by admin | May 25, 2021 | Opinions
By Frank F. Islam,
“Recent events in India have damaged the country’s image as a vibrant, plural and successful democracy.” That is the opening line of former Foreign Secretary Shyam Saran’s recent article in which he expresses his “growing concern over the rising polarisation and communalism of our social and political discourse”. Saran pointed out: “We pride ourselves in being the most tolerant of people, celebrating our diversity of faith, culture and tradition, ways of life and language. Diversity thrives on sharing; it becomes poison when it becomes an instrument for separating ‘us’ from ‘them’. One cannot construct an over-arching Hindu identity on the basis of creating a binary Hindu-Muslim divide.”
Indeed, we do not need a divide. We need instead to find our spiritual common ground. We cannot find that common ground by accident. It must be a consequence created through strong beliefs and a concerted and sustained effort over time. It must be an outcome that overcomes religious, regional and racial boundaries.
How do we reach that ideal state? We begin with where we are, find our shared values, leverage our strengths and then chart a path to where we want to be.
As an example of discovering our shared values, let me draw upon the teachings of Sir Syed Ahmad Khan, founder of Aligarh Muslim University, and Pandit Madan Mohan Malviya, founder of Banaras Hindu University.
These men were visionaries who saw the world not though religious blinders but through an expansive view of what strong and inclusive faiths can do to unite rather than divide us.
Pandit Malviya instructed us: “India is not a country of the Hindus only. It is a country of the Muslims, the Christians and the Parsees too. The country can gain strength and develop itself only when the people of India live in mutual good will and harmony.”
Sir Syed expressed a similar philosophy, stating that the graduates of Aligarh “…shall go forth through the length and breadth of the land to preach the gospel of free inquiry, of large hearted toleration, and of pure morality.”
While there was not a religious bond between Malviya and Sir Syed, there was undoubtedly a spiritual one. It might be said they were soulmates.
They understood that spirituality is transcendent. They knew that spirit is the invisible force that brings us together regardless of our particular predispositions. They recognised that India would be best as one nation under God.
One nation under God. What would create such a nation? That God would not be a Hindu God, a Muslim God, or a Christian God. That God would be ecumenical and non-denominational. That God would be welcoming to all. That God would not discriminate nor encourage discrimination.
We can do that not by looking to the heavens and to the gods whom we worship. But by looking at the earth and the people and the family that we are. We all have a role to play in that pursuit. Some people have special contributions to make.
Religious leaders can promote interfaith dialogue. They can bring together followers of different persuasions for meaningful conversations. They can promote a dialogue of understanding and a shared sense of community with other faiths. They can call attention to the fact that an attack on one religion is an attack on all religions.
Political leaders can promote a framework of unity and civility. They can ensure that all laws are fair and fairly enforced. They can take affirmative actions to promote an atmosphere of communal peace and harmony. They can promote hope not fear.
Citizen leaders can promote collaboration. They can toil together transcending their creeds to plant the seeds for doing good deeds. They can invest in programmes that cut across and eliminate racial, religious and socio-economic divides. They can help shape a stronger and fairer India.
As the United States diminishes its role as a world leader for democracy under President Donald Trump’s leadership, there is a vacuum to be filled. By finding its spiritual common ground and becoming one nation under God, India can achieve its full potential as a country and become a world leader to fill that vacuum.
(Frank F. Islam is an entrepreneur, civic and thought leader based in Washington, D.C. The views expressed are personal. He can be contacted at ffislam@verizon.net)
—IANS
by admin | May 25, 2021 | Books, News
New Delhi : Best-selling author Chetan Bhagat has revealed the cover and a “movie-style promo” of his new book “The Girl in Room 105” — “a funny kind of thriller” about a Kashmiri Muslim girl and a Hindu boy — in a Facebook live on his fanpage on Monday.
The book, published by Westland, will be released in October. Terming the book as “not a Chetan Bhagat love story”, the author pointed to its “an unlove story” tagline .
What’s interesting is that Bhagat also released a “movie-style promo” for it, reasoning that youngsters love videos, but the idea is “to bring them back to books”.
The story is about “a boy who is trying to unlove his ex-girlfriend and gets involved in something bigger”, said the “2 States” and “One Indian Girl” author.
He went on to say it is about a boy, Keshav Rajpurohit, who is from an IIT and teaches in a coaching centre, and is trying to “unlove his ex-girlfriend” Zara, a Kashmiri Muslim.
The dramatised promo has the lead, Keshav, asking his audience: “Have I told you my dad is a senior member of the RSS?”
The two-minute-long promo shows him drinking one night as he receives a message from Zara and goes to meet her upon her asking.
However, in the confusion about whether Zara sent those messages, the promo ends, leaving “an element of surprise” for the audience, as Bhagat put it in the 25-minute Facebook live.
He said people will love the suspense and humour in the book, because it is “a funny kind of thriller” — “a mystery but a funny mystery”. The book cover reveal comes after Bhagat invited his fans to #GuessTheTitle during social media contests.
Answering questions from viewers, Bhagat said the “unloving part” of the story comes from him.
“I find it very difficult to get over people. I just can’t move on. How can you move on when your heart is attached to someone,” he said.
“How can you unlove? It’s not like unplug.”
Asked about why he changed his genre, Bhagat responded that one cannot keep repeating the same formula just because “one thing is a hit”.
Bhagat also answered a question about the protagonist’s name — Keshav — which is in line with his practice of naming his lead characters after Krishna.
“Krishna’s name is taken billions of times when you make that small change in a name,” he said, adding it is a not a conicidence that his heroes’ names have been based on Krishna since the last eight times.
A viewer asked Bhagat if a movie can be expected, as his books have continuously been cinematically adapted.
The movie will come later and my readers are more important, Bhagat said, adding that he likes to keep books exciting.
He said “The Girl in Room 105” can be pre-ordered online on Amazon. The book will hit the stands in October.
—IANS
by admin | May 25, 2021 | Entrepreneurship, Markets, News, Social Entrepreneur, Social Media, Success Stories
By Nivedita Singh,
New Delhi : “Winter will go, snow will melt to make way for warmth of spring again”. Raabta, a Facebook page, begins on this optimistic note to re-establish broken links between Kashmiri families, friends, classmates and neighbours divided by decades of insurgency, civil strife and social acrimony.
Almost a month since the page with over 21,000 followers was created, Raabta — which translates into “connection” — has been able to connect five Kashmiri Hindu Pandit and Muslim families who live far away from each other.
Sameer Bhat, a Dubai-based journalist, hails from Sopore — known for its red, juicy apples and also once a militancy hotbed. Bhat wanted to connect with his Pandit neighbour Bunty “bhaiya” (elder brother). The page admin sounded out to all its followers if they could locate or tag Bunty from Sopore. And suddenly, there he was. And the virtual reunion was highly emotional.
Bunty bhaiya’s real name turned out to be Arun Koul, who is now based in Chandigarh. The two spoke for the first time in 28 years.
“It felt like 28 days ago, not even 28 weeks,” Bhat said, recalling how Bunty bhaiya and his family left the Valley and how all these years he missed “Herath” or “Shivratri” celebrations amid spring rains and soaked walnuts that Bunty’s mother would give him.
On March 8, the page posted a message from Anis Maqbool, looking for his Hindu friend Anil Moti. The two studied in Srinagar’s famous missionary school Tyndrale Biscoe till 1973. They never spoke to each other after leaving school. Presuming that Moti may have also left the valley at the height of militancy in early 1990s, Maqbool put out a search note for other Pandit friends too — Ramesh Kalposh and Prithvi Raj.
He was lucky to connect with Moti. Now based in Gurugram, near Delhi, Moti spoke with Maqbool over phone and the two discussed their lives and families. They also invited each other to their houses.
Moti “recalled the day when he was forced to leave and tear drops trickled down uninterrupted at both ends, like spring rains at home”, the page said in a post, reporting the re-union.
There are others who have posted lookout messages but not all have been as lucky. Suhail Naqshbandi, a Kashmiri cartoonist, wanted to speak to his school teacher “Mujju Ma’am” — who boosted his confidence when he had problems with understanding mathematics.
“It was at that nadir of crisis that an angel in the form of Miss Mujju came in my life. She asked us to (solve) a mathematical (problem). I hesitantly tried (but) my fear was not letting me do it. I felt a pat on my shoulder. I looked up and saw Miss Mujju smiling and telling me that it is O.K.”
“Her assurance and guidance gave wings to my confidence. My parents considered her a godsent guide for me,” the cartoonist wrote. But like many others, he has not been able to reconnect with his teacher — yet.
The brain behind the initiative is a Kashmiri advertising professional based in Gurugram named Jaibeer Ahmad.
“Despite polarisation, we continue to share bond as individuals. Bound together by our common heritage, culture, music, poetry, food and the phiran (the Kashmiri traditional overcoat),” Ahmad, 43, told IANS.
He said the migration of Pandits — this is how Kashmir’s native Hindu Brahmin community was traditionally known because of their erudition — did not just displace people but it tore apart friends, neighbours, teachers and colleagues. Pandits left the Valley in large numbers following the insurgency when they were targeted by mercenary militants who came across the border in Pakistan on the pretext of aiding Kashmir’s “freedom”.
Ahmad recalled the composite culture Kashmir’s Hindu Pandits and Muslims shared before the onset of militancy in the late 1980s.
“Today, there is bitterness, anger and animosity between the two communities. On social media, this hatred gets played out every day in the form of abuse and slander, dragging the communities further apart.
“Despite several efforts by the government and the civil society, there hasn’t been much progress. Most of these efforts are seen with suspicion from both sides,” he said, hoping that the initiative that he runs along with other Kashmiri friends — both Muslims and Hindus — bridges the gap between the divided communities that together made “Kashmiriyat” — or Kashmir’s unique composite culture.
(The weekly feature series is part of a positive-journalism project of IANS and the Frank Islam Foundation. Nivedita Singh can be contacted at nivedita.singh@ians.in)
—IANS
by admin | May 25, 2021 | News, Politics
New Delhi : Visiting Jordanian King Abdullah II on Thursday said that the global war against terror was not a fight between different religions but between moderates and extremists.
“Today’s global war against terror is not a fight between different religions or people. It is between moderates of all faiths and communities against extremism, hate and violence,” the King said while addressing a conference on ‘Islamic Heritage: Promoting Understanding and Moderation’ here in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
“What is heard in the news and what is shown about religion is what separates people,” he said.
He added that around the world, suspicions are inflamed by what different groups don’t know about others.
“Such ideologies of hate distort the word of God — to stir up conflicts and justify crimes and terror.
“We need to take these things seriously…they should never be allowed to distract us from the truth that faith should draw humanity together.”
He said faith inspires countries like India and Jordan where different religious and ethnic groups have lived together.
“It is faith that brings together different civilisations together. Compassion, mercy, tolerance are values shared by billions of Muslims and non Muslims around the world.”
“These values put us together to act for our coming future,” he said.
The Jordanian King arrived here on Tuesday on a three-day state visit. Earlier this month, King Abdullah had hosted Modi in Amman.
—IANS
by admin | May 25, 2021 | News, Politics
New Delhi : Stressing that India embraced many religions, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Thursday that every religion flourished in India.
“Every religion found life here, it grew here. Every Indian is proud of this virtue, no matter what langusge he speaks, no matter what religion he practices,” the Prime Minister said at a conference on ‘Islamic Heritage: Promoting Understanding and Moderation’ in the presence of Jordan’s King Abdullah II.
“Be it Buddha or Mahatma Gandhi, the fragrance of peace and love has spread across the world from India. India has given the idea of ‘Vasudev Kutumbakam’ — which means that the whole world is our family. India found its identity in considering the people of this world as their family.
“We will be celebrating Holi tomorrow, there will be a celebration of Buddha Jayanti, that will be followed by the month of Ramzan — a symbol of the country’s unity and diversity.”
—IANS
