Category Archives: World Opinion

Gastroenterologist Dr MS Khuroo of Kashmir looked after Saudi King’s health

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Sophore, JAMMU & KASHMIR / Riyadh, SAUDI ARABIA :

Dr Mohammad Sultan Khuroo

Gastroenterologist Dr. Mohammad Sultan Khuroo of Sopore was the Director of Kashmir’s super specialty hospital and research center, Sher-e-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS) when the Pakistan-sponsored terrorism had turned parts of Kashmir into ‘liberated zones’ in the early 1990s.

Khuroo’s fellow villager and eminent CVTS surgeon Dr Abdul Ahad Guroo was abducted and shot dead. The terrorists brandishing AK-47 rifles and rocket launchers had removed ‘SK’ (acronym of its founder Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah’s name) from SKIMS sign boards to leave the hospital signboards with just IMS. 

Terrorists had set up hideouts inside, and taken possession of rooms and wards to control the place. Its walls were covered with posters of ‘azadi’ and ‘jihad’.

Dr M S Khuroo at his graduation ceremony

Dr  Khuroo lived and moved around under a thick security cover in Srinagar. A senior IPS officer and a neighbour Veerana Aivalli advised Khuroo to ‘disappear’ for some time. “Aivalli told me that he could deploy 500 Policemen but still I was not safe,” he told Awaz-the Voice.

“My father had made me take a pledge that I would serve my people. He told me that he was releasing me from the bondage of the promise as my life was in danger in Kashmir. I proceeded on a year’s leave and in the next couple of weeks I was in Saudi Arabia along with my wife Haleema”.

He joined the King Faisal Specialist Hospital & Research Centre (KFSH) at Riyadh. He was appointed a consultant of hepatology and rose to the position of Professor and Head of the Department of Gastroenterology.

Clipping from an article in which Dr MS Khuroo is seen with father

After seven years, Khuroo established a Department of Liver Transplant at KFSH and supervised more than 100 critical surgeries. He also managed the KFSH clinic and the post-operative care of more than 300 patients whose liver transplants had been conducted at different hospitals in Europe and America. After 10 years of service, Khuroo returned to his home town Sopore.

“In Saudi Arabia, I got incredibly wonderful respect and recognition. While working at SKIMS, I had no time for my family and children. I worked seven days a week, 24 hours a day. In the beginning, my salary was Rs 300 a month. When I left as Director, my total salary was Rs 18,000. I would take home not more than Rs 9,000. I would borrow money from my colleagues to make ends meet. In Riyadh, I was supposed to work for just 6 to 8 hours a day; five days a week. It allowed me to raise my family meticulously. I have a son and two daughters and all are doctors. They are doing well, touchwood”, Khuroo said. 

He added that his salary in Riyadh ranged between Rs 4 lakh and Rs 10 lakh.

Dr MS Khuroo receiving an award from the Indian Ambassador in Riyadh

“Unlike my peer clinicians, I had a passion for medical research, and money was no consideration but a good earning helps you give your best to society if you have a will”, Khuroo added. 

“All through my studies and training in Srinagar, I faced tough times. I used to stay in Srinagar, travel to my home in Sopore on Saturday, and return on Monday morning. For five years, my uncle gave me Rs 10 for my week’s expenditure. I would keep one Rupee and six annas for my weekly travel home and manage things within the remaining eight Rupees and ten annas”.

Khuroo’s real satisfaction, however, flows not from the money he earned as one of the world’s top gastroenterologists and liver transplant experts but from having been the Saudi royal family’s physician.

“I handled the healthcare of the kings Abdullah and Fahad. We used to visit only the King. All other members of the royal family would come to us at the KFSH. Once I had to undergo surgery there. When I regained consciousness, I saw the Director of KFSH carrying me to my room”, Khuroo recollected.

Dr MS Khuroo at his home in Sopore

Even in Riyadh, the unsettling conditions at home didn’t leave Khuroo in peace. His son Yasir, an MBBS trainee at the Government Medical College (GMC) in Srinagar, was abducted. Khuroo had to return; somehow the crisis was resolved and he returned.

Born in 1944, Khuroo was admitted for elementary education at the Maharaja’s compulsory education school in Sopore. He also finished High School and FSC (10+2) in Sopore and MBBS from GMC Srinagar in 1967, stood first in order of merit, and got a gold medal. Later, his specialist studies and work earned him over a dozen medals.

Khuroo is the man who discovered the virus Hepatitis ‘E’ while dealing with an epidemic that infected over 57,000 people in a population of 600,000 in 200 villages in 1978. As many as 1,600 people, including many pregnant women, died.

Dr MS Khuroo in Riyadh

“I was a faculty at GMC Srinagar. As the pandemic began spreading to menacing proportions on either side of the Ningli Nallah from Gulmarg to Wular Lake, I virtually jumped into the fire with a small team. I got infected with other members of my family but we didn’t rest until we established that it was an altogether new hepatitis virus. I named it Hepatitis ‘E’. No other virus of the series has been found in the last 45 years”, Khuroo said.

Khuroo completed DM in gastroenterology at Chandigarh’s Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) followed by fellowships in the UK and the USA.

 Prof Khuroo has the distinction of being the first Indian medical scientist whose research article was published by the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM). Of the 300 of his research publications, three have been published in the numero uno of peer-reviewed journals NEJM, six in The Lancet, three in the American Journal of Medicine, and many in the American College of Physicians, Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and GI Endoscopy.

Khuroo recalled how he discovered new diseases and medical protocols, including the one related to portal hypertensive colopathy, to the world in the 1980s. “I was the first to tell the world how some diseases could be cured with non-invasive medical procedures. The world universities and hospitals followed”, Khuroo said.

Khuroo, nevertheless, has his regrets. “When we set up the gastroenterology department at SKIMS in 1982, it was arguably India’s best. Today, it’s no match to many of its junior centers. I regret that Kashmir’s politicians did not let the liver transplant facility come up at SKIMS in the last 45 years”. 

source: http://www.awazthevoice.in / Awaz, The Voice / Home> Stories / by Ahmed Ali Fayyaz, Srinagar / May 15th, 2024

Nuh athlete Parvez Khan breaks national record in US Track event

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Chahalka Village (Tanadu Kasba, Mewat District), HARYANA :

  Parvez Khan on the track

Nuh, a Meo Muslim dominated district of Haryana burst in celebration as the son of the soil Parvez Khan won a major sports title in the USA on Saturday.

Parvez won the 1500m title at the SEC Outdoor Track and Field Championship 2024 of Collegiate Athletics held in Louisiana, USA.

Parvez, 19, hails from the Chahalka village of Tawadu Kasba, and is studying in the US on scholarship from the University of Florida. On Saturday, he clocked 3 minutes and 42.73 seconds to win the race at the LSU Bernie Moore Stadium in Baton Rouge. His personal best is 3:38.76, which he achieved in California last month.

Parvez said, “Yes, representing India in the Olympics is on my mind. But qualifying for Paris is difficult because I am far behind others. However, I will give my 100 percent to reach there.”

Nuzhat Gull, secrertary of J&K Sports Council posted this video of Parvez Khan’s race to victory on X:

“I do my workout every day. People believe in me, so I am doing well day by day to execute my plans well and hopefully, I will achieve the Olympic standard.”

Later, Parvez competed in the 800m race and finished third with a time of 1:46.80, just seven-tenths behind his personal best in Florida in March. 

Parvez is the National Games 2022 champion in the 1500m during which he broke the 28-year-old record of sports.

The locals are ecstatic and proud of Parvez’s achievements and are pouring in at his home to congratulate his parents. 

Parvez’s brother Khalid said that in the SEC Track and Field Outdoor Championship 2024 held in Florida, America, Parvez participated in the 1500 m and 800 m competition on behalf of the University of Florida, in which more than two dozen athletes from different zones of America participated.

As soon as he got success in the 1500 meter heat event on Saturday, the people of the area expressed happiness and congratulated his family members on becoming the champion.

Growing up in Chahalka, a village in Haryana’s Mewat district, about 50 kilometers south of New Delhi, Khan was raised with limited financial resources. 

His father, Nafees Ali, supports the family by cultivating wheat and fodder on the five acres of land he shares with his brothers.

Despite adverse financial conditions, Khan had aspirations beyond the limits of his village. His parents didn’t attend school.

His parents initially dissuaded him from sports and they thought there was no future for him there. “There are no players in my village, but I have always been someone who wants to do things differently.

Khan was inspired to run during physical preparation for army recruitment. He didn’t have a coach. Often even in adolescence, he used to outshine his older competitors.

Realizing the need for better training opportunities, Khan moved to New Delhi at the age of 13. He joined the coaching at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium and thus started his athletic journey.

Despite doubts about meeting academic standards, Khan’s talent as a sprinter continued to blossom. His notable achievements include winning gold in 800 meters at the Under-16 Nationals and a bronze medal at the Under-18 Khelo India Games.

However, it was Khan’s victory in the 1500m at the Open National Championships in Warangal in 2021 that brought him into the spotlight. He got selected for the Indian Navy.

In 2022, Khan won the gold medal in 1500m at the National Games where he clocked his personal best of 3:40:89. This win paved the way for him to join the Indian national camp and subsequently train at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado, USA.

source: http://www.awazthevoice.in / Awaz, The Voice / Home> Story / by Yunus Alvi, Nuh / May 13th, 2024

Indian Muslim cultural heritage is indelible

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INDIA :

Like it or not, modern Indian culture is still heavily indebted to the legacy of the Mughals and the nawabs.

Stamps of both tangible and intangible heritage of India’s prosperous Muslim reign are still vivid, despite more than two centuries of indifference, ingratitude and insolence that followed.

From language and art to cuisine and architecture, every aspect of Indian cultural landscape has strong traces of Muslim sounds, flavours and colours that continue to trickle down from an era that drew the world to India.

Like it or not, modern Indian culture is still heavily indebted to the legacy of the Mughals and the nawabs. The Persianate culture that was dominant well into the decline of the Muslim dynasties, continues to influence our customs and traditions.

Intangible heritage
Whether we call it Hindi or Hindustani, the language that is spoken by most Indians, especially in North India, took shape in the hallowed halls of the Mughal Delhi and Nawabi Lucknow.

Though, it’s been nearly two centuries since the sun set upon the fortunes of the Mughals, their cuisine is still in the ascendancy and gaining in popularity everyday. Can a party be complete without the biryani and kebabs?

Urdu may not be a particularly favoured language of our times, but no Urdu basher could be averse from the influence of its sweet melody. Despite some serious attempts at its erasure from the public consciousness, Bollywood or Hindi Cinema still has some strong strands of Urdu in its rapidly morphing personality.

The indelible Urdu legacy lies at the very heart of ‘Hindi’ cinema’s golden era, with some of the best dialogues and songs that most of us swoon over being still its biggest treasure trove.

As much as its intangible legacy, the tangible legacy of the Muslim architects still remains the biggest tourist attractions in India. Not just the Taj Mahal and the Jama Masjid of Delhi, Muslim architects have left towering symbols of aesthetic excellence in architectural marvels such as the Qutub Minar and the Charminar.

Besides Delhi, Agra and Lucknow, cities such as Ahmedabad, Hyderabad, Aurangabad and Bijapur wouldn’t have existed without their Muslim patrons. Their Muslim character is hard to miss despite consistent attempts at altering their nature.

The magnificent monuments, among the greatest landmarks of the tangible human heritage, are so deeply etched on the landscape and the psyche of India, that they have become synonymous to the grandeur of the Muslim ascendancy in India.

Artisanal legacy
But, more than the glowing architecture, it is the enterprising artisanal traditions that continue to have the greatest traces of Muslim influence. Importantly, Muslims continue to preserve this legacy against all odds.

From the Pashmina Shawls and Banarasi Sarees to the Rogan Art and Bidriware, some of India’s best known handmade traditions are painstakingly preserved by Muslim artisans, maintaining a living heritage that can be traced to the patronage of the Great Mughals, the Bahamanis, the Adil Shahis, the Nizams and others.

It is no secret that the Mughals were the great patrons of art, craft and industry, with creativity, innovation and industry flourishing during their rule, making India the most prosperous country in the world.

Their generous patronage and facilitation meant artisans from different parts of the world made a beeline to India, adding new forms of craft to a landscape that was already full of life.

From muslin and brocade to diamonds and jewellery, the artisans of India produced some exquisite handmade goods that drew traders from all over the world to India.

Mughal India – World’s biggest economy

During the peak of the Mughal rule in India, when Aurangzeb Alamgir was at the helm, India accounted for 27 per cent of the world’s economy, greater than the GDP of the entire Europe combined.

Until the mid-18th century, when British started gaining greater control over some parts of the country, India was the biggest exporter of manufactured goods across the world.

Despite the unparalleled rapacity and depravity of the colonial administration that had led to the near extinction of the Indian craft traditions a century ago, Indian handicrafts survived largely through the resilience and industry of the artisans.

Though, the policy of erasure continued even after the British left India and continues till this day, Indian artisanal communities have shown remarkable resilience against the onslaught of monopoly, ruthlessly cruel economic policies and unfavourable terms and conditions.

Many craft clusters have also faced communal apathy, discrimination and prejudice.

Under such extreme conditions, it is nothing short of a miracle that ancient handmade craft traditions survive in India.

Story of Bidriware
The tale of the Bidriware, primarily practised by Muslims, is one such story of skill, struggle and survival.

Bidriware is poetry crafted in metal

Cast in an alloy of copper and zinc, with silver and gold wires or sheets inlaid or overlaid, a Bidriware artefact is so graceful in its appearance that an indulgent heart longs to feel and touch it, if not wear it!

For more than five centuries, Bidriware objects have been must have pieces of adornment among the royalties and nobilities such as Mughal emperors, Rajput kings and Nawabs of Bengal to Bahmani, Adil Shahi and Vijayanagara Sultans (yes, the Vijayanagara kings loved to call themselves sultans!).

In the pre-modern era, the Nizams of Hyderabad have been the biggest patrons of this magical craft, not only collecting the artefacts such as hookahs (sheesha), vases, vanity boxes, ewers and pitchers, but also relocating several artisans to Hyderabad.

However, despite the early 20th century migration of artisans and losing patronage, Karnataka’s northern town of Bidar continues to remain a hub of Bidriware.

With all of the kingdoms and fiefdoms gone, ancient Bidriware items along with other surviving royal antique pieces are a collector’s treasure now, gracing the leading museums across the world.

The Origin
Though, the Bidri metal craft has its origins in medieval Persia, Bidriware in its distinct Indian form blossomed in the capital of the early 15th century Bahmani Empire.

The tale of Bidriware, primarily practised by Muslims, is a story of skill, struggle and survival

The Bahmanis were renowned for their exquisite sensibilities for art and architecture, hence it is no surprise that a complex and intricate enterprise such as the Bidri metal craft originated in their royal atelier.

This, perhaps, is among the last few influences that the medieval Bahamanis continue to have on modern India.

Reinvention
Despite the spell Bidriware has on art aficionados and connoisseurs of craft, the enterprise has seen a steady decline over the last few decades, with only a few masters working their magic.

Currently, the city of Bidar has around 150 registered artisans, but only a handful of artisans in the town have the depth of knowledge and the deftness of skills required to be called a master.

MA Rauf Siddiqui is a national-award winning master craftsman who is reinventing Bidriware, catering to the modern aesthetic sensibilities

Among the few masters is the national award-winning artisan MA Rauf Siddiqui.

Even as the overall scene of the Bidriware tradition is not particularly encouraging, the Shilpi Guru-winner is quietly reinventing the traditions, ably-assisted by his young and enterprising children.

Modernising the techniques, motifs and methods, the family has several generations involved in the craft, adopting latest softwares to come up with new patterns and using social media to reach new frontiers.

However, the traditional expression of the art-form continues to find patrons, even as the newer expressions in wearable forms give the craft a new lease of life.

Empowering the community
Many Muslim communities in India sit on a huge treasure trove of craft traditions that have been part of the country’s cultural, economic and political legacy for centuries.

Many of these traditions are withering away due to multiple factors, including lack of upgrade or inability to adapt to the changing landscape, little government support and poor marketing.

With necessary attention and support we can not just preserve this precious legacy of India and Indian Muslims, but can also make hundreds of these craft clusters economically independent and sustainable.

source: http://www.radiancenews.com / Radiance News / Home> Arts & Culture> Forces / by Shafaat Shahbadari / Radiance News Bureau / September 26th, 2023

Meet Hakim Hafiz Abdul Majeed, the man behind Rooh Afza: Know about his journey, family & net worth

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Philbit , UTTAR PRADESH / NEW DELHI:

For the unversed, Rooh Afza was originally created by a Unani hakim as a herbal concoction to beat the heat, however, it went on to become a staple across India and Pakistan.

Hakim Hafiz Abdul Majeed, Rooh Afza, Rooh Afza net worth, Rooh Afza founder, Rooh Afza journey, Rooh Afza pakistan, Rooh Afza india, lifestyle

Hakim Hafiz Abdul Majeed is the founder of Hamdard that created Rooh Afza as a herbal drink that would help people stay cool in the summer. 

Hakim Hafiz Abdul Majeed’s education

Born in 1883, Hakim Hafiz Abdul Majeed studied the origin of Urdu and Persian languages. He went on to acquire the highest degree in unani system of medicine.

Hakim Hafiz Abdul Majeed’s career

In 1906, Hakim Hafiz Abdul Majeed decided to set up a herbal shop at House Qazi in Delhi. In 1920, his small shop turned into a production house. Selecting herbs and syrups from traditional Unani medicines, Hakim Hafiz Abdul Majeed created a drink to fight heat strokes – He named it Rooh Afza, which in Urdu means ‘something that refreshes the soul.”

In 1910, an artist called Mirza Noor Ahmad prepared the labels of Rooh Afza in several colours. It was printed under special arrangement by the Bolton Press of the Parsees of Bombay (Mumbai) since there were no coloured printers at that time.

Journey of Rooh Afza

The partition of India in 1947 played a role in the journey of Rooh Afza. Hakim Abdul Majeed’s eldest son decided to stay in India, but his younger brother Mohammad Saeed wanted to live in Pakistan. He started Hamdard from two rooms in Karachi and in no time the business flourished. As per Sadia Rashid, Hakim Mohammad Said’s daughter, her father gifted the business to the people of Bangladesh after their independence in 1971.

Having said that, Rooh Afza gained more popularity in India. The bottles were deigned in Germany and were initially introduced in a glass bottle, but was later changed to plastic. In 2019, Rooh Afza faced shortage in supplies owning to the lesser availability of herbs needed to make the drink.

Other brands under Rooh Afza

Over the years, Rooh Afza launched products like Pachnaul, Safi, Rogan Badam Shirin. 

source: http://www.financialexpress.com / Financial Express / Home> FE Leisure> Business News> Lifestyle / by FE Lifestyle / May 13th, 2023

AMU Professor Saima Yunus Khan gets First Copyright from Government of India for her work on Dental Caries

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Aligarh, UTTAR PRADESH:

AMU Faculty Becomes First Indian To Receive IADR Fellowship

Prof Saima Yunus Khan, Chairperson, Department of Pediatric and Preventive Dentistry, Dr. Z.A. Dental College, Aligarh Muslim University has been awarded the Copyright by the Government of India for her original innovative work on an evidence based Indian Caries Risk Assessment tool for the children up to 6 years of age.

She started to work on the project in 2021, on receiving the John Clarkson Fellowship from the Prestigious International Association for Dental Research.

Being the first Indian to receive this fellowship, she worked in collaboration with Dr. Gerald Niznick, College of Dentistry, Rady Faculty of Health Sciences University of Manitoba, Canada.

According to Dr. Saima, the CRA tool would be beneficial to the Indian children as it addresses the risk factors of early childhood caries of Indian preschoolers. It’s a small compact tool form which can be used with ease by the masses in hospital or field settings.

The Dean, Faculty of Medicine and the Principal, J.N. Medical College, Prof Veena Maheshwari, and the Principal, Dr. Z. A. Dental College & Hospital, Prof R.K. Tewari congratulated Prof. Saima on her exemplary achievement.

source: http://www.amu.ac.in / AMU, Aligarh Muslim University / Home> Public Relations Office (headline edited & additional pix edited) / April 02nd, 2024

A noble soul passes away

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Aurangabad /Mumbai, MAHARASHTRA:

It was December 2001. I was at Dr Rafiq Zakaria’s beautiful, book-lined study at Cuffe Parade house in South Mumbai. In that spacious room Allama Iqbal vied for space with William Wordsworth and Mirza Ghalib sat alongside Shakespeare. World religions and their prophets and pundits were there in plenty. So were heroes and heroines of India’s freedom struggle. Present also were a few villains amidst a pantheon of popular leaders. Muhammad Ali Jinnah could not have been absent. He was there too.

In fact, Jinnah those days was in the intellectual air on both sides of the Indo-Pak border. The Outlook magazine had sent Dr Rafiq Zakaria’s book on Jinnah ‘The Man Who Divided India’ to noted Pakistani journalist Najam Sethi for review and he had panned the book. In the review Sethi had also suggested that Dr Zakaria should have heeded advice of his wife Fatma Zakaria who had tried to stop him from wiring the book, suggesting, “I think you should leave Jinnah alone for a while.” Dr Zakaria had written a rejoinder to Sethi’s piece and explained that he could not help but write about a man responsible for not just dividing India but breaking the social cohesion of the subcontinent Muslims. First, Muslims were divided between two countries–India and Pakistan. Subsequently, a part of Pakistan broke away, leaving Muslims divided in India, Pakistan and Bangladesh. The blood-curdling riots that accompanied these divisions had left Dr Zakaria deeply disturbed and could not rest till he took the grief off his chest.

While he gave an interview to me for the ‘Indian Express” on why he wrote this book and the debate it had generated, he told his office staff that he would not entertain any telephone calls or visitors for the next one hour. Dr Zakaria was holding forth forcefully in the closed room when unexpectedly and suddenly the door opened and Fatma Zakaria, in yellow salwar-kameez clutching a page, breezed in. “The secretary is so terrified after you asked her not to disturb you that she pleaded with me to come. This needs your signature and has to be faxed urgently,” Fatma said, got the paper signed and left quickly.

The Zakarias, husband and wife, complimented each other. One half left in 2005. The better half departed yesterday. She was 85. Her famous son, US-based author and Television anchor Fareed Zakaria couldn’t have encapsulated his feelings in a tweet better than this: “My mother, Fatma Zakaria, passed away last night at 85. She lived a long, rich, eventful life, with children and grandchildren whom she adored. She loved this photograph.” The photograph that I use with this essay is the one Fareed Zakaria tweeted. She is survived by, apart from Fareed, her son Arshad Zakaria and step son Mansoor Zakaria and step daughter Tasneem Mehta Zakaria.

Life was never the same again in Mumbai after Dr Rafiq Zakaria had exited. Life at the beautiful educational campus Dr Rafiq Zakaria built in Aurangabad will never be the same again after Fatma Zakaria’s departure. After Dr Zakaria’s death in 2005, Fatma had stepped in to carry on the educational legacy her famous educationist, politician and Islamic scholar husband had left behind.

As you enter the green campus, a sense of gratitude for the Zakarias grips you. For years, Dr Zakaria and then his wife Fatma nursed this seat of learning, endowing it with institutions of repute. Most politicians use their constituencies to scale heights and abandon them once they leave politics and walk into sunset. Few remain clung to their constituencies till they die. Dr Rafiq Zakaria belonged to the second category. “He is the architect of modern Aurangabad and Mrs. Fatma Zakaria was a big pillar of support to him. I don’t think Dr Zakaria could have done so much in the fields of politics, education and scholarship without her,” says eminent Urdu scholar and linguist Prof Abdus Sattar Dalvi who have known the Zakarias for the last five decades. Prof Dalvi had also translated Dr Zakaria’s seminal work Iqbal: Poet and Politician in Urdu.

Fatma was Dr Zakaria’s first reader and critic too. With their children flown out of the nest and into the wider world where they planted victory flags on as varied fields as Investment Banking and Journalism, it was Fatma who provided the much-needed inputs as well as emotional support to Zakaria who heads so many institutions and i wrote so prolifically till his end.

Fatma had worked under legendary editor and ‘dream boss’ of every fledgling journalist, Khushwant Singh, and knew how to curb verbosity in a sentence and straighten a complex paragraph. In book after book that Dr Zakaria churned out, he acknowledged the unpaid services of this able, inhouse editor. She knew Urdu too and could write on arts and literature with as much felicity as she could do political pieces. The biggies she had interviewed included Indira Gandhi, Margaret Thatcher and Jaya Prakash Narayan.

Bachi Karkaria, M J Akbar, Bikram Vora, Jiggs Kalra, Badshah Sen and Ramesh Chandran were her contemporaries when they worked with “The Illustrated Weekly of India” under the stewardship of Khushwant Singh. When I informed Akbar about Fatma’s death yesterday, he reacted with a few words: “What a tragedy. I am saddened.” Akbar was so close to the Zakarias that once I heard him saying, “I feel adopted by the Zakarias.” Perhaps no book launch of Dr Zakaria–and he had at least one or two every year—was held without Akbar as one of the speakers. The speed with which Dr Zakria wrote books, published and launched them left us youngsters amazed. I once joked when he informed me about the launch of yet another book: “Dr Sahab, now I have left count of the number of your book launches and book readings I have attended.” This couldn’t have been possible without the meticulous planning Fatma Zakaria did and tireless support she provided.

It was the launch of Zakaria’s book ” Indian Muslims: Where Have they Gone Wrong?” at the Nehru Centre in Mumbai. The 900-odd capacity auditorium was houseful with young college students (Dr Zakaria and, Fatma after him, was chairperson of the Maharashtra College in Mumbai) occupying a substantial number of seats. As always, Fatma Zakaria didn’t figure among those who graced the stage. When Akbar rose to speak, he inquired about Fatma Zakaria who was seated among the audience. Akbar requested her to come on stage. She refused and was seemingly embarrassed for being invited to the stage. Leaving her to where she felt comfortable, Akbar went on to say: “It is only Dr Rafiq Zakaria who can turn a book launch into a public meeting.”

A couple of years after Dr Zakaria’s death, Islamic scholar and secretary general of the Wisdom Foundation, Dr Zeenat Shaukat Ali, and I were in Aurangabad to participate in a seminar political scientist Dr Zaheer Ali had organized. Historian and ex-VC of Jamia Millia Islamia Prof Mushirul Hasan too had flown in from Delhi. After the seminar, Zeenat Shaukat Ali and I went to see Fatma Zakaria in her office. She was in fine fettle, command of things and ran the show meticulously. We chatted for a while and then she told us not to leave without visiting Dr Sahab’s grave on the same campus.

Zeenat Shaukat Ali and I walked down the paved pathway and reached a small patch of land where Dr Zakaria’s open-to-sky grave squats. With several couplets of Allama Iqbal adorning the place, it resembles a Sufi saint’s last resting place. After a long, eventful life, Fatma Zakaria joined her husband. They will be there till the creator calls them up, along with all of us, on the Judgement Day.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> India / by Mohammed Wajihuddin in Beyond the Burqa, India, TOI / April 07th, 2021

Meet Mohammad Furqan, Madrasa Graduate Selected for University of Notre Dame, Indiana

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Darbangah District, BIHAR / Indiana, U.S.A:

From a humble beginning as a student of a Madrasa to being selected for Masters in Peace Studies at University of Notre Dame, one of world’s leading universities, Furqan’s journey is an answer to those critics of madrasas who refuse to accept their relevance and contribution to the society and academia.

Meet Mohammad Furqan, Madrasa Graduate Selected for University of Notre Dame | ummid.com

While hundreds of Madarasas are being shut down allegedly for being non-productive, a good number of graduates of independent Madrasas are making great academic strides. One such Madrasa graduate, Mohammad Furqan has qualified for the Masters of Global Affairs in Peace Studies at the University of Notre Dame, Indiana, USA.

Furqan’s selection has been widely welcomed by graduates of different Indian madrasas and especially by the graduates of Madrasa Discourses Program run by the Keogh School of Global Affairs, University of Notre Dame.

Buoyed by the good wishes, Furqan said:

“It all started with the Madrasa Discourses, and it would have not been possible without the great leadership of Prof. Ebrahim Moosa and Dr. Waris Mazhari. Coming from an ordinary family, I could have never imagined to study in the USA with scholarship.”

Belonging to Darbhanga district of Bihar, Furqan graduated with a Fazilat degree from Madrasa Alia Arabia, Masjid Fatehpuri, Delhi in 2016, after which he did BA (Hons) in English Literature from Jamia Millia Islamia (JMI). In 2023, he completed Masters of Arts in Islamic and Arabic Studies from JMI.

[M Furqan with his friends at Jamia Millia Islamia New Delhi in a file photo.]

While continuing his formal studies, Furqan also pursued the three-year research program for Madrasa graduates namely “Advancing Scientific and Theological Literacy in Madrasa Discourses”, offered by the University of Notre Dame. It is where he made the most of his time and had the opportunity to interact with a number of renowned academicians and scholars from different countries.

Recalling those years Furqan says:

“It was indeed a life changing journey for me to connect with you all for more than five years”.

Extending his special thanks to his Madrasa Discourses fellows Mohammad Ali, Manzar Imam, Mohammad Ehtesham, Mohammad Fozail, Muhammad Zeeshan, Mohammad Aadil Affan, Ghulam Rasool, Md Khaleeque Rehmani, Abul Aala Subhani, Syed Abdur Rasheed, Tajammul Husain, Saif ul Hadi and others, Furqan expressed his intention to remain connected with what he called “our shared commitment for our society and madrasa community.”

From a humble beginning as a student of a Madrasa to being selected for Masters in Peace Studies in one of world’s leading universities, Furqan’s journey is an answer to those critics of madrasas who refuse to accept their relevance and contribution to the society and academia.

Indian madrasas need some reform but more than that they need to sustain and serve the society to carry forward the huge academic and intellectual legacy which has been the hallmark and pride of India’s story of diversity and open discourse.

(A graduate of Madrasa Discourses Program, the writer, Manzar Imam, is Director of MJ Achievers Academy LLP)

source: http://www.ummid.com / Ummid.com / Home> Education & Career / by Manzar Imam / April 01st, 2024

From Jamshedpur to UK, the inspiring journey of Khurshid Alam

Amazing Feats, Community Involvement / Social Issues, Education, Leaders, NRI's / PIO's, World Opinion, , , , , , , , , , , ,

Jamshedpur, JHARKHAND / London, U.K :

For ex-health commissioner of London Khurshid Alam, education is the only solution for all the problems currently gripping the Muslim community. Saira Aslam talks to Mr  Alam for muslimmirror.com about his life struggles, a tragic childhood and his growing up braving it all.

He has several feathers to his cap – from being the health commissioner of London, serving the Indian Army, setting up a vocational training institute in the UK to adopting a school in Nuh near Gurgaon, but Alam feels it is important to continue to learn.

Having lost his mother when he was just three years’ old and then later losing his father at six years’ old meant the end of the world for him. And if this wasn’t enough, he also witnessed the 1964 riots in Jamshedpur in which hundreds of people were killed. But, he says what kept him going and helped him immensely later in life was his education, which he managed to complete despite all the challenges that one could think of.

For over 20 years, Alam has been involved extensively in a variety of roles ranging from being an advisor to leading a wide range of charities and public services in health, education and social care. He has developed and implemented several policies and strategic plans of improving public services and access; and promoting good healthcare and education for community, including working with and giving advice to government bodies and other organisations internationally.

Currently based in London, he has adopted a school in Nuh district, about 45 kilometres (28 mi) from Gurgaon. He has also worked out collaboration between the institution and a school in London, and wants to see his school grow to be the region’s leading school in the next three years. Within six months of its adoption, the school has won two prestigious awards, giving him hopes that the future for the institution looks bright. He points out that the people of the district, who are mostly Muslims, are a marginalised lot and the literacy rate is extremely low.

“Muslims are today lagging so much behind than other communities, not only in India but across the world. And unfortunately, this gap is rising rapidly. Hence, a multi-pronged approach should be undertaken backed by innovative projects on the grass-root level by authorities as well as non-government organisations in coordination and support of each other,” he told MuslimMirror.com during his recent visit to India.

Alam, a Commissioner of the Healthcare Commission who currently holds two other ministerial appointments – Member of Employment Tribunal and Member of Mental Health Review Tribunal, has been running training courses on healthcare and business entrepreneurship skills development programme in the UK and UAE for the past few years but feels “most satisfied” by adopting the school in Nuh, which he describes as “a very deprived area”.

He has set up the AOC International and Academy for Advanced Studies & Training International, an institution specialising in education and training in the UK. He added that he has successfully launched skill development programmes in rural areas as well as initiated women empowerment drives focusing on health, adult education, equality and anti-dowry. He says all such community efforts should focus on the youth, women and other weaker groups.

“My one word answer to all misery of Muslims in India and the world is real and meaningful education. At the same time, the community should strive to become economically and scientifically strong,” he says, adding that all efforts should revolve around the unshaken belief in the Almighty. As part of his long-term plan, he remains passionate about bringing about quality education and value added training courses in different countries.

When asked about the skill development areas Muslims should focus on, Alam says innovative and unique skills that are industry-focused and those that will provide early employment or sources of earnings to themselves and the dependents are important. For example, handicraft, stitching and sewing would be helpful for women, and so will be the basic level training for healthcare nursing assistants, primary teachers, nannies, cleaners, cooks and others.

It is also important for the youth (men) to focus on the skills required for plumbing, plastering, tiling, crane operation, taxi or auto driving, guarding, refrigeration, mechanical work, electronics repair. A society with trained primary teachers, healthcare assistants, chefs, etc is extremely important, he points out, adding that entrepreneurship should be encouraged.

Small NGO groups should reach out to more remote areas under schemes like anganwadi with result-oriented programmes. The divisions and prejudices either based on caste or class systems have proved to be huge obstacles and barriers for a progressive society. Islamic learning or other forms of learning and awareness programmes must be undertaken, particularly in rural areas, says Alam.

Teaching the basic tenets of Islam on equality should be encouraged through awareness camps alongside tackling and working with the religious institutions, bringing all stakeholders under one umbrella tactfully and avoiding differences. However, this work must be undertaken with the sole purpose of helping the Muslim community progress on all fronts, he adds.

He says the positive thing is that “awareness is increasing and we must work relentlessly to make use of every window of opportunity presented to us but remaining focused to our goals through teamwork and equality”. “In fact, in my view it is more important for women to seek complete education and acquire necessary skills,” says Alam the father of two successful daughters (one is law graduate from LSE and another doing MBBS)  in his parting reply.

source: http://www.muslimmirror.com / Muslim Mirror / Home> Indian Muslim> Interviews / by Saira Aslam / January 14th, 2018

After 7 long years, teacher shines on world stage

Amazing Feats, Education, Education - Gold Medallists, Toppers, Merits, Achievers (wef. June 12th, 2023), Education- Excellence, Coaching, Training, Tutorials (wef. Feb 09th, 2024), World Opinion, , , , , , , , , ,

Pegadapaly Village (Jagtial District), TELANGANA:

Irshad, with 11 years experience at Govt Model School, Pegadapally, was chosen as one of two TG educators for 2024 FTEA

Irshad receives a certificate
Irshad receives a certificate

Hyderabad :

After seven years of perseverance, it’s a moment of celebration for 40-year old Syed Irshad Ali, a post graduate teacher from Model School and Government Junior College in Pegadapally village of Jagtial district, to have attended the Fulbright Teaching Excellence and Achievement (FTEA) programme at the University of Massachusetts, Lowell, US.

Headed by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, US Department of State, the six-week FTEA programme opens doors for secondary school educators to partake in developmental initiatives at prestigious US universities.

Irshad was one of only two teachers chosen from Telangana and one of the seven teachers handpicked from across the country for the 2024 programme. Irshad was selected after attending national-level interviews and attempting the TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language), scoring 61.

Irshad was aspiring and attempting to be a part of the programme for the past seven years and his efforts finally paid off when he was selected to attend the programme, where teachers from 19 other countries were also a part of the cohort.

Speaking to TNIE, Irshad said, “The six-week programme has been a one-of-its-kind experience which gave me an exposure to different cultures and people from various parts of the world. Besides exchanging teaching techniques and knowledge-sharing, the programme expanded my approach and gave me exposure to challenges faced by teachers in different countries, some of which were similar to what we face here in India, while others were extremes, which helped me understand the progress made by India in infrastructure, as well as the areas where we need to improve”.

Syed Irshad Ali speaks at Massachusetts University during the Fulbright Teaching Excellence & Achievement programme
Syed Irshad Ali speaks at Massachusetts University during the Fulbright Teaching Excellence & Achievement programme

Irshad further said that discussions on gender rights, English pedagogy and visit to the Harvard University, which were a part of the programme were a significant value addition to his learning experience.

Irshad has 14 years of experience in teaching and has been working in the Model School for the past 11 years, where he teaches English language to students from classes 9 to 12.

He has also been a state resource person and has contributed in designing various training programmes for English teachers in the state and was also awarded the district-level best teacher award for 2022, for excellence in English teaching during the Covid-19 period.

Irshad, who is a father to a son and a daughter, stressed on the significance of empowering and fostering girl students, especially in the rural areas, where girls face several challenges, hampering their education and said that this achievement came as an added responsibility for him in creating awareness amongst teachers for improving the quality of education in the government schools.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Telangana> GoodNews / by Aarti Kashyap / April 07th, 2024

Dr Akhter Husain’s artwork chosen for London International Creative Competition

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Mangaluru, KARNATAKA:

Dr Akhter Husain, former principal and dean of Yenepoya Dental College, adds another feather to his cap as his artwork from his series on Vedic inspirations has made it to the official selection by the jury for a prestigious prize in the London International Creative Competition.

The London International Creative Competition (LICC) which began in 2006 has been ‘Recognising and rewarding the world’s most fresh and progressive creative talents’ across various categories. 

An associate of the Royal Photographic Society, UK, his artistic prowess has earned him international acclaim including prestigious awards such as the Moscow International Foto Awards (MIFA) and the ‘Better Photography Magazine Photograph of the Year Award’ among others.

His artistic pursuits have also been punctuated by illustrious exhibitions at renowned venues such as the highly coveted Art Basel in Switzerland, Chitrakala Parishad in Bengaluru, and the India Habitat Centre in New Delhi. An intrepid explorer of various art forms and uses a combination of photography, digital technology and traditional paints.

source: http://www.daijiworld.com / Daijiworld.com / Home> Karnataka> Media Release / April 04th, 2024