New Delhi

These are ten brilliant men and women from Tamil Nadu, spreading the light of empowerment and joy around them. They are leaving their mark in their chosen fields and influencing others to rise above their circumstances or comfort zones to make an impact:

Mohammad Saleem is Tamil Nadu’s own Salim Ali, having spent his life on rescue missions for endangered birds around India. Mohammad Saleem never attended a course in conservation biology or even biology. He completed a degree in computer science.

But his heart was always longing to look out for the well-being of the speechless creatures -- birds, snakes, dogs and other beings -- around. He started an NGO called the Environment Conservation Group for a sharper focus and action-oriented approach to saving endangered animals.

Sofia Ashraf is no ordinary rap artist. She has been using her gifts as an artist and singer for social change and women's empowerment. Through her rap singing in Chennai’s lanes, Sofia has challenged stereotypes of women, taboos on their bodies and even the workings of Corporates.

She has a no-holds-barred approach in highlighting issues related to women, be it their social standing, their biology, or discrimination heaped on them by society. Her rap video against Union Carbide for the Bhopal Gas tragedy is a landmark in art with a cause.

Zakir Hussain is a Bharat Natyam dancer who broke gender and community barriers as a dancer and is today seeking empowerment through DMK as a political worker. Asked about objections from his parents, he says:

 I did not bother about my family as I lived alone. I never married either and travelled and lived outside India most of my younger days. For about 14 years, I was abroad, coming home only briefly each year during December when no work was possible abroad. He lived in Canada, Switzerland and Germany, conducting dance classes for Indians there. “I got a name performing abroad.

Fatima Muzaffar Ahmed, the sole IUML winner in the Chennai Corporation, is among six Muslim women councillors who won in the entire Tamil Nadu local elections in 2022. Her election was not surprising for most people, as she comes from a political lineage, and fighting elections is something she has grown up watching.

Her father, AK Abdul Samud, former national general secretary of IUML, represented Velur twice in Lok Sabha and twice in Rajya Sabha, his proud daughter recalls. However, choosing to follow the path of public service was her decision, though she could have gone for more comfortable jobs.

Keeranur Jakirraja is a Tamil writer who likes to go straight into the heart of the life of the common man, especially those who have been marginalised by society.

Keeranur Jakirraja is a notable presence in the Tamil literary scene today.  Men, women and children from the marginalised sections of the Muslims in Tamil Nadu and sometimes Kerala breathe and find new lives in the pages of his novels.

His writing is bold, honest and provoking criticism from the conservative and orthodox sections of the Muslim community in the state.

Nikath Fathima Sohail has been heading the MWA Matriculation School in Chennai and is also co-chair of the Academy for Women, besides being part of several other education-related organisations for Muslim youth and women.She went on to set up five learning centres for children with learning disability, heading a school for matriculation which has today 1500 students. I worked for 30 years for girls and for their social uplift in Tamil Nadu.

Another hat she has worn has been that of co-chair of Academy for women under the umbrella of AIH.

The passion to help children and destitutes that she found in herself as a young school girl has lit the lives of hundreds of youths mostly girls with empowerment and education.

Prince of Arcot Nawab Zade Mohammad Asif Ali has been the face of communal harmony and philanthropy as the heir of the royal family of Arcot, even as he pursues a parallel life as a gifted musician. The Prince of Arcot family holds a quiet but steady influence in Chennai’s social and cultural life, while their palace is a centre of a lot of humanitarian initiatives led by the Arcot Foundation.

The present Prince, Nawab Mohammed Abdul Ali, is regarded with affection, but much of the visible day-to-day outreach — charity drives, interfaith events and other initiatives — is handled by his son, Nawabzada Mohammed Asif Ali.

Asif Ali’s presence is felt most strongly in the countless small relief efforts that are carried out through the Arcot Foundation for the poor, irrespective of religion.

Mohammad Usman, Founder of Madrasa Imdadiya: Ashraf Khan teaches Tamil at a private college in Chennai. Blind since childhood, he learnt Braille at a small madrassa for the visually impaired in Melvisharam near Ranipet in Tamil Nadu. Born to poor parents, he once had little hope of formal education. Today, he earns around ₹50,000 a month — a life made possible by access to learning.

Khan attributes his journey to Mohammad Usman, founder of Madrassa Imdadiya, a trust that supports blind and disabled students from some of the most deprived backgrounds. “Education saved my life,” Khan says simply. A Madrassa for the visually impaired in Tamil Nadu teaches students through Braille and publishes books in Braille…all thanks to the enterprise and vision of Mohammad Usman.
 

Polyglot Mahmud Akram has so far learnt almost 400 languages at the age of 19 and is fluent in nearly 46 of them. At ten, he wrote India’s national anthem in 20 different scripts in under an hour. At twelve, he translated a sentence into more languages within three minutes than any of the other 70 linguists competing with him.

Born to a polyglot father who mastered 16 languages while working outside Tamil Nadu, Akram grew up immersed in sounds, scripts, and phonemes. Yet he is careful to distinguish between literacy and comprehension. “Of the 400 languages I can read and write, I understand only 46,” he tells Awaz-the Voice.

Sharifa Khanam, founder of STEPS, a women’s empowerment institution, is now working towards starting a mosque for women.

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