Hyderabad: Telangana State is commemorating the birth anniversary of Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, India’s first education minister, on November 11 as National Education Day and Minority Welfare Day. The celebration will take place at 11:30 a.m. at the Ravindra Bharati Auditorium in Hyderabad, organized by the Telangana State Urdu Academy and the Minority Residential School Society.
Chief Minister Revanth Reddy, Deputy Chief Minister Bhatti Vikramarka, along with various state ministers and public representatives, are expected to attend the event. The occasion will feature the prestigious Maulana Abul Kalam Azad National Award, presented to distinguished individuals for their contributions to the education, social welfare, and national development of minorities.
Among the awardees this year are Zahid Ali Khan, Editor of The Siasat Daily, former minister Syed Asif Pasha, Ms. Lakshmi Devi Raj, senior advocate Ghulam Yazdani, and Aminul Hasan Jafri. Chief Minister Revanth Reddy will personally present these awards, recognizing achievements from 2019 to 2023.
In addition, the Telangana Urdu Academy will confer the Makhdoom Award for 2024 in the research and criticism category to Prof. Naseemuddin Farees. The Academy will also present Lifetime Achievement Awards to 21 individuals for outstanding contributions across seven categories between 2021 and 2023.
Awardees include Anjani Kumar Goel, Tayyab Pasha Qadri, Moinuddin Amar Bumboo, Afsar Usmani, Elizabeth Kurian, and Ateeb Ejaz in the poetry category. Fiction awards will go to Surayya Jabeen, Hameed Adil, and Muhammad Abdul Qadoos Rizwan, while Dr. Athar Sultana, Dr. M.A. Qadeer, and Dr. Muhammad Abdul Qavi will be honored for research and criticism.
Other honorees include Jafar Jari, Chand Bibi, and Muhammad Mehboob in education, Sheikh Ahmed Zia, Muhammad Rafiuddin Farooqi, and Rafia Nausheen in Urdu promotion, and Ahmed Ali Khan, Muhammad Javed Ali, and Rafeeq Shahi in journalism.
Special Lifetime Achievement Awards will also recognize Amjad Hyderabadi and Sayeed Shaheedi in poetry, Agha Haider Hasan in fiction, Prof. Habibur Rahman in research, and Srinivas Lahoti in Urdu. Additionally, the Mehboob Hussain Jigar awards will be given in the journalism category, acknowledging the significant contributions of these individuals to the advancement of Urdu and minority welfare.
