Tag Archives: Muslims of Ahmedabad

How NSS volunteers in Gujarat fought COVID crisis at the frontline

GUJARAT :

During the months of lockdown last year, NSS units in colleges across Gujarat mobilized resources for food, masks, sanitation.

More than 5,000 student volunteers associated with NSS units in universities carried out COVID relief projects during the initial phase of lockdown

New Delhi :

The risk of contracting a life-threatening virus and the lockdown did not discourage Shaikh Afzal, a final year student of LD Engineering College, Ahmedabad from stepping out to collect food grain for the people in need.

A volunteer with the government-led National Service Scheme, in his case the NSS unit of Gujarat Technological University, Afzal felt the need to be on the ground despite the inhibitions of his family members. While the country was under a nation-wide lockdown in March last year, volunteers like Afzal risked their lives to help migrant workers stranded for days without supplies.

“I have faced a shortage of food for days at home during the lockdown and I understood their situation. They have extremely limited means. I decided to help them despite the risks,” said Afzal who resides with his 70-year-old grandmother and five other family members. He spent two months distributing food kits in various parts of Ahmedabad.

Soon after the central government announced the countrywide shutdown to control the spread of the coronavirus, a wide range of problems emerged, especially for the working class. The lockdown was extended for nearly four more months. Having lost their jobs, thousands of migrant workers attempted to leave major cities for home. In the absence of food reserves, many were pushed into starvation and others struggled to make ends meet.

Like Afzal, more than 5,000 student volunteers associated with NSS units in universities across Gujarat carried out COVID relief projects during the initial phase of lockdown. From providing masks, hand sanitizers and dry ration kits, to managing large crowds along with the police, students participated in several measures.

Prompt relief in Ahmedabad

Ahmedabad, one of the major cities employing daily wage workers and construction workers from bordering states, experienced food shortages amid the extended lockdown. NSS units in various colleges kicked into action to provide ground relief.

Along with Afzal, a team of 15 NSS and National Cadet Corps (NCC) volunteers in coordination with Ahmedabad’s district magistrate’s office conducted an extensive COVID relief drive. The team under the leadership of Chaitanya Sanghvi, the college’s NSS program officer, raised Rs. 3.69 lakh in donations from teachers and students’ parents to arrange for food kits. The volunteers distributed more than 12,500 kits in two months.

“A lot of parents were concerned about their [students’] health but my personal assurance that COVID safety measures will be taken while helping others made them feel confident,” said Sanghvi. “The students were given training by the GIDM [Gujarat Institute of Disaster Management] on how to respond to various challenges on the field,” he added.

Student of LD Engineering College, Ahmedabad distributing ration kits

Each day, for nearly two months, the team distributed 500 kits that sustained families of four for at least 10 days. On several occasions, the team members recalled being overwhelmed by the gravity of the situation on the ground. “Every day we would find a new challenge before us. We had to be cautious about our own safety while maintaining safe distance among those who came to collect the kits. The chaos escalated at times and we had to call the local police to maintain order,” said Deval Naika, a final-year mechanical engineering student.

The relief work began with 16 volunteers but the group expanded into a large team of 100 students after the initial phase of the project ended in success. The students were asked to work on the field in rotation. The effort, according to Sanghvi, helped families that were severely starved amid the lockdown. “I remember providing a food kit to a migrant worker’s family of 12 members. They told me that they were going to eat solid food after 12 days of starvation. There were small kids delighted at the sight of food. I will never forget that day,” recalled Sanghvi.

The team, in a tie-up with the Indian Red Cross Society, also conducted a blood donation drive for thalassemia major patients who were facing a shortage of blood supply during the lockdown. To allay the fear of blood donors, the team remotely reached out to the willing donors on mobile donation vans in various parts of Ahmedabad.

Porda village, Anand

Another NSS volunteer, Kishan Nileshkumar Dave, studying in Natubhai V. Patel College of Pure and Applied Sciences, Vallabh Vidyanagar, managed to provide relief to 100 families in his village, Porda, in Anand district. The volunteers carried out a multifaceted relief drive which included the distribution of food, masks, sanitizing common gathering areas and distribution of Ayurvedic immunity boosters.

Dave and his group of 10 volunteers started a fundraiser to provide relief to the families struggling without any financial help in the period of lockdown. With the help of the village sarpanch and some of its well-heeled families, Dave managed to collect enough funds to feed the hungry for more than a month.

“The money was utilized to cook food and deliver to each villager in need. We also maintained meticulous records of people who require urgent help and avoided missing out on anyone who needed attention,” said Dave. This group also served food to the policemen and health-workers on
COVID-19 duty.

The team also engaged local tailors to sew 2,100 masks to be distributed in the community. In this way, they supplied masks to 920 families of the village and surrounding areas.

The volunteers also prepared herbal tonic under the supervision of the Ayurvedic Aushadhi Kendra of a nearby village, Aradi, and distributed it in Porda and the surrounding areas. Around 1,500 villagers received the immunity booster.

In addition, Dave also conducted a sanitization drive for 20 days. “Providing food and masks was not enough, we also used a sprayer machine and fogging machine provided by the Gram Panchayat and sanitized all the streets, milk collection centres, banks, and other areas of the village,” said Dave. Close to 900 houses of the village were sanitized. The volunteers also raised awareness among the villagers about the significance of personal hygiene, wearing the mask, washing hands frequently, and maintaining social distance.

As the lockdown caused huge losses for the farmers, this group brought vegetables from the village farmers and sold them at fair price to the villagers and residents of slum areas of the village like Indira Nagari. While some group members sold the vegetables, others helped maintain social distancing among the buyers.

Food delivery on national highway

With education institutions shut for months, many students had left the college campuses. They planned to contribute from home. Several NSS volunteers of Vishwakarma Engineering College, Ahmedabad, stepped up to help the migrant workers heading home along the National Highway eight. “Our NSS volunteers living close to the NH provided home-cooked food whenever possible to several families traveling on foot. Since the lockdown was sudden, it was difficult to provide funds. Therefore, each student utilised their own resources,” said Shiza Sheikh, a second-year student of electronics and communication.

At the beginning of COVID-19 lockdown, to meet the sudden rise in demand of masks, the students also distributed 1,500 hand-stitched masks from unused cloth they found at home and distributed it in various parts of Gujarat. “Even though students were scattered throughout the state, the NSS volunteers of our college were determined to help people who were in need. The students learned how to make masks through YouTube videos or by learning stitching from their parents,” Sheikh added.

source: http://www.news.careers360.com / News Careers360 / Home / by R Radhika / April 24th, 2021

The Father Of Urdu Poetry: The Disputed Disappearance Of Wali Gujarati’s Grave

Ahmedabad, GUJARAT:

The Father Of Urdu Poetry: The Disputed Disappearance Of Wali Gujarati's Grave

Amidst the busy roads of Gujarat that have thousands of cars passing by every day, there lies a neglected divider that holds reverence for many. A petal-strewn corner on a broken divider signifies the tomb of an Amdavadi poet credited for the advent of Urdu poetry that gave rise to a league of poets like Zauq, Mir, and Mirza Ghalib.

The poet in question is none other than the father of Urdu poetry, Wali Muhammad Wali, whose contribution towards uplifting Urdu poetry to being at par with its Persian counterpart is considered indispensable.

Challenging the notion that elite poetry can only be Persian, Wali opened up a world of poetic possibilities for Urdu poets and his influence can be seen in a piece penned by the Poet Meer Taqi Meer as a tribute to the Urdu Chaucer.

Khugar nahin kuch yun hi hum Rikhta-goi kay/
Mashooq jo apna tha, bashinda-e-Dakhan tha”

(It isn’t casually that I began dabbling in Urdu/I picked it from my lover, a native of the Deccan).

The poetic legend who died 300 years ago was buried in his family graveyard in Ahmedabad after his demise. Post Independence, Wali’s grave was separated from the graveyard and found itself situated in the middle of the road.

While the death and origins of Wani might be disputed, the razing of his grave has been linked to the communal past of Gujarat. Destroyed during the Gujarat violence of 2002, Wali’s grave was part of the riot that saw thousands murdered and the demolition of many significant Muslim shrines and Dargahs. Eliminating any and all signs of the Dargah, roads were built overnight and the atrocities of communal violence were swept under the layers of tar and repairs that ensued.

A Twitter user recently went searching for the shrine and impressively remarked on the presence of the Urdu poet’s legacy that remains etched in the mind of locals. Street vendors, shoemakers, and locals seem happy to guide and give precise directions to the grave for those looking to visit the shrine. Once an ornate shrine, the grave now portrays a sad picture of desolation and jarring neglect that can be blamed on the political powerplay as well as the ‘divide and rule’ ideologies that plague the nation.

One cannot miss the imprint of Wali’s work on Urdu poetry. It remains immortal in the hearts of people and keeps the light of consciousness alive.

source: http://www.homegrown.co.in / Homegrown / Home> #HGExplore / by Riya Sharma / August 08th, 2022

Ahmedabad: AC mechanic’s son gets 99.78 percentile in CAT this year

Juhapura, Ahmedabad, GUJARAT:

Ahmedabad: AC mechanic's son gets 99.78 percentile in CAT this year |  Ahmedabad News - Times of India

Ahmedabad:

Razin Mansuri, 22, son of an air conditioner repairman and a resident of Ahmedabad, had scored 96.2 percentile in the Common Admission Test ((CAT) 2021 and was eligible for admission in IIM-Udaipur.

But Mansuri was not satisfied with his results so he decided to give it another shot and his efforts paid off as Mansuri scored 99.78 percentile making his chances for an admission in IIM-Ahmedabad or IIM-Bangalore quite high.

Mansuri completed his engineering in IT from Ahmedabad University in May this year. His father earns about 25,000 per month. Razin, his father Irfan Mansuri, mother Sabiha, and his younger brother Rehan live in a one-bedroom house in Juhapura.

Ahmedabad: AC mechanic's son gets 99.78 percentile in CAT this year |  Ahmedabad News - Times of India
Razin Mansuri

As my family’s economic condition is weak, right from high school I have mostly studied on scholarships. After completing high school from CN Vidyalaya, I took admission in Ahmedabad University and completed engineering in IT. I again got a scholarship in AU as my performance was good,” Mansuri told TOI. He said that after he completed engineering he was offered jobs with a Rs 6 lakh annual salary. “I did not take the offer as my dream was to get admission in IIM, preferably in IIM-A or IIM-B.

I started preparing for CAT and took the test in 2021. However, as I did not take any coaching I got 96.20 percentile. I was not satisfied with the result and decided to take the exam again in 2022,” Mansuri said.

Ahmedabad: AC mechanic's son gets 99.78 percentile in CAT this year |  Ahmedabad News - Times of India

He added that he enrolled for a coaching class for CAT 2022  as it charged him only half the fees. “It is an exceptional achievement given his family background and financial struggles. I am sure he will be a great student for any top IIM,” said Satish Kumar, head of the coaching class where Mansuri trained.

Once I pass out from IIM, I want to give back to society what I received from it. I want to help as many students as I can in their education,” Mansuri said.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> News> City News> Ahmedabad News / by Bharat Yagnik / TNN / December 22nd, 2022

Ahmedabad’s Lucky Tea stall built on Muslim graveyard shows the way

Ahmedabad, GUJARAT :

‘People feel it is lucky to have tea here. There is something charming, something random about this place which makes it cool,’ said Ritu, a student.

People eat at a vegetarian restaurant 'Lucky Tea Stall' built on a graveyard, in Ahmedabad.
People eat at a vegetarian restaurant ‘Lucky Tea Stall’ built on a graveyard, in Ahmedabad. (Photo | PTI)

Ahmedabad:

To the outsider, the idea of an eatery built on a Muslim graveyard, run by a Muslim, serving pure vegetarian food and frequented by all communities seems an anomaly.

Not so for its customers though, many who believe that Lucky is actually lucky for them.

Like Sagar Bhatt, a devout Hindu and a resident of Dariapur, who makes it a point to stop by for a cuppa every morning after visiting the temple.

“It feels auspicious to have tea at this place. There is something special about this place,” Bhatt, sporting a red ’tilak’ on his forehead, told PTI while pointing to a grave.

On one wall is a painting by M F Husain, showing an oasis, camels and a ‘kalma’ – ‘La Ilaha Illallah Muhammadur Rasul Allah’ (There is only one God and he is Allah, and Muhammad is his prophet).

“It is the only tea shop boasting a Husain painting,” said a proud Abdul Rajak Mansury, who operates the tea stall.

Every night, the painting by one of India’s most valued artists is taken off the wall and kept away safely.

The six-decade shop in what is essentially a Muslim-dominated area is a common person’s eating joint, he said.

As the campaign hots up, the tea stall in Old Ahmedabad’s Jamalpur-Khadia is also an oasis of calm, far removed from the din and aggression of the Gujarat assembly election being held in two phases on December 1 and 5.

While the Congress has fielded Imran Khedawala, its sitting MLA, the Aam Aadmi Party has given a ticket to Haroon Bhai Nagori and the BJP is fielding a Hindu candidate, Bhushan Bhatt.

The AIMIM is also contesting the seat with Sabir Kabliwala in the fray.

Talk of ‘dhandha’ (business) supersedes ‘dharam’ (religion) at Lucky – so popular that the traffic light point is also called Lucky Chowk.

It is at the centre of several colleges and offices, and a big hit with students and office-goers.

According to Bhatt, a small-time construction contractor, economic issues and issues impacting his business matter more than religious sentiments.

“Sir, I am following my religion but from the government, I expect to further improve the economy so that my business flourishes. For us Gujaratis Dhandha sab se pehle (business comes first),” he said.

On the menu is the perennial favourite ‘bun maska’ and a range of Chinese and Indian dishes. No eggs are used.

College students Ritu and Tanya said the place is cool. “People feel it is lucky to have tea here. There is something charming, something random about this place which makes it cool,” said Ritu, a third year commerce student.

The first-time voter said better jobs and better business environment are bigger issues for her as a student and daughter of a businessman.

Tanya, studying chartered accountancy, agreed. “The business environment in maru Gujarat (my Gujarat) is its USP, it should not be get disturbed at any cost.”

Lucky started on a handcart under a neem tree, and expanded and developed around the graveyard as business grew, said Mansury.

The 26 graves have grills around them.

The staff clean them everyday and place fresh flowers on them.

Some people put ‘chadars’ on the graves seeking fulfilment of their wishes.

Representing the best of a syncretic India, may many more Luckys flourish and thrive, hope its customers.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Nation / by PTI / November 23rd, 2022