Quran memorisers of Al-Furqan school shine in CBSE Class 10 exams

Mangaluru, Jan 9: Noted city based tax accountant and former Rotary District Governor Surya Prakash Bhat passed away late this evening following brief illness. He was 62 and is survived by his wife Srimathi and two daughters Shruthi and Shravya.

Surya Prakash Bhat suddenly fell ill and had been in coma for the last two weeks due to complications arising from acute diabetes. He was undergoing treatment in the ICU at Yenepoya Hospital, Kodialbail. However he failed to respond to treatment and passed away at 9.20 p.m on Wednesday, January 8th.

He was an active Rotarian. He was an active member of Rotaract Club of Mangalore Central during his youth and then joined Rotary Club of Mangalore in 1989. After holding various positions in club level and the district level including Rotary District Secretary during the year 1995-96, he became club President of Rotary Club of Mangalore during its Golden Jubilee year in 1999-2000. Then on he rose to the position of District Governor of RI Dist. 3180 during 2003-2004. He was presently a member of the Rotary District Advisory Council.

Popularly known as "SURI", Surya Prakash Bhat was born in Mangalore on 8th May 1957. He had his early education in Milagres High School and graduated from St. Aloysius College. He did his articleship under Kamath & Rao Chartered Accountants. He has been practicing as a Tax Consultant since 1980 specializing in the fields of Goods & Service Tax (GST).

He has earlier served as Treasurer and Secretary of Kanara Chamber of Commerce & Industry, Mangalore. He also has been a Member of Finance & Banking Committee of FICCI, New Delhi; Member of Advisory Board, Department of Commercial Taxes as well as of Customs & Central Excise. He was one of the founders of The Karavali Automotive Sports Club, Mangalore and a Trustee of Shri Somanatha Temple, Someshwar, Mangalore.

Had been regularly anchoring programme like “Janadhwani”, a programme which highlights problems of common man, Elections Special and Budget Analysis in the local TV Channel.

Funeral will be held tomorrow in Mangalore.

Rotary Connection

Surya Prakash Bhat Joined Rotaract Club in 1976-77 and had won record 14 out of 15 awards in the district (Comprising of 8 Revenue Districts) as the best President during 1984-85.  He served as Rotaract District Secretary during 1985-86. 

He has been addressing various institutions, organizations and service clubs on matters of general interest, personality and individual development and Rotary. Has addressed the prestigious Rotary Institutes at Colombo and was trainer for the DGN’S at Cochin Institute, Bangkok Institute & SINGAPORE Institute. He was the President during the "Golden Jubilee Year" of Rotary Club of Mangalore during 1999-2000 when the club had bagged a record 28 awards in all.

He attended Rotary International Conventions at Singapore in 1999, at Denmark/Sweden in 2006 and New Orleans, USA in 2011,and Sydney, Australia in 2014. He was District Secretary during 1995-96 and then was the Club President during 1999-2000. He had initiated unique District Projects like “Sanjeevini” – Students Parents Insurance Scheme, “Jeeva” Highway Ambulance Project, Mid Day Meal for students of 6th & 7th Std children, Mobility Training Centre for the Blind etc. 

During the Governorship, RI Dist.3180 topped the world in membership development with 15 new clubs and 852 new members.  He has represented the Dist.3180 to Council on Legislation (decision taking body of Rotary International) at Chicago, USA during 2006-07.  Has been awarded “The Citation for Meritorious Service” by THE ROTARY FOUNDATION of Rotary International in recognition of his devoted efforts for the furthering of better understanding and friendly relations of people’s of the world. Has also been awarded “The Service above Self” citation of the Rorary International for the year 2011. Was the coordinator for Zone 6A & 6B covering around 12 countries for Literacy Programme of R.I for the year 2006-07.

Was the Chairman of the Dist. Trainers Training Programme at the Rotary Institute 2017-18 at Kuala Lampur, Malaysia.

Bengaluru, Jan 10: Demanding the setting up of a House Committee to probe the Mangaluru violence, former Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy on Friday released multiple videos of the clashes that broke out during the anti-Citizenship Amendment Act protest that claimed two lives on December 19.

Janata Dal-Secular leader further demanded suspension of Police Commissioner PS Harsha and insisted that House Committee consisting of members of all the parties should be formed to probe into Mangaluru violence and said that magisterial inquiry ordered by the state government cannot be trusted.

"Constitute a House committee and produce the fact. The main culprit is the commissioner of Mangaluru, remove the officer as he is the main culprit. I am going to take this issue on the floor of the House." Kumaraswamy said during a press conference here.

Two people were killed in Mangaluru in the alleged police firing after protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act turned violent.

The Act grants Indian citizenship to refugees from Hindu, Christian, Sikh, Buddhist and Parsi communities fleeing religious persecution from Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh who entered India on or before 31, 2014.

‘Go to Pakistan’ has probably been most often used phrase used against Muslims in India. Recently in yet another such incident the SP of Meerut, UP has been in the news and a video is circulating where he, Akhilesh Narayan Singh, is allegedly using the jibe ‘Go to Pakistan’. In the video he is seen shouting at protestors at Lisari Gate area in Meerut, “The ones (protestors) wearing those black or yellow armbands, tell them to go to Pakistan”. His seniors stood by him calling it ‘natural reaction to shouting of pro Pakistan slogans. Many BJP leaders like Uma Bhararti also defended the officer. Breaking ranks with fellow politicians, Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi of BJP, criticised the said officer and asked for suitable action against him. Interestingly this is same Naqvi, who earlier when the beef related arguments were going on; had stated that those who want to eat beef can go to Pakistan.

Interestingly this is probably the first time that any BJP leader has opposed the use of this jibe against the Indian Muslims. True to the dominance of trolls who support divisive politics, Naqvi has been trolled on the issue. As such vibe ‘Go to Pakistan’ has been a strong tool in the hands of aggressive elements to demonise Muslims in general and to humiliate those with Muslim names. One recalls that when due to the rising intolerance in the society many eminent writers, film makers were returning their awards, Aamir Khan said that his wife Kiran Rao is worried about their son. Immediately BJP worthies like Giriraj Singh pounced on him that he can go to Pakistan.

The strategy of BJP combine has been on one hand to use this ‘go to Pakistan’ to humiliate Muslims on the other from last few years another Pakistan dimension has been added. Those who are critical of the policies of BJP-RSS have on one hand been called as anti National and on the other it is being said that ‘they are speaking the language of Pakistan’.

Use of Pakistan to label the Muslims and dissidents here in India has been a very shrewd tool in the hands of communal forces. One remembers that the ‘cricket nationalism’ was also the one to use it. In case of India-Pakistan cricket match, the national hysteria, which it created, was also aiming at Indian Muslims. What was propagated was that Indian Muslims cheer for Pakistan victory and they root for Pakistan. There was an unfortunate grain of truth in this as a section of disgruntled, alienated Muslim did that. That was not the total picture, as most Indian Muslims were cheering for Indian victory. Many a Muslim cricketers contributed massively to Indian cricket victories. The cricket legends like Nawab Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi, Irfan Pathan, and Mohammad Azaruddin are just the few among the long list of those who brought glories for India in the field of cricket.

Even in matters of defence there are legions of Muslims who contributed to Indian efforts in the war against Pakistan all through. Abdul Hamid’s role in 1965 India Pak war and the role of Muslim soldiers in Kargil war will be part of Indian military history. There have been generals in army who contributed in many ways for the role which military has been playing in service of the nation. General Zamiruddin Shah, when asked to handle Gujarat carnage, does recount how despite the lack of support from local administration for some time, eventually the military was able to quell the violence in some ways.

During freedom movement Muslims were as much part of the struggle against British rule as any other community. While the perception has been created that Muslims were demanding Pakistan, the truth is somewhere else. It was only the elite section of Muslims who supported the politics of Muslim League and later the same Muslim League could mobilize some other section and unleash the violence like ‘Direct Action’ in Kolkata, which in a way precipitated the actual process of partition, which was the goal of British and aim of Muslim League apart from this being the outcome of ‘Two Nation theory’.

Not much is popularized about the role of great number of Muslims who were part of National movement, who steadfastly opposed the idea and politics which led to the sad partition of the subcontinent. Few excellent accounts of the role of Muslims in freedom movement like Syed Nasir Ahmad, Ubaidur Rahman, Satish Ganjoo and Shamsul Islam are few of these not too well know books which give the outline of the great Muslim freedom fighters like Khan Abdul Gaffar Khan, Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, Ansari Brothers, Ashfaqulla Khan.

Immediately after partition tragedy the communal propaganda did the overdrive to blame the whole partition process on Muslim separatism, this totally undermined the fact that how poor Muslims had taken out massive marches to oppose the Lahore Resolution of separate Pakistan moved by Mohammad Ali Jinnah. The whole Muslim community started being seen as the homogenous, ‘The other’ and other misconceptions started against the community, the one’s relating them to atrocities of Muslim kings started being made as the part of popular folklore, leading the Hate against them. This Hate in turn laid the foundation of violence and eventual ghettoisation of this community.

The interactive-syncretism prevalent in India well presented by Gandhi-Nehru was pushed to the margins as those believing in pluralism did not actively engage with the issue. The economic marginalization of this community, coupled with the increasing insecurity in turn led to some of them to identify with Pakistan, and this small section was again presented as the representative of the whole Muslim community.

Today the battle of perception is heavily tilted against the Muslim community. It is a bit of a surprise as Naqvi is differing from his other fellow colleagues to say that the action should be taken against the erring police officer. The hope is that all round efforts are stepped up to combat the perception constructed against this religious minority in India.