Tag Archives: Positive News of Muslims of Odisha

Born together, studied together, cracked JEE Main with same rank

Amazing Feats, Education - Gold Medallists, Toppers, Merits, Achievers (wef. June 12th, 2023), Uncategorized, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Bhubaneswar, ODISHA :

Mahroof Ahmed Khan and Masroor Ahmed Khan


Twin brothers Mahroof Ahmed Khan and Masroor Ahmed Khan from Odisha have cleared the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) Main, and qualified for the advance examination which is the gateway to India’s top engineering and technical colleges, and, amazingly, with the same percentile.

As the JEE Main 2026 results were announced recently, the twins from Odisha who studied in the same coaching classes at Kota, Rajasthan, were among the successful candidates.

This success has created an atmosphere of joy and excitement among students studying in Kota, a city famous for its coaching classes for entrance of engineering colleges.

Mahroof and Masroor scored 285 out of 300 in the JEE Main 2026. What’s more remarkable is that these two brothers had studied at the same coaching institute in Kota and wrote the exam together.

Mahroof said, “I have been in Kota since class 10, attending the coaching material for three years. I followed the class lectures and took regular tests. I would review and revise my doubts again and again. I also got motivation from my brother. There were always ups and downs, but I always remained motivated. We both studied together from the beginning. Our study time was also the same. We both used to sit on the same study table and motivate each other. We learnt a lot from each other.

Mahroof and Masroor’s family, especially their mother, Dr Zeenat Begum, a gynaecologist in the Odisha government, has been a great support to the brothers. She left her job to support her children’s education. Three years ago, she moved to Kota to live with them.

Mahroof and Masroor with their mother Dr Zeenat Begum

Dr Zeenat not only provided mental and emotional support to her boys, but also kept their morale high when they scored low in tests.

Her constant refrain to her children was, “Don’t be discouraged by low scores; work hard and move forward.”

Interestingly, Maharoof and Masroor also studied in the same school till their 10th grade. Mahroof scored 95.2 per cent and Masroor 97.2 per cent.

Their dream is to study Computer Science at IIT Bombay.

Maharuf and Masroor’s success wasn’t limited to the JEE Main. They also performed exceptionally well in national and international Olympiads, winning over 30 gold medals.

After their JEE Main success, Mahroof and Masroor are now focused on the JEE Advanced.

Their goal is to study Computer Science at IIT Bombay. They believe that with the right amount of hard work and focus, any success is achievable. Now, they are fully focused on preparing for their upcoming exam, and they are ready to work hard to achieve this goal.

source: http://www.awazthevoice.in / Awaz, The Voice / Home> Stories / by Onika Maheshwari, New Delhi / February 18th, 2026

An Indian restaurant in Tashkent celebrates Uzbekistan’s love for Bollywood

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Business & Economy, NRI's / PIO's, Travel & Tourism, World Opinion, , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

INDIA / Tashkent, UZBEKISTAN :

Housed in the Le Grande Hotel in Tashkent, the restaurant is a definite stopover for tourist groups from India and is popular for its Bollywood nights

Wall dedicated to Indian celebrities who visited Raaj Kapur restaurant in Tashkent. | Photo Credit: PTI

In the heart of Tashkent, a city known for its rich history, stands an Indian restaurant celebrating the legacy of legendary Bollywood actor Raj Kapoor and the love of the Uzbeks for him even 35 years after his death.

Styled on the Bollywood theme, the ‘Raaj Kapur’ restaurant which is one of the three major Indian restaurants in Tashkent, is not new but at least 16 years old and is a hit among not only Indian tourists but also locals for its lip-smacking dishes.

Three superstars from the Kapoor family — Randhir Kapoor, Rishi Kapoor and Shashi Kapoor — have also dined at the restaurant on different occasions.

“People in Uzbekistan are crazy about Bollywood and generations of people from Uzbekistan and Russia – even the young – are aware of Raj Kapoor and his cinema and regard him as Bollywood’s numero uno. The restaurant attracts more crowd for its name and less for Indian food, which most visitors discover after enjoying a meal,” Sameer Khan, Resident manager, Raaj Kapur restaurant told PTI.

‘A definite stopover’

Housed in the Le Grande Hotel in Tashkent, the restaurant is a definite stopover for tourist groups from India and is popular for its Bollywood nights where Uzbeks also groove on top chartbusters from the 90s.

While Khan, who is originally from Mumbai, manages the property, the idea of the restaurant was first conceptualised by Jay Al Atas, an Indonesian who fell in love with Indian food during a visit to the country and was also impressed with the craze for Raj Kapoor in Russia and Uzbekistan.

“A lot of Indian tourist groups come here on a regular basis while Uzbeks enjoy the food on occasions and also love clicking pictures here. Whenever a Bollywood celebrity from India comes here, there is a bustling crowd,” he added.

The restaurant is also the official caterer for the majority of Indian events — be it the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Samarkand, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit or ones like a recent Bollywood night which saw performances by Daler Mehandi and Ravi Kishan.

Five chefs from different parts of India are behind the variety-loaded menu at the restaurant.

“We offer all kinds of cuisine that are available in India. Our bestselling dishes are butter chicken, biryani, cheese naan and dosa,” said chef Kalamuddin Sheikh who hails from Orissa.

Wall dedicated to Indian celebrities who visited Raaj Kapur restaurant in Tashkent. | Photo Credit: PTI

Celebrity guests

A wall in the restaurant boasts of the renowned people who have visited the restaurant be it politicians like Sushma Swaraj and Rajnath Singh or Bollywood celebrities like Mithun Chakraborty, Shibani Kashyap, Daler Mehandi, Gulshan Grover, among others.

“We have placed signed sketches of the celebrities from India who have visited us. The restaurant is a big hit here,” Sohail Khan, Quality Manager at the restaurant told PTI.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Life & Style> Food / by PTI / October 30th, 2023

UAE: Indian expat wins Rs 4 lakh, to donate to Odisha train crash victims

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Jaspur, ODISHA / Abu Dhabi, UAE :

The winner of the game Sahajan Mohammad who hails from Jaspur town of Odisha works as a chef at a hotel in Abu Dhabi.

Abu Dhabi:

A 28-year-old United Arab Emirates (UAE)-based Indian expatriate won the grand prize of Dirhams 20,000 (Rs 4,48,927) in Dream Island’s scratch card game.

The winner of the game Sahajan Mohammad who hails from Jaspur town of Odisha works as a chef at a hotel in Abu Dhabi.

Mohammad has tried his luck at different raffle draws in the past to no avail.

On June 7, he purchased scratch cards through an ongoing promotion and won a free ticket.

Mohammad has decided to contribute a portion of his winnings towards assisting the victims of a tragic train accident that took place in his hometown. The accident killed at least 288 people and injured more than 1,000 people.

He will also use the prize money for construction expenses and some for his relatives who are in need and struggling for their livelihood.

“I am flying home on June 25. I have become a father now. I will be meeting my baby girl. She has brought this luck,” an elated Mohammad told Khaleej Times.

About Dream Island

Dream Island, the UAE’s gaming platform rewards players with the chance to win cash prizes by playing a selection of games.

With each play charged between Dirhams 10 and Dirhams 50, participants have the chance to win prizes of different sizes – the largest being Dirhams 10 million.

The rules and prizes of different Dream Island games vary, as do the prize amounts.

source: http://www.siasat.com / The Siasat Daily / Home> News> Middle East> UAE / by Sakina Fatima / June 10th, 2023