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Message from the ‘Water Aid’ Regional Manager Mr. Farrukh Rehman Khan On World Water Day : Maulana Khalid Rasheed Firangi Mahli, Member All India Muslim Personal Law Board and founder Islamic Centre of India, Lucknow and Mr. Tariq Khan, founder of Foundation for Education and Economic Development have decided to launch Save Water campaign in Lucknow. To begin with, all the Mosques across Lucknow will be used to convey the message of Prophet Mohammad on water conservation. Drop Dead Foundation is thrilled with the response. Image – Islamic Center Lucknow. Courtesy : Water Aid)

24 March 2019  

Abid Surti was born in a Gujrati muslim family on 5 May 1935 at Vavera, near Rajula, Gujarat, India to Gulam Hussain and Sakina Begum.In his childhood, at the age of 5, he almost got carried away by flood in the Tapti river near Surat.The family later shifted to Bombay and he spent his childhood in Dongri area of Mumbai. His father was follower of Sufism.He joined the J.J. School of Art in 1954 and obtained a Diploma in Arts. He was greatly influenced by the writings of 20th-century Bengali novelist, Sharat Chandra Chatterji.Besides being a writer in Hindi and Gujarati, he is also an expert in Urdu.He started his career as a freelancer. In 1965, he married Masooma Begum; they have two sons from this marriage.

1. How many characters did you create?

Ans:- More than a dozen. The most popular were: Dhabbuji,Bahadur-Bela,Azad,Shuja, Bol Buddhu,Dr. Chinchu etc.  

2. Is bahadur the most famous character created by you?

Ans:- Bahadur being the first Indian comics Super Hero, it has become a cult character. Shahrukh Khan, Anurag Kashyap and many other celebrities are  it’s fans. 

3. Does bahadur belong to the phantom’s universe?

Ans:- No. But my Shuja is.

4. Did indrajal comics had any plans for making their own phantom story?

Ans:- No one can. The question is of copyright.

5. How long have you been working in comic books?

Ans:- Since 50s. First I introduced Professor Chelbatau and then The Three Mousecateers: Sonu, Bhagu & Lakhudi. All these characters were created for Gujju readers. Then came Dhabbuji in 1963 in a Hindi weekly, Dharmayug.

6. Is there any possibility of Indrajal comics starting again?

Ans:- No chance because no big profit in comic business.

7. Would you like to bring back bahadur?

Ans:- Certainly but not possible. Many issues, including copyright, are involved.

Thank you Aabid Surti sir for this interview……

Also a thanks to you,dear reader!

(2021)

IFAT India 2019- India’s leading trade show for Environmental Technology.

For more details : (From L to R)

Dr. Jürgen Morhard, German Consulate General Mumbai / Mr. Suresh Prabhakar Prabhu is an Indian politician / Mr. Ajay Mathur is Director General of TERI / Mr. Bhupinder Singh, CEO, Messe Muenchen India.

Without blue there’s no green; without water, there’s no life. In a world running out of freshwater where every drop of water counts, the 85-year-old Aabid Surti has taken it upon himself to make sure it’s not wasted. Founder of the Mumbai- based NGO ‘Drop Dread Foundation’, Aabid and his team have been going from door to door for the past 12 years, fixing leaking taps. Since the beginning of this initiative in 2007, they have covered 2000+ homes and saved over 20million litres of water. However, his journey has been nothing short of a rollercoaster ride. His childhood was spent in a chawl in Dongri (Mumbai), with his mother lining up every morning at the community tap for a bucket of water. This made him set out on his mission to plug leaking taps in & around his vicinity. Speaking about his initiative, Aabid says, “Every week we target a building, meet the society secretary and explain our purpose. We then put up posters on the building notice board, give out pamphlets with our details and finally (mostly on Sundays), we start from the top floor, knocking every door, fixing faucets. Initially, people were not very supportive; it took them a while to realize the importance of water conservation. Fixing taps free of charge meant I had to bear the expenses from my own pocket – I thought, plumber’s fee would be 200 and washer costs 2 per piece, so it won’t burn a hole in my pocket. But doing it regularly turned out to be a huge investment. Also, I have to pay my fare and take care of refreshments for my team, which all added up to nearly INR 5000 a month.”

Being a well-known National award-winning author, Aabid used his prize money earned through various recognitions to fund his initiative. He also participated in the popular game show ‘Kaun Banega Crorepati’ hosted by Mr Amitabh Bachchan to spread awareness about water conservation and raised 11 lakh for his initiative. Maharashtra Government also recognized his efforts and awarded him with the prize money to help the noble cause. “I got more love for my work than I probably did from my mother. This is my ibaadat.”

October 24, 2020