by admin | May 25, 2021 | Entrepreneurship, News, Women Entrepreneur
By Sanu George,
Vadakara (Kerala) : When 23-year-old Majiziya Bhanu took to the stage to compete in the women’s segment of the Mr Kerala competition in Kochi earlier this year, all eyes were on her — never before had a bodybuilder wearing a hijab (Muslim head scarf) participated in the event. Proving that hijab is no hurdle for her or any other woman, she went on to win the competition.
Bhanu believes that the hijab is never an obstacle for a woman with burning passion, and if a woman is free to show her body, she should be free to cover it as well. While Bhanu is not the only Muslim woman in the world of arm-wrestling and powerlifting, she is yet to see another woman in the field who performs in a hijab.
“It is only after their names are announced that one realises that the contestant is a Muslim,” she said.
“I feel proud to wear the hijab, which is a part of my identity. It does not limit me in any way but gives me dignity and strength.”
It took Bhanu just about two years to transform from being an ordinary dental student to a local celebrity, not just in her sleepy village here, but across Kerala. She has been selected three times as the strongest woman of the state by the Kerala State Powerlifting Association.
In the two years since she began her career, she has already won national medals in powerlifting and arm-wrestling, while also continuing her dental training. And be it in practice or in competitions, she always wears her hijab.
“In the initial days, men used to stare at me as I had my hijab on. But soon they realised that I was as serious as them in my workouts. Then all the eyes disappeared,” Bhanu told IANS.
While she was always interested in sports, there were hardly any facilities available in her village. But that did not stop her. Every day after her dental classes, she used to travel 60 km by train to Kozhikode to a gymnasium.
“I used to return around 9 pm. Initially, it was tough, but I slowly gained the confidence to travel alone and, eventually, it became a part of my routine,” said the final year dental student
Bhanu said that, but for her parents’ strong support, she would not have been able to achieve what she did. “I hail from a very orthodox village here and my parents agreed to let me pursue my passion of bodybuilding.”
Today, Bhanu is an inspiration in her village for many other girls like her. After her success, the village has now got its own gym, which is frequented by women just as much as men.
“Many young girls and women have started coming to me to seek advice on what needs to be done as they also want to do what I am doing. Now there is a gym in my village itself,” she said, adding that now she goes to Kozhikode only three to four times a month.
Bhanu today is extremely busy as she is getting ready to participate in the World Arm Wrestling Championship 2018 in Turkey next month.
“I never knew I could make it as funds was needed for the trip. I did knock on quite a few doors and finally managed — a few well-wishers have sponsored my trip. At times, when I went scouting for sponsors, I felt that some did not wish to sponsor me as I was a Muslim woman,” said Bhanu.
And of her future plans, she said her first goal is to finish her studies as it was her parents’ dream to make her a medical professional.
“Once I finish it, then I will pursue my dream of setting up an academy which will be a multi-disciplinary one, including martial arts, powerlifting, arm-wrestling and bodybuilding. It would give special importance to girls. I am sure I will be able to pursue my passion and wish to empower women,” Bhanu added with confidence.
(The weekly feature series is part of a positive-journalism project of IANS and the Frank Islam Foundation. Sanu George can be contacted at sanu.g@ians.in)
—IANS
by admin | May 25, 2021 | World
By Serife Cetin,
Brussels: A local court in Belgium ruled on Friday that a headscarf ban at local schools was against religious freedom.
Parents of 11 students took action against a ban on the headscarf at Flemish schools in the Maasmechelen region.
The court said that it took into account provisions made in the European Treaty on Human Rights and decided that all E.U. countries should allow its citizens to practice their religion in complete freedom.
The court ruling does not cover a general ban on Flemish schools in the region but the 11 students will be able to wear headscarves in their schools 30 days later.
Coskun Beyazgul, the general manager of the Belgium Diyanet Foundation, which is linked to Turkey’s top religious body, said that the agency also took part in the case to support students.
He said that the court ruling would be an example for other cases in the country.
In 2015, Belgium’s Flemish Community Education Authority (GO!) banned headscarves at state-run Flemish schools.
—AA
by admin | May 25, 2021 | Markets, News
For representational purpose only
By Nivedita,
New Delhi : Hijabs and abayas have been featured on international runways and are steadily making waves online with designer options. From unorthodox colours like pinks, turquoise and bottle green breaching the classic black barrier, fashion-conscious but conservative Muslim women are making different sartorial choices with this outfit.
Suchi Mukherjee, Founder and CEO, Limeroad, says “modest fashion” is going through a big makeover.
“Hijabs and abayas have featured on international runways and are steadily becoming a part of mainstream dressing. Even in India, there is a growing demand fuelled by young women for clothes which are fashionable, functional and comply with their culture and comfort,” Mukherjee told IANS.
The website has seen significant growth in business in the last few years, said Mukherjee, adding that there is huge demand for abayas from Hyderabad, Mumbai and Bengaluru.
“It has grown 6.5x in the last year (2017 vs 2016). Overall, we have had an amazing growth story. We continued to outperform the online fashion industry growth rates,” she said.
Even e-commerce portal ShopClues witnessed a noticeable change in the evolution of abaya, a robe-like dress.
“While staying true to its roots, the abaya has gone through an evolution of sorts over the past few years, transforming from a plain black swathe of fabric to a more elegant piece of attire that women can use to express themselves and show their personality.
“Designers are experimenting with unconventional colours and styles that have been well received by customers,” Ritika Taneja, Senior Director – Categories, ShopClues, told IANS.
Designer Sumona Parekh of the label Sumona Couture also said that the “abaya has evolved completely over the years”.
“It has shown transformation to a more elegant attire that women can use to express themselves and show their personality,” Pareskh told IANS.
“The Indian market has also expanded as the women who wear abayas have raised the demand for trendy yet sophisticated designs and collections. They are very much open to new patterns and colours in abayas to make their look more surreal. Inspired by the Western fashion market, India has evolved to an extent,” she added.
Taneja said that until a few years ago, there were limited options for modest styles, but now major fashion houses and boutique brands are fusing fashion with modesty and launching abaya and hijab lines in an assortment of fabrics and style.
“E-commerce, with its greater reach, has penetrated Tier 2, 3 towns and beyond,” she said.
The Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Srinagar, Jammu, Kochi, Bhubaneswar and Bengaluru are the cities where the makeover of the abaya has been significant, Taneja said, adding: “India’s fashion-conscious Muslim women may not be as affluent, but they are making different sartorial choices. The new generation is open to new styles.”
Some of the hit trends are digital prints and pastel shades.
“Abaya designs are a combination of unique ideas, colours, latest cuts and traditional themes. Unorthodox colour choices like pink, turquoise, bottle green, blue and indigo have breached the classic black barrier and are some of the most popular and selling colours of abaya,” said Taneja.
Also Kaftan abaya, kimono style and A-line abaya with butterfly silhouettes and clinched waist are trending at present in various fabrics like linen, rayon, wool, georgette and chiffon. Embellished collars, sleeves with stone and sequin work up the style quotient on the otherwise simple garment.
(Nivedita can be contacted at nivedita.s@ians.in)
—IANS
by admin | May 25, 2021 | Corporate Jobs, Employment, Entrepreneurship, Women Entrepreneur
Syeda Salva Fatima
“I want to become a pilot.” When she instinctively answered a question at an event over a decade ago, the dream of a humble bakery worker’s daughter had started growing wings. Hijab-wearing Syeda Salva Fatima is now all set to join an airline and is one of the four Muslim women in India who hold a Commercial Pilot’s Licence (CPL).
Fresh from multi-engine training in New Zealand and type-rating in Bahrain, this Hyderabad woman is waiting for an endorsement from the Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) which will enable her to fly the Airbus A320.
It was, however, not a smooth ride as she had to overcome many odds to attain her life’s ambition. The daughter of a bakery worker, Salva comes from the poverty-stricken neighbourhood of Sultan Shahi in the old city of Hyderabad.
What makes Salva’s story stand out is her lower-middle-class background and the fact that she wore a “hijab” (head scarf) during the entire course of training in India and abroad.
“I had it all the time on my head and wore it over the uniform. There was never a problem because of the hijab,” Fatima told IANS.
Syeda Salva Fatima
At the Gulf Aviation Academy in Bahrain, she was lauded for wearing “hijab” and her pictures were published in its magazine.
“Where there is will, there is a way,” says Salva, who calls for removing misconceptions that “hijab” is a hurdle in pursuing careers in aviation.
“It’s your education and ability which help you, be it aviation or any other profession. Nothing else matters. You have to prove that you are capable of doing what you are supposed to do.”
From her school days, she used to collect articles about the aviation industry and pictures of different aircraft, but people laughed at her dream. Her parents suggested that she prepare herself for engineering. After passing 12th standard, she enrolled for coaching conducted by Urdu daily Siasat for the engineering entrance examination.
At a programme during her coaching, Zahid Ali Khan, editor of Siasat, asked her what she wanted to become. Prompt came the reply — “Pilot”. Khan was surprised by her confidence.
“If I had not uttered the word pilot, I wouldn’t have been here,” she said recalling the incident which became a launching pad for her career.
Khan, along with his friends and philanthropists, decided to give wings to her dreams and she was enrolled in the Andhra Pradesh Aviation Academy in 2007.
“I failed thrice in navigation papers. I used to get demotivated, but Zahid Sir kept encouraging me. He used to tell me that failure is next step towards success.”
Five years later, she completed her training at the Aviation Academy, logging 200 hours of flying in the Cessna 152 aircraft and 123 hours of solo flight.
After obtaining a CPL in 2013, she found that she needed huge money to go for multi-engine training and type-rating to be able to fly big airplanes.
She was then 24 and her parents asked her to get married. “I didn’t have any other option. I was not sure how the funds will come.”
She was in four months of her pregnancy when the Telangana government announced financial assistance of Rs 36 lakh for her multi-engine training and type-rating .
“My daughter was lucky for me,” she said with a big smile looking at her daughter, playing in the arms of her father who works at a two-wheeler showroom.
When she delivered the baby, people asked her if she would still pursue the career in aviation. “I told myself I spent such a long time to achieve the goal, why should I step back? I need to move ahead.”
After waiting for one year, she joined Telangana Aviation Academy for multi-engine training, but the aircraft was not available there. When the government transferred the money to GMR Aviation Academy and she was about to begin the training, the aircraft was grounded due to an accident.
“Some or the other problem kept cropping up but I didn’t give up and appealed to the government to send me abroad for training.”
In New Zealand, she flew a multi-engine aircraft for 15 hours and also trained on simulator for 10 hours. At Gulf Aviation Academy in Bahrain, she did the type-rating on Airbus. It was a 52-hour multi-function display training and 62 hours of training on a motion simulator, which gives the trainee a feeling of actually flying an aircraft.
Salva has no preference for any airline and is open to joining any carrier that has an Airbus fleet. “I will join whichever airline first offers me a job.”
“Have a clear goal and positive thinking. Dedication and hard work don’t go waste,” is Salva’s message to girls with dreams like hers.
The captain wants to give something back to society. She will spend part of her salary on the needy for their education, treatment or marriage.
(This feature is part of a special series that seeks to bring unique and extraordinary stories of ordinary people, groups and communities from across a diverse, plural and inclusive India, and has been made possible by a collaboration between IANS and the Frank Islam Foundation. Mohammed Shafeeq can be contacted at m.shafeeq@ians.in)
Inputs From IANS
