The Red Bull Neymar Jr’s Five is counted among the largest amateur football tournaments in the world.
Also a fan of Manchester United star Cristiano Ronaldo, Neymar Jr is a huge inspiration to Shahzad. (Image Credits: Instagram/iamshahzad10)
A teenager from Kerala qualified in an online talent hunt that got hundreds of entries from all over the world.
The boy was handpicked as one of the seven freestyle footballers in the show dubbed as 2021 Red Bull Neymar Jr’s Five. Shahzad Mohammed Rafi, a boy from Pazhayangadi, Kannur, made his state proud by achieving the feat. The 17-year-old will play alongside Brazilian superstar Neymar Jr in a global five-a-side event to be held in Qatar.
The PSG footballer was a part of the committee comprising the seven panelists that examined 60-second videos of footballing talent shared by interested contestants on Instagram. They were supposed to upload a clip showcasing their skills with the hashtag: #OutPlayThemAll. Shahzad is one of the two qualified from India in the upcoming championship. The Red Bull Neymar Jr’s Five is counted among the largest amateur football tournaments in the world.
The candidates had to be evaluated under multiple level screenings based on their performance. Shahzad participated in the last year’s edition but did not qualify at the national level. A class 12 student of Wadihuda Higher Secondary School, he is born to Muhammad Rafi and Sherifa Rafi. Shahzad showed interest in football since he was in class 6. As his family is settled in Kuwait, he is listed as an entry from there.
Abhinash Shanmugamfrom Bengaluru also secured a place in the final. Jaimy Schallenbergh (Belgium), Simon Gustavo (Brazil), Leon Gillies Mannes (Norway), Giorgio Montalti (Italy), and Stanley Godian (Nigeria) are the other freestylers selected by Neymar Jr.
Shahzad told Onmanorama that he is eager to meet and play alongside Neymar Jr. Also a fan of Manchester United star Cristiano Ronaldo, Neymar Jr is a huge inspiration to Shahzad. A few years ago, a chance meeting with French freestyler Sean Garnier became the turning point for the boy. The event with Neymar Jr is likely to be held in December or early next year.
42-year-old Fathima Benazir, a molecular biologist has come up with a new non-toxic used to test for viruses in labs
The new dye, derived from natural ingredients, can be handled without gloves and could revolutionise the field of DNA testing
Dye prices have skyrocketed after the pandemic and a 500 ul vial is enough for 10,000 RT-PCR tests
A new discovery could revolutionise DNA testing, which has become so important after the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic. Even more remarkably, that breakthrough was made in a kitchen by a researcher whose love of science prompted her to tread the unbeaten path.
With the eruption of Covid-19, the number of RT-PCR tests, regarded as the “gold” standard of testing) have skyrocketed. But with the increased demand for such tests there are also increased lab and environment hazards. This is because the fluorescent (or fluorophore) dyes used in the testing of nucleic acids such as DNA and RNA, are often heavily toxic to lab staff and pose a serious problem when it comes to disposal.
A new non-toxic fluorescent dye invented by a Bengaluru-based scientist could potentially revolutionise how this testing is done in the near future.
Fathima Benazir, 42, a molecular biologist by training, always knew that she wanted to be a scientist, but that it was ultimately a failure to get into an MBBS programme (by a 2% margin), which pushed her towards biotechnology.
India’s only woman powerlifter at Tokyo Paralympics, Sakina Khatun finishes in fifth position in the final of the women’s 50kg powerlifting.
Para Powerlifter Sakina Khatun / thebridge.in
Indian para powerlifter Sakina Katun finishes fifth in the women’s 50kg powerlifting event on Friday at the Tokyo Paralympics. Participating in her maiden Paralympic Games, Sakina lifted 90kg in her first attempt, followed by an unsuccessful lift of 93kg in second. In her third attempt, Sakina successfully lifted 93 kg to finish 5th. Egyptian Reha Ahmed a best of 120kg to win the gold medal, followed by China’s Hu Dandan, who lifted 112kg to win the silver medal and Great Britain’s Olivia Broome lifted 107kg to win the bronze medal.
Sakina made the country proud by winning a silver in the Para Powerlifting World Cup in Dubai in the up to 45kg category with a lift of 80kg. Sakina Khatun is the only female para-athlete in Indian history to win a medal at the Commonwealth Games. Hailing from Bengaluru, Sakina’s father worked as a marginal farmer and her family faced many financial problems. Despite all of this, Sakina survived Polio as a child and she had to undergo four surgeries to survive the deadly disease.
source: http://www.thebridge.in / The Bridge / Home> Tokyo 2020 Paralympics / by The Bridge Desk / August 27th, 2021
Nisha Warsi, the only Muslim player in the Indian national hockey team that reached the semi-inals in Tokyo and lost a well-fought game against the English team, will get an award of Rs 50 lakh from the State government of Haryana as the Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar announced the policy of rewards for Olympians.
He said the State will give Rs 50 lakh to each player of the Indian women’s hockey team from the state and the same amount to those who ranked fourth in the Olympics events from the state.
It’s not clear if Nisha is entitled to double award of being the Olympian and winning the fourth place in international Hockey at Tokyo. In that happens she is entitled to Rs one crore.
Khattar tweeted, “We give Rs 6 crore to Gold medal winners, Rs 4 crore to Silver medal winners, and Rs 2.5 crore to Bronze medal winners. For the first time, we have decided to give Rs 50 lakh each to the players who finished fourth.”
Apart from this, he further announced to give Rs 10 lakh each to all the players who participated in Olympics from Haryana.
source: http://www.awazthevoice.in / Awaz / Home> Women / August 07th, 2021
Omar is now preparing to improve his skills by memorizing 150 car logos and brand new logos within one year to create another record.
Abu Dhabi:
A two-and-eleven-months-old United Arab Emirates (UAE) based boy of Indian origin has been recognised by the India book of records for his amazing grasping and memory skills.
Omar Zayn was born on July 31, 2018, in the Palakkad district of Kerala; has become the youngest person to recall 101 car logos in 4 minutes and 7 seconds.
While most children his age struggle to speak properly, this prodigy has answered many questions related to cars.
Zayn’s interest in cars has grown since he landed in UAE last year and his passion for car logos took a new turn when he learned it online. He has currently memorized more than 110 logos.
“His sole learning came from YouTube. He sat for hours just to understand and memorise logos,” Omar’s father Zainul Abid told Khaleej Times.
A video of Omar memorizing the names of car logos was submitted to the India Book of Records last month, and the family recently received the coveted certificate and recognized his extraordinary talent.
Omar is now preparing to improve his skills by memorizing 150 car logos and brand new logos within one year and hopes to create another record.
source: http://www.siasat.com / The Siasat Daily / Home> News> Middle East / by Sakina Fatima / September 05th, 2021
Anisa Mohammed is the interim captain as Stafanie Taylor is unavailable for the T20I series due to serving a period of isolation in Antigua
Anisa Mohammed to lead West Indies team as Stafanie Taylor in isolation.
St John’s (Antigua):
A 13-member West Indies women’s squad led by interim skipper Anisa Mohammed for the opening T20 International against South Africa Women at the Sir Vivian Richards Cricket Ground on Wednesday (IST) was announced by the Cricket West Indies (CWI) Women’s Selection Panel on Tuesday.
Anisa Mohammed is the interim captain as Stafanie Taylor is unavailable for the T20I series due to serving a period of isolation in Antigua, after being identified as a primary contact of a COVID-19 positive case in Jamaica.
The women’s chief selector, Ann Browne-John said in a statement:
“The T20I and ODI series against South Africa gives another opportunity for the team to play international matches ahead of the upcoming ICC World Cup qualifiers (In March-April next year in New Zealand). It is unfortunate that Stafanie will not be available for this series but there are a number of experienced players who we would be looking to, to fill any void.
“The young player Qiana Joseph brings another left-hand batter option as well as left arm orthodox bowling which has been lacking in the team. This will be a good test coming out of the recent Pakistan series, since South Africa is one of the higher ranked teams.”
The West Indies women’s team returns to the field after a successful double series win over Pakistan women, where they took the T20I series 3-0 and the ODI series 3-2. The West Indies women’s squad has been preparing in a high-performance camp in Antigua prior to the upcoming series.
The second and third T20Is will take place at the Sir Vivian Richards Cricket Ground on September 2 and September 4 respectively. The five ODIs will be played from September 7 to 19, with the first three matches being played at the Coolidge Cricket Ground (CCG) and the last two at the Sir Vivian Richards Cricket Ground.
Muhammad Fadi (18), who has roots in Niramaruthoor in Thirur, Kerala, has secured admission in the prestigious London School of Economics (LSE), the alma mater of Indian stalwarts like Dr. BR Ambedkar, Nobel laureate Amartya Sen and former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
Interestingly, the youngster had studied in regular schools that are run by the government in Britain, from class four.
Fadi attributes his splendid achievement to his systematic approach to academics and active participation in co-curricular activities too.
An academically bright student, Fadi had scored ‘A’ stars for two subjects and an ‘A’ for another in the sixth form, which is equivalent to the higher secondary course in India, to secure a place at the iconic institution.
This indeed is an amazing feat when the criterion for admission was just ‘A’ for two subjects and ‘A’ star for one paper.
From age 15, Fadi had been dreaming of pursuing his higher education at either one of the three premier institutions in London – University of Cambridge, University of Oxford or at the London School of Economics.
The youngster says that he had even changed schools in the sixth form to help him achieve this dream. He shifted to the well-known Harris Westminster Sixth Form School which specifically trains the students to secure admission at some of the high-profile universities and institutions in the UK.
At this school, Fadi was an active member of the football, badminton, geography and economics societies. He regularly took part in the weekly discussions and debates that were conducted by these clubs. He had mentioned this in his personal profile that he had submitted along with his application to the universities. Besides this, an excellent evaluation note by his teachers too had helped him secure a seat for the famed BSc Economics graduate course at the LSE.
Life goal
Fadi says that his life’s mission is to study about the modern economic techniques that are widely used in the developed nations and to adopt these to the social and cultural scenario of the developing countries like India to alleviate poverty.
Family’s Indian roots
Fadi is the son of Niramaruthur native Valappil Shareef who had completed an MBA course from the London School of Commerce in 2004.
After completing his studies, Shareef had settled in London.
Meanwhile, Fadi had studied until class three at the MES schools in Mangalam and Thirur. He then migrated to London with his family.
As his family had permanent residency certificate, Fadi easily got admission at the public schools in London.
There, education up to the sixth form is completely free. Fadi says that there aren’t many private schools in London and most students attend government schools as they offer quality ducation.
His mother is Fousia and has a sister, Marwa.
source: http://www.onmanorama.com / OnManorama / Home> Career & Campus / by Naseeb Karattil / September 01st, 2021
A book entitled “Nizaam-I-Bhopal”, highlighting the forgotten facets of Bhopal’s military history, penned by Lt. Gen. (Retd.) Milan Lalit Kumar Naidu, PVSM, AVSM YSM, the former Vice-Chief of Army Staff, was recently released.
The book was released by current Vice-Chief of Army Staff Lt. Gen. C. P. Mohanty at Dronachal, the headquarters of Sudarshan Chakra Corps, in Bhopal.
Lt. Gen. Naidu’s untiring efforts gave shape to his book “Nizaam-I-Bhopal”. It took five years of research, poring through Farsi (Persian) and Urdu records that led to the book.
It is only befitting that this wistful narrative is brought out by Bhopal’s very own son, Milan Naidu, who personifies that gentility, sophistication and aesthetic refinement to do justice to any literature to do with Bhopal. As a thoroughbred officer-and-a-gentleman with the highest military credentials and an illustrious career behind him only could have produced such an exquisite and masterful body of work “Nizaam-I-Bhopal”. The unforgiving ravages of time, circumstances and dominant instincts that governed its leadership from time-to-time, have been minutely analysed, explained and postulated for posterity. The rich, unsung and often unknown facets and tapestry of Bhopal’s military traditions, legacy and its continuing imprints are generously captured, documented and brought alive in this book.
In the book “Nizaam-I-Bhopal” Lt. Gen. Milan Naidu (Retd.) has charted the transformation story of rag-tag forces of the Indian princely states, from the 18th century to that modern Army. He has lucidly described the socio-economic-politico environment which existed in those times and analysed the evolution, rules, service conditions, ceremonials and battles fought by state forces, with special reference to Bhopal State.
The Book is a historical analysis of the Militaries of the Bhopal Princely State. Bhopal had the singular position in the comity of Princely States in British India, with a 175 years’ continuous line of Begums rulers. They were visionaries, educated and erudite. They displayed tremendous administrative ability, leadership qualities and diplomatic acumen, coupled with comparable skill at horse riding and arms. These Rulers set the tone of the Militaries and its motivation. The Bhopal Battalion, as part of the Indian Expeditionary Force, was the first non-Europeans to have disembarked at Marseilles in France to fight the War on foreign shores battling the weather and enemy alike.
A Bhopal battalion was even awarded one of only nine Victoria Crosses given out to Indian soldiers in Mesopotamia in the Great War. That same unit is part of Pakistan now. In the 1965 India-Pak war this battalion was awarded “Nishan-e-Haider”. The icing on the cake was that its Militaries were demobilized in a peaceful and a placid manner, to be absorbed by the Civvy Street in a symbiotic equation.
With such historical genesis and background of the State Forces, Lt. Gen. Naidu (Retd.) helps us to understand how much of our present Army developed its traditions, values and ethos; the singular character which it win the Kargil war despite the severe adversities.
This book is of true historical value, especially of the painstaking research, much from many primary sources, obtaining information from abroad (including Pakistan), interviewing progeny of the soldiers, and finally putting all of it in order.
The author’s observations on the governance and policies of the rulers help us to trace the developmental process of the state. How these issues impinged at various times on the States Forces is reflected subtly. Some of the anecdotes narrated in the book are hilarious and some quite poignant.
Kalim Akhtar, a historian and researcher says: “It is interesting to read how the Bhopal army collaborated with the British and fought the World Wars as well. It presents a true picture of history after years of research of Farsi (Persian) and Urdu records maintained in libraries, as far as the UK. It will be of great interest to lovers of history and especially those who love Bhopal.”
While Iram Khan, a housewife, in her comments about the book says: “It is well researched and attention grasping and would recommend it to anyone who has even a slight curiosity about the old world charm that the city of Bhopal still exudes”.
Meanwhile, the author of the book, Milan Naidu joined the National Defence Academy and was commissioned into the famed Rajput Regiment in 1967. He served for 41 years, holding several key positions – including worked as Military Attaché in Germany; Commanded 5th Battalion the Rajput Regiment in Sri Lanka; Commander of the Corps in Ladakh and GOC-in-C Army Training and Doctrine Command at Shimla before being made the Army Vice-Chief. He attended Canadian Forces Command and Staff College Course in Toronto. After retirement, he was appointed a member of the Armed Forces Tribunal at New Delhi.
His other assignments include: Working Chairperson of the Organising Committee for the Military World Games 2007; Member of the Executive Council of the Indian Golf Union; Chairperson of the Centre for Land Warfare Studies; Member of the Executive Council of the United Service Institution of India.
Lt. Gen. Naidu (Retd.) was born and brought up in Bhopal, the state capital of Madhya Pradesh. He did his schooling from Bhopal passing out X Class (Matric) from St Josephs Higher Secondary School, Bhopal in 1963. I may mention here that he was seven years senior to me in the school where I too studied in the sixties.
He did his M.Sc. in Defence Studies from Madras University in1984-85. Later on he did M. Phil in Defence Management in 1989-90. He completed Post Graduate Diploma in Environment and Ecology, Barkatullah University, Bhopal in 1996-97.
He won the Junior Small Bore in the National Shooting Championship in 1963. He was awarded ‘Shooting Blue’ in NDA.
source: http://www.maeeshat.in / maeeshat.in / Home> Books> Business / by Pervez Bari / August 02nd, 2021
During a conversation at home, my father Late Janab Shahid Ahmad Shoaib was telling somebody about this young dynamic person who could be the future of the community. I did not understand much about that then. As the time went by, I did my graduation, went to Mumbai to pursue my engineering and then MBA and simultaneously got involved with my corporate jobs.
At this juncture, when I recollect my memory, I find my father was always concerned about the social, economic, educational backwardness of the community. He was no doubt an intellectual who could prove that anything is possible if there is strong will and focus. A researcher, an educationist, a man with highly fertile mind, he was much ahead of time in his vision. He always believed that there has got to be a dream to serve the humanity and positively impact people, take them along and help them realize their dreams.
It wasDr Hamid Hussain who could understand the feelings of my father. He was instrumental in creating an active and dedicated team which finally culminated in the successful execution of the Biradari Conference at Itki in 1994.
The grandeur of this conference is still considered as a historic moment which provided a unique platform to the community. Dr Hamid Hussain played the most remarkable role as the Chairman of the Bihar Muslim Kalwar (Kalal/Eraqui) Millat Committee Conference so well that he is considered as the architect of the mission.
He has displayed an effective role of the community leader. A Leader with passion & compassion. As far as I know him, his focus has always been to bring in the basic changes in the community and take this to the most desired progressive level. He is actively contributing to the welfare of the community by serving as the President of ; AnjumanFalahMilli, HamdardAnjuman, Munni Masjid, Madrasa MadinatulUloom Management Committee, Qabrastan Committee,
Dr Hamid Hussain has been able to provide a direction to the community members in many ways. Today there are many success stories under his guidance. We have many people in the community who have proved their mettle in the fields of Education, Industry, Politics, Bureaucracy, Social Service and other fields. There are many members who are serving at various levels in many countries. However, there are lot of work to be done.
As an effective community leader, Dr Hamid has provided a Vision, Established Effective Organizational Structure and Communication Protocols, is an Effective Role Model, has Inspired and Motivated many, Delegated and Empowered the next generation of the community. I found him displaying the roles of a Coach, Facilitator, Strategist, Visionary, Change agent, Decision-maker, Influencer and above all a Team player.
Dr Hamid has emerged as s successful Social Leader who has devoted his life and talents to improving society regardless of social standing, wealth, or privilege. He has served and blessed the community. He has lifted the vision of community, broadened our possibilities and deepened our life experiences. He has preserved peace and ensured prosperity for as many people as possible.
As far as I know Dr Hamid, he is a man on mission. He is not going to rest till he sees his community members’ progress to the highest level. He is relentlessly working towards bringing in Unity & Co-operation among the people through the common agenda and unidirectional alignment. He is trying to set a system wherein Intellectuals, Entrepreneurs, Educationists, Politicians, Health Professionals, Government Employees of the community can come under one umbrella to work together for the welfare and upliftmentof needy & deserving members.
Leadership is the activity of persuading people to co-operate in the achievement of a common objective. This is the activity of influencing people to strive willingly for mutual objectives. Leadership always involves attempts on the part of a leader to affect the behaviour of a follower or followers in a situation. And the entire Biradari is happy to note that Dr. Hamid Hussain has proved to be an able Leader of the Community.
source: http://www.maeeshat.in / maeeshat.in / Home> Corporate> Opinions / by Ainain Shahidi for Maeeshat, Mumbai / July 29th, 2021
Hakim had represented India in the 1960 Olympics and is the son of the legendary football coach S.A. Rahim.
File image of Syed Shahid Hakim.
Former Olympic footballer and ex-national football coach Syed Shahid Hakim passed away in a private hospital in Gulbarga on Sunday morning. He was 82 and survived by his wife and two daughters.
“He suffered a cardiac arrest at 8 am today and passed away at 8.30 am. He has been getting treatment after he was admitted to the hospital two days ago following the first stroke,” Sadia Syeda, wife of Hakim, informed Sportstar from Gulbarga.
Hakim, son of the legendary football coach S.A. Rahim, was part of the Indian squad for the 1960 Rome Olympics.
The former SAI national coach successfully battled COVID-19 last year in a private hospital in Hyderabad.
Only last week, he was among the many former internationals who were felicitated in Hyderabad.
A vocal critic, Hakim was known for his frank views on contemporary topics in Indian football.
“I was not in the starting XI. The team was packed with heavyweights; only in case of an injury to some of the big names, players like me had a chance in the Rome Olympics,” said Hakim in a recent interview to Sportstar, recapping those experiences.
Hakim became only the second footballer to win the prestigious Dhyan Chand Award for Life Time Achievement in Sports and Games in 2017 and served as the Chief Project Director at Sports Authority of India (SAI).
Hakim, besides playing for nearly 25 years, was also a qualified FIFA referee. He officiated in 33 international games, including the 1988 AFC Asian Cup in Qatar.
At the domestic level, he was part of the triumphant Services’ Santosh Trophy squad in 1960. He was also part of the squad from 1960-66. At the club level, he played for City College Old Boys (Hyderabad) and Indian Air Force.
A former assistant coach of the Indian National team, he also coached Mahindra and Mahindra in 1998-99 and guided it to victory in the Durand Cup in 1998. He also coached Salgaocar SC, Hindustan FC, and Bengal Mumbai Club.
Former India captains Victor Amalraj, Shabbir Ali, Telangana Football Association secretary G.P. Palguna were among those who expressed condolences to the family members.
source: http://www.sportstar.thehindu.com / Sportstar / Home> Football / by V V Subrahmanyam / August 22nd, 2021
