Monthly Archives: May 2023

Saadat Bano was more than the wife of Saifuddin Kitchlew

Amritsar, PUNJAB:

Sadaat Bano Kitchlew with a foreigner (Courtesy Heritage Times)
Sadaat Bano Kitchlew with a foreigner (Courtesy Heritage Times)

Qudsia Bano once remarked that in a family led by a towering personality, the other members will always remain dwarfs. She failed to add that if the other family member is a woman, her stature will diminish further.

This is so true about many women including Saadat Bano, who was the wife of the well-known freedom fighter Saifuddin Kitchlew. It was against his arrest that the people were protesting at Jallianwala Bagh in Amritsar when Dyer fired upon them, killing 379 and injuring more than 1200 people. Not many would remember Saddat Bano since our patriarchal society teaches us “Saadat was married to Saifuddin” and not that “Saifuddin was the husband of Saadat”.

Seldom do we find any mention of Saadat Bano in our history textbooks as an independent woman or for her work.

Should Saadat be only remembered as the wife of a great man? Especially when she was a published writer and women’s rights activist even before she married Kitchlew. She was an excellent orator on social and political issues.

Born in 1893 in Amritsar, Saadat was home-tutored in Urdu, Persian, and English. At a very young age, she started writing in leading magazines of the early 20th century like Deccan Review, Tehzeeb e Niswaan, and Khatoon. With a series of articles by the title of Hurriyat e Niswaan (Freedom of Women) published in Tehzeeb e Niswaan at 16, she became one of the leading women thinkers in India. Her writings were not limited to women’s issues; she wrote about the educational reforms of Sir Syed Ahmad Khan, the politics of Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, fashion, etc.

Years before marrying the Cambridge-educated  Saifuddin Kitchlew in 1915, she also had a name as a poet. She composed poems on nationalism and humanism. One of the couplets from a poem, “Pyare watan ke naam pe jaaun nisaar main, Ujde chaman mai dekhun Ilahi bahaar main” (I wish to sacrifice my life for my country and bring back its lost glory), bears testimony to her emotions.

After her marriage at the age of 22, she became more active in public life. Saifuddin was a prominent leader. After her marriage to a leading nationalist leader, Sadaar could write without fear. When Lala Lajpat Rai returned to Punjab after a long exile, Saadat welcomed him with an emotional poem. She wrote, “even when thousands are oblivious of the national duty, Lajpat has kept the honour of the nation”.

In 1919, Saifuddin was jailed for agitating against the Rowlatt Act. People organised a public meeting at Jallianwala Bagh to register a protest against it. What happened at Jalianwalla Bagh is history, but not many know that Saadat was supposed to be there addressing the protesters. People had gathered to listen to Saadar but she could not reach the venue in time.When Saifuddin was in jail, Saadat addressed meetings, met political leaders, attended Congress sessions, wrote in newspapers, and participated in All India Women Conference activities. She was a good orator. 

Saadat along with Saifuddin was one of the most severe critics of Jinnah’s demand for Pakistan. When most of the Muslims from Amritsar fled to Pakistan the couple left Delhi. After India gained freedom, Sadaat remained active with Women’s organisations and Peace Conference till her last day – 18 August 1970.     

source: http://www.awazthevoice.in / Awaz, The Voice / Home> Stories / by Saquib Salim / May 21st, 2023    

An endearing story from the pages of history; Rumer writes about trials and triumphs of Gulbadan

INDIA:

Princess Gulbadan was born in 1523, exactly 500 years ago. From a young age, she was a precocious child – very intelligent and curious about the incidents that were happening around her. The book narrates her life within the zenana.

The lifestyle of people who lived 500 years ago, especially those belonging to the Mughal dynasty, has been vividly brought to life in the pages of a book written by British author Rumer Godden. The title of the book is Gulbadan, Portrait of a Princess at the Mughal Court. The story is essentially a biography of Princess Gulbadan, youngest daughter of Babur, founder of the Mughal Empire in India.

The author consulted a variety of sources to gain information to write this fascinating book. Among her sources was a translation of the Humayunnama into English by Annette Beveridge, a well known Oriental scholar who also translated the Baburnama.

Rumer Godden, who authored the biography of Gulbadan lived in India and grew up with her sisters in Narayanganj (now in Bangladesh) where her father, a shipping company executive, was posted. Later Godden lived in Calcutta (now Kolkata) and in Kashmir for several years.

According to the biography, Princess Gulbadan was born in 1523, exactly 500 years ago. From a young age, she was a precocious child – very intelligent and curious about the incidents that were happening around her. The book narrates her life within the zenana.

When she was a small girl, her father Zahiruddin Mohammad Babur was ruling in Kabul. The Mughal dynasty had not been established in India. As a child she used to play with her brothers and sisters. Her brothers included Humayun, Kamran, Askari and Hindal, and she had three sisters.

The toys that the children possessed included small statues of horsemen, archers, farmers and others made of wood, painted in gay colours. With these they conducted imaginary battles. Another popular activity was to fly kites. From the highest ramparts of her father’s fort, it was a great pleasure to fly kites. Buffeted by strong winds, the kites would soar high in the sky and be made to dance under the skillful control of the children.

Babur was a very active ruler and would often be away from his fort for days and months. If he was not fighting battles, he would go on hunting trips. Little Gulbadan would miss her Baba very much. She was proud that her father was an important man and respected by everyone. From the topmost ramparts she would sometimes see rising clouds of dust far away in the fields. This sight would excite her. For it meant that horsemen were approaching. Perhaps her father was returning. Or at least a messenger from her father was coming bearing a letter.

This peaceful and happy life of childhood ended when Babur passed away. By then the family base was in India. There followed a period of hardship for the family because Humayun was not the strong and decisive leader that Babur had been.

The worst happened when Sher Shah overthrew Humayun. In one of the battles between Sher Shah’s troops and the Mughal contingent (which also included women and children of the royal family), the latter were forced back to a river from where they could not retreat any further. In a wild battle many innocent lives were lost including that of six year old Princess Aquiqa, the only daughter of Humayun.

She fell into the river and her body was never found. It was a sad day for the entire family and they were all grief stricken.

Many years later when Gulbadan was an adult, her nephew Emperor Akbar instructed her to write a biography of her father Babur and brother Humayun. By this time she wielded great influence in the imperial household and was much loved both by Akbar and his mother. Her biography of Humayun later became a famous work of literature.

She was an educated, pious, and cultured woman. She was fond of reading and she enjoyed the confidences of her brother, Humayun, and nephew, Akbar. A copy of the manuscript of her handwritten biography is kept at the British Library in London. Rumer Godden has written about the life of the Princess in a simple style which is delightful and informative.

source: http://www.siasat.com / The Siasat Daily / Home> Featured News / by Abhijit Sen Gupta / May 29th, 2023

We are paying the price for forgetting our history: Historian, writer Syed Ubaidur Rahman

NEW DELHI :

Historian writer Syed Ubaidur Rahman

Syed Ubaidur Rahman is an author  based in New Delhi who seems to have completely dedicated his life for preserving Indian Muslim history. In the last five years he has authored at least five books, three of which have been highly acclaimed. Among these are ‘Forgotten Muslim Empires of South India: Bahmani Empire, Madurai, Bijapur, Ahmadnagar, Golconda and Mysore Sultanates’, ‘Ulema’s Role in India’s Freedom Movement’, and ‘Biographical Encyclopaedia of Indian Muslim Freedom Fighters’. His objective is to systematically preserve Indian Muslim history. In this interview, we discuss his work and the obstacles he has encountered. Following is an excerpt from his interview.

MM: Why you are trying to preserve Indian Muslim history?                   

SUR-This is a bitter truth that as a community Muslims are good in forgetting their heroes. If I ask you to name a couple of heroes here from south India, there may not be many people who would be able to name more than a couple of names. And certainly not about the Bahmanis or the Adil Shahis or Nizam Shahis. This is a tragedy of Himalayan proportions and we are paying the price for our ignorance when our own history is being threatened with completely being erased not by other people or other organizations or the government, but by ourselves.

Books on Indian Muslims history penned by Syed Ubaidur Rahman

MM: Muslim history was usually written in Urdu language. Why did you find the need to write in English   

SUR: That assumption might not be true. Books have been written on the history of South India, including Bahmani Empire, Adil Shahi, Nizam Shahi, Qutb Shahi and Mysore Sultanates, though in very small numbers. However, most of them are out of print. Haroon Khan Sherwani, a renowned historian from Hyderabad had written an excellent book on the history of Bahmani Empire, besides also writing in detail on the history of the Qutb Shahis of Golconda Sultanate, however, unfortunately these books are out of print and nowhere available. I don’t find any meaningful book written either on the Bahmani Empire or the subsequent Deccani sultanates in Urdu. There are many good books written on the Mysore Sultanate, especially on the life of Tipu Sultan and the best of them are in English. Muhibbul Hasan’s biography of Tipu Sultan is English and it is among the best.

MM: Why you wrote on the history of South Indian Muslims?                   

SUR: There is no denying the fact that there is a huge population of Muslims down south. However, unfortunately, unlike Muslims in North India, the history of South Indian Muslims, their ruling dynasties and the Muslim empires hasn’t been documented in as much detail as it was needed. Even in the case of north India, the focus has always remained on the history of Mughals who ruled the country for close to three hundred years. The history of the Delhi Sultanates and its different dynasties has been rather very well documented. But other than the Mughals and the Delhi sultanates, not much has been written on different dynasties that have ruled different regions in the North including the ruling dynasties of the Sharqi Sultanate that was based in Jaunpur or the Muslim sultanates of Bengal, that were very powerful and existed for centuries. Similarly the history of ruling Muslim dynasties of sultanates of Gujarat, Malwa and Khandesh hasn’t been given much attention.

I am trying to document the history of Muslims in medieval India and my book ‘Forgotten Muslim Empires of South India’ is the first volume of the series. This book documented Bahmani Empire, Adil Shahi Sultanate of Bijapur, Nizam Shahi Sultanate of Ahmadnagar, Qutb Shahi Sultanate of Golconda and Mysore Sultanate that was founded by Hyder Ali.

The next volume will cover the history of Sultanate of Gujarat, Sultanate of Malwa and also the sultanate of Khandesh, besides a detailed chapter on the Nizams of Hyderabad, inshaAllah.

I must add here that the history of the Muslims in South India is as dazzling as the Delhi Sultanate or the Mughal Sultanate. At one point in early fifteenth century, the Bidar based Bahmani Empire was the most powerful empire not just in South India but across the Indian Subcontinent.

MM: What do you feel about the rewriting of history project in India   

SUR: There is no denying that among the many serious challenges facing the Indian Muslim community at the moment, the foremost is preserving their history and heritage. Without any iota of doubt, this has become all the more important given the fact that there are efforts to rewrite Indian history now. And the most important period they intend to rewrite is the medieval period. This project, spearheaded by the Indian Council of Historical Research titled ‘Comprehensive History of India’, is expected to have at least twelve volumes. They have emphasized that while writing these volumes they will not be depending on ‘Euro-centric’ resources and would go by vernacular resources. However there isn’t much literature available on history in vernacular languages even regarding important political events of the medieval period. It may sound completely bewildering to many, but there is no reference at all in any medieval Indian texts regarding the numerous raids conducted by Mahmud of Ghazni deep inside India. Abraham Eraly believes the Indian chroniclers of the time didn’t consider those events worth recording as they were more interested in penning ‘inane romances’.

MM: What is the impact of your work till now?                                             

SUR: It is a rather very short period of time to make any impact felt. It will take time to reach a wider audience and create awareness about our own history and heritage. However, my books on the freedom movements including ‘Biographical Encyclopaedia of Indian Muslim Freedom Fighters’ and ‘Ulema’s Role in India’s Freedom Movements’ have helped create awareness about the Muslim community’s major contributions in India’s different phases of the freedom movement. Without the involvement of the Muslim community, especially the clergy or ulema, the dream for an independent India would have remained a mere pipedream.

Similarly, my latest book ‘Forgotten Muslim Empires of South India’ has brought the history of Muslim kingdoms, sultanates and empires in South India in focus. Many people, who call themselves well-read, have admitted to me personally that they never had any idea that there was a Muslim sultanate in Madurai. Not many thought that a powerful empire ruled a huge swath of land in South India, an empire that stretched from coast to coast. Bijapur’s Adil Shahi sultanates, in the 17th century had taken over the remnants of the Vijayanagar Empire and had become a huge empire in itself. Besides, the beauty and splendour of the Bahmani courts or the courts of the subsequent sultanates was dazzling. The rich history of the Muslims in south India is mesmerising and a revelation of sorts for not just people in the north, but in South India itself.

source: http://www.muslimmirror.com / Muslim Mirror / Home> Indian Muslim> Interview / by Syed Ubaidur Rahman / May 28th, 2023

Mumbai Dock worker’s son among 04 from HCoI Coaching cleared UPSC exams

Mumbai, MAHARASHTRA :

Syed Mohammed Husain lives at the Wadi Bunder slums in Mumbai with his extended family, which includes his maternal grandmother, parents, elder brothers, and their wives and children.

UPSC Civil Services 2022 Toppers: 

A total of 04 students of Haj Committee of India (HCoI) Coaching Centre, including Mumbai Dock worker’s son Sayed Mohammed Husain, have cleared the 2022 UPSC Civil Services Exams the result of which was declared Tuesday.

Syed Mohammed Husain lives at the Wadi Bunder slums in Mumbai with his extended family, which includes his maternal grandmother, parents, elder brothers, and their wives and children.

Hussain’s father started as a labourer loading and unloading goods from trucks at the dockyard and went on to become a supervisor. Tuesday however brought the family the moment they were waiting for since the last five years.

It was when Husain cleared the UPSC 2022 Civil Services exams in his 5th attempt and secured 570th rank.

“The last failure really broke me. I spent a lot of time in a mosque contemplating about my situation and came out resolved to give it another shot,” Hussain said while talking to reporters after his success in the coveted Civil Services exams.

Road to Civil Services

Syed Husain obtained school education till 7th at Khoja Isna Asheri Jamaat School in Dongri, and later took admission in St Joseph High School to clear SSC board exams. After completing graduation in Commerce from Mumbai’s Elphinstone College, he started preparing for the civil services exams.

Besides taking help from various coaching classes in Pune and Delhi, Husain is also a beneficiary of the Haj Committee of India Residential Coaching Centre.

Others from HCoI Civil Services Coaching Classes who cleared this year’s Civil Services exams are Qazi Ayesha Ibrahim (Rank 586), Taskeen Khan (Rank 736) and Md Burhan Zaman (Rank 768).

Ayesha Qazi

In total contrast to Husain, Ayesha Qazi is a daughter of a businessman, and belongs to a well to do family residing in Kalwa, Thane area of Mumbai Suburbs.

Ayesha completed her SSC from JVM New English School and later passed HSC exams from Abdullah Patel Junior College, Mumbra. She started preparing for the Civil Services Exams in 2019 after graduation in Arts from Joshi Bedekar College, Thane.

The UPSC announced the final result of Civil Services Exams Tuesday, and recommended a total of 933 candidates from different parts of India for IAS, IPS, IFS, IRS and other Civil Services Posts.

Among the 933 candidates who cleared this year’s CSE a total of 30 are Muslims.

source: http://www.ummid.com / Ummid.com / Home> India> Education & Career / Zohair M. Safwan, ummid.com / May 24th, 2023

Maiden sports tourney ‘Elite Cup – Saudi Arabia 2023’ in Al Jubail from May 10 to 12

Ganjimutt (Mangaluru), KARNATAKA / Jubail, SAUDI ARABIA:

Al Jubail : 

The Elite Cup –  Saudi Arabia 2023 sports tournament will be held on a grand scale in Saudi Arabia for the first time.

The tournament, which will be held at Expertise sports grounds, Al Jubail from May 10 to 12, is being organised by Elite Support Contracting Company CEO Ijaz Ganjimutt, a resident of Ganjimutt in Mangaluru, for the promotion of the company.  

The trophy, jersey and final draw of the tournament were unveiled at Al Jubail Cocoon restaurant on April 29. Company CEO Ijaz Ahmed Ganjimutt, company founder Ibrahim Al Rowaishid, Expertise Company’s Abdul Azeez, Excelsion Company’s Razin were present.

Company’s organising committee members, Elite Company employees and entire cricket tournament in charge, Zameer and Safwan were also present. The captains of 12 teams that will be participating in the tournament sported the new jerseys that were released.

Janab Sayyed Shekabba, Janab Mohammed Ashfak, Janab Mohammed Asif and Janab Mohammed Ijaz who gave the ground for the tournament were thanked by company CEO Mohammed Ijaz on the occasion.

The concluding programme of the tournament will be held on a grand scale at the grounds on May 13. Specially invited artists Tulunada Manikya, Arvind Bolar, Umesh Mijar, Mohammed Iqbal Katipalla and international host and dost Sahil Zaheer will participate in the programme.

The programme will not be restricted only for cricket but will also have food fest, kid games, music and  family events along with a lucky draw besides other spot games.

The first prize of the tournament will consist of Elite cup and cash prizes of more than Rs 7 lacs. The second prize will be worth more than Rs 4 lacs in cash.   

source: http://www.daijiworld.com / Daijiworld.com / Home> Top Stories / by Media Release – Daijiworld Media Network – Saudi Arabia / May 01st, 2023

Rezoana wins Asian under-18 400m in record time

WEST BENGAL:

Rezoana Mallick Heena broke the eight-year-old meet record of Bahrain’s former World champion Salwa Eid Nasser as she won the girls 400m gold at the fifth Asian under-18 athletics championships in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, on Friday.

The 16-year-old from Nadia in West Bengal, who is coached by Arjun Ajay in Bengaluru, clocked 52.98s (Salwa’s old meet record 53.02s) which made her the world’s fastest under-18 quartermiler this year and the fastest Indian woman this season. Rezoana’s sterling sprint also bettered former Asian silver medallist Jisna Mathew’s under-18 national record (53.14s, 2015).

Meanwhile, Tamil Nadu’s Abinaya Rajarajan clocked a personal best 11.82s while grabbing the girls 100m silver in 11.82s. Bahrain’s Lalya Kamal took the gold in 11.77s.

In the boys section, India won bronze medals through sprint hurdler Sandeep Vinodkumar Gond (13.80s) and Babendra Singh (10,000m race walk, 43.16.95s).

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Sports> Athletics / by The Hindu Sports Bureau / April 28th, 2023

UPSC CSE result 2022: Here’s list of Muslim candidates who cracked the exam

INDIA:

The list is topped by Waseem Ahmad Bhat who secured AIR 7.

UPSC IFS notification
 UPSC

The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) today declared the results of the Civil Services Examination (CSE) 2022. In the list of top 10 UPSC toppers, one Muslim candidate has secured a place.

Out of the total 933 candidates who have made it to the final list, a significant number of 29 candidates belong to the Muslim community.

The top three ranks in the UPSC CSE 2022 have been secured by talented women. Ishita Kishore has emerged as the topper, followed by Garima Lohia in the second position and Uma Harithi N in the third position.

Following is the list of UPSC CSE 2022 Muslim toppers:

  1. Waseem Ahmad Bhat (All India Rank-7)
  2. Naveed Ahsan Bhat (AIR-84)
  3. Asad Zuber (AIR-86)
  4. Aamir Khan (AIR-154)
  5. Ruhani (AIR-159)
  6. Ayasha Fatima (AIR-184)
  7. Shaik Habeebulla (AIR-189)
  8. Zufishan Haque (AIR-193)
  9. Manan Bhat (AIR-231)
  10. Aakip Khan (AIR-268)
  11. Moin Ahamd (AIR-296)
  12. Mohammad Idul Ahmed (AIR-298)
  13. Arshad Muhammed (AIR-350)
  14. Rashida Khatoon (AIR-354)
  15. Aiman Rizwan (AIR-398)
  16. Mohamed Riswin (AIR-441)
  17. Mohd Irfan (AIR-476)
  18. Sayed Mohammed Husain (AIR-570)
  19. Qazi Ayesha Ibrahim (AIR-586)
  20. Muhammed Afzel (AIR-599)
  21. S Mohammed Yakub (AIR-612)
  22. Mohd Shada (AIR-642)
  23. Taskeen Khan (AIR-736)
  24. Mohammed Siddiq Shariff (AIR-745)
  25. Akhila B S (AIR-760)
  26. Md Burhan Zaman (AIR-768)
  27. Fathima Haris (AIR-774)
  28. Iram Choudhary (AIR-852)
  29. Sherin Shahana T K (AIR-913)

The journey to becoming a successful UPSC CSE candidate begins with the preliminary examination. Held on June 5, 2022, the preliminary exam acts as a screening test, enabling candidates to proceed to the subsequent stages of the selection process. The results of the preliminary examination were announced on June 22, paving the way for qualified candidates to move forward.

The main examination, conducted from September 16 to 25, represents the second stage of the UPSC CSE. This stage comprises a comprehensive written examination that tests candidates’ knowledge and understanding of various subjects.

Following the evaluation of the main examination papers, the results were declared on December 6. Candidates who successfully cleared the main examination became eligible for the final stage – the interview round.

After the interview process, which concluded on May 18, the Union Public Service Commission has finally released the highly awaited final results of the Civil Services Examination 2022 today.

This year, a total of 933 candidates have made it to the final list. As usual, most of the UPSC toppers are likely to opt for IAS. The list can be viewed on the official website of UPSC (click here).

source: http://www.siasat.com / The Siasat Daily / Home> News> India / by News Desk / May 23rd, 2023

MS IAS Academy student Mohammed Burhan Zaman cracks UPSC CSE 2022

Kolkata, WEST BENGAL:

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

Muslim boy tops UP Sanskrit board, beats over 13000 students

Chandauli District, UTTAR PRADESH:

Irfan, who aspires to be a Sanskrit teacher, is the only Muslim among the top 20 scores in the classes 10 and 12.

Mohammed Irfan, the UP Sanskrit board exam topper.

Mohammad Irfan, the 17-year-old son of a farm daily wage labourer Salauddin in Uttar Pradesh’s Chandauli district, has scored 82.71% in the Uttar Pradesh Madhyamik Sanskrit Shiksha Parishad Board’s Uttar Madhyama-II (class 12) examinations.

The board requires Sanskrit language and literature as two compulsory subjects, along with other subjects.

Irfan, who aspires to be a Sanskrit teacher, is the only Muslim among the top 20 scores in classes 10 and 12.

The boy reportedly got admitted to the Sampurnanand Sanskrit Government School because that is the only school his father could afford to send him to. Salauddin earns a mere Rs 300 per day and the school charged Rs 400-500 as an annual fee.

Irfan comes from a devout Muslim family and his father said that they have never stopped the kid from achieving his dreams.

“In junior classes ‘Sanskrit’ was a compulsory subject and it was from there that he developed a liking for the language. He now plans to do Shastri (equivalent to BA) and Acharya (equivalent to MA) and will then look for a job as a Sanskrit teacher,” he said, speaking to The New Indian Express.

Irfan on language- religion connection

“I’m not sure why people associate a language with a religion. A Hindu can be extremely good at learning Urdu, while a Muslim can be very good at studying Sanskrit. I am a graduate who understands the value of education,” Irfan said, addressing media on the question of people connecting certain languages with some religions.

source: http://www.siasat.com / The Siasat Daily / Home> News> India / by News Desk / May 06th, 2023

21st National Federation Cup Jr U20 Athletics Championships: Bushra Khan breaks national meet record

Sehore, MADHYA PRADESH:

Competition concluded with two national meet records.

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Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): 

Bushra Khan of the Madhya Pradesh State Athletics Academy has created a national meet record in the 3000-metre run in the 21st National Federation Cup Jr. U20 Athletics Championships, which concluded on Sunday in Thiruvannamalai.

Khan created a national meet record with a timing of 9:35.21 seconds. She has qualified for the Junior Asian Championships for the second time in this tourney. With a meet record to her name, Bushra won the gold medal. This is her second medal for this feat.

In this tournament, Bushra finished second in the women’s 5000m race with a timing of 16.59.05. She is training under coach SK Prasad. In the youth games, she won the 3,000-metre gold at Tatya Tope Stadium.

In the men’s 3000m, Vikas Bind finished third in 8:29.32 to win the bronze medal, while Mo Nadeem won the silver medal in the hammer throw by finishing second in 61.56m.

In the men’s 800m, Shyam Bind finished second in 1:50.27, won the silver medal, and qualified for the Junior Asian Championships.

In men’s 3000m steeple chase, Gaurav Yadav finished second in 9:20.37, winning the silver medal.

source: http://www.freepressjournal.in / The Free Press Journal / Home> Bhopal / by Staff Reporter / May 01st, 2023