A manimandapam meant for Hyder Ali and Tipu Sultan, constructed near Aranmanaikulam at Anguvilas Irakkam here, would be inaugurated by Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami shortly, said Minister for Information and Publicity Kadambur Raju.
Inspecting the manimandapam here on Saturday, he said the late Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa had announced a manimandapam for Tipu Sultan under 110 Rule in the Assembly and also sanctioned funds to the tune of for ₹1.30 crore for the construction.
Now, the construction was over and manimandapam was ready for inauguration, he said.
While inspecting the Gopal Naickar Manimandapam at Virupatchi near Palani, the Minister said this manimandapam was constructed at a cost of ₹69 lakh to enable the public to know valour of this great warrior during the freedom struggle.
He asked Collector T.G. Vinay to display signboards on both sides of the Palani-Dindigul Highway to enable people to identify the place easily. Additional funds would be sanctioned for improving infrastructure and creating basic amenities for the public in the manimandapam.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Madurai / by Staff Reporter / May 27th, 2017
Kalam had his early training at NASA in 1963 before he set up India’s first rocket-launching facility in the fishing village of Thumba in Kerala. DH Photo
In great news for India, scientists at NASA have named a new organism discovered by them after the much-loved A P J Abdul Kalam.
Till date, the new organism — a form of a bacteria — has been found only on the International Space Station (ISS) and has not been found on earth!
Researchers at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), the foremost lab of NASA for work on inter-planetary travel, discovered the new bacteria on the filters of the International Space Station (ISS) and named it Solibacillus kalamii to honour the late president, who was a renowned aerospace scientist.
Kalam had his early training at NASA in 1963 before he set up India’s first rocket-launching facility in the fishing village of Thumba in Kerala.
“The name of the bacterium is Solibacillus kalamii, the species name is after Dr Abdul Kalam and genus name is Solibacillus which is a spore forming bacteria,” said Dr Kasthuri Venkateswaran, senior research scientist, Biotechnology and Planetary Protection Group at JPL.
The filter on which the new bug was found remained on board the ISS for 40 months. Called a high-efficiency particulate arrestance filter or HEPA filter, this part is the routine housekeeping and cleaning system on board the international space station.
This filter was later analysed at JPL and only this year did Venkateswaran publish his discovery in the International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology.
According to Venkateswaran, even as it orbits the earth some 400 kilometres above, the ISS is home to many types of bacteria and fungi which co-inhabit the station with the astronauts who live and work on the station.
Venkateswaran said even though Solibacillus kalamii has never been found on earth till date, it is really not an extra-terrestrial life form or ET.
“I am reasonably sure it has hitch hiked to the space station on board some cargo and then survived the hostile conditions of space,” explained Venkateswaran.
Naming the new microbe after Kalam was natural to Venkateswaran and his team.
“Being a fellow Tamilian, I am aware of the huge contributions by Dr. Kalam,” he said.
New bacteria are usually named after famous scientists.
Venkateswaran is part of a team which is asking that eternal question “are we alone in the universe?”
Towards that, his responsibilities include monitoring the bug levels on the ISS and he also has to ensure that all spacecraft that fly to other planets are free of terrestrial bugs.
One of his big jobs was to ensure that NASA’s Mars Curiosity rover — the massive car-sized almost 1000 kg buggy — was totally sterile when it left earth.
By international law, this extreme hygiene is required else other planets could get contaminated by bugs that reach the Martian or other planets hidden on human satellites.
Today the ISS is the size of a football field and its construction started with a launch in 1998 and as of now it is the largest human-made object orbiting the earth.
Weighing about 419 tonnes, it can house a maximum of six astronauts and has costs roughly USD 150 billion.
Till date, 227 astronauts have flown to the space station. This makes the space station actually a very dirty place and maintaining hygiene is critical so that humans can live on it with ease.
On the space station all the air and water is recycled, being a completely closed environment there is a rapid build- up of moulds and bacteria on the station.
These not only have to be cleaned but monitored to ensure that they do not corrode the walls of the space station and do not turn hazardous to the astronauts.
Venkateswaran’s main job is to monitor the environment of the space station so that harmful bugs do not proliferate.
He heads the ‘Microbial Observatory’ on the ISS projects to measure microorganisms associated with compartments owned by the US.
According to NASA, he also directs several research and development tasks for the JPL – Mars Program Office, which enables the cleaning, sterilisation, and validation of spacecraft components.
He directs several NASA competitive awards on the microbial monitoring of spacecraft and associated environments for the Exploration System Mission Directorate, closed habitats like ISS or its earth analogues for the Human Exploration and Operation Mission Directorate.
But is the new bug of some use.
“These spore formers tend to withstand high radiation and also produce some useful compounds protein wise which will be helpful for biotechnology applications,” Venkateswaran said.
His team has not characterised the bacteria fully but he hints that the new bug could be a key source for chemicals that can help protect against radiation damage.
source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home / Press Trust of India, Los Angeles / May 21st, 2017
May 11, 1857. Mughal Emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar was fishing in the Yamuna in the morning when he was told about some disturbance breaking out in the city. He rushed back into the fort.
Sowars of the 3rd Bengal Native Cavalry, after mutinying at Meerut the previous day, had reached Delhi after riding overnight. The Revolt of 1857 was at Delhi’s doorstep. And the octogenarian head of the house of Timur, given to poetry and not soldiering, was thrust into the command of an epic struggle that was not just political but also cultural: one that would change Delhi and India forever.
On May 5, TOI approached India’s foremost military historian, Squadron Leader Rana T S Chhina (Retd) of USI-CAFHR, to walk us through the landmarks of the Revolt in Delhi: the ruins, the battlefields, the memorials. The trigger for it was obvious: it’s the 160th anniversary of the Revolt, which people variously refer to as the Indian Mutiny, Sepoy Mutiny, and First War of Indian Independence, depending on which side of the ideological or cultural spectrum they are located.
We, along with a delegation from the British High Commission, assembled outside DU vice-chancellor’s residence, facing the road to Flagstaff Tower. It was a hot May morning, like the one that troubled Jim Corbett when he hunted down the Mohan man-eater. But we endured it as we were hunting for history.
In 1857, the rebel troops started killing Christians, both white and brown, once they were in the city. Europeans who managed to escape flocked towards Flagstaff Tower—our first stop.
One just has to peek inside to imagine how in this rat hole of sorts, scores of people— many of them women and children—huddled together in the searing heat, waiting for help to arrive from Meerut.
We turned left from the Flagstaff Tower into Bonta Park. A little ahead, we arrived at a 19th-century guard house, one of the two that still exist and which would have had an Indian picket when the Revolt began—Delhi was garrisoned by the 38th, 54th and 74th Bengal Native Infantry regiments.
By early June, however, the British reinforcements came and a counterattack began. Flagstaff Tower had a rebel battery by then, which rained down fire and hell on the approaching Anglo-Indian troops. “Despite the bitter animosity that existed then between the British and the rebels, the British officers were appreciative of the gunnery of the rebels. Indian guns were serviced very well, and the English noted that an Indian gunner would rather die defending his gun than give it up,” Chhina said.
Some English officers also heaped praise on the rebels for orderly retreat under fire and took pride in training the men well.
The Tower was taken and it became the left flank of the British position on the Ridge; the centre of the position became the Mosque Picket, our next halt. It’s actually the Chauburja Masjid or the four-domed mosque built by Sultan Ferozeshah Tughlaq in the 14th century. Chhina showed us how it appeared to European photographer Felice Beato in 1858 while we tried to capture the mosque from the same angle as Beato did. Only one dome exists now—a sorry testament to the conservation story of modern India.
Next we went to a palace of Ferozeshah Tughlaq, which is now called Pir Ghaib but may have been the Kushk-i-Jahanuma or Kushk-i-Shikar, a hunting lodge of the Delhi sultan. Even Tamerlane may have visited it. In 1857, this was the scene of bitter fighting between rebel troops and British-led troops. The baoli right next to it is a wonder in itself with flights of stairs on all sides. English troops back in 1857 reported seeing a step well with several leafy trees near Hindu Rao’s house. Only the stumps of some of those trees remain today.
Hindu Rao’s house was the next halt. In June 1857, it was held by the Sirmoor battalion of the Gurkhas (later 2nd Gurkha Rifles, Indian Army and now Royal Gurkha Rifles, British Army), supported by Queen Victoria’s Own Corps of Guides (now split as 2 Frontier Force and Guides Cavalry, Pakistan Army) and other British units.
On September 14, the British stormed Delhi with their full might. The Siege of Delhi ended amid mind-numbing carnage. “Passions were excited on both sides. And it was Delhi that suffered.” Chhina said.
As one contemporary observer noted, Delhi became a “ghost city” with abandoned homes and bloated corpses lying all over.
Our final stop was the Mutiny Memorial on the Ridge, now called Ajitgarh or Fatehgarh. Today, it’s a nationalised memorial to both Indians and the English killed during the Siege of Delhi.
“Something must be done to make these places more familiar to tourists. And these must be preserved,” said Lieutenant Colonel Simon de Labilliere, the military adviser at the high commission.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> News> City News> Delhi News / by Manimugdha S Sharma / TNN / May 12th, 2017
The senior Congress leader talks Pakistan, triple talaq, Indian Muslims, and his party’s need for a new vocabulary
Congress leader, former Foreign Minister and lawyer Salman Khurshid is a man of many parts. From tomorrow, he will be appearing in the Supreme Court as amicus curiae in the controversial triple talaq case. In a wide-ranging conversation, he talks about the triple talaq issue, what it means to be a Muslim in Narendra Modi’s India, the need in the Congress party for a new narrative, and the problem with the government’s Pakistan policy. Excerpts from the interview:
Why have you offered your services to the Supreme Court on triple talaq?
Why not? It may have a political context, but it’s not necessary to look at it in a political context. It can be seen in pure humanistic terms, and towards (developing) a pure understanding of the sociology of Islam. Instead of a partisan approach, we can have an objective discussion that will be helpful for both parties, the court and society. I have done some research, I offered it to the court and am very encouraged that the court accepted it.
But for the BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party), it is a political issue.
In politics, [you can] pose something for the benefit of a segment of society; or you can propose something [because] it gives you political advantage. If the BJP is genuinely concerned about the welfare of Muslim women, then it is understandable. If they are doing it to excite aversion to Muslims, it’s very sad. My view is that they may be taking a simplistic political stand. Therefore I hope an objective understanding of triple talaq will be an appropriate response.
The Muslim ulema see it as an interference in personal laws.
That’s their point of view. There are many other points of view. If ulema from elsewhere in the world and ulema from India have different positions then there needs to be a dialogue between the two sets of ulema rather than for Indian Muslims to say we will only listen to the Indian ulema.
Do you think the BJP is gradually moving towards enacting a Uniform Civil Code?
Maybe, but anyone in the BJP who thinks framing a Uniform Civil Code is about removing elements of Islam from the law in this country is barking up the wrong tree because there are many more complicated issues that arise. Let me give you an example: what is the position of the BJP on same-sex marriages? If you have a Uniform Civil Code, you can’t stop at traditional attitudes towards human relations.
Isn’t there a court ruling already on triple talaq?
There are High Court rulings and one specifically from Delhi of Justice Badar Ahmed which is very explicit: the ruling doesn’t say we will overrule triple talaq, it says there is no such thing as triple talaq. The world over, the majority view of Muslim thinkers is that there is no such thing as triple talaq. Even if you say talaq three times, it amounts to talaq being said only once. So we have to look at the texts more closely and then come to a conclusion.
Is triple talaq really a big issue for Muslim women?
It is not an issue at all, but anyone who feels the threat of adversity would like to stand up against it. But for the BJP to assume that Muslim women think only it can save them from this adversity is completely wrong. There are systems within Islam, and an understanding within the Muslim community that does not favour triple talaq. In fact, triple talaq is largely a propagation and promotion of Hindi movies.
You have written at least two books in which you have dwelt at length on what it means to be a Muslim in India. What does it mean to be a Muslim in Narendra Modi’s India?
Those books are already dated. What it means today is to understand what it means to be irrelevant. And you cannot blame Mr. Modi or [Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister] Yogi Adityanath for making Muslims irrelevant. The BJP is a political party and it has to win elections, and they have won elections by making Muslims irrelevant. But Muslims have played a major role in making themselves irrelevant.
Muslims have been wrongly described as a political group that is captive of the Congress and other liberal parties. They were participants in the Congress movement because it was the only movement that vigorously fought against Partition, refuted the idea of a divided India. So Muslims of India are those who rejected the idea of Pakistan. Where would they go? There have been disappointments with the Congress. Periodically, they return to the Congress. That’s how 10 years of UPA rule was possible. But Muslims have been constantly attacked for being Congress lackeys and the Congress has been attacked for appeasement of Muslims.
However, the fact remains that Muslims are not the only ones who have made themselves irrelevant. The liberals have made themselves completely irrelevant. The liberal voices are in complete isolation. It is liberal India that stood up for the minorities and women.
On the subject of appeasement of Muslims by the Congress, the A.K. Antony Report after the 2014 elections hinted that that might have been part of the problem.
I have not seen the report but I don’t accept the report has this because I have spoken to Mr. Antony. He said he was saying this is in the context of political structures in Kerala, it was not a general proposition.
That is not how it is read in your party.
My party has all kinds of characters but I don’t think they have a right to claim they speak for the party. I can say with enormous confidence that either in private conversations or in public we haven’t heard such a direction from our top leadership.
You mean Sonia and Rahul Gandhi.
Yes, yes. But there is ideology, principle and perception. If a perception is being created against the Congress, then we have to learn the idiom and the manner of presentation so that we don’t become susceptible to perception. And that’s where some of our colleagues are lacking.
We are not an NGO, we are a political party. And therefore, what needs to be said has to be said in a manner that will unite, not divide people. We were under a lot of pressure from the NGOs to use a language that is unfortunately divisive. The Congress has a very inclusive and nationalistic idiom that it has used in the protection of minorities and of vulnerable sections of our society. If we lose that idiom, we will be hurt, and that’s what the BJP has done. It doesn’t mean that we have second thoughts on our ideology.
Doesn’t the party need a new narrative?
Of course, we need a new narrative, a redrafting of strategies, a change in vocabulary. I would say fight for liberal India, you don’t have to fight for secular India. If people are unwilling to understand what secularism means, we should take the larger picture and talk of liberalism.
Define it as freedom, the right to express yourself, do things that you want to do in a way that does not impinge on the other person, community. That’s how all liberal societies define themselves and that’s how India should define itself till such time as we can get the balance back to speak more freely and more openly about the rights of minorities.
It’s been three years since 2014 but there is no talk of a new narrative in the Congress.
In our party we tend to concentrate more on organisation. There’s always a lot of good people available all the time but the larger winning strategy — of course the changes you make in the organisation are absolutely indispensable, the fresh flavour, the fresh passion, fresh vigour to work, reorganise yourself — will come from new thought processes. Perhaps we have not done enough of that. We did this when we had conclaves in the past in the years before we came to office in 2004, we built up a narrative that brought us to power for 10 years. I think a similar exercise is called for.
What will you say about the BJP’s Pakistan policy?
Disastrous. They have not understood Pakistan. Mr. Modi thought it was all about hugs and kisses, and the amazing charm that won him elections in India would win him Pakistan. He has realised that is not the case. Pakistan is a hard nut, very complicated case. Not only are they convinced that their existence is hugely dependent on the continuing disharmony with India but also that their internal structures are very finely balanced on hostility towards India.
In all my references to Pakistan, I have said we must stand by the government. It is our duty and obligation that the nation remains united and speaks in one voice. But frankly, how long can we keep our eyes shut and not cry out in pain about what is going on — the repeated casualties and no explanations? What happened to all those promises of we will fix them, show them what India is… There are no easy answers, but you can’t show you are weak as far as your military preparedness is concerned.
What about dialogue?
Let them say that dialogue will never be resumed. You start it, one day you stop it. Nowhere in the world does conflict end without dialogue. To hold out a promise that there won’t be a dialogue is silly.
There will be dialogue at an appropriate time and under appropriate conditions after we have no reason to feel a sense of weakness. Casualties must stop, that is the first priority and it won’t stop by begging Pakistan to stop it. We must have the strength to stop it.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Opinion> The Wednesday Interview – Interview / by Smita Gupta / May 10th, 2017
Prof Tariq Mansoor, newly appointed vice chancellor of Aligarh Muslim University.
Aligarh :
The newly appointed vice chancellor of Aligarh Muslim University (AMU), Prof Tariq Mansoor, has said that his priority would be to maintain discipline in the university and get rid of all the criminal elements who are giving a bad name to the institution.
Talking to TOI, soon after the notification of his appointment, Mansoor said the responsibility to head the institute is “huge” and he would ensure that students get a secure environment for their studies. Maintaining that there are only a handful of students who create problems on the campus, Mansoor, who would take charge after the end of the term of the present VC, Lt Gen (retd) Zameer Uddin Shah, on May 17 said his priority would be to get rid of such elements.
Responding to a question on the impeding audit of the AMU regarding academic, research, financial, and infrastructural ordered by the UGC, the newly appointed VC said he would ensure that all help is extended to the probe team and everything is done in a transparent manner. Mansoor said such audit can prove beneficial to the university also.
“Whatever deficiencies the audit points out would be taken care of”, he said. In response to a question on resistance by students organization against allowing leaders of right wing Hindu organizations for organizing debates in the university, Mansoor said, “Ideologies can differ but exchange of ideas should be welcomed in any academic institution”.
Maintaining that he was as it looking after 1/3 of the university in his present capacity as the principal of Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College, he said he would ensure total transparency in AMUs working.
Incidentally Mansoor is the first “local” vice chancellor of the university in the past five decades. Mansoor secured the highest number of votes (94) in AMU court. Out of three candidates, Prof Mansoor was the only candidate who was a professor in the university and having academic and administrative experience in a university system.
Rahat Abrar, director of Urdu Academy and former public relation officer of AMU said that the last local VC, Prof Abdul Aleem, was appointed 49 years back in 1968.
Three candidates including Mansoor were in the fray for the post of VC of the AMU. The other two candidates were: Abusaleh Shariff, executive director and chief scholar, US-India Policy Institute, Washington and Shahid Jameel, CEO, Welcome Trust and DBT India Alliance. The three names were sent to the Union human resource development ministry two months ago by the AMU Court.
Mansoor, born on September 20, 1956, completed his MBBS from the JN Medical College in 1978 and MS (Surgery) in 1982. In 1994, Mansoor completed FICS from the International College of Surgeons. Mansoor became the principal and chief medical officer of AMU’s JN Medical College in September 2013. He had first started working at the college’s department of general surgery as a clinical registrar in 1983 and taught MBBS classes.
Mansoor’s father late Prof Hafeezul Rahman was founder dean, Faculty of Law at AMU and his elder brother late Prof Rasheeduz Zafar was professor of Civil Engineering at IIT, Delhi, and professor and head of the department of Civil Engineering in AMU and vice-chancellor of Jamia Hamdard University, New Delhi from 1992-1994. He has published 90 research papers and works in national and international journals.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News> City News> Agra News / by Anuja Jaiswal / TNN / May 04th, 2017
Lastng legacyTeen Murti memorial in New Delhi, The Second Lancers WW-I memorial in the cityVV Krishnan, KVS GiriV_V_Krishnan
A relook at the legacy of the Teen Murti Memorial in Delhi which has a Hyderabad connect
The Teen Murti Memorial in New Delhi is set to be renamed again. What was Imperial Cavalry Brigade Memorial and became Teen Murti Memorial after Independence, is to be renamed Teen Murti Haifa Chowk timed with the first ever visit of an Indian Prime Minister to Israel. The tinkering with the name of a war memorial will not change the glorious memory and the gallantry of Indian soldiers.
Hyderabad House is a well known landmark in New Delhi and is a venue for the reception of foreign dignitaries. The Teen Murti memorial’s link to Hyderabad is less well known. But as the roundabout with three lancers wearing pugrees and khaki shorts grabs the nation’s attention due to yet another renaming row, it is time to remember the legacy of the memorial and its Hyderabad connect.
Just outside the Jamali Kunta darwaza of Golconda in Hyderabad is the area known as Second Lancers. Dotted with low squat houses painted white — some with extensions and some in the same state they were constructed — it has a few houses that still bear the names of the original allotees. While most of the men with Jamadar, Dafadar honorofics are no longer alive, the houses currently occupied by their children and grandchildren still carry their nameplates. These were some of the soldiers who saw action in France and later in Egypt and what was Palestine. The lancers from Hyderabad were the first to sail and were part of the 15th Imperial Service Cavalry Brigade along with lancers drawn from Jodhpur and Mysore princely states. The Teen Murti celebrates the bravery of soldiers from these three princely states.
To call them brave would be an understatement. The great war’s first mechanised weapon was the machine gun that shot out hundreds of bullets in an arc. The lancers from Hyderabad and the other princely states armed with just lances and light weapons were no match for the rat-rat-rat of the machine gun that mowed down anything that moved. But these men stood up, fought and won. One of the most impressive victory was at Haifa on September 23, 1918 and for this the residents of the city still celebrate Haifa Day organised by Indian embassy.
It was not easy to rouse Hyderabad soldiers to fight someone else’s war after crossing the sea. Before the war, the Nizam Osman Ali Khan had to issue a firman informing his soldiers that it is okay for them to fight against fellow Muslims of the Ottoman empire. The port city of Haifa was the key entrepot for the Allied war machine. Years later, the British withdrew from the city leaving the Jews and Arabs to fight it out. The Jews, using a three-pronged attack, captured the city on April 24 in 1948 as the Arabs left their ancient homeland.
Interestingly, while the Teen Murti memorial is in the news, the actual war memorial built for the soldiers who fought for the British in the first World War remains neglected and unseen amidst bushes and brambles in the cantonment area near Second Lancers area in Hyderabad.
Memorable designs
Teen Murti House in New Delhi was designed by Edwin Lutyens, while the Teen Murti Memorial was designed by Leonard Jennings. The one accessible war memorial in Hyderabad, the EME War Memorial in Secunderabad,was designed by Eric Marrett.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Features> Metroplus / by Serish Nanisetti / May 08th, 2017
n solidarityCongress MLA for Tumakuru City Rafiq Ahmed distributing fodder to farmers at a goshala at Thovinakere in Tumakuru districton Friday.
‘I wanted to do my bit to mitigate the woes of cattle and farmers’
In the midst of reports of right-wing cow vigilante groups attacking minorities in different parts of the State and the country, Rafiq Ahmed, Congress MLA for Tumakuru City, chose to celebrate his 50th birthday in a goshala by feeding cattle.
While his birthday celebration could be seen as a symbolic repartee to right-wing groups stereotyping minority community leaders, the thrust of his effort, he said, was to show solidarity with farmers struggling to cope with drought.
“I wanted to celebrate my birthday in a simple way. The region is reeling under the worst drought in 45 years, and I wanted to do my bit to mitigate the woes of cattle and farmers,” said Dr. Ahmed.
He was joined by his wife, Aisha Sultana, and workers from his party as he donated 12 tonnes of fodder, which will be used to feed the cattle in the goshala at Thovinakere. He also distributed fodder to farmers who had brought their cattle to the shelter.
Shankrappa, a farmer from Soorenahalli in Koratagere taluk, said, “We are happy that he has travelled here from the city and chose to spend his birthday with us … The crisis has resulted in a shortage of fodder and food.” Mr. Shankrappa was forced to bring four buffaloes to the shelter as his three acres of land has gone barren.
“This shelter has saved us and our cattle. Otherwise, more than half the farmers in nearby villages would be forced to sell their cattle to slaughterhouses,” he said.
Dr. Ahmed announced financial assistance for the family of farmer Kaavalappa who had allegedly committed suicide because of mounting loans.
The goshala on Friday saw more than 2,000 cows and buffaloes brought by around 1,500 farmers who have been struggling to feed the animals because of their financial situation.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> National> Karnataka / by S. Bhuvaneshwari / Tumakuru – May 06th, 2017
A Himachal-based couple has decided to ‘adopt’ the 12-year-old daughter of an Army jawan, who was beheaded by Pakistan in the Poonch district of Jammu and Kashmir on May 1. They have offered to bear the child’s expenses from school till marriage, to ensure a good future for her.
As a tribute to Naib Subedar Paramjit Singh ‘s sacrifice, Kullu deputy commissioner Yunus Khan and his wife Anjum Ara, an IPS officer, have decided to take care of his daughter, Khushdeep Kaur. “Khushdeep will continue to stay with her family. We will be paying for all her expenses and meeting her from time to time to know about her problems and solve them. If she wants to become an IAS or IPS officer or choose some other career, we are there to help,” said Ara, SP of Solan district.
Yunus said it is difficult to assuage the pain of the martyr’s family, but they are trying to share their grief. “By ensuring good education to his daughter, we are doing our duty as responsible citizens,” he said. Yunus said that it is up to Khushdeep whether she wants to continue studying at her village school or join some other school. “We would be there for her throughout her life to help her in making decisions,” he added.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News> City News> Shimla News / TNN / May 05th, 2017
That was a question I was recently asked in connection with a reference I had made to Umda Bagh and its links with education in the city for nearly 125 years. Good question, and off I went ahunting for information.
Into the Umda Bagh campus moved c.1895 the Madrasa-I-Azam, the chief Muslim school in the South and which was established in 1849. This developed partially into a Government Muhammadan College with its own buildings in 1934.
In 1948, the College was reconstituted as the Government Arts College for Men. The College moved to Nandanam in 1972 and a women’s college opened in its stead in 1974. This was named the Quaid-E-Millat Government College for Women, leaving many a student puzzling over the prefixed name, which I’m told means ‘Leader of the Nation’.
A Tirunelveli Rowther, Mohammed Ismail went into business in the 1920s and became a leader in the worlds of leather and Madras commerce. That leadership led him into politics, in which he had shown interest from when, as a 13-year-old, he started in 1909 the Young Muslim Society in Tirunelveli.
Nine years later, he founded the Council of Islamic Scholars and joined the Indian Muslim League. In 1946, he led the League’s Madras unit in the Assembly elections and became Leader of the Opposition. He was also elected to the first Lok Sabha, which simultaneously served as the Indian Constituent Assembly. And, an intriguing election that year was as the founding President of the Madras State Mutton Dealers’ Association, which he remained till his death 26 years later.
When Pakistan was born in 1947, the Muslim League divided and an Indian Union Muslim League came into being. Mohammed Ismail was elected its first President. After serving in the Rajya Sabha from 1952 to 1958, he moved into Kerala politics with States’ Reorganisation in 1956. Leading the IUML, he won Lok Sabha seats in 1962, 1967 and 1971. He died a year after his last election, revered in both Tamil Nadu and Kerala as the Quaid-E-Millat, a leader who ensured communal harmony. Interestingly, his education had been in Hindu, Catholic and Protestant schools and colleges!
Perhaps the greatest tribute paid to him was by Congress Chief Minister M Bhaktavatsalam who, describing his dignified and conciliatory behaviour in the Legislature, said he was “a model for all Opposition leaders”.
The chronicler of Madras that is Chennai tells stories of people, places and events from the years gone by and, sometimes, from today
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Society> History & Culture / Madras Miscellany / by S. Muthiah / May 01st, 2017
