RBI is inflating the Indian Economy
By Syed Zahid Ahmad,
The recession in the US and prevailed uncertainty in the petroleum producing nations had provided an opportunity for India to pull capital resources from the US and Gulf countries, but the practical approach of RBI has converted the opportunities into challenges as the liquidity and inflation are certainly not under the control of the RBI which is attempting to freeze the liquidity by increasing the interest rate and cost of credits. FICCI and the corporate sector have already criticized RBI’s recent announcement to increase the rate of interest.
For Ali Khwaja, counselling is the key to building people’s lives
By Nigar Ataullah for Twocircles.net
Bengaluru: When you walk into the premises of the Banjara Academy, a counselling centre, you could be forgiven into believing...
The Truth of Gujarat Carnage
By Ram Puniyani
Tehelka sting operation, Kalank, brought forward the truth of Godhra and Gujarat violence. This investigation reinforced the findings known earlier. Most of the reports by human rights activists had unearthed the same facts, the complicity of state with RSS combine to unleash a pogrom, to launch violence against Muslims, burning their properties and destroying their dargahas etc. What was new was that we all could see in live the perpetrators of the crime gloating over their shameful acts, from opening the womb of Kausar Bano to hacking to death of Ahsan Jaffri!
Muslim youth feel the communication gap
By Kaleem Hussain,
There is a marked language gap between the discourse used by religious community leaders and that used by Muslim youth in western societies. This communication gap is why many Muslim youth are becoming increasingly divorced from the key tenets of the Islamic tradition – respect for teachers, elders, moral virtue, and high ethical values – and are following a path radically different from that of their parents.
Reality of the allegations against AMU VC
By Mushtaq Ahmad Alig,
It is generally said, and to a great extent correctly, that whenever a new Vice Chancellor (VC) comes to Aligarh Muslim University (AMU), he is warmly welcomed with bouquets all the way from the Aligarh railway station to the VC lodge, but when he departs or is forced to leave the university, bricks follow him from the VC lodge to the railway station or till he vanishes from the sight if leaving by a car. This writer was a student during the tenure of two VCs.
New constitution in two months: Nepal Deputy PM
By Prashant Sood
Kathmandu : Nepal's Deputy Prime Minister Bamdev Gautam has expressed confidence that a new constitution will be promulgated in the country in...
Why Indian monetary system is pro-capitalist?
By Syed Zahid Ahmad,
Though we ‘the People of India’ solemnly resolved ‘India to be a Sovereign Socialist Secular Democratic Republic and to secure to all its citizens Justice, social, economic and political liberty of thought, expression, belief, faith and practice, equality of status and of opportunity’ but we have yet to realize that despite 63 years of independence, our monetary system is not socialist but continues to be Pro-Capitalist as designed by the capitalists during the British India rule.
Fate of India under oath-taking supremacists
By Kashif Umair
Are human beings equal? Are some human beings superior over others? This is a question all societies of all ages have grappled...
TCN 2014 in 12 stories
By Kashif-ul-Huda, TwoCircles.net
It is always a challenge to select just a few stories to represent an entire year. But to give our readers a...
Demonetisation has taken every Indian on a rollercoaster ride, and it is not an...
By Nishat Ara for TwoCircles.net
In this season of demonetisation, it is common to see the Aam Aadmi asking for change of the new Rs...
Conversion: a political weapon
By Ram Puniyani,
One has been hearing a lot about the conversion activities of Christian missionaries. That there is a threat to Hindu nation due to Adivasis converting to a 'foreign religion' is becoming part of social common sense. The real face of the conversion came to fore when after the attack on nuns in Alibaug (March 2008) was followed by a massive conversion to Hinduism, Shuddhi ritual (April 27, 2008) in nearby Mumbai. The person involved in both these has been the same.
Custodial death case and Sanjiv Bhatt: Lesser known facts
By Sayema Sahar,
Nisar mai teri galiyon pe aye watan
Ke jahan chali hai rasam ke koi na sar utha ke chale…..
Tools for Divisive Politics: Hate Speech and Patriarchy
Love Jihad propaganda spurs hate, not dialogue
By Ram Puniyani,
After the last general elections where Narendra Modi and his party won a majority overwhelmingly, the BJP has not been doing so well in subsequent by-elections. The Lalu-Nitish experiment is one model, but whether it will be replicated in different parts of the country is a million-vote question. The BJP appears to resort to the basic tools of divisive politics. On one hand Yogi Adityanath, with his venomous ‘hate speeches’ has come up as BJP’s major player; on the other the word of mouth propaganda of ‘love jihad’ is being spread like wildfire.
Interim budget a tale of delayed policies
By Sushma Ramachandran, IANS,
An interim budget by an interim finance minister, in the midst of a global financial meltdown, is surely an extraordinary event by itself. No wonder then that all of us who were waiting with bated breath for an immediate solution to the country's economic crisis were sadly let down.
Rabindranath Tagore – his work will live for generations
By Amulya Ganguli
If one individual is to be singled out for representing the values and traditions of India from the ancient times to the modern age, it cannot be any one other than Rabindranath Tagore (1861-1941).
The unexploded myth of first, second time voters
By Soroor Ahmed, TwoCircles.net,
There is a general perception that the role of youths, especially of the age group of 18-25 or -30, is very...
Will a Obama presidency be proactive on Kashmir?
By Mayank Chhaya, IANS,
When Chris Mathews, the host of the popular political show 'Hardball' on MSNBC, mentioned as a throwaway comment that Kashmir is one of president-elect Barack Obama's likely priorities, he unwittingly foreshadowed a potentially significant change in America's South Asia policy.
Role of APHC in Kashmiri politics
By Dr Shabir Choudhary, NAK
London : All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC) is back in news again, and this time apparently for good reasons – unity- which it desperately needs in order to arrest its fast deteriorating image and standing. For the past many years it has been war of attrition and allegations against each other which dominated politics of APHC groups.
It is good Modi isn’t listening to Tamil politicians
By M.R. Narayan Swamy,
Narendra Modi deserves praise for not acting like Manmohan Singh vis-à-vis Sri Lanka.
ISRO must market aggressively for global contracts
By R. Ramaseshan, IANS,
The success of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) Monday in putting into orbit 10 satellites with a single launch is certainly a commendable achievement marking as it does the second largest number of satellites launched at one go. Now it needs to push aggressively for more contracts in this niche market.
Besides ISRO's own two primary satellites, Cartosat-2A (690 kg) and IMS-1 (83 kg), Monday's payload included seven nanosatellites (1-10 kg class) and one microsatellite (10-100 kg class) from foreign customers, which together weighed about 50 kg.
Divided Sri Lanka haunts a man at the wheels (Book Review)
By M.R. Narayan Swamy,
Title: Noon Tide Toll; Author: Romesh Gunesekera; Publisher: Penguin Books: Pages: 237; Price: Rs.299
How does Sri Lanka fare after the end of a quarter century of ethnic conflict? Vasantha ferries visitors all around the island in a van bought with savings after retiring early. The road journeys are as much an eye opener to the Sri Lankan driver as much to the men and women he transports - mainly foreigners and Sri Lankans now settled abroad. The still bruised north, the Sinhalese south and the now carefree Colombo come alive as Romesh Gunesekera, a gifted writer, uses Vasantha to take readers from one spot to another, from one saga to another.
Armed with pictures that tell a thousand words: The protestors of Srinagar’s Pratap Park
In the first part of a three-part series on the missing people of Jammu and Kashmir, Raqib Hameed Naik looks at the courageous work...
Jihad? But what about other verses in Qur’an?
By Asghar Ali Engineer,
The terror attacks in India as well as abroad has created an impression as if jihad is central to Qur'anic teaching. First of all, as we have asserted repeatedly, jihad does not mean war in Qur'an as there are other words for it like qital and harb for war. Jihad has been used in Qur'an in its root meaning i.e. to strive and to strive for betterment of society, to spread goodness (ma'ruf) and contain evil (munkar).
UK’s regulatory body warns right-wing organisation to stay away from RSS
By M Ghazali Khan, TwoCircles.net
London: Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh (HSS), a right-wing organisation based in the UK, has been instructed to keep away from...
Shipping shortcut poses environmental risks
By C.P. Rajendran, IANS
The Sethusamudram ship channel project is deepening a 75-km section of the 152-km passage in the shallow sea between India and Sri Lanka. On the face of it, the idea is excellent as it cuts out the need for ships to circumnavigate Sri Lanka, shortening the journey by about 335 nautical miles between India's east and the west coasts. The Rs.24.28- billion ($609-million) project is already forging ahead.
Nagabanda massacre and the other side of Assamese intelligentsia
By Abdul Kalam Azad,
Morigaon, Assam: Nagabanda High School is one of the oldest educational institutes of Morigaon district of Assam. The school is situated near the Nagabanda Bazar, about 15 KMs from the district headquarter. The healthy rural market, the nicely planted trees at Nagabanda Junior College, huge playground with pavilion and the green agricultural fields surrounding the area make it scenic and beautiful. But who knows Nagabanda is carrying a huge amount of pain and agony?
Zainab Sayeed: UPSC cracker who wants more Muslim girls to be IAS
By Zaidul Haque, TwoCircles.net
Kolkata: She set a target, studied hard and achieved her goal. Now, she wants other Muslim women to make an attempt...
National Commission for Minorities: Serving whose interest?
By Mahtab Alam for TwoCircles.net,
Gordimer to ‘Post’: Israel must talk to its enemies
By Tom Hope and Steve Linde,
As bitter, disheartening and entangled the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians is, Nadine Gordimer's message is emphatic: Don't give up. It can be solved, but only by realising one thing: Talking to your worst enemies is the only way out.
Fatwas and Muslim Women
By Irfan Engineer,
The Supreme Court on 7th July 2014 ruled that fatwas had no legal sanctity and the defiance of fatwas would not have civil or criminal consequences as it had no place in independent India under our constitutional scheme. Though the Apex Court did not injunct Islamic religious authorities like the Dar-ul-Uloom Deoband, Dar-ul-Qaza or Nizam-e-Qaza from issuing fatwa as issuance of fatwas per se were not illegal in its opinion, it clarified that “it is not a decree, not binding on the court or the state or the individual. It is not sanctioned under our constitutional scheme”.
Naxalites graduating from guerrilla to mobile warfare
By Nihar Ranjan Nayak, IANS,
Less than three weeks after the Chitrakonda attack, armed cadres of the Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-M) attacked the Special Operation Group (SOG), Orissa's anti-Maoist force, on July 16. Seventeen personnel were killed in the landmine explosion triggered by the Maoists in Malkangiri district of southern Orissa. This was the third major Maoist strike after the Chitrakonda attack and the Nayagarh police station attack on Feb 15.
Pseudo-liberalism and its impacts on Indian Muslims
By Muhammad Zuhair
Recently, Najmul Hoda (an IPS officer) has written his opinion in The Print, “Indian Muslims and Liberals are trapped in a toxic...
“My contribution to the history of Kashmir has finally been recognized”
By Syed Ali Safvi,
Born in Srinagar Kashmir in 1924, Prof Fida Mohammad Hassnain was recently conferred 'Lifetime Achievement Award' by Jammu and Kashmir state government. He is the recipient of several degrees and awards from various universities and institutions of India, Japan, Switzerland, Germany and Mexico.
He started his service career in 1953 as Professor and retired as Director of Archives, Archaeology, Research and Museums in 1980.
PEWT: noble idea for education of poor Shia children in suburban Mumbai
By Dr Mookhi Amir Ali,
State and liberal ideas
By Irfan Engineer,
Mobs on the streets of Shimoga and Hassan protesting against an article that appeared in Kannda Prabha allegedly written by Taslima Nasreen has once again kicked up a debate on freedom of expression and need to place some reasonable restrictions on that freedom. Taslima Nasreen has described the article Purdah hai Purdah to be distorted.
Nitish’s BJP ties are deeper than a photograph
By Soroor Ahmed, TwoCircles.net,
One cannot wear a mask forever. It can fall off, rather accidentally, at some point of time. But when you try to wear too many of them at a time, and that too with dark glasses, there is sometimes possibility of messing up and getting completely exposed.
Vishwaroopam: Stereotyping Muslims as terrorist in Indian cinema
By Mohammed Tanveer for TwoCircles.net,
Reservation bill will be beacon for emancipation of women
By Amulya Ganguli, IANS,
The passage of the Women's Reservation Bill in the Rajya Sabha is a momentous, heartwarming step not only for India, but is likely to be an inspirational trendsetter for women's empowerment in the entire region.
Although it is only the first step, the ripples from the smashing of a glass barrier are bound to be felt in virtually all areas of traditional male dominance. Like its democracy, therefore, India will also be a beacon in the matter of women's emancipation.
Hyderabad incident is a result of a systemic attack on Dalit Intelligentsia
By R Ravi Kumar for Twocircles.net
By the time you read this article, most of you would have come to know about the death of...
Bangalore set for Odissi fest
By IANS,
Bangaloreans are not new to Odissi dance, though its charm was somewhat overshadowed by the fame and exploits of its most well-known exponent in the city - the late Protima Bedi.
Why the Jamia ‘raid’ left students so angry
By Mohammed Zakir Riyaz for Twocircles,net
On August 13 2016, Delhi Police attempted to raid the Hall of Boy’s residence (Boy’s Hostel) in broad day...
Time to Ponder over Hindu-Muslim relations
By Syed Ali Mujtaba
Special to TwoCircles.net
On August 15, 2007, India celebrates its 60th year of Independence. The day also marks the beginning of the centenary celebrations of India's first war of Independence in 1857. These two events undoubtedly have a symbiotic relationship as far as national independence is concerned, but it also throws open a challenging question about Hindu- Muslim relationship that has drifted apart during the course of ninety years of history.
What really happened in Dimapur?
Anger against illegal Bangladeshi immigrants spills over to take rape accused person’s life
By A Ghyasuddin, TwoCircles.net,
A lot has been said by many but the fact remains that there was a serious breach of law and order by Nagaland government and the outcome was killing of an under trial rape accused in a most horrifying way for a modern world.
Dravid’s stature as cricketer is undiminished
By K. Datta, IANS,
Close on the heels of the shocking slapping incident involving Harbhajan Singh and S. Sreesanth and those fines imposed on Sourav Ganguly, Shane Warne and Ishant Sharma, the DLF Indian Premier League (IPL) has made news with the midstream sacking of the CEO of Bangalore's Royal Challengers because the team had failed to get into the winning habit.
The CIA’s secret triumph
MOSCOW. (Member of the Russian pen club Anatoly Korolev for RIA Novosti) - Under the rules of the Swedish Academy, the Nobel Prizes archives may be opened 50 years after the awarding takes place. Thus, the documents of October 1958 may be declassified in January of this year.
This is a notable date for Russian culture. That year, the Academy awarded a Nobel Prize in literature to Soviet poet Boris Pasternak.
Now that the archives have been declassified, the circumstances of the loudest scandal in the history of Nobel Prizes will be finally scrutinized.
Will anything change in India with new prime minister?
By Amit Kapoor,
The mood for change in the country is strong, and it is imminent that we would have a new prime minister and quite likely with a significant majority. We are all under the veil of the audacity of hope thinking in assuming that the office of the new prime minister will sway a magic wand and things will immediately start remarkably improving.
India’s Education System is in total disarray
By Syed Ali Mujtaba,
The controversy surrounding the four-year undergraduate programmes (FYUP) by the Delhi University and its disapproval by the UGC has opened a Pandora box of issues that has set the India’s education system into total disarray.
Does the sovereignty of a country trump human rights?
The celebrities need to be reminded that human rights are sacrosanct, and it can’t be pushed under the carpet under the garb of protecting...
Shared value an important lever in PM’s vision of New India 2022
By Amit Kapoor
On the 75th anniversary of the Quit India movement, Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged citizens to create a new India by 2022...
A case for the Central Madrasa Board
By Kashif-ul-Huda, TwoCircles.net,
Muslim leadership in India is mostly about protest. Whether it is Shahbano, Babri Masjid, Salman Rushdie, Polio drops, registration of marriages, Taslima Nasrin, or the latest- Central Madrasa Board. Of course, some of these protests are justified and most of these protests are within the democratic limits but the other side of the democratic work is making demands for the community. Muslim leadership has failed to get any new benefit to the community.
What transformation, from nobody to somebody!
By Veturi Srivatsa,
Where does one put one’s finger on for India staying unbeaten, winning all their five Pool B matches in the World Cup? For once, answers are easy.
The major achievement is that the Indians bowled the opposition out in all matches with all-round performances.
Uniform Civil Code: Why and How?
By Ram Puniyani,
What is called as Uniform Civil Code (UCC) is as such dealing with the personal laws (marriage, divorce, maintenance, custody...
Padma awards are losing their sheen
By Vishnu Makhijani,
Once again a controversy has erupted over the Padma awards even before they have been officially announced with shuttler Saina Nehiwal, an Olympic bronze medallist, throwing a fit over not being considered and the sports ministry meekly caving in.
What ails Indian Muslims? Negativism
By Syed Ubaidur Rahman, IANS,
Indian Muslims are making waves. A.R. Rahman, Ustad Zakir Hussain, Irfan Pathan, Yusuf Pathan and Sania Mirza are winning kudos for themselves and their country. There are scores of other Indian Muslim achievers. The Pathan brothers came from a muezzin's home who did not have the means to even get a pair of shoes for such brilliant kids.
Another Indian Muslim, Azim Premji, is set to rub shoulders with US President Barack Obama. And Shah Rukh Khan, the king of Bollywood, was the first Indian to be invited to the Golden Globes to present an award.
Dr. Musahid Ahmed: A scientist from Assam bagging honors in US
By Anjuman Ara Begum, TwoCircles.net,
No cakewalk for anyone, Bihar votes from Monday
By Imran Khan
Patna : Some 66.8 million people will be eligible to vote from Monday in staggered assembly polls in Bihar in the...
Retaliating against the Pen with the Sword is not the Way of Islam: Understanding...
By Abhik Bhattacharya
The falling of Bhoomi Puja in Ayodhya and the celebration of the first anniversary of Kashmir being constitutionally stripped off its special...
Alliance on the rocks, Kashmir may be heading for Governor’s Rule
By Sanjeev Srivastava
With the Peoples Democratic Party's Srinagar MP Tariq Hameed Karra quitting the party as well as his Lok Sabha seat, the...
Pakistan creates army commands to mollify restive military
By Brigadier Arun Sahgal (Retd)
Nearly six decades after the country came into being, Pakistan's military junta recently announced the reorganisation of its army's operational deployment into three geographical commands with the ostensible aim of improving efficiency and strengthening its overall command-and-control structure.
The Northern, Southern and Central Commands that are being created are to be responsible for the administrative arrangements of the country's nine corps that fall under their respective commands.
Modi government’s stepchild
By Dr Mohammad Manzoor Alam,
Narendra Modi government has come to power on a plank of ‘development’, a thriving economy and people’s economic wellbeing. In practice, it has ended up doing just the opposite.
Nobel laureate Amartya Sen says public health and education are the foundations on which development stands. To handle jobs in a vast development enterprise people need different levels of education and training as well as health and fitness to do assigned work efficiently.
Modi ranked world’s ninth most powerful person
<b.By Arun Kumar
Washington: Moving up six spots, India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi, ranked ninth, has for the first time made it to the top...
Khurram Parvez’s organisation wins Asia Democracy and Human Rights Award
By Raqib Hameed Naik, TwoCircles.net
Srinagar: Philippines-based Asian Federation Against Involuntary Disappearances (AFAD) headed won the Democracy and Human Rights Award for its...
Search for a Gujarati
By Nasiruddin Haider Khan
सत्ता-माफिया के तंत्र के निशाने पर पत्रकार
अफ़रोज़ आलम साहिल, TwoCircles.net
पत्रकारिता के मौजूदा परिवेश को लेकर यूपी, छत्तीसगढ़, हरियाणा के बाद अब झारखंड और बिहार से सामने आई तस्वीर जितनी दर्दनाक...
UP politicians give chameleons a run for their money
By Mohit Dubey
Lucknow : Changing their hues comes naturally to politicians. They switch parties -- and ideologies -- with bewildering ease. And as...
Statue of Unity is a symbol of BJP’s hypocrisy, not a call for uniting...
By Arshi Khan for TwoCircles.net
The problem with the world today is not that there are so many people who do wrong, but there are...
Nitish-Modi close-up: Has Nitish cheated Muslims in Bihar?
By Mumtaz Alam Falahi, TwoCircles.net
Janseva co-operative credit society: a step in Islamic finance and banking in India
The main objective of the Islamic Finance is to create a society of investors, unlike the conventional banking system, which has made and created the society of borrowers and lenders from the past 800 years.
By Tameemuddin Humble,
Islamic finance activism in India should not be limited to the conferences and meetings, asking government to allow and operate interest-free banking for those whose faith prohibits interest-based transactions; it should also be to challenge the stereotype that the Shariah investment can’t yield the profit, even if professionally managed. We can’t sail the boat of Islamic Finance with the people having such perceptions. We can’t reach to its logical end without building an environment of Sharia compliant investment in the country, availing the limited opportunities in the given regulations.
In 2 years, BJP govt electrified 13,523 villages; only 8% completely
By Mukta Patil
As many as 73 per cent of the 18,452 villages that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government identified for electrification in 2015...
Rough and ready justice
By Dr Mohammad Manzoor Alam,
Nobody sympathises with a rapist. All of us wish the worst to befall him: let him come under the wheels of a big truck. Or, even worse: let him be run over by a huge goods train and die a horrible death. Or, if we can be patient and wait for a while, let the law award him a life sentence. Better still: let the law hang him.
Inculcating morality among Generation Next, Pharos Educational Foundation
A Year-long Series on Education, Sponsored by The Aligarh Forum : - A Mirror on our Efforts, our Successes & our Shortcomings ; Stories...
Has Modi moderated?
By Irfan Engineer,
Ashutosh Varshney in his article in Indian Express (Modi the Moderate) writes that “Modi may not have Vajpayee’s style but, substantively, his campaign over the last few months shows roughly similar traits.” Varshney gives instances of Modi paying tribute to Maulana Azad in one of his election speeches; stitching alliances with the dalit parties, including with those who fought against him and finally, Modi pointed out in one of election speeches that Haj quota from Gujarat was full whereas quotas from Bihar and UP could not be filled as Muslims were backward as compared to Gujarat. In all the three instances cited, Varshney claims that Modi’s campaign has departed wholly or very substantially from the tenets of Hindu nationalism. There are two issues here – whether the three instances cited amounts to departing from Hindu nationalist position; and second, if it does, is it merely an election strategy or a substantial ideological repositioning on part of Modi?
Why BJP & Co. may not touch the magic figure of 272+?
By Parvez Alam,
Considering the communal divide and polarization of votes in Indian politics, the party (and RSS) responsible for several riots is surging ahead against the entire national and regional parties in this general election according to media reports. Analysts have started speculating about the policies and reforms which is going to take place after 16 May, the date set to announce the result, which media have already declared Bhartiya Janta Party’s Narendra Modi, currently chief minister of Gujarat, as the next PM of the largest democracy in the world.
Abul Hussain – A different story of a differently able person
By Diganta Sharma and Anjuman Ara Begum,
TCN special: Misra Commission report excerpts- Part 6
By TwoCircles.net news desk,
Misra Commission report excerpts - home page
Chapter 6: Criteria for Identifying Backward Sections among Religious Minorities
India’s ‘no’ to emission cap deadline is unfortunate
By Ramesh Singh,
Reports from the UN climate meet in Lima say India has refused to accept a time limit for capping greenhouse gas emissions. This is really unfortunate.
Environmental Minister Prakash Javadekar was right in saying that carbon dioxide (CO2) has helped to improve grain yields in most of South Asia. At the same time, Javadekar must know that greenhouse gas emissions in the long term enhance the surface temperature. And when surface temperature increases, we need more ground water to irrigate our agricultural farms to achieve high yield.
Owaisi advocates for transformation in parliamentary procedures
By A Mirsab, TwoCircles.net,
New Delhi: Stressing upon the need of proper utilization of parliament to resolve problems of people, All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM)...
Bangladeshi migrants, refugees, intruders: Myth vs Reality
By Dr. Mumtaz Naiyer,
I hail from a place in India, where the Bengal reaches out to Bihar and the Bihar reaches out to the Bengal. You must be mapping your mind to find my place of birth and my place of belonging? Let me help you and throw a light to this place. This place, where I belong and where my soul resides is Kishanganj. It is a border area surrounded by Nepal at one side and Bangladesh at the other side. Although surrounded by two different countries it is a peaceful, quiet place.
Attack on Taslima: love of Islam or love of power?
By Asghar Ali Engineer
It was shocking that three MLAs of Majlis Ittahidul Muslimin in Hyderabad gate crashed into the book release function of her book “Lajja” translated into Telugu on 9th August and tried to beat up Taslima and shouted slogans using unbecoming words, even using abusing language. And all this in the name of Islam as if Islam stands for such hooliganism.
Meet the frightened mother of Abdur Rahman in Darbhanga
Special Series on Terror Arrests from Bihar – Part Five
By Mumtaz Alam Falahi, TwoCircles.net,
In defence of Amitabh Bachchan’s lack of convictions
By Mayank Chhaya, IANS,
Actor Amitabh Bachchan's decision to be Gujarat's brand ambassador has provoked many to question his political convictions, with some even going to the extent of wondering whether he has any.
"When Amitabh Bachchan advertises cement or any other commodity, we are expected to buy it because he has endorsed it; yet, when he shakes hands with Narendra Modi, he expects us to read nothing into it," write Jatin Gandhi and Hartosh Singh Bal in the latest issue of Open magazine.
Will the BJP open its account in Kerala?
By Sanu George
Thiruvananthapuram: Will the lotus finally bloom in Kerala? The BJP is supremely confident that at least one of its candidates will...
Can India tame the terror beast?
By Murali Krishnan, IANS,
The sun has set on a year that exposed the utter unpreparedness of the security establishment to tackle the wave of terror bombings. And, as 2009 dawns with three powerful blasts rocking Guwahati and killing six people on New Year's Day, those responsible for securing the country have their task clearly cut out.
The year stretches ahead with plenty on the government's to-do list.
New Zealand dollar could be best performer
By Vatsal Srivastava,
The Reserve Bank of New Zealand is all set to raise its benchmark interest rate at its monthly monetary policy meeting...
Does crime imitate art? The pathology of a campus massacre
By Mayank Chhaya
Notwithstanding the irresolvable debate whether art imitates life or vice versa, the eerie similarity between the sheer brutal efficiency of the Virginia Tech killer and the remorseless designer violence of the celebrated Korean film "Oldboy" is unsettling.
An analysis of Congress & BJP manifestos regarding SCs, STs, and BCs
By P.S. Krishnan, IAS
In this paper I have analysed “the promises” in the Manifestos of the two largest Parties of India, the Indian National Congress (INC) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) pertaining to Scheduled Castes (SCs), Scheduled Tribes (STs) and Socially and Educationally Backward Classes (SEdBCs), also known as Other Backward Classes (OBCs) or Backward Classes (BCs) (hereafter referred to as BCs).
Seek consensus against communal violence
By Dr Mohammad Manzoor Alam,
Within the next few hours Parliament will be debating one of the most burning issues the country faces: recurrent communal violence. Let us hope that the debate does not end up in a brawl like in recent past. Parliamentary etiquette is in constant decline and this august House of national debate and lawmaking has become an arena for rouwdyism, fisticuffs and spraying of powerful pepper extract straight into the eyes of fellows MPs.
It’s not war yet, but Punjab border villages face war-like situation
By Jaideep Sarin
Amritsar : There has been no gunfire, no alert sirens and no fighter jets dropping bombs. It is not war time yet...
Hindu philosophy and Dadri lynching
By Namrata Chaturvedi for TwoCircles.net
A man was killed and his family tortured in a village in Uttar Pradesh last week. In a news report,...
Muslims selling puja items near makeshift Ram Temple in Hanuman Garhi
By Mumtaz Alam Falahi, TwoCircles.net,
TwoCircles.net series: Ayodhya 2009
Are the Communists fast losing appeal in India?
By Amulya Ganguli, IANS,
While Mayawati has received a shot in the arm from her successes in the recent by-elections in Uttar Pradesh, the dismal run of setbacks for the Communist parties continues unabated. Not only did the Left lose all the three seats it contested in Kerala, the comrades received their most stunning blow in their other stronghold of West Bengal where they won only one out of 10 seats.
As a result, there is now a distinct possibility of the Communists losing the next assembly elections in the state after an uninterrupted success story since 1977.
Canada saved the India-US n-deal; it now needs to think beyond
By Ryan Touhey, IANS,
Canada and India have been reluctant dance partners in decades past for reasons ranging from a heated disagreement on nuclear non-proliferation to Cold War-era divergences to name but two.It is only in recent years that Ottawa has expressed an interest to make New Delhi one of its international priorities and is seeking to re-develop a historically neglected relationship.
‘Majority of middle-class Indians prefer branded products’
By Nivedita
New Delhi: There is a clear shift of design sensibilities and an eye for detail in Indian consumers, especially the middle-class regarding home...
Interview: Wali Rahmani on madrasa modernization
Maulana Wali Rahmani is the Chairman of Madrasa Modernisation Committee set up by the Ministry of HRD. This interview was conducted by Anjum Usmani in Urdu. Translated in English by Tarique Anwar of TwoCircles.net
Q: Being the Chairman of Madrasa Modernisation Committee of Government of India what is your opinion on management of madrasas and its curriculum?
A: Each madrasa should become a registered organization or unregistered madrasas should become affiliated with a registered institution. As I see things developing in future, this is essential.
‘Brick kilns turn hazardous for Kashmiris, violate environmental laws’
By Shamshad Ali
Srinagar: With most brick kilns in the Kashmir Valley not implementing the measures specified for minimizing pollution levels, the areas where...
Hounding the madrasas: Deoband’s rector speaks
By TwoCircles.net news desk
Presidential address by Marghub ur-Rahman, Rector of Dar ul-Ulum, Deoband.
Delivered at the "All-India Anti-Terrorism Convention", Organised by the Rabita-e Madaris-e Islamia Arabia at Deoband on 25 February, 2008. Translated from Urdu and edited and abridged by Yoginder Sikand
In the Name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate. Praise be to God, the Lord of the Worlds. May Peace be on the Prophet Muhammad and His progeny.
SIO – BHU और संघ के जुड़ाव पर SIO की सफ़ाई
काशिफ़ अहमद फ़राज़,
SIO और काशी हिन्दू विश्वविद्यालय द्वारा आयोजित सेमिनार के बाबत SIO के एक पूर्व सदस्य सोशल मीडिया में मुख्य मुद्दे से हटकर...
India’s education system must prepare children for life
By Shashank Vira and Mark Runacres, IANS,
Political overdose amid election fervour
The timing just couldn't have been better. Writers, journalists and experts are using all their political wisdom to analyse and dissect events, politicians and...
Husain’s ‘Mahabharata’ record – irony for India
By Uma Nair, IANS
M.F. Husain's epic work "Mahabharata: The Battle of Ganga and Jamuna" fetching a world record of $1.6 million at the Christie's sale is the best example of situational irony in a nation that has virtually exiled its finest living artist. The world record can perhaps silence hardline Hindu groups.
Should the military have a say in governance?
By Vishnu Makhijani
In 1992, the Indian Army chief, General Sunith Francis Rodrigues, had to apologise to parliament for suggesting that the armed...
Book Review: Justice before Reconciliation: Negotiating a ‘New Normal’ in Post-riot Mumbai and Ahmedabad
By Dipankar Gupta,
Routledge, New Delhi, 2011, 186 pp., Rs 595, Hard Bound, ISBN 978-0-415-61254-8
By Mahtab Alam,
Muslims must think beyond defeating BJP
By Mukhtar Ahmad
Whenever any community , sect, group or section gives a call for unity , it always implies unite against a common enemy....
Islamic declaration on climate change on August 18
Islamic declaration calling Muslims to fulfill religious duty and taking action on climate change to be launched on August 18. "Islamic faith community represents...
Off-campus branches of AMU: some disturbing questions
By Omar Peerzada,
Recently a budgetary provision has been made for opening off-campus ‘branches’ of Aligarh Muslim University. The idea of opening up opportunities of Higher Education for Muslims is a very laudable one and deserves all support. The lack of higher education among the Muslims has been a major cause of their backwardness. The question arises as to why Muslims are not able to take advantage of studying in the Colleges and Universities already available in the country.
Revolutionary who kept death at bay till Aug 15, 1947
By R.K. Parashar, IANS
Dalhousie (Himachal Pradesh) : Sardar Ajit Singh - the name may not ring a bell among today's youth. Legend goes that this forgotten hero, an uncle of martyr Bhagat Singh, breathed his last on Aug 15, 1947 -- holding on to life till he heard the news of India's independence.
Unfortunately, no one pays him even a perfunctory homage at his memorial in Panjpulla in Dalhousie.
‘Encounter’ at Batla House: Unanswered Questions: Report is online
By TwoCircles.net team
Batla House encounter, which saw two Muslim youth and one police officer killed is now a six months old news. Encounter, true or fake, in the national capital should have lead to investigation and scrutiny, but still questions remain unanswered. A group of Jamia teachers has compiled pubic information to try to piece together the incident. After selling all their printed copies, Jamia Teachers' Solidarity Group has made a pdf version available to TwoCircles.net to put it online. Download link is given at the bottom of this page. Read and discuss.
Left behind, but not left out: How women in Birbhum took to handlooms to...
By Mirza Mosaraf Hossain, Twocircles.net
Migration in India is neither a new event nor a region-specific issue. In fact, it would not be wrong to...
Bihar and Lok Sabha Election 2014
By Syed Ali Mujtaba,
It is often said that the road to the Lok Sabha passes through Bihar. Even though the state sends only 40 members to the lower house, it has traditionally played a significant role in the government formation at the centre.
2 years of India’s #MeToo movement and its outcomes: Realities of power or patriarchy
The outcomes of India’s #MeToo movement after more than two years of its passage appear to be the harsh reality of the power dynamics...
Teaser of Film on Savarkar: Lies Galore
Dr. Ram Puniayni
Currently as the right-wing wing ideology is gaining ground many a film have already come to promote divisiveness, to glorify the icons...
How not to do minority welfare
By Kashif-ul-Huda, TwoCircles.net
In the name of minority welfare, Government of India spends about Rs. 5000 crores annually. On the face of it, this big amount and schemes and programmes gives the impression that government is sincere but dig little deeper and find out that government is anything but.
Can India Inc. come to the rescue of women?
(March 8 is International Women's Day)
By Sanjiv Kataria,
Many occasions last week tugged at my conscience, primarily because of a series of events. Two ladies were planning their shopping itinerary, seated in a McDonald's in south Delhi, till their drifting conversation hit me that the whole expedition was centered on one thing - clean toilets. The next day I overheard another lady refusing to sip tea or coffee before heading out. Politely, she stated, no fluids, on the days she steps out, lest she should have to use a restroom outside.
Food inflation due to government policy delays
By Sushma Ramachandran, IANS,
Even as food prices continue to rise inexorably at over 16 percent, the government has finally taken steps to curb the spiralling price inflation that has been hurting all sections of society, especially the poorest of the poor. And Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar is in the eye of a storm over remarks that milk prices may go up as shortages are being reported by several states.
Urdu Language essential to protect Islamic culture and identity: Rehan Ghani
By Manzar Bilal and Mudassir Rizwan, TwoCircles.net,
To solve problems facing Urdu Language in Bihar pressure groups should emerge once again like the ones that ensured it second official language status in the state, says Rehan Ghani, Managing Editor, Pindar, one of the oldest Urdu dailies in Bihar. Concerned with the Urdu speakers’ apathy towards the language, Ghani, also Associate Editor, Door Darshan, Patna, holds Urduwalas more responsible than the government for the sordid state of the language.
Kanhaiya: From the cauldron of secession charges, a leader is born
By Sarwar Kashani
New Delhi: On a dark Thursday night in the noisy JNU campus, when Kanhaiya Kumar called for “azaadi”, the student leader little...
Retired IPS officer files petition against appointment of cop accused in Ishrat Jahan Fake...
By Raqib Hameed Naik, TwoCircles.net
Gujarat: Julio Ribeiro, former Mumbai Police Commissioner has filed a petition in Gujarat High Court against IPS officer, PP Pandey’s...
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