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
Barkath, who has already secured a hazardous driving license, is currently waiting for the clearance of a pass from the Chalissery police station.
Barkath Nisha in a Taurus lorry
Palakkad :
Outdated gender roles notwithstanding, it was her passion for motor vehicles that propelled 25-year-old Barkath Nisha to lay her hands on the steering wheels of heavy vehicles. Soon, she will be only the second woman in Kerala to drive around tanker lorries transporting petroleum products, following in the footsteps of Thrissur Kandassankadavu native Delisha Davis.
Barkath, who has already secured a hazardous driving license, is currently waiting for the clearance of a pass from the Chalissery police station.
“I have to send this pass to an OMC (oil marketing company) in Kochi to get permission to load and transport petroleum products,” said Barkath, who hails from Kilivalankunnu of Nagalassery panchayat.
“I began riding my elder brother’s motorcycle at the age of 14. Even when I was a kid, I would randomly put the vehicle on the stand and try to kickstart it. I never let go of an opportunity to drive, be it a bike, autorickshaw, car or lorry. Finally, on November 10 this year, my younger brother Nishad and I secured the license to transport hazardous materials after completing our training in Ernakulam,” she told TNIE.
Currently, Barkath drives Taurus lorries for short distances along with Nishad. “But my aim is to drive tanker lorries. With the help of an official at the OMC, I will soon be a regular on the national highway,” said a confident Barkath.
The 25-year-old’s father, the late Abdul Hameed, was a daily wager. After his demise, her mother Hafzath struggled a lot to raise their four children, said Barkath, who is the couple’s third child.
“It was with the assistance of the local panchayat that we built a house for Rs 35,000. My mother, Nishad, and my five-year-old daughter, Aysha Nassar, stay with me there. My elder brother and sister are now married and living separately,” she said.
As expected, Barkath had to initially face resistance from her family against pursuing driving as a profession.
“We are a conservative household, but I was able to win them over gradually,” said Barkath, who has separated from her husband.
“Now my mother takes care of my child when I go out for duty,” she said.
There were many people who helped Barkath on the way to realizing her dreams.
“It was Ashraf, the owner of Myna constructions, and driver Randheep who handed me a Taurus for the first time. Shaji of Lallalam Travels also trusted me with his vehicles. Similarly, understanding my difficulty to make ends meet, Calicut Driving School proprietor Dhananjayan and Ever Safe Training Centre’s Nandagopal gave me huge discounts. I will always be indebted to these people,” she added.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Good News / by A Satish, Express News Service / December 05th, 2021
The 10th All India Minorities Business Summit and National Brand Awards for 2021, an initiative from Mumbai-based Maeeshat Media was organised at Kala Mandir, Kolkata and attended by hundreds of business leaders, delegates, entrepreneurs, social workers from across the country.
The summit provided a great opportunity for the participants from minority communities to come together on one platform to exchange their ideas, opinions, and strategies to drive up business activities both at the personal and community level.
As many as 15 women entrepreneurs working in different fields marked their presence at the event and got the opportunity to showcase their business models to a larger audience in a special segment called “Women Entrepreneurs Showcase 2021.”
Several issues afflicting women entrepreneurship came to the fore due to talks given by women attendees. The biggest obstacle for them is society’s attitude of discounting women’s ability to work beyond the household chores, let alone set up a business.
According to them, people fail to understand that if they are allowed to lead aspirational lives within the boundaries of Islamic laws, not only a family but also the community will benefit at large.
They stressed that with the world changing at a startling pace, minority communities must loosen the shackles on women, letting them pursue their entrepreneurial goals in a more free and welcoming environment.
“During the last two decades, women’s entrepreneurship has been recognized as a vital source of economic growth. Today women have made their existence felt in society by occupying prominent positions in the economy,” Sania Sami, Research Scholar, IISWBM and founder of Indian Institute of Research said.
All the entrepreneur women were high on praise for Maeeshat’s initiative to bring them together and recognise their entrepreneurial skills and hard work.
Maeeshat Media’s Director and group Editor expressed his gratitude and satisfaction over women entrepreneurs gracing the momentous occasion.
He said Maeeshat is committed to connecting minority women entrepreneurs across the country, showcasing their skills, and giving them expert advice so that they are enabled to leap forward in their businesses.
Such summits are annually organised by Maeeshat Media since 2010. This year’s event gave special focus on ensuring the participation of women entrepreneurs.
Here is the list of women entrepreneur attendees at 10th All India Business Summit 2021, Kolkata:
Name Entrepreneurial Business/Venture
Shumaila Khalid Juwi’s Elegant Fashion, Kolkata
Aalima Rahman Little Stars School, Kolkata
Nageena Eram Eram’s Academy, Kolkata
Zareen Khan ALINA SCOOTY TRAINING CENTER, Kolkata
Saba Hamid AKASH PAINTS & CHEMICAL WORKS, Kolkata
Afrin Golam She Fitness Ladies Gym, Kolkata
Arshia Ahmed Arshia’s Kitchen, Kolkata
Tanzeem Rahman Adn Interiors–feel the garden of Eden, Kolkata
Saima Bakhtiyar/Anjum Wasim Al Nikah Matrimonial, Kolkata
Jahan Ara Interiors Designer, Kolkata
Saiqa Azam Sabia’s Creation, Kolkata
Sabina Yasmin Velvet Touch, A Boutique of Choice
Miss Tasmiya Ansari Anees Defence Institute, Pune
Mrs Sania Sami Indian Institute of Research, Kolkata
source: http://www.mulimmirror.com / Muslim Mirror / Home> Economy / by Muslim Mirror Staff / November 24th, 2021
Two women, one war. What sets them apart? Professor Lakshmi Subramanian explores Rudrangshu Mukherjee’s ‘A Begum and A Rani’.
The focus of this work, as evident in the title, is two women who fought the same war in 1857 but who never met, whose lives were strangely similar and yet were recalled very differently. Why this was so, what made for a particular telling of their afterlives and how in course of the retrospective retelling, one became a legend and the other a mere trace, forms the core of Rudrangshu Mukherjee’s narrative.
It departs from his earlier work on the Revolt of 1857, where he placed emphasis initially on the diverse structural elements that made up the popular uprising in Awadh and subsequently on explaining the violence that characterised the actions of both the insurgents and their suppressors. Here, in contrast, Mukherjee prefers to focus on the individual as the actor of history and on the politics that animated the reconstruction of individual lives. He does so with elegance, ever attentive to the dictates of Clio, in unravelling the complexity of the context in which the two protagonists found themselves as they were sucked into the vortex of real politics and popular expectations.
(A Begum and A Rani was published by Penguin Allen Lane in July 2021. Buy it here.)
The first two chapters of the book give the reader a taste of the Revolt in its early stages, when a series of military mutinies collapsed into agrarian rebellion, bringing myriad elements into the fray, ranging from the aggrieved taluqdar to the oppressed peasant, from the disenfranchised ruler to the urban dweller. Amidst the clamour of the rebels for a return to Mughal rule and for an end to the unholy power of the hated firang, emerged a slow political front to embark on campaigns against the British forces and coordinate military activity.
Two parallel centres of authority
In Lucknow, the discarded wife of Wajid Ali Shah found herself at the epicentre of protest, whereas in Jhansi, Lakshmibai was urged by the rebels to take up their cause. While the latter was found in active combat, Hazrat seems to have attended to the day-to-day requirements of the troops, making sure that they were provisioned and supported. Hazrat seems to have also been pitted against one of the most charismatic leaders, Maulvi Amir Ali, who insisted on Hazrat becoming his disciple — which Hazrat herself resisted.
That these two individuals represented two parallel centres of authority is clear but what this implied in terms of differing conceptions of freedom is not readily apparent. However, in the analysis of the ishtahars or proclamations that were issued, Mukherjee makes the important point that religion was the integral and unifying idiom in the Mutiny.
The Afterlife
It is in the chapter titled Afterlife that the book really comes into its own. Here, Mukherjee tracks the moments in the emergence of a nationalist historical consciousness in Maharashtra, Bengal, and subsequently in North India, in which the status of the martyr queen gained traction. Analysing poetry, local memories, eulogies and early historical work on the Rani of Jhansi, Mukherjee tracks the making of a very particular historical memory and its amnesiac other, thereby engaging with the complex relationship between myth and history.
He suggests that these categories were not necessarily oppositional. Rather, both were exercises in remembering and forgetting and reconstructing. It is to his credit as a practitioner of history that he reconstructs as well as he does the lives of two women — one of whom was subsequently pushed on to the centre-stage while the other was relegated to the margins.
Lakshmi Subramanian is professor of History in BITS Pilani, Goa. She is the author of several works on music and nationalism as well as on India’s maritime history. Her latest book is Singing Gandhi’s India: Music and Sonic Nationalism. When she is not steeped in teaching and research, she likes to travel to the hills.
source: http://www.telegraphindia.com / The Telegraph, Online / Home> My Kolkata / by Lakshmi Subramanian / December 03rd, 2021
