Category Archives: Amazing Feats

Of Grit And Determination: A Differently-Abled Kerala Boy’s Fight For Education

Amazing Feats, Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Community Involvement / Social Issues, Education, , ,

Kozhikode, KERALA :

Asim01MPOs01feb2019

“I want to become a social worker,” a 12-year-old boy from Kerala confidently told Congress president Rahul Gandhi during his recent visit to the state. But Mohammed Asim’s dreams have hit a roadblock.

Born without hands, he has trained himself to draw and write with legs. Recognising his talents, the state government had presented him ‘Ujjwala Balyam’ award. Asim, who lives in Kozhikode, has completed his seventh standard from Govt Mapplia Upper Primary School in Vellimanna. But the panchayat has no government high schools and Asim will have to travel for over six kms to continue his studies. For several months he has been going from pillar to post, with a request to upgrade the school to a high school. He has even written a letter to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.

“Sir, I don’t have two hands from birth. I have a disability with my legs too. I need assistance to go to school and for my basic needs. My parents need to accompany me to school for my basic needs. I request you to upgrade my school to high school, as I can’t travel to a far off school, ” reads his letter.

Asim02MPOs01feb2019

Asim has three younger siblings and his parents are making all efforts to fulfill their son’s dream. “My son does not want to study at home. He likes to learn and play with other kids in the school,” said Asim’s father, Muhammad Sayeed Yamini, a Madrasa teacher.

In June 2018, his demand saw the light when the Kerala High Court ordered the government to upgrade the school and do the needful for him.

”But soon after that Kerala government submitted a report saying only 2 out of 37 students are left and the rest of them have taken admissions in other high schools”, says Asim’s father.

The 12-year-old boy has been the torch bearer for other students in the panchayat as well. “It’s not just for me”, he says, “it is for everyone here in my small village. There is no high school in our panchayat.”

Asim03MPOs01feb2019

Vellimanna School, which was a Lower Primary School, was upgraded to an Upper Primary School in 2014 only after Asim wrote a letter to the then chief minister Oommen Chandy. Asim is determined to continue his struggle. He has sent a video message to Prime Minister Narendra Modi as well, besides writing letters to Union ministers Sushma Swaraj and Prakash Javadekar seeking help.
Asim’s path to his dreams seems hard, but he is determined to move forward.

source: http://www.inuth.com / Inuth / Home> Beyond The Headlines / by Gayatri Menon / January 31st, 2019

Shadab Hussain, son of a tailor: CA exam rank 1, in attempt number 1

Amazing Feats, Education, ,

Kota, RAJASTHAN :

Shadab Hussain: All India Rank 1 in the CA exam in his very first attempt. (Picture: Facebook)
Shadab Hussain: All India Rank 1 in the CA exam in his very first attempt. (Picture: Facebook)

Shadab Hussain, a resident of Rajasthan’s Kota is this year’s CA exam topper. What makes his feat remarkable is that he topped the exam in his very first attempt, and the fact that his parents were themselves not highly educated.

“Dream comes true…” was the simple message Hussain posted on Facebook with a screenshot of his results page on the website of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI), which displayed his singular rank in a most non-fussy manner. He scored 597 on 800, a score of 74.63 percent.

Hussain’s is a story that has the potential to inspire. His father is a tailor who has completed his Class 10, and his mother is a school dropout, and they did their best to ensure that there was little left wanting when it came to his education, reported The Indian Express.

“I studied day-and-night to earn a job so that my parents do not have to bother about their old age. I thought of Chartered Accountancy (CA) to be a niche profession where one can learn throughout their life. After due consideration and research I set my mind to become a CA,” Hussain was quoted as saying.

Hussain’s story caught the attention of Congress chief Rahul Gandhi, who greeted the 23-year-old on Facebook. “Congratulations, Shadab! I feel very proud of you. I extend my best wishes to you for the journey ahead,” read Rahul’s message.

Hussain said he had prepared hard for the exam and had reduced the number of hours he would spend in preparations as the exam neared. He also advised other exam-takers to set aside some time every day to introspect and take stock of their actions.

Speaking further about the method he used in the exam, Hussain said he first identified a handful of questions that would take him over the threshold needed to pass the exam and solved them first. Once that was done, he set about answering the other questions to raise his score.

source: http://www.dnaindia.com / DNA / Home> India / by DNA Web Team / January 24th, 2019

Meet Pandit Gulam Dastagir- A Muslim scholar with passion for Sanskrit

Amazing Feats, Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Community Involvement / Social Issues, Leaders, , , , , , , , , , , ,

Chikhala Village (Solapur District) / Mumbai ,  MAHARASHTRA :

Mumbai :

In downtown Worli, it is common to hear the strange greeting of ‘Assalamu-Alaykum, Guruji’ whenever an 80-year-old Muslim man steps out of his modest home.

He is none other than renowned Sanskrit scholar Pandit Gulam Dastagir, who over six decades has impressed the Shankaracharyas, late prime minister Indira Gandhi, RSS leaders and Islamic scholars, all with equal elan.

SanskritMPOs30jan2019

Armed with a deep knowledge of both Islam and Sanskrit, Pandit Dastagir can speak with authority on any religious topic — and earn their unabashed admiration.

Born in Chikhali village in Solapur district, Pandit Dastagir completed his schooling before joining a government Sanskrit institution.

“I was the only Muslim student in a class of around four dozen Brahmins. My Brahmin Guruji developed a special liking for me and encouraged me. I acquired my entire Sanskrit knowledge of the scriptures, Vedas and other texts there,” Pandit Dastagir told IANS.

Around mid-1950s, he shifted to Mumbai and joined the Maratha Mandir Sansthan’s Marathi-medium Worli High School as a Sanskrit teacher for all classes.

Two decades later, to comply with professional requirements, he appeared directly for a Master’s degree in Sanskrit from Mysore University. After the Emergency, when the Janata Party ruled India, Pandit Dastagir was suddenly targeted. “They suspected I was a namesake Muslim propagating the RSS and Jana Sangh ideology through Sanskrit. It was only after a long investigation that they were proved wrong,” the man chuckled.

When Indira Gandhi returned to power in 1980, she summoned him and was surprised to discover that Pandit Dastagir was actually a ‘Syedvanshi’, or belonging to a clan considered the direct descendents of Prophet Mohammed.

“She met me several times and appreciated my knowledge and love for Sanskrit. In 1982, she told the education ministry to appoint me as a ‘Rashtriya Sanskrit Pracharak’,” Pandit Dastagir said.

When baffled officials asked Gandhi how should his duties be classified, she reportedly shot back: “He will teach us what needs to be done. Let him function independently.”

For two years, he toured India extensively and propagated Sanskrit in government and private institutions. He quit the post after Gandhi’s assassination in 1984.

“I acquired MA in Sanskrit only in 1987 when I was around 50 years old although I was proficient in the language long before.”

Since his retirement, Pandit Dastagir lectures on the similarities between Islam and Hinduism with reference to various aspects of one of the world’s oldest and richest languages, Sanskrit.

“Sanskrit is not only for Brahmins. But this perception made the masses reluctant to study it. I create awareness about Sanskrit all over India among different castes and religions,” he said.

Pandit Dastagir explained that Hinduism does not recognize ‘conversions’ or the caste system. “The current craze for ‘conversions’ has no basis in Hindu scriptures. It is not recognized. At best, you can change a person’s name, not his soul from the religion of his/her birth,” he said.

An old darling of the Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS), Pandit Dastagir credits the group with giving him full encouragement to pursue his vocation without having to change his religion.

He feels the RSS was not against any religion. “But if anybody threatens Hinduism, they will hit back, irrespective of the opponent’s religious beliefs,” Pandit Dastagir said.

He has also never encountered objections from fellow Muslims over his passion for Sanskrit. “Comparative study of different religions makes you more reasonable. I am not a fanatic, just an ordinary Muslim.”

His love for Sanskrit has not made him lose Islamic identity. He prays daily at the mosque. “I have built up a huge library of thousands of books on Sanskrit and Islam which I study and propagate,” Pandit Dastagir said.

He laments that there are many other Muslim Sanskrit scholars in the country but financial constraints prevent them from propagating the ancient Indian language.

Pandit Dastagir’s wife Vahida is a supporting housewife. Their son Badiujjama is a Sanskrit scholar but runs a shop, elder daughter Gyasunissa Shaikh runs a Sanskrit research centre in Solapur, and their other daughter Kamrunnisa Patil never pursued her father’s passion.

IANS

source: http://www.oneindia.com / One India / Home> News> Feature / by IANS / December 27th, 2014

Tumakuru armyman who gunned down seven militants gets Sena Medal for gallantry

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

Tumakuru , KARNATAKA :

He was involved in a major operation at Arwani in 2017 where he came face to face with a terrorist and had gunned him down.

Mohammed Sadik
Mohammed Sadik

Tumakuru :

An Indian Army Naik hailing from Tumakuru, who has gunned down seven militants in his 15-year service, most of it in Jammu and Kashmir region, has won the Sena Medal for gallantry this year. Mohammed Sadik (34) of the 1st Rashtriya Rifles, the army’s elite counter-insurgency unit, had eliminated three terrorists in a fierce gunbattle at Kulgam in July 2018. He was involved in a major operation at Arwani in 2017 where he came face to face with a terrorist and had gunned him down.

“I joined the army with a great passion. ‘Desh seva is Esha seva’ (serving the country is serving the god) for me”, said a proud Sadik when contacted over phone. Sadik’s mother Shirajunnisa, wife Rahamath Unnisa and two-and-half-year-old son Ayman were beaming with pride and joy at the Mahatma Gandhi stadium here on Saturday. They had been invited for a felicitation by the district administration on the occasion of the 70th Republic Day celebrations. Flexes with his pictures were put up at many places in the city to inspire youths.

“His father late Mohamed Salim used to hawk popsicles in different villages besides doing small seasonal businesses. Their’s was an economically backward family”, recalled Dandina Thimme Gowda, a local resident.

SADIK joined the army as a jawan on January 21, 2004, and served in J&K region for eight years, in Sudan as part of the UN peacekeeping force for a year, and for two years with the elite NSG in New Delhi.
He dreamed of joining the army even while he was studying in Class 3 at a government school at Bhovi Colony in Tiptur town.

After his primary education, Sadik completed his middle-schooling at the government school at Dandinashivara village and three years of higher secondary education at Digvijaya High School at Ammasandra in Turuvekere taluk of the district. After completing his SSLC board examination in his first attempt, he got selected for the army in at a recruitment rally held at Madras Engineering Group (MEG) at Bengaluru. He later did his Bachelors of Arts (BA) through distance education.

Impressed by PM Modi’s ‘Beti Bachao, Beti Padao’ slogan, Sadik brought his adopted sister’s daughter Shifa Annum to his household so that she can pursue her education. He also dreams of her becoming an army officer. His mother Shirajunnisa, wife Rahamath Unnisa and two-and-half-year-old son Ayman live in a small rented house at the Poor House Colony area in Tumakuru.

“We knew the risk involved in the army, that too in J&K. We are proud of him as he has been serving the motherland,” said the proud mother and wife. He is the only son of his parents.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Karnataka / by Devaraj B. Hirehalli / Express News Service / January 27th, 2019

Every step Mishal Mohammed takes helps save 74 lives

Amazing Feats, Community Involvement / Social Issues, Education, Useful / HEALTHCARE, , ,

Kozhikode, KERALA :

The effort taken by the second-year MBBS student has now garnered attention on social media platforms, under the hashtag #newyearrevolution.

MishalMPOs12jan2019

Kochi :

Save more money, travel to new places, wake up early,  eat healthy – while New Year resolutions for the majority of us were about making our own lives better, for Mishal Mohammed, it was about saving the lives of 74 children. So, carrying a collection bucket and a poster with the message ‘Save 74 Lives’, this 19-year-old student of Government Medical College, Kozhikode, walked around 15 km on the second day of the New Year to support children suffering from Thalassemia, Diabetes and Wilson’s disease. The effort taken by the second-year MBBS student has now garnered attention on social media platforms, under the hashtag #newyearrevolution.

According to Mishal, the ‘revolution’ has been launched as part of the Imprints project of the College Union Society under which medical aid and treatment are provided throughout the year to 74 children suffering from the disease. “Nearly a year ago, I had conducted a solo trip to the Western and Northern parts of the country. I was stranded in the Himalayas without cash for a couple of days and had to walk several kilometres for help. However, the experience gave me an impetus to explore my own city on foot, “ said Mishal.

Once back in Kozhikode, Mishal decided to put his walking experiment for a better cause. “The entire cost of medical aid for children under the Imprints project comes up to nearly Rs one lakh per month. Since many are unaware of the initiative, I wondered why not use a novel method, walk around the city and raise funds for these children,” he said.

Over the past one week, Mishal has gained supporters from his college and on online platforms. He has been able to cover a total distance of 38 km on foot to JDT Islam College, Focus Mall and Kozhikode Beach and has raised a sum of Rs 30,000 for the project. “So far I have received only positive responses from people. Around Rs 5,000 was collected from online supporters,” said the Kozhikode-native.

In the previous year, the ‘Walk to the Beach’ Challenge started by  Mishal had received a huge response with around 200 college students covering the 10 km distance from Government Medical College to Kozhikode beach, on foot. The student is also planning to visit a couple more localities and spread awareness on the Imprints project, on hartal days.Those interested in contributing towards the Imprints project can contact 9567992028 or 9745414085 for further details.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Kochi / by Express News Service / January 12th, 2019

Kashmiri officer died fighting Maoists: CRPF

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

Manzgam ( Baramulla District) , JAMMU & KASHMIR :

Family ‘receives conflicting versions’

File Photo
File Photo

The Central Reserve Police Force on Tuesday said that an assistant commandant of the force, who hailed from Manzgam village in Baramulla district, died fighting Maoists in Jharkhand on Monday.

The force had told Ghulam Jeelani Khan’s family yesterday that he was electrocuted.

“Assistant commandant Gulam Jeelani Khan of 157 battalion sacrificed his life in an anti-Maoist operation in Sinjani, Khunti, Jharkhand. The young officer saved the lives of his fellow soldiers and made ultimate sacrifice in the service of nation while leading his troops from the front”, CRPF wrote on its twitter handle on Tuesday.

An official source said the body was being sent to the officer’s village for last rites.

‘CONFLICTING VERSIONS’

The family of the deceased said they received conflicting reports from the officials of the CRPF about his death.

“At around 8.30pm on Monday, we received a communication from CRPF authorities based in Jharkhand that Jilani died due to electrocution while his team was patrolling in a forest,” said Sajid Khan, cousin of the deceased.

He added: “Another communication from Ranchi control room told us Khan died while he was on a project site.”

A mass communication graduate from Baramulla degree college, Khan was appointed in the CRPF in 2016. He, according to the family, was recently transferred to Jharkhand.

source: http://www.greatekashmir.com / Greater Kashmir / Home / by Altaf Baba, GKNN / January 02nd, 2019

Four policemen killed in militant attack in Kashmir’s Shopian

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

Shopian District, South Kashmir, JAMMU & KASHMIR :

Police officers said that the policemen who were killed were guarding a minority picket, meant for security of a few Kashmiri pandit families in Zainapora area of Shopian.

Three policemen were killed by militants in Shopian on Tuesday. (File photo)
Three policemen were killed by militants in Shopian on Tuesday. (File photo)

Four Jammu and Kashmir policemen were killed in a militant attack on a police picket in South Kashmir’s Shopian district on Tuesday. The attack was the first one by militants in the Valley after they suffered several blows in multiple encounters over the last one month in South Kashmir.

Police officers said that the policemen who were killed were guarding a minority picket, meant for security of a few Kashmiri pandit families in Zainapora area of Shopian. Four weapons belonging to the policemen were also taken by the militants after the attack, officials said. The four policemen have been identified as Abdul Majeed, Mehraj-ud-din, Anees and Hameed-ul-lah.

Majeed was a selection grade constable and a resident of Gandebal district, Mehraj-ud-din was a resident of Bandipora district in North Kashmir, while as Anees and Hameed-ul-lah were residents of Kulgam and Anantnag districts of South Kashmir respectively, officials said.

“We pay rich tributes to our colleagues Abdul Majeed, Mehraj-ud-din, Anees and Hameed-ul-lah who were #martyred in a #terror attack at #Shopian today. Our thoughts and prayers are with the grieving families at this juncture. RIP,” the state police tweeted.

Shopian district has witnessed a spurt in violence in the last one month. Apart from multiple encounters between security forces and militants, over a dozen civilians were abducted from South Kashmir villages by militants and two of them were killed on suspicion of being informers. The state police has recently claimed that they eliminated the top militant leadership in South Kashmir.

About the militant attack on Tuesday, police sources told The Indian Express that a group of militants entered the guard post of the minority picket. The militants fired indiscriminately, killing three policemen on the spot and injuring one. The injured policeman succumbed on way to the hospital, a senior police officer said.

After the attack on Tuesday, militants also posted pictures of the weapons taken by them from the police picket.

Senior state police officers, however, told The Indian Express that they are verifying the pictures that have appeared on social media. A senior police officer in Shopian said that they suspect JeM militants for the attack.

The mainstream political parties in the Valley condemned the killing.

National Conference leader Omar Abdullah said, “State has been at the receiving end with deaths, whether of a civilian, a policeman or a militant, becoming order of the day over the past three decades.”

Former CM Mehbooba Mufti tweeted, “Strongly condemn attack on policemen in Shopian claiming 3 precious lives…. Solidarity with families of jawans .Relieved that no harm caused to any civilians in the minority pocket they guarded.”

source: http://www.indianexpress.com / The Indian Express / Home> India / by Adil Akhzer / Srinagar – December 12th, 2018

Saudi in search of benefactor from Bengaluru

Amazing Feats, Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Community Involvement / Social Issues, Education, Karnataka (under research project), World Opinion, , , , , ,

Bengaluru, KARNATAKA :

Saudi Arabia Ambassador to India Saud Mohammed Al-sati shared this information when he called on Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy, along with Karnataka State Haj Committee Chairman and former Minister Roshan Baig, on Tuesday. | Photo Credit: the hindu
Saudi Arabia Ambassador to India Saud Mohammed Al-sati shared this information when he called on Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy, along with Karnataka State Haj Committee Chairman and former Minister Roshan Baig, on Tuesday. | Photo Credit: the hindu

About a 100 years ago, a woman philanthropist from Bengaluru had set up a school for girls in Mecca, Saudi Arabia.

On Tuesday, many people in Bengaluru were in for a pleasant surprise when Saudi Arabia Ambassador to India Saud Mohammed Al-sati shared this information during a meeting with Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy. The ambassador informed that they had all the records pertaining to the woman, named Saulath Unnisa, and expressed a desire to honour her family members if they could be located.

Karnataka State Haj Committee Chairman and former Minister Roshan Baig told The Hindu that they would try to trace the family. “These days, we take a five-and-a-half hours flight to Jeddah for Haj or Umra. But back then, pilgrims would have to take a ship from Bombay and sail for a fortnight to reach Mecca. It is a great contribution by the lady at that time,” he said.

Saudi consulate in city

Meanwhile, one of the long-standing demands of pilgrims and the large Kannadiga diaspora in Saudi Arabia for a consulate in Bengaluru could be fructifying shortly.

According to Mr. Baig, around 50,000 pilgrims travel from Karnataka annually for Haj and Umra. This is apart from a large number of people employed in Saudi Arabia.

The ambassador is learnt to have told Mr. Kumaraswamy that work on establishing the consulate is in progress, and it is waiting for approval from the Ministry of External Affairs. The ambassador said that the number of people seeking a visa to Saudi Arabia had doubled, and that it was the reason for opening a consulate. Currently, residents of Karnataka have to travel to Mumbai for the paperwork.

Mr. Kumaraswamy welcomed the move to open a consulate in Bengaluru, and also invited Saudi Arabian businessmen to invest in Bengaluru.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Bengaluru / by Special Correspondent / December 04th, 2018

Tales from 20th century ‘path-breaking’ Muslim women on view

Amazing Feats, Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Books (incl.Biographies - w.e.f.01 jan 2018 ), Community Involvement / Social Issues, Education, Leaders, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

INDIA :

Photo Courtsey: social media
Photo Courtsey: social media

New Delhi, (IANS)  :

Stories of conviction and contribution of Indian Muslim women, who “gave up the purdah” and were at “the forefront of the nationalist and feminist discourse” in the past century are on display here.

The exhibition on 21 “pathbreakers” opened for public view on Saturday.

Organised by Muslim Women’s Forum at the India International Centre (IIC), the show “Pathbreakers: The Twentieth Century Muslim Women of India” features women who remain largely unheard of and unsung in the mainstream narrative.

During and after the freedom movement, a note on the exhibition said, many Muslim women shed the ‘purdah’ and became partners in the project to build a new India.

They went on to become writers, teachers, artists, scientists, lawyers, educators, political workers, trade unions, MPs, and MLAs.

“With a few exceptions, most of them have been forgotten in time.”

The show, inaugurated by author-filmmaker Syeda Imam (granddaughter of early 20th century writer-educator Tyaba Khedive Jung), embodies the spirit of the active contribution of these women, and as Imam said, “were not in the recesses of home and kitchen”.

Far from the commonly-held impression of silenced, cloistered and acquiescent women, ‘Pathbreakers’ narrates the stories of strong, determined and engaged women, the note said.

Some of these women include Qudsia Aizaz Rasul, the only Muslim woman member of the Constituent Assembly and author of “From Purdah to Parliament: A Muslim Woman in Indian Politics”; Assam’s first woman MP Mofida Ahmed, elected from Jorhat in 1957; and Aziza Fatima Imam, who served in the Rajya Sabha for 13 years starting 1973.

Why Muslim women?

The exhibition of photographs, text and video installations, points to their significant contribution towards the building of the nation, along with their sisters of other communities, through its freedom struggle, independence and beyond.

“A multiplicity of stereotypes are constructed by diverse actors regarding Muslim women. But the fact is there is no undifferentiated amass’ of Muslim women. Like women of all socio-cultural groups, they too are a divergent, shifting composition of individuals, often dumped in popular parlance into one single heap. This homogenisation has to be rejected,” the note read.

The show also projects video recordings of readings from writings of some of the featuring women.

The organisers, however, said while the participating women might seem elite, it is only the first step in identifying and recognising pathbreakers from all sections.

Featured are Anis Kidwai, Atiya Fyzee, Atia Hossain, Aziza Imam, Fatima Ishmael, Hamida Habibullah, Hajira Begum, Mofida Ahmed, Masuma Begum, Mumtaz Jahan Haider, Qudsia Aizaz Rasul, Qudsia Zaidi, Razia Sajjad Zaheer, Saleha Abid Hussain, Sharifa Hamid Ali, Saeeda Khurshid, Safia Jan Nisar Akhtar, Siddiqa Kidwai, Surayya Tyabji, Zehra Ali Yavar Jung and Tyaba Khedive Jung.

This exhibition was first held here in May, and was supported by the UN Women. The current show is open till December 8.

source: http://www.twocircles.net / TwoCirlcles.net / Home> Indian News> Indian Muslim / by IANS / December 03rd, 2018

Azim Premji conferred highest French civilian award

Amazing Feats, Business & Economy, Community Involvement / Social Issues, Karnataka (under research project), Leaders, Science & Technology, World Opinion, , , , , , , ,

Bengaluru, KARNATAKA :

Wipro Limited Chairman Azim Premji receives the highest French civilian distinction, Chevalier de la Legion d'Honneur (Knight of the Legion of Honour), from Ambassador of France to India Alexandre Ziegler, in Bengaluru on Thursday.
Wipro Limited Chairman Azim Premji receives the highest French civilian distinction, Chevalier de la Legion d’Honneur (Knight of the Legion of Honour), from Ambassador of France to India Alexandre Ziegler, in Bengaluru on Thursday.

Azim Premji, philanthropist and Chairman of Wipro Limited, on Wednesday received the highest French civilian distinction, Chevalier de la Legion d’Honneur (Knight of the Legion of Honour) from Ambassador of France to India Alexandre Ziegler.

Speaking on the occasion at the Wipro campus, Ziegler said the award was bestowed on Azim Premji for his outstanding contribution to developing the information technology industry in India.

“Also, for his economic outreach in France, and his laudable contribution to society as a philanthropist through the Azim Premji Foundation and Azim Premji University,” he said.

TheLegion d’Honneur , instituted in 1802 by Napoleon Bonaparte, is the highest civilian award given by the French Republic for outstanding service to France, regardless of the nationality of the recipients.

The President of the French Republic is the Grand Master of the Order of the Legion of Honour.

In his acceptance speech, Premji said he is extremely honoured by the award bestowed on me. “The vibrancy of the French democracy and its diversity is an inspiration to all across the world,” he said.

Wipro’s association with France spans over 15 years and the company enjoys a close relationship with several French organizations. Nearly 65% of Wipro’s employees in France are locals.

France is a key market for Wipro and the company is committed to continues investments there. Large French digital companies already have a strong footprint in India, employing over 1.3 lakh people at their R&D centres and facilities.

source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> Business> Business News / by N.V. Vijayakumar / DH News Service, Bengaluru / November 28th, 2018