Kochannoor (Thrissur District), KERALA / Doha, QATAR :
K P Abdul Hameed
Doha :
Long-time Doha resident and prominent Indian entrepreneur K P Abdul Hameed (76) passed away at a hospital in Bengaluru in southern India on Monday.
He was a managing director of Al Muftah Rent A Car, set up in 1970 as the first vehicle rental firm in Qatar.
Hameed will be buried at his native place, Kochannoor, in Kerala’s Thrissur district on Tuesday. He leaves behind his wife Aminu and two sons, Dr K P Najeeb (Hamad Medical Corporation) and Fazil Hameed (Al Muftah Rent A Car). A K Usman, who is also a managing director of Al Muftah Rent A Car, is his brother-in-law.
Hameed had suffered a stroke more than a month ago in Doha and was taken to India for treatment. Hameed, who arrived in Qatar in 1965, was a regular presence at a number of community events over the last four decades.
The veteran businessman was among the founders of MES Indian School, which was the first Indian expatriate institution of the country. The school was established in 1974.
Hameed was also one of the founding members and chief patrons of the Indian Cultural and Arts Society (Incas Qatar).
Indian Community Benevolent Forum (ICBF) and expatriate forums Incas Qatar and Indian Medical Association (Qatar chapter) and Pravasi Malayali Federation have mourned the death of Hameed.
source: http://www.gulf-times.com / Gulf Times / June 19th, 2017
The new government in Bihar headed by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar today brought back senior IAS officer Amir Subhani to the Home department as Principal Secretary.
Amir Subhani has been brought back as Principal Secretary, Home in place of Sudhir Kumar Rakesh, Chief Secretary Anjani Kumar Singh told PTI.
The Election Commission had on September 12 ordered the removal of Subhani, a 1987-batch IAS officer from the Home department and had appointed 1983-batch IAS officer Sudhir Kumar Rakesh in his place.
But, with the elections ending and Nitish Kumar returning as the CM, Amir Subhani, a trusted officer of Kumar, was brought back to the Home department.
The Chief Secretary said Sudhir Kumar Rakesh has returned to the Panchayati Raj department.
Subhani would also retain his present posting in the General Administration department (GAD).Except for a brief period during the end of Jitan Ram Manjhi’s tenure and recently on order of the Election Commission, Subhani has occupied post of Home department with Nitish Kumar at the helm of affairs in the state.
Both the Home department and the GAD are with Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.
source: http://www.economictimes.indiatimes.com / The Economic Times / ET Home> News> Politics and Nation / PTI / November 23rd, 2015
Mosque launches an outreach programme to fight misconceptions
Imam of Al Furqan masjid, Maulana Saud (in white), looks on as Jamaat member Risal Baig displays the Koran. Photo by Sachin Deshmane
A ‘masjid parichay’ is enabling Hindus to visit the Al Furqan mosque and gain a better understanding of Islam.
Spending four hours in a mosque is not most people’s idea of a Sunday evening outing. But for two Sundays in the last few weeks, 10 Hindus have travelled long distances to spend the entire evening at the Al Furqan Masjid, located in a bylane of Mumbra, a suburb of Mumbai. Starting off with doing wazu, or the obligatory washing of oneself before namaz, they ended their evening relishing biryani in the hall above the mosque.
None of these Hindus had ever stepped inside a masjid before.
“Going to a masjid in Mumbra? Are you out of your mind?” was the common reaction these Hindus encountered from friends — the shock stemming as much from the mention of a ‘masjid’ as from ‘Mumbra’, a place that was allegedly “internationally notorious for violent fanaticism”. A place where “no non-Muslim could go after sunset.’’
Vikhroli salesman D Gupta’s family didn’t even take him seriously when he told them about his plan. So when he returned home after his Mumbra visit, and casually mentioned where he’d been, his upset mother sent him off to “purify” himself with gau-mutra (cow urine) from the neighbourhood tabela before entering the house again.
Gupta remembers, as a 13-year-old, seeing students from a madarsa in his neighbourhood being beaten up by their teacher. An older friend said it was because the students had probably forgotten to curse Hindus enough, and warned Gupta to stay away from Muslims. The fear that had set in when he was a teenager vanished only after his recent visit to the mosque. Other friends had told him, at the time, that Muslims worshipped the Shiva lingam in masjids by pouring water over it, hence the mandatory tap at the entrance. And also that the Kaaba in Mecca, too, had a Shiva lingam inside it.
Jamaat-e-Islami member Saif Asre heard another perception about his place of worship while he was manning a bookstall distributing Islamic literature. “Commending me on trying to spread knowledge about Islam, a Hindu man said that he had heard masjids were storehouses for swords, and that one room was reserved only for the bodies of those killed with them. Driven by curiosity, the man had ventured into a mosque — but only after posting a friend to stand guard outside and inform his family if anything happened to the man,” says Asre. “This shocked me. We had no idea these were the ideas Hindus had about masjids.” This encounter was the trigger for the ‘masjid parichay’ programme that has been successfully carried out, so far, by the Jamaat in Nanded and Mumbra.
The first batch of Hindus who visited the Mumbra mosque were all members of the Indian Social Movement, a Vikhroli-based NGO that believes — according to its leaders Dr Deepak Gaekwad and Anand Howal — in being “Indians first and last”. They even use the phrase ‘Jai Bharat’ as a greeting. The group conducts awareness workshops on the Constitution, and had done so for the Jamaat, too. At least three of them had grown up with Muslim neighbours, and pointed to 1985 as the year relations between the two communities started changing. That was the year the Ayodhya movement began.
The second batch did not know anyone from the Jamaat. Their curiosity was aroused after reading a Facebook post about “masjid parichay’’.
While not all these Hindus had farfetched and bizarre ideas about masjids, some of them assumed non-Muslims weren’t allowed inside. Their knowledge of mosques was limited to the azaan, the call they heard on loudspeakers five times a day. “Allah ho Akbar” was the only phrase they could make out in the azaan. Most thought it referred to Mughal emperor Akbar (it means ‘God is great’).
The meaning of the azaan and other mysteries — the taps at the entrance to the masjid; the posture assumed for namaz, why it’s performed five times a day and the large turnout on Friday afternoons — were demystified for them by Asre. Helping him in demonstrating how namaz is performed, and how the azaan is called were four other Jamaat members, including a retired teacher and two software engineers. The latter revealed that when their work left them with no time to go to the nearest masjid for namaz, they prayed at their seat. Elevated parking lots in new office buildings made for ideal namaz spaces, where all the Muslims working on the premises could pray together, they said.
When Asre asked if there were any questions, nine-year-old Advait, who was there with his parents, Tarun Bharat journalist Bhatu Sawant and wife Kranti, put up his hand. What did the Arabic inscription on the wall mean? he asked. Later, he watched in wonder as the empty space where he had been running around a short while ago, filled up with men performing the evening namaz.
Asre revealed that thanks to the Facebook post, the Jamaat had received requests from many other Hindus, including a group of college girls. The visitors were taken to a hall in a building adjoining the mosque, where women pray on Fridays.
The Shia-Sunni divide, the burqa, the “intolerance” of Muslims who believed theirs was the only true faith — several questions were raised on these matters. But some questions remained unasked too, the participants admitted later. For instance, a question about the recurring campaigns organised by Indian Muslims in solidarity with Syria and the Rohingyas remained unarticulated.
“Those who attend such programmes will surely intervene when riots break out to explain that we are brothers,” hopes Howal, of the who felt the Quran expounds the same ideals of justice, equality and fraternity as the Indian Constitution. “If a boss reaches the masjid after his employee, he has to stand behind his employee, and during namaz, his head will be at the latter’s feet,” he pointed out, referring to the democratic nature of the Friday afternoon prayer, which must be held in congregation.
What about a reciprocal programme, where groups of Muslims can visit a temple? Asre felt Muslims were much more familiar with the Hindu religion than the other way around because even those who live in ghettos, encounter Hindus everywhere. While that is a debatable statement, the question also arises: Who would conduct such a programme? Would temple managements allow it, wondered Lokmat journalist Omkar Karambekar, as he returned from Mumbra. And, would Muslims who come to the temples, accept our ‘prasad’, was the question that bothered Gupta.
source: http://www.mumbaimirror.indiatimes.com / Mumbai Mirror / Home> Mumbai> Cover Story / by Jyoti Punwani, Mumbai Mirror / March 18th, 2018
An Intermediate second year student B. Padmaja bagged second place with cash prize of ₹25,000 on Sunday for her Telugu essay on the life of Prophet Muhammad.
The competition titled ‘Inspired by Prophet Muhammad’ was an initiative of the Jamaat-e-Islami Hind (JIH) affiliate Student’s Islamic Organisation.
Ms. Padmaja arrived in the city from Jagtiyal specifically to participate in the competition.
Speaking to The Hindu about what inspired to pen the essay, she said, “I read about the virtues of Prophet Muhammad and decided to enter the competition. He saw everybody as equal and took measures to protect women’s rights.” It did not take long for Ms. Padmaja to prepare for the competition. “The JIH gave me a book. I read it for about an hour a day before the competition. Then I spoke to my friends who are Muslims. After this, I wrote the essay,” she said.
And how does she intend to use the prize money? “I will use it to pay for my education,” she said.
With a keen interest on participating in similar competitions centred around different themes, Ms. Padmaja said, “It’s important that people look for good things in different faiths. Only this can help all of us co-exist.”
While Ms. Padmaja was awarded the second prize, the first place went to Syeda Haajer, also an Intermediate second year student. She was awarded a cash prize of ₹50,000. A graduation student, Mariya Gouher, bagged the third place and was awarded ₹15,000.
Around 20,000 students in different parts of the State wrote the essay in Telugu, Urdu and English. The winners were awarded prizes at Khaja Mansion where JIH Telangana and Odisha president Hamed Mohammed Khan spoke of the importance of pluralism and building bridges between different communities.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Hyderabad / by Syed Mohammed / Hyderabad – December 17th, 2017
Zubeda Begum (extreme left) and her workers busy assembling solar lights in Sangareddy on Thursday.
Employs 15 divyangans led by Zubeda Begum
Sashikanth, who was affected by polio in childhood, never thought he could earn his living. But life has changed for better since the past three months, thanks to Divyangan Solar Society (DSS).
Led by Zubeda Begum, a differently-abled woman fighting for the rights of divyangans, the DSS has employed Sashikanth along with 14 others who are differently-abled to sell solar-powered lights. It has also given indirect employment to a total of 85 persons. So far, the Society has sold over 20,000 solar lights of different varieties.
Work begins at 9.30 a.m. and workers get ₹3,000 a month as salary. For many, more than the money they get by working here, it’s the respect that they earn by doing so that matters the most. “Everyone considers a differently-abled person a burden both on the family as well as the society. We don’t get jobs easily as the employers see certain limitations in what we can do and refuse to give us a chance to prove them wrong. It’s humiliating. That’s the reason why I began my fight for divyangans and their rights. I can say I have been partly successful in this regard,” Ms. Zubeda told The Hindu.
About two decades ago, she set up a public telephone booth, which took her almost a year, for self-sustenance. Given her grit to live life on her own terms, she was entrusted with the responsibility of running DSS after it was established in 2016. For the past two years, the Society has done business of ₹18 lakh. It produces 10 varieties of solar lights.
The DSS has also established its units in Mahabubnagar, Janagam, Manchiryal and Kamareddy.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Hyderabad / by R. Avadhani / Sangareddy – March 17th, 2018
21-year-old Afshan Ashiq and team met Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday.
Ashiq, who defends the 24-foot-long and 8-foot-high goal post for her team, said the youth in Kashmir Valley was talented and all that they required was a platform. (Photo: Twitter)
New Delhi:
From the streets of upmarket Srinagar, where she emerged as the face of angry women students throwing stones at security forces, it was a dream walk for football lover Afshan Ashiq through the corridors of North Block where she met Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday.
The 21-year-old Ashiq, captain of Jammu and Kashmir’s all-woman football team which called on the minister, said she was pleasantly surprised to see how he wasted no time in redressing their grievances over the lack of sports-related infrastructure in the state.
“When we told the home minister that Jammu and Kashmir lacks sports infrastructure, he immediately called up the Chief Minister (Mehbooba Mufti) and requested her to do the needful to help us,” Ashiq, who is from Srinagar, said.
Ashiq, who defends the 24-foot-long and 8-foot-high goal post for her team, said the youth in Kashmir Valley was talented and all that they required was a platform.
“The minister also told us that Rs 100 crore had already been sanctioned (under the Prime Minister’s special package) for the state,” the captain of the CM’s-XI team told PTI.
She agree that her life and career had made a remarkable U-turn since the days when her picture was splashed in the national media as a stone pelter. The same hands that threw stones at the forces now ward off many a hard kick as she guards the goalpost.
“I don’t want to look back. My life has changed for ever. I want to be an achiever and do something to make the state and the nation proud,” said Ashiq, whose life story may soon be turned into a biopic now that a renowned Bollywood filmmaker is planning to make a film on her.
During the 30-minute meeting with Singh, the team members conveyed to him that if proper infrastructure — such as training facilities — came up in Jammu and Kashmir, the youth could be motivated to hone their talents and bring laurels to the state, staying away from terrorism and other unlawful activities.
Team manager Tsering Angmo said the sports infrastructure in the border areas was particularly poor and needed urgent attention so that young Kashmiris could be weaned away from illicit acts. “With proper infrastructure in place, the youth can take up sports to nourish their talents and no one can brainwash anyone. No one will join terrorism or indulge in stone pelting,” Angmo, who is from Ladakh, said.
Ashiq and Angmo thanked Singh for listening to them and for speaking to the chief minister about their problems. Later, the home minister tweeted, “Met the young and energetic girls of JK’s first ever Women Football Team. They are highly motivated and driven when it comes to football.”
He also said they were examples for others to follow. “Playing the role of new age ‘Gender Benders’, these girls are setting an example for others to follow. I wish them success and a great future,” he tweeted.
source: http://www.deccanchronicle.com / Deccan Chronicle / Home> Sports> In Other News / PTI / December 06th, 2017
Hunger has no religion: Azhar Maqsoosi serving food to homeless under Dabeerpura flyover in Old City on Saturday.
Azhar Maqsoosi feeds the poor and homeless under Dabeerpura flyover every day
For nearly six years under Dabeerpura flyover, in the eponymous locality of Hyderabad’s Old City, a red carpet is laid out every day for the hungry and homeless. Plates are arranged and food from a makeshift kitchen is brought here. It is then that Azhar Maqsoosi, the man behind the ‘Hunger Has No Religion’ campaign begins to serve food to them as if they were his own.
On Saturday, the campaign entered 2,163rd day. Sitting in his modest one-room shop, the pensive 38 year old recounts the genesis of the campaign. “My father passed away when I was four years old. My mother raised me and my five siblings with much difficulty and there were days when we went hungry. Soon I realised what hunger was and that’s when I decided to fight it,” he says.
While the campaign had its humble beginning in the city, Mr. Maqsoosi says it has now spread to other States such as Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh and now, Assam. His Facebook page keeps his followers informed of the daily developments.
Speaking in the straightforward Dakhni idiom, Mr. Maqsoosi says the campaign was built on goodwill. The support of volunteers and collaboration from other organisations has taken it forward. “The dastarkhwaan at Dabeerpura and at Gandhi Hospital – which has entered the 896th day – is a daily affair. In Assam, it is weekly which is in its 30th week now. We have also partnered with an NGO in Bengaluru which is seeing its 505th day near Siddipura police station,” he says. Dastarkhwaan in Urdu means a table cloth or great spread – apt for Maqsoosi’s generosity. The typical meal is a simple fare of plain rice and Hyderabadi khatti daal. Sometimes, there’s zeera rice and occasionally bottle gourd gets added to the daal, just enough to satiate a person’s hunger. About 60 kilos of rice goes into feeding the hungry souls every day.
Mr. Maqsoosi’s work has attracted even the attention of Bollywood star Salman Khan. Last month, he was invited for an interaction with the actor. “The Being Human Clothing representatives informed me that I have been nominated to meet the actor. When I met Salman Khan, I told him how my wife and I began serving home-cooked food to the homeless in 2012 and today we serve food to around 300 people in Hyderabad alone. He appreciated our work,” he says.
Fund-raising has not been a problem for Mr. Maqsoosi except in the initial days. When people realised his genuine work, kindred spirits flocked to help. “My friends on social media have helped me a lot. They have always come forward for the cause. It’s only about the cause and nothing else. They understand that irrespective of faith, hunger is real. No person should sleep on an empty stomach,” he says.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Hyderabad / by Syed Mahamood / Hyderabad – March 17th, 2018
Rituals a mix of Hindu-Muslim traditions, says committee
The experts’ committee, constituted by the State government to look at the nature of rituals and worship at the controversial Bababudangiri shrine in Chikkamagaluru, has made it clear that Shah Khadri is the administrator of ‘Sree Dattatreya Bababudan Swamy Dargah’ and also the performer of the rituals.
The committee, headed by Justice Nagamohan Das, said the issue of management of the shrine was part of the “concluded findings” from the historical records.
Shah Khadri is Sajjada Nasheen (hereditary administrator) of the shrine. Syed Ghouse Mohiyuddin Shah Khadri holds the post at present.
The three-member committee submitted its report to the State government and the same has been accepted by the State Cabinet. The government has said that the report would be submitted to the Supreme Court, as the hearing of contempt petition against the government is coming up on April 6. Shah Khadri had moved the SC alleging that the government had been delaying to settle the issue, despite clear instructions from the court.
Ritual status
The committee, after verifying historical records and previous legal proceedings held since 1837, listed seven findings on the dispute. They include the name of the place (which is Sri Guru Dattatreya Bababudan Swamy Dargah) and location of the shrine on the hills. Both Hindus and Muslims are the devotees of the institution, it says. Regarding the rituals at the institute, the report states that the practice of reading Fateha, offering food items, placing flowers on the tomb and paduka, applying sandalwood paste, burning of incense, lighting of Nandadeepa, raising flags, beating of nagara (drums) and offering holy water to the devotees are performed by Shah Khadri. The institution is declared not a wakf property, but one under the jurisdiction of the Muzrai Department.
With regard to allegations against the administrator, the committee states that whenever Sajjada Nasheen committed acts of mismanagement, misappropriation etc., the Muzrai Department had taken action in accordance with the law.
Based on these findings, the committee rejected the Endowment Commissioner’s recommendations filed before the Supreme Court on March 10, 2010. The commissioner had recommended the appointment of a Hindu priest to offer prayers in accordance with Agama. Citing the Places of Worship (Special Provisions) Act, 1991, the committee opined that the Endowment Commissioner’s report was liable to be rejected. The Act prohibits a change in the religious character of any such place after August 15, 1947.
The Endowment Commissioner’s report had cited historian Suryanath Kamath’s article titled ‘KarnatakaDattatreya Aradhane’ to recommend the appointment of a Hindu priest. The experts’ committee stated that Mr. Kamath’s article was “not based on any authentic evidence.”
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Karnataka / by Sathish G.T. / Chikkamagaluru, March 15th, 2018
Dr Iffat Faridi, a social activist is trying to urge the government to include Kannada Language in Open School System as the poor and Kannada Medium School Children are facing difficulties in continuing their study in Open School System.
Educationist Iffat Faridi wants NIOS to alter its policy so that vulnerable students can go beyond Class 9 — the last class where they are given questions in Kannada
For students like Maya, a Std 4 dropout from a Kannada medium school, the National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS) would seem like a Godsend.
Far removed from the rigid structure of conventional schools that require compulsory attendance, the NIOS allows for students to have access to education, with many conveniences, distance being one of them.
When Maya, who could read, write and speak fluently in Kannada, heard about the NIOS, she thought it was a dream come true. She could continue her education despite the gap and her long-cherished dream of getting a school certificate would be fulfilled. However when she decided to enroll herself in NIOS for the Std 10 exam, she realised that Kannada was not included as the medium of instruction for Std 10, although up until Std 10, it is. At the Std 10 level, students like Maya would have to choose either Hindi or English as a medium of instruction, for study material and for questions papers.
However, she was told that she could answer the question paper in Kannada since she was not fluent in Hindi or English.
The most crucial exam of a student’s life had become a battle of languages.
Fortunately, students like Maya, have in Iffat Faridi, an educationist and a resident of Bengaluru, a saviour who understands the challenges of studying in one language and being tested in quite another. And Faridi is leading the fight for giving girls like Maya the advantage of doing their Std 10 exams in a language they have fluency in.
Besides taking education to the people from underprivileged sections of society, Faridi is championing the cause to have Kannada as one of the languages of instruction in the NIOS system for Std 10.
Speaking to BM, Faridi said, “A blessing in disguise, the National Institute of Open School plays a pivotal role in the distance education system of India. It is a ray of hope for children who are not fortunate enough to join regular schools or who could not continue their schooling. Despite its obvious significant contribution to the Indian education system, NIOS has a serious issue in its system which needs to be highlighted and must be resolved,” she added.
Not just Maya…
She recounts the story of Renuka, a child of a migrant labourers from Gulbarga district, who is facing similar issues. Renuka started her schooling almost at the age of 10, after going through bridge courses based on modules developed by the Azim Premji Foundation in Kannada, Environmental studies and Math. She was admitted to a Kannada medium school, and initially enrolled in Std 1 as per rules. Later, based on performance tests conducted by the school, she was promoted to Std IV. At the moment, the 14-year-old wants to apply for Std 10 exams through NIOS and she faces the same issues as Maya. She has good command over Kannada but will have to master Hindi or English to learn the study material.
Faridi’s fight
Says Faridi, “Lack of study material in Kannada is a huge setback and injustice to the aspirations of those children who have done schooling purely in Kannada medium. Kids referred to NIOS belong to a class where parents are daily wagers. They earn very little and that too after working very hard from morning till evening. These children have taken the initiative for further education, on their own. Having travelled a fair distance on the road to being fully literate, they are facing setbacks in their path due to non-availability of study material in Kannada. They need full support from NIOS to pursue their dream of completing their education and get on a career path.”
NIOS reacts
When BM contacted Chandrashekar S, director of NIOS, Bengaluru branch, he said, “There is Kannada up to 10th. The 10th class study materials and examinations will be bi-lingual and the students can answer in Kannada. There is no problem in that. The next set of Kannada books are getting ready. Once it is released, students will be getting it.”
KDA slams the system
Reacting to the limitations for Kannada medium students in NIOS, SG Siddaramaiah, Chairman, Kannada Development Authority told BM, “What kind of unscientific methods are these? How can someone who knows only Kannada be made to read in English or Hindi and again write answers in Kannada? How is it even possible? Who is going to punish these type of people who deny access to education to Kannada medium students? This is coming to light now. What about all these years? Thousands of children have been denied education only because of this option.’’
While Faridi continues her fight with NIOS, she’s preparing her students to brace themselves for the language challenge ahead. She has already brought Hindi books from Delhi to prepare her students to learn from study materials in Hindi and English at the Std 10 level.
Why Open School?
Students who fail to qualify for regular school or are unable to pass a class despite multiple attempts have the option of completing studies through Open School. Also, mature students who wish to return to school after a break in studies or those children who have to shoulder the family’s burden pursue studies through Open School.
Are questions set only in English or Hindi?
No. Seven other options are available apart from English and Hindi. These are Urdu, Marathi, Telugu, Gujarati, Malayalam, Odia and Tamil. Note that all South Indian languages are available except for Kannada.
Can they learn and answer in Kannada?
Yes, but only till Class 9. In Class 10, the questions are set only in Hindi or English which is highly unfair for students already struggling with the system.
How many students benefit from Open School?
Last year, 1,64,192 students completed Secondary (equivalent to Class 10) through Open School. Around 500 students study in Kannada each year.
source: http://www.bangaloremirror.indiatimes.com / Bangalore Mirror / Home> Bangalore >Cover Story / by Kumaran P, Bangalore Mirror Bureau / March 16th, 2018
Proud moment: The 110 m tall monumental flag being inaugurated by district in-charge Ramesh Jarkiholi in Belagavi on Monday.
The 110 m tall flag post at Kote Kere is near the historic Belagavi fort
It was a joyous morning in Belagavi on Monday. Schoolchildren, NGO members, leaders and others gathered at the Kote Kere lake front to witness a unique celebration: the unfurling of what is claimed to be the country’s tallest national flag.
The 9,600 sq.ft flag on a 110 m flag pole was unfurled by Ramesh Jarkiholi, District in-charge Minister.
Religious leaders of Hindu, Muslim, Christian and Sikh institutions were present. MLA FirozSait, who has been pushing for the project, was present along with other district officials.
Mr. Jarkiholi said the flag was a testimony to the culture of harmony and togetherness of Belagavi. “BJP is not the sole custodian of nationalism. We are all proud Indians. We respect the principles of unity and harmony enshrined in the Constitution. India is a country of many faiths and all are equal here,” he said.
Mr. Sait observed that various religious and social and cultural groups had flags of different colours, but the national flag symbolised the cultural unity of all. He described this as a historic day and said the people of Belagavi had one more reason to be proud of their city.
Deputy Commissioner S. Ziyaullah, Police Commissioner D.C. Rajappa, ZP CEO R. Ramachandran, City Corporation Commissioner Shashidhar Kurer, Maratha Light Infantry regimental centre officers, and others were present.
The 110 m tall flag post at Kote Kere is near the historic Belagavi fort in the city. It is taller than the post in Pune (107 m) and the one at the Indo-Pak border at Attari (105 m).
“The monumental flag will be flown at all times, and will be well-lit at night. It should be seen by residents of Belagavi from afar and remain visible at all times,” Mr. Sait said.
The flag is made of weatherproof Denier polyester fabric. Two shorter poles with flood lights have been erected around the flag.
Permission granted
Following a judgment of the High Court of Bilaspur in 2010, the Union Home Ministry allows the flying of national flags beyond sunset. However, these flags are considered monumental flags and special permissions are issued on a case by case basis. The Union government has issued a permission for the Belagavi monumental flag.
The Belagavi City Corporation has completed the work under the Chief Minister’s special grant. The flag post is 2 m in diameter at the base and 0.6 m at the top. It has a three horsepower motor to raise the flag to the top.
New park
A park will come up in 1.5 acres around the flag. A committee comprising citizens, district administration, revenue, police and cantonment board officials will be formed to manage the park.
Earlier, the plan was to erect the flag post on an island in the centre of the lake. However, the soil there proved unstable for such a tall structure. Hence, it was shifted to the bank, an officer said.
Five flags
Officers are keeping five flags on standby. “Khadi fabric could not be used for the flag as looms cannot produce a flag of that size and the flag code does not allow stitching of small pieces,” a city corporation engineer working on the project, told The Hindu.
Officials have got Civil Aviation Ministry’s permission to fly the flag that within 25 km of the Sambra airport. A red light is affixed on top of the post to indicate its height to pilots.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Karnataka / by Special Correspondent / March 13th, 2018
