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Annamalai: TN BJP to organize hunger strike on Aug 5 demanding Karnataka to drop Mekedatu dam project

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The Commune
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“We will not allow the Karnataka government to even lay a brick in Mekedatu. On August 5, we will stage a hunger strike to demand that the Karnataka government stop building the dam,” stated Tamil Nadu BJP president Annamalai.

In his interview on July 29, he said,” Prime Minister Modi’s decision to give OBCs  27% reservation and the Economically Weaker Section 10% reservation in all India quota for medical admission is a major development. Many political dramas have been staged in Tamil Nadu for many years, with the All India quota in mind.”

He added that the Modi government told the Supreme Court in 2016 that it has “no objection to allocating 27 percent reservation to the OBC,” and that now the Supreme Court’s final judgment has been delivered, the Prime Minister has brought a law that can benefit Tamil Nadu students and OBCs across India.

According to Annamalai, the government’s move will benefit 5,500 students in the all-India quota, and Prime Minister Modi has done what Congress was hesitant to do all these years.

He further said,” The newly-appointed Chief Minister of Karnataka has said that the Mekedatu Dam will be built in Cauvery. This, of course, is painful; Reprehensible. The Union Water Resources Minister has said that the dam will not be allowed to be built. On behalf of the BJP, a hunger strike will be held in Tanjore on August 5 with the participation of 10,000 farmers, urging Karnataka to abandon the Mekedatu dam project. We will not allow the Karnataka government to lay even a single brick in Mekedatu.”

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National Gallery of Australia to return stolen Indian artifacts taken from temples

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The Commune
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As per reports published in Swarjaya, the National Gallery of Australia (NGA) on Wednesday (29 July) announced it will return 14 artifacts to the Indian Government.

The works of art being repatriated include 13 objects connected to art dealer Subhash Kapoor through Art of the Past and one acquired from art dealer William Wolff. At present Kapoor is in prison for allegedly running a $100 million international smuggling racket.

The works repatriated include six bronze or stone sculptures, a brass processional standard, a painted scroll, and six photographs, the NGA said in a press release.

“Another three sculptures sourced from Art of the Past have also been removed from the collection. Further research will be undertaken to identify their place of origin before they are repatriated,” it added.

“The decision to return the works is the culmination of years of research, due diligence and an evolving framework for decision-making that includes both legal principles and ethical considerations,” the NGA said.
 
NGA Director Nick Mitzevich said,“With these developments, provenance decision-making at the National Gallery will be determined by an evidence-based approach evaluated on the balance of probabilities, anchored in robust legal and ethical decision-making principles and considerations,”.

“As the first outcome of this change, the Gallery will be returning 14 objects from the Indian art collection to their country of origin. This is the right thing to do, its culturally responsible and the result of collaboration between Australia and India. We are grateful to the Indian Government for their support and are pleased we can now return these culturally significant objects,” Mitzevich added.

Mitzevich said the Gallery would continue its research, including for the Asian art collection, and resolve the status of any works of concern, and Indian High Commissioner to Australia, Manpreet Vohra, welcomed the decision by the Australian Government and the National Gallery to return the works. and said, “The Government of India is grateful for this extraordinary act of goodwill and gesture of friendship from Australia. “These are outstanding pieces: their return will be extremely well received by the Government and people of India,”.

Swarajya spoke to Vijay Kumar, founder of India Pride Project, a volunteer group that was behind the identification of the stolen murthis.

“The latest round of restitutions from the NGA mark an end to our decade long battle with them for transparency and accountability of their (Subhash) Kapoor acquisitions. India owes a lot to journalists Jason Felch and Michaela Boland whose contributions were critical for this result.”, Vijay Kumar said.

‘Museums know that India is serious about pursuing it’s stolen art unlike in the past and we hope other museums, collectors, auction houses and dealers realise this. Looted Indian art is no longer fair game.’, he said.

‘The looting is not particular only to Tamil Nadu but this restitution shows that the smuggling is prevalent in Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Andhra and Telangana.”

“Our heritage is at risk pan-India. We hope the center and states acknowledge this and pursue the heritage crimes seriously.”

 

The works being returned are:

• Chola dynasty (9th-13th centuries), The child-saint Sambandar, 12th century, purchased 1989

• Chola dynasty (9th-13th centuries), The dancing child-saint Sambandar, 12th century, purchased 2005

• Hyderabad, Telangana, India, Processional standard [‘alam], 1851, purchased 2008

• Mount Abu region, Rajasthan, India, Arch for a Jain shrine, 11th-12th century, purchased 2003

• Mount Abu region, Rajasthan, India, Seated Jina, 1163, purchased 2003

• Rajasthan or Uttar Pradesh, India, The divine couple Lakshmi and Vishnu [Lakshmi Narayana], 10th-11th century, purchased 2006

• Gujarat, India, Goddess Durga slaying the buffalo demon [Durga Mahisasuramardini], 12th13th century, purchased 2002

• Rajasthan, India, Letter of invitation to Jain monks; picture scroll [vijnaptipatra], c. 1835, purchased 2009

• Lala D. Dayal, India, Maharaja Sir Kishen Pershad Yamin, 1903, purchased 2010

• Udaipur, Rajasthan, India, not titled [‘Manorath’ portrait of donor and priests before Shri Nathji, Udaipur, Rajasthan], unknown date, purchased 2009

• Guru Das Studio, not titled [Gujarati family group portrait], purchased 2009

• Shanti C. Shah, Hiralal A Gandhi memorial portrait, 1941, purchased 2009

• Venus Studio, India, not titled [Portrait of a man], 1954, purchased 2009

• Udaipur, Rajasthan, India, not titled [Portrait of a woman], unknown date, purchased 2009

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Alleged porn producer Raj Kundra and Shilpa Shetty in trouble for contravening insider trading rules

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The Commune
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Businessmen Raj Kundra who is in custody for making pornographic films and his actress wife Shilpa Shetty are now in trouble with market regulator the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI).

As per reports, a penalty of Rs 3 lakh has been imposed on the couple and their company Viaan Industries for contravening insider trading rules, and the fine has been imposed for a three-year delay in the disclosure of an allotment of preferential shares.

In 2015, Viaan Industries had made a preferential allotment of 500,000 equity shares and 128,800 equity shares each was allotted to Kundra (referred to as Ripu Sudan Kundra) and Shetty, the promoters of the company.

According to SEBI’s Prohibition of Insider Trading Rules, 2015, Kundra and Shetty did not disclose this transaction to the company within two days if it exceeded Rs 10 lakh in value which in this case was a transaction of Rs 2.57 crore each, and the disclosures pertaining to the 2015 transaction was only in 2019.

As of now, Shetty and Kundra have acknowledged the mistake and said it was not done with malafide intent.

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P.S. Subrahmanya Sastri, the man who first translated ancient Tamil text ‘Tolkappiyam’ to English

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The Commune
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P.S. Subrahmanya Sastri, the man who first translated ancient Tamil text 'Tolkapiyam' to English

Tamil is the oldest language in the world, and Tolkappiyam is one of the earliest available literary works in Tamil. The author of Tolkappiyam, Tolkappiyar, is believed to have lived during the Second Sangam era—before 4,200 B.C. However, very little is known about the man who first translated this outstanding ancient text into English – Dr Subramanya Sastri.

A great scholar proficient in Tamil, Sanskrit, and English, Dr PS Subrahmanya Sastri was born on July 29, 1890, in Balakrishnanpatti, Kollimalai—Trichy district of Tamil Nadu, the eldest son of Swaminatha Sastrigal and Srimati Mangalammal. 

After studying mathematics at the degree level, he studied Sanskrit for his MA with Neelkanda Shastri, an expert in grammar and philosophy. He graduated as the first PhD holder from the University of Madras. He published his thesis on ‘History of Grammatical Theories in Tamil and Their Relation to Grammatical Literature in Sanskrit’ in 1930.

He started his career as a mathematics teacher at Tiruvaiyaru Government College. Later, he became the Principal of Rajah’s College, Tiruvaiyaru, and Head of the Department of Sanskrit at Annamalai University between 1942 and 1947. He was known by the titles Vidyaratnam, Vidyanidi, and Vidyabhushanam.

Dr Subrahmanya Sastri researched Tolkappiyam and wrote the text in Tamil and English. He published the English translation in 1930. Although his approach was scientific, Tamil and Sanskrit scholars widely criticized his work.

Naysayers called Dr Subrahmanya Sastri anti-Tamil and anti-Sanskrit for translating Tolkappiyam. 

However, it should be noted that during his tenure at Annamalai University, he revived the defunct Sanskrit Honours course. His class lectures in Sanskrit or English were interspersed with parallels from Tamil literature. Such was his love for the three languages.

Dr Sastri’s fluency in Tamil, Sanskrit and English got him the title of ‘Vani Triveni Prayaga’ from Kanchi Paramacharya. In addition to that, he had sound knowledge in Latin and German and has written about 35 books.

Though he was steadfast in his looks, his disciples remembered him for being very simple and extremely kind, especially the poor scholars. He was always conscious about his own humble beginnings and had devoted his entire life to Tamil.

Dr Subrahmanya Shastri passed away on 20th May 1978 at 88.

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Watch: DMK Min’s daughter-in-law wants law that will mandate Vatican’s permission to arrest Christian pastors

By
The Commune
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Mercy Senthil Kumar, the daughter-in-law of DMK minister I Periyasamy and wife of DMK MLA I.P. Senthil Kumar, has urged that a law be enacted requiring the Vatican Pope’s approval to arrest Christian pastors and sisters around the world.

She is heard saying, in a video that has gone viral on social media, “Everyone is speaking out about Pastor Stan Swamy’s death. I’m here to add my voice to yours. We are all bound by our family circles, and we can only volunteer in our spare time. But what respect do we give to priests and sisters who dedicate their entire lives to service? A priest (Stan Swamy) has died. Today, 200 people gathered here to support Stan Swamy, and another priest and a sister will be struggling somewhere else tomorrow.”

https://www.facebook.com/100028226284364/videos/559042608565420/

She went on to say that education and rationality only came to India following the arrival of Christian Fathers and Sisters, and that the majority of India’s educational institutions are in the hands of priests and sisters, who should teach politics and law, she suggested.

She stated,” We should teach about sainthood in the colleges with Christians. Living the life of a saint is very difficult. we should see Christians pastors and sisters as heroes and heroines.”

She added that she is pondering bringing legislation that would require the Vatican’s Pope’s permission to imprison any pastors or nuns serving people around the world.

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Christain missionary Ranjan Chutia arrested in Assam for misusing religious and cultural creations of Bhakti saint Shankar Dev

By
The Commune
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As is the practice of cultural appropriation to confuse and convert Hindus to Christianity, a Christian missionary group in Assam’s Dibrugarh district have been misusing the religious and cultural creation of Srimanta Shankar Dev for religious conversion.

Christian missionary Ranjan Chutia in order to convert Hindus has been using Srimanta Shankar Dev for religious conversion and on Thursday (July 28), Dibrugarh police him from Moran healing center after Hindu Yuba Chatra Parishad lodged an FIR.

The missionary used Borgeet, Naam, Ghusha (Assamese religious devotional songs), and added Jesus Christ’s name in the lyrics and his videos have become viral on social media.

However, this method of conversion has angered the disciples of Guru Shankar Dev in Assam because he is revered as a saint-scholar, poet, playwright, dancer, actor, musician, artist social-religious reformer, and a figure of importance in the cultural and religious history of Assam.
 
At Batadrava Sattra, the birthplace of Guru Shankar Dev, missionaries have been warned not to indulge in such practice using the creation of Shankar Dev. Sattradhikar of Batadrava Sattra Devananda DebGoswami condemned the entire Christain coercion practice and urged the state government to take immediate action.

“Secretary-General of the Sangh Babul Bora appealed to the state government to intervene in the matter to stop the ill practice of the missionaries. On 25th July, the Hindu Yuva Chatra Parishad lodged an FIR against the main culprit Ranjan Chutia in the Moran police station in Dibrugarh district. In the FIR, the organization accused that the missionary Ranjan Chutia and his derogatory works towards the creation of Guru Shankar Dev has deeply pained the Assamese society. Thus it should be stopped immediately to maintain social peace.  ”

Christain missionary Ranjan Chutia and his flock started at a prayer house named “World Healing Prayer Center” in Moran they claimed to treat patients with any disease by healing prayer and the power of Jesus Christ. Through this venture, Chutia converted thousands of people, desperate people, by claiming he can cure diseases. The various local organizations claim that missionary Ranjan Chutia has converted hundreds of people to Christianity in the name of providing good health and monetary help.
 
The Dibrugarh police have booked the accused person under sections 153(A) and 195(A) of IPC. In the mandatory health checkup, it is found that missionary Ranjan Chutia is COVID-19 positive.
 
The Dibrugarh police admitted the arrested missionary at a local Covid hospital.

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India and US deeply troubled by Taliban actions in Afghanistan, Pak PM Imran Khan blames America for all the mess

By
The Commune
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During the meeting between India’s External Affairs Minister S Jaishshankar and the United States Secretary of State Anthony Blinkin, India made it very clear that it is “deeply troubling” as the Taliban is “taking over power by force” which is not the path to international recognition.

During the meeting with Blinkin, Jaishankar called for a “broad and deep consensus” outcome in Afghanistan that should not be “decided by force on the battlefield” and that only negotiation would lead to peace.

The Indian EAM said, “Regarding Afghanistan, it is essential that peace negotiations are taken seriously by all parties. The world wishes to see an independent, sovereign, democratic and stable Afghanistan at peace with itself and with its neighbours but its independence and sovereignty will only be ensured if it is free from malign influences. Similarly, unilateral imposition of will by any party will obviously not be democratic and can never lead to stability nor indeed can such efforts ever acquire legitimacy,” he said.

“The gains to Afghan civil society especially on the rights of women, minorities and on social freedoms over the last two decades are self-evident; we must collectively work to preserve them. Afghanistan must neither be home to terrorism nor resource of refugees,” he said.

However, Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan in an interview said, “I think the US has really messed it up in Afghanistan,” and fears Afghanistan could again descend into a civil war while failing to mention how his country gave sanctuary to the Taliban for the last twenty years. 

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Hindu Munnani condemns DMK government for appointing Anti-Hindu atheists to TN Textbook Service Corporation

By
The Commune
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Hindu Munnani Tamil Nadu state president Kaadeswara Subramaniam has slammed the DMK government for appointing Anti Hindu atheists and Christians to the posts at the Tamil Nadu Textbook Service Corporation.

According to a statement released by Kadeshwara Subramaniam,” Suba Veerapandian has been appointed to the Tamil Nadu Textbook Service Corporation by the Tamil Nadu government. The Tamil Nadu government appears to have decided to hand over education and teaching to Christians and people who oppose Hinduism. Hindu Munnani warns that this will bring disaster.”

He added that Suba Veerapandian, the founder of the Dravida Iyakka Tamilar Peravai, is the one who has ruined the youth’s future by sowing poison in their hearts by redefining polygamy and extramarital affairs as “love beyond marriage,” thereby sabotaging Tamil Nadu’s monogamy culture.

At a time when Tamil Nadu people are protesting the appointment of Christian, sexist, and adult debate speaker Dindigul I. Leoni as president of the Tamil Nadu Textbook Service Corporation, the appointment of anti-Hindu atheist Suba Veerapandian as an advisory member is like pouring oil on the fire, he said.

He concluded by saying that,” The Hindu Munnani vehemently condemns the Tamil Nadu government, which claims to be a secular state, for continuing to appoint Christians, atheists, and anti-Hindus to high positions. The Hindu Munnani calls on the Tamil Nadu government to immediately withdraw the appointment of Suba Veerapandian, considering that the younger generation will be severely affected by these actions of the DMK government.”

(with inputs from Hindu Munnani)

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TN sees rise in COVID cases again

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The Commune
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Tamil Nadu’s health department reports that the daily number of Corona cases has increased a little bit in 11 districts including Tenkasi, Ariyalur, Krishnagiri, Tanjore and Nilgiris than on Sunday.

Of these, only three districts , Tenkasi, Tanjore and Villupuram , reported daily increases for the third day in a row.

In the other districts of Chennai, Tiruvallur, Coimbatore, Erode and Salem districts, the daily impact was over 100.

A maximum of 164 people have been confirmed infected in Coimbatore and 127 in Erode, the health ministry said.

This unprecedented spike got the state health department to call upon the district administrations to immediately focus on the clusters or areas that are contributing to the new cases so as to curb community transmissions, from the new delta wave.

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UP government mulls operation of flight connecting Ayodhya and Rameshwaram

By
The Commune
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“Flights connecting Ayodhya and Rameswaram will be started after consultation with the Central Government,” said Uttar Pradesh Transport Minister Nandagopal Gupta.

After taking swami darshan at the famous Rameshwaram temple, UP Minister Nandagopal Gupta spoke to the press and said that since entering office, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has put an end to extortion and rowdyism, and that the people are economically progressing as the state goes on the path of development.

He further said that, after consultation with the central government, the operation of flight between Ayodhya and Rameswaram will be started after the construction of Ram Temple in Ayodhya. He went on to say that the BJP will win more than 300 seats in the UP assembly elections next year.

(with inputs from Dinamalar)

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TheCommune
The Commune is a news and views portal focusing on social and political issues of the southern part of India with a focus on Tamil Nadu.
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