News Kashmir Magazine

Maulana Azad…The giant who embraced India!
Name:Owais Ah Shah

Pursuing PG in Political Science from University of Kashmir.

In today’s India when Muslim’s are met with the terrible questioning about their Indianness,Moulana Azad brings hope & positivity by his conviction & can-do character.He was among the colossus figures who fought for the unity of India & left an indelible mark on the pages of history.His wisdom,conviction & erudition made him the giant among men.He stood with the idea of India during the toughest time’s when he was met with terrible opposition & was rather seen from the eyes of disgrace by other’s.Azad never changed his stand & made it amply clear that he will stand with the idea of India.His erudition,leadership qualities & willingness to make a difference made him the prominent & one of those leaders who was loved by all. He better fitted himself in the shoes of the “leader of the caravan” (of Indian Muslims). Recognising his own strengths, and with a sense of being chosen by destiny, Azad felt that he was the right person for this sensitive role. He also saw himself as someone who could interpret the Quran for his fellow Muslims,a task that he eventually accomplished in his magnum opus, Tarjuman-ul-Quran. Azad was an active participant in the Khilafat agitation and during the course of his participation set out the principles of his political creed of which Hindu-Muslim unity was an important component.

His shift from communitarian to a more accommodating secular world view is very fascinating to know. Azad was not the only Muslim leader who made this transition as a generation of nationalist Muslim leaders cut their teeth in the Khilafat movement while also coming into contact with Mahatma Gandhi for the first time. Saifuddin Kitchlew, Syed Mahmud and M.A. Ansari were prominent nationalist Muslim leaders who gained popularity during the Khilafat movement.

It is important to note that Azad made no distinction between his religion and his politics. So it followed that he strongly justified his cooperation with non-Muslims through theology. Just before the launch of the Khilafat movement, Azad wrote a lengthy article arguing that non-Muslims could enter mosques.

One of the powerful speeches that he gave & the most striking part of it which captured everyone’s attention to know what was Azad’s vision as a leader.

He said: “Today, if an angel were to descend from the heaven and declare from the top of the Qutab Minar that India will get Swaraj within twenty-four hours, provided she relinquishes Hindu-Muslim unity, I will relinquish Swaraj rather than give up Hindu-Muslim unity. Delay in the attainment of Swaraj will be a loss to India, but if our unity is lost, it will be a loss for entire mankind.”

He founded the All India Nationalist Muslim Party in 1929 to mobilise Muslim opinion in favour of the Congress’ secularism but this organisation never achieved the kind of acceptance & rise as the Muslim League enjoyed.

When the cauldron was building up & Jinnah wasnt in good terms with congress,Azad was precisely chosen as the President in 1940 by Congress.He tried to work towards a united India and address the insecurities of Muslims but his efforts were futile. He wasnt only ridiculed by the Muslim League but he was alienated slightly within the Congress leadership, this must have been the lowest point of his life.

The penultimate Viceroy, Lord Wavell, records how Jinnah refused to shake hands with Azad when the two met at the Viceregal Lodge in Shimla in 1945.

More distressingly, a garland of shoes was flung at Azad at the Aligarh railway station in 1947 by students who saw him as a traitor to the Islamic cause. It must have been tough to be Azad at that point.

With Partition, Muslims in India once again looked to Azad for guidance. In his address at the Jama Masjid in Delhi on October 20, 1947, Azad spoke eloquently and emotionally: “Do you remember, when I called out to you, you cut off my tongue? I picked up my pen, you severed my hand. I wanted you to walk at my side but you sliced off my feet.” He broke down while delivering this speech but his qoum (community) was looking to him for leadership.

In today’s India when Muslim’s start reflecting about their belonging to India because of the so-called “Proud Indians”,Azad’s legacy brings much hope & positivity that an Indian doesn’t need a religious identity but a stronger will to sacrifice everything for India.He stood stronger in his conviction & made sure that everything can be achieved on the fundamental principle of “unity of India”.Azad shall continue inspiring Muslim’s & other’s who see him as a true leader who stood for the idea of India.

———- Forwarded message ———
From: Owais Ahmad owaisah446@gmail.com
Date: Tue, 18 Jan, 2022, 10:03 pm
Subject: Article
To: newskashmir786@gmail.com

Maulana Azad…The giant who embraced India!

Name:Owais Ah Shah

Pursuing PG in Political Science from University of Kashmir.

In today’s India when Muslim’s are met with the terrible questioning about their Indianness,Moulana Azad brings hope & positivity by his conviction & can-do character.He was among the colossus figures who fought

Meet Aliya Farooq first Certified Lady Trainer of Valley

Mir Sabeen Gulrez
Srinagar Jan 20: Braving all the odds to chase his dreams to become a gym trainer Mother of two Aliya Farooq of Khanyar is the first lady Gym trainer who not only fought with her postpartum depression but surely has set an example by motivating ladies to lose weight and fight with their depression.Speaking to News Kashmir Aliya said,” In Kashmir maximum aren’t going to gym just because they to face male gym trainer and parents won’t allow”.She said in my case when I became the mother of two I faced several issues regarding my health similar to weight problems or trite, ”My husband suggested I join a gym, but I was not sure whether a male trainer can understand the female body or not. I went to Delhi and was inspired by fit married women, and I decided to join the gym there. I lost almost 28Kgs in just four months”. This was the beginning of the era in which I choose to write for myself, now onwards I was a fully motivated lady who wanted to be an inspiration to others. Whatever I have faced I never wanted any other lady should face that.My Father In Law I don’t have words to express such a noble person is the one who stood by my side when I was all alone fighting with the stereotypes and taboos of being something different. He told me that I am just like your father whatever people say don’t bother don’t give them any answer your success will reveal everything to them. Aliya’s husband who himself is the owner of a gym with a name “Fitness Solution” always supported Aliya .Owing to a brand with the name “Fitness Solution only for ladies”, was like a dream come true as it was like when you get the results from people which you always wanted from them. Their transformations nowadays are like unbelievable results, Aliya stated.She states “I went to Hyderabad for full-fledged training and took charge of my husband’s gym as an instructor in 2012. Since then, I have trained thousands of women from different parts of the Kashmir Valley. Not only this even have I done a fitness trainer course from J&K Body Building Association affiliated with the Bodybuilding Federation of India. High blood pressure, cholesterol and infertility are common issues among females and hence they need to exercise regularly,” she said.In the beginning, it was ok but when people started noticing me and my work. There was a mixed response from people initially even in the beginning they even criticized me but when I show them results they got goosebumps.Aliya said in the last 10 years, she has trained over 20,000 women who were suffering from depression, obesity and other major health issues like PCOD’S especially. Even those students whom I trained myself are running their gyms and are working there as gym trainees.Some of the students who talked with us wanted their names should be kept anonymous  told News Kashmir that one of the students   lost almost 25kgs within three months. Another girl who was suffering from PCOD’s with her best efforts managed to lose almost 30kgs of weight and when she went to Dr again the consulted Dr was surprised as she has fought with the odds. These are very rare cases in our gymnasium and we always provide our best to them.  In the present era, fitness is always considered as an important aspect of well being and regular exercise can keep us away from various diseases, like depression, PCOD’s, dreadful diseases like cancer,” she said, who is not a competition these days you or yourself. Undoubtedly we are living in a male-dominated society where everyone wanted a slim, beautiful wife but no one knows from which trauma she has to suffer after giving birth. Try to understand from which phase she is going through.Heart disease, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and infertility issues in women are common because they don’t work or exercise,” she said. “There is no need to come to gym centre’s but exercise is a must. Just eating and sleeping is very dangerous for our health, it can give you only fatigue and several health issues.” PCOD’s which is common in today’s generation; I wonder how mothers ignore these issues. It’s not only consulting Dr’s it’s also how much you work out after eating lots of junk from the market.Dr Ammar Khan a Gynaecologist by Profession while speaking up with News Kashmir told that, PCOD’S is Polycystic Ovary Syndrome, this is usually growing up in our valley particularly in Kashmir this is because of  Obesity, so, initially the treatment protocol is like you have to go for simple lifestyle management, what we call it initially is you have to lose weight, to decrease the obesity, to measure the BMI is Basal Metabolic Body Index, because this PCOD’s have targeted Valley very aggressively, you cannot leave the PCO’s like this, these patients have to pay in the long run like they can have to get easily prone to deadly disease like cancer, uterine cancer breast cancer,  they can have diabetes that’s why we are going in a trend in increasing PCO’s.  The Best thing in initially we have for the three months if the patient is Obese we try to convince them rather counselling is the best part, A doctor has to counsel or rather have to ask her to follow a dietician and also she needs to be physically fit, so she reduces the weight after that if scenario changes without any medication. Then it’s ok if not then she can have many other issues like the irregularity of periods, or either she may have other issues. But the main issue lies with her obesity which is the initial stage of every disease, Khan said. Dr Seerat Nabi (PT): a well-known physiotherapist from the valley told News Kashmir that exercises have a vital role in making people physically fit. It includes advising and assisting people to keep themselves active and healthy. A physiotherapist has gained paramount importance in helping individuals to get healed and relieved from major and minor pains, injuries, deformities, neurological disorders, orthopaedic conditions and many more. Apart from the therapeutic exercises, regular low-impact aerobics like walking and swimming are also recommended. These exercises help in releasing endorphins, the natural painkillers of your body along with keeping your body active and fit. The exercises are recommended by the physiotherapists within a prescribed period. As it helps to give you relief from pain, with further workout, daily fitness and getting a healthy physique becomes possible that too in a natural way.