Category Archives: Arts, Culture & Entertainment

Nishat Fatima says her first book had to be a romance

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, , , ,

Hyderabad, TELANGANA :

NishatMPOs26dec2017

Seriously, Sitara? is a tale of an unlikely romance between a Bollywood star and an art editor

Sitara, a 30-year-old high-headed arts editor of a magazine is thrown off balance when asked to interview the dashing, reclusive actor Nasser Khan. She hopes it will be a one-off interview and she’ll have nothing to do with showbiz-types again. But fate has other plans.

From being boringly single, Sitara suddenly has two suitors set up by parents and a Bollywood Khan vying for her attention.

Nishat Fatima, the Hyderabad-bred and now Delhi-based author’s debut novella, Seriously, Sitara? (Hachette India; Rs. 299) is a witty story of relationships told through a series of unbelievable yet interesting incidents. A self-confessed reader of romances by Jennifer Crusie, Georgette Heyer, Jane Austen, the early Nora Roberts, Susan Napier and Jayne Ann Krentz, Nishat says her first book had to be a romance. Excerpts from an interview with Nishat, who now serves as editor, Harper’s Bazaar :

There have been quite a few books by Indian authors exploring the lives of single women in a big city. Were you conscious of this while writing Seriously, Sitara? There’s a hint of Bridget Jones’ quality to Sitara…

I think it’s simply that stories in India have moved to an urban setting, which basically means that if your protagonist is female and single you can categorise it as single woman in the city. I was clear from the start that I was writing a rom-com. However, if you consider chick lit, there is often the device of making your heroine a little bit clumsy, and I plead guilty to that.

Sitara is a feisty, intelligent journalist who doesn’t get swayed by the glamour of the Hindi film industry and gives the poster-boy Nasser Khan a drubbing. How did you go about shaping up Sitara’s character traits?

I’d started out basing Sitara on a couple of friends from college. But by chapter three, Sitara started to do her own thing, then by the time we came to the last draft, she was her own person. (Clichéd, but true.)

You narrate the insecurities and fickle relationships of the film industry like an insider. How much of it was from your experience of interviewing film personalities?

Well, I’ve spent a lot of time waiting for actors to give me interviews! But I have to admit that the starting point about the insecurities of actors came from a magazine article written by an actor (anonymously) about why he stopped dating plastic perfection.

That set me thinking about actors and what they must go through. I also watched a couple of movies, though didn’t manage to crack open the box set of Entourage. When I was interviewing actors I was far too concerned about making deadlines to think about anything except how soon they would give me an interview.

Nasser Khan, as you’ve portrayed him, wants to stay closer to real people. The wily, back-biting ways of the film industry are not for him. Did you want Nasser to be this way so that it makes it easier for him to be drawn to someone like Sitara?

I have to admit that Sitara had very little to do with Nasser’s character. It was all his mother’s doing. As soon as she appeared, I fell in love with her, and figured her son would be a little different.

How long did it take you to write this story?

Four years, five drafts, and many, many cups of adrak chai .

You’ve written considerably on fashion and specialised in photography; so a romance with Bollywood comes as a surprise. Was this story the first story you wanted to write?

It was. I have read so many romances over the years that there was no doubt at all that my first book would be one. However, my coffee table book on 25 years of Suneet Varma did come out earlier this year, so my fashion leanings have been served too.

What’s next?

I’m kicking around a couple of ideas. Right now, though I’m just enjoying the coming out of ‘Seriously, Sitara?’

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> National / by Sangeetha Devi Dundoo / July 22nd, 2013

Armenian X’mas link

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

Agra, UTTAR PRADESH :

ArmenianChurchMPOs26dec2017

This Christmas, let’s rewind to the times when the cross and the crescent met in the Capital

Christmas is much the same everywhere but the medieval Armenian one was different. Even the Cross (that proclaims Christ’s crucifixion) had its own peculiar shape, hardly seen in Catholic and Protestant churches, except in old cemeteries, like the one in Agra which was once a Mughal orchard gifted to an Armenian lady by Akbar in the 17th Century. In Armenian celebrations, cakes were there, of course, but the emphasis was on animal sacrifices. The cakes and sweet breads were embellished with raisins (kishmish). No wonder non-Christians started calling Christmas “Kishmish”.

The visit of the former Armenian President, Levon Der Petrossian during Indira Gandhi’s time was a reminder of the age-old ties between India and Armenia, two countries where the Aryan influence predominated. The visit of Vice-President Hamid Ansari earlier this year was a follow-up to the one by Mrs Gandhi’s to Yeravan.

Armenia is an ancient country which has been regarded as “the doorway between East and West.” Mount Ararat, where Noah’s Ark rested after the Deluge, was in the present Turkish part of Armenia and it was there that those who were saved from the great flood along with the patriarch settled down to create a new world. It was, therefore, natural for Christianity to take root there in its initial days. It is worth mentioning, however, that the old beliefs of the Armenians were incorporated into the Church for quite a long time. Animals were sacrificed in the church porch before the celebration of the Eucharest, especially at X’mas and Easter. The Armenians had started coming to the Mughal Empire some years before the invasion of their country by Turkey. They found the hospitality that they needed and built churches in Delhi, which, however, do not exist now.

At Agra also they built a chapel and the son of a nobleman, Mirza Zulquarnain, was brought up by Akbar. He was later to become the head of the salt works at Sambar. The Mirza is known as the Father of Christianity in North India because it was during his time that the cross and the crescent met in the Mughal Capital.

Mirza Zulquarnain’s palace occupied the land where the British later built the Agra Central Prison, which in recent times has made way for the ambitious shopping project known as Sanjay Place. It was on this piece of land that a cathedral was erected by the Capuchins 200 years later. The Armenians planted olive trees, one of which still survives near Akbar’s church. The mystical cross was used as an emblem on even residential buildings. It is said that during Akbar’s time after Christmas Mass the sick members of the congregation drank of the water in which earlier a crucifix had been bathed. It was supposed to cure patients, or so the belief went. In the Martyrs’ Cemetry at Agra are the graves of many Armenians which look like Muslim graves with Persian inscriptions. One of the graves, that of the saintly Armenian merchant, Khwaja Mortiniphas is still venerated, along with that of Fr. Santus. Some say he was related to the Bishop of Tabriz and became a hermit in later life after giving all his wealth to the poor.

In Delhi, the most famous Armenian tomb is that of Sarmad Shaheed at the foot of the Jama Masjid. Kishanganj, between old Delhi and Sarai Rohila stations, also has some Armenian graves, besides those of Dutch nationals some connected to the Mughal Court like Bibi Juliana. Incidentally, the Chief Justice in Akbar’s reign was Abdul Hayee, an Armenian Christian.

Destroyed by Nadir Shah

There were two Armenian churches in Delhi, one near the slaughter house, beyond the old Sabzi Mandi, another in Sarai Rohilla; though accounts of their exact location differ. According to Sir Edward Maclagan, there were 120 catholics in Delhi during Shah Jahan’s reign in 1650. Their number went upto 300 by 1686, when Aurangzeb was on the throne. Two priests looked after them. A Catholic cemetery was also in existence from 1656. Father Desideri, who came to the city from Tibet, found the churches in ruins in 1732 (Mohd Shah’s reign). He stayed on for three years and built a new Armenian church dedicated to the Virgin Mary and blessed on All Souls’ Day, Nov 2, 1723. In 1739, this church and another Armenian one were destroyed by the Persian invader, Nadir Shah during the massacre of Delhi. One of the churches was rebuilt in 1746, and blessed on Christmas Eve. Later another Armenian church came up, but both seem to have been razed in the early 19th century.

When the Armenians held X’mas celebrations, boys and girls dressed as angels greeted Akbar and later Jahangir at their church in Agra which still exists. After that the two emperors watched the Christmas play and later sent the ladies of the harem to see the crib depicting Christ’s truth in a manger. Armenian X’mas is now a nostalgic memory but when the church bells peal for midnight Mass at Christmas in the Cathedral near Akbar’s church, the Armenian spirit is revived as the local Padritolians pull the ropes of the five huge bells imported from Belgium by the Italian Capuchin fathers. This tradition dates back to Armenian times, when one of the bells broke and could be lifted with great difficulty by two elephants, who deposited it in the Mughal Kotwali till Jahangir had it repaired and restored to the old church.

Probably the most famous Armenian in Indian history was Shah Nazar Khan who cast the Zamzamah gun for the Third Battle of Panipat (1761) on the orders of Ahmed Shah Abdali and about which Kipling wrote: “Who hold Zam-Zamah, that fire-breathing dragon, hold the Punjab”. The giant on wheels, gun is now parked in front of the Lahore Museum, while Nazar Khan rests in Agra where father discovered the nearly-obliterated Persian inscription on his tomb in December 1935, almost two years before one was born. Merry Christmas!

source:  http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Miscellaenous> Othes / by R.V.  Smith / December 26th, 2017

Google celebrates Mohammed Rafi’s 93rd birthday

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, , ,

Mumbai, MAHARASHTRA :

MdRafiMPOs25dec2017

It is legendary singer Mohammed Rafi’s 93rd birthday, and what could be a better tribute from Google than a doodle? Sunday’s doodle created by Mumbai-based illustrator Sajid Shaikh shows the Badshah of playback singing crooning a number in a studio, while actors give life to it on the silver screen.

Born on this day in 1924, Mohammed Rafi developed a taste for singing inspired by a fakir in his village in today’s Punjab. “In the early 1930’s, a little boy named Pheeko (Rafi’s nickname) would wait for a travelling fakir to stop by his home village of Kotla Sultan Singh and follow him on his rounds, imitating his chants as they went along,” reads Google’s blog post.

Rafi and his family moved to undivided India’s Lahore. He began his formal training in classical music here from Ustad Abdul Wahid Khan, Pandit Jiwan Lal Mattoo and Firoze Nizami. Rafi’s first public performance was at the age of 13. He was just 17 when he first tried his luck in playback singing. It was a duet with Zeenat Begum for a Punjabi movie Gul Baloch.

At the age of 20, Rafi moved to Bombay, the mecca of Hindi cinema. Shyam Sundar, the music director of Gul Baloch, gave Rafi his first chance to croon in a Hindi movie — Gaon Ki Gori.

From then on Rafi went on to sing over 5,000 songs, including about 310 songs in other Indian languages such as Bengali, Urdu, Marathi, Gujarati, Kannada, Odia, Punjabi, and Telugu, in a span of over three decades. He also sang non-film songs such as qawwalis, ghazals, and bhajans.

During his entire career, he worked with many great music directors like O.P. Nayyar, Laxmikant Pyarelal and R.D. Burman, Rafi and delivered some of evergreen hits including Yeh duniya yeh mehfil, Chura liya hai tumne, Tum jo mil gaye ho and many more.

His song Kya Hua Tera Wada in Hum Kisise Kum Naheen (1977) won him a National Award for playback singing.

Rafi died in Mumbai on July 31, 1980 following a massive heart attack. It is said that Rafi recorded a song for music director duo Laxmikant-Pyarelal hours before his death.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Sci-Tech> Internet / The Hindu Net Desk / December 24th, 2017

Taj brings back Farhat Jamal, this time as senior VP

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Business & Economy, Travel & Tourism,

Mumbai, MAHARASHTRA :

In his new role, Jamal will be responsible for the hotel's operations in Western India
In his new role, Jamal will be responsible for the hotel’s operations in Western India

 

Mumbai :

Seasoned hotelier Farhat Jamal returns to the Taj chain after eight years and this time, as its senior vice-president (operations).

In his new role, Jamal will be responsible for the hotel’s operations in Western India and Africa. Jamal had left Taj in November 2007 after being with the Tata Group-owned chain for nearly three decades.

Between November 2007 and until now, Jamal was with Lalit Hotels as its chief operating officer and Shangri-La Hotels as head of India operations.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News Home> City> Mumbai / by Reeba Zachariah / TNN / July 21st, 2015

Colonel MA Kaleem Attempts a 35000 km World Record Ride at 68 Years

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Community Involvement / Social Issues, Green Products, Leaders, Transport, Travel & Tourism, , , ,

Hyderabad, TELANGANA :

ColKaleem01MPOs24dec2017

Col. MA Kaleem, a veteran motorcyclist, young at 68 years, begins a solo ride around India, riding a total distance of 35,000 km. He is attempting to break the existing world record for longest distance traveled within a country without retracting on same route. He’ll be travelling to all the states in the country touching their capital cities. Some of the cities he will be visiting are Chennai, Trivandrum, Kochi, Mangalore, Panaji, Bangalore, Pune, Mumbai, Nagpur, Lucknow, Allahabad, Jaipur, Delhi, Chandigarh, Ludhiana, Agra, Gwalior, Siliguri, Calcutta, Ahmedabad, Bhopal, Indore, Guwahati. He intends to travel this Distance in a time of 90 days.

ColKaleem02MPOs24dec2017

He has done innumerable solo rides in India and is affectionately called Moonchwala in Biker circles. He was part of the Hyderabad – Kashmir – Hyderabad ride done last year. He was flagged off in Hyderabad By the Joint Transport Commisioner and Secretary, RTA, HYDERABAD Mr T. Raghunath.

ColKaleem03MPOs24dec2017

Mr. Kaleem Planted a tree at the RTA Khairatabad in Hyderabad to commemorate the occasion. Speaking on the occasion he thanked his Sponsors HP for the Petrol, CEAT Tires for 2 Sets of Brand new tires, ViaTerra for the Claw and GT customized luggage systems, HV Kumar & Forum for Live Online Support, Xbhp members for support and MapMyIndia for the GPS Device. He also mentioned that he is dedicated to protect environment and plants trees whenever he sets out for a ride. He wanted everyone in the society to pledge for their own as well as others safety while on the road.

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Mr.T. Raghunath explained all the innovative ways they are using to make life of citizens on the roads in Hyderabad better. The safety measures and implementations of different policies were explained to the gathering.

Members from the online community will also be greeting and supporting him at every major town. We wish the young-at-heart colonel all the best in his record attempt.

source: http://www.motoroids.com / Motoroids.com / Home> Features / 2014

Sify columnist releases book on Indian Muslim freedom fighters

Amazing Feats, Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Community Involvement / Social Issues, Freedom Fighters (under research project), Leaders, World Opinion, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

NEW DELHI :

FreedomFightersMPOs22dec2017

Patna:

In a glittering ceremony, two books on the Muslim community’s contribution to the Indian freedom movement were launched in Patna last week. The function was presided over by Harsh Mander, former IAS officer and human rights activist.

The books ‘Muslim Freedom Fighters: Contribution of Indian Muslims in the Independence Movement’ and its Urdu version ‘Muslim Mujahideen-e-Azadi aur Tehrik-e-Azadi Mein Unki Khidmat’ have been authored by well-known Delhi based author and journalist Syed Ubaidur Rahman.

The two books try to fight the oft-repeated allegations that Muslims are anti-national and have not contributed for the freedom of the nation. The books nail the lie and prove that Muslims not just participated in the freedom movement, they went on to lead the freedom struggle for a long time. The first war of Independence or Mutiny of 1857 was led by Mughal emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar in Delhi and Begum Hazrat Mahal in Lucknow.

The Independence Movement in the first two decades of the twentieth century was led by Mahmud Hasan and ulama of Deoband and they had respect and support of everyone including Hindus and Muslims.

If anyone has any doubt about the Muslim contribution in the freedom movement, the fact that the Indian National Congress had as many as nine Muslims as its president till the year 1947 will remove such doubts.

While speaking on the occasion, Harsh Mander said that the divisive forces in the country are trying to divide the nation on the basis of religion and faith. He said that the danger from such forces for the national fabric and its unity has become grave.

Mander added that the threat to the communal amity in the country was never so high as is today as divisive forces are doing every thing to pit one community against the other and create a fear psychosis among the majority community prompting it to turn it against minorities.

Khursheed Mallick, a Chicago based urologist, philanthropist and director of IMEFNA said that the book is a timely reminder to the nation that Muslims and Hindus both sacrificed for the nation and this fact must be clearly told to our young generation. He said Muslims sacrificed heavily for the cause of the freedom of the nation and efforts must be made to tell the history.

Syed Ubaidur Rahman, the author of the two books, while speaking on the occasion said Muslims have been rather loath to write about the sacrifices they have made for the cause of the Independence and freedom. He said Muslims suffered badly throughout the freedom movement. They were the worst suffers in the wake of the mutiny of 1857 and its aftermath when Muslims were hounded across North India and beyond. Tens of thousands of Muslims lost their lives for the freedom.

Syed added that ulama of Deoband played a stellar role in the freedom movement. Unlike the common perception, they were secular to the core and when they established a government in exile in Kabul in 1915, they appointed Raja Mahendra Pratap as its President and Maulana Barkatullah Bhopali as its Prime Minister.

The book documents the lives of forty renowned Muslim freedom fighters including, Shaikhul Hind Maulana Mahmud al-Hasan, Maulana Barkatullah Bhopali, Hakim Ajmal Khan, Maulana Ubaidullah Sindhi, Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, Maulana Mohammad Ali Jauhar, Dr Maghfoor Ahmad Ajazi, Dr Mukhtar Ahmad Ansari, Ashfaqulla Khan, Maulana Hasrat Mohani, Maulana Muhammad Mian Mansoor Ansari, Asaf Ali, Husain Ahmad Madani, Aruna Asaf Ali (Kulsum Zamani), Peer Ali Khan, Saifuddin Kitchlew, Mohammed Abdur Rahiman, Captain Abbas Ali, Abdul Qaiyum Ansari, Prof. Abdul Bari, Moulvi Abdul Rasul, Nawab Syed Mohammed Bahadur, Rahimtulla Mahomed Sayani, Syed Hasan Imam, Sir Syed Ali Imam, M.C. Chagla, Yusuf Meherally, Justice Fazal Ali, General Shah Nawaz Khan, Allama Fazle Haq Khairabadi, Maulana Shaukat Ali, Syed Mahmud, Maulana Mazharul Haque, Badruddin Tyabji, Col Mehboob Ahmed, Begum Hazrat Mahal, Maulana Shafi Daudi, Rafi Ahmed Kidwai, Syed Mohammad Sharfuddin Quadri, Batak Mian .

The book launch function was organized at Anjuman Taraqqi Urdu and was presided over by Abdul Qaiyum Ansari, chairman of Anjuman Taraqqi Urdu Bihar.

Syed Ubaidur Rahman is a New Delhi based writer and commentator. He has written several books on Muslims and Islam in India including Understanding Muslim Leadership in India.

source: http://www.sify.com / Sify.com / Home> SifyNews> National / by SIFY.com / Friday – December 22nd, 2017

Ustad and the world of gharanas

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, World Opinion, , , , , , ,

Indore, MADHYA PRADESH /  Kolkata, WEST BENGAL :

tad Amir Khan in performance. | Photo Credit: 14dfrmeena1
tad Amir Khan in performance. | Photo Credit: 14dfrmeena1

As the late Ustad Amir Khan’s magic continues to awe listeners, various musicians claim that he was from their gharana.

Ustad Amir Khan (born on August 15) was an introvert and a man of few words, yet Khan saheb had validated during an exhaustive interview for a documentary film on him by the Films Division, “Mai Indore (gharane) ke naam se gaa raha hoon.” (I am singing under the identity of Indore gharana.)

Obviously, his unique style took a tangible, modern form very gradually; turned his listeners around as gradually and became a rage, specially in Bengal. Generations of most eminent musicians came under his majestic charm.

On a more formal ground, his disciples like Pandit Amarnath, Pandit A. Kanan, Pandit Tejpal Singh and several others also had established themselves not only as performers but also as revered gurus.

Under the circumstances, the “three-generation” stipulation too was met during Amir Khan saheb’s lifetime that was crudely cut short by a horrible car accident when he was barely 62 and at the peak of his career.

Since his magic refuses to spare sensitive souls even now, several gharanedar musicians are screaming foul and claim Ustad Amir Khan as one of them.

Ironically no other gharana faces such sharp controversy; rife with appalling stories!

But a large number of musicians, in their pursuit to serve the cause of good music, do not care to indulge in such tactical claims to attest their blue blood. Moreover, the modern era is open to different ideas, irrespective of their origin or lineage. For example, I noticed a marked change in Pandit Ulhas Kashalkar’s singing around 1998. The pristine style of this top ranking khayal exponent, equally adept at handling three major styles, was suddenly steeped in soulful depths of a slower than usual Gwalior, Jaipur or Agra pace that usually floats around medium tempo.

Asked why, Kashalkar’s answer was simple, “Everybody is singing that way here (in Bengal) and it facilitates space for more emotions.” But this was actually a slow process initiated by Ustad Vilayat Khan.

For his 75th birthday celebration his ardent fan, Jayant Chatterjee had roped in Kashalkar to sing the legendary sitar maestro’s khayal and thumri compositions.

Hailed as “Amir Khan on the sitar”, the Ustad was very close to Khan saheb who was his elder sister’s husband but things soured later.

In “Komal Gandhar” (his autobiography, compiled by Shankarlal Bhattacharya; translated by me from Bengali to Hindi; published by Kanishka, Delhi), Ustad Vilayat Khan admitted to have “spent hours of riyaz together” with Khan saheb. A photograph adorning the living room of Maharaj Banerjee, a renowned but retired harmonium player, bears testimony to this fact.

Amir Khan (born 1912) and Vilayat Khan (born 1928) doing ‘riyaz together’ leaves a lot left unspoken. So does Ustad Vilayat Khan’s indelible impression on Kashalkar’s psyche. And what a wonderful result it has yielded ever since! Furthermore, Pandit Vijay Kichlu, the erudite founder-director of ITC Sangeet Research Academy, who actually was behind the phenomenal rise of the Academy’s young students, including Rashid Khan, gave a memorable introduction while presenting him during a Sangeet Ashram event on August 10th 2007. The date signifies that it was close to Khan saheb’s birthday and the introduction, abounding with audio-clips, significantly highlighted his deep imprint on Ustad Rashid Khan’s musical thoughts.

Pandit Buddhadev Dasgupta, veteran sarod maestro and an erudite analyst, also says that this extremely popular khayal singer with a golden voice is deeply influenced by Amir Khan’s music. So is young Arshad Ali Khan of Kirana gharana. They are not isolated cases. The list of Ustad Amir Khan’s followers or admirers is pretty impressive. Some greats, like Vidushi Kishori Amonkar and Ustad Shujaat Khan have openly admitted Khan saheb’s influence on their music.

Even four decades after his untimely demise, there are many such eminent musicians who avoid confessing his impact but their music reveals Khan saheb’s indelible stamp loud and clear. This style’s unmatched popularity had transcended all barriers during the short life-span of its creator. Moreover his disciples are carrying forward the legacy steeped in ‘abstract’ modernism. Eminent musicologist-author Vamanrao Deshpande saw this coming. He, therefore, acknowledged Indore as an independent Gharana in his book “Gharandaj Gayaki” (Marathi, published in 1961); and rightly so.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Friday Review / by Meena Banerjee / August 13th, 2015

Muslim teen’s essay wins Gita contest

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Education, , ,

Jaipur, RAJASTHAN :

Nadeem Khan(file photo)
Nadeem Khan(file photo)

JAIPUR:

A self-confessed Sanskrit lover, 16-year-old Nadeem Khan has been declared the winner of a state-level Sanskrit essay competition on Bhagvad Gita in the Rajasthan capital.
At a ‘Gita Fest’ organised by the Akshaya Patra Foundation that concluded on Monday, two other Muslim students from Jaipur, Zaheen Naqvi of Class II and Zorabia Nagori of Class IV, also bagged top positions in a contest on the recitation of Gita verses.

The winners will receive their awards on Wednesday.

A student of Class X at a government school, Khan, the son of a labourer, has had a keen interest in Sanskrit language ever since it was introduced in his curriculum in Class VI.

“I find this language best among all known to me. I never found it alien despite the fact that I rarely get a chance to speak it, even in my class. The competition has acknowledged my devotion for the language,” said Khan.

“In my Sanskrit class, the teacher rarely speaks the language. They ask us to only focus on writing in Sanskrit. I am not fluent in speaking Sanskrit,” he added.

The teenager, however, will not able to make it to the award ceremony. “I have an exam on Wednesday but my parents and grandmother will collect the prize on my behalf,” said Khan.

The foundation organised three competitions – essay on Gita, recitation of Gita verses and handwriting competitions – which saw participation by over 8,000 students from 200 schools across Rajasthan.
Tanveer Ahmed, a government employee in the health department, was upbeat about daughter Zaheen’s win. “My daughter worked very hard. Every day she would memorise verses from the Gita for hours to improve her diction and pronunciation. It’s a proud moment for us,” said Ahmed.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The  Times of India / Home> City News> Jaipur News> Schools & Colleges / by Shoeb Khan / December 20th, 2017

Date with History: Did you know that Hyder Ali commissioned Lalbagh for a Sufi Saint?

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

Bengaluru, KARNATAKA :

Shuttari’s Dargah

`Masjid-e-Meraj Bada Makan’ is tucked away in a nondescript lane on Lalbagh Main Road. Nothing about the structure or its adjoining dargah (now under renovation) seems `historic’. But then, first impressions can be misleading.

The story goes back to 1753, says the mosque’s secretary Abdul Shukur. Hyder Ali decided to take the blessings of a fakir in Salem before the battle of Tiruchinapally against the British. It is said he was shocked when the saint Attaullah Shah Shuttari forbade him from fighting. The commander went ahead nevertheless, a move that resulted in defeat, grave physical injury and loss of lives.

Hyder Ali then requested Shuttari to become his pir (spiritual guide). Pointing to a brickwalled home opposite the mosque, Shukur says, “Hyder Ali built this bada makan (large home) for the fakir and it continues to be occupied by his descendants.“ Local residents and historians believe Shuttari had a greater role to play.

 Syed Suleiman Ali Shuttari, the eighth-generation descendent of Attaullah Shah Shuttari, says people from far and wide visited his illustrious ancestor. They travelled in bullock-carts and stayed put in the grounds next to the mosque, waiting for the saint to finish his prayers. During one of his visits, Hyder Ali was pained to see people wait in the blistering heat. So, he commissioned the making of Lalbagh in 1760.

“Lalbagh was originally planned over 30 acres of land here, before Tipu Sultan and the British planned it across the 240 acres that we see today ,“ says Mansoor Ali, founder, Bengaluru By Foot. Mosque members go a step further to claim that Lalbagh was named after Haider Ali’s mother Lal Bi.

Popular narratives of history , however, say Hyder Ali was inspired by the Mughal gardens in Delhi and so had Lalbagh built. The horticulture department website suggests that Lalbagh derives its name from the red roses that bloom year-round in the botanical garden. After Shuttari’s death in the the 1770s, a dargah was built on his grave. Hyder Ali himself passed away in 1782.

The place also has an old well, said to be 30feet deep. Popularly known as Bada Makan Ki Boudi, it was apparently built by Haji Nasiruddin, a district commissioner and a follower of Shuttari. His great-grandson Shabaz Shariff said that Nasiruddin spent `200 to build the well. “It never dries out. In fact, it was among the only sources of water during the famine of 1876,“ he says. Though the well is locked, it continues to supply water to the mosque and the local community .

source:  http://www.economictimes.indiatimes.com / The Economic Times / ET Home> Magazines> Panache / by Divya Shekhar, ET Bureau / July 13th, 2017

Battle of Patparganj to Bahadur Shah Zafar’s trial: Delhi’s journey since 1803, at the click of a mouse

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

NEW DELHI :

A 100-member team of archivists is digitising over 10 crore documents to prevent further loss. The first phase of the project is expected to be completed in two years.

A letter from General Lake Sahib to Zaibun Nisa Baigum dated 8 October 1802 at Delhi archives.(Vipin Kumar/HT PHOTO)
A letter from General Lake Sahib to Zaibun Nisa Baigum dated 8 October 1802 at Delhi archives.(Vipin Kumar/HT PHOTO)

On March 9, 1858, a British court declared Delhi’s last king, Bahadur Shah Zafar, guilty of rebellion, treason and murder before exiling him to Rangoon in the then British-controlled Burma. The trial was approved and confirmed a month later by N Penny, major general commanding, Meerut division.

One hundred and fifty nine years later, the 42-day trial conducted at Diwan-e-Khaas of the Red Fort by British prosecutor Major F Harriott lies preserved word for word at the Delhi archives in the form of a hardbound book comprising 262-pages.

Apart from the handwritten trial papers, the Delhi archives is a repository of over 10 crore rare documents comprising Mughal firmans (imperial orders), maps, land acquisition award statements, jail records, manuscripts and government orders narrating the historical and political journey of Delhi since 1803.

So far accessible to only researchers, the treasure trove will soon be just a click away for those interested in the history of the national capital. An ambitious ‘digitisation and microfilming of archival records’ project started by Delhi government is underway with the target of converting 4 crore documents in the first phase by 2020.

An official with a copy of the trial of Bahadur Shah Zafar. (Vipin Kumar/HT PHOTO)
An official with a copy of the trial of Bahadur Shah Zafar. (Vipin Kumar/HT PHOTO)

“Some of the records are so old that they might get damaged. So, it is required to preserve them in digital and microfilm formats for posterity,” said Sanjay Garg, the chief archivist of the archives. The Delhi Archives is city’s second repository of records from early 19th century after the National Archives of India.

Mughal firmans to land acquisition for Lutyens Delhi

In September 1803 East India Company’s forces under general Gerard Lake fought the Marathas in what is popular as Battle of Delhi, or Battle of Patparganj — named after the area now in east Delhi.The earliest documents at the Delhi Archives relate to this battle. Thought the British emerged victorious, they allowed Shah Alam II — the blind emperor of Delhi — to issue firmans in Persian language, many of which are also preserved at the archives.

“There are different sizes of royal seals in Persian language depending on the hierarchy in the Mughal courts on the firman with gold marks,” said Ashutosh Kumar Jha, assistant archivist pointing at ‘A letter from General Lake Sahib to Zaib-un-Nisa Baigum’ dating October 8, 1802.

The transfer of power to the British crown in 1958 followed setting up of a new administration and eventually the construction of the new capital, Delhi, in 1912. The Archives also have records of land acquisition during this historic shift of the national capital from Kolkata to Delhi.

“From photographs to award statements of land acquired from the owners, we have rare documents that bear testimony to how the present day Delhi came up,” said Sandeep Singh, assistant archivist. In one of the records dating March 1913, an individual named Ram Das was awarded a compensation of Rs 172, two paisa and nine annas for his 285.38 acre of land acquired by the government in Khanpur. The deal was signed by Kamruddin, revenue assistant, Delhi province.

Documents being scanned for digitisation at Delhi archives. (Vipin Kumar/HT PHOTO)
Documents being scanned for digitisation at Delhi archives. (Vipin Kumar/HT PHOTO)

Photographs, titles awarded jail documents, student activism

The repository at the archives includes pictures of construction of historical buildings housing Parliament and Rashtrapati House in early 20th century. Originally called House of Parliament, the Sansad Bhawan was designed by the British architect Edwin Lutyens and Herbert Baker in 1912-1913 and was constructed between 1921 and 1927.

A poster of a debate being organised by Delhi Students’ Federation on May 29, 1937 at Arabic College Hall (Ajmeri Gate) is in the section of rare documents showing how teachers would support students’ concerns. The debate on why “the proposed scheme of educational reconstruction of Delhi University will be detrimental to the best interest of the students’ community and the cause of education in the country”, had C Eyre Walker, principal Arabic college, S Dutt, principal Ramjas College, and BB Gupta, principal Ramjas inter college among speakers.

A rare document dated April 7, 1912 is testimony to how ‘Khan Bahadur’ title was awarded to one Chaudhari Nabi Ahmed on the occasion of ‘His Majesty, the King- Emperor’s Birthday’.

The Delhi archives is a repository of over 10 crore rare documents comprising Mughal firmans, maps land acquisition statements, jail records, manuscripts and government orders. (Vipin Kumar/HT PHOTO)
The Delhi archives is a repository of over 10 crore rare documents comprising Mughal firmans, maps land acquisition statements, jail records, manuscripts and government orders. (Vipin Kumar/HT PHOTO)

Digitising 10 crore rare documents

The project, billed as the largest in Asia, envisages digitisation of 10 crore records stored in the four specially constructed floors of the Delhi Archives building in Qutub Institutional Area. In the first phase, four crore records are expected to be ready and uploaded on the website of the Delhi archives over a span of 30 months at a cost of Rs 25.4 crore.

The project was fist conceived in 2011 but was taken up by the incumbent government on August 31 this year. Led by Garg, a 100-member team of archivists, scholars and employers are busy with the digitisation task using computers and high-end German-made scanners.

“We have got eight scanners for now. We digitise about 50,000 pages each day,” Garg said

A collection of old newspapers at the archives includes a copy of Hindustan Times, Evening News, published on September 25, 1948. (Vipin Kumar/HT PHOTO)
A collection of old newspapers at the archives includes a copy of Hindustan Times, Evening News, published on September 25, 1948. (Vipin Kumar/HT PHOTO)

Once digitised, the records would be transformed into microfilms.

“The thumbnails of the records with some information would be available on the website. For higher resolutions, one has to pay,” Garg said

A welcome move

“It’s a welcome move to preserve and digitise records particularly Bahadur Shah Zafar’s trial. The public will know who sided with British and who was with revolutionaries in the first war if Independence,” said historian Rana Safvi, who has translated Zahir Dehlvi’s Dastan-e-Ghadar which comprises eyewitness account of the 1857 uprising against the British

An old invite of Delhi Student Federation, now DUSU (Delhi University Student Union), at Delhi archives. (Vipin Kumar/HT PHOTO)
An old invite of Delhi Student Federation, now DUSU (Delhi University Student Union), at Delhi archives. (Vipin Kumar/HT PHOTO)

Established in 1972, the Delhi archives is a repository of non-current records of Delhi government under the department of art and culture. It is responsible for preservation of the archives and making them available research and references.

“We are committed to make knowledge more accessible to the common people. This is an important step towards preserving our precious heritage. While digitisation will ensure preservation of documents, making them available to a larger audience through a website and outreach events will play a key role in dissemination,” said Manish Sisodia, the minister of Art, Culture and Languages.

source: http://www.hindustantimes.com / Hindustan Times / Home> Cities / by Gulam Jeelani, Hindustan Times / December 14th, 2017