Bus service to Tirupati from Bengaluru airport
Bengaluru, Aug 27: The state-run public transport corporation on Monday launched a non-stop luxury bus service to connect the holy Hindu town Tirupathi in Andhra Pradesh and Bengaluru airport.
"The service will ferry domestic and international passengers to and from Tirupati to the airport in 5 hours both ways," Karnataka State Road Transport Corp (KSRTC) official R. Girish told IANS here.
The average distance between the destinations is about 280 km.
The 'Flybus' service will operate twice a day from the airport -- at 10 a.m. and 10 p.m., reaching Tirupathi at 3 p.m. and 3 a.m. The bus will leave Tirupathi at 11 a.m. and 9 p.m, and reach the airport at 4 p.m. and 2 a.m.
"As the world-famous Hindu god Venkateswara and his consort Padmavathi temple attract thousands of devotees from across the country and abroad, the service will facilitate them to reach Tirupati at the earliest and catch return or connecting flights from Bengaluru conveniently," said Girish.
The corporation operates similar services for air passengers to and from Mysuru, Madikeri, Mangaluru and Kundapura in Karnataka and Coimbatore and Salem in Tamil Nadu daily.
As the country's third largest airport, the Kempegowda airport had handled 80 lakh passengers in the first quarter (April-June) of this fiscal (2018-19) after registering 269 lakh passenger movements in fiscal 2017-18.
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Bond between Assamese Muslims, Hindus very strong: Author Wasbir Hussain
Guwahati (PTI): The bond between Assamese Hindus and Assamese Muslims is very strong and no one can easily break the traditional friendship between the two communities, Wasbir Hussain, author and executive director of Centre for Development and Peace Studies, has said.
Addressing the fourth anniversary celebrations of the Assamese Syed Welfare Trust, an organisation representing the Assamese Syeds, Hussain on Sunday urged Gauhati University to start a chair in the name of Azan Pir, a 17th-century Muslim reformer and Sufi saint, on the subject of 'inter-faith harmony or harmony of communities'.
Assamese Syeds are one of the five Muslim groups officially recognised by the Assam government as indigenous communities of the state.
Hussain said except religion, there is no difference between Assamese Hindus and Assamese Muslims. Their language is the same, culture is the same, food habits are the same and they dress the same way, he said.
"I strongly believe that no one can easily break the traditional bond of friendship between Assamese Hindus and Assamese Muslims," he said.
Hussain, who is also the editor-in-chief of Guwahati-based Northeast Live, spoke about how the indigenous Muslims of Assam follow cultural Islam compared to religious Islam and live peacefully with the larger Hindu population of the state.
He complimented Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma for taking initiatives for the protection of the heritage of the Assamese Muslim community and its overall growth.
Gauhati University Vice Chancellor Nani Gopal Mahanta, the chief guest of the event, said people or communities can have multiple identities that transcend religion.
He cited the example of Assamese Muslims and Syeds who are descendants of Sufi saint Azan Pir, saying they are part of the greater Assamese society.
Mahanta assured that he will push for the Assamese Syed Welfare Trust's proposal to introduce the Azan Pir chair in Gauhati University and that he will work towards republishing the works of renowned Assamese writer Syed Abdul Malik's 'Jikirs Aru Jari'.
Assamese Syed Welfare Trust president Syed Abdul Rashid Ahmed also spoke on the occasion.
