Asma Memorial Trust felicitates 80 educators including retired ones and specially-abled who served without recognition
Kolkata:
When the name of Junaid Kamal was announced, a 32-year-old man, with the help of two crutches, tried to stand up from his seat and began moving towards the stage to be felicitated at Asma Memorial Trust’s function. Soon, the fine art teacher was assisted in walking to receive a memento, a plant, and a set of notebooks and pens.
It was the first time in his 13-year teaching career that the art teacher, who is associated with four different organizations in Kolkata and serves the community, was recognized as a specially-abled person (left leg and right paralysed).
“I am thankful for the felicitation. For someone like me, it is not only difficult to study, but getting a respectable job is another challenge. Even when you succeed, it is rare that people appreciate it in this fast-paced life,” the Academy of Fine Arts graduate told eNewsroom.
Junaid was not alone; at least 15 retired educators, from both government and private schools, were also felicitated at the event.
Dr Umar Khyyam (70) of Maulana Azad College, Mobark Ali Mobarak (65) from Bankura district Urdu School, Nurul Hoda (62) of Kankinara Himayatul Ghurba High School (underprivileged), and Ashraf Ahmad Jafri (65) of Karaya School, Kolkata, were among them.
There were also current teachers, such as Afaf Jameel of Frank Anthony Public School, Sangita Gurung of Assembly of God Church School, Michael A Panja of GD Goenka Public School, Dr Khalid Hossain of Monu Memorial Institution (Kolkata), Debashish from Well and Gold, Md. Shahnawaz of Noble Mission School, Mubashshreen Shakil of KS Consultancy & Academy, Shaguta Adnan, who teaches French, and Manwar Sultana of Sir Syed English Medium School, among the total 80 teachers who were felicitated.
The felicitated and the felicitetors together after Asma Memorial Trust’s event
Teachers from South Point, East West, Goenka, Albani Hall, Islamia, Mohammed Jan, Flair International, and Izma International schools were also honored.
Noor Alam, the founder of NEET Basket , who also established the Asma Trust in memory of his wife to promote value-based education and encourage those involved in it, told eNewsroom, “We used to celebrate Education Day on the birthday of India’s first education minister, Maulana Abul Kalam Azad. But this year, we started the celebration earlier and began by felicitating educators who have served society but have not received any recognition for it.”
Alam, the Rashtriya Shiksha Ratan Award winner also pointed out that during the felicitation, a plant was given to each honoree to symbolize how educators nurture children. Just as trees benefit society in many ways, a well-nurtured child can positively impact the community.
The chief guest, Indian Revenue Service (IRS) officer Shamsher Ahmad, who took voluntary retirement and started Crescent School in one of Kolkata’s ghettos—Topsia—shared his journey as an educator. “When I started the school in Topsia (in 2002), I decorated the building very well. People asked me why I was doing so. I told them that to build confidence in the Topsia students, they must study in a place that is not inferior to other major schools in the city.”
“In later years, to boost their confidence to appear for the Union Public Service Examinations, I used my contacts and made my school a center for the UPSC exam, which produces IAS and IPS officers. As a result, today our school produces doctors and students who pursue higher education after graduating from Crescent,” Ahmad said to the gathering.
Sangita Gurung of Assembly of God said a one liner for the teachers, “Teach what your preach and preach what you teach, is the motto remained in my career and it should be with every teacher.”
Dr Sarfaraz Adil, founder of Izma International School, reminded attendees of the importance of education in Islam and how it has been emphasized. “Getting an education is one of the fundamentals of Islam. It not only includes religious education but also opens doors to physics, astronomy, and chemistry. Before Islam, there was no scientific temperament in religion. Only the rich could study, but Islam made education accessible to everyone. Prophet Muhammad announced that any slave who learned and became educated would be freed. Later, a slave named Hazrat Barira became educated and declared that she should be freed, according to the Prophet’s word. And she was freed. Although it was difficult because she was married to an uneducated slave, she wanted her freedom and to be separated from her husband, so she was granted it.”
Dr Adil also had a message for today’s teachers: “Information is easily shared among students. So, what is important for teachers is to teach students skills and show them the practical significance of what they learn in life and society.”
source: http://www.enewsroom.in / eNewsRoom / Home> Bengal> Education / by Shahnawaz Akhtar / September 16th, 2024
Their work focused on Muslim women writers and their contributions to magazines in Kerala during the period.
Reading Rumours curators Haneena P A and Jazeela Basheer
Kozhikode :
Victorian-era English novelist and poet Mary Ann Evans famously adopted the pseudonym George Eliot to escape the constraints of social norms and patriarchy.
As times changed, female writers increasingly gained the courage to publish under their own names. However, in Kerala – a region still grappling with significant gender disparities – women defied the odds and entered the publishing industry as early as the 1900s. Yet, tracing the contributions of some, particularly Mappila women, proves challenging.
The exhibition titled Reading Rumours, held at Silk Street in Kozhikode, shed light on the hidden history of women’s involvement in Kerala’s print culture between 1900 and the 1950s. Curated by research scholar Haneena P A and exhibition designer Jazeela Basheer, the event is the result of two years of research by the collective Around The Sufrah. Their work focused on Muslim women writers and their contributions to magazines in Kerala during the period.
“Print culture flourished in Kerala from 1900 to 1950, and readership grew. But the contributions of women writers from this era have largely been overlooked,” Haneena told TNIE.
“Reading Rumours brings together the micro-histories of these women writers, encouraging visitors to engage with their stories and legacies.” The title, Reading Rumours, symbolises women’s quest for knowledge and their fight for recognition.
“Rumours are often seen as statements without a reliable source of truth, frequently associated with women. Much of women’s knowledge, history, and experiences are dismissed as mere gossip. The title is also a play on the traditional vayanashaala, or reading rooms, where men would gather to read and discuss,” Haneena explained.
The idea for Reading Rumours originated from a desire to present Haseena’s postgraduate thesis in a more accessible, popular format.
“This exhibition is an extension of my thesis, which focused on Mappila women in print. We are generally aware of only a handful of female writers from the early 1900s, but my research uncovered around 25 Muslim women who were actively involved in writing for magazines and other publications,” she said.
The three-day exhibition, which began on October 4, received enthusiastic support from the public. “The response has been overwhelming,” Haneena noted.
“Many visitors expressed surprise at discovering the significant role Muslim women played in Kerala’s early print culture,” she said.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Kerala / by Lakshmi Athira / October 07th, 2024
The deadline to submit applications for entry into the post-matriculation boys’ and girls’ hostels under the Minority Welfare Department for the current academic year (2024-25) has been extended to November 11.
Pre-university (PUC), parallel course, professional course, graduation and post-graduation students may apply for accommodation at the hostels, under the State Scholarship Programme, the authorities have said in a press release, adding that the applications are provided on the State Hostel Portal (SHP) site.
Additional information on applying for accommodation at the hostels is available on the SHP site. The applicants may also approach the government personnel at the district and taluk offices of the Minority Welfare Department, the press release has stated.
source: http://www.english.varthabharati.in / Vartha Bharati / Home> Karnataka / by Vartha Bharati / October 15th, 2024
Meet 25-year-old specially-abled girl, who plays basketball, does motivational speaking and drives a car.
Ishrat Akhter in Team India jersey | eNewsroom India
Delhi:
Ishrat Akther from Baramulla in Jammu and Kashmir is a multi-faceted personality. She is an international wheelchair basketball player, a motivational speaker, Kashmir’s young leader and an achiever’s award-winner. Indeed, six years back, Ishrat’s life had no meaning — but an incident changed it all.
Now, Ishrat has become an inspiration for all those individuals who set limitations for themselves. Who refuse to dream and achieve their ambitions.
The girl next door
Ishrat was born in a village where women did not participate in sports. Like any other girl, she believed whatever her family taught her and did not dare to dream big. However, her life changed on August 24, 2016, when she fell from the balcony of her house. The injury was serious, it damaged her spinal cord – making her physically challenged.
Life changed for the good when the 25-year-old girl from the Authoora area in north Kashmir’s Baramulla district started her basketball career in 2018. For her, playing basketball was not just a love for the sport but a passion for standing against all odds, come what may.
“I never played any sport before 2016, not even in school, but in 2016 when I was just 18 years old, I met with an accident. I fell off from the balcony of my house and this made me bedridden for two long years,” recalls Ishrat.
Did not surrender to fate
A brave and resilient girl, she developed the will power to transform adversity into hope. Certainly, she did not wish to live a life of hopelessness and despair.
“After that accident, I was a patient at the Voluntary Medicare Society. I saw some boys coming to play basketball on the court which was in the society and all of them were in wheelchairs! Seeing them play, I was deeply influenced. I was inspired. I thought, “I don’t want to sit idle. Let people form their own, biased opinions,” she says and continues:
I, therefore, decided to play basketball. I remember that when the selection process for the Indian team started, police and army people came to my home and informed me that my name was in the list and if I wanted to attend the three-day selection process for the Indian team, I must leave for Chennai within a day. For me, this was a golden opportunity, so I left for Chennai all alone, and participated in the selection process. Luckily, and to my great joy, I got selected. Since then, I have been determined to live a life based on self-conviction, will power and courage.
At the Medicare Society, I joined the Wheelchair Basketball Team and got selected for the ‘nationals’ in Tamil Nadu, representing Delhi. Jammu and Kashmir did not have a team at that time. I was part of a team of good players. Eventually, a team for the state was conceived. I played the second national game at Mohali, representing J&K.
Ishrat Akhter receiving an award by the Lieutenant Governor of Jammu and Kashmir, Manoj Sinha | eNewsroom India
Conquering world
“I was selected to represent India at the Asia Oceania Wheelchair Basketball Championship at Pattaya, Thailand in 2019. I am the only girl from my state who has represented India at the international level. Besides, I have participated in a Boys’ Wheelchair Race, I being the only girl in the race. Happily, I secured the first position. I also play Wheelchair Table Tennis,” says Ishrat, with great pride.
Among others, Colonel Isenhower has been a constant support for Ishrat. He has been her guide, mentor and guru. And she is full of praise for him.
“When the selection process for the Indian team was going on, communication services were suspended in Kashmir. Hence, Colonel Isenhower, who was in Kochi, traced me out in two days and arranged everything. Since then, he has been an inspiration for me. He has always been motivating me to do much, much more. He always says that I have to make my name and thus refuse to be restrained — because I am a wheelchair-bound person,” says Ishrat.
Ishrat’s family has always acted with amazing positivity and magnanimity, giving her optimism and courage. She feels that, undoubtedly, it is due to the support of her family that she has reached the international forum, something impossible to conceive for a girl with the kind of difficulties she had faced in her life.
On the flip side, she believes that her life has completely changed because of the accident which resulted in her opting for basketball.
Indeed, after four years of the accident, Ishrat has resumed her academic life, and is currently pursuing a diploma in the Women’s Polytechnic College, Srinagar.
Truly, she represents the eternal metaphor of hope. For her, sky is the limit.
“Not just an international recognition but after 4 years of my accident, I resumed my studies. I passed my Class 10 and also appeared for my Class 12 exams. Now, I’m also pursuing my Diploma,” she says.
Controls her life
The specially-abled Ishrat, braving all odds drives a car, all by herself without anyone’s support.
“In the beginning, it was very difficult, but I wanted to drive by myself. If one has courage and willpower – one can achieve anything in life,” she adds.
“I remember, I used to feel scared even if I had to go some miles away from my home but today I travel alone, even when I have to go to some places outside Kashmir. There are instances when I observe people looking at me and seeing how I manage things but at the same time I’m proud of the fact that today, I get invited to speak as a motivational speaker across India,” she points out.
In 2019, she was also selected for a Sports Visitors Program- Wheelchair Basketball and Accessibility in the USA but because of personal issues she was not able to attend it.
Ishrat is also a motivational speaker and has delivered many talks in Kashmir and other states. She was presented the Kashmir Young leadership award and Kashmir Young Achievers Award 2021 by the Lieutenant Governor of Jammu and Kashmir, Manoj Sinha.
She has also received the Women Steel award 2022 from JKPCC.
source: http://www.enewsroom.in / eNews Room India / Home> Play On> She / by Varalika Mishra / May 08th, 2022
Rana Ayyub, an Indian investigative journalist and Global Opinion Writer at The Washington Post, is the recipient of one of the two coveted 2024 International Press Freedom Awards, as announced by Canadian Journalists for Free Expression (CJFE). She has been named for this award for her reporting that tenaciously upholds press freedom while holding governments accountable.
Ayyub will attend the CJFE Gala: A Night to Celebrate Courage in Journalism, where she will accept the award in Toronto on October 23.
When Ayyub went undercover in 2010 to look into the government’s role in communal violence – which is defined as violence based on race or religion – she established her reputation for fearless reporting. Since then, she has provided news and investigative reports about the persecution of minorities, state-sanctioned violence, and communal politics for a variety of Indian and international publications, such as The Washington Post, The New York Times, The Guardian, The Atlantic, and Foreign Policy. Her best-selling book, Gujarat Files: Anatomy of a Cover-up was released in 2016.
The Modi administration has reacted angrily to Ayyub’s political exposés. Ayyub is one of India’s most harassed and abused reporters, according to the International Centre for Journalists, and the UN special rapporteur has urged Indian government to stop the “relentless misogynistic and sectarian attacks” against her.
source: http://www.radiancenews.com / Radiance News / Home> Pride of the Nation> Awards / by Radiance News Bureau / October 04th, 2024
Anam Rais Khan is the first female and first ever Muslim from Aligarh Muslim University to qualify the prestigious Delhi Judicial Services Examination 2018, securing 71st rank to become a judge in Delhi.
She completed her B.A.LL.B (Hons) from AMU in 2015 and did LLM from National Law University Delhi in 2016. She was the University Gold Medalist and also received Gold Medal in Constitutional Law. Socially active on campus, she organised several legal literacy awareness programs, donation camps and environment campaigns.
She qualified UGC NET and got enrolled with Bar Council of Delhi in 2017. Then she moved to Australia with her husband, who is a software engineer at TCS, and started working at a reputed Immigration consultancy firm in Sydney. But her strong desire for competing judicial services exams was always there and she kept preparing for it for around 1.5 years and then gave it a shot in January 2019 and cleared the most coveted judicial services exam of India at the young age of 26.
Her husband, Adil Khan always stood by her, supported her and encouraged her, come what may. Her father, A.R. Khan, Retired Station Superintendent in Indian Railways always wanted to see her daughter adorn this respectable post, and Rahul Yadav, her mentor at Rahul’s IAS Coaching, guided her throughout the journey.
She also thanks her mother Prof. Samina Khan and sister Alvina Khan and her in-laws for being so supportive always. Anam says she always wanted to be a judge because being a judge gives one the power and also the responsibility to correct so many injustices in society. She says now she will be able to contribute to the evolution of law, serve the nation, and become a better student of law and at the end of the day sleep with a clear conscience by making a difference in the society.
Her advice to the aspiring candidates would be not to become bookworms and try to think out of the box.
source: http://www.radiancenews.com / Radiance News / Home> Latest News > Markers of Excellence / by Radiance News Bureau / October 03rd, 2024
The record for making the longest cotton banner on drug abuse was set by Muslim High School in association with JRC Coordinator Ramla Beebi (born on May 15, 1968) of Palakkad, Kerala.
A total number of 2000 people wrote messages on drug abuse on the banner (measuring 1220 m in length) on July 4, 2022 at 10:30 am, as confirmed on July 23, 2022.
source: http://www.indiabookofrecords.in / India Book of Records – IBR / Home> Culture & Creativity / by ibr editor / November 01st, 2022
This is just not another memoir of a politician happily or unhappily bounds to look back; the author, instead, talks like a grandmother narrating a story of post-independent India somewhat interlinked with the Congress.
Mohsina Kidwai, author of the book ‘My Life in Indian Politics’
Book Review: Non-fiction (Memoir)/2022; My Life in Indian Politics by Mohsina Kidwai (As told to Rasheed Kidwai); HarperCollins, 300pp (Hardback)
Indian politics is a sort of ‘wonder’ and its unique existential positioning can’t be imagined without people behind its ups and downs. Reading the memoirs, especially of those who served in public life for long, is amongst the rewarding pastimes of a reader. I read Mohsina Kidwai’s memoir as a manuscript, and of course, I reread it even more carefully in its print version. Here is a candid account of a prominent political figure of India who dispels the stereotyped traditional notions that are usually expected to be self-centred and being extra boastful in the first person narrative.
Mohsina Kidwai has been in public life as a member of the Indian National Congress for over six decades. A cabinet minister in several successive central governments and a senior office-holder in the Congress, she has had a ringside view of Indian politics for almost the entire span of independent India’s existence. She has witnessed, and been a participant in, the tenures of prime ministers from Jawaharlal Nehru to Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi, and was a member of parliament until 2016, one of only twenty Muslim women to have been elected to the Lok Sabha since 1951. She has had a prolific track record that can’t be compared with her fellow women politicians, more so, from the Muslim community.
My Life in Indian Politics by Mohsina Kidwai
The book reflects well on her long and eventful life in politics and covers quite skilfully her contributions to public life, and also succeeds in providing an honest appraisal of the turn in fortunes of the political party she has remained a loyal member of over the decades. The author along with co-author and senior journalist Rasheed Kidwai, endow the readers with rare glimpses to homes, lives and hurly-burly of election campaigns from bygone era when Congress dominated the political landscape at centre and in the states.
One such memorable one was the Azamgarh bypoll in 1978, which Mohsina Kidwai won as Uttar Pradesh Congress Chief, and which signalled a revival of the Congress’s fortune after its spectacular defeat in the post-Emergency general elections of 1977. The book’s cover informs you and inside, the details and rich and beautifully presented.
We get to see little known facts about India’s Prime Ministers Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, Lal Bahadur Shastri, Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi and P V Narsimha Rao. Similarly, she is forthright in accepting that her move to join the breakaway Tiwari Congress in 1995 was a mistake.
Here is a quick recap of a few of them:
Mohsina Kidwai talks about an incident which happened when Lal Bahadur Shastri had visited Barabanki sometime in the early 1950s. “A few years after marriage, I saw Shastriji, who had come to meet my father-in-law. Jameel ur Rahman Kidwai Saab had stood for elections and Shastriji was canvassing for him. Shastriji was a simple man. Our domestic help, who did not recognize him, asked him where he was from. Shastriji, by then already a Union minister, replied that he had come in connection with the election and wished to meet Jameel Saab.
“He will return home in the evening,” the domestic help told Shastriji and asked him to wait. Shastriji waited. The servant served him tea.
In the evening, when my father-in-law returned, he saw Shastriji waiting.
A little embarrassed, my father-in-law scolded the servant for not informing him about the guest. After that Shastriji became a member of our extended family.” Some rarest accounts on Indira Gandhi:
“Indiraji was extremely caring and attentive. I can go on talking about many instances. Sometime after the 1977 Lok Sabha polls when Indira ji was in opposition, she planned to visit Badrinath for puja. I and Narayan Dutt Tiwari and I accompanied her. It was an October month. We were told that puja starts at 4 am. Asking us to wait, she went to the temple for Puja. We were to start at 6 am on the return journey to New Delhi. At 5 am, Indiraji returned from the temple and checked whether all the vehicles of our convoy were ready. The pundit of the temple offered us breakfast. When we were having breakfast, the drivers were heating the engines of their respective vehicles. I told Indiraji, we had breakfast but poor drivers must be hungry. They have not even had tea as they were busy heating vehicle engines. I suggested we stop at the first tea shop in return for the drivers to have tea. She agreed.
Indiraji had the habit of carrying some snacks with her in a basket during travel. After a while I saw her taking out some biscuits from the basket kept beneath her seat. She tore the biscuits in four pieces and asked the driver to pick the pieces one by one from her hand while driving. She extended her hand carrying biscuit pieces and the driver did what he was told to do. Indiraji used to enjoy such affection and spontaneous display of it that it often stunned me and used to fill my heart with admiration and pride for my leader.”
“Indiraji could also sense what people around her were feeling. Once we were traveling by an overnight train to Gorakhpur and I suddenly realised I was alone with the Prime Minister in the first-class coupe. She sensed that I was a little uncomfortable and directed me to turn my face towards the wall and go off to sleep,” adds the author.
Undeniably, the book is written with honesty and simplicity, and should be better known as a work to assess an entire era in Indian politics. This is just not another memoir of a politician happily or unhappily bound to look back. She, instead, talks like a grandmother narrating a story of post-independent India somewhat interlinked with the Congress. The book is essential reading for anyone interested in knowing India, its democracy and the foundational stories of a remarkable journey.
(The author is a policy professional, columnist and writer with a special focus on South Asia. Views expressed are personal.)
source: http://www.outlook.com / Outlookindia.com / Home> Culture & Society> Book Review / by Atul K Thakur / January 07th, 2023
Areeba Anwar, an undergraduate student of the Department of Biosciences, Jamia Millia Islamia (JMI), has won the prestigious Damodarashri National Award for Academic Excellence 2024.
Her essay on the topic “Victory Will Be of Human Spirit” emerged as the best among participants from across the country. The Prayagraj-based SS Khanna Girls Degree College, affiliated with Allahabad University, has been giving away this award for 15 years.
This year, more t2,000 participants submitted their essays in the competition, out of which only 10 essays were selected for the final round.
Areeba Anwar’s essay not only featured in the top 10, but was also declared the winner for the best undergraduate essay across the country.
The award comprises a cash prize of Rs 30,000, a memento, and books worth Rs 5,000.
The award is given every year in a function on October 2. Areeba Anwar represented the university in the competition organized under the aegis of Literature, Fine Arts, Quiz and Debate Club under the DSW (Dean Students Welfare) office of Jamia Millia Islamia.
Before leaving for Prayagraj for the final defense of the essay, she presented her essay and discussed her ideas with Dr. Rumi Naqvi, a member of the Sahitya Club. Dr. Naqvi gave her important suggestions to make the essay stronger.
This 5,000-word essay by Areeba Anwar underlined the resilience of the human spirit. She explained how this spirit is important not only for our survival but also for the development of the nation.
Her essay was adjudged the best among 2,003 essays received from central universities, making her eligible for this prestigious award. This achievement is a proud moment for both Ariba Anwar and Jamia Millia Islamia, a testimony to the academic quality of the institution and the creativity of the students.
source: http://www.awazthevoice.in / Awaz, The Voice / Home> Story / by posted by Aasha Khosa, ATV / October 09th, 2024
An inside view of the storied, idealistic lives in the Savitribai Phule Community Libraries network
Photo Credit: Saba Khan
Saba Khan has participated in the EduLog programme with The Third Eye for its Education Edition. The EduLog mentored 12 writers and image-makers from India, Nepal and Bangladesh to remember—in the present continuous—their experience of education from a feminist lens.
During COVID, when almost everything was closed in Bhopal, we began delivering books to children by going door-to-door. Adults in the family took to reading those books too. Some girls’ mothers flipped through the pages of the book and looked at the illustrations. When we were giving books to young Rimsha Faiza, her sisters-in-law, who were not very old, came out inquisitively and asked about the books and about Savitribai Fatima Sheikh Library. In Mother India Colony, 14-year-old Saba said, “I am not educated at all. But can you give me some books to read?” Two days later, when I went back to her neighbourhood, she asked, “Can you get me a pad too?”
My friendship with Fiza started with books. When she took her first book, she said, “Next time, please give me two books. Both Rezwan and I will read them.” They were a newly married couple. Then one day she called me and said that Rezwan had beaten her. Fiza wanted me to counsel Rezwan, or else she would kill herself, she said. Perhaps she thought that Rezwan would listen to me—the lady with the books. We connected Fiza with a government-run One Stop Centre that works on the issue of violence against women. Meanwhile, Rezwan also started coming to our library and talking to us. They both complained about each other all the time. I patiently listened to both of them.
Gul Afsha, a mother of two, is a very brave woman. She steals a little time for herself from her kids and comes to the library for a while. She mixes with the other girls in the library and reads poems with great enthusiasm.
Photo Credit: Saba Khan
At the library, Zeba, Joya Tasmian, Mahak, Muskan, and Ilma, all help keep the books. These girls have been regular readers for a long time. When I was thinking of returning to my regular job post-COVID, I consulted with them if they could manage the library without me. They enthusiastically said, ‘Yes!’ At the library, I have often seen women from the community seeking advice about their children or sharing their difficulties with the librarian, no matter how young the librarian is. Among them, 14-year-old Mansi is the youngest librarian. She often imitates the way the older librarians speak. Whenever it is her turn to manage the library, she takes them to the park, forms a circle and reads poems aloud to them. One can already see the qualities of a leader in her.
I was born in Bhopal and grew up here. In 2011, as a social worker, I worked with several government schools under a Tata Trusts programme on education. I realised that often the relationship between teachers and children in schools is one where children sit silently with their fingers on their lips. They read only when the teacher asks them to and then put the book away. I had seen this happening in my school.
When I visited schools under this programme, some of the girls said that they had spoken to their mothers about me and their mothers had invited me home. I thought that this was an opportunity to talk to the children outside of the school. When I met the children in their neighbourhoods, I thought of how much fun it would be if they could read together. And that is how Savitribai Fatima Sheikh Library started.
Even since I was a child, I would always look for books to read. I have always felt that children must have books to read—that they should develop an affection for books and realise that books are their means to know about science, about the world. I used to think that wherever I would go, I would cultivate the habit of reading books in children and gradually, their love for books would grow. But I never imagined that I would see so many libraries opening up and so many educators joining in. Today, we have 11 community libraries across purana Bhopal, including areas like Arif Nagar Basti, Mother India Basti, Madari Mohalla, Bhanpur, Karund Basti and more. We have registered a total of 1,000 children. Twenty educators help run these libraries.
Photo Credit: Saba Khan
We collectively decided to name every library in the neighbourhood after Savitribai Phule and Fatima Sheikh. In a couple of neighbourhoods, boys like Chhotu, Musa and Irfan offered to help in the library. But everywhere else, it was the girls who took charge of the library, its activities and the visitors. In the beginning, we didn’t have tables, chairs, or shelves in our library. Our capital is the people of our community. They are always there to support us and be involved in the library’s future. When we had to move the library due to rain or other reasons, the women in the community created space in their homes and gently said, “Put it here.” In Mochi Mohalla, Sagar’s mother set up a library in her modest shanty where she used to cook food.
Saniya is one of our educators who sets up a library in her home every day. She lives near the Karond Mandi in the Blue Moon Colony where our oldest library used to run. Our library was located in a hamlet that was built on railway land and the place to run this library was given to us by the community. It was demolished by the Municipal Corporation in January 2022. In this situation, Saniya proposed to run the library from her home. She keeps the books and recites stories to children in her home library. She left school after the tenth grade but wants to resume her studies now. She hopes that working with children may convince her mother to somehow delay her marriage.
Jahangirabad is a largely Muslim neighbourhood where we had set up a library. Children who came to the library did not know of Ambedkar. Some called Savitribai Phule ‘Fula’, but some found it easy to pronounce Fatima Sheikh. In some schools, I noticed that they only talk about Muslim freedom fighters (as I imagine they would speak only of Hindu freedom fighters elsewhere). We need to talk about everyone so that children can know how diverse our country is.
Photo Credit: Saba Khan
We consciously try to include this diversity in our libraries. For example, two children from the Mehtar community visited our library. When it was time for them to enrol in school, a group of Muslim girls went with them to help. All the teachers at the school belonged to the upper castes. They commented, “These are Mehtar community children, they cannot study here. They won’t even wake up in the morning, how will they study? Their homes are so dirty.” Eventually, they were denied admission on these grounds. In the evening, everyone sat together in the library and we talked about the reasons behind ‘lower’ caste children being denied education. We decided to speak up as it was our right. The next day, we went to the school again and asked for the admission form. We asserted that our children would study there.
My intention in connecting children with books was also for them to learn to see the world through it. To see and understand the world means to know about the stories behind any discrimination, whether it is based on colour, caste, religion, or anything else.
When we learn about discrimination during the time of Savitribai Phule or Ambedkar, we understand our own biases too. For me, this is the meaning of loving books.
Our educator Tabassum worked continuously for three years to set up a library in Annunagar. Her father runs a madrasa at home where children learn Arabic while wearing scarves and caps. Tabassum believed that the children should learn Hindi and English alongside Arabic. They should also be able to play and move around the madrasa without wearing scarves. So, after her father’s class, she began telling the children to take off their scarves and caps if they wanted to and then she recited stories to them.
We do not keep books that attempt to demean or insult any language, race, religion, colour, caste, class, disability, group or individual. We strive to collect books related to various cultures, genders and people’s lives. Books are categorised according to the age of readers, considering the type of content, images and font size appropriate for each age group. We also have a separate category of books for new readers or those learning to read for the first time.
We have some other rules in our libraries that we tell all our educators to follow. For instance, no educator is allowed to use physical punishment or yell. If a child damages a book, we aren’t allowed to react angrily. We only explain. We do not tell the children how to sit or stand or poke at them generally.
If a child runs away with a book, we do not chase and force her to give it back. We have to trust that she will return it.
Most girls and older children get books issued and take them home. Sometimes, the books get damaged as well.
All the children and adults come together once a month to repair the books in the library. Taping torn pages or sticking them together with glue teaches children to handle the books gently in the future. It also reduces conflict.
Photo Credit: Saba Khan
All our librarians meet twice a month. It’s a treat to share our stories, experiences, happiness and excitement during those meetings. When we sit close to each other surrounded by books, it is like an entire world coalesces at a point. We recite poetry, oblivious to the surroundings or how we are sprawled, arms and legs stretched out. After chatting and singing, we choose books for the next month that can be used in various neighbourhood libraries. We identify spaces where we need each other’s help. We argue and persuade each other. These relationships are now so concrete that these librarians take care of each other’s families, eat out together, hang out during their free time and go out shopping for shoes or jewellery together, despite living in different parts of the city. Our librarians cherish their friendships and the community they have built, as much as the books.
This article is translated by Abhishek Shrivastava.
Saba lives in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh. After completing her postgraduate studies in Child Psychology and Social Work, she has been working with different organisations on issues of girls and women for the last 13 years. Along with this, she independently manages the Savitri Bai Phule Fatima Shaikh Open Library in 11 different resettlements areas of Bhopal.
source: http://www.thethirdeyeportal.in / The Third Eye / Home> Praxis / by Saba Khan / February 14th, 2023
