Category Archives: Education

Maulana Azad: The Voice Behind the Dream for a Unified India

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NEW DELHI  :

(This story was first published on 10 November 2017. It has been republished from The Quint’s archives to mark Maulana Azad’s death anniversary.)

“I am an essential element, which has gone into building India. I can never surrender this claim.”

These were the famous words uttered by Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, when he stared at the daunting prospect of Partition. On his birth anniversary, we remember his contribution to the country.

source: http://www.youtube.com / The Quint

Azad was among the many Muslim leaders in India who opposed the Partition of Unified India into Pakistan and Hindustan. As the leader of the All India Congress Committee in 1946, he put forth a Cabinet Mission proposal that advocated a federal structure of government, with autonomy for states. Though the proposal did face a great deal of skepticism, the Working Committee passed it, with even Jinnah agreeing to it for ‘the greater good of Indian Muslims’.

This proposal was certainly considered a breakthrough, as Jinnah and Azad had never enjoyed very good relations, predominantly owing to their opposing stances on Partition. Where one batted for Hindu-Muslim unity under a larger India, the other was vehement on the creation of two separate states. But their souring relations never stopped Azad from attempting to convince Jinnah to consider a ‘unified India’.

For instance, when Jinnah’s clamour for Pakistan grew louder, Azad is known to have sent a telegram insisting on the perils of a two-state ideology. Jinnah is said to have insulted Azad in his response, calling him Congress’ ‘show boy President’.

Don’t you feel that the Congress has made you a show boy President to hoodwink non-Congress parties and other countries of the world? You represent neither Muslims nor Hindus.

Having failed at getting Jinnah to reconsider, Azad then unsuccessfully tried to convince the Congress leaders to wait till a solution could be found. But even Patel, who earlier backed Azad’s proposal, was now vehemently pro-partition. Azad in his autobiography later writes that the party agreed to the Partition as “blindness of Congress leaders to facts, and their anger and frustration clouded their vision.”

According to Azad, as he writes in his autobiography, Nehru too contributed to angering the Muslims, by committing two mistakes which ultimately drove Jinnah to lose faith in the proposal and go through with partition.

The first was when Nehru refused to take two Muslim League leaders as Cabinet Ministers in the UP elections of 1937. The second mistake was when after taking over as the President of the Congress in 1946, he indicated that the earlier Cabinet Mission proposal could be changed, which culminated in Jinnah insisting on the formation of Pakistan.

Maulana had not only opposed Partition as an Indian leader, but also as a Muslim. He was, in fact, of the opinion, that the two-state policy will only “create more problems than solve”.

And true to his word, even today the relations between the two countries are strained at best, despite their shared history.

source: http://www.thequint.com / The Quint / Home> News Videos / November 10th, 2017 / and February 22nd, 2020

Buildings are books someone forgot to burn, says H Masud Taj

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Books (incl.Biographies - w.e.f.01 jan 2018 ), Education, Leaders, NRI's / PIO's, World Opinion, , , , ,

Mumbai, MAHARASHTRA / Ottawa, CANADA  :

Architect, poet, professor H Masud Taj is on an India tour to talk about Sinan, Istanbul’s foremost architect, who has arguably built more than any other architect in documented history.

H Masud Taj ( Source: Noah Taj)
H Masud Taj ( Source: Noah Taj)

H Masud Taj, Adjunct Professor at Carleton University in Canada, was mentored in architecture by Hassan Fathy and in calligraphy by David Hosbrough. His talk on “Sinan:Architect at the Centre of the World” in Delhi drizzled with anecdotes of Ottoman empire’s most celebrated builder, and how history and politics were fertile soil for some of Istanbul’s lasting monuments. Excerpts from an interview:

Where did your love for calligraphy and poetry develop?
In Bombay, at home by the sea with its tidal rhythms, where my father had a divine hand that remains without a tremor even in his 90s and because my mother tongue is Urdu, the most poetic of Indian languages (besides being a descendant of the classical Urdu poet, Ameer Meenai). With a father who was a shayar a mother who tore the last page of Urdu novels to replace it with her own version, with storytellers and musicians for sisters, it just had to happen. And when it did, I was 13 years old, far from home, and far from my mother tongue, in Ooty in a school, grounded on JD Krishnamurti with a sprinkling of Aurobindo, where clouds would descend valleys, enter classrooms and blur categories.

You taught architecture simultaneously at Sir JJ College of Architecture, Rizvi College and Pillai college in Mumbai
Yes, while running an architectural practice in Bombay and consultancy in Delhi besides being a fortnightly op-ed architectural columnist. Now I teach in Canada, practice in India and research in-between in Europe and Turkey. For instance this year the University’s Faculty of Public Affairs, showcased the research and photography I did while reading medieval buildings and Don Quixote, in Toledo, Spain.

In your next book on the Seven Muslim Wonders & the Making of the Modern World, which are the sites you will be exploring?
Those that I have visited in Agra, Cairo, Cordoba, Granada, Isfahan, Istanbul and Mecca. If you add Jerusalem that is eight but one of them is latent in all others just as the sound of alif is latent in all letters of Arabic.

Louis Kahn’s IIM-A building and the poem that Taj wrote, inspired by the building
Louis Kahn’s IIM-A building and the poem that Taj wrote, inspired by the building

And where do you see the intersections?
Seven mnemonic monuments embody civilizational ideas. Buildings are books that someone forgot to burn; they await a reading and then paradigms begin to shift and you see the world anew and hopefully the reader will too. For instance, satellite images show that the original Taj Mahal complex extended much further at both ends: across the Yamuna to the royal Mughal garden with a reflecting pool that reveals why the Mughals called it Rouza-e-Munnawara: The Illuminated Tomb (Taj Mahal is a misnomer). However, the real action of the complex was at the other end: the quadrant bazaar as a node of the global Muslim network of an ‘ethically driven commerce’, of poet merchants and Sufi merchant brotherhoods.

What prompted this book?
Many things but the final straw was Jerry Pinto saying I was offering “forever the promise of beauty”. He inscribed that in my copy of his incredible Em and the Big Hoom. He was right.

And when will it be launched?
Ship building is easy; it is the ocean that takes a while.

You were inspired by Louis Kahn’s Indian Institute of Management building in Ahmedabad. You even wrote a poem in calligraphy about it.
As a student, I was at CEPT in Ahmedabad for a month, participating in a workshop designing shells upside down. In the evenings, I’d sprawl on the IIM lawns. Once at dusk, above several storeys of brick arches, right on axis, was the upturned crescent. That’s when the Brick Poemoccurred. Decades later when I began to study Sinan in Turkey, I understood what that poem really meant; poets can lag behind the curve of their poems. I’ll be giving a talk at CEPT and that’s when after more than three decades the Brick Poemwill return to its site.

You have known and been with the legendary Egyptian architect Hassan Fathy and wrote a book on the elusive Indian architect Nari Gandi, apprentice to Frank Lloyd Wright. What were your learnings from and with them that you bring to your work, as a teacher and an architect?
Buildings are prophecies if they are mainstream; or conversations. Gandhi was trapped in his quest for absolute freedom. He excelled as a conversationalist; but did not influence mainstream. Fathy’s prophecies were at mainstream’s edge, yet conversed with the surroundings. Choose between an escapee and an escape-artist.

What does your long poem, which was written while staying in all those houses of Gandhi, say? Could quote a few lines.
Courtyard is silence
To talk of the courtyard
Is to break the spell.

You co-authored a book of poems, Alphabestiary, in which each letter of the alphabet is associated with an animal, such as Ant, Bull, Cat, Dragon, etc. What were you influenced by?
The animal fables of Panchatantra, Aesop Fables; Ibn Arabi arguing for animal rights in the 12th century; the 7th-century father-of-kitten Abu Hurairah. Mostly when we decided to call our son Nuh in Urdu, Nuhh in Arabic, Noah in English, Noé in French. Soon after, Dragonflyfluttered in (its now on YouTube) with a host of animals in its wake turning the oral poet into a one-man travelling zoo. Alphabestiaryis a thin slice, yet featured at the International Festival of Authors in Toronto.

Who, from the past, do you think looks over your shoulder when you write?
Ameer Meenai, and hopefully he can detect Urdu’s fragrance in my English.

Taj has lectured at Nashik, Pune and Delhi and Goa. His talks in Ahmedabad and Mumbai are on July 22 and 24 respectively.

source: http://www.indianexpress.com / The Indian Express / Home> Lifestyle / by Shiny Varghese / September 28th, 2015

Have lost one eye, not resolve: Jamia student who won best paper after police lathi-charge

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Samastipur, BIHAR   :

Mohammed Minhajuddin had just submitted his paper when Delhi Police lathi-charged students in the Jamia library on 15 December. He lost his left eye in the incident.

Jamia Millia Islamia law student Mohammed Minhajuddin with the best paper award he won Tuesday | Photo: Manisha Mondal | ThePrint
Jamia Millia Islamia law student Mohammed Minhajuddin with the best paper award he won Tuesday | Photo: Manisha Mondal | ThePrint

New Delhi:

Mohammed Minhajuddin, 26, was writing a paper on the theme of human rights and development on 15 December 2019 in the Jamia Millia Islamia library when the Delhi Police barged in and lathi-charged the students. A lathi blow cost law student Minhaj vision in his left eye; doctors say it will never come back.

On Tuesday, over two months after the incident, Minhaj’s paper was named the best paper in its category at the Jamia Teachers’ Association award. The paper, titled ‘Enhancing the scope of opportunities for religious scholars with special reference to Islam’ deals with the intersection of human rights and religion. The deadline for submission was 15 December, and Minhaj had submitted it just minutes before the police lathi-charge.

Since then, life has been a struggle for Minhaj, but he hasn’t lost his resolve to make the best of a bad situation.

“After losing my eyesight, I struggled a lot to prepare for the presentation. I had to work with just one eye, my head constantly aching. It was tough to even concentrate,” Minhaj told ThePrint.

Feeling vindicated

On 15 December, the Delhi Police had entered the Jamia campus amid protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act . A picture of Minhaj lying in a university washroom bleeding from his eye was widely shared on social media, and several students, including him, had alleged that the police lathi-charged students in the library, a claim the police had vociferously denied .

This picture of Minhaj with his face covered by a blood-stained handkerchief was widely circulated on social media after the Delhi Police entered the Jamia Millia Islamia campus on 15 December
This picture of Minhaj with his face covered by a blood-stained handkerchief was widely circulated on social media after the Delhi Police entered the Jamia Millia Islamia campus on 15 December

However, multiple videos have surfaced  since 16 February, showing policemen beating the students in the library with batons. Today, Minhaj feels vindicated.

“It wasn’t just me. Several students had given testimonies highlighting police brutality in the library. But with these videos out now, there is no scope of lies anymore. The truth is out in the open,” he said, adding that he was offered Rs 5 lakh compensation and some words of sympathy by the Aam Aadmi Party MLA from Okhla, Amanatullah Khan.

After the video showing police beating the students triggered a storm, the Delhi Police too released footage showing  alleged ‘rioters’ entering the library. But Minhaj says the library he was in — the old reading room in the MPhil department — didn’t have any protesters.

“Everyone in this library was a student who had just been studying here. The protesters may have entered another library, not this one,” he said, adding that those who can be seen wearing handkerchiefs on their faces in the video were merely protecting themselves from the tear gas shells fired by the police.

Minhaj is hopeful that with the videos out, policemen will be taken to task.

Not willing to give up on dreams

Minhaj came to Delhi from Bihar’s Samastipur two years ago aspiring to practise law in the capital, and that’s a dream he is not willing to give up on.

“I know life will be a challenge now. But I can’t give up or fall into despair. I have to keep studying and working towards a better life,” Minhaj said, while playing with his nephew and niece at his sister’s home in Jamia Nagar, where he has been staying since the incident.

Jamia Millia Islamia student Mohammed Minhajuddin with his nephew and niece at his sister’s home in New Delhi | Photo: Manisha Mondal | ThePrint
Jamia Millia Islamia student Mohammed Minhajuddin with his nephew and niece at his sister’s home in New Delhi | Photo: Manisha Mondal | ThePrint

Minhaj’s father, who is a school teacher at a government school in Samastipur, keeps asking him to come back.

“They (parents) are scared, which I understand. But I can’t leave until I complete my final semester,” said Minhaj, who completed his LLB from Aligarh Muslim University (AMU).

No help from university

Two months on from the life-altering incident, Minhaj isn’t resentful or angry, but disappointed at Jamia Millia Islamia.

“It is the university’s duty and responsibility to keep its students safe. It failed to do so,” he said, adding that Jamia vice-chancellor Najma Akhtar met him once after the incident.

“She said I can submit my treatment bills to the university and they will reimburse it. But my friends say that just reimbursement isn’t enough — I should be given compensation for the physical loss and mental trauma,” he said.

Minhaj has managed to keep his calm through this entire period, but he said his friends are still angry.

“It is my batchmates who took me to the hospital that day. No one from the university administration helped. My friends took me from one hospital to another, as all doctors refused to check on me,” Minhaj said.

Finally, Minhaj got treated at AIIMS, and he has to visit the doctor every two weeks to check on his eye.

“I need to keep going for a check-up to ensure the infection doesn’t spread to the other eye.” he said.

source: http://www.theprint.in / The Print  / Home> India / by Fatima Khan / February 28th, 2020

Take note of this…

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Bengaluru, KARNATAKA :

India’s history in currency is the subject of Rezwan Razack’s Museum of Indian Paper Money

Back in timeThe concept of money has existed since almost the beginning of civilization, says Razack / bhagyaprakash k
Back in timeThe concept of money has existed since almost the beginning of civilization, says Razack / bhagyaprakash k

India’s history in currency is the subject of Rezwan Razack’s Museum of Indian Paper Money

Hailed as the largest collector of Indian currency, Rezwan Razack has opened South India’s first currency museum in Bengaluru. “I am so happy that the former Governor of the Reserve Bank of India, C. Rangarajan inaugurated the museum,” says Razack.

Razack, co-founder and joint MD of Prestige Group, is the Chairman of the International Bank Note Society, India Banknote Collectors’ Chapter, and is recognised for his contribution to the advancement of numismatic knowledge. Razack, who built his collection over 50 years with exhaustive research, enjoys sharing his knowledge with students and encourages budding collectors to promote numismatics as a hobby.

He has co-authored The Revised Standard Reference Guide to Indian Paper Money in 2012, and in 2017 wrote One Rupee One Hundred Years 1917-2017 to mark the centenary of the issuance of the one rupee note. “Rezwan Razack’s Museum of Indian Paper Money will not only be the first of its kind in India, but also the world,” says Razack.

The museum at Prestige Falcon Towers on Bruntun Road, has trained guides to take visitors through the history of currency in India. “The story of money is woven into our very being, uniting us, dividing us, giving us a sense of identity and mapping people or the nation’s power, crises and triumphs. I consider it a comprehensive restoration and preservation of an important national heritage. It is also something that numismatists worldwide will benefit from.”

The initiative, he says, is to help educate, inform and entertain. “The rupee is one thing that is ever present in our lives but never seen as a source of history, information and national pride. I hope visitors understand, enjoy and value this museum of our collective economic heritage.”

The museum displays a diverse collection of Indian paper money and the related material drawn from the Indian subcontinent. “While the concept of money has existed since almost the beginning of civilization, the invention of paper currency is more recent,” says Razack. From the early barter systems and the use of coins as currency, the museum introduces the visitor to paper currency, its origins and its use.

Apart from its selection of banknotes dating back to the early 1800s, an auxiliary collection has also been put together to explain the inspirations and techniques of making paper currency. While original hand-painted essays, patterns, proofs, trials, specimen notes, autographed notes and a rare Star of India Medal demonstrate fascinating aspects of money, meticulously sourced cheques, stamp papers relating to Indian paper money, booklets and banknotes help decode the world of money.

“This museum has been planned meticulously over three years to conform to international standards of lighting and climate control,” says Razack, adding that people don’t often retain paper money “ My visits to cut-note dealers in Chickpet and in Fort Bombay gradually increased my collection,” he says, acknowledging that his persistence paid off.

Razack says his collection includes the oldest surviving note from 1812 of Bank of Bengal right up to the notes of 2017 of all denominations. The rare ones are the early Presidency Banknotes of Bank of Hindostan, Bank of Bengal, Commercial Bank, Calcutta Bank, Bank of Bombay, Bank of Western India, Asiatic Bank and Bank of Madras; British India’s Portrait Notes of Queen Victoria, Portrait Notes of King George V and King George VI; and Indian Notes used in Burma and Pakistan; Notes of Indo-Portuguese and Indo-French Territories and Indian Notes since Independence, also used by Haj Pilgrims and in Persian Gulf States.

There is also a lot of importance behind his book dedicated to the One Rupee note. The first One Rupee Note in India was issued on November 30, 1917. “To celebrate 100 years of the one rupee note in India, my book focusses on the origin and journey of the smallest existing denomination through the century, while examining its genesis. As the general population in India were unacquainted with paper notes until 1917, one of the methods adopted to increase the popularity of the one rupee note was to print a picture of the silver one rupee coin on both sides of the note.”

At Prestige Falcon Towers, 19 Brunton Road, Bengaluru; 10-30 a.m. to 5-30 p.m.; closed on Mondays and public holidays;entry Rs. 100

While the concept of money has existed since almost the beginnings of civilization, the invention of paper currency is more recent

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Features> MetroPlus / by Ranjani Govind / February 17th, 2020

Saudi NRI promoting education in Hyderabad

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Hyderabad, TELANGANA / SAUDI ARABIA :

MMS01MPOs06feb2020

Hyderabad:

 Arshad Pirzada’s successful career in Saudi Arabia has enabled him not only to help his family but also serve the community through education initiatives.

Whether it was learning skills from various General Motors representatives at Al-Jomaih Automotive Company or learning from the Indian expatriates, Pirzada’s hard work has paid off.

“Okay, I had gone to the Kingdom to alleviate the economic woes of my own family. But should one stop there? Shouldn’t he think about the people he has left behind in his city who were in the midst of an economic crisis for a long time?” Pirzada asks looking back at his stay in Saudi Arabia.

The moment one asks Pirzada about the ups and downs in his life, he goes back to the times of grandfather (maternal) who was the Collector of Rychur, formerly a part of Nizam’s Hyderabad State. Those were the days when there was peace and prosperity prevailed. But the 1948 Police Action changed all that.

Speaking about how began his journey to educate a miniscule part of the community, he says, “My children are well settled. My wife, on the other hand, is a teacher of Quranic Arabic, author of a book and an entrepreneur in her own right.  She designs and sells mostly Bridal ware. This where my active association with Mount Mercy School comes in,” he informed.

Mount Mercy School
Mount Mercy School

Established in June 1999, the school in its early days has gone through the pangs of growth. There was always a galore of challenges. Initially only 56 students enrolled. Yet, through better infrastructure developed and word of mouth, there are now 850 students.

MMS04MPOs06feb2020

Pirzada mentions, “Not many among us realise how bad the literacy levels are among the Muslims. For example, around 30 to 40 percent of the kids in MMS are first-generation learners who come from families with limited financial resources. Also, whatever money we make is pumped back into the development of facilities at the school.”

He said, “In today’s competitive, globalized market, soft skills are just as important as the hard skills. We also polish the kids and prepare them for interviews for different competitions, contests and tournaments as well.”

Although the journey that lead to him to forming Mount Mercy with others is one that many Hyderabadi gulf migrants will identify with. That too, whether or not they came from the same background as Pirzada.

source: http://www.siasat.com / The Siasat Daily / Home> News> Hyderabad / by Daneesh Majid – Researcher/Writer / posted by Minhaj Adnan / February 04th, 2020

Guardians of the Urdu art of calligraphy wait for Telangana government to fulfil its promises

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Hyderabad, TELANGANA :

In contrast, speaking or writing in Urdu today is often deemed as ‘anti-national’ by multiple sections of the Indian society.

Calligraphy artist Mohd Abdu Gaffar with his students at the Idara-e-Adabiyat-e-Urdu; (left) A close up of his sheet (Photo | S Senbagapandiyan, EPS)
Calligraphy artist Mohd Abdu Gaffar with his students at the Idara-e-Adabiyat-e-Urdu; (left) A close up of his sheet (Photo | S Senbagapandiyan, EPS)

Hyderabad :

Seated on a wooden stool, under a tinted glass chandelier, Mohammed Abdul Gaffar peered over a handmade paper on which he made a slow swish with a reed pen dipped in black ink.

Standing before him, was a group of burqa-clad women, who mirrored the movement of the reed. Over the next 15 minutes, the single stroke on Gaffar’s paper transformed first, into an Urdu alphabet, and then took the form of a decorative Urdu calligraphy verse.

“Calligraphy teaches you patience. It fills one up with peace of mind and also helps in developing your personality,” said Gaffar, a calligraphy artist and teacher.

Gaffar teaches at the Idara-e-Adabiyat-e-Urdu, India’s oldest Urdu calligraphy school — established in 1938, under the patronage of the then-Nizam, Osman Ali Khan Bahadur.

When the school was established, the socio-political scenario of Hyderabad was entirely different: Urdu was the official language of erstwhile Hyderabad State, and its various applications, including calligraphy, found its patronage in the administrative quarters.

“Back then, proficiency in Urdu calligraphy was a necessity for those aspiring government jobs,” said Rafiuddin Qadri, son of the school’s founder, Syed Mohiuddin Qadri Zore. Even candidates trying for police and army jobs needed to be skilled in Urdu calligraphy, Qadri added.

In contrast, speaking or writing in Urdu today is often deemed as ‘anti-national’ by multiple sections of the Indian society.

Case in point, in 2016, Urdu publishers were asked to declare the ‘fealty’ of the content of their works. In that context, Gaffar said that Urdu calligraphy has just now been restricted to being an art form.

From 2002 to 2014, Gaffar fought for the inclusion of Urdu calligraphy in erstwhile Andhra Pradesh government’s school curriculum.

With the formation of Telangana State, where Urdu is the second official language, his fight saw a success and calligraphy was included in school curriculum.

However, teachers for Urdu calligraphy are yet to be appointed by the government. This in spite of several reminders by not just Gaffar but also the ministry of human resource development.
“By not implementing its own order, the government is denying teaching jobs to many,” said Gaffar.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Hyderabad / by Aihik Sur / Express News Service /  August 25th, 2019

With the End of 2019, A Great Scholar Also Departs for Heavenly Abode

Amazing Feats, Books (incl.Biographies - w.e.f.01 jan 2018 ), Community Involvement / Social Issues, Education, Leaders, NRI's / PIO's, World Opinion, , , , , , , , ,

Deoband, UTTAR PRADESH / KENYA / Croydon (South London). UNITED KINGDOM :

With 2019 saying goodbye, Maulana Izhar Ahmad Qasmi, an embodiment great scholarship, piety, humility, patience and perseverance, also said adieu to this mortal world.

Maulana Izhar Ahmad Qasmi, 74, was born in Deoband, India, and breathed his last on 30 December, leaving his family and admirers in tears.

MaulanaIzharMPOs31jan2020

He belonged to a very rare breed of ulema who had dedicated themselves to the service of Islam. His funeral prayer and burial was attended by thousands of his admirers from all over UK.

A widely respected and admired person, Maulana Izhar worked tirelessly to propagate the message of Qur’an without indulging in controversial issues.

In 1970 when Indian Muslims living in Kenya approached the great scholar and rector of Darul Uloom Deoband, late Maulana Qari Tayyab, and requested him to send a scholar to Kenya for their religious guidance, his choice fell on Maulana Izhar, a man Allah SWT had blessed with a spiritual attraction, humility, politeness and deep knowledge of Deen. He convinced Maulana Izhar to accept this responsibility.

From 1970 – 1983, Maulana Izhar served as the Imam in Pangani Mosque of Kenya. Following political unrest in the country, like several other Asians, Maulana Izhar had to migrate to Britain with his family.

In Britain he established the first mosque in Croydon, a town in South London, and served as an Imam for 15 years until he was diagnosed with a brain tumour and had to undergo a delicate surgery in the 90s.

As an Imam Maulana Izhar earned admirable love and respect of the local community. His knowledge of Qur’an and deep love to spread its message earned him wide respect all over Britain.

After his surgery, doctors said that his days were numbered and that he would not be able to survive more than a few days. But Allah SWT’s plans and works in strange and mysterious ways. When He chooses someone for the service of His Deen, He does it in ways that are beyond human comprehension. Not only did Maulana Izhar lived for at least 21 years but also completed his seminal translation and interpretation of Qur’an, titled, Izharul Qur’an in ten volumes, and continued his Qur’anic lectures even after suffering from stroke after his brain surgery and becoming partially paralysed. Gradually he became bedridden and spent the last few years in this condition.  Strangely until it was possible for him to sit in a chair he continued his Qur’anic lectures on Iqra TV without letting the viewers feel that his body was paralysed and that he was bedridden.

A comment on my Facebook from Dr Atif Suhail Siddiqui, University of Yale, says it all about Maulana’s resolve. He writes, ‘You did not mention one of the most important qualities of Maulana: He performed 42 Hajjs. After every Hajj he used to travel to Deoband to see his parents. In Deoband, my house is next door to his. So whenever he came to India, I used to visit him. When his [extended] family members noticed his swollen shoulder, they were shocked. I am a witness to it myself. They immediately called for a doctor who advised them to take him to an orthopaedist. His x-ray showed a fracture in his shoulder. It was then that it was found out that during Hajj he got pushed during tawaf and fell down. Due to the stroke one side of his boy had become so insensitive that he did not feel any pain and did not realise that his shoulder had been fractured. He performed all the arkans of Hajj in this condition and even travelled to Deoband. May Allah SWT shower His mercy on him.’

Despite such severe condition Maulana did not like to take anybody’s help. Another Facebook friend, Chicago based alim, social media activist, blogger  and YouTuber, Mufti Yasir Nadeem al-Wajidi, said that he had seen Maulana performing Tawaf and SaI during Umrah without anybody’s assistance or a wheelchair despite the fact that ‘He was virtually dragging himself.’ He added, ‘On one occasion Maulana said that his ailment and his bedridden condition had become a blessing for him because it allowed him to finish one Qur’an every day. Seeing this [and his contentment] one of his Christian doctors had embraced Islam.’

Among Maulana’s survivors is the renowned Alim of Britain, Mualana Qasim Rasheed, who himself is an institutions-maker. Lest this be confused with merely establishing mosques and madarsas, let me make it clear that he is the founder and chairman of one of the major charity organisations, Al-Khair Foundation , that does not only send food and other temporary aid to the displaced people in war-torn and hit by natural-disaster-hit regions of Africa, Middle East, Bangladesh and Pakistan but has also built schools and health clinics for them. He has also established two secondary schools and two TV channels in Britain. However, most important of all these is a full-fledged hospital in Gaza . I have mentioned it only to reflect on the impact of tarbiyah on one’s children.

May Allah SWT bless Maulana Izhar saheb with huge rewards for his services and bless Imam Qasim Saheb and all the survivors with patience and perseverance to tolerate this loss.

source: http://www.milligazette.com / The Milli Gazette / Home> Online News> Community News / by M Ghazali Khan , The Milli Gazette Online / January 04th, 2020

Two Hyderabadi students crack JEE Mains

Amazing Feats, Education, , , , ,

Hyderabad, TELANGANA :

Hyderabad:

Two students of MS Education Academy namely, Abdullah Mohammed secured 99.92% marks in JEE (Mains) and Umair Surti secured 99.92%

MSeducationAcademyMPOs19jan2020

Mr. Moazzam Husain, Senior Director of the Academy congratulated both the students and said that they have created history.

He also mentioned that 6 more students of the Academy secured more than 99% marks whereas 37 students got more than 90% marks in the said examination.

www.siasat.com / The Siasat Daily / Home> News> Hyderabad / by Sameer / January 19th, 2020

National Seminar for Urdu teachers inaugurated at MANUU

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Hyderabad, TELANGANA :

Dr. Mohammad Aslam Parvaiz, Prof. Noushad Husain, Prof. Abdul Sami Siddiqui, Dr. Misbah Anzar and others are also seen.
Dr. Mohammad Aslam Parvaiz, Prof. Noushad Husain, Prof. Abdul Sami Siddiqui, Dr. Misbah Anzar and others are also seen.

Hyderabad:

Centre for Professional Development of Urdu Medium Teachers (CPDUMT) of Maulana Azad National Urdu University (MANUU) is organizing two days national seminar “Contemporary Issues in Teaching Urdu” for Urdu medium teachers on January 16 and 17.

The Vice-Chancellor, Dr. Mohammad Aslam Parvaiz presided over the inaugural session held today at CPDUMT auditorium, MANUU Campus. In his presidential address, he remarked that the main responsibility of the teachers is to ensure the all-round personality development of the students. Teaching is not a mere profession but it is a mission, he added.

Prof. S. M. Rahmatullah, the Registrar I/c, strongly supported usage of Urdu script to promote Urdu medium of education. Prof. Naseemuddin Farees, Dean, School of Languages, Linguistics & Indology delivered the keynote address.

Prof. Noushad Husain, Dean, School of Education and Training also spoke.
Earlier, Prof. Mohammed Abdul Sami Siddiqui, Director, Centre welcomed the gathering and briefed about the seminar.

Mr. Misbah-ul-Anzar, Assistant Professor, conducted the proceedings and Dr. Mohd. Akbar, Assistant Professor proposed the vote of thanks. The valedictory session of the seminar will be held on January 17 at 4.15 pm.

source: http://www.siasat.com / The Siasat Daily / Home> Education & Career / by Mohamme Hussain / January 16th, 2020

Ramanagara ZP CEO turns mentor for SSLC candidates

Community Involvement / Social Issues, Education, Karnataka (under research project), Leaders, , ,

KARNATAKA :

In 2018 SSLC exams, Ramanagara district ranked first and in 2019, it was in the second place in the state with 88.49 passing percentage.

Bengaluru :

In an attempt to get better results in the coming SSLC exams, an IAS officer from Ramanagara has given a task to his officials to take responsibility of one government school each and work towards ‘’good’’ results.

Meet, Mohammed Ikramulla Shariff, an IAS officer of the 2016 batch, who is the Chief Executive Officer of Ramanagara Zilla Panchayat and was transferred to this post some seven months ago. There are more than 100 government schools where around 13,000 students are taking SSLC exams this March 2020. Shariff has asked each official from various departments in Ramanagara to ‘’adopt’’ one school where students are writing SSLC exams this year.

Speaking to The New Indian Express, Shariff said that all his officials are well qualified and many of them struggled hard and reached this place. “We have assigned one officer per school. We have chosen them in such a way that their offices are located close to their ‘adopted’ government schools. These officers work in various departments including Horticulture, Revenue, Health and Education, whose offices are located across the district. This initiative is being taken as an attempt to utilise human resources,’’ he said.

In 2018 SSLC exams, Ramanagara district ranked first and in 2019, it was in the second place in the state with 88.49 passing percentage. “These officials have to visit the schools once or twice a week till SSLC examinations. We have instructed them to interact with the candidates, their parents and teachers. These officials will listen to their woes, if any. The same has to be reported to us. They have to encourage them, in case needed, take classes too,’’ he said.

When contacted, Minister for Primary and Secondary Education Suresh Kumar said there are many CEOs from various districts including Kodagu, Mandya, Chikkaballapura and Raichur, who are encouraging officials to be involved in the education sector. These CEOs who were limited to management and holding bigger responsibility has chosen education and giving more attention which is a positive sign.

There is so much healthy competition among them. While CEO from Kodagu is writing letters to student on SSLC exams, telling them to be write exams with confidence. CEOs from Mandya, Chikkaballapur and Raichur is pushing average students to get better results. Most of these officials are young IAS officers. “I can see hope that this year’s SSLC results will be good and better than previous year,’’ he said.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Karnataka / by Ashwini M. Sripad / Express News Service / January 14th, 2020