top of page

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.

What Role Golwalkar Played in the Integration of Kashmir

ree

What has the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) done for the country? Or what does the RSS do for the nation? What is the contribution of RSS volunteers? These questions are often raised by ignorant, secular pseudo-intellectuals or ideologues opposed to the RSS. On the occasion of Independence Day, these individuals use the media to display their so-called wisdom or flaunt their ignorance. While the nation celebrates the festival of independence, these ignorant critics indulge in slandering the RSS, making it their habitual practice.


During Independence Day, while the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) organizes Tiranga Yatras across the country, these secular pseudo-intellectuals raise the aforementioned questions to mock and propagate against the yatra. Although their criticism appears directed at the BJP, their real target is the RSS, the parent organization of the BJP. In reality, the RSS has always prioritized the nation’s interests. RSS volunteers have embraced the values of "Nation First" and "Service to the Nation," standing at the forefront during any crisis in the country—this is a historical fact. So why is the RSS, which strives for the nation’s welfare, targeted? This article aims to revisit the history of the RSS to shed light on its contributions.


After India gained independence, the partition brought immense pain, and the integration of 540 princely states posed a significant challenge. Under the resolute leadership of Sardar Patel, 538 princely states were integrated into India. However, the issues of Kashmir and Hyderabad remained complex. Sardar Patel took appropriate action to resolve the Hyderabad issue, successfully integrating the Nizam’s state into India. However, the question of Jammu and Kashmir remained unresolved.


At that time, Sardar Patel reached out to the RSS Sarsanghchalak, Shri Golwalkar Guruji, proposing to establish contact with Maharaja Hari Singh regarding the integration of Kashmir. Shri Golwalkar Guruji visited Kashmir and, through his initiative, facilitated the integration of the Jammu and Kashmir princely state into India. The RSS played a significant role in the integration of Jammu and Kashmir into India, with Shri Golwalkar Guruji having a lion’s share in this historic achievement.


India gained independence bearing the wounds of partition, and the newly formed Pakistan harbored intentions of annexing Kashmir, engaging in subversive activities and preparing to infiltrate its forces into the region. Maharaja Hari Singh of Kashmir initially maintained a neutral stance, refusing to join either India or Pakistan. Pakistan sought to exploit this neutrality, preparing for infiltration. The Indian government was aware of these developments, and Maharaja Hari Singh’s neutral stance caused concern. In the first week of October 1947, Pakistani forces began infiltration activities. Anticipating a possible attack, the Indian government, through Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, contacted Shri Golwalkar Guruji to discuss the potential threat. Shri Guruji planned to meet Maharaja Hari Singh.


Accordingly, on October 17, 1947, Shri Golwalkar Guruji arrived in Srinagar on a government plane, accompanied by RSS pracharak Vasantrao Oak and advocate Narendra Singh. On October 18, they reached Karnamahal, where Maharaja Hari Singh and his wife, Maharani Tara Rani, personally welcomed Shri Guruji at the palace entrance. That same day, prolonged discussions took place between Maharaja Hari Singh and Shri Guruji regarding the potential threats and the integration of Kashmir into India. Maharaja Hari Singh assured Shri Guruji that he would seriously consider his suggestions. Shri Guruji then proceeded with his journey. Five days later, on October 23, Pakistani forces infiltrated Kashmir, unleashing atrocities and attempting to seize strategic locations.


On October 27, 1947, in the presence of Jammu and Kashmir’s Prime Minister Meherchand Mahajan, Maharaja Hari Singh signed the Instrument of Accession, officially declaring Jammu and Kashmir’s integration into India. The discussions between Maharaja Hari Singh and Shri Guruji proved decisive in ensuring Jammu and Kashmir’s integration into India, making Kashmir an inseparable part of the nation.


After the official integration of Jammu and Kashmir, the Indian government began deploying its forces to the region, but natural obstacles posed challenges. Even then, RSS volunteers worked shoulder-to-shoulder with the Indian Army, from preparing airstrips to supplying arms and ammunition. In the war imposed by Pakistan, many RSS volunteers attained martyrdom. Ultimately, Pakistan was defeated, and India emerged victorious on January 1, 1948. Thus, Shri Golwalkar Guruji played a lion’s share in integrating Jammu and Kashmir into India. Additionally, RSS volunteers contributed significantly by standing alongside the Indian Army to repel Pakistani infiltrators during the war-like situation. This is not a fabricated or false history but a true account, with evidence available in government records.


(The writer is a resident of Akola. Views personal.)

Comments

bottom of page