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Next week, the Aga Khan Centre will be opened by HRH The Prince of Wales in the presence of Mawlana Hazar Imam. Situated at the heart of London’s Knowledge Quarter, the Aga Khan Centre — home to the UK institutions founded by Mawlana Hazar Imam — will be a place for education, cultural exchange, and insight into Muslim civilisations.

"The Academies have a dual mission: to provide an outstanding education to exceptional students from diverse backgrounds, and to provide world-class training for a growing corps of inspiring teachers." Mawlana Hazar Imam, Peterson Lecture, Meeting of the International Baccalaureate, Atlanta, 18 April, 2008.

When opportunity knocks, you not only run like an athlete to unbolt the door but also pull yourself a chair and sit with a huge vessel to collect the drops of knowledge trickling overhead. A program designed by the National Communications Team called "Breakfast with the President" for age groups between 18-35 years was conducted in Ahmedabad recently which I was privileged to attend.

For generations the Ismaili community is known for their love for music.  The stage was set at the Hasanabad grounds in Mazgaon for an all-India band competition of Scouts and Guides bands from Mumbai, Secunderabad, Surat, Hyderabad and Pune. A total of 14 bands took centre stage. The competition was an opportunity for the Scouters and Guiders who have been playing for the band and also training other kids to play in the band to fulfil a time-honoured tradition. 

As much as India needs the rain, it doesn’t need the floods. Last year’s monsoon season saw several major cities paralysed by the onslaught of endless rains, bringing havoc and devastation to several communities.

In Gujarat alone, as 17 districts witnessed extensive flooding, the government launched an extensive relief campaign and in the small town of Babra, as the Indian Air Force air dropped relief packages, the Ismaili community’s Taj volunteers joined them side-by-side.