'M'luru Lit Fest 2023' will elevate language, culture of nation: Mythic Society honorary secretary
Mangaluru: The ‘Mangaluru Lit Fest 2023’ got off to a grand start on Saturday at TMA Pai International Convention Centre, Mangaluru, with honorary secretary of Mythic Society V. Nagaraj inaugurating the program by lighting a lamp.
V. Nagaraj said that Saturday being Shivratri, the festival of Shiva, who is called as Dakshina Murthy and is the lord of religion, culture and education, it was special that the program was being held on such an auspicious day.
“The language, art and culture of our great nation will be elevated through the literary festival. Literature reflects age and culture of the nation. The past decades were filled with ideas that were not ours, but times have changed. It is a matter of pride that our Indian culture has continuously grown over the past five thousand years. Other civilizations of the world have fallen due to attack and reliance on other religions. But only in India, the light of ‘sanatana’ has flowed for 5,000 years,” he said.
Nitte Vice-chancellor Dr. N Vinay Hegde, who presided over the program, said that Mangaluru is a city leading in the country in various fields, including education, health, commerce and employment. “This literary festival organized by Bharat Foundation is a guide. Mangaluru region is a religiously, culturally and educationally elevated place. Even before Independence, Mangaluru region had a special place,” he added.
He also wished that the program would become a model for the world.
Tukaram Pujari, who received the Lifetime Achievement Award, recalled his path of achievement and praised him. He said, “Although our ancestors did not have knowledge of letters, their knowledge of nature and culture was good. It is from them that our culture has flowed till now. We have to owe it to them.”
R. Jagannathan, Editorial Board Director of Swarajya magazine, who participated as a guest in the program, said that the thought of India is the thought of religion. He referred to the Sanskrit phrase, “Sukhasya Moolam Dharma, Dharmasya Moolam Artha, Arthasya Moolam Rajya,'' as mentioned in the Chanakya Sutra, which is the basic religion for the country to be prosperous. He also said that good economic policy will elevate the country to a higher position.
“Present day India is progressing on the same path. The country will become prosperous through self-reliance, poverty is disappearing from the country,” he said, adding that the ‘Amritkala’ of next 25 years will elevate the country to the highest position.
Before the start of the program, a procession of books in a palanquin was held up to the program venue. Senior folk artiste Bhavani Amma Pergade flagged off the program by singing ‘Paddan Gita’.
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Bangladesh High Court refuses to ban ISKCON
Dhaka, Nov 28: Bangladesh High Court Thursday rejected a petition seeking a ban on ISKCON's activities in the country, days after a lawyer was killed in a clash between security personnel and supporters of a Hindu leader, previously linked to the religious group.
A lawyer had sought a ban on the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) after placing some newspaper reports related to the organisation on Wednesday.
"The two-member High Court bench of Justice Farah Mahbub and Debashish Roy Chowdhury on Thursday declined to ban the ISKCON activities in Bangladesh," a spokesman of the attorney general's office said.
He said the bench made the decision after the attorney general's office submitted a report on the action taken by the government regarding the death of assistant government prosecutor Saiful Islam Alif in the northeastern port city of Chattogram earlier this week.
Hindu leader Chinmoy Krishna Das Brahmachary, arrested earlier this week, was sent to jail by a Chattogram court on sedition charges, sparking a violent protest during which advocate Alif was killed. Chinmoy was earlier expelled from ISKCON.
"Right at this moment, the situation does not warrant the intervention of the (High) court as the State is carrying out its job (regarding the matter),” Justice Mahbub was quoted as saying by the spokesman.
The decision came a day after Attorney-General Mohammad Asaduzzaman urged the court not to take any decisions on the ISKCON issue as the government has started taking the required action.
Additional Attorney General Aneek R Haque and Deputy Attorney General Asad Uddin informed the bench that three separate cases have been filed in connection with the murder of the lawyer and ISKCON's activities, and 33 accused have been arrested in these cases.
The bench then hoped that the government would remain cautious about protecting the law and order situation and the lives and properties of the people of Bangladesh.
Meanwhile, ISKCON Bangladesh refuted allegations linking the organisation to the lawyer's killing, saying the claims were baseless and part of a malicious campaign.
"A series of false, fabricated, and malicious campaigns is being spearheaded targeting ISKCON Bangladesh, particularly in connection with recent events. These efforts are aimed at discrediting our organisation and creating societal unrest," general secretary of the organization Charu Chandra Das Brahmachari said.
Speaking at a press conference at the organisation’s head office, he said ISKCON Bangladesh was never involved in "communal or conflict-driven activities and will continue to promote unity and harmony".
"We have already clarified the matter multiple times through press conferences and official communications with the government and administrative authorities. Regrettably, certain groups continue to deliberately spread false propaganda against our organisation and make unreasonable demands, such as banning ISKCON," Das said.
He said that Chinmoy was previously expelled from the organisation along with two others for violating its rules and none of their activities were connected to ISKCON.
ISKCON Bangladesh President Satya Ranjan Baroi also spoke at the press conference, saying their organisation was dedicated to communal harmony, religious tolerance, and the welfare of humanity and “the allegations are an attempt to tarnish our religious and social reputation".
Jatiyatabadi Ainjibi Forum on Thursday staged a protest in front of the Supreme Court Bar, protesting the lawyer's killing and demanding the ban on ISKCON.
The group is regarded as the lawyers’ wing of ex-premier Khaleda Zia’s Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP).
Leaders of the Anti-Discrimination Students Movement, which led the mass upheaval to oust deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina’s regime on August 5, also demanded the ban on ISKCON.
Separately, a group of Supreme Court lawyers sent a legal notice to the Bangladesh government on Wednesday seeking the ban on ISKCON describing it as a “radical organisation.”
India on Tuesday noted with “deep concern” Chinmoy's arrest and denial of bail and urged Dhaka to ensure the safety and security of Hindus and all other minority groups.
Earlier, the ISKCON had urged the Bangladesh authorities to promote "peaceful coexistence" for Hindus in the country as it "strongly" denounced the arrest of the Hindu leader.
Chinmoy, the spokesperson for Bangladesh Sammilita Sanatani Jagran Jote, was arrested from Dhaka’s Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport on Monday as he was about to fly to Chattogram to join a rally.
He was denied bail and sent to jail by the Chattogram’s Sixth Metropolitan Magistrate court in a sedition case on Tuesday.
