Ahmed Noori

Ahmed Noori, aka Abu Raihan Ahmed Noori, was a prominent writer and journalist who belonged to the Beary community of Mangalore in Dakshina Kannada in South India.

He was born and grew up in Mangalore but later on lived in Bangalore. He wrote books in the local Beary bashe and Kannada languages. His book, Maikala, a documentary about the culture Beary community of Mangalore in Kannada language, has been cataloged by the largest library in the world, the Library of Congress at Washington, D.C., USA. He was also part of a six-member team of scholars who, for the first time, translated the meaning of the Quran to Kannada language in 1978, working on this project for about seven years. He edited several periodicals such as "Sandesha", "Kitaab" and "The Message". He contributed extensively to the Sanmarga weekly Kannada magazine. He was also one of the founding members of the Beary's Welfare Association in 1988. In 2010, the Karnataka Beary Sahitya Academy awarded him an honorary award for the year 2009 for his literary achievements. The Rajyotsava Prashasti eluded him though many community members thought that he deserved it for his services. Over the past 50 years, he has become a household name in the Beary community due to his popular songs and music composition. Some of his popular songs are ‘Kelanda Makkale kelanda,’ ‘Ethare Tholo Varakro Masth,’ ‘Alam padachadum neenem, adre chameychedum neeneme.’ In January 2011, a CD of Beary Bashe songs written by him was released in Bangalore.

Ahmed Noorie died on September 2, 2012. Tributes poured from all around the region in the news media in multiple languages.