Muslim students have made a strong mark in this year’s Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) student union elections, with Danish Ali, Hafsa Bukhari, and Mohammad Aslam among the winners. The elections saw the Left alliance secure all four top posts, defeating the ABVP. Aditi Mishra was elected President, K Gopika Babu as Vice President, Sunil Yadav as General Secretary, and Danish Ali as Joint Secretary.
Danish Ali, a research scholar at the Centre for Historical Studies, defeated ABVP’s Anuj to win the Joint Secretary seat. Coming from Narsinghpur, Madhya Pradesh, Danish belongs to a family of educators. She was active in student mobilisations during the 2019 CAA protests and said her victory belongs to all students who value justice and democratic rights.
Hafsa Bukhari from Poonch, known for her hijab-wearing identity, also won a councilor seat. Her election is seen as a step forward for women’s representation and Muslim inclusion on campus. Alongside her, Mohammad Aslam, a visually impaired PhD scholar from Bihar, earned a councilor position. Despite his challenges, Aslam has consistently spoken up for equality, disability rights, and social justice.
Faculty members at JNU described their wins as a reflection of courage, resilience, and commitment to equality. Students across the university have welcomed the outcome, seeing it as a mandate for inclusivity and democratic engagement.
source: http://www.radiancenews.com / Radiance News / Home> Latest News> Report / by Radiance News Bureau / November 08th, 2025
Delhi is the city of enterprising people, many of whom are migrants from smaller towns and cities. Many achieved successes in careers, businesses and professions — but some of them transcended the boundaries of success. They are trailblazers who give it back and inspire others. Here, we feature ten personalities of Delhi whose work makes them extraordinary and the Changemakers:
Sirajuddin Qureshi
Sirajuddin Qureshi a well-known industrialist who laid the foundation of India’s meat industry and food processing. Besides, he is one of the founders of the India Islamic Cultural Centre in Delhi. He is a trailblazer in modernising and scaling up the meat and food processing industry under the aegis of his Hind Group. He set up the first modern slaughterhouse and expanded his food business to 50 countries.
However, his lasting contribution to society is his relentless campaign for promoting education among the Qureshi clan, who were small-time meat sellers and traders. He persuaded his community members to pledge to promote the education of girls and women, opt for simpler weddings and encourage youth to join professions. His social campaign was so successful that today, only 20 per cent of the Qureshi men are meat sellers, and women have higher educational standards.
Azra Naqvi
Azra Naqvi wears many hats, but her core remains attached to Urdu, the language, she claims, she breathes, thinks in, and is in her DNA. Despite having lived a fulfilling life with her husband in many countries, dabbled in different professions and roles, her heart always pined for her favourite language. So, when she got a chance to work as a consulting editor with Rekhta Foundation, she made the most of the opportunity.
Besides fulfilling her passion for Urdu at Rekhta, Azra Naqvi found an innovative use of the WhatsApp application on her mobile. First, she connected 200 Urdu women writers to establish a first-of-its-kind literary organisation, Bainalakwami Nissai Adabi Tanzeem (BANAT). The BANAT has created a sisterhood of Urdu writers. So far, BANAT has published two anthologies based on WhatsApp communication, while a third one is in process. Using the WhatsApp group, Azra Naqvi collected theme-based writings of 40 women writers.
Siraj Khan
‘Yes, We Can’ stands as a reminder that unity and opportunity can transform lives. This non-profit organisation is dedicated to empowering communities, nurturing youth potential, and creating safe spaces for growth. At the heart of this movement is Shiraz Khan, a changemaker from Old Delhi, whose journey of self-discovery and resilience has shaped the ethos of “Yes, We Can”. The seeds of Yes We Can were planted in 2015. For Shiraz Khan and his co-founder, Nandish, the pandemic wasn’t just a crisis; it was also a wake-up call. They realised that people needed support not only in material terms but also in inspiration, guidance, and community.
From grassroots awareness drives to collaborations with youth-led groups, Yes We Can has quickly grown into a space where possibility meets action. Shiraz often says, reflecting the organisation’s focus on building resilience rather than dependency.
Sahar Hashmi
Mental health in India remains a taboo; words like depression, anxiety, or personality disorder are either laughed off or bring shame. Breaking this deafening silence is Sahar Hashmi, the 29-year-old woman from Delhi. She not only overcame her mental illness but also became a beacon of hope for others suffering in silence.
In April 2025, Sahar launched a campaign, “Breaking Stigma: One Mile at a Time”. She took a 2,779 km bike ride from Delhi to Kashmir. This journey was not just about crossing the geographical boundaries, but an emotional journey against the stigma and silence of society on mental health.
Asghar Ali
Delhi-based artist Asghar Ali is spreading the message of Ganga-Jamuni tehzeeb (Inclusive Indian culture) in society through his art. Asgar Ali, a Muslim by faith, has more than 50 paintings based on Lord Krishna and his life story to his credit.
Asghar Ali said that since his childhood, he was fascinated and influenced by Shri Krishna, colours of his peacock feathers and the flute. Asgar Ali’s major work is on the childhood form of Shri Krishna (Bal Krishna), his youth, his objectives in the Mahabharata war, as well as his leela (stories).
Asgar Ali had also organised an exhibition of his Krishna-themed paintings at the recently concluded International Geeta Mahotsav at Kurukshetra, Haryana, where people appreciated his work.
Amna Mirza
Amna Mirza is a trailblazing teacher who prefers holding her lectures outside her classroom amidst the pieces of history strewn around in Delhi. She not only makes teaching interesting, but also helps heritage and modernity coalesce. In the rat race of the modern world, Dr Amna Mirza stands tall as a teacher bringing about profound changes in people’s mindsets.
A political science professor at the University of Delhi. Dr Mirza’s journey defies the rigidity often associated with academia. She wears many hats with ease: educator, social worker, cultural custodian, and above all, a proud Delhiite who believes in nurturing the soul of a nation through its people and plurality.
Mohd. Meraj Rayeen
Md. Meraj Rayeen’s inclusive campaign to improve the conditions of indigenous Pasmanda Muslims, who comprise approximately 80 per cent of the Muslim population, is shaping social change.
Rayeen says, “Politics alone cannot be the solution to every problem.” Based on this thought, he founded the ‘Pasmanda Vikas Foundation’ over a year ago. The organisation has undertaken substantial work to change the lives of people and instil new hope and confidence within the community.
This foundation is not into rhetoric in favour of Pasmanda Muslims’ rights on political platforms; It addresses issues such as education, health, economic empowerment, and social justice.
Meraj Rayeeen believes that the development of Pasmandas is possible only with the awakening and cooperation of the community members. but the entire Muslim society, especially the Ashraf class.
Uvais Ali Khan
Uvais Ali Khan is a successful Chartered Accountant and a changemaker whose journey stands as a beacon of determination and service to society.
He quit his job and started his own business in a small apartment in Laxmi Nagar, East Delhi. Borrowing from friends and banks, he began building not just a company, but a platform for change. Uvais believes in a simple but powerful idea: “Providing basic skills to an individual can open avenues for them to get a job. That single opportunity can change the life of a family for generations.
Adeeba Ali
Adeeba Ali’s life is a testimony to the power of the human spirit and willpower. The 17-year-old is not only a rising star in the world of para-shooting but also an inspiration to many others struggling with self-pity and helplessness.
Five years ago, Adeeba fell from the balcony of her house in Nizamuddin. Four years later, she stunned everyone with her stellar performance at the 26th National Shooting Championship held at the Madhya Pradesh State Shooting Academy, Bhopal, in December 2023.
Adeeba’s success is not just a story of winning two medals; it is a story of perseverance that transformed disability into a new identity, not a hindrance.
Syed Sahil Agha
Storytelling is associated with Sufis and Khanqahs; it’s a medium of the message of peace and love, which instils patriotism, unity, and religious harmony, and nurtures the Ganga-Jamuni (inclusive) civilisation. Keeping the tradition in mind, Syed Saahil Agha revived this art and gave it a modern context. Today, he is one of the most well-known names in the world of storytelling.
Syed Saahil Agha conducts storytelling programs in India and abroad. He says, “I realised that people prefer listening over reading, so I thought stories should be narrated so that the public can become familiar with the past and also learn lessons from it.”
He says his aim is not just to narrate stories but also to promote Indian civilisation.
source: http://www.awazthevoice.in / Awaz, The Voice / Home> The Changemakers / by Aasha Khosa / November 09th, 2025
Mangaluru, KARNATAKA / Kozhikode, KERALA / Dubai, U.A.E :
Shabana Faizal with her husband Faizal Kottikollon
New Delhi :
Mangalore-based Shabana Faizal has emerged as the youngest woman among India’s top 10 philanthropists, according to the EdelGive Hurun India Philanthropy List 2025.
She has donated ₹40 crore (approximately $1.5 billion) through the Faisal & Shabana Foundation to education, health, and social development.
Shabana Faisal’s journey from being raised in a small town in Mangalore to co-leading a global enterprise is about he hard work and ambition.
Her entrepreneurial journey began in 1995 as a retailer of unique, speciality and luxury products. After leading the company for eight successful years, she decided to team up with her husband, entrepreneur Faizal Kottikollon, and support him in running the world-class foundry, Emirates Techno Casting (ETC).
Shabana took charge of all human resources and administrative processes at ETC, where she created a significant impact in shaping the company’s business success.
In her role as Vice Chairperson of KEF Holdings, she is actively involved in guiding the business’s growth strategy across global markets. Deeply committed to social improvement, Shabana and her husband founded the Faizal & Shabana Foundation in 2007, with the vision of ‘Giving to Create Impact’.
At 53, Shabana’s work has placed her among some of the most influential women in India’s philanthropy world, including Rohini Nilekani, Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw and Bina Shah.
EdelGive Foundation, in collaboration with Hurun Research Institute, recently released the 12th edition of the EdelGive Hurun India Philanthropy List 2025.
The list honors India’s most generous individuals and families. Over the past three years, 191 philanthropists have donated a total of ₹10,380 crore, representing an 85% increase in contributions.
The education sector continues to lead as the top donor, receiving ₹4,166 crore from 107 donors.
Shabana is the mother of four children – Sophia, Sara, Zakaria, and Zarina – but continues to play an active role in business and philanthropy. Her work makes her one of India’s most influential female philanthropists, exemplifying how professional leadership and a commitment to giving can combine to create widespread social impact.
The EdelGive Hurun India Philanthropy List 2025 states that the top 25 donors contributed ₹50,000 crore in just five years, or an average of ₹46 crore per day. Mumbai leads in philanthropy, contributing 28% of total donations, followed by New Delhi and Bengaluru.
source: http://www.awazthevoice.in / Awaz, The Voice / Home / posted by Aasha Khosa / November 10th, 2025
A new book sheds light on the ‘Malabar Revolt’ in a region which had a history of Muslims and Hindus collaboratively persevering in their resistance against colonial forces. Other books explore its links to the Khilafat movement and why it is more than a peasant uprising.
Moplah prisoners go on trial in Calicut | Photo Credit: Getty Images
Growing up in Delhi, one had only a limited idea about the resistance movement in the Malabar region. The popular history books tended to treat it at best as a little outpost of the freedom movement. Noted historian Bipan Chandra in India’s Struggle for Independence (Penguin) dubbed it as a peasant movement.
“In August 1921, peasant discontent erupted in the Malabar district of Kerala. Here, Mappila tenants rebelled. Their grievances related to lack of any security of tenure, renewal fees, high rents…the impetus for resistance had first come from the Malabar District Congress Conference at Manjeri in April 1920,” Chandra writes. Sumit Sarkar too, confined himself to calling it an “anti-landlord revolt” in his book, Modern India (1885-1947), published by Pearson. There have been noises about the association with the Khilafat movement in academic circles, though. Just as there are historians who see it merely from a communal prism. A holistic picture had failed to emerge.
Enlightening exploration
Some belated but well-deserved attention on the resistance movement has come courtesy Abbas Panakkal’s Musaliar King: Decolonial Historiography of Malabar’s Resistance (Bloomsbury). Starting off as an exploratory exercise on the 75th anniversary of the movement, Panakkal’s venture transforms into an enlightening journey.
Early in the book, the author writes, “The socio-geographical landscape of our community underwent profound transformations in the wake of the cataclysmic events of 1921-22. This epoch witnessed a staggering loss of lives, the forced displacement of families… The old mosque of Tirurangadi emerged as a veritable repository of memories and narratives, a historical bastion of ideological resistance against the British colonial apparatus.” Fittingly, it was on the commemoration of the 75th anniversary of the 1921 resistance that Panakkal started his exploration, speaking to the family members of those directly involved.
Among them was Muhammed Ali Musaliar, grandson of Ali Musaliar, a luminary of the 1921 struggle. The British referred to Ali Musaliar as a king; the locals regarded him as a community and spiritual leader, calling him Musaliar Uppapa. Indeed, if Musaliar was a ‘king’, Malabar was his ‘kingdom’.
Incidentally, the term Malabar is derived from the vernacular Mala, signifying hill, and the affix originating from the Arabic word barr, which means the source of all goodness. The region had a long tradition of anti-colonial resistance dating back to the 16th century. “Muslims and Hindus collaboratively persevered in their resistance against colonial forces,” writes Panakkal.
This strong anti-colonial stance had unforeseen consequences. The British, with not a little help from some Indian officials, sought to undermine the movement. Among them was C. Gopalan Nair, Malabar district deputy collector, who “unabashedly deployed his literary prowess in favour of the British cause”. Observes Panakkal: “The usage of terms such as Malabar Revolt and Moplah Rebellion to delineate these struggles is emblematic of this issue. Revolt itself is a term crafted by colonial administration, characterising violent actions against a recognised government or ruler.”
‘Peaceful coexistence’
There were others, though, whose hearts beat for the locals, luminaries who either linked the resistance to the Khilafat movement or, in isolation, read it as an agrarian struggle. Among them were Saumyendranath Tagore, who regarded it as “an organic and spontaneous ‘uprising’ of the Malabar peasantry against British imperial rule” and E.M.S. Namboodiripad, who too “didn’t discount the role played by agrarian discontent”. There was a common thread: the oppression and exploitation meted out by colonial officials and landlords was no less severe upon the Hindu peasants as they were on their Muslim counterparts. Writes Panakkal, “The Malabar narrative heralded a rare phenomenon: the harmonious convergence of Hindus and Muslims. This coalition was underpinned by a shared objective — to oust the oppressor — and a collective aspiration for a peaceful coexistence in the region.”
It is something with which even R.N. Hitchcock, police superintendent of Malabar, agreed. As written by N.P. Chekkutty in Mappila and Comrades: A Century of Communist-Muslim Relations (Other Books). “Hitchcock also reveals that Hindus were involved in the rebellion, at least in some parts of the affected areas. ‘The Hindus took an active part only in the extreme south-eastern area of the Valluvanad taluk and in small numbers for a concise time. They were then responsible for much property damage’.” In his persuasively argued book, with much of the focus on the post-resistance time in the late 1930s and 40s, Chekkutty also talks of the rebels not harming any substantial section of the local population before going on to document the failure of the Congress to retain local Muslim support after the resistance movement. It was a vacuum which both the Communist Party of India and the All India Muslim League attempted to fill.
The Khilafat angle
Interestingly, against this background of common cause transcending the confines of faith came the pan-Islamist Khilafat movement. Things became even more ironic as Malabar’s historical tapestry of anti-colonial resistance “had been woven with threads of unity binding Muslims and non-Muslims in a shared ‘jihad’ to safeguard the throne of the Hindu king, the Zamorin of Calicut,” as analysed by Panakkal. Khilafat, Non-Cooperation, Mappila, with seemingly disparate social elements, all fused to bring about a strong anti-colonial movement.
Indeed, here both the communities enjoyed a rare camaraderie, and there was a happy collective involvement even in religiously significant events like the nercha and utsavam. During the latter, Muslim families returned with bags full of jaggery candies, much like Ali Musaliar used to do for Amina, his daughter. Sums up Panakkal: “The experience of Muslims and Islam in South India is different from the experience in North India, and this is not trivial.”
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Books> Bibliography / by Ziya Us Salam / September 18th, 2025
Volleyball match at Malindi to celebrate the birthday of Syedna Mufaddal Saifuddin
New Delhi :
The Dawoodi Bohra community living in Nairobi, Mombasa, Eldoret, Nakuru, Tanga, Morogoro, and Arusha in East Africa celebrated the birthday of their spiritual leader, Syedna Mufaddal Saifuddin, in a unique and inspiring way.
A grand volleyball tournament was held in the coastal city of Malindi to mark the occasion, uniting community members in an atmosphere of enthusiasm, sportsmanship, and unity.
Held in mid-October at the recently inaugurated Kutubi Sports Complex, the two-day tournament featured teams from various cities across East Africa. Hundreds of community members travelled to Malindi to participate. The event was not just a sporting competition, but a celebration of the community’s energy, cooperation, and positivity.
A Bohra leader gives away the trophy to the Captain of the Winning team
“There is no better way to celebate His Holiness Syedna’s birthday than by embracing one of his key teachings, to be physically active, in our lives,” said community member Huzaifa Hunaid.
Although Malindi has a small Dawoodi Bohra community, hosting the tournament filled the locals with pride and confidence. A local member beamed, “It was a proud moment to see our small team successfully organise such a large-scale event. The enthusiasm and positivity on and off the court reflected the true spirit of the event—building new relationships and strengthening old ones.”
The entire community joined in the sports festival. Locals were also present in large numbers in the audience. One spectator said, “We usually come to watch football, but this volleyball tournament brought a new wave of excitement and joy to the city.”
A match of Volleyball to mark the birthday of Bohra Community’s spiritual leader Syedna Mufaddal Saifuddin
The atmosphere at the Qutbi Sports Complex was festive throughout. Community members set up food stalls, serving delicious dishes, and everyone shared in the joy. After the matches, players were seen congratulating each other and exchanging pleasantries—a sight that exemplified brotherhood and affinity.
After the final match, when the winning team’s captain lifted the trophy, the entire arena erupted in applause and chants. Encouraged by the success of this event, the Qutubi Sports Club is now planning to hold a football tournament soon to further this spirit of enthusiasm and unity. The club’s objective is clear: to promote unity, health, and brotherhood through sport among East African communities.
The tournament in Malindi was not only a celebration of Syedna Mufaddal Saifuddin’s birthday but also a reflection of the community’s vibrancy, cooperation, and shared values.
The community feels the event has transformed sport into a bridge of humanity and unity.
source: http://www.awazthevoice.in / Awaz, The Voice / Home> Stories / by Aasha Khosa (edited) / November 06th, 2025
Well-known Mangaluru-based entrepreneur and philanthropist Hashim Khan (45) passed away due to a heart attack in his native village in Uttar Pradesh on Tuesday.
Khan had travelled to his hometown to attend a family function when he reportedly suffered a massive cardiac arrest.
He is survived by his wife, three sons, and a daughter.
Having arrived in Mangaluru at a young age in search of work, Hashim Khan gradually built a successful business and earned wide respect in the city’s business circles. Beyond entrepreneurship, he was equally known for his acts of generosity and social commitment.
During the Covid-19 pandemic, Khan personally distributed food supplies and essential items to needy families, winning the admiration of many.
His untimely demise has left a deep void among the city’s business community and those who benefited from his charitable work.
source: http://www.daijiworld.com / Daijiworld.com / Home> Karnataka / by Daijiworld Media News Network – Mangaluru / November 05th, 2025
The recipient of Padmashri award for communal harmony had earned the sobriquet of ‘Karnataka’s Kabir’
‘Karnataka’s Kabir’ Ibrahim Nabisaheb Sutar is presented the Padmashri award by President Ram Nath Kovind at Rashtrapati Bhawan, in New Delhi on April 2, 2018.
Ibrahim Sutar, polyglot folk singer, who toured India spreading the message of Hindu-Muslim unity, died in Mahalingpur in Bagalkot district on February 5. He suffered a massive heart attack around 6.30 in the morning. He died a few minutes later, family sources said. He was 82. He leaves behind his wife, son and two daughters.
The recipient of Padmashri award for communal harmony had earned the sobriquet of ‘Karnataka’s Kabir’.
The founder of ‘Bhavaikyate Bhajana Mela’ began his career as a Harikathe bhajan singer going around villages and towns. He regaled audiences with stories from Hindu and Islamic scriptures always leaving with a message of harmony, and need for ethics in personal life. He sang songs and gave lectures, quoting from multiple scriptures without the need to read from notes. He was equally well-versed in Kannada and Urdu.
In his later life, he emerged as a public speaker, visiting schools, colleges and Lingayat mutts to speak on vachana and dasa literature. He was honoured with the Karnataka Rajyotsava award in 1995, and the Padmashri in 2018.
Born in a poor weaver family in Mahalingpur, he dropped out of primary school to work as an assistant to a weaver. He developed a spiritual bent of mind early in life. He began attending lectures in the Sri Basavananda Swami mutt and participating in bhajans in Sadhu Maharaj temple. He was a member of the mosque committee that went around villages, asking the faithful to wake up early during the month of Ramzan. He studied Hindu and Islamic scriptures with equal zeal and developed a team of bhajan singers. The ‘Bhavaikyate Bhajana Mela’ performed across Karnataka and Maharashtra.
A routine performance was in the question–answer format interspersed with songs of dasa saints and vachanas . One of the team members came up with a question that sounded very ordinary, but had deep spiritual undertones, like: ‘Who is important in life – god or guru?’ Sutar used anecdotes from the Ramayana and Mahabharata, Islamic scriptures and stories from the life of prophets to give his opinion, that was directed at the audience, rather than the team member who kept asking questions.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> India> Karnataka / by Special Correspondent / February 05th, 2022
Jharkhand is one of the youngest Indian states, located in eastern India, and is also known as the tribal homeland. Since its inception, it has seen good growth, but the teething problems posed their own challenges. During these exciting times, some individuals have made significant contributions to society.
We, at Awaz-The Voice, bring to you stories of such unsung heroes from the length and breadth of India. Here are stories of ten extraordinary Muslim personalities of Jharkhand, who made a lot of difference to the lives of people and thereby helped state’s growth:
Dr Sajid Hussain
Dr Sajid Hussain left a prestigious research career to build a brighter future for the children of Chitarpur village in Ramgarh. His model, ‘Schoologium’, is redefining education across India.
Sajid explains, “Just as our body needs exercise to stay fit, the brain too needs regular practical workouts to stay active.” At Schoologium, children don’t just study from textbooks — they learn through touch, smell, taste, and experience. It’s learning through interaction and imagination — reminiscent of Rabindranath Tagore’s vision of Shantiniketan.
Sajid worked as a scientist at the National Aerospace Laboratories. But his exposure to premier institutions in India and abroad revealed a painful truth — rural children do not lag because of a lack of intelligence, but because they lack access to quality educational tools.
Determined to bridge this gap, Sajid resigned from his government job in 2012 and returned to his village. That’s where Schoologium was born — the name itself blending “school” and “gymnasium.”
Sattar Khalifa
Sattar Khalifa, better known as Painter Jilani, has brought hope to the people of Palamu, a division in Jharkhand that lags in development and where people face economic deprivation.
In college, Jilani always dreamed of serving people. A painter by profession, Jilani channels his earnings into helping the needy. “Art is my tool, service is my purpose,” he says.
His reputation made sure that even during the peak of Naxal and extremist dominance, Jilani travelled fearlessly between Bishrampur and Daltonganj, through a Naxal-dominated area.
For the poor, Dalits, Mahadalits, and marginalised communities of Palamu and Garhwa, Jilani is a symbol of assurance. From securing ration cards and pensions to arranging drinking water and hospital aid, he is always there.
Mohammad Minhaj
Mohammad Minhaj’s calm countenance hides the fire inside his mind that has driven him to serve society for over four decades. Mihaj has changed many lives in Ranchi’s slums. He ensures the people living in slums get education, health services, and social rights.
His journey began in 1982, when Ranchi was rapidly expanding, but its slums remained shrouded in neglect. Daily wage earners, rickshaw pullers, and working-class families struggled each day just to earn enough for two meals. For them, education was a distant dream. That was when Minhaj decided to step in and make a difference in many lives.
Muzaffar Hussain
Muzaffar Hussain’s dream is simple yet profound — no one in Jharkhand’s Santhal Pargana should sleep hungry. In this remote region, poverty isn’t just a condition — it’s a living reality. The six districts of Pakur, Godda, Sahebganj, Dumka, Jamtara, and Deoghar carry a long and painful history of deprivation, now slowly being rewritten.
A study claims that 82 percent of Santhal people live in extreme poverty, with most owning no land. In the middle of this harsh reality stands Muzaffar Hussain of Pakur, whose battle began even before the Right to Food Act was passed in 2013. Today, while the Act exists on paper, the real task is ensuring food reaches the truly needy — a task Muzaffar has made his life’s purpose. His efforts have borne fruit: around 600–700 families now have ration cards and receive regular supplies of food grains.
Ibrar Ahmad
In Ranchi, the capital of Jharkhand, its lanes, neighbourhoods, and beyond, one name that resonates hope is that of Ibrar Ahmad. Once employed in a bank and associated with the cultural organisation IPTA, Ibrar has been engaged in improving the lives of people around for over three decades. He is known as the person who steps in when a child drops out of school for want of fees, where poor patients wander helplessly for treatment, or where communal tension threatens to tear society apart.
Ibrar Ahmad has consistently reached out to children and youth. As President of Anjuman Islamia Ranchi, he arranged scholarships for poor children, launched talent shows and quiz competitions, ensuring that education went beyond textbooks to build both confidence and skills.
Dr. Shahnawaz Qureshi
The Quraish Academy of Ranchi has produced doctors, engineers, teachers, software developers, and many other bright minds. Located close to Ranchi’s iconic Albert Ekka Chowk is Gudri Qureshi Mohalla, officially declared a slum by the municipal corporation, where the founder of this academy, Dr Shahnawaz Qureshi, was born.
Whether through journalism or social service, Dr Qureshi changed not just the image of his locality but also the mindset of its people.
In 1993, while working with the National Literacy Mission, Dr. Qureshi established a night school in his own neighbourhood. After long days of labour, elderly men and women would gather after evening prayers, notebooks and pens in hand. The sight of wrinkled fingers tracing letters under the dim glow of a kerosene lamp became a symbol of hope and awakening. The classes were free, and the locals provided fuel for the lamps.
Mukhtar Alam Khan
Mukhtar Alam Khan’s efforts have transformed the image of Azad Basti in Jamshedpur, which was once a notorious place. It was once associated with crime, fear, and a negative image—much like Dhanbad’s Wasseypur. Mukhtar is among the few locals who brought about a positive change in this area. Today, Azad Basti’s name is taken with pride.
On any given day, Mukhtar and his team could be seen arranging blood and medicines for patients, feeding the hungry, or supporting children in education and competitive exams.
Tanveer Ahmad
In 2010, when areas like Islam Nagar and Baba Khatal in Ranchi were demolished under encroachment drives, hundreds of families were rendered homeless. The greatest sufferers were children, as some missed their exams, and others dropped out of school permanently.
In this situation, Tanveer Ahmad decided to extend a helping hand to the suffering children.
He thought, if circumstances had taken schools away from them, why not return education to them, as friends. This idea marked the beginning of a journey—from friendship to education.
Tanveer Ahmad says, “Our mission is to reach underprivileged children in Ranchi and Jharkhand who are drifting away from mainstream education. We believe education is the key that can transform their future.”
When one hears the name Ranchi, images of lush greenery, hills, and a rapidly developing city often come to mind. But hidden behind this image lies another reality—a large section of the city’s population lives in slums and makeshift settlements.
Anwarul Haq
Anwarul Haq, a resident of Chadri village in Kanke block, has launched a unique initiative that is changing the lives of children who would otherwise lag due to poverty. By day, he teaches football, and by night, he tutors children. In just three years, his efforts have transformed the lives of many children for whom both education and sports were once a distant luxury.
It all began when Anwarul Haq, a sports teacher at a residential girls’ school in Ranchi, decided to go beyond his job to make a difference. He was disturbed by the condition of children in his and neighbouring villages. Most children were from families surviving on daily wages, skipped school, and some fell into bad company. He had a plan up his sleeve to change their lives by imparting education and sports training to the underprivileged children.
SyedTariq Alam
Syed Tariq Alam has been quietly transforming lives, supporting poor and underprivileged families through education, employment, and social welfare in the Kolhan region of Jamshedpur.
His efforts have been focused on Kapali, a small township just 20 kilometres from Jamshedpur — the industrial hub of eastern India. Jamshedpur draws thousands of laborers from across the country, many of whom settle in Kapali where living costs are lower. While these workers find temporary employment in the steel city, the jobs are often low-paying and unstable.
This insecurity directly affects their children’s education, leading to high dropout rates in Kapali and nearby areas. It was this grim reality that moved Syed Tariq Alam deeply. Determined to bring change, he embarked on a mission that has now become a beacon of hope for thousands.
source: http://www.awazthevoice.in /Awaz, The Voice / Home> The Changemakers / by Aasha Khosa / October 26th, 2025
(Here pitched their tents those ardent dreamers; Who rose at the first call of their homeland’s liberators)
Step through the Centenary Gate, and you enter not just a campus but a living conversation between history and hope. Every lane carries memory; every wall speaks of struggle. Jamia is not made of stone and mortar alone; it is built of ideals, of founders who were freedom fighters and reformers, of teachers who worked for life on modest pay, of students who turned learning into service, and of a dream that education could make a nation free not only in body but in spirit.
Maulana Mohammad Ali Jauhar, Jamia’s first Vice-Chancellor, and a firebrand nationalist who, at the Second Round Table Conference in 1930, declared he would not return to a slave country, a vow he kept, breathing his last in London and resting forever in Jerusalem. His courage gave Jamia its pulse of defiance. Dr. Mukhtar Ahmad Ansari, a physician and President of the Indian National Congress, lent Jamia its healing vision, a belief that education, like medicine, must restore dignity to the human condition. Dr. Zakir Husain, later India’s President, gave Jamia its soul, transforming education into a moral act and underscoring that a teacher’s duty is not to instruct but to awaken.
On its 105th foundation day, let me take you on a Jamia tour. The Mohammad Ali Jauhar Marg leads through the majestic Centenary Gate into the heart of Jamia Gulistan-e-Gandhi, whose presence still seems to guide the university he envisioned.
The M.A. Ansari Auditorium stands ahead, alive with the echo of debates, drama, poetry, and protest, a place where generations have learned that knowledge without courage and compassion is incomplete. Nearby, the Mahmoud Darwish, a revered Palestinian poet and voice of resistance, exile, and identity lane winds toward the M.F. Husain Art Gallery, a riot of colour and imagination. The Nehru Guest House still echoes the voices of thinkers who stayed there. Beside it, the Maulana Azad House completes a poetic pairing — Nehru and Azad, once neighbours in prison, now neighbours in memory. Inside, guesthouse rooms are named after figures like Ritwik Ghatak.
The serpentine path leads past the Mohibbul Hasan House and Deen Dayal Kaushal Vikash Kendra and onward to the West Asia Centre, the Ho Chi Minh Conference Hall, Saadat Hasan Manto Lecture Hall, and the Shaikh Sabah Al–Ahmad Al–Jaber Seminar Library, where Jamia’s dialogue with the world continues. Through Jahane Kushuru, you arrive at Gulistan-e-Ghalib, where Ghalib’s statue stands beneath the trees, inscribed with his immortal verse:
Jaam har zarra hai sarshar-e-tamanna mujh se,
Kiska dil hoon ke do aalam se lagaya hai mujhe!
Every particle is intoxicated with longing for me,
Whose heart am I, that both worlds are drawn to me?
Ghalib’s verse mirrors the spirit of Jamia itself, a place that draws seekers from every corner, as if knowledge, memory, and desire converge upon it. A reminder that the soul of a true university is to become the heart of many worlds.
At the center of Jamia stands its intellectual sanctuary, the Dr. Zakir Husain Library; its silence is dense with thought. Not far away, the Sarojini Naidu Centre for Women’s Studies and the Nelson Mandela Centre for Peace and Conflict Resolution remind every visitor that dialogue and equality are central to Jamia’s compass.
Enter through the Qurratulain Hyder Gate, named after the Gyanpeeth award-winning Urdu novelist, and you arrive at the lush green Nawab Pataudi Cricket Ground, with its Virender Sehwag Pavilion, a tribute to the alumnus who brought glory to the nation. Nearby stands the King Abdul Aziz Faculty of Dentistry, a graceful emblem of international collaboration. Around it, hostels named after B.R. Ambedkar, Allama Iqbal, E.J. Kellat, and Obaidullah Sindhi reflect Jamia’s plural legacy, a living reminder that its map is also a moral landscape.
Closer to the metro station, the Noam Chomsky Complex, a reminder that free thought is Jamia’s lifeblood. Next door, the K.R. Narayanan Centre for Dalit and Minority Studies ensures that inclusion here is not a slogan but a lived truth. Through the Mahmud Hasan Gate, named for the scholar who inspired students and clerics to join the freedom struggle and who endured years of harsh imprisonment in Malta — the campus opens into its schools: the Mushir Fatima Nursery, the Abid Hussain School, and the Gerda Philipsborn Day Care Centre, where the smallest minds learn under the same canopy of values that shelter scientist, scholars and philosophers.
Gerda Philipsborn, a German-Jewish educator who left Germany and found a home in Jamia, is fondly remembered as Aapa Jaan. She embodied the university’s transnational conscience, the belief that education builds bridges, not boundaries. Mujeeb Bagh hosts the Ramanujan Science Block, named after the mathematical genius whose brilliance continues to inspire curiosity and wonder across generations. The women’s hostels named after Begum Hazrat Mahal and Aruna Asaf Ali celebrate the courage of women who turned resistance into art and activism. Further on lies the Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan Enclave, honouring the Frontier Gandhi who preached non-violence not as political expediency but as an article of faith. And in the Munshi Premchand Archives lives the memory of the great storyteller, who wrote Kafan during his stay at Jamia.
Located near the Administrative Block on Khayaban-e-Ajmal, the Jamnalal Bajaj Block honours Jamia’s benefactor, whose steadfast support and financial contributions were instrumental in sustaining the university during its formative years. Within its serene precincts stand the Yasser Arafat Hall, the Edward Said Conference Hall, and the Mir and Tagore Convention Centre, spaces that echo Jamia’s spirit of dialogue, dissent, and cultural encounter, where ideas from East and West, past and present, continue to converse in quiet harmony. Nearby, APJ Abdul Kalam Gate takes you to India’s most reputed Anwar Jamal Kidwai Mass Communication and Research Center, a testament of global cooperation with Canada, which buzzes with cameras, questions, and conversation.
Few universities wear their philosophy so visibly on their map. These names are not labels; they are moral coordinates of a century-old experiment in inclusive education. Each block is a story of struggle; each road a reminder of Jamia’s founding spirit, where taleem (education) and tehreek (movement) are inseparable.
Jamia was not born of privilege; it was born of protest. Founded amid the Khilafat and Non-Cooperation Movements, it was a quiet act of rebellion, an insistence that colonialism would not define the Indian mind. Education at Jamia was never meant to produce clerks for an empire, but citizens of conscience. Zakir Husain, Mohammad Mujeeb, and Abid Husain, three of Jamia’s philosophical pillars, envisioned Nai Talim, a pedagogy that unites head, heart, and hand. Long before “experiential learning” became educational jargon, Jamia built it into its foundation. Knowledge was tied to labour, intellect to ethics, and inquiry to empathy. The Ustadon ka Madrasa, the first of its kind teachers’ training institute, became a living laboratory of this vision, where teaching was not merely a transaction of knowledge but a pursuit of truth, a cultivation of inquiry, and a moral apprenticeship in the art of understanding. It embodied the meaning of a true university, not a place that fills minds, but one that frees them.
In the dark days of Partition, when Delhi burned with fear, Jamia’s students and teachers became healers, offering shelter to the displaced, solace to the broken, and humanity to a city in despair. From those flames emerged a university that made communal harmony its cornerstone.
Perhaps no moment captures Jamia’s moral stature better than its Silver Jubilee in 1946. On that day, Dr. Zakir Husain brought on the same stage Nehru, Asaf Ali, Rajaji, Jinnah, Fatima Jinnah, and Liaquat Ali Khan. At a time when the country teetered on the edge of partition, Zakir Husain’s possible one of the best speeches, “For God’s sake, sit together and extinguish this fire of hatred,” moved them to tears.
To walk through Jamia today is to stroll through the living soul of pluralism, a quiet republic of ideas where liberty, plurality, inclusiveness, and fraternity breathe in every courtyard, in every classroom. Here, Gandhi still converses with Mandela, Chomsky finds his echo in Edward Said, and Ghalib whispers to Mir beneath the shade of red-brick walls. Darwish recites for Tagore, Arafat debates with Ho Chi Minh, Ramanujan solves number puzzles with AJP Abul Kalam, Manto reads his script to Ritwik Ghatak, Prof. Mujeeb debates with Pt. Deep Dayal Upadhyay, Maulana Azad, and Nehru discuss an education roadmap over jasmine tea, and Ambedkar stands in thoughtful dialogue with Sarojini Naidu. It is a rare moral geography, a constellation of minds, where the ideals of freedom, justice, equality and fraternity converge without collision, illuminating the enduring idea of India itself.
While many century-old universities are withering away, Jamia Millia Islamia continues to grow step by step. It carries not only a proud and luminous history, rich in struggle and idealism, but also a radiant present, consistently ranked among the nation’s top universities, with rising scientific citations and breakthrough research that place it firmly on the global academic map.
Yet in a time when higher education bends under market pressures and ideological conformity, Jamia endures as a counter-memory, a quiet act of defiance against becoming a mere factory of certificates. Its administration, faculty, students, staff, and alums continue to zealously guard the Idea of Jamia — where knowledge is pursued, not prescribed; where questions are not censored, and truth is never pre-decided. A true university must protect the space where evidence triumphs over ideology, where disagreement deepens understanding, and where inquiry itself becomes an act of freedom.
The idea of Jamia is not simply a place, a campus, but a proposition that education is not merely obedience or a commodity, but an awakening of the mind and conscience.
To walk through Jamia is to walk through the Idea of India itself – plural, principled, and forever in motion along the path of progress.
“Yahaan pe shamme-hidayat hai sirf apna zameer.”
Here at Jamia, the beacon of guidance is none other than one’s own conscience.
source: http://www.muslimmirror.com / Muslim Mirror / Home> Opinion / by Aftab Mohammad / November 01st, 2025
Kashmiri local guide Nazakat Ahmed Shah, who saved the family of a BJP youth worker during the April Pahalgam terror attack, received a warm welcome in Chhattisgarh nearly six months after the incident. The attack in South Kashmir had left 26 people dead and several injured.
Shah, who has been visiting Chhattisgarh for over three decades to sell clothes, became a hero after rescuing the family of BJP youth wing worker Arvind Agrawal. During his first visit to the state since the attack, Shah was felicitated by Agrawal and around 50 residents in Chirmiri, Manendragarh-Chirmiri-Bharatpur district. The group expressed their gratitude with garlands, flowers, and a shared lunch.
Agrawal recalled that Shah’s quick thinking saved his wife and four-year-old daughter. “When the firing began, he asked us to lie down and shielded my daughter and my friend’s son. He took them to safety and returned to rescue my wife,” Agrawal said.
Speaking to reporters after the ceremony, Shah said he felt emotional meeting the families he had saved. “Chhattisgarh feels like home to us. We come here for three months every year for business, and people here have always treated us like family,” he said.
Shah’s act of courage has been widely praised across communities, highlighting the enduring human bonds that transcend politics and geography.
source: www.radiancenews.com / Radiance News / Home> Latest News> Reports / by Radiance News Bureau / November 01st, 2025
