Articles
Dr. Zeeshan Hanif, Help India Front-NGO
Dr. Zeeshan Hanif, a resident of Bhopal, is making a significant impact on countless lives through his selfless acts of kindness and unwavering dedication to serving humanity. His exceptional efforts as a social worker have established him as an inspirational figure within the local community. One extraordinary case that exemplifies Dr. Zeeshan's influence involves a mentally challenged young man from Vellore, Tamil Nadu, who became lost in Bhopal. Severely injured and in need of urgent medical attention, the young man caught the attention of Dr. Zeeshan. Determined to help, Dr. Zeeshan arranged for the amputation of the injured leg and ensured the young man's transfer to a care facility. After weeks of relentless effort, Dr. Zeeshan and his team successfully located the young man's impoverished family, residing in a remote area of Tamil Nadu. In another instance, Dr. Zeeshan learned of a man who had to sell his puncture shop equipment due to financial hardship caused by the COVID-19 lockdown. Driven by compassion, Dr. Zeeshan stepped in and not only helped the man re-establish his shop but also provided a new compressor and essential provisions, enabling him to support his family during those challenging times. The empathy and commitment of Dr. Zeeshan were further demonstrated when he came to the aid of a family devastated by a stove burst accident. Their young son sustained severe burns, necessitating immediate medical attention. Dr. Zeeshan organized and covered all the expenses for the child's treatment while also providing the family with a new home, essential supplies, clothing, and financial support to assist them in rebuilding their lives. Beyond these individual cases, Dr. Zeeshan consistently extends his assistance to the underprivileged. He offers free medical care, distributes essential supplies, and ensures that medication and other necessities reach those who lack access, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition to his humanitarian endeavors, Dr. Zeeshan is a passionate advocate for sustainable development and religious harmony. He actively participates in environmental conservation initiatives, organizing tree plantation drives and raising awareness about eco-friendly practices within the community. With the belief that many societal issues stem from our mindset, he encourages people to embrace simplicity, shunning excessive materialism and promotes interfaith dialogue and respect for diverse beliefs. Dr. Zeeshan Hanif's remarkable contributions as a social worker have left an indelible impact on numerous lives in Bhopal. His selflessness, compassion, and holistic approach to social work serve as an inspiration to others. Through his unwavering efforts, he continues to inspire compassion, understanding, and a sustainable way of life for personal and societal well-being. As a testament to his exceptional dedication, Dr. Zeeshan Hanif has received numerous awards and accolades. Recently, during the G-20 Summit 2023 held in Bhopal, he was honored with the prestigious "Sewa Yogis" title by Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister, Shivraj Singh Chouhan. This esteemed recognition symbolizes Dr. Zeeshan's outstanding impact and unwavering commitment to social welfare. The "Sewa Yogis" title is bestowed upon individuals who exemplify the spirit of selfless service and demonstrate exemplary dedication to social well-being. Dr. Zeeshan's compassionate work, fueled by his profound belief in the power of service and his commitment to making a positive difference in the lives of others, perfectly aligns with the values that the title represents. Dr. Zeeshan Hanif's recent award not only acknowledges his remarkable achievements but also serves as an inspiration to others to embrace the path of service and compassion. His relentless efforts, recognized by prestigious organizations and esteemed individuals, stand as a testament to the transformative impact one individual can have on society. As Dr. Zeeshan continues his mission to uplift lives and create positive change, his recent recognition as "Sewa Yogis" reaffirms his commitment and dedication to the betterment of society. His work serves as a shining example for others to follow and contributes to the collective efforts in building a more compassionate and equitable world. Email:Zeeshanniiz@gmail.com Mobile - +91-9893878633
How India overcame a holocaust
"Turning catastrophe into an opportunity". Horrors of man made famine of Bengal worse than the Holocaust in 1944 did not deter the determination of the Indians who rather turned this holocaust into an opportunity by learning lesson about the importance of agriculture in the society. The first prime minister of independent India Pandit. Jawaharlal Nehru who was a strong advocate for agricultural development. He believed that agriculture was not only the foundation of the Indian economy and that it was essential to improve agricultural productivity in order to feed the growing population but a must for survival, subject. Nehru took a number of steps to promote agricultural development in India. He established the Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation, which was responsible for developing and implementing agricultural policies. He also created the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), which is responsible for conducting agricultural research and providing extension services to farmers. Nehru also invested heavily in irrigation infrastructure. He built dams and canals to irrigate more land and increase crop yields. He also introduced new agricultural technologies, such as tractors and fertilizers, to help farmers increase their productivity. Nehru's policies helped to improve agricultural productivity in India. However, they also had some negative consequences. For example, the Green Revolution, which was a major agricultural development program launched by Nehru, led to the overuse of pesticides and fertilizers, which polluted the environment. Despite the challenges, Nehru's policies helped to lay the foundation for agricultural development in India. Today, India is one of the world's leading producers of foodgrains. Here are some specific initiatives taken by Nehru to promote agricultural development in India: The establishment of the Community Development Programme (CDP) in 1952. The CDP was a rural development program that aimed to improve agricultural productivity, education, health, and infrastructure in rural areas. The introduction of the Intensive Agricultural District Programme (IADP) in 1960. The IADP was a pilot program that aimed to increase agricultural productivity in selected districts. The program was successful and was later expanded to cover the entire country. After Nehru, Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri continued on the same path giving the famous slogan of "Jai Jawan , Jai Kisan" (salute to soldier, salute to farmer). In popular culture, actor Manoj Kumar's song of "Mere Desh ki Dharti sona ungle ungle heerey moti" reflected the feelings of Indians on the agriculture. In 2023, Advance Agricultural Practises such as Solar energy, Artificially assisted precession agriculture, genetically modified seeds, subsidy on 3F's fuel, fertilizer, and fase(electricity) are being seen as tools to help provide for the need of feeding the most populous nation on the planet.
Bhopal's Mechanical Talent
Since the advent of modern mechanical equipments used in factories, farms, households, transports, power generation there also came the need of care and maintenance of these equipment as they are prone to wear and tear. Bhopal State got their motor-cars, jeeps and bikes from British manufacturers and their ally states such as USA. All of this needed a talented mechanic to take care of and from that point onwards the skills went from one generation to another with senior mechanic often "Ustad" teaching his students called as "larkey " or boys. At first Petrol engine came so mechanics became afluent in its working with know-how of carbeurators, spark plugs, battery, dynoma / altenator which required most attention. When Diesel came to the scene, city's mechanics quickly adapted to this technology as was becoming widespread due to cheap fuel prices. Diesel engine most frequent issues were with timing of injectors, nozzles, fuel pumps, heater and crank alignment. Turbo chargers changed the perception of a diesel engine from a slow cheap noisy setup to high torque and speedy one. Often the stock spare part was unavailable so then the mechanic went to laithe-operators who built these parts from scratch and many a times these worked fine. This whole thing was called "jugaar" or innovation. Many exceptionally well mechanics of 90s era were Late. Sattar Bose of Indore, Shafiq Bhai for electric fare of a vehicle, Munne Bhai for Bullet bike who diagnosed faults by sound of the bike as he was a blind man. Upon the arrival of computer regulated vehicle system wherein a computer chip regulated engine's fuel input, turbo rate and fault diagnosis as found in new cars, these mechanics could not keep up with the new technology becoming restricted to lesser market of tractors, trucks, vintage jeeps. Government should start a skill development program for these people as to carry their talent and legacy forward. In today's time with internet, government and private facilities like workshops and qualified engineers and other staff is doable task. Similarly mechanics for air-conditioners, refigerator, washing machines, coolers, fans also made up a large number in the city and often they went to gulf (middle-east) for work. A renowed skill development institute of Munshi Husaain Khan located in old city can be credited for this work. Late. Abdul Rauf Khan was a well known pioneer for this institute.
Canine Friends
Feeding dogs, cats, birds, fish is a very noble act praised in every religion and idealogy. Street dogs are also very loyal to their feeders and they guard the streets and often become a reason for thiefs to not attempt any theft in that place. They have a very essential role in the guarding of the streets let aside purposefully kept pet dogs for guarding or other puproses. While some may argue to the potential danger a dog has to human life and domestic animals as seen in many untoward incidents. Bhopal's Municipal Corporation balances the kindness towards these dogs with precautions of rabbies, over population and other things by regularly picking the dogs and injecting them with anti-rabbies doses and also casterizing them to check the canine over population. When done they drop these dogs back to the pickup points. A balance between animal kindness and check of potential dangers to mankind must be meet so that we humans and all other species let alone dogs can live peacefully. Indian Pariah breed is very intelligent, tough and loyal breed which is known for its affection to its master. The dog shown in the image is locally called "Shera" meaning tiger and is very popular in the locality. While some breeds came as a result of intermixing of Indian and foreign breeds such as German Shpehard, Labradore, Rottwiler etc. Hounds or hunter dogs of Indian origin are also one of the best kind in the world such as GrayDen, GrayHound, Doberman, RampurHound. In a recent push to adopt these canine friends, Indian PM Modi instructed army to train and enroll Indian breeds from now on. In army and other forces the role of canine partner is of great importance and recently many canine soldiers got sacrificed for the nation in Jammu and Kashmir.
Hawelis of India
A haveli is a traditional townhouse, mansion, or manor house in the Indian subcontinent. They are usually located in a town or city and have historical and architectural significance. The word haveli comes from the Arabic word hawali, which means "partition" or "private space". It was popularized under the Mughal Empire. Havelis are characterized by ornate architecture, Intricate carvings, spacious courtyards, werandas, finely carved wooden columns, beams, and brackets geometric patterns, floral motifs, and mythical figures teak wood(sagon wood) which is strong and durable and resistant to termites and other pests. Authentic Havelis are usually organized around two courtyards: The outer courtyard is reserved for meetings and trade with visitors. The inner courtyard is occupied by an extended family. Havelis were the homes of the Mughal elite in the 17th and 18th centuries. Later on, any beautiful well built house of European class or Oriental Mughal or Rajputana style were normally referred to as "haweli". Hawelis in the Shahjahanabad area of Old Delhi in the vicinty of famous Jama Masjid are well known and living history. Such as Mirza Ghalib's Haweli at Balli Maran, Jain Haweli, Piyush Goyal's Dharampura Haweli where recent meeting of many dignatries at G20 summit was held . Also, mansion of my late grandfather in Bhopal had a beautiful walled building surrounding internal garden shown in the tiled image.
Citizen Journalism, the people
Media is indeed the most powerful wing of the society as it brings the news and sets narratives that drive a society. Therefore for a true representative and welfare society the media should be de-centeralized and in the hands of commonfolks and not limited to ruling and privelage class only. However, the catch here is that the quality of media which is based on the accuracy of facts, presentation, language, technology used and audience base, altogether decide the success rate of the media. When youth icon and freedom fighter Shaheed Bhagat Singh was arrested by the Britishers and produced in the court he used the court as his media since in those days all the print media and radio was tightly controlled and regulated by the British Raj. However, Singh's genius made the court being used as a media outlet where his statements were recorded and published by leading newspapers in those days and reason why he could do that was because of his education, skills, facts, command over language that was English in his case but could be any in general and most importantly his presence of mind. Drawing inspiration from this story, media can be utilized by common man like me and you, us to fight for our rights which by the way is not just our right to do so but infact a sacred duty that must be done. "Oppressing others is a crime while becoming oppressed is a far greater crime"