In the Bageshwar Dham Temple in Madhya Pradesh’s Chhatarpur, a man named Rajjan Khan reportedly entered with a desi pistol and ammunition. A report in Republic Bharat states that the man was found roaming with a gun in the ‘Parikrama Marg’ of the Bageshwar Dham temple.
The report says the man named Rajjan Khan was first spotted by devotees in the Parikrama Marg around the Bageshwar Dham Temple in Chhattarpur. He had a gun in his hand. The sight of the man roaming with a gun in his hand caused panic among the people. Some alert devotees called the police and soon the man was apprehended.
As per initial information, the gun in Rajjan Khan’s possession was found to be a 315-bore desi pistol. He had some ammunition in possession too. The man is reportedly a resident of Indrapuri Colony in Shivpuri, Madhya Pradesh. It is not clear why he had entered the temple with a gun.
The gruesome murder of a Hindu youth named Manohar in the Chamba district of Himachal Pradesh has turned into a political storm now. The BJP criticised the Congress government on Monday, alleging that the latter’s bad policies had caused the state’s law and order to crumble. Manohar Lal was brutally murdered for being in a relationship with a Muslim girl named Rukhsana.
According to opposition leader Jai Ram Thakur, no government official has visited the victim Manohar’s family in the 13 days since the murder. Thakur reiterated the BJP’s call for an NIA investigation into the matter and warned that the party would not remain silent if such horrible crimes continued to persist.
“The people voted for Congress to bring change and not for appeasement of a particular community and we are with the family of the victim in this war for justice,” Thakur said. “We were stopped from meeting the family of the victim and by making allegations against those demanding justice for the victim, the government is siding with the accused,” he further added.
Addressing a press meeting on June 19, the former state CM posed serious questions in the Manohar murder case and said that the head of the family accused of murder, Sharif Mohammed, has carried out several dubious financial transactions. He said that the accused had exchanged Rs 95 lakhs during demonetisation and that he had bank deposits of around Rs 2 crores.
Thakur stated that the BJP has looked into the matter to further learn that the accused has illegally occupied 100 bighas of government land when only 3 bighas of it are registered in the name of the accused. As per Thakur, the accused also sells 200 sheep and goats annually when he actually owns only 100 of them.
Thakur also alleged that Sharif Mohammed has a criminal record and that he has terrorist connections. He stated that the accused were linked to the Satrundi terror attack in Chamba in 1998. This incident had claimed the lives of 35 people.
The statement by Thakur comes days after an agitated mob comprising locals burned down the house of the accused in the gruesome Manohar Lal murder case in the Salooni area in the Chamba district of Himachal Pradesh.
The protestors also led a demonstration outside the Kihar Police Station. They raised some slogans and demanded strict action against the killers of the 21-year-old Manohar Lal. Following the murder, Manohar Lal’s body was chopped into eight pieces and thrown in a water stream in Bhandal village of Chamba district.
The boy was first called by the accused and then was beaten with sticks and then chopped into eight pieces. Later, the body was put into a drain after he died. While patrolling in the region on June 9, four soldiers from the Indian Reserve Battalion discovered the body. Some media reports suggest that the chopped body was found in a sack after locals noticed it and informed the police.
As per Police officials, 11 accused have been arrested in this case. Deputy Commissioner Apoorv Devgan had earlier announced that investigations were underway regarding the accusations of construction of houses on private land in the Sankchuri area and encroachment on forest department land.
Additionally, DC Devgan has informed the media that the Income Tax Department will be engaged to probe the substantial funds deposited in the accused’s accounts. Furthermore, the Revenue Department has been directed to initiate an investigation into the confiscated land.
Thakur on Monday also added that due to the wrong policies of the Congress government, law and order in the state has collapsed and police officers are making political statements. “The Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu-led government has failed to fulfill the guarantees given by the Congress during the assembly polls,” he added.
Amid rising cases of scams via WhatsApp calls, its parent company Meta has introduced a new feature called “Automatically Silence Unknown Contacts” to provide better security and privacy on the app. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced it on the official Instagram Channel.
Zuckerberg wrote, “You can now automatically silence incoming calls from unknown contacts on WhatsApp for even more privacy and control.” In recent times, WhatsApp has introduced several features for improved privacy, including Chat Lock, disappearing messages, and screenshot blocking for viewing once and more.
Source: Instagram
Notably, the update came at a time when a lot of users have raised concerns and filed complaints of scam calls via WhatsApp. People have reportedly lost lakhs of rupees in India owing to such online frauds. In most cases, scammers have posed as customs officers, police officials, and foreign investigating officers to scam unaware WhatsApp users. In some cases, international numbers were used to scam people.
How to switch on the feature
First of all, go to the settings of WhatsApp and click on Privacy
Source: WhatsApp
Next, scroll down and look for the option titled Calls- Silence unknown callers.
Source: WhatsApp
Switch on the option.
Source: WhatsApp
If you switch on the option, the call will be visible in your call list, but the phone will not ring. The feature will help in weeding out scams and spam calls on WhatsApp.
CBI was roped in on June 6 amidst suspicion of deliberate sabotage after the Balasore train tragedy. On June 4, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw recommended a probe by the central investigation agency. The train accident killed 292 and left over 1,000 injured.
Soon after a probe by CBI was announced in the triple train accident, the Congress Party slammed the government over the decision and criticised the move. Congress General Secretary Jairam Ramesh called out the central government for ordering the CBI probe “even before the Commission of Railway Safety submitted its report”. He tweeted, “Even before the Commissioner of Railway Safety has submitted his report on Balasore train disaster, a CBI inquiry is announced.”
He continued his tirade against the CBI probe and mentioned the 2016 Kanpur rail accident that took away the lives of 150 people. National Investigation Agency (NIA) was roped in for that investigation, which is currently underway.
Even before the Commissioner of Railway Safety has submitted his report on Balasore train disaster, a CBI inquiry is announced. This is nothing but headlines management having failed to meet deadlines.
He added, “Now remember this chronology – November 20, 2016, Indore-Patna Express derails near Kanpur. Over 150 people lose their lives. On January 23, 2017, Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu wrote to Union Home Minister asking for an NIA probe into the accident. February 24, 2017, PM says the Kanpur train accident was a conspiracy. October 21, 2018 Newspapers report NIA will not file any chargesheet in the derailment. June 6, 2023, no official news on NIA’s final report on the Kanpur derailment. Zero accountability.”
Not to forget, a day before Jairam’s attack on the Union Government, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge had written to PM Modi that CBI was meant to investigate crimes, not railway accidents.
JE Amir Khan, suspect in the accident absconding with family, says media. Railways refutes reports
It was reported by the media that JE Amir Khan, a suspect in Odisha triple train tragedy that the CBI is investigating, had gone missing after the initial investigation. When a CBI team reached his house located near Annapurna Rice Mill in Soro, the house was locked. The CBI later sealed it. The June 2 triple train accident at Bahanaga took away the lives of 292 passengers and injured over a thousand.
The Railways officials, however, refuted the allegations and said that nobody had gone missing and all railways staff was cooperating with the investigation.
#WATCH | Balasore train accident | "A few media reports are coming in that a Bahanaga staff is absconding and missing. This is factually incorrect. The entire staff is present & a part of inquiry. They are appearing before agency," says Aditya Kumar Chaudhary, CPRO South Eastern… pic.twitter.com/Htc538cIFp
As cases of love jihad continue to be reported across the country, in Assam two cases of kidnapping have come to the fore. In the first case, two Muslim men kidnapped a minor Hindu girl in the Tamarhat neighborhood of the Dhubri district.
As per a report in Organiser, Sultan Ali and Abdul Mannan Seikh abducted the 17-year-old who belongs to the Konch Rajbanshi community from Borkhosuwa village on June 10. The next day her family brought a complaint to the Tamarhat police station.
Such incidents, according to student leader Siben Roy from the same Koch Rajbanshi community, are frequent in areas with a high concentration of minorities, such as Dhubri. He stated that there have been many instances where Muslim males try to trap minor Hindu girls by faking their identities.
Sultan Ali disguised himself as a Bengali Hindu and used to converse with the girl, as per reports. She received a call from him and his companion Abdul Mannan Seikh on June 10 in the evening. He told her to meet them near her home and then proceeded to kidnap her. The accused were found by authorities five days after the incident, but the minor victim has not been found yet.
The minor’s family is extremely apprehensive. They stated that a case had been opened by the police under Section 74/23 of the Code of Criminal Procedure and Section 366/34 of the Indian Penal Code.
Sultan Ali is believed to have transported her to Arunachal Pradesh because his friends are contract laborers there. The Koch Rajbanshi students union has threatened to organise a protest against the police and the authorities if the minor victim is not rescued soon.
In another incident, a 16-year-old Hindu girl was kidnapped by Nizam Uddin Ahmed in the Golaghat area of upper Assam. The district’s Uriamghat police station has received a report of the crime. She vanished on June 15 after leaving a computer class at the Uriamghat Bazaar computer centre, as per reports.
She reportedly informed her mother over the phone that Nizam Uddin Ahmed, who is already married and a resident of Pulibar in the Jorhat area, took her. Her mother filed a complaint with the Uriamghat police station on June 16. The locals alleged that the police is not taking necessary measures to save the minor.
Many people demonstrated in front of the police station on June 18 and urged them to take immediate action. They asserted that the culprit pretended to be a Hindu in order to entrap the girl in love jihad. When she learned about his true identity, she rejected to meet him. But on June 15, when she was returning home from a computer class, he abducted her forcibly. Nizam Uddin Ahmed has a history of drug dealing, for which he had previously been arrested and imprisoned. He also has a history of previous offences.
In another incident, a poor Hindu girl was saved from a Muslim family in May 2023 in the Assam district of Udalguri after a year. In 2022, a person by the name of Harej Ali befriended her from the upper Assam region of Sivasagar through his Facebook account under the fake name name Bipin Kalita.
He kidnapped her after a few months of their online relationship and transported her to Bengaluru, where he worked as a factory worker. The victim was forced to work in a coffee factory for six months without receiving any kind of wage.
She was tortured by Harej Ali after she found out who he really was. He brought her to his hometown hamlet in the Bhakatpara region after she resided for six months in Bengaluru. She was tormented at home by his entire family, and coerced to embrace Islam, but she resisted.
However, she managed to escape somehow and reached Kalaigaon town on May 8 in a destitute state. People took her to the Kalaigaon police station after she pleaded with them for assistance. Afterward, she lodged a First Information Report (FIR) against Harej Ali and his family. The perpetrator was then taken into custody by the police.
A person named Abdul Ali sexually assaulted a minor Hindu girl in the Lakhimpur area in north Assam. He worked as a labourer at a district construction site and identified himself to the victim as a Hindu. He repeatedly raped her after she was entrapped in love jihad. When she became pregnant, the horrible incident became public and Abdul Ali ran away as soon as he was made aware of the same.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has left for a historic visit to the United States of America which will last from June 21 to June 24. The state visit is taking place at the invitation of US President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden. They will host Modi at a state dinner on June 22. The visit also includes an address to the joint session of the US Congress on June 22, the second time PM Modi will be addressing it.
During this historic visit, PM Modi will attend several programs including addressing the US Congress and attending the World Yoga Day program at the United Nations. Further, PM Modi is also scheduled to meet 24 thought leaders including economists, artists, and scientists. Among the most prominent people to meet PM Modi will be the Twitter owner and Tesla CEO Elon Musk.
Among the 24 thought leaders PM Modi will be meeting, there will be Tesla CEO Elon Musk, Astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson, Grammy award-winning Indian-American singer Falu (Falguni Shah), Paul Romer, Nicholas Nassim Taleb, Ray Dalio, Jeff Smith, Michael Froman Daniel Russel, Elbridge Colby, Dr Peter Agre, Dr Stephen Klasko, Chandrika Tandon, and others.
PM Modi met Elon Musk in 2015
Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Tesla Motors in 2015 and met Elon Musk to discuss India’s interest in the company’s solar Powerwall technology. At the time, PM Modi and Tesla founder Elon Musk also discussed the possibility of a more affordable car from the company to suit Indian market.
PM Narendra Modi to address a joint session of the US Congress
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is all set to address a joint session of the US Congress on Thursday (June 22) during his State visit to the United States.
The historic invite was extended to PM Modi by US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell and House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries.
Interestingly, this will be the 12th occasion when Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address the legislature of a foreign nation – a historic feat not achieved by other world leaders. He holds the distinction of addressing the Parliament of 11 countries in the past 9 years, thus surpassing all his predecessors.
Talking about the importance of the visit, PM Modi said, “PM Modi added, “India-US ties are multifaceted, with deepening engagements across sectors. The USA is India’s largest trade partner in goods and services. We collaborate closely in science & technology, education, health, defence and security fields. The initiative on Critical & Emerging Technologies has added new dimensions and widened collaboration to defence industrial cooperation, space, telecom, quantum, Artificial Intelligence and biotech sectors. Our two countries are also collaborating to further our shared vision of a free, open and inclusive Indo-Pacific.”
On Friday (June 16), a radical Islamic cleric from Bangladesh named Enayetullah Abbasi announced that he has reached the city of London and will participate in 7-8 Islamic conferences in the United Kingdom.
Abbasi informed that he has been invited to the country by a media channel named ‘ION TV’ and will take part in an Islamic event, which is scheduled to be held on Tuesday (June 20) in Birmingham.
The CEO of ‘ION TV’, Ataullah Farooq, said that he promised to organise an Islamic conference, which is meant to indoctrinate the Muslim youth about Islamic values. “I did not reveal this before but we have invited respected Dr Enayetullah Abbasi as the chief guest. Thanks to Allah that he has accepted our invitation.”
The development has left many people shocked, with some wondering about the circumstances that led the United Kingdom government to approve the visa of an infamous hate preacher.
Raise the flag of Islam in Delhi, provokes cleric
Enayetullah Abbasi is not an ordinary cleric. He is known for making genocidal speeches against Hindus, and the Ahmadi community. Abbasi has also made several anti-India remarks and called for the beheading of atheist bloggers and apostates.
In April this year, a video of the cleric went viral on social media. “The Islamists in this country will gouge their eyes out. If anybody comes to invade even an inch of Bangladesh, every madrassa will turn into a cantonment with weapons. Every Muslim will stand shoulder to shoulder with the Bangladesh army for jihad.”
“Myanmar is nothing in front of us. Bangladeshi Muslims have the capacity to raise the flag of Islam in Delhi as well. And we will show this in future,” the extremist cleric claimed amidst chants of Naara-e-Takbeer and Allah hu Akbar.
Bangladeshi Islamic Scholar Enayetullah Abbasi: Bangladeshi Muslims Will Fly the Flag of Islam in Delhi; We Will Gouge Out the Eyes of Our Enemies #India#Bangladeshpic.twitter.com/39xTDun5er
His fanatic supporters responded with more dangerous rhetoric, “The enemies of Islam are Kaffir. Beware, Beware.” In April this year, another video of Enayetullah Abbasi went viral wherein he made it clear that Bangladesh belongs to only Muslims and that the State religion will remain Islam.
“Bangladesh is only for Quran. Bangladesh is only for Muslims…Bangladesh did not become independent with the blood of 30 lakh Hindus. Bangladesh became independent with the blood of 30 lakh Muslims,” he claimed.
Bangladesh: Another video by Enayetullah Abbasi. Where he is threatening that this BD is only for Muslims. But most of those who died in 1971 were Hindus. But these extremist Muslims were supporters of Pakistan. There is not a single Hindu in Razakar's list, all are Muslims. pic.twitter.com/tnedWKtFqe
— International Hindu Voice (@ih_voice) April 9, 2023
While indicating that Hindus will remain second-class citizens in the country, Abbasi made it clear, “As long as the sun rises in the east and sets in the west, Islam will remain the State religion of Bangladesh.”
Allah appointed China to punish India: Enayetullah Abbasi
“If 30 lakh Muslims can die for independence, then, 30 lakh Muslims can die for Islam in this country. Inshallah,” he brazened it out. In one video shared by a Twitter user (@BeerBangali), the Islamic cleric was heard saying that Allah appointed China to punish India.
Ironically, China is carrying out unspeakable atrocities against the Uyghur Muslim community in its Xinjiang province. But this did not stop Abbasi from claiming, “Allah has kept China ready to teach a lesson to India. Not only this, even Nepal and Bhutan are also against India.”
In a bid to create a sense of hysteria, he alleged, “Extremist Hindus of India are shooting and killing citizens of my country everyday…” Abbasi lamented, “We fail to protest like Nepal and Bhutan…Our lives are in vain. Our freedom is in vain. We also have to show courage like Nepal and Bhutan.”
Enayetullah Abbasi opposes the death penalty for Islamic terrorists
Human rights activist and exiled Bangladeshi blogger, Asad Noor, pointed out several instances where the Islamic cleric gave hate speeches against religious minority groups, atheists, apostates and blasphemers.
In one video, Enayetullah Abbasi was heard saying, “There is a law in your constitution to protect atheist bloggers. And if any mujahid (Islamic terrorist) kills such bloggers, then, you will award them a death sentence? The Muslim society will not accept such a verdict.”
“On behalf of all Muslims, I am telling the Bangladesh government that the mujahids took the law into their own hands due to the absence of any concrete blasphemy law. This is why we do not accept that such Islamic terrorists be hanged,” he emphasised.
“Before you think about taking their lives, you need to make a law that awards the death penalty to such atheist bloggers. Infidels (murtads) need to be given the death penalty,” Enayetullah Abbasi remarked amid a rousing support from his radical co-religionists.
Islamic Cleric calls for beheading of blasphemers, Ahmadiyyas
He vowed that none will be allowed to hang from the noose for murdering atheists. Abbasi also called for the beheading of blasphemers in one of his speeches. “If someone dares to criticise Prophet Muhammad, then, he should be declared as Kafir and his head should be chopped off,” he announced.
The Islamic cleric further added, “We will also not accept his apology…Let it be any intellectual, atheist, or blogger.” He had also called upon the Bangladesh government to release those Muslim men, who murdered atheist bloggers.
Abbasi has also called for the killing of Ahmadiyyas in one of his speeches. According to Asad Noor, 2 Ahmadiyyas were killed after Islamists, inspired by the dangerous rhetoric of the cleric, attacked them.
Religious extremists have attacked the annual convention of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community in Bangladesh and severely injured the participants. The fanatics are also lighting the homes of Ahmadi Muslims on fire. pic.twitter.com/7u5pXQALZS
“If there was Sharia law in Bangladesh, what punishment would have been handed over to the Ahmadiyyas? They are not just Kafirs but worse than non-Muslims. The only punishment that they deserve is murder.”
“If Sharia law is enforced, then, we will not need any more meetings. Under the ruling of Sharia courts, we can behead them wherever we find them.” His call for murder was approved and applauded by a frenzied mob of his co-religionists.
Abbasi urges Muslims to occupy Hindu lands, praises Osama bin Laden and Mullah Omar
He also encouraged his extremist supporters to encroach upon the land and properties of the Hindu community.
“If your Hindu neighbour is weak, then, occupy his house and land. But if you torture him as a fellow human being, then, you will be guilty of the act. Allah may punish you for this but you will at least not be condemned to hellfire (Jahannum),” Abbasi was heard saying.
“We have only one motto in life – Jihad. We will reach the Almighty by waging a war against the non-Muslims (also called Jihad).” Enayetullah Abbasi also heaped praises on the Taliban for defeating the United States in Afghanistan.
“These brave lions (Taliban) are the greatest Muslims of Middle Asia.” He also proudly claimed that he has been booked for glorifying the Al-Qaeda and other terror groups.
“The people who criticise Mollah Umar and Osama bin Laden must remember that even though these two people are different from us, the foundation in Islam is the same…Remember, even if you try for the next 50 years, you will not reach the shoes of these two great Muslims.”
“They sacrificed their lives for Allah, fought nations such as the United States just to establish the rule of Islam…They are the real fighters of Islam and we are the betrayers.”
‘Anti-science’ Islamic cleric spreads lies about Queen Elizabeth II
The extremist also spread falsehoods about the former Queen of England, Elizabeth II. He claimed that the novel concept of ’10 minute online school’ in Bangladesh was introduced by an atheist with funds from the Queen.
Enayetullah Abbasi brazened it out, “The children are taught about live-in relationships, homosexuality, transgenderism in the name of education. They are being transformed into disgusting human beings but no action is being taken against them.”
In another speech, the cleric could be heard dog-whistling against Christian missionaries in Bangladesh in the hopes of unleashing his Islamist lynch mob against them. “They will take away our hard-earned independence. We need to stop their activities if Muslims want to protect the dignity of Islam.”
As expected, Abbasi does not believe in science, which would challenge his fragile religious beliefs. Just like Zakir Naik, the Islamic cleric is a vocal critic of Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution.
“If children in Bangladesh are taught the theory of evolution, it will be a clear defiance of the Quran and its teachings. There is nothing more contentious and blasphemous as the concept of evolution.”
He claimed that the Muslim youth in the country were being converted to atheists in the name of science. “We will not tolerate such a conspiracy in Bangladesh,” Abbasi stated. “The children are being taught that we are not the children of Adam but that of monkeys,” he confidently displayed his ignorance.
Conclusion
According to Asad Noor, the Islamic cleric has strong ties with the Awami-league government and has thus remained immune to any action from the law enforcement authorities.
Despite his fanaticism, calls to murder, a diatribe against religious minority groups and falsehoods about the former Queen of England, the visa of the Islamic cleric was approved by the government of the United Kingdom.
After poisoning the minds of countless people in Bangladesh, Enayetullah Abbasi is now eyeing to spread radicalism in the UK.
Today is Ashadha Shukla Dwitiya, the auspicious day for Lord Jagannath’s Rathayatra every year. Two Indian states, located on the two opposite coasts of the grand nation, are celebrating the festival with much fervor and grandeur.
Odisha Rathayatra
Odisha, the home abode of Lord Jagannath, has been celebrating the Rathayatra festival for centuries now. The grand Jagannath Temple at Puri, constructed in the 12th century organizes the world’s largest and oldest Rathayatra festival every year in the ‘Bada Danda’ in Puri.
— Shree Jagannatha Temple Office, Puri (@SJTA_Puri) June 20, 2023
The three grand chariots await outside the Singhadwara of the Temple on the day of the Rathayatra. The construction of the chariots starts on the day of Akshaya Tritiya, and designated carpenters, known as ‘Maharanas’ make the chariots. The colour schemes, and design of the chariots are fixed for each of the three Gods.
Lord Jagannatha’s chariot is called ‘Nandighosha’, Lord Balabhadra’s chariot is called ‘Taladhwaja’ and Devi Subhadra’s chariot is called ‘Debadalana’. Lord Sudarshana rides in the Debadalana too.
The process of bringing the holy Trinity out from their pedestal in the temple to their respective chariots is called ‘Pahandi’.
The three chariots awaiting at Badadanda, image via OTV The Grand Road in Puri is decorated with traditional Odia ‘Jhoti Chita’ ahead of the Rathayatra
After the Gods are seated in their respective chariots, the Gajapati Maharaj, the traditional ruler of Kalinga, performs the ritual of ‘Chhera Panhara’. It is the ritual of sweeping the chariots with a golden broom. It signifies the belief that the Gajapati Maharaj is the servant of Lord Jagannath and rules in his name.
The Chhera Panhara ritual has another significance in Odia folklore and literary tradition. Odia epic ‘Kanchi Kaveri Upakhyana’ describes Purushottama Deva’s campaign to win kingdoms in the south of Kalinga. Purushottama Deva was insulted by Kanchi ruler Saluva Narasingha Deva because the former wanted to marry the latter’s daughter Padmavati. Saluva Narasingha Deva had declared that he would rather get his daughter married to a poor sweeper than allow her to marry the Kalinga Gajapati.
Purushottama Deva, fumed at the insult, had attacked Kanchi and eventually won with direct help from Lord Jagannatha and his brother Lord Balabhadra. After bringing Padmavati to Kalinga, he was yet to forget the insult. So he had declared that Padmavati will be married off to a sweeper, just as her father wanted.
However, the clever ministers of Purushottama Deva knew that the Kanchi princess deserves to marry the Gajapati, and Kalinga deserves a queen of unparalleled beauty and qualities that she possessed. So on the day of Rathayatra, when Purushottama Deva was performing the sweeping ritual, they brought the Kanchi princess on board the chariot, and she put a garland on the neck of the Gajapati, just when he held a broom in his hand, literally being a ‘sweeper’.
Purushottama Deva had loved the princess and there was no way he could be angry now, after being married to her in the presence of Lord Jagannatha himself.
Thus, the ministers avoided their king’s wrath and made him see reason by forgetting his anger. The story can be read in detail here.
Puri Gajapati performing the Chhera Panhara ritual on the chariots before the commencement of Rathyatra, 2021 image via @temple_of_india
In Puri’s Rathayatra, the Gods visit the Gundicha Temple and stay there for 9 days. Then they return to their own Temple, that Yatra is called ‘Bahuda Yatra’.
Gujarat Rathayatra
Gujarat is home to Dwaraka, Lord Krishna’s kingdom. Like Odisha, it too has a deep Vaishnava tradition. The state has been celebrating Rathayatra for nearly a century and a half.
It is celebrated as a ‘Lokotsav’ or a public festival in Gujarat. Though many cities have their own Rathyatra, Ahmedabad hosts the grandest and biggest event. The CM performs the ‘Pahind Vidhi’ which is similar to the ‘Chhera Panhara’ ritual of Odisha.
In Ahmedabad Rathyaatra, the chariots pass through the different parts of the city. The chariots cover a distance of 14 km and the devotees offer ‘mahabhoj’ to the entire entourage.
Union Minister Amit Shah today performed the mangal aarti at the Jagannath Temple in Ahmedabad before the commencement of Rathayatra. CM Bhupendra Patel performed the ‘Pahind Vidhi’. This is the 146th year of the Ahmedabad Rathayatra.
Images from Ahmedabad Rathayatra, via All India Radio
Gujarat and Odisha are separated by over 1800 km, located on the opposite coasts of India. However, Rathayatra is something that binds the two states together. Each celebration is unique in its style and decorations, but the deep Jagannath Bhakti and the Vaishnava traditions of their people are what bring them close in mind and spirit.
Rathyatra celebrations in these two distant states are another example of how the states of India, despite diverse linguistic and cultural norms, are bound together by strings of Hindu tradition and spirituality.
The state government of Karnataka has ordered 18 modifications in Kananda and Social Science topics for classes 6 to 10, just days after the Karnataka Cabinet approved the revision of school textbooks to reverse the changes made during the previous BJP administration.
According to reports, the Karnataka Textbook Society released a list of revisions to reveal that RSS founder KB Hedgewar’s ‘Nijavada Adarsha Purusha Yaragabeku’ lesson that was included in the Class 10 textbook has been replaced by ‘Sukumara Swamiya Kathe’ written by Shivakotyacharya.
The poem ‘Kalavannu Geddavaru’ by KT Gatti, which starred Hindu freedom fighter Veer Savarkar, has been replaced in the Class 8 Kannada textbook with ‘Blood Group’ by Vijayamala Ranganath.
Madhu Bangarappa, the state’s minister of primary and secondary education, declared on Thursday that all the modifications made by the BJP government in 2022 have been undone. “Whatever changes they have done last year, we have changed it and reintroduced whatever was there last to last year. In the interest of the children, we have done the least now. That is only in the Kannada language from class 6 to 10, and social studies from classes 6 to 10,” he said.
Additionally, the class 8 Kannada textbook now includes the translation of ‘Magalige Bareda Patra’ written by Jawaharlal Nehru, the first Prime Minister of India, and translated by Siddanahalli Krishna Sharma. The lesson introduced by the previous BJP administration- Parampalli Narasimha Aithal’s play ‘Bhoo Kailasa,’ has also been removed. Yudha by Sara Aboobacker has been substituted for Shatavadhani R. Ganesh’s ‘Shreshta Bharatiya Chintanegalu’ in the Class 10 Kannada textbook.
A Hindutva leader’s prose, ‘Taayi Bharatiya Amara Putraru,’ has been eliminated from the Class 10 Kannada textbook, among other revisions. Additionally, the board has replaced the class 10 Kannada textbook’s Shreshta Bharatiya Chintanegalu by Shatavadhani Ganesh with Yudha by Sara Aboobacker.
The Congress government has included lessons on the ‘Culture of the Vedic Period,’ ‘Rise of new Religions,’ and ‘Human Rights’ in the social science textbook for class 6. In the chapter on princely states in the class 7 social science textbook, they have added sections on ‘Women Social Reformers’ and ‘Women Freedom Fighters,’ as well as information on the Wadiyar rulers, Sir M Visvesvaraya, and Sir Mirza Ismail.
Moreover, the Class 10 Social Studies textbook has changed to promote linguistic pride. Sentences that previously conveyed regionalism and portrayed linguistic pride as narrow-mindedness in comparison to nationalism have been removed from the chapter titled “Bharathakke Iruva Savalugalu Matthe Pariharagalu” (Challenges and Solutions that lie ahead of India).
The majority of the elements that were implemented by a committee led by author Baragur Ramachandrappa between 2013 and 2018 while the Congress administration was in power have been taken back by the textbook committee. According to the state government, the modifications were made following a review by subject matter experts. All schools would receive the amendments as a corrigendum, and the department’s website would also make the changes public.
Notably, the changes have been introduced only a month after the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) secured 66 seats in the 2023 Karnataka Assembly elections and lost the state to Congress who won 135 seats. The Congress in its manifesto earlier had pledged to undo the curriculum set by the BJP to textbooks. The changes were reportedly made after about 30 academics and writers met with CM Siddaramaiah on May 29 in Bengaluru and presented him with a memorandum outlining several requests for reforming the education system, including changes to textbooks and the outlawing of the hijab in educational settings.
The state who has excluded the chapters on Hindutva and Veer Savarkar has claimed that the textbook revision is in favor of the students. The said revision was decided on June 6 this year, to drop any ‘controversial and objectionable texts’ from the teaching, examination, and evaluation process.
On June 20, Prime Minister Narendra Modi left for his five-day visit to the United States and Egypt. The US visit is PM Modi’s first state visit to the US on an invitation by President Joe Biden. A state dinner is scheduled for India’s PM on June 22 at the White House, where President Biden and First Lady Jill Biden will be the hosts.
Though PM Modi has visited the US multiple times since he took charge of the office in May 2014, this is his first “official state visit”. For those unaware, a state visit is considered the highest expression of a friendly bilateral relationship between two countries. It is a formal visit by the head of state of a country at the invitation of the head of state of the other country. Though it is an official visit, a state visit has more ceremonial events scheduled, for example, a dinner hosted by the head of the host state.
On May 10, the White House released an official statement in which it was mentioned that the President and the First Lady would host PM Modi for a state dinner during his official state visit to the US. The statement read, “Official State Visit to the United States, which will be a state dinner, on June 22, 2023.
State Dinner is planned months in advance. The White House generally takes around six months to plan and prepare for such events for closest friends and allies. The menu of these dinners features the culinary traditions of the guest of honour with “An American Twist”.
PM Modi speaks on the importance of the visit
In an official statement, Prime Minister Modi said that this special invitation is a “reflection of the vigour and vitality of the partnership between our democracies.”
Leaving for USA, where I will attend programmes in New York City and Washington DC. These programmes include Yoga Day celebrations at the @UN HQ, talks with @POTUS@JoeBiden, address to the Joint Session of the US Congress and more. https://t.co/gRlFeZKNXR
Speaking on the International Yoga Day event, he said, “I look forward to this special celebration at the very location that supported India’s proposal in December 2014 to recognise an International Day of Yoga.”
Furthermore, at the state dinner hosted by President Biden and First Lady Jill Biden, he said, “I will also have the pleasure of joining President Biden and First Lady Dr Jill Biden for the State Banquet along with a number of dignitaries.”
PM Modi added, “India-US ties are multifaceted, with deepening engagements across sectors. The USA is India’s largest trade partner in goods and services. We collaborate closely in science & technology, education, health, defence and security fields. The initiative on Critical & Emerging Technologies has added new dimensions and widened collaboration to defence industrial cooperation, space, telecom, quantum, Artificial Intelligence and biotech sectors. Our two countries are also collaborating to further our shared vision of a free, open and inclusive Indo-Pacific.”
PM Modi’s itinerary
June 21 – On the first day, the PM will lead an International Yoga Day event at the United Nations Secretariat in New York City. Top Indian Americans will attend the event.
June 22 – PM Modi will visit Washington on the second day for the official state visit to the White House. On this day, he will also address a US Congress joint session. This is the second address to the US Congress by PM Modi, making him the first Indian leader to do so. Last time he addressed US Congress in June 2016.
June 23 – On the third day of his visit to the US, PM Modi will attend a lunch hosted by Vice President Kamala Harris and Secretary of State Anthony Blinken. Later, he will address an event organised by US-India Strategic Partnership Forum that top business leaders and CEOs will attend. After the event, he will attend a mega event at Ronald Reagan Centre and International Trade Centre in Washington, where Indian Diaspora will meet him.
Speaking on the importance of the trip, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said the visit signifies the “highest level of honour”, and it has happened only twice in the history of India. He said, “No Indian prime minister has addressed it twice. So, it will be the first time. World over also, very few people have done that… Winston Churchill, Nelson Mandela. So, there are very few people who have addressed the US Congress twice. That’s why its importance is huge.”
PM will be on a state visit to the US. State visit means it is the highest level in terms of honour. Only a few people have been given this honour. It is happening for the first time that an Indian PM will address the US Congress for the second time. That's why its importance is… pic.twitter.com/0uj5YwRUi1
Before PM Modi, only former President Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan in June 1963 and former prime minister Manmohan Singh in November 2009 were invited to the US for a state visit.
