Monthly Archives: March 2022

Ismail Optical: 90 Years Of Correcting Visions

Amazing Feats, Business & Economy, Karnataka (under research project), Leaders, , , , ,

Mysuru, KARNATAKA :

For 90 years, one optical store in our city has been framing and giving correct sight to Mysureans.

Ismail Optical and Co. on Sayyaji Rao Road, founded by Abubakar Ismail Sait and registered as A. Ismail & Bros on Feb. 16, 1932, was the first store selling optical devices, particularly spectacles with corrective lenses in city.

Speaking about how Ismail Optical Co. came into existence, Sadiq Sait, the present Proprietor and grandson of Abubakar, said that in the 18th century, a group of young entrepreneurs from Gujarat migrated to different parts of the country to try various business ventures and in South India they explored cities like Kochi, Hyderabad, Bangalore, Ooty and Madikeri, etc.

When the erstwhile Maharaja of Mysore learnt about these entrepreneurs who were in Kodagu, he invited them to start their business in Mysore. One of these entrepreneurs, was Sadiq’s great grandfather Ismail Sait, who started a supermarket called ‘Ismail Stores’ in 1878 in Mysore.

The Maharaja had gifted Ismail Sait a building to set up his supermarket. In fact it was so large that the building had 11 doors! Even to this day, one can see a painting depicting Jumboo Savari procession with old Ismail Stores in the background displayed at Mysore Palace, says Sadiq.

Ismail Stores was located near Olympia Talkies, which was earlier known as Shivarampet. The supermarket sold a variety of items including spectacles which was one of its kind in those days. When K.R. Circle was being constructed, the supermarket was demolished and the Maharaja then provided another store nearby.

Ismail Sait’s son Abubakar Ismail Sait took over the supermarket business and then added a new exclusive optical store and registered it as A. Ismail & Bros in 1932. A receipt for goggles sold for Rs. 3 and 8 annas in 1934 is still preserved at the present store.

While the supermarket closed down, the optical store thrived. In 1971, the optical store was shifted to the present Devaraja Market building and this store was run by Sadiq’s father Gul Mohammed Sait, son of late Abubakar Ismail Sait. The store had already become famous by then for not only selling corrective lenses and frames but also for selling sunglasses to actors and film crew during film shootings.

Sadiq recalls his father selling sunglasses to actors Dr. Rajkumar, Dwarakish, Srinath, Amrish Puri, Jitendra, Anil Kapoor, Jackie Shroff and Prem Chopra. The store had also supplied spectacles to the members of the Mysore royal family during the regime of Krishnaraja Wadiyar and Chamaraja Wadiyar, he added.

Sadiq says, in the early days of the business, glasses and lenses were manufactured in their factory which was discontinued after 2005 as plastic lenses came to the market and the demand for glass lenses came down.

“Earlier there were no eye hospitals and only Ismail Optical was testing eyes. Employees of the Railway Department were being sent to the stores for eye testing. All was well untill the building caught fire in 1977 and the store was gutted. It was later renovated and by that time, many eye testing centres had come up,” Sadiq revealed.

Now, Ismail Optical & Co. has 12 branches across Mysuru City which are managed by Sadiq and his brothers. They have also expanded to Kodagu and have a branch at Gonikoppal.

Over the years, Sadiq says they have managed to constantly increase the choices for their customers. “Carl Zeiss glasses from Germany, Altan frames and Crooks lenses from England are imported. We deal with a variety of frames and lenses from across the globe so our customers have choices. We also have qualified and trained staff to repair these frames,” Sadiq said.

When asked about the common complaint about buying sunglasses — fakes, Sadiq says it is very difficult for a common man to differentiate and hence it is best to purchase such sunglasses from an authorised store or dealer and added with a smile, “may be like you get a second opinion from a doctor for health, you may need to get a second opinion about the authenticity of your glasses from an authorised dealer like us,” he said.

Ismail Optical still has eye testing and an in-house eye testing clinic. “Our mission is to provide quality vision to Mysureans and we hope to set up an eye hospital soon to help achieve a cataract-free  Mysuru,” says Sadiq.

Innovative – ‘Dial a Spex’

Ismail Optical has also been innovative in their service. In 2016, a unique service called ‘Dial a Spex’ was introduced where a customer could dial for an appointment with an eye specialist and a mobile van, with eye testing equipment and a doctor, would then reach the customer’s doorstep. Once the spectacle is ready, it would be delivered to the patient. This service turned out to be useful during the pandemic.

Awards

The Optical store has won many awards for being the best opticals in Mysuru. In 1996, it won an award for being the Best Optical Store in South India; Best Optical Store in Karnataka Award in 2003 and it bagged the Mysore Excellence Award — Excellent Opticians in Mysore in 2018.

source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> Feature Articles / by S Kenneth Shishir / March 18th, 2022

On a roll: Differently-abled Kerala youth eyeing Mr Wheelchair India title

Amazing Feats, Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Community Involvement / Social Issues, , , ,

Thiruvananthapuram, KERALA :

Despite having faced an accident that changed his life, this youngster’s dreams and will are soaring high.

On a roll: Differently-abled Kerala youth eyeing Mr Wheelchair India title- The New Indian Express

Kochi : 

For 23-year-old Nishan Nizar, the time in his hands is not enough to visit all his dream destinations, indulge in adventures and chase a million dreams. Nishan is a romantic when it comes to life.

His ideas about life took life in the face of adversity. Nishan was returning home on his bike when he met with an accident a few years back. He suffered a spinal cord injury and multiple leg fractures. After being in hospital and staying bedridden for a year, Nishan decided to go to a rehabilitation centre. After three months of training, Nishan was on his journey to becoming self-sufficient. Soon he started dreaming big, understanding himself and realising his dreams. “I look back at the incident as something that changed me in a positive way. I could learn about myself more, find out my potential that I wouldn’t have explored otherwise,” he says. 

A native of Thiruvananthapuram, Nishan resides at Kannammoola. He is presently gearing up for the Mr & Ms Wheelchair India contest where he is a finalist representing Kerala. Modelling is a passion he took to after he started using the wheelchair. “I used to do photoshoots before the accident, but never focused on modelling. One day, I chanced upon a modelling opportunity at a Banglore based company. I sent my application and got in,” says an excited Nishan. Having done ramp shows at three fashion events, Nishan says he enjoys his life as a professional model. 

But Nishan’s dreams don’t stop there. He is currently building a community along with his friend Aneesha that creates awareness about differently-abled people and works for their welfare.  Apart from modelling and social work, Nishan is also preparing to join an animation course. “I always loved creating art. I think it will be the right push for me,” says Nishan.

He says society needs to be more accepting of differently-abled people. “There is no need for sympathy. We just need to be accepted and treated as equals. But first, one needs to accept oneself. I could and that has helped me connect with my own strengths,” he says. Nishan dreams of joining the Paralympics. “I want to train in wheelchair badminton. I want to travel around the world, walk the ramps of Paris Fashion Week,” he gleams. His biggest dream is to build an NGO that aids people with physical disabilities and chronic illnesses. “I want to create an inclusive world where we wouldn’t look at people with disabilities as a problem to be fixed or eliminated, but as a beautiful expression of humanity. I will work to help others recognise this,” he says

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Good News / by Aathira Haridas, Express News Service / March 03rd 2022

Stranded Telugus in Ukraine make desperate appeal for evacuation

Amazing Feats, Education, NRI's / PIO's, Ukraine Updates, Students (Feb. 2022), World Opinion, , , , , , , ,

Hyderabad, TELANGANA / INDIA / UKRAINE :

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

Muslim man jumps under moving train to rescue woman, Twitter reacts

Amazing Feats, Community Involvement / Social Issues, Transport, , , , , , ,

Bhopal, MADHYA PRADESH :

In a video of the incident, Mehboob can be seen holding the woman’s head down to prevent it from hitting anything protruding from the undercarriage.

Muslim man jumps under moving train to rescue woman fallen on tracks

Bhopal: 

In an act of tremendous courage a 37-year-old Muslim man jumped in front of a moving goods train to save a woman who had fallen on the railway track in Madhya Pradesh’s Bhopal, an official said on Saturday.

While the incident took place on February 5, a video of the occurrence went viral on social media on Friday, garnering praise from all quarters.

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The incident took place in Barkhedi around 8 pm on February 5, when Mohammed Mehboob, a carpenter, was walking near the scene after offering namaz.

A woman in her 20s carrying a backpack was crossing the railway track at the time when a goods train started approaching, said Shoaib Hashmi, a friend of Mehboob told PTI on Saturday.

The woman got scared and tripped on the tracks and could not get up and move away from the train’s path, he said.

When onlookers started shouting in panic, Mehboob acted on impulse and jumped on the track and ran up to the woman, dragged her to the middle of the trackbed, and kept her from lifting her head as the train passed over them, Hashmi said.

People kept cautioning the duo to stay down till at least 28 wagons on the train passed over them, he added.

After the near-death experience, the woman broke down in tears and hugged her father and brother who had not crossed the railway track with her at the time, Hashmi said.

In a video of the incident, Mehboob can be seen holding the woman’s head down to prevent it from hitting anything protruding from the undercarriage.

Ever since the video went viral on social media, people have been flocking Mehboob’s home in Ashok Vihar Bank Colony, Aishbag to congratulate him.

source: http://www.siasat.com / The Siasat Daily / Home> News> India / by Syeda Faiza Kazim , the News Desk / February 12th, 2022

Beloved Delhi — A Mughal City and Her Greatest Poets review: The city of verse

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Books (incl.Biographies - w.e.f.01 jan 2018 ), Community Involvement / Social Issues, Royal Families, PreIndependence -Descendants (wef. Jan 02nd,2022), , , , , , , , , , , ,

NEW DELHI :

Eight poets of the past capture Delhi’s joys and sorrows

Saif Mahmood’s Beloved Delhi: A Mughal City and Her Greatest Poets offers offers a window into the life, times, and poetry of Delhi’s greatest Urdu poets from the 18th and 19th centuries, with witty and critical insight, in a conversational style that has become Saif’s hallmark in many a literary gathering.

Focusing on eight poets, he allows us to touch Delhi’s past and rethink its present through Urdu. Each chapter on a poet is divided into two sections — the first is biographical and provides the reader with insight into Delhi’s material conditions through the vicissitudes of the poet’s life. Thus, the 18th century poets are nomadic because of the post-Nadir Shah instabilities of Delhi.

The 19th century poets lead more sedentary lives, as the British Residency of Delhi provides the military support, at least until the cleavage of 1857. This upsets the tradition of the classical Urdu ghazal, and so the last poet analysed is Daagh Dehlvi, already writing in 1857, and a step-grandson of the last Mughal King, Bahadur Shah Zafar. The book also records this decline visually through Anant Raina’s photographs of the current gravesites of these poets, exhibiting the absolute lack of public or state support toward heritage maintenance.

The second part gives an excellent commentary on their poetry.

Saif’s familiarity with the tradition and his capacities for literary criticism shine through, as the raconteur in him narrates the stories of these poets’ poetry with coherence, complexity, and lucidity. The book highlights Urdu poets who are well known to Urdu readers, but not to listeners of ghazals or those interested in the literature from the outside.

Apart from Ghalib (described by Saif as ‘Master of Masters’), and Mir Taqi Mir (‘the Incurable Romancer of Delhi’), poets such as Sauda (‘the Great Satirist’), Mir Dard (‘Urdu’s Dancing Dervish’), Ustad Ibrahim Zauq (‘The Poet Laureate’), Bahadur Shah Zafar (the ‘Emperor’ who has an ‘Affair with Urdu’), and Daagh (‘the Last Casanova of Delhi’) get the attention they deserve.

The collection also brings out the specificities of their poetry including the great licence, often through satire, that many of these commanded with the ruling powers as dissenters. Tolerance for such criticism today rests uneasy with the crown. The poets extol the city of Delhi as picturesque, showing colours unimaginable, but also to be lamented after each violent tragedy, with a sense of loss, sometimes in a dedicated genre, the shahr-ashob or city-lament.

Beloved Delhi is for keeps and must be read by all with the remotest of interests in Urdu, Delhi, or poetry and poets.

Beloved Delhi: A Mughal City and Her Greatest Poets ; Saif Mahmood, Speaking Tiger, ₹599.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Books> Reviews / by Maaz Bin Bilal / November 03rd, 2018

1,647 students receive degrees at Ramaiah university convocation

Amazing Feats, Education, Karnataka (under research project), Women/Girls(since May26-2021), , , , ,

Bengaluru, KARNATAKA :

28 students received the MS Ramaiah gold medals while an equal number received Venkatamma Ramaiah silver medals.

Seven students were awarded PhD, 453 students master’s and 1,187 students bachelor’s degrees.
(Photocaption) Gold and silver medallists Nidhi Santhosh, Dr.Aishwarya Swathi, Samreen Fathima, Bennett M Darshan, Kabita Kumari, Harshit Agarwal and Kavya C at the convocation of Ramaiah University of Applied Sciences on Monday
Credit: DH Photo/Prashanth H G

The sixth convocation of Ramaiah University of Applied Sciences took place here on Monday with as many as 1,647 students receiving degrees. 

Seven students were awarded PhD, 453 students master’s and 1,187 students bachelor’s degrees. Twenty-eight students received the MS Ramaiah gold medals while an equal number received Venkatamma Ramaiah silver medals. Eight research students received Gowramma Ramaiah silver medals for best-presented research theses. 

Anil D Sahasrabudhe, Chairperson, AICTE, presented the degrees to the students. “The main aim of education is to instil moral values and create selfless citizens who work for the welfare of the country. Students have the responsibility of creating an Atmanirbhar Bharat. They should also understand the National Education Policy and respond to the changing needs of development,” he said. 

University Chancellor M R Jayaram, Vice-Chancellor Prof Kuldeep Kumar Raina and Registrar Prof M Sai Baba were also present.

source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> City> Life in Bengaluru / DHNS, Bengaluru / March 15th, 2022

Female Qazi solemnises wedding of Dr. Zakir Hussain’s great-grandson

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Community Involvement / Social Issues, Women/Girls(since May26-2021), , , , , , ,

NEW DELHI :

Photo for representational purpose.

In a rare occurrence in the Capital, a female Qazi solemnized the wedding of the great-grandson of the former President of India Dr. Zakir Hussain on Friday.

Senior journalist Qurban Ali said that his daughter Ursila Ali got married to Gibran Rehan Rahman at Dr. Hussain’s residence in Jamia Nagar. The ceremony was performed by Dr. Syeda Saiyadain Hameed, a former member of the Planning Commission, as the Qazi.

“The terms set forth in the Nikaahnama were prepared under the auspices of Muslim Women’s Forum – an organization of which the groom’s great-grandmother Begum Saeeda Khurshid was a founding president,” Dr. Hameed said.

Mr. Ali said that the idea of the marriage being solemnized by a female Qazi was originally the bride’s and the groom welcomed it. “There was no concept of a female Qazi in the Indian Islamic society so we want to make a new beginning and when we talk about equality then why not a female Qazi,” he said.

Dr. Hameed said that the added significance of this Nikahnama is the Iqrarnama (agreement) “which enlists the conditions mutually agreed upon by the bride and groom, pertaining to the equal rights and responsibilities along with respect and regard for all aspects of married life”.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities / by Staff Reporter / Newe Delhi – March 11th, 2022

People of all religions take part in mosque inauguration

Community Involvement / Social Issues, Karnataka (under research project), ,

Ballupete (Hassan), KARNATAKA :

Residents of Ballupete, irrespective of their faith, contributed to its construction

Residents of Ballupete, irrespective of their faith, contributed to its construction

The inauguration of a newly built mosque at Ballupete in Sakleshpur taluk became an occasion for the residents of the village to exhibit harmony and brotherhood on Monday. People from all communities visited the mosque and joined for lunch. Many were visiting a mosque for the first time..

The members of the Jumma Masjid committee welcomed the guests with a smile and took them around the structure. “For the first time, I am visiting a mosque. I was curious to know this place. I am glad members of the mosque committee gave this opportunity to know about their place of worship”, said Rani, a resident of Ballupete.

The committee has built the structure by spending over ₹1 crore. People from all communities have offered their contributions to the construction. Susheela, a resident of the village, said she had been living close to the mosque for many years and her family had offered contributions for the mosque. “The building has come up very well”, she said.

Hazrat Moulana Nadvi Saheb, who spoke on the occasion, lauded the efforts of Muslim youths who organised the event. “Inviting our neighbours and wellwishers to our mosque is a good step towards ensuring harmony. We can win over others through love. I wish people in other cities and villages emulate this model”, he said.

Ballu Gopal, a journalist, said Ballupete had been known for harmony among people belonging to all religions. “We respond to each other’s problems and celebrate happy occasions together. I wish this relationship continues forever”.

Among those who visited the mosque on the day included elected representatives, shopkeepers, women and schoolchildren.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> National> Karnataka / by Special Correspondent / Ballupete (Hassan) / March 14th, 2022

Uttarakhand Assembly 2022 to have 03 Muslim MLAs

Community Involvement / Social Issues, Leaders, , , , , , , , , , , , ,

UTTARAKHAND :

This is 01 more than the tally of Muslim MLAs in Uttarakhand in 2017 when 02 Muslims had won amidst the BJP Tsunami.

Uttarakhand Election Result 2022: 

The newly elected Assembly in Uttarakhand will have 03 Muslim MLAs, according to the final result announced by the State Election Commission Thursday.

This is 01 more than the tally of Muslim MLAs in Uttarakhand in 2017 when 02 Muslims had won amidst the BJP Tsunami.

The ruling Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) has retained power in Uttarakhand winning a total of 47 seats – 10 less than its previous tally of 2017.

The opposition Congress has won 19 seats – an improvement of 08 seats as compared to its tally of 11 seats in 2017.

Mayawati’s Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) has won 02 seats, according to the Uttarakhand Election 2022 Final result.

Among the 03 Muslim candidates who have won the 2022 Uttarakhand election 02 – Shahzad and Sarwat Kareem Ansari, are from BSP and 01 – Furkan Ahmad, is from Congress.

Shahzad of BSP has won the 2022 election from Laksar Assembly seat of Uttarakhand, defeating Sanjay Gupta of BJP by 10,440 votes.

Sarwat Kareem of BSP won the 2022 polls from Manglaur Assembly constituency defeating Qazi Mohammad Nizamuddin of Congress by 598 votes. Qazi Mohammad Mohiuddin had won the Manglaur seat in 2017.

On the other hand, Furkan Ahmad of Congress won the polls from Pirankaliyar assembly seat, defeating Munish Kumar Saini of BJP by 15,743 votes. Furkan Ahmad had won the same seat in the 2017 election.

source: http://www.ummid.com / Ummid.com / Home / by Ummid.com News Network / March 11th, 2022

Muslim women professionals launch ‘RBTC’ to mentor girls in UP

Amazing Feats, Community Involvement / Social Issues, Education, Leaders, Women/Girls(since May26-2021), , , , ,

UTTAR PRADESH :

RBTC is a group of 100 Muslim women honourees at national-level and 100 at state-level

Lucknow: 

Muslim women professionals, in a novel initiative, will now mentor girls from socially weaker sections with ‘Rising Beyond the Ceiling’ (RBTC) launching its free mentorship programme on the International Women’s Day.

RBTC is a group of 100 Muslim women honourees at national-level and 100 at state-level. These women will now mentor girls on professional, educational, emotional, and financial matters.

“Why is a Muslim woman considered illiterate if she is wearing burqa or naqaab? If provided an opportunity, she can achieve anything she desires,” said Sabiha Ahmad, RBTC Uttar Pradesh coordinator and UP Sunni Waqf Board member.

“This is an opportunity we will provide to young girls from socially weaker sections”, she added.

Explaining further she said that RBTC is not just helping in breaking the stereotype about the Muslim women but is also contributing to nation building.

“Bringing women from different areas of work, such as the women in uniform, in academics, arts, journalism and others, for mentoring helps in building self-confidence in young girls and gives wings to their aspirations,” she said.

“Regardless of religion, any girl with the aspiration to work in any field can get in touch with the organisation to seek whatever help is required. The mentorship is free of cost, and we have started inviting submissions for it apart from the current mentees being guided already,” she added.

source: http://www.ummid.com / Ummid.com / Home> Business & Economy / by IANS / March 08th, 2022