Tag Archives: K.K.Muhammed

List of Padma awardees — 2019

NEW DELHI :

PadmaAwardeesMPOs30jan2019

21 of the awardees are women and the list also includes 11 persons from the category of foreigners/NRI/PIO/OCI, 3 posthumous awardees and 1 transgender person.

Padma Awards — one of the highest civilian Awards of the country, are conferred in three categories, namely, Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan and Padma Shri. The Awards are given in various disciplines/ fields of activities, viz. art, social work, public affairs, science and engineering, trade and industry, medicine, literature and education, sports, civil service, etc. ‘Padma Vibhushan’ is awarded for exceptional and distinguished service; ‘Padma Bhushan’ for distinguished service of high order and ‘Padma Shri’ for distinguished service in any field. The awards are announced on the occasion of Republic Day every year.

These awards are conferred by the President of India at ceremonial functions which are held at Rashtrapati Bhawan usually around March/ April every year. This year the President of India has approved conferment of 112 Padma Awards including one duo case (in a duo case, the Award is counted as one) as per list below. The list comprises 4 Padma Vibhushan, 14 Padma Bhushan and 94 Padma Shri Awards.  21 of the awardees are women and the list also includes 11 persons from the category of foreigners/NRI/PIO/OCI, 3 posthumous awardees and 1 transgender person.

Bharat Ratna (3)

1. Nanaji Deshmukh (posthumous)

2. Dr. Bhupen Hazarika (posthumous)

3. Pranab Mukherjee

Padma Vibhushan (4)

1. Ms. Teejan Bai — Art-Vocals-Folk — Chhattisgarh

2. Shri Ismail Omar Guelleh (Foreigner) —  Public Affairs — Djibouti

3. Shri Anilkumar Manibhai Naik — Trade & Industry-Infrastructure — Maharashtra

4. Shri Balwant Moreshwar Purandare — Art-Acting-Theatre — Maharashtra

Padma Bhushan (14)

1. Shri John Chambers (Foreigner) — Trade & Industry-Technology — USA

2. Shri Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa — Public Affairs — Punjab

3. Shri Pravin Gordhan  (Foreigner) — Public Affairs — South Africa

4. Shri Mahashay Dharam Pal Gulati  — Trade & Industry-Food Processing — Delhi

5. Shri Darshan Lal Jain — Social Work — Haryana

6. Shri Ashok Laxmanrao Kukade — Medicine-Affordable Healthcare — Maharashtra

7. Shri Kariya Munda — Public Affairs — Jharkhand

8. Shri Budhaditya Mukherjee — Art-Music-Sitar — West Bengal

9. Shri Mohanlal Viswanathan Nair  — Art-Acting-Film  — Kerala

10. Shri S Nambi Narayan — Science & Engineering-Space — Kerala

11. Shri Kuldip Nayar (Posthumous) — Literature & Education (Journalism) — Delhi

12. Ms. Bachendri Pal  — Sports-Mountaineering —  Uttarakhand

13.  Shri V K Shunglu  — Civil Service —  Delhi

14. Shri Hukumdev Narayan Yadav  — Public Affairs — Bihar

Padma Shri (94)

1. Shri Rajeshwar Acharya — Art-Vocal-Hindustani — Uttar Pradesh

2. Shri bangaru Adigalar — Others-spiritualism — Tamil Nadu

3. Shri Illias Ali — Medicine-Surgery — Assam

4. Shri Manoj Bajpayee — Art-Acting-Films — Maharashtra

5. Shri Uddhab Kumar Bharali — Science & Engineering-Grassroots Innovation — Assam

6. Shri Omesh Kumar Bharti — Medicine-Rabies — Himachal Pradesh

7. Shri Pritam Bhartwan — Art-Vocals-Folk — Uttarakhand

8. Shri Jyoti Bhatt — Art-Painting — Gujarat

9. Shri Dilip Chakravarty — Others-Archaeology — Delhi

10. Shri Mammen Chandy — Medicine-Hematology — West Bengal

11. Shri Swapan Chaudhuri — Art-Music-Tabla — West Bengal

12. Shri Kanwal Singh Chauhan — Others-Agriculture — Haryana

13. Shri Sunil Chhetri — Sports-Football — Telangana

14. Shri Dinyar Contractor — Art-Acting-Theatre — Maharashtra

15. Ms. Muktaben Pankajkumar Dagli — Social Work-Divyang Welfare — Gujarat

16. Shri Babulal Dahiya — Others-Agriculture — Madhya Pradesh

17. Shri Thanga Darlong — Art-Music-Flute — Tripura

18. Shri Prabhu Deva — Art-Dance — Karnataka

19. Ms. Rajkumari Devi — Others-Agriculture — Bihar

20. Ms. Bhagirathi Devi — Public Affairs — Bihar

21. Shri Baldev Singh Dhillon — Science & EngineeringAgriculture — Punjab

22. Ms. Harika Dronavalli — Sports-Chess — Andhra Pradesh

23. Shri Joravarsinh Jadav — Art – Dance (folk)  — Gujarat

24. Ms. Godawari Dutta — Art-Painting — Bihar

25. Shri Gautam Gambhir — Sports-Cricket — Delhi

26. Ms. Draupadi Ghimiray — Social Work-Divyang Welfare — Sikkim

27. Ms. Rohini Godbole — Science & Engineering-Nuclear — Karnataka

28. Shri Sandeep Guleria — Medicine-Surgery — Delhi

29. Shri Pratap Singh Hardia — Medicine-Ophthmology — Madhya Pradesh

30. Shri Bulu Imam — Social Work-Culture — Jharkhand

31. Ms. Friederike Irina (Foreigner) — Social Work-Animal Welfare — Germany

32. Shri Joravarsinh Jadav — Art-Dance Folk — Gujarat

33. Shri S Jaishankar — Civil Service — Delhi

34. Shri Narsingh Dev Jamwal — Literature & Education — Jammu & Kashmir

35. Shri Fayaz Ahmad Jan — Art-Craft-Papier Mache — Jammu & Kashmir

36. Shri K G Jayan — Art-Music-Bhakti — Kerala

37. Shri Subhash Kak (Foreigner) — Science & Engineering-Technology — USA

38. Shri Sharath Kamal — Sports-Table Tennis — Tamil Nadu

39. Shri Rajani Kant — Social Work — Uttar Pradesh

40. Shri Sudam Kate — Medicine-Sickle Cell — Maharashtra

41. Shri Waman Kendre — Art-Acting-Theatre — Maharashtra

42. Shri Kader Khan (Posthumous-Foreigner) — Art-Acting-Films — Canada

43. Shri Abdul Gafur Khatri — Art-Painting — Gujarat

44. Shri Ravindra Kolhe (Duo)* — Medicine-Affordable Healthcare — Maharashtra

Ms. Smita Kolhe (Duo)* — Medicine-Affordable Healthcare — Maharashtra

45. Ms. Bombayla Devi Laishram — Sports-Archery — Manipur

46. Shri Kailash Madbaiya — Literature & Education — Madhya Pradesh

47. Shri Ramesh Babaji Maharaj — Social Work-Animal Welfare — Uttar Pradesh

48. Shri Vallabhbhai Vasrambhai Marvaniya — Others-Agriculture — Gujarat

49. Ms. Gita Mehta (Foreigner) — Literature & Education — USA

50. Shri Shadab Mohammad — Medicine-Dentistry — Uttar Pradesh

51. Shri K K Muhammed — Others-Archaeology — Kerala

52. Shri Shyama Prasad Mukherjee — Medicine-Affordable Healthcare — Jharkhand

53. Shri Daitari Naik — Social Work — Odisha

54. Shri Shankar Mahadevan Narayan — Art-Vocals-Films — Maharashtra

55. Shri Shantanu Narayen (Foreigner) — Trade & Industry-Technology — USA

56. Nartaki Natraj — Art-Dance-Bharatnatyam — Tamil Nadu

57. Shri Tsering Norboo — Medicine-Surgery — Jammu & Kashmir

58. Shri Anup Ranjan Pandey — Art-Music — Chhattisgarh

59. Shri Jagdish Prasad Parikh — Others-Agriculture — Rajasthan

60. Shri Ganpatbhai Patel (Foreigner) — Literature & Education — USA

61. Shri Bimal Patel —  Others-Architecture — Gujarat

62. Shri Hukumchand Patidar — Others-Agriculture — Rajasthan

63. Ms. Madurai Chinna Pillai — Social Work-Microfinance — Tamil Nadu

64. Ms. Tao Porchon-Lynch (Foreigner) — Others-Yoga — USA

65. Ms. Kamala Pujhari — Others-Agriculture — Odisha

66. Shri Bajrang Punia — Sports-Wrestling — Haryana

67. Shri Jagat Ram — Medicine-Ophthalmology — Chandigarh

68. Shri R V Ramani — Medicine-Ophthalmology — Tamil Nadu

69. Shri Devarapalli Prakash Rao — Social Work-Affordable Education — Odisha

70. Shri Anup Sah — Art-Photography — Uttarakhand

71. Ms. Milena Salvini (Foreigner) — Art-Dance-Kathakali — France

72. Shri Nagindas Sanghavi — Literature & Education-Journalism — Maharashtra

73. Shri Sirivennela Seetharama Sastry — Art-Lyrics — Telangana

74. Shri Shabbir Sayyad — Social Work-Animal Welfare — Maharashtra

75. Shri Mahesh Sharma — Social Work-Tribal Welfare — Madhya Pradesh

76. Shri Mohammad Hanif Khan Shastri — Literature & Education — Delhi

77. Shri Brijesh Kumar Shukla — Literature & Education — Uttar Pradesh

78. Shri Narendra Singh — Others-Animal Husbandry — Haryana

79. Ms. Prashanti Singh — Sports-Basketball — Uttar Pradesh

80. Shri Sultan Singh — Others-Animal Husbandry — Haryana

81. Shri Jyoti Kumar Sinha — Social Work-Affordable Education — Bihar

82. Shri Anandan Sivamani — Art-Music — Tamil Nadu

83. Ms. Sharada Srinivasan — Others-Archaeology — Karnataka

84. Shri Devendra Swarup (Posthumous) — Literature & Education-Journalism — Uttar Pradesh

85. Shri Ajay Thakur — Sports-Kabaddi — Himachal Pradesh

86. Shri Rajeev Tharanath — Art-Music-Sarod — Karnataka

87. Ms. Saalumarada Thimmakka — Social Work-Environment — Karnataka

88. Ms. Jamuna Tudu — Social Work-Environment — Jharkhand

89. Shri Bharat Bhushan Tyagi — Others-Agriculture — Uttar Pradesh

90. Shri Ramaswami Venkataswami — Medicine-Surgery — Tamil Nadu

91. Shri Ram Saran Verma — Others-Agriculture — Uttar Pradesh

92. Shri Swami Vishudhananda — Others-Spiritualism — Kerala

93. Shri Hiralal Yadav — Art-Vocals-Folk — Uttar Pradesh

94. Shri Venkateswara Rao Yadlapalli — Others-Agriculture — Andhra Pradesh

* indicates duo case. (counted as one award)

In the earlier version of this article, a Padma Shri awardee name was repeated. It has been corrected now.

source: http://www.thehindu.com  / The Hindu / Home> News> National / by The Hindu Net Desk / January 25th, 2019

A fight to preserve history

Kozhikode , KERALA :

Aysha Mahmood, alumnus of St Joseph’s HSS, is campaigning for safe keep of 150-year old building.

Children at St Joseph’s Anglo Indian Girl’s Higher Secondar School, the first school for girls in Malabar, built in 1862.(Photo: Venugopal)
Children at St Joseph’s Anglo Indian Girl’s Higher Secondar School, the first school for girls in Malabar, built in 1862. (Photo: Venugopal)

Thiruvananthapuram:

It was a chance meeting. Aysha Mahmood had come to her hometown, Kozhikode, to take part in the Offir Food Fest. She has been settled in Taiwan for a while, but couldn’t stop reacting to stories from home that shocked her.

Two years ago, she heard her beloved alma mater – St. Joseph’s Anglo Indian Girls’ Higher Secondary School – will have its oldest building demolished. A few of the alumni had then got together, spoke to the school and the idea had slowly died down. Now, after a chance meeting with someone she knew, Aysha heard the plan was back on.

Frantically, she gathered together some of the old girls who studied there, tried talking to the school, and finally had to start a petition online to save the old, old school – 155 years old.

“Some time back they celebrated the 155th anniversary of the building, now they are planning to pull it down, and in its place, build a glass and steel structure,” she says, remembering another old building that is no longer there. It was the boarding house where Aysha had spent many happy days. The building had a library in the centre which had a lot of really old Reader’s Digest magazines.

It was not accessible to the girls. But like in Enid Blyton novels, the girls found an old door from their dressing area that led to the library. Aysha’d sneak in, after opening the rusty hinge, and stay there with her torch or a candle, reading those old, old Reader’s Digest magazines.But that building and the library had got pulled down. Now there is only the original convent and this building they are planning to demolish, left of the first school for girls in Malabar, built in 1862. “We have very few 100 plus year old buildings left in Kozhikode. One reason they give for demolishing the building is space constraints. That they cannot have smart classrooms there. But there are architects interested in conserving it, who say, it can be done. We could add modern amenities, restore the building. A group from the NIT had gone there, to do a scientific study. But they were not allowed to. The school says they have done a study but they are not ready to share the report.”

StJosephs02MPOs28feb2018

The school has been giving the reason that it concerns the safety of the students. “But we feel that is an excuse,” says Abdul Hameed, an electrical engineer who runs an architectural consultancy. He got involved only because of his love for his hometown.

“We suggest we can get the best structural engineers from NIT, to ascertain the safety of the building. And then do a programme to restore it. The funding – can be thought out later. These kind of colonial buildings – were before concrete, so it is totally made with bricks and masonry. The main structure can last for centuries like the old churches and other buildings across the world. But maintenance should be done.”Abdul, with the collector, the new building’s architect, and a few others are planning to meet the headmistress on Monday. “Lots of people are calling. Venu IAS, former tourism secretary, K.K. Muhammed, former ASI director, have all shown their interest,” Aysha says.

Her petition has collected 2574 signatures as this is written. But she adds, “There is no question that the safety of the children is primary. Our request is to do a proper study and if there is no way out, let’s demolish the building.”There might be a way out. Architect and another alumnus of the school Lakshmi Manohar has just come back from a visit to the school on Saturday evening.

StJosephs03MPOs28feb2018

“We just wanted to meet the old teachers and find out what the issue is. According to us, the structure is weak. But there are provisions. They showed us the old classrooms. There are more students now, so the space is less, to take class. It is all congested. Their requirements need one or two floors more to the building. The question is whether the structure has the strength to withstand the extra floors. That’s what we should evaluate. The problems they cite are about the plaster wearing off, the laterite blocks becoming visible, foundation troubles, and so on – all of which can be fixed. But I am not a conservation architect. We should bring a technical expert to study the condition and tell what the situation is,” she says.

‘A collective memory which shaped Kozhikode society’
The St. Joseph’s building, since 1862, has played an undeniable role in making education attainable and accessible to girl children from all walks of life- par caste and creed. It contains the collective memory of thousands of women and girls, panning almost six generations. It has played alma mater to a large section of Calicut society- ensuring quality education. Keeping that heritage alive is of high importance.

Those interested in the demolishing of the building may be of the opinion that it affects the modern outlook of the management or that it is a threat to the safety. Both concerns can be addressed if the right people are involved.

There is a large Architects Guild active in Calicut that specialises in the restoration and strengthening of historical and heritage buildings. We must be prepared to give them a chance to present their expert opinion and help in this matter. The professors of NIT Architecture Department have made known their availability and deep interest in studying the building and presenting their proposal for the same.

While it does need some work, respected architects who have assessed it generally opine that the building is structurally sound. They feel that it could be refurbished at a cost lesser than that required for demolishing and rebuilding.The restoration will only add to the historical value and character of the school. A building that is  150 years old must be considered an asset to the city. In a world where characterless and soulless skyscrapers and steel-glass embodiments are dime a dozen, buildings like these serve as a place of solace for the soul and soothing to the sight. They embody our past and our culture. Caretakers of our colonial architecture and history must know that the St. Joseph’s School and its many buildings are rich and heavy with these values.To conclude, I think preserving buildings like these is essential because of the collective memories, Calicut and its people attach to it.

Generations are emotionally attached to this school building in which they have spend a big part of their childhood. It has had a formative and a positive role to play in all our lives and it will be the saddest day in our lives to see it being pulled down.
(Excerpts from the online petition of Aysha Mahmood)

source: http://www.asianage.com / The Asian Age / Home> India> All India / CRIS / February 23rd, 2018

K.K. Muhammed – Digger of truth

kkMuhammedMPOs27feb2016

KERALA :

LAST year, a young journalist friend, Rajeev Mangottil, invited me to speak at the Onam Day celebrations at Jamia Millia Islamia. The name of this venerable institution is derived from the Urdu language in which Jamia means ‘university’ and Millia means ‘national’. That is where I first met the youthful-looking K.K. Muhammed, Director of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).

Rajeev whispered into my ears that Muhammed would soon be retiring and his story on him was scheduled to appear in the Malayala Manorama supplement. Since the Malayalam daily is fond of showcasing every Malayali as an achiever of sorts, I was not greatly impressed.

One reason why I underestimated him was that I have a poor opinion of the ASI. Just last fortnight a friend from Punjab SMSed to say that he had visited Nangal and seen the glass case which commemorates Chinese leader Chou en Lai’s visit and the discussions he had with Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru while formulating Panchsheel or the five principles of peaceful co-existence. I had visited the place a couple of times and was shocked by the fashionable sofa in the glass case. I checked and found that the two leaders had used caned, wooden chairs, which the officials concerned did not find impressive enough to be showcased.

In contrast, I saw at Potsdam, near Berlin, the large table and the chairs used by Stalin, Churchill and other victors of the Second World War, while deciding to divide Berlin into four zones and to constitute the United Nations, preserved in the same manner in which they were used, attracting thousands of tourists every year. But the first time I visited Shimla, I was unable to see the table and the chairs used by Indira Gandhi and Z.A. Bhutto for finalizing what is known as the Simla Agreement because no official had any clue about their existence.

Muhammed preferred to speak after J. Gopikrishnan, the ‘Pioneer’ reporter who unearthed the Spectrum scam, and I had our say. He spoke extempore and quoting the Vedas and the Upanishads, he took the listeners on a conducted tour of ancient Kerala, where the persecuted Jews found asylum and Semitic religious ideas flourished and enriched the native cultural practices and traditions. It was apparent that he had an excellent command of Sanskrit, the language of the gods. No, he did not say anything about the ASI or the work he had been doing.

He gave me his visiting card, which said that he lived in the Red Fort. He certainly could not have found a better place to live in than the fort the Mughals had built and from which they ruled the country. No other monument has witnessed history as the Red Fort from the ramparts of which the Prime Minister addresses the nation on Independence Day. It would not be an exaggeration to say that Muhammed breathes history and archaeology, rather than air.

So when I received an invitation for his lecture on the ancient churches of Goa at the Kerala Club, I could not resist the temptation to attend. What makes Muhammed stand out as an archaeologist is the passion he has for archaeology. We have all studied about Akbar the Great and Din-i Ilahi, the divine faith, he propounded by incorporating the best from Islam, Hinduism, Christianity, Buddhism, Jainism and Zoroastrianism.

It was at Ibadat Khana, the House of Worship, that the Emperor used to hold discussions with religious scholars. Miniature paintings that depict Akbar meeting Christian theologians exist. But where exactly was Ibadat Khana?

Mohammed studied the painting thoroughly and believed that it could be excavated at a particular spot in Fatehpur Sikri. He was in his late twenties and could not, therefore, convince his seniors, who all had a different belief. But he started excavating on the spot and found that the dome, the antechamber, the different layers and the gate depicted in the painting matched his excavation. It was a great archaeological discovery for which then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi congratulated him. What’s more, he also discovered a Christian chapel and a bazar in the same area.

Ask Muhammed and he will tell you that restoration of the 1300-year-old Bateshwar temple in Madhya Pradesh as the high-water mark of his career. He found hundreds of temples in a state of ruin, devastated as they were by an earthquake. Restoring them was a challenging task. Nobody seemed to be bothered. He had heard that dacoits would occasionally drop in to worship at the Hanuman temple there.

One day while returning to his workplace, he found a person smoking beedi in the temple. Muhammed rebuked him for smoking in a sacred place, little knowing that he was none else but dacoit Nirbhay Singh Gujjar! Fortunately, the dacoit did not pull his trigger and he left only after he was told by Muhammed that he belonged to the Gujjar-Pratihara dynasty that had once ruled the region.

He found that he could not carry on his work without the cooperation of the MP government, which was disinterested. Then he hit upon the idea of writing a letter to the then Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (National Volunteer Corps) Sarsanghachalak, V.S. Sudarshan, telling him that though the BJP ruled the state, its government was not at all interested in restoring the ancient temples.

The RSS chief took up the matter with the Chief Minister, who ensured that he received the full support of the state government. He also had to contend with the mining mafia, which took a dim view of the restoration work. Finally, he was able to restore about 80 temples while the work is still going on.

I recently saw a documentary telecast by Asianet on the Bateshwar temple complex, which has started attracting tourists. Restoring a temple from the ruins is not an easy job. One should have a great knowledge of the art of temple construction. On TV, I heard Muhammed explain to the viewers how he came to the conclusion that a statue of Nandi could only have been at that particular spot. Rome was not built in a day. Nor had he learnt archaeology in a day.

Muhammed is modest when he says, “I have always been inspired by the Upanishads”. He knows important texts like Manasara Shilpa Shastra and Mayamata Vastu Shastra by heart. He is unabashed when he says: “I must have been a Namboodiri Brahmin in my previous birth”. I would have certainly believed him, if I had not heard his lecture on the ancient churches of Goa, where he was posted for about six years. He showed slides of various churches before and after restoration. That any ASI official could have done.

What no non-Christian could have done with such finesse was give a graphic account of the religious traditions and practices of Christians. He showed the picture of a temple, which gave Vasco da Gama the impression of a church. He went on to explain how the builders of churches in Goa liberally followed the motifs and styles used in Hindu temples and architecture.

For instance, lotus enjoys a pride of place in Hinduism. Vishnu’s feet are always qualified as the “lotus feet”. But in Christianity, no such importance is given to the lotus, which is like any other flower. Yet, he found that many of the churches in Goa sported lotus paintings and motifs.

There were many other features from Hindu temple architecture that were freely adopted by church builders. In temples, leftover water was always allowed to flow through a pipe the mouth of which resembled a crocodile’s. He showed with slides how the idea had been freely incorporated in church construction also. Of course, Muhammed had an explanation for it. The artisans who built churches came from the same class, which built temples in the area.

I was not surprised by Muhammed’s statement because a Malayalam journal had recently published a photo feature on one Govindan Gopalakrishnan, who specializes in mosque construction despite never having studied at a school of architecture, and never having seen the Taj Mahal, let alone the Jama Masjid in Delhi. He has so far built 88 mosques, including the magnificent Palayam mosque in Thiruvananthapuram and the strikingly beautiful ones along the highways in the state. Gopalakrishnan, who is a practicing Hindu, considers mosque construction as his “karma”.

Mohammed’s knowledge of church architecture was as splendid as his knowledge of the life and work of St. Francis Xavier, whose mortal remains are preserved in a church in Goa. When he spoke about him, I felt there was a devout Catholic in him.

And when he explained the various Stations of the Cross that he helped preserve in a church, and recited a line from the Bible “Elahi Elahi Lama Sabachthani” (My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?), I could see that he was overwhelmed by the enormity of emotions. I would not be surprised if he claimed that he was a bishop in his previous birth.

You and I may brand him as a Muslim or a Hindu or a Christian but Muhammed is a professional archaeologist, who ensures that wherever excavation is carried out, the local children and youth are involved in it so that when they grow up they will not leave vandal-like imprints of “Pappu loves Pappy” on the monuments they visit. In his case, wrong perceptions turned out to be far too costly.

When the post of Vice-Chancellor of Calicut University fell vacant, many knowledgeable people suggested Muhammed’s name but some thought that he was too close to the Sangh Parivar to be trusted with such a job. Instead, a person of lesser merit was chosen. Muhammed would not, however, be bothered for he knew that “an archaeologist is one whose career lies in the ruins”.

It was just the other day that historian M.G.S. Narayanan lamented that in Kerala, the Archaeology Department was headed by people who could not spell the word “archaeology” and would ask whether Alexander Fleming and Alexander Cunningham were the same.

For Muhammed, work is worship and it does not matter that he has not been adequately recognized for his contributions. However, he has many anecdotes to recount. Like the one of the time when he took President Barack Obama and his wife Michelle round the Humayun tomb and answered their questions.

Muhammed has in a recent interview expressed his distress over the low priority archaeology enjoys in the country. When he was in charge of the ASI’s work in Northern India, his budget was a puny Rs 6 crore. How many people know that it took 20,000 workers and artisans 16 years to construct the Taj in 1647-48 at a cost of Rs 50 lakh? This, when it is India’s tourism showpiece and the foremost Indian monument that spurs the international visitor to visit the country!

Do they know that parts of the Taj had fallen into disrepair? It was Lord Curzon, who ordered a comprehensive restoration project, which was completed in 1908. If anything, it shows how restoration is important for any historical site. Instead, we are good at spreading myths. One such myth is that Shah Jahan ordered the amputation of the hands of the architect of Taj Mahal in order to ensure that nobody made such a magnificent monument again. Another such myth is that the Emperor started building his own tomb on the other side of the Yamuna in black marble. Excavations across the river revealed no foundations.

Thus archaeology has its use in not only proving historical facts but also in exposing falsehoods. Muhammed showed how he transplanted a temple brick by brick using a numbering process. At the end of the project, not a single brick had become surplus. In retrospect, the most enduring image from the lecture was a gate, which he restored without spending a single penny from the state exchequer. Instead, he involved the local youth in the preservation work. They were only too happy to join him in his noble endeavor.

In all his pursuits, one thought that has guided Muhammed is “Om Lokah Samastah Sukhino Bhavantu”! (May all the people be happy!). What a pity that in a country where all and sundry are given Padma awards, a person like K.K. Muhammed has not been given such a recognition because to some, he is a Muslim and to some others, a Hindu. Rather like the poet Kabir over whose body the two communities fought only to find that he had transported himself to the realm of the sacred and the holy. K.K. Muhammed’s scholarship belongs to none, because it belongs to all.

The writer can be reached at ajphilip@gmail.com
Courtesy: Indian Currents

source: http://www.heraldofindia.com / The Herald of India / Home> Article / by A.J. Pinto / 2012

Stroke of the Healing Tree

Vadodara, GUJARAT :

K K Muhammed | photographs by Albin Mathew
K K Muhammed | photographs by Albin Mathew

Trees are essential for life and have always occupied an important place in myths, folklores and religions. K K Muhammed, a Vadodara-based artist, has used this aspect as the base for a series of works during his first-ever exhibition which was held recently in Kochi.

His paintings depict the malignancy of various maladies prevalent in our society, and the way they have crippled us. Be it discrimination against women, domestic violence, male domination or the exploitation of environment for human need, the artist has used trees as a spokesperson to highlight the issue.

“Every person has a close contact with trees,” says Muhammed. “Many of us have been influenced by the positive aura of trees, even without being aware of it. Hence, those who see these paintings will be able to identify the inner truth that I am trying to convey,” he says.

In two paintings, a log of wood occupies prime position. While the log represents consumerism in one work, it represents opulence of the rulers of the past and the present in another. “Consumerism has become a bane,” says Muhammed. “People today try to find out ways to get things done without effort. The ‘lesser the hard work the better it is’ has become the motto of this generation.”

Nothing has changed much, believes Muhammed. “The rulers of yore and the present are the same lot. Opulence binds them together. The log of wood in the picture cries out against the greed of the rulers which should be satisfied at any cost,” says the artist. These paintings also highlight male dominance and try to depict how men have hold the reins of the society while relegating women to do menial tasks.

Paintings by Muhammed put on display at the exhibition
Paintings by Muhammed put on display at the exhibition
 

A tree stands alone in one of the paintings in sepia. At one glance, a person cannot notice, but when one looks closely, various images peek out of the stem and branches. Hidden among the leaves and bark are the images of men and women along with various implements that we use in daily life. A thorn can be seen piercing a leaf, which again, highlights the brutal nature of man. Mainly, how he doesn’t flinch from trampling and back-stabbing others to reach his goal. Muhammed has also done a set of paintings on burnt wood. “I wanted to show that the nature is both the creator and destroyer,” he says. “The tender buds and flowers sprouting from the dead wood show the continuity of life. It also shows that nature is forgiving.”A painting, which highlights the hardships of women, catches the eye. The picture depicts how a woman looks after every single need of her family. The tender nature of the gender has been brought up to light through the image of a pregnant woman sitting with a rabbit on her lap.

“Men are self-oriented by nature and they do not hesitate to slander even their mothers for their own gain. They are afflicted by a grave malady called narcissism,” says Muhammed. The artist has depicted his belief in one of his paintings which is based on the story of young Narcissus, a Greek mythological character.

The artist is critical to the great importance that society gives to men. He points out this aspect in another painting which portrays various day-to-day affairs that we come across, things like the railings of a fence, the various objects that are used in the household and also symbols of religious importance.

Muhammed has received many awards, including the Bombay Arts Award and Kerala Lalithakala Akademi award, among others. He has done nine solo shows so far and been a part of more than 45 group shows. A postgraduate from Kala Bhavan, Visva Bharati at Santiniketan, the artist is planning to indulge in his other love, sculpting. “I will be exhibiting my works in a year or so,” says Muhammed.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Magazine / by Anu C.Kuruvilla / February 20th, 2016