A 17th century mosque in Punjab declared declared as a symbol of religious tolerance by the UNESCO and UNDP has no Muslim worshippers. Called Guru ki maseet (Mosque of the Guru) it is being looked after by the Sikhs.
Its story dates to the early 17th century. When the sixth Sikh Guru, Hargobind Singh, took over the throne, Emperor Akbar’s efforts to bring all religions together had already failed. In the reign of Jahangir, animosities based on religious difference had begun to surface across India.
Soon, Hargobind Singh realized that in the midst of growing tension and threats, only spirituality would not work.
With this idea, Guru Hargobind Singh started wearing two swords on his body. He called them the swords of Piri and Miri. Piri referred to spirituality and Miri to power. He also raised an army to fight wars.
In one of his armed campaigns, his army camped on the banks of the Beas River. Soon a big settlement came up here and it was called Hargobindpur. Today one can reach this place while travelling on Hoshiarpur-Batala Road in Punjab.
The township had people of all religions. Soon a temple and a Gurudwara were built there. There were only a few Muslims there and they had no place of worship. As their numbers were low, building a mosque was not feasible at the community level.
They went to Guruji and told him their problem.
Guru Hargobind Singh instructed his authorities to build a mosque for the Muslims to worship. In no time the mosque was built on a small hillock on the banks of the Beas River. The sound of Azan from the mosque reverberated in the air for the next several hundred years.
Guru ki Maseet at Hargobindpura, Punjab
However, after the partition of India and many Muslims leaving for Pakistan in 1947, this mosque was deserted. All the Muslim families of Hargobindpura had left for Pakistan.
As the mosque was related to Guru Hargobind Singh, the Nihang Sikhs built a Gurudwara there. Today, the sounds of Gurbani resonate there the place every morning and evening.
In the last decade of the twentieth century, Muhammad Rizwanul Haq of the Punjab Waqf Board visited the town and met many Sikh leaders. He requested the Sikhs that since this mosque was built on the orders of Sikh Guru it should be allowed to remain a mosque.
The Sikh leaders consulted historians; they too concurred with the idea of the place being retained as a mosque.
Soon a consensus was reached. Once again the kar seva started and the mosque was renovated. Some people from the Punjab Waqf Board also came there but most of the kar seva was done by Sikhs.
Nihang Sikhs who look after the mosque sitting outside Guru ki Maseet
The mosque was restored to its original shape in 2002.
For its inauguration, the locals invited Imam Maulana Hamid Hussain Qasmi of Amritsar’s Jama Masjid to lead the Eid-ul-Fitr prayers at the mosque.
Even today there is no Muslim living in Hargobindpur and yet the mosque stands tall. Today, Guru ki Maseet is cared for by Nihang sevadars.
In 2003, this historic mosque gained international recognition when UNESCO and the UNDP’s Culture for Peace project highlighted its importance as a symbol of religious tolerance.
(The author is a senior journalist)
source: http://www.awazthevoice.in / Awaz, The Voice / Home> Stories / by Harjinder / April 01st, 2025
Shakhapur Village, KARNATAKA / NEW DELHI / Bokharo, JHARKHAND:
Dr. Majid Ahmed Talikoti
The India GCC (Gulf Corporation Council) Trade Council has announced renowned oncologist surgeon Dr Majid Ahmed as its Honorary Health commissioner.
Dr. Talikoti was recently recognised as one of the 100 most influential Indian Muslim figures by Muslim Mirror. He is a chairman of a ‘Medicant Hospital’ in Jharkhand’s Bokaro. The hospital is known and praised for treating patients at very affordable fees.
In an event in Delhi, Dr. Talikoti was presented with the appointment letter of honorary health commissioner. The India-GCC Trade Council presented the offer recognising his contributions in the field of oncology and his health initiatives between India and Gulf countries.
Accepting the letter, doctor talikoti said the role offered to me is a significant step and I am eager to contribute to health initiatives that bridge India and Gulf countries together. Let’s work to build strong diplomatic ties and healthy Nations across borders.
Earlier, Dr Talikoti had gained recognition in Dubai and was awarded with Healthcare “Excellence Asian Arab Award 2025.”
I found that the journey from East Pakistan to India is seen in a completely different light – unlike in Assam.
Design | Rubin D’Souza
Earlier this month, I was on my way to the India-Bangladesh border in West Bengal on a reporting assignment.
As I crossed the outskirts of Kolkata and took the Jessore Road, ancient trees swam into view. Our driver, Swapan Kumar Shikari, got talking. “These are very old trees,” he told me. “They guided millions of refugees from East Pakistan who were fleeing the [1971 Bangladesh liberation] war.”
Jessore Road is a historical refugee route, connecting Kolkata and Khulna in present-day Bangladesh, and the flight of terrorised people on this road in 1971 is now part of collective memory. “Most people who you will meet, they came here in 1971 or after that,” Shikari said, pointing to the houses and paddy fields on both sides of Jessore Road.
A similar journey is part of my history too. More than a hundred years ago, our forefathers, mostly peasants, migrated from the Mymensingh district of undivided Bengal to Assam – they were not fleeing violence, but following the instructions of the British colonial power.
Many of them tried to assimilate with the mainstream Assamese society. They not only started to read and write in Assamese but also initiated campaigns to identify themselves as “Assamese speakers” and “Assamese” in the 1941 census. Over decades, however, even our best efforts have not led to acceptance from Assamese society.
And in the process, we have become wary of recognising our roots – on the other side of the border.
For good reason. The rise of Assamese sub-nationalism has led to Muslims of Bengali origin being vilified as “illegal immigrants” from Bangladesh – even though many of them migrated years before the creation of India.
An anxiety, if not paranoia, about outsiders has taken centre stage in Assam and shaped politics in the state for the last six decades. The rise of Hindutva in Assam has only made our lives more precarious.
But as I began my interviews in Thakurnagar, the seat of the Matua order in North 24 Parganas district, I found that the journey from East Pakistan to India is seen in a completely different light here.
The Matuas, an influential religious order consisting almost exclusively of Namashudra Dalit immigrants from Bangladesh, are open about their migration history and are not afraid to speak of their origins.
“My family came here between 1980 and 1985,” said a resident of Thakurnagar. “There is nothing to hide. People in West Bengal have accepted us. Even if they don’t accept us, we don’t have anywhere else to go. Lakhs of people fled, and the local Bengali people not only welcomed us but also gave shelter and showed empathy.”
If he were in Assam now, he would never speak this openly. “You would have been picked up by the border police any day,” I told him.
Indeed, the state in Assam has come up with several mechanisms, from foreigners’ tribunals to the National Register of Citizens, to detect “illegal” residents. This institutional suspicion has taken a toll on the Bengali community in Assam, both Muslims and Hindus.
I have been reporting on the citizenship crisis in Assam for the last five years. Minor errors in documents or the inability to prove they are the children of their parents through documentary evidence have led many people to “fail” their citizenship test.
The plight of Bengalis in Assam was familiar to those I interviewed. Indeed, a few years ago, residents of West Bengal were spooked at the prospect of the National Register of Citizens being carried out on a nationwide scale, as suggested by the Union home minister Amit Shah.
On the last day of my reporting assignment, a Kolkata-based social activist from the Matua community had several questions for me about the National Register of Citizens.
I told him how the majority of Bengali Muslims in Assam supported the idea of the National Register of Citizens. Since they are required to produce papers in every aspect of life to prove their citizenship, they were not anxious. They knew they could produce the documents that could rid them of the lifelong “Bangladeshi tag.”
The Assam National Register of Citizens ended up excluding 19.06 lakh people, from Hindus to Muslims, from natives to those with a migration history. They are on the verge of statelessness and they now have to prove their citizenship before the tribunals, the last chance before being declared as non-citizens.
I told the Matua leader that if the National Register of Citizens came to West Bengal, those who came after 1971 would face hurdles having their names included. But while Hindu migrants may be protected by the Citizenship Amendment Act, Muslims may still have to prove their citizenship.
“Yes, the words ‘infiltrators’ and ‘illegal immigrants’ will only be associated with Muslims,” he agreed.
Citizenship is a federal subject in India, and the Union government makes the laws for it. But how a state responds to the spectre of illegal immigrants depends on its own history and culture.
In Assam, both the state and the citizenry are suspicious about migrants.
But other regions show us that another way is possible. In West Bengal, the state and its people not only accept migrants wholeheartedly but also show compassion for their history.
Most recently, the tiny northeastern state of Mizoram gave shelter to refugees from Myanmar and Bangladesh, describing them as their kith and kin.
But in Assam, with an aggressive form of Hindutva becoming dominant, it is unlikely that a Bengal-origin Muslim like me will find the courage to look back at my history – without having to pay a price for it.
source: http://www.scroll.in / Scroll.in / Home> Backstory 2024 / by Rokibuz Zaman / December 11th, 2024
Dr. Mehdi Hayat Shahi with research team comprising Dr. Musheer Ahmad, Arif Ali, Ms. Basree at Brain Research Centre
Aligarh:
In a ground-breaking achievement, the Interdisciplinary Brain Research Centre (IBRC), Faculty of Medicine, Aligarh Muslim University (AMU), has been granted an Indian patent for a novel compound named ARSH-Q. The compound is the result of rigorous research and extensive screening conducted by the Centre in collaboration with the Department of Applied Chemistry.
ARSH-Q has shown exceptional potential in inhibiting brain cancer cells by targeting stem cells, which are major contributors to resistance against radiation and chemotherapy. Given the high recurrence and mortality rates associated with brain cancer, this discovery brings significant hope for more effective treatment options.
Led by Dr. Mehdi Hayat Shahi, the research team, including Dr. Musheer Ahmad, Arif Ali, Mr. Mohd. Muzzammil, Ms. Basree, and Mr. Swalih P., developed ARSH-Q after screening numerous synthesised compounds. Dr. Shahi, whose research on brain tumours has been ongoing since 2005, focused extensively on the Sonic Hedgehog cell signalling pathway – a critical factor in stem cell-mediated brain cancer and other malignancies.
The team’s objective was to develop a compound that surpasses the efficacy of Temozolomide, the current standard chemotherapy drug. After extensive efforts, they successfully synthesised ARSH-Q, which has demonstrated exceptional results in suppressing brain cancer cells in initial studies.
Dr. Shahi and his team are now set to advance their research through pre-clinical studies to validate the efficacy of ARSH-Q. The goal is to develop the compound as either a standalone therapeutic agent or an adjuvant to existing chemotherapy treatments for brain cancer.
The team expressed gratitude to the Vice-Chancellor of AMU, the Dean of the Faculty of Medicine, the Convenor of the IPR Cell, and the Coordinator of IBRC for supporting the patent filing process and facilitating this significant research endeavour.
source: http://www.radiancenews.com / Radiance News / Home> Focus / by Radiance News Bureau / March 22nd, 2025
Ms. Zainab Irfan Sheth, daughter of leading emergency physician of Singapore General Hospital Dr Irfan Abdurrahman Sheth and Muniba Irfan Sheth, a native of Modasa Town of Gujarat State of India, has achieved maximum achievable rank points which are 90/90 in 12th grade exams of Singapore. She is now eligible to get admission in all the faculties including the reputed medical school of Singapore for further studies. May Allah bless her to get more and more success in future endeavours, too.
Ms. Zainab’s maternal uncle Dr Iftekhar Malek, who is a practising doctor in Modasa for many years, says that her achievement is a proud moment for our family as well as for the whole of the Muslim community.
Her other maternal uncles, Dr Shahid Malek and Dr Shakib Malek, are also practising Anaesthetist and Orthopaedic Surgeon respectively, providing services in their fields.
Zainab’s grandfather Late Abdurrahman Sheth, was a famous CA and her grandpa Late Nisharahmed Malek was an educationist associated with various educational institutions in Modasa.
On this occasion of Ms. Zainab’s brilliant success in academics, the whole family is proud and happy, expressing gratitude to Allah Subhanahu wa Ta’ala for the same.
source: http://www.radiancenews.com / Radiance News / Home> Focus> Pride of the Nation> Markers of Excellence / by Radiance News Bureau / February 24th, 2025
It is the story of a young boy who once wanted to take his parents to the moon. However, for Sabir Alam, the journey from a small village in Bihar to the one in which he was associated with ISRO’s Chandrayan Mission 3, Moon was a destiny chiselled with grit.
Sabir Ali’s story began in the Chhoghra village in Katihar district, 350 km from Patna, Bihar. Son of a primary school teacher from Seemanchal – one of India’s most underdeveloped regions – this young boy turned his limitations into challenges and life happened to him.
Sabir’s father, Harun Rashid, knew the value of a good education but often wondered how to make his son rise in life with his meagre earnings. “With my limited earnings and the struggle to secure quality education for him, it was a challenging journey,” Harun says.
Sabir Alam having chai
Sabir joined his father’s school, where learning was born from passion rather than resources.
When Sabir cracked the Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya (JNV) entrance exam, it was a monumental moment. JNV was a lifeline, offering free education to talented students from rural areas.
He joined the JNV in Kolasi, Katihar, and after his 10th-grade exams in 2012, he shifted to JNV, Puducherry.
Sabir also enrolled in a coaching program run by Avanti, an NGO in collaboration with Tata Motors, to prepare students for competitive exams like IIT–JEE, the gateway to some of India’s most prestigious engineering institutions.
He graduated with a B.Tech in aerospace engineering from the Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology (IIST) in 2018 and then joined the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) at the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala.
Sabir Alam with fellow scientists celebrating the launch of Chandrayaan-3
Then came the day that would forever etch Sabir’s name in history. On August 23, 2023, when India made its historic landing on the moon’s South Pole as part of the Chandrayaan-3 mission, Sabir stood among the brightest minds who made it possible.
The moment was both joyous and emotional for his family.
“It was like Eid for us,” says Harun Rashid. “People gathered at our house to congratulate us and shower blessings. It felt natural as a young man from a region often associated with poverty and underdevelopment contributed to the country’s successful lunar mission,” he says with palpable pride and happiness.
Son of the soil : Sabir Alam in his field in the village
Though his mother, a homemaker, may not fully grasp the enormity of the achievement, she stood in quiet pride, holding back her tears. “As a mother, I cannot put my emotions into words. All I know is that my son has made not just Seemanchal but the entire country proud,” she says, her voice trembling with love and joy.
For the family, Sabir’s rise was not about wealth. “There was no financial investment in his schooling,” his mother said.
Sabir’s education was sustained by the values of hard work, sacrifice, and scholarships. The JNV provided the crucial foundation, and scholarships allowed Sabir to scale the mountain that seemed insurmountable to so many.
Did Sabir’s mother ever imagine he would join ISRO or contribute to such a prestigious national mission? I asked her. “I always knew he would succeed,” she said. “He often joked during his visits home that he would take us to the moon one day.”
Sabir Alam showing a model of the lander at the surface of the moon to his son at ISRO center
Mumtaz Naiyer, a scientist based in the United Kingdom, shares a unique bond with Sabir. Hailing from the same region, he always acknowledged Sabir’s abilities. “Sabir has always been extraordinary. He stands out from other youth in Seemanchal because of his approach, temperament, and determination to learn and succeed. Thanks to Sabir, we, the Surjapuri-speaking (local dialect of the region) people, Seemanchalis and Biharis, are now part of history,” Naiyer says.
“This will certainly inspire the youth of this underdeveloped region to dream big,” Naiyer adds. “I also want to thank Sabir’s parents, as their son has brought immense pride to Seemanchal.”
Yet, despite all his achievements, Sabir has never seen himself as someone extraordinary. In a post on Facebook’s page ‘Humans of Seemanchal’ he wrote, “Honestly, I do not feel that I have achieved anything extraordinary or made any significant breakthrough in my field. I do not need to talk much about Seemanchal – its literacy rate already tells its story. I was just fortunate to find a way around the high cost of education.”
For Sabir, it was never about the prestige of joining ISRO. It is simply a milestone. “There are numerous challenges for those from backward areas, but with dedication, hard work, willpower, and, most importantly, awareness, you can overcome them,” he advises.
source: http://www.awazthevoice.in / Awaz, The Voice / Home> Stories / by Tarique Anwar, New Delhi / February 13th, 2025
Thanks to social media, former car driver Rasool Kareem has discovered a completely new calling in Qatar
Rasool Kareem (left) with Qatari cast members of Kareem Time channel. | Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
When 35-year-old Rasool Kareem set out to support his family by taking up a driver’s job in Doha, Qatar in 2007, little did he realise that his career as a social media star in the Gulf country would literally turn his life around in the most unexpected way.
With a YouTube channel called ‘Kareem Time Official’ that has 1.9 million subscribers and 537,894 followers on Facebook, besides 70,6000 more on his Instagram account, the native of Woraiyur, Tiruchi is a recognised public figure in the Arabian Gulf’s social media space.
Kareem’s work stands out because he makes videos on the life of South Asian (majorly Tamil) expatriate workers in the Gulf, with a cast that is made up of both Qatari and Indian amateur actors.
His content is available in Arabic and Tamil, and uses observational comedy to lampoon people’s foibles, while conveying an underlying serious message.
“It is not right to vilify people or countries blindly. There are good and bad persons in every community, and sometimes comedy becomes the best vehicle to spread tolerance, especially in places that rely on expatriate workers,” says Kareem over a WhatsApp interview call. “Most of my Arabic videos are uploaded on YouTube and Instagram, while the Tamil ones, which I produce with the help of a creative team in Tiruchi, are on Facebook. The comedy skits have slapstick and physical humour to appeal also to viewers who may not know either language,” says Kareem.
A star is born
Like the millions of blue-collar workers who head out to the Arabian Gulf countries in search of work every year, Kareem had a family to support back in Tiruchi. “I haven’t studied much, and spent much of my youth working at odd jobs. Since I was the eldest in my family and needed to support my parents and siblings, my father made me learn driving and got me a visa to work as a chauffeur for a Qatari family. When I had enough in my kitty, I decided to return to Tiruchi for good in 2010,” he recalls.
Kareem’s interest in acting led him to spending a year in Chennai, struggling to get roles in Tamil cinema. “By the end of 2011, I realised that my acting career was a non-starter, so I decided to return to Qatar and become a driver again,” he says.
Migrant workers in Qatar function under the ‘kafala’ (sponsorship) system, where a resident Qatari national is made in charge of the foreign worker’s visa and legal status.
Kareem’s Qatari sponsor (and employer) Naif al-Malki got interested in the driver’s Kollywood audition clips and asked him create something for him. “I sang an Arabic song in my Tamil style, which he uploaded on his Instagram page. We did not expect it to become a viral hit all over the Gulf countries. My first real fans were Arab children, who loved my stuff,” says Kareem.
The song started off his career as a social media star in 2013, as he began to upload videos that were largely mono-acts filmed on his mobile phone, with the active encouragement of al-Malki, who is now his business manager.
Content is king
“I realised that to be taken seriously, one had to pay attention to the content, so I started looking for actors who could join me in my videos,” he says. He found them in Qatar’s amateur theatre circuit and assembled a typical Gulf ‘family’ with his actors. “Today, Khaled al-Rubya, Huda al-Malki, Zahara al- Ansari, Tamim al-Malki and Abu Vinish are all part of Kareem Time videos, along with me. Sometimes we get mistaken for a real family,” he laughs.
Kareem tends to play the driver in most of the skits, but in real life has stopped working as a chauffeur after his social media career took off. “During one vacation, I actually wanted to quit my driver’s job and stay on in India because it was getting difficult to manage content creation with my regular work. But Mr. Naif persuaded me to return to Qatar and develop my social media work, because he felt it had great potential,” says Kareem.
The team shoots three videos per week, and uploads them periodically. “None of us gets paid for the in-house productions. But we allow the actors to state their preferred salary for commercial promotions, which we have started getting from local companies. I use my savings to fund the video production costs,” says Kareem.
For the more sober Tamil content, Kareem tends to highlight the socio-economic dynamics of migrant labourers within their families and society.
The father of two has learned to take the brickbats in his stride. “Thanks to social media, strangers walk up to me and request me for a selfie with their children because they have seen my work online. It’s the best endorsement one could get,” he says.
Kareem and co-star in a scene from his YouTube channel’s skits. | Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Features> Metro Plus / by Nahla Nainar / September 22nd, 2022
Artistes from the coastal town are reinventing their music with a more contemporary interpretation of Islamic and Sufi music
Nagore Dargah | Photo Credit: SRINATH M
M. Haja Maideen lives in Thethi village in Nagapattinam district. This third generation faqir (ascetic) of the Rifai tariqa (order) of Sufism has been singing Islamic devotional songs from the age of nine. He performs in and around his coastal village along with brother-in-law, Abdul Ghani. Together they present compositions set to the beat of the ‘dayra’. Haja’s elder brother Saburmaideen Babha Sabeer was the third member of the troupe until his demise in 2012.
The life and music of singers like Haja have been shaped by the Nagore dargah, dedicated to saint Abdul Qadir, just a few kilometres away from Thethi, and considered to be one of the biggest pilgrim centres in southern India.
During a recent visit to the dargah, the presence of music — instrumental and vocal — was as tangible as the five imposing minarets that frame the shrine. Whether as nagaswaram and thavil concerts at the nagara medai in the upper storey of the shrine, or as concerts by independent artistes and faqirs below, devotional tunes are seamlessly woven into the worship rituals.
Spotlight on talent
Haja, Abdul and Saburmaideen would have remained in the shadows but for EarthSync’s (an audio-visual production house) award-winning 2007 documentary, ‘The Laya Project’, that turned the spotlight on them.
For over two years, journeying through countries affected by the 2004 tsunami and documenting their folk music traditions, the Laya Project explored communities in India, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Maldives and Myanmar.
The trio became popular as ‘Nagore Boys’ with their simple rendition of ‘Ya Allah’, showcasing their ability to spin a mesmeric sonic web with their voices and tambourine-like instruments.
Later they were invited by the project’s Chennai-based Israeli music producer, Yotam Agam, to record ‘Nagore Sessions’, with a line-up of guest artistes including Zohar Fresco on Middle Eastern percussions, horns by Monks from the Tashi Lhunpo monastery, sarangi by maestro Murad Ali Khan, rhodes and programming by Patrick Sebag, harmonium by Palakkad Sreeram and bass by David Saban.
“The Laya Project made a huge difference to our lives,” says the 52-year-old Haja Maideen. “It brought us recognition from the Tamil Nadu government and social organisations, and we were invited to tour Australia, Middle Eastern countries and Israel with our songs. Up until then, going to even Chennai was a big effort.”
Most faqirs have no written song books. “We have memorised over 100 songs, taught by our forefathers, that we sing according to the occasion,” says Haja.
Nagore Boys | Photo Credit: RAVINDRAN R
Impact on popular culture
With Sufism going back to over 400 years in Tamil Nadu, Islamic devotional music in the State has become a part of popular culture. It has two distinct strains: Islamic songs that focus on the core tenets of the faith, and the Sufi genre that consists mostly of ‘Pugazh maalai’ or paeans, in praise of saints and holy men whose shrines are still revered.
Islamic music worked its way into ‘gaana’ songs, that were originally meant to commemorate the dead and was integrated into Tamil movies especially in the 1950s. Songs such as ‘Mera naam Abdul Rehman’, ‘Ondre Solvaan’ and ‘Ellorum Kondaduvom’ were picturised on leading stars M.G. Ramachandran and Sivaji Ganesan playing Muslim characters.
One of the most recognisable voices of this genre is singer Nagore E.M. Hanifa, whose baritone and style continue to influence many even seven years after his demise. “My father started singing at the age of 13 in Tiruvaluntur, Thanjavur district, on a bullock cart, which was both stage and band transport. He learned early on to throw his voice without the aid of a microphone, which shaped his distinctive vocal style,” says his son Naushad Ali, who also moonlights as a singer.
While Hanifa was not too keen to be involved in films (he did sing in a few), he became the ‘voice’ of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) with his rousing political anthems that were played before party meetings.
The Laya Project’s impact can be seen in the evolution of Islamic music in Tamil films in recent times. Composers like A.R. Rahman and Ghibran have brought a more nuanced exposure to this genre.
“Sufi themes involve both self-awareness and acquired knowledge. It could be a word or an epiphany that is expressed in poetic form. When you present a song with soul-stirring lyrics, people respond to it at a deeper level,” says Mashook Rahman, the Chennai-based lyricist who wrote ‘Khwaaja enthan Khwaaja’ for the Tamil version of the 2007 magnum opus Jodhaa-Akbar. Sung by Rahman (who also composed the film’s music), the hymnal tune continues to stand out for its mellow exploration of spirituality.
Nagore Hanifa | Photo Credit: MOORTHY M
Online breakthrough
Sound recording technology, and alongside it, the market for devotional songs has progressed in many pilgrim centres like Nagore to create a thriving music scene online. Some of the more successful singers in Nagore have installed recording studios at home.
“Sufi musicians of yore used to write their own lyrics and compose the tunes, besides playing the instruments. But as they lost out on education, they started using poems written by others. For more than a decade, there seemed to be nobody to follow Nagore Hanifa. We are trying to change this with a more contemporary interpretation of Islamic and Sufi music,” says Umar Farooq, singer and proprietor of the recording studio Sufi Musix in Chennai. For his 2019 video song ‘Ya Meera-Qadar Wali’, Umar collaborated with Iranian percussionists to get a more authentic soundscape for the drums.
Interestingly, most of these productions are self-financed because the music is seen as a religious offering. “It costs around Rs. 1 lakh to produce a high quality song with video, but nobody talks about money; we all just pitch in with whatever we have,” says Umar.
“At present, Sufi music isn’t organised in Tamil Nadu. Faqirs are doing their own thing. Film composers are trying it in movies. And independent producers like us are exploring a new sound in our recording studios,” says Umar.
Rooted to Nagore
Many Sufi singers have stayed rooted to Nagore and its heritage (the saint Abdul Qadir is said to have learned music along with Hindustani prodigy Tansen from the Sufi mystic Muhammad Ghauth). “We sing at the dargah for our own happiness, and don’t expect any payment ,” says Nagore Hafil Sahib Qadiri, who has been singing for 20 years as part of the Qadiriya Qaseeda group in Nagore.
The 40-year-old has worked with companies like Sufi Musix as well, producing lyrical videos in Urdu and Tamil. With 150 songs in his repertoire, Hafil Sahib says he has curtailed singing at social occasions (for a fee) and is now concentrating on Sufi music at the dargah.
It is important to preserve the folk music traditions of the Tamil Sufi minstrels as the younger generation of faqirs prefer a more mainstream life. Haja Maideen’s son, for example, has taken up car driving for a living.
Yotam Agam | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Recalling the serendipitous discovery of the Nagore Boys by an Indonesian colleague, who was passing by the dargah during the Laya Project, music producer Yotam (who returned to Israel in 2020 after nearly 15 years in Chennai) says that he remains fascinated by Tamil Sufi music.
“Unlike North Indian and Pakistani Sufi groups that use big ensembles of South Asian musical instruments, Tamil Sufi singers have only the frame drum, common in Arab countries. People can go into a trance by just listening to the chant-like refrains of their songs,” says Yotam.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Entertainment> Music / by Nahla Nainar / October 18th, 2022
India and Qatar celebrate their age-old maritime ties by showcasing a handcrafted dhow at the FIFA World Cup, as part of the Gulf Arab nation’s traditional boat festival.
P.O. Hashim, MD, M/S Haji PI Ahmed Koya, Kozhikode, handing over the dhow made by their company to Ahmed al-Hitmi, director, Katara beach department, in Doha, Qatar. | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
India is reiterating its age-old maritime ties with Qatar, at the ongoing FIFA World Cup 2022, through a handcrafted dhow made by M/S Haji PI Ahmed Koya, a family-run shipbuilding company in Kozhikode.
Held under the patronage of Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, Emir of Qatar, and organised by The Cultural Village Foundation Katara, the 12th edition of the Katara International Dhow Festival in Doha is one among the many off-field events scheduled by the FIFA World Cup. The festival, held between November 20 and December 18, features dhows — boats with a long and thin hull, and one or two masts for sails, commonly used in southern Asia and eastern Arabia — from nine countries, including India, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Greece, Zanzibar and Turkey.
The Indian pavilion is exhibiting two 20-foot long boats, in addition to displaying boat materials and models, which are for sale.
“My grandfather started this company in 1885, and we have been making boats to order for clients in the Gulf countries for over 130 years. It is a special year for us, because we have built a baghlah dhow for the Qatari government using vintage technology. It showcases our boat-building heritage on an international stage,” says PO Hashim, managing director of the firm, who is in Doha for the handover.
The company also maintains a Dhow Museum of equipment and memorabilia related to the wooden vessels in Kuttichira, Kozhikode.
The dhow built by M/S Haji PI Ahmed Koya, Kozhikode, seen in the boatyard before despatch. | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
How to stitch a boat
The baghlah (Arabic for mule), measuring 27 feet, is an example of a sewn boat, where craftsmen thread wooden planks together using special coconut-fibre ropes. The technique predates the era of metal fastenings, and samples of sewn boats can be seen in many ancient civilizations, each using a different methodology.
Good quality timber and skilled shipwrights made Beypore in Kerala a magnet for Arab countries, attracting craftsmen from Yemen’s Hadrami tribe and the Omanis from the 15th century. Known as uru in Malayalam, the Beypore dhow was the main form of transport along the spice routes of Malabar and Arabia.
“We were inspired to make this dhow after seeing a similar model made in Oman decades ago,” says Hashim. The Qatar-commissioned boat being displayed at the festival was manufactured at the company’s Pattermadu dhow-making unit at Chaliyam village in Kozhikode.
Over six to seven months, from November 2021, craftsman Gokul Edathumpadikkal and a team of shipwrights were busy assembling the six-foot deep and seven-foot wide vessel, using teak sourced from Nilambur. Most of the carpentry and detailed carving on the outer planks have been done manually.
A dhow is typically built from the outside hull inwards. Shaped planks of wood are connected at the edges in a clinker style, and the overlapping sections are sewn together with coir to form a flexible structure. Internal framing is provided for additional rigidity.
Hashim says that their dhow is made with 2,300 hand stitches of fibre ropes through 5,000 holes to secure the planks. It was shipped by container and handed over to Ahmed al-Hitmi, director, Katara beach department, in Doha, last week.
“Qatar has been actively promoting the dhow as a symbol of the country’s culture and economy before the oil boom. We have been participating in Qatar’s annual dhow festival for 10 years,” he says.
Sailing away
The work of the special dhow using coir rope in progress at Chaliyam. | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
At one time, there were some 80 types of dhows in the Arabian Gulf and Oman but only about six are still in use today, albeit with engines rather than sails. “There were many types of sailing dhows, ranging from big ocean-going vessels to small inshore fishing boats. They were used for trading from the Arabian Gulf to countries as far away as China, where pearls were exchanged for silk and other luxury items. Each year, fleets of dhows set out for the pearl-fishing grounds in September, returning three months later. The last of the sailing dhows were replaced by engine-powered boats in the 1950s,” says writer Fran Gillespie, who has authored several books on Qatar’s history, culture and archaeology.
Traditionally built dhows, powered with engines, are still in use in the Arabian Gulf for fishing and tourist excursions.
Katara, a sprawling beach promenade in Doha, will be the venue for marine shows, competitions, workshops for children and craftsmen in addition to special performances and operettas by folk troupes through the month as part of the festival.
For the World Cup, flags of the nations of the 32 qualified teams will be put on dhow masts to sail past the Doha Corniche and Museum of Islamic Art (MIA) reaching there by sunset on all days.
“The dhow festival, based on Qatar’s pearl-diving, fishing and maritime history is deeply intertwined with emotion and pride in the hearts of several generations,” says Salem al-Marri, Director of public relations and communications, Katara.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Society / by Nahla Nainar / November 28th, 2022
Tiruchi, TAMIL NADU / Algharetta (Georgia) U.S.A :
VDart founder Sidd Ahmed on attending the first Lunar New Year gathering at the White House.
Sidd Ahmed, founder of VDart Group, seen at the first ever Lunar New Year reception hosted by the Bidens at the White House in Washington DC on January 26, 2023. | Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
The first ever Lunar New Year reception hosted by the US White House in Washington DC was a memorable occasion for Tiruchi-born Asian-American tech entrepreneur Sidd Ahmed, who was one of the 100 invitees to the formal event held on January 26.
“I’m still a little overwhelmed, because getting an invitation from the President of the United States is a big thing for an ordinary citizen,” says Ahmed over a phone interview. “The programme was meant to celebrate the New Year traditions of people from the Asian-American Pacific-Islander (AAPI) communities. This was one of the ethnic festive celebrations hosted by the White House in recent years, to emphasise the nation’s multiculturalism,” he says.
Ahmed, who founded the VDart Group, a global digital talent management and consultancy based in the US city of Alpharetta, Georgia in 2007, was a rare Indian face among the elite gathering dominated by guests from Korean, Japanese, Vietnamese and Filipino lineage.
“A majority of the invitees were non-profits [non-governmental organisations]. I represented the National Minority Supplier Development Council (NMSDC), a non-profit that connects minorities [people of African American, Hispanic, Native American, Asian Pacific, or Asian Indian ethnicity] with US corporations,” says Ahmed.
Dream come true
Along with NMSDC CEO and president Ying McGuire, Ahmed was invited as the head of VDart, one of the best-performing companies of the council’s 13,000 member firms. The company has had a significant corporate presence in Tiruchi since 2010.
“Visiting the White House and simply being in the proximity of President Joe Biden is a huge thing. It was a like a dream come true, listening to President Biden speak and interact with the guests. Imagine an ordinary man coming from Tiruchi like me going to the White House. There may have been many more companies and far more well-read people than me there, but it was such a huge honour,” says Ahmed.
Though a mass shooting incident during a Lunar New Year celebration in California a few days before the White House reception had cast a pall on the nation, the US administration decided to go ahead with the event as planned. “President Joe Biden and the First Lady Jill Biden wanted to show the country’s resilience,” says Ahmed.
He later attended a deferred Lunar New Year celebration hosted by Vice President Kamala Harris at her official residence on January 31.
The guests were free to click innumerable pictures in the grand reception rooms of the White House’s ground floor, once they had completed the mandatory security checks. “The Secret Service and US Marines manning the areas were really polite and hospitable that day, and made the evening more enjoyable,” says Ahmed.
While the excitement has still to die down at home, especially among his relatives in Tiruchi, Ahmed says his mother asked the most pertinent questions. “My family was super excited about the whole thing. But only Mom asked, ’What did the President say?’ and ‘Does he look the same in real life as on TV?’” he laughs.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Life & Style / by Nahla Nainar / February 22nd, 2023
