Monthly Archives: October 2021

Justice Mohammad Rafiq sworn in as Chief Justice of Himachal Pradesh HC

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Sujangarh (Churu District), RAJASHTHAN :

Justice Mohammad Rafiq practised exclusively in Rajasthan High Court in Jaipur in almost all branches of law specially conducted constitutional matters, service matters etc

Justice Mohammad Rafiq administered the oath of office by Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar, as Chief Justice of Himachal Pradesh High Court, at Governor House in Shimla on Thursday. Pradeep Kumar

JUSTICE MOHAMMAD Rafiq was sworn in as the new Chief Justice of Himachal Pradesh High Court in Shimla on Thursday. He was administered the oath of office by Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar in a ceremony held at Raj Bhawan. Chief Minister Jairam Thakur and his wife Dr Sadhna Thakur was also present on the occasion.

Justice Mohammad Rafiq was born on May 25, 1960, at Sujangarh in Churu district of Rajasthan. He completed his B.Com in 1980, LL.B in 1984 and M.Com in 1986 from University of Rajasthan. He later joined the Bar and practised as advocate after enrolment with the Bar Council of Rajasthan on 8th July, 1984. He practised exclusively in Rajasthan High Court in Jaipur in almost all branches of law especially conducted constitutional matters, service matters, land acquisition cases, land revenue cases, preventive detention cases, customs and excise matters, railway claims cases, tax matters, company matters and criminal matters before the High Court.

He worked as assistant government advocate for the State of Rajasthan from July 15, 1986, to December 21, 1987, and deputy government advocate from December 22, 1987, to June 29, 1990. He appeared before the High Court as panel advocate for various departments of the state government for five years i.e. from 1993 to 1998. He also represented the Union of India as standing counsel from 1992 to 2001 before the High Court. He also represented the Indian Railways, Rajasthan State Pollution Control Board, Rajasthan Board of Muslim Wakfs, Jaipur Development Authority, Rajasthan Housing Board and Jaipur Municipal Corporation before the Rajasthan High Court.

He was appointed as additional advocate general for the State of Rajasthan on January 7, 1999, and worked as such till his elevation to the Bench. He was appointed as Judge of the Rajasthan High Court on May 15, 2006. He also worked as Acting Chief Justice of Rajasthan High Court twice; from April 7, 2019, to May 4, 2019, and from September 23, 2019, to October 5, 2019. He was also the executive chairman of the Rajasthan State Legal Services Authority and the Administrative Judge of the Rajasthan High Court prior to elevation as the Chief Justice. He was the Chief Justice of the High Court of Meghalaya from November 13, 2019, to April 26, 2020. Justice Mohammad Rafiq was administered the oath of office of the Chief Justice of Orissa High Court on April 27, 2020, on being transferred from the Meghalaya High Court. He was administered the oath of office of the Chief Justice of the High Court of Madhya Pradesh on January 3, 2021, on being transferred from the Orissa High Court.

Urban Development Minister Suresh Bhardwaj, Judges of Himachal Pradesh High Court, Justice Vijay Kumar Shukla from Madhya Pradesh High Court, GoC-in-C, ARTREC Lt. General Raj Shukla, Advocate General Ashok Sharma, Chairman of various commissions, DGP Sanjay Kundu, Mayor Satya Kaundal, Chairmen and Vice-chairmen of various boards and corporations, Vice Chancellors, Seema Rafiq, wife of Chief Justice and family members of Chief Justice, senior officers of the state government and other prominent people were also present on the occasion.

source: http://www.indianexpress.com / The Indian Express / Home> Cities> Shimla / by Express News Service, Shimla / October 15th, 2021

BENFA: Changing Lives

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Bengaluru, KARNATAKA :

Bengaluru-based BENFA helping poor people.

Bengaluru :

AS they say – think individually, act globally – BENFA is doing just that. BENFA (Bengaluru Friends Alliance) was born with the common goal and the collective efforts of a group of doctors to help the underprivileged section of society. The organization extends financial help to the poor and helps them overcome their financial hurdles in education and healthcare.

Talking about the organization Dr. Saleem Mehkri, Vice President and Trustee, said, “We were already into helping poor Muslim population with their education and health issues.

Then, it was planned by Dr. Suhel Pasha to establish an umbrella organization to facilitate their charity works on a large scale. The organization primarily addresses a large number of poor Muslims and deserving non-Muslims, too.”

Dr. Suhel Pasha, President, BENFA, said, “Twenty percent of the city’s population lives in slums with the lowest standard of education, inefficient healthcare, lack of necessities, and most importantly low standard of living. Even today, one-third of the slum dwellers fall below the poverty line with an income of less than Rs. 2500 per month. So, to help these poor populations, BENFA was established in October 2020.”

BENFA is a registered charitable trust focusing on education, healthcare, and socio-economic empowerment of underprivileged parts of society. How BENFA assists in empowering the disadvantaged? Answered Abdul Mateen, BENFA General Secretary, “We have recently launched a micro-credit scheme to provide loans to the deserving women and men to start their small trades. The loans we give are free of interest. So, they have to return only the principal loan amount without any interest.”

Dr. Saleem informed, “We have launched schemes not only to empower poor men and women financially, but we also aim to empower them through adult education schemes. We provide education and training to unemployed youngsters/adults as per their skills and help them get government or private jobs. We have helped students to pay their fees and paid hospital bills too.”

According to Dr. Saleem, around five people are benefitted every week through their microcredit scheme. So, how does the organization arrange its finances? Replied Dr. Saleem, “We have around 500 members, including 400 male members and 100 female members, who voluntarily contribute and help run the organization successfully. Nobody is forced to contribute.”

Besides these programmes, BENFA actively distributes rations during Eid-Ul-Fitr, performs Qurbani/sacrifices during Eid-Al-Adha, and distributes meat amongst low-income families. Furthermore, BENFA has several groups focusing on different areas, namely-BEEP for education, BHCP for healthcare, BSSP for socio-economic support, BMCS for microcredit schemes, and BALP for adult learning programs.

That is not all. BENFA is slowly and steadily adding more to its activities for the betterment of society. Lately, in collaboration with the field experts, BENFA has organized several webinars related to health and education topics. Pointed out to Dr. Suhel, “We organized webinars to educate people on several issues that focus on health, education, amongst others. We also organize career counselling for youth. We invite experts to address the relevant topics.”

BENFA also played an active role amidst the raging COVID 19 by supplying oxygen to the patients. As Dr. Pasha said, “We supplied oxygen cylinders during COVID 19 and spread awareness regarding the vaccine and also organized a webinar to help people prepare themselves during COVID crisis.”

Dr. Saleem urged people to join the organization as members to extend help to a large number of underprivileged people.

source: http://www.indiatomorrow.net / India Tomorrow / Home> Development> Features / by Rashida Bakait / October 16th, 2021

Former Kerala Jamaat-e-Islami Hind President Expires

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Kozhikode, KERALA :

Former Kerala Jamaat-e-Islami Hind President T K Abdullah.

Kozhikode :

Former president of the Kerala Jamaat-e-Islami Hind (JIH),T K Abdullah, passed away today at the age of 92.

He is survived by his wife Kunjamina, sons TK Farooq and TK Iqbal, and daughter Sajida.

A senior Islamic scholar, he was a member of JIH’s Markazi Majlis-e-Shoora, or the Central Advisory Council, the top decision-making body of the Jamaat, from 1972 till now. He was also a member of the Kerala JIH’s State Advisory Council.

A founder member of the All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB), he was JIH’s state president from 1972 to 79 and from 1982 to 1984. 

He was also a state executive member of the Ittihadul Ulema.

Abdullah sahib was also the Chief Editor of Islamic Encyclopaedia that Islamic Publishing House, Kozhikode, is publishing.

He was born to a great Islamic scholar Tharakandi Abdurrahman sahib, and Fatima, in 1929 in village Ayencheri in Kozhikode district. 

Abdullah sahib obtained his early education at Vazhakadu Darul Uloom, Thirurangadi Jumma Masjid, Pulikkal Madinathul Uloom and Aliya Arabic College, Kasargod.

He joined Prabodhanam in 1950 and became its deputy chief editor in 1959. When Prabodhanam became a weekly in 1964, he was appointed its first Chief Editor and continued in the same position till 1995.

He, later on, joined the JIH Kerala mouthpiece Bodhanam quarterly journal as the Chief Editor.

When the government banned the Jamaat in 1992 after the demolition of the Babri Masjid, Abdullah sahib was imprisoned along with many other JIH leaders. 

He also helped translate two volumes of Maulana Maududi’s Tafhim-ul-Quran (explanation of the Quran) from Urdu to Malayalam. Besides, he wrote several books, including Nazhikakallukal (Mile Stones) and Iqbaline Kandethal (Finding Iqbal).

In addition, his autobiography was published by the name “Nadannu Theeratha Vazhikal”.

Many of his speeches, articles, and sermons were compiled and published.

source: http://www.indiatomorrow.net / India Tomorrow / Home> Inspiring Personality / October 15th, 2021

Urdu activist Qayyum Nadvi’s low-cost library idea stuns delegates of international library conference

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Books (incl.Biographies - w.e.f.01 jan 2018 ), Community Involvement / Social Issues, Leaders, Women/Girls(since May26-2021), ,

Aurangabad, MAHARASHTRA :

Gulbarga ( Karnataka) :

At an international library conference, noted Aurangabad based Urdu activist and President of Read and Lead Foundation, Mirza Abdul Qayyum Nadvi has stunned the library experts by presenting the idea of low-cost library scheme which he  called as “Micro Library, Micro Funding”.

He was speaking at  the two-day International Conference on  “Visualizing Librarianship in the 21th century’, Connecting Minds and Creating Future,”  held at the Gulbarga University here.

 Sharing his experiences, Mirza Nadvi said merely a budget of Rs. 10,000/ is quite enough  to set up a well-equipped  Mohalla library  with useful informative  books for children  which can be opened at housing societies, complexes, schools,  and religious places. From where he got this idea, he said his school going daughter Maryam Mirza’s dreamt of opening a Mohalla Library for children in his locality who were killing their time during the last lockdown.  He realized his daughter’s dream and opened the first library in his own locality in the historic Aurangabad city. Now this experiment has caught the imagination of book-loving people and inspired others to follow the suit. Mirza Nadvi highlighted the efforts of his daughter Maryam Mirza who became a pioneer in the country to launch Mohalla Libraries for children.

She launched the first children’s neighborhood library with her own 300 books and in a short span of just eight months, 19 neighborhood libraries have sprung up in the city, he said. The participants of the conference lauded and praised Maryam for her movement.

Mirza Nadvi was especially invited by the Indian Library Association, Delhi to address the conference. It was 66th annual conference of the Indian Library Association organized in collaboration with Gulbarga University and other organizations. The Conference assured Mirza Nadvi of all help in his daughter’s mission of spreading knowledge through libraries.  

source: http://www. muslimmirror.com / Muslim Mirror / Home> Exclusive Reports> Indian Muslim> Media / by Special Correspondent / October 01st, 2021

Book on “Internal Security of India and Disaster Management”

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WEST BENGAL :

pix: facebook.com/ oxford university press

New Delhi:

His own experience with cracking the Civil Services Examination (CSE) prompted Syed Waquar Raza, a serving IPS officer, to pen a one-stop guide on internal security and disaster management for future aspirants.

In addition, his 14 years in uniform have given him an opportunity to closely study the security challenges about which there a general idea but cannot be delved deeper “in the dust and grime of everyday policing”.

pix: amazon.in

“Internal Security of India and Disaster Management” (Oxford University Press) has been primarily intended for aspirants of the UPSC Civil Services examination, but “any reader interested in the myriad internal security challenges that India faces will find the book useful and instructive”, Raza told IANS in an interview.

However, beyond generalities, he sidestepped a question on the fresh challenges posed by the situation in Afghanistan, saying service rules did not permit him to do so.

Studying the questions from previous years’ examinations showed that the subject required an analytical understanding of the various challenges along with knowledge of current developments.

“My own experiences of working in different capacities at various places of West Bengal such as in LWE-affected areas, bordering districts, and CID gave me the opportunity to observe closely the various aspects of internal security challenges that India faces today.

Also, as a first responder in times of disasters, the nature of policing job provided me with valuable insights in aspects of disaster management,” Raza said.

“Though I have been working as an IPS officer for over 14 years now, the journey of writing a book provided me with an opportunity to closely study various topics related to security challenges, about which we do have a general idea, but would not have got a chance to delve deeper in the dust and grime of everyday policing.

My aim was to write a book covering the internal security and disaster management portions of UPSC Civil Services syllabus that would be a one-stop solution for the aspirants and would relieve them of the necessity to search and sift materials from various sources, including the Internet. I hope my effort will be helpful for the aspirants,” he added.

He expands on this in the Preface.

“Authors often face the dilemma about which chapters to include, what topics to cover in the chapters, how much to include in each topic and what to exclude. I have tried to throw the net wide, so that an aspirant does not have to look for multiple learning resources – available online and offline – but can solely rely on this book for covering virtually all topics related to the internal security challenges that India faces today, as well as the various types of disasters and their management efforts. At the same time, I have tried to provide just the optimum depth of topics so that the aspirant gains the confidence to answer any related question to the examiner’s satisfaction,” Raza writes.

While writing the book, he relied heavily on articles of many security experts and think tanks including IDSA, CLAWS, ORF, etc. He also referred to books such as “India after Gandhi” by Ramchandra Guha, to understand the historical context of many of India’s current security challenges.

“The Internet provides an excellent tool to search, verify and cross-check facts and figures. Government websites such as that of the Ministry of Home Affairs also provide valuable and up-to-date information related to our internal security challenges,” he said during the interview.

Question: Hitherto, Internal Security in India has focused on three broad areas: Terrorism, Secessionism and Maoism. Have the developments in Afghanistan following the US withdrawal added a new dimension to this and how can the Indian state best cope with the challenge?

“Yes, the current developments in Afghanistan have been a cause of concern for India. It has the potential to cause regional instability and a possible spill-over effect in terms of a surge in terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir. China and Pakistan too have been eager to increase their footprints and influence in Afghanistan. However, the UNSC resolution 2593 requires that Afghan territory should not be used for terrorist activities, and it specially refers to UN-proscribed terrorist organisations such as the LeT and the JeM,” Raza said.

“India has been keenly following the current developments in Afghanistan. It seeks a broad-based and inclusive government in Afghanistan. India has helped build over 500 infrastructural projects worth over $3 billion, which has generated tremendous goodwill for India, among the Afghan people. Owing to her historical friendship and ties with the people of Afghanistan, India should continue supporting the common people there with humanitarian assistance,” he added, declining to go further due to service restrictions.

This does not take away from the value of the book, with important key words highlighted in each of its 18 chapters; maps, diagrams and tables included for conceptual clarity, boxes provided for topics of recent relevance; quick revision provided at the end of each chapter; and conceptual videos for each chapter linked by QR code for easy access.

In sum, this book is a must read not only for CSE aspirants but for the general public too.-IANS

source: http://www.muslimmirror.com / Muslim Mirror / Home> Book Review / by IANS / October 08th, 2021

KEAM 2021: 3 Muslims Top Engg, Pharmacy, Architecture

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KERALA :

KEAM Entrance Exam is conducted every year for admission in Engineering, Pharmacy, Architecture, Medical, Medical allied courses.

KEAM 2021 Toppers: 

In a spectacular academic performance in KEAM 2021, three Muslim students Faiz Hashim, Faris Abdul Nassar Kallayil and Amreen have bagged the top ranks in Engineering, Pharmacy and Architecture of the important entrance exams.

While Faiz Hashim and Faris Abdul Nassar Kallayil secured the 1st rank respectively in Engineering and Pharmacy, Amreen, a Muslim girl student, bagged the 2nd rank in Architecture.

According to the KEAM rank list released by CEE Kerala on Thursday October 7, 2021, Faiz scored 575.9522 to bag the 1st rank in Engineering, Faris Abdul Nassar scored 465.1257 to secure the top rank in Pharmacy whereas Amreen got 331.8000 score to get the 2nd rank in Architecture.

KEAM Entrance Exam is conducted every year for admission in Engineering, Pharmacy, Architecture, Medical, Medical allied courses. KEAM 2021 was held on August 05 and the result was declared on September 17, 2021.

KEAM 2021 rank list and detailed of toppers however have been released today.

Before the declaration of result, the CEE Kerala had released the Answer Key of KEAM 2021 on its official website.

After the declaration of KEAM result, CEE Kerala had asked students to complete option registration through official website before October 09, 2021.

“KEAM 2021 First Allotment date”

As per the schedule released by CEE Kerala, KEAM 2021 First Phase Allotment will be published in on October 11, 2021 at 09:00 pm.

Candidates who get allotment shall have to remit the fee shown in the allotment memo at any of the Head/Post Offices in Kerala or by way of online payment and confirm their admission between October 12 to 16, 2021.

Office of the Commissioner for Entrance Examinations (CEE) Government Kerala had earlier asked the candidates  who had appeared for KEAM 2021 to verify, and make correction if any, in their profile.

The CEE Kerala on October 02 published category list for reference. The list can be accessed on the official website.

source: http://www.ummid.com / Ummid.com/ Home> India> Education & Career / by ummid.com news network / October 07th, 2021

Migrant boy from Bihar gets full A+ in Kerala SSLC, aspires to become bank manager

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Baghalpur, BIHAR / Kozhikode, KERALA:

Muhammad Shahid.

Kozhikode:

Muhammad Shahid, a boy from Bihar’s Bhagalpur and an inmate of Kozhikode Mukkam orphanage cracked Kerala SSLC exam with A+ in all subjects.

His stellar academic performance comes in the background of odds he encountered in his personal life.

Muhammad Shahid, son of Irshad and Beevi, entered the Mukkam Muslim orphanage in 2011. He joined school in first standard, along with 100 other students from various states of India. Though many of them returned to their native state, interest in pursuing education held him back. Those who returned opted for daily wage jobs.

When Muhammad’s father passed away in 2020 January, he was unable to go home to grieve his death. But even that tragedy did not let him down. “It is the moral support given by my teachers and officials at the orphanage that helped me to achieve this result,” says Muhammad.

The boy who brought glory to Manassery MKHMMO Higher Secondary School, plans to pursue commerce stream for his higher studies. He aspires to become a bank manager.

source: http://www.english.mathrubhumi.com / Mathrubhumi / Home> News> Good News / July 15th, 2021

A new species of fruit fly named after Siruvani

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Siruvani, TAMIL NADU / Aligarh, UTTAR PRADESH :

A team of naturalists participating at a forest department survey   | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

A new species of fruit fly discovered for the first time has been named after Siruvani in the Western Ghats

A fruit fly has created a buzz with its maiden show in Siruvani, a biodiversity hotspot of the Western Ghats. It turns out to be a new species that has been reported, named, and documented for the first time ever. The fruit fly is now scientifically named as Euphranta siruvani, after the place where it was first collected.

A research student at Annamalai University, H Sankararaman, first spotted this unusual visitor on a light trap which he had set up to capture moths at a non-forest space near Siruvani. “The fruit fly was attracted towards light and I was lucky enough to have spotted it. It has a distinct V-shaped black band on its forewing,” recalls Sankar.

Euphranta siruvani   | Photo Credit: Magnolia Press. Zootaxa

The discovery now appears in Zootaxa journal in a paper authored by David K J and Sachin, K, ICAR-National Bureau of Agricultural Insect Resources (NBAIR), Bengaluru, DL Hancock from the UK, Sudhir Singh from Forest Research Institute, Dehradun and H Sankararaman from Annamalai University. According to David, there are 104 recognised species in the genus Euphranta that are distributed across the world. “Of this, 14 are recorded so far from India. The discovery of Euphranta siruvani is the brand-new addition to the checklist.”

“This fruit fly is a rare species and a valuable addition to the diversity,” says David K J, scientist at ICAR-NBAIR, one of the National Institutes with several taxonomists of international repute. “We first check with the regional/world catalogue, then refer to available literature, and connect with authorities around the world over mail before confirming it as a new species,” explains David.

A species can be named after the ‘type locality’ (the place from where the holotype was collected), a specific characteristic feature, after the collector or after an eminent taxonomist for his contributions. In this case, they chose the place, a thriving ecosystem of rich fauna and flora and also the source of drinking water for Coimbatore.

Omyomymar hayati   | Photo Credit: Magnolia Press. Zootaxa

Apart from the fruit fly, additionally a brand new fairy fly species was found at Siruvani. The species Omyomymar hayati is named after Professor Mohammad Hayat of Aligarh Muslim University for his contributions to insect taxonomy.

“I have described several species after the type locality for example Acidoxantha galibeedu in 2014 based on specimen collected near Coorg. Later, I had collected the same species from other parts of Karnataka and Kerala. Similarly, may be the E.siruvani can be seen across the Western Ghats and Kerala in South India. We have to study further to understand its distribution,” explains David, who has identified and described 28 new species of fruit flies of India.

The genus Euphranta comprises many fruit/seed infesting species, including Euphranta cassiae that feeds on the pods of Kanikonna (Cassia fistula) trees. “There are 5,000 species of fruit flies across the world. In India, we have nearly 290 species so far; we keep adding to the list.”

K D Prathapan, an expert on beetles, who works at Kerala Agricultural University, says fruit flies have an average lifespan of three to four weeks. “By infesting fruits, they damage the reproductive capacity of plants. Some species breed in bamboo shoots. And then there are cucurbit fruit flies that are pests of cucurbits such as cucumber, gourds, and pumpkins.”

The study of fruit flies is important for the agricultural economy, as they infect mangoes, melons, gourds, and guavas, says Sankararaman. “It lays eggs in fruits and the larvae feed on the pulp. We are yet get insights about the biology of the species discovered in Siruvani.”

K Mohan Prasath, founder of Act for Butterflies, says there are also many parasitic insects that are helpful to farmers in pest control. Mohan and his team have compiled a list of over 1,000 species of moths across Tamil Nadu and plan to bring it out in a book form soon. “We hope such discoveries build interest in entomology that covers insects, butterflies, and moths. Identification of new species is especially relevant now as there is habitat destruction of many species because of climate change.”

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Sci-Tech> Environment / by K Jeshi / January 12th, 2021

The merchant who bought a mosque

Amazing Feats, Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Travel & Tourism, World Opinion

NEW DELHI :

Chunnamal Haveli carries many fascinating tales about the change in lifestyle and architecture of Delhi after 1857

Chunnamal Haveli carries many fascinating tales about the change in lifestyle and architecture of Delhi after 1857

The redone arterial road of Shahjahanabad has attracted attention towards conserving the historical architectural facades of several buildings along the stretch that connects Sri Digambar Lal Jain Mandir to Fatehpuri Masjid.

Along with the facades of heritage homes, there is an urgent need to conserve family and lifestyle histories as part of intangible heritage. In this regard, Lala Chunnamal, the largest living mansion on the iconic street, illustrates a fascinating account.

The Chandni Chowk and surrounding lanes and by-lanes represent, along with several other layers, the lifestyles of the landed elites, merchant classes and evolving middle-class professionals. Several mansions reflect the Mughal period and the British rule in Delhi. Many of these families aligned with the Mughals for practical reasons and changed their allegiance to the new British masters, impacting the nature of lifestyles and architecture.

‘Lalacracy’ era

The period and predominance of merchants and the new landed class in different cities have been described as ‘Lalacracy’ by eminent historian Narayani Gupta in Delhi Between Two Empires 1803-1931: Society, Government and Urban Growth.

Built in 1864, the Chunnamal Haveli continues to be used by Lala’s sixth-generation descendant Anil Pershad and his family. A successful trader, Chunnamal was primarily a cloth merchant (indicative of the exact location of the house in Katra Neel) and had significant trade links in Kolkata, and a summer home in Shimla.

Soon after 1857, Lala Chunnamal bought a large part of the present-day Chandni Chowk and the Fatehpuri Masjid in an auction for a pittance. “Most mosques were closed for a couple of years after the rebellion; many Muslims fled the city. My grandfather, a practical businessman, watched out for the shops around the mosque. The family-owned shops built Shivalayas, dharamshalas and drinking water kiosks in Shahjahanabad, Mehrauli, Nangloi, etc. So why could he not manage a mosque,” remarks Pershad.

He says the family owned the shops from the erstwhile Majestic cinema to the Baptist Church and the area behind the present Bhagirath Palace. “After some years, the family returned the Fatehpuri mosque to the Muslim community. The British recognised the gesture and gave us some villages as a gift,” adds Pershad.

Unlike many others, knowingly or inadvertently, the Chunnamal family saved a mosque from being demolished or turned into a bakery shop or a garrison for the armed forces when the British took over after the First War of Independence.

The grand mansion integrated sturdy cast-iron balconies and spun spiral staircases, wooden Venetian windows, and used stained glass. The interiors characterise Indo-Western aesthetics decor like the famed Osler glassware chandeliers for candles, Belgian mirrors, European furniture, clocks, telephones, fireplaces, and even maintenance tools for the fireplace. Sophisticated crafts to embellish the interiors include clay tiles from Sindh that provide a carpet look. The gold-plated stucco work in the ceiling is offset with natural indigo. The roof is decorated with ceiling cloth that displays the best of Indian crafts.

Ice emerged as a much-wanted product since the British required it to cool their drinks and water. Chunnamal owned the famous Baraf Khana or the ice-making unit in North Delhi, the Old Subzi Mandi and Pul Bangash. “Twice-elected to the Municipal Corporation, he was one of the few Indians who were granted membership of the exclusive Delhi Gymkhana Club during the British days,” remembers Pershad. He was also a member of the Roshanara Club, Delhi Race Club and the National Sports Club.

High life

The Chunnamal family bred horses, some were housed in their home stables, while others were in the Delhi Race Club. Members of the family rode horses from Chandni Chowk to New Delhi. A special place for the family was their Rambagh Garden near the Roshanara Club. Viceroys visited, Indira Gandhi came to dine, and the family participated in horse races, including winning the Aminabad horseshow in Lucknow. Some members of the family even came to be members of the secret society of the Freemasons, who continued to meet in the Qudsia Bagh in Civil Lines.

The courtyard hosted gatherings of courtesans, which women of the family watched from behind the bamboo curtains. Pershad’s daughter-in-law Swetcha Pershad described how female service providers like washerwomen and barbers transmitted ‘news’ from one zenana or women quarters to other havelis. The hustle-bustle of the home saw the women under the guidance of a Parsi governess acquire skills in cooking western dishes, accessing recipes from the Woman & Home magazine launched in the 1920s.

Organisations like the UNESCO and urban governments in different parts of the world attempt to formulate policies to balance development with preserving historic urban landscapes. They involve stakeholders, incentivise owners of heritage homes to retain facades while making the inside of dwellings modern.

The remaking of the Chandni Chowk requires holistic policies and their execution before many of more than 30 private-public owned heritage buildings are replaced by buildings that do not go with the character of the historical landscape.

(The author is an expert on cultural heritage)

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities / by Navina Jafa / October 10th, 2021

Soha Bags Fourth Title Of The Season At AITA Women’s Tennis Event

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Bangalore, KARNATAKA :

Soha bags fourth title of the season at AITA women’s tennis event

Bengaluru:  

Soha Sadiq came back from a set down to beat Akanksha Nitture of Maharashtra in the final as she bagged her third singles crown of the season at the AITA women’s tennis tournament played under the aegis of KSLTA here on Saturday.

The top seed from Karnataka beat Akanksha 4-6, 6-3, 6-1 to end the tournament with a fine double. Overall, this was Soha’s fourth title of the season as she and Akanksha had won the doubles crown on Friday.

After heavy rains had delayed the start of the final by more than two hours, the 23-year-old Soha dominated the proceedings from the start and was soon 4-1 up. However, she lost the momentum which was quickly grabbed by her opponent as third seed Akanksha went on to win five games on the trot to take the first set, according to information reaching here.

The second set saw both the rivals fight hard for each point until the sixth game with the scores being level. It was then that Soha stepped up on the gas and closed out the set at 6-3.

Soha, after a 2-1 lead, broke Akanksha’s serve in the fourth game of the decider which saw both of them reach deuce five times before the latter succumbed. There was no stopping Soha from that point as she just marched away with the set and the match.

“I am happy to win my third singles title of the season. I didn’t expect it to be a three-setter but luckily I found my rhythm when I needed it most,” Soha, who has just graduated in Commerce from Mount Carmel’s College, was quoted as saying by the KSLTA in a release.

Results (Seedings in pre-fix, States in brackets)
Women’s Singles (Final): 1-Soha Sadiq (KAR) bt 3-Akanksha Nitture (MAH) 4-6, 6-3, 6-1.

(IANS)

source: http://www.ommcomnews.com / Ommcom News / Home> Sports / by Ommcom News / October 09th, 2021