“To monitor the Covid-19 situation, every night I used to visit safe homes and oxygen parlours to see if everything is in the right condition or not,” said chairperson of administrative board of Kolkata Municipal Corporation Firhad Hakim.
Kolkata, WEST BENGAL :
Chairperson of administrative board of Kolkata Municipal Corporation Firhad Hakim. (Express photo)
Firhad Hakim, chairperson of administrative board of Kolkata Municipal Corporation and former Mayor, speaks to Atri Mitra on his tenure at the helm of KMC and his vision for the city.
You became Mayor of Kolkata at a crucial juncture.
When I became Mayor, (in November, 2018) within a few months, Covid-19 came to India. After that, lockdown. Then Cyclone Amphan came. I faced the challenges one by one.
In the initial days of the pandemic, even ambulance drivers were wary of taking patients to hospitals. Dead bodies were dumped at hospitals. Residents around crematoriums objected to bodies of Covid patients being brought for cremation.
We started cremation at our crematorium at Dhapa but some local residents of Dhapa pelted stones. They ransacked a van. Kolkata’s image took a hit. But we then reached out to people slowly and ensured that the cremation of Covid victims was done smoothly.
We also started sanitisation work across Kolkata. [Actor] Amitabh Bachchan also praised our work and said, “if Kolkata can, why not Mumbai?”
What were the challenges posed by Cyclone Amphan?
When we are just recovering from the Covid situation, Amphan came and within one night, all of Kolkata was affected. We accumulated our entire work force in one place. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee requested Odhisha for help. They sent a team of experts. Then, within 3-4 days, we were able to restore normalcy in Kolkata. Many people can criticise us but they should understand that when Amphan happened, my mayorship was not completed one year and this type of cyclone had not happened in Kolkata in the past 100 years or so. But we fought it unitedly and succeeded.
What is the biggest challenge you faced during your tenure as Mayor?
There were several. Now, we are facing challenge of substantial rainfall. I tried to solve problems from the streets, not from my chamber.
To monitor the Covid-19 situation, every night I used to visit safe homes and oxygen parlours to see if everything is in the right condition or not. Whether people are getting proper service or not. A former mayor (Shovan Chatterjee) may criticise me sitting in his residence but no one knows what he would have done if he had been in my situation.
The opposition is alleging that this board did not do enough to tackle waterlogging in the city.
One has to understand that rain and nature seem to be changing pattern. In the past, we never saw such floods in Kedarnath and Badrinath. Never saw a situation where Chennai, Mumbai, and even Delhi and Ahmedabad are facing flooding.
You have to give time. We have been planning. We are exploring new ways to drive away water. We talked with irrigation department to dredge the canals, too.
If you are again elected as Mayor, what is your plan?
First, I aim to improve the city’s sewerage system and sort out the waterlogging problems. We will call up experts to review the sewerage system of Kolkata and then we need full-fledged planning for this.
source: http://www.indianexpress.com / The Indian Express / Home> Cities> Kolkata / by Arti Mitra, Kolkata / December 18th, 2021
Dr Sharmeen Mushtaq Nizami is a J&K-based philanthropist and adventure trekker who helps cancer patients, widows and orphans. (Waseem Andrabi)
Dr Sharmeen Mushtaq Nizami, a J&K-based philanthropist and adventure trekker, feels that a girl can do big things in life when her parents support her; she has set up a charity trust that helps cancer patients, widows and orphans.
Whatever life throws at Dr Sharmeen Mushtaq Nizami, she takes it as a challenge, overcomes it and moves on. She believes one’s life should be an inspiration for others.
Dr Nizami, in her early 40s, works at a Srinagar hospital and runs a trust for cancer patients besides pursuing her hobby of being an extreme mountain trail motor-sport traveller. Since childhood, she has pursued her passion whether it was studying medicine in the 1990s when militancy was at its peak in Jammu and Kashmir or her love for jeeps.
Her biggest challenge in life came when her husband was diagnosed with cancer and died in 2007 within six years of their marriage, leaving her to bring up their two children, a three-year-old son and a year-old daughter.
“It was a traumatic phase. I struggled but my parents supported me. Initially, being a single parent appeared tough but gradually I came to terms with reality,” she says.
As time went by, she decided not to remarry and moved back to her ancestral home in Srinagar from her husband’s house in Jammu.
Dr Nizami, who is now the medical officer in-charge at a Srinagar hospital and on Covid duties, says that her experience during her husband’s illness pushed her towards helping patients and the needy.
“Though we were relatively well off, we had to go outside for treatment as he was suffering from pancreatic cancer. We realised that the treatment is expensive and drains most families’ savings,” she says.
Even before her husband’s death, she would collect money from attendants using charity boxes outside OPDs. Later, friends and colleagues asked her to setup a trust with a separate account where people could donate money. “We get a lot of donations during Ramazan, which are primarily used to help cancer patients and those needing a kidney transplant. The trust also helps widows and orphans who have no source of income,” she says.
Nizami, the eldest of four siblings, says that her parents Mushtaq Nizami, a military contractor, and Shahida Parveen, a homemaker, have been her strength. “Any girl can do big things in life when her parents support her,” she says.
Ask her what got her interested in jeeps, and she says, “I have imbibed my father’s passion for driving jeeps. In 2018, I came upon some videos of the Kashmir off-road club which organises competitive events and overland expeditions, and decided to participate in a snow-race event (Frozen Rush) at Gulmarg.”
Nizami, who always wears a hijab, was the only woman to participate in the adventure sport and created quite a buzz on social media. “I hadn’t realised that I was breaking stereotypes , until I saw people’s reactions,” says Nizami, who has since participated in dangerous events like mud race and river crossing.
“Some people tried to dissuade me saying it was risky, but I remained unafraid,” says Nizami, adding that she gets a lot of messages from young girls who admire her.
She says her faith in the Almighty has never wavered despite the many challenges in her life. “Not just driving, but life in general throws a lot of challenges at us. We have to accept the challenges and move forward,” she says.
source: http://www.hindustantimes.com / Hindustan Times / Home> Cities> Others / by Ashiq Hussain, Srinagar / September 16th, 2021
Barely two weeks before his death, Maulana Azhari went to Kasganj to meet the family members of Altaf, who was found dead in police custody
Maulana Abdul Hameed Azahri Funeral / Maulana Abdul Hameed Azhari’s Janaza taken to Bada Qabristan in Malegaon for the funeral and last rites. (ummid.com photo)
September 16, 2006, exactly a week and a day later, we were in a meeting with then Chief Minister of Maharashtra Vilasrao Deshmukh in Matralaya, Mumbai. The meeting was called at the behest of Abu Asim Azmi, then Rajya Sabha MP of Samajwadi Party (SP). Azmi had gathered about 25 Muslim MPs, including Maulana Mehmood Madani, Asaduddin Owaisi and others, along with the relatives and close family members of those arrested after the July 2006 Mumbai train blasts.
Abu Asim Azmi had sought from the Chief Minister a hearing to lodge complaint against the indiscriminate arrests of Muslim youth following July 2006 Mumbai train blasts. The case of September 08, 2006 Malegaon serial blasts at Bada Qabristan and Mushawerat Chowk was added in the agenda in the last minute.
Top police officials including Director General (DG) Police Maharashtra P.S. Pasricha, Mumbai Police Commissioner A.N. Roy and then ATS Chief K.P. Raghuvanshi were also there in attendance.
Family members of those thrown in jail following the Mumbai train blasts were sharing the heart wrenching stories of how their close kin were framed in the case and made accused for something they were not responsible of. It was then that a man in his sixties wearing white kurta and sporting Jinnah cap stood up.
“You have framed innocent Muslims in false cases. Now you want to repeat the same to cover up the Malegaon blasts case”, he said, his fingers pointing at the police officials.
He then turned towards Chief Minister Deshmukh and said, “We don’t trust your police. We have lost our near and dear ones in Malegaon blasts. Any attempt to cover up the case will be dealt with strongly.”
The Chief Minister, not accustomed to such plain speaking, watched in dismay.
The man who had upset the highest chair in the state was Maulana Abdul Hameed Azhari. Besides Maulana Azhari, I had seen only Maulana Mohammad Wali Rahmani (Sample here) talking to ministers and top officials in such a blunt, unapologetic and uncompromising tone.
My very first meeting with Maulana Hameed Azhari was when I went to Riyadh in 1994 to work as an Engineer at Saudi Carpet Factory. Maulana Hameed Azhari was in the Saudi capital since 1978. He served there at Information Centre of Saudi Ministry of Defence till his retirement in 2002 as Supervisor of the Centre.
“We used to work on monochrome computers provided on rent by IBM. Multi-tasking operating systems with GUI support were not yet available for the users. It was literally tiring to work on computers those days. No wonder if we were left completely exhausted after office hours.
“The Maulana however was a workaholic, and despite his hectic and tiring duty hours, would regularly engage with fellow Indians, especially those from Malegaon, listening their issues if any and helping them out in whatever way he could”, Sheikh Ahmed, who worked with him at the same centre in Riyadh, told ummid.com.
“His home in Riyadh was a centre for the expatriates to share their grievances, especially on Fridays when he used to serve lunch to the visitors. His wife was a good cook, and for the expatriates having home-made food in Riyadh was no less than a delight”, he said.
“Maulana Azhari was respected also by his seniors for his devotion to work. This is why he was honoured and conferred upon an award of appreciation and acknowledgement at the time of retirement”, Sheikh Ahmed recalled.
The post Maulana Azhari held was probably the highest by any Malegaonian abroad. Things have changed now a bit. But, getting rewarded for work in Saudi Arabia was rare during those days.
“Early days and Education”
Maulana Azhari was born in 1944. He was among the founding batch students of Madrasa Millat, established by Maulana Abdul Hameed Nomani – his mentor, guide and inspiration. After graduating from Madrasa Millat, Maulana Azhari went to Darul Uloom Deoband for further studies.
Later, he went to Al Azhar in Cairo, Egypt for higher studies. Maulana Hameed Azhari was one among the 05 students of Maharashtra who went to Al Azhar for higher education. Besides him, others were Maulana Nazir Azhari, Maulana Abdul Ahad Azhari and Maulana Mukhtar Azhari –a all from Malegaon. The 5th one was from Sholapur.
Back home from Al Azhar, Maulana Hameed Azhari joined Madrasa Millat, his alma mater, as a teacher. He spent few years here and then went to work at Saudi Embassy in New Delhi. It was because of this assignment that he got the posting at the Information Centre of Saudi Ministry of Defence in Riyadh where he worked till retirement.
During the same period, Maulana Azhari, with the help of some of his friends, worked towards establishing Kulliyah at Taherat – a madrasa for education of girl-students. The madrasa was administered by his younger sister, Gulshan Aapa, till her death.
“A Crusader”
Maulana Azhari was a great admirer of Maulana Abul Kalam Azad – one of the front leaders of India’s freedom movement and the country’s first Education Minister. Post retirement, Maulana Azahri established in his name “Maulana Abul Kalam Azad Research Centre” and devoted him for promotion of research and knowledge. He also undertook Arabic teaching classes and Duroos – sessions to study Quran at Rahmani Masjid, Nayapura on regular basis.
The Malegaon serial blasts on September 08, 2006 however “rekindled the activist” in him, and he led from the front the campaign for the acquittal of local Muslim youths who were wrongly framed in the case.
[Watch in this video Maulana Abdul Hameed Azhari criticising the functioning of ATS, Malegaon blasts, and also referring to his September 16, 2006 meeting with then Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh in Mumbai.]
It was the time when no one, except the close kin of the accused, would dare to speak anything in favour of them. Maulana Azhari however started the campaign – initially with few of his close aides, later expanding it through the Kul Jamaati Tanzeem – an organisation represented by leaders of all Muslim sects.
The formation of Kul Jamaati Tanzeem was a big blow to the investigating agencies that were of the view that the bomb blasts in Malegaon were the result of sectarian differences between various Muslim groups.
During the course of about five-year long campaign, Maulana Azhari met everyone – right from UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi, Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh, Union Home Minister P Chidamabarm to CPI-M General Secretary Prakash Karat, Mulayam Singh Yadav, Lalu Prasad Yadav and others. This is besides frequently leading representations on a number of occasions to Maharashtra state leadership including Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh and his successor Prithviraj Chavan. In all these meetings, the Maulana had only one point to raise. Local Muslim youths are innocent and there is a need for a thorough investigation into the 2006 Malegaon terrorist attack.
Slain ATS Chief Hemant Karkare had later confessed that it was because of this strong conviction that he decided to explore all possible angles while investigating the another terrorist attack that rocked Malegaon this time on September 29, 2008 at Bhikku Chowk. It is now a history how the motorcycle on which the bombs were planted led to the expose of the Hindutva terrorists who were involved in the terrorist attack not only in Malegaon but also in other places of the country.
The efforts taken by Maulana Azhari-led Kul Jamaati Tanzeem and others bore fruit when the Muslim accused were first granted bail in November 2011 and later discharged from the 2006 Malegaon blast case in April 2016.
“War against Coronavirus”
After the acquittal of Muslim youths in the 2006 Malegaon blasts case, Maulana Azhari kept alive the Kul Jamaati Tanzeem even though some people felt that the organisation was no more needed.
After the outbreak of the Covid-19 when unfortunately Malegaon became a victim at the initial stages of the Pandemic’s first wave and when whole of the city was turned into a prison, Maulana Azhari again rose to the occasion. Taking members of the Kul Jamaati Tanzeem along he met the Health Minister, District Collector and other officials of the civic body and health department to demand adequate facilities for those who were advised quarantine.
Maulana Azhari personally visited with few of his close aides the temporary quarantine centres and met the Covid-19 victims to solace them in the time of distress. This is perhaps why he too became infected with the deadly virus. Lucky as he always was, he won the battle against the Covid-19 but was forced to suspend his regular activities because of weakness and post-Covid complications.
Maulana Azhari resumed regular activities – this time at national level, after the first wave of Covid-19 ceded and his health condition improved. Expanding his activities, Maulana Azhari joined hands with Waman Meshram of BAMCEF and Maulana Khalilur Rahman Sajjad Nomani of All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB).
While working with BAMCEF, Maulana was also nominated as the National President of Rashtriya Muslim Morcha. Through this platform Maulana Azhari travelled to far-away places of India and met Dalit and Muslim victims wherever they lived.
Barely two weeks before his death, Maulana Azhari went to Kasganj to meet the family members of Altaf, who was found dead in police custody. During the same period, Maulana Azhari visited a number of districts of Uttar Pradesh before attending the 27th session of the All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) held in Kanpur on November 20 and 21, 2021.
After his return from Uttar Pradesh tour, Maulana Azhari lost no time in meeting with the top police officials in the wake of indiscriminate arrests after November 12 Malegaon bandh and shutdown called to protest against the anti-Muslim carnage in Tripura .
“There should be a distinction between those involved in violence and the organisers who had called for the shutdown. Your tirade against the organisers is arbitrary and unconstitutional. It should be stopped”, he told Additional Superintendent of Police (ASP) Malegaon Chandrakant Khandvi in his signature blunt tone that had dismayed the Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh back in 2006.
Two days later on December 04, 2021, Maulana Abdul Hameed Azhari, whose crusade and statesmanship helped in exposing the people involved in the war against Muslims in the name of fighting terrorism, left for his heavenly abode .
[The writer is Founder Editor of ummid.com and is privileged to work with Maulana Hameed Azhari.]
source: http://www.ummid.com / Ummid.com / Home> Obituary / by Aleem Faizee, ummid.com / December 07th, 2021
The students of ATME College of Engineering have won Best Project of the Year Award in Electrical and Electronics Engineering Stream in the 44th Series Student Project Programme held under Karnataka State Council for Science and Technology, Smart Personal Protective Equipment for Healthcare Workers to Combat COVID-19.
Seen are (standing from left) Team members Mohammed Huzaif, Haseebulla Baig, Syed Rawoofur Rahman, Simrah Fathima with (sitting from left) R. Shreeshayana, Assistant Professor and Project Guide, Department of EEE, Dr. L. Parthasarathy, Professor and Head, Department of EEE, Dr. L. Basavaraj, Principal, ATMECE, Dr. Sachidanandamurthy, Administrative Officer and Dr. G. Rathnakar, Dean – Student Affairs.
source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> Photo News / December 02nd, 2021
AS they say – think individually, act globally – BENFA is doing just that. BENFA (Bengaluru Friends Alliance) was born with the common goal and the collective efforts of a group of doctors to help the underprivileged section of society. The organization extends financial help to the poor and helps them overcome their financial hurdles in education and healthcare.
Talking about the organization Dr. Saleem Mehkri, Vice President and Trustee, said, “We were already into helping poor Muslim population with their education and health issues.
Then, it was planned by Dr. Suhel Pasha to establish an umbrella organization to facilitate their charity works on a large scale. The organization primarily addresses a large number of poor Muslims and deserving non-Muslims, too.”
Dr. Suhel Pasha, President, BENFA, said, “Twenty percent of the city’s population lives in slums with the lowest standard of education, inefficient healthcare, lack of necessities, and most importantly low standard of living. Even today, one-third of the slum dwellers fall below the poverty line with an income of less than Rs. 2500 per month. So, to help these poor populations, BENFA was established in October 2020.”
BENFA is a registered charitable trust focusing on education, healthcare, and socio-economic empowerment of underprivileged parts of society. How BENFA assists in empowering the disadvantaged? Answered Abdul Mateen, BENFA General Secretary, “We have recently launched a micro-credit scheme to provide loans to the deserving women and men to start their small trades. The loans we give are free of interest. So, they have to return only the principal loan amount without any interest.”
Dr. Saleem informed, “We have launched schemes not only to empower poor men and women financially, but we also aim to empower them through adult education schemes. We provide education and training to unemployed youngsters/adults as per their skills and help them get government or private jobs. We have helped students to pay their fees and paid hospital bills too.”
According to Dr. Saleem, around five people are benefitted every week through their microcredit scheme. So, how does the organization arrange its finances? Replied Dr. Saleem, “We have around 500 members, including 400 male members and 100 female members, who voluntarily contribute and help run the organization successfully. Nobody is forced to contribute.”
Besides these programmes, BENFA actively distributes rations during Eid-Ul-Fitr, performs Qurbani/sacrifices during Eid-Al-Adha, and distributes meat amongst low-income families. Furthermore, BENFA has several groups focusing on different areas, namely-BEEP for education, BHCP for healthcare, BSSP for socio-economic support, BMCS for microcredit schemes, and BALP for adult learning programs.
That is not all. BENFA is slowly and steadily adding more to its activities for the betterment of society. Lately, in collaboration with the field experts, BENFA has organized several webinars related to health and education topics. Pointed out to Dr. Suhel, “We organized webinars to educate people on several issues that focus on health, education, amongst others. We also organize career counselling for youth. We invite experts to address the relevant topics.”
BENFA also played an active role amidst the raging COVID 19 by supplying oxygen to the patients. As Dr. Pasha said, “We supplied oxygen cylinders during COVID 19 and spread awareness regarding the vaccine and also organized a webinar to help people prepare themselves during COVID crisis.”
Dr. Saleem urged people to join the organization as members to extend help to a large number of underprivileged people.
source: http://www.indiatomorrow.net / India Tomorrow / Home> Development> Features / by Rashida Bakait / October 16th, 2021
Emerging innovator Kaif Ali, a student of the Faculty of Architecture & Ekistics, Jamia Millia Islamia(JMI) won the prestigious Commonwealth Secretary-General Innovation Award for Sustainable Development-2021.
He is the only Indian amongst 15 awardees from 54 Commonwealth countries to win the prestigious award for his contribution towards Covid19, refugee shelter crisis, and climate change.
Each winner of the award received a trophy, 3,000 pounds (3,00,000 INR approx.) in prize money and the opportunity to scale up their innovations in collaboration with partners and mentors across the Commonwealth.
Kaif has invented low-cost portable housing for Covid-19 quarantine and shelter from extreme weather conditions like earthquakes and flooding.
His design has been recognised by the UN under the top 11 emerging innovation start-ups solving climate challenges.
JMI Vice Chancellor Prof. Najma Akhtar congratulated Kaif for the achievement and said that the university is proud of him. “We expect that it will motivate other students of the university to work hard, think out of the box to get noticed and contribute in nation building”, Prof. Akhtar said.
During the pandemic, Kaif researched how architecture could prevent the spread of disease. He designed a prefabricated sustainable shelter, SpaceEra, that would not only help reduce transmission of the virus but could also house refugees worldwide in the future.
“Winning the Commonwealth Innovation Award lifts my confidence to a greater level and motivates me to work even harder than yesterday and innovate unprecedented solutions toachieve a sustainable future. I pledge to become the voice of the youth transforming the Commonwealth and to Be the Change!”, Kaif said.
source: http://www.jmi.ac.in / Jamia Millia Islamia / Public Relations Office, JMI / September 30th, 2021
The 221 pages book released by SIO briefly introduces all the 387 Mappula leaders who fought British and Hindu feudal lords.
Following the Indian Council of Historical Research’s (ICHR) decision to remove the names of Mappila or Moplah leaders from the ‘Dictionary of Martyrs: India’s Freedom Struggle 1857-1947‘, the Students Islamic Organisation of India (SIO) Kerala unit released the ‘Dictionary Of Mappila Martyrs’ compiling the names of all the 387 martyrs.
The book “Dictionary of Mappila Martyrs” was handed over by Amjad Ali E M, State President of SIO Kerala to Alavi Kakkadan, a prominent historian and chairman of Variyamkunnath Kunjahammad Haji Foundation of India. Abdul Hakeem Nadwi, State secretary of Jama’athe Islami Kerala, Rashad V P, State secretary of SIO Kerala, and Sahel Bas Joint Secretary of SIO Malappuram were present at the launch of the event at Press Club Malappuram on Monday.
Amjad Ali EM said that the Malabar Uprising of 1921, which is described by historians as the first mass-scale uprising against the British in southern India, discomforts Hindutva politics and therefore the dictionary released by the governing Sangh Parivar can’t include Malabar martyrs.
A three-member panel, which reviewed the entries in the fifth volume of the Dictionary of Martyrs: India’s Freedom Struggle 1857-1947, brought out by the ICHR, recommended the deletion of the names of Mappila martyrs, saying that the 1921 uprising against the British was never part of the independence struggle but a fundamentalist movement focused on religious conversion.
“The greatness of Variyan Kunnathu and Ali Musliyar lies in not getting into the good list of Sangh Parivar. And history will remember them for getting omitted from Sangh distorted history, therefore, to mention the names of the Mappila martyrs who were cut off by the ICHR is to express a strong stand against the Hindutva regime,” Amjad Ali said. Alavi Kakkadan, Abdul Hakeem Nadwi, Rashad V P, and Sahel Bas also expressed their opinions in the meet.
The 221 pages book released by SIO briefly introduces all the 387 Mappula leaders who fought British and Hindu feudal lords.
Was The Moplah Uprising Part Of Indian Freedom Struggle And Was It Anti-Hindu? / video source: thecognate.com
source: http://www.thecognate.com / The Cognate / Home> News / by The Cognate News Desk / September 14th, 2021
President Ram Nath Kovind presented the National Florence Nightingale Award 2020 to 51 nurses across the country.
For representational purposes (Photo | Prasant Madugula, EPS)
Thiruvananthapuram :
President Ram Nath Kovind presented the National Florence Nightingale Award 2020 to 51 nurses across the country. Adhering to Covid protocols, the presentation of the awards was held as a virtual ceremony.
Two nurses from Kerala, nursing superintendent at Thiruvananthapuram Medical College Hospital P Geetha and nursing officer at Community Health Centre at Androth Island in Lakshadweep – Muhammed Asif, were honoured with the meritorious services award for nursing professionals in the country.
The annual award was instituted by the Union Health ministry in 1973.
The winners were awarded Rs 50,000 as cash prize, a certificate, a citation and a medal.
The ceremony was organised at the Thiruvananthapuram National Informatics Centre in the city.
Nursing Council Registrar Dr Saleena Shah and Dr P S Sona, who is the state coordinator of the award committee, attended the event.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Good News / by Express News Service / September 17th, 2021
42-year-old Fathima Benazir, a molecular biologist has come up with a new non-toxic used to test for viruses in labs
The new dye, derived from natural ingredients, can be handled without gloves and could revolutionise the field of DNA testing
Dye prices have skyrocketed after the pandemic and a 500 ul vial is enough for 10,000 RT-PCR tests
A new discovery could revolutionise DNA testing, which has become so important after the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic. Even more remarkably, that breakthrough was made in a kitchen by a researcher whose love of science prompted her to tread the unbeaten path.
With the eruption of Covid-19, the number of RT-PCR tests, regarded as the “gold” standard of testing) have skyrocketed. But with the increased demand for such tests there are also increased lab and environment hazards. This is because the fluorescent (or fluorophore) dyes used in the testing of nucleic acids such as DNA and RNA, are often heavily toxic to lab staff and pose a serious problem when it comes to disposal.
A new non-toxic fluorescent dye invented by a Bengaluru-based scientist could potentially revolutionise how this testing is done in the near future.
Fathima Benazir, 42, a molecular biologist by training, always knew that she wanted to be a scientist, but that it was ultimately a failure to get into an MBBS programme (by a 2% margin), which pushed her towards biotechnology.
The 35-year old social worker in Lucknow, while fasting during Ramadan, has arranged the cremation of around 7-8 COVID-19 patients who had no one to cremate them.
Lucknow:
Azra Mobin has been through a whirlwind of emotions in the past few weeks. The 35-year old social worker in Lucknow, while fasting during Ramadan, has arranged the cremation of around 7-8 COVID-19 patients who had no one to cremate them.
The first cremation that she arranged and witnessed was of an 80-year-old Moolchandra Srivastava, a man she did not know until his son Gaurav called and pleaded for help.
Moolchandra had been infected with COVID-19 and was admitted in a private hospital in the city. His son was apprehensive of cremating the body because he has diabetes, and his brother and sister-in-law were also infected with the virus.
From Aliganj, where she lives, she went to take the body and in ambulance went to Baikunth Dham to get him cremated. Accompanying her was Deepak, a friend of hers. Not just for help, but she had also asked Deepak to tag along for a better understanding of the last rites.
It was a hot sunny day and Mobin was fasting as well. Wearing the Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) suit, she started to feel dizzy. Mobin said, “I thought I would faint near the pyre where the body was burning, and I sat on a slab nearby. But I wanted to make sure the body was cremated first.”
Two crematorium workers, one of them named Khurshid, she recalled, also helped her during the cremation.
“Humein mazhab se matlab nahi hai, bas aisa nah ho ke kisi ki laash reh jaye,” said Mobin. (I don’t care about the religion; I just don’t want anyone’s body to be left behind.)
It all started last month when she felt helpless and numb hearing one devastating news after another. On 19 April, she posted her number on Facebook, asking people to contact her if any help needed for cremations.
The incident that still shakes her core
One day, after iftar, she had a conversation with a young 21 year old boy, Aman Srivastava that still breaks her heart.
Aman could not stop crying on the call. He was at Raebareli road and he had reached out for help for his mother but by then she had passed away. Aman has a younger sister. His father was in isolation and in a critical condition.
He was breathing heavily so Mobin asked him if he has COVID-19, to which he said, “No. I don’t. I just haven’t eaten anything. I miss my mother, how can I even eat?”
She tried to comfort him and assured that she is available if any help needed. The following day, she was back to arranging other cremations.
All this while, she could not stop worrying about the boy and wondered why he had not called. A few days later, his sister answered her call.
“The day after you called, my father passed away. The next day, my brother whom you spoke to, Aman also passed away. My grandmother, in this shock of these deaths, also passed away.” his sister said.
Already quite disturbed, Aman was told to take the ashes to Kanpur. He got in an accident and and passed away.
This hit Mobin really hard. She assured all help to the girl and her relatives, yet in that moment she felt nothing but helpless.
Throughout this second wave of the pandemic, one which has wreaked havoc in the urban and rural spaces, citizens keep trying to fill the gap created by the authorities. The onus to help with leads, provide materials and services have fallen on the shoulders of the locals. In an ideal world, citizens should not have had to do this.
Azra Mobin
‘No matter what your faith Is, I’m here to help’
Traditionally in India, Hindu or Muslim women do not participate in last rites, visit the cremation grounds or cremate the bodies.
For some families, generally, she said, they are scared to cremate or go to the cremation grounds. Either the family members are not available or they are self-isolating. A lot of times neighbours have also refused to help.
After the first cremation, Mobin received a lot of messages of encouragement from people. From a Muslim cleric to strangers, they all sent their prayers and that emboldened her to continue working.
“I thought about the people that have been cremated — did they even know me? Did they ever think their family will not be cremating them?” I think, maybe, God made me connected to them for a reason,” she said.
Mobin is a mother of two, an 11-year-old girl and a 9-year-old boy. When she decided to help during the pandemic, she sent them to their grandmother’s house. Mobin’s mother was worried and disapproved of the work initially, but Mobin is not one to back down. “I tell my mother I have gotten this altruistic spirit from her that she cannot do much about,” she said.
When she returns from the cremation ground, she discards the PPE suit and self-isolates.
Uttar Pradesh on Thursday reported 17,745 new coronavirus cases, 277 deaths in 24 hours. Out of the deaths, more than 20 were from Lucknow. The government, however, has been accused of reportedly concealing the numbers.
On being asked if she fears any action from the government, Mobin said, “I am not scared of talking about the reality on the ground. If they think by highlighting the reality, people are spreading ‘rumours,’ then they can come with me on the ground, see and hear the cries of the people. I have seen people losing their lives on the road.”
As she continues to attend to SOS calls, she also thinks of her future. “What if tomorrow when I die, I have no one to cremate my body? I would like to think that someone will be there for me when my time comes,” she remarked. The only positive note here, she says is that the calls for cremation have reduced in the past couple of days.
Aliza Noor is a multimedia journalist based in Lucknow.
source: http://www.maktoobmedia.com / Maktoob / Home> Features India> North India / by Aliza Noor / May 14th, 2021
