pass on the message to my family. My son looks for the size and get it for them,” she said. Five children who have tested positive for COVID are admitted here.
They demand games, cakes and chocolates. And Dr Asima has it delivered to them through Swiggy. “It does not matter if I spend for them. They just need to be happy,” she said. Dr Asima has never gone in front of the patients as it is mostly the nurses and doctors who are in the frontline. She has created a WhatsApp group with patients and they message her whatever they want. “They have never seen me, all they know is Dr Asima gives them what they want,” she said.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Good News / by Iffath Fathima / Express News Service / April 26th, 2020
Mohammadpur Village (Chintamani Taluk) / Kolar, KARNATAKA :
When Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the nation-wide lockdown to contain COVID-19 from March 25, brothers Tajamul and Muzamil Pasha in Kolar took an exceptional step. They sold a 30*40 plot of land they owned in the town.
This was not to meet their financial needs in times of crisis. But to support those who had lost their livelihoods owing to the lockdown.
The two brothers, who live in the Housing Board colony of Kolar, raised Rs 25 lakh from the sale. The money was used to purchase groceries and other essentials for the underprivileged.
“Isolation is key in the fight against COVID-19. Poor people venture outside if they don’t get food. The ideal way to keep them inside their houses is by supplying groceries and food at their doorstep,” Tajamul Pasha told DH.
The Pashas hail from Mohammadpur village in Chintamani taluk in Chikkaballapur district. Tajamul was an eight-year-old and Muzamil, just five, when their parents passed away. Soon after, they relocated to Kolar with their grandmother.
Compelled to earn their livelihood, they had to discontinue studies after Class IV.
“A kind-hearted man gave us a house near the masjid in Gauripet. Hindus, Muslims, a Sikh family and several others gave us food those days. Religion and caste were never a barrier. What brought us together was humanity and we are now attending the call of humanity,” Tajamul says.
“Those days taught us the value of food. This childhood experience drove us to serve the poor till the lockdown ends,” he adds.
Community initiative
After raising Rs 25 lakh, the brothers tapped into a close network of friends, which includes members from all communities, to start the relief work. First, they bought groceries in bulk and stored them at their residence. Ration packets containing essential items: 10 kg rice, 1 kg all-purpose flour, 2 kg wheat, 1 kg sugar, edible oil, tea powder, spice powders, a bottle of hand sanitiser and face masks were prepared.
Then, they erected a tent in an open space next to their house and set up a community kitchen to serve food to those who can’t cook meals in their houses.
The volunteers have also been given passes by the police, so they can make deliveries of the essential items on their bikes.
They sourced information about those in need of help by visiting the localities themselves and seeking details from the locals and elected representatives.
Their main aim is to ensure that each member of the family receives three meals a day.
So far, the Pashas have delivered free groceries to over 2,800 families, covering some 12,000 people. They have also served food to over 2,000 people. Now, the brothers are working with other like-minded people to continue serving those in need.
“I didn’t know that the government would extend the lockdown. I have done my best, using resources the God has given me. I plan to continue to serve the needy till the lockdown ends,” Tajamul says.
source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> Specials / by Jagadish Angadi / April 22nd, 2020
The Spanish Flu’s name comes from the fact that even as wartime censorship in the United States and most of Europe suppressed news of the influenza, the media in neutral Spain reported on it extensively. Photo: Wiki Commons
June 1918. A debilitating disease suddenly swept through Mumbai. Thousands fell ill, complaining of debilitating fever and cough, sometimes with intestinal problems.
For hundreds of unfortunates, their lungs filled with fluids and they died as their body was starved of oxygen. This was the Spanish influenza pandemic of 1918-19, which killed an astounding 50 million worldwide. Recent estimates put the death toll in India at a staggering 12 million.
Scientists refer to Spanish influenza as the ‘mother of all influenza pandemics’, since it is the common ancestor of human and swine flu viruses. The disease is inextricably associated with World War I.
The name comes from the fact that even as wartime censorship in the United States and most of Europe suppressed news of the influenza, the media in neutral Spain reported on it extensively, including when their king Alfonso XIII fell ill with it.
Spanish influenza’s first wave reached Mumbai when soldiers returned from Europe, carrying the virus with them. An even more lethal second wave hit in September.
When the pandemic reached Mysore State, it hit it hard. The State had still not shaken off the plague. Wartime shortages had pushed up the prices of food and other essentials. To make matters worse, the monsoon failed that year.
The disease first passed through Bengaluru in late June without causing much harm. The second wave in mid-September was deadlier. Suddenly, entire families fell ill.
Higher fatality
Dispensaries, clinics and hospitals were overcrowded. Doctors, nurses and compounders were completely overwhelmed. Corpses piled up. Unlike COVID-19, Spanish influenza had a far higher fatality among the young and able-bodied than the old.
Offices emptied as people across all professions and classes fell ill, among others, the health officer in Bengaluru and the then Chief Secretary of Mysore State.
In early October, Bengaluru’s City Municipal Council, under the leadership of the President KP Puttanna Chetty, took several quick, creative and effective steps to deal with the health crisis. Temporary dispensaries were opened, some housed in municipal schools that were closed at the time.
Mobile dispensaries were set up to ensure medicines reached everyone. All dispensaries were directed to stay open for longer hours and to stock enough of the medicines required, including thymol, which was prescribed a preventative.
Since hospitals were filled beyond their capacity, temporary tents and sheds were set up to accommodate the sick. Retired medical staff and medical students were brought in to help with the workload. Health officers went around neighbourhoods to see if there were any infected people and to persuade them to move to the hospitals or the camps to prevent the disease from spreading.
Leaflets in Kannada and English were distributed, which explained the symptoms of influenza, how it spread, and how it was important to ‘separate the sick from the healthy,’ and to avoid ‘the entire family congregating in the sick room.’
People were advised to ‘tie a clean handkerchief on which a teaspoon of eucalyptus oil is sprinkled, across the nose and mouth’ when entering the sick room, to provide a certain extent of protection. They were also strongly urged to avoid crowded places.
A striking feature of the response to the influenza pandemic was the voluntary effort in providing relief. Much like today, when several people are working, often with the police and the BBMP, to ensure the poor are not forgotten during the lockdown, in 1918 too, volunteers helped ensure relief supplies reached the poor and families where there was no one left to tend to the sick.
In Bengaluru, the relief operation was coordinated by Chief Officer R Subba Rao. He divided the city into several blocks with a relief party in charge of each. Supplies included medicines, milk and kanji, a lot of which was prepared at a government facility and then distributed by car, carts and even lorries.
Municipal councillors and volunteers who worked ceaselessly included Father Briand, Ramachandra Rao Scindia, Rev D A Rees, B Usman Khan, B Chinnaswami Setty, Ghulam Dastangir, B K Garudachar, R Gopalaswami Iyer and many, many others.
Assisting them were the Social Service League, Young Men’s Christian Association, students of the Wesleyan, London Mission and National High Schools, and many others. Puttanna Chetty toured the city himself to assist the relief works and ensure they went on smoothly.
By the end of November, the disease was finally under control. More than 1,95,000 people died in Mysore State, 40,000 in Bengaluru alone. With the compounding problems of agrarian distress, rural areas were affected much worse.
source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> Spectrum> Spectrum Top Stories / by Meera Iyer / April 08th, 2020
With help from the police, Dr Syed Moinuddin Shabbir (on bike) goes about attending to patients
Bengaluru :
With OPDs in most hospitals and neighbourhood clinics shut owing to the lockdown, a 46-year-old Bengaluru doctor has emerged a roving healer for thousands of people in Shivajinagar, Pulikeshinagar and Bharatinagar.
Astride a two wheeler converted into a mobile ambulance, Dr Syed Moinuddin Shabbir goes around tending to minor ailments and providing residents essentials like groceries and medicines.
The genial doctor visits 20 to 25 lanes every day and examines residents. He administers insulin shots to diabetics. “Most of the medicines I supply are for blood pressure and diabetes,” says the doctor, who is also vice-principal of a paramedic college at Santosh Group of Institutions. “There are diabetics with gangrene, who need a strong dose of antibiotics on a regular basis. The dressing also needs to be changed.”
Trained by B.Pac as a Civic Leader, Shabbir says he’s been doing his bit since March 25. He initially reached out to people in Shivajinagar. “I was born and brought up in Shivajinagar,” he says.
The doctor, who borrowed the scooter-turned-ambulance from the Santosh group, covers at least 125km every day. He has another two-wheeler for delivering groceries. He pays for the fuel and medicines from his pocket. The groceries he supplies are sponsored by organisations such as Rotary Bangalore Cantonment and Jain Youth Trust.
On house visits, he also spreads awareness on the symptoms of Covid-19 and the need to maintain hygiene and remain indoors. The doctor has also roped in Pulikeshinagar and Bharatinagar police stations to further his endeavor. Patients in need of help or provisions/medicines contact one of the two stations, which alert Shabbir.
So far, the doctor has helped deliver groceries that could last up to one month to 10,000 families, including migrant workers. Shabbir wears a mask to protect himself. “Initially , my family was very hesitant, but eventually they understood it’s a good cause,” he says.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> News> City News> Bengaluru News / by Mrinilani Bhat / TNN / April 17th, 2020
MLA U T Khader with the family of Shree Madhu Bhat at her house in Kulai in Mangaluru. (DH Photo)
Mangaluru MLA U T Khader has helped a PhD scholar, who had arrived in India from Italy, to reach her home at Kulai in Mangaluru from Bengaluru on Sunday.
Shree Madhu Bhat, a PhD student at the University of Turin in Italy, had arrived in Delhi in a special flight arranged by the Government of India.
“After completing the quarantine period in Delhi, she was brought to Bengaluru in a special bus arranged by the central government on April 11. However, she could not reach Mangaluru owing to non-availability of any mode of transportation. Her parents had contacted district administration seeking help and also me through a common friend. When I received the information, I was in Bengaluru and brought her in my car,” Khader said.
She is the daughter of Shivaram Bhat and Shailaja Bhat.
After completing the quarantine period, she along with others were sent in a special bus to their respective states on April 8.
The bus had travelled via Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, and reached Bengaluru on April 11.
The MLA had shared a photograph of the family of Shree Madhu Bhat on his Facebook page.
source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> State> Mangaluru / by Naina J A / DHNS, Mangaluru / April 13th, 2020
