A technological revolution for $2,500
MOSCOW. (RIA Novosti political commentator Dmitry Kosyrev) - The news that India is starting the production of a $2,500 car is now told around the world in the fashion as the story of a fakir (also from India) who put ten cobra snakes in his bosom and stayed alive.
Actually, the story should line up with the risks and benefits for the world economy in 2008 and into the future. The story of such a car is an example of a revolution, not so much technological as consumerist, and revolutions are unpredictable.
‘Bharatiya Mahila Bank committed to women empowerment’
New Delhi : Bharatiya Mahila Bank is committed on economic empowerment of women, particularly those from the rural areas, its executive director S. M....
Maulana Azad: A fighter for intellectual emancipation
On this day in 1888, Maulana Azad was born in Makkah. Azad is now remembered as freedom fighter and India’s first education minister, his...
Day Modi won, SC acquitted six Akshardham terror convicts away from media glare
By Abdullah Umar,
I never had this strange feeling of mixed emotions, there were tears in my eyes, yet I was smiling, there I had goose bumps, yet I was so happy. Such was the feeling, when, on 16th of May, 2014 the Supreme Court in a historic judgment acquitted all the 6 unfortunate convicts, who were alleged to have participated in the terror strike on Akshardham Temple in Gandhinagar on 24th Sept, 2002.
Burqa-clad Sumaiya makes history by securing 12 MBBS medals at AMU
By Rahat Abrar,
Two sparking eyes popping out of traditional Muslim attire burqa (veil) got the attention of the former first citizen of India, Dr A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, Wipro Chief Azim Premji and the audience as Sumaiya, a girl student with hijab, got as many as 12 medals in the prestigious MBBS course at the 58th annual convocation at the Aligarh Muslim University (AMU). Her magnificent feat indicates that Muslim girls are also advancing in the field of education. A female can pursue the studies of MBBS by wearing traditional Hijab (Burqa).
Mamata, Jayalalithaa keen to block Modi as PM
By T.R. Ramachandran,
Since the assassination of Indira Gandhi on Oct 31, 1984, women politicians have steered clear of having a go at the high...
An eye for an eye and the blinding of Indian justice
By Jayshree Bajoria
On his 54th birthday, Yakub Memon took the last, loneliest walk of his life – to the hangman’s noose. Memon was executed...
Friday Sermon: Planning, streamlining and enrichment
By Dr Syed Zafar Mahmood for TwoCircles.net
निज़ामुद्दीन मरकज़ के बहाने सरकार की ख़ामियों पर पर्दा डालने की कोशिश
साजिद अशरफ़
क्या इनका क़ुसूर सिर्फ़ इतना भर है कि इन्होंने लॉकडाउन के उस दिशा निर्देश का पालन किया, जिसमें कहा गया है कि जो...
India’s gaping leadership vacuum
By Amulya Ganguli
A major reason why the forthcoming general elections may not usher in political stability is the moral and intellectual bankruptcy of...
Why the opinion piece in Indian Express on Fatwas must be critiqued
By Umair Azmi for Twocircles.net
An opinion piece in the Indian Expresspublished on April 22 asks Indian Muslims to flout the fatwa of...
RSS and Minorities
By Ram Puniyani,
The new RSS Sarsanghchalak, Mr. Mohan Bhagawat told Minorities (Sept 20, 2009) that they should join RSS and see that ‘our intentions are clear and our behavior is good’. As per him all Muslims in India were Hindus in the past. They have only changed their way of worship, and if they accept this fact there will be no clashes. He told Christians that they should not convert people, as that creates communal violence.
Islamic Banking windows possible in India
By Syed Zahid Ahmad and K. A. Najmi,
Islamic Jurisprudence or principles of Shariah does not allow receipt or payment of interest. It believes that money has no intrinsic value; however its commercial use is permitted. In the hand of an entrepreneur money turns into capital. Lender of the capital is entitled to share the profit and loss of the business. A lender of the capital puts his money at risk and therefore is entitled for reward in the form of business profit.
It is time to talk for Kashmir
By Dr Shabir Choudhry,
Prime Minister of Pakistan, Yousuf Raza Gilani and his Indian counterpart, Manmohan Singh are due to meet next week in Sharm El Sheikh, Egyptian Red Sea resort. Before their meeting Foreign Secretaries of the both countries will meet to work out a mechanism to kick start the peace process which became causality of the Mumbai carnage perpetrated by terrorists in November 2008.
A long-fought battle for justice and peace, for policing police
Iqbal A. Ansari
After the award of the 'Citation of Excellence' for Promotion of Human Rights by the JNU Centre For Human Rights Teaching & Research, presented by Justice P.N. Bhagwati on 10th December 2007, AMU's Vice-Chancellor Prof. P.K. Abdul Azis presented a memento to me in a felicitation program on 26th January 2008. The program was held for the first time in the history of the university to give recognition to those teachers and students who brought laurels to the university in 2007.
Right to Education Act and Muslims’ concerns
By Abdul Hannan Siwani Nadvi,
There is no doubt over avails of this law. It provides children between 6 to 14 years of age with the right to get education. If we take a look at this law, it clears central government's intention in educating every child whether he is from tribal caste or from minority communities. However, some concerns raised by the Muslim community are genuine and need to be addressed.
Challenges and remedies of dealing with social media hate-mongering
By Dr Farrukh Khan
I have been thinking of writing this for a long time, but could not do it due to facing backlash from...
India must have grand strategic design in its foreign policy
By Rajiv Sikri, IANS,
There is need for new thinking in India's foreign policy. In today's complicated and fast-changing geo-political situation, India has wisely diversified its foreign policy options, but must retain flexibility in order to be able to pursue an independent foreign policy, on which there is an overwhelming national consensus.
India can become a major world power in the 21st century only on its own strength and political will, not because others want it to. Power is always taken, never given.
Has Modi changed caste politics or can caste pyramid return?
By Saeed Naqvi,
Eminent TV anchor, Rajdeep Sardesai, has in a recent article drawn attention to the fact that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has restored balance to his cabinet by inducting Manohar Parrikar and Suresh Prabhu, two Gaud Saraswat Brahmins, as full fledged ministers. Some writers took him to task for his Brahminical digression, strange in a country where caste drives so much of public life.
From Dubai to Doha
By John Defterios
There is a rich history of trading in Dubai that stretches back to the 1850s. And it is this mindset which is at the heart of the Emirate's business plan for the next quarter century.
Take DP World, the trading division of the company, Dubai World. It has forged 23 different deals stretching from China to Djibouti. This allows Dubai Inc. to place a corporate flag in each country, planting the seeds for future relationships and growth.
Asylum for Taslima Nasrin
By Mike Ghouse
When it comes to intolerance the people who understand their religion the least have the loudest voices. Their narrow minded fatwas and their recent harassment of Ms. Nasreen in Hyderabad have earned her sympathizers, some sincere, but many such as the BJP Party are out to make political capital out of it.
Jharkhand BJP legislator gets one-year in jail
Ranchi,: Dhullu Mahto, a legislator of Jharkhand's ruling BJP, was on Wednesday sentenced to one-year imprisonment in a 10-year-old case related to obstructing official...
A Jihad for gender equality
By Kashif-ul-Huda, TwoCircles.net
Nasiruddin Haider Khan is in Hindi journalism since 1992 and currently work as Deputy Resident Editor of Dainik Hindustan in Agra. He has been working on gender issues especially Muslim women issues for the last 16 years. Mr. Khan has a diploma in Journalism from Indian Institute of Mass communication and MA in Womens studies from Lucknow University.
Groundbreaking event in Muslim-Christian solidarity
By Claude Salhani, CGNews
"The future of the world depends on peace between Muslims and Christians." An open letter carrying this message was sent by 138 of the world's most senior Muslim leaders to the heads of all Christian churches — including Pope Benedict XVI, addressing Christians around the world on the eve of Eid ul Fitr, the Muslim holy day marking the end of Ramadan.
I have been concentrating on motivating the youth
By A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, IANS,
I did not realize that I have already completed one year after demitting office on 25 July 2007. This one year has been an extremely eventful one me having visited over 12 states in India and nine countries.
It is pertinent to note here that I have not been able to accept more than 10 per cent of the total invitations received.
82 percent of roads along China border unfinished
By Abheet Singh Sethi
New Delhi: In 2006-07, India approved the construction of 73 strategic roads along the Sino-Indian border, but 82 percent of these...
Helping Indian diaspora trace their roots
By Shubha Singh, IANS
Migration from India to other erstwhile British colonies began in the middle of the 19th century, when thousands of Indians were taken to work on the sugar plantations in Mauritius, Fiji, South Africa and the Caribbean while many went to East Africa and other countries.
It is the descendants of these Indian migrants - persons of Indian origin (PIOs) - who are keen to connect with the places where their ancestors lived in India.
When two Muslims meet: The media(ted) case of Madani and Shahina
By K Ashraf & Jenny Rowena,
A wakeup call for “Muslim leaders”
By Navaid Hamid for TwoCircles.net
For last several years, I have been cautioning "Muslim leaders" to be more realistic, visionary and attentive to the pulse of the Muslim youth which constitute around sixty percent of the total Muslim population in India, before it’s too late.
Made in Munger: A Bihar ‘cottage industry’ trusted by criminals
By Rajnish Singh ,
New Delhi:Fine craftsmanship, attention to detail and the ability to produce exact imitations have made the illegal firearms industry of eastern...
The future of Waqf Bill now depends on the commitment of the Rajya Sabha...
By Dr. Syed Zafar Mahmood
A different, dangerous land: Three alternate depictions of Britain
By Vikas Datta,
Mankind has always had a hankering for a more perfect, equitable society than the one they live in and many have tried to give it a shape - Plato in "The Republic", Christian theologian St Augustine with "The City of God" for his co-religionists to aspire to, and English statesman Sir Thomas More, who coined a generic name for it with his "Utopia" (1516). But as visionaries kept on dreaming of ideal societies, its converse also developed - the brutal, dehumanising "dystopia" - based on fears of increasing intrusion of the modern state into people's lives, extreme ideologies, and technological developments that could aid control - and ultimately, repression.
Manmohan Singh government yet again demonstrates durability
By Amulya Ganguli, IANS,
The Manmohan Singh government demonstrated its durability by surviving the cut motions brought against it by the opposition in the Lok Sabha even if its success was largely due to the miscalculations of its over-enthusiastic opponents.
Persuaded by the government's manifold problems - Maoist insurgency, inflation, the Indian Premier League (IPL) fiasco, signs of tension within the ruling coalition - the opposition apparently convinced itself that the time had come for it to strike a blow.
The last days of Mughal Emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar in Burma
By Dr. Syed Ahmed for TwoCircles.net,
Women’s bill elevates Sonia Gandhi to league of her own
By Mayank Chhaya, IANS,
The passage of the Women's Reservation Bill in the Rajya Sabha, the upper house of the Indian parliament, elevates Congress Party president Sonia Gandhi to a league of her own and guarantees her a defining place for posterity.
Modi declassifies Netaji files, family members welcome move
New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday declassified 100 files on Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, a top freedom fighter who raised an army...
Global recession: One of the several crises facing human society
By Dr Rahul Pandey,
I do not remember witnessing this kind of global panic in my lifetime. Among others, a lot of well off people are going to be directly affected by the current financial crisis, hence these high decibel alarm bells. Significant market values of high profile companies have been wiped out, rich individuals who invest actively in stock market have suffered devaluation, many companies have begun to fire employees and cut costs, and as bigger companies face slowdown, their smaller suppliers face greater threat to survival.
Unlike Sadhvi NIA’s clean chit to Muslims in 2006 case was not before brain...
By A Mirsab, TwoCircles.net,
National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Friday gave clean chit to six Hindu accused in Malegaon 2008 blasts case saying prosecution is...
After foreign equity, realty industry needs funding reforms
By Vinod Behl,
The government's recent policy initiative to ease foreign equity norms in construction by reducing the minimum capital requirement from $10 million to $5 million and built-up area from 50,000 sq mts to 20,000 sq mts may well provide a lifeline for fund-starved, debt-ridden property developers. Yet, more reforms to boost credit flow are needed to provide a long-term solution to the funding crisis faced by the realty industry.
H.Y. Sharada Prasad: A man synonymous with Indira Gandhi
By S. Nihal Singh, IANS,
One of the most difficult jobs in the world is to be the interface between the media and the powerful. Several attempt it and come to grief. But a master practitioner of this demanding role was H.Y. Sharada Prasad, who died in New Delhi on Tuesday.
A man who was synonymous with Indira Gandhi over scores of years, he chose to stay in the shadows as a matter of policy. Yet like a magician who knew when he was needed, he would spring to life to throw morsels of news to oil the wheel of national politics or to serve broader interests.
2011 Census of India – the critical factor affecting growth rate differential
By Misbahuddin Mirza
The figures from the 2011 Census of India are here. The numbers matched predictions, based on previous growth patterns. While the...
BJP’s bumpy entry into post-Advani phase
By Amulya Ganguli, IANS,
The Bharatiya Janata Party's preparations for next year's general election have been hit by several snags - all of them predictable.
For Modi, the real test will be taming ‘gau rakshaks’
By Amulya Ganguli
A year ago, the Prime Minister had admonished the gau rakshaks (cow vigilantes) in no uncertain terms. He did so again last...
Mudgal Report a big blow to Srinivasan
By Veturi Srivatsa,
The exiled Indian cricket board president Narayanaswamy Srinivasan was just praying that his name should not figure in the Justice Mudgal Committee report on betting and spot-fixing in the 2013 Indian Premier League (IPL). His prayers went unanswered and his name figured prominently among the four individuals identified in the report submitted to the Supreme Court.
The ordeals of Madrasa education
By Sadiya Rohma Khan
The tried and tested sagas, the typical appeasement of Muslim community just before any electoral is just so predictable. The power-packed...
Banking sector reforms and India’s competitiveness
By Amit Kapoor,
A globally competitive economy requires a robust and competitive banking system. The present banking system is a result of reforms and policy changes that have taken place in the past.
Saudi Women: agents of change shattering common stereotypes
By Lulua Asaad,
Vienna - When I made the decision to move to Vienna, I was unprepared for the repercussions my attitude, behaviour and opinions would have in forming and influencing European perceptions of women from Saudi Arabia, a country that is at a crossroads between modernity, globalisation, liberation, empowerment, heritage and cherished traditions.
So, the Tamil Tigers were mortals after all…
By M.R. Narayan Swamy, IANS,
The dramatic collapse of the Tamil Tigers, accompanied by white flags and surrenders even as some suicide bombers kept exploding themselves, is a sad commentary on the politics of uncompromising mayhem the rebels pursued for so long in Sri Lanka.
Here was a group called the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) that set out to form an independent Tamil state by breaking up the north and east of Sri Lanka. They never fought any elections but prided themselves as the sole and authentic representatives of the Tamils.
No letup in communal mischief
Dr Mohammad Manzoor Alam
After a whole year of anti-Muslim slander campaign and sporadic violence against Muslims (to a lesser degree, against Christians as well),...
Stars, stripes and the crescent: the foundations
By Anis Hoda
Stars, stripes and the crescent: a series on American Muslims.
Bogey of indigenous identity fuels Assamese militancy
By M. Burhanuddin Qasmi,
The Census 2011 has begun nationwide on 1st April 2010. Though the Schedules for Census of India 2011 and National Population Register have no columns to enrol one’s language or religion this time, yet it had fuelled past differences of Assamese and Bengalis in Assam. Following is an historic account of this language dispute in Assam, a north-eastern state of India.
Why China may go for a larger stimulus package
By Vatsal Srivastava,
The market was relieved on April 15 when China’s first quarter GDP reading came in as expected at 7.4 percent year-over-year. However,...
Kalam’s frisking: some burning questions
By Tanveer Jafri,
Former President of India, Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam was frisked by the security staff of the US based Continental Airlines at the Indira Gandhi International Airport, New Delhi on his way to Newark, USA. While Dr. Kalam, in his well known polite and generous way, followed all the security checks as asked by the security staff, the staff people, by not having any trust in the former President of India, frisked him as usual, (read rudely).
What the nation actually wants to know tonight
A study by Media Studies Group on response to Caravan article on Arnab Goswami
By Shaheen Nazar,
हमें फ़ातिमा शेख़ को क्यों याद रखना चाहिए!
मानसी सिंह Twocircles.net के लिए
महिलायों की शिक्षा जैसे क्रान्तिकारी क़दम की सराहना के लिए सावित्रीबाई फुले और उनके पति ज्योतिबा फुले के बारे में...
Maulanas in the News
By Yoginder Sikand
A maze of pot-holed lanes winds its way through a squalid
slum at the far end of the sprawling Muslim locality of...
Raising the temperature in rural India
By John Dayal,
This is not a Minority Report the church in India was expecting on the first 100 days of the government of...
Know thy World: We must succeed here to succeed in the Hereafter
By Dr Mohammad Manzoor Alam,
I am returning to this column after a long time. I was kept busy by myriad other pressing engagements. As I had said at the time of the beginning of this column, I intend to reach out to the youth with it, particularly Muslim youth. So far the tradition with this column has been that it has been talking about Islam as lived and practised everywhere. I am getting back to it as a warm-up to the holy month of Ramadhan that looms barely a few weeks away. This time we will be talking more about this world than the Hereafter.
Hindu Rashtra: Is it good for Hindus?
By Ram Puniyani
Hindu Rashtra is the goal of Hindu nationalist politics, which is also called as Hindutva. In contrast to Hinduism, Hindutva is a...
Modi is anti-Dalit, anti-student: Rohith Vemula’s mother
New Delhi : Dalit research scholar Rohith Vemula's mother on Wednesday described Prime Minister Narendra Modi as being "anti-Dalit" and "anti-students".
Speaking during a protest...
National Judicial Appointment Commission compromises independence of Judiciary
By Syed Ali Mujtaba,
The National Judicial Appointments Commission (NJAC) Bill, 2014 that is passed by the Parliament is mired in controversy regarding the selection procedures of the judges in higher judiciary. This bill seeks to replace the collegiums system of selection process and give the executive an equal role in judicial appointments. Being a Constitutional Bill it has to go through the motion of seeking consent of different States before getting President’s assent.
Why Multi-sectoral development programme for minorities moves at a snail’s pace
By Amjad Suri and Mohammed Imteyaz Ahmed for Twocircles.net
The multi-sectoral development programme (MsDP) division of the Ministry of Minority affairs has...
कहीं हमने संतरी-व्यवस्था ही तो कमज़ोर नहीं कर दी है!
दिवाकर, TwoCircles.net के लिए
एक ही सप्ताह में तीन घटनाओं की ख़बरें एकसाथ आना चिंता पैदा करने वाली हैं. इनमें से दो सकारात्मक हैं. श्रीनगर...
Grand Alliance committed to Bihar’s development, says Nitish
Patna : Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Tuesday said the Grand Alliance government is committed to ensure to people of Bihar basic amenities which...
Writers, publishers, journalists and social activists condemn police action against Forward Press
More than 350 writers, publishers, journalists and social activists from Hindi, English and Marathi, including Uday Prakash, Arundhati Rai, Shamshul Islam, Sharan Kumar Limbale, Kanwal Bharti, Giriraj Kishor, Anand Teltumbade, Manglesh Dabral, Anil Chamadia, Apoorvanand, Veerbharat Talwar, Ram Puniyani , S.Anand and others condemned police action against Forward Press last week.
Education of Muslims in the villages of Faizabad district (UP)
By Kaleem Kawaja,
In April 2009 I visited some villages in Faizabad district which is located about 130 km east of Lucknow, on the main highway leading from Lucknow to cities in Eastern U.P. As such it is considered a part of eastern UP where the majority occupation of people is still agriculture, although industrial and commercial activity is now beginning to sprout in the city of Faizabad. Muslims form the majority population in many villages in Faizabad district. But their educational level is very depressed and there are very few good schools in the villages.
Amit Shah as BJP chief: Modi sidestepping RSS?
By Amulya Ganguli,
When L.K. Advani was dragged kicking and screaming from the post of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president in 2005 under orders from the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), a diplomatic cable from the US embassy in Delhi to Washington stated that the event "demonstrated the power of the RSS ... and will likely increase the party's (the BJP's) political decline".
For 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the Left parties must be a part of a...
By Ram Puniyani for TwoCircles.net
In view of the rising electoral strength of BJP, particularly after its massive victory in 2014 General elections, it's coming...
In their gloomy isolation after Memon hanging, Muslims turn to Owaisi
By Saeed Naqvi
In the night of the tyrants,
Who calls my name from afar?
I must climb the scaffolding of the gallows to see beyond...
Misconceptions about Hyderabad state and Nizam
By Kaneez Fathima,
When the Telangana state bill for the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh came in the Assembly for discussion Andhra MLAs and the chief minister Kiran Kumar Reddy did not allow the house to have discussion on the bifurcation bill. In the House, there were remarks on the Nizam of Hyderabad, his rule and about his development to the state by TDP supremo Chandrababu Naidu, P. Keshav, Narender and Legislative Affairs Minister, Shailajanath.
Can Elder’s Club provide for inclusive development of Indian society?
In India, the elder’s club will serve many purposes. It would enable old persons of the community to learn livelihood as well as...
Politicising the military: A strategic blunder
By Admiral Arun Prakash (retd)
India's armed forces, apart from their role of safeguarding the nation, provide a bright strand in the national fabric,...
Modi, Nitish make Holi material fly off shelves in Bihar
By Imran Khan
It is a colourful time in Bihar, but politics is not too far from the celebration of colours. Prime Minister Narendra...
Yemen action to inflate Saudi esteem but at what cost?
By Saeed Naqvi,
A week ago, the Houthi rebels, backed by Iran, had a free run of Yemen. In Tikrit, Iraq, the Shia militia, led by Iranian officers, and helped by the largely Shia Iraq army, had cornered the ISIS in Saddam Hussain’s palaces. The fall of Tikrit would add to the halo on the Iranian-led Shia fraternity.
Islamic terrorism: myth or reality
By Mohd. Mohibul Haque
Terrorism has become a global scourge these days. It is a menace, which does not distinguish between Muslims, Christians, Jews, Hindus or anyone. Hence, it would be unrealistic to compartmentalize this global menace on the basis of religion and geography. It is simply inhuman, cruel and barbaric which must be condemned in all its forms and manifestations.
A day of Ramadan in Mominpura, Nagpur
Photos by Nivedita Khandekar
Nagpur: Mominpura in Nagpur is the place to be during Ramadan. People from across the city and at times,...
हाईकोर्ट के इस फैसले के बाद तबलीग़ को बदनाम करने वालों के विरुद्ध...
वसीम अकरम त्यागी
कोरोना काल में बॉम्बे हाईकोर्ट ने तब्लीग़ी जमात के विदेशी सदस्यों को ‘राहत’ दे दी है. कोर्ट का मानना है कि सरकार...
UP close UP: Muslim leadership
By Kashif-ul-Huda, TwoCircles.net
Part 2 of UP close UP series.
Polls for 5 Assemblies: A mid-term ‘referendum’ for UPA-II?
By Mumtaz Alam Falahi, TwoCircles.net,
Milli Gazette: Ten years of a community newspaper
By Kashif-ul-Huda, TwoCircles.net
Very quietly, with their January 2010 issue the Milli Gazette has completed its ten years of publication. The Milli Gazette is a fortnightly publication published from Delhi under the editorship of Dr. Zafarul Islam Khan. It is surprising that a community that complains about media bias has not celebrated this important occasion of their own media. Publishing a community magazine for ten years and that too without much community support and advertising is no mean achievement.
Education failure, leading reason for UP job woes, isn’t an election issue
By Shreya Shah
Bahraich and Mirzapur districts (Uttar Pradesh): "Path mera alokit kardo, naval prath ki naval rashmiyon se, mere ur ka tam har do,"...
Bihar 2015: Will ‘Triveni Sangh’ of JD (U), RJD & Congress work?
By Soroor Ahmed, TwoCircles.net,
If after years of bloody feud in Bihar – mostly in Nalanda, Nawada and Sheikhpura districts – Bhumihars and Kurmis can join hands to emerge as dominant ruling combination for 7 ½ years (between November 24, 2005 and June 16, 2013), then why not the 81-year-old alliance of Yadavs, Kurmis and Koeris – floated in 1933 in the form of Triveni Sangh – come together again for political power?
Where are the peers?
By Vishnu Makhijani,
About a decade ago, 2004 or thereabouts, I found myself at the media launch of a British certifying institute that was offering a staggering 250 courses ranging from Pitman's Shorthand to oil exploration. The two Brits on stage waxed eloquent on how in a changing world, conventional degrees were not worth the paper they were printed on and what school-leavers needed to do was to focus on vocational courses. In the midst of all this, the buffet was being laid out and this was all the more irritating as I had skipped breakfast.
Open Letter to Mrs. Sonia Gandhi on her visit to AMU
By Nazir Ahmad,
To,
Mrs. Sonia Gandhi
President, Indian National Congress
A visit to Darul Uloom Deoband – reflections of an NRI
By Anis Ansari,
My visit to Darul Uloom Deoband was on Sunday, 9th March 2008, unannounced for my own convenience. I was surprised to note that the historic madrasa was located right on the main highway between Saharanpur and Meerut (Uttar Pradesh). Its campus is spread out throughout the town surrounded entirely by Muslim neighborhood. The population of Deoband is about 100,000 with Muslims constituting 65% of it.
Questioning the “vision” behind Zakir Naik’s “Peace”
By A. Faizur Rahman for TwoCircles.net
Morning Shows the Day
Dr Mohammad Manzoor Alam,
The NDA government under Narendra Modi completed a month in office a couple of days ago. For some this was a moment to sit back and reckon what the government had been able to achieve in that small period of four weeks and two days. To be fair, that is a very inadequate length of time to judge the performance of a government whose prime minister has told Parliament in his motion of thanks speech that he would show his report card to the people and their representatives in 2019.
Life insurance in India has major growth potential
By Rajesh Sud, IANS,
The Indian insurance industry has undergone transformational changes since 2000 when the industry was liberalised. With a one-player market to 24...
Where is the Hindu’s compassion?
By Namrata Chaturvedi for TwoCircles.net
The nation-state India is increasingly being referred to as Bharat, and Hindu religion seems more aggressive than ever. People who...
यूपी उपचुनाव में विपक्ष को मिल गया जीत का पैटर्न
आस एम कैफ़ ।Twocircles.net
उत्तर प्रदेश में हुए तीन सीटों पर हुए उपचुनाव में खतौली विधानसभा सीट की सबसे अधिक चर्चा है। खतौली में...
Kashmir: Unending conflict, what is the way out?
By Asghar Ali Engineer,
The conflict in Kashmir seems to be unending and the way it is being handled by our armed forces, especially the CRPF is further aggravating it. Unfortunately, it is still being addressed primarily as a law and order problem and the aspirations of people and their problems hardly matter. Our armed forces go on violating human rights and they know only to kill. This way instead of solving the problem, we will reduce Kashmir to a vast cemetery. More and more young protestors are dying and death hardly dissuades these young protestors from demonstrating.
Reform high on agenda of new CPC leadership: Expert
By IANS,
Beijing: Reform will be "high on the agenda of the new leadership", said an expert as the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) entered its third day Saturday.
United we flourish, divided we perish
By M. Zajam TwoCircles.net,
“United We Stand, Divided We fall”, popular phrase used by our leaders during freedom struggle to counter British “Divide and Rule” policy. It was effective slogan which united people in freedom movement, irrespective of religion, cast and language differences.
After Independence, this slogan lost its importance.
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Modi hasn’t shown signs of dictatorship: Journalist Coomi Kapoor
By Preetha Nair
New Delhi : Prime Minister Narendra Modi hasn't shown any signs of dictatorship nor is there any chance of an emergency being...
A President of India cannot come through ‘reservation’
By Ranjana Khare, IANS,
Come July and there will be a new occupant at Rashtrapati Bhavan. The journey seems more exciting than the destination itself.
What drives prosperity?
By Amit Kapoor,
One of the fundamental questions in the realm of economics is: What drives prosperity? One may ask prosperity of ‘what’? The ‘what’ can be described as a region, which could be a locality/city, region/state, nation/country or an international free trade area. Framed differently, the question can also be put as why some (cities/regions/countries) become rich while others remain poor? The question appears to be quite broad and has fundamental implications for all the peoples of the world. This is because fundamental questions like these if properly answered can impact the lives of all the 7 billion inhabitants of the world. It is not just a theoretical academic question but has a bearing on economic growth, which is imperative for improving the quality of life of all peoples of the world.
J&K pins hope on Modi visit, awaits major economic package
By Sheikh Qayoom
Jammu/Srinagar : Prime Minister Narendra Modi's forthcoming visit to Jammu and Kashmir has rekindled hopes for a much awaited economic...
Rape: crime or victory?
By Saquib Salim,
I am not really a soccer fan and I do not want to pretend during world cup, just because everyone else...
Thinking about justice
By Zohra Javed for TwoCircles.net,
It is our duty to fight every injustice. Or so we rightly feel. But how far can we go?
Among other valid points the Ruchika case has once again brought into focus the issue of delayed justice, which may be as good as justice denied. And when people are continuously living in conditions where justice and equality are denied, their frustration may turn violent as they seem convinced that the most they could loose is their meaningless life.
The many wrong messages that hanging Yakub Memon would send
By Jyoti Punwani,
The Supreme Court's upholding the death sentence for the man who surrendered, hoping to clear his name in the Mumbai bomb blasts case, also draws our attention to the miscarriage of justice in the preceding riots.
Fast food vendor held after 100 kids fall ill in Bihar
Patna: A fast food vendor was arrested on Thursday in Bihar's Bhagalpur district after nearly 100 children fell ill after eating contaminated chow mein,...
Loans & Interest: Banks are discriminating among the rich and the poor
By Syed Zahid Ahmed,
‘दीन बचाओ’ या ‘दीन बेचो’ कांफ्रेंस?
अफ़रोज़ आलम साहिल, TwoCircles.net
इसमें कोई शक़ नहीं है कि मुसलमानों से जुड़े जितने भी प्रतीक हैं, चाहे वो धार्मिक हो, ऐतिहासिक हो या...
This Ramadan (and forever) be a good wife
After giving lessons to husbands, Asma is back with some instructions to wives.
By Asma Anjum Khan for TwoCircles.net,
I drew a blank, as I began...
Peace Be Upon Him
By Ilma Afroz for TwoCircles.net,
The attack on Charlie Hebdo’s office in Paris is heinous. It’s gruesome. It’s murderous. It’s cowardly. It’s all of these. United Nations – Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon expressed his rage at the shooting. He referred to it as "despicable", "horrendous, unjustifiable and cold-blooded crime.” And there is much more to it.
Jammu and Kashmir: Can PDP’s populist concessions be free of cost?
It’s a fixed match in favor of BJP
By Mehboob Makhdoomi,
After Mufti Sayeed’s controversial ‘Thank you’ to Pakistan, militants and the Hurriyat, I did expect many more gimmicks from the PDP. And we all know what ensued this week. My personal opinion, which I have a right to speak out, is that apart from the ‘Common Minimum Program’ of PDP-BJP, which is for the public consumption and addresses issues quite broadly, there is another text drafted and mutually agreed-upon, between the two parties. They were not on a picnic for more than two-months, and they weren’t even indecisive about their alliance. It was all about this unpublished draft, which is in its implementation-phase these days.
Musharraf lifts emergency: more cosmetic than substantive
By C. Uday Bhaskar, IANS
On Saturday, Dec 15, President Pervez Musharraf, now a retired general, dramatically announced the lifting of emergency rule imposed by him on Nov 3, when he was still the Pakistani chief of the army staff. In reality this was more an imposition of martial law with the constitution suspended and the judges of the Supreme Court sacked but the semantic charade of emergency continued.
Shebaa Farms can create momentum for peace
By Cesar Chelala, CGNews,
Shebaa Farms is a sliver of land located in the border area between Israel, Lebanon and Syria. It can play an important role, much larger than its size. An agreement on that area – located some 16 square miles on the western slopes of the Hermon Mountain range – can help create a much-needed momentum for peace in the region.
IPI pipeline a good option – but a security nightmare
By Gurmeet Kanwal, IANS,
Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmud Qureshi said after a visit to New Delhi last month that most of the outstanding differences on the Iran-Pakistan-India (IPI) gas pipeline had been resolved and that the three countries were now in a position to reach final agreement at the next round of joint talks. In order to allay India's apprehensions, Qureshi also conveyed Pakistan's offer to guarantee the physical security of the gas pipeline.
Twitter’s Sewa International donation: Image rehabilitation for RSS-linked charity?
Beyond a financial boost, Twitter’s donation legitimizes a non-profit tainted by past exposés.
Pieter Friedrich | TwoCircles.net
As COVID plagues India, Indresh Kumar and Shyam Parande...
Violence is not my path: Maudany
By Shameer KS for TwoCircles.net,
Abdul Nasir Maudany is the chief of Kerala-based Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). After spending eight years in prison on charges of being involved in Coimbatore bombing, he was absolved of all charges and released by the courts. Now, once again he is on the verge of arrests for his alleged role in Bangalore bomb blast of 2008. He is accused number 31 in that case and Karnataka police is in Kerala to arrest him. Shameer KS sat down with Maudany to ask him about the case and his thoughts.
A new low in Indian politics (and journalism)
The newspapers from Mumbai, DNA has pulled this opinion piece from its website without giving any explanation. This is not the first time they...
Remembering Hashimpura Massacre: A black chapter for UP Police
By Vibhuti Narain Rai,
There are some experiences that stick with you throughout your life. They always stay with you like a nightmare and sometimes...
What will the world gain with the Kyoto Protocol?
MOSCOW. (Viktor Danilov-Danilyan for RIA Novosti) - Developed countries' obligations on the Kyoto Protocol will come into force on February 16.
AMU charged with depriving non-Muslim students of lunch during Ramadan
By Tariq Hasan
ALIGARH : Despite the efforts of the AMU authorities to clarify the misgivings which have arisen following some media reports accusing the...
Human Development: Ends over Means
By Amit Kapoor,
Human development is a process of enlarging people’s choices. The most critical ones are to lead a long and healthy life, to be educated and to enjoy a decent standard of living. – HDR 1990