Iram Meher, is a first-year intermediate student who topped in the state by scoring all A’s in the subjects of Mathematics, Physics, and Chemistry.
Iram Meher Khaja Sahkeeluddin is a student at the St. Joseph’s Junior College in Hyderabad’s Tolichowki Branch. Meher’s first-year tests resulted in a 467 out of 470.
She received 75 out of 75 in maths scoring an A grade and the same in maths scoring a B, 60 out of 60 in physics, the same in chemistry, and 98 and 99 out of 100 in English and Arabic languages.
The TSBIE Intermediate First and Second Year Results 2022 were released at a press conference hosted by the Telangana State Education Board at 11 AM, on Tuesday. 63.32 percent of the overall number of students who took the TS Inter examinations in 2022 passed and were promoted from the first year, while 67.16 percent passed the second year.
Girls once again outperformed males in the Telangana Intermediate examinations, according to the board’s website, tsbie.cgg.gov.in, where students can also view their scorecards and TSBIE IPE scores memo.
source: http://www.siasat.com / The Siasat Daily / Home> News> Telangana / by News Desk / posted by Marziya Sharif / June 30th, 2022
Employment opportunities have dipped down drastically but students of Fullstack Academy have been placed in esteemed companies with jobs fetching as high as RS.7 lac per annum.
Fullstack Academy is an institute that imparts the right courses in software technology that are always in demand in the software industry.
In the words of the founder of Fullstack Academy Md Aijaz, “There is a huge gap between the IT industry and the academia. There are a lot of opportunities to build successful careers but the newly graduated youth lacked the necessary skills. We wanted to fill that gap, hence we started our academy.”
Md Aijaz , the founder of Fullstack Academy.
“Hardly 1% of the youth were employed in the top companies like cognizant, Microsoft, Mindtree, Infosys, HCL, Accenture, Skuad, TATA consultancy services and so on, explained Aijaz Ahmed, while talking to Muslim Mirror “More so in Hyderabad despite the fact that there are so many top multi nationals here. Some even have their Head Office in Hyderabad. But still we could see that there were no takers in our own city”, he added.
Abu Bakar , co-founder of Fullstack Academy, also owns a software company.
So, in order to ensure that the youth from the Muslim community are not left out, Mohammad Aijaz and Abu Bakar Aijaz started the Fullstack Academy.
The academy has been founded in the year 2019 by industry veterans who have more than 25 years of experience in Microsoft and Tech Mahindra. They wanted to ensure that the youth of the community are not lagging behind in terms of skills required in communication, spoken English, software skills. Students coming out of college lack the qualification or skills needed to crack the type of jobs that are in demand and land up in mediocre jobs.
But unfortunately within months of initiating this dream venture, the lockdown was announced. But instead of being disheartened by this, the duo went ahead with their plan and announced online courses. Interested youth began enrolling for the online classes and the academy functioned smoothly.
Today they have gone offline and admissions are on filling every batch. So far they have trained 800 Youth and placed 55% in top companies. Some have gone abroad to pursue higher studies armed with the courses from FSA with which they get good paying jobs while they continue their studies.
Most of the courses students going abroad do courses in programming and development area. These courses are in demand globally.
“Web application is the latest technology and in high demand with every company wanting to develop web applications. Fullstack Academy specializes in mobile app technology the resource of which is not commonly available” explained Mohammed Aijaz.
Another salient feature of this academy is that the trainers are working professionals who come and demonstrate the real time scenarios. This helps the students while applying for jobs. Every course offered by the academy has different professionals already employed in top positions in world class companies.
The courses offered by the Full Stack Academy that are the need of the present times for software industries can be broadly categorized are programming, MERN, cloud computing, Data science – predictive business analytics, Android App development, Amazon web services, UI/UX designing courses, Selenium Automation testing and many more.
Khaja Wasiq Mohiuddin, a student who passed out in December 2021 shared that he has been employed in Skuad with a salary of 7 lacs per annum, the highest so far among the students placed in jobs. “I took the training in MERN from Full Stack Academy and I had not even completed the course when I was interviewed and was selected by Skuad. After completion I joined them as developer. I received full support from the trainers and today I have made my parents happy with my achievement” said Khaja.
The students are not taught just the professional courses, Aijaz and Abu Bakar ensure that they are groomed for interviews and also learn to communicate in English which is another weak area of most of the students from the community.
Another student Ayesha Moiz who has been employed as Assistant system engineer at Infosys said, “ I received support from Fullstack academy not only when I was doing the course but even now when I am employed. I am in a probation period here and whenever I am stuck with some programming, I call up my Aijaz sir and seek his support to trouble shoot the problem. I am very happy with the training and assistance in job placement and I highly recommend Fullstack Academy, she told Muslim Mirror.
The students from economically poor backgrounds are provided with an opportunity to apply for scholarship from IMRC (Indian Muslim Relief and charities). The Full Stack Academy (FSA) facilitates a written exam for the applicants to qualify for scholarship from IMRC. After the written tests there is an interview after which qualifying students are assisted with scholarship wherein they pay just 25% of the fees while the IMRC pays 75% of the fees.
Students enroll here not just from Hyderabad but also from different states of India.
“Every time one of our students gets a placement in a coveted company, it is like we have climbed one notch of the high ladder of success. The success of our students is like our own success, it is as if we have bagged the job. Each success story fills our hearts with happiness and makes us want to better ourselves” shared Md Aijaz.
source: http://www.muslimmirror.com / Muslim Mirror / Home> Education> Positive Story / by Nikhat Fatima, Muslim Mirror / June 24th, 2022
Team Dovely (from Left to Right Mohammed Obaidulla Khan, Zainab Khatoon, Uzma Khatoon and Masarrat Fatima)
Hyderabad:
How often do casual conversations on women’s safety get realised into full-fledged businesses focusing on women empowerment? One such conversation led to the creation of the ‘Dovely’ app by-city-based siblings Uzma Khatoon and Zainab Khatoon.
Concerned over women’s safety, Uzma and Zainab thought of coming up with a solution to address the issue. The Dovely app provides a bike taxi service exclusively run by and for women. Apart from ensuring women’s safety, the entrepreneurs also aim to make women financially independent.
The four-person run application comprises founder Zainab who is a final year B. Pharmacy student, Uzma, a final year B.com Computers student, and Masarrath Fatima and Obaidulla Khan who are final year B. Tech students.
As of now the platform has 20 riders and over 400 users and functions through its website and connects riders and passengers through WhatsApp.
The app is still undergoing improvements. “We will be able to develop a full-fledged app only after we reach a certain milestone like 200 rides,” said Masarrat.
She further added that the company can’t risk putting up the app on the app store or the play store since users may face challenges as it is manually operated at present.
Speaking to Siasat.com the founder and CEO of Dovely, Zainab Khatoon said, “The idea to create Dovely first struck me and originated from a conversation between me and my mom, who wanted to visit my granny and was looking for cost-effective and safe rides.”
The idea only came into existence following an unpleasant autorickshaw experience, aimed at ensuring women feel safe and secure during their journey.
“The idea struck me once again while I was travelling with my friend in an autorickshaw when the driver looked at us from the rear view mirror making me feel uncomfortable,” Zainab added.
“We sat down with our parents to discuss the name of the company. After going through about 400 names, our father came up with the name Dovely,” said Chief Operating Officer and co-founder Uzma.
“Apart from providing rides for women, the app also allows women to connect with us as Dovely partners. To access information regarding the platform one may visit the Dovely website. At the time of filing the story, Dovely successfully completed 37 rides,” Zainab said.
Addressing the query regarding profit sharing, Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) Obaid Ulla Khan said, “Currently all the money earned is being kept with the riders themselves, and we aren’t earning any commission.”
Bootstrapping for funding Dovely:
Running a startup is not an easy task and requires consistent funding. However, Obaid believes in “Bootstrapping”, where entrepreneurs fund their own ventures. “Even if we approach venture capitalists at this stage they would set milestones based on which they would provide the money, hence it is better that we set a milestone for ourselves before we reach out to investors.”
“In order to pitch the business idea, we are collecting all the information ranging from the number of riders to the number of users along with the IDs of our riders in an excel sheet, this will make it easier for us to attract investors,” he explained.
With regards to the credibility of the riders, Zainab said, “I personally handle the onboarding process for Dovely. As part of the hiring process we ourselves take long distance rides with the candidates to test their driving skills.”
On Safety
Shedding light on the steps taken to ensure the safety of the riders and passengers, Uzma said, “One of us is constantly checking on the live location from the beginning to the end of the ride, and the riders are only supposed to switch off the live location after completing the ride.”
Adding to Zainab’s response, Obaid said “More than the candidate’s driving skills, we focus on their behaviour since we want to provide the best possible service to our customers”
Addressing the query on whether riders have to be logged in for a specific period of time on a daily basis, he said, “Keeping in mind the household responsibilities of our partners, we don’t have any specific login timings for now.”
A few Dovely partners were also present during the interview and they shared their experience with Siasat.com. Nahera Lohreen, one of the partners said,” The first ride was a bit challenging since I was hesitant as to how it would go, but after a while, I felt comfortable and it has been a great experience.”
Nahera is also the first partner to be roped in by Dovely.
Zareena Begum, another partner with the firm said,” It is a great opportunity since it gives us financial independence and I was looking forward to such an opportunity”
Speaking of future plans, the company’s CEO Zainab said, “As of now we are focusing on a minimum of 10 rides per day, we will gradually expand into three and four-wheeler markets.”
She further said, “Apart from bike taxis, we are planning to deal with transport and logistics which will also be led by women. The greater vision of the company is to empower women across India and make them financially independent.”
www.dovely.org
source: http://www.siasat.com / The Siasat Daily / Home> News> Hyderabad / by Mohammed Baleegh / June 19th, 2022
Dr Mustafa Hashmi is the only Muslim candidate from the south Indian state of Telangana making the UPSC list.
He is one among the total of 22 Muslim candidates who cracked the UPSC exams this year.
After completing his MBBS in 2016, Dr Hashmi pursued his MS degree at Osmania Medical College, Hyderabad. He graduated in 2020 and joined the district hospital, King Koti, as a surgeon. | Picture by arrangement
Hyderabad :
Of the total 685 candidates who have cracked this year’s Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) exams, only 22 are Muslim. 29-year-old Dr Mustafa Hashmi is one of them. He is the only Muslim candidate from Telangana who has cracked the prestigious UPSC, which is India’s highest civil services exam. He has bagged 162nd rank.
Talking to TwoCircles.net, Dr Hashmi, who was a practicing surgeon at Government District Hospital King Koti, Hyderabad, said that he was very happy to crack UPSC.
He said his motivation to crack UPSC came from seeing the experiences of economically backward people while accessing health care. “It dawned on me that the problems of these people are not confined to health alone and that I should do something else to ease their problems and serve the society in a much more beneficial way,” he said.
Dr Hashmi cracked UPSC exams on his fourth attempt after preparing for more than a year without attending any coaching institute.
“The first three attempts were like practice tests for me so I could get to know the pattern of the tests. I don’t have any regrets about that. It was only during my 4th attempt that I dedicated more time after my hours at the hospital,” Dr Hashmi said.
Maintaining a balance between work and studying for UPSC wasn’t easy. After an exhausting day at the hospital, where he was sometimes posted in the intensive care unit (ICU), performing surgeries and treating Covid-19 patients, he would come home and devote the remainder of his time to studies.
“I was determined and remained focused,” he said.
Dr Hashmi said that during his studies, his parents supported him by running his errands and doing his chores. “It is not just my hard work but even my parents’ put in so much to ensure that I was not disturbed while studying. They took care of every little need of mine. I owe my success to them and their upbringing,” he shared.
Born in an educated family, Dr Hashmi said that he was inclined towards science from his childhood because of his grandfather. “My grandfather was a Deputy General Manager in the Water Works Department, and used to advise me to become an administrative officer because he would say I could serve people better in that way,” he said.
After completing his MBBS in 2016, Dr Hashmi pursued his MS degree at Osmania Medical College, Hyderabad. He graduated in 2020 and joined the district hospital, King Koti, as a surgeon.
Besides excelling in academics, Dr Hashmi has memorized the entire Quran.
Eldest of the four siblings, who are also doctors, Dr Hashmi said his parents were working comfortable jobs in the Gulf before deciding to return to India. “My parents wanted me to serve the country. I am thankful to Allah for this result,” he said.
Dr Hashmi believes that after counselling, it is more likely that he will be posted in the Indian Police Service (IPS).
“Whatever is assigned to me, I will serve the people. I will be able to reach out to more people who are underprivileged and I am happy with that,” he said.
Dr Hashmi said that the youth of the country who wanted to pursue UPSC should not think of serving themselves but “serve society at large and contribute to nation-building.”
“Youth (cracking UPSC) should think about improving the lives of the less privileged in whatever way they can. Understanding the larger purpose and working hard towards that is the key to success and satisfaction,” he added.
Nikhat Fatima is a correspondent with TwoCircles.net based in Hyderabad, Telangana. She tweets at @snikhatf
source: http://www.twocircles.net / TwoCircles.net / Home> Lead Story / by Nikhat Fatima / June 02nd, 2022
The Imperial Sweet House in Hyderabad’s Sultanpur area was started by Nafees and her daughter-in-law Nasreen Hussaini in the 1960s. Over the years, they’ve expanded their business across India and the world.
A paradise for food lovers, history geeks and street shopaholics, the Charminar city of Hyderabad has a special place for everyone. Being the soul of Hyderabad, Nawabi dawats (delicacies) like Biryani, Qubani ka Meetha and Kaddu ki Kheer are certain to tickle the taste buds of tourists and locals alike.
But among the popular dishes, there is a lesser-known sweet dish called ‘Badam ki Jali’ that often goes undetected by foodies. Primarily made with almonds, cashews and sugar, the recipe of this confection is known to have been passed on from one generation to another.
However, according to reports, there are only a handful of families left in the city that serve Badam ki Jali, which originated in the old Madras and Acrot areas of Tamil Nadu. It travelled to Hyderabad through inter-community marriages, where brides also had their closely guarded recipes in their elaborate wedding trousseau.
One of the few remaining families that make this dish in its authentic form is the Hussaini. As per the family’s accounts, Syeda Aijaz Fatima brought the recipe with her when her family moved to Hyderabad 60 years ago. She passed her recipie to her daughter-in-law, Nafees.
She would make the dish during family gatherings, festivals and weddings but she never considered selling them or making a business out of it.
Cut to 2022, the women of the house run a successful store, ‘Imperial Sweet House’, in the Sultanpur area near Noorkhan Bazar. With an average daily turnover of Rs 20,000, the family supplies their best seller Badam ki Jali and other sweets not just across India but the world.
A Woman’s World
The Hussaini matriarch turned into homepreneurs in the ’60s when their community and the society was reluctant to see women of the house earning money.
It was with the entry of Nafees’ daughter-in-law, Nasreen, that they decided to sell the sweets during festivals. They converted the ground floor of their house into a store to save money on rent. This also ensured they were able to manage both household work and sweet making.
Recalling the early days of their business, Nafees says, “It is a Nawabi mithai that we made accessible to everyone. Initially, we started with a few orders of 1-2 kg and gradually increased to 10 [kg]. I still remember that cashews were priced at Rs 8 per kg and almonds were Rs 10 when we started. The help we hired 50 years ago is still with us. But nowadays there are grinders to grind almonds and cashews but back then it was a tedious process.”
Now 87, Nafees credits her husband, Syed Mohammed, who supported her dream to expand the store’s business.
“Whether it was completing an order of 52 trays of Badam ki Jali, delivering the sweets on his way back from work or working overnight while streaming movies on VCDs [to accompany the sweetmakers], he always helped,” she adds.
As part of their expansion plan, Nasreen introduced new colours, shapes and sizes like stars, betel leaves, flowers and fruits, to the recipe with help from her husband, Mansoor. Meanwhile, Nafees added an ‘ashrafi’ design, which is achieved by pressing the dough between two Nizami coins to get their inscriptions.
Explaining the process of preparing Badam ki Jali without revealing much, she says, “We soak almonds in hot water and then dry it. Cashews and almonds are then ground into flour and then made into dough with sugar. The mould is then given different shapes and kept for baking. The whole process takes around 4-5 hours. The texture of the sweet is like cookies but the taste is similar to Kaju Katli.”
Nafees passed down the recipe to her daughter-in-law Nasreen who then taught her daughter-in-law, Aisha. Under the late Nasreen, the orders multiplied and she was the one to get new machines like grinders for easing the cooking process.
To ensure the quality of the ingredients, Nasreen and Nafees would themselves visit the Begum market to taste cashews and almonds.
When Aisha, the fourth-generation entrant, took over six years ago, she expanded the deliveries outside the city and country. She used online platforms like Whatsapp and social media for marketing. She was also instrumental in customising trays to get special shapes.
“Currently, our selling capacity is 300-400 kg per month. We also make Puran Poli, Gajar Halwa and other sweets. Every dish is made fresh and if there is an exhibition in the city, we do not sell in bulk and make fresh sweets if they get over. Although the shelf-life of this sweet is four to five days if covered in butter paper and packed properly. In case a customer is unhappy with the quality, we replace the entire order. We care about our reputation and family legacy more than anything,” says Aisha, who is a software engineer.
Over the years many competitors have arrived who make the same dish but the Husaainis are not worried.
“We prefer forgoing profits over compromising on taste and consistency. My grandmother, Nafees taught us this. It is due to these principles that we have a global footprint. Even actor Dia Mirza Rekhi had ordered our Badam ki Jali for her wedding last year,” says Ali, Aisha’s husband.
Both Aisha and Ali left their respective jobs in Dubai to continue the family’s legacy.
“The women of this house have a business acumen without having any business-related degrees. They hold magic in their hands to be able to make thousands of people smile with delight with their Badam ki Jali. So leaving a job abroad was totally worth it. We hope our next generation continues the family tradition,” he adds.
The Hyderabad currency comprised 40,000 pieces of 100 Halli Sikka (HS), 1,00,000 pieces of 10 HS, and 25,000 pieces of of 5 HS, totalling 1,65,000 pieces
After the ocean liner, SS Egypt , sank in the Celtic Sea on May 20, 1922, the events that unfolded over the next 17 years forced the Nizam VII, Mir Osman Ali Khan, to shift the printing of Hyderabad currency from England to Nashik.
On this day (May 19) 100 years ago, SS Egypt owned by The Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company, England, left Tilbury docks in London for Bombay (Mumbai). It had 44 passengers and 294 crew members, besides a large shipment of gold and silver and 1. 6 lakh pieces of Hyderabad currency, which had a face value of Rs 51,25,000.
The next day (on May 20, 1922), the ship collided with a French cargo ship and sank off Ushant in France. The Hyderabad currency shipped by Waterlow and Sons to the princely state of Hyderabad too went down into the sea. The treasure was salvaged a decade later in 1932, only to trigger a prolonged legal tussle.
“The Hyderabad currency comprised 40,000 pieces of Rs 100 Halli Sikka (HS), 1,00,000 pieces of Rs 10 HS, and 25,000 pieces of Rs 5 HS, totalling 1,65,000 pieces. The face value was Rs 51,25,000,” eminent numismatist and heritage expert . Amarbir Singh told TOI, adding that since the currency notes were unsigned, they did not legally carry value.
“In those days, the finance member’s signature was over-printed in Hyderabad after the notes arrived from England. Hence, the currency that sank with SS Egypt was valueless. For this reason, they were insured for their printed value of £2,000,” Amarbir said.
Stating that few of the notes salvaged had made their way to Hyderabad, resulting in a spate of legal fights, Amarbir said the issue was closed 17 years after the notes were printed which entailed seven years of negotiation and litigation.
“The government of Hyderabad decided it would be safer to print currency in India. The outbreak of World War II shortly after proved it was indeed a wise decision,” Amarbir said, explaining how the princely state changed location of currency printing from England to India.
The Hyderabad government requested Waterlow to destroy the notes and ordered a replacement stock from the printers, with the same series repeated, but in a slightly different type of font used in the serial number to indicate the difference. These were received and duly circulated, and the matter was regarded as closed, he said.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Hyderabad> News> City News> Hyderabad News / by Syed Akbar, TNN / May 19th, 2022
Masiullah Khan on Saturday took charge as the chairman of the Telangana Waqf board for a period of five years.
Speaking of Khan’s appointment as chairman, the waqf board CEO Shahnawaz Qasim said, “Of the 10 board members, eight were present at the election.”
The election took place at the Haj House in Nampally. The government had appointed district magistrate L Sharman as the Election Officer for conducting and overlooking the process of the election process for the board.
AIMIM MP Assaduddin Owaisi, MLC Farooq Hussain, MLA Kausar Mohiuddin, Member of Telangana Bar council M Zakeer Hussain Javid, Sayed Akbar Nizamuddin Hussaini, and Abdul Fateh Syed Bandagi Badesha Quadri are members that have been elected to the board.
Additionally, the government decided to nominate four members of various categories to the board.
Mohammed Masiullah Khan, Sayed Nisaar Hussain (Shia scholar, also known as Hyder Agha), Malik Mohtashim Khan (Sunni Scholar), and Shaikh Yasmin Basha (Government Nominee) have been nominated as members of the board.
source: http://www.siasat.com / The Siasat Daily / Home> News Desk / posted by Mohammed Baleegh / May 07th, 2022
Indian students who are in Kyiv appeal for their evacuation.
Hyderabad:
Cook food in the confines of house in the morning and take refuge in the nearby bunkers all through the day. This has become routine for several Telugu students who are caught in the war-torn Ukraine for the past a few days. Worst is the situation for students who are staying in Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine, which has been witnessing heavy bombardment from the Russian forces.
“On February 23 at 3.30 am, we heard the first heavy explosion nearby our house that was deafening. The bombing was followed thereafter. Last night, an oil factory was bombed and fire could be seen from far of places. We are really scared for our lives. We are cooking in the house and staying in bunker,” says Sai Naik, a Warangal native who is staying in Kyiv with seven other students.
As the war-torn Ukraine announced martial law which includes curfew, all establishments have shut their shops. While some students had managed to stock-up, but needless to say, they do not last long.
“We bought groceries and other edibles for five days and we are already into the fourth day the food stock for one-day left. We have no idea what we will do now as all stores are closed since February 24.|
There is a shortage of water as well,” said Naik, who is a student of Bogomolets National Medical University, Kyiv.
Another student from Hyderabad, Gulam Ahmed Mohiuddin Salman who is currently taking shelter in Kyiv Medical University hostel said there were no responses from the Indian Embassy officials regarding their evacuation.
“There are 200 Indian students presently in the hostel basement. We are running short of groceries and other provisions. Given the situation with no transportation facility, it is impossible for us to travel to the Ukraine border which is 800 kms away from the hostel,” Salman said.
Naik, Salman and several other Indian students have made desperate appeals to the Indian government to at least transport them to the nearest border post.
Shoot at sight orders
“Shoot at sight orders was issued by the Ukraine government, so we cannot move out. We want the Indian government to help us reach the Ukraine border so that we can board a flight from neighbouring country,” Naik appealed.
source: http://www.telanganatoday.com / Telangana Today / Home / by Yuvraj Akula / February 27th, 2022
As Urdu Day approaches, Hyderabad-based author Jeelani Bano speaks about her bond with the language.
Jeelani Bano(Photo | R Satish Babu)
Jeelani Bano, 80, looks frail in her sea green sari with that mop of pepper-and-salt hair. Her demeanour is genteel, but only a talk about her stories on bonded labour, her aapa Ismat Chughtai and Progressive Writers’ Movement lights up her eyes. The decades pass on her soft wrinkled face as she turns pages of her autobiographical book Main Kaun Hoon and takes you back to an era gone by that’s still alive in her Banjara Hills house in Hyderabad, serenely tucked in another time-frame.
As Urdu Day approaches on November 9, she speaks about her association with the language. Many of her stories appear to be of our time. Jagirdari may have gone but capitalistic clutches don’t let go of the bonded slavery. Her story Paththaron ki Barish is heart-wrenching. Bano, who has authored 22 books, says, “A lot of writers of our time revolted against this inhuman system. Something also sparked in me and I wrote such stories. But today also, the situation of daily labourers is the same.”
Her book Aiwan-e-Ghazal, which tells the tales of feudal landlords in Hyderabad, has been translated into 14 languages. She then talks about her dear aapa—Ismat Chughtai—the firebrand writer.
“She was also from Badayun in Hyderabad, where I was born. She was friends with my mother and supported me a lot in writing,” says the 2016 NTR National Literary Award winner showing the letters Chughtai sent to her. Ismat wrote to her, “After marriage, respect your writing as much as you would respect your husband and in-laws.” In ’70s, when Jeelani Bano and her husband Anwar Moazzam, poet and writer, went to Pakistan, famous poets and scholars came to meet them at the border. She shares, “Nobody wants to understand what people of both the nations want. Sarhadein dilon ko nahin baant saktin (Borders can’t divide hearts).”
When once she went to the US, a scholar asked her, “You’re a Muslim woman. How did you get permission to write?” To this, she replied, “Nobody has stopped me from writing. Perhaps you haven’t been to India or else you wouldn’t have asked me this.”
Renowned poets and scholars such as Shakeel Badayuni, Makhdoom Mohiuddin, Jigar Muradabadi and Kaifi Azmi were hosted at her Mallepally home. But, she along with other children weren’t allowed to go to the baithaks. The young Bano would watch these poets, while playing in the courtyard.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Magazine / by Saima Afreen / November 05t, 2016
