Communal clashes in Kishanbagh, Hyderabad: Demand by Interfaith Forum for Judicial Enquiry : COVA

Condemnation of Communal Violence in Sikh Chawni: Demand by Interfaith Forum for Judicial Enquiry : COVA

The members of Interfaith Forum strongly condemn the incidence of violence in Kishan Bagh between the Sikh and the Muslim communities in the morning of 14th May 2014.
It is very unfortunate that some vested interests seemed to have succeeded in their aim to bring Muslims and Sikhs at loggerheads by damaging Sikh religious flag at Sikh Chowni, Kishan Bagh, Hyderabad in the intervening night of 13-14 May 2014. In retaliation, it is reported that innocent passerby was lethally attacked in morning hours of 14th May 2014. continue reading indtoday.com

Interfaith Forum Members:

Nanak Singh Nishter, Director, International Sikh Centrefor Interfaith Relations; and President, COVA. Hyderabad

Jain Ratan Surender Luniya, President, Jain Teerth Kulpak, Sultan Bazar, Hyderabad.

Rev. Fr. Anthoniraj Thumma, Executive Secretary, ANDHRA PRADESH BISHOPS’ COUNCIL, Hyderabad.

Mazher Hussain, Executive Director, COVA 

Mr. M. Veda Kumar, President,Forum For Better Hyderabad

Muneeruddin Mujahid, President, Tehreek Khair e Ummah

Omim Debara, Social Activist.

Khalid Rasool Khan, President, All IndiaMuslim Sangham, Hyderabad.

Bro. Varghese Theckanath s.g. Director, Montfort Social Institute (MSI), Hyderabad.

  

Ven.K. Sangha Rakshita Mahathera, Chairman & Chief Abbot. Ananda Budha Vihar Trust, Mahindra Hills,Secunderabad.26

Mohammed Turab, Convener, Interfaith Forum

Shaik Prof. Anwar Khan, Retd. Principal, Anwar-Ul-Uloom College, Hyderabad                                                                         

Moulana Hamid Shuttari, President, Sunni Millat Board 

Mohd Afzal Ali, General Secretary,State Minority Cell, EDP

 

On the same shelf:

• Hyderabad clashes, Times of India
• Communal clashes in Kishanbagh; 3 killed in police firing, The Hindu

Religious leaders condone acts of violence in the name of religion

April 11, 2012, religiousindia.com
A social need and religious responsibility of all to prevent violence in all forms and strive for integration and harmony amongst all sections of society.

In response to the communal violence that took place in Hyderabad on Sunday after communal clashes broke out following the desecration of a place of worship at Madannapet, resulting in heavy stone-pelting and brick batting, a group of religious leaders (COVA = Confederation of Voluntary Associations) including Bro. Varghese SG of MSI came together for a Press Conference and issued a press statement that was reported in the papers.

... Religious Leaders of all Faiths to Jointly Cleanse / Repair Any Desecrated Places of Worship in AP continue reading

On the same shelf:

Hyderabad clashes @ qwtnews.com

Inter Faith Forum to clean places of worship

Interfaith relations - Two Narratives One Country, by SYED ALI MUJTABA SYED for The Ground Report India

Hyderabadi Society and Culture From Non-Hyderabadi Eyes

Note: This post is continuously updated, last updated Feb 10, 2013

Travelogues and narratives about the Hyderabadi society, culture, and about the daily lives, bring a newer insight to the Hyderabadiz. Here are few books and blog posts on this topic. If you know something that is interesting and relevant on these lines, leave a comment and this post will be updated, accordingly.

American who loves the lingo of royals, J. S. Ifthekhar -- Matthew B. Stannard says Urdu is a very cultured and vibrant language, The Hindu July 18, 2012

This is Hyderabad: bullock carts jostle with cars for space on the congested roads; people hang out of buses or face being crushed inside; yet there is space. There is and there will always be space for everyone and everything. The lack of physical space, and the presence of a more metaphysical space, leads to tension and discomfort, but it is also what makes Hyderabad exciting and colorful. There is space for the old and the new, for the rich and the poor, for Muslims and Hindus, and even for Communist insurgents and Telegana separatists. Even I felt I had a place. source: India: An Ode to Hyderabad, by Linette Lim @ Desicritics.org

Visiting Hyderabad with Marianne de Nazareth @ hackwriters.com -- "There is no Tesco or Target to shop at here, instead the sights, sounds and smells of the bazaars are the intangible memories you can take home of Hyderabad."

36 Hours in Hyderabad, India. By SHIVANI VORA, The New York Times, May 10, 2012

5:30 p.m. 1. SUNSET OVER THE CITY 8 p.m. 2. A TASTE OF ANDHRA Saturday 8 a.m. 3. FAITH AND POETRY 11 a.m. 4. PEARL SHOPPING Noon 5. HIGH-TECH WORLD 1 p.m. 6. TWIST ON SOUTH INDIAN 2 p.m. 7. OLD CITY 3:30 p.m. 8. THE ROYAL LIFE 5 p.m. 9. ENGLISH RITUAL 9 p.m. 10. NIGHT SCENE Sunday 10 a.m. 11. ANTIQUES HUNT Noon 12. BIRYANI TIME IF YOU GO

The Incomplete List of the Seven Wonders of Hyderabad according to a Non-Hyderabadi Divya Nambiar -- 1) Biryani; 2) Haleem; 3) Hyderabadi; 4) 4) Disco Autos; 5) The Old city;

Hyderabad, the last citadel of Urdu in India

My morning cuppas in Hyderabad: Idle walks & Ideal mornings

Mahlaqa Chanda: Forgotten Urdu poetess before Ghalib

The Chillas of Hazrat Ghaus: Islamic shrines in Deccan!

Drinking Mecca Cola in Hyderabad

A visit to Falaknuma palace [Hyderabad series-1]

Muharram in India(Photos)-II

The Incomplete List of the Seven Wonders of Hyderabad according to a Non-Hyderabadi

Hyderabad Memoirs Meeting Raghav Uncle

My Travelogue: Golkonda Fort - Mohd Quli Tomb (Hyderabad)

Hyderabad - Heritage Sites - A Lazy (Nizami) Travelogue

Becoming Mom: Hyderabad Travelogue - In Avani's words

Hyderabad Travelogue Blog Posts - Blog Top Sites

It's Pahelwans who call the shots in Old City

source: The Times of India: / Siasat

HYDERABAD: Amjed Ullah Khan, the Azampura division corporator is unusually net-savvy, his emails on all things big and small dropping into the inboxes of many denizens, or Hyderabadis who he thinks matter. So the latest email from the corporator shows an immaculately dressed Akbaruddin Owaisi at a wedding function in 2006, sharing the stage with Mohammad Pahelwan, the alleged mastermind behind the attack on Owaisi last week

In the picture, Pahelwan, dressed in the trademark lungi and a full-sleeve shirt has a half smile and so does Owaisi. What is significant in the picture is not the changed equation of the two parties but the social and political importance that Pahelwan enjoyed then.

... Old-timers recall that it was in the 70s when local pahelwans were first promoted politically, when Arab `pahelwans' Syeed Bin Ali (known as Syeed Pahelwan) and Syeed Baam were used to provide protection to partymen by a senior Congress leader. In the days to come, other `pahelwans' such as Chand Pahelwan also came into picture for settling land disputes. And by the 80s, they had moved from their `kachcha' houses to a `pucca' residence.

Their importance grew with almost all parties patronising them or using their services. If earlier they collected `mamools' from locals, now they allegedly give the same to the police so that they turn a blind eye to their deeds.

Locals say, politicians in the Old City owe their growth, both financially and politically, to the pahelwans. Clearly, political leaders have played a crucial role in making `pahelwans' bigger, stronger. And their spirited political backing continues even now.

On the same shelf:

Akbaruddin shot at in clash with rivals over land dispute - Times of India

Jashn-e-Charminar festival Deccan Chronicle

Illegal guns rule the roost in city, Times of India

'Pedestrian' touch for Charminar, Times of India - Sudipta Sengupta
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If it’s bad, it’s Hydera‘bad’ Deccan Chronicle

BASICALLY HYDERABADI @ The ICONART Gallery by Syed Rayees Ahmed

Essence of Hyderabad
November 9th, 2009 Deccan Chronicle

"Basically Hyderabadi at first glance, is a trip down memory lane for most of us who have lived in the city. The scenes and profiles are bound to evoke images of experiences that one has had in Hyderabad."

"Quintessentially Hyderabadi, the paintings depict the leisurely pace of the old city, of women clad in burkhas strolling in an unhurried manner through bazaars, a group of bearded men clustered together and a charcoal sketch of an old fakir with a flowing beard."

"The artist, Syed Rayees Ahmed, has resorted to the cubis style, the provenance of renowned artist Pablo Picasso, for his paintings. Crisp geometric lines with bright colours bring out the colourful attire of the Hyderabadis beautifully. In sharp contrast to the gaiety in their attire, their expressions remain somber and unassuming, born of a simple and unquestioning faith in their way of life. This is a style that has been inspired by famous artist, Laxma Goud, whose artwork has similar flashes of colourful raiment in marked contrast with charcoal-grey poker-faced expressions."

... In short, the collection makes for an interesting viewing. Basically Hyderabadi — Chronicles of Old City is on view at the Iconart Gallery till November 20.

continue reading the full story

On the same shelf:

• Syed Rayess Ahmed
  

• footloose: the essence of hyderabad

‘Hyderabad still brings a rush of emotions’- Hindustan Times

Shyam Benegal
"Like everyone else, I have many identities. But there is one that I love to flaunt. Of being a Chitrapur Saraswat. I cannot advance a single convincing reason why, except that it gives me the somewhat harmless and naïve pleasure of seeming exclusive. The census of the community taken in 2001 says that we are all of 22,000 in the whole wide world, i.e. much less than the Parsis. We are, I have been assured, not quite as endangered as the Veddas, Jarawas or the Todas. Nevertheless, a micro minority in a country of considerably more than a billion. The very idea of being part of such a tiny and exclusive community gives me a great high. They have their own home language; one of the many dialects of Konkani. To make the Konkani we speak specially exclusive, we dispense with the term Konkani and call it ‘our language’ or ‘our tongue’. Nothing could be more exclusive than that." continue reading

More about Shyam Benegal @ Telugu Street

Pingali Venkayya, Designer of the India's National Flag

NB. Info courtesy: Jay Bee + History Of The Indian Flag & Detailed descriptions of each flag areVijay For Victory

Pingali Venkayya (Telugu:పింగళి వెంకయ్య) (August 2, 1876 - July 4, 1963) was the designer of the Indian national flag. He was born in Bhatlapenumarru, near Masulipatnam or the present day Machilipatnam of Andhra Pradesh. After high school at Masulipatnam, he went to Colombo to complete his Senior Cambridge. On returning to India, he worked as a railway guard, then as a government employee at Bellary, and later moved to Lahore to join the Anglo-Vedic college to study Urdu and Japanese. More @ Telugupedia

See also:

NEED TO COMMEMORATE MEMORY OF SHRI PINGALI VENKAYYA, DESIGNER OF INDIAN NATIONAL FLAG @ Rajya Sabha Debates, 2002

An overview of various communities living in Hyderabad

• The Sikh community


• The Parsi community


• Malayalees in Hyderabad


• News from the Vysya Community


• The Twin-cities Expatriates Association read much more @ ReachoutHyderabad.com Society, Culture and People of Hyderabad
  

Sankranti and 'patangs'

I wonder who it was who brought 'patangs' or kites to Hyderabad. They fill the skies in quite a few sizes and all the colours you could think of.
From the time that we grew up--in the 60's--to these days, the price of patangs, manja ( the sharp thread used to cut other kites) and charaKhs has gone up in astronomical proportions. No wonder, there aren't as many kites as we used to see around December and early January, but Makara Sankranti seems to have made up for all that. There were zillions of kites everywhere and I couldn't resist getting into a few 'painches' (kite-fights) myself, when my job was actually to keep a close eye on my kids and their friends who were flying from our rooftop. The terminology (of 'patangbaazi') hasn't changed with the times, mercifully, and so everyone knows that a 'Dhiil' fight is one in which you keep releasing the string till you cut or get cut, just as 'khiinch' is tugging to the bitter finish (definitely requiring more skill). But not everyone these days seems to know what a 'jiiba' or a 'pattidar' is, as opposed to earlier times. But then times they sure are achanging......

NB. It is a harvest festival celebrated in most parts of India under different names .. Sankranti(A.P, Karnataka), Pongal(Tamil Nadu), Makar Sankranti (Maharastra and Gujarat) and Lohri (Punjab and Haryana). source: Me, Myself, I and stuff...., by Rajitha
PUNCHLINE:
Meethe gud main mil gaya til,
udi patang aur khil gaya dil,
Har pal sukh aur har din shanti aap ke liye Happy Makar Sankranti..
source: SMS Messages Collection#18- EJalgaon.com