All posts by mpositiveone@gmail.com

The cleric who is crusading against the drug mafia

August 25, 2014Community Involvement / Social Issuesmpositiveone@gmail.com

Residents of Dongri area were amazed last week when they saw a group of spirited activists, many of them holding torches and sticks, roaming their streets at night. The march was part of the ‘Drug-Free Mumbai Campaign’ being led by Maulana Syed Moinuddin Ashraf, popularly known as Moin Mian, head of Jamia Qadriya Ashrafia madrassa in Grant Road.

Clad in a white flowing robe and a cap, the senior cleric has declared a jihad against drug peddlers with a nexus with police. Moin Mian, accompanied by fellow protestors including MLA Amin Patel and ex-MLA Yusuf Abrahni, invariably invites local cops to the marches through narrow streets. “We have identified 19 localities including, Dongri, Nagpada, JJ, Pydhonie, and Agripada that are dens of drug peddlers. We have forced the anti-narcotics cell of the Mumbai police to crack down on the drug mafia,” says Moin Mian, who adds that ever since he launched the campaign, along with NGO Social Educational Welfare Association (SEWA) on August 15 at Islam Gymkhana, results have been encouraging. “Earlier people were too scared to speak out against the peddlers who don’t hesitate to attack anyone. Now people join the protests and direct police teams to the dens,” says the spiritual leader. “It is an encouraging campaign. We have given our cell numbers to the volunteers to inform us. We are committed to act against the offenders,” says DCP (Anti-Narcotics Cell) Namdeo Chavan.

But why did a spiritual leader who is mostly surrounded by disciples at his Agripada-based home undertake a cause, which may invite the enmity of powerful drug mafia? He says a couple of years ago one Aslam Abdur Rahman narrated to him a traumatic story. Rahman said that his son Qadeer was doing well till he became a drug addict. “He said the boy had sold out two of the three shops he owned and would often become violent when told to quit drug use. The man started sobbing. It moved me and I decided to launch a campaign against it,” recalls Moin Mian. Is he not scared? And is it not enough that like most other religious and spiritual leaders, he should confine his reforms through preaching? “I am not scared of anyone except God. And preaching has its benefits but the time has come when religious leaders should launch mass movements against social evils,” he says. Ex-MLA and SEWA’s president Yusuf Abrahni says: “I am amazed by his determination to fight the powerful drug mafia. For him there could not have been a better cause than this to lead and we will support it.”

Senior psychiatrist and former head of Bombay Psychiatric Society Dr Y A Matcheswalla says the battle against drug addiction can be won through two methods: lowering demand and reducing supply. “Supply reduction can be done by the Narcotics Control Bureau and Anti-Narcotics Cell of the police while demand can be lowered by creating awareness. It is here that spiritual leaders like Moin Mian have a role to play. “He has galvanised the masses,” says Dr Matcheswalla who adds that Mumbai is “the drug capital of India”. “Many of us wrongly think that it is the job of only police and psychiatrists to fight drug menace and addiction.”

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Mumbai / Mohammed Wajihuddin, TNN / August 24th, 2014

City Girl Gets a Pat at World Women’s Congress for Her Stirring Speech on Muslim Girls’ Literacy

August 25, 2014Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Education, Leadersmpositiveone@gmail.com

Hyderabad :

Seventeen-year-old Sayyeda Salima Asra took up the mantle of increasing the literacy rate among Muslim girls in the country, which stood as low as 50 per cent and lower than the national female literacy rate of 54 per cent.

The Hyderabadi’s presentation and exposition on the ‘Indian Perspective of Muslim Minority Girls’ Education’ won her accolades from over 1,000 delegates from across the world. She spoke at the World Women’s Congress which was held at the University of Hyderabad between August 17 and 22.

Asra, a second year student of the Home Science College at Saifabad, was the youngest speaker among a galaxy of speakers drawn from the academia, women’s rights groups, industry, politics and other spheres of society.

Undeterred by the deafening silence, the 17-year-old Hyderabadi in her 12-minute talk, took the audience by surprise and received a standing ovation after her address.

Asra’s talk was far from dry statistics and abstract analysis of the problem and primarily focused on a first hand account of the issue. Her narration of the experience of visiting two Madarsas in the city reflected the issue in its crude form and brought to the fore the appalling conditions under which Muslim girls pursue their education.

According to Asra, it is not the principles of Islam which prevent girls to pursue education but personal thoughts of some leaders and preachers who manipulate texts leading to utter chaos.

“In his first revelation of Allah to prophet Mohammed, God said Islam and theory and practice always should promote knowledge. Seeking of knowledge is incumbent upon every Muslim. It never discourages women from obtaining knowledge,” she said.

Asra considers the Indiansation of Islam largely responsible for the low literacy rate among Muslim girls.

“Although Islam in its true sense never had any caste system, the increased intervention of extraneous forces brought the system into the community. This changed the attitude of people and only aggravated the issue,” the 17-year-old pointed out. Continuity in policy-making is important to tackle the problem, according to Asra. “There are many schemes to address the issue. The problem is that a political party, which comes to power after few years, wants to undo what its predecessor has done. This is hurting the cause of Muslim girls’ education,” the Hyderabadi concluded.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Hyderabad / by Express News Service / August 25th, 2014

‘ The mosque Noor Jehan created was never prayed in’

August 25, 2014Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Travel & Tourismmpositiveone@gmail.com

Feisal Alkazi, author of Srinagar: An Architectural Legacy talks to Payel Majumdar about Kashmir’s multi-racial architectural heritage, its existence as a periphery kingdom, and its 777 gardens.

Khanqah-i-Muallah, with its traditional Kashmiri pagoda-style spire

Could you tell me how this book came about?

A. I have been in and out of Srinagar for the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation, that runs a rehabilitation programme for children whose parents have been killed by terrorists. I ran a project called “Discovering Kashmir” with them over a period of three-four years. This was my first set of trips to Kashmir, and I became interested in its heritage, its unique history, its sections of Buddhism, Hinduism and Islam. Then INTACH’s Delhi office got in touch with me about writing this particular book because of my background, based on the listings (what INTACH does is list about 500 buildings, a group of architects go around and write a description.) They felt a self-directed guide book based on these listings had great potential.

Q. History is often looked upon as a dry subject. Do you think this is something that needs to be addressed within our education system?

A. With young people, my work has primarily been about making history come alive. I have worked a lot on heritage education, and I think it is very important that we stop teaching history as a lot of dates to cram up. Very often when I work with young people, I start with, “What in your house is 50 years old?” Then they start thinking, woh bartan hai, woh kursi hai. This is how we start with personal histories, and then we arrive at the history of a nation. Heritage education is about looking back at our roots, because we have this collective sense of what makes us Indian, whether it is something as simple as tandoorichicken or cricket. So what is it that we perceive as being Indian, and ourselves? How is someone who lives in Jaipur, different from someone who lives in Delhi, different from someone who lives in Srinagar? Every place has its own unique stamp. And I’ve done this exercise for 25 years.

Q. Three aspects of Kashmiri architecture that fascinates you?

A. One, that so much of Kashmiri architecture was done without cement. You can’t think of any building these days without cement. And if you think of the buildings there — sufi shrines like Khanqah-i-Muaallah or the other sufi shrines, they structure the building in a way that the weight of it keeps it down, using deodar logs with bricks, and building a whole structure without concrete. Another aspect of the traditional structure is that all buildings are earthquake proof, for it is a seismic zone. They use these diagonal members, like how they use in Simla — very rarely do you have buildings where horizontal and vertical beams aren’t in use. And then there are these very specific features — how they use papier mache in the decoration of walls, or the idea of the balcony — the dub — which is always wooden. These structures have been there since the 15th-16th century. You might replace the knobs, but essentially the structures are unchanged. You have those Maharaja bricks as well, which you see in the Old Delhi.

Q. How are gardens a crucial aspect of Kashmiri architecture?

A. Kashmir held a strategic position for the Mughal Empire because the main cities were Delhi, Agra and Lahore. All the early Mughals never built palaces, because they lived inshamianas. Theirs was a moving, transient culture. When the Emperor annually moved out of Delhi, 65% of the population moved with him. 2,00,000-3,00,000 people were on the move and there would be two travelling tented cities, one that the Emperor would stay at for the night, and one that would be set up ahead for the next halt.

{	When the Emperor moved out of Delhi, 65% of the population moved with him. 2,00,000-3,00,000 people were on the move.

There is no flat land in Kashmir where you can pitch tents for these many people. To accommodate the Emperor’s entourage the gardens came up with pavilions and palace tents. There is the whole structure of the Red Fort in the royal gardens of Kashmir—Diwaan-i-khaas, a diwaan-i-aam, a zenana, a mardaana. There would be two or three pavilions — like the one in black marble in Shalimar Garden — around which colourful tents would be pitched. They say that there were 777 gardens around the Dal lake. And Dal Lake was never the centre of the city. Gardens would be built because the soil is so fertile, that everything thrives in it under Kashmiri weather. The Mughals had come from Bukhara and Samarkhand, which also have prominent gardens. The very idea is crucial to Mughal architecture as a whole.

Q. How have the different rulers influenced different styles of architecture, and how have these architectural styles come together?

A. Architecture anywhere is an outcome of what is locally available as building material. Say, if in your vicinity there is a particular kind of tree, which becomes the building material, then you are limited by the height of that tree, the durability of that tree. For instance, for those khatamband ceilings in Kashmir, you use pine which is very thin, like plywood, that can be replaced, while the exteriors last forever.

So structures that come up traditionally reflect the surroundings completely and are built for that time. Kashmir was never the centre of an empire, it was the periphery of an empire. As a result, being on the periphery, too much of the architecture did not change. And when the Dogras came, in the last 110 years — when they bought it from the British for 75,00,000, they brought in a lot of British influences — the similarity of the Gothic arches, specific style of building, use of repetition, and the Kashmiri architecture since then is sometimes a combination of that and older traditions. There was hardly any Mughal influence on residential architecture. The Mughals created those pavilions in the gardens and created the gardens, one gateway and a couple of mosques. And really, the mosque Noor Jehan created was never prayed in, whether it was because it was built in stone, built by a woman, or by someone who wasn’t perceived to be Kashmiri.

Q. Are there ongoing efforts in Kashmir by the locals to preserve their architectural heritage proactively?

A. Certainly, the local INTACH chapter has done quite a bit. They have done a beautiful conservation job on the Aali Masjid. The government has stepped in as well to restore the temples in Martand; so yes, there is an interest in keeping that style of architecture alive. But builders come into question, and suddenly things change when money comes in from other parts of the world, which influences the whole thing. When Hazratbal was built in the ’60s, they decided to use a dome, which is a West Asian influence. A dome is not suitable for a place where it snows, marble is not a good for Kashmir which has three months of winter. But there were political pressures there, which decided not to use traditional Kashmriri three-tiered pagoda roof but build something that looked like it was out of the Middle East.

source: http://www.sunday-guardian.com / The Sunday Guardian / Home> Artbeat / by Payel Majumdar / August 23rd, 2014

Champion quest

August 25, 2014Sports, World Opinionmpositiveone@gmail.com

Bodybuilder Syed Siddiq talks about his journey from a scrawny lad to winning the Mr.Asia title

Mr Asia - Syed Siddique / Photo: G.P. Sampath Kumar / The Hindu — Mr Asia – Syed Siddique / Photo: G.P. Sampath Kumar / The Hindu

It is hard to miss Syed Siddiq. As he strolls down the road, passersby stop and stare. It would take a brave man, however, to pass a smart-alec comment in his direction, or to antagonise him in any way.

Siddiq is the closest thing to the superhuman comic figure ‘Hulk’ you can hope to see.

Massive muscles seem to rip through every inch of his 105 kilogram body – a truly intimidating sight when he ‘flexes’’ to strike a pose.

Ace bodybuilder

The ripped physique of India’s ace bodybuilder, of course, did not take shape overnight. Siddiq, who recently won the Mr. Asia title at Manila (Philippines), takes out a dusty photo of a scrawny lad. “That was me, eight years ago. I weighed just 48 kilos,” he says with a grin.

That photo is a reminder of his first tryst with the sport. “I was 17 and I enjoyed watching World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) on television. I admired The Rock , and wanted to be like him. That pushed me to the gym, for the first time,” he says.

Around a year later, Siddiq witnessed a State-level bodybuilding competition, which sparked his desire to take up the sport seriously.

“I saw the crowd’s reaction to the competitors, and I decided that I wanted to be on stage one day. I drew inspiration from Arnold Schwarzenegger. He is an icon for all of us.”

In the documentary Pumping Iron, which chronicles Schwarzenegger’s path-breaking route to stardom, the Hollywood star talks about one of the turning points of his career.

The introduction of big quantities of meat in his regimen, after years of ignoring his diet, finally allowed Schwarzenegger to put on much-needed mass. This aspect is not lost on Siddiq.

The 25-year-old states that he consumes 30 egg whites and two kilos of boiled chicken in a day, apart from large servings of fruits and vegetables.

And three months prior to competition, rice, bread, salt and oil are off the table.

“I don’t drink alcohol or smoke cigarettes. Ever. A strict diet overall must be maintained to succeed as a bodybuilder.”

Acting with Vikram

Director Shankar cast Siddiq in his to-be-released flick, Ai. Siddiq will feature in a few fight scenes with lead actor Vikram, and recalls the experience with excitement.

“It was great fun to be on a movie set. I have been approached to act in Bollywood movies as well, but I think I will focus on bodybuilding for now.”

With the Mr. Universe event coming up in Germany later this year, Siddiq clearly has his hands full.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Features> MetroPlus / by Ashwin Achal / Monday – August 25th, 2014

Swimming contest : Thejas, Akshatha bag top honours

August 24, 2014Sportsmpositiveone@gmail.com

Mysore :

A.Thejas of Maharaja’s Govt. PU College, Mysore, (four golds and four silver medals) with 31 points and Akshatha N. Gowda of Sankalpa PU College, Mysore with 24 points bagged the top honours by clinching the individual titles in the men’s and women’s sections respectively in the Mysore City Inter-collegiate swimming Competitions 2014-15, conducted by the DPE, UoM at the University Swimming Pool, Saraswathipuram here on Monday.

National Institute of Engineering, Mysore bagged the Overall Team championship title in the men’s section with 53 points.

The results:

Men:

200mts Breast Stroke: 1.R.Karthik -V.V.C.E (3:20.90 ); 2. V.S. Vipul (NIE- 3:22.31); 3. S. Sudarshan (Vijaya Vittala PUC-3:31.01); 100mts Back Stroke: 1.Shreyank P. Swamy ( AIISH – 1:26.05); 2. A. Thejas (Maharaja Govt. PUC-1:27.88); 3.R. Karthik (V.V.C.E- 1:29.52); 400mts Free Style: A.Thejas ( Maharaja Govt. PUC- 6:05.23); 2. S. Sudarshan. (Vijaya Vittala PUC- 6:05.92); 3.V.N. Varun (NIE IT -7:20.31); 100mts Butter Fly: Abhishek R.Das- (SBRR MFGC -1:41.02 ); 2. M.R. Shashanksimha (Maharaja Govt. PUC-1:51.63); 3. K.Vignesh Mallya (Amritha School of A&S- 2:13.32); 200mts Free Style: 1. V.S.Vipul(NIE -2:44.55); 2. A. Thejas( Maharaja Govt. PUC -2:44.56 ); 3.Shreyank P. Swamy (AIISH- 2:51.55); 200mts Individual Med Lay: 1. R. Karthik. (VVCE -3:17.91); 2. Shreyank P. Swamy -AIISH- 3:46.70); 3. M.C. Prajwal (Vijaya Vittala PUC – 6:00.82); 50 mts Back Stroke: 1. V.S. Vipul (NIE -0:37.74); 2. A.Thejas (Maharaja Govt. PUC 0:38.85); 3. Shreyank P. Swamy (AIISH- 0:39.13); 100 mts Breast Stroke: 1.R. Karthik (V.V.C.E -1:32.57); 2. V.S. Vipul(N.I.E -1:34.49); 3. R. Sudarshan(Vijaya Vittala PUC -1:37.06 ); 200 mts Back Stroke: 1.Shreyank P Swamy (AIISH -3:29.24); 2. Thejas A (Maharaja Govt. PUC -3:30.35) ;3. Shashank Simha M.R (Maharaja Govt. PUC -4:23.11); 50mts Breast Stroke: 1. V.S. Vipul (N.I.E -0:40.22 ); 2. R. Karthik V.V.C.E -0:40.90); 3. Shreyank P Swamy (AIISH -0:42.72); 200mts Butterfly : 1.A. Thejas (Maharaja Govt. PUC -3:39.28); 2. M.R Shashank Simha (Maharaja Govt. PUC -5:11.96 ); 3. Nagendra L (GFGC Siddharthalayout -9:19.20 ); 100mts Free Style : 1.V.S. Vipul (N.I.E- 1:13.67); 2. Shreyank P Swamy (AIISH- 1:15.83); 3. R. Karthik (V.V.C.E -1:15.94); 50mts Butterfly: 1. A. Thejas (Maharaja Govt. PUC- 0:34.89 ); 2. M. Prajwal Prasad (NIE -0:37.58); 3. Abhishek R Das (SBRR MFGC -3:38.34); 400mts Individual Medley: 1. S. Sudarshan (Vijaya Vittala PUC -7:40.33) ;2.M.R. Shashank Simha (Maharaja Govt. PUC -9:13.69); 3. M.C. Prajwal (Vijaya Vittala PUC -13:03.63);

50mts Free Style: 1.Shreyank P Swamy (AIISH -0:29.94); 2. Abhishek R Das (SBRR MFGC -0:31.44); 3. V.S Vipul. (N.I.E -0:32.10);

1500mts Free Style : 1.Thejas. A (Maharaja Govt. PUC – 27:47.28); 2. S. Sudarshan ( Vijaya Vittala PUC -27:48.45); 3. M.R. Shashank Simha (Maharaja Govt. PUC -31:04.04); 4 x 100mts Medley Relay : 1.N.I.E – 6:00.87);2.Maharaja’s College-9:09.87;

Individual Championship – A.Thejas -Maharaja Govt. PU College with 31 Points

Overall championship – NIE, Mysore with 53 Points.

Women :

200mts Breast Stroke : 1. C. Swetha(Teresian College -4:48.31); 2. Meenaz Ahamed (PGSC, MGM -4:53.94); 3.Akshatha N Gowda (Sankalpa PU College – 4:54.88); 100mts Back Stroke: 1. Meenaz Ahamed ( PGSC, MGM -2:16.51); 2. Arpitha N Gowda (Sharadavilas College – 2:33.79); 3. C. Swetha (Teresian College -2:45.37); 200mts Free Style: 1.C. Swetha (Teresian College -4:19.40); 2. Meenaz Ahamed (PGSC, MGM -4:31.05) ; 3. Arpitha N Gowda (Sharadavilas College -5:32.30); 50mts Back Stroke: 1.Akshatha N Gowda (Sankalpa PU College – 0:58.66); 2. Meenaz Ahamed (PGSC, MGM -1:02.38); 3. Arpitha N Gowda (Sharadavilas College -1:12.79); 100mts Breast Stroke: 1. C. Swetha (Teresian College -2:18.86); 2. Akshatha N Gowda (Sankalpa PU College -2:21.24); 3. Meenaz Ahamed (PGSC, MGM -2:21.82); 50mts Breast Stroke: 1.Akshatha N Gowda (Sankalpa PU College -0:59.49);2.C. Swetha (Teresian College-1:01.32); 3.Meenaz Ahamed (PGSC, MGM-1:04.05); 100mts Free Style : 1. Akshatha N Gowda ( Sankalpa PU College- 1:50.38);2. C. Swetha (Teresian College -2:04.70); 3. Arpitha N Gowda (Sharadavilas College – 2:15.77); 50mts Free Style: Akshatha N Gowda (Sankalpa PU College -0:42.29); 2. Sanjana Prasad( NIE IT- 0:48.39); 3. Meenaz Ahamed (PGSC, MGM -0:52.93 ).

Individual Championship – Akshatha N Gowda, Sakalpa PU College, Mysore-24 points.

source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> Sports News / August 19th, 2014

India-Born Author Brings Mirza Ghalib’s Treasure to Americans

August 24, 2014Arts, Culture & Entertainment, NRI's / PIO's, World Opinionmpositiveone@gmail.com

Washington:

India-born author Surinder Deol has penned a new English translation of Mirza Ghalib’s works to bring the famous Urdu poet to North Americans as also those South Asians who have lost touch with their native languages.

Author Deol, who worked as a World Bank staffer for nearly 25 years before turning a poet and novelist, says he undertook the task “with the objective of bringing Ghalib to those North American readers who have found Persian poets like Rumi and Hafiz interesting to read.”

“That is a very large audience. And if I succeed in getting their attention, then my job is done. But I also feel that my book is useful for South Asian readers too,” Mr Deol told IANS in an interview.

Published by Penguin-Random House imprint Partridge, Deol’s 378 page free verse translation of Ghalib’s entire Urdu divan titled “The Treasure: A Modern Rendition of Ghalib’s Lyrical Love Poetry” was released last week.

It’s not easy to understand Ghalib even for those who have a normal level of proficiency in Urdu, Deol said, but “My book makes life easy for everyone.”

“If you have high school level understanding of English, you can read the whole book and get the true essence of Ghalib’s poetry without any difficulty.”

“The younger generation of Indians in the US and other foreign countries who do not read Urdu or Hindi scripts or can’t speak the language can now enjoy India’s most loved poet in a language that they speak every day,” he said.

Mr Deol said he was quite satisfied with the result of his efforts to bring Ghalib to American readers as also Indians abroad, but the key factor will be how people react to his work

“Most importantly, I have used a language that is poetic but it is not archaic. Look at the reason why Americans love Rumi in Coleman Barks’ translation. It is simple, direct, and touches you at a deep personal level as you read it.”

Asked what inspired him to translate Ghalib, who is considered “untranslatable”, Mr Deol said “Because I loved Ghalib, I wanted to see his work made available in a good English translation so that he gets the recognition as a great world poet.”

“Since I was very impressed with Coleman Barks’ free verse rendering of Rumi, I thought of using the same technique for Ghalib.

“My idea was to apply this technique on 15-20 compositions or ghazals as a creative experiment.”

“But you know Ghalib’s poetry is like red wine that he cherished so much. You start this work and you get intoxicated and you can’t leave it.” Mr Deol said.

“The task got harder as I proceeded but by then I had become an addict.

That took two solid years of my life. But I have no regrets.”

“A book like this takes much longer to find acceptance but I’m very hopeful that my rendition of Ghalib will one day become a popular text for ordinary readers as well as for students of oriental literature,” Mr Deol said.

“The Treasure” is available on amazon.com internationally and on FlipKart in India.

source: http://www.ndtv.com / NDTV / Home> Sections> Diaspora / Indo-Asian News Service / August 24th, 2014

CENTENARY LECTURE – ‘A Communicator Of Ideas’

August 24, 2014Arts, Culture & Entertainmentmpositiveone@gmail.com

That’s how Khwaja Ahmad Abbas described himself. Who was he? Why was he what he was? What social and ideological impulses motivated him? Why is his vision of continuing relevance?

Full text of the Khwaja Ahmad Abbas Centenary Lecture delivered by the vice president, titledLiterature, Art And Social Awareness, on Saturday, June 7, 2014

Khwaja Ahmad Abbas was a low profile yet iconic personality of an earlier period of independent India. I deem it a privilege to be invited by the Centenary Celebration Committee to talk about him and his work.

Abbas lived and worked at a critical period in the history of modern India. His ideas relating to the evolution of consciousness on societal matters, as it emerged in the independence struggle and in early decades after 1947, remain of relevance to all those who care about the less fortunate segments of society and who attach value to the concepts of creativity and artistic freedom.

Some initial questions would be in order. Who was Khwaja Ahmad Abbas? Why was he what he was? What social and ideological impulses motivated him? Why is his vision of continuing relevance?

Social etiquette no longer encourages mention of lineage, except of a certain kind. Thus it would suffice to say that Khwaja Ahmad Abbas’s genes exhibited scholarly traditions worthy of citation in any company. He has recorded for posterity his effort as a student in Aligarh to board a train just to talk to Jawaharlal Nehru in his railway compartment; the conversation— somewhat halting— ended with a request to sign the autograph book. A hurried inscription followed:

“Live dangerously. Jawaharlal Nehru”.

He took this to heart and described his relationship with Nehru as “a long love affair”.

Abbas, in his own words, was “a communicator of ideas”. He did this as a journalist, short story writer, a novelist, a film critic and film script writer. He is considered one of the pioneers of Indian parallel or neo-realistic cinema having penned films like Neecha Nagar, Jagte Raho, Dharti Ke Lal, Awara, Shri 420, Mera Naam Joker, Bobby and Henna.

As a journalist, his columns ‘Last Page’ and ‘Azad Qalam’ commenced in 1935 in Bombay Chronicle and continued in Blitz till his death in 1987. Each was a pithy commentary on contemporary happening and had a wide following. His retort in early 1963 to US Senator Richard Russell’s uncharitable criticism of India was characteristic of his passion for causes Indian.

A 16 minute documentary film made by Khwaja Ahmad Abbas in 1968 added a footnote to our legal history. Titled A Tale of Four Cities, it contrasted the life of luxury of the rich in Calcutta, Bombay, Madras and Delhi, with the squalor and poverty of the poor. Particularly the life of those whose hands and labour helped to build beautiful cities, factories and other industrial complexes. The documentary was silent except for a song which the labourers sang while at work. One minute of the film gave a fleeting glimpse of the red light district of Bombay and this was required by the Censor Board to be deleted for a ‘U’ certificate.

In the first case of the kind in the Supreme Court of India, it was argued on behalf of Abbas that pre-censorship of films is offensive to freedom of speech and expression and that the rules relating to it were vague, arbitrary and indefinite. The Bench, headed by Chief Justice Hidayatullah, allowed the petition on the ground that treatment of motion pictures must be different from other forms of art and expression. He held that the clarifications and assurances given in the hearings by the Solicitor General and procedural safeguards accepted by the Government “will make censorship accord with our fundamental law.” This, in effect, curtailed government’s arbitrary exercise of censorship powers.

Interestingly enough, Abbas had written a letter to Gandhi ji in 1939 requesting him to reconsider his views on cinema being included amongst other evils like gambling, sutta, and horse racing:

“You are a great soul, Bapu. In your heart there is no room for prejudice. Give this little toy of ours, the cinema, which is not so useless as it looks, a little of your attention and bless it with a smile”.

Some of the short stories of Khwaja Ahmad Abbas, written in Urdu and published in English translation a few years back, allow the present generation to appreciate the depth and diversity of his talent as a story writer. They are reflective of his social awareness. A reviewer has observed that reading them is a sobering exercise and remind one of another India “when idealism of nation-building was more in evidence though often found bleeding on the jagged edges of poverty and deprivation, resistant feudalism, inequalities and the divides of caste and religion.”

Khwaja sahib attached particular importance to his literary work. This was summed up in his Will:

“If you wish to meet me after I am gone just pick up one of the seventy odd books I wrote or view the films I have produced or written the scripts for. If you are not allergic to yellowing news-print then go to library and read any of the hundreds of columns I have written. I WILL BE THERE with you.”

In an age when being ‘progressive’ was considered almost synonymous with being dubbed ‘communist’, Abbas consciously drew a line. This is summed up in a passage in his Autobiography:

“One of the persistent legends in Indian politics is that I am a communist, or at least a hidden communist, a fellow traveller or a stooge of the communists. All kinds of people seem to believe it— except the communists who think I am an un-regenerated ‘petite bourgeoise’.”

He recalls Nehru’s amusement at his distinction between communists, ex-communists and anti-communists in ascending order of undesirability and goes on relate his expulsion (rescinded nine years later) from the Progressive Writers Association and the Indian People’s Theatre Association and the ideological debate relating to conformity and dissent.

It is evident that Abbas was a passionate advocate of causes, not an adherent to ideological conformity. He summed up the social responsibilities of an intellectual succinctly:

‘To mirror life, realistically but also critically, so that things can improve. The improvement of man, I think, is the greatest mission of a writer, or an intellectual or a creative artist. If he disregards the mission, he cannot be a good writer’.

An appreciation of Abbas the story writer was done by Mulk Raj Anand in a very long letter to him in 1947. Its concluding section was definitive and bears citation in full:

‘The strength of your short stories, my dear Abbas, lies in the fact that you have grasped the weaknesses of your characters and strengths. You seem to have an uncanny, instinctive awareness of the dark side of the ‘moon’ coupled with a passion for the light. And if the moon may in this context stand for the land of our heart’s desire, our India, then surely you have brought to it the only kind of love which can redeem its present wretchedness and stretch out to its unexplored future. So that if there is a message in your stories it seems to me this: ‘you cannot love India merely for its strengths but you also have to love it for its weaknesses.’

It is his qualities as a writer that propelled Abbas to the world of films, initially as a critic and subsequently as a script writer and film maker. In each of these fields, his contribution was seminal. His work reflected his deep commitment to the ideals of socialism, secularism and nationalism. Through the medium of cinema, he highlighted relevant social and political issues of the day, such as poverty, communalism, casteism and the rural-urban divide.

His work remains one amongst the most impressive pieces of realism and social commentary. He could be rightly described as one the pioneers of what was later called ‘art films’ or ‘parallel cinema’. He was perhaps the most prominent progressive voice in Indian commercial films. As social activist John Dayal put it, “he identified social relevance and critical realism as the mainstays of any cinema, particularly of cinema of an emerging tradition like India’s.”

As a director, producer and script-writer, Abbas saheb was acclaimed by the public and critics alike. The older generation recalls his partnership with the legendary Raj Kapoor. Some of his films won the Nargis Dutt Award for National Integration. Another won the prestigious Palme d’Or at Cannes. Shehar Aur Sapna, depicting the struggle for survival in the brutalized environment of an urban slum, won the National Film Award for Best Feature Film. Yet another,Saat Hindustani, propagating patriotism and an aggressive secularism, will be best remembered for introducing the future superstar, Amitabh Bachchan to the Indian public.

The list of some of his epoch-making, socially sensitive, films is long and diverse. This promotion of social awareness is what distinguishes him as a writer and film maker. He would have subscribed, but without being doctrinaire, to what Munshi Premchand said in 1936:

“We shall consider only that literature as progressive which is thoughtful, which awakens in us the spirit of freedom and of beauty, which is creative, which is luminous with the realities of life; which moves us; which leads us to action and which does not act like a narcotic; which does not produce in us a state of intellectual somnolence— for if we continue to remain in that state it can only mean that we are no longer alive.”

Khwaja Ahmad Abbas subscribed in his life and work to an approach that was catholic rather than sectarian, and modernist rather than obscurantist. He revelled in India’s cultural heterogeneity and celebrated it in his life and work. We find in his autobiography a delectable description of his film crew’s journey in a freight train and singing three songs: Jana gana mana, Saare jahan se achcha and Dekhna hai zore kitna baazu-e-qaatil main hai.

The celebration of his centenary is to be viewed as part of our societal obligation to transmit the best and noblest in our tradition to the next generation.

source: http://www.outlookindia.com / Outlook / Home> Books> Arts & Entertainment > Essays / by Hamid Ansari / June 10th, 2014

Shruti Haasan felt like a princess in Shehla Khan’s creation

August 24, 2014Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Business & Economympositiveone@gmail.com

She walked the ramp Saturday at the Lakme Fashion Week Winter-Festive show in a pink long skirt with silver lace work and a pink crop top. She accessorised her appearance with pearl bangles. (Source: Express Photo by Dilpi Kagda)

SUMMARY

Pink is not Shruti Haasan’s favourite colour, but she loved donning designer Shehla Khan’s creation.

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Pink is not Shruti Haasan’s favourite colour, but she loved donning designer Shehla Khan’s creation in the same shade and says that she felt like a Victorian princess.

She walked the ramp Saturday at the Lakme Fashion Week Winter-Festive show in a pink long skirt with silver lace work and a pink crop top. She accessorised her appearance with pearl bangles.

“This is not my colour. I don’t wear pink, but this outfit is amazing. It makes me feel so feminine. I am feeling like a Victorian princess in this attire,” Shruti told reporters post the show.

A melange of western and Indian designs, the clothes with bolder embroideries and embellishment in silver and gold, looked elegant and glamorous.

“I have used colours like aesthetic floral, pink… These collections are more for festive season with heavier work on embellishments,” said Khan who presented skirts, dresses, off shoulder long gowns among others.

source: http://www.indianexpress.com / The Indian Express / Home> Entertainment> Bollywood / Indo-Asian News Service / Mumbai- August 24th, 2014