A nine-year-old boy born with a rare spinal chord development defect got a new lease of life after doctors at a city hospital performed a first-of-its-kind procedure on him.
According to doctors at MaxCure Hospital, Nizar was brought in with complains of breathing difficulty. Investigation revealed that he had developed two swellings -one in the neck and the other in the chest – that were compressing his oesophagus (food pipe) and trachea (windpipe), causing breathlessness.
“While this kind of a spinal cord defect is common in the lower spine, it is very rare in the neck region (which was the case with the young boy). So far no such case has been successfully treated anywhere in the world,” claimed Dr Ratnakar, consultant neurosurgeon at MaxCure. He said Nizar had breathlessness since his childhood.
Doctors had to perform the surgery in three sittings, to address the complication.”This is a rare case because a thoracic (chest) component was different (it was a remnant of gut or extra gut) from the neck component, which accumulated fluid and was increasing in size and compressing important structures,” said Dr Krishna Prasad, the director and the chief cardio thoracic surgeon at the hospital.
He said, “Removal of this (swellings) could be fatal. We managed it with two-staged operations and drained the fluid completely without any damage to chest structures.”The total cost of the treatment was around Rs 10 lakh. While the hospital bore most of the expenses, Aarogyasri dispensed Rs 1.6 lakh towards the procedure.
source: http://www.timeofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> News> City News> Hyderabad News / TNN / February 16th, 2017
Collector S.A. Raman handing over a certificate to a physically challenged man for calling 108 ambulance service to help an accident victim. | Photo Credit: C_VENKATACHALAPATHY
On Tuesday, it was time to appreciate people who played a crucial role in saving lives. GVK-EMRI, which operates the 108 ambulance network in the State, presented certificates – Appreciation for Good Samaritans – to 52 persons, who made calls to 108 to help those involved in road traffic accidents.
Among those who received the certificates from Collector S. A. Raman was his car driver P. Anandan and personal clerk Shaifuddin.
Mr. Anandan, a resident of Keezhpallipattu, Periyar Nagar, said he made a number of calls to 108 when he had witnessed accidents. “Recently, a motorist knocked down an elderly pedestrian on the Chittoor to Cuddalore Road. Both sustained injuries, and I called 108, and an ambulance arrived in 15 minutes,” he said.
B. Prabhudoss, head, marketing and communication, GVK EMRI, Chennai, said the certificates were in appreciation of the “Good Samaritans” who made calls to 108 to help save precious lives.
Uma Shankar, Additional Superintendent of Police, Vellore, said at least 250 persons died in road accidents in Vellore district in a year.
“Most of these accidents occur on rural roads due to triples riding, drunken driving and over-speeding. Parents get their sons 150 cc and 200 cc bikes and many of them cannot control the bikes,” he said.
S. A. Raman, Vellore Collector, expressed concern that Vellore witnessed several road accidents.
“It seems that Vellore district accounts for the highest utilisation of 108 ambulance services in the State. This is because there are more number of accidents in the district, and this is a cause of worry,” he said.
He pointed out that the district has 128 km of National Highways, which are dangerous stretches.
“First responders are essential when wan accident takes place,” he observed.
Some of them, who received certificates, shared their experiences and suggestions to improve the ambulance services.
One of them felt that the ambulances could reach the destinations faster, while another person said that those who make the call should not be asked to accompany the patient.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Tamil Nadu / Staff Reporter / Vellore – February 01st, 2017
The sixth Nizam Mahboob Ali Pasha is remembered for combining tradition with modernity
Among the rulers of all the native states in British India, Mahboob Ali Pasha, the sixth Nizam of Hyderabad is reputed to have had the most lavish court. Born in August, 1866, Mahboob came to the throne at the age of three after the death of his father, Afzal ud Daulah. Mahboob Ali, thus knew no day when he was not the King.
A Regency under Sir Salar Jung I was set up for the young Nizam till he came of age. The Viceroy, Lord Ripon came to Hyderabad for the investiture ceremony held on February 5, 1884 and presented the Nizam a diamond-studded gold sword on the occasion.
Mahboob Ali was a perfect example of a Victorian Prince. He had a great taste for western culture and modern ways of life.
His English tutor, Major John Clark (who had earlier tutored the Duke of Edinburgh) had instilled in young Mahboob the customs and manners of high English society. As a result he imbibed great taste for all that was western. His western etiquette was so perfect that there was a rumour among the courtiers that the Nizam visited European countries incognito without the knowledge of any one!
His obsession for clothes and cars was legendary. His collection of garments was one of the most extensive in the world of his time.
The best English tailors were brought to Hyderabad to stitch the Royal robes combining tradition with modernity. There was a new dress for every day and he never wore the same dress for the second time.
It is no wonder that Mahboob Ali had a huge wardrobe in his palace that ran for more than hundred feet in length, considered to be the longest in the world. As his wardrobe was on the first floor of the palace, a lift was fitted for the Nizam to access his wardrobe every day with ease.
It is interesting to note that this hand-operated wooden lift at the Purani Haveli palace, in its shining best is still in perfect working condition.
His passion for cars was unparalleled and owned a good fleet of them. A Rolls Royce Silver Ghost that was made to order but delivered after he died in 1911, is now on display in the Chowmahalla palace fully restored, due to the efforts of Princess Esra Jah wife of the present Mukharam Jah.
The resources of the Nizam as well as the spirit of the times to which he belonged never discouraged lavish spending of money. Hyderabad came to be known for Mahboob Ali’s extravagant entertainments and lavish hunting expeditions.
Interest in medicine
It was under Mahboob Ali’s patronage, that Hyderabad Chloroform Commission was set up in 1889 and Chloroform as a safe anesthesia agent in surgeries was proved by Dr. Edward Lawrie, Principal of Hyderabad Medical School. The Nizam was personally interested in the work of the Commission. Two Hyderabadi doctors, Dr. M.G. Naidu (husband of Sarojini Naidu) and Dr. S. Mallanna (father of the future Gen. S.M. Srinagesh) were sent to England with funds provided by the Nizam to prove the efficacy of Chloroform in surgeries.
The British Medical Association journal, Lancet, hailed the work of this Commission. Mahaboob Ali, personally being interested in healing was famously known to administer a herb-based medicine to cure snake bite. During his reign, the first Hyderabad- Nagpur Railway line was laid in 1874. The advent of telegraph, telephone and electricity opened up Hyderabad towards economic growth.
Chirag Ali, a well known educationalist from Aligarh was invited by Mahboob Ali to spread English education in the Nizam’s dominions. Mahboob College in Secunderabad and Nizam College in Hyderabad stand testimony to the development of higher education initiated by Mahaboob Ali Khan. Aghornath Chattoadhyay, the father of Sarojini Naidu, the first Indian to have obtained Ph.D in Biology from Edinburgh University, was the first principal of the Nizam College.
Mahboob Ali Khan was a good polo player and an excellent marksman. He was probably the first Indian prince to have a court photographer, Deen Dayal. With his wonderful skills in photography, Deen Dayal, on whom the Nizam conferred the title, Raja, immortalised the Nizam and his times. Raja Deen Dayal employed in his studio an English lady to help him in taking the photos of the women members in the Nizam’s Palace.
Mahaboob Ali passed away on August 29, 1911 when he was hardly 45 years and was succeeded by his son, Mir Osman Ali Khan, regarded as the world’s richest man but the most frugal of all the Nizams, an antithesis to his flamboyant father.
Among the numerous expensive jewels that Mahboob possessed during his reign was the famous Jacob Diamond weighing 162 Carats, bought from the reputed London jeweller, Jacob.
Years later, Osman Ali Khan used this fabulous diamond, said to be next only to Kohinoor, as paper weight, the purpose for which Mahaboob Ali bought it.
Mahboob Ali also ever lives in the minds of the gastronomists, be the natives or visitors to this city for the aroma and the taste of the distinct Hyderabadi dhum biryani, the perfection for which the Nizam, Mahboob Ali Pasha justifiably took pride.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Society> History & Culture / by K.S.S.Seshan / February 02nd, 2017
On his sixth daughter’s wedding, this Mangaluru businessman will finance the wedding of six other girls
Ibrahim Haji, a fish vendor, has 10 children, of whom seven are girls and three are boys
Extravagant weddings have become the norm for the rich in recent years, where tycoons don’t hesitate to spend crores of rupees on celebrations that last almost a week.
Then we have seen other wealthy people who lead by example. Recently, a businessman from Aurangabad celebrated his daughter’s wedding by gifting 90 houses to the homeless poor.
Now it is the turn of G Ibrahim Haji, a fish vendor from Gundyadka in Sullia, about 86 kilometers from Mangaluru .
On the occasion of the marriage of his sixth daughter on Feb 5, he has decided to get six other poor girls married. Ibrahim Haji has 10 children, of whom seven are girls and three boys. Five of his daughters are married and he decided to celebrate the wedding of his sixth daughter Aasma B in a special way. She will be marrying Shahul, a businessman.
Speaking to Bangalore Mirror, Nasiruddin, also a businessman who is married to Ibrahim’s second daughter Fauzia, said, “This is not the first time that my father-in-law has decided to help the poor. He came up in life the most difficult way and now he feels that he should help those who are in need.”
Ibrahim Haji started out in life as an ice candy vendor. After working for some time, he bought a secondhand Ambassador car for Rs 3,500 and was running service trips for some time. He then went to Dubai hoping for better prospects, but returned within months. On his return to Sullia, he ventured into the fish business. He would buy fish from Mangaluru and sell in Sullia. Gradually, his business grew and today he has about 20 mobile vehicles that sell fish on the Sullia-Madikeri and Puttur route and nearly 30 employees, said Nasiruddin.
He said Ibrahim Haji has undertaken lot of charity. “When he was the president of the Mogarpane Jumma Masjid, he built a 20-room building, so that the masjid earns revenue. Even in the past, he has helped poor girls in their marriage. To make his daughter’s wedding special, he has decided to conduct the marriage of six other poor girls. He will be offering about 10 sovereigns gold, wedding dress and lunch and look after other wedding expenses. The Nikah will take place in turns and is expected to begin at around 11.30 and go on till 2 pm. Food for nearly 6,000 people will be arranged. The wedding will take place at a ground near his house. The beneficiaries have been identified after we personally visited them. They belong to Belthangady, Puttur and Sullia area. Each of their families has a sad story to narrate. When a few among them are orphans and looked after by their relatives, a girl’s father is bedridden and another girl’s marriage was getting postponed repeatedly because the family had no money,” he said.
Ibrahim has helped poor in other ways too, like in getting a house constructed in time. “Even today, he works at his stall in the market and is very down-to-earth and hopes to continue his charity work in the future too,” said Nasiruddin.
Ibrahim Haji said, “God has blessed me and I want to continue helping people in need. I started my business from zero and today would like spend a part of my income on the needy.”
source: http://www.bangaloremirror.com / Bangalore Mirror / Home> News> State / by Bangalore Mirror Bureau / February 01st, 2017
Makki has rare collection of stones: Makki owns over 1,000 exhibits worth several crores
Huge claws of a T-Rex dinosaur that would take you to the world of Steven Spielberg’s Jurassic Park, massive amethyst crystals and a meteorite that fell in Siberia in Russia that remind of Carl Sagan’s Cosmos are part of his collection. Besides them, he owns hundreds of small precious stones, which would hold visitors in awe and expose them to a new world of stones.
Interestingly, all these are held by one man and he answers to the name of Makki. He is virtually a mobile museum. Whether it is something extra-terrestrial or buried in mounds or deep inside the earth, he has almost everything. He has ruby, agate, amethyst and many more.
“You need to touch them, feel them and experience them,” says 68-year-old Muhammad Fasihuddin Makki about his exhibits. He is not touchy about anyone touching specimens and insists that students need to be brought closer to them to change their perspective about stones.
Collecting and selling stones are his hobby as well as profession. “It’s my passion and I love it… my bread and butter are minerals,” he said. “I am taking stones to the doorstep of people for them to develop love for them,” said Makki, who has no formal training in geology. In fact, Makki is a Master’s in English and calls himself a “pujari of Laxmi and Saraswati”.
The Pune-based Makki is the founder of Matrix India and also runs a touring museum. His personal collection is displayed in exhibitions across India. He has participated in several exhibitions, conferences and auctions abroad. He has been supplying rocks and minerals to schools and colleges. He also runs one of the biggest agencies in the world involved in exporting and importing rocks and minerals.
“We offer a variety of minerals from spectacular specimens for collectors to large stock of supplies to wholesale buyers. We have a ready stock of different rough materials from India and we regularly add to our inventory freshly mined new specimens from the Deccan Traps,” said Makki. They also supply boulders and large colourful rocks for landscaping and interior decoration.
Makki is a member of various associations, including Minerological Society of India, Minerological Society of America, Collectors Society of India, Volcanological Society of India, Euromineral France and Mineralientage Germany.
The family of Makki hails from Karnataka and his father was into collecting minerals. “I picked it up from him,” he said. It has been close to five decades into this profession and hobby. “I love this and it keeps me going,” he said. He takes over 1,000 specimens for exhibitions and their value will be several crores.
“I do not charge any money or take remuneration.The institutions where I arrange these mineral and fossil exhibitions arrange for my accommodation and for my two or three assistants. The organisers bear the cost of transporting exhibits like stones from Pune. Some of the exhibits are quite heavy and many of them weigh more than 100 kg,” he said.
His son Sami has started helping him in the business and in arranging these educational earth science exhibitions.
The most precious among the specimens in his collection is a meteorite. It looks small but it is over 8 kg, he smiles. “It fell in 1947 in Sikhote-Alin in Siberia. In 1994, I visited an exhibition in the United States, where this was auctioned…. I did not hesitate, bid for it and bought it… it was quite a sum, but it is a rare collection,” he says.
He recently held “Exhibition of Rocks, Minerals & Archaeological Antiques” and it was hosted by the Centre for Extra-Mural Studies (CEMS) of the University of Mumbai in collaboration with the INSTUCEN (India Study Centre) Trust, and the Deccan College of Pune. “I want people to touch them, photograph them… it is a kind of a bond…it is a rock. Minerals do not have life, but once you touch and feel it, you are in a totally different world,” he says passionately.
He said, “The trilobites are over 400 million years old. These are the oldest fossils with me. Dinosaurs became extinct 60 million years ago. I have dinosaur fossils with me and in fact children love to see them. They often want to touch and see and I do not object. Today one can see dinosaurs in films or on television. When children see a live claw or egg or remains they get excited,” points out Makki.
Explaining how he goes about his collection, he said: “I do mining and collection from all parts of India. I have set aside a lot of large exotic colourful mineral specimens as my personal collection and in addition to that I also acquire many different kinds of colourful and interesting mineral specimens found in other countries. I buy from other dealers or exchange with my specimens and in this way over the years I have accumulated a huge collection of colourful crystalline mineral specimens from all over the world.”
India, he says, is a treasure house of minerals and the Geological Society of India and Geological Survey of India have been doing a great job. “Collection and exhibition of rocks and minerals offer good careers,” he claims.
source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> Special Features / by Mrityunjay Bose in Mumbai / DHNS – January 29th, 2017
Actor Milla Jovovich and her husband, filmmaker Paul W.S Anderson say Salman Khan has more fans in Germany than them.(Rich Fury/Invision/AP)
A Bollywood A-lister’s stardom can leave even Hollywood celebrities behind. That’s exactly what filmmaker Paul WS Anderson and his wife, actor Milla Jovovich witnessed when they ran into Salman Khan in Germany in 2011.
“We were staying at the same hotel and I was shocked because there was this huge crowd of fans inside the hotel. First immediately I thought they were my fans and I walked out all ah… No one is paying attention to me at all and what’s going on,” says Milla who will soon be seen in the sixth instalment of the Resident Evil film franchise.
She adds, “Suddenly this guy (Salman Khan) walks by and everyone is like Oh My God!! I see all of this happen and ask myself ‘Jesus Christ who is this guy?’ And then we get to know he’s the biggest Indian Bollywood star and he’s a huge deal.”
The 41-year-old actor says she was quite embarrassed with the incident. “That incident was quite interesting yet humiliating. We were all prepared to sign autographs and no one was interested and it was funny. We would turn up, pull-up at the hotel and literally more than 100 fans gathered outside the hotel. When we pulled up and got out of the car, no one was interested in us and it was so funny,” she adds.
Her husband, Paul Anderson feels Indian films are big in other countries. “Bollywood movies aren’t considered harmful in anyway. They are not pushing any western values. So Indian stars are huge in Germany,” says Anderson.
Actor Salman Khan’s stardom in Germany floored actor Milla Jovovich and her husband, filmmaker Paul W.S Anderson. (PTI)
Following the incident, Milla now wants to work with Salman and says, “I would love that. I don’t know about the singing and the dancing bit. Though I’d have to …it will be my next training.”
source: http://www.hindustantimes.com / Hindustan Times / Home> Bollywood / by Samarth Goyal, HT / January 26th, 2017
Indian tennis ace Sania Mirza picked up her first title of the season, combining with American Bethanie Mattek-Sands to lift the Brisbane International women’s doubles title, but ended up losing the World No.1 crown to her partner.
The top-seeded Indo-American duo triumphed 6-2, 6-3 against the second-seeded Russian team of Ekaterina Makarova and Elena Vesnina in the final here.
The trophy, however, ended Sania’s 91-week reign as the world No.1 doubles player in the WTA rankings. That position was taken over by Bethanie.
“I feel like I’m handing over Miss World No.1 crown,” Sania said in her post-match speech.
The Indian had come into the tournament as a defending champion, having won it with Swiss ace martina Hingis last year.
“We always have good matches (against Vesnina/Makarova). It’s great to come back as defending champion. Thank you to my partner and best friend. We go a long way, we play once a year, the last time we played, we won in Sydney,” Sania said.
“I think we should play a lot more. Thanks for playing with me. I was No.1 in the world but congratulations to her for becoming No.1 now. If not me, than her, she has had an amazing year,” she added.
Sania will go back to pairing with Czech Republic’s Barbora Strycova in Sydney next week and the Australian Open, which starts on January 16.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News> Sports> Tennis > Top Stories / PTI / January 07th, 2017
A Mumbai-based voluntary group launches a diary about the contribution of Indian Muslim women.
(From right) Book jacket of the diary; one of the inside pages that acts as a separator
Earlier this week, several Indian intellectuals and feminists paid homage to Savitribai Phule on her 185th birth anniversary. The contribution of the social reformist towards women’s rights, especially in the field of education, is now being recognised. However, Fatima Sheikh continues to be an elusive figure in Indian history. A diary introduced by Parcham Collective — a voluntary group in Mumbra in Thane district — celebrates Sheikh and several other pioneering Muslim women, who have contributed to society but have remained largely unacknowledged.
“In a political environment when the minorities in India, especially the Muslims, are having to prove their allegiance to the country, we hope this diary will reiterate that we aren’t the ‘other’,” says Sabah Khan, one of the co-founders of Parcham Collective, which attempts to break stereotypes based on religion, class, caste and gender. Active since 2012, they have been working with girls and have been successful in using football among adolescents to reclaim public space for the feminine gender and also bridge the gap between Hindus and the dominant Muslim population of Mumbra.
In the diary, Sheikh, a 2016 organiser, is the first Muslim woman, among six. Savitribai’s classmate from college, she not only taught at her school but also gave the Phule couple shelter when they were ostracised by the society for their work. The other women include Rokeya Sakhawat Hossain (1880-1932), Nazar Sajjad Hyder (1894-1967) and Rashid Jahan (1905-1952), among others. Their stories appear with illustrations and act as separators between the diary pages.
The idea of a diary, says Khan, came up earlier in 2015 during a discussion on Muslim women and their contribution to society. “At a time when education of the Muslim girl child is an issue and girls often drop out of school in Mumbra, we wanted to highlight women as role models who would inspire people,” says Khan.
The Parcham Collective team had been trying to unearth names and information of such women for a long time; the information had been tough to come by. It took them three months of research, tapping feminists such as Uma Chakravarti, and the names started to come up.
So there is Rashid Khan, a gynaecologist and writer, who was an inspiration to writers such as Premchand, Ismat Chughtai and Faiz Ahmed Faiz. A member of the Progressive Writers’ Movement, Rashid spoke about the oppression Muslim women faced everyday. As for Begum Qudsia Aizaz Rasul (1908-2001), few are aware that the Indian Women’s Hockey Cup is named after her. A politician from a privileged family, her key contributions include fighting for the abolition of the zamindari system and encouraging sports among women.
This is their first diary, but Parcham Collective wants to make it an annual project, using it to talk about subaltern women. They hope to dedicate the 2017 diary to Muslim women across the world in the arena of sports. “While the diary has been welcomed by feminists, we believe the real success of the project will be if common people purchase it and gain from it,” says Khan. Buyers can visit Parcham Collective’s Facebook page page and place an order for the diary.
source: http://www.indianexpress.com / The Indian Express / Home> Lifestyle> Book / by Dipti Nagpaul D’Souza / January 07th, 2017
Rare: Liaquat Ali Khan and his son showing his collection of stamps in Bidar.
Liaquat Ali Khan’s house in Bidar is an informal museum
Bidar:
What would be the value of a Koran that has words written in liquid gold? Amateur antique collector Liaquat Ali Khan of Bidar has such a rare piece.
This is one of his prize possessions. He has many such invaluable things in his collection. His house is an informal museum of artefacts, coins, stamps, documents, rare cutlery, currency notes, paintings, books, matchbox covers, leaflets about stamp and coin collection, pens, historical tools, knives and many other things.
Mr. Khan’s early life was hard. He could not complete his studies and took up odd jobs. He started a petty shop and ran it for nearly 25 years. He had to close it down owing to some problems. He now lives with his son in a small rented house in Bidar. He keeps the valuables in trunks under the cot and spreads the collection on the bed whenever there are visitors.
“These antique pieces are my only asset. I have spent all my resources to collect them,” he says.
“Whenever I used to hear that somebody had a rare collectible, I would go and look at it. I would buy it if I liked it. I would request the owner to give it to me and bid for it,” Mr. Khan says.
His obsession with collecting rare things was such that his family grew weary of it.
“They would despise my hobby. My wife would complain that I gave more thought to collecting coins than bringing up my children,” he says.
His collection includes a “miracle coin” from the British mint. It is concealed in a cover that looks exactly like the coin inside. One can find out that there is a coin inside only by dropping it on the floor.
There is also a set of gold coins brought out by the Vijayanagara king Sri Krishnadevaraya.
He has a copy of a letter written in Urdu by Mahatma Gandhi to one of his friends.
Mr. Khan also has government orders signed by the Nizam of Hyderabad.
He has rare stamps such as the 3D stamp of Germany and a scented one of Saudi Arabia. Mr. Khan has currency notes of nearly 100 countries.
His son is helping him in preserving the collection.
Mr. Khan has requested the Government to provide him a room to set up a permanent museum. “I have repeatedly made this request. But it has not been considered,” he says.
“Many VIPs have seen my collection. All of them have appreciated it and promised help. But none of them have kept their promise,” he says.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> National> Karnataka / by Rishikesh Bahadur Desai / June 22nd, 2007
It has been said that people remember their Gods and soldiers only in times of great danger. I have written about this before in my article: “Fading Memories and Forgotten Heroes” last year and I am writing about this again today as public memory is woefully short and this is an issue that merits mulling over again both by citizens in general and those in power in particular. Every country today maintains its own fighting forces and every country in the world invariably remembers its war veterans and martyrs and also ensures a permanent place of honour for them by naming important landmarks in its towns and cities after them.
Considering our unique and rather shameful attitude of forgetting our martyrs and war veterans it is indeed heartening that tomorrow on the occasion of our Republic Day we at Mysore are honouring three war heroes hailing from our city who have been recipients of the Veer Chakra for the bravery and valour they displayed during the 1965 and 1971 Indo – Pak wars. This gesture makes this year’s Republic Day celebration unique for all Mysoreans and it is indeed a proud moment for us. This is thankfully due to the initiative taken by a former soldier M. N. Subramani who has successfully prevailed upon the district administration to include this ceremony in tomorrow’s programme.
Subramani was my class fellow and close friend during our PUC days at St. Philomena’s College in the early seventies. Being a keen marksman he was the only close contender with me for the first place in Rifle shooting during our stint in the NCC. After this brief interlude with the uniform and the rifle he decided to continue his love affair by enlisting in the army while I decided to study on and become a doctor donning the white coat.
Although just a humble sergeant he has ever since his discharge from the army been actively striving to ensure proper post-retirement benefits to ex-servicemen by starting the Vekare Ex – Servicemen Trust in the city which among its other welfare activities has been campaigning for the establishment of a separate war memorial in the city to perpetuate the memory of all our soldiers who have laid down their lives in the call of duty. Thanks to his efforts, for the first time we saw a helicopter showering rose petals on the marching contingents at one of our Independence day parades and also at one of the Dasara air shows.
When we come to think of it, although we already have a freedom fighters’ park and are in the process of soon getting a proper memorial for our police martyrs, we do not have in our city any landmark designated as a memorial to our soldiers who have died and who are sadly continuing to die on different disturbed fronts. This lacuna becomes more poignant and painful when we consider the fact that nearly a dozen young soldiers from our own city and district have laid down their lives in wars and cross-border strife after independence.
It is said that only the brave die young. Except for the Squadron Leader Devaiah Bhavan which was also established rather belatedly again only due to the efforts of our friend Subramani, we have nothing named after these nameless heroes in the city of their birth to record their noble sacrifice and perpetuate their memory. While we are quick in naming and renaming our roads, circles, parks and other landmarks after our innumerable politicians many of whom have actually not done much good for our society, we have somehow forgotten our martyrs.
Although it may seem like a very easy and simple job to get the government to name a road or landmark after a martyr, in reality it is not so, with all the red – tape one has to untangle in the process. I am saying this from my personal futile experience over the past six years in getting our corporation and district administration to name a road or circle as a tribute to my brother-in-law Maj. S. M. Khan Ghori, a former student of the Maharaja’sCollege, who laid down his life at the age of 40 on 1st July 2001 while fighting insurgency in Kashmir. I have walked through all the corridors of power, meeting all the people, both high and low, who have all been reassuring me that it will be soon be done while they play the inevitable game of ‘musical chairs’ with their posts.
Maj Ghori, an Artillery officer of the 172 field regiment with nineteen years of service including four years in the Indian Air Force, had served in all the disturbed areas including the North-East and had received a special commendation from the President of India. When he died while on deputation to the Rashtria Rifles he received one of the best Military funerals I have ever seen. With his father serving as the warden of the Muslim Hostel in Saraswathipuram, he used to live in the warden’s quarters next to the fire station and as a student everyday he used to walk to the Maharaja’s College along the road that passes in front of the Hostel and the Ursu Boarding School and he also used to play cricket in the Maharaja’s college grounds.
In a gesture that would be sentimentally appropriate to the memory of his sacrifice, I had suggested to the City Corporation to name this as yet nameless stretch of road from the Fire Station to the Ramaswamy Circle, which passes in front of his favourite haunts after him. The file pertaining to this matter though fattened by all the relevant documents that I was asked to furnish from time to time, now lies under layers of dust with the note of approval written on it by the former corporation commissioner A. B. Ibrahim. The former Deputy Commissioner Selva Kumar who had also appreciated the move and who had promised appropriate action in this matter has since been transferred. While the monetary compensation and allotment of residential sites or quarters to war widows may fulfill their worldly needs these compensatory measures do nothing to perpetuate the memory of soldiers slain on the battlefield.
It is time we thought of drawing up a list of all the martyrs from our district and honouring them by suitably naming our land-marks without any further delay.
Dr. K. Javeed Nayeem
kjnmysore@rediffmail.com
Courtesy: Star of Mysore
source: http://www.exservicemen.in / ExServicemen India / Home> News> Views> Articles / by M N Subramaniam / September 10th, 2010
