Tag Archives: Mohammed Mehmood

Begum of Malerkotla is honoured for willing Sikh Guru’s sword to SGPC

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Malerkotla, PUNJAB:

Tucked away on the Delhi-Ludhiana railway line, about 40 kilometres from Jalandhar is Malerkotla. It is a small town, famous for poets and palaces, some of which are more than a hundred years old.

In this muslim-majority district lies a 150-year-old palace that doubles up as the resident of Begum Munawwar ul Nisa, a descendant of the erstwhile ruler of Malerkotla, Nawab Sher Mohammad Khan.

Begum Munawar ul Nisa, known popularly as ‘Begum Sahiba’ lives alone in the twilight of her life in the dilapidated palace called ‘Mubarak Manzil’.

Very rarely does she get visitors. Sometimes officials from the Archaeological Survey of India knock at her door, and sometimes a journalist drops by to know her story. And sometimes, foreign tourists are brought here by local guides for a glimpse of pages from Muslim-Sikh harmony in Indian history.

Mohammed Mehmood, Begum Munawwar ul Nisa’s personal attendant

The old and frail Begum’s forefather, Sher Mohammed Khan had strongly opposed the sacrifice of the two sons of Guru Gobind Singh by the Subedar of Sirhind in 1705.

It is for this reason that Malerkotla holds a significant place in the history of Sikhs, specially the palace where the Begum lives today. Therefore, it was not surprising when on February 4 this year, the palace was abuzz with activity.

The Shiromani Gurudwara Prabandhak Committee has declared February 4 as the day for honouring the last descendant of Nawab Sher Mohammed Khan for the role the family played in raising their voice against the atrocity committed by the Mughals on the sons of Guru Gobind Singh.

Mohammed Mehmood, the Begum’s attendant, who takes care of her minutest requirements in her old age at this palace, recalling the moment when officials came here to honour Begum Nisa says, “On February 4 afternoon, the SGPC secretary Simarjit Singh and the historic Gurudwara Fatehgarh Sahib Manager Bhagwant Singh and some other SGPC officials reached the ‘Mubarak Manzil’ and met Begum Munawwar ul Nisa. They met and honoured her duly offering that the supreme institution of the Sikhs and the entire Sikh community is indebted to her forefathers and therefore, she can reach out to them without any kind of hesitation and any kind of trouble.”

On this day, the SGPC officials came to the palace to request her to will the sword gifted to her family by Guru Gobind Singh to the Sikh community. The Begum informed the committee officials that the needful had already been done and also showed them the official papers of the same.

Advocate Harjinder Singh Dhami, head of the SGPC, said, “the entire Sikh community is indebted to Nawab Sher Mohammad Khan and his descendants. This is another hallmark in Muslim-Sikh relations. As long as Begum Munawwar ul Nisa remains safe, the SGPC will take care of her in every possible way and repair the ‘Mubarak Mazil’.”

A few years ago, Begum Munawwar ul Nisa at the age of 97 had willed her palace to the Amarinder Singh government in the state for preservation as her last wish. Unfortunately, due to red-tapism and government lethargy, the repair work to be undertaken has not taken off as expected.

‘Mubarak Manzil’

It is to be seen if the promise made by the SGPC will lead to the palace see better days.

Begum Munawwar ul Nisa is the third wife of Mohammed Iftikhar Ali Khan Bahadur, a descendant of Nawab Sher Mohammad Khan. The first two wives of the Nawab are no more.

Nawab Moahmmed Iftikhar Ali Khan Bahadur himself passed away in 1982. He had no children from any of his Begums.

The ‘Mubarak Manzil’, where the Begum lives presently is now a government heritage property. The palace and the Begum in particular is a beautiful symbol of harmony between the Muslims and Sikhs from history till the present times.

source: http://www.awazthevoice.in / Awaz, The Voice / Home> Story / by Amrik Singh, Jalandhar / posted by Nakul Shivani / February 07th, 2023

Meet ‘Mullah Ji’, the Muzaffarnagar Man Who Lights Up Kumbh for Sadhus

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Muzaffarnagar, UTTAR PRADESH :

Mehmood is an electrician whose business of setting up lights for festivals spans from Janmasthami celebrations in Muzaffarnagar to the famous Nauchandi Mela in Meerut

Prayagraj:

In a sea of saffron, he stands out with his skull cap and gray beard. To the first time visitor, a board reading ‘Mullah Ji Light waale’ (Mullah Ji, the lighting man) at the Kumbh Mela may be an odd sight but to the Sadhus who have gathered at the confluence of the Ganga and the Yamuna , Mohammed Mehmood aka Mullah Ji is a permanent feature of every Kumbh. To some, he is even a friend.

Mehmood is a 76-year-old businessman from Muzaffarnagar in Western UP. In 1986, he acquainted himself with the Sadhus of the Juna Akhara – the largest and one of the fiercest Akharas of the Naga Sadhus; an ancient order of warrior monks. They hired him to set up the lights around their tents. Today, every six years, he travels over 800 kms to Allahabad, now named Prayagraj, and camps out at the Kumbh Mela.

Sandwiched between the tents of the Juna Akhara, he talks of his journey to Kumbh. “I am an electrician. When you come here at night, you will see that the entire area where Sadhus have pitched their tents is dazzling with bright lights of all colours. That is my doing,” he says proudly. Mehmood’s business of setting up lights for festivals spans from Janmasthami celebrations in Muzaffarnagar to the famous Nauchandi Mela in Meerut. ‘Mullah Ji’ had started his business from scratch.

“The first Kumbh I ever attended was the 1986 Kumbh in Haridwar. Apart from the mela that happens in Nashik, I have attended every one. I haven’t kept count of how many Kumbh Melas I have attended, maybe you can do the maths,” he jokes, sipping a cup of tea at his 11th mela.

Naga Baba Sangam Giri, a warrior monk from the Juna Akhara, is Mehmood’s neighbor on the sands in Kumbh. “I have seen him at nearly every Kumbh Mela I’ve been to. I never even bothered to ask him, his real name. For us he is, and will always be, simply ‘Mullah Ji’ – our friend,” he says, adding, “For Hindus, we are gurus. For Muslims, we are Pirs. They (Muslims) worship niraakar (a formless God) and we worship aakar (idol worship). There may be different routes, but we are all going to the same place. There are 25 different ways to get to Allahabad. Everyone takes a different route to the railway station. But eventually, everyone ends up at the railway station.”

Mehmood says he is treated with respect among the Sadhus. The day that stops, he says, that will be his last Kumbh. “The Babas make me feel at home. Sometimes they ask me to sit on their gaddi (padded mattress), but I respect them too much to do that. I read my namaz five times a day in the presence of these Sadhus and they always give me the space,” he said.

If the Sadhus hadn’t treated Mehmood differently, he probably would not have come to Kumbh, he recalls in nostalgia.

Over the last three decades, Kumbh has become an integral part of his life. Will Mullah Ji come back for his 12th Kumbh? “Inshallah! If Allah commands me to, I will come back,” he says.

source: http://www.news18.com / News18 / Home> English> India / by Uday Singh Rana / January 15th, 2019