Ramadan begins in Mangaluru, Udupi; no taraveeh in mosques

Kozhikode, Jun 14: A mosque in Kuttichira of Kozhikode has found a unique way to avoid crowding amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The committee that runs the mosque has started issuing smart cards to people for offering prayers and simultaneously encouraging social distancing.

"The committee has given smart cards with numbers to the people in the surroundings of the Masjid. One who enters the mosque premises has to rub their hands with sanitizers. They also have to tell their identity on camera. The automatic system has been put in place to save the address and phone number. Next time onwards they have to say their smart card number only so that other details will be automatically filled," said Muhammad Sajjad, who is part of the Mosque committee.

"The door of the mosque will open automatically after swiping the card. We have fit in a sensor on the doors. We have also made marks inside the mosque area so that people can abide by social distancing norm," he added.

A couple of days back the Kerala government has rolled out an order allowing the opening of places of worship, malls and restaurants from June 9 in strict accordance with guidelines and social distancing norms. As per the guidelines, pregnant women and those with co-morbidities should not visit any places of worship. Those with symptoms should not be allowed.

Bengaluru, Jan 18: The government slammed Kerala’s tourism department for putting out a tweet on Sankranti Day, promoting ‘beef ularthiyathu’, a specialty in that state, but the move backfired spectacularly with Karnataka’s tourism minister being heavily trolled.

After Kerala put out its advertisement, state tourism minister CT Ravi, seizing the opportunity, took a dig at the Left government in Kerala, saying, “Welcome to Karnataka”. He followed that up with another tweet listing delicious “vegetarian” dishes of coastal Karnataka — a coastline which runs to Kerala.

“Welcome to Karnataka to bring out the Vegetarian in you. Enjoy the flavors of Tulu Nadu – Pathrode, Kotte Kadubu, Halasina Hannina Gatti, Avalakki Upkari, Badanekayi Mosaru Gojju and a whole lot of authentic food to hit Your tastebuds,” Ravi’s tweet read.

Ravi’s tweet sparked a debate between those for and against eating beef, including legislators like Sowmya Reddy (Congress) and Shobha Karandlaje (BJP). Some pointed out that Karnataka is 80% non-vegetarian and an appropriate response to beef curry would have been “pandi curry” (wild pig curry) — a Kodagu specialty.

Realising his tweets were getting more negative than positive traction, Ravi quickly amended his stand and on Friday tweeted: “Nati Koli Saaru Mudde. Aw! Delightful Delicacy of Old Mysuru region. Farm bred Chicken traditionally cooked to perfection and served with the soft Ragi Mudde. You will ask for more !!!”

Kasaragod, Feb 5: The customs officials has confiscated 15.5 kilograms gold from a car at Bekal near here on Wednesday.

Sources said, acting on a tip-off, the customs sleuths intercepted a car at Bekal, and seized the yellow metal which is being smuggled by the occupants into Kerala.

The police also managed to arrest the two youth identified as Khetan (29) and Akash (23), both natives of Maharashtra. They had hidden the gold in the cushion. 

The accused confessed that the gold was being transported from Thalassery to Maharashtra illegally. The custom officials are investigating to find others involved in the case.