Category Archives: Women/Girls(since May26-2021)

Meet Iram Meher, one of Telangana’s Intermediate 1st-year toppers

Hyderabad, TELANGANA :

Hyderabad: 

Iram Meher, is a first-year intermediate student who topped in the state by scoring all A’s in the subjects of Mathematics, Physics, and Chemistry.

Iram Meher Khaja Sahkeeluddin is a student at the St. Joseph’s Junior College in Hyderabad’s Tolichowki Branch. Meher’s first-year tests resulted in a 467 out of 470.

She received 75 out of 75 in maths scoring an A grade and the same in maths scoring a B, 60 out of 60 in physics, the same in chemistry, and 98 and 99 out of 100 in English and Arabic languages.

The TSBIE Intermediate First and Second Year Results 2022 were released at a press conference hosted by the Telangana State Education Board at 11 AM, on Tuesday. 63.32 percent of the overall number of students who took the TS Inter examinations in 2022 passed and were promoted from the first year, while 67.16 percent passed the second year.

Girls once again outperformed males in the Telangana Intermediate examinations, according to the board’s website, tsbie.cgg.gov.in, where students can also view their scorecards and TSBIE IPE scores memo.

source: http://www.siasat.com / The Siasat Daily / Home> News> Telangana / by News Desk / posted by Marziya Sharif / June 30th, 2022

Journalist Rana Ayyub receives US’s highest press freedom award

Mumbai, INDIA / U.S.A. :

Indian Journalist Rana Ayyub was awarded the International John Aubuchon 2022. She was honoured with the award by the National Press Club of Washington DC and the Aubuchon is the Club’s highest honor for press freedom.

National Press Club President Jen Judson and National Press Club Journalism Institute President Gil Klein said, “We are pleased to name Rana Ayyub the 2022 John Aubuchon Award International Honoree. Ms. Ayyub’s courage and skill in investigative work has been evident throughout her distinguished career and her criticism of the government has been met with an unwelcome assault on her rights and freedom of expression.”

Later, Ayyub, in her statement on Twitter, thanked the Press Club and said that “it is a testing time for journalism in India”.

She further added: “Huge honour to receive this award, the first ever for an Indian.”

Ayyub dedicated the award to her colleagues who are lying in different prisons across the country. “Dedicating this to my colleagues Mohd. Zubair, Siddique Kappan and Asif Sultan, incarcerated for speaking truth to power,” she said.

source: http://www.thekashmirlwalla.com / The Kashmir Walla / Home> News> South Asia / by News Desk / July 01st, 2022

This unassuming public library stands testimony to the power of the page

NEW DELHI :

The Delhi Youth Welfare Association works for the upliftment of underprivileged children in Old Delhi through many initiatives, including its Hazrat Shah Walliulah Public Library.

DYWA team with Capt Zoya and Heena Sodhi
DYWA team with Capt Zoya and Heena Sodhi

On a hot Wednesday afternoon in June, Laxmi (14)  and Ritika (11), residents of the walled city, braved the heat as they made their way through the crowded lanes of Old Delhi to arrive at a cramped quarter in Churiwalan, Jama Masjid. The dated signage and dilapidated environs may have served to put them off their mission, but they persevered. After all, they had it on the best possible authority––of their own older sister––that this was where they would receive school textbooks for the upcoming academic year.

These hardworking sisters are a few of the many girls and boys lining up outside the doors of the unassuming Hazrat Shah Waliullah Public Library, which distributes course books for children once a year, free of cost, to support them in their pursuit of education despite financial and other constraints.

In 1987, in the wake of curfew following religious tensions in Old Delhi, a group of young friends turned their energies towards the upliftment of destitute locals. 

The library

They began by distributing rations, medicines, and scholarships to deserving widows and others in need, under the banner of the Delhi Youth Welfare Association (DYWA); but felt this action, though noble, did not make the desired difference to ground realities. Illiteracy due to poor financial conditions and the resultant lack of resources was a chronic problem that needed their immediate attention. Hence, they started sponsoring the education of deserving children, and opened the Hazrat Shah Waliullah Public Library, sometime in the 90s.

Muhammad Naeem, the President of the DYWA, has been associated with the organisation from the beginning. Narrating an incident that summarises the need for their organisation, he says, “Financial conditions are bad for the locals here. As soon as they clear their ninth standard exams, they want to move to Open University instead of going to school, so they can work and earn money. This is true for both boys and girls.”

Amidst this, the Hazrat Shah Waliullah Library strives to encourage a love of reading and learning–– an art that is swiftly being sidelined.  SM Changezi, the General Secretary of DYWA and custodian of the library, wears his royal ascendancy from Chengez Khan with pride. However, he only displays it to the world through his passion for beautiful and rare old books. 

The library’s vast collection includes a 100-year-old Quran with every page written in a different style, a copy of an illustrated Ramayana in Persian, and even one of the last copies of Bahadur Shah Zafar’s poetry, printed and sealed in the royal press while he was still in power.

About 50 percent of the books in the library are donated by locals who support the organisation, and the remaining are bought from the organisation’s funds. 

With the increasing number of books, the association is now planning to open a second library in Haryana’s Nuh to cater to the local slums in the area. Apart from free course books, the DYWA sponsors the education of around 30 girls. To this effect, the DYWA collects and pays Rs 2.5-3 lakh per annum towards children’s fees, all from donations made by people who believe in the cause.

Other initiatives include inviting celebrated personalities originally from this area to speak to the children about making a success of their life. This happened recently when Air India pilot and social activist Captain Zoya Agarwal and Heena Sodhi Khera of women’s networking platform Queen’s Brigade, met the children for their course distribution ceremony.

Khera explains, “Capt Zoya shared her own experiences of being judged for her big ambitions. Yet, she achieved what she wanted and encouraged the kids to do so as well. The children were ecstatic and listened to her with rapt attention.” 

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Good News / by Noor Anand Chawla / June 24th, 2022

Mangaluru: HIF felicitates toppers of SSLC examination, awards scholarship to 20 students

Mangaluru, KARNATAKA :

Mangaluru: 

Highland Islamic Forum (HIF) on Monday organised a felicitation ceremony for the students who scored more than 90% marks in the recently announced SSLC examination results.

The forum also awarded scholarships to the students during the ceremony to honor their feat.

20 students who met the criteria were awarded scholarships for their further studies, during the event.

Dr Surfraz J Hasim, Psychologist, Mind Trainer & Coach, Principal, P.A. First Grade College, Mangalore was the Guest Speaker at the ceremony. In his address, he spoke about how students can excel by concentrating and focusing on learning while they embrace competitive life.

HECC Secretary Hanif PS was also invited to the event as a guest while Imam of Masjid-ul-Ehsaan Moulana Altaf was also present at the event.

Nazim AK, President of HIF presided over the event that was organised at the HIF auditorium here in the city.

Yusuf Hussain welcomed the guests and attendees.

Rizwan Pandeshwar compered the event and Bilal Raif delivered the vote of thanks to conclude the ceremony.

source: http://www.english.varthabharati.in / Vartha Bharati / Home> Karavali / by Vartha Bharati / June 20th, 2022

Muslim girl to receive gold medal from Kovind

Vadodara, GUJARAT :

Masarrat Mehboob Surti completed her master’s degree in accounting and financial management

Vadodara:

A Muslim girl student of M S University’s the Faculty of Commerce has not only passed her exams with flying colours but she will also have the distinction of being the only gold medalist in the university who will bag honours from the hands of President Ram Nath Kovind who be the chief guest at the university’s 66th annual convocation on January 22.

Although there are 160 gold medalists who will be conferred 263 medals this year, due to time constraint MSU has decided that only Chancellor’s gold medal will be conferred in presence of the President during the convocation ceremony. The rest of the gold medalists will be conferred their gold medals through a separate function – ‘We are Proud of You’ – which will be held at the convocation ground on the same day post the convocation ceremony.

Co-incidentally, the chancellor’s gold medal which is awarded through rotation, will be conferred upon Masarrat Mehboob Surti, who has cleared her masters’ degree. “I am very glad that I will have the honour to receive the gold medal from the hands of the President. My parents and the entire university have always supported me all through my studies,” said Masarrat, who after completing her M Com in accounting and financial management with 80 % has started working with a private firm in Gorwa BIDC.

“I am very proud with my daughter’s feat,” said Masarrat’s father Mehboobali, who runs a small shop at Mangal Bazaar area in old city from where he carries out embroidery job work.

“My daughter has always remained a topper throughout her studies,” said Masarrat’s mother Furkana, a homemaker.

Traditionally, all the gold medalists are conferred the gold medals during the convocation ceremony. But this year, as President Ram Nath Kovind will be available for only one hour, the university officials have decided to cut short the ceremony. After much deliberations, the university has decided that only the chancellor’s gold medal will be symbolically conferred during the ceremony on Monday morning.

Although commerce faculty which counts for nearly half of university’s total student strength is infamous for irregular classes, Masarrat says she was a regular student at the faculty. “There is a wrong notion that classes are not regularly held at the faculty. I cleared my exams and scored 80 % by attending classes at my faculty and by completing my studies on the same day itself,” she said.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> News> City News> Vadodara News / TNN / January 18th, 2018

Ismat Ara Wins HRRF ‘Young Journalist of the Year’ Award for Articles Published in The Wire

NEW DELHI :

The awards were constituted by the Indian American Muslim Council, a Washington DC-based advocacy group, to “highlight stories and amplify voices that are often missing from the mainstream/elite media”.

New Delhi: 

Ismat Ara was among the winners of the first edition of the Human Rights Religious Freedom (HRRF) Journalism Awards, taking home the Young Journalist of the Year Award for stories that were published in The Wire.

She was a joint winner in the category with Scroll‘s Aishwarya S. Iyer.

The awards were constituted by the Indian American Muslim Council, a Washington DC-based advocacy group. The HRRF Journalism Awards strive to “highlight stories and amplify voices that are often missing from the mainstream/elite media”.

“This year our jury chose winners in the extremely troubled times when media in India is under immense pressure from the ruling government,” said Syed Ali, president of IAMC.

Ara was chosen as a joint winner of the Young Journalist of the Year Award for stories on a temple-mosque controversy in Delhi’s Uttam Nagar, the tragic consequences of the so-called anti-love jihad law and the lynching of a Muslim youngster in Haryana. She was a staffer for The Wire when the stories were published.

Iyer’s stories covered the aftermath of the Delhi riots of 2020, shrinking space for open namaz in Haryana and the arrest of a Christian pastor in Madhya Pradesh.

Newslaundry‘s Akanksha Kumar was declared the winner of the Best Text Reporting on Human Rights & Religious Freedom category.

Priyanka Thirmurthy of The News Minute and Shahid Tantray of The Caravan won the Best Video Story on Human Rights and Religious Freedom category and Syed Shahriyar was the winner in the Best Photo Story on Human Rights and Religious Freedom category.

Article 14 and the Mooknayak were declared joint-winners of the Best Media Organisation Covering Human Rights and Religious Freedom Journalism.

According to IAMC, the awards received more than 250 entries across five categories. The winners will share a prize pool of Rs 3 lakh.

Speaking at the awards ceremony, Gypsy Guillen Kaiser, who is the advocacy and communications director at the Committee to Protect Journalists, said the watchdog’s annual prison census found that India set a country record last year for the largest number of detained journalists. “The vast majority of journalists detained in India as of December 1, 2021 are Muslims,” Kaiser said.

“The worrying trends in India make HRRF Journalism awards all the more important to uplift and celebrate the invaluable work of the Indian journalist and to remind us of the responsibility that we all share in working to keep them safe,” she added.

source: http://www.thewire.in / The Wire / Home> Media / by The Wire Staff / New Delhi – June 20th, 2022

Kerala SSLC results 2022: UP boy overcomes language barrier, scores highest grade in all subjects

Allahabad, UTTAR PRADESH / Kaloor , Kochi, KERALA :

Ashad Hasim, a student of Darul Uloom VHSS at Kaloor, talks to TNIE about how he started improving his scores in Malayalam despite speaking only Hindi.

Kerala-SSLCexam-2021topper
Kerala SSLC topper Ashad Hasim with sister sister Falak Bano, who scored A+ in five subjects.

Kochi :

Hard work and perseverance paid for a 16-year-old boy who triumphed over the language barrier to score A+ in all subjects in SSLC examinations. Ashad Hasim, a student of Darul Uloom VHSS at Kaloor, hails from a family that migrated to Kerala from Uttar Pradesh seeking better education prospects for the children. And their gamble paid off.

“My parents, Mohammed Hasim and Mahjabeen Bano, came to Kerala from Allahabad in Uttar Pradesh after I was born. They wanted to come to a place that would provide us with ample opportunity to study and achieve our dreams,” said Ashad who wants to be a doctor.  

“My achievement wouldn’t have been possible without the help provided by my teachers. Right from the start of my educational journey, my teachers have been my anchor. They went all out to help me tide over the language barrier that made it very difficult for me to learn Malayalam,” said Ashad who speaks only Hindi at home. “In the junior classes, I used to score very badly in Malayalam though my marks in all other subjects were 38-39 out of 40,” he said.

“I wanted to overcome this obstacle and decided to concentrate on scoring better in Malayalam. Gradually, my scores improved and for my model examinations in Class X, I was able to score 38 and 37 out of 40,” he added.

Ashad, whose father Mohammed earns a living as a butcher, said, “When it comes to studies, my parents never held me back. They have been encouraging both me and my sister to achieve our goals.” Ashad’s sister Falak Bano too cleared SSLC exams but couldn’t bag the perfect score of full A+. “She scored A+ in five subjects,” said Ashad who will opt for the science stream in Plus-One.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Kerala / by Anu Kuruvilla, Express News Service / June 16th, 2022

Hyderabad siblings create ‘Dovely’, bike taxies exclusive for women

Hyderabad, TELANGANA :

Hyderabad siblings create Dovely, bike taxies exclusive for women
Team Dovely (from Left to Right Mohammed Obaidulla Khan, Zainab Khatoon, Uzma Khatoon and Masarrat Fatima)

Hyderabad:

How often do casual conversations on women’s safety get realised into full-fledged businesses focusing on women empowerment? One such conversation led to the creation of the ‘Dovely’ app by-city-based siblings Uzma Khatoon and Zainab Khatoon.

Concerned over women’s safety, Uzma and Zainab thought of coming up with a solution to address the issue. The Dovely app provides a bike taxi service exclusively run by and for women. Apart from ensuring women’s safety, the entrepreneurs also aim to make women financially independent.

The four-person run application comprises founder Zainab who is a final year B. Pharmacy student, Uzma, a final year B.com Computers student, and Masarrath Fatima and Obaidulla Khan who are final year B. Tech students.

As of now the platform has 20 riders and over 400 users and functions through its website and connects riders and passengers through WhatsApp.

The app is still undergoing improvements. “We will be able to develop a full-fledged app only after we reach a certain milestone like 200 rides,” said Masarrat.

She further added that the company can’t risk putting up the app on the app store or the play store since users may face challenges as it is manually operated at present.

Speaking to Siasat.com the founder and CEO of Dovely, Zainab Khatoon said, “The idea to create Dovely first struck me and originated from a conversation between me and my mom, who wanted to visit my granny and was looking for cost-effective and safe rides.”

The idea only came into existence following an unpleasant autorickshaw experience, aimed at ensuring women feel safe and secure during their journey.

“The idea struck me once again while I was travelling with my friend in an autorickshaw when the driver looked at us from the rear view mirror making me feel uncomfortable,” Zainab added.

“We sat down with our parents to discuss the name of the company. After going through about 400 names, our father came up with the name Dovely,” said Chief Operating Officer and co-founder Uzma.

“Apart from providing rides for women, the app also allows women to connect with us as Dovely partners. To access information regarding the platform one may visit the Dovely website. At the time of filing the story, Dovely successfully completed 37 rides,” Zainab said.

Addressing the query regarding profit sharing, Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) Obaid Ulla Khan said, “Currently all the money earned is being kept with the riders themselves, and we aren’t earning any commission.”

Bootstrapping for funding Dovely:

Running a startup is not an easy task and requires consistent funding. However, Obaid believes in “Bootstrapping”, where entrepreneurs fund their own ventures. “Even if we approach venture capitalists at this stage they would set milestones based on which they would provide the money, hence it is better that we set a milestone for ourselves before we reach out to investors.”

“In order to pitch the business idea, we are collecting all the information ranging from the number of riders to the number of users along with the IDs of our riders in an excel sheet, this will make it easier for us to attract investors,” he explained.

With regards to the credibility of the riders, Zainab said, “I personally handle the onboarding process for Dovely. As part of the hiring process we ourselves take long distance rides with the candidates to test their driving skills.”

On Safety

Shedding light on the steps taken to ensure the safety of the riders and passengers, Uzma said, “One of us is constantly checking on the live location from the beginning to the end of the ride, and the riders are only supposed to switch off the live location after completing the ride.”

Adding to Zainab’s response, Obaid said “More than the candidate’s driving skills, we focus on their behaviour since we want to provide the best possible service to our customers”

Addressing the query on whether riders have to be logged in for a specific period of time on a daily basis, he said, “Keeping in mind the household responsibilities of our partners, we don’t have any specific login timings for now.”

A few Dovely partners were also present during the interview and they shared their experience with Siasat.com. Nahera Lohreen, one of the partners said,” The first ride was a bit challenging since I was hesitant as to how it would go, but after a while, I felt comfortable and it has been a great experience.”

Nahera is also the first partner to be roped in by Dovely.

Zareena Begum, another partner with the firm said,” It is a great opportunity since it gives us financial independence and I was looking forward to such an opportunity”

Speaking of future plans, the company’s CEO Zainab said, “As of now we are focusing on a minimum of 10 rides per day, we will gradually expand into three and four-wheeler markets.”

She further said, “Apart from bike taxis, we are planning to deal with transport and logistics which will also be led by women. The greater vision of the company is to empower women across India and make them financially independent.”

www.dovely.org

source: http://www.siasat.com / The Siasat Daily / Home> News> Hyderabad / by Mohammed Baleegh / June 19th, 2022

2nd PU toppers speak: Ilham wants to pursue clinical psychology

Mangaluru, KARNATAKA :

Anisha Mallya wants to take up B.Com. Both Ilham and Anisha did their 2nd PUC from St. Aloysius College, Mangaluru

Anisha Mallya wants to take up B.Com. Both Ilham and Anisha did their 2nd PUC from St. Aloysius College, Mangaluru

Ilham, student of St. Aloysius PU college in Mangaluru, who scored 597 in science stream. | Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

Ilham, the 2nd year Pre University student from St. Aloysius PU College in Mangaluru, who stood second in the science stream by securing 597 marks, wants to pursue a career in clinical psychology.

“Since my Class 10 days, I developed a fascination towards the working of the brain. I want to pursue a career in clinical psychology,” said a beaming Ms. Ilham, the younger daughter of Mohammed Rafeeq, a manager in a retail chain outlet, and Moizatul Kubra, a home-maker.

She will be pursuing the course at Yenepoya Deemed to be University, Ms. Ilham said.

Ms. Ilham said since she was completely prepared for the 2nd PU examination, she did not face any nerves writing a public examination after a gap of nearly two years. “I had good support from our teachers. I did well in the pre-boards examination too,” she said. Ms. Ilham did her Class 10 at the Yenepoya School.

Anisha Mallya, student of St .Aloysius PU college Mangaluru, who scored 595 in commerce stream. | Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

Self preparation

Anisha Mallya, from the same college, who came second in the commerce stream by securing 595 marks, wants to do a bachelors degree in commerce.

Anisha Mallya said she prepared for the examination herself and did not go for tuition classes. “Much to my delight, the papers were easy,” Ms. Mallya said ruling out any anxiety in facing the examination. “I am seeking admission to the B.Com course at St. Aloysius College,” she said.

Ms. Mallya is the daughter of businessman Panduranga Mallya and home-maker Shantala Mallya.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Mangaluru / by Raghava M / Mangaluru , June 18th, 2022

Afiya Khan bags 3 silver medals in National Armwrestling Championship

Dibrugarh City, ASSAM :

In a recent example of hijab-clad women doing wonders in their fields, Afiya Khan, a hijabi from Assam’s Dibrugarh city has become the pride of the Northeastern state by winning three silver medals in three different categories at the second National Arm-wrestling Championship.

She has secured second position (Silver) in Youth 57kg(+) Right, Women 63kg Right and in Women 63kg Left.

Afiya Khan will be representing India in the upcoming World Championship, 2022 and Asian Championship, 2022, which are going to be held in France and Malaysia, respectively, web portal Dibrugarh 24×7 reported.

source:http://www.thehindustangazette.com / The Hindustan Gazette / Home> News> Sports / by Rabia Shireen / May 25th, 2022