All posts by mpositiveone@gmail.com

Academy Seeks District-level Officers for Muslims’ Welfare

March 21, 2015Community Involvement / Social Issues, Education, Leadersmpositiveone@gmail.com

Vellore :

The Pernambut Urdu Academy has appealed to the State government to establish district-level officers for the welfare of the Muslims similar to Welfare Officers for the Adi-Dravida community.

In a memorandum, president of the academy T Basheeruddin said that district level officers would be able to address various issues faced by Muslims in education and social development. The State government should also allocate adequate funds from the Tamil Nadu Minorities Economic Development fund for meeting educational scholarships for all Muslim students while financial and welfare assistance through the district Muslim Development Committee should be disbursed to Muslim women.

The Academy has also urged the Thiruvalluvar University to establish a dedicated department for the promotion of Urdu since many colleges in the district of Vellore were offering Urdu as first language to Muslim students.

The State government should also provide ‘First Language Status’ to Urdu by amending the Tamil Nadu Tamil Learning act. The insistence on learning Tamil for Urdu students should be postponed to 2020 while learning Science through Tamil could be made compulsory for these students.

Basheeruddin also appealed to the State government to fill up all vacant posts of Urdu teachers in Vellore district while appointing more Urdu teachers for the Urdu medium schools based on the student population. Since Pernambut area housed a large number of Muslim population, at least one eligible candidate from the Muslim community could be recruited for the Pernambut police station. The town municipality should also establish vocational training centres for the development of Muslim community.

The district administration should take steps to start a Urdu medium elementary school in Tharaikadu area in Pernambut town to benefit a large number of children in this locality.

Due to a lack of a school, many children are being forced to become child-labourers to assist their beedi-rolling parents, Basheeruddin pointed out.

Similarly the existing Urdu medium elementary school at Quaid-e-Millath Nagar should be upgraded to Middle school.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Tamil Nadu / by Express News Service / March 20th, 2015

Inspiring Saga of Bihar Malalas

March 20, 2015Amazing Feats, Educationmpositiveone@gmail.com

by Jawed Akhter

New Delhi:

The saga of two sisters in Bihar reminds us of the courage of Malala Yousafzai who has been fighting for girls’ education. Mehar Jahan and her younger sister Gauhar Jahan from Madhubani district of Bihar did not give up hope for higher education even after the brutal murder of their father and two brothers. They still writhe with agony when they remember the day–14 November 2010 – when their father and brothers were mercilessly murdered because of a quarrel over a piece of land.

“I was always fond of studying and stayed awake reading up till 1.30 am. Sometime after 2 a.m., I heard a noise,” she said. That “noise” turned out to be the sound of gunshots. An hour later, Gauhar’s father Mohammad Shafiqullah Ansari and two brothers were found dead. “Our father pleaded before the hooligans to leave his family and take whatever they want, but they did not listen to him,” said the two sisters. The third brother could not bear the shock of death of his father and two brothers and consequently succumbed to his death. Their younger brother, luckily, was saved as he was out of the village on that fateful night.

Mohammad Shafiqullah Ansari was a retired school teacher who wanted his daughters to be well-educated, but this was harshly opposed by his neighbours who wanted them to quit education and be married early. The sisters are survived by their younger brother, an old mother and their widowed sisters-in-law. The culprits were caught but are yet to be sentenced.

These sisters, though witnesses of the killing, kept tight-lipped for months as shock engulfed them. When they were able to get out of grief, they continued their studies. It was not possible for them to forget this incident but still they doggedly pursued their goal. Initially, they were helped by a teacher and a friend of their father, Mr. Jageshwar, who paid the expenses for their education. Gauhar appeared in the All India Pre-Medical Test (AIPMT) in 2012, and cracked it but her rank allowed her to enrol only in the dental course. But, without surrendering to despair, she again appeared in 2013 and was ranked 194. Now she is studying at Lady Hardinge Medical College, Delhi and trying to fulfill her father’s dream. On the other hand, her sister, Mehar Jahan, is pursuing B.Tech in computer science from IETE, Delhi as she was interested in engineering. But meeting their expenses is still a challenge for them.

Inspired and motivated by their father, Mehar and Gauhar used to teach children of the poor families when they lived in their village. Mehar said, “My father never differentiated between sons and daughters. He is our role model.” Gauhar added, “After completing my education in medical science, I want to start a hospital in my village where I can serve people.”

Expressing her anguish, Gauhar said why people are unable to change their mentality towards girls? Why do they not allow their girls to get education? Girls too can be a helping hand for their parents like boys.

Rajya Sabha MP Mohammad Ali Anwar, now mentor of these girls, said, “I came to know about these girls very late. But now I will help them out as far as possible.” He added that people from our community should come forward to help such girls so that they could stand on their feet and give back to the community when they become successful professionals.

Undoubtedly, these sisters have travelled a long and painful journey overcoming their grief and trial. Their story, like Malala’s, is a great source of inspiration.

source: http://www.milligazette.com / The Milli Gazette / Home> Online News> Focus / by Javed Akhter / Print issue 16-28 February 2015 , Online March 03rd, 2015

Paruthiveeran honoured at Berlin festival

March 19, 2015Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Leaders, World Opinionmpositiveone@gmail.com

Tamil films are going places. After Vasantha Balan’s Veyil was selected in the Tous les Cinemas du Mondesection at the Cannes film festival last year, it is the turn of Paruthiveeran , one of the most realistic films made in 2007 to shine.

Paruthiveeran, by Ameer Sulthan, was honoured with a “special mention” from the Network for the Promotion of Asian Cinema (NETPAC) at the 58th Berlin International film festival. The three-member NETPAC jury included Indian film critic Meenakshi Shedde.

The main NETPAC prize went to “United Army” by Japanese director Wakamatsu Koji.

Both Paruthiveeran‘s director and the lead actor Karthi attended the film’s international premiere at the Berlinale.

This is not the first award for the film. It was adjudged the best film at the 9th OSIAN’s-Cinefan film festival for Asia and the Arab world while the lead actress Priya Mani won the Best Actress award.

Awards are not new to director Ameer Sulthan, either. His earlier film Ram won two awards — Best Film and Best Actor (Jeeva) at the Cyprus International film festival.

International awards to three of his lead performers — Jeeva, Karthi and Priya Mani — just shows how powerful the characters he creates.

About performing for Paruthiveeran, Karthi told rediff.com last year, “I had faith in my director. He first told me to grow my hair and beard. I did that. He asked me to reduce my weight. Every week, I used to meet him and ask, are you happy with the progress I have made? He would then ask me to reduce again; and reduce my waist, increase my biceps, etc. Once the shooting started, it was Ameer who guided me. He can act very well, and he would act it out for me. But the toughest part was reproducing what he did.”

It was the same with Priya Mani too. She admitted that she followed the director’s instructions completely, as she was unaware of how a village girl from Madurai behaved and spoke. “If I have performed well, it’s all due to Ameer, the director. He overlooked every minute aspect of the character, from the body language to the modulation of the dialogue, to what my expression should be when the male lead delivered his lines. So, all credit goes to him.”

The film is a success because the film has a powerful story, excellent performances and a sincere director. No wonder Ameer Sulthan is reaping the harvest for all the hard work he had done.

source: http://www.rediff.com / Rediff.com / Home> Movies / by Shobha Warrier, Chennai / February 18th, 2008

City girl breaks into Indian tennis team

March 17, 2015Community Involvement / Social Issues, Leaders, Sportsmpositiveone@gmail.com

idhi Chilumula with two-time Grand Slam winner Sania Mirza. Photo: V.V. Subrahmanyam

With two silver medals at the recent National Games, Nidhi is delighted at the way her game has shaped up over the past year.

For 20-year-old Nidhi Chilumula, the moment of reckoning has finally arrived. In a team led by her childhood favourite Sania Mirza, she will represent the country in the Fed Cup championship to be held here from April 14.

With two silver medals under her belt at the Kerala National Games held recently, Nidhi is today delighted at the way her game has shaped up after joining the Sania Mirza Tennis Academy (SMTA) in December 2013. “This is a huge honour. More so because I will be playing under someone whom I cheered as a 10-year-old kid from the stands, when Sania won her first WTA singles title in 2005 at LB Stadium,” she remarked.

“Joining the SMTA and training with Sania is a huge learning curve in my career. She has given me so many invaluable tips,” recalls Nidhi.

“I am really grateful to Sania’s parents – Imran and Nasima for their support,” she said. “Interactions with WTA Tour consultant Christian Filhol and also (fitness trainer and former Aussie Olympian) Robert Ballard helped me achieve my highest WTA ranking of 581 in singles and 428 in doubles.”

Right now, this young champion’s plans include playing 24 to 30 ITF tournaments in different countries in the next one year.

“I want to break into the top five in the country and then chase the bigger dream of playing a Grand Slam, which is possible if I could be in the below-200 WTA rankings,” Nidhi explained.

Looking for support

A B.Com graduate from Keshav Memorial College, Nidhi is looking for corporate support. “It will be of great help if someone supports my training programmes,” she said.

A native of Telangana, Nidhi is also looking at support from the State government.

Being part of the Hyderabad Aces team in the inaugural Champions Tennis League along with the likes of Martina Hingis, Mark Philippoussis and Mikhail Youzhny was an unforgettable experience, she says. “I sincerely believe it will help me a long way in the days to come,” she added.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Hyderabad / by V.V. Subrahmanyam / Hyderabad – March 17th, 2015

Wipro hires ex-TCS executive as COO

March 17, 2015Business & Economy, Leaders, Science & Technology, World Opinionmpositiveone@gmail.com

Global software major Wipro Ltd on Monday appointed former TCS honcho Abid Ali Neemuchwala as its group president and chief operating officer from April 1.

“Abid will head service lines of global infrastructure, business application, business process and advanced technology solutions,” the company said in a statement here.

Abid headed the business process services (back office operations) of Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) and held leadership positions during his 23-year career in the IT bellwether.

“Abid brings invaluable experience with his track record of building and scaling businesses. I am confident his understanding of technology and expertise in IT & BPS will help power our businesses to greater heights,” Wipro chief executive T.K. Kurien said.

A chess buff, Abid is an electronics & communication engineer from NIT, Raipur in Chhattisgarh and has masters in industrial management from IIT, Mumbai.

“I am honoured to join Wipro, a company with a rich heritage of technology innovation and unflinching commitment to values. I look forward to contributing towards the company’s next phase of growth,” he said from Dallas in US’ Texas state, where he lives with family.

Abid will also head business operations, geographies comprising continental Europe, Africa, Latin America, strategic engagements, advisor relationships and marketing function.

source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> Business / IANS / Bengaluru – March 16th, 2015

Kerala students steam up world’s longest puttu

March 17, 2015Amazing Feats, Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Community Involvement / Social Issues, Education, Travel & Tourism, World Opinionmpositiveone@gmail.com

The twelve final year students of Oriental School of Hotel Management in Kerala who made the longest puttu.

A world record was achieved by making the longest puttu in the world of 18.2 feet, by twelve final year students of Oriental School of Hotel Management, Lakkidi, Wayanad, Kerala. It was held on March 16th, 2015 at 3.00 pm in the campus of the institution. The longest puttu was made as per the guidelines and specifications of the Guinness World Records.

Students standing next to their creation, the longest puttu in the history of puttu in Kerala.

The twelve final year students who etched their names in the World Record attempt are Ms. Syama. M, Ms. Kavya Varghese, Mr. Akhil. B, Mr. Sivajith. S, Mr. Akshay Jain, Mr. Nithin George, Mr. Yadav Gurunathan, Mr. Jobu Ebin, Mr. Ebin Albert, Mr. Umesh. R. Nair, Mr. Jishnu. P. R and Mr. Mohammed Saif, all final year Hospitality Management students under the able guidance of Mr. K. C. Robbins, Principal of Oriental School of Hotel Management.

Puttu is an authentic Kerala breakfast dish of steamed cylinders of ground rice layered and blended with grated coconut. The ingredients for making the longest Puttu were 20 kg of ground rice flour, 15 grated coconuts, 15lts of water, salt, and a special equipment mould of aluminum was meticulously designed by the institution to prepare the longest puttu for the record breaking event. The longest puttu weighted 31.87kg.

Twelve final year students of Oriental School of Hotel Management in Kerala have managed to set a new Guinness World Record by steaming up the longest puttu.

The students took an hour and 15 minutes to prepare the world’s longest puttu and this is the result of days of relentless hard work and detailed planning. The Oriental School of Hotel Management is managed and owned by Malabar Hotel Management and Catering Promotion Trust—a charitable Institution founded by the visionary and social icon—Dr. N. K. Mohammed, the guiding force and inspiration behind the challenging event.

Earlier in 2006, the students of this institution had made a ten feet long puttu by using 10 coconuts and 26 kg of powdered rice in a specially designed 12-foot-long aluminum mould which took one-and-a-half hours to be cooked. (Refer: Wikipedia- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Puttu).

The world's longest puttu being examined at the Oriental School of Hotel Management in Kerala. — The world’s longest puttu being examined at the Oriental School of Hotel Management in Kerala.

The world record attempt by the students of the institution has surpassed their own previous record, and will be appropriately certified and documented by the Guinness World Records. All the documents and supporting evidence have been sent to the Guinness World Records for appropriate verification and certification.

source: http://www.food.manoramaonline.com / On Manorama / by Correspondent, On Manorama / Home> Food> Foodie / Monday – March 16th, 2015