The only public library of its kind that has survived without government grants, NGO money or foreign funds
Muslim Library at Shivajinagar, houses more than 25,000 rare books and manuscripts. Photo credit:Anantha Subramanyam K
It was a time when the final push for freedom from British rule was gaining momentum. Prose and poetry were motivating people to join the freedom movement and a small group of Muslim intellectuals in the city responded the best way they knew — by spreading knowledge. Determined not to seek funds from “outside”, the group gathered as much money as they could spare and launched a library.
A hundred years on — commence centenary celebrations on Sunday (Sept 28) — the Muslim Library in Shivajinagar still stands tall and proud, a testimony to the steely determination and goodwill of its founding group. The library now houses about 25,000 rare books and manuscripts and holds a record of sorts: It is the only public library of its kind that has survived without any government grants, NGO money or foreign funds.
Located at Number 8, Veerapillai Street near Jumma Masjid Road Cross, Shivajinagar, the Muslim Library continues to retain and promote the old charm of calm and quiet library-reading in the age of Kindles and iBooks. Though the library is largely patronised by senior citizens, one can find young academicians and researchers pouring over tomes in the library every day.
“Apart from translations of Mahabharata, Ramayana and the Bible in Urdu, the library has around 2,000 books in Persian and an equal number in Arabic,” said Ayub Ahmed Khan, president of The Muslim Library Trust. What differentiates this library from others though is its funding mechanism: It has been self-financed since its inception.
The library was launched on May 5, 1912 by a group of Muslim intellectuals including Mahmood Khan Mahmood (author of Saltanat-e-Khudadad — an authoritative history on Tipu Sultan in Urdu), printing press owner Mir Abdul Haq, headmaster Abdul Rauf, teacher Farheed Khan, advocate Mohammed Saleh Ansari and Mohammed Abdul Abdul Aziz. “These people were inspired by the freedom movement,” says Khan. “They contributed from their own pockets and vowed not to source funds from outside. That custom continues till date,” he said.
Although launched in 1912, it began full-fledged operations only a couple of years later (that’s why the centenary celebrations this year) from a rented room with a collection of 867 books. Abu Mohammed Abdul Wahed, the septuagenarian secretary of the library, says, “By 1929, the library had 29 members and 12,000 books. We now have 600 members not just from Bangalore, but even from Kolar, Mulbagal and Doddabalapur. The present members of the library are well-known personalities including IAS, IPS officers, doctors and lawyers all of whom are proud to be associated with the library. All our members donate books and the collection has now swelled to 32,000.”
Inflation appears to have given the membership fee a miss — it was Rs 10 in 1928 and is now a very affordable Rs 200. The visitors’ book has the names of several dignitaries including poet Mohammed Iqbal who penned ‘Sare Jahan Se Achcha’, author Syed Sulaiman Nadvi, poets Josh Malihabadi, Jigar Moradanadi and Seemab Akbarabadi. Moulvi Abdul Haq, the editor of the Urdu journal ‘Shair’, also visited the library in 1937.
The library got its own three-storey building in 1970 in Shivajinagar. The building was constructed by L Mohammed Yisuf, the architect of 66 buildings of various Muslim organisations in the city. Mohammed Altaf Hussain, who has been librarian for the past 15 years, said, “A lot of school children visit during the summer vacation. There are 30 to 40 regular visitors every day. The library is open between 10 and 12 in the morning and 4 and 8 in the evening.”
Hussain reveals that great care is taken to maintain the books. “Besides daily sweeping etc, the library is comprehensively cleaned and pest-controlled every month. I don’t keep old books lying around. They are taken out of cupboards only if members specifically ask for them. We have regular visitors who come here to read magazines and newspapers, but most visitors are keen to read novels which are treasured in our library.”
source: http://www.bangaloremirror.com / Bangalore Mirror / Home> Bangalore> Others / by Bharat A. Patel , Bangalore Mirror Bureau / September 28th, 2014
The grand construction of General Claude Martin, the Constantia, served as a lodge for Freemasons, a secret society, as many of the English officers including Martin were Freemasons.
Many such lesser known facets pertaining to the life and times of Claude Martin were brought to light by celebrated British historian, Dr Rosie Llewellyn Jones at La Martiniere College on Sunday. The talk was organised by Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural heritage (INTACH), Lucknow Chapter.
After being attacked by the Raja of Banaras invading Lucknow through Farhat Baksh Kothi, General Claude Martin began residing in the Constantia which he built as a fort. Constructed with four spiral columns that go right up to the terrace, cleverly with a lone staircase, Gen Martin made sure the building he liked to show off to his fellow Englishmen was secure with iron doors made from imported English iron. These doors could then be shut once a single man defending the building from the top took position upstairs.
Constantia was safeguarded by cannons on the first floor of the building next to lion statues with lamps within them. “Its construction as a defensive structure to frighten people, basically its attackers, is one of the least known features of the Constantia, which prior to being an educational institution, was a fort,” shared Dr Jones.
INTACH’s convenor Vipul Varshney talked about the axial symmetry and architectural genius of the gigantic structure with pioneering ventilation. Dr Jones also spoke about many paintings of Claude Martin.
Iron girders in the basement of the Constantia go deep down to its foundation. Dr Jones denied presence of any such tunnels opening into the Gomti against a popular myth.
Convernor Vipul Varshney talking about the architectural skyline of Lucknow said, “the heterogeneity of cultural conceptions and artistic styles triumphed to strike a harmony between the many buildings of Lucknow getting along the Nawabi and English architecture successfully in Lucknow’s skyline, and so in that order we decided to educate and inform Lucknowites about one such magnificent structure, the Constantia.”
Gen Martin a self taught man had as many as 5000 books and the presence of certain books on creating electricity have made historians like Dr Jones believe that he might have attempted to create electricity as well in the lower rooms of the Constantia. The result of his trial and error techniques on it though are yet to be studied further.
Heritage conservationist and lawyer by profession, Mohammad Haider stating the building as an unprotected monument applauded the efforts of Principal Carlyle McFarland, the staff and students of the college, ” the unique feature of this building stands in the fact that it has been well maintained within the precincts of its original form and the monument an architectural masterpiece is devoid of any uncalled for scribbling on the walls of the campus unlike the state of most protected monuments in the country.”
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Lucknow / by Yusra Husain, TNN / September 29th, 2014
Once confined to South India, coffee has emerged into pan Indian beverage, not just at cafes but also in homes. However, the coffee industry is facing several challenges due to shortage of labour in its estates and plantations. Hassan M Kamal investigates
There’s a story that claims how nearly 400 years ago, a Sufi poet named Baba Budan smuggled coffee beans from Mocha (Yemen), to the hills of Chikmagalur in Karnataka. While there is no recorded evidence to prove this story, it has remained a popular folklore among India’s coffee lovers.
The presence of a controversial shrine of the Sufi saint on top of Dattagiri (or Baba Budan) range of the Western Ghats, watching over the coffee estates of Chikmagalur, further lends credence to the belief. After its arrival, over the next four centuries, coffee grew to become an integral part of South Indian culture.
Most coffee plants in India are grown under the shade of trees. Pic courtesy/ Dr Ashwini Kumar BJ
Different communities and cities came to master the art of growing coffee, roasting and brewing a fine concoction from the coffee beans, in their own way.
Aromatic trail
“Even today, there are several households in South India who roast their own batch of coffee beans in the kitchen, grind it and prepare a decoction that suits their needs,” shares Dr Ashwini Kumar BJ, who holds the Coffee Board Research Chair at the Indian Institute of Plantation Management in Bangalore.
A tasting session in progress at the Coffee Board head office in Bangalore. Pic courtesy/ Dr Ashwini Kumar BJ
Their methods have created specialty coffees, which are in huge demand in the Western markets as well as location-centric versions of Indian filter coffee like the Degree coffee of Kumbakonam in Tamil Nadu (most popular among Tamilians), Coorg coffee and Chikmagalur coffee, each known for its unique taste, informs Dr Kumar (check box for details).
Mumbai-based brewing expert Jignesh Shah with the three coffee-making equipments (from left to right) the Indian Filter Coffee Maker (in brass and steel), Aero Press and the Moka Pot. Pics/ Shadab Khan
The equipment to make the popular Indian filter coffee is proof of how engrained the beverage is in the daily life of a South Indian. While the origins of the filter coffee maker aren’t documented comprehensively, according to photographer K Suresh, a die-hard coffee lover, the earlier method required keeping ground coffee wrapped around a cloth dipped in a pot of water overnight.
“My grandma would make fresh coffee every morning; jaggery was used to sweeten it. Sugar was reserved for tea,” he recalls. He still sources coffee beans from Mangalore, but also vouches for beans sold at Philips Tea and Coffee in King’s Circle, a locality famous for its authentic coffee. “The process continues with the Indian filter coffee makers, even today.
The ground coffee is kept inside a chamber and filled with hot water. Overnight, the coffee filters down into a chamber right under it, giving the final decoction a strong flavour,” says Jignesh Shah, a Mumbai-based coffee entrepreneur. He adds that in most South Indian families, there’s a tradition of offering the first drink from the brew to the head of the family in the morning.
Arrival of new coffee fans
Shah comes from the new breed of coffee lovers, who are not South Indian, but have acquired a taste for this beverage, and see coffee as an item that needs to be appreciated. “Most Indians have been cheated with, when it comes to coffee, as we have never got anything beyond instant coffee. Coffee is more than that,” says Shah.
He adds that the beverage is gaining popularity among other communities, including the tea-crazy North Indians. “And, I’m not referring to a Barista, Cafe Coffee Day or Starbucks outlet (though they played a role in popularising coffee) or drinking instant coffee from vending machines, but coffee fans who want to prepare it from scratch in their own homes.”
Shah recently launched his brand of coffee, Jewel Aromantic, and has also been conducting workshops and taking classes, teaching Mumbaikars how to brew coffee at home. One of his focus areas has been making inexpensive fuss-free coffee makers like the Italian Moka Pot (comes for just Rs 500), Indian Filter Coffee maker (Rs 500) and the most-recent Aero Press (Rs 2,500), now available in India.
“Most of us are only aware of instant coffee or the expensive espresso machines. But there are several other equipments like the Moka Pot, the Aero Press or the Indian Filter Coffee Maker, which are inexpensive and easy to operate. Now, people are exploring these options, and loving them,” he adds, adding, “Some devices like the Aero Press and Indian Filter Coffee Maker doesn’t require any heat source.”
Home of specialties
India grows two types of commercial coffees Indian Robusta and the Indian Arabica. Earlier, most of the produce used to be the Indian Arabica, which is still in huge demand internationally. But since Arabicas are prone to pests, most coffee estates have moved to the Indian Robusta. “It has a much more stronger taste than the Arabica, and though it was initially not considered good, and still fetches lower prices internationally, it’s gaining popularity in the market,” says Shah.
Dr Kumar says that what gives Indian coffee a special place internationally is its unique coffees, which are referred to as Specialty Coffees. “The three specialty coffees produced in India are Monsooned Malabar, Mysore Nuggets and Robusta Kaapi Royale. All these coffees vary in their cup characteristics, and are popular internationally,” he adds.
India is also gaining popularity for its unique animal coffee, the Monkey Parchment coffee, a rare type of coffee made from beans chewed by Rhesus monkeys. The coffee is produced in Chikmagalur, Karnataka.
“The monkeys select the best coffee cherries, pick them, chew them leisurely for a few minutes and spit the remainder of the fruit onto the ground.
These discarded fruits are collected, rinsed, washed and processed using water to remove the pulp (parchment), and then dried. The enzymes in the saliva of the Rhesus monkey initiates a chemical process, giving the beans a different taste and colour,” says Shah.
Challenges galore
But all is not good with the coffee estates, located mostly in the Western Ghats. In the last few years, there had been several reports of labour constraints in Indian coffee estates. “Most of India’s coffee is grown in undulating slopes of the Western Ghats.
The coffee plantations are experiencing a severe shortage of labour for undertaking key farm operations, such as manuring, application of fertiliser, harvesting and farm-level processing. While larger plantations have initiated efforts for mechanisation, medium and small plantations continue to incur higher costs on labour, thereby reducing their surplus for capital investments,” says Dr Kumar.
According to a report by The Seattle Times, some plantations in India have begun offering good-quality housing, medical care and other benefits to attract labour. But it’s been of no help. Another major problem is the low level of value addition at the farm level, informs Dr Kumar.
“The value addition of coffee takes place at the level of roasters and retailers. But since most of our coffee is exported as green beans (unprocessed), most Indian coffee producers become very susceptible to the fluctuations in international prices. Higher value addition and domestic consumption could reduce the susceptibility of producers to the drastic price fluctuations that are currently seen in primary markets of Indian coffee,” he adds.
Another concern emerges from lower production due to unseasonable and fluctuating rainfall. “While the consumption of Indian coffee has increased, the productivity of Indian coffee plantations has been stagnant,” reveals Dr Kumar adding that India should produce more coffee to meet the domestic demand and exploit opportunities that emerge from a growing international demand for Indian coffee.
Grading of coffee primarily refers to the segregation / classification of coffee beans based on their size. The primary grades of Arabica Coffee are Peaberry, AB, A, B, C, Blacks/Browns, Bits and Bulk. The primary grades of Robusta Coffee are Peaberry, AB, C, Blacks/Browns, Bits and Bulk.
Bits and Bulk are the most inferior in the lot and used to make instant coffee. In India, coffee is also categorised based on taste like Monsooned Malabar, Mysore Nuggets and Robusta Kaapi Royale. Based on the region of production in India, 13 regional coffees have also been defined.
They are Anamalais, Araku Valley, Bababudangiris, Biligiris, Brahmaputra, Chikmagalur, Coorg, Manjarabad, Nilgiris, Pulneys, Shevaroys, Travancore and Wayanaad.
Improve your coffee quotient
What’s roasting?
Roasting is a process that helps bring out the aroma and flavour of coffee.
The major techniques for roasting coffee beans are Rotating cylinder or drum roasting where the coffee beans are fed into a cylinder through which hot air is passed and the drum rotates; and fluidized bed roaster where gases entering into the fixed chamber of the roaster lead to the beans’ rapid turbulent circulation (levitation).
Following roasting, the beans are cooled and run through a destoner that uses air to remove stones and other extraneous materials. The roasted beans are then ground by using grinders.
source: http://www.mid-day.com / MidDay / Home> Life and Style News> Food News / by Hassan M Kamal / September 27th, 2014
After Wajid Ali Shah, the last Nawab of Lucknow lost his empire, his mother Janab-i’Aliyyah went all the way to England to meet the Queen and seek justice, but she failed in her mission as she got no audience.
History lovers in Lucknow will now have access to new insights into the life and times of the last Nawab of Oudh along with rare pictures and never-heard before information. Regarded by the East India Company as a debauched ruler who spent his time with ‘fiddlers, eunuchs and women’ instead of looking after the kingdom, Wajid Ali Shah has become the centrepiece of yet another historical book.
Written by British historian Rosie Llewellyn Jones, ‘The Last King in India’ talks, besides his mother’s failed overseas mission, about Begum Hazrat Mahal’s revolt in 1857.
Though most artifacts of historical importance were lost forever after the downfall, with painstaking efforts, they have re-surfaced to narrate the story of an era in which the Nawab created exquisite poetry, theatrical pieces, music and dance. In the well researched book, he comes across as a compassionate person towards his subjects. The magnificent Qaiserbagh built by him came to be known as one of the most elaborate palace complexes ever created.
Given how little was known about the last Nawab of Awadh, the historian and author researched about Wajid Ali Shah from the original documents in Indian and British archives and through meetings with his descendants.
Several paintings and photographs have also been found. In one of the photographs Wajid Ali Shah is seen sitting with one of his 350 wives and a child on a couch. Although, almost every palace and structure along the banks of Hooghly river was either destroyed or auctioned by the British after his death in 1887, in order to eliminate any chances of a rebellion, his pictures still hang on the wall in Matiya Burj.
It is said that he had actually created a miniature Lucknow in Matiya Burj and transported its multi-faceted culture there.
At the release of her latest book, Jones said “I have always been a fan of Wajid Ali Shah. He was misunderstood by the British as he never wanted bloodshed in his kingdom and continued not to bow against them, much to their dismay. His love for poetry, art and dance is admirable and he was one of the greatest patrons of the cultural landscape.”
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Lucknow / by Shefali Mehrotra, TNN / September 28th, 2014
Shah Rukh Khan and Bollywood’s Global Fortunes Advance
The Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan, left, and Deepika Padukone in “Chennai Express,” from 2013. Credit Red Chillies Entertainments/UTV Motion Pictures
Mumbai :
Shah Rukh Khan has many titles. The 48-year-old Bollywood superstar is known as King Khan, King of Bollywood and Bollywood Badshah (or emperor). This summer Mr. Khan became a knight. In a glittering ceremony in Mumbai, the French foreign affairs minister, Laurent Fabius, conferred France’s highest civilian honor — the Knight of the Legion of Honor — on Mr. Khan. In the official news release, Mr. Fabius said, “The French people hail Shah Rukh Khan’s talent and generosity,” which transcend “cultural and historical differences.”
Mr. Khan’s archrival Aamir Khan (no relation) was also transcending cultural differences. On July 25, his latest film, “Dhoom 3,” an action thriller and India’s highest-grossing film ever, was released on 2,000 screens in China, a first for an Indian film and a distribution strategy more often used for Hollywood blockbusters.
“There are numerous Aamir Khan fans in China,” the film’s Chinese distributor, Ying Li of HGC Entertainment, said in an email. “His image is very positive.”
The French and Chinese are among the many converts to Bollywood’s rapidly growing following. Hindi films have long had devoted fans among the 21 million Indians living overseas, and in the 1950s and ’60s, the actor-director Raj Kapoor became a household name in Soviet Russia, while Hindi films traveled to the Middle East and Africa. But in the last decade, Bollywood’s unique cocktail of emotion, song, dance and melodrama has found takers in several new markets. According to the box office tracking company Rentrak, revenues for Indian films across 36 territories rose from $66.2 million for 69 titles in 2009 to $289 million for 170 titles in 2013.
The new fans are in countries as diverse as Turkey, Peru, Panama and Iraq. Hindi films first reached Japanese theaters in 1952, but regular releases began only last year. Aki Sugihara of the Nikkatsu Corporation, the leading distributor of Hindi films there, said the Japanese like “the fact that there is not too much dependency on CGI, like in Hollywood movies.”
The Japanese pop musician and soundtrack composer Matsumura Masahide (known as Titi Matsumura) is a fan and said the appeal lies in the films’ ardent approach. “We like Indian films full of emotional feeling with the richness of heart, which Japanese people tend to miss now,” he said by email. “Even when films describe a negative problem, the way to describe it is full of big Indian love.”
The Germans are besotted with Shah Rukh Khan. Their ardor can be traced to 2004, when a German television station programmed a prime slot for “Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham” (“Sometimes Happiness, Sometimes Sadness”), featuring Mr. Khan as the estranged, adopted son of a rich industrialist. The three-hankie melodrama — the film’s tagline was “It’s all about loving your parents” — single-handedly opened up a new market. Viewers “cried, felt great pleasure, joy and release,” the film’s distributor, Stephan Holla, said by email. “We do not get this from German movies or Hollywood.”
Among those viewers was Julia Wessel, a 25-year-old student of cultural anthropology. “I was intrigued by it, but I was even more intrigued by the effect it had on my mother,” she said by email. “I cannot remember ever seeing my mother cry, not even at funerals. But there she was watching this film, and she had tears running down her face.”
Bollywood became such an obsession that Ms. Wessel dropped her studies and in 2006, started a German-language Bollywood magazine called Ishq (Urdu for love), which now has a circulation of 30,000 in Germany, Austria and Switzerland.
Despite evangelists like Ms. Wessel, Brand Bollywood hasn’t been an easy sell overseas. Hollywood and regional productions provide stiff competition. Even big-name studios like Disney India, which produces Disney-branded films, find it tough going in other countries. Amrita Pandey, who heads marketing and distribution for the studio, cited a host of factors in an email interview: “Language barriers, high investments required to develop new markets, the definite grammar of Hindi films and cultural gaps are also barriers.”
In Britain and the United States, these barriers have proved insurmountable. They are the largest overseas territories for Bollywood, but while Hindi films do penetrate mainstream theaters, the audiences are mostly of South Asian descent. Avtar Panesar, vice president of international operations for Yash Raj Films, one of Bollywood’s largest studios, pegs the non-Indian viewership at 0.5 percent. “We have done events in theaters, carried out media campaigns,” he said by email. “But it seems that these films are being made by Indians and watched by Indians.”
The crossover Hindi film has been the holy grail for Mumbai filmmakers since the success of Ang Lee’s “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” in 2000, the Oscar-winning American-Chinese-Taiwanese coproduction that drew mainstream audiences in the United States. But efforts at such cross-pollination have delivered uneven results. The Indian company Reliance Entertainment invested upward of $500 million in Steven Spielberg’s DreamWorks, but the hits have been limited. Initially, Hollywood studios in India stumbled with local productions. Eventually Disney found an Indian partner, UTV, and Disney India’s first film after the merger — a rom-com called“Khoobsurat” — was released in the United States on Sept. 17.
Relativity Media is hoping to alter the landscape. At the Cannes Film Festival in May, it announced a $100 million joint venture with B4U, a Bollywood entertainment company. “We don’t consider ourselves Hollywood,” Relativity’s chief executive, Ryan Kavanaugh, said by phone. “We consider ourselves a content technology company. Studios think, ‘How do we sell our stuff to them?’ We are looking at how to create content for this huge market.”
Instead of finding one film that satisfies both palates, the Relativity strategy is to tailor the same content for two markets. So with an as-yet-untitled action-comedy now in production with Zach Galifianakis, Owen Wilson and Kristen Wiig, the plan is to film it again in Bollywood. A reboot of “The Crow” would follow a similar model, with two versions shot simultaneously — one in Hollywood and one in Bollywood with American actors in the Indian version and vice versa. “Our goal is to be at this long-term,” Mr. Kavanaugh said, “We go slowly and we take the consumer with us.”
Along with consumers, Hindi films have also evolved. They are no longer a monolithic entity defined by song and dance. Daring, more personal indie productions known as Hindie movies are also making inroads locally and globally. In the past year, “The Lunchbox,” a small-budget film starring Irrfan Khan as a widower forming a bond with a neglected Mumbai housewife, made about $10 million globally at the box office, with about 40 percent of that coming from America. Despite the absence of songs and mainstream Bollywood stars, “The Lunchbox” was among the highest-grossing Hindi films in the United States. It was distributed by Sony Pictures Classics, which perhaps helped it find viewers beyond the Indian market.
Could films like “The Lunchbox” help the Hindi film industry infiltrate the final frontier of the American mainstream? As Shah Rukh Khan put it in an email: “Our content is improving. Our technology is improving. It’s time.”
source: http://www.nytimes.com / The New York Times / Home> Movies / by Anupama Chopra / September 26th, 2014
A version of this article appears in print on September 28, 2014, on page AR15 of the New York editionwith the headline: Bollywood Is Prancing Far Abroad. Order Reprints|Today’s Paper|Subscribe
The amphitheatre of Dayananda Sagar Institutions was echoing with excitement well before the auditions of the Clean & Clear Bangalore Times Fresh Face 2014 contest even began. Several students registered for the event, including some from last year.
The talent round was a fun session as the students sang, danced, mimicked, acted and beat-boxed. Though the majority of participants were boys, the audiences enjoyed cheering and hooting for every single person who participated. Some noteworthy performances included Nikeel Mohan’s entertaining Bhojpuri dance and Yoshita P’s powerful beat-boxing.
The second round was equally engaging as our judges — theater personality and television actor Shashank Purushottam and RJ Siri — encouraged the participants and asked them questions about their values and morals.
After the second round, it was time to announce the winners.
Manal Ahmed Nazir’s acting skills and mature answer in the question-answer round, and Sneh Gupta’s brisk movements made them the winners.
The first runners-up were equally good — Ritika Pundir’s melodious singing and energetic dance moves and Chandramouly Kandachar’s super-fast rap were applauded by all.
The second runners-up were also loved by the audience and judges — Nikhil Shenoy’s twisted moves were a treat to watch and Vaishnavi Swaminathan’s confidence in the second round was appreciable.
The radio partner for Clean & Clear Bangalore Times Fresh Face 2014 is Radio Mirchi.
source: http://www.beautypageants.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> Beauty Pageants> Fresh Faces> Archives / by Parinatha Sampath, TNN / September 26th, 2014
Dasara Tourism Sub-Committee President Sudhakar S. Shetty speaking at the Sub-Committee meeting at Hotel Hoysala this morning as Member Secretary C. Anitha, Sub-Committee Executive President S.K. Husseini, Special Officer H.M. Ramesh, Vice-Presidents Kumar and L. Parshuram look on.
Mysore :
For the first time in the history of Dasara, the Dasara Tourism Sub-Committee plans to display as many as 50,000 Circuit Maps containing details of roads from Mysore to tourist spots in Mysore, Chamarajanagar, Mandya, Kodagu districts at tourists spots and vantage points for the benefit of tourists, said Sub-Committee President Sudhakar S. Shetty here this morning.
Addressing a meeting of the Sub-Committee at Hotel Hoysala on JLB Road in city, he said that the primary objective of the Committee was to ensure proper infrastructure like drinking water, toilets, bathrooms and cleanliness around all tourist spots to meet the needs of tourists.
Stating that 18 tourist kiosks at a cost of Rs. 26,000 each, manned by the students of tourism courses in Mahajana and Vidya Vikas Colleges in city and foreign students in city and 32 guides around Mysore Palace, dressed in specially designed blazers, will be set up at tourist spots and vantage points to guide tourists.
Sudhakar Shetty also said that the Sub-Committee had urged City Police Commissioner Dr. M.A. Saleem to initiate criminal action against those found guilty of selling duplicate products to visitors besides urging the MCC Commissioner to ensure that debris and garbage around the tourist spots in particular and the city in general before the commencement of the Naada Habba.
The Sub-Committee President also said that literature containing details of tourist spots will be placed at boxes which will be placed at all hotels and tourist agency offices in city.
Tourism Development Authority sought: As Mysore and surrounding districts have abundant tourist potential, there is an absolute need for formation of a Tourism Development Authority to promote tourism, which is one of the most flourishing industries in parts of old Mysore region which has numerous places of tourist interest, some members opined.
S.K. Husseini, Assistant Director, Department of Tourism, who is also Sub-Committee Executive President, H.M. Ramesh, Divisional Traffic Controller (City Division), KSRTC, who is also the Sub-Committee Special Officer, C. Anitha, Sub-Committee Member Secretary, Kumar and P arashuram, Sub-Committee Vice-Presidents and Sub-Committee members were present at the meeting.
source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> General News / Saturday , September 20th, 2014
Some things touch people’s heart strings in a very strange way and the reason for this is not very easily understood or explained. My last week’s article about HMT watches seems to have stirred people’s sense of nostalgia far beyond my expectations. This is evident by the spate of responses I have been getting over the whole of the week. The emotional impact of the closure of HMT’s watch division on people’s minds can be gauged by the many letters that have appeared in Star of Mysore too ever since the news was published last Friday. But some sad stories too can have happy endings as you will see.
Last evening as I was seeing off the last of my patients for the day, I found a familiar figure walking into my consulting room with a smile. It was Baba Sab, my former neighbour of many years who had sold his house a couple of years ago and moved out to another locality. After exchanging pleasantries for a few moments he complimented me on my writing and said that he was particularly touched by my article on HMT watches. He then removed the wrist watch he was wearing and placed it on my table and said, “This is a watch about which y ou have made a mention in your last article and I have one with me.”
The piece that lay before me was a West End Sowar Prima, an automatic mechanical watch with a black dial and Eastern Arabic numerals. (Incidentally, and perhaps a little interestingly, Arabic numerals are the numerals we use while writing in English while Eastern Arabic numerals are the ones in the actual Arabic script as seen in the picture). I told him that I had indeed mentioned it by name in my article and I knew all about it because my father and grandfather and all my uncles had always worn West End watches. It was a sort of a family tradition and in the good old days, a good watch only meant a West End.
He then surprised me by saying, “I have been wearing it for some years and now I want you to have it because you are one person who knows what it is worth.” I immediately protested and refused his offer to which he said, “I have worn it long enough. Now I want you to accept it as a token of my affection and regard for you. I have always admired your writing and I will be happy if you accept it from me. Please do not refuse my humble offer.” Perplexed, I did not know what to do.
Here was a simple and humble man who thought so highly about me and with his strange and most unexpected gesture of magnanimity he had put me in a very delicate situation if not a real fix. He was indeed an unusual kind of man. When he first thought of selling his house he had come into my consulting room once before and offered it to me at a price considerably lower than the best offer he had received. He very rightly told me that Islam teaches that a good Muslim should give first priority to the welfare and happiness of his or her neighbours in all matters. Only after I reassured him that I had no intention of buying his house did he proceed to sell it to its present owner. And, he did sell it for a sum much higher than for what he had offered it to me.
Now, refusing his gift would have broken his heart and accepting it would have made my own heart heavy. After a few uneasy moments of confused introspection I decided to let his heart have its way and picked up the watch with an uneasy smile. He felt visibly relieved and thanking me profusely for accepting it he quickly left the room leaving me in a daze. My friends are not wrong when they say that interesting things happen to me which provide me interesting writing material!
West End watches came into production in the year 1886 in Switzerland and they were named after the upmarket district of the same name in London. Known for their ruggedness and durability, they quickly became a household name in India and it appears when the Indian Cavalry contingent was dispatched to fight in Mesopotamia during the First World War, the soldiers were provided with West End watches. That is when the model ‘Sowar’ was introduced after the Sowars or Lancers of the cavalry regiment.
We still have my father’s West End Sowar Prima as a family heirloom, along with its original box, user manual, bill and hexagonal spanner. Very oddly, perhaps because they were mechanical watches, every West End watch used to come with a spanner to enable its owner to open its back and make the movement go slow or fast as required to keep the correct time! My friend Ulliada Arun, perhaps has the oldest West End watch that I know of in perfect working condition. It is from the year 1902 and it still keeps the right time and my friend wears it all the time!
A lesson in harmony: Last Wednesday’s SOM had a review by Dr. Manik Bengeri, about the Kannada play ‘Raavi Nadeeya Dandeyelli’ which was recently staged at the Vanaranga theatre of Kalamandira. My wife and I had an occasion to see it at the urging of my friend Sri. K. R. Mohan, a former senior manager of the Syndicate Bank, who had also written a small introductory piece about it in SOM.
Although adding anything to the already very well written piece certainly seems superfluous, what impressed me very much apart from the excellent theme of the play was the portrayal of the way goodness in human nature prevails over baser instincts. The correct presentation of what the Holy Koran says about how we should live in absolute peace and harmony with all those around us, forgetting our castes and creeds, needs to be complimented.
‘Parivarthana’ which presented the play and all those who are responsible for it in some way or the other deserve not only to be congratulated for what they have done but also encouraged to continue to present it before much larger audiences across the length and breadth of the country. Plays like this that can promote communal harmony at a time when it seems to be under great stress should be showcased before the younger generation in schools and colleges and this can be done at a surprisingly modest cost. Therefore managements, parents’ associations and even philanthropic individuals, if not institutions, can do this job if they mind. Do think about it. It certainly is worth a thought.
The play made me recollect an incident that I once heard from the mother of my friend, Mallikarjun Nisty from the turbulent time of partition. It tells a heart touching story of human goodness from a time when goodness seemed to be extinct. It appears a Hindu man and his family from the Pakistan side of the border who were leaving for the Indian side was seated in a crowded train with their belongings. As the train was about to leave, their Muslim neighbour’s wife who was also a very close friend of the man’s wife, rushed into the compartment with an angry expression and began rummaging through their bags, ostensibly to check what they were taking away with them.
Her job done, she left the shell-shocked family but not without taunting and cursing all those who were going away to the other side. As the train steamed out of the station, the man’s wife who was now in tears at her former friend’s unbelievably cruel behaviour put her hand into her bag to find her handkerchief. To her amazement, she found a wad of currency notes with a small note from her friend that said, “I am sorry about the way I behaved. But there was simply no other way I could help you under the watchful eyes of the hostile mobs around. Do keep in touch with us if possible. May God protect you and your family.”
e-mail: kjnmysore@rediffmail.com
source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> Feature Articles / September 19th, 2014
Assam’s oldest Muslim structures have finally found a chronicler that will recount the legends, the tales and anecdotes that went into making some of the most fascinating architectural masterpieces of the state.
Al-Ameen Welfare Society, a NGO of prominent Muslims, will come out with a book on Assam’s old mosques and dargahs next year.
The aim is to sensitise people and the government to protect and preserve these magnificent structures both in the Brahmaputra and the Barak valley.
People visit the Panbari mosque in Dhubri on Friday. Picture by Bijoy Kumar Sarma
Take Panbari masjid or Rangamati masjid, for instance. Built in the Mughal era, during the 15th or 16th century, this mosque is the oldest not only in Assam but probably also in the whole of the Northeast.
Very few know about it — with lack of maintenance robbing it of much of its glory.
The book, therefore, hopes to highlight some of these glorious structures and goad people to preserve them.
It is part of the Al-Ameen Welfare Society’s ambitious project to chronicle the history of the Muslims of Assam, complete with their cultural heritage and contributions to greater Assamese society.
Komoruzzaman Ahmed, founder president of the society, told The Telegraph that raw material for the book has been gathered and will be compiled soon.
“Our main project aims at helping the present generation of Muslims realise their ancestors’ positive role in formation of a cohesive and harmonious society in Assam. Such a realisation will also make the present generation of Muslim contribute towards building a unified society in Assam,” he said.
Muslims started settling in Assam in 1206 AD.
Ahmed said the history, heritage and contributions of Muslims to the larger Assamese society should be studied, probed and recorded.
Another book on a comprehensive study of the Islamic religious literature written in Assamese will also be published next year.
“Though Assamese literature is rich in medieval Hindu religious prose, we have so far not been able to trace any Assamese Islamic religious literature and mystic or Sufi songs like Satya Peer’s geet, Chand Sai geet and jikir and jari by Ajan Fakir. The study has made an attempt to probe if Islamic literature in Assamese existed in the mediaeval period,” he said.
Ahmed said there is also a study on contribution of Muslims in the fields of art, handicrafts, architecture, engraving, painting, music, language, food habit and items, utensil, furniture and clothes of Assamese society.
source: http://www.telegraphindia.com / The Telegraph, Calcutta / Front Page> North East > Story / by Daulat Rahman / Guwahati – December 23rd / Saturday – December 24th, 2011
A book written by a Muslim woman about issues of national importance is sure to be taken seriously. Though the book under review talks about the contemporary Muslim psyche, it is also a commentary on the country, its politics and the mindset of its people.
The word ‘azadi’ in the title can be read as ‘freedom’. But Azadi is also the name of the author’s mother. Seema Mustafa writes without inhibition. The book, as she says in the preface, was born out of her discussion about the ‘Muslim mood in India’ with one of her colleagues. The book combines many things: communal riots, the Gujarat pogrom, army repression in Jammu and Kashmir and the Northeast, terrorism, the Sachar report, the question of reservation, the condition of women, the effect of 9/11 on Muslims in India and abroad, apprehensions and dreams of the Muslim youth. It mentions some instances of repression by the police that are shocking, since they violate the notions of democracy and secularism. Anger, fear and sorrow are palpable in the accounts. But Mustafa is optimistic about the Muslim youth, and has an abiding faith in secularism and democracy.
The book records the life of a Muslim lady brought up on liberal values. It also offers a dispassionate view of the Muslim community in India. The account may help to change the stereotypical ideas about the community, its youth and especially its women. It tells us how Muslim girls, even in villages, want to be educated. Mustafa shows how the community is neglected, discriminated and repressed by the insensitive State machinery. But the young men and women of the community still have not lost faith in democracy and a pluralistic society. They want to acquire modern education and lead a better life.
Mustafa identifies a marked shift in Indian politics over the decades, especially after the demolition of the Babri Masjid. She also points to the apathy of political parties about the damage to the secular fabric of the country. Unlike journalists who resort to euphemism when talking about communal issues, Mustafa speaks candidly. She recalls the brazenness with which the Babri Masjid was razed to the ground and the brutality of the 1984 riots. The government, on both the occasions, did not even try to put up a resistance. The violation of human rights in the treatment of Muslim youths picked up in Hyderabad and elsewhere by intelligence branches should be an eye-opener. If Mustafa is angry, she is also worried that the country is being hijacked by communal elements.
Mustafa has the mind of a true journalist; that is her strength as well as her weakness. She weighs everything on the anvil of logic. Her language fails to come out of the confines of journalistic parlance, but she remains true to her purpose of presenting the real picture. Mustafa speaks from a strong sense of injustice. She staunchly criticizes fundamentalists of every community. Even with her elitist background, she feels more for the poor people of her community than the conservative mullahs.
source: http://www.telegraphindia.com / The Telegraph, Calcutta / Front Page> Opinion> Story / Friday – February 08th, 2013
