Tag Archives: Khushboo Mirza – Scientist F – ISRO

10 trailblazers of Uttar Pradesh reshaping India’s future

UTTAR PRADESH :

New Delhi :

While media spotlight often shines on celebrities and politicians, the real engine of India’s progress runs on the resolve of countless unsung heroes who, away from limelight, quietly transform society.

From national defense to grassroots education, sports, science, and civil service, these individuals from Uttar Pradesh show how courage, compassion, and conviction can drive extraordinary change. Here are 10 such trailblazers whose stories deserve to be heard:

Captain Sariya Abbasi: A Woman in Uniform on the Frontlines

Hailing from a small city of Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh, Captain Sayria Abbasi broke every convention to join the Indian Army. A graduate in Genetic Engineering and with plenty of job offers and career opportunities from big companies was not enough for her to pursue in life. The call of service for the motherland was too strong to be sacrificed.

The world noticed her as a soldier deployed at the Line of Actual Control (LAC), India-China temporary border, manning an Air Gun. Today, Sariya leads drone-killer teams and operates L-70 anti-aircraft guns on the border. Her journey from an academic achiever to a defender of the nation’s borders is not just about military precision; it’s about shattering glass ceilings and reshaping how India imagines women in uniform.

Dr. Faiyaz Ahmad Fyzie: Voice for the Voiceless Pasmanda Community

Dr. Faiyaz Ahmad Fyzie, an AYUSH physician, is more than a healer—he is a public intellectual, columnist, translator, and relentless advocate for the Pasmanda (socially backward) Muslim community. Raised in modest conditions, his rise to national recognition is built on fearless writing and tireless grassroots work.

When even the Prime Minister refers to Pasmanda voices, Fyzie’s years of advocacy resonate. His pen continues to empower those whose struggles were long silenced. His work is a call to conscience—and a roadmap for inclusive discourse.

Mohammad Luqman Ali: Wrestling His Way to Glory and Degree

Wrestler Mohammad Luqman Ali, a student of Social Work at Jamia Millia Islamia, is balancing body and brain. Born in Amroha’s tiny village of Mohraka Patti, his father worked on the railways, and his mother gave him religious grounding. Despite limited resources, Luqman’s grit has earned him recognition in India’s wrestling circles.

From the mat to the classroom, his dual commitment shows that excellence doesn’t require compromise. It requires discipline, heart—and a family’s belief in you.

Rubina Rashid Ali: Reviving Mughal-Era Art with a Modern Mission

In a sun-drenched corner of Aligarh, Rubina Rashid Ali has quietly built a movement. Her work in floral appliqué embroidery, a legacy of Mughal art, now supports dozens of women in Aligarh and Rampur. What was once an undervalued craft monopolized by middlemen has been transformed by Rubina into a vehicle for women’s economic empowerment.

Her home resonates not only with the sound of needles and threads but also with the hum of independence. “Real artists were reduced to laborers,” she says. Today, she ensures their hands are not just working — but also earning.

Babban Mian: A Gaushala Keeper Inspired by His Mother’s Love

At Madhu Sudan Gaushalla in Bulandshahr, Babban Mian tends to cows not out of ritual, but reverence — inspired by his late mother Hamidunnisa Begum. “She loved cows like her own children,” he recalls. After she passed away in 2015, Babban vowed to preserve her legacy.

Despite being a Muslim in a Hindu-dominated tradition, he runs a government-recognized shelter rooted in compassion, not controversy. For him, animal welfare is a universal value — not a communal issue. His work quietly redefines what shared culture and interfaith harmony look like.

Khushboo Mirza: From Amroha to the Moon with ISRO

Khushboo Mirza, scientist at ISRO and part of the Chandrayaan-1 and Chandrayaan-2 missions, is a stellar example of perseverance. After her father’s death when she was just seven, her mother raised three children alone, running a petrol pump and defying social norms.

Khushboo earned a Gold Medal in Electronics Engineering from AMU and was the youngest member of the Chandrayaan-1 checkout team. A practicing Muslim and a symbol of India’s scientific aspirations, she turned down corporate offers to reach for the stars—and took a whole generation of girls with her.

Zaheer Farooqui: A People’s Leader with a Vision for Purkazi

In western UP’s Purkazi, Zaheer Farooqui is rewriting what local leadership means. As Nagar Panchayat Chairperson, he donated land worth ₹1.5 crore for the area’s first Intermediate College and modernized local schools into PM Shri-certified institutions.

His initiatives go beyond classrooms. From India’s first double-storey government-run cow shelter to a gym for Muslim women, and one of the most sophisticated rural CCTV networks in the region — Farooqui’s governance is a blend of tradition and tech, equity and empowerment. His Tiranga Yatra revives local history, reminding citizens that patriotism is inclusive and action-oriented.

Dr. Farah Usmani: From AMU to Global Health Leadership

On a cold morning in New York, Dr. Farah Usmani stood outside an apartment, a folder in hand, her eyes bright with resolve. The daughter of Uttar Pradesh, she is today a formidable presence in global health policy.

n M.D. in Obstetrics & Gynecology from AMU, Farah sought impact beyond hospital walls. Armed with a Master’s in Health Policy from LSE and the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, she’s led transformative health initiatives around the world. Her journey is one of intellect guided by idealism — a doctor who chose not just to heal individuals but to reform systems.

Anjum Ara: Bridging Communities Through Compassionate Policing

Hailing from Azamgarh’s Kamharia village, Anjum Ara, a 2012-batch IPS officer, has redefined the image of policing with a human touch. A computer engineer by training, her journey from Integral University to Senior Superintendent of Police in Shimla has been marked by integrity and reform. Known for her work in cybercrime and her community-focused policing model, Anjum is also a fierce advocate for girls’ education.

Together with her husband, IAS officer Yunus Khan, Anjum adopted the cause of Khushdeep, the daughter of a martyred soldier, pledging to support her upbringing. This act of empathy mirrors her professional ethos, proactive, principled, and deeply people-centered.

Mumtaz Khan: From Vegetable Stall to World Hockey Stage

From the bustling alleys of Lucknow’s Cantt area to the turf fields of South Africa, Mumtaz Khan’s journey is pure grit. Once helping her father at a vegetable stall, a single race at school changed her life when Coach Neelam Siddiqui noticed her speed. That moment set her on a course to become a leading forward in India’s Junior Women’s Hockey Team.

Her standout performance at the 2018 Youth Olympics, where she scored 10 goals, earned her national acclaim. Yet, Mumtaz remains rooted, balancing hope and humility as she eyes the Olympics. She is proof that dreams born in dusty streets can blaze across international arenas.

These ten changemakers hail from Uttar Pradesh, from narrow village lanes to bustling metros, from battlefields to laboratories. But they are united by one thing: quiet, relentless courage. In their lives, we find the India that persists, uplifts, and transforms—not with headlines, but with hard work.

Tap HERE to watch the video

source: http://www.awazthevoice.in / Awaz, The Voice / Home> The Changemakers / by Vidushi Gaur / May 24th, 2025

How a Muslim girl from a small UP town came to be called ‘Moon Girl’

November 6, 2020Amazing Feats, Science & TechnologyFarhat Sikandar Mirza, Indian Muslim Woman Scientist of India, Khushboo Mirza, Khushboo Mirza - Awarded - ISRO Team Excellence Award - April 2015, Khushboo Mirza - ISRO, Khushboo Mirza - Scientist F - ISRO, Khushoo Mirza - Amroha - Uttar Pradesh, Muslim Scientist of India, Sikandar Mirza, Woman Scientist of Uttar Pradeshmpositiveone@gmail.com

Amroha, UTTAR PRADESH :

Khushboo Mirza was part of the dedicated teams of Chandrayaan 1 and Chandrayaan 2 missions.

*Khushboo has reached such heights that schools and colleges in Uttar Pradesh invite her to give talks. Photos: By special arrangement*

Chaugori Mohalla is a small Muslim neighbourhood in Uttar Pradesh’s Amroha town, about 200 km from Delhi. To reach the place, one needs to get off NH-24 from Itarsi, about 40 km before Moradabad, and a bumpy 10-km drive on a rough and dusty road would lead to the destination.

The narrow lane has old concrete houses with Urdu nameplates. Men wearing skull caps and women clad in burqas still give the locality a traditional look. Amroha, which is inhabited by both Hindus and Muslims, is called Aman Ki Nagri (town of peace). It has never witnessed a communal riot.

Hailing from this nondescript peaceful town is a young woman, Khushboo Mirza who is locally known as the woman who went to moon. Not for nothing, she has now reached the position of a director-level grade of Scientist F at the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and was part of the teams of Chandrayaan 1 and Chandrayaan 2 missions.

Khushboo is thrilled over her recent promotion which means she is just two levels below that of the position held by Abdul Kalam and the incumbent ISRO chairperson, Dr K Sivan.

But her life was not without troubles. Born on July 24, 1985, Khushboo lost her father Sikandar Mirza when she was just seven years old. In an unusual move, her mother Farhat broke religious norms to run her husband’s petrol pump to send her children to school. Khushboo studied in a Hindi-medium school till Class 10. She applied for B.Tech at Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) and bagged the seat under the sports quota as she was a volleyball player.

When Khushboo graduated in 2006, she was offered a software engineer job by American multinational company Adobe. But she applied to ISRO as she wanted to serve “Indian Science”. After joining the space agency, she was first drafted into the dedicated team for the Chandrayaan 1 mission in 2008. Khushboo received the ISRO Team Excellence Award in April 2015. She was also a part of the Chandrayaan 2 mission in 2019.

Even when she was accomplishing achievements in the space, her mother had to face criticism from some of the villagers. But Farhat ignored them and travelled with her daughter to ISRO training programmes across the country.

Khushboo then sought Farhat’s permission to shed the burqa and wear jeans to work. “She wanted to wear jeans, and I allowed her,” Farhat said. “In the absence of her father, and given the fact that she had to travel miles, many people said a lot of unkind things. But I told my daughter to work hard,” added Farhat.

Khushboo maintained the orthodoxy and tradition, and followed religious norms, but they had no impact on her work.

“I do follow our religion and do Namaz five times a day, besides observing fast during the fasting period. But I also wear western clothes. We belong to a progressive family, where modernity can exist along with tradition,” said Khushboo, who once celebrated Eid with her colleagues in an ISRO lab.

She has reached such heights that schools and colleges in Uttar Pradesh invite her to give talks. She keeps telling children, particularly girls, to concentrate on education which alone can provide them with a good future. She has also impressed many Muslim girls to consider education seriously. Khushboo feels that the necessary facilities for primary and high school education in the villages must be stepped up.

Many people in Uttar Pradesh think that she had made a journey to the moon and congratulate her and this why she is called the Moon Girl. Khushboo has emerged as a Muslim icon and a woman icon in Uttar Pradesh. Neither Khushboo nor her family members stereotype women, especially Muslim women. They believe that anyone in the country can fare well if they are provided with a good education.

With education and hard work, success is bound to come. There is no need to bring in religion or orthodoxy here, she said. “Times have changed and the attitude of people towards Muslim girls also needs to change. Our families do educate us.”

The success story of Khushboo Mirza is expected to inspire girls across the country and persuade families to educate their children, raising hopes of a better future not just for these families but the whole country.

source: http://www.thefederal.com / The Federal / Home> Features / by R. Rangaraj / July 19th, 2020