Mohammad Hafeez, veteran veterinarian and retired professor at Sri Venkateswara Veterinary University receiving ‘Lifetime Achievement Award’ from Vice-Chancellors S.C. Parija (Sri Balaji Vijayepeeth, Pondicherry) and P.K. Roul (Odisha University of Agriculture and Technology) at the National Congress of Veterinary Parasitology in Bhubaneshwar on Tuesday. | Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
Sri Venkateswara Veterinary University (SVVU) former Vice-Chancellor in-charge and a retired professor of veterinary parasitology Mohammad Hafeez received the ‘Stephen K. Wikel IAAVP Lifetime Achievement Award’ at the 3 rd National Congress of Veterinary Parasitology held at Bhubaneshwar on Tuesday.
He received the award from Vice-Chancellors S.C. Parija (Sri Balaji Vidyapeeth, Pondicherry) and P.K. Roul (Odisha University of Agriculture and Technology) at the event organised by Indian Association for Advancement of Veterinary Parasitology (IAAVP). The award was presented in recognition of his path-breaking research undertaken in the field of parasitology.
Prof. Hafeez is currently a research advisory member of ICAR’s National Research Centre on Equines (Hissar, Haryana) and Maulana Azad Education Foundation’s inspecting authority.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> India> Andhra Pradesh / by A.D. Rangarajan / December 07th, 2022
In a glittering ceremony, two books on Muslims’ contribution in India’s Freedom movement were launched here in Patna on 17th December. The function was presided over by Harsh Mandar, former IAS officer and human rights defender in the country.
The books ‘Muslim Freedom Fighters: Contribution of Indian Muslims in the Independence Movement’ and its Urdu version ‘Muslim Mujahideen-e-Azadi aur Tehrik-e-Azadi Mein Unki Khidmat’ have been authored by Delhi based author and journalist Syed Ubaidur Rahman.
The two books try to fight the oft-repeated allegations that Muslims are anti-national and have not contributed for the freedom of the nation. The books nail the lie and prove that Muslims not just participated in the freedom movement, they went on to lead the freedom struggle for a long time. The first war of Independence or Mutiny of 1857 was led by Mughal emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar in Delhi and Begum Hazrat Mahal in Lucknow. The Independence Movement in the first two decades of the twentieth century was led by Mahmud Hasan and ulama of Deoband and they had respect and support of everyone including Hindus and Muslims.
If anyone has any doubt about the Muslim contribution in the freedom movement, the fact that the Indian National Congress had as many as nine Muslims as its president till the year 1947 will remove such doubts.
While speaking on the occasion, Harsh Mandar said that the divisive forces in the country are trying to divide the nation on the basis of religion and faith. He said that the danger from such forces for the national fabric and its unity has become grave.
Harsh Mandar added that the threat to the communal amity in the country was never so high as is today as divisive forces are doing every thing to pit one community against the other and create a fear psychosis among the majority community prompting it to turn it against minorities.
Khursheed Mallick, a Chicago based urologist, philanthropist and director of IMEFNA said that the book is a timely reminder to the nation that Muslims and Hindus both sacrificed for the nation and this fact must be clearly told to our young generation. He said Muslims sacrificed heavily for the cause of the freedom of the nation and efforts must be made to tell the history.
Syed Ubaidur Rahman, the author of the two books, while speaking on the occasion said Muslims have been rather loath to write about the sacrifices they have made for the cause of the Independence and freedom. He said Muslims suffered badly throughout the freedom movement. They were the worst suffers in the wake of the mutiny of 1857 and its aftermath when Muslims were hounded across North India and beyond. Tens of thousands of Muslims lost their lives for the freedom.
Syed added that ulama of Deoband played a stellar role in the freedom movement. Unlike the common perception, they were secular to the core and when they established a government in exile in Kabul in 1915, they appointed Raja Mahendra Pratap as its President and Maulana Barkatullah Bhopali as its Prime Minister.
The book documents the lives of forty renowned Muslim freedom fighters including, Shaikhul Hind Maulana Mahmud al-Hasan, Maulana Barkatullah Bhopali, Hakim Ajmal Khan, Maulana Ubaidullah Sindhi, Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, Maulana Mohammad Ali Jauhar, Dr Maghfoor Ahmad Ajazi, Dr Mukhtar Ahmad Ansari, Ashfaqulla Khan, Maulana Hasrat Mohani, Maulana Muhammad Mian Mansoor Ansari, Asaf Ali, Husain Ahmad Madani, Aruna Asaf Ali (Kulsum Zamani), Peer Ali Khan, Saifuddin Kitchlew, Mohammed Abdur Rahiman, Captain Abbas Ali, Abdul Qaiyum Ansari, Prof. Abdul Bari, Moulvi Abdul Rasul, Nawab Syed Mohammed Bahadur, Rahimtulla Mahomed Sayani, Syed Hasan Imam, Sir Syed Ali Imam, M.C. Chagla, Yusuf Meherally, Justice Fazal Ali, General Shah Nawaz Khan, Allama Fazle Haq Khairabadi, Maulana Shaukat Ali, Syed Mahmud, Maulana Mazharul Haque, Badruddin Tyabji, Col Mehboob Ahmed, Begum Hazrat Mahal, Maulana Shafi Daudi, Rafi Ahmed Kidwai, Syed Mohammad Sharfuddin Quadri, Batak Mian
The book launch function was organized at Anjuman Taraqqi Urdu and was presided over by Abdul Qaiyum Ansari, chairman of Anjuman Taraqqi Urdu Bihar.
Name of the Book: Muslim Freedom Fighters: Contribution of Indian Muslims in the Independence Movement Author: Syed Ubaidur Rahman ISBN: 81-88869-43-0 Price Rs 225/- Global Media Publications E-42, G. Floor, AFE, Jamia nagar, Okhla, New Delhi-110025
source: http://www.ummid.com / Ummid.com / Home> India / by ummid.com News Network / December 12th, 2017
The Haider Aziz Safwi Career Development Centre aims to create awareness, and make books and resources accessible
Hamed Aziz Safwi hopes to take the youth of Uluberia closer to their career dreams All pictures by Arijit Sen
Less than 40km away from Kolkata, Uluberia lacked a library for students and most Class XII passouts seemed at a loss about the road ahead. Haider Aziz Safwi Career Development Centre — the initiative of La Martiniere boy and son of former IPS officer and MLA from the area — aims to fill that gap and take the youth closer to their dreams.
The Haider Aziz Safwi Career Development Centre in Uluberia will be inaugurated on December 12, the death anniversary of Haider Aziz Safwi, the late IPS officer and MLA.
My Kolkata caught up with his son and founder of the centre, Hamed Aziz Safwi, to know more about his plans
Hamed chose to set up the career development centre at Taj Mahal Library, a subsidiary of the Taj Mahal Gram Vikas Kendra, as the place itself has some reputation locally
The infrastructure
The Haider Aziz Safwi Career Development Centre is housed inside the Taj Mahal Library, a subsidiary of the Taj Mahal Gram Vikas Kendra that has earned quite a reputation in the area over the years. The original library was set up in 1952 by the late Ahmed Hossain Mullick, late Atibar Rahman Mullick, late Yacub Ali Khan and late Mohhammad Moinuddin.
“The Taj Mahal Gram Vikas Kendra has an established reputation here and has been involved in a lot of activities, including the Taj Mahal Library. It was decided that since there is space available, we can convert it into a career development centre. Since it’s a place of repute, I will not have to worry about the day-to-day functioning and local student outreach,” said Hamed, who completed his post-graduation in Economics in 2022 from St Xavier’s University after graduating in 2020 from St Xavier’s College in the same subject.
“We have spoken to the head teachers of the high schools of the three blocks and teachers’ groups. The local administration will also go school to school and interact,” he said.
The library is open to all students from 10am to 6pm, Mondays to Saturday for book lending
The library and centre
The library caters to around 600 students of about 45 schools from three blocks — Uluberia, Santrail and Panchla. It has a stock of over 1,000 books for students of Class XI and upwards.
“We will basically have Chhhaya Prakasani books for West Bengal board students of Classes XI and XII — maths, physics, chemistry, biology and other subjects. There will also be competitive exams-oriented books in English,” Hamed said.
The library is open to all students from 10am to 6pm, Mondays to Saturday for book lending; however during examination the hours can be stretched for solo or group studies with prior intimation to the administration.
Career guidance
The career development centre will have books for CAT, CLAT, CA preparations. “Uluberia doesn’t have any good coaching centres. Parents are not always willing to send their children all the way to Kolkata. Also, these books are very expensive. What we are trying to do is to make sure that the students have access to books when they need it,” said Hamed, talking about the gaps he wants to fill to make knowledge accessible to the youth of Uluberia.
“When we interacted with the students, there seemed to be a complete lack of awareness about any sort of career goal. For example, somebody who wanted to be an engineer or doctor had taken up Humanities in Plus II. They also had no idea about which exams to appear for,” Hamed said. “Later, we will get some people who can offer career guidance to them. We will also establish an online class setup later with a laptop. We can also do group studies.”
“We have already spoken about a paramedic course and computer training. Once this is up and running we will try to get them into some ITIs. We will be getting some coaching institutes and some teachers, if possible weekly once or twice a month to come and sit with the students,” Hamed said.
To encourage and motivate the students and take them ahead on their career path, Hamed has also instituted the Haider Aziz Safwi Scholarship Distribution.
Managing funds
The library has mostly been funded by Hamed along with crucial administration and infrastructure inputs from the local community and the kendra.
‘’For book donations one can get in touch at haiderazizsafwi@gmail.com . We have a zero cash transaction policy,’’ said Hamed.
Hamed Aziz Safwi , founder; Zahir Azad Mollick, teacher and treasurer of Taj Mahal Gram Vikas Kendra; Abdul Malek Mollick, retired headmaster, president Taj Mahal Gram Vikas Kendra and Taj Mahal Library; Rejwan Ali Mullick, secretary, Taj Mahal Library; Sk. Farukh, social worker; Sk. Amarullah , social worker; Sk. Samim Parvez, homeopathic practitioner; Arabinda Bhowmick, teacher and other executive committee members of Taj Mahal Gram Vikas Kendra team.
Dream and objective
The La Martiniere boy from Kolkata shared why Uluberia has always been so close to his heart. ‘’My father was an IPS officer and was an MLA from here. What shocked me was that despite him being an IPS and MLA, we failed to provide a library that caters to students. That for me was a big dilemma, which is why I focused on this. And we will establish more of these.’’
“The first objective is to create awareness and secondly try to create an environment where people are able to excel. It is not possible overnight. But we are creating a process which will set up an environment of competitive exams,” Hamed signed off.
source: http://www.telegraphindia.com / The Telegraph / Home> My Kolkata> Resource Centre / by Subhadrika Sen / December 11th, 2022
Allah Bakshu coordinated with most of the catering services and function hall members and convinced the organisers to hand over the leftover food to needy people.
Guntur Covid Fighters Charitable Trust members distribute leftover food, which was collected from weddings and functions, to over 300 needy people everyday
Guntur :
When the world fell into chaos, when thousands of people are looking for hope during the times of pandemic, there appeared a 33-year-old man who extended his arms and has been feeding the destitute every single day for the past two years.
Pattan Allah Bakshu, founder of Guntur Covid Fighters, is a sales executive by profession with the help of his three brothers, Pattan Hussain Khan, Pattan Muzeeb Basha and Pattan Fayaz Khan collects the leftover food at functions and weddings and serves them to over 300 needy people a day.
Not just providing food to the needy, these brothers provided free ambulance services and also lent their shoulders to carry over 1,000 unclaimed bodies whose families were in no condition to perform last rites during Covid-19, despite getting resistance from their own families.
What started as a group of four now has as many as 25 volunteers including people from all walks of life contributing their little efforts for a major cause, in fact for their voluntary services, they were awarded with ‘Manavathva Dheeras’ (Warriors of Humanity) tag from AP Police department.
Explaining about the food distribution, he said, “After the pandemic, while we were thinking to expand our services, we observed how many poor people are suffering without sufficient food as they lost their livelihood. We also observed how much food is being wasted at weddings and several functions which are held almost every day at some place or the other in the city.’’
Allah Bakshu coordinated with most of the catering services and function hall members and convinced the organisers to hand over the leftover food to needy people. Seeing their noble work during the pandemic, not only function organisers, but also temple priests are contacting Allah Bakshu and the team if they have any leftover food.
“As soon as we get a phone call, we go to the place and collect the food and distribute them directly to the needy people. We have set up a food court at Guntur GGH also,’’ he added. Along with this they also help old people who are abandoned by their families and take them to old age homes giving them a new family and people to look after.
“This charitable trust is moving forward with the collective efforts of several people from college students to retired employees. Seeing our work, several kind-hearted people came forward to help and join our cause, donated ambulances, and provided financial assistance,” Allah Bakshu said.
People can call 8143222456, 9397602553 to contact Guntur Covid Fighters Charitable Trust and handover leftover food to feed hungry people.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Good News / by Bandhavi Annam / Express News Service / December 11th, 2022
The President, Shri Ram Nath Kovind presenting the Dhyan Chand Award, 2017 to Shri Syed Shahid Hakim for Football, in a glittering ceremony, at Rashtrapati Bhavan, in New Delhi on August 29, 2017. Photo: Wikipedia
The name of Syed Shahid Hakim is familiar to the entire football fraternity of India. He was one of the most accomplished personalities who graced Hyderabad and Indian football as a player, referee and coach. Indeed it would not be wrong to say that there were few people in India who could match his knowledge and acumen about the different aspects of football. Besides being a well known personality in football, he also served as an officer in the Indian Air Force.
Being one of the sons of the great coach S.A. Rahim, he grew up in a football related environment. Hakim belonged to that period when Hyderabad was at the zenith of Indian football. He played with the illustrious players of India. Among his teammates were the famous goalkeeper Peter Thangaraj, D. Kannan, S.A. Latif, Yousuf Khan, S. Narayanan, H H Hamed and others. All these players were from the twin cities of Hyderabad and Secunderabad.
As a player, Hakim’s talent bloomed at an early age. He was at his peak in the late 1950s. He was a member of the Hyderabad state team which won the Santosh Trophy in 1957. Due to his prodigious talent and his rising status in Indian football, he was selected to represent India in the Pre-Olympic tournaments in Jakarta, Singapore and Malaysia.
It was not a surprise when he was also selected in the Indian team for the 1960 Olympic Games in Rome. That was the last time that India qualified for the Olympic Games. Although India narrowly failed to enter the knockout stage of the tournament, the Games were a great learning opportunity for Hakim.
The close interaction that Hakim had with the world’s best players and coaches gave his keen intelligence some valuable insights into the tactics and training of European and South American players. These he later put into use when guiding his own trainees. This is where his education and learning proved to be a big asset. Having studied at All Saints HS, Nizam College and then Osmania University, his level of education was above many other footballers. This enabled him to interact easily with foreigners and learn from everything that he observed.
Later, after he joined the Indian Air Force, he played for the defence services team and went on to be appointed captain of the All India Services team.
After retiring from the game as a player, he continued to serve Indian football in various capacities. He became a well known referee who was among the best in India. Starting from 1970 he continued to serve as a referee for many years. In 1974 he was selected to be a member of the FIFA Referees panel which was a great honour for an Indian referee.
Thereafter, he officiated in 33 international matches and it is a record which is still not broken. No other Indian referee has officiated in 33 international matches.
But that was not the end of his distinguished career. Thereafter, Hakim became a reputed coach and coached the Indian team from 1980 to 1982 for the Merdeka Cup and Delhi Asian Games along with other coaches.
When he was 80, he fell prey to the rampaging COVID pandemic but recovered. However, despite winning the battle against the dreaded virus, his life did not last long thereafter. He suffered two strokes in rapid succession and passed away in Gulbarga where he had been admitted to a hospital in August 2021. His death left a void in Indian football which will perhaps never be fulfilled.
source: http://www.siasat.com / The Siasat Daily / Home> News> Hyderabad / by Abhijit Sen Gupta / December 09th, 2022
With petrol prices increasing, Asad Abdullah conceptualised the idea of developing an electric cycle in which six people can be accommodated.
Innovation on a dozen wheels by ITI-trained diploma engineer in electricals, Asad Abdullah. (Photo | EPS)
Innovation on a dozen wheels
All that innovation needs is a brilliant mind and passion coupled with the patience to apply it. Asad Abdullah, 22, of Azamgarh proved it by developing a 6-seater electric cycle. Asad’s innovation got recognised by none other than Anand Mahindra, chairman of Mahindra Group, who tweeted a small video of the cycle and made the innovation so viral that the video crossed 1 million views since December 1.
Mahindra tagged the chief design officer of the auto sector of his company asking if this device could find global application. With petrol prices increasing, Abdullah conceptualised the idea of developing an electric cycle in which six people can be accommodated.
He used scrap material and the motor of an old battery-operated. two-wheeler to develop the cycle in a month’s time at a cost of Rs ₹10,000-12,000. “I want to make it commercial and sell it to others at an affordable price,” says Asad Abdullah, an ITI-trained diploma engineer in electricals.
Lucknow touches zero covid mark
After a long span of 32 months, the city of Nawabs touched zero Covid figure mark as the last patient recovered from the ailment and no new case was reported, claim health authorities. The last patient who recovered and was discharged on Tuesday had tested positive last week. “This zero is a precious figure and we are making all efforts to sustain the status in Covid,” said Dr Manoj Agrawal, Lucknow CMO.
Lucknow has never had a status of zero Covid active cases since the 2020 pandemic. The first case in the state capital was reported in the third week of March 2020. Lucknow’s first Covid-19 patient was a doctor who returned from Canada. The second case reported was also that of a doctor and the third one was of a Bollywood singer Kanika Kapoor, who turned out to be a mass spreader after returning from the UK.
10 UP heritage sites up for adoption
UP Archaeological directorate has shortlisted 10 heritage sites up for adoption under the ‘Adopt Heritage Scheme.’ These sites include the Alambagh building of Lucknow, Potrakund in Mathura, Kalpa Devi and Astik Baba temples in Sitapur, Caves of Devgarh of Lalitpur, Raj Mandir Guptar Ghat in Ayodhya, Lakshmi temple in Jhansi, Fort of Tahrauli in Jhansi, Fort of Balabehat in Lalitpur, Digragarhi in Jhansi and Shiv temple of Bithoor in Kanpur.
Those interested in adopting the heritage site would be known as Smarak Mitra who would sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the department and work towards the conservation of the site. Smarak Mitras will also be responsible for arranging logistics for the tourists at the site.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Nation / December 07th, 2022
It may sound unbelievable but is true. Mohammad Hafeez, who is blind in both eyes, is a much sought-after auto mechanic. He lives his life with dignity and is not paralyzed due to a lack of physical vision.
Muhammad Hafeez, a resident of Kashibagh, Warangal district, was not born blind; he lost his eyesight in two accidents and yet he never gave up on life.
Not to break under a spell of tragedies and misfortunes, Mohammad Hafeez is good at detecting the problem in a vehicle through its acoustics. The sound of its parts is what makes him understand the problem in a vehicle that has come for repair.
The 50-year-old Muhammad Hafeez was leading a happy life as an auto electrician when a heavy thing fell on his head in 2003. Due to the accident, he suffered a serious injury and ended up losing sight in his left eye. This badly affected his income.
Mohammad Hafeez with his wife
However, he did not give up. With the support of his family and well-wishers, he bought an autorickshaw and started driving it to support his family. However, fate had something else in store for him.
Another tragedy rocked Mohammad Hafeez’s life. In 2005, a burning firecracker hit his right eye and he again lost his vision for life.
Mohamad Hafeez comes from a poor background. His father MD Afzal Anu works as a private security guard in Mamula Bazaar, while his mother Meher Nisa is a housewife and suffers from heart disease.
Mohammad Hafeez started working as an electrician in 1994. His wife Nazima works as an Anganwadi worker.
After her husband lost his eyesight. Nazima was offered this job on a humanitarian basis.
They have a daughter, Afsana, and a son, Muhammad Muzamil. Afsana works in Hotel Gachibowli in Hyderabad, while Muhammad Muzamal is a first-year student of the ITI. The family lives in a rented house. Muhammad Hafeez earns five hundred rupees a day.
Speaking with Awaz The Voice, Mohammad Hafeez said that he is alive today because of top police officer B Somati. When he met with an accident in the year 2003, the then DSP B Somati reached the spot in time and shifted him to MGM Hospital, Warangal.
Muhammad Hafeez said that he is alive today because of Somati Madam’s timely help and he thinks of her as a messiah.
Mohammad Hafeez with an auto that he has repaired
He said that after the accident, the then member of the Legislative Assembly Biswa Raju Saria, Mayor Erabili Sorna, and a few corporators donated an autorickshaw to him. “I started the second innings of my life as an auto driver. My other eye was also damaged in the accident and I was permanently blind, although my eye was operated open I could never regain my vision.”
Mohammad Hafeez did not give up and started learning auto repair work. He detects the engine malfunction by the sound of the car and repairs the car by touching the parts with his hands.
Muhammad Hafeez said that he learned the job for one and a half years. He was happy to support the family by paying for auto repairs and the education of his two children. He said his wife was very supportive.
Mohammad Hafeez said that any work is difficult but not impossible. He said that the youth, especially the disabled, should look for ways to live a dignified life based on their strengths and abilities instead of depending on someone and extending a helping hand.
He said he is supporting his family by working hard. He asked all the good-hearted humans and the rich to come to the help of others so that people like him get encouragement.”.
source:http://www.awazthevoice.in / Awaz, The Voice / Home> India /by Sheikh Muhammad Yunus, Hyderabad / by awazthevoice.in / December 09th, 2022
The Muslim community had frowned upon the girl, who went to school to study English wearing burqa. She had faced the insult from her community but her father O V Abdulla, who was a religious scholar, stood with her and encouraged her to continue English education.
Mariyumma was an avid reader of English and hence local people used to call her English Mariyumma. Wikimedia Commons
THE FIRST Muslim woman in North Kerala to get English education, Maliyekkal Mariyumma, died on Friday in Thalassery, Kannur district. She was 95.
An icon of English education among Muslims in North Kerala, Mariyumma had been an inspiration for generations.
Condoling the death of Mariyumma, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said, “We have lost a person who had left her indelible footprints along with the history of Thalassery. Braving the barriers of conservatism, she learned English and thus became a guiding light for others. She fought for the educational rights of Muslim girls. Always a progressive face, she had also been an icon of religious harmony. Her death plunges a generation and a region into grief.”
Born in 1927, Mariyumma belonged to one of the prominent Muslim families in Thalassery. After completing lower primary education, she joined Sacred Heart Convent School in Thalassery for further studies. She was the only Muslim girl among 200-odd students at the school established in 1886. She studied the English alphabet in class 5.
Later, she recalled that as she did not understand English, her father consoled and encouraged her to continue studies. At noon, she used to go to a relative’s house for namaz. Realising this, the nuns arranged a facility for her namaz at the school. She recalled how nuns created a love for the English language in her mind.
The Muslim community had frowned upon the girl, who went to school to study English wearing burqa. She had faced the insult from her community but her father O V Abdulla, who was a religious scholar, stood with her and encouraged her to continue English education.
Abdulla had studied only up to class 2, but he used to read and write in English. Mariyumma continued her convent education till 1943, the year she was married off after she completed fifth forum (class 10).
After marriage, she associated herself with Muslim Mahila Samajam to continue her social work. Later, she focused on activities aimed at empowering women.
Mariyumma was an avid reader of English and hence local people used to call her English Mariyumma. The image of Mariymma reading English daily had inspired hundreds of Muslim girls to pursue education.
source: http://www.indianexpress.com / The Indian Express / Home> Cities> Thiruvananthapuram / by Shaju Philip / August 06th, 2022
Billionaires in Africa, Maha tycoons follow father, feed thousands in hometown
Yavatmal :
Decades ago, a humble Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) district driver Abdul Narsinghani had a strange habit before going off to work.
Every morning he would instruct his wife Fatima to pack a few ‘rotis’, he put them in his pocket and at various stops of his ST bus en route, would distribute them among a few poor people he encountered.
His young kids — sons Aman, Aslam and daughter Farida — closely watched all this but often wondered at their father’s undue concern for others when they themselves eked out a bare existence in a 200 square feet slum tenement in Yavatmal.
Years later, Aman, 45, and Aslam, 43 are successful business magnates in Congo, (formerly Zaire), Africa, and Farida I. Budhwani is a housewife in Mumbai, but now they warmly cherish their simple father’s small acts of charity for fellow beings.
“We brothers completed our high secondary school (Class XII) and got jobs in Uganda, so we went there in 1998. In just three years (2000), we got an offer to start a pharmaceutical business in the adjoining country, Congo, and we grabbed the opportunity,” Aman told IANS.
That was the turning point for the Narsinghani brothers, and they became the first Indians to start a business in Congo, and their venture is named Sara Pharmaceuticals.
“Many Africans have a fetish to pop in medicines for everything… We imported various types of medicines from India or China and then sold them there… Slowly, that tiny business has grown into a pharma-cum-electronics empire with a turnover of over Rs 1,200 crore per annum,” said Aman.
On their frequent trips back home from Africa, they never forgot their father’s daily habit of donating ‘rotis’ or his wise advice – ‘Let nobody go empty handed from my door’ – and decided to do something to take it forward.
“From 2009, we have launched a community kitchen that feeds around 750 people for lunch and some 250 for dinner daily… 98 per cent of the beneficiaries are the local poor people, irrespective of religion or status, all are equally welcome…” said Aman.
The daily offering through ‘Khidmat-E-Khalk’ (Selfless Service) is either good quality rice-vegetables, lip-smacking vegetable or chicken biryanis and other foodstuff as the people may desire, and distributed at a couple of locations in Yavatmal, 365 days a year.
It was during the Covid-19 pandemic (2020-2021) lockdown that the small kitchen proved its true worth and utility for lakhs of deprived people, especially the migrant folks stranded far from home.
“In the first six months of the stringent lockdown, we fed over 1.50 crore people. We also distributed food-kits of around 25 kg rations worth Rs 2 crore to the helpless people who had lost their jobs,” said Aslam.
After the lockdown eased a bit from October 2020 onwards, the Narsinghani brothers shifted their attention to the local Shri Vasantrao Naik Government Medical College & Hospital, where they served free food to all the patients for over one year.
As the pharma business of the siblings flourished in Central Africa, the duo also progressed, upgrading from their humble 200-sq.ft. slum abode to a palatial 10,000 sq.ft mansion in Yavatmal, where they rank among the most esteemed citizens.
The devout Khoja Muslim, Abdul Narsinghani, who gave his children an invaluable lesson to care for fellow humans, witnessed everything with joy and pride. He passed away peacefully in 2015, while his widow Fatima, 71, continues to guide and support her two sons in all their ventures.
Doing business in Africa is not everybody’s cup tea, given the political turmoil in many countries there, plus the social, cultural and language barriers, but the Narsinghani brothers managed to learn Swahili in just a couple of years and were accepted with open arms in Uganda, Congo and other countries in Central African region.
“Though we have seen a lot of social-cultural-political upheavals there in the past 25 years, but luckily, the Indian community there does not face problems from any quarter and we are probably treated as ‘more than equals’ among the rest,” Aman smiled.
The pharma business has gradually expanded within Africa, and lately the duo diversified into electronics trading which is picking up hugely through their several retail outlets.
“The Almighty has been magnanimous and benevolent to us and coupled with what our parents bequeathed us, we are trying in our own little way, to repay all the blessings,” acknowledge the Narsinghanis. — IANS
source: http://www.muslimmirror.com / Muslim Mirror / Home> Culture> Indian Muslims / by IANS / December 04th, 2022
Since time immemorial, people across cultures have been looking down upon women for their assumed enfeebled existence, but curiously the invincible might of the nation-state is primarily imagined in terms of feminine sensibilities. Nation and women share several traits, such as purity, chastity, and piety that must be protected.
This flimsy admiration aside, women continue to be the object of the stifling affliction of subjugation, marginalization and gender equality. The pitiable condition of Muslim women in India, their boundless deprivation and their servitude to patriarchal misrepresentation of religion look self-evident. Not many know that through determination and self-belief, daughters of destitution knocked over many unsurpassable hurdles and attained unprecedented success.
Undeterred by searing double jeopardy, some determined Muslim women weaved a gripping and admirable narrative of self-discovery and phenomenal individual growth that strengthened collective consciousness, empowerment and national aspirations in the six decades. They have had many firsts to their credit. The fairly long list includes the names of Fathima Bibi ( the first female supreme court judge who took over in 1989); Suraya Tyabji; (the incredible artist who designed our national flag in 1947); Begum Akhtar (the first female singer who judiciously wrapped up Vivadi Sur in Ghazal singing and earned the title of Ghazal Queen), Sania Mirza (the first Indian woman to win the ATS tennis title) Rokeya Sakhwat Hussain, ( jotted down the first female utopian novel, Sultana’s Dream”, 1905 in which gender roles were reversed.) Ismat Chughtai (the first fiction writer who explored various dimensions of the forbidden female sexuality in her short story Lihaf), Rasheed Jahan (edited an anthology of short stories, Angare that presented a poignant and heart wrenching account of exasperating struggles that women have to confront in the patriarchal society) and Qurratul Ain Haider (who judiciously used stream of consciousness to explore and reflect upon the gender injustices). Some Muslim women such as Razia Sultana, Chand Bibi and Begums of Bhopal, especially Sultan Jahan, committed themselves to the male-driven and exhausting path of leading the country, and they mapped new terrains of courage, bravery and governance. However, their contribution to collective life is not adequately documented.
These vital pieces of information largely lay in oblivion and have been aptly articulated and cogently documented in an astutely edited anthology of Muslim women trailblazers, Apostle of Transformation, published recently (Peter Lang, 2022). The anthology, edited by a well-known Islamic scholar Akhtarul Wasey and a promising academician Juhi Gupta, carries an assortment of 23 articles that engages the constitutive acts of turning mundane life into moments of epiphany by Muslim women. Their pulsating and coming-of-age experiences need to be told candidly.
Akhtarul Wasey and Juhi Gupta took pains to upend the widespread but erroneous perception that hardly considers Muslim women beyond being silent and passive onlookers. The book produces a gripping and layered narrative of those women who are to be reckoned as role models, but why their awe-inspiring efforts have not fetched the requisite response? As a central premise of the study, this question hardly took off, and the editors dish out a laudatory and partially plausible answer instead. For Wasey and Juhi, Muslim women, by and large, sump up a story of hope and resilience, and they assert, “In reality, Indian Muslim women, in the past and the present, have exerted their freedom, identity and agency. One way or the other, they have found ways to create, contribute, act and participate in various fields and ascended to prominence. Be it art, science, nation-building or politics, there have been hordes and hordes of Indian Muslim women pioneering, participating and contributing to development in the specific field.”
The creative dexterity, sweep of learning and speculative intelligence of Muslim women resonate with almost every genre of literature and non-fiction, and Urdu is not the only beneficiary. Azarmi Dukht Safavi, Rakshanda Jaleel, Rana Safavi, Annie Zaidi, Sami Rafeeq, Nazia Erum, Rana Ayub, Ghazala Wahab, Huma Khalil, Zehra Naqvi, Reema Ahmad, Nasra Sharma, Sadiqa Nawab Saher and the like make it for Persian English and Hindi with remarkable success. Their stories bear witness to what the editors asserted in the preface.
Several prominent authors and academicians, including Syeda Hameed, Rasheed Kidwai, Madhu Rajput, Bharthi Harishankar, Shahida Murtaza, Sabiha Hussain Ayesha Muneera, Azra Musavi, Shiangini Tandon, excavate details and they set forth a discourse whose emotional arc looks irresistible.
The book zeroes in on many prominent women by employing the case study method. Syeda Hameed, in her ear-to-ground and empathetic story of an accomplished author Saliha Abid Hussain whose fifty books, including her profoundly consequential autobiography, Silsila-e- Roz-o- Shabh (sequence of Days and nights), hardly got the recognition she deserved. It rightfully peeved Syeda Hameed, who candidly enumerated her oeuvre by observing that she was a chronicler of her times with natural talent for storytelling and, above all, a woman who believed, practised, and propagated her religion in its most liberal and humanitarian spirit.
Not many knew that Qudsiya Sikandar, Shah Jhan and Sultan Jahan were more than fortuitous rulers of Bhopal. Rasheed Kidwai employed laudatory idiom for adeptly documenting how their rule saw justice, gender sensitivity, peace and reforms even as faith and traditions remained intact. Surayya Tayyabji’s incredible artistic dexterity and pivotal role in designing our tricolour continue to elude public attention, and Shahida Murtaza’s academic rigour-filled succinct article, Surayya Tayyabji, the Resolute woman, supplements it.
The dreadful and calamitous partition is dotted with poignant tales of sufferance, and heart wrenching stories of the abducted women remained inarticulated. It was the turn of a celebrated author and activist, Begum Anees, who put together permeating and nuanced memories of the event and its earth-shattering aftermaths from the standpoint of women subjected to unprecedented affliction. Azra Musavi made her autobiography, Azadi Ki Chaon Mein (In Freedom’s Shade), the object of a single pristine look. Azra’s lucid close reading of the text draws forth an informed debate on how the two states faltered in fulfilling the aspiration of people.
Ayesha Muneera astutely spells out the contours of Rokeya Sakhawat Hussain’s creative world, and she argues that Sultana’s Dream is a feminist, political, and ecological utopia. She sides with Nilanjana Bhattacharya by terming it an anti-colonial text. For her, the novel works against India’s colonialization and internal colonization of women within Indian society. Rokeya’s trail-blazing text subtly conjures a dystopian world where gender roles are reversed, but the environs remain dreadful.
Naima Khatoon produced an evocative piece on Begum Akhtar, one of the most accomplished singers of Ghazal, Dadra and Thumri that India ever produced. She blended music and poetry with remarkable ease.
In her article, Sabiha Hussain ropes in feminist and cultural studies tools to map the creative terrains of Ismat Chughtai and Qurratul ain Haider.
Juhi Gupta turns her attention to the family of Sheikh Abdullah, the pioneer of Muslim women’s education, and she perceptively analyses the contribution of Begum Abdullah, well-known educationist Mumtaz Jahan, famous author Rasheed Jahan and prominent actor Begum Khurshid Mirza (Renuka Devi).
Shah Alam insightfully unravels the vanguards of change, and his laconic account, Vignettes of Muslim women Politicians in India reads well.
Faiza Abbasi, Mayuri Chaturvedi, Chand Bi, Tauseef Fatima, Bharti Hari Shankar, Rekha Pandey, Abida Quansar, Madhu Rajput, Bilal Wani, Naseem Shah, Shirin Sherwani, Shivandgini Tandon, Ruchika Verma, Anam Wasey and Huma Yaqub are the other contributors who made the anthology an intriguing read.
source: http://www.siasat.com / The Siasat Daily / Home> Featured News / by Shafey Kidwai / November 12th, 2022
