People Track

Prof. Mohammed Sirajuddin, formal Principal, Al-Ameen College, passed away on May 2, 2005, following an illness in Bangalore. The demise of Prof. is a great loss, not just to his family and friends, but also to the community at large. Prof. Sirajuddin had 40 years of service as an educationist at various institutions. He was instrumental in the growth and progress of the Govt. College Mandya, Sir M.V College, Bhadravathi, Al Ameen College and Brindavan College Bangalore, to name a few. Born in a small village, Sathgatta (Tumkur district), he lost his father at an early age. He had to bear the brunt of hardship of economy while supporting his family throughout the course of his own education. His hardwork won him scholarships during his schooling. Later he completed his B.Sc in physics, while living in a hostel at Siddaganga Math. Shri Shivakumar Swamy recognised his potential and recommended for his scholarship. After B.Sc, he went on to do his M.Sc in Nuclear Physics. Residing at Muslim Hostel Bangalore, he used to earn his expenditure by teaching Arabic. He secured the 3rd rank in M.Sc. He started his service as a Govt. lecturer in 1960. After serving in collegiate education as senior professor of Physics, he retired in 1992. He continued his contribution beyond retirement. His social service extended to many deserving sections be it the Taj high school Bhadravathi, Fazul Baqiyat Trust, Muslim Orphanage, Bangalore, and many more. While he was on the death bed at the ICU, he could not speak and was critical. He made it a point to scribble a note to donate some amount towards education of the poor, no matter which community - for each day of his treatment.


Tributes by readers to Late, Prof Sirajuddin can be mailed to his son-Noor
(email: talk2noor@yahoo.com)

The International Biographical Centre of Cambridge, England has conferred the prestigious International Health Professional Award-2005 to Dr F. Sadruddin Shariff, renowned cardio-thoracic surgeon from Bangalore. The award has been given in recognition of his contribution to the
medical field and his service to the poor patients. (drshariff@hotmail.com)

Nadir Ahmed of Sadvidya High School, Mysore, scored 95.68 per cent in the SSLC examination of 2005. But what is different about this boy is that he chose Sanskrit as the first language in which he scored 124 out of 125 marks. He is the son of Naveed Ahmed, officer, SBM, residing at Udayagiri.

Dr. Mohammad Siddiq Jaferi, editor, of Reforms English monthly died here on June 22. He was 64.


Jaferi who was also heading the International Seerah Academy trained hundreds of youth in Islamic etiquette and conducted personality building courses. He took keen interest in preparation of Islamic audio-visual material in English for children and other languages and had released several CDs, audio cassettes and books. He trained several teachers in handling Islamic studies classes and involved them in writing Islamic rhymes and stories. He ran Al-Siddiq International School in Dubai for over a decade and was later associated with Naunehal Central School in Bhatkal. He was also an important office bearer of the Anjuman Hami-e-Muslimeen in Bhatkal which runs a string of professional educational institutions.


Pegged in Bangalore for nearly a decade, Dr. Jaferi and his wife Dr. Ruqaiyya took upon the task of mentoring youth in the city. They built an Islamic Library at their home on Wheeler Road. The duo was familiar on the lecture circuit in towns of Karnataka. His death has left a void in the city life which will be difficult to fill. He is survived by his wife, four sons and a daughter.

Uzma Naheed, Director of the Iqra Education Foundation was awarded by the Time Foundation in recognition of her exemplary service in the field of education and women’s economic upliftment. The award was presented to her at the Times of India office in Mumbai. Uzma Naheed has conducted Teachers Training Programmes in 18 cities in India and cities in Bangladesh that helps teachers adopt the most modern teaching techniques being used in the West.

Uzma Naheed can be reached at iqraindia@hotmail.com.

Dealing a major blow to its coalition partner Congress in Karnataka, JD(S) wrested the Chamarajpet assembly seat in the bye-elections held on June 2. Unleashing a vigorous campaign against Congress for ignoring the development of slums and harping on land grabbing issue, JD(S), which had no presence in Bangalore city, made inroads winning the prestigious seat vacated by former chief ministerS M Krishna in a multi-cornered contest. JD(S) candidate Zameer Ahmed Khan defeated his nearest Congress rival R V Devaraj to wrest the seat by 3,678 votes. Khan polled 19,943 votes and Devaraj 16,265.


Zameer Ahmed Khan has been credited for winning this seat on his own merit and hard work. It seems he holds a promise of doing many good things for the Muslims.

Prof. Mumtaz Ali Khan who joined the BJP in 2004, has quit the party. In a statement circulated to the press, Khan said he decided to quit the party as it was affecting his social work. He however reiterated his commitment to work for social harmony between various communities. Khan, a noted social worker of Bangalore is the chairman of the Khawja Garib Nawaz Society and runs the Salamat Kannada School. Mr Khan was appointed a vice president of the party unit in Karnataka.
He can be reached at ifwukhan@bgl.vsnl.net.in.