#TCN10: Looking back at TwoCircles.net
By Kashif-ul-Huda, TwoCircles.net
“Are there enough news stories on Indian Muslims to do a daily news portal?” This was one of the first question that...
In Samajwadi Party, is Azam Khan on a downslide?
By Mohit Dubey
Lucknow : Is Uttar Pradesh's ruling Samajwadi Party finally getting tired of its senior leader and minister Mohd Azam Khan?
While the...
Violence, intolerance rising in young: Kailash Satyarthi
Kolkata: Intolerance, violence and disillusionment against the establishment is on the rise among the young globally, Nobel Peace Price recipient Kailash Satyarthi said here...
Thailand’s regressive journey against march of history
By Pinak Ranjan Chakravarty,
Thailand’s army generals know how to effect coups and have done it again. Another coup was announced on television by Thai army chief Prayuth Chan-ocha, flanked by other military leaders. To oust civilian governments periodically seems to be ingrained in the Thai army’s DNA. Political scientists trot out different figures for the number of coups that have taken place in Thailand since 1932, the year absolute monarchy gave way to a constitutional monarchy.
Sitapur Endowment: Land without rent
By Zaidul Haque, TwoCircles.net
What is the Sitapur Endowment?
Jayalalithaa’s legacy: Industrial, social, crime rankings among India’s best
By Prachi Salve
Tamil Nadus 19th Chief Minister (she was also the 11th, 14th, 16th and 18th) J. Jayalalithaa, who died on December...
Prakash Desai: He was a knowledge storehouse on India
By Sam Pitroda,
Prakash N. Desai, a leading psychiatrist in Chicago and a great mind on Indian thought, died on Jan 5, 2015 at age 74.
His knowledge of India and its rituals, people, customs, festivals, languages, mythology, and traditions was exceptional. He spoke eloquently and wrote frequently on many of these issues related to South Asian immigration, personality and politics, psychological analysis, traditional medicine and Gandhi, and interacted with academics at universities both in the US and in India.
Cussedness, underhand dealings mark countdown to trust vote
By Amulya Ganguli, IANS,
The prelude to the July 22 trust vote in parliament on the nuclear deal on which the fate of the Manmohan Singh government depends has added yet another dark chapter of opportunism and horse-trading to Indian politics.
एक फिल्म जो कैराना की असल हकीक़त दिखाती है
सिद्धांत मोहन, TwoCircles.net
वाराणसी/ दिल्ली: बीते चार महीनों में पश्चिमी उत्तर प्रदेश के जिले कैराना का नाम साम्प्रदायिकता के नए गढ़ के रूप में कई...
Different forms of untouchability among Muslims: Dalit Muslim Muhim
By Khalid Anis Ansari,
Mohammad Noor Hasan Azad, one of the founding members of the All India Pasmanda Muslim Mahaz, discusses the contemporary lower caste movement among Indian Muslims
Sardar Patel, Maulana Azad, and national mythology – Part I
By Umair Azmi
On the anniversary of the murder of Gandhiji, it has become almost a ritual for the RSS to be reminded of what Sardar Patel...
By joining hands with the BJP, Nitish Kumar might have just ended his political...
Siddhant Mohan, TwoCircles.net
Nitish Kumar has resigned. Again. Keen watchers of the career of Nitish would have noticed that in the past fifteen years, resignations...
Going will get tougher for India
By Anand Philar, IANS,
It was not surprising that India stood exposed during their 2-5 rout against Australia in the men's Hockey World Cup Tuesday night. The lack of exposure against the top teams in the past year highlighted many inherent weaknesses in the Indian team that were covered up by their 4-1 success against a mediocre Pakistan on the opening night.
Do justice rather than be judgmental: Sexual orientation and Islam
By Irfan Engineer
Addressing a public meeting in Bengaluru organized by Aneka, Board of Theological Education of the Senate of Serampore College, Commission for Justice,...
Internal tensions: It can get worse for Congress
By Amulya Ganguli,
The Congress High Command, which is a pseudonym for party president Sonia Gandhi, must have realized by now that securing a clean...
Inclusion of Dalit Muslims in Scheduled Castes: Apex court rekindles hope
By Mohammad Shahanshah Ansari,
Muslim advocacy group organized 2nd “National Social Leadership Summit” in New Delhi
By TCN News,
New Delhi: MOEMIN, an advocacy group of Indian Muslims organized second “National Social Leadership Summit” in collaboration with Association of Muslim Professionals...
Congress down but not out; BJP down in the dump
Congress improved its tally, BJP declined in four out of five states
By Soroor Ahmed, TwoCircles.net,
Maulana Azad and partition
By Asghar Ali Engineer,
In the current debate on partition started by Jaswant Singh’s book every one is talking about the role of Jinnah, Nehru and Sardar Patel in partitioning of India but hardly anyone has mentioned what Maulana Azad, an important leader of Indian National Congress and an eminent scholar of Islam who held post of President of the Congress for six long years before partition, had done to avert partition.
Authorities urged to ‘dismiss’ suspended Assam DSP for Anti-Muslim comments
By TCN News,
Guahati (Assam): Not satisfied with mere suspension of Assam DSP Anjan Bora, a Guwahati based lawyer has written to many authorities seeking...
‘Slumdog Millionaire’ is an assault on Indian self-esteem
By M Rajaque Rahman, IANS,
Jai Ho! From mobile ring tones to tea shops, the winning spirit is all over the place. No wonder the Congress has lapped up the Oscar winning song of "Slumdog Millionaire" as the main campaign jive. The number represents the spirit of India, its unparallel resilience. But does "Slumdog Millionaire" represent India? Or just a piece of fascinating cinema? Or a prejudiced peddling of India's poverty to the west?
Yechury seeks Mukherjee’s intervention in Hyderabad varsity issue
Hyderabad: CPI-M general secretary Sitaram Yechury on Wednesday sought President Pranab Mukherjee's intervention in the University of Hyderabad issue, where a Dalit research scholar...
Mumbai carnage, terrorist groups and Afpak policy
By Dr Shabir Choudhry,
When Mumbai carnage took place many people pointed fingers to Pakistan and especially Lashkar e Taiba (LeT). Pakistan first claimed that its territory was not used for this terrorism, but in view of mounting evidence, reluctantly agreed that ‘non state actors’ could have be involved in it.
Democratising journalism: Giving remote tribal areas a voice
By Shubhranshu Choudhary,
The story is a bit topsy-turvy these days as far as journalism education goes, especially in the tribal areas in Central India. Instead of rural students coming to teachers in cities, teachers are going to 'adivasi haats' or weekly markets.
110 journalists killed in 2015
Paris : A total of 110 journalists were killed in connection with their work or for unclear reasons in 2015, according to report issued...
Delhi Government not serious about addressing female foeticide, claims Asian Center of Human Rights
By Siddhant Mohan, TwoCircles.netAsian Center for Human Rights (ACHR) in its report, 'Delhi: Disabling the Girl Child?' has stated that there is little seriousness...
Brandeis University’s conference on Caste discussed contemporary issues
By Anusha Chaitanya for TwoCircles.net
The three-day conference on Caste, Inequality and Economic Growth in South-Asia: Challenges of Tradition and Modernity was organized at Brandeis...
TMC’s election manifesto promises new colleges, better housing facilities for Minorities
By Zaidul Haque, Twocircles.net
Kolkata: The All India Trinamool Congress, which released its election manifesto a few days ago, seems to have paid more...
Cheraman Mosque to get heritage museum, digital library
By Shafeeq Hudawi
Kozhikode: The Cheraman Juma Masjid at Kodungallur, Kerala, built in AD 629, holds a special place in Islam’s history in India. The...
लाठियां खाते छात्र और दक्षिणपंथी बाजारू शिक्षा की समस्याएं
By अफ़रोज़ आलम साहिल, TwoCircles.net
9 दिसम्बर की इस घटना की रिपोर्ट शायद ही पाठकों तक पहुंच पाई हो. जब संसद मार्च को निकले विभिन्न...
Congress plays April Fools’ joke on the nation
As a resurgent BJP flexes its muscles readying for 2014, the governing Congress is struck by a crippling paralysis
By Aijaz Zaka Syed,
Indian art museums decaying for want of professional curators: official
By IANS,
Kolkata : Indian art museums are decaying due to lack of professional curators and a training programme to groom more professionals is the need of the hour, an official of the ministry of culture said here Monday.
Hijabi rebels in India
By Kousar Fathima
Purdah is not new to Indian Muslims, it has always been a part of Muslim society but with passage of time and...
Pakistan’s third transition: Will it succeed?
By K. Subrahmanyam, IANS
In the 60 years of its existence, Pakistan has been under military rule for 32 years in three spells under four generals - Gen. Ayub Khan, who made himself a Field Marshal, Gen. Yahya Khan, Gen. Zia-ul Haq and Gen. Pervez Musharraf. Each spell of military rule had its distinct flavour and characteristics.
Ayub Khan experimented with basic democracy. Zia-ul Haq Islamised Pakistan. Musharraf coexisted with the assemblies elected in rigged polls and till he imposed emergency Nov 3, his military rule allowed full freedom to the media.
Communal agenda and Hindi press in a globalizing India
Dr Arvind Das,
Hindi press started its journey in May 1826 with the publication of a weekly called ‘Oodunta Martand’. In June 1854, the first...
Indian Muslims and renaissance
By Asghar Ali Engineer,
It is often asked why Indian Muslims did not go through renaissance? By implication it is suggested Islam prevents any such possibility. I think it is quite simplistic assumption. Religion by itself neither obstructs nor helps the process of renaissance. To understand possibility of renaissance or otherwise one has to understand the complex processes at work in the society.
Big picture: Why the electorate voted against all state governments
By Soroor Ahmed, Twocircles.net
A bigger picture emerging after the electoral verdict of March 11, 2017, shows that it was a vote against all five...
Why do we insult people we honour?
By Vishnu Makhijani,
Some decades ago, during my second year in college, I came across this fresher being ragged by a group of hostelers.
"Where are...
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?
Janseva co-operative credit society: a step in Islamic finance and banking in India
The main objective of the Islamic Finance is to create a society of investors, unlike the conventional banking system, which has made and created the society of borrowers and lenders from the past 800 years.
By Tameemuddin Humble,
Islamic finance activism in India should not be limited to the conferences and meetings, asking government to allow and operate interest-free banking for those whose faith prohibits interest-based transactions; it should also be to challenge the stereotype that the Shariah investment can’t yield the profit, even if professionally managed. We can’t sail the boat of Islamic Finance with the people having such perceptions. We can’t reach to its logical end without building an environment of Sharia compliant investment in the country, availing the limited opportunities in the given regulations.
Abu Dhabi Ascent: Global opportunity to abolish climate-apartheid
By Rajendra Shende,
The roads in Delhi are wet due to untimely rains followed by oven-hot temperatures. Undeterred by these climatic drama, a lady beggar...
Mall revolution back home blows away visiting NRIs
By Kul Bhushan, IANS,
"Mind blowing," said my Indian friend from Dubai after visiting a shopping mall. No, he was not commenting on a shopping mall in Dubai but one in New Delhi. He said it was one of the biggest and most modern shopping complexes he had seen. Plus, it had lots of shoppers with bags.
An Appeal by Pakistani Hindu Refugees in India
By Indiaresists.com,
New Delhi: Around hundred Pakistani refugees are sitting on an indefinite Dharna at Jantar Mantar with a plea to Indian government to establish a permanent mechanism bring lasting solutions in the deteriorated conditions of Pak Hindu Migrants in India. Following is a note circulated by them, signed by Hindu Singh Sodha, President, Seemant Lok Sangathan/Universal Just Action Society.
Rohingyas are not terrorists, nor a threat to India’s security: Refugee
By Garima Tyagi
Kuala Lumpur, (IANS): Twenty three-year-old Mohammad Imran, a Rohingya who has grown up in a refugee camp in Bangladesh's Cox's Bazar after his...
Indian stocks to see volatility as election nears end
By Gyanendra Kumar Keshri,
New Delhi: Indian stocks are likely to witness extreme volatility during the trading week beginning Monday amid exit polls and...
Isolating Moscow will not help India or the West
By Amit Dasgupta,
By all accounts, the Russian economy is in imminent danger of collapse. After a period of relative economic stability under President Vladimir Putin, the rouble is now in free-fall. The central bank has announced an increase in interest rates from 10.5 percent to 17 percent. It failed to stabilize the rouble. This has reduced the purchasing power and seriously affected ordinary Russians, as the bulk of food and consumer goods are imported.
For peace in Nagaland, dialogue among Nagas must succeed
By Sanjoy Hazarika,
For months, the fragile peace in the Naga Hills has been shattered by internecine conflict. This is ironical because the ceasefires between the government of India and its armed forces, including the paramilitary, and the two factions of the National Socialist Council of Nagalim (or Nagaland) -- the group led by Isak Chisi Swu and Thuingaleng Muivah and that headed by S.S. Khaplang -- remain in place.
Bachchans push India to a regressive low
By Minu Jain
The family that prays together stays together. That seems to be the mantra of the Bachchans as they hotfoot it from one temple to another in the run-up to son Abhishek's wedding to Aishwarya Rai. And a star struck nation, denied of any real news of the wedding of the year, eagerly laps up the superstitious journeys of Bollywood's numero uno family.
Mourning for Sayeed ends, J&K government formation still in limbo
Jammu/Srinagar : The week-long state mourning on the death of Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Mufti Muhammad Sayeed ended on Wednesday, but the stalemate...
Women’s security: Time to establish accountability
By B.R.P.Bhaskar, IANS,
Leaderless and unorganised groups of young men and women have been demonstrating demanding women's security and just punishment to perpetrators of the Delhi gang-rape.
The limelight feels terrible…it’s all part of a cow-inspiracy: An exclusive interview with a...
Mazhar Farooqui milks out an exclusive interview with a cow ahead of a raging controversy surrounding the bovine. Excerpts:
How does it feel to be...
India will be big technology innovator in next decade
By Pradeep Gupta, IANS,
Economists have been predicting it, stargazers have been forecasting it, and now the technology trend watchers are saying it - the coming decade is surely going to belong to India.
Jason Pontin, the charismatic editor and publisher of MIT's "Technology Review" - the publication of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) - confidently proclaims that India is going to dominate the innovation space.
Islamophobia at work in Indian media
By NM Sampathkumar Iyangar
A 61-year-old passenger was getting his personal baggage checked at the security check booth of New Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport on February 10. The security man found a knife in the baggage and reported the matter to his officer. A spokesman was not able to specify the type or size of the 'knife' but could only tell the media, "We found a knife in his baggage. When we questioned him, he could not give any reason so he was detained and handed over to the police."
Terror Trial: Biased media communalizing the society, damaging the nation
By Syed Zubair Ahmad,
Pluralism and Communalism
By K. G. Kannabiran,
A few years back I raised the question “whether a Political Party not subscribing to the Constitutional value system so clearly spelt out by the Preamble and the other provisions in the Constitution, have its party registered to contest and participate in the country’s election?
Business as usual?
By Faraz Ahmad,
I have always been rather poor at arithmetic and therefore generally computation of any variety. Sadly unlike Prime Minister Narendra Modi and not hailing from Gujarat, money does not flow into my blood. I can only trace my lineage to the lazy shores of Sangam in Prayagraj and therefore if I don’t understand business and economics, for no fault of mine.
A love-marriage, not love-jihad, which changed India’s history
By Soroor Ahmed, TwoCircles.net,
A single love-marriage between Prithviraj Chauhan and Samyogita, daughter of his cousin and king of Kannauj, Jai Chand, perhaps played a more significant role in changing the history of India than several other factors. Though the mothers of both were sisters, Prithviraj eloped with Jai Chand’s daughter. In return Jai Chand––unlike other Rajput kings and chieftains, who supported Prithviraj––allied with Muhammad Ghori, who succeeded in capturing Delhi in his second attempt in 1192. Ghori did not spare Jai Chand either and in 1193-94 defeated him in the Battle of Chandawar. He was killed and his son Harish Chandra ruled Kannauj as a sub-ordinate of Ghori and his successors until 1225, when Iltutmish ended his reign.
Film Review: From Hindu to Hindutva
By Ram Puniyani,
Kandhmal violence has been the most ghastly communal violence in the Adivasi areas in India. Close to two years after the violence the tragedy of the area continues, the victims of violence, the rehabilitation, the justice to victims, most of these are no where close to what they should be.
दलितों की लड़ाई के अहम योद्धा मंगनाराम मेघवाल
अफ़रोज़ आलम साहिल, TwoCircles.net
नोखा (राजस्थान)- इस शहर का एक गुमनाम लड़का जब यह बोलता है कि ‘मुझ जैसे गरीब के पास खोने के लिए...
अफ़रोज़ की ‘बिहार डायरी’ – बिहार नाही सुधरी
अफ़रोज़ आलम साहिल, TwoCircles.net
गरीबी, बेचारगी, मायूसी, क़त्ल, चोरी, डकैती, भ्रष्टाचार, बात बात पर रिश्वत और नेताओं के झूठे वादे व आश्वासन... कई भोजपुरी धुनों...
Current situation in Nellie
By Anjuman Ara Begum and Diganta Sharma for TwoCircles.net
Part 6: Nellie 1983
Is India’s Hindu majority radicalized against Muslims?
If murder and terror accused are being treated as heroes in a society, then that society can be anything but civilized. Right-wing leaders in...
Say no to condomned sex
By MAHTAB ALAM
The Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) has taken a unilateral decision to introduce Sex Education (better to say Condomed Education) for school students from VI to XIIth in coming academic session (July 2007) in CBSE affiliated/recognized and Govt. funded schools. Thousands of schools Teachers, Resource persons, Experts have been trained and lakhs of rupees has been spent for this purpose
THE PROCLAIMED RAITIONALE
When Modi met Muslims
By Kashif-ul-Huda, TwoCircles.net,
Narendra Modi has been on Twitter since January 2009. In last six years, the first time he mentioned ‘meeting Muslim’ on his twitter timeline was only on Tuesday.
He tweeted about his meeting with “leaders of the Muslim community” along with a photo of the meeting with a link to the press release.
Tendulkar and Dhoni can stop this overkill of cricket
By Veturi Srivatsa, IANS,
The killing cricket schedule is unsparing, and when it comes to the Indian Premier League (IPL) cash cow, even the players are not complaining of overkill.
Biggest day since World Cup final: Yuvraj
Vishakapatnam: Hours before his first match in over 10 months, cricketer Yuvraj Singh said that this would be the biggest day in his life since the World Cup final last April.
How to conquer those sugar cravings
By Amar Chandel,
What can be almost as strong, if not even stronger than hunger pangs, is sugar craving. One goes almost berserk when it strikes and one is willing to throw all dietary discipline out of the window for the sake of those sweet treats. Take heart. There are a few simple little techniques which can help you tide over those vulnerable moments.
A rebuttal to Soroor Ahmed’s article on Asaduddin Owaisi
By Ubaid ur Rahman Mohammed for Twocircles.net,
One might have many issues with someone, what they stand for or what they say. It is...
BSP in Maharashtra: Struggling to make a mark
By Vanya Mehta, TwoCircles.net,
After the polls closed in Nagpur, where competing factors include the Brahmin BJP candidate Nitin Gadkari and the incumbent Congress MP Vilas Muttemwar, around 30 male supporters of the Ambedkarite pro-Dalit Bahujan Samaj Party scattered around in groups at the BSP’s Nagpur office discussing the elections.
Anna Hazare has become symbol for a better India
By M.R. Narayan Swamy, IANS,
It needed a 72-year-old man with no pretensions, a school dropout at that, to wake up India.
Why Mysore beat Chandigarh as India’s cleanest city
By Manu Moudgil
Chandigarh : India’s first planned city -- known for wide roads laid out in geometrical precision and large, green spaces that adorn...
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...
गर्त में गिरती नौकरशाही
By सिद्धांत मोहन, TwoCircles.net
नई दिल्ली/ लखनऊ: भारत में नौकरशाही को अहम जिम्मेदारियों का पेशा माना जाता है. हर साल लाखों युवा केन्द्रीय लोक सेवा...
Obama’s ‘internal-peace’ proviso to upgrade US-India ties
By Dr Syed Zafar Mahmood,
Through his farewell address to the people of India, including a large posse of the youth - delivered at Siri Fort auditorium built in the yesteryear's campus of Alauddin Khilji's Fort in Delhi - US President Barack Obama clarified in no uncertain terms that his concurrence to lift the level and intensity of US-India relations to a higher orbit is patently conditional.
A strong pro-democracy message from Kashmir
By Amulya Ganguli, IANS,
At a time of gloom in India, the poll outcome in Kashmir has been like a ray of sunlight breaking through the dark clouds. One reason for the high hopes generated by the contest was the large turnout of voters, which was nothing other than a slap in the face of the separatists.
The latter had gained a fresh lease of life during the Amarnath land transfer row when they organised large demonstrations and shouted pro-independence and pro-Pakistan slogans.
The importance of Purno Sangma: issues beyond party lines
By Sanjoy Hazarika, IANS,
On Sunday evening, when Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress President Sonia Gandhi attended the wedding reception of Conrad Sangma, son of Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Purno Sangma and a Meghalaya legislator, in New Delhi, it was far more than a social visit.
Jamia Alumni meet held at UAE
By TCN News,
Dubai: Jamia Millia Islamia Alumni meet is successfully held at UAE which was attended by some of the well-established Alumni from...
Equity Market – The Best investment option for Muslims
By Islami Tijara,
This is first part of the 4 part series on the idea of Equity Market being best investment options for Muslims
If freelance Muslim spokesmen do not shut up, it’s advantage BJP
By Saeed Naqvi
It is one of the great ironies of our times that Muslims are a problem for all political parties, except the BJP....
संघ की छांव में जलता मध्य प्रदेश
जावेद अनीस
मध्य प्रदेश वह सूबा है जहां संघ परिवार अपने शुरुआती दौर में ही दबदबा बनाने में कामयाब रहा है. इस प्रयोगशाला में संघ ने सामाजिक स्तर पर अपनी गहरी पैठ बनाने में सफल रहा है और मौजूदा परिदृश्य में हर तरह से हावी है.
Sarabjit’s execution can cast shadow on India-Pakistan ties
By Pranay Sharma, IANS,
The possibility of an Indian prisoner being put to death in Pakistan could hardly be the ideal way to restart peace talks. But that is exactly how things may stand, unless the Pakistan government rethinks its decision and alters the death sentence on Sarabjit Singh, who is to be hanged in Lahore May 1.
Arbitrary and illegal arrest of ‘Nishan’ Editor Lenin Roy
By Dr Nutan Thakur,
Lenin Kumar Roy, the editor of Nishan, a Left oriented quarterly magazine published from Bhuvaneshwar (Orissa state in India) was arrested on 7 December 2008 around 1-1.30 pm and sent to jail on charges of writing provocative literature which as per the police version and the official report would disturb communal peace and harmony.
The police did not stop here.
Modi’s success: can he emerge as national leader?
By Amulya Ganguli, IANS
Prima facie, Narendra Modi can be said to have pulled off a famous victory in Gujarat. Apart from trouncing the Congress party, he has also defeated the detractors in his own party, including those in the supposedly all-powerful Sangh Parivar, as well as a patently hostile liberal English media, which has habitually painted him in the darkest of hues, especially after the 2002 anti-Muslim riots.
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...
Obituary: Mufti Abdul Latif Qasmi, Shahar Qazi of Bhopal
By Manzar Imam,
Mufti Abdul Latif Qasmi, city qazi of Bhopal died of cardiac arrest on 4 April 2010. Mufti Sahab complained of chest pain around 4am following which he was rushed to Chirayu Hospital where he was declared brought dead. He was 63 and is survived by wife, three sons and six daughters. For some time he had been suffering from diabetes.
In 2015, Modi must resolve inner contradictions
By Amulya Ganguli,
The year ended by confirming the BJP's upward mobility when the alliance led by it secured a majority in the Jharkhand assembly and the party put up its best ever show in Jammu and Kashmir. But there is a hint in both the elections that the party's ascent may not continue to be as smooth and effortless in 2015 as it has been in 2014.
Milli Gazette and its shameless misogyny
By Dr Kouser Fathima for TwoCircles.net
In India, it would not be an exaggeration to say that the news of a rape no longer...
RSS exploiting the cultural and intellectual vacuum: Meena Kandasamy
Saffroning Kerala: Part 7
By Abdul Basith, TwoCircles.net,
Bhutto death augurs unrest, lawlessness in N-armed nation
By Rahul Bedi, IANS
Former prime minister Benazir Bhutto's assassination could not have come at a worse time for turbulent Pakistan and threatens to conflagrate a highly volatile security situation in a largely lawless country armed with nuclear weapons.
Other than the prevailing political chaos ahead of next month's proposed general elections - exacerbated by Bhutto's killing - Pakistan is under siege by Islamists and suicide bombers who have the army in retreat.
From Gandhi to Nehru: RSS-BJP’s shifting blame game
By Ram Puniyani,
India’s partition, Gandhi murder and policies of Nehru have been a matter of ceaseless debates. Each political tendency has its own interpretation of these events, which in a way are landmarks of sorts in modern Indian History. As such the phenomenon of Partition of India and assassination of Gandhi are interwoven in the sense that Godse (Mahatma Gandhi’s killer) held Gandhi responsible for appeasement of Muslims. Godse constructed his story around warped understandings of the events of the time to create the ground for murder of the Mahatma.
“भारत माता के कॉन्सेप्ट में मेरा कोई विश्वास नहीं है” – उमर ख़ालिद से...
सिद्धांत मोहन, TwoCircles.net
नई दिल्ली- इसके पहले आप अनिर्बन भट्टाचार्य से हमारी बातचीत पढ़ चुके हैं. उसी कड़ी में आज हम आपको उमर ख़ालिद का...
UP sitting atop dynamite
By Dr Mohammad Manzoor Alam,
The recent weeks have been trying for Uttar Pradesh, which has witnessed a staggering 600 “communal incidents”, since the Lok Sabha polls. “Communal incidents” is an official euphemism for low-intensity communal violence. This is the result of an assiduously built and sustained tension between communities for electoral purposes.
Mazars in Malda reminder of advent of Islam in Eastern India
By Mumtaz Alam Falahi, TwoCircles.net
TCN series on Malda and Murshidabad : Part 2
Rahmani-30: A school of hope
By Kashif-ul-Huda, TwoCircles.net,
The Muslims of North India for historical reasons have not had very friendly relations with the local police. I was in Patna visiting Rahmani-30 when Abhayanand, Additional Director General of Police makes a visit in his official car. Rahmani-30 is set up on the pattern of Bihar Super-30 which is a successful experiment to pick and train 30 students from poor economic background and prepare them for entrance exam of famous Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs).
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.
Why S M Mushrif’s book “Who Killed Karkare?” not discussed in media
By Mohd Ziyallah Khan,
To tell a truth in front of a tyrant ruler is the biggest crusade in the sight of Lord. And perhaps, this saying sounds so true to Mr. S M Mushrif (retired IPS officer – former IGP Maharashtra) when he wrote his book ‘Who killed Karkare?’ published a couple of months back. Ironically, despite all the truth he has managed to jot down in his daring work, he couldn’t get the kind of coverage or response in the Media.
Baghdad diary: Life after Saddam Hussein
Corey Levine, IANS
Baghdad : The day Saddam Hussein was executed in Baghdad was one of those rare days when the weather seemed to encapsulate the political currents. There was a strange red and grey pallor in the sky as if the sun had awakened, didn't like what it saw and attempted to go back to bed.
Where are the nurses in the HIV response?
Dr Ian Hodgson
Since the beginning of the HIV epidemic, nurses have been at the forefront of the response to this once fatal infection. The...
Book Review: Madrasa Reforms: Indian Muslim Voices
Book Review
Book: Madrasa Reforms: Indian Muslim Voices
Author: Yoginder Sikand
Year of Publication: August 2008
Publisher: Vikas Adhyayan Kendra(VAK),Mumbai
Price=Rs.100
Reviewed by Mushtaq ul Haq Ahmad Sikander
Manmohan beats the Marxist-Mayawati-Manuvadi trio
By Amulya Ganguli, IANS,
It will not be wrong to say that Tuesday's trust vote in parliament marked a watershed in Indian politics.
At the international level, it will undoubtedly move India into the American orbit via the nuclear deal, which will now probably be put on the fast track by Washington.
The clinching of this path-breaking agreement will mark the end of India's half-a-century-old policy of non-alignment although New Delhi may continue to remain a member of the virtually dysfunctional non-aligned Third World club.
Labourer killed over petty issue in Delhi
New Delhi : Days after the killing of a Delhi-based dentist by a group of people over a minor issue, another man was beaten...
Tools for Divisive Politics: Hate Speech and Patriarchy
Love Jihad propaganda spurs hate, not dialogue
By Ram Puniyani,
After the last general elections where Narendra Modi and his party won a majority overwhelmingly, the BJP has not been doing so well in subsequent by-elections. The Lalu-Nitish experiment is one model, but whether it will be replicated in different parts of the country is a million-vote question. The BJP appears to resort to the basic tools of divisive politics. On one hand Yogi Adityanath, with his venomous ‘hate speeches’ has come up as BJP’s major player; on the other the word of mouth propaganda of ‘love jihad’ is being spread like wildfire.
Half of Muslim doctors in US feel discrimination
Washington : American Muslims, even those in one the most highly regarded professions in the US, encounter a less-than-inclusive and welcoming work environment during...
Archies, Barbies and glamourous morons
By Zohra Javed for TwoCircles.net,
Sometime back in a fashion show Bollywood star Katrina Kaif dressed up like Barbie and walked the ramp. That hit the front pages all over the country. And as if this was not enough, comparisons between Katrina and Aishwarya also started doing rounds and the reader was "informed" how the younger looking Katrina was more Barbie-like.
Zafarul Islam on community, politics, and media
By Yoginder Sikand for TwoCircles.net,
Dr. Zafarul Islam Khan is the President of the All-India Muslim Majlis-e Mushawarat, a platform of several influential Indian Muslim organizations. He is also the editor of the New Delhi-based fortnightly Milli Gazette, one of the few English-language Muslim news magazines in India. In this interview with Yoginder Sikand he talks about terrorism in India, about how the media projects Muslims and what he feels Muslims should do in the current context.
A people’s manifesto for the 15th Lok Sabha polls
By M. Burhanuddin Qasmi
The present UPA government promised to take firm initiatives to address Muslims' backwardness and insecurity issues in its common minimum program. The much hyped Sachar Committee set up by UPA for evaluating socio-economic conditions of Muslims was not even put to discussion in the Parliament. Justice Ranganath Mishra Commission constituted to recommend constitutional and legal solutions following the Sachar findings was also not tabled in the Parliament.
We are watching you and your sadist medieval-era psyche: Dalit diaspora fumes over continued...
By Suraj Yengde for Twocircles.net
Cambridge: Mid-January in the New England area is infamous for the unfriendly cold shivers. Stepping out on a weekend after...
Unless India delivers, world won’t be leprosy free
By Charu Bahri
For three years, Uttar Pradesh farmhand Pradeep Kumar, 24, has been treated for a disease that India largely eliminated 11 years ago:...
No Mandal magic for Congress in Uttar Pradesh
By Mahesh Rangarajan, IANS,
The timing of the verdict on reservations for the Mandal classes in institutions of higher education could not have been better for the ruling alliance. In particular, the Congress gets great store by the decision, which puts an end to an impasse that has lasted nearly two years. Close on the heels of the verdict came the statement of Human Resources Development Minister Arjun Singh, probably the most vocal proponent of reservations in the Congress. Rahul Gandhi, he felt, had what it takes to be prime minister.
Patel: The man who forged the Indian union
By Mayank Chhaya,
There was once a time, not too long ago in historical terms, that there may not have been India as it exists today but a fractious collection of nearly 600 princely states. If a nation-state called India emerged in 1947 from the staggering ruins of close to 200 years of colonial plunder, to a significant extent the credit settles on one man - Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel.
My love for love stories
By Zohra Javed for TwoCircles.net
I have joined what they call a mobile library. It works this way: you fill in a form, pay an annual fee in lump sum, and their man comes (at irregular intervals !!!) to your home with a bagful of novels and magazines, from which you can choose and keep the books for about a fortnight...or of course till the man shows up again. Suits a slow and relaxed reader like me very well. I was told that I can give my choice in advance also so that on his next round the librarian could cater to my request.
Corona Jihad, the newest on the block in Godi Media
Mahmood Hussain
Let me begin with a disclaimer – I am not a member of the Tableeghi Jamaat and I am not their advocate.
All I...
Bad omen for democracy
By Dr Mohammad Manzoor Alam,
The recent remark of the Prime Minister at the conference of chief justices and chief ministers of Indian states that “five star activists” are driving the judiciary was a clear attack on civil society, putting a question mark on the legitimacy of activism for social causes.
To top it all, the language used was highly offensive which, sadly, has become a hallmark of the PM’s style.
Manmohan Singh’s second term: Drift, disunity, unfulfilled expectations
By Amulya Ganguli, IANS,
Expectations about the Manmohan Singh government performing better in its second term as the ruling United Progressive Alliance (UPA) completes a year since it returned to power are yet to be fulfilled. It was hoped that a more secure majority in parliament and the absence of an obstructionist Communist bloc would enable the prime minister to push ahead faster with economic reforms and provide more purposeful governance.
NRIs will discuss investing in India at Singapore meet
By Kul Bhushan, IANS,
Around 600 wealthy NRIs will gather in Singapore next month to discuss investing in India. They will be in the company of the crème de la crème of industry, academia and leaders of the governments of Singapore and India.
This is the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD), to be held Oct 9-12, a premier international conference organised by the Singapore Indian Chamber of Commerce & Industry (SICCI), the Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs (MOIA) and the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), with the support of the governments of Singapore and India.
As an Indian Muslim I have a dream and this is it
As Islamophobia rages in India and Indian Muslims continue to be blamed for the spread of the coronavirus, Indian journalist Mazhar Farooqui came up with...