JAMMU & KASHMIR :
A 22-year-old Indian Kashmiri has invented a ventilator made only from scrap parts: a soap box, a DVD drive, a bottle cap…
Even though the project is still at the prototype stage, the young inventor hopes his creation can contribute to India’s battle against the coronavirus.
source: http://www.arabnews.com / Arab News / Home / by AFP / June 19th, 2020
GUJARAT :
Gujarat:
Muslim medicos in worst-hit Gujarat have been going an extra mile to fulfil their medical-course pledge for helping and curing run-down patients and have proved that not all white-coats are money-grubbing pill-pushers and bone-benders.
On March 1, the state government asked the medical fraternity to gear up for the pandemic and the medics of the minority community rolled up their sleeves to swing into action for serving the sick-as-a-dog patients of the dreaded coronavirus disease.
Even during the holy month of Ramadan and after, Muslim interns and resident doctors of the overcrowded state-run hospitals or physicians of private clinics not only sacrificed their comforts and academic studies but also risked their own lives to save precious lives with the situation worsening day every passing day – as one infected person expired every hour.
Wearing suffocating plastic PPE suits for as long as 12 hours, the dedicated doctors in the frontline of the fight against the mysterious pathogen work in frightful COVID centres near infectious patients. And yet, they offer their services and personalized care gratis to all castes for a noble cause, not to mention the fact that some healers have to work without PPE kits, N-95 masks and proper gloves.
Not surprisingly, in Ahmedabad alone, some 200 doctors have tested positive and at least 11 of them have died with their boots on even as Gujarat registered the highest mortality rate of 6.2 per cent in India on June 15.
Besides creating awareness and sensitizing unlettered patients about the viral infection and dealing with uncooperative relatives, the hard-pressed medicos have had to stay away from their dear one’s back home lest the latter get infected by the coronavirus.
Dr Muhammad Husain of Vadodara has been a great inspiration for doctors of his community. As the corona crisis escalated, the local administration was worried stiff after senior doctors washed their hands off the global pandemic and in turn, the juniors had to meet the challenge of treating the patients in municipal hospitals.
But Dr Husain, who is also the chairperson of the Baroda Muslim Doctors’ Association, decided to pick up the gauntlet and presented proposals to set up four up-to-the-minute COVID care centres in Gujarat’s cultural capital. The beleaguered civic body was too happy to give its go-ahead with the result that hundreds of patients recovered in quick succession in fewer days compared to the discharge rate at other state-run facilities, thanks to round-the-clock monitoring by him.
When blood banks in the city ran dry and patients’ relatives running from pillar to post for the vital fluid, Dr Husain went round Muslim mohallas and sought the help of youngsters who, for the first time, donated blood on the day of Eid al-Fitr at a quickly-organized camp where 300 bottles were collected within just a few hours.
Community leader Zuber Gopalani told TwoCircles.net that, “Dr Husain, along with his bleeding-heart doctor friends, has stood on the road under the scorching sun and distributed immunity-boosting tablets bought from his earnings. All this has made him a real corona warrior.”
In Dahod city in central Gujarat, Dr Mohammed Dohadwala, a diabetologist, and his 67-year-old father Dr Kaizar, a senior consultant physician, kept their clinics open during the lockdown to help their regular patients even though most of the private doctors remained inaccessible, fearing the deadly viral infection.
“We decided that the work must go on and formulated a foolproof strategy for the safety of staff and patients, and even devised a video consultation platform in our centre for outstation patients,” he said.
Conscious of their social responsibility in these tough times, the Dohadwalas, with the help of a local NGO, distributed special kits of daily essentials among migrants, workers and other needy families in the city.
Ahmedabad-based Dr Shakeel Vadaliwala is a neonatologist specializing in the care of newborns but the dutiful doctor was so busy in serving COVID patients that he could not be near his wife when she delivered a baby girl last month. Even though he was away from home during Ramadan, he observed his fast and performed prayers and made do with simple food but he is happy that as many as 400 of the 800 COVID patients under his care at a government hospital were cured and discharged within a week.
Members of Ittehad Medicos’ Academy have not only kept their clinics open but have also been offering free services to COVID-hit men and women at three hospitals in Ahmedabad.
According to Dr Junaid Shaikh, who has a hectic schedule taking daily rounds at all these three care centres, he had to rent a house for several days to keep his family away from infection.
“I also had to use a PPE suit for three or four days because of shortage,” he told TwoCircles.net.
Mona Desai, president of the Ahmedabad Medical Association, said that Muslim doctors like Dr Didar Kapadia, Dr Murtza and Dr Iftekhar and others are doing a yeoman’s service in these tough times but wondered why cases of assaults on doctors by patients’ relatives were on the rise.
Mujahid Nafees, convener of the Minorities Coordination Committee, Gujarat sums up and says, that, “The sacrifices made by Muslim doctors fighting the pandemic are greater than even those of a soldier battling the enemy troops on the border. A soldier can see the enemies but for doctors, the coronavirus is not visible.”
source: http://www.twocircles.net / TwoCircles.net / Home> TCN Positive> Indian Muslim> Lead Story> Pandemic / June 15th, 2020
Nizamabad, TELANGANA :
With countless migrant labourers deciding to journey home on foot amid the Covid-induced lockdown, an Anganwadi worker in Telangana’s Nizamabad decided to take it upon herself to feed as many hungry travellers as possible.
She has been buying and cooking food with her own salary, savings, and her children’s monetary help.
Ameena, who wakes up at 3 am every day to cook the food, has also been receiving donations in the form of money and food to continue her noble work.
Watch the full video for more.
source: http://www.hindustantimes.com / Hindustan Times / Home> HT Salutes / June 10th, 2020
Janipur (Phulwari Sharif) , BIHAR :
Patna:
Even as the death of an elephant in Kerala in extremely tragic circumstances, is raging on social media, an animal lover in Bihar comes under the spotlight after he bequeathes his entire wealth to two elephants. He says one of them had saved his life from a criminal.
Mohammad Akhtar (50) from Janipur in Phulwari Sharif near Patna has two elephants aged 20 and 15 years. Moti and Rani live with him.
Akhtar says elephants came to him as family heritage, and that Moti and Rani are the “children” of those elephants. “I have lived with them since my childhood. The two are my family members,” he said, adding there are people who would like him to take care of the animal brought by them.
Akhtar is also chief of the Asian Elephant Rehabilitation and Wildlife Animal Trust (AERAWAT), an NGO. “I gave my 6.25-acre land to the two elephants to ensure that when I am not alive, the animals do not suffer hunger,” Akhtar told IANS.
He also revealed how Moti saved his life. “Moti had gone along with a mahout to Bhojpur district’s Shahpur area, where he fell ill. I had to rush there to treat him. One day, while I was asleep there, I was woken up by Moti’s roar. I saw one man pointing his gun just outside the window. I ran away to save my life,” recalls Akhtar.
He alleged that some of his own family members had joined hands with animal smugglers and were trying to sell the elephant by killing him.
Akhtar says he still fears for his life from his own family members because he has registered his land for the two elephants. He has written to Chief the Wildlife Warden and Patna police chief alleging threat to his life from his family members.
The elephant lover also trains mahouts. He says if the government does not intervene to protect the elephant, “the time is not far when we would see the elephant only in books. He says the elephants are headed for villages in search of food.
source: http://english.manoramaonline.com / OnManorama / Home> Lifestyle> News / by IANS / June 10th, 2020
Hyderabad, TELANGANA :
Known for his nimble footwork, the diminutive Hyderabadi was also referred as Indian Pele.
Hyderabad:
He was the Bade Miyan of the hollowed Calcutta ‘maidan’. The name of Mohammed Habib stands out amid the galaxy of stars that twinkled on these grounds.
Known for his nimble footwork, the diminutive Hyderabadi was also referred as Indian Pele. His exploits with the ball for 17 long years (1966 to 1983) in the City of Joy brought him many laurels. The huge crowd, the pressure, and the fan following are still fresh in Habib’s memory. “It was the good old days. I loved the game and it was one of the best moments of my career,’’ said Habib, who is now afflicted with Parkinson’s disease.
Residing in Toli Chowki, Habib is a forgotten hero in Hyderabad. “No one knows me,’’ he said with a smile, a few years ago. In a marked contrast, he is a hero worshipped in Kolkata. Nevertheless, his contribution to Indian football is immense.
Now in his 70s, Habib’s famous number 10 jersey evoked nostalgic memories. As a multi-dimensional player, he was a sensation. Skillful and hard-working, Habib was excellent as a striker and a midfielder. As former Indian striker Shabbir Ali said Habib had the elegance, vision, passing, ball control, and technique. “He was a livewire on the ground. He had exceptional fighting qualities. That stood him apart from other players,’’ he said.
Habib said he enjoyed the game. “The roar in Eden Gardens was amazing. It was all about handling the pressure. I cherished challenges.’’
Victor Amalraj, the former Indian midfielder, said Habib had the ability to dodge past three or four players before scoring a goal. “He was an attacking midfielder keeping the forwards busy. He was also capable of playing upfront as he had the speed and dribbling skills. He was a lethal striker. He had a good header too as he leapt high to nod the ball in. He was a true professional. I was lucky to play alongside him and also captain him,’’ said Amalraj.
Habib was a hugely popular player and he commanded a huge market like his brother Akbar. He was considered a big catch with all the big three — East Bengal, Mohun Bagan and Mohammedan Sporting — angling for him.
Although his longest stint was with East Bengal, Habib’s memorable moments came for Mohun Bagan when the club played against the star-studded Pele-led Cosmos team in 1977. That particular match was a huge one for this Hyderabad striker as he struck a goal in the two-all drawn match. It earned plaudits from none other Pele. “I remember getting the ball in my zone. I turned and struck the ball in. There was a huge roar and a hug from Pele himself. That night after the match, he asked me why I’m not playing in European league as a professional. I said I’m a professional here.’’
Hailing from a family of footballers with all six brothers excelling in the game, Habib said it was proud to have so many players from one family. “Azam, Moinuddin, Fareed, Akbar, Jaffar and I all played big-time football.’’
Although he made a big mark in Calcutta, Habib also played for India with great distinction. He was a member of the Nayeemuddin-led Indian team that won the bronze medal in the 1970 Bangkok Asian Games. “I think I was fortunate to play in three Asian Games. Remember India had a glorious history. Today, the Indian football team is languishing. Other nations like South Korea, Japan, Iran, Iraq, China have marched ahead of others. They have made huge strides in world football while we are struggling in Asian football. The Indian football players cannot match the speed and stamina of some of the teams of the Asian countries,’’ said Habib, who later on shone as coach after quitting the game.
He was honoured with the Arjuna Award. Now, suffering from Parkinson’s disease, he is virtually confined to his house.
source: http://www.telanganatoday.com / Telangana Today / Home> Sports> Football / by N Jagannath Das / June 07th, 2020
Kahibari Village, (Barpeta District ), ASSAM :
The topper’s father said the madrassa teachers had helped the teenager by waiving off his monthly fees and offering free tuition to him.
Guwahati ::
Karam Ali’s years of struggle has not gone in vain.
The vegetable vendor’s son, Eyamin, secured the top rank in Assam’s High Madrassa Examination, 2020, the results of which were declared on Saturday.
From the local MLA to panchayat leaders, people swarmed to Ali’s modest house at Kahibari village in Barpeta district of Lower Assam to extend their best wishes to the family.
For over a decade, Ali had pulled a cycle rickshaw to eke out a living for his family of six members. Two years ago, he had made the rickshaw a vegetable carrier by modifying it. Given his son’s achievement, he said “poverty can never stand in the way of excellence”.
“I cannot tell you in words how happy I am today. This is the result of Eyamin’s hard work. He topped every exam of his school life. He studied at an Assamese medium private school up to Class VI. As the expenses there took a toll on me, I got him admitted to government-run Dhakua High Madrassa in Class VII,” Ali told this newspaper.
He said as Eyamin kept excelling in his studies, the madrassa teachers had helped the teenager by waiving off his monthly fees and offering free tuition to him.
“I studied up to Class 12 and I know the value of education. I had always told my children that it would be difficult for me to give them the facilities. They have to study hard and follow what their teachers say. I said if they do that, they will shine in life,” Ali said.
His only daughter has been married off while she was a second semester student at a college. His two other sons are students of Class IX and II.
The family has one study table which Eyamin shared with his brother to study. With no electricity at home, the two brothers studied in the light of a lamp.
“My life has been a story of struggle. But I always took pains to ensure that my focus doesn’t get deviated. I will remain indebted to my teachers who helped me in whatever way they could. I knew I will get the fruits of my struggle. God also helped me,” Eyamin, who aspires to become a doctor and serve the society, said.
He scored 558 out of 600 with letter marks in all subjects.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Good News / by Prasanta Mazumdar / Express News Service / June 06th, 2020
In the wake of countrywide protests against CAA-NRC-NPR, India is witnessing a watershed massive movement led by women. From organizing to mobilizing to leading – women are at the forefront, often gaining stronghold over their male counterparts. Never in history we have seen such a political scenario where women leaders are emerging from every nook and corner, every village and metro city of the country.
To mark this International Women’s Day (IWD) on March 8, we have featured 10 women across India who have not only contributed to the changed definition of women empowerment but have also changed the way an Indian Woman is perceived across the globe. Through our feature, we honor and celebrate the courage of some of these inspiring women – those who have led the anti-CAA-NRC movement across India without any fear from state machinery.
Sadiya Shaikh, Mumbai
Sadiya, has visited several states to address anti-CAA-NRC rallies. She is a student of B.A at Rizvi college, Mumbai. Working to create awareness about NRC-CAA, she has shared the stage with the country’s foremost youth leaders – Kanhaiya Kumar, Umar Khalid and many other activists. Recently, Umar Khalid posted that “Sadiya is only 17 years old, but one of the best speakers I have come across during the Anti CAA-NRC movement”.
Disturbed by the Jamia incident, she became a part of these protests to challenge the brutality of state sponspored violence on the students of Jamia in Delhi. “I thought if we choose to be silent now then distorting the constitution and atrocities on students will become a norm,”says Sadiya.
She feels proud discussing that she had studied democracy as a subject but now, she says, “I am practically trying to exercise what I was studying till now”. She had always dreamt to be a part of Young India Challenge, this year she got selected but gave up just to be a part of these protests. This movement has brought a change in her, she reads more about history now and she feels more confident. She is just 17 years old so her father accompanies her on travels to another city or state to address protest gatherings.
Ayesha Renna, Kerala
Ayesha is a 22 years old student from Jamia Millia Islamia. Coming from a small town Kondotty, in Malappuram district of Kerala, she became the poster girl after her photo went viral a day after the 15th December police brutality on Jamia students. In the photo with two other women students and a student journalist, Ayesha can be seen warning the policeman against their brutal behaviour. Ayesha became the icon of Women in Hijab breaking the stereotypes and struggling for her rights.
Ayesha is associated with a Kerala-based NGO called ‘Yes India’ since 2016 which works for “educational development of students belonging from marginalised sections”. She started her protest for CAA-NRC on the very next day when the bill was passed in Parliament. She was the part of the JMI girls march to the parliament. Being a history student herself, she feels, “For me, history is not linear and it’s not only about recorded events.” She says that history is something which gives hope and energy in the age of political depression which is very similar to Nazi Germany.
Being a woman born and brought up in Kerala, specifically in a Muslim populated district, Ayesha is breaking the stereotypical image framed by the popular culture where a Woman in Hijab is hailed as “oppressed.” She says “My identity was always a subject of liberal saviours, the immediate possibility of a hijabi is limited into the immediate binaries of oppressed.”
Khalida Parveen, Hyderabad
Khalida Parveen, a 64-year-old social activist from Hyderabad, was detained by the police while protesting. That did not dampen her spirits and since then, Parveen has been actively engaged in educating women about the impact of NRC and CAA by guiding them how to maintain peaceful protests.
“Muslim women have always been targeted for being inside their houses and not standing up for their right, this movement has shown that when necessary they can do every possible thing to safeguard their rights,” says Parveen, who also runs an NGO with the aim to empower the nation by empowering its women.
She has been arrested by the police during protests and has boldly faced it, advocating the weeding out fear psychology of police in society. She is currently working on the ground by reaching out to women in rural areas and slums to educate and aware them about CAA-NRC. Parveen sights every woman as a leader in these protests. “Our responsibility is to keep fighting against these unjust laws, I am not afraid even if I die struggling for the rights of our citizenship” adds Parveen. Her active participation in mobilizing women and appealing them to come out of their houses to protest has inspired many women, who see her as their role model.
Aman Mohammadi, Saharanpur
Aman Mohammadi, 27-years-old artist from Saharanpur, is pursuing her PhD in Theatre and Performance from JNU. She is a performer who does theatre mainly on socio-political issues. Moving around in the protests she noticed that, women are leading the protests but when it comes to performance, mostly male were seen. To counter this, she became a part of the newly formed ‘Zanana Ensemble: Zanana ka Zamana.’
Anyone who identifies herself as a woman performer was open to join the group. The group has composed some very creative and engaging slogans, one of which is
“aya zanana ka zamana, hai zanana ka zamana,
khub pakaya ghar mai khana, inquilab ko hai pakana”
The group did a musical protest “Hawaon mein, yaaron jawaab milega, Fizaon mein, jawaab milega, which went viral on social media and was later covered by The Quint. They performed at several protest sites including Shaheen Bagh,Shahi Eidgah, Azad market, Inderlok and many more.
Aman has been very active and vocal on social media about the empowerment and rights of women. “This movement has brought up a beautiful form of resistance which is helping women to reclaim the space which was already taken by men, through this protest they are reclaiming these spaces” says Aman Mohammadi. Aman was deeply moved by the spirit of resistance among the ladies of mohalla who have come together to establish Shaheen Baghs at different places throughout the nation. She opines that despite the patriarchal set up of our society this movement has been able to break many barriers, the women have come out and led these protests which will always be remembered.
Shiba Minai, Hyderabad
Shiba, originally a 33-years-old journalist from Hyderabad, has now become an activist and protester. She is known for kick-starting the momentum of Hyderabad protests and also called as the Lady Flash protester of Hyderabad.
Shiba calls herself an Urban Freedom Fighter who is fighting for the rights of the citizens of India and humanity.“Women have always been the backbone and very integral part of this society but were not acknowledged by the people because they were busy thinking that Muslim women are not capable,” says Shiba. She thinks this movement has given a beautiful realization to people with traditional mind-sets about women belonging to the household.
Shiba is the mother of a 3-year-old but she manages to be an active part of these protests, just like hundreds of other women who balance their daily routine with protest schedules across the city. According to her, now “the protests are as important as having daily meals because there is nothing more patriotic than disagreeing with what is wrong and the voice of dissent is necessary.” She says that by bringing the CAA into force, we have wasted our democracy and now women must fight to save India one more time by setting an example for women throughout the world. Shiba was also detained by the police amid the protests but this didn’t stop her from voicing her dissent. She is very determined that these protests will surely bring victory and people like her will continue to resist even if it takes years.
Swati Narayan, Mumbai
Swati, originally from Mumbai, is a Visiting Fellow at the Institute for Human Development, Ranchi. She is a distinguished activist having previously worked on social issues like Right to Food, Right to Education and Social Justice for more than a decade now. She has been actively working at grassroots level, working closely with different groups and organizations to mobilize and aware people. Swati says to have Muslim women and students at the forefront have been a completely new phenomenon.
“Through this movement they are countering fascism and patriarchy in the liberal establishment as well as right wing establishment,” she says. She believes anti-CAA movement is a strong inflection point which will empower Muslim women beyond today. She hopes that this sisterhood which has emerged out of organic and pure movement should grow stronger and stronger.
Rehna Sultana, Assam
Rehna is a research scholar from Guwahati University, Assam. She is an academician turned full-time activist owing to the social circumstances at her place. Some people from her village started getting the notice for D-voter and would come to Rehna’s family to help them understand about it. It was around that time she started enquiring about citizenship issues in Assam. Soon, she started helping people with the NRC process. In her village, people used to charge 1000 rupees per head for filling the form for NRC, which didn’t even ensure that the form would be filled correctly. So, she started filling up forms for people free of cost. In the wake of CAA, she is now currently working to help people across Assam through awareness drives. Through her reach-out programmes, she is countering misconception and misinformation about citizenship laws. She informs people about the know-hows of producing documents and dealing with government authorities.Rehna hails from Bengal origin Muslim community in Assam and has been working for the upliftment of women by raising awareness against child marriage, domestic violence and education. Rehna says women and children have been worst affected as they are unable to produce the needed documents.“Birth certificate and matric certificate are two important documents to prove citizenship. Most of the women get married early and can not complete their formal education to obtain even the class 10 certificate,” she says.Rehna, who has been working tirelessly on the ground for women empowerment, believes education should be the top most priority for women.
Dr.Shagufta Yasmeen, Ranchi
She is an activist who runs a women empowerment group and recently have been very active in NRC-CAA protests. Jamia incident instigated her to join the anti CAA protest. She gradually started learning about the Act and then started the awareness program to inform people about it.
There were many misconceptions about CAA-NRC among the people. Some students and a ladies group came together to initiate the awareness drive. This movement has empowered the women in many dimensions, this has made them more confident. Shaguftais very confident in saying that “Our protest is a peaceful protest; it might take time but definitely it will be fruitful”
After her awareness sessions, people from all communities are coming and joining the protests. She considers women as more responsible and powerful which is the reason behind the success of these Anti CAA-NRC protests. It is the patience of women which has led to the strengthening of this movement and that is why everyday more people are joining the protest.
Jacinta Kerketta, Ranchi
Jacinta Kerketta from Ranchi is best known for her poetry which touches various social issues of Adivasi and Dalits. She is also a journalist and social activist. Working on the education of girls she has been travelling across the world, delivering her poetry on varied subjects including independent writing and environmental issues at the International level. Through her poetry she has also registered a protest against CAA-NRC at various public talks. Adivasis in this country have been struggling for dignified life which is yet to be actualized. Jacinta says CAA-NRC is not just Anti-Muslim rather it is also against Adivasis, Dalits and Women.For women to get empowered they need to pave their own way, aligning their own development with that of society. Only then we as society will get emancipation.
Ladeeda Farzana ,Kerela
Ladeeda, a 22 years old student of JamiaMilliaIslamia who hails from Mallapuram District of Kerela emerged as a face of resistance from the Anti CAA-NRC protests. She was seen as the one amongst the four girls protecting a male student from the police lathi-charge. Later, she has been to different states to convince people regarding CAA-NRC protests.
Ladeeda became an icon of resistance and have been very active through the movement. She has been to many universities and protest sites to encourage people to participate in the protests. She was brutally trolled but she didn’t give up. She is a role model for many of the student protestors. “The fight for justice is incomplete, unless we have solidarity from people of all faiths, ideologies and communities,” says Ladeeda.
source: http://www.twocircles.net / TwoCiricles.net / Home> TCN Positive / by Nazish Hussain and Musheera Ashraf / TwoCircles.net / March 08th, 2020
Aluva ( Kochi) , KERALA :
The family-owned Mezhukkattil Mill, which manufactures edible coconut oil, stuck in through logistical and procurement issues to meet demand across the globe.
Kochi :
This is a rare Covid business story from Kerala — one about the grit and determination of a medium-sized edible oil mill in Aluva, near Kochi, to keep its mills running during the lockdown as its workers had no option but to stay put.
The decision was also fashioned by the demand surge during the early days of the pandemic when imminent lockdowns across the globe led to panic buying.
For Ubais Ali, executive director of the family-owned Mezhukkattil Mill, which manufactures coconut oil, it did not require theoretical lessons in business management or post-Covid strategies being peddled by major consultancies across the world.
All Ubais did was spot an immediate business opportunity when essential products began flying off the shelves across continents in the middle of March. He was alerted by business associates in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Kuwait, Qatar and Bahrain that edible coconut oil, just like any other food item, was selling fast, with a large number of non-traditional users turning to this cooking medium.
But just as he began exploring the opportunity, lockdown was enforced in India on 24 March.
Ubais had about 50 workers in his factory premises who had no option but to stay put, but he had to contend with logistical issues.
“When the national lockdown began, we had three containers stuck at the Kochi International Container Terminal. Even the big players in the food processing sector were caught unawares as the clearing and forwarding agents of Kochi decided against taking any risk,” Ubais says.
“I had no option but to keep the mill running at full capacity with three eight-hour shifts as the big brands like Lulu said their malls (in the Middle East) were facing total depletion of stock. I had to take a chance or lose this opportunity forever.”
Such was the demand that towards the end of March, during the first phase of the lockdown, Ubais had to augment his supply line of six truckloads of copra, from Tirupur district in Tamil Nadu, with well over a dozen containers from Indonesia and Philippines.
That posed its own challenges. For one, the executive director had to battle for lorry passes from supply officers at the taluk level and also for inter-state travel permits.
Then the State Trading Corporation (STC) refused to issue the company with a no-objection certificate (NOC) for the import of raw materials to bridge the gap caused by the shortfall in the indigenous copra supply.
Ubais first attempted to sort this out through the Federation of Indian Exporters Organisation, of which he is a member, but eventually it required the direct intervention of the Director General of Foreign Trade (DGFT).
K.M. Harilal, joint DGFT, Kochi, said: “Though food processing units had an exemption from the lockdown, none were functioning in the first week. Ubais came to us with a peculiar problem, as he was not getting the mandatory clearance from STC for imports. As the company’s normal channel via Chennai was not fruitful I got through to my boss in Delhi who got in touch with the STC chairman and the NOC came through.”
But all the clearances in the world would not have helped in a city known for the sincere hands-down approach of workers during hartals and the lockdown, an occasion that demanded stricter adherence to stay away from work.
As if procuring raw material wasn’t hard enough, exporting the coconut oil provided an equally tough task, mainly due to confusion at the Cochin Port, the region’s main export transit point.
The Cochin Customs Brokers Association passed a resolution on 31 March that it would not move containers. It also sought clarification from the chief minister regarding anomalies in the notifications issued by the central and state governments.
The Ministry of Shipping had notified normal operations of ports and customs. It was the ministry’s advisory that all cargo, both general as well as essential, be cleared. The Kerala government, however, brought out an advisory that no one should be attending office except those specially notified. The state’s focus then was on health and avoiding any threat of contracting Covid.
Although the Cochin Customs Association withdrew its resolution following instructions from the customs commissioner, the overall sentiment among its members was more in line with the state government directive on ensuring personal safety.
As a result, there were no clearing agents ready to move the coconut oil consignments.
It posed a major hurdle for Ubais as based on demand from clients, his oil mill had lined up over a dozen containers for export by the end of April first week.
Finally, one agent, George Forwarders, expressed willingness to move the containers provided they did not face hassles from any departments. The mill and the agent both received a shot in the arm — one of the clients, to be precise the personal staff of M.A. Yusuff Ali, the UAE-based Indian billionaire businessman and owner of LuLu Group, promised to monitor all local clearances in Kochi.
The result: The first lot of three containers were moved in early April.
In all, between 25 March and 30 April, Mezhukkattil Mill imported 20 containers of raw materials for exports. And between 12 containers that came under the head of direct exports and seven containers of deemed exports, this little known company from Aluva managed to export 19 containers of finished products, earning around $ 6,68,000 (over Rs 5 crore) in foreign exchange.
For Mezhukkattil Mill, which was the largest supplier of coconut oil for soap and surfactant giants as also hair and skin oil in the 1990s, with a client list comprising Tata Oil Mills, Hindustan Lever, Wipro, among others, the lockdown has marked its coming of age. The mill had switched to manufacturing edible coconut in the decade between 2005 and 2015.
The company’s makeover as a manufacturer of only edible oil products is now complete. It now ships its oil for various brands such as Lulu Muscat Hypermarket LLC, Royal Mark Foods and Eastern Condiments in Oman and Panten Mee in Taiwan.
As the country looks to get its act together on the manufacturing front, stories from even small companies like Mezhukkattil could prove inspirational. Surely, instances like this depicting small and medium-sized companies punching way above their weight by pouncing on opportunities in a pandemic-struck market should stir the big players out of the present clime of gloom.
source: http://www.theprint.in / The Print / Home> Economy / by Vinod Mathew / June 02nd, 2020
Lucknow, UTTAR PRADESH / Pune, MAHARASHTRA :
Titled ‘Anam’, Saumitra’s upcoming film is about a 21-year old girl who does stunts as a sport. The film is inspired by the life of Anam Hashim, a female bike stunt performer and rider.
Director Saumitra Singh, who had earlier helmed the award-winning short films The Wallet and Painful Pride, is gearing up for his feature debut.
Titled Anam, Saumitra’s upcoming film is about a 21-year old girl who does stunts as a sport. The film is inspired by the life of Anam Hashim, a female bike stunt performer and rider.
The tagline of the film reads ‘a bike doesn’t know your gender’. The story is conceptualized by Anam and penned by Namneesh Sharma. While the cast is yet to be locked, an A-list actor will be a part of it, the makers shared.
“I have been working on this idea for quite some time now. However, I was busy making and promoting my two short films but been working on Anam simultaneously. The script has come out well and I can’t wait to start making it,” Saumitra says.
In 2015, Anam became the youngest woman to ride to Khardung La mountain pass on a TVS scooty for the Himalayan Highs initiative. Her achievement was included in the India Book of Records.Speaking about her journey, Anam shares, “While growing up as a kid, I always was someone who was inclined towards cycles, bikes and cars. Eventually, I discovered my love for bikes and stunts through the internet.
My journey began by trying to learn how to do wheelies on others bike and it gave me enough confidence to even get my own bike. While I was finishing my 12th, I was very sure of what I wanted to do in life, stunt riding/street bike freestyle.”
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Entertainment> Hindi / by Express News Service / May 29th, 2020
NEW DELHI :
“It feels good to have a purpose and be able to contribute to the country during these times. We are lucky we have found our purpose even through this hopeless period,” says Afifa.
Dr Nadeem Rahman, a bio-chemist at Nu Life consultants and distributors, and his wife Afifa Rahman, a pharmacist at the same company, have spent the past few weeks working through the nights to fulfill their goal of producing 1 lakh rapid anti-body kits per day, meeting the pressing demand for such kits in India. “It feels good to have a purpose and be able to contribute to the country during these times. We are lucky we have found our purpose even through this hopeless period,” says Afifa, who adds that the couple have lost track of the time they spend in their office and laboratory since the company decided to begin manufacturing these kits.
Nu Life is one of the nine Indian companies which has received validation from NIV Pune and has been cleared by the ICMR to begin manufacturing of rapid antibody test kits, which would take less than 15 minutes to show results. There was a brief glitch in their plans due to some defective kits from China but they are back in action. “We received the approval on Monday, but we began working on producing the kits to be verified ever since the lockdown began,” says Afeefa. Without a moment lost, the team of bio-chemists, pharmacists and bio technicians working at the company began manufacturing the kits on April 14th, a day after they received the ICMR approval. Despite their quick action and fervent commitment, the team’s path towards meeting production goals is full of hurdles.
“If all the parameters are in place, which includes all the staff being able to commute to the workplace per usual, and all the raw materials for testing get delivered in time, then we can easily produce one lakh kits per day, but with current lockdown scenario and global shortage of raw materials, we are realistically producing 60,000 to 75,000 kits per day,” says Dr Nadeem, who is a founding member of the company and has driven the logistics and ideation behind their rapid test kit manufacturing project. According to his wife Afifa, even after the couple goes back to their house in Jasola, they spend time ideating on how to optimize their production. “As you can see, there is no escape from COVID 19 for us now,” remarks Afifa with a short laugh.
Before the company received approval from the government to manufacture kits, the couple would spend hours ferrying their staff to and fro between the laboratory and their homes. “Before they all got passes from the government, we had to make sure they reach home. We even worried for the women’s security, who stayed at the laboratory till late at night, finishing work, but now the UP government has provided passes to all our team members,” says Afifa. The company’s staff commutes from different parts of Uttar Pradesh, taking more than an hour to reach the office, so the team has planned to fix accommodation in the office premises soon, so that production deadlines can be met well in time. “It even limits their potential exposure to the disease which they could in turn pass on to their family members,” says Afifa.
Apart from the challenges of bringing the production staff together, Nadeem Rahman states that their biggest hurdle is the prompt delivery of raw materials. “We are getting access to these materials, but to ensure the best quality, you have to wait for the best products. The demand for antigens especially, has increased worldwide, leading to the shortage of its supply,” explains Nadeem. Antigens are the molecular structure that triggers antibody response in the blood sample deposited in the kit. It is this response which indicates the presence of SAR COV 2 infection in the patient tested for the disease.
Explaining how the testing kit is used, Nadeem states that the kit employs the same lateral testing technology which has been used in pregnancy tests. “Instead of urine though, you just place a drop of blood and if two red strips appear, it suggests that you have enough antibody response to indicate the presence of the virus,” he says. The manufacturing cost per kit is placed at Rs 500 to Rs 600, much less expensive than the Rt PCR test for COVID 19. “As we optimize production, hopefully the cost of the kits will remain close to the manufacturing cost. Either way, it should be accessible and affordable to all if goes straight to the market in the future,” says the scientist.
source: http://www.indianexpress.com / The Indian Express / Home> India / by Chahat Rana / Chandigarh, April 30th, 2020