MR JASWANT SINGH’S expulsion from the BJP for writing a book on India’s Partition and Jinnah’s role raises a number of issues. First is the manner in which it was done. He was conveyed the decision by party President Rajnath Singh on the telephone when he arrived at Shimla for the Chintan Baithak of the party which he was asked not to attend. Could this not be done before he left Delhi? Or he could be dropped from attending the meeting like Mr Yashwant Sinha and Mr Arun Shourie.
Why were normal courtesies like issuing a show-cause notice not extended to him even if it might not have made any difference to the eventual decision? The manner in which the decision was made and conveyed shows signs of nervousness that has overtaken the BJP leadership. The ban on Mr Jaswant Singh’s book by the Modi government, which has been challenged in the Supreme Court, is also unjustified. The right to dissent is the essence of democracy.
Leaving aside procedural matters, the continuation of the author in the BJP had become untenable. For it defies the national mood, more so of an ultra-nationalist party like the BJP. Why is he disowned by the entire nation? Was Jinnah solely responsible for Partition of India? How far the situation was favourable for his success? Mr Jaswant Singh’s book is not known to have shed any new light on these basic questions.
Apparently, it seemed to be a miracle how a person almost single-handed succeeded in creating the largest Muslim country in the world. According to historian Percival Speer, “alone he did it.” In fact, he did it in spite of a number of handicaps. He belonged to the Agha Shahi sect of Shia Muslims, who have never played a significant role in the Indian subcontinent. He was one of the loneliest persons in private and public life. His marriage with a Parsi damsel, Rittubai, turned out to be an unhappy one which was soon terminated.
Till 1930 he remained on the margins of Indian politics and left India in disgust to practice law in England. He returned in 1934 when Liaquat Ali Khan and his newly wedded wife, on a honeymoon to London, met him and invited him back to India.
He had contempt for the personality and practices of Gandhiji, for his austere life and extra-constitutional methods like satyagrah. He opposed the Quit India movement launched by Gandhi and his campaign against War efforts, which must have endeared Jinnah to the British government. He was fond of good things in life and liked choicest whisky and cigars. He was, indeed, the best-dressed man in the public life of the country. He did not know much about the precepts and practices of Islam and was, for all practical purposes, a non-practising Muslim. He could not speak Urdu, and delivered his speeches in English. Nor did he have any interest in books, literature, music or art.
His opportunity came in 1939 when the elected Congress governments in seven states resigned in protest against the declaration of war by the British government against the Axis Powers on behalf of India without consulting its leaders. The Muslim League led by him organised Deliverance Day in protest against the injustices done by the Congress government to Muslims. Within a year he sought “deliverance of Muslims”, and when India became independent, he succeeded in carving out a separate Muslim country called Pakistan. He achieved it within seven years.
Having opposed extra-constitutional methods so far, he gave a call for direct action on August 16, 1946, when pent-up feelings of Muslims got an outlet leading to clashes with Hindus at many places. A chain of action and reaction of communal riots spread in many parts of North India. For the first time, this brought the demand for Pakistan into the limelight. Muslim sentiments, Jinnah himself had remarked, were like soda water which rose and subsided in no time. He struck when it had risen.
How far the grievances and apprehensions of Muslims, the role of Hindu nationalists and the part played by the British government are responsible for the creation of Pakistan may be debatable. But it hardly solved any Muslim problem. The Pakistan movement was weakest in the areas that now comprise Pakistan. In this context, Dr Iqbal’s letter to Jinnah is very relevant. In his letter Dr Iqbal wrote, “Confine the movement for Pakistan to north-western parts of India on the basis of common culture apart from being Muslim majority and leave Muslims where they are in minority to settle their terms with Hindus.” He invited Jinnah to shift to Lahore and concentrate his activities in the region, and offered to help him.
The most significant fact for the Pakistan movement is that it was launched in the name of a religious community and not a religion as such. Jinnah never used verses from the Quran or Islamic idiom. In fact, all kinds of ulema, including those associated with the Jamiat-ul-Ulema-e-Hind and Islamic scholars like Maulana Azad, were allies of the national movement led by Gandhi. Even the Jamaat-e-Islami of Maulana Maudoodi was opposed to Pakistan. Jinnah represented the modern, educated, mostly the salaried class, traditionally loyal to the British crown.
Interestingly, Jinnah’s Hindu counterpart, Vir Savarkar, too, was not a religious person. He was a self-professed atheist. He had said in 1937, “There are two nations in the main, the Hindu and Muslim in India.” Their followers were responsible for unprecedented massacres and large-scale migration from the two newly created dominions, and not the followers of Mahatma Gandhi, Maulana Azad, Abdul Ghaffar Khan and Sheikh Abdullah.
The moral of the story of Partition is that identities exclusively based on religion led to clashes between them. The religious personalities mentioned above equally claimed their Indian or regional loyalties. In fact, no single identity can satisfy all human urges; it rather suppresses them and makes its followers fanatic and intolerant. It becomes a threat not only to others but also hurts their own interest. Multiplicity of identities ensures full growth of their personality and links them with other communities also.
This has a lesson for the current war against what is called Islamic terrorism. Taliban activists, for instances, are not merely Islamic fanatics. The Pashtun community, which is the ethnic base for them, had most ardent followers of Gandhi. It is partly due to the suppression of their Pashtun urges, by denying their urge for autonomy which was promised to them, that they sought an outlet in Islamic terrorism. The same is true about Baloch urges.
Balraj Puri is the director of Institute of Jammu and Kashmir Affairs.
Friday, September 04, 2009
Monday, August 31, 2009
THE IDEOLOGY IS CRUSHING THE COUNTRY
By ABDUL HANNAN, Jeddah - Saudi Arabia
Mr. Jaswant Singh, former external affairs minister and a senior BJP leader, has strong political career. His mostly life spent in politics. He is a writer also. His experience, knowledge and the capability of understanding of Indian politics makes him very special. I am not wrong to say that he has grown up in political atmosphere and viewed everything very closely. If he says something on Partition of India because of his experience that he got during his career, we have to share about it. Surely he is aware that what he is going to write and what it will leave its impacts on his relation with BJP. This is not his first book and it is not the first time that he is alone in writing anything else on a topic related to partition of India.
BJP has no objection on his book and on what he said about Jinnah. Mr. Advani had also called Jinnah a secular leader during his visit to Pakistan. BJP didn’t expel him from party for his book. He expelled due to the ideological differences. BJP has said that nobody is above on party’s ideology.
There are tow things that what Mr. Jaswant Singh said, and what is the ideology of BJP?
The reaction of BJP was natural and Mr. Singh would expect it. The ideology of BJP is that Muslim is sole responsible on what is happening now and on what had occurred 61 years ago. In this ideological difference, BJP is not alone. Congress and other historians and leaders are included in it.
Before 61 years, India was divided on religious, linguistic and community basis. Mostly Indian people believe that Muslim is responsible behind this partition. Blaming to any one is very sample but to face the truth is very difficult and it can easily understand concerning the partition.
British Empire’s eradication of Muslims during its 200 years occupation on India and Muslim’s fight to kick out this Empire from every part of the country leaved the impacts on Indian Muslims and they pushed back in every corner of life. It is believed or not, but truth is that Muslims scarified everything in protecting the nation. How it is possible that Muslim, who were ruled on India more than seven-hundred years and took part in building the country and never gave a chance to British forces and administration during its occupation on India to establish any bastions in this country, how they were can agree to divide this beloved country.
Ordinary people have very little understanding capability to reach at any conclusive. They believe what they see through media and through films.
Nobody wants to discuss on the points raised by Mr. Singh. Media, which is master in making horror full stories, is silent on this serious subject.
Muslims beheading, their destroyed educational and military forces by British Empire and the failure of Ghadar in 1857 left Muslims a defeated nation which was powerlessness and was not in condition to stand once again to face British Empire and the forces, who were conspirating to divide the country in the garb of ideology. Amid of these situations, India separated and blames came on Muslims. Lack of leadership, conspiracies to alienate them from the ways, where returning to power become a dream, forced them to keep close their mouths and on blames labeled on them after division of India.
Since 1947 till now, Muslims as a community, which is later declared a minority community in independent India, is struggling to establish their identity to prove their patriotic with the country. Despite India has completed its independent 61 years, Muslims still not seen as patriots. Their less representation in all government offices, in forces, in police, in Judiciary and in other educational fields, tells their backwardness story.
Instead to waste precious time in giving the clearance of their none-involvement in this division, Muslims preferred to keep quit on every blames slapped on them to come out as a strong community. Communal violence and denial of justice forced them to receive all pains with patience.
At the time of partition, situations were not in Muslim’s hand and they were not in condition to give any justification of their helplessness in division of the country. Despite of some developments in education and in trading field, Muslim community still fears from the ideology which worked during partition time.
Muslims in India are paying the price of sins, they didn’t it, but they are bearing it on their shoulder. Mr. Singh’s book opened a new chapter and gave a plate form to Muslims and others to participate in it with historical facts. Mr. Singh in this book, discussed with details on Indian Muslims, their culture, their building the nation and their role in establishing it. In this book, Mr. Singh concedes Muslims as a part of the country and he believes that separating of Muslims from Indian society and from Indian culture or from the country, as Sangh is doing for many decades, is not possible. Mr. Singh concedes Muslim’s power and rule in powering the country. This ideology that Muslim is the part and parcel of India is against BJP and Sangh’s ideology in which Muslim community just seen as attackers and foreigners.
The matter is not of BJP or Jinnah or Nehru, or Patel. Before breaking up India, there was an ideology, which was traveling in the minds of leaders, whose hearts were not fair concerning Muslims. They did not want to leave any way to provide a platform to Muslims to return back on their previous positions. The ghost of Hindus and Muslims lunched. Leaders, who were believe on division politics and bigotry ideology added fuel in saying that Hindu is the real citizens of India and Muslims came from abroad.
Mr. Jaswant Singh only wrote a book on partition and tries to draw the attention of publics towards those who are still have the faith on Muslim’s role in division of India. Disassociating itself by BJP from the contents of Mr. Singh’s book is not the correct answer. If BJP feels an insult on what Mr. Jaswant Singh said, it should have to give the answer on his language by history and by historical references, BJP didn’t did it. It expelled him from the party with saying that BJP will not make any agreement on Party’s ideology. Congress and other parties are also feeling better to close their mouths on this issue.
At final, row over “Jinnah-India, partition, independence” is not the correct answer of this book. If BJP and inventers of separatism ideology feel that Mr. Singh is wrong, so they should have to answer of it by historical truth.
Mr. Singh’s effort to expose the truth concerning partition is a right step but such works still need more steps and movements which help to return the rights of Muslims what they deserve as Indian citizen.
Mr. Jaswant Singh, former external affairs minister and a senior BJP leader, has strong political career. His mostly life spent in politics. He is a writer also. His experience, knowledge and the capability of understanding of Indian politics makes him very special. I am not wrong to say that he has grown up in political atmosphere and viewed everything very closely. If he says something on Partition of India because of his experience that he got during his career, we have to share about it. Surely he is aware that what he is going to write and what it will leave its impacts on his relation with BJP. This is not his first book and it is not the first time that he is alone in writing anything else on a topic related to partition of India.
BJP has no objection on his book and on what he said about Jinnah. Mr. Advani had also called Jinnah a secular leader during his visit to Pakistan. BJP didn’t expel him from party for his book. He expelled due to the ideological differences. BJP has said that nobody is above on party’s ideology.
There are tow things that what Mr. Jaswant Singh said, and what is the ideology of BJP?
The reaction of BJP was natural and Mr. Singh would expect it. The ideology of BJP is that Muslim is sole responsible on what is happening now and on what had occurred 61 years ago. In this ideological difference, BJP is not alone. Congress and other historians and leaders are included in it.
Before 61 years, India was divided on religious, linguistic and community basis. Mostly Indian people believe that Muslim is responsible behind this partition. Blaming to any one is very sample but to face the truth is very difficult and it can easily understand concerning the partition.
British Empire’s eradication of Muslims during its 200 years occupation on India and Muslim’s fight to kick out this Empire from every part of the country leaved the impacts on Indian Muslims and they pushed back in every corner of life. It is believed or not, but truth is that Muslims scarified everything in protecting the nation. How it is possible that Muslim, who were ruled on India more than seven-hundred years and took part in building the country and never gave a chance to British forces and administration during its occupation on India to establish any bastions in this country, how they were can agree to divide this beloved country.
Ordinary people have very little understanding capability to reach at any conclusive. They believe what they see through media and through films.
Nobody wants to discuss on the points raised by Mr. Singh. Media, which is master in making horror full stories, is silent on this serious subject.
Muslims beheading, their destroyed educational and military forces by British Empire and the failure of Ghadar in 1857 left Muslims a defeated nation which was powerlessness and was not in condition to stand once again to face British Empire and the forces, who were conspirating to divide the country in the garb of ideology. Amid of these situations, India separated and blames came on Muslims. Lack of leadership, conspiracies to alienate them from the ways, where returning to power become a dream, forced them to keep close their mouths and on blames labeled on them after division of India.
Since 1947 till now, Muslims as a community, which is later declared a minority community in independent India, is struggling to establish their identity to prove their patriotic with the country. Despite India has completed its independent 61 years, Muslims still not seen as patriots. Their less representation in all government offices, in forces, in police, in Judiciary and in other educational fields, tells their backwardness story.
Instead to waste precious time in giving the clearance of their none-involvement in this division, Muslims preferred to keep quit on every blames slapped on them to come out as a strong community. Communal violence and denial of justice forced them to receive all pains with patience.
At the time of partition, situations were not in Muslim’s hand and they were not in condition to give any justification of their helplessness in division of the country. Despite of some developments in education and in trading field, Muslim community still fears from the ideology which worked during partition time.
Muslims in India are paying the price of sins, they didn’t it, but they are bearing it on their shoulder. Mr. Singh’s book opened a new chapter and gave a plate form to Muslims and others to participate in it with historical facts. Mr. Singh in this book, discussed with details on Indian Muslims, their culture, their building the nation and their role in establishing it. In this book, Mr. Singh concedes Muslims as a part of the country and he believes that separating of Muslims from Indian society and from Indian culture or from the country, as Sangh is doing for many decades, is not possible. Mr. Singh concedes Muslim’s power and rule in powering the country. This ideology that Muslim is the part and parcel of India is against BJP and Sangh’s ideology in which Muslim community just seen as attackers and foreigners.
The matter is not of BJP or Jinnah or Nehru, or Patel. Before breaking up India, there was an ideology, which was traveling in the minds of leaders, whose hearts were not fair concerning Muslims. They did not want to leave any way to provide a platform to Muslims to return back on their previous positions. The ghost of Hindus and Muslims lunched. Leaders, who were believe on division politics and bigotry ideology added fuel in saying that Hindu is the real citizens of India and Muslims came from abroad.
Mr. Jaswant Singh only wrote a book on partition and tries to draw the attention of publics towards those who are still have the faith on Muslim’s role in division of India. Disassociating itself by BJP from the contents of Mr. Singh’s book is not the correct answer. If BJP feels an insult on what Mr. Jaswant Singh said, it should have to give the answer on his language by history and by historical references, BJP didn’t did it. It expelled him from the party with saying that BJP will not make any agreement on Party’s ideology. Congress and other parties are also feeling better to close their mouths on this issue.
At final, row over “Jinnah-India, partition, independence” is not the correct answer of this book. If BJP and inventers of separatism ideology feel that Mr. Singh is wrong, so they should have to answer of it by historical truth.
Mr. Singh’s effort to expose the truth concerning partition is a right step but such works still need more steps and movements which help to return the rights of Muslims what they deserve as Indian citizen.
Scent of success for a political Maulana
By Manzar Imam Qasmi,
There is a famous adage in Persian that says ittar is what smells itself not which the seller tells. The soothing smell of Ajmal’s ittar seems to have crossed bodies across seven seas and now it is touching the body politics of India.
When the Ajmals opened their first perfume store in the capital’s West Nizamuddin a few days before the counting of votes of 2009 Lok Sabha elections began, it was indicative of the perfume merchant’s political entry into the Indian parliament.
The predictions proved right when the results were announced. Maulana Badruddin Ajmal was declared winner with a thumping 1.89 lakh votes.
Those who criticize maulvis for leadership crisis have been silenced by this Deoband Maulana. His rise at the state politics in the Congress bastion Assam has zipped the mouth of political critics who say that Muslims have failed to show leadership quality after independence.
At 54, Maulana Badruddin Ajmal has created ripples and evoked extreme reactions both from his foes and fans. He has emerged as a strong voice for the oppressed minorities in Assam. Now his voice is finding support in other parts of the country.
Maulana Ajamal is grieved at the plight of Muslims in Assam. He always stood for them and provided them succour and assistance every time he found them in distress but still their voice was suppressed and issues remained unattended.
This agonized and upset him. Therefore, after much thinking Maulana Ajmal came up with the idea to form a political party to lend support to the poor and oppressed sections of society who were being neglected for long.
Badruddin Ajmal officially announced his political party on 2nd October 2005. There were state Assembly elections in 2006 and his newly-formed Assam United Democratic Front (AUDF) succeeded in winning 10 seats in its virgin attempt. Ajmal himself won from two constituencies with big margin of votes.
Later on 2nd February 2009 the AUDF announced to launch in other states. In the 2009 General Elections the AUDF decided to contest Parliamentary elections. Though it won only one seat from Dhubri constituency, it gave the ruling Congress a run for its life.
The margin of victory of the AUDF chief surprised the political pundits in Assam and elsewhere. While seasoned political leaders like Lalu Prasad Yadav and Ram Vilas Paswan fell flat in their own state, Ajmal’s AUDF succeeded in playing spoilsport for the ruling Congress in Assam. Although his party won just one seat, it succeeded in getting the third highest proportion (17.10 percent) of the total votes.
The AUDF can no more be called a nascent political party headed by an untrained and immature politician. For Ajmal has learnt the tricks of the trade. He is a master tactician and plays his cards safe.
Ajmal’s success has not come overnight. He is known for his philanthropic ways and social services. The magnificent Haji Abdul Majid Memorial (HAMM) Hospital and Research Centre at Hojai in Assam bears testimony to it. As the state lacked proper medical facilities and people were highly affected with flood and other calamities which brought diseases, the Ajmals set up this imposing Hospital to cater to the need of the patients in affordable means. Nearly 1.5 million people have so far benefited from the charitable hospital which provides 80 percent services free of cost to the poor.
I would have died long ago, if this hospital had not been there, said a patient treated at HAMM. Of the 26.6 million population of Assam Muslims form nearly 31 percent. This is the second largest Muslim population in India after Jammu and Kashmir but alike other states their share in politics and state administration is very low. Muslims face the dual negligence after the court’s invalidation of the Illegal Migrants (Determination by Tribunals) (IMDT) Act.
Over the recent years, people belonging to the minority community in the state have been suffering from a sense of insecurity, says the AUDF chief. He describes the party objective “to fight for the underprivileged and downtrodden rather than minorities alone.” There will be no looking back if his party sticks to its objective.
Born on 12 February 1955 to Ajmal Ali and Maryamun Nisa of Donkigaon village, Hojai in Nagaon district of Assam, Maualana Badruddin Ajmal is the third among his five brothers. He holds a fadhilat degree from the famous Darul Uloom in Deoband. He is actively engaged in many socio-educational and charity activities. This successful businessman is also a member of the Advisory Body of Darul Uloom Deoband and president of the Assam unit of Jamiat Ulama-e-Hind and Tanzeem Madaris-e-Qaumia, a madrasa board of all the non-governmental madrasas in Assam numbering more than 400.
He is the president of Markazul Maarif India, the largest Muslim NGO of northeast India that runs many English medium schools, madrasas and orphanages. This NGO has a unique learning centre Markazul Maarif Education and Research Centre (MMERC) for madrasa graduates. The MMERC has so far produced over 300 scholars after training them in English language, computers, Dawah and journalism. Some of its products are working as teachers, translators, Dawah activists, researchers and journalists in the U.K., the USA, Africa and many Gulf countries besides India.
Politics apart, Maulana Ajmal has good interest in academics. This is one of the reasons for his efforts to educate the people. In view of his interest in literary activities the Hojai Session of the Assam Sahitya Sabha unanimously chose him president of its Reception Committee in 2004. He wrote the biography of late Syed As’ad Madani and spared time to write an emotional booklet Sada-e-Dilnawaz for students of MMERC few years ago encouraging them to go ahead in life.
For the untiring Maulana Ajmal, who sports a flowing beard, loves perfumes and owns swanky cars, life goes beyond the traditional mindset of the many maulanas who fear to venture in business and prefer to serve as imams in mosques or as teachers in madrasas.
With many political big wheels searching for ground, the rise of Maulana Ajmal tells about his great future in Indian politics. If statistics can be any indication, it seems that “the scent of success” the catch-line of his traditional perfume has found admirers in the high and mighty echelons of power in the political hotbed of the country.
(Writer is a Delhi-based journalist. He can be contacted at manzarkhalil@gmail.com)
There is a famous adage in Persian that says ittar is what smells itself not which the seller tells. The soothing smell of Ajmal’s ittar seems to have crossed bodies across seven seas and now it is touching the body politics of India.
When the Ajmals opened their first perfume store in the capital’s West Nizamuddin a few days before the counting of votes of 2009 Lok Sabha elections began, it was indicative of the perfume merchant’s political entry into the Indian parliament.
The predictions proved right when the results were announced. Maulana Badruddin Ajmal was declared winner with a thumping 1.89 lakh votes.
Those who criticize maulvis for leadership crisis have been silenced by this Deoband Maulana. His rise at the state politics in the Congress bastion Assam has zipped the mouth of political critics who say that Muslims have failed to show leadership quality after independence.
At 54, Maulana Badruddin Ajmal has created ripples and evoked extreme reactions both from his foes and fans. He has emerged as a strong voice for the oppressed minorities in Assam. Now his voice is finding support in other parts of the country.
Maulana Ajamal is grieved at the plight of Muslims in Assam. He always stood for them and provided them succour and assistance every time he found them in distress but still their voice was suppressed and issues remained unattended.
This agonized and upset him. Therefore, after much thinking Maulana Ajmal came up with the idea to form a political party to lend support to the poor and oppressed sections of society who were being neglected for long.
Badruddin Ajmal officially announced his political party on 2nd October 2005. There were state Assembly elections in 2006 and his newly-formed Assam United Democratic Front (AUDF) succeeded in winning 10 seats in its virgin attempt. Ajmal himself won from two constituencies with big margin of votes.
Later on 2nd February 2009 the AUDF announced to launch in other states. In the 2009 General Elections the AUDF decided to contest Parliamentary elections. Though it won only one seat from Dhubri constituency, it gave the ruling Congress a run for its life.
The margin of victory of the AUDF chief surprised the political pundits in Assam and elsewhere. While seasoned political leaders like Lalu Prasad Yadav and Ram Vilas Paswan fell flat in their own state, Ajmal’s AUDF succeeded in playing spoilsport for the ruling Congress in Assam. Although his party won just one seat, it succeeded in getting the third highest proportion (17.10 percent) of the total votes.
The AUDF can no more be called a nascent political party headed by an untrained and immature politician. For Ajmal has learnt the tricks of the trade. He is a master tactician and plays his cards safe.
Ajmal’s success has not come overnight. He is known for his philanthropic ways and social services. The magnificent Haji Abdul Majid Memorial (HAMM) Hospital and Research Centre at Hojai in Assam bears testimony to it. As the state lacked proper medical facilities and people were highly affected with flood and other calamities which brought diseases, the Ajmals set up this imposing Hospital to cater to the need of the patients in affordable means. Nearly 1.5 million people have so far benefited from the charitable hospital which provides 80 percent services free of cost to the poor.
I would have died long ago, if this hospital had not been there, said a patient treated at HAMM. Of the 26.6 million population of Assam Muslims form nearly 31 percent. This is the second largest Muslim population in India after Jammu and Kashmir but alike other states their share in politics and state administration is very low. Muslims face the dual negligence after the court’s invalidation of the Illegal Migrants (Determination by Tribunals) (IMDT) Act.
Over the recent years, people belonging to the minority community in the state have been suffering from a sense of insecurity, says the AUDF chief. He describes the party objective “to fight for the underprivileged and downtrodden rather than minorities alone.” There will be no looking back if his party sticks to its objective.
Born on 12 February 1955 to Ajmal Ali and Maryamun Nisa of Donkigaon village, Hojai in Nagaon district of Assam, Maualana Badruddin Ajmal is the third among his five brothers. He holds a fadhilat degree from the famous Darul Uloom in Deoband. He is actively engaged in many socio-educational and charity activities. This successful businessman is also a member of the Advisory Body of Darul Uloom Deoband and president of the Assam unit of Jamiat Ulama-e-Hind and Tanzeem Madaris-e-Qaumia, a madrasa board of all the non-governmental madrasas in Assam numbering more than 400.
He is the president of Markazul Maarif India, the largest Muslim NGO of northeast India that runs many English medium schools, madrasas and orphanages. This NGO has a unique learning centre Markazul Maarif Education and Research Centre (MMERC) for madrasa graduates. The MMERC has so far produced over 300 scholars after training them in English language, computers, Dawah and journalism. Some of its products are working as teachers, translators, Dawah activists, researchers and journalists in the U.K., the USA, Africa and many Gulf countries besides India.
Politics apart, Maulana Ajmal has good interest in academics. This is one of the reasons for his efforts to educate the people. In view of his interest in literary activities the Hojai Session of the Assam Sahitya Sabha unanimously chose him president of its Reception Committee in 2004. He wrote the biography of late Syed As’ad Madani and spared time to write an emotional booklet Sada-e-Dilnawaz for students of MMERC few years ago encouraging them to go ahead in life.
For the untiring Maulana Ajmal, who sports a flowing beard, loves perfumes and owns swanky cars, life goes beyond the traditional mindset of the many maulanas who fear to venture in business and prefer to serve as imams in mosques or as teachers in madrasas.
With many political big wheels searching for ground, the rise of Maulana Ajmal tells about his great future in Indian politics. If statistics can be any indication, it seems that “the scent of success” the catch-line of his traditional perfume has found admirers in the high and mighty echelons of power in the political hotbed of the country.
(Writer is a Delhi-based journalist. He can be contacted at manzarkhalil@gmail.com)
Sunday, August 30, 2009
Fire at Guwahati refinery doused
By IANS,
Guwahati : A fire broke out at the Guwahati Refinery Sunday, creating panic in the area. It was extinguished in about half-an-hour and authorities said there were no casualties or damage to the plant.
A refinery spokesperson said the fire broke outside the Sulphur Recovery Unit of the plant Sunday afternoon during a routine shutdown.
"The fire broke out in one of the drains where there was some oil spillage and we managed to bring it under control immediately with no loss of life reported nor any damage to machinery and equipment," said W. Barbora, deputy general manager of Guwahati Refinery.
"It was a routine shutdown and we are now investigating as to how there was oil spillage in the drain that led to the fire," he added.
There was a thick blanket of smoke soon after the fire broke out with shops and businesses around the refinery shutting down and people fleeing their homes in panic.
"There was total chaos and panic all over the area with people running for their lives thinking there was a big fire at the refinery," said Arun Das, a resident.
At least five fire tenders were pressed into service and the flames were doused in about 30 minutes.
"There is no need to panic and everything is absolutely fine," the refinery official said.
Guwahati : A fire broke out at the Guwahati Refinery Sunday, creating panic in the area. It was extinguished in about half-an-hour and authorities said there were no casualties or damage to the plant.
A refinery spokesperson said the fire broke outside the Sulphur Recovery Unit of the plant Sunday afternoon during a routine shutdown.
"The fire broke out in one of the drains where there was some oil spillage and we managed to bring it under control immediately with no loss of life reported nor any damage to machinery and equipment," said W. Barbora, deputy general manager of Guwahati Refinery.
"It was a routine shutdown and we are now investigating as to how there was oil spillage in the drain that led to the fire," he added.
There was a thick blanket of smoke soon after the fire broke out with shops and businesses around the refinery shutting down and people fleeing their homes in panic.
"There was total chaos and panic all over the area with people running for their lives thinking there was a big fire at the refinery," said Arun Das, a resident.
At least five fire tenders were pressed into service and the flames were doused in about 30 minutes.
"There is no need to panic and everything is absolutely fine," the refinery official said.
Fire breaks out at Guwahati oil refinery
By IANS,
Guwahati : A fire broke out at the Guwahati oil refinery Sunday, creating panic in the area, officials said.
The fire started at the sulphur recovery unit of the refinery at around 3.30 p.m., said a refinery spokesman, quoting preliminary reports.
He said details of the incident were awaited.
A thick blanket of smoke could be seen in the sky and was visible even about five kilometres away from the refinery.
Guwahati : A fire broke out at the Guwahati oil refinery Sunday, creating panic in the area, officials said.
The fire started at the sulphur recovery unit of the refinery at around 3.30 p.m., said a refinery spokesman, quoting preliminary reports.
He said details of the incident were awaited.
A thick blanket of smoke could be seen in the sky and was visible even about five kilometres away from the refinery.
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