Mangaluru, KARNATAKA / Kozhikode, KERALA / Dubai, U.A.E :
Shabana Faizal with her husband Faizal Kottikollon
New Delhi :
Mangalore-based Shabana Faizal has emerged as the youngest woman among India’s top 10 philanthropists, according to the EdelGive Hurun India Philanthropy List 2025.
She has donated ₹40 crore (approximately $1.5 billion) through the Faisal & Shabana Foundation to education, health, and social development.
Shabana Faisal’s journey from being raised in a small town in Mangalore to co-leading a global enterprise is about he hard work and ambition.
Her entrepreneurial journey began in 1995 as a retailer of unique, speciality and luxury products. After leading the company for eight successful years, she decided to team up with her husband, entrepreneur Faizal Kottikollon, and support him in running the world-class foundry, Emirates Techno Casting (ETC).
Shabana took charge of all human resources and administrative processes at ETC, where she created a significant impact in shaping the company’s business success.
In her role as Vice Chairperson of KEF Holdings, she is actively involved in guiding the business’s growth strategy across global markets. Deeply committed to social improvement, Shabana and her husband founded the Faizal & Shabana Foundation in 2007, with the vision of ‘Giving to Create Impact’.
At 53, Shabana’s work has placed her among some of the most influential women in India’s philanthropy world, including Rohini Nilekani, Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw and Bina Shah.
EdelGive Foundation, in collaboration with Hurun Research Institute, recently released the 12th edition of the EdelGive Hurun India Philanthropy List 2025.
The list honors India’s most generous individuals and families. Over the past three years, 191 philanthropists have donated a total of ₹10,380 crore, representing an 85% increase in contributions.
The education sector continues to lead as the top donor, receiving ₹4,166 crore from 107 donors.
Shabana is the mother of four children – Sophia, Sara, Zakaria, and Zarina – but continues to play an active role in business and philanthropy. Her work makes her one of India’s most influential female philanthropists, exemplifying how professional leadership and a commitment to giving can combine to create widespread social impact.
The EdelGive Hurun India Philanthropy List 2025 states that the top 25 donors contributed ₹50,000 crore in just five years, or an average of ₹46 crore per day. Mumbai leads in philanthropy, contributing 28% of total donations, followed by New Delhi and Bengaluru.
source: http://www.awazthevoice.in / Awaz, The Voice / Home / posted by Aasha Khosa / November 10th, 2025
Dr. Nazir Ahmad Nadwi, senior faculty member of Darul Uoom Nadwatul Ulama, Lucknow passed away after a brief illness on 7 October 2025 in Lucknow. His sudden demise came as a shock for everyone.
Almighty Allah bestowed upon him extraordinary qualities and a variety of calibres. His personality was a marvellous amalgamation of a teacher, orator, journalist, academician, preacher of Islam and translator par excellence.
Born in 1965 in district Itawa, Uttar Pradesh (India), he received his basic education in his hometown. Thereafter, he joined Darul Uloom Nadwatul Ulama for higher studies. He did his Alimiat in 1987 and Fazilat (Specialisation in Hadith) in 1989 respectively. He also did his Ph.D. from the University of Lucknow. After completion of education from Nadwa, he was appointed as an employee in Al-Raid (Fortnightly), an Arabic wing of Nadwatul Ulama. While working at Al-Raid, he came in close contact with Maulana S.M. Wazeh Rasheed Nadwi, an accomplished journalist and prominent Islamic scholar. No doubt Maulana Wazeh left an indelible impact upon his life. It was Maulana Wazeh who had developed journalistic flavour and literary taste in him. Besides, he derived considerable academic benefits from Maulana S.M. Rabey Hasani Nadwi, former Rector of Nadwatul Ulama and Maulana Dr. Saeedur Rahman Azami Nadwi, Principal of Darul Uloom Nadwatul Ulama, Lucknow.
After a few years, he was promoted as a teacher. He was an embodiment of all sublime qualities and virtues, necessary for a good teacher. He proved himself as a selfless and dedicated teacher. His method of teaching was unprecedented.
He was a beloved teacher and scores of students quenched their thirst for knowledge from him.
Maulana led a very simple life. He left behind remarkable marks. He always kept himself away from name and fame. He did everything merely for the sake of Allah.
It should be noted that Maulana Nazir Nadwi achieved distinction in many languages such as Urdu, Arabic, English, Hindi, and Persian.
There are a number of things about Dr. Nazir Ahmad which people noticed and have written about. I personally have been most influenced by his personality. To him nothing was more precious than time. He was very punctual and meticulous.
The nicest thing is that he treated all with equal courtesy. He was a paragon of morality. He never showed egotism, pride and haughtiness. He performed his duties with honesty and integrity.
He had literary flavour, poetic flourish and journalistic taste. He wrote numerous articles for different newspapers and journals including Al- Raid. He also compiled a few books.
On his demise various condolence meetings were held in and out of India in which glowing tributes were paid to the departed soul.
A condolence meeting was held in Nadwa’s Jama Masjid on the second day of his death. In his condolence message, Maulana S. Bilal Abdul Hai Hasani Nadwi said, “Maulana Nazir Ahmad Nadwi possessed extraordinary qualities and sublime norms. He was a dedicated teacher who knew pros and cons of the Arabic language. He taught in Nadwa for more than three decades. He paid particular attention to each of his students to prepare them for the great task of spreading education in every nook and corner of the country. He left behind a galaxy of students.
Besides, he had profound knowledge of the Qur’an and Hadith. Truly speaking, he was a man of letters. His passing away is a great loss to Nadwa.
Describing his outstanding contributions in the field of the Arabic language, Maulana S. Ammar Hasani Nadwi, Nazir-e-Aam Nadwatul Ulama stated that Maulana Nazir Ahmad was a great Arabic scholar. He was well trained by Maulana Wazeh Rasheed Nadwi. He had good command over different languages. He always talked with authenticity and reference. A good number of students benefited from him. He will always be remembered for his selfless services.
Decidedly, Maulana’s sad death is an irreparable loss. He was not just a teacher but an institution. He is survived by his wife and a daughter. His funeral prayer was led twice. The first funeral prayer was led by Maulana S. Bilal Abdul Hai Hasani Nadwi, Rector of Nadwatul Ulama at the premises of Nadwa and the second was led by Imam of the late Maulana’s village and was buried in his ancestral graveyard. A host of his admirers from various parts of the country thronged to attend the last rites of Maulana Nadwi.
May Allah adorn his grave with luminosity and refulgence and grant peace to his soul! Aameen!
[Dr .Obaidur Rahman Nadwi is Faculty Member of Darul Uloom Nadwatul Ulama, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh]
source: http://www.radiancenews.com / Radiance News / Home> Art & Culture> Focus> Obituary> Personality / by Dr Obaidur Rahman Nadwi / November 07th, 2025
Jharkhand is one of the youngest Indian states, located in eastern India, and is also known as the tribal homeland. Since its inception, it has seen good growth, but the teething problems posed their own challenges. During these exciting times, some individuals have made significant contributions to society.
We, at Awaz-The Voice, bring to you stories of such unsung heroes from the length and breadth of India. Here are stories of ten extraordinary Muslim personalities of Jharkhand, who made a lot of difference to the lives of people and thereby helped state’s growth:
Dr Sajid Hussain
Dr Sajid Hussain left a prestigious research career to build a brighter future for the children of Chitarpur village in Ramgarh. His model, ‘Schoologium’, is redefining education across India.
Sajid explains, “Just as our body needs exercise to stay fit, the brain too needs regular practical workouts to stay active.” At Schoologium, children don’t just study from textbooks — they learn through touch, smell, taste, and experience. It’s learning through interaction and imagination — reminiscent of Rabindranath Tagore’s vision of Shantiniketan.
Sajid worked as a scientist at the National Aerospace Laboratories. But his exposure to premier institutions in India and abroad revealed a painful truth — rural children do not lag because of a lack of intelligence, but because they lack access to quality educational tools.
Determined to bridge this gap, Sajid resigned from his government job in 2012 and returned to his village. That’s where Schoologium was born — the name itself blending “school” and “gymnasium.”
Sattar Khalifa
Sattar Khalifa, better known as Painter Jilani, has brought hope to the people of Palamu, a division in Jharkhand that lags in development and where people face economic deprivation.
In college, Jilani always dreamed of serving people. A painter by profession, Jilani channels his earnings into helping the needy. “Art is my tool, service is my purpose,” he says.
His reputation made sure that even during the peak of Naxal and extremist dominance, Jilani travelled fearlessly between Bishrampur and Daltonganj, through a Naxal-dominated area.
For the poor, Dalits, Mahadalits, and marginalised communities of Palamu and Garhwa, Jilani is a symbol of assurance. From securing ration cards and pensions to arranging drinking water and hospital aid, he is always there.
Mohammad Minhaj
Mohammad Minhaj’s calm countenance hides the fire inside his mind that has driven him to serve society for over four decades. Mihaj has changed many lives in Ranchi’s slums. He ensures the people living in slums get education, health services, and social rights.
His journey began in 1982, when Ranchi was rapidly expanding, but its slums remained shrouded in neglect. Daily wage earners, rickshaw pullers, and working-class families struggled each day just to earn enough for two meals. For them, education was a distant dream. That was when Minhaj decided to step in and make a difference in many lives.
Muzaffar Hussain
Muzaffar Hussain’s dream is simple yet profound — no one in Jharkhand’s Santhal Pargana should sleep hungry. In this remote region, poverty isn’t just a condition — it’s a living reality. The six districts of Pakur, Godda, Sahebganj, Dumka, Jamtara, and Deoghar carry a long and painful history of deprivation, now slowly being rewritten.
A study claims that 82 percent of Santhal people live in extreme poverty, with most owning no land. In the middle of this harsh reality stands Muzaffar Hussain of Pakur, whose battle began even before the Right to Food Act was passed in 2013. Today, while the Act exists on paper, the real task is ensuring food reaches the truly needy — a task Muzaffar has made his life’s purpose. His efforts have borne fruit: around 600–700 families now have ration cards and receive regular supplies of food grains.
Ibrar Ahmad
In Ranchi, the capital of Jharkhand, its lanes, neighbourhoods, and beyond, one name that resonates hope is that of Ibrar Ahmad. Once employed in a bank and associated with the cultural organisation IPTA, Ibrar has been engaged in improving the lives of people around for over three decades. He is known as the person who steps in when a child drops out of school for want of fees, where poor patients wander helplessly for treatment, or where communal tension threatens to tear society apart.
Ibrar Ahmad has consistently reached out to children and youth. As President of Anjuman Islamia Ranchi, he arranged scholarships for poor children, launched talent shows and quiz competitions, ensuring that education went beyond textbooks to build both confidence and skills.
Dr. Shahnawaz Qureshi
The Quraish Academy of Ranchi has produced doctors, engineers, teachers, software developers, and many other bright minds. Located close to Ranchi’s iconic Albert Ekka Chowk is Gudri Qureshi Mohalla, officially declared a slum by the municipal corporation, where the founder of this academy, Dr Shahnawaz Qureshi, was born.
Whether through journalism or social service, Dr Qureshi changed not just the image of his locality but also the mindset of its people.
In 1993, while working with the National Literacy Mission, Dr. Qureshi established a night school in his own neighbourhood. After long days of labour, elderly men and women would gather after evening prayers, notebooks and pens in hand. The sight of wrinkled fingers tracing letters under the dim glow of a kerosene lamp became a symbol of hope and awakening. The classes were free, and the locals provided fuel for the lamps.
Mukhtar Alam Khan
Mukhtar Alam Khan’s efforts have transformed the image of Azad Basti in Jamshedpur, which was once a notorious place. It was once associated with crime, fear, and a negative image—much like Dhanbad’s Wasseypur. Mukhtar is among the few locals who brought about a positive change in this area. Today, Azad Basti’s name is taken with pride.
On any given day, Mukhtar and his team could be seen arranging blood and medicines for patients, feeding the hungry, or supporting children in education and competitive exams.
Tanveer Ahmad
In 2010, when areas like Islam Nagar and Baba Khatal in Ranchi were demolished under encroachment drives, hundreds of families were rendered homeless. The greatest sufferers were children, as some missed their exams, and others dropped out of school permanently.
In this situation, Tanveer Ahmad decided to extend a helping hand to the suffering children.
He thought, if circumstances had taken schools away from them, why not return education to them, as friends. This idea marked the beginning of a journey—from friendship to education.
Tanveer Ahmad says, “Our mission is to reach underprivileged children in Ranchi and Jharkhand who are drifting away from mainstream education. We believe education is the key that can transform their future.”
When one hears the name Ranchi, images of lush greenery, hills, and a rapidly developing city often come to mind. But hidden behind this image lies another reality—a large section of the city’s population lives in slums and makeshift settlements.
Anwarul Haq
Anwarul Haq, a resident of Chadri village in Kanke block, has launched a unique initiative that is changing the lives of children who would otherwise lag due to poverty. By day, he teaches football, and by night, he tutors children. In just three years, his efforts have transformed the lives of many children for whom both education and sports were once a distant luxury.
It all began when Anwarul Haq, a sports teacher at a residential girls’ school in Ranchi, decided to go beyond his job to make a difference. He was disturbed by the condition of children in his and neighbouring villages. Most children were from families surviving on daily wages, skipped school, and some fell into bad company. He had a plan up his sleeve to change their lives by imparting education and sports training to the underprivileged children.
SyedTariq Alam
Syed Tariq Alam has been quietly transforming lives, supporting poor and underprivileged families through education, employment, and social welfare in the Kolhan region of Jamshedpur.
His efforts have been focused on Kapali, a small township just 20 kilometres from Jamshedpur — the industrial hub of eastern India. Jamshedpur draws thousands of laborers from across the country, many of whom settle in Kapali where living costs are lower. While these workers find temporary employment in the steel city, the jobs are often low-paying and unstable.
This insecurity directly affects their children’s education, leading to high dropout rates in Kapali and nearby areas. It was this grim reality that moved Syed Tariq Alam deeply. Determined to bring change, he embarked on a mission that has now become a beacon of hope for thousands.
source: http://www.awazthevoice.in /Awaz, The Voice / Home> The Changemakers / by Aasha Khosa / October 26th, 2025
(Here pitched their tents those ardent dreamers; Who rose at the first call of their homeland’s liberators)
Step through the Centenary Gate, and you enter not just a campus but a living conversation between history and hope. Every lane carries memory; every wall speaks of struggle. Jamia is not made of stone and mortar alone; it is built of ideals, of founders who were freedom fighters and reformers, of teachers who worked for life on modest pay, of students who turned learning into service, and of a dream that education could make a nation free not only in body but in spirit.
Maulana Mohammad Ali Jauhar, Jamia’s first Vice-Chancellor, and a firebrand nationalist who, at the Second Round Table Conference in 1930, declared he would not return to a slave country, a vow he kept, breathing his last in London and resting forever in Jerusalem. His courage gave Jamia its pulse of defiance. Dr. Mukhtar Ahmad Ansari, a physician and President of the Indian National Congress, lent Jamia its healing vision, a belief that education, like medicine, must restore dignity to the human condition. Dr. Zakir Husain, later India’s President, gave Jamia its soul, transforming education into a moral act and underscoring that a teacher’s duty is not to instruct but to awaken.
On its 105th foundation day, let me take you on a Jamia tour. The Mohammad Ali Jauhar Marg leads through the majestic Centenary Gate into the heart of Jamia Gulistan-e-Gandhi, whose presence still seems to guide the university he envisioned.
The M.A. Ansari Auditorium stands ahead, alive with the echo of debates, drama, poetry, and protest, a place where generations have learned that knowledge without courage and compassion is incomplete. Nearby, the Mahmoud Darwish, a revered Palestinian poet and voice of resistance, exile, and identity lane winds toward the M.F. Husain Art Gallery, a riot of colour and imagination. The Nehru Guest House still echoes the voices of thinkers who stayed there. Beside it, the Maulana Azad House completes a poetic pairing — Nehru and Azad, once neighbours in prison, now neighbours in memory. Inside, guesthouse rooms are named after figures like Ritwik Ghatak.
The serpentine path leads past the Mohibbul Hasan House and Deen Dayal Kaushal Vikash Kendra and onward to the West Asia Centre, the Ho Chi Minh Conference Hall, Saadat Hasan Manto Lecture Hall, and the Shaikh Sabah Al–Ahmad Al–Jaber Seminar Library, where Jamia’s dialogue with the world continues. Through Jahane Kushuru, you arrive at Gulistan-e-Ghalib, where Ghalib’s statue stands beneath the trees, inscribed with his immortal verse:
Jaam har zarra hai sarshar-e-tamanna mujh se,
Kiska dil hoon ke do aalam se lagaya hai mujhe!
Every particle is intoxicated with longing for me,
Whose heart am I, that both worlds are drawn to me?
Ghalib’s verse mirrors the spirit of Jamia itself, a place that draws seekers from every corner, as if knowledge, memory, and desire converge upon it. A reminder that the soul of a true university is to become the heart of many worlds.
At the center of Jamia stands its intellectual sanctuary, the Dr. Zakir Husain Library; its silence is dense with thought. Not far away, the Sarojini Naidu Centre for Women’s Studies and the Nelson Mandela Centre for Peace and Conflict Resolution remind every visitor that dialogue and equality are central to Jamia’s compass.
Enter through the Qurratulain Hyder Gate, named after the Gyanpeeth award-winning Urdu novelist, and you arrive at the lush green Nawab Pataudi Cricket Ground, with its Virender Sehwag Pavilion, a tribute to the alumnus who brought glory to the nation. Nearby stands the King Abdul Aziz Faculty of Dentistry, a graceful emblem of international collaboration. Around it, hostels named after B.R. Ambedkar, Allama Iqbal, E.J. Kellat, and Obaidullah Sindhi reflect Jamia’s plural legacy, a living reminder that its map is also a moral landscape.
Closer to the metro station, the Noam Chomsky Complex, a reminder that free thought is Jamia’s lifeblood. Next door, the K.R. Narayanan Centre for Dalit and Minority Studies ensures that inclusion here is not a slogan but a lived truth. Through the Mahmud Hasan Gate, named for the scholar who inspired students and clerics to join the freedom struggle and who endured years of harsh imprisonment in Malta — the campus opens into its schools: the Mushir Fatima Nursery, the Abid Hussain School, and the Gerda Philipsborn Day Care Centre, where the smallest minds learn under the same canopy of values that shelter scientist, scholars and philosophers.
Gerda Philipsborn, a German-Jewish educator who left Germany and found a home in Jamia, is fondly remembered as Aapa Jaan. She embodied the university’s transnational conscience, the belief that education builds bridges, not boundaries. Mujeeb Bagh hosts the Ramanujan Science Block, named after the mathematical genius whose brilliance continues to inspire curiosity and wonder across generations. The women’s hostels named after Begum Hazrat Mahal and Aruna Asaf Ali celebrate the courage of women who turned resistance into art and activism. Further on lies the Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan Enclave, honouring the Frontier Gandhi who preached non-violence not as political expediency but as an article of faith. And in the Munshi Premchand Archives lives the memory of the great storyteller, who wrote Kafan during his stay at Jamia.
Located near the Administrative Block on Khayaban-e-Ajmal, the Jamnalal Bajaj Block honours Jamia’s benefactor, whose steadfast support and financial contributions were instrumental in sustaining the university during its formative years. Within its serene precincts stand the Yasser Arafat Hall, the Edward Said Conference Hall, and the Mir and Tagore Convention Centre, spaces that echo Jamia’s spirit of dialogue, dissent, and cultural encounter, where ideas from East and West, past and present, continue to converse in quiet harmony. Nearby, APJ Abdul Kalam Gate takes you to India’s most reputed Anwar Jamal Kidwai Mass Communication and Research Center, a testament of global cooperation with Canada, which buzzes with cameras, questions, and conversation.
Few universities wear their philosophy so visibly on their map. These names are not labels; they are moral coordinates of a century-old experiment in inclusive education. Each block is a story of struggle; each road a reminder of Jamia’s founding spirit, where taleem (education) and tehreek (movement) are inseparable.
Jamia was not born of privilege; it was born of protest. Founded amid the Khilafat and Non-Cooperation Movements, it was a quiet act of rebellion, an insistence that colonialism would not define the Indian mind. Education at Jamia was never meant to produce clerks for an empire, but citizens of conscience. Zakir Husain, Mohammad Mujeeb, and Abid Husain, three of Jamia’s philosophical pillars, envisioned Nai Talim, a pedagogy that unites head, heart, and hand. Long before “experiential learning” became educational jargon, Jamia built it into its foundation. Knowledge was tied to labour, intellect to ethics, and inquiry to empathy. The Ustadon ka Madrasa, the first of its kind teachers’ training institute, became a living laboratory of this vision, where teaching was not merely a transaction of knowledge but a pursuit of truth, a cultivation of inquiry, and a moral apprenticeship in the art of understanding. It embodied the meaning of a true university, not a place that fills minds, but one that frees them.
In the dark days of Partition, when Delhi burned with fear, Jamia’s students and teachers became healers, offering shelter to the displaced, solace to the broken, and humanity to a city in despair. From those flames emerged a university that made communal harmony its cornerstone.
Perhaps no moment captures Jamia’s moral stature better than its Silver Jubilee in 1946. On that day, Dr. Zakir Husain brought on the same stage Nehru, Asaf Ali, Rajaji, Jinnah, Fatima Jinnah, and Liaquat Ali Khan. At a time when the country teetered on the edge of partition, Zakir Husain’s possible one of the best speeches, “For God’s sake, sit together and extinguish this fire of hatred,” moved them to tears.
To walk through Jamia today is to stroll through the living soul of pluralism, a quiet republic of ideas where liberty, plurality, inclusiveness, and fraternity breathe in every courtyard, in every classroom. Here, Gandhi still converses with Mandela, Chomsky finds his echo in Edward Said, and Ghalib whispers to Mir beneath the shade of red-brick walls. Darwish recites for Tagore, Arafat debates with Ho Chi Minh, Ramanujan solves number puzzles with AJP Abul Kalam, Manto reads his script to Ritwik Ghatak, Prof. Mujeeb debates with Pt. Deep Dayal Upadhyay, Maulana Azad, and Nehru discuss an education roadmap over jasmine tea, and Ambedkar stands in thoughtful dialogue with Sarojini Naidu. It is a rare moral geography, a constellation of minds, where the ideals of freedom, justice, equality and fraternity converge without collision, illuminating the enduring idea of India itself.
While many century-old universities are withering away, Jamia Millia Islamia continues to grow step by step. It carries not only a proud and luminous history, rich in struggle and idealism, but also a radiant present, consistently ranked among the nation’s top universities, with rising scientific citations and breakthrough research that place it firmly on the global academic map.
Yet in a time when higher education bends under market pressures and ideological conformity, Jamia endures as a counter-memory, a quiet act of defiance against becoming a mere factory of certificates. Its administration, faculty, students, staff, and alums continue to zealously guard the Idea of Jamia — where knowledge is pursued, not prescribed; where questions are not censored, and truth is never pre-decided. A true university must protect the space where evidence triumphs over ideology, where disagreement deepens understanding, and where inquiry itself becomes an act of freedom.
The idea of Jamia is not simply a place, a campus, but a proposition that education is not merely obedience or a commodity, but an awakening of the mind and conscience.
To walk through Jamia is to walk through the Idea of India itself – plural, principled, and forever in motion along the path of progress.
“Yahaan pe shamme-hidayat hai sirf apna zameer.”
Here at Jamia, the beacon of guidance is none other than one’s own conscience.
source: http://www.muslimmirror.com / Muslim Mirror / Home> Opinion / by Aftab Mohammad / November 01st, 2025
The Academic Insights Magazine, a prominent Indian monthly publication, has selected Mahbubul Hoque, Honourable Chancellor of the University of Science and Technology Meghalaya (USTM), as one of India’s 25 Most Inspiring Education Leaders.
This recognition celebrates the transformative changes Chancellor Hoque has brought to the educational landscape of North East India while empowering youth across the region and beyond. Responding to the honour, Chancellor Hoque said, “I deeply appreciate The Academic Insight’s honourable recognition. I am a great admirer of this monthly powerhouse. My motto to move forward positively in a competitive world is simple — keep trying, don’t look back; if you pick up ten things and only four work, move forward with them, and success will eventually materialise.”
Over the past 23 years, Chancellor Mahbubul Hoque has built a robust educational ecosystem under the Education Research and Development Foundation (ERDF), establishing fourteen institutions that span from kindergarten to PhD levels. What began with just four students has now grown to over 10,000 learners, making ERDF one of the most impactful educational networks in the region.
The honour goes beyond individual achievement — it signifies the North East’s growing prominence on India’s national education map and stands as a testament to Hoque’s vision of perseverance, inclusivity, and people-centric leadership.
The University of Science and Technology Meghalaya, the first state private university dedicated to science and technology in the North East, earned an ‘A’ Grade accreditation from NAAC in its very first assessment cycle in 2021. It continues to hold a top position nationally, being the only private university from the North East to feature in the NIRF Rankings for four consecutive years, including 2025.
The Academic Insights, launched over a decade ago, today guides more than 450,000 readers monthly through the evolving landscape of school and higher education across India.
source: http://www.muslimmirror.com / Muslim Mirror / Home> Education> Positive Story / by Muslim Mirror Desk / November 02nd, 2025
The primary objective of this tour is to elevate the aspirations of students enrolled in government high schools, encouraging them to envision grander ambitions and realise them.
MP Prabha Mallikarjun (Photo | Express)
Davangere :
Nine SSLC toppers of government high schools in Davanagere parliamentary constituency, which encompasses Harihar, Honnali, Channagiri, Davanagere North and South, Jagaluru, Mayakonda and Harapanahalli, are set to embark on an educational excursion to New Delhi.
The primary objective of this tour is to elevate the aspirations of students enrolled in government high schools, encouraging them to envision grander ambitions and realise them.
Member of Parliament Dr Prabha Mallikarjun is committed to increasing the capacity of government schools, and this tour programme is a vital component of her initiative. She said a majority of students reside in rural areas, relying on government institutions for their educational pursuits. If influential people demonstrate their commitment to enhancing these students’ self-esteem, there will be no shortage of enrolment in these schools.
Strengthening government schools will indirectly lead to increased admissions, thereby unveiling the latent talents of the nation, Dr Prabha told the TNIE.
She added, “Initially, we intended to send eight top-performing SSLC students from government high schools; however, with two exceptional students identified in Honnali, we resolved to send both to New Delhi. All travel expenses, including airfare and accommodation, will be personally covered by me.”
“I am confident that witnessing these accomplished children will invigorate the current batch of SSLC students, motivating them to study diligently and excel in their examinations,” she added.
The students will take part in a five-day journey, visiting important landmarks such as India Gate, Kamal Mandir, Qutub Minar, Red Fort, Kartavya Path and Swamy Narayan Mandir. The nine students will be accompanied by both a male and a female teacher. They will depart from Hubbali Airport on Monday, said Dr Prabha.
The MP is personally overseeing the expedition of these children, insisting that while monetary rewards may fade from memory, an experience of this nature will remain etched in their minds forever.
The students are P Manjunath, Dhanush, K P Pavan Kumar, Jeshta B, Amrutha T M, Mizba Naz, Usha H, Latha H A and Yogeshwari J B, accompanied by teachers B Arun Kumar and K M Ningamma.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Karnataka / Express News Service / October 24th, 2025
The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) hosted the prestigious International Research Awards 2025 at Novotel, Goa, to honour exceptional global contributions to academic and applied research. The event witnessed an overwhelming response, featuring 316 research submissions from 18 countries, representing a diverse range of disciplines and research domains.
The programme was presided over by CA Charanjot Singh Nanda, president of ICAI, and graced by John Turner, guest of honour and chairman of the jury, who also serves as the chief executive officer of XBRL International. In his address, Turner emphasized the importance of impactful and policy-oriented research in shaping the future of finance and governance, underscoring the role of academic institutions in driving evidence-based policy and innovation.
Among the sixteen globally recognized research papers, the YEN-REFINED, Yenepoya Institute of Arts, Science, Commerce and Management (YIASCM), Yenepoya (Deemed to be University), achieved an outstanding milestone by securing three awards in the finance category. This remarkable accomplishment highlights the university’s commitment to fostering a robust research culture and promoting excellence in financial and behavioural studies through its dedicated research center, YEN-REFINED – the Yenepoya Research Centre for Finance and Entrepreneurship Development.
The award-winning research papers from Yenepoya include ‘An Empirical Analysis of Stock Market Participation: From an Islamic Perspective’, which received the Gold Award, followed by two Silver Awards for the papers ‘Development and Validation of Social Inclusion Scale for Stock Market Participation’ and ‘Developing a Digital Currency Adoption Scale: A Validity and Reliability Study’.
The research team comprising Prof Niyaz Panakaje, coordinator of YEN-REFINED & MBA, Dr S M Riha Parvin, assistant professor, YEN-REFINED, Dr Abhinandan Kulal, research associate, YEN-REFINED, Mohammad Shahid, HOD, department of commerce, Dr Madhura, assistant professor, department of management, and Niha Sheikh, JRF, YEN-REFINED received the honours at the ceremony. Their collective achievement reflects the university’s growing contribution to global research on financial inclusion, digital innovation, and behavioural finance.
These prestigious awards mark a significant moment in YEN-REFINED academic journey, reaffirming its vision to promote interdisciplinary research, intellectual excellence, and international collaboration.
source: http://www.daijiworld.com / Daijiworld.com / Home> Top Stories / by Media Release / October 20th, 2025
Syed Tanveer, Secretary of the Markazi Taleemi Board (MTB), urged teachers to transform science and mathematics education during his keynote address at the Teachers Development Strand Cascade Workshop. The event was organised by Markazi Taleemi Board Maharashtra in partnership with IISER Pune. The session focused on methods to align classroom practice with the National Education Policy 2020.
Syed Tanveer began by welcoming the IISER Pune team and thanking the organisers for arranging training across Maharashtra and other states. He told participants that the workshop aims to shift teaching from rote memorisation to active, hands-on learning. He said teachers must make classrooms places where students observe, experiment, and think.
He pointed out a common issue: society often dislikes maths teachers, and science teachers face similar bias. Many students avoid science because it is considered difficult. Tanveer argued that this perception arises from how teachers teach. “We have treated maths and science as fact-transfer subjects,” he said, adding that this has made learning mechanical instead of meaningful.
Syed Tanveer explained Bloom’s taxonomy as a guide to moving students from lower-order to higher-order thinking. He described six cognitive levels. “Most of our classrooms are stuck at the first stage—knowing or memorising,” he said. The next stage is understanding, achieved when students learn by hearing, seeing, and doing. The workshop, he added, would train teachers to conduct hands-on experiments that encourage conceptual understanding.
The third level is applying. Tanveer urged teachers to help students connect formulas and scientific principles to real-life applications. The next levels—analysis and evaluation—involve breaking concepts into smaller parts and examining their relationships. The final stage is creation, where learning leads to innovation. “Education is not about memorising facts. It is about creating something new,” he said.
Giving examples, Syed Tanveer said a short experiment could teach photosynthesis better than hours of memorisation. A paper plane can explain mechanics, and observing local water pollution can connect science with social responsibility. He praised simple, observation-based teaching models such as those promoted by educator Arvind Gupta and scientists like C.V. Raman.
Syed Tanveer also highlighted the moral role of science. “Scientific temperament must not remain limited to exams,” he said. “It should guide ethics and social responsibility.” He explained that true education transforms human beings into moral, thoughtful individuals, not mere human resources for the market.
He concluded with five key tasks for educators: raise awareness of civic responsibility, reject divisive politics, support independent educational institutions, revive critical thinking in academia, and promote debate and dialogue among youth and women.
“Do not make students pen drives filled with memorised data,” Tanveer said. “Make them thinkers, creators, and problem-solvers.” He prayed for the success of the workshop and called on teachers to inspire young minds through curiosity and experimentation.
source: http://www.radiancenews.com / Radiance News / Home> Education> Latest News> Report / by Radiance News Bureau / October 16th, 2025
A family of Bani Israel (Sons of Israel), running one of the oldest madrasas in India may sound unbelievable. But in Sambhal district of West Uttar Pradesh, a nondescript locality, Hilali Sarai, boasts of such a seminary run by a family that has roots in ancient Israel.
Madrasa Sirajul Uloom, named after Maulana Siraj Ahmed Israili, who was a renowned aalim of his time and among few Islamic scholars who backed Sir Syed Ahmed Khan, the founder of a modern madrasa (later Aligarh Muslim University), is run by Mohammed Mian Israili Qasmi, the representative of living generation of his family.
The madrasa is affiliated to UP Madrasa Board and runs both traditional Dars-e-Nizami syllabus and modern curriculum prescribed by the board that includes compulsory study of maths, english, hindi and science. Such madrasas are also called ‘model madrasas’ as they are following the government model of madrasa modernisation.
The Israili family traces its lineage to the Jewish companion of Prophet Muhammed, Abdullah bin Salam, who had converted to Islam during the lifetime of the Prophet. Nevertheless, the family has been maintaining its Bani Israel cultural identity all through history.
“The historical records say that our ancestor Abu Ishaque Abul Aja’ib Shah Muhammad Hilali came to India during the time of Mughal Emperor Akbar when the latter started Deen-e-Ilahi and a horde of Islamic scholars descended from Arabia to guide the ‘misguided’ Emperor.
Historian Abdul Qadir Badayuni has mentioned Shah Hilali. He initially settled in Fatehpur Sikri near Agra and later on the insistence of Akbar himself, he moved to Sambhal. Thus, this place came to be known as Hilali Sarai. He had established his maktab (school) here, as was the tradition of the time that scholars used to start learning centres wherever they settled. Since then, our family has been running an educational house here,” says Mian Israili Qasmi, detailing the family history of the Israilis.
A research paper in the Interdisciplinary Journal of Jewish Studies by researcher on Jews in South Asia, Navras Jat Aafreedi, proves the authenticity of Mian Israili’s claim.
“There is a Sunni Muslim clan called Bani Israil in Sambhal (District Mo-radabad) and Aligarh in Uttar Pradesh, members of which consider themselves to be descendants of a Jewish sahaabi (companion of the prophet Muhammad) Hazrat Abdullah Ibn-i-Salaam. They claim that their ancestors settled in India a millennium ago to propagate Islam. Members of this clan generally use Israili as their last name. They reside, in both Sambhal and Aligarh, in a locality, each called Bani Israil Mohalla or Mohalla Bani Israilaan. Many from this clan migrated to Pakistan after its creation in 1947…” writes Aafreedi.
Similarly, one more scholar Joshua M. Benjamin, the author of The Mystery of Israel’s Ten Lost Tribes and the Legend of Jesus in India (2001), mentions having met an Aligarh Muslim University Professor with the Hebrew sounding name Shimoni Israili, a member of this clan.
Similarly classical historian Abdul Qadir Badayuni, writer of notable Muntakhab-ut-Tawarikh, the history of early Mughal period, mentions Shah Hilali Israili as a renowned Islamic scholar of Mughal period. Shah Hilali in Sambhal in fact taught him in the same maktab, which is today Sirajul Uloom.
Narrating more history of the madrasa, Mian Israeli says that as the Mughal rule went into sunset, the madrasa was patronised by Nawab of Hyderabad. The patronage lasted till the fall of Nawab’s Nizamat after the Partition of India.
“Meanwhile, one notable change took place. When Maulana Siraj Ahmed Israeli refused to sign a fatwa against Sir Syed Ahmed Khan, he became very pleased with Maulana and offered him to join as faculty in newly opened Mohammedan Anglo Oriental (MAO) College. Maulana didn’t go himself but sent his son Maulana Khalil Ahmed Israeli to join the college as Professor of Arabic. Maulana Khalil was later conferred the title of Shamsul Ulema (a coveted honour) by the Colonial British government for this contribution in the field of education. While at MAO college, Maulana established the madrasa in a formal registered body in 1902. Since then, it’s been running in a similar fashion,” says Mian Israeli.
Mian Israeli maintains that the madrasa has always maintained a progressive outlook and has guided the Muslim community in very practical way.
“The scholars and patrons of the madrasa have always taken the lead in advising Muslims of siding with rationality and minimising both personal and social conflict. That’s you will not find any controversy ever attached with this seminary. In fact, the stellar history of the madrasa has remained obscured because we haven’t chased limelight and few curious minds have cared to know the silsila (lineage) of scholarship,” says Mian Israili.
Mian Israili lists Moulana Muhammad Manzoor Nomani, Moulana Muhammad Hayat Sambhli, Ghazi Muhammad Aazam, and freedom fighter politician Maulana Ismail Sambhali, among others as part of the blood-line.
Maulana Ismail Sambhali was a noted figure of Jamiat Ulema- e Hind, a body of Indian Islamic scholars who were against division of India on religious lines. Maulana Ismail even fought 1946 election against Muslim League candidate and was among the chosen few who won on the Congress ticket from a reserved Muslim seat.
Maulana Manzoor Nomani, however, however, adopted a different way. He is credited to have turned Syed Abul Ala Maududi, who was a progressive and modern Muslim journalist-writer, into Maulana Maududi, a hardcore religious figure and both of them floated Jamaat- e-Islami. Manzoor Nomani also emerged as one of the tallest Islamic scholars of India in 20th century, and is regarded as an authority on Hadith. Unlike Maududi, he didn’t go to Pakistan and got himself attached with Lucknow-based seminary Nadwatul Ulema. In late 1970’s and 1980’s, his books on Ayatollah Khomeini and Islamic Revolution created a storm in the Indian Muslim community and they are said to be one of the causes of sectarian violence in Lucknow.
Mian Israili did not comment on Nomani’s views, as “they were personal to him”. “As I said, our seminary has always propagated the route of bridging gaps and persuading people to come closer rather than splitting apart. People can do anything in their individual capacity and scholarship,” says Mian Isarili.
He insists that the seminary must be viewed through his views on burning subjects such as triple talaq, halala, etc. So, what are his views? “I think the arbitrary manner of triple talaq is absolutely contrary to the spirit of Quran and is malignant. Halala is haram,” he stresses.
Coming back to the history of the madrasa, Mian Israili says that after the end of Hyderabad’s Nizamat, the madrasa was recognised by the government of India. “However, it was only in 1990’s that it was properly affiliated to the UP-Madrasa Board and it started getting government aid as slated for the seminaries,” says Mian Israil.
According to him, as part of the Madrasa Board, the seminary has to teach compulsory subjects like hindi, maths, english and science. “As part of the Board affiliation, the government also appoints 12 teachers for primary and junior high school level. All these teachers have to have knowledge of Urdu as compulsory as the medium of the madrasa is Urdu,” he says.
When reminded that how come the students taught in Urdu medium compete with those being taught in Hindi or English mediums, he says that keeping this in mind, the teachers are urged to teach Science and Maths in English so that students who want to pursue further studies in a science subject and they might join other schools. Only those who want to pursue religious studies and languages such as Arabic and Persian may stay in the seminary.
“Most of our students pass out after Class 8 and opt for mainstream education in regular government and private schools. Only those boys and girls who want to pursue Theology and languages go for further classes,” says Mian Israili.
According to Israili, there are around 800 students enrolled with the madrasa. Out of them, 250 are girls. The madrasa has residential facilities for 50 students.
“For a modern madrasa, the basic requirement is resources. As being a government-aided institution, we certainly get some teachers on government pay scale, but we don’t get other facilities like building, hostel, classroom, ground and other facilities. For that, we have to depend on chanda (collection and donation from the community),” says Mian Israili.
source: http://www.daijiworld.com / DaijiWorld.com / Home> National-World / by Mohammed Anas / March 15th, 2022
It was a hot, restless afternoon in New Delhi – the kind where the sun presses down with such fury that even the breeze seems to hide. The air was thick with chants, placards, and purpose. Students from across the capital’s universities had gathered in protest – a voice of defiance against the rising wave of mob lynchings sweeping through India, backed by extremist ideologies. Amid the sea of young faces, I noticed a small group that stood out. They were not university students in jeans and t-shirts, but madrasa students in simple white kurtas and skullcaps, holding banners of peace and justice.
They had come all the way from Deoband, a quiet town that has long been a lighthouse of Islamic learning, to stand shoulder to shoulder with victims’ families. Among them was a young scholar whose calm presence carried a certain gravity: Moulana Mehdi Hasan Aini Qasmi.
Our meeting was brief, just a few words exchanged, a handshake perhaps, but something about him stayed with me. I didn’t know then that this quiet madrasa graduate would one day become the face of a remarkable educational revolution in India.
The Seeds of Brotherhood
Two years later, in 2018, the Students Islamic Organisation of India (SIO) held its grand All India Conference in New Delhi, themed “Reclaiming Dignity | Designing the Future.” Among the audience of fiery youth and intellectuals, Mehdi Hasan was invited as a representative of madrasa students – being the President of the Abna-e-Madaris (Old Boys’ Association of Deoband).
When he spoke, his words carried the depth of tradition and the urgency of modern times. After the session, we found ourselves in a long conversation about faith, education, and the future of Muslim youth. That day, a brotherhood was born – one that would travel far beyond Delhi’s conference halls.
Soon, he invited me to Deoband. What began as a visit turned into a revelation. We walked through the majestic gates of Darul Uloom Deoband, met students immersed in their studies, and discussed the evolving role of Islamic education in a rapidly changing India. It was there I saw the spark – Mehdi’s vision was clear: to bridge the gap between traditional Islamic scholarship and the demands of modern society.
From Streets to Seminars
Between 2019 and 2020, our journey turned into a mission. Together, we travelled across India – from the quiet corners of Tripura to the bustling lanes of Telangana – addressing crowds, organising awareness drives, and speaking against hate, Islamophobia, and discrimination.
Then came the storm – COVID-19. India went silent. The streets emptied. Institutions shut their doors. But we refused to stop. Our activism simply changed form. While the world was locked down, we were reaching out – distributing relief, helping stranded students, and connecting youth through virtual spaces.
One late-night discussion during those months became the turning point.
“If people have time,” I said thoughtfully, “why can’t we bring madrasa education online? Why can’t we empower teachers who have no income now? Why can’t we teach our youth skills to survive?”
That one why became a revolution.
Over the next two years, the spark spread like wildfire. Under Mehdi’s leadership, IIAD organised over ten national workshops across India, reaching thousands of students from Aurangabad to Delhi. These workshops covered topics far beyond theology – from Education to Entrepreneurship and Islamic Thought to Social Leadership.
One such event, the Aurangabad Education Expo, became a milestone in connecting madrasa students with mainstream educational opportunities. Through these sessions, IIAD began to carve a new narrative for Islamic learning – one that embraced progress without compromising on principles.
The Birth of an Idea
Our first online programme, “Education to Entrepreneurship,” was meant to be a small initiative – a bridge between learning and livelihood. But the response was beyond imagination. Hundreds of madrasa students and teachers joined from every corner of India.
We realised we had touched a nerve – there was a hunger for knowledge, a thirst for relevance. In 2022, we organised an offline workshop in Bidar at Shaheen Group of Institutions for madrasa students. To our surprise, several attendees were already running small businesses – many of whom had attended our first online sessions back in 2020.
One night, Moulana Mehdi and I sat in deep conversation till Fajr. The sky turned from ink to gold as we reached a decision that would change everything: to start a full-fledged online institute for Islamic education and leadership and the name finalised was “India Islamic Academy Deoband” and now it is a brand in Madaris Circles.
But Mehdi had already taken the first step. Before our official launch, he had begun teaching small groups online – offering a Basic Islamic Foundation Course (3 months) and an Advanced Islamic Studies Course (6 months). Within weeks, the response exploded. Students from across India – and even abroad – joined.
And then, in 2021, the dream took shape.
Multi-Dimensional Mehdi
Many madrasa teachers benefited from IIAD’s programmes and became self-sustained, empowered to teach and earn through digital platforms. Watching this transformation unfold, I became deeply impressed by Moulana Mehdi Hasan’s multifaceted personality.
As a student, he had marched with his friends in protests; later, he organised them. As a social activist, he raised his voice fearlessly and even faced police cases. Through his advocacy work within Muslim organisations, he united madrasa youth under a shared purpose – to stand up for justice, particularly during the anti-CAA movement, where he became a leading voice representing madrasa student unions.
During the pandemic, the COVID-19 crisis his alumni group at Darul Uloom Deoband established a help-desk that handled thousands of calls, distributed oxygen cylinders and fought misinformation – reinforcing his role as a frontline community leader, he turned compassion into action as a social worker, extending relief to the needy.
As a writer and journalist, he penned articles and books that shaped public discourse in Urdu media. And as an entrepreneur, he became the very example he urged others to follow – transforming his vision for empowering madrasa students into a thriving digital institution.
The Rise of IIAD – India Islamic Academy Deoband
The official launch of India Islamic Academy Deoband (IIAD) was not just the founding of an institution; it was the dawn of a new era. For the first time, a madrasa-based initiative had embraced technology to take classical Islamic education to every home.
The story of IIAD began in 2017, when a vision was realised – to bridge authentic Islamic scholarship with modern accessibility. What started as a modest initiative soon blossomed into a movement that redefined faith-based learning for the digital era.
By 2019, IIAD proudly celebrated the first wave of scholars graduating from its inaugural Aalim programme, ready to serve their communities with knowledge and integrity. The academy’s turning point came in 2021, when it launched its Global Digital Campus – a state-of-the-art online learning platform that connected students and scholars across continents.
And by 2024, that vision had grown into a vibrant global community – a growing Ummah of over 5,000 students from diverse countries, all united by the pursuit of knowledge and purpose.
The journey of IIAD stands as a testament to how faith, when paired with foresight and innovation, can transform education and empower generations.
What began with few offline and online courses soon expanded into a vast ecosystem. Today, IIAD offers 15 specialised courses – blending Islamic scholarship with modern subjects like media, leadership, and entrepreneurship. The courses are taught in Urdu and English.
From the official website, one can see how IIAD evolved with a clear mission – to empower the next generation of Muslim scholars, entrepreneurs, and thought leaders. The vision was simple yet revolutionary: “To make Islamic learning accessible, practical, and globally relevant.”
But Mehdi’s ambition didn’t stop there.
The Expanding Vision
He founded the Abna-e-Madaris Educational Trust, a platform that supports social and educational initiatives across India. Through it, he organised relief programmes, training sessions, and mentorship circles for youth.
He also launched Deoband Dastak, an online Urdu news portal that amplifies the voices of the unheard and highlights stories of reform within the madrasa ecosystem. His pen became his sword – through articles, opinions, and books – shaping discourse and reclaiming narratives.
Now, as IIAD moves forward, the academy is preparing to launch a course on Artificial Intelligence for Madrasa Students and a Crash Course on Entrepreneurship, opening doors that were once unimaginable in traditional settings.
To further strengthen academic and intellectual pursuits, Moulana Mehdi established another pioneering platform – the Deoband Educational and Research Foundation (DERF). The foundation aims to promote rigorous scholarship, interfaith dialogue, and academic research rooted in Islamic tradition while engaging contemporary challenges. Through DERF, Mehdi envisions nurturing a new generation of Muslim researchers who can think critically, write powerfully, and contribute meaningfully to global discourse.
A Bridge Between Two Worlds
What makes Moulana Mehdi Hasan Aini Qasmi truly remarkable is not merely what he built – but what he bridged.
For centuries, madrasa and modern education were seen as parallel lines – never meeting. But through his courage, vision, and relentless work, Mehdi made them intersect. He became the bridge, connecting heritage with progress, theology with technology, tradition with transformation.
From joining protests as a young activist to leading educational innovation as an entrepreneur, his journey is not just a personal success story; it is a blueprint for a generation.
Today, when I see students from humble madrasa backgrounds speaking about startups, media literacy, and AI ethics, I see his reflection in every one of them.
He has proven that change doesn’t always come from power or privilege. Sometimes, it begins with a simple idea shared between two friends – on a sleepless night – under a sky just beginning to brighten.
Humanitarian Impact
Beyond education and activism, Mehdi Hasan’s compassion flows into the heart of social service. Through his initiatives and trusts, hundreds of struggling families found hope. 300 families had their kitchens lit through ration kits during Ramadan-ul-Mubarak; 100 families were gifted festive joy on Eid al-Fitr; and 50 Imams and Mu’azzins were honoured with Eid gifts. During Eid al-Adha, 200 households were provided Qurbani meat and essentials, while 15 destitute women received full maternity care with dignity.
Each month, 15 orphaned madrasa students are sponsored, 50 talented youth receive scholarships, and teachers of five Makatib-e-Qurani are paid regular salaries, ensuring that the flame of knowledge never dims.
Even during disasters, his team reached out, sending 100 blankets and supplies to flood victims in Punjab, a testament to his unshakeable belief that service to humanity is service to faith.
And that, perhaps, is the story of Moulana Mehdi Hasan Aini Qasmi – a madrasa graduate who dreamed beyond walls, taught beyond classrooms, and built bridges where there were once only divides.
source: http://www.radiancenews.com / Radiance News / Home> Entrepreneurship> Features> Focus / by Syed Azharuddin / October 23rd, 2025
