Sondarapally Village (Thalassery),KERALA / Sharjah , UAE :
C P Rizwan won the man-of-the-match award his 109 against Ireland in the first ODI on Friday
Kannur:
The story of C P Rizwan, who on Friday became the first Keralite to score a One-Day International (ODI) century representing any country, bears testimony to the fact that if you strive hard and stay focussed, you will ultimately realise your dreams.
The 32-year-old hailing from Thalassery, the cradle of cricket in Kerala, never gave up and never lost hope, even when his career hit a roadblock.
Growing up at Saidar Pally, a small village near Thalassery, Rizwan’s childhood mostly revolved around playing cricket with his friends in the locality. The youngster was gifted with the qualities that make a batsman successful at the top level and had the potential to become a future star.
He went on to represent Kerala in the junior levels and captained the U-25 state team. Although his performance in age-group categories was rewarded with a place in the senior side which included the likes of Sanju Samson and Sachin Baby, he was never given a chance in the playing eleven.
As it was frustrating sitting on the bench, he moved to the UAE in 2014 and landed a job in Sharjah. He continued to play cricket there and was able to catch the attention of the local cricket fraternity with consistent performances in domestic tournaments. In 2018, Rizwan completed the four years required for him to be eligible to play for the UAE and was duly included in the national team.
Rizwan celebrates his hundred against Ireland
An electrical engineering graduate from the Cochin University of Science and Technology, Rizwan made his debut for the UAE on January 26, 2019, in an ODI against Nepal. The Emirates Cricket Board offered him a one-year central contract last month in recognition of his excellent batting against against the USA and Zimbabwe. Apart from him, two other Keralites – Basil Hameed and Alishan Sharafu – also made it to the squad.
On Friday, Rizwan made history when he guided the UAE to a six-wicket win over Ireland in the first ODI of the four-match series in Abu Dhabi by scoring 109 off 136 balls. The splendid knock, which earned him the man-of-the-match award, was laced with nine boundaries and a six. He shared a fourth-wicket partnership of 184 with Lahore-born Muhammed Usman, who made an unbeaten 102, and made short work of the 269-run target set by Ireland.
Centurions Rizwan and Muhammed Usman after the first one-dayer against Ireland
Born on April 19, 1988, to M P Abdul Rouf and C P Nasreen of Poovathankandy, Rizwan studied at the St Joseph’s Higher Secondary School in Thalassery and played for the local Students Cricket Club and the Kochi-based Cordiant Sports Foundation in his formative years.
The right-hander, who bats at No. 3, has so far scored 288 runs from 10 ODIs at an average of 32.
He is currently employed with the Eastern International LLC in Sharjah.
source: http://www.onmanorama.com / OnManorama / Home> Sports / by G. Dinesh Kumar / January 09th, 2021
Orial Imara, a Kerala-based soap manufacturer and exporter, has launched Elaria, nano soaps packed in tablet strips to help fight Covid conveniently on the go.
Jabir K C, Managing Director, Orial Imara, who developed the nano soap, said each tablet soap, weighing around 2 gm, is enough for one good hand wash. The company has now launched packets of 20 tablet soaps in two strips priced at Rs.30.
Elaria handwash nano soaps are made available in supermarkets and drug stores across Kerala and Karnataka now and will be taken to other south Indian markets in phases while exports to Qatar have already been started.
Jabir said according to many experts, a bit of soap and water is still the best way to get rid of germs, including the virus that causes Covid-19. Using alcohol-based sanitizer should be your second choice, according to the United States’ Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
He also said Elaria could be first of its kind nano soap in the world which is ideal for people who are always on the move and those who do not want to touch soap dispensers in public places like restaurants. “It’s also a grade 1 soap with 76-80% total fatty matter (TFM),” he said.
Kozhikode-based Orial Imara is into the manufacture and export of grade 1 soaps with its R&D centre in Kozhikode and manufacturing units in Mumbai and Solan in Himachal Pradesh.
source: http://www.onmanorama.com / OnManaroma / Home> Lifestyle / by OnManorama Staff / January 08th, 2020
As students, brothers Khalid and Akram, bubbling with enthusiasm would dream of building a business of their own. They would experiment with entrepreneurship and were raring to do something.
After several small ventures such as zamber, a social networking site, hostelneeds.com – an online e-store for dorm supplies and others – they finally succeeded in establishing www.yourlibaas.com
In 2014, Khalid – then 24 years-old, was in Pune Institute of Computer Technology (PICT) while his younger brother Akram, 19-years old then, had just joined Engineering in Aligarh Muslim Univsersity, the duo established yourlibaas.com, which is an online store for designer ethnic apparel bringing the best of Pakistani fashion to India. Their site has now gone global with top Pakistani and UAE Designers, including Sana Safinaz, Maria.B, Gul Ahmed, Sapphire, Zara Shahjahan, Élan, Faraz Manan, Charizma, Baroque, and Motifz, among others.
“When we began in 2014, ecommerce was in a nascent stage with the market being fragmented and multiple small players existing. Amazon and Flipkart were yet to emerge as market leaders. We now have an office in Noida but after the lockdown we have shifted to Jasola Vihar, New Delhi” said Akram while talking about their early days.
YourLibaas is an Urdu word that means your “garment or attire”. Today, the brothers claim that their online store is the market leader within the lawn suit market in India (by total revenue and market share).
“What began as a small start-up in New Delhi quickly transformed into a strong brand with an international presence. If you search for all related terms for apparel, we rank on the top position at Google. Today we have 23 employees on our payroll,” said Khalid Raza Khan, the founder and CEO of YourLibaas.
But it was not so easy to achieve success. Managing a business with college was difficult. There were several obstacles when they began.
They started off with inadequate capital pooling in their savings from the pocket-money they received from parents. Initially, they contacted small retailers and listed the suits on their site. When an order came in, they bought it from them and shipped it.
Khalid used to ship packages daily and often missed college because the courier offices and post-office closed by evening and packages would be delayed. In order to not miss college, he began sending the parcels from a post office that was 25 kmts from where he lived. This particular post office was open for 24 hours which was a good thing for the boys. During the nights, he would go on his scooty and send the parcels. And to save on costs, the duo delivered local orders themselves searching out the addresses while roaming on their two wheelers.
But missing classes had an adverse effect. Khalid could not cope with the lessons and failed in his exams due to which he had to repeat a year. The university in which he studied had different rules known as ATKT system wherein you have to repeat a year upon failing in a subject (unlike other colleges where you are promoted).
Akram who was pursuing engineering at AMU, handled digital marketing and technical development. And his studies also went downslide and he had a backlog of 14 papers.
As if that was not enough, they also suffered another set-back when they were duped by a wholesaler who didn’t send the products even after receiving full advanced payment of around Rs. 1.2 Lakh from them. This was a major setback and it took some time for them to bounce back.
They did the sourcing and packing themselves travelling in an auto rickshaw to the wholesaler bringing in heavy ‘katta bags’. As they slowly grew and as profits increased, they hired their first full-time staff named Sarfaraz for packing and logistics and 3 interns from Aligarh Muslim University for customer support and content writing.
However, they still were not in a position to pay handsome salaries due to which the staff left and they were back to looking after the packing and logistics till they could find replacements. In this way – slowly and bit by bit and through sheer perseverance, the brothers kept going.
With time as the business grew, so did their team.
“I remember how we generated enough profit to buy our own catalogue for around Rs. 60000. And we slowly moved to an inventory-model. Now, we completely own all the inventory displayed at the portal. It is imported from UAE as the majority of the dress designers are headquartered there” said Akram Tariq Khan, co-founder of YourLibaas.
Apart from these glitches they also had market regulations and compliance to overcome.
In 2015 they set up a basement office-cum-warehouse in Sector 50, Noida. The products arrived in Delhi and inter-state logistics was proving to be difficult. The brothers shifted to Jasola Vihar, Delhi.
Another major problem was dead stock or unsold items lying in their warehouse. This blocked their capital. To deal with the unsold stock, they started attending trade fairs and managed to sell the stocked clothes.
But after 2018, they stopped attending the fairs when Akram moved to Jamshedpur to pursue MBA.
Why specific focus on Lawn apparels and Pakistani suits?
Lawn fabric is purest form of cotton and is lightweight. It is produced in bulk in Pakistan as 90% of the lawn producing centres were located in Pakistan at the time of partition. Lawn suits have gained huge popularity due to it being lightweight, wrinkle free and soft. Mostly due its suitability to the hot Indian climate.
“Awareness regarding lawn suits primarily developed through Pakistani TV serials that were aired on Zee Zindagi in 2017,” feels Khalid.
“Pakistani suits were a rare commodity in India back then. The demand was high and supply limited. It wasn’t sold on marketplaces (and still isn’t) like Amazon, Flipkart, Myntra, and so on,” he added.
“Pakistani brands had tried entering the market through official partnerships that failed to materialize (like Sana Safinaz partnering with OCM Fabrics), and they chose Indian actresses to model for the latest collections (like Kareena Kapoor, Jacqueline Fernandes, Madhuri Dixit, and so on). We realized how a niche store specializing in Pakistani suits could be set up and that is what inspired YourLibaas” explained Akram.
Despite logistical hurdles and a rather negative connotation attached with Pakistani suits, the market size in India of Pakistani apparel is estimated at over INR 400 Crore.
Even though they set up YourLibaas and sell genuine Pakistani brands, they have competition from imitators. Many fashion houses and sites have replicas of the Pakistani designs selling at a lesser price.
But YourLibaas stuck to the originals even though they were expensive. Customers who preferred authentic designs from the original designers continued to buy from YourLibaas.
We have at least 40% repeat buyers, disclosed Akram.
“Designers and their team put in a lot of efforts and months of planning to launch a collection which the replica makers imitate thereby stealing the credit. Fortunately seasoned customers can easily make out an original from a replica. Moreover, selling replicas alongside originals hurts the brand equity. Replicas are a nuisance in India as these are manufactured by registered Indian companies and sold openly. A first time online buyer who is unaware of this would buy a replica since both display the same picture, but a replica is priced at 20-25% of the original cost. This leaves a bad impression of “Pakistani Suits” and the consumer never returns back to buying lawn suits. Further it creates trust issues especially if you’re selling online. We have maintained our reputation and people largely buy from us since local shops and sellers usually sell replicas and fool buyers especially new customers, ” elaborated Akram Khan.
Due to international demand, the duo made inroads into the global market by establishing a Dubai, UAE subsidiary and setting up a Freezone company. They have plans to also establish a physical office in Dubai.
Leveraging technology to their advantage
Being from a technical background proved to be an advantage and the duo used their technological skills to thwart competition wherever possible and establish a strong market presence.
For instance – they introduced cash on delivery as many of their customers where women who were non-working. They took this risk despite knowing that there could be cancellations and also non acceptance of goods when they arrived at their door step. They also offered no-questions asked returns. All this bolstered confidence amongst the customers.
Next was introducing ‘Order on WhatsApp’ & ‘Order on Phone’ options which made it easier for the women to order instead of logging on to websites. The YourLibaas WhatsApp commerce at YourLibaas employs AI-based NLP chatbots with human agents who answer the queries of the customers guiding them to successful shopping
Why do people prefer buying from YourLibaas rather than the brand itself?
“We provide multiple brands with easy accessibility, free shipping and easy returns on a single platform. Most of the consumers aren’t comfortable with buying online, so we have WhatsApp chatbots alongside human agents that assist them making the ordering process seamless. Secondly, buying from brands directly isn’t a feasible option – the shipment might get stuck at customs, or it could end up being delayed otherwise. Even in a normal scenario, the delivery timelines will be longer than what a domestic player can offer,” concluded Khalid Raza Khan.
Today, Khalid is totally dedicated to YourLibaas while Akram has his fingers in several pies. He writes for Entrepreneur.com a business magazine and has developed an online browser game called ‘Bhag Corona’ and is also part of entrepreneur’s leadership network in which he delivers lectures based on his experiences.
His game ‘Bhag Corona’ has received millions of hits and this game was hosted on ShareChat, a social network site.
Akram continues to explore new venues while his brother, now married, is steadily managing YourLibaas which they had begun as students.
source: http://www.twocircles.net / TwoCircle.net / Home> India News / by Nikhat Fatima, TwoCircles.net / January 01st, 2021
Among the multitudes of tombs in the City of the Dead in Cairo, there lies buried a lone Indian — an eminent scholar, writer, debonair statesman and a leader of the Indian freedom movement. Who is he? How did he get there? For a man who used both the lectern and the pen to devastating effect in the cause of the Indian Independence movement led by the likes of Mahatma Gandhi, Sardar Patel and Jawaharlal Nehru, very little is known of Syud Hossain.
Born to an aristocratic family in Calcutta, he started a career in journalism early in life and became the editor of Motilal Nehru’s nationalist newspaper, “The Independent”. After a brief elopement with Nehru’s sister, Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit, Hossain, under immense pressure from Motilal Nehru and Gandhi, annulled the marriage and was asked to stay away from the country for a few years. Thus began several years of exile.
Eventually, he landed in the US where he imparted Gandhi’s message far and wide across the country. Gathering a group of Indian freedom fighters around him, he fought for India’s freedom from afar, decrying British oppression and garnering support in the US for his cause. Flitting from one place to another, making homes of hotel rooms, Syud Hossain inspired and irked in equal measure. With every speech he delivered and every editorial he penned, he sent a shiver down the spine of the colonial rulers.
Adding to his formidable list of causes, Hossain also took on the fight for Indian immigrant rights in the US, one that successfully culminated in President Harry Truman signing the Luce-Celler Bill into an Act in 1946. He returned to India to witness the triumph of her Independence, as well as the tragedy of Gandhi’s assassination. He was appointed the first ever Indian ambassador to Egypt, where he died while in service and was laid to rest in Cairo.
“A Forgotten Ambassador in Cairo” (Simon & Schuster) offers an illuminating narrative of Hossain’s life interspersed with historical details that landscapes a vivid political picture of that era. Through primary sources that include Hossain’s private papers, the British Intelligence files, letters of his friends and contemporary newspapers, N.S. Vinodh brilliantly brings to life a man who has been relegated far too long to the shadows of time. Vinodh, is a civil engineering graduate from IIT, Madras, and a M.B.A. from IIM, Lucknow. In a corporate career spanning 25 years, he has held senior positions in corporate real estate with leading multi-national financial services companies such as ANZ Grindlays Bank, HSBC, and Fidelity Investments. He opted for early retirement to start his own boutique real estate company, as well as pursue his passion of travelling and history. He is married to Sheela and they have two sons, both based in the United States. He is based in Bangalore.
IANS
source: http://www.thehawk.in / The Hawk / Home>Lifestyle / by IANS / December 30th, 2020
Kadalundi (Kozhikode District) KERALA / Dubai, UAE :
Shabna Sulaiman is the first Muslim woman from Kerala to become a Mahout. Shabna has to just whisper a command and tusker Manisheri Rajendran goes down on its buttocks. Manisheri Rajendran belongs to the Ottappalam Kappur elephant property. Malappuram Kadalundi native has trained the tusker Rajendran for the past two weeks. Shabna and the tusker have developed a strong bond. Shabna fed Rajendran with sugarcane, and watermelon and won his heart.
The 27-year-old can make the tusker make Rajendran sit, stand, turn around and raise its trunk and trumpet, indicating an instinctive way with animals. At first, it was difficult for Shabna to handle the tusker. But Shabna used everyday language and a conversational tone with the tusker to bond. She also didn’t use chains or hooks and managed to create a bond with him. Shabna told Kerala Kaumudi “It was not with stick or beating but with love I have conquered his mind.
Key Takeaways:
Shabna is taking training at the renowned Varikkassery Mana in Ottappalam in Palakkad district. Varikkassery Mana houses several elephants.
Shabna is doing research on elephants. She thought a much better way to learn about elephants would be by being close to them. Shabna will soon start the second phase of her training.
Sulaiman’s family owned a circus in the past. This was the major reason why her family loved animals.
About Shabna Sulaiman
The 27-year-old Shabna is taking training at the renowned Varikkassery Mana in Ottappalam in Palakkad district. Varikkassery Mana houses several elephants . Shabna will be the mahout of Manisheri Rajendran at the upcoming festival at the temple of Palakkad district. If this happens, Shabna will become the first woman mahout from the Muslim community in Kerala. Shabna is a medical professional from Dubai who has currently taken a break from her job.
“It is not an easy task for a woman to handle an elephant. But Shabna is very enthusiastic and skilful and she has learnt the basics easily. The training will continue for some more days.”
Shabna is doing her research on elephants. She thought a much better way to learn about elephants would be by being close to them. Shabna will soon start the second phase of her training. She told the Times of India “I am excited about the temple festivals. Hopefully, in those situations, I can learn a lot more in handling elephants.” Haridas a native of Ottaappalam told TOI “It is not an easy task for a woman to handle an elephant. But Shabna is very enthusiastic and skilful and she has learnt the basics easily. The training will continue for some more days.”
Shabna’s family owned a circus in the past and everyone in her family loves animals. She told TOI “It was after a tragic incident — my father’s brother was killed by a tiger during a training session — that my grandfather sold off the circus company.” She further added “But our family members still have a special affinity towards animals. When I expressed interest to train as a mahout their response was very positive. There was some opposition from my community, but I decided to go ahead.”
Picture Credit: The Wall
Mansi is an Intern at SheThe People.TV
source: http://www.shethepeople.tv / She The People / Home / by Mansi Wadhwa / January 29th, 2020
Indian Ambassador Dr. Ausaf Sayeed, third right; Dr. Ashraf A. Amir, second right; Acting Consul General Y. Sabir, second left; Dr. M.S. Karimuddin, right; and others.
The Jeddah chapter of the Indo-Saudi Medical Forum (ISMF) was launched at the InterContinental Jeddah on Friday by Indian Ambassador Dr. Ausaf Sayeed. The event took place in the presence of prominent Saudi and Indian healthcare professionals in the western region.
Dr. Sayeed thanked Dr. Ashraf A. Amir, chief medical officer (CMO) at Jeddah’s high-profile International Medical Center (IMC), for agreeing to become the forum’s president. He also thanked veteran and popular Indian pediatrician, Dr. M.S. Karimuddin, for becoming the forum’s vice president.
The ambassador highlighted the great strides that have taken place in recent times in relations between Saudi Arabia and India. Dr. Sayeed said the visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Saudi Arabia in October last year plus the signing of a series of important agreements in different fields, including healthcare, have provided new momentum to the two countries’ relationship.
The ambassador highlighted the immense opportunities that “are waiting to be tapped in the healthcare industry.” He said the new forum, led by an energetic and experienced team, would be a good platform for complementing the steps and initiatives being taken by both governments — in Riyadh and New Delhi — to increase cooperation in the field of healthcare. He pointed out that India had become the “pharmacy of the world” during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. “India stands ready to play its part in alleviating the difficulties of the global community during times of global health crises.”
Dr. Ashraf Amir promised to take all steps to achieve the stated objectives of the Indo-Saudi Medical Forum. He said the advancement of the Indian healthcare sector had been phenomenal and that Saudi Arabia had won international praise for its exceptional handling of the coronavirus crisis.
Acting Consul General Y. Sabir welcomed the guests. He noted that the Indo-Saudi Medical Forum aimed to serve as a key platform point for high-level informal interactions between the medical fraternities of both India and Saudi Arabia.
Dr. Karimuddin highlighted the many activities that the forum plans to undertake in the coming days and months. Among other things, he said: “An effort will be made to bring together corporations working in the healthcare sector, including hospitals, pharma and surgical equipment firms, in order to collaborate with a view to providing excellent healthcare for Saudi citizens and expats.”
Dr. Karimuddin said the Indo-Saudi Medical Forum was a nonprofit body under the patronage of the Embassy of India. The forum, made up of Indian and Saudi doctors and experts in the field of healthcare and wellness, will play a supporting role in strengthening India-Saudi Arabian cooperation related to healthcare. ISMF will have three chapters in Jeddah, Riyadh and Dammam.
Nouf Marwaai, award-winning yoga instructor, spoke about how India’s expertise and facilities in the field of wellness and holistic healthcare was relevant to the Saudi healthcare system.
She said the momentum for the present Saudi-Indian relationship began during Modi’s visit to the Kingdom in April 2016 when King Salman presented him with the Kingdom’s highest civilian decoration, the Sash of King Abdul Aziz. “This recognition is an indication of the importance the Kingdom attaches to its relations with India,” she said.
Dr. Iqbal Musani, general secretary of the forum, highlighted with a PowerPoint presentation the giant strides that India and Indian doctors have made in the field of medicine.
Prominent among those who were present at the event included Hamna Maryam, consul (commerce) at the Indian Consulate in Jeddah; Mohammed Alungal, chairman of Abeer Medical Group; V.P. Mohammed Ali, chairman and managing director of Jeddah National Hospital; Dr. Kavitha Marusamy of Ibn Sina National College; Dr. Ataat Khan and Dr. A.H. Maniyar.
A large number of Indian and Saudi doctors also attended the launch virtually in view of COVID-19-related restrictions.
source: http://www.arabnews.com / Arab News / Home> Business>Corporate News> Latest News / December 26th, 2020
The University has a campus spread over 467.6 hectares of land in the city of Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh. It also has three off-campus centres in Malappuram (Kerala), Murshidabad-Jangipur (West Bengal) and Kishanganj (Bihar).
pix: ani
New Delhi:
Prime Minister Narendra Modi released a postal stamp as part of centenary celebrations of Aligarh Muslim University (AMU).
Chancellor of the University Syedna Mufaddal Saifuddin and Union Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank were also present on the occasion.
This is the first time PM Modi is participating in a programme of the Aligarh Muslim University, being held via video conferencing.
Speaking to ANI, AMU Public Relations Officer (PRO) Omar Saleem Peerzada had said, “A centenary celebration is a landmark event in the history of any university. We are celebrating this event following all protocols of the COVID-19 pandemic. There are webinars, seminars and symposiums going on.”
AMU became a University in 1920, through an Act of Indian Legislative Council by elevating the Mohammedan Anglo Oriental (MAO) College to the status of a Central University. MAO College was set up in 1877 by Sir Syed Ahmad Khan, the PMO release stated.
The University has a campus spread over 467.6 hectares of land in the city of Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh. It also has three off-campus centres in Malappuram (Kerala), Murshidabad-Jangipur (West Bengal) and Kishanganj (Bihar).
source: http://www.newsroompost.com / Newsroom Post / Home> Education / by Newsroom staff / December 22nd, 2020
Ustad Iqbal Ahmed Khan was a renowned vocalist. (Source: Instagram)
Since 1981, Ustad Iqbal Ahmed Khan was serving as the custodian or Khalifa of Dilli Gharana.
Hindustani classical music maestro Ustad Iqbal Ahmed Khan passed away at the age of 66 on Thursday, December 17, 2020. His demise left many people shocked who took to social media to express their condolences. The vocalist, who belonged to Dilli Gharana, was a recipient of the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award for his contribution to classical music.
After receiving his initial training in music from Ustad Chand Khan and later under the guidance of Ustad Hilal Ahmed Khan and Ustad Naseer Ahmed Khan, Ustad Iqbal went on to “teach Indian Classical Music and style of Dilli Gharana Gayaki”, as per his official LinkedIn profile.
A well-known name in Delhi’s cultural scene, owing to his immense contribution to the field, he was serving as the custodian/Khalifa of Dilli Gharana since 1981. He took over the reins after the demise of Ustad Chand Khan Sahib in 1980 and other senior members (rather in quick succession), as per the official website dilligharana.in.
The Gharana’s Sursagar Society was founded in 1940 by the late Ustad Chand Khan Sahab/Saheb (Sangeet Martand) in the memory of his father, Shams-e-Mousiqui Ustad Mamman Khan. The society aims to conserve and promote an awareness of both the rich and heterogeneous cultural tapestry through a focus on the classical arts, with their attendant legends, rituals, mythology and philosophy and the deeper and subtler values of these arts, as per dilligharana.in.
Here are some musical soirees the society used to organise at distant places in Delhi, courtesy Sursagar Society of Delhi Gharana page on Facebook.sources
His style of classical singing and his renderings of Thumri, Dadra, Tappa, Bhajans and Ghazals won him great acclaims.
He was actively involved with classical music through various mediums that included performing, teaching, research, recording and archiving, and curating productions and events that aimed towards preserving and promoting the classical repertoire, both in India and abroad.
source: http://www.indianexpress.com / The Indian Express / Home> Lifestyle> Art &Culture / by Lifestlye Desk / New Delhi – December 17th, 2020
Colonial historians and scholars often claim that the Indian Freedom Movement was a disjointed movement with no nationalistic feeling among the people participating in it. This belief, that Indians fought against the British for local communal reasons without any coherence, has been further propagated by the Indian historians as well, after the independence. Often, we are made to believe that Muslims fought to secure their religion or Caliphate while Hindus to protect regressive social institutions. Similarly, urban elite, peasantry, tribal, and others have their own narrow interests in fighting against the British.The idea may be true and open to debate, but the fact that there was a coherence among different groups within India while fighting against the British is an undeniable fact.
During the early 19th century, the British decided to partition Bengal. Hindus and Muslims, together, rose up against the decision which based itself upon religious segregation. India in general, and Bengal in particular, adopted the Swadeshi campaign to oppose this decision. In 1905 Bengal got divided, agitating the youth. It must be noted that the present Bihar was part of Bengal at the time. The youth, led by people like Barin Ghosh, started adopting militant methods to oppose the British.
At the same time, in Champaran of Bengal (now, in Bihar) indigo planters led by Sheikh Gulab started a non-cooperation agitation against the British indigo planters. Gulab defied the tinkathia system, where indigo had to be planted on the best portions of land, on his 60 bigha land which was near Sathi factory in Champaran. It was 1907 & Champaran was part of Muzaffarpur commissionerate.
More and more peasants joined Gulab in his movement and another Sital Ray rose as another prominent leader. Planter’s Association had their own army called Bihar Light Horse, famous for its cruelties over peasants. In 1907, the government passed an order appointing Gulab and his comrades as the special constables in police. Gulab defied this appointment and did not join. Police arrested him under the Special Police Act, 1861.
Sentence of Gulab was reversed later by Kolkata Court in March, 1908.
Next month, in Muzaffarpur a judge, Kingsford, was transferred from Kolkata. Champaran lied under his jurisdiction. Indians were already angry with the judge for his anti Indian attitude and there was this apprehension that he had been brought to crush the anti British peasant movement. British reports were already pointing towards a collaboration between Kolkata based Bengali revolutionaries and the peasant movement of Champaran.
The arrest of Sheikh Gulab had stirred the local emotions and this transfer of Kingsford acted as a catalyst.
Within a few days, Khudiram Bose, a young boy of 17, and Prafulla Chaki, both of them Bengali tried to assassinate Kingsford with a bomb. Accidentally, they killed two English women.
Khudiram Bose was hanged till death in August, 1908.
Khudiram’s martyrdom instilled a new spirit in Sheikh Gulab. In September, 1908, he organized more peasants at Vijayadashami Mela in Bettiah, Champaran. Now, peasants were openly defying the planters and attacking them. On 16 October, 1908, peasants attacked the Parsa Indigo factory. Government reacted brutally. Sital Ray was arrested along with more than two hundred peasants.
In the Legislative Assembly of Calcutta, it was argued that Bengali and Bihari have worked in unison against the British in Champaran during 1907 – 1908. Further reports that a Burkha clad Muslim woman provided shelter and help to Khudiram Bose during his attempt on Kingsford’s life also point towards an association between Sheikh Gulab’s movement and Bengal revolutionaries. P.C Roy, implicitly, contends that the arrest and case against Sheikh Gulab may be one of the reasons that Khudiram Bose attacked Kingsford in Muzaffarpur.
(Writer is a well known historian)
source: http://www.heritagetimes.in / Heritage Times / Home> Bihar> Freedom Fighters / by Saquib Salim / July 17th, 2020
The award has been conferred upon noted Indian scientists including APJ Abdul Kalam, MS Swaminathan and KG Menon earlier, and Prof Asad is the first recipient as AMU faculty member.
Prof Asad Ullah Khan, Coordinator, Interdisciplinary Biotechnology Unit, Aligarh Muslim University
Aligarh:
Noted biotechnologist and scholar, Prof Asad Ullah Khan (Coordinator, Interdisciplinary Biotechnology Unit, Aligarh Muslim University ) has been decorated with Sri Om Prakash Bhasin Award-2019 for his trail-blazing research in Biotechnology.
The award, held in high esteem across the country and is given to eminent scientists in the field of Agricultural Sciences, Biotechnology, Electronics, Engineering and Medical Sciences, carries a cash prize of Rupees one lakh with a citation and plaque.
The award has been conferred upon noted Indian scientists including APJ Abdul Kalam, MS Swaminathan and KG Menon earlier, and Prof Asad is the first recipient as AMU faculty member.
Prof Obaid Siddiqui, an alumnus of AMU, received this honour in 1993.
The Vice-Chancellor Prof Tariq Mansoor has congratulated Prof Khan on this awe-inspiring academic honour and said ‘it is given on his seminal contribution to study of Antimicrobial resistance and infection biology of bacteria’.
The award will be given during the first week of November 2020, said a statement from AMU.
source: http://www.ndtv.com / NDTV / Home> NDTV Education / by Shihabudeen Kunju C / April 12th, 2020
