Hadhramis of Yemen have migrated for centuries in large numbers. (Supplied)
Can you believe that there is a large settlement of Yemeni descent people in India’s Hyderabad? Barkas, about 4 kms from the iconic Charminar, presents a slice of Yemen.
Here, a large number of Arabs from Yemen, called Hadhramis, have settled down having migrated from their country of origin for many generations.
Most of them were employed in the Nizam government. Barkas was home to the former employees of Nizams, the sovereigns of the erstwhile princely state of Hyderabad. The colony originally used to serve as the Military Barracks of the former ruler of Hyderabad – the Nizam.
Men with Arabian facial features clad in Yemeni lungis (wraparound kilt) or Futah ambling around the colony’s narrow lanes is a regular sight that intrigue outsiders.
History records that Hadhramis of Yemen have migrated for centuries in large numbers, establishing a diaspora that extends around the Indian Ocean, Saudi Arabia and the other Gulf states.
The Hadhramaut region, one of the southern governorates of Yemen, today has around 1.5 million inhabitants. Though migration began during the 3rd Hijri century (eighth century in the Gregorian calendar) but Hyderabad connection is of not that old. A good number of Hadramis had already migrated on India’s West Coast in the ninth century AD.
a typical mandi restaurant owned by Hadrami in Barkaas, Hyderabad. (Supplied)
World War II
According to Salam Bin Juman Bamraan, of Yemeni origin, who lives in Barkas, “My father Juman Saleh Bamraan took the ship to Mumbai in 1942 during the World War II since the situation in Yemen was not conducive for living.
“When my father came to Hyderabad the Nizam of Hyderabad was kind enough to give him a job. My father married a local Muslim woman and thus we integrated into the Hyderabadi community. Our language at home was Arabic until recently but after my father died we converse in Deccani Urdu.” Though Salam did go to Kuwait for work but did not return to Yemen.
Yemen served as a trans-shipment center for luxury goods — particularly spices — originating in India and points farther east and also as a Haj route for pilgrims coming from India.
So, migration was happening to and fro. There were thousands of traders from India doing business in Yemen, mainly Aden and Sana.
Dhirubhai Ambani, the founder of the now famous Reliance Group, also started his career as a trader in Aden and his famous son Mukesh Ambani, Reliance Industries Limited chairman, was also born in Aden.
Hadhramis of Yemen have migrated for centuries in large numbers. (Supplied)
300,000 strong Diaspora
These age-old ties between India and Yemen are reflected now by the presence of nearly 300,000 strong Yemeni-origin Diaspora in India and a vibrant Indian-origin Diaspora in Yemen.
Besides India, almost all Arabs in Southeast Asia and India trace their ancestry to Hadhramaut.
Five and six generations after their forefathers made Hyderabad their homes, many have retained their culture and traits. The members of this well-knit community are now integrated in Hyderabad. Homecomings had already begun dropping off in the 1970s as Yemen became more politically disturbed.
A documentary by Adam Sawab, a Yemeni student who did journalism from Osmania University titled ‘Barkas – A Small Yemen in India’ as part of his course shed light on Hadhramis living in Hyderabad’s Barkas.
The documentary reported that Barkas is a habitat for mainly members of the Chaush community, who are direct descendants of the Hadhrami – military men in the Hadhramaut region in Yemen, there are 52 Yemeni tribes in Hyderabad.
According to Salam Bin Bamraan says his father Juman Saleh Bamraan took the ship to Mumbai in 1942. (Supplied)
Settled tribesmen
Some of the Yemeni tribes settled here are those of al-Saadi, al-Nahdi, al-Yamani, Barabaa, al-Amoodi, al-Saqqaf, Bamraan, al-Aidroos, al-Saadi among others.
“During the time of the Nizam’s rule, the Arab population here increased and slowly settled mainly in the Army barracks, now Barkas, on the outskirts of the city,” Adam stated in his documentary.
Sheikh Mohammed Azzan Jabari, whose grandfather came from Yemen in 1940 and was employed in Nizam’s army, says that their culture is of mixed origin with strands from Arabs and local.
Having his own textiles business in Barkas, he says, “We are into third generation. Our weddings still encompass elements of Arabic traditions like nikah is performed in Barkas’ jame masjid and we play the duff which is a Yemeni custom. We still relish Yemeni traditional breakfasts items like mandi, fuul (a dish made of cooked fava beans), hareesa (savory porridge), etc and mandi, kabsa as meals. I think Barkas is home to more than 60,000 Yemeni descent people.”
So, if you want to experience Yemeni culture with a plateful of mandi (as the area is teeming with restaurants selling delectable mandi) head to Hyderabad’s Barkas locality.
Yemenis in their traditional attire in the Barkas community of Hyderabad. (Supplied)
source: http://www.english.alarabiya. net / AlArabiya News / Home> Features / by Aftab Husain Kola / December 13th, 2018
OMAR FAROOK KHATANI, an officer of M.P. state administrative service, has been elected president of the state administrative officers association by a large margin in the elections held in Bhopal recently. The cadre strength of this association is 700 consisting of additional, joint and deputy collectors. Khatani is presently posted as chief executive officer, M.P. Wakf Board Bhopal. He has held important portfolios during his career including secretary, M.P. state Minorities Commission.
PROF NARGIS JAHAN, who is associated with the department of Persian in Delhi University for a long time, has now been appointed head of the Persian department in this University. She also served as teacher in Delhi’s Zakir Husain College, Kamla Nehru College and Saint Stephen’s College. She has authored many books including Human Right in Urdu Literature, Sa’di-e Hind’ (English) Farsi Vyakaran aur Anuwaad’ (Hindi).
PROF MIRZA SAMAR BAIG presently incharge of the department of political science at Aligarh Muslim University has been appointed as Member Incharge of the Department of Public Relations by AMU vice chancellor in place of Dr Faizan Mustafa who was recently appointed as Registrar of this university. Dr Samar Baig is a prominent writer whose research articles on politics are published in important Indian and foreign journals. During the cold war period he had worked as research analyst on India’s foreign policy towards USA and USSR.
PROF SHIRIN MUSAVI, Head of Department of History in Aligarh Muslim University, has been appointed by the Union ministry of human resources development as a Member of Indian Council of Historical Research (ICHR) in consideration of her valuable services and contribution in the filed of history. She will be the Member of ICHR for 3 years.
Aligarh Muslim University has conferred PhD and M Phil degrees on the following students: PhD: RAEES HASAN (Hindi), NIHAAL NAZIM (Urdu), MOHAMMAD IRFAN (Theology), SHAHROZ ALAM, MOHD QAISAR ALAM and S HASAN QAID (Economics) and MA’ARIFUR RAHMAN (Sanskrit). M.Phil: (Ms) SARITA SHARMA and SYED ABDUL MOINUDDIN (Mathematics).
Well-known fiction writer, poet and educationist, DR GHAZANFAR ALI, who is also the principal of Urdu Teaching and Research Centre, Lucknow has been entrusted with the additional charge of director of National Council for the Promotion of Sindhi Language by the Union ministry of human resources development. He has taken over the charge of his new assignment in the Council’s head office in Vadodra, (Baroda).
RAMZAN ALI appears to have set up a record in hair-cut of 210 women by continuously standing and working for 24 hours. Though his name is already entered three times in Limca Book of Records for hair cutting, this time he wants to get his name entered in Guinness Book of World Records for his feat of 210 haircuts in 24 hours. It is to be seen if his ambition is fulfilled and Guinness Book acknowledges it.
PROF AKHTARUL WASEY, renowned scholar of Islam who is also Dean of the Faculty of Humanities and Languages and director of Zakir Husain Institute of Islamic Studies at Jamia Millia Islamia, Delhi was unanimously elected president of the Managing Committee of Ajmer’s Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti’s Dargah. He is associated with the Dargah Committee since 1995 as its member. Syed Abdul Bari was elected vice president of the Dargah Committee.
GHULAM NABI KHAYAL, Sahitya Akademi award-winning veteran Kashmiri writer and journalist, was elected as the President of Kashmir Writers Association. Amin Kamil (Padma Shree) and Prof G N Firaq (Sahitya Akademi awardee) were elected as patrons of the Association.
The Governor of Uttar Pradesh, in his capacity as Chancellor of Agra University, has nominated
PROFESSOR MOHAMMAD ZAHID of the Department of Urdu, Aligarh Muslim University as member of the Executive Council of Dr BR Ambedkar University, Agra. Dr. Zahid has had a brilliant academic record. He has authored a number of books and research papers. He also served as a member of the Academic Council of AMU. «
source: http://www.milligazette.com / The Milli Gazette / Home> Milli Gazette Online / 16-31 May 2005
Chronogram is an ancient art. On the tombstone, along with the person’s information, the poetry is inscribed and the last couplet or line has a numerical value as per the ‘Abjad’ system that represents the date or year of death. Poets like Dr. Makhmoor, who can compose chronograms or write ‘Qita-e-Tareekh’ are few.
Dr Makhmoor Kakorvi and Chronogram: The poet of Kakori, who keeps alive the ancient art
Lucknow:
One would be surprised to see the passion of poet Makhmoor Kakorvi, who has several books to his credit, is quite often seen visiting graveyards and hospices, dargahs and mazaars.
He started the mission to collect all the ‘chronograms’ on epitaphs in Kakori, one of the most important towns of North India that is known for its litterateurs and writers apart from Sufis.
The master poets who have absolute command over language are able to write poetry in the manner that their numerical value, either of the stanza or a phrase, comes out as the year of a person’s demise. This art is termed ‘Tareekh-Goi.’
It’s an ancient art and such skilled poets who can compose chronograms or write ‘Qita-e-Tareekh’ are few. On the tombstone, along with the person’s information, the poetry is inscribed and the last couplet or line has a numerical value as per the ‘Abjad’ system that represents the date or year of death.
And, this mathematical equation is also engraved, often, on the tombstone’s plaque. In an era when people are no longer able to compose poetry in meters and as per traditional and hard standards of prosody, it is even more difficult to find someone who writes chronograms.
But till a few decades ago, it was common. When Makhmoor began registering the long verses and couplets carrying the chronogram on the epitaphs, he found that there were not a few but dozens of senior poets who had composed them over the last three centuries in Kakori.
In a town that has a population of barely 22,000 but has a history of producing one of the biggest Urdu dictionaries—Noor-ul-Lughaat, as well as being home to writers and poets of the calibre of Shah Turab Ali Qalandar, Mohsin Kakorvi, Furqat Kakorvi and scores of others, Makhmoor found that poets with the ability to write chronograms were exceptional, in fact, too many poets who were perfect in this art in Kakori in the past.
“I would go to the graves, clean the plaque and then try to decipher the verses. The last line or stanza or phrase is the poetic chronogram. I found more than 60 different poets who had written chronograms in Kakori alone. Many of them were poets of such stature and command over language that is not seen anymore.
Some of them wrote many chronograms and the terms used are fascinating as well as a reflection of their mastery over Urdu poetry”, says Makhmoor Kakorvi, who is also a poet and has also written chronograms. He is, perhaps, the only person who can pen it, in the town now. However, he hopes to compile all these couplets and information about these poets of yore in the form of a book.
source: http://www.enewsroom.in / eNewsRoom / Home> Audio-Video> Top Stories / by Shams Ur Rehman Alavi / December 07th, 2022
A promising author, Zehra Naqvi, nuancedly articulates how the multi-layered and complicated processes with its intense emotional pressure leave mothers completely burned up in her book, ‘The Reluctant Mother: A Story No One Wants to Tell’.
Much -revered and almost deific motherhood sprouted by religious injunctions, social practices, cultural prescripts, and ethnic sensibilities – goes well beyond its well-defined boundary – being a place where all love begins and ends. Motherhood symbolizes self-effacement and denial.
The status of the hyped-up emotional and domestic pivot of the family pleasantly prods a mother to relinquish her existence to her offspring. These popular assumptions offer a deceptive and naive simplistic view of a far more complex and intriguing relationship between a mother and child than we perceive
The idolized representation of motherhood has a long tradition in literature, but it did not mirror in some highly acclaimed literary texts such as Hamlet, Madame Bovary and Lolita. Queen Gertrude, Emma Bovary and Charlotte Haze present a repugnant image of a mother who poses a constant psychotic and physical threat to the children.
The mothers, refusing to stick to subservient roles stipulated by the society, fire the imagination of non-conformist authors. These sorts of mothers continue to subvert the dominant narrative of the world that mocks normativity and moral policing.
Here Christina Crawford’s memoir, “Mommie Dearest” (1978), comes forth that tears apart all that is traditionally associated with motherhood. Her mother, Joan Crawford, emerges as the grandmama of all socially ambitious and figure conscious women who find pregnancy, birth and rearing too exasperating.
Indian cultural ethos adores motherhood, and hardly any authors treat it with disdain by equating it with “motherdom”. A promising author, Zehra Naqvi, nuancedly articulates how the multi-layered and complicated processes with its intense emotional pressure leave mothers completely burned up in her book, “The Reluctant Mother: A Story No One Wants to Tell” (Hayhouse,2021). Far from a misery memoir, the book written in a diary format narrates a tantalizing and equally agonizing story of pregnancy, birth, and motherhood.
Contrary to popular perception, her reluctance is not restricted to the early days of motherhood, but it seems to be a festering emotional wound that refuses to heal. Not overly dramatized but reasonably pitched entries of the diary covering four years provide a shifting glimpse into harrowing and fascinating maternal experiences.
Zehra’s observations, wrapped in lucent prose, are funny and bittersweet. She seeks to upend the dominant notion that hardly recognizes a mother more than the deliverer of the child. The author who joined the company of prominent Muslim female English writers such as Rakshanda Jaleel, Rana Safavi, Ainee Zaidi, Nazia Erum, Sami Rafique, Ghazala Wahab, Reema Ahmad, Tarana Khan, Huma Khalil, Saba Bashir and the like, astutely refutes that only function of the mother is to breed.
Diary writing closely resembles fiction as intense creative outpourings spruce it up. It is a less formal and intimate medium of stitching up a warm and immediate rapport with the reader. Zehra’s intriguing, placid and tearing entries set a pulsating debate on the nature of the life of desire, individual space, possessiveness and socially bred sense of sacrifice.
At the onset of motherhood, the author hardly feels exulted; contrarily, it produces annoyance and irritation instead of euphoria. The moment of ecstasy leaves her completely downcast:
“I had always seen in movies that women break into tears of joy and men swing their wives up in their arms on kerning that they have a new life coming. I do break into tears. But they are tears of shock, of dread, of dismay.
And they are the tears of wrath- wrath that I unleash on the man that I love the most in the world. Wrath of having my dreams washed over, having my carefully magical universe destroyed. “. p13.
For her, marriage is not meant for procreation or extending the family. It is an intense companionship through which both can explore the unrealized potential of their lives. The child adds an extra presence to intimate companionship. It sounds selfish, but it affirms Jean-Paul Sartre who defines hell as the presence of the other.
The author, after initial reluctance, gets herself prepared for caring, but it cannot be taken for love. She has a point here, but love does not happen in a vacuum and caring is the place where it is born.
Nuancedly written divergent entries make it clear that Zehra strives to perform different but equally significant roles with the same sense of devotion and impeccability. To abandon one role is an affront to womanhood as her epilogue reads,” I am not a mother above everything else. I am a mother along with everything else that I am . It is an integral part of me. And I should not have to denounce all other parts to acknowledge this one.”
It is a refreshing and insightful read that spells out new contours of motherhood in graphic prose with occasional sloppiness. Zehra deserves accolades for not regurgitating the traditional aspects of motherhood.
(Shafey Kidwaiis a bilingual critic and teaches miscommunication at Aligarh Muslim university.)
source: http://www.outlookindia.com / Outlook / Home> National / by Shafey Kidwai / December 25th, 2021
Habib represented India in many international tournaments from 1965-76. He was considered by many experts as one of the best players the country has ever produced.
Md. Habib was an important member of the Indian national team that won the Pesta Sukan Cup in 1971 and finished third in the Merdeka Cup and the Asiad in the year before. | Photo Credit: SUBRAHMANYAM VV/The Hindu
Mohammed Habib, the playmaker par excellence in the history of Indian football is no more. He was 74 and suffering from dementia and Parkinson’s syndrome for the last couple of years.
He is survived by his wife and three daughters.
Habib represented India in many international tournaments from 1965-76. He was considered by many experts as one of the best players the country has ever produced.
He was also a bronze medallist in the 1970 Asian Games in Bangkok led by his fellow Hyderabadi Syed Nayeemuddin and managed by the great P.K. Banerjee.
Syed Nayeemuddin, Mohammed Habib and Victor Amalraj at Lal Bahadur Stadium in Hyderabad. | Photo Credit: V.V. Subrahmanyam/The Hindu
One of the highest points of Habib’s career was when he played for Mohun Bagan against the visiting Cosmos Club which also featured the legendary Pele in 1977 in a ‘friendly’.
“It will remain one of my greatest moments and which was appreciated by Pele himself at the end of the match, hugging me and wishing me best of luck wishes,” Habib had once told Sportstar in one of his interviews.
During many conversations over the years, Habib always took pride in reminding me that it was with great pride that he wore the jersey of Mohammedan Sporting whom he joined in 1971.
For 17 long seasons starting from 1966-77, Habib, despite his diminutive nature, was a stalwart walking on the football grounds in Kolkata, according to former India captain and Hyderabadi Victor Amalraj.
Habib was also instrumental in shaping the Tata Football Academy into a force to reckon with his sincerity, passion and professionalism.
Habib (right) in action for Mohun Bagan against East Bengal’s Chinmoy Chatterjee, during the Calcutta Senior Division football league. | Photo Credit: The Hindu Archives
In fact, Habib’s younger brother Mohammed Akbar was also a brilliant footballer who dominated the Kolkata maidan for a long time.
“It is a sad feeling to see him suffering from this syndrome for he was such a gifted footballer who on his day was the most-dreaded striker, mentored and moulded in his latter half of his career by the great P.K. Banerjee,” Amalraj recalled.
“I have seen fans mob Habib in Kolkata where he is some sort of a God given his awesome reputation as a player. Not many be aware that Habib, a product of City College Old Boys (Hyderabad), pushed East Bengal to new heights of excellence helping it win almost every major trophy in the early ‘70s’ said the former international, who had the distinction of leading all the three big clubs of Kolkata – East Bengal, Mohun Bagan and Mohammedan Sporting.
“I learnt many tricks from Habib bhai,” said an emotional Amalraj.
East Bengal forward Habib beats Pratap Ghosh of Mohun Bagan to give his team a 1-0 in the finals during the Fourth Federation Football Championship in Kolkata on May 08, 1980. | Photo Credit: The Hindu Archives
Interestingly, Habib had great influence on even Amalraj with the latter playing under him and also vice-versa between 1978-82. “I have learnt many tricks from Habib Bhai,” he says.
Telangana Football Association President Mohd Ali Rafath, Secretary G. Palguna, TFA chairman and also the owner of Sreenidi FC Dr K.T. Mahi, and Hyderabad FC owner Varun Tripuraneni were among those who expressed condolences.
source: http://www.sportstar.thehindu.com / Sportstar / Home> Football> Indian Football / by V V Subrahmanyam / August 15th, 2023
AP Siddiqui, Registrar of Jamia Millia Islamia (JMI) and senior IPS officer has been awarded President’s Medal. Governor of Himachal Pradesh Bandaru Dattatreya gave away the award to Siddiqui for Distinguished Service, in an Investiture Ceremony at Rajbhawan Shimla, Himachal Pradesh on February 11, 2020.
Siddiqui a 1991 batch IPS officer of Himachal Pradesh cadre was selected for the honour for his instrumental role in breaking the ISI network when he was heading the CID unit of Himachal Pradesh police. He joined as Registrar, JMI on deputation in November 2016. Before joining JMI, Siddiqui was Additional Director General of Police (Headquarter) in Himachal Pradesh.
Siddiqui also received President’s Police Medal for Meritorious Service in 2008.
Siddiqui also served as Superintendent of Police (Anti Corruption). In 2001 he was part of the UN’s Mission in Kosovo. He worked at the Narcotics Control Bureau in Delhi from 2004-09 on deputation.
President’s Police Medal is a decoration awarded to members of law enforcement agencies in India for distinguished service in the police or in central police or security organisations.
source: http://www.siasat.com / The Siasat Daily / Home> News> Delhi / by Rasia Hashmi (headline edited) / February 13th, 2020
Professor Farukh Arjmand Of AMU Receives ‘Distinguished Women Scientists Award 2016’ In ISCBC-2017
Aligarh:
Aligarh Muslim University academic, Professor Farukh Arjmand associated with the University’s Department of Chemistry has been conferred with the ‘Distinguished Women Scientists Award 2016’ by the Indian Society of Chemist and Biologist. Prof Arjmand received the award during the 23rd ISCB International Conference (ISCBC-2017) Interface of Chemical Biology in Drug Research held at Chennai, said a press release from the university.
After receiving the award, Prof Arjmand also delivered a lecture on ‘De novo tailored design of new metal-based drugs or drug precursors for antitumor chemotherapy: Structure elucidation by Single X -ray crystallography and their in vitro binding and cytotoxicity profile.’ Her award lecture was chaired by Prof Erick V Vander Eycken, a highly renowned Chemistry academician from Belgium.
Prof Arjmand has an experience of 25 years in the research of medicinal inorganic chemistry. She has visited many countries, including China, USA and Thailand for her academic research pursuits.
She has guided 14 PhDs and presently six students are pursuing PhD under her supervision.
Prof Arjmand has also completed several research projects awarded by DBT (Government of India), CSIR and UGC, New Delhi and TWAS, Italy. She has published 120 research papers in peer reviewed journals of international repute in the area of ‘Design of new metal-based antitumor drug entities.’
Several distinguished speakers presented their work in ISCB conferences including Prof. Robert H Grubbs, Nobel Laureate (California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, USA) who delivered a keynote lecture on the olefin metathesis reaction.
ISCB has also instituted ISCB AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE and ISCB YOUNG SCIENTIST AWARD and other awards to recognize scientific excellence in the area of Chemical Sciences, Biological Sciences and Drug Research.
source: http://www.ndtv.com / NDTV.com / Home> Education / by Shihabudeen Kunju S / February 19th, 2017
The winners of the 3rd AMP National Awards for Social Excellence 2023 was announced during an esteemed gathering at the Hakeem Abdul Hameed Auditorium, Jamia Hamdard, New Delhi. The occasion, aligned with India’s Independence Day, saw the commendation of 86 National and State-level NGOs and 100 inspiring Changemakers. The event also included the bestowal of the Lifetime Achievement Award and the Omar Khatani Special Award.
Association of Muslim Professionals (AMP) is an organisation of volunteer Muslim professionals, who are working towards the socio-economic empowerment and development of Muslims in India. Started in 2007 by Aamir Edresy, AMP is present in more than 100 Cities of India and as many as 16 countries globally.
The highlight of the event was the posthumous presentation of the Lifetime Achievement Award to the Late Zaheeruddin Ali Khan, the renowned journalist, and Managing Editor of The Siasat Daily. Acknowledging his profound contributions to the welfare of the people, particularly in the States of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, the award recognized his legacy in shaping societal progress.
The Omar Khatani Special Award was bestowed upon the Business & Employment Bureau (BEB) of Jamia Hamdard, a commendation of their exceptional dedication towards creating positive impacts in the community.
Shri Tariq Anwar, Former Minister of State for Agriculture & Food Processing, Government of India, graced the event as the Chief Guest. Speaking highly of AMP’s work in education and empowerment, he emphasized the transformative role that NGOs could play in society with concerted efforts.
Prof. Akhtarul Wasey, Former President of Maulana Azad University, Jodhpur, and Guest of Honor, hailed AMP’s work as instrumental in fostering societal development. He praised the organization’s ability to transform the culture of criticism to one of service.
Aamir Edresy, President of AMP, delivered the Keynote Address, highlighting AMP’s commitment to collaboration and the impactful work carried out alongside various organizations. He underscored the importance of acknowledging and motivating the endeavors of these entities.
Dr. Shahid Akhtar, Professor at Jamia Millia Islamia and Member of the National Commission for Minority Educational Institutions (NCMEI), Government of India, recognized AMP’s efforts in encouraging and rewarding organizations and individuals for their contributions. He expressed the intent to collaborate further to guide minority institutions in benefiting from governmental education policies.
Farooq Siddiqui, AMP NGO Connect Project Head, hosted the event skillfully and revealed the awardees across diverse categories, emphasizing the significant reach and partnerships established through AMP’s initiatives.
Prof. Mohammad Afshar Alam, Vice Chancellor of Jamia Hamdard, welcomed guests and participants, while Shaukat Mufti, Executive Secretary of Business & Employment Bureau (BEB), Jamia Hamdard, conveyed gratitude on behalf of the event organizers.
The distinguished 9-member jury, including A. R. Khan, IAS (R), U. Nisar Ahmed, IPS (R), and Prof. Rihan Suri (JMI), meticulously selected the awardees from an array of accomplished nominees.
In the category of NGOs, Hamdard National Foundation – HECA, Business & Employment Bureau (BEB), Ajmal Foundation, Manappat Foundation, Miles to Smiles Foundation, Payam e Insaniyat Foundation, and Masjid One Movement were notably recognized. In the Changemaker category, the notable names included Shams Ur Rehman Alavi, Firdouse Qutb Wani, Aqueel Khan, Dr. Faruk G Patel, Asad Ashraf, Dr. Sana Ali Khan, Faiqa Saulat Khan, and Mohammad Anas.
The AMP’s 3rd National Awards for Social Excellence 2023 ceremony celebrated the trailblazers and organizations that are driving positive change in society, leaving an indelible mark on the nation’s social fabric.
source: http://www.thecognate.com / The Cognate / Home> News / by The Cognate News Desk / August 17th, 2023
Arwi is the link language that was born by integrating Tamil and Arabic scripts used by Tamil Muslims when Islam entered south India. (Supplied)
Apart from harboring 780 languages, India is also home to a large number of scripts which have been lost while some are on the brink of extinction.
One of the many almost forgotten ones is called Arabu-Tamil, also Arwi, the link language that was born by integrating Tamil and Arabic scripts used by Tamil Muslims when Islam entered south India.
Evolved as a result of the interactions between Arabs and Tamils in medieval times, Arwi or Arabu-Tamil is an Arabic influenced dialect of Tamil written with an extension of the Arabic alphabet with extensive lexical and phonetic influences from Arabic.
A call to revive the language is getting vocal. Dr. K.M.A. Ahamed Zubair, assistant professor of Arabic, the New College, Chennai, who has done research on Tamil Muslims, their societies, cultures and development, is one of those calling for the revival of Arabu-Tamil.
There have been calls to make Arabu-Tamil books part of school curriculum. (Supplied)
Advent of globalization
Talking to Al Arabiya English, Zubair, who has also penned 16 books and edits two journals, says, “With the advent of globalization, languages like Arabu-Tamil have become endangered. In order to contain their further decline we need to take several measures.”
Listing out the suggestions for reviving Arabu-Tamil, Zubair said that language is significant for determining one’s culture.
“All the Arabu-Tamil language books available should be collected and re-printed. Unpublished manuscripts should also be collected and printed. Besides, the Arabu-Tamil language should be made compulsory in all the Madrasas of Tamil Nadu and also Sri Lanka where the language was extensively used in the bygone days,” he says.
According to him, Arabu-Tamil books must be taught to children attending schools as part of school curriculum. “The Arabu-Tamil community must be encouraged to use it in their daily lives. Periodicals and magazines using this language should be re-introduced,” he said.
Dr. K.M.A. Ahamed Zubair who has done research on Tamil Muslims is calling for the revival of Arabu-Tamil. (Supplied)
A cultural synthesis
Describing the evolution of the language, Ahamed Zubair stated, in a paper published some years ago, “The visiting Arab Muslim Traders and the native Tamil converts to Islam in Tamil Nadu state of India and Sri Lanka came into closer contact as a result of their commercial activities. They were bound by a common religion, but separated by two different languages”.
Zubair said that they felt the need for a link-language and Arabu-Tamil served as a medium of transformation of the Muslim Tamil society of Tamil Nadu and Sri Lanka in their daily lives to write many religious, literary and poetry texts for communication.
“The Arabu-Tamil script represents the Tamil language (having left-to-right script) using an Arabic style of script (having right-to-left script). The Arwi or Arabu-Tamil script was widely used by the Muslim Tamils of Asia for their day-to-day communication,” he said.
The paper further states that from 8th to the 19th century, this language enjoyed its popularity among Tamil speaking Muslims of Tamil Nadu and Ceylon (old name for Sri Lanka).
The extinct of Arabu-Tamil language, which once safeguarded the interest of the community, is a big loss to the Tamil Muslim community as this was their religious language. (Supplied)
Muslims of Ceylon
“It continues to enjoy the same popularity with the Muslims of Ceylon even today. The Tamil speaking Muslims of Ceylon consider this Arabu-Tamil literature as their most beloved literature,” it says.
However, after the 19th century, the language began to lose its popularity primarily because of its old style and colloquial expression. “As a spoken language it is now about to be extinct, though a few Madrasas still teach the basics of the language as part of their curricula,” the paper says.
It is said that the origin of Arabu-Tamil literature may be traced to Kayalpatnam, Melapalayam and other important towns of Tirunelveli district in Tamil Nadu. According to Zubair, the Arabu-Tamil language and literature provided a kind of platform to learn Islamic teachings.
Ghazzali translations
Works of noted Islamic scholars such as al-Ghazzali were translated into Arabu-Tamil by Sayyid Muhammed Alim Pulavar apart from a number of translations of Friday sermons in Arwi. A commentary of Holy Quran by a Tamil scholar Shaykh Mustafa Wali (1836-1887) was written in Arabu-Tamil language.
At present, there are more than 40 universities in India where Arabic is being taught, in addition to colleges. These Arabic departments can do further research on the Arabu-Tamil language. The extinct of Arabu-Tamil language, which once safeguarded the interest of the community, is a big loss to the Tamil Muslim community as this was their religious language.
“With measures which I have listed we may again witness the period of renaissance in Arabu-Tamil language and literature in the years to come. Its revival and renaissance is badly required,” says Zubair.
source: http://www.english.alarabiya.net / Al Arbiya News / Home> Features / by Aftab Husain Kola / September 07th, 2018
RAMPURI ADRAK HALWA COOKED ACCORDING TO A RECIPE BY MUNEEZA SHAMSIE. PHOTO BY TARANA HUSAIN KHAN.
Was the adrak halwa truly created for an ailing Nawab? Determined to find the origins of the halwa, food researcher Tarana Khan looks for clues in Rampur’s libraries, kitchens and at a local halwa festival.
We needed to cook adrak halwa urgently before publishing it in our series on forgotten foods for Scroll.in. Pakistani writer Muneeza Shamsie had inherited the sweetmeat recipe from her parents’ cooking diary, and added it to an article on her family’s gastronomic journey from Rampur to Karachi. The recipe required three straight hours of cooking. But since there was a shortage of gas supply in her country, I—as the curator of the series—gallantly stepped in. My old cook Akhtar bhai and I could take turns to stir and sauté the halwa. I was curious about the roots of adrak halwa,a specialty of my hometown Rampur.
Muneeza’s mother, Jahanara Habibullah, was the sister-in-law of Nawab Raza Ali Khan (ruled 1930-1949), and had experienced the best culinary traditions of the famed Rampur royal dastarkhwan. She had written in detail about the cuisine in her memoir, Remembrance of Days Past: Glimpses of a Princely State During the Raj. Their household in Karachi had two Rampur khansamas (male chefs), Sabir and Amjad, who had transported Rampur’s culinary traditions to Pakistan. The recipe for adrak halwa was adapted by Muneeza’s gourmand father, Isha’at Habibullah, from the cooking techniques of the two khansamas.
But adrak halwa no longer appears at our dining table during winter. The image of adrak halwa being cooked for my grandfather and set in a silver bowl from which Nana Abba took a spoonful on cold winter mornings is probably a family memory that predates my childhood. In fact, I don’t remember ever eating it as a child.
Culinary wisdom—which I must have accessed through collective memory—dictated that October, the month of tender ginger shoots, was the best time to cook the halwa. Muneeza’s recipe called for an elaborate list of ingredients, and a painstaking procedure which began with soaking the shoots overnight, and grinding it thrice on the sil-batta with some milk.
I conserved manpower, aka Akhtar bhai, for sauteing while I used the mixer grinder. The ginger paste needed to first be put through a sieve to remove the fibres, and then cooked in milk, ghee, and cream till it was thick enough to drop from a spoon. The real work began when we added sugar, and sautéd it to a deep golden hue. It took an hour of vigorous stirring for the ghee to separate from the halwa, and form a thick glistening layer. I unscrupulously drained it by half.
I tested the halwa on my unsuspecting cousin and his non-Rampuri wife. The wife curled her lips, and said she’d never had a more obnoxious sweet dish. My cousin asked for a second helping. I loved the halwa, but it had a sharp, spicy and gingery aftertaste that clung to the back of my throat. My husband said it tasted like hakim’s majoun (medical concoction), and that I should have sautéed it more; he remembered a darker adrak halwa being cooked in his ancestral home. I gritted my teeth, smiled, and told him to join us in sauteing the next time we prepared the halwa.
Muneeza’s recipe called for an elaborate list of ingredients, and a painstaking procedure which began with soaking the shoots overnight, and grinding it thrice on the sil-batta with some milk.
His comment also amused me, though. Citing a blanket oral history, several articles and food blogs mention that the halwa was devised by the Rampur khansamas when a Nawab was advised by his hakim to eat ginger for knee pain. The Nawab, who hated ginger, was surreptitiously fed the halwa, and grew fond of it. Always a curious food researcher, I decided to dig deeper.
Was it created for an ailing Nawab in the huge Rampur kitchens, or was it an organic amalgamation of multiple cuisines of that period? Culinary exchanges were the norm of the time, and the Rampur cuisine had acquired several dishes and modified their Pathan cuisine under the influence of the Mughal and Awadhi cuisines. Working on a research project centred around culinary memory and lost heritage varieties, I had been translating nineteenth century cookbook manuscripts preserved in the Rampur Raza Library. I turned to these to find the origins of the halwa.
Digging in libraries and kitchens
Known to be culinary connoisseurs, Rampur Nawabs used their elaborate dining tables as a facet of diplomacy. Persian cookbook manuscripts were collected and commissioned by the Nawabs as we collect recipe books—a frame of reference and a guide for culinary transformation. Some of the Persian cookbook manuscripts at the Raza Library are copies of original Mughal or Awadhi cookbooks; a few were commissioned by the Nawabs as reference books of sorts.
THE RAMPUR RAZA LIBRARY (THE BUILDING IN RED AND YELLOW) WHICH IS HOME TO VALUABLE MANUSCRIPTS, MINIATURE PAINTINGS, ASTRONOMICAL INSTRUMENTS, AND RARE ILLUSTRATED WORKS IN ARABIC AND PERSIAN LANGUAGES, BESIDES 60,000 PRINTED BOOKS. PHOTO BY TARANA HUSAIN KHAN.
One slim volume, Nuskha hai ta’am (Food Recipes), identifies Nawab Kalbe Ali Khan (ruled 1865-1887) as its author. It begins rather unconventionally, with recipes of 11 halwas, most of them variations of the iconic sohan halwa. Adrak halwa doesn’t find a mention in this manual of Rampur cuisine. Another cookbook, Risala dar tarkeeb ta’am (Compilation of Recipes), written under the patronage of Khansaheb Muhammad Shah Khan of Nankar—possibly a nobleman from Rampur tehsil of Nankar—was collected in 1816. This also doesn’t mention the adrak halwa in its repertoire of Mughal and Awadh-inspired dishes. These two volumes are the only ones written under the patronage of Rampur aristocracy.
However, two other volumes—the Risala dar tarkeeb ta’am and Khwaan e Neymat (The Receptacle of Divine Bounty)—contain recipes similar to adrak halwa. It calls for just three ingredients: ginger, sugar and ghee. No milk, cream, spices, and aromatics are prescribed. Published in 1876, Alwaan e Neymat (The Highest Divine Bounty), an Urdu cookbook by Munshi Bulaqi Das Dehlvi, has a similar recipe too.
Interestingly, all the three recipes call for blanching adrak before it is ground to reduce the spicy aftertaste. Adrak halwa was therefore definitely cooked in the nineteenth century in Mughal cuisine. Haft Khwan Shaukat, the oldest surviving cookbook printed in Rampur which ran three editions (1873,1881 and 1883), also doesn’t include the adrak halwa.
I next looked through Shahi Dastarkhwaan—a Rampur cuisine cookbook written by a Rampuri khansama and published in 1957—with several dishes from Rampur cuisine of that time. Latafat Ali Khan Rampuri, the author of Shahi Dastarkhwaan (Royal Dining), describes an elaborate adrak halwa recipe with the list of ingredients corresponding to Muneeza’s heirloom recipe—milk, cream, spices and aromatics along with the basic three ingredients. As in Muneeza’s recipe, no blanching is involved. Rather, the ground ginger is to be boiled in milk. Ali Khan ends with the important line: “Ye halwa Rampur ki tarz par banane ki tarkeeb hai, ummeed hai ki pasand farmaya jayega.” (This halwa is prepared by the special Rampur recipe, I hope you like it.)
RECIPE OF ADRAK HALWA IN MANUSCRIPT ‘KHWĀN E NEYMAT’ (THE RECEPTACLE OF DIVINE BOUNTY) AT THE RAMPUR RAZA LIBRARY. PHOTO BY RAMPUR RAZA LIBRARY.
At some point in Rampur’s culinary history, the adrak halwa evolved—in the hands of the Rampuri khansamas—into an exquisite sweetmeat with a differentiated procedure and sumptuous ingredients. Today, it is rarely cooked in Rampur households, possibly due to the time and effort involved. Most Rampuris buy adrak halwa from Amanat Bhai’s shop, renowned for its halwa sohan. So that’s where my quest took me next: the kitchen workshop above the famous Amanat Bhai ki Laal Dukan.
Amanat Khan set up shop in the 1930s outside the Rampur fort, and became known for supplying halwa sohan, boondi ladoos and other sweets to Nawab Sayed Raza Ali Khan (ruled 1930-1949), his son Nawab Sayed Murataza Ali Khan as well as for other members of the royal family. The shop is now looked after by Amanat bhai’s grandson, Haris Raza, who inherited the business and recipes from his father.
Haris measured out samnak (wheat germ flour) and semolina, mixed it in milk, and cooked it in a large kadhai; he added ginger paste when the mixture became brownish. This was a completely different recipe for adrak halwa. Samnak is the base for Rampuri halwa sohan, and is never used in adrak halwa. Amanat bhai’s adrak halwa—which is fabulous, with only a slight gingery tang—is a variation of halwa sohan adapted for popular taste.
Most Rampuris buy adrak halwa from Amanat Bhai’s shop, renowned for its halwa sohan. So that’s where my quest took me next: the kitchen workshop above the famous Amanat Bhai ki Laal Dukan.
As the stars of my halwa journey aligned, the district administration of Rampur, in collaboration with the Women’s Welfare Department, decided to organise a halwa festival in October 2021. All the khansamas and women chefs of Rampur—who had started home catering during the covid-19 pandemic—were invited to participate in Zaika-e-Rampur, a halwa-tasting festival. The ingenuity of Rampur khansamas was on full display at the festival. There were several weird and fabulous halwas we tasted that day, including neem halwa, meat halwa, turmeric halwa, and dates halwa.
I had already been working with some khansamas to revive the heirloom dishes of the Rampuri cuisine through our project, ‘Forgotten Foods: Culinary memories and Lost Agricultural Varieties in India’ under the lead of University of Sheffield. The series on Scroll.in was a part of this project. As a social impact effort, we sponsored chef Suroor and Bhura khansama—both local chefs of Rampur—in setting up their stall at Zaika-e-Rampur.
HAJI BHURA KHANSAMA PREPARING ADRAK HALWA. PHOTO BY TARANA HUSAIN KHAN
Since my halwa of interest was adrak, I watched Bhura bhai closely as he fashioned a rustic wood chulha, set a large degh on it, and prepared the ginger paste. I was in for a surprise when he fried the ginger paste in ghee for a few minutes, and then cooked it in milk. The frying mellows the aftertaste, he told me. There was no blanching, or boiling in milk. Even the dry fruits for garnish were fried, and added to the halwa.
This was the fourth recipe I had come across, indicative of the circuitous transformations that adrak halwa had undergone through the centuries. Interestingly, the other Rampur khansamas like Mehfooz khansama, who owns a popular restaurant in the city, use the same procedure as Bhura bhai. Some others add jaggery and honey instead of sugar.
I have tasted at least seven variations of adrak halwa through my research, and can say with some authority that the oral history of the Nawab with knee pain cannot be corroborated. Adrak halwa in Rampur—at some point at the beginning of the twentieth century—took on an elaborate form quite different from the Mughal-Awadh style. The people of Rampur made it a part of their winter halwas—one they ate with gusto to combat the cold and heal stiff joints—until it seeped into culinary memories and almost-forgotten manuscripts.
————-
Dr. Tarana Husain Khan is a writer and food historian based in Rampur. Her articles on Rampur cuisine, culture and oral history have appeared in Eaten Magazine, Al Jazeera, Scroll, The Wire, Open Magazine and DailyO. Her book on Rampur cuisine, ‘Rampuri Cuisine: Food History, Memories and Recipes’, will be published by Penguin India in 2022. She is currently working on a Global Challenges Research Fund and Arts and Humanities Research Council funded research project, ‘Forgotten Food: Culinary Memory, Local Heritage and Lost Agricultural Varieties in India’. She also curated the Forgotten Foods series of articles on Scroll for the project and is currently co-editing an anthology ‘Forgotten Foods: a Culinary Journey Through Muslim South Asia’.
source: http://www.thelocavore.in / The Locavore / Home> Culture / by Dr Tarana Hussain Khan / July 12th, 2022
