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By:

Quaid Najmi

4 January 2025 at 3:26:24 pm

Maulana’s 'gullak' initiative touches 60K students

Read & Lead Foundation President Maulana Abdul Qayyum Mirza with daughter Mariyam Mirza. Mumbai/Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar: In the new age controlled by smart-gadgets and social media, an academic from Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar has sparked a small, head-turning and successful - ‘savings and reading’ revolution among middle-school children. Launched in 2006, by Maulana Abdul Qayyum Mirza, the humble initiative turns 20 this year and witnessed over 60,000 free savings boxes (gullaks)...

Maulana’s 'gullak' initiative touches 60K students

Read & Lead Foundation President Maulana Abdul Qayyum Mirza with daughter Mariyam Mirza. Mumbai/Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar: In the new age controlled by smart-gadgets and social media, an academic from Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar has sparked a small, head-turning and successful - ‘savings and reading’ revolution among middle-school children. Launched in 2006, by Maulana Abdul Qayyum Mirza, the humble initiative turns 20 this year and witnessed over 60,000 free savings boxes (gullaks) distributed to Class V-VIII students in 52 government and private schools. “The aim was to inculcate a love for ‘saving and reading’ among young children. We started by presenting small plastic ‘gullaks’ (savings boxes) at the Iqra Boys & Girls High School, and later to many other schools,” Mirza said with a tinge of satisfaction. Scoffed by sceptics, it soon caught the eyes of the schools and parents who loved the idea that kept the kids off mischief, but gave them the joy of quietly slipping Re. 1 or even Rs. 5 save from their daily pocket money into the ‘gullak’. “That tiny ‘gullak’ costing barely Rs 3-Rs 5, becomes almost like their personal tiny bank which they guard fiercely and nobody dares touch it. At the right time they spend the accumulated savings to buy books of their choice – with no questions asked. Isn’t it better than wasting it on toys or sweets or amusement,” chuckled Mirza. A childhood bookworm himself, Mirza, now 50, remembers how he dipped into his school’s ‘Book Box’ to avail books of his choice and read them along with the regular syllabus. “Reading became my passion, not shared by many then or even now… Sadly, in the current era, reading and saving are dying habits. I am trying to revive them for the good of the people and country,” Maulana Mirza told The Perfect Voice. After graduation, Mirza was jobless for sometime, and decided to make his passion as a profession – he took books in a barter deal from the renowned Nagpur philanthropist, Padma Bhushan Maulana Abdul Karim Parekh, lugged them on a bicycle to hawk outside mosques and dargahs. He not only sold the entire stock worth Rs 3000 quickly, but asked astonished Parekh for more – and that set the ball rolling in a big way, ultimately emboldening him to launch the NGO, ‘Read & Lead Foundation’ (2018). “However, despite severe resources and manpower crunch, we try to cater to the maximum number of students, even outside the district,” smiled Mirza. The RLF is also supported by his daughter Mariyam Mirza’s Covid-19 pandemic scheme, ‘Mohalla Library Movement’ that catapulted to global fame, and yesterday (Oct. 20), the BBC telecast a program featuring her. The father-daughter duo urged children to shun mobiles, video-games, television or social media and make ‘books as their best friends’, which would always help in life, as they aim to gift 1-lakh students with ‘gullaks’ in the next couple of years. At varied intervals Mirza organizes small school book fairs where the excited kids troop in, their pockets bulging with their own savings, and they proudly purchase books of their choice in Marathi, English, Hindi or Urdu to satiate their intellectual hunger. Fortunately, the teachers and parents support the kids’ ‘responsible spending’, for they no longer waste hours before screens but attentively flip pages of their favourite books, as Mirza and others solicit support for the cause from UNICEF, UNESCO, and global NGOs/Foundations. RLF’s real-life savers: Readers UNICEF’s Jharkhand District Coordinator and ex-TISS alumnus Abul Hasan Ali is full of gratitude for the ‘gullak’ habit he inculcated years ago, while Naregaon Municipal High School students Lakhan Devdas (Class 6) and Sania Youssef (Class 8) say they happily saved most of their pocket or festival money to splurge on their favourite books...! Zilla Parishad Girls Primary School (Aurangpura) teacher Jyoti Pawar said the RLF has proved to be a “simple, heartwarming yet effective way” to habituate kids to both reading and savings at a tender age, while a parent Krishna Shinde said it has “changed the whole attitude of children”. “We encourage books of general interest only, including inspiring stories of youth icons like Nobel laureate Malala Yousafzai (28) and environmentalist Greta Thunberg (23) which fascinates our students, and other popular children’s literature,” smiled Mirza. The Maulana’s RLF, which has opened three dozen libraries in 7 years, acknowledges that every coin dropped into the small savings boxes begins a new chapter – and turns into an investment in knowledge that keeps growing.

From Cable TV to OTT: Journey of Freedom and Controversy

Cable TV to OTT

The Indian entertainment landscape has undergone a dramatic transformation over the last few decades, moving from the simple, censored broadcasts of Doordarshan in the 1980s to the unregulated content explosion on over-the-top (OTT) platforms today. While this shift has brought global content into Indian homes, it has also sparked debates about regulation, cultural influence, and content control.


The journey began in October 1992 when India saw the launch of Zee TV, the country's first privately-owned cable channel. This was followed by the launch of the Asia Television Network (ATN). These channels marked the beginning of India's foray into private television broadcasting. A few years later, global networks like CNN, Discovery Channel, and National Geographic entered the Indian market, providing viewers with a broader range of content.


This era represented a significant departure from the limited and heavily censored programming offered by Doordarshan. Private television opened the floodgates for content driven by Western cultural influences, creating a shift in the way Indian audiences consumed entertainment.


The Rise of OTT Platforms

The next major disruption came in 2008 with the launch of BIGFlix by Reliance Entertainment, marking India's entry into the world of OTT platforms. This was followed by the launch of the nexGTv app by Digivive in 2010, which allowed users to access live TV and on-demand content on mobile phones. Notably, nexGTv became the first platform to live-stream Indian Premier League (IPL) matches on smartphones during 2013 and 2014, further cementing the popularity of OTT services in the country.


The arrival of Hotstar and Netflix shortly thereafter changed the entertainment landscape entirely. Indian audiences could now watch content from around the globe, at any time, and on any device. This newfound freedom came with its own challenges, as OTT platforms operated without the stringent censorship typically imposed on television content.


Ruling on OTT Regulation

As OTT platforms gained popularity, concerns over content regulation emerged. On Friday, the Supreme Court dismissed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) seeking the establishment of an autonomous body to monitor and filter content on OTT platforms.


The bench, headed by Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud and comprising Justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra, ruled that the regulation of such platforms was a policy matter for the executive branch, requiring extensive consultation with various stakeholders.


The court’s ruling highlights a growing debate in India about content control and the responsibilities of OTT platforms. While some advocate for creative freedom, others argue for the need to regulate explicit content, especially to protect minors.


Controversies over OTT

The unregulated nature of OTT platforms has led to controversies, such as the case against Balaji Telefilms, its founder Ektaa R Kapoor, and her mother, Shobha Kapoor.


The Mumbai Police have registered a case under Sections 295-A of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), the Information Technology (IT) Act, and Sections 13 and 15 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. The charges relate to the Alt Balaji series Gandi Baat, which is accused of using minors for pornographic purposes.


The Debate Over Content

Reflecting on the past, there is a stark contrast between the decency and censorship of Doordarshan in the 1980s and the wide-open world of OTT content today. With the rise of private networks, Western cultural influences began seeping into Indian entertainment, and this trend has only intensified with the rise of OTT platforms. Today, anyone with a smartphone can access a vast ocean of content, often without restrictions on what they can watch.


However, this freedom comes with a dilemma. While nobody is advocating for strict censorship or dictating what people should or should not watch, the question remains: Who is responsible for regulating this content? Is it the government’s role to intervene, or should it be left to individuals to decide what is appropriate for themselves and their families?


There is no doubt that OTT platforms provide valuable and diverse content, ranging from informative documentaries to well-crafted films and series. Yet, alongside these high-quality productions, there is a significant amount of sexually explicit content, which is more common in Western media but now prevalent on Indian OTT platforms.


The Path Forward

So, what is the solution? The responsibility for regulating OTT content cannot lie solely with the government, nor can it be completely left in the hands of viewers. Content creators and OTT platform owners also need to take responsibility for what they are producing and promoting. It is essential to strike a balance between creative freedom and ethical responsibility.


The debate over content regulation is similar to the one surrounding cigarette advertising.


Until a comprehensive policy is developed and implemented, it is up to the viewers to decide how deep they want to dive into the OTT sea. The power of choice is in their hands, but so is the responsibility.


(The author is a communication professional. Views personal.)

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