Two sisters of Telangana Minority Residential College in Uppal, Hyderabad, were awarded gold medals and silver medals in Delhi. Nargis Sultana daughter of Mohammed Abdul Saleem scored 95 per cent and was awarded gold medal while her sister Nafees Sultana scored 93 per cent in 12th grade and bagged a silver medal. Nargis wants to be a doctor and is preparing for NEET. Nafees is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in pharmacy in Telangana.
The awards were presented at the 32nd Convention of the American Federation of Muslims of Indian Origin (AFMI) in New Delhi.
Hyderabad: Two sisters of Telangana Minority Residential College in Uppal, Hyderabad, were awarded gold medals and silver medals in Delhi. Nargis Sultana daughter of Mohammed Abdul Saleem scored 95 per cent and was awarded gold medal while her sister Nafees Sultana scored 93 per cent in 12th grade and bagged a silver medal. Nargis wants to be a doctor and is preparing for NEET. Nafees is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in pharmacy in Telangana.
The awards were presented at the 32nd Convention of the American Federation of Muslims of Indian Origin (AFMI) in New Delhi.
Founded in Detroit, United States in 1989, AFMI recognises the country’s top student achievers. It has recognised over 4,000 students so far from over 400 districts in India.
source: http://www.munsifdaily.com / The Munsif Daily / Home> Education / by Rasia Hashmi / January 02nd, 2023
Tiny-tots and teenager students alike of Al-Asr Academia, Bhopal won the hearts of the audience by their immaculate performances on the stage with highest levels of diligence and determination to pass on a kaleidoscopic spectacle to the audience.
The program displayed immense talent of the students showcasing perfect amalgam of academic excellence and Divine values as the spectators, mostly parents and handful of dignitaries, remained glued in their seats while warming the cockles of their heart.
The occasion was when the Al-Asr Academia celebrated its 6th Annual Function with great fervour and enthusiasm on 25th December, 2022 at the new Ravindra Bhawan Auditorium near Polytechnic Square here.
The Guests of Honour on the occasion included: Maulana Mohammad Abid Khan Mazahari, Ustad Hadith & Fiqh, Masjid Tarjum-e-wali; Maulana Mohammad Yousuf Siddiqui Nadwi, Ustad, Darul Uloom, Allama Abdul Hai Hasani, Bhopal; Janab Dr. Mohammad Shahid, Maqami Ameer, Jamaat-e-Islami Hind, Bhopal and Maulana Mohammad Umar (Libya), Assistant Professor, Govt. Unani Medical College, Bhopal.
The opening of the programme was initiated with welcoming of guests & parents by the ever enthusiastic nursery children who presented a beautiful Welcome Nasheed honouring the presence of the audience.
A series of exotic talents presented themselves with notable efforts depicting the school’s unflinching efforts to cater to the holistic development of a child’s personality. The unmatchable confidences with which the students faced the audience and performed brilliantly on stage have brought glory to the school.
The audience was taken by awe after witnessing the perfect combination of fluent English, Hindi, Arabic and Urdu speakers who ranged from Nursery to Class 9 students proving how meticulously their teachers work on their diction.
The students presented themselves by reminding from the latest world happening like FIFA World Cup 2022in Qatar to the he ever motivating sayings of the last prophet requiring mankind to follow righteous path and supplications to bring peace and prosperity in one’s life. Baby Aafiyah Ather Khan (Grade 9 Student) delivered a speech on the topic “The Status of Women in Islam” while Master Yusuf Mohammed Khan (Grade 6 Student) presented a song“Wavin’ Flag” which was originally sung by K’naan reflecting the African struggle for freedom. All these performances left an impeccable and everlasting impression on the audience.
Director of Al-Asr Academia Ather Khan spoke on the journey of the school from its inception to its extreme recognition as a distinguished school catering to educating children and preparing them to succeed in both the worlds. He announced the achievements of the students in various disciplines.
Eminent dignitaries congratulated Ather Khan on achieving this difficult task of carrying a perfect blend of education for both the worlds with and spoke accolades about the notable performances of the students in the function.
The event culminated with flashing display of Unity in the form of song “One Big Family” cheering the audience and invoking a sense of brotherhood and communal harmony.
source: http://www.indiatomorrow.net / India Tomorrow / Home> Education / by Pervez Bari / January 11th, 2023
Four students of Telangana Minorities Residential Educational Institutions Society (TMREIS) have scripted history by becoming the first from the State government-backed organisation to have cleared National Eligibility cum Entrance Test, which is conducted for admissions to undergraduate medical education in the country.
According to TMREIS, the four students — Tahura Masood, Md Safiuddin, K Rambabu and E Sravan Kumar — come from humble backgrounds with their parents and grandparents enduring several hardships to ensure that they get an education.
Ms Masood’s father is a daily wage earner. She was equipped with the required knowledge after TMREIS enrolled her in NEET coaching classes. Ms Masood will join the MBBS course at Dr VRK Women’s Medical College offers.
Mr Kumar will be on his way to Jamia Millia Islamia in New Delhi where he will study dentistry. “Poverty taught me lessons in life and made me realise that no one should die due to lack of money,” he said.
Mr Saifuddin was raised by his grandparents and uncle, who worked hard to provide him with an education. He will join Ayaan Medical College and wishes to become a cardiologist.
Hailing from Kothamarthy in Nalgonda, Mr Rambabu will join Gandhi Medical College. The son of labourers, he said that his parents worked hard and his teachers motivated him.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> India> Telangana / by The Hindu Bureau / November 07th, 2022
When Sana Ali of Vidisha, a town in the state of Madhya Pradesh received her appointment letter for the job of technical assistant in the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO), it turned out to be a celebration of the human spirit and opportunities that the country offers to hardworking youth.
Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan congratulated Sana Ali and her family. He called her “Daughter of Vidisha.” Chief Minister Chouhan also belongs to Vidhisha.
In his message posted on Twitter, the chief minister said
“Hearty congratulations to Sana Ali, daughter of Vidisha, on being selected as Technical Assistant at ISRO’s Satish Dhawan Space Center. Congrats! Ladies like you are making Madhya Pradesh proud and revealing the potential of daughters. I wish you all the best for your happy, successful, and bright future ahead.”
Even central minister Jyotiraje Scindia, who hails from Madhya Pradesh congratulated Sana. He complimented Sana for rising above her adverse circumstances to reach this position and become an inspiration to others.
Sana’s achievement has to be seen in the context of her social and economic backdrop. Considering that Sana Ali’s father was a bus driver in the engineering college where she completed her B.tech and later M.Tech degrees, Sana’s achievement is great.
Her father and family had to raise funds for her education by mortgaging family jewelry and eliciting snide comments from relatives.
Sana’s father Sajid Ali used to be employed as a bus driver in the same college from where Sana completed her engineering studies. Sana Ali completed her master’s degree from Samrat Ashoka Technology Institute (SATI) of Vidisha.
Sana Ali’s family celebrating her appointment i ISRO
However, later Sajid was promoted to the position of a laboratory assistant in the same college.
While Sana was completing her Master’s degree, Sajid Ali faced a severe financial crisis. He had to borrow money and pawn his wife’s jewelry to pay for his daughter’s education.
As the family made efforts to raise money for their daughter’s higher education, they also faced taunts from extended family and others. People around them disapproved of the family’s obsession with making a daughter go for higher studies when they didn’t have enough resources.
They brazenly asked Sajid why he choose to take a loan for his daughter’s studies as she will have to leave his home one day after her marriage and he would be left to repay the loan.
However, Sajid ignored them and kept supporting his daughter’s education.
Today a proud father Sajid says, “I worked hard to educate my daughter. Despite all the financial constraints, we continued her studies. I told my daughter that she has to complete her studies at any cost and achieve her goal. My daughter also worked hard and reached this point. We are very happy. I pray that my daughter progresses all through her life.
Sana Ali with her parents
After completing her M.Tech course, Sana started preparing for the competition. Sana will be joining the Satish Dhawan Space Center (SDSC) at Sriharikota in the Tirupati district of Andhra Pradesh.This center of ISRO is a rocket launcher center, where rockets with state-of-the-art technology are sent into the space.
Sana told the local media, “I belong to a middle-class family. I want to give a message to all women that they must strive to get an education at any cost. Make all efforts to achieve the goal which you have set in your life. You need to work hard and don’t get discouraged by the failures that come your way.”
Significantly, Sana not only worked hard in her studies but also gave tuition to young children to meet the expenses related to her education.
source: http://www.awazthevoice.in / Awaz, The Voice / Home> India / by awazthevoice.in / January 15th, 2023
The West Bengal team of Rezoana Mallick Heena, Tahura Khatun, Aparna Baidya and Kankona Sardar which broke the National under-16 girls medley relay record at the Junior National athletics championships in Guwahati on Sunday. | Photo Credit: Special arrangement
Uttar Pradesh hammer throwersAbdul Rahaman (under-16 boys) and Tanya Chaudhary (under-20 women) broke the national records in the 37th National junior athletics championships in Guwahati on Sunday.
Kerala sprint hurdler K. Kiran (under-16 boys), Uttarakhand race walker Mansi Negi (under-20 women) and the under-16 girls West Bengal sprint medley relay team also set new National records today.
The results (winners only):
Men: Under-20:
1500m: Arjun Waskale (M.P.) 3:50.15s. 110 m hurdles: Muhammed Hanan (Ker) 14.07s. High jump: Aryan Arun Patel (Mah) 2.09m. Discus throw: Zaanbaz Singh (Pun) 52.89m.
Areej Ahmed, a resident of Udupi was awarded the best outgoing student for the year 2021 at the 23rd Annual and Awards day at the Manipal College of Health Professions.
Areej, completed her Bachelor’s degree in Audiology and Speech Language Pathology (BASLP) with distinction. She is the daughter of Udupi’s Khaleel Ahmed and Zeenath.
Areej received the award of best outgoing student of the BASLP batch from Manipal and Mangalore campuses.
source: http://www.english.varthabharati.in / Vartha Bharati / Home> Karavali / by Vartha Bharati / January 12th, 2023
Shama Parveen with her father Yanoon Khan and a relative after she received a gold medalfor topping Mathematics in B.Sc course
When Governor Anandiben conferred the gold medal on the university topper in B.Sc Mathematics at the convocation, tears rolled down the cheeks of Shama Parveen. The tears were of joy and gratitude for making it through challenges both financial and personal.
Shama hails from Bulandshahr, Uttar Pradesh, and she topped in B.Sc Mathematics at Chaudhary Charan Singh University, Meerut with 89.80% marks in the subject in the final examination.
Shama Parveen turned emotional in memory of her tough life as the daughter of a rickshaw puller who, with his small income, could barely make ends meet.
However, her father Yunoon Khan cut corners to ensure that his daughter goes to school and later college. The daughter too didn’t disappoint him.
Shama Parveen says that her father taught her to work hard and honestly. “He mortgaged his belongings to raise money to pay my fees. My father had pinned high hopes on me. Today, I have been able to live up to his expectations,’ she told local media persons.
However, Shama’s achievement also came despite her physical disability. She has no sight in one of her eyes.
Due to her physical problem, people generally were not kind to the child. Her father Yunoon Khan says that when she was one year old, suddenly, the vision in her one eye started fading and as she grew up, it further declined.
Shama Parveen holding her medal and a certificate
He says that neighbours and relatives taunted his daughter and made uncharitable comments about her. They even taunted Yunoon Khan about his daughter’s condition.
He says: “I never paid attention to them and also taught my daughter to do the same. On the contrary.” On the contrary, he encouraged Shama to pursue higher education.
Shama cleared the 12th standard with good marks. Unlike others in the neighbourhood who confined their daughters to home, Shama got admission to B.Sc Mathematics at Chaudhary Charan Singh University, Meerut.
Her father did everything possible to support her and Shama’s success was a beautiful culmination of Yunoon Khan’s mission.
Shama Parveen has topped examinations at the district level many times. She now wants to become an IAS officer.
However, being the eldest of her siblings, she says right now she wants to support her father financially as she feels responsible towards her siblings.
Shama says that every parent should provide higher education to their daughters. Education is the only weapon that can make one live life with respect.
source: http://www.awazthevoice.in / Awaz, The Voice / Home> Youth / by Onika Maheshwari, New Delhi / January 08th, 2023
During his tenure as Viceroy General of India, Charles Hardinge, the 1st Baron Hardinge of Penshurst, came in touch with many practising hakims and vaidyas while opening medical colleges in India.
Ayurvedic and Unani Tibbia College in Karol Bagh. (Express Photo by Amit Mehra)
During the middle of the 18th Century, India had physicians from diverse backgrounds including vaidyas and hakims who practised Ayurveda and Unani respectively, and freely borrowed medicine recipes from each other. But, with the arrival of the British, both practices were sidelined.
During his tenure as Viceroy General of India, Charles Hardinge, the 1st Baron Hardinge of Penshurst, came in touch with many practising hakims and vaidyas while opening medical colleges in India. It was his friendship with Hakim Ajmal Khan, a practising Unani medical physician from the lineage of hakims of Mughal rulers, that made him lay the foundation stone of the Ayurvedic and Unani Tibbia College in 1916.
Prior to the college, currently situated in Karol Bagh, Hakim Ajmal Khan and his two elder brothers Hakim Abdul Majid Khan and Hakim Mohamed Wasal Khan worked under their father, Hakim Gulam Mehmood Khan, in their house, Sharif Manzil, in Chandni Chowk’s Ballimaran. Their father ran a small Unani school, named Unani Madrasa Tibbia, where they practised and taught Unani and Ayurvedic medicine to young scholars.
Hakim Ajmal Khan’s grandfather, Hakim Sharif Khan, was a physician to Mughal Emperor Shah Alam and had built Sharif Manzil, after which the family came to be known as “Sharifi”. Hakim Sharif Khan’s ancestors had come to India during the reign of Babar and were of imminent importance during Shah Jahan’s rule. They were then known as the aristocrats of Delhi and enjoyed a high social status.
Speaking with The Indian Express, the great grandson of Hakim Ajmal Khan, 80-year-old Masroor Ahmed Khan, said the Unani Madrasa Tibbia was opened in 1882. “We have 300 years of history and were known as royal hakims. When the Britishers came, they were bringing a new ordinance under which Allopathy medicine was going to be promoted more and Unani, Ayurveda were being sidelined. Until then, the education of Unani medicine was not institutionalised. Fearing that their practices will fade out, they started a college from Sharif Manzil,” he said.
Masroor added that he is the first in his family to not practise medicine.
He said the three brothers taught at Sharif Manzil and after the death of his two elder brothers, Hakim Ajmal Khan continued as the head of the college and raised the quality of the institution. “His popularity grew further, and he went on to become chief physician to the Nawab of Rampur. He was also a consultant for the royal families of Patiala, Jind, Gwalior, Gaikwad,” said Masroor.
The Unani Madrasa Tibbia was flourishing alongside Hakim Ajmal Khan’s popularity, and he then decided to buy land to build a new college for which a board of trustees was formed. With some influence and a promise that a wing of the hospital will be dedicated to Lady Hardinge, the trust received land from the British India government. The land in Karol Bagh was granted to the Anjuman-I-Tibbia on February 14, 1916, by the imperial Delhi Committee.
The foundation stone was laid on March 29, 1916, by Lord Hardinge after the board sent him a letter inviting him for the same.
Masroor said it was Hakim Ajmal Khan’s nationalistic approach because of which he named the college Ayurvedic and Unani Tibbia College, where 99% practitioners were of Unani medicine and only 2-3% of Ayurveda. “Hakim Ajmal Khan was also one of the founders of Jamia Millia Islamia and he was the only Muslim to chair a session of the Hindu Mahasabha. He was elected as president of the Indian National Congress from 1921-22 and also became president of the Muslim League and the All India Khilafat Committee,” said Masroor.
During his Khilafat movement days, Hakim Ajmal Khan had corresponded with Mahatma Gandhi to inaugurate the college, which the latter agreed to, and launched it on February 13, 1921.
Much before the Parliament, North and South avenues and India Gate, the college was an architectural marvel in the newly founded capital of India. The buildings represent a mix of Indian and Mughal architecture and house classrooms, laboratories, hospital pharmacies, hostels, office and staff quarters.
Hakim Ajmal Khan also helped in developing the college of more than 50 acres and also established a garden of herbs on the road across the college. The garden has now been named after him as ‘Ajmal Khan Park’ and is maintained by the MCD. The road has also been named after him – Ajmal Khan Road is now a popular shopping area of Delhi.
During the Partition, a majority of hakims of the family left for Pakistan and the college was taken over by Hakim Jamil Khan, son of Hakim Ajmal Khan, and while he was using the college as his own personal space, the then education minister Maulana Abul Kalam Azad decided to take over the college and run it as a government institution.
The matter reached the Supreme Court, which announced that the college will be a government run institution. The college is now being run by the Delhi government and admits students through the NEET exam.
According to college principal Mohammed Zubair, a total of 75 seats are through NEET. He said the college also provides courses in BUMS and BAMS and MD.
He added that post Covid, the perspective of students and patients in general has changed and a large number of students have opted for these courses. “We had students even before Covid but now a number of students who have done courses in physiotherapy and have done their BSc have come to study here.”
Not only this. Mohammed Zubair said a large number of patients too still believe in Unani and Ayurvedic medicine. “We have a footfall of 1,000 patients in our OPD. We also provide minor surgeries. The Delhi government had also established the Ayush Centre in our college where we admitted 989 Covid patients,” he said.
According to writer and historian Sohail Hashmi, there are a lot of people in smaller towns and remote places, where allopathy hasn’t reached or is not enough, who opt for traditional systems of medicines including Ayurveda, Unani and Siddha.
“Once we were colonised, it was then that our traditional systems were discarded. Colonisation colonised our minds. The Indian system of Ayurveda and Unani function on the basis of five groups of illnesses; so did Hippocrates’ four humors theory. There are a whole lot of commonalities in what Hippocrates discovered and it came to India from Greece via Iran and Arabia,” he said.
source: http://www.indianexpress.com / The Indian Express / Home> Cities> Delhi / by Ankita Upadhyay / New Delhi – November 13th, 2022
Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde announced that Unani physicians will have a 10% reservation quota in the state’s public hospitals and primary healthcare facilities. He also said that the state needed a government-run Unani medical college. He made these commitments through a video message during the 40th National Unani Medicine Conference, which was hosted by the Nagpur branch of the All India Unani Tibbi Congress.
The Chief Minister thanked Unani physicians for their services during the deadly Covid epidemic in a brief speech. He assured the conference that every effort would be made to advance Unani medicine in the state.
Dr Wajahat Mirza, a Congress MLC and the head of the Maharashtra State Waqf Board, welcomed the Chief Minister’s decision in his speech and assured the gathering that he would exert all of his political power to see that the proposed government Unani Tibbi College would be realised. He claimed that if there had been no conflict over the city, the college would have been founded much earlier.
Former Congress minister and MLA Nitin Raut echoed his sentiments, saying that Unani medicine is a very efficient and cost-effective treatment and that it should be given every chance to flourish.
Dr Anis Ahmad, a former minister of Maharashtra, proposed building an Unani house with full facilities. He also offered to provide a plot of land to the intended centre.
AIUTC national president Professor Mushtaq Ahmad, who was presiding over the conference, praised the Maharashtra chief minister and noted that this was the first time the Maharashtra government has made a significant announcement about the development of Unani medicine. He also expressed his joy at the All India Unani Tibbi Congress Nagpur branch’s pompous arrangement of this magnificent conference, in which devoted Unani physicians from all across the country took part with great zeal.
In his keynote address Dr Syed Ahmed Khan, general secretary of AIUTC provided a snapshot of the organisation’s activities. He listed problems faced by the Unani fraternity at the national and state levels. He pointed out that Unani representation was overlooked in the new decision-making process as it was clubbed with a regional medicine of system. He called upon the Unani fraternity to make concentrated efforts for the advancement of Unani Tibb.
As far as Maharashtra is concerned, according to the conference’s organising chairman Dr Niyazuddin Siddiqui, it is a model state for Unani medicine because it enjoys the support of the state government. He claimed that there are 200 Unani doctors practising in and around Nagpur city and demanded the revival of the Unani Tibbi college, which was shut down in 20024. The college was started in 1991. He claimed Nagpur had become a hub for unani medicine.
In a similar vein, Special Guest Dr Vaidya Jayant Devpujari (Chairman, NCISM Government of India) stated in his speech that our primary goal is to standardise medical colleges. He said, “Such a conference is very important for the promotion of Unani medicine, and the role played by Unani medicine in Covid-19 is commendable. I also wish to congratulate the members of the All India Unani Tibbi Congress Nagpur for organising a very standard and grand programme which will send a strong message about Unani medicine throughout the country.
Dr Nadim Usmani, the advisor to AIUTC Maharasthra, also shed light on the activities of State Unani unit. He said Unani medicine is a bright future in the state.
The 40th Conference titled ‘Role of Unani Medicine In present Scenario’has sessions on specialised lectures on some major diseases. The experts and academics presented their papers through power-point. Professor Ahsan Farooqui presented his paper on Fasd(Venesection): Concept and Application with Demonstration. Dr Shabbir Raja’s topic was Dialysis and RenalTransplant: Myths and Facts. Cancer Management with Unani Medicine by Dr Mastan Shaikh, Pain Management in Unani Medicine by Prof Khan Mohammad Qiaser and Management of PCOS in Unani Medicine by Prof Nafees Bano.
Prof. Arif Zaidi, Dean, Faculty of Unani Medicine, Jamia Hamdard also spoke on the occasion.
The conference held on December 25 also released a souvenir highlighting the achievements of Unani Tibb in Maharashtra.
In the end, the 40th conference also passed several resolutions including the Directorate of AYUSH, Government of Maharashtra must create a post, Deputy Director – Unani, Assistant Director – Unani in the Directorate to represent the Unani System of Medicine in the State of Maharashtra.
The other resolutions are as follows:
*- Ministry of Food and Drugs Administration, Government of Maharashtra must create a post of Licensing Authority – Unani / Technical Officer- Unani / Drug Inspector – Unani in FDA to serve as an expert of Unani under provisions given in Drugs and Cosmetic Act 1940 and Rules 1945.
* Follow up to complete implementation for the establishment of Government Unani Medical College in the State of Maharashtra As per the declaration of Chief Minister of Maharashtra Shri Eknath Shinde Ji on 25th Dec 2022 at Nagpur to establish one Government Unani Medical College in the State of Maharashtra.
* Central Government and Delhi NCR must declare and approve Ayurvedic and Unani Tibbia College, karol baugh as Hakim Ajmal khan Ayurvedic and Unani Tibbia University.
* Ministry of AYUSH and NCISM, New Delhi must proposed to amend the Act NCISM 2020 to felicitate separate Unani Board under NCISM
* There are No proper representation in NCISM and its constituted authority/committee, hence a sufficient number of Unani representatives must be there.
* Strong recommendation for Empanelment of Unani System of Medicine in the Ministry of Defence / Defence Department to serve healthcare services to Defence personnel as Ayurveda is already empanelled.
source: http://www.muslimmirror.com / Muslim Mirror / Home> Health> Indian Muslim / by Abdul Bari Masoud / December 30th, 2022
Sheikh Asif, founder, Thames Infotech, holding one of his books
Breaking the stereotype of a company chief, Srinagar’s Asif Sheikh, a school dropout, is the CEO and founder of Thames Infotech, a Manchester-based company with a turnover of Rs 5 crore! He has just turned 28.
“I believe that a person who works hard, with dedication and honesty is always successful; he can never give up even when many a time one loses the courage to carry on. There were setbacks and at the time I did seem to lose courage, but I did not give up,” Sheikh Asif told Awaz-the Voice in a telephonic interview.
Asif’s success is extraordinary given his poor educational background and reaching a position that many persons with degrees from top-end colleges aspire to.
Besides being a successful entrepreneur, Asif is also a professional web designer, developer, graphic designer, digital marketer, and writer. He also gives back to society by giving free tuition to students from all over the world.
Sheikh Asif’s work profile is interesting: he worked with a tour and travel company, sold medical equipment for a company, and with telecom companies like Airtel, Vodafone, and Aircel.
Sheikh Asif deliving a talk on business
In the year 2000, Sheikh Asif was 8 years old when his father’s health deteriorated. His father was a head constable. Due to his father’s illness, the family was reduced to penury. Sheikh Asif says that his father’s illness remains a mystery as the family consulted experts and eminent doctors but nobody could diagnose it.
Sheikh Asif told Awaz-the Voice that his mother sold most of the household assets and took loans to pay for his father’s treatment.
Recalling those days, Asif says that he can never forget one particular day when he was studying in the eighth grade and was to write his exam, but he had no pen. “I was leaving for the examination hall and was worried. My mother came to know the reason for my worry, she sold a copper dish from her kitchen to buy me a pen.”
He says that his mother often sold household goods for the family, especially to meet the needs of the children.
The conditions at home were not conducive for Sheikh Asif to continue his studies. He left school and started working to support his family.
“I went against my mother’s wishes, as she wanted me to become a doctor most parents in Kashmir do, but I gave up my studies to support my financially broke family,” said. He was 15 years old in 2008 when he started earning for his family by doing odd jobs.
Sheikh Asif
Sheikh Asif was always fascinated by computers and spent a lot of time on them. Due to this, he got his first job as a data entry operator with a local tour and travel company at the age of 16. He earned a salary of Rs 1500.
Sheikh Asif said seeing his interest his father took a loan from a bank to buy him a computer. The turning point in his life came as he watched an interview with Microsoft founder Bill Gates on BBC.
He took full advantage of his computer and yet the challenge was the lack of a high-speed broadband facility in Kashmir. While the rest of the world was running 4G internet, in his locality only 2G internet was available.
He left his first job within two months and started working in a local shop as a salesman for four years. Here he honed his skills and learned all the basics including graphics designing, web designing, etc.
Again there was a rough patch in his life as in the 2014 Kashmir floods, his house was washed away. He used all his savings in rebuilding his house. The family had to start from scratch as all their household belonging had got damaged and washed away.
In the year 2014, he quit his job and started his business, but it turned out to be a year full of troubles for him.
Sheikh Asif’s Srinagar office
However, fortunately, the next year Asif got an opportunity to work in Delhi, and the exposure there opened his mind to a bigger canvas.
“The 2014 flood severely damaged our house and we had to repair or renovate it periodically for four consecutive years after the flood and finally had to sell the house in 2018,” he said.
In the meantime, he worked with OLX from April 2015, and from there he was offered a job at Trimax Printing and Graphics, a UK-based company owned by Tajinder Singh. He was working for the company Hayes Harlington. The company runs an online general store and it had no element of graphic designing till then.
Sheikh Asif told Awaz-The Voice: “I worked for Chanda Trimax Printings & Graphics. Meanwhile, the killing of a militant in Kashmir saw the valley under lockdown for nearly three months. For this reason, I left for Delhi.”
When he met Tajinder Singh in Delhi, the latter was facing issues with his business. His business was suffering due to low sales. Having seen his latent, Tajinder Singh offered him a job at Hayes, Harlington, UK, where Tajinder’s brothers were already working.
Sheikh Asif says he consulted his mother before picking the UKL job. He signed an agreement to work for 18 months and an assured return flight ticket to India.
“They told me that they had changed the name of Trimax Printings & Graphics to Thames Infotech on June 6, 2016,” Asif said.
He set foot on foreign soil for the first time in the first week of November 2016. However, the business did not show positive results there either, thus Tajinder’s brother advised him to find a part-time job in the UK to meet his expenses.
“When I was looking for a part-time job, I met Rizwan, a Kashmiri man originally from Baramulla district in North Kashmir, who came to Manchester in 2000 and now runs a restaurant, Riz Spices.
Sheikh Rizwan offered him a space in his restaurant to set up a part-time business. “Two months later I met another man, Hamza Salim, a senior software engineer at Google, who asked me to build a website for his tech company, on the condition that only if he liked my work I would be paid,” he said.
After approving his website design, Hamza Salim offered him 50 percent equity in his firm.
pix05
During this time, Asif meet many people including natives and others, and kept looking for opportunities.
One such person was Rudrigo Ruiz Karvajal, who frequented the restaurant. He offered me a place that was quite conveniently located. He told me that his father had started his business from there.
“I got my first order for a logo for which I was paid 500 pounds and I was only expecting 30-40 pounds. They gave me another order to build a website for which I was paid 7000 pounds.”
“I was wondering if it’s a dream. Never expected such high remuneration. This order was from the largest food chain in London called Zabka.”
On June 9, 2016, Asif took over the Thames Infotech Manchester UK company which has a current turnover of Rs 5 crore.
It has an office at Advent Colony in Naugam, Srinagar, Kashmir. He employs 35 locals including 32 in UK and 3 in Kashmir for website designing and development, digital marketing, graphics designing, personal branding, social media handling, etc.
Sheikh Asif told Awaz-The Voice that our company is a leading web designing company and has won the 2017, 2018, 2019, and 2020 awards as the Three Best Rated UK, and Best IT Service Provider Award 2018, 2019 organized by Top Developers USA, he claims.
Sheikh Asif said that he received the first award in the year 2003, less than one year after his launching of his company.
So far, Asif has trained around 1000 students, helped 40 businesses through the Covid-19 pandemic, and has published three books – Digitization In Business, Online Business Idea, and Start a Business.
Sheikh Asif was named Entrepreneur of the year 2022 by The Fireboxx. There he was honored by Google as a Digital Marketing Expert in 2018.
To the youth, Sheikh Asif says they must never lose hope and always keep their focus on business. Secondly, they must avoid drugs. They shouldn’t waste their lives by getting immersed in romantic liaison and heartbreaks; these are temporary phases of life and not a goal. “Your personality is your work,” he says.
source: http://www.awazthevoice.in / Awaz, The Voice / Home> Youth / by Shah Imran Hasan, New Delhi / December 17th, 2022
