Category Archives: Records, All

The Mehedis of Aligarh – sherwani makers for presidents

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Business & Economy, Historical Links / Pre-Independence, Records, All, World Opinion

Aligarh :

Mehedi Hasan of Aligarh has served as tailor to former presidents Sanjeeva Reddy, VV Giri and Fakruddin Ali Ahmed. He is reputed to have stitched 175 sherwanis for former president Zakir Hussain, who donned these in all his 17 years of political life.

Mehedi Hasan’s shop was set up in 1947, the year India became independent. These days, the renowned tailor’s sons Anwar and Akhtar Mehedi carry forward the sartorial legacy.

Vice President Hamid Ansari, Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi, former prime minister Manmohan Singh, actors Saif Ali Khan and Raj Babbar, RLD chief Ajit Singh and Somnath Chatterjee, formerly of the CPI-M, have all donned Mehedi sherwanis. Rahul Gandhi’s body is easy to design for, the tailors say, while Satpal Maharaj is rather “complex”!

This Eid, the brothers are hard at work. Anwar, an engineer by training, pursued his father’s trade and entered into tailoring as he finds it far more creatively satisfying. “I learnt from my valid (father) the secrets of making a perfect sherwani. The art lies in getting the right cut and fitting and a graceful fall. Tailors in Delhi are also making sherwanis but they cannot get the right fit, all of them are making free-size sherwanis!” Anwar says.

In the month of Ramzan, the sherwani assumes formal importance,

“That is because of iftar parties, which are formal. Sherwanis go with the feel of the get-together, and has a regal look. We can’t wear this and go for work. It is too formal to be worn at the workplace. Even today, I stitch sherwanis for the DIG, DMs commissioners for iftar parties,” Anwar says.

This Eid, orders have been pouring in from across the country. The Mehedis are catering to demand for sherwanis from Mumbai, Pune, Madras, Odisha and Jammu & Kashmir. Orders from the USA, UK, UAE and Australia are also received, the Mehedis say.

“There is slight change in the demand. Youngsters want modern elements in the sherwani, so we give them open collars. But the demand for the traditional style is higher,” Anwar Mehedi says.

Visitors to the shop can see the register, which has letters from the secretaries of presidents praising him or his father for their sherwanis.

The Mehedis prefer working with silk wool, polywool and terrawool – these fabrics give a nice fitting, they say.

“The art lies in the details, and in observing the body type – shoulders, back, chest and arms, and the grace of the fall. Everything needs to be taken care of.” Anwar Mehedi said, adding, “Fat people think it won’t look nice on them, but the sherwanis gives their bodies shape because they are made to fit the body frame.”

As for women, he says: “I have made some five sherwanis for women, and sent them to the USA. But then, which woman will spend between Rs5,000 and Rs15,000 on a garment that is not-too-embellished or fancy?”

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Agra / by Eram Agha / July 29th, 2014

Muzaffar Ali to get Rajiv Gandhi National Sadbhavana Award

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Leaders, Records, All
Renowned filmmaker Muzaffar Ali. / File photo: Shiv Kumar Pushpakar
Renowned filmmaker Muzaffar Ali. / File photo: Shiv Kumar Pushpakar

Noted filmmaker Muzaffar Ali, who had directed the Bollywood classic “Umrao Jaan”, has been selected for Rajiv Gandhi National Sadbhavana Award for his outstanding contribution towards the promotion of communal harmony, peace and goodwill.

It carries a citation and cash award of Rs 5 lakh.

The decision to honour the 69-year-old film maker, social worker and sufi poet was taken at a meeting of the Advisory Committee of the Rajiv Gandhi National Sadbhavana Award yesterday.

Born in Lucknow, Ali also directed over one-and-a-half dozen movies including “Gaman” and “Khizan”. He was awarded Padma Shri in 2005.

This will be the 22nd edition of the Sadbhavana award, which will be presented at a special ceremony at Jawahar Bhavan on August 20, the birthday of late Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi.

Congress president Sonia Gandhi has been presenting the award ever since it was constituted.

It was instituted to commemorate the contribution made by him to promote peace, communal harmony and fight against violence.

Recipients of the award include Mother Teresa, K.R. Narayanan, Ustad Bismillah Khan, Lata Mangeshkar, Sunil Dutt, Dilip Kumar, Ustad Amjad Ali Khan and Maulana Wahiduddin Khan.

Others who got it were Jagan Nath Kaul, Mohd Yunus, Hiteswar Saikia and Subhadra Joshi (jointly), Kapila Vatsyayan, Teesta Setalvad and Harsh Mander (jointly), S N Subbarao, Swami Agnivesh and Madari Moideen (jointly), Nirmala Deshpande, Hem Dutta, N Radhakrishnan, Gautam Bhai, SPIC MACAY and D R Mehta.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Features> CinemaPlus / PTI / New Delhi – August 01st, 2014

Lucknow resident proud first user of new I-T scheme in 1989

Records, All

Lucknow :

Lucknow – the city of nawabs may have some indirect and remote relationship with the country’s taxation system. But, when it comes to the new scheme for income tax assessment introduced in the assessment year 1989-1990, a Lucknow resident is the first person to avail the scheme in the country.

According to the framed copy of income tax return generated using a dot matrix printer, Jwala Prasad, a resident of 424/425 Rajendra Nagar enjoys the distinction of being the first person in India to file the income tax return under the new scheme. The lines below the framed copy of the income tax return reads, “First returns of income processed u/s 143 (1)(a) under new scheme for assessment year 1989-90 in India.”

As per the framed copy, the due date to file income tax return for the assessment year 1989-90 was June 30, 1989, while Jwala Prasad had filed his return on July 23 in the same year. The total income on which taxes were levied on Jwala Prasad was Rs 24400, and the total tax on Prasad’s income eventually worked out to be Rs 1600. Since Prasad had paid an advance amount of Rs 1750 in form of pre-paid taxes, he was eligible for a refund of Rs 150.

The official website of the income tax department also states that in 1989, an attached office of DGIT (Management Systems) to supervise Directorate of Income Tax (Research, Statistics, Publication & Public Relations) and Directorate of Income Tax (Organisation and Management Services) (from September 1989) was created.

TOUGH TIME FOR TAX PAYERS ON LAST DAY OF FILING RETURNS: The last date to file income tax returns witnessed last minute rush at different offices, where tax payers assembled to pay their taxes for the assessment year 2014-15. The worst nightmare was faced by tax payers who took the electronic route to avoid the manual glitches and humid conditions, which prevailed for a significant part of the day.

Interestingly visitors to the income tax office (located on Ashok Road) also complained about the problems plaguing the departmental servers and the apathy of the staff. Narrating his woes, two senior officials of UNICEF said, “We had been running from pillar to post to get the right person fix our problems, but the staff of this department is turning a deaf ear to our grievances. In these circumstances, it really becomes difficult for us to cope up with the department. As a result an angry outburst is bound to happen.”

However, officials said that the problem arose, as the two gentlemen had wrongly filled the assessment year as 2015-16 instead of 2014-15, which resulted in the mess. Another senior officials on a lighter note said that if a persons goes to a bank with a job meant for a post office or vice versa, this type of situation would definitely happen. He however, condemned the apathy meted out to the bonafide tax payers in the income tax office, and said, “It should not happen.”

Speaking to TOI, chartered accountant RP Tiwari, said, “Almost every year, the servers of the income tax department face technical snags, due to which the tax payers are able to file their income tax returns. When the department knows that this phenomenon repeats itself annually, then why it is not taking corrective steps.” Department officials when asked about this said that the online filing of I-T returns is just one of the facilities given to the tax payers. “The tax payers should also avoid last minute rush, as it puts unexpected burden on the server,” said an I-T officer. To expedite tax gathering, an extra counter was opened in each of six regional offices of income tax in Lucknow, said Prajesh Srivastava, public relations officer.

In the financial year 2013-14, the total income tax collected in UP East circle was Rs 7400 crore. “In the current financial year, the target tax collection is Rs 9566 crore, of which till now Rs 1833 crore (19.16%) has been collected so far (till July 30),” added another senior I-T official.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Time of India / Home> City> Lucknow / by Arunav Sinha, TNN / July 31st, 2014

Hardoi village boy tops CPMT

Education, Inspiration / Positive News and Features, Records, All

Lucknow :

Small town students excelled in the combined pre medical test results declared late on Monday night. While Shams Mohammad Khan of Tumurki village in Hardoi topped the exam, Abu Asim of Azamgarh bagged the second place.

Shubham Malhotra and Alia Zehra bagged the thrid and fourth positions. Priyanshi Swarup from Lucknow bagged the fifth position. Shobhit Garg, Mohd Arshad, Saurabh Kumar Patel, Kushagra Srivastava and Neelansha Varshney filled the remaining five slots in the top 10.

Controller of examination, prof AK Singh said that candidates would be able to see the result on the KGMU website www.kgmu.org/www.upcpmtee2014.com after 12 noon on Tuesday.

He said that the counseling schedule would be uploaded on the website www.dgme.eu in a day or two.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Lucknow / TNN / July 29th, 2014

86th foundation day of Indian Council for Agricultural Research celebrated

Agriculture, Education, Records, All, Science & Technology

Kanpur :

The Indian Institute of Pulses Research (IIPR) on Wednesday celebrated the 86th foundation day of Indian Council for Agricultural Research (ICAR) at its institute premises. Former director of IIPR, Dr Shanker Lal was the chief guest on the occasion. The programme was headed by IIPR director, Narendra Pratap Singh.

Addressing the gathering, IIPR director spoke about the history of ICAR and its achievements. Talking about the achievements of the scientists of IIPR, NP Singh said that the production of pulses has reached a milestone of 195 lakh tonnes from 140 lakh tonnes which is a record produce. He said that IIPR has remained successful in developing more than 30 varieties of pulses. On this occasion, chief guest said that there was a huge scope of jobs in agriculture sector.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Kanpur / TNN / July 18th, 2014

‘My father saw first major action in WW-1’

Historical Links / Pre-Independence, Records, All

Lucknow :

Even before completing 21 years of age Bibhuti Bhushan Dey Majumdar had become a part of the British Army, and the first major action, which the young lad from Allahabad saw was the first World War (WW1), which broke out on July 28, 1914 following the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, the heir to the Austro-Hungarian thrown in Sarajevo by a Yugoslav nationalist. Almost 100 years after the WW1, daughter of Bibhuti Bhushan Dey Majumdar recall some of the moments, which her parents narrated to her during young days.

Speaking to TOI, octogenarian Probhati Bose, said, “My father (Bibhuti Bhushan Dey Majumdar) was born in the summer of 1893, and in January 1914 he joined the British Army’s Royal Indian Army Supply Corps. After few months of joining, he got to see first major action in World War I, and he along with his regiment went to Mesopotamia to extend support to the infantry soldiers, who were facing the enemy bullets.” She further stated that her father often used to talk about the actions he had seen in the World War-1, when she along with her siblings tried their level best to seek a favour from their father.

Recalling some of the stories narrated by her father (which she could recall), Bose said, “As per my father, mostly Punjabi Muslims and Sikhs fought for the Allies (Britain, France, Russia, US and others) against Germany, Austria-Hungary and the Ottoman empire. The Lahore and Meerut infantry divisions had to stop the Germans on the western front (in Europe). The soldiers also saw significant action in Mesopotamia, East Africa and South-East Asia.”

According to the New Delhi-based Centre for Armed Forces Historical Research, India contributed immensely to the war effort in terms of both men and material. Her soldiers served in numerous battlefields around the globe – France and Belgium, Aden, Arabia, East Africa, Gallipoli, Egypt, Mesopotamia, Palestine, Persia, Russia, and even in China. By the end of the war 1,100,000 Indians had served overseas at the cost of 75,000 dead. They earned more than 9,200 decorations for gallantry including 11 Victoria Cross (VCs).

However, the daughter of the World War veteran lamented that military history, which is taught in most of the schools or colleges, is devoid of India’s contribution to World War-1 and World War-2. She said, “Most of the news channel or newspaper reporters are obsessed about the Indo-Pak wars. It is indeed very sad that most of our news channels and newspapers give comparatively less coverage to the illustrious history of India’s contribution in the world wars. And it is only on certain specific occasions, when the clan of the World War veterans is remembered.”

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Lucknow / by Arunav Sinha, TNN / July 28th, 2014

After 108, CM flags off 102 ambulance service

Business & Economy, Records, All

SUMMARY
In the first phase of the scheme, 800 ambulances were flagged off in January.
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Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav on Wednesday flagged off 300 AC ambulances under National Ambulance Scheme 102 at his official residence. The 102 ambulance service is for pregnant women and newborn in need of medical care.

In the first phase of the scheme, 800 ambulances were flagged off in January. The state government aims to keep a total of 1972 ambulances under this scheme. “Along with 108 ambulance scheme (which provides basic life support), UP now has the largest fleet of ambulances in the whole country.

The 108 service has benefitted 25.58 lakh patients while 102 service has helped 1.99 lakh patients until June,” Nitin Aggrawal, minister of state for medical health, said.

During the flagging-off, Akhilesh said that health parametres of the state have improved under his regime. “State health department has improved the medical facilities. We are currently working to improve the condition of our hospitals by making space for attendants.

“Most of the hospitals do not have any place for them to sit,” the chief minister said. He also praises ministers in the health department — Ahmed Hasan, Nitin Aggrawal and Shankhlal Manjhi.

The CM did not respond on Hafiz Saeed-Vaidik meeting row, saying that the issue is already being discussed in Parliament. He also refused comment on the purchase of Mercedes and Land Cruiser for his fleet, saying “it is an old issue now”.

source: http://www.indianexpress.com / The Indian Express / Home> Cities> Lucknow / Express News Service / Lucknow – July 17th, 2014

Tomb tribute to Begum Akhtar

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Records, All

– no hitch in grave renovation despite faizabad clashes

BegumLucknow19Jul2014

Lucknow :

Call it the power of music. Death has struck twice in this spiral of violence but hasn’t been able to cast its shadow on a tomb being “rescued”.

Admirers of Begum Akhtar are gearing to rediscover her legacy by restoring her grave in Lucknow at a time Faizabad, where the ghazal singer was born nearly a hundred years ago, is simmering under curfew even three days after riots left two persons dead and hundreds injured.

The violence broke out last week following a clash over an immersion procession.

Inspector-general (Lucknow range) Subhas Chandra said jawans were marching through the streets of Faizabad to restore law and order in the Uttar Pradesh town barely 10km from Ayodhya, the flashpoint of the 1992 Babri riots.

No such tinderbox emotions raged in Lucknow, 125km away, where followers of the ghazal and thumri singer prepared to mark her 38th death anniversary with a series of events starting tomorrow.

The events will culminate next month with her grave being rededicated to the city, where the “queen of melodies” came to live later in life.

BegumAkhtarLUCKNOW19jul2014

The grave is located in a squalid, congested area in old Lucknow where shanties have sprung up. “The singer’s grave needs to be rescued from obscurity and squalor and put on the historical map of Lucknow,” said Salim Kidwai, a Lucknow-based writer who is working on a book on Akhtar.

“Begum Akhtar’s ghazals are suddenly being played by her admirers everywhere,” said a member of Lucknow’s former royal family.

Work on renovating the grave began two months back when artisans from Agra applied their expertise to restore its Pietra dura design — an Italian technique through which semi-precious stones are embedded in monuments. The resetting is complete and a green ring has been constructed around the grave.

Delhi-based architect Ashish Thapar, who volunteered for the project, has been supervising the renovation.

“The Government of India’s culture department has released a grant for the project,” said Madhvi Kukreja, director of Sanatkada, an NGO in Lucknow, which is working on the renovation. “We have approached the state government for funds for maintenance.”

Begum Akhtari Faizabadi, later renamed Begum Akhtar, was born in 1914 in Baradarwaja in Faizabad. Trained under Ustad Imdad Khan, a sarengi exponent in Calcutta, and later by classical singers like Abdul Wahid Khan in Lahore, she first performed at the age of 15.

In 1945, already famous as a singer of national repute, she married a Lucknow-based barrister, Ishtiak Ahmed Abbasi.

She received the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award and was awarded the Padma Shri and the Padma Bhushan (posthumously) by the Indian government and also bestowed the title “Mallika-e-Ghazal” (queen of melodies). She died on October 30, 1974.

3rdBegumAkhtarLUCKNOW19jul2014

“It is my good fortune that I am involved in strengthening the legacy of my dear Ammi, who is still my guru,” said Shanti Hiranand, a septuagenarian ghazal singer who not only learnt singing from Begum Akhtar but also wrote a book on her, Story of my Ammi”.

Hiranand, herself a Padma awardee, would lead a concert on November 7, after which the new-look mazar would be opened to the public. A documentary, Hai Akhtari, by art critic S. Kalidas, will also be shown that day.

In Lucknow, a number of workshops have been organised in Begum Akhtar’s memory in various parts of the city.

Some 125km away, people in Faizabad were still seething in anger over the destruction of dozens of shops and vehicles in the violence that broke out on October 26.

Police officer Subhas Chandra said the administration had taken measures to check the movement of criminal elements.

source: http://www.telegraphindia.com / The Telegraph, Calcutta / Front Page> Nation> Story / by Tapas Chakraborty / Lucknow, Tuesday – October 30th, 2012

At 200, Chowringhee cousin let down by Lucknow

About Uttar Pradesh, Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Historical Links / Pre-Independence, Records, All

Lucknow19jul2014
Lucknow :

As Calcutta’s Chowringhee welcomed the New Year last night, its counterpart in Lucknow missed a date with history.

The Uttar Pradesh capital was to celebrate the 200th anniversary of its main thoroughfare Hazratganj Road, which was modelled on Chowringhee in 1810, sometime last year.

But the city’s development authority kept missing deadline after deadline for the road’s repair and beautification, which includes renovating and giving a coat of pink and cream to every building flanking it, from shops, bars and restaurants to heritage palaces and mansions.

At midnight yesterday, the 2km road, on which the Raj army had once marched to the residency to put down the sepoys, turned 201 years old without the bicentenary celebrations. Even the usual New Year parties in the upscale street were largely missing because Hazratganj Road is still partially closed for repairs.

Bahujan Samaj Party sources said the planned yearlong celebrations might now begin on January 15, the birthday of chief minister Mayavati.

“It wasn’t planned that way, but now the chief minister may herself flag off the bicentenary programmes on January 15, by when all work would hopefully be complete. It will be her birthday gift to Lucknow’s people,” a senior party leader said.

Many residents have been left disappointed, among them a descendant of Nawab Sadaat Ali Khan, who built the road and many of the mansions on it, largely abandoning Mughal architecture for the European-style buildings he had so admired at Chowringhee.

“We missed a date with history. Everyone knows the road completed 200 years in 2010. Now the street is one year older. They could have begun the celebrations last year and let it spill onto 2011,” said Nawab Ibrahim Ali Khan of Sishmahal.

The celebrations are to kick off with a citizens’ procession, to be led by Lucknow’s oldest resident, 105-year-old Justice R.K. Sharma. The programme includes a roadside exhibition of old photographs of the street. This will be followed by cultural events, such as poetry competitions, through the year.

“But with the centenary year having passed, people will lose much of their enthusiasm,” said Pradip Kapoor, a senior journalist.

The street stretches from Kothi Nur Baux, home to the district magistrate’s office, in the west to Kothi Hayat Baux in the east, where the governor’s house is located.

It is flanked on either side by beautiful buildings such as the Begum Kothi, Khurshid Manzil, Sibtainabad, Amzad Ali Shah Imambarah and the Kankarwali Kothi, all built by Saadat Ali Khan, who ruled Awadh from January 21, 1798, to 1814.

This was the road that Lucknow’s last nawab, Wajed Ali Shah, took when he left his beloved capital for the last time.

Later, Hazratganj Road became an exclusive zone for British officers. It came to have Lucknow’s first bank, first fire station, first ice factory and the first dedicated English movie theatre.

Rosie Llewellyn-Jones, a historian of Lucknow who was here recently, said that sometime before his accession, Saadat had escaped to Calcutta after being implicated in a case. There, he fell in love with the handsome mansions that lined Chowringhee and decided to build a mini-Chowringhee in Lucknow.

So, the road was born. It was originally known as Ganj Road. It got its current name in 1842 when the then nawab, Amzad Ali, dedicated it to the memory of Hazrat Ali, whose tomb is in Mazar-i-Sharif, Afghanistan.

Saadat, an enthusiastic builder, commissioned many other palaces in Lucknow, including the Dilkusha Palace, Hayat Baksh Kothi, Farhat Baksh Kothi, Lal Baradari, Chhatar Manzil, Kothi Dil Aram, Munawar Baksh and the Chaupar Stables.

Some of these were designed by noted architect Claude Martin, a French soldier who had turned a general in the British army, historian Yogesh Praveen said.

The Mayavati government woke up to the idea of celebrating the bicentenary in October. But the road had been badly encroached on and its old-world charm was fast fading in the face of unplanned construction.

The Lucknow Development Authority repaired the road, pavements and some heritage buildings, put up iron railings and Victorian-style street lamps, and built a fountain and a huge parking lot. Owners of private buildings were given loans if they couldn’t afford the cost of painting.

A non-government organisation, Lucknow Connect, was already planning bicentennial celebrations for the road but once the government entered the scene, it had to abide by the official deadline.

Mayavati kept sending note after note to her officials to finish the work on time, but Lucknow ended up letting down a part of its history.
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HISTORY ROAD

Name: Hazratganj Road
Built: 1810
By: Nawab Saadat Ali Khan
Modelled on: Chowringhee Road, Calcutta
Known for: Beautiful European-style buildings in a city of arch and dome-dominated
Awadhi architecture. Later, known for Lucknow’s first bank, first fire station and first English movie theatre
Mansions: Begum Kothi, Khurshid Manzil, Sibtainabad, Amzad Ali Shah Imambarah, Kankarwali Kothi
Modern landmarks: Leading restaurants and bars
Witness to history: Last nawab Wajed Ali Shah took the road out of Lucknow; the Raj army marched on it to the residency during the 1857 war of independence
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source: http://www.telegraphindia.com / The Telegraph, Calcutta / Front Page> Nation> Story / by Tapas Chakraborty / Lucknow, Sunday – January 02nd, 2011

BHU prof awarded for impact of film on epilepsy

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Education, Records, All

Varanasi :

Head of the department of neurology, Institute of Medical Sciences, Banaras Hindu University, Dr VN Mishra was awarded with the ‘Certificate of Achievement’ by the European Congress on Epileptology for impact of feature film ‘Ek Naya Din’ -fight against epilepsy in North Indian states.

‘Ek Naya Din’, an educative film for epilepsy awareness conceptualized by Mishra was screened during the 11th European Congress on Epileptology held in Stockholm, Sweden from June 28 to July 3. The film based on a real life story of a patient suffering with epilepsy has been also screened at schools and colleges of the north India.

According to Mishra, the film so far had been screened in 20 states of the country and many other countries of the world. The International journal of medical science and clinical Invention in its latest issue highlighted the impact of the film on epilepsy patients. He said that myth and misconceptions regarding management of epilepsy have been prevalent throughout the world. Epilepsy is still thought to be related with evil spirit possession by some, and spiritual rituals and religious healing are commonly believed to be effective treatments.

The 63-minute educative film highlights the most basic issues relating to epilepsy management like importance of drug intake, issues regarding the management during the time of attack, importance of family care. The film is about a young girl who is born in a typical north India joint family and is suffering from epileptic seizures from the age of six. Her parents take her to a doctor but her grand parents think that some evil spirit that is causing the seizures, so they call a witchcraft practitioner that aggravates the problem of the girl. The girl’s classmates also mock at her, but at the instance of her mother teachers and fellow students gradually realise her medical condition and begin to support the brave girl.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Varanasi / TNN / July 16th, 2014