PM Modi visits Hindu, Buddhist temples, mosque in Singapore

Agencies
June 2, 2018

Singapore, Jun 2: Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Hindu and Buddhist temples and a mosque in Chinatown here, demonstrating the age-old people-to-people contact between India and Singapore on Saturday.

The prime minister, who is here on a three-day tour, visited Sri Mariamman Temple and participated in prayers. Sri Mariamman is the oldest Hindu temple in the country.

The priest of the temple gifted a golden stole to Modi.

"Reinforcing our strong cultural connect, PM @narendramodi visited the Mariamman Temple," Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said.

Built in 1827, the temple was constructed for worship by immigrants from Nagapattinam and Cuddalore districts of South India. The temple is dedicated to Goddess Mariamman, known for her power in curing epidemic illnesses and diseases.

He also visited Chulia mosque which was built by Chulia Muslim merchants from India's Coromandel Coast under the leadership of Anser Sahib. This is one of the earliest mosques in Singapore. The mosque was established in 1826.

Modi was gifted a green shawl at the mosque.

"Demonstrating the age-old people-to-people contact between our two countries," Kumar said.

After the mosque, Modi visited the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple and Museum.

"Shared Buddhist heritage! PM @narendramodi visited the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple and Museum in Singapore accompanied by the Culture Minister Grace Fu Hai Yien," Kumar said.

The Buddha Tooth Relic Temple was built in 2007, but the temple's richly designed interiors and comprehensive exhibits on Buddhist art and history tell stories of culture over hundreds of years old.

The temple gets its name from what the Buddhists regard as the left canine tooth of Buddha, which has been recovered from his funeral pyre in Kushinagar Uttar Pradesh and displayed in its grounds.

Comments

Mr Frank
 - 
Saturday, 2 Jun 2018

It is a habit of Modiji always choose visiting of masjids out side india fearing Rss backlash.

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News Network
July 3,2020

Kanpur,  Jul 3: A total of eight police personnel including Deputy Superintendent of Police Devendra Mishra have lost their lives after they were fired upon by criminals in the early hours of Friday.

The incident took place when a police team had gone to raid history-sheeter Vikas Dubey's house.

Senior Superintendent of Police and Inspector General of Police have reached the spot and forensics team is examining the area.

State Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has expressed his condolence to the families of the eight Police personnel who lost their lives after being fired upon by criminals in Kanpur. He has directed Director General of Police HC Awasthi to take strict action against criminals. He also sought a report of the incident. 

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Agencies
January 4,2020

New Delhi, Jan 4: "Sovereign, socialist, secular, democratic republic" is how India is referred to in the preamble of the Constitution. However, J Nandakumar, a key RSS leader and All India Convenor Prajna Pravah, a Sangh offshoot, wants India to reconsider the inclusion of the word "secular", claiming secularism is a "western, Semitic concept".

In an exclusive interview to news agency, Nandakumar said: "Secularism is a western, Semitic concept. It came into existence in the West. It was actually against Papal dominance."

He argued that India does not need a secular ethos as the nation has moved "way beyond secularism" since it believes in universal acceptance as against the western concept of tolerance.

The RSS functionary on Thursday released a book here named "Hindutva in the changing times". The book launch event was also attended by senior RSS functionary Krishna Gopal.

Nandakumar, who has attacked the Mamata Banerjee government in his book for alleged "Islamisation of West Bengal", told IANS: "We have to see whether we need to put up a board of being secular, or that whether we should prove this through our behaviour, actions and roles."

It is for society to take a call on this, rather than by any political class, on whether the preamble to the Indian Constitution should continue to have the word "secular" in it or not, he added.

In between signing his books and obliging wannabe Hindutva cadres with selfies, Nandakumar said that the very existence of the word "secular" in the preamble was not necessary and how the constitution founders too were against it.

"Baba Saheb Ambedkar, Ladi Krishnaswamy Aiyaar -- all debated against it and said it (secular) wasn't necessary to be included in the preamble. That time it was demanded, discussed and decided not to include it," he said.

Ambedkar's opinion was, however, disregarded when Indira Gandhi "bulldozed" the word "secular", in 1976, said the head of the Prajna Pravah, an umbrella body of several right-wing think-tanks

As Nandakumar prepared to return to his base in Kerala, where, he emphasises, the RSS has its work cut out in the "fight against the Kunnor model", he said that the inclusion of "secular" was done with the intent to damage the concept of Hindutva.

"It was to demolish, destroy the overarching principle of Hindutva that binds us together", he said.

Asked whether the Sangh would pressurise the BJP, which has 303 seats in the Lok Sabha, to omit "secular" from the Constitution preamble, Nandakumar smilingly refused to reply.

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News Network
May 29,2020

Bengaluru, May 29: Former prime minister H D Deve Gowda mourned the demise of Rajya Sabha member and Managing Director of leading Malayalam daily Mathrubhumi M P Veerendra Kumar, hailing him as a great journalist and writer.

"My deepest condolences on the demise of former union Minister and Rajya sabha member Shri M.P. Veerendra Kumar. He was a great journalist and writer. May god give strength to his family & his people to bear the loss," Gowda said in his condolence message.

Veerandra Kumar, who was a member of PTIs Board of Directors, died late Thursday at a private hospital in Kozhikode in Kerala following cardiac arrest.

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