by P A Hameed Padubidri from Makkah
Daijiworld Media Network - Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Makkah, Jan 12: Malleshwaram is one of the high-flying political hotbeds at Bangalore, the capital of the state of Karnatka and the Silicon city of India, which has groomed many political bigwigs from zero to hero irrespective of sex, caste and religion. It has seen many prominent political figures, who had come to the scene just as a party functionary and then climbed to the ladder of higher-position.
Nafisa Fathima
Nafisa Fathima, 44, was the vice-chairperson of Karnataka State Industrial Cooperative Bank with a rank of a deputy minister of the state during the tenure of chief minister Krishna, the present governor of Maharshra, She was one of the pilgrims who arrived in Makkah to perform the Hajj ritual along with her husband, lawyer Noor Ahmed Sharief, who the Daijiworld correspondent met in Jeddah Hotel during their stay there.
Daijiworld correspondent also met Mangaloreans of different walks of like, in Makkah and Jeddah, who came all the way from different parts of Dakshina Kannada and Udupi Districts to perform the Hajj rites.
Nafisa Fathima with husband Noor Ahmed Sharief
Nafisa Fathima is a prominent personality, who has family connections with Mangalore. She is married to Noor Ahmed Sharief who hails from Chikmagalur, and who has close family links with Mulki in Mangalore. This correspondent had a personal talk with Nafisa Fathima along with her husband, who is the main source of inspiration for her social and political ascent. The thoughts expressed by her are being shared with Daijiworld readers.
Her mother was a school teacher and father was a businessman in Dairy Milk in the area. She herself started her political career in Malleshwaram without any political background and backing. That was due to her own motivation to do something for the society and community. She recalled the period when the Corporation election was not held for 18 years, but when the notification of the election was announced in 1990, and how she came to limelight by contesting independent candidate without any political party's backup.
Though being placed second in terms of votes polled with a gap of mere 63 votes, she became a prominent figure in the region in both social and political arena. In her own words, it was a turning point of her political career and she was wooed by different political parties to join them. Finally in 1991, she was offered with the Indian National Congress membership. She became the president of Congress women's wing of the region.
During the KPCC presidentship of S M Krishna, V S Koujalagi and Allam Veerabhadrappa, she was decorated with the position of the party's general secretary. At presentlshe has been serving as the secretary of Bangalore Cancer Society that provides awareness among the people and detection of symptoms of cancer in the earlier stage. "Usually cancer is detected in the final stage that makes the victim to count the days towards his/her end," she says. She got elected to the position among 2000 to 3000 members of the society.
One of the places of stay for the Indian pilgrims
"Hard work and destiny are the important factors in one's political life," Nafisa Fathima said in her personal interview. When asked as to how, being a woman that too a Muslim minority woman, she could make strides in politics, she said, "Be affirmative and resolute by maintaining fundamental values and principles." She continued her talk and said, "Fear of Almighty and purity in thinking are the basics for me in order to maintain a political career devoid of contamination." She asserted that she got an opportunity to be in active election campaign during the landmark Bellary election held in 1999 in which Sonia Gandhi won by defeating the BJP contestant Sushma Swaraj.
Having done her B Sc and recently M.A. (Political Science) degrees, she expressed her deep concern over the issue of lack of education amongst the Muslims in the state and the country. She states, "I attended some conferences and seminars where the issue of the Muslims education in the state and country were being discussed; It was painful to say that the proportion of the Muslim education has been very low, the lack of education led them to multifarious problems; the recent Justice Rajinder Sachar Commission Report also has justified it that became a wake-up call to the Muslims in general; it is to be considered as an issue of the entire state and the country, not as a problem only……..Constant awareness including with a ear-to-ear message to the Muslim males and females to be given; we hardly find any Muslim in high-ranking position, instead we find many of them in blue colour jobs like garage, workshops and so on; Muslims must be literate and educated and be more and more in the mainstream of the nation," Nafisa Fathima opined.
When she was asked regarding the recent development of communal disturbances in the state, she said, "The majority of the people want peace and harmony that is the basic foundation of our State; but only few mischief-mongers try to disrupt the peace so as to get selfish gain out of it. Karnataka is a long-established name for communal harmony that has to be continued without any let-up for peaceful coexistence".
When she was asked about the facility and other security measures during the Hajj, she cheerfully appreciated the Saudi government for its all-out, committed efforts and arrangements for performing Hajj rituals smoothly and properly.
Padubidri gram panchayat member S P Farooq with P A Hameed in front of the Makkah Grand Mosque
"I really appreciate the patience and sincerity of the Saudi police and other security forces deployed in the places of Hajj rites in order to monitor the all-aound situation of the pilgrimage and I felt the entire situation was under full control of the forces," she applauded.
Daijiworld correspondent met other Mangaloreans in Makkah after the Hajj ceremony was over since non-Hajjis were not allowed to enter the boundary of Makkah in order to checking the illegal entry to Makkah to do Hajj and other security measures.
S P Farooq, Padubidri gram panchayath member and state Youth Janata Dal (Secular) secretary and social worker, and P M Ummer Farooq, Padubidri gram Panchayath member and former president of Padubidri Jumma Masjid, S A Razak, retired headmaster and District Best Teachers' Awardee, S A Muhammad, former lecturer at KREC Suratkal (now NITK) and his brother S A Abdul Rahman, retired branch manager of Maharastra Apex Bank Manipal and others were some of the Mangaloreans met in Makkah.
They expressed their full sense of fulfilment over their Hajj performance without any problem. S P Farooq and S A Razak have expressed their appreciation to the Karnataka State Government and its Wakf and Hajj Minister Zameer Ahmed and Hajj Committee for their entire support and arrangements during their pilgrimage. P M Ummer Farooq expressed his deep grief over the sad demise of one of his team members accompanied with him, Hasanabba Kunjatthabail, aged about 75, who died due to heart failure during the performance of Hajj rituals in Makkah Muzdalifah area. All are accompanied by their families.
Hamza A K, a chief accountant and an active member of the Bearys Association in Dubai, who came to Hajj all the way from Abu Dhabi was another Mangalorean prominent person met. He expressed his gratification on the successful completion of Hajj pilgrimage. But he pointed out some problems in lodging arranged by the private Hajj tour and Travels agents in Makkah and Madinah. He said, " Some pilgrims preferred to have had the private Hajj Tours and Travels in Mangalore and have paid huge amount for the better service; but the pilgrims (Mangaloreans) were made to stay in very dilapidated building with so many hardships to face. The state government is requested to make sure from the tours and travel agents that all arrangements for the pilgrims during their stay in Makkah and Madinah would be done properly according to the norms of the guidelines….".
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