This Documentary Film is based on Aligarh Muslim University and it’s great Alumnus, one such; Dr. Frank F. Islam.
Directed by: Neelofer Shama
source: http://www.youtube.com
All posts by mpositiveone@gmail.com
A true master
Meerut, UTTAR PRADESH / NEW DELHI :
Musicians remember the genius of tabla maestro Ustad Hashmat Ali Khan
With the passing away of Ustad Hashmat Ali Khan (February 3, 1932-April 22, 2017), Indian classical music has lost not only a great tabla maestro but also a generous teacher. In a world where people are stingy about passing trade secrets, the Khalifa (head) of the Ajrara gharana of tabla used to say, knowledge grows by sharing. In the words of Pandit Suresh Talwalkar, “Ustad Hashmat Ali Khan was a wonderfully warm man, with a great sense of humour and extremely polished courtly manners of a bygone age, and most of all, the finest teacher one could have.”
A 7th generation musician, the Ustad belonged to the family that despite playing a type of tabla so close to the original Delhi gharana of tabla, was able to maintain its distinct “baaj”.Born in Meerut, his grandfather Ustad Mohammed Shafi Khan was one of the navaratnas of the Maharaja of Baroda. When he was about eight, his grandfather took him to Baroda, and that is where he received his taleem. Once India gained independence, the princely states dissolved, the young Hashmat returned to Meerut where his father put him under the tutelage of Ustad Niazu Khan.At a very young age, he started teaching at New Delhi’s Bhartiya Kala Kendra. Part of the greatness of the maestro was his extremely intellectually open mind – he was always analysing the music style of others and was quick to praise. He incorporated many pleasing elements from other styles in his playing, but with a seamlessness that was envied by his fellow musicians. Talwalkar says, “He was able to embellish his playing very well; even though his own gharana Ajrara was so beautiful, yet he was able to add to it. He was also a very good human being, and extremely learned.”
Pandit Kumar Bose evinces his sorrow at the death of the Ustad, whom he describes as “bahut guni, and iss umar mein bhi, itne tayyar… He was a very fun loving and good natured man.” He added, as a tabla exponent he had researched and added to his gharana’s baaj with great finesse, and he hoped “that his son Akram keeps his music alive.”
Cosmopolitan outlook
Khan was also a very well travelled and cosmopolitan man; he had lived abroad in many countries including Russia, Mauritius, Guyana, Fiji and Australia for years, where he had been sent by the ICCR to teach. He has several students there. His wide travels had given him an urbanity not found in many musicians of his generation. One can recall anecdotes he would relate about an older generation of musicians. With an appropriate pause before the punchline, the subtle embellishments to the main story – Khan sahib was indeed extremely entertaining. There was always a compassion even while talking about musical frailties in others.
Indeed, this much loved musician will be missed; yet the legacy he leaves behind with his numerous disciples, including his musical inheritor, Ustad Akram Khan, and his grandsons, will remain.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Entertainment> Music / by Shailaja Khanna / April 24th, 2017
Najma Heptulla bereaved
NEW DELHI :
New Delhi:
Akbarali A. Heptulla, noted manpower consultant and husband of Rajya Sabha MP Najma Heptulla, passed away on Tuesday.
Mr. Heptulla (75) complained of stomach ache around 2 a.m. and was rushed to the All-India Institute of Medical Sciences here, where doctors declared him brought dead.
Described by close friends as “the man behind the successful woman,” Mr. Heptulla is survived by three daughters. The burial will take place on Friday.
Mr. Heptulla, who held a licence to import newsprint from Russia, was among those instrumental in the establishment of the newspaper Patriot in the 1960s. — PTI
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> National / September 05th, 2007
Major Mohammed Ali Shah’s diversity to the fore
UTTAR PRADESH / NEW DELHI :
Theatre actor Major Mohammed Ali Shah turned a motivational speaker for a session ‘Disruppt’ held in Hyderabad
If diverse experiences are what people seek from life, Major Mohammed Ali Shah has had plenty of those. The son of Lt. Gen. Zameer Uddin Shah (vice-chancellor of the Aligarh Muslim University and brother of actor Naseruddin Shah) wanted to be an actor since childhood, dabbled with a lot of career options before he chose the stage.
After a stint with a call centre when the IT boom was on, he was selected for a Short Service Commission posting — he was a young lieutenant deployed at Jammu and Kashmir,LOC — and then he did an executive programme in Marketing at IIM-Calcutta and switched over to a corporate career.
Yet Shah left it all to pursue a career in theatre and films. Now, in his latest avatar, he has turned a motivational speaker, addressing in a session in the city for a platform Disruppt, that seeks to help people overcome issues in their personal and professional lives.
“Surprisingly, Hyderabad was a place where I had tried for acting opportunities several years ago but things didn’t work out. Destiny brings me back to the same place now. The Disruppt session here even had a few people writing handwritten letters to me. That, in times where people don’t take time to send Whatsapp messages. I had suffered a lot of setbacks in life, so if I can contribute to people’s wellbeing by narrating my personal experiences, why not,” says Shah asks.
Amid all the professional churn, there haven’t been any regrets. “In my corporate life, I was paid well, there was no risk or adventure and I was even growing, getting promoted each year. When I looked back at satisfaction, things weren’t falling in place. I quit it one day to pursue my ambitions in the city of dreams, Mumbai. There was initial regret, but I gathered courage soon enough, my parents and my wife stood by me,” Shah states.
This phase also made him a nuanced actor. His army stint was crucial in landing him roles in Haider, Bajrangi Bhaijaan and the Malayalam film titled The Ruffian. Post two unsuccessful attempts to get into NSD (which was once his long-time goal), life came full circle when he worked with Tom Alter and Saif Haider Hasan.
Hasan even went on to produce his theatre series ‘The Major Actor’s Assorted Monologues’ that had shows at Kuwait, UK, Mumbai and Delhi. “Besides, my army stint had me equipped at everything from polo to rock climbing to martial arts and paragliding, mostly the Short Service Commission stint taught me to be a thorough gentleman. If I’m happy about one thing in life, it’s about taking no help from my family, be it from my sister (a social activist), father or uncle,” he says.
He’ll be next seen in Tigmanshu Dhulia’s Yaara (also stars Vidyut Jamwal and Shruti Haasan) and an untitled film where he plays a Punjabi.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Entertainment> Theatre / by Srivathsan Nadadhur / April 29th, 2017
Around 400 Muslim students clear IIT-JEE 2012
NEW DELHI :
New Delhi:
This was just a dream until some years back. The presence of Muslims in such top layer entrance tests like IIT-JEE was just negligible. The successful Muslim candidates could be counted on fingers. This year, around 400 Muslim candidates from across the country have cracked IIT-JEE. This could be a record.
A total of 24,112 students have secured ranks in various categories in IIT-JEE 2012. Muslims are 391. According to JEE Chairman GD Reddy, only 19,426 of the successful candidates have been shortlisted for counseling for admission to 9,647 seats in the IITs and other institutes. Fortunately, Muslim candidates have got ranks within 19,000 – 188 have got ranks within 10,000 — it means all will get chance to face counseling. The highest ranker among Muslims is Mohammad Hafeezul Rahman (Rank 159) and the lowest among Muslims is Shoaib Khan (Rank 18408).
The greater presence of Muslims in IIT-JEE could be attributed to some minority-focused coaching centres established in last five years, the foundation of which was laid by Rahmani-30. Set up in 2008, the Patna-based free residential coaching centre of Rahmani Foundation, under the patronship of Maulana Mohammad Wali Rahmani, has been sending its candidates to IIT-JEE since 2009 and every year it has got results.
Only this year, a total of 16 students of Rahmani-30 have cracked IIT-JEE. Seven of them were of the current batch that ended in March 2012 while six from the last two batches of 2010 and 2011 – they had not got success in previous attempt but succeeded this year. Besides, 3 Muslim students of Bangalore centre of Rahmani 30 have also qualified this year.
More than 5.6 lakh students had appeared for the IIT-JEE on April 8, 2012 for admission to nearly 9,600 undergraduate seats in the 15 IITs and other institutions.
IITs in India
IIT-Bhubaneshwar
IIT-Bombay
IIT-Delhi
IIT-Gandhinagar
IIT-Guwahati
IIT-Hyderabad
IIT-Indore
IIT-Kanpur
IIT-Kharagpur
IIT-Madras
IIT-Mandi
IIT-Patna
IIT-Rajasthan
IIT-Roorkee
IIT-Ropar
JEE 2012 Rank List : Muslim students
| Rank | Name | Category | Registration No. | |
| 159 | MOHAMMAD HAFEEZUL RAHMAN | OBCM | 6037448 | |
| 289 | JASEEM UMAR M | OBC | 6112333 | |
| 406 | SHEHZAD HATHI | GE | 1002007 | |
| 524 | PARVEZSH AHAMED HMS | OBC | 6137244 | |
| 560 | SHAFEEQUL ISLAM | GE | 2147412 | |
| 675 | NASIRUDDIN AHMAD | GE | 2054364 | |
| 840 | MOHAMED FASIL C P | OBC | 6110005 | |
| 858 | MOHAMMAD OSAMA | GE | 2146595 | |
| 870 | SHAIK KHAJA MOHIDDIN | OBCM | 6003074 | |
| 872 | KAZI SAIF RAHAMAN | GE | 1051186 | |
| 920 | SOHAIL AHASAN | GE | 5141033 | |
| 999 | ASIF AHMED SARDAR | GE | 5130180 | |
| 1128 | NAJMI HAMZA ISMAIL | OBCM | 1025213 | |
| 1208 | GHULAM AHMED ANSARI | OBC | 6027044 | |
| 1245 | AMEER HAMZA | OBCM | 5006275 | |
| 1428 | MURTUZA RAJA | GE | 2104088 | |
| 1437 | BASHAMAKH YAZEED | GE | 3070042 | |
| 1438 | HUSSAIN BOHRA | GE | 2099383 | |
| 1753 | INZAMAMUL HAQUE | OBCM | 2039366 | |
| 1772 | ABDUL AZIZ | GE | 5139304 | |
| 1816 | MOHD SAOOD SHAKEEL | OBCM | 2068412 | |
| 1874 | ADIL REZA | OBCM | 4099681 | |
| 1891 | SHAIK AZHAR MADAR | OBCM | 6073297 | |
| 1934 | MD DANISH KALIM | GE | 1079150 | |
| 1994 | SHAIK ABDUL AKRAM | OBCM | 6076203 | |
| 2149 | ZAHID SHARIEF | GE | 7012132 | |
| 2191 | ABUZAR GAFFARI | GE | 2106044 | |
| 2209 | IQBAL | OBC | 7021256 | |
| 2238 | ABID HAQUE | GE | 2052109 | |
| 2257 | SAFDAR AHMAD WANI | GE | 2097117 | |
| 2336 | KHAN UZAIR SUHAIL | GE | 1055304 | |
| 2376 | MD NADEEM AKHTAR | OBCM | 3122087 | |
| 2379 | NABEEL AHMAD KANGOO | GE | 2091362 | |
| 2452 | MD ENAYAT ULLAH | GE | 7096120 | |
| 2580 | HAMMAD ABDULLAH AYYUBI | GE |
source: http://www.twocircles.net / Two Circles.net / Home> India News> Indian Muslim / by TCN Staff Reporter / May 23rd, 2012
SAUDI ARABIA – Community bids farewell to Indian diplomat
Jeddah , SAUDI ARABIA :
JEDDAH:
An evening to bid farewell to Dr. Irshad Ahmed, consul for press, information and culture, on completing his four-year term at the Consulate General of India in Jeddah was held recently.
It was organized by Jeddah-based community welfare organizations from Telangana, including Khak-e-Taiba Trust, Urdu Academy, Deccan NRIs, Noor Education Society, Pain & Palliative Care Trust and Telangana Welfare Foundation.
Ahmed thanked the Telangana organizations for holding the event in his honor. He spoke about his memorable experiences in the Kingdom and applauded the hospitality of the Hyderabadi community residing in Jeddah.
“People living in this holy land are very blessed and very proactive when it comes to community welfare,” he said, adding he will miss the Indian community.
Ahmed said he enjoyed his stay in Jeddah and felt very fortunate to be able to help the expats residing here.
The evening commenced with the recitation of the Holy Qur’an by Hafiz Noor, followed by a heart touching naat by Khalid Hussain.
Mirza Qudrath Nawaz Baig, along with senior community members, welcomed Chief Guest Ahmed and lauded the brotherly hand he had extended toward overseas Indians.
The presidents and vice presidents of the Telangana organizations praised Ahmed for his dedication to the Indian community and in organizing various events; specifically pointing out the large-scale mushaira held at the Consulate of India and promotion of the Urdu language in a foreign land.
Ahmed was presented with a plaque of appreciation. Members of the Telangana organizations said they would not say goodbye to Ahmed but would rather say “see you soon.” They said they are looking forward to seeing Ahmed soon in Jeddah on a new assignment.
One of the key hosts of the event, Imran Kausar, gave the audience an overview of the consul and his achievements.
He started his career as an Arabic lecturer in Jamia Millia Islamia in 1995; he later joined the Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India in 2001. His first foreign posting was at the Embassy of Riyadh as third secretary (Information and Culture from 2003 to 2005; then he was transferred to Consulate General of India, Jeddah as consul (Education and Culture) from 2005 to 2008.
He then worked as undersecretary (Gulf) from 2008 to 2012 and was then posted to the Consulate General of India, Jeddah again where he continued his posting as consul (Press, Information & Culture) from 2012.
He will continue his new assignment at the Ministry of External Affairs (headquarters) in New Delhi, India.
Leading members of the community at the event included Shameem Kausar, Siadat Ali Khan, Hasan Bayazeed, Jamal Qadri, Abdul Razzak, Abdul Wahab, Asimuddin Ansari, Aslam Afghani, Asif Daudi, Tahir Ali, Noorul Amin, Majid Saleem, Munawar Khan, Mazharullah Jibran, Sheikh Ibrahim, Rashid Razzak, Saleem Farooqui, Mahmood Misri, Ghazanfar Zaki, Mir Arif Ali, Abdul Rafay and Liaqat Ali Khan.
source: http://www.arabnews.com / Arab News / Home> Saudi Arabia / Wednesday – April 26th, 2017
The story of an Indian hero who laid down his life for the country
Mysuru, KARNATAKA :
This July, Salma Shafeeq Ghori completes 15 years without her husband Major Shafeeq Khan Ghori. It was her son’s first day at school. She had been visiting family and they had just come back home when a group of Army men knocked on the door. They had been trying to reach her the whole day with the news.
The first two days, they said his condition was critical. “It was a shock for my father-in-law and my little one who did not understand what was happening around him. Nobody wanted to believe it was him and finally after two days of wait and agony, he was brought home for a final farewell with due military honours,” Salma recollects.
The story of a brave heart
It took their son three years to understand what happened on his first day at school. His questions about his father’s return finally stopped and he accepted that he was truly gone. He stopped asking his mother – why don’t we visit him and why can’t we call him? Tell him to visit me in my dreams, I want to see him.
Relatives had often told Major Shafeeq – what you have done is enough. It is time to leave the fighting and stay with your family. He would respond with twinkling eyes, that he could die walking on the road too. At least working at the Army would give him a death he could be proud of. He hadn’t joined so he could leave.
On a more serious note, he would prepare his family members. “Live life always as though I am with you and the kids. Never deprive them of anything just because I am not there. I’ll be back soon,” That’s how life continues now, as though he is still a part of us,” Salma reminisces.
Major Shafeeq, 40, was killed in action in Operation Rakshak. He succumbed to a bullet fighting militants. His last act was saving a fellow-soldier’s life from the bullets. His field tenure was to end in another two years and he was to spend the next few years with his family in a peaceful location. He was a keen sportsperson, good at football and cricket, but his favourite pastime was singing.
“I miss daily life with him, our conversations, our travels together, the ferocious way he defended what he believed in, his love, and bringing up our children. He was a hero with a mighty heart,” Salma relates.
Putting together the pieces
Salma and Shafeeq had a happy life together for 10 years, till 2001. With two beautiful children, Salma says that she didn’t know what sorrow was. The children grew up and got busy with school, but she felt a void that nothing could fill. This changed when she made friends with Subhashini Vasanth, who ran the Vasanthratna Foundation for Arts.
Vasanthratna Foundation helps the families of Army martyrs heal through arts and vocational activities. “While looking after the families of martyrs, understanding their sorrow and pain, I realised that I was not the only one who was suffering. So many of them had it much worse than me. Spending time with these women and empathising with them has helped me overcome my own pain,” says Salma.
Many more families need peace and healing
Hundreds of soldiers in the Army die every year, leaving behind their families. Many families lose their only support and need help carrying on. Vasanthratna Foundation helps such families, giving them vocational training, counselling and support to carry on and be brave.
Donate to help the foundation support vocational training for 30 Army widows here.
source: http://www.milaap.org / Milaap / Home / August 2016
India’s rabab maestro strikes a chord in Afghanistan
Bugrasi (Bulandshahr), UTTAR PRADESH :
In Afghanistan, he teaches locals the rudiments of playing the lute-shaped musical instrument which is quite akin to the sarod.
Music transcends borders and captivates hearts. Going by this maxim, India’s noted rabab exponent Gulfam Ahmad Khan, 61, is a winner all the way, from India to Afghanistan.
Khan, who played the Afghan rabab at Sankatmochan Sangeet Samaroh here late Saturday night and left the audience spellbound, has become India’s ambassador of goodwill of sorts in Afghanistan.
In Afghanistan, he teaches locals the rudiments of playing the lute-shaped musical instrument which is quite akin to the sarod.
Khan, who divides his time between New Delhi and Kabul, has taught 250 Afghan nationals and 50 more are under his tutelage. His skill has earned him enormous respect in Afghanistan where people call him Ustad.
In particular, he wants to popularise the Dhrupadi rabab (Narad veena), an Indian variety of the instrument, across Afghanistan and in other parts of the world.
Khan wishes for Prime Minister Narendra Modi to take the initiative to popularise the Indian rabab.
“Dhrupadi rabab is a completely classical instrument. It produces spiritual tunes. The Afghan rabab is for fast tunes. The Indian rabab needs promotion and preservation. If the centre makes a little effort, it may become a highly popular instrument in Afghanistan,” Khan told HT.
Khan , who is in Varanasi on a four-day tour, will leave for New Delhi on Monday.
Born in Bugrasi, a town in Bulandshahar, he started playing the rabab with his father Ishtiyaque Khan who had mastery over both rabab and sarod. He gave his first performance at the age of nine in Gurudaspur.
After putting in hours of riyaaz (practice), he honed his skills.
A few years later, he performed in Ahmedabad and did not have to look back thereafter.
He took a break for a few years in the late 198os when there were no connoisseurs of the great art. During this period, he played the sarod, only to return to the rabab in the 1990s.
Starting a fresh innings, he gave a few public performances and wrote the popular number ‘Gata jaaye mast kalandar, Allah teri shan, Maula teri shan’, composing the music on the rabab.
The song made him popular across Punjab.
When he visited his daughter and son-in-law in Afghanistan, he played the rabab and impressed the locals there. Many of them insisted on learning to play the rabab from him. He did not refuse.
As his renown reached the Indian embassy in Afghanistan, senior officials invited him to hold classes on the rabab to the Afghan people. Shedding his initial reluctance, he eventually accepted the offer.
He remained in Afghanistan between 2009 and 2014, training many locals. He also learned some local songs.
“Over 250 Afghans learned to play the rabab in my classes. Some of them are professional rabab players. Around 50 Afghans still take tips from me,” he said.
“Performing at the Sankatmochan Hanuman Temple is a spiritual experience. The audience enjoyed my performance. I will keep coming here. Banaras is a great city and its culture is really fabulous,” he told HT.
After putting in hours of riyaaz (practice), he honed his skills.
A few years later, he performed in Ahmedabad and did not have to look back thereafter.
He took a break for a few years in the late 198os when there were no connoisseurs of the great art. During this period, he played the sarod, only to return to the rabab in the 1990s.
Starting a fresh innings, he gave a few public performances and wrote the popular number ‘Gata jaaye mast kalandar, Allah teri shan, Maula teri shan’, composing the music on the rabab.
The song made him popular across Punjab.
When he visited his daughter and son-in-law in Afghanistan, he played the rabab and impressed the locals there. Many of them insisted on learning to play the rabab from him. He did not refuse.
As his renown reached the Indian embassy in Afghanistan, senior officials invited him to hold classes on the rabab to the Afghan people. Shedding his initial reluctance, he eventually accepted the offer.
He remained in Afghanistan between 2009 and 2014, training many locals. He also learned some local songs.
“Over 250 Afghans learned to play the rabab in my classes. Some of them are professional rabab players. Around 50 Afghans still take tips from me,” he said.
“Performing at the Sankatmochan Hanuman Temple is a spiritual experience. The audience enjoyed my performance. I will keep coming here. Banaras is a great city and its culture is really fabulous,” he told HT.
source: http://www.hindustantimes.com / Hindustan Times / Home> Cities> Lucknow / by Sudhir Kumar, Varanasi, Hindustan Times / April 17th, 2017
Srinagar woman runs the only bat unit in city
Srinagar, JAMMU & KASHMIR :
Srinagar
Close to the Alam Sahib’s shrine in Narwara, Rifat Jan lives like any other Kashmiri woman. However there is one aspect which makes her special. Rifat runs the only bat manufacturing unit in the city by the name of Masoodi Arts and Sports.
“I couldn’t have done this without my husband. He gave me all the support I needed,’’ said a beaming Rifat. “ At first I was reluctant to start the unit as my husband cannot run it for being a government employee, but I made up my mind and decided to give it a shot. Since then we have come a long way.”
Rifat’s husband, Showkat Masoodi, who is the coach of the Forest Department’s football team and also runs a football academy ,says that at first she needed a lot of help but now he just fixes minor glitches. “I cannot do a business as I am a government employee. More than that, I am a coach and I have to give time to the academy also. All my time goes with my official and coaching assignments,’’ said Masoodi.
The unit also boasts to sell bats under its own brand name MAS, which is unusual in the valley. However, almost all the 10,000 pieces, mostly tennis ball bats, which they produce per-year are sent to other states of the India. The reason for that, as the couple says is lack of sports infrastructure and sporting culture at the grass root level.
Rifat informs that when the unit started in 1996, things were slow. The only way to increase the sales was to uphold quality. “At that time we used to send bats to Chennai (then Madras). We knew that if we want to make a mark, quality has to be exceptional. And we did that. Now by the grace of Allah, our product is being used in Mumbai, Delhi and many other places.”
She also pointed out that they are the only ones who sell by their own name. “In Kashmir by and large, semi finish bats are produced. That means the producers send the product to companies without stickers and then they sell them under their own name. But we have our own brand, our own identity, “she said adding that the response has been above expectations.
“When people see our bats outside, they do ask the dealer where it was manufactured. When they hear Kashmir, they are a little bit surprised as almost every unit here sells semi-finish bats not an own brand like us.”
Rifat also feels that her unit has almost no competition in the valley. “Competition is there but outside, not here. Our product has competition from big companies like DCS, who manufacture good tennis bats,’’she says.
They even got a call from a dealer in Meerut who was ready to pay more than the market rate for a semi finished product. “We said no. We cannot sell our product under any other name. It has to be MAS, “ said Rifat.
Rifat also mentioned that Kashmir not being the market is not as kids don’t play but the state of infrastructure and lack of sports at school level. “In Kashmir, we don’t have a big market. And the reason is not that kids don’t play cricket. It’s the environment which matters. Look at the grounds here. How many do we have. In Mumbai, a coach is compulsory, which makes sports compulsory. There are school tournaments held on regular intervals. We don’t see such environment here. Sometimes I wonder people who are solely dependent on sports how do they meet ends.”
She added that because of such level of gaming at the school level Mumbai is her biggest market. “Our biggest market is off course in Mumbai. It’s the hub of cricket. And they have this grass root culture. Kids start playing at a young age and then that talent gets honed in schools which provide them with that environment. There are so many academies there who need bats. What do we have here? Amar Singh club and I don’t see anything else on a big scale. Forget academies, point out a school where after regular classes a coach comes a teaches a bunch of 50 kids.”
Job motivation for sportsmen
Masoodi, her husband voices her concern and says that football in the valley faces similar problems.
“Earlier there was a team of almost every government department here. So it was very good for everyone. Now talented players are jobless. If a department has no team then what would he do? Now tell me how many can JK Bank and Forest accommodate?, “ asks Masoodi, who also runs Iddgah Fooball Academy.
He added, “ If a player is good and he wants to make a career how can he do it without a job. Government should look into it. Even if they accommodate four boys in every department in a year and keep a sports quota, like it is everywhere then it can be a huge motivator.”
Masoodi, who took over as the coach of Forest XI in 2012, says that there is abundant talent in the valley however, they lack incentives and motivation due to a bleak future. “ After I took over as coach Forests’ team has won every tournament. They even defeated the powerful JK Bank team recently. But the players are still contractual employees. They wonder why this happens to them. This dents their morale. Our players have played Santosh Trophy many times, which is the biggest tournament in the country, still they don’t get what they deserve, “ rues Masoodi.
He says that government wants youth look at the brighter side when they don’t help them out. “It is simple. If you want to keep the youth happy and engaged, you have to give them jobs by which they can pursue their dreams.”
source: http://www.risingkashmir.com / Rising Kashmir / Home / by Mir Basit Hussain / Srinagar / November 02nd, 2015
Sania Mirza to shape up tennis kids
Hyderabad, TELANGANA :
Starts academy for players between ages three and eight.
Hyderabad:
Tennis ace Sania Mirza on Monday launched the Sania Mirza Tennis Academy’s Grassroot Level wing for players between the ages of three and eight, next to her home in Jubilee Hills here.
The idea was to introduce budding players to tennis, she said. “As a tennis player I’ve had lot of difficulties coming to know what to do and where to go as a child and knowing how much to practise,” Sania said.
“It is actually my mother and her friend’s idea and obviously the Mirza family supports it. Tennis today is too competitive and you have to start when you are three or four years old,” Sania explained. “The professionals, the biggest of champions, have always started at the ages of 4, 5 and 6,” she added.
“We are still waiting for the next Sania, the next Mahesh (Bhupathi) and Leanders (Paes) to come and this is just a small way of contributing to it,” she said adding “It is right next to my house and I will obviously give some time as well.
“The concept is to get as many kids as possible to the academy where we are going to play with soft, colourful balls to make it attractive and easier for them,” Sania said, adding, “At that age, I don’t think they’d understand the concept of forehand or backhand. It is more about fun, enjoyment. You have to get them to try and love the game first before they want to actually make it their profession.”
source: http://www.deccanchronicle.com / Deccan Chronicle / Home> Sports> Tennis / February 07th, 2017