Aligarh, UTTAR PRADESH :
Professor Huzoor H. Khan, Department of Mathematics at the Aligarh Muslim University shall be the new President of Indian Mathematical Society (IMS).
According to Professor V. M. Shah, General Secretary of the Indian Mathematical Society, Prof. Khan was elected President of IMS during the general body meeting of the society held at SRTM University, Nanded, Maharashtra recently.
source: http://www.myamu.in / My AMU / April 17th, 2012
UTTAR PRADESH :
Meerut :
“I remember my head bumping into the seat in front of me, throwing me at least two feet forward. I was in pain and could her screams from all directions. Honestly, if it hadn’t been for Muslims in the area who rushed to the spot and pulled us out of the train’s coach, we might not have survived,” said Bhagwan Das Maharaj, a saint with a saffron cloth tied around his neck. He was travelling with six other ascetics who had boarded the Utkal Express from Morana in Madhya Pradesh and were going to Haridwar to take a holy dip in Ganga.
“They brought us water, khaats and arranged for a private doctor for us. We will never forget this gesture,” he added. Three saints from the group were injured and were rushed to Lala Lajpat Rai Memorial (LLRM) Medical College in Meerut for treatment.
“We believe in God and we saw his power soon after the accident. There are times when people politicize Hindu-Muslim ties, but there has always been love between the two communities,” said Morni Das, another saint.
Soon after 14 coaches of Haridwar-bound Kalinga Utkal Express derailed near Khatauli in Muzaffarnagar, government and private hospitals in Meerut were put on alert and emergency wards were set up for the accident victims. “There were many women and children in our coach. All of us were chit-chatting and suddenly our coach overturned. Initially, we didn’t realize what had happened,” said another saint Hakim Das.
Dr Raj Kumar Chaudhary, Meerut’s chief medical officer, said, “As many as 23 people have been taken to different hospitals in Meerut and are being given treatment. Also, 26 government ambulances and 26 private ambulances were rushed to the accident site to take the victims to hospitals.”
Till the time this report was filed, 23 people were admitted to different hospitals and many more were coming in. PL Sharma district hospital and LLRM Medical College also launched their helpline numbers: +919410609434 and 0121-2604977 respectively.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News> City News> Meerut News / by Ishita Bhatia, TNN / August 19th, 2017
Aligarh, UTTAR PRADESH / Boston, USA :
Aligarh :
Aligarh Muslim University Alumnus, Dr Mohammad Abbas Khan has brought laurels to his Alma mater after graduating, among the top of his class at the Boston University School of Dental Medicine, USA for Doctor of Dental Medicine (DMD).
Khan has scored a 100 percent in Pharmacology besides scoring the highest marks in Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology in his exams at the Boston University School of Dental Medicine. He has also been felicitated during the award ceremony of the Dental School. Meanwhile, he has also been awarded by the American Academy of Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology, USA for being among the top of the Dental School’s merit list.
Khan, who has been in the Boston University for over two years, has made remarkable contributions to the student bodies. As the elected President of American Association of Public Health Dentistry for the Boston University, he generated awareness about Public Health and spearheaded new initiatives. Due to his good academic record and passion to contribute to the students, he was appointed as the teaching assistant for the subjects of Pharmacology, Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology, Endodontics and Removable Prosthodontics.
Before beginning his journey at Boston University for his DMD, he did his MPH from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health (JHSPH) and graduated in 2015. Even at JHSPH, he was among toppers and contributed to the student community as the elected Vice-President for Johns Hopkins Student Assembly and Student representative for Committee on Academic Standards.
Khan’s mother, Dr Zebun Nisa Khan teaches at the Department of Education, AMU while his father Professor Huzoor H Khan teaches at the Department of Mathematics, AMU.
source: http://www.twocirlces.net / Two Circles.net / Home> Indian Muslims> Lead Story / TCN News / May 29th, 2017
Wajidke, Barnala : PUNJAB :
A Punjabi book on Rehmat Ali Wajidke, a Ghadar Party activist who was hanged in 1915, was released at a public event held in Surrey on Sunday.
Authored by Sarwan Singh Aujla, a retired school principal from Barnala, the book is written in the form of a long poetry and throws light on Wajidke and his struggle.
Wajidke was hanged for sedition by the British government in March 1915. He was among the Ghadar Party members who had returned from foreign countries to India to launch an armed rebellion against the British occupation. This year marks the centenary of Wajidke’s martyrdom.
Aujla, who is a freelance writer, has authored many books. He had served at the government public school in Wajidke, the native village of Rehmat Ali. He was instrumental in getting the school renamed after the Ghadar hero and had also traced his descendants in Pakistan and brought them to India where they were duly honoured by the Punjab government in 1970s. Wajidke’s relatives had migrated to Pakistan after the partition in 1947.
Aujla has been highlighting the story of Wajidke through his columns in the local newspapers as well. He told HT that his story needs to be amplified to challenge the communal forces which are inimical to peace and people’s unity.
“Today when the Hindu nationalists are in power in India, we need to remind our younger generation that men like Wajidke and not the RSS played a significant role during the freedom movement. This has become important as the Hindutva forces continue to question the patriotism of Muslims,” he said.
source: http://www.hindustantimes.com / Hindustan Times / Home> Punjab / by Gurpreet Singh, Hindustan Times / October 13th, 2015
Kolkata, WEST BENGAL :
India-Pakistan relations may have more twists in store than meets the eye. Yasmin Nigar Khan, great granddaughter of Khan Abdul Gaffar Khan, better known as Frontier Gandhi, now plans to meet Indian Prime minister Narendra Modi to urge him to stand by the Pashtuns as he did in the case of Balochistan.
The Kolkata-based 45-year old leader of the Pashtuns living and working in India told HT that she also plans a rally in the city against atrocities of Pakistan on the people of North West Frontier Province (NWFP).
“We are happy that Prime Minister Narendra Modi raised the issue of Balochistan. Similar atrocities are regularly being committed by Pakistan on Pashtuns in NWFP. We want Modi to highlight the plight of Pashtuns and help in their struggle to get freedom from Pakistan. The Pashtun people are equally oppressed by Pakistan,” said Khan on Friday.
Yasmin Nigar Khan president of All India Pashtu-Jirga-e-Hind, an organisation based in Kolkata that has been spearheading a movement for secession of Pakhtunwa area in the North West Frontier Province (NWFP) of Pakistan and its merger with Afghanistan. The area is situated near the border of Afganistan and Pakistan.
She claimed there are about 10,000 Pashtuns living in Bengal, mostly in and around Kolkata.
“NWFP were given on lease to the British for 100 years. But more than 120 years have passed by,” she claimed, adding “NWFP has no business staying in Pakistan.”
“Our leaders are holding meetings in Kolkata to press our demand. We are planning to organise a rally against Pakistan in Kolkata after the Pujas at Shahid Minar. By the end of the year we will meet the Prime Minister,” said Khan.
The Pashtun community comprises basically the Pathans who are from Afghanistan and also from the Pakhtunwa area. In Kolkata, a section of them who have settled more than 100 years ago, are better known as Kabuliwalas (money lenders).
Khan alleged that the condition of the Pashtuns living in NWFP is appalling and the Pakistan government is not keen on any development in the region.
“Like Balochistan, Pakhtunistan too is deliberately neglected. the Pakistan government is keeping the mass uneducated so that they do not demand their rights. The area is used for breeding terrorists Pakistan is using Taliban to spread terror in the region. We will soon hit streets over the issue,” added Khan.
Many of the Pashtuns living in Kolkata have relatives there and they worry about Taliban threats.
“We want to highlight Pakistan’s atrocities in NWFP and condemn attacks on India. Pakistan should be declared a terrorist state by the international community,” she added.
The Pashtun leader stated that during a programme at the union ministry of culture on May 20 this year (to commemorate the 125th birth anniversary of Frontier Gandhi), she appealed for a university to be set up in Bengal on the name of her great grandfather.
In 1996 after the death of her father Lala Jan Khan, Yasmin took over the mantle of the organisation that looks after the interests of Pashtuns.
source: http://www.hindustantimes.com / Hindustan Times / Home> Cities> Kolkata / by Ravik Bhattacharya, Hindustan Times / September 30th, 2016
Sujangarh District, RAJASTHAN :
Jaipur :
27-year-old Yasmeen Khan, belonging to Sujangarh district is the youngest female judge appointed in Rajasthan.
The Muslim girl, becomes the youngest in her category to clear the Rajasthan Judicial Services Exams and being appointed as a judicial magistrate. She obtained the 58th rank in the statewide held exams. This was the first attempt she gave to the highly-competitive examination.
Yasmeen had earlier won a gold medal in the LLB which she cleared in 2013. The law graduate has also made a name for herself in state-level sports. She has actively participated in Badminton, Singing and Beauty contests. Her father is employed in the Kendriya Vidyalaya of Bikaner.
“My success is a message to a section of the society. Those who believe that daughters are weak and end up being a burden on parents should now changed their mindset,” she was quoted as saying by Rajasthan Patrika.
Her selection is also seen as a major boost for girls hailing from the Muslim community. Yasmeen’s story has tuned into a source of inspiration for people living in Sujangarh district.
source: http://www.india.com / India.com / Home> News> India / by India.com news desk / January 17th, 2016
Mumbai, MAHARASHTRA :
In 2008 when the jhopadpattis on the pavements of Sewri were demolished, Parveen Sheikh sat by the footpath with her friend Kanta Nada mourning her lost home.
Out of 680 homes, according the 1995 election rules, only 280 homes were rehabilitated — Parveen’s home was not on the list. The BMC assured the angered pavement dwellers to not lose hope, it was just the first phase of rehabilitation.
Running at a distance towards her was a crowd of people with every weapon she had possibly seen— knives, bamboos, sticks alike, bloodthirsty for a certain Mahila Milan leader responsible for their lost homes. Zia bhai, one of Parveen’s neighbour rushed with his wife’s burqa, she donned it and hid in the blue water drum in a neighbour’s movers and packers truck.
She remembers staying in hiding with her family for a month in a room in Mankhurd. A few days later, the same phone calls made their way back again. This time apologizing for their misunderstanding. Parveen Sheikh had had enough, she would give up social work. But she realised, it was perhaps their homelessness that led to their reckless actions. She crusaded for their rehabilitation again. Within a week after that, 122 more homes were passed and people thanked the same Mahila Milan leader again.
Parveen Sheikh, 48, member of Mahila Milan and NSDF (National Slum Dwellers Federation) for the past 20 years, was born on the footpath and lived most of her life on it. To be homeless plus a woman was nothing short of daunting. Everything she ate was measured to avoid the embarrassment of open defecating on the Sewri railway tracks.
“Sitting near the tracks was frightening because trains would pass regularly. And going in the night was unsafe for the fear of physical or sexual assault,” she recalls.
“So, when I opened the door to my new home in Govandi, I did not look left or right. The first thing I saw was the toilet. And the realisation that I owned this toilet and I could use it as many times as I wanted was empowering. My food intake no longer needed measurement,” she smiles.
” Recalling the days she spent as a pavement dweller in Sewri, she says, “When we went to banks earlier, they would ask for residential proof and a guarantor who had an account in that bank. We did not have a roof over our head, where would we get residential proof from? In 2007, I connected to Mahila Milan, a saving unit where savings started from smaller amounts like Rs 5 and we did not need a guarantor. That one decision changed my life beyond words. ”
Started in 1986, Mahila Milan is a decentralised network of poor women’s collectives that manage credit and savings activities in their communities. It currently operates as a savings co-operative for women slum dwellers across Mumbai. From micro door-to- door savings of less than Rs 5 per day in the 90s to the current day scenario, Mahila Milan today has become a self-sufficient unit of saving women.
Today, Parveen heads the Mahila Milan Sanghatan at Govandi, and also runs a local sanitary pad manufacturing unit under the Myna Mahila Foundation that works in association with Mahila Milan. With low levels of formal employment in slum communities, especially among young women, Myna employs women and trains them to be entrepreneurs who can run franchisee businesses for women’s products.
They make sanitary products, such as sanitary and maternity pads to improve women’s health, at subsidized costs.
Women sell the pads door-to-door, in public toilets, balwadis, clinics and local NGOs, to other women who are bound by the societal taboo of leaving their homes to purchase sanitary pads. The company was established in June 2015 by Suhani Jalota and is run by Parveen with two other highly experienced women from the slums of Mumbai, Meena Ramani and Malati Ambre.
“ We started with a mere group of five women, today we have 20 women working with Myna. The road was rocky at the start, it almost took a month to train women to master the entire process of making a pad. We ourselves used to be shy about the kind of product we were making and promoting. Suhani spoke to us about how this was a natural process that we shouldn’t be ashamed of discussing. We felt empowered understanding the importance of menstruation to a woman’s fertility. Today when we have meetings, and there are men, we speak to them about it and encourage them to take sanitary products home,” says Malati Ambre .”
“Our central aim was to create awareness about menstrual hygiene and encourage women to discard their old practices of using cloth and use sanitary pads instead. We never wanted to make a luxury product or collaborate with a brand name. The idea was clear, we wanted a simple and basic product –– made by women, for women and sold by women. We conducted extensive surveys and arrived at the result that 90% women in our slums used cloth. We spoke to experts and in turn showed women videos and conducted workshops to create awareness about the hazards of unhygienic menstrual practices,” shares Meena Ramani.
“ People were not ready to turn away from practices they had followed for generations. It took more than a year for our women to create that kind of awareness. When women went from door-to-door selling, people would turn their backs and mock them saying, “Aren’t you ashamed. Why are you selling this?” says Parveen. “
Today 80% women are using pads. Donning goggles and patiyala suits, these women have trained their younger generations to ride the pink Myna auto rickshaw that is used for transportation too. They call it their ‘Myna sawaari.’
While Myna Pads are manufactured, and sold door to door to women, Myna Maternity pads are sold to local clinics and hospitals. “From the day we started till date, the cost of one packet of Myna, which consists of 8 pieces, is Rs. 25. While leading branded pads weigh 6-7 grams per piece, our pad weighs 11 grams,” she adds.
While Bombay Hospital is one of their most loyal customers with a prescription of 500 maternity pad packets per month, KEM orders 350.
With newer demands and increase in usage of sanitary pads and feedback from users, Myna has also started manufacturing sanitary pads with wings. While the packet is priced at Rs. 40, they sell 3 packets on a subsidized rate of Rs.100 in slums. The women engage the users in a complete demo of 3 to 4 minutes where instructions from opening the pad, to using and disposing of it are covered. The packets bear their contact numbers for home deliveries.
For families with five to six women and girl children, packets are loaned that can be repaid once financially viable.
Connect to Myna Mahila foundation here. Write to them at mynafoundation@gmail.com.
The low cost sanitary pads can be ordered on the following numbers:
+91 98-70-504589 / +91 98-70-661620
Noida, UTTAR PRADESH / Vadodara, GUJARAT :
The Cricket Academy of Pathans (CAP), a coaching institute of Indian cricketers Irfan Pathan and his brother Yusuf Pathan, who have collaborated with the Indian Army, has sponsored two youngsters from Jammu & Kashmir to train in their Noida-based academy.
Danish Qadeer (18 years) and Shahrukh Husssein (20 years) were selected in the trials conducted by the Indian Army in Kupwara district.
“Kids were selected by the Indian army for which they had conducted trials at Kupwara district of J&K. Out of 100 cricket enthusiasts, two were selected by the Indian Army for training under CAP,” Irfan said.
When asked about the youngsters’ future, Irfan said: “These kids have just enrolled in the academy. They would be going through the preliminary module of CAP and after completing the preliminary module they would advance to the other levels of CAP modules.”
Irfan also praised the Army for the move and said they will always support and promote the game.
“We are always there to support and promote cricket. It is a very noble move by the Indian Army to support these kids,” he said.
source: http://www.news18.com / News18.com / Home> News / by IANS / August 22nd, 2017
Kodagu, KARNATAKA :
District In-charge Minister M R Seetharam said that Kodagu district tops in the implementation of podi file clearance programme. Under the scheme, the officials have identified the exact boundary lines of land belonging to farmers and recorded them in relevant documents by awarding a new pahani in 115 villages of the district, for free of cost, he said.
Delivering the Independence Day address at the Old Fort premises in Madikeri on Tuesday, he said that 5,338 persons have benefited from the podi file-clearance programme of the government. This will be extended to all the villages in the district.
The minister said the concept of social justice and farsightedness is the guiding force behind the functioning of the State government. “We have to walk on the path laid down by our forefathers. By understanding the concept of freedom, we have to strive for the development of the country by shunning the differences,” he said.
Stating that the state government has taken up development works in the district in the last four-and-a-half years, Seetharam said that displaced Diddalli tribals have been rehabilitated near Kushalnagar. The title deeds will be distributed to them shortly. The department of Science and Technology will builtsub-regional science centre at the district headquarters at a cost of Rs 4 crore. It has been proposed to set up a mini planetarium, at a cost of Rs 5.75 crore in the district, he said.
Further, he said that Rs 50 crore has been released for repair of rural roads in the district. Under Kodagu package, 122 works will be taken up. A sum of Rs 38 crore has been released for the development of state highway and district roads.
He said the work on zilla panchayat administrative building is in progress and is likely to be completed by next June. In the backdrop of drought, the state government has waived Rs 151 crore loans borrowed by 34,000 farmers in the district.
SPC, Seva Dal, NCC, Scouts, Guides, students of General Thimmaiah School, Kodagu Vidyalaya, Rajeshwari Government PU College, GMP School, St Michael Convent, St Joseph Convent students took part in the march past. The students of St Joseph School, St Michael School, Rajeshwari School and Kendriya Vidyalaya presented cultural programmes.
P M Shailaja, Mohammed Rafeeq and M B Muneer, who have been selected for Jeevarakshaka Award were felicitated on the occasion.
Students collapse
Unable to bear the heat, two students collapsed during the march past. The students were given first-aid.
source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> District / DH News Service, Madikeri / August 16th, 2017
Kudbay Village (Nakhtrana Taluka), Kutch , GUJARAT :
In the last three years since the BJP government came to power, according to one estimate, 90 lynching incidents have taken place because of alleged beef dealing and cow slaughter. Quite often there has been severe beatings for even transporting cattle. The cause of the cow is seen as dividing communities, especially Hindus and Muslims.
And Jabbar Jat, 27, a Muslim from Kudbay village of Nakhtrana taluka in Kutch, in a great reversal of roles, is at the forefront of a movement to protect cows, reports the Times of India.
Jabbar is a cattle-breeder and owns 16 cows and nine buffaloes. And he loves them. So much so, last week he wrote a letter to the district collector, suggesting each district in Kutch should allocate grazing land for cattle.
To reinforce his demands Jabbar would be going on a fast for 48 hours, beginning July 20 at the Kutch district collectorate.
Jabbar says it is not enough that the government make noises about cattle protection. To become proactive in this matter, he suggests that the administration could begin allotting two buffaloes to each farmer. He also says the state government should bear 50 per cent cost of each gaushala (cow shelter) and it must buy back fertiliser made of cow urine and cow dung from the farmers. These measures, he believes, would be far more effective than just saying cow is sacred.
“In the last two to three years, cow has become a tool to spread hatred, which is hitting the business. Besides, no gau rakshak (cow vigilante) himself rears a cow and merely indulges in hooliganism in the name of cow protection. So, I decided to take up the cause. I would like to tell gau rakshaks that let us sit together for the cause of the cow because killing in the name of cow will lead us to a barbaric society, which will never serve the true purpose,” he was quoted as saying by the newspaper.
The local cow protectors, though a little flummoxed, are in support of Jabbar’s views. Jabbar has invited people from all communities to join him for the fast.
In response, Vallabh Kathiria, chairman of Gujarat State Cow Welfare Board said: “The state government will make efforts to increase economic viability of cows so that people will not let their bovines loose in the city. Once they start earning more from cow dung and cow urine, they will keep their cows at home instead of letting them stray on the roads.”
source: http://www.khaleejtimes.com / Khaleej Times / Home> International> India / by C.P. Surendran, New Delhi / July 17th, 2017