The Silence of the PM

The New York Times in an editorial on Tuesday (17 April 2018) said such and other violent incidents were part of "an organized and systematic campaign by nationalist forces" to terrorise women, Muslims, and Dalits in the country.

The editorial titled "Silence as Women Are Attacked" appeared on in the New York edition of the daily, reminding how Modi tweets "frequently and considers himself a talented orator". 

"Yet he loses his voice when it comes to speaking out about the dangers faced by women and minorities who are frequent targets of the nationalist and communal forces that are part of the base of his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)," said the Times.

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Exhibition in Mumbai on Chogha Zanbil

Chogha-Zanbil is one of the Archeological sites in South-West Iran, in the province of Khuzistan. It was discovered by a French Archeologist, Jacques Jean-Marie de Morgan (1857-1924). This city dates back to 1250 B.C.by the king Untash-Napirisha after the war with Assyrian king. Its original name was Dur Untash, which means 'town of Untash', but it is unlikely that many people, besides priests and servants, ever lived there.
The complex is protected by three concentric walls which define the main areas of the 'town'. The inner area is wholly taken up with a great ziggurat dedicated to the main god, which was built over an earlier square temple with storage rooms also built by Untash-Napirisha. The middle area holds eleven temples for lesser gods. It is believed that twenty-two temples were originally planned, but the king died before they could be finished, and his successors discontinued the building work. In the outer area are royal palaces, a funerary palace containing five subterranean royal tombs.
This city is constructed by bricks only. There is no use of wood or metal. The young archeologist Seyed Mahdi Razavian, held an exhibition of photographs and replicas of artifacts from 2nd to 4th March 2011, at Iran Culture House, Mumbai. He liked India and its culture and was impressed by Mumbai and Pune cities. Below is the video of a short talk of him.

New World Order

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad says Iran and India need to help spread justice in the world as the duo share humane perspectives on international affairs.

“Currently, the formation of a new world order is of prime importance and it is upon the independent countries to prevent the same old oppressive order from insinuating itself into a new form,” the website of the Iranian president's office quoted him as saying in a meeting with India's National Security Advisor Shiv Shankar Menon in Tehran on Monday.
Ahmadinejad underlined the role of Iran's and India's cultural background and said the issue of culture will significantly contribute to the new world order.
The Iranian chief executive also called for further cooperation between Tehran and New Delhi.
For his part, the Indian official lauded his country's relations with the Islamic Republic and emphasized India's willingness "to establish all-out strategic relations with Iran.”
Iran is India's second-largest oil supplier after Saudi Arabia, with New Delhi importing 12 million barrels of Iranian crude on a monthly basis.
Trade volume between Iran and India reached almost $13 billion in 2007 after business between the two countries jumped by 80 percent.
India imported 21.3 million tons of crude oil from Iran from March 21, 2009 to March 21, 2010. (Source: PressTV)

A Masjid in Kerala being built by a Hindu Businessman

A Qatar-based Hindu businessman is building a Masjid in India’s Kerala state with the aim of promoting communal harmony.
According to CK Menon, the mosque in Kozhikode will be the first to be built in the state by a Hindu in over 1,200 years.
C K Menon said, Qatari daily Gulf Times reports on Monday said: Construction is going on. The Masjid will be ready in two to three months. Over 400 people can offer prayers in that Masjid at a time.
He said: So far the Cheraman Masjid, constructed in the late eighth century by Chera ruler Rama Varma Kulashekhara, is the first and only Masjid  built by any Hindu in Kerala.
Menon, who is chairman and managing director of the Doha-headquartered Behzad Group of Companies, said he had taken approval from Muslim scholars and religious leaders for building the Masjid.
Menon, who was awarded Pravasi Bharatiya Samman in 2006 and Padma Shri in 2009 for social service said: I have already taken letters from Muslim religious leaders and scholars. They are fine with it. God is one and people should respect and work for the promotion of other religions also.
Menon said he plans to build a church in Kerala. He added: Once the mosque is ready, I will start work on the church. We have already identified the land but final decision is not taken yet.
Menon, whose company operates in 13 countries, mainly in the Middle East, emphasized the need to promote the culture of philanthropy in India.
Menon said: Some people are already doing that, but a lot more needs to be done. Businesses are making money because of the common people. Every businessperson must give back to society a certain proportion of their earnings. He added that he spended nearly 3% of his earnings philanthropic activities.

Source : Gulfnews