A Hindu married woman has committed suicide in Mehmedabad, Kheda over repeated molestation by a Muslim man identified as Tausif. In her suicide note, she named Tausif as the reason behind her drastic step. The incident was reported to the police and an investigation is underway.
According to the reports, the woman was living with her husband and two daughters in Mehmedabad, Kheda. Some time ago, Rausif, a resident of Vav Faliya in Mehmedabad started harassing her over the phone and messages. He often molested her and once even entered her house.
The victim objected to Tausif’s actions but he continued harassing her. If she blocked his one number, he would start calling her from other numbers. He also tried to extort money from her. In the end, he threatened her and said, “If you do not talk to me, I will kill your husband and shame you in the community”. After the threats, the woman committed suicide.
‘Tausif is still harassing me, it is time to end my life
Notably, the harassment had increased in the last few months. On 6th August, when she went to Ahmedabad with her husband and daughters to meet he brother, she informed her family about it.
She said, “Tausif is harassing me and not leaving me alone. He keeps sending me messages on WhatsApp and keeps calling me. I am tired of it. If it keeps happening, my time to die will come.” Her family convinced and consoled her after which she returned to Mehmedabad.
Content of the suicide note
Before taking the final step, she noted down her ordeal on a piece of paper and demanded strict action against Tausif Pathan. In the suicide note, she said, “Tausif Pathan has ruined my life. He calls me and demands money. If I don’t accept his demands, he threatens to kill my husband. Take strict action against Pathan and punish him. The reason for my suicide is Tausif Pathan.”
A complaint was filed in March
Around five months ago, when Tausif molested the woman by entering her house when she was alone, the family had complained of molestation against him at Mehmedabad police station.
If the police had taken timely action, the woman would have been alive today. Based on the complaint lodged by the brother of the victim, the police have now initiated action against Tausif and formed teams to arrest him.
In a shocking incident in the West Champaran district of Bihar, Muslim youths waved Islamic flags at a school on Independence Day (August 15). In the Majhauliya police station precinct, several Muslim youths arrived waving Islamic flags after the national tricolour was hoisted at a senior secondary school on Tuesday and attempted to hoit the Islamic green flag on the ground. However, the teachers and students chased them away. Later the police arrived at the spot and are still camping there to keep the situation under control.
SHOCKING:
An 11th Std. student Shahid Hasan waved the Islamic flag along with his colleagues in Bihar.
– Case of "Sitaram High School" of village Saraiya, West Champaran, Bihar.
— The Analyzer (News Updates?️) (@Indian_Analyzer) August 15, 2023
The Majhauliya police have arrested a class 11th student named Shahid Hasan in the matter who was involved in raising the Islamic flag at Sita Ram High School. The incident took place at around 9:15 am on Tuesday, after the national tricolour was hoisted at the said school to celebrate the 77th Independence Day. The accused Muslim youths forcefully entered the school premises holding green Islamic flags and attempted to hoist it. However, the school teachers and students protested.
The youths started to circle the flag hoisting site holding the green flag, raising Pakistan Zindabad slogans. This angered the students who have assembled for the flag-hoisting ceremony and attempted to nab them. Seeing this, several accused youths managed to escape by calling the boundary wall, however, the teachers and students captured one of them and seized three Islamic flags.
When the Majhauliya police arrived at the spot, the nabbed youth was handed over to them, and he was arrested. The arrested accused has been identified as Shahid Hasan, a resident of Jawkatiya village. According to the locals, several objectionable slogans were also raised by the accused Muslim youths during the incident.
Notably, Ashok Kumar, the headmaster of the school in question has been accused of deliberately ignoring the actions of the accused youths and distributing sweets even when they raised objectionable slogans. Kumar has said that the local villagers caught hold of an accused and turned him over to the police.
Meanwhile, Majhauliya station in-charge Abhay Kumar has said that the arrested accused is being questioned and he has so far revealed the names of other youths involved in the incident. Based on this information, 6 youths have been detained for questioning.
कोशिश की गई जिसका विद्यालय के शिक्षकों एवं स्थानीय लोगो द्वारा विरोध किया गया। वहा पर उपस्थित लोगो द्वारा पुलिस को सूचना देने की बात पर सभी लड़के वहा से भागने लगे भागने के क्रम में एक लड़के को मोहर्रम के तीन धार्मिक झंडे के साथ मझौलिया पुलिस द्वारा गिरफ्तार कर लिया गया(3/4)
Taking to Twitter, Bihar police informed several youths belonging to the ‘samuday vishesh’ fled after learning that the locals have called the police after they raised the Islamic flag and inflammatory slogans. The police added that a youth has been arrested along with three ‘Moharram’ flags. “The situation is normal,” police stated.
A sensational case of love jihad has come to light in the Bikapur police station area of Ramnagari Ayodhya district of Uttar Pradesh. A Muslim man named Shahnawaz, a resident of Ayodhya married a Hindu woman named Malti by claiming to be Dilip.
The victim was a widow and mother of two children. A few days after their wedding, he tried to arrange the circumcision of her son. She filed a police complaint after she learned about it. The police have registered a case against the accused in the Bikapur police station under the provisions of religious conversion and arrested him.
The victim used to live in Mumbai, Maharashtra, along with her husband and two kids, a 13-year-old son and a one-year-old daughter. After her husband died, the accused, Shahnawaz, who lived in a nearby house, befriended her. He introduced himself as Dilip and pretended to be a Hindu. They began a romantic relationship and he proposed to her. The couple then got married in a temple there.
The family recently came to Bhaggu Jalalpur in Ayodhya to his native place. The victim stated that Shahnawaz tried to pressure her to forcibly marry her in a Muslim ceremony (Nikah) the day after she arrived and informed her that she would have to live according to Muslim customs. Furthermore, he tried to have her son circumcised.
She immediately reported the incident to the neighbourhood police department after which he was apprehended. She is presently staying at her parents’ home in Gorakhpur.
On 21st February 1944, MK Gandhi and his son Devadas fought as the latter wanted doctors to administer penicillin to Kasturba Gandhi who was on death bed due to pneumonia. Gandhi, however, was not in favor of the idea. Author Alex Von Tunzelmann talked about the incident in chapter 8 ‘A New Theater’ of the book ‘Indian Summer: The Secret History of the End of an Empire’.
Excerpt from Indian Summer: The Secret History of the End of an Empire. Source: Archive.org
Gandhi even pushed her to give up using medicine as she neared death. Devadas, in a desperate attempt to save her mother, flew in penicillin from Calcutta (now Kolkata) to treat her. However, he faced opposition from Gandhi who forbade it. When Devadas tried to argue with him, Gandhi said, “Why do you not trust God?”.
Kasturba was down with pneumonia. Doctors wanted to administer Penicillin, the anti-pneumonia drug that had saved millions. But Gandhi forbade it. He even fought with his son. "I am happy beyond measure," he exclaimed when Ba died the next day.
Instead of giving her the medicine, Gandhi decided to fill the room with followers who sang devotional songs, as per the book. The next day, on 22nd February 1944, Kasturba Gandhi died. Speaking to Sushila Nayyar, one of his close associates, his physician and partner in Gandhi’s “celibacy experiments”, he said, “’How God has tested my faith! ‘If I had allowed you to give her penicillin, it could not have saved her. But it would have meant bankruptcy of faith on my part… And she passed away in my lap! Could it be better? I am happy beyond measure.”
The incident was talked about in Siby K Joseph’s book ‘Kasturba Gandhi – An Embodiment of Empowerment‘. In the 22nd Chapter ‘The Road to Martyrdom’, it was described by Nayyar herself. Nayyar, in one of her notes, wrote that Gandhi called her and asked to stop all medicines. He claimed to have refused modern medicines to all his children even in serious illnesses. Gandhi wanted to stop food for Kasturba and ordered to give her only water and honey. Devadas’s arguments with Gandhi and how he forbade him from giving the medicine were described in detail in the book.
No modern medicine for Kasturba and children, but yes modern medicine for himself?
Going by the rigidness of Gandhi against modern medicine, one may think he had observed the same for himself and other associates. But the case was different. Interestingly, records show that he had undergone repeated medical tests and surgery throughout his life though Kasturba was denied penicillin.
In 2019, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) published a book titled Gandhi and Health on his 150th birth anniversary. In the chapter “Gandhi’s Experiments With Health” authored by Annalalai of the National Gandhi Museum, it was mentioned how he underwent an appendectomy on 12th January 1924.
It read, “Gandhi was admitted at the Sassoon Hospital on emergency medical care. Gandhi was then in Pune, serving his six-year sentence in a sedition case since 1922. However, two years later he was required to undergo an emergency appendectomy to remove an inflamed appendix and the surgery began on the night of January 12, 1924, as a thunderstorm raged on.”
Source: ICMR
It added, “The surgeon who operated on Gandhi was a British colonel, Maddock. While the surgery was in progress, the electric bulb went off. The appendectomy had then to be finished by the light of a hurricane lamp. Gandhi and Kasturba thanked the surgeon, nurse and the entire medical team and took a photograph with them. During his visit to London in 1931, he met Col. Maddock on a courtesy visit.”
There is a medical record available where Gandhi’s name was mentioned for the appendectomy. It can be checked here.
Source: Alamy
In an India Today report, it was mentioned that Gandhi wanted Dr Dalal and Dr Jeevraj to operate on him who were in Mumbai at the time. However, British surgeon Dr Colonel Maddock informed Gandhi he needed surgery immediately. Pune’s Sassoon Hospital, where he got the surgery has been turned into a memorial.
Manu Gandhi’s operation
Senior Consulting Editor of DD News, Prakhar Shrivastava, while replying to journalist Rahul Dev, recently pointed out that while Gandhi was vehemently against modern medicines and treatment when Kasturba was suffering, he changed his stance when Manuben had to undergo an appendix operation. Gandhi sat in the operation theatre and observed the surgery.
Dev had claimed Gandhi had tremendous faith in the traditional treatment and Ramanam. And he had put his children’s and wife’s life at stake not out of malice but because he was an ardent ‘believer’ in traditional treatments and prayers.
The operation was done on 15 May 1947, three years after Kasturba Gandhi died. ICMR’s book recalled the surgery.
परम आदरणीय राहुल देव जी, अगर अनुमति दें तो इस विषय में थोड़ा संशोधन करना चाहूंगा। ये बात सही है कि गांधीजी अंग्रेजी दवाओं और इलाज के विरोधी थे, लेकिन जब बात उनकी पोती मनुबेन की जीवन रक्षा की आई तो उन्होंने अंग्रेजी शल्यचिकित्सा की तरफ रुख कर लिया था। मनुबेन को जब अपेंडिक्स की… https://t.co/AfUyGU3Gwppic.twitter.com/0SWPUYxW2v
It read, “During Manu’s appendectomy operation in Patna, Gandhi wanted to observe the whole operation. Noted in Gandhi’s diary on May 15, 1947, “Manu has a severe stomach ache, she also had vomiting and is running temperature. I therefore called in the doctors who examined her. Manu’s complaint was diagnosed as appendicitis. I had her removed to the hospital immediately. She will be operated upon at night.”
It added, “I called back Madalasa and Santok. They came. Watched Manu’s operation at the hospital. Mridula and Madu were keeping her company. But they were not allowed inside the operation theatre. I had put on a surgical mask and watched the whole operation. She was taken to the room upstairs at 10.30. I entrusted her to the doctor’s care and returned at 11.10. I went to bed after 11.30. Dr. Col. Bhargava operated.”
Source: indianculture.gov.in
Gandhi tried to treat her with a mud-pack. As per ICMR’s book, on the next day, Gandhi wrote to Manu’s father Jaisukhlal Gandhi. He said, “I had suspected even in Delhi that it was appendicitis. I had hoped that treatment with a mud pack would help her to get well. But it did not help her sufficiently. I, therefore, called in the doctors yesterday. They advised an operation, and I, therefore, got her operated upon.”
Manu was Gandhi’s grandniece and was used by him as one of the participants in his so-called ‘experiments with celibacy’ where he used to sleep naked with girls and had naked girls bathe him. She was often seen with Gandhi, who used her and Abha, another grandniece, as support while walking.
Manuben (Right) with Gandhi, image via India Today
Manuben’s diaries were accessed in 2013 by India Today. The entires revealed that Gandhi used to control almost every aspect of her life, including food, education, sleeping, rest schedule, and even the clothes she wore. She even used to sleep in the same bed with him.
Photographs of him sitting in the operation theatre are available in the public domain and can be checked here and here.
On August 15, a case of alleged abduction and conversion of a Hindu woman has come to the fore from the Dungarpur district of Rajasthan. An individual identified as Irfan Haider has been accused of brainwashing a Hindu woman who is the mother of two children, taking her to Kuwait and converting her to Islam.
The incident came to the fore after the photograph of the woman wearing a burqa appeared on social media. The husband of the victim woman alleged that the accused concealed his identity and abducted his wife after brainwashing her. He later took her to Kuwait and converted her religion to Islam.
The local Patidar community and several members of the Hindu organization took cognizance of the event and wrote a letter to the Collector and the Dungarpur SP demanding strict action against the accused.
Mukesh Patidar, husband of the woman identified as Deepika is employed in Mumbai. He said that his wife July 10 had informed him that she was ill and that she was going to Khedbrahma town of Sabarkantha district in Gujarat. “That evening is the last time we talked. After that she didn’t receive my phone,” he said.
After this, as per the reports, Patidar filed a missing person complaint on July 15. As police began investigations into the case, the woman contacted Patidar on August 12 and talked to him for several hours. She said that she was ill and that she had been admitted to a hospital.
However, on August 13 she called him again and revealed that she was not in India. “You are always worried due to me. I trouble you a lot. So now I have now come out of the country,” the woman said on the video call. Mukesh immediately left Mumbai and reached Dungarpur.
In the meantime, the photograph of the woman in the burqa went viral over the internet.
Patidar said that he and his wife had been married for 14 years and are parents of two children. He said that the accused concealed his identity to trap and abduct the woman. He also demanded strict punishment against the accused.
As per the husband’s complaint, Deepika has also taken cash worth Rs 2,35,000 and gold jewellery of about 15 tolas with her.
PI Govind Singh commented on the issue and said that a missing person complaint has been filed in the case. “The woman would often go to Khedbrahma town of Sabarkantha district in Gujarat to meet her friend who now took her to Kuwait,” he was quoted as saying.
Earlier in July, a similar incident was reported when Anju, a married woman from Rajasthan went to Pakistan to meet her ‘friend’ Nasrulla and later got married to him. The woman who is the mother of two children, also converted her religion and was gifted money and a piece of land for converting her religion to Islam.
Anju’s husband in India, Arvind, stated that the woman had lied to him that she is going to Jaipur to visit her sister and the next thing he knew was that she is in Pakistan. Anju has now named herself Fatima post-conversion.
In the current case, the husband of the woman identified as Deepika alleged that Irfan Haider has abducted his wife and brainwashed her. He then took her to Kuwait and converted her religion to Islam. Investigations in the case are underway.
A wall collapse near the Banke Bihari temple in Mathura has killed five people and injured at least four others. The incident was caught on CCTV camera on 15th August. Devotees can be seen walking through an alley and just as a car passes by, the portion of an old building is seen collapsing in the video.
VIDEO | "An unfortunate incident happened this evening after a roof and wall of a building collapsed near Banke Bihari Temple, in which five people were killed and four injured," says Mathura DM Pulkit Khare. pic.twitter.com/Bq4RAd8Vhw
Mathura SSP Shailesh Kumar Pandey said cops were coincidentally present near the site of the incident and all injured were rushed to the hospital. Meanwhile visuals from the site after the wall collapse show the severe extent of the damage. UP CM Yogi Adityanath has announced an ex gratia of Rs 4 lakh to the next of kin of the deceased.
The CM took cognizance of the incident and expressed condolence over the loss of life. “UP CM @myogiadityanath has taken cognizance of the accident caused by the collapse of an old building in Mathura district. The Chief Minister has expressed deep condolence over the loss of life in this accident and while wishing peace to the souls of the deceased, expressed condolences to the bereaved families. Also wished for the speedy recovery of the injured,” the UP CMO tweeted.
#UPCM@myogiadityanath ने जनपद मथुरा में पुरानी इमारत गिरने से हुए हादसे का संज्ञान लिया है। मुख्यमंत्री जी ने इस हादसे में हुई जनहानि पर गहरा शोक व्यक्त किया है व दिवंगतों की आत्मा की शांति की कामना करते हुए शोक संतप्त परिजनों के प्रति संवेदना व्यक्त की है। साथ ही घायलों के…
It further said, “The Chief Minister has instructed the senior officers of the district administration to conduct relief work on the spot and to provide relief amount of ₹ 04-04 lakh to the families of the deceased in the accident.” The incident occurred at around 5.30 in the evening.
The deceased have been identified as Geeta Kashyap (50), Arvind Kumar Yadav (35), and Rashmi Gupta (52) from Kanpur, Anju Murgan (51) of Vrindavan, and Chandan Rai (28) of Deoria. Reports say that the wall collapsed after a bunch of monkeys were fighting on the wall. The deceased were reportedly relatives who were on a pilgrimage from Kanpur.
The incident occurred around 200 meters away from the temple. It must be noted that the area surrounding the Banke Bihari temple houses several houses many of which are very old and almost in dilapidated condition. And heavy rainfall this year in the region has added to the woes.
On Monday (14 August), the Algerian Foreign Ministry claimed that Denmark’s Foreign Minister apologised for the frequent incidences of Quran burning in the European nation. The Ministry claimed that the Danish Minister was regretful over the acts where certain groups gathered outside missions or embassies of several Muslim nations including the Algerian Embassy to burn the Quran, the holy book of Islam.
Denmark’s FM Lokke Rasmussen apologises for a recent string of Quran burnings by far-right extremists in front of the diplomatic missions of several Muslim nations, including Algiers' – Algerian foreign ministry pic.twitter.com/SXzn3mm4gP
The Algerian Foreign Ministry made this claim in its official release regarding a telephonic conversation between the Foreign Ministers of both nations.
The statement read, “Minister of Foreign Affairs and National Community Abroad, Ahmed Attaf, received a telephone call from his Danish counterpart, Lars Lokke Rasmussen, in which he expressed his “regrets and apologies” for the criminal act of burning the Quran in front of the embassies of Muslim countries, including the Algerian embassy in Copenhagen.”
According to the Algerian Ministry, Rasmussen described these acts as intolerable and unacceptable. The Danish Minister stressed that these acts were intrinsically contrary to the traditions of hospitality, openness, and tolerance that are firmly rooted in Danish society, the statement said.
Further, during the phone call, Denmark’s Foreign Minister Rasmussen assured his Algerican counterpart that their government is bringing a law to curb these acts.
The official release stated, “He (Danish Foreign Minister) also informed Attaf that his country’s government was about to finalize the text of a law that would put an end to these unacceptable practices, adding that the bill will be submitted to the Parliament as soon as the session resumes in four weeks’ time.”
Earlier, on Saturday (12 August), members of a group named Danske Patrioter, or Danish Patriots, allegedly burned a copy of the Quran in front of the Turkish Embassy in Copenhagen, as reported by Turkish state-run news outlet Anadolu Anjansi (AA).
The media report further added that the same group proceeded ahead and allegedly burnt another copy of the Quran in front of the Iraqi Embassy in Copenhagen.
Meanwhile, on the same day, Monday (14 August) another incident of Quran burning was recorded in Sweden. A copy of the Quran was allegedly desecrated in Sweden’s capital Stockholm in front of the Royal Palace. The incident took place amid a heavy police presence where two men allegedly kicked the holy book of Islam and burnt several pages of it. Reportedly, this was the second such case in a matter of weeks where some miscreants burnt the Quran, an act which is permitted under Sweden’s freedom of speech laws.
As per an Aljazeera report, few men had printed multiple pages of the Quran that had text in Arabic as well as translations in Swedish that blew across the square.
The man is allegedly throwing pages of the Quran, Islam’s holy book (Image Source – Aljazeera)
While the Muslim nations are fuming over the incidences of the Quran burning, many European citizens have been urging their governments not to cow down to this opposition and not curtail the freedom of their citizens.
Several X users have voiced their concerns about free speech and registered their opposition to the reports claiming that governments may start curbing such protests and even put a ban on these acts.
The Clarity Coalition is appalled by the recent decision by Western states to capitulate to the pressures of Islamists. We view the announcements by Denmark and Sweden to ban protests involving Quran burnings as a defeat for global free speech.… pic.twitter.com/6CkOZqYV3J
— Yasmine Mohammed ? ياسمين محمد (@YasMohammedxx) August 14, 2023
In fact, earlier, in July, Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson expressed his concerns and said that he is “extremely worried” as more people were applying for permission to burn Quran in the Nordic country.
A sharp increase in incidences of Quran burning across Europe
In recent times, Europe especially Sweden and Denmark has seen a sharp increase in the number of protests where an individual or a group has come out to register their protest and commit alleged acts of desecration or Quran burning.
In April, a group in Denmark allegedly insulted the Turkish flag and the Quran in front of the Turkish Embassy in Copenhagen.
Later, on the 28th of June, a man tore up and burned a Quran outside Stockholm’s central mosque after Swedish Police had authorised him to stage the demonstration.
The man allegedly burnt the Quran in Sweden. (Image source – India Today)
A similar incident was noted on 21st July 2023. Reportedly, the Danske Patrioter group in Denmark burnt Quran in front of Iraq’s embassy in Copenhagen. The protesters also threw the Iraqi flag on the ground and stomped on it.
However, the number of incidences has seen a sharp increase even among the overall trend. On 1st August, the Quran was burnt in front of the Embassies of Türkiye, Iraq, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia in Copenhagen.
An Iranian woman, Firoozeh Bazrafkan shreds the Quran with a grater outside the Iranian embassy in Copenhagen, Denmark.pic.twitter.com/Bbj4WMQi9x
Later, on 3rd August, the holy book of Islam, the Quran was again allegedly burnt in front of the Embassies of Türkiye, Iraq, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and Iran.
As per a Turkish news outlet, this allegedly happened on multiple occasions in front of Embasisses of Muslim countries, on the 1st, 3rd, 4th, and 7th of August.
While this has strained the diplomatic relations of these nations with the Muslim world, it has led to a fierce debate between freedoms and limits of freedoms.
The Nehru Memorial Museum and Library (NMML) has officially been renamed as the Prime Ministers’ Museum and Library (PMML) Society with effect from Monday by the Centre.
PMML vice-chairman A Surya Prakash while taking to X, earlier known as Twitter confirmed the same.
“Nehru Memorial Museum and Library (NMML) is now Prime Ministers Museum and Library (PMML) Society w.e.f August 14, 2023 – in tune with the democratisation and diversification of the remit of the society. Happy Independence Day! @narendramodi, @rajnathsingh @MinOfCultureGoI,” Prakash said.
In mid-June, during a special meeting of the NMML Society, it was resolved to change its name to PMML Society. The Culture Ministry had then said that it had decided to change the name of the Nehru Memorial Museum and Library Society to Prime Ministers’ Museum and Library Society.
The decision was taken at a special meeting of the Memorial Museum and Library Society which was presided over by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, who is the Vice-President of the Society.
This project was approved by Executive Council, NMML in its 162nd meeting held in November 2016. The Pradhanmantri Sangrahalaya was opened to the public on April 21 last year.
During the inauguration, despite having received an invitation from the government, no member of the Nehru-Gandhi family was present for the function.
Three members of the Nehru-Gandhi family including Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi, and Rajiv Gandhi have served as Prime Ministers of the country.
The Culture Ministry release said that the Museum is a seamless blend that begins at the renovated and refurbished Nehru Museum building, “now completely updated with technologically advanced displays on the life and contribution of Jawaharlal Nehru”.
“Housed in a new building the museum then goes on to tell the story of how our Prime Ministers navigated the nation through various challenges and ensured the all-round progress of the country. It recognizes all the Prime Ministers, thereby democratizing the institutional memory,” the release had said.
(This news report is published from a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has not been written or edited by OpIndia staff)
Mahim, a prominent area that makes for a gateway for the suburbs into South Mumbai, has long been known for housing the Mahim Dargah, Mahim Church, and Mahim Fort. But did you know that at the heart of this bustling Mumbai neighbourhood resides a community that inherits the wounds of partition and reflects the indomitable spirit of starting afresh? A new life, a nav jivan…The Navjivan Society.
Mahim’s renowned Navjivan Society – officially known as Jethiben Colony – is a treasure chest of moving stories of suffering, resilience, unity, and patriotism of the Sindhi community. One of the many Hindu communities that were forced out from their own land overnight during partition was the Sindhi community, a people from the land of Sindh that derived its name from the Sindhu river.
Kumari Jethi Tulsidas Sipahimalani (Source: Best Knowledge of Indus/YouTube)
That the Sindhis were an economically, politically, and even socially developed community is reflected in the life story of Kumari Jethi Tulsidas Sipahimalani, who became a member of the Sindh Legislative Assembly twice unopposed and the first woman to hold the office of Deputy Speaker in 1937 after Sindh received the status of a separate province. Born on 10 February 1906 in Hyderabad (in Sindh), Jethiben received her education from Kundanmal Girls High School and later Indian Girls School in Karachi.
In the 1930s, Jethiben sacrificed her job as Principal in Daya Ashram and the comforts of life to pursue the higher goal of releasing India from the chains of the British Raj. Inspired by the works of Acharya Assudomal Gidwani, Acharya JB Kriplani, and Jairamdas Daulatram, Jethiben joined the Indian Freedom Movement. She spent a significant period from 1932 to 1942 behind bars for her revolutionary activities.
The hammer stroke of partition fell the hardest on the Sindhis who lost the only native land they called home in its entirety without being able to retain any part of it in Independent India.
Residing close to the Navjivan society, Viru Doolani, Bharatiya Sindhi Sabha Vice President for Maharashtra was seven years old when his family migrated to India. “We were such a prosperous community back in Sindh. We were trade masters. My family was in the jewellery business. But overnight, we were reduced to a community that was not wanted in their native land anymore.” He added, “There was so much looting on the trains we boarded. The Muslims from UP and Bihar who had migrated to Sindh held us hostage and looted us. I had heard from my father how some men were thrown out of the train by these attackers. As for the Brahmins in Sindh, they were eliminated.”
A senior resident of Jethiben Colony, Hema Fatnani Gianani, narrates the story of her parents who migrated from Karachi immediately after their wedding. “My parents got married in Karachi and they had to leave immediately after partition was announced. I remember the story that my Dadi had asked for a cow from my Nanaji as a dowry. My Nanaji said to her, ‘Where and how will you take the cow? The country is getting partitioned.’ This is a story that I can’t forget,” she told OpIndia.
Residents of Jethiben Colony on the day of the renaming ceremony of the Sindhi society
Jethiben was amongst the Sindhis who migrated to India post-partition and, despite her well-established position in Sindh of pre-partitioned India, had to start the journey all over again. And so she did. Jethiben dedicated her life to the rehabilitation of the Sindhi community and their integration with India at the same time when Independent India itself was in the process of integration. Her work set the bedrock for the resettlement of Sindhi migrants in Mahim and surrounding areas.
Jethiben paved her way into the then-Bombay Legislative Council as a member from 1952 to 1962 and as Deputy Chairman from 1954 to 1962. Using her powerful position for the upliftment of the community, Jethiben went on to establish four complexes under ‘The Navjivan Co-op Housing Society’ in Mahim, Matunga, Chembur, and Mumbai Central (Lamington Road). She lobbied extensively to provide shelter to nearly 2,000 Sindhis who were uprooted and stranded in military barracks.
“The work done by Jethiben is commendable. For a woman in that era to display such courage and give direction to her people in such extraordinary circumstances and even organize the finances for such a visionary project is inspiring,” said the current Chairman of the Jethiben Colony, Captain MS Virdi (retired), a Navy veteran.
The Gurudwara on the premises of Jethiben Colony
In 1956, Jethiben procured the land for the Navjivan Society. She applied for a loan from The Bombay Co-operative Housing Finance Society Limited in 1958 receiving a construction cost of Rs 20,59,000/-. This allowed the members to avail of flats on a non-profit basis at a payback instalment of Rs 200 a month. By 1978, with all dues cleared, Mahim and Mumbai at large had embraced the essence of Sindh. Jethiben did not marry; she adopted a son, the late Mangharam Sipahimalani, and devoted her life to the development of the Sindhi community in India.
The Jethiben Colony was inaugurated on 25th March 1959 by the then Finance Minister Morarji Desai. On 21 May 1979, Jethiben breathed her last leaving a void that can never be fulfilled. But she left behind an unmatched legacy. Dadi Hardevi Vasvani and Dadi Bhagwanti are some of the prominent names in the colony to this day; they kept the Sindhi heritage alive by teaching the Sindhi language to the next generations, sang Bhajans, and told stories of the yore.
“Dadi Bhagwanti got married in Karachi but lost her husband after a few months. She then dedicated her entire life to the nation and her culture, bought the house in the colony from her own savings,” says Hema ji, who holds the treasure box of memories she has collected from the many residents of the society.
Marking the Partition Horrors Remembrance Day, Hema ji gave a rousing speech on the streets of Dadar while attending an event. “We have watched The Kashmir Files and Kerala Story and cried, but our ancestors have gone through all of it decades ago. They had nothing with them. And in a bid to put food on the table, they could not give equal attention to their (Sindhi) culture. Hence now, we want to make up for that loss. Sindhis never demanded minority status, we never begged. We are proud that we are Sindhis, we are Hindus, and we are Hindustanis.”
About 65 years after its inception, new life will be breathed into Kumari Jethi T. Sipahimalani CHS, Mahim, with its redevelopment as it prepares to move forward with the resurgence of New India. “It has been a long journey for the Sindhi community since partition. But it has been a forward-moving journey ever since we stepped into Independent India. This is the time to continue on that path and rebuild a new future,” said Chairman Captain MS Virdi and Secretary Kumar Darira who are spearheading the redevelopment project for the society.
Meanwhile, many Sindhis are still stranded in Pakistan and are subjected to unspeakable atrocities. They yearn for a life in India. A Sindh that flourished with its Sindhi population is now reduced to rubble from the constant destruction of Hindu temples and Sikh Gurudwaras or whatever is left of them. Minor Hindu and Sikh girls are abducted, converted, raped, and killed in the Sindh province to this day.
On Tuesday, the 15th of August, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak attended the Ram Katha recital by spiritual Guru Morari Bapu at Jesus College, University of Cambridge. Currently, Morari Bapu is conducting his 921st recital, titled ‘Manas Vishwavidyalay,’ which began on the 12th of August and will end on the 20th of August.
Meanwhile, attending the Ram Katha, UK PM Sunak made a floral offering to Morari Bapu’s Vyas Peeth, chanting “Jai Siya Ram”. He also highlighted that when he was a Chancellor, he lit diyas outside during the auspicious time of Diwali.
Rishi Sunak is an ardent Hindu and the first Prime Minister of Indian descent in Britain. In the past, he has not shied away from his Hindu credentials despite vested interest groups attacking him for his religious beliefs. He has taken oath at the House of Commons on Bhagavad Gita since 2017. As a clear sign of deeply entrenched Hinduphobia in the UK and the world over, he has endured online hate for his Hindu roots and adorning Hindu symbols like the sacred thread or Kalava he wears on his hand.
Addressing the August gathering, Sunak said, “It is truly an honour and pleasure to be here today at Morari Bapu’s Ram Katha at the University of Cambridge on Indian Independence Day. Bapu, I am here today not as a prime minister but as a Hindu. For me, faith is very personal. It guides me in every aspect of my life. Being Prime Minister is a great honour, but it is not an easy job. There are difficult decisions to make, hard choices to confront and our faith gives me courage, strength, and resilience to do the best that I can for our country.”
He added, “For me, it was a wonderful and special moment to light diyas for Diwali outside 11 Downing Street back when I was Chancellor. And just like Bapu has a Golden Hanuman in his background, I am proud that a Golden Ganesha sits gleefully on my desk at 10 Downing Street. It is a constant reminder to me about listening and reflecting on issues before acting!”
He further stated that he was proud of his national as well as religious identity and is proud to be Hindu.
He recalled his earlier memories of childhood and growing up years in South Hampton. He pointed out that he used to visit his neighbourhood temple along with his siblings and would participate in rituals like havans, pujas, Artis, and the distribution of prasad with his family. He emphasised the value system enshrined in the Hindu way of life.
Sunak said, “Our values and what I see Bapu does each day of his life are the values of selfless service, devotion, and keeping the faith. But perhaps the greatest value is duty or seva, as we know it. These Hindu values are very much shared British values.”
UK PM further asserted that for him Lord Ram will always be an inspiration and said, “I leave here today remembering the Ramayana that Bapu speaks on, but also the Bhagavad Gita and the Hanuman Chalisa. And for me, Lord Ram will always be an inspirational figure to face life’s challenges with courage, to govern with humility, and to work selflessly.”
On the issue of leadership, he categorically stated that he aspires to lead in accordance with how our scriptures have taught leaders to lead.
PM Sunak concluded his speech by lauding Morari Bapu’s work citing the recently concluded Jyotirlinga Ram Katha Yatra that covered over 12000 kilometers. Subsequently, he performed Aarti on stage.
In his opening remarks of the Ram Katha, Morari Bapu hailed Prime Minister Rishi Sunak both as the head of the nation and as an individual of Indian descent.
Acknowledging the fact that Sunak doesn’t typically accept gifts, Bapu presented him with a consecrated Shivlinga from Somnath as a token, a sacred offering from the Jyotirlinga Ram Katha Yatra.
