India, along with Japan, Australia and the United States (US) is ready for round two of the Malabar naval exercise off the coast of Goa starting from Tuesday (17 November).
This year India invited Australia and now the combined naval forces of the four QUAD nations will embark on a series of military exercises to enhance cooperation and interoperability.
The Quad is a strategic alliance and this year, must to the dismay of China, Australia was invited to take part in the Malabar exercise in more than a decade.
Australian Defence Minister Linda Reynolds called the Malabar exercise, A demonstration of the strategic trust between the four democracies but also strengthened the collective ability to contribute to regional security.”
For Communist China, the Quad is a strategic and geopolitical challenge and a thorn on the heel of President Xi Jinping led Chinese Communist Party (CCP) establishment. Many articles have been published in Chinese newspapers attacking both India and Australia for creating unnecessary tension in the region.
In 2007, several countries bowed down to Chinese pressure and India could also be counted among those nations who did not want to upset China. However, India under Prime Minister Modi has remained firm this time and ensured Australia participated in these crucial naval exercises.
An Islamist in Bangladesh, which is a majority Muslim country, has threatened to kill one of the best cricketers and perhaps Bangladesh’s best all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan for inaugurating a Kali Puja program in Kolkata, Dhaka Tribune reported.
A young man from Sylhet, identified as Mohsin Talukdar from Shahpur Talukdarpara village in Tukerbazar union, issued a threat to kill leading Bangladesh all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan during a live Facebook session.
Mohsin Talukdar appeared during the Facebook live session and hurled abuses at Shakib while holding a large machete in his hand and was very angry and according to this Islamist, Shakib should be killed for hurting the religious sentiment of Muslims by inaugurating the puja mandap which is associated with Hindus.
‘Shakib must be killed. I would murder him by hacking if I get him in touch,’ Mahsin claimed in the video. Mahsin also demanded Shakib offer an apology for ‘hurting the Muslims.’
The incident took place on November 12 when Shakib inaugurated a Kali Puja program in Kolkata and it is being reported he also took part in the inauguration of the 59th Shyama Puja of “Amra Shobai Club” at Kankurgachi in East Kolkata by cutting the ribbon and lighting the lamp.
However, Shakib after being threatened has issued an unequivocal apology and for hurting the sentiments of his supporters and has flatly denied for inaugurating puja mandap and sought forgiveness.
‘Media, social media everywhere it was flooded that I went to Kolkata to inaugurate a puja ceremony which actually was not the reason behind my visit and I did not inaugurate puja,’ Shakib said during the Facebook live.
‘Puja was inaugurated by Firhad Hakim, mayor of Kolkata. In my invitation card it was clearly mentioned that I was not the chief guest for puja,’ he said.
“Being a practising Muslim I always try to follow the religious customs. Please forgive me if I have done anything wrong” he said.
Shakib Al Hasan has been part of the Indan Premier League (IPL) for eight seasons and won the championship twice with Kolkata Knight Riders and once with Sunrisers Hyderabad.
As the world awaits a vaccine that will put an end to the Wuhan virus pandemic, a Christian group in Tamil Nadu is already peddling propaganda against vaccination through their TV channel asking people to ‘run away from the vaccine’ as ‘it has the mark of Satan’.
Angel TV, part of Jesus Ministries founded by Sundar Selvaraj, claims in a show broadcasted by the TV channel that the vaccine has an in-built chip which is a ‘mark of the beast’.
“This is certainly the wrath of the beast the Bible has warned us about. Let me repeat one more time. If this is an ordinary vaccine, it is no harm. But if the other two forces are joining together, the digital identity and a financial transaction ability joining together… then in the name of Lord Jesus Christ I warn you today run away from it”, evangelist Sundar Selvaraj exclaims.
In the show, a poor woman and her child is seen watching evangelist Sundar Selvaraj making these claims on Angel TV. The child asks the visibly panicked mother what ‘grandpa’ (evangelist) is saying to which the mother responds “Many are dying from plague, isn’t it? A vaccine has been found now. But it has the chip of the mark of the beast. So we must not get vaccinated. That is what ‘grandpa’ is saying”.
Sundar Selvaraj can be heard in the background saying “don’t get deceived and get spoilt”.
On the day of the vaccination drive, the mother and the child is shown standing in the queue with a voiceover [of supposedly Jesus] saying “Dear daughter Sumithra.. Look at the injection carefully! It is not just a vaccine. The mark of the beast is hidden in it! Pay careful attention to it! This is what you read in the book of revelation. If you take the mark of the beast, you cannot enter into the kingdom of heaven.”
Sumithra asks “What should I do now?” to which the voiceover responds “You warn them about this.”. She immediately turns and asks people to not get vaccinated. “As the lord has said in the Bible, it has the mark of the beast in it.”, Sumithra exclaims.
Two other ladies are shown discussing how a pastor had warned them about such things happening. A few other villagers ask Sumithra if she had gone mad.
Sumithra says that if the vaccine is taken they would all end up in hell to which rally behind her and say that it is true.
A local politician wearing a ‘saffronish’ shawl organizing the camp is shown yelling at Sumithra. The doctor rises from his seat and tells Sumithra that it is just a chip that is for her own good. A visibly agitated Sumithra is shown feeling helpless remembering the words of Sundar Selvaraj and runs away with her son.
It is known that the Muslim community is averse to vaccination of any kind and peddles conspiracies about how vaccinations are meant to sterilize their children. There are several instances where health workers have been attacked and hounded out of Muslim-majority areas whenever there is a vaccination drive.
Now a section of the Christians have started spreading false propaganda on their TV channels against a yet-to-arrive COVID19 vaccine.
Selvaraj who dresses himself in saffron is known for his proselytization activities. In the last financial year 2018-19 alone, the Chennai-headquartered Jesus Ministries organization has received donations of ₹ 2 crore from Christian organizations in the United States, Australia and Taiwan.
India has hit back on Pakistan for concocting documents and peddling false narratives after the terror-sponsoring nation has said that it has “irrefutable evidence” of India’s alleged involvement in terror sponsorship in Pakistan.
As Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Deebavali addressing troops in Jaisalmer called upon Islamabad to end its support to cross-border terrorism, or there will be a serious consequence as India will not hesitate to hit back.
MEA spokesperson Anurag Srivastava said, “The so called claims of ‘proof’ against India enjoy no credibility, are fabricated and represent figment of imagination. This desperate attempt will find few takers as the international community is aware of Pakistan’s tactics and proof of its terror sponsorship has been admitted by none other than its own leadership,”.
“This is yet another futile anti-India propaganda exercise,” Srivastava said reminding Pakistan that Al Qaeda terrorist Osama bin Laden was killed in its soil.
In a presser held by Pakistani foreign minister, Shah Mahmood Qureshi alongside Army spokesman Maj Gen Babar Iftikhar, Qureshi made the outlandish claim that India was behind some of the terror attacks in Pakistan and Indian diplomats in Afghanistan were promoting terrorist activities.
However, Kabul totally rejected these baseless allegations and said the Afghan government would never allow anyone to use its soil for “disruptive activities against any third country”.
In a statement Sunday, the foreign ministry said that Afghanistan itself is a major victim of terrorism. Kabul, it said, is “committed to a policy of combating all forms of terrorism…and will never allow Afghan territory to be used for destructive activities against other countries.”
Srivastava further added that global terror mastermind, Osama bin Laden, was found in Pakistan and that Pakistani PM Imran Khan eulogized him as a “martyr” from the floor of Parliament.
He further added“He admitted the presence of 40,000 terrorists in Pakistan, their science and technology minister proudly claimed involvement and success of Pakistan, led by its prime minister, in the Pulwama terror attack in which 40 Indian soldiers were martyred,”
In a major reversal to Pakistan backed Taliban, the Afghan forces in Helmand and Kandahar province managed to eliminate over 150 Pakistan terrorists operating in Afghanistan according to information released by the Afghan interior affairs ministry Sunday (November 15).
In a press conference, the interior affairs ministry’s spokesman Tariq Arian said, “At least 55 Taliban commanders have been killed in Helmand and Kandahar provinces in Afghan forces operations in response to their attacks and 152 Pakistani fighters were killed in Helmand,”.
Taliban which is in midst of peace negotiation with the democratically elected Afghan government had launched a series of attacks on the Afghan security forces in the last few months.
Also, a United Nations Security Council (UNSC) report states that around 6,500 Pakistan terrorists are operating in Afghanistan most of them belonging to the Tehrik-e Taliban Pakistan (TTP).
A report published by the Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team concerning ISIS, al-Qaida and associated jihadist entities stated that the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), a “large terrorist group present in Afghanistan”, has claimed responsibility for various high-profile attacks in Pakistan and has facilitated others by Jamaat-ul-Ahrar and Lahskhar-e-Islam, the report said.
With the rise of ISIS in Afganistan, many former TTP terrorists have joined Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant – Khorasan (ISIL-K).
A woman who threw jewelry worth ₹3 lakh in the trash while cleaning the house for Deebavali recovered it after putting up a struggle.
Rekha Selukar hails from Pimple Saudagar in Pune, Maharashtra. She had cleaned her house ahead of Deebavali. She also threw away an old handbag that had been lying around for a long time while throwing out all the old things in the house. A few hours after the incident, she realized that jewellery worth ₹3 lakh, including a silver clasp and a mangalsutra, which she had kept in the bag for a long time had also been thrown away along with the bag.
She immediately contacted Sanjay Kutte, a local social worker. She then informed the health department. Rekha’s family then went to the garbage dump upon the instructions of the social worker. It was only when the staff went to inspect the vehicle carrying the garbage that it came to light that all the garbage had been taken to the warehouse.
According to the information given by the health officer, they deduced that the jewellery should be in the warehouse. The handbag with all the jewellery was found intact. Rekha’s family expressed their gratitude to the health department.
Prime Minister Modi unveiled the ‘Statue of Peace’ in Rajasthan on Monday marking the 151st birth anniversary of the Jain monk Acharya Shree Vijay Vallabh Surishwar Ji Maharaj. The statue, 151 inches tall and made of ‘astadhatu‘ (eight metals) has been installed at the Vijay Vallabh Sadhana Kendra in Rajasthan’s Pali.
Acharya Shree Vijay Vallabh Surishwar Ji Maharaj lived between 1870 and 1954, leading a very austere life, spreading the message of Mahavira and working for the welfare of the poor and downtrodden during his time.
PM Modi paid tribute to Jainacharya and the spiritual leaders present on the occasion. Mentioning two ‘Vallabhs’, Sardar Vallabhai Patel and the Jainacharya Shree Vijay Vallabh Surishwer Ji Maharaj, the Prime Minister said that he feels blessed by the fact that after dedicating the world’s tallest statue of Sardar Patel – ‘Statue of Unity’, he is getting the opportunity to unveil the ‘Statue of Peace’ of Jainacharya Shri Vijay Vallabh.
“I am fortunate that the country gave me the opportunity to inaugurate the world’s highest ‘Statue of Unity’ by Sardar Vallabhai Patel. And today I am getting the privilege of unveiling the ‘Statue of Peace’ of Jainacharya Vijay Vallabh ji. India has been an example of humanity, the path of peace, non-violence and fraternity for the whole world. The world looks forward to India,” he added.
A Japanese store has introduced a robot called Robovie, to ensure that customers follow social distancing norms and other COVID19 guidelines like contact-less interactions.
Robovie, developed by the Advanced Telecommunications Research Institute International in Kyoto, has been running a trial run which began last week at the club shop of Cerezo Osaka, a professional football team, and will run until the end of the month. The developers of this robot have pre-programmed it with a lot of information about the layout of the shop as well as visual and motion sensors which can detect the movement of customers. It is said to detect those who are not wearing and will play a pre-recorded message politely instructing them to wear it.
The robot is now being put to test and its presence across the country will be scaled up by end of November.
The country is preparing to battle the third wave of Wuhan virus infections. The country has confirmed 119,420 cases and 1,908 deaths since the start of the pandemic, according to public broadcaster NHK. The northernmost main island of Hokkaido, a popular tourist destination, has reported more than 200 cases for four days in a row, including a cluster of more than a dozen on the nearby island of Rishiri that local people are blaming on visitors and tourists.
Two persons were injured on Monday morning when a cinema hall owner in Pazhani opened fire at person over a land dispute.
Ilangovan hails from Akkaraipatti village near Palani in Dindigul district. He owns 12 cents of vacant space on Upper Street in Palani. Natarajan, a businessman owning a cinema hall lives near this place.
Natarajan and Ilangovan had been engaged in a land dispute for quite some time. When the case went for a hearing in the court, the verdict was issued in favour of Ilangovan. In this context, Natarajan had argued that Ilangovan should not have entered his land when he went to erect a fence around his property. Upon seeing this, Ilangovan’s cousins Palanisamy and Subramanian got into an argument with Natarajan.
Natarajan had then become enraged and took a hidden pistol and fired at them. Subramanian was shot in the abdomen and Palanichamy in the waist. Ilangovan took the injured to the Palani Government Hospital and informed the police. The police led by Palani DSP Siva rushed to the spot and arrested Natarajan. It was revealed that the handgun in Natarajan’s possession belonged to him and that the gun was licensed.
Following this, Subramanian has been admitted to Madurai Government Hospital for further treatment. Subramanian, who was admitted in a life-threatening condition, is currently undergoing surgery to remove the bullet from his body. Doctors said they would be able to provide complete information about his condition only after the operation. Palani Nagar police have registered a case against Natarajan who was sent to judicial remand after producing him in Nilakkottai court.
There was a time when Tamil cinema churned out great devotional content that took Hindu mythology and stories to the masses. It was instrumental in putting a face to our favourite gods. Even today, it is hard for any Tamil person to not place Sivaji Ganesan’s face for Lord Sivan. Gone are those days when we had movies like Thiruvilayadal, Saraswathi Sabadham, Kandhan Karunai, Thiruvarutchelvar, etc.
With Mookuthi Amman receicing lukewarm response from the audience, we revisit how Amman movies (or devotional movies as a whole) created a niche for themselves and how they were celebrated back in those days. We also take a look at a few of the best and notable movies in this category/genre.
We do not know how an Amman movie would be received by today’s generation, but we doubt they would never watch them with the same bhaya bhakthi (fear) with which we had watched them in our childhood. It instilled an unexplained fear in us every time Amman (1995) movie was aired on television and how insanely terrorizing was the word Janda by an even more terrorizing anti-God villain. It probably is still scary for a few even now.
We have always wondered and been amazed by the creativity of these Amman movies and how they structure them with some fun moments along with the usual Amman moments. One such movie was the Annai Kaalikambal (2003) where we had the ever stylish Baasha (the elephant) who was a theevira Rajini fan. There is a cute scene involving Baasha trying out the Rajini cigarette action with a cooking log (creatively funny). Also, this was that movie that made a fashion out of an elephant wearing a shirt and a pant, and coolers, and there was even a whole song dedicated to Baasha.
There is this one other movie that was even more creatively cuter, Little John (2001). The movie had a foreign actor (Bentley Mitchum) playing the protagonist, helped by Swamiji (played by AnupamKher). What surprised us all was that the concept of the little John being the only person to climb down the snake’s pit to fetch the nose ring of the Goddess and put it back in its place so that she would regain her power back just before the peak solar eclipse.
We all talk about transformation sequences these days in movies, but how feared we were during the Amman transformation sequences, which had some terrific CGI works. The best one was the Amman movie climax sequence where Soundarya’s blood splashes on the pottu of the Goddess, and that leads it to transform the idol into the Goddess herself. And, who could ever forget that raja thandavam of Ramya Krishnan as the Goddess, an insanely terrific performance that was.
This may all seem to be very weird and funny premises and setups today with movies moving towards “Hollywood” style, but remember, there was a point in our lives where we believed that actresses Ramya Krishnan, Roja and Meena were the real Goddesses, and how Rami Reddy – the Janda guy – was indeed a master of Black Magic. And, we also truly believed that Solar and Lunar eclipses capsulate the power of Amman and how the anti-God people would exploit such times to release their worst demons to wreck havoc. In a funnier sense, these movies created a sense of fear during Eclipses that even our parents and grandparents were not able to create in us.
If we look beyond the Amman movies, there were a lot of devotional movies as well that were heavily received by the audience those days. To name a few, we had the most famous movie Bhaktha Prahaladha (1967). This was probably the most successful movie ever made, and it is a favourite for a lot of people even now, with memorable performances of Prahaladha and Lord Narasimha characters.
There is Sri Raghavendrar (1995), which happened to be the 100th film of Rajinikanth, was celebrated widely for the calmness displayed by the actor for his character, and for the tense moments of Appanacharya (played brilliantly by Delhi Ganesh) rushing to catch a glimpse of his Guru before the mahasamadhi.
And then there is another very famous Nagarjuna movie, Annamayya (1995). It was said that out of utter devotion, people did not even wear footwear to theatres to watch the movie. Such was the effect the movie had on people, and it was claimed to be like a temple inside the movie theatres.
On the financial front, these films were a huge success during its times. It created a huge market and there were even seasons marked for release (say Aadi, Navaratri, etc). People received them with both hands together, worshipping the Gods on screen. If my memory serves right, for the Amman movie, originally made as Ammoru in Telugu, people prayed and some even showed harathi to the Goddess inside the theatre during that final transformation sequence.
We sometimes wonder how such movies would be received in these modern times, not a re-release, but a fresh movie altogether. It is hard to imagine, but it is indeed possible to present such movies to the current set of “impatient” audience. With a different format of storytelling and latest filmmaking techniques, we could actually give such movies a chance of revamping themselves. Film makers can sketch Amman, Sivan or Murugan as modern day superheroes out to save the world from today’s problems of climate change, biowars, nuclear war, etc.
Though Mookuthi Amman resorts to unwarranted virtue signalling, let us hope that it sets of a series of mythological/devotional movies so that the present generation too can experience the bhaya bhakthi moments with a dash of modern ideas and concepts.
