Anti-Islam remark: An NRI Muslim's open letter to Anant Kumar Hegde

Adv. PA Hameed Padubidri

March 4, 2016

Dear Mr Hegde!

Your derogatory and hate-mongering remarks against Islam compelled me to write this letter. I can also use similarly provocative language with a different tone in this letter to denounce you. But, I prefer to follow the teachings of Islam and use the language of a Muslim and try my best to convince you that you have committed a grave blunder. Besides, I want you to open your mind to the right message of Islam so that you may apologise for your malicious and shameless words.

anant First of all, along with the fellow Muslims and other peace lovers I strongly condemn your irresponsible and withering statements which are completely against the fundamentals of the constitution and the socio-democratic fabric of India. I never expected such poisonous words from a Member of Parliament.

You went on to declare that until and unless Islam was wiped out from this world terrorism could not be eradicated. Let me make it clear that no force in the world can wipe out or hijack Islam. Protecting the religion is God's responsibility. As Muslims, we can only try to discharge our duties in Islam. So, I advise you to refrain from bizarre dreams. Islam had seen a lot of Pharaohs and pythons in its long past.

I really find it difficult to understand your psyche that linked Islam with terrorism. How did you cultivate such a poisonous and scornful notion? I am sure that Hindu Dharma or Hinduism did not teach you this because it advocates the theory ofVasudhaiva Kutumbakam' (the world is one family) and wishes,Sarve Janah Sukhino Bhavanthu' (May all men be happy).

Despite this fact, terrorists like Nathuram Godse, Sadhvi Pragya Singh, Swami Aseemanand, Lt. Col. Sashikanth Purohit, Col. Upadhyaya and many others had unleashed violence and killed innocents in the name of Hindu religion. However, I don't blame Hinduism for the blunders committed by them with their distorted understanding of Hinduism. They used Hinduism as a shield to protect their dangerous cultural and political tendency. Don't you agree this?

Similarly, Islam is a religion of peace and it has nothing to do with terrorism. So long as light and darkness doesn't exist together, Islam and terrorism can't cohabit. Islam is the one and only religion that upholds oneness and uniqueness of the God, and human values to its real height.

"Humanity" took its real meaning when Prophet Muhammad (Pbuh) revolutionized the warring nations and communities for the positive change through the tool of Islam.

Have you ever read Quran? It declares: “…if any one killed a person, it would be as if he killed the whole of mankind; and if any one saved a life, it would be as if he saved the life of the whole of mankind…” (Chapter 5, Verse 32). Islam asserts that the entire mankind is the children of single parents.

Islam is the only religion which says that one is not a true believer (Muslim) if his neighbour (irrespective of religion, caste, nation etc) is not safe from his words or deeds. If you find likes of Godse, Purohit or Pragya Singh among those who identify themselves as Muslims, then Islam is not responsible for their misdeeds.

So, I advise you to study Quran and traditions of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) to free yourself from misconceptions and confusions and to come out of grave darkness. Let not your ignorance and prejudice make you blind to the truth.

With Regards
Adv. PA Hameed Padubidri
(Former-Taluk Panchayat Member)
Presently based in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

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Birders ‘Walk the Chirp’ in Manipal

coastaldigest.com news network

February 3,2020

A motley group of as many as 150 birders ‘walked the chirp’ in search of their feathered friends in and around the countryside of Manipal. The occasion was the 10th Edition of Manipal Bird Day organised by Manipal Birders Group on Sunday, February 2nd, 2020.

The day began ‘Bird Walk’ from Hotel Sheela Sagar (Opposite MIT campus) at 6:30 a.m. The birders divided themselves in smaller groups of 10-12 members and followed 13 different trails which took them through different terrains like hills, plains, paddy fields and wetlands. The idea was to sight as many birds as possible and record their presence in the region.

When the walk ended at about 10:00 a.m., the different groups have recorded a total of 125 species of birds, which was a bit lesser than the sighting of the yester years. “The 10th edition this year has seen a very good growth of interest among people. At the same time a decline has been seen in the bird species sighted compared to previous years,” said one of the organisers. Some of the rare birds sighted were Indian Pitta, Oriental Turtle Dove, Fork-Tailed Drongo Cuckoo, Orange Breasted Green Pigeon, Eurasian Marsh Harrier and Malabar Pied Hornbill.

The bird walk was followed with an interaction session at KMC Food Court and MAHE Vice Chancellor Dr. H. Vinod Bhat presided over the function. He felicitated six people who actively participated recently in a rescue mission of abandoned birds in Manipal.

A program then continued with a talk on ‘Ethical Photography’ by Dhruvam Desai, final year student of MIT, Manipal. This was followed by ‘Backyard Birding’ with Shubha Bhat from IISc Bangalore. She spoke on different ways to feed the birds with water using different materials for bird baths. “I have recorded 120 species of birds from bird baths in my garden,” she said. She encouraged the participants to have bird baths in their gardens or flats which will help quench the thirst of these little winged wonders during summer.

The participants involved themselves actively in the interaction sessions. The event was accompanied with an art exhibition titled ‘Feathered Jewels’ by Aditya Bhat. He presented around 18 paintings all from his memory of birding encounters.

Participation in Manipal Bird Day was open to all and entry was free.

MANIPAL BIRD DAY

Manipal Bird Day is an annual event dedicated to celebrating birds in Manipal. This day long event brings together a large number of birders from Manipal, Udupi, Mangalore, Mysore, Bangalore, Davangere and other places. Around 150-200 people gather and are split into different teams. They visit the assigned regions and count as many birds as possible. This non competitive event focuses on spreading awareness regarding the diverse avifauna around us. Turn out for this event has been increasing from 3 people to 200 in last 10 years. This is the 10th edition of Manipal Bird Day.

MANIPAL BIRDERS CLUB

Manipal Birders Club started as a Facebook group after the release of the first edition of “A Birders Handbook to Manipal” to share information about the latest sightings. It is now a formal group of over 500 like-minded members that meets at least once a week to go on bird walks. It is now a large birders community and a medium to organize events, bird walks and discussions about birds and sightings.

The next step would be to involve a higher number of local and young birders who will dictate the change in environment around the town in the coming years. With the co operation of Zoology and natural sciences students and other nature enthusiasts and faculty of different colleges weekly birding sessions have been conducted to involve and encourage more and more people to bird and get connected to the nature and to try to understand the changes happening around us, the media release issued by the group said.