P.T.A. Rahim, MLA, handing over papers of the pension benefits to Iyyamkunnath Devi during a function at the GHSS Peringolam in Kozhikode.
After 30 years of service as a noon-meal worker at the Government Higher Secondary School at Peringolam in Kozhikode, Iyyamkunnath Devi called it a day a few months ago.
Being a daily-wage worker at the mercy of the school management, she couldn’t have expected any retirement benefits from the government as she leaves. Calmly, the elderly widow, in her late 60s, went home to spend rest of her life with her only son’s widow and children.
Ms. Devi’s empty-handed retreat from the school at the end of a prolonged spell of service, however, had left a lingering soreness with her co-workers, teachers and the students, whom she had been feeding all these years. Led by a teacher-in-charge of the noon meal committee P. Bavakutty, they sat one day to discuss the possibility of offering “some help” to Ms. Devi, whom they fondly called Deviyedathi .
Under the initiative of the Parents and Teachers Association (PTA) they decided to collect an amount to be given to the retiring member. Teachers, students, and the public, all responded overwhelmingly to the call. A sum of Rs.1, 25,000 was raised at the end, with which a pension scheme was opened forDeviyedathi. “We had never imagined that people would respond in such an overwhelming manner to this,” said Mr. Bavakutty.
From the amount, Rs.1 lakh was deposited in a pension scheme in her name with the Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) while the rest, (Rs.25,000) was given to her as a gratuity during a public function organised at the school recently. “A pension scheme for a daily-wage worker under the initiative of a school PTA would probably be the first of its kind anywhere in the State,” said Sasidharan Pullangotte, the PTA president.
“We believe that the Rs.750, though small, that would reach her as pension every month, would at least make a small difference to Deviyedathi’s life,” said the PTA president.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Kozhikode / by Jabir Mushthari / Kozhikode – January 13th, 2015
Prince of Arcot Nawab Mohammed Abdul Ali has urged Muslims to put a stop to the custom of taking dowry, going against the Quran and Hadith (sayings of the Holy Prophet).
Speaking at the Seerath-un-Nabi (life and teachings of the Holy Prophet) celebration, organised by Fathima Basheer Matriculation Higher Secondary School for Girls under the aegis of the Southern India Educational Trust recently, he urged the Ulema (Islamic scholars) to condemn the practice.
“It is a shameful act and is ruining the lives and finances of many families and girls,” he said.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Chennai > Society / by Special Correspondent / Chennai – January 09th, 2015
Hazarduari Palace in Murshidabad has been declared an Adarsh Monument by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) along with three others in eastern India.
The other three monuments are Vaishali-Kolhua in Bihar, Rang Ghar in Assam’s Sibsagar and the Konark Sun Temple in Odisha. These will be in the focus of international tourism promotion plan developed by the central government.
ASI has selected only 25 out of 3,680 protected monuments under the Adarsh Samarak Yojona. The list was made on the basis of the number of tourists these monuments attract annually. The list includes some of the biggest crowd-pullers like Taj Mahal, Khajuraho, Qutab complex and Red Fort.
All of them can be of great interest to international tourists, believes the ministry of culture. “Keeping that in mind, we are developing amenities of international standards, including washrooms, drinking water, signs, cafeterias, audio-visual centres, Wi-Fi connectivity, interpretation centres and encroachment-free areas,” said ASI regional director (eastern region) P K Mishra.
But more than anything else, security will be enhanced. The Centre is thinking of introducing the ‘tourism police’ force that is quite common across the world.
Hazarduari Palace, earlier known as Bara Kothi, is located on the campus of Kila Nizamat in Murshidabad, on the banks of the Bhagirathi. It was built in the early 19th century by Duncan MacLeod under the reign of Nawab Nazim Humayun Jah of Bengal, Bihar and Orissa (1824-1838). In 1985, the palace was handed over to ASI. Kila Nizamat or Nizamat Kila was the old fort of Murshidabad which was demolished to build this grand palace.
Built in the 13th century, the Konark Sun Temple is shaped like a chariot of the Sun God with 12 pairs of ornamented wheels dragged by seven horses.
Rong Ghor, meaning ‘House of Entertainment’, is a two-storied building that used to serve as the royal sports pavilion. Ahom kings and nobles used to watch buffalo fights and other sports at Rupahi Pathar in Rangpur, particularly during the Rangali Bihu. Said to be one of the oldest surviving amphitheaters in Asia, the building was constructed during the reign of Swargadeo Pramatta Singha in 1744-1750.
Kolhua in Vaishali is where the Buddha is said to have preached his last sermon. To commemorate the event, emperor Ashoka erected one of his famous lion pillars here in the third century BC. A hundred years after the Buddha’s death, Vaishali hosted the second great Buddhist council. Two stupas were erected to commemorate it.
Jainism, too, has its origins in Vaishali. In 527 BC, Lord Mahavir was born on the outskirts of the city and lived in Vaishali till he was 22. Vaishali remains an important pilgrimage centre for both Buddhists and Jains.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Kolkata / by Krishnendu Bandyopadhyay, TNN / January 11th, 2015
Thousands of people thronged Sawday Road, Mandi Mohalla in city during the recent Eid Meelad celebrations to witness a Royal Enfield Bullet bike weighing 200 kg being hung from a boiled egg. The owner of the bike and the man behind this creativity is Inayath Ulla Shariff, a two-wheeler mechanic by profession. Curious people were seen clicking pictures of the bike in their cellphones. Inayath Ulla has been repairing and tuning two- wheelers such as Lambretta, Java, Royal Enfield Bullet, Yamaha RX 100, Yezdi, Road King, Vespa and Bajaj Chetak for the last 25 years. He started his career as a mechanic when he was just 15-years-old. Now he is 40. Inayath Ulla, who owns a two-wheeler garage by name ‘Track Point’ on Sawday Road in Mandi Mohalla, is the son of Late Mahmood Shariff, a Milkman and Late Chhoti Jaan. Star of Mysore caught up with Inayath Ulla Shariff for a tete-a-tete. Excerpts…
Inayath Ulla Shariff poses alongside his 200 kg Royal Enfield bike, hung from a boiled egg, at his garage ‘Track Point’ on Sawday Road in city. [Pic. by Golden Babu] by Arafat Ahmed Aizaz
SOM: How did you get an idea of hanging such a heavy bike from a single boiled egg?
Inayath Ulla: I have been a mechanic for the last 25 years. During the past Eid Meelad processions, I had seen people hanging bikes from a bottle-gourd, ridge-gourd, brinjal and other vegetables. So, I too thought of hanging a heavy bike (Royal Enfield bullet) from an egg as nobody had tried it.
SOM: How can a single boiled egg hold such a heavy bike? Have you done any gimmick?
Inayath Ulla: No gimmick at all. It is all about balancing. Myself, along with six others, lifted the bike and hung it from the egg with the help of ropes and two 7mm rods. It took an hour to hang and balance the bike. One should have the skill to balance through ropes and know how to do the centring properly.
Even if a single person does not balance properly or shakes the bike while hanging, then the bike will fall down.
SOM: You have inserted two 7mm rods into the egg to lift the bike with the help of ropes. How did you insert the rods? Didn’t the egg break while inserting the rods?
Inayath Ulla: First I boiled the egg. After boiling it, I did not remove its shell. I slowly made two small holes in the egg with the help of a drilling machine. Then gradually I increased the sizes of the two holes by inserting pencil into the holes and rotating the pencil clockwise. Later, I inserted the two rods. So the egg did not break.
SOM: Doesn’t the bike fall when the egg gets shaken by the wind?
Inayath Ulla: The bike does not fall due to wind. Even the egg does not break into two parts during the wind. But the bike will fall only if someone shakes or pushes the bike manually. You should ensure that nobody touches the bike when it is hanging.
SOM: You have been an expert in repairing bikes and earned a name for yourself. Do you want your children also to become famous mechanics like you?
Inayath Ulla: I have two children. One is studying in 8th standard and the other in 2nd PUC. I don’t want them to be mechanics. I want them to study well and become Officers. I am working very hard to provide them good education. I do not want them to suffer as I did.
[Inayath Ulla is married to Reshma Banu and resides in Hanumanthanagar in city. To meet Inayath Ulla, one can visit his shop on Sawday Road in Mandi Mohalla in city or call:97430-28265].
source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> Feature Articles / Wednesday , January 07th, 2015
The most popular pit stop for all visitors to Lucknow, be it film stars, politicians or even tourists, is the Tunday Kabab shop. But not just for the outsiders, but for the city folk too, it had become increasingly difficult to differentiate the real from the copies, with kebab shops by the name of Tunday mushrooming all over the city in the last few years. But after Mohd Usman, grandson of the legendary Tunday or Haji Murad Ali won a case filed against him for infringement of trademark by his khala’s (paternal aunt) son, Mohd Muslim, who owns Lucknow Wale Tunday Kababi’s chain of restaurants, all shops bearing the name Tunday and not belonging to Usman had to take their signs down on Monday . They will now have to change the names of their outlets.
Muslim claimed that the name ‘Tunday’ belonged to him and his family and they were the rightful owners of it and anyone else using the name was doing so illegally . But in December 2014, the Delhi High Court declared Usman the rightful owner of the name ‘Tunday’.
The lineage
Haji Murad Ali, a one-handed royal khansama from Bhopal made the Galwati kababs and paranthas world famous and several shops in his name had sprung up in Lucknow and outside of it. Mohd Usman, who holds the patent of Tunday , is Murad’s brother’s son, as Ali himself had no children.
“It was our grandfather who started Tunday . Although I don’t remember much of him but my father tells us tales of how he used to work with one hand. The 109-year-old legacy of our grandfather was being misused and maligned. We had to put a stop to that. Allah has bestowed his blessings on us as we have won the case.It’s nothing else but the blessings of our dada jaan,” says Usman.
The patent and the problem
“We had got the name’Tunday’ patented in 1995, so no one could use the name without our permission or without our franchise. We had also got the secret recipe patented a decade back,” he says, adding, “Mere dada jaan ne, unke baad mere walid saab ne itni mehnat se yeh naam aur iski shaan banayi thi. Hamari origi nal dukaan Chowk mein Akbari Gate ke paas hai, aur 1996 main humne Aminabad wali dukaan shuru ki.”
Not happy with the circumstances that led to this lawsuit, Usman says, “It’s not nice when people within the family fight but I was forced to take this step as it was affecting the reputation of my forefathers. People would come up to me and complain about bad quality food being served at these outlets in our name. Ab main kitne logon ko batata ki yeh asli Tunday Kababi nahi hai?” says he. What also irked Usman was that tourists and celebrities were often taken for a ride, and led to the fake Tunday kabab outlets instead of the original ones.”Kitni baar hum akhbaar mein hi padhte thay ki falan-falan celebrity Faizabad Road ya Gomti Nagar gaya.Yeh log toh tourists ko bhi mislead kar rahe thay,” says Usman. He’s right on the mark. In November 2012, celebrity chef Vikas Khanna had promoted a TV show at the Faizabad Road outlet, which had to remove the Tunday signage on Monday .
Apart from Chowk and Aminabad, the other original Tunday outlets are at Kapoorthala, Alambagh, Kanpur Road, Telibagh, Rahim Nagar and Sahara Ganj.
In August 2014, Usman filed a writ petition in the Delhi High Court to prevent anyone from using his grandfather’s name. “Those people – my khala’s family, went to court last year and filed a case against us for trademark infringement and demanded a compensation of 50 lakh from us, but now that they have lost the case, we are demanding a compensation of `20 lakh from them for misusing our grandfather’s name and bringing it ill repute,” says Usman, “Now it’s time for them to get worried,” says he with a smile.
Board of contention
The restaurants in Lucknow that had to take down their signboards displaying the name of Tunday are those in Vivek Khand, Gomti Nagar, Sapru Marg, Faizabad Road, Aashiana, apart from the one in Kanpur and in Raebareli.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Lucknow / by Itishree Misra, TNN / January 07th, 2015
Ustad Fayaz Khan will present devotional songs at 6 pm today (Jan. 5) at Suttur Mutt in city as part of its Moonlight Music programme.
Artiste’s Profile: Born in a family of musicians of Kirana Gharana on Feb. 17 at Dharwad, Fayaz Khan’s father Ustad Abdul Quadar Khan was a Staff Artiste in AIR and his grandfather Ustad Sheik Abdulla Khan was a court musician in Mysore Palace and Nawabs of Hyderabad.
Fayaz Khan started his training under the guidance of his father (for sarangi and vocal) and at the same time he learnt tabla under the guidance of Pt. T. Basavaraj Bendigeri and Ustad Mammulal Sangaunkar. At the teen age, he started giving performances with senior artistes. He has participated in several music competitions and has may awards including the National Competition of AIR in 1989 (1st prize) and upgraded from AIR. He has accompanied noted artistes of India like late Dr. Gangu Bai Hangal, Pt. C.R Vayas, Pt. M.R. Gautham, Dr. Prabha Athre, Pt. Ajay Pohankar, Pt. Anindo Chaterji, Pt. Suresh Talvalkar, Pt. Yogesh Samsi, Pt. Shubhankar Banerji and Pt. Vijay Ghate, on sarangi.
After his father’s demise, Ustad Fayaz Khan went to Mumbai to continue his further training from Padma Vibhushan Pt. Ramnarayan (for 5 years) after that he moved to Bengaluru and started working for South film industries.
He has worked with music directors like A.R. Rahman, Rajan-Nagendra, Vijay Bhaskar, Hamsalekha, M.M. Keeravani, Raman Goukula, V. Manohar and Guru Kiran and sang many title songs of tv serials. He has also composed many Kathak ballets and performed abroad.
The awards include National Award of AIR; Aryabhata Award for TV serial; Best Sarangi Player Awarded from Bangalore Music Academy; Pt. Puttaraj Krupabhushan Samman; Kala Kaumudi (Samskruthi Vidya Peetha) and Yuva Puraskar from Kaladarpan.
source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> General News / Monday , January 05th, 2015
Infosys co-founder Kris Gopalakrishnan has been named the most generous person from Kerala according to the Hurun India Philanthropy list 2014.
The IT behemoth’s executive vice chairman who is ranked 8th in the list donated Rs 255 crore mainly in healthcare charities.
The list prepared by Hurun Report, a media group based out of Shanghai, states that region-wise, South Indians were the most generous, donating Rs 13,300 crore, five-times that of the amount given in charity by North Indians.
Ravi Pillai of RP Group is ranked nine in the list with a contribution of Rs 145 crore, mainly in healthcare. As many as seven persons from Kerala have found a place in the list of 49. They together donated Rs 609 crore for charity. Keralites in the list include Azad Moopen(Rs 100 cr), S D Shibulal (Rs 48 cr), P N C Menon (Rs 26 cr), M A Yusuf Ali (Rs 18 cr) and Sunny Varkey (Rs 17 cr).
“It is heartening to see that Indian businessmen are contributing more to philanthropy. This will create a more equitable society. Business is necessary for economic progress and with philanthropy business is also good for overall development of society. I feel proud to see this,” Kris Gopalakrishnan told Express.
The list has Wipro Chairman Azim Premji who gave away Rs 12,316 crore on top.
In September Hurun Report had published a Kerala Rich List topped by Emke Group Chairman M A Yusuf Ali who has a net worth of Rs 11,400 crore. RP Group’s Ravi Pillai came second with Rs 9,600 crore followed by Sunny Varkey, founder and executive chairman of Dubai-centered Gems Education with Rs 9,000 crore.
The India Philanthropy List, which highlights charity contributions made by India’s most generous measured by the value of their cash or cash equivalent donations, debuted in 2013. Donations made by a corporation in which an individual has more than 50 pc holding were recognised as being part of that individual’s personal donation. The period of calculation was from April 1, 2013, to October 31, 2014.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Kerala / by Express News Service / December 30th, 2014
Ali Reza, who shot to fame with Pasupu Kumkuma, is eagerly awaiting the release of his upcoming film Gayakudu.
While Pasupu Kumkuma has gone off air, Ali was recently seen at the Zee Golden awards show and now, we hear that he’ll soon team up with Muddha Mandaram’s cast when they visit Kurnool on December 27.
As per the storyline, Akhilandeswari’s family visits Kurnool for an important occasion and all these scenes will be shot at STBC College, Railway Station Road in Kurnool.
More details about the event will be revealed soon.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> TV> News> Telugu / TNN / December 27th, 2014
Ali Reza might seem like the odd ball in the Telugu TV industry. However, the actor stresses that acting in a popular TV serial like Pasupu Kumkuma is the best thing that could have happened to him. That he took to acting in a TV serial came as a big surprise to his friends and many a times he was asked why he agreed to do it in first place.
“In the past, a lot of people told me that I was too handsome to be acting in a Telugu TV serial and that I should try my luck in films,” Ali Reza recalls, adding, “And every time I heard someone say that, I replied that I was not rich enough to produce my own films. Acting in a TV serial has taught me a lot of things and more importantly, I have become fluent in delivering dialogues in Telugu, apart from learning the nuances of acting. I think I needed to go through this quite early in my career.”
Born and brought up in Hyderabad, Ali reveals that his tryst with studies didn’t last too long. “I discontinued my studies after class 12 and ended up helping my father in his hotel business. My ancestors are from Iran, who came to Hyderabad several decades ago and we own an Irani cafe, Ramser in Marredpally. It’s been more than 50 years since my family has been managing the cafe and people still flock to our place for chai and chicken 65. In fact, I like it so much that when I went to work in Dubai for few years, my father would send nearly 15-20 plates of chicken 65 every time someone from Hyderabad was coming to Dubai,” Ali reveals.
In 2002, while he was still helping his father with his business, he began modelling and that eventually landed him an important role in Mani Shankar’s Mukhbir in 2008. “After acting in Mukhbir, I went to Dubai to work in a trading company, but I knew that I was missing something in life. That’s when I decided to come back to Hyderabad and once again, I started modelling for print ads and TV commercials,” he says.
Two years ago, he got a call from Annapurna Studios, as they were looking for a new actor for their daily serial Pasupu Kumkuma and Ali was chosen. “I was a little hesitant in the beginning, but I decided to give it a shot since a big banner like Annapurna Studios wanted me on board. Six months later, Pasupu Kumkuma became one of the most popular TV serials and my life changed after that. Now, people know me as Arjun, which is my name in the serial.” Ask him what really worked in favour of the serial, he avers, “I think it’s one of those rare serials which have a good love story woven into the plot. In most cases, TV serials are about the ego clashes between atha-kodalu. Isn’t it?”
And then, there’s the attention from his female admirers across the state. “You know… I have a hunch that a lot of people hate me because I never respond to their messages on my social networking pages. The moment I open my inbox, there are 150 messages and each one of them says how much they like me or love me,” he laughs.
So what’s next? “I am playing an important role in Gunnam Gangaraju’s next film Amrutham – Chandamama Lo. It was a pleasure working with him and as a newcomer, I couldn’t have asked for a better film. I don’t think a film like this has ever been made in India and 20 minutes of the climax is set on the moon. After that, I am acting in another untitled film which will be my debut as a lead actor. I am quite excited about Amrutham — Chandamama Lo and I think it’ll mark the beginning of a new chapter in my career,” he signs off.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> TV > News> Telugu / by Hemanth Kumar, TNN / April 16th, 2014
The turn of the year brings a pang of loss for Farooque Shaikh’s longtime friend Shabana Azmi as vignettes spanning a 45-year relationship unfold before the mind’s eye. He filled ink in her pen during exam time, accompanied her on taxi rides on days they felt rich, worked with her for four decades yet remained the exact opposite of her “hyper” temperament through it all.
Shaikh Sahab’s first Smriti Din will be observed on Sunday, December 28. Shaikh and Shabanaji acted together in films like Lorie, Anjuman andEk Pal but the stamp of their play Tumhari Amrita is etched in stone. In the aftermath of his passing, Shabanaji had said it was curtains for the 21-year-old play but later generously suggested that a new set of actors carry the script forward
Farooque Shaikh
She met TOI and managed to condense a lifelong association into a span of 15 minutes. “I did suggest to director Feroz Abbas Khan that Amrita is so strong, the script is the hero. I could never imagine doing it myself with any other actor except Farooque, but it is important to keep it alive. And what you call generosity of spirit is a given. That is the way things should be, you hand over the legacy to the next generation. Yeh na ho ki aapke saath ek achhi cheez khatm ho jaye.”
All of the past year has been difficult for Shabanaji, after all, theirs was a friendship spanning 45 years, from the time they studied together at St Xavier’s College. But even in this, the pain peaked during Eid ul’ Fitr. “Both households would compete to see who prepares the best sheerkorma. I felt mine was better, he said his was best. This year Roopa, his wife, texted me to say is saal toh sheerkorma bana hi nahin,” Shabanaji says.
Each time she performs a play at the venues where they did Amrita, the same feeling of loss surfaces all over again. “I found it difficult while performing Happy Birthday Sunita at Dubai’s DUCTUC in November, and in Delhi at India Habitat Center. It is painful to sit in the same green room and drink tea alone. In fact Farooque has been so much a part of my growing up, we have travelled together, been in such crazy situations over the 21 years we did this play that the wealth of memories is enormous. Travelling helps you get to know people best of all. Amrita would be impossible if we had not got along so well.”
Through it all, she says, Amrita’s director Feroz Khan and she were the ones who were “hyper and tense” while Shaikh Sahab was the calming factor. “He was cool and collected always. Na iska asar na uska asar. If I made one mistake during the show I would agonise over it for hours. And he would explain to me that it is no big deal.”
“Once during a show in the US our driver lost his way for two hours and the show timing passed. I began to scream at him, so he threw up his hands and refused to drive us further. Farooque calmed me down saying already we are late, how will your screaming help matters? It will only aggravate the issue. We finally reached two-and-a-half hours late. The audience was livid. Farooque took the microphone and explained to them what had happened. He said they were free to take a refund right away, or they could choose to see the show and then decide. Every single spectator sat back quietly in his seat. In the end, we got a standing ovation which resounded for long minutes.”
Another time Shabana was hauled off to Colaba police station just before a show of Amrita at NCPA, this time for her activist leanings. “Then again, Farooque came to the police station with my mother. I was defiant and willing to stay in the lock-up but he explained to the police that our audience had assembled, that could they please release me for a while and haul me back after the show if they liked. So that show went ahead late but smoothly. Again, we received such applause.”
Feroz Khan in fact joked that Shaikh and Shabanaji were an ideally suited couple given their cultural grounding, their common interests and their age of course. Shaikh Sahab was born in 1948, Shabanaji in 1950. She laughs and recalls the time the two were walking down the road. Shaikh held out a few coins to a poor woman sitting by the pavement. “She uttered the blessingtum dono ki jodi sada salamat rahe. He looked at her horrified and said, mere paise waapas kar do agar aisi bad-dua’a deni hai toh.”
Shabana remained with Shaikh through his career graph and his personal milestones as well. “His wife Roopa was my classmate in St Xavier’s. So I have seen their friendship blossom into marriage, I have seen them make the journey from being a couple to becoming parents of two beautiful daughters. I must say he was such a doting father. The children had him wrapped around the little finger.”
She recalls the manner in which he indulged them. “When his elder daughter Shaaista was a baby, he would cradle her and kiss her several times mid-sentence. So he could barely finish one line without interrupting it with a kiss. We would laugh and say bachchi ke sar mein suraagh ho jayega. Itna pyar nahin karte. Now Shaaista is getting married in January. He would be so happy to see that.”
On December 30 last year, as the last rites were taking place at Four Bungalows Kabrastan, Shabanaji was stunned to hear that Shaikh Sahab was being laid to rest in the plot right next to her father Kaifi Azmi. “You know, Farooque was a great admirer of Kaifi Sahab not just as a writer but as a human being. I was stunned when Shaaista informed me that their graves are next to each other. Nobody designed it that way. Nobody even knew.”
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> Entertainment> Hindi> Bollywood / by Bella Jaisinghani, TNN / December 23rd, 2014
![Inayath Ulla Shariff poses alongside his 200 kg Royal Enfield bike, hung from a boiled egg, at his garage 'Track Point' on Sawday Road in city. [Pic. by Golden Babu]](http://www.mpositive.in/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/InayathullaBF13jan2015.jpg)
