A total of 265 photos in fourteen different albums have been complied in our DNF photo gallery. Please clickthe link below to view the pictures. You can also view the albums by clicking the PHOTO ALBUMS link on the Gupshup tab (upper right hand side). Please make sure to view the albums in slide show mode.
Link: http://community.webshots.com/user/DNFWEB
AM by night- editor’s choice (4 pictures)
AM 19th Century (17 pictures)
AM Interior by Fritz Kapp 1904 (9 pictures)
AM 1970-1980 before reconstruction (18 pictures)
AM from Buriganga (10 pictures)
AM- outside boundary (11 pictures)
AM 1980-2009 (95 pictures)
AM – Dhaka turned 400 years…(32 pictures)
AM Museum Displays (46 pictures)
AM filigree in gold & silver (2 pictures)
AM in Stamp (1 picture)
AM- a decoration piece (1 picture)
AM-Concord Theme Park (1picture)
AM 3D (18 pictures)

Two other new folders are Twin House (1 picture) Jewelry (3 pictures).

Thanks,
Anas Khwaja

3rd from the left on the pictureMuslim American Society (www.MASnet.Org) held a community civic participation dinner ceremony honoring Khwaja Mizan Hassan, President Jamaica Muslim Center, Fatima Shama, commisssioner of immigrant affairs, and George Delis, District Leader for Astoria at Hellenic Societies of Greater New York on 10/30/09. This event was attended by elected officials, high level government officials and community leaders. Khwaja Mizan Hassan was presented an ‘award of excellence’ for his community service in the metropolitan New York.
The Muslim American Society (MAS) is a charitable, religious, social, cultural, and educational, not-for-profit organization. It is a pioneering Islamic organization, an Islamic revival, and reform movement that uplifts the individual, family, and society.

by Jahangir Hussain
Security means protection against theft, fraud and vandalism. However, a good security system is concerned with all types of risk. Museums and other cultural heritage organizations and sites are threatened with robbery, vandalism and burglary, bombing, arson, accidental explosions, earthquake, tornado, floods, fire and other similar occurrences.
Gary Edson and David Dean in their influential book The Handbook for Museums discussed museum security thus: “Museum security is the philosophy and activity of providing an environment in which people and objects may be as free from threat of harm or damage as possible”. Using this as a broad definition, there are several elements involved in such security. These include: staff, barriers, signage, collection management practices, housekeeping activities, environmental monitoring, alarms and surveillances and security plan.

Ahsan Manzil museum is one of the 140 museums in Bangladesh. A part-time security officer under the supervision of Deputy-Keeper is in-charge of the security system of Ahsan Manzil Museum. There are 1 Security Supervisor, 20 Security Guards and 2 other support staffs in the security section.

The existing security system of the Museum embodies the following tools/ methods:
1. Security personnel; 2. Fire extinguisher; 3. Water line, water and sand in separate containers;
4. Security locking; 5. Sealing system in the locks; 6. Roaster committee; 7. Metal Detector;
8. Walkie talkie; 9. Ansar/Ansar with arms; 10. Gate passes for objects; 11. Gate passes for non-object materials; 12. Emergency electric supply (Electric Generator); 13. Charge light, torchlight, etc; 14. First Aid Box; 15. Left luggage counter.

The newly elected trustess are K.M.Hanif (Nanna), K.M.Aziz, Syed Anadel, K.M.Tanzim, Khwaja Margoob Hassan & K.M.Abdullah. Stay tuned for further details.

The election of The Moulvi Abdullah Welfare Trust started this morning at 10am local time in Dhaka Nawabbari. Since last fifteen days Nawabarian’s are in a festive mood. Banners, festoons, rally, canvass, speeches, baithak, procession with 50 motorcycles, party with kabab & paratha have now become part of the trust election culture.

There are twelve contesting candidates for six seats which fell vacant either due to member’s death or tenure expiration. One candidate Khwaja Manzar Nadim earlier withdrew his nomination. Total number of votes is 2,087.

Election Hours are 10Am -2Pm and 3PM-6PM. There will be a lunch and prayer break between 1Pm and 2PM. Results will be announced between 7pm 7.30pm. Due to limited space the election will not take place in Trust office premises. This year the election is taking place at 15 Ahsaullah Road (chaman K.M.Jonaid’s houe).

The name of the twelve candidates and their symbols are as following: K.M.Aziz son of K.M.Mosharraf –ink pot,
K.Margoob Hassan son of K Abdul Ghani Ladla Mia-candle,
K.Tanzim Arzoo son of K.M.Arzoo- swrod,
K.M.Hanif son of K.M.Fahim- aeroplane,
Syed Anadel Husain son of Syed Amjad Hussain Babu Mia-umbrella, S.A.Ishaq son of Syed Abdul Hamed- key,
K.Imtiazul Huq son of K.Mazharul Huq-rose,
K. Qayum Reza son of K.Yusuf Reza – fish,
Syed Tabrez Hussain son of K.M.Manawar-horse,
K.M.Abdullah son of K.Sirajuddin-fan,
Md. Nasiruddin husband of Nasreen Hassan -lantern, and K.M.Mozammel son of K.M.Mahmood-football.

S.A.Ishaq, K.Qayum Reza, K.M.Abdullah are incumbent members of the trust.
Trust secretary Najmul Hassan could be contacted at 01 1990 749 40 for any concern.

Extra Note: Couple of candidates including K.M.Aziz and Manzar Nadim has complained of threat over telephone. We need to remember that this service of Trustee is a voluntary one. Act of threat from fellow family member is to be condemned.

Songshod- the unofficial organization of the youth had so far played important role in selecting and promoting good candidates up until the current election. Couple of beneficiaries complained that Songshod dashed their hope for the first time. Songshod has compromised its integrity by nominating one or two controversial candidates.

Let us pray the election is conducted in a peaceful environment. Honest and competent members are elected to meet beneficiary’s aspiration and safeguard the family property.

K.M. Rashed son of Khwaja Abdul Halim and Mahejabeen Begum departed Dhaka on March 1976 to settle down in Lund, Sweden.He is now a father of four -Sabina, Sadek, Sofia and Sakina and married to Farmeen Shahed.
Love for Dhaka brought him back home in 1982 and since then he has been visiting Nawabbari frequently. On every visit to Dhaka he captured glimpse of Talab Kenar.
The website team has collected couple of his video recordings and compiled them into five parts. Part four of these series is the earliest ever recorded video of Talaab Kenar (1989). These videos are captured from the western side of the Nawabbari pond and spans from 1896 through 1998.
He has captured little but interesting things through his lens as making of bhapa pitha, rolling Talab Ka Tom, migratory birds gliding over Gol Talab, rozdar’s hurry in Ramadan, Kaseeda , ferriwala (hawker), band group performing on makeshift stage celebrating independence day at night, dome of Ahsan Manzil and specially people relaxing in the afternoon hours.
Even twenty years after we can reinvent the beauty of ever changing Talab Kenar- the calmness of the talab and the fresh and crisp air surrounding it. These videos will relax you and take you to a nostalgic dream world that we left behind. Din Jay Kotha Thake….
Anas Khwaja

The DNF team has created a new social network. The link is as following:
www.DhakaNawabFamily.Ning.com
Please sign up and update your profile. We will phase out Gupshup section and move to this new site www.DhakaNawabFamily.Ning.com .
If you did not receive invitation to join, go to the home page of this site – click on the Get connected Tab. This will take you to the new social network site.
The phone directory has been placed under the members tab on this new site. Why migration to the new site?
Unlike Gupshup this site will let you create your own blog, upload pictures and videos, invite other friends- literally everything Facebook lets you do. And more like video chat.
Why wait sign up and familiarize yourself with this new site. If you have any questions please call Belal hassan 718 459 1464, Arshad Abdullah 646 932 9020, Saniya Sajed 917 622 6993 or Anas Khwaja 718 606 9487 or 646 536 2855.

The Daily Star Dhaka October 22 2009
AKM Mozammel Huq, chief of the the parliamentary standing committee on land ministry told reporters that the parliamentary standing committee discussed recovery of a huge amount of land and wealth of the estate of a Nawab in Dhaka, Savar and Gazipur from grabbers. “You will be astonished to hear that wealth worth thousands of crores of taka has been plundered by different quarters and individuals,” Mozammel told reporters. He said the committee has already asked the land ministry to begin the process for recovering and acquiring the estate’s land.

Earlier The Land Survey Department of the land ministry demarcated the capital’s 43 canals lost to grabbers and identified persons and institutions that encroached upon the water bodies. The parliamentary standing committee decided to take up the issue to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina for her directives as it believes it will be a troublesome task to recover the canals and need concerted efforts. Influential individuals grabbed most of the canals where they erected multi-storey buildings for markets, educational institutions and residences. Government institutions including the Dhaka City Corporation built roads and markets on some canals.

Who are on the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Ministry of Land: Chairman- AKM Mozammel Huq, members- M Rzaul Karim Hira, Mostafizur Rahman, M Abdul Hai, M Shab Uddin, Benjir Ahmed, Ranjit Kumar Roy, AKM Hafizur Rahman, Rowshan Ershad and Matiur Rahman,
Advocate A.K.M Mozammel Haque MP Gazipur-1 also served as chairman of Joudebpur Union council (1973-1986), chairman of Gazipur Pouroshava (1989- 2008). His mobile number is 01711680815 and email address is info@mozammelhaque.org .B Association on behalf of the family members can follow up with the MP on his direction to recover the land of the Nawab Estate.
http://www.thedailystar.net/newDesign/news-details.php?nid=110798

The Daily Star Friday April 6 2007
Members of Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) yesterday arrested a Abdul Karin a fake freedom fighter and two of his bodyguards in Savar. …
Karim founded Muktijodhya Bahumukhi Samobay Samity on his own in 1994 to grab five acres of khas land in Nawab estate at Chapain in Savar. Introducing himself as president of the samity, Karim planned a project to encroach the land. He also prepared a list comprising 162 freedom fighters and labourers to allocate the land. Each listed person gave him money ranging from Tk 50,000 to Tk 60,000 to have a plot on that land. In 2004, Karim prepared a fresh list of 162 people and realised different amount of money in the name of allocating the same land, excluding most of the people enlisted earlier.

“Posing as assistant commander of Savar Muktijoddha Command, Karim took Tk 53,000 from me in 1994 in the name of implementing a residential project for freedom fighters,” said Abul Bashar, a war-maimed freedom fighter, who came under attack by his associates for demanding the refund of money. There are also allegations against Karim of renting houses built on the khas land. ……..
Source: http://www.thedailystar.net/2007/04/06/d70406100696.htm