IT major Wipro Ltd, Wipro Enterprises Ltd and Azim Premji Foundation, have together committed Rs 1,125 crore towards tackling the unprecedented health and humanitarian crisis arising from the COVID-19 pandemic.
“These resources will help enable the dedicated medical and service fraternity in the frontline of the battle against the pandemic and in mitigating its wide-ranging human impact, particularly on the most disadvantaged of our society,” the companies said in a statement.
Of the Rs 1,125 crore, Wipro Ltd’s commitment is Rs 100 crore, Wipro Enterprises Ltd’s Rs 25 crore, and that of the Azim Premji Foundation is Rs 1,000 crore. These sums are in addition to the annual CSR activities of Wipro, and the usual philanthropic spends of the Azim Premji Foundation, the statement added.
Integrated action will be taken for a comprehensive on-the-ground response in specific geographies, it said.
source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> Business> Business News / by DHMS, Bengaluru / April 02nd, 2020
Afreen, far left, in meeting with CM Hemant Soren regarding CAA, NRC, NPR
Ranchi:
Jharkhand had been witnessing a wave of protests against CAA- NRC-NPR since December last year leading the State assembly to eventually pass a resolution against NPR-NRC on March 23, 2020. Kadru, Ranchi’s Shaheen Bagh was the major a sit-in protest site for women, running for two months until the latest shutdown for Coronavirus pandemic.
The sit-in registered massive student and women protestors, most of them young and old Muslim women on the forefront taking the movement ahead. Among them is Afreen Azad Khan, 30-year-old protester from Purani Ranchi who has been the most active on ground for creating awareness and mobilization of the masses. Afreen, along with her team had also met CM Hemant Soren urging him to stop the process NPR in Jharkhand.
TwoCircles.net reporter Nazish Hussain spoke to Afreen on the challenges, opportunities and experiences on the ground against CAA-NRC. Here are the excerpts:
CAA got passed in the Lok Sabha on 9 December, 2019, triggering protests across the country. What was your initial reaction and how did you follow the developments as the protests intensified?
I was getting news of NRC process being carried out in Assam. It didn’t hit hard until we saw names of distinguished government personnel and military officials out of the NRC list. It was then that I started following it closely, reading more about CAA. The whole exercise seemed to me as Anti-Constitution and Anti-Indian. It would affect not just Muslims but also Dalits and Adivasis, who are huge in number in my State. At this point there were many protests taking place across country and I felt the need to finally start learning about it and educating the same to people in Ranchi.
When and how did you decide to join the protest against CAA and took it to streets, campaigning against it?
Particularly after the police violence on students of Jamia Millia Islamia and Aligarh Muslim University I was very much affected. Many things have happened before this, like Gujarat riots, but this time I felt the jolts when I saw young, unarmed students being attacked inside a university. I decided then that I must do something against it, whatever was in my capacity.
How did your family respond to your decision of joining the protest and later leading them?
I have three sisters, a younger brother and my mother. I received full support from my family since day one as they got actively engaged at the protest site at Kadru Bagh readily. My mother and sisters would daily go to the sit-in and sometimes when they couldn’t, they never stopped me from going anywhere to these protests. There were times I reached home very late at night due to ground work but I had full family support and it never became an issue. My family let me do things form a free mind.
Being a Muslim woman activist, tell us about your experience of mobilizing and interacting with the community? What has been the biggest challenge you had to overcome?
The biggest challenge was to engage with women for their active participation. They were mostly fear-stricken and only knew that something against Muslims was happening. It took us a while to get them to fully understand the larger implication of the situation. We had to educate them about the broader perspective and motivate them to reach out to other communities for a dialogue on CAA-NRC.
Afreen Azad Khan
Since many women, who are mostly housewives came out and continuously took part in the protests, how did it affect the traditional family dynamics? Tell us about the role male members played to support the participation of women.
Interestingly, there has been huge support from the male members of the families. Personally I have felt that usually mobility and safety are two of the important issues involving women protestors but thankfully it was the men this time taking that responsibility by cooperation and understanding. It would not have been possible to women to out in large numbers for a sit-in protest if they did not have support of the male members in their families.
It is no surprise that CAA-NRC would impact other communities including indigenous people of Jharkhand largely. Did you try to reach out to the indigenous communities of Jharkhand? If so, what response did you receive from them?
We went to remote localities and tried reaching out to them but the initial response was not good. Many were not interested to even listen to us. Few people dismissed saying these are mere rumors and nothing will happen. But we kept on our efforts and slowly we started getting responses from Adivasis and Sikh communities as well. Many Adivasi activists came to our support and they mobilized their communities. And to our success in one of the dharnas, near Raj Bhawan there was a mixed crowd. Many Adivasi women joined in along with Muslim women. In Jharkhand, if any community that came out in large numbers against Anti-CAA after Muslims, it was the Adivasi community.
You met CM Hemant Soren regarding CAA, NRC, NPR and he has now passed the resolution against it – which had been one of your demands. So, do you think your protest has been successful?
It was definitely great news for us and we all had a sigh of relief. We had been waiting for this since long seeing other states pass resolution against it. We formed a group and arranged a meeting with the CM with a list of appeals and finally met Hemant Soren on February 27, 2020. He was very responsive when we presented our case against CAA-NRC-NPR and finally we saw that the Jharkhand government considered our voices and passed the resolution against NPR -NRC.
What will be the future course of action now, would you continue with your Ant-CAA protests against the centre?
As of now everyone is more concerned of the Corona virus pandemic. So there are no more protests sites. I don’t know how long will it take for this virus threat to end completely. So we are not thinking of the protests now. But people are vigilant.
Do you think the momentum of the protest has been broken by the pandemic and it will be difficult to gather people again for a sit-in protest against Centre?
Women here at Kadru Bagh were not ready to clear the protest site, as Delhi’s Shaheen Bagh protest was still going on. It was hard to convince them but after we reasoned with them, they agreed. Things may have gone quiet for now, but if the Centre starts any exercise on NPR-NRC people will start protesting as well.
At the Annual General Meeting of The Advertising Club Bangalore, Laeeq Ali, co-founder and director, Origami Creative, was elected as president. He replaces, R T Kumar of Oysters Advertising.
The General Body also amended its law to make the term of the president and the managing committee for two years instead of one.
Here are the list of the office bearers at The Advertising Club Bangalore. Laeeq Ali, Origami Creative – Incumbent President Malavika Harita, Brand Circle Communications, Bangalore and Past President and Treasurer
Managing Committee
Sanchayeeta Verma, Wavemaker Nigel Mathew, Disha Communications Sundar Kondur, The Times of India Group Radhika Ramani, Motivator Mathew Joseph, Duroflex Mattresses Suresh Krishna, The Hindu Group Kishan Kumar M S, Wavemaker Tina Garg, Pink Lemonade Navin Nair, PR Professional Sonia Serrao, TGBL Sneha Walke, Exchange4Media Arunava Seal, Bleu
Ali said “We have a excellent team of industry leaders and I am confident that we will be able to have some programs relevant and desired by the industry. We want to make a difference to all the stake holders of the industry by staying committed to causes that would make the industry a better place to work “.
Arvind Kumar, executive director, The Advertising Club Bangalore, also stated that The Advertising Club’s Big Bang Awards are being split into two.
He said “The first one Big Bang Awards for excellence in creative and content will be on 20 September 2019 and the second one, Big Bang Awards for excellence in media and health and wellness will be on 15 November 2019.”
source: http://www.campaignindia.in / Campaign India / Home> Advertising / by Campaign India Team / June 25th, 2019
The Bangalore-based Muslim Industrialists Association (MIA) successfully held a business matching and networking event to bridge the gap between industrialists, entrepreneurs and startups, over a luncheon gathering on Saturday.
‘Peenya Chalo’, so-called because the event was held in the city’s Peenya Industrial Area, was intended to be an opportunity for industrialists and entrepreneurs to learn, network, and access resources, so they can take their business to the next level.
The day-long event saw participation from around 40 industrialists and 50 entrepreneurs from across Bangalore and beyond who showcased their products and services ranging from the sectors of Construction Materials, Furniture, Interior Design, Modular Kitchens, Food, Stationery, Cosmetics, Bio-Fertilizers, Lubricants, Education, Media to name a few.
An opportunity was also provided to startups led by young entrepreneurs to pitch their fledgeling companies to the business leaders gathered at the event.
The event’s guest of honour was Mr N.A. Afzal, Founder, Managing Director & Principal Real Estate Advisor of Home Makers & Realtors. He was facilitated by MIA’s Founding Member, Mr Abdul Waheed, Managing Director & CEO of Peenya Fine Comp Pvt, Ltd, and its current President Mr Mohammed Shafeeqh, Proprietor XL Engineering and Fabricators.
Mr. Afzal shared his entrepreneurial journey of how he quit his flourishing fruits company because it involved Riba (interest) and made a mark in the real estate business. He cautioned entrepreneurs against the evils of interest and the damage that it causes to businesses and society.
The event ended with a tour of some of the MIA members-run industries in Peenya, and a visit to the Mubarakah School, which is founded and run by MIA members.
Muslim Industrialists Association (MIA) is a non-profitable, charitable society established in 2004 by successful Industrialists and businessmen from Peenya Industrial Area, Bangalore, with an intention to develop entrepreneurship in the community and support the cause of education. Last month, the organisation launched the Association of Women Entrepreneurs (AWE) to support and connect Muslim women entrepreneurs.
source: http://www.thecognate.com / The Cognate / Home> Business / by Shaik Zakeer Hussain / January 27th, 2020
An order to this effect was issued by Deputy Secretary, Union Ministry of Home Affairs (department of Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh affairs), Anandi Venkateswaran in New Delhi.
IAS officer Baseer Ahmed Khan. (File photo from ANI)
Baseer Ahmed Khan, a 2000-batch IAS officer currently posted as the Divisional Commissioner of Kashmir, has been appointed as the fourth advisor to Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor G C Murmu.
An order to this effect was issued by Deputy Secretary, Union Ministry of Home Affairs (department of Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh affairs), Anandi Venkateswaran in New Delhi.
Approval of the competent authority is given “to the appointment of Baseer Ahmed Khan, IAS (JK-2000), as advisor to Lt Governor of the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir…,” the order read.
It said the appointment would be effective from the date from which Khan assumes charge.
“The Lt Governor of the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir is requested to issue necessary orders with regard to the terms and conditions of his appointment under intimation to this ministry,” the order said.
On June 30 last, Khan and his twin brother Additional Director General of Police (Law and Order) Muneer Khan got an identical order of one-year extension of their service on a day they were retiring.
Former CRPF DG Rajiv Rai Bhatnagar, a 1983-batch officer of the Uttar Pradesh cadre, was earlier appointed as the advisor to the Lt Governor on January 5, while another IPS officer Farooq Khan and IAS officer K K Sharma were retained as advisors after Murmu took over as the first Lt Governor of Jammu and Kashmir last year.
source: http://www.indiatoday.in / India Today / Home> News> India / by Press Trust of India, New Delhi / March 15th, 2020
Nida Allam has become the first Muslim woman to be win elected office in the state of North Carolina.
According to local reports , history was written on Tuesday night when voters in Durham County went to the ballots to elect Allam as their next county commissioner.
Allam said in a statement provided to The Hill that, growing up as a Muslim in the U.S., she “never thought running for office let alone winning and making history would ever be a possibility.”
“I was driven to politics in 2015 after my best friend Yusor, her husband Deah and younger sister Razan were brutally murdered in their home in Chapel Hill in a hate crime committed by their neighbor,” she said. “This was a heinous act of hate that caused ripples across the world.”
Allam was referring to the murders of Deah Barakat, 23, his wife, Yusor Abu-Salha, 21, and her sister, Razan Abu-Salha, 19. The three college students had been living in a condo in Chapel Hill, N.C. when a man, Craig Stephen Hicks, entered their home and killed them.
Local authorities initially claimed the shooting incident was over a parking dispute, but the chief of the Chapel Hill police department, Chris Blue, apologized years later, saying “the man who committed these murders undoubtedly did so with a hateful heart.”
Hicks was ordered to serve three life sentences without possibility of parole after pleading guilty to three counts of first-degree murder in 2019.
Allam said in her statement that her “community suffered deeply” after the deaths of her friends.
“How can I be content with all the blessings I have been given in this world when there is so much to do to fight injustice, uplift one another and to make our communities healthier. I’m fighting for a better nation so that others don’t have to suffer the pain my community did,” she said.
During her campaign, Allam pushed for police reform, better quality education and wage increases for county workers, among other issues.
Prior to her run for local office, she worked as a political director for Sen. Bernie Sanders’s (I-Vt.) 2016 presidential campaign. She also served as third vice chair of the North Carolina Democratic Party and chair of Durham Mayor Steve Schewel’s (D) Council for Women.
The historic first in North Carolina comes years after voters saw a record number of Muslim candidates run for statewide or national office in 2018, the highest in nearly 20 years at the time. That was also the year Reps. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) and Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) became the first Muslim women elected to serve in Congress.
source: http://www.thehill.com / The Hill / Home / by Aris Folley / March 05th, 2020
Mysore , KARNATAKA / Moscow, RUSSIA /Paris, FRANCE / London , United KINGDOM :
A LIFE of a British spy princess who was the first woman radio operator to be sent into Nazi-occupied France has been commemorated to mark International Women’s Day.
Noor Inayat Khan (Image: Wikimedia Commons)
Noor Inayat Khan is the most highly decorated Muslim woman in British Military history and was only aged 30 when she was executed in Dachau Concentration Camp in September 1944 after being captured by the Gestapo in Paris the previous year. Like 20,000 others who have no known grave she is remembered at the Runnymede Air Forces Memorial. Now her life and legacy has been brought to a new audience in a digital exhibition Noor Inayat-Khan: A Woman of Conspicuous Courage created by Commonwealth War Graves Foundation and the girl guides.
It tells how the unlikely spy came to die for her country and the courage she showed under torture while visitors will be able to put their code breaking skills to the test and discover the technical skills a wireless operator needed behind enemy lines.
Jasmine Theti, 15, of Girlguiding Berkshire and Buckinghamshire, said: “We must never forget her and the sacrifice she made.
“I loved learning the Morse Code it was good fun.
“Although I wouldn’t have liked sending messages in a cold Parisian park whilst looking over my shoulder all the time. Noor was an inspiration.”
Noor was born on New Year’s Day 1914 in Moscow to an Indian father and an American mother and was a direct descendant of Tipu Sultan, the 18th century Muslim ruler of Mysore.
The family moved to London then Paris where she was educated and worked as a children’s author.
After the fall of France, she and her brother escaped to England and in November 1940 she joined the Women’s Auxiliary Air Force becoming a radio operator at RAF Abingdon.
But the fluent French speaker soon came to the attention of the Special Operations Executive (SOE) and in late 1942 was recruited.
Noor Inayat Khan, left, with her mother (Image: Shrabani Basu/ PA Wire)
However they were unsure whether she would make a good agent, worried she was too honest and kind-hearted and couldn’t blend into a crowd.
She proved them wrong when she joined the Paris resistance in July 1943 just as the Gestapo were closing in.
While members were rounded up she evaded capture and ended up as the only SOE radio operator for the whole Paris region.
But two days before she was due to be replaced in October she was betrayed and arrested.
Remarkably she twice managed to escape from the Parisian prison before being sent to Germany the following month where she was kept in chains and in solitary confinement for 10 months.
Resisting repeated torture she and three other women SOE agents were finally taken to Dachau and shot on September 13, 1944.
For her courage she was posthumously awarded Britain’s highest civilian bravery medal The George’s Cross in 1949.
Julian Evans of the CWGC which looks after the Runnymede memorial added: “Noor’s story is an inspirational one and we believed it important, as the custodians of the memorial on which her name is inscribed, to help give it greater prominence.
“We hope that the exhibition will encourage more people to visit the Air Forces Memorial to explore the story of Noor and the 20,000 other members of the Commonwealth Air Forces who are commemorated here.”
source: http://www.express.co.uk / Express / Home> News> UK / by Tony Whitefield / March 08th, 2020
Directed by Priyadarshan, Marakkar: Arabikadalinte Simham features the popular actor Mohanlal and was reportedly made on a budget of Rs 100 crore, making it the most expensive Malayalam film ever.
Directed by Priyadarshan, it features the popular actor Mohanlal and was reportedly made on a budget of Rs 100 crore, making it the most expensive Malayalam film ever.
On March 26, the big-budget film Marakkar: Arabikadalinte Simham (Marakkar: The Lion of the Arabian Sea) will release in Kerala and elsewhere. Directed by Priyadarshan, it features the popular actor Mohanlal and was reportedly made on a budget of Rs 100 crore, making it the most expensive Malayalam film ever.
Last month, a petition was filed in the Kerala High Court against the film, alleging ‘distortion of history’ and demanding a stay on the release. The court declined.
What is the film about?
It is a war film depicting the heroics of the Marakkar clan, whose leaders were naval chieftains of the Zamorin of Calicut during the 16th and 17th centuries. The Zamorin, Samoothiri in Malayalam, was the title given to rulers of the Calicut kingdom on the Malabar coast. The Marakkars fought against Portuguese invaders for nearly a century.
Who were the Marakkars?
By some accounts, they were of Arab origin and had migrated from Tunisia to Panthalayani near Koyilandy in present-day Kozhikode, and later moved to the region around present-day Kottakkal and Thikkodi near Payyoli. By other accounts, the Marakkars were descendants of affluent businessman from the Cochin kingdom who migrated later to Calicut.
Historian M G S Narayanan said the name ‘Marakkar’ could have originated from maram or marakkalam, meaning ship, as these families lived along the coast and used ships. Alternatively, it could have originated from the Arabic word markaba, meaning those who migrated via ships. “The Marakkars were mostly Muslims, but in some parts, they have been found to be Hindus as well,” Narayanan said.
What was the war against the Portuguese about?
Faced with invading Portuguese ships, the Zamorin reached out to the Marakkars to defend the coast. They were led in succession by four Marakkars, chief admirals who were appointed by the Zamorin with the title of Kunjali. Related by bloodline, they were Kuttyali Marakkar (Kunjali Marakkar I, appointed in 1507), Kutty Pokker (Kunjali Marakkar II), Pathu Marakkar (Kunjali Marakkar III) and Muhammad Ali Marakkar (Kunjali Marakkar IV, appointed in 1595).
“Their strategy was similar to guerrilla warfare. The Portuguese had massive ships which could not make easy manoeuvres in the sea. The Marakkars used small ships which could easily surround the Portuguese ships, enabling the fighters to attack at will,” Narayanan said.
In the span of 100 years, the exploits of the Kunjali Marakkars are said to have improved the naval fleet of Calicut as well as other kingdoms, stretching from Saurashtra to Ceylon along the Indian coast. War technologies and ammunition greatly improved as well.
Who is the ‘Lion of the Arabian Sea’ depicted in the film?
Mohanlal plays Kunjali Marakkar IV, who earned his reputation with his fierce onslaught on Portuguese ships, the favours he gave those who fought against the Portuguese, and his efforts to strengthen the fort at Kottakkal.
When he took charge in 1595, relations between the Zamorin and the Marakkars were deteriorating. The Zamorin was feeling threatened by Kunjali Marakkar IV’s popularity, and by reports (said to be spread by the Portuguese) that he was planning to create a Muslim empire.
In 1597, the Zamorin signed a peace treaty with the Portuguese and attacked Kottakkal fort. For months, the Marakkars resisted the attack by the Zamorin’s Nair soldiers and the Portuguese fleet. Eventually, as Portugal sent more forces and the Zamorin mounted his effort, Marakkar surrendered to the Zamorin on the assurance that their lives would be spared. But the Portuguese violated the terms, arrested him, took him to Goa and beheaded him.
Why was a petition filed against the film in the High Court?
Mufeeda Arafath Marakkar of Koyilandy, who identified herself as a descendant of the Marakkar clan, argued that the the film’s version of events could mislead students and researchers. Among the contentions is that Kunjali Marakkar IV is shown to have romantic interests when there is no such evidence in history. He is shown sporting a picture of Lord Ganesh on his turban; the petition contends that he was actually a pious Muslim who did not display Hindu imagery.
The High Court declined to impose a stay and asked the film certification Board if it had handed over the complaint to the Centre. The Board conveyed that the subject deals with art and that it cannot interfere in the freedom of expression of the filmmakers.
source: http://www.indianexpress.com / The Indian Express / Home> Explained / by Vishnu Varma / Kochi, March 09th, 2020
Yusuff Ali M.A: “This is obviously a very proud and humbling moment in my life,”
Jeddah :
Abu Dhabi-based retail tycoon Yusuff Ali M.A. on Monday became the first Indian citizen to obtain Saudi Arabia’s coveted Premium Residency, widely known as the Saudi “green card.”
“This is obviously a very proud and humbling moment in my life,” the chairman and managing director of the group that owns the LuLu chain of hypermarkets told Arab News.
“It is a great honor, not only for me but also for the entire Indian expat community, and I sincerely thank King Salman, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and the government of Saudi Arabia.
“I am sure this new permanent residency initiative will further boost Saudi Arabia’s image as one of the key investment and business hubs in the region in addition to attracting and retaining new investors here.”
Premium Residency is a special residence permit that gives expatriates who meet its conditions the right to live, work, and own business and property in the Kingdom without a sponsor. It is a key part of the crown prince’s Vision 2030 reform plan to diversify the Saudi economy.
The Kingdom had become an attractive investment destination because of the remarkable growth of its economy, Yusuff Ali said. “Investors can now come here and invest freely; they can buy property and feel at home, secure and safe.
“What does an investor need? He needs security such as premium residency. The economy of this great country is booming so this is the best time for international investors to come, invest and take advantage of Saudi Vision 2030.”
The tycoon said international investors and businessmen were looking to Saudi Arabia because of how the country had been transformed. “We want to export agricultural products from Saudi Arabia and use the innovations and transformations in the business sector,” he said.
source: http://www.arabnews.com / Arab News / Home> News> Business & Economy / March 04th, 2020
