Category Archives: Arts, Culture & Entertainment

Dy CM to keep Braille Quran in Makkah Masjid as gift of Ramadan to blinds

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Books - Holy Quran, Koran / Translations, Commentaries / by Indian Muslims (wef. February 11th, 2025), Community Involvement / Social Issues
Hyderabad :

Telangana Deputy Chief Minister Mr. Mohammed Mahmood Ali has decided to keep Braille Quran in Makkah Masjid for blind Muslims as a gift of Ramadan. Mohammed Mukarram and Imtyaz of Hyderabad brought Braille Quran from Kuwait and presented it to deputy chief minister so that it is kept in any centrally located masjid of the city.

Mr. Mahmood Ali has decided to keep it in the historical Makkah Masjid to provide the opportunity to the blinds to recite it. TRS Malakpet in charge Mohammed Azam Ali Khurram, who is the son of deputy chief minister, will hand over the Quran to Imam of Makkah Masjid after Zohr prayers on Monday.

source: http://www.siasat.com / The Siasat News / Home> Hyderabad / Monday – June 30th, 2014

Nose typing: First Indian with 2 Guinness Records

Amazing Feats, Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Community Involvement / Social Issues, World Opinion
Khursheed Hussain with his Guinness World Records certificate (Photo: DC/File)
Khursheed Hussain with his Guinness World Records certificate (Photo: DC/File)

Hyderabad:

Khursheed Hussain, a Guinness World Record holder in typing, has now set the world record in typing using his nose. The record for ‘nose-typing’ was earlier held by a girl from Dubai.

He is the first one from India to hold two Guinness World Records. “I had to struggle a lot to get this for the country. I had to undergo regular mental and fitness training. And I practised for about eight hours a day for six months,” said Mr Hussain.

source: http://www.deccanchronicle.com / Deccan Chronicle / Home> Nation> Current Affairs / DC Correspondent / June 25th, 2014

A ‘Taj Mahal’ in Kuwait

Amazing Feats, Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Travel & Tourism, World Opinion

Taj Mahal of India is widely recognized as “the jewel of art in India and one of the universally admired masterpieces of the world’s heritage”. It’s a unique monument built by Mughal emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his wife Mumtaz Mahal. Taj Mahal is one of the Seven Wonders of the World and one of the best examples of Islamic architecture.

Millions visit India to get glimpses of this unique architectural beauty and this includes a large number from Middle East. How about seeing the beauty of Taj Mahal here itself in Kuwait?

Inspired by the architecture of Taj Mahal, Kuwait has designed a mosque exactly like Taj Mahal, a replica. The mosque is a bigger version of India’s Taj Mahal. It’s 3 times bigger.

Sadeeqa Fatimatul Zahra Mosque, a prayer place for the Kuwaitis, looks similar to India’s Taj Mahal from the outside. Located at Block 6, Abdullah Al-Mubarak area, West of Jleeb Al-Shuyoukh, the mosque is already gaining a reputation as one of Kuwait’s most distinctive buildings and is called the “Taj Mahal of Kuwait”.

It’s learned that Hassan Johar, a Member of Parliament, who was behind this unique project here, received the blessing of the Indian embassy before building the mosque.

Internal design of the mosque differs from the original. It consists of carvings of verses from the Quran. The four minarets and central dome of the mosque are adorned with brass crescents. The main prayer area is at the ground floor with library and utilities. It has a separate prayer hall for the women in the first floor. The Mosque was officially opened for the public in 2011.

The beauty of the mosque in middle of the desert is mesmerizing. It’s a proud feeling for all Indians here in Kuwait to witness a replica of the Taj Mahal in Kuwait. Those who have not seen the Taj Mahal in India, they can now see it in Kuwait.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> NRI> Contributions> Contributors / by Deepika Nambiar, TOI Contributor / April 30th, 2014

359th Urs of Shah Jahan to commence from May 25

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Community Involvement / Social Issues, Travel & Tourism
The 359th annual Urs of Mughal emperor Shah Jahan will begin at the Taj Mahal from May 25 to 27.
The 359th annual Urs of Mughal emperor Shah Jahan will begin at the Taj Mahal from May 25 to 27.

Agra :

The 359th annual Urs of Mughal emperor Shah Jahan will begin at the Taj Mahal from May 25 to 27 and entry will be free for visitors during the three-day celebrations.

“There would be free entry to the monument from 2pm until sunset on May 25 and 26, and on May 27 no entree fee will be charged throughout the day,” N K Pathak, chief superintending archaeologist, ASI, Agra zone said here today.

Khudddam-e-Rauza Committee, the traditional caretaker of the Taj, would put a 735-meter-long chadar on the cenotaph of Shah Jahan, he said.

Committee president Tahiruddin Tahir said that the length of the chadar to be placed on the tomb had been increased by 70-metres from the 635-meters length of last year.

Besides, a chadar made of 359 garlands would also be offered by the Shahi mosque Fatehpuri to mark the Urs on May 27, Saeed Khan, the mutawalli of the mosque said.

During the Urs, prince Yakub Habeebuddin Tusi of Hyderabad, who claims to be the great grandson of the last Mughal emperor, Bahadur Shah Zafar, makes an annual pilgrimage to the monument and offers prayers there.

Shahjahan was the fifth Mughal emperor who ruled the empire for 30 years from 1628 to 1658 before he was deposed by his son Aurangzeb. He died in 1666.

He had erected the Taj Mahal in memory of his beloved wife Mumtaz Mahal.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Lucknow / PTI / May 22nd, 2014

Mohammed Jalaluddin is named special officer in Telangana

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Community Involvement / Social Issues

telangana-logoMPOs24jun2014

Hyderabad:

Mohammed Jalaluddin Akbar, IFS officer has been posted as Special Officer to the Telangana state Wakf Board.

Jalaluddin Akbar, belonging to 1999 IFS batch, was holding the post of Conservator of Forests (Production), Telangana.

The government on Friday issued orders to transfer him to Minority Welfare department as Special Officer to Board, with immediate effect for a period of one year or until further orders, whichever is earlier, under the provisions of Wakf Act (Central Act 43 of 1995).

However, as per the provisions of the Act, the state government has power to appoint a special officer for a period of six months and not for a period of one year as stated in GO.

After noticing this, the government has decided issue an addendum to the GO.

Jalaluddin Akbar, the first special officer of the Board, earlier served as Buddha Purnima Project director.

source: http://www.deccanchronicle.com / Deccan Chronicle / Home> Nation> Current Affairs / DC Correspondent / June 21st, 2014

A day with former President Kalam

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Community Involvement / Social Issues, Education, Leaders, Science & Technology

Books help human beings lead a good life, said former President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, in the city on Saturday.

In an interactive session with the students of Presidency College, Mr. Kalam said when he was studying at the Madras Institute of Technology in Chromepet, he used to come to Moore Market complex to buy old books.

When asked about his first failure, Mr. Kalam said, in 1979, he headed a team which was involved in launching a satellite at Indian Space Research Organisation, Sriharikotta.

On the day of the launch, the satellite, instead of moving on its scheduled orbit, fell into the Bay of Bengal. That was his first failure from which he learnt and conducted several successful missions.

Answering another question on the importance of technology and research, Mr. Kalam said intensity was lacking amongst researchers today.

To improve this, there is a need to rewrite the curriculum in a way that it promotes research. Students should also learn to accept defeats and celebrate it, he said.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Chennai> Events / by Special Correspondent / Chennai – June 22nd, 2014

Mangalore: Abdul Raheem Teekay’s ‘Mallige Balli’ released

Arts, Culture & Entertainment
Mangalore: 
Abdul Raheem Teekay’s collection of Beary poems ‘Mallige Balli’, published by Salma Bava Foundation and Teekay’s family was released by Mamta G Sagar, a well-known poet, in a formal function held at Hotel Moti Mahal on Saturday June 21.
Boluwaru Mohammed Kunhi presided over the event. B M Haneef, the editor of ‘Sudha’ weekly, B M Basheer, the senior editor of ‘Vartha Bharathi’, Gopadkar, the artist of the book, Asif Teekay, Dr T K Mohammed and Abdul Raheem Teekay, the author of the book were also present on the dais.
Raahil Teekay, son of Abdul Raheem welcomed the guests and the gathering on the occasion.
Speaking after releasing the book, Sagar said, “Editing is the main thing to be taken care of in poetry. Poems do not need any reasons; the way of forming a poem is unique and different. Many people write poems while very few continue to be a poet.”
“What is not possible in phrase is possible in poems. The poem takes birth for no reason and sometimes for many reasons. Writing a poem is an easy task, but translating the poem is very difficult,” she added rendering her best wishes to the author of ‘Mallige Balli’.
Expressing his thoughts, Abdul Rahim said, “’Mallige Balli’ is not just a collection of poems, but an experience of my own life. The experience at every step of my life has been expressed through poems in this book.”
“The characters that are seen in this book depict the people, role models and social heroes whom I came across and inspired by. Meanwhile, I am just a narrator in this poem and the whole of the story belongs to the people who appear in the poems,” he added.
The first copy of the book was handed over to Dr T K Mohammed. There are 51 poems in  ‘Mallige Balli’.
source: http://www.daijiworld.com / DaijiWorld.com / Home> Karnataka / by Daijiworld Media Network – Mangalore / Mangalore , June 22nd, 2014

Kerala May Rake In Rs 6,200 Crore Remittances This Ramzan

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Business & Economy, Community Involvement / Social Issues, NRI's / PIO's, World Opinion

RamzanMPOs21jun2014

Kochi :

As the Ramzan season is all set to begin during the end of this month, remittances to Kerala is expected to rise 20-25 per cent than normal levels. Usually Ramzan is the period when the remittance to the state is high.

Normally remittances will be in the range of around Rs 5,000 crore in a month but during Ramzan season it is likely to go up to over Rs 6,200 crore. It is expected to surpass the Rs 85,000-crore mark in 2014.

To cash in on the opportunity, companies and banks are busy in formulating campaigns to rope in customers.

Industry sources said that fresh customers will also be added during the period.

The NRK population is 16.25 lakh and a sizeable number of people are Muslims. They normally send money back home for their relatives to celebrate the festival and to buy gifts, said Sudhakar, Chief Marketing Officer, UAE Exchange.

He added that since June, July, August is also a peak season, majority of the NRKs stay overseas as air fares are high during the period.

The money is being remitted through money transfer firms and banks.

“Kerala is one of the largest remittances receiving state in India. In 2013, non-resident Keralites have remitted Rs 75,000 crore. With Ramadan just round the corner, a significant increase of 20 per cent is expected this year. There has been a phenomenal growth in infrastructure requirements across GCC countries due to events such as Expo 2020, which in turn have boosted the percentage of overseas workers’ from Kerala,”  said Sudhesh Giriyan, Vice-President and Business Head, Xpress Money.

Out of the total NRK population of 16.25 lakh, as many as 14.26 lakh are employed. In Kerala, the lives of around 50 lakh people depend on these NRIs. The country which is home to maximum number of Malayalis is UAE (35 per cent), followed by Saudi Arabia (28 per cent). Most of  the NRIs from Kerala are from Malappuram (18 per cent).

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Business> News / by Pramod Thomas / June 21st, 2014

Elected as Chairman of South Asia

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

Mysore :

MShabeerMPOs21jun2014Mohammed Shabeer Ahmed, Advocate, Mysore and International Council Member of International Association for Religious Freedom (IARF), Osaka (Japan) and London (UK) has been elected as the Chairman of South Asia Co-ordinating Council (SACC) of IARF during the SACC Board Meeting held on June 7 at Mysore.

India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Nepal come under SACC. The term of the office of SACC is four years.

The objects of SACC-IARF is to promote international freedom, organise socio-economic, spiritual and cultural activities, promote inter-faith, work for religious, communal harmony and peace among the people.

Mohammed Shabeer Ahmed is also serving as Member of Vidyavardhaka Sangha, Mysore and Chairman of Youth Hostels Association of India, Mysore Unit.

He will be attending International Council Meeting IARF on Aug. 23, 24 and 25, to be held at Birmingham, UK.

source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> General News / June 16th, 2014

Gauahar Khan to host India’s Raw Star

Arts, Culture & Entertainment

While rapper Yo Yo Honey Singh is gearing up to make his small sceen debut with the musical reality show, India’s Raw Star, Gauahar Khan is excited about hosting the grand show. After appearing at IIFA, Bigg Boss and Khatron Ke Khiladi, Gauahar will next be seen on Star Plus.

Gauahar Khan and Honey singh sounds like an exciting and controversial combination.
Gauahar Khan and Honey singh sounds like an exciting and controversial combination.

According to the buzz, Yo Yo Honey Singh personally chose her as the anchor after he was told that she was the most searched celebrity online.

The Blue Eyes singer recently shot the promo of the show, which aims at tapping raw singing talent from all corners of India. Honey Singh will appear as judgecum- mentor on the show that will select rare voices from modest backgrounds with a fire in the belly.The promo shows Honey Singh prodding aspiring singers to think out of the box to get an entry in the show.

India’s Raw Star is likely to replace Star Plus’ much- hyped comedy show Mad In India , which has been consistently getting poor ratings since its launch.

Gauahar Khan and Honey singh sounds like an exciting and controversial combination. What say?

source: http://www.indiatoday.intoday.in / IndiaToday.in / Home> Movies> Television / New Delhi – June 20th, 2014