Visitors look at the vast range of antique utensils and other items exhibited from the collection of Ponnacchana Madhu in Madikeri on Friday.
Madikeri, KARNATAKA :
She was speaking after inaugurating the exhibition of antique items from the collection of Ponnacchana Madhu at Coffee Krupa building near Raja Seat in Madikeri on Friday. The exhibition a part of Janapada Dasara, was organised by Taluk Janapada Parishat.
“The items that were used by our ancestors had scientific applications. Some utensils in the older days were designed to improve the health of people. Unfortunately, the young generation is forgetting the significance of the livelihood of their ancestors,” she added.
Zilla Janapada Parishat president B G Anantashayana said that the folklore was close to nature. Folklore is a form of knowledge. But, the modernity has been taking us away from this knowledge, he added.
Taluk Janapada Parishat president Anil H T said that Ponnacchana Madhu, the exhibitor, had collected rare items in the last three years.
These items will be on display till October 26. The work by Madhu and Preethu couple is laudable, he added.
Collector and Exhibitor Ponnacchana Madhu said that he purchased old items in the households, after convincing the elders in the houses. Many tourists have been willing to purchase them from me. However, they are not for sale. The collection began with an old lamp contributed by an old lady called Arifa Munavar, a scrap dealer in Madikeri.
Taluk Janapada Parishat Treasurer Ambekal Navin Kushalappa, Parishat Directors Savita Rakesh and Veenakshi were present.
Exquisite collection
The collection showcases traditional weapons, a 120-year-old mud bowl, an ancient lamp from a temple in Tamilnadu with 84 diyas, puja items, African dolls, bronze items, utensils, coffee grinding machines and so on.
The agricultural equipment are an added attraction.
source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> State / by DHNS, Madikeri / October 17th, 2020
KMS Hakkim Biryani also offered biryani for Rs 1 to frontline warriors who are battling the coronavirus pandemic.
Tiruchities throng in large as hotel chain offers biryani for 10 paisa | EPS
Tiruchy :
To celebrate the World Biryani Day in a unique manner, a popular Biryani chain in Tiruchy sold delicious biryani for a mere amount of 10 paise on Sunday. The restaurant chain also offered biryani for Rs 1 to frontline warriors who are battling the coronavirus pandemic .
Contrary to the regular Sunday morning look, the Shastri road in Tiruchy was bustling with activity and excitement after KMS Hakkim Biryani centre sold Biryani to the public for 10 paise. With the outlet advertising that the offer is valid only for the first 100 customers, several people beelined in front of the restaurant holding demonetised 10 paisa coins in their hands.
Speaking to TNIE, KMS Mohideen, owner of the KMS Hakkim Biryani Chain said, “We wanted to appreciate the frontline workers for braving their lives and decided to offer biryani at a cost of Rs 1 on the World Biryani Day. However, we did not want the other customers to be left out, so we introduced an idea to sell biryani for the public who in possession of the demonetised 10 paisa coin.”
With the biryani being offered for such an unbelievable price, several people including children and women tried their luck. Incidentally, few customers waiting in the lines expressed that they spent the last couple of days searching their houses in and out so that they could find 10 paisa coins and purchase biryani.
Ravindran, a city resident who had come along with his son in hope of purchasing a packet said, ” My father in a conversation with my son had taught him about the currency values in the olden days and gave him a few 10 paisa coins as memorabilia. After we saw the advertisement on social media, our entire family started searching the house thoroughly to find the demonetised coin.”
The biryani centre today through its two outlets served a total of 210 people- 100 customers through the 10 paisa offer and 110 COVID warriors. The customers were served with Chicken biryani along with raita and dalcha in neatly packed containers. Although they offered token to frontline workers on Saturday itself by verifying their ID cards, the tokens for 10 paisa offer were issued only on Sunday.
“A total of 110 frontline workers- 45 from the police department, 35 from the Corporation department, 20 from the health department and 10 sanitation workers were served with delicious biryani. Although the parcel to the regular customers was limited to the Biryani and the raita, we had added Chicken 65 and Sweet Kesari for the frontline workers parcels to appreciate their efforts and make them feel special,” said, a manager of the hotel chain.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Tamil Nadu / by Jayakumar Madala / Express News Service / October 11th, 2020
The life and times of Delhi’s leading poets of the Mughal era and their enrichment of a syncretic language
Beloved Delhi: A Mughal City and Her Greatest Poets
Beloved Delhi: A Mughal City and Her Greatest Poets Saif Mahmood Speaking Tiger 367 pages Rs 599
Shaikh Mohammad Ibrahim Zauq, the poetry ustaad of the last Mughal Emperor, Bahadur Shah ‘Zafar’ saw, in his lifetime, the Mughal Empire brought to its knees (though not formally ended — Zauq, perhaps mercifully, died three years before the ‘Ghadar’ of 1857, the uprising that was to so impact the fabric of Delhi’s social, cultural and literary life). But an impoverished Mughal court and an equally penurious north Indian aristocracy meant that many of Zauq’s contemporaries drifted south to Hyderabad, where there was still patronage to be sought and stipends to be earned. Zauq, however, when asked why he did not migrate to the Deccan, had famously remarked, “In dinon garche Dakan mein hai bohot qadr-e-sukhan/ Kaun jaaye Zauq par Dilli ki galiyaan chhor kar?” As Saif Mahmood translates this in his book Beloved Delhi: “Although poetry is greatly valued in the Deccan these days, Zauq, who would trade that for the lanes of Delhi?”
It is this — the connection between Delhi and her Urdu poets, an almost umbilical cord that binds the city to her greatest bards — that forms an important theme in Mahmood’s book. Beloved Delhi has, as its subtitle, A Mughal City and Her Greatest Poets, and those words describe the book perfectly: it is about the Mughal city of Delhi — not the city before or after the Mughals (though there is a fleeting mention of those as well), and about its greatest poets of the 18th and 19th centuries.
Mahmood examines the life and work of eight of Delhi’s greatest Urdu poets, against the backdrop of the city. Mirza Mohammad Rafi Sauda, Khwaja Mir Dard, Mir Taqi Mir, Mirza Asadullah Khan Ghalib, Momin Khan Momin, Bahadur Shah Zafar, Shaikh Mohammad Ibrahim Zauq and Nawab Mirza Khan Daagh Dehlvi are the eight poets who form the subject of Mahmood’s book. For each poet, Mahmood begins with a biography (often preceded by a description of the current state of the poet’s grave or former home). The biography is followed by an insight into the most relevant aspects of the poet’s work — Sauda’s satire, Zauq’s use of everyday language, Momin’s sensuality, Ghalib’s often cryptic verses, and so on. Finally, there are selected verses (with translations) by each poet.
There are several reasons to recommend Beloved Delhi. Firstly, it’s a well-written, readable book that manages to strike a balance between being informative on the one hand and unintimidating, entertaining, even witty on the other. Mahmood handles with commendable skill a subject that is often perceived as unapproachable by those not familiar with the Urdu script, or who are daunted by the more Persianised form of the language. But it’s also a subject that is regaining popularity and Mahmood’s translations, his occasional helpful notes, and the very fact that he takes care to bring in popular connections — Hindi film music’s use of couplets and ghazals from classical poets, for example, or ghazals rendered by popular singers — helps make this poetry more relatable.
Also playing a major role in making the poetry easier to relate to is Mahmood’s approach to the lives of the men who wrote that poetry. He uses various sources — autobiographies, reminiscences of contemporaries, memoirs, correspondence, even the poetry they penned— to bring alive the men behind the verses. Sauda, so acerbic that his satire repeatedly got him into trouble. Mir, the mad egoist, who willingly wrote poetry in exchange for groceries. Momin, a brilliant hakim as well as a great poet. Ghalib, so addicted to gambling that it brought him into repeated conflict with the law (which, Mahmood, himself a lawyer, points out as being reflected in the many legal and judicial terms — muddai, talab, hukm, faujdaari, giraftaari, etc — that Ghalib uses in his poetry). Mahmood even busts some myths, such as the authorship of popular works attributed to poets like Zafar and Ghalib.
And there is Delhi. The Delhi of mushairas. A city where fakirs and courtesans could be heard singing Ghalib’s ghazals, where a language born out of a syncretic confluence of cultures and traditions was nurtured even through the turbulence and horror of 1857 and its aftermath. As much as he brings alive the eight poets he focusses on, Mahmood brings alive the Delhi that was so beloved to them.
Madhulika Liddle is a Delhi-based writer
source: http://www.indianexpress.com / The Indian Express / Home> Lifestyle> Books / by Madhulika Liddle / May 18th, 2019
Parvez Ali Khan’s restaurant in Armenia’s capital Yerevan is delivering packages of cooked food to those forced to flee their homes in the Nagorno-Karabakh region.
Patiala (PUNJAB)INDIA / Yerevan, ARMENIA :
When fresh clashes erupted between Armenia and Azerbaijan in Nagorno-Karabakh in the South Caucasus approximately two weeks ago, Parvez Ali Khan knew that he had to do something for the country that he now calls home. Khan, a 47-year-old from Patiala, India, had moved to Armenia five years ago with his wife and two daughters, in the hope of economic prospects and now runs Indian Mehak Restaurant and Bar, a two-year-old establishment located in the heart of capital Yerevan, just minutes away from Republic Square.
Parvez Ali Khan runs Indian Mehak Restaurant and Bar in Yerevan, Armenia. (Photo credit: Aqsa Khan)
Since fighting broke out on September 27, Armenian officials have said that the total military death toll has gone up to 244 as of October 6, according to a Reuters report, making it one of the most violent clashes in the region since the 1990s. It is unclear how many people have been forced to leave Karabakh since the fighting began, but social media posts and witness reports suggest the numbers are high.
“I must have seen approximately 30,000 refugees in Yerevan,” Khan says. On October 4, on the restaurant’s Facebook page, the family announced that they were providing freshly-cooked Indian food to people who had fled the Nagorno-Karabakh region and were seeking refuge in the capital. “We are Punjabis and we help people wherever we are. We have always done it,” Khan says.
Since the clashes have intensified, Armenians across the country have stepped in to help in whatever way they can, and Khan says he wanted to do his bit. So he turned to the resources he had easy access to—his restaurant’s kitchen. People from the Nagorno-Karabakh region who were seeking refuge in Yerevan were being given dry ingredients, with no access to facilities where they could cook, Khan says.
Overnight, he turned his kitchen into a space where his staff could prepare hundreds of food packages to distribute in the capital. “I had some savings that I had kept aside to open a restaurant in Prague. That didn’t materialise due to the coronavirus outbreak. So I am using those funds for this.”
“We started on October 4, and it just blew up,” says 20-year-old Aqsa, Khan’s elder daughter. “We knew there were refugees, but we didn’t know there were so many.” Since then, Khan and his family, along with four employees, have been working 12-hour shifts to prepare boxes with rice and naan, chole-bhature, vegetable dishes with potatoes, brinjal etc., all cooked using less spice than what is customary in Punjabi cooking, to suit the preferences of Armenians.
Aqsa Khan (right) and her sister Alsa pack prepared food in their restaurant’s kitchen. (Photo: Aqsa Khan)
But the family doesn’t think they are doing anything unusual. “There is a lot of unity in Armenia,” Aqsa explains, pointing to citizens who have come together to donate whatever was possible—from money to essentials. “We were thinking about how we could help. So we first posted on the Facebook page about donating proceeds from delivery and take-out orders. But then we saw that the refugees didn’t have access to fresh food and we thought this was more impactful.”
Employees at Indian Mehak Restaurant and Bar in Yerevan, Armenia, work round the clock to prepare food packages. (Photo: Aqsa Khan)
Aqsa says that the family found inspiration for the initiative when a local resident approached the restaurant asking for dry ingredients that she could use to prepare food for children to whom she was providing shelter. The family offered cooked Indian food instead. “We thought that we would be doing it for 25 to 30 people only,” says Khan. But the family soon realised that there were many more who needed their assistance.
Aqsa and her sister Alsa, 18, then took to Facebook and announced that the restaurant was offering Indian food to whoever was coming in from Artsakh, another name for Nagorno-Karabakh. “On the first day, some 400 people asked for help,” says Khan. “It grew from there,” Aqsa adds.
As their social media post has spread, the Khans’ phones haven’t stopped ringing. While some callers have been requesting for food packages, many others have reached out to the restaurant to offer assistance in any way they can. “Women are calling us to ask if we need help in the kitchen. People are bringing their cars to help distribute the food,” says Khan.
Recently, a volunteer delivered food from the restaurant all the way to Hrazdan, a town some 50 kms away, where some residents of Nagorno-Karabakh have sought refuge. Another volunteer has helped deliver food to Tsaghkadzor, a town a little further away. While the Khans are cooking the dishes, four Armenians have stepped in to help package the food and deliver it across Yerevan.
“Now refugees are calling us directly, as are organisations who are helping them. Some hotels who have been hosting refugees have also asked us to provide (food packages) for one meal a day,” says Aqsa. “I have never seen anything like this.”
Parvez Ali Khan helps load food packages into a waiting van outside his restaurant in Yerevan, Armenia. (Photo: Aqsa Khan)
Since the initiative is only a few days old, for now, Khan is making use of his restaurant’s supplies to prepare these food packages. The restaurant has found an outpouring of support from people across Armenia and even those in the diaspora. Many have left them messages of gratitude, promising to visit the restaurant when they can. “After the war, I will visit your restaurant and celebrate our victory,” says one message on their Facebook page, with hundreds of others in a similar vein.
There aren’t too many Indians in Armenia, says Khan, and his establishment is among the few prominent Indian restaurants in the country. In Yerevan alone, he believes, there must be around 100 Indian families, with approximately 4,000 Indian students studying medicine, scattered in universities across the country. Following the Indian government’s operation of Vande Bharat flights to help citizens overseas return home during the coronavirus pandemic, many have temporarily left.
The Khan family and their employees pose with the Indian and Armenian national flags in their restaurant’s kitchen in Yerevan, Armenia. (Photo credit: Indian Mehak Restaurant and Bar)
Over the past five years, Khan says his daughters have developed a fondness for Armenia. During their years at school and college in the country, they have made friends, learnt the language and the culture and have adapted well here, while holding on to their Indian citizenship. “They like the country.” The family has been working non-stop to prepare the food packages and they don’t have too much time for more questions. For Aqsa, Nagorno-Karabakh is as much a cause as it is for her Armenian friends and she is doing whatever she and her family can to assist the country that is now home.
source: http://www.indianexpress.com / The Indian Express / Home> World / by Neha Banka, Kolkata / October 07th, 2020
Ravathurpalayam – Neduvacheri Village (Tirupur District) TAMIL NADU :
Villagers of Ravutharpalayam are aware of the Hindu temple built by a Muslim army commander under Hyder Ali in their locality and worshipping Goddess Mariyamman.
Tirupur :
Villagers of Ravutharpalayam are aware of the Hindu temple built by a Muslim army commander under Hyder Ali in their locality and worshipping Goddess Mariyamman. The temple is located 5 kilometres from Avinashi city in Neduvacheri village in Tirupur district.
Speaking to TNIE, Neduvacheri Panchayat President TG Varadarajan said, “Oral tradition point out the Mariyamman temple was built by a Muslim man. The small temple was built with Hindu style of architecture but has small dome on the top. The small dome instead of Gopuram was very unique.” Kumravel a local resident said, ‘Earlier I never believed that the temple was built by a Muslim man. Later, I got to know the facts from the local historians.
Goddess Mariamman is invoked several times a year to regenerate soil, fertility and protect the community against disease and death. Apart from the local villagers, residents from Coimbatore and Erode also visit the temple to get the blessings of the Goddess . According to Virarajendran Archaeological and Historical Research Centre, Director S Ravikumar, “The temple structure is similar village style Hindu temple. It is built in square type 8 feet by 8 feet.
Historical evidences point out, that Hyder Ali a powerful ruler of Mysore Kingdom, had the big influence over Kongu region such as Coimbatore and Erode in 18th Century. These places were ruled by several army commanders who were also in charge of revenue collection and administration. One such officer named Ravuthar was incharge of this region.
His daughter reportedly fell ill with chicken pox. Despite medical treatment the infection couldn’t be cured. Villagers told him the idea of worshipping Goddess Mariyamman. After he made offering and prayers, his daughter was cured. He immediately built a temple dedicated to the Goddess. Currently the temple is more than 250 years old. The entire locality is known by his name Ravutharpalayam.” Neduvacheri Panchayat secretary Kannan said, “The temple attracts quiet a following in the village. Donors have donated several tracts of the land.”
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Tamil Nadu / by Saravanan MP / Express News Service / October 05th, 2020
Senior Aligarian Ishrat Afroz passed away on September 30, 2020.
A senior Aligarian and one of the soldiers of the struggle of AMU’s Minority Character, Ishrat Firoz, breathed his last in JN Medical College, AMU on September 30, 2020.
He was my senior in VM Hall’s Nasrullah Hostel. For two years, I lived in Room 33 and he was in 34 and thus we were neighbours as well. Later, I moved to Room 25 with my classmate and close friend Waseem Ahmad Qadri (now a senior advocate at Supreme Court of India). Nevertheless, Ishrat Bhai and I lived in Nasrullah Hostel for nine years—1974-83.
Although much junior to Javed Habeeb, Arif Mohammad Khan (sorry to mention the name of this man who does not want to have anything to do with the community but a historical fact has to be mentioned), Akhtarul Wasey, Z.K. Faizan, Mushtaq Ahmad Khillu and several others, Ishrat Bhai and his close friend Nadeem Tarin —both PUC (Pre-University Course) students at that time—took an active part in the long struggle for the restoration of AMU’s Minority Character and went to jail for this cause.
In our student days, AMU used to be the hub of positive Milli activities. In such a lively culture and environment, our hostel, with residents like Azam Khan, Nadeem Bhai and Ishrat Bhai, was bound to be more vibrant and active. Not only was Ishrat Bhai an active student leader, he was also a cabinet member (perhaps senior cabinet, if my memory is not failing me) in the students’ union in which Azam Khan was Honorary Secretary.
In order to give young Aligarians and non-Aligarians an idea of the Aligarian spirit of those days, I feel it necessary to narrate an interesting incident. In our hostel, we had two groups: anti-Azam Khan and pro-Azam Khan. The pro-Azam Khan group was led by three seniors and very close friends: Ishrat Bhai, Nadeem Bhai and Akhtar Zameer Bhai. Akhtar Bhai and Ishrat Bhai were roommates as well.
Akhtar Zameer, Nadeem Tarin and Ishrat Afroz in 1970
After leaving AMU Akhtar Bhai got a job in Dubai. Like any dutiful son and brother, obviously, he would have shared the joy of getting his first salary by sending money or gifts to his parents and siblings. But, along with them, he remembered his hostel mates as well and sent some money to Ishrat Bhai to arrange a dinner for the whole hostel total numbers of whose residents were around 109. Since Ramadan started only a few days after, Ishrat Bhai arranged a magnificent Iftar instead.
During the emergency, an atmosphere of fear and suffocation had gripped the country. Everyone was trying to be more loyal than the king and outdo even the most loyal Congress members by doing something extraordinary. In AMU, students’ union was dissolved and Azam Khan was arrested. As per tradition, our hostel was going to have an annual group photograph.
Even in that fear-stricken atmosphere, Ishrat Bhai, Nadeem Bhai and Akhtar Bhai showed the courage to propose that in the group photo Azam Khan’s portrait be put on one of the front chairs reserved for senior students, warden and the provost.
Obviously, this was opposed by the anti-Azam Khan group and the warden and, as a result, that year there was no group photograph.
Born in Azamgarh in 1955, Ishrat Bhai came to Aligarh at an early age to join Minto Circle . He was a bright student and did his Ph.D. in Psychology from AMU. He was not only a good writer but was a fine orator too. He conducted cultural and social gatherings in his typically attractive Aligarian style quoting Urdu verses. But he had a passion for writing, took journalism as a career, and published a serious magazine Satoon from Delhi. But sadly, he could not pursue his journalistic career for long. He suffered from diabetic and related ailments affecting his kidneys and worsening his health rapidly forcing him to close his magazine and take leave from an active life.
After leaving Aligarh, I lost touch with him. Whenever he happened to see my uncle (chacha), Dr Mohammad Yusuf Khan (Dept of Arabic), he told him without fail that he wanted to talk to me. But Chacha jan always forgot to give Ishrat Bhai my number or take his phone number. When Ishrat Bhai came on Facebook, I talked to him via voice mail and later by phone. On a couple of occasions when I phoned him he was not feeling well and had been hospitalised. Thinking that I might be disturbing him, I stopped calling him this way. I remained in touch on Facebook though. From his Facebook activity it was becoming clear that he was not keeping well.
In Ishrat Bhai’s demise, I have lost a good friend and the community has lost a sincere and dedicated activist. May Allah SWT grant him maghfirah (forgiveness) and bless his family the courage to bear this loss.
source: http://www.clarionindia.net / Clarion / Home> India / by M Ghazali Khan , Clarion India / October 05th, 2020
At a time when faculty members both present and past have even written to the President of India, Ram Nath Kovind, requesting him to intervene and stall the appointment of Dr Feroze Khan in Banaras Hindu University (BHU)’s Sanskrit Dharam Vidya Vigyaan department, West Bengal seems to embracing its Sanskrit professors hailing from the ‘other’ community, comfortably.
Going by a loose headcount there are at least 30 Muslim professors in West Bengal, teaching Sanskrit. Around 14 were recruited last year through College Service Commission and 12 this year. The most recent recruitment being of Ramzal Ali at the Sanskrit department of Ramkrishna Mission Vidyamandir, Belur. Speaking to eNewsroom, regarding his recruitment, he said, “I am in a state of shock with so many calls being made to me, seeking my comment. A Muslim learning Sanskrit is nothing new. There is a history to it. In every Sanskrit department across the state, you will find at least one Muslim student. Muslim Sanskrit teachers in Bengal, is also not rare.”
Perhaps Ali has a point. For, Dr Shaikh Sabir Ali, a gold medalist in Sanskrit from the University of Calcutta has been teaching the language for almost a decade now. Dr Ali, at present, teaches Sanskrit at the West Bengal State University, Barasat. According to him, Sanskrit, as a language is beyond Vedas and Upanishads.
He said, “There is more to this language, apart from the Vedas, Purans and Upanishads. This language has a rich literature and grammar too. It was these two that attracted me as a child. Luckily, my teachers encouraged me to take up this language for my higher studies. You, see one can’t make people take up a language simply based on one’s religion. History is a witness to many Muslims mastering this language.”
Speaking from experience Ali said, “Every batch has at least one Muslim student in the Department of Sanskrit. In Kolkata, I presume, Rabindra Bharati University has a huge number of Sanskrit students.” Dr Ali is also a topper from Ramkrisha Mission Vidyamandir.
Adding to the experiences of Muslim Sanskrit teachers in Bengal, Rakibul Sk, assistant professor at SBS government college said, “I have never been discriminated on the basis of my religion, neither while I was mastering Sanskrit, nor while teaching it. I would like to add that while I hail from a small place like Jangipur, my place of birth has taught me that there is no religious attachment to any language. Hence, when I took up Sanskrit for my higher education, the Hindu neighbours of mine never raised an eyebrow. On the contrary, they were quite happy. The teachers who guided me to reach this position are all Hindus. It’s sad that today, we are discussing all this from a religious perspective.”
However, on being asked about the faculty members writing to the President of India, Ali, said, “I don’t want to open up a new controversy. But let me be very clear, there is a particular department of Sanskrit, which is accessible only to the Brahmin. Even Hindus from other sect are not allowed to enter that domain, so the question of a Muslim being appointed in that domain can be quite challenging. As per my knowledge, Dr Feroze Khan has been appointed in the Sanskrit Dharam Vidya Vigyaan department, which is the domain that I just talked about. I don’t want to get into a further debate, but I guess, his recruitment in the literature department wouldn’t have caused this huge controversy.”
Given the new twist in the story, it would be interesting to see President Kovind’s call on the letter written by the faculty members of BHU, seeking his intervention to stall Khan‘s recruitment, especially when earlier this year, he had awarded Padma Sri for Literature and Education to Sanskrit Scholar Mohammad Hanif Khan Shastri.
(Courtesy: Sabrang India)
source: http://www.janataweekly.org / Janata Weekly / Home /by Shabina Akhtar / December 10th, 2019
Fashion, as we know it, is one of the most influential industries in the world.
Bengaluru :
Fashion, as we know it, is one of the most influential industries in the world. And when brands not only make top quality products but also come full circle and give back to the community through their choices, they become good influencers of fashion.
Kulsum Shadab Wahab, based in Bengaluru, is a philanthropist recognised by Chime for Change, a global campaign founded by Gucci, which features 25 women activists from around the world working to advance gender equality.
A true fashion enthusiast, she believes in altering the perception of high fashion through inclusivity. Ara Lumiere, an initiative by her Hothur Foundation, works with acid attack survivors in making avant-garde head gears. Worn by the likes of pop star Katy Perry, Ara Lumiere’s head gears have won many international awards. They have also collaborated with Shah Rukh Khan’s Meer Foundation to create awareness on skin banking.
Ara Lumiere X Dhruv Kapoor bucket hat collection
The spring summer ’21 edition of Ara Lumiere, in collaboration with ace designer Dhruv Kapoor (Ara Lumiere X Dhruv Kapoor), which was made out of diligence, love and hope by the survivors, was recently unveiled at the first-ever digital Milan Fashion Week.
Showcased through a short film, the gender neutral collection features embroidered bucket hats in sheer organzas and taffetas, handcrafted and hand embroidered by the brave acid attack survivors. All proceeds have gone into the rehabilitation of the survivors, where fashion has acted as a powerful tool in empowering these women.
The government’s leather ban in 2015 destroyed jobs for leather work artisans, mainly from marginalised communities. A fight for justice against caste and ostracised communities got artist-activist Sudheer Rajbhar to develop a new recycled material – one that is made from waste but close to leather in its texture and durability – to celebrate and conserve crafts from a banned industry. This is how Mumbai-based Chamar Studio was conceived.
Says Rajbhar, “Chamar was once used as a slur and we have tried to end that. Our brand’s promoters in Germany, the USA and France tell us the name sounds like a mix of ‘Chanel’ and ‘Shalimar’ and associate it with luxury.” These bags, which come in striking bold colours, are high on functionality, design and skilled craftsmanship and proudly stand at par with any global luxury brand. These timeless pieces are waterproof, cruelty free and vegan as well.
Brands with a cause make us believe that fashion can be something bigger, more than just a style statement. Along with creating high quality products that are recognised globally, fashion also puts out good into the world. Whether it is supporting a cause or sourcing sustainable material, these brands are definitely the game changers of fashion today.
(The writer is a lifestyle consultant and mindful fashion advocate)
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Bengaluru / by Sarayu Hegde / Express News Service / October 01st, 2020
Read more at: https://www.deccanherald.com/national/historian-rana-safvi-gets-yamin-hazarika-award-891896.html
Historian Rana Safvi has been conferred an award instituted in memory of Yamin Hazarika, the first woman from the Northeast to join the central police service.
Safvi, who has published several books on culture, history, and monuments of India, was chosen for her “contribution to the syncretic culture of India”.
Hailing from Assam, Hazarika was selected for the NCT of Delhi, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Lakshadweep, Daman and Diu and Dadra and Nagar Haveli Police service (DANIPS) in 1977. She held the post of assistant commissioner of Police in Chanakyapuri (Delhi) and went on to become deputy commissioner of police (Crime against Women Cell) in the national capital.
In the crucial period after the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, Hazarika was in-charge of three key police stations. In 1998, she was posted in Bosnia as part of the UN peacekeeping force. But her life was tragically cut short by destiny as she succumbed to cancer at the age of 43 in 1999.
The ceremony was held online though Hazarika’s daughter Huma presented the silver salver to Safvi in Delhi. Assam DGP Bhaskar Jyoti Mahanta was the guest of honour. He recalled the contribution of Hazarika and also spoke about her grit and determination.
The award is given every year by a collective of women professionals since 2015. Previous winners are author Indrani Raimedhi, athlete Tayabun Nisha, actor Moloya Goswami, environmental activist Purnima Devi Barman and social activist Hasina Kharbhih.
source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> National / by PTI, New Delhi / September 23rd, 2020
Illustrated book on legendary hero Kunjali Marakkar brought out for children
The popular witticism – when the going gets tough, the tough get going – has literally set off a young anthropologist- cum- archaeologist to author a book for children on Kunjali Marakkar, the legendary hero of the 16th century.
For N.K. Ramesh, a guide at the Kunjali Marakkar Memorial Museum at Vadakara, it was an opportunity to trace the history of the four Kunjali Marakkars, when his contract was terminated after the museum was closed to the public from March.
“Certainly a difference existed between writing for children and for adults. So I put down a simple narration and included illustrations based on important events during the period of Kunjali Marakkar and also a picture of a mural painting of a sea war,” he says.
Kunjali Marakkar was a honorific title given to the Muslim naval chief of the erstwhile Zamorin of Calicut. “The four Kunjali Marakkars who were the naval commanders of Zamorin fought against the Portuguese from 1507 to 1600. In fact, the Kunjali Marakkars were maritime merchants and supporters of Arab trade who lived in the coastal regions of Kayalpattinam, Kilakarai, Thoothukudi, and Karaikal. But they shifted their trade to Kochi and then migrated to Ponnani after Portuguese trade interference,” Mr. Ramesh says.
He took about four months to pen the book with 104 pages. The book has already hit the stands although the official launch has been deferred in view of the COVID-19 protocol.
Historian M.G.S. Narayanan has given an introduction to the book on Kunjali Marakkar, whose battles against the Portuguese were portrayed as a symbolic national movement.
The book also delves into the objective of the construction of a fort by Pattu Marakkar, the third Kunjali Marakkar, at Iringal (Kottakkal) in 1571 and the political dispute between his nephew Mohammed Marakkar, who became the fourth Kunjali Marakkar, and the Zamorin.
Later, the Zamorin joined hands with the Portuguese to defeat the last Kunjali Marakkar. The fort was also demolished and Kunjali executed by the Portuguese. The decline of Kunjali Marakkar, he says, led to establishment of Dutch Dominion and later British rule in India.
Mr. Ramesh, who holds a postgraduate degree in anthropology from Kannur university and Post M.Sc. Diploma in Museology from Aligarh Muslim University, has been credited with numerous discoveries, including the unearthing of Palaeolithic tools from north Malabar.
For a living, the 34-year-old is now engaged in de-husking at farms and odd jobs at Nadapuram and adjoining areas.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Kerala / by Biju Govind / Kozhikode – September 15th, 2020
