Becoming the youngest female lifter wasn’t an easy task but Maryam Mohammed’s focus helped her achieve it
Maryam Mohammed lifting weight during the tournament
Bengaluru:
Among the many champions who participated in the event, it was 13-year-old Maryam Mohammed who became the youngest female lifter to set a deadlift record in the Push-Pull Championship. Sports establishment Professional Raw organised the first championship at Onyx Fitness which Mohammed was a part of. There were over 300 athletes from across the country who registered themselves for the event.
It’s not the first win for the young lifter either. Speaking to CE, she says, “It’s the fourth competition that I have won so far. I started powerlifting two and half years ago, when the pandemic started and schools went online.” Her father, Mohammed Azmat, who is a powerlifter himself, has been doing it for over three decades now. “He’s my biggest inspiration. He’s the one who trains me and my younger brother has also started participating in competitions now,” Mohammed says.
She spends her weekdays on school work and uses her weekends to train. The basement of their home has been converted into a gym set-up which has helped her practice more. “I know there are many strong people out there but all I do is focus on the bar and just lift it. There’s nothing else to do,” she says, adding that her younger brother is more focused, something she is working on.
While Mohammed is hoping to get better and win more awards, her father encourages another strategy. “Medals can always be achieved but if they grow up without character, it won’t be of any use,” he says, pointing out that Mohammed always grew up watching him practice in their home set-up. “After she was born, my wife needed my help at home. So, I set up a gym to spend more time at home. Maryam grew up watching me lift weights and when she was finally ready, she showed interest,” he explains.
He adds that neither of the children was ‘forced’ into following in their father’s footsteps. “Seeing them be happy with what they want to do is what I encourage them to follow. They were never forced to follow my footsteps but it’s definitely an icing on top for them to have shown interest,” Azmat says.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Bengaluru / by Anila Kurian, Express News Service / April 18th, 2022
By the time Mohammed Javed participated in his first Ironman competition, he was already 53 – an age when most people have begun making retirement plans.
But, for Javed, now a lithe 62, the Ironman competition in Port Elizabeth, South Africa, in March 2015, marked the beginning of a new life: one that took him on globe-trotting adventures around the world as he participated in more such challenges in France, Germany and Malaysia, among others.
“These are all ‘finisher’ medals,” he told the GDN proudly, pointing to an array of medals he brandished in one hand. “They are given to every athlete that participates in these competitions, regardless of which position they finish in.”
Given the tough nature of the Ironman Triathlon, which requires a 3.8km swim, a 180.2km bicycle ride and a marathon 42.2km run to be completed in under 17 hours, Javed had every reason to beam as he did.
“Even though it was my first Ironman,” he said, referring to the Port Elizabeth event, “I completed it in just over 14 hours and came seventh in my age category. I was extremely happy to just be able to participate in it and to complete it in the time that I managed was the icing on the cake, especially after the really taxing swim in the very rough sea.”
He repeated the feat in Malaysia, almost mirroring the time he managed in South Africa and actually bettered that in the next Ironman he registered for, which was in Nice, France.
Outperform
“It was just by a few minutes and still just over 14 hours,” Javed laughed. “But, as every athlete will tell you, when you compete in such events, you’re not just competing with others, you’re also trying to outperform your previous attempt and trying to improve on it. So I was really happy about that.”
As someone who is essentially only a part-time athlete juggling a full-time job with his passion for running, Javed explained, he approached every competition with the clear understanding that winning was never an option – and that, just the thrill of being able to participate would have to do.
“There’s no way that someone like me, who works 12-14 hours and only gets a couple of hours to train every day, could hope to compete with elite, professional athletes, who are able to devote every day of the year to their training,” he added.
“But, again, I am so happy and blessed that I have been able to participate in these competitions, rub shoulders with those athletes, watch how they go about their business and learn and apply that to my own preparation.
“It’s all due to the very generous support I have been given by my benefactors who have sponsored me and enabled my participation in these events. I am especially grateful to the late Shaikh Ebrahim bin Abdulla Al Khalifa, who was the chairman of Bahrain Road Runners for over a decade, and the very generous Fouad Hussain Showaiter. Both these gentlemen went out of their way to financially support my participation in all these international events.”
The biggest blessing, Javed said, as he looked back on the 40 years he has spent in Bahrain since arriving here as a 22-year-old from Karnataka, India, in 1982, is the opportunity he’s had to grow and flourish as an athlete.
When he first landed in Bahrain, he worked initially as a labourer before a leading construction company hired him as a heavy machinery operator. Then, in 1989, he applied to a leading hotel and was hired in housekeeping and soon made the transition to bell captain.
And then, came the first of many lucky breaks. “The hotel used to have inter-department sports competitions,” Javed said. “I took part in one – a 3km race – and I finished it in 9 minutes 27 seconds. That was it – the trajectory of my life changed from then on.”
The hotel’s general manager was so impressed by his performance that he decided to encourage Javed by granting him access to the health club and swimming pool – usually only allowed to hotel guests and top management.
“I was always a good sportsman – in fact, I was, and still am, a good cricketer too,” Javed explained. “And, suddenly, my athletic ability had a chance to be nurtured and prosper. So I really focused on long-distance running after that. I had run sprints – 100m, 200m – in school, but this was a different ball-game altogether.”
He started participating in every long-distance race that took place in the kingdom, thereafter, and eventually ended up becoming a member of the Bahrain Road Runners, a group that focuses on long-distance running and cross-country races.
“I never missed a single race,” Javed exclaimed, proudly. “Triathlons, biathlons, duathlons, aquathlons … you name it, I participated in it! And I won most of them!”
Now, though, despite the fact that he is still running competitively – he just took part in a Half Ironman event in Dubai in March – Javed is grappling with a difficult decision.
“The last few years have been a bit tough, professionally,” he said, contemplating his medals which he had spread out on a table. “Especially after Covid-19 and now, while I do have a job with a food delivery company, I’ve decided to go back to India next month.”
Then, he perked up again.
“While it would be nice to go back to my village and live a quiet life,” he grinned, “I know I won’t be able to run competitively again. And so, just when I thought I’d made up my mind definitively about moving back, I received a call just today from one of my benefactors who urged me to consider staying back so that I could compete in more competitions. So, maybe, I’ll do that instead!”
source: http://www.gdnonline.com / GDN Online, Gulf Daily News / Home> Other Sports / by Adnan Sipra / April 16th, 2022
Hundreds of devotees attend the rathotsava (chariot or car festival) at the historic Chennakeshava temple in Belur, Hassan district of Karnataka on April 13, 2022. | Photo Credit: Prakash Hassan
Moulvi reads excerpts from the Quran (Koran) to mark the beginning of the rathotsava (chariot or car festival) at the historic Chennakeshava temple in Belur
“I have been participating in the festival for the last 50 years,” says Syed Sajjad Khaji of Dodda Meduru, who read out excerpts from the Quran (Koran) to mark the beginning of the rathotsava (chariot or car festival) at the historic Chennakeshava temple in Belur on April 13.
His forefathers had read out excerpts from the Quran (Koran) during the festival in the past, and his children would continue the tradition in future, he says. “Whether you read Bible, Bhagvad Gita or the Koran, all texts spread the same message,” he adds, philosophically.
While Karnataka has seen several instances of Muslims being barred from putting up shops during temple festivals, the rathotsava at the 900-year-old Chennakeshava temple struck a different note by staying with the syncretic tradition. The festival began only after the moulvi recited the Koran, a custom whose origins are not clearly known in the temple built by Hoysala rulers.
K. Vidyullatha, Executive Officer of the temple, said that the custom is mentioned in the temple manual, which dates back to 1932. “We are following the customs mentioned in the manual. I am told this tradition has been followed for centuries. According to the chief priest, the custom began with the objective of involving people of all religions in the festival,” the officer said.
The temple regularly gives foodgrains to the families that play a role in the festival, as per the manual.
The festival saw around 15 Muslim shopkeepers putting up stalls in the temple premises, with civil society groups putting pressure on the authorities not to exclude them.
Ahead of the festival, members of Vishwa Hindu Parishad and Bajrang Dal had submitted a memorandum to the taluk administration seeking a ban on Muslim traders during the festival. They demanded that no Muslim be allowed to put up stalls during the festival, like in temples in Shivamogga and Sirsi. They succeeded in closing a shop run by a Muslim in a building that belongs to the temple. The Executive Officer ordered closure of the shop citing the Karnataka Hindu Religious Institutions and Charitable Endowments Act, 2002, which restricts allotment of space in Hindu religious institutions to non-Hindus.
Later, members of Dalit Sangharsha Samiti, Communist Part of India (Marxist), Raitha Sangha and other progressive organisations organised processions in Hassan and Belur to put pressure on the district administration not to comply with the demands of the Hindutva organisations. They wanted the district administration to facilitate the temple festival in a harmonious manner and participation of every community in the event. Elected representatives of the district too stressed on the need for participation of all communities., resulting in permission for all entrepreneurs to set up stalls during the festival.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> National> Karnataka / by The Hindu Bureau / Hassan, April 14th, 2022
Inayat Ali Mulki, one of the promising leaders of this generation, has been appointed as the general secretary of Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) under the strong leadership of D K Shivakumar.pix
Inayat Ali started his political career as a grassroot level worker, taking up the responsibility as the NSUI president for the Mulki block of Dakshina Kannada district.
He then continued to serve the Congress party as National NSUI general secretary and as the Karnataka Pradesh Youth Congress Committee general secretary, working under the guidance of the late Oscar Fernandes, Mukul Wasnik, Ashok Gehlot and Rahul Gandhi.
Inayat Ali expressed his humble gratitude for this new role in the Congress party and promised to continue his noble work for the overall betterment and the upliftment of the society.
source: http://www.daijiworld.com / Daijiworld.com / Home> Karnataka / by Media Release / April 09th, 2022
Suhana Safar, a fifth-year student of BA LLB integrated course at SDM Law College Mangaluru, has secured second rank at the Karnataka State Law University (KSLU) examination.
Suhana is a resident of Ullal Kodi and daughter of Haneef and Ruqiya.
She had appeared for the KSLU final year exams 2021 in Kannada medium and has secured second university rank.
Bushra topped among all institutes of the VTU with an aggregate CGPA of 9.73. She is also the first-rank holder in the civil engineering branch as well as in the women’s category.
Bushra Mateen receives the gold medals during the 21st annual convocation ceremony of Visvesaraya Technological University in Belagavi on Thursday
Bushra Mateen, a civil engineering student of SLN College of Engineering, Raichur, won 16 gold medals at the 21st annual convocation ceremony of Visvesvaraya Technological University (VTU) in Belagavi on Thursday. Bushra thus set a record for the most number of gold medals by a student in VTU’s history to date, overhauling the previous tally of 13.
Bushra topped among all institutes of the VTU with an aggregate cumulative grade point average (CGPA) of 9.73. She is also the first-rank holder in the civil engineering branch as well as in the women’s category.
She won the Shri SG Balekundri gold medal, JNU University gold medal, VTU gold medal, RN Shetty gold medal among others. She won two cash prizes too.
Bushra Mateen, a civil engineering student of SLN College of Engineering in Raichur
‘My father is a civil engineer and so is my elder brother. I got my inspiration from them. My family has been supportive of my choices, from taking up the course to choosing the college, they agreed with my choices and interest. My father wanted me to study medicine, but he was equally supportive when I told him about civil engineering. It involves visiting sites, practical and labour work that can challenge a girl’s capabilities but I always believed in my strength. This branch is not restricted to private companies but also has government jobs and my goal is to prepare for the UPSC now,” said Bushra.
“I always referred to textbooks as it increased my knowledge and prepared me for a competitive environment. I believed in God and never compared myself to others. I believe nothing is impossible to achieve if you have self-confidence and determination,” added Bushra who also expressed her gratitude towards the faculty of SLN College of Engineering for guiding her throughout the degree.
source: http://www.indianexpress.com / The Indian Express / Home> Cities> Bengaluru / by Rishita Khanna, Bengaluru / March 11th, 2022
Rishita is an intern with The Indian Express, Bengaluru
Amid the ongoing hijab row in Karnataka, another hijab-clad student Lamya Majeed from Karnataka has bagged seven gold medals and two cash prizes in M.Sc Botany at the 102nd convocation of the University of Mysore.
Majeed, a native of Mangalore district is currently working on her master’s thesis in the University of Mysore. She opted to study M.Sc Botany but didn’t have anything specific in her mind. As the years passed and she developed an interest in the subject and wants to engage in research works to help farmers.
Interested in plant pathology and plant disease, Lamya has also applied to go abroad for more research work, especially in the UK. She has also cleared the Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering (GATE).
Speaking to THG, Lamya said, “I’m a very average student and didn’t expect to get this much. But I really like the subject and my dreams are to do research in the field of Life Sciences. I had good company with me who also had similar dreams are like-minded people. We would all support each other and some of my best friends were like good support for me. Particularly, my parents, they’re my greatest support.”
When asked if she faced any obstacles during her journey, the gold medalist said, “I didn’t face any obstacles from my family but some other people have done it. Especially, because I opted for regular science courses, you know, the general Indian mentality of engineering and medicine. So my subject wasn’t something that is kind of not even mainstream, especially in my family. There are not many like the people who have done BSc or MSc, everyone took. And people were like because I couldn’t study engineering, I took botany. It’s not something that was hyped, I would say, not the first choice for many people.”
But the good thing is, Lamya said, the environment in her university was really nice. “They really encouraged research. So, I am someone who wants to get into research, which is why I am doing botany. It was a risky move in a way that you know, most of us are expected to just like go into teaching, or do this thing. I want to continue doing a Ph.D.,”
The 23-year-old topper wants to encourage to people to come in this field because basic sciences and research is something that is a thought like only certain section certain people can do but “it’s obtainable and not out of reach for not general public. An average person can dream of being a scientist or researcher,” she said.
With a percentage of 86 in her Pre University Exam and interest in biology, people expected Lamya to go into medicine. She said, “But that was not where my interest was. I have massive respect for whoever takes medicine but it was not for me.”
“I wasn’t really sure what a gold medal is, who select it or how do they select, nothing. It was actually a shock for me because one of my friends called me early in the morning and asked did you see they released the gold medalists’ names and your name is there several times on the list. I was like, oh my god, it was completely unexpected. My parents are so proud of me,” she told THG, when asked what was her reaction when she first got to know that she bagged 7 gold medals.
Daughter of a retired employee of Bharat petroleum, Lamya has worn hijab all her life, and never faced any problem at all. She said, “I have worn hijab and never faced any problem even now.”
“I really don’t want to comment on this (hijab controversy) although, I’m just upset that it has happened. I don’t really want to say anything I’m just wearing that itself is a statement,” Lamya said she doesn’t want to engage in the hijab dialogue.
Further talking of her future plans, she said, “I want to do PhD and become a research scientist in Plant Sciences. So right now I am in the University of Mysore working in the final year of my master’s thesis. I am currently working on that but in the meantime, I have been writing competitive exams. I’m trying to trying to build a portfolio so I can apply for PhD. I would either study here or even abroad because the opportunities are there in many places. I’m just seeing where I can fit the best.”
Conveying a message to especially young girls, the golden girl from coastal Karnataka said that they should trust themselves. “Girls should believe in their own worth and believe that they are as capable as anyone in their peers.”
When we feel like we are not being provided with the right opportunities, or we are not being taken seriously compared to others then we should take a stand because we are worth just as anyone else,” she adding that when given opportunies, “we can do so much more.”
“I believe everyone deserves the rights and opportunities that should be available to every child, regardless if they’re a boy or girl or trans or whatever they are. I want them to feel like they are deserving of every opportunity, deserving of love. They should feel that way and work towards their goals. They should believe in themselves, no matter who they are, and work towards their dream. If they trust themselves in the long run, no matter what people say, they’ll have themselves.”
source: http://www.thehindustangazette.com / The Hindustan Gazette / Home> News> Education / by Rabia Shireen / March 26th, 2022
Powerlifter Gulshan Banu Kazi has not only made her native Udupi, India proud but also Dubai proud by securing a world record among the master category athletes in the Professional Raw Organisations Push-Pull Championship 2022, a national level event held in Bengaluru recently.
This sporting event held at Onyx Fitness was one of the most popular internationally sanctioned national powerlifting championships, consisting of three main events -Bench Press, Deadlifts and Push-Pull.
Record holder Gulshan Banu Kazi is a 43-year-old mother of three, working six days a week at a corporate office in Dubai.
A native of Udupi, she is from Udupi and an alumnus of St Cecily’s and PPC College here .
She is a competitive Powerlifter. Powerlifting is a form of competitive weightlifting in which the contestants attempt three types of lifts in a set sequence, squat, bench press, and deadlift.
Gulshan started powerlifting training in the year 2019.
The training is tough. She trains at least four times a week for about 90 minutes each time and keeps a watch on her nutrition intake and sleep pattern.
She has been participating in a powerlifting competition in UAE and did well there. One of her latest has been the Pro-League National Championship-2022 where she hit five personal records and registered a World Record in Deadlifts (U82.5kg Masters and Open Category) by pulling 180 kgs. She becomes the first woman of India in her age and her weight category to pull off this deadlift.
Last April, she participated in the WPC National Powerlifting Championship securing four gold medals in Bengaluru. Gulshan Kazi won the Best Lifter Award in the Masters’ category.
Gulshan used to be above 100 kgs till 2016 when she suffered from Rheumatoid Arthritis.
Resistance training and tracking her food intake enabled her to start losing weight and gaining muscle. Soon after, she was introduced to powerlifting and has been consistent at it ever since.
She is grateful to Raju Pal, her first coach who introduced her to powerlifting and taught her all the basics.
Now she is training under Mohammad Azmat who is a multiple-time national and international medalist in powerlifting, having won medals for India in different federations. He has been coaching her since 2020.
Gulshan Kazi is looking forward to her representation at World Championships and working hard to make India proud.
source: http://www.daijiworld.com / Daijiworld.com / Home> Middle East / by Daijiworld Media Network – DRD / March 22nd, 2022
Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru | Photo Credit: The Hindu
The lab has been set up to build cutting edge AI products in the healthcare domain, and bridge the gap between clinical medicine and technology by training healthcare professionals in AI
To understand disease patterns and improve treatment outcomes using artificial intelligence (AI) tools, Aster CMI Hospital has joined hands with the Indian Institute of Science (IISc.) to launch an AI lab.
The lab has been set up to build cutting edge AI products in the healthcare domain, and bridge the gap between clinical medicine and technology by training healthcare professionals in AI.
The lab was launched by Azad Moopen, founder Chairman and Managing Director, Aster DM Healthcare; Lokesh B., Consultant Neurology at the hospital; and Phaneendra K Yalavarthy, Professor of Medical Imaging, Department of Computational and Data Sciences, IISc.
Aster CMI will work with Prof. Phaneendra K Yalavarthy and his team on ‘Development of Deep Learning Methods for Automated Tracking and Segmentation of Nerves in Ultrasound Images’.
Sriram Ganapathy, Associate Professor, Department of Electrical Engineering, IISc. has been collaborating on ‘Automatic Acute Stroke Symptom Detection Using Mobile Health Technologies’ and also on audio analytics in neurological disorders. Aster CMI believes that these initial projects have a direct impact on the current clinical practice in neurosciences.
At the launch, Dr Moopen said, “With the use of AI, doctors and medical providers will now be able to deliver more accurate diagnosis in the fastest possible time, which can aid the treatment journey. Also, AI would be a big leap towards predictive and proactive data analytics, which will improve preventive care recommendations for patients. We are glad to partner with IISc.”
Prof. Phaneendra K Yalavarthy, who has been instrumental in setting up the lab by providing the computational infrastructure and expertise, said, “AI-powered medical technologies have been rapidly evolving and have become powerful adjunct tools in clinical practice. The broad spectrum of digital medicine, especially to enable the 4P model of medicine (Predictive, Preventive, Personalised, and Participatory) involves natural collaboration between academic institutions and medical institutions.”
He said this artificial intelligence lab is a collaborative effort to develop these AI technologies in the hospital settings such that the translation to clinic will be seamless. “The initial focus of this collaborative lab will be in neurology and will later be expanded to other clinical specialities. We are thankful to Aster CMI for providing space to establish this lab in their hospital to enable co-development of some of these AI technologies for healthcare. This collaborative lab will enable the development of highly impactful research and technologies with a focus on translation to the bedside,” he said.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> National> Karnataka / by The Hindu Bureau / Bengaluru – March 19th, 2022
