The noble linguist
It’s been quite a journey for Syed Mujeeb ever since he put his feet on Kiwi land. It was the first time that Mujeeb had even heard of New Zealand when his wife suggested the idea of settling here.
And today, the man is the recipient of the coveted “Queen’s Service Medal” in the Queen’s Birthday and Diamond Jubilee Honours List 2012 for his dedicated contribution to the Muslim community in Auckland.
The award will be presented to Mujeeb at the Investiture Ceremony on August 30 at the Government House, Auckland.
“This award is a great honour for me, my family and my community. I really never thought that the government will recognise my services towards the community by honouring me with such a prestigious award,” says an overwhelmed Mujeeb.
Hailing from Hyderabad (Andhra Pradesh), this fiery journalist (who is a NZ correspondent for Hyderabad’s The Siasat Daily) migrated to NZ in 1996 and has been actively involved in various community activities since then. He even anchored the first Urdu radio programme in Auckland called Aaj Juma Hain, establishing an instant connect with both Muslims and Hindus among the Indian Community.
He has served as the Vice-President of the New Zealand Muslim League and is currently the General Secretary of the Urdu Hindi Cultural Association of New Zealand. The latter, which started in November last year, was revived from the decades old local Hyderabad Association that’s remained inactive all this while.
“My passion is to serve the communities and people of all religions and cultures to the best of my ability for the betterment of this beautiful country and its people,” Mujeeb informs, adding, “Indians mostly come here for work and are unable to give time for community activities. Hence, the decision to start the Urdu Hindi Cultural Association stemmed from the thought of bringing all Indians together irrespective of their religious background and to promote Urdu and Hindi languages in NZ.”
In February, the association organised a unique three-in-one cultural evening consisting of Mushaira, Kavi Sammelan and Sham-e-Ghazal, much to a delightful response.
“We are also coming up with a magazine, the first edition of which will be launched on September 2, 2012 and we also plan to start an Urdu-Hindi library soon along with an Urdu radio station,” Mujeeb reveals.
The association is making every effort to keep us, Indians, rooted to our culture through the beauty of the country’s diverse languages. Way to go.
It’s been quite a journey for Syed Mujeeb ever since he put his feet on Kiwi land. It was the first time that Mujeeb had even heard of New Zealand when his wife suggested the idea of settling here. And today, the man is the recipient of the coveted “Queen’s Service Medal” in the Queen’s Birthday...
It’s been quite a journey for Syed Mujeeb ever since he put his feet on Kiwi land. It was the first time that Mujeeb had even heard of New Zealand when his wife suggested the idea of settling here.
And today, the man is the recipient of the coveted “Queen’s Service Medal” in the Queen’s Birthday and Diamond Jubilee Honours List 2012 for his dedicated contribution to the Muslim community in Auckland.
The award will be presented to Mujeeb at the Investiture Ceremony on August 30 at the Government House, Auckland.
“This award is a great honour for me, my family and my community. I really never thought that the government will recognise my services towards the community by honouring me with such a prestigious award,” says an overwhelmed Mujeeb.
Hailing from Hyderabad (Andhra Pradesh), this fiery journalist (who is a NZ correspondent for Hyderabad’s The Siasat Daily) migrated to NZ in 1996 and has been actively involved in various community activities since then. He even anchored the first Urdu radio programme in Auckland called Aaj Juma Hain, establishing an instant connect with both Muslims and Hindus among the Indian Community.
He has served as the Vice-President of the New Zealand Muslim League and is currently the General Secretary of the Urdu Hindi Cultural Association of New Zealand. The latter, which started in November last year, was revived from the decades old local Hyderabad Association that’s remained inactive all this while.
“My passion is to serve the communities and people of all religions and cultures to the best of my ability for the betterment of this beautiful country and its people,” Mujeeb informs, adding, “Indians mostly come here for work and are unable to give time for community activities. Hence, the decision to start the Urdu Hindi Cultural Association stemmed from the thought of bringing all Indians together irrespective of their religious background and to promote Urdu and Hindi languages in NZ.”
In February, the association organised a unique three-in-one cultural evening consisting of Mushaira, Kavi Sammelan and Sham-e-Ghazal, much to a delightful response.
“We are also coming up with a magazine, the first edition of which will be launched on September 2, 2012 and we also plan to start an Urdu-Hindi library soon along with an Urdu radio station,” Mujeeb reveals.
The association is making every effort to keep us, Indians, rooted to our culture through the beauty of the country’s diverse languages. Way to go.
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