Based on the Islamic principle of prohibiting interest, Al Khair Society has provided interest-free loans of more than Rs 50 crore to nearly 20,000 people, mostly those struggling for survival, in the last one decade of its existence.
Category: FEATURE
10 plays to compete for 14 awards at META 2018
The META 2018 Lifetime Achievement Award will be conferred on the veteran Indian film and theatre director, Vijaya Mehta, Founder Member of the theatre group, Rangayan, and a leading figure in the experimental theatre of the 1960s.
Setting an example: Temple, mosque, gurdwara join hands in this small UP town
The challenge is to maintain the cleanliness. We could clean only a small stretch of the river. We will rally again and take movement to second phase once we get directions from our elder brother Swami ji, says Rauf.
Save our girls: Change comes from below for Rajasthan's women
Jhunjhunu, itself, is rapidly changing, claims Sushila. She said that although she later gave birth to a son, her daughter is the most pampered and loved one in the family now, an indicator of how society is transforming.
Catch up over boozy butter chicken, drool-worthy fish fingers at Soirée
Soirée has whimsical interiors, retro-style furniture as well as an interesting combination of vibrant graffiti walls and panels with beautiful art pieces. The bar area is located in the middle with its ceiling elaborately decorated with glass bottles.
Fighting climate change: How a 'crazy' engineer solved Ladakh's water crisis
"It's a technique to harvest winter waste water in the form of ice. And by creating artificial glaciers at relatively lower altitudes, it was possible to get water when it was needed," Norphel said.
Kashmir's laugh doctor: He wants to bring mirth back to Kashmir's depressed lives
A local poet, script writer, director and actor, Josh is known to every household here just as "Jum German", "Ahead Raza" and half a dozen other names based on the lead roles he has played in TV serials.
Kachchrapur to Safaipur: The magical transformation of a historic Delhi neighbourhood
"All the 144 households of the slum were linked to the main trunk sewer which was damaged and had to be replaced with the help of the Delhi Jal Board. There were no garbage bins in the houses and all the waste used to be dumped near the drain," said Lall.
Himalayan littering leading to brown-bear habit changes
Last week, around December 24, the officials finally sent it to the permanent care of a bear rescue centre run with the help of animal welfare organisation Wildlife SOS, where it will spend the rest of its life.
Making a difference: Teenager's passion sets an example in Kashmir
For the last four years, this teenaged breadwinner of the family has been collecting plastic bottles, metal scrap, empty tetra packs and other waste left behind by locals and tourists, who come to visit the lake and end up littering it.
Chatham: A stroll through Asia's oldest saw mill in the Andamans
Three kilometres north of capital Port Blair, the mill, occupying an entire island, was also named after it. The massive wooden front gate at the entrance right at the end of a 100-metre bridge, proudly announces Chatham's contribution to the history of the island.
Preserving local culture through a unique museum
"Before opening this place I worked in many other museums and learned many things. And now, that experience is helping me to make Lok Sangrahalaya stronger. I am still the curator of this gallery," he explained.
Women power: How a forest was saved from timber mafia
"We don't cut trees on purpose any more and use the fallen trees and branches for all our needs," Jamuna said. "The amount we are able to save up during the rains is sufficient for the whole year."
India's pink army: Bringing healthcare to doorsteps of deprived
Clad in the trademark pink saree, her work uniform, state health worker Godavari Anil Rathore, 23, a resident of Kalaburgi, Karnataka, about 623 km north of state capital Bengaluru, is one of the youngest employed as an ASHA.
Desi Di - A pot-breaking Chennai restaurant
Country matka chicken is one of the dishes on the menu and it is served in style. An aluminium tray holding rice bowls, a sealed mud pot, an onion plate, dal and other items is brought to the diner's table.
Meghalaya and modified automobiles - an age-old love affair
Spotting a Maruti-800 converted into something like an SUV, or a tractor into a jeep, the possibilities of seeing something unique whizzing past you on the winding roads of this hill station are very high.
Yesteryears glory: Bollywood diaries that never made it to bestseller list
A look at the list of all major books by celebrities that have fast climbed the bestseller charts throws up an even larger list of controversies that were spun around the time of their launches and which were, in fact, the driving factor for much of their sales.
Italian speleologist set to explore Meghalaya's caves
The 33-year-old cave explorer's hallmark is multi-disciplinary research where chemists, microbiologists, biologists and other experts contribute to dissecting the samples and findings in Karst caves.
Art goes public in the capital
Not just Lodhi Colony, but places like Shahpur Jat, Shankar Market, the Inland Container Depot in Okhla, city flyovers and metro stations too have been turned into giant canvases for paintings by artists.
A small Himachal village that's taking art to nature
The exhibition displayed terracotta sculptures of Mudita Bhandari, photographs by Ratika Singh, paintings by Neha Lavingia, as well as a soundscape by Nikhil Narendra, an e-book project by Rohini Kejriwal and a live installation by Gauri Sharma.
Bike-sharing schemes: Flourishing or running riot?
Liu Daizong, Programme Director at the World Resources Institute (WRI), said that although the WRI does not currently have data on bike sharing, the use of these bikes in Chinese cities is already at phenomenal levels.
Indian American selected among 12 NASA astronaut candidates
He continued on to earn a master's degree in aeronautics and astronautics from Massachusetts Institute of Technology and graduated from the US Naval Test Pilot School.
World's oldest human species' fossils found in Morocco
The institute said the remains of the Homo sapiens, which were found in a remote village called Jbel Irhoud, date back to over 300,000 years ago, Xinhua reported.
Hyderabad's 'haleem' a favourite during Ramadan
From star hotels and popular food joints to small eateries, almost everyone prepares haleem, which is preferred for breaking the fast due to its energising nature, high nutritional value and soothing porridge-like texture.
Cosmic tango: Learning how black holes mate or merge
An international research team, including scientists from India, announced the latest detection of gravitational waves. The waves were first predicted by Albert Einstein more than a century ago.