RIFAH DK Chapter hosts event to promote ethical entrepreneurship, community collaboration
Mangalore, June 19: The D.K. Chapter of Rifah Chamber of Commerce and Industry organised a special event titled ‘Business Insights – An Evening with Business Expertise’ on Thursday, June 19 at Royal Plaza Suits, Attavar, Mangalore. The gathering, held at 7 PM, brought together entrepreneurs, business owners, and aspiring professionals from across the region to reflect on business values, halal livelihood, and the power of community collaboration.
The Guest of Honour, Syed Mumtaz Mansoori, President of Rifah Karnataka and CEO of Rug-Rel Components & Systems Pvt. Ltd., addressed the audience with an insightful and thought-provoking speech. Rather than limiting the event to routine business discussions, Mansoori emphasised the importance of building a future together, especially within the Muslim business community.
Mansoori began his address by categorising people into three types:
Those driven by vision,
Those driven by competition, and
Those driven by laziness.
He stressed that each type has a role to play in society, and understanding this helps in identifying one’s own purpose and responsibility.
He clarified that the objective of the gathering was not merely networking or commercial gain.
“This is about creating awareness and educating people on earning a halal livelihood — something that is obligatory for every Muslim,” he said. He reminded the gathering that business, when done with honesty and intention, becomes a form of worship and service to society.
Deen vs Dunya: Breaking Mental Chains
Drawing reference from B.F. Skinner’s superstitious pigeon theory, Mansoori drew a parallel between how pigeons were conditioned with meaningless responses and how Muslims today are being misled by external influences.
He explained this with three "buttons":
We were made to believe that Dunya (worldly life) is superior to Deen (faith),
We were culturally corrupted with obscenity and shamelessness (behayaai and besharmi), which he said were borrowed from European trends, and we were systematically disconnected from business and trade, leading us to falsely believe that a life without entrepreneurship is better.
“These are psychological shackles that must be broken,” he urged.
Speaking about Rifah itself, Mansoori said, “At Rifah Chamber of Commerce, our leadership brings together a diverse group of professionals and changemakers driven by purpose and passion. From experienced business leaders to social impact strategists, each member helps shape our vision and extend our work across various sectors and regions.”
One of the highlights of Rifah’s mission, he said, is creating platforms where businessmen of all scales interact and learn from each other.
“We have members whose turnovers exceed ₹5000 crore annually. At the same time, we also have business owners who haven’t touched ₹1 crore in lifetime revenue. Yet, we bring them together to exchange experiences and grow collectively,” he said.
Mansoori encouraged attendees to invest in small businesses, citing examples of Sindhi and Marwadi communities.
“Despite having small population numbers, they dominate India’s business landscape today. This is the result of focused investment and community support,” he pointed out.
He called for the need to collaborate with equal business players, and also identify, respect and learn from bigger players in the market.
“Big businessmen in our community must mentor and supervise small businesses. They must involve and guide them,” he added.
Mansoori also informed that Rifah Chamber has designed dedicated programmes for various categories including: Startups, Women entrepreneurs, International marketing and more, aiming to uplift and empower entrepreneurs at all levels.
The event also saw insightful inputs from industry professionals including Iqbal from Semonx Solution, Sharafuddin, A Mahmood, and Ishaque Puttur, who addressed the gathering and shared their perspectives with the audience. Umar Farooq Puthige, President of DK District unit of Rifah, was present during the event. The event was compered by Asif Iqbal, Director of Gold Souk, Mangalore.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Delhi CM Rekha Gupta accuses Mamata Banerjee of stalling SIR; TMC hits back
Kolkata (PTI): Alleging that her West Bengal counterpart Mamata Banerjee had approached the Supreme Court to stall the SIR exercise to prevent the identification of infiltrators, Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Sunday claimed that the people of the state have made up their minds to dislodge the Trinamool Congress from power.
The TMC countered strongly, urging Gupta to "look into her own backyard" and accused her of making absurd allegations against the TMC government without checking facts.
Addressing participants at the 'Nari Sankalp Yatra' organised by the BJP's women's wing at Science City auditorium here, Gupta alleged that the "hands-off" and appeasement policies of the TMC government had allowed thousands of infiltrators to enter the state in recent years.
She claimed that this had put a strain on basic rights such as access to water, electricity, ration, education, livelihood and the right to vote for genuine citizens.
"She wants to perpetuate this and hence is trying to stall the SIR exercise, which aims at identifying and deporting infiltrators. Imagine a chief minister going to the apex court to argue against an exercise meant to ensure free and fair polls," Gupta said.
The BJP leader alleged that appeasement politics had reached an "alarming level" under the TMC regime.
Raising concerns over women's safety, she claimed that women in the state were not secure despite having a woman chief minister.
Referring to the rape-murder of a woman doctor at RG Kar Hospital, Gupta alleged that the state government had failed to respond adequately to such crimes.
She also referred to the alleged rape of a woman medic in Durgapur and another law student on a Kolkata college campus, claiming that criminals had been emboldened to commit brutalities against women.
She alleged that in crimes against women, overall crime incidents and child marriages, West Bengal remained among the top -- "a slur on a state which once led intellectual and social movements and set examples for the rest of the country," she said.
Criticising the state government's welfare initiatives, she said schemes such as Kanyashree were built on "false claims" and asserted that women needed security rather than assurances.
Accusing the state government of blocking central schemes, Gupta alleged that funds worth "lakhs of crores of rupees" had not reached the poor due to non-implementation of programmes such as Ayushman Bharat, PM Awas Yojana and Jal Jeevan Mission by the state.
"You are only interested in renaming projects and taking credit," she said.
Gupta also alleged that the education sector in the state had been adversely affected, saying several state-run schools had closed due to a shortage of teachers and that the government was opposed to the National Education Policy.
Drawing a comparison with BJP-ruled Delhi, Gupta said, "People have already voted out 'Bhaia' (a reference to former Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal). Now it is your turn to bid farewell to 'Didi'." Calling upon women to resist what she termed "strong-arm tactics", she urged them to assert their strength, invoking the imagery of Goddess Durga.
"Bengal has the right to live with dignity, and women have the right to live with dignity," she added.
Reacting to Gupta's allegations, West Bengal Women and Child Welfare minister Shashi Panja accused her of making "absurd allegations" against the Trinamool Congress government ahead of elections.
Panja alleged that during Gupta's tenure in Delhi, several incidents had raised serious concerns, including reports of missing young women and a blast near the Red Fort.
She also criticised the air pollution situation in the national capital, claiming that people were struggling to breathe.
The TMC leader said that despite being in power for a year, Gupta was making "tall claims" instead of addressing key issues in Delhi.
Panja further alleged that the Delhi CM visited West Bengal during elections to "peddle false allegations" against the state government.
Rebutting Gupta, the TMC said in a post on X said, "Madam why did you go off-script again? For your edification, here are the cold, hard facts: In total cases of crimes (IPC + SLL), Bengal ranks a respectable 15th, far safer than BJP-ruled Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Gujarat, which languish near the bottom."
"In overall crime rate, Bengal sits comfortably at 28th. Who's second? Your own Delhi. Double Engine Gujarat and Haryana grab 4th and 5th as top-tier crime havens," the TMC said.
"In child marriage, Assam again takes the shameful pole position. And yet you dare lecture Bengal? Stop embarrassing yourself, stop the hypocrisy, and maybe fix the rotting mess in your own backyard before pointing fingers at a state that's outperforming your disasters on every key metric," the TMC countered.
