Greek gods, demigods and quests in modern America: The Percy Jackson series
By Vikas Datta,
Be it the exploits of Hercules, Perseus or Odysseus or their ilk, the warrior kings of the Indian mytho-religious ethos, the knights of King Arthur, Persian princes, Arabian chieftains (Hatim Tai) and merchants (Sindbad), Russian bogatyrs Dobrynya Nikitich and Ilya Muromets, the old Spanish gentleman (of magnificent imagination but a tenuous grip on reality) of La Mancha, or the expeditions of a whole raft of European sailors and explorers, quests -- and more importantly, the accounts of the quest -- never stop fascinating us.
Mohammad (PBUH) as liberator
By Asghar Ali Engineer,
This month we celebrated the birth day of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). It is celebrated by Muslims with great devotion and reverence. But often it has been seen that devotees do not reflect on the message of the person whom they so venerate. It just becomes a tradition rather than occasion for deep reflection. Muslims also refer to the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) as Muhsin-e-Insaniyyat i.e. the benefactor of humanity but hardly care to know in what respect he became benefactor?
अटल बिहारी वाजपेयी के ‘स्मृति’ बनने का इंतज़ार करते छत्तीसगढ़ के ‘अटल स्तंभ’
अफ़रोज़ आलम साहिल, TwoCircles.net
बस्तर(छत्तीसगढ़): बस्तर में जगह-जगह आपको ऐसे कई स्तंभ नज़र आएंगे, जो छत्तीसगढ़ में ‘अटल चौक’ के नाम से जाने...
How TRS captured Hyderabad
Hyderabad: The Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) was widely expected to unfurl its flag on the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC). But the scale of...
Will Left’s ideological rigidity be another ‘historical error’?
By Amulya Ganguli, IANS
Notwithstanding the possibility of a lowering of tension between the Congress and the communists over the India-US civil nuclear deal, two things can be predicted with a reasonable degree of certainty.
One is that the Manmohan Singh government will not be able to hold out for its full five-year term ending in 2009. The Left's ideologically driven opposition to closer ties with the US means that a point of no return is being reached between it and the Congress although, for the present, the comrades have decided not to destabilise the government.
Terror in the name of God
By Yoginder Sikand for TwoCircles.net
"Never forget that the life of this world is only a game and a passing delight, a show ….the life of this world is nothing but means of deception:. (The Quran, Al-Hadid: 20)
"There is no Hindu, there is no Muslim" (Baba Guru Nanak Sahib)
It is high time Indian IT companies update their Social Media policy on hate...
Dr M B Ahmed
How many of you have had to leave a WhatsApp group or unfriend a Facebook friend or stop accessing your Twitter...
Maharashtra Waqf board CEO’s assistant suspended under graft charges
By TwoCircles.net Staff reporter,
Aurangabad: The personal assistant of Maharashtra Waqf board CEO has been put under suspension after recovery of incriminating documents from his...
Reasons for decline of Muslim participation in Civil Services
By Mohammed Junaid, TwoCircles.net
The civil service has long been regarded as the ‘steel frame’ of administration in India right from colonial days. The colonial...
Death, disappearance and despair in India
Why India’s largest minority is facing a silent and insidious campaign of fear and terror
By Aijaz Zaka Syed,
Modi leads over 37,000 to mark International Yoga Day
New Delhi: unprecedented demonstration of India's soft power as a record-breaking 37,000 people, including senior officials and diplomats, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi...
World food scarcity and the challenges of climate change and bio energy
By Shobha Shukla,
'Rarely has the World Food Day assumed greater meaning than in present times, as rapidly rising food prices risk increasing the number of hungry in the world,' according to the Food And Agriculture Organization (FAO).
A visit to the ruins of magnificent Muslim past in Malda and Murshidabad
By Mumtaz Alam Falahi, TwoCircles.net
TCN Series: Visit to Malda and Murshidabad : Part 3
The cities of Malda and Murshidabad alternatively were the capital of the undivided Bengal (that included Bihar and Orissa also) for about 700 years – from the conquest of Bakhtiar Khilji in 1201 of Bengal till 1881 when Nawab Syed Mansur Ali Khan (known as Feradun Jah), son of Nawab Mubarak Ali Khan (known as Humayun Jah), retired as the last Nawab of the state.
Charring the Kutch desert with charcoal
By Yoginder Sikand
The Great Rann of Kutch, stretching over much of the northern part of Gujarat’s remote Kutch district and spilling over across the border in Pakistan’s Sindh province, is a fragile desert ecological zone. It consists of flat sandy and stony plains that stretch as far as the horizon, interspersed with small rocky hillocks, dotted, in some parts, with thorny, ankle-length bushes. Large parts of the area do not boast of any vegetation at all, being covered with massive sheets of salt.
Mumbai attack media coverage more theatrical than professional
By Najam Gilani, TwoCircles.net,
In the event of terrorist attack on Mumbai we all were made witness to those horrific live scenes----Courtesy news channels and its reporters. It was the kind of coverage which has not been witness in the decade old private industry of Indian electronic media. It generated more of flak and less of praise for Journalists/Reporters/Broadcasters. It also raised some serious question which needs some serious answers.
UN Human Rights head raises issue of access to Kashmir
By Arul Louis
United Nations : UN Human Rights head Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein on Wednesday expressed regret that his officials were not being allowed...
BJP caught between Yeddy, Reddys and sleazy business
By Soroor Ahmed, TwoCircles.net
Though he denies that he had ever said that Karnataka was following the Gujarat model, yet political observers equate the two BJP governments––one in the West and another in South of the country. Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa, a new asset for the party, while speaking on the completion of two years in office of the first BJP government in the state on June 23 said that Karnataka would be a model state in the next three years.
Exploring the Palestinian predicament with Omar Yussef
By Vikas Datta,
Their predicament is an enduring problem of our times and has resisted solution -- by violent struggle or by negotiated settlement. An unfortunate offshoot is that Palestinians have ended up being portrayed either as brutal terrorists or hapless victims.
The unspoken truth in Iran’s nuclear report
By K. Subrahmanyam, IANS
The publication of the National Intelligence Estimate (NIE) on the Iranian nuclear weapons programme by the US intelligence community has taken the world by storm since that estimate contradicts the views of President George W. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney and concludes that Iran stopped its nuclear weapons programme in the fall of 2003 and has not resumed it.
Nazia fights and wins a battle for Muslim women rights
A struggle for equal rights in Ranchi
By Kashif-ul-Huda, TwoCircles.net
A 19 year old Muslim girl has successfully changed a 50 year old tradition. Nazia Tabassum, a student of History is making history of her own.
Ayodhya verdict has ramifications for India’s minorities
The High Court judgment on Ayodhaya, if it becomes the law of the land through the Supreme Court, has ominous ramifications for India’s minority communities
By Dr. John Dayal,
TCN special: Misra Commission report excerpts- Part 20
By TwoCircles.net news desk
Misra Commission report excerpts- home page
Last part: Measures for Muslims
In respect of the Muslims – who are the largest minority at the national level with a country-wide presence and yet educationally the most backward of the religious communities- we recommend certain exclusive measures as follows:
Is it the beginning of the end for Modi?
By Nasiruddin Haider Khan
I have been to Gujarat for the third time this year for my studies and work. Every time I have returned with a new experience. New dimensions get added to my database which I have gathered by reading and talking to others.
Arvind Kejriwal: 49 days of adrenaline-pumping; will it return?
By Gaurav Sharma, IANS,
It was yet another day when I was woken up by the alarm tone of my mobile phone at 7.30 a.m....
Ready for the budget exam, says Modi
New Delhi: Alluding to the presentation of the 2016-17 general budget, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday observed that he too was to appear...
Battle against Maoists being undermined by intellectuals
By Amulya Ganguli, IANS,
Lenin described as "useful idiots" those bleeding heart liberals who were soft on the Communists despite the latter's avowed objective of launching a violent insurrection to overthrow the supposedly rotten bourgeois system.
RSS exploiting the cultural and intellectual vacuum: Meena Kandasamy
Saffroning Kerala: Part 7
By Abdul Basith, TwoCircles.net,
ग़ालिब की दिल्ली का दंगल
By सिद्धांत मोहन, TwoCircles.net,
नई दिल्ली: किरण बेदी एसयूवी की छत पर खड़े होकर लोगों को स्याही से रंगी ऊँगली और विजय चिन्ह दिखा रही हैं. वे चारों दशरथ पुत्रों की तरह भरत-मिलाप के बाद आठों दिशाओं को अपने दर्शन मुहैया करा रही है. एसयूवी के सबसे करीब एबीपी न्यूज़ का संवाददाता है, लिहाज़न एबीपी न्यूज़ का माइक कमोबेश सभी न्यूज़ चैनलों के फ्रेम में दिख रहा है. पीछे से किसी कैमरामैन के चिल्लाने की आवाज़ आती है, ‘अरे, माइकवाले’. इसके साथ माइक नीचे आ जाता है और सभी को सुलभ दर्शन होने लगते हैं. कार के बोनट से सरकते हुए किरण बेदी नीचे उतरती हैं, सारे माइक धकेलते हुए कार की अगली सीट पर आ बैठती हैं, तभी फ़िर से एबीपी न्यूज़ का कैमरा ड्राईवर की खिड़की से घुसता है, और संवाददाता कहता है – ‘मैडम, दो सवाल हैं बस’. मैडम ध्यान नहीं देती हैं, तभी इंडिया न्यूज़ का माइक फ्रेम में दिखता है और एबीपी का कैमरामैन चीख उठता है – ‘अबे, इंडिया न्यूज़’.
Resurrecting the Sardar Patel legacy: Will he have approved?
By C. Uday Bhaskar,
The manner in which the 139th birthday of Sardar Vallabhbhai Jhaverbhai Patel (Oct 31, 1875 - Dec 15, 1950) is being celebrated contains within it both a tinge of irony and a reflection of the self-confidence of the Modi-led BJP that it can resurrect a long forgotten Congress leader and thereby tacitly claim ownership of the 'Iron Man' of the freedom struggle.
Kashmir challenge: Modi could write history or blot it
By Saeed Naqvi,
A principal reason for Narendra Modi being swept to power in May was disgust with Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and Manmohan Singh - indecisive, short on ideas, bereft of charisma and supervising a government of scams. In a house of 543, the Congress had 209 seats. The shortfall of 63 was made up of coalition partners.
Modi should make his stand clear on Togadia
By S. Aziz Haider, Real News International,
Not long ago, a famous actor from Mumbai, belonging to the Minority community, stated that it was difficult for a Muslim in Mumbai to get a house on rent. Nobody complained against him. But the police took suo-motto action for disturbing communal harmony and lodged an FIR against the actor.
A faster, higher, stronger fix: the sport of live coverage
By Chitra Padmanabhan, IANS,
On Aug 24, after the stupefying finale of the Beijing Olympics, it was time to whip out the little black book.
The Games were over and the familiar withdrawal symptoms were raising their ugly head. How fast the two Olympic weeks had flown by, despite the wonderfully botched coverage by Doordarshan.
Now where could one get one's next high, next fix? Cricket in Sri Lanka? Tennis at the US Open? When is the Twenty20, dash it?
Kashmir needs government of regional parties: CPI-M’s Mohammed Tarigami
By Shamshad Ali
New Delhi: Jammu and Kashmir needs a coalition of regional parties to keep out the BJP, the CPI-M's lone legislator...
Rahul breaks security cordon – like father like son
By Maxwell Pereira, IANS
"Rahul Gandhi gives cops the slip in Naxal heartland", read the headline recently. That was soon after his visit to a tribal village in a Maoist-infested area in Orissa when the MP, who is scion of the extremely vulnerable Gandhi family, ducked out of the Koraput SP's security cordon and melted into the night, accompanied by only a few personal SPG (Special Protection Group) guards.
India weighing political impact of tough economic decisions
By Sushma Ramachandran, IANS,
The tsunami like financial crisis engulfing the globe has flooded India as well, virtually drowning the stock and currency markets. The response of the Indian government has so far been somewhat slow. It has set up a committee to study the problem of liquidity as late as Friday, while the central bank has yet to announce a cut in interest rates.
Teaching with the technology: solution or sacrifice
By Raashid Nehal and Waquar Ahmad Khan
Robert Frost in his famous poem ‘The Road Not Taken’ symbolizes road as the choice we make in...
Ban by Naga students body hits vehicular traffic from Manipur
Imphal : Plying of buses and trucks from Manipur to Nagaland was affected on Wednesday morning after a Naga students' body announced an indefinite...
Can’t rule out more border tunnels: Home secretary
By IANS,
Jammu: Home Secretary R.K. Singh said Friday that it is possible Pakistan may have dug more tunnels to push militants and weapons into India.
Obituary: Qazi Abdullah Maulvi: A traditional Islamic scholar, astronomer, mathematician
By Zubair Hudawi for TwoCircles.net
Muslims in North Kerala and South Karnataka accorded a tearful farewell to their great leader and brilliant scholar Qazi C. M. Abdullah Musliyar Chembarikka1, who died on February 14. Commonly known as Qazi, he was an influential social and spiritual leader who was approached by various people to seek blessings, get religious knowledge and solve personal, familial or social problems.
BJP may face heat from opposition on national security
By Prashant Sood
New Delhi : The central government is likely to face heat on the issue of national security following Sunday's terror attack on...
Tribal votes a key factor in Assam polls
By Amitava Mukherjee
Both the BJP-led alliance and the Congress have left no stone unturned in securing tribal votes which may turn out to be...
Are Kashmir’s truce violations any different from ‘war’?
By Sheikh Qayoom
The unending ceasefire violations by the Pakistani Army on the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir have become a...
Hillary, Tenzing’s Everest feat wasn’t for personal glory
By K. Datta, IANS
"It was not glory we sought," Col. John Hunt, British leader of the 1953 Everest expedition, wrote of his team, "unless it be the common glory of man's triumph over nature - and over his own limitations."
Neither Edmund Hillary nor Tenzing Norgay, the first men to climb Mount Everest, had come to the world's highest mountain in 1953 expecting personal fame. But because they were the first to set foot on its summit after ten failed attempts, fame had to come to them whether they expected it or not.
The Telegraph redefine newspaper front pages
By IndScribe
Telegraph, the Calcutta-based English newspaper, has redefined the front pages of newspapers.
Creative, catchy and often shocking headlines, apart from unique presentation has...
Obama averts diplomatic disaster on Kashmir for now
By Mayank Chhaya, IANS,
Good sense seems to have prevailed in excluding India in general and Kashmir in particular from the mandate of Richard Holbrooke as the Obama administration's special envoy for Afghanistan and Pakistan.
“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.
Muslim concentration districts: Is construction of Anganwadi centres justified under MsDP?
By Mumtaz Alam Falahi, TwoCircles.net,
Under the Multi-Sectoral Development Programme for the 90 selected minority-concentrated districts, the Central Government, in collaboration with the state governments, is spending hundreds of crore rupees on construction of new Anganwadi centres in thousands in Muslim-concentrated districts. The million-dollar question is: Are these centres justified under MsDP, and how much will they serve the community for whose development the Union Ministry of Minority Affairs has launched the MsDP in the light of Sachar Committee recommendations?
Stalling nuclear deal will be a historical mistake
By K. Subrahmanyam, IANS
There is widespread media speculation on the chances of the India-International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) safeguards agreement being finalised and submitted to the board of governors. The issue that is being hotly debated is whether the Left parties will allow the safeguards agreement to be processed further by the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government when the Indian delegation concludes the draft agreement with the IAEA.
NRI marriages through Bollywood lens
By Kul Bhushan
"As a realistic depiction of Asian life in Britain, 'Namastey London' made us feel proud as NRIs," said Chaman Lal Chaman, a well-known radio presenter and an Asian cultural leader in London. The Bollywood film deals effectively with the generation gap and the problems of Asian parents and has been popular in Britain because it uses laughter and satire to drive home its points, added Chaman.
Will G20 take us out of the woods?
By Andrei Fedyashin, RIA Novosti,
Moscow : The Washington summit of the Group of 20 (G20) industrialised and emerging economies last week arrived at a general agreement on how to cooperate in key areas to strengthen economic growth, deal with the financial crisis, and to avoid similar crises in the future.
The G20 represents 19 of the world's 25 largest national economies, plus the European Union (EU). It comprises 90 percent of global gross national product, 80 percent of world trade (including EU intra-trade) and two-thirds of the world population.
India’s ambivalence on China can derail regional groupings
By Subir Bhaumik,
A senior diplomat recently told a seminar in Kolkata that India joins too many regional groupings, some of them overlapping, and then not doing anything worthwhile to carry forward their intended agendas. The message from this former ambassdor to three countries was clear: Only when convinced it will benefit India should we join a grouping - and that with a clear roadmap and leveraging it for Indian interests.
Hashimpura: the black chapter in the history of UP Police
By Vibhuti Narain Rai
You get subject to some experiences that stick with you throughout your life. They always stay with you like a nightmare and sometimes are like debts on your shoulders. The experience at Hashimpura was such an experience for me.
The night of 22-23 May of the year 1987 which I spent in the wild undergrowth along the stream flowing through the Makanpur village situated on the Delhi Ghaziabad border looking for any living souls amidst the dead bodies covered with blood in the dim light of my torch- everything is engraved in my memory like a horror movie.
Punjab must march on without concealed hatred and prejudices
By Vidya Bhushan Rawat,
Almost 30 years ago Punjab was burning and Sikh were the target of the 'nationalists'. The issue of Punjab and Sikh identity were much larger and need a proper analysis whether the promises made during the transfer of power were fulfilled or not. The demand for autonomy of the states grew. On June 3rd, 1984, Indian army was asked to 'flush-out' 'terrorists' holed up in the campus of Golden Temple. No news was coming in. The only resource for credible information was BBC and its two reporters from India Marc Tulley and Satish Jacob who reported the entire event boldly. Mrs Indira Gandhi came on All India Radio and spoke to the nation about the necessity of 'army action' as innocent lives were being lost in the firing from the Golden Temple Complex.Many senior persons died including DIG J.S.Atwal who was killed outside the complex when he came out from worshiping.
Open letter to PM on his ‘action for auction’
By Ravi Nitesh,
Dear Prime Minister Sh. Narendra Damodardas Modi,
I am writing this letter to you as citizen of India, who is witnessing the leading media reports about the ‘auction’ of your suit. It is also said in these reports that the suit is controversial one as it attracted criticism for its high cost, while you wore it during your meeting with USA president Mr. Obama. However, I am not worrying with these criticism or media reports, reason of my letter is something else. I had seen the division of thoughts on this action of auction , people supported and opposed the move. Even, I found such an action of auction is inappropriate and I opined it in social forums with my right to constitutional guarantee of freedom of expression. I found people who threw logics in your favor as a comment in oppose of my opinion. They also did with the same constitutional right that I enjoyed. Even these things of ‘for and against’ opinion are common and healthy for any democracy, so there is nothing to worry about, not at my end atleast. But, the reasons of my worry is about the logics of these comments and the whole action of this auction.
Spare the universities, please!
By Dr Mohammad Manzoor Alam,
Over the last few months it has become quite evident that the NDA government at the Centre is hostile to...
Modi Sarkar’s One Year
By Irfan Engineer,
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has completed one year in office on May 25th, 2015. His swearing-in ceremony was on May 26, 2014. PM’s achievements remain contested true to his polarising personality. While the PM’s followers exaggerate his achievements as unprecedented, his detractors can only recount the promises that remain undelivered. An honest assessment becomes difficult if not impossible. However, here we are trying to capture some trends and directions of the Central Govt. headed by PM Modi.
A Portrait of the Indian as a Young Dalit Girl: Part 2 – Sister,...
(Editor’s note: This was first published on Yahoo.com as a single piece. We are reproducing the long form report in parts for TwoCircles.net readers.)
You...
Caliphate opposed to Shia apostasy and, eventually to Sunni monarchies
By Saeed Naqvi,
The expanding Shia-Sunni conflict in the Muslim world is exposing vast gaps in popular understanding of the schism.
For example when Zine El...
Dabholkar to Pansare … Connecting the Dots !!!
By Advocate Sachin Godambe,
We witnessed killing of two social reformers – Dr Narendra Dabholkar and Comrade Govind Pansare recently in Maharashtra. Both were rationalist,...
Asian exports: Will ‘decoupling’ theory work this time around?
By Vatsal Srivastava,
During the financial crisis of 2008, there was a prevailing view among asset managers that a sell-off in developed market (DM) equities would not lead to a downturn in emerging market (EM) equities, especially in Asia. This ‘decoupling’ theory was supported by the fact that Asia could decouple from DM and US demand. It was argued that intra-Asian demand had become more important for Asian exports than DM demand. Further, the loss of DM demand would be offset by China, thus providing a buffer for Asian exporters.
Let us take charge of our Ummah
Dr Syed Zafar Mahmood,
Duly supported with authentic data, the Justice Rajindar Sachar Committee gauged in 2006 the Muslim deficit in India vis-a-vis any other community or social group. This Committee and the Justice Ranganath Mishra Commission (2008) recommended a series of affirmative actions to be taken by the Government in order to restore justice to Muslims and ameliorate their plight to the level of national averages. However, very little, say less than ten percent, of follow up action has been taken so far that includes amending the Waqf law, instituting the national minorities scholarship schemes and establishing the national commission for minority educational institutions. A host of major recommendations whose implementation would make the real difference still remain confined to the portals of these two landmark reports of recent Indian history. Though the 2014 parliamentary election manifestos of the Congress Party and Aam Aadmi Party did belatedly take note of some of these many remaining recommended steps.
Will Congress’ faith in dynastic politics save it in Dima Hasao?
By Amit Kumar, TwoCircles.net
Haflong: Dima Hasao, the least populated district of Assam, goes to polls on April 4 and like most of the state,...
Is the Left’s third front hopes a pipedream?
By Amulya Ganguli, IANS
The Left's hope of floating a third front doesn't seem to be making much headway. One reason is that the ever changing permutations and combinations of the Indian political scene have ensured that one of the key components of the proposed group, the Samajwadi Party, is moving closer to the Congress.
Amid BJP thumbs up, son controversy dims Rajnath’s smile
By Mohit Dubey ,
Lucknow: Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh is one of the few politicians in the country to perpetually wear a smile. Be...
Unbecoming of Sumariwala to run down Indian coaches
By Veturi Srivatsa,
Adille Sumariwalla has the gift of the gab and the knack of manipulating the media. The Athletic Federation of India’s president ran faster than he did his 100m dash in his heyday by running down Indian coaches, saying they are just not good enough to produce international athletes.
Searching for the ‘real anti-Indian’
By Parayi for Twocircles.net
Everything is well with the republic. ‘Nationalist’ gundas are beating up students and police is combing the hostels of...
Is India an outlet for Sotheby’s unsold art?
By Uma Nair, IANS,
Did international auction house Sotheby's bring famed contemporary artist Damien Hirst's works to India because a "mountain" of unsold works lies in wait in London? Is Sotheby's looking at India to sell hitherto unsold art?
These are the questions being asked by art critics and collectors in India, but a declaration Friday by the Bloomberg publication announced that Damien Hirst's London dealer White Cube has denied it has a "mountain" of unsold works before a Sotheby's sale that previewed in the Hamptons and New Delhi two days ago.
भारत में सरकार नाम की कोई चीज़ है या नहीं?
डॉ. खजान सिंह
हाल ही में दबंगो द्वारा गुजरात के ऊना में दलितों के साथ किए गए अमानवीय व्यवहार ने सारे देश के बहुजनो को...
Deoband: Stirrings of change in the bastion of tradition
By Noor Mohammad for TwoCircles.net
Last week I was in Deoband—my fourth trip to the town in the last five years—to attend the 30th convention of the Jamiat-ul-Ulema-e-Hind. Behind the image that the media projects, an image which the ulema of Deoband, too, carefully cultivate—of Deoband being the bastion of an unchanging tradition—the squalid Muslim locality that surrounds Deoband’s Dar ul-Ulum, possibly the world’s largest traditional madrasa, has changed much since I was last there two years ago.
We must address the issue of begging among Muslims
By Kouser Fathima for TwoCircles.net
According to data released in June, one in every four beggars is a Muslim. This is a worrying sign;...
Women’s voices from Atali
Dr. Sandhya Mhatre and Neha Dabhade
A fact finding team consisting of Adv. Irfan Engineer and these writers, visited the riot torn village of...
News analysis: Can cabinet reshuffle save Abe’s political fortune?
By Ni Hongmei, Xinhua
·Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Monday reshuffled his 11-month old cabinet.
·As the ruling party president, Abe also named a whole new leadership of LDP.
·In Monday's shake-up, Nobutaka Machimura, 62, was appointed as foreign minister.
Tokyo : Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Monday reshuffled his 11-month old cabinet, replacing key ministerial posts including chief cabinet secretary and ministers of defense, foreign affairs and finance with veteran politicians.
Dealing with terrorism
By Abdul Rashid Agwan,
Terror trail is taking toll of human lives city after city. It is now affecting the entire country and becoming almost an indomitable threat to human lives, communal relations, economic progress and even political stability of the country. This calls for civil society, administration, media and law enforcement system to come up with some tangible solution.
From scavenging to doctoral dreams: An inspiring journey of Sunil Yadav
“Even if 100 people from my community of scavengers exit from this inhumane occupation and move towards a dignified life, I will feel my...
From 2016, Maulana Azad’s birth anniversary not of concern to Maha govt
Non inclusion of Maulana Abul Kalam Azad’s Anniversary in the list of the days to be celebrated in 2016 is against Maharashtra Chief Minister...
Registration of marriages: A necessity
By Dr. Md. Faiyaz Khan,
India is a signatory to the convention on Elimination of All forms of Discrimination against Women Which was adopted by U.N. General Assembly in 1979 and ratified on July 9th, 1993. Under this convention India agreed in principal that compulsory registration of marriages was highly desirable, nevertheless, she expressed reservation by stating that to go in for compulsory registration like India with its variety of customs, religions and level of literacy.
What has happened to my beloved Mangalore?
By Maxwell Pereira, IANS,
Is it a curse that's hit Mangalore? Why is it so much in the news in just the last two years for all the wrong reasons?...for vandalism, desecration of religious places, molestation and moral policing over young girls, for rent-a-riot shockers, and now for the deaths of 158 in a colossal tragedy caused by the ill-fated Air India Express crash at its Bajpe airport?
Benazir: intrepid woman, charismatic politician
By Manish Chand, IANS
The first woman elected to head a Muslim nation, former Pakistan prime minister Benazir Bhutto was often seen as a beacon of democracy and moderation in a military dominated country and was poised to play a starring role in the changing political landscape of her country when the assassins brutally cut short her life.
Maharaja of the skies upsets NRIs on ground
By Kul Bhushan, IANS
Most NRIs travelling on Air India have horror stories to tell about their experiences. NRIs may well tolerate more hardships on other airlines but not on Air India, which they think is their own airline and so must treat them much better. The airline responds by saying that NRIs behave better on other airlines than while travelling with them.
Some middle-class views on AAP’s first-class win
By Monish Gulati,
The AAP's clean sweep of the Delhi assembly polls is a remarkable display of people power. The overwhelming mandate with its weight of expectations, as Arvind Kejriwal himself terms it, is "scary". The nature of the verdicts took pundits, pollsters and punters alike, by surprise. The victory has been seen as the rebirth of the anti-corruption movement by some and attributed by others to Modi's designer suit, Kejriwal's staid pullovers or a blowback from the introduction of biometric attendance in government offices. The perceived causes of such an electoral win, deserves a second look.
Sacred journey, sinful passengers: Hajj scams in India
By Omar Khalidi,
The onset of Ramazan is visible in all Muslim localities: large attendance at mosques, restaurants open at early mornings and then again at dusk. The aroma of the food, the taste of savories, the sound of the melodious azans and colorful clothes are inescapable to all five senses. The sacred month will be followed by a break of eight weeks followed by Hajj in Mecca.
Communal tension claims a life in Birloka, Nagaur of Rajasthan
SI of Khienwsar police station, along with three policemen and a patwari, have been suspended. Eight people, including five prime suspects have been rounded...
Multiple stories of an arrest
Relatives raise serious questions about MP ATS story of five Muslim youths arrest from Indore
How BJP got its biggest win ever?
By Dr Shahnoor Rahman,
India, being the largest democracy in the world, the identification and special care of the poor and deprived of the society -- mostly the Dalits and minorities by the government is the most important thing for social justice. This is the most important thing as well so that everyone can contribute towards the progress of the country.
What would Prophet Muhammad do?
By Asma Uddin
Scholar and author Omid Safi is best known to many Muslim Americans as being at the forefront of the Progressive Muslims movement, which finds in Islamic spirituality a powerful voice for social justice and pluralism. In his latest book, "Memories of Muhammad: Why the Prophet Matters" (Harper Collins), Safi explores the origins of that spirituality: the character and being of the Prophet Muhammad.
Father of modern Olympic spirit largely forgotten
By Claude Arpi, IANS,
The Beijing Olympics are almost here, but not many remember Pierre de Coubertin, the French baron who restored the Olympic Games in 1896.
The spirit with which the ancient Games were revived and Coubertin's objectives seem to belong to a bygone era, though remembering the first steps of Olympism is inspiring.
Coubertin was a man of exceptional talent; he was not only an organiser, a pedagogue, a historian, a sportsman, a writer, an aesthete, but also a visionary, a great humanist and a man of action.
BJP forced to rearrange around new power centre
By T.R. Ramachandran,
The country is once again at the crossroads. All eyes are on the BJP's bid to regain power at the centre. Its...
Norway Massacre: Should it be labelled as Christian Terrorism?
By Soroor Ahmed, TwoCircles.net,
Democracy, parochialism and peace
By Asghar Ali Engineer
The way Raj Thackeray has provoked street violence in Mumbai and the way state government handled it has indeed shamed all those who stand for democracy and peace. It is not for the first time that peace in Mumbai has been broken. Citizens of Mumbai have experienced it time and again. Maharashtra Navnirman Sena is after all offshoot of Shivsena and Bal Thackeray, Raj Thackeray's guru and his ideological inspiration, has done it many number of times.
Sena demands Maharashtra advocate general’s resignation
Mumbai : The Shiv Sena on Monday demanded the resignation of Maharashtra Advocate General Shrihari Aney for propounding the cause of a separate Vidarbha...
Liberhan Commission; painful wait for Justice
By Ram Puniyani
Liberhan commission submitted its four volume report to the Government on 30 of June 2009. It might have been one of the longest times taken by any commission. Liberhan’s claim that the report got delayed due to non cooperation of leaders involved may have some truth as one knows Kalyan Singh avoided appearing before the commission for long time, and so was the attitude of many of those alleged for demolition. Still all the hearings were complete by 2004. Did it take 5 long years to write the report?
Rising delivery defaults push demand for ready-to-move homes
By Vinod Behl,
Amid rising property prices, high loan rates and rising delivery defaults, home buyers are increasingly opting for ready-to-move properties to ensure safety of their investment.
Obama’s day and Martin Luther King’s day
MOSCOW. (RIA Novosti political commentator Dmitry Kosyrev) - Such coincidences are not accidental. Nobody aligned Martin Luther King Jr. Day on January 19 with the first Black American President's inauguration on January 20. King symbolized the struggle for Black America's civil rights.
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...
Who will speak for the Human Rights Defenders?
By Pushkar Raj
The Bombay high court judgment cancelling Prof. Sai Baba’s bail and initiating contempt proceedings against the writer Arundhati Roy is a major...
The extreme danger of the NCTC
By Bhaskar Menon,
On 27 February 1933, four weeks after Adolf Hitler was sworn in as Chancellor of Germany, there was a devastating fire in the national Reichstag (parliament) in Berlin.
RSS not in favour of President’s rule in Kerala
By Brajendra Nath Singh
Thiruvananthapuram, (IANS): The RSS on Saturday demanded that the Centre depute a fact-finding probe by a statutory body into the killings of...
The CIA-ISI axis: India should have no illusions of US support
By C. Uday Bhaskar, IANS,
India is maintaining politico-diplomatic pressure on Pakistan to comply with its international obligations apropos the Mumbai terror attack of Nov 26. Home Minister P. Chidambaram would visit the US in the course of this week with a detailed dossier that would include “irrefutable evidence” about the involvement of Pakistan-based terrorists in the Mumbai attacks.
When a stench of death enveloped Bhopal
(Thirty years of Bhopal gas tragedy)
By M.R. Narayan Swamy,
"Can you go to Bhopal immediately? Something big seems to have happened. Many people have died. You can help out our local bureau and return after two or three days."
Kashmir assembly: Dice loaded in favour of Valley
By Vijay Kranti,
Probably the Jammu and Kashmir assembly in India is the only elected house in the world which keeps 24 of its seats vacant in the name of one of its erstwhile regions that is now disputed territory -- what is known as Pakistan-occupied Kashmir or PoK. That is why voters in the state elect only 87 representatives in a house of 111 legislators.
Can club stars become national heroes?
By Santosh Rao,
New Delhi : The FIFA World Cup has over the years has thrown up the planet's biggest stars just as it has...
Violence against women is not a tenet of Islam
By Naazish YarKhan,
Listening to the radio one day, I was shocked to hear the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) report on widespread occurrence of rape in Afghanistan. As a Muslim who knows that the core of her religion is about justice and mercy, I asked myself how the perpetrators of these acts could have strayed so far from the Muslim faith and from basic humane principles.
Bring political parties under the ambit of RTI
By SM Fasiullah,
With every election in India, influx of huge amount of money into public domain becomes apparent. Police officials and I-T sleuths gear up to nab those politicians and their aides who pump in black money to woo voters ahead of voting dates. Where does all this money come from?
Muslim-Hindu Relations in Jammu Province – Part 7
By Yoginder Sikand, TwoCircles.net,
Full Series: Muslim-Hindu Relations in Jammu Province
For a change, let’s listen to him
By Nirmala Deshpande, IANS
Attn Eds: Reissuing story correcting name of place in para one
I was just six years old when I had the first 'darshan' of Mahatma Gandhi. I cannot really say that I talked to him, but it was a rare and unique experience. I belong to Nagpur and Gandhiji's Sewagram was just 80 km from there. Gandhiji used to travel by train in a third class compartment. That day my mother sent me and my cousin to the railway station to receive my uncle. The train was coming from Mumbai via Nagpur to Howrah.
Outsiders in party, insiders in institutions
By Amulya Ganguli,
Two contrary tactics are apparently guiding Narendra Modi. On the political front, he is willing to accommodate outsiders in senior positions even if it means breaking the rigid mould of a cadre-based party. Outside politics, however, he is filling crucial posts in what can be called cultural outfits with acknowledged saffronites.
Dangerous social engineering in Delhi ahead of assembly elections
By M Reyaz, TwoCircles.net,
What had started from Meerut to Moradabad has come to play out in Delhi neighbourhoods. From Trilokpuri to Bawana to Okhla, a unique and dangerous kind of social engineering is at play. Drum up a riot, no casualty only some people injured but you have the desired impact – communal polarization.
Fasting days and feasting nights at Delhi’s buzzing Jama Masjid
By Mohd Asim Khan
New Delhi, (IANS): The silence was broken by a siren, followed by an azaan -- a prayer call -- from the...
The controversy over Padmavati, and Bollywood’s soft war against Muslims
By Misbahuddin Mirza for Twocircles.net
Padmavati, a Bollywood movie being produced by Sanjay Leela Bhansali, is the latest in a plethora of movies showing inter-religious...
Where is the Aligarian spirit?
By M. Ghazali Khan
Inna Lillahi-wa-Inna Ilehi Rajioon! Once again an innocent life has been lost. Once again AMU is in the media for the failure of its administration in maintaining law and order and the unruliness of its students.
India’s Deficits
By Amit Kapoor,
Over the past few years, we have heard of all sorts of deficits that have been ailing India. The most recent one has been a ‘rain deficit’ with monsoon expected to be less than normal according to the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD). While the lack of rains has generated fear amongst farmers, it has generated broader concerns for the union and state governments in containing inflation, which is expected to rise even further with this latest declaration from the IMD.
Recurring debate over Bharat Mata Ki Jai, Maadar E Vatan & Vande Mataram
Repeated debate has always meant more TRPs but never really a step forward
By Nita Khan for TwoCircles.net,
It was August 22, 2011. A week...
U.S. and Russia: 200 years of diplomatic relations
MOSCOW. (Alexey Isakov) - Although Russia and the United States have different histories, cultures and traditions, they also have much in common: vast territories and natural resources, human and scientific-technical potential.
And the destinies of our two peoples have crossed many times.
Two hundred years is a long time, and over the past two centuries Russian-American relations have undergone many changes, occasionally becoming seriously strained. But ever since regular contact began, Russians and Americans have felt respect and sympathy for each other.
Strong case for deleting Presidential Order of 1950: A response to Social Justice Minister...
By Dr Syed Zafar Mahmood,
Plato has once again been proved right: politics is the art of gaining power and the craft of retaining it. Media has reported the current central government saying that opening up the list of Scheduled Castes beyond Hinduism, Sikhism and Buddhism - would encourage religious conversions. He said this in the context of the demand of Muslims & Christians that the definition of 'scheduled caste' should be made religion-neutral by deleting para 3 from the presidential order of 1950. That's what has been stated a couple of days ago by the union Social Justice Minister Thavar Chand Gehlot, "Allowing SC status (to converts to Christianity & Islam) would provide a fillip to religious conversions. The demand is not constitutional and we want to work within the parameters of the statute for the welfare of 'these communities' (read Hindus, Sikhs and Buddhists)."
How Ex-CJI Chandrachud Opened Floodgates for Litigations Against Ancient Mosques, Religious Sites
TCN Staff Correspondent
It was a 1986 district court order in Uttar Pradesh that set off a chain of events, which eventually led to the...
Why our whole society is ‘Boys Locker Room’
By Mansi Singh
A large number of people took to social media after the recent Boy's Locker room incident to express their rage and anger...
Sonia to use ‘Ganga’ as a weapon in Varanasi to discredit Modi
By Mohit Dubey
ArrayLucknow : A little over two years ago, the BJP's prime ministerial candidate, Narendra Modi, had told a sea of supporters...
Jammu’s cold breaks 71-year record
Srinagar: With the minimum temperature settling at barely half a degree Celsius above the freezing point, Jammu city on Sunday recorded its coldest...