Saba recalled her father’s lessons in composure, fairness and thoughtful speech.
Saif Ali Khan and Saba share a bond rooted in family and memories. IANS
Dubai:
Saba Pataudi, sister of Bollywood actor Saif Ali Khan, has opened up about her responsibility for managing the Pataudi family’s legacy, revealing that her late father, former Indian cricket captain Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi, entrusted her with the role.
Saba, the daughter of actor Sharmila Tagore and the late Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi, oversees responsibilities connected to the family’s Bhopal estate and the Auqaf-e-Shahi trust. The family’s legacy has been estimated at more than Rs 10 billion.
In an interview, Saba explained that her father played a defining role in preparing her for the responsibility.
“Abba left that to me,” she said, reflecting on the trust her father placed in her and the lessons she continues to draw from him.
Lessons from her father
Saba recalled how her father taught her to remain composed, treat people fairly and choose her words carefully. She said those principles continue to guide her approach to managing the family’s affairs.
She also described her father as someone she continues to turn to spiritually, even after his death. His guidance, she said, helped her understand the responsibilities associated with the family’s heritage.
Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi, popularly known as Tiger Pataudi, was one of India’s prominent cricketers and captained the national team. His marriage to Sharmila Tagore brought together two well-known families from Indian sport and cinema.
What does the family legacy involve?
Saba’s responsibilities extend beyond the management of a family estate. As the mutawalli of the Auqaf-e-Shahi trust, she oversees the trust’s properties and charitable responsibilities.
These include mosques and other properties linked to the family’s historical ties to Bhopal, as well as facilities for pilgrims visiting Makkah and Medina.
The reported valuation of more than Rs 10 billion relates to the wider family legacy and should not be interpreted as Saba’s personal wealth. Her role involves stewardship and management of the trust’s assets and responsibilities.
Saba has also discussed plans for initiatives benefiting women and girls, including a girls’ school and a hospital for women, subject to the resolution of pending legal matters involving family property.
A responsibility entrusted by her father
Saba’s reflections offer a glimpse into a side of the Pataudi family that extends beyond celebrity and cricket. While Saif Ali Khan and Soha Ali Khan are widely recognised for their careers in the entertainment industry, Saba has taken on responsibilities associated with preserving the family’s historical and charitable legacy.
For her, the role is closely tied to her father’s confidence in her abilities and the values he instilled in her. She continues to regard those lessons as central to carrying forward the responsibilities he entrusted to her.
source: http://www.gulfnews.com / Gulf News / Home> Entertainment> Bollywood / by Devadasan K P, Chief Visual Editor / October 14th, 2026
During extensive field surveys across the Jammu and Kashmir region, researchers identified three previously unknown species of the genus Conocephalus, more commonly known as meadow katydids or long-ho…
During extensive field surveys across the Jammu and Kashmir region, researchers identified three previously unknown species of the genus Conocephalus, more commonly known as meadow katydids or long-horned grasshoppers. The discovery was led by Muzamil Syed Shah and a team of entomologists from Aligarh Muslim University. The new species have been named Conocephalus usmanii, Conocephalus nagariensis, and Conocephalus ganderbali.
Prior to this study, the mountainous region of Kashmir was thought to host only a single species of this genus. The team’s findings suggest that the area’s complex topography, which includes the Western Himalayas and the Pir Panjal Range, has fostered a much richer variety of insect life than previously recorded. To find these elusive insects, the researchers trekked through various habitats, including tall meadow grasses, bushes, and deciduous forests, collecting adult specimens during the day.
The researchers used Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) to distinguish the new species from their known relatives. This allowed them to capture high-resolution images of the stridulatory files, a microscopic row of teeth on the male insect’s wings that acts like a musical comb to produce their characteristic chirping sound. By counting these teeth and measuring the shape of the insects’ body parts, the team was able to prove they had found entirely new branches of the tree of life.
Each of the three new species possesses unique physical blueprints that set them apart. Conocephalus nagariensis, found in the Budgam district, is distinguished by its spindle-shaped appendages (cerci) and a stridulatory file containing exactly 34 teeth. It is dedicated to Dr. Rajendra Nagar, a researcher credited with discovering several other species of katydids across the country, and bears his name.
In contrast, Conocephalus ganderbali, discovered in the Ganderbal region, is notably small and slender, with a musical file of only 28 teeth and a unique V-shaped incision on its underbelly. Its name is derived from the Ganderbal district in Kashmir, the specific locality where the researchers first collected the specimens.
The third species, Conocephalus usmanii, features a flat, elongated plate on its abdomen and a musical file with 36 teeth. It was named in honour of Professor Mohd Kamil Usmani, a scholar who has made significant contributions to the study of Orthoptera (the group of insects including grasshoppers and katydids) in India.
Beyond the three new species, the study also provided new records for other katydids in the region, such as Conocephalus longipennis and C. kwasiphaiensis, which were previously known only in other parts of India. This suggests that Kashmir serves as a vital corridor for insect migration and evolution.
The discovery highlights how much of the natural world remains unexplored, even in well-known geographical areas. The researchers noted that because Kashmir is so biologically diverse yet understudied, many more species likely remain hidden in plain sight within its mountain valleys. The physical type specimens used to describe these new insects have been deposited in the Museum of Zoology at Aligarh Muslim University, where they will serve as a permanent reference for future generations of scientists.
This article was written with the help of generative AI and edited by an editor at Research Matters.
Wani, historically known as Wun, is an old town of the Vidarbha region whose history reflects the changing political boundaries of central India. At different times, the Wani area was connected with the Nizam’s dominions, while the neighbouring Chandrapur region was historically associated with the Gond rulers. To the east and south lay territories of the erstwhile Hyderabad State, including the area that subsequently became Adilabad district and is today part of Telangana.
Wani’s political identity changed with successive territorial reorganisations. The area was once associated with the Nizam of Hyderabad. After independence, it came under the larger Central Provinces and Berar/Madhya Pradesh administrative framework before becoming part of Maharashtra when the state was formed in 1960.
This layered history is important in understanding the social background of Dr Abdul Razzaq Ahmed, a prominent Muslim of Wani. His family belonged to an established local community whose standing was associated with both landholding and professional achievement. Dr Abdul Razzaq Ahmed was a dermatologist, while later generations entered administration, medicine, and law.
Today, Dr A. Razzaque Ahmed, MD, DSc, is internationally recognised as a dermatologist, immunologist and academic physician, and as a pioneer in autoimmune blistering diseases. He has served as Professor of Dermatology and Director of the Centre for Blistering Diseases at Tufts University School of Medicine in Boston. He is associated with the Ibn Sina Professorship. His career has brought together clinical medicine, molecular immunology, laboratory research, therapeutic innovation, teaching and philanthropy.
Yet his significance lies not simply in professional distinction. His life represents the transformation of education into knowledge, knowledge into healing, and achievement into service.
Roots, Education and the Making of a Cosmopolitan Mind
Dr Ahmad spent his early childhood in Wani in a house built by his great-grandfather around 1875. He was the son of Salam Ahmed and Begum Noor Jehan and grew up in a family that regarded education and social advancement as important instruments of human development.
That ethos subsequently found institutional expression through the Begum Noor Jehan Salam Ahmed Trust in Yavatmal district. Under Begum Noor Jehan’s leadership, the Trust established educational institutions including the Sunrise English Medium Convent, Wani; the Noor Jahan Begum Salam Ahmed Arts and Commerce College, Wani; and the Noor Jahan Begum Salam Ahmed Women’s College of Law.
The women’s law college was particularly significant, reflecting a deliberate commitment to giving women access to professional education, legal knowledge and greater independence. The family tradition therefore gave education a meaning larger than individual advancement: it expanded opportunity and enabled others to participate more fully in society. That principle would later find expression in Dr Ahmad’s own teaching and philanthropy.
His early education exposed him to unusually diverse intellectual and cultural environments. Until the age of seven, he studied at a convent run by French nuns and later attended a Jesuit Catholic boarding school in Nagpur.
At fifteen, an American Field Service International Scholarship took him to Le Mars, Iowa, where he lived with the Thompson family, attended the local high school and studied at Westmar College. The experience gave a young student from central India an early encounter with American society and education, broadening his intellectual horizons.
Returning to India, he pursued pre-medical studies at Nagpur University before entering the All-India Institute of Medical Sciences in New Delhi. At AIIMS, he distinguished himself academically, standing first in many classes and receiving the Gold Medal as the outstanding graduate of his cohort. The movement from Wani to Nagpur and from Nagpur to AIIMS marked the first major stage in a life that would repeatedly cross geographical and intellectual boundaries.
After completing his medical education, Dr Ahmad moved to the United States for specialist training. He trained in Internal Medicine at the University of Pittsburgh, Dermatology at the University at Buffalo and Clinical Immunology at the University of California, Los Angeles, where he subsequently joined the faculty.
His growing interest in the molecular basis of disease led him to Harvard, where he pursued advanced research in molecular immunology and earned a Doctor of Science degree. His investigations attracted National Institutes of Health support and developed into the Ahmed Laboratory, which remained NIH-funded for more than two decades.
A defining feature of his career was integrating laboratory science with clinical medicine. Disease encountered in the clinic generated scientific questions; laboratory research sought their answers; and those discoveries returned to patients through improved diagnosis and treatment.
From Molecular Discovery to a New Paradigm of Care
Dr Ahmad became an international authority on autoimmune blistering diseases, particularly pemphigus and mucous membrane pemphigoid. These rare disorders can be debilitating, disfiguring and, in severe cases, life-threatening.
His research examined the immunological and genetic mechanisms underlying these diseases. Among his key contributions was identifying associations between specific HLA-DQB1 genes and pemphigus in different populations. He reported the association of HLA-DQB10402 with Jewish pemphigus patients and HLA-DQB10501 with non-Jewish patients. Studies of relatives helped demonstrate that low titres of pemphigus autoantibodies could occur without full clinical disease. He also distinguished pathogenic from non-pathogenic autoantibodies, demonstrating the pathogenic significance of IgG4 and the non-pathogenic character of IgG1 in pemphigus.
His investigations involving patients from Northwestern Iran and comparisons with Ashkenazi Jewish patients in the United States and Israel revealed striking genetic homology. They contributed to wider research concerning the population history of Ashkenazi Jews.
His molecular research extended to mucous membrane pemphigoid. He identified alpha-6 integrin as a putative antigen in oral pemphigoid and beta-4 integrin in disease involving other mucosal sites, identified epitopes on these molecules and investigated their role experimentally in animal models and tissue cultures. These studies helped shift the field from clinical description towards molecular understanding.
But Dr Ahmad’s contribution did not end with discovery. He sought to create a system that could translate scientific knowledge directly into comprehensive patient care. In Boston, he established the Centre for Blistering Diseases, bringing together specialists in oral medicine, ophthalmology, ENT, gastroenterology, urology, gynaecology, proctology, internal medicine, nutrition and clinical psychology.
The multidisciplinary model reflected the nature of the diseases themselves, which can affect several organs and mucosal surfaces. Rather than leaving patients to navigate separate specialities, the Centre organised care around the patient’s complexity.
His commitment to patients extended beyond medical treatment. In 1993, he established the Boston Blistering Diseases Support Group, recognising that people living with rare and potentially life-threatening disorders also require emotional support, information and a community of shared experience. The model was subsequently emulated elsewhere, including by the International Pemphigus and Pemphigoid Foundation.
Transforming Treatment and Restoring Lives
One of Dr Ahmad’s most consequential contributions was his pioneering work with intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIg) in autoimmune blistering diseases.
Severe disease had traditionally been treated with corticosteroids and other immunosuppressive drugs, which could themselves produce serious complications. Dr Ahmad developed and refined IVIg protocols that enabled some patients to achieve prolonged remission and, in certain cases, discontinue conventional therapy.
He also addressed access. Because IVIg is expensive, he presented clinical and pharmacoeconomic evidence involving 160 patients to Medicare authorities. The resulting policy permitting Medicare coverage for IVIg in blistering diseases helped broaden access, and private insurers later adopted similar policies.
His work with rituximab marked another major therapeutic advance. In collaboration with Harvard oncologists, he developed a protocol combining rituximab and IVIg that targeted the B-cell mechanisms involved in autoimmune disease. The results were reported in the New England Journal of Medicine, with subsequent long-term follow-up demonstrating sustained disease control in treated patients.
Some patients achieved exceptionally prolonged remission without continuing therapy, in some cases for more than 20 years. His continuing research has examined whether successful treatment can restore immune balance rather than merely suppress disease. Long-term follow-up of patients with pemphigus treated with IVIg contributed to this emerging understanding, with findings reported in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences in 2024.
His work has also addressed ocular cicatricial pemphigoid, a rare autoimmune disease capable of causing progressive scarring and irreversible blindness. Research into its mechanisms helped establish therapeutic approaches involving IVIg and subsequently rituximab combined with IVIg.
The significance of such work extends beyond disease control. Preventing blindness preserves independence, employment, family life and human dignity. It exemplifies a broader principle in Dr Ahmad’s career: the ultimate measure of medical success is not simply suppressing disease but restoring a patient’s capacity to live a meaningful life.
This philosophy also shaped the institutions he built. He developed an outpatient infusion model that enabled patients to receive sophisticated intravenous therapies without prolonged conventional hospitalisation, attracting patients from across the United States and other countries.
As a teacher and mentor, he has influenced generations of medical and dental students, residents and researchers. Many former trainees subsequently became professors and departmental leaders. He has lectured internationally for decades and served as a visiting professor at universities worldwide. His influence has therefore travelled not only through publications and therapies but through the people he taught.
The breadth of his contribution has been recognised through numerous professional honours, including the William Gies Award, the Walter F. Lever Award, lifetime achievement and research contribution awards, and international awards for excellence. The International Pemphigus and Pemphigoid Foundation honoured him as Physician of the Year, and he has also received India’s Charaka Award. In 1999, the Governor of Massachusetts and the Massachusetts House of Representatives separately recognised his contribution to the Commonwealth’s citizens.
Science, Faith and the Larger Meaning of Service
Another dimension of Dr Ahmad’s life is his religious commitment. During his extensive international travels, he has repeatedly visited Makkah and performed more than one hundred Umrahs. His scientific and spiritual commitments have existed alongside one another. Scientific inquiry seeks to understand disease; faith provides a framework of gratitude, humility and responsibility.
That sense of responsibility has also shaped his philanthropy. In addition to the educational legacy of the Begum Noor Jehan Salam Ahmed Trust, Dr Ahmad has devoted substantial resources to educating disadvantaged young people, particularly women, supporting higher education, professional training, books, computers, transport and leadership development.
The results have reportedly reached thousands of students, with women beneficiaries entering the judiciary, public prosecution and legal practice. The objective is therefore not simply charitable relief but the creation of durable opportunities through education.
Dr Abdul Razzaque Ahmad’s life is not merely a story of migration from India to America or advancement from a small town to elite academic institutions. It is a story of continuity through transformation.
Wani provided the beginning; Nagpur broadened the horizon; AIIMS supplied an exceptional medical foundation; Pittsburgh, Buffalo and UCLA provided specialist training; Harvard deepened his scientific inquiry; and Boston became the centre from which his clinical and research contributions reached the wider world.
The ancestral house in Wani and the laboratories, clinics and lecture halls of Boston may appear to belong to different worlds. In his life they form a single continuum. The family gave him an inheritance of education and responsibility. He transformed that inheritance into scientific discovery and clinical innovation, and then extended its benefits through teaching, patient care and philanthropy.
His legacy is therefore measured not only by publications, professorships and awards, but by what those achievements enabled: patients who obtained relief, individuals protected from irreversible disability, students who gained educational opportunities, physicians shaped by his mentorship, and a field of medicine advanced by his research.
The distance from Wani to Boston is considerable. The distance his ideas travelled is greater still. A journey that began in the hinterland of India entered the global corridors of academia. Its deepest destination, however, was neither fame nor distinction, but service—to the patient seeking relief, the student seeking opportunity, the scientist seeking truth, and society seeking a more humane future.
source: http://www.muslimmirror.com / Muslim Mirror /Home>Personalities> Positive Story / by Moin Qazi / October 10th, 2026
Parvez Parwaz, a 72-year-old former journalist and social activist, died in Gorakhpur District Jail on Sunday while serving a life sentence in a gangrape case. Jail officials said he suffered from high blood pressure and diabetes. He developed breathing difficulties late Saturday night and was taken to the district hospital, where he died around 2:50 am during treatment.
Parwaz had been in custody since September 2018 after a woman accused him and another man of gangrape. A district court sentenced him to life imprisonment in July 2020.
His death has revived attention on his prolonged legal challenge against a 2007 speech by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, then a BJP MP from Gorakhpur. On 27 January 2007, Parwaz recorded Adityanath addressing a gathering near Gorakhpur railway station amid communal tension following a clash during a Muharram procession. Adityanath was quoted saying that for the blood of one Hindu, “we will not get an FIR registered against the administration, but will instead have at least 10 such people killed.”
Violence followed in parts of the city, with reports of at least two deaths and extensive property damage. Parwaz sought an investigation into alleged incitement. A local court rejected his plea, and later efforts, including before the Supreme Court, did not yield the proceedings he sought before his own criminal case led to imprisonment.
source: http://www.muslimmirror.com / Muslim Mirror / Home> Indian Muslim> Media / by Muslim Mirror Desk / October 13th, 2026
The appointment of a Muslim leader, Abdul Mateen Siddiqui, as the new president of Samajwadi Party state unit in Uttarakhand has sprung surprise in the political circles and indicated the emergence of new political equations less than five months ahead of high-stakes Assembly elections in the state as well as in neighbouring Uttar Pradesh.
Sixty-six-year-old Siddiqui hails from the Nainital district and has previously served as Samajwadi Party’s general secretary and state in-charge in Uttarakhand. He previously contested the Haldwani Assembly seat on the party ticket in 2007 and 2012, but lost both the times.
Following his appointment, Siddiqui announced the dissolution of all existing state executive committees, district units, and frontal organisations to rebuild the party structure from the ground up ahead of the Assembly elections. Alongside Siddiqui, Sonam Bagwadi and Abha Barthwal were named as state in-charges/observers for the Uttarakhand unit of Samajwadi Party.
Siddiqui, a businessman, has replaced a mahant, Shubham Giri, who was named Samajwadi Party’s working president over eight months ago. This is the first time that the party, which was once a force to be reckoned with in Uttar Pradesh, has appointed a Muslim face as the Uttarakhand unit president.
Alongside forming a new state executive committee, Siddiqui has been asked to focus on nearly 20 seats with significant Muslim populations across Haridwar, Udham Singh Nagar, Dehradun and Nainital districts, and to also work in bordering Muslim-dominated districts of western Uttar Pradesh. Uttarakhand is scheduled to go to the polls along with Uttar Pradesh in February 2027.
Muslim voters have largely supported the Congress and the Bahujan Samaj Party in these seats in several elections in the past. Rajendra Chaudhary, Samajwai Party spokesperson and in- charge of Uttarakhand, was quoted as saying by media outlets that Siddiqui has been appointed because Muslims are a major constituent of the electorate in the districts located in the plains of Uttarakhand.
Evidently, the move to appoint Siddiqui forms part of Samajwadi Party’s strategy to consolidate support in Muslim-dominated Assembly seats across several districts in Uttarakhand as well as the bordering regions in western Uttar Pradesh. The decision is also set to create new political equations in the region, as the Muslim community will be playing a crucial role in the 2027 Assembly elections with its capacity to determine the poll outcome.
Samajwadi Party had appointed Shubham Giri, 34, as the Uttarakhand unit working president in January this year, when the Magh Mela in Prayagraj had turned into a political battlefield as the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party and the Opposition parties like the Samajwadi Party and Congress took on each other over the alleged high-handedness of the Uttar Pradesh administration towards Swami Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati, the Shankaracharya of the Jyotirmath in Uttarakhand.
Jyotirmath, also known as Joshimath, is a sacred town and municipal board in the Chamoli district of Uttarakhand. It is one of the four cardinal monasteries established in the 8th century by Adi Shankaracharya. It also serves as the winter home of Lord Badrinath, as the deity is moved from the Badrinath Temple to the ancient Narasimha Temple in Jyotirmath during the winter months.
Swami Avimukteshwaranand had staged a sit-in protest after the Uttar Pradesh police allegedly prevented him from taking a holy dip at the Triveni Sangam on the occasion of Mauni Amavasya on January 18 this year. The Prayagraj administration denied these allegations. Akhilesh and the Congress had extended support to the seer, attacking the ruling BJP for disrespecting the religion.
On Giri’s appointment then, the Samajwadi Party camp had said it was done because the party respected all mahants, seers and saints. His selection was also seen as an attempt to counter the BJP’s allegation against the Samajwadi Party for indulging in so-called Muslim appeasement.
Samajwadi Party has maintained that Giri’s performance as the Uttarakhand unit chief was not satisfactory. Despite this, he has now been appointed as the state unit’s co-incharge. Giri, on the other hand, has stated that he had tried to strengthen Samajwai Party in the state and organised various programmes to connect with people.
“But some people in the party got upset with me. Also, I am preparing to contest election from Pirankaliyar seat in Haridwar district. So, I requested the party leadership to free me from the responsibility of the state working president, so that I can focus on my seat,” Giri was quoted as saying. Being a mahant, Giri wears saffron and lives in an ashram in Haridwar. He has been engaged in various religious activities.
Siddiqui has announced that since the Assembly elections are round the corner in both Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh, he will work to boost the party’s prospects in both states. He says he will focus on about 20 seats in Uttarakhand which have significant Muslim population, and affirms that the party will contest with full strength there.
“I will work also in several seats in bordering western Uttar Pradesh districts like Bareilly, Rampur, Moradabad, Bijnor, Saharanpur, etc., where Muslims are in large numbers. Our first priority is to ensure the formation of the Samajwadi Party government in Uttar Pradesh,” Siddiqui said.
Both the Samajwadi Party and the Congress, which are currently allies in the Opposition INDIA bloc, vie with each other for Muslim votes in these districts of western Uttar Pradesh. While the two parties are preparing to forge an alliance to fight the elections in Uttar Pradesh, no such alignment between them is expected in Uttarakhand.
Muslims make up about 14% of Uttarakhand’s population. The districts with the highest proportion of Muslims in the state are Haridwar (34.28%), Udham Singh Nagar (22.58%), Nainital (12.65%) and Dehradun (11.91%). In the 2022 Uttarakhand Assembly polls, Samajwadi Party had contested 55 of the state’s 70 seats, failing to open its account.
The BJP won 47 seats to return to power, with the Congress winning 19. The BSP won two seats, Manglaur and Laksar in Haridwar, with both its winning candidates being Muslim. In the 2022 Uttar Pradesh elections, the BJP returned to power by winning 255 of the state’s 403 seats as against Samajwadi Party’s 111. In western Uttar Pradesh, which accounts for 74 seats, Samajwadi Party got 23 and its then ally Rashtiya Lok Dal eight, with the BJP bagging 43 seats.
source: http://www.indiatomorrow.net / India Tomorrow / Home> Politics / by India Tomorrow, Correspondent / October 14th, 2026
In a workspace near the Budhi Jagulai temple in Odisha’s Kendrapara district, 26 women divide tasks with quiet efficiency. One stitches the body of a shopping bag, another attaches the handles and a third applies the finishing touches. Bringing them all together is Israt Jahan, a 50-year-old woman whose path into earning a livelihood began with loss.
After the death of her husband Zakir Hussain Khan, a well-known local sportsman and journalist, Israt stepped outside her home to support her family. She drew on sewing skills that dated back to 1985, took up wool craft, embroidery and stitching, and eventually built something larger than she had imagined.
In 2019, she formed the Swadhin Producer Group. The COVID-19 pandemic halted work for two years, but when the women decided to resume, they pooled their personal savings and collected Rs 18,000 to restart without any initial government assistance. They shifted to jute work in 2022, drawn to the material’s biodegradable nature and the growing demand for plastic-free alternatives in a district already known for jute cultivation.
“We chose jute because it is environment-friendly,” said group secretary Rajida Khanam.
The group’s product range now includes handbags, shopping bags, bottle carriers, office and laptop bags, lunch bags, files, folders, sitting mats and letter holders. Fabric is sourced from Cuttack and, when demand rises, from Kolkata. Priced from Rs 150 per bag, each piece takes a skilled member around 10 to 15 minutes to complete.
Members earn between Rs 3,000 and Rs 5,000 a month. The group’s annual income stands at Rs 5 lakh to Rs 7 lakh. A one-time government startup grant of Rs 2.04 lakh helped them purchase eight machines, including an embroidery machine and electronic sewing units. No further financial grant has followed.
The group also receives bulk orders for files and folders used in agriculture, horticulture and block-level training programmes, sometimes running into thousands of pieces. Most retail sales take place at fairs.
For member Subhasini Swain, the venture offers something beyond income. “Besides learning and earning happening together, the Hindu-Muslim companionship here is the best part,” she said.
Kendrapara Collector Raghuram R. Iyer said the administration would ask Mission Shakti’s district programme manager to examine the group’s marketing needs and arrange additional credit support if required.
Israt’s own hope is straightforward. “The women want to contribute to their children’s education and support their families. If our message reaches the government, we would like some additional help,” she said.
source: http://www.radiancenews.com / Radiance News / Home> Latest News> Markers of Excellence> Social Service> Personality / by Radiance News Bureau / October 06th, 2026
Hyderabad, TELANGANA / Birmingham, UNITED KINGDOM :
The Hyderabad-origin doctor’s three-decade pursuit of better diabetes care and fairer health outcomes earns him an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE)
Hyderabad :
The news arrived with all the ceremony one would expect of a royal honour. For Prof Wasim Hanif, however, it also prompted a journey in the opposite direction — back to Hyderabad.
Back to St. George’s Grammar School. Back to Gandhi Medical College. Back to the city where medicine first became more than a profession and where a young student began imagining a life in healthcare.
This month, Prof Hanif was named an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the King’s Birthday Honours List 2026 for services to diabetes care and tackling health inequalities. In Britain, the award recognises a career spent shaping policy, advancing research and advocating for patients often overlooked by healthcare systems.
In Hyderabad, the news was received somewhat differently. Here, the honour belongs as much to memory as achievement.
Hanif grew up in a Hyderabad that was very different from the technology hub it would later become. His father served as General Manager of the Azam Jahi Mills at Gunfoundry, one of the institutions that formed part of the city’s industrial landscape. Education was valued, ambition was encouraged and, like many Hyderabadi families of the period, the expectation was simple: work hard, study harder.
Medicine became his path, first in Hyderabad’s classrooms and later in hospitals thousands of miles away. At Gandhi Medical College, Hanif belonged to a generation of students who viewed medicine not merely as a profession but as a public service. The crowded wards, demanding schedules, and constant interaction with patients offered lessons that would remain with him long after he left the city.
When he moved to the United Kingdom in 1995, he joined a long line of Indian doctors seeking advanced training and professional opportunities abroad. Over time, one question increasingly shaped his career: why do some communities experience significantly poorer health outcomes than others?
For Prof Hanif, diabetes was never simply a disease measured through blood sugar levels or laboratory reports. It was also a lens through which broader questions about society could be examined. Why were certain ethnic groups more vulnerable? Why did some communities have less access to healthcare? Why did outcomes differ so sharply between populations living in the same country?
These questions would come to define much of his professional life.
Today, he serves as a professor of diabetes and endocrinology at University Hospitals Birmingham and Clinical Advisor to Diabetes UK. His expertise has taken him far beyond hospital clinics and lecture halls. He has advised the World Health Organisation (WHO), the European Union and the UK Parliament on issues relating to diabetes, obesity, ethnicity and public health.
Yet colleagues often describe him as someone who has remained grounded in the realities of patient care. Behind the research papers, policy recommendations and leadership positions lies the daily work of listening to patients and understanding the circumstances that shape their health.
His work has been particularly influential in drawing attention to the disproportionate burden of diabetes among South Asian and minority ethnic communities. Long before health inequality became a widely discussed public issue, Hanif was highlighting the social, cultural and economic factors that influence health outcomes.
Reflecting on the honour, Prof Hanif responded with characteristic humility.
“I am deeply honoured to receive this award. Throughout my career, I have been driven by a desire to improve the lives of people living with diabetes and to address the inequalities that continue to affect health outcomes across our society.”
The award, he emphasised, belongs to many others as well.
“This recognition reflects the dedication and support of the many colleagues, students, researchers and healthcare professionals I have had the privilege to work with. While this is a tremendous personal honour to my family and me, it is also recognition of the importance of continuing our efforts to deliver fairer, more inclusive healthcare.”
Today, Prof Hanif’s influence extends across some of Britain’s most respected medical institutions. He is President-elect of the British Medical Association, Trustee of Diabetes UK, Non-Executive Director of the BMJ, Chair of the Association for the Study of Obesity UK and Trustee of the South Asian Health Foundation.
Taken together, the appointments speak to the esteem in which he is held within British medicine. Yet honours and titles tell only part of the story. The larger story is about persistence — about a doctor who spent three decades asking difficult questions about fairness in healthcare and working to find practical answers.
For Hyderabad, the recognition carries a special resonance. The city has produced generations of doctors who have built distinguished careers across the world. Prof Wasim Hanif now joins a long list of Hyderabadis whose contributions have transcended national boundaries while remaining rooted in the values and education that shaped their early lives.
The OBE marks a significant milestone. But perhaps its deeper significance lies elsewhere.
It recognises the idea that medicine is not only about treating disease. At its best, it is also about reducing barriers, widening access and ensuring that those most vulnerable are not left behind.
That conviction has guided Wasim Hanif from the classrooms of Hyderabad to the highest levels of British healthcare. The honour may have been announced in London, but its roots lie elsewhere – in the classrooms of St George’s Grammar School, the wards of Gandhi Medical College and a Hyderabad upbringing that first shaped a young doctor’s understanding of service.
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Syed Khaled Shahbaaz is a Hyderabad-based journalist and author of the best-selling coffee-table book ‘The Kohinoors: Distinguished Personalities of Hyderabad.’ He may be reached at syedkhaledshahbaaz@gmail.com.
source: http://www.clarionindia.net / Clarion India / Home> Editor’s Pick>India> Indian Muslim / by Syed Khalid Shahbaaz / June 18th, 2026
There is something special about success stories emerging from small towns of India. The achievement of one person can give many others the courage to dream.
The story of Mohammad Mamatazul Hasan of Salar, Murshidabad, is one such story. His story of being selected as a space engineer in the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is the story of an ordinary family aspiring to see the next generation achieve something extraordinary.
It is a story of his parents’ quiet sacrifices, Mamatazul Hasan’s determination and, above all, the courage to dream big while growing up in a small town.
Mohammad Mamatazul Hasan with his father speaking to the media
According to a report published by The Indian Express on May 27, 2025, Mamatazul Hasan secured a job as a space engineer at ISRO. The report stated that he received his appointment letter on May 5. As the news spread, his family and the people of Salar celebrated his achievement.
An appointment letter may be just a few sheets of paper. But within those pages lay years of hard work, waiting and dreams.
Mamatazul’s father, Mohammad Azgar Ali, works as a copyist at the registry office in Salar. His mother is a para-teacher at a school. They do not come from a family of industrialists or senior government officials. It is a household with an ordinary income. Yet, parents always encouraged their son to dream big.
When Mamatazul’s family learned about his success, his father could not hold back his tears. He said that he became emotional after hearing the news. The family had done whatever it could within its means to support their son.
Mohammad Mamatazul Hasan
Those tears may also have carried memories of his son’s childhood, the hours spent at the study table, anxiety before examinations, worries about the future and, finally, the moment when the long-awaited success arrived.
For a father, what could be a greater reward than seeing his son hold an appointment letter from ISRO?
Mamatazul’s success did not come overnight. He initially worked for a private company while continuing to prepare for government recruitment examinations. He wrote several examinations, made repeated attempts and waited for opportunities. Eventually, the opportunity at ISRO arrived.
Mamatazul’s journey, too, had its share of this unseen struggle.
Speaking about his achievement, Mamatazul has said he had never imagined that he would reach this point. He found it difficult to put into words what he felt after receiving the appointment letter.
But he firmly believes in one thing: there is no substitute for hard work. If one remains focused on a goal and works consistently, success will eventually follow.
Matatazual knows that dreaming alone is not enough. A dream must be transformed into daily effort. And when that effort finally produces the desired result, tears of emotion are only natural. Mamatazul, too, has said that he could not hold back his tears at that moment.
The people of Salar now see Mamatazul as one of their own.
Mohammad Mamatazul Hasan receiving an honour
This story has the potential to change many lives. A school student may now study science with greater interest. A father may decide to continue his child’s education despite financial limitations. A mother may tell her daughter, “You can do it too.” And a young person may quietly think, If Mamatazul can reach ISRO from Salar, I can try too.
Mamatazul showed that if someone from Salar in Murshidabad can dream about space, compete in difficult examinations, try again after setbacks and eventually hold an ISRO appointment letter.
Of course, the journey is not easy. Students from remote areas can face limitations in access to opportunities and infrastructure. Therefore, Mamatazul’s achievement cannot be viewed only as a story of individual merit. It is also a story of family support, education, perseverance and the ability to make the most of an opportunity.
As India’s space programme continues to expand, the country needs a new generation of scientists and engineers. Scientists and engineers working together across ISRO’s missions have helped India advance its capabilities in space technology.
Mamatazul Hasan from Salar in Murshidabad now has the opportunity to become part of that vast endeavour.
Mamatazul Hasan’s story is therefore more than the story of a young man’s professional success. It represents the dreams of countless young people from the remote corners of Bengal who continue to believe that the sky may be far away, but the journey towards it begins on the ground.
source: http://www.awazthevoice.in / Awaz, The Voice / Home> Mizaz / by Debkishore Chakraborty / October 12th, 2026
Islamic scholar, renowned social worker and senior leader of Jamaat-e-Islami Hind, K.K. Mammunni Maulavi Sahab (may Allah have mercy on him), passed away at his residence in Shantapuram at the age of 82. His death marks the passing of a multifaceted personality who devoted his entire life to the service of knowledge and faith, the promotion of education, social welfare, and support for the deprived and vulnerable sections of society. His life was a journey of knowledge, action, service and selflessness, whose imprint will long be felt across various religious, educational and charitable fields.
In his practical life, he discharged a range of religious and educational responsibilities with great sincerity and dedication. He taught at Kariyad Madrasa, served as Imam of Chavakkad Muthuvattur Mahall, and also served as Principal of Muvattupuzha Madrasatul Banat. However, the scope of his activities was not confined merely to teaching and institutional duties – a large part of his life was spent in building, nurturing and developing educational, religious and charitable institutions that became a source of support for the needy members of society. He had a deep and long-standing association with numerous orphanages and welfare institutions established in Kerala and elsewhere, playing a prominent role in their patronage and development, and helping strengthen them into centres that continue, even today, to serve the weak, the destitute and the deprived. His contributions were also notable in mosque construction, the development of educational institutions, the provision of basic amenities, and various social welfare projects. Thus, his personality was not merely that of a religious scholar or teacher, but that of a quiet servant who devoted his energies to the building and welfare of society.
K.K. Mammunni Maulavi was born in 1944 in Mulliyakkurishi, Malappuram district. His father was Kalakkanthal Mohammed and his mother Kadan Thodi Mariyakutty. He studied at Shantapuram Islamia College from 1955 to 1965, obtaining his FD and B.Sc. degrees. He later channelled the training gained from this education into a practical life devoted to the service of religion and humanity. He is survived by his wife, Khadija, and his children namely Hafsa, Naseema, Sajida, Najmunnisa, Nazira, Mubaraka, Yasir, Abdur Rab and Bilal.
The legacy of his life lies in the prayers of countless people and in the institutions whose construction and development benefited from his labour, sincerity and time. His departure is undoubtedly a void, but his scholarly, religious, educational and charitable services will keep his memory alive in the days to come.
Tahreek-Related Services
Mammunni Maulavi Sahab served for a long period as a member of the Kerala Shura and the All India Representative Council of Jamaat-e-Islami Hind. He was Secretary of the Perinthalmanna Islamic Mission Trust, Assistant Qazi of Shantapuram Mahal, and also served as Principal of the Islamia College at Vadanapally Orphanage.
He played an important role in launching and publishing the children’s magazine Malar Vadi and served as its publisher for a long time.
He also held administrative responsibilities on the committees of numerous institutions, including Shantapuram Islamia College, Vadanapally Orphanage, Pathiripala Mount Sinai, Perumpalav Ansar institutions, and the Azhikode Islamic Educational Complex.
He served as chairman of several institutions, including the Pathiripala Bait-ush-Shariqa al-Khairi Trust, the Perumpalav Ansari Charitable Trust, the Vadanapally Orphanage Committee, Kechery Al-Islah, the Azhikode Islamic Educational Complex, Peringadi Al-Falah, and Thavoor Hira English School.
He also played a significant role in extending the welfare activities of Jamaat-e-Islami Hind beyond Kerala. As Vice-Chairman of the Vision 2026 project, he toured underdeveloped regions of India and played a key role in launching educational and welfare initiatives there.
From 1977, he served for ten years as Zonal Nazim (organiser) of Jamaat-e-Islami Hind, during which time the districts of Ernakulam, Alappuzha, Kollam, Thiruvananthapuram, Kottayam, Idukki, Pathanamthitta, Thrissur and Palakkad fell under his charge. This long list is not merely a record of positions and responsibilities, but reflects that a large part of his life was spent in collective and constructive work.
An Active Life
Mammunni Maulavi Sahab is no longer in this world, but the memories of his simple life, tranquil personality and selfless service will remain forever in the hearts of those whose lives he helped, in one way or another, to succeed. The most prominent aspect of his personality was his calm temperament. A faint smile on his face, gentleness in conversation, and simplicity in manner were part of his identity. There was a quiet energy within him that never sought to draw attention to itself, yet it never failed to impress those around him. He was among those whose lives are recognised more by action than by claims.
Mammunni Maulavi Sahab had devoted his life to a greater purpose rather than to personal comfort and ease. After 1965, his working life remained continuously tied to religious, educational and social activities. Alongside his participation in the various works of the Islamic movement, he also played a major role in advancing its educational activities. His association with institutions working for orphans, the needy and the destitute remained strong throughout. His services were also notable in the construction and expansion of mosques and in shaping religious and social life. For him, service was not merely an activity but a way of life. As such, there was no place in his life for self-promotion or display. He did not merely speak of simplicity as a virtue, simplicity was an essential part of his life. Travelling by train and bus, riding a motorcycle from place to place when necessary, and constantly travelling to reach people, were part of his routine, for his priority was never comfort, but the achievement of his purpose.
Mammunni Maulavi Sahab was among those who valued purpose over publicity. He never sought crowds or praise, yet the large number of people who gathered on the final journey of his life reflects how service rendered quietly can still leave a deep impression on people’s hearts. People arrived from different parts of the country for his funeral prayer in Shantapuram. Young children and teachers attended; elderly men and women arrived; and even the sick, despite their frailty, participated in the funeral. Ordinary people from various parts of northern and southern Kerala travelled long distances to reach Shantapuram for one last glimpse of their beloved.
The funeral prayers began around 1:30 in the afternoon and continued without a break until 9:30 at night. T. Arifali, Secretary General of Jamaat-e-Islami Hind, led the final funeral prayer.
Even then, the mosque remained full of people. Large numbers remained near the grave after the prayer as well, reciting tasbeeh, praying, and staying on for a long while, as though everyone wanted a little more time to bid farewell to a life that had touched them at some point.
A significant feature of Mammunni Maulavi Sahab’s life was his connection across generations and social groups. From children to the elderly, from teachers to ordinary workers, and from religious to social circles, many found in him an elder and compassionate guide from whom they sought advice, encouragement and direction. To some he was a teacher, to others a leader, to others a counsellor, and to others simply an elder whose very presence brought comfort. Perhaps this is why the impact of his passing was not confined to his immediate family or associates, but was felt by a much wider circle.
Family’s Sacrifices
Behind every great collective service lie sacrifices that never come to public attention. Mammunni Maulavi Sahab’s life was no exception. His wife spent years enduring his busy life, constant travel, and social and religious responsibilities with patience and fortitude. His children, too, came to see their father not merely as a family member, but as someone fulfilling a broader social responsibility. Those who devote a large part of their lives to collective service are accompanied, in that journey, by the quiet sacrifices of their families. In this sense, a significant part of Mammunni Maulavi Sahab’s legacy also belongs to the sacrifices of his wife, children and family.
The earth has now taken Mammunni Maulavi Sahab into itself, but his simple way of life, constant travel, selfless service, and his manner of instilling hope amid difficult circumstances will remain in the hearts of those who knew him. His life stood as an example that the building of society is not always achieved through grand slogans or prominent positions; sometimes, a quiet, simple and steadfast person can leave an impact across generations. Perhaps the truest description of Mammunni Maulavi Sahab’s life is that he lived less for himself and more for others. Such a life comes to an end physically, but its effects remain among those who found light, encouragement or support in it. May Allah Almighty forgive Mammunni Maulavi Sahab, grant him a place in His mercy, accept his religious, educational and social services, and make the sacrifices offered by his family throughout this long journey a source of reward for them as well.
[The writer is Secretary Jamaat-e-Islami Hind, Kerala]
source: http://www.radiancenews.com / Radiance News / Home> Focus> Markers of Excellence> Personality> Obituary / by Shihab Pookkottur / October 05th, 2026
A special ceremony was held at the Trinity College in Dublin, to honour all the recipients. Khalid was represented by his father, Syed Qasim Rasool Ilyas.
Umar Khalid is seen speaking at a demonstration at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi, in this file image dated March 3, 2020. Photo: PTI/File.
New Delhi:
Activist Umar Khalid who has been jailed since the last six years has won the 2026 Front Line Defenders Award for Human Rights Defenders at Risk.
“Umar Khalid is the 2026 Asia winner of the Front Line Defenders Award. To those who try to silence his work, he is seen as an “enemy of the state’’ and an “anti-national”, but to others, he is a national hero, a voice of the people, and a human rights defender. For the last six years, Umar Khalid has been shackled behind bars for his leadership in the peaceful and democratic civil movement against the unconstitutional and anti-Muslim amendments to India’s citizenship laws,” Front Line Defenders said in a statement on Thursday (October 8).
Khalid has continued to be lodged in jail ever since Delhi Police Special Cell arrested him as a ‘key conspirator’ in the 2020 Delhi riots case on September 14, 2020. He is charged with Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), sedition and 18 other sections of the Indian Penal Code, including murder and attempt to murder. A student activist at the time of his arrest, Khalid had played a key role in organising anti-Citizenship (Amendment) Act protests in 2019-2020.
The Front Line Defenders statement noted how the CAA impacts India’s Muslim population and how Khalid spoke against this grave injustice.
“The law, which accompanied an increasingly hostile climate of growing Hindu nationalism, threatens to disproportionately strip Muslims of documentation and legal status. Umar Khalid, with a steady trajectory defending students’, minorities’ and citizens’ rights, is seen as one of the key voices speaking out against this injustice. Several major international human rights organisations, as well as the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, have highlighted the illegality of his arrest and detention,” said the statement.
The five winners of the 2026 Front Line Defenders Award for Human Rights Defenders at Risk pictured at Trinity College in Dublin, where a special ceremony was held in to honor them.
A recently freed anti-death penalty campaigner from Iran, a feminist pro-participatory democracy… pic.twitter.com/2D9BjFg2bs
Apart from Khalid, the other winners are: Laurinda Manuel Gouveia (Angola) for Africa, Adda Vyctoria Caetano (Brazil) for the Americas, Ljiljana Nešić (Serbia) for Europe and Central Asia and Ahmadreza Haeri (Iran) for Middle East and North Africa.
A special ceremony was held at the Trinity College in Dublin, to honour all the recipients. Khalid was represented by his father, Syed Qasim Rasool Ilyas.
On September 20, the Delhi high court had denied bail to Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam – also jailed for more than six years – in the 2020 Northeast Delhi riots larger conspiracy case.
Khalid was lasted granted a three-day interim bail by the Delhi high court on May 22 for meeting his mother who underwent a surgery after a trial court had on May 19 denied him relief that he had sought to attend rituals after the death of his uncle and to attend to his mother before and after a surgery on June 2.
source: http://www.thewire.in / The Wire / Home> Rights / by The Wire Staff / October 09th, 2026
