Riyadh - M'lore Flight: Jam’iyyathul Fala’h Initiates Signature Campaign
P A Abdul Hameed
Daijiworld Media Network Riyadh
Riyadh, Apr 27: JF (Jam’iyyathul Fala’h)-Riyadh Annual Gathering-2008 held recently in Riyadh came under the instant shadow of the crying and sufferings of the children, disables, aged and parents of grown girls of the community. Perhaps, you get shocked as to how it come in the Gathering?!!. Yes, it is the echo of agonies heard in the documentary film named-"AAKRANDANA" filmed on the pathetic lives of the community back in the hometown. Their feeble voice was and is still widely being heard in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia amongst the Mangaloreans especially Mangalore & Udupi Muslims. "AAKRANDANA"…the Cry……Suffering…...Grief……are not the common terminologies being frequently pictured in tragedy films or TV serials directed by film Directors. But, it is the reality of life of large segments of the Muslim community in the Districts, caused due to social evils, economic problems and educational backwardness.
As the word itself indicates, AAKRANDANA is a realistic documentary film that widely throws a light on the sufferings of some of the families in certain parts of the South Kanara District. The film is considered very effective and successful as it closely touched the feelings and pains of the wretched ones that would definitely create the vibrant waves in the tide-less sea of the hearts of the community heads both in the Gulf countries and in the hometowns.
As Khasim Ahmed, who is the President of Riyadh JF and Maker of the documentary film, told in an interview with Daijiworld that "……. It is not enough to have a just passion and sympathy in hearts by viewing the film, but the passion must be translated into concrete and constructive action; really speaking, it is just an eye-opener for our community to take it as real soupcon to do the community services and lift them up from the pathetic condition….." He continued his talk and said that "after viewing it, there has been a tremendous development in the circle of elites, clerics, women and others alike; many seminars and other awareness programmes were held and are being conducted in order to avoid social evils like dowry, education backwardness and so on.
Since few years, JF-Riyadh Unit has really been at the cutting edge in launching various social, educational, humanitarian and health programmes, through which the awareness amongst the community is being widely created. After strings of programmes on SHIKSHANA (Education) and AROGYA (Health), they laid cornerstone for the INTRODUCTION (Munnudi) of this year's tear-jerking AAKRANDANA (The Cry…).
If "MUNNUDI" had shed a spotlight mainly on the issue of educational backwardness and its implication on the community, "AAKRANDANA" has really been a step ahead in focusing on the various menaces, which a large section of the community faces socially, economically and educationally in the district. Mr. Khasim Ahmed said-"We initially thought that we could be able to complete the documentary within a month, but it took about eight moths to finish it as we had to go in-depth of the problems; we walked through some of the remote areas where some poor Muslim families are on the actual breadline of livelihood and health issues; we came across many faces of the burning hitches in which our community people get stuck fast; dowry problem is hammering heavily on the poor parents to get their daughters married and they are shedding their tears due to the menace; after viewing the film, many youngsters from Mangalore and in Gulf countries came forward to take a oath not to take dowry at the time of their marriages; about twenty youths from Mangalore Kasaba-Bengre voluntarily organized a programme recently in Mangalore in which they took a vow to get married without taking dowry and another Manglaroean bachelor in Dubai decided to have an arrangement of other three marriages of poor families alongside his marriage to be held shortly; actually, we have been receiving the fantastic responses and reactions from all corners….."
"Being Karnataka State Award Winning organization, JF has reached some of the milestones of achievements and we have to cross again a lengthy path to achieve more dimensions in order to create awareness among the community to enable them to fight against the existing menaces..…" Mr. Khasim said in a voice of mixed feelings of contentment as well as sorrow. He requested through the media that every member of the community has his responsibility to come forward and get himself involved in the services for the betterment of the Muslim community in particular and the society in general".
The Gathering was immensely adorned with the presence of the intellectual, journalist and Chief Editor of Vaarthabhaarathi Kannada Daily, Abdul Salam Puttige, who was the chief guest and keynote speaker at the programme. Addressing the gathering in his usual thought-provocative style, he stated that "the Muslims must be role model to the world with their excellent behavior, manners and responsibilities as quoted in the Qur'aan. He quoted the recitation that "Qur'aan praised the Muslim community not with just words, but conferring them with certain significant errands that they are required to perform for the welfare of the mankind without any barriers; if anyone feels hungry or in difficulty in the neighbor, which is not given any heed by a Muslim, then he cannot be a true Muslim.
According to him, "today, the Muslims have failed to introduce themselves to the world as presented in the holy book putting themselves in image crisis; each one has his own responsibility that has to be carried out and be a model for others……He applauded the achievements of JF and gave a broader message that there must be many voluntary JFs that must come forward to work for the services of the mankind ".
JF's Anti-Dowry Campaign, 5 Points Programme obviously drew a wide attention and hype. It is a strong view of JF that it is not only the problem of the community, but also the burning problem of our Country. Therefore, JF, as Mr. Khasim told, has taken up a great humanitarian programs at hand with the aim of providing the poor families the shelter & toilet, health care, education, cloth, food and income source etc.. that comes around Rs. 1,25,000-00 per family.
The Signature Campaign of Direct Flight from Riyadh to Mangalore was a special program conducted by JF in the Gathering. According to Nawaz Gurupur & Iftikhar Ahmed, around one thousand & five hundred signatures were collected from the attendees including women’s. It is one of the agendas on the list of JF that want to endeavor restlessly for its implementation.
Here are some of the photos of the events and programs of JF's Night Gathering-2008 held at ‘Al-Rushd Resort’ in Riyadh. Despite the sandstorm that was jealousy of and bombarded the peaceful night of the get-together, more than one thousand people of Mangalore and other parts of Karnataka showed up that never became bottlenecks on their enthusiasm and zeal to enjoy the whole scenario of the program. The specialty of the Get-together was that it was always an open-door programme where all communities of the people particularly Mangaloreans of different communities got together with the feelings of brotherhood, and they also actively and earnestly participated in all most events conducted by JF in the Get-together. Scores of events like tug of war, musical chair, spot-quiz based on both Islamic and current issues etc. were conducted and winners and runners of the games are given with attractive prizes.
The pictures of the wretched families in the posters and flyers, which were sticked and hanging on the top of the background of JF Registration Counter and other corners, had really been a mind-boggling and heartbreaking; a live message was repeatedly being mirrored in the dead posters that were able to open one’s mind’s eyes. It was the throbbing coincidental that a mentally retarded girl shown in the documentary film and hanging flyers breathed her last on the same day of JF Gathering, in the same hospital at the same time and at the same date on which she came to the world.
Khasim Ahmed, President; Nawaz Gurpur, Vice President; Nazeer Ahmed, General Secretary; Parvez Ali Euromarhce, Lathief Idrees Mangalore; Rahman Padubidri, Khader Hejmady, Iftikhar Ahmed, Noor Salman Hyundai, Haneef Panambur and others were present on the occasion.