Chief Editor or Rahnuma-e-Deccan Urdu Daily
Chairman Indo Arab League Hyderabad Passes Away

Hyderabad, December 9: Mr Syed Vicaruddin, one of the most revered Muslim personalities of India passed away on Thursday night at Olive Hospital in Hyderabad. He was the editor of the Hyderabad-based‘Rahnuma-e-Deccan’, which completed its century last year. Mr. Syed Vicaruddin, the man of distinguished international prominence, was a sportsman of celebrated stature and a great cricketer of his time.

A scion of Hyderabad’s aristocratic family, he is highly regarded for his unprecedented endeavours to bridge the gap between India and the Arab World, travelling over 22 countries in this pursuit. He pioneered the cause of Indian support towards the Palestinian peace, and has the very rare distinction of direct encounters with several Head of States, Presidents and foreign dignitaries including Palestinian President H.E. Mahmood Abbas. In fact, the then President Mr. Yaser Arafat visited Hyderabad twice on the invitation of Mr. Syed Vicaruddin.

In recognition of his yeomen services and exemplary contribution in ameliorating ties with the Arab World, he has another exceptional distinction of travelling with Prime Minister of India (Late) Smt. Indira Gandhi on her official tour to Iraq, with former Prime Minister of India Mr. V.P.Singh on manifold national and international conferences.

Syed Vicaruddin Documentary by Media Plus

Vicaruddin served as the Chairman of “Indo-Arab League Hyderabad”, an NGO recognized by the United Nations Organization (UNO) which remains the pioneer in establishing and bolstering ties with the Arab Worlds. The Indo Arab League Hyderabadis recognized internationally for its selfless endeavours.

Mr. Syed Vicaruddin also had the privileged distinction of visiting Saudi Arabia on the Royal Invitation of the Kings of Saudi Arabia twice as a Royal Guest, King of Morocco, Presidents of Iraq, Yemen, Cyprus, Maldives, Iran, Palestine, Sudan and the Prime Minister of Libya. He had also visited several European countries and United States of America on official invitations. He was also honoured as the “Star of Morrocco” – the highest honour conferred personally by H.E. King Mohammed IV of Morocco at a special ceremony held at Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi.

He was presented with the First Maqdoom Mohiuddin Memorial Award by the Andhra Pradesh Urdu Academy. Justice M.S.A.Siddiqui, Chairman – National Commission for Minority Educational Institutions presented a Life Time Achievement Award to Mr. Vicaruddin in 2011 at a function organized by MESCO. He has held many respectable positions including as the first Chairman of the Andhra Pradesh State Minorities Finance Corporation and Andhra Pradesh Minorities Commission. He also rendered his intellectual wisdom in capacity as the Chairman of All India Urdu Newspapers Promotion Committee of the Union Ministry Human Resources Development under Government of India, Member – All India Milli Council & Member of All India Muslim Personal Law Board among others.

An alumni of the Aligarh Muslim University with Hyderabadi fundament, Mr Vicaruddin’s publication was the gold standard of urdu journaliam for many decades at a stretch.
His newspaper Rahnuma-e-Deccan is irrefutably considered the nursery for Urdu journalists. The newspaper had carved its own niche in the eyes of its readers as a secular, upfront and socialist publication and has set benchmarks of excellence followed by some of the biggest names in today’s media industry.

Video: How Syed Vicaruddin started Indo Arab League Hyderabad and the role it played in India’s bonding with the Arab world.

Mr Vicaruddin never married. He is survived by two sisters while his nephew Syed Ahmed Amiruddin has been overlooking the newspaper and its English news portal for quite some time.

With the demise of Syed Vicaruddin, not just Urdu journalism but India has lost a great son of soil whose silent contributions in strengthening India’s relationship with the Arab world and driving the pro-Palestinian policy remains the unparalleled pioneering effort by any organization or individual in the history of India.

For those who knew him closely, ‘Viqar sahab’ was an epitome of moral values and noblest personification of a journalist and philanthropist in the guise of a simpleton. He will be fondly remembered for all the good reasons one could only wish to be remembered for. He was 82.

Video: His Deteriorating Health and the future of Rahnuma e Deccan

About the author:
Syed Khaled Shahbaaz is a Hyderabad based journalist. He may be reached at syedkhaledshahbaaz@gmail.com or +91-9652828710

Tags Obituary Rahnuma e Deccan Syed Vicaruddin Tribute

About Khaled Shahbaaz

Syed Khaled Shahbaaz is a journalist and columnist - and a Yudhvir Gold Medalist in Journalism, with over 2,500 published stories in outlets such as Deccan Chronicle, The Hans India, Clarion, Saudi Gazette, TNerd.com and the Arab News. He is the author of the bestselling coffee-table book 'The Kohinoors: Distinguished Personalities of Hyderabad'. A Computer Science engineer from JNTU, he has interviewed senior ministers, top bureaucrats, social innovators, and leading civic voices, following earlier roles in Business Intelligence and communications with global IT corporations in the gulf.

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Drawing an analogy, he said the selective use of allopathic medicine by Unani practitioners should be akin to adding a little “achar or namak” to food, sparingly and only when absolutely necessary. He stressed that Unani medicine remains complete and self-sufficient when practised in its true classical and philosophical form. One of the strengths of the system, he added, was its transparency, as Unani physicians know not only the indication and approach to treatment but also the minutest ingredient used in each formulation. He urged practitioners and manufacturers to modernise outreach aggressively and remain confident competitors to corporate pharmaceutical giants.Padma Shri awardee and former CRIUM Director Dr. M. A. Waheed said there was immense potential for innovation, new drug development and targeted drug discovery within the Unani framework. He pointed out that immunomodulators, widely used today by people worldwide, were prescribed in Unani medicine thousands of years ago. Referring to the COVID-19 pandemic, he said “several Unani formulations played an important role as part of the AYUSH ministry’s national health response”. Dr. Waheed emphasised that, regardless of the drug or discipline, safety must remain paramount, especially long-term safety, and protocols must be strengthened accordingly. With focused and targeted research, he said, “the Indian Unani sector would be able to break traditional barriers and stand shoulder to shoulder with global pharmaceutical players.”Adding to the perspective, Zulfikhar Ali said Unani medicine is practised in nearly 85 countries, including Iran, India and other parts of the Middle East and South Asia, and that the foundational principles remain the same across these regions. He credited the survival and spread of the system to the sustained efforts of Unani drug manufacturers, who have kept the tradition alive through consistency and adherence to classical values. 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Syed Vicaruddin – End of an Era (Tribute and Video Documentary)

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