Category Archives: Education

Deve Gowda to launch Mysore Varsity Alumni Assn.

October 21, 2014Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Education, Leadersmpositiveone@gmail.com

Mysore :

Former Prime Minister, H.D. Deve Gowda will be launching the Alumni Association and various other programmes of University of Mysore at 10.30 am on Oct. 16 at Crawford Hall.

As part of the centenary celebrations, the ex-PM will release a booklet, Convocation Address Vol.II, Centenary Account Gateway and lay foundation stone for School of Planning and Architecture.

MPs R. Dhruvanarayan, C.S. Puttaraju and Pratap Simha will be the guests of honour. Prof. K.S. Rangappa, VC, will preside.

On the occasion, two of the oldest Alumni — former VCs Prof. D. Javaregowda and Prof. B. Sheikh Ali — will be felicitated.

source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home>General News / Wednesday , October 15th, 2014

For this blind student, PhD is another feat

October 17, 2014Amazing Feats, Educationmpositiveone@gmail.com

Coimbatore :

When Anjum Khan received her PhD on Monday, it meant more than it does to most doctoral candidates-the 27-year-old lost her vision at the age of five after an attack of measles and has studied entirely in Braille.

Anjum is an assistant professor of English at Avinashilingam University. Her family moved from Gwalior in Madhya Pradesh to Coimbatore in 1993 for her treatment but doctors said she would never regain her vision.

“While my parents were thinking what next, the doctors told us about Avinashilingam school for girls,” says Anjum. She began learning Braille and use audio technology to help her read, write and study.

Her father, Mehmood Khan got a job at a private cement company in Madukkarai, 27km from Coimbatore. If Anjum had to continue her studies, Avinashilingam was among the few options as it had facilities and faculty to help her.

“I decided I would live in hostel and study. It is then that I realised that to gain something, one has to sacrifice something,” Anjum says. She lived in the hostel for 12 years from Class 6 till she finished her postgraduate degree.

After finishing school, Anjum joined the Avinashilingam University for Women to pursue a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature. “She finished her masters’ degree and applied for her doctoral studies in 2009,” says S Kalamani, Anjum’s guide and an associate professor in the department of English, Avinashilingam University. “Anjum had to leave thehostel after her MA, but, regularly visited me every Friday and told me how her research was progressing,” she says.

Anjum’s younger brother Abid Ali died in a road accident eight years ago while she was doing her masters’ degree. “My father had bought him a bike to make his commute between college and home easier,” says Anjum.

“It was a difficult time for the family. But, I have faced so much that I treat happiness and sorrow equally,” she says. Anjum has dedicated her PhD to her brother.

Anjum did her research on ‘Ethnic Silhouettes: An Interpretation Of The Community In Select Works Of M G Vassanji In The Light Of New Historicism’. She became an assistant professor in January 2013 in the university in which she studied.

Besides teaching at the university, Anjum also teaches blind children Braille and computer operations. “I consider teaching a means to reach people,” she says.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Coimbatore / by Adarsh Jain, TNN / October 14th, 2014

For Malala, this West Bengal teenager is a true hero

October 16, 2014Amazing Feats, Community Involvement / Social Issues, Education, World Opinionmpositiveone@gmail.com

Anoyara Khatun.— Photo: Sushanta Patronobish / The Hindu

As the world celebrates Pakistani teenager Malala Yousafzai winning the Nobel Peace Prize, Malala herself is celebrating the courage of a little known young girl from West Bengal’s Sandeshkhali area who has been quietly working against the trafficking of young girls from the region.

Anoyara Khatun, 18, from North 24 Parganas, has, with the support of other children and non-governmental organisations, built a strong network to resist trafficking of young girls and prevent child marriages in the region.

“Malala and the Malala Fund celebrate Anoyara’s exemplary courage and leadership. She has helped reunite more than 180 trafficked children with their families, prevented 35 child marriages, rescued 85 children from the clutches of child labour and registered 200 out-of-schools (drop-outs) into schools,” says a Facebook post by the Malalafund, an initiative by Malala.

The post made on October 13, International Day of the Girl, only a few days after Ms. Malala was awarded the Nobel Prize, has described Anoyara as “a true girl hero.”

When The Hindu met Anoyara at Sandeshkhali on Wednesday, she was aware of the Facebook post and could not stop talking about Malala. The first year student of a local college has also collected a number of vernacular newspapers that published news of Ms. Malala’s award and shared it with her friends.

“Though I have not met Malala, I did meet her father Ziauddin Yousafzai at Brussels in June 2012,” she said. She made the trip to Belgium when she was nominated for The International Children’s Peace Prize.

“Trafficking of young girls and child marriages were rampant in the villages here. Poverty and lack of awareness and education provided the ideal conditions for traffickers to operate here,” Ms. Anoyara said.

In 2008, Save the Children, an international non-governmental organisation working for child rights, helped establish a number of multi activity centres in the Sandeshkhali area. These centres help create awareness among the children of the region about the dangers of trafficking and similar crimes. Anoyara recalls stories of how she and others chased away traffickers who came offering jobs and marriage to young girls in the region.

Jatin Mondar, the State Programme Manager of Save the Children, West Bengal said that through these centres, the organisation had managed to put in place a “committee-based child protection model” in Sandeshkhali since 2004.

“Now, if someone approaches the villagers with the proposal to take a girl to Delhi or anywhere else for work, that person is sure to be handed over to the police by us,” Anoyara said.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home / by Shiv Sahay Singh / Sandeshkhali (North 24 Parganas) / October 16th, 2014

Swachh Bharat Abhiyan received a huge response at the Aligarh Muslim University campus

October 14, 2014Community Involvement / Social Issues, Educationmpositiveone@gmail.com

Aligarh:

Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, an ambitious programme launched by the Government of India, has received a huge response at the Aligarh Muslim University campus. All schools, colleges, departments and Halls of residence in AMU organized cleanliness drive in their premises on a large scale.

The Pro-Vice Chancellor, Brigadier S. Ahmad Ali launched the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan in the Department of Electricity. He urged the people to adopt cleanliness as a permanent ethos of their life and work for generating awareness regarding clean atmosphere and personal hygiene. Member Incharge, Prof. Mohibullah was also present on this occasion.
Professor Naima Khatoon, Principal, Women’s College initiated the cleanliness drive and took to sweep in the college along with faculty members Professor Imrana Naseem, Dr Hina Parvez, Professor Masood Alvi, Dr Jabir Raza, Dr Shaukat Haseen and Rumana Siddiqui. A large number of girl students participated in the drive. The AMU Girls High School, Principal, Ms Amna Malik led the drive. Addressing on the occasion, she urged the students to promote cleanliness and hygiene and work for a pollution free campus.

At the Centre for Distance Education, Director, Dr Nafees Ansari started the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan and urged the students to strengthen the mission by carrying it to common people in nearby localities.

Professor Shahab F Hashmi, Provost, Hadi Hasan Hall, along with his team of wardens, students and staff members initiated the drive and pledged to maintain cleanliness in the Hall premises. The Swachh Bharat Mission was launched in Begum Sultan Jahan Hall under the supervision of Dr Seemi Hasan, Provost of the Hall. Dr Shireen Sadiq, Dr Albina Shamsi, Dr Sabiha Tabassum and Dr Sana Chaudhary, wardens, residents of the Hall and staff participated in the national initiative with great enthusiasm.

Officiating Provost, R. M. Hall, Dr Imtiaz Ahmad Khan inaugurated the campaign. All post holders and senior students of the Hall took part in the drive. At the Abdullah Hall for girl students, the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan commenced under the supervision of Dr Ghazala Parveen, Provost of the Hall and her team of wardens. The TW Hostel was awarded first prize in the Clean Campus competition.

In order to promote the campaign and create awareness about the Swachh Bharat Mission, Dr Zaheeruddin, Provost, Aftab Hall, along with wardens and office staff, carried out a cleanliness drive in the Hall premises.

source: http://www.indiaeducationdiary.in / IndiaEducationDiary.in / Thursday – October 09th, 2014

Thumbay Group among Forbes ME ‘Top 100’ in Arab world

October 12, 2014Business & Economy, Community Involvement / Social Issues, Education, Leaders, NRI's / PIO's, Science & Technology, World Opinionmpositiveone@gmail.com

Ajman :

Thumbay Group has crossed another milestone today. Thumbay Group has been listed in “Top 100 making an impact in the Arab World”, a list compiled by Forbes Middle East Magazine in the May 2013 Issue 14. Rankings, awards, undoubtedly play an important role in recognizing an organization’s success. Thumbay Group, UAE ranks 44 in the list of “Top 100 Making An Impact In The Arab World”.

Thumbay Group, UAE established in the year 1997 has come a long way. It has developed into a conglomerate having multifarious business activities and operations spread across the globe. The Thumbay Group, UAE today is a leading conglomerate with a host of medical and healthcare institutions under its ambit. The Group encompasses Gulf Medical University, GMC Hospital and Research Centre, Gulf Medical Centre & GMC Pharmacies in Dubai, Sharjah, Ajman and Fujairah.

Gulf Medical University has a student cohort from 67 nationalities, majority of them are locals and Arabs from the GCC, medical professionals and staff from 22 countries. Patients from over 175 nationalities ranging as far as Africa, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, GCC countries and Western Europe receive treatment at GMC Hospitals & Research Centre, a constituent private teaching university hospital with a capacity of 250 beds housed with ultra-modern facilities. The Group also owns and manages international chain of Health Clubs and Coffee Shoppe, Chain of GMC Diagnostic laboratories, Chain of Pharmacies, Chain of Optical Centres.

“In a short span of time we have worked our way to reach to this position today. I thank the Almighty God, the great leaders of this country, all our staff members for their continued support in achieving this proud status today. We have very big and ambitious plans and God willing with each and every immeasurable support we will be able to reach to the pinnacle of success one day” commented Thumbay Moideen, founder president of Thumbay Group, UAE.

source: http://www.daijiworld.com / DaijiWorld.com / Home> Gulf / Media Release / Ajman – May 22nd, 2013 / posted Wednesday – May 22nd, 2013

Prof. Abdul Moiz HoD Dept. of Arabic MANUU passes away during Hajj

October 8, 2014Educationmpositiveone@gmail.com

Hyderabad :

Young Professor Dr. Abdul Moiz Head of the Dept. Arabic Maulana Azad National Urdu passed away in the early hours of October 5 at King Faisal Hospital, Makkah Mukarrama. He left Hyderabad on September 29 through private travels along with his mother for proxy Hajj (Hajj-e-Badal). Following Rami Jamar he suddenly fell ill and was rushed to King Faisal Hospital for treatment. However he died in the early hours of October 5. He was 42.

‘Funeral prayer in absentia’ (Gaibana namaz-e-janaza) was offered on Tuesday at Asr at Makkah Masjid. Details can be had from phone no’s 9000272874 & 8897677388.

A condolence Meeting was also held on Tuesday at DDE Auditorium, MANUU Campus, Gachchibowli. Prof. Mohammad Miyan, Vice-Chancellor, described his untimely death as an irreparable loss to the University. Prof. S. M. Rahmatullah, Registrar presented condolence resolution. Before joining MANUU in 2006, Prof. Abdul Moiz also served at Delhi University, Osmania University and EFLU. Speakers paid rich tribute to the departed Professor. Large number of teachers, students, officials, staff and friends attended the meeting. Younger brothers of the late Professor, Mr. Abdul Raheem and Mr. Abdul Qavi were also present.

source: http://www.siasat.com / The Siasat Daily / Home> Hyderabad / Wednesday – October 08th, 2014

Jamia Millia Islamia aspires to become ‘master’ of the academic world

October 5, 2014Educationmpositiveone@gmail.com

The School of Education building at Jamia Millia Islamia. FILE PHOTO: S. SUBRAMANIUM

From building a medical college to masters’ course on disaster management, the V-C has big plans

From building a medical college, a new masters’ course on disaster management, to choice-based credit systems and even renewing the students’ union, Jamia Millia Islamia’s new Vice-Chancellor Talat Ahmad has big plans for the University.

“We have announced the building of a medical college on the 22-acre property, given to us recently by the Delhi Government. A medical college must have a 300-bed hospital, so we are in talks with a nearby hospital to link it to our proposed college, since starting the hospital first could take awhile. We already have a physiotherapy building, which has 100 beds, and we also have a dentistry department,” said Prof. Ahmad, while explaining that his background in geology and his association with several bodies doing research in the area of disaster management had made him think of Jamia’s need for a masters’ degree in disaster management.

“There will also be small courses, available to all students, basic knowledge that everyone should have about what to do during a disaster.”

Soon, it will be possible for an enrolled post-graduate student to actually take another course, which is far removed from his/her stream and even get credit for it.

“Suppose you are doing an MA in Economics and also want to study music, it will be possible to do so soon, and get credit for it towards your degree. Each department is currently working on the modalities of working out separate courses for students from other streams. It will be slightly easier and more general than something you will learn if you were taking that course full-time.”

Another ambitious plan is to put Jamia on the world rankings.

“We are on our way to getting NAAC accreditation. We are also consciously working to meet the parameters required for a good international ranking. Faculty publications, foreign exchange programmes between students and teachers, we are doing it all.”

Jamia is also known for several small centres of study.

“We intend to merge all these centres into a school or faculty for smoother operations.”

It is also known for its seminars on various subjects under its outreach programmes. “We intend to strengthen this to provide short-term courses to people in the neighbourhood, skill-based learning that can be useful.”

Placements are another area that the V-C wants to focus on.

“We will be strengthening the links between the placement cell and the industry, and we are trying hard to forge better ties with national and international corporate houses.”

The varsity is also known for the number of language courses it offers. “Turkish seems to be the most popular language course here and almost all our students get placed. There is also French and German. We have national as well as international placements.”

Expanding the distance programme to other parts of the country, digitalising all their library resources and increasing their tie-ups with foreign universities are other projects on which the university is working feverishly.

Before concluding, Prof. Ahmad had a special message for students who had missed out on various entrance exams because of the Jammu and Kashmir disaster.

“Our professors will be travelling to Srinagar and conducting exams there. The results will be declared together.”

Special focus on research

Come January and the thick fog will bring Delhi to its knees with cancelled or late flights and trains, and traffic snarls.

Much before that, a few scholars at Jamia Millia Islamia will be working to somehow reduce the fog by “precipitating” it or turning it into rain.
This is one of the 93 ongoing research projects at the varsity, which Vice-Chancellor Talat Ahmad is seeking to develop further in his bid to up Jamia’s ante as a research-oriented university.

“The Chemistry Department is in-charge of the project. Another consortium will be using the Geographical Information System to connect crime, and there is a lot of work going on in the field of nanotechnology. We also plan to bring all the projects under one roof, so they can work together using the same technology,” Prof. Ahmad said. And this means the faculty will have to increase their citations.

“They will have to publish more internationally. In fact, this is also the benchmark for career progression as mandated by the UGC, so it serves both purposes. We have also set up a digital resource library that allows us to track every publication or citation that has been made by a faculty member. This is so we always know who has what publication and how much weight their publications carry,” the V-C added.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Delhi / by Vijetha S.N. / New Delhi – October 05th, 2014

In Black & White : An orphaned school

October 3, 2014Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Community Involvement / Social Issues, Education, Leadersmpositiveone@gmail.com

by Vikram Muthanna

While we speak of how our city’s infrastructure suffers due to the nexus of contractors and leaders, it affects even our children. Recently, I had been to a Government School adopted by Star of Mysore. A few blocks away was another Government School and I dropped in to see how they were doing. It was shocking.

The Haleem Nagar Urdu and Kannada School was started in 2010 by the Government on a generous piece of land donated by the Haleem Nagar Mosque.

After giving land, the mosque allowed the government to use an existing structure with 6 very tiny rooms as classrooms till the government built proper classrooms in the vacant land. Soon a contractor was given the contract to build and construction began. Two new classrooms were built. The money from the government was fully utilised but…

Here is the shocker. Only two of the 7 classrooms built are useable. The two classrooms built on the first floor are not only incomplete but the school better have Jack and his bean stalk as one of its students for there are no stairs to reach them! Yes, the contractor built classrooms on the first floor but no stairs ! To add, the other three unfinished classrooms have no windows, doors and one has a wall missing! And this school has 118 students from class 1 to 7! So how do they manage?

Now that’s another shocker. I saw the first standard and second standard students cramped in one classroom. One teacher teaches both the classes two different subjects and in the same period! How does she do it ? The first half hour she gives some written assignment to the second standard students while she teaches the first standard students.

When done, she gives them a written assignment and turns her attention to the second standard students who can now stop writing and start listening. This is the case even with third and fourth standard students. Only the 5th, 6th and 7th standard students don’t have a problem because they are fewer in number and can manage in the tiny classrooms! And all the 118 students from class 1 to 7 are taught all subjects by 5 teachers.

Now, the construction was in the hands of the Head Mistress, committee member and the contractor. But only the Head Mistress has been suspended; the committee member roams free and the contractor reportedly claims he could not finish his work as the government did not pay him! Who suffers? The children.

Government School construction is always a money-making scheme. That is why the government now tries to tie-up with concerned citizens and social clubs to complete school buildings by providing matching grants.

In another case of bad construction and political callousness, last year the previous MP had released Rs. 3 lakh for building a classroom at a school in Sathagalli. The MP’s office themselves chose the contractor. A few months later the structure was up, they informed. What was the structure? The contractor had built four pillars and a roof but there were no walls! At best it was not even a car shed. Yet the contractor had the gal, or should we say shamelessness, to paint “Donated by Honourable ……. MP.” It was an insult to the MP and a great disservice to the children who were eager to have a classroom.

Finally, the walls were put up after threat of media frenzy and after the school itself supplied windows and doors. Now, MLA Tanveer Sait has promised the school a classroom next to this one.

Now, this MP was considered to be “intellectually” inclined. If such a leader can be so callous and insensitive to a children’s cause, what can we expect from contractors who are walking a tight rope between giving a cut and constructing as per plan.

As far as this particular Haleem Nagar School is concerned, the biggest photograph in the front office, which doubles as HM’s chamber, is that of late Azeez Sait, the father of that area’s MLA Tanveer Sait. In fact it is bigger than Mahatma Gandhi’s and Nehru’s and former President Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed’s put together. May be, MLA Tanveer Sait is unaware about the state of this school for, if he did, he surely would have taken action, for the school is an insult to the memory of his popular father. Also since he is the one who is helping the Sathagalli School, we are sure he will do the same for this school which also is in his constituency.

Also, the other aspect of the school is that it is an Urdu school. I spoke to a few children and noticed that they knew some Kannada and no English at all. Now, Urdu is a fabulous and a poetic language, but how will it help these kids fare in this rapidly globalising India? They will be left in the lurch unable to participate in the new economy. May be the MLA can provide for a full time English teacher or at least request organisations like Pratham for assistance.

We are sure there are many such schools that are in dilapidated condition that need help. May be one of the many social organisations in city can help Haleem Nagar School to get a staircase, a wall and a few windows so the poor students can study in a good school and in a congenial atmosphere.

Our government may be deaf, but it doesn’t mean we have to be too; our government may be blind, but we need not be; our government is heartless, but we cannot be, we still have a conscience. So we must pitch in.

Who knows, there may be a gem among these 118 students in Haleem Nagar school or any other such schools, who one day may change our Nation’s fortune. We can make sure it’s for our good, or we can ignore it and wait for something bad to happen and then the society will be as much to blame as the incompetent leaders, conscience-less teachers and greedy contractors.

e-mail:vikram@starofmysore.com

source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> Feature Articles / Saturday , September 27th, 2014

Sir Syed Day 2014 in San Francisco Bay Area

September 30, 2014Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Community Involvement / Social Issues, Education, Leaders, NRI's / PIO'smpositiveone@gmail.com

San Francisco:

The Aligarh Muslim University Alumni Association of Northern California carried on its annual tradition of holding Sir Syed Day in the San Francisco Bay Area with a fine evening of cultural expression, reflection and entertainment at the ICC in Milpitas on Saturday, September 20th.

Funds were also collected on the occasion for the Aligarh Education Endowment Fund (AEEF) which supports those whose path to education is impacted by lack of funds or social mobility. Both children and youth are assisted through this AEEF vehicle and one can commend Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) alumni for making their annual homage to Sir Syed Ahmad Khan, the founder of their Alma Mater an added purpose.

After a fine dinner of Mughlai cuisine the formalities began with the traditional recitation from the Holy Qur’an by Mohammed Nadeem. Emcee for the evening Dr. Shaheer Khan made the necessary introductions. He said that everyone here needs to be thanked for their dedication, because the hall tonight is full to its maximum capacity and people unfortunately had to be turned away. He added that the Mushaira or Urdu poetry recital held here attracts many people but it is the cause which is the prime reason for this gathering, which is Sir Syed and AMU. He said that Aligarh was and is a movement and not just a place. He also took the opportunity to thank the sponsors and supporters along with the ICC for making this event possible. He also recognized local South Asians who are running for positions in the upcoming elections (Mohammed Nadeem running for Santa Clara City Council and Moina Shaiq running for Fremont School Board were here. Congressional candidate Ro Khanna was to arrive later).

Next was the President’s Welcome which this year was given by the new head of the AMU Alumni Association of Northern California, Mr. Shachindra Nath. In his short speech Shachindra Sahib welcomed everyone and took the opportunity to share his familial connection with Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) which his father also had the good fortune to attend. He pointed out the mutual respect and tolerance which he found at AMU. “I am so proud to be an Aligarian,” he said. Shachindra Sahib has been a dedicated member of the AMU Alumni Association for several years and it should come as no surprise that today he is the President of this organization.

The Sir Syed Day keynote address this year was presented by Ambassador Islam A. Siddiqui. Dr. Siddiqui till recently served as Chief Agricultural Negotiator in the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative and has now joined a think tank, the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) as a senior adviser in its Global Food Security Project in Washington DC. He is also a very familiar face to many of us in northern California because of his many years working for the State of California in Sacramento and for his long-time community activism; he is one of the founders of UMA and has been the President of the Downtown Sacramento Muslim Mosque. Although not an alumni of AMU, Dr. Siddiqui said that he was forever indebted to the campus because that is where he met his wife over 40 years ago!

“When I think of Sir Syed Ahmad Khan’s contributions to India and the world at large, it is about Education, Economic Empowerment and Moderation,” said Siddiqui. Giving the audience a backdrop of British-Indian history, and the poor state of Muslims after the 1857 revolt (the first attempt by Indians to gain independence) which failed, Sir Syed’s unique role was highlighted. “Here came a thinker and a visionary, who had worked for the British East India Company, had studied the causes of the Indian revolt, published a commentary on the Bible and was even instrumental in establishing The Scientific Society of Aligarh,” he said. He added that Sir Syed was fighting for the educational, social and economic uplift of Indian Muslims about the same time as President Abraham Lincoln was fighting for the cause of African Americans to abolish slavery in the United States.

He said that today the situation of the Muslim masses in India is not great and cited some relevant statistics from the Sachar Committee Report of 2006 which concluded that “When it comes to education the situation of Indian Muslims is indeed depressing as compared to other socio-religious communities and the problem is more acute among girls and women”. Siddiqui remained hopeful that as India’s economy grows, economic opportunities for all Indians will expand. “As the saying goes: A rising tide lifts all boats,” he said. He also reinforced the charter of the AEEF and its fundraising activity by saying that it is our moral obligation to give back to the under-privileged in the community and country that made it possible for us to reach where we are today.

Dr. Shaheer Khan returned to present an AEEF Update. The Aligarh Education Endowment Fund needs about $100,000 for 2014-2015 academic year to fund its projects which include the sponsorship of excellence in education through scholarships, Aligarh Modern School, Hamara School Aligarh, Faizabad Public school (Faizabad), Faiz-e Aam Muslim Inter College (Faizabad), Hira Public School (Ambedkar Nagar), J.A.B.I.C. Bhadarsa (Ambedkar Nagar), J.D.J.B. Anand P.G. College (Faizabad), M.I. Girls Inter College (Faizabad), Rishiraz Singh Maha Vidyalya (Faizabad), and many others.

It is also supporting Saiema Mansoor Public School (Hathras), vocational training for women, a mentorship program and students at premier institutions in India. A short fundraising appeal was made with a target of $60,000 in mind. And in the process, just before the entertainment, the Aligarh Tarana or anthem was enthusiastically played and sung by some of the alumni of AMU present.

The second part of Sir Syed Day is the “International Mushaira” which brings together some of the finest poets or practitioners of Urdu language poetry from around the globe (mainly from where it is used most, India and Pakistan). Countries can be partitioned but one cannot do that with a language. Urdu’s birthplace is in India where AMU is physically located too, but Urdu ironically is the national language of Pakistan. Where borders and governments divide, language-culture and family unite. I did get an opportunity at this event to meet the Consul of India in San Francisco and air the trials and tribulations of getting a visa for India for a person of Pakistani origin!

This year the list of poets was “Pakistan heavy” for the lack of a better term. The Mezban or host poets in order of appearance were Shahid Siddiqi (Canada), Misum Samer (Bay Area), Faisal Azeem (Canada), and Ahmar Shehwaar and Tashie Zaheer (both from the Bay Area). The Mehman or guest poets were Ambareen Haseeb ‘Amber’ (Pakistan), Nusrat Mehdi (India), Abbas Tabish (Pakistan) and Sarfraz Shahid (Pakistan). Two new aspects were noted in this year’s Mushaira. One the Nizamat was done by a young lady (Amber) and two the Sadarat and closing poet (Sarfraz) was the one who provided comic relief (possibly designed so that people went home in a good mood).

It would take another full article here just to cover the Mushaira segment of the evening. But just to highlight some of the activity here, senior poet Abbas Tabish aptly described the entire Mezbaan Shayir group (locals) as amongst the most talented that he has ever seen. All of them were worthy and it was good to see young Faisal Azeem back in this area. I just had to thank Tashie Bhai personally for his one line that made us proud. In a nutshell none of the local “amateur” poets were less than professional!

Amongst the four Mehman Shayir’s (guests) Ambareen was extremely entertaining both as a poet and in her “Tum Bhi Naa” and in her Nizamat role. Nusrat Mehdi was the feminist voice of the evening and she was amazing in Tarannum especially with her “Mein Bhi to Hoon”. Abbas Tabish was his usual pensive self with his “Intizar ke Lamhe” and his ode to mothers everywhere. And last but not least Sarfraz Shahid who in his Sadarat role provided enough comic relief to us that many had smiles on our faces as we made our way out of the door. His take on “Maulana and Hoorain”, romance in Cricket “Musalman mard ko char hi run ki Ijazat Hai” and his political cutlery were all very well received.

The Annual Sir Syed Day Aligarh magazine was also released on this occasion. The magazine is dedicated to Hali and Shibli. This year marks the 100th death anniversary of Maulana Altaf Husain Hali and Maulana Shibli Nomani, two pivotal members of the team of Sir Syed’s ‘Rufaqaa’ in the establishment of the MAO College.

In conclusion we did not stay for the doosra daur (round two) of the poetry but it was already quite a rewarding and satisfying event for us. The Aligarh Alumni Association of Northern California once again needs to be congratulated for holding this gathering where everyone enjoyed the food, revisited Sir Syed’s vison and participated in quality entertainment.

source: http://www.twocircles.net / TwoCircles.net / Home> News / by Ras H. Siddiqui, TwoCircles.net / September 30th, 2014