'Dadi' of Shaheen Bagh protests feature in TIME magazine's "World's Most influential People of 2020"
82-year-old woman is listed in 'Icons' category
New Delhi: 82-year-old Bilkis who became the face of the Shaheen Bagh protests in Delhi has featured in the TIME magazine’s 100 “Most Influential People of 2020. The list also includes PM Narendra Modi, actor Ayushmann Khurrana, Google CEO Sundar Pichai are among others who have featured on the list.
The annual list features pioneers, artists, titans, leaders, and icons from around the "who have had the most impact this year".
While PM Modi is listed in the "Leaders" category, Bilkis, a.k.a "Dadi of Shaheen Bagh", has been featured under "Icons".
Delhi's Shaheen Bagh became the heart of protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act or CAA as hundreds of people - mostly women - braved Delhi's winter for over 100 days and sat on the road in protest.
Bilkis is among those better known as the 'Dadis (Grandmothers) of Shaheen Bagh' and had led the protests from the front, shedding the comfort of their homes.
The profile of Bilkis in the TIME magazine list, written by journalist and writer Rana Ayyub, says she "became the voice of the marginalized in India".
"With prayer beads in one hand and the national flag in the other, Bilkis became the voice of the marginalized in India, an 82-year-old who would sit at a protest site from 8 a.m. to midnight," it says.
"Look at the protest where we are. It is not that only Muslims are protesting. Come and see how many people are distributing food.
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AIITA welcomes Karnataka’s ban on obscene songs in school events
Bhatkal: The Karnataka unit of the All India Ideal Teachers Association (AIITA) has welcomed the Karnataka government’s decision to strictly ban school children from dancing to obscene songs during educational and cultural programmes in government, aided, and private schools across the state.
AIITA Karnataka State President M. R. Manvi congratulated the government for taking what he termed an important step to preserve the sanctity of education.
“Such decisions to safeguard the dignity of school children and uphold the values of education are the need of the hour. This rule should not be limited to government schools alone but must be strictly implemented in all private educational institutions as well,” he said.
He further urged the government to address other concerns within school programmes.
“The government should not only prohibit obscene dances in the name of school anniversaries, but also ensure that plays and dialogues that incite religious hatred are avoided. Schools should be centres of harmony, not platforms for spreading hatred,” he added.
According to a recent circular issued by the Department of School Education and Literacy, obscene dances are adversely affecting the mental health and moral values of students.
In this regard, schools have been advised to use songs that promote nationalism, positive thinking, the greatness of Kannada culture, and value-based traditions instead of inappropriate content during programmes.
The circular also emphasises that students should be dressed in decent attire.
AIITA also backed the department’s warning that disciplinary action would be taken against head teachers if such guidelines are violated. The association has further demanded that district Deputy Directors of Public Instruction strictly monitor the implementation of these rules.
