Mursalin’s act went viral on social media platforms and hundreds turned up at his residence to praise him.
Mursalin with members of his family (Photo | Special arrangement)
Kolkata :
When Class V student Mursalin left his Malda home on Thursday afternoon to fish in a ditch beside the railway tracks, all his concentration was focused on the water. But as he looked around for a few seconds, his attention shifted to a large crater under the railway track, which was caused by heavy rainfall in the north Bengal region in the past few days.
Seeing part of the track having no support beneath it, Mursalin sensed danger. On hearing the whistle of the speeding Silchar-bound Kanchanjungha Express as it was skipping the nearby Bhaluka Road railway station, the 11-year-old boy took off his red T-shirt and started waving it as fast as he could to draw the attention of the train driver.
Spotting the boy on the track waving his red T-shirt, the motorman applied the brakes and the train came to a halt. The driver examined the crater, sent an SOS and railway officials arrived. Repair work was carried out to fill up the crater and the train left.
Mursalin’s act went viral on social media platforms and hundreds turned up at his residence to praise him.
“It was drizzling and I crossed the railway track and came to the ditch for fishing. I was busy catching fish but after a few minutes, when I could not catch a single one, I just looked around. I saw the soil and stones under the railway track were washed away because of rain, I felt it could pose a threat to a train. At the same time, I heard the train’s whistle. I did not spare a moment. I took off my red T-shirt and started waving it standing on the railway track,” said the boy.
Mursalin’s mother Marzina Bibi said her son returned home and narrated what he did. “I feel proud of him. His act saved a train mishap. Railway officers also praised him,” she said.
Railway officers said the crater under the tracks had not been noticed. “After examining the crater, the railway officers from nearby Bhaluka Road station took steps to fill it up as early as possible. We appreciate the boy’s presence of mind and his bravery,” said a railway official.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Good News / by Express News Service / September 27th, 2023
Muslim coaching institutes have witnessed remarkable triumph in facilitating students’ admission to Government Medical Colleges in the NEET (National Eligibility cum Entrance Test) 2023 examination. Notable among these institutions are the Association of Muslim Doctors and Talent Zone Academy, Shaheen Group, Rahmani 30, and Al Ameen Mission.
Through a joint initiative led by the Talent Zone Academy in New Delhi and the Association of Muslim Doctors, a commendable achievement was accomplished. Out of the total 31 students enrolled in the program, an impressive count of 19 students successfully secured their admission in government medical colleges.
The primary objective of forming this association was to unite Muslim doctors and create an organized body that adhered to moral values and the fundamental teachings of Islam.
As part of their initiatives, the Association of Muslim Doctors (AMD) collaborated with Talent Zone Academy to launch the AMD 40 program. This educational initiative provided education and support to students aspiring to pursue a medical career.
The Association of Muslim Doctors is an organization comprising individuals who share a common purpose. In 2009, a group of young Muslim doctors from Bihar, India, came together with the aim of establishing a registered body. Their inaugural meeting took place on February 20th, 2009, in Hajipur. Approximately 35 doctors participated in this gathering, operating under the banner of the Islamic Medical Association of India (IMAI)
Waseem Javed, founder and director of the Talent Zone Academy, while talking to Muslim Mirror said that the academy’s “focus is on guiding students towards a successful future in the fields of medicine and engineering, by providing a comprehensive curriculum that is designed to help them develop the skills and knowledge they need to succeed in competitive environments.”
“Moving forward, there are plans to sustain the program and expand its reach to benefit more deserving students. The experience gained from this program will serve as a foundation for future endeavors in providing quality education and support to aspiring medical professionals,” he said.
Ashhar Ehtesham, manager of the academy called the program a successful “collaboration between the Association of Muslim Doctors and Talent Zone Academy”
“The students received food and accommodation from AMD, while TZA focused on providing education. The campus located in Delhi served as the teaching venue for the students,” he said.
“Although the majority of participants were Muslims the program was inclusive and not specific to any particular religious group,” Ehtesham added.
The Shaheen Group of Institutions, situated in Bidar, Karnataka, has celebrated the achievement of having more than 500 students qualifying for admission this year.
Dr Abdul Qadeer, founder of Shaheen Group of Institutions, said “In the upcoming NEET 2023, we anticipate over 500 MBBS seats for the students. I extend my heartfelt congratulations to the successful candidates and their parents on this remarkable achievement.”
“Additionally, our attention is directed towards facilitating the integration of Hafiz individuals into contemporary education. We have established centres that offer lodging, meals, and excellent educational opportunities to support them,” Dr Qadeer said.
Dr Qadeer added that “an impressive number of 80 Huffaz have successfully cleared the NEET 2022 examination, and we have high hopes for even more qualifying in future exams.”
Maulana Mohammad Wali Rahmani’s coaching institute, Rahmani 30, experienced impressive results with 41 students achieving outstanding scores surpassing 600 marks in the NEET 2023 exam.
Likewise, the Al Ameen Mission, a residential educational institute based in Kolkata, has seen more than 600 of its students securing admissions in diverse courses this year.
These outstanding results underscore the effectiveness and dedication of these Muslim coaching institutes in preparing students for their medical aspirations, paving the way for a bright future in the field of healthcare.
source: http://www.muslimmirror.com / Muslim Mirror / Home> Education> Indian Muslim> Positive Story / by Ubair Ul Hameed / June 15th, 2023
Earlier, Mohammed Faizan Ahmed and Mohammed Haris Sumair, who secured All India Rank 58 and 270, respectively were also students of MS IAS Academy.
The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) today announced the Civil Services Examination (CSE) 2022 results. Among the successful candidates, Mohammed Burhan Zaman, a student of MS IAS Academy, has achieved an All India Rank (AIR) of 768.
Mohammed Burhan Zaman who hails from Kolkata is the third student of MS IAS Academy who cleared the UPSC civil service examination in the past three years.
Stages in UPSC CSE 2022
The Civil Services Examination is one of the most challenging and prestigious competitive exams in India. It consists of multiple stages, and candidates need to excel in each phase to secure a coveted position in the civil services.
The journey began with the preliminary examination held on June 5, 2022. Serving as a screening test, the preliminary exam determines the eligibility of candidates to proceed to the subsequent stages of the selection process. The results of the preliminary examination were declared on June 22, opening the doors for qualified candidates to move forward.
The main examination, conducted from September 16 to 25, forms the second stage of the UPSC CSE. It comprises a comprehensive written examination that evaluates candidates’ knowledge and understanding of various subjects.
After the evaluation of the main examination papers, the results were announced on December 6. Candidates who successfully cleared the main examination became eligible for the final stage – the interview round.
Following the interview process, which concluded on May 18, the Union Public Service Commission has finally released the final results of the Civil Services Examination 2022 today. This year, a total of 933 candidates have made it to the final list. Among these candidates, Mohammed Burhan Zaman from MS IAS Academy has secured a place in the final merit list.
MS IAS Academy’s performance
It is worth noting that MS IAS Academy has consistently produced successful candidates in the UPSC CSE in recent years. In the 2022 examination, nine students from the academy passed the preliminary exam. Out of these, three students successfully cleared the main examination and progressed to the interview stage. Among them, Mohammed Burhan Zaman secured a position in the final merit list.
On this momentous occasion, Mohammed Lateef Khan, the Chairman of MS Education Academy expressed his happiness.
Earlier, Mohammed Faizan Ahmed and Mohammed Haris Sumair, who secured All India Rank 58 and 270, respectively were also students of MS IAS Academy. Both of them have been selected for the Indian Administrative Service (IAS)
source: http://www.siasat.com / The Siasat Daily / Home> News> India / by News Desk / May 23rd, 2023
Mohammed Salim, the first Indian footballer to play for a foreign club. In this photograph from 1936, due to playing in bare feet, he is having them bandaged by Jimmy McMenemy the Celtic FC trainer. Photo: Wikipedia
Who was the first Indian footballer to play for a European football club? Very few people in India will be able to answer this question correctly.
He was a Kolkata-based football player Mohammed Salim who was selected by the well-known Celtic Football Club in Scotland in 1936. He carved out a brief but glorious career before returning to his hometown.
An interesting story was once told by his son Rashid Ahmed. After his father had grown old, the son decided to see if the famous Celtic Club of Scotland still remembered his father. He wrote to Celtic Club introducing himself as the son of their former player Mohammed Salim and stated that his father was facing financial difficulty in his old age.
Rashid Ahmed was not really expecting any reply from the club authorities after so many years. He had simply taken a chance. However, he got the biggest surprise of his life when the Celtic football club replied with a letter of sympathy and a bank draft of 100 pounds enclosed.
“I really had no need for the money. It was just a ploy to find out if Mohammed Salim was still alive in their memory. To my amazement, I received a letter from the club. Inside was a bank draft for £100. I was delighted, not because I received the money but because my father still he had a place of pride in Celtic. I have not encashed the draft and will preserve it till I die. I just want my father’s name to be remembered as the first Indian footballer to play abroad,” Rashid told the media.
The reason why Salim returned to India was that he was uncomfortable with the food and the climate of Scotland. He had been born and brought up in Kolkata and therefore was not used to the foreign conditions. Celtic Club pleaded with him to remain in Scotland and even offered to organise a charity match on his behalf. Salim refused and asked that the money be donated to local orphans.
Thereafter German clubs also became interested in retaining Salim. He was offered a professional contract to play in Germany. But he was resolute that he would return to India. So he traveled back to India to rejoin Mohammedan Sporting Club for the beginning of the 1937 Calcutta Football League.
To trace his life back to the starting point, he was born to a middle-class family in Metiaburj in Bengal in 1904. He was studying to be a chemist but football was his first love. His skills were soon spotted by the Mohammedan Sporting club and he was recruited in 1927.
After a brief stint with other clubs, Salim rejoined Mohammedan Sporting in 1934 and ensured that it reached the very top. It was the golden period of this club with Salim spearheading the attacks. He won thousands of hearts with his ball control, dribbling and accurate passes.
A Chinese football official Dr. Chi Chao Yung who saw Salim and his teammates in action said: “Allow me to congratulate the members of the Indian team for their wonderful display. In the course of the game, they showed perfect understanding and exceptional speed. The forwards, Salim, Rahim, Bhattacharjee and Abbas were outstanding in their game.”
Soon after this, Salim departed for Scotland to try his luck there. The well-known Scottish manager Willie Mayley was surprised at the skills that Salim displayed and took him in the Celtic side. On 28 August 1936, he helped Celtic win 7–1 against Galston. The Scottish Daily Express carried the headline: “Indian Juggler – A New Style”, along with a description of Salim that read: “Ten twinkling toes of Salim, Celtic FC’s player from India, hypnotised the crowd last night. Three of Celtic’s seven goals came from his moves.” Another newspaper, The Glasgow Observer wrote: “Salim tickled the crowd at Celtic Park on Friday with his magnificent ball manipulation despite playing barefooted.”
But even after the praise and success, Salim decided to return to India because he missed his home country. In 1940 Mohammedan Sporting became the first Indian club to win the Durand Cup in front of one lakh spectators. The British Viceroy at that time Lord Linlithgow, witnessed the match against the Royal Warwickshire regiment.
In 1980, at the age of 76, Salim passed away in Kolkata.
Before independence, challenging the might of the British rulers was a Herculean task. Salim achieved this seemingly impossible feat with his football. That was his greatest glory. He demonstrated that even barefooted Indian players, with determination and skill, could overcome the strongest of British teams.
source: http://www.siasat.com / The Siasat Daily / Home> Featured News / by Abhijit Sent Gupta / November 26th, 2022
A collection of speeches and articles by former vice-president Hamid Ansari, offering engaging insights into our democracy.
Challenges to a Liberal Polity: Human Rights, Citizenship & Identity / by M Hamid Ansari / Publisher Penguin / Pages 277 /Price 799 INR
For the past decade, public discourse in India has remained sharply focused on challenges to the liberal polity and the threats that have grown to human rights. Issues of citizenship and identity are entwined inextricably in this. It is in this context that Challenges to a Liberal Polity: Human Rights, Citizenship & Identity assumes not only topicality but also a significance that can be overlooked only at the readers’ own peril.
Hamid Ansari is a distinguished diplomat, academic, statesman and also, the often misused word, a public intellectual. He has, in his long career, worn many hats. He has served as the Indian ambassador to Afghanistan, Vice-Chancellor of the Aligarh Muslim University (AMU), Chairman of the Minorities Commission and the Vice President of India. Throughout his life, Ansari has never shied away from speaking his mind—bluntly if need be.
The author has, at times, been exposed to unfair criticism and deliberately humiliated by persons in high office who should have known better. When bidding him farewell, PM Narendra Modi was unnecessarily sarcastic—some thought gracelessly—by mentioning that Ansari had spent most of his diplomatic career in Islamic countries and perhaps he would be more comfortable now that he was relieved of the burden of the constitutional position to freely voice criticism of whatever he didn’t agree with. The PM conveniently forgot that the former vice-president served with distinction as India’s permanent representative in the United Nations and as Chief of Protocol when Indira Gandhi was the prime minister in an era of dynamic Indian diplomacy. But, let us not digress.
This volume is a collection of speeches, forewords and articles contributed by the author on subjects that overlap and cover a vast time span from the turn of the century to the present day. The introduction is stimulating and thought-provoking. It presents a distilled essence of state-of-the-art research in political science and Indian society. This prepares the readers for what is to follow.
The book is divided into three sections. The first section deals with human rights and group rights. The subsections or mini-chapters can be read profitably as independent essays. Of particular interest are the ones titled––‘India and the Contemporary International Norms on Group Rights’, ‘Minorities and the Modern State’ and ‘Majorities and Minorities in Secular India: Sensitivity and Responsibility’.
The second section is titled ‘Indian Polity, Identity, Diversity and Citizenship’. This is more substantial than the preceding segment and covers a range of topics that should engage readers with different interests and ideological orientations. Examples include ‘Identity and Citizenship: An Indian Perspective’, ‘Religion, Religiosity and World Order’, ‘Two Obligatory -isms: Why Pluralism and Secularism is Essential to our Democracy’. There are shorter pieces like ‘The Ethics of Gandhi’ and ‘The Dead Weight of State Craft’, ‘India’s Plural Diversity is Under Threat: Some Thoughts on Contemporary Challenges in the Realm of Culture’. How one wishes that these themes had been explored in greater detail.
To some it may appear that this is nitpicking, but this is the hazard of compiling a collection of comments and observations made on commemorative occasions such as inaugurating or concluding a seminar, a workshop or writing a short preface. Ansari is primarily a scholar, who is deeply distraught by the happenings around him and is restless to share his constructive thoughts and not just the distress and despair. The tone is always cautiously optimistic.
The concluding section deals with ‘Indian-Muslim Perception and Indian Contribution to Culture of Islam’. The essays on ‘Militant Islam’, ‘Islam and Democratic Principle’ and ‘India and Islamic Civilisation: Contributions and Challenges’ deserve to be read by all Indians, particularly the young. One may disagree with the author, but it is impossible to imagine that any meaningful dialogue can take place between the majorities and minorities in India without an understanding of how the ‘other’ thinks and perceives the world.
His convocation addresses delivered at Jamia Millia Islamia (where he taught) and the AMU (his alma mater) have a different flavour. The tone is personal and evokes shared nostalgia. The final essay is a review of India and muslim world.
The book has substantial end-notes that provide useful bibliographical information. One can flip through these pages to pursue the themes dealt in the book according to one’s own inclination and at leisure.
This book is for all. The general reader, who has no scholarly pretensions, too can turn the pages of this book with great pleasure. Many a time, the author peppers the prose with Urdu couplets that hook the reader to his line of arguments. One such piece is his Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed Memorial lecture. Most people remember this vice-president as the supine individual who signed on the dotted line with dimmer when Indira Gandhi declared Emergency at midnight. Ansari, however, has used the book brilliantly to make some hard- hitting comments that are im- possible not to take on the chin.
The chapter begins with: Yaad-e-maazi azaab hai yaa rab/ Chheen le mujhse hafiza mera (The memory of the past is torturous, O God/Take away my memory from me), and concludes with: “Can the amnesia, the compromises and the misconceptions of recent and not-so-recent past be overcome?” Yes, only if meaningful alternative is offered. We do stand at the crossroads.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Lifestyle> Books / by Pushpesh Pant / Express News Service / November 06th, 2022
When we talk of youngsters in their early twenties, of course, we think that it’s time for them to work hard and party harder. Right? But we are seeing a lot of youngsters take up entrepreneurship at a young age to make it big. But there are some like Alina Alam from Kolkata, who took to social entrepreneurship to make the world a better place for the differently-abled. All of 27 years of age, Alina started with her ‘Mitti Cafe’ when she was 23, which is run entirely by a staff of persons with a disability, ranging from visual and hearing impaired to Asperger’s and to Down’s syndrome.
The Mitti Cafe
While pursuing her graduation from Azim Premji University, Alina volunteered in an organisation that works with adults with a disability. That’s when she realised that the problem is not their ability but the disability in our perception, which needs to change. Talking to us about the cafe, Alina said, “I started with the Mitti Cafe in 2017, with an aim to create platforms for adults with physical, intellectual and multiple disabilities to showcase their abundant potential for productive activity and create awareness for the cause of equal opportunities in employment.”
Not every enterprise needs a VC funding, as Alina started this venture with funding from her friends, family and partnerships with Deshpande Foundation, NSRCEL-IIM Bangalore & N-Core Foundation. And now she has several branches of the cafe in both Kolkata and Bengaluru.
Facilities Enabling The Staff One can find menus printed in braille, food orders written on sheets of a note pad, self-explanatory placards and flicker lights that signal the staff when a customer calls for them, and more such unique ideas to facilitate the differently-abled staff at the Mitti Cafe.
Apart from remuneration, Alina explained how they have additional benefits like accommodation for the staff, “Since most of our employees along with having a disability come from a low-income background, apart from salaries, we also provide them with accommodation, food and logistics. We provide wheelchairs to those who cannot afford it. There are placards in the cafe for communication with our HSI staff and menu as well as instructions in Braille for our staff with visual impairment. The training methodology for our adults with an intellectual disability involves innovative techniques that involve songs, poetry and pictorial training.”
Impact & Help With The COVID-19 Outbreak Talking about the impact of her venture, Alina said, “We currently have a total of 71 adults with disability employed at the various cafes branches and we provide experiential training to adults with a disability who is placed in the hospitality sector, retail sector or decide to start their own business.” Not only that, currently Alina and her team is also helping the vulnerable sections of the society affected by the Coronavirus lockdown. Talking about the same, she added, “The MITTI team is working on a war footing currently to help in the COVID 19 crisis by providing the most basic of the necessities: food to 2000 of our Frontline Heroes-daily wage labourers every day.”
Alina runs the social enterprise with the help of her amazing team members who left their cushy corporate jobs for the cause, including the COO & Director- Swati, another Director- Anjani Gupta and Area Operations Heads- Sanidhya Bindal & Amruta Wadekar.
She also shared her future plans with us which include, “Creating awareness about economic empowerment and dignity-one cafe at a time, till Mitto Café becomes outdated. We are hopeful that should be soon.”
source: http://www.inclusiveindia.in / Inclusive India / Home> Feature> Inclusivity / by Shobita Dutt / April 17th, 2020
Aliah University is a state government-run autonomous university having three campuses in New Town in West Bengal. | Picture by arrangement
The inaugural batch of the nursing course in a university in West Bengal, designed especially for women, has achieved this success.
West Bengal:
Almost the entire batch of this year’s graduates of the B.Sc Nursing course at Aliah University have got job placements. Fifty-three out of fifty-four graduating students, mostly Muslim women have been selected as nursing staff in various medical colleges and hospitals run by the government of West Bengal.
This is the inaugural batch of the nursing course designed especially for women. It is for the first time that almost an entire batch of a program in Aliah University has gotten placement.
Aliah University is a state government-run autonomous university having three campuses in New Town in West Bengal. It offers undergraduate and postgraduate programs in different Engineering, Arts, Science, Management, and Nursing subjects. Previously known as Mohammedan College of Calcutta, it was elevated as a university in 2008. It is a minority institution and hence a majority of its students come from marginalized groups and communities like Muslims and lower castes.
Usha Mallick, the head of the department of nursing told TwoCircles.net, “This is an unprecedented success for the department of nursing because these are the first batch of graduates. We at Aliah University are extremely proud of our graduates who worked hard.”
“This kind of placement will get us a great standing in the state as well as the country. This is great news also because all the girls in this department, like most students of Aliah university, come from extreme socio-economically backward families living in remote rural districts of West Bengal,” she added.
Usha Malick is head of the department of nursing at the university. | Photo by author arrangement
“We are thankful to the Mamata Banerjee government for helping the university start the course, and to the National Medical College for providing practical training for nursing students,” she said while adding that Aliah is the only state university that runs a nursing course without its medical college and hospital facilities.
Educating kids from extremely backward districts like Murshidabad The news brought cheers to several young women. Lutfa Khatoon is from Murshidabad, a densely Muslim populated area (67%) where the state of education is extremely poor. According to Census 2011, the literacy rate of the district is 66.60%, which is far below the national average of 74.04% and the state’s average of 77.08%. The district holds the bottommost position in the rank of literacy rates since the Census 1951.
“In Murshidabad education is not the priority in general, let alone education of girls. When I got admission to the course, people in my area said I am getting training to become a nursemaid. My placement has broken that impression,” Khatoon told TwoCircles.net. She is posted in Murshidabad medical college and hospital.
Firoja, Lutfa’s batchmate, told TwoCircles.net that studying was not the only thing she invested hard work in. “These four years of the course people would come to my house in Murshidabad and taunt my parents that your daughter will be ruined because they gave me the freedom to move to Calcutta to study,” said Firoja who is posted at Anup Nagar primary hospital, Murshidabad.
She mentioned that she faced financial hardships but thanked the university for providing her scholarship.
Aatika, Lutfa’s classmate told TwoCircles.net that people in the rural areas of West Bengal say that “sending girls to the city for education is like providing them with opportunities to be spoiled.” But her getting a nursing job has broken the patriarchal mindset and inspired many parents to send their daughters to study.
“In my village, most people marry off their daughters after they pass the tenth class. I am very lucky that my family supported me. It is because of them that I got a very respectful job,” she added.
Oldest modern style educational institute in Asia The university is one of the oldest educational institutes in Asia. Established by Warren Hastings, the British governor-general of East India Company in 1780. Calcutta Mohammedan College, as it was called by Hastings. Established in the form of a madrasa school, it is one of the oldest modern-style educational institutions in Asia and the first of its kind in India. It taught Natural Philosophy, Grammar, Logic, Arithmetic, Astronomy, Geometry, Arabic, Persian, Theology and Islamic Law, and Theory and Rhetoric.
Good career placement not new for Aliah University Dr Mohammad Reyaz, assistant professor of journalism at the university told TwoCircles.net that good career placements are not new to the university.
“Earlier it used to be a Madrasa. Not many people know that it has been turned into a university which offers courses in Engineering, Electronics and Communication, Business Management and nursing among other subjects. So these kinds of placements do help break the stereotype which tries to reduce the image of this premier institution as a madrasa. Not only do the students of nursing and engineering departments get good placements but students of the Arabic department also get jobs in prestigious firms like Amazon,” said Dr Reyaz.
Sufi Parween is a fellow at SEEDS-TCN Mentorship Program. Shentweets at@sufiparween84
source: http://www.twocircles.net / TwoCircles.net / Home> Lead Story / by Sufi Parween, TwoCircles.net / August 08th, 2022
More than 500 students from the Al-Ameen Mission’s 70 branches in West Bengal passed the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) 2022 with flying colours.
M Noorul Islam, head of the Institution said, “I have had the biggest success this year, as the number of Al Ameen Mission students who have secured 600 and above points in the NEET is around 200.”
Last year, 510 Al Ameen coaching academy students passed the NEET and were accepted into various medical colleges.
According to Islam, the number is likely to be higher this year as his team finalises the list.
Islam said that that the majority of the students are from rural areas and come from remote villages throughout West Bengal.
Kishankur Bhumika, a non-resident student, is this year’s Al-Ameen topper. He received 686 out of 720 points in the NEET and was ranked 427 at the All India level.
Irfan Habib, son of farmer Abdul Subhan of Devcharai village in Tafanganj, Cooch Behar, has received the highest marks among the mission’s resident students. He received 685 points and is ranked 594th in the all-India list. Aside from that, many Al Amneen Mission students scored more than 650 points on the NEET.
Akhtari Parveen, a female student at Al-Ameen Mission, is among the achievers . She has been a student at Al Ameen Mission’s Khalatpur campus since Class VII. She got 653 marks in NEET with the help of Al Ameen Mission and her all-India rank is 3915.
Al-Ameen Mission, based in Howrah, has produced over 3500 doctors (MBBS & BDS) and 3000 engineers, in addition to scores of researchers, administrative officers, teachers, and professors.
Nurul Islam founded the organisation, which now operates 70 coaching institutes in 20 West Bengal districts.
The organisation educates 17,000 residential students and employs over 3000 teachers and non-teaching staff. The main campus of Al-Ameen Mission is in the West Bengal district of Howrah, at Khalatpur (Udaynarayanpur).
“We utilize Zakat and Sadaqah funds to achieve our goal and play our role in nation building. We urge the community members to support our efforts ” Islam told Muslim Mirror.
“Most of the students who have qualified NEET from Al Ameen Mission belong to very poor backgrounds and weaker sections of society. We nurture their talent, develop their intellect and provide them a good environment so that they could come out with their best,” he said.
source: http://www.muslimmirror.com /Muslim Mirror / Home> Indian Muslim> Positive Story / by Muslim Mirror / September 10th 2022
This IAS officer held a career counselling camp at the recent Islampur Book Fair.
This IAS officer held a career counselling camp at the recent Islampur Book Fair.
In the few months following her first posting at Goalpokhar-I in November 2014, Shama Parveen, “BDO Mam” as she is addressed by many, has become a source of inspiration to several, especially young women belonging to the minority community.
She is the first woman IAS officer in North Dinajpur district from the minority community.
Shama, a 2013 batch officer from Kanpur, had wanted to do something for the underprivileged. At Goalpokhar-I, one of the most impoverished areas of North Dinajpur, she began to act on her dreams.
Goalpokhar is largely agriculture-based. There are no industries here and not a single college in the block. People from the minority community comprise roughly 80 per cent of the block’s population.
During her short stint — she is waiting for a transfer order — Shama has, on her own, held career counselling sessions by visiting schools in her area. She told the young girls as well as their parents that if she could make it, these girls could too.
“The main impediment for the girls from my community are members from their own families. It is a popular belief that we cannot do well in higher studies. Whenever I meet the guardians, I tell them their daughters have the capacity to do well in higher studies. Please stand beside them. I tell them, let them shine. I am a woman from a humble background and if I can achieve what I have, so can these girls,” said Shama, who hails from a middle-class family. Her father is a businessman and her mother a homemaker.
Shama said her younger sister is studying civil engineering and her brother is a schoolteacher. She said her father is proud of both his daughters.
“When I started preparing for the civil service exams, I went to a tutorial in Delhi. But I realised that it was not the proper way, it was a kind of cheating. I left the tutorial and began preparing at home. I concentrated on reading media reports and hunting up events and data on the Internet. I had done my masters in history and that remains my favourite subject. I tell young people to read books as they are the cornerstone of success,” Shama added.
Choudhury Abdul Karim, minister for library services and mass education and Islampur MLA, could not praise the young bureaucrat enough. “She is an inspiration for the women of our community,” Karim said.
Rashid Alam, resident of Lodhan in Goalpokhar, said that this year’s Madhyamik exams were being conducted smoothly mainly because of the efforts of the BDO. Examinations have often been conducted here among allegations of cheating and violent reactions.
Shama’s interactions with school students have prepared the way for peaceful examinations. “She has been keeping a watch. My daughter is sitting for her Madhyamik and all arrangements are being overseen by the BDO. We know that she will be promoted and leave the block. But she will remain an inspiration for all of us,” he said. The students of the schools that Shama has visited fondly recall her quiet manners and gentle way of persuading them to carry on their studies.
“Once she came to our school. The manner in which she spoke to us was very impressive. I do not know about the others but I am determined to pursue higher studies. I used to be convinced that higher secondary would be as far as I would be able to study. Almost all girls here do not go to college as the two colleges are far away in Islampur or Dalkhola. But BDO Mam has kindled a tremendous urge in me to study,” said Arjuna Khatun, a resident of Goagaon, a village in the block.
Shama’s formula of success is simple. “If you have nek irada (honest resolve), it can help you achieve anything,” she said.
source: http://www.telegraphindia.com / The Telegraph Online / Home> West Bengal / by Mehdi Hedaytullah / March 09th, 2015
The memorial has now become a pilgrimage point for locals
Half a century back, a Kali temple was built by the Border Security Force (BSF) as a war memorial at the request of two soldiers — a Christian and a Bengali Muslim — at the Border Outpost (BOP) in Srinagar, Tripura, which has now become a pilgrimage point for locals.
Major P. K. Ghosh, who was then commanding four border outposts (BOP) of BSF at Srinagar, Amlighat, Samarendraganj and Nalua in the southern part of Tripura bordering Chittagong division, in erstwhile east Pakistan, has chronicled the story in ‘Borderman’, the BSF journal.
When contacted, Major Ghosh said the Srinagar BOP was located in a very important strategic position and after the revolt by the East Bengal Regiment in 1971 against Pakistan, BSF aided the rebels in forming the first Muktibahini (Liberation army) in Srinagar.
“The MMG post at Srinagar BOP was playing a crucial role in thwarting the Pakistani army. It was the forward observation post near the Chittagong-Noakhali area. Exchange of fire was nothing new in that area, but it intensified when the liberation war started picking up”, Major Ghosh told PTI telephonically.
He said since the MMG post was causing major damage to the Pakistani side, it became a precision target for the enemy.
“A precision target receives continuous firing of shells over a period of an hour or so, it is likely to get damaged. On that day, they fired 100 shells in ten minutes”, Major Ghosh recalled.
“There were three members of the detachment at the post including a Nepali Christian, Constable Rehaman (a Bengali Muslim) and Constable Banabihari Chakraborty. The situation at the spot was terrible, and I asked them not to step out of the bunker,” he said.
As the situation became worse, Constable Chakraborty asked the others to pray to goddess Kali. “They did that without even considering their religious beliefs. The post was saved due to its position near a pond and marshy land and heavy rain a night ago. A bamboo tree also prevented the shells from torching the bunker and they ended up as air bursts”, Major Ghosh said.
When the BSF decided to build a war memorial at the spot, the Christian and the Muslim soldiers requested that a Kali temple be built instead.
“Building a Kali temple for a war memorial is very unconventional. But BSF did that to honour the request of the soldiers,” Major Ghosh said.
The funds were collected from locals and the Bangladeshis also joined in constructing the Kali temple in 1972.
“We named it Rann Kali (War Kali) temple to honour their faith. At a time of religious intolerances, such examples stand as a beacon of hope”, he said.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> National> Other States / by PTI / Srinagar (Tripura) / July 03rd, 2022
