Category Archives: Arts, Culture & Entertainment

Veiled and Visible – Stories of Three Niqabi Faith-Based Business Owners

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INDIA :

That women’ s bodies and choice of clothing are ostracized and politicized, is not new discourse. Much discussion on the subject has ensued in recent decades by liberals, feminists, progressives and conservatives alike. Add to that visible religious practices, such as head covers (Hijab) and  face veiling (Niqab) among Muslim women, and the scrutiny is further exponentialized. So much so, that it disrupts the principles of liberal and western feminists, and suddenly women’s rights to choose what they want to wear begins to be rephrased, and women’s agency to choose to cover themselves is questioned and looked down upon as ignorance or backwardness. As such, Muslim women who practice various degrees of visible modesty, from Hijab to Niqab navigate feelings of discomfort, unwelcome, as well as (c)overt violence when accessing public spaces, including schools, workplaces, markets, restaurants and more. They are often perceived as beings without agency and intellect, and far removed from the mainstream intellectual public realm. Their choice to dress themselves in accordance with their religious and spiritual goals makes their presence in public unwelcome and politicized. 

In this article, through interviews with three Niqab-observing Muslim women who have successfully curated , established, and operate their own faith-based businesses primarily selling products through digital means,we draw attention not only on the discomfort and challenges faced by Muslim women in public spaces and traditional office workplaces, but we also highlight  the agency embodied by these women to pursue their professional goals in accordance with their personal religious beliefs.

Residing and operating their businesses in India, our interviewees – Kehkashan, Asma Nafis Ansari and Mantasha – have been able to capitalize on the growing adaptation of digital technologies in recent years and produced workspaces for their businesses that offer them the safety and flexibility to pursue their multifaceted aspirations holistically. Rather than waiting for space to be given to them or created for them, they have taken the initiative upon themselves, and are doing so with grit, faith and vision. In doing so, they not only benefit themselves, but also provide employment opportunities, inspiration, and alternative workplace options to others who may find themselves facing similar challenges of discomfort in the public realm.

Faith as an anchor

For these three muslim women, faith is not just a silent actor, but the compass that guides their journeys. Kehkashan, who co-founded ‘Shop Taaseen’ with her business partner Saida Moin, says that they started with a small product, an Umrah dua card in 2024. Today, Shop Taaseen offers a range of faith-based lifestyle products—designed to make Islamic knowledge and reminders part of everyday routines, especially for young Muslims in India. Early on in her academic life, Kehskashan says, she recognized a desire in her to create something of her own but did not know what it would be. She describes herself as someone who has always leaned into creativity with a strong sense of self –  “Whatever I do, I want it to be for the sake of Allah.” she shares. That clarity guided her decisions, especially when the spaces around her were not accommodating to her identity. When asked what helped her stay rooted in her vision, Kehkashan said, “the Niqab became my north star. It shaped how I wanted to show up in the world.”

Kehkashan co-founder of Shop Taaseen

Similar to Kekhashan, our second interviewee, Asma Nafis Ansari, founder of ANA, a modest wear brand, spoke of her strong aesthetic sense, shaped by her training at the National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) Kolkata. As a student at NIFT, Asma developed a signature style for her designs over the years, eventually winning her school’s Graduation Award in her final year, for her knitwear collection inspired by the mid-20th century style, Brutalism. Before launching ANA, Asma began a more intentional journey of reconnecting with the Qur’aan. It was during her study of Surah An-Nur, she says, that her personal understanding of purdah or veiling/modesty deepened. “That connection with the Qur’aan gave me clarity…” she says, “… I didn’t just want to work in fashion —I wanted to create something deeply rooted in modesty and meaning.” Today, ANA is not just a clothing brand, but a value-aligned space for modest fashion.

Asma Nafis Ansari the founder of ANA.

Our third interviewee, Mantasha, who holds a postgraduate degree in development communication from Jamia Millia Islamia, launched Shaheen Hijabs after realizing that mainstream, traditional workspaces would not be welcoming of her niqab. After post-graduation, she accepted a position in the development sector that involved extensive fieldwork. While her supervisor remained supportive, she realized that navigating public-facing roles as a Niqabi came with quiet, persistent tensions. “In that environment, personal identity played a critical role…” she reflects, “… people advised me to remove my niqab temporarily—saying it was not obligatory. But no matter how practical their advice sounded, I could not bring myself to do it.” She underscores that,  “My niqab is not just a piece of cloth, it is a reflection of my faith.”  What followed was a phase of uncertainty, reflection, and quiet resistance. Eventually, she decided to start something of her own and launched Shaheen Hijabs.

Mantasha, the owner of Shaheen Hijabs

For these women, faith is not just their religious belief. It is the guiding principle in their work. They refused to be reduced to stereotypes or forced into palatable molds, and instead have each chosen to build businesses that reflect their aspiration, purpose, religious, spiritual, and personal values.

(In)visible Practices of Faith

For Muslims, religious faith is embodied and  practiced in a myriad of ways. Some aspects remain quietly held within—like Taqwa (consciousness of God) or Tawakkul (trust in divine will) – are inward practices that guide one’s principles.

However, there are other religious practices that present more visibly, like offering Salah or dressing modestly in accordance with religious guidelines. Similarly, for many Muslim women who adorn the hijab or niqab, their choice to do so is rooted in faith, devotion and identity.

For Kehkashan, the tension between her visible and invisible religious practices became apparent during a fellowship she had joined before Shop Taaseen. She recalls, “Her cohort of Fellowes were mostly non-Muslim, but they were respectful and very welcoming towards me. I felt seen.” But that feeling did not last long for her. She goes on to say, “[However,] The founder would question my practices, compare me to other Muslims. Many times I was subjected to tokenism disguised as inclusion.” She says that her choice to wear the niqab was repeatedly framed as a limitation – “I was told that niqab will hinder my growth. That it would isolate me and hold me back professionally.” It was in these moments of subtle exclusion — more than overt rejection —that she became more certain that her faith would not be negotiable. 

In such ways, niqab-practicing women face exclusion, rejection, humiliation and suppression in traditional workplaces, particularly from those in higher and more powerful positions. These unwelcoming experiences inevitably discourage women from either practicing their faith wholeheartedly, or pursuing their professional aspirations wholeheartedly, pushing them to pick between one or the other.

In Asma’s story, we see a higher degree of exclusion from the public realm. After her graduation from NIFT, Asma was placed at a company in Gurgaon along with two other peers. The three of them then began to look for housing in the vicinity of their new workplace. Through an online portal, they found a potential apartment, and one of her two peers visited the flat, viewed it, and sent a video of the apartment to Asma. Satisfied with the place, Asma and her peers agreed to put down a deposit on the flat. Asma emphasizes that the management knew that someone named ‘Asma’, a common Muslim name, would be moving in. However, when she arrived with her sister at the apartment on a rainy day, they were stopped at the gate and denied entry because of their appearance as veiled Muslim women. “There are many Muslims here… ” the guard told her, “… but they do not dress like you.” It did not matter that she was a skilled designer or that she was simply looking for a place to live. Her Niqab and possibly her Abaya/Burqa ascribed her a communal and/or political identity, and that identity was decidedly excluded . She recalls being told, “If you want to live here, you can’t wear these things.” In that moment, Asma became a symbol of something “other,” something unwanted. Eventually, Asma had to find other housing accommodations. This is the quiet violence many veiled Muslim women face: being tolerated only if they erase or soften visible parts of their identity. It is an expectation that to belong, one must visibly look less Muslim or act less Muslim, and appear more as everyone else. This kind of politics of visibility relies on the erasure of visible culture and tradition that is not just harmful to Muslims, but all social groups and cultures that present more visibly. These stories give us an insight into the direct co-relations between degrees of unwelcome in public space and degrees of visible practice of religious faith. Therefore, much dialogue is needed on the reception of visible practices of faith in a society that portrays itself as a democratic and egalitarian one.

Agency X (Niqabi) Women

Women’ s struggles for agency are multifold. On the one hand, historically, women have had to fight for the right to vote, to be in the workforce, for banking rights, financial freedom, and more. On the other hand, women who exercise agency over their lives have to deal with persistent undermining of their achievements and independent decision making. This kind of undermining is further exacerbated for Niqabi Muslim women, with the most common assumption made about them that they wear it on orders from a male member of family – like a father, husband, or brother – rather than of their own convictions. They are often presumed to be voiceless, passive, or lacking autonomy. To be visibly Muslim, for veiling women, is to constantly push back against the erasure of one’s intellect and agency. 

The veil has widely been painted as a symbol of restriction and oppression. Like the other two interviewees, Asma rejects this thinking and instead describes her choice to veil as an expression of deep personal identity. “People see me with respect,” she says, describing how clients and collaborators from across India engage with her during business travel. Her presence, veiled, carries authority. But that authority is also questioned and undermined by others. For instance, at an award ceremony where she was being honored as women entrepreneur of the year, a senior government official turned to her husband and asked, “She is doing such good work, why have you made her cover her face? “, to which her husband responded, “This is her choice. It wasn’t imposed on her by me.” This attitude is not uncommon, and is reflective of how, even in spaces meant to celebrate her success, the assumption of male control and female subservience still lingers. These narratives uncover deeper problems concerning women’s rights, often held by those with saviour complexes, without a true commitment to the cause. It victimizes the Muslim woman and villainizes the Muslim man, framing the problem as ‘saving muslim women from muslim men’. Not only does it misrepresent social issues, it further exacerbates the actual problems Muslim women face by consciously ignoring them. Furthermore, in denying women their proven potential, it highlights the discomfort society still holds about women who achieve success while staying true to their self and not following orders set by and within patriarchal frameworks – that a woman can be successful and devout, that she can lead and be veiled, that she can dress in faith and still possess sharp, unshakeable agency.

Although this article highlights the stories of three Niqab-wearing Muslim women, similar experiences are faced by the broader veiling, Muslim women community. From unwelcoming experiences to rejections, Niqabi women are forced to navigate a number of identity-based hindrances in their personal, professional, and spiritual journeys.

To compensate for their perceived incompetence, many feel forced to overperform, overachieve in comparison to their peers for the same level of acceptance.

Our three interviewees have shown that they do not seek validation in the language or frameworks of others. Their choices are not compromises—their decisions anchored in faith, and carried out with purpose. Agency, for them, is not about abandoning identity to gain access. It is about bringing their whole selves into every space—and reshaping what power, intellect, and leadership look like. What sets these women apart is not just their ability to navigate exclusionary spaces, but their refusal to be defined by them. In centering their faith, they have not only claimed their agency but have also carved out paths of success that are deeply rooted in service to their communities. Women like Asma, Kehkashan, and Mantasha are writing a different story—one where agency is not hidden beneath their veil, but asserted through it.

Kehkashan, through Shop Taaseen, is cultivating a space of belonging. The Taaseen Tribe, a growing digital initiative, brings together Muslim women from across the walks of life to reflect, learn, and connect.

It is a community that echoes Kehkashan’s own journey—a space for young Muslim women to feel seen, intellectually engaged, and emotionally supported.

Asma, from her small town of Mau in Uttar Pradesh, established ANA, that not only reaches customers across India and abroad but also creates livelihood for a team of about 30, consisting of kaarigars, accountants, managers, and assistants. In a world that often parades notions of diversity and inclusivity, but then almost exclusively produces urban, English-speaking workspaces and equates them with success, Asma’s journey redefines what inclusivity looks like. ANA prides itself in maintaining a balance of 1:1 ratio of men to women across their workforce. She is proof that one can build while holding fast to faith, staying rooted in place, and uplifting others along the way.

Mantasha’s story is one of resilience, where she was willing to risk uncertainty to preserve her identity and stay true to herself, rather than diluting her identity to fit in. With no prior business experience, she started Shaheen Hijabs teaching herself the ropes of the business along the way. “I rushed into it… ” she says. “… there were mistakes. I’m still learning. But I’m doing it in a way that doesn’t require me to compromise on who I am or how I want to live my faith.” 

So, what then does it mean, to navigate public spaces where one is made hyper-aware of themselves, simply for living in accordance with their faith, which in a democracy, is apparently their fundamental right? What does it mean to carry the weight of assumptions—about agency and intellect—before one even speaks? What could our society look like if we stopped incessantly asking Muslim women to prove their worth, and instead, started paying attention to how they are already building, leading, and transforming the world around them? And more importantly, what could our society look like if we stopped tokenizing identity in the name of (pseudo) diversity and (pseudo) inclusivity, and started creating truly inclusive and democratic spaces for all?

****

About the Authors

Aazeen Ghaus is a Development Communication practitioner & freelance writer, based in India.
Saba Fatima is an architect based in Albuquerque, USA. She is an incoming PhD student (Fall 2025) in the Built Environments program at the University of Washington, Seattle

source: http://www.muslimmirror.com / Muslim Mirror / Home> Exclusive Reports> Positive Story> Women / by Aazeen Ghaus and Saba Fatima / July 03rd, 2025

Fasihuddin Balkhi: the forgotten historian of Bihar

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Books (incl.Biographies - w.e.f.01 jan 2018 ), , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Patna, BIHAR :

Fasihuddin Balkhi was born in 1885 in Bakshi Mohalla of Patna city. | Picture: Rekhta

Born in Patna, Bihar during the British era, Fasihuddin Balkhi made a tremendous contribution to history-writing in Urdu. Despite this feat, he remains largely unknown to this day. 

Many historians have written about the history of Bihar. After taking a cursory overview of the works written by different scholars, one finds that history writing on Bihar, especially in the Urdu language has not yet received due attention in academic circles. Among many others who have written on Bihar and its history, the notable ones include Fasihuddin Balkhi (1885-1962); Taqi Rahim (1921-99); and Shad Azimabadi (1901-1978).

This piece is an attempt to highlight the life and works of Fasihuddin Balkhi. His work has received scant attention from those working in the Bihar region. His contribution remains largely under-acknowledged and under-explored in the existing literature of the Bihar province.   

Balkhi was born in 1885, the same year that the Indian National Congress (INC) was founded, in Bakshi Mohalla of Patna city. After receiving his early education at home, he went to Calcutta where he completed his higher education. He became a teacher and initially taught at Poona Military School and later in Calcutta Fort William. Later on, he passed the law examination and was employed in the Bihar government. In 1914, he opted for military service which enabled him to visit different parts of the world like Palestine, Egypt, Iraq and Lebanon. 

As India’s independence movement was drawing more followers, Balkhi too joined the movement. In 1921, he became part of the non-cooperation movement. After refusing to accept the post of deputy in Jaunpur, he had to face many hardships. Between 1926-27 he worked as the revenue officer and magistrate in Sarai Kela state.

After retirement, he left his ancestral home and lived the rest of his life till 1962 in his new house in Guzri Bazar Patna city (just behind the present Mohammedan Anglo Arabic school). In the last two years of his life, he worked at Patna University in the department of manuscripts. His hardworking and organizational abilities infused a new spirit in the department. 

Although Balkhi was known as a good teacher and a successful officer, he was primarily a historian and researcher, as he stepped into some areas of research that were hitherto almost invisible. Even the noted Bihar-based historian, Syed Hasan Askari (1901-1990) has acknowledged Balkhi’s scholarly and literary abilities. Unfortunately, most of the works of Balkhi could not reach their desired audience. Some of his works remain unpublished even now.  

Balkhi’s first book Tarikh-e-Magadh was published by Anjuman-e-Taraqqi-Urdu-Hind (Delhi) in 1944. The second book, Tazkira, was published as Tazkira-e-Niswane Hind (1956).

According to one source, he wrote his first work at the age of 25 in 1910 in Urdu on astrology, a rare case in Urdu, titled as Ilmi-e-Najoom. This work is not easily available or accessible to the readers. A pamphlet on the poetry of Shad Azimabadi titled as Inshad-e-Shad (Qaumi Press Bankipore, Patna, 1939) is his signature piece. The pamphlet demonstrates his power of critique. 

Balkhi’s work only gained wider attention after his death. Well-known Urdu publisher Nadeem Bhatti published one of Balkhi’s works Tazkira-e-Hindu Shora-e-Bihar (Poets in Bihar/Urdu) in 1962. Some of Balkhi’s unpublished works such as Dastur-e-Sukhan, a collection of his works on historical places of Bihar province, Aasar-e-Balkhiya, are collected in the book. Several of his scholarly, literary and historical articles are also available in different magazines and journals. A well-researched article on Balkhi’s personality and research guidance was written by Qayyum Khazar for ‘All India Radio Patna.’ Khazar states that “Fasihuddin Balkhi was a great historian and researcher as well as a good poet.”  

Balkhi’s work as historian
Tarikh-e-Magadh is the first book that earned Balkhi fame as a historian. This seminal work in Urdu was published in 1944 by Anjuman Taraqqi Urdu (Delhi), which was then under the supervision of Maulvi Abdul Haq (Baab-e-Urdu). The book chronicles the history of Bihar province from the earliest times (642 BC) up to the second World War in 1943. The book contains as many as twenty chapters. The book is considered one of the most reliable accounts of the history of Bihar in the Urdu language. The work was constructed from authentic historical sources. 

Patna-based historian Imtiaz Ahmad, commenting on the significance of Tarikh-e-Magadh, has said, “It is written authentically and professionally, with proper references from sources (Persian texts).” 

Balkhi also wrote another significant work entitled Wahabi Movement, posthumously published in 1983. This book along with Qeyamuddin Ahmad’s seminal work The Wahhabi Movement in India (1966, reprinted 1994) are the most cited works on the history and role of the Wahhabi movement in India.

Balki’s slim book, despite being confined to the Bihar region, is distinctive in many new ways. The sources he cited are primary and useful, such as letters of Syed Ahmad Shah, Calcutta Review, Indian Muslim by Wilson Hunter, Tazkira-e Sadiqa and biographies of Syed Ismail and Syed Ahmad, the founding fathers of the movement in India.

Emphasizing the legacy left behind by the Wahhabi movement, Balkhi writes, “It is highly interesting to note that the use of three great weapons, namely, non-cooperation, passive resistance and establishing of parallel Govt. which the Congress leaders adopted in their fight against the bureaucracy, was originally advocated and preached by the Wahhabis in 1854.” (p. 16).

Apart from these historical accounts, Balkhi wrote another path-breaking book Tazkirah Niswan-e-Hind (1956) in which he documents the short biographical accounts of the notable women of India. He starts his book with Raziya Sultan of the early 13th century and covers the women from various fields across India such as Askari Begum ‘Hijab’ (Lucknow), Chander Mukhi Bose (Bengal), Lal Ded (Kashmir), Raziya Sajjad Zahir (Rajasthan/Bombay), Bibi ‘Tahira’ (Bihar), etc. This book serves as an important source of information on Indian women and their role in different times of history. 

Balkhi has also written about the lesser-known aspects of Bihar. This can be gauged from his book Patna Ke Katbe in Urdu, published by Khuda Bakhsh Library, Patna in 1993. This book is a unique study of inscriptions found on graves, mosques, and tombs located in Patna. 

Balkhi has made a tremendous contribution to writing the history of Bihar in Urdu. His work serves as a guiding light on the lesser known and under-explored aspects of Bihar. His work needs to be revisited and re-assessed to throw light on many ignored dimensions of Bihar history.

Mohd Hussain Ganie is a PhD student at Aligarh Muslim University (AMU). He tweets at  @GanaiHussain1

source: http://www.twocircles.net / TwoCircles.net / Home> Art-Culture / by Mohd Hussain Ganie, TwoCircles.net / August 12th, 2022

A worthy example of communal harmony

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Community Involvement / Social Issues, Uniquely Indian - Inter Faith (wef. February 08th, 2023), , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Rasipuram Town (Namakkal District) , TAMIL NADU :

Joint celebration: Hindus and Muslims at the valediction of the Panguni Uthiram festival in Namakkal.

By honouring members of the Muslim community at the annual Panguni Uthiram festival on Wednesday, the Hindus in Gurusamipuram, a small village near Rasipuram, have set a worthy example of communal harmony.

It is a thanksgiving gesture to the Muslims of Rasipuram town, whose forefathers were believed to have cured through prayers many children of the Hindu community of cholera.

This practice has been in vogue for over a century now, the village elders say.

The Panguni Uthiram is a major festival of Arulmigu Sivasubramaniar Temple and is celebrated with usual gaiety every year. It is at the valediction of this festival the Hindus honour the Muslims.

According to K. Thalamuthu, a former school headmaster and president of the Sengunthar Nala Kalvi Arakkattalai, and Devarajan, its treasurer, many children of the weaver community in Gurusamipuram were affected during a cholera outbreak in the village.

On learning about this, the Muslims of Raispuram who used to visit the village for business transactions, offered special prayers by tying a white holy flag to a tree. They smeared sandalwood paste on the doors and walls of each and every house in the village. Following this, all the children were believed to have recovered.

Since then, the residents of the village make it a point to honour the Muslims of Rasipuram at the annual Panguni Uthiram festival.

The organising committee of the festival visited Rasipuram and extended invitation to members of the Muslim community belonging to Achukatti Street Mosque Jamath.

The Jamath members, accepting the invitation, visited the village on Wednesday with fruits and sweets . The Hindus and Muslims holding the holy white flag went through all the streets in the village, when the Muslims smeared sandalwood paste on the doors of all the houses. After tying the flag to the tree, which is popularly known as ‘jhanda’ (flag) tree, they assembled at the Paavadi ground.

The Hindus honoured the visiting Muslims with garlands and vice-versa. Special ‘fathiha’ was recited by the Muslim religious scholar for communal harmony , followed by the distribution of a mixture of jaggery and roasted gram by the visitors.

Later the Muslims took leave.

“This is a worthy gesture practised by our forefathers and we are continuing this tradition in the interest of strengthening the bond between both the communities for decades together,” says Mr. Thalamuthu.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Today’s Paper> National> Tamil Nadu / by Syed Muthahar Saqaf / April 15th, 2017

Focus on communal harmony

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Salem, TAMIL NADU :

The Margazhi Peruvizha Committee functioning in the city has set a worthy example for communal harmony for other associations to emulate by inviting scholars of other faiths to address the Margazhi and Navarathri festival programmes.

T.M. Abdul Khader, an eminent Tamil scholar and former Head of the Department of Tamil, Islamia College, Vaniyambadi, is a regular at the Margazhi and Navarathri festival programmes here for the past 15 years at a stretch, along with the scholars of other faiths.

The Margazhi Peruvizha Committee has been organising special discourses, lecture programmes and poets’ symposium etc for the past 33 years without any break during the Margazhi and Navarathri festivals.

The committee members have been ardent followers of Vallalar, a famous Tamil saint and one of the greatest poets, who endeavoured to eliminate caste and promote a society sans religious and caste considerations.

The committee has been organising programmes to create awareness on the religious practices which had negative impact on the entire society. It invited scholars of all religious faiths from across the country and also from Sri Lanka to address its members.

According to A.K. Palaniappan, president of the Margazhi Peruvizha Committee, the Navarathri festival is celebrated for 10 days and the Margazhi festival for about a month every year.

The committee has made it a point to invite like-minded scholars from all faiths to participate in their programmes. “Kavikko” Abdul Rahman and Periyar Dasan, who later converted to Islam, have addressed the Margazhi gatherings in the past.

Mr. Palaniappan said that Prof. Khader has been attending the Margazhi and Naravathri programmes for the past 15 years. His lectures always evoked good response and the jam-packed hall on Saturday when he spoke on the topic ‘Bothimarathu Kilaiyil Poonthamizh’ (Tamil on the branch of Bothi tree) was an ample proof of his popularity with the local audience, he said.

Prof. Khader also presided over the poets’ symposium on the topic ‘Kodugalal or Kolam’ on Sunday evening.

Mr. Palaniappan said Jegath Gaspar Raj, a Chennai-based Catholic priest and founder of the “Tamil Maiyam”, will be addressing the gathering on January 5.

Politicians including Vaiko and Nanjil Sampath have also addressed these festivals.

Another highlight of both the festivals organised by the committee is the equal importance given to women. Many women scholars are regular in delivering special addresses at these meetings.

Uma Devarajan of Salem, N. Vijayasundari of Tiruchi, Devi Gunasekaran of Salem, Desa Mangaiyarkarasi of Chennai, and M. Uma Maheswari of Coimbatore are among the list of speakers for this year’s meetings.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Today’s Paper / by Syed Muthahar Saqaf / January 02nd, 2017

Standing tall with the new minaret

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Salem, TAMIL NADU :

The latest addition at the historic Jamia Masjid, Salem, is the nine-tier tower

The historic Jamia Masjid on the southern banks of River Tirumanithar in the heart of Salem city has got a 135 ft. tall ‘minaret.’ This is said to be one of the tallest minarets to be constructed in a mosque in South India in the recent past.

The minaret is a significant feature of mosques across the world, and is one of the earliest characteristics of Islamic architecture. The ‘muezzin,’ a person who announces the call of prayer, usually delivers the ‘azaan’ from the minarets.

Jamia Masjid in any town or city is considered as the chief mosque. They are known as congregational mosques, as Muslims gather in large numbers to offer prayers on Fridays and during Ramzan, Bakrid and other festivals.

Rich past

Jamia Masjid in Salem city, standing on about 1.5 acres of land, has a rich past. It is one of the oldest mosques in the state and was said to have been built by the Mysore ruler Tipu Sultan (1750 – 1799), popularly known as the Tiger of Mysore, more than two centuries ago. Tipu Sultan, who had visited the Salem region on various occasions, is said to have offered prayers in this mosque. He has also donated inams (properties) for this mosque. The British regime, which understood the importance of this Jamia Masjid, also extended assistance to this mosque and gave ‘inams’.

This Jamia Masjid is built on the lines of the North Indian mosques. The prayer hall of this grand mosque stands on an elevated ground and is decorated with tall, elaborate granite pillars. On Fridays, this masjid gets more worshippers from the town and neighbouring areas of Salem.

According to S.R. Anwar, the Muthawalli of the Jamia Masjid, the minaret has nine small tiers ranging between 10 ft. and 20 ft. The cornice (metal kalasam), atop the minaret was made in Kumbakonam. A silver cone and crescent decorate this metal structure.

Anwar says that this Jamia Masjid plays a stellar role in promoting communal harmony in the entire western belt and has been held in high esteem by everyone.

S. Veerappan, an expert architect from Kamanayakkanpatti, led a team which was in-charge for the construction of this minaret. His name is engraved on the inaugural stone. “It is a great honour that my name is on the tablet stone of the mosque,” says Veerappan. “This highlights the mutual respect and goodwill that the people from different communities have for each other,” he adds.

The new minaret was inaugurated recently by A. Anwar Raajha, MP and Chairman of Tamil Nadu Wakf Board, in the presence of MPs V. Panneer Selvam, P.R. Sundaram and K. Kamaraj.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Today’s Paper> Features> Friday Review / by Syed Muthahar Saqaf / July 06th, 2018

Tamil scholar Nainar Mohamed passes away

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Tiruchirapalli, TAMIL NADU / Texas, U.S.A :

Thavathiru Kundrakudi Ponnambala Adigalar having a word with C. Nainar Mohamed (right). File Photo: R.M. Rajarathinam

Renowned Tamil scholar, writer and former Principal of Jamal Mohamed College, Tiruchi, C. Nainar Mohamed passed away at his daughter’s residence at Texas in USA on Wednesday night. He was 85.

Popularly known as ‘Perum Pulavar’, a title conferred on him by late Kundrakudi Adigalar, Nainar Mohamed served as the Head of the Department of Tamil of Jamal Mohamed College for a record 32 years, and its Principal for four years in the 1980s. After retiring from the college service, he served as professor at Tamil University, Thanjavur for five years.

 He launched the Tamizhaga Pulavar Kuzhu along with late K.A.P. Viswanatham and served as its secretary for 28 years. He also set up the Islamia Ilakkiya Kazhagam. A leading figure in Tiruchi Tamil Sangam, he continued to remain as its deputy Minister till now.

The Madurai Kamaraj University honoured him with ‘Tamil Chemmal’ award and the Ulaga Tirukkural Peravai with ‘Tirukkural Neri Thondral’ and ‘Kural Gnayiru’ awards. Through the Islamia Ilakkiya Kazhagam, he organized five International Tamil Literary conferences, which brought to light the richness of the Islamic Tamil literary works to the world. 

A regular in world Tamil conferences, he has authored many books.

He is survived by wife Hasina Nainar, four sons and a daughter.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Tiruchirapalli / by Syed Muthahar Saqaf / July 24th, 2025

Hyderabad Urdu Ka Shahar: A cultural chronicle by Farooq Argali

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Fatehpur, UTTAR PRADESH :

Hyderabad: 

Hyderabad is not merely a dot on the map; it is a vibrant symbol of elegance, culture, and an enduring legacy. Often hailed as the city of domes and minarets, Hyderabad is where history echoes through its majestic palaces, bustling bazaars, and the unmistakable aroma of biryani that fills the air. But beyond its architectural grandeur and culinary delights, the city is known for its Nawabi grace — a heritage shaped by the Nawabs and Nizams, whose generosity and cultural patronage continue to define its identity.

Capturing this soul of Hyderabad is the mission of noted journalist and author Farooq Argali. His upcoming documentary titled ‘Hyderabad: Urdu Ka Shahar’ offers a compelling journey through the city’s layered history — from the Qutb Shahi dynasty to the modern era. In this hour-long film, viewers are treated to glimpses of Hyderabad’s monuments, traditions, cuisine, and the famed tehzeeb — a word that transcends simple etiquette to embody respect, warmth, hospitality, and grace in everyday life.

Over the past three days, Argali has been crisscrossing the city, engaging with its people, documenting their stories, and capturing the sights, sounds, and scents that define Hyderabad. His previous acclaimed documentaries — Delhi: Rangon Ka Shahar and Lucknow: Tamaddun Ka Shahar — stand as testaments to his commitment to preserving cultural heritage through storytelling. His next project is set to focus on Azeembad, the ancient name of Patna.

At 86, Farooq Argali remains remarkably energetic and mentally sharp. Alongside the documentary, he plans to author a book titled Hyderabad Nama, envisioned as an archival treasure for researchers and culture enthusiasts alike. What strikes Argali most about Hyderabad is the thriving presence of Urdu — still seen on shop signs and nameplates, a sight now rare in Delhi and Lucknow.

A man of many talents, Argali is a journalist, playwright, historian, novelist, and poet. Over the last six decades, he has authored more than 500 books, ranging from romantic and detective fiction to literary criticism. In the 1960s, his pulp fiction, written at a breathtaking pace — sometimes a novel in just five days — was immensely popular. Titles like Haye Main Haar Gayee marked the beginning of a prolific writing career. Surprisingly, Argali never studied beyond the third grade in Urdu. When asked about his academic qualifications, he modestly replies, “Fourth failed.”

What, then, is the secret behind such a towering literary output? “Read more than you write,” he says simply. He credits his success to continuous reading and the vibrant literary circles he was part of in Delhi.

Born in Fatehpur, Uttar Pradesh, Argali held various odd jobs before turning to writing full-time. Despite his limited formal education, he calls his gift of writing a divine blessing. Writing under pseudonyms like Hasina Kanpuri in Urdu and Rati Mohan in Hindi, he penned bestsellers such as Ek Toofan Jawani Ka and Chahne Wale, which enjoyed huge success.

However, Argali now views his pulp fiction era as his personal ‘Ayyam al-Jāhiliyya’ — a period of creative indulgence. Over time, he shifted focus to enriching Urdu literature through research, biographies, and literary criticism. His two-volume work Urdu Hai Jis Ka Naam explores the contributions of as many as 400 renowned Urdu writers like Lala Sriram Dehlvi, Firaq Gorakhpuri, Saadat Hasan Manto, Nisar Ahmad Farooqi, and Rahi Masoom Raza to name a few.

Farooq Argali, who also served as the founding editor of the film magazine Rubi, has written extensively on Indian cinema. His historical writings include Bahadur Shah Zafar Ke Dardnaak Halaat, chronicling the last Mughal emperor’s tragic life, the partition story, Dastaan 1947, and Jahan-e-Khusro, a detailed account of the Sufi poet Amir Khusrau.

At a recent felicitation event hosted by Fazil Husain Parvez, Editor of Gawah and Mediaplus Foundation, Argali humbly dismissed the accolades, calling himself a “mazdoor qalam ka” — a laborer of the pen. “I write something broken and incomplete, yet it gets published,” he said with characteristic modesty.

As he continues his journey of literary and cultural documentation, Farooq Argali shares a heartfelt couplet expressing his deepest wish:

Aakhri waqt jab aaye to qalam haath mein ho,
Lafz ‘Allah’ likhoon aur dum nikal jaaye


(When my final moment comes, may the pen be in my hand,
May I write the word ‘Allah’ as I breathe my last)

source: http://www.siasat.com / The Siasat Daily / Home> Featured News / by J S Ifthekhar / May 10th, 2025

Abdul Raheem Khan: A silent champion of Urdu

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Education, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

TELANGANA :

Hyderabad: 

In his passing away, Hyderabad has lost not just a good educationist, an able administrator but a great champion of Urdu cause. No wonder the death of Dr. Abdul Raheem Khan, former Principal, Urdu Arts College, has plunged Urdu lovers into grief and left Urdu circles shell-shocked. Khan leaves behind two sons, a daughter and a legion of Urdu aficionados teary-eyed.

Over the years the soft spoken Khan became synonymous with Urdu and the Urdu Hall, Himayatnagar where he worked till the very end. He spent his entire life in this campus, joining the Urdu Arts College as a commerce lecturer in 1973 and retiring as its principal in 2006. But he contributed a lot for the propagation and preservation of Urdu as the general secretary of Anjuman-e -Tarqqi Urdu Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.

Khan touched many lives and moulded students looking for quality education. Quiet, firm and unrelenting in pursuit of causes dear to him, his death the other day following a brief illness, brought the curtains down on a multifaceted career. The crowded Urdu Hall on Sunday indicated his popularity. A large number of professors, teachers, students and Urdu lovers turned up to pay their respects at the condolence meeting organised here. ‘Ustad-e-mohtaram’ was how many chose to address him. He encouraged many of his students to take up teaching professions and gave breaks to the struggling ones. Dr. Nikhat Ara Shaheen recalled how Khan engaged her services for teaching of Urdu even though there was no vacancy. “I will miss him every day of my life”, she remarked.

Usually teachers do not make good administrators. But Khan begged to differ. His administrative skills came to the fore when he took up the affairs of the Anjuman-e-Taraqqi Urdu and management of the Urdu Hall. Though a commerce teacher basically, he strove to promote the Urdu language. He took the initiative of organising free Urdu classes during the summer vacations. Khan also organised budget discussions in Urdu to explain in simple terms a dry subject like budget. Under the title ‘Apne mulk aur budget ko janiye’, every year a lecture was organised at the Urdu Hall. Prof. Masood Ahmed, a management expert, explains the nitty-gritty of the Union budget within a week of its presentation.

As Prof. Majeed Bedar says, Khan remembered the past, worked for betterment of the present and meticulously planned for the future. No wonder he left his mark of excellence in whatever he did. It speaks about his honesty and integrity that he never misused his office position. He spent from his pocket to treat visitors who came to meet him. His colleague of several years, Zahoor, says he still has about Rs. 3000 given by Khan to arrange tea and snacks for people who come to meet him.

Though the vacuum created by his departure is difficult to be filled, the successor of Abdul Raheem Khan should be one who should carry forward the mission of Urdu so dear to him, said many including senior advocate, Ghulam Yezdani, who is also the president, Anjuman-e-Taraqqi Urdu.

source: http://www.telanganatoday.com / Telangana Today / Home> Hyderabad / by J S Ifthekhar / May 09th, 2022

‘Yahya Ali’ streets in Chennai: From street name to gobbledygook

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Chennai, TAMIL NADU :

The correct name is Yahya Ali Streets – 1, 2 and 3, and they take their names from Justice Yahya Ali of the High Court of Madras.  | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

The street sign says it all – Yahali 3rd Street. There are three of them, all connecting Anna Salai with G.N. Chetty Road, at Teynampet, very close to Semmozhi Poonga. Only Yahali is not the correct name. Google Maps has compounded matters further. You need to search under Yaya Hali Street if you need to find it. The correct name is Yahya Ali Streets – 1, 2, and 3, and they take their names from Justice Yahya Ali of the High Court of Madras.

The learned judge is not in public memory. When I spoke to a friend on this, he said that the Internet has no reference to such a judge, and I guess that would mean such a person did not exist. But he did. And when he died as a sitting judge in 1949, the High Court convened to condole his passing. The brilliant barrister and then Public Prosecutor V.L. Ethiraj led the mourners. He dwelt on the “keen intellect, great learning, profound human understanding and exquisite courtesy we found in that frail figure.” But to get full biographical details, we need to turn to the speech of an illustrious contemporary, V.C. Gopalaratnam, who spoke on behalf of the Madras Advocates Association.

Yahya Ali was born in August 1893 in Nellore, his father serving as Assistant Secretary in the Finance Department of the Nizams of Hyderabad. He graduated in History and Economics from the Presidency College in 1916 and then qualified in Law. He set up practice in Nellore and became Government Pleader and Public Prosecutor. He was a member of the Madras Legislative Council as well. In between, he became Chairman of Nellore Municipality, his election being testimony to the regard he enjoyed from all residents of the town. It was a place notorious for communal tension, and being a Hindu majority, it was considered impossible for a Muslim to win the ballot.

In 1926, Yahya Ali became District Judge, being posted in that capacity to various parts of Madras Presidency. His specialisation in matters concerning finance led to his being appointed by the then Imperial Government in 1942 as the Chairman of the Appellate Income Tax Tribunal where he equipped himself “with a thorough and exhaustive knowledge of Income Tax Law and Procedure.” In 1945 he became a judge of the High Court of Madras. It is interesting to note that he sat in judgment till the last day of his life, taking ill on April 21, 1949, and passing away the next day.

While these details are from Gopalaratnam’s speech during the condolence meet, we learn some more from what the then Chief Justice P.V. Rajamannar had to say. Yahya Ali, he noted, was a connoisseur of Telugu poetry and “he was a deeply cultured person – culture with the best ingredients of what I may call Moghul culture – urbanity, catholicity and instinctive love of all that was beautiful.”

What was his link to Teynampet? He was at the time of his death Mutawalli (trustee or guardian) of the Teynampet Mosque in which his family had taken a deep interest. It was also in the precincts of this mosque that Yahya Ali was buried. And eventually, a locality was named after him. And from there, the name has morphed phonetically as it were, to what it is now with street names changing accordingly.

I wish the Corporation would be more careful with street signs. We have suffered enough mutilation with truncation of many names to initials, morphing of others, and of course, name changes at the drop of a hat.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Chennai>My Madras / by Sriram V / June 11th, 2025

TN Women’s Right Activist Kavingar Salma Becomes Rajya Sabha MP

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Leaders, Women/Girls(since May26-2021)

TAMIL NADU :

Noted writer, poet, women and transgender rights activist Salma alias Rokkaiya Malik from Thuvarankurichi in Trichy district developed a passion for reading and writing in her teens to become an accomplished writer. As an active member of DMK, she served as chairperson of the Tamil Nadu Social Welfare Board and presently DMK Media Wing joint secretary.

I raise up my voice – not so I can shout, but so that those without a voice can be heard. So said women rights activist Malala Yousafzai, the youngest Nobel Peace Prize recipient in 2014 for championing the cause of girls’ right to education. Not unusual to witness Muslim women-folk breaking the glass ceiling to reach dizzy heights in their chosen line of interest.

Meet 58-year-old Salma alias Rokkaiya Malik from Thuvarankurichi in Trichy district who has been nominated to Rajya Sabha as MP by the DMK party. A recognition for her active involvement as an accomplished poet, writer and women’s rights activist. Presently, she is a joint secretary in DMK media wing. Her life wasn’t all that rosy as she had to face the odds to become what she is now.

More often than not known by her pen name Salma, she received global acclaim for her writings in contemporary Tamil literature. In fact, she developed an interest for writing right from her teenage years, inspired by Russian literature more so the translated works of Fyodor Dostoevsky and Leo Tolstoy.  Ultimately, Nelson Mandela and Che Guevara became her icons.

Really heart-rending to read her story as she was betrothed to a cousin named Malik at the age of 13 and she got into wedlock after she turned 19 due to her mom’s pressure. Following marriage, Salma was granted the name of Rokkiah Begum and had two children. Her interest in literature continued in her married life and was seen as akin to insanity by her family.

At 22, Salma wrote her maiden poem, Oppandham, as an outlet for her frustration and anger with her situation. Forced to hide her passion from her family, she would write while sitting on the toilet, on pieces of paper ripped from calendars and notebooks. It is learnt that she was subjected to abuse by her husband because of her desire to write and he would often destroy her work. Her mother eventually helped her by smuggling out poems from her home and getting them published in a Tamil weekly.

Salma hogged the limelight in literary circles during the nineties. Later, she signed with the Kalachuvadu publishing house and was invited to a number of literary conventions around Tamil Nadu which she visited under the guise of medical visits. Since a woman travelling alone was frowned upon in her social setting, her mother accompanied her on her first event in Chennai city.

Brushing aside the criticisms, she contested the local body elections in 2001 and was elected president of Ponnampatti panchayat. Since the seat was reserved for women, she could easily win the polls and carved a niche for herself in discharging the responsibility bestowed upon her by the villagers. Seizing the opportunity, she created awareness among the Muslim women on the importance of education.

Going the extra mile in her chosen line of interest, Salma got her anthology of short stories titled Saabam published in 2009, which was translated by N Kalyan Raman into English as The Curse: Stories. In 2016, she published her second novel Manaamiyangal, which narrated the parallel lives of two women named Mehar and Parveen. In a review by the Hindustan Times, the novel was described as having captured Hélène Cixous’s “feminine practice of writing”. [It was translated from Tamil into English by Meena Kandasamy under the title of Women, Dreaming.

It is interesting to infer that her novel “Irandaam Jaamangalin Kadhai” in 2004 was described as a semi-autobiographical work which depicted the life and hardships faced by a young girl called Rabia born in an orthodox Muslim minority community. Noteworthy to mention that Salma’s life was documented by Kim Longinotto in her documentary Salma, which is described as a journey of an under-educated housewife who was subjected to an effective form of house arrest and became an acclaimed Tamil literary figure. Longinotto herself described Salma as an “extraordinary beacon of hope”. The documentary, which was screened in 2013, received several awards and was seen in eleven countries. The quote of Elizabeth Cady Stanton, the American writer and activist who was a leader of the women’s rights movement in the US during the mid-to late-19th century – “The best protection any woman can have is courage” is relevant to Kavingar Salma.

source: http://www.radiancenews.com / Radiance News / Home> Features> Latest News / by M Rafi Ahmed / May 26th, 2025