Category Archives: World Opinion

Relic of finesse, hub of intellect buried in neglect

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Community Involvement / Social Issues, Leaders, World Opinion

Lucknow :

Famous as ‘Shahji ki Deodhi’ or ‘Saat Aangan ki Kothi’ (mansion of seven courtyards), the residence of Amritlal Nagar is now in a dreadful state. Today, the kothi with a significant history is shadowed by past and broken with time. Not just family members, artists, neighbours and culturati want the mansion restored and declared heritage building.

The mansion is facing legal problems over property rights and encroachment issues. Put up for sale, a precious piece of history is on the verge of being lost. Daughter of the writer, Dr Deeksha Nagar said, “Government can transform the mansion into a live cultural museum.” In the maze of Old Lucknow there is a subtle presence of shredded memories woven by Nagar’s writings. “The mansion can be transformed into a place where literature can be created, reworked and performed as theatre,” she added.

When TOI contacted principal secretary culture Anita Meshram, she expressed inability to talk on the issue and said, “I cannot comment on this particular problem.” On tracing the forgotten house that Nagar lived in, it found to be actually a rented part of the kothi which originally belonged to Sharf-ud-Daula. It is said to have been the place where once Shahji had given refuge to Begum Hazrat Mahal, the night before she escaped to Nepal. The part of the kothi in which Nagar lived was the mardana (men’s) area of the Kothi’s original structure.

Saat Aangan ki Kothi may be lying in neglect but has not lost the resonance of beauty. Filmmaker Muzaffar Ali remarked, “Amritlal Nagar’s residence should be protected and marked as heritage of the City of Nawabs.” Some extensions of the kothi which earlier included a Thakurdwara, wooden doors and jharokhas with flawless filigree have slowly worn out over time, added Laavi Tikkha, neighbour of Amritlal Nagar from 1964-89.

Residence of Amritlal Nagar in those times used to attract lots of personalities from the Hindi film industry. “Shashi Kapoor, Shyam Benegal, Raj Babbar and K P Saxena were among the visitors and Junoon (1978) was shot here,” recalled Manoj Kumar Mehrotra, who resided in the house opposite Amritlal Nagar’s.

Though Nagar did not own any property, the kothi used to be an evening attraction of Mirza Mandi till a couple of decades ago. “The evening of courtly entertainment of poetry was part of his life in this kothi,” his neighbour Rahul Seth told TOI. Envisaging the past of 1980’s five and eighty years old Munendra Nath Mehrotra recalls that, “Amritlal Nagar’s kothi used to be a charm of this place but now it is surrounded by buildings on all sides.”

Blended with Lucknowi Tehzeeb and Nazakat, Amritlal Nagar was one of the renowned artistes of Lucknow’s literary repertoire. Former MP of Lucknow Lalji Tandon told TOI, “We tried to restore Nagar ji’s place a few years ago but didn’t make a headway. Government spending crores of rupees on development can easily restore this invaluable piece of history.”

Standing very differently from today’s world the work of Amritlal Nagar have transcended all boundaries compelling the reader to think. Made from ‘lakhauri’ and organic paste with Mughal architecture the mansion exudes an arresting aura of uniqueness. Wild grass growing on the 400-year-old building shrouds this relic of visual and oral arts of Old Lucknow.

(Compiled by Ashutosh Agarwal)

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News Home> City> Lucknow / TNN / August 23rd, 2015

Shaikh Al Shareef, who belongs to family of Prophet, visits AMU

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Community Involvement / Social Issues, Leaders, Travel & Tourism, World Opinion

ShaikhAlSharifMPOs24aug2015

Shaikh Al Shareef Mustafa Fouad Shafaee, who belongs to the family of the Prophet of Islam, Hazrat Mohammad Mustafa (Peace Be Upon Him) recently, visited Aligarh Muslim University’s Maulana Azad Library to see the collection of rare manuscripts and books.

During his visit, he expressed happiness over the availability of the rare documents relating to the pre 18th century particularly on the history of Islam and the cities of Makkah and of Medina.

The visitor’s family has been holding the key of the Tomb of the Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him) for the last 14 centuries.

Shaikh Al Shareef belongs to the 41st generation of the Prophet and he has arrived in India to see the culture of the country. He had mentioned that he was interested to visit AMU and the Taj Mahal in Agra.

The AMU Librarian, Dr Amjad Ali accompanied Shaikh Al Shareef to the Manuscripts Division where he spent an hour consulting the documents relating to the geography, geology and history of Arab specially the cities of Makkah and Madina.

Shaikh Al Shareef had a look on Futuhat-e-Makkiah of Ibne Arabi and expressed joy over the method of scanning and preservation of the Islamic heritage. He added that he has visited libraries of some Islamic countries including Egypt and Turkey but could not see such a well-maintained rich collection, displayed for the visitors.

While praying for peace and prosperity of India, Shaikh Al Shareef added that this is the land where Hazarat Adam descended from Heaven and from where the human race spread all over the world. During his visit to the Manuscripts Division, the Shaikh added “I love India” and promised the Librarian, Dr. Amjad Ali to visit the Library again for a longer time.

Photo from AMU official

source: http://www.okhlatimes.com / Okhla Times / Home> Despatches / by OTNS – AMU / OT – August 23rd, 2015

States’ Monumental Revenue Rise as Taj Mahal Stays on Top

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Business & Economy, Travel & Tourism, World Opinion

New Delhi  :

The alluring romance of famous monuments seems to be getting a little jaded with lesser-known ones tucked away in mofussil India garnering increased interest by domestic and foreign tourists. While the iconic Taj Mahal continues to maintain its top position in earnings through entry fees, smaller monuments in states witnessed a spike in revenue. The  Palace of Tipu Sultan in Bengaluru almost doubled its revenue with Rs 22 lakhs last fiscal.

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Last year, the Taj Mahal lost nearly Rs 60 lakh in revenues earned through entry tickets. In the 2014-15 fiscal, the ‘monument of love’ earned Rs 21.78 crore, while in 2012-13, its revenue was Rs 24.58 crore and Rs 22.40 crore in 2013-14.

Lesser known monuments such as, the Charminar in Hyderabad and Golconda Fort saw a surge in revenues this year; Rs 91 lakh in 2014-15 over Rs 84 lakh in 2013-14, and Rs 1 crore, up from Rs 92 lakh in the previous fiscal respectively.

Taj Mahal apart, some other big attractions showed a downward revenue trend. Revenues from UNESCO monument Red Fort dropped by Rs 10 lakh to earn Rs 5.9 crore, while the newly restored Humayun Tomb earned nearly Rs 70 lakh during 2014-15.

In Delhi, Jantar Mantar made Rs 23 lakh in the last fiscal, a drop of Rs 5 lakh. The Khajuraho Temples lost Rs 20 lakh to earn Rs 2 crore in 2014-15 and Ajanta and Ellora also saw a drop of Rs 2 lakh each.

According to the latest Ministry of Culture figures, many of the 116 ticketed monuments under the jurisdiction of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) were helping fill government coffers. In 2013-14, the ASI earned Rs 96.85 crore from monuments, which dropped to Rs 93.38 crore in 2014-15. Ironically, the money does not to go to the cash-starved ASI’s kitty but to the national treasury. Its battle to get the money for conservation of monuments has come to naught.

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The excavated remains in Nalanda in Bihar and Rani-ki-Vav (queen’s step well) in Patan, Gujarat, increased their revenues by over Rs 6 lakh each. Rani-ki-Vav was given a Unesco World Heritage Site status this year.

Other monuments that showed increase in revenues, though marginally, include the Rock-cut Hindu Temple at Undavalli and Buddhist Monuments at Guntuplli, both in Andhra Pradesh; Ahom Raja’s Palace at Sibsagar and Ranghar Pavilion at Bisnhudol, both in Assam;  ruins of Vikramshila, that was established by King Dharmapala (783 to 820) after a supposed decline in the quality of scholarship at Nalanda, and Sher Shah Suri’s Tomb in Bihar. On the other hand, the famed remains of Pataliputra in Patna showed a downward trend in ticket earnings.

The other significant monuments with increased entry tickets earnings are Sheikh Chilli (Haryana), Kangra Fort (Himachal Pradesh), Badami Caves and Gol Gumbaz in Karnataka, and Mandu monuments and Sanchi (Madhya Pradesh).

In Maharashtra, Ajanta and Ellora’s losses in revenue were gains for Aurangabad, Elephanta , Karla and Buddhist Kanheri Caves. In Delhi, Purana Qila, (which dates back to the days of the Mahabharata), Safdarjung Tomb and Tughlaqabad earned more this year while earnings from Red Fort and Humayun’s Tomb dipped. In Tamil Nadu, except for the Rock Cut Jain Temple in Sittannavassal, ticketed monuments like forts in Gingee and Dindigul had lesser earnings in 2014-15.

Interestingly, the Taj Mahal, Agra Fort and Qutub Minar collectively contributed over 45 per cent of the revenues through entry fee for ASI-run monuments The 17-century marble tomb with its intricate inlay work built by Mughal emperor Shah Jahan has been earning over Rs 20 crore every year through entry fees. Its revenue collections saw a drop in the last three years even though footfalls have been increasing. In 2012-13, Taj Mahal earned Rs 24.58 crore, Rs 22.40 crore in 2013-14 and Rs 21.78 crore in 2014-15.

“There has been no decrease in the number of total tourist footfalls in the past two years. In 2014, 60,72,501 domestic and foreign tourists visited Taj Mahal, against 58,35,342 in 2013,” culture minister Mahesh Sharma said.

Ironically, it isn’t just the Taj Mahal whose revenues have dropped. Revenue from the Khajuraho temples fell by Rs 20 lakh to Rs 2 crore in 2014-15, and Ajanta and Ellora also saw a drop of Rs 2 lakh each.

Indians and those from SAARC and BIMSTEC countries pay between Rs 5-10 while foreigners have to pony up between Rs 100 to Rs 500, depending on the monument.

On the other hand, funds spent on the upkeep of the Taj has been rising. The ASI spent Rs 12.04 crore in 2012-13, Rs 13.73 crore next year and Rs 16.24 crore in 2014-15.  Agra Fort, built by the Mughals in neighbourhood of the Taj earned Rs 10.58 crore in the last fiscal, while Qutub Minar grossed Rs 10.29 crore through ticket sales, a marginal increase over the previous year.

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source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / The Sunday Standard / by Pratul Sharma  / August 02nd, 2015

Taj Mahal In World’s Top 5 Travel Hotspots In New List

Amazing Feats, Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Travel & Tourism, World Opinion

The Taj Mahal has made it to the top five of a prestigious new list of the world’s best tourist attractions.

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Lonely Planet’s “Ultimate Travelist” ranks the historic mausoleum built in Agra by Mughal emperor Shah Jahan as the fifth most attractive travel hotspot in the world and describes it as a “magnificent Mughal masterpiece”.

According to the list, the architectural perfection is reached beginning with “acres of shimmering white marble. Add a few thousand semi-precious stones, carved and inlaid in intricate Islamic patterns. Take a sublime setting by a sacred river, in jewel-like formal gardens. Apply a little perfect symmetry, and tie up the whole package in an outlandish story of timeless love. And there you have the Taj Mahal”.

It notes that there’s no other building in India that so perfectly encapsulates the attitudes and atmosphere of its era.

The Temples of Angkor, a UNESCO World Heritage site in northern Cambodia, tops the list as a complex of more than 1,000 temples, shrines and tombs which attracts more than 2 million visitors annually.

The Great Barrier Reef in Australia comes in at number two, the Inca city of Machu Picchu in Peru at number three, and the Great Wall of China at four.

Travel writers and Lonely Planet staff were invited to submit ideas before voting on their favourites.

Voters were asked to consider which sights enthused, inspired, and excited them the most.

The one UK entry was the British Museum, which came in 15th on the wish list.

To celebrate the release of the new book, some of the world’s finest sand sculptors will recreate five sights from around the world on Peter’s Hill near St. Paul’s Cathedral in central London later this week.

source: http://www.focusnews.com / FocusNews.com / Home> LifeStyle> Food And Travel / Press Trust of India, New Delhi / August 21st, 2015

Over a cup of evening tea: A golden nugget from a bygone era

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Community Involvement / Social Issues, World Opinion

 

Dr. Javeed examining the Holy Quran.
Dr. Javeed examining the Holy Quran.

By Dr. K. Javeed Nayeem, MD

Late last night I had the good fortune of holding in my hands, albeit momentarily, a gold-leaved copy of the Holy Quran from a bygone era that had been seized recently by the Mysuru district Police when attempts were being made by some persons to sell it for a sum of rupees five crores. It all started with a late night phone call from my close friend A.G. Murali, who wanted to know if I had on hand someone who could read Arabic.

When I said that I could do it myself although I could not claim to have a scholarly knowledge of the language, he asked me if I could come down to the office of the DySP of Mysuru rural district. Sensing that I was puzzled by such an unusual request at such an odd time, he explained to me that the Police officers there were examining the recently seized Quran and were keen to know a little more about the book.

Excited by the request, I hurried to the place with my cousin Adil Pasha and my camera, sensing a rare opportunity to see and photograph the rare find. Most often I go looking far and wide for a subject to write about in my column and only once in blue moon a subject comes looking for me and here was one such Godsend!

After meeting the DySP Dr. Vikram Amte, when I eagerly asked him where the book was he smiled and pointed to an almost cubical object placed on the table right before him. Because of its unusual dimensions, I could not immediately recognise it as a book which I expected would be flat and broad as most books are. It was almost as thick as it was broad because its 302 sheets were unusually thick, being gold plated and inter-leaved with butter paper to preserve them. The rich black ink stood out against the golden background, the shine of which seemed to be without the slightest loss over the centuries. Printed on both sides of each sheet, the book has 604 hand-written pages, the text of which is very readable with the naked eye. The title page has the name ‘Al Quran Al Kareem’ like most other Qurans but on the last page is an unusual inscription; ‘Buzargaane Rava’ which the noted historian, Dr. B. Sheik Ali, after examining the book, has interpreted as a dedication of the labour of love by its calligraphers to contemporary saints. He has also said that going by the date AH 1050 on it which translates to 1605AD of the Gregorian calendar the book seems to have been crafted at the time when Emperor Jahangir ascended the throne. This was a time when hand-written calligraphy was at its pinnacle in the Moghul court.

Incidentally, the Islamic lunar year is eleven days shorter than the solar year which we follow and, therefore, an Islamic century is equal to 97 solar years. The present year of the Islamic calendar is 1436 Hijri. A book on calligraphy which I have says that the word which means ‘beautiful writing’ is derived from the Arabic and Persian word ‘Qalam’ which means pen.

Although calligraphy exists in almost every other language too, it is in the Arabic script that it has almost become an art form. The present artifact which has now passed perhaps from the Moghul court to the custody of the law court will perhaps pass on to the desk of the archaeologists who will verify its authenticity. And, if it confirmed to be a genuine antique really from an era of which it bears the date, it will perhaps go down in history as the biggest catch of our district Police led by our young and dynamic SP Abhinav Khare. The team deployed by him to tactfully nab the persons trying to sell it consisted of Dr. Vikram Amte, Dy.SP, Mysuru Rural Sub-Division; Inspectors D. Ashok, Mysuru South, Siddaiah, K.R. Nagar, Gopala Krishna, DCIB, Sub-Inspectors Gangadhar, Saligrama, Poonacha, DCIB and Police constables Bhaskar, Anand, Ravi, Zahoor and Pachche Gowda.

It appears the BBC channel has been trying to contact our district Police for details of their find. While it is now only the small fry that are in the Police net the actual owner has not yet been traced although evidence points to a source somewhere in the Hyderabad region which is again a prominent seat of royalty and, therefore, a well-known source of royal antiques. If this relic had found its way to the international market, it would perhaps have gone under the hammer for a price that would perhaps have made the whopping sum of five crores it was being peddled here for seem like a mere pittance!

e-mail: kjnmysore@rediffmail.com

source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> Feature Articles  / Friday – August 14th, 2015

Two Indians nominated for S African of the year

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, World Opinion
Miss World Roelene Strauss. Photo: Reuters
Miss World Roelene Strauss. Photo: Reuters

Johannesburg:

Two South Africans of Indian origin have been pitted against current Miss World Roelene Strauss among seven candidates nominated by public vote for the title ‘South African of the Year.’

The two contenders are Imtiaz Sooliman, Chairman of Gift of the Givers Foundation and Salim Abdool Karim, Director of CAPRISA.

Imtiaz Sooliman is the founder and chairman of Gift of the Givers Foundation, a relief organisation which has received international accolades for its immediate relief assistance in 41 countries across the globe hit by war or natural disasters for the past two decades.

Professor Salim Abdool Karim is a South African clinical epidemiologist and the director of the Centre for the AIDS Program of Research in South Africa (CAPRISA).

He also serves as pro-vice-chancellor at the University of KwaZulu-Natal. The two men will come up against Roelene Strauss, Miss SA 2014 and reigning Miss World 2014.

She is the third South African woman to have won the Miss World pageant in its history and is a medical student at the University of the Free State.

The prestigious honour will be finalised early next month.

A second strong woman candidate is the current head of the African Union (AU), Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, who is regarded as a trailblazer in her political career in South Africa before becoming the first woman to become chairperson of the AU.

The highly successful Protea Fire campaign to build public confidence in the national cricket side by declaring that that no matter how hot the fire burns, the national flower, Protea, will always survive, through has won Cricket South Africa a nomination in the ‘Campaigns’ category.

Proteas ODI cricket team captain AB de Villiers has been nominated in the ‘Sportsperson of The Year’ category, while former Proteas ‘keeper’ Mark Boucher is nominated in the ‘Conservation’ section for his non-profit company that aims to fight Rhino poaching in South Africa.

Boucher’s career was cut short by a serious eye injury a few years ago. The only other South African Indian in the awards is Shamiel Joosub, CEO and Executive Director of the Vodacom Group in South Africa.

An accountant by profession, Joosub has previously headed up the Spanish operations of mother company Vodafone.

He is nominated in the ‘Business Person of the Year’ category.

(With agency inputs)

source: http://www.english.manoramaonline.com / OnManorama / Home> News> World / by OnManorama Staff / Thursday – August 20th, 2015

Four Kick-Boxers from city to represent India at the World Kick-Boxing Championships in Bangkok : Mysurean selected as Indian Team Coach

Sports, World Opinion
Seen in the picture are (from left) Tanveer Ahmed Syed, R. Rashi, G. Rajesh, Deputy Mayor M. Mahadevamma, former Mayor and Corporator Purushotham, Samarth Vikram, Indian Team Coach M.N. Vikram and Syed Touseef Ahmed.
Seen in the picture are (from left) Tanveer Ahmed Syed, R. Rashi, G. Rajesh, Deputy Mayor M. Mahadevamma, former Mayor and Corporator Purushotham, Samarth Vikram, Indian Team Coach M.N. Vikram and Syed Touseef Ahmed.

Mysuru :

Four Muay Thai Kick Boxers from city will be representing the country at the Royal Muay Thai Kick-boxing World Championships, organised by the International Federation of Muay Thai Amateur (IFMA) to be held in Bangkok, Thailand between Aug. 13 and 23.

Vikram is selected as the coach of the Indian National Team for the second time.

The four fighters who have been selected in various categories include: Samarth Vikram, a sixth standard student of JSS Public School, will be fighting in 40-42 kg weight class in 12 to13 years category. R. Rashi, a student of St. Joseph’s College, Mysuru, will be fighting in Senior Female Pin weight category. Syed Touseef Ahmed, a student of SJCE will be fighting in Senior Male Welter Weight category and G. Rajesh, a student of Cauvery College, Mysuru, will be fighting in Senior Male Pin Weight category.

Syed Tanveer Ahmed is deputed for International Referee and Judge course by the National body.

The team along with the coach left for Bangkok today.

source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> Sports News / Tuesday – August 11th, 2015

Telegana Oppn leader Mohammed Ali Shabbir felicitated in Chicago

Community Involvement / Social Issues, Leaders, NRI's / PIO's, World Opinion
Mohammed Ali Shabbir, opposition leader, Telangana State Legislative Party(India) at a reception organized by American Telugu Association (ATA) and Telangana Association of North America (TANA) in Chicago, USA.
Mohammed Ali Shabbir, opposition leader, Telangana State Legislative Party(India) at a reception organized by American Telugu Association (ATA) and Telangana Association of North America (TANA) in Chicago, USA.

Chicago :

American Telugu Association and Telangana Association of North America, headed by its President Iftekhar Shareef, organized a reception dinner in honor of Mohammed Ali Shabbir, MLC, and Opposition leader of Telangana state legislative council at North Shore Banquets, Chicago.

Shabbir said that the extension of the benefit of 4% reservations, during his tenure as cabinet minister, enabled minority students to make their mark in education and employment. “Success in reservation for minorities, despite multiple legal hurdles and strong opposition from some sections of society, was a milestone,” said Shabbir.

Shabbir said nearly two million Telugu diaspora in the USA have been immensely contributing to the growth of both American and Indian economies and thereby making Telugu people proud. He also encouraged them to invest their savings in their home states. “However, considering the heavy incidence of backwardness in the rural areas of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, the NRIs, with flair for social service, may use their resources in finding enduring solutions to these problems,” said Shabbir.

“Iftekhar Sharief, who was the first recipient of dual citizenship, continues to be a role model for all NRIs,” said Shabbir and thanked ATA and NATA for arranging the reception.

Iftekhar Shareef, trustee and events chair of the Federation of Indian Association, Chicago, said that the political career of Shabbir reflects the true secular credentials of the Indian voter. “Even though the non-Muslim voters constitute a staggering 92% in his constituency, Shabbir won the elections with thumping majority,” he said.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News Home> NRI> US & Canada News / August 13th, 2015

Azim Premji, Shiv Nadar among world’s tech billionaires

Business & Economy, Leaders, Science & Technology, World Opinion
Wipro founder Azim Premji makes it to the tech billionaire's list
Wipro founder Azim Premji makes it to the tech billionaire’s list

Washington : 

Two Indian tech tycoons,Wipro chairman AzimPremji and HCL co-founder Shiv Nadar are in the Forbes’ first-ever list of the 100 richest people in the technology field, dominated by Americans with Microsoft founder Bill Gates at the top.

Two Indian-Americans tech czars, Romesh Wadhwani, CEO and chairman of Symphony Technology Group, and Bharat Desai, co-founder of IT consulting and outsourcing company Syntel also figure on the list released last week.

Premji, 70, with a net worth of $17.4 billion is ranked 13th on the list followed by Shiv Nadar, 70, in the 14th spot with $14.4 billion.

Wadhwani, 67, is ranked 73rd with a net worth of $2.8 billion while Desai, 62, with $2.5 billion is in the 82nd spot.

Premji’s Wipro, India’s third-largest outsourcer, reported a 10 percent rise in revenues to $1.9 billion in the last quarter, on the back of new business from clients such as ABB and Philip Morris, the magazine noted.

Nadar, Forbes noted, has diversified into healthcare with HCL Avitas, a new firm in partnership with John Hopkins Medicine International, which has opened 10 clinics in Delhi.

Wadhwani has a degree in electrical engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology and a PhD from Carnegie Mellon. His Symphony Technology Group is a collection of 20 companies spanning big data, analytics and software.

Syntel, co-founded by Desai and his wife Neerja Sethi, now generates over $900 million in revenue, has a market cap of over $3 billion and more than 24,500 employees across the globe.

While 51 American billionaires are on the list, tech barons from Asia made a strong showing as well, with 33 people hailing from that region. Forty of the 100 live in California.

Bill Gates, who’s also the world’s richest man, ranks number one among tech tycoons, with a net worth of $79.6 billion.

Number two on the list is Larry Ellison, founder of database software firm Oracle, with a net worth estimated at $50 billion.

The third richest on the list is Jeff Bezos with a net worth of $47.8 billion followed by Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg in the fourth place with $41.2 billion.

Google co-founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin are ranked fifth and sixth respectively.

Altogether, the world’s 100 richest tech billionaires are worth $842.9 billion.

Just seven women made the list, the wealthiest of whom is Laurene Powell Jobs, the widow of Steve Jobs, with an estimated net worth of $21.4 billion.

Nearly all of the 100 are self-made billionaires: 94 made their own luck, 3 inherited their fortunes, and 3 have inherited fortunes but have been actively expanding them.

source : http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News Home> NRI> US & Canada News / IANS / August 13th, 2015

Gandhi, Akbar among Time magazine’s top 25 political icons

Leaders, World Opinion

GandhiMPOs14aug2015

New York  : 

Indian political geniuses Mahatma Gandhi and Emperor Akbar have been listed among the ‘Top 25 Political Icons’ of all time by TIME magazine, along with Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama and Mao Zedong, the father of modern China.

Released on the 100th birth anniversary of the late US President Ronald Reagan, the TIME list figures names like the great conqueror Alexander the Great and some of history’s most polarising figures like Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini.

Gandhi’s experiments with satyagraha — the genesis of the non-violent methods of protest pioneered by him — and his leadership of India’s freedom movement that has inspired many revolutionaries of later years, led him to the top of the list of the 25 all time greats.

Describing Mohandas Gandhi as a figure “few will ever forget”, the prestigious magazine said his struggle paved the way for other social movements including America’s struggle for civil rights.

“While working as a lawyer in South Africa, he pioneered the concept of satyagraha, or, civil disobedience in response to tyranny, helping Indians there campaign for civil rights,” it said.

“Working with Jawaharlal Nehru, the nation’s future prime minister, Gandhi led the country in peaceful protest against foreign domination, exemplified by the 1930 Salt March in protest to a British salt tax. His rise paved the way for
India’s independence in 1947,” it said.

Gandhi, who left behind a universal influence, has inspired leaders like American civil rights movement leader Martin Luther King and South Africa’s anti-apartheid champion Nelson Mandela, and also US President Barack Obama.

The 16th century Mughal Emperor Jalaluddin Mohammad Akbar, a figure who played a major role in unifying the largely scattered fiefdoms in northern India, also finds a place in the elite list.

The ethos of pluralism and tolerance pioneered by the Muslim ruler in a Hindu-majority India underline the values of the modern republic of India, the magazine said.

The third Mughal ruler of India presided over a flourishing of the arts, sponsoring artisans, poets, engineers and philosophers at a time when Europe was still in its
pre-Renaissance stage.

“If ever a leader merited a tautology, it was the Mughal Emperor Akbar the Great. Under Akbar, a fragile collection of fiefs around Delhi grew into the great Mughal
Empire, a diverse and sprawling kingdom across northern India,” the magazine said.

“He was a canny warlord whose conquests gave rise to one of the early modern world’s wealthiest states. Moreover, while a Muslim, Akbar was spiritually curious and hosted religious scholars from Hindu gurus to Jesuits at his vast,
diverse court,” it said.

source: http://www.ndtv.com / NDTV / Home> India / by Press Trust of India / February 06th, 2011