Syed Asif Quadri
Encyclopedia
Syed Asif Quadri (born November 19, 1936) was a top seeded tennis player of India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...

 and outstanding sportsman. He was the number 1 in tennis in Hyderabad State
Hyderabad State
-After Indian independence :When India gained independence in 1947 and Pakistan came into existence in 1947, the British left the local rulers of the princely states the choice of whether to join one of the new dominions or to remain independent...

 and Mysore State
Mysore State
The Kingdom of Mysore was one of the three largest princely states within the erstwhile British Empire of India. Upon India gaining its independence in 1947, the Maharaja of Mysore merged his realm with the Union of India...

 and number 2 in all of India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...

 during the 1950s and early 1960s. He also represented India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...

 at the Wimbledon championships in 1954. He is also a noted businessman / entrepreneur of India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...

.

Ancestry

Syed Asif Quadri was born in Hyderabad city on November 19, 1936. He is the son of the famous educationist / administrator Syed Ahmed Quadri
Syed Ahmed Quadri
Syed Ahmed Quadri was an administrator, educationist, and senior officer in the government of the Nizam of Hyderabad and later on in the government of India and the UNO.-Ancestry:Syed Ahmed Quadri was born in Tekmal in 1908...

 and Mehrunnisa Begum.

His lineage traces back to the fourth Caliph Ali ibn Abi Talib. He was also a direct descendent of the famous Sufi Shaykh Abdul Qadir Gilani (1077–1166) and his great great grandfather was the well-known sufi shaykh of Tekmal
Tekmal
For the district information, see Medak district.Tekmal is a city, Mandal headquarters and a municipality in Medak District in Telangana region of Andhra Pradesh, India. It is 140km to the north of Hyderabad.-Geography:...

 Sayyid Sahib Husayni
Sayyid Sahib Husayni
Hazrat Sayyid Sāhib Ḥasani , was a famous Sufi saint from Hyderabad State, India and had a great influence over spiritual developments in the Deccan area...

 (1805–1880).

His ancestors migrated from Baghdad first to Allahabad
Allahabad
Allahabad , or Settled by God in Persian, is a major city of India and is one of the main holy cities of Hinduism. It was renamed by the Mughals from the ancient name of Prayaga , and is by some accounts the second-oldest city in India. It is located in the north Indian state of Uttar Pradesh,...

 in north India, and then shifted south to Tekmal
Tekmal
For the district information, see Medak district.Tekmal is a city, Mandal headquarters and a municipality in Medak District in Telangana region of Andhra Pradesh, India. It is 140km to the north of Hyderabad.-Geography:...

 adopting this town as their permanent native place.

Early life and education

Asif Quadri spent his childhood and teen years in Hyderabad city. His mother had returned to England when he was barely 13, and he was thus brought up primarily by his father Syed Ahmed Quadri
Syed Ahmed Quadri
Syed Ahmed Quadri was an administrator, educationist, and senior officer in the government of the Nizam of Hyderabad and later on in the government of India and the UNO.-Ancestry:Syed Ahmed Quadri was born in Tekmal in 1908...

, who became his constant mentor, guide and friend. His father groomed him in sports, and he excelled.

His schooling was at Madrasa-e-Aliya from where he passed out in 1952. He then joined Nizam College
Nizam College
Nizam College was established in 1887 during the reign of Nawab Mir Mahaboob Ali Khan, Asaf Jah VI, in Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh. It is located at Basheerbagh.-History:...

 in Hyderabad, India and completed his B.Sc. in Mathematics, Physics and Chemistry in 1956.

At the end of 1956, Hyderabad State
Hyderabad State
-After Indian independence :When India gained independence in 1947 and Pakistan came into existence in 1947, the British left the local rulers of the princely states the choice of whether to join one of the new dominions or to remain independent...

 was disbanded by the Government of India
Government of India
The Government of India, officially known as the Union Government, and also known as the Central Government, was established by the Constitution of India, and is the governing authority of the union of 28 states and seven union territories, collectively called the Republic of India...

 and several of its districts were given to Maharashtra State, Mysore State
Mysore State
The Kingdom of Mysore was one of the three largest princely states within the erstwhile British Empire of India. Upon India gaining its independence in 1947, the Maharaja of Mysore merged his realm with the Union of India...

 and Madras State
Madras State
Madras State was the name by which the Indian districts in Tamil Nadu, Andhra, Northern Kerala, Bellary and Dakshina Kannada were collectively known as from 1950 to 1953....

. The rump was reconstituted into Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh , is one of the 28 states of India, situated on the southeastern coast of India. It is India's fourth largest state by area and fifth largest by population. Its capital and largest city by population is Hyderabad.The total GDP of Andhra Pradesh is $100 billion and is ranked third...

.

As a result, a number of officers of the Government of Hyderabad were transferred to the other states. Asif Quadri’s father Syed Ahmed Quadri
Syed Ahmed Quadri
Syed Ahmed Quadri was an administrator, educationist, and senior officer in the government of the Nizam of Hyderabad and later on in the government of India and the UNO.-Ancestry:Syed Ahmed Quadri was born in Tekmal in 1908...

 was transferred to Mysore State
Mysore State
The Kingdom of Mysore was one of the three largest princely states within the erstwhile British Empire of India. Upon India gaining its independence in 1947, the Maharaja of Mysore merged his realm with the Union of India...

 as a part of this restructuring, and the family moved to Bangalore in the beginning of 1957.

Asif Quadri chose to become an engineer and joined the College of Engineering Bangalore that year. He graduated as an electrical engineer in 1961.

Achievements in Sports

Asif Quadri started his sports career very early, and was a member of the Madrasa-e-Aliya school cricket team from 1950 to 1952. During the same period he was also chosen to play cricket for the Hyderabad schools as well. He was considered to be a star batsman and contributed to numerous wins and records for his tem.

The first time Hyderabad team reached the final of Roushan Ara Tournament, he had the highest average along with a record partnership for the 8th wicket in the All India schools tournament. He then played for the Junior State team of Hyderabad for two years from 1954 to 56. Later on, he continued his cricket career when he played for Mysore University in 1959 and captained the Bangalore Engineering College team in 1960-61.

Asif Quadri’s fame knew no bounds in tennis. He was the No.1 tennis player of Hyderabad State
Hyderabad State
-After Indian independence :When India gained independence in 1947 and Pakistan came into existence in 1947, the British left the local rulers of the princely states the choice of whether to join one of the new dominions or to remain independent...

 in Juniors from 1951 to 1954, and No.1 in Seniors of the State in 1955-1956. As a Junior, he also won Northern India Singles and Doubles in 1953 and All India hard court Doubles 1954 by beating Ramnath Krishnan.

After his move to Mysore State at the end of 1956, he remained at the top in of the State from 1957 to 1961 as Mysore No.1. While he was always at the top in State tennis, he was also no. 2 in all of India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...

 next to Ramnath Krishnan. In 1954, he was chosen to represent India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...

 at the Wimbledon championship in the UK along with Ramnath Krishnan.

He chose not to become a professional tennis player, and thereafter phased out from national tennis.

In addition to tennis and cricket, he excelled in softball and golf as well. He was also on the Mysore State
Mysore State
The Kingdom of Mysore was one of the three largest princely states within the erstwhile British Empire of India. Upon India gaining its independence in 1947, the Maharaja of Mysore merged his realm with the Union of India...

 softball team from 1958 to 1961.

Later on in life, he maintained his sportsmanship through golf championships. He won several golf tournaments in Hyderabad, India along with the Rais Jung Open Championship of Hyderabad, India in 1985. He was the runner up in a national tournament in 1984.

Much of the credit for his success in sports and his later professional career goes to his father Syed Ahmed Quadri
Syed Ahmed Quadri
Syed Ahmed Quadri was an administrator, educationist, and senior officer in the government of the Nizam of Hyderabad and later on in the government of India and the UNO.-Ancestry:Syed Ahmed Quadri was born in Tekmal in 1908...

 who recognized his son’s inherent ability and coached and guided him accordingly.

Professional Career and Business

Asif Quadri chose to become an engineer instead of a professional sportsman. Soon after his graduation, he was offered a scholarship by AEG to specialize in switchgear at Stuttgart, Germany. In his excitement, he started to learn German language.

In the meantime, he was offered a job as a trainee in Standard Oil Company (Mobil) in 1962 and he opted for it while hoping to go to Germany. When he returned from his training, he found out to his dismay that his father had written to AEG declining to send him to Germany. He could feel that his father was not prepared to let him go away out of love, and he accepted this as such. In the meantime, his cousin Kazi Abdur Rasheed also arranged for him to proceed to the USA to do his masters degree, but in deference to his father’s wishes he remained behind in India to work with Standard Oil Company.

During 1962, Standard Oil was taken over by Esso Standard Eastern Inc. Asif Quadri was inducted into the sales department, and was posted at different cities of India including Hyderabad, India, Madras, Bombay, Calcutta, Indore
Indore
Indore is one of the major city in India, the largest city and commercial center of the state of Madhya Pradesh in central India. Indore is located 190 km west of the state capital Bhopal. According to the 2011 Indian census, Indore city has a population of 1,960,631...

, and Nagpur
Nagpur
Nāgpur is a city and winter capital of the state of Maharashtra, the largest city in central India and third largest city in Maharashtra after Mumbai and Pune...

. He was also sent on deputation to England in 1969-1970 with ESSO Europe.

His last posting was in the position of Assistant Regional Manager overseeing sales and operations before he left ESSO in 1972.

Asif Quadri left his job with ESSO to enter into his own business. His first business venture was in the form of a petrol station / car wash / automotive repair shop at Hyderabad, India. With the success of this business he set up a transportation company in1974 with a fleet of trucks. His focus was on the transport of sugar, coal and cement.

Both of these businesses have flourished over the past decades. In later years, his transport company became the prime transporter for Associated Cement Company which is the largest cement producer in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...

.

In subsequent years, his operations expanded further in automotive product sales. He became the dealer for Goodyear, Ceat, Dunlop and Mansfield tires in Hyderabad, India.

With the growth of his business empire, he decided to promote a 250,000 tons/year capacity cement plant in 1986 in Andhra Pradesh. He sold that venture in 1995.

His last major success was in real estate. In 1996, he moved with his wife to California, USA and started with his real estate business in the USA.

Upon his move to the USA, he joined Century 21 All Realty. He then underwent training and obtained a real estate license in California. Subsequently, he invested in a number of apartment complexes in Los Angeles. He is now with The Real Estate Group in Torrance, California and continues to own, manage and sell real estate.

Family

Syed Asif Quadri was married first to the late Rizwana Begum, who bore him three children – Afshan Hashim, Husna Jawad, and Shahid Quadri.

Later on, Asif Quadri married his cousin and a widow Malik Taj Ahmed, also known as “Qutub Begum” in 1986. Malik Taj was widowed one year earlier in 1985 and has three children from her first marriage (Ashfaque Ahmed, Salman Ahmed and Lubna Muttalib). She lives now with Asif Quadri in California.

Other Wikipedia references

  • List of Indians
  • Sayyid Sahib Husayni
    Sayyid Sahib Husayni
    Hazrat Sayyid Sāhib Ḥasani , was a famous Sufi saint from Hyderabad State, India and had a great influence over spiritual developments in the Deccan area...

  • Syed Ahmed Quadri
    Syed Ahmed Quadri
    Syed Ahmed Quadri was an administrator, educationist, and senior officer in the government of the Nizam of Hyderabad and later on in the government of India and the UNO.-Ancestry:Syed Ahmed Quadri was born in Tekmal in 1908...


External links and reference books

  • Muqaddas Tekmal, by Syed Azam Ali Sufi Qadri, Hyderabad, 1985
  • A New Lease of Life to Tekmal, by Syed Ahmed Quadri, Hyderabad, 1982
  • History of Takemal Dargah, by Syed Ahmed Quadri, Hyderabad, 1977
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