Category Archives: World Opinion

CRUISE Control

November 23, 2014Sports, World Opinionmpositiveone@gmail.com

Musa Sherif, ace navigator on the Indian rally circuit, talks about his journey to the top in Indian motorsport

It’s hard for most people to be as driven as Musa Sherif. And that’s a pun intended. The soft-spoken 39-year-old from Kumbla, a small town in Kasaragod district, is arguably the most experienced, and by most accounts, the most respected professional navigator on the Indian rally circuit, having piloted for over 63 different drivers in an incredibly successful career spanning 19 years. In August this year, when he navigated for his long-time teammate – ace driver Gaurav Gill of Team MRF – in the first round of the Indian National Rally Championship (INRC) at Nasik, Musa became the first Indian to have participated in 200 rallies. It stands at 206 as of last week whenMetro Pluscaught up with him when he had come to the city to organise The Mahindra Great Escape off-road rally.

Musa has also cruised into this year’sLimca Book of Recordsfor being the first person to navigate for and win three championship titles – the Malaysian Group N Championship, the Malaysian 4WD SUV Championship and the INRC – in a year (2009).

“Being a navigator is a challenging job. In a rally, the navigator functions as the eyes of the driver – literally. The driver would be driving totally blind; driving just on the strength of what a navigator is telling him about the terrain, the speed, the curves, the angles… It requires a lot of concentration and commitment on my part for one error can send the car crashing!” explains Musa, who adds that he’s been involved in only a handful of crashes so far. “A few bruised ribs, a couple of broken bones… that’s about it. There’s really not much cause to worry about because these days rally cars and their crew are fully kitted with all kinds of safety features. Besides, before we rally in competition, we do a recee of the circuit. That’s when I write down my pace notes, which is kind of like a detailed storyboard about the circuit, from which I relay info to my driver,” he adds.

Viable profession

And his family had no objections to him taking up such a risky sport? “Actually, they did. My father, Zainuddin, is a businessman and I have three brothers and three sisters, and none of them or my extended family is into motorsport, or any sport, for that matter. Naturally, they were a bit apprehensive when I started out, worrying too much about the risk factor. It’s only when I started winning races and coming back home in one piece that they started accepting that motorsport can be a viable profession,” says Musa, with a laugh.

Although, he’d been interested in bikes since he was a child, learning to ride his father’s scooter at age eight, Musa’s journey to the top began only when he was 20 years old, in 1993, when he was studying for a management degree Mangalore.

“I used to hang around the Karavalli Automotive Sports Club in Mangalore, and on a lark I entered a two-wheeler race. Needless to say, I was hooked,” recalls the ace navigator who was a rider for the first three years of his career, racing motorbikes at local events in Mangalore.

“When I was a rider, I used to find it difficult to get good navigators and so I thought it would be prudent to start learning about navigation. Soon I began to enjoy it so much that I got others to ride my bike while I navigated. Thus with each race I gained experience, and experience is what counts in navigation. Besides, I realised that if I want to continue in rallying, being a navigator would suit me better. Unlike drivers/riders who have a sort of an age limit for competition, navigators just get better with age and experience,” adds Musa.

This adrenalin junkie’s first major break into rallying came in 1996 when he was invited to navigate for veteran driver Satish Bhat of Team JK Tyres. Then, it was rally by rally into the big leagues, where he navigated for the likes of V.R. Naren Kumar (six-time INRC champion), Lohit Urrs, Nikhil Taneja, Samir Thapar, Vijayant Chaudhury, among others.

MRF rally driver Gaurav Gill (left) and his co-driver Musa Sherif Photo:Stan Rayan / The Hindu

Setting records

Since 2001, Musa has been with Team MRF. He’s been partnering with Gaurav Gill since 2007. In all Musa has won 68 rallies, including INRC Championships in 2007 and 2009. The INRC 2011 title too is all but in the bag, as Musa and Gaurav start the Chikmaglur rally this weekend with a lead of 52 points.

“These days, every time I win, or for that matter, take part in a rally, it seems to be a record!” says the down-to-earth navigator with all the confidence of a man who knows that he is well on course to becoming a legend in his own right.

Keep on going

For a man who’s every breath is a record, what new challenges does he have? “Keep on rallying, of course! And win some more championships with Gaurav – we make a good team. In 2015 along with driver Sanjay Takle, I’m planning to take part in the 15-day Dakar rally, a 10,000 km race across Argentina and Chile. My immediate aim, though, is to race in the upcoming 2012 Asia-Pacific rally championship, racing through New Zealand, Australia, Japan, Indonesia, and Thailand,” says Musa, who says he draws inspiration for his drive from legendary drivers such as Leela Krishnan and Jagat Nanjappa. When not racing, Musa likes to spend time at home with his family – his wife, Safeena, and his kids, Zainulsalah and Mohammad Falah.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Features> MetroPlus / by Nita Sathyendran / November 18th, 2011

International honour for Rose Society president

November 21, 2014Business & Economy, Green Products, Leaders, World Opinionmpositiveone@gmail.com

President of Hyderabad Rose Society Ahmed Alam Khan has been elected vice-president (Central Asia) of the World Federation of Rose Societies, at 16th World Rose Convention held at Sandton City, South Africa, a press release informed on Wednesday.

In yet another achievement, five members of the Society have been elected to the Indian Rose Federation. They include Vijay Kant, A. Veerbhadra Rao, Khader Alam Khan, and Mohd. Minhajul Hussain, apart from Mr. Khan, the press release informed.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> National> Andhra Pradesh / by Staff Reporter / Hyderabad – February 07th, 2013

Treat for Rosarians

November 21, 2014Business & Economy, Green Products, World Opinionmpositiveone@gmail.com

Hyderabad :

Rose lovers have another reason to celebrate as the The Indian Rose Federation and Hyderabad Rose Society together are organising 3rd World Federation of Rose Societies Regional Convention in the city. During the event, around 800 varieties of roses will be displayed. The purpose of the convention is to inform people about the wide varieties of roses available in the country, informs Ahmed Alam Khan, President of Indian Rose Federation. “This is the first time such convention will be held in India,” he adds.

Rosarians from around the country will be presenting the flowers they grow in their convention. “A competition will be held where they will be judged on the quality of their flowers. Apart from the competition, technical sessions will be held at the convention where they will be informed about how to good quality roses, increase their shelf life, etc,” he says. Ikebana, Japanese pattern of arranging flowers will also be taught during the convention.

The theme of the convention is ‘New Light on the Old World of Roses’. “Around 98 per cent of roses exported in the world is by Israel. But India also has the potential to have good market in exporting roses. Through this convention, we aim to encourage the rosarians to develop good quality of roses. People from the city are encouraged to visit the show to gain more knowledge about roses at the event.

The event will be held from November 29 to December 2 at HICC between 11 am to 5 pm.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Hyderabad / by Express Features / November 14th, 2014

Tender coconut, fair and lovely

November 19, 2014Business & Economy, Green Products, Science & Technology, World Opinionmpositiveone@gmail.com

Kaja Mohideen. PHOTO: GNANAVEL MURUGAN / The Hindu

The strong pith is removed using a machine and weight is reduced to 800 gm.

Innovation in marketing tender coconut has been his watchword. He has designed special machinery for peeling off the strong pith before despatching them to market.

The new shape of the tender coconut appears white all around – a value-addition with a new look. Its weight gets reduced from about 2 kg to less than 800 grams or so.

“The value addition mainly aims at attracting the consumers besides ensuring environment-friendly ambience at the retail sales outlets,” says Kaja Mohideen (50), referring to the growing demand for the produce in the city in the last one week since he introduced his sales.

With lightweight, it could be stocked at commercial complexes and medical shops. Using his experience of three decades in the trade, he had devised the plan of using a machinery for ‘clean coconut’.

Mr. Mohideen procures about 6,000 coconuts a week from Pollachi and a group of six workers work on the machinery peeling off the pith. Explaining the functioning of the machinery designed at Pollachi, he says adequate training had been imparted to all the workers on the task.

At the retail outlets on the pavements, the pavement vendors would be spared of the problem of collecting and disposing the waste pith.

White tender coconuts kept ready for sale. PHOTO: GNANAVEL MURUGAN / The Hindu

Export-oriented

Apart from local market, he has explored the possibility of exporting it the tender coconut to Australia. “There has been a growing demand for coconut in Australia. The container with a capacity for 6,000 tender coconuts would reach Australia by sea within 20 days from Chennai,” he says.

To attract customers, he has fixed the price per coconut at Rs. 20. “My investment on the machinery is Rs. 90,000 and I have to incur a huge expenditure for purchasing the coconut from Pollachi,” Mr. Mohideen added.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Tiruchirapalli / by Special Correspondent / Tiruchi – November 10th, 2014

Fitting tribute to city footballers

November 18, 2014Leaders, Sports, World Opinionmpositiveone@gmail.com

Winning team:Johnson Football Club emerged champions at the Peter Thangaraj Memorial Football Tournament with a 3-1 win via penalty shoot-out over Hyderabad Sporting, at Gymkhana Grounds.

It was a fitting tribute to one of the finest footballers from the city who donned the national colours when the District Sports Authority of Hyderabad organised the Peter Thangaraj Memorial Football Tournament at Gymkhana Grounds.

In a way, it also demonstrated the efficacy of having a District Sports Development Officer in Aleem Khan who himself was a former national player. “We thought it the best way to give the young talent a platform to showcase their skills,” insists Aleem who is largely responsible in football activity revived in a big way at the venue which was one of the major centres for the then famous Rahim League championship.

Those were the days when stalwarts of yesteryears including Noor Mohammad, Yusuf Khan, Azizuddin used to make it a point to watch football action.

But with the APFA still in a limbo thanks to the legal disputes it got entangled, it was left to the individuals like Aleem Khan and Tony of Shastri Soccer Club to keep the sport alive.

With another seasoned campaigner and enthusiastic E. Shyam of State Bank of Hyderabad always making it a point to be involved in the organizational aspects, the event was again another success story, despite the ugly behavior in the final phase of the tournament which saw the tournament committee ban two teams from further participation.

But, it was more because of the alleged players’ unruly attitude than a reflection on the organizational skills.

For the record, Johnson Football Club emerged champions with a 3-1 win via penalty shoot-out over Hyderabad Sporting in the final and also won Rs. 10,000 as cash incentive.

The teams locked goalless at the end of regulation time, primarily because of Johnson custodian Rahul’s impressive display.

In the shoot-out, Louise, Teja and Srikanth were on target for the winners while only Zubair scored for the loser.

Special prizes

Special prizes were given to Rahul of Johnson FC (best goalkeeper) by Olympian Zulfiquaruddin, Sumeer of Red Hills (best defender) by Olympian S. S. Hameed, Anju of Johnson FC (best midfielder) by Arjuna Awardee Md Habib, Talha of Hyderabad Sporting (best striker) by former Asian Games gold medallist Mohd Afzal.

In a welcome gesture, Mr. M. K.Bhattacharya,, DGM, SBH (Secunderabad Zone), felicitated former internationals Bhir Bahadur, Victor Amalraj and M.A. Sayeed at the valedictory function.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Features> DownTown / by V. V.S / May 24th, 2012

Rare Mughal-era jewels go on display at New York exhibit

November 17, 2014Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Leaders, Travel & Tourism, World Opinionmpositiveone@gmail.com

About 60 jeweled items, including a gem-set tiger head finial originally from Tipu Sultan’s throne and a jade dagger owned by Mughal emperors Jahangir and Shah Jahan, has been displayed at an exhibition at the prestigious Metropolitan Museum of Art.

The objects are from the private collection formed by Qatar’s Sheikh Hamad bin Abdullah Al-Thani and will be presented at the museum in the exhibition ‘Treasures from India: Jewels from the Al-Thani Collection’ opening October 28 till January 25.

The display includes historical works from the Mughal period in the 17th century and from various courts and centres of the 18th and 19th centuries, including Hyderabad.

A highlight of the exhibition, made possible by iconic jewellery designer and manufacturer Cartier, would be a gem-set tiger head finial originally from the throne of Tipu Sultan that incorporated numerous cabochon diamonds, rubies and emeralds in a kundan setting.

Among the Mughal works will be a jade dagger — originally owned by two emperors — the hilt was made for Jahangir and it was re-bladed for his son Shah Jahan, who built the Taj Mahal.

In the 19th century, the dagger was in the collection Samuel Morse, inventor of the Morse code.

(Courtesy: PTI and AFP)

DISCLAIMER : Views expressed above are the author’s own.

source: http://www.blogs.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home / Team TOI in The Photo Blog / October 28th, 2014

A memorial for Turkish martyrs

November 11, 2014Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Community Involvement / Social Issues, World Opinionmpositiveone@gmail.com

Bellary has come to acquire, in the recent years, a pleasing monument in memory of Turkish Prisoners of War (PoW) of the First World War (1914-18).

For nearly a century, hundreds of Turkish prisoners who were brought here in 1918, from the Suez Canal war zone by the British, have rested in the soil of Bellary Cantonment area. Thanks to the interest shown by the Turkish Embassy in Delhi, the
Turkish Martyrs Graveyard stands here now, commemorating their sacrifice for the nation, ten thousand miles away from their motherland.

The memorial raised over nearly two-acre site next to the Bellary Airport, and in the vicinity of Visveswaraiah Institute of Medical Science (VIMS), has a spiral column made in stone over a rectangular platform. Flags of Turkey and India flutter over high masts near the column. The memorial has been aesthetically landscaped with a number of fountains, trees, flower-beds and grass courts, lending it great charm.

Of the two marble-dressed graves in the complex, the memorial plaque on one
of them records the name of the person buried as General Agha Pasha Abdussalam. He is said to have been a prince from the Ottoman ruling family of Turkey.

The plaque mentions his date of demise in Persian as 10th Rajab 1336, of the Islamic Hijri lunar year. It is just 100 lunar years since then as the new Islamic lunar year 1436 started on October 25, 2014. [Note: The lunar century is shorter than Gregorian century by three years.

According to the old-timers, there used to be hundreds of graves of Turkish
soldiers in the area till 1980s. But they vanished as granite slabs were pilfered away and other remains were erased during the expansion of the Bellary Aerodrome.

Haji Abdussalam, a businessman of the Cowl Bazaar, wrote to the Turkish
Embassy in Delhi about the derelict condition of the graves.

Later, former municipal councilor, Haji Adam, took up the case and supervised the construction of the memorial at the direction of the Turkish Embassy in consultation with the Bellary Deputy Commissioner who allocated the site for the memorial.

Historical records say that nearly 2,000 Turkish soldiers taken captive at the Suez Canal were brought to India and lodged at Thane in Maharashtra and the famous Allipuram Jail in Bellary. But it is a mystery as to how so many soldiers died in Bellary.

According to the management of a Muslim graveyard in Banhatti locality, 2.5 km south of the city centre, dozens of graves of Turkish soldiers could be spotted in the graveyard a decade or two ago.

But over a period, granite gravestones were stolen and since the land had to be used and reused, several of these graves have disappeared and only seven or eight of these Turkish graves could still be seen surviving with mortar pillar standing over them.

Satyanarayana Rao, a retired professor of the local Veerashaiva College, says, it is a puzzle as to how such mass graves came to be located in Bellary. According to him, in normal course, so many soldiers could not have died. He says some historical records attribute these to several prisoners being mowed down by a trigger-happy British officer (like General Dwyer in the Jallianwalla Bagh) when they went on a strike at a worksite and knelt while doing namaz. Another report, according to him, links the mass deaths to a plague but adds that the plague struck the area in 1934, while prisoners died in 1918.

Whatever may be the reason, the new Memorial is seen as a picturesque locale for the local folk who come visiting the memorial.

source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> Supplements> Spectrum / by M.A. Siraj / DHNS-Bangalore, November 11th, 2014

108 Probationers take part in Passing Out Parade at city jail

November 5, 2014Community Involvement / Social Issues, World Opinionmpositiveone@gmail.com

Best all rounder Fakirappa B. Karigar is seen receiving the shield from ADGP (Prisons) K.V. Gagandeep at the passing out parade held at the Central Jail premises here this morning as Mysore Central Jail Superintendent Divyashree, KSRP Commandant Ramadas Gowda, Asst. Superintendent Mahesh Jigani, Prison Staff Training Institute Principal T.P. Sesha, DIG (Prisons) Veerabhadraswamy and ADGP N.S. Raja look on.

Mysore :

The passing out parade of the 42nd batch of probationers was held at the City Central Jail Parade Ground here this morning.

The 108 probationers, all men, underwent a 9-month training at the Prison Staff Training Institute here.

ADGP (Prisons) K.V. Gagandeep received the guard of honour from the passing out probationers.

Speaking on the occasion, Gagandeep said recruitment of 250 jail warders is underway. CCTV cameras will soon be installed in the city jail and measures have been initiated to computerise all jail operations in the State, the ADGP said and advised the successful probationers to work with conviction and confidence.

ADGP N.S. Raja, KSRP Commandant Ramadas Gowda, City Police Commissioner Dr. M.A. Saleem, DIG (Prisons) Veerabhadraswamy, Mysore Central Jail Superintendent Divyashree, Asst. Superintendent Mahesh Jigani, Prison Staff Training Institute Principal T.P. Sesha and others were present.

The winners of various prizes are as follows:

Firing: First prize- Ramesh Jadhav of District Prison, Bidar; Second- Vittal Rajappanavar of Chitradurga prison; Third- Ramachandra Sippimani of Jamkhandi Sub-Jail.

Out-door: First- D.S. Nalku Ravi of Hubli Sub-Jail; Second- Kumar of Raichur District Prison; Thirdg – Thawaseef M. Mohammad Muragoda of Bangalore.

In-door: First- Prakash Rathod of Bagalkot; Second- Shankarappa of Raichur; Third- Fakirappa B. Karigar of Bagalkot.

Prize for best Jail Dairy maintenance: Lakkegowda of Hassan District prison

Karnataka Prison rules and regulations: N. Shivakumar of Nanjangud Sub-Jail; Water and power utility, First aid treatment: Suresh Hanumantha Kaddi of Ramanagar; IPC and GPC: Fakirappa B. Karigar

Sociology, Psychology, Criminology and Indian Constitution: K.S. Nagaraj of Kadur Sub-Jail; Karnataka Government Service rules: Sheetal of Bangalore.

Consolation prize: Mohammad Sab, Chakresh, Gururaj, B.P. Rangappa, Doreswamy, Mallikarjuna Singhi.

ADGP and IGP award: Dayanand Bangade of Bangalore.

Best all rounder: Fakirappa B. Karigar.

source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> General News / Friday, October 31st, 2014

Nawabs and their love to see self on canvas

November 2, 2014Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Leaders, World Opinionmpositiveone@gmail.com

Lucknow :

Narcissism omnipresent now in the form of ‘selfies’—pictures people click of themselves—was manifest in the form of portraits the high and mighty got painted of themselves for posterity. Nawabs of Avadh contributed immensely to the Company School of Painting, a genre of portraits during the British Raj, providing opportunity for many artists. They created vivid testimonies of the socio-cultural practices of the period.

The nawabs’ patronage to painters became a tradition. At a workshop in the city, Indian and Bangladeshi painters drew inspiration from ‘How nawabs patronised the palette’.

* Tilly Kettle’s Father and Son

Tilly Kettle (1735-86) was a portrait maker from London who traveled to India with the East India Company. He met Shuja ud Daulah in Calcutta where he painted his portrait and later accompanied him to Faizabad. He captured many facets of the aristocratic life but his most famous work was portrait of Shuja-ud-Daulah with his heir apparent Asaf ud Daulah. “The nuances of their work are remarkable. The intricacies as in the bejeweled ‘bajuband’ (armlet), and poise on the face of the two kings is an inspiration,” says Vipul Varshney, a city architect. Painters from Delhi such as Mir Kalan Khan also found refuge in Avadh with Mughal aristocracy declining.

* John Zoffany’s Cock-fight

The tradition of patronising painters was inherited by Asaf ud Daulah. This benevolent nawab is given credit for making Lucknow a subject for painters. The grandeur of his personality was captured on paper by Johann Zoffany (1733 – 1810), a painter of German origin and the work became a stencil for many local artists. Myraid representation of cock-fight match in the court of Avadh speaks volumes of the times. Claude Martin and another painter Ozais Humphery (of the Jane Austen portrait fame) are also in the picture. Later, Martin became a route for entry to the nawab’s court. Ozais made the painting of Haider Beg Khan (1786), a royal in nawabi court. The work, now in Victoria and Albert museums of London, showed that painters found clientele in people other than nawabs too.

* William Hodges, the first professional

Better known for a voyage to the Pacific Ocean, Hodges came to Avadh in 1778, under the patronage of Warren Hastings. He was one of the first British professional landscape painters to visit the country. He remained here for six years, staying in Lucknow with Claude Martin in 1783. His painting of (Fatehpur Sikri) is in Sir John Soane’s Museum. His depiction of the nawabi palace in Faizabad is noteworthy.

King Nasir-ud-Din Haider’s role

This nawab would be remembered more for promoting local artists. One of the paintings of the King with an English lady, probably the wife of Lord Bentinck, is quite striking. It shows the influence of British lifestyle on Avadh. A research work by Neeru Mishra has studied over 300 paintings on Krishna done by artist Ram Prasad who was known to be patronised by Nasir-ud-Din Haider, bringing to fore the nawab’s faith in the Ganga-Jamuni tehzeeb.

Fusion of genres

Researcher Pran Neville has noted that Indian artists took the opportunity to work for their new British patrons, especially because the traditional patronage of Indian rulers and their courts was rapidly declining. “While adopting some features of Western art they took care to preserve traditional elements. Since their own skills were more than adequate, they did not need formal training from the British,” he writes. Scholars at Colombia University also noted that Zoffany was being imitated by local artists. One of his famous works, portrait of Nawab Asaf-ud-daulah, has seven versions besides the original.

Price of vanity

Getting a portrait made was a costly affair. Artists even advertised in newspapers to reach out to clients. One such advertisement that appeared in April 1798 was given by one lesser known artist named Morris. He charged 15-80 gold mohurs for different sizes such as bead size, three quarters, kit cat, half length and whole length. Zoffany charged Rs 2,500 from the wife of a British officer. “The well-to-do, in fact, were ready to spend any amount to get their portraits made for it was a fashion statement,” suggests Neville.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Lucknow / by Shailvee Sharda, TNN / November 02nd, 2014

First Muslim to be awarded Victoria Cross needs recognition, say former Army chiefs

October 31, 2014Amazing Feats, Community Involvement / Social Issues, World Opinionmpositiveone@gmail.com

Khudadad Khan, the first Muslim soldier to be awarded the Victoria Cross, should be more widely recognised, say two former heads of the Army

Sepoy Khudadad Khan was awarded the Victoria Cross during World War One Photo: GETTY

by Edward Malnick

Two former heads of the Army have called for greater recognition of the first Muslim soldier to be awarded the Victoria Cross, in a move intended as a “riposte” to the “sickening extremism” of Isil militants.

General Lord Dannatt and General Lord Richards lead a group of peers, MPs, historians and religious leaders who say children should be told about the role played by Muslim troops in the First World War.

In a letter to The Telegraph they say that the actions of Sepoy Khudadad Khan in a battle at Ypres 100 years ago on Friday“exemplified the courage” of many who served in the war.

The knowledge of his role, together with that of the other 400,000 Muslims who fought alongside British troops, is vital to “fully understand the multi-ethnic Britain that we are today”, they add.

British Future, the think tank behind the letter, believes that the commemoration of Sepoy Khan and the other Muslim soldiers will act as a rebuttal to Isil extremists. It has been claimed that more than twice as many British Muslims have travelled to Syria to fight alongside jihadists than are serving in the Armed Forces.

Dilwar Hussain, a Muslim academic and one of the signatories of the letter, said: “The quiet dignity of our commemoration of Khudadad Khan’s bravery and service is perhaps the most powerful riposte we could possibly send to the sickening extremism of Isil.”

Other signatories include Lord Ashdown, the formal Liberal Democrats leader, Sir Hew Strachan, the military historian, Baroness Warsi, the former Coalition minister and Sughra Ahmed, president of the Islamic Society of Britain.

“We wish today to highlight one man whose service exemplified the courage of many who served in the First World War,” they write.

They describe how on October 31 1914 Sepoy Khan, who was later promoted to the rank of subedar, fought off a German advance at Ypres, helping to protect two vital ports used to supply British troops with food and ammunition from England. He was one of 1.2 million men from the Indian Army who fought for the Allies in the war.

On Friday Lord Ahmad, the communities minister, will unveil a commemorative stone which will be laid at the National Memorial Arboretum in his honour.

He said: “In honouring the courage of Khudadad Khan we not only remember our shared history, we are also cherish the long tradition of Muslims fighting bravely alongside British soldiers, for a just cause in the service of this country.”

source: http://www.telegraph.co.uk / The Telegraph / Home> History> World War One / by Edward Malnick / October 31st, 2014