Centered on the life of freedom fighter Maulana Barkatullah Bhopali, a play ‘Baghi Banjara’ was staged at Shaheed Bhawan on Friday. Scripted and directed by Waseem Khan, the play was staged for the first time in the country.
Abdul Hafiz Mohamed Barakatullah, known with his honorific Maulana Barkatullah (7 July, 1854-20 September 1927), was an anti-British Indian revolutionary with sympathy for the Pan-Islamic movement.
The whole journey from birth to death of the great freedom fighter was beautifully shown in the one-hour-twenty-minute-long play. Barkatullah was born on 7 July 1854 at Itwara in Bhopal.
He fought from outside India, with fiery speeches and revolutionary writings in leading newspapers, for the independence of India. In 1988, Bhopal University was renamed Barkatullah University in his honour. He was educated from primary to college level at Bhopal.
Later he went to Bombay and London for his higher education. He was a meritorious scholar and mastered seven languages: Arabic, Persian, Urdu, Turkish, English, German, and Japanese. Despite a poor background he topped the list of successful candidates in most of the examinations for which he appeared, both in India and England. He became the Quondam Professor of Urdu at the Tokyo University Japan.
He was one of the founders of the “Ghadar” (Rebellion) Party in 1913 at San Francisco. Later he became the prime minister of the Provisional Government of India established on 1 December 1915 in Kabul with Raja Mahendra Pratap as its president. He died in 1927 at San Francisco.
The play was presented by mainly young cast of Swabhiman Shikshan Samiti. Suggestive sets, costumes and lights were used.
A patriotic song ‘rang de basanti chola…,’ of movie ‘Shaheed’ (1965) was used in the play. Gaurav Jaat as Maulana Barkatullah, Badra Wasti as Tarik Nigar, Shakeel Chand as Kadar and others were in lead role.
“For the first time, the play centered on the great freedom fighter is being staged for the first time in India. I don’t know why no play was staged on the tenacious fighter. I wrote the play at the instance of Shriram Tiwari, former director of culture. The writing took one year and the rehearsals lasted for one-and-a-half- months,” said Waseem Khan.
source: http://www.freepressjournal.in / The Free Press Journal / Home> Bhopal / by A Staff Reporter / January 28th, 2017
In the year of 1987, Begum Zaffar Ali, the first woman matriculate of Kashmir was awarded a Padma Shri for her extraordinary perseverance in being a women’s liberation activist and working towards empowering women through education. Brought up in a conservative setting where women’s movements, ideologies and bodies were controlled by the patriarch of the family, the perseverance towards creating awareness regarding education was certainly extraordinary.
Early years
Born in 1900, Begum Zaffar Ali was an educationist, women’s liberation activist and a social worker. She was also a legislator. Her maiden name was Syyeda Fatima Hussain, she was the daughter of Khan Bahadur Aga Syed Hussain the first matriculate of Kashmir, later Governor, Judge of the First High Court of Jammu and Kashmir, and Home and Judicial Minister during Maharaja Rule. Her mother Syyeda Sakina Sadaat belonged to a Sayyid family of Sabzevar Iran, which was an affluent business family in Kashmir.
Even though the place was largely conservative and Purdahwas considered an essential part of a woman’s life, her parents were mostly supportive of her natural inclination towards academics and encouraged her in her quest to be more informed and performing well in studies.
She had a Christian governess from Europe to familiarise her with formal education and there was also a separate tutor to teach Begum Zaffar Ali and her siblings religion. She was taught housekeeping, home science training, health education, society, family and childcare by her home governess.
Marriage and involvement with activism
She was married to her cousin – Agha Zaffar Ali and had three children. She managed to spare sufficient time for her education. Her husband was supportive of her endeavour and actively encouraged her to pursue academics and challenge herself.
In 1925, she was invited to join as a teacher at the girls’ school run by Miss Mallinson and Miss Bose in Fateh Kadal area of Srinagar. Despite her initial reluctance, she decided to join and started taking classes along with her children from their home tutor.
It was during this period she started her participation in social movements, and at a personal capacity started looking out for the girls she was teaching in schools. She taught them to maintain personal hygiene and inculcated good habits and etiquettes in them. Begum Zaffar Ali was not subtle about her love for education and she was suggested by the home tutor to take the matriculation exam.
Initially, she was hesitant as no woman in the Valley had passed the matriculation before, but putting her initial hesitation aside and giving precedence to her love for education, she decided to appear for the examination in 1930. She successfully passed in the second division in the exam and was celebrated for breaking the glass ceiling.
Since she was the first Kashmiri woman to achieve this feat, she was awarded a gold medal for the same.
Social Activism
She completed her graduation in 1938, immediately after which she started pursuing her post-graduation. As a credit to her qualifications, she served as Head Mistress for several different schools in the Valley. A staunch believer in women’s rights, Begum Zaffar Ali literally went door to door to raise awareness regarding girls’ education in the Valley and persevered to empower them through education. Shortly after, she was also appointed as Inspector of Schools in Kashmir, rewarding the passion she displayed as an educationist.
Begum Zaffar Ali was a fine orator, and would often indulge in public speaking to create awareness for the cause she backed. She would speak at several public events and in schools and inspired adulation among girls in the Valley for the very same reason. Her strong presence in public life and consciousness of Kashmir was further strengthened by the Teachers Club.
Teachers Club organised events and public gatherings, and Begum Zaffar Ali was instrumental in laying the foundation for it. She was a key member along with Tara Devi, the Maharani of Kashmir. The purpose of the club centred around discussion of women’s issues and their rights and she was actively involved in the conversation regarding women’s movement in India. She was the general secretary of the Ladies Club. Pre-Independence, she was also the secretary of All India Women’s Conference .
She later left the conference after a chance meeting with Muhammad Jinnah and his sister Fatima Jinnah, she directed her efforts towards the emancipation of women and their liberation.
She held several posts in the Department of Education and served in various capacities. She served as principal in several schools, she served as an education officer, she served as chief education officer as well as the chief inspector in schools of Kashmir.
As a chief inspector, she also introduced mid-day meals in school. Before her retirement, she was also appointed as the Deputy Director Education Kashmir for her relentlessness in the matter of empowerment through education. She was also a member of the Social Welfare Advisory Board, Jammu and Kashmir.
Later years
Begum Zaffar Ali also established a technical training centre for women of limited means in the Valley, in the capacity of Deputy Chairman of the advisory board. Between 1977-82, she also became a member of the Legislative Assembly and tried to bring out various reforms for education and women’s emancipation along with other social issues. The policies she endorsed were by and large progressive and directed towards the upliftment of women.
In 1987, she was the recipient of Padma Shri, India’s highest civilian award for her social work and her perseverance in working for women’s liberation and education. However, later in a televised protest in Doordarshan, she returned the award citing the then Government’s harsh and unfair policies as a reason.
Image Credit: Academy of American Poets
Death
Begum Zafar Ali died in 1999 at the age of 99 at the residence of her son Agha Shaukat Ali in the United States of America. Her grandson Agha Shahid Ali an award-winning Kashmiri-American poet, wrote a poem in memory of her which was included in the collection The Veiled Suite : The Collected Poem .
source: http://www.feminisminindia.com / Feminism In India.com / Home> History / by Shruti Janardhanan / November 14th, 2017
The Indians for Collective Action’s Annual Awards Banquet Oct. 28 honored (l-r) Indian Americans Kamil and Talat Hasan, seen here with Dr. Anuradha Luther Maitra (photo provided)
Menlo Park, Calif. :
Indians for Collective Action, a San Francisco Bay Area-based nonprofit established in 1968 at the UC Berkeley campus with a motto of ‘Development through Innovation’, celebrated its 49th year anniversary with its ‘Annual Awards Banquet’ at the Arrillaga Family Recreation Center here Oct. 28.
The awardees this year were Sonam Wangchuk, founder of the Student Educational and Cultural Movement of Ladakh, and founder of the Himalayan Institute of Alternatives Ladakh; as well as Silicon Valley-based Indian American philanthropists Talat and Kamil Hasan.
The blockbuster Bollywood movie, “3 Idiots,” was in large part based on Wangchuk’s life. He has increased the high school graduation rate in Ladakh’s districts from 5 percent to 70 percent in a decade.
“It is pleasant to see that people from India in this country are connected and caring for the country of their origin. After having worked with schools to bring reforms, to make them future ready, we are now working with higher education universities to create an alternative university that does education as it should be—more engaged and practical rather than just theory, which is what happens in most institutes of higher learning whether in India or the U.S.,” Wangchuk told India-West.
“Just sitting down and listening to lectures is not in harmony with human nature. Youth are not suited for sitting for hours in a classroom. We are a more hands on species and that is how we learn. This is what we are working towards and hoping that it will not only solve the problems of higher education in a place like Ladakh but in other parts of India and the world too,” Sonam added.
“We are working to engage young people to solve real life problems and if it succeeds, the ripple effects will influence universities in rest of India and the world that needs something more engaging than what we currently have,” he continued. “Higher education is too theoretical, up in the air and abstract and not related to life in most places and people feel it. Higher education of today does not prepare you for real life and people are looking forward to something more real than mumbo jumbo of words.”
Working in partnership with dedicated social workers and organizations in India and the U.S., ICA has supported 370 development projects totaling to more than 8.5 million in 25 states in India.
Bhupen Mehta, the organization’s co-president spoke about some of ICA’s projects like SEWA Rural’s IamTeCHO mobile phone technology rolled out by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in cooperation with WHO and UNICEF, as well as the Jaipur Foot Camp Rajkot that has been scaled by Modi in Rajkot.
“I request you all to give your tan, man and dhan (efforts, heart, and wealth) in whichever order that you want to ICA,” Mehta said. “We are getting senior in age and would like to retire. We are looking for youth to take over ICA and run it for the next 50 years.”
The foundation only works with NGOs with guiding principles of secularism, non-partisanship and democracy with a vision of a secure life for every Indian, in a sustainable environment and a just society.
It provides seed funding, ongoing financial resources, moral and technical support to innovative, community-based, scalable development initiatives.
Some of the initiatives of ICA include the youth project helping connect youth in the U.S. with NGOs in India for hands-on social development experience; and its fellowship fund to help activists in India, especially women, in securing opportunities to come to the U.S. for higher training in the areas of environment, women and child development work.
Kamil Hasan expressed his admiration for ICA’s work and went on to say that the main impetus of all the philanthropic activities that he and his wife, Talat Hasan ,have engaged in are to raise the profile of the Indian American community, so that it can make an impact on mainstream American society economically, socially and politically.
He opined that the Jewish community is a good example to emulate and there are four angles — economic success, philanthropy, cultural education and political involvement — that any community keen to raise its profile in U.S., has to work on.
“We have done very well in the area of economic success and fairly well in philanthropy within the community and in India and cultural dissemination via Bollywood movies, actors, yoga, etc.,” Hasan said. “But we have a lot of work to do in expanding our philanthropy to the mainstream community and in political involvement and public service.”
This was followed by a speech on the legacy of philanthropy by Talat Hasan, who amusingly narrated the philosophy passed down by her father, historian and ambassador, Nurul Hasan. She said that her father told her that since she had been privileged by accidental birth, she has an obligation to give back more to society than she had taken.
“I learnt from my parents that working for the community is not a feel-good activity. It is an obligation and should be an integral part of life,” Talat Hasan said. “You should not wait until retirement to do good, and anything that you take on should be sustainable, not just financially but also in such a way that long after you are gone, the work continues.”
source: http://www.indiawest.com / India West / Home> Featured / by Shalini Kathuria Narang, Special to India West / November 02nd, 2017
Lucknow , UTTAR PRADESH / Saratoga, California , USA :
Kamil and Talat Hasan have two daughters and live in Saratoga, California. They have recently purchased land in Santa Cruz county and intend to establish a home there as well. They are actively involved in charity and educational activities through the Hasan Family Foundation.
Kamil Hasan
Kamil Hasan is a general partner in the San Jose-based venture company, Hitek Venture Partners. He received his B.S. in engineering from Aligarh Muslim University, India, in 1967, an M.S. degree in engineering from M.I.T, in 1969, and a Ph.D. degree in engineering from UC, Berkeley in 1973. After receiving his Ph.D., he taught at the Indian Institute of Technology, Dehli, as an assistant professor of engineering and later at Stanford University as an associate professor of engineering.
For more than 25 years, Hasan has worked in the software industry. He founded Hitek Venture Partners in 1995, to invest in early-stage companies in the internet, e-commerce, telecommunications, and enterprise software areas. He has a portfolio of 35 companies and serves on the board of five of these companies.
Kamil’s articles have appeared in more than 50 technical and trade journals, and he is a recipient of a John F. Lincoln Foundation award for outstanding achievement in engineering design.
Talat Hasan
Talat Hasan is chairman and CEO of Sensys Instruments, a company she founded in 1996 to market products for the semiconductor manufacturing industry. She holds an M.A. in physics from Oxford University and a B.Sc. in physics from Aligarh Muslim University, India.
Prior to founding Sensys, she was vice president of corporate business development at Tencor Instruments (now KLA/Tencor), and, in 1983, was cofounder of Prometrix Corporation, serving as a board member and senior vice president of strategic planning when the company merged with Tencor.
Previously, she worked as a scientist, conducting research in semiconductor characterization and process control and working for almost five years at Signetics Corporation/Philips Research Labs in Sunnyvale.
She currently serves on the board of directors of Microbar and the board of trustees of Castilleja School (a private school for girls) and of IBPW (Indian Business and Professional Women), and is a charter member of TiE (The Indus Entrepreneurs). She is also active, with her husband, as an Angel Investor for start-up companies and a mentor to several budding entrepreneurs. Also with her husband, she is in the process of establishing the Nurul Hasan Educational Foundation (named after her late father, Professor Nurul Hasan, who was Minister of Education in the cabinet of Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and was a governor of the State of West Bengal, India).
source: http://www.1.ucsc.edu / UC Santa Cruz Current Online / by Barbara McKenna / October 16th, 2000
Dr Cyrus Poonawalla holding the SM Shah Trophy presented to him by the late trainer’s son Kaleem Shah (in light blue chequered blazer). PIC: RS GUPTA
The Royal Western India Turf Club mostly prefers to stick to its traditional format when framing its year-long horse-racing programme. But the turf club’s management does make occasional concessions as it did when springing a pleasant surprise with the inclusion of a race in memory SM Shah on Sunday. Late SM Shah, incidentally, was veteran SS Shah’selder brother who passed away earlier this year.
The younger generation probably may not have heard much about Majeed Shah but old-timers would certainly recollect him as a hard-working and celebrated trainer who carved a place in the heart of the ardent horse-racing fans during an era, which was dominated by the likes of ALJ Talib, Aziz Mahmoud, DP Pandole, Dady Adenwalla and Major VM Lad. He held sway for over two decades before moving permanently to Bangalore in the late 70‘s.
Shah saddled three Indian Derby winners: Nijinsky (1967), Our Select (1968) and Bright Hanovar (1971). He also trained other prominent winners like Hard Held, Bade Miya, Beandaz and Bakhtawar. Apart from MD Mehta and Laxmi P Lala, Shah was patronised by late Mary Homi Wadia aka Fearless Nadia and Mehmood, the actor par excellence and a superstar in his own right who brought glamour to the game with his presence at the racecourse.
Fitting finale
The race framed in memory of the late trainer who spent two decades in Western India was not in RWITC’s prospectus but Shah’s eldest son Kaleem, an American citizen now, helped RWITC pay a perfect tribute to his father. Not only did he sponsor a glittering gold trophy worth a lakh of rupees for the winner but, in a noble gesture, also gave away twenty thousand rupees each to the grooms of five best turned out horses during the day.
By the way, Kaleem, contrary to his father’s wish, ventured into owning horses in USA by purchasing his first thoroughbred in 1996 and gradually increased his bloodstock to become one of the big owners. Kaleem’s famous win till date has been with Bayern who won the Breeders’ Cup Classic, worth US$ 5 million, in 2014. Bayern was saddled by one of USA’s top horse-trainer Bob Baffert.
Returning to the running of the SM Shah Trophy, call it providence if you like; it was won by the filly Priceless Art, owned by none other than Cyrus Poonawalla. It was only fitting that the trophy was presented by one passionate racehorse owner-breeder to another.
Chivalrous gesture
On a day of festivities when the entire Shah clan was in attendance at Mahalaxmi to witness the race, what came as a dampener was that most race-goers were unaware of the significance of the event. The RWITC replayed a video clip which showed some of India’s senior professionals paying tribute to one of their colleagues and that was it.
No effort was made to highlight Majeed Shah’s achievements as a professional or his son’s feat as a race-horse owner in the United States. It was Kaleem’s sobriety that neither did he demand attention from the club’s administration nor the club’s officials.
However, it was Cyrus Poonawalla’s chivalry that saved RWITC some blushes as the former was only too happy to accompany Kaleem for most of the time till the day’s races were over.
source: http://www.punemirror.indiatimes.com / Pune Mirror / Home> Columns / by Usman Rangeela, Columnist, Pune Mirror / December 27th, 2017
Salman in Houston when it flooded earlier this year.
SALMAN SAYYED may have summed up his life in a less-than-three-minute video but there could be a film on him, the 25-year-old jokes. A pavement dweller from Mumbai who now aims to become entrepreneur in social tourism, Sayyed’s video went viral on social media platforms on Saturday, tracing a young boy’s journey from Haji Ali traffic signal in central Mumbai to Houston, in Texas, where he is now pursuing a course in Business Studies.
“I am surprised the video went viral while I slept in the US,” Sayyed said, jokingly, from Texas on Saturday. Born on a footpath in Haji Ali area, Sayyed dropped out of school to support his family, comprising his parents, a sister with three children, her husband and a grandmother. While his mother worked as ragpicker, his father did odd jobs, and Sayyed sold second-hand books near Haji Ali signal.
“I would ask customers to explain words in the books I sold. My father had taught me basic alphabets,” he told The Sunday Express. When he was about 14, a volunteer from the NGO Akanksha Foundation, which provides aid in education, met him. “They were doing some survey. I spoke a little English, and they were impressed.”
Soon, Sayyed was coaxed to join the NGO, and study. For the next few months, he would wake up early to attend classes. In afternoon, he sold books, and spent the evenings playing. He quit after a few months — “they all spoke English. I didn’t feel comfortable.”
He does not remember his age at the time but one day, while selling books at Haji Ali signal, he wondered, “For how long will I sell books?” That was the “turning point”. He approached the NGO volunteers again and started studying. After failing in his first attempt in Class X Board examination in 2011, he reappeared the next year, and cleared it. In Class XI, funded by the NGO, he scored 91 per cent, following it up with 89 per cent in Class XII Boards.
He went on to pursue undergraduation in Sociology and worked as tour guide with Magic Tours of India alongside.
From the footpath his family moved to Kalyan, on the outskirts of Mumbai, and rented a small flat — his mother now works as a domestic help, and father photographs tourists at Haji Ali.
Last year, Sayyed came across a course under Community College Initiative, where he could study for 10 months in Houston’s Community College. He applied, and got through. “I am no different than anyone. Most of us are stuck at crossroads.. Today I want to help others like me,” he says in his video.
Ram Subramanian, former advertising professional and filmmaker who made the video on Sayyed, said even he was surprised when the video went viral from his Facebook page. “When I met him, we walked from my Khar office to home in Bandra. I realised he is very knowledgeable for his age. It is not academic knowledge — life has taught him a lot,” Subramanian, founder-director of Handloom Picture Company, said.
Sayyed has experienced the floods in Texas, joking that it is no different than Mumbai’s monsoon. The 25-year-old said several volunteers were “after my life, waking me up early morning to study”, and he now realises the importance of having that persuasion in life by an external force. Who does he think is happier, the rich or the poor. “The poor,” he replied. “We have nowhere to rush to. They (rich people) are always rushing, working.”
source: http://www.indianexpress.com / The Indian Express / Home> India / by Express News Service, Mumbai / December 17th, 2017
The young entrepreneurs Mansoor Syed, Umamah Syeda and Haider Syed, who were part of US delegation to the Global Entrepreneurship Summit (GES), are born and brought up in US have deep-rooted connections with Hyderabad. The most interesting part is that they are siblings. Before their selection as the delegation to GES the American government didn’t know that they are siblings. They were selected individually.
Their grandfather, Syed Moosa Quadri was a contractor and had played role in construction of Salar Jung Bridge close to Salar Jung Museum.
Talking about Hyderabad, the trio said that the city has changed a lot. They found that the youth are getting educated and are hopeful that they will get opportunities too.
The entrepreneur siblings said Hyderabad has a very rich culture and everybody during the GES was impressed by it.
Talking about Islamophobia in US, the young entrepreneurs said media is exaggerating the situation; the situation is not as bad as shown by the media; however they said there are struggles everywhere.
Dr. Abdul Munaf, M.B.B.S., Founder President, Krishnagiri Islamic Trust for Education, Al-Ameen Manjil, 27/I, Jakkappan Nagar II Cross, Krishnagiri – 635 001.
Mr. G.N.Srinivasan, Secretary & Correspondent, Urumu Dhanalakshmi College, Tiruchirappalli
Prof. Hajee M.J.A. Meeran, Former Professor of Physics, The New College, Chennai.
Dr. P.M. Mansure, Principal, MIET College of Arts & Science, Tiruchirappalli.
Dr. M.M. Shahul Hameed, Head, Department of Biotechnology, Jamal Mohamed College, Tiruchirappalli.
Dr. M. Sheik Mohamed, Principal, Jamal Mohamed College, Tiruchirappalli.
Mr. R.K.Medhar Mydeen, Deputy Commissioner (Commercial Taxes), Zone-IV, Chennai-6.
Dr. A.Abdul Subhan Khan, Head (i/c), Commerce & Business Administration Self-Financing, Departments, Jamal Mohamed College, Tiruchirappalli.
Mr. Dawood Miakhan, Secretary and Correspondent, Quaide Millath College, Melavakkam,Secretary and Correspondent, Quaide Millath College, Melavakkam, Chennai – 601 302.
Prof. Mohamed Iqbal, Principal, Quaide Millath College, Melavakkam, Chennai -601302.
Mr. K.A.R. Mohideen, K.A.R.Leathers Pvt.Ltd., 86 E, Madurai Road, Begambur, Dindigul-2.
Mr. S. Mohamed Rahmathullah, Programme Manager, Mashreq Bank, Dubai, UAE
Mr. A. P. Rajendran, PG Teacher in Botany, Namakkal
Mr. M. Zahir Husain, Senior IT Infrastructure, Systems and SAN Storage Administrator, Petrochemical Industries Company, Kuwait
On 15th August 2014
Mr. N. ALTAF AHAMED, Director, MEASI Academy of Architecture, Chennai
Mr. P. SAMIIYA, Ex-Zonal Chairman, Tiruchirappalli City Corporation
Dr. AMEENUL HUSSAINI BIN ABDUL KADER, Malaysia
Alhaj Kazi, S.A. SHAIK HASSAN SAHIB, QADIRI, Government Town Kazi and Managing Trustee of Nagore Dargah Shariff
Dr. HABEEBULLAH KHAN BIN ABU BAKAR SIDIQ, Malaysia
Mr. G. RAMESH KUMAR, FCA, Chartered Accountant, Trichy
Mr. M. SAWKATH ALI, Area Warehouse Manager, Shuiba Water & Power Production Station, Kuwait
Mr. T.M.A. ABDUL MALIK, Joint Managing Director, Super Sonic Trading LLC Group, Dubai, UAE
Mr. K. M. KABEER MOOSA, Principal, Jamal Mohamed College Ayesha Girls Matric Hr.Sec. School, Trichy
Mr. D. ASHOK GANDHI, Vice President, All India Synthetic Gems Manufacturers and Dealers Association
Rtn S GOPAL, Prop: Sri Lakshmi Roadways, Trichy
Dr. A . M. MOHAMED SINDHASHA, Former Principal, Jamal Mohamed College Trichy
Dr. M. HUSSAIN MUNAVAR, Professor & Head, Department of Molecular Biology. School of Biological Sciences, CAS in Functional and Organismal Genomics, Madurai Kamaraj University, Madurai
Mr. M. S. HABEEBUR RAHMAN, Engineering Consultant, Chennai,
Dr. K. SATHIYAMURTHY, Associate Professor, Department of Bio Medical Science, Bharathidasan University, Tiruchirappalli
Mr. HAJA SHEIK ALLAUDIN, IT/E-commerce Manager and Director Revenue, Singapore
Dr. A. MOHAMED JAFFAR, Professor of Commerce, Tamilnadu Open University, Chennai
Shri. A. ARUNMOZHITHEVAN, Member of Parliament (Lok Sabha), Cuddalore Constituency
Mr. HAJA MOHIDEEN, CIO, Islamic Bank, Qatar
Mr. NOOR MOHAMED ABDUL MALIK, Project Manager, Tech Mahindra Ltd., Singapore
Mr. ABDUL KARIM ABDUL NAZIR, Associate Director, Banking, NCS PTE LTD, Singapore
Mr. N. AMEER AHMAD, GeneralManager, TRAVEL CLUB Tourism Company, Kuwait
Mr. R. RAHAMATHULLAH, Director- Radiant IAS Academy, Villuppuram
Mr. HABIBULLAH NOOR MOHAMED, Managing Director,MASS Education Institute, Singapore
Mr. MOHAMED SIDDIQUE, Project Manager, IT, Mannai Corporation, Qatar
Mr. A. MOHAMED SHAJAHAN, Universal Lubricants Factory (ZINOL) L.L.C., Sharjah – U.A.E.
Mr. A. NASHEER AHAMED, Chief Executive Officer, Sixth Star Technologies, Chennai
Mr. HABEEB RAHMAN M.I. SHARFUDEEN, Contract Administrative Officer, Qatar
Ms. SHEERIN SAMSUDEEN, Specialist – Manage Direct Tax (United States) M/s. Shell India Markets Pvt Ltd (SBSC)- Chennai
Ms. AIMAN ARISHA, Senior Technical Analyst, CITY Global Service, California, USA
Three Gulf expats among 13 NRI winners of the ‘Pravasi Bharatiya Samman’ award
Three Indian expatriates in the Gulf, including an Abu Dhabi-based doctor, have been conferred with an award for Indians living abroad by the government in New Delhi.
Indian President Pranab Mukherjee has conferred the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Award to 13 non-resident Indians, PIOs and organisations for their contributions to the country of their residence as well as to India in different spheres of activity.
Dr. Shamsheer Vayalil Parambath receiving the ‘Pravasi Bharatiya Samman’ Award from Indian President Pranab Mukherjee in New Delhi.
Dr. Shamsheer Vayalil Parambath, founder and managing director of Life Line Healthcare Group of Abu Dhabi, won the annual award for his role in developing a major healthcare business in the UAE and in promoting UAE-India ties.
Dr Shamsheer’s healthcare business now covers India, Oman and the UAE and the group has undertaken humanitarian projects like giving free heart surgery to poor children and offering jobs to relatives of the Mangalore air crash victims. He is the youngest entrepreneur to receive this award.
A postgraduate in radiology, Dr Shamsheer was trained in Boston before joining Sheikh Khalifa Medical City in Abu Dhabi. Starting with a small hospital in 2007 in Abu Dhabi, he now has nine hospitals.
Shihabudeen Vava Kunju, an Indian social worker from Saudi Arabia, is another recipient of the award from the Gulf this year. He won the award for social service and in fostering good relations between India and Saudi Arabia.
Shihabudeen Kottukad of Saudi Arabia receiving the ‘Pravasi Bharatiya Samman’ Award from Indian President Pranab Mukherjee in New Delhi.
The third Gulf winner of the award this year is Shihabudeen Kottukad of Saudi Arabia. He won the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Award for his social service for Indian expatriates in the kingdom.
Ms Lisa Maria Singh (Australia), Kurian Varghese (Bahrain), Vasdev Chanchlani (Canada), Satnarainsing Rabin Baldewsingh (Netherlands), Bikas Chandra Sanyal (France), Sasindran Muthuvel (Papua New Guinea), Ms. Ela Gandhi (South Africa), Shailesh Lakhman Vara (Britain), Dr. Parthasarathy Chiramel Pillai and Ms. Renu Khator (USA) are the other prominent NRIs who have been given the award this year. Ramakrishna Mission (Fiji) is also in the winners list for its humanitarian and community services on the Pacific Ocean island.
source: http://www.emirates247.com / Emirates 24X7 News / Home> News> Emirates / by Staff Reporter / Tuesday – January 14th, 2014
Kumail Nanjiani has scored three nominations for the 23rd annual Critics’ Choice Awards: ‘Best Original Screenplay’ alongside wife Emily V. Gordon, and ‘Best Actor in a Comedy,’ both for “The Big Sick,” and ‘Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series’ for HBO’s “Silicon Valley.” Indian American actor Aziz Ansari has been nominated in the ‘Best Actor in a Comedy Series’ category for his role in “Master of None.” (Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for IFP; Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images for Netflix)
As Hollywood begins to embrace diversity and move away from offering stereotypical roles, a few Asian actors are having breakout career moments. And now as the award season nears, it’s bringing cheer for some.
Indian American actor Aziz Ansari and Pakistani American actor Kumail Nanjiani have scored nominations for the 23rd annual Critics’ Choice Awards. For both these actors, being the contenders for this prestigious award, which some say is a barometer for predicting the Oscars, is the best way to cap a pretty successful 2017.
Ansari, who has in the past got the critics’ nod for his Netflix comedy series, “Master of None,” is back in the race owing to the second season of the series, which was lapped by the fans. He has been nominated in the ‘Best Actor in a Comedy Series’ category for his role in the Netflix drama.
Nanjiani, a critically acclaimed actor, writer and comedian, recently starred in and co-wrote “The Big Sick” with his wife, Emily V. Gordon. The film, a romantic comedy story, which was released by Amazon Studios/Lionsgate, wowed critics and audiences alike. Nanjiani, also known for his co-starring role as Dinesh in the award-winning HBO comedy series, “Silicon Valley,” has collected multiple nominations, for his work on both “The Big Sick” and “Silicon Valley.”
He is eligible for both film and television honors this year. Nanjiani is up for ‘Best Original Screenplay’ alongside wife Emily V. Gordon, and ‘Best Actor in a Comedy’ for “The Big Sick,” as well as ‘Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series’ for “Silicon Valley.” “The Big Sick” is also contending for the ‘Best Picture’ and the ‘Best Comedy’ awards.
CBS’ “The Big Bang Theory,” which stars Indian American actor Kunal Nayyar, is competing for the ‘Best Comedy Series’ award.
Netflix leads the television honors with 20 nominations, followed by HBO with 15, FX with 13, and ABC with 12.
The Critics’ Choice Awards are bestowed annually by the Broadcast Film Critics Association and Broadcast Television Journalists Association to honor the finest in cinematic and television achievement. The BFCA is the largest film critics’ organization in the U.S. and Canada, representing more than 300 television, radio and online critics. BTJA is the collective voice of journalists who regularly cover television for TV viewers, radio listeners and online audiences.
The winners will be revealed at the star-studded Critics’ Choice Awards gala to be held Jan. 11, 2018 at the Barker Hangar in Santa Monica, Calif. The awards show will air on The CW Network and will be broadcast live from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET.
source: http://www.indiawest.com / India West / Home> Featured / by Reena Rathore , India-West Staff Reporter / Decembe 08th, 2017
