Karnataka village without Muslims observes Muharram
Belagavi, Aug 9: As has been the practice for years now, a village in this district with no Muslim family observed Muharram this year, too, with local Hindus leading from the front.
Seen as a sign of religious harmony and brotherhood, several villages in northern Karnataka have a similar practice, where both Hindus and Muslims together observe Muharram.
There are several villages like this Hirebidanur village in Saundatti taluk of Belagavi district, where the practice has been kept alive despite not having any Muslim family, say local residents.
Hirebidanur, a village with nearly 3,000 people, about 50 km from here, has a dargah of 'Fakireshwar Swami' revered by the villagers; a Hindu man offers prayers and worship every day as a priest as per his religious traditions.
A family member of Yallappa Naikar, who offers prayer at the dargah every day, said, "On all other days we do (worship), while for Muharram, prayers and rituals are followed as per the Islamic traditions by a Muslim priest (moulvi) from a nearby village of Bevinakatti."
Umeshwar Maragal, who is from the village, told PTI that the custom of establishing 'Panja' (a religious symbol) and observing Muharram for five days at the Fakireshwar dargah, which Hindus call temple and perform pooja, has been in practice for many years.
On account of Muharram, five different rituals and practices are followed, and the village gets illuminated till the place where the 'Panja' is kept. Jadeppa Mandannavar, another resident of the village, said, "Many women pray to these Gods for childbirth. It is further believed that all desires of the devotees will be fulfilled..."
The dargah is said to have been constructed long ago by Muslim brothers and following their death the villagers have been taking care of it, offering prayers and observing Muharram.
Several practices like people walking on a bed of hot charcoal usually followed at local temple fairs are followed during Muharram.
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Los Angeles county wildfires could be costliest in US history, early estimates say
Los Angeles, Jan 11: The wildfires that erupted this week across Los Angeles County are still raging, but already are projected to be among the costliest natural disasters in US history.
The devastating blazes have killed at least 11 people and incinerated more than 12,000 structures since Tuesday, laying waste to entire neighbourhoods once home to multimillion-dollar properties.
While it's still too early for an accurate tally of the financial toll, the losses so far likely make the wildfires the costliest ever in the US, according to various estimates.
A preliminary estimate by AccuWeather put the damage and economic losses so far between USD 135 billion and USD 150 billion. By comparison, AccuWeather estimated the damage and economic losses caused by Hurricane Helene, which tore across six southeastern states last fall, at USD 225 billion to USD 250 billion.
“This will be the costliest wildfire in California modern history and also very likely the costliest wildfire in US modern history, because of the fires occurring in the densely populated areas around Los Angeles with some of the highest-valued real estate in the country,” said Jonathan Porter, the private firm's chief meteorologist.
AccuWeather factors in a multitude of variables in its estimates, including damage to homes, businesses, infrastructure and vehicles, as well as immediate and long-term health care costs, lost wages and supply chain interruptions.
The insurance broker Aon PLC also said Friday that the LA County wildfires will likely end up being the costliest in US history, although it did not issue an estimate. Aon ranks a wildfire known as the Camp Fire in Paradise, California, in 2018 as the costliest in US history up to now at USD 12.5 billion, adjusted for inflation. The Camp Fire killed 85 people and destroyed about 11,000 homes.
The LA County wildfires, which were fuelled by hurricane-force Santa Ana winds and an extreme drought, remained largely uncontained Saturday. That means the final tally of losses from the blazes is likely to increase, perhaps substantially.
“To put this into perspective, the total damage and economic loss from this wildfire disaster could reach nearly 4 per cent of the annual GDP of the state of California,” AccuWeather's Porter said.
In a report Friday, Moody's also concluded that the wildfires would prove to be the costliest in US history, specifically because they have ripped through densely populated areas with higher-end properties.
While the state is no stranger to major wildfires, they have generally been concentrated in inland areas that are not densely populated. That's led to less destruction per acre, and in damage to less expensive homes, Moody's noted.
That's far from the case this time, with one of the largest conflagrations destroying thousands of properties across the Pacific Palisades and Malibu, home to many Hollywood stars and executives with multimillion-dollar properties. Already, numerous celebrities have lost homes to the fires.
“The scale and intensity of the blazes, combined with their geographic footprint, suggest a staggering price tag, both in terms of the human cost and the economic toll,” Moody's analysts wrote. The report did not include a preliminary cost estimate of the wildfire damage.
It could be several months before a concrete tally of the financial losses from the wildfires will be possible.
“We're in the very early stages of this disaster,” Porter said.
