by Editor | Sep 2, 2024 | News
9 th Mile, Khanapara, Ri Bhoi, August 28, 2024: The USTM Robotics Team has achieved a
remarkable victory at the Technoxian World Cup 2024, securing the top position in the
fiercely contested Bot Combat Challenge Event. This prestigious event, being the World’s
biggest Robotics Championship, was organized by the International Federation for E-Sports
and supported by the Ministry of Electronics and IT and Ministry of Tourism, Government of
India, and All India Council for Robotics & Automation. It took place at Noida Indoor
Stadium and showcased cutting-edge robotics talents from around the globe.
The winning team, representing the University of Science and Technology Meghalaya
(USTM), comprised four brilliant minds: Mr. Musabbir Islam and Mr. Kashyap Kalita from
the Department of Physics, and Ms. Natalia Chetia and Ms. Gargi Bora from the Department
of Applied Biology, USTM, who defeated the Team Nepal in the final round of the
competition.
The Bot Combat Challenge Event, known for its rigorous and high-energy competition, saw
the USTM team’s robot outmaneuver and outfight competitors from across the world. The
team’s innovative design, strategic thinking, and technical expertise were on full display as
they navigated through intense rounds of robotic combat.
Speaking about the victory, team member Mr. Musabbir Islam from the Department of
Physics expressed his excitement and pride in representing USTM on such a prestigious
platform. “This win is a testament to our hard work and the support we’ve received from our
university. It’s an incredible honor to bring this trophy home,” he said.
Ms. Natalia Chetia and Ms. Gargi Bora, belonging to life-science background highlighted the
interdisciplinary nature of their team. “Combining our knowledge from different fields
allowed us to create a robot that was not only powerful but also intelligent. Our success
shows the strength of collaboration across disciplines,” said Ms. Chetia.
The team’s triumph at such a high-profile event underscores USTM’s commitment to
excellence in both academics and practical applications, marking a significant milestone in
the university’s journey towards becoming a leading institution in science and technology.
by Editor | Sep 2, 2024 | News
By Pervez Bari
BHOPAL: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin has assured a delegation of All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB), that he and his party would continue to stand with the Muslim community and work to safeguard their constitutional rights.
The delegation from AIMPLB led by its General Secretary Maulana Fazlur Rahim Mujaddidi, met with Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin to discuss the Board’s concerns regarding the recently tabled Waqf (Amendment) Bill in Parliament.
The delegation included prominent figures such as Prof. M.H. Jawahirullah, MLA and President of Manithaneya Makkal Katchi; Tamil Nadu Jamaat Ulama Sabha President Maulana P.A. Khoja Mohinudeen Baqavi; Prof. P. Nasrullah Basha; Mr. H. Abdur Raqeeb of Jamaat-e-Islami Hind; and Mrs. Fatima Muzaffar MC.
In a statement, the AIMPLB said it expressed gratitude to the Chief Minister for his party’s strong opposition to the Waqf (Amendment) Bill during the recent Lok Sabha session. Their efforts contributed to the Bill being sent to a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC), for further scrutiny. The delegation urged Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Stalin to instruct his party’s MP, who is a member of the JPC, to continue opposing the Bill during the committee’s deliberations.
In addition to the Waqf Bill, the delegation voiced their opposition to the Prime Minister’s recent remarks on the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) during his Independence Day speech at the Red Fort on August 15. They also raised concerns about the recently passed Bill in the Uttarakhand Assembly, which was swiftly granted assent by the President. The AIMPLB warned that this law, which they see as targeting Muslims and violating fundamental rights, could be used by dominant forces to undermine the constitutional rights of citizens. The Board emphasized that the Muslim Personal Law, grounded in Shariah, cannot be replaced by any secular law.
The delegation pointed out that the legislature of the country itself has approved the Shariat Application Act, 1937, and the Constitution of India has declared it a fundamental right under Article 25 to profess, propagate and practice religion, it said.
The family laws of other communities are also based on their own religious and ancient traditions and tampering with them is basically a negation of religion and an imitation of the West.
The uniform civil code mentioned in the Directive Principles is a mere direction and all the directives are neither mandatory nor enforceable in courts. These Directive Principles cannot supersede the fundamental rights enshrined in the Constitution.
The Board has criticized the prime minister’s use of secular civil code instead of the constitutional word uniform civil code, claiming that it was “misleading” Uniform means it will be applicable to the whole country and to all religious and non-religious people. There will be no room in it to exclude any class or caste or even tribals.
Meanwhile, Chief Minister Stalin attentively listened to the delegation’s concerns. Regarding the UCC, he informed them that in 2023, he had already communicated his opposition to the Prime Minister and the Chairman of the Law Commission.
by Editor | Sep 1, 2024 | News, News & Trending
Syed Ali Mujtaba
New Delhi- The call for cleansing Muslims from upper Assam has come to light where threats have been issued by the Hindu organizations to the Muslims to leave upper Assam or face the consequences. Upper Assam comprises of eight districts of the eldest sibling of the northeast state.
After Himachal Pradesh, this is the second state in India, where Muslims are openly being threatened to leave the spaces occupied by them.
The threat call from the Hindu organization comes on the heels of Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma statement that the Muslim population in Assam has become 40 percent and it is a ‘Matter Of Life And Death’ for the Hindu community.
According to AIUDF Chief Badrudin Ajmal, “there are several organizations which have issued threats against a section of the Muslim community asking them to leave the Upper Assam districts or “face the consequences”.
“Such statements are not only alarming but also create a serious threat to communal harmony and safety of the Muslim community in the region,” the AIUDF Chief said,
The AIUDF submitted a memorandum to the Governor of Assam, Lakshman Prasad Acharya, seeking action against those individuals and organizations who have given such a sinister call.
Through the memorandum the AIUDF Chief has asked the BJP-led state government to issue a public statement condemning such threats issued by the organizations and reassure all communities that their safety and rights will be protected by the state government.
The AIUDF Chief urged the Governor to intervene in this matter and asked the state government to take strict legal action against those organizations, and initiate legal action against them.
The AIUDF Chief requested the state government to deploy adequate security forces in the upper Assam areas to ensure the safety and security of the Muslims living there.
The AIUDF also urged the members of the Civil Society to initiate programs and campaigns to promote communal harmony and unity among the different communities in the state.
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by Editor | Sep 1, 2024 | News, News & Trending, Opinion, Opinions
Syed Ali Mujtaba
New Delhi – One Muslim migrant worker from West Bengal was beaten to death and another from Assam was injured by cow vigilantes in Haryana’s Charkhi Dadri on August 27, 2024.
The Muslim victim’s crime, according to the cow vigilantes was that they had eaten beef, and for doing so, they needed to be killed, lynched, and murdered. This is the new normal in India. Since, the victims are Muslims none can use their fundamental right to protest because UAPA awaits them, and they can be in jail for infinite years, facing Joseph Kafka’s trial.
The crime was reported at the Badhra police station in Charkhi Dadri, Haryana. SHO Tejpal, in the First Information Report (FIR), has given a graphic detail of the incident; “On the morning of August 27, a group of young men came to Sabir, a rag picker, living in a slum area near Badhra village, and took him to the local bus stand, claiming that they had some scrap to dispose. The cow vigilantes also called another person named Asiruddin, a rag picker to the bus stand.”
“The cow vigilantes started mercilessly beating up the two rag pickers. When the passers-by intervened, the criminals took the victims to some other location on their motorcycles.”
“Later, Sabir’s, dead body was found near a canal in Bhandwa village. While Asiruddin, unconscious body was found dumped at another location,” the FIR report concluded.
The 26-year-old Sabir is a migrant laborer from West Bengal. His wife and two-year-old daughter survive Sabir. The 25-year-old Asiruddin who has survived the assault and is under treatment, is a native of Assam.
The Superintendent of Police, Charkhi Dadri, Ms Pooja Vashisth confirmed that the accused were members of a cow vigilante gang and they had beaten the victims because they suspected that they had eaten beef.
“The people who intervened when the gang was beating the migrant workers at the bus stand, had made a video of the attack, but they did not report the matter to the police,” Ms. Vashisth, told the media adding, “So far five arrests were made, Abhishek, Ravinder, Mohit, Kamaljeet, and Sahil, two among them are juveniles.”
Sabir and Asiruddin had lived in the Badhra, slum area for five years. They were earning their livelihood through rag-picking and no one except the cow vigilantes knew they had eaten beef.
Haryana Assembly polls are slated for October 1, 2024. The Hindutva goons who have licenses to kill are out on the street sucking innocent Muslims’ blood on the prowl. Muslim residents fear that the activities of cow vigilantes (Gaurakshaks) will increase due to election fever. Some have even given a call to apply for gun licenses for self-protection.
by Editor | Sep 1, 2024 | Opinion, Opinions
FRANK ISLAM
Observed on the first Monday in September, Labor Day is an annual celebration of the social and economic achievements of American workers. The holiday is rooted in the late nineteenth century, when labor activists pushed for a federal holiday to recognize the many contributions workers have made to America’s strength, prosperity, and well-being.
U.S. Department of Labor, History of Labor Day
Labor Day is a day to celebrate all workers and all forms and levels of work. On September 2, this Labor Day in 2024, because of the Olympics and the positive spirit displayed in France, there is an additional reason to celebrate in America.
This reason is not simply the medals that were won there, but also the contributions from athletes and those from all walks of life who joined and worked together to make these Olympics such an incredible success.
The Olympic Spirit
Before the Olympics began, this success seemed improbable and potentially impossible. France as a country was becoming increasingly divided politically, economically, and socially. The majority of the French people said they were opposed to the Olympic Games being sponsored in Paris, France and many would not watch them.
Then, the Olympics began on July 26 with a phenomenal Opening Ceremony, which included athletes from around the world floating in boats down the river Seine. lighting of the Olympic flame, sending it up in a cauldron to fly in the skies above Paris, and placing replicas of the interlaced Olympic rings on the Eiffel Tower.
During his Opening Ceremony comments, Tony Estanguet, a three-time French Olympic champion and President of Paris 2024:
Said to the people watching, “The Games have reminded us that in France, even if we have a hard time agreeing on things, in the moments that count, we can come together and combine all our strengths for a single purpose.”
Thanked those who made the Olympics possible including the volunteers to whom he said, “Thank you to the 45,000 volunteers: you have come here from 155 different countries, from all walks of life: teachers, retired people, nurses, students…and your enthusiasm will light up these games.”
Said to the athletes, “For the next sixteen days, you will be the best version of humanity. You’ll remind us that the emotions of sport form a universal language we all share.”
Estanguet was accurate. For those next sixteen days, the athletes kept us spellbound, not only with their accomplishments but with their kindness shown to each other, whether winning or losing.
That demonstration of athletic heroism and generosity led Estanguet, in his comments at the Closing Ceremony on August 11, to say, “We knew you would be brilliant, but you were magic. You made us happy. You made us feel alive. The world needed these emotions so much.”
In his speech at the closing ceremony, International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach, a former Olympian himself, built on Estanguet’s remarks, saying to his fellow Olympians and to the viewers of the Olympics:
Your performances were amazing. You competed fiercely against each other. Every contest on the edge of perfection. Every performance sparking excitement around the world. You showed us what greatness we humans are capable of.
This inspired all of us and billions of people around the globe. Thank you for making us dream. Thank you for making us believe in a better world for everyone.
We know that the Olympic Games cannot create peace. But the Olympic Games can create a culture of peace that inspires the world. This is why I call on everyone who shares this Olympic spirit: let us live this culture of peace every single day.
The American Spirit
The Olympic spirit, and the work done by the American athletes there, provided the fuel for reigniting the American spirit.
In part, that reigniting was due to the members of the American Olympic team winning the most medals — a total of 126 gold, silver, and bronze medals. In larger part, however, it was due to learning the stories of the medal winners and the hard work they, and others, had put in to excel in their sport.
Gold medal winners such as Olympian swimmer Katie Ledecky and gymnast Simone Biles and professional basketball players LeBron James and Steph Curry were well-known. Less well-known were gold medal winners such as: Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone; a four time gold medal winner and world record-holding 400 meter hurdler, Ryan Crouser, three time gold medal-winning shot putter; and Noah Lyles, 100 meter gold medalist, and thus the unofficial “fastest man in the world.” Little known were other medal winners such as: “quirky” Stephen Nedoroscik, whose performance on the pommel horse enabled the USA men’s gymnastics team to win bronze, Jasmine Moore, bronze medal winner in the women’s long jump and triple jump, and Kristen Faulkner, gold medal winner in the women’s cycling road race and the women’s track cycling pursuit team.
It’s not just the medal-winning Americans who were inspiring at the Olympics. It was all the 594 Olympic team members who, through their hard work and dedication, committed themselves to excelling. After the Olympics, Brad Stulberg, author of The Practice of Groundedness, wrote a New York Times guest essay titled “What the Olympics can Teach Us About Excellence,” in which he states:
Excellence is not perfection or winning at all costs. It is a deeply satisfying process of becoming the best performer — and person — you can be. You pursue goals that challenge you, put forth an honest effort, endure highs, lows and everything in between, and gain respect for yourself and others. This sort of excellence isn’t just for world-class athletes; it is for all of us. We can certainly find it in sports, but also in the creative arts, medicine, teaching, coaching, science, and more.
At the end of his piece, Stulberg observes:
At a time of disconnect and alienation, the pursuit of excellence offers a powerful and necessary path to intimacy with ourselves, our work, and our communities. It is, at root, what it means to be the best humans we can be.
Steve Kerr, coach of the USA men’s Olympic basketball team, has a first-hand and front row understanding of what that construction of personal excellence and coming together means for Americans and the American spirit
Speaking at the Democratic National Convention, Kerr said:
And when we won, the American flag raised to the rafters, the national anthem playing, gold medals draped around the necks of our players, it was the proudest moment of my life.
During his speech Kerr took his commentary well beyond the Olympics, stating:
Americans know the greatness of this nation doesn’t come from any one of us, but from each of us doing our part to build a more perfect union.
The American Worker and Labor Day
Stulberg and Kerr are correct. There are American workers everywhere across this great nation and around the world who are committed to being the best they can be, and to working together with others to get their work done in a way that makes a difference.
Those workers are committed to excellence in all lines of work. They are on the playing field and the battlefield; on the shop floor and in the office, in the classroom and the operating room, in small businesses and big businesses; in union companies and non-union companies; in the private sector and the public sector.
Those workers are in jobs that are full-time and part-time, and in jobs that are paid and unpaid. In today’s America, many of these workers work multiple jobs, and many of them are self-employed.
To borrow a sentence from Michelle Obama’s powerful speech at the Democratic National Convention, those workers say, “If we see a mountain in front of us, we don’t expect there to be an escalator waiting to take us to the top. We put our heads down. We get to work.”
American workers have been saying things like that since this country’s founding. Their “social and economic achievements” though the centuries have been driving forces in making this country great.
Today’s workers continue to be driving forces and major contributors to building “America’s strength, prosperity and well-being” in order to keep this country great, and to make it a better and fairer place for all. They are the primary source of the American Spirit.
To all those workers we say “Thanks. Job well done. Carry on. Happy Labor Day.”
