Category Archives: Books (incl.Biographies – w.e.f.01 jan 2018 )

I want to explore people through food: Sadaf Hussain

Amazing Feats, Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Books (incl.Biographies - w.e.f.01 jan 2018 ), ,

Ramgarh, JHARKHAND / NEW DELHI:

Sadaf Hussain savouring South Indian food (Courtesy: Instagram )

“Sadkon Par Sheharoan ki Rooh Basti hai” (it is on the streets where the essence of the city lies), says Sadaf Hussain, a chef and an author of the book Dastan-e-Dastarkhwan. On a given weekend, Sadaf can be found exploring the food joints in Delhi. Sidelining all the rumours of his roots to Rampur’s erstwhile Nawabs, Sadaf says, “As much as rumours are alway welcomed I am just a fan of Rampur foods, my paternal grandfather may have been something but otherwise we are mango people..(aam aadmi)..”

Sitting on his couch comfortably at his home in Noida, while sipping “adrak-elaichi chai” (ginger-cardamom tea) he spoke with Awaz-the Voice on his journey to fame. Sadaf’s Instagram handle says he is a “khansaman” and he explains this.

“Khansamans are considered gourmet chefs who are known for making very specific portions of food, Khansaman is basically someone who is not trained at a culinary school he learns from their family, parents and so on, it could be as simple as learning how to make kababs or something basic like chopping onions. Similarly I have never been to a culllinary school, I have learned it from my parents, from the golgappa (Crispy fried semolina-wheat balls filled with onion, chickpeas and spicy water) vendors of my street, that is what made me interested in food and that is why I call myself a Khansaman.“

The Sunday Longread

Reminiscing his childhood Sadaf says, “I wanted to be the fattest kid on earth”, this because he was and still is a foodie. Speaking about his childhood days, Sadaf told Awaz-the Voice since the school was just 10 minutes away from his home he was fed like a king daily, his motivation behind attending school was to get good food,“School wese bhi koi padhne ke liye nahin jata hai, na hi hum jaate the (I wonder whether anybody attends school to study, neither did I). I used to go to school to eat food, not midday meals. School used to get over by 10. Thus a normal weekday in my life included a breakfast at 7 then recess at 9 and after coming back home a good hearty lunch, thus in a span of 4-5 hours I ate 2-3 times…”, he laughs loud.

Why he has a name that is generally given to girls? “My mother wanted a girl child, and she did a lot of experiment on me. It is because of her that I am very much in touch with my feminity, in our home, we just had our mother as a female figure, I was 8-9 years old and my mother got paralysed; My parents always worked as a team, I have always been into food, cause I grew up with food makers…”. Sadaf proudly says,

“I am glad I broke the age-old custom of women cooking food, serving men and eating last, at my place I make food,serve all and eat last..”.

Sadaf has studied advertising from St.Xavier’s, Ranchi, Jharkhand. He worked in the media industry In 2015 he started the culture of pop-up cafés in Delhi, “We did it in home and invited friends over where they got to meet each other, every month we cooked European cuisine though I love eating Indian food. We made pasta, spaghetti and other stuff. I always loved cooking for people and of course needed validation..”

In 2016, Masterchef India happened to him and he ended reaching the final round. “I have a philosophy of life – try everything, for one has nothing to lose, try toh karo nahi mila toh koi na, pehle bhi kaun sa tha hi. With this in mind, I entered the Masterchief competition. Those were Ramzan days and i presented the food to the judges without tasting it. We were shooting in Udiapur, Rajasthan. I saw these stars (Top-Ranking Chefs) for the first time…”

Haling from a small town Ramgarh in Jharkhand, it was a dream come true moment for Sadaf, “When you come from a different class and a different area simple and small tasks look big, thus this platform altogether was surreal..after that the environment really pushed me to do bigger things…While I was there, I was thinking chalo office se ek hi din ki chutti hogi (it’ll be a day off from the office) but somehow it was more than that…”; he adds, “one day Chef Vikas (Khanna) called and asked me: Why are you here? I told him that I don’t know but yeah I do know that I am not there to become a celebrity but if I win, 10 log jaante the pehle ab shayad 50 log jaan jayenge, log jane mujhe, mere hunar ko jane bas yahi kafi hai (Earlier 10 people knew me now maybe 50 would, I just want people to know my skill)…

Hussain says after the Masterchef he didn’t want to carry his identity everywhere as he didn’t want just one thing to define him, “I wanted to ditch my identity from Masterchef as I wanted to be something more than that,Meri haisiyat and aukat yeh nahin hai ki mai khud ko Masterchef bolta, mai nahi hu Masterchef, mai chef hu, lekhak hu (I am not worthy enough to be labelled Masterchef).I am an author, I am a chef ..”

Talking about the democracy involved in food and the difference between Diwan-e-Aam (House of Commons) and Diwan-e-Khas (House of Royals), Sadaf believes that the rich will always have a bigger table and more food dishes, “Think about it this way, when we are in college we just avoid any kind of parties, when we start earning we start eating better and at times our platter increases from noodles to spagetting and then maybe we start exploring cuisine,  but for those born with a golden spoon they always have a spine…”.

“I believe taste evolves with time, earlier the Nawabs used to employ dieticians who supervised simple and non-simple foods, from Nahari to Murgh-Mussallam. Royals used to add dry fruits in every dish, today I think anything that one can afford is aam (commons) and rest everything is Khas (special)..”

He says that any food  becomes Shahi (royal) when served with dry fruits and saffron, even a simple milk tea would be termed royal if these ingredients are added. He says the manner in which the food is prepped is democratic, “a Hindu, Muslim and Dalit will make it differently, cause of their backgroud also the usage of Ghee…”

When asked about the disparity among the food he says, “There is disparity and there will be always be disparity, sablog ek level pe ni a skte (not everyone is at the same level), but democracy for me would be if everybody can cook basic food and of course dal-chawal, chicken, rice, curd, ghee, mustard oil and so on are a staple in any cuisine that is democracy…”

“…not everybody can use cheese in their cooking, I feel the rich create demand in the society and then people start using it…for example Blueberries, if the demand is more the supply would increase and prices would go down..but yes basic nutritious food is something that everybody should be able to afford

He told Awaz-the Voice that every century the ruler has tried to maintain a food democracy…food eating habits are the easiest way to make people surrender to food as it is something everybody should be able to afford, “organizations like the UN are trying to make food affordable but then it is a policy-level discussion, the ration system is one way to democratize food but I believe food shouldn’t be available for free, it should be worth something cause then the wrong message sets deep in the psyche..”

Sadaf has recently worked upon a project called The forgotten foods of Rampur, “Dr Tarana Hussain, (author) is responsible for this project, along with Siobhan YH (historian). It was her professor at the University Prof Dunc Cameron who asked her to pursue this project..I was hosting a pop-up cafe one day and that is how I stumbled into Tarana, she was looking for people who were practioners and wanted to document food..thus I became a part of the project…”

Mentioning Rampur’s cuisine Sadaf says, “Urad dal ki khichadi served with Gobhi gosht or Saag ghost and of course mooli Ka achar..then there are kababs, ghalawati kababs, qorma and much more.

On the history of food documentation, Sadaf says, “documentation of food started really late..I think it was Ibn-e-Batuta, Marco Polo who started documenting food”.

He says Qorma is different in every state, from Rampur to Lucknow, Hyderabad gravy or Salan as we call it will be prepped in a different manner. On the history of food, Sadaf says that when potato was discovered, it was ridiculed and even considered bad for health but then there were so many wars happening and though it is not Indian, it is cheap and a like chameleon, Potato can take the flavours of every curry, “from sweets, to Vodka to Biryani, it is multifaceted..”

Talking about similarities in cuisines of the world, Sadaf says, “Every country has Dumplings and Cheese..”

On asked to explain he says, “Everybody used to have veggies, milk and meat and off course people started inventing different ways to utilize and preserve it. Thus different ways of cheese were made, “Kalari cheese is prepped in the mountains while Bandel cheese in Calcutta, Cheese of Bombay is called tapela…”

Coming to dumplings and custard he say, “they are very easy to make and then they can be made in a different ways from Momos to Modak to Phare to Litthi..all are versions of stuffed dumplings while custards or kheers are another very basic version of milk puddings..”

Winding off Sadaf says, “Breads I believe are Panch Poorats, as they are made of five elements—fire, earth, air, water, space…”

source: http://www.awazthevoice.in / Awaz, The Voice / Home / by Shaista Fatima / January 24th, 2023

Okhla-based leading Arabic scholar, author and recently retired Jamia Prof no more

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Books (incl.Biographies - w.e.f.01 jan 2018 ), Community Involvement / Social Issues, Education, ,

Okhla Village (South Delhi District), DELHI:

Okhla-based leading Arabic scholar, author and recently retired Jamia Prof no more

A well-known Arabic scholar, author of several books and editor of Urdu monthly magazine Allah Ki Pukar, Professor Syed Khalid Ali Hamidi, passed away a few hours ago in a local hospital in Okhla, according to family and friend sources.

The reason behind his sudden death couldn’t be ascertained till the filing of this report as three days ago he was live on his YouTube channel: Tazkeer e Quran By Khalid Hamidi. After the third Covid wave hit India, including Delhi and curbs being imposed to control the spread, Professor Hamidi was holding his weekly Quran porgramme online, interacting with his fans in the virtual world.

UPDATE: It was today (Wednesday morning) when while going out for some work, he fell in his parking and died within hours in a local hospital where he was rushed, said a resident who knows the family, adding that he could not be resuscitated in the hospital.

Born in 1956 in Rampur to Syed Hamid Ali, a writer and Jamaat-e-Islamia (Hind) stalwart, and Aisha Bee, Professor Hamidi was a known face in Okhla and Jamia. He retired from the Arabic Department of Jamia just a few years ago where he was Head of the Department.

Professor Hamidi initially studied in madarsa and did Almiat and Fazilat from Jamiatul Falah in Azamgarh. After which he came to Jamia and did his BA in 1979 and MA in 1981 from the university. He was a gold medalist at Jamia. His PhD was on India’s contribution to Hadeeth literature in Arabic in six volumes.

He did a doctorate in Arabic in 1993 and then joined Jamia as a lecturer in 1981. Besides a prolific writer, Professor Hamidi was a good orator.

Professor Hamidi’s father Syed Hamid Ali disassociated himself from JIH in later life.

Prof Hamidi was also a critic of JIH policies. He was a well-known Islamic scholar and wrote 20 books and used to give dars-e-Quran at his Abul Fazal residence every Saturday and Sunday, said sources.

Till his last days he continued to publish his magazine Allah Ki Pukar where he penned hart-hitting opinion pieces.

Friendly with junior, he was known to shares his view openly.

source: http://www.theokhlatimes.com / The Okhla Times / Home> Local / by theokhlatimes / January 19th, 2022

A Story About Indian Muslims That Doesn’t Begin in Violence and End in Suffering

Books (incl.Biographies - w.e.f.01 jan 2018 )

INDIA:

Sanderien Verstappen’s ‘New Lives in Anand’ shows us how new lives and connections are made by communities who have deep ties to a region and a way of life that cannot be reduced to the word ‘Muslim.’

Photo: Superfast1111/CC BY-SA 3.0

In 2005, I was back in Ahmedabad collecting stories of Hindus, Muslims and Dalits living beside each other in the eastern part of the city in a neighbourhood called Vatva. I had worked as a volunteer in the Qutb-e-Alam dargah relief camp in Vatva in the aftermath of the 2002 pogrom. Vatva lacked basic infrastructure – the sewers were overflowing with garbage, the roads were broken, and the air was pungent with chemicals from local industries. The area had a sizeable population of Muslims who often lived beside Hindus and Dalits.

As part of my research, I met a lower-level bureaucrat at the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) to learn more about the history of the neighbourhood. Opening large survey maps of the area, he was puzzled by my interest in Vatva. “It was a bad area,” he said, an expression and attitude that accompanied discussions of Muslim-majority neighbourhoods in Ahmedabad far beyond the corporation offices.

Sandrien Verstappen’s wonderful new book New Lives in Anand tells us that the story of Gujarati Muslims does not end with violence and displacement. Verstappen focuses on the attempts of one Muslim community, the Charotar Sunni Vohras in Anand, to make a new life in the aftermath of state-sanctioned public violence in 2002. Violence that forced many Muslims to flee Hindu-majority villages and seek safety in Anand.

By focusing on the attempts of the Vohra community to make a meaningful life, secure marriages, do business, and “bring the community together,” we get a glimpse of a world where Muslims are not permanent outsiders in Gujarat but essential to the creation of a region through their embeddedness in Charotar’s fertile agricultural economy. By telling the story of Gujarati Muslims through the prism of a specific region, Verstappen can describe their similarity with local Hindus, like the Patidar community. The lens of region, not religion, allow us to see the flimsiness of the idea of a homogenous Muslim community that is being served all day in contemporary India.

A board member of the Charotar Sunni Vohra community jokingly refers to Anand as a “Mecca of Vohras” and yet the joke is serious because it is a reminder to readers that despite the best efforts of Hindu supremacists in India to portray Muslims as foreigners in Gujarat (and India), Indian Muslims are building spaces that are safe for them; spaces that cannot be reduced to suffering and marginalisation but open new opportunities for middle-class Muslims.

But why Anand? The book begins with the exodus of Muslims from Hindu-majority rural areas to urban centres like Anand after the 2002 pogrom. We learn that the pogrom has left no one untouched. It has instilled a fear even in places where there was no violence. Because, as Verstappen writes, “the fact that that there has not been any large-scale violence in Gujarat since 2002 is not considered an indication that peace has been restored and the violence is over.” However, the Vohra community’s successful attempt at building a hub in Anand through ‘regional belonging’ (the fact that they are from the Charotar region) must be seen in the light of the fact that they are a wealthy and powerful community amongst Muslims in Gujarat.

The book describes how, despite the setback of the Partition, the Vohra community organised itself through history writing, associations (such as Charotar Sunni Vahora Young Men’s Association in Bombay in 1936), and community halls and overseas organisations in the UK, US and Canada. Significantly, the Vohra community narrates it past as emerging from local Hindus who converted to Islam and therefore showing their links with local Hindu groups like the Patidar community in Gujarat.

Sandrien Verstappen.

Verstappen’s account of how the Vohras tell their history, manage their lives, and make claims of belonging in Gujarat is a powerful reminder of the importance of local ancestry, village-based marriage circles, and agricultural practices in the making of a community. What joins the Muslim Vohra community with their Hindu neighbours is as important as what separates them. And yet despite the valiant efforts of the Vohra community to build Anand as ‘hub’ for prosperity, the ongoing movement of Muslims from Hindu-majority villages and Hindus from Muslim-majority areas is a deeply troubling phenomenon that is not limited to Anand and should worry us all.

Anti-Muslim violence has created a vicious cycle which justifies segregation and the making of Hindu/Muslim majority neighbourhoods in the name of ‘peace.’ But this is not peace but apartheid. And it has significant effects on the well-being of those who live in Muslim-majority spaces. For instance, a resident of Gamdi in Anand says that “the municipality is only maintaining the roads in places where Hindus live.”

So regardless of communities perceive themselves, religiously segregated neighbourhoods can lead to the situation where certain areas are deliberately neglected by the government simply because they are inhabited by minorities. Segregated areas help politicians to clearly mark spaces that did not vote for them and then punish them. Even though Verstappen is keen to show that Vohras are part of a wider form of urbanisation in India and are not moving to Anand only because of safety but also to rise up the social ladder, I feel that state-sanctioned segregation cannot be understood through only a regional lens. Here the regional lens can be a limitation rather than an aid to understanding minoritisation.

The process of segregating and isolating Muslims in India within specific neighbourhoods is now a national issue and is connected to the second-class status accorded to Muslims beyond Gujarat. Having seen this process unfold in Gujarat over the last two decades, I cannot fail but notice that residential segregation is part of a larger fabric that creates the infrastructure for segregated laws, segregated schools, and segregated life. In some situations, like the current rise of Hindu supremacy in India, it is liable to become the bedrock for the unequal and unfair treatment of minorities.

Verstappen also tracks the transnational links of the Vohras, who like other Gujaratis overseas, send remittances home, invest in real estate, and support charitable organisations. In this way, the community uses the opportunities opened up by the overseas citizenship scheme and contributes to the development of Anand as a ‘hub’. Here, again, I am reminded of the recent violence in Leicester that shows that the domestic politics based on the false and pernicious idea that Hindus and Muslims belong to separate worlds and are forever at war may be spreading to the diaspora, which can have significant effects on the Vohra community in general.

In sum, Verstappen’s book is important because it tried to tell new stories about Indian Muslims, a story that does not begin with violence and end in suffering but shows us how a particular community, in a particular region is transforming displacement and segregation in the aftermath of anti-minority violence into the making of a ‘hub’ – a space for mobility, a space for aspirational middle-class Muslims to access Hindu spaces, a space to forge an identity that is not a prison. A story of the making of an aspirational Muslim middle-class that cannot be reduced to victimhood.  In other words, the book shows us how new lives and connections are made by communities who have deep ties to a region and a way of life that cannot be reduced to the word ‘Muslim.’

Moyukh Chatterjee is a Visiting Scholar at the University of Edinburgh and is the author of the forthcoming book, Composing Violence: The Limits of Exposure and the Making of Minorities, Duke University Press (2023).

source: http://www.thewire.in / The Wire / Home> Books / by Moyukh Chatterjee / January 27th, 2023

Renowned Litterateur Hussain Rabi Gandhi passes away at 75

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Books (incl.Biographies - w.e.f.01 jan 2018 )

Bhubaneswar, ODISHA:

Author of several Odia books, Hussain had also translated the Hindi novel ‘Rani Laxmi Bai’ into Odia which was later published by the National Book Trust in 2012. 

Hussain Rabi Gandhi
Litterateur Hussain Rabi Gandhi

Bhubaneswar :

Eminent Odia writer, former president of Odisha Sahitya Akademi and politician Hussain Rabi Gandhi passed away at Cuttack on Saturday. He was 75 and undergoing treatment for old age-related ailments at SCB Medical College and Hospital.

Author of several Odia books including ‘Mukta Purbasa’, ‘Hajijaithiba Manisa’ and ‘Punsacha Salabega’, Hussain had also translated the Hindi novel ‘Rani Laxmi Bai’ into Odia which was later published by the National Book Trust in 2012. His story ‘Galpa Samaraha’ was included in the Odia syllabus of Plus II.

At the Odisha Sahitya Akademi, he served as the vice-president from 2005 to 2008 and then as the president of Akademi from 2008 to 2010. Hussain was also the former editor of the state government’s ‘Utkal Prasanga’.

Inspired by the legendary Biju Patnaik, Hussain had joined the undivided Janata Dal in 1988 and was appointed its general secretary. He served as the general secretary of Biju Janata Dal from 1998 till 2005 and the ruling party’s observer for Deogarh and Sambalpur elections.

He was conferred the title of Biplabi Loka Kabi by the mayor of Cuttack in 1994. He was also awarded Utkala Jyoti and Gangadhar Meher Kabita awards for his notable contributions to the field of Odia poetry.
People from all walks of life condoled his death. Expressing grief at Husain’s demise, Governor of Odisha Prof Ganeshi Lal said Odia literature will forever be in debt for his contributions.

Mourning his death, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik said Gandhi had a long association with Biju Patnaik and later with BJD. “He has contributed immensely in strengthening the Biju Janata Dal and promoted the values of Biju Babu and BJD.” An established writer, who contributed immensely to Odia literature, his death is a great loss to the state, Naveen added.

“I am saddened to hear the news of the passing away of Hussain Ravi Gandhi, a prominent literary figure of Odisha and former president of the Odisha Sahitya Akademi. May the immortal soul rest in peace,” Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan tweeted.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Bhubaneswar / by Express News Service / January 28th, 2023

Celebrating Ajit’s birth centenary: Saara sheher mujhe lion ke naam se jaanta hai

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Books (incl.Biographies - w.e.f.01 jan 2018 )

Hyderabad, TELANGANA / Mumbai, MAHARASHTRA:

Hyderabad: 

Saara sheher mujhe loin ke naam se jaanta hai.

Does it ring a bell? Yes. Film buffs couldn’t forget this line from Kalicharan. Spoken in a cool and collected manner some four decades ago, it still has a chilling effect.

How about this one:
Kutta jab pagal ho jaata hai toh use goli mar dete hain.
Apni umar se badkhar baatein nahi karte.
Shakaal jab baazi khelta hai .. toh jitne patte uske haath mein hote hain utne hi uki aasteen mein.

The soft-spoken villain, Ajit Khan, who delivered these memorable lines, turns 101 today. To mark his birth centenary celebrations, his family is launching his biography in Urdu and Hindi languages on Friday evening. The book, authored by Iqbal Rizi, is appropriately titled – Ajit the lion.

Born Hamid Ali Khan, he took the screen name, Ajit Khan, when he ran away from his house in Hyderabad and landed in Mumbai. Though he acted in over 200 films, he came into the limelight when he turned a baddie. The polished suited booted look he sported coupled with his unique dialogue delivery, deadpan expression and mannerism made him a superstar in his own way.

Ajit did support roles in scores of films like Shah-e-Misr, Hatimtai, Sone ki Chidiya but mostly went unnoticed. However, when he chose to do an image makeover and turned baddy cine-goersoers started taking note of him. Ajit brought a rare freshness to the portrayal of negative roles with his suave looks, tuxedo white suites, polka-dotted ties and brylecreemed hair. Gone was the savage loud-mouthed villain of Bollywood. In his new avatar Ajit, as an underworld don, is seen in most of the films reclining on a chaise lounge with a buxom babe tucked into one arm. In the movie, Zanjeer, when a blood-dripping Amitabh Bachchan confronts him after getting out of prison, the don, Teja, reacts very casually sipping his drink. Unfazed he drawls “Hayllo”.

That was Ajit at his suavest best. His career skyrocketed in 70s and 80s with blockbusters like Zanjeer, Yaadon ki Barat, Kalicharan, Jugnu, Patthar aur Paayal. His typical one-liners like Mona Darling, Lilly don’t be silly, and Loin are a rage even now.

More than his dialogue the ‘Ajit jokes’ have added to the legend. Names such as Mona, Peter, Michael and Raabert (Robert) came into common parlance. Some of the famous jokes are:
Robert: Boss, Tony to bhaag gaya hai Mona ke saath.
Ajit smirks: Raabert, my bway, Mona kaise bhaag sakti hai. Uske kapde to mere pass haiN.
Ajit: Raabert iss ko liquid oxygen mein daal do, Liquid isse jeeney nahi deygi aur oxygen isse marne nahin degi.

Interestingly, Ajit himself was unaware about these jokes. He didn’t know who invented them. But they gained currency and spread like wildfire since they have a sharp wit. From a C-grade hero to a polished villain, Ajit’s career turned a full circle when he sported a suave and westernised image. People liked this suited and booted baddie who never loses his cool even in most trying times.

The 221-page biography traces the early days of Ajit in Golconda, Hyderabad, his school life and his struggles in the film industry when he landed in Mumbai and little-known things about his real life. The book makes an interesting read, especially for the ‘lion’ fans. The book priced Rs. 230 is scheduled to be released in the Western Block of Salar Jung Museum at 4.30 pm on Friday. Siasat Managing Editor, Zaheeruddin Ali Khan, MANUU Vice-Chancellor, Syed Ainul Hasan, Nawab Ehteram Ali Khan, Board Member, Dr. A. Nagender Reddy, Director, Salar Jung Museum, and Ajit family members will grace the occasion.

source: http://www.siasat.com / The Siasat Daily / Home> Featured News / by J S Ifthekhar / January 26th, 2023

People and Homes of Aligarh

Amazing Feats, Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Books (incl.Biographies - w.e.f.01 jan 2018 ), Leaders

Aligarh, UTTAR PRADESH:

“Material culture is the history and philosophy of objects and the myriad relationships between people and things.” Bernard Herman, material culture scholar.

I have always had a fascination with old homes. I grew up in one – Abid Manzil in Aligarh, built in 1935. Well-known as the home of Aligarh Muslim University, the town in western Uttar Pradesh saw many Indian Muslims migrate there in the early 1900s from different parts of the erstwhile United Provinces. This included the Muslim zamindar elites who came from neighbouring principalities as well as working-class and middle-class families from eastern Uttar Pradesh. Many wanted to give their children the chance of a good education at the university. These people brought their cultures and histories with them, blending with the Islamic yet liberal intellectual philosophy propagated by AMU and spearheaded by its founder, Sir Syed Ahmed Khan. The homes of these people, mostly built in the 1930s, are evidence of this syncretic tradition.

On my most recent visit to Aligarh I realised that these pre-Partition houses were gradually disappearing. I met with some of the remaining families, who wanted to talk about the rich history of their homes, the culture and ways of life they embodied, and the measures they were currently taking to secure a future for their homes and themselves. This photo essay tells the story of these homes and the people who live in them.

Ibne Sahab was born in 1923. He lost his mother when he was just a month old and was raised by his father. Ibne Sahab’s childhood was spent in Chattari and he moved to Aligarh to pursue his formal education when he was 15 years old. He studied Persian and Psychology at Mohammedan Anglo Oriental College.

Sir Syed Ahmed Khan, the founder of Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) was Scheherazade Alim’s paternal great, great-grandfather. She spent her childhood in Aftab Manzil, named after her maternal great-grandfather Aftab Ahmed Khan, who built the house in 1904. Scheherazade Begum studied law at Oxford and became a barrister and has taught law at AMU. After two decades of living and working in Dubai, Scheherazade Begum and her husband Abdul Alim Khan returned to Aligarh and to Aftab Manzil in 1997, and have lived there since.

Aftab Manzil saw the comings and goings of influential men and women. One of them was E M Forster. Scheherazade Alim’s grandfather Sir Ross Masood was a close friend of the writer, who dedicated A Passage to India to him. Masood became the Vice Chancellor of AMU in 1929, a position he held for three years. The photograph on the right was taken in Italy in 1911. The photograph on the left shows Scheherazade Begum with Forster. It was taken in England in 1962. She herself cultivated a deep bond with the writer, calling him “Forster Chacha”.

Aftab Manzil was built using bricks manufactured by Ford and MacDonald, the company responsible for supplying red bricks for the building of AMU. Other homes such as Habibullah Manzil were also constructed using surplus material from AMU. Courtyards like this, at Habibullah Manzil, are typical features in old homes. They are public spaces that allow family members to socialise, yet at the same time are private and separated from the outside world.

Professor Tariq Gilani, who lives in Habibullah Manzil, says that it is difficult to secure an old house, especially since there is no one, single uninterrupted wall, each room having several doors. David Lelyveld, in Aligarh’s First Generation, explains that this was the case “so that different sorts of people might come and go without crossing paths.” The architecture, therefore, reflected the norms of social interaction in the early 20th century.

These norms dictated that spaces within a household be separated on the basis of gender. Purdah was adhered to, especially among the elite. To enter the ladies’ quarter, or zenanah, male servants and visitors had to announce themselves first. In the case of Rahat Manzil’s haveli, non-related males would have entered through a zigzag corridor, preventing them from directly viewing the zenanah.

Farrukh Said Khan with his wife Faizana Said Khan in their formal living room in Rahat Manzil. Faizana Said Khan is the great, great-granddaughter of the Nawab of Jaipalguri. The swing is about ninety years old. The photograph of Ahmed Said Khan on the wall is from when he received an honorary doctorate from AMU. Farrukh Sahab recounts that his grandfather, Ahmed Said, was born in 1889. He was an orphan. His parents died in Saudi Arabia in the early 1890s. After the Sepoy Mutiny of 1857, Mahmud Ali was unwilling to stay under British rule. But when his son (Ahmed Said’s father) and daughter-in-law died, he had to return to take care of his grandson. Ahmed Said was eight years old when his grandfather passed away. He was sent to English House (AMU’s old guest house) by the British, who had taken control of Chhatari – Ahmed Said’s ancestral zamindari. When he turned 21, Ahmed Said was made the Nawab of Chhatari. He built Rahat Manzil in 1920 as a guesthouse to accommodate his family when they travelled to Aligarh from Chhatari.

Raja Masudul Hasan, also known as the Raja of Asgharabad, supervised the building of Hasan Manzil. He was a keen collector, and according to Zafar Sahab (his son and current owner of Hasan Manzil), he bought this copper ashtray from Chinese traders who frequented Aligarh in the 1930s. He moved to Aligarh in 1925 from Asgharabad, where he was a zamindar, and died in 1954.

Over the years, the landscape of Aligarh has undergone dramatic changes. Where there were once independent bungalows and havelis surrounded by orchards, now stand three or four storey apartment buildings. Many more people have migrated to Aligarh in search of education or employment. This changed landscape, although inevitable and positive in some ways, has imposed stress upon those who live in old homes in Aligarh. Some are uncertain about what will happen to their homes after they are gone. Will their children come back and take charge of things or will their homes, like many others, be broken down and apartment buildings erected in their place?

People have coped with these challenges in different ways. Ibne Said Khan has transformed Rahat Manzil’s formal dining room into a museum dedicated to the life and career of his father, statesman Ahmed Said Khan. He says that one winter evening, after his father’s death in 1982, he saw that his servant was bringing bundles of old paper to feed the angethi (brazier). He asked the servant where he was getting these papers and discovered stacks of old documents and photographs in the storage area. He rescued these and set to work, chronologically organising documents and photographs that captured the breadth of his father’s work. With more than a hundred photographs and documents mounted in the main dining area, Ibne Sahab says that there are still many photographs and documents to be sorted and incorporated into this museum.

The Sherwanis of Muzammil Manzil have renovated a section of their house and transformed it into a school, which they run. Blossoms started in 2001 in a rented house and later shifted to Muzammil Manzil. What was once an aangan (courtyard) is now a school playground. The school has over 800 students.

The Sherwanis also maintain a library in one section of their house named after Syed Sherwani’s grandfather and the original owner of Muzammil Manzil – Nawab Muzammil Ullah Khan. The library started with 500 books but Sherwani Sahab’s father, Rahmatullah Khan Sherwani, expanded it over four decades. It now holds 16,000 books and 2400 rare manuscripts.

This door was hand painted by Rashid Sahab’s nephews. Like Zafar Sahab, Rashid Sahab says that the family has inculcated a sense of responsibility in the next generation to take care of Saman Zaar. For the future, he adds, “We should try to come back to this place and live together (as a family).”

~ Meher Ali is a freelance journalist from Aligarh. She is currently based in Ahmedabad.

source: http://www.himalmag.com / Himalmag, South Asia / Home> Culture> Photo Essay / by Meher Ali / December 19th, 2013

Abdul Ghaffar Khan was no Gandhi—he was the powerhouse Pathan who mobilised Indian Muslims

Amazing Feats, Books (incl.Biographies - w.e.f.01 jan 2018 ), Community Involvement / Social Issues, Freedom Fighters (under research project), Leaders, NRI's / PIO's, World Opinion

Utmanzai, BRITISH INDIA / AFGHANISTAN:

Popularly known as Frontier Gandhi, Badshah Khan, Bacha Khan and Fakhr-e-Afghan, his indomitable political spirit has found a place in all of his names.

Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan (L) with Gandhi at King Edward's College, NWFP, in 1938 | Wikimedia commons
Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan (L) with Gandhi at King Edward’s College, NWFP, in 1938 | Wikimedia commons


Buried under the historical violence of Pakistan’s tribal belt is a sliver of peace—and it is because of Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan, a lifelong pacifist who mobilised Pathans against British colonialists in India. Popularly known as ‘Frontier Gandhi’, Badshah Khan, Bacha Khan and Fakhr-e-Afghan, his indomitable political spirit has found a place in all of his names, a reminder of peace, secularism and unity even 35 years after his death in January 1988.

Born into a wealthy Sunni Pashtun family in Pakistan’s Utmanzai in 1890, Khan hailed from the landowning Mohammadzai clan. He devoted his life and resources to upending poverty and promoting education and Hindu-Muslim harmony. But his biggest contribution to the Indian subcontinent, perhaps, came with the ‘Khudai Khidmatgar’, or Servants of God, movement in 1929—the beginning of mass mobilisation against an exploitative British Raj.

Khan’s innate ability to unite the masses non-violently turned him into a ‘powerhouse Muslim leader’ from the erstwhile North West Frontier Province (NWFP). Crackdowns, custodial violence and imprisonment only hardened his anti-colonial stance, laying the foundations for a spiritual resilience which is talked about to this day.

“It is my inmost conviction that Islam is amal, yakeen, muhabat – selfless service, faith, and love,” Khan had said. He had also urged Pathans to “arise and rebuild” their “fallen house.”

Powerhouse Pathan

While Khan’s life was fraught with hurdles and clashes with the colonial government, his political fervour refused to die. For instance, in 1921, he was asked to lead the Khilafat Committee in Peshawar as its president. During his tour of the province, he delivered speeches and emphasised the need to eliminate British imperialism in South Asia. He was subsequently jailed and tortured by the British for three years.

“When Abdul Ghaffar came out of jail in 1924, he was frail and worn-out in body, but his spirit was unvanquished. His blue eyes were proud of their suffering, determined and cold. The Pathans looked at Abdul Ghaffar with admiration; they had found their leader, thanks to the British,” writes documentary filmmaker Dinanath Gopal Tendulkar, in his book Abdul Ghaffar Khan: Faith is a Battle.

Khan led the Khudai Khidmatgar movement with the call to lay down arms and use civil resistance to challenge British rule. This massive movement involved 100,000 Pathans who took an oath to join the movement: “Since God needs no service, I promise to serve humanity in the name of God. I promise to refrain from violence and from taking revenge. I promise to forgive those who oppress me or treat me with cruelty. I promise to devote at least two hours a day to social work.”

Within a short time, they established a network in the province, particularly in neglected rural areas.

The leaders of the Khudai Khidmatgar movement put great emphasis on discipline. The volunteers were organised and drilled in a military fashion, given the ranks of generals, colonels, captains, etc. They even wore identical shirts in shades of brown or dark red. This move invited extensive propaganda from the British Indian government, which equated Khidmatgars to the Bolsheviks. But Khan never left his non-violent ideals.

“There is nothing surprising in a Muslim or a Pathan like me subscribing to the creed of non-violence. It is not a new creed,” Khan had once declared, as per his biographer Eknath Easwaran.

Friendship with Gandhi, relationship with Congress

Khan is also often remembered in history for his curious and close friendship with M.K. Gandhi. The link that connected the two has its roots in the 1919 Rowlatt Act. Khan stood up against the Act—which promoted indefinite imprisonment without a trial—and mobilised 50,000 people in Utmanzai to raise their voices in protest.

Scholars have differentiated how Khan and Gandhi approached their respective philosophies of non-violence. In popular discourse, it is often portrayed that Gandhi heavily inspired Khan’s ideals of non-violence. But J.S. Bright, a biographer of Khan, thinks differently.

Bright also said that in Gandhi’s case, his ideals received more publicity and that he should be called “Indian Khan” instead.

Khan never supported Partition

In December 1929, Ghaffar Khan and other prominent members of the Khudai Khidmatgar attended the Lahore Session of the Indian National Congress to raise awareness of the volatile situation in the NWFP.

Impressed with the Congress’s support, Khan endorsed the party’s programme of complete independence and non-payment of taxes and revenues.

But when it came to the issue of Partition, Khan felt “betrayed” by the Congress Working Committee. Owing to the violence and realpolitik, most Congress leaders agreed to the Partition plan laid out by British viceroy Louis Mountbatten, with the Congress Working Committee overwhelmingly ratifying it. Only four leaders held out – Gandhi, Khan, Ram Manohar Lohia and Jayaprakash Narayan.

“You have thrown us to the wolves,” Khan said in resentment, according to an article about his death published in Los Angeles Times.

The Pashtuns were only given the choice of going with India or Pakistan; independence was out of the question. Convinced that his participation in the decision-making referendum would lead to violence and bloodshed among Pathans, Khan and the Khudai Khidmatgars left the ball in the Muslim League’s court.

The NWFP eventually voted to join Pakistan, where Khan fought for a better deal for the frontier region and advocated for the province’s autonomy. For this, he spent years in prison.

After 17 years of isolation and imprisonment in Pakistan, Khan went on to live in Kabul in the mid-1970s.

He spent his last years in the Afghan city of Jalalabad, visiting India occasionally for medical treatment, mainly for arthritis. Khan died on 20 January 1988 of complications from a stroke while under house arrest in Peshawar and was laid to rest in Jalalabad.

(Edited by Zoya Bhatti)

source: http://www.theprint.in / The Print / Home> The Print Profile / by Shania Mathew / January 20th, 2023

Getting to know an imam and seeing Muslims in the new light

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Books (incl.Biographies - w.e.f.01 jan 2018 ), Community Involvement / Social Issues, Leaders, NRI's / PIO's, World Opinion

Jamdahan Village (Jaunpur District), UTTAR PRADESH / London, U.K. / USA:

IF THE OCEANS WERE INK

An Unlikely Friendship and a Journey to the Heart of the Quran

by Carla Power

Henry Holt.
336 pp. Paperback, $19

Since Sept. 11, 2001, popular media has tended to represent Islam as monolithic and menacing, a faith whose adherents spend their time plotting to murder infidels, oppress women and instill sharia law in Western democracies. While the actions of groups like the Islamic State seem to confirm the worst stereotypes, the worldviews of extremists do not account for the belief systems of the majority of the world’s 1.6 billion Muslims, who are, by journalist Carla Power’s account, “people as diverse as Pathan tribals and Kansan surgeons.”

Weary of the stereotypes and “blithe generalizations about ‘the Islamic world’ and ‘the West,’ ” Power, who holds a degree in Middle East studies from Oxford and has worked as a foreign correspondent in Muslim countries, decided to strike back. “If the Oceans Were Ink” is a unique account of the Islamic faith that focuses on the perspective of Sheikh Mohammad Akram Nadwi, a scholar and imam whom Power has known for more than 20 years. It is an unusual book, simultaneously an exploration of faith and of Islam as it is lived by those who know it most intimately.

The journalist became acquainted with the imam in the 1990s, when both were conducting research on Islamic scholars and mystics at a think tank, the Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies. Their paths crossed during the intervening years, as Akram achieved renown as a religious scholar and Power established herself as a successful journalist. After years of reporting on strongmen, politics and identity in Muslim societies, Power decided that she wanted “to explore the beliefs behind that identity and to see how closely they matched my own.” She asked Akram if he would take her on as a student. Over the years, Power had developed great respect for his scholarship, particularly his extensive biographical dictionaries on early Islam’s female scholars, whose lives have almost disappeared from the scholarly record. Through this work, Akram hopes to remind Muslims of the importance of women’s education and contributions to society.

Power turns what could have been a dry account of a series of interviews into a vibrant tale of a friendship and of her search for meaning through the contemplation of another religious tradition. Above all, her goal is to gain a deeper understanding of the importance of the Koran, whose “limitless possibilities” are best represented in the words of the Sura that give her book its name: “If the oceans were ink, for (writing) the words of my Lord, the ocean would be exhausted, before the words of my Lord were exhausted.”

Akram and Power meet regularly at Akram’s office, at an Oxford coffee shop, and at the study groups and lectures he leads for the local community. She gets to know his family and his followers well, and is particularly impressed by a group of outspoken, educated Muslim women who debate Akram and even cause him to change his position on controversial issues. Inspired by their time together, Power writes that “studying with a man who saw everything from tea leaves to algebra as gifts from God, I was struck by a new seam of gratitude running through me. I’d emerge from a lesson not with faith, but with what I suppose a fashionable guru would call mindfulness.”

Power skillfully navigates multiple layers of cultural interpretation that make subjects such as veiling so controversial in the West. Akram explains to her that, in Islam, modest dress is not meant to make women invisible but rather allows them “to be present and visible, with the power of their bodies switched off.” However, geopolitics has added additional layers of complexity. From the time of Algerian colonialism until 21st-century Afghanistan, Western military occupation has often been linked to the unveiling of Muslim women. “In the months after the Taliban’s fall, the Western press would rush to capture women shedding their veils. It was as though this transition from burqaed lump to woman was a 21st-century Pygmalion myth: a breathing of life into Afghanistan’s people.”

In contrast to some of his students, Akram eschews politics. He urges his students to focus solely on taqwa, or God-consciousness. Throughout the book, Akram disdains the idea of Islam as a tool to reach political ends, believing that those Muslims with the goal of a state governed by sharia law have a “deep envy of the West’s power and geopolitical supremacy.” Not all of his students agree with him, especially those espousing the need to participate in the revolutions against dictatorships that have wracked the Middle East since 2011. Yet to Akram, the concerns of this world are insignificant compared with the importance of becoming close to the divine.

As Power wraps up her studies with the imam, she concludes that they share many values, including ethics, democracy, equality and human rights. She envies Akram the feeling that prayer “could feel like returning to ‘the arms of your mother, when you are a child.’ ” For Akram, she writes, “existence was a circle, with God at its end, beginning, and every point in between.” For the pious individual, life, from birth to death, is a cycle of return, with the words of God at the center. Yet although the year leaves her with an enhanced appreciation of the complexity of the Koran — even to call the Koran a book is to limit it; “it is a place to which the faithful return, again and again,” she writes — she is ultimately unable to embrace Akram’s sense of religious conviction.

“If the Oceans Were Ink” should be mandatory reading for the 52 percent of Americans who admit to not knowing enough about Muslims. Years of anti-Muslim rhetoric in the media are beginning to take a toll on Muslims in the United States. According to a 2011 poll by the Pew Research Center, 6 percent said they had been victimized by hate crimes in the preceding year. FBI statistics for reported hate crimes against Muslims are five times higher since 9/11. Most recently, the killing of three Muslim students in North Carolina, ostensibly over a parking dispute, has also been alleged to be a hate crime. A Zogby poll released by the Arab American Institute in 2014 showed that only 27 percent of Americans reported favorable opinions of Muslims, down eight points from a poll in 2010. Yet among those polled who reported knowing Muslims firsthand, favorability was 33 percent higher.

Akram, steeped in religion but also thoughtful and open to dialogue, emerges from these pages as a complex and likable man, and it is hard to imagine readers not being moved by Power’s humanistic, evenhanded portrayal of him. “If the Oceans Were Ink” is a welcome and nuanced look at Islam through the eyes of an individual who lives his faith with every breath. It goes a long way toward combating the dehumanizing stereotypes of Muslims that are all too common in the United States today.

By Rachel Newcomb / Rachel Newcomb is associate professor of anthropology at Rollins College, where she also directs the Program in Middle Eastern and North African Studies.

source: http://www.washingtonpost.com / Washington Post / Home> Opinion / by Rachel Newcomb / April 30th, 2015

Famous Muslims: Mohammad Akram Nadwi

Amazing Feats, Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Books (incl.Biographies - w.e.f.01 jan 2018 ), Community Involvement / Social Issues, Education, Leaders, NRI's / PIO's, World Opinion

Jamdahan Village (Jaunpur District), UTTAR PRADESH / London, U.K. :

Mohammad Akram Nadwi is a renowned Islamic scholar, theologian, author and professor of Arabic and Islamic studies. He is known for his extensive knowledge of the Quran, Hadith, and Islamic law, as well as his ability to convey complex concepts in a clear and accessible manner.

Early Life and Education

Mohammad Akram Nadwi was born in India in 1963. He comes from a family with a long tradition of Islamic scholarship, and from a young age, he showed a strong interest in Islamic studies. He began his formal education by studying the Quran and Hadith under the guidance of local scholars and his father.

In 1975, Nadwi traveled to the city of Lucknow, India to study at the famous Nadwatul Ulama, an Islamic university and seminary. He studied under some of the most renowned scholars of his time, including Maulana Abul Hasan Ali Nadwi and Maulana Sayyid Abul Hasan Ali Hasani. He earned a degree in Islamic studies and later completed his PhD in Islamic theology from the University of Lucknow. Thereafter he was sent to England as Abul Hasan Ali Nadwi’s representative, becoming a Research Fellow at the Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies. 

Personal Life

Mohammad Akram Nadwi is married and has children. He is known for leading a simple and humble lifestyle, and is dedicated to spreading the teachings of Islam to as many people as possible.

Career

After completing his studies in India, Nadwi began teaching at various universities and Islamic institutions in the United Kingdom, including the Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies and the Markfield Institute of Higher Education. He has also taught at universities in India and the United States.

In addition to his academic work, Nadwi is also a respected speaker and lecturer. He has delivered speeches and lectures at various conferences and events around the world, and is known for his ability to convey complex Islamic concepts in a clear and accessible manner.

Muhammad Akram Nadwi is also a founder of Al-Salam Institute, UK where he also serves as a principal. The Institute is dedicated to the traditional Islamic sciences and provide a platform for the authentic Islamic scholarship to be studied and transmitted.

Books

Mohammad Akram Nadwi is a prolific author, who has written several books and articles on various Islamic topics. Some of his most notable works include:

  1. “Al-Muhaddithat: The Women Scholars in Islam” – This is a 43-volume biographical dictionary of female scholars of Hadith, and is considered one of the most comprehensive works on the subject. It is the first book of its kind in the Muslim world, and provides valuable insight into the role of women in the study and transmission of Islamic knowledge.
  2. Madrasah Life: A Student’s Day at Nadwat al-‘Ulamā’ 
  3. Al-Fiqh Al-Islāmī According to the Hanafi Madhab Rites of Purification, Prayers and Funerals Vol 1
  4. Abū Ḥanīfah His Life, Legal Method & Legacy 
  5. Shaykh ‘Abū al-Ḥasan ‘Alī Nadwī: His Life & Works
  6. Ibn Ḥazm on the Lawfulness of Women Attending Prayers in the Mosque 
  7. Journey to Andalus – Translated and edited by Dr. Abu Zayd. 
  8. Lessons Learned: Treasures from Nadwah’s Sages 
  9. Remembering Beautiful Days In Jerusalem 
  10. Foundation To Ḥadīth Science: A Primer on Understanding & Studying Hadith – Translated and edited by Dr. Abu Zayd.

He is also the subject of the best-selling book: If the Oceans Were Ink: An Unlikely Friendship and a Journey to the Heart of the Qur’an (2015).

Overall, Mohammad Akram Nadwi is a respected and influential Islamic scholar, known for his extensive knowledge of the Quran, Hadith, and Islamic law, as well as his ability to convey complex concepts in a clear and accessible manner. His work has helped to promote understanding and harmony within the Muslim community, and his lectures and writings continue to inspire and guide people on their spiritual journey.

source: http://www.thecognate.com / The Cognate / Home> Famous Muslims / by The Cognate News Desk / January 12th, 2023

Bengaluru: Alternative Literary Festival Organised To Counter Exclusion Of Muslim Writers From Govt Funded Conference

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Books (incl.Biographies - w.e.f.01 jan 2018 ), Community Involvement / Social Issues, Events, Exhibitions, Conferences (wef. Nov 18th, 2021), Karnataka (under research project), Women/Girls(since May26-2021)

KARNATAKA :

A parallel literary conference was held in Bengaluru on January 8, 2023, in response to the alleged exclusion of Muslim writers from the Kannada Sahitya Sammelana organised by the Kannada Sahitya Parishat, a non-profit organisation, funded by the Karnataka government.

Activists and writers in Karnataka expressed their disappointment at the lack of diversity at the Kannada Sahitya Sammelana, leading a group of them to organise a more inclusive event, the ‘Jana Sahitya Sammelana’. Banu Mushtaq and Dr. Mudnakudu Chinnaswamy were the chief guests at the Jana Sahitya Sammelana.

Dalit writer and Sahitya Akademi award winner Mudnakudu Chinnaswamy highlighted the threat of the imposition of Hindi on classical languages such as Tamil, Kannada, Telugu, and Odia. He also spoke about the attempts to erase Mahatma Gandhi’s legacy, and the exclusion of Muslims from every sphere of public life. “The exclusion of Muslim writers from the literary fest in Haveri was part of a wider agenda of pushing out Muslims from the mainstream,” he said.

Purushottama Bilimale, a prominent Kannada scholar, criticised Kannada writers and representative organisations for their lack of action in addressing the various crises facing the Kannada language and the state of Karnataka. Bilimale specifically mentioned the attacks on syncretic culture as a crisis that needs attention. He pointed out the lack of proper platforms for discussing these issues and expressed disappointment towards the Kannada Sahitya Sammelana for not addressing them. He suggests the organization of conventions like the Janasahitya Sammelana in various regions of the state of Karnataka to help address these issues.

The conference featured poetry, speeches, and panel discussions that focused on resistance and inclusion.

The Jana Sahitya Sammelana was put together by members of various organisations such as Samudaya, Democratic Youth Federation of India, AIDWA, Dalita Sangharsha Samiti, Ondede, Journalist Study Centre, and many others. Actors and activists like Prakash Raj and Dr. Akkai Padmashali were also present as guests and speakers at the conference. The conference was held at the Alumni Hall of the University of Visvesvaraya College of Engineering.

source: http://www.thecognate.com / The Cognate / Home> News / by The Cognate News Desk / January 12th, 2023