"All Indians must read," says muslim student who won Ramayana quiz
Malappuram, Aug 7: If you ask Mohammed Basith M about his favourite sloka in the epic Ramayana, this Muslim youth, without any second thought, would recite the verses from "Ayodhya Kanda" which describes Lakshmana's anger and Lord Rama's consolation to his brother explaining the worthlessness of kingdom and power.
He would not only render the verses of 'Adhyatma Ramayanam', the Malayalam version of the epic written by Thunchathu Ramanujan Ezhuthachan, fluently and mellifluously but would also explain in detail the meaning and message of the sacred lines.
This in-depth knowledge in the great epic has helped Basith and his college mate-friend Mohammed Jabir P K to emerge as winners in a recent Ramayana quiz competition conducted online by publishing major DC Books.
Basith and Jabir, fifth and final year students respectively of the Wafy programme, an eight year-course at the KKSM Islamic and Arts College at Valanchery in this north Kerala district, were among the five winners of the quiz conducted last month to mark the ongoing 'Ramayana Month'.
The win by the Islamic college students in the Ramayana quiz caught wide media attention following which people from various walks of life began congratulating the duo.
The students said though they knew about the epic since their childhood, they started reading and learning about Ramayana and Hinduism in-depth after joining the Wafy course, the syllabus of which has the teachings of all major religions.
The vast college library, which has a huge collection of books on other religions, has helped them read and understand the epics.
"All Indians must read and learn the epics Ramayana and Mahabharatha as they are part of the country's culture, tradition and history. I believe that it is our responsibility to learn and understand these texts," Jabir told PTI.
Pointing out that Lord Rama is an embodiment of righteousness, forbearance and serenity, the Wafy student said such noble virtues should be part of every human being.
"Rama had to sacrifice even his kingdom to fulfill the promise to his beloved father Dasaratha. While living in a period of endless struggles for power, we should draw inspiration from characters like Rama and the message of epics like Ramayana," the 22-year-old student explained.
Basith felt that extensive reading would help to understand other faiths and the people belonging to those communities more.
No religion promotes hatred but only propagates peace and harmony, he said adding that the winning of the quiz gives him further motivation to learn the epic more deeply.
The eight-year-long Wafy course is offered in 97 campuses under the Coordination of Islamic Colleges (CIC) combining religious and temporal education for students after passing the SSLC examination.
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Air India resorts to cost-cutting ways amid 'tough times'; layoffs not anticipated
New Delhi/Mumbai (PTI): Hit hard by Pakistan airspace closure and Iran war, Air India has resorted to cost-cutting measures, including holding back annual increments for staff and asking them to cut discretionary spending as well as non-critical expenditures, warning of "tough times".
On Friday, Air India Chief Executive Officer & Managing Director (CEO & MD) Campbell Wilson told the staff it is going to be a "very, very difficult year" if things don't improve on the Middle East front.
A day after the loss-making airline's board discussed various cost-saving steps, Wilson, along with Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Sanjay Sharma and Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO) Ravindra Kumar GP, addressed the employees during a townhall on Friday where the emphasis on the need to keep a close watch on costs.
With higher jet fuel prices due to the West Asia conflict and airspace curbs, the loss-making airline's expenses have spiralled in recent times and against this backdrop, Sharma also told staffers that FY26 has seen a softening in revenue amid heightened external uncertainties.
Calling for a relentless focus on costs in these tough times, Wilson urged employees to suspend discretionary spending, renegotiate rates where feasible, and defer non-critical expenditures.
"There must be a laser-sharp focus on eliminating wastage and leakages," he said.
Stressing the need to tighten the belt for a while, Wilson sounded optimistic that travel demand would rebound and the industry would continue on its upward path.
CHRO Ravindra Kumar told staff that the airline will proceed with variable pay for the last financial year and continue with planned promotions while noting that annual increments will be deferred by at least one quarter.
"We don't anticipate layoffs," he said.
At the airline's board meeting on Thursday, various cost-saving steps, including likely furloughs, were discussed. The Tata Group-owned airline has around 24,000 employees.
Generally, furlough refers to sending staff on unpaid leaves by companies during a tough financial situation.
During the townhall, CFO Sanjay Sharma said while strong revenue growth and fleet expansion drove financial momentum through FY25, FY26 has seen a softening in revenue amid heightened external uncertainties.
Air India has seen around 40 per cent CAGR (Compounded Annual Growth Rate) in revenue between 2022 and 2025, he added.
The airline was acquired by the Tata Group from the government in January 2022.
The Air India CEO mentioned the external challenges being facing the aviation industry as a whole, including the continued closure of Pakistan airspace that is expected to persist for the foreseeable future and geopolitical conflicts leading to disruptions and airspace closures across West Asia.
Wilson, who is set to step down later this year, also flagged a sharp depreciation of the rupee and a 2.5-3 times increase in jet fuel prices, and added that these factors have adversely affected travel sentiment and consumer confidence, as per the sources.
If the Strait of Hormuz opens, oil prices fall and consumer as well as business confidence come back, there is a decent chance of a solid recovery, Wilson said, adding that unless those circumstances happen, it was going to be "a very, very difficult year".
"I feel somewhat responsible that we ended up with probably the biggest surprise of the year in the external environment which was a full-scale war in our neighbouring region in the Gulf. That has had a huge impact on airspace," he said.
For Air India, Wilson said the situation is compounded by the fact that the airline cannot fly over the neighbouring country and has to take a much longer routing for any west-bound destination.
"Every airline is reporting that they are under some sort of financial pressure as a result of higher fuel prices and economic uncertainty. So, it is unfortunately not a great environment to be running an airline," the Air India CEO said.
The Air India Group -- Air India and Air India Express -- is projected to have incurred more than Rs 22,000 crore loss in the financial year ended March 2026.
At the townhall, Wilson also highlighted various initiatives, including completion of the retrofit of its legacy narrow-body aircraft and rapid network optimisation to redeploy capacity more efficiently.
