Mantasha Idrisi, a PhD student from the Department of Chemistry, Aligarh Muslim University (AMU), has been selected to attend the 70th Lindau Nobel Laureates meeting. She is among the 20 Indians who have been selected to attend the meet.
A total of 660 young scientists and researchers from 101 countries will attend the meet.
New Delhi:
Mantasha Idrisi, a PhD student from the Department of Chemistry, Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) , has been selected to attend the 70th Lindau Nobel Laureates meeting. She is among the 20 Indians who have been selected to attend the meet.
On her selection, Mantasha said, “It is a lifetime opportunity to meet and discuss my research with the stalwarts in their respective fields”.
A total of 660 young scientists and researchers from 101 countries from all over the world have been selected to meet 70 Nobel Laureates for cross-generational and interdisciplinary exchange at Lindau in Germany from June 28 to July 3.
The meeting will help her in exploring different approaches, developing interaction with diverse groups of researchers and stakeholders and bringing new ideas to AMU on her return, said Omar Peerzada, Public Relations Office, AMU.
She will also present a report of the meeting at the Department of Science and Technology, Government of India in New Delhi.
Last year, in the 69th Lindau Nobel Laureates meet, Mohammad Adnan , a PhD student from IIT Delhi was selected. Mohammad Adnan, who completed his schooling from Azamgarh, had finished his B.Sc from AMU and had topped the M.Sc. examination in 2015.
Every year since 1951, Nobel Prize winners in chemistry, physics, physiology and Medicine meet at Lindau to discuss the issues of importance in their respective fields with students from around the world.
source: http://www.ndtv.com / NDTV / Home> Education / by Maitree Baral / March 13th, 2020
Indian powerlifters Majiziya Bhanu, Aaniya Ahmed and Mohammed Azmat have won gold medals at the recently held World Powerlifting Congress’s World Cup in Moscow, where they competed against 600 athletes from 20 countries. The tournament was held from 14-16 December 2018.
24-year-old Majiziya, who hails from Kerala, and has been sweeping headlines for being a hijab-clad powerlifter, won gold in the open category powerlifting, where she was adjudged the best lifter.
23-year-old Delhiite Aaniya Ahmed won gold in the junior category. And 42-year-old Bangalore-based Mohammed Azmat won the medal in 100-kilo weight class in the 40-to-45-year-old master’s division. Azmat hoisted 237.5 kgs in the squat competition, 155 kgs in the bench press and 200 kgs in the deadlift to win his weight class and age group.
The other Indian athletes, who won at the tournament are Daljit Singh, Varad Patil, Raghu Hondadakeri, Sandeep Kothari, and Bhavana Shah. India also won the best team award at the tournament.
The World Powerlifting Congress (WPC) consists of 46 countries worldwide that participate in an annual World Championships. The Indian affiliate for the WPC is the WPC India, which is headed by powerlifter Daljit Singh. Azmat, who has been representing India for the past 4 years at different championships, and who works full time as a program manager at global IT giant DXC Technology, is the chapter’s South India Head.
“WPC India has sent 20 athletes to different championships worldwide this year, including to the World Cup held in Moscow and to the one held in the USA in November. As a team, we are very proud of what we have achieved so far. Although on the stage, every athlete is an individual, however, this sport is all about team spirit. And we couldn’t have achieved all this without the support of my teammatesRaghu Hondadakeri, Daljit Singh, Varad Patil, Sandeep Kothari and others,” Azmat told The Cognate.
Azmat, who has also trained both Majiziya and Aaniya said that he is planning to launch a sports federation with like-minded individuals, where women from the Muslim community would be trained and encouraged to participate in powerlifting competitions while complying with the religious dress code. “There is a misconception in our community that women should not participate in sports, as that would violate their modesty. However, women like Majiziya are a living example that Muslim women can observe their religious practice, and at the same time compete in sports”.
source: http://www.thecognate.com / The Cognate.com / Home> Inspiring Muslims / by Shaik Zakeer Hussain / December 22nd, 2018
Mahum Siddiqi, a 17-year-old Indian-American teenager has won the inaugural “Digital Transformation Hackathon” at Cornell University for designing a device that detects the actual pain level of a patient during a diagnosis.
A Class 12 student at Vestal High School in New York, Mahum was the only non-undergraduate student competing at the hackathon held at the prestigious Ivy League college earlier in December.
Mahum’s aim was to cure the problem of the “pain diagnosis process’ subjectivity”. Together with her team, Mahum designed a pain detecting device that will use the neurological activity occurring in one’s brain to help doctors more efficiently determine someone pain levels.
Elaborating more on her idea, Mahum said, “It’s incredibly upsetting and problematic how hypothetical the concept of pain diagnostics is. Doctors have no way of knowing how little or how much pain someone is truly experiencing when they go in to be diagnosed”.
Mahum and her team are now working with representatives from companies such as Microsoft to produce prototypes of their pain detecting device.
“We need to design a system where patients are looked at as a whole, and doctors are able to know for sure, using our device/pure science, how much pain a patient is experiencing instead of just their personal description/perception of their own pain”.
source: http://www.thecognate.com / The Cognate.com / Home> Inspiring Muslims / by Shaik Zakeer Hussain / December 30th, 2018
Arfa Khanum Sherwani works as senior editor with ‘The Wire’ while Rohini Mohan is a Bengaluru-based independent journalist
Arfa Khanum (left) and Rohini Mohan
The Chameli Devi Jain Award for an Outstanding Woman Journalist was awarded jointly this year to Arfa Khanum Sherwani, senior editor, The Wire and Rohini Mohan, a Bengaluru-based independent journalist. Rukmini S., an independent data-journalist from Chennai, received an Honourable Mention.
The annual award, which recognises social concern, dedication, courage and compassion, received over 40 entries from all over India representing the print, broadcast and online media. While most entries were in English, a substantial proportion was also in Hindi, Malayalam, Odia and Telugu.
A three-member jury, comprising of Zoya Hasan, political scientist and Professor Emerita, Centre of Political Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University; Sreenivasan Jain, Managing Editor, NDTV and Manoj Mitta, senior editor and author, felt that Arfa Khanum Sherwani excelled in reporting from conflict situations in Kashmir and Uttar Pradesh. Through her online videos in Hindi, including field reports and studio discussions, she displayed exceptional courage and empathy in giving a voice to people on the margins and holding authorities to account.
The jury observed that Rohini Mohan’s reportage on the NRC exercise in Assam set a new benchmark for investigative journalism. In the highest tradition of watchdog journalism, the meticulous research on the ground, her humane engagement with affected people, and analysis of the arbitrary conduct of the institutions involved yielded findings that proved to be far-reaching.
Rukmini S. the jury said, deserved special recognition for pushing the boundaries of data journalism in India.
The presentation of the award, scheduled for Saturday, which was to be followed by the BG Verghese Memorial Lecture by Madan Lokur, former justice of the Supreme Court, was postponed due to the coronavirus threat.
The Media Foundation instituted the Chameli Devi Jain Award for an Outstanding Woman Journalist in 1980, named after Chameli Devi Jain, a legendary freedom fighter and community reformer who went to jail for her beliefs. The first award was given in 1982 and nearly 40 years later it continues to recognise some of the best known and respected names in Indian journalism.
The Media Foundation was started in in 1979 with the aim of upholding freedom of speech, expression and information and to encourage freedom in society and enhance the quality of life through the media and process of communication. Its founding members were media luminaries including B.G. Verghese, L.C. Jain, Prabash Joshi. N.S. Jaganathan and Ajit Bhattachrjea. Currently, Mr Harish Khare, former editor, The Hindu and The Tribune is chairperson of the Foundation.
source: http://www.nationalheraldindia.com / National Herald / Home> India / by National Herald Web Desk / March 14th, 2020
A Muslim woman turned Good Samaritan for her Hindu neighbour. In a heart-warming incident which speaks volumes on humanity, Fathima from Madikeri has travelled all the way to Mangaluru to ensure her 35-year-old neighbour Raju’s life is saved with timely treatment.
Raju, a resident of Madikeri Siddapura Nelyahudhukeri has been paralyzed for the last 12 years. He suffers from kidney problems and his condition turned critical since the last couple of days. Raju is taken care by his mother Leelamma aged 65, who earns a living by growing vegetables.
The house they live in is on a verge of collapse and the family is suffering due to lack of finances. Moved by the plight of the mother and son, a Muslim woman named Fathima, who is Raju’s neighbour, took him to Madikeri hospital. But doctors suggested her to take him to a hospital in Mangaluru for further treatment.
Raju and his mother had no money to pay for ambulance to shift Raju to Mangaluru from Madikeri. So Fathima obtained a loan by pledging her daughter’s jewellery and succeeded in bringing Raju along with his elderly mother to Mangaluru for further treatment.
Fathima is taking all kinds of initiative to help her neighbour Raju recover. Raju’s mother who has difficulty in walking was unable to attend her son. However, Fathima is taking care of them.
SKSSF Vikaya Dakshina district vice chairman Taajuddin Tarly appreciates Fathima’s selfless service towards her neighbour. “We visited Raju. He is in need of ICU facility but there is no ICU facility in the hospital to get dialysis done. The doctor has assured to move Raju to another hospital. People like Fathima, instill people’s faith in humanity,” he said.
source: http://www.daijiworld.com / DaijiWorld / Home> Top Stories / by Daijiworld Media Network – Mangaluru (ANK) / March 17th, 2020
They dream of pursuing higher education without adding to their parents’ financial burden. And to fund their dream, these three friends decided to start a coffee shop. Thus, the Le Brown Coffee and Restaurant came up near Angadipuram railway overbridge in Kerala’s Malappuram district.
The trio behind this restaurant is P S Sabiq, K T Nabeel, and K T Mohammed Thasleem.
Sabiq from Kodenchery in Kozhikode and Nabeel from Thrithala in Palakkad have completed BSc MLT course, while Thasleem of Vengara in Malappuram secured an MLT diploma.
All three of them are students of MES Medical College at Perinthalmanna. They wanted to pursue higher studies but were reluctant to seek money from their families. Thus, they came up with the idea to start a coffee shop to fund their studies.
But even setting up the coffee shop was an uphill task. They had to run from pillar to post to secure the advance amount for a coffee shop. Then, the husband of a classmate came to their rescue at the last minute.
Since they had been nurturing this dream for three years, the youths had a clear idea about how they wanted to set up the coffee shop. The trio along with their friends arranged the interiors of the shop.
The total cost of Rs 15 lakh was mostly borne by the classmate’s spouse.
And their dream became a reality on January 5. The trio kept their families in the dark about their dream project. The families got a big surprise on inauguration day but even then they found it hard to believe.
The food items are priced at a range that is reasonable for all.
Some of their specialities are selfie chino and smoked barbeque charcoal dosa.
They have also recruited five people to help run the shop.
source: http://www.english.manoramaonline.com / OnManorama / Home> News> Campus Reporter / by Sandeep Chandran / March 19th, 2020
At a time when pharmacies are running out of or charging exorbitant prices for face masks, the commonly used personal protective gear against coronavirus, a pharmacy shop in Kochi in Kerala is selling masks just for Rs 2 to the neediest.
Cochin Surgicals, a surgical store owned by Kochi residents Thasleem and Nadheem, has sold more than 5,000 face masks in just two days for Rs 2, while others are selling at Rs 25.
Nadheem, the co-owner of the shop, told ANI: “We have sold around 5,000 masks at Rs 2 each in two days. We decided to sell masks at a reasonable price especially to the common people like hospital staff and students.”
Thasleem PK, co-owner of Cochin Surgicals, said: “We have been selling masks at ₹2 for the last 8 years. But now, the rate has gone up everywhere. We bought the masks at Rs 8 or Rs 10 and are selling at Rs 2, while others are selling at Rs 25.”
A total of 27 people have been tested positive for coronavirus in Kerala, among who three have been cured. As many as 12,740 persons are still under observation in the state for chances of COVID-19 infection.
Across India, confirmed novel coronavirus cases have risen to 128, the Union Ministry of Family and Health Welfare said on Tuesday.
As the coronavirus scare rises, pharmacies have jacked up the prices of masks and sanitizers, despite the Central government invoking the Disaster Management Act 2005 to allow the National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) to regulate the availability and prices of surgical and protective masks, hand sanitizers and gloves.
“Kerala is going through a one-of-a-kind situation now. We don’t know what’s going to happen, maybe tomorrow I might contract the disease. When we heard there was a shortage of masks, especially for hospital staff, we suddenly decided to sell all the stock we had at a low price. And within two days, our stock has been completed. Most was sold to medical teams and hospitals,” The News Minute quoted Thasleem as saying.
The duo hopes their act inspires others to stop hiking the prices of essential commodities in the larger interest of public good.
source: http://www.thecongnate.com / The Cognate / Home> News / by The Cognate News Desk / March 17th, 2020
The Bangalore-based Muslim Industrialists Association (MIA) successfully held a business matching and networking event to bridge the gap between industrialists, entrepreneurs and startups, over a luncheon gathering on Saturday.
‘Peenya Chalo’, so-called because the event was held in the city’s Peenya Industrial Area, was intended to be an opportunity for industrialists and entrepreneurs to learn, network, and access resources, so they can take their business to the next level.
The day-long event saw participation from around 40 industrialists and 50 entrepreneurs from across Bangalore and beyond who showcased their products and services ranging from the sectors of Construction Materials, Furniture, Interior Design, Modular Kitchens, Food, Stationery, Cosmetics, Bio-Fertilizers, Lubricants, Education, Media to name a few.
An opportunity was also provided to startups led by young entrepreneurs to pitch their fledgeling companies to the business leaders gathered at the event.
The event’s guest of honour was Mr N.A. Afzal, Founder, Managing Director & Principal Real Estate Advisor of Home Makers & Realtors. He was facilitated by MIA’s Founding Member, Mr Abdul Waheed, Managing Director & CEO of Peenya Fine Comp Pvt, Ltd, and its current President Mr Mohammed Shafeeqh, Proprietor XL Engineering and Fabricators.
Mr. Afzal shared his entrepreneurial journey of how he quit his flourishing fruits company because it involved Riba (interest) and made a mark in the real estate business. He cautioned entrepreneurs against the evils of interest and the damage that it causes to businesses and society.
The event ended with a tour of some of the MIA members-run industries in Peenya, and a visit to the Mubarakah School, which is founded and run by MIA members.
Muslim Industrialists Association (MIA) is a non-profitable, charitable society established in 2004 by successful Industrialists and businessmen from Peenya Industrial Area, Bangalore, with an intention to develop entrepreneurship in the community and support the cause of education. Last month, the organisation launched the Association of Women Entrepreneurs (AWE) to support and connect Muslim women entrepreneurs.
source: http://www.thecognate.com / The Cognate / Home> Business / by Shaik Zakeer Hussain / January 27th, 2020
Actor Imtiaz Khan, who passed away at 77 in Mumbai, has acted in 80-odd Hindi films, mostly in negative roles, from 1970s and 1990s, and made a mark in theatre long before he was drawn to movies.
Bollywood actor Imtiaz Khan passed away in Mumbai at 77
Gabbar Singh’s brother? Jayant’s son? Or, a television actress’s husband? Actor Imtiaz Khan, who passed away at 77 in Mumbai, was much more than that in his own right. It is a pity that post-demise, he is being remembered more for the achievements of his younger brother, father and wife than his own.
Imtiaz, who acted in 80-odd Hindi films, mostly in negative roles, from 1970s and 1990s, was a trained actor who had made a mark in theatre long before he was drawn to movies. Though he was a reluctant actor to begin with and always wanted to make a mark in direction, he became a much sought-after villain with his talent and commanding screen presence. He exuded meanness in every frame on screen betraying no sign of the virtues of a fine gentleman he was in his real life.
Imtiaz shot into fame with three back-to-back hits with Nasir Hussain’s Yaadon Ki Baarat (1973), Tahir Hussain’s Zakhmi (1975) and Feroz Khan’s Dharmatma (1975) in the mid-seventies. These films had fallen into his kitty after he made an impressive debut in Do Gaz Zameen Ke Neeche (1972), a surprise hit which led its producers, Ramsay Brothers, to set up a factory of low-budget horror films.
Imtiaz went on to do many more films, often as the main villain in low-budget flicks and a henchman in the big ones, but he failed to capitalise on his initial success. With the emergence of his younger brother, Amzad Khan, as a phenomenon with his iconic portrayal of Gabbar Singh in Ramesh Sippy’s 1975-multistarrer, Sholay, the filmmakers seemed to lose interest in him. But he did justice to all his roles, howsoever minuscule they may have been.
Unfortunately, while Amjad managed to get out of his image trap despite having played an unforgettable Gabbar Singh by doing films like Dada (1979), Qurbani (1980) and Love Story (1981), Imtiaz did not get any decent role in any role other than that of a menacing bad man to prove his versatility, something which somewhat disillusioned him in later years. He tried his hand at making films but his ambitious Feroz Khan-Sulakshna Pandit-Amjad Khan starrer, Shikar Shikari Ka (1976) remained in the cans. In his early years, he had learnt film-making as an assistant to veteran director Chetan Anand and was actually instrumental in getting Amzad his first role in his 1975 war movie, Hindustan Ki Kasam but he could not take his career as a director far.
As a matter of fact, it was under Imtiaz’s direction in a play called Ae Mere Watan Ke Logon after the Chinese aggression in the 1960s that Amjad’s acting talent was first noticed and finally led to his selection many years later in the stellar role in Sholay. Imtiaz, incidentally, had begun his career as a child artiste in the 1950s but all through his career, he was recognised first as veteran actor Jayant’s son and then, as Amjad Khan’s brother. In the television era, he even came to be known as the husband of actress Krutika Desai of Buniyaad (1986) fame. But he was undoubtedly an accomplished actor both in theatre and cinema who deserved to be remembered as such in the annals of Hindi cinema.
source: http://www.outlookindia.com / Outlook / Home> Website> Arts & Entertainment / by Girihar Jha / March 17th, 2020
It will be interesting is to examine the historical relationship between between Scindias and Muslims and how it will shape Jyotiraditya’s position on the BJP’s Hindutva ideology, writes Shaikh Mujibur Rehman.
Jyotiraditya Scindia, former Congress party leader, joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) last week. (PTI)
Two arguments, among others, have emerged prominently in the wake of Jyotiraditya Scindia’s decision to quit the Congress party and joining the Bhartiya Janata Party(BJP). First: it has inflicted irreparable damage on the Congress party and would open floodgates for other ambitious leaders to emulate. Second: by joining the BJP, Jyotiraditya scindia has gone back to where he really belonged; a case of Ghar Wapasi as his aunt Yasodhararaje Scindia put it.
Scindia’s decision to quit the Congress is not going to harm Congress as enormously as it is being argued. In India’s national politics today, the worth of each politician should be evaluated based on his/her mass appeal and social base against Narendra Modi, who clearly has emerged unrivaled mass leader with pan-India appeal in the post-Indira Gandhi era.
Given that Scindia could not even win his Guna seat, a family bastion, and lost it to an ordinary challenger — BJP’s K P Yadav — speaks volumes his mass appeal. His defection and ability to mobilize few MLAs that could pull down Congress government, it is true, is a major jolt; but given that Congress has faced similar fate in Karnataka — which shows more of the BJP’s ability to outsmart the the grand old party than Scindia’s game plan, who seems more a pawn in the BJP’s larger game.
Among the most damaging defections from Congress in the recent decades was that of V P Singh — in the late 1980s — who not only left the party but formed a new government in New Delhi by defeating Rajiv. Others such as Mr. Sharad Pawar and Mamata Banerjee — both went on to form their own parties — largely regional in nature. Clearly, Scindia is not capable of doing any of these. Therefore, the damage he has done or likely to do remains very limited. His impact on Kamal Nath government is again mainly the narrow majority the Congress government earned in 2018 elections, which has made it vulnerable.
Furthermore, nothing appears more ludicrous than looking at these developments from the ideological lens of India’s electoral politics. The truth is Indian politics has been purely dictated by pragmatism and opportunism for a very long time, particularly since mid 1970s. However, we need to recognize the BJP is a majoritarian party, an ideology that is in contradiction with India’s core Constitutional aspirations.
What is not happening in the recent years is a serious ideological battle in India’s electoral politics — not even even secularism versus Hindtuva. Whatever little ideological battle is witnessed is mainly launched by intellectuals, civil societies but not by major parties, who are more into rhetoric and tokenism. Failure of opposition parties to unite against Modi’s BJP in 2014 and in 2019 is an example of this.
The last time a serious ideological clash occured around the issue on secularism against the BJP’s brand of Hindutva was in 1996, when a moderate leader like Atal Bihari Vajpayee was not allowed to run his BJP-led coalition government more than 13 days. Many stalwats of the anti-BJP coalition of that period were Vajpayee’s comrade in arms in 1977 anti-emergency movement and 1989 anti- corruption movement against Rajiv Gandhi, and yet opposed him fiercely and pulled down his government. Anything of that kind is not seen afterwards, and definitely not in 2014 or 2019, which is the most unfortunate development.
What is, however, interesting is to examine the historical relationship between between Scindias and Muslims and how it will shape Scindia’s position on the BJP’s Hindutva ideology.
History of Scindias, which can be traced to 18th century is far older than that of politics of Hindutva the RSS or Bhartiya Jana Sangh or BJP of today represent, which is mostly the 20th century phenomenon. The word Scindia is derived from Maharashtrian word, Scinde. The members of family began their career as soldiers and later emerged as Maratha ruler of the present day Gwalior state in course of time. Life histories of two prominent figures in Scindia dyansty would inform that the family despite having worked under Shivaji’s army had a special relationship with Muslims, and they were no bigots.
The family traces its origin to a village Kanerkeda, near Satara in Maharashtra. In 1722, the Scindia dynasty was established by Ranojirao Scindia. But the most prominent and fascinating figure in the family history is Mahadji Scindia, who took part in the third battle of Panipat in 1761. In this battle, Mahadji Scindia was injured seriously and was saved by Rane Khan, a water carrier. In 1765, Mahadji seized Gwalior, and Rane Khan was made a jagirdar of the Scindias and Mahadji declared him his brother. During his time, Scindias had the largest empire that stretched from Rajasthan desert to the Bay of Bengal. Even after conquering Delhi, Mahadji took care to maintain Mughal Emperor as the titular head.
Mahadji further treated Baba Mansur Shah, a Muslim as his Guru. Scindias venerate Mansur Baba’s tomb even today. Every year in September, Baba’s Urs ceremony continues to be held by the head of the family in Gwalior. Despite being a great ruler and warrior, Mahadji had nine wives and three daughters, but no son. He adopted Daultatrao, his cousin’s son, and that is how dynasty moved further to the present.
Other prominent figure of Scindia dynasty was Madhav Maharaj, whose son was Jiwajirao, grand father of Jyotiraditya Scindia. An interesting episode of his time that would demonstrate how deep their connection was with Muslims. In 1925, a fire broke out at Imam Bara prepared for the Muharram function. Taziya was burnt and the procession was delayed by two hours. “Tazia is not burnt. I am burnt,” said Madhav Maharaj. Apparently, tears roll down while Madhav Maharaj rode through the streets on that day along with the Moharram procession, write Vir Sanghvi and Namita Bhandare in their biography of Madhavrao Scindia.
Given this history, it is interesting to explore how the family got drawn to Jana Sangh politics or modern day Hindutva politics. Some argue it was Vijayaraje Scindia, who got drifted to Jana Sangh politics owing to the power struggle she had with Dwarka Prasad Mishra, former Congress Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh, also known as Chanakya of his time. That is because Mishra played the key role in the election of Indira Gandhi as Prime Minister by defeating the syndicate after the death of Shastri.
It is well known that Rajmata Scindia had fought two elections in 1957 and 1962 as Congress candidate before she joined Bhartiya Jana Sangh. The person who perhaps played a decisive role keeping Rajmata in the loop of Jana Sangh or Hindu Right politics was Sambhajirao Angre, who she once credited to have brought down D P Mishra government single handedly to settle her political score with Mr. D P. Mishra.
Given this context, it will be interesting to see how Jyotiraditya Scindia repsonds to BJP brand of Hindutva. So far as the Congress is concerned — the real challenge before the party is to realize its social base is far greater than the number of seats it has in parliament today. Though, a good part of its social base is scattered. How to build a narrative that could help the party win more parliament seats so that it could reflect its social base is a challenge. Mere anti-Modism has not worked and won’t work in future either. Moreover, who will take lead over this issue is another million-dollar question.
(Dr Shaikh Mujibur Rehman teaches at Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi and is the author of a upcoming book, Explaining Muslim Mind. Views are personal)
source: http://www.outlookindia.com / Outlook / Home> Website> National> Opinion / by Shaikh Mujibur Rahman / March 16th, 2020
