Syed Gulab, an automobile spray painter by profession, is a saviour for many who live on the pavement outside NIMHANS and nearby hospitals.
He has been serving free lunches to over 300 people for the last two years.
People come from across the country to admit their family members at these hospitals.
But with very little savings they tend to skip meals for days to afford the treatment at the hospital. The hospitals only provide food for the patients and not their family. Unable to afford accommodation the relatives also sleep on the pavements or sheds outside the hospital. Pained by this scene while visiting a relative at a hospital in 2015, Gulab started serving the meals.
“The sight would pain me and I wanted to do something about it,” said Gulab who has set up the Roti Charity Trust for carrying out the initiative.
Gulab started it with the support of some of his friends. “We started by serving lunch on Sundays as the nearby hotels would remain closed at noon. I was inspired by Azhar Maqsusi from Hyderabad who has been feeding destitute people every afternoon for the last six years in the Old City,” he added.
When Maqsusi met Gulab on his visit to Bengaluru he was impressed by the initiative and said he will also support Gulab. He then started sending 30 bags of rice weighing 25 kg each to Gulab every month.
“It was due to his encouragement and support that we were able to make it a daily service,” Gulab added.
Gulab has now rented a small house near Jayanagar to store his materials. The lunch is cooked by 1 pm and a van takes the food to the hospital to be served by 2 pm.
They started serving breakfast — idli and chutney — a few months ago.
Gulab said they have never sought for donations but many people have come forward with donations.
Sharath Kumar from Kolkata has admitted his child at the Indira Gandhi Institute of Child Health for a kidney disease for the last two months. “Gulab is a blessing in disguise. It is because of him that people like me are able to get our meals,” Kumar said.
source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> City / by Aparna Karthik, DH News Service, Bengaluru / October 20th, 2018
Nusaiba, the sole working woman from her family, runs her own boutique on Commercial Street. A fan of Sabyasachi and Manish Malhotra, she was once recognised as a homemaker alone, but today aims to turn her designs into a brand one day. Her journey till this point, she claims, has been a result of maintaining a fine balance between her household expectations and her passion for her dreams. “My kids were young and I had to attend classes to learn more about designing. It was tough but I had my mind set on opening a boutique, so I managed it,” she recalls.
One of Nusaiba’s designs
Now, she says, her kids are proud of her. “Their school bus passes by my store. They feel happy to tell their friends that this is their mother’s store. On the opening day, my daughter struck off my occupation as ‘housewife’ and wrote ‘fashion designer’ in her school diary.”She also goes on to give credit to her family members, saying, “My husband, a businessman, is a great support. All my family members are supportive,” she adds.
Popularly known as Dadu, the passionate fashion designer has named the boutique on Promenade Road after this nickname. “My customers ask me about the name of the boutique. They say it is intriguing,” Dadu says with a smile.Speacialising in Indo Western wear, Dadu provides customised services. “I discuss client requirements and design the attire accordingly. I show them my colour charts and once it’s all finalised, we work on designs. I give my suggestions and draw them out for my customers,” she explains.
It takes Dadu two weeks to complete an order. “It takes time because we source fabrics from Kolkata and Mumbai. We source white fabrics, dye them to the client’s preferred colour, and then polish them,” she says. Behind this successful woman, is a team of 15 who aid her.
“Only after the trial is done and the fitting is right, we deliver the order,” she says, adding that she always maintains client relationships even after orders are delivered.On an average, she gets at least four to five orders a day. “We have many regular customers. I have customers from the UK and the US as well, who have liked the designs I share on social media, and have gotten in touch with me. I have been getting a good response,” she says.
Dadu is a diploma holder in fashion designing, with a one-year diploma course in Calicut and another 1.5 year diploma course in Bengaluru. With the sky as the limit for her dreams, she is planning to expand her venture to Kochi, Hyderabad and Chennai in two years.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Bengaluru / by Akhila Damodaran, Express News Service / October 23rd, 2018
British Indian World War II spy Noor Inayat Khan may be the next face of British currency. A campaign for the same is gaining momentum wherein people are demanding the spy to be featured on a redesigned 50-pound currency note.
The Bank of England had recently announced plans for a new polymer version of the large denomination note to go into print from 2020 and indicated that it would invite public nominations for potential characters to appear on the new note.
An online petition in favour of the campaign has already garnered over 1,200 signatures by Wednesday, calling for Khan, a descendant of Tipu Sultan and daughter of Indian Sufi saint Hazrat Inayat Khan, to be considered as the first ethnic minority British woman to be honoured on the currency.
“I am absolutely delighted that the story of Noor Inayat Khan has inspired so many people and that she has become an icon. Noor was an extraordinary war heroine,” said Shrabani Basu, the author of Khan’s biography ‘Spy Princess’ and founder-chair of the Noor Inayat Khan Memorial Trust.
The trust was set up in 2010 to campaign for a memorial in honour of the war-time spy, who had been recruited by Britain’s Special Operations Executive (SOE) and infiltrated beyond enemy lines before being captured and killed by the Nazis in 1944, aged only 30.
Khan’s memorial bust now has a permanent home at Gordon Square in central London, with the trust also lobbying for a commemorative blue plaque to mark the house nearby where she spent time with her family.
“I am very happy to support the campaign for Noor Inayat Khan on the 50-pound note. It is a way of keeping her memory alive and taking this story to the next generation. It will certainly make a big statement internationally because Noor was someone who believed in breaking down barriers,” Basu said.
The campaign has found the backing of prominent political leaders, historians and academics in the UK, with many taking to social media to voice their support.
“The new 50-pound note could have anyone on it. I’m backing Noor Inayat Khan. She volunteered for SOE, served bravely as an agent in occupied Europe, was eventually captured and murdered. A Muslim, a woman, a hero of WWII. This would celebrate her courage and all SOE,” said Conservative Party MP Tom Tugendhat, who is currently leading the UK Parliament’s Global Britain and India Inquiry.
“Just returned from both East Africa and the Western Front and am more than ever aware of the shared service and sacrifice of men and women of many backgrounds. I would love to see Noor Inayat Khan on the new 50-pound note,” said Melvyn Roffe, Principal at George Watson’s College in Edinburgh.
Noor Inayat Khan, born in Moscow to an Indian father and American mother, was raised in Paris and Britain. As a Sufi, she believed in non-violence and also supported the Indian independence struggle.
But she felt compelled to join the British war effort against fascism and went on to become the first female radio operator to be infiltrated into Nazi-occupied France before she was captured, tortured and killed at the Dachau concentration camp in Nazi Germany.
“In this age, when we see a rise in anti-semitism, anti-Muslim hatred and intolerance, it is important that we continue to build bridges and show positive contributions from Britain’s ethnic and religious minorities, not least one of World War II’s almost forgotten heroes, a British Muslim woman,” said social activist Zehra Zaidi in the online petition she started to campaign for Khan as the face of the new banknote.
The 50-pound currency will be the final redesigned note to go into circulation after notes in the denomination of 5 and 10 have already been reissued in polymer. The new 20-pound polymer note will go into circulation from 2020 when the 50-pound is set to go into print to be circulated later.
“The bank will announce a character selection process for the new 50-pound note in due course, which will seek nominations from the public for potential characters to appear on the new note,” the Bank of England said.
With Inputs From PTI
source: http://www.indiatimes.com / India Times / Home> News> India / October 18th, 2018
The family had moved to England at the Queen’s behest, bringing great solace to an increasingly homesick Karim, said Mahmood.
Javed Mahmood, Abdul Karim’s great grandson
It was an April morning in Bengaluru and Javed Mahmood, as was his custom, sat down to flip through the newspapers. The year was 2010, nearly two decades since he had moved to the city to live a quiet retired life. His relatives were scattered between Bengaluru and Karachi, as they had been since Independence. Very little remained of the family’s rich history, much of what they had left was lost in the traumas of Partition and mostly forgotten. That summer morning in 2010, however, everything changed. Mahmood found, to his astonishment, that Indian author Shrabani Basu’s Victoria and Abdul: The True Story of the Queen’s Closest Confidant had uncovered the truth behind his great grandfather Abdul Karim telling a tale of friendship and loyalty. Mahmood talks to Darshana Ramdev about a family that has been steeped in history since, with his father, Anwar being a founding member of Bata in 1933.
“I rushed at once to the British Council and asked them to help me contact her,” said Mahmood, whose grandfather, Abdul Rashid, was Karim’s adopted son. “We didn’t actually know he was adopted until Karim’s death in 1909 and the inheritance had to be dealt with.” The family had moved to England at the Queen’s behest, bringing great solace to an increasingly homesick Karim. “The Queen made them feel very much at home my grandfather received the same education that Edward VII and the rest of her children had earlier received.” The Queen, who was aware of the couple’s inability to have children, sent her personal physician, Dr. John Reid, to examine (much to his horror) Karim’s wife.
Abdul Karim with his adopted son, Abdul Rashid in England
“Abdul Karim had been greatly maligned by historians the Queen’s family may have wanted to destroy all trace of his presence in the court. Ms Basu had gained access to hidden archives, however. Our family still had a few documents – the diary being one of them, so Shrabani and I hopped on a plane to Karachi at once!” Karim’s descendants there were understandably wary, but Mahmood succeeded in coaxing them to part with the diary. Like most people of the time, Karim maintained meticulous written records into his life, which helped set the record straight on the stream of allegations that had been made against his character. “The diary proved beyond doubt that their relationship was marked by great affection, but had remained platonic always,” said Mahmood.
Javed Mahmood’s father, Anwar Mahmood, was one of the founding members of Bata in 1933. He started the Trot Shoe Company in 1963, setting up a second factory in Whitefield in 1970.
It contained valuable insights into Queen Victoria’s much loved Munshi, or teacher, the prepossessing young man who won the affections of a foreboding monarch with a reputation for a heart of stone. He was presented as an orderly to the Queen, which he didn’t like it was not a fitting position for the son of a landed ‘doctor’. He soon found himself promoted to Munshi, leading the now ailing Empress to a discovery of India. The Queen’s love for her young munshi drew jealousy, hatred and racial prejudice in a society known for its repressive puritanical leanings. Neither cared, however, with the Queen sticking her neck out on numerous instances to defend her young friend. “She was always caring and appreciative of our customs every Eid, she would walk across the grounds to Karim Cottage (on the Osborne House estate) to visit the family.” They were, in turn, invited up to the palace for tea during Christmas “The Queen would even have the windows covered with silk curtains so Karim’s family could keep the purdah. He was also a wonderful cook he would cook for her on occasion, as an act of love.”
Little was known of his life after the Queen’s death in 1901: Karim and his family were unceremoniously deported, almost at once, by a jealous Edward VII, who been aroused to such fits of rage that he had even attempted to force his mother to abdicate from office, on grounds of insanity. “Soon after the Queen’s death, King Edward arrived at Karim Cottage in Osborne House and ordered Rashid, who was a teenager at the time, to scour the house for any heirlooms or documents that contained the royal insignia. The little they could salvage, including Karim’s diary, returned with him to Agra in 1901, where he died eight years later. “He died at the age of 48 and the family was given his inheritance,” said Mahmood.
These remained with the family for some decades, until talk of Partition began to do the rounds. “We were a fairly prominent family and were advised at the time to shift temporarily to Bhopal, until the trouble blew over,” said Mahmood. This they did, greatly underestimating the scope of the problem and packing only the essentials. When the Partition took place, the family was evacuated to Mumbai, but many of the treasures were lost in transit. “The diary was with my grandfather, who was the custodian of Karim’s things.” The family moved to Karachi, save for Mahmood’s mother, Begum Qamar Jahan and two sisters. The diary went to Pakistan with them. “One of the sisters eventually shifted to Pakistan too,” he explained.
Meanwhile, in 1933, Bata, which was a burgeoning Czech company, found itself in hot water after the nation was declared Communist. The company decided to set up a factory near Calcutta, where leather was widely available. The large Muslim population in the area was another perk, providing the tannery services they so badly needed. “My father, Anwar Mahmood, was one of the founding members of the company,” he said. He joined the company at the age of 16 and worked there for nearly 30 years before he started his own business, the Trot Shoe Company. The first factory was set up in Kolkata in 1963 and the second in Whitefield, in 1970. “The organised shoe industry didn’t exist in South India and the Karnataka government had offered businesses a number of benefits, which led us here,” said Mahmood. Natural rubber, an important raw material and was grown abundantly in Kerala, making it easily accessible. “My elder brother managed the factory here, I handled the one in Kolkata and my parents shuttled between the two cities. When my younger brother was ready to start work, we established a third branch in Hosur.” Javed Mahmood and his younger brother still call Bengaluru home.
Mahmood tells his story from San Francisco, where calls have been pouring in from across the world since the release of the film, Victoria and Abdul. “The film is doing very well, it’s being shown at local theatres here as well and friends have been getting in touch to tell me how much they enjoyed it,” he smiles.
“My great grandfather’s relationship with the Queen had been presented as scandalous and sleazy he was falsely accused of every imaginable sin. Ms Basu read Karim’s diary cover-to-cover and brought those insights into the second edition of her book.” And that’s how Abdul Karim’s story received its long overdue re-telling, well over a 100 years after his death in 1909. “Queen Victoria was a woman far ahead of her times, rising well above the prejudices that so plagued her society, to defend the young Indian man she called a friend. I think there’s a lesson in it for all of us even today.”
source: http://www.deccanchronicle.com / Deccan Chronicle / Home> Nation – In Other News / by Darshana Ramdev, Deccan Chronicle / October 14th, 2017
RJ and entrepreneur Shabbeer Ahmed turns back the pages to simpler times in a smaller city
I first moved Bengaluru in the year 1995. Back then, all the roads were lined with trees, which looked wonderful when they bloomed, and the traffic situation was not so bad. My favourite road in fact was Bannerghatta road, which in those days was considered the fringe of the city, where people came for a relaxing drive. I actually used to stay near the Meenakshi temple in Hulimavu, areas which were barren a few years back. There used to be a water theme park near Bannerghatta which is no more, and now the area is just like any other part of the city. We spent many days on motorcycle rides in this area, stopping to buy egg puffs from the lovely bakeries that dotted the route.
There are fewer migratory birds these days as well. Until a while back the areas surrounding Madiwala Lake had a lot of birds come around, which has lessened and now you see birds on terraces instead. We even saw water snakes on the banks of the lake, and we’d give them names, like Ka from Rudyard Kipling’s The Jungle Book.
Personally, since I’m a massive food lover, I like to go to Fanoos to grab a roll and then head to Makkah cafe in Johnson Market, where I can sit with a suleimani tea and chat with people. Being a nature lover, I also enjoy trips to Bannerghatta National Park when I can. And there’s nothing like a trip to South Bengaluru for some authentic idli, vada, and dosa.
It is true that Bengaluru has become very commercial and industrial, but that has also led to it gaining in infrastructure and opportunity. There are so many options for youngsters here.
As told to Sooraj Rajmohan
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Life & Style – Insider / by Sooraj Rajmohan / October 03rd, 2018
The general meeting of Meenu Marata & Commission Agentara Sangha was held at the office of the sangha here recently.
C M Mustafa was elected president, Bharath Bhooshan elected honorary president, K Ashraf as executive president, K E Rashid as vice president, K Abdul Azeez P P A as treasurer, K M Ibrahim as chief secretary, J B Shiva as joint secretary and C B Azharuddin, K M Bava and S A Saleem were elected executive committee members on the occasion.
source: http://www.daijiworld.com / DaijiWorld.com / Home> Karnataka / by Spoorthy Ullah, Daijiworld Media Network – Mangaluru(EP) / September 21st, 2018
Cheil India has appointed Moosa Khan and Nitin Pradhan in their senior creative leadership. The duo will report to Sagar Mahabaleshwarkar.
Khan joins as head of digital (creative) and Pradhan takes on the role of senior executive creative director.
Speaking on the appointment, Atika Malik, chief operating officer, Cheil WW India, said, “We are the Agency of Now where creativity is inspired by technology. I am extremely happy that Moosa and Nitin will add their digital capability, creativity and energy to Cheil. I look forward to working closely with them to inspire new ideas and solutions for our progressive brands. For 15 years Cheil in India has provided brand solutions across retail, experiential, digital and communication to transform our client’s businesses. They will be a great asset to our creative strength and we welcome them warmly into the Cheil family.”
“I am delighted to welcome Moosa and Nitin to our team. Both of them are exceptional creative talents to have on board. While Moosa has immense understanding of new age digital media, Nitin is a fantastic creative talent with great ability of storytelling. Most importantly, we all have a shared passion for creative excellence and digital innovation. With these beliefs firmly at the heart, Moosa and Nitin will be a tremendous asset to our bold creative ambitions. Wait and watch as magic happens!” added, Sagar Mahabaleshwarkar, chief creative officer, Cheil WW India.
What it takes to build the reputation of a brand
Khan brings with him over 10 years of experience in digital as well as traditional advertising. He has worked across agencies such as Dentsu Webchutney, Madison, TBWA and Jack in the Box Worldwide.
Pradhan, a known name among the advertising fraternity, has 17 years of experience working with– Ogilvy, JWT, McCann, Leo Burnett and the likes.
source: http://www.brandequity.economictimes.indiatimes.com / ET Brand Equity / Home> The People Report / June 02nd, 2018
Yesterday evening as I was turning the pages of SOM to scan the headlines, I literally jumped out of my skin in excitement upon stumbling on the news that the Gun House Imperial Restaurant that used to once function from the Palace Gun House was soon going to throw its doors open once again to customers after a gap of thirty long years. I do not know what this bit of news is going to mean to other people but to me it perhaps is the beginning of the coming true of a long cherished dream and the end of a sense of anguish that had been gnawing at my heart strings ever since the hotel suddenly shut its doors without as much as a hint that it was going out of business.
My first memory of this once very beautiful landmark of our city is from the early sixties when I used to go there once a year in the company of Prof. M. Salar Masood, the younger brother of my maternal grandfather Alhaj M. Khaleelur Rahman. He was a Professor of Geography at Manasagangothri and it was he who usually took all the children of the large household on frequent excursions to the Palace, the Jagan Mohan Art Gallery, the Zoo, the Brindavan Gardens and Srirangapatna.
The large household that I am talking about was more of a hostel than a home as at any given time it used to have at least a dozen children of all shapes, sizes and ages! This was the result of my grandfather’s penchant for inviting all his relatives, especially those from the Malnad areas, to leave their children under his care here in Mysuru for their education. That is how I became an inmate of this warm and cozy nest of immeasurable happiness when I joined the Good Shepherd Convent School in the year 1960.
Our visits to the Palace Gun House used to be an annual affair to watch the ceremonial firing of the canons housed there to mark the beginning of the Dasara festivities. It used to be a very exciting moment with all of us expectantly staring with unblinking eyes at the red-turbaned guard on horseback at the Southern Gate of the Palace. Upon a cue from the Durbar Commandant that the Maharaja had arrived, he would raise the red flag which used to be the signal for the head of the battery to shout “Fire” at the top of his voice. That was when the gunners in green tunics and red turbans would start touching the firing holes of their loaded canons with smouldering wicks in a sequence. The almost blinding orange flash would be accompanied by a deafening boom followed by a thick cloud of acrid black smoke that I would find intoxicating!
The batch of seven cannons would be reloaded twice to complete the volley of the twenty-one shots that had to be fired for the occasion. And, this reloading had to be done only after thoroughly rinsing the barrels with cold water and brushing them dry once again. This precaution was most essential to ensure that there were no traces of smouldering gunpowder inside that could prematurely set off the powder charge the moment it was rammed down the barrel!
A team of City Armed Reserve (CAR) Police personnel conducting dry practice of cannon firing at the Mysore Palace
Somewhere down the years, for some inexplicable reason, these seven cannons along with their four accompanying ox-drawn powder carriages were shifted to the long verandah of the Palace where they now stand all through the year except when they are taken to the Bannimantap Grounds on Vijayadashami Day for the breathtaking Torchlight Parade that is undoubtedly the pride of our annual Dasara!
Now, it is not just for the annual firing of the cannons that the Palace Gun House had become dear to me. Long after the show had stopped there and well after I had grown up into a man from the school boy that I was, I found myself drawn to it for a completely different reason. Very soon after I joined the Mysore Medical College to do my MD in Medicine the Mysore royal family converted the place into a restaurant. Because of its unique ambience and the excellent food it served, most of our unit get-together and dinners used to take place there. Then, when I got married, soon after passing my MD, it also became the favourite dining-out place for me and my wife, especially on every Saturday evening!
Incidentally, on the days when my practice was unusually good, I would invariably take her to the Metropole Hotel, which was again in a building that was once a royal Guest House. These two places were the ones that served the best chilli chicken and egg fried rice, which accompanied by some chilled Torino and the timelessness of each others’ company was nothing but pure Nirvana for the two of us!
Gun House also had a live band where Sebastian Deniz, my favourite singer, used to perform with his fellow musicians on weekends. Fondly known to all as ‘Singing Seby,’ he knew all my favourite Jim Reeves and Frank Sinatra numbers so well that without the slightest need to be told he would start singing them the moment he would see us walking in! He had a voice that could make even unwilling hearts melt which was why perhaps we used to see so many boys taking their still undecided lady loves there for dinner!
Along with Seby’s voice the irresistible chilli chicken too perhaps played its part in breaking down any remaining traces of indecision and resistance to the proposals they made! So when the magical Gun House suddenly shut shop, it was sudden heartbreak for my wife and me and ever since then it has always been a bitter-sweet experience to drive past it. Sweetness from the warm recollection of the almost magical time we once had there and bitterness that it was the end of an era that was so dear to us! Hopefully, the clock is now all set to turn back and the good old days of our nostalgia are poised to come back once again!
source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> Columns: Over A Cup of Evening Tea / by Dr.K. Javeed Nayeem MD – email:kjnmysore@rediffmail.com / September 21st, 2018
Shaik Ahmed, a roadside tea seller, plans to contribute his earnings on Saturday for rain relief works in Kodagu. | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
A tea seller at Channarayapatna has contributed his day’s earnings towards the relief works in flood-affected Kodagu. Shaik Ahmed, 60, opened his shop on Bagur Road at 5 a.m. on Saturday with a board stating that whatever he got on the day would go to the flood relief funds.
Till 6 p.m., he had collected a little over ₹7,000. “My aim is to collect at least ₹10,000 for the relief work. I will keep the shop open till 9 p.m. and will hopefully reach the target,” he said.
Mr. Ahmed, a native of Sakleshpur taluk, has been living in Channarayapatna for the past three decades. For years he worked in hotels, but about six months ago he decided to open a tea stall of his own.
Mr. Ahmed, a father of three, was moved by the plight of the victims on news media. “I felt bad for the people affected. My wife and children also supported my decision. We have decided to make Bakrid a simple affair this year,” he said. He added that the business on the day was better than most days. On a normal day, he requires 25 litres of milk, but on Saturday he needed 40 litres.
“I did not give tea or coffee to any customer on credit today.My customers obliged. Many of my friends came to my shop just to give me some business,” he said. He plans to hand over the money to the authorities on Sunday.
Many organisations, including the Hassanunit of Red Cross, have collected donations from people for relief works in Kodagu and Kerala. Members of Prakruti Seva Samudaya, which works for the welfare of transgenders, have also raised funds for flood victims.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Karnataka / by Special Correspondent / Hassan – August 18th, 2018
Muslim Vellori, a prominent but not so well-known freedom fighter, did not restrict his public role to the freedom struggle but also played a prominent role in social service
The name of Muslim Vellori does not ring a bell now, but for an older generation of Bangaloreans, particularly Muslims in the city, that name is remembered with a sort of awe as he was a valiant freedom fighter. Born Mohammed Abdul Wahid Khan in 1883 in Ganjam near the historic town of Srirangapatna, Khan grew up to be known as ‘Muslim Vellori’ as he spent most of his childhood studying in a madrasa (Islamic seminary) in Vellore. Even though his father was in the army, Vellori grew up to develop an aggressive anti-British sentiment.
Vellori began working in a shipping company owned by his relatives in Bombay (now Mumbai) after completing his studies in Vellore. His granddaughter Dr. Shakira Khanum, who now teaches in Al-Ameen College, recalled an incident that Vellori had narrated to her. “Once, in Bombay, a Britisher made fun of his beard. My grandfather, who hated the British, was so livid that he almost shot the man,” said Khanum. Working in a shipping company at the time also ensured that he was among the few privileged Indians who could travel as his work took him beyond the shores of India. Vellori travelled to Burma, Sumatra and Java (now part of Indonesia), Mauritius, Ceylon (now Sri Lanka), Madagascar and to several cities in the Middle East. It was during his travels that he met Mahatma Gandhi in Durban. Gandhi and Vellori supposedly became quite close and the former had a formative influence on Vellori’s life.
As Vellori came of age, he came to acquire a reputation of being a fiery orator and through the course of his life took part in many anti-colonial struggles all over the country. He is particularly remembered for his role during the Khilafat movement (1919-1922) where he met many prominent freedom fighters including Mahatma Gandhi, the Ali brothers: Mohammed Ali and Shaukat Ali, Dr. Mukhtar Ahmed Ansari, Hakim Ajmal Khan, Saifuddin Kitchlew. Even the great poet Mohammed Iqbal is supposed to have lauded him for his passionate speeches when he exhorted the audience to support the Khilafat movement in Mumbai. Vellori was jailed several times for his provocative speeches and was even incarcerated in Bangalore Central Jail between 1924 and 1927. Even in prison, he is supposed to have been a recalcitrant internee and often questioned the authority of the jailers.
Vellori did not restrict his public role to the freedom struggle but also played a prominent role in social service. He raised funds to found orphanages in Mysore (now Mysuru) and Cuddapah (now Kadapa). Considering that he was close to several Congress leaders in the state and was recognised as a prominent Muslim leader who staunchly opposed the two-nation theory, he was nominated to the Mysore Legislative Council and was a member in the 1950s during the chief ministership of Kengal Hanumanthaiah. In later years, Jawaharlal Nehru called on him when he visited the state. Towards, the end of his long life Vellori became bitter as he was marginalised by the state leadership of the Indian National Congress and was ignored by the Muslims of the state who no longer felt that he was a suitable leader. An early resident of Jayanagar, Vellori died on Oct. 31, 1977.
(Information for this article has been gleaned from a short booklet published by Vellori’s granddaughter, Dr. Shakira Khanum, who teaches Hindi at Al-Ameen Degree College in Bangalore. Dr. Khanum has also painstakingly collected much of the supporting evidence for her grandfather’s illustrious life including a letter from Tulsidas Jadhav, who was Gandhi’s secretary briefly, attesting to Vellori’s close connections with the father of the freedom movement.)
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Society> History & Culture / by Vikhar Ahgmed Sayeed / August 02nd, 2018
