When jealousy and wickedness overtakes the soul

         

I have received a number of inbox messages from people wanting to know how much of money did AhmedTimol secondary school raise through their annual fundraising event that was held at Gold Reef city on the 7th of December 2019. The school played host to international artists Samir and Dipalee who mesmerized the audience with their magical voices and on stage chemistry. It was definitely a night to remember. I am pleased to announce that after expenses, the school raised R240 000, the highest amount ever generated from a fundraising initiative. As mentioned at the concert, the money will be used to tar a road from the school gate leading up to the newly built school hall. The initial quote to tar the road was R 400 000. Hence there is a shortfall of R160 000.This figure may now be slightly less as MTN stepped in by assisting with the grading and leveling of the ground. In other words preparing the area for the tar to be poured. The management at the school will be accepting donations throughout the year especially from students and ex students who frequented the school so that this project comes to fruition in the near future thereby benefiting the school and the community who will hire the school hall for various functions.

With regards to the concert, I wanted to mention a few things that has been sitting on my chest for a while now. I was contemplating not talking about it to avoid unnecessary issues but i think the truth must be said as is. There were many families who purchased many tickets for the concert but on the day of the event they didn't pitch up. This accounted for almost 160 tickets that I am aware of. Some people needed to attend funerals, some said the weather wasn't good so they preferred staying indoors others had emergencies and well some people said "we were feeling uneasy attending a concert at Gold reef city so we didn't attend but if the concert was hosted at the school hall we would have attended". I personally don't see the difference and logic in this statement but then again i guess its different strokes for different folks. You cant win with our Indian community. Now whatever your excuse or reason was for not attending why didn't you take those tickets and give them away to people who would have loved to attend the event. Give the tickets away to school children or orphaned kids who have not attended a live show before. Why be selfish by sitting with the tickets? If you didn't want the tickets as you knew you were not going to attend the event, then you should have simply opted to give the school a donation and not taken the tickets or ask the school management to give the tickets away. The artists traveled from so far to perform for your school, to uplift your community, the least we could have done was to make sure that the hall was completely full. The fact that the school made a profit from the event heralds the event a success. But success for an artist is seeing a hall completely full. 72 percent of the tickets sold but many people didn't pitch up.

One thing that really upset me was the fact that there were people out there who were quite livid at the fact that the school was playing host to international artists. Instead of offering help, working together making sure that the school had the full support required they opted to do anything and everything possible to bring down the event from alerting SARS about the school event and then getting video clips and facebook pages related to the event blocked by getting multiple people to report the pages as going against community standards.In fact the weekend prior to the school event it was quite stupid and idiotic to see two mega Bollywood events on the same weekend at the same time. We are not residing in India where there are millions of Indians who will support different cultural events. We are a minority group in this country so why divide the community. I know for a fact that many people would have opted to attend both concerts had they been on different weekends or a different month altogether. What do you gain by trying to upstage someone else's event? What are you trying to prove? Some will say this is business deal with it. I say this kind of behaviour is not only cattish it goes against all the principles of proper business and moral ethics. I simply lose all respect for individuals who behave in this appalling manner going through great lengths to sabotage a charity event.Success is not about being the best in your field or being the wealthiest or most well known personality.True success is all about empowering, uplifting and working together for the betterment of society. What makes me even more sad is that Indians in general never stand together. We are always trying to out do each other. Can you imagine how much more we can achieve if we were united and supported each others businesses, events etc.There can be many event management companies or organisations within the community. Why not work together by communicating in a meaningful respectful manner discussing dates of events so that they do not coincide on the same day or weekend. Why be spiteful and have your event deliberately on the same weekend or same day as someone else's event thereby creating competition and of course dividing the community. Choose another day or month so that everyone's event gets the full support of the community especially a charity event. This is the premise of true business ethic. It's so much more rewarding being a part of someone else's success rather than running someone down. Think about it. For those of you who wish to pledge a monthly donation to the school I have attached the school's banking details. Remember, if you wish to leave a legacy behind when death comes knocking at your door, then do as much good as you possibly can. People will remember you for the way you made them feel, for the way you touched their hearts. Your wealth and status will be forgotten, but your good deeds and acts of kindness will be remembered forever.

                                           

IF I SHOW NO INTEREST IN YOU, HERE'S THE REASON WHY

The kind of people I choose to stay away from:

1. Two faced individuals. Sadly there are many such people out there. Choose your friends wisely.

2. People who are sneaky using you for their own hidden agendas and ulterior motives
3. People who enjoy seeing others fail in life or go down the wrong path.
4. People who are jealous and cant see the good and success in others
5. People who are always grumpy, complaining about everything. They never happy nor content with what the Almighty has bestowed upon them
6. People who treat their friends better than their own parents.
7. People who abuse others either mentally,verbally or physically
8. People who have no heart towards those who are poor and impoverished.
9. People who discriminate against others based on race, faith, skin colour, caste
10. People who are judgemental. People who act as thou they are holier than Thou.
11. People who befriend you to compete with you. My clothes are branded. Yours are not. I drive a BMW. You drive a bakkie. Not interested in such idiotic behaviour.

The kind of people I enjoy interacting with:
1. People who are way smarter and more intelligent than i am. Gives me an opportunity to grow and learn
2. People who love to read. Conversations are more exciting as many different topics can be discussed
3. People who have philosophical, out of the box ideas about life
4. People who travel extensively
5. People who have good intent and pure clean hearts. People who are non judgemental and simply accept you the way you are.
6. People who go out of their way to help others selflessly without expecting anything in return
7. People who are kind and compassionate to their fellow beings
8. People who uplift and empower others.
9. People who write.
10. People who acknowledge your successes and are genuinely happy for you from within their heart. People who continue to motivate and encourage you to reach for the stars and beyond

The winds of change are blowing in the kingdom and its a breath of fresh air.

The kingdom of Saudi Arabia has always been a second home to my family and I. Each time I visit, I reminisce on the years I resided in the kingdom and try catching up with those who are near and dear over a cup of Arabic coffee with a slice of kunafah or my favourite basboosah. During my recent visit, I had the opportunity of meeting up with two really good friends who have been my pillar of strength and support for a decade. They both hail from two unique different backgrounds and I'm extremely proud of their achievements. The first person i met when I landed in Riyadh in 2008 was Fasahat. We were both new to Riyadh. I had just landed and needed to make a call home notifying my family that i arrived safely. I was told by the security personnel at the hospital that I needed to obtain a Saudi sim card etc from a specific department inside the hospital. Whilst trying to make my way to the relevant department, I bumped into Fasahat who could tell that I was new and visibly lost. He was full of smiles and directed me to the relevant personnel who eventually provided me with a Saudi sim card and a home internet solution. From that day onward we became best of friends. We use to enjoy dinners together, visiting the annual Janadriyya festival and of course when mom visited for 2 to 3 months yearly, Fasahat was our driver taking us shopping and spoiling mom on her birthday. When I worked night shift, he would send doughnuts and food to the pharmacy. At 7am when I was half dead after working night shift, I'd find him enroute home with a big smile, saying..' we going for breakfast to pancake house".Fasahat was born in Saudi Arabia into an aristocratic nawaab family originally from Hyderabad. Both his parents were specialist physicians. Whilst his dad passed away a few years ago, his mom is now semi retired. He is an engineer and an MBA graduate. He is intellectually inclined, technologically savvy and just so smart coupled with a great sense of humour, naturally we became great friends. Together, we experienced and encountered many hilarious situations with the Saudi religious police. We were mistaken for being Saudi on a few occasions. I was asked to change my tarha or head scarf to plain black as opposed to black with a pink border. I kept on questioning on what religious grounds or rulings was I not allowed to wear a tarha that had a pink border. My questioning didn't sit well with the mutawwah who assumed I was Saudi and asked for me to summons dad to the police station. As soon as I showed them my access control card and department I worked at, at one of the best hospitals in the world, I was let off the hook. My Saudi manager was also asked to intervene as they were not convinced that I was not a Saudi.. Of course, with the new Saudi vision 2030 implementation by the crown prince MBS, the religious police or the mutawwah as they were referred to, are now a thing of the past. Fasahat and I both left KSA a few years ago to spread our wings and pursuit our dreams. Whilst I have returned to SA permanently, he travels extensively within the middle east and is now resettled in KSA due to his demanding job. We both resided in KSA at a time where women were invisible and unable to drive. I must admit though, I enjoyed being chauffeur driven. It was a time when there were no big cinemas like imax or vox. Hospital staff however enjoyed movie nights at the central hospital auditorium, a night we all looked forward to. There were no major concerts, stage shows or theatre productions. Sometimes however, we would get invited to the Indian or Pakistani embassy to attend a live private mehfil gathering. There were some parts of Riyadh where I had to adorn full abaya with niqaab or complete face covering to avoid unnecessary issues with the religious police who always assumed I was Saudi. I had hilarious encounters with men who sold make up and underwear at all major retail outlets. Women at that time were not allowed to work in many sectors of the retail industry. The winds of change are blowing in KSA and its a breath of fresh air. When I landed in the kingdom 2 weeks ago I was so surprised to see women immigration officers carrying out their duties as efficiently as their male counterparts. I noticed young women driving on the busy roads of Jeddah. I noticed women in beautiful coloured abayas with matching tarhas as opposed to the monotonous black. The Jeddah of the past is being revived where Saudi women wore traditional jalabiyyas heavily embellished with embroidery and beads. The concept of the black abaya is in actual fact foreign to Saudi culture. Many Saudis believe it was a dress code adopted from Shia Iran and was used as a form of control. Believe it or not, there was an era where moderate Islam was practised in Saudi and that era is being revived once again where Saudis are now saying, we want to show the world our culture, traditions, customs and faith. We want to show the world what Islam is all about through our hospitality as opposed to what is shown on television. Young Saudi men and women have welcomed and embraced the changes with many saying, " Finally we are now residing like the rest of the world'. However, there are many staunch hardcore fanatics within the kingdom and abroad who are quite apprehensive of the changes. Whilst standing in the queue at the immigration counter upon arrival, I overheard the ultra conservative South African couple standing in front of me say, "la howla wa la kuwwata illabilla-now we must be served by women". I asked myself why the hypocrisy. In SA Muslim women in niqaab drive and there is a constant interaction here between men and women in all spheres of daily living. It does not mean that because the most important religious sites in the Islamic world are located in Saudi, that all Saudis now are saints. No. They reside in cities just like ours. They have the same dreams, wants, aspirations etc like the rest of us. A few days ago I met up with another good friend of mine, Abdullah who now resides in Jeddah. Despite the waiter at the posh Brazilian restaurant billing his card for an amount that was 10 times more the actual bill in error, we had a blast catching up, chatting about our past interactions as friends. Watch the headlines coming out of Jeddah this week, ' SAUDI MAN SLAUGHTERS WAITER AT JEDDAH RESTAURANT' as he is yet to receive his refund lol. Abdullah is half Saudi, half Egyptian with stunning emerald green eyes. He has two adorable kids Basma and Omar. He hails from a very broad minded educated family. His younger brother is highly educated employed at a world class university. He married an Indian woman and they now reside in America. Abdullah was over the moon at the fact that recently when he requested for an Uber, he was picked up by a woman in full niqaab. In his opinion, this is a great victory for women residing in the kingdom. Women are now empowered to work, earn a living and support their families. Not all Saudis hail from rich homes. There are many homes where women have now become breadwinners as their partners or parents have passed away and so they have no one to support them or take care of their needs. They can now support themselves. For me the best part of being in the kingdom is undoubtedly the safety factor. It was a breath of fresh air walking at the Jeddah Corniche at 2am. The city is buzzing 24/7. There isn't this constant fear of being robbed or hijacked. I noticed construction and development in almost all major cities. Roads were being repaired and the Saudi government has invested billions in education. Whilst i do not agree with many of the Kingdoms foreign policies, credit needs to be given where due. I noticed drastic improvements in all major cities since I last visited in December 2016. The government has launched a massive clean up campaign encouraging citizens to keep the country clean. Citizens are now fined for littering and due to extremely tough driving laws implemented with jail terms enforced for minor offences, the driving culture has improved tremendously. The hop on hop off red city bus in Medina is a must do activity especially for all first time visitors. The private and public sectors are all working together to make vision 2030 a reality. The state of the art train service from Medina to Makkah is fully functional at a reasonable price. Whilst our country is riddled with stories of crime, corruption, failing government parastatels, a stagnant economy, a 20 percent pass rate at school (why the helI attend school in the first place), I found the opposite within the kingdom. Of course, every country has their own fair share of issues and problems but nothing compares to what's happening in SA currently. Trust me, the world has taken note. I was told that many Saudi businessmen would not in a hurry invest in SA due to high crime rates and corruption. Mr Ramaphosa wants businesses to invest here but he has failed to create an environment conducive for investment. As much as we want our country to be a champion country or a global player on the international stage, our country is in essence a banana republic. The mass looting is now done openly and there are no consequences for those in power who steal tax payers money. Steal, rape, murder, do as you please, you will be granted bail and life goes on. Mr Ramaphosa is just as useless as his predecessor's. Our government is not for the people. Its a government that satisfies the whims and fancies of the elite few at the top. With all systems go working towards making vision 2030 a reality, the winds of change are blowing in the kingdom and its a breath of fresh air.

Video links:

https://www.facebook.com/sumayya.mehtar/videos/vb.739292781/10159285957582782/?type=2&video_source=user_video_tab

https://www.facebook.com/sumayya.mehtar/videos/vb.739292781/10159282353707782/?type=2&video_source=user_video_tab

https://www.facebook.com/sumayya.mehtar/videos/vb.739292781/10159276030437782/?type=2&video_source=user_video_tab

                                          With my brother, Saudi actor Hashim Najdi

INDIA'S FAVOURITE SINGING COUPLE - SAMIR AND DIPALEE LIVE IN CONCERT IN SOUTH AFRICA

With over 200 international concerts accredited to their name since 2012, they are back once again! For the very first time on South African soil, Ahmed Timol Secondary School proudly presents India`s favourite singing couple, Samir and Dipalee live in concert. This dynamic duo will be performing exclusively for one night only in Johannesburg on Saturday the 7th of December 2019 at the Lyric Theatre Gold Reef city to raise funds for a noble cause. All proceeds from ticket sales will be donated to Ahmed Timol Secondary school. Let us keep the legacy of the late Ahmed Timol alive by supporting this worthy initiative in the interest of 1000 school kids.

Samir Date is the son of the legendary composer Ravi Date. As a singer, he has the flair for delivering soul-stirring performances. He alongside his wife, Dipalee Somaiya Date are multiple award-winning Bollywood playback singers who are constantly on tour & regularly stunning audiences around the world with their onstage chemistry and voice. Hailing from a long line of esteemed musical talent, Samir has added to the allure of his family! The singer has won a number of awards including the honourable "Pillar of Indian Society". He was also the host of the famous Balaji Telefilms production, "Dhun Dhamaka" and sang for super stars like Salman Khan and Amir Khan in hit movies like Maine pyar kiya, Jazbaat and Parampara to name a few.

Dipalee Somaiya Date is a well known playback singer & Saregama TV star since 1994. She has sung in over 200 Hindi/ Gujarati films. She has been awarded the "Best Playback Singer" award by Gujarat Govt. 4 times in a row and twice by the Prime Minister of India. She has also won the "YUVA PRATIBHA" & "KUTCH RATNA" award. Tickets are available from R200 and can be purchased from Computicket or any Shoprite Checkers money market counter.Buy your ticket today and stand a chance of winning a return flight to Mumbai plus 4 nights accommodation courtesy of Sure Mitha travels in association with Mantana tours and travels. The winner will be announced on the night of the event.For further information contact Mr Sagren Naidoo, the principal at Ahmed Timol Secondary School at (011) 413-1323 or SGB member Mr Don Patel at 0794274209