Logging life

Nation And The World: 1 Sept 2009 Once again a mishmash of articles make the issue of this magazine. But in this particular issue a number of articles that are worth reading. One by Raihanaa Hasan on female Muslim rulers of the past is very interesting. There have been at least 20 female rulers who had juma khutba read out in their name (a sign of sovereignty in Muslim areas). So, there were some ruler before Razia Sultan and some after her. Article by Mohammed Hanif, first published in the Guradian about Karachi - London to Karachi: Homecoming to Pakistan- is very interesting read and opens you up to a place that we don't see it in news coverage about Pakistan. A full page ad by Maulana Azad National Urdu University is all in English except the name also appears in Hindi but not a letter of Urdu in the whole ad.

I have heard about the book Freakonomics but never got around to reading it. So, today I took a break from my long list of work to do and head to the library to do some leisure reading. I picked up this book and few hours later it was finished and here I am blogging about it. I am a slow reader and prefer to absorb the books that I read but this one I knew if I put down it might take a long time to get back to it. So my long reading session actually consisted of few sessions- few hours in the library, few hours in Karma Tea, then home for Asr and Maghrib prayers and then finally finished it and I should go and pray Isha. The books gives you a new way of looking at things/issues/problems. In the movie Patch Adams , Howard Hughes tells Patch Adams that you have to look beyond the problem to find the solution. I should mention here that I was a Howard Hughes Scholar in University. The other points the book makes is that people are generally good but if there are incentives to cheat

Urdu Science, September 2009. Article on MSG salt is excellent and well-researched. Article on the topic of global warming is informative and relevant to Indian context. One really interesting article is written by Abdul Wadood Ansari of Asansol. It is "aik sher- science ki roshani meN" and looks at a famous sher by Khwaja Haider Ali Aatish : "kaam himmat se jawaanmard agar leta hai saanp ko maar ke ganjeena-zar leta hai" [If young man is brave, he can grab the jewel by killing the snake) It is based on a myth that when a snake becomes old, it produces a jewel that is very precious but snake becomes dangerous and not easy to kill him at this stage. This sher is used to tell kids that a difficult work can be done by bravery. The writer explains that it is a myth and therefore when reciting this sher it should be explained that it is a myth and not scientific fact. But I think this goes both way, we can use the awareness about science to generate interest

Radiance viewsweekly's 16-22 August 2009 issue has a number of really good articles. http://www.radianceweekly.com/index.php?issue_id=167 Muslims always complain about the attempts to force uniform civil code on them, but article by Afzal Ahmad Khan was good attempt to highlight various issues that Muslims have with this. Article on Al-Khair Cooperative Society was good in showing how a banking institution can survive without charging any interest. The best part of this issue was Radiance's interview feature "face to face" with Shafi Moonis who has been associated with JIH for a long time. Radiance is a JIH publication, therefore it was surprised to see Shafi Moonis openly criticizing many of the steps that JIH took over the years. It will be interesting to see if readers responded to it in later issues, if they did not then I know no one is reading these magazines.

Found this verse of Quran that talks about disables but says that it not a fault or punishment for sins. It is no fault in the blind nor in one born lame, nor in one afflicted with illness...[ Surah Al-Noor: 61]

I have always believed and more I look more evidence I find that Jinnah was not the sole spokesman of Muslims of India and there was considerable opposition to him and Muslim League. More evidence of this appears in a recently published book: TOWARDS FREEDOM — Documents on the Movement for Independence in India 1940 (Part-I): Edited by K.N. Panikkar; Oxford University Press, YMCA Library Building, Jai Singh Road, New Delhi-110001. Rs. 3450. In the following quote from a review of this book, I have highlighted names of the organizations that opposed the two-nation theory. Though not mentioned below but it is well known that Jamiat Ulema Hind and Deobandi scholars opposed it too. The present exercise, however, convincingly demonstrates that not all Indian Muslims accepted Jinnah’s two-nation theory. The Kerala Provincial Political Conference , the All-India Azad Muslim Conference , and the South Indian Nationalist Muslim Association viewed the Pakistan proposal “un-Islamic” whe

A reading of the verse 55 of Surah Al-Noor seems to suggest that. But when Muslim were the sole ruler of the much of the known world and leader of the education and science & technology for about thousand years then can we not call it that this promise has been already fulfilled? Nothing in this verse suggest that this promise is till perpetuity. In fact, there is a big condition imposed in the beginning that Muslims should be doing "good work" [عَمِلُواْ ٱلصَّـٰلِحَـٰتِ]. Are Muslims being "good" to the world? I am sure lot of Muslim terrorist may be using this verse to justify their violent campaign to gain power in their countries or dream of world dominion but they first have to fulfill their promise of doing "good work." What good is it when one oppressor is replaced with another violent ruler? Allah hath promised such of you as believe and do good work that He will surely make them to succeed (the present rulers) in the earth even as He cause

Muslim leadership in India is mostly about protest. Whether it is Shahbano, Babri Masjid, Salman Rushdie, Polio drops, registration of marriages, Taslima Nasrin, or the latest- Central Madrasa Board. Of course, some of these protests are justified and most of these protests are within the democratic limits but the other side of the democratic work is making demands for the community. Muslim leadership has failed to get any new benefit to the community. Muslim leadership also fails to analyze a situation, incident, or a new proposal and see how the community can benefit from it. It is either the mistrust of the government or our insularity that any new idea is shot down even before it is properly discussed. So instead of seeing how the proposed Central Madrasa Board (CMB) can benefit the community climb out of its pathetic education conditions we seem to think that we are better off without it. Before we see how the Board has the potential to help the community let’s look carefully

It is a really interesting movie. There are no dialogues, no character and in fact, no story. Shot beautifully in 24 countries- people, history, culture, religious life- this brings to life humanity and its relationship with each other and the world around them. Just by incredible photography and equally superb music, this movie generated lot of emotions in 96 minutes. Truly, an incredible experience. I had seen this movie earlier in 2003 in Santa Fe, New Mexico, saw it again recently on DVD. Baraka means blessings. more: http://www.spiritofbaraka.com/baraka

Media Scan is a monthly magazine launched in August 2009 from Bangalore. Editor is M. I. Qasimi and Publisher M.A. Raheem. Editorial of the first issues says: It is an endeavour by journalists and other professional committed to make a positive impact in the Indian society. We have no allegiance whatsoever- - political, commercial, religious, regional, casteism, or otherwise. With the first copy of MEDIASCAN we are happy to welcome you to join hands in our pursuit of TRUTH. No breaking news, exclusive stories, journalistic coups, and sting-operations- which often land us in the valley of wildreness. But towards the end the editorial board writes: There will be thought provoking columns, breaking news, exclusive stories, and exciting features- all adorned facts. So, within a span of two paragraphs, the magazine breaks its own promise of not doing breaking news and exclusive stories. Anyway, the magazine is published in all color with good quality paper and so far the best p

Milli Gazette, 16-31 August 2009 turned the front, back, and middle pages in color. It has been color when it just launched so after about 9 years color has returned to MG pages but that's not the sad news. This issue which is in color delivers news of death of three Muslim personalities- Kamala Surayya, Muhammad Shihab Thangal and Syed Abdullah Bukhari. Obituary of Syed Abdullah Bukhari is written by Syed Shahabuddin who was with him during the Babri Masjid Action Committee days. It is a nice biography of Mr. Bukhari. Syed Shahabuddin has another article in the same issues titled 'What can Muslim Indians do for themselves." In it he gives a vision for the development of the community. Let me quote few sentences: "... the Muslims must realize that it is not only they but nearly 80% of the people feel that 60 years of democracy and growth has passed them by, without any movement of social justice." "Nor should Muslims lose sight of the fact that the p

Ali Anwar Ansari, son of a labourer, has come a long way since his bidi-rolling days. He has been a Member of Parliament of Rajya Sabha since 2006. In between, he has been a Grade IV government employee, activist, journalist, author and fathered a movement for Dalit or Pasmanda Muslims. In 1996, he received KK Birla Foundation fellowship to study condition of Dalit Muslims of Bihar. Anwar toured Bihar and what he found was documented in his book ‘Masavat ki Jang’ (Struggle for Equality). The book created shock-waves among Muslims and confronted them about the practice of caste among Muslims of India. This is the topic that was not discussed prior to this though always present in the society. A look at the matrimonial pages of any Muslim magazine will attest to this fact. Muslim leaders always maintained the Islam is all about equality and that Muslims are brothers to each other. Ali Anwar found many social practices that proved that caste practices are prevalent in Muslims as w

I am a big fan of Urdu Science magazine. I was impressed to see that in the August 2009 issue of the magazine, they talk about an issue that is current or at least it was hot at that time. Usually, this is not the case. "Science aur insaani zindagi" by Prof. Iqbal Muhiyuddin was also good.

Two interesting articles on May 30th, 2009 issue of Radiance. One is how Muslim can participate in the secular world around them. Second is a critique of Darwinism, unfortunately this article is not on their website. It is an interesting article and worthy of a read because it is not a copy & paste job. Last page article titled "The Most Eligible Widower" by Ausaf was however a painful experience. First of all, there seems to be no point of this article. Secondly, Mr. Ausaf seems to be still stuck in 18th century. Read on: "She was short-statured, flabby, black and had no sense of gait and dress." and one more "Both having darken shades and less-than impressive persona." This is not really the type of language that generates "radiance."

Assam United Democratic Front made history in 2006 by winning 10 seats in Assam Assembly election. Cashing in on the success, it had launched branches in at least five other states and now calls itself All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF). The first serious set back for the three year old party came when it lost the recent by-election to one of the seat previously held by its president. This is a warning sign for the party and what it represents. In the last Lok Sabha election, party president Badruddin Ajmal was able to win a seat, proclaiming proudly that they are here to stay and their 2006 success was no flash in the pan. But the success of UDF has lot to do with the years of goodwill generated by the social work of Deoband graduate and businessman Badruddin Ajmal. Badruddin who won from two places in 2006 assembly election, vacated Jamunamukh and fielded his brother Sirajuddin for the by-election. Sirajuddin won comfortably and though he doesn’t speak Assamese he was able t

The Last Mughal by William Dalrymple Though it includes many Indian narrative of the the great war of 1857 but still this book is dominated by English narrative to this important piece of Indian history. One is surprised that how close Indian forces were to routing British forces but due to weakness on the strategic front, their bravery could not make up for it, all of India was lost to the British for 90 more years. Mughals had no choice but to support what started out as a mutiny but soon became a war against the British. British were going to end the recognition of the Mughals as emperor of India and Mughal family was supposed to move out of the Red Fort. This situation gave the dying Mughal empire last hope of revival and they did gave a good fight but palace intrigues also had a hand in them losing this important battle. British forces were helped by a number of spies and if it was not for them the fall of Delhi would not have taken place. Though the book focuses only

Justice MSA Siddiqui believes in doing work and keeping a low profile. This is the reason that you have not heard much about the organization he heads and the work he does. Justice Siddiqui is the chairman of National Commission for Minority Educational Institutions (NCMEI). Justice Siddiqui was in the United States, last month, to receive American Federation of Muslims from India (AFMI) Excellence Award for his “illustrious legal and judicial career and for his outstanding contributions in the field of education.” TwoCircles.net caught up with him during his stay in Boston to find out more about the work of the Commission that he heads. NCMEI was set up by the UPA government in 2004. NCMEI provides for any minority educational institution to seek affiliation to any affiliating university of India. Any problem faced by the minorities in establishing their own education institutions, a fundamental right under Article 30(1) of the Constitution, can also be resolved by approaching NCM

DSC02562 Originally uploaded by kaaashif These are important elections but let's talk about other issues. At least this is what the note appear to say for National and the World magazine - May 16 2009 Vol 16, 419 issue. Sure a magazine will have its regular features but what kind of magazine is this though calling it "battle royal' does no special on elections to inform its readers about issues at stakes. Click to read "To Our Readers." http://www.nationandtheworld.com/

maulana_azad_SBI Originally uploaded by kaaashif On the occasion of Maulana ABul Kalam Azad's birthday on Nov. 11th. Attached is the ad recently run by the State Bank of India that rightly describes him not only as a freedom fighter but a scholar. It also gives him credit for establishing many educational institution but few know that idea for IIT was chalked out and first IIT set up when he was the Education Minister. He should also be called Father of IITs.

A directorial debut movie for Ismail Merchant, In Custody or "Muhafiz" is a beautiful movie about Urdu, poetry and Urdu poetry. Shot in Bhopal and released in 1993 this is a marvelous movie with lot of messages about the condition of Urdu and a glimpse of Muslim culture from past to present. The message of the movie is clear - if Urdu has to survive in India, Hindus need to accept and cherish it.

Former career diplomat Ishrat Aziz talking to Saad Bin Zia says: Maulana Azad was made the in-charge of the West Asia/Arab World Section in Foreign Ministry although Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru was himself the Foreign Minister because as you know Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru very rights beleived that there are certain insights that Maulana Azad can give on the Arab World because of the fact that Maulana Azad knew this region well and he had his own perceptions about them. This comes right after the revelation that Nehru had permitted of opening of Israeli Consulate in New Delhi. Though until recently, Indian Passports came with the stamp that it is not valid for travel to Israel. In the article "Alleviation of Poverty' writer Mr. Chaudhari Fariduddin mentioned that if all Muslims of India who have zakat due on them paid their zakat then it will come out to be 10,500 crore rupees and 1/3rd of that will be from North India. I am yet to figure out calculation or the source. Anoth

Photo & text by Kashif-ul-Huda, TwoCircles.net The building of the India Islamic Cultural Center (IICC) takes your breath away. The beautiful dome, intricate calligraphy and delicate design in beautiful Persian tiles make you spellbound. The administration of IICC can be forgiven for taking 22 years to complete its construction. Between Indira Gandhi laying the foundation stone of the Centre on August 24, 1984 and her daughter-in-law inaugurating it on June 12, 2006, it took many people and much money to see to its completion. It is a beautiful example of Muslim’s and the Indian government coming together to give shape to an institution. With the objective to “promote understanding among the people of different religion and help the promotion of the cause of national integration,” IICC has quickly become an important institution. Last year, it saw a bitter fight between businessman Sirajuddin Qureshi and present Minority Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid for the post of the presiden

The Milli Gazette has been around almost 10 years and no other Muslim publication in India has been referenced so much by journalists, scholars, and writers than MG. I have been fan and critic of MG for a long time. I have always pointed out large number of pages devoted to international affairs which is made up of articles floating around the internet. I was happy to see that in the May 2009 issue only 5 pages have articles on Muslim or international affairs. Community news section has been expanded to four pages. http://www.milligazette.com/

By M. Zajam and Kashif-ul-Huda for TwoCircles.net On the face of it, Muslims have been able to maintain the status-quo in the new assembly of Maharashtra but scratch the surface and witness the emergence of a community gaining political strength. Outgoing Maharashtra assembly had 11 Muslim MLAs, and the latest election also returned 11 Muslim MLAs. The 2009 result saw 5 Muslim candidates coming second, three of those with a margin of less than 10,000 votes. In 2004 elections, 7 Muslim candidates ended up runner-ups and four of these with less than 10,000 votes. So, if we include runner-ups in our analysis it seems Muslims in Maharashtra have lost some political ground. In 2004 elections all Muslim MLAs belonged to either the Congress (INC) or its ally, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP). Between 2004 and 2009, Muslims of Maharashtra saw multiple anti-Muslim violence, fake encounters, and arrests of Muslim youth after terrorist attacks. Muslims felt helpless and lacked security while the

Justice MSA Siddiqui is the chairman of National Commission for Minority Educational Institutions (NCMEI). It was this body which first proposed a board to regularize the madrasas in India. The proposal to set up a Central Madrasa Board has gathered controversy since then. TwoCircles.net met Justice Siddiqui in Boston, Massachusetts to talk to him about the proposed Board. A section of ulema are in opposition to this Board because they think this is an attempt to take over independent madrasas and change their religious character. Justice MSA Siddiqui is on a tour of the United States, away from the scene of controversy. He came to the US on an invitation from American Federation of Muslims from India (AFMI) and was given an award of excellence for his services to the community. Those who are in opposition seemed to have not read the bill or that they are deeply suspicious of the government. Justice Siddiqui, on the other hand, is all praise for the systems of madrasas. He is proud tha

Communalism Combat is a monthly magazine edited and published by husband and wife team of Javed Anand and Teesta Setalvad. Teesta, Shabnam Hashmi, and Harsh Mander though working independently of each other, collectively have done excellent work for justice in the wake of anti-Muslim violence of Gujarat of 2002. Though the violence was well covered by the national media still many people are not ready to believe that Narendra Modi had a hand in it. Some think he is to blamed for not doing enough to stop the violence but he himself was not party to it. All evidence point to his administration actively involved in unleashing the violence, and later doing all they can to subvert the justice. There is enough evidence for those who want to look. May 2009 issue of Communalism Combat magazine puts some of the material in one place that shows that conspiracy angles goes all the way up to Narendara Modi. Read it here: http://sabrang.com/cc/archive/2009/may09/index.html

Opa-Locka train station Originally uploaded by kaaashif This photo of Opa-Locka train station, was selected by the Miami Herald for its Neighborhood Photo project. Check it out: http://www.flickr.com/photos/exuexpress/galleries/72157622654289936 More photos of Opa-Locka : http://www.flickr.com/photos/94592664@N00/sets/72157621530164568/

I have been critical of the Ministry of Minority Affairs and I sent my latest EPW article to Salman Khurshid. He said he had already read it in its print version and asked me for my address and sent his book "Babar ki Aulad." I was looking for this book so I was delighted to get it. Note the pics that it was sent from a post office close to his home so he did not use office staff or postage to send his book. This does not mean that I will be any less critical of the MMA. An article on Multi-sectoral development scheme is planned.

Urdu monthly Science is published by Dr. Aslam Parvaiz since 1994. It has been published since then on a regular basis, a rarity in the Urdu world. Dr. Parvaiz is the Principal of Zakir Hussain College of Delhi University. He should be given credit for consistently serving Urdu, Muslims, & science. It is a quality magazine and to find enough material on science in Urdu to put together a magazine every month must be a huge challenge. I have seen even difficult scientific terms translated in Urdu but still simple enough that you can guess what they mean. I am not sure if his magazine uses an Urdu dictionary of scientific terms. In the May issue cover story is 'Aayat-e-kaynaat' or 'Signs of the Creation' by Prof. Dr. Muhammad Saud Alam Qasmi of Aligarh. His article is long but brilliant and justifies him attaching three honorific with his name (prof, dr, and qasmi). سورة فَاطِر کیا تم نے نہیں دیکھا کہ خدا نے آسمان سے مینہ برسایا۔ تو ہم نے اس سے طرح طرح کے رنگوں کے میو

Jamaat-e-Islami supporting god-less communists? From Radiance editorial April 25th, 2009: Communists would never join hands with BJP. Their pro-poor policies have been commendable. Their attitude towards minorities also has been better if not best. They should be supported wherever they are in a better position. Congress is the largest party and the main rival of BJP, therefore naturally it deserves the support of Muslims. India's future would be in safer hands if either UPA or a Third Front comes to power. ... in every constituency [Muslims] should vote unitedly for secular candidates who are honest and have a good moral record. Also support to congress is very pragmatic though being an Islamic organization they had to insert "good moral record" bit. Interestingly enough, no mention of Muslim led parties. But in the next editorial, Radiance calls 'Need for a broad-based Muslim party' This unity, let it be clear, is not against Hindus or any other community, not f

Call it Ramzan, Ramazan, or Ramadan but this month of fasting does not mix well with sports and regimented life of sports persons. I always wondered how Muslim sports persons played or kept up their physical routine during this month. I assumed that made up for their fasts during off-season. UK based The Muslim News has an interesting article on fasting practices of some of the Muslims players. Also, biggest tournament in sports, Olympics, which will be held in 2012 in London will be during Ramadan. The Muslim news in its editorial calls for moving the dates to accommodate Muslim athletes, and I completely agree. Olympic dates are not set in stones and ultimately it is decided based on local consideration moving the dates so that it does not fall in Ramadan, so that Muslim athletes who fast can compete at their optimum level is within the Olympic spirit.

Franklin Caesar Thomas of Delhi is an optimistic man. In his professional life he used to be engineer employed at BHEL and Indian Railways but he got himself a law degree and since 2004 fighting a full time legal battle for justice for Dalit Christian and Muslims. It may come as a surprise but Ministry of Minority Affairs is playing delay tactic to deny justice to those it is supposed to benefit. Thomas is the National Coordinator of National Council for Dalit Christians. Since 2004, he is leading the fight to remove the Presidential Order of 1950 that excluded Muslim and Christian Dalits from the Scheduled Castes list. His legal fight resulted in Government of India referring the matter of the controversial Presidential Order to the Commission headed by Justice Ranganath Misra Commssion. The National Commission for Religious and Linguistic Minorities (NCRLM) also known as Ranganath Misra Commission recommended extending the benefits of Scheduled Castes to all Dalits regardless of the

Plastic is a cheap material for packaging and increasingly our food comes in plastics. Some of us can remember milk when it was delivered in glass bottles but those days are long gone. According to an article in Chemical & Engineering News [August 31, 2009] chemicals from plastic wrappers are found to be leaching into out food and medicines. At least some of these chemicals are found to be threat to humans. Below information is from that article: bis-phenol A (BPA): used in polycarbonate bottles and in the epoxy-resin liners of metal cans. Could cause endocrine disruption in children. Banned by Canada from use in baby bottles. FDA does not think so. di(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate: makes plastics like PVC supple and bendable. Potential carcinogen and endocrine disrupter. polyfluoroalkyl phosphoric acid (PAPs): from waxy wrappings e.g. burger liners or inside of microwave popcorn bags. these compounds can be metabolized in the body to perfluorinated carboxylic acids, which may be carcinog

Google released new search options-few of which were already in Google news. Official Google Blog: Refine your search results with new Search Options This will make it easier for user to narrow down search results but still if you don't know what you are looking for then you will still be overwhelmed by the results. Watch out for Microsoft's new search engine bing.com for the new features that they are unleashing. e.g. try the Visual Search .

Nothing wrong with being a consumer, we all are. But, I thought Islam came to dictate a moderate life! But now that moderate life seems extreme in the era of extremes. America and the world is facing economic and ecological problems because of the unhindered consumption by the American consumer. Muslims in America always tried to fit in, projecting themselves as one of the three great world religions. Showing that they are just like any other American in their profession and aspirations ( may ads and campaigns have ran along those lines). They have demanded Ramadan cards to be sold by Hallmark and others. They have also demanded halal fast food chains and in some places KFC and others do provide halal meat (though you may have to call them in advance). In a rush to become normal, we want to do everything a "normal" American do, as long as it is "halalafied." But companies and advertisers are still confused about Muslims so to help them sell their goodies to a growin

In the backdrop of Justice Katju comment against beard and burqa, Radiance editorial: "There might be various factors lurking behind the learned judge’s observation. But one thing is clear that Justice Khan’s clean shaven appearance contributed a lot to the making of this observation . This sends a great message to the believers that they should practise in letter and spirit the religion they profess. Muslim males by sporting beards and Muslim women by wearing burqas can and must present before the society what Islam is ." So Islam is all about beard and burqa?

Islamic Voice (IV) is a monthly magazine published from Bangalore. It may be the only Indian Muslim magazine in English that is making money. The magazine is all color these days and full of colorful advertisements about schools, colleges, and most importantly Hajj and Umrah travel agents. Few things about the September 2009 issues stands out, so here they are: According to IV, Iran, Afghanistan, and Pakistan are Arab countries. Article talks about whether Muslim women can work outside their homes and on the bottom of page is the ad for a jilbab boutique but if you pay close attention to the images in the ad, it is all of women completely covered. The article itself has two pictures and both pictures are of non-Indian Muslim women. Why Muslim magazines always looking outside India for inspiration? But here is something extraordinary I found in this magazine. One of the article is from an Imam of a Masjid in Rajasthan. Wow, an Imam reading English magazine and not only that writing a le

Written by Shaykh Zainuddin Makhdum about history of Muslims in Kerala, a section on Hindus of Kerala and their practices and brief and yet comprehensive history of struggle of Keralites with Portuguese. Published by Other Books, Calicut.

It was all over by Sept 20th 1857. Indian forces had retreated from their positions. Mughal Royalty abandoned the Red Fort and people started leaving Delhi in large numbers to escape from looting by the British forces. Same day, last Emperor of India Bahadur Shah Zafar was arrested by the British forces, his three sons murdered in cold blood and their severed heads presented to the King. Delhi had fallen and with it any hope of keeping the foreign occupation out of India. Though some Indian forces continued fighting the occupying powers as late as 1859 it was not until 1947 that Indians will again take charge of their country. We have all read and heard about the great war of 1857, but unfortunately, most of it is British account or by Indians who wanted to please their British masters. Hardly any research has been done to present the Indian perspective of this war of 1857. Dr. Shamsul Islam, a professor of Political Science in Delhi University has spent more than a decade collecting m