Chocolate is a universal favourite. Associated with love, health, and romance, the fanciful food has also created a cottage industry across the country with the makers using social media to innovate and sell handmade chocolates all over.
Chocolate also caught the imagination of Kashmir’s Ifshana Feroz, an MSc student living in srinagar, who is a self-taught chocolate maker and prides in being called Kashmir’s first floral chocolate maker.
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She sells her chocolates through her popular Instagram page, “Choco Charms”, which has more than 12 thousand followers. If you are a regular on Instagram, you must have seen her page named Choco Charms. She is known for her unique floral customized chocolates, nut-stuffed chocolate dates, coconut truffles, and more.
“Chocolates have a magical way of winning hearts over. They are not only delicious, but are also universally loved by both children and adults. Whether you choose to give them to your furry cousin or your closest friend, these sweet gifts are guaranteed to bring a smile to anyone’s face,” she told Awaz-The Voice.
Ifshana’s handmade Eid hampers that featured three delightful varieties of chocolates – dark, milk, and white – were sold like hot cakes. “And for those who love chocolates with a little crunch, we have added premium dry fruits to them. The box also includes chocolate-coated dates and coconut truffles, ensuring a varied and delightful chocolate experience,” she said.
Inspired by her mother, she was interested in innovating recipes since the age of 9. When she started, she was struggling with many things, but she felt comfortable making recipes and working with the ingredients.
She said; “I realised that the photos of my customised floral chocolates were getting a good response from fellow Instagrammers, people outside of my immediate circle. So I started investing more time into styling and customising, and, making chocolates beautiful.
“Later, I streamlined my content and posted more chocolates. That’s how I built it from scratch. More people started following me for the pictures of chocolates and started ordering. I had always dreamt of starting my own business. When I got the opportunity to start my own business, I invested the tuition fees that I earned from teaching students.
“For me, making chocolate is magical! It helps me relax and explore my creativity. And that’s one thing about it, I always say – it’s so fascinating how you turn chocolate into something so beautiful,” she said.
Recently Ifshana started making customised chocolates. This was an instant and a huge hit. It has been more than five months that she is overwhelmed by the demand for these through social media.
Ifshana said that she wants people not to always be looking for jobs and gain some skills. ”A person should focus on himself and acquire some kind of skill.”
“Unlike the chocolates available in the market, our products are always fat-free and low-sugar,” he said. Featuring luscious coverture chocolate dates filled with nut stuffing, complemented by a velvety hazelnut center and a chocolaty exterior.
Ifshana Feroz’s story is not just the success of a chocolate chef, but it is also a symbol of the growing wave of youth entrepreneurship in the Kashmir Valley. From a sensitive region like the valley, where challenges are often high, it is inspiring to see a young woman turn her passion into a business and make a mark with a brand like “Choco Charms”.
This example shows that Kashmiri youth are now moving away from traditional paths and becoming self-reliant in creative fields and contributing towards economic development. Many youths like Ifshana are creating new opportunities for self-employment with the help of their skills and digital platforms, which is a sign of positive change in the socio-economic scenario of the valley.
source: http://www.awazthevoice.in / Awaz, The Voice / Home> The Changemaker / by Onika Maheshwari, New Delhi / July 07th, 2025
That women’ s bodies and choice of clothing are ostracized and politicized, is not new discourse. Much discussion on the subject has ensued in recent decades by liberals, feminists, progressives and conservatives alike. Add to that visible religious practices, such as head covers (Hijab) and face veiling (Niqab) among Muslim women, and the scrutiny is further exponentialized. So much so, that it disrupts the principles of liberal and western feminists, and suddenly women’s rights to choose what they want to wear begins to be rephrased, and women’s agency to choose to cover themselves is questioned and looked down upon as ignorance or backwardness. As such, Muslim women who practice various degrees of visible modesty, from Hijab to Niqab navigate feelings of discomfort, unwelcome, as well as (c)overt violence when accessing public spaces, including schools, workplaces, markets, restaurants and more. They are often perceived as beings without agency and intellect, and far removed from the mainstream intellectual public realm. Their choice to dress themselves in accordance with their religious and spiritual goals makes their presence in public unwelcome and politicized.
In this article, through interviews with three Niqab-observing Muslim women who have successfully curated , established, and operate their own faith-based businesses primarily selling products through digital means,we draw attention not only on the discomfort and challenges faced by Muslim women in public spaces and traditional office workplaces, but we also highlight the agency embodied by these women to pursue their professional goals in accordance with their personal religious beliefs.
Residing and operating their businesses in India, our interviewees – Kehkashan, Asma Nafis Ansari and Mantasha– have been able to capitalize on the growing adaptation of digital technologies in recent years and produced workspaces for their businesses that offer them the safety and flexibility to pursue their multifaceted aspirations holistically. Rather than waiting for space to be given to them or created for them, they have taken the initiative upon themselves, and are doing so with grit, faith and vision. In doing so, they not only benefit themselves, but also provide employment opportunities, inspiration, and alternative workplace options to others who may find themselves facing similar challenges of discomfort in the public realm.
Faith as an anchor
For these three muslim women, faith is not just a silent actor, but the compass that guides their journeys. Kehkashan, who co-founded ‘Shop Taaseen’ with her business partner Saida Moin, says that they started with a small product, an Umrah dua card in 2024. Today, Shop Taaseen offers a range of faith-based lifestyle products—designed to make Islamic knowledge and reminders part of everyday routines, especially for young Muslims in India. Early on in her academic life, Kehskashan says, she recognized a desire in her to create something of her own but did not know what it would be. She describes herself as someone who has always leaned into creativity with a strong sense of self – “Whatever I do, I want it to be for the sake of Allah.” she shares. That clarity guided her decisions, especially when the spaces around her were not accommodating to her identity. When asked what helped her stay rooted in her vision, Kehkashan said, “the Niqab became my north star. It shaped how I wanted to show up in the world.”
Kehkashan co-founder of Shop Taaseen
Similar to Kekhashan, our second interviewee, Asma Nafis Ansari, founder of ANA, a modest wear brand, spoke of her strong aesthetic sense, shaped by her training at the National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) Kolkata. As a student at NIFT, Asma developed a signature style for her designs over the years, eventually winning her school’s Graduation Award in her final year, for her knitwear collection inspired by the mid-20th century style, Brutalism. Before launching ANA, Asma began a more intentional journey of reconnecting with the Qur’aan. It was during her study of Surah An-Nur, she says, that her personal understanding of purdah or veiling/modesty deepened. “That connection with the Qur’aan gave me clarity…” she says, “… I didn’t just want to work in fashion —I wanted to create something deeply rooted in modesty and meaning.” Today, ANA is not just a clothing brand, but a value-aligned space for modest fashion.
Asma Nafis Ansari the founder of ANA.
Our third interviewee, Mantasha, who holds a postgraduate degree in development communication from Jamia Millia Islamia, launched Shaheen Hijabs after realizing that mainstream, traditional workspaces would not be welcoming of her niqab. After post-graduation, she accepted a position in the development sector that involved extensive fieldwork. While her supervisor remained supportive, she realized that navigating public-facing roles as a Niqabi came with quiet, persistent tensions. “In that environment, personal identity played a critical role…” she reflects, “… people advised me to remove my niqab temporarily—saying it was not obligatory. But no matter how practical their advice sounded, I could not bring myself to do it.” She underscores that, “My niqab is not just a piece of cloth, it is a reflection of my faith.” What followed was a phase of uncertainty, reflection, and quiet resistance. Eventually, she decided to start something of her own and launched Shaheen Hijabs.
Mantasha, the owner of Shaheen Hijabs
For these women, faith is not just their religious belief. It is the guiding principle in their work. They refused to be reduced to stereotypes or forced into palatable molds, and instead have each chosen to build businesses that reflect their aspiration, purpose, religious, spiritual, and personal values.
(In)visible Practices of Faith
For Muslims, religious faith is embodied and practiced in a myriad of ways. Some aspects remain quietly held within—like Taqwa (consciousness of God) or Tawakkul (trust in divine will) – are inward practices that guide one’s principles.
However, there are other religious practices that present more visibly, like offering Salah or dressing modestly in accordance with religious guidelines. Similarly, for many Muslim women who adorn the hijab or niqab, their choice to do so is rooted in faith, devotion and identity.
For Kehkashan, the tension between her visible and invisible religious practices became apparent during a fellowship she had joined before Shop Taaseen. She recalls, “Her cohort of Fellowes were mostly non-Muslim, but they were respectful and very welcoming towards me. I felt seen.” But that feeling did not last long for her. She goes on to say, “[However,] The founder would question my practices, compare me to other Muslims. Many times I was subjected to tokenism disguised as inclusion.” She says that her choice to wear the niqab was repeatedly framed as a limitation – “I was told that niqab will hinder my growth. That it would isolate me and hold me back professionally.” It was in these moments of subtle exclusion — more than overt rejection —that she became more certain that her faith would not be negotiable.
In such ways, niqab-practicing women face exclusion, rejection, humiliation and suppression in traditional workplaces, particularly from those in higher and more powerful positions. These unwelcoming experiences inevitably discourage women from either practicing their faith wholeheartedly, or pursuing their professional aspirations wholeheartedly, pushing them to pick between one or the other.
In Asma’s story, we see a higher degree of exclusion from the public realm. After her graduation from NIFT, Asma was placed at a company in Gurgaon along with two other peers. The three of them then began to look for housing in the vicinity of their new workplace. Through an online portal, they found a potential apartment, and one of her two peers visited the flat, viewed it, and sent a video of the apartment to Asma. Satisfied with the place, Asma and her peers agreed to put down a deposit on the flat. Asma emphasizes that the management knew that someone named ‘Asma’, a common Muslim name, would be moving in. However, when she arrived with her sister at the apartment on a rainy day, they were stopped at the gate and denied entry because of their appearance as veiled Muslim women. “There are many Muslims here… ” the guard told her, “… but they do not dress like you.” It did not matter that she was a skilled designer or that she was simply looking for a place to live. Her Niqab and possibly her Abaya/Burqa ascribed her a communal and/or political identity, and that identity was decidedly excluded . She recalls being told, “If you want to live here, you can’t wear these things.” In that moment, Asma became a symbol of something “other,” something unwanted. Eventually, Asma had to find other housing accommodations. This is the quiet violence many veiled Muslim women face: being tolerated only if they erase or soften visible parts of their identity. It is an expectation that to belong, one must visibly look less Muslim or act less Muslim, and appear more as everyone else. This kind of politics of visibility relies on the erasure of visible culture and tradition that is not just harmful to Muslims, but all social groups and cultures that present more visibly. These stories give us an insight into the direct co-relations between degrees of unwelcome in public space and degrees of visible practice of religious faith. Therefore, much dialogue is needed on the reception of visible practices of faith in a society that portrays itself as a democratic and egalitarian one.
Agency X (Niqabi) Women
Women’ s struggles for agency are multifold. On the one hand, historically, women have had to fight for the right to vote, to be in the workforce, for banking rights, financial freedom, and more. On the other hand, women who exercise agency over their lives have to deal with persistent undermining of their achievements and independent decision making. This kind of undermining is further exacerbated for Niqabi Muslim women, with the most common assumption made about them that they wear it on orders from a male member of family – like a father, husband, or brother – rather than of their own convictions. They are often presumed to be voiceless, passive, or lacking autonomy. To be visibly Muslim, for veiling women, is to constantly push back against the erasure of one’s intellect and agency.
The veil has widely been painted as a symbol of restriction and oppression. Like the other two interviewees, Asma rejects this thinking and instead describes her choice to veil as an expression of deep personal identity. “People see me with respect,” she says, describing how clients and collaborators from across India engage with her during business travel. Her presence, veiled, carries authority. But that authority is also questioned and undermined by others. For instance, at an award ceremony where she was being honored as women entrepreneur of the year, a senior government official turned to her husband and asked, “She is doing such good work, why have you made her cover her face? “, to which her husband responded, “This is her choice. It wasn’t imposed on her by me.” This attitude is not uncommon, and is reflective of how, even in spaces meant to celebrate her success, the assumption of male control and female subservience still lingers. These narratives uncover deeper problems concerning women’s rights, often held by those with saviour complexes, without a true commitment to the cause. It victimizes the Muslim woman and villainizes the Muslim man, framing the problem as ‘saving muslim women from muslim men’. Not only does it misrepresent social issues, it further exacerbates the actual problems Muslim women face by consciously ignoring them. Furthermore, in denying women their proven potential, it highlights the discomfort society still holds about women who achieve success while staying true to their self and not following orders set by and within patriarchal frameworks – that a woman can be successful and devout, that she can lead and be veiled, that she can dress in faith and still possess sharp, unshakeable agency.
Although this article highlights the stories of three Niqab-wearing Muslim women, similar experiences are faced by the broader veiling, Muslim women community. From unwelcoming experiences to rejections, Niqabi women are forced to navigate a number of identity-based hindrances in their personal, professional, and spiritual journeys.
To compensate for their perceived incompetence, many feel forced to overperform, overachieve in comparison to their peers for the same level of acceptance.
Our three interviewees have shown that they do not seek validation in the language or frameworks of others. Their choices are not compromises—their decisions anchored in faith, and carried out with purpose. Agency, for them, is not about abandoning identity to gain access. It is about bringing their whole selves into every space—and reshaping what power, intellect, and leadership look like. What sets these women apart is not just their ability to navigate exclusionary spaces, but their refusal to be defined by them. In centering their faith, they have not only claimed their agency but have also carved out paths of success that are deeply rooted in service to their communities. Women like Asma, Kehkashan, and Mantasha are writing a different story—one where agency is not hidden beneath their veil, but asserted through it.
Kehkashan, through Shop Taaseen, is cultivating a space of belonging. The Taaseen Tribe, a growing digital initiative, brings together Muslim women from across the walks of life to reflect, learn, and connect.
It is a community that echoes Kehkashan’s own journey—a space for young Muslim women to feel seen, intellectually engaged, and emotionally supported.
Asma, from her small town of Mau in Uttar Pradesh, established ANA, that not only reaches customers across India and abroad but also creates livelihood for a team of about 30, consisting of kaarigars, accountants, managers, and assistants. In a world that often parades notions of diversity and inclusivity, but then almost exclusively produces urban, English-speaking workspaces and equates them with success, Asma’s journey redefines what inclusivity looks like. ANA prides itself in maintaining a balance of 1:1 ratio of men to women across their workforce. She is proof that one can build while holding fast to faith, staying rooted in place, and uplifting others along the way.
Mantasha’s story is one of resilience, where she was willing to risk uncertainty to preserve her identity and stay true to herself, rather than diluting her identity to fit in. With no prior business experience, she started Shaheen Hijabs teaching herself the ropes of the business along the way. “I rushed into it… ” she says. “… there were mistakes. I’m still learning. But I’m doing it in a way that doesn’t require me to compromise on who I am or how I want to live my faith.”
So, what then does it mean, to navigate public spaces where one is made hyper-aware of themselves, simply for living in accordance with their faith, which in a democracy, is apparently their fundamental right? What does it mean to carry the weight of assumptions—about agency and intellect—before one even speaks? What could our society look like if we stopped incessantly asking Muslim women to prove their worth, and instead, started paying attention to how they are already building, leading, and transforming the world around them? And more importantly, what could our society look like if we stopped tokenizing identity in the name of (pseudo) diversity and (pseudo) inclusivity, and started creating truly inclusive and democratic spaces for all?
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About the Authors
Aazeen Ghaus is a Development Communication practitioner & freelance writer, based in India. Saba Fatima is an architect based in Albuquerque, USA. She is an incoming PhD student (Fall 2025) in the Built Environments program at the University of Washington, Seattle
source: http://www.muslimmirror.com / Muslim Mirror / Home> Exclusive Reports> Positive Story> Women / by Aazeen Ghaus and Saba Fatima / July 03rd, 2025
In an era of unprecedented majoritarian ascendance and anti-Muslim hatred, Bihar Collective, a platform of intellectuals and activists, has brought out a booklet highlighting the contribution of eminent Muslims in making the modern Bihar in the last 200 years.
The booklet titled Remembering Muslim Makers of Modern Bihar has been compiled and edited by renowned academician and writer Prof. Mohammad Sajjad on the initiative of Bihar Collective.
The booklet will be released at an event in Patna on Saturday (February 23).
On the occasion, a discussion will also be held with Prof Faizan Mustafa, Vice Chancellor, NALSAR University of Law, Hyderabad; Prof Vivek Kumar, JNU, New Delhi; and Prof Mohammad Sajjad, AMU, Aligarh as panelists.
A Brief about Booklet:
Pre-empting a reasonable question about the title of the booklet, Prof Sajjad, who has compiled and edited it, writes in its preface: “A simple and obvious question that may readily arise is: why only Muslim makers of modern Bihar? Why not others too? This is indeed a valid and pertinent question.”
Responding to the question, he further says: “Candidly put, this is because of an unprecedentedly menacing rise of majoritarianism, bigotry, and anti-Muslim hatred, with open support of the state.
The Muslim identities are ominously threatened. There are also unabated attempts to dilute (or even take away) whatever little accomplishments have been made by the forces of social justice and secularism.
Only the Muslim segment however is threatened by the jingoist, exclusionary, violent nationalists, to be thrown out to another country. As if the other country is a dustbin, owned by these bigots, into which they can throw away everything they dislike! As if only the religious majority constitutes the nation! Notably, these jingoists had aligned with the British and had stayed away from the national movement.”
“Muslim contributions in the nation-making (and in the freedom movement) remain under-acknowledged, forgotten or even omitted. Erasure of their histories and memories seem to have become even more pronounced and vociferous, now, than ever before…The Bihar Collective therefore decided to compile a short profile of these inspiring role models, history-makers…This is small and humble step towards retrieving and restoring the nationalist provincial pantheons bearing Muslim identities,” says Prof Sajjad.
He, however, admits that the list of Muslim heroes of Bihar given in the booklet is not exhaustive as “…many have been left out essentially because of lack of documentations and researches. Not many have left their own accounts/memoirs; the available memoirs/accounts have not written much about all the personalities. In many cases, even otherwise “resourceful” descendants and/or associates of the history-makers have not been able to provide us with adequate (and credible/verifiable) details.”
Prof Sajjad hopes this small exercise may lead to some big academic work on these history-makers. “In short, this kind of venture may be said to be an ongoing exercise. This effort may hope to open up (and obtain) more details about such history-makers and would also get to know about many more of such peoples and processes, we failed to include here in this hastily prepared tiny volume, amidst constraints of resources and time.”
Names of Muslim Makers of Modern Bihar Mentioned in Booklet: 1. Syed Imdad Ali (d.1886] 2. Khuda Bakhsh (1842-1908) 3. Syed Amir Husain (1843-1910) 4. Imdad Imam Asar (1849-1934) 5. Shah Badruddin(1852-??) 6. Syed Ali Bilgrami (1853-1911) 7. Rasheed-un-Nesa (1855-1926) 8. Syed Noorul Huda (1855-1939) 9. Justice Syed Sharfuddin (1856-1921) 10. Shaikh Gulab (1857-1920) 11. Sarfaraz Husain Khan (1860-1931) 12. Maulana Mazharul Haque (1866-1930) 13. Batakh Miyan Ansari (1867-1957) 14. Sir Fakhruddin (1868-1933) 15. Syed Ali Imam (1869-1932) 16. Syed Hasan Imam (1871-1933) 17. Salahuddin Khuda Bakhsh (1875-1931) 18. Shafi Daudi(1875-1949) 19. Khwaja Md. Noor(1875-??) 20. Abdul Wadood (d.1955) 21. Syed Abul Hasan (1878-1960) 22. Sir Sultan Ahmad (1880-1963) 23. Maulana Sajjad (1880-1940) 24. Pir Mohammad Munis (1882-1949) 25. Abdul Bari (1882-1947) 26. Syed Sulaiman Nadvi (1884-1953) 27. Mohammad Yunus (1884-1952) 28. Shah Md. Zubair (1884-1930) 29. Syed Abdul Aziz (1885-1948) 30. Zubaida Begum Daudi (1886-1972) 31. Syed Tafazzul Karim (1886-1964) 32. Mr. Mohammad Shafi (1888-1955) 33. Qazi Ahmad Husain (1889-1961) 34. Dr. Syed Mahmud (1889-1971) 35. Ali Husain Aasim Bihari (1890-1953) 36. Shah Mohammad Umair (1894-1978) 37. Abdul Ahad Mohammad Noor (1894-1975) 38. Hakeem Md. Kabiruddin (1894-1976) 39. Maulana Usman Ghani (1896-1977) 40. Manzoor Ahsan Aijazi (1897-1969) 41. Shah Md Ozair Muni’mi (1899-1961) 42. Maghfur Aijazi (1900-1966) 43. Syed Jafar Imam (1900-1965) 44. Syed Badruddin Ahmad (1901-1983) 45. Mohammad Tahir (1903-???) 46. Syed Jafar Imam (1903-1979) 47. Syed Fida Husain (1904-80) 48. Abdul Qaiyum Ansari (1905-1974) 49. Wajihuddin Minhaji (1907-1984) 50. Syed Md. Aiyub (1910-1964) 51. Abdul Sami Nadvi (1913-????) 52. Abul Hayat Chand (1914-1958) 53. Ahad Fatmi(1915-1980) 54. Zawwar Husain (1916-80) 55. Shafiqullah Ansari (1917-1980) 56. Shah Mushtaq Ahmad (1917-2002) 57. Abdul Ghafoor (1918-2004) 58. Col. Mahboob Ahmad (1920-1992) 59. Taqi Raheem (1920-1999) 60. Zahra Daudi(1923-2003) 61. Shakoor Ahmad (1924-1981) 62. Syed Hasan (1924-2016) 63. Yunus Lohia (1925-2019) 64. Ghulam Sarwar (1926-2004) 65. Syed Shahabuddin (1935-2017)
A Brief about Author:
Prof Mohammad Sajjad teaches late-colonial and post-independent Indian history at the Centre for Advanced Study in History, Aligarh Muslim University. He has written several books including Muslim Politics in Bihar: Changing Contours; and Contesting Colonialism and Separatism: Muslims of Muzaffarpur since 1857.
His articles are published in reputed academic journals from Routledge, Sage, EPW etc. and also in anthologies from the Oxford University Press and Cambridge University Press.
Bihar Collective: It is a platform of artists, intellectuals, journalists and activists to promote diversity, pluralism and constitutional values. It aims at bridging the gap between people working in various fields such as media, culture, law, science, arts, human rights, gender equality, films, music, etc. Email: biharcollective@gmail.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/biharcollective
source: http://www.indiatomorrow.net / India Tomorrow / Home> Society / by India Tomorrow / February 21st, 2019
Dr Thumbay Moideen was honoured for transforming the Thumbay Group into a global model of purpose-driven entrepreneurship in healthcare, education & Research.
In a moment of immense pride and global recognition, Dr. Thumbay Moideen, Founder and President of Thumbay Group, has been conferred his Fifth Honorary Doctorate, this time by the prestigious University of Lublin, Poland.
This accolade reaffirms his unmatched contributions to global healthcare, medical education, and Research for the community development.
The honorary doctorate was awarded in recognition of Dr. Moideen’s extraordinary leadership in establishing the First Private Academic Health Sytem and the region’s largest private medical university — and for transforming Thumbay Group into a global model of purpose-driven entrepreneurship in healthcare, education & Research.
Under his visionary leadership, Thumbay Group has impacted millions across more than 175 nationalities, offering compassionate care, research excellence, and world-class medical training.
The University of Lublin acknowledged Dr. Moideen’s pioneering efforts in integrating innovation with empathy, notably through the Thumbay International Research Grant (TIRG) — an initiative investing AED 3 million annually in areas like cancer immunology, AI in healthcare,precision medicine and many more Area’s of Research.
From a young entrepreneur in Karnataka to being celebrated as the most respected Indian Muslim and leading Beary in the world, Dr. Thumbay Moideen’s journey is a testament to what’s possible when faith meets action. Recognized as the leading NRI from Karnataka in the Gulf region, he is admired not just for his accomplishments, but for the values that drive them.
Once someone who measured success through projects and milestones, he has evolved into a changemaker who defines impact by how many lives his work touches.
With this latest recognition, Dr. Moideen joins an elite group of globally honoured visionaries who have reshaped industries while staying rooted in service, humility, and impact.
This doctorate reflects not only his entrepreneurial brilliance but also his enduring belief that health and education are fundamental rights, not privileges.
Speaking at the ceremony, Dr. Moideen said: “If our work has empowered others to dream, to heal, to grow, then I consider it a success. It’s no longer about how far I’ve gone, but how many I’ve taken along. I want Thumbay Group to be remembered as a force that empowered the underprivileged, raised the standards of education, healthcare & Research.”
The vision of Thumbay Group is to deliver excellence by building a seamless ecosystem of education, healthcare, and innovation. From its flagship Gulf Medical University to hospitals, labs, rehabilitation centers, and AI-driven research programs, the Group continues its mission of shaping the future of healthcare —the Group plans to Double its Healthcare capacity and expand its all business to grow 5 fold and have a global presence.
source: http://www.gulftoday.ae / Gulf Today / Home> News / by Gulf Today, Staff Reporter / June 18th, 2025
Noushaba Jeelani, popularly known as the ‘Saffron Queen of Kashmir’, has turned a traditional crop into a global sensation, with an aim of women’s empowerment. Her saffron brand ‘Noush’ exports saffron in Europe and the Middle East.
Jeelani involved hundreds of local women in saffron harvesting, packaging, and quality control, turning saffron cultivation into a sustainable livelihood. Her startup has collaborated with global e-commerce platforms and luxury wellness brands, putting Kashmir’s saffron back on the worldwide map.
Speaking to ANI, Noushaba Jeelani said, “We shifted to Saudi Arabia for five years. Seeing a decline in the saffron business, we thought to come back and give a new identity to an already running business. We did a survey and found that people did not know about adulteration.”
She said that the firm has a network of 600 farmers, and growing and sowing are done by women, as the initiative aimed at empowering them.
Discussing the challenges they faced initially, she said the lack of education among people, as they could not differentiate between Kashmiri and foreign saffron.
“We have our in-house production and processing, so quality control is in our hands, so we make sure we give unadulterated saffron. In the survey, the farmers said their monetary return isn’t included in the business. We wanted to show the process to the farmers so they get a return on their money,” she said.
She said, “We want the women who grow and process saffron to feel empowered and build a community. Basic vision is to grow more saffron, we want to take it forward and want more women to join.”
Giving a message to young girls, Jeelani said, “Today, girls are brave and focused. I would say, do what you want and take the first step. You will evolve as you enter the process… Be fearless.”
Her husband, Afan Basu, told ANI, “We took the initiative to support my wife. In families, women control the work of saffron. In parallel to our B2B business, we wanted to have a women-led, women-empowered business. In Kashmir’s culture, women don’t open up to men, so we wanted to build a society of empowered women and transparency from top to bottom.”
Basu is an alumni of the BITS Pilani and he identifies himself as “chief farmer with an experience of six decades.”
On building a Kashmir brand, Basu said, “In India, there are a lot of brands which sell foreign saffron. Here we have the GI tag also, but if you go out of Kashmir and ask for saffron, they will name brands which do not belong to Kashmir… This is our identity, like apples and walnuts.”
source: http://www.awazthevoice.in / Awaz, The Voice / Home> Stories / by ANI / June 14th, 2025
UAE-based Indian doctor and philanthropist Dr Shamsheer Vayalil has announced Rs 6 crore in financial aid for the families of medical students and doctors affected by the Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad last week.
The ill-fated aircraft struck the BJ Medical College’s Atulyam hostel complex during lunch hour, reducing student residences and the dining hall to rubble.
All but one of the 242 passengers and crew on board the Boeing 787-8(AI 171) and another 29 persons, including five MBBS students, on the ground were killed when the London-bound aircraft crashed, moments after it took off from the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport.
Announcing the relief from the UAE capital of Abu Dhabi, Dr Shamsheer, founder and chairman of Burjeel Holdings and managing director of VPS Health, said he was deeply shaken when he saw the aftermath of the crash.
As someone who had lived in similar hostels during his medical education at Kasturba Medical College in Mangalore and Sri Ramachandra Medical College in Chennai, the images struck a chord, he said.
“I saw the footage from the mess and the hostel, and it truly shook me. It reminded me of the places I once called home, the corridors, the beds, the laughter, the pressure of exams, and the anticipation of a call from family,” he said.
“No one expects a commercial aircraft to come crashing into that world,” he added.
“Those students started the day thinking about lectures, assignments, and patients. Their lives ended in a way none of us could ever imagine. It hit close. Too close,” he said.
Dr Shamsheer’s relief package includes Rs 1 crore for each of the four deceased students’ families, Rs 20 lakh each for five seriously injured students, and Rs 20 lakh each for the families of doctors who lost loved ones.
The financial assistance will be delivered in coordination with the Junior Doctors’ Association at BJ Medical College, ensuring that those in need receive support swiftly.
This is not the first time Dr Shamsheer has responded to such a crisis. In 2010, following the Mangalore air crash, he provided financial assistance and employment opportunities to affected families at Burjeel Holdings, a leading healthcare provider in the Middle East.
source: http://www.english.varthabharati.in / Vartha Bharati / Home> Gulf / by Vartha Bharati / June 17th, 2025
L K Atheeq, a trusted aide of chief minister Siddaramaiah and a 1991-batch IAS officer, has resigned from his post as Additional Chief Secretary (ACS) to the chief minister. He was serving on a contract basis after his superannuation on January 31.
Anjum Parwez, a 1994-batch IAS officer and currently the ACS in the rural development and panchayat raj department, has been appointed as his successor in the chief minister’s office.
Atheeq will continue as chairperson of Bengaluru Business Corridor Ltd, the special purpose vehicle for the Peripheral Ring Road project. Sources indicate he stepped down to spend time with family and pursue personal interests, including motorcycling and poetry.
source: http://www.daijiworld.com / Daijiworld.com / Home> Top Stories> Karnataka / by Daijiworld Media Network – Bengaluru / June 05th, 2025
At 21, Muskan Begum from Hyderabad becomes licensed commercial pilot
A 21-year-old from Hyderabad, Muskan Begum.
Hyderabad:
A 21-year-old from Hyderabad, Muskan Begum, has obtained her commercial pilot licence after completing training in Cape Town, South Africa, becoming one of the youngest from the city to have achieved the feat.
She completed her schooling from Narayana and her intermediate education from Chaitanya before starting her aviation journey. “I did my medicals in Hyderabad and cleared the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) exams from V2 Aviation Academy in Khader Bagh,” she said.
She joined the 4 Aviators Flying School in Cape Town in 2023 after receiving her South African visa. “I completed both my theory and practical exams there, and I was tested with the examiner for my CPL checkride,” she said.
“I’ve flown more than 250 hours and now legally hold a commercial pilot licence,” she told Siasat.com.
Belonging to a middle-class family of seven, Muskan credits her parents for their unwavering support. “My mom does small businesses, and my dad works in Doha, Qatar. Initially, convincing them was a tough task due to the community and irrelevant stereotypes, but in the end, I had their full support,” she said.
“Being a hijabi and getting trained in South Africa was fine with a bit of struggle. But the key was not letting others’ opinions influence me,” she added.
She is currently pursuing instructor training from the same flying school. “I’ll be working here as an instructor to build a good amount of hours and experience,” she said. “So when airline vacancies are available, I can join directly.”
Recalling where it all began, she said, “As a child, I used to see aircraft near the airport. Since then, I imagined myself sitting in the cockpit, flying it by myself.”
“Aviation was a dream at first. Now, it’s everything,” she added further.
source: http://www.siasat.com / The Siasat Daily / Home> News> Hyderabad / by Tamreen Sultana / May 06th, 2025
The World Heritage City of Ahmedabad saw many revered men who silently documented the various tales the city’s monuments, structures and literature had to tell.
One such relentless pursuit was that of publisher, author and a keen student of the medieval history of Gujarat, Shahed Kalimi, who not just ran the nearly-century old Kalim Book Depot but also spent 20 years of voluntary service to set up the library at Sarkhej Roza.
A little over a month after he passed, Kalimi’s contributions to Ahmedabad’s heritage were remembered by academicians, renowned historians and heritage enthusiasts at a remembrance meeting organised in the city on Sunday.
Kalimi was the sole force behind revamping the library at one of the ASI-protected monuments of the Heritage City of Ahmedabad, Sarkhej Roza.
AS Saiyed, President of the Sarkhej Roza Committee, narrated Kalimi’s two decades of voluntary contribution at the Sarkhej Roza and lauded him for his dedication and perseverance. “Kalimi was instrumental in reviving the library at the Sarkhej Roza and setting up a publishing department at the Roza through which many books were translated and published under the aegis of the Sarkhej Roza Committee,” Saiyed said.
During his lifetime, Kalimi had translated nearly 50 books from Urdu, Persian and Arabic, into Gujarati, in a bid to bring forth the little pieces of history about Gujarat to the people here.
In fact, two of his last books – A Bird’s Eye View of Sarkhej Roza and Yaad-e-Ayyam, were released during the remembrance meet.
“Kalimi’s sole aim was to bring forth anecdotes of Gujarat’s history to the state. Being an ardent reader of history himself, he translated many books written about Gujarat and its history, Persian and Arabic to Gujarati. He has translated close to 50 works by now about various aspects of Ahmedabad and Gujarat which the state would have otherwise lost,” said Professor MH Bombaywala, curator and founder, Peer Mohammad Shah Library, one of the oldest in Ahmedabad who was present at the meeting.
Being an ardent enthusiast of medieval history of Gujarat, Kalimi turned his place of work – the Kalim Book Depot – around by diligently sourcing, procuring, even translating if needed to make history books available to people here.
Students of History and even architecture and design often frequented his book store, which was once upon a time, a fulcrum for intellectuals to gather and discuss new, radical ideas through expressions of poetry and Shayari.
The Kalim Book Depot will be a century old in 2026 and till date is known for rare books. “We have retailed the Urdu versions of Ramayana, Mahabharata and the Bhagavad Gita to people. Father used to procure a series of Urdu books from warehouses of libraries, book exhibitions, flea markets including the Gujari Bazar and wherever he travelled and patiently sorted them, to find the right kind of books for history students and later translate them,” said Mushir Kalimi, Shahed’s son.
“Father’s interest was not in the business but instead in letting the younger generation read and delve into the history about Gujarat to the people of Gujarat by translating works of authors from Persian, Arabic and Urdu languages. Therefore, if he realised someone’s interest in books, he would gift them a second book for free besides the ones they’ve bought,” said Mushir.
Kalimi was working on one of his last books just before he passed — Makbaras and Masjids of Ahmedabad. Mushir along with members of the Sarkhej Roza Committee are working towards publishing the book which will soon be out.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> News> City News> Ahmedabad News / by Niyati Parikh / TNN / March 28th, 2022
Famous Ice Cream has been cooling Hyderabad for over seven decades- one scoop at a time.
Image Source: Siasat.com/ Bushra Khan
In a city where history lives in its architecture, language and stories, food, too, becomes heritage. From biryani spots to chai spots, Hyderabad’s culinary map is filled with eateries that have served generations. So, when it comes to summer treats, it is only natural for Hyderabadis to have their favourite spots.
One such spot, quietly holding on to its legacy while serving countless bowls of nostalgia, is Famous Ice Cream, nestled in the grand arches of Moazzam Jahi Market. Established in 1951, this iconic parlour has been cooling Hyderabad for over seven decades- one scoop at a time.
Siasat.com got in conversation with the third-generation torchbearer of the beloved Famous Ice Cream parlour and relived the journey, from its humble beginnings to becoming a summer staple of Hyderabad.
Image Source: Siasat.com/ Bushra Khan
Three generations, one legacy
It all started with Mohammed Haleemuddin, who opened the shop at a time when ice cream was a rare sight in Hyderabad. His decision to set up at Moazzam Jahi Market was a strategic one- its proximity to Abids, which was then considered the city’s most happening area. “While Abids still bustles with activity today, it was the Jubilee Hills and Hitech City of the 1950s,” says Mohammed Mazhar, manager at Famous Ice Cream.
The parlour was passed down from Haleemuddin to his son Mohammed Azeemuddin, who poured his heart and soul into making Famous Ice Cream a big brand. Up until 2015, Azeem sustained the business and passed it down to his son, Mohammed Asimuddin, who continues to run the parlour with the same sincerity.
While generations changed, Famous Ice Cream did not change its legacy of keeping things fresh and natural.
Image Source: Siasat.com/ Bushra Khan
The charm of hand-churned ice cream
At a time when summer menus are filled with sundaes and fancy gelatos, Famous Ice Cream sticks to its roots, and that is exactly what keeps the crowd coming. Their hand-churned ice creams, made from seasonal fruits, cream and milk, are still the star of the show.
“In the early years, we served only fruit-based ice creams. Mango, of course, was and still is the best-selling flavour. Over time, the menu expanded to include various flavours like butterscotch, pista, and chocolate in ice cream bricks, cones and sundaes,” Mazhar tells Siasat.com.
But, the soul of the parlour remains in its rustic, fruit-forward offerings. Today, the hand-churned flavours include mango, chikoo, musk melon, custard apple, jamun, lychee, strawberry and more.
Hand churning machine at Famous Ice Cream (Image Source: Siasat.com/ Bushra Khan)
Hyderabad’s favourite scoop
Ask around, and you will hear stories of people making detours and patiently waiting on the white antique chairs for their scoop of nostalgia. At Moazzam Jahi Market, it is common to see grandparents introducing their grandkids to the same ice cream flavour they once enjoyed as children.
Furthermore, notable names are also fans of this parlour. “The Siasat family and the Farooqui family have been our regular patrons for decades, and they order from us for every important function”, he said.
There is a story behind the name, too. While no one knows exactly why it was named Famous, the reason has always been clear. “People used to call our ice cream ‘mashoor’, which means famous in Urdu,” says Mazhar, “and the name just stuck”.
A glimpse inside Famous Ice Cream’s freezer (Image Source: Siasat.com/ Bushra Khan)
Famous Ice Cream’s competition?
“There is no competition,” says Mazhar with a smile. While this can be mistaken for arrogance, it is actually a quiet assurance that comes from decades of trust and consistency.
Over the years, many ice cream parlours have sprouted in Moazzam Jahi Market, hoping to tap into the same footfall and nostalgia, but Famous Ice Cream remains unfazed. “Our customers know the difference. They come here for the taste, the memories and because they trust what goes in their bowl,” he says.
Famous Ice Cream is a testament to the fact that legacy and simplicity always stand the test of time.
source: http://www.siasat.com / The Siasat Daily / Home> Lifestyle / by Bushra Khan / April 17th, 2025
