Category Archives: Arts, Culture & Entertainment

How Shah Jahan connects Bhopal, Delhi, and England

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

DELHI / Bhopal, MADHYA PRADESH :

How two rulers with a common name left a rich history and culture for its people but one is more renowned than the other.

Taj-ul-Masajid, Bhopal (Photo: SNS/Aena Thakur)
Taj-ul-Masajid, Bhopal (Photo: SNS/Aena Thakur)

In the heart of Madhya Pradesh’s capital city, Bhopal, resides Taj-ul-Masajid which literally translates to the ‘crown of mosques’. The mosque was intended to be the largest mosque in the country and was based on the design of Delhi’s Jama Masjid. In a town called Woking in England stands a mosque called Shah Jahan.

The common denominator between these three mosques is the name Shah Jahan. The fifth Mughal emperor Shah Jahan built the Jama Masjid in Delhi and the third female ruler of Bhopal, Shah Jahan Begum built Taj-ul-Masajid of Bhopal. The Bhopal’s matriarch went a step ahead as she also funded the construction of England’s first Mosque in 1889.

Taj-ul-Masajid (Image: SNS/Aena Thakur)
Taj-ul-Masajid (Image: SNS/Aena Thakur)

In the 19th century when India was a British colony, the princely state of Bhopal had a string of female rulers for roughly 107 years. The city was founded in 1707 by Afghan ruler Dost Muhammad Khan. Surrounded by Rajputs in Rajasthan and Marathas in Maharashtra, Bhopal was a vulnerable state yet the female rulers with their loyal allegiance to the British rule survived the turbulent times.

The female dynasty of Bhopal started with the death of young Nawab Nazar Muhammad Khan. His 18-year-old wife Qudsia Begum decided that the legacy of her family shall continue and declared her 15-month-old daughter Sikandar as the rightful heir of the state. In 1819, Qudsia Begum became the first Muslim female who defied the veil and became the ruler of Bhopal. Her rule was legitimised by the British and the clergy.

Both Qudsia (1819-37) and Sikandar (1847-68) were known to be tough rulers who strengthened Bhopal’s military and trained themselves to fight. However, it was the third matriarch of Bhopal, Shah Jahan Begum who brought in the period of flourishing art and culture just like her male Mughal namesake.

Unlike Qudsia and Sikandar, Shah Jahan was not known for her tough training for battles. Shah Jahan followed the system of veil and was more interested in literature, poetry, and arts.

Shah Jahan Begam of Bhopal (Image: Wikimedia Commons)
Shah Jahan Begam of Bhopal (Image: Wikimedia Commons)

Interested in Urdu and Persian poetry, Shah Jahan Begum also offered state pensions to poets like Amir Minai, a contemporary of Mirza Ghalib.

Shah Jahan Begum ordered that a dictionary of select terms in Hindustani, Persian, Arabic, Sanskrit, English, and Turkish was compiled to facilitate translation of literature between these languages. A poet herself, Shah Jahan Begum also patronized a group of female poets. According to Siobhan Lambert-Hurley’s book Muslim women, Reform and Princely Patronage, these gifted women included “Hasanara Begam ‘Namkeen,’ author of a diwan and two prose publications, Munawwar Jahan Begam and Musharraf Jahan Begam, the daughters of Nawab Mustafa Khan ‘Shefta,’ and several others.”

In her book, Siobhan Lambert-Hurley also mentions, “Shah Jahan’s interest in this area was so great that she charged a male poet at her court, Abul Qasim ‘Muhtasham’, to devote himself to collecting an anthology of female poets writing in Persian. Entitled Akhtar-i-taban, it publicized the work of 81 poetesses when it was printed in Bhopal in 1881 in dedication to the ruling Begam.”

Her ambitions for grand architecture is evident from the fact that her daughter Sultan Begum in her biography mentioned that she has lost count of the number of palaces and buildings, her mother made. Some of the prominent buildings that still remain are Taj-ul-Masajid, Taj Mahal, Ali Manzil, and Benazir.

Taj Mahal, Bhopal (Image: Wikimedia Commons)
Taj Mahal, Bhopal (Image: Wikimedia Commons)

Unlike Mughal emperor, Shah Jahan’s Taj Mahal which is a tomb, Bhopal’s Taj Mahal was a palace for the Begum. Shah Jahan Begum also helped orientalist and scholar Dr Gottlieb Wilhelm Leitner in constructing England’s first mosque which is also called the Shah Jahan mosque.

The similarities do not stop here. Just like the Mughal emperor built a planned city named Shahjahanabad, the Begum too built a neighbourhood with the same name. Hurley mentions in her book, “Shah Jahan was also responsible for building an entirely new neighbourhood of homes and offices within her capital that was predictably named Shahjahanabad. Unlike the version at Delhi, however, it was laid out on a uniform plan in-keeping with the latest ideas of town planning in Britain.”

Taj-ul-Masajid, Bhopal (Image: SNS/Aena Thakur)
Taj-ul-Masajid, Bhopal (Image: SNS/Aena Thakur)

Shah Jahan Begum of Bhopal encouraged female participation in education, religion, and culture. She was responsible for setting up institutions for female education, she reserved areas in mosques for veiled women to pray on special occasions, she also constructed a Pakka bazaar exclusively for women.

Shah Jahan Begum’s daughter Sultan Jahan Begum was the last Begum of Bhopal whose reign ended in 1926. The reign of female rulers in Bhopal broke stereotypes and brought in various reforms in the princely state. Even though women still continue to fight for their rights it should not be forgotten that the Begums did assert their authority in the 19th century and it can be done again.

source: http://www.thestatesman.com / The Statesman / Home> Features / by Aena Thakur, New Delhi / August 20th, 2019

This Kashmiri carpet maker brings Persian rugs to Chennai

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Business & Economy, , ,

Srinagar, JAMMU & KASHMIR / Chennai, TAMIL NADU :

SamiMeerMPOs23aug2019

You can expect Kirmani, Heriz and Isfahani rugs, kilims, and Pashmina shawls at an exhibition by Sami Meer, a third-generation Kashmiri carpet-maker

The interior of Folly at Amethyst today is decked up like a bride. Sunlight streaming in from a series of square windows on top bounces off the carpets that cover almost every inch of the space. It is Sami Meer’s, a third-generation Kashmiri carpet maker, exhibition that is on display.

After inviting visitors in with a handful of dry fruits, Sami unrolls a red carpet. “It’s a kilim,” he describes the woollen tapestry, “They are travel rugs, made by the Khanabadosh people; they are nomads who go from mountain to mountain with their sheep and goats.”

His collection of almost 60 carpets, kilims and pashmina shawls is hung on the walls, rolled into bundles and made to stand in the corners, and some laid out on the floor at Folly. “Those are original Persian rugs,” he points towards one wall. “Then we have Kashmiri silk ones,” he says, running a finger along a soft velvety baby blue carpet. “The Persian weavers who settled in Kashmir imparted their weaving techniques and designs to the Kashmiris,” he says. “The design may be Persian, but the silk workmanship is Kashmiri.”

SamiMeer02MPOs23aug2019

Sami sources his carpets from weavers in Iran, Balochistan in Pakistan, Afghanistan, Morocco and Turkey. All the carpets on display are hand-knotted, he informs us. “The knottage is so unique that a collector can identify which area it is from,” he says, flipping over two carpets to show the different stitches on their underside: “The first is from Isfahan, the second from Heriz.” Similarly, he goes on to show rugs from Kirman and Nain — areas in modern-day Iran.

He not only sources these rugs, but his shop, Virasat in Neelankarai, also offers repairs, servicing and washing options. Most of the servicing is outsourced to workers in Delhi and Srinagar. “I have grown up watching my grandfather and father weave such carpets at our home in Srinagar,” he says. He, however, moved to Chennai  owing to growing tensions in Kashmir in 1992. “We tried going home in 2010, but came back to Chennai in 2016 after the fallout from Burhan Wani’s encounter made it difficult for our shop to stay open.”

SamiMeer03MPOs23aug2019

“The price for each carpet depends on its size and quality; for the Persian ones, it depends on which area they were made in…” he says. The silk on silk Kashmiri rugs start from ₹25,000 and the Persian ones from ₹45,000. Here, in the city, he finds customers in people who are interested in learning about Kashmiri culture, and in collectors of Persian rugs. “I go to Srinagar once or twice a year,” he says. But for now, Chennai is home for Sami, his wife and two children.

Virasat’s exhibition is on today at Folly, Amethyst. To reach out to him, call 7550016911.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Chennai / by Sweta Akundi / August 14th, 2019

Khayyam (1927-2019) | A composer who couldn’t be straitjacketed in any style

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Community Involvement / Social Issues, Education, Leaders, SCHOLARSHIPS, , , , , , , , , , , ,

Rahon, PUNJAB / Mumbai, MAHARASHTRA :

KhayyamMPOs20aug2019

A composer who understood the nuances of Urdu and Hindi as much as the ‘sargam’ itself

If there is one word or phrase to pin down Khayyam’s music , it would be ‘literary’ or ‘poetic’. He was a music composer who understood the nuances of Urdu and Hindi as much as the ‘sargam’ itself. So, in the ideal spirit of collaboration, the songs were deeply resonant both in the thought and feeling of the writer as much as Khayyam’s own melody. No wonder some of his films had the poet or the artist as a protagonist, points out film and music expert Pavan Jha. The acme of it were Umrao Jaan (1982, Rekha as a courtesan) and even more so Kabhi Kabhie (1977 Amitabh Bachchan as a ‘shayar’), two of the biggest successes of his career in Hindi cinema that began in the late 40s.

Yash Chopra’s Kabhi Kabhie also marked the peak of his steady association with poet-writer-lyricist Sahir Ludhianvi, the other high point of which came earlier in Phir Subah Hogi (1958) and later also in Trishul (1978).

While remaining resolutely “Indian”, Khayyam’s music spanned a range — from the classical to semi-classical, folk to ghazal. “From pahadi to Punjabi, Braj to Awadh his musical influences encompassed the entire North India. He composed one of Mohammed Rafi’s best non-film bhajans — Paoon padoon tore Shyam,” says Jha. His contribution to the light classical non-film music may have come under the shadow of the film music but was just as significant. He was the one to have composed I Write, I Recite for Meena Kumari with the actress singing her own ‘nazms’ in the album.

Changing with the times

When it came to film music itself, he never got straitjacketed in any specific style, kept adapting with the times, the subject and characters of his films. So, in a film like Kabhi Kabhie, along with a melancholic and romantic title track and Main pal do pal ka shayar hoon he also created the youthful and energetic Tere chehre se, Pyaar kar liya to kya and Chahe chale chhuriyan. In Phir Subah Hogi he composed the devastatingly satirical Aasman pe hai khuda, a brilliant comment on the sad state of the nation, which resonates till date. As do Chin-o-arab hamara and the sad yet hopeful Wo subah kabhi to aayegi. Yet in the same film soundtrack he also had the beautiful love song Phir na keeje meri gustaakh nigahee ka gila.

Though he came out with great work in every decade that he spent in the Hindi film industry, it was not until the 70s and 80s — with Kabhi Kabhie and Umrao Jaan — that he catapulted into the big league of music composers. His amazing repertoire in the two films is what most would recollect him for, but there have been gems studded all over his abundantly rich discography. Like the Sahir  creation Parbaton ke pedon par shaam ka basera hai in Shagoon (1964), Majrooh Sultanpuri’s Shaam-e-gham ki kasam sung from the heart by Talat Mehmood in Footpath (1953) or Majrooh’s Rafi-Suman Kalyanpur duet Thehriye hosh mein aa loon from Mohabbat Isko Kehte Hain (1965). There are the beautiful Aankhon mein humne, Aaj bichade hain and Hazaar raahein in Thodisi Bewafai (1980) and Dikahyi diye yun, Karoge yaad to and Phir chhidi raat in Bazaar (1982).

Kaifi Azmi was another writer-lyricist with whom Khayyam created magic in Shola Aur Shabnam (1961) with songs like Jeet hi lenge baazi hum tum and later in Akhri Khat (1966) with Bhupendra singing Rut jawan jawan, raat meherbaan. Of the present lot of lyricists, though he had a great friend and admirer in Gulzar, he collaborated briefly with him in Thodisi Bewafai and later, in the 90s, on the television programme Dard (Dil ka ek chehra dikhayi dega, sung by Jagjit Kaur and Bhupendra). There was an abandoned venture of the two, called Kharidaar, in which actor Rekha is supposed to have sung one song. Also, Khayyam and his wife, singer Jagjit Kaur, are said to have organised the sangeet for Rakhee-Gulzar wedding.

Among the playback singers he worked a lot with Talat Mehmood, Mukesh and even more so with Mohammed Rafi. Perhaps one the best examples of teaming up with Rafi was the mellifluous and haunting Kahin ek naazuk masoom ladki in Shankar Hussain (1977). Not to forget Aur kuchh der theher in Akhri Khat and Jaane kya dhoondhti rehti hain ye aankhein mujh mein in Shola Aur Shabnam, the latter taking Rafi’s voice from low notes to the high in a magical seamless musical stretch.

Lata Mangeshkar sang the lilting Baharo mera jeevan bhi sanwaro in Akhri Khat under his baton, Aap yun faaslon se and Apne aap raaton mein in Shankar Hussain and Aye dil-e-nadaan and Khwaab ban kar koi aayega in Razia Sultan (1983). He was one of the crucial figures to have helped shape Asha Bhonsle’s formidable career. The two peaked in Umrao Jaan but it was in an earlier film called Footpath that Asha got the major break of getting to sing for the lead. He also gave the film industry the booming vocals of Kabban Mirza in Aayee zanjeer ki jhankar in Razia Sultan and unique voice of Jagjit Kaur, also his wife, in songs like Tum apna ranj-o-gham apni pareshani mujhe de do in Shagoon(1964) and Dekh lo aaj humko jee bhar ke, koi lauta nahin phir marr ke in Bazaar(1982), a prophetic song in retrospect.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Entertainment> Music / by Namrata Joshi / May 20th, 2019

Tomb of Kashmir’s last Muslim ruler lies in ruins at Nalanda

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

Biswak Village – Nalanda, BIHAR  :

Yusuf Shah Chak, the last independent Muslim Ruler of Kashmir Valley, is buried in Nalanda and his tomb is in disrepair and unprotected.

Yasir Iqbal, a descendant of Yusuf Shah Chak, at the tomb of Kashmir’s last Muslim ruler’s grave in Nalanda. (HT Photo )
Yasir Iqbal, a descendant of Yusuf Shah Chak, at the tomb of Kashmir’s last Muslim ruler’s grave in Nalanda. (HT Photo )

With the Centre revoking Article 370 which gave special status to J&K, the Kashmir Valley is once again in focus. But Yusuf Shah Chak. the last independent Muslim ruler of the Valley, has remained obscured and unknown for a long time.

Chak is buried in Nalanda and his tomb is in disrepair and unprotected.

Chak was exiled to Bihar by the Mughal emperor Akbar. The area where he had settled along with his family and relatives in Biswak village in Nalanda and also maintained a cavalry force of 500 horses, was later known as Kashmiri Chak. Though the exiled Kashmiri ruler died in Odisha in 1592, his body was brought to Bihar and has been lying buried along with the tombs of his wife, sons and other relatives at the graveyard at Biswak near Kashmiri Chak.

Though his Mazaar is encircled with boundary wall, the land outside this wall at the cemetery is open and has remained prone to encroachments in the past. Some concrete structures and thatched roof hutments too have come up around its periphery.

Earlier, some locals erected a boundary wall around his Mazaar, but the entire area of the cemetery outside this wall is open to encroachment.

A view of the ‘mazar’ of Yusuf Shah Chak, the last Muslim ruler of Kashmir Valley. ( HT Photo )
A view of the ‘mazar’ of Yusuf Shah Chak, the last Muslim ruler of Kashmir Valley. ( HT Photo )

Recently, Yasir Iqbal, a descendant of the Chak ruler’s relative, wrote a letter to the Minority Welfare Department, Bihar, drawing the attention towards the increasing threats of encroachments at the site of the cemetery .

He has made an appeal to take steps to stop encroachment and has also requested for the boundary wall at the cemetery. In the letter, Iqbal also made requests to preserve this piece of history and to take initiatives to tap tourism potential of the site.

“The minority welfare department has forwarded the request letter to the department concerned which is responsible for creating the boundary walls at graveyards and has directed to take actions as necessary,” SI Faisal, special secretary cum director, minority welfare department, said.

The site has a great tourism potential and it can be tapped. “But it’s the domain of the tourism department. They should take initiatives in this direction and should develop it,” he said.

Yasir Iqbal said many Kashmiris have been eager to come here to pay tribute to their last ruler. “Many intellectuals have also been coming here, but the place lack even basic infrastructure. Even the road to Kashmiri Chak village was developed in 1977 when Sheikh Abdulla, the prominent leader of Kashmir had arrived to witness Yusuf Shah’s tomb” he said. There is also no place at the village to stay. “You have to find the accommodation whether at Islampur or at Rajgir,” he said.

However, the biggest concern has been encroachment of the land. “The cemetery is spread over five acre land area at Biswak and over one acre land at Kashmiri Chak. But the tombs of Yusuf Shah, his wife and sons for decades remained unknown. There was almost a jungle around it and the tombs were hardly visible. Then we got it constructed a few years ago. But the area outside is still open and is being encroached inch by inch. Some concrete structures and thatched roof hutments have also come up on its border areas,” he said.

Yusuf Shah Chak ruled Kashmir from 1579 to 1586. In 1579 he was deceitfully imprisoned by the Mughal emperor Akbar, but was later released and was exiled to Biswak area of Bihar.

“He had a Mansabdaari of 500 horses. In fact, his love and knowledge of art and literature had impressed Mughal Badshaah and that became the reason for his release. He had married Habba Khatoon, the legendary poetess whose verses are still sung by the locals in Kashmir,” he said.

source: http://www.hindustantimes.com / Hindustan Times / Home> India> Cities> Patna / by Reena Sipan, Hindustan Times, Patna / August 07th, 2019

Dubai-based Indian expat dies while rescuing kids from Kerala floods

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Community Involvement / Social Issues, NRI's / PIO's, World Opinion, , ,

KERALA / U.A.E :

(Photo via Manorama) / khaleejtimes.com
(Photo via Manorama) / khaleejtimes.com

He couldn’t come out of the water as there was a strong undercurrent.

Flood in the Indian state of Kerala has claimed life of a Dubai expat. Razak Akkiparambil, a support staff of a school in Dubai, died after rescuing two children, including his son, who were caught in flood water.

The incident happened on Tuesday afternoon, Razak’s brother-in-law Shareef, said over the phone from Malappuram district, which is among the worst-hit regions.

“Razak had come to Kerala for his daughter’s marriage, which was held on August 4. The family had come to my home. The incident happened around 2.30 pm (IST). He saw these kids walk down to the water-filled paddy fields. It’s now filled up to the height of two people and soon these kids were in deep. As soon as Razak saw the kids were in danger, he rushed and jumped into the water to save them. He managed to hand over two kids safely to another person. But he couldn’t come out as there was a strong undercurrent. He is just 42 years but couldn’t cope with the sudden rush of water and collapsed. And as everyone was focusing on kids, no one noticed Razak drowning. He was pulled out of the water only after 15 minutes. We rushed him to a hospital but the doctor said he passed away before reaching there,” said Shareef, who works at Our Own English High School.

“We both work in the same school. Razak is there for some 10 years now. We had travelled together to Kerala for the marriage.”

Razak, a father of three, is survived by his family. They are devastated with the news of his untimely death.

“They were already affected by flood last year. They had somehow managed to renovate their house for the wedding. But again were hit by floods from last week. Luckily the wedding went well. It was his big dream. Now he is no more. The cremation will be tomorrow.”

ashwani@kjhaleejtimes.com

source: http://www.khaleejtimes.com / Khaleej Times / Home> UAE> Dubai / by Ashwani Kumar, Dubai / August 14th, 2019

Street vendor Noushad donates his whole stock for flood relief, wins hearts

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Community Involvement / Social Issues,

KERALA :

When a reporter pointed at his fast-emptying shelves and asked but hasn’t everything gone, Noushad is seen saying “God will give more.”

An artist's tribute to PM Noushad has set an example for many (Photo | Facebook)
An artist’s tribute to PM Noushad has set an example for many (Photo | Facebook)

“True generosity is an offering; given freely and out of pure love. No strings attached. No expectations. Time and love are the most valuable possession you can share.”

At a time when several flood relief collection units in Kerala are struggling to find enough materials, PM Noushad, an ordinary street vendor in Ernakulam’s famous Broadway market, has set an example by donating his entire stock to those in relief camps in Nilambur and Wayanad.

A resident of Malippuram near Vypeen in Kochi, Noushad had brought new clothes to sell for the festival sale but contributed them to relief volunteers instead. He says there is no better way of celebrating the Eid al-Adha this year than this.

A video of Noushad impulsively filling several sacks with clothes went viral after it was posted on Facebook by actor Rajesh Sharma. Shot at Noushad’s warehouse, Sharma explains that his team was taken there by Noushad after the latter had met them on the road on Saturday evening. Though he had locked the place by then, he reopened the room for Sharma’s men and offered them everything.

“We told him we can’t accept anything that is old. In response he told us we can take all the new clothes from here,” Sharma said in the video.

The video shows Noushad filling more than five sacks with children’s dress and unopened packs of pants and women’s wear.

“We cannot take any of these along when we leave this place. God will repay me for whatever I give today. Monday is Eid al-Adha and this is how I am planning to celebrate it this year. This is a  small thing that I can do to those people who are facing nature’s fury,” Noushad said.

When a reporter pointed at his fast-emptying shelves and asked but hasn’t everything gone, Noushad is seen saying “God will give more.”

Noushad with his family
Noushad with his family

Noushad’s act was appreciated by many people and the video was widely shared on various social media platforms. Many celebrities also shared the video and said Noushad has set an example by himself to the people by his rare act of humanity.

“They say it is the invisible hands of big people that hold the sky from falling. Dear Noushad, I believe your hand is one among those…” Malayalam actor Siddique wrote on social media.

The state Health Minister KK Shailaja posted Noushad’s photo along with his words on the importance of joining the relief activities on her official Facebook page to wish all Keralites a happy Bakrid.

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During the deluge of 2018, Vishnu, a youth from Madhya Pradesh who had come to Kerala to sell woollen blankets, had made news by donating his entire stock to a relief camp in Palakkad.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Kerala / by Online Desk / August 12th, 2019

UP artist Zoaib makes 6 feet charcoal portrait of Sushma Swaraj

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, , ,

Amroha, UTTAR PRADESH :

SushmaMPOs09aug2019

Amroha (Uttar Pradesh):

In a moving tribute to former external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj, an artist in Amroha city of Uttar Pradesh created a 6 feet portrait of Sushma Swaraj by using charcoal.

“I have made this six feet portrait using charcoal as today Sushma Swaraj has left us,” said Zoaib Khan said while talking to ANI on Wednesday.

The artist has made several portraits of political leaders in the past.

Swaraj was admitted to All India Institutes of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) following a deterioration in her health.

According to sources at AIIMS, the 67-year-old was feeling restless at 9 pm and reached the hospital at around 9:30 pm in an ambulance. A team of doctors tried to revive her for 70 to 80 minutes but failed in their attempt. Swaraj was declared dead at 10:50 pm.

Swaraj was appointed the foreign minister in the first term of Modi government in 2014. She opted out of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections citing health reasons.

SOURCE: ANI
source: http://www.siasat.com / The Siasat Daily / Home> New> India / by ANI / posted: Rabia Hashimi / August 07th, 2019

India’s first flight carrying 18 Hajis took off from Hyd in 1946

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

Hyderabad, TELANGANA  :

www.siasat.com
www.siasat.com

Hyderabad:

India’s first flight carrying Haj pilgrims took off from Hyderabad On 22nd October 1946. Earlier, pilgrims used to travel by a sea route for performing Haj.

According to the report published in  Times of India , the first flight carried 18 Haj pilgrims. Two Deccan Airways Dakota aircrafts took off from the old airport of Hyderabad located at Begumpet in 1946 amid slogans “Allah-u-Akbar”. Khan Bahadur Nawab Ahmed Nawaz Jung was also traveling on that flight.

It may be noted that at that time, there was no flight from other Indian cities to Jeddah.

The name of the pilot who took off the first flight was Captain Cox and his junior was Munshi. The technical support was provided by Nasir, Radio Officer and Lord, Flight Engineer.

It may be mentioned that Deccan Airways was the leading airlines at that time. In 1948, the flights of Deccan Airways were discontinued due to uncertain political situation in erstwhile Hyderabad State. It was again started in 1949 after the Police Action.

source: http://www.siasat.com / The Siasat Daily / Home> News> Hyderabad / posted by Sameer / August 08th, 2019

Reliving a passion that Shihab Thangal cherished

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Leaders, , , , , , , , , , ,

Panakkad,  KERALA :

ThangalAntiquesMPOs02aug2019

The late IUML president had a treasured collection of vintage clocks and watches

Former Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) State president Syed Mohammedali Shihab Thangal had once described himself as a horophile.

But before he could show this reporter his collection as a testimony of his passion for clocks and watches, he fell ill and passed away on August 1, 2009.

On Thursday, the tenth anniversary of Thangal’s death, the watchmaker who used to support Thangal’s personal hobby by repairing some of his complicated clocks reached the Kodappanakkal house at Panakkad and overhauled dozens of timepieces that the Muslim leader had treasured.

K. Nasaruddin, the watchmaker from Thiruvananthapuram, said Thangal was an enthusiast of timepieces that he collected passionately.

Some of the winding clocks in his collection were more than 80 years old.

“It was a wonderful hobby that he cherished privately,” said Mr. Nasaruddin.

Thangal’s widow Shareefa Aysha Beevi told The Hindu that he was an aficionado of clocks, watches and pens. “During our travels abroad, he used to buy some curious clocks and pens. At home, he used to look at them closely for a long time enjoying their intricacies and beauty,” she said.

Once with his gaze fixed at the needle of a curious chronograph, Thangal told this reporter: “It reminds me of human lives. Whatever we do and however hard we try, our lives move in accordance with God’s design.”

Ms. Beevi said that Thangal used to give pens and watches from his collections to people who value them.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Kerala / by Abdul Latheef Naha / Malappuram – August 01st, 2019

The Mughals who rest in Delhi

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NEW DELHI :

DelhiMughalGravesMPOs31jul2019

While Mughal rulers like Babar and Bahadur Shah Zafar have been buried on foreign soil, quite a few members of their clan rest at Humayun’s Tomb

Where do most Mughal kings, princes, and princesses sleep in Delhi? The answer lies in the vaults of Humayun’s Tomb, built with much devotion, by the emperor’s first wife, Haji Begum. Among those buried here are Hamida Bano Begum, the mother of Akbar; Dara Shikoh, Shah Jahan’s heir apparent; Aurangzeb’s once beloved son, Azam Shah; the dandy Jahandar Shah, and his slayer Farrukhsiyar; Ahmed Shah and Alamgir-II.

There are many more, of lesser note, some without inscriptions, gathered within the folds of the mausoleum of their ancestor Humayun. It’s a strange feeling of beds spread out on a summer night with the kind emperor sleeping in glory among many of those who waded to the throne through the blood of their relatives. The last rites of murdered princes were generally adhered to and they were laid to rest in the family graveyard. But there were exceptions like Dara Shikoh, who was denied the ritual funeral bath by his austere brother Aurangzeb.

In Mehrauli, the precincts of the shrine of Hazrat Qutubuddin Bakhtiar Kaki also form the burial ground of many Mughal and other princes. In Agra, Akbar’s tomb at Sikandra is the repository of the remains of a host of princes and princesses. In Calcutta, several descendants of Wajid Ali Shah, the last King of Oudh, lie buried, and in Rangoon, the family of Bahadur Shah Zafar has found a burial place denied to it in the land of its birth.

Babar’s tomb should have been the last resting place of all those descendants whose graves are found in Humayun’s mausoleum. But Babar chose to be buried in Kabul which ceased to be a part of the Mughal empire by the time most of his successors died.

Isn’t it an irony of fate that the first and last emperors could not be buried in India? While Babar loved Kabul, Bahadur Shah Zafar had no choice as the British wanted to stamp out his very memory by burying him in a nondescript grave in Rangoon, which was rediscovered by chance and formed the rallying point for Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose’s INA during World War-II.

Bahadur Shah Zafar died on 7 November, 1862 and was hastily buried by lantern light, with the British officer deputed to escort him from India and look after his stay in Rangoon, supervising the funeral. Zinat Mahal and the other ladies of the harem who had accompanied the king did not attend the last rites, but his young son, Jawan Bakht was present. No tombstone was erected to perpetuate the memory of the star-crossed monarch, but fate willed it otherwise and Bahadur Shah Zafar seems to have had the last laugh as his name and fame survive despite his oppressors’ ill-intentions.

The king’s mazar (shrine) has now become a place of pilgrimage in Myanmar, where the last emperor is worshipped as a Pir. While on the walls are inscribed some of his heart-rending ghazals, like the one bemoaning the misfortune of his not having found even two yards of land in his country of birth “Kitna hai badnaseeb Zafar dafan ke liye / Do gaz zamin bhi na mili ku-e-yaar mein”. But he has acquired enough space in the hearts of his compatriots alright.

Babar’s mausoleum is a modest one, which lay neglected for many years. But it is heartening to note that lately it has been renovated, having somehow escaped destruction during the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan and then the turmoil of the Taliban period. Though demands have been made for bringing back Zafar’s remains to India, nobody has raised their voice for Babar’s reburial, not entirely because of the first Mughal emperor’s dying wish.

So Humayun’s Tomb remains the funeral parlour of the family of Babar. You go from vault to vault and nothing but inscribed stones confront you on which are enshrined a cloak-and-dagger mystery. Death, gruesome death, generally at the hands of an assassin hired by the next of kin, the ambitious prince determined to seize the throne.

Many were done to death by their brothers, uncles, nephews or treacherous wazirs. Some died of poison, administered through a favourite, but faithless, courtesan; others strangled in their sleep, yet others hacked with swords or stabbed through the heart or back. Children weren’t spared. You gaze at these tombstones with awe and pity. How many innocent lives destroyed for the sake of ambition! There is the silence of death all around, with the Grim Reaper gloating over his sickle of time with which he has laid low both those with name and those without fame. Only Clio, the muse of history, understands the secrets of these vaults and it is she who weeps in them through her tresses: Put on your shoes and tip-toe away.

The writer is a veteran chronicler of Delhi

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Society> History & Culture> Down Memory Lane / by R.V. Smith / July 23rd, 2019