Tag Archives: 2017 PBD Recipient – Zeenat Jafri

NRIF felicitates Mrs. Zeenat Jafri, Abdulrahman Saleem for awards

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Riyadh, SAUDI ARABIA :

NRIF felicitates (Left) Mrs. Zeenat Jafri, (Right) Abdulrahman Saleem for awards
NRIF felicitates (Left)
Mrs. Zeenat Jafri, (Right) Abdulrahman Saleem for awards

Riyadh :

The NRI Forum (NRIF) Riyadh celebrated the 68th Republic Day of India with fanfare here. Patriotic songs and popular Bollywood numbers by eminent singers and the felicitation of Pravasi Bharatiya Sammam and Pravasi Excellence Award winners marked the celebration.

Mrs. Zeenat Jafri was felicitated by NRIF for her latest accomplishment of receiving the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Award by Indian President Pranab Mukharjee in India. Terming her as the torch-bearer of knowledge and education in the Kingdom, Vice President NRI Forum Dr. Sayeed Mohiuddin said, “Selfless service and utmost dedication are the words that truly describe her.”

“At the time when expatriate community in the capital did not have any educational facility for children of Indian expatriates, Mrs. Jafri ventured into this field by making a small beginning. An educationist herself, she started a school for Indian children at her home. The school, which was established with the blessings and permission of Mrs. Indira Gandhi, groomed by Mrs. Jafri is now known as International Indian School Riyadh (IISR) and is one of the prominent Indian community schools in Saudi Arabia. She was the principal of the girls section of IISR from Aug 1982 to May 2014,” Mohiuddin said.

After receiving the memento of appreciation from eminent community leaders Mohammed Abdulrahman Saleem, Mohammed Quaiser and Syed Akram Mohiuddin, Mrs. Jafri thanked NRIF for the honor and Indian Embassy officials for recommending her name to the Indian government for the prestigious award. She highlighted the importance of education and stressed on the necessity for all to gain knowledge and education. She appreciated the activities of NRIF and assured her support in all possible ways.

Chief Guest Mohammed Abdulrahman Saleem, president Hindustani Bazm-e-Urdu Riyadh, was felicitated by NRIF for receiving the Pravasi Excellence Award by the Confederation of Telangana Associations (COTA) in Hyderabad. A memento of appreciation and floral garland was presented to him. COTA conferred on him this award in recognition of his continuous services spread over four decades.

He founded different professional and cultural organizations and worked for the promotion of Urdu language and literature. An ardent lover of Urdu language and literature, his passion is to keep Deccani Tahzeeb alive and see it flourish.

Saleem thanked the NRIF and highlighted his activities and accomplishments during his long stay in the Kingdom.

Guest of Honor, President Tanzeem Hum Hindustani Mohammed Quaiser congratulated Mrs. Zeenat Jafri and Abdulrahman Saleem for achieving eminent awards.

President NRIF Syed Akram Mohiuddin highlighted the activities of NRIF and said the forum is involved in various activities since its inception, including educational, sports, cultural, religious and other social activities. The memorable ghazal nite by Zulfiqar Ali Khan was a grand success and was very much applauded by the expatriates in the Kingdom.

Eminent Singers of “NRI Melody Makers” — Rahmat Ali Khan, Abdul Qadeer Ali Alvi, Syed Riyaz, Muneer Ahmed and Miss Shreeja Janardhan presented melodious songs to make the evening memorable.

A young student of Al Yara International School Aswin Siva Prasad addressed the gathering on the Republic Day of India and its importance.

General Secretary Nooruddin Jahangeer and Vice President Cultural Affairs Shakeel Mah handled the overall arrangements.

source:  http://www.saudigazette.com.sa / Saudi Gazette / Home / February 14th, 2017

PBD 2018 celebrated in Riyadh with fervor

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SAUDI ARABIA :

IndiainSaudiMPOs17jan2018

Riyadh :

Indian Charge d’Affaires Dr. Suhel Ajaz Khan, during the recent Pravasi Bhartiya Divas (PBD) 2018 celebrations held at Indian Embassy auditorium here, advised Indian nationals to help each other and participate in assisting the community when needed.

Dr. Suhel, in his opening remarks while welcoming the gathering, said that the number of Indians living illegally in the Kingdom is very minute compared to its population after the completion of the recent Amnesty period. The Saudi officials, rounding up illegal residents, have revealed that so far among 250,000-300,000 rounded up in their sweep, that just 1,000 were Indians.

Even though this number is very small when compared to the overall figure and the number of Indians working here, Indian Embassy officials are regularly visiting deportation centers to see if there are any Indian still there needing their help, or is there any fresh Indians detained.

Dr. Suhel also said that during the amnesty period around 75,000 Indians were deported while adding, “It is a matter of satisfaction for us that Indians are very few among illegals.”

Highlighting the community outreach program of the Embassy, the DCM said that the Indian Ambassador traveled length and breadth of the Kingdom to meet the Indian nationals.

Embassy of India has actively implemented the flagship program of Indian government Madad and Emigrate.

He also said that the Indian Embassy would be merciless towards unscrupulous agents who send people to Saudi Arabia through illegal ways.

DCM disclosed that upon the request of Indian Prime Minister Narendera Modi, the Saudi government had issued royal pardon to 291 Indians during last year, the highest for several years.

The DCM also had a message to aspiring job seekers in India to come to Saudi Arabia through legal means and work here with honesty and dedication.

The event started with the playing of recorded speech of Indian Prime Minister Narendera Modi. Dr. Suhel briefed community members on the highlights of the speech.

This is a historic occasion as on this day the greatest Pravasi (traveler) of all time Mahatma Gandhi, the father of the nation, returned to India and this day commemorated as PBD,

Every year, Jan. 9 is celebrated as Pravasi Bhartiya Divas (PBD), an annual celebrations that marks the contribution of overseas persons with Indian Origin towards the homeland.

This year PBD is held at Singapore and the theme is Ancient Route, New Journey — Diaspora in the Dynamic ASEAN India Partnership

The Embassy of India selected four prominent members from the community to speak on the various flagship programs of the Indian government. The speakers included Salman Khaled, Yogacharya Soumya, Magesh Prabhakara, and Taqiuddin Mir Fazal.

The speakers stressed on various topics specially the flagship programs of the government like Digital India — Power to Empower, Yoga, Deen Dayal Upadhyaya, Gram Jyothi Yogna and Beti Bacho-Beti Padhaao.

The speakers were widely applauded for their depth and understanding of the government initiatives and its implications on Indian expatriates abroad, particularly from the Gulf region.

Anil Nautiyal, counselor, Embassy of India, conducted the proceedings and proposed the vote of thanks. Embassy staff actively participated in this event.

First Secretaries Venkateswaran Narayan, Dr. Hifzur Rahman Azmi, community members Architect Abdul Rahman Saleem, 2017 PBD recipients Zeenat Jafri, Shihab Kottukad, Ahmad Imthias, Deepak, Suhail Ahamad, Kundan Lal Gothwal, senior AGM Air India, principals of all Indian schools, managing committee members of various and large number of Indians and their families attended.

Students of Indian International Public School, Riyadh presented colorful cultural program depicting the unity and diversity of India.

source: http://www.saudigazette.com / Saudi Gazette / Home> Saudi Arabia / by Mir Mohsin Ali / January 16th, 2018

Awarding PIOs in recognition of their services

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BRUNEI / LIBYA  / SAUDI ARABIA  :

President Pranab Mukherjee honours Dr. Antonio Costa, Portugal Prime Minister, who received the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman, as Suriname Vice-President Michael Ashwin Adhin and Union Minister V.K. Singh look on, in Bengaluru on Monday. | Photo Credit: G R N SOMASHEKAR;G R N SOMASHEKAR -
President Pranab Mukherjee honours Dr. Antonio Costa, Portugal Prime Minister, who received the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman, as Suriname Vice-President Michael Ashwin Adhin and Union Minister V.K. Singh look on, in Bengaluru on Monday. | Photo Credit: G R N SOMASHEKAR;G R N SOMASHEKAR –

Winners of Pravasi Samman Awards include Portugal Prime Minister Dr. Antonio Costa

Her son was three years old when she realised that there was no school she could send him to. British and American schools were too expensive and she didn’t want to send him to a local school.

That prompted Zeenat Jafri to start the second Indian school in Saudi Arabia — International Indian School — in 1982 with her husband. She was among the 30 people feted for her achievement on Monday during the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas, when the Pravasi Samman Awards were given away by President Pranab Mukherjee.

The 64-year-old MBA graduate from Bhopal, who was given the award for her contribution to the field of education, said she started the school from her house, gradually scaling it up   to now educate 12,000 people.

Another person of Indian origin who was recognised with the award was Ariful Islam, coordinator and nodal point in the Embassy of India in Libya.

The electrical engineer relocated from India to Libya in 1980 following a pact between the two nations. He has seen his adopted country go through the worst of times, but continues to live there alone, though his family has moved back to Aligarh. “I have spent half my life there. We have successfully rescued many Indians,” he said.

The rescuer

The most recent episode he was involved was in the rescue of three abducted Indians from the IS in a dramatic operation in 2016 from the deep Libyan deserts.

Among the organisations that were awarded were the Singapore Indian Association in the category of community service.

The event saw double the number of awardees as it was being held after an interval of two years.

Among the other prominent winners of the award were Portugal Prime Minister Antonio Luis Santos da Costa, Labour Member of the European Parliament representing the West Midlands Neena Gill, British politician Priti Patel and Mauritius Minister of Finance and Economic Development Pravind Kumar Jugnauth.

Nisha Desai Biswal, Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs in the United States Department of State, who was also among the 30 awardees, said persons of Indian origin, who were building bridges and connecting in an “increasingly divided world,” retained strong ties with India, she said.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> National / by K.C. Deepika / Bengaluru – January 10th, 2017

School for expats in Saudi Arabia wins Muslim woman top award

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

Bhopal, MADHYA PRADESH / SAUDI ARABIA :

Zeenat Mussarat Jafri with her sons at the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas in Bengaluru on Monday
Zeenat Mussarat Jafri with her sons at the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas in Bengaluru on Monday

Bengaluru :

“A Muslim from Saudi Arabia being recognized and awarded by the BJP government. This is India.” This is how Syed Mohsin rejoiced when his mother was conferred the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman  017 in Bengaluru on Monday.

Zeenat Mussarat Jafri, 65, was given the award by President Pranab Mukherjee for providing quality education to children of Indian expatriates in Saudi Arabia. She started the first Indian school in Riyadh in 1982. “My mother is also the first woman of Indian origin from Saudi Arabia to get the Pravasi Samman,” Mohsin’s elder brother Syed Mudassir told TOI.

A native of Lucknow and a former teacher at Kendriya Vidyalaya, Zeenat went to Saudi Arabia in 1979 with her husband Musarrat Jafri, a former DRDO scientist who later joined the Saudi government as a chemical expert.

Zeenat said: “I was moved by the plight of Indians living in Riyadh. Most of them had left their children behind in India because of a lack of educational opportunities. We wanted to do something and that’s when we met Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi when she visited Riyadh in 1982. We requested her to speak to Saudi authorities and get permission to start a school for Indian children. We got the green signal.”

Zeenat established the International Indian School in Riyadh from the family’s savings. From the first batch of 20 students in 1982, the school now has 12,000 students and is affiliated to CBSE. “I get angry when people pull their children out of schools. I want them to complete graduation,” said Zeenat, who is running the school for the past four decades.

But what’s more Indian about Zeenat and her husband Jafri is that they haven’t given up their Indian citizenship.Since Saudi Arabia does not allow for dual citizenship, they have accepted permanent resident status. “I am an Indian and I will always be an Indian,” she said.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News> City News> Bangalore News / by Rakesh Prakash / TNN / January 10th, 2017