Bushra Arshad with her husband and children. | Photo by arrangement
A mother of two, Bushra Arshad Bano’s story is one of grit and determination. Cracking the civil services exams for the third time last week, Bushra has finally secured her dream job of IPS.
Uttar Pradesh :
It is no easy feat for Bushra Arshad Bano from Kannuaj, Uttar Pradesh, a mother of two, to crack India’s toughest and prestigious civil services exam thrice.
Currently posted as a Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) Sadar in Firozabad, Bushra resumed her studies after thirteen years of marriage and cracked the civil services exam thrice and will be an Indian Police Service (IPS) officer – which has been her lifelong dream.
Bushra told TwoCircles.net that she has undergone four major surgeries but this didn’t deter her to fulfil her dreams. Expressing joy over being allotted the IPS category, she said, “I would join IPS as it has been my aim always.”
In earlier exams, Bushra Arshad was given IRS and was a top ranker in Uttar Pradesh Public Service Commission (UPPCS) exams.
Her achievement has been lauded by one and all.
Bushra Arshad, who hails from Saurikh village in Kannuaj, Uttar Pradesh, was the only Muslim participant to become SDM in UPPCS-2017. When she secured 277th rank in the UPSC result in July last year, she was selected for IRS, which as per her “did not satisfy her.” She appeared again in the exams and got 234th rank and secured IPS in the current seat allotment.
Bushra said she had resolved to continue to work hard till she came on top.
Bushra is fond of breaking the ‘myth’, proving misconceptions wrong, and breaking stereotypes.
Her family and relatives said that they always believed in her.
Bushra’s father is a farmer, and her mother is a homemaker. She comes from an educated family – both parents are graduates, and her siblings are well educated. Bushra, however, is extraordinary. After graduating at the age of seventeen, she completed her MBA degree before turning 20. She completed her studies till class XII from Kannauj and went to Kanpur to graduate.
Bushra said that she wanted to appear in the UPSC exam back then, but she was too young and wasn’t eligible.
According to Bushra’s mother Shama, “Bushra was admitted to 2nd standard at the age of four and a half years.”
“Bushra had learned so much at home that she never came second. She has a habit of being a topper. She has always been on top,” her mother told TwoCircles.net.
Bushra recalls relatives visiting her family and telling her family to make her (Bushra) a collector (considered a coveted job). Bushra has gone a step further and become a police captain.
“Age was never a bar for me. It never occurred to me that that I cannot give the UPSC exams or the JRF exams,” she said.
Bushra cleared the Junior Research Fellow (JRF) exam on her very first attempt and got a PhD in Distress Management from Aligarh Muslim University (AMU). It was while being at AMU that she married Asmar Hussain, an engineer. The couple went to Saudi where Asmar started teaching at a university there, and Bushra got a well-paying job in a company.
Forsaking their jobs, the couple returned to India.
“The only reason to return to my country was patriotism and unconditional love for the country. I often used to think that the knowledge that I have learned from the residents of my country in India, the skill generated from it should also benefit the residents of my own country. They should also get it, as it is their right,” she said.
Her husband Asmar Hussain told TwoCircles.net that she (Bushra) got a job in Coal India while being a mother of two. “Ten years passed, but her hunger for excellence kept on,” she said.
Talking about that period of her life, Bushra said, “I did the job honestly, and fulfilled my duty as a mother and as a wife.”
“Bushra is a hard-working woman who accomplishes what she decides to do,” her husband said.
Bushra’s story is a testament that nothing is impossible for this determined woman from Uttar Pradesh.
source: http://www.twocircles.net / TwoCircles.net / Home> Lead Story / by Aas Mohammad Kaif, TwoCirlcles.net / Devember 02nd, 2021
Kanthapuram says most of Waqf properties in Kerala belonged to Sunnis, and most of them were donated to Waqf with the purpose of conducting prayers for the dead and for ‘dars’ in mosques
Kerala Muslim Jamaat (KMJ) president Kanthapuram A.P. Aboobacker Musliyar has demanded that the government initiate a move to salvage the dispossessed Waqf properties in the State.
“As per the Waqf rules, a Waqf property can be used or managed only as per the will of the person who has bequeathed the property for Waqf. Many dispossessions and encroachments have taken place in violation of the Waqf rules,” said Mr. Kanthapuram, who also holds the title of the Grand Mufti of India.
He was inaugurating a State-level campaign by the Jamaat called ‘Vigil is the Strength’ in Thiruvananthapuram on Tuesday.
Mr. Kanthapuram said that most of the Waqf properties in the State belonged to Sunnis, and most of them were donated to Waqf with the purpose of conducting prayers for the dead and for ‘dars’ in mosques.
“Many such properties are now being used against their donors’ will. Many mosques and Waqf properties have been appropriated and encroached upon,” he said.
Pressure exerted
Although Sunnis used to bring the matter to the attention of the authorities, those in the Waqf Board were found to have been exerting pressure on the authorities to take biased decisions, he said, adding that “this cannot be allowed any longer.”
The Waqf Board and its ancillary systems should help retrieve the lost Waqf properties in the State, he said. “At the same time, the board should carry out programmes meant for the development of the Muslim community in the State,” he added.
Senior KMJ functionary Sayyid Thwaha Thangal presided over the function. Minister for Road Transport Antony Raju delivered the keynote address. N. Ali Abdullah presented the subject. Congress leader K.S. Sabarinathan, KMJ secretary A. Saifuddin Haji, Rahmatullah Saqafi, P.A. Mohammed Kunhu Saqafi and Devarshola Abdussalam Musliyar spoke.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Kerala / by Staff Reporter / Malappuram – December 15th, 2021
“To monitor the Covid-19 situation, every night I used to visit safe homes and oxygen parlours to see if everything is in the right condition or not,” said chairperson of administrative board of Kolkata Municipal Corporation Firhad Hakim.
Kolkata, WEST BENGAL :
Chairperson of administrative board of Kolkata Municipal Corporation Firhad Hakim. (Express photo)
Firhad Hakim, chairperson of administrative board of Kolkata Municipal Corporation and former Mayor, speaks to Atri Mitra on his tenure at the helm of KMC and his vision for the city.
You became Mayor of Kolkata at a crucial juncture.
When I became Mayor, (in November, 2018) within a few months, Covid-19 came to India. After that, lockdown. Then Cyclone Amphan came. I faced the challenges one by one.
In the initial days of the pandemic, even ambulance drivers were wary of taking patients to hospitals. Dead bodies were dumped at hospitals. Residents around crematoriums objected to bodies of Covid patients being brought for cremation.
We started cremation at our crematorium at Dhapa but some local residents of Dhapa pelted stones. They ransacked a van. Kolkata’s image took a hit. But we then reached out to people slowly and ensured that the cremation of Covid victims was done smoothly.
We also started sanitisation work across Kolkata. [Actor] Amitabh Bachchan also praised our work and said, “if Kolkata can, why not Mumbai?”
What were the challenges posed by Cyclone Amphan?
When we are just recovering from the Covid situation, Amphan came and within one night, all of Kolkata was affected. We accumulated our entire work force in one place. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee requested Odhisha for help. They sent a team of experts. Then, within 3-4 days, we were able to restore normalcy in Kolkata. Many people can criticise us but they should understand that when Amphan happened, my mayorship was not completed one year and this type of cyclone had not happened in Kolkata in the past 100 years or so. But we fought it unitedly and succeeded.
What is the biggest challenge you faced during your tenure as Mayor?
There were several. Now, we are facing challenge of substantial rainfall. I tried to solve problems from the streets, not from my chamber.
To monitor the Covid-19 situation, every night I used to visit safe homes and oxygen parlours to see if everything is in the right condition or not. Whether people are getting proper service or not. A former mayor (Shovan Chatterjee) may criticise me sitting in his residence but no one knows what he would have done if he had been in my situation.
The opposition is alleging that this board did not do enough to tackle waterlogging in the city.
One has to understand that rain and nature seem to be changing pattern. In the past, we never saw such floods in Kedarnath and Badrinath. Never saw a situation where Chennai, Mumbai, and even Delhi and Ahmedabad are facing flooding.
You have to give time. We have been planning. We are exploring new ways to drive away water. We talked with irrigation department to dredge the canals, too.
If you are again elected as Mayor, what is your plan?
First, I aim to improve the city’s sewerage system and sort out the waterlogging problems. We will call up experts to review the sewerage system of Kolkata and then we need full-fledged planning for this.
source: http://www.indianexpress.com / The Indian Express / Home> Cities> Kolkata / by Arti Mitra, Kolkata / December 18th, 2021
Children at Umeed Academy. | Picture by arrangement
Wali Rahmani’s work has earned him recognition and respect and people have come forward to sponsor the students in whatever way they can.
Kolkata :
Budding lawyer, human rights activist, orator, motivational speaker, social entrepreneur and a proud father to 140 children, 23-year-old Wali Rahmani hopes that one day all his children will be successful leaders and prove to be invaluable assets to the nation.
The 140 children who fondly call Wali Rahmani Abba Ji hail from different slums of Kolkata. Many of them are orphans and all of these children are from families caught in the vicious cycle of poverty.
Wali with his boys dressed for a skit on harmony. | Picture by arrangement
Wali Rahmani was just 18 when he first took 3 kids from a slum under his wing. These 3 kids, around 3-4 years old, were orphans. Wali, their Abba Ji, washed the soiled clothes of the kids, bathed, cooked and fed them–playing the role of a mother, a father, a nanny and a maid. His determination did not waver. Gradually, he found more and more people joining him which encouraged him to start and register ‘Umeed’, which served both as an orphanage and an educational academy.
The journey of Umeed When Wali Rahmani was just turning 18, many changes were taking place in the country which he said, “changed him as well.” The assembly elections of 2017 in the state of Uttar Pradesh, which brought Yogi Adityanath as the Chief Minister, became the turning point in Wali’s life and brought in its wake an energized goal and mission to work for the upliftment of the society.
Rahmani said he was “aghast that someone like Ajay Singh Bihist a.k.a Yogi Adityanath could become the CM.” He took to social media to talk about the injustices, violations of human rights and atrocities that were happening in the country. This was the beginning of Wali’s political journey. Soon, his fearless voice got him thousands of followers on Youtube, Facebook and other social media.
At one point, Wali paused to reflect that he is the only one talking against the oppression and gross injustices meted to people. Where are all the other youth leaders? Why are they not standing up against injustices? He spoke to his peers but they were keen only on pursuing their education, having fun and enjoying life. They did not want to take up these issues or even talk about them.
“I realized that my suggestions did not go down well with my peers. They did not want someone to tell them to ‘do this and do that.’ It became more of an ego thing,” Wali said, reminiscing the early days.
People who heard his talks on social media, his debates on the television channels looked up to him as the leader of the future. Wali, however, was not happy being a leader. He wanted more leaders in the community. According to him, a true leader is not someone who does not leave any legacy behind. He believes that a true leader creates more leaders and leaves behind a rich legacy. Instead of asking other youth to join him in the mission to raise their voice against the wrongs of society, he thought it is better to create new leaders. He believed that these will be small children who can be successfully molded to become strong leaders. He took a break from his studies for a year to work on this idea of creating future leaders.
“But where would I find these children whom I could train? Would any parent trust me enough to send the child to me? Then by chance, I came across a Hadith by our beloved Prophet (PBUH) wherein he mentioned the status of a Muslim who is kind to orphans. I felt that through this hadith, Allah was guiding me. So, I decided to take in children who had no parents,” Wali said.
“I had made up my mind that I want to be a father of 10 before I turn 20. And people laughed at me. They advised me to go study and asked me blunt questions related to my financial capability,” Wali said, “But I did not give up. It was the womenfolk who came forward to help me realize my dream”.
Wali said that he approached several people who had wealth and could easily help him but instead they scoffed at his idea.
“The very first person to help me was my mother. She believed in my dream. She was the first donor for Umeed,” Wali said while giving details of other donors who were also women.
He remembers the first donors fondly and with gratitude. One woman gave her gold finger ring because she was not earning and wanted to give what belonged to her. Wali likens this to the woman who donated her gold bangles to Sir Syed Ahmed when he was seeking donations for the Aligarh Muslim University.
Some girl students also promised monthly payments from their pocket money. And as they say, small drops of water make a mighty ocean, Wali Rahmani’s dream project began taking a concrete shape.
Today he runs the Umeed Academy in a rented apartment with 140 children. Some of these children are day scholars who are at the academy for at least 12 hours.
Many of these children are kids from slums whose parents are alcoholics, orphans who are homeless, kids who have parents but stay with their guardians to avoid the brutality that their parents either go through or make them go through, children with parents serving jail time. Some kids have homes not suitable to live in. The children of his academy are mostly from Muslim Ghettos.
Umeed Academy’s vision Wali envisions creating leaders who in turn will become capable to create more leaders. Year after year, Wali hopes, Umeed will produce leaders who will carry forward the legacy of Wali and his academy Umeed.
“Each child that graduates from Umeed shall be an institution builder and a leader. They will leave their imprints in the sands of time,” he said.
Inside Umeed Academy There are no wardens at the Umeed Academy, only house parents who take care of all the needs of the children. From the time of their enrolment to the time they pass out as students have completed their 12th standard ICSE curriculum syllabus, all their costs are borne by the academy including their residential cost, health cost, books, clothing and sports.
The focus is on the holistic development of girls and boys. For their spiritual growth, they are taught Quran and Islamic values.
The children are taught regular subjects of the school curriculum which is ICSE and apart from that, they are taught self-defence, drawing, sports, Quran, Hadith and ethics. They are encouraged to participate in many activities conducted in their academy.
Class room in Umeed. | Picture by arrangement
“The transformation in the children is visible. They are all so disciplined and neat that despite sharing common toilets and bathrooms, they keep it all clean,” Wali says proudly, adding, “Ask them to recite the Duas (prayers) of eating, sleeping, going out, going to the toilet, or when it rains, they will recite it.”
The house parents bring up these children as they would bring up their own, insists Wali. He also does his bit by interacting with the children every day, listening to them, talking to them and thus making strong the bond they share.
The core team members, who are his well-wishers not only guide him but also help him make the right decisions.
Asma Alam, director of Umeed, Ghazala Imam and Yusuf Haque who taught Wali at school are now part of the core committee. Others who have joined his mission are an army veteran Abhishek Mukherjee, educationists Shabana Anwar, Usha Banerjee and Mufti Anwar Khan Sargiroh.
Wali Rahmani, with his staff and children of his academy. | Picture by arrangement
Awards and recognitions Wali Rahmani has appeared in various national television debates and is perhaps the youngest Indian TV debate panellist.
He says that his work for society is not social work, but “his social duty.” He has been awarded the young social Hero award in 2019 at the South India NGO conference. He has also been featured as one of the young top 20 achievers in India under the age of 20 by Mumbai Coworking, and also received the Shan-e-Hindustan award by Youth Ekta Front, Delhi. His work has been acknowledged and featured by India Times, Brut India, and the Indian Express.
Many prestigious institutes and organisations have invited applications from Wali to apply for the awards but Wali Rahmani says “his work should speak for him,” and does not believe in applying for any award.
“The ultimate award will be when these children grow up and lead the nation and establish peace and harmony around them,” he said.
Future of Umeed Wali Rahmani’s work has earned him recognition and respect and people have come forward to sponsor the students in whatever way they can. One generous donor has donated 2 Acre (87120 square feet) of land to Umeed Academy worth Rs 2 Crore.
Wali has plans to construct fully functional hostels on the land for students with separate dormitories for boys and girls, a housing facility for the staff members and a campus which can accommodate approximately 600-700 students at once.
The construction work has started and the cost of the entire project has been approximated at Rs 13.5 crores. Wali intends to complete this work within the next two years and requests donations for his lofty mission through donations.
Diabetic people with foot sores, fearing limb amputations can heave a sigh of relief as a team of Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) scientists lead by Prof Asad Ullah Khan of the Interdisciplinary Biotechnology Unit has developed a novel ‘Nano-Composite based Photo-Dynamic Therapeutic Approach to treat Chronic Diabetic Foot Ulcers’.
Their remarkable patented study, data and work accepted for publication in the peer-reviewed ‘Scientific Report’ of the Nature Publishing Group has been successful on animal models. The technology successfully treated foot ulcers in diabetic rats.
“Anatomical and physiological similarities prompted us to investigate a large range of mechanisms for assessing this new treatment therapy on animal models with no toxicity before applying it to humans. We are content to have successfully treated foot ulcers in diabetic rats which were not treated by any available antibiotics due to the multi-drug resistant strain mediated infection”, said Prof Asad.
According to him the animal models were cured in a span of 14 days through the newly developed technology.
“Our team has been involved in proving the efficacy of the treatment for the last two years. The study is on its way for human trials”, added Prof Asad.
He pointed out: “Independent studies reveal that across the world, a limb is amputated every few minutes and this actuality becomes even more unsparing when you learn that most of these amputations are the result of diabetic foot ulcers. Therefore, it is of paramount importance to come up with a pertinent treatment for saving limbs and lives”.
“It is hoped that this novel technology will become the final finding for the pursuit of the much awaited treatment for diabetic foot ulcers. We are longing for the world to find out that there is more to the prevention of this infection than just offloading wounds, removing dead skin and tissue, applying dressings and checking blood glucose and other health issues”, said Prof Asad.
source: http://www.amu.ac.in / AMU, Aligarh Muslim University / Home> AMU News / Public Relations Office / Aligarh, December 13th, 2021
‘Biographical Encyclopedia of Indian Muslim Freedom Fighters’ is an exhaustive work that brings to the fore many unknown facets of the freedom movement beginning with Faraizi Movement to 1857 Mutiny and to later part of the freedom movement.
BE it 1857 Mutiny or the later freedom movements, Muslims have played leading role in all such efforts. British officials and historians have accused Muslims for the 1857 Ghadar. To be true, both British historians and officials have named Muslims as the most important rebels and termed the Mutiny as a sinister plot by Muslim ulema and mujahideen to reclaim their lost powerhouse in India.
Here are excerpts from a chapter on Imam Baksh Sahbai, a great scholar of his time:
Imam Bakhsh Sahbai was one of the most renowned scholars of the 19th century Mughal India. He was among the best scholars of the Persian language and had earned respect as poet and litterateur of the Persian language. At a time when Urdu had almost replaced Persian as lingua franca in much of north India, he was still one of the greatest supporters of the Persian language and spent all his resources in its propagation.
He authored more than thirty books on Persian and Urdu literature that includes three books that were part of the curriculum in the famed Delhi College. He was reportedly appointed a professor of the Persian language there. However, he had a tragic end when after the 1857 Mutiny he and his entire family, including his two sons, who were also renowned scholars in their respective fields, were hauled, taken to Yamuna and shot dead from point blank range. At least 21 members of his family were slaughtered in this most horrendous fashion.
Imam Bakhsh Sahbai was among the most respected scholars of the time and, therefore, every prince wanted to study under him. He was very close to Ghalib, Zauq, Mufti Sadruddin Azurdah, Fazle Haq Khairabadi and even the last Mughal Emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar. Many top scholars of the time were taught by him not just at Delhi College but also at his home. However, the slaughter of his family members including his two sons, and digging of his home by the British thugs had shocked the people of Delhi even during the worst phase of brutality. This digging of his house and the complete destruction of his library also destroyed much of his work. The destruction of his massive library that he had built over a period of decades must have been a huge loss for academia and scholarship. This is the reason that not much has survived on him.
Some twenty years after his macabre killing, when a Hindu disciple of Sahbai, Munshi Deen Dayal thought of collection and publication of his he couldn’t lay his hands on anything substantial. There was not much available on his life or work. Whatever he could gather, he published it in three volumes as Kulliyat-e-Sehbai.
Sahbai was born in the year 1805 in a respected family of Delhi. His father, Maulana Muhammad Bakhsh settled in Delhi from Thanesar, Punjab. Sahbai’s elder brother Hakim Peer Bakshi was a famed physician of his time. His early education was under Maulvi Abdullah Khan. Sehbai had two sons, Muhammad Abdul Aziz and Molwi Abdul Karim Soz. Both were accomplished scholars and well-known poets. Both were killed along with their father and other relatives after 1857 Mutiny.
While in the mid-19th century the power of Mughal Empire had diminished and its influence confined to the Old Delhi quarters, the capital of the Mughal empire still boasted a huge galaxy of scholars, poets and artists of all sorts. There is no denying the fact that the biggest draw of all were the poets and intellectuals. Altaf Husain Hali said that Ghalib, Zauq, Sahbai and Azurda made the capital one of the best places for the scholars and academics. “There gathered at this time in the capital, Delhi, a band of men so talented that their meetings and assemblies recalled the days of Akbar and Shah Jahan”, wrote Hali.
Hali, who had merely heard the stories of high standards of scholarship in Delhi, its great scholars and poets and great madrasas dotting the town, escaped Panipat and came on foot to Delhi. He eventually got admitted to one of the best madrasas of the town and started frequenting the classes of great scholars of his time before his family tracked him down eventually. However, much before that happened, he had got admission in ‘very spacious and beautiful’ madrasa of Husain Bakhsh and had begun his studies there. He says that he was witness to ‘this last brilliant glow of learning in Delhi, the thought of which now makes my heart crack with regret’.
William Dalrymple while describing the destruction and killing in Delhi in the aftermath of Mutiny says:
Worse still was the slaughter in Kucha Chelan, where an estimated 1,400 Delhiwallahs were cut down. Here Nawab Muhammad Ali Khan had attempted to resist the plundering and had shot dead three British soldiers who had climbed over his haveli wall and entered his zenana. Their companions went back to get the rest of their regiment, and returned with a field gun with which they blew the haveli apart.
Sahbai was respected by fellow scholars including Mughal Emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar, who himself was a top of the line poet and whose respect for scholars and poets was legendary. While Sahbai is not known to have directly fought in the 1857 Mutiny, however, what is known is that he was with Bahadur Shah Zafar and supported his revolt. This was the reason that the rampaging British forces, full of feeling of retribution and revenge were led to his home and the homes of other supporters of Mutiny. These spies were paid Rs 2 for every such input.
When after relentless killing and rapine the British and their allies got tired of killing and bayoneting the inhabitants, they marched forty survivors out to the river Yamuna, lined them up below the walls of the Fort, and shot them. Among the dead were some of top of the line scholars who would have been the pride of the place for any world class capital. While writing about this ghastly massacre Mirza Zahir Dehlavi says, “They were well-known and well-off people, men who were the pride of Delhi…They had had no parallels in their own day, nor will we ever see their like again.’
Mirza Zahir Dehlavi in his Dastan-e-Ghadar writes:
“For example, there was Miyan Amir Panja-kash, the great calligrapher, who had no one comparable to him on this earth. Then there was one of our greatest poets, Maulvi Imam Bakhsh Sahbai and his two sons, and Mir Niyaz Ali, the celebrated story teller of Kucha Chelan. About fourteen hundred people of that Muhalla were killed. Some were arrested and taken through the Rajghat gate to the river side and there they were shot. The bodies were all thrown into the river. Meanwhile, many of their women were so disturbed by what they saw that they left their homes with their children and jumped into the wells. For months afterwards, all the wells of Kucha Chelan were stacked with dead bodies. My pen refuses to describe this further.
“One of the survivors of Sahbai’s family was his nephew Qadir Ali who apparently lived with him in Delhi. He is reported to have told his escape to the Delhi historian Rashid ul-Khairi. “Delhi resembled a place of Judgment. A huge number of prisoners were being shot as hanging them was ‘tiresome’ for their killers.
As the soldiers readied their guns a Muslim officer came forward and told us that ‘your death is imminent. You will be shot to death immediately, so those people who know swimming should immediately jump in the river to survive.’ I knew swimming and was good at it, but Mamun Sahib [Sahbai] and his son, Maulana Soz, didn’t know how to swim. I was not ready to abandon Mamun Sahib and my cousins but he forced me to do so. Ultimately, I jumped in the river and swam away. I kept looking back, and after I had gone fifty or sixty yards, I heard the gunshots and saw the line of people falling dead”.
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Excerpted from: Biographical Encyclopedia of Indian Muslim Freedom Fighters by Syed Ubaidur Rahman; ISBN: 81-88869-51-1, PP 626 (Hard Bound), Price Rs 1195, Publisher: Global Media Publications, Tel: 9818327757
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source: http://www.clarionindia.net / Clarion India / Home> Books / by Syed Ubaidur Rahman / December 13th, 2021
After nearly 47 years of legal battle, the district court of Rampur has delivered the verdict in the Royal family property dispute. The property will now be divided among 16 legal heirs.
The last King of Rampur, Nawab Raza Ali Khan, died in 1966. A verdict on his Rs 2,664-crore property was reached today, after a nearly 47-year legal battle.
This Rs 2,664-crore property will be divided among 16 claimants as per the Sharia law, a district court in Rampur ruled Wednesday, December 8. The legal battle stretched on for nearly 47 years, and it was in November 2019 that the Supreme Court set December 2020 as deadline for the district court to resolve the dispute. But then, there was Covid, and delays followed. The verdict was reached yesterday.
Rampur Royal Family. Photo: Facebook
THE STATE OF RAMPUR
Rampur came into existence on October 7, 1774, and it remained under British protection until Partition. It was also the first state that acceded to the dominion of India in 1949. The two conditions on which Rampur acceded was ownership of property, and right of primogeniture.
As per the instrument of accession, the government of India recognised Murataza Ali Khan, the eldest son of Nawab Raza Ali Khan, as the sole inheritor of all his father’s properties and also issued a certificate for this. Nawab Raza Ali Khan had three wives, three sons and six daughters.
ONE OF THE LONGEST CIVIL SUITS IN INDIA
Rampur District Court. Photo: India Today
The legal battle started around 1974, when Murtaza Ali Khan, the eldest son of Nawab Raza Ali Khan took over the property of the Nawab as per the gaddi system. His younger brother Zulfiquar Ali Khan, who is married to Lok Sabha MP Noor Bano Begum, along with other sons and daughters, filed a case against Murtaza Ali Khan. Since then, the issue was sub judice.
The reason given by Murtaza Ali Khan becoming the sole owner of his father’s property was one of the two conditions on which Rampur acceded to India in 1949.
SHARIA OVER GADDI SYSTEM
The District Judge on Wednesday delivered the judgement which ran into 34 pages. But the scheme of partition of the property is yet to be decided.
The Supreme Court in 2019 had ruled in favour of Muslim personal law, which certfiied 16 sons and daughters as the legal heirs of the property.
Originally, the Royal property was to be divided among 18 persons, but during the course of the trial, two claimants died and they do not have any heirs. Now, the property will be divided among 16 heirs.
The Supreme Court in 2019 had asked for the evacuation of the property, and a plan for the division of the assets by a district court judge.
RS 2,600-CRORE ASSETS
The Royal Palace of Rampur. Photo: Facebook
The Khashbagh Palace, which spreads over 350 acres, is valued at approximately Rs 1,435 crore. The sprawling residence built in the year 1930 also hosted Mirza Ghalib, Begum Akhtar and Fida Hussein Khan.
Other immovable assets are Benazir Kothi and the orchard of 100 acres, Shahbad Castle of 250 acres, Kunda Orchard at 1,200 square metres, and the Nawab’s private railway station, which is around 19,000 square metres.
The value of the movable assets was conducted by a private interior commercial designing firm, who said they were worth Rs 64 crore. The movable assets are vintage cars (1939 Buick, 1954 Dodge Convertible, 1956 Austin Convertible, 1956 Willys, 1956 Fiat, 1957 Plymouth, and Fargo trucks). Other movable assets include paintings from 5 monuments, thrones, swords, statues, mirrors, carpets, etc.
THE MILLIONAIRE HEIRS
The property will now be divided among Late Murtaza Ali Khan’s daughter Nikhat, son Murad Miya, and claimants on the other side, which include Late Micky Miyan’s wife, former MP Begum Noor Bano, her son Naved Miya, among 16 heirs. Among these, Begum Noor Bano and MLA Kazim Ali Khan stay in Rampur only.
Other members of the Royal family stay in parts of Maharashtra, Bengaluru, California, Germany, New Delhi, Lucknow, and other parts of the country.
source: http://www.dailyo.in / Daily O / Home> Variety / by Mohammad Bilal / December 09th, 2021
He was the Chairman of Indo Arab League and tirelessly worked for the Palestinian cause
pix: therahnuma.com
Hyderabad:
The Editor of Urdu Daily Rahnuma-e-Deccan Syed Viqar Uddin Qadri passed away on Thursday night after a prolonged illness. He was 82 years old.
For a few months, Qadri was under treatment in a private hospital. Yesterday, after Maghrib he suffered a massive cardiac arrest and passed away at 11:30 p.m.
Qadri was the Chairman of the Indo-Arab League and tirelessly worked for the Palestinian cause. He was a reputed journalist with integrity and was very popular among his friends, peers, and relatives.
He had close personal relations with the former Iraq President Saddam Hussein, the ex Palestinian Authority President Yasser Arafat, and the current Palestinian Authority President Mohammad Abbas.
He organized many meetings under the banner of Indo Arab League which were attended by the Palestinian President Yasser Arafat and Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and other prominent world personalities.
Qadri was awarded the “Star of Jerusalem” the highest Palestinian civil award. He was the first and only Indian to receive this award.
He was also awarded the highest civilian award “Sahibul Jllallah” by Morocco King Mohammed IV. His older brother Syed Lateefuddin played a key role in uniting different Muslim groups in Hyderabad. Lateefuddin had passed away in the 1970s.
Qadri was also close to the ex AP Chief Minister N T Rama Rao and has served as Chairman of the Minority Financial Corporation. He is survived by his two sisters.
His funeral prayer will be held in Mecca Masjid after the Friday prayer. His body will be put to rest in his ancestral graveyard at Hazrat Musa Qadri Dargah at Purana pul.
source: http://www.siasat.com / The Siasat Daily / Home> News> Hyderabad / by Mohammed Hussain Ahmed / December 10th, 2021
Barely two weeks before his death, Maulana Azhari went to Kasganj to meet the family members of Altaf, who was found dead in police custody
Maulana Abdul Hameed Azahri Funeral / Maulana Abdul Hameed Azhari’s Janaza taken to Bada Qabristan in Malegaon for the funeral and last rites. (ummid.com photo)
September 16, 2006, exactly a week and a day later, we were in a meeting with then Chief Minister of Maharashtra Vilasrao Deshmukh in Matralaya, Mumbai. The meeting was called at the behest of Abu Asim Azmi, then Rajya Sabha MP of Samajwadi Party (SP). Azmi had gathered about 25 Muslim MPs, including Maulana Mehmood Madani, Asaduddin Owaisi and others, along with the relatives and close family members of those arrested after the July 2006 Mumbai train blasts.
Abu Asim Azmi had sought from the Chief Minister a hearing to lodge complaint against the indiscriminate arrests of Muslim youth following July 2006 Mumbai train blasts. The case of September 08, 2006 Malegaon serial blasts at Bada Qabristan and Mushawerat Chowk was added in the agenda in the last minute.
Top police officials including Director General (DG) Police Maharashtra P.S. Pasricha, Mumbai Police Commissioner A.N. Roy and then ATS Chief K.P. Raghuvanshi were also there in attendance.
Family members of those thrown in jail following the Mumbai train blasts were sharing the heart wrenching stories of how their close kin were framed in the case and made accused for something they were not responsible of. It was then that a man in his sixties wearing white kurta and sporting Jinnah cap stood up.
“You have framed innocent Muslims in false cases. Now you want to repeat the same to cover up the Malegaon blasts case”, he said, his fingers pointing at the police officials.
He then turned towards Chief Minister Deshmukh and said, “We don’t trust your police. We have lost our near and dear ones in Malegaon blasts. Any attempt to cover up the case will be dealt with strongly.”
The Chief Minister, not accustomed to such plain speaking, watched in dismay.
The man who had upset the highest chair in the state was Maulana Abdul Hameed Azhari. Besides Maulana Azhari, I had seen only Maulana Mohammad Wali Rahmani (Sample here) talking to ministers and top officials in such a blunt, unapologetic and uncompromising tone.
My very first meeting with Maulana Hameed Azhari was when I went to Riyadh in 1994 to work as an Engineer at Saudi Carpet Factory. Maulana Hameed Azhari was in the Saudi capital since 1978. He served there at Information Centre of Saudi Ministry of Defence till his retirement in 2002 as Supervisor of the Centre.
“We used to work on monochrome computers provided on rent by IBM. Multi-tasking operating systems with GUI support were not yet available for the users. It was literally tiring to work on computers those days. No wonder if we were left completely exhausted after office hours.
“The Maulana however was a workaholic, and despite his hectic and tiring duty hours, would regularly engage with fellow Indians, especially those from Malegaon, listening their issues if any and helping them out in whatever way he could”, Sheikh Ahmed, who worked with him at the same centre in Riyadh, told ummid.com.
“His home in Riyadh was a centre for the expatriates to share their grievances, especially on Fridays when he used to serve lunch to the visitors. His wife was a good cook, and for the expatriates having home-made food in Riyadh was no less than a delight”, he said.
“Maulana Azhari was respected also by his seniors for his devotion to work. This is why he was honoured and conferred upon an award of appreciation and acknowledgement at the time of retirement”, Sheikh Ahmed recalled.
The post Maulana Azhari held was probably the highest by any Malegaonian abroad. Things have changed now a bit. But, getting rewarded for work in Saudi Arabia was rare during those days.
“Early days and Education”
Maulana Azhari was born in 1944. He was among the founding batch students of Madrasa Millat, established by Maulana Abdul Hameed Nomani – his mentor, guide and inspiration. After graduating from Madrasa Millat, Maulana Azhari went to Darul Uloom Deoband for further studies.
Later, he went to Al Azhar in Cairo, Egypt for higher studies. Maulana Hameed Azhari was one among the 05 students of Maharashtra who went to Al Azhar for higher education. Besides him, others were Maulana Nazir Azhari, Maulana Abdul Ahad Azhari and Maulana Mukhtar Azhari –a all from Malegaon. The 5th one was from Sholapur.
Back home from Al Azhar, Maulana Hameed Azhari joined Madrasa Millat, his alma mater, as a teacher. He spent few years here and then went to work at Saudi Embassy in New Delhi. It was because of this assignment that he got the posting at the Information Centre of Saudi Ministry of Defence in Riyadh where he worked till retirement.
During the same period, Maulana Azhari, with the help of some of his friends, worked towards establishing Kulliyah at Taherat – a madrasa for education of girl-students. The madrasa was administered by his younger sister, Gulshan Aapa, till her death.
“A Crusader”
Maulana Azhari was a great admirer of Maulana Abul Kalam Azad – one of the front leaders of India’s freedom movement and the country’s first Education Minister. Post retirement, Maulana Azahri established in his name “Maulana Abul Kalam Azad Research Centre” and devoted him for promotion of research and knowledge. He also undertook Arabic teaching classes and Duroos – sessions to study Quran at Rahmani Masjid, Nayapura on regular basis.
The Malegaon serial blasts on September 08, 2006 however “rekindled the activist” in him, and he led from the front the campaign for the acquittal of local Muslim youths who were wrongly framed in the case.
[Watch in this video Maulana Abdul Hameed Azhari criticising the functioning of ATS, Malegaon blasts, and also referring to his September 16, 2006 meeting with then Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh in Mumbai.]
It was the time when no one, except the close kin of the accused, would dare to speak anything in favour of them. Maulana Azhari however started the campaign – initially with few of his close aides, later expanding it through the Kul Jamaati Tanzeem – an organisation represented by leaders of all Muslim sects.
The formation of Kul Jamaati Tanzeem was a big blow to the investigating agencies that were of the view that the bomb blasts in Malegaon were the result of sectarian differences between various Muslim groups.
During the course of about five-year long campaign, Maulana Azhari met everyone – right from UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi, Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh, Union Home Minister P Chidamabarm to CPI-M General Secretary Prakash Karat, Mulayam Singh Yadav, Lalu Prasad Yadav and others. This is besides frequently leading representations on a number of occasions to Maharashtra state leadership including Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh and his successor Prithviraj Chavan. In all these meetings, the Maulana had only one point to raise. Local Muslim youths are innocent and there is a need for a thorough investigation into the 2006 Malegaon terrorist attack.
Slain ATS Chief Hemant Karkare had later confessed that it was because of this strong conviction that he decided to explore all possible angles while investigating the another terrorist attack that rocked Malegaon this time on September 29, 2008 at Bhikku Chowk. It is now a history how the motorcycle on which the bombs were planted led to the expose of the Hindutva terrorists who were involved in the terrorist attack not only in Malegaon but also in other places of the country.
The efforts taken by Maulana Azhari-led Kul Jamaati Tanzeem and others bore fruit when the Muslim accused were first granted bail in November 2011 and later discharged from the 2006 Malegaon blast case in April 2016.
“War against Coronavirus”
After the acquittal of Muslim youths in the 2006 Malegaon blasts case, Maulana Azhari kept alive the Kul Jamaati Tanzeem even though some people felt that the organisation was no more needed.
After the outbreak of the Covid-19 when unfortunately Malegaon became a victim at the initial stages of the Pandemic’s first wave and when whole of the city was turned into a prison, Maulana Azhari again rose to the occasion. Taking members of the Kul Jamaati Tanzeem along he met the Health Minister, District Collector and other officials of the civic body and health department to demand adequate facilities for those who were advised quarantine.
Maulana Azhari personally visited with few of his close aides the temporary quarantine centres and met the Covid-19 victims to solace them in the time of distress. This is perhaps why he too became infected with the deadly virus. Lucky as he always was, he won the battle against the Covid-19 but was forced to suspend his regular activities because of weakness and post-Covid complications.
Maulana Azhari resumed regular activities – this time at national level, after the first wave of Covid-19 ceded and his health condition improved. Expanding his activities, Maulana Azhari joined hands with Waman Meshram of BAMCEF and Maulana Khalilur Rahman Sajjad Nomani of All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB).
While working with BAMCEF, Maulana was also nominated as the National President of Rashtriya Muslim Morcha. Through this platform Maulana Azhari travelled to far-away places of India and met Dalit and Muslim victims wherever they lived.
Barely two weeks before his death, Maulana Azhari went to Kasganj to meet the family members of Altaf, who was found dead in police custody. During the same period, Maulana Azhari visited a number of districts of Uttar Pradesh before attending the 27th session of the All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) held in Kanpur on November 20 and 21, 2021.
After his return from Uttar Pradesh tour, Maulana Azhari lost no time in meeting with the top police officials in the wake of indiscriminate arrests after November 12 Malegaon bandh and shutdown called to protest against the anti-Muslim carnage in Tripura .
“There should be a distinction between those involved in violence and the organisers who had called for the shutdown. Your tirade against the organisers is arbitrary and unconstitutional. It should be stopped”, he told Additional Superintendent of Police (ASP) Malegaon Chandrakant Khandvi in his signature blunt tone that had dismayed the Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh back in 2006.
Two days later on December 04, 2021, Maulana Abdul Hameed Azhari, whose crusade and statesmanship helped in exposing the people involved in the war against Muslims in the name of fighting terrorism, left for his heavenly abode .
[The writer is Founder Editor of ummid.com and is privileged to work with Maulana Hameed Azhari.]
source: http://www.ummid.com / Ummid.com / Home> Obituary / by Aleem Faizee, ummid.com / December 07th, 2021
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy congratulated YSRCP MLC Zakia Khanam and said that this is the first time in the Assembly to elect a minority woman as deputy chairman unanimously.
YS Jagan said that she should help and support women and added that this is another step towards women’s empowerment in the state.
మన రాష్ట్ర శాసనమండలి చరిత్రలోనే మొట్ట మొదటిసారి ఓ మైనారిటీ మహిళను డిప్యూటీ చైర్ పర్సన్ గా ఏకగ్రీవంగా ఎన్నుకోవడం సంతోషంగా ఉంది. సోదరి జకియా ఖానంకు అభినందనలు. అక్క, చెల్లెమ్మలకు అండగా నిలిచి, మహిళా సాధికారత దిశగా ఈ ప్రభుత్వం వేసిన మరో ముందడుగు ఇది.
Zakia Khanam took the charge as Deputy Chairperson of the Legislative Council on November 26.
She thanked YS Jagan for choosing her as the deputy chairperson of the Legislative Council. YS Jagan said that he was very happy to see Zakia Khanam as the deputy chairperson for the Legislative Council.
He said that the Andhra Pradesh government is working hard to empower women politically and financially.
source: http://www.english.sakshi.com / Sakshi Post / Home> Andhra Pradesh / November 28th, 2021
