West Bengal governor felicitates Swachh Ganga Abhiyan members
Kolkata : West Bengal Governor Keshari Nath Tripathi on Tuesday felicitated the 45 members of the "Swachh Ganga Abhiyan" (Clean Ganga drive) river rafting...
How Iran’s nuke deal could boost India
By Chaitanya Mallapur
New Delhi: India hopes for a new business bonanza from Iran after the international community agreed to release a nine-year-old sanctions and...
Rejected for President? Mr Advani, you were never the choice for RSS to begin...
By S. Divakar for TwoCircles.net
The Presidential election is over, but Narendra Modi has been and continues to be widely criticised for ignoring L.K. Advani....
State logic is not simple logic
By Hamid Ansari
Following is the text of the address of the Vice President of India Mohd. Hamid Ansari at the ‘International Conference on Emerging Security Concerns in West Asia’ in New Delhi on 21 Nov 2007:
If Owaisi can criticise every leader in UP, why does he spare Mayawati?
By Soroor Ahmed, Twocircles.net
The strategy of All India Majlis-e-Ittehad-ul-Muslimeen in the poll-bound Uttar Pradesh is different from the one adopted during the campaign ahead...
Extremists amongst us
Time for ordinary Muslims to stand up: While religious leaders avoided talking about worldly issues and muslibs (liberal Muslims) shied away from talking about religion; extremists moved into the vacuum that existed at the intersection of modern technology and religious identity.
By Kashif-ul-Huda, TwoCircles.net,
“They are not Muslims,” was how many reacted as heart wrenching photos and videos started coming in last month from Peshawar where terrorists had attacked a school and killed over 130 children. I identify with the helplessness and anger that forces some of us to say such words. This is a way for normal, ordinary Muslims to distance themselves and their religion from terrorists capable of committing such a heinous crime. But this posturing offers no long-term solution to the problem of extremisms.
Performance of Khurshid as Minority Affairs Minister: A critical look
By Syed Zubair Ahmad,
Grand Alliance headed for majority: My take on Bihar poll forecasts
By Yogendra Yadav
Habits of previous birth die hard. So, I have been following all the exit polls and media reporting on Bihar...
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...
BJP Kerala Chief’s Communal Statement Draws Heavy Criticism
By TCN Staff Reporter
Kozhikode : The newly elected BJP chief of Keralat, Kummanam Rajasekharan’s latest statement that commercial spaces should not be allowed for...
There should be no problem in saying ‘Bharat Mata Ki Jai’: Najma Heptullah
By Sushil Kumar
New Delhi : Terming the controversy related to chanting of 'Bharat Mata Ki Jai' as "unnecessary and uncalled for", Minority Affairs...
Hashimpura, Srebrenica and Rohingyas: Similar and so different
By Saeed Naqvi
Incidents, similar in their chilling monstrosity, came to mind when I saw photographs of a row of Rohingya Muslim young men, on...
Don’t exploit military rank for political gains
By Maj. Gen. Rajendra Prakash (retd),
Recent articulations on the social media by a veteran soldier, who has now donned a political mantle, raise some...
Quit blaming Ulema and start to write your own destiny
By Abdul Hannan Siwani Nadvi for TwoCircles.net
Terror is Terror
By Sadia Dehlvi,
I am both amused and terrified as the "Hindu Terror" and "Muslim Terror" debate rages on. Emotions sway between laughter and tears when some leaders talk of " Hindu persecution in India" and make a distinction between terror crimes allegedly committed by members of the majority community and those by Muslims. Nothing can be more dangerous and threatening to a society than religious based intolerance and injustice.
Kashmir needs solution not suppression
By Syed Mujtaba & Mirza Jahanzeb Beig
From 1989, the People of Jammu and Kashmir are being killed, tortured, humiliated, and enforcedly disappeared. Thousands of...
निज़ामुद्दीन का रमज़ान यानी मजबूरियों का रमज़ान
फहमिना हुसैन, TwoCircles.net
दिल्ली: सड़कों पर भागती जिंदगियां, चिलचिलाती धूप और रोज़ा, इन सब में ज़ेहन कहां कुछ सोचने का मौका देती है. चलते-चलते रिक्शे...
Exercise, exposure to sun keeps osteoporosis away
(Oct 20 is World Osteoporosis Day)
By IANS,
Rhapsody 2008 – a symphony of different cultures for medical professionals
By Shobha Shukla,
A thing of beauty is a joy forever, and yet we have 'no time to watch at beauty's glance, and see how well her feet can dance'.
Well, this is the price we seem to be paying for our economic development. Today's world of cut throat competition and cutting edge technology has lacerated our soul. Any activity of a non competitive nature with no financial gains is looked down upon. In our quest for professional knowledge, we have given up the pursuit of happiness, feels the legendary teacher and Surgeon Professor (Dr) Rama Kant.
Congress at 125 – defied doomsayers to reach commanding heights
By Amulya Ganguli, IANS,
In the Congress's centenary year in 1985, Rajiv Gandhi delivered his famous "brokers of power" speech in Mumbai, castigating the party for converting a "mass movement into a feudal oligarchy".
Mother Teresa to be canonised on September 4: Pope
Vatican city: The Pope during consistory of cardinals on Tuesday announced September 4 as the date for Mother Teresa's canonisation, the media reported.
After months...
Remembering the Nellie Massacre of 18 February 1983
By Nilim Dutta,
Even after three decades of the Nellie Massacre, Muslims in Assam continue to face violence and displacement. Muslim villagers in the Amguri Relief Camp in Chirang District of Assam in September 2012.
International cricket: It’s all about money, money, money
By Veturi Srivatsa, IANS,
A major offshoot of India unexpectedly winning the 1983 World Cup was that the Indian board was emboldened enough to...
Computer-based tests have a bright future in India
By Nina Mehta, IANS,
Aamir Khan and his friends, in the movie "Three Idiots" rush from the hospital to write an exam. Since they reach late, they keep writing even after the professor says "Time Up", and sure enough the professor refuses to take their answer sheets. Aamir asks the professor whether he knows their roll numbers and names and when the teacher says no, Aamir mixes their sheets with the rest.
Indian Mujahideen: poison fruit of saffron politics, jehadi mindset
By Amulya Ganguli, IANS,
Maulana Abul Kalam Azad as Educationist
By Dr Mohammad Manzoor Alam,
1857 is a watershed in Indian history when with the fall of Delhi, British sway was fully established all over India. Men of substance and vision like Sir Syed were quick to realise that the rout had come because the Indian side had fallen behind the British in the realm of knowledge of all kinds, especially that of science and technology.
AAP’s Bhopal candidate Rachna Dhingra finds support at MIT
By TCN News,
Boston, USA. Supporters of the Aam Aadmi Party(AAP) from the Greater Boston area gathered to screen award winning documentary (on the Bhopal disaster) Bhopali on Sunday April 6th at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). The event was organized by the Boston chapter of University Students for Aam Admi Party (us4AAP), an organization with chapters in more than 100 campuses, and AAP - New England who have been actively working on supporting AAP candidates in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections in India.
Flashman novels: Bawdy, irreverent romp through the 19th century
By Vikas Datta, IANS,
Deemed a military hero, Major General Sir Harry Paget Flashman's autobiographical accounts tell of his exploits in the First Afghan War,...
No replay of Khobragade affair for Bangladeshi diplomat
By Arun Kumar
Washington: It looks like a replay of the Devyani Khobragade affair that strained India-US relations, but it isn't. A former domestic...
Scripting a musical campaign in support of AAP
By Alok Singh
New Delhi: A group of young professionals, who are hobby singers and supporters of the Aam Admi Party (AAP), are scripting...
Egypt through Western sunglasses
By Sanna Negus,
Jerusalem - "What is it like to live in Egypt as a Western woman?" During the years I lived in Cairo, I was often asked this question while visiting my native Finland, or when travelling outside the Middle East.
My short answer was "different".
Ramadan: A month of personal changes
By Mahmood Asim, TwoCircles.net,
Ramadan brings about many changes at the personal front. Day-long fasts have impact on students as well as worker. How do then Muslims adjust to Ramadan while still going about their lives.
Zuckerberg fuels Free Basics vs net neutrality debate in India
New Delhi : First splashy full page ads in major Indian newspapers and now a personal piece by Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg in a...
Search for a Gujarati
By Nasiruddin Haider Khan
Lessons from Hashimpura
By Rebecca M John,
Editor’s note: Sixteen Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC) personnel were acquitted by a court in Delhi on Saturday in the 1987 Hashimpura massacre case. Around 19 PAC personnel were facing trial for allegedly killing 42 people in Hashimpura Mohalla of Meerut in Uttar Pradesh on 22 May 1987, of which three have died during the trial. Below is the response of Rebecca M John, senior counsel of defence in the case that she wrote on her < a href="https://www.facebook.com/rebecca.m.john/posts/10204011962764206?fref=nf&pnref=story">Facebook wall.
Practical measures for the socio-cultural empowerment of Indian Muslims
By Yoginder Sikand
(Paper presented at a conference on the Sachar Committee Report in Kochi, 16th-17th June, 2007 organised by the Al-Ameen Educational Trust and the Forum for Faith and Fraternity)
Killing with medicines
By Jaspal Singh,
mareez-e-ishq par rehmat Khuda ki,
marz barhta gaya joon joon dawa ki --- Meer
Almost forty years ago I visited an old Baba in Arizona.He hailed from the Doaba in Punjab and had come to the US in the twenties of the last century.When I met him he was in his eighties.He had married a Mexican woman and had several children and grand children.Those days because of the racist immigration laws men from India could not marry white American women and they were not allowed to bring their families,meaning wife and children to the US.So many Punjabis married Mexican women.
Justice Thakur sworn-in as Chief Justice of India
New Delhi : Justice Tirath Singh Thakur was on Thursday sworn in as the 43rd Chief Justice of India. President Pranab Mukherjee administered him...
Textracts : Certainty
By Muhammad Tariq Ghazi,
Verily never will Allah change the condition of a people until they change it themselves.
Al-Qur’an, Surah Ar-Ra’ad 13:11
India and Pakistan: Lengthening shadows of a toxic past
Sixty-four years after they parted ways, their toxic past and violent split still continues to haunt India and Pakistan and hundreds of millions of people on both sides of the divide
Muslims’ participation in non-Muslim festivals and functions
By Maulana Waris Mazhari,
(Translated by Yoginder Sikand)
Civility against Caste: Dalit Politics and Citizenship in Western India
Title: Civility against Caste: Dalit Politics and Citizenship in Western India
Author: Prof. Suryakant Waghmore
Publisher: Sage India
Year: January, 2014
Review by: Yogesh Maitreya for TwoCircles.net,
Civility is the least discussed discourse in India. In post-constitutional Indian society, the idea of civility has formed a binary: on one hand, ‘civil society’ that has been propagated by media and resources which are dominated and owned by Brahmin-Bania associations and on the other hand, the civility which has been practice by NGOs and political organisations led by Dalits. The latter had started with the core motive of annihilation of caste and, found its genesis in the struggles of Mahatma Fule and Dr. B.R.Ambedkar in Maharashtra. The idea of civility, practiced by Dalit NGOs and political groups, is contrary to the idea of civility which Brahmin-Bania possess and propagate in India, simply because idea of civility practiced by Dalits aims at annihilation of caste; precisely, Dalit civility is the ‘Civility against Caste’. Can NRIs celebrate India’s trillion-dollar economy?
By Kul Bhushan
IANS
If an American NRI visits India now, his dollars will buy much less. This is because the Indian rupee has strengthened against the dollar since 2002, crossing the watershed of Rs.41 to one dollar last week.
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.
Roma people, an Indian heritage at stake in Europe
By Madhu Kumari, EuAsiaNews,
Brussels : The European Union feels proud of its anti-discrimination laws and equality for all its citizens through treaties and legislation.
That is all except the Roma people, better known as Gypsies or travellers, are fast becoming the "untouchables" of Europe.
Roma people originally migrated from Northern India some 700 years ago to mainly Eastern Europe, and from there now exist in almost all of the EU 27 member states.
Marshall Fahim (1957-2014) stood for Afghanistan’s unity
By Jayant Prasad, IANS,
The demise of Marshall Fahim will impact adversely on Afghanistan's post-2014 stabilisation. He fought against the Soviet occupation of and against Taliban rule in Afghanistan. Following the assassination of the charismatic Commander Ahmed Shah Massoud on Sep 9, 2001, Fahim, a fellow Panjsheri, played a key role in mobilising and leading the Northern Alliance troops against the Taliban, whose leadership soon abandoned Kabul and retreated to Pakistan by mid-November 2001.
Data-crunched, digital-driven: A watershed election in more ways than one
By Saroj Mohanty,
People in India and many around the globe would be waiting with bated breath for the actual results of the 2014 general...
Noida incidents – collusion, connivance, or callous incompetence?
By Maxwell Pereira, IANS
It was a bit queasy to read in a national newspaper about the Noida police "pressurising into surrendering in court" a notorious criminal suspected to be behind last Tuesday's horrendous crimes of killing an ex-airhostess and shooting a former army lieutenant general! In the policing I knew, we did not pressurise or persuade criminals to surrender in court - we just went and arrested them, or at least endeavoured sincerely to arrest.
Tharoor as MP: An acid test for professional netas
By Aswakumaran Vinod Kumar, IANS,
The protests by Youth Congress activists in Thiruvananthapuram against the candidature of former United Nations undersecretary general Shashi Tharoor and a last-ditch fax message to the Congress high command by a Christian clergy urging the nomination of a Congress leader belonging to their denomination goes to show how very little has changed, or will change, in Indian politics.
Taking the Law in their hands
By Anjali Singh, CNS,
Lucknow: It comes as a blessing in disguise for many estranged couples hoping to find a solution to their marital problems. Trapped in a never ending circle of appearing on dates, filing FIRs, dodging recoveries and refusing to budge from their adamant stance for a compromise, warring couples are now beginning to realize that their life is wasting away with no solutions to their problems in sight at the family courts.
SC upholds amendment to Haryana Panchayati Raj Act
New Delhi : The Supreme Court on Thursday upheld an amendment to the Haryana Panchayati Raj Act providing for educational qualifications and other eligibility...
Varanasi set for epic battle as Kejriwal comes calling
By Mohit Dubey
Varanasi: AAP star Arvind Kejriwal arrives here Tuesday to kickstart an epic Lok Sabha battle that his supporters say will surely...
Government must not be a tax terrorist: Experts
By Venkatachari Jagannathan,
Chennai: Even as the central government has decided to review the new norms to file income tax returns barely three days after...
Jihadistan: A guerrilla nation that Pakistan cannot control
By Harold A. Gould, IANS,
In the face of the mounting military, political and ideological threats emanating from the Taliban-Al Qaeda sanctuary in the tribal areas of Pakistan's border with Afghanistan, it is wrong to think that the US should sit on its hands while Pakistan makes timorous efforts to rein in the Islamic extremists.
Only 16 of every 250 fake notes detected in India
By Devanik Saha
Is India doing enough to detect fake notes, cited by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi as a significant reason for withdrawing...
Will the contradict the diver?
By Mamoun Fandy,
The visit of US President George Bush to the region and the realisation of the two-state solution are governed by four determinants of which anyone interested in the peace process should not loose sight.
The first determinant is the time limit attached to President Bush's departure from the White House in eight months. Is this long enough for the US Administration to establish a Palestinian state? Will the remaining time be sufficient to establish a Palestinian state, even under international supervision in the manner of the independence of Kosovo?
India-Pakistan peace still a far cry
By Amulya Ganguli, IANS,
Blessed are the peacemakers. But to be successful, their efforts have to be rooted in reality. This wasn't the case with a recent seminar in New Delhi, which called for the resumption of India-Pakistan dialogue, because its timing was hopelessly wrong.
Agenda for India: Judiciary
TwoCircles.net presents “Agenda for India”. Series editor is Charu Bahri.
Challenges & Solutions
“Delay in the delivery of justice is of major concern of every civilized and just society as it amount to ‘justice delayed is justice denied.’ Any inordinate delay in delivering justice is akin to denying justice,” says Professor Tahir Hasan Khan, Dean, Faculty of Law, Jamia Millia Islamia.
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If it’s terror, blame it on Muslims
In the wake of Hyderabad attacks, India’s Muslims once again find themselves in the line of fire
By Aijaz Zaka Syed,
Remembering the Great Indian Maulana: Abul Kalam Azad
By Sadiya Rohma Khan
Recalling the distinct myriad talents and relentless contributions of those building a collective progressive era, with other great luminaries and freedom...
Born in free India and hence entitled to equal rights and share in governance
By Abdul Hafiz Gandhi,
Leh residents unite to protest against Shia cleric’s execution, organise candle light march
By Raqib Hameed Naik, TwoCircles.net
Leh: The execution of the Saudi Shia cleric Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr in Saudi Arabia on January 2 has...
At least 14 dead in mounting South Africa xenophobic violence
By Xinhua,
Johannesburg : The death toll in a week-long wave of xenophobic violence in South Africa rose sharply over the weekend as reports of people being burnt and beaten to death poured in from squatter camps around the business capital Johannesburg.
The police said that 12 people were killed over the weekend as shack dwellers in one poor community after another turned on migrants living in their midsts, beating them, sometimes fatally, torching their homes and looting their possessions.
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...
Ruling party’s patriotic card backfires
By Amulya Ganguli
It was inevitable that the kind of muscular nationalism favoured by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) would lead to hooliganism by its...
Kalam: the man who touched billions of lives
By Rajdeep Pathak
I remember my first stint as a book reviewer for a journal was for the book "Ignited Minds: Unleashing the Power...
Ram Mandir Bhumi Pujan: the monumentalization of Muslim persecution in India
By Anwer Hussain Azad
The construction of a Ram Mandir in Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh was a political promise of BJP which is formally coming up as...
Modi government’s work will be more evident in future: Heptulla
New Delhi: Minority Affairs Minister Najma Heptulla has said that the impact of the Narendra Modi government's work will be more evident in the...
Modi-Obama striking a right chord
What diplomats were struggling to achieve over the years, Narendra Modi and Barack Obama did so by striking a common chord
By Syed Ali Mujtaba,
The visit of US President Barack Obama during India’s 66th Republic Day celebrations in New Delhi has injected a new vitality into the economy and foreign relationship of the two countries. Inspite of skeptics calling it a ‘sell out’, Obama’s visit has turned a new leaf in the otherwise sulking Indo-US relationship.
Modi’s modernity vs saffron orthodoxy
By Amulya Ganguli,
Historian Ayesha Jalal has writen in her latest book, "The Struggle for Pakistan", that "at the root of Pakistan's national identity crisis has been the unresolved debate on how to square the state's self-proclaimed Islamic identity with the obligations of a modern nation-state".
Students clash in NIT Srinagar after India’s defeat in World T20 Semi-final
By Raqib Hameed Naik, TwoCircles.net
Srinagar: Things took uglier turn in National Institute of Technology (NIT) Srinagar after India lost the World T20...
Rohith Vemula protests: Candle light vigil stopped, people detained at India Gate
By TCN News,
The candle light protests for Rohith Vemula, a follow up of yesterday's protests, were thwarted after a majority of protesters were taken...
Whatever the budget be, equities set for short-term breather
By Vatsal Srivastava,
As one would expect, Indian equities have decided to take a breather before the big budget announcement day (July 10). It is a clear case of profit booking as the sharp sell-off in the small-cap and mid-cap space came on the back of no major disappointments post the railway budget on Tuesday (July 8). This is the most anticipated budget in recent years and Finance Minister Arun Jaitley must manage the market’s expectations - which in this column’s view have become quite overstretched. Markets hate uncertainty and although Jaitley may not be able to implement key reforms in his first budget, a clear road map will cheer the markets further to lifetime highs.
Tamil Nadu and Lok Sabha Election 2014
By Syed Ali Mujtaba,
There are some significant developments taking place in Tamil Nadu in the run up to the Lok Sabha elections 2014. The BJP has stitched a six-party alliance in the state and has opened the floodgates for the smaller parties to test the electoral waters, thus challenging the supremacy of the DMK and the AIADMK, the dominant political parties in the state.
Twenty-two questions to the Police Commissioner of Hyderabad
By Advocate Shafeeq Rehman Mahajir
Dear Mr Police Commissioner:
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...
The long night when fear stalked JNU campus
By Archana Rao and Sidhartha Dutta
New Delhi : In the dead of a cold February night, they grew apprehensive, if not scary, and whispered...
Zahida Khatun Sherwani: The walled poetess of Urdu literature
Zahida Khatun Sherwani (1894-1922) is one of the early female poets of Urdu literature who took the giant leap of challenging the normative structure....
India’s budget to set context for vigorous foreign policy
By Saroj Mohanty,
More than just a list of taxes and spending, the first budget of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government is expected to unveil policies that will signal how the new Indian government wants to shape the economy in the years to come and engage with the world.
Modi’s One Year : Environmental protection still awaits balance
Although the number of actual clearances given on paper for infrastructure projects are not much different compared to the UPA rule, the NDA rule...
Socially-engaged Islam: A view from Kerala
By Yoginder Sikand,
Unlike much of the rest of India, Islamic organizations in Kerala are heavily involved in various forms of social activism, not limiting themselves simply to religious education and preaching or to petitioning the government for sops. This is one of the major reasons for the remarkable social, economic and educational progress that Kerala’s Muslims, who account for around a fourth of the state’s population, have witnessed in recent decades.
Delhi BJP’s ticket hopefuls banking on ‘personal surveys’
By Rahul Vaishanvi,
New Delhi: In a bid to stake claim to nominations for the upcoming Delhi assembly elections, many of the 67 BJP candidates...
दिल्ली चुनाव : छोटी गलती पर बड़ी पकड़
By मो. आसिफ़ इक़बाल,
देश की राजधानी दिल्ली फ़िलहाल सियासी पार्टियों और उनके प्रत्याशियों का अखाड़ा बनी हुई है. हर तरफ शोर-शराबा, जलसे-जुलूस, भाषण और घोषणाएं मौजूद हैं, जिन्होंने दिल्ली में एक विचित्र माहौल पैदा कर दिया है. ऐसा नहीं है कि दिल्ली में पहली बार चुनाव होने जा रहे हैं. लेकिन इसके बावजूद देश की दो बड़ी राजनीतिक पार्टियां - सत्तारूढ़ भाजपा और पिछले पंद्रह साल दिल्ली में सरकार में रहने वाली कांग्रेस - दोनों ही कुछ हैरान-परेशान दिख रही हैं. इन दो सबसे बड़ी राजनीतिक दलों की इस परेशानी दिल्लीवाले पहली बार महसूस भी कर रहे हैं.
Gujjar agitation: Dark side of affirmative action
By Amulya Ganguli, IANS,
When then prime minister V.P. Singh lit the fires of caste conflict by implementing the Mandal formula of job reservations for the Other Backward Castes (OBCs) in 1990, the politicians, who saw electoral benefit from the measure in spite of the resultant confrontation between the upper and lower castes, were not too perturbed. The reason was that the upper castes were numerically not strong enough to figure in their vote-winning calculations.
Obituary: Cherussery Zainudheen Musliyar
By Shafeeq Hudawi
Kozhikode: One of the foremost voices in Islamic jurisprudence in Kerala, Cherussery Zainudheen Musliyar, passed away yesterday morning after being taken ill...
India, China go their own way in Africa
By Manish Chand, IANS,
China was a looming shadow at India's first summit with 14 African countries held in New Delhi recently that not only revealed the depth and diversity of their relationship but also provided clues to what could give New Delhi a competitive edge in the resource-rich continent.
When two Muslims meet: The media(ted) case of Madani and Shahina
By K Ashraf & Jenny Rowena,
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!
Karzai’s Afghanistan steps deeper into security quagmire
By John Stanly, IANS,
The attempt on President Hamid Karzai's life in the heart of the capital city of Kabul by suspected Taliban militants underscores the growing pessimism about security in the country. If the April 27 attack is anything to go by, Taliban militants are increasing their influence all across the country.
Soon after the attack, the Taliban claimed responsibility saying its aim was to show that it could strike from the capital. The message is clear - the Taliban has reached the capital.
Curious case of Yuan’s strength: Still a one-way bet?
By Vatsal Srivastava,
Over the past four years, the gradual appreciation of the Chinese Yuan against the US dollar was considered a one way bet...
Babur and sons of Babur
By Kashif-ul-Huda, TwoCircles.net
Thanks to the propaganda of the Sangh Parivar, Babur, founder of Mughal Empire has become a controversial figure in Indian history. Babur was an invader but he was also the founder of a dynasty that gave shape to an India that we are rightly proud of. Be it the architecture, arts, literature, music, or dance, it is difficult to imagine present day India without the Mughals.
Netaji and Col. Saukat Hayat Malik remembered on INA’s 69th flag hoisting day in...
By Dr. Syed Ahmed for TwoCircles.net,
40 percent Delhi women faced sexual harassment in past year: Study
New Delhi : Despite tougher laws enacted after the gruesome Nirbhaya gang-rape some three years ago, women in Delhi hardly feel safe, says a...
Three murders and a lynching
By Ram Puniyani for Twocircles.net
Laws of nature cannot be applied to human society so directly. Still, sometimes, these have been used to explain...
So why’s this Modi worried in Bihar?
By Imran Khan
Patna: BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi - better known these days as SuMo to rhyme with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's NaMo -...
Modi’s lost opportunity towards reconciliation
By Ayub Khan,
The Indian media and a section of the American media as well, have been showering fulsome praise over Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s public speaking skills. His Madison Square Garden speech has been especially highlighted as ‘inspiring’ and ‘rocking.’ Anyone disagreeing with this assessment is subjected to heaps of abuse including doubts about the critic’s sanity, ancestry, and in some cases even humanity. Perhaps the Modi’s fans have taken a cue from his controversial ‘puppy under the car’ remarks in categorizing those opposed to their leader in the canine species. Regardless of the fan outrage it cannot be ignored that Modi has failed to inspire confidence and hope. He had no healing touch to offer. His speeches were full of clichéd and vague remarks which can muster past the copy writer’s desk but are hardly befitting a leader who has just won elections with a thumping mandate. Modi disappointed the hopeless optimists with both what was said and what was left unsaid.
Media gets up, close and too personal – again
By Minu Jain, IANS,
That same question of space again. From Sania-Shoaib to Shashi-Sunanda, it has been a seamless transition for the gossip hungry reader being fed by large sections of the media that have once again decided to go up, close and too personal, in the reporting of what should actually be nothing but a minister and his alleged involvement in a multi-million-dollar cricket franchise.
Are Muslim freedom fighters given rightful coverage in Kerala history textbooks?
By Najiya O., TwoCircles.net
Kozhikode: Muslims have played a very important part in the freedom struggle of the country. Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, Ali brothers, Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan are a few examples. Our school syllabi, both state and central, cover the freedom struggle. But how many Muslim freedom fighters find their place in the history text books, which are the first source of information for the growing generation about our past?
PM scores a morale-boosting goal for Indian hockey
By K. Datta, IANS,
Prime minister Manmohan Singh meant to cast no aspersions on cricket when he revealed he was no devotee of the game. He was only voicing the feelings of millions of people, the 'aam admis', as politicians with an eye on votes describe them, a class of people among whom there is little fervour for the so-called religion of cricket. These masses, less articulate than cricket fans, are drawn more to games like hockey and football.
Passport woes are unending: Sushma needs to crack the whip
By M.R. Narayan Swamy,
Ever heard of a government department whose one wing goes en masse for lunch while the other wing efficiently continues to function, leaving scores of people - the elderly and women with crying babies included - cursing their fate? Welcome to the passport office in Delhi.
The tragedy of monotheism
By Rabia Terry Harris
Everybody needs a tribe. One person alone faces a frighteningly big, sometimes brutal world. Even a family can be too small to deal with some challenges that come down the pike - while if family relationships are the only ones around, obsessive family closeness can suffocate us. No, tribes are the way to go, which is why most of the human race carefully conserves them.
Northeastern youth protests in Delhi: Opportunity to bridge the gap
By Ninglun Hanghal, IANS,
Last week, Delhi witnessed a large turnout of youth from northeastern India - comprising eight states - to protest against the...
Strange rituals make Eid in Maldives unique
By Anas Nilambur
Ramadan gets a warm reception in Maldives with numerous extraordinary rituals. In this Muslim country long before the holy month people stat preparation of welcoming ‘Rodha Mahu’, Dhivehi name for the month of fast. Men and women go to nearby uninhabited islands to collect milky white gravels, with which their courtyards are being decorated. Repainting walls is not a common practice here; however the pristine beach like appearance of house premises substitutes all other shortcomings.
Atal Bihari Vajpayee: Apostle of peace, humanity personified
By Ashok Tandon,
A 28-year-old dhoti-kurta clad young man was jostling to push his blanket-wrapped baggage into the unreserved compartment of a passenger train at Delhi Railway station on May 8, 1953.
It was a send off for Shyma Prasad Moookerjee, founder of the Bharatiya Jana Sangh (predecessor of the present day Bharatiya Janata Party), on a mission to enter Jammu & Kashmir defying the entry-permit order of the government and demanding full integration of the state into the Indian Union.
Value of Hussain: life, not painting
हà¥?सैन की कीमत: पेंटिंग की नहीं, जान कीÂ
नासिरूदà¥?दीन हैदर खॉंÂ
India’s Regional Politics Remain Immature
Syed Ali Mujtaba
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The jubilation for the victory of India?s first women president Prathibha Patil seems to have drowned one of the ugliest episodes of the Indian democracy. Tamil Nadu?s main opposition party the AIADMK and its ally the MDMK defied its own whip and voted for Bhrion Singh Shekhawat, an independent candidate backed by the National Democratic Alliance in the recently concluded presidential election.
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The jubilation for the victory of India?s first women president Prathibha Patil seems to have drowned one of the ugliest episodes of the Indian democracy. Tamil Nadu?s main opposition party the AIADMK and its ally the MDMK defied its own whip and voted for Bhrion Singh Shekhawat, an independent candidate backed by the National Democratic Alliance in the recently concluded presidential election.
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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.
Saudi nightmare: What if ISIS plans for Eid in Mecca?
By Saeed Naqvi,
In President Barack Obama's initial list of the coalition against the Islamist State (ISIS) are Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, the UAE, Bahrain and Jordan. Others are being cajoled, tempted, lured but are not quite there.
India too was sounded. Mercifully, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is embarked on a mission of economic diplomacy. He will tiptoe out of this one.
BJP’s Muslim leaders: Their induction in party is an RSS strategy
By Kulsum Mustafa, TwoCircles.net,
Eyesores or cynosures, they are for keeps. The saffron robed Muslim leaders are now an inseparable part of the Hindutava campaigner Bharatiya Janata Party. And it is not by chance but because of a well thought-out Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS) strategy that these ‘opportunist Muslim’ leaders have been allowed to prosper in the party.
Islam and the west – what Muslims should do?
Asghar Ali Engineer,
Muslims and the West seem to be on collision course. I read every day in Urdu papers about the conspiracies the West hatches to attack and destroy Islam. Western countries do something or the other which offends Muslims and results in protests, street demonstrations and at times results even in violence.
Our manifesto is a Holy Book of the Delhi Government: Dilip Pandey
By Tanzil Asif and Sneha Dipika for TwoCircles.net,
As Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) completes one year in government after a thumping win in Delhi elections...
This hilly region in Kashmir is prospective front for gateway to Central Asia
By Rahmat Bhat, TwoCircles.net
Like a jewel in the crown of a king, sits the beautiful valley of Karnah at Shamsbari range in north-west Kashmir....
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