Category Archives: Amazing Feats

Pride of Kashmir: Meet young writer from Pulwama, who received over 70 awards, certificates for his writing skills

Amazing Feats, Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Education, World Opinion, , , , , , ,

Achan Village (Pulwama District), JAMMU & KASHMIR :

Pulwama :

A young budding writer from South Kashmir’s Pulwama district has received over 70 awards and certificates so far from different institutes of the world for his writing skills. The young writer aspires to become a human rights activist.

Faheel-Ul-Islam (18), son of Rafiq Ahmad Mir of Achan village in Litter Tehsil of Pulwama district, who is pursuing his Bachelor’s in Political Science at Aligarh Muslim University, a writer, wants to bring changes in the society where the youth as per him have degraded their morality and wants to work for the uplift of future generation.

Faheem said that he was in Class 11th when he started writing and since then he has co-authored around one dozen books. “Recently my book titled ‘The Midnight Silence’ got published, which is now available online as well as offline,” he said.

He said a book, which is a collection of 30 poems is multi-dimensional and the topics that have been touched include ‘our valley, our youth, hope, nature and many other things’.

“Since the last four years, my articles got published in the leading international, national and local papers and magazines,” he said, adding that he has continuously writing on all unethical things like drug addiction, suicide, rape and other issues.

“The sole motive of my writing is just to awake our youth, on which our future depends and I want to transform them to such an extent so that they too can contribute their part for the welfare of the society,” he added.

Faheem further stated that the most prestigious awards he has received so far include Indian Excellency Award by bringing hope in youth, Indian Humanitarian Award for my social work and Bravo International Award for inspiring and motivating youth to transform the morally degraded society.

“I have planned to publish a new booked titled ‘Concealed Chinars’ in which I will provide an opportunity to 20 such writers who are unable to publish their writings due to financial issues,” he said

He further added after completing his bachelors, his plan is to pursue masters in Human rights so that he can help the people in highlighting their issues.

“Besides studying and writing, I am presently working as a Radio Jockey at Kashmir Online Radio where I always try to change our youth who have been involved in futile exercises,” he added.

“My message to the youth of Jammu and Kashmir will be that don’t waste your time in futile exercises and try to contribute the society,” he said, adding that “if our youth will work positively, our future will be prosperous”.

source: http://www.therealkashmir.com / The Real Kashmir News / Home> Pride of Kashmir / September 17th, 2020

Three Indians risk lives to save 2 Omanis from drowning

Amazing Feats, Community Involvement / Social Issues, NRI's / PIO's, Travel & Tourism, World Opinion, , , ,

Seeb Beach, OMAN :

Shahid Rukhnuddin, Mudassir Kola and Mohiddin Anas / supplied image / khaleejtimes.com

Shahid Ruknuddin, Mudassir Kola and Mohiddin Anas had been fishing when they saw the Omanis crying for help.

Three Indian friends risked their own lives to save two Omanis from drowning after their boat reportedly capsized on Seeb Beach.

On the night of August 29, Shahid Ruknuddin, Mudassir Kola and Mohiddin Anas, based in Oman’s Seeb, went fishing.

For the first time, the trio tried fishing from the sea walls and not the seashore.

However, the trio couldn’t catch any fish, felt uncomfortable hearing sounds coming from the dark and decided to leave. But it was then they could spot two Omanis shouting for help. Ruknuddin jumped into the water, Kola followed him while Anas informed the police. The timely act helped save the lives of two Omanis.

Anas said it was destiny that they were at that spot at the right time. “I have been fishing since 2014 but for the first time we went to the sea walls. It was Ruknuddin’s idea to go there.

“Right from the start, we kept hearing some sounds. It was dark and a bit scary. I told Ruknuddin and Kola that maybe the fishermen were trying to scare us by making such sounds.

“We were not finding any fish and decided to leave. But whenever I switched off my flashlight, the sound got louder,” Anas said. The trio wondered if someone was in trouble and seeking help in Arabic.

So they decided to check all the spots. “For 15 minutes, we flashed our torch in different parts of the sea to spot any person. Our search was in vain and we decided to give up. Just when we were leaving, suddenly Kola spotted a face. They were two Omanis in the water seeking help. They were at a distance and we shouted at them with little Arabic we know.

“I informed the police. But we know even if police would reach the shore quickly, it would take a while to reach our spot. We kept encouraging them to try and swim towards us, but we felt they were exhausted,” Anas said. It was then that Ruknuddin jumped into the water and helped save the Omanis.

Recollecting the experience, Ruknuddin said: “It’s a great privilege that Allah gave me this opportunity to save lives. I jumped into the waters without thinking about anything else. By Allah’s grace, I was able to help two people.”

Anas added: “Ruknuddin is the real hero. He never thought about his life. He jumped into the water which had sharp rocks beneath.

“He got injured in the process but was strong.”

ashwani@khaleejtimes.com

source: http://www.khaleejtimes.com / Khaleej Times / Home> Region> Oman / by Ashwani Kumar, Khaleej Times, Abu Dhabi / September 03rd, 2020

London Blue Plaque honor for Indian Muslim ‘spy princess’

Amazing Feats, Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Books (incl.Biographies - w.e.f.01 jan 2018 ), Community Involvement / Social Issues, Karnataka (under research project), Leaders, NRI's / PIO's, Travel & Tourism, World Opinion

MYSURU / FRANCE / London, UNITED KINGDOM :

The late former British secret agent Noor Inayat Khan plays a Veena.(File/AFP)
  • English Heritage described her as “Britain’s first Muslim war heroine in Europe”
  • Khan was the first female wireless operator sent to Nazi-occupied France but was captured, tortured and shot dead

London :

A woman of Indian-origin dubbed “the spy princess” on Friday gets a new memorial in Britain honoring her espionage work and refusal to betray secrets in World War II.


English Heritage is putting up a Blue Plaque honoring Noor Inayat Khan outside 4 Taviton Street in the Bloomsbury area of central London where she lived from 1942-43.

In 2012, Queen Elizabeth II’s daughter Princess Anne unveiled a bronze bust of Khan in nearby Gordon Square Gardens.


Her biographer, Shrabani Basu, said Khan, born into a princely Indian Sufi family and descended from Tipu Sultan, the 18th century ruler of Mysore, was an “unlikely spy.”


She believed in non-violence and religious harmony but gave her life in the fight against fascism when her adopted country needed her, she said.
“It is fitting that Noor Inayat Khan is the first woman of Indian origin to be remembered with a Blue Plaque,” said Basu, who wrote “Spy Princess: The Life of Noor Inayat Khan.”


“As people walk by, Noor’s story will continue to inspire future generations. In today’s world, her vision of unity and freedom is more important than ever.”


Khan was the first female wireless operator sent to Nazi-occupied France but was captured, tortured and shot dead aged 30 at the Dachau concentration camp in September 1944.

English Heritage described her as “Britain’s first Muslim war heroine in Europe.” She was killed after refusing to give away secrets under repeated torture by the Gestapo.


Khan was posthumously awarded the George Cross and is one of only four women to have directly received Britain’s highest non-combat award for gallantry.

English Heritage has acknowledged that the proportion of women celebrated by its blue plaque scheme remains “unacceptably low.”
It is planning to unveil tributes to the secret agent Christine Granville at a west London hotel where she lived and the sculptor Barbara Hepworth in north London.


Another is planned for the headquarters of the National Union of Women’s Suffrage Societies, which campaigned successfully for women to be allowed to vote.

source: http://www.arabnews.com / Arab News / Home> World / by AFP / August 29th, 2020

India: Historians recall role of Muslims in freedom struggle

Amazing Feats, Books (incl.Biographies - w.e.f.01 jan 2018 ), Community Involvement / Social Issues, Freedom Fighters (under research project), Leaders, World Opinion, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Coinciding 74th Independence Day on Aug. 15, scholars recollect help of Turkey to India’s national freedom struggle

Abdul Hameed Nomani, General secretary of the All India Muslim Majlis Mushawarat

New Delhi:

Celebrating country’s 74th Independence Day on Aug. 15, under the shadow of recent communal riots in capital Delhi and anti-citizenship law stir, many Indian scholars have called for recalling the role of Muslims during India’s freedom struggle.

Author and scholar Waseem Ahmed Saeed said over time, the contribution of Muslim freedom fighters in India has been forgotten.

In his book titled Kala Pani: Gumnam Mujahideen-e-Azadi 1857, Saeed said from the 1757 Battle of Plassey in Bengal, Tipu Sultan’s Seringapatam battle in South India in 1799 to the massive revolt in 1857 against the British was led by Muslims.

Saeed, who has authored a book on the subject in the Urdu language, said while India’s official history celebrates Udham Singh for killing Michael O’Dwyer, the lieutenant governor of Punjab in India, in revenge for the 1919 Jallianwala Bagh massacre in Amritsar, it does not recognize Sher Ali Afridi, who killed Lord Mayo, British viceroy and governor-general of India from 1869-1872.

Speaking to Anadolu Agency, many Muslim scholars and historians said the role of their ancestors in the freedom struggle has been overlooked.

According to Syed Jamaluddin, director of historical research projects at the Institute of Objective Studies, a think tank, there is no adequate coverage of the role of the Indian Muslims in the national movement.

“The contribution of Muslim revolutionaries, poets and writers is not known today. Similarly, little is known about the contribution of people like Ali Musliyar and Bi-Amma, who made significant contributions,” he told Anadolu Agency. He is currently editing a book on the Muslim role in India’s freedom struggle.

Saeed recalled in his book that it was the ruler of Bengal Siraj-ud-Daulah, who first fought and lost to the British in 1757, which became a cornerstone for the imperial power to colonize India.

He said that even after losing this battle, there were many rebellions led by Muslims until 1850.

Muslim revolts against British

Jamaluddin mentions the Fakir-Sannyasi rebellion, a joint revolt against colonial power by Muslim and Hindu ascetics, for preventing them from collecting religious tax from locals. It started in 1764 and continued until the 1850. He said the rebellion even spread its wings to southern India’s Madras (now Chennai) presidency.

But most prominent and popular movements that hit the British hard in the early 20th century in the subcontinent was the Reshmi-Rumaal Tehreek (Silk Cloth Movement) led by Maulana Ubaidullah Sindhi with the help of Turkey, Germany, and Afghanistan.

Speaking to Anadolu Agency, a prominent Muslim scholar Abdul Hameed Nomani said that despite his best efforts, Sindhi’s contribution has not been included in the official Indian history.

Along with an Indian prince Raja Mahender Pratap Singh, Sindhi, and Maulvi Barkatullah had established the exiled government of India in Afghanistan in 1915.

“The movement picked up around the same time when Subhash Chandra Bose [renowned Indian freedom fighter] was allying with Germany and Japan to oust the British from India. While Bose is celebrated nationwide, not much is known about Sindhi and his supporters,” said Nomani, who is also the general secretary of the All India Muslim Majlis Mushawarat, an umbrella group of prominent Muslim organizations.

It was named Silk Cloth Movement because Sindhi and other leaders used to send letters and directions to their cadres written on silk cloth.

Later, Sindhi went to Turkey and joined the country’s national struggle.

“The movement led to the formation of Indo-German-Turkish mission to encourage local tribes on the borders of Afghanistan to attack Britishers and their interests. While the key figures were arrested by the British, the movement remains a key event in the freedom history,” he added.

He said even though in 2011 the government released a postal stamp to commemorate Sindhi’s movement, there has been no vigor to record the sacrifice of Sindhi and his allies Mahmud Hasan and Husayn Ahmad.

“Only passing reference has been made about the role of Muslims in India’s national struggle,” rued Nomani.

source: http://www.aa.com.tr / Anadolu Agency / by Cheena Kapoor / August 14th, 2020

Azharuddin Quazi of Yavatmal secures AIR-315 in UPSC exam

Amazing Feats, Education, Leaders, , , , ,

Yavatmal (Vidharbha), MAHARASTHRA :

“I faced poverty and misery since childhood and my father took up odd jobs to support the family financially,” recalls Azharuddin. Son of Zahiruddin, a taxi driver from Yavatmal, Azharuddin Quazi has made his family proud by securing AIR-315 in the Civil Services examination of UPSC.

A jubilant Azharuddin remembers his childhood full of difficulties and obstacles when irrespective of their troubled socio-economic status, his parents encouraged him to study. “My mother played a huge role in education of all my brothers including myself,” he says. Azharuddin, who is the youngest of his other three siblings, was forced to come back to Yavatmal a year after he had gone to Pune for undergraduate. After securing the merit list in his standard 12th examinations, he was admitted to a college in Pune but could not continue his studies as his parents did not have enough resources to support his expenses in another city. He shares that his own life has been an example of how problems due to financial instability persisted but his mother, having studied till Matric, never gave up on the career of her children.

“For her, education was the only empowering tool,” he says about his mother, Meraj. He recounts that his mother was a bright student herself but due to family constraints, she was forced to give up studies after 10th. After her marriage with Zahiruddin, she continued her zeal for education and pursued her own dream by giving her children the best of education. Throughout schooling, his mother used to teach all her children at home, assisting the four of them with homework and projects. She was disciplined and strict and showed no mercy or excuses when it came to studies, shares Azharuddin fondly.

“I got felicitated by the then SP of Yavatmal, Mr Abdur Rahman Sir who became inspiration for my IAS dream,” says Azharuddin. He narrates that after having to drop out of college in Pune and motivated by his role model, Abdur Rahman, he resumed undergrad at Yavatmal itself. In 2010 after completing his graduation in Commerce, he went to Jamia Hamdard University in New Delhi for preparation of civil service examinations but again due to lack of finances he had suffered a hindrance. His determination, however, led him to grab a job in a Corporation Bank through a competitive exam and he was appointed as the Probationary Officer where he served for 6 years.

Seeing his younger siblings work hard, as the oldest one among them, he had always dreamt of doing something big for his family and community, he says. Azharuddin has three younger brothers – one has completed MBBS, second is a chemical engineer and third a lawyer. His father being a non matriculate and his mother a matriculate, were always focused on providing quality education to their children, he says.

Azharuddin, who is also a national colour holder in handball, served at the Corporation Bank in New Delhi from 2012 to 2018 in various capacities, including his days as a Branch Manager too. As better days were approaching due to his hard work and will, he resigned from the bank job in 2018 and decided to pursue his dream career as an IAS.

Once again, Azharuddin returned to Jamia Hamdard in New Delhi to prepare for civil services and after one attempt in 2018, he ultimately secured AIR-315 in 2019 examinations.

“Hard work, consistency and perseverance always pays,” he states, while describing that he was guided by Noorul Hasan (IPS addt. SP, Yavatmal) and Raj Kumar (SP Yavatmal dist.) during his UPSC preparation. He further praises his family, friends and teachers who guided him through thick and thin.

When asked about a message for the aspirants belonging to minority communities, Azharuddin says, “Those coming from backward regions and poor socio-economic backgrounds like me, I will tell them to not be afraid and distracted by these limitations.” The Constitution of this country as well as independent institutions like UPSC provides everyone with equal opportunities irrespective of caste, creed, religion, region and gender.

He continues, “If you are good at doing hard work, please have patience and confidence in our Constitution and institutions and Insha’Allah you will succeed.”

source: http://www.twocircles.net / TwoCircles.net / Home> Indian Muslims> Lead Story> TCN Positive / by Maariyah Siddique, TwoCircles.net / August 13th, 2020

Telangana sub-registrar doubles as farm hand to help the needy

Amazing Feats, Community Involvement / Social Issues, , , , , , ,

Mulugu & Jayashankar Bhupalpally District, TELANGANA :

Mulugu and Jayashankar Bhupalpally Sub-Registrar Tasleema Mohammad working in an agricultural field. Arrangement  

Distributes her earnings among the poor, aims to educate tribals about welfare schemes

Community outreach during the weekends has earned sub-registrar of Mulugu and Jayashankar Bhupalpally appreciation from tribals in the area.

Tasleema Mohammad, 34, takes up farm work, which is the only form of work available in the area. Whatever money she earns through her labour, she uses to spend on the needy.

Beneficiaries of her weekend and holiday labour include a 15-year-old girl, who lost her parents in a road accident in 2013. Ms Tasleema is now looking after her.

Her service has earned her the moniker ‘Gutti Koyala Peddakka’ (sister of Gutti Koya tribes) in the area.

While pushing files and recording transactions are her routine jobs, the qualitative difference that has come in her life by helping the needy is an unmatched feeling, she told The Hindu.

Even the locals in the area also approach her for solutions to their civic and social problems.

Ms. Tasleema said that she herself was the victim of Naxal violence, as she lost her father when she was just two.

She recalled how her mother single-handedly raised her and her five siblings in the face of adversity.

Narrating her experience working with farm labourers, the Group II officer said that farmers, especially tribals, were not aware of several schemes aimed at improving their lives, like crop insurance and farm subsidy. She feels that there is an urgent need to educate the tribal farmers about government initiatives.

“During weekends and holidays, I work at the farms and interact with them for hours. They pay me ₹300-400 per day, which I give to the needy in the village,” she said. A mother of two, Ms. Tasleema said that she always travels by public transport instead of using her official vehicle.

“My mother has inspired me in every way. She is my role model.”

The officer, who even knows how to drive a tractor, also runs an NGO that provides education and other basic needs to the poor and destitute. She has bagged ‘Best Employee of the year’ award 11 times in 12 years of her service in the department.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Telangana / by Abhinay Deshpande / Hyderabad – August 16th, 2020

Eye on Olympics, martial arts champ seeks sponsor

Amazing Feats, Sports, World Opinion, , , ,

Hyderabad, TELANGANA :

Jameel Khan Patan clinched gold, bronze in world championship

For over two decades, Jameel Khan Patan has been waging a grim battle against all odds even while quietly collecting medals on the international stage; 18 gold, 12 silver and 18 bronze, to be precise. That’s not all. The martial arts champion also has to his credit four gold, two silver and six bronze medals in World Cups since 2016.

Yet, this spirited Hyderabadi continues to run from pillar to post in search of financial support to sustain his passion. “With the specific goal of making it to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics in which karate is being introduced, I am still pursuing my love for martial arts,” he says.

For someone who earns a modest salary by training some schoolchildren in and around Toli Chowki, all that he looks for is some kind of support that would help him realise his goal of making it to the Olympics. “Compared to the support I got in the US with special exemptions to train and compete, the response back in my hometown has been disappointing,” says Jameel.

“Well, I am not from a high-profile sporting discipline but a medal in any World Cup is not presented on a platter. You have to put in a lot of effort. I fail to understand what more I must achieve to get sponsorship,” the 43-year-old asks.

Despite his latest gold win in the adult breaking division, bronze in black belt forms and black belt weapons division in the World Cup final last month in Virginia, he is “struggling to overcome the fact that he remains an unknown personality in the world of sports when so many incentives are being showered on others”. “All I can hope is for some positive response even as I try my best to make it to Tokyo.”

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Hyderabad / by V.V. Subrahmanyam / Hyderabad – February 26th, 2019

Pathbreakers: The 20th-Century Muslim Women of India

Amazing Feats, Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Community Involvement / Social Issues, Education, Leaders, Travel & Tourism, World Opinion

Do not miss this exhibition that extols the contribution of 20th-century Indian Muslim women

An interesting travelling exhibition is set for a re-run in New Delhi once the pandemic containment rules are eased further. Titled ‘Pathbreakers: The 20th Century Muslim Women of India’, it showcases 21 Indian Muslim women who broke the proverbial glass ceiling and refused to be stereotyped. The exhibition was earlier held in the national capital in 2018.

Speaking to the media in 2018, Syeda Hameed, chairperson of Muslim Women’s Forum (MVF), the organisation which assembled the exhibition, had said that the main idea was to bring to the forefront a galaxy of Indian Muslim women who contributed to nation building in various ways but largely remained unrecognised and unsung.

Past Events – MUSLIM WOMEN'S FORUM, INDIA

The women featured in the earlier exhibition include Anis Kidwai, Atiya Fyzee, Attia Hosain, Aziza Fatima Imam, Fathema Ismail, Hamida Habibullah, Hajrah Begum, Masuma Hosain Ali Khan, Mofida Ahmed, Mumtaz Jahan Haider, Qudsia Zaidi, Qudsia Aizaz Rasul, Razia Sajjad Zaheer, Saeeda Khurshid, Safia Jan Nisar Akhtar, Saliha Abid Hussain, Sharifa Hamid Ali, Siddiqa Kidwai, Surayya Tayabji, Tyeba Khedive Jung, and Zehra Ali Yavar Jung. Most of them left their marks in fields as diverse as politics, literature and social work.

Muslim Women’s Forum / 5 months ago / facebook.com

Tyeba Khedive Jung, the first Indian Muslim woman to receive a university degree in 1894, wrote a feminist novel ‘Anwari Begum’ way back in 1905 that spoke about women’s emancipation, and also chaired an annual conference of Brahmo Samaj, a Hindu reformist organisation. Sharifa Hamid Ali was a member of the Constituent Assembly. Although the jury is still out about who designed the Indian National Flag, according to many it was Surayya Tayabji who was responsible for the inclusion of the Ashok Chakra. Qudsia Zaidi, among other things, is famous as the founder of the Hindustani Theatre in 1955, said to be Delhi’s first post-independence professional theatre troupe. Fathema Ismail was instrumental in opening rehab clinics for children suffering from polio.

The exhibition was visiting Bengaluru just before the COVID-19 related lockdown was implemented.

source: http://www.outlookindia.com / Outlook Traveller / Home> Explore > Story / by Uttara Gangopadhyay /August 14th, 2020

Fearless autorickshaw driver turns hero for COVID-19 patients

Amazing Feats, Community Involvement / Social Issues, COVID 19 - Community of Soldiers, Transport, Travel & Tourism, Useful / HEALTHCARE, ,

Hyderabad, TELANGANA :

Fearless autorickshaw driver turns hero for COVID-19 patients

Hyderabad: 

At a time when people are turning on their old parents or sick family members, a 48-year-old auto driver, Mohammed Khalid , has become a hero of sorts for those who are dealing with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Unlike most others who would think twice before ferrying across patients, Khalid has been providing service to COVID-19 patients those who require transportation.

Mohammed, since July 13 has been only providing transportation to people from Gandhi Hospital to private and government hospitals as and when required.  Moreover, he also privodes service to COVID-19 patients to others from any part of Hyderabad as well. “This is the time to help people in need, irrespective of cast and culture I have been regularly ferrying COVID-19 patients from Gandhi Hospital to Osmania, King Koti, and Fever Hospital,” stated Khalid.

Mohammed Khalid ensures safety measures for his passengers.

Even after the Centre relaxed lockdown rules a few months (post May) ago, there has been a dearth in passengers, recalled Khalid. “So on July 13 I went near Gandhi Hospital in Musheerabad, the main treatment centre for COVID-19 patients, and noticed that emergency patients were unable to get ambulance services as there were many cases. Then I decided to start service for them at affordable rates,” said Khalid.

The 48-year-old believes that in these difficult times, we must help each other irrespective of any religion, caste or creed. “Sab jane dare to kaisa jo log bimaar hai unlo ku kaun lekar jainga dawakhano ku (If everyone is scared, then  how will people travel to the hospital)” Khalid rhetorically questioned? He has a point however, as several citizens have been complaining of slow or lack of ambulance services.

Mohammed Khalid provides service to COVID-19 patients at Gandhi Hospital in Musheerabad.

The auto rickshaw driver is also not scared of the pandemic. Furthermore, going and waiting for passengers in front of Gandhi makes him proud of what he is doing. “Carrying a patient itself is a matter of pride for me, and sharing the happiness with those who have recovered is amazing,” Khalid added. He also felt that the Telangana government should provide some monetary relief or schemes for autorickshaw drivers, as they have also been hit hard due to the lockdown.

source: http://www.siasat.com / The Siasat Daily / Home> News> Hyderabad News / by Mohammed Hussain / August 24th, 2020

Hyder Ali: The ‘Napoleon of South India’

Amazing Feats, Freedom Fighters (under research project), Karnataka (under research project), Leaders, Travel & Tourism, World Opinion, , , , , , , ,

Devanahalli, Mysore, KARNATAKA :

Hyder Ali, who is famously known as ‘the Nepoleon of South India’ for his relentless fighting against the conspiracies of the East India Company and its henchmen and for checkmating the British ambitions of expansion in South India, was born in 1722 at Devanahalli village, Karnataka state. His father was Fateh Mohammad Ali and mother Mujidan Begum.

Though he did not have any formal learning, he received training in martial arts. Hyder Ali was sharp in intellect, strong in will, capable of  handling multiple tasks simultaneously and was brave at heart.

He had participated in Devanahalli war in 1749 as a young soldier of Mysore State. Recognizing his gallantry, Nanjaraj, the Minister of Mysore kingdom, honoured Hyder Ali with the title of ‘Khan’ and promoted him as the Chief of a battalion in the Mysore army.

They attacked Mysore several times with the help of the East India Company.

Though Hyder Ali suffered initial losses, he resisted them successfully and proved a virtual nightmare to East India Company. Even then, the British rulers provoked Hyder Ali again which led to the second Mysore war in July 1780. He went to the battlefield along with his son, Tipu Sultan.

While Hyder Ali captured the Arcot, his son Tipu defeated the East India Company troops and captured Kanjeevaram, which was about 50 miles from Madras. This sent shivers to Warren Hastings, the Governor General of East India Company.

He immediately sent additional troops from Culcutta, Madras with abundant funds under the control of his Commander General, Sir Eyre Coote. While fighting against the foreign enemy on one side, Hyder Ali and Tipu Sultan taught a befitting lesson to Malabar Nayars and chieftains, who revolted against him with the active support of Nizam of Hyderbad.

Hyder Ali, while leading his troops towards successive victories, fell ill and died in the battlefield on 7 December, 1782, near Narasingarayuni Peta village, which is now in Chitoor district of Andhra Pradesh.

source: http://www.siasat.com / The Siasat Daily / Home> Featured News / by Nihad Amani / August 22nd, 2020