Jan Nisar Akhtar

I must have watched Meena Kumari’s ‘bahu begum’ many years ago.. it’s a fine piece of luknowi dhalti hui nawabi shaan..

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=52itNQrPKvQ

Famous Bollywood scriptwriter Javed Akhtar’s father Jan Nisar Akhtar produced this film.. I looked him up on Wikipedia : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jan_Nisar_Akhtar

Found in the Wikipedia entry that his wife, and Javed’s mother, Sofia Akhtar was a college lecturer in Bhopal, who brought up her children, supported her husband struggling in Mumbai, and fought cancer on her own !

Found this beautiful anthology of her letters to Jan Bisar when she was in Bhopal, and he was in Mumbai, translated in english. She died of cancer a few days after the last letter.. http://www.urdustudies.com/pdf/20/18SafiaAkhtar.pdf

The translator of these letters to english, a professor herself, has this blog on Ghalib’s verses.. http://mehrafshanfarooqi.com/

Industrial Wastewater issue in Bhiwadi

Along with some of my neighbours, I have been following up on the industrial wastewater issue in Bhiwadi, especially as it impacts residential areas like ours.

Along with my husband, I made two small films to explain the issue to other residents. You can see the problem described at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s0OsnCZ6UwU&feature=youtu.be

And the solution as described by Govt. Agencies, is at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fgG-4nrbCzY

If you would like to help with the follow-up, please get in touch via your comments.