Eva Fathima Basheer, a Grade 3 student of GEMS Millennium School, Sharjah, has been recognised by the India Book of Records for her exceptional feat of reading English storybooks for the longest uninterrupted duration by a child.
At just nine years old, Eva read aloud from six English storybooks for 4 hours, 31 minutes, and 38 seconds without a break. She received the India Book of Records Achievers Award for this accomplishment at a ceremony held on 29 March 2025 at the organisation’s centre in Faridabad, Haryana.
Apart from this record, Eva has excelled in academics, securing gold medals in various national and international Olympiads conducted by reputed institutions. She is also actively involved in extra-curricular and social activities, including cleanliness drives, environmental awareness campaigns, fundraising efforts, and promoting safety practices.
Eva’s interests extend to writing stories, poems, and articles, as well as drawing and singing.
She hails from Aramboor in Sullia, Dakshina Kannada, and currently lives in Sharjah with her parents.
source: http://www.english.varthabharati.in / Vartha Bharati / Home> Gulf / by Vartha Bharati / March 29th, 2025
Rumana Ali was also honored by the Citizen Rights Forum for her contributions
Pune:
Social worker Rumana Ali has been appointed as the General Secretary of the Women’s Wing for the Minority Front of the Pune City Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
The official appointment ceremony was held on Saturday, October 19, at City Lawn, Parge Nagar, Kondhwa. The event was presided over by Imtiaz Momin, head of the BJP Minority Front for Pune City.
The ceremony saw the attendance of several notable figures, including Khwaja Iqbal, Maulana Idris Qari, Satpal Parge, Isak Pansare, Taufiq Shaikh, Nitin Boke, Nurjaha Shaikh, and Sameer Pathan. During the event, Rumana Ali was also honored by the Citizen Rights Forum for her contributions.
Addressing the gathering, Rumana Ali expressed her commitment to working in alignment with the policies and objectives of the BJP. She emphasized her dedication to the party’s vision.
Imtiaz Momin, speaking at the event, highlighted that the BJP is dedicated to social advancement through grassroots engagement, which has led to increased trust and support for the party.
Earlier, BJP spokesperson Ali Daruwala was appointed as a senate member on the governing council of Dr. P.A. Inamdar University, Pune.
In his new role, Daruwala will play a key part in overseeing the institution’s governance, focusing on academic policies and strategic initiatives on behalf of the government. His involvement is anticipated to enhance the university’s alignment with public policy and strengthen its regulatory framework.
source: http://www.thebridgechronicle.com / The Bridge Chronicle / Home> News / by Salil Urunkar / October 20th, 2024
A remarkable woman from North Kashmir is breaking stereotypes and inspiring change in Kashmir. Advocate Tabassum who prefers to be known as Advocate Sibgat, a lawyer-cum-wrestler, is not just fighting legal battles in the courtroom but also empowering women by educating them about their rights and guiding them toward a brighter future.
Sibgat’s journey has been anything but conventional. She hails from the village Tujar Sharif, close to the apple town of Sopore which was once the hub of terrorism.
Losing her mother at a young age in 2012, she stepped into a leadership role within her family. Despite societal norms that often frown upon step-relations, she urged her father to remarry.
Defying expectations, she and her sibling embraced their stepmother wholeheartedly. “Our society doesn’t easily accept the concept of step-relations. But I insisted and got my father married again. We accepted our stepmother as our own; she did the same for us. I made sure the revolution began at home,” she recalled.
This belief in challenging societal norms shaped her into the woman she is today. Sibgat pursued law to fulfill her late mother’s dream of seeing her in the black coat. Now, as an advocate at the Srinagar High Court, she dedicates her life to making legal awareness accessible to the people, especially women.
“Women in our society have always been kept secondary. They are taught to live under the dominance of their fathers and later their husbands. Why is that so? Women must have control over their own lives and be able to make their own decisions,” says Sibgat. Through her legal practice, she educates and consults women on their rights, encouraging them to stand up for themselves and fight against injustices.
Beyond her legal career, Sibgat is also a national-level arm wrestler, competing in the 75kg and 95kg categories and the winner of several medals in the sports. She was even selected for international competitions but could not participate due to personal and professional commitments. “Paron ko khol zamana udaan dekhta hai, Zameen pe baith ke kya aasmaan dekhta hai?” she says, emphasising the importance of ambition and perseverance.
For a woman from Kashmir, excelling in sports, especially a physically demanding one like arm wrestling, is no small feat. “I was always inclined towards sports, but in my area, it wasn’t easy for women to pursue it. I want to pass on this strength to young girls and encourage them to break barriers,” she stated passionately.
Advocate Tabassum alias Sibgat attending a conference of Women advocates in Delhi
Her commitment to societal well-being extends beyond law and sports. Recognizing the growing influence of digital spaces, Sibgat is spreading cyber awareness.
“Youth is an essential part of our society; they are taking over social media and cyberspace. It is crucial to educate them about cyber laws and digital safety,” she explained.
Advocate Sibgat’s story is one of resilience, determination, and change. Whether in the courtroom, on the wrestling mat, or in society, she continues to fight for justice and empowerment. Her unwavering spirit is a beacon of hope for women in Kashmir and beyond, proving that no societal norm is too rigid to be challenged and no dream too big to be pursued.
source: http://www.awazthevoice.in / Awaz, The Voice / Home> Stories / by Vidushi Gaur, New Delhi / March 24th, 2025
Cinema, at its best, is an act of discovery—a way to reveal untold stories, amplify unheard voices, and explore cultures beyond mainstream narratives. Faiza Ahmad Khan’s celebrated documentary, Supermen of Malegaon (2012), did precisely that. It offered an authentic, heartfelt portrayal of a town’s passion for cinema, honestly capturing Malegaon’s people’s struggles, aspirations, and resilience.
Enter Superboys of Malegaon , a film emblematic of mainstream Hindi cinema’s exploitative tendencies—appropriating genuine experiences into sanitized narratives.
Superboys of Malegaon fails ethically and creatively, offering no fresh perspective while recycling Khan’s original vision. The filmmakers behind Superboys claimed “life rights” yet sidelined Khan when she sought acknowledgement, providing only a perfunctory shout-out at the film’s end—masking intellectual theft. This echoes the controversy involving Dalit writer Yashica Dutt, whose work was appropriated without credit in the series Made in Heaven. Powerful creators (also the same) behind these productions repeatedly draw from marginalized voices without meaningful acknowledgement, silencing concerns when challenged.
Such incidents highlight mainstream Hindi cinema’s transactional activism—superficially engaging marginalized spaces for fleeting relevance, prioritizing optics over authenticity. Some argue that under a politically charged climate with a right-wing fundamentalist government at the centre, this diluted portrayal is the best achievable representation—but accepting superficial representation as an acceptable standard of progress only normalizes mediocrity and stifles genuine change, further entrenching injustice rather than challenging it.
Erasing Malegaon’s complexity
Supermen of Malegaon succeeded precisely because it didn’t shy away from reality. Malegaon is more than just a quirky small town—it’s a working-class Muslim community shaped by poverty, systemic discrimination, and communal violence, including devastating bomb blasts in 2006 and 2008, initially blamed on local Muslims but later linked to Hindu nationalist groups (such as those implicated in investigative reports and legal proceedings, including the Malegaon blasts cases, as detailed in various court judgments and media investigations). This complex history has continued to profoundly impact residents, whose filmmaking is not merely artistic expression but an act of resistance and survival.
However, Superboys strips away these critical layers, presenting Malegaon as an optimistic yet sanitized locale devoid of historical context or socio-political nuance. Even the town’s distinctive dialect—a rich blend of Marathi, Urdu, and Dakhani—is diluted to a more palatable version. The film carefully constructs picture-perfect frames, evading the filth and squalor that define the neglected streets of Malegaon. This visual sanitization is emblematic of the state’s apathy towards Muslim ghettos—neighbourhoods that are frequently labelled ‘Pakistan’ as a means of deliberate alienation and justification for withholding even the most basic amenities.
Christoph Jaffrelot and Laurent Gayer, in Muslims in Indian Cities, document the systemic oppression and deprivation faced by Muslims in these spaces, reinforcing how Superboys dilutes Malegaon’s reality into an aestheticized, palatable narrative for mainstream consumption.
While some applaud the mere presence of Muslim characters, depicting a predominantly Muslim town without engaging its realities constitutes tokenism, not meaningful representation. Authentic storytelling demands acknowledging the community’s lived experiences, struggles, and resilience—precisely what Superboys avoids.
Flattening reality
Ironically, Superboys of Malegaon, despite proclaiming, “Writer baap hota hai,” suffers from a weak screenplay devoid of the sweat, grime, and authenticity central to Malegaon’s sole filmmaker featured in the film, Nasir Shaikh.
Excessive close-ups, overly polished aesthetics, and sanitized set designs further detach the film from reality, undermining grassroots storytelling. Casting choices deliberately select bodies that cannot represent those that labour—bodies that do not carry the marks of a lifetime of struggle, calloused hands, or the weight of exhaustion.
The film’s music, rather than reinforcing the struggles of Malegaon, renders them more palatable, smoothing over the jagged edges of survival. Crucially, the plotline completely erases a key detail from Faiza Ahmad Khan’s documentary—that every child born in Malegaon sleeps to the lullaby of the working mill. The hum of the power looms is the constant soundscape of the town, an unbroken rhythm of survival and labour. Superboys silence this ever-present industrial echo, replacing it with a more sanitized, digestible version of struggle that aligns with Hindi cinema’s broader tendency to aestheticize hardship while stripping it of its deeper socio-political implications.
Additionally, Superboys completely sidesteps critical caste dynamics influencing Malegaon’s filmmakers, isolating characters from the complex social hierarchies shaping their reality. This omission reflects mainstream Hindi cinema’s broader reluctance to engage meaningfully with caste or class, further flattening the film’s portrayal.
Industry machinery of mediocrity
Mainstream Hindi cinema’s insular ecosystem—an interconnected network of privileged filmmakers, critics, and cultural commentators—enables such mediocrity. Films like Superboys evade genuine criticism because their perception is managed by an influential elite. Glowing reviews, interviews, and festival accolades form a self-sustaining validation loop disconnected from authentic evaluation, shielding Superboys from any meaningful critique. Instead of being judged against the documentary it so evidently draws from, or the socio-political realities it claims to depict, the film is celebrated within elite industry circles that determine cinematic ‘success’ on the basis of marketability rather than integrity. The same privileged class that overlooked Faiza’s Supermen of Malegaon, now eagerly praises its sanitized counterpart.
Ultimately, Superboys of Malegaon isn’t a tribute—it’s appropriation. Mainstream Hindi cinema frequently silences creators lacking resources to challenge this imbalance. The filmmakers had the opportunity to respectfully acknowledge Khan’s vision but instead rebranded it as their own, altering the title likely for legal convenience rather than ethical accountability.
Contrasting this with other films that have successfully adapted documentary narratives into feature films, one can observe how respectful adaptations can retain the depth and authenticity of the original. For instance, Joshua Oppenheimer’s The Act of Killing (2012) directly influenced the narrative choices of the Indonesian feature film Solo, Solitude (2016), which recontextualized the atrocities explored in the documentary through a more personal fictionalized lens while preserving the socio-political depth. Similarly, City of God (2002), though not a direct remake, was heavily inspired by real-life events documented in News from a Personal War (1999), translating raw documentary insights into an electrifying yet authentic cinematic experience.
In contrast, Superboys strips away the very essence that made Supermen of Malegaon so compelling. Where films like Solo, Solitude and City of God retained the unsettling truths and urgency of their documentary counterparts, Superboys prioritizes aesthetics over authenticity, sanitizing uncomfortable truths for a wider audience. By ignoring the socio-political fabric that shaped Malegaon’s filmmakers, it reduces lived experiences to an easily consumable narrative devoid of the structural forces that shape them.
In a just world, such dishonesty would have consequences. Unfortunately, powerful creators routinely rewrite narratives without accountability. To experience the magic of Malegaon in its raw and real form, watch Supermen of Malegaon—a film that not only respects its subjects but builds a narrative that rejects neatness and celebrates their wins—a film that authentically respects its subjects, allowing their voices to be genuinely heard. Superboys, by contrast, reminds us of mainstream Hindi cinema’s continued failure toward meaningful representation.
Zeeshan Hasan Akhtar is a Mumbai-based theatre practitioner and screenwriter whose work interrogates identity, caste, class, and memory through intimate yet politically charged storytelling.
source: http://www.maktoobmedia.com / Maktoob Media / Home> Features / by Zeeshan Hasan Akhtar / March 21st, 2025
Ms. Zainab Irfan Sheth, daughter of leading emergency physician of Singapore General Hospital Dr Irfan Abdurrahman Sheth and Muniba Irfan Sheth, a native of Modasa Town of Gujarat State of India, has achieved maximum achievable rank points which are 90/90 in 12th grade exams of Singapore. She is now eligible to get admission in all the faculties including the reputed medical school of Singapore for further studies. May Allah bless her to get more and more success in future endeavours, too.
Ms. Zainab’s maternal uncle Dr Iftekhar Malek, who is a practising doctor in Modasa for many years, says that her achievement is a proud moment for our family as well as for the whole of the Muslim community.
Her other maternal uncles, Dr Shahid Malek and Dr Shakib Malek, are also practising Anaesthetist and Orthopaedic Surgeon respectively, providing services in their fields.
Zainab’s grandfather Late Abdurrahman Sheth, was a famous CA and her grandpa Late Nisharahmed Malek was an educationist associated with various educational institutions in Modasa.
On this occasion of Ms. Zainab’s brilliant success in academics, the whole family is proud and happy, expressing gratitude to Allah Subhanahu wa Ta’ala for the same.
source: http://www.radiancenews.com / Radiance News / Home> Focus> Pride of the Nation> Markers of Excellence / by Radiance News Bureau / February 24th, 2025
Till about 30 years ago we used to have a flourishing devotional movie culture in the country. These films were usually made on a shoe string budget with non-stars. Despite their amateurish direction, hackneyed plots and tacky sets, the films did well at the box office largely because of a couple of hummable devotional songs which every film packed in, and a segment of the oft unlettered audience that accepted every thing in the name of faith. If in the ‘60s, we had a film like “Jahan Sati Wahan Bhagwan”, it was followed a few years later by “Ganga Sagar” and “Har Har Mahadev”. The biggest though was “Jai Santoshi Maa” which surprised everybody with its record run at the box office. Many in the audience crossed the line between reel and real by bowing in front of the film’s hoardings, bringing along pooja thalis to cinema halls and the like. The devout lived the film.
Parallel to this Hindu devotional stream was a sub stream of Muslim devotionals. If Hindu devotionals were usually released in those parts of the cities where immigrant blue collar workers resided, Muslim devotionals, almost entirely predictably, played at show houses near places of Muslim predominance.
This relation between cinema and demography was unique, and lasted till the time a film packed in enough masala or message to transcend boundaries of class or religion. Something which Hindu devotional “Jai Santoshi Maa” did with felicity. “Mere Gharib Nawaz”, “Niaz aur Namaz” and “Dayar-e-Madina” too reaped a rich harvest at the box office.
Incidentally, keeping in mind that a big chunk of the audience – Muslims – stayed away from cinemas in the month of Ramadan, big banners avoided releasing their films during the time of fasting, waiting for the more celebratory mood around Eid. The Muslim devotionals though ran during this time, the assumption being that these films, like the Hindu mythologicals, were not regarded as entertainment but an extension of faith.
The success of “Dayar-e-Madina” was particularly impressive with the Urdu language film even managing a run at a cinema hall like Chanakya, otherwise renowned for playing the best of Hollywood in Delhi’s super elite zone.
Then, in a fine advertisement for the nation’s secular culture, the film often showed at a cinema a week after it had shown “Jai Santoshi Maa”. At Old Delhi’s Jagat cinema too it had a fine run. The cinema was located close to the historic Jama Masjid with a couple of other masjids in the vicinity.
Director A. Shamsheer’s film had a limited run. However, the local clerics sent in an application to the management of Jagat requesting for an extension to the film. They saw the film, not as a ruse of Satan to lead the faithful astray, but as a vehicle for inner satisfaction.
Why not, the film begins with Qari Mohammed Mewati’s complete azan followed by a little lecture on the five principles of Islam. “The life of Huzur (Prophet) is like the Quran. He practised what he preached and preached what he practised. Zakat is the poor due. Pay zakat, it cleans your wealth,” says the school master in customary fashion before being dragged away by other demands of life.
Soon though the film, with commentary by Kamal Amrohi, changes tracks developing into the timeless tale of “twins separated at birth”. Here, two girls go their own ways after having lost their mother at the time of birth. One is adopted by her aunt, the other stays home. One develops into a believer, the other, in a perfect cliché, is all about fashion, tennis, guys and the like. Yet they manage to meet as lovers, as adults, giving a typical twist to the tale. In between Shamsheer remembers that the film is about belief. So, every now and then, he takes recourse to faith; a verse from the Quran here, a reference to a hadith there.
Not to forget the likeable song “Madad Kijiye Taajdar-e-Madina”. Incidentally, the film’s music by Mohammed Shafi stayed on in the memory of cinegoers long after the film’s bow office showing was over. A couple of cassette-sellers in the neighbourhood of cinema chose to play “Madad Kijiye Tajdaar e Madina” in the voice of Mohammed Rafi to attract the faithful. Interestingly, the female version of the song, by Asha Bhonsle, perfectly melodious, met with a lukewarm reception on the streets of Old Delhi.
The film had enough clichés to last half a dozen such ventures: ghararas, burqas, mushairas, sherwanis, paan-chewing men, age-old havelis with lattice work, etc. That it still worked at the box office says as much about the director’s ability to carry a moth-eaten tale as the viewers’ eagerness to watch a Muslim devotional. Not just “Dayar-e-Madina”, many men and women around Jagat waited for the 1973 film “Alam Ara” to grace the hall. No such luck. They learnt their lesson. So in 1977 when “Niaz aur Namaz” was shown at any hall in the vicinity, they trooped along. A devotional could not be missed.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Features> Friday Review> Blast from the Past / by Ziya Us Salam / July 09th, 2015
Under Ansariya’s leadership, Prakasam has become the first district in Andhra Pradesh to establish a vigilance committee on bonded labour.
District Collector A Thameem Ansariya IAS
Nellore :
In the dusty villages and industrial pockets of Prakasam, a quiet revolution is underway. District Collector A Thameem Ansariya has made it her mission to eradicate bonded labour, rescuing the exploited and restoring their dignity. With a rare blend of authority and compassion, she is enforcing the law and transforming lives, proving that governance driven by justice can be truly impactful.
Under Ansariya’s leadership, Prakasam has become the first district in Andhra Pradesh to establish a vigilance committee on bonded labour, setting a precedent in tackling the issue. More than a bureaucratic milestone, the initiative is a lifeline for the voiceless, ensuring legal action against violators and rehabilitation for victims.
Her approach is multifaceted—aggressive rescue operations, strict enforcement, and large-scale awareness campaigns. “Every government stakeholder must take responsibility of this issue. We will ensure strict action against violators to make Prakasam free from bonded labour,” Ansariya said.
Recently, officials rescued two minors trafficked from Madhya Pradesh to an aquaculture unit in Karavadi village near Ongole. Stripped of their wages and phones, they were trapped—until Ansariya intervened. She directed Ongole Revenue Divisional Officer Lakshmi Prasanna to lead the rescue, ensuring the children were issued release certificates and reunited with their families.
In another operation, eight workers were freed after being trapped for eight years in a timber unit, while two others were rescued from a shrimp farm after six months of forced labour. These are not isolated but part of a system Ansariya has built—one that combines surprise inspections, swift rescues, and rehabilitation to dismantle exploitation at its roots.
Ansariya believes that prevention is as crucial as rescue. Between February 10 and 16, her administration launched an awareness campaign that reached over 13,404 people. Posters, rallies, and mobile LED displays carried the message that exploitation has no place in Prakasam. Workshops brought workers, law enforcement, and industries together, fostering accountability and equipping vulnerable communities with the knowledge to resist bonded labour traps. “Awareness is our shield,” she said, underscoring her proactive approach.
The Vigilance Committee, chaired by Ansariya, spearheads inspections, legal proceedings, and rehabilitation efforts. Rescued workers receive financial aid and employment support, while offenders face prosecution.
Prakasam Collector Ansariya, a 2015-batch IAS officer, previously served as Srikakulam Municipal Commissioner and Annamayya Joint Collector. She has been married to Srikakulam Collector Manajir Jilani Samoon, she stands as an inspiration to young women aspiring to join civil service, proving that perseverance can shape meaningful leadership.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Good News / by D Surendra Kumar / March 09th, 2025
Nawab Kazim Ali Khan tells the tale of the dynasty, its Raza Library, and years of progressive thinking that expanded the region and its many enterprises.
Luxury realtor Sush Clays takes us to a royal wedding in the Noor Mahal Palace, home to the Nawab of Rampur.
Nawab Kazim Ali Khan tells the tale of the dynasty, its magnificent Raza Library, and years of progressive thinking that expanded the region and its many enterprises.
His obsidian eyes halt you till you reach the twinkle in their midst. You look again, and those deep dimples flanking his wide smile reach right into your heart. And then he speaks: he tells you tales of conquering heroes and lands won and lost; princesses from far lands who made India’s sons and daughters; gemstones and swords that filled coffers; a land, united and forged as one by the many layers of the legacy of the past.
Nawab Kazim Ali Khan, much loved among his friends as Navaid bhai, is one of the most precious custodians of India’s history and some of its invaluable treasures.
Raza library in Rampur is one of the most important repositories of Indo-Islamic learning in South Asia
I met him first as Nawab Sahib, in his full reglia, when he leaned down with his statuesque Pathan grandiosity and said gently, “Call me Kazim.” I was facetiously outraged. “I love calling you ‘Nawab Sahib’,” I spluttered laughing. That didn’t last long. The bonhomie that the nawab exudes makes it hard to retain deference and address him by his title.
This was also the first of many conversations on the history of the Rampur dynasty, rewinding its track through accession and succession, the British Raj and India’s Independence, right back to the Marathas and the Mughals.
The Rampur royal family bedecked in heirlooms at the wedding
The Rampur state was created by the Rohila Afghan Pathans of Kandahar. The Yusufzai clan were originally traders. Their leader had two sons, Dawood and Kaisaf Khan. This was when the Marathas, a Hindu warrior sect, were fighting back the Mughal dynasty in the subcontinent. They had reached up to what is now northern Uttar Pradesh in victory.
By the 1700s, the Mughals engaged the services of the Pathans and the first battle pitted the Marathas against the Pathans in Fatehganj. The Maratha Peshwas were defeated and pushed down to Gwalior. In honour of this victory, the Mughals gave the Pathans eight districts in Rohilkhand. Dawood Khan moved to India, and this marked the beginning of the Rohila family saga in India. Faizullah Khan, one of the eight grandsons of Dawood Khan, inherited the kingdom of Rampur and was established as its first nawab.
The drawing room in Noor Mahal
During the British Raj, as the city of Rampur expanded, a new undertaking of building the Khas Bagh palace was begun. Built over several years and completed in 1930, it marries a variety of architectural styles. With India’s Independence came a new strain of history into the Rampur family. Nawab Raza Ali Khan was the first to merge his state into the Indian Union in May 1949.
The Raza Library is ensconed in acres of manicured gardens
And finally, in 1960, Noor Mahal, formerly the Viceroy’s representative’s palace, was turned into a haveli—as it stands now—for the birth of Nawab Kazim Ali Khan. He grew up there surrounded by his governess and staff, was fed food cooked in copper vessels, and had a daily appointment between 6 pm and 8 pm with his grandfather in Khas Bagh.
Noor Mahal, where Navaid bhai lives to this day, stands surrounded by his lush never-ending acres of farmland. The haveli holds priceless treasures: intricate vases, jade pieces of pottery, and photographs of the family beautifully installed by Queen Mother Begum Noor Bano and the current queen of Rampur, Begum Yaseen Ali Khan. Built in the classic British Raj style of architecture, with open verandahs circling the palace, Noor Mahal is where the heart of the family resides.
A painting of Bahadur Shah Zafar from the collection of the library
The Raza Library is the crown jewel of the Rampur dynasty. It stands tall and imposing, a precursor to the Indo-Saracenic architectural style, ensconced in acres of manicured gardens. The erudite Rampur nawabs had a passion for learning and collected over 22,000 manuscripts since the library was established in 1774 by Nawab Faizullah Khan.
They were also great promoters of women’s education. Begum Noor Bano, a descendant of Uzbekistan royalty, brought several manuscripts to Rampur as her bridal gift to the family. Today, the Raza Library remains one of the most important repositories of Indo-Islamic learning in South Asia. Its range of manuscripts stretches from Persian to Arabic, Pashto, Sanskrit, and Urdu. The collection includes the al-Qurani Majid, a priceless manuscript dating to the seventh century AD, and an illustrated Ramayana translated to Persian around 1715 AD.
Navaid bhai takes his daughter-in-law on a tour of the treasures of Rampur
Firm believers in the value of secularism and progressive thinking, the Rampur Nawabs were the only Islamic kingdom where the coronation ceremony was performed by a Hindu Brahmin pandit. With the advent of industrialisation, the far-sighted rulers realised that agriculture alone could not sustain the economy. Hence, the land was leased out to several manufacturers, including a distillery that produces the fabulous Rampur Single Malt Whisky today. With the birth of democracy in India, the instinct of the sovereign ruler of the time was to enter politics or the armed forces. Navaid bhai’s grandfather, Nawab Raza Ali Khan, was the honorary colonel of two infantries and an armoured regiment that participated in World War II to protect what was to become Indian territory post Independence.
Nawabzada Haider Ali Khan and his bride Shaukat Zamani Begum
Queen Mother Begum Noor Bano was the first female member of the family to successfully contest elections and win the seat of Rampur. This began a new era in the lives of the Rampur family. The seat of the nawabs was then moved to Noor Mahal so that they could move a little away from the swiftly expanding city of Rampur. This brings us to the present day when I find myself at this stunningly historic haveli to celebrate the wedding of Nawab Kazim Ali Khan’s second son.
The wedding portrait of Nawab Kazim Ali Khan and Begum Yaseen Ali Khan
The year 2020, with all its woes, brought this one joyous occasion for Navaid bhai to gather an intimate group of family and friends and celebrate the nikah of his second son, Haider Ali Khan, to the beautiful Shaukat Zamani Begum. Sufi music composed by Navaid bhai’s grandfather fills the haveli. An incredible performance of a whirling Sufi dancer puts us in a delicious trance. The exotic aroma of Rampur’s extraordinary cuisine titillates our olfactory nerves. And the melting flavours of the famous chapli kebab make our palates spiral into ecstasy. As our senses are soothed into sublime languor through three days of feasting, dancing, laughter, and love, we awake to the nikah on the final morning.
The pure pageantry of the ceremony is a joy to behold. Begum Zamani is clad in an intricately embroidered sharara that requires three bridesmaids to carry it; Nawabzada Haider is dressed up in his Pathan grandeur, with the family’s bejewelled heirloom sword; Navaid bhai is in a stunning rose ensemble and Begum Yaseen in delicate beige—the scene belongs to a different time, a few thousand years before 2020.
The dynasty is inclusive as always, and the rites are performed in Shia and Sunni traditions. And then the gentle, lilting sound of “Qubool hai” from the bride’s veil confirms her assent to the marriage to Nawabzada Haider, sending the guests into raptures.
The Pathani nawabs of Rampur have always adopted the Hindu rituals of their homeland, so they include a henna ceremony and an evening of dancing to celebrate the union.
Begum Zamani clad in intricately embroidered sharara for her nikah
The ceremony verifies everything the nawab has told me about his family, “Of the 300-odd sovereign states of the Union of modern India, there are only a dozen Islamic royal families. Ours has always believed in educating our women, and we have forever held a deep passion for art, literature, and music.” Rampur sparkles as a shining example of myriad traditions evolved into a singular culture, which spans thousands of years and retains a resplendence of its own in modern India.
The writer is the founding partner of Welcome Home Luxury Real Estate Services in New Delhi.
source: http://www.travelandleisureasia.com / Travel and Leisure / Home> Hotels / by Sush Clays / January 20th, 2021
Three students from Milagres College, Mangaluru, have secured the first rank in their respective courses in Mangalore University for the academic year 2023-24.
Jesline Jane Rodrigues, daughter of Francis Ivan Rodrigues and Jacintha Rodrigues from Damaskatte, Ellinje, secured the first rank in BSc Hospitality Science with 88.98%.
(L to R) Hajira Elfa, Jesline J Rodrigues and Surayya Sadaf
Hajira Elfa, daughter of Mohammed Kifayatulla Mulla and Tasneem Banu from Bhatkal, Uttara Kannada, achieved the first rank in BSc Food, Nutrition & Dietetics with 91.27%.
Surayya Sadaf, daughter of Mohammad Hashim and Rehana Parveen from Gurupura Kaikamba, Mangaluru, secured the first rank in BSc Interior Design & Decoration with 91.08%.
These students, part of the 2021-24 batch, have demonstrated consistent academic excellence along with active participation in extracurricular activities.
The management, principal, and staff of Milagres College have congratulated them on their outstanding achievements.
source: http://www.daijiworld.com / DaijiWorld.com / Home> Campus Beat / by Media Release / March 10th, 2025
Some twenty years before the world knew about the Swedish environmental wunderkind Greta Thuberg, Sumaira Abdul Ali Sumaira had created ripples by taking on the system for unchecked noise pollution and cartels of illegal sand mining.
Today, Sumaira, 64, lives in Mumbai and continues to work for the environment through Awaaz Foundation which she founded.
She is also the co-chairperson of the Conversation Sub Committee and the Secretary of Asia’s oldest and largest environmental NGO – The Bombay Natural History Society. Currently, she is a member of the Society’s Governing Council.
In the year 2002, she set up her NGO and launched a campaign against noise pollution. Her initiative received widespread support from the people. Gradually, this campaign started spreading to many states of India, such as Banaras, Bangalore, and Pune.
Awaaz is the first organization in India to collect data on noise pollution.
Probably it is for Indians like Sumaira that a senior journalist Naveen Kumar said, “All the bad things in the world are because of men. War, unrest, dirty air, hatred, and all the good things in this world like clean water, greenery, love, and the desire to live, are only and only because of women.”
There are important names like Jane Goodall, Sylvia Earle, Wangari Mathai, Rachel Carson, Vandana Shiva, Isatou Ceesay, May Boeve, Marina Silva, Medha Patkar, Sunita Narayan, Radha Bhatt, Maneka Gandhi, Greta Thunberg, Sumaira Abdul Ali, whose passion, awareness, participation and fearlessness create a stir among the responsible contractors who play with the environment in the world.
When Sumaira filed a public interest litigation (PIL) in the Bombay High Court in 2002 with the Bombay Environmental Action Group, and two doctors against the relaxation of noise regulations to allow the use of loudspeakers from midnight, many stakeholders who had tunned vested interests were disturbed, for their domain was under attack.
Back then sans the internet, it must have been difficult for Sumaira to raise public awareness on such an issue. Therefore, Sumaira Abdul Ali has been given the title of Indian ‘Minister of Noise’ by government officials and the press.
In 2003, Sumaira, along with Bombay Environment Action Group’s Dr Yashwant Oke, and Dr Prabhakar Rao, filed a PIL in the Bombay High Court to seek the demarcation of areas. Seven years later, in 2009, the hard work paid off.
The Bombay High Court directed the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation to demarcate 2,237 silence zones extending up to 100 meters around hospitals, educational institutions, courts, and religious institutions. The Maharashtra government issued a circular in 2015 banning the use of ‘Horn OK Please’ signs on the rear of commercial vehicles across Maharashtra.
The court banned it as it encourages motorists to unnecessarily blow the horn and to noise pollution. She also organized extensive seminars against noise pollution during 2004-06.
Dr. Reshma Rehman is an Assistant Professor and researcher at USTM, Meghalaya
source: http://www.awazthevoice.in / Awaz, The Voice / Home> Stories / by Dr Reshma Rehman / March 17th, 2025
