Tag Archives: Positive News of Muslims of Telangana

Hyderabad: Haziq and Mohi Rare Books planning to sell collection

Hyderabad, TELANGANA :

Among the patrons of Haziq and Mohi Rare Book Sellers, back when its founder Awad Bafana was running it, also includes author (of White Mughals) William Dalrymple.

 An inside view of Haziq and Mohi rare book sellers. (Image: Yunus Lasania)

Hyderabad: 

For over four decades, Awad Bin Mohd Bafana ran a book store selling rare books in the Old City. A man of Arab descent, he had inherited the books from his grandfather’s personal library. Over a period of time, it became a go-to place for research scholars, and anyone else looking to buy something interesting and old. Haziq and Mohi Rare Book Sellers today is one of those ‘secrets’ that many love to discover among the city’s heritage.

Awad Bafanna, as he was known, passed away suddenly in 2015 over half a decade ago at the age of 74. He left behind thousands of books in his shop, which only he mentally kept track of. His nephews who run the shop today in Hyderabad, painstakingly have only managed to organise a section of the collection. “There was no inventory but he knew exactly where every book was in his head,” said Ibrahim, one of his nephews.

One can understand the enormity of the rare book collection at Haziq and Mohi while walking through it. There is literally space for only one person to walk in its hallway, and to then turn right into another section. Thankfully, Awad Bafana’s family have partially sorted out books based on subjects like history, politics, on Hyderabad etc. The bookstore is a haven for bibliophiles and research scholars who require particular titles.

A favourite of collectors and scholars

Among the patrons of Haziq and Mohi Rare Book Sellers, back when Awad Bafana was running it, also included author (of White Mughals) William Dalrymple. Ibrahim and his brothers still receive calls from abroad for specific books customers want. Awad Bafana’s grandfather had worked as a Jamadar in Barkas. for the Al-Quaiti family that headed the Yemeni community in Hyderabad.

Haziq and Mohi rare book sellers. (Image: Yunus Lasania)

Hyderabad’s Barkas, where their descendants live even today, is believed to be a corrupt word of the word barracks. It is essentially a mini Yemen of sorts and is a go-to place for foodies who want to eat authentic Yemeni cuisine.

Partial book collection up for sale

Now, seven years Mr. Bafanna’s demise, Awad Bafana’s extended family that runs Haziq and Mohi Rare Book Sellers is looking to part with a chunk of its collection. The Bafana family runs the rare book store in Hyderabad’s old city near the Chowk Ki Masjid at Hussaini Alam road. The collection is huge, and the family still has to go through the entire thing in order to catalogue it.

“We are not selling away all our books, nor are we shutting down the store. However, there are some monetary requirements at home due to which we decided to do this. Anyone who is interested can come take a look and discuss it with us,” Ibrahim told Siasat.com.

Haziq and Mohi has a treasure trove of books in mainly Urdu, English, Persian and Arabic. Many book lovers who wander there usually end up sticking around for hours, mostly going back with books they never knew they wanted in the first place. The collection of rare books include several official gazettes, and other publications that are even a century old. One will have to sift through it to even figure out what is there.

Anyone interested in purchasing the collection that is up for grabs can contact the Bafana family for the same (finding it is easy on Google Maps) on +919160161301.

Haziq and Mohi rare book sellers. (Image: Yunus Lasania)

source: http://www.siasat.com / The Siasat Daily / Home> News> Hyderabad / by Yunus Lasania / December 14th, 2022

Intelligence and education of Hyderabad’s Hakim helped raise level of Indian football

Hyderabad, TELANGANA:

 The President, Shri Ram Nath Kovind presenting the Dhyan Chand Award, 2017 to Shri Syed Shahid Hakim for Football, in a glittering ceremony, at Rashtrapati Bhavan, in New Delhi on August 29, 2017. Photo: Wikipedia

The name of Syed Shahid Hakim is familiar to the entire football fraternity of India. He was one of the most accomplished personalities who graced Hyderabad and Indian football as a player, referee and coach. Indeed it would not be wrong to say that there were few people in India who could match his knowledge and acumen about the different aspects of football. Besides being a well known personality in football, he also served as an officer in the Indian Air Force.

Being one of the sons of the great coach S.A. Rahim, he grew up in a football related environment. Hakim belonged to that period when Hyderabad was at the zenith of Indian football. He played with the illustrious players of India. Among his teammates were the famous goalkeeper Peter Thangaraj, D. Kannan, S.A. Latif, Yousuf Khan, S. Narayanan, H H Hamed and others. All these players were from the twin cities of Hyderabad and Secunderabad.

As a player, Hakim’s talent bloomed at an early age. He was at his peak in the late 1950s. He was a member of the Hyderabad state team which won the Santosh Trophy in 1957. Due to his prodigious talent and his rising status in Indian football, he was selected to represent India in the Pre-Olympic tournaments in Jakarta, Singapore and Malaysia.

It was not a surprise when he was also selected in the Indian team for the 1960 Olympic Games in Rome. That was the last time that India qualified for the Olympic Games. Although India narrowly failed to enter the knockout stage of the tournament, the Games were a great learning opportunity for Hakim.

The close interaction that Hakim had with the world’s best players and coaches gave his keen intelligence some valuable insights into the tactics and training of European and South American players. These he later put into use when guiding his own trainees. This is where his education and learning proved to be a big asset. Having studied at All Saints HS, Nizam College and then Osmania University, his level of education was above many other footballers. This enabled him to interact easily with foreigners and learn from everything that he observed.

Later, after he joined the Indian Air Force, he played for the defence services team and went on to be appointed captain of the All India Services team.

After retiring from the game as a player, he continued to serve Indian football in various capacities. He became a well known referee who was among the best in India. Starting from 1970 he continued to serve as a referee for many years. In 1974 he was selected to be a member of the FIFA Referees panel which was a great honour for an Indian referee.

Thereafter, he officiated in 33 international matches and it is a record which is still not broken. No other Indian referee has officiated in 33 international matches.

But that was not the end of his distinguished career. Thereafter, Hakim became a reputed coach and coached the Indian team from 1980 to 1982 for the Merdeka Cup and Delhi Asian Games along with other coaches.

When he was 80, he fell prey to the rampaging COVID pandemic but recovered. However, despite winning the battle against the dreaded virus, his life did not last long thereafter. He suffered two strokes in rapid succession and passed away in Gulbarga where he had been admitted to a hospital in August 2021. His death left a void in Indian football which will perhaps never be fulfilled.

source: http://www.siasat.com / The Siasat Daily / Home> News> Hyderabad / by Abhijit Sen Gupta / December 09th, 2022

Mohd Hafeez repairs vehicles without eyesight

Kashibagh (Warangal District), TELANGANA :

Mohammad Hafeez repairing auto rickshaw
Mohammad Hafeez repairing auto rickshaw

It may sound unbelievable but is true. Mohammad Hafeez, who is blind in both eyes, is a much sought-after auto mechanic. He lives his life with dignity and is not paralyzed due to a lack of physical vision.

Muhammad Hafeez, a resident of Kashibagh, Warangal district,  was not born blind; he lost his eyesight in two accidents and yet he never gave up on life.

Not to break under a spell of tragedies and misfortunes, Mohammad Hafeez is good at detecting the problem in a vehicle through its acoustics. The sound of its parts is what makes him understand the problem in a vehicle that has come for repair.

The 50-year-old Muhammad Hafeez was leading a happy life as an auto electrician when a heavy thing fell on his head in 2003. Due to the accident, he suffered a serious injury and ended up losing sight in his left eye. This badly affected his income.

Mohammad Hafeez with his wife

However, he did not give up. With the support of his family and well-wishers, he bought an autorickshaw and started driving it to support his family. However, fate had something else in store for him.

Another tragedy rocked Mohammad Hafeez’s life. In 2005, a burning firecracker hit his right eye and he again lost his vision for life.

Mohamad Hafeez comes from a poor background. His father MD Afzal Anu works as a private security guard in Mamula Bazaar, while his mother Meher Nisa is a housewife and suffers from heart disease.

Mohammad Hafeez started working as an electrician in 1994. His wife Nazima works as an Anganwadi worker.

 After her husband lost his eyesight. Nazima was offered this job on a humanitarian basis.

They have a daughter, Afsana, and a son, Muhammad Muzamil. Afsana works in Hotel Gachibowli in Hyderabad, while Muhammad Muzamal is a first-year student of the ITI. The family lives in a rented house. Muhammad Hafeez earns five hundred rupees a day.

Speaking with Awaz The Voice, Mohammad Hafeez said that he is alive today because of top police officer B Somati. When he met with an accident in the year 2003, the then DSP B Somati reached the spot in time and shifted him to MGM Hospital, Warangal.

Muhammad Hafeez said that he is alive today because of Somati Madam’s timely help and he thinks of her as a messiah.

Mohammad Hafeez with an auto that he has repaired

He said that after the accident, the then member of the Legislative Assembly Biswa Raju Saria, Mayor Erabili Sorna, and a few corporators donated an autorickshaw to him. “I started the second innings of my life as an auto driver. My other eye was also damaged in the accident and I was permanently blind, although my eye was operated open I could never regain my vision.”

Mohammad Hafeez did not give up and started learning auto repair work. He detects the engine malfunction by the sound of the car and repairs the car by touching the parts with his hands.

Muhammad Hafeez said that he learned the job for one and a half years. He was happy to support the family by paying for auto repairs and the education of his two children. He said his wife was very supportive.

Mohammad Hafeez said that any work is difficult but not impossible. He said that the youth, especially the disabled, should look for ways to live a dignified life based on their strengths and abilities instead of depending on someone and extending a helping hand.

He said he is supporting his family by working hard. He asked all the good-hearted humans and the rich to come to the help of others so that people like him get encouragement.”.

source:http://www.awazthevoice.in / Awaz, The Voice / Home> India /by Sheikh Muhammad Yunus, Hyderabad / by awazthevoice.in / December 09th, 2022

Indigo pilot Aafrin Hirani’s inspiring journey from grocery store to cockpit

Indervelli Mandal (Adilabad District), TELANGANA:

A few months ago, she was appointed as the first pilot of Indigo Airlines.

 Indigo pilot Aafrin Hirani [Twitter]

Hyderabad: 

The journey of 28-year-old Indigo pilot Aafrin Hirani from her family’s grocery store to the flight cockpit is a motivation to youngsters, especially girl students.

Aafrin who is the daughter of Aziz Hirani, owner of a grocery store located in Indervelli Mandal, Adilabad district is now a pilot of Indigo Airlines.

As becoming a commercial pilot was her dream since her childhood, she opted for Aeronautical Engineering after completing intermediate from a college in Hyderabad.

Later, she was selected for two-year rigorous training in Australia. Though she completed training in 2020, she waited for two years as the appointment process was halted due to the pandemic.

A few months ago, she was appointed as the first pilot of Indigo Airlines. After the appointment, Aafrin said that the encouragement and support received from her parents helped her in achieving success.

After her appointment as an Indigo pilot, she became the second woman commercial pilot from Adilabad. Earlier, Swathi from the same district was appointed as a commercial pilot and she was the source of inspiration for Aafrin.

Who is the commercial pilot?

A commercial pilot is a trained professional who flies airplanes or helicopters for the transportation of passengers, cargo, emergency rescue, etc.

They are skilled enough to handle aircraft and ensure passengers’ safety in different weather conditions.

In order to become a commercial pilot, obtaining a Commercial Pilot License from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) is mandatory.

This license is given to those who are medically fit and successfully undergo training at a flying school.

Indigo airlines

Indigo is a low-cost airline headquartered in Gurgaon, Haryana. Its domestic market share as of August 2022 was 57.7 percent.

The airline not only operates domestic but also international flights. As of July 2022, it operates over 1500 flights daily to 98 destinations in India and abroad.

source: http://www.siasat.com / The Siasat Daily / Home> News> Telangana / by Sameer Khan / October 17th, 2022

Shotgun Shooting World C’ship: Muffadal Deesawala, Bhavtegh Gill win junior skeet mixed team bronze

Hyderabad, INDIA /Osijek,CROATIA :

The Indian duo beat the American pair of Aidin Burns and Mikena Grace Fulton 5-1 in the second bronze medal match.

Muffadal Zahra Deesawala & Bhavtegh Singh Gill | ISSF YouTube

Muffadal Zahra Deesawala and Bhavtegh Singh Gill won India’s third medal of the International Shooting Sport Federation Shotgun World Championship in Osijek, Croatia. The duo picked up a bronze in the Skeet Mixed Team Junior event here at the Olympic Shooting Range ‘Pampas’ on Tuesday.

They beat the American pair of Aidin Burns and Mikena Grace Fulton 5-1 in the second bronze medal match. They were declared winners by Golden Hit after Bhavteg and Mufaddal shot seven out of eight targets in the last series, enough to ensure that the Americans cannot win the series after Burns missed one out of his four targets.

The first pair to six points usually wins the match but the Indians were up 5-1 already and a tied last series would have given the Indians the point needed to win.

Deesawala and Gill finished sixth in the qualifiers shooting a combined 132 out of 150 targets. Deesawala shot 62 out of 75 and Gill shot 72 out of 75 shots to secure the last position for the bronze medal matches.

The British pairing of Mitchell Brooker Smith and Sophie Herrmann won the Gold in the event beating Haolei Zhao and Dan Wang of China 6-4.

Areeba Khan, on Tuesday, had won India’s second medal of the World Championship after the Junior Men’s Trap Team had won a gold. 

Bhowneesh Mendiratta had also won a Paris Olympic quota, India’s first for the 2024 Games, earlier in the championship. He finished fourth in the event.

source: http://www.scroll.in / Scroll.in / Home> The Field> Shooting World Championships / by Scroll Staff / October 04th, 2022

Mohammed Yasin, A Calligrapher and Painter Par Excellence, is No More

Mogalgidda (Mahbubnagar District) / Hyderabaad, TELANGANA :

Mohammed Yasin, veteran painter and one of the best calligraphers in the subcontinent.

OBITUARY

Yasin’s early works have explored all available mediums from lithography, etching, aquatint, engraving, dry point, serigraphy, mezzotint water colours, oils, gouache and egg tempera.

“85-year-old veteran artist Mohammed Yasin’s character impresses as a person and his characteristics as an artist. Perhaps the distinction is unreal, for, in his case, it is the same integrity that reveals itself in the structure of life and in self-expression through art.”

These were the words said a few years ago by a noted art critic for Mohammed Yasin, veteran painter and one of the best calligraphers in the subcontinent, who passed away on August 19.

Yasin was born in Mogalgidda, a village near Shadnagar, 30 km from Hyderabad. As a young school boy, he felt an aptitude for Art when he was just 14 years old. After passing his elementary and intermediate drawing examinations, he moved to Hyderabad city with his family members from his birthplace Mogalgidda.

Showcasing art work.

Though quiet in his demeanour, Yasin has had seriously tragic experiences. His father passed away when he was only 14 months old. He was brought up under his mother’s care and guidance. He had to grow up with many hardships. While as a boy, he was affected by tuberculosis of the spine which has left a limp which necessitates the use of a stick to aid in walking. But through a sustained musing, he has won an inner serenity.

Art works displayed in an art gallery

His most important contribution goes to the art of calligraphy. He chose to work in an abstract symbolic manner. Geometrical elements like the circle within the square, concentric circles, etc. comprise the basic structure emphasizing a symmetrical arrangement and abstract formal values–calm and quiet but they are, nevertheless, active fields. They seem to be deeply influenced by the Buddhist art. They generate impulses of colour and focus attention on the symbolic images they contain.

The use of circle, square, triangle adds to his innovation a transparency, a water colour. The orthodox prohibition of representational figuration in art made the Islamic tradition turn to calligraphy. Yasin has brought to this tradition a modernist love of abstraction and monumental geometricism.

His early works have explored all available mediums from lithography, etching, aquatint, engraving, dry point, serigraphy, mezzotint water colours, oils, gouache and egg tempera.

His works are very poetic and also dramatic; actually they are calligraphic in nature. Tantric symbolism, Sufi mysticism, echoes of the miniature schools, shades of thankas and pictorialised Arabic Calligraphy are all inspirations which could be identified in Yasin’s work.


Aseem Asha Usman is founding director of Aseem ASHA Foundation, and has been documenting the life and works of the veteran calligrapher and painter.

source: http://www.clarionindia.net / Clarion India / Home / by Aseem Asha Usman / August 20th, 2020