Category Archives: Community Involvement / Social Issues

Hyderabad Institute of Excellence Opening Tomorrow

January 16, 2014Community Involvement / Social Issues, Education(Retd) Air Commodore Naseem Akhtar, Ghiasuddin Babu Khan, Ghiasuddin Babu Khan Charitable Trust, Hyderabad Institute of Excellence, Khaleel Ahmed, M. Ziauddin Nayyarmpositiveone@gmail.com

Ghiasuddin Babu Khan Charitable Trust chairman Ghiasuddin Babu Khan (left) and trustee M Ziauddin Nayyar after a press meet in Hyderabad on Friday. | NEERAJ MURALI

The Ghiasuddin Babu Khan Charitable Trust and the Foundation for Economic and Educational Development will inaugurate Hyderabad Institute of Excellence that aims to provide holistic education to under-privileged students on Sunday.

Osmania University vice-chancellor Prof S Satyanarayana will be the chief guest for the inauguration.

The institute built in a sprawling 100 acres at Vikarabad will offer integrated coaching from Class VII to XII in CBSE curriculum and will commence from academic year 2014-15, chairman Ghiasuddin Babu Khan said on Friday. ‘’About 50 per cent of students belonging to financially backward sections will receive full scholarship. All the students will be inducted after a careful selection process assessed by an entrance test and interview,” he added.

The students enrolled in the school will be trained holistically with equal focus on imbibing academic excellence, moral education and leadership qualities, Khaleel Ahmed, trustee of Foundation for Economic and Educational Development, said. ‘’Our focus is to bring in social justice through our initiative as this is purely a non-profit organisation. The quality of education will be on par with international standards. With these six years of grooming at the institute they will become better citizens of the country,” he pointed out.

The institute with residential facility is already operating with 115 students in Intermediate first year in the current academic year, said Babu Khan. “I want to emphasise that the institute is open to everyone, it is not just restricted to Muslim community.

Every student can avail the scholarships offered by the institute depending upon his/her performance in entrance test and interview,” he added.

Further, the school has ample scope for recreational activities and will practice high standards in terms of its curriculum, added Babu Khan. “As of now we have two cricket, football grounds and a basketball court. Air Commodore Naseem Akhtar, retired Indian Air Force officer, will serve as its director who will instil confidence and provide good values to the students,” he pointed out.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Hyderabad /by Express News Service – Hyderabad / January 04th, 2014

Founder of Hyderabad was first Deccani poet: Syed Taqi Abedi

January 11, 2014Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Community Involvement / Social Issuesmpositiveone@gmail.com

Hyderabad :

Sultan Mohammed Quli Qutub Shah, the founder of Hyderabad, was the first poet of Deccani language, the proto model of Urdu, and not Wali Deccani as has been often claimed by historians of the language, Syed Taqi Abedi, a Hyderabadi-Canadian researcher, said on Wednesday.

The researcher also stated that the credit of tracing the origin of Urdu language to the 16th century goes to Syed Mohiuddin Quadri Zor who has left behind extensive research on Deccani, Urdu and Hindi.

Delivering the first Syed Mohiuddin Quadri Zor Memorial lecture which was jointly organized by Maulana Azad National Urdu University, Maulana Azad Club and Zor Foundation at Salar Jung Museum, Abedi said until Zor’s research on Urdu became known, Wali Deccani was considered the first Deccani-Urdu poet who had an anthology to his credit.

Ziauddin Ahmed Shakeb, who presided over the function, concurred with Abedi and said that while Wali belonged to 18th century, Qutub Shah wrote poetry in the 16th century. He said that owing to Zor’s undisputed works, the universities across the world have started a separate discipline on Deccani language and literature.

“Until 15th century Hindi and Urdu were spoken languages. The foundation of Urdu as a written language was laid down in the Deccan. It became a secular language in which mass literacy campaigns were undertaken. The kind of work Zor has left behind is equally beneficial to Urdu and Hindi linguists since Deccani is considered to be the prototype for the two languages,” he said.

Abedi revealed that the royal copy of the anthology of Qutub Shah was with the State Central Library which was earlier known as Kutub Khan-e-Asafia. “The copy is no longer there. It was said that the anthology was eaten away by moths. I doubt this and suspect that somebody has stolen it. It is also possible that it will reappear in European markets of artifacts,” he said.

Shakeb said that there is a file in the Institute of Archives and Research which says that the anthology was sent to the Nizam with a proposal for editing and publishing it. “There is only one sentence related to the anthology which says it did come back with the proposal file,” he said.

The two scholars said that Zor made use of the two incomplete parts of the anthology which are still available in the library of Salar Jung Museum. One of the greatest achievements of Zor was setting up of Idara-e-Adabiyat-e-Urdu along with three other friends at Punjagutta. The building of the Idara is known as Aiwan-e-Urdu. Mohammed Miyan, vice-chancellor of Manuu, pledged support for research on Zor and his works. He also promised to host an international conference on Urdu.

source: http://www.articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Hyderabad> Anthology / TNN / December 26th, 2013

A starring role Farooque Shaikh kept hidden: How he helped a 26/11 victim

December 30, 2013Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Community Involvement / Social Issuesmpositiveone@gmail.com

Shruti with her sons. “I regret I couldn’t thank him,” she says./ Pradip Das

The country knew and loved Farooque Shaikh as the actor behind many a sublime role. Few knew another side of him, as a fiercely secretive philanthropist who kept his identity hidden even from his benefactors.

On Saturday, Shruti Kamble discovered that the man who had helped her and her two sons after her husband’s death in the terror attack of November 2008 was Shaikh. Offering a silent prayer for the actor, the 40-year-old says: “My regret is I could never thank him.” All that the Kambles knew, from the many envelopes Shruti saved, was that a “Shaikh sa’ab” was helping them.

The 65-year-old actor died of a heart attack in Dubai on Friday night. The funeral is on Monday.

Exactly a month after the 26/11 incident, The Indian Express had received an SMS from Shaikh, characteristically self-effacing in tone, regarding a story that had appeared in the paper on the wife and two small sons of Rajan Kamble, a maintenance worker at Taj Hotel who had died in the terror attack. Shaikh had also read a previous story on Rajan in the paper, detailing how he had been shot by terrorists while ushering hotel guests to safety.

Reading that Rajan had wanted elder son Rohan to go to a military school and younger Atharva, only 2 at the time, to become a pilot, Shaikh had got in touch. He offered to fund the children’s education, after extricating a promise that his identity would be kept a secret.

The Indian Express would call him at the beginning of every academic year and inform him of the amount needed, and he would promptly dispatch a cheque to the Kambles. He never asked how the money was spent.

While Atharva is one of the best students in his Class II now, Rohan, who is in Class IX, plans to work at the Taj. “While the Taj management has taken care of us, if not for Shaikh sa’ab, my children couldn’t have dreamed of making it so far. Today I can finally tell my sons that this was the stranger who looked after us when everyone we called our own gave up,” Shruti says.

source: http://www.indianexpress.com / The Indian Express / Home / by Shalini Nair / Mumbai – Monday, December 30th, 2013

Former President Kalam to grace Motilal Nehru National Institute of Technology’s convocation

December 24, 2013Community Involvement / Social Issues, Education, Leadersmpositiveone@gmail.com

Allahabad :

Motilal Nehru National Institute of Technology, Allahabad (MNNIT-Allahabad), is poised to hold its 10th Annual Convocation-2013 on Thursday at the Rajiv Gandhi MP Hall Complex. The occasion will be graced by former President APJ Abdul Kalam as the chief guest while Prof VK Saraswat, chairman, Board of Governors, would preside over the function.

Speaking to newspersons on Wednesday, director, MNNIT, Prof P Chakravorty, said that during the convocation, 693 BTech, 77 MBA, 72 MCA, 9 MSc, 6 MSW, 404 MTech and 34 PhD students will be awarded degrees. For academic session 2012-13, 23 gold medals will be awarded to postgraduate students and nine to the undergraduate students.

Further, 18 sponsored gold medals are to be awarded across various academic programmes. This is in addition to the medals to be awarded to the toppers of the first, second, third and fourth years of undergraduate programs.

The coveted and prestigious Institute Gold Medal will be awarded to Shobit Srivastava of BTech (Computer Science & Engineering) for standing first amongst students of all branches of the Institute in the Final Year Examination of 2013. He will also receive a gold medal for standing First in BTech (Computer Science & Engineering) Final Year Examination 2013.

Archan Mudwel of Mechanical Engineering will be awarded the gold medal for standing first at BTech third year examination 2013, while Tanu Agrawal and Priyanshu Srivastava, both of Computer Science & Engineering, will be awarded gold medals for standing first in the second and first year examination 2013, respectively.

He said that the institute has continued to take large strides in its mission of academic excellence. In 2012, 66 new faculty members were inducted in various departments. This has taken the total faculty strength to 199, with 50 professors, 36 associate professors and 113 assistant professors.

During academic session 2013-2014, 1,485 students were admitted for various programs of BTech, MBA, MCA, MSc, MSW, MTech and Ph.D, out of which 92 students are from other countries.

In a new initiative, the institute has organized 22 Short Term Training Programs, Faculty Development Programs and Workshops during 2012-2013. Under the TEQIP II program, the Institute has been sanctioned an amount of Rs 12.5 crores towards implementation of several schemes such as innovative research, curriculum development, educational tours, training programs, networking, procurement of equipments, purchase of books, international visits and laboratory upgradation.

The Institute has maintained its excellent record of placements up to 85% during the session with ongoing placements of post graduate students also.

In terms of providing technical assistance to industries, government organizations, the institute has offered more than 290 testing and consultancy activities during the financial year 2012-2013. Altogether 40 research projects, with total sanctioned amount exceeding Rs 10.91 crores have also been sanctioned from various funding agencies, notably DRDO, DAE, ICSSR, DST, CSIR, UGC, DBT and UPPCB.

The Institute is looking at further initiatives towards renewable energy, rainwater harvesting, reusage and recycling of waste water, disaster management and energy conservation as its focus in coming years, he added.

source: http://www.articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Allahabad> Mnnit / TNN / October 31st, 2013

Women’s NGOs in Vijayawada set out to achieve quota Bill

December 18, 2013Community Involvement / Social Issues, LeadersMallika Begum, Mayor Mallika Begum, Mayor Mallika Begum of Vijayawadampositiveone@gmail.com

Former MP Chennupati Vidya addressing the all-women's meeting organised to chalk out an action plan for achievement of 33 per cent reservation for women in legislative bodies, in Vijayawada on Thursday. Former Mayors Mallika Begum and Tadi Sakuntala are also seen./ The Hindu — Former MP Chennupati Vidya addressing the all-women’s meeting organised to chalk out an action plan for achievement of 33 per cent reservation for women in legislative bodies, in Vijayawada on Thursday. Former Mayors Mallika Begum and Tadi Sakuntala are also seen./ The Hindu

Representatives of various women’s organisations have come on to a common platform to build pressure on the UPA Government in support of their demand that the long-pending Women’s Reservation Bill be passed in the winter session of Parliament.

At a meeting initiated by the city-based NGO Vasavya Mahila Mandali (VMM), women representatives of various political parties, voluntary organisations and service organisations unanimously resolved to work relentlessly for achievement of 33 per cent quota for women in legislative bodies.

Former MP Chennupati Vidya, who is also VMM president, said that it was time the ruling party proved its commitment to women’s rights and gender equality by passing the Bill in the winter session.

“The Bill has gained acceptance in Rajya Sabha and awaits approval of the Lok Sabha.

In the wake of the alarming increase in atrocities against the fairer sex, it is imperative to make women’s voice heard in Parliament. Various organisations have set out on the task of mobilising support for the Bill at the district, State and at national-level,” said Ms. Vidya.

She also churned out statistics of women’s representation in both the Houses of Parliament over the years to prove her point that the fairer sex had not been given what was due to her.

The NGO general secretary G. Rashmi spelled out an action plan drawn to spread awareness on the need to bring in the proposed law.

Signature campaign

She said that members of this conglomeration of organisations would fan out across the district and educate various sections of the society on all aspects related to the proposed Bill.

A signature campaign would be followed by a massive rally culminating into a public meeting on December 10, coinciding with International Human Rights Day.

Former Mayors Mallika Begum and Tadi Sakuntala, president of Mahila Samakhya P. Durga Bhavani, Lok Satta president Sarala Kumari, BJP’s mahila wing national president M. Revathi, YSR Congress Party city convenor Suneetha, Lion’s Club former district governor Vidyawathi, Inner Wheel Club district unit chairperson Prameela Rani, Vasavi Club past governor T. Gayathri, Bezawada Bar Association secretary D. Sujatha, Indira Kranthi Padhakam additional project director Kalika Devi, Arthika Samatha Mandali secretary Nou among others pledged their support to what they called a crusade to achieve 33 per cent quota for women in legislative bodies.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Vijayawada / by Special Correspondent / Vijayawada – December 01st, 2013