20-year-old Roshna created the longest cartoon strip measuring 430m, titled ‘The Billion Dollar Journey’ honouring businessman MA Yusuff Ali
Father and daughter duo M Dileef and Roshna M. Photo: Nasreen Abdulla
The ongoing Sharjah International Book Fair (SIBF) houses two record-breaking installations — tucked away in Hall 7, the world’s largest screwdriver is displayed and right next to it is the world’s longest cartoon strip depicting the inspirational story of UAE-based businessman MA Yusuff Ali.
Both of these Guinness world record-holding creations have been made by Indian expat father-daughter duo M Dileef and Roshna M. “It feels great to be exhibiting here,” said 20-year-old Roshna, who broke her own record for the longest cartoon strip established in 2021 with her latest creation. Measuring 430m, the new strip titled ‘The Billion Dollar Journey’ is stretched across two wheels and can be read by rotating the hand.
On Sunday, the illustrious Indian businessman from Kerala, MA Yusuff Ali, visited the stall and commended Roshan’s efforts.
Roshna’s father, M Dileef, a seasoned record-setter, said this is his third Guinness World Record. “Due to space constraints, I could only put the head of the screwdriver on display,” he said. Completed in March, the tool measures a whooping 6.6m in length. The artist was recently granted a Golden Visa in the UAE.
The longest cartoon strip
The cartoon strip charts the journey of businessman MA Yusuff Ali, from his childhood in a village in Kerala to his meteoric rise as one of the most influential businessmen in the world.
“I have always looked up to him,” she said. “I want to be an entrepreneur; he is my role model, so I wanted to make something to honour him.”
It was in 2021 that Roshna set her first world record with a cartoon strip measuring 404 metres in collaboration with Global Village. This year, she has broken that record. According to the youngster, who recently graduated with a bachelor’s in fine arts, making this strip took her 8 months, five months of which was just for research.
“I had a team of six classmates,” she said. “We had decided that we wanted to do something to make our mark, and this is the idea we came up with. They helped me in the entire research process and aided me when drawing the cartoon strip as well.”
The graduate now dreams of pursuing a master’s degree in Europe and hopes to raise funds for her education with her artwork.
Largest screwdriver
The masterpiece by Dileef was first displayed at World Art Dubai in March of this year. “I wanted to pay tribute to the working-class population in the city,” he said. “No other country has honoured and valued the contribution of the working class like the UAE has. So many lives were transformed because of Dubai. This piece was a homage to that.”
Made out of mahagony wood and mild steel, the screwdriver was constructed in Dubai. The handle, which has a diameter of 70cm, also has storage space for knickknacks.
Dileef has earlier set two world records- one for curating the world’s longest Quran and another for the largest badminton racket.
www.dileefartgallery.com
source: http://www.khaleejtimes.com / Khaleej Times / Home> UAE / by Nasreen Abdulla / November 06th, 2022
“My name is Nabeela Syed. I’m a 23-year old Muslim, Indian-American woman. We just flipped a Republican-held suburban district,” she tweeted.
Nabeela Syed (Photo: Instagram)
A 23-year-old Indian-American Muslim woman Nabeela Syed, the candidate of the Democratic Party, has won a significant victory in the United States (US) mid-term elections.
Nabeela has written history as the youngest representative to have won the election for the 51st House district of the Illinois state legislature in US.
On Wednesday, Nabeela took to Twitter and shared her happiness of being elected to the General Assembly as a representative of the Democratic party.
“My name is Nabeela Syed. I’m a 23-year old Muslim, Indian-American woman. We just flipped a Republican-held suburban district,” she tweeted.
She further wrote, I will be the youngest member of the Illinois General Assembly.
Nabeela took to Instagram and wrote, “When I announced for State Representative, I made it a mission to genuinely engage in conversation with people – to give them a reason to get involved in our democracy and hope for better leadership that represents their values. We won this race because we engaged in that conversation.”
“We talked to seniors about the rising cost of prescription drugs. We talked to working families about the growing burden of property taxes. We talked to women, pledging that I would protect their right to reproductive healthcare. We spoke with parents about their desire to strengthen commonsense gun safety laws,” she adds.
Nabeela continues, “We won this race because the people of the 51st District want a representative who is ready to fight for them and their families.”
“I knocked every door in this district. Tomorrow, I start knocking them again to thank them for placing their trust in me. I’m ready to get to work,” she added.
In June 2022, Nabeela Syed had won the Democratic primary and has now flipped a Republican district against incumbent Chris Bos.
Syed, who becomes the first South Asian in the Illinois state legislature, will also be the youngest member of the state assembly.
Born and raised in Illinois, Nabeela Syed graduated from the University of California with a degree in Political Science.
In her election manifesto, Nabeela Syed has promised to consider and address public issues such as equal rights, health care, education and taxation.
According to her website, Syed is running “to build a better Illinois for residents today and tomorrow – an Illinois with a strong economy, sustainable infrastructure, and affordable healthcare, and higher education.”
Syed currently works for a non-profit, helping them in digital strategy and supporting a myriad of civic engagement initiatives, for example, mobilising voters, curbing sexual assault on college campuses, and enhancing gender equity, according to her official website.
Having graduated from the University of California, Berkeley, with a degree in Political Science and Business, she served as the president of a pro-bono consulting organisation that helped local businesses.
Syed is active in her religious community at the Islamic Society of Northwest Suburbs and advocates interfaith dialogue and aims to empower young Muslim women to lead.
source: http://www.siasat.com / The Siasat Daily / Home> News> India / by Sakina Fatima / November 10th, 2022
Nellore, ANDHRA PRADESH / Kozhikode, KERALA / SAUDI ARABIA:
Mehad performed Umrah along with his parents immediately after winning the Gold Medal.
Mohammed Mehad Shah
Jeddah:
The juvenile Andhra badminton player made a strong impact at the ongoing Saudi Games, the prestigious national games of oil rich Saudi Arabia known for its passion for football.
Mohammed Mehad Shah, a native of Nellore in Andhra Pradesh has won a gold medal and one million Riyals in the men’s single category in badminton competition as part of the first edition of the Saudi Games, the largest national sports event of its kind, took place on Friday at King Fahd Stadium in Riyadh in the presence of Prince Faisal bin Bandar bin Abdulaziz, Governor of the Riyadh region, as well as the Saudi public in a grand ceremony filled with lights, fire, and music.
Mehad Sha along with other winners were honored by Prince Fahd bin Jalawi bin Abdulaziz bin Musaed, vice president of the Saudi Olympic Committee and director of the Saudi Games. He was also greeted by Muqrin Al-Muqrin, chairman of the Saudi Badminton Federation, and Mai Obaid Al-Rasheed, vice president of the Saudi Badminton Federation.
Participants competing for a grand total of more than SR200 million: Gold-medal winners to receive SR1 million, and silver-medal winners awarded SR300,000 and SR100,000 respectively. This is the highest prize money dedicated to the sports sector in the history of the region.
The 17-years old native of Nellore district in Andhra Pradesh, who was born and brought up in Riyadh and a student of 11th class at New Middle East International School, has told this correspondent that his aim is to win medals for Saudi Arabia in Olympics and other international tournaments.
Mehad Shah said that the coaching which he takes at Gopichand Badminton Academy in Hyderabad is helpful to achieve success. Gopichand is known as Dronacharya of Indian Badminton. He also expressed his gratitude towards his school principal and PT and Tah, Ralf –both Philippine nationals- coaches who trained him.
Excited Mehad who performed Umrah along with his parents immediately after winning the Gold Medal also thanked his school sports director and trainers.
“When I was receiving the gold medal from Prince Fahd, I remember the days when I was struggling to find a partner to play with me in the badminton court”, he said.
He has been playing the game from 5th standard and his elder brother Faisal Sha also used to play the sport in Riyadh. Faisal is now pursuing medicine in India. Mehad’s sister Khateeja is also studying medicine back home in India. Mehad Sha’s parents, Shahid and Shakera Begum both are engineers.
Muzzamil Shaikh, coordinator of APNRT, AP state government body to look after NRI affairs in Saudi Arabia and noted social worker, has congratulated Mehad.
The only other Indian winner is Kadeeja Kothoor, who also won the gold medal and a million-riyal prize money in women’s single category of badminton. She is also 17 years old and studying in the same school as Mehad.
Kadeeja, native of Calicut in Kerala also born and brought up in Riyadh in a family of full badminton athletes. Sinmar Badminton Academy and Indian Academy- set up by a group of NRIs including her father Latheef – trained her. Coaches Sanjay, Shahin and Wahid shaped her gaming skills.
When she started playing at the age of eight years everyone was expecting that she would make a difference in the game one day which she did, said Latheef, father, who himself is a badminton player. Kadeeja’s other siblings are also badminton players. Her brother Mohammed Nzami is Kerala champion and 6th ranker in All India rating under 13 category; while sister Raya Fatima is Calicut’s St. Joseph Devagiri college team member of badminton team.
“My wife, Shanitha, has encouraged all children into sports” said Latheef.
source: http://www.siasat.com / The Siasat Daily / Home> News> Andhra Pradesh / by Irfan Mohammed / posted by Sameer Khan / November 07th, 2022
Muhammadi Begum was a student of Osmania University, Hyderabad, where she topped the Bachelor’s examination in 1932.
Highlights
Having received a scholarship from the Nizam for higher education, Muhammedi Begum, a young woman from Hyderabad, travelled to Oxford University in 1934.
What makes her story even more remarkable is that she maintained an extensive record of her four years abroad.
Her diary has been translated from Urdu into English, and published, by her daughters
In 1934, a young woman from Hyderabad travelled to Oxford University in England to study, accompanied by her husband. She had received a scholarship from the Nizam of Hyderabad to pursue her higher education (for which she studied French, Arabic and English). During the nearly four years she spent in the UK, she had two children, travelled around Europe and established a pattern of living that would hold her in good stead her entire life.
The young woman was Muhammadi Begum, student of Osmania University, Hyderabad, where she topped the Bachelor’s examination in 1932. She was married to Delhi-born, Syed Jamil Husian, an alumnus of the Aligarh Muslim University.
Those days, women travelling abroad to pursue education was a rarity; although what made Muhammadi Begum’s story remarkable is a diary that she maintained at Oxford which recounted everything from her day-to-day concerns to reflections on the state of society.
Muhammadi Begum’s diary remained under a shroud till the year of her passing, in 1990. The little note-book, where she detailed her daily life as she lived across continents, was eventually a precious find. It went to her cousin first and meandered in the family, till it caught the attention of her eldest daughter towards the end of the decade.
“I was pleasantly surprised and was taken aback by it,” said Zehra Ahmad, Muhammadi Begum’s eldest daughter. “I came across the diary after she passed away. I would’ve asked her many questions if I knew about its existence.”
What followed over the years was translation (as Muhammadi wrote in Urdu), editing, followed by COVID-induced delays in publishing, before A Long Way from Hyderabad saw the light of the day in 2022. Zehra translated the book along with her sister Zainab Masud.
Translating the diary was no mean feat, as Muhammadi Begum made detailed records, even writing in the margins. The sisters read it multiple times, transcribed it, and then translated it – all of it laborious and time consuming.
Kulsoom Husein, her youngest, who came out of retirement to edit and rework her mother’s diary said, “The tone of the diary is true to her experience. It was a new experience for her to travel to England as few women did so in those days.”
Charting new paths
Muhammadi Begum belonged to a well-known family of writers. Her mother, Qaiseri Begum, was the granddaughter of famous writer Moulvi Nazeer Ahmed, who’s work Mirat-ul-aroos is often dubbed as Urdu’s first novel. Qaiseri Begum, herself was a prolific writer whose memoirs Kitab-i-Zindagi details changes in Indian social history from the 1880s to the 1960s.
The diary successfully encapsulates the journey of a young couple making their way in the London of 1930s. Her observations are detailed, precise and provide an invaluable peek into the world at the time – be it shopping at Harrod’s, visiting the Victoria and Albert Museum, eating ice-cream at a restaurant in Elliston & Cavell or taking walks in University Parks in Oxford, it paints vivid vignettes of pre-World war- II London.
The diary, according to Ahmad, who also spoke for her other sister and co-translator Zainab, brought her mother alive. “Everything she wrote was an accurate account of herself; her worries for her baby or exams, her management of the household and juggling her studies with a baby. She was on the move all the time and led a full and active life,” said she.
The writing is assured and confident. It stays true to what it is intended to be — a record of its keeper’s time in a foreign land. It comments on the English way of life (an interesting nugget is the usage of blackcurrant jam to treat colds), the trials of learning French and the easy camaraderie between students from India. Her letters to her mother Qaisari Begum were even published in a Hyderabad Urdu daily, Ismat.
It also showcases Muhammadi Begum as an independent woman with agency. Travelling in Europe along with a toddler can be a daunting task at any time, but she managed it with a remarkable spirit. It is in fact this spirit that would hold her in good stead later in life, when at 42 she lost her husband and had to look after many children.
A Long Way from Hyderabad can be nostalgic. It’s all about an era gone by, of Urdu publications in Hyderabad which have long ceased to exist (Rahbar and Tehzeeb) or local traditions like Kalzana, a medicine made from chalk and calcium, and given to pregnant women.
What she wrote holds relevance even today, as her struggles (with food, culture and money) are similar to ones faced by many students studying abroad. The diary also strikes a balance between everyday details of life, reflections of the time and personal observations.
A record of the time
Records of women travellers are rare. The few accounts which exist are those of Sikandar Begum, the ruler of Bhopal who wrote of her pilgrimage to Mecca in 1869, Maimuna Sultan who wrote an account of London in 1911 and Atiya Fyzee who published her travel writings in Zamana-I Tehsil in 1921. Typically, the women who published at the time were queens, politicians or activists; Muhammadi Begum was none of them and hence her account stands out because of its simplicity and honest rendition of her life.
Her writing is as much a record of her own life as it is of the times she lived in. The Independence movement was on in full throttle and she along with her husband eagerly took part in discussions with friends. She actively participated in cultural exchanges even though she was reluctant to lend her sarees to curious British women.
“My mother was very stirred by the experiences she had. Technology, in the form of planes and ship liners, was just coming up and when she visited the science museum she was struck by the difference in Indian and British kids. While rote learning was accepted in India, the children there were curious to explore scientific apparatus and experiments. She makes a mention of all these in her daily jottings,” observed Husein.
Indeed, the travel account shows that concerns have not changed much between 1935 and 2022. The author lamented the state of Indian museums on a visit to the V and A Museum and was entranced by a Buddha statue. She worried about land prices shooting up in Hyderabad and wondered if the family could afford to buy a house — valid concerns even after a century.
She throws light on the comfortable relationship between her and her husband. Muhammadi Begum’s husband, Jamil, took leave of absence from his work as a civil servant in Hyderabad to travel with his wife. According to Ahmad, her father was a hands-on parent. “He looked after the baby with her, which was unusual for the time. Also, they shared an equitable relationship,” she said. “He was an admirer of Gandhi and she looked up to Iqbal, which led to many discussions around each. They both liked exploring places and had a wide circle of friends.”
The years in Oxford had a lasting impact on her, as throughout her life she remained fond of open air, long strolls and staying independent. In fact, later in life, she took in paying guests in Lahore when she retired from her job and needed to supplement her income.
A nod to the past
In producing the book, Muhammadi Begum’s daughters became closer, as Husein noted, “We exchanged information about relatives mentioned and forgotten. My elder sisters have translated and I reworked the text — so it was a collaborative effort. My daughter, Amena, helped with research on key figures who were at Oxford at that time, such as educationist Sir Michael Sadler and GM Sufi, a retired University of Delhi registrar and historian, and Miss Bharti Sarabhai, who hailed from a prominent Indian civil rights activist family.”
With an account of food, state of women, culture, feelings and a life well lived, A Long Way from Hyderabad, is a perfect addition to the archives of writing from pre-Independent India. It provides a reliable record of the times gone by. It also shows the lasting impact of the written word and its ability to transcend time.
source: http://www.news9live.com / News Nine / Home> Arts & Culture / by Mallik Thatipalli / June 03rd, 2022
Mahnaz Faquih teams up with local charities to distribute food parcels at worker accommodation in Al Quoz.
Mahnaz Faquih has helped donate tens of thousands of iftar boxes to the needy in the past 20 years in Dubai. Chris Whiteoak / The National
Dubai resident Mahnaz Faquih, 51, feeds 500 needy people every day during Ramadan.
She started when she moved to Dubai from India in 2002, distributing food during Ramadan to those around her, including the security guard in her building.
In 2018, thanks to the help of her friends and community members, she delivered 500 iftar boxes a day to workers and unemployed people during the holy month.
That trend has continued every year since.
This year, because of Covid-19 restrictions on sharing and distributing food, Ms Faquih joined up with local charities to distribute food parcels at worker accommodation in Al Quoz.
In 2020, she worked with Sahana, a Sri Lankan Welfare Association in the UAE, to help provide meals to those who lost their jobs during the pandemic.
“I moved to the UAE from India where I lived in a joint family of 10 people and there was a lot of Ramadan fervour,” Ms Faquih said.
“For me, Ramadan meant being involved in charity.
“My parents always encouraged me to help others and I wanted to keep that tradition alive.
“I started sending iftar boxes of fruit, laban or juice to my local mosque,” she said.
Mahnaz Faquih with her daughter Alina and son Mikhail. Chris Whiteoak / The National
Ms Faquih, an interior designer, said she ensured her children understood the importance of giving while realising their own privilege.
“The initiative has grown so big. It started with a wish to treat others to some good food or a box of biryani,” Ms Faquih said.
“Before the pandemic, I asked my children to give away the food packets so that it touched their hearts.
“I wanted them to have the consciousness that others are needy and they are privileged.
“My parents always gave away money or gifts through us, and I wanted my children to think about others.”
Her daughter, Alina Shaikh, 16, has been helping her mother since she was six and her son, Mikhail Shaikh, 12, also helps to distribute boxes.
“When we were little, we used to bring food and juices to workers every single day during Ramadan,” Alina said.
“We feel happy and grateful that we are lucky enough to help others.
“It’s such an amazing and rewarding feeling.
“It’s allowed us to understand how others live and empathise with them. It has helped us become humble and open-minded to people from different walks of life,” she said.
Mikhail also enjoyed being able to help others.
“In the past, we helped in packing the food boxes, but most of the time we handed out the iftar meals to people,” he said.
“We think that giving back is extremely important and when you have the ability to help others, why not do it?”
Ms Faquih said her friends supported her, too.
Shanu Hathiramani, an Indian from Nigeria living in Dubai, has known Ms Faquih for the past eight years and often helps her with her charitable work.
“Mahnaz is a very giving and helpful person,” Ms Hathiramani said.
“In the past, we have helped feed people during Ramadan. My son also helped out with the charity work.”
Iftar boxes being distributed at a workers’ accommodation – in picture
Sri Lankan community volunteers hand out meals for 300 people at a labour accommodation block in Sonapur, Dubai. All pictures by Antonie Robertson / The National
source: http://www.thenationalnews.com / The National / Home> UAE / by Anam Rizvi / May 07th, 2021
A Muslim woman from Kerala, Naaji Noushi’s decision to travel solo in her four-wheel car to watch the FIFA World Cup in Qatar shows her craziness towards the game of football and of course her madness towards travelling behind the wheel on hitherto uncharted routes.
As the World Cup fever is slowly gripping people and football fans, Noushi, an avid traveller, YouTuber and vlogger, commenced her journey to Qatar by driving a Mahindra Thar from Kannur, Kerala the other day.
Transport Minister Antony Raju flagged off the trip in the presence of village panchayat authorities, reports PTI. It was a dream come true for this soccer crazy woman who has always loved to take adventurous trips.
After reaching Mumbai via Coimbatore, she and her Thar, which is fondly named “olu” (means woman in local parlance), would land in Oman by ship. From there, she would travel via road and would cover Arab countries including UAE, Bahrain, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia before reaching Qatar, which plays host to the FIFA World Cup this time.
Noushi said it may be for the first time that a woman from Kerala was undertaking an overlanding trip to the GCC nations and that too to watch the football world cup. “My plan is to enter Qatar by December 10 and watch the finale.
I am so excited about this trip. I am a hardcore Argentina fan and Lionel Messi…really want to see my favourite team lifting the cup,” she said. She will continue her stay in Qatar till December 31, according to the report.
Noushi said the trip was expected to be a complete van-life experience as all essential cooking articles were stocked in the vehicle. It is also planned to park the vehicle near toll plazas and petrol pumps and stay within it during nights.
She said she has an Oman driving licence, which has already been converted into an international one.
“I am a person who has been dreaming to see an Indian team playing the FIFA World Cup. Through this innovative trip, I am trying to be a part of the gala by reaching there in an Indian-made vehicle,” she said.
Noushi, who has completed her Plus-Two, married Noushad, an NRI, at a young age and became a mother at the age of 19. Describing the family as the pillar of support, she said her husband and children were her actual cheerleaders and were encouraging her to travel more.
Noushi has already completed four travel series including an all-India trip to Ladakh and shared the photos and videos through her social media pages. Noushi said her youngest child is just two years old but her mother is taking care of her children when children when she is away for travel.
“If a woman like me- a homemaker, a wife and a mother of five- can realise my dreams, any ordinary woman in Kerala can chase her dreams confidently,” she said. — PTI
source: http://www.muslimmirror.com / Muslim Mirror / Home> Indian Muslim> Women / by PTI / October 20th, 2022
Written almost a hundred years ago in a far-off land, this diary of a young Muslim woman anticipates our present situation of religious intolerance.
Book:A Long Way From Hyderabad: Diary Of A Young Muslim Woman In 1930s Britain
Author: Muhammadi Begum
Publisher: Primus
Price: Rs. 1,150
Diaries are like portmanteaus that have a habit of gathering diverse and often disparate genres within the folds of personal jottings.
Muhammadi Begum’s diary is a veritable mixed bag as her daily observations of the social life of the English university town, Oxford, are imbued with her Hyderabadi ruminations — the practical, poetic and philosophical musings of a young Muslim woman of Hindustan.
Located in Britain of the 1930s, the diary is both a historical journal with an ‘interwar’ and ‘pre-Independence’ air and a domestic memoir full of ‘homely’ quotidian details.
Daniel Majchrowicz’s helpful introduction delineating Muhammadi Begum’s contribution to the genre of female travel literature, and Kulsoom Husein’s familial account recalling the posthumous discovery and subsequent translation, provide rich intellectual and social contexts for understanding this thoughtfully edited and well-produced work.
But diaries are eccentric and whimsical texts, which refuse to tell well-ordered tales. While the reader impatiently waits for the classroom experiences of this outstanding student who had won a scholarship from the government of the Nizam of Hyderabad to study at Oxford from 1934 to 1937, the diary refuses to move beyond the author’s travails over her private tuitions which she took for qualifying the Responsions, the erstwhile Oxford entrance examination!
What could be the reasons for Muhammadi Begum not keeping a diary after she joined St. Hugh’s can only be guessed at as the reader has to be satisfied with the detailed entries for one year which begin with a visit to London and end with a trip from Europe. And although the ending shows that she was an independent and a self-sufficient mother, she repeatedly asserts that her self-confidence was firmly anchored in happy conjugality.
Since diaries often masquerade as unposted letters, Muhammadi Begum’s cross-cultural reflections serve an unstated epistolatory purpose within the testimonial turn of the form. Paralleling her actual letter-writing activity, an enterprise which she and her husband were forever engaged in, the enthusiastic entries regarding conversations, expeditions and explorations add novelty to an otherwise quotidian account of the uncertain and strapped situation of an overseas student’s life in England.
There are important takeaways from this unfinished work. As part of the burgeoning female form, there are noticeable introspective beginnings in the areas of freedom and tolerance. Critically speaking, beginnings don’t necessarily mark a break from the past but indicate an intention towards the meaning-making process.
Likewise, in this diary, beginnings are often ruptured by their collision and collusion with tradition and continuity. Yet, they produce meaningful differences.
For instance, the author’s analysis of English piety and Hindustani prejudice is startlingly relevant for our present times. Despite being a practicing Muslim and a devout believer, she notes the sincerity of English religiosity as against the practice of paying “lip service to ritual” observable in Hindustani compatriots. This difference prompts her to remark that people “at home” know “how to make an uproar and create a public scene over some minor issue”. She then rhetorically asks, “Don’t we realize that the need for sanctity near places of worship has to go with a willingness to educate the public?”
Written almost a hundred years ago in a far-off land, this diary of a young Muslim woman anticipates our present situation of religious intolerance. Or is it that our intolerance has been around for a much longer time?
source: http://www.telegraphindia.com / The Telegraph Online / Home> Culture> Books / by Sharmila Purkayashtha / September 09th, 2022
Dr Tahera Qutbuddin, a professor of Arabic Literature at the University of Chicago, recently became the first person of Indian-origin to win the 15th Sheikh Zyed Book Award. The award is considered to be the Nobel Prize of the Arab world.
Dr Qutbuddin, who was born in Mumbai and was educated until class 12 in India, also serves on the editorial board of NYU Abu Dhabi’s Library of Arabic Literature. She won the award for her latest book, Arabic Oration – Art and Function, published by Brill Academic Publishers of Leiden in 2019.
In the book, she puts forth a comprehensive theory of Arabic literature in its foundational oral period dating the seventh and eighth centuries AD. She discusses it’s influence on modern-day sermons and lectures as well.
Having completed her higher secondary from Sophia College in Mumbai, Dr Qutbuddin pursued her BA from Ain Shams University, Cairo and got her PhD and MA from Harvard University, USA.
In a recent interview with a portal, she said that although she has lived away for many decades in Egypt and now the US, her roots are vital to who she is, and Indian culture is part of the fabric of her being.
“It (Mumbai) is the place of my childhood memories, of playing in the monsoon rains and eating mangoes in the summer. I come back to Mumbai often. I love my Mother India, and pray for her security and progress, and for harmony and love between the many beautiful communities that call her home,” she said.
According to her bio, her research “focuses on intersections of the literary, the religious, and the political in classical Arabic poetry and prose.”
She is the recipient of several prestigious fellowships, including support from the Franke Institute of Humanities, the American Council of Learned Societies, the Carnegie Corporation of New York, and the John Simon Guggenheim Foundation.
source: http://www.femina.in / Femina / Home> Trending> Achievers / by Shraddha Kamdar / April 30th, 2021
The art was created with plywood sheets, screws, and spray paint. It is constructed of 20 frames and three lakh screws. The installation weighs 460 kilogrammes, is 444 centimetres tall, and is 555 centimetres wide.
Giant screw art piece featuring the UAE’s ‘Spirit of the Union’ picture, as well as the Expo 2020 Dubai emblem.
An Indian family in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has created a giant screw art piece featuring the UAE’s ‘Spirit of the Union’ picture, as well as the Expo 2020 Dubai emblem. The three lakh screw art piece has been inscribed in the Arabian Book of World Records as the world’s largest screw art.
According to Gulf News, EA. Sirajudheen, a 45-year-old and his 39-year-old wife Badariya, both from Kerala, chose to make the massive art piece as a homage to the UAE on its 50th National Day.
Sirajudheen was a former aeronautical engineer who transitioned to business after moving to the UAE 24 years ago and is now the owner of Brightway Tyres and Auto Service in Abu Dhabi.
The art was created with plywood sheets, screws, and spray paint. It is constructed of 20 frames and three lakh screws. The installation weighs 460 kilogrammes, is 444 centimetres tall, and is 555 centimetres wide.
According to the couple, the Guinness World Record was for a piece of art that used 250,000 screws. They said that they first utilised sticker printouts of the photos to adhere to various portions of the boards, and then used hand drills to repair the screw. After being spray-painted with black, red, green, and gold paints, the boards were assembled to form the full-frame.
The couple has two children, 14-year-old Shehzaz and 11-year-old Zia, who helped their parents in the massive screw art. The family finished the project in one month.
Zenith Wheel Alignment, the art piece, is now on show at the Abu Dhabi Malayali Samajam in Musaffah, after the National Day exhibition. The duo stated that they wanted to show their artwork to a larger audience at the Sheikh Zayed Festival in Al Wathba.
source: http://www.siasat.com / The Siasat Daily / Home> Kerala / by News Desk – Sumaya Junaid Ahmed / January 07th, 2022
India Fraternity Forum is organizing an annual “Fraternity Fest” to bring together non-resident Indians through a socio-cultural program on October 20.
The poster launch of “Snehakoota-22″ event was held in Riyadh. A family reunion and expatriates get-together event named Fraternity Fest is being held by India fraternity forum across Saudi Arabia.
Whilst releasing the poster of the event, Tajuddin, president of India Fraternity Forum, Karnataka chapter, Riyadh, invited all NRIs to participate in the event.
Various cultural and social events will be held at the get-together on October 20 at Sa-Ada Istirah in Exit-18, Riyadh. The colorful event will feature different activities like public speaking, sports, quiz, public awareness programs etc.
India Fraternity Forum, Riyadh Karnataka chapter general secretary Muhammed Naveed, state committee members Sabith Hassan, Muhammed Shareef and Nizamuddin were present at the press meet.
source: http://www.daijiworld.com / Daijiworld.com / Home> Middle East / by Media Release / Riyadh, September 18th, 2022
