Grand ‘Sahebaan UAE’ family gathering held in Dubai, achievers honoured
Dubai: : The Sahebaan UAE family gathering was held in a grand manner at the Amity School grounds in Al Qusais, Dubai, on Saturday.
The event witnessed the participation of over a thousand members of the Sahebaan community, which consists mainly of Urdu-speaking Muslims from Dakshina Kannada and Udupi. The gathering served as an opportunity for the community to reconnect, celebrate achievements, and honour individuals who have excelled in various fields.
A key highlight of the event was the presentation of the prestigious Sahebaan Excellence Awards. The awards were conferred by distinguished personalities—Hidayathulla Abbas, chairman of Hidayat Group and owner of Nash Engineering, Dubai-based businessman K.S. Nisar Ahmed, and Sahebaan UAE director H.M. Afroz Assadi.
The Sahebaan Business Excellence Award was presented to Mohammed Akram, founder and chairman and managing director of Sitara Group of Companies, in recognition of his outstanding contributions to the business sector.
In the field of sports, Nasir Syed, CMD of CHS Group and DSBK racing company and an accomplished superbike racing champion, was honoured with the Sahebaan Sports Excellence Award for his achievements in Super Bike motor sports.
The Sahebaan Academic Excellence Award was posthumously awarded to late Prof. Muzaffar Assadi, a distinguished academician and scholar. The honour was received on his behalf by his brother Sajjad Assadi.
Irshad Moodbidri was honoured with the Saheban Literary Excellence Award for his contribution to literature, his son received the honour.
For their remarkable social service initiatives, Mohammed Asif and Mrs. Sahara Mohammed Asif were conferred the Sahebaan Community Service Excellence Award. Their son, Ahad, accepted the award on their behalf.
The event also recognized the academic achievements of students who had excelled in their studies. The Sahebaan Merit Award was presented to students who scored above 90 percent in their exams. Among those from the UAE, Faiz Anam with 94.2 percent, Mohammad Rayaan with 92.6 percent, and Mohammad Umair Suvaid Khan with 90.8 percent were felicitated for their tenth grade board exam results.
In the second-year pre-university category, Muskan Fatima was honoured as the Gulf topper in the commerce stream with an impressive 98.6 percent. Other high achievers, including Juveria Firoz with 97.8 percent, Siham Akbar Ali with 93.4 percent, Mohammad Rafaan with 92.8 percent, and Hiba Altaf Salah with 92 percent, were also recognized.
In the sports category, young talents like Mohammad Aiman, who excelled in the 4x4 100-meter relay, and Mohammad Aiz, associated with DOFA Football Association, were felicitated for their achievements.
Senior members of the community who have played a pivotal role in its progress were also appreciated. Businessmen and community leaders Hidayathulla Abbas, K.S. Nisar Ahmed, and H.M. Afroz Assadi were presented with mementoes as a mark of gratitude for their contributions. Their efforts were acknowledged through speeches delivered by Suhail Kudroli, Althaf Khalife, and Mohammad Samiullah.
The gathering also featured a range of cultural performances and engaging activities for children. A special attraction was the Prince and Princess dress-up competition for kids under ten. Additionally, there were vibrant performances of Indian patriotic songs and traditional Arabic dances, adding to the festive atmosphere.
A short documentary on the Sahebaan community was screened on a large LED display, offering the audience a glimpse into the community’s history, values, and achievements. The program commenced with a welcome address by Altaf M.S., followed by a soulful Qirath recitation by Mohammad Faiz and Fazil Rahil Ali. The event was anchored by Hisrar Tallani, who had specially flown in from Mangalore for the occasion.
The children’s events were coordinated by Riiha Altaf for the Prince and Princess competition, Heena Kausar for Indian Patriotic Dance, Fauzia Rahil for Arabic Dance, and Fauzia Shah for the dua segment.
The success of the gathering was made possible by the dedicated efforts of the organizing committee, which included Altaf M.S., Ajmal Mohammad, Altaf Khalife, Mohammad Samiullah, Suhail Kudroli, Asif Mohammad Hussain, Sameer Sharif, Nayeem Khan, Abdul Ahed, and Faizan Khateeb. Among the women organizers, Parveen Assadi, Sahara Asif, and Reena Altaf played a crucial role.
The Sahebaan UAE family gathering turned out to be a memorable occasion that not only celebrated the accomplishments of community members but also strengthened bonds within the Sahebaan fraternity. The evening concluded on a high note, with attendees cherishing the camaraderie and shared pride in their heritage.
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Strict security measures in place in Mumbai for Messi's events at 2 venues Dec 14, say police
Mumbai (PTI): In view of Argentine superstar footballer Lionel Messi's visit to Mumbai on Sunday, the city police are implementing stringent security measures, like not allowing water bottles, metals, coins inside the stadiums and setting up watchtowers to keep an eye on the crowd, officials said.
The police also said taking extra care to avoid any stampede-like situation and to prevent recurrence of the chaotic situation that unfolded in Kolkata during Messi's visit on Saturday as thousands of fans protested inside the Salt Lake stadium here after failing to catch a clear glimpse of the football icon despite paying hefty sums for tickets.
Messi is expected to be present at the Cricket Club of India (Brabourne Stadium) in Mumbai on Sunday for a Padel GOAT Cup event followed by attending a celebrity football match. He is expected to proceed to the Wankhede Stadium for the GOAT India Tour main event around 5 pm.
"In view of Lionel Messi's visit to Mumbai, the police are geared up and have put in place a high level of security arrangements in and around the stadiums located in south Mumbai. Considering the chaos that prevailed in Kolkata and the security breach, we have deployed World Cup-level security arrangements at Brabourne and Wankhede stadiums," an official said.
Expecting heavy crowd near the stadiums during Messi's visit, the city police force has deployed more than 2,000 of its personnel near and around both the venues, he said.
As the Mumbai police have the experience of security 'bandobast' during the victory parade of ICC World Cup-winning Indian team and World Cup final match at the Wankhede Stadium, in which over one lakh cricket fans had gathered, we are prepared to handle a large crowd of fans, he said.
"We are trying to avoid the errors that occurred in the past," the official said.
There is no place to sneak inside the stadiums in Mumbai like the Kolkata stadium, according to him.
The police are also asking the organisers to provide all the required facilities to the fans inside the stadium, so that there will be no chaos, he said, adding the spectators have purchased tickets in the range of Rs 5,000 to 25,000. After paying so much of amount, any spectator expects proper services, while enjoying the event, he said.
The police are expecting 33,000 spectators at the Wankhede Stadium and over 4,000 at Brabourne Stadium. Besides this, more than 30,000 people are expected outside and around the stadiums just to have a glimpse of the football sensation, he said.
The organisers responsible for Messi's India visit recently came to Mumbai to discuss security arrangements. During the meeting, the Mumbai police asked them not to take the event lightly, according to the official.
After those requirements were fulfilled, the final security deployment was chalked out, he said.
Police has the standard procedure of the security arrangements inside the Wankhede Stadium, where people are barred from taking water bottles, metals objects, coins. Police are setting up watch towers near the stadiums and there will be traffic diversions, so that there is maximum space available to stand, according to the official.
Police are also appealing to the spectators to use public transport service for commuting and avoid personal vehicles to reach south Mumbai.
To avoid any stampede-like situation, police are also taking precautionary measures and will stop the fans some distance ahead of the stadium and public announcement systems will be used to guide the crowd. Barricades will be placed at various places to manage the crowd.
In case the crowd swells up beyond expectation, the police will divert people to other grounds and preparations in this regard underway, he said.
Additional police force has been deployed in south Mumbai to tackle any kind of situation, he said.
