Category: India News

As India remembered the father of the nation on his 151^st birth anniversary commemorative functions were held throughout the nation.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday paid homage to Mahatma Gandhi on his birth anniversary and wished that the ideals of the Father of the Nation remain a guiding force helping in building a compassionate India.

The Prime Minister took to Twitter and wrote, “We bow to beloved Bapu on Gandhi Jayanti. There is much to learn from his life and noble thoughts. May Bapu’s ideals keep guiding us in creating a prosperous and compassionate India.”

Modi also shared a two-minute video hailing the principles of Gandhi. In the clip, he can be heard saying “Gandhiji never tried to create his influence through his life, however, his life became an inspiration in itself.” Modi also paid tribute to Mahatma Gandhi at the Raj Ghat.

Meanwhile, President Ram Nath Kovind also took to the microblogging website to pay his homage to Mahatma Gandhi and said that people should take lessons from his life, particularly when we are facing a pandemic.

“Gandhiji himself never claimed to be a great soul, indeed, he went out of his way to tell the world about his vulnerabilities. Yet, he is the best example of realising the maximum human potential,” the President said.

The states also joined the centre in paying tribute to the great soul. Maharashtra politicians on Friday paid rich tributes to Mahatma Gandhi and former Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri on his 116th birth anniversary, as commemoration functions were held all over the state.

Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari offered tributes to the Father of the Nation, Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, and Shastri and recalled their contributions to the country.

Koshyari garlanded a bust of Mahatma Gandhi and offered flowers at the portrait of Shastri at a function in Raj Bhavan here, attended by several officials and staff, among others.

Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray also paid tributes before the portraits of the two leaders at his private residence ‘Matoshri’.

One of the country’s premier educational institutions, Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) paid tributes to the Father of the Nation with a virtual event organised by the Maulana Azad (MA) library.

 “Gandhiji protested against oppression and tyranny on all sections of society and communities and promoted the idea of bringing self-reliance in rural areas,” said Tariq Mansoor, the Vice-Chancellor of the university said during the event.

“Mahatma Gandhi always believed that nations can only progress if there is equality and tolerance among populations,” he added.

Mansoor later administered an online pledge to work with dedication for preserving and strengthening the freedom and integrity of the nation.

The idea behind making this video is to introduce Gandhi and Gandhian thoughts into Kashmir valley … writes Kusum Kaull Vyass

Gandhiji’s favorite Bhajan, usually called Gandhi’s song ‘Vaishnav Jan To’, is in the Gujarati language. Most people don’t understand what this song means and why Gandhiji chose this song written by Narsinh Mehta in 15th century Gujarat. The song is about humanity and how people should live and for each other. I felt a great need to translate this song into Kashmiri language and put it into the folk music of the valley, so that  Kashmiris  can relate with it easily through their own language,  music and singer.

Gandhi’s life and ideologies have had a significant influence on my life since childhood, and I’m blessed that I have been living in the land of Gandhi after the forceful migration from Kashmir. The way Narsinh Mehta’s written Bhajan is still influencing us after 600 years, I foresee the impact of this translation in the valley for generations to come.

About five years back, a famous journalist and writer, Mr. Mayank Chhaya from Chicago, USA, had made a film ‘Gandhi’s Song’. The film was about Narsinh Mehta and why Gandhiji adapted this as his favorite Bhajan. At that time, I helped him in the production work. Now I feel that the seed of Vaishnav Jan To was firmly planted in my mind at the of making that film.

During the long months of lockdown in the country, I had ample time to read, write, and think about various subjects in life. I often struggle with myself as to how I can contribute to bringing peace back to the Kashmir valley.

Gandhiji has been an apostle of peace and humanity. What better way to put a peaceful vibration into the valley, through local language and folk music. With a missionary zeal, I called up the most famous folk singer Shri Gulzar Ahmed Ganai, from Kashmir. Hesitatingly, I explained my thought to him, feeling that this idea may not appeal to him, but to my surprise, he understood and liked the idea with equal enthusiasm. I felt we were on the same wavelength, and we had blessings of Gandhiji to go ahead. Shri. Shahbaaz Hakbari, a famous poet of the valley, translated this beautiful song into the Kashmiri language. My father, Raees Brij Krishan Kaul, wrote the Urdu song first, then it got translated in Kashmiri. This dream came true when the song was shot at different famous places in the valley.       

It was a spiritual journey for me while making,” Vaishnav Jan To” in Kashmiri language.

India on Thursday reported 86,821 new coronaviruses cases and another 1,181 fatalities, making September its worst month of the pandemic.

The Health Ministry’s update for the past 24 hours raised India’s total to more than 6.3 million people infected and 98,678 dead from COVID-19. India added 41 percent of its confirmed cases and 34 percent of fatalities in September alone.

India is expected to become the pandemic’s worst-hit country within weeks, surpassing the United States, where more than 7.2 million people have been infected.

The government announced further easing of restrictions to start October 15. Cinemas, theaters and multiplexes can open with up to 50 percent of seating capacity, and swimming pools can also be used by athletes in training.

The government also said India’s 28 states can decide on reopening of schools and coaching institutions gradually after October 15. However, the students will have the option of attending online classes.

International commercial flights will remain suspended until October 31. However, evacuation flights will continue to and from the United States, Britain, Australia, Canada, France, Japan and several other countries.

India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi imposed the world’s stringent lockdown across the country late March, but started easing restrictions after two months to revive the severely-hit economy that contracted an unprecedented 24% in the April-June quarter. The lockdown cost more than 10 million impoverished migrant workers their jobs in the cities.

Also Read: India extends Int’l flight ban till Oct 31

India has welcomed international efforts for a peaceful settlement of the conflict in Libya through an intra-Libyan dialogue.

“We have been closely monitoring the developments in Libya and have noted the progress in intra-Libyan dialogue facilitated by the Kingdom of Morocco,” Anurag Srivastava, Spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement.

India also noted the talks in Montreux, Switzerland, under the auspices of the UN Support Mission in Libya, UNSMIL, following Berlin International Conference on 19th January 2020 and Cairo Declaration of 6th June 2020.

“We welcome these international efforts aimed at a peaceful settlement of the conflict through an intra-Libyan dialogue, taking into account the legitimate aspirations of the Libyan people, while preserving Libya’s sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity,” the statement added.

This is the second time recently that India has expressed its views on the situation in Libya.

“The continuing conflict and instability in Libya is a matter of international concern. We support efforts towards immediate cessation of all hostilities in Libya,” an earlier statement said.