Rare RD 350 HT added to cricket legend’s large collection.
Mysore/Mysuru:
Former Indian cricket captain M.S. Dhoni has a large collection of cars and bikes at his Ranchi home. The latest addition is a Yamaha RD 350 HT bike built by restoration expert from Mysuru Syed Jadeer Husnain. The mean machine was delivered to Dhoni last month.
This competition green-coloured bike may be the 34th or 35th RD 350 bike Dhoni has, Syed said. The all-new paint looks fantastic with white contrast that gives it a rich tone.
A resident of Manti at Belavatha in Mysuru, Syed restores RD 350 bikes. In fact, he restored one gold-coloured RD 350 for himself and he took both the bikes to Ranchi to show his craftsmanship. “Now, the gold RD 350 carries Dhoni’s autograph on the fuel tank which makes it a priceless bike in my own collection,” Syed told SOM.
“I am a fan of Yamaha RD-350 and I try to make the best of that bike to find true pleasure. By profession I am a building construction contractor but I love to live my dream,” Syed said.
Picture shows an ecstatic Dhoni at his Ranchi farm house after riding the gold coloured RD 350 HT
Chance to meet Dhoni
On how he met Dhoni, Syed said that a close friend of his, who was in touch with Dhoni’s friend, shared the contact. “I had a restored RD 350 HT bike then which was the 19th bike that was rolled out in India and one of the best projects we had completed. My friend told me to contact Dhoni and get the bike included in his collection since it was a collector’s item. But it did not materialise,” he revealed.
After upgrading the next bike to the 1973 model as per US specification with minute detailing such as colour, seat shape and installation of disc brakes, Syed sent the photos of the competition green bike to Dhoni’s friend, who in turn showed it to Dhoni.
“Dhoni liked the photos and wished to see the vehicle in his farm house at Ranchi. This particular RD 350 was my own project bike which was built to US specification which is entirely different from the Indian Rajdoot specifications. After the project was successfully completed, we discussed it with Dhoni’s friend and the meeting with the legend happened,” Syed explained.
Painstaking process
On the restoration process, Syed said that he and his team first checked the bike for broken, damaged and worn out parts before replacing them. “The spare parts are restored before disassembling the bike so that it can be easily painted and fixed without any problems. Then the bike was disassembled and was divided to different teams for mechanical works, engine overhauling, painting and chrome-plating. New parts were sourced from different parts of India,” he explained.
“Everything was done to make the bike a perfect beast and was assembled. This bike was restored in six months but the process of collecting spares started six months ago,” Syed said.
Syed has different teams to work on his projects. “I try to make the best bike and people who work with me on my projects are all specialists. We specialise in two-stroke engines like Yamaha RX series, Suzuki Shogun and Shaolin,” Syed said.
After the message that Dhoni wanted to see the bike, Syed and his team had the challenge of covering the bikes with packing materials to prevent scratches while being transported in a train. He, along with his wife’s younger brother and a mechanic, boarded a train to Ranchi in November.
A dream come true
“Dhoni is a fantastic gentleman who spared his time to look at our creations. I got goose bumps when he came in front of me. When we started discussing, I fumbled for words and I admired his passion and interest. He showed me his huge collection. For me it was like a dream come true to meet him in person,” Syed said.
Later, Dhoni took the bikes for a spin. “His eyebrows rose after the rides said it all,” revealed Syed. Dhoni later autographed the gold-coloured RD 350 tank. The cricketer also signed a few posters and posed with Syed for photos.
Yamaha RD 350 was one of the most powerful two-wheelers in the late 1980s and also India’s first performance-oriented bike. It had a 347 cc two-stroke twin cylinder engine that was de-tuned for the Indian markets to produce lesser power of about 30.5 bhp on the High Torque (HT) version and 27 bhp on the Low Torque (LT) version.
‘Race Derived’
The RD 350 from Japan was introduced in the Indian markets under the name Yamaha Rajdoot RD 350 by the Escorts Group from 1983 to 1989. Despite the common notion, RD stands for ‘Race Derived’ and not Rajdoot. It was given the name ‘Rapid Death’ because of the frequent fatal accidents because of its power.
The RD could go 0-100 in about 7 seconds and reached a top speed of around 160 kmph in the top gear. It had a price tag of Rs. 18,000 when it was launched in 1983 and Rs. 30,000 by the time it discontinued, which was expensive then. A well maintained RD 350 bike will now cost between Rs. 2 lakh to Rs. 2.5 lakh, if at all it is available.
source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> News> Top Stories / December 12th, 2021
Emperor Aurangzeb’s 217.80 carat Shia amulet is world’s largest engraved emerald
The largest engraved emerald gemstone in the world – The Mogul Mughal Emerald, weighing 217.80 carats.
This emerald tablet dates back to the year 1695. It belonged to the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb who reigned between 1658-1707 and is adorned with the names of the Fourteen Infallible Guides: the Prophet Muhammad, Fatima al-Zahra and the Twelve Imams of Ahl al-Bayt ending with “wal-Mahdi al-Qaim.”
The gem is on display as part of the Al Thani Collection at the Museum of Islamic Art, Doha, Qatar, after it was acquired from Christie’s for $2.2 Million USD.
Emperor Aurangzeb’s 217.80 carat Shia amulet is world’s largest engraved emerald
The translation of the inscription reads: ‘O Merciful One, O Compassionate One, O God. God bless Muhammad and ‘Ali and Fatima and al-Husayn, and al-Hasan and ‘Ali, and Muhammad and Ja’far, and Musa and ‘Ali, and Muhammad and ‘Ali and al-Hasan and the Steadfast [al-Qaim] al-Mahdi.
source: http://www.therahnuma.com / The Rahnuma Daily / Home / August 19th, 2021
He was the Chairman of Indo Arab League and tirelessly worked for the Palestinian cause
pix: therahnuma.com
Hyderabad:
The Editor of Urdu Daily Rahnuma-e-Deccan Syed Viqar Uddin Qadri passed away on Thursday night after a prolonged illness. He was 82 years old.
For a few months, Qadri was under treatment in a private hospital. Yesterday, after Maghrib he suffered a massive cardiac arrest and passed away at 11:30 p.m.
Qadri was the Chairman of the Indo-Arab League and tirelessly worked for the Palestinian cause. He was a reputed journalist with integrity and was very popular among his friends, peers, and relatives.
He had close personal relations with the former Iraq President Saddam Hussein, the ex Palestinian Authority President Yasser Arafat, and the current Palestinian Authority President Mohammad Abbas.
He organized many meetings under the banner of Indo Arab League which were attended by the Palestinian President Yasser Arafat and Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and other prominent world personalities.
Qadri was awarded the “Star of Jerusalem” the highest Palestinian civil award. He was the first and only Indian to receive this award.
He was also awarded the highest civilian award “Sahibul Jllallah” by Morocco King Mohammed IV. His older brother Syed Lateefuddin played a key role in uniting different Muslim groups in Hyderabad. Lateefuddin had passed away in the 1970s.
Qadri was also close to the ex AP Chief Minister N T Rama Rao and has served as Chairman of the Minority Financial Corporation. He is survived by his two sisters.
His funeral prayer will be held in Mecca Masjid after the Friday prayer. His body will be put to rest in his ancestral graveyard at Hazrat Musa Qadri Dargah at Purana pul.
source: http://www.siasat.com / The Siasat Daily / Home> News> Hyderabad / by Mohammed Hussain Ahmed / December 10th, 2021
Barely two weeks before his death, Maulana Azhari went to Kasganj to meet the family members of Altaf, who was found dead in police custody
Maulana Abdul Hameed Azahri Funeral / Maulana Abdul Hameed Azhari’s Janaza taken to Bada Qabristan in Malegaon for the funeral and last rites. (ummid.com photo)
September 16, 2006, exactly a week and a day later, we were in a meeting with then Chief Minister of Maharashtra Vilasrao Deshmukh in Matralaya, Mumbai. The meeting was called at the behest of Abu Asim Azmi, then Rajya Sabha MP of Samajwadi Party (SP). Azmi had gathered about 25 Muslim MPs, including Maulana Mehmood Madani, Asaduddin Owaisi and others, along with the relatives and close family members of those arrested after the July 2006 Mumbai train blasts.
Abu Asim Azmi had sought from the Chief Minister a hearing to lodge complaint against the indiscriminate arrests of Muslim youth following July 2006 Mumbai train blasts. The case of September 08, 2006 Malegaon serial blasts at Bada Qabristan and Mushawerat Chowk was added in the agenda in the last minute.
Top police officials including Director General (DG) Police Maharashtra P.S. Pasricha, Mumbai Police Commissioner A.N. Roy and then ATS Chief K.P. Raghuvanshi were also there in attendance.
Family members of those thrown in jail following the Mumbai train blasts were sharing the heart wrenching stories of how their close kin were framed in the case and made accused for something they were not responsible of. It was then that a man in his sixties wearing white kurta and sporting Jinnah cap stood up.
“You have framed innocent Muslims in false cases. Now you want to repeat the same to cover up the Malegaon blasts case”, he said, his fingers pointing at the police officials.
He then turned towards Chief Minister Deshmukh and said, “We don’t trust your police. We have lost our near and dear ones in Malegaon blasts. Any attempt to cover up the case will be dealt with strongly.”
The Chief Minister, not accustomed to such plain speaking, watched in dismay.
The man who had upset the highest chair in the state was Maulana Abdul Hameed Azhari. Besides Maulana Azhari, I had seen only Maulana Mohammad Wali Rahmani (Sample here) talking to ministers and top officials in such a blunt, unapologetic and uncompromising tone.
My very first meeting with Maulana Hameed Azhari was when I went to Riyadh in 1994 to work as an Engineer at Saudi Carpet Factory. Maulana Hameed Azhari was in the Saudi capital since 1978. He served there at Information Centre of Saudi Ministry of Defence till his retirement in 2002 as Supervisor of the Centre.
“We used to work on monochrome computers provided on rent by IBM. Multi-tasking operating systems with GUI support were not yet available for the users. It was literally tiring to work on computers those days. No wonder if we were left completely exhausted after office hours.
“The Maulana however was a workaholic, and despite his hectic and tiring duty hours, would regularly engage with fellow Indians, especially those from Malegaon, listening their issues if any and helping them out in whatever way he could”, Sheikh Ahmed, who worked with him at the same centre in Riyadh, told ummid.com.
“His home in Riyadh was a centre for the expatriates to share their grievances, especially on Fridays when he used to serve lunch to the visitors. His wife was a good cook, and for the expatriates having home-made food in Riyadh was no less than a delight”, he said.
“Maulana Azhari was respected also by his seniors for his devotion to work. This is why he was honoured and conferred upon an award of appreciation and acknowledgement at the time of retirement”, Sheikh Ahmed recalled.
The post Maulana Azhari held was probably the highest by any Malegaonian abroad. Things have changed now a bit. But, getting rewarded for work in Saudi Arabia was rare during those days.
“Early days and Education”
Maulana Azhari was born in 1944. He was among the founding batch students of Madrasa Millat, established by Maulana Abdul Hameed Nomani – his mentor, guide and inspiration. After graduating from Madrasa Millat, Maulana Azhari went to Darul Uloom Deoband for further studies.
Later, he went to Al Azhar in Cairo, Egypt for higher studies. Maulana Hameed Azhari was one among the 05 students of Maharashtra who went to Al Azhar for higher education. Besides him, others were Maulana Nazir Azhari, Maulana Abdul Ahad Azhari and Maulana Mukhtar Azhari –a all from Malegaon. The 5th one was from Sholapur.
Back home from Al Azhar, Maulana Hameed Azhari joined Madrasa Millat, his alma mater, as a teacher. He spent few years here and then went to work at Saudi Embassy in New Delhi. It was because of this assignment that he got the posting at the Information Centre of Saudi Ministry of Defence in Riyadh where he worked till retirement.
During the same period, Maulana Azhari, with the help of some of his friends, worked towards establishing Kulliyah at Taherat – a madrasa for education of girl-students. The madrasa was administered by his younger sister, Gulshan Aapa, till her death.
“A Crusader”
Maulana Azhari was a great admirer of Maulana Abul Kalam Azad – one of the front leaders of India’s freedom movement and the country’s first Education Minister. Post retirement, Maulana Azahri established in his name “Maulana Abul Kalam Azad Research Centre” and devoted him for promotion of research and knowledge. He also undertook Arabic teaching classes and Duroos – sessions to study Quran at Rahmani Masjid, Nayapura on regular basis.
The Malegaon serial blasts on September 08, 2006 however “rekindled the activist” in him, and he led from the front the campaign for the acquittal of local Muslim youths who were wrongly framed in the case.
[Watch in this video Maulana Abdul Hameed Azhari criticising the functioning of ATS, Malegaon blasts, and also referring to his September 16, 2006 meeting with then Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh in Mumbai.]
It was the time when no one, except the close kin of the accused, would dare to speak anything in favour of them. Maulana Azhari however started the campaign – initially with few of his close aides, later expanding it through the Kul Jamaati Tanzeem – an organisation represented by leaders of all Muslim sects.
The formation of Kul Jamaati Tanzeem was a big blow to the investigating agencies that were of the view that the bomb blasts in Malegaon were the result of sectarian differences between various Muslim groups.
During the course of about five-year long campaign, Maulana Azhari met everyone – right from UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi, Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh, Union Home Minister P Chidamabarm to CPI-M General Secretary Prakash Karat, Mulayam Singh Yadav, Lalu Prasad Yadav and others. This is besides frequently leading representations on a number of occasions to Maharashtra state leadership including Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh and his successor Prithviraj Chavan. In all these meetings, the Maulana had only one point to raise. Local Muslim youths are innocent and there is a need for a thorough investigation into the 2006 Malegaon terrorist attack.
Slain ATS Chief Hemant Karkare had later confessed that it was because of this strong conviction that he decided to explore all possible angles while investigating the another terrorist attack that rocked Malegaon this time on September 29, 2008 at Bhikku Chowk. It is now a history how the motorcycle on which the bombs were planted led to the expose of the Hindutva terrorists who were involved in the terrorist attack not only in Malegaon but also in other places of the country.
The efforts taken by Maulana Azhari-led Kul Jamaati Tanzeem and others bore fruit when the Muslim accused were first granted bail in November 2011 and later discharged from the 2006 Malegaon blast case in April 2016.
“War against Coronavirus”
After the acquittal of Muslim youths in the 2006 Malegaon blasts case, Maulana Azhari kept alive the Kul Jamaati Tanzeem even though some people felt that the organisation was no more needed.
After the outbreak of the Covid-19 when unfortunately Malegaon became a victim at the initial stages of the Pandemic’s first wave and when whole of the city was turned into a prison, Maulana Azhari again rose to the occasion. Taking members of the Kul Jamaati Tanzeem along he met the Health Minister, District Collector and other officials of the civic body and health department to demand adequate facilities for those who were advised quarantine.
Maulana Azhari personally visited with few of his close aides the temporary quarantine centres and met the Covid-19 victims to solace them in the time of distress. This is perhaps why he too became infected with the deadly virus. Lucky as he always was, he won the battle against the Covid-19 but was forced to suspend his regular activities because of weakness and post-Covid complications.
Maulana Azhari resumed regular activities – this time at national level, after the first wave of Covid-19 ceded and his health condition improved. Expanding his activities, Maulana Azhari joined hands with Waman Meshram of BAMCEF and Maulana Khalilur Rahman Sajjad Nomani of All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB).
While working with BAMCEF, Maulana was also nominated as the National President of Rashtriya Muslim Morcha. Through this platform Maulana Azhari travelled to far-away places of India and met Dalit and Muslim victims wherever they lived.
Barely two weeks before his death, Maulana Azhari went to Kasganj to meet the family members of Altaf, who was found dead in police custody. During the same period, Maulana Azhari visited a number of districts of Uttar Pradesh before attending the 27th session of the All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) held in Kanpur on November 20 and 21, 2021.
After his return from Uttar Pradesh tour, Maulana Azhari lost no time in meeting with the top police officials in the wake of indiscriminate arrests after November 12 Malegaon bandh and shutdown called to protest against the anti-Muslim carnage in Tripura .
“There should be a distinction between those involved in violence and the organisers who had called for the shutdown. Your tirade against the organisers is arbitrary and unconstitutional. It should be stopped”, he told Additional Superintendent of Police (ASP) Malegaon Chandrakant Khandvi in his signature blunt tone that had dismayed the Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh back in 2006.
Two days later on December 04, 2021, Maulana Abdul Hameed Azhari, whose crusade and statesmanship helped in exposing the people involved in the war against Muslims in the name of fighting terrorism, left for his heavenly abode .
[The writer is Founder Editor of ummid.com and is privileged to work with Maulana Hameed Azhari.]
source: http://www.ummid.com / Ummid.com / Home> Obituary / by Aleem Faizee, ummid.com / December 07th, 2021
The Jawad Memorial Prize for Urdu-English translation was instituted to honour the literary legacy of poet and scholar Ali Jawad Zaidi (1916-2004).
Bilal Tanweer (left) and Aalim Akhtar (right)
This year’s Jawad Memorial Prize for Urdu-English translation has been given jointly to Aalim Akhtar’s translation of Hari Bol, written by Zakia Mashhadi, and Bilal Tanweer’s translation of Parasite (Keera), written by Bilal Hasan Minto.
The Jawad Memorial Prize for Urdu-English translation was instituted to honour the literary legacy of poet and scholar Ali Jawad Zaidi (1916-2004). People from across the world can apply with an unpublished translation into English of an (already published) Urdu short story or essay. All submissions are judged blind.
While there are no runner-ups, the jury — comprising authors M Asaduddin and Aakar Patel — had commendations for two translations. Nazia Akhtar’s translation of Chhottam Jaan, written by Zeenath Sajida, and Fathima M’s translation of Shadows (Saaye), written by Khalid Jawed.
In its comments, the jury called Akhtar’s translation of Hari Bol “lucid and accessible”. It remarked that the language was direct and the translation was close to the original text. “Mashhadi’s Hari Bol depicts life lived at a most basic level. The story examines the complexity of human relationships with an unsentimental, even pitiless gaze,” the jury noted.
Tanweer’s translation of Parasite was applauded by the jury for drawing both major characters with great skill, panache, and a clinical eye for detail. “The translation is free-flowing, an elegant rendering from the original,” it said. The jury mentioned that Manto’s Parasite is an unusual and enjoyable story, bordering on surreal. “It draws its strength from the portrayal of characters, which include a tapeworm,” it added.
Akhtar is a PhD scholar at the Center for English Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), New Delhi. After pursuing a Bachelors’ degree at Delhi University’s Kirorimal College and a Masters’ degree at JNU, Akhtar has taught undergraduate students at JNU and at Zakir Hussain Delhi College, DU. As part of the translation studies course at his current centre, Aalim has translated over 25 micro-fictions by Manto, a play, Anarkali by Imtiaz Ali Taj, and some nazms by Jaun Elia. He has also reviewed Srikant Verma’s Relapse: A Novel, translated by Krishna Baldev Vaid, for The Book Review (Sept 2020).
Tanweer’s novel The Scatter Here Is Too Great won the Shakti Bhatt First Book Prize and was shortlisted for the DSC Prize for South Asian Literature, and the Chautauqua Prize (US). The novel was also translated into French (Editions Stock) and German (Carl Hanser Verlag). His translation of Muhammad Khalid Akhtar’s novel and stories, Love in Chakiwara and Other Misadventures, received the PEN Translation Fund Grant.
source: http://www.indianexpress.com / The Indian Express / Home> Books & Literature / by Aditya Vaddepalli / December 05th, 2021
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy congratulated YSRCP MLC Zakia Khanam and said that this is the first time in the Assembly to elect a minority woman as deputy chairman unanimously.
YS Jagan said that she should help and support women and added that this is another step towards women’s empowerment in the state.
మన రాష్ట్ర శాసనమండలి చరిత్రలోనే మొట్ట మొదటిసారి ఓ మైనారిటీ మహిళను డిప్యూటీ చైర్ పర్సన్ గా ఏకగ్రీవంగా ఎన్నుకోవడం సంతోషంగా ఉంది. సోదరి జకియా ఖానంకు అభినందనలు. అక్క, చెల్లెమ్మలకు అండగా నిలిచి, మహిళా సాధికారత దిశగా ఈ ప్రభుత్వం వేసిన మరో ముందడుగు ఇది.
Zakia Khanam took the charge as Deputy Chairperson of the Legislative Council on November 26.
She thanked YS Jagan for choosing her as the deputy chairperson of the Legislative Council. YS Jagan said that he was very happy to see Zakia Khanam as the deputy chairperson for the Legislative Council.
He said that the Andhra Pradesh government is working hard to empower women politically and financially.
source: http://www.english.sakshi.com / Sakshi Post / Home> Andhra Pradesh / November 28th, 2021
Amina had taken a loan from the Keechery Service Co-Operative Bank for the wedding of their daughter by mortgaging their land and house.
The bank will return the documents for the land after changing it to Amina’s name at the earliest, officials said. (Photo| EPS)
Kochi :
Amina’s family will sleep peacefully at their home in Kanjiramattom, a suburb in Kochi, free from the fear of bank attachment, thanks to the large-heartedness of NRI businessman MA Yusuf Ali.
She had been spending sleepless nights and had forgotten what it felt like to have a normal day due to a bank loan, which the family struggled to repay.
Amina had taken a loan from the Keechery Service Co-Operative Bank for the wedding of their daughter by mortgaging their land and house. The land and house were under bank attachment due to the default in repayment. Her savings were used for the treatment of her husband, and there is no money left to pay the recovery amount.
On Sunday, Amina rushed to Panangad to meet Yusuf Ali, who had come to the village to visit Rajesh and his family, who rescued the Lulu group chairman after his helicopter crash-landed early this year. As soon as Yusuf Ali heard about Amina’s distress, he instructed his coworkers to deposit the money and pay off her loan amount at the earliest.
Amina never thought that her problems would be solved quickly when she expressed her grief over the threat of losing her home to the bank to Yusuf Ali. Amina’s husband Syed Mohammad is suffering from cancer.
On Monday, Amina and her husband were informed that someone had come to visit them. Both of them rushed to the place and were clueless about the visitors. They asked the visitors who they were and the purpose of their visit.
The visitors were the employees of Lulu Group. Though Amina didn’t understand who they were initially, the employees of Lulu told them that they had paid off the loan amount of Rs 3,81,160 that the couple owed to the bank. Amina and her husband were beyond belief when the media coordinator of Lulu Group NB Swaraj, handed over the receipt of the repayment of loan and interest to Amina. He also handed over a sum of Rs 50,000, including medical expenses, to the couple for treatment expenses on Yusuf Ali’s instructions.
The loan amount of Rs 2,14,242, and a total of Rs 3,81,160 including interest and penalty interest, was deposited by Yusuf Ali in the bank. The bank will return the documents for the land after changing it to Amina’s name at the earliest, officials said.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Good News / by Express News Service / December 07th, 2021
From being in the company of snake charmers at Kotla in 1999 to capturing history once again at Wankhede Stadium.
Taqi Raza has the unique distinction of being the camera person for Anil Kumble’s 10-for, as well as Ajaz Patel’s at Wankhede (Express Photo)
When Ajaz Patel twirled around in nervous excitement as the ball started to descend towards Rachin Ravindra, Taqi Raza cleansed himself of emotions and watched from the Grand stand at Wankhede stadium. He would give millions watching the game on television a peep into the mysterious art of a spinner with his spin-cam, the mechanical eye that reveals the ripping release and the revolutions of the ball across the 22 yards in slow-motion.
Now he held his breath and waited. Ravindra, who would later say how his peripheral vision had made him nervous as it had revealed his team-mates were already celebrating the historical moment, managed to safely pouch it. The crowd erupted, the commentators lost their heads, living rooms in New Zealand and even in India filled with joy but Raza struggled hard to check his emotions spinning out of control.
“Sadly I can’t show my emotions because if I express then I can’t concentrate and the world cannot see what is happening inside the stadium,” Raza told The Indian Express . The eye of the world can’t go blind in joy even on a moment that has only occurred thrice in the 144 years of cricket history. A tiny shake of a camera would deprive the viewers. Raza is a ‘slip’ cameraperson, beaming home the fingers of the bowler on the ball at release.
As rare as the epochal moment was, Raza has been there, done that. He had captured the incredible ten-for twice. He was there at Feroz Shah Kotla in 1999 when Anil Kumble snared 10 Pakistani batsmen.
In the company of a snake charmer. But we are getting ahead of the story. Here and now to Ajaz’s and his own tryst with destiny.
MCA President Dr Vijay Patil felicitated Ajaz Patel with #INDvNZ score sheet and momento. Ajaz handed over the ball and tshirt for the upcoming MCA museum
Ajaz Patel bagged 14 of the 17 Indian wickets to fall in the Mumbai Test He had picked up all 10 wickets in the 1st innings of the 2nd #INDvNZ Test
___________________
7, 8, 9, 10 countdown
Well before the historic moment, Raza had begun the countdown in his mind. 7 down, 8 down, hoping for a historical reprise. “When eight wickets fell down, I asked myself will I have a chance to see history again? I’m the only one in the camera crew who has recorded this achievement before while everyone has retired,” he says. “As a cameraman we don’t have liberty to talk to anyone. Our job demands lots of concentration.” So the internal monologue continued. “When Ajaz took ten wickets, I was overjoyed.”
22 years back, he had witnessed another ball travelling across 22 yards towards history. That memory rebooted now. It was a turbulent time. The political party Shiv Sena had warned of dire consequences if Pakistan were allowed to play at home in India. Uncertainty, tension, fear was in the Delhi air. Raza recalls how the Delhi police had locked all the gates of the stadium to prevent the protestors.
However, the Delhi police also feared the humans might outsource the vandalism to reptiles.
“There was fear that protesters could send snakes inside the ground, so I remember the authorities had kept a snake charmer near the boundary line, incase snake entered the playing area, they could catch it.”
In the end, the only spitting venom that stung the Pakistanis in Delhi winter was released by Kumble. Ajaz’s date with history was captured by 35 cameras. Kumble had got eight. One of which was in the hands of Raza. “Just 8. Now we have around 75 units compared to 30 earlier. There was no technology earlier,” Raza says.
Five years before Kumble had Wasim Akram poking to VVS Laxman for his glorious moment under the smoggy sun, Raza began his job as a technician. He has travelled the world since then, covered all cricket World Cups, including India’s triumph in 2011, trained his camera at Tiger Woods at golf courses, spent time capturing blurs at Formula 1 races, beamed Pro-Kabbadi to homes, and spent his life in various sporting arenas.
He has evolved; so has the broadcasting technology. “In 1999 there was no DRS and Ultra Edge, too much relied on human judgement but now with these tools, bowlers have more chances which wasn’t the case earlier.”
It’s a no-brainer choosing between Kumble and Ajaz’s achievements but the question is asked nevertheless. The answer comes quicker. “For me Kumble’s performance will always be on a higher plane. First it came against Pakistan and the team won because of him. Kumble was under more pressure because he was playing at home. I’m not taking away credit from Ajaz but Kumble was more special for me,” Raza says.
Anil Kumble 10 wickets record against Pakistan
Tough job
The job of the human behind the camera is one of the most difficult ones in the circuit. The pre-game rigging and testing of equipment and the match-day fatigue. Nature might yell, leave alone call, but they can’t abandon their post.
Raza chuckles at a memory from the 2019 World Cup in England. The body screamed for a release at the toilet, but he had to resist. “I somehow controlled and waited.”
Good he did as he could catch priceless moments of the World Cup . “I saw how Virat Kohli was consistently looking to his left side. First I felt there might be some family members seated there but between breaks, Kohli ran towards the stands and told the crowd not to boo Steve Smith, who had come after being banned by Cricket Australia after the ball tampering saga.” Eagle eyed, as ever, Raza didn’t miss the moment.
“I was the only cameraman who got that shot, it showed the other side of Kohli,” he says.
Taqi Raza (Express Photo)
More often than not, it’s a lonely job in some ways though in some stadiums, they aren’t left on their own. “In Multan stadium in Pakistan, Virender Sehwag used to come to our area, which was near the dressing room, and chat up,” Raza says. The new stadiums with segregated spaces don’t allow for that coziness. They are isolated in their corners. They do what the producer tells them to do. They stand for hours under baking sun or chilly winter to get us as close to the action. They stand there, in a cocoon, trying to drag us into the heat of the battle.
Jim Laker, 1956. Anil Kumble, 1999. Ajaz Patel, 2021. And one man with an umbilical cord to two of them – Taqi Raza. Remember the name.
source: http://www.indianexpress.com / The Indian Express / Home> Sports> Cricket / by Devendra Pandey, Mumbai / December 07th, 2021
Numismatists and real estate mogul Rezwan Razack was conferred an honorary doctorate on Tuesday by GD Goenka University.
The honorary doctorate was conferred on him during a special convocation attended by Chancellor of the GD Goenka University Renu Goenka, Pro-Chancellor Nipun Goenka, Vice-Chancellor Prof. Dr Tabrez Ahmad, Chairman of M3M group Basant Bansal, and Registrar of the university Dr Dhirendra Singh Parihar. Prof. Dr Tabrez Ahmad, Vice-Chancellor of the GD Goenka University, praised Razack for his contribution to numismatic studies and research.
Rezwan Razack is Co-Founder and Joint MD of Bangalore-based Prestige Group and is hailed as the largest collector of Indian currency. He is also the founder of South India’s first currency museum in Bengaluru, one of the largest and most authentic collections of Indian paper money and coins. He is co-author of the Revised Standard Reference Guide to Indian Paper Money.
After receiving the honorary doctorate from the GD Goenka University Razack said it was an honour for him. A graduate of prestigious St. Joseph College Razack is also the current chairman of the International Bank Notes Society-India Banknote Collectors’ Chapter.
source: http://www.thecognate.com / The Cognate / Home> Business / by The Cognate News Desk / November 25th, 2021
Ebrahim served time on Robben Island as a political prisoner alongside Mandela, Kathrada and others.
Ebrahim Ismail Ebrahim (Twitter Yeni Ozgur Politika)
Ebrahim Ismail Ebrahim, an Indian-origin anti-apartheid icon who spent years imprisoned on Robben Island alongside Nelson Mandela and Ahmed Kathrada, has died. He was 84, South Africa’s ruling party African National Congress (ANC) has announced.
Ebrahim died after a long illness at his home here on Monday, the party said in a statement on Monday.
“The ANC learnt with deep sadness of the passing of Ebrahim Ismail Ebrahim. We offer our heartfelt condolences to his wife and children, as well as their extended family, friends and comrades,” it said in the statement shared on Twitter.
“Comrade Ebi, as he was affectionately known, was a longstanding member of the ANC, a patriot who served his country in different capacities with humility, dedication and distinction,” the party said.
Ebrahim served time on Robben Island as a political prisoner alongside Mandela, Kathrada and others. After his father was arrested twice for defying laws that restricted the movement of Indians in South Africa, he joined the liberation struggle at the age of 13.
He often stated how he had been inspired by the Satyagraha style of Mahatma Gandhi, which he used in his passionate representation of the ANC in global conflict situations in Sri Lanka, Palestine, Rwanda, Kosovo, Bolivia and Nepal.
Ebrahim was arrested in 1963 and imprisoned on Robben Island, where he shared a cell with former president Jacob Zuma, whose role in state capture and corruption he later decried.
After his release, Ebrahim went into exile to continue his work with the ANC, but was abducted by apartheid-era security police from neighbouring Swaziland, tortured and sentenced to a second term on Robben Island.
He obtained two university degrees while on Robben Island.
After the release of all political prisoners and the election of Mandela as South Africa’s first democratic president, Ebrahim served in various capacities, including as Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Parliamentary Counsellor to Mandela.
Sharing their condolences, the human rights organisation #Africa4Palestine acknowledged the role Ebrahim played in the ANC resolution for the immediate and unconditional downgrade of the South African Embassy in Israel to a Liaison Office in 2017.
The Congress of Business and Economics, an offshoot of the erstwhile Transvaal Indian Congress, honoured Ebrahim with a Lifetime Achievement Award in 2018.
“Comrade Ebie, as he was fondly known, recalled at the time how he had spent half of his adult life in prison but that he would do it all over again if he had to because of his firm belief in struggling for peace, justice and the end of the scourge of apartheid and racism across the world,” said CBE Executive Director Yusuf Moosajee.
“In all my interactions with Ebie, both locally and abroad, he was always passionate about South Africa and its role in world politics,” said internationally-renowned filmmaker Anant Singh in a tribute.
source: http://www.indianexpress.com / The Indian Express / Home> World / by PTI, Johannesburg / December 07th, 2021
