By TwoCircles.net News Desk,
Farmington, MI: The American Federation of Muslims of Indian Origin (AFMI) today announced the recipients of its Sir Syed and Meer Taqi Meer Awards for the year 2009.
The Sir Syed Award 2009 for contributions to the education of Indian Muslims goes to Mumbai based educationist Mr. Mubarak Kapdi. He is founding president of the National Movement for Education and chairman of the Maharashtra Urdu High School. He is well known for his counseling sessions, workshops, motivational speeches, articles, books, and other educational activities across India. Thousands of students have benefited from his counsel and went on to successful careers. His call for ‘total education’ has been well received across the country.
[Photo by muslimmedianetwork.com]
The Meer Taqi Meer Award 2009 for contributions to Urdu literature goes to noted poet and littérateur Pt. Anand Mohan Zutshi ‘Gulzar’ Dehlvi. He is widely hailed as the reigning king of the Delhi school of Urdu poetry and an embodiment of the composite (Ganga-Jamuni) culture of India.
In his 83 years he has served Urdu in a number of ways through his writings, poetry, teaching and associational activity. He is the founding secretary and Chairman of Anjuman Tameer-e-Urdu Dehli (founded 1947).
He started writing poetry in 1933 and took part in the Indian freedom movement from 1936. He was awarded Padma Shri, Ghalib Award, Iqbal Award, Mai kash Award, Mushafi Award, and Akhtar Sheerani Award, etc. He also holds the distinction of bringing out independent India’s first Science journal in Urdu through CSIR.
Both awards carry a citation, a crystal plaque, and thirty thousand rupees. The awards will be president in the main session of AFMI’s XVIII Annual Convention and Gala Award ceremony on Saturday, January 2nd, 2010 at Rabindranath Tagore Hall in Indore, Madhya Pradesh. The convention will be graced by a number of dignitaries from across India, USA, and Canada.
AFMI is a North American based grassroots organization, dedicated to socio-economic and educational development of Muslims and other underprivileged masses in India.
Contact: AFMI, 29008, West Eight Mile Road, Farmington MI 48336, USA
Tel: 248-442-2364; Fax: 248-476-8926 Email: [email protected]; / www.afmi.org