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

Book Review | Take the Muslim out of India and what’s left is this heady daydream

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

NEW DELHI :

Only a comprehensive, all-encompassing dialogue can resolve this situation and that is best-presented in a fast-paced drama.

Cover Image of the book ‘The Muslim Vanishes: A Play’ by Saeed Naqvi. (By arrangement)

“If we take the Muslim out of India, what becomes of the country?” This is the central question that veteran journalist Saeed Naqvi’s recent three-act play The Muslim Vanishes seeks to answer.

In a crisp preface he first explains the premise of his plot and then the choice of “play” as his genre: Politicians hold two interlocking triangles in their hands, both feeding on each other. The first is the caste pyramid, the second has three intrinsically intertwined sides — “India-Pakistan, New Delhi-Srinagar, Hindu Muslim”. Without the second, the Hindu Right will not be able to manage the first. Combine the two triangles with the deliberately misunderstood complications of Partition and you have the perfect recipe for hate. Only a comprehensive, all-encompassing dialogue can resolve this situation and that is best-presented in a fast-paced drama. Standing on this brief but compelling introduction, Naqvi dives straight into Act 1, Scene 1: a distraught and excited junior journalist rushes into a busy news studio telling two primetime anchors that all Muslims have vanished from India overnight and, along with them, has vanished the Qutab Minar. It seems they have “taken it back”. Much as this opening seems to lay the ground for what the reader can expect later, not one of the next 150 pages is monotonous.

As the scene progresses, the characters debate among themselves — What else did, or can, the Muslims take back? Writings of great poets — Mir, Ghalib, Josh. But what about Hindu poets of the ghazal — Brij Narain Chakbast, Raghupati Sahai Firaq? Can they take them back, too? And those exquisite terms used in our courts — munsif, farraash — will they also disappear? And what about our great musical repertoire, the gharanas? And food? Can they also reclaim nihari and kabab and the rista and gushtaba? Perhaps Hussain’s paintings will also magically vanish. But for those who think that the Muslim vanishing will only be about the loss of literature, art and culture, Naqvi has news. It will have far deeper socio-political consequences. It will change the power equation in a way few realise. In an early scene, a dalit, who had never dared to enter the main gate of a Hindu Brahmin leader’s house without being summoned, not only enters uninvited but also sits on the sofa without permission. The leader’s son, one of the two primetime anchors to whom the news of the vanishing Muslims was first broken, explains. “Today, without the Muslims, the battlelines have been redrawn. It is Savarnas versus Avarnas, upper castes versus lower castes”.

The problem has become so serious that a special court has been set up on the issue of the Muslim vanishing. And, this is where Naqvi shows his prowess as an eclectic thinker. To assist the court, an 11-member jury has been constituted. On the recommendation of the great Sufi saint of Barabanki, Shah Abdul Razaq, who has a deep mystical link with the Hindu court at Maihar, the jury is chaired by Urdu poet and Constituent Assembly member, Maulana Hasrat Mohani. Best known as the author of the romantic ghazal “chupke chupke raat din aansu bahaana yaad hai”, it was the Maulana who coined the slogan ‘Inquilab zindabad’. He is accompanied by the social activist Mahatma Phule, poets Raskhan, Salbeg, Abdul Rahim Khan-e-Khana, Mohsin Kakorvi and Chunnalal Dilgeer, Classical singer Alladiya Khan, Kabir, Tulsi Das, an anonymous nominee of Guru Nanak and Amir Khusro.

The lawyer in me applauds Naqvi’s jury-selection skills — four Muslim poets who are devotees of Hindu dieties (Maulana and Raskhan of Krishna, Salbeg of Jagannath and Khan-e-Khana of Ram), one Muslim Urdu poet who uses Hindu imagery in praise of the Prophet (Kakorvi), one Muslim proponent of Marathi Natya sangeet (Alladiya), one Hindu poet known for his poetry on Karbala (Dilgeer), two mystic poets whose philosophy cuts across religion (Kabir and Tulsidas) and one anti-caste reformer (Phule).

The jury chooses Amir Khusrau as its spokesperson. Again, an incredible choice. Khusrau is one of the most influential figures in the cultural history of the subcontinent and perhaps the most transformational part of the “long tradition of eclectic liberalism” that Naqvi alludes to. Who better than him, then, to speak for a composite India?

The judicial proceedings that follow through an entangled web of examination and cross-examination, unravel the rich and diverse history of the Hindustan that was. From complexities of the partition to the making of the Constitution, from mystic syncretism to the politics of conversion, from the special status of Kashmir to urban Naxalism and from cultural renaissance to quelling free speech, Naqvi steers through Hindustan’s intricate landscape with a masterly hand. Riding on his vast knowledge of politics, society, history, literature, art and culture, he moves between time and space with tremendous poise. I wish he had occasionally interspersed his scenes with some Mir and Ghalib, like he does when he speaks, but this wish arises more out of my constant greed for ‘Saeed Naqviesque’ narratives than by any insufficiency in the script.

The expression “Ganga Jamuni tehzeeb” must be one of the most misused ones in recent times. In their bid to buy an imprimatur of approval from the majority, Muslim apologists have abused the idea to such an extent that it has now entered the realm of the ridculous: “Oh, but we are secular Muslims. We celebrate Raksha Bandhan and participate in Diwali puja.” Though the very foundation on which Naqvi’s play stands is “Ganga Jamuni tehzeeb”, he does not tom-tom it as a saleble commodity to barter acceptance with. Instead, he forcefully situates the followers of this tehzeeb as equal participants in the making of a secular, democratic republic, demanding their indispensability in all decision-making processes in the present. This, to me, is his biggest win.

Sociopolitical writing has immense potential to exhaust the reader. But Naqvi’s satirical tone and terrific sense of humour compel the reader to go on, and expect something exciting every now and then. To quote Asghar Gondvi: Sunta hoon bade ghaur se afsaana-e-hasti Kuchh khvaab hai, kuchh asl hai, kuchh tarz e ada hai.

[Intently I listen to his life-story. It’s part dream, part reality and part style.]
The play has immense potential to be performed on stage and I hope that, when it is performed, none other than its author is persuaded to direct.

source: http://www.asianage.com / The Asian Age / Home> Books / by Saif Mahmood, The Asian Age / Februrary 13th, 2022

Preserving Persian Epigraphic Heritage

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

JAMMU & KASHMIR :

The earliest Persian and Arabic inscriptions are seen on the tombstones and walls in the olden graveyards of Kashmir

The historic tombs of the most famous Shahmiri period sultans and nobles, which included Sultan Sikander and Sultan Zain ul Abideen are also in this historic cemetery. [Tomb of Zain ul Abideen in Srinagar’s old city–Representational Image]File/ GK

With the establishment of Muslim sultanate in Kashmir, in late fourteenth century, the Sanskrit language and Sharda alphabet were also taken over by Persian and Arabic alphabet. The tradition of Sharda epigraphic culture also declined considerably and it gave way to Persian and Arabic inscriptions.

The earliest Persian and Arabic inscription are seen on the tomb stones and walls, in the olden graveyards, Khanqahs and mosques of Kashmir. Number of such inscriptions are documented in my book titled, Kashmir inscriptions of Kashmir, which was published in the year 2013 by Gulshan Books, Srinagar.

Persian inscription on a stone slab at the historic graveyard of Khanqah-e-mu’llah old Srinagar.

Epigraphs of royal graveyard at Mazari Kalan

Mazari Kalan popularly known to public as “Mazari Shiekh Bahau-ud-Din Ganj Baksh (RA)” lies in the foot of Kohi Maran to the west of Malkah. The history of the Mazar reveals that the site originally was proposed by Zain-ul-Abideen Badshah in 1421 AD for housing the only burial of her beloved wife called Ashama Bibi who belonged to a noble family of Bahaqi lineage. But when Sheikh Baha-ud-Din (RA), the reputed saint and Murshid of the Sultan left for heavenly abode in December 11, 1439 AD, he was laid to rest in this proposed site. Over the resting-place a shrine was also then erected.

Stone inscription in a dilapidated condition

The shrine looks to have been renovated, but it has lost most of its interesting architectural features. Adjacent to the shrine is seen the grave of a poet, Mir Illahi, who is saidto be the court poet of the Budshah. A beautiful inscription bearing few lines of his lyric is erected over the grave.

The grave of Asaha Bibi lies near the gate of the Mazar. The other burials it houses of the reputed saints and nobles of their times include; the grave of Solman, Sayyied Habib Shah Kashani, Moullana Mohammed Anie, Baba Qayim, Khwaja Mohammed Kakroo, Moullana Mohammed Balkhji, Sheikh Mohammed Trabali, Mulla Sarf-ud-Din Farhat, Mulla Nurullah Kath, Molvi Amir-ud-Din, Molvi Qulam-ud-Din Jami, Sayyied Mohammed Kermaniand others.

These all graves are very old and are crowned with gravestones, which are brilliantly carved in beautiful Arabic and Persian inscriptions.

Epigraphs of royal graveyard at Zain kadal

The royal graveyard of Zainkadal, locally called Mazari Salateen, enshrines the final resting places of Shahmeri Sultans. The historic tombs of the most famous Shahmiri period sultans and nobles, which included Sultan Sikander and Sultan Zain ul Abideen are also in this historic cemetery.

The tomb of Mirza Haider Dauglat, who administrated Kashmir as a Mughal governor for about 11 years during 1540-1552 AD, is also found in this historic graveyard.

There is a brilliant epigraph in Persian characters laid over his grave which is believed to have been installed by Moorcraft a British traveler during his vest of Kashmir in 19th century.

Persians inscription stone slab on the tomb of Mirza Haider Daughlat, Zainakadal Srinagar.

Zaindeep Epigraph

Persian stone inscription of Zain ul Abideen, SPS Museum Srinagar

Although there is no evidence of any standing Budshah’s Palace found anywhere in Kashmir valley but there is a magnificent stones slab inscription housed in the SPS museum at Lalmandi Srinagar which the experts claim provides vital information about Zaindeep, one of the famous Palaces of the Budshah’s period. Experts claim that this stone slab inscription, besides other details, has also provided the date of construction of this highest palace.

This inscription is Persian Nashk style. It is learnt that the inscription way back has been recovered from the Zianlank island of world famous Wullar lake in Bandipura district and later was shifted to this museum for its proper preservation. The inscription gives AH 841 as the date of construction of this world famous Zaindeep.

While providing description of this stone slab inscription experts say that this inscription is in Persian characters and is divided in four panels. The first two lines mentions the majesty, strength and the name of the Palace as Zaindeep and also describes it as the world famous, while as the date of foundation in Muslim calendar is mentioned in the last two lines in Persian words, which is calculated as 841.

Inscription of the palace

Ene bakha chun faluk muhakum bad

Mashoor ba zain deep dar alam bad

Shah Zain ibad ke daru jashin kunand

Pai vasta Chun tareekh khurdesh kahrum bad.

84l the inscription dates to 841 AH.

(The fort built by Shah Zain ul Abieein is so high and strong as the sky; and it is famous by the name of Zain deep. The king was very happy and celebrated the event when this palace was built)

Broken Stone inscription at Mazare Salateen old Srinagar

Besides these royal graveyards, the other historic and royal graveyards also carried brilliant epigraphs either engraved on tomb stones or on stone walls, these included Mazari Kalan, Mazari Salateen, Mazari Khanqah Mu’llah, Mazari Madine Sahib, Mazari Malik Sahib, Mazari Safakadal, Mazari Malkah and Mazari Bijbehra,.

But these human records are not preserved anywhere in these historic cementers. These inscribed records have fallen prey to the unchecked weathering and human vandalism.

Most of their inscriptions have defaced and it is very difficult to identify and decipher their epigraphs; steps are required to be taken to conserve this unprotected and unconcerned epigraphic heritage.

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are the personal opinions of the author.

The facts, analysis, assumptions and perspective appearing in the article do not reflect the views of GK

source: http://www.greaterkashmir.com / Greater Kashmir / Home> Op-Ed / by Iqbal Ahmad / February 20th, 2022

What it means to travel the world as a Muslim woman

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Books (incl.Biographies - w.e.f.01 jan 2018 ), NRI's / PIO's, Travel & Tourism, Women/Girls(since May26-2021), World Opinion, , ,

INDIA / SOUTH AFRICA :

Indian-born South African writer Shubnum Khan’s new book is about the hope and magic we can find in life if we are brave enough to push for it.

Apart from ideas of hope and courage, Shubnum Khan explores the theme of walking in her book.
Apart from ideas of hope and courage, Shubnum Khan explores the theme of walking in her book. (iStockphoto)

What does it mean to be a young, Muslim, desi woman walking the streets of Shanghai alone, sometimes in a hijab? What’s it like going off on your own to the mountains to teach children in a remote village in Kashmir when you have never travelled alone? And most importantly, what happens when you decide to be brave and do those things and, in a sense, “step off the edge”?

“You think you are going to fall, but you actually fly,” says Shubnum Khan, the South African writer of How I Accidentally Became A Global Stock Photo, a collection of odd and funny stories of her travels around the world, and of learning to be soft and vulnerable, particularly to herself.

In this breezy, delightful read, Khan packs in descriptions of experiencing travel and living abroad with a good dose of earnest reflections that tap into being a Muslim woman in the modern world, with bearings rooted in faith and family. The stories are resonant not because they are common or relatable (they are, rather, strange and wonderful) but because she contextualises them by revealing something of her life and herself.

For instance, Khan takes us through her life as the fourth of four sisters in an Indian Muslim family in Durban, where, at a point in her life, she had started feeling trapped and frustrated. So when an opportunity to go to Kashmir in 2013, to teach village children, came along, she took it up. “I immediately saw that this was the first step towards doing something different with my life as compared to everyone telling me to get married and have children,” says the 36-year-old on Zoom.

That experience and move away from a sheltered life catalysed other events and happenings, travels and sometimes bizarre incidents. Her new book straddles genres in that it’s as much a memoir as it is a travelogue and, together, transcends both. While it started as a collection of her experiences during travels—from turning into a “bride” on a rooftop in Shanghai to being trapped in a house in Delhi during an earthquake—it grew into much more. “As I was writing the book, I realised I was also telling the story of my life,” she says.

Shubnum Khan.
Shubnum Khan.

Khan is vulnerable in her stories and, in contrast to trope-filled memoirs and travelogues that spotlight strength and bravery, owns up to her less-than-brave feelings. She describes being anxious and nervous throughout most of her trips. But vulnerability and sharing one’s life (whether in a book or on social media, where Khan first found an audience for her stories) can involve treading a fine line. How does she decide what to share and what to keep to herself?

“Distance and space give you a clearer idea of the bigger picture,” she says. “You are sharing so you don’t feel lonely but you are also sharing so that other people don’t feel lonely,” she says. “I really wanted to share who I am but I also wanted to protect who I am.” When Khan says “anything could happen” if you step off the edge, she’s also aware that this doesn’t only mean good things. Neither does she ignore the presence of threat or danger. Instead, she confronts it with humour.

Even as Khan grapples with ideas such as living and travelling as a Muslim woman, she tells her stories with charm and wit. “In the book, I talk about being interrogated about my secret marriage. At the time I was so scared, it was such a serious situation. Now when I look back at it, I find it ridiculous,” Khan says. She doesn’t think of herself as a funny person but does believe that you can only laugh at certain situations in life to get through them. “Once you start seeing how ridiculous those are, you can pull out the humour from them,” she adds.

Apart from ideas of hope and courage, the book explores the theme of walking. It seems to be Khan’s primary way of experiencing any place she is visiting, especially because South Africa itself doesn’t allow her that freedom. She writes about how, in her home country, she has to watch what she wears even when going out to jog, how she can’t even carry her phone with her, and how she has to be hyper-aware of her surroundings, no matter where she goes.

How I Accidentally Became A Global Stock Photo: By Shubnum Khan, Pan Macmillan India, 256 pages, <span class='webrupee'>₹</span>650.
How I Accidentally Became A Global Stock Photo: By Shubnum Khan, Pan Macmillan India, 256 pages, ₹650.

Her travel stories detail experiences and encounters of walking and getting lost in the streets of Istanbul, Casablanca, Seoul and Shanghai. A chance meeting with a weeping woman. Going down out-of-sight alleys full of possibilities. Discovering a mosque. “There’s such beauty in being able to get lost, and I can’t do that in South Africa,” she rues.

It’s an arresting vision, to imagine a young Muslim woman walking in cities of the world alone, and Khan is aware of it. “We have so many books about men walking in cities, and books about white women walking,” she says. “We don’t have too much about the Muslim woman walking.” Given the many places she has visited, it’s not unfair to think about Khan’s privilege, which she acknowledges. Does it mean adventures are possible only if certain things are aligned? “You should keep pursuing what you need to do and try to make it happen in whatever way possible,” she says. She had to fight her father to be able to travel, for instance. Some of her trips had some expenses covered. “You have to dream big but you also have to follow them with practical steps,” she says.

It’s a curious book to have been written in 2020, when the pandemic was blazing and travel was far from our minds. And yet, it was also the perfect time for the book, which has been as much influenced by the pandemic as it is a product of it. Khan says that were it not for that strange, isolating, terrifying time, she might not have come to some of the conclusions and reflections she did in her book.

“It started making me think intensely about who I am and my role, the kind of experiences I have,” she says. “In my stories I am talking about travelling by myself, being by myself, being single, doing things alone. And then, when I was writing this book (during the pandemic), I was by myself, and I was missing everyone. I felt isolated. I think it helped tell a more intense story.”

That time in 2020 was also a period when, amid the despair and grief, we were all looking for hope. Because it wasn’t around her while she was writing, Khan says she tried to write that hope into her book. “Everything felt hopeless and writing the stories felt like I was trying to inject that magic back into life,” she says.

That is the book’s mainstay: the idea that there is hope and magic to be had from life, for anyone who wants it and is brave enough to push for it. Khan calls her book “part memoir, part travelogue, part love letter to anyone who has been afraid”. It’s essentially about choosing your own path in the face of conventionality but it is the heart and humour with which she tells her tales that make the smile already on your face linger a little longer.

I ask her what advice she would give to someone who carries the weight of dreams in her heart—and it’s usually a her—except that she’s afraid. Khan’s reply is tender and full of warmth. “It will be scary and hard but you should never stop dreaming. People will always be telling women how to be, how to act and what to do. But you have to follow what you want to do because you are living your life,” she says. “You are going to be on the journey with you. No one else will live your life.”

Tasneem Pocketwala writes on culture, identity, gender, cities and books. She is based in Mumbai.

source: http://www.lifestyle.livemint.com / Mint Lounge / Home> News> Big Story / by Tasneem Pocketwala / November 04th, 2021

Third book of Haqqani Al-Qasmi’s single-theme series Andaz-e-Bayan launched

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

NEW DELHI :

New Delhi:

Andaz-e-Bayan is the outcome of my passion, a passion which I did not allow to die even during unemployment and the pandemic. These views were expressed by renowned Urdu critic and writer Haqqani Al-Qasmi.

He was speaking at the launch of the third book of his famous single-theme Andaze-e-Bayan series at a cafe in Shaheen Bagh, New Delhi on Sunday, 6 September, 2020.

The present journal, which in fact, is part of a series of books, “discusses about those poets, litterateurs, authors and novelists, who, despite being in the medical profession, are serving Urdu in areas of research and criticism”, said Haqqani.


Speaking on this occasion Maulana Ajaz Urfi Qasmi, president of All India Tanzeem Ulama-e-Haq, who chaired the session, lauded the author for his powerful, creative style of writing which had won him global acclaim.

Haqqani Al-Qasmi is an accomplished and distinguished litterateur and critic serving Urdu with great sincerity and humbleness. There is an unusual amount of literary taste in his works which can be felt by the reader. He further said that Haqqani is not unaware of the social world. “From above the literary firmament, Haqqani surveys the mundane world”, Mualana Urfi said adding that one can see that in his literary journal series Andaz-e-Bayan as well.


Abid Anwar, a senior journalist with UNI remarked that to say anything about Haqqani would amount to explaining the obvious.

Urdu critic and Post-Doctoral Research Fellow, Dr Noman Qaisar presented an overview of the author’s literary journey mentioning about some of his well-received and critically acclaimed books like Philisteen Ke Chaar Mumtaz Shu’ara, Tawaaf-e-Dasht-e-Junoon, La Takhaf, Takalluf Bar Taraf, etc which are full of literary aesthetics, creative imagination and academic insights.

It should be noted that the first issue of this book series (Andaz-e-Bayan-1, May-July 2016) was dedicated to literary contributions of women, especially of women from marginalized sections of society, with reference to biographical writings and their analysis.

The second one was dedicated to the creative facets of the police while the latest is an effort to unmasking the unrevealed literary contributions of doctors and medical professionals not just in Urdu literature but in English and Hindi literature as well.


Persons from media and different Urdu literary circles present on this occasion included Shahidul Islam, A N Shibli, Dr Khan Mohammad Asif, Ashraf Bastawi, Zubair Khan Saeedi, Majid Khan, Manzar Imam, Mohammad Alamullah, Nayab Hasan, Maulana Firoz Akhtar Qasmi, Shams Tabrez Qasmi, Ahsan Mehtab, Anwarul Haq, Abdul Bari Qasmi.


The launch programme was coordinated by T M Ziaul Haque. Salam Khan, head of Ibarat Publication which has published the book, presented the vote of thanks.

source: http://www.millattimes.com / Millat Times / Home> Education> National / by Md Irshad Ayub / Manzar Imam / September 11th, 2020

New twist to a timeless riddle

Books (incl.Biographies - w.e.f.01 jan 2018 ), Royal Families, PreIndependence -Descendants (wef. Jan 02nd,2022), Uncategorized, Women/Girls(since May26-2021), World Opinion

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REST IN PEACE Akbar and Mariam’s tomb are in close proximity at Sikandra  

With a Goan professor claiming her to be a Portuguese lady, the contentious issue of Jodha Bai’s existence refuses to fade away

The controversy over Jodha Bai never seems to die down. After the film Jodhaa Akbar, a Goan Professor of History, Luis de Assis Correia has claimed in his new book “Portuguese India and Mughal Relations 1510-1735” that she was actually a Portuguese lady, Dona Maria Mascarenhas. She and her sister Juliana were rescued from pirates by the Portuguese and handed over to Bahadur Shah of Gujarat who presented them to the court of Akbar.

According to the book, Akbar, then 18 married Maria (17) but the Portuguese were loathe to admit that one of their own was living in the harem. The Mughals on the other hand could not accept that a firangi had wed the Emperor. “Hence the myth of Jodha Bai was created.” However the “myth” did have some substance. As the name suggests, she was the bai from Jodhpur, “daughter of Mota Raja Uday Singh”.

Mughal records pre-dating the book say that Maria and Juliana were honoured ladies of the harem. Juliana was in charge of the Seragilo as harem physician while Maria occupied the position of Akbar’s confidante and companion. Juliana’s was married off by Akbar to the fugitive French prince, Jean Philippe de Bourbon and both died in Agra, leaving behind the Indian branch of Bourbons.

In the old Agra cemetery is the grave of Juliana’s so-called niece, Bibi Ammiana while that of Maria (no longer traceable) was in the graveyard behind Akbar’s Church, a mile or so away. Imagine a Portuguese lady giving birth to the Great Moghul’s heir apparent at the wilderness abode of Sheikh Salim Chisti! Sounds implausible.

Dr Ram Nath, former Head of the History Department of Rajasthan University, tends to agree that there is no mention in history of Akbar having wed Jodha Bai, though she is sometimes referred to as one of Jahangir’s wives, with a Mahal in Fatehpur Sikri adorned with the Star of David (also representing the six Ritus). Dr Shireen Moosvi of Aligarh Muslim University also emphasises that there is no mention of Jodha Bai in the “Akbarnama”. The Rajput princess Akbar married was the daughter of Raja Baarmal of Amber, the aunt of Maharaja Man Singh I, and she is only referred to by her title of Mariam-uz-Zamani, mother of Salim (which prompted some to aver that she was the Emperor’s Christian wife as Mariam corresponds to the name of the Virgin Mary, mother of Christ).

Dr Nath says, Akbar was 20 when he married his fourth wife in 1562. He contracted three other marriages thereafter. The names of all the wives are faithfully recorded and Maria is not among them. “Noteworthy is the fact that the so-called daughter of Raja Baarmal was only 10 or 12 years of age when she was married to Akbar. She lived for 61 years thereafter, and died in 1623, as her son Jahangir has recorded. That Raja Baarmal had a 10 or 12 years’ old daughter in 1562, when even his grandson Mansingh was 12, is neither a historical record, nor is warranted by circumstances as a reasonable proposition,” says Dr Nath. Incidentally, this Rajput princess is commemorated in a mausoleum built near Akbar’s tomb at Sikandra and known as Mariam’s maqbara (in keeping with her title of Mariam-uz-Zamani). This monument housed Sindhi refugees in Agra after Partition and suffered some damage as a result. Even now it is in urgent need of repairs.

Sarai and baoli

“Mariam Zamani (elaborates Dr Nath) is recorded to have built a large sarai (inn) with a monumental gate, a baoli (step-well) and a garden at Barah, a village situated 5 km from Bayana (Rajasthan) in 1613. Jahangir, her son, noted these buildings in his memoirs. The baoli and its Persian inscription have survived. It is surprising, nay, intriguing that she did not raise any building at Agra and Fatehpur Sikri where she mostly lived. She appears to have been more sentimentally attached to this village, than to Amber or any other place. This raises the question: why did the Queen of Akbar and mother of Jahangir prefer this remote obscure hamlet to large metropolitan Mughal towns as Agra, Delhi, Ajmer and Lahore, for this purpose, and how was she connected with this place ? Was she born there? It is all very mysterious as were, in fact, the secrets of the medieval Rajput raniwas and the Mughal ḥarem.”

Facts, however, suggest that Mariam belonged more to Barah than to Amber, asserts Dr Nath, though film-maker Gowarikar has tried to show Akbar’s wife in the form of Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, “an incarnation of feminine beauty who looks more like the mythical Menaka or Urvashi, rather than an ethnic Rajput lady from Rajasthan.” Authenticity, says Dr Nath, “is in fact the most tragic casualty of the Jodhaa Akbar film, an anti-thesis of Mughal-e-Azam where history has been distorted.” As for Dona Maria Mascarhenas, Prof Correia’s claim will add to the riddle of Jodha Bai, who also had a palace and temple in the Agra Fort, not known as Maria Mahal or Firangi Mahal but Jahangiri Mahal.

The Mughals did keep their secrets close to their heart, among them (sic) the mystery of “Akbar’s Christian wife”. After all he had 3,000-odd zenana , including a Turkish Sultana. Maria was one of them but certainly not Salim’s mother, whom the prince called “Jagat-Gosain”.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Society> History & Culture> Down Memory Lane / by R.V. Smith / April 17th, 2017

Book Launched on Shamim Ahmed, A Human Rights Activist

Amazing Feats, Books (incl.Biographies - w.e.f.01 jan 2018 ), Community Involvement / Social Issues, Education, FREE : Food, FREE : Healthcare / Assistance, Leaders, Useful / HEALTHCARE, World Opinion, , , , , , , , , , , , ,

BIHAR / Kolkata, WEST BENGAL :

Kolkata:

A book titled ‘A world Divided: Human Rights in an Unequal World’ written on the 25-year struggle of famous social activist Shamim Ahmed was launched on September 25 at a grand ceremony held at the Five Star Ruff Hotel The Park in the West Bengal Capital.

Former minister and congress leader Mani Shankar Iyer paid tributes to Shamim as he said there are very few people in the country who do great service for the restoration of human rights and to put a smile on the face of the people of the country.

He congratulated the author of the book and said that the author has researched the life of Shamim Ahmed and brought a book before us.

The book sheds light on the life of Shamim Ahmed and his work in promotion of Urdu language.

Shankar said that he had the opportunity to read a book, adding that he was very much impressed with his “Food for All” campaign.

“Rights and opportunities have not been found. Even today, people on the streets are longing for food.” Mani Shankar Aiyar said that India is a multi-religious country. “The destiny of this country lies in national unity.”

pix: goodreads.com

Former Member of Parliament and renowned intellectual Mohammad Adib, while acknowledging the services of Shamim Ahmed, said that coming from Bihar to Bengal and launching a movement to make Urdu the second official language is nothing short of a feat.

He said, “it is unfortunate that after India’s independence Later, Urdu was treated leniently. There was injustice with Urdu in Bengal as well. Shamim Ahmed raised his voice against this injustice.

Expressing his views on the occasion, Adib said that the 25-year journey of Shamim was full of difficulties, trials and tribulations.


On the occasion, renowned international artist and Bengali intellectual Shubha Parsna said that Shamim Ahmed is the pride of Bengal. “We are happy that there are people in Bengal who speak of humanity and deal with people on humanitarian grounds. That I have known Shamim Ahmed for the last many years. He had compassion for humanity in his heart.

Prasana urged books should be written on such personalities so that the new generation is aware of him. The event was attended by important personalities from different sections of the society.

source: http://www.millattimes.com / Millat Times / Home> National / by Millat Times Staff / October 05th, 2021

Mehak Hyderabadi’s stories spread the fragrance of Urdu in Telugu

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

Hyderabad, TELANGANA :

The former scribe’s recent Telugu translations include anthologies of Saadat Hasan Manto’s Urdu works

Padullaparthy Venkata Suryanarayana Murthy, known by his pseudonym Mehak Hyderabadi to readers, has been bridging the cultural gap through translations. The former senior journalist with 35 years of experience in Telugu print media has been enriching readers with the ease and simplicity of his translations of Urdu stories into Telugu.

In a span of six years (2016-2021), Mehak has brought out six books – translations of two volumes of Jeelani Bano’s Urdu stories (with Telugu titles Guppita Jaare Isuka, Antaa Nijame Chepta), and Jeelani Bano’s autobiography Main Kaun Hoon as Terichina Pustakam. 

What made Mehak’s journey as a translator gratifying yet sapping, both emotionally and mentally, were the two recent anthologies of celebrated Urdu writer-playwright Saadat Hasan Manto’s stories — Saadat Hasan Manto Kathalu (Volume 1, 27 stories) and Manto’s Classics, and Amrita Pritam’s much-acclaimed novel Pinjar’ into Telugu

The Telugu stories Toba Tek Singh (Toba Tek Singh), Teetwal kukka, (Teetwaal ka kutta), Challani Maansam (Thanda Gosht) and Sukhaantam (Anjaam Bakhair) from Manto’s second volume deal with the horrors of Partition. “It is hard not to be gripped by Manto’s narration of the dark times. People from this part of India (South) were not so impacted by Partition but the narrative leaves you distressed. One feels shattered and hopeless and I was no exception,” shares Mehak.

While there have been translations of Manto’s works into Telugu, they have been translated from English or Hindi. Mehak claims, “I am the first writer to translate Manto stories from Urdu, the language they were originally written in.”

Tryst with Urdu

Mehak was transferred to Hyderabad in ’90 from Vijayawada. Hoping to get a State government job, he began learning Urdu from MA Malve, a retired DSP. He did not get the job but continued to learn for two years, cleared Urdu exams and translated Urdu articles from Siyasat and Munsif into Telugu. “Urdu is poetic and its expressions are unmatchable.”

Translations are a lot of labour, observes Mehak. “Being aware of the atma (soul) of the original writer, what he/she wants to convey, the language’s history and culture helps in the translation process. One has to be careful of the idiom and dialect used.” The key Mehak points out is not imitating the writer’s style while ensuring the gist does not get diluted.

Mehak rues the fading away of mushaira culture in Hyderabad as well as the fact that youngsters are not finding learning Urdu rewarding. “Urdu has many admirers but its position as medium of instruction in educational institutions is vulnerable. The link between Urdu learning and employment opportunities is fragile and many students with Urdu as mother tongue are not inclined to study in it.”

Trained under poet Rehman Jami, Mehak is also an Urdu shayar (poet)and has written ghazals on religious intolerance, the Telangana agitation and other contemporary topics. Currently he is translating Hyderabad-based popular Urdu fiction writer (late) professor Baig Ehsas’s anthology, Dakhma.

Revealing the story behind his takhallus (pseudonym), he says, “Mehak means fragrance and also touchstone to check the quality or genuineness of gold. Renowned Urdu scholar Muztaz Majaz who gave me the name felt it will be unique in the literary world.”

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Books> Interview> Author / by Neeraja Murthy / January 27th, 2022

Delhi HC Refuses to Entertain Plea to Ban Salman Khurshid’s Book

Books (incl.Biographies - w.e.f.01 jan 2018 ), Community Involvement / Social Issues, Leaders, , , ,

UTTAR PRADESH / NEW DELHI :

The petitioner alleged that Khurshid has misused his fundamental right to freedom of expression in a very complex manner as it is not absolute.

Congress leaders Digvijay Singh, P. Chidambaram and Salman Khurshid at the launch of ‘Sunrise over Ayodhya’ book on November 10. Photo: Facebook.

New Delhi: 

The Delhi high court Tuesday refused to entertain a plea seeking direction to the Centre and Delhi government to ban the sale and publication of Congress leader Salman Khurshid’s book Sunrise Over Ayodhya: Nationhood In Our Times.

A bench of chief justice D.N. Patel and Justice Jyoti Singh pulled up the petitioner for not impleading the author of the book or publication house as a party to the plea, saying he was a chance taking petitioner who has filed the plea for publicity.

“You want a complete ban on the book but you have not made the author a party. You may ask any heaven or sky. We may dismiss it with costs. You are not joining the author as a party. Stop doing this activity in court. Why are you feeling so shy and not joining the author as a party. We will not give you any chance, this is a deliberate move. These are all chance-taking petitioners. It is for publicity,” the bench said.

After some time, the petitioner’s counsel sought permission to withdraw the petition and file a fresh one with proper averments, annexures and joining proper persons as parties.

The court allowed him to withdraw the petition and disposed it of as withdrawn.

“He has no courage to join Salman Kurshid as a party, what type of PIL (Public Interest Litigation) he will argue. If you are so much worried about the name of the author or the senior advocate, you should not have filed the PIL. These are blackmailing or publicity petitions. This is a waste of time PIL,” the bench said.

Petitioner Rakesh, in his plea through advocates A.K. Dubey and Pawan Kumar, alleged that Khurshid has misused his fundamental right to freedom of expression in a very complex manner as it is not absolute and carries with it special duties and responsibilities towards public interest.

It said there are 90 crore Hindus in the country and if anyone takes offence of such statements made in the book, it could become a law and order problem in society.

“Salman Khurshid has written in the chapter that Sanatan Dharma and classical Hinduism known to sages and saints was being pushed aside by a robust version of Hindutva, by all standards a political version similar to the jihadist Islam of groups like ISIS (Islamic State of Iraq and Syria) and Boko Haram of recent years,” it said.

Khurshid’s new book on the Ayodhya dispute was released recently.

On November 17, an additional civil judge here had refused to grant an ex-parte injunction on a lawsuit by Hindu Sena president Vishnu Gupta to stop the publication, circulation, and sale of the book for allegedly hurting sentiments of a large section of society.

While declining interim relief, the trial court had said the author and publisher had the right to write and publish the book.

(PTI)

source: http://www.thewire.in / The Wire / Home> English> Books> Government> Law / by PTI / November 30th, 2021

Syed Ishaq rebuilds library in Rajiv Nagar in Mysuru

Amazing Feats, Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Books (incl.Biographies - w.e.f.01 jan 2018 ), Community Involvement / Social Issues, Karnataka (under research project),

Mysuru, KARNATAKA :

The decorated public library rebuilt by Syed Ishaq.   | Photo Credit: M.A. Sriram

It offers more than 1,300 books in various languages

More than nine months after the public library he started in Rajiv Nagar in Mysuru was destroyed in a fire accident, Syed Ishaq, the 64-year-old daily wager, has managed to put in place a makeshift structure in the same place to house his collection of books.

The public library rebuilt with corrugated metal sheets was inaugurated on the occasion of Republic Day in the presence of seer of Suttur Mutt Shivarathri Deshikendra Swamiji, Mysuru MP Pratap Simha, former Mayor Ayub and representatives of various Kannada organisations on Wednesday.

Though Mysuru City Corporation (MCC) and the Department of Libraries, Government of Karnataka, had promised to rebuild the library, the promise had remained unfulfilled for various reasons, forcing Mr. Ishaq to take up the construction of the library through the funds he had received from people’s representatives including former Minister Zameer Ahmed Khan, Mr. Pratap Simha, Minister for Cooperation S.T. Somashekar and others.

The rebuilt library now offers the reading public not only more than 1,300 books in various languages particularly Kannada, but also daily newspapers in Kannada, English and Urdu. Mr. Ishaq is hoping to accommodate hundreds of more books that had already been collected and donated to the library by various people and organisations.

After the library was destroyed in an accidental fire in April last year, MCC, Department of Libraries and Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA) had jointly decided to take up the responsibility of constructing a full-fledged library. While the MUDA offered the plot of land for construction of library, the process of construction of the building continued to be delayed, much to the disappointment of Mr. Ishaq.

Mr. Ishaq, who professes his love for Kannada and passion for spreading knowledge among the locals, continued to subscribe for a total of 18 newspapers, besides bringing a small collection of books from his house nearby to the library every day and taking them back.

But, during the rainy season, he used to struggle to keep the books and newspapers dry. As the construction of the full-fledged library by the government continued to be delayed, he decided to put up a shelter and took up the construction of a makeshift structure using the funds donated by the people’s representatives and others.

“About 100 to 120 people come to the library every day to read the newspapers and books. With the new structure in place, I expect the numbers to go up to 170 to 180 every day”, he said.

While he had spent around ₹4 lakh for the makeshift structure, Mr. Ishaq said the donations amounted to around ₹3.5 lakh. “I raised the remaining money by cleaning drainages, painting and doing other odd jobs”, he told reporters after the inauguration of the make-shift structure on Wednesday. Mr. Ishaq said he would like to appeal to the government authorities against making “false promises”.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Karnataka / by Special Correspondent / Mysuru – January 26th, 2022

Hafsa Foundation & PPF to work together for social uplift

Books (incl.Biographies - w.e.f.01 jan 2018 ), Community Involvement / Social Issues, Education, Leaders, SCHOLARSHIPS, Women/Girls(since May26-2021), , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Guwahati, ASSAM :

Books authored by three eminent personalities were launched at a conclave organised by HaFSA Foundation & Progressive Peoples Foundation in the outskirts of Guwahati on Sunday.

Guwahati :

A new year conclave of the office bearers and members of two frontline NGOs of Assam viz HaFSA Foundation (HF) and Progressive Peoples Foundation (PPF) was held at Tepesia, on the outskirts of Guwahati, on Sunday.

Families of the office bearers and members also attended the event in large numbers.

HF is an NGO working towards promoting education and social uplift of the people of Barak Valley, with primary focus on Bam region, the southernmost part of Cachar, for creating an enlightened, cohesive and resilient community. Under the umbrella of HF, four organisations viz HaFSA Academy, HaFSA Centre for Social Welfare, HaFSA Institute of Barak Valley Studies, and HaFSA Rural Library & Information Centre function to fulfil the aims and objectives of the Foundation.

Sayeeda Tasnim, Chairperson of HF, welcomed the guests and participants at the outset of the conclave and gave a glimpse of the different activities taken up by the Foundation during the last year.

Sultanuddin Ahmed, former executive at The Hindustan Times, reading out from “Beyond Soft Skills” authored by Nurul Islam Laskar, at a conclave held in the outskirts of Guwahati on Sunday.

Rafique Ahmed Laskar, Vice Chairperson, PPF informed the audience that PPF is engaged in developmental and social welfare activities across Assam. Its main thrust is on helping the poor and downtrodden in becoming self-reliant. PPF is also supporting a large number of poor students for pursuing higher and technical studies besides extending support to promising young athletes to achieve their dreams. Recently, they donated 100 blankets for the poor indoor patients at Cachar Caner Hospital, Silchar.

At the Sunday conclave organised at the initiative of HaFSA Foundation, it was resolved that the two NGOs – HF & PPF – will explore areas of collaboration in the sphere of educational development in the rural areas with special focus on Barak Valley. The two NGOs also decided to explore possibilities of working together for imparting coaching for Navodaya Vidyalaya entrance test and other recruitments in State & Central Government jobs.

One unique item of the conclave was the book reading session in which four books were released, one authored by Sabir Ahmed Choudhury and brought out by HF; two books on the history of Lakhipur authored by Abid Raja Majumder; and another book on motivation and personality development authored by Nurul Islam Laskar. Sultanuddin Ahmed, former executive of The Hindustan Times, read out a few chapters from Laskar’s book, “Beyond Soft Skills.”

The conclave recorded its appreciation for Jiauddin Choudhury, Chief Adviser, HF for initiating the process through which the NGOs were brought together to work hand in hand for the development of the society.

source: http://www.muslimmirror.com / Muslim Mirror / Home> Book Review> Indian Muslim> Positive Story / by Special Correspondent / January 03rd, 2022