Category Archives: World Opinion

Maulana Azad: The Voice Behind the Dream for a Unified India

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NEW DELHI  :

(This story was first published on 10 November 2017. It has been republished from The Quint’s archives to mark Maulana Azad’s death anniversary.)

“I am an essential element, which has gone into building India. I can never surrender this claim.”

These were the famous words uttered by Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, when he stared at the daunting prospect of Partition. On his birth anniversary, we remember his contribution to the country.

source: http://www.youtube.com / The Quint

Azad was among the many Muslim leaders in India who opposed the Partition of Unified India into Pakistan and Hindustan. As the leader of the All India Congress Committee in 1946, he put forth a Cabinet Mission proposal that advocated a federal structure of government, with autonomy for states. Though the proposal did face a great deal of skepticism, the Working Committee passed it, with even Jinnah agreeing to it for ‘the greater good of Indian Muslims’.

This proposal was certainly considered a breakthrough, as Jinnah and Azad had never enjoyed very good relations, predominantly owing to their opposing stances on Partition. Where one batted for Hindu-Muslim unity under a larger India, the other was vehement on the creation of two separate states. But their souring relations never stopped Azad from attempting to convince Jinnah to consider a ‘unified India’.

For instance, when Jinnah’s clamour for Pakistan grew louder, Azad is known to have sent a telegram insisting on the perils of a two-state ideology. Jinnah is said to have insulted Azad in his response, calling him Congress’ ‘show boy President’.

Don’t you feel that the Congress has made you a show boy President to hoodwink non-Congress parties and other countries of the world? You represent neither Muslims nor Hindus.

Having failed at getting Jinnah to reconsider, Azad then unsuccessfully tried to convince the Congress leaders to wait till a solution could be found. But even Patel, who earlier backed Azad’s proposal, was now vehemently pro-partition. Azad in his autobiography later writes that the party agreed to the Partition as “blindness of Congress leaders to facts, and their anger and frustration clouded their vision.”

According to Azad, as he writes in his autobiography, Nehru too contributed to angering the Muslims, by committing two mistakes which ultimately drove Jinnah to lose faith in the proposal and go through with partition.

The first was when Nehru refused to take two Muslim League leaders as Cabinet Ministers in the UP elections of 1937. The second mistake was when after taking over as the President of the Congress in 1946, he indicated that the earlier Cabinet Mission proposal could be changed, which culminated in Jinnah insisting on the formation of Pakistan.

Maulana had not only opposed Partition as an Indian leader, but also as a Muslim. He was, in fact, of the opinion, that the two-state policy will only “create more problems than solve”.

And true to his word, even today the relations between the two countries are strained at best, despite their shared history.

source: http://www.thequint.com / The Quint / Home> News Videos / November 10th, 2017 / and February 22nd, 2020

Buildings are books someone forgot to burn, says H Masud Taj

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Books (incl.Biographies - w.e.f.01 jan 2018 ), Education, Leaders, NRI's / PIO's, World Opinion, , , , ,

Mumbai, MAHARASHTRA / Ottawa, CANADA  :

Architect, poet, professor H Masud Taj is on an India tour to talk about Sinan, Istanbul’s foremost architect, who has arguably built more than any other architect in documented history.

H Masud Taj ( Source: Noah Taj)
H Masud Taj ( Source: Noah Taj)

H Masud Taj, Adjunct Professor at Carleton University in Canada, was mentored in architecture by Hassan Fathy and in calligraphy by David Hosbrough. His talk on “Sinan:Architect at the Centre of the World” in Delhi drizzled with anecdotes of Ottoman empire’s most celebrated builder, and how history and politics were fertile soil for some of Istanbul’s lasting monuments. Excerpts from an interview:

Where did your love for calligraphy and poetry develop?
In Bombay, at home by the sea with its tidal rhythms, where my father had a divine hand that remains without a tremor even in his 90s and because my mother tongue is Urdu, the most poetic of Indian languages (besides being a descendant of the classical Urdu poet, Ameer Meenai). With a father who was a shayar a mother who tore the last page of Urdu novels to replace it with her own version, with storytellers and musicians for sisters, it just had to happen. And when it did, I was 13 years old, far from home, and far from my mother tongue, in Ooty in a school, grounded on JD Krishnamurti with a sprinkling of Aurobindo, where clouds would descend valleys, enter classrooms and blur categories.

You taught architecture simultaneously at Sir JJ College of Architecture, Rizvi College and Pillai college in Mumbai
Yes, while running an architectural practice in Bombay and consultancy in Delhi besides being a fortnightly op-ed architectural columnist. Now I teach in Canada, practice in India and research in-between in Europe and Turkey. For instance this year the University’s Faculty of Public Affairs, showcased the research and photography I did while reading medieval buildings and Don Quixote, in Toledo, Spain.

In your next book on the Seven Muslim Wonders & the Making of the Modern World, which are the sites you will be exploring?
Those that I have visited in Agra, Cairo, Cordoba, Granada, Isfahan, Istanbul and Mecca. If you add Jerusalem that is eight but one of them is latent in all others just as the sound of alif is latent in all letters of Arabic.

Louis Kahn’s IIM-A building and the poem that Taj wrote, inspired by the building
Louis Kahn’s IIM-A building and the poem that Taj wrote, inspired by the building

And where do you see the intersections?
Seven mnemonic monuments embody civilizational ideas. Buildings are books that someone forgot to burn; they await a reading and then paradigms begin to shift and you see the world anew and hopefully the reader will too. For instance, satellite images show that the original Taj Mahal complex extended much further at both ends: across the Yamuna to the royal Mughal garden with a reflecting pool that reveals why the Mughals called it Rouza-e-Munnawara: The Illuminated Tomb (Taj Mahal is a misnomer). However, the real action of the complex was at the other end: the quadrant bazaar as a node of the global Muslim network of an ‘ethically driven commerce’, of poet merchants and Sufi merchant brotherhoods.

What prompted this book?
Many things but the final straw was Jerry Pinto saying I was offering “forever the promise of beauty”. He inscribed that in my copy of his incredible Em and the Big Hoom. He was right.

And when will it be launched?
Ship building is easy; it is the ocean that takes a while.

You were inspired by Louis Kahn’s Indian Institute of Management building in Ahmedabad. You even wrote a poem in calligraphy about it.
As a student, I was at CEPT in Ahmedabad for a month, participating in a workshop designing shells upside down. In the evenings, I’d sprawl on the IIM lawns. Once at dusk, above several storeys of brick arches, right on axis, was the upturned crescent. That’s when the Brick Poemoccurred. Decades later when I began to study Sinan in Turkey, I understood what that poem really meant; poets can lag behind the curve of their poems. I’ll be giving a talk at CEPT and that’s when after more than three decades the Brick Poemwill return to its site.

You have known and been with the legendary Egyptian architect Hassan Fathy and wrote a book on the elusive Indian architect Nari Gandi, apprentice to Frank Lloyd Wright. What were your learnings from and with them that you bring to your work, as a teacher and an architect?
Buildings are prophecies if they are mainstream; or conversations. Gandhi was trapped in his quest for absolute freedom. He excelled as a conversationalist; but did not influence mainstream. Fathy’s prophecies were at mainstream’s edge, yet conversed with the surroundings. Choose between an escapee and an escape-artist.

What does your long poem, which was written while staying in all those houses of Gandhi, say? Could quote a few lines.
Courtyard is silence
To talk of the courtyard
Is to break the spell.

You co-authored a book of poems, Alphabestiary, in which each letter of the alphabet is associated with an animal, such as Ant, Bull, Cat, Dragon, etc. What were you influenced by?
The animal fables of Panchatantra, Aesop Fables; Ibn Arabi arguing for animal rights in the 12th century; the 7th-century father-of-kitten Abu Hurairah. Mostly when we decided to call our son Nuh in Urdu, Nuhh in Arabic, Noah in English, Noé in French. Soon after, Dragonflyfluttered in (its now on YouTube) with a host of animals in its wake turning the oral poet into a one-man travelling zoo. Alphabestiaryis a thin slice, yet featured at the International Festival of Authors in Toronto.

Who, from the past, do you think looks over your shoulder when you write?
Ameer Meenai, and hopefully he can detect Urdu’s fragrance in my English.

Taj has lectured at Nashik, Pune and Delhi and Goa. His talks in Ahmedabad and Mumbai are on July 22 and 24 respectively.

source: http://www.indianexpress.com / The Indian Express / Home> Lifestyle / by Shiny Varghese / September 28th, 2015

Rana Ayyub gets McGill Medal 2020 for Journalist Courage

Amazing Feats, Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Community Involvement / Social Issues, World Opinion, , , ,

Mumbai, MAHARASHTRA / U.S.A :

Ayyub was previously an editor with the investigative magazine Tehelka

RanaAyyubMPOs25feb2020

New Delhi :

Global Opinions Writer at Washington Post and an author Rana Ayyub  on Monday won the 2020 McGill Medal for journalistic courage.

“Ayyub is committed to telling the stories of people who can’t do it on her own, making her an ideal McGill medal recipient,” Sofia Gratas, the McGill Fellow responsible for researching the nomination said.

Ayyub , after winning the award said it was a huge honour for her.”I accept this award on behalf of all journalists who are fighting an unpopular battle to speak the truth,” she tweeted.

@—————————————-

Rana Ayyub

✔@RanaAyyub

It is a huge honour for me. I accept this award on behalf of all journalists who are fighting an unpopular battle to speak the truth. Thank you @UGAGrady https://twitter.com/UGAGrady/status/1232011103061696514 …

UGA Grady College

✔@UGAGrady

Rana Ayyub (@RanaAyyub), global opinions writer for the @washingtonpost is the recipient of the 2020 McGill Medal for journalistic courage.

She will accept the award at Grady on April 22.

LINK: http://t.uga.edu/5GH

 

RanaTwitterMPOs25feb2020

____________________________________________________

The Mumbai-based journalist Ayyub will collect the award at The Grady College Of Journalism and Mass Communication, University of Georgia on 22 April.

Ayyub was previously an editor with the investigative magazine Tehelka.

‘Gujarat Files‘

She also authored an international bestseller titled of “Gujarat Files : Anatomy of a Cover-Up”, an undercover investigation which exposes the complicity of the PM Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah in state-sponsored genocide in the 2002 Gujarat riots .

She has often been the target of the vitriolic abuse that is hurled on her on social media platforms from Hindutva activists.

In 2019, Ayyub was named by Time magazine among ten global journalists who face the maximum threat to their lives.

McGill Medal 

The McGill program is named for Ralph McGill, the late editor and publisher of the Atlanta Constitution. McGill was regarded by many as “the conscience of the South” for his editorials challenging racial segregation in the 1950s and 1960s.

The McGill Medal, now in its twelfth year, is part of the McGill Program for Journalistic Courage at UGA’s Grady College.

source: http://www.siasat.com / The Siasat Daily / Home> News> India / posted by Safoora / February 25th, 2020

Little-known fact: Aurangzeb had more Rajput administrators than Akbar

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DELHI , INDIA :

In ‘Understanding Mughal India’, Meena Bhargava writes about how Aurangzeb patronised several Hindu institutions & was supported in the war of succession by Rajputs.

A portrait of Mughal ruler Aurangzeb | Photo: collections.vam.ac.uk/
A portrait of Mughal ruler Aurangzeb | Photo: collections.vam.ac.uk/

That Aurangzeb’s orthodoxy and his dedication to his beliefs was personal rather than a matter for political interference is evident in his reactions and responses during the war of succession of 1658, a quadrangular conflict between Dara, Shuja, Aurangzeb, and Murad. Throughout the struggle, Aurangzeb was concerned about Dara’s political manoeuvres. Their individual feelings and religious outlook—which stood in sharp contrast—remained confined to the personal level. Aurangzeb referred to Dara as mushrik (heretic) while Dara called Aurangzeb kotah pyjama (narrow pants), a symbolic attribute of orthodoxy. Both attempted to rally public opinion, but never on religious grounds. In fact, the support that largely came for Aurangzeb was from the Rajputs, notably Rana Raj Singh of Mewar, Raja Jai Singh Kachwaha of Amber, and later, Maharaja Jaswant Singh of Marwar. In this context may be related an interesting nishan that Aurangzeb sent to Rana Raj Singh of Mewar, condemning such kings who practised intolerance that could become the cause of dispute, conflict, and harm to the people, and could ‘devastate the prosperous creations of God and destroy the foundations of the God-created fabric’. Such attitudes of kings, Aurangzeb ordained, deserve ‘to be rejected and cast off’. This document from the Udaipur records is a clear revelation of what Aurangzeb intended as his public policy. It further confirmed that Aurangzeb, in the struggle for succession, did not raise the cry of jihad or Islam in danger, nor did he promulgate a new religious policy contrary to that of his predecessors; neither did Dara claim to be the champion of liberal forces. The issue was not religious or ideological, or whether orthodoxy would triumph or liberalism. It was a question of personal vested interest, political in nature but free from religious connotations, that is: Who would be the emperor of India, Dara or Aurangzeb? It is in such a context that Aurangzeb deserves to be assessed.

Debating Aurangzeb’s leanings—religious orthodoxy or political pragmatism—one needs to ask: Did Aurangzeb really intend, as Jadunath Sarkar suggested, the establishment of dar-ul-Islam or a truly Islamic State in India, the conversion of the entire population to Islam, and the annihilation of dissenters? Or, as Ishtiyaq Husain Qureshi argued, was it rigid adherence to the shari’a and undoing the damage caused by Akbar; or the triumph of Muslim theology, as Shri Ram Sharma asserted? If this was really the case, then the emperor’s personal valour, military skills, and single-minded commitment to achieving territorial expansion and consolidation would stand negated. The biased ideological portrayal of the emperor, regardless of historical accuracy, makes it difficult to explain the increase in the number of Rajput mansabdars in Aurangzeb’s administration as compared to Akbar’s period, and their rise from 24 per cent under Shahjahan to 33 per cent in 1689. Nor can Raghunath Ray Kayastha’s dominance as diwan-i kul be understood rationally. Raghunath Ray not only supported Aurangzeb but also participated in several expeditions of the period. Aurangzeb honoured him with the title of Raja and when Raghunath Ray died in 1664, the emperor, in his obituary written in Ruqa’at-i Alamgiri, remembered him as the greatest administrator he had ever known.

There are well-documented evidences of Aurangzeb’s patronage of various Hindu religious institutions, namely temples, maths, grants to Brahmins and pujaris:

  • Land grants were renewed to the temples at Mathura, Banaras, Gaya, Gauhati, and others, while the emperor is known to have donated ghee for the navadeep in a few temples, including the Mahabateshwar temple at Agra;
  • Gifts were offered to the Sikh gurudwara at Dehradun;
  • Madad-i ma’ash grants, as listed in the Rajasthan documents, were continued to a math of Nathpanthi yogis in pargana Didwana, sarkar Nagor;
  • Grants were also made to Ganesh Bharti faqir and his successors in pargana Siwana with the instructions that the faqir should not be disturbed so he could ‘pray for this sultanat’.
  • The Vrindavan document of 1704 referred to a parwana which sanctioned the rights of Chaitanya gosains who had founded Vrindavan and established pilgrimages in Braj Bhumi, and recognised the right of Brajanand Gosain to receive a fee from the followers of the sect on account of kharj sadir o warid, that is, expenses on guests and travellers from each village. In effect, it was a government levy for the benefit of Brajanand Gosain and his Vaishnavite followers.

From the above description, Aurangzeb’s patronage to temples appears without doubt. And yet some temples were attacked, while others were spared. This aberration in the emperor’s attitude can be explained by only one rationale: it was not iconoclasm, but reprisal for rebellion or political misconduct or disloyalty to the emperor. This exposition can be applied to understand the attack on the Vishwanath temple at Kashi, the Keshav Dev temple at Mathura, and several prominent temples in Rajasthan. In 1669, during a zamindar revolt in Banaras, it was suspected that some of them had assisted Shivaji in his escape from imperial detention. It was also believed that Shivaji’s escape was initially facilitated by Jai Singh, the great-grandson of Raja Man Singh, who had built the Vishwanath temple. It was against this background that Aurangzeb ordered the destruction of that temple in September 1669.

Around the same time, in a Jat rebellion that had erupted in the neighbouring regions of Mathura, a patron of the local congregational mosque was killed, leading to Aurangzeb’s order in 1670 to attack the Keshav Dev temple at Mathura. Temples in Marwar and Mewar were also attacked following the death of Maharaja Jaswant Singh to reprimand and crush the Rathor rebellion and the development of a Sisodia– Rathor alliance. These included temples in Khandela patronised by rebel chieftains; temples in Jodhpur maintained by a former supporter of Dara Shukoh; and the royal temples in Udaipur and Chittor patronised by Rana Raj Singh after the Rana entered into an alliance with the Rathors that signalled the withdrawal of loyalty to the Mughal State. It may be observed that the Rathor rebellion was not a reaction or a protest against the re-imposition of jizya. Instead, this re-imposition, as Abu’l Fazl Ma’muri observed in the context of the suppression of the Satnami revolt and prior to the emperor’s expedition to Ajmer, was meant for ‘the affliction of the rebellious unbelievers’.

MughalBookMPOs24feb2020

This excerpt from Understanding Mughal India: Sixteenth to Eighteenth Centuries by Meena Bhargava has been published with permission from Orient BlackSwan.

source: http://www.theprint.in / The Print / Home>  Page Turner> Book Excerpts / by Meena Bhargava / February 19th, 2020

Have lost one eye, not resolve: Jamia student who won best paper after police lathi-charge

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Samastipur, BIHAR   :

Mohammed Minhajuddin had just submitted his paper when Delhi Police lathi-charged students in the Jamia library on 15 December. He lost his left eye in the incident.

Jamia Millia Islamia law student Mohammed Minhajuddin with the best paper award he won Tuesday | Photo: Manisha Mondal | ThePrint
Jamia Millia Islamia law student Mohammed Minhajuddin with the best paper award he won Tuesday | Photo: Manisha Mondal | ThePrint

New Delhi:

Mohammed Minhajuddin, 26, was writing a paper on the theme of human rights and development on 15 December 2019 in the Jamia Millia Islamia library when the Delhi Police barged in and lathi-charged the students. A lathi blow cost law student Minhaj vision in his left eye; doctors say it will never come back.

On Tuesday, over two months after the incident, Minhaj’s paper was named the best paper in its category at the Jamia Teachers’ Association award. The paper, titled ‘Enhancing the scope of opportunities for religious scholars with special reference to Islam’ deals with the intersection of human rights and religion. The deadline for submission was 15 December, and Minhaj had submitted it just minutes before the police lathi-charge.

Since then, life has been a struggle for Minhaj, but he hasn’t lost his resolve to make the best of a bad situation.

“After losing my eyesight, I struggled a lot to prepare for the presentation. I had to work with just one eye, my head constantly aching. It was tough to even concentrate,” Minhaj told ThePrint.

Feeling vindicated

On 15 December, the Delhi Police had entered the Jamia campus amid protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act . A picture of Minhaj lying in a university washroom bleeding from his eye was widely shared on social media, and several students, including him, had alleged that the police lathi-charged students in the library, a claim the police had vociferously denied .

This picture of Minhaj with his face covered by a blood-stained handkerchief was widely circulated on social media after the Delhi Police entered the Jamia Millia Islamia campus on 15 December
This picture of Minhaj with his face covered by a blood-stained handkerchief was widely circulated on social media after the Delhi Police entered the Jamia Millia Islamia campus on 15 December

However, multiple videos have surfaced  since 16 February, showing policemen beating the students in the library with batons. Today, Minhaj feels vindicated.

“It wasn’t just me. Several students had given testimonies highlighting police brutality in the library. But with these videos out now, there is no scope of lies anymore. The truth is out in the open,” he said, adding that he was offered Rs 5 lakh compensation and some words of sympathy by the Aam Aadmi Party MLA from Okhla, Amanatullah Khan.

After the video showing police beating the students triggered a storm, the Delhi Police too released footage showing  alleged ‘rioters’ entering the library. But Minhaj says the library he was in — the old reading room in the MPhil department — didn’t have any protesters.

“Everyone in this library was a student who had just been studying here. The protesters may have entered another library, not this one,” he said, adding that those who can be seen wearing handkerchiefs on their faces in the video were merely protecting themselves from the tear gas shells fired by the police.

Minhaj is hopeful that with the videos out, policemen will be taken to task.

Not willing to give up on dreams

Minhaj came to Delhi from Bihar’s Samastipur two years ago aspiring to practise law in the capital, and that’s a dream he is not willing to give up on.

“I know life will be a challenge now. But I can’t give up or fall into despair. I have to keep studying and working towards a better life,” Minhaj said, while playing with his nephew and niece at his sister’s home in Jamia Nagar, where he has been staying since the incident.

Jamia Millia Islamia student Mohammed Minhajuddin with his nephew and niece at his sister’s home in New Delhi | Photo: Manisha Mondal | ThePrint
Jamia Millia Islamia student Mohammed Minhajuddin with his nephew and niece at his sister’s home in New Delhi | Photo: Manisha Mondal | ThePrint

Minhaj’s father, who is a school teacher at a government school in Samastipur, keeps asking him to come back.

“They (parents) are scared, which I understand. But I can’t leave until I complete my final semester,” said Minhaj, who completed his LLB from Aligarh Muslim University (AMU).

No help from university

Two months on from the life-altering incident, Minhaj isn’t resentful or angry, but disappointed at Jamia Millia Islamia.

“It is the university’s duty and responsibility to keep its students safe. It failed to do so,” he said, adding that Jamia vice-chancellor Najma Akhtar met him once after the incident.

“She said I can submit my treatment bills to the university and they will reimburse it. But my friends say that just reimbursement isn’t enough — I should be given compensation for the physical loss and mental trauma,” he said.

Minhaj has managed to keep his calm through this entire period, but he said his friends are still angry.

“It is my batchmates who took me to the hospital that day. No one from the university administration helped. My friends took me from one hospital to another, as all doctors refused to check on me,” Minhaj said.

Finally, Minhaj got treated at AIIMS, and he has to visit the doctor every two weeks to check on his eye.

“I need to keep going for a check-up to ensure the infection doesn’t spread to the other eye.” he said.

source: http://www.theprint.in / The Print  / Home> India / by Fatima Khan / February 28th, 2020

Take note of this…

Amazing Feats, Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Community Involvement / Social Issues, Education, Karnataka (under research project), Leaders, Travel & Tourism, World Opinion, , , , , , , ,

Bengaluru, KARNATAKA :

India’s history in currency is the subject of Rezwan Razack’s Museum of Indian Paper Money

Back in timeThe concept of money has existed since almost the beginning of civilization, says Razack / bhagyaprakash k
Back in timeThe concept of money has existed since almost the beginning of civilization, says Razack / bhagyaprakash k

India’s history in currency is the subject of Rezwan Razack’s Museum of Indian Paper Money

Hailed as the largest collector of Indian currency, Rezwan Razack has opened South India’s first currency museum in Bengaluru. “I am so happy that the former Governor of the Reserve Bank of India, C. Rangarajan inaugurated the museum,” says Razack.

Razack, co-founder and joint MD of Prestige Group, is the Chairman of the International Bank Note Society, India Banknote Collectors’ Chapter, and is recognised for his contribution to the advancement of numismatic knowledge. Razack, who built his collection over 50 years with exhaustive research, enjoys sharing his knowledge with students and encourages budding collectors to promote numismatics as a hobby.

He has co-authored The Revised Standard Reference Guide to Indian Paper Money in 2012, and in 2017 wrote One Rupee One Hundred Years 1917-2017 to mark the centenary of the issuance of the one rupee note. “Rezwan Razack’s Museum of Indian Paper Money will not only be the first of its kind in India, but also the world,” says Razack.

The museum at Prestige Falcon Towers on Bruntun Road, has trained guides to take visitors through the history of currency in India. “The story of money is woven into our very being, uniting us, dividing us, giving us a sense of identity and mapping people or the nation’s power, crises and triumphs. I consider it a comprehensive restoration and preservation of an important national heritage. It is also something that numismatists worldwide will benefit from.”

The initiative, he says, is to help educate, inform and entertain. “The rupee is one thing that is ever present in our lives but never seen as a source of history, information and national pride. I hope visitors understand, enjoy and value this museum of our collective economic heritage.”

The museum displays a diverse collection of Indian paper money and the related material drawn from the Indian subcontinent. “While the concept of money has existed since almost the beginning of civilization, the invention of paper currency is more recent,” says Razack. From the early barter systems and the use of coins as currency, the museum introduces the visitor to paper currency, its origins and its use.

Apart from its selection of banknotes dating back to the early 1800s, an auxiliary collection has also been put together to explain the inspirations and techniques of making paper currency. While original hand-painted essays, patterns, proofs, trials, specimen notes, autographed notes and a rare Star of India Medal demonstrate fascinating aspects of money, meticulously sourced cheques, stamp papers relating to Indian paper money, booklets and banknotes help decode the world of money.

“This museum has been planned meticulously over three years to conform to international standards of lighting and climate control,” says Razack, adding that people don’t often retain paper money “ My visits to cut-note dealers in Chickpet and in Fort Bombay gradually increased my collection,” he says, acknowledging that his persistence paid off.

Razack says his collection includes the oldest surviving note from 1812 of Bank of Bengal right up to the notes of 2017 of all denominations. The rare ones are the early Presidency Banknotes of Bank of Hindostan, Bank of Bengal, Commercial Bank, Calcutta Bank, Bank of Bombay, Bank of Western India, Asiatic Bank and Bank of Madras; British India’s Portrait Notes of Queen Victoria, Portrait Notes of King George V and King George VI; and Indian Notes used in Burma and Pakistan; Notes of Indo-Portuguese and Indo-French Territories and Indian Notes since Independence, also used by Haj Pilgrims and in Persian Gulf States.

There is also a lot of importance behind his book dedicated to the One Rupee note. The first One Rupee Note in India was issued on November 30, 1917. “To celebrate 100 years of the one rupee note in India, my book focusses on the origin and journey of the smallest existing denomination through the century, while examining its genesis. As the general population in India were unacquainted with paper notes until 1917, one of the methods adopted to increase the popularity of the one rupee note was to print a picture of the silver one rupee coin on both sides of the note.”

At Prestige Falcon Towers, 19 Brunton Road, Bengaluru; 10-30 a.m. to 5-30 p.m.; closed on Mondays and public holidays;entry Rs. 100

While the concept of money has existed since almost the beginnings of civilization, the invention of paper currency is more recent

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Features> MetroPlus / by Ranjani Govind / February 17th, 2020

Aurangabad therapist makes Ironman triathlon history

Amazing Feats, Sports, World Opinion,

Pune, MAHARASHTRA :

NikhilMPOs12feb2020

Niket Dalal is first wholly visually-challenged man to finish event.

Niket Dalal, a 38-year-old from Aurangabad, created history on February 7 by becoming the first completely visually-challenged athlete to finish an Ironman triathlon.

Associated with Adventures Beyond Barriers Foundation (ABBF), Mr. Dalal completed the gruelling Ironman 70.3 — consisting of a 1.9 km swim, a 90 km bicycle ride and a 21.1 km run — with assistance from his sighted companion, Arham Shaikh.

Mr. Shaikh is the youngest Indian to finish the 5000 km coast-to-coast cross-country race in the U.S.

“The first Indian achieved an Ironman finish in 2005. Till 2020, we had no disabled athlete to have completed the race. I believe if we have to work towards complete inclusivity, this huge gap of 15 years needs to be bridged and this is one of the major reasons why I did this,” Mr. Dalal said.

Mr. Dalal and Mr. Shaikh completed the race in seven hours and 44 minutes, with 46 mins to spare. They stood second in their category of physically disabled athletes, and were the first Indian team to finish a Ironman 70.3 triathlon.

Mr. Dalal, a professional speech therapist, participated as part of a team from the Pune-based PowerPeaks Athlete Lab, which is founded by coach and pro-athlete Chaitanya Velhal. Mr. Velhal has been racing as well as training participants for triathlons, cycling races and marathons for the last five years.

Rigorous training

“It took a lot of detailed training, endurance and fitness assessments and diet planning to bring Niket up to the training required. The first leg of the race required Niket and Arham to complete the entire swim course while being tethered together. Swimming together for 1.9 km in the open sea with hundreds of other athletes, while trying to keep to the course was extremely challenging,” Mr. Velhal said.

“This was followed by a quick transition to the 90 km bike ride, where the riders faced heavy winds and dehydration but there were special aid stations set up. The most exhausting segment was the 21.1 km run. The temperatures were soaring and the landscape was difficult, but they conquered with strength and flair,” the coach said.

Mr. Shaikh added, “Both of us trained hard under Mr. Velhal for the last four months, continuously refining and improving upon our skill-set for the huge task facing us.”

Always having had a passion for sports, Mr. Dalal has been a State-level swimmer and has participated in and won many sea swimming competitions. He took up cycling as a sport last year and completed the grueling Manali to Khardungala cycling expedition in August 2019.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Sport> Athletics / by Jhelum Bhattacharya / Mumbai – February 09th, 2020

Ayesha Noor, the Karate champion from slums of Kolkata conferred with Tejaswini award

Sports, World Opinion, , , , , , ,

Kolkata, WEST BENGAL :

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Ayesha Noor, four times gold winner, also known as ‘golden girl’ of Kolkata, has been conferred with ‘Tejaswini’ award at the ICCR, Kolkata organised by Songoti on 2nd February 2020.

Ayesha lost her father in 2010 and her mother Shakila Begum sews clothes at home. Ayesha’s coach MA Ali took her in his wing from the slums of Beniakupur, Kolkata and groomed her into a karate champion. Ayesha teaches nearly hundreds of girls from the slums self-defense for free because she has a mission of empowering girls. She wants to them fight against crimes against women especially rape.

Due to her constant efforts hundreds of girls from various slums of the city have learnt the technique of self defense. It is because of her efforts, many children from poor families have become self-reliant.

Jawhar Sircar, IAS (Retd.), Former CEO, Prasar Bharati handed over the award to her on the behalf of the organization.  He said, ‘There are several Tejaswini like Ayesha in every house of Bengal. Ayesha’s story will inspire them and help them to dream big.”

Earlier, The United States of America had honoured Ayesha Noor as “Hero of Gender Equality” at American Centre in New Delhi. A documentary about her journey from the slums in Kolkata to winning gold at the international level despite her health condition called, “ Girl connected” was made by the International Television series (ITVS) and screen globally. It was also telecast by Doordarshan (Delhi).

source: http://www.twocircles.net / TwoCircles.net / Home> Indian Muslim> Lead Story> TCN Positive> Women / by TCN News / February 05th, 2020

An ode to khada dupatta

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Community Involvement / Social Issues, World Opinion, , , , , ,

Hyderabad, TELANGANA :

This ubiquitous garment owes its origin to the 17th century with the techniques changing over the years

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Hyderabad Based photographer Soumyajit Basu is known for his keen eye for intricate creations. This time he took up capturing the ‘Khada Dupatta’ which are the first choice of any true blue Hyderabadi ladies. He captured the beauty of the work with his models Afreen and Mehak and makeup done by Ayesha.

Originating in the 17th century, craftsman from Turkey and Persia were invited to India by Mughal Empress Noor Jehan and passed on the secret art of crafting to the nobles and their descendants. Later, the begums of Nizams of Deccan adapted the original Mughal style, especially in the form of khada dupattas which became the traditional attire of Mughal ladies.

Though this was a culture that was more defined in the later half of Asaf Jahi dynasty in Hyderabad, the montage gallery at Chowmahalla Palace, exhibits the royal dresses of Nizams Begums which include khada dupatta. The gallery also displays a tableau on the life of the begums. Quite a few don the khada dupattas — a four-piece ensemble that includes a trailing dupatta, one such khada dupatta adorned with intricate zari work weighs a whopping 17 kg.

The dress comprises of churidaar, a veil/dupatta which is six-yards in length, a kurta where the dupatta falls straight due to its heavy weight. This is accompanied by heavy jewellery which compliments the dress embroidered with zari and other work to give it a rich look. The dupatta is the largest part of the outfit and is made of tissue material.

Today, however, brides opt for net and even Banarasi dupattas since tissue does not fall gracefully. The colours preferred are usually golden yellow/ red and green. The silk tissue is hand-crushed and reduced to the width of a half metre. The border is adorned with handiwork of dabka, beads, mirrors, kundan and tikkis.

Golden trimmings on both sides of the borders give an antique touch to the royal ensemble. Front and back panels are embellished by handmade borders which are adorned with zardosi embroidery. Due to this, it has now become a traditional dress for all Muslim brides in Hyderabad.

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The culture still exists in Hyderabad today, more largely among Hyderabadi Muslims. The improvisation has been a gradual process. “So as a fashion and portrait photographer, it was necessary to visit the fashion history of the City of Nizams, as even today khada dupatta makes many ladies stand out when paired with right accessories,” says Soumyajit Basu.

source: http://www.telanganatoday.com / Telangana Today / Home> Lifestyle> Fashion / by Madhuri Dasagrandhi / January 27th, 2020

A safer alternative to treat aggressive prostate cancer found

Science & Technology, World Opinion, , , , ,

Kanpur, UTTAR PRADESH :

Counterproductive : The methods currently used produce encouraging results initailly but the cancer often returns in a more aggressive form, say (from right) Bushra Ateeq, Nishat Manzar and Ritika Tiwari.
Counterproductive : The methods currently used produce encouraging results initailly but the cancer often returns in a more aggressive form, say (from right) Bushra Ateeq, Nishat Manzar and Ritika Tiwari.

Drugs routinely used for treating prostate cancer may actually be worsening the condition

A study shows why drugs used for treating prostate cancer which mainly functions by blocking the activity of androgen receptor signalling or stopping the production of androgen or testosterone is actually counterproductive in the long term. While both methods initially produce encouraging results, the cancer very often returns in a more aggressive form, and becomes resistant to these drugs. With cancer no longer responding to these drugs, it grows unchecked and ultimately causes death.

For the first time, the study sheds light into why the FDA-approved drugs against androgen signalling to treat prostate cancer can backfire after initial success.

Mechanism of return

The study was done by a multi-institutional team led by Bushra Ateeq from the Department of Biological Sciences and Bioengineering at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur. The team has also found a mechanism by which the cancer growth at aggressive stage can be safely reduced. The results were published in the journal Nature Communications.

Several studies have already shown how stopping the production of androgen or androgen signalling through ‘androgen deprivation therapy’ at some point unintentionally helps the prostate cancer cells to become resistant towards this therapy and progress further to lethal forms. Now, Prof. Ateeq’s team has found the mechanism.

Using mice implanted with prostate cancer tumours, the team found how administering anti-androgen drugs (enzalutamide and apalutamide) results in increase in the expression of a particular gene (SPINK1) which is generally associated with the aggressive type of prostate cancer present in 10-25% of the patients.

“When androgen signalling was inhibited using anti-androgen drugs, an increase in the levels of SPINK1 protein was recorded, which makes the cancer cells more aggressive. The tumours isolated from the mice treated with these drugs exhibit elevated levels of the protein as well as markers for neuroendocrine prostate cancer, which triggers change in cellular plasticity,” says Prof. Ateeq.

Role of SPINK1 protein

“In another set of experiment, we implanted mice with prostate cancer cells with basal levels of SPINK1 protein and we found manifold increase in the protein levels when we administered anti-androgen drugs,” she says. There was also an increase in the levels of neuroendocrine markers which are only found in most aggressive form of prostate cancer. These results reflect a catastrophic situation similar to prostate cancer patients undergoing anti-androgen therapy. Neuroendocrine prostate cancer is an aggressive subtype of prostate cancer which may arise de novo or as a mechanism of resistance due to anti-androgen therapy.

“Our findings emphasise the importance of SPINK1 protein in maintaining neuroendocrine prostate cancer. The results highlight the repercussions of using anti-androgen drugs which are meant to control the prostate cancer but actually aggravate the disease,” says Prof. Ateeq.

Repressor of SPINK1

“Using mouse models, prostate cancer cell lines and patients’ samples we discovered that androgen receptor functions as a repressor of the SPINK1 gene. Using drugs to inhibit the androgen receptor actually results in stopping the repressive activity of the receptor,” says Nishat Manzar from the IIT Kanpur and one of the first authors of the paper. “And this leads to increased level of SPINK1 gene expression.”

“We found the SPINK1 gene is also responsible for maintaining the characteristic features of neuroendocrine prostate cancer. The tumour becomes aggressive when the SPINK1 protein level increases while upon inhibiting the protein a decrease in the neuroendocrine markers was observed,” says Prof. Ateeq.

In addition to androgen receptor, the researchers found that REST, which is a cofactor of androgen receptor, too, has repressive action on SPINK1 gene. “Our study is the first to show the role of the androgen receptor and REST in repressing the SPINK1 gene expression. This was not known so far,” says Prof. Ateeq.

The SPINK1 protein level is high when the amount of REST is low in prostate cancer, and also in the case of neuroendocrine prostate cancer. A particular protein (Casein Kinase 1) is responsible for reducing the level of REST. “When we used an already approved drug to inhibit the activity of Casein Kinase 1 protein, the levels of REST increased,” says Manzar.

Clinical trials needed

And when the REST level increases there is a reduction in the SPINK1 protein level accompanied with a reduction in the oncogene properties of prostate cancer cells. Treating prostate cancer cells showing elevated SPINK1 with a drug against Casein Kinase 1 show reduced cancer cell growth as well as aggressiveness.

“We need to conduct clinical trials using Casein Kinase 1 inhibitor to investigate whether it can reverse neuroendocrine prostate cancer and reduce SPINK1 in prostate cancer patients,” Prof. Ateeq says.

“Our study warns about the possible adverse effect of androgen-deprivation therapies, and the benefits must be considered against treatment, before putting the patients on this therapy.”

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Sci-Tech> Science / by R. Prasad / January 25th, 2020