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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.

India’s Diplomatic Role in Escalating Global Conflicts

Updated: Oct 22, 2024

India’s Diplomatic Role

The world is deeply concerned about peace, especially with two ongoing conflicts–the Russia-Ukraine war and the one between Israel and its foes. Amidst the ongoing tensions, India has good relations with all the conflicting nations, like Russia, Ukraine, the US, Europe, Israel, Lebanon, Iran, and the entire Arab world. Recently, there have been rumours of an amicable truce with China, which could open the floodgates for mutual trade. As a result, India is being welcomed by all.

President Vladimir Putin’s recent remarks, where he stated that Russia would consider an attack from a non-nuclear state that was backed by a nuclear-armed one to be a “joint attack,” have raised eyebrows. Does this imply a threat of using nuclear weapons in the war in Ukraine? On Wednesday, September 25, Putin said his government was considering changing the rules and preconditions around which Russia would use its nuclear arsenal. In response to this threat, Zelensky is expected to receive an additional supply of lethal weapons that could pose a threat to the heart of Russia. US President Joe Biden is in favour of continuing aid to Ukraine as a last effort to support it during the final months of his tenure. A lot depends on the upcoming elections in the US. If Kamla Harris gets elected, this policy will continue, and if Trump wins, the aid to Ukraine will immediately stop. Zelensky visited the US, frantically and desperately trying to extract maximum help from Trump. On the other hand, Putin may be manoeuvring behind the scenes to ensure Trump’s success.

What’s interesting to see is how India is reacting to all of this. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is emerging as a mediator and peace broker. Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in New York on the sidelines of the United Nations General and reiterated India’s support for an early resolution of the conflict and the restoration of peace and stability in the region. A losing side (Ukraine) cannot dictate terms for the truce; hence, Ukraine is left with no option but to compromise unless there is a miracle that has the potential to create a turnaround of events. PM Modi advised Zelensky that war cannot be stopped on his terms, but it can only stop if he is ready for a ‘resolution.’

What potential solutions could Ukraine adopt?

  • Pledging not to join NATO

  • Concede Crimea, occupied by Russia at the beginning of this war, as part of Russia.

  • Not to have a defence treaty with the US or any of the NATO countries.

  • Zelensky should resign, and a new head must be appointed on Russia’s recommendation.

Accepting some or all of these terms could effectively make Ukraine a subordinate nation to Russia. Modi, along with the active participation of External Affairs Minister S. Jayshankar, could play a crucial role in devising a solution acceptable to both sides while safeguarding the dignity and pride of each–a highly challenging task.

Many global leaders, from China’s Xi Jinping to Erdogan of Turkey, have attempted a similar strategy, but nothing has come to fruition yet. These two leaders are arms suppliers to Russia, and Ukraine finds it impossible to accept any suggestions from such mediators.

India continues to have trade relations with Russia despite US sanctions and provides humanitarian aid to Ukraine, but does not export arms to either one of them. This makes Modi acceptable to both sides.

Israel-Lebanon conflict

In the second major conflict involving Israel and its adversaries, Netanyahu is conducting airstrikes against Lebanon and is now escalating ground operations. Lebanon is aware that the only power that can deter Israel is the US. However, the US continues to supply shipments of arms and ammunition to Israel. Multiple nations, including India, have appealed for a ceasefire. However, Netanyahu is in no mood to arrive at a peaceful solution.

Meanwhile, the US has made little effort to restrain Netanyahu. Anticipating a large-scale war, many nations have issued advisories to their nationals. India too has issued three such advisories in the last 48 hours for its citizens to leave Lebanon. Similar to the situation of the Russia-Ukraine war, India shares good relations with Israel and the Arab world. In many Arab countries, Modi has been conferred with the highest civilian award. In the UN general assembly, India abstained whenever a resolution condemning Israel was moved and kept supporting the cause of Palestine to exist.

Having said that, much depends on the fulcrum of the US presidential election, which is around the corner.

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