The Dards (Devanagari: दारद, Perso-Arabic: دارد) are a group of people defined by linguistic similarities, and not a common ethnic origin, predominantly found in Eastern Afghanistan, in the Indian State of Jammu and Kashmir and in the Gilgit-Baltistan region and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. The term Dard is due to Herodotus who described a land of the Dardikae in the areas forming Hindu Kush and Karakoram.

Origin[link]

Parpola (1999) identifies "Proto-Dardic" with "Proto-Rigvedic", suggesting that the Dards are the linguistic descendants of the bearers of proto Rigvedic culture ca. 1700 BC, pointing to features in certain Dardic dialects that continue peculiarities of Rigvedic Sanskrit, such as the gerund in -tvī (p. 189).

Moreover, the Dard people are mentioned in the Vishnu Purana.and in the Mahabharat. also ^[1] They now occupy the area called Dardu, supposed by Herodotus to be the Dadicæ.^[1] As such, during Swati rule, the Dard people were dominantly Hindu and frequent small scale jihad against Dard might have been a routine.^[2] Dards of Dras, Gilgit, Skardu, etc., embraced Islam after the Muslim invasion of India during the 14th century A.D. whereas the Dards of Da, Hanu, Bema, Darchik and Garkon did not accept this and gradually later accepted Buddhism.^[3]

Geographic distribution[link]

The term "Dard" is an outdated one that has been used to describe various groups of often unrelated mountain tribesmen who inhabit a region between Badakhshan, Northern Pakistan and Kashmir. Although the Dardic languages do show similarities they are mostly very distinct from one another often living in remote mountain valleys. The cultures of the Dardic peoples are also quite varied but they do share similarities due to their common mountainous environment and intertwined history.

The Shina language is spoken in Pakistan's Northern Areas apart from Gilgit where most of the speakers live. Other areas with significant Shina speakers include Punial, Darail, Tangair and Astore, which are located adjacent to the Gilgit region. It is also spoken in Gurez, Drass and Ladakh in the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir. It has many dialects, most of which are found in Pakistan, including Gilgiti Shina, Astori Shine, Ponyali Shina, Chilasi Shina and Gurezi Shina. The pronunciation of this language is very different. It is very important to make changes in the script of this language to make it easy.

Khowar is principally spoken in the Pakistani regions of Chitral, Yasin, Gupis, Koh-o-ghizar and Ishkoman. Many Khowar speakers have migrated and set up colonies in Pakistan's urban centres such as in Peshawar, Karachi, Lahore and Rawalpindi. A small number of Khowar speakers can be found in the adjacent regions of Afghanistan.

Two non-Dardic languages which are spoken in Northern Pakistan are Balti, a Sino-Tibetan language and Burushaski a language isolate and still the topic of considerable interest for Pakistani and international linguists.

Dards in Afghanistan[link]

There are also Dardic groups in North Eastern Afghanistan such as the Pashai and the Kohistanis. The Nuristanis were previously considered to be Dards but are today classified as a distinct group. Many Dards are also settled in the capital Kabul where they form a close social community.

Dards in India[link]

Dards also inhabit parts of India, chiefly in the state of Jammu & Kashmir. In the Drogpa villages of west Leh, the Buddhist Dard people still inhabit the area.^[4] Isolated from the modern world, they subsist on farming, ekinga living from the rugged mountainsides.^[4]

The Gurez people call themselves "Dards," and this name is by some extended to apply to Shina generally.^[5] Shina speaking populations are predominant in tehsil Gurez, Drass and Dah Hanu areas of Ladakh. The Shin who follow the Bön religion are also a Dard group who speak an archaic variety of Shina called Shins.

There are several villages in India that are inhabited by Buddhist Dards, including Grugurdo, Sanacha, Urdus, Darchik, Garkon, Dah Hanu, Phindur, and Baldes.^[6][7]

The Kashmiri people of the Kashmir valley are also a Dardic people since they speak the Koshur language, a prominent Dardic language. The Kashmiri people, though long since converted to Islam, have been Saraswat Brahmin in origin; the educated class, who maintained their own tenets, and are still very numerous, are known as pandits.^[8] They have been historically amongst the greatest intellectuals of South Asia and gave great importance to education over all else. Most Kashmiri Muslims are the descendants of these Pandits.

Dards in Pakistan[link]

Most Dardic people reside in the Northern Pakistan. In ancient times, Pakistan's northern areas plus the adjacent areas of upper Swat, Kohistan, and north eastern Afghanistan were referred to as Dardistan, or land of the Dards. The people of the Northern Areas are mostly of Dardic extract, including the people of Chitral, Gilgit, Kohistan and upper Swat. Dards have also migrated heavily and set up colonies in several of Pakistan's major urban centres such as Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad and Rawalpindi.

Religion[link]

The vast majority of Dardic peoples are Muslims,^[3] with a significant population of Hindus^[2] and Buddhists,^[3] as well as a population who adheres to animism.^[9] The Kashmiri Pandits are Hindu, mostly of the Saivaite sect.^[10] Dardic religion in Indian Ladakh, particularly in the villages of Da and Hann, retains marked traces of the pre-Buddhist animistic religion, Bon-chos.^[9] The Kalash tribes found in Chitral, are exceptional in having retained their ancestral polytheistic religion and are protected by the Government of Pakistan.

See also[link]

• Demographics of Pakistan
• Indo-Iranian peoples
• Indo-Aryans
• Iranian people
• Nuristani people

References[link]

• Dards, Dardistan, and Dardic: an Ethnographic, Geographic, and Linguistic Conundrum
• Asko Parpola, 'The formation of the Aryan branch of Indo-European', in Blench and Spriggs (eds), Archaeology and Language III, London and New York (1999).

External links[link]

• Gurez: The land of Dards

Ali Ismail Abbas (born 1991) is an Iraqi man who was severely injured in a nighttime rocket attack near Baghdad during the United States' 2003 invasion of Iraq.

Injury[link]

During the attack, two American missiles landed on his family's home, killing his parents (whose mother was still pregnant with another child at the time), his brother and 13 other members of his family. Both of Ali's arms had to be amputated and third-degree burns covered at least 35 percent of his body. He was 12 years old at the time. He underwent treatment in Kuwait, and later in London, where he was fitted with robotic prosthetic arms, paid for by the Kuwaiti government. He no longer uses the arms, having found them too heavy and unwieldy, although he wears artificial arms while attending school so as not to draw attention to himself. He is currently attending the Hall School Wimbledon.^[1]

Citizenship[link]

On January 1, 2010, it was announced Ali Abbas would get a British passport.^[2] Ali had offers from other countries, such as Canada and America, but he turned them down because they would not take his friend with him.^[3]

Publicity[link]

In 2004, The Ali Abbas Story was written about Ali by Jane Warren and published by Harper Collins.

He was featured on 60 Minutes on 13 May 2007.^[4]

He was featured in the September 2011 edition of Time Magazine

He was interviewed by Time Magazine.

Limbless Association[link]

The Limbless Association (LA) set up a dedicated fund to assist those rendered amputees by the Iraq conflict. During a visit to Iraq LA Chairman Zafar Khan met Ahmad Hamza, a 14-year old boy who had also been injured in the Iraq conflict, resulting in his right leg and left hand being amputated. The Limbless Association pledged to use the Ali Fund to help both Ali and Ahmad. LA is the legal guardian for both Ali and Ahmad until they reach 18 years of age.^{[citation needed]}

The Baghdad Bikers[link]

Ali and his friends go on a publicity bike ride every year, called The Baghdad Bikers.^[5]

Sources[link]

• Bob Meadows, Juliet Butler. "Ali gets better", People Magazine, November 10, 2003.
• Dovey, Charlotte. "We gave orphan Ali his arms back", Daily Mail, November 4, 2003.
• Warren, Jane. "The Ali Abbas Story: The Moving Story of One Boy's Struggle for Life", Harper Collins, 2004.

References[link]

1. ^ http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1513966/I-like-it-here-but-the-77-attacks-upset-me.-Those-terrorists-were-not-part-of-Islam.html
2. ^ http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/top-stories/2010/01/18/ali-s-brit-passport-115875-21975908/
3. ^ http://www.time.com/time/beyond911/#AliAbbas
4. ^ Appearance on 60 Minutes
5. ^ http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/05/11/60minutes/main2791925.shtml

External links[link]

• Jon Lee Anderson's dispatch from Baghdad for the New Yorker magazine.
• limbless-association.org
• CBS 60 Minutes Ali Abbas
• Life is Beautiful, a look at Iraq and Ali Abbas

Dilip Kumar
Dilip Kumar in 2006.
Born	Yusuf Khan (1922-12-11) December 11, 1922 (age 89) Peshawar, North-West Frontier Province, British India
Residence	Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
Other names	Dilip Sahaab
Occupation	Actor, Producer, Director, Politician
Years active	1944–1998 (retired)
Religion	Islam
Spouse	Saira Banu (1966-present)
Signature

Dilip Kumar, born Muhammad Yusuf Khan on 11 December 1922, is an Indian actor and a former Member of Parliament. He is commonly known as "Tragedy King",^[1] and is described as "the ultimate method actor" by Satyajit Ray.^[2]

Starting his career with Jwar Bhata in 1944, Kumar's career has spanned five decades and over 60 films. He is widely considered to be one of the greatest actors in the history of Hindi cinema.^[3][4][5] Kumar was the first actor to receive a Filmfare Best Actor Award and holds the record for the most number of Filmfare Awards won for that category with Shahrukh Khan; eight wins.^[6] He starred in films of a variety of genres such as the romantic Andaz (1949), the swashbuckling Aan (1952), the dramatic Devdas (1955), the comical Azaad (1955), the historical Mughal-e-Azam (1960) and the social Ganga Jamuna (1961).

In 1976, Kumar took a five-year break from film performances. In 1981, he returned with a character role in the film Kranti and continued his career playing central character roles in films such as Shakti (1982), Karma (1986) and Saudagar (1991). His last film was Qila in 1998. The Government of India honoured him with the Padma Bhushan in 1991 and the Dadasaheb Phalke Award in 1994 for his contributions towards Indian cinema. Dilip Kumar has acted with actress Vyjayanthimala the most, where they both had acted seven films together including the former's home production Gunga Jumna resulting great on-screen chemistry and alleged affair between them.^[7][8]

Early life[link]

Dilip Kumar was born as Muhammad Yusuf Khan on 11 December 1922,^[9] in Peshawar, British India (now in Pakistan). He was born to a Hindko speaking Peshawari family. His father, Lala Ghulam Sarwar, was a fruit merchant who owned orchards in Peshawar and Nashik in Maharashtra, India. The family relocated to Bombay (now Mumbai) in the late 1920s. Dilip Kumar started working as a canteen supplier in Pune circa 1940.^[10]

In 1943, actress Devika Rani, and her second husband Svetoslav Roerich spotted Khan in Aundh military canteens, Pune.^[10] and helped Khan's entry into the Bollywood film industry. Hindi author Bhagwati Charan Varma gave him the screen name Dilip Kumar and offered him the leading role in his film Jwar Bhata (1944).

Career[link]

His first film with Nisar Bhai and Hamed Bhai Jwar Bhata was released in 1944 which went unnoticed. His first major hit was the 1947 film Jugnu. He went onto appear in many hit films including Mela (1948), Andaz (1949), Deedar (1951), Devdas (1955), Yahudi (1958) and Madhumati (1958). These films established his screen image as the "Tragedy King".^[11] Together with Raj Kapoor and Dev Anand he was the biggest star in Bollywood in the 1950s. He starred alongside Raj Kapoor in Andaz (1949) and Dev Anand in Insaniyat (1955). He formed popular on-screen pairings with many of the top actresses at the time including Nargis, Kamini Kaushal, Meena Kumari, Madhubala and Vyjanthimala.

Depressed after playing many tragic roles his psychiatrist suggested he take on ligher roles which he played in films such as Aan (1952), Azaad (1955) and Kohinoor (1960).^[12] In 1960 he portrayed Prince Salim in the historical film Mughal-e-Azam which as of 2008 was the second highest grossing film in Hindi film history.^[13]

In 1961 he produced and starred in Ganga Jamuna in which he and his real-life brother Nasir Khan played the title roles. This was the only film he produced. In 1962 British director David Lean offered him the role of Sherif Ali in his 1962 film Lawrence of Arabia, but Kumar declined the part.^[14] The role eventually went to Omar Sharif, the Egyptian actor. His next film Leader (1964) was below average at the box office.^[15] In 1967 Dilip Kumar played a dual role of twins separated at birth in the hit film Ram Aur Shyam. His career slumped in the 1970s with films like Dastaan (1970) and Bairaag (1976), the latter in which he played triple roles failing at the box office.^[16][17] He took a five year hiatus from films from 1976 to 1981.^[10]

In 1981 he returned with the multi-starrer Kranti which was the biggest hit of the year.^[18] He went onto play character roles in hit films including Shakti (1982), Vidhaata (1982), Mashaal (1984) and Karma (1986).^[18] In 1991 he starred alongside veteran actor Raaj Kumar in Saudagar which was his last successful film.^[19] In 1993 he won the Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award. In 1996 he was attached to make his directorial debut with a film titled Kalinga but the film was shelved. In 1998 he made his last film appearance in the unsuccessful film Qila where once again he played dual roles as an evil landowner and his twin brother investigating his death. His films Mughal-e-Azam and Naya Daur were fully colorized and re-released in 2004 and 2008 respectively.

Films refused[link]

Dilip Kumar was very choosy, and turned down lead roles in many films which eventually were released to great box office success, including Lawrence of Arabia, Pyaasa, The Rains Came and Sangam.

Voices[link]

During his Bollywood career, Dilip Kumar was most often voiced by Mohammed Rafi. Others who provided his voice were:

• Talat Mahmood
• Mukesh (until 1958), who was also the main voice of Kumar's competitor Raj Kapoor.
• Kishore Kumar was chosen to playback the song "Saala Main To Saab Bangaya" for the film Sagina(1974).

Public life[link]

Kumar has been active in efforts to bring the people of India and Pakistan closer together. He has been a member of the upper house of Parliament since 2000.^[10]

He was awarded the Dadasaheb Phalke Award in 1994. In 1998 he was awarded the Nishan-e-Imtiaz, the highest civilian award conferred by the government of Pakistan. He is the second Indian to receive the award. At the time of the Kargil War, Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray demanded Kumar return his Nishan-e-Imtiaz, arguing that "He must return Nishan-e-Imtiaz following that country's blatant aggression on Indian soil."^[20] Kumar refused, saying:

"This award was given to me for the humane activities to which I have dedicated myself. I have worked for the poor, I have worked for many years to bridge the cultural and communal gaps between India and Pakistan. Politics and religion have created these boundaries. I have striven to bring the two people together in whatever way I could. Tell me, what does any of this have to do with the Kargil conflict?"^[21]

Personal life[link]

Kumar married actress and beauty queen Saira Banu in year 1966 when he was aged 44 and she was 22. Dilip Kumar secretly married a pakistani woman Asma in the early eighties but divorced her when Saira Banu refused to accept the marriage^[22]. His brothers are Nasir Khan, Ehsan Khan and Aslam Khan.^[23] Kumar's younger brother Nasir Khan was also an actor and appeared opposite him in Ganga Jamuna (1961) and Bairaag (1976).

Dilip Kumar on Twitter[link]

Around September 10, 2011 it surfaced that the health of Dilip Kumar is worsening. Some incredible tweets even mistakenly spread news of his death.^[24] Later Dilip Kumar's wife Saira Banu, made a public statement that the actor is good in health and in high spirits. Finally, Dilip Kumar launched his Twitter account. His first tweet was on his 89th Birthday on 11 Dec. 2011. His tweets are eloquent and inspirational.

Legacy and awards[link]

Dilip Kumar is widely considered to be one of the greatest actors in the history of Hindi cinema.^[3][4][5] Kumar holds the Guinness World Record for having won the maximum number of awards by an Indian actor.^[25] He has received many awards throughout his career, including 8 Filmfare Best Actor awards and 19 nominations.^[26] He was honoured with the Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award in 1993.^[27] The Government of India honoured him with the Dadasaheb Phalke Award in 1994^[21] — the highest award for cinematic excellence in India. In 1980, he was appointed Sheriff of Mumbai, an honorary position. In 1991, he was awarded Padma Bhushan from the Government of India.^[28] In 1997, Kumar was awarded, Nishan-e-Imtiaz, a high civilian award conferred by the Government of Pakistan.

He received in 1997 the NTR National Award. He was also awarded CNN-IBN Indian of the Year - Lifetime Achievement Award in 2009. From some years large section of his fan and people in general are demanding Bharat Ratna for Kumar.

Filmography[link]