A welfare and educational home in Indira Nagar, Lucknow

Mr. Meesum Abbas is the eldest son of the late Er. Mazhar Abbas Rizvi. He has a mind of steel and a heart of gold. Taking his inspiration from Imam Ali (a.s.), who is known as the “Father of the Orphans”, Meesum Abbas set out to provide a quality life and state-of-the-art education to as many orphans as possible. With this mission, he laid the foundation of Gulistan E Mehdi.

“Gulistan” means a garden. If Mazhar Abbas provided the soil for this garden, then Meesum Abbas is its gardener. The children at GeM lovingly call him “Baba” (father in Persian).

Mr. Shahnawaz Husain Rizvi is the Treasurer of Gulistan E Mehdi. He looks after the overall operations, including accounting and cash management, ensuring that all income (tuition, grants, donations) and expenses (salaries, wages, maintenance) are accurately recorded in GeM’s accounting systems. He works like a machine to ensure the smooth running of the organisation.

He is the beloved “Chachu” (uncle) of the kids. He makes sure all their needs are fulfilled and pampers the children by taking them for picnics, shopping, dinners and ice cream.

Mr. Ariz Abbas is a son of the late Er. Mazhar Abbas Rizvi. He is a businessman by profession and a philanthropist at heart. He loves spending time with the children and takes a keen interest in their education. He has appointed several tutors and instructors to help the students with their school curriculum and competitive exams.

Mr. Masoom Abbas (B.Tech (CSE), MBA) is the grandson of the late Er. Mazhar Abbas Rizvi and the son of Mr. Meesum Abbas. Following in his father’s footsteps, Masoom Abbas takes a great interest in the work of the organisation. As a computer science engineer, he keeps the children up to date with technological advancements. The children look up to him and aspire to become engineers like him.

Dr. Muneel Abbas (MBBS, DA, IDCCM) is the youngest son of the late Er. Mazhar Abbas Rizvi and a reputed doctor in Lucknow. He provides monthly health check-ups for the students free of cost. Beyond looking after their health, he also helps the children with science subjects. He makes time from his busy schedule to interact with the children and offers counselling on career paths and time management.

A teacher is a second mother to her students, and at Gulistan E Mehdi Mrs. Rani Zaidi (MA (English), B.Ed) is their Mom. Being part of the educational system, she understands its competitive nature and the challenges faced by the students. She takes up the responsibility of overseeing their development and communication skills. Her efforts to encourage them in their studies and extra-curricular activities help them build the confidence and skills needed to succeed in life.