Category Archives: Community Involvement / Social Issues

Cultural Academy modifies safety code

February 27, 2015Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Community Involvement / Social Issues, Education, Travel & Tourismmpositiveone@gmail.com

Srinagar :

Apart from fire proof and earthquake proof, the Jammu and Kashmir Academy of Art, Cultural and Languages has added flood proof code to its list of precautions for building any new strong room to store rare manuscripts and paintings.

The Academy, whose collection of valuable artifacts was damaged during the last year’s flood, has taken the decision to prevent the occurrence of such a situation in future. The academy is in possession of some of the rarest manuscripts, many of which are the only surviving copies.

“Just a day before the floods, on September 6, we shifted majority of our manuscripts and paintings to the second floor,” said Haroon Rashid, Secretary of the Academy. “That saved our treasure from total annihilation.”

The floods damaged around 40 newly acquired manuscripts and 50 paintings at the Academy’s repository. “To restore these manuscripts and paintings we got a team of four experts from National Museum of India, New Delhi, and National Research Laboratory For Conservation Of Cultural Property, Lucknow,” said Rashid.

The experts worked for over two weeks by employing latest techniques for the preservation of manuscripts. “With their efforts we were able to save our entire flood-affected collection,” said Rashid. “As of now the damage to the cultural treasure of Kashmir remains minimal.”

Rashid said that the Academy was never prepared for floods, although precautions were always taken against other dangers like fire, theft and earthquakes. “Now we have added another safety measure of protection against floods. Whenever our strong room is built it would be flood proof too,” said Rashid. The Academy has currently shifted the strong room to the top floor.

The Academy is in possession of over 400 manuscripts and 500 rare paintings. Their total value runs into hundreds of crores although the officials say that they are priceless. Some of the manuscripts include first Quranic manuscripts handwritten in the subcontinent in 1237 AD by Fateh-ullah Kashmiri, the Holy Quran dating back to 1594 written in an ink prepared by blending gold with saffron, another Quranic manuscript written in gold dating to 1711 AD and a Persian manuscript written in embossed calligraphy with nail of thumb popularly known as Khat-e-Nakhun.

The paintings include those of M F Hussain, GR Santosh, NS Bendre, VS Gaitonde, Tayeb Mehta, J Swaminathan and others. One of Hussain’s paintings with the Academy is worth Rs 5 crores.

source: http://www.greaterkashmir.com / Greater Kashmir, Srinagar / Home> Kashmir / by Haroon Mirani / Srinagar, January 23rd, 2015

Anjuman-i-Islam preserves, restores century-old Persian and Urdu translations of Ramayana, Gita

February 27, 2015Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Community Involvement / Social Issuesmpositiveone@gmail.com

Nargistan, a Persian translation of the Ramayana, and Guldasta-E-Haqiqat, a lyrical Urdu translation of the Bhagavad Gita in the form of a ghazal, are two of the dozen-odd century-old books of Hindu scriptures that the Anjuman-E-Islam, Mumbai’s largest Muslim educational institution, has restored and preserved.

The 141-year-old Anjuman-E-Islam, which runs colleges and schools catering to over 1.10 lakh students, came across these manuscripts amid a renovation of its 120-year-old Karimi Library, a treasure trove of over 5,000 books. Officials at the institution said they stumbled upon over 100 Hindu religious texts written in Persian and Urdu. The institute has presently restored and preserved over a dozen such books that were displayed to the public on Saturday. Most of these books were published in the late 1800s.

“The books not only showcase the richness of the Urdu language but also symbolize the syncretic culture of our country and how we had a history of respecting each others faith,” Anjuman-I-Islam President Dr Zahir Kazi said.

Officials said they stumbled upon over 100 Hindu religious texts written in Persian and Urdu.

The institution was recently in the news when a student of one of its colleges joined the Islamic State in Syria. The Persian books restored include a Mahabharata from 1875; Haday-Kul-Marifat, a Persian book written on the Bhakti movement and Bhushan Leela, a book on Lord Ganesha.

Most of these books are by Hindu authors highly proficient in Urdu and Persian, said Anjuman-E-Islam officials. Almost all the books bear Islamic motifs, including the usage of the numerical 786.

The translation of the Ramayana in poetic from by Mirza Bedil, titled Nargistan, interestingly begins with the phrase “in the name of Allah.” There are also Urdu translations of the various adaptations of the Ramayana, including those written by Valmiki and Tulsidas, as well as copies of the Bhagavad Gita. One of the adaptations of the Gita is titled “Guldasta-e-Haqeeqat” and has been written by Munshi Shital Prasda in the form of a ghazal. Kazi, one of the driving forces behind the project that was initiated five years back, says: “Most of the books were in an abject condition when we came across them. We had to undertake an extensive restoration process where we not only treated the pages but also bound them again.”

source: http://www.indianexpress.com / The Indian Express / Home> India> India-Others / by Zeeshan Shaikh, Mumbai / February 03rd, 2015

Awesome ‘Eightsome’ Do ALC Proud

February 26, 2015Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Community Involvement / Social Issues, Educationmpositiveone@gmail.com

NCC cadets of Andhra Loyola College, who participated in the Republic Day celebrations in New Delhi, shares a light moment before being felicitated by Krishna district collector Babu A on the college premises in Vijayawada on Tuesday | Express Photo

Vijayawada :

Pride of achievement was writ large on their faces and their demeanour spoke of confidence. They were eight NCC cadets engaged in a banter while waiting outside the auditorium in Andhra Loyola College (ALC) on Tuesday to be felicitated by the district collector for representing the state in Republic Day parade.

ALC had achieved a rare distinction of being the first college to have eight NCC cadets selected to participate in Republic Day parade. Sharing their experiences and future plans with Express, the cadets expressed their joy and pride of being able to participate in Republic Day parade.

‘Awesome’, ‘Most cherished moment of life’ were their immediate response, when asked how they felt being part of such a momentous occasion. Many of those cadets want to join civil services and become IPS officers while some want to pursue their career in defence services.

Senior Under Officer D Venkata Krishna, pursuing BSC (MPC) second year, was the contingent commandant from the state. It was a proud moment when he got selected for the RD and had seven members of his own group also getting selected for the event.

Venkata Krishna, the only cadet from Andhra and Telangana to get selected for the All India Guard of Honour – 2015 at RD camp, said it was one of the best moments of his life. “I had been able to perform cultural programme in Teen Murti Bhavan in the presence of the Prime Minister,” he said. He along with another cadet R Divya Sai got selected for Youth Exchange Programme (YEP) for 2015. They will be visiting a foreign country, yet to be finalised, in March.

Cadet Captain R Divya Sai was part of the Prime Minister’s rally and bagged All India second best cadet award (silver medal). She also won the Governor’s gold medal for excellence in RD camp 2015 along with Chief Minister’s gold medal at state level. “It was one of the most cherished moments of my life ,” she said. Sergeant M Vikram, who too was part of the PM Rally, said he is proud of his achievement.

Cadets S Naga Balaji and Tijo Thomas said they were excited to march along the Rajpath on Republic Day.

Cadet Shaik Riyaz, who got 3rd place in static model presentation ‘Eurofighter’ explained how he workedhard to prepare for RD camp and the stages he had to cross to get qualified.

Corporal P Gayatri got selected for RD contingent and secured All India fourth place on Gold Star and she was the only girl who could complete the novice show jumping arena with two different horses.

Junior Under Officer Meer Akbar Basha was part of Swachh Bharat Ballet presented by the AP contingent in PM’s house.

“I am proud that I got an opportunity to show culture of both AP and Telangana through my cultural programme,” he said.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Andhra Pradesh / by S. Guru Srikanth / February 25th, 2015

What you didn’t know about the Urdu media

February 23, 2015Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Community Involvement / Social Issuesmpositiveone@gmail.com

Syed Fazil Hussain Parvez’s book Urdu Media – Kal, Aaj, Kal

Which is the first Urdu newspaper? And when did it hit the stands?

Well, it was Jam Jahannuma , and was first published in 1822 from Calcutta.

However, there are other claimants to this honour. Some give credit to Moulvi Mohd. Baqar – the first journalist to lay down his life for the freedom movement – for being the one to pioneer Urdu journalism. He was associated with a Delhi daily published from 1836 to 1857.

Some believe the first Urdu newspaper was Agra Akhbar , which was published from Akbarabad in 1831. And some others vouch for Maratul Akhbar, which was brought out in 1821 from Calcutta.

No need to wrack your brains. You can find out everything about the Urdu press from Syed Fazil Hussain Parvez’s book Urdu Media – Kal, Aaj, Kal . It deals extensively with the evolution of the Urdu media over the years.

Recently released by India’s Consul-General in Chicago Ausaf Sayeed, the book is a collector’s issue. Budding Urdu journalists in particular stand to gain a lot from it. The 418-page book, published by Huda Publications, throws light on the birth of Urdu language and its journey through the years. It talks about qalam (pen), communication timeline and lists historic Urdu newspapers, names of which one has not even heard of.

Sample these: Jamiul Akhbar (1841), Azam Akhbar (1848), Umdatul Akhbar (1849), Taleemul Akhbar(1851), Suboh Sadiq (1855) and Tilsime Hairat (1856).

The year 1857 marked a new chapter in Urdu journalism: it began focusing on the freedom movement while highlighting public issues like corruption, civic problems, adulteration and hoarding.

An Urdu journalist of no mean repute himself, Dr. Parvez has taken pains to list the names of most of the Urdu weeklies and dailies, along with the names of their editors. Not confined to just print media, he takes a peek at radio, television, internet, social media and the role of Urdu. The book also packs information about social media sites. All in all the book is a good read.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Hyderabad / by J. S. Ifthekhar / Hyderabad – February 23rd, 2015

Mean machines deck up city roads at vintage car rally in Kanpur

February 22, 2015Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Community Involvement / Social Issues, Sports, Travel & Tourismmpositiveone@gmail.com

The car rally witnessed participation from Kanpur as well as Lucknow and Allahabad.

The 9th annual vintage car rally organised by the Vintage and Classic Car Club of Cawnpore on Sunday was a big success from the word go. Vintage cars, bikes and even scooters lined up early in the morning at the Green Park Stadium with proud owners from Allahabad and Lucknow also participating in the event. “This vintage car rally is very popular among vintage vehicle owners and its popularity can be judged by the fact that we have participants from outside the city also showing their vehicles,” said Tariq Ibrahim, the president of the club. The rally was flagged off by ADM Avinash Singh and normal traffic on the road, from the stadium till Mall Road, came to a halt as people stood and looked in awe at the Rolls Royce, Austin, Morris Cowley and Hillmans drive past.

A few of the cars that have made history were also part of the rally including a Rolls Royce Silver Ghost Convertible Sports, owned by Yasser Ibrahim, is the winner of the 1st Formula One Race that took place in Spain in 1913.

Visitors at the rally were given much gyaan of the technical specifications of the vehicles by their respective owners.

Also finding an enviable spot at the rally was a Rolls Royce Double Limousine Silver Ghost 1913 and Rolls Royce Silver Ghost convertible sports of 1913 owned by Yasser Ibrahim. “The Rolls Royce Silver Ghost Convertible Sports has features like 7500 CC engine, four-gears, semi-automatic transmission with cruise control. My great-great grandfather Hafiz Halim Saheb bought it from London in the year 1913. I am the fifth generation driving this car. We sent this car to England to the Rolls Royce company last year, for its restoration. These cars are one of their own kinds in the world. I feel so proud when people driving fancy modern cars on the roads, stop and inquire about my old beauties,” said Ibrahim.

Vintage two-wheelers attracted just as much attention at the rally as did the four wheelers. Ruchika showed off her Lambretta 1945 scooter while TS Johar displayed his vintage BSA motorcycle. Tahir’s 1945 manufactured Ford Jeep had many automobile enthusiasts lining up to see the vehicle. But the biggest draw at the rally was businessman Shahid Mirza’s Ford Anglia manufactured in 1938 which was also used in the film Gadar-Ek Prem Katha.

We spotted Juhi Nigam, Umama, Kajri and Saif displaying their vintage cars. “I have brought my Hillman and two other vintage cars for the rally. These were owned by my grandparents and we are carrying forward the family tradition of maintaining them,” said Juhi. Dr Aditya Mohan Jain and wife Neeta also participated in rally along with three of their Morris cars.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Kanpur / by Sumit Jha, TNN / February 21st, 2015