Mysuru Dasara sign of Karnataka's culture; Chamundeshwari symbolises power in woman: Banu Mushtaq
Mysuru (PTI): International Booker Prize-winning writer Banu Mushtaq, who inaugurated Mysuru Dasara on Monday, called the festival a symbol of Karnataka's collective culture.
Mysuru's presiding deity, Goddess Chamundeshwari, symbolises power in a woman and her undefeatable will power, she said, adding that womanhood stands not only for softness and motherly affection, but also for strength that fights injustice.
The famous 11-day Dasara celebrations commenced in this city of palaces on Monday amid religious and traditional fervour, with Banu Mushtaq inaugurating the festivities.
The inauguration took place amid controversy, with objections from some sections against the government's decision to invite Banu Mushtaq to inaugurate the festival.
She inaugurated the festivities during the auspicious "Vrushchika Lagna" by showering flowers on the idol of goddess Chamundeshwari amid chanting of Vedic hymns by priests, at Chamundeshwari temple here.
Earlier, she, along with CM visited the Chamundeshwari temple and offered prayers to the goddess.
In her inaugural address, Mushtaq said, "Our culture is our root, harmony is our strength, and economy is our wings. Let's build a new society that is filled with human values and love, along with our youth in India -- that is also strong educationally, economically, and industrially. Let everyone have an equal share and opportunity in that society".
Sharing her bonding with the Hindu religion, she said, "I have been to various events, have been invited to many, I have lit lamps and offered flowers a number of times and have accepted Mangalarati. This is not new to me."
She thanked Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and his government for standing by her morally and inviting her to inaugurate Dasara, despite several challenges.
Stating that the grand Dasara festival is being inaugurated with the grace of goddess Chamundeshwari, Mushtaq said her visit to Chamundeshwari Devi temple was pending and the opportunity to inaugurate Mysuru Dasara helped her fulfil a vow.
"I had already said during an interview that one of my writer friends in Mysuru had prayed for Goddess Chamundeshwari, when my name was nominated for the Booker Prize and took a vow of bringing me to the temple, due to some reason I couldn't visit earlier, but the Goddess Chamundi has called me through an invitation from the government," she said.
"Despite several ups and downs and various kinds of historic situations getting created on this matter, Mother Goddess Chamundeshwari has called me here and I have come before you from her presence (at the temple)," she added.
The Supreme Court on Friday had dismissed a plea challenging the Karnataka High Court's decision upholding the state government's invitation to Mushtaq to inaugurate Dasara.
Calling the inauguration of Dasara with the grace of the mother goddess as the most respectful moment in her life, Mushtaq said, "Dasara is the symbol of our collective culture".
"From the cultural heritage of the Mysuru kings to the echo of Kannada deep inside our hearts, this festival reminds us that culture is the amalgamation of various voices, the fragrance of unity in diversity," she said.
Noting that Urdu-speaking people of Mysru have their own symbolic name in Urdu for each day of Navaratri, as it is part of their culture, Mushtaq said, no one is different or an outsider; this is a cultural festival that everyone celebrates together.
Recalling that one of her uncles was a soldier in the bodyguard troop of Mysuru Maharaja, he said, Maharaja Jayachamarajendra Wadiyar had kept faith in Muslims and he had placed them as his bodyguards. "It really makes me feel proud."
Culture is something that bridges and unites hearts, spreading love is its aim, not hate, the writer said, her religious beliefs and life lessons have never crossed the threshold and has always followed humanitarian aspects.
The culture of this land has taught me the lesson of respecting all, she said. "At a time when the world is moving on the path of war and humanity is immersed in hatred and bloodshed let Mysuru Dasara send out a message of peace and harmony, as this is the garden of peace for all communities."
She called upon the people to respect the values of democracy, respect each other's beliefs and culture, and said, may Goddess Chamundeshwari guide us on this path. "Chamundeshwari is the symbol of strength, courage, motherly affection and protection. May she destroy hate and intolerance in us."
Noting that her religious beliefs and life lessons have always been humanitarian, like a shade under the tree, with coolness as river, she said, at the time of war globally, we can win life through letters (education), not weapons, through love, not hatred.
Let this land become a symphony of harmony and unity. Democracy is not just a system but a value, and respecting it is the duty of everyone.
"We are all travellers under one sky. The sky doesn't differentiate between people, and the land does not expel anyone. It is man who builds boundaries; we should wipe out boundaries," she said.
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.
Gurugram Police arrest BJP Yuva Morcha member for spreading fake murder story on social media
New Delhi: Gurugram Police have arrested BJP Yuva Morcha member Hariom Mishra, for allegedly spreading a fabricated and communally sensitive story on social media about the murder of a college student in Gurugram.
Mishra who is also known as Shaurya Mishra had shared a collage of four photographs on his X handle earlier this month. He claimed that a 24-year-old college student, identified as Nikita Agarwal, had been murdered by her classmate Arif Khan in Gurugram. In the post, he alleged that the woman was blackmailed, forced into prostitution, gangraped, and eventually killed. He also claimed that Arif dumped her body in a forest. The claims were presented as being based on police sources.
The post went viral and garnering over 1.5 lakh views, and was amplified by several right-wing social media handles across X, Facebook and Instagram. A verification of the claims revealed that no such incident had taken place in Gurugram. A search of credible news reports showed no record of any such murder. The police said this news would have inevitably attracted media attention if it were true.
On December 11, Gurugram Police publicly refuted the claims through their official X handle. They stated that the information which was being circulated was completely false. The police warned that legal action would be taken against those spreading misinformation. Despite the warning, Mishra neither deleted the post nor issued any clarification.
Police in Gurugram confirmed Mishra's arrest on December 16. The police said a FIR was filed after he continued to spread false information about the alleged murder of a Hindu woman by Muslim man. Police said Mishra, a resident of Uttar Pradesh's Kaushambi district, is now being investigated.
Gurugram Police spokesperson Sandeep Singh told The Print that the accused had deliberately misrepresented facts and used objectionable content to spread hatred along religious lines. “Such posts can create serious disturbances in society, and the police take these matters very seriously,” he said.
A reverse image search conducted by fact-checkers at Alt News, revealed that the photographs used in the viral post were unrelated to the claims, while two of the images were traced to a Pinterest account belonging to influencer Maulik Chopra and another image was sourced from an Instagram post by influencer Shivam Thakur featuring a woman named Deepanshi Rawat. The fourth image was found on an unrelated Instagram page. The images depicted different individuals and had no connection to any crime.
Police said they are also investigating Mishra’s motive behind sharing the false and provocative content.
