Qatar's senior most Kannadiga - Syed Abdul Hye
6 decades of bonding with Doha
On account of Qatar's National Day on December 18, a team of Qatar's radio station - Olive FM invited Syed Abdul Hye to share his life's journey and experiences on the radio station's premier show - Red Carpet.
The half-an-hour-long interview was laced with the deliberate words of Hye. It elicited a great appreciation from the listeners. Aniruddh, the interviewer, said, "this was the most wonderful interview I ever had in my life."
Young Syed Abdul Hye
While, Radio Olive Director Amir Ali said, "An elderly person like Syed Abdul Haye visiting our studio is a matter of great pride and prestige for us."
Syed Abdul Hye with Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar
Syed Abdul Hye is basically from Mangaluru's Bikarnakatte. He is the eldest son of Maulana Syed Yunus Saheb a senior scholar and an expert of Persian Language. In 1959, when he was just 17, he left his home and started his journey towards Qatar in search of a job. He first went to Mumbai, and it took three days by ship to reach the City. There he had to spend three weeks for visa and other formalities. He traveled by the Vessel Dara and reached Doha after travelling for a week. Hye, initially worked as an employee for a few years in Qatar and gradually, launched his own business after a few years. He started Al-Maha Super Market and provided job opportunities to many Indians. His first salary in Qatar was a meager Rs. 350 per month. Three months later, he earned an increment of Rs. 50. Hye could save one hundred rupees from his salary and send it to his home in India. However, he had to pay three rupees for the post.
Kannadiga Abdul Hye is well-known to three generations of Indians, Pakistanis, and the locals in Qatar. Besides Kannada, Tulu, and Byari languages, Abdul Hye can communicate well in 17 other languages.
He speaks Arabic just as fluently as a native Arab does and speaks Malayalam like any Keralite. In addition, he has excellent command over Urdu and Persian languages. Some of his couplets, which he recited in Urdu Mushairas, are very popular among Urdu circles.
For example:
Milay Khushk Roti Jo Azad Rehkar,
Wo Khauf o zillat ke halwe se behtar
(The dry bread that is earned while being in freedom, is better than the 'Halwa' earned through fear and disgrace)
Ishq par kar doon fida mai apni sari neamaten,
Magar azadi pe mera ishq bhi qurban hai
(I would sacrifice everything with me for the sake of love, however, I would sacrifice my love for the sake of freedom)
Some of the statements of Syed Abdul Hye are remarkable:
"Life is a valuable opportunity. Use it exquisitely without wasting a single moment".
" If you have time, use it either to learn something or to teach others from what you know".
" Wealth, money, etc. have their own importance. But money is not everything. No wealth can bring the pleasure that comes to you by helping others".
Abdul Hye, who has been in Qatar for the past 60 years, has seen five great monarchs who ruled Qatar, in succession. He has recorded the memories of his days in Qatar, in the form of brief notes in his personal diary. Besides, he has with him an amazing collection of over 10,000 photos clicked by him during the past six decades. The collection can be treated as a record of different dimensions of Qatar over the past few
decades. He says that the Islamic Culture of Qatar and its tradition of looking everyone equally and providing every possible help to those in need deserves to be popularised.
According to Hye, the life of Haji Hamza, owner of the legendary Bismillah Hotel of Qatar, is an ideal for all.There was a time when Haji Hamza used to sell tea in the market, holding a pot of tea in one hand, and a stove to heat it, on the other. Later, he started a hotel of his own. One unique feature of his hotel was that anyone coming from India to Qatar seeking of a job, Bismillah Hotel used to provide him meals for free until he got a job. The beneficiary would pay his dues later in monthly installments after getting employed. This facility was a great boon to hundreds of unemployed Indians newcomers in Qatar.
Speak to Abdul Hye Saheb and you will come to know hundreds of such inspiring stories. Speak to him on any subject under the sun, be it nature, religion,literature, culture or history, Abdul Hye will not only educate you but will enlighten you. That is the reason, those who know him refer to him as a walking encyclopedia.
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EC seeks BJP's response on Opposition charge of PM Modi violating model code
New Delhi (PTI): Taking cognisance for the first time of a model code violation allegation against a prime minister, the Election Commission on Thursday asked the BJP to respond to complaints filed by opposition parties wherein they have accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of delivering a divisive and defamatory speech in Rajasthan's Banswara.
At the same time, the poll panel also asked the Congress to respond to complaints filed by the BJP against the main opposition party's president Mallikarjun Kharge and its senior leader Rahul Gandhi regarding their respective remarks.
In its letter addressed to BJP President J P Nadda, the Election Commission asked him to respond by Monday to complaints filed by the Congress, CPI and CPI (ML) regarding the remarks made by Modi on April 21 in Banswara.
It also asked Nadda to bring to the notice of all star campaigners of the party to "set high standards of political discourse and observe provisions of model code of conduct in letter and spirit".
Officials said it is the first time that the panel has taken cognisance of a complaint against any prime minister. The Election Commission has invoked provisions of the Representation of the People Act to hold party presidents as the first step to rein in star campaigners.
It wrote a similarly-worded letter separately to the Congress president with regard to allegations levelled by the BJP against him and Gandhi.
The letters from the EC to the two-party presidents did not directly name either Modi, Gandhi or Kharge, but the representations received by it were attached to the respective letters and they contained details of allegations against the three leaders.
In its complaint to the EC, the Congress said that Modi in his speech had alleged that Congress wanted to redistribute the wealth of the people to Muslims and that the opposition party won't even spare the 'mangalsutra' of women.
The BJP, on the other hand, had written to EC that Gandhi levelled malafide and utterly sinister allegations against Modi during a speech in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu.
It also accused Kharge of violating the model code by claiming that he was not invited to the Ram temple consecration ceremony due to discrimination against SCs and STs.
