Hanipora Village (Pulwama District),JAMMU & KASHMIR :
Hearing and speech-impaired, hardships of life never robbed this Pulwama man of his passion for art as he sculpted his way to new heights, Fayaz Wani narrates.
29-year-old Suhail Mohammad Khan / Photo | Special arrangement
Jammu :
The popular saying “where there is will, there is a way” rings true for 29-year-old Suhail Mohammad Khan, a resident of Hanipora village in Jammu & Kashmir’s Pulwama district, who has overcome his deafness and inability to speak through his art. Versatile as he is, he has mastered several different forms of art.
His hard work, determination and never-say-die attitude have made him a source of inspiration for others. An architectural designer, painter, sculptor and sketch artist, Suhail wears many hats. But his path to success has been anything but easy.
Suhail lost his ability to hear and speak when he was just a child. However, that did not diminish his passion for drawing and painting. He always enjoyed rustling up sketches and paintings of his friends. As years passed, he began to explore other forms of art, including sculpture, printmaking and cake designing, instead of confining himself to one specific genre.
After passing out of school, Suhail joined the Institute of Music and Fine Arts at University of Kashmir. His talent and passion soon earned him admiration from his peers and the artistic community.
Describing his journey as an artist, a friend of Suhail beams with pride, saying, “He is an all-rounder who can create anything in art. For him, nothing is impossible. Suhail literally speaks through his art. He does painting, sculpture, videography and photography. His work is realistic and based on creativity. Although he is deaf and dumb, his work is very realistic.”
Ask this friend if Suhail, who communicates through sign language, faces any difficulty in his everyday life because of his inability to hear or speak, and pat comes his reply: “He doesn’t need to speak or introduce himself to anybody. He speaks through his works. His art does all the talking. We must appreciate the courage and passion he has displayed in the face of adversity. After all, he is living proof that nothing is impossible and that anything can be conquered by sheer persistence.”
Contrary to the popular belief that a disability can seal one’s fate, Suhail remains way ahead of many people who are not even differently abled. He did India proud in the International Snow Sculpture Contest held in January this year in Colorado, US. Only 12 teams from the world participated in the contest. Suhail and his team toiled for four days in freezing temperatures ranging from -25 °C to -35°C to craft their sculpture.
Titled ‘Mind in Meditation’, Team India’s masterpiece stood out for its elegance and precision. India secured third position in the competition.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> The Sunday Standard / by Fayaz Wani / April 20th, 2025
The Rampur Nawabi family with former Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh
In December 2021, I came across a report in a newspaper that said, “After almost 50 years of legal battle, the Rampur District Court has ruled in the Rampur Nawab family’s property dispute. The property will now be divided among 16 legal heirs. Raza Ali Khan, the last Nawab of Rampur, died in 1966. After a long legal battle, the court has announced the division of his property worth Rs 2,664 crore.”
The Nawab family of Rampur with its glorious history is still important played in Rampur and its surrounding districts. While the family ruled the state for a long time, its members joined the institutions of independent India like Parliament and legislative Assembly. Former Members of Parliament Mickey Mian and Noor Begum belong to the family. Many members of this Royal family have played an important role not only in politics but also in promoting the culture, patronizing poets, writers, musicians, and other creative artists.
Khandaan
The Nawabi family of Rampur State
Before the independence, India was dotted with small states and one of them happened to be the state of Rampur, located in today’s state of Uttar Pradesh. It was founded by Nawab Ali Mohammad Khan, a Pushtun leader on 7 October 1774. There have been 11 Nawabs in the state including Nawab Faizullah Khan, Nawab Hafiz Rehmat Khan Barish, Nawab Muhammad Ali Khan, Nawab Ghulam Muhammad Khan, Nawab Ahmad Ali Khan, Nawab Muhammad Saeed Khan, Nawab Yusuf Ali Khan, Nawab Club Ali Khan. Nawab Muhammad Mushtaq Ali Khan, Nawab Hamid Ali Khan.
Raza Ali Khan was the last Nawab of Rampur. Rampur was one of the important States of the British in India as its rulers were plaint and supported the Raj even during the 1857 revolt. It was a 15 cannons gun salute State and its rulers owned a lot of wealth.
Before the independence, the Nawabs of Rampur used to have their own railway station with two special coaches always in readiness in the service of the Royal family. Whenever the Nawab family had to travel by train to Delhi, Lucknow, or elsewhere, they would board their coach and that was added to the passenger train. During the tenure of the ninth Nawab, Hamid Ali Khan the railway line was laid in the district. At that time, he had built a separate railway station for his use. It was close to the main railway station.
The Royal Coach full of Luxuries and modern appliance
Interestingly the two railway coaches that have immense historic and antique value today are among the assets sought to be distributed among the progeny of the Raza Ali Khan. These were originally valued at Rs. 117.42 million. However, due to almost no maintenance, the price was halved.
Interestingly, these coaches had so many modern conveniences that even the heads of the state today can’t dream of. The coaches were equipped with 33mm and 16mm cinema projectors, cameras, imported radio transistors, and tape recorders. These provided all the luxuries like Bedding, chair, carburetor pillow, seat, silverware, glass, whiskey, beer bottles, English crockery, large cigarette and cigar box, silver footstep, eagle, silver canteen set, silver hooka, silver bed, sword, and various kinds of guns, etc.
The Nawab family’s properties include 1073 acres of land, mansions, palaces like Khas Bagh, Kothi Benazir, Lakhi Bagh, Kanda, and Nawab Railway Station, and immovable assets like arms, jewelry, etc. The valuables include silverware like six silver beds, 20 silver pandans, six khasdans, and 20 cigar boxes, and four hookas. Former Member of Parliament Begum Nurbano says that when she came to Khas Bagh in 1956 as a bride she slept on a silver bed. Khas Bagh was India’s first air-conditioned palace.
Khas Bagh Palace was the first air-conditioned palace in India.
Khas Bagh Palace, Rampur
The state of Rampur was not only a political state but also a great patron of education, art, and culture. Nawab Yusuf Ali Khan was a friend of knowledge and also gave scholarships to scholars and students. He made Mirza Ghalib his consultant on literary matters and he became a student of Ghalib. He used to send a reasonable amount of money to Mirza as a stipend. In addition, hundreds of poets, including Mirzadagh Dehlavi, were patronized by the Nawabs of Rampur.
The Library
The Nawab of Rampur was a friend of knowledge. The symbol of his friendliness of knowledge is Raza Library which was once the largest library in India and it is still very important today. Thousands of rare books and manuscripts in Urdu, Persian and Turkish languages are available here.
The Nawab of Rampur was also an epicurean. He had a whole army of cooks and chefs. These chefs would spend the whole day preparing high-quality food and experimenting with new flavors. Elders were invited to the Nawabi Dastkhwan. After the dissolution of the state, it became difficult for the Nawab to continue the Dasthar Khan.
The Nawabs of Rampur patronized traditional music at their court. Mehboob Khan was one of the greatest thinkers of the royal court of Rampur state. This tradition was followed by his sons Inayat Hussain Khan and Inayat’s brother-in-law Haider Khan and Mushtaq Hussain. It was here that the Rampur-Sahswan family of Indian classical music was born. Sahswan is in the present Badaun district.
One of the Palaces of rampur Nawab family
After independence, the Nawab family took an active part in politics and Major Nawab Syed Zulfiqar Ali Khan Bahadur was the first from the family to be elected to the Lok Sabha. He was known as Mickey Mian. He was the second son of Nawab Sir Syed Raza Ali Khan Bahadur. In 1984 and 1989, he was elected to the Rampur Lok Sabha seat on a Congress ticket. It is also interesting to note that Mickey Mian represented Rampur in Lok Sabha for a long time but never spoke in the House.
After Mickey Mian, his wife Begum Noor Bano served as Member of Parliament in the 11th and 13th Lok Sabha. She was elected from Rampur on a Congress party ticket. Begum Noor Bano alias Mehtab Zamani Begum was born to Nawab Aminuddin Ahmed Khan who was the last ruling Nawab of Loharo (Bhiwani-Haryana). She was educated at Maharani Gayatri Devi Girls Public School, Jaipur.
She joined the All India Congress Committee in 1992 and was elected to the Lok Sabha in 1996. In the next election, she lost to BJP’s Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi. An aficionado of music and dance, Noor Banu is the patron of the Devi Foundation and the Rampur family. Bano is interested in historical and cultural Persian and Arabic books and research on environment and forest protection. She enjoys reading, painting, gardening, and music and is a member of several sports clubs across the country.
Micky Mian and Noor Bano with their children
Micky Mian and Begum Noor Bano have three children. One of them is Nawabzada Syed Muhammad Kazim Ali Khan Bahadur. He was elected MLA several times and is also a Congress candidate in the current Assembly elections. His son Nawabzada Syed Haider Ali Khan Bahadur is also contesting the Assembly elections 2022.
In the current elections in Uttar Pradesh, the reputation and honour of the Royal family is also at stake. Samajwadi Party veteran Azam Khan, who has been elected an MLA from Rampur city nine times is contesting from inside the jail against his traditional rival from the Royal family Mohammad Kazim Ali Khan. Kazim Khan popularly known by his nickname of Navid Miyan is contesting as a candidate of Congress Party and is hoping to defeat the ‘tainted’ Azam Khan.
Besides, Azam Khan’s son Abdullah Azam is contesting from the Suar constituency where he is pitted against Naveed Mian’s son Hamza Mian.
The Nawab of Rampur
Azam Khan has dominated the politics of Rampur for 42 years. He has also held ministerial positions in the Samajwadi government four times. He has also been Leader of the Opposition and Member of Rajya Sabha. On the other hand, the Nawab family has also a great influence on Rampur. Naveed Mian Sawar has been MLA four times from the Tanda seat. Once he was also elected to Legislative Assembly from Bilaspur and was a minister too.
His father Nawab Zulfiqar Ali Khan alias Miki Mian has been a Member of Parliament five times and his mother Begum Noor Bano has been a Member of Parliament twice. Both the Congress and the SP have given tickets to the members of the Rampur Royal family. This time, Congress has given tickets to former MLA Naveed Mian as well as his son Haider Ali Khan alias Hamza Mian.
source: http://www.awazthevoice.in / Awaz, The Voice / Home> Stories / by Ghaus Siwani / February 04th, 2022
Pasha Bhai’s journey from the Muslim ghetto of Neelasandra to the posh clubs of Bengaluru is as much a story about his art as about Dakhni Urdu, the language he consciously chooses to rap in, making it both a quest for selfhood and for his mother tongue’s history.
Pasha Bhai and members of Clan Bokka Phod performing at Bowring Club on May 7.
Bowring Institute, one of Bengaluru’s oldest social clubs, is pulsing with energy. Raftaar, a sensation in the Hindi and Punjabi rap scene, is the marquee act. Warming up the audience before he comes on is a bunch of Bengaluru-based rappers with funky monikers such as MC Truth, Ray, and Quake. Third in line is Pasha Bhai and his Clan Bokka Phod (CBP). On the evening of May 7, Bowring
When his turn comes, Pasha Bhai bounds onto the stage with his trademark energy. His hair cropped short and wearing a loose, full-sleeved T-shirt with baggy trousers that hang low on his waist, he opens with ‘Eid ka Chand’ (The Moon of Eid), one of his popular songs. A rousing cheer goes up from the audience, which is familiar with this number that has garnered more than 45,000 views on YouTube.
When Pasha Bhai sings the lines: “ ” (I’m my father’s spoilt brat/ My heart is like wax, but I have the courage of steel), some of his fans hum along. Pasha raps in street-Dakhni, and he raps at warp speed, which means that many in the crowd cannot grasp the lyrics but they are bound up in the frenzied covenant between singer and audience, which is part of the frantic mood of a rap concert. Even his band’s name is a Dakhni phrase for ‘ball-breakers’. Ladila Bawa Ka, Bigda Huwa Beta/ Moum Ka Dil, Par Jigra Loha Mera
Pasha follows up the first song with a few more popular solo numbers such as ‘Haraanya’n’ and ‘Kumbhakarana’. Then he is joined by his gang, the infamous Ball-Breakers, and they rap to ‘Khuda Gawah’.
Pasha screams ‘I love you Bangalore!’ before getting off the stage after his set. T-shirt soaked in sweat, he chugs down a bottle of water as fans walk up to him to take selfies. While the 23-year-old rapper has performed in several spaces in Bengaluru, being part of the opening act for Raftaar has added to the growing reputation of this savvy singer. There are some distinct reasons for Pasha Bhai’s success. First, his originality as a lyricist and his intuitive ability to vocalise in Dakhni; second, his moorings in a marginalised social and economic Muslim stratum in Bengaluru that resonates with the ethos of the early Black rappers who emerged from the ghettos of American cities; and third, his conscious use of Dakhni, his mother tongue, which some linguistic scholars argue is a language on its own but which is often dismissed as a dialect of Urdu.
Spoken mainly by Muslims in Karnataka, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and parts of Tamil Nadu, Dakhni, translated as ‘Deccani’, traces its provenance to the reigns of the Bahmani and Deccan Sultanates between the 14th and 17th centuries whose territories sprawled across the Deccan plateau from the Arabian Sea to the Bay of Bengal. In certain parts of Hyderabad and Bengaluru and across urban centres in south India (except Kerala), Dakhni continues to be the lingua franca of a wide section of the non-Muslim population as well.
Says Bengaluru-based Arjun Sharma a.k.a Quake, the rapper who curated the event: “Pasha Bhai is one of the best thinkers/ writers out there. He’s talking sense and he’s talking reality. People should start understanding Dakhni to listen to him; that’s the only way our language will grow and get recognition. He is the only person representing Dakhni now.”
Pasha Bhai, whose non-rapping name is Mohammed Affan Pasha, has a simple studio, christened ‘Dakhnistan’, on the fourth floor of a nondescript building in the largely Muslim ghetto of Neelasandra in central Bengaluru. To get there, one has to negotiate a maze of narrow, meandering roads dotted with meat stalls, tiny mosques, and food kiosks. Minimally furnished, the most interesting thing in the dingy hangout is a carrom board around which Syed, Demixx, Nimbu Da, Marwan, Shoaib and Maddy of the CBP gang has gathered.
Pasha was born in 1998 and grew up in Neelasandra. “We are the children of rowdies,” he said, referring not to his father, who was an auto-driver and passed away when Pasha was still in school, but to the grimy milieu of violence that engulfed him and his clan members growing up in Neelasandra. Pasha always had an ear for music and as a high schooler he began to listen to American and Indian rappers such as Eminem, 50 Cent, Yo Yo Honey Singh, Raftaar, IKKA and Machas with Attitude.
The Hindi rappers were a tremendous influence on him. Among his greatest inspirations was Mumbai’s Naezy because he “is also a Muslim from the ghettoes of Mumbai”. Pasha began rapping in Hindi at the same time, and the 2019 film about a rapper also had an impact on his nascent career. At this time, Pasha was doing “chhatri kaaman” (petty jobs) for easy money. Having failed in Class 12 and with a floundering love affair to boot, Pasha began working in a garment factory as a helper. His mother worked there too. It took a year of hard work before he realised the importance of education and enrolled himself in evening college. Gully Boy
Amid this tumult, Pasha’s cachet as a rapper was soaring, as he continued to rap in Hindi and began fledgling attempts at rapping in Dakhni. For Pasha, the hip hop and rap culture was alluring because the genre “does not ask you to be anyone but to be real and true to yourself”. Pasha adds that there were “no restrictions while rapping and there is no structure to the music”. Connoisseurs of rap will disagree with this assessment, but Pasha’s confidence only reiterates the intuitiveness with which he has grasped the technicalities of the medium. Pasha says rap gave him the freedom to become a musician without learning music.
He also started a cypher (a gathering of rappers making music extemporaneously) called ‘Wanandaf’ (a shortening of ‘one and a half’) in 2019, the name inspired by the refrain of Bengaluru auto-drivers demanding an inflated fare. Held weekly in open spaces such as Cubbon Park and Lalbagh, Wanandaf attracted budding rappers, hip hop artists, beat boxers and graffiti artists before the pandemic stepped in. Part of why Pasha began Wanandaf was to democratise hip hop in India.
“Hip hop is owned by marginalised African Americans, but when it came to India it was acquired by the elite. It was a closed group of artists and I couldn’t enter its exclusive space. When we’d go to rap concerts wearing slippers, we weren’t allowed in. It made me hate the culture of rap music,” Pasha said. But by 2019, Pasha had surmounted these class barriers and become a respected member of a network of fellow rappers who appreciated him for his ingenuity, which led to creative collaborations and caught the attention of aficionados. Counting singles and collaborations, Pasha has made almost 30 songs so far. He was also a sought-after act during the anti-CAA (Citizenship [Amendment] Act) protests in Bengaluru.
Pasha is India’s first rapper in Dakhni, and this was not accidental. When he “did not find a representation of his language in the rap industry”, he consciously chose to rap in Dakhni and the exercise has turned into a quest to know more about his mother tongue. “As a child I would proudly speak Dakhni even though it was mocked and patronisingly referred to as ‘Broken Urdu’. I was ignorant that the dialect had a name, unaware of its origins, history or associations. Like others around me, I grew up calling it ‘Bangalori Urdu’. As I researched further, I realised that Dakhni has always been under threat of being erased, misnamed or compelled to become a ‘dialect’ of a larger language and cultural group. The legacy of Dakhni poets and artists has been one fraught with constant struggle to keep Dakhni-ness alive.”
Hyderabad-based journalist and researcher Yunus Lasania argues that it is wrong to describe Dakhni as ‘Urdu’ or ‘Hyderabad Hindi’. “Dakhni (or Deccani) is usually mistaken to be a ‘dialect’ of Urdu, especially among northern Urdu speakers. Both Dakhni and Urdu have roots in Dehalvi (also known as ‘Old Urdu’), which existed in Delhi for around a century before it reached the Deccan in the 14th century through the conquests of Mohammed Tughlaq. Dakhni is a mix of Persian, Old Urdu (Dehalvi), Kannada, Marathi and Telugu. It was created when Dehalvi mixed with the three aforementioned languages,” he said.
Karthik Malli, an independent researcher and writer working on south Indian language histories, said, “Dakhni has, in all likeliness, been part of Bengaluru’s social landscape for many centuries now. Numerous Sufi shrines in Chickpet dating back to the 1700s catered to local Dakhni-speaking Muslims. Tipu Sultan [who was born in Devanahalli on the outskirts of modern Bengaluru] was a Dakhni speaker as well, and even commissioned literary works in the Classical Dakhni register cultivated earlier in Bijapur and Golkonda.”
Malli added, “Despite Dakhni’s presence and history in the city, it has seldom found any serious artistic expression. Digital media is helping change that by giving voice to artists like actor and comedian Danish Sait who utilises Dakhni to great effect in his highly popular comedic skits. Sarah Fazal, an RJ, also makes Dakhni skits on Instagram. There are also a number of social media meme pages that utilise Bangalore Dakhni, directly addressing a large local audience that uses the language in everyday life.” Pasha’s name must be added to this short list as someone who is furthering Dakhni in popular culture through rap.
India Foundation for the Arts (IFA) has awarded Pasha a grant for his project titled “ ”, which seeks to “keep Dakhni language and culture alive through the art practice of rap and hip hop”. Said Sumana Chandrashekar of IFA, “With the privileging of certain cultures to the exclusion of many others, there is always the danger of losing sight of the rich multi-textured nature of experiences, narratives, people and languages that collectively form the fabric of this city. From this point of view, IFA is delighted to implement a project with Pasha to explore and engage with Dakhni expressions in Bengaluru’s popular culture. What is special about this project is that it embraces and embodies Pasha’s deeply personal lived experiences with Dakhni and moves on to excavate the deep cultural bond that this language has with the city. For us, the project is not just a celebration of Dakhni as a language but also a reaffirmation of the many cultures, histories and languages that make our city ” Apnich Bol, Dakhnich Bolnamma Bengaluru.
With his rising popularity and the support of respectable patrons such as IFA, Pasha has made the leap from Neelasandra to exclusive music spaces in the city. Looking at his talent and verve, his journey so far seems like the first chapter of a long book. This cocky segment in the collaborative rap piece ‘56’ illustrates his persona and talent more clearly:Pasha bhi aako hin dekho sabbi jane khamush rhao,Gunna ginne scene ni scene huit’ long uthao,Tada dek’ tadpatin kisse to b uska taaluk rhaoChillar’an ku baazu b ni rakhte, chalo baazuk’ jao.
(Pasha bhai has arrived, everybody pipe down!
A scene breaking out, brandish your swords, strictly
no guns
You’re going to get it good – doesn’t matter who you
know,
Now move, you’re loose change, not worth my time,
now go!)
—Translated by Sahar Adil
Street smart
First rapper in Dakhni
source: http://www.frontline.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Lead Story> Cover Story : Pasha Bhai / by Vikhar Ahmed Sayeed / May 17th, 2022
The Kasaragod District Kannada Journalists’ Welfare Association has announced the recipients of its annual Endowment Fund Awards. This year, 21 journalists have been selected for recognition, including Vartha Bharathi Mangaluru Bureau’s senior reporter Satyavati, and Kodagu special correspondent Kandakere Ismail Kodagu.
The award ceremony will take place on May 3 at the Seethangoli Alliance Hall in Kasaragod district. Each endowment award comprises a cash prize, an award certificate, and a memento.
The names of the awardees according to a press release issued by the association are as follows,
Satyavati will be honoured with the Lawyer Muhammad Ibrahim Pare Memorial Award, while Kandakere Ismail Kodagu will receive the Mogarodi Gopalakrishna Melanta Endowment Award. Srinivasa Jokatte from Mumbai, who will receive the Brahmakya Edneer Sri Keshavananda Bharathi Swamiji Memorial Award, and Ganesh Kasaragodu, who will be awarded the Journalist Ravi Belagere Memorial Endowment Award.
Srinivasa Nayak Indaje will be awarded with the Avva Trust Hubballi Endowment, Mallikarjuna Reddy Gondi of Belagavi with Retired senior IAS officer Dr. C. Somashekara Endowment, N. Ravikumar with Hawva Hasan Foundation Kudkoli Endowment, Nagaraja Y. Koppala with Non-resident businessman and art patron Joseph Mathias Dubai Endowment, Iswara Alevoor from Mumbai with KVR Tagore Memorial Award, and Muhammad Ansar Inoli with Freedom Fighter and Former Minister Bhimanna Khandre Endowment.
Others receiving awards include C.J. Puneeth of Mysuru (Economist Sudhir Kumar Shetty Enmakaje Endowment), Venu Vinod of Mangaluru (Somanna Bevinamarad Endowment), Maulana Saab Bidar (Kuluru Kanyana Sadashiva Shetty Endowment), Steven Rego of Mangaluru (Mahabaleshwar Bhat Edakkana Endowment), and KG Nagalakshmi Bai of Bengaluru (Sivashankar Nekraje Endowment).
Also recognized are Iqbal Kuthar (James Mendonsa Endowment), Rama Ajekar (Ashraf Shah Manthur Endowment), Ganesh Kasaragod (KWJ State Committee Endowment), Bhaskar K. Kasaragod (KWJ State Committee Endowment), Ajith Swarga (KWJ Endowment), and Mattikere Jayaram of Mandya, who will be awarded the K.K. Shetty Kuttikar Endowment.
The Kasaragod District Kannada Journalists’ Welfare Association, active for over two decades, works in collaboration with pro-Kannada organizations to promote and preserve Kannada language, culture, and art. The association also acts as a cultural bridge between Kannada and Malayalam-speaking journalists.
The May 3 ceremony will be chaired by the reception committee head K.K. Shetty Kuttikar.
The event will be graced by dignitaries including Karnataka Legislative Council Speaker Basavaraj Horatti, Agriculture Minister Chaluvaraya Swamy, Forest Minister Eshwara Khandre, Karnataka Border Area Development Authority Chairman Somanna Bevinamarada, Chief Minister’s Media Advisor K.V. Prabhakar, Karnataka Working Journalists’ Association President Shivananda Tagadoor, and Kasaragod District Kannada Development Authority President Ravi Naikap, read an official statement.
source: http://www.english.varthabharati.in / Vartha Bharati / Home> Karavali / by Vartha Bharati / April 22nd, 2025
Built in the 15th century, Sarkhej Roza on the outskirts of Ahmedabad holds many different worlds within its vast expanse.
The site comprises a mosque, tombs as well as mausoleums, palaces, pavilions, and noble houses (Express/Bhupendra Rana)
As the sun begins setting behind the domes, the rays filter through the stone filigree splashing a gold hue in the vast compound. The devout makes their way to the vast mosque for the evening prayers; in another corner, a seeker sits in the enclosure housing a tomb, lost in a world of her own. Under the baradari, a weary traveller takes a nap; at the dried-up reservoir beyond the mosque, children play a game of cricket.
Built in the 15th century, Sarkhej Roza on the outskirts of Ahmedabad holds many different worlds within its vast expanse. The monument complex stands as a testament to Gujarat’s rich cultural and architectural heritage.
The site comprises a mosque, tombs of sheikhs, sultans, and the royal family, as well as mausoleums, palaces, pavilions, and noble houses. At its heart lies the famous Ahmed-Sar Tank, a man-made lake excavated in the 15th century by Sultan Mehmud Begada, the great-grandson of Sultan Ahmed Shah, who founded Ahmedabad in 1411.
A protected monument, Sarkhej Roza falls under the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) and the Sarkhej Roza Committee. Built in a village of indigo dyers and weavers, the monument, said to have been built by Ahmed Shah’s successor and son, Muhammad Shah II, became the repose of the mid-15th century Saint Shaikh Ahmad Ganj Baksh Khattu, one of the four Ahmads who laid the foundation of Ahmedabad in 1411 AD. Following his death in 1446 AD, Sultan Muhammad Shah II commissioned an exquisite tomb and mosque in his memory, which were later completed by his son and successor, Sultan Qutbuddin Ahmad Shah II, between 1451 and 1458 AD. Over time, Sarkhej Roza became a favoured retreat for Gujarat’s sultans and eventually evolved into a Sufi town with the addition of palaces, gardens, pavilions, royal tombs, grand gateways, and a vast artificial lake spanning 17 acres.
Historians and architectural experts consider Sarkhej Roza a unique and unparalleled collection of historical buildings. Its Indo-Saracenic architecture seamlessly blends elements of Hindu, Jain, and Islamic design, creating a masterpiece.
Among the mausoleums of Agra and Gujarat, Sarkhej Roza is believed to be the largest architectural complex of its kind. The site holds deep spiritual significance for both Hindus and Muslims, attracting visitors from all walks of life.
The intricate jali work on the outer and inner walls showcases beautiful geometric patterns, while the exquisite craftsmanship in brass, silver, and enamel enhances its aesthetic appeal. Sultan Mahmud Begada, known for his bravery and vision, decorated the structure in such a way that many believe it contributed to Ahmedabad’s recognition as a Unesco World Heritage City, although it is some 10 km from the walled city that got the tag in 2017.
Beyond its architectural splendour, Sarkhej Roza is home to priceless historical artefacts, including coins from the Sultanate period of Gujarat. The monument also houses incomplete yet beautifully handwritten copies of the Quran, a manuscript of Hidaya, and a printed Quran with Persian and Urdu translations. Additionally, an old handwritten copy of the Quran, completed in 1649 in the elegant Naskh script, remains one of the site’s treasured possessions.
Over the years, Sarkhej Roza has hosted several prominent events and dignitaries. On World Heritage Day (November 18, 2010), the complex welcomed Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who was then Gujarat chief minister.
Last month, during a Sufi event in New Delhi, PM Modi recalled how he had restored Sarkhej Roza when he was the Gujarat CM. “When I was the CM, a lot of work was done on its (Sarkhej Roza) restoration and very few people would know that there was a time when Krishna Utsav was celebrated with great pomp and show in Sarkhej Roza…,” Modi said.
Other notable visitors include the Iran embassy’s Khawaja Piri (August 8, 2006), Bollywood legend Amitabh Bachchan (January 26, 2014), and poet-lyricist Javed Akhtar (December 2, 2010).
A few scenes of Shah Rukh Khan-starrer Raees (2016) were also shot here.
Subamiya Akberali Kadri, a retired national union leader in the banking industry, has been visiting the dargah at Sarkhej Roza since 1974. He said, “Over the years, I have actively participated in various events. One memorable occasion was when a Sufi disciple from the Rumi Sufi Academy in San Francisco performed a Sufi dance. That day, I delivered a speech on Sufism.”
During the holy month of Ramzan, Sarkhej Roza transforms into a vibrant hub of community gathering with people assembling here for evening prayers and iftar, sharing meals as a gesture of unity and harmony.
Bhavna Ramrakhiani, founder of Sarkhej Roza Crafts and Saanjhi Virasat, a community promoting diversity and heritage, said, “People are not permitted to live inside the monument except during the last 10 days of Ramzan when devotees stay inside the mosque for prayers.”
On other days, Sarkhej Roza remains a favoured destination for school trips, vacations, picnics, and family outings – and an occasional seeker looking for solace.
source: http://www.indianexpress.com / The Indian Express / Home> News> India / by Sande Gona (an intern with The Indian Express, Ahmedabad / with inputs from ENS, New Delhi / Ahmedabad, April 19th, 2025.
Saifi Sironji has been actively vibrant in the literary horizon of Urdu literature for last umpteen years. In the fields of criticism, research, journalism and poetry Saifi Sironji’s dedicated services are worth to be noted. Saifi Sironji was born in 1953 in Pigrani Mahu Kheda village of Sironj MP.
He has spent his entire childhood in his native village and was much attracted towards Bollywood movies right from his early childhood. His forefathers were from Gadhi clan who actually occupied higher ranks in the army of King Mahmud Ghori.
People of Gadhi clan (Rajputs) had reverted to Islam after losing the battle against Prithvi Raj Chouhan. Bravery, hard work and hospitality is the hallmark of Gadhi clan. People of Gadhi clan were almost illiterate and mostly were associated with rearing of cattle.
At the age of six Saifi Sironji’s grandfather sent him to a Madrassa to memorize the glorious Quran. After memorising some Parahs (juzz/ chapters) of holy Quran, he left the Madrasa only to waste time in watching movies and listening to songs. His passion of listening to songs compelled him to work in a Bidi manufacturing factory where the sound of Radio always pleased him.
This Bidi manufacturing unit belonged to famous poet Dilkash Sagri. In this unit, regular literary and poetic events were held in which prominent poets and litterateurs from all over India would participate. Maximum participants among the audience were unlettered but still they remembered hundreds of poetic couplets.
He too used to read the magazine and journals of Urdu which were meant for Dilkash Sagri viz Kitaab, Shabkhoon, Subah Adab and Shaayir. After going through these books of literature, Saifi Sironji also developed an interest in poetry thus went ahead to compose poetic couplets. Once an all India naatiya mushaira was organised which he too attended and it was his maiden participation in a literary event.
In Bidi manufacturing unit, apart from traditional job he would read some novels of Naseem Hijazi eg, Akhri Maurka Akhri Chatan, Dastani Mujahid, Yousuf Bin Tashkin, Shaheen and Aur Talwar Toot Gayi etc during literary functions. In Bidi manufacturing unit once he thoroughly read Sadiq Sarhandi’s famous novel Aftabi Alam.
He was so impressed by this masterpiece that he composed a 70 lined poem depicting the life of companions of Prophet Muhammad (SAW). Later on he composed some naats which were recited during Milad-un-Nabi during 1970s. With this his poetic items started getting published and in Jarayim for years his Ghazals and Naats were regularly published.
The experience of novel reading during literary events helped him in composing stories also and in high-impact Urdu magazines like Roshni Adab, Filmi Sitare, Tamir, Khatooni Mashriq his stories were given due recognition. When a treasure of books accumulated at his home, he opened a book shop near Nishat Talkies where apart from books, newspapers and magazines too were sold. At his shop then poets assembled all day and night prominent among them were Ismail Zabihi, Talib Irfani, Zia Asadi and Dr Shahid Mir who would recite their poetic items. Saifi would recite five ghazals each day as he was much passionate.
During the times Saifi received his education most of his Gadhi counterparts were almost illiterate and would keep themselves attached to religious literature only. That is why nowadays we see hundreds of Hufaz among the Gadhi clan. Saifi’s real name is Ramzani because he is born on 13th of Ramzan and Saifi is his pen name.
His literary items are presently being published in national and international dailies, weeklies and high-impact Urdu magzines and journals viz Awraq, Makalma, Nigaar, Badban, Kagzi Parahan, Adab Latif, Tashkil, Sadaa, Parwaz,Chaharsu, Takhliq, Roshnayi, Safir Urdu, Nadaib, Jung, Jadid Adab, Hamara Adab Sahil, Suraj etc.
In hundreds of Indian Urdu dailies his writings get featured. In 1969 his first writing got published and till date his creative items are continuously being published in popular dailies, weeklies and monthlies on regular basis. His first poetry collection Roshan Alaw was published in 1985 through the financial aid of MP Urdu academy.
So far Saifi Sironji has published 75 books of different genres. Among them Saifi Sironji Shakhsiyat aur Fun was immensely hailed by the literary world. It is a 500 page compilation in which the author has mentioned the factual and real events of his life. He has left no room for the fabricated and fake information in the book.
Which is the main reason behind the success and popularity of this book alongside the comprehensive language used by Saifi. Saifi Sironji has also written a masterpiece travelogue Sironj se London Tak which was widely hailed by the literary world. About this travelogue famous critic of Pakistan Anwar Sadeed has said “this travelogue is so beautifully written that it has been read by 50 litterateurs and the travelogue is still a travel”.
Writers from Canada and London liked it profoundly. These two books of saifi Sironji were hugely loved by the readers. He has written editorials about Afsana, Novel, Urdu nazm and ghazal for about four years in Intisab Alami which later were published as a collection. Contemporary scholars get benefitted from his writings after they go through them. Although he has written umpteen books on criticism and research but he lacks an interest in research.
While writing regular editorials in Intisab Alami, people themselves have labelled him as a researcher and critic and his poetry has got somehow wrapped. Initially, he has written a good number of short stories also and two of his collections viz Hum Reh Gaye Akele and Ye Zindagi Ke Malei have already seen the light of the day.
When asked about who impressed you most, Saifi Sironji replies “Except Dr Gopichand Narang none has been able to impress me most”. It is through Gopichand Narang’s writings and speeches that Saifi Sironji has reached the level of apex. That is why Saifi Sironji has issued special numbers on Gopichand Narang in both Intisab Alami and Alami Zuban besides composing two books which were recieved with love by the literary world. Saifi Sironji has deep affection with Urdu and infact he doesn’t has a strong hold on any other language. Let’s see his one couplet… Pehli kitab jis ne na dekhi tamam umar, Qudrat Khuda ki sahibi adrak ho gaya.
Saifi Sironji’s dedicated services for Urdu can be accessed from his twin magazines Intisab Alami and Alami Zuban which are regularly published from Sironj MP since 1983. He has issued special numbers on legendary litterateurs viz Bashir Badar, Zafar Gorakhpori, Nida Fazili, Hamidi Kashmiri, Hafiz Karnataki etc in these magzines.
One research scholar has completed his PhD on literary services of Intisab Alami as well. Saifi Sironji feels dejected and disappointed about diminishing number of Urdu readers. He is of the opinion that Urdu is a big gift from Allah which after English is the only global language spoken by wide range of people.
Very fewer people now buy magazines and journals of Urdu which is displeasing. Saifi sites an example of teen aged girl Stuti Agarwal who is a regular subscriber of 30 Urdu magazines. She not only buys them but also reads them and her creative items get regularly published in these magazines. So was her father Anil Agarwal who always purchased books even from his friends. About Urdu language saifi Sironji has composed this couplet…. Tum apne uhad ka wirsa tu kho chuke ho tamam,Jo Bach sake tu ye Urdu zuban rakh lena.
Saifi Sironji has widely toured to outside country. He has attended international seminars in UK for five years and sold hundreds of copies of Intisab Alami there. He also went to Saudi Arabia, America, Holland, Germany and Pakistan to meet litterateurs and poets of international repute. His passion for poetry is reflected from the fact that, to buy a book of Dr Wazir Agha “Urdu shayri ka Mizaj” Saifi Sironji worked continuously for three days and three nights to meet the cost of the book which was merely 75 rupees.
Poets aren’t merely the players who play with the words, but emotions, pains and societal wrongs are reflected in their poetry. Saifi Sironji is an excellent and skilful poet who doesn’t immitat and follow any other, but he is bestowed with a unique style of composing poetry which is widely applauded by the readers. His journey from his childhood to an author of 75 books is really an amazing one.
(The author hails from Qazigund south Kashmir)
source: http://www.kashmirvision.in / Kashmir Vision / Home> KV News / by Rayees Ahmed Kumar / October 11th, 2023
“My father died of cancer when I was in the 9th grade. My family was in deep grief and faced a mountain of difficulties. My mother worked as a household help to ensure my younger brother continued his studies.
“My conditions inspired me as I took difficulties as an opportunity. I expressed myself through my paintings, which were appreciated.
Today, my paintings and portraits are appreciated in America, Europe, and Gulf countries,” Adnan Ansari, a student pursuing an M.Com degree from Aligarh Muslim University, told Awaz- Voice over the phone.
Adnan had been fond of drawing since his school days, and to support his family, he took up his hobby as a profession. After his father passed away, his mother had to take care of the family all by herself. During the COVID-induced lockdown, I worked on my drawing skills at home using a pencil and paper.
Adnan Ansari at work
After this, Adnan created his Instagram page and uploaded his paintings on it. He received appreciation for his art. “Appreciation for one’s work is fine, but I cannot fill stomachs or run the family,” he said.
Soon after, Adnan completed his schooling at Aligarh Public School, one of his juniors placed an order over the phone for his portrait.
“That was my first earning. I received Rs 200 as remuneration. I never looked back. I was encouraged to make better paintings as I realised that I would start earning. My hard work and dedication have paid off, and today I am at a stage where my paintings are in demand even abroad.”
Today his Instagram page is doing well. “My followers are increasing, and I upload all my works for sale on it.”
He receives all his orders through Instagram. “I currently have orders for paintings from America, UK, Canada, and Saudi Arabia,” said Adnan. So far, his most expensive painting has been for Rs 40,000.
Adnan Ansari with some of his works
Adnan said that he has been trying to understand life from his perspective and process his feelings on canvas. That process makes him serve people through his art. His paintings reflect the maturity of his imagination.
According to him, copying something and making it exactly like it is not the definition of art.
Adnan said that he could make a painting of any kind, even from the oldest torn photographs. “For example, if you give me a colour or black and white photograph, I will make it exactly like the original, which will make you feel that this one is better, no matter how old the photograph is, if there is even 10 to 15 percent imagination in it, then I can make it.”
Adnan told Awaz-The Voice that his mother, Rashida Begum, is not educated and has a small income through doing small household work, which is not enough for the family. His younger brother Bilal Ansari is in school.
Adnan Ansari’s art
Adnan Ansari told Awaz-The Voice that he was thankful to former Aligarh MP Jamal Khwaja for providing him with a place to live. “We do not have a house and a Jamal Khwaja for whom my mother works, has kindly given a portion of his bungalow for my family to live.”
Adnan told Awaz-The Voice that I am currently doing post-graduation from Aligarh Muslim University. Along with this, I am improving my art through social media. However, my work is more understood and liked abroad. But I hope that one day I will get a big honor at the national and international level, and I am working hard for that.
Adnan said, “I started with pencil and sheet, so till now whatever paintings I have made, I have used only charcoal pencil, charcoal powder, eraser, cutter scale, knife. Now that I have money, I am also using canvas, light, computer, camera.”
Adnan said that the youth should bring out the talent hidden within them and try to move forward using whatever facilities are available to them. It is not necessary to have big things to make it big, one should bring out the hidden talent and work hard honestly. One day, success is inevitable.
Adnan Ansari’s works
Adnan said, “I mostly like to make a painting which has a story behind it. I keep looking at the paintings of some international-level artists and photographers to get inspired to do my work.”
Adnan Ansari is also a state-level under-19 football champion; he also edits videos on a freelance basis. Adnan wants to build his studio where he can showcase his art and video editing skills and create digital artwork.
Adnan Ansari says that first he prepares a digital layout and sends it to his clients. He does all this through Touchbook software. After approval, he draws it on canvas with a pencil.
Adnan says the price he prices his paintings as per his assessment of the hard work that has gone into each one. “I earn enough to run my household. I am now buying modern tools for my work. I see myself as a big artist of India in the next 5 years.”
Adnan has received many awards for his art. His works were also on display at the National Art Exhibition, where he received a lot of appreciation. Adnan also actively participates in youth fests and other competitions.
source: http://www.awazthevoice.in / Awaz, The Voice / Home> Stories / by Onika Maheshwari, New Delhi / April 09th, 2025
The National President of Urdu Development Organisation (UDO), Dr. Syed Ahmed Khan, has welcomed the Supreme Court’s April 15, 2025, decision in favour of Urdu regarding the Maharashtra Municipal Council, calling it historic, encouraging, and promising for the Urdu-speaking public.
It is noteworthy that the Supreme Court, while ruling on the signboard of the Municipal Council Building (Akola), stated that names can be written in Urdu along with Marathi on the signboards. The Supreme Court also clarified that language is not associated with any particular religion, but rather with the people, the community, and the region.
UDO’s National General Secretary Dr. Parwaz Uloom and Dr. Lal Bahadur jointly stated that the Supreme Court’s earlier decision on September 4, 2014, in favour of UDO against the Hindi Sahitya Sammelan, was also historic. However, unfortunately, due to the negligence of the Urdu-speaking public, the governments of the seven states – including Delhi and Uttar Pradesh – where Urdu has the status of a second official language, have neither implemented this status nor initiated any movement in light of the Supreme Court’s ruling.
Now, it is the responsibility of the Urdu-speaking community to benefit from such historic decisions.
source: http://www.radiancenews.com / Radiance News / Home> Latest News / by Radiance News Bureau / April 16th, 2025
When he is not writing a novel, he writes stories for children. And, when he is not penning these stories, he may compose poetry for a change of taste or suddenly come up with a book on personalities of his city.
Wakeel Najeeb is not just among the most prominent authors, he is the most prolific writer in the region. For people interested in Urdu litrature across the country, when the conversation shifts to this region, it’s his name that instantly comes to minds.
And a visit to Nagpur is incomplete until one meets him. In the serpentine lanes near his house, ask anyone–an elderly man or a young boy, everyone knows him and can guide you about the address or directly take you to his house.
Th writer is at the centre of Urdu literary activities in Nagpur. On my visit to the town, I tried to locate his house and almost everyone I came across on way, was ready to take me to his place. Apart from novels, he has several collections of stories and short-stories, poems and two travelogues to his name. Also, there is a collection of plays and hold your breath–20 novels.
He is among the few authors who have focused on writing for the children. Many of his novels are for children apart from nazms and stories. Though he started his literary journey with ‘afsana’ [short story], he got more fame because of writing for children as he also gets published in the magazines across India.
“Somehow a label was put on me that I write stories for children and a I am writer exclusively for kids, though I have collections of short stories and have written fiction, not just for children”, he explains. Of course, Najeeb, has written extensively and also writes critical pieces, essays and articles.
His most recent work is a book, ‘Meri Basti, Mere Log’. The book contains his write-ups on interesting personalities he saw around him as he grew up and others in his city. The profiles include people from diverse fields–wrestlers to clerics and writers to sufis. Already hundreds of copies of the book have been sold.
“Frankly, I do my best to publicize my books. When I write, my aim is to make people aware about the book. You see this, he points towards the banner outside his house, which announces publication of his book. People come to know, arrive and buy”, he further says.
That’s a far cry from the writers who bemoan lack of readers or rue that there books are not being sold. Born on July 1, 1946, Wakeel Najeeb, studied at the local Urdu school. He went on to become a teacher and retired as principal of Islamia School. He is socially active, associated with institutions, literary groups and attends their meets. And, literally holds the literary fort in the region.
source: http://ww.newsbits.in / Newsbits.in / Home> Special / by Shams Ur Rehman Alavi, Bhopal / December 22nd, 2021
Noor Jahan and her cousin Wajeeda Tabassum co-founded Shesrig Ladakh, an art conservation practice that restores and conserves ancient wall paintings, religious manuscripts, thangka (Buddhist scroll) paintings and metal works.
How do you protect and preserve culture? It’s a question Noor Jahan – a 32-year-old expert in art conservation and heritage management from Leh – has grappled with for a decade.
Through Shesrig (meaning ‘heritage’) Ladakh, an art conservation practice she founded with her cousin Wajeeda Tabassum, Noor performs critical restoration and conservation work on ancient wall paintings, religious manuscripts, thangka (Buddhist scroll) paintings and metal works.
“My real interest lies in working on ancient wall paintings and thangka paintings,” says Noor Jahan in a lengthy conversation with The Better India.
Backed by a Master’s degree from the Delhi Institute of Heritage Research and Management (DIHRM) and a PhD from the National Museum Institute, she has worked on wall paintings dating back to the late 8th century and Buddhist thangkas from the 19th century. Also, since 2019, she has run Shesrig on her own following Wajeeda’s departure for foreign shores.
What’s more, Noor is also the goalkeeper for the Indian women’ ice hockey team. Earlier this year, she helped India finish second in the Union Women’s Ice Hockey Tournament in Dubai. Noor reckons that she has a few more years left before she “officially retires” from the sport.
By all accounts, it’s an extraordinary way of life, and this is her story.
Noor Jahan working on old wall painting in Saspol caves, Ladakh
A serendipitous journey
There was a void in Noor’s life after earning her bachelor’s degree in commerce from Delhi University. Going through the motions, she had no passion for what she was learning. To reflect on what was next and enjoy a short holiday, she left for Leh after graduation in 2011.
It was during a walk through Leh’s crowded old town, when she met a few foreign conservators from the Tibet Heritage Fund working on an old Buddhist temple. Intrigued by what they were doing, Noor engaged in a short chat with them which would change her life.
After returning to Delhi, she began reading up on art conservation and learnt that she could pursue higher studies in this field.
What also sealed the decision to get into this field for Noor were memories from her childhood.
“My mother is from Hunder village in Nubra. Every holiday, we would always visit Nubra to meet my maternal grandparents. The bus would stop at this location called Chamba on the main road from where you had to walk inside the village. This particular route holds great importance in my life now because there are many stupas along the way. Every time I would look up at these pathway stupas, I would see these old paintings. But each passing year, some part of these paintings would disappear. When I applied for this course at DIHRM, the first thing I thought about were these paintings and the conservation work I could do someday,” she recalls.
Allied with a strong desire to come back home, starting this course brought passion back into her life. “Everything I was studying there found a purpose in Ladakh,” she says.
Noor Jahan found purpose in preserving Ladakh’s heritage
Finding Shesrig
Following the first year of her Master’s programme in 2012, Noor and Wajeeda opted to do their internship with the Himalayan Cultural Heritage Foundation (HCHF), a Leh-based non-profit. Helping them find projects to work on was Dr Sonam Wangchok, founder secretary of HCHF.
During this internship, the first major project Noor got involved in was a wall painting at Diskit Gompa, a 14th-century Buddhist monastery in Nubra Valley.
She recalls in an Instagram post, “The internship entailed working on the restoration of wall paintings from the 17th century under the supervision of art conservators from [the] Czech Republic. This was my first hands-on experience where I had the opportunity to conserve sacred Buddhist art and the opportunity to stay at the monastery itself. I think that internship changed my life forever as I not only got to work on the most beautiful wall paintings but gave me the opportunity to meet and interact with the monks at the monastery who took me and Wajeeda in as their own.”
Conserving ancient wall paintings is a delicate process
After completing her Master’s programme in 2013, Noor came back to Leh to work with other organisations like Art Conservation Solutions and Achi Association, amongst others, as a freelancer. In 2014, she worked on her first project outside Ladakh at the Golden Temple in Amritsar with Heritage Preservation Atelier, and also commenced her PhD at the National Museum Institute. Despite these landmark moments, she knew this sort of freelance work wasn’t sustainable.
“Working in these organisations was a great learning experience and helped me to capture some of the finer nuances of conservation. Even today with Shesrig, I collaborate with most of them. But this kind of work wasn’t sustainable, i.e. it was limited to summer months,” she says.
“In the summer, I would work on many projects. But the moment winters came, all these organisations would stop their work in Ladakh. I really wanted to start something of my own in Leh, while working sustainably and throughout the year,” she adds.
Thus, in 2017, Noor and Wajeeda founded Shesrig Ladakh and rented out a historic structure called Choskor House as their base in Leh’s old town, which they had to first restore.
This three-storied structure is located right behind the Jama Masjid (mosque) in the centre of Leh along the hillslope. It belongs to a renowned family of traders, who along with other important families, once led important trade missions to Lhasa from Ladakh.
“Even though Choskor House was really old, we decided to rent it. To restore it, we had initially consulted some architects, but there came a point when it became difficult because of costs and time constraints. That’s when we reached out to Achi Association India, a sister organisation of Achi Association (a Swiss-based organisation), which took over the project of restoring this structure backed by funding from the German Embassy. They helped with establishing the studio in which we currently operate. We started working inside our studio only this year,” says Noor.
“It’s important to see your heritage as an inheritance that has great value,” says Noor Jahan
Conserving ancient wall paintings is a delicate process
Conserving wall paintings
Conservation and restoration are different acts. Noor explains, “In conservation, people do not recreate anything new. So, if there are losses in a given wall painting, there is no recreation but only stabilisation. Restoration, meanwhile, seeks to recreate some of those losses.”
Some of the fundamental challenges in conserving or restoring old artworks include physical access to remote sites and obtaining the necessary materials that they largely import.
Noor gives us an example of a project they worked on in collaboration with the Himalayan Cultural Heritage Foundation in June 2020 to illustrate her point. The site was Chomo Phu, a small one-room Buddhist shrine near Diskit Monastery, Nubra.
“It’s quite a steep hike up from Diskit Monastery, and there is a gorge inside the valley where this shrine is located. There was no place for accommodation. Instead, we pitched tents next to the shrine and had to improvise basic facilities. We camped in that valley for about 25 days since it was not practical or possible for us to hike from there to the monastery or the village every day,” she recalls.
Before, during and after the project, Noor and her team do extensive documentation work. During this phase, they closely examine the kind of deterioration the wall painting has undergone.
In this particular case, there were a lot of over-filling and historical fills done in the past. These fills were done in such a way that it was obscuring a lot of the original painting and sometimes even overlapping it. They had to carefully remove those historic fills.
“Another issue with wall paintings is that there are a lot of detachments. In the event of any structural movement or water seepage, the plaster gets detached from the support, thus creating these hollow areas inside the painting. You can discover these hollow areas through a percussion test (a method for the structural inspection of wall paintings). We then perform grouting, i.e. fill the gaps between the painting and the support structure,” she notes.
Apart from these, there are cases where the paint layer gets delaminated. To address this, they use a consolidant and then stick the paint layer back to the surface.
“Of course, there is cleaning work which is done. The paintings are largely glue-bound tempera (also called secco, which are paintings on dry surfaces). In this kind of technique, the pigment is usually mixed with the binder and then applied to the walls. With water infiltration, the binder becomes weak causing delamination of the paint layer,” explains Noor.
“This damage primarily occurs because of water. We make sure not to perform any wet cleaning, i.e. don’t use any solvents to clean the wall painting. We only employ dry cleaning. There are various types of conservation-grade sponges which we work with and soft brushes to remove the dust or any mud infestations,” she adds.
A major point of contention with wall paintings is retouching work (reworking small areas of a painting to cover damage or to mask unwanted features).
Without getting too deep into the subject, when it comes to wall painting conservation work, Noor and her team largely stick to what she calls “conservation or stabilisation work”.
“It’s important to see your heritage as an inheritance that has great value,” says Noor Jahan
Restoring old thangkas
This year most of the thangkas that were brought in for restoration at Shesrig’s studio came from private households. Each thangka arrives in a different condition.
In thangka paintings, you have a textile-based canvas made of cotton fabric or any other material used by the artist in the centre. These thangkas also usually have either silk or brocade borders. Most thangkas they got into their studio this year had silk borders.
Step 1: “Since the thangka has come directly from the chod-khang (prayer room) to our studio, we first take it to a nearby monastery, where a de-consecration ceremony is done,” she says.
Step 2: The next step is to bring the thangka back to the studio, perform extensive documentation work including photographic documentation and understand what kind of problems are visible. Accordingly, they prepare a treatment plan.
Step 3: Usually the centrepiece of the thangka is stitched with a textile border. They separate both elements because the fabric at the border is completely different from the canvas in the centre. Following separation, they work on the border and centre piece canvas separately.
Step 4: Once the separation is done, the first step is cleaning the soot. “In thangkas, there are times (only when required), when we go for mild solvent cleaning but once again dry cleaning methods are preferred. Also, solvents can sometimes be harsh. We have started preparing gels which are much milder and do not adhere to the surface for the cleaning process,” she says.
Step 5: What if there are big losses or tears on the thangka painting? “We make a similar kind of ras-jee (the local term used for the textile canvas of a Thangka painting) in the studio. We use pieces of that ras-jeeto mend the tears. Otherwise, in thangkas, we also see a lot of cracks. To fill the cracks, we use the markalak (local clay mixed with mild adhesive) to fill those cracks because that’s part of the original technique of preparing a thangka. We follow the same methods while restoring it as well,” she explains.
Step 6: Once this is done, if there is any consolidation work required or a paint layer is coming off, they fix those problems. Sometimes, they mend the tears fibre by fibre, which requires very delicate hands. Also, if there are any small losses or paint losses, they do subtle retouching work using natural colours or the colours originally used on the thangka.
Conservation of Thangsham (the local term used for the textile border of a Thangka painting)
Step 7: Meanwhile, there is another team which is working on the textile border known as thangsham locally. There is a particular method of washing the textile using conservation-grade detergents.
“We don’t dip it straight into the water. Instead, we use wet sponges to clean it very meticulously. Sometimes these borders are also torn or otherwise in a bad condition, for which we mend them using patchwork with silk, brocade or whatever material was originally used. We have a stock of raw silk, which is white. We dye it as per the thangka’s requirements. If the thangsham, for example, is blue, we will dye the silk blue and do the patchwork from the inside. We perform the process of dyeing ourselves at the studio,” she explains.
Step 8: Once both elements are ready, they stitch the centrepiece canvas and the border back together, following which a consecration ceremony is done and then returned to the client.
Once again, depending on the state in which the thangka is sent, it takes anywhere between a fortnight to two months or more to restore a thangka. It also depends on manpower.
“Most of the time, we work in groups of two or three women on one thangka, and depending on the scale of the task, it takes about a month or two if the damage is extensive,” she says.
Given that most of the conservation work she does with Shesrig Ladakh relates to Buddhist heritage, questions have emanated from either side of the religious divide.
But is her faith an obstacle in this line of work?
“Most of the time, they don’t see my Muslim faith as an obstacle to the work that I do. For the most part, I’m not treated as an outsider or not from the community. In fact, it has been the opposite, where I am given more respect and love, especially in monasteries,” she says.
However, recently she heard someone say, ‘What is this Muslim girl doing here?’ “Look, this is how the world around us is moving. As Muslims in India, we know what’s going on. But I do not take these comments personally because I have to do what I know how to do,” she says.
Noor Jahan: “I have to do what I know how to do”
But such ad-hominem comments don’t necessarily come from the Buddhist community. She even notes how members of her religious community pass judgement on her line of work.
“Sometimes, people from the community approach my family to complain about my work, but fortunately they have been very understanding,” she notes.
Another struggle Noor deals with is the significant lack of awareness in Ladakh about art and heritage conservation as a field. “Even though they support me, my parents and some friends still don’t understand the kind of work I do. They still think this is a ‘hobby’ to me and don’t take me seriously. Even though the conversation in Ladakh about restoration and conservation has progressed a little, there are still people who think that this work can be done for free. This is something, I hope, changes with time as the conversation around this subject grows,” she says.
