Source: http://www.indianexpress.com/news/a-conditional-charity/543351/
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The disgraceful conduct of a UK-based Muslim charity with the victim-survivors of the 2002 communal carnage in Gujarat could have been ignored as an isolated, if highly deplorable act. Sadly, this is no isolated incident. If anything, it is but the latest manifestation of a malignancy common to many Muslim outfits, in India and [...]

An article by Javed Anand, co-editor at “Communalism Combat” and General Secretary, Muslims for Secular Democracy. The article talks about the medieval mindset of the Deoband, and its hardline interpretation of the Quran, leading to keeping India’s muslims in clutches of ignorance, and away from the true message of the Quran. This we feel, has [...]

FES

FESTIVAL TIME: The faithful converged at the Annai Vailankanni Our Lady of Good Health Church in Besant Nagar for the annual fest. It is held as part of the birthday celebrations of Mother Mary. The celebrations began at the church on Saturday with the hoisting of flag. The annual fest begins with a 9-day Novena [...]

Puri Rath Yatra festival 2009 June 24/.

KEEPING TRADITION ALIVE:
A priest at Uttaradi Mutt in Basavanagudi performs ‘Mudra Dharane’ on the occasion of Prathama Ekadash
Pilgrims get their foreheads marked with a ‘tilak’ on
Aashadi Ekadashi at Pundhalik temple in Vitthalwadi on Friday

Christa Purana still moves faithful to tears
Ashley D’Mello | TNN

Mumbai: Avelino Rejoice Dhakul, 81, never fails to bring tears to people’s eyes when he renders the Passion of Christ from the Christa Purana, describing scenes from the crucifixion at the Good Friday service at St Francis Xavier Church, Vile Parle.

Dhakul, who has [...]

Fighting palsy, she learns
the alphabet at 21, graduates at 30
Karthika Gopalakrishnan | TNN
Chennai: Ummul Khair has made the journey of a lifetime in the last 10 years. Her body is affected by cerebral palsy but it is her mind that the sociology graduate has always relied upon to take her forward [...]

Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Gaffar Khan, Suu Kyi, The Dalai Lama were /are  staunch believers in their religion and examples of politics based on compassion and humane values.
Then there are ‘Secularists”, Stalin, Mao, Jinnah, The US administration with their blend of secularism and politics.
Ed
extracts from TOI

Secularists aren’t saints
Madhu Purnima Kishwar
Congress leaders are understandably [...]

An article courtesy  TOI, of  17 March.
It is very very rare to see such frank opinions on extremists, root cause for extremism, especially when linked to a religion with more than its share of violence and man made tragedies.

Even brave souls like MJ Akbar have not been so forthright in in voicing their opinions.
We wish [...]

Girl tops exam, beats disability
Visually Impaired Is An Ace
Ikram Khan | TNN
Bangalore: She can’t see but is showing the way. Sumaiya Khan, 15, topped the exams at St Michael’s High School (RT Nagar) and promises to continue her sterling performance in college next year.
Sumaiya was adjudged the best student after securing 94% in [...]

Top French honour for Pondy Sanskrit scholar
Bosco Dominique | TNN

BIRTHDAY GIFT: S Sambanda Sivacharyar, Sanskrit scholar and research assistant of French Institute of Pondicherry
Puducherry: He has been working more than 10 hours a day for the past five decades, collecting palm leaf manuscripts in different scripts from various parts of country and categorising them [...]