BaKhabar, May 2012, Page-4 [Bihar Anjuman-Riyadh/Al-Kharj chapter’s program “Delightful Moments of Awareness and Happiness”, on 26th April 2012]

better light a candle than curse the darkness

Bihar Anjuman, Riyadh-Al Kharj chapter’s Family Get-together program, 26^th April 2012 met with huge success and touched many hearts beyond the boundaries of Bihar & Jharkhand:
Press Coverage: TCN News || Arab news
Saudi Gazette || Yahind
The program “Delightful Moments of Awareness and Happiness” was a huge success, attended by over 350 community members, including women and children. The event was divided into three sections – men’s section was blessed by the presence of renowned dignitaries and philanthropists of Indian community, like educationist and business leader Engr. Janab Nadim Tarin Sb., as chief guest, business tycoons Janab Sirajuddin Qureshi Sb. (chairman of India Islamic Culture Center) and Janab Rashid Shaikh Sb., as guests of honour.

Bihar Anjuman's Riyadh & Al-Kharj chapter: Family Get-together program, 26.04.2012

Bihar Anjuman which has more than 12,000 online members from all over the world runs active chapters across the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and India, is already making waves in the Indian society through its dedicated work of helping poor Muslims. An introduction of Bihar Anjuman’s aims, objectives, mission & vision, its current projects and its business model was presented by Janab Engr. Shakeel Ahmad Sb. Through the hour-long presentation, he provided details of the aims & objectives of the 21 RAHBAR Coaching Centres across Bihar & Jharkhand, with a mission of establishing 62 centres, to transform non-meritorious students of government schools who cannot afford private tuition into meritorious ones, so that these left-overs of the society do not drop-out of the educational system. Unless they continue receiving education until decent employment, muslim’s representation in the Indian economy would remain pathetic. Similar mission of establishing 62 ITIs (RAHBAR Technical Training Centres, approved by govt.) – one in each district of Bihar & Jharkhand was presented as envisioned to bring early employment opportunities to those who cannot afford higher education due to economic or other challenges like genuine lack of merit. He also briefed the guests about free holistic education being imparted by residential RAHBAR-e-Banat madrasa-cum-school project for poor girls wherein uniforms and sweaters are also given away free. The business-model of how resources could be pooled in a common basket from all around the world, following the principles of open-source development which made volunteers deliver masterpieces like Wikipedia, Linux and Symbian the quality products far better than those developed by paid staff of giant global companies kept the audience spell-bound.

Janab Sirajuddin Qureshi Sb has always been on the forefront in promoting social and charitable organizations like Bihar Anjuman. As if as a sequel of chapter-based network sourcing of Bihar Anjuman, he announced that India Islamic Culture Center (IICC), an apex Islamic center with a mandate to provide a unified platform for promoting Islamic heritage and interfaith harmony, is will open regional chapters across India to give greater wingspan to its activities. “A total of five chapters including one in the eastern Indian state of Bihar have been proposed,” he said. “The IICC will work with Indian government agencies and Saudi organizations including the New Delhi-based Saudi Embassy to generate support for the IICC’s expansion plan and for building its chapters in different provinces of India,” said Qureshi Sb,
To this end, he noted the IICC has become a hub of activities and program including seminars, symposiums and roadshows on mostly Muslim issues since its inauguration by Congress President Sonia Gandhi way back in June 2006. Late Prime Minister Indira Gandhi laid the foundation stone of the center in 1984. The IICC chief, who held a luncheon meeting with a group of affluent Indian community members to conceive the idea of IICC chapter in Patna and to formally launch a campaign to generate support for Patna center, said the New Delhi-based main IICC needs more resources to expand its facility. Qureshi Sb, who is chairman of the world-renowned India-based Hind Group, also called on Indian youth and especially his co-religionists to launch their own business ventures. "Our young generation must venture into the business field," he said. Qureshi, who wrote his own fate and amassed huge prestige and wealth after starting a small venture on the roadside of the Indian capital several decades back, said business relations between Indian and Saudi Arabia are progressively growing.
Janab Nadeem Tarin Sb., a prominent community leader, educationist and a highly successful businessman, who was the chief guest at the event, spoke about his own journey from a humble beginning in a government school to establishing high quality schools of eminence and funding a large modern hall of residence for engineering students of AMU.

Appreciating the Bihar Anjuman’s efforts to bring about a paradigm shift from a culture of “Begging” to a culture of “Giving”, he stressed that everyone can do something from wherever he is based, and pool valuable resources for community development. He explained how everyone is richer than him – one is rich or poor according to his requirements, not according to his possessions. For example, even if Sirajuddin Qureshi Sb has a hundred crores with him, his needs are two hundred crores, so he is short of funds by a whopping hundred crores, thus most of us are richer than him because our we are short by only a fraction of that. Therefore, all of us must actively contribute to the welfare of our society as much as we can, without waiting for someone else to do so.
Janab Rashid Shaikh Sb, a highly successful Riyadh-based businessman, well-known and greatly regarded for his social and philanthropic work, appreciated Bihar Anjuman for their endeavours to benefit the community, and urged them to extend their work to his home district of Ballia (UP).
Indian community leaders including Syed Muneer Ahmed Sb., Murshid Kamal Sb., Faizan Balkhi Sb., Jabed Hussain Sb., Ziauddin Ahmed Sb., Seraj Akram Sb., Naushad Alam Sb. and Kaunain Shahidi Sb. were instrumental in organizing the event. Janab Kaunain Shahidi Sb., convenor of Bihar Anjuman’s Al-Kharj chapter, anchored the program in an impressive manner.
Bouquet of fresh flowers were presented to the chief guest and the guests of honour. Special bouquet were presented to Shakeel Ahmad Sb and Siraj Akram Sb, appreciating their behind-the-scene contributions. As a gesture of appreciation, Janab Shamsuddin Shams Sb, President of AMU Old Boys Association (AMUOBA), Riyadh and Janab Naushad Alam Sb, Joint Secy of Jamia Alumni Association, Riyadh chapter presented a special bouquet to Shakeel Ahmad Sb, who thanked him for his support to the cause of extended Alig fraternity.

Janab Murshid Kamal Sb, former president of Jamia Millia Islamia Alumni association (JMIAA), Riyadh, delivered an eloquent speech on the occasion prompting the community members to come forward to help themselves and their community. In a long but lucid and engaging speech, citing the current socio-political realities, he elaborated on why Bihar Anjuman must come out of Bihar & Jharkhand to replicate the mission in other states of India, starting with Bihar Anjuman-Assam, Bihar Anjuman-West Bengal, Bihar Anjuman-Uttar Pradesh and Bihar Anjuman-Orissa, to finally make an all India organization on similar lines called Bihar Anjuman-India or India Anjuman based in Delhi.
Syed Munir Ahmed Sb, the convenor of Bihar Anjuman’s Riyadh chapter, briefed the audience on the activities of Riyadh and Al-Kharj chapters, and urged them to join the chapter. To this effect, a form was circulated to fill in the contact details. A lucky draw was also conducted to reward one winner with a surprise gift.
Women’s section conducted a religious lecture and a short quiz program was also conducted, the winners of which received special gifts.
The children’s section had many fun-filled games, and an Islamic-cum-GK quiz. More than a dozen children received awards, many of them won multiple awards, and received certificates and awards from the guests. Sb, who thanked him for his support to the cause of extended Alig fraternity.