Tag Archives: Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi

Rampur Royals were patrons of art, literature and cuisine

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Rampur, UTTAR PRADESH :

The Rampur Nawabi family with former Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh

In December 2021, I came across a report in a newspaper that said, “After almost 50 years of legal battle, the Rampur District Court has ruled in the Rampur Nawab family’s property dispute. The property will now be divided among 16 legal heirs. Raza Ali Khan, the last Nawab of Rampur, died in 1966. After a long legal battle, the court has announced the division of his property worth Rs 2,664 crore.”

The Nawab family of Rampur with its glorious history is still important played in Rampur and its surrounding districts. While the family ruled the state for a long time, its members joined the institutions of independent India like Parliament and legislative Assembly. Former Members of Parliament Mickey Mian and Noor Begum belong to the family. Many members of this Royal family have played an important role not only in politics but also in promoting the culture, patronizing poets, writers, musicians, and other creative artists.

Khandaan

The Nawabi family of Rampur State

Before the independence, India was dotted with small states and one of them happened to be the state of Rampur, located in today’s state of Uttar Pradesh. It was founded by Nawab Ali Mohammad Khan, a Pushtun leader on 7 October 1774. There have been 11 Nawabs in the state including Nawab Faizullah Khan, Nawab Hafiz Rehmat Khan Barish, Nawab Muhammad Ali Khan, Nawab Ghulam Muhammad Khan, Nawab Ahmad Ali Khan, Nawab Muhammad Saeed Khan, Nawab Yusuf Ali Khan, Nawab Club Ali Khan. Nawab Muhammad Mushtaq Ali Khan, Nawab Hamid Ali Khan.

Raza Ali Khan was the last Nawab of Rampur. Rampur was one of the important States of the British in India as its rulers were plaint and supported the Raj even during the 1857 revolt. It was a 15 cannons gun salute State and its rulers owned a lot of wealth.

Before the independence, the Nawabs of Rampur used to have their own railway station with two special coaches always in readiness in the service of the Royal family. Whenever the Nawab family had to travel by train to Delhi, Lucknow, or elsewhere, they would board their coach and that was added to the passenger train. During the tenure of the ninth Nawab, Hamid Ali Khan the railway line was laid in the district. At that time, he had built a separate railway station for his use. It was close to the main railway station.

The Royal Coach full of Luxuries and modern appliance

Interestingly the two railway coaches that have immense historic and antique value today are among the assets sought to be distributed among the progeny of the Raza Ali Khan. These were originally valued at Rs. 117.42 million. However, due to almost no maintenance, the price was halved.

Interestingly, these coaches had so many modern conveniences that even the heads of the state today can’t dream of. The coaches were equipped with 33mm and 16mm cinema projectors, cameras, imported radio transistors, and tape recorders. These provided all the luxuries like Bedding, chair, carburetor pillow, seat, silverware, glass, whiskey, beer bottles, English crockery, large cigarette and cigar box, silver footstep, eagle, silver canteen set, silver hooka, silver bed, sword, and various kinds of guns, etc.

The Nawab family’s properties include 1073 acres of land, mansions, palaces like Khas Bagh, Kothi Benazir, Lakhi Bagh, Kanda, and Nawab Railway Station, and immovable assets like arms, jewelry, etc. The valuables include silverware like six silver beds, 20 silver pandans, six khasdans, and 20 cigar boxes, and four hookas. Former Member of Parliament Begum Nurbano says that when she came to Khas Bagh in 1956 as a bride she slept on a silver bed. Khas Bagh was India’s first air-conditioned palace.

Khas Bagh Palace was the first air-conditioned palace in India.

Khas Bagh Palace, Rampur

The state of Rampur was not only a political state but also a great patron of education, art, and culture. Nawab Yusuf Ali Khan was a friend of knowledge and also gave scholarships to scholars and students. He made Mirza Ghalib his consultant on literary matters and he became a student of Ghalib. He used to send a reasonable amount of money to Mirza as a stipend. In addition, hundreds of poets, including Mirzadagh Dehlavi, were patronized by the Nawabs of Rampur.

The Library

The Nawab of Rampur was a friend of knowledge. The symbol of his friendliness of knowledge is Raza Library which was once the largest library in India and it is still very important today. Thousands of rare books and manuscripts in Urdu, Persian and Turkish languages ​​are available here.

The Nawab of Rampur was also an epicurean. He had a whole army of cooks and chefs. These chefs would spend the whole day preparing high-quality food and experimenting with new flavors. Elders were invited to the Nawabi Dastkhwan. After the dissolution of the state, it became difficult for the Nawab to continue the Dasthar Khan.

The Nawabs of Rampur patronized traditional music at their court. Mehboob Khan was one of the greatest thinkers of the royal court of Rampur state. This tradition was followed by his sons Inayat Hussain Khan and Inayat’s brother-in-law Haider Khan and Mushtaq Hussain. It was here that the Rampur-Sahswan family of Indian classical music was born. Sahswan is in the present Badaun district.

One of the Palaces of rampur Nawab family

After independence, the Nawab family took an active part in politics and Major Nawab Syed Zulfiqar Ali Khan Bahadur was the first from the family to be elected to the Lok Sabha. He was known as Mickey Mian. He was the second son of Nawab Sir Syed Raza Ali Khan Bahadur. In 1984 and 1989, he was elected to the Rampur Lok Sabha seat on a Congress ticket. It is also interesting to note that Mickey Mian represented Rampur in Lok Sabha for a long time but never spoke in the House.

After Mickey Mian, his wife Begum Noor Bano served as Member of Parliament in the 11th and 13th Lok Sabha. She was elected from Rampur on a Congress party ticket. Begum Noor Bano alias Mehtab Zamani Begum was born to Nawab Aminuddin Ahmed Khan who was the last ruling Nawab of Loharo (Bhiwani-Haryana). She was educated at Maharani Gayatri Devi Girls Public School, Jaipur.

She joined the All India Congress Committee in 1992 and was elected to the Lok Sabha in 1996. In the next election, she lost to BJP’s Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi. An aficionado of music and dance, Noor Banu is the patron of the Devi Foundation and the Rampur family. Bano is interested in historical and cultural Persian and Arabic books and research on environment and forest protection. She enjoys reading, painting, gardening, and music and is a member of several sports clubs across the country.

Micky Mian and Noor Bano with their children

Micky Mian and Begum Noor Bano have three children. One of them is Nawabzada Syed Muhammad Kazim Ali Khan Bahadur. He was elected MLA several times and is also a Congress candidate in the current Assembly elections. His son Nawabzada Syed Haider Ali Khan Bahadur is also contesting the Assembly elections 2022.

In the current elections in Uttar Pradesh, the reputation and honour of the Royal family is also at stake. Samajwadi Party veteran Azam Khan, who has been elected an MLA from Rampur city nine times is contesting from inside the jail against his traditional rival from the Royal family Mohammad Kazim Ali Khan. Kazim Khan popularly known by his nickname of Navid Miyan is contesting as a candidate of Congress Party and is hoping to defeat the ‘tainted’ Azam Khan.

Besides, Azam Khan’s son Abdullah Azam is contesting from the Suar constituency where he is pitted against Naveed Mian’s son Hamza Mian.

The Nawab of Rampur

Azam Khan has dominated the politics of Rampur for 42 years. He has also held ministerial positions in the Samajwadi government four times. He has also been Leader of the Opposition and Member of Rajya Sabha. On the other hand, the Nawab family has also a great influence on Rampur. Naveed Mian Sawar has been MLA four times from the Tanda seat. Once he was also elected to Legislative Assembly from Bilaspur and was a minister too.

His father Nawab Zulfiqar Ali Khan alias Miki Mian has been a Member of Parliament five times and his mother Begum Noor Bano has been a Member of Parliament twice. Both the Congress and the SP have given tickets to the members of the Rampur Royal family. This time, Congress has given tickets to former MLA Naveed Mian as well as his son Haider Ali Khan alias Hamza Mian.

source: http://www.awazthevoice.in / Awaz, The Voice / Home> Stories / by Ghaus Siwani / February 04th, 2022

Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi appointed Deputy Leader of House in Rajya Sabha

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Rampur, UTTAR PRADESH / NEW DELHI :

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday appointed Union Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi as Deputy Leader of the House in the Rajya Sabha. (File photo)

The appointment of Naqvi, who is known to have cordial relations with leaders of parties across the political spectrum, assumes significance at a time when the Opposition is aiming to target the ruling dispensation over a host of issues.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday appointed Union Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi as Deputy Leader of the House in the Rajya Sabha.

Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi informed Rajya Sabha Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu that the Prime Minister has directed him to inform that Naqvi, Union Minister of Minority Affairs, has been appointed Deputy Leader of the House in Rajya Sabha.

Naqvi succeeds Piyush Goyal , who has been named Leader of the House in Rajya Sabha. The minority affairs minister is known for his knowledge of parliamentary affairs, and has served as minister of state for parliamentary affairs during the first term of the Modi government.

Naqvi hails from Uttar Pradesh’s Rampur and was elected to the Upper House from Jharkhand. He was MoS for Information and Broadcasting and Parliamentary Affairs in the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government. He joined the BJP in 1986 as a student leader, and emerged as a prominent Muslim face of the party.

The appointment of Naqvi, who is known to have cordial relations with leaders of parties across the political spectrum, assumes significance at a time when the Opposition is aiming to target the ruling dispensation over a host of issues, including handling of the second wave of COVID-19, rise in fuel prices and farmers’ stir.

source: http://www.indianexpress.com / The Indian Express / Home> India / by Express News Service, New Delhi / July 20th, 2021

KBN Darga Bags National Award | Union Minister Muqtar Naqvi presented to Janab Ali Hussaini

Community Involvement / Social Issues, Education, Karnataka (under research project), Leaders, Videos, , , , , , , ,

Gulbarga, KARNATAKA :

First time ever Central Wakf Council has awarded the Mutawallis of Wakf Institutions for their Excellence in the management of Wakf Institution.


Sajjada Nashin and Mutawalli Dr. Syed Shah Khusro Hussaini Sahab of Dargah Hazrath Khaja Bandanawaz RH bagged this prestigious national award by the Ministry of Minorities Affairs through the central Wakf Council which was presented by the Janab Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi-Hon’ble Union Minister of Minority Affairs.

On Behalf, Janab Syed Ali al Hussaini received the award who is the Janasheen of Hzt Khaja Bandanawaz Darga & Pro-Chancellor KBN university.


The Darga has many modernized up-to-date systems like AC rooms for Visitors, Mist Cooling system in open area, Airconditioning inside the tomb, Cleaning machines, Cabbie for Old people, Research center and much more.


3 Awards per zone were to be distributed in four zones East West North South Out of the Five States in south zone Karnataka Bagged 2 awards out of 3.


127 years old “The Muslim Orphanage Bangalore “ also bagged this award from Karnataka, A gesture of appreciation from the minority ministry Govt of India.

source: http://www.gohash.in / Go Hash / Home> Gulbarga / July 31st, 2019

Two lakh Indian Muslims to perform Haj without subsidy this year: Naqvi

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

NEW DELHI :

MukhtarMPOs05jul2019

Minority Affairs Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi has said that a record number of two lakh Indian Muslims will go to Haj this year without any subsidy.

Mr Naqvi said this while inaugurating a two-day ‘orientation-cum-training programme’ for Haj 2019 deputationists in New Delhi yesterday. He said, nearly 48 per cent of the pilgrims are women.

The Minister said, even after removal of Haj subsidy, there is no unnecessary financial burden on the Haj pilgrims. He said the Central Government has taken effective steps to ensure safety and better facilities of the pilgrims.

Mr Naqvi emphasised that no negligence will be tolerated in this regard. He added that a total of 620 Haj coordinators, Assistant Haj Officers, Haj Assistants, Doctors and Paramedics have been deployed in Saudi Arabia to assist the pilgrims.

The Minister also informed that the number of women Haj pilgrims going without Mehram this year is double in comparison to last year. A total of 2,340 Muslim women from India will go for Haj without Mehram this year while 1180 women had performed Haj last year without Mehram.

source: http://www.thenorthlines.com / The NorthLines / Home> Latest News / June 26th, 2019

Dr Najma Heptulla inaugurates National Unani Conference

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NEW DELHI :

The National Unani awards were presented on the first day of the two day conference

The National Conference on Unani Medicine kicked off on Monday with much fanfare in the presence of a galaxy of dignitaries.

“Unani Medicine can offer the right solution for many health challenges we are facing due to lack of treatment of many diseases and paucity of resources”, said Dr. Najma Heptulla, Governor of Manipur, inaugurating the two-day conference organized by the Central Council for Research in Unani Medicine (CCRUM). It is a part of the 3rd Unani Day celebrations.  Dr. Heptulla urged the Unani fraternity to progress and evolve with the changing times, adapt to new techniques of health research and contribute new approaches to health management. She said that Manipur has the treasure of over 500 medicinal plants and invited scientists to visit the state for research. 

Addressing the conference themed on ‘Unani Medicine for Public Health’, Minister of State (IC) for AYUSH, Shripad Yesso Naik enlightened the audience on concrete steps taken by the Ministry of AYUSH to promote Unani Medicine.

The Lifetime Achievement Awards were conferred on Prof. Naeem Ahmad Khan, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh and Prof. M A Jafri, Jamia Hamdard, New Delhi for Best Academician and Best Researcher in Unani Medicine respectively

“Our efforts are focused to tap the real potential of AYUSH systems in imparting preventive, promotive and holistic healthcare to the people,” he said. Paying tributes to Hakim Ajmal Khan, whose birth anniversary is celebrated as Unani Day on 11thFebruary every year, he described him as a versatile genius.

Highlighting the strengths of Unani Medicine and other AYUSH systems in his address, Union Minister for Minority Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said that the AYUSH systems are golden key to health and wellbeing. India is the strongest hub of Traditional Medicine which is one of the reasons medical tourism is flourishing in the country. He stressed on Integration of Unani Medicine in Mainstream Healthcare in line with the government policies and initiatives for mainstreaming of AYUSH in national healthcare.

On this occasion, AYUSH Awards for Unani Medicine were conferred on various Unani scientists and experts in recognition of their contributions for research, teaching and practice of Unani Medicine.

The Best Research Paper Awards were presented to Dr. Arshiya Sultana, Associate Professor, National Institute of Unani Medicine, Bangalore for Clinical Research and Dr. Noman Anwar, Research Officer (Unani), Regional Research Institute of Unani Medicine, Chennai for Drug Research in Unani Medicine. The Young Scientist Awards were conferred on Dr. Jamal Akhtar, Research Officer (Unani) Scientist – III, CCRUM for Clinical Research and Dr. Nasreen Jahan, Associate Professor, National Institute of Unani Medicine, Bangalore for Drug Research in Unani Medicine.

The Best Teacher Awards were presented to Prof. Tanzeel Ahmad, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh for Clinical Research, Prof. Mohd Aslam, Jamia Hamdard, New Delhi for Drug Research and Prof. Khalid Zaman Khan, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh for Literary Research in Unani Medicine. The Lifetime Achievement Awards were conferred on Prof. Naeem Ahmad Khan, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh and Prof. M A Jafri, Jamia Hamdard, New Delhi for Best Academician and Best Researcher in Unani Medicine respectively.

source: http://www.medibulletin.com / MediBulletin / Home> Alt Medicene / by MediBulletin Bureau / February 11th, 2019

UPSC exam: Muslim aspirants to get free coaching at Haj Houses from nxt year

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NEW DELHI :

Buoyed by 51 Muslim candidates clearing the civil services examination this year, the Haj Committee of India has decided to provide free coaching across states and union territories from next year.

UPSC civil services aspirants are being provided free coaching at the committee’s Mumbai-based headquarters for the last seven years. Two of the students who studied there were selected for the prestigious service this year.

The Haj Committee of India had recently sent a proposal to the Minority Affairs Ministry about providing coaching for the civil services in Haj Houses in all states and union territories. The ministry has accepted the proposal.

Union Minority Affairs Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi told Bhasha, “Two students who took coaching at the Haj Committee of India-run classes, cracked the UPSC exams. Next year onwards the government will start free coaching in Haj Bhavans in states and union territories.”

“We had requested the ministry (of minority affairs) to start free coaching service in Haj Bhavans in different states. We are happy that the minority affairs minister has approved the proposal. We want to start the (coaching) service from next year. We will implement this with the state Haj boards,” Chief Executive Officer of Haj Committee of India, Maqsood Ahmed Khan, said.

For the last seven years, 40 students are provided free coaching at the Haj Committee of India’s headquarters in Mumbai every year, he said.

Of the 980 candidates selected for civil services this year, 51 are Muslims.

Syed Zafar Mahmood, the chief of Zakat Foundation of India, which helps aspirants from economically weak Muslim families to prepare for the exam, said, “In 2017, around five lakh candidates appeared for the civil services preliminary examination and hardly 2 per cent of them were Muslims.”

“If the participation of Muslim students grows in the civil services examination then the number (of selected candidates) can go up from 51 to 100 as well,” he said.

source: http://www.outlookindia.com / Outlook / Home> Magazine / New Delhi – May 06th, 2018

MoU signed to give facelift to Ajmer dargah

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Ajmer, RAJASTHAN :

AjmerDargahMPOs04sept2018

To clean and manage the 13th-century shrine, a Swachh Iconic Place, ₹5.68 crore to be spent

The historical dargah of Sufi mystic Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti in Ajmer is all set to get a facelift as a memorandum of understanding has been signed by the Dargah Committee, the Ajmer Municipal Corporation and Hindustan Zinc for spending ₹5.68 crore to clean and manage the shrine.

The 13th-century dargah has been included among the Swachh Iconic Places, a clean-up initiative focused on iconic heritage, spiritual and cultural places through a multi-stakeholder approach model. The campaign was initiated under the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan in 2016.

Select 100 SIPs across the country will be cleaned and developed at a higher level of sanitation and facility management in collaboration with corporates and leading public sector units as part of the initiative.

In Ajmer, the Collector will act as the project’s nodal agency with the Dargah Committee and ‘khadims’ (workers) being the primary stakeholders. An amount of ₹5.68 crore will be invested in the project’s first phase for establishment of two flower compost making machines, cleaning and basic repair of the Jhalra pond, re-flooring in select areas, procurement of machines for cleaning the floors, risk management system plan, conservation of Shahjahani Gate and initial plans for Nizam Gate.

More amenities

The MoU was signed in Ajmer on Saturday in the presence of Union Minister for Minority Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi. Mr. Naqvi said the project would help in the dargah’s upkeep and provide more facilities to the pilgrims coming during the Urs and in other seasons.

Two flower compost machines have already been installed in Kayad at a cost of ₹27 lakh for churning out about 25 kg of compost from 100 kg of flowers offered at the dargah. A vision document for the shrine has been prepared by a team of architects and building plan and design consultants.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Other States / by Special Correspondent / Jaipur – September 04th, 2018

Foundation of first ‘world class’ educational institute for minorities to be laid next month

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UTTAR PRADESH  / NEW DELHI :

The foundation for the first of the five proposed “world class” educational institutes for minorities is set to be laid early next month, Union Minority Affairs Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said on Thursday.

Naqvi  said that 16-acres land has been acquired in the Mewat district  of Haryana  at a “scenic locale” and its foundation would be laid in the first week of September.

“Mewat, being the most backward district, needs such an institute more than any other place in the country. We hope the institute would be ready and running by 2021,” Naqvi  said.

He said the institute would have a provision of education from primary up to the diploma and degree levels besides centres for skill development.

It will also have a coaching centre for competitive exams besides hostels with modern facilities, he added.

“It will be an education, skill and a knowledge hub,” he said.

The Minister clarified that the institute would be open for all communities.

The Maulana Azad Education  Foundation would be the governing body of the institute but it would be run by “reputed private and government organisations”.

“We are in talks with a few Indian and foreign organistations which have shown interest in running this institute on the PPP (public-private-partnership) mode,” Naqvi said.

–IANS

mak/prs

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

source: http://www.business-standard.com / Business-Standard / Home> News-IANS / August 30th, 2018

Naqvi’s 116-year-old grandpa Zurriyat Hussain Kazmi dies

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Bareilly, UTTAR PRADESH :

Bareilly :

Zurriyat Hussain Kazmi, 116, one of the oldest citizens of the country, died on Sunday night.

After his condition deteriorated, Kazmi was rushed to a private hospital in Rampur Garden locality. He was, however, declared dead upon arrival by doctors.

Kazmi, maternal grandfather of Union minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, was fond of Samajwadi Party patron Mulayam Singh Yadav.
Born on January 1, 1902, Kazmi would say the secret of his long life was 10 kilometres of daily walk.
“He was not suffering from any illness. He died due to his long age,” said Azadar Hussain Kazmi, his youngest son and caretaker.
“My grandfather was a zamindar and had 2,000 bighas at Kulbhara village in Moradabad .

After my father joined British police in 1922, it disappointed my grandfather that his son was doing a job for Rs 10. Working under someone was not considered good then. My father later worked for Indian police. He met Mahatma Gandhi at Chowki Chauraha when the latter visited Bareilly during the struggle for independence,” said Azadar.

“Despite his long age, my father would cast his vote in every election. He believed that voting is an important right. He was fond of Mulayam and later became a fan of Prime Minister Narendra Modi ,” said Azadar.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> News> City News> Bareilly News / TNN / June 19th, 2018

‘Urdu’s Space In Kalina Not Byculla’

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Mumbai, MAHARASHTRA :

In 2014, the Congress-led government had sanctioned Rs 10 crore for the construction of an Urdu Bhavan at Mumbai University’s Kalina campus to promote the language

The state govt’s proposal to set up a centre for the language outside of the university, where it even has an allocated space, has language lovers crying foul

In 2014, the Congress-led government had sanctioned Rs 10 crore for the construction of an Urdu Bhavan at Mumbai University’s Kalina campus to promote the language. Land was allocated and bhoomi poojan was performed. However, the project never saw the light of day.

Cut to present: The state government has proposed building the Urdu Bhavan in Byculla,. “The bhavan will come up on a 10,000 sqft area near the Agripada police station. And, if we get a larger FSI, we will be able to construct a four-storeyed structure with state-of-the-art facilities. We have asked the Centre to provide us with R50 crore for this,” says advocate Waris Pathan, All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) legislator from Byculla, who has been at the forefront of getting approvals for this project. As per the proposal, the bhavan will have a library, convention centre, a girls’ hostel and will offer a range of new courses. “The Urdu readership in Byculla is high so it will see a lot of traction,” says Pathan

‘It’s not a Muslim language’
Yet, the news of the bhavan coming up at Byculla has lovers of the language divided. Members of Jai Ho Foundation, a charity organisation in Kurla, have written a letter to the Union Minority Affairs minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, CM Devendra Fadnavis, Governor C Vidyasagar Rao, education minister Vinod Tawde and MU VC Suhas Pednekar, requesting them to reconsider the location. “We want the centre to be built inside the varsity because that will make it more accessible to students. By constructing it in a Byculla bylane, they are propagating the misguided notion that it’s a Muslim language,” says Jai Ho’s president Afroz Malik. Presently, the MU has a bhasha (language) bhavan dedicated to Marathi and Sanskrit.

There have been talks about building a Hindi bhasha bhavan as well. Malik says Kalina is a strategic location which makes it convenient for people commuting from both the suburbs as well as from South Mumbai. Moreover, setting it up in a healthy academic atmosphere will only help promote the language, he adds. “MU has people enrolling from all walks of life. It also has students from overseas. Urdu will get more exposure,” he states.

A matter of space
Meanwhile, the land allocated to the Urdu Bhavan at Kalina remains vacant. This is in stark contrast to the buzzing Urdu department, which has seen a sharp growth in the number of students as well as non-teaching staff. “The increasing curiosity around the language has translated into more people signing up for courses. The MA course sees more enrolments,” Dr Sahab Ali, head of Urdu department, says. Presently, the department has an overall strength of 200 students. While Dr Ali is happy to learn of a bhavan coming up in Byculla, he says it’s not enough. “I would want the centre to be built here because we are running out of space to accommodate students,” he says. The Urdu department at MU was established in 1982.

In 2013, Dr Ali had written to the Department of Minorities Affairs requesting the need for a bhasha bhavan to cater to the growing needs of the language. The request received the green light in 2014. The change in ruling parties resulted in the project languishing for years.

Farid Khan, convenor of Urdu Caravan, an NGO that promotes Urdu language and culture, says he sees merit in NGO Jai Ho’s stand. “I believe a language will thrive in an academic setting.”

source: http://www.mid-day.com / mid-day.com / Home> News> National News / by Anju Maskeri / May13th, 2018