It is a matter of great pride for the Jamia Millia Islamia (JMI) that Ms Rubina, a PhD research scholar from the Department of Electrical Engineering has been selected for the coveted Prime Minister Research Fellowship (PMRF) under the Direct Entry category for May-2021 drive.
JMI Vice Chancellor Prof. Najma Akhtar congratulated the scholar for this award and hoped she will justify the fellowship with quality research outcome.
Prof. Munna Khan, HOD, Department of Electrical Engineering said that she will receive a monthly fellowship of Rs 70, 000 for first two years, Rs 75,000 for 3rd year, Rs.80,000 for the 4th year and the 5th year respectively. In addition to this, the scholar is also eligible for a research grant of Rs. 2 lakhs per year (Rs 10 Lakhs for five years) under the scheme.
Ms Rubina’s research will be based on “Development of Smart Capacitive Sensors for Condition Monitoring of Electrical Apparatus in Smart Grids”.
The main objective is to fabricate capacitive sensors with superior static and dynamic characteristics for real time online health monitoring of key electrical apparatus such as transformers, and gas insulated switchgears (GIS). The capacitive sensors are extensively used for sensing applications but mostly parallel plate and planar interdigital capacitive sensors with nanostructure sensing films. Although nanostructure materials are nowadays widely used for sensing applications and the stability of the nanomaterials is an important issue for real time applications.
Researchers mostly pay attention to the sensitivity which can be easily addressed with modern advanced IC devices but degradation of sensor performance due to stability is difficult to address by the ICs.
Ms Rubina, is pursuing PhD under the supervision of Prof. Tariqul Islam in the Electrical Engineering Department, JMI.
She will work on “Design, Modelling and Fabrication of High Performance Capacitive Sensors for Non-contact Measurement of Some Important Parameters in Smart Grids”. The sensors for smart grids need to face adverse conditions such as high temperature corrosive environment with electromagnetic noise interference.
The research work will pave a way for the development of novel capacitive sensors which will be cost effective, easy to install and fulfil the application needs.
Rubina thanked Prof. A. Q. Ansari, the coordinator PMRF scheme, HOD, Dean F/O Engg. & Technology, the supervisor and other members of the department who supported her for this achievement.
It is worth mentioning that under the Lateral Entry Scheme of the December 2020 drive, six research scholars of JMI were selected for PMRF. Five out of six are girl students.
The main motivation for this attractive fellowship scheme is to attract the best talent into research thereby realizing the vision of development through innovation. The scheme was announced in the Budget 2018-19.
source: http://www.jim.ac.in / JMI / by Public Relations Office, JMI / December 04th, 2021
Kolkata Municipal Corporation has a total of 144 seats. Registering a landslide victory, Trinamool Congress won 134 seats.
Firhad Hakim, first Muslim Mayor of Kolkata.
Kolkata:
The newly elected Kolkata Municipal Corporation )KMC) body will have a total of 21 Muslims members, as per the election result announced by the West Bengal Election Commission after counting of votes Tuesday.
Of the total 21 Muslim members who have won the 2021 Kolkata Civic Body elections polling for which was held on December 19, 18 are from Trinamool Congress Party (TMC), 02 Independents and 01 from the Congress Party.
Kolkata Municipal Corporation has a total of 144 seats. Registering a landslide victory, Trinamool Congress won 134 seats. The BJP won 03 seats, Congress and Left won 02 seats each and the remaining 03 seats went to the Independent candidates.
Among the 02 Congress candidates who won the 2021 local body election and will become corporator, 01 (Wasim Ansari) is a Muslim. Wasim won from Ward No 137.
Similarly, among the 03 Independent Candidates who have won the 2021 KMC election, 02 – (Kaniz Ayesha and Rubina Naz) are Muslims.
Rest 18 corporators have won the election on Trinamool Congress Party ticket. Among them is also Firhad Hakim – a minister in Mamata Banerji cabinet who was also the first Muslim Mayor of Kolkata.
Following is the complete list of Muslims (ward and party wise) who have won the 2021 Kolkata Municipal Election result of which was declared today.
1. Iqbal Ahmed (TMC/Ward No 29)
2. Mohammed Jasimuddin (TMC/Ward No 39)
3. Kaniz Ayesha (Independent/Ward No. 43)
4. Rehana Khatun (TMC/Ward No 44)
5. Amiurddin (TMC/Ward No 54)
6. Kisar Jamil (TMC/Ward No 60)
7. Manzar Iqbal (TMC/Ward No 61)
8. Sana Ahmed (TMC/Ward No 62)
9. Sammi Jahan Begum (TMC/Ward No 64)
10. Faiz Ahmed Khan (TMC/Ward No 66)
11. Nezamuddin Shams (TMC/Ward No 75)
12. Shamima Rehan Khan (TMC/Ward No 77)
13. Md Anwar Khan (TMC/Ward No 80)
14. Firhad Hakim (TMC/Ward No 82)
15. Shams Iqbal (TMC/Ward No 134)
16. Rubina Naz (Independent/Ward No. 135)
17. Shamsuzzaman Ansari (TMC/Ward No 136)
18. Wasim Ansari (Congress/Ward No 137)
19. Farida Parvin (TMC/Ward No 138)
20. Sk Mushtaq Ahmed (TMC/Ward No 139)
21. Abu Mohammed Tarik (TMC/Ward No 140)
Meanwhile, Outgoing mayor Firhad Hakim , who went to meet chief minister Mamata Banerjee after the results fuelling the speculation of becoming the mayor for the second time, told the reporters:
“We should accept the mandate of the people. We also did opposition politics for 34 years but we never questioned the people. They defeated us and we accepted it with a whole heart”
source: http://www.ummid.com / Ummid.com / Home> India / by ummid.com News Network / December 21st, 2021
Bihar,INDIA / North Carolina / Washington, U.S.A. :
File photo of Uzra Zeya. | Photo Credit: AFP
The coordinator’s role involves promoting “substantive dialogue” between the Chinese government and the Dalai Lama.
U.S. official Uzra Zeya has been appointed the country’s new Special Coordinator for Tibetan Issues. She will hold the position concurrently with her current role as Under Secretary for Civilian Security, Democracy, and Human Rights, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said via a statement.
The coordinator’s role involves promoting “substantive dialogue” between the Chinese government and the Dalai Lama. The coordinator is also supposed to promote the unique identity of Tibet, safeguards human rights of Tibetans and coordinates U.S. policy on Tibet.
“Specifically, she [ Ms. Zeya] will promote substantive dialogue, without preconditions, between the Government of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and the Dalai Lama, his representatives, or democratically elected Tibetan leaders in support of a negotiated agreement on Tibet,” Mr Blinken said in a statement, as part of a list of activities Ms Zeya would undertake in her new role.
In addition to her responsibilities around promoting human rights and preserving the distinct heritage of Tibetans, Ms. Zeya “ also will promote activities to protect the environment and sustainably manage the water and other natural resources of the Tibetan plateau,” Mr Blinken said.
The position, which was established by U.S.’s Tibetan Policy Act (2002), had been lying vacant for much of the Trump administration, i.e., from January 2017 to October 2020, when State Department official Robert Destro was appointed to the role.
Ms. Zeya was born in North Carolina to parents who emigrated from India. She quit the State Department during the Trump administration (2018), speaking and writing, after her departure, of the decline in diversity at the top levels of the administration.
Ms. Zeya has worked at the U.S. Embassy in New Delhi as a politicial-minister counselor, in addition to deputy chief of mission and charge d’affaires in Paris and postings in West Asia and North Africa.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> World / by Srriram Lakshman / December 20th, 2021
Bushra Arshad with her husband and children. | Photo by arrangement
A mother of two, Bushra Arshad Bano’s story is one of grit and determination. Cracking the civil services exams for the third time last week, Bushra has finally secured her dream job of IPS.
Uttar Pradesh :
It is no easy feat for Bushra Arshad Bano from Kannuaj, Uttar Pradesh, a mother of two, to crack India’s toughest and prestigious civil services exam thrice.
Currently posted as a Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) Sadar in Firozabad, Bushra resumed her studies after thirteen years of marriage and cracked the civil services exam thrice and will be an Indian Police Service (IPS) officer – which has been her lifelong dream.
Bushra told TwoCircles.net that she has undergone four major surgeries but this didn’t deter her to fulfil her dreams. Expressing joy over being allotted the IPS category, she said, “I would join IPS as it has been my aim always.”
In earlier exams, Bushra Arshad was given IRS and was a top ranker in Uttar Pradesh Public Service Commission (UPPCS) exams.
Her achievement has been lauded by one and all.
Bushra Arshad, who hails from Saurikh village in Kannuaj, Uttar Pradesh, was the only Muslim participant to become SDM in UPPCS-2017. When she secured 277th rank in the UPSC result in July last year, she was selected for IRS, which as per her “did not satisfy her.” She appeared again in the exams and got 234th rank and secured IPS in the current seat allotment.
Bushra said she had resolved to continue to work hard till she came on top.
Bushra is fond of breaking the ‘myth’, proving misconceptions wrong, and breaking stereotypes.
Her family and relatives said that they always believed in her.
Bushra’s father is a farmer, and her mother is a homemaker. She comes from an educated family – both parents are graduates, and her siblings are well educated. Bushra, however, is extraordinary. After graduating at the age of seventeen, she completed her MBA degree before turning 20. She completed her studies till class XII from Kannauj and went to Kanpur to graduate.
Bushra said that she wanted to appear in the UPSC exam back then, but she was too young and wasn’t eligible.
According to Bushra’s mother Shama, “Bushra was admitted to 2nd standard at the age of four and a half years.”
“Bushra had learned so much at home that she never came second. She has a habit of being a topper. She has always been on top,” her mother told TwoCircles.net.
Bushra recalls relatives visiting her family and telling her family to make her (Bushra) a collector (considered a coveted job). Bushra has gone a step further and become a police captain.
“Age was never a bar for me. It never occurred to me that that I cannot give the UPSC exams or the JRF exams,” she said.
Bushra cleared the Junior Research Fellow (JRF) exam on her very first attempt and got a PhD in Distress Management from Aligarh Muslim University (AMU). It was while being at AMU that she married Asmar Hussain, an engineer. The couple went to Saudi where Asmar started teaching at a university there, and Bushra got a well-paying job in a company.
Forsaking their jobs, the couple returned to India.
“The only reason to return to my country was patriotism and unconditional love for the country. I often used to think that the knowledge that I have learned from the residents of my country in India, the skill generated from it should also benefit the residents of my own country. They should also get it, as it is their right,” she said.
Her husband Asmar Hussain told TwoCircles.net that she (Bushra) got a job in Coal India while being a mother of two. “Ten years passed, but her hunger for excellence kept on,” she said.
Talking about that period of her life, Bushra said, “I did the job honestly, and fulfilled my duty as a mother and as a wife.”
“Bushra is a hard-working woman who accomplishes what she decides to do,” her husband said.
Bushra’s story is a testament that nothing is impossible for this determined woman from Uttar Pradesh.
source: http://www.twocircles.net / TwoCircles.net / Home> Lead Story / by Aas Mohammad Kaif, TwoCirlcles.net / Devember 02nd, 2021
Dr Sharmeen Mushtaq Nizami is a J&K-based philanthropist and adventure trekker who helps cancer patients, widows and orphans. (Waseem Andrabi)
Dr Sharmeen Mushtaq Nizami, a J&K-based philanthropist and adventure trekker, feels that a girl can do big things in life when her parents support her; she has set up a charity trust that helps cancer patients, widows and orphans.
Whatever life throws at Dr Sharmeen Mushtaq Nizami, she takes it as a challenge, overcomes it and moves on. She believes one’s life should be an inspiration for others.
Dr Nizami, in her early 40s, works at a Srinagar hospital and runs a trust for cancer patients besides pursuing her hobby of being an extreme mountain trail motor-sport traveller. Since childhood, she has pursued her passion whether it was studying medicine in the 1990s when militancy was at its peak in Jammu and Kashmir or her love for jeeps.
Her biggest challenge in life came when her husband was diagnosed with cancer and died in 2007 within six years of their marriage, leaving her to bring up their two children, a three-year-old son and a year-old daughter.
“It was a traumatic phase. I struggled but my parents supported me. Initially, being a single parent appeared tough but gradually I came to terms with reality,” she says.
As time went by, she decided not to remarry and moved back to her ancestral home in Srinagar from her husband’s house in Jammu.
Dr Nizami, who is now the medical officer in-charge at a Srinagar hospital and on Covid duties, says that her experience during her husband’s illness pushed her towards helping patients and the needy.
“Though we were relatively well off, we had to go outside for treatment as he was suffering from pancreatic cancer. We realised that the treatment is expensive and drains most families’ savings,” she says.
Even before her husband’s death, she would collect money from attendants using charity boxes outside OPDs. Later, friends and colleagues asked her to setup a trust with a separate account where people could donate money. “We get a lot of donations during Ramazan, which are primarily used to help cancer patients and those needing a kidney transplant. The trust also helps widows and orphans who have no source of income,” she says.
Nizami, the eldest of four siblings, says that her parents Mushtaq Nizami, a military contractor, and Shahida Parveen, a homemaker, have been her strength. “Any girl can do big things in life when her parents support her,” she says.
Ask her what got her interested in jeeps, and she says, “I have imbibed my father’s passion for driving jeeps. In 2018, I came upon some videos of the Kashmir off-road club which organises competitive events and overland expeditions, and decided to participate in a snow-race event (Frozen Rush) at Gulmarg.”
Nizami, who always wears a hijab, was the only woman to participate in the adventure sport and created quite a buzz on social media. “I hadn’t realised that I was breaking stereotypes , until I saw people’s reactions,” says Nizami, who has since participated in dangerous events like mud race and river crossing.
“Some people tried to dissuade me saying it was risky, but I remained unafraid,” says Nizami, adding that she gets a lot of messages from young girls who admire her.
She says her faith in the Almighty has never wavered despite the many challenges in her life. “Not just driving, but life in general throws a lot of challenges at us. We have to accept the challenges and move forward,” she says.
source: http://www.hindustantimes.com / Hindustan Times / Home> Cities> Others / by Ashiq Hussain, Srinagar / September 16th, 2021
A bunch of Bohra women harness the power of social media to ace their careers, clad in their colourful traditional wear
The rida is the traditional attire of the women of the Dawoodi Bohra community, a sub-sect of the Shiite Muslims.
After an adrenaline-charged skydive from 15,000 feet in the USA, everyone around Arwa Merchant was in awe, not because of her daring performance, but for her insistence on doing so in the rida. She wrote about this in a blog post for Dawoodi Bohra Women’s Association for Religious Freedom in October 2019.
The rida is the traditional attire of the women of the Dawoodi Bohra community, a sub-sect of the Shiite Muslims. The two-piece dress is distinguishable from other forms of the hijab by its bright colours, decorative patterns and lace. With their roots in Gujarat, the members of this peace-loving trading community follow the teachings of their spiritual leader Syedna Mufaddal Saifuddin. Although embedded in a tradition dating back to more than 1,400 years, this two million-strong Dawoodi Bohras in India have never been shy to embrace the latest technologies. They even have celebrated festivals like Eid and Shab-E-Baraat online due to the pandemic.
Not one to fall behind, the women of the community have taken social media platforms by storm. From content creators to food bloggers to creating clothing brands, they have managed to expand their careers online, but without giving up their rida.
MariyaKanchwala, 31 Makeup artist and beauty influencer, Indore Instagram: 28,000 followers Kanchwala has carved a niche for herself in the glamour industry by showcasing her makeup skills while wearing her rida. After a brief stint as a public relations executive for a fashion brand, she turned her full attention to makeup. She started posting on Instagram in 2017 as a food blogger, but 2020 made her realise her passion for makeup and she began posting beauty looks on Instagram. In the past year, she has started working on beauty and looks projects for weddings and shoots for makeup.
Rashida Jawadwala, 20 Content creator, Neemuch, Madhya Pradesh Instagram: 32,700 followers Known online as GirlInRida, Jawadwala started posting comic content on Instagram while pursuing her degree in Computer Engineering from Indore in September 2020. And the follower count went up to 32,000 in a year. Jawadwala has brand deals from companies such as VLCC, Urban Clap and Dresscode. Also, offers came her way for anchoring TV and stage shows, but she declined them to focus on her studies.
Arwa Zakir, 25 Fitness expert, GoFit Studio, Salmiya, Kuwait Instagram: 4,200 followers Also known as GoFit Arwa on Instagram and YouTube, Zakir is a certified trainer from the American College of Sports Medicine and owns the GoFit Studio fitness centre in Salmiya, Kuwait, where she trains people of all ages and genders. Her parents are originally from Sagwara, Rajasthan, and until she turned 16 she never paid heed to her health and was an obese child. Today, she posts content around health and workouts on Instagram. Even though some people initially mocked Zakir for posting content in the rida, she never let negativity come in the way of her passion. Zakir believes that social media is the best place for small business owners to grow and for creative people to showcase their talent.
Winner of the 2019 Women Icon of the Year Award in the field of coaching and the Best Life Coach of the Year Award, Ghadiali conducts workshops and seminars on motivation, personality development, life skills, etc—both online and offline—along with personal therapy sessions. Born in Tanzania, but working in Mumbai for the past 17 years, she has a master’s in Counselling Psychology along with a Life Coaching Certification from the International Learning Centre, Manchester, the UK. Ghadiali started posting videos and content on Instagram and Linkedin in 2015 when she found a lot of misinformation being circulated about mental health. It helped her grow from 2,000 to 19,000 followers on Instagram, which helped her garner many clients as well.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Magazine / by Zainab MM / December 12th, 2021
Children at Umeed Academy. | Picture by arrangement
Wali Rahmani’s work has earned him recognition and respect and people have come forward to sponsor the students in whatever way they can.
Kolkata :
Budding lawyer, human rights activist, orator, motivational speaker, social entrepreneur and a proud father to 140 children, 23-year-old Wali Rahmani hopes that one day all his children will be successful leaders and prove to be invaluable assets to the nation.
The 140 children who fondly call Wali Rahmani Abba Ji hail from different slums of Kolkata. Many of them are orphans and all of these children are from families caught in the vicious cycle of poverty.
Wali with his boys dressed for a skit on harmony. | Picture by arrangement
Wali Rahmani was just 18 when he first took 3 kids from a slum under his wing. These 3 kids, around 3-4 years old, were orphans. Wali, their Abba Ji, washed the soiled clothes of the kids, bathed, cooked and fed them–playing the role of a mother, a father, a nanny and a maid. His determination did not waver. Gradually, he found more and more people joining him which encouraged him to start and register ‘Umeed’, which served both as an orphanage and an educational academy.
The journey of Umeed When Wali Rahmani was just turning 18, many changes were taking place in the country which he said, “changed him as well.” The assembly elections of 2017 in the state of Uttar Pradesh, which brought Yogi Adityanath as the Chief Minister, became the turning point in Wali’s life and brought in its wake an energized goal and mission to work for the upliftment of the society.
Rahmani said he was “aghast that someone like Ajay Singh Bihist a.k.a Yogi Adityanath could become the CM.” He took to social media to talk about the injustices, violations of human rights and atrocities that were happening in the country. This was the beginning of Wali’s political journey. Soon, his fearless voice got him thousands of followers on Youtube, Facebook and other social media.
At one point, Wali paused to reflect that he is the only one talking against the oppression and gross injustices meted to people. Where are all the other youth leaders? Why are they not standing up against injustices? He spoke to his peers but they were keen only on pursuing their education, having fun and enjoying life. They did not want to take up these issues or even talk about them.
“I realized that my suggestions did not go down well with my peers. They did not want someone to tell them to ‘do this and do that.’ It became more of an ego thing,” Wali said, reminiscing the early days.
People who heard his talks on social media, his debates on the television channels looked up to him as the leader of the future. Wali, however, was not happy being a leader. He wanted more leaders in the community. According to him, a true leader is not someone who does not leave any legacy behind. He believes that a true leader creates more leaders and leaves behind a rich legacy. Instead of asking other youth to join him in the mission to raise their voice against the wrongs of society, he thought it is better to create new leaders. He believed that these will be small children who can be successfully molded to become strong leaders. He took a break from his studies for a year to work on this idea of creating future leaders.
“But where would I find these children whom I could train? Would any parent trust me enough to send the child to me? Then by chance, I came across a Hadith by our beloved Prophet (PBUH) wherein he mentioned the status of a Muslim who is kind to orphans. I felt that through this hadith, Allah was guiding me. So, I decided to take in children who had no parents,” Wali said.
“I had made up my mind that I want to be a father of 10 before I turn 20. And people laughed at me. They advised me to go study and asked me blunt questions related to my financial capability,” Wali said, “But I did not give up. It was the womenfolk who came forward to help me realize my dream”.
Wali said that he approached several people who had wealth and could easily help him but instead they scoffed at his idea.
“The very first person to help me was my mother. She believed in my dream. She was the first donor for Umeed,” Wali said while giving details of other donors who were also women.
He remembers the first donors fondly and with gratitude. One woman gave her gold finger ring because she was not earning and wanted to give what belonged to her. Wali likens this to the woman who donated her gold bangles to Sir Syed Ahmed when he was seeking donations for the Aligarh Muslim University.
Some girl students also promised monthly payments from their pocket money. And as they say, small drops of water make a mighty ocean, Wali Rahmani’s dream project began taking a concrete shape.
Today he runs the Umeed Academy in a rented apartment with 140 children. Some of these children are day scholars who are at the academy for at least 12 hours.
Many of these children are kids from slums whose parents are alcoholics, orphans who are homeless, kids who have parents but stay with their guardians to avoid the brutality that their parents either go through or make them go through, children with parents serving jail time. Some kids have homes not suitable to live in. The children of his academy are mostly from Muslim Ghettos.
Umeed Academy’s vision Wali envisions creating leaders who in turn will become capable to create more leaders. Year after year, Wali hopes, Umeed will produce leaders who will carry forward the legacy of Wali and his academy Umeed.
“Each child that graduates from Umeed shall be an institution builder and a leader. They will leave their imprints in the sands of time,” he said.
Inside Umeed Academy There are no wardens at the Umeed Academy, only house parents who take care of all the needs of the children. From the time of their enrolment to the time they pass out as students have completed their 12th standard ICSE curriculum syllabus, all their costs are borne by the academy including their residential cost, health cost, books, clothing and sports.
The focus is on the holistic development of girls and boys. For their spiritual growth, they are taught Quran and Islamic values.
The children are taught regular subjects of the school curriculum which is ICSE and apart from that, they are taught self-defence, drawing, sports, Quran, Hadith and ethics. They are encouraged to participate in many activities conducted in their academy.
Class room in Umeed. | Picture by arrangement
“The transformation in the children is visible. They are all so disciplined and neat that despite sharing common toilets and bathrooms, they keep it all clean,” Wali says proudly, adding, “Ask them to recite the Duas (prayers) of eating, sleeping, going out, going to the toilet, or when it rains, they will recite it.”
The house parents bring up these children as they would bring up their own, insists Wali. He also does his bit by interacting with the children every day, listening to them, talking to them and thus making strong the bond they share.
The core team members, who are his well-wishers not only guide him but also help him make the right decisions.
Asma Alam, director of Umeed, Ghazala Imam and Yusuf Haque who taught Wali at school are now part of the core committee. Others who have joined his mission are an army veteran Abhishek Mukherjee, educationists Shabana Anwar, Usha Banerjee and Mufti Anwar Khan Sargiroh.
Wali Rahmani, with his staff and children of his academy. | Picture by arrangement
Awards and recognitions Wali Rahmani has appeared in various national television debates and is perhaps the youngest Indian TV debate panellist.
He says that his work for society is not social work, but “his social duty.” He has been awarded the young social Hero award in 2019 at the South India NGO conference. He has also been featured as one of the young top 20 achievers in India under the age of 20 by Mumbai Coworking, and also received the Shan-e-Hindustan award by Youth Ekta Front, Delhi. His work has been acknowledged and featured by India Times, Brut India, and the Indian Express.
Many prestigious institutes and organisations have invited applications from Wali to apply for the awards but Wali Rahmani says “his work should speak for him,” and does not believe in applying for any award.
“The ultimate award will be when these children grow up and lead the nation and establish peace and harmony around them,” he said.
Future of Umeed Wali Rahmani’s work has earned him recognition and respect and people have come forward to sponsor the students in whatever way they can. One generous donor has donated 2 Acre (87120 square feet) of land to Umeed Academy worth Rs 2 Crore.
Wali has plans to construct fully functional hostels on the land for students with separate dormitories for boys and girls, a housing facility for the staff members and a campus which can accommodate approximately 600-700 students at once.
The construction work has started and the cost of the entire project has been approximated at Rs 13.5 crores. Wali intends to complete this work within the next two years and requests donations for his lofty mission through donations.
The Jawad Memorial Prize for Urdu-English translation was instituted to honour the literary legacy of poet and scholar Ali Jawad Zaidi (1916-2004).
Bilal Tanweer (left) and Aalim Akhtar (right)
This year’s Jawad Memorial Prize for Urdu-English translation has been given jointly to Aalim Akhtar’s translation of Hari Bol, written by Zakia Mashhadi, and Bilal Tanweer’s translation of Parasite (Keera), written by Bilal Hasan Minto.
The Jawad Memorial Prize for Urdu-English translation was instituted to honour the literary legacy of poet and scholar Ali Jawad Zaidi (1916-2004). People from across the world can apply with an unpublished translation into English of an (already published) Urdu short story or essay. All submissions are judged blind.
While there are no runner-ups, the jury — comprising authors M Asaduddin and Aakar Patel — had commendations for two translations. Nazia Akhtar’s translation of Chhottam Jaan, written by Zeenath Sajida, and Fathima M’s translation of Shadows (Saaye), written by Khalid Jawed.
In its comments, the jury called Akhtar’s translation of Hari Bol “lucid and accessible”. It remarked that the language was direct and the translation was close to the original text. “Mashhadi’s Hari Bol depicts life lived at a most basic level. The story examines the complexity of human relationships with an unsentimental, even pitiless gaze,” the jury noted.
Tanweer’s translation of Parasite was applauded by the jury for drawing both major characters with great skill, panache, and a clinical eye for detail. “The translation is free-flowing, an elegant rendering from the original,” it said. The jury mentioned that Manto’s Parasite is an unusual and enjoyable story, bordering on surreal. “It draws its strength from the portrayal of characters, which include a tapeworm,” it added.
Akhtar is a PhD scholar at the Center for English Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), New Delhi. After pursuing a Bachelors’ degree at Delhi University’s Kirorimal College and a Masters’ degree at JNU, Akhtar has taught undergraduate students at JNU and at Zakir Hussain Delhi College, DU. As part of the translation studies course at his current centre, Aalim has translated over 25 micro-fictions by Manto, a play, Anarkali by Imtiaz Ali Taj, and some nazms by Jaun Elia. He has also reviewed Srikant Verma’s Relapse: A Novel, translated by Krishna Baldev Vaid, for The Book Review (Sept 2020).
Tanweer’s novel The Scatter Here Is Too Great won the Shakti Bhatt First Book Prize and was shortlisted for the DSC Prize for South Asian Literature, and the Chautauqua Prize (US). The novel was also translated into French (Editions Stock) and German (Carl Hanser Verlag). His translation of Muhammad Khalid Akhtar’s novel and stories, Love in Chakiwara and Other Misadventures, received the PEN Translation Fund Grant.
source: http://www.indianexpress.com / The Indian Express / Home> Books & Literature / by Aditya Vaddepalli / December 05th, 2021
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy congratulated YSRCP MLC Zakia Khanam and said that this is the first time in the Assembly to elect a minority woman as deputy chairman unanimously.
YS Jagan said that she should help and support women and added that this is another step towards women’s empowerment in the state.
మన రాష్ట్ర శాసనమండలి చరిత్రలోనే మొట్ట మొదటిసారి ఓ మైనారిటీ మహిళను డిప్యూటీ చైర్ పర్సన్ గా ఏకగ్రీవంగా ఎన్నుకోవడం సంతోషంగా ఉంది. సోదరి జకియా ఖానంకు అభినందనలు. అక్క, చెల్లెమ్మలకు అండగా నిలిచి, మహిళా సాధికారత దిశగా ఈ ప్రభుత్వం వేసిన మరో ముందడుగు ఇది.
Zakia Khanam took the charge as Deputy Chairperson of the Legislative Council on November 26.
She thanked YS Jagan for choosing her as the deputy chairperson of the Legislative Council. YS Jagan said that he was very happy to see Zakia Khanam as the deputy chairperson for the Legislative Council.
He said that the Andhra Pradesh government is working hard to empower women politically and financially.
source: http://www.english.sakshi.com / Sakshi Post / Home> Andhra Pradesh / November 28th, 2021
Amina had taken a loan from the Keechery Service Co-Operative Bank for the wedding of their daughter by mortgaging their land and house.
The bank will return the documents for the land after changing it to Amina’s name at the earliest, officials said. (Photo| EPS)
Kochi :
Amina’s family will sleep peacefully at their home in Kanjiramattom, a suburb in Kochi, free from the fear of bank attachment, thanks to the large-heartedness of NRI businessman MA Yusuf Ali.
She had been spending sleepless nights and had forgotten what it felt like to have a normal day due to a bank loan, which the family struggled to repay.
Amina had taken a loan from the Keechery Service Co-Operative Bank for the wedding of their daughter by mortgaging their land and house. The land and house were under bank attachment due to the default in repayment. Her savings were used for the treatment of her husband, and there is no money left to pay the recovery amount.
On Sunday, Amina rushed to Panangad to meet Yusuf Ali, who had come to the village to visit Rajesh and his family, who rescued the Lulu group chairman after his helicopter crash-landed early this year. As soon as Yusuf Ali heard about Amina’s distress, he instructed his coworkers to deposit the money and pay off her loan amount at the earliest.
Amina never thought that her problems would be solved quickly when she expressed her grief over the threat of losing her home to the bank to Yusuf Ali. Amina’s husband Syed Mohammad is suffering from cancer.
On Monday, Amina and her husband were informed that someone had come to visit them. Both of them rushed to the place and were clueless about the visitors. They asked the visitors who they were and the purpose of their visit.
The visitors were the employees of Lulu Group. Though Amina didn’t understand who they were initially, the employees of Lulu told them that they had paid off the loan amount of Rs 3,81,160 that the couple owed to the bank. Amina and her husband were beyond belief when the media coordinator of Lulu Group NB Swaraj, handed over the receipt of the repayment of loan and interest to Amina. He also handed over a sum of Rs 50,000, including medical expenses, to the couple for treatment expenses on Yusuf Ali’s instructions.
The loan amount of Rs 2,14,242, and a total of Rs 3,81,160 including interest and penalty interest, was deposited by Yusuf Ali in the bank. The bank will return the documents for the land after changing it to Amina’s name at the earliest, officials said.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Good News / by Express News Service / December 07th, 2021
