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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.

Rickshaw driver's tip proved crucial

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Ulhasnagar: In a remarkable display of swift coordination, presence of mind, and relentless pursuit, a four-and-a-half-year-old girl kidnapped from Badlapur was rescued safely from Madhya Pradesh within 24 hours. The accused, Ranjit Dhurve (25), known to the victim’s family, was also arrested. Police credited the timely alert by an auto-rickshaw driver and the dedication of multiple police units for the successful outcome.

 

The incident took place on June 24, 2025, around 12:30 PM, under the jurisdiction of Badlapur West Police Station. The accused is a construction worker originally from Chhindwara district in Madhya Pradesh. A day before the crime, he had allegedly asked the girl’s mother for food worth 30 rupees, which she refused. Enraged by the perceived insult, the man is believed to have planned the abduction as an act of petty revenge.

 

The very next day, Dhurve approached the minor girl while she was playing and lured her with chocolates. He then boarded an auto-rickshaw with her and left Badlapur. During the ride, the girl began to cry continuously, which aroused suspicion in the mind of the auto driver. Acting on instinct, the driver discreetly took a photograph of both the accused and the child and saved it on his phone.

 

Later, the driver dropped them near Badlapur railway station, from where the accused took the child by local train to Kalyan and then boarded a long-distance express train to Umreth in Chhindwara district, Madhya Pradesh.

 

When the girl's parents realized she was missing, they lodged a complaint around 7:00 PM the same evening. Badlapur West Police immediately registered a case under G.R. No. 250/2025, Section 137(2) of the BNS 2023 and began a frantic investigation.

 

Officers scanned CCTV footage across Badlapur and spotted the auto-rickshaw in which the accused and the child had travelled. The police traced the rickshaw driver, who confirmed that he had driven the duo and handed over the photograph he had taken. This vital clue, along with CCTV and technical surveillance, helped authorities track the accused’s route.

 

A joint police team was immediately formed, comprising Ashok Koli - senior Police inspector (Crime unit 4 Ulhasnagar), API Gosavi (Crime Unit 4, Ulhasnagar), PSI Munde (Ambernath Police Station), Head constable Ganesh Gawde, Head constable Rajendra Thorve (Crime Unit 4), and Head constable Chandu Patil (Badlapur Police Station). The team set out by road and embarked on a grueling 14 to 15-hour journey to Madhya Pradesh.

 

Reaching Chhindwara before the accused, the Maharashtra police team coordinated with the Umreth Police Station and laid a trap. On June 25, 2025, around 5:00 PM, the girl was found safe and taken into protective custody. Within minutes, Dhurve was also arrested on the spot.

 

The police team then began the return journey to Maharashtra, traveling another 14–15 hours by road with the rescued child and the arrested accused.

 

While speaking to, The Perfect Voice, DCP (Crime) Amarsinh Jadhav said, “This operation is a shining example of coordination, alertness, and dedication across police units. The presence of mind shown by the auto-rickshaw driver was extraordinary, and our teams responded with precision and urgency. I urge all citizens to remain alert and report any suspicious activity without hesitation. Public awareness and cooperation are crucial in preventing such crimes and ensuring quick action.”

 

Further investigation is ongoing.

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