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Harmony award for Old Delhi worker

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NEW DELHI: Jayshree Shukla isn’t your everyday heritage enthusiast. While she captures the daily street life of Emperor Shah Jahan’s capital on camera, she also tries to live it as much as possible. Last year, she even fasted on Ramzan along with Muslims and broke them at Jama Masjid.

For being such a connoisseur who has “created understanding and awareness about Muslims”, Shukla has been honoured by Delhi Minorities Commission with its annual award in the Communal Harmony category for 2019.

Nov. 4, 2020, 10:28 a.m.


Communal Harmony

All Religious Leaders gather at Jamiat 'Sadbhawana Sammelan” to fight virus of Communalism

All religious leaders gather at Jamiat 'Sadbhawana Sammelan” to fight virus of communalism New Delhi: July 6, 2022:- An important 'Sadbhawana Sammelan' was held today at the headquarters of Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind in New Delhi under the auspices of Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind. The meeting was chaired by Maulana Mahmood Madani, President, Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind. This sammelan marked the unity of great leaders of all religions against the growing hatred in the country. The Sammelan was specially attended by the National Convener of Bharatiya Sarva Dharma Sansad, Sushil G. Maharaj, Acharya Lokesh Mani, President of Ahimsa Vishwa Bharati, and famous religious leader of Ravi Das Samaj, Swaji Vir Singh Hatkari Maharaj, Buddhist Guru Acharya Yeshi Phon Tosk, Pastor Maurish Parker and others. All of them jointly expressed concern over the current situation in the country and said that in this era, the protection of India's composite nationalism and common Sanskrit is everyone's responsibility. Today certain forces are active to spread hatred in the country. And the peace activists are being side-lined, so let's unite to show that peace has always emerged victorious. In his special address on the occasion, Goswami Sushilji Maharaj, National Convener, Sarvodharma Sansad, said that today India is at a point where such a movement is required more than ever, today the battle is to save the common civilization of the country. Expressing outrage over the discussion on TV, he said that the media had poisoned society by creating a dangerous atmosphere of communalism in the country. But he warned that those who want to break the country will never succeed in their nefarious design. This India belongs to everyone and will always belong to everyone. Everyone has made sacrifices for this country. And this reflects in the presence and positive roles of Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind for the last one hundred years in the country. Therefore no one can question the loyalty of any citizen of the country. Maulana Mahmood Madani, President of Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind, in his presidential address said that this is the soul of India which is why we are all gathered here. The current situation will not be detrimental merely to a particular community but to the country itself. On the one hand, our dream is for India to become a Vishwa Guru, on the other hand, there is a power that is perpetuating and tarnishing India's heritage and its identity. And those who speak the language of friendship are being side-lined. He said that the hatred cannot be done away by the same response but it can be eliminated by spreading love. Revenge or reaction has no place in Islam or humanity. I am very happy that the soul of India and the leaders of all religions have gathered here in such a difficult time, we are grateful to all of them who came here. “Take this message forward. We have to go and reach out to those who have fallen victim to misunderstandings and hatred and who have become tools of those who spread hatred.” Acharya Lokesh Muni said that Dharma teaches to combine, not to break. Maulana Madani Sahib is a social engineer who can combine the whole country. We expect him to take forward this message to Kashi, Ayodhya and Ajmer. The famous religious leader of the Ravidas community Mr Swaji Veer Singh Hatkari Maharaj said that religion does not teach intolerance. The religious leader of the Buddhist community, Shri Acharya Yashi Phon Tosk said that every religious leader should strive to end religious hatred. The scope of respect for humanity should be broad without barriers. Sardar Manpreet Singh Singh Ji said that the media has no right to call any person and present him as Dharma Guru. Referring to Guru Nanak Ji, he said that we are not against any Dharma but to oppress in the name of Dharma. The most important Dharma is mutual love. Today we are all connected; there can be no better day than this. At the beginning of the sammelan, Maulana Hakeemuddin Qasmi, General Secretary of the Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind, said: I have high regard to all the participants who spared their time to unite the heart of people belonging to different communities. And this task is not so easy. We are all ready to sacrifice everything for our country. And this feeling only unites us. For the last several centuries, communal harmony and unity exists in this country where different languages and cultures exist. Our organisation has a glorious history of serving humanity for the last hundred years. Since its inception, this organisation has stood for unity and brotherhood. Besides all these speakers several speakers including Maulana Niaz Ahmad Farooqui gave speeches on unity.

July 21, 2022, 1:25 p.m.

‘This is Hindustan’: How a Hindu woman protected Muslim shopkeepers during riots in Rajasthan

On April 2, Madhulika Rajput was faced with an angry mob outside the market complex in Rajasthan’s Karauli town where her family owns a number of shops. The men in the mob carried saffron flags, wore saffron scarves and chanted “Jai Sri Ram” – victory to lord Ram. They demanded to inspect the area for “other men who may be hiding”. “I told them I would not let anyone inside,” 48-year-old Rajput recounted. “They asked if anyone was hiding, but I said no one was here. I did not want the riot to spread further. No one can say anything to me here. No one can force me to do anything I do not want.” All day on April 2, mobs had been on the rampage across Karauli town in Rajasthan, setting fire to shops and chanting slogans. It had started with a bike rally to celebrate Hindu New Year, which played communally charged songs as it passed through the Muslim enclave of Atwara. In response, stone slabs were allegedly dropped on the procession from Muslim households. The next three hours saw the worst bout of communal violence in Karauli in decades, leaving at least 35 injured. What Rajput did not tell the mob at the gates was that about 15 Muslim shop owners and workers had gathered in the first floor of the complex. They were terrified and coughing as smoke from the neighbouring buildings seeped in. “I moved them to a safer room,” she said. “I put on the fan, gave them water and told them they could stay there as long as needed.” A place of greater safety Among those who took shelter were 28-year-old Danish Khan, who owns a shoe store in the complex, and 31-year-old Mohammaddin Khan, who works at a ladies’ garment stall on the road outside. When they heard of the commotion in the city on April 2, shop owners and workers exchanged frantic calls to ascertain the cause of the chaos. Soon afterwards, the shutters of shops went down, one after the other. “We thought we should head home, so we packed up and were leaving,” said Danish Khan. “As soon as we took a few steps outside, we saw a mob holding the saffron flag and destroying shops. My eyes met one of the men in the mob. Along with the others, I ran back into the complex.” Inside, they met Rajput. Danish Khan said he had not expected such kindness from her. “She said, come to our room on the top floor, this is not safe,” Danish recalled. Huddled together in the room, the men tried to comfort one another, hoping the police would restore calm soon. While some of the men already knew one another, many were strangers, thrown together by circumstances. There were anxious calls from home. As they hid, they heard the mob at the gate. “They were screaming, trying to open the gate by force, trying to find out where we were,” recalled Danish Khan. “They were saying they would set alight shops owned by Muslims.” Then they heard Rajput tell them to go away. “Aunty screamed at them and said she would not allow them to destroy shops,” Mohammaddin Khan recalled. They all heaved a sigh of relief. Ties that bind As the men waited, Rajput’s relative, Sanjay Singh, went up to the room. Singh, a technician, had been away on a job when the riots broke out. Soon afterwards, he received a call from his wife, who was staying with Madhulika Singh, asking him to go back to the shopping complex. “I came back and saw all these boys sitting in the room,” he said. He made sure they all had water and tea. He also told them that things were calming down outside and the roads would soon be clear. When Mohammaddin Khan’s mother called, he told her, “We are safe here. Madhulika and Sanjay ji have kept us safe.” He was especially touched by the kindness because he did not even work inside the complex. “I had never even met them before,” he said. “For them to take me in and keep me safe there, it meant a lot to me. I cannot deny that such acts of kindness are rare. These are very good people.” As the rioting died down and the group of shop owners and workers started to leave, Singh asked if they needed to be escorted home. “This is Hindustan and we are Rajputs, we are known to protect people and we will always do it. Irrespective of faith,” he said matter of factly. Karauli district magistrate Rajendra Singh Sekhawat said that a team formed by the district administration in the aftermath of the violence estimated losses worth Rs 2.5 crore because of the damage to shops and property. This amount was to be distributed between seven Hindus and 73 Muslims. The team has sent its report to Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot’s office. As the full picture of the violence became clear to Mohammaddin and Danish Khan, they realised what a lucky escape they had and vowed to help Rajput and her family whenever they needed. As for Rajput, she stands by her decision to protect them even after hearing stories of Muslims hurling stones on the Hindu rally. “See, these boys had nothing to do with what had happened with the procession,” she said. “They tried to leave but were met by mobs. I did not want them to be hurt or blood to be spilled. I could not have that on my conscience.” It was, she said, a question of “insaniyat”, humanity. Story published in https://scroll.in/article/1021679/

April 14, 2022, 1:16 p.m.

Harmony award for Old Delhi worker

NEW DELHI: Jayshree Shukla isn’t your everyday heritage enthusiast. While she captures the daily street life of Emperor Shah Jahan’s capital on camera, she also tries to live it as much as possible. Last year, she even fasted on Ramzan along with Muslims and broke them at Jama Masjid.

For being such a connoisseur who has “created understanding and awareness about Muslims”, Shukla has been honoured by Delhi Minorities Commission with its annual award in the Communal Harmony category for 2019.

Nov. 4, 2020, 10:28 a.m.

Hindu, Muslim KSRTC staff come together to build Ganesha temple in Karnataka's Chitradurga

In a show of unity, Hindu and Muslim KSRTC employees have come together to construct a Ganesha temple on the Chitradurga depot premises.

‘Raksha Ganesha’ temple, painted in saffron and green, was inaugurated on August 20 on the eve of Gowri-Ganesha festival. Devotees from both communities in Chitradurga are visiting the temple to offer pujas.

Sept. 22, 2020, 11:55 a.m.
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Act of Violence

Delhi violence: Facebook's refusal to appear before committe is attempt to conceal facts, says Ra...

NEW DELHI: Delhi legislative assembly's committee on 'Peace and Harmony' chief Raghav Chadha on Tuesday said Facebook's refusal to appear before the committee is an attempt to conceal crucial facts in relation to its role in Delhi riots.

Delhi assembly panel to issue 'final notice' to Facebook after representative skips proceedings

Sept. 22, 2020, 11:51 a.m.

Muslims protecting Bengaluru temple

BENGALURU: Amid the arson and stone pelting in East Bengaluru on Tuesday night, there was one act of harmony that lasted more than three hours. It was captured on a video clip which went viral drawing praise as well as some criticism that it was a cover-up.

Amateur cameraman and vlogger Syed Mohammed Hanif, 27, of Ashok Nagar got a call around 9.30pm on Tuesday about the riots in Kavalbyrasandra. He rushed to the spot and reached the BMTC bus terminus. “As I was running around and filming, I saw an unusual sight of some men forming a human chain and standing still. When I went closer, I realised the men were trying to protect a temple from rioters,” said Hanif, whose video got thousands of hits and shares on the internet.

The men were protecting a Hanuman temple even as protesters vandalised property and burnt vehicles in the area.

A Nadeem (29), a link in the human chain and seen in the video clip, said a few Muslim men got together to protect the temple. “When I went there, there were around 10 men trying hard to protect the shrine. I ran and joined them. Within minutes, more people joined the chain and there was no way the protesters could come near it. We were there till 11.30pm,” he said.

Sept. 22, 2020, 10:47 a.m.
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Accident

34% of road crash victims had no income, finds study

NEW DELHI: The hospitalisation samples of road crash victims from 54 hospitals across 20 cities show that 34% of them had no income and another 28% had monthly earnings between Rs 10,000 and Rs 20,000. This data collected during a study to work out the socio-economic cost of road accidents for the road transport ministry has revealed how it’s the poor who are the worst impacted in road crashes.

Oct. 15, 2020, 8:37 p.m.

Accident prone issue

This place is becoming a dangerous place for vehicles due to parking of cars to buy plants on Hans bhugra, Kalina, opposite fire office

Sept. 22, 2020, 8:47 a.m.
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Media False News

Kolkata: Man arrested for fake news videos

The cyber police recently arrested a man, Omar Sarvagnya, for uploading videos on his YouTube channel that allegedly spread fake news in connection with the case of actor Sushant Singh Rajput’s death and defaming the West Bangal government and Mumbai police.

He is out on bail.

Sept. 22, 2020, 8:57 a.m.
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