“DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY” THIS BARBER ASPIRES TO BE A LECTURER

Ranchi: Customers at a makeshift hair-cutting saloon on Ranchi's main road are not aware that the barber chopping off their hair is a PhD degree holder and also a writer.

It has been 15 months since Ashraf Hussain earned his doctorate "Doctor of Philosophy" (faculty of humanities) from the Ranchi University (RU) and this year in September his book on Urdu women writers of Jharkhand is expected to be ready.

Located in the Upper Bazaar locality, Ashraf's saloon has the bare necessities: an old chair and a small mirror. A plastic sheet supported by two bamboo sticks completes the infrastructure. He manages to earn Rs 150-200 every day working for eight hours or so.

Ashraf, who has to run a seven-member family exclusively with earnings from the saloon, may be poor but his ambitions are not. "I am hopeful of clearing the UGC's National Eligibility Test (NET) which I took last December. I will apply for lectureship after that," said Ashraf.

The results of the NET test, held in December 2011, are likely to be out soon. And pray, what was the subject of his thesis? "A comparative and analytical study of eminent Urdu short story writers of Jharkhand".

Ashraf has been cutting hair ever since his father, Abdul Aziz, expired in 1991. He had just cleared his intermediate examination then. "Under financial pressure I had to abandon studies till 1999," he said.

But the desire to learn kept simmering inside Ashraf. Somehow, he started his studies all over again. He did his BA (Urdu honours) from Doranda College between 1999 and 2002 and postgraduation between 2003 and 2005.

Ashraf is writing a book on women Urdu writers of Jharkhand, which will be ready by September. "The state has many good writers, but all of them are not famous," he added.

The barber, however, has no plans to quit his work right now. "I prefer working as a barber because there is no pressure or stress. I get ample time to study. I also study at my saloon," said Ashraf.

alokknmishra@gmail.com

SWETT MARDEN AND SHIV KHERA FAIL TO INSPIRE THIS BILLIONAIRE

Ranchi: Reading books of famous American writer Swett Marden and Indian motivational speaker-cum-writer Shiv Khera thousands have benefited across the world. But there is a billionaire builder in Ranchi who got no benefits of these celebrated motivators.

Ranchi police on Monday seized goods worth over Rs 1 crore from the palatial house, Karan Villah, where builder J D Nandi used to live. During the seizure operation this correspondent came across over 10 motivational books of Swett Marden and Shiv Khera stashed in the cupboards of Nandi’s master bedroom.

The builder, who founded and headed one of the largest property developers Sanjeevani Buildcon, is accused of cheating crores of rupees from over 100 people in Ranchi whom he promised flats. After the forgery came to light Nandi escaped to Malaysia with is second wife Anamika Nandi, the owner of Karan Villah, also an accused.

The books were 'Living With Honour' by Shiv Khera, 'Byabhar Kushal Kaise Bane' by Swett Marden, 'Peace of Mind' by well-know American author Joshua Loth Liebman, 'Only Love is Real' by Brain Leslie Weiss among others. Nandi's fraudulent acts seem to have mocked at great beliefs too.

Just above the main entrance of Karan Villah there was a large display-board which had one such great beliefs written “Christ is the Head of this house; the Unseen guest at every meal; the Silent listener to every conversation.”

“It is a clear indication that the internal being of Nandi was no less cheat. He showed to the world that he was honest and had regard for the values of life. But actually he had none,” a 65-year-old man, from whom Nandi cheated Rs 17 for getting him flats, said requesting anoynimity.

Neighbours got on their rooftops to see as four trucks drove treadmills, two large plasma TVs, three master beds, three huge conchs and reclining chairs, several advanced interior designing equipment, several ACs, and other household goods after day-long seizure.

The entire two-storied bungalow in a 5000-odd sq ft high-walled campus had several photographs of Nandi his wife and their son Karan.

“Thoug it is still to be valued, I estimate the cost must be over Rs 1 crore,” said investigating officer Arvind Kumar Sinha. The goods were dumped in Sadar police station.

The neighbours are sort of shocked. “Just a month ago, Nandi used to come out of this house protected by private body guards in a cavalcade. I can’t still believe that it all has happened to him,” said Abhishek Kumar, a college boy.

The police will also attach Nandi’s immovable properties if he does not surrender now. “In a period of six months, we will attach his immovable properties,” said Sinha.

Afraid with seizure of Nandi’s house, another accused in the forgery case Ram Prasad Verma, one of the directors of Sanjeevani Buildcon, surrendered in Ranchi civil court on Monday.

The other accused in the case are Anamika Nandi, Shyam Kishore Gupta, P P Lala, Arvind Singh alias Pappu, Abdul Baham and Shamim Khan. The court has ordered the attachment of the houses of all these accused.

alokknmishra@gmail.com