Actress Hina Khan, who is known for her iconic performance of Akshara on the show Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai, recently visited the Ajmer Sharif Dargah.
She played the character of Akshara, a lady who was very homely and sanskari. Hina was praised for her performance multiple times. She had become the face of Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai and made the show popular. For more that 8 years, the actress entertained the audience and got immense love in return.
She recently quit the show and is currently on a break. The actress is spending her time with her close friends and is visiting a number of places. She offered prayers at the Ajmer Sharif Dargah and shared the following post on her social media handle.
Hina has also been in the news as there are rumors about her taking up Nach Baliye with rumored beau Rocky Jaiswal.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> News> TV> News> Hindi / TNN / February 20th, 2017
First published in Urdu in 1986, the book highlights the life and poetry of Zafar (1775 to 1862), whose reign marked a crucial period in the Indian history.
Bahadur Shah Zafar’s oil portrait, painted in 1854 by Austrian artist August Schoefft, now in the fort of Lahore.(photo_kraft/Instagram)
A new book brings alive the life and poetry of the last Mughal Emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar as author Aslam Parvez weaves together the strands of the political, the personal, the cultural and the literary aspects of a bygone era.
Publisher Hay House describes The Life and Poetry of Bahadur Shah Zafar as an absorbing, authentic and exemplary chronicle — studded with rare nuggets of information and enthralling anecdotes — of one of the most tragic figures of history who was witness to the end of a glorious dynasty.
First published in Urdu in 1986, this book brings alive the life and poetry of Zafar (1775 to 1862), who presided over a crucial period in Indian history when the country was subjugated and became a colony of the fast-expanding British Empire.
This work is as much about the 1857 Rebellion as it is about Zafar, the reluctant leader of the rebels. The pages also evoke the captivating ambience of a period when formidable poets such as Mirza Ghalib, Sheikh Muhammad Ibrahim Zauq and Momin Khan Momin, apart from Zafar himself, came up with one creative gem after another.
The author also provides a vivid picture of Delhi during the last days of its cultural and literary splendour as the Mughal capital and as a custodian of Urdu literature and poetry.
Finally, he recounts, in a touching manner, how Zafar spent his last days in Rangoon (where he had been exiled by the British) — a lonely and forgotten individual — far away from his beloved Delhi and from the trappings of empire.
source: http://www.hindustantimes.com / Hindustan Times / Home> Books / PTI, New Delhi / April 25th, 2017
He has prayed in synagogues and observed the Sabbath, Judaism’s day of rest, and enjoyed crispy falafel on the streets of Jerusalem. A map of Israel hangs in his study where Yasser Arafat shares space with David Ben-Gurion. And he doesn’t mind if his 10-year-old daughter greets him with ‘Shalom’ instead of ‘Assalam Alaikum’. Meet Dr Khurshid Imam, a devout Muslim and the only teacher of Hebrew at a university in India, Jawaharlal Nehru University.
The bearded, skull cap-donning Imam hopes for a new dawn in India-Israel ties, which received a boost with foreign minister Sushma Swaraj’s West Asia visit last week. Unlike most Muslims who look upon Jews with suspicion – just as most Jews don’t trust Muslims – this assistant professor of Hebrew at the Centre of Arabic and African Studies doesn’t harbour any animosity. And he wants to use Hebrew, the ancient language in which the sacred Torah was revealed, to bring Jews and Muslims closer.
The cause of animosities between Muslims and Jews is political. Religion is a pawn in the hands of politicians who don’t want adherents of the two Abrahamic religions cementing ties,” said Khurshid Imam, 46, whose unique distinction “baffles” many of his co-religionists brought up on a heavy dose of hatred for Jews.
“Many call me ‘Mossad agent’ among Indian Muslims, a Zionist promoter and some even jokingly call me ‘nek Yahudi’ (benevolent Jew) because of my passion for Hebrew,” laughs Imam, third among six siblings who grew up in Gopalganj, Bihar, and went to Hebrew University of Jerusalem in 1998. He stayed there till 2000 post-M Phil at JNU.
“Government of Israel scholarship and Golda Meir scholarship funded my courses in Hebrew and study of the Modern Middle East,” he said. “I wanted to learn Hebrew to understand Judaism and find commonalities between Islam and Judaism.”
He also wanted to conform to a hadith (tradition) of Prophet Muhammad, who is believed to have asked some of his companions to learn Hebrew. “If the Prophet encouraged Muslims to learn Hebrew, who are clerics and community leaders to issue fatwa against those who visit Israel?” he asked.
Despite apprehensions of friends and family, Imam chose to stay amid Jewish students who he discovered were not as “rabidly anti-Muslim” as many paint them to be.
“Many Jews first thought I was a non-Arab Muslim jihadist plotting to bomb their establishments. Similarly, Arab Muslims in Israel and Palestine mistook me for a Zionist disguised as a practising Muslim. Once, some kids even threw stones at me, shouting, “Yahud, Yahud” (Jew, Jew). I was moved when several Jewish friends wept when I left Jerusalem,” recalled Imam.
He is, however, disappointed by the “cold” response from several Indian universities to his proposal for teaching Hebrew. “Khurshid’s efforts are laudable and I believe Indian universities should open their doors to Hebrew because languages help build bridges between people,” said S A Rahman, retired professor of Arabic who mentored Imam at JNU.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News Home> India / by Mohammed Wajihuddin / TNN / January 24th, 2016
For her elder sister Nikhat’s 50th birthday, Aamir Khan gifted her five speeches of Moulana Abul Kalam Azad.
Aamir Khan’s sister, Nikhat celebrated her 50th birthday on Saturday and the entire Khan-daan was in Pune celebrating her birthday with lot of fanfare.
Aamir Khan had been thinking since a really long time of a special birthday gift for his sister. The entire family had been pitching in ideas for gifts to give to Nikhat. Everyone in the family had given him several options.
However, our perfectionist Khan wanted to look for the most perfect birthday gift for his sister. He especially wanted the gift to be extremely special, as it was Nikhat’s 50th birthday.
After a long brainstorming session Aamir Khan did the unbelievable. “He sourced and got the copy of five speeches of Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, the great Indian freedom fighter and Aamir Khan’s great grand uncle”, says a source. “At the get-together in Pune, everyone in the family heard all the speeches together and was teary eyed at the end of the session”.
“As it was much before their time and way back in history, no one from the family had ever heard Maulana Abul Kalam Azad’s voice ever before including Aamir, his sisters, bothers and cousins”, adds the source.
Aamir Khan and Kiran’s son Azad Rao Khan has been named after Maulana Abul Kalam Azad.
2012 has been Aamir Khan’s busiest year ever. Aamir is known for doing one project at a time. This is the first time in his career that he has been juggling between his magnanimous TV show Satyamev Jayate, Talaash and Dhoom 3 all in the same breath. Hence Aamir Khan hasn’t been able to spend quality time with his family.
source: http://www.http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News> Entertainment> Hindi> Bollywood> News / TNN / August 07th, 2012
Former Delhi state football captain and national referee Syed Nasir Hasan passed away today after a brief illness, according to Delhi Soccer Association (DSA).
He was 73. A large number of former and current footballers attended his funeral and paid rich tributes.
Apart from the officials of the All India Football Federation (AIFF), DSA’s president Subhash Chopra and the managing committee expressed their deep condolences over his death.
Hasan started his football career in the sixties. He did his schooling at Anglo Arabic School and graduation from Delhi College.
He represented Delhi State Senior team in the Santosh Trophy in 1973.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News> Sports> Football> Top Stories / PTI / January 30th, 2017
Rehana Adeeb was raped, forced to drop out of school, married off, and was a victim of constant domestic abuse all before she was 18 years old. But now, she is a survivor who has set up her own NGO, Astitva, to help women who fall prey to gender-based violence.
Rehana was forced to marry a middle-aged man when she was just 15 years old, in Muzzaffarnagar, UP. Being born into a Muslim family and being a woman meant that she had to undergo double oppression, and the worst part is that it took a lot of time for her to realise that it was not “normal”. According to The Better India, she said,
“At first, I did not realise that something wrong was happening to me. Being a Muslim woman, I had always lived in purdah and seen the same thing happening to other women. By the time I realised that what I was going through was not right, I was already a mother of five daughters.”
One day, she happened to attend a meeting organised by a local NGO called Disha. She came from a family where even mobility for women was restricted. So, she hesitated initially, but was finally persuaded to just come and observe. Recalling her first day there, she told The Wire,
“Wearing a burqa, with a baby in tow, I attended the meeting where people said women could speak against oppression, lodge an FIR with the police, and that it is important not to be ashamed. They were singing revolutionary songs. I felt such tumult that sleep eluded me that night.”
That is when she decided that she was not ready to take on any more abuse, and that she wanted to help other women in her area attain the same. But that also meant having to face constant threats and abuse, and being ostracised by her family and neighbours as well. Ignoring all that, unflinchingly, she started working with abused women and other NGOs before starting an NGO of her own.
Astitva was started in the year 2005 to help women in Muzaffarnagar who were victims of all forms of gender-based violence, including honour killings, which were common in the area. People have started trusting her and not seeing her as a threat only recently, after she was invited as a chief guest to a conference in Beijing. Because, in her area, it is very rare for someone to be invited abroad, people are convinced she must be doing some good.
Rehana gets all forms of threats constantly because what she is doing is very much against the Khap and caste-based panchayats that have dominance in her locality. Yet, she marches on, undeterred, with emancipating as many women as possible as her only goal.
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source: http://www.yourstory.com / Your Story.com / Home> Activism> Think Change India / April 20th, 2017
Nasir Mirza, who was the scion of the royal family of Bhopal, and the grandson of last Nawab Hamidullah Khan, passed away on Wednesday. He was the son of Hamidullah Khan’s youngest daughter, Rabia Sultan.
Nasir Mirza, who was the scion of the royal family of Bhopal, and the grandson of last Nawab Hamidullah Khan, passed away on Wednesday. Mirza was 64. He was the son of Hamidullah Khan’s youngest daughter, Rabia Sultan.
The last rites took place on Wednesday afternoon. Fondly called Prince Nasir Mirza, he was a private person who stayed away from public glare. Mirza ran a school, Falcon Crest. “He was the aakhri chashm-o-chiragh (last descendant) of the Nawabi family in Bhopal and the only among scions of the royal family who stayed in Bhopal,” said Syed Akhtar Husain, author of the book, Royal Journey of Bhopal.
Nawab of Bhopal, Hamidullah Khan’s eldest daughter Abida Sultan had migrated to Pakistan while the second daughter, Sajida Sultan, was married to Iftikhar Ali Khan Pataudi (Nawab of Pataudi Senior). The third daughter, Rabia Sultan, had stayed in Bhopal, and married Agha Nadir Mirza. Nasir Mirza was Rabia Sultan’s son.
His relatives in Pakistan have been informed and they will arrive in Bhopal on Thursday, said family sources.
source: http://www.hindustantimes.com / Hindustan Times / Home> Cities> Bhopal / HT Correspondent, Hindustan Times / December 03rd, 2014
Major General Mohd Amin Naik is the first Kashmiri Muslim General of the Indian Army. Maj Gen Naik’s journey to the Indian Army began with his inclination for athletics.
The Maj Gen, who is interested in rowing, and has a fondness for trekking, remembers spending his first salary – that he drew as a school teacher – on what he called ‘hunter shoes’.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZCN4GKw-H0E
Undefeated Episode 6 Courage for Excellence Maj Gen Md Amin Naik Full Episode Director’s Cut
The sixth episode of Undefeated, titled ‘Courage For Excellence’, explores the life of the Maj Gen, winner of the Sena Medal and the highest medal awarded to an Indian sportsman, the Arjuna Award. He also won India a bronze medal at the Asian Games (1982).
Additionally, he led a successful Nanda Devi Ecological Mountaineering Expedition. Elaborating on what he learnt from his expeditions as part of the Army, the Maj Gen says there were times when he had to choose between saving his life or risking it to ensure the safety of his team of mountaineers. He says he always chose the latter because those were the values he had imbibed during his time in the Army.
A behind the scenes still of Maj Gen Mohd Amin Naik with Alka Sibbal, Principal of Salwan Girls School. (Photo Courtesy: Paper Weight Entertainment)
He is currently the chairman of Salwan Girls School, a school that funds the education of girls from humble backgrounds.
Family Life
His family had trouble coming to terms with his life in the Army, Maj Gen Naik says. His son had to change 12 schools, he says, adding that his wife has been an invaluable support to him along the years.
“Need to Tackle Militancy”
A behind the scenes still of Maj Gen Mohd Amin Naik. (Photo Courtesy: Paper Weight Entertainment)
The Maj Gen, who hails from the same village as the slain militant leader Burhan Wani, also shared his thoughts on the menace of militancy. One way to ensure the end of militancy in the Valley is to train people, allow them to develop and hone skills and give them employment, he says.
source: http://www.thequint.com / The Quint / Home> India / by Rosheena Zehra / April 25th, 2017
I enjoy food and do not like to eat like a glutton, but relish each morsel and am ready to experiment with the food which has a touch of Indian roots.
Salma Sultan reveals her fine taste over food at The Park’s Fire restaurant in New Delhi.
REMEMBER THE newsreader on Doordarshan with a big, red rose in her hair? And then you would wonder, whether it was a season of the rose or not, but she would always have one tucked in her neatly done hair? Yes, one is talking about Salma Sultan. The famous face on the small screen, who also initiated a trend: of draping the border of her sari around her neck in a modern yet traditional way. It was later picked up by almost all the female newsreaders. She now discloses the reason; “I did not have so many blouses to match with each sari so I created a style to hide them.”
You saw her till 1997 then wondered where she vanished after that. Well, she started doing something more worthy of her time. That is, making serials on social topics for Doordarshan under her production house Lensview Private Limited. Serials like “Suno Kahani”, “Panchtantra” and “Swar Mere Tumhare” were among the offerings.
She is averse to those family soaps in which women are scheming and have an extra marital affair at the drop of a hat. But she is definitely not averse to food. “I enjoy food and do not like to eat like a glutton, but relish each morsel,” says Salma, now a grandmother of two, though looking at her well-maintained stature one would not find it hard to believe her on this count. The grace personified Salma is at New Delhi’s Fire restaurant in The Park Hotel. She is ready to experiment with “the food, which has a touch of Indian roots”. This 60-seat restaurant leaves one spellbound for two reasons: one, the space, limestone colour floors, walls and furniture drapes, and seats arranged at considerable distances making the restaurant a comfortable gourmet experience and second, a radiant orange, glass wall on which glittering green, red, orange lights keep interchanging their positions, providing a visual delight. Her starter of sweet corn, ginger and coriander soup has arrived. She warns the photographers, “Please don’t take my picture while I am eating, you would repent seeing those horrifying mouth angles in the frame later.”
You might have wondered why Salma would economise on her smile on DD but a meeting with her ensures a belly laugh for she tells you ample hilarious incidents. She recalls one such occurrence, “Once while reading news, I realised that two words got jumbled with each other. The line read like this, `Purane zamane main aurton ko bandar kaha jata tha’ while it should have been `Purane zamane main auraton ko band rakha jata tha’. The moral of the story is “the alertness of the mind is very important while reading news”.
Her entry into news reading too had been quite a hilarious experience. After doing her post graduation from English Literature from I. P. College, Delhi, she started working with Doordarshan as an announcer and presenter. “Those days (1967-68), they would not take young people for news reading but mature ones. Pratima Puri and Gopal Kaul were regular faces then. But Kaul never wanted to read news so once, when it was time to read news, he came entered the office with a completely-shaven head! Panic-stricken producer started looking for someone to replace him and their choice zeroed on me. I was asked to give a quick audition.” Always ready to take up challenges, Salma followed, “When I came back to the control room after audition, I witnessed a pin-drop silence and everyone sitting stunned. With a chocking voice I asked what happened, and was told that I read the 15-minutes news so quickly that they could not even start the roll!” Such was her nervousness that made DD realise that they should train people for news reading too!
Here she changes the subject to food. She prefers a spicy main course: broccoli, zucchini, asparagus, baby corn and bell peppers with kadai spices.
There is another facet of her personality that is strongly reflected in her serial titled “Jalta Sawal” on women issues currently showing on DD News on Sundays at 11 a.m. The face of a very sensitive and concerned woman and a responsible citizen. In this “very well-received programme” as she gauges from the responses, she has shown insightful and touchy episodes on prostitution, rape, dowry, infertility and foeticide. The next episode on working women can be seen this coming Sunday.
It’s time for some dessert here and Salma is offered a special seasonal fresh-fruit platter with kulfi. “That’s wonderful,” she compliments.
And she too!
RANA SIDDIQUI
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> MetroPlus – Online edition / by Rana Siddique / Thursday – Mar 24th, 2004
Standing tall at 5’7”, Nusrat Jahan’s beauty is right there -staring at you. And no, you can’t look away because she’s absolutely gorgeous in her simplicity. Nusrat, who has been voted as Calcutta Times Most Desirable Woman of 2015, is on cloud nine! The overwhelming number of votes received online on http:www.itimes.compolls, along with our vote, has helped us decide the winners. When we reached out to Nusrat, who has topped the list, the twinkle in her eye got brighter.Excerpts:
How does it feel to be voted as the Most Desirable Woman of 2015? I am at a loss of words to express my feelings at this moment. I feel on top of the world. Still pinching myself to believe this is true. Times Most Desirable Woman is a prestigious honour given by The Times of India and I sincerely thank all those who thought I deserve this title.
What, according to you, makes a woman desirable? I believe beauty comes from within. A woman’s inner strength and her personality make her desirable. It has nothing to do with her looks. Her behaviour also matters.
How many times a day do you check yourself out in the mirror? Rarely. I believe I look good all the time (laughs), so I don’t need to keep looking in the mirror. On a serious note, I am too lazy . I am miles away from the mirror unless I am shooting or going out.
Who do you think is the most desirable man? Bradley Cooper -suave and oh-so-hot! You can find me drooling over him.
What do you find attractive in a man? Honesty and chivalry . I also like men with a good sense of humour, someone who can engage me in a conversation for hours.
Are you aware that men find you desirable? Well, yes! Name one woman who will not enjoy getting attention from men.
Who, according to you, is more desirable than you? Nicole Kidman -she is elegance and beauty personified.
What is that X-factor in you that makes men go weak in the knees? My eyes and smile!
Tell us about the milestones you want to achieve in life. I am a happy-go-lucky person, who lives in the present. I don’t waste time fretting about the future I can’t control. I work hard and leave the rest to the Almighty , who has already chalked out the course of my life .
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News> Entertainment> Bengali> Movies / TNN / January 12th, 2017
