Ismaili.NET - Heritage F.I.E.L.D.

The market at Nizamuddin basti is bustling with energy on a Thursday afternoon. There are some people chattering in front of a butchershop and children fighting while playing carom. The smell of fresh biryani fills the air as I walk through the winding lanes towards my destination, a kitchen called Zaika-e-Nizamuddin which is run entirely by a group of local women.

An initiative by the Aga Khan Foundation that began in 2012, Zaika-e-Nizamuddin was set up as part of a dual campaign to create employment opportunities for women and tackle the problem of malnutrition in this area.

The 49th hereditary Imam of Shia Ismaili Muslims, Aga Khan met President APJ Abdul Kalam in the capital on Wednesday at the sprawling Rashtrapati Bhawan

The 49th hereditary Imam of Shia Ismaili Muslims, Aga Khan met President APJ Abdul Kalam in the capital on Wednesday at the sprawling Rashtrapati Bhawan

ew Delhi [India]: The entry for Nila Gumbad at Humayun Tomb Complex in the national capital was opened on Saturday for the general public.
Union Minister Prahlad Singh Patel opened the gate and also leads a morning walk at Humayun Tomb Complex as part of the Fit India Movement.

In 2017, Nila Gumbad was declared by UNESCO as a World Heritage Monument as part of the extended Humayun’s Tomb World Heritage Site.

By Express News Service
NEW DELHI: Almost five years after its conservation, Neela Gumbad, the blue-tiled tomb in the 16th century mausoleum complex of Mughal emperor Humayun, is likely to be unveiled officially on Saturday.

According to officials of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), Union Culture Minister Prahlad Singh Patel will inaugurate the ancient domed building on August 31 with two other projects — a new museum displaying retrieved and confiscated antiquities at Purana Quila and new-fangled illumination at Qutub Minar complex.

The 14th century baoli in the Kotla Feroz Shah complex is another example of a stepwell still in use. the decrepit well still waters the gardens.

Once important community spaces, stepwells from centuries ago needn’t just be relics of the past for tourists and history buffs but can be used to conserve water in these arid times, even with dipping groundwater levels, say conservationists and historians.

At a time when many areas in Delhi and multiple cities across the country are facing acute water shortage, Mughal Emperor Jahangir-built baoli at Arab Ki Sarai can become a harbinger of hope for water conservation. It is being revived with the twin purpose of heritage and water conservation.

Mowlana Hazar Imam’s speech at the foundation stone laying ceremony of the main building of Abdul Waheed Moledina Schools', Poona (India).

Mr. Chairman, Members of the Managing Board Ladies and Gentlemen:

Hyderabad: Aga Khan Trust for Culture (AKTC) which is working on the restoration of Qutb Shahi Tombs has now taken up the renovation of Paigah Tombs, also known as the Taj Mahal of the Deccan.

The nearly 150-year-old necropolis is located near Santosh Nagar.
Paigah Nawabs were next only to the Nizams in military, political and economic power who ruled Hyderabad State from 1724 to 1948.

Though Paigah Tombs are part of the historical and architectural heritage of Hyderabad they have been lying in a state of neglect for several decades.

Hyderabad: The Aga Khan Academy Hyderabad celebrated its sixth Graduation Ceremony at its 100-acre campus near Shamshabad/RGI Airport on Saturday 25th May 2019. 74 students of the Class of 2019 concluded their International Baccalaureate journey at the Academy with a formal evening ceremony attended by fellow students, Academy senior management, faculty and staff as well as parents, extended families and invited guests. These students join a growing legacy of global young leaders, driven by the Academy’s unique curriculum and approach to education.

The Imam of the Shia Ismaili community, the Aga Khan, on Thursday said his Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) will work for the agriculture sector and rural support in Maharashtra.
Lauding the efforts of the state government for tribal development, the visiting spiritual leader said he will consider extending support to finish incomplete irrigation projects in Maharashtra and create livelihood opportunities for tribals in remote areas.

By Bill Gates
Can goats empower women?
In one of the poorest areas of India, they already are.
This is thanks to a new team of health workers who are training rural women how to gain financial independence by raising healthier goats.

The health workers are goat nurses known as “pashu sakhis,” which means “friends of the animals” in Hindi. Pashu sakhis are all poor women themselves who are given basic training in how to vaccinate, deworm, and provide other preventive care to goats in their community.

So, how does this help empower women?

New Delhi: The Aga Khan Foundation on Tuesday partnered with the German embassy, which will provide Rs 41.5 lakh for rebuilding of a traditional ‘baoli (water stepwell) in the Humayun Tomb’s complex here.

It was announced during the signing of a memorandum of understanding by Aga Khan Trust for Culture Chief Executive Ratish Nanda and the German envoy Martin Ney in the Mughal-era Arab Ki Sarai premises.

The Arab Ki Sarai, an Archeological Survey of India (ASI) protected monument, houses an out-of-use stepwell.

Anganwadi teachers to collect info on food habits of families

The Department for Women, Children, Disabled and Senior Citizens (DWCD) will soon have a project monitoring unit (PMU) to monitor the data of children, pregnant and lactating mothers served by the Anganwadi centres across the State.
The DWCD has entered into a Memorandum of Understanding with the Aga Khan Foundation which has agreed to support the PMU. Currently, the department’s internal IT Cell is digitising the data uploaded by Anganwadi supervisors.

Teachers roped in

Hazar Imam meets with Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India 2018-02-21

On 22nd September 1962 at Calcutta (India) an address of welcome was presented to Mowlana Hazar Imam Shah Karim Al-Hussaini Aga Khan by Shri Keshab Chandra Basu, the speaker of the West Bengal Legislative Assembly.

All Nations Club of Calcutta (India) gave a Dinner in Honour of His Royal Highness Prince Karim Al Hussaini Aga Khan on 22nd of September 1962.

His Excellency Shri Shanker Das Banarji, the Finance Minister of West Bengal (India) welcoming His Royal Highness, paid glowing tributes and said, “Your position, therefore, is that of a world citizen, who can make a large contribution towards creating goodwill among men, understanding and co-operation among nations.

His Royal Highness in his reply said, :

“Your Excellency, Ladies and Gentlemen:

Your Excellency, members of Kamar Education Trust:

Let me begin by saying how very happy I am to be amongst you today and how honoured I am that you should have invited me to lay the Foundation Stone of this Hostel. The kind words which you have spoken about my late Grandfather have touched me deeply as he was not only a great Muslim but the revered head of my family for over three quarters of a century.