#Sai Chhatra

[suvitathakur3]

Hotel Sai Chhatra in Sai Nagar, Shirdi, Maharashtra

WELCOME TO HOTEL SAI CHHATRA

A combination of comfort and luxury makes us the top. In a prime area in Shirdi the Sai Chhatra Hotel Sai Chhatra provides the perfect combination of luxury and comfort to ensure an enjoyable stay. We cater to your preferences We offer a range of choices and the rooms are priced at a reasonable price. The warm atmosphere that the property has matches the spiritual vibe of the holy site to enhance your spiritual experience. Personalized service, high-end facilities and tasty food will guarantee the most memorable experience to our customers. It is located in the Ahmednagar-Manmad Highway which is located in front of the MSRTC Bus Stand, the hotel is in close proximity to the 'Shirdi Saibaba Temple'. It is three minutes from the Temple.

High Quality Service

The hotel is open and provides hospitality to guests from all over the globe. We're focused on providing top-quality, best value and the best customer service to provide you with the ultimate and personal travel experience.

Introduction to Sai Chhatra, Shirdi

We are pleased to introduce Hotel Sai Chhatra, nestled in the peaceful surrounding that is Sai Nagar, Shirdi, Maharashtra. This delightful hotel is an idyllic retreat for those who are pilgrims or tourists visiting the holy place of Shirdi which is renowned for its significance in the spiritual realm.

Our Rooms

The rooms of the hotel are aesthetically designed,cozy and well maintained.

The rooms in Hotel Sai Chhatra are designed to ensure a comfortable and easy accommodation for guests. From spacious rooms to cozy suites, all are stylishly decorated and comes with modern conveniences to guarantee an enjoyable stay.

Visitors can start their day by visiting close by Sai Baba Temple, a sacred pilgrimage spot that attracts people from all over the globe. After a blessing in the shrine, visitors can head back to the hotel for an exquisite meal in the on-site restaurant that offers a wide selection of international and regional dishes.

For those who want to unwind and relax the Sai Chhatra is a great place to unwind and relax. Sai Chhatra offers a range of facilities such as a rooftop terrace that offers stunning perspectives of the landscape. In addition, the hotel's helpful staff is available to assist guests with any questions or questions, ensuring the most comfortable and enjoyable stay for each guest.

Nearby Attractions

It is located right in the middle of Sai Nagar, Hotel Sai Chhatra is easy to access Sai Nagar's Sai Baba Temple as well as other nearby tourist attractions and facilities. No matter if you're traveling to Shirdi to seek out spiritual reasons or just seeking a tranquil escape, Hotel Sai Chhatra offers the perfect lodging option to visit to this holy city.

About Hotel Sai Chhatra

It is located near the Sai Baba Temple, this hotel located in Shirdi is equipped with an event hall with high-speed Wi-Fi and well-appointed rooms.

Anyone who wishes to pay obeisance are able to do so by taking an easy commute to the temple, just two metres away from the hotel.

It has an ATM at the location.

The hotel can arrange excursions and treks.

Get Access Now: Sai Chhatra, Shirdi

[ori-flails]

FYI (to whoever sees this) if the situation in Bangladesh is described as "Quota Protest Gone Violent," and you find yourself wondering why the entire country imploded with violence and rage over that and a few ill-advised name-calling from the PM, just know that is not the whole story.

There is a decade and a half of grievances littered with disappearances, killings, disproportionate violence towards people, unfair systems, CorruptionTM, etc etc. There were very few parts of our lives as Bangladeshi citizens that were untouched from the lurking, cloying darkness of the government's incompetence and corruption, and this is not to mention the treatment of ethnic minorities.

I have never seen chaos of this scale in Bangladesh before, and even my parents are saying this is shocking to them as well. But this doesn't mean that Bangladesh didn't have chaos before, that it was all well and peaceful before. It never was. There were kids, elementary school kids, getting beaten up in 2018 when the police and Chhatra League went Batshit InsaneTM during peaceful protesting for Road Safety in Bangladesh. There were deaths then as well. It wasn't unthinkable for someone to be in fear for their and their family's safety should they speak out against the government in any significant way. You get tired of hearing about it, you get desensitized. But you never forget.

To reduce what's happening just down to the Quota Movement feels like a nice way of portraying the protesters as too violent and too vehement, specially when added with the news that the protesters refused to sit and Have A Chat with the same authority figures that are responsible for their comrades' deaths, authority figures that didn't bother to listen before deploying violence on peaceful protests, that never listened before properly. It almost feels like propaganda, which you are not immune to.

[anarcha-androgyny]

Jul 15, 2024

« Violent clashes between people loyal to Bangladesh’s ruling party and demonstrators protesting against job quotas for coveted government jobs have wounded at least 100 people, police say.

The quota system reserves more than half of well-paid civil service posts, totalling hundreds of thousands of government jobs, for specific groups, including children of fighters in the country’s 1971 war of independence from Pakistan.

Critics say the system benefits children of pro-government groups who back Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who won her fourth consecutive term in a general election in January that was boycotted by the opposition.

Bangladesh’s top court last week temporarily suspended the quotas, but protesters have promised to continue their rallies until the parts of the scheme they oppose are scrapped completely.

Police and witnesses said hundreds of antiquota protesters and students backing the ruling Awami League party battled for hours on Monday on the Dhaka University campus, hurling rocks, fighting with sticks and beating each other with iron rods.

Some carried machetes while others threw petrol bombs, witnesses said in a report by the AFP news agency. “They clashed with sticks and threw rocks at each other,” police official Mostajirur Rahman told AFP.

Nahid Islam, national coordinator of the antiquota protests, said their “peaceful procession” was attacked by people carrying rods, sticks and rocks. “They beat our female protesters. At least 150 students were injured, including 30 women, and conditions of 20 students are serious,” he said.

Injured student Shahinur Shumi, 26, said the protesters were taken by surprise.

“We were holding our procession peacefully,” she said from her hospital bed at Dhaka Medical Hospital. “Suddenly, the Chhatra League [ruling party’s student wing] attacked us with sticks, machetes, iron rods and bricks.”

Foreign Minister Hasan Mahmud said an “attempt is being made to transform the anti-quota movement into an anti-state one using the emotions of young students”. »

[uniqueeval]

Top news of the day: Mamata Banerjee says Bengal Assembly will pass bill seeking capital punishment for rapists; ED fines DMK MP Jagathratchakan ₹908-crore in FEMA case

Trinamool supremo and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee addresses a gathering during the TMC Chhatra Parishad (students wing) foundation day celebrations in Kolkata on August 28, 2024. | Photo Credit: PTI Mamata Banerjee says Bengal Assembly will pass bill seeking capital punishment for rapists West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday (August 28, 2024) said that a session…

[fortunetellersdilettante]

এসওএস, সে ছদ্মবেশে আছে ছদ্মবেশে একটা নেকড়ে আছে বেরিয়ে আসা, বের হওয়া, বের হওয়া গৃহপালিত মেযে, তুমি আমার কাছে শুধু এটুকুই চাও ডার্লিং, এটা কোনও রসিকতা নয়, এটি লাইকানথ্রপি চাঁদ এখন জেগে আছে, চোখ খোলা আছে আমার শরীরের খিদে আছে, তাই ক্ষুধার্তকে খাওয়াও আমি সোমবার থেকে সোমবার এবং শুক্রবার থেকে শুক্রবার আপনার জন্য নিজেকে উৎসর্গ করেছি আমাকে এটিতে রাখার জন্য পর্যাপ্ত প্রতিশোধ বা শালীন প্রণোদনা না ��াওয়া আমি অফিসে কফি মেশিনের মতো কিছুটা নির্যাতিত বোধ করতে শুরু করেছি তাই আমি আরামদায়ক কোথাও যাব আমাকে একজন প্রেমিকা জোগাড় করতে এবং আপনাকে এটি সম্পর্কে সব বলতে আলমারিতে একটা নেকড়ে আছে ওপেন করে ফ্রি করে দাও তোমার আলমারিতে একটা নেকড়ে আছে এটি ছেড়ে দিন, যাতে এটি শ্বাস নিতে পারে একটি বারের ওপারে বসে তার শিকারের দিকে তাকিয়ে আছে এখন পর্যন্ত ভালোই চলছে, সে তার পথ পাবে নিশাচর প্রাণীরা এত বিচক্ষণ নয় চাঁদ আমার শিক্ষক, আর আমি তার ছাত্র অবিবাহিত পুরুষদের সনাক্ত করার জন্য, আমি আমার উপর একটি বিশেষ রাডার পেয়েছিলাম এবং ফায়ার ডিপার্টমেন্টের হটলাইন, যদি আমি পরে সমস্যায় পড়ি সুন্দর ছোট্ট ডিভো খুঁজছেন না

sos, say chaddobeshe ache chaddobeshe ekta nekade ache berry asa, bare hawa, bare hawa grihopalito maye, tumi amar kache shudhu etukui chao darling, eta kono rasikata noy, eti lycantropies chand ekhan jege ache, chokh khola ache amar shorirer khide ache, tai khudhartoke khawao aami sombar theke sombar ebong shukrabar theke shukrabar apnar jonno nijeke utsarga korechi amake etite rakhar jonno porjapto pratishodh ba shaleen pranodana na pawa aami office coffee machiner mato kichuta nirjatito bodh karte shuru korechi tai aami aramdayak kothao jab amake ekjon premika jogad karte ebong apnake eti samparkey sab balte almarite ekta nekade ache open care free care dao tomar almarite ekta nekade ache eti chhede din, yate eti shash nite pare ekti barer opare base taar shikarer dike takie ache ekhon paryanta valoi cholche, say taar path paabe nishachar pranira et bichokkhon noy chand amar shikshak, ar aami taar chhatra abibahito purushader sanakt karar jonno, ami amar upper ekti bishesh radar peyechilam ebong fire department hotline, yadi aami pare samasyay padi sundar chotta divo khunjchen na

[sa7abnews]

Bangladesh on Brink as Anti-Government Protests Become ‘People’s Uprising’

New Post has been published on https://sa7ab.info/2024/08/06/bangladesh-on-brink-as-anti-government-protests-become-peoples-uprising/

Bangladesh on Brink as Anti-Government Protests Become ‘People’s Uprising’

Spiraling clashes between police and anti-government protesters in Bangladesh resulted in at least 90 deaths on Sunday, as initially peaceful student demonstrations morphed into a nationwide campaign of civil disobedience aimed at unseating autocratic Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

Read More: Sheikh Hasina and the Future of Democracy in Bangladesh

Despite the government once again cutting mobile internet nationwide, hundreds of thousands of protesters took to the street over the weekend with calls to march on the Ganabhaban, the prime minister’s official residence in the capital Dhaka, on Monday afternoon. In response, police set up roadblocks at major arteries into the city, but students say thousands have already slipped past the security cordon in order to join the demonstrations. “The time has come for the final protest,” said Asif Mahmud, a protest leader, per AFP.

Hasina has so far been characteristically defiant. Speaking following a meeting with security chiefs, she said demonstrators were “not students but terrorists who are out to destabilize the nation.” Still, such is the scale and breadth of public anger that analysts doubt whether her ruling Awami League party—which was returned for a fourth straight term in January elections boycotted by the opposition and denounced by observers as neither free nor fair—could possibly stay in power.

“Survival of the government is highly unlikely,” says Ali Riaz, a Bangladeshi-American political scientist and professor at Illinois State University. “I don’t think that people will go back without seeing a transition.”

It’s chaos largely of Hasina’s own making after the Awami League-aligned students’ group, the thuggish Chhatra League, was dispatched to confront initially peaceful demonstrations that began last month against civil service employment quotas for descendants of the nation’s 1971 war of independence. Following a brutal crackdown by security forces, which have officially led to over 280 deaths to date though diplomatic sources tell TIME could in truth number over 1,000, the government imposed a nationwide curfew and all internet services were severed across South Asia’s second biggest economy of over 170 million people.

Read More: How Mass Protests Challenge Bangladesh’s Past—and Threaten to Rewrite Its Future

After order was briefly restored, police arrested thousands of students and opposition activists. But the resumption of internet connectivity resulted in a deluge of cellphone footage of beatings and killings being uploaded to social media, galvanizing protesters to escalate their demands by urging for a complete shutdown of all factories and public transport and for people to refuse to pay taxes or utility bills. In addition, they called on the 10 million or so of their compatriots based overseas to halt remittances worth an estimated $2 billion annually.

Outrage was particularly stoked by UNICEF reports that at least 32 children had been killed during the demonstrations, many shot inside their homes by security forces and Awami League-aligned militias allegedly firing indiscriminately at windows. Bangladeshi society has become largely inured to shadowy disappearances, with almost 2,500 extrajudicial killings reported between 2009-2022, but the brazen slaughter of civilians in broad daylight against a backdrop of economic doldrums and widespread alleged corruption has proven impossible to ignore. Sheikh Hasina’s blundering response to the bloodshed didn’t help after she was filmed crying over damage to a train station while deriding fallen students as “traitors” and “terrorists.”

On Sunday, the U.N.’s human rights chief, Volker Türk, called for an end to the “shocking violence” and urged the government to “cease targeting those participating peacefully in the protest movement, immediately release those arbitrarily detained, restore full internet access, and create conditions for meaningful dialogue.”

Yet unrest continues across the country, with thousands protesting in the southern city of Cox’s Bazar, while 13 police officers were killed when a mob attacked a police station in the district of Sirajganj north of Dhaka. A defining feature of the current tumult is the broad swath of society now on the streets, most tellingly a sizable female contingent in what remains a largely conservative and patriarchal Muslim society. Young people spray paint slogans denouncing Hasina or brandish placards calling her a “killer,” while statues of her once-revered father, independence hero Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, have been vandalized.

Read More: 5 Takeaways from TIME’s Interview with Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina

“Sheikh Hasina ruled by fear and that was the core element keeping her whole edifice of power intact,” says Mubashar Hasan, a Bangladeshi scholar at the University of Oslo in Norway. “But it has now come to a point where people have said, ‘Enough is enough.’ It’s not a protest anymore; it’s a people’s uprising.”

Whether Hasina can ride out the storm may depend on if Bangladesh’s military feels compelled to intervene. On Sunday, army chief General Waker-uz-Zaman said the armed forces “always stood by the people,” while his influential predecessor, General Ikbal Karim Bhuiyan, denounced “egregious killings” and called on Hasina to withdraw troops from the streets. While early reports blamed security forces including police and the feared Border Guard Force for deaths, multiple reports of more recent clashes suggest soldiers firing on Awami League-aligned militias in defense of protesters.

“For the military, an important factor is how India and the international community, including the U.N., will react,” says Riaz. “It would rather wait until it becomes the only option to the political forces and the public at large.”

The sheer scale of unrest means that, regardless of what happens next, Bangladesh faces an almighty reckoning. All 167 universities across the country have been shuttered indefinitely and faculty worry how anti-government protesters can once again mix harmoniously with their influential Chhatra League peers. But parallel schisms exist across society as the Awami League’s politicization of the police, courts, and practically every government institution have entrenched deep distrust of all organs of state. Even journalists for state-aligned media have been attacked by protesters enraged by the perceived bias of their reporting.

“Moving forward there needs to be a serious reconciliation process,” says Hasan. “Otherwise this country will fall into an abyss.”

[swetarkganesh]

The Umbrella.

Those conversant with the 'Prashna' system, know the importance of the Chhatra (umbrella) Raashi in the Prashna chart. This Raashi is the protection of Lord Vaamana devaa on the querent and shows the place to go for the solution of the question. Vaamana Devaa is always shown walking with an bamboo and straw made umbrella. What is the conceptual secret behind this? Why is it so important?

My thinking is that it is because that Raashi is under the feet of the Lord. In the Puraanaas it is described how He covers the whole cosmos with two steps and the third id kept on Raajaa Bali. This, keeping the foot on the head is a powerful deeksha (initiation) and the giver of such initiation will have to take over at least 10 % of the Karmaas of the disciple. A very powerful blessing indeed and the Chhatra raashi will show us the house and the Raashi where this blessing is available and hence the importance.

What do you say?

[todaynewsguru]

Kolkata law college: Student alleges ragging for not joining TMCP, says his father also beaten up

Kolkata law college: Student alleges ragging for not joining TMCP, says his father also beaten up

A first-year student of a law college in Kolkata has alleged that he was subjected to ragging for not joining the Trinamool Congress Chhatra Parishad (TMCP) and later he and his father were beaten up when the matter was brought to the notice of the institution’s authorities. He has also filed a police complaint in this regard. The administration of South Calcutta Law College has promised to look…

[indiantourandtravel]

Places to explore in Gwalior during your central India tours

This is the must visit the temple during your central India tours. The Sun Temple is also a major tourist attraction in Gwalior. It is the temple for Lord Surya. Famous industrialist GD Birla in the year 1988 built this temple. Its architecture is similar to that of the Sun Temple at Konark, Orissa. Spiritual peace is attained by coming here.

Gwalior is a historical city. It is the main city of the state of Madhya Pradesh, India. Baghel ruler Suraj Sen Pal built this city. The city is known for its temples, ancient palaces, and many monuments. If you are all set to come for central India tours, and then do not forget to explore this city. Let us know, without seeing these famous tourist places of Gwalior, the journey of Gwalior is not complete.

History of Gwalior:

Gwalior has an important place in Indian history. In the year 1857, the first revolution against Britishers started here. In this battle, Maharani Laxmi Bai of Jhansi of the Maratha dynasty sacrificed her life fighting against the British. Apart from this, the city of Gwalior is also called the Tapobhoomi of Galav Rishi.

Once King Surajsen Pal fell seriously ill, then a saint named Gualipa healed him and gave him a new life. Then the city of Gwalior has been named after him.

Gwalior city is famous for forts. This city is known as the pearl of the necklace of the forts of India. Your India Tour will be incomplete without this.

Fort of Gwalior:

Gwalior Fort is a huge and grand fort. Its height is 35 meters. From the inscription, we know that this fort must have been there from the 6th century or earlier. And red sandstones are in use to build this. Gibraltar of India is the other name of this fort.

Sightseeing inside Gwalior Fort:

Karna Mahal:  

Kirti Singh, the second ruler of the Tomar dynasty built this. Another name of Kirti Singh was also Karan Singh. Hence this palace was named after him. It is two-storeyed, rectangular, and built-in Hindu style.

Man Singh Palace:

Man Singh Mahal is the most attractive, beautiful, and grand palace. It is a 4-story palace decorated with flowers, leaves, animals, and colorful carvings. It is also known as Patent House. There is also around the prison on going inside this palace. It was a saying that Aurangzeb killed his brother Murad at this place.

Vikram Mahal:        

King Vikramaditya Singh, the son of Maharaja Man Singh, built this mahal.

Jahangir Mahal & Shah Jahan Mahal:

Both these palaces are inside the Gwalior Fort. Both of them were built at different times by the Mughal rulers.

Bhim Singh Raja's umbrella:

Raja Bhim Singh Rana was the Jat king of Gohad. His successor Chhatra Singh built this as a memorial to him.

Gurdwara Sri Data Bandi Chhor Sahib:      

Shri Data Bandi Chhor Sahib Gurdwara is present inside the Gwalior Fort. It is a famous Gurudwara built in the memory of Hargobind Singh. The name of this gurudwara was Data Bandi Chhod Sahib because Guru Gobind Sahib had freed 52 Hindu kings from Jahangir's captivity.

Teli Ka Mandir:    

This is present inside the Gwalior Fort. It is the tallest temple with a height of about 30 meters. It was mainly a temple of Lord Vishnu.

The architecture of this temple is a mixture of South and North Indian styles.

Suraj Kund Gwalior:

This is also a pool located inside the fort. The water here is considered quite miraculous. There is also a temple of Lord Shiva in the middle of the Kund. People said that many people cure any disease whoever takes a bath in this pool.

Eighty pillared step-wells:  

Inside the fort, you will find a step well with eighty pillars. Raja Man Singh Tomar built this to store water. There was a separate room for the bathing of the queens. It is said in this step well that there is also an underground way. But now it is closed.

Siddhachal Jain Temple Caves:    

Inside the Gwalior Fort, you will find the caves of Siddhachal Jain Temple to visit.

Other places to visit in Gwalior during your India Tour:

Jai Vilas Palace:

If you come to Gwalior and do not see Jai Vilas Palace, then the journey to Gwalior is not complete. It is a palace in which the Scindia family still lives. Jiwaji Rao Scindia 1809 built this palace.

Here you can see all the weapons used during the reign of Shah Jahan, Aurangzeb, and Rani Lakshmi Bai in the museum.

Tansen's Tomb:

Tansen's tomb is a must-see place in Gwalior. Here is the tomb of Tansen, which remains near the tomb of his guru Mohammad Ghaus. Mohammad Ghaus was Tansen's guru. Who taught him classical music? Tansen was a great musician during the Akbar era.

Sun Temple:

This is the must visit the temple during your central India tours. The Sun Temple is also a major tourist attraction in Gwalior. It is the temple for Lord Surya. Famous industrialist GD Birla in the year 1988 built this temple. Its architecture is similar to that of the Sun Temple at Konark, Orissa. Spiritual peace is attained by coming here.

[ultimateketomealplan]

Trinamool Congress Student Union Alleged SFI Attacked Jadvapur University's TMCP President

Trinamool Congress Student Union Alleged SFI Attacked Jadvapur University’s TMCP President

A war of words between student political bodies is intensifying in West Bengal. A video of the West Bengal-based Students’ Federation of India (SFI) member has gone viral in which the SFI members can be seen and heard saying that leaders of the Trinamool Congress student union should be taught a lesson. Trinamool Congress Chhatra Parishad state president Trinankur Bhattacharjee has posted the…

[odishaphotos]

Rajabakhari, Das Vidya Mahal,

Rajabakhari, Das Vidya Mahal,

The royal palace is now located at the back of Lady Lewis School in Sambalpur, built by the 7th King of the Chauhan dynasty, Maharaja Chhatra Sai, after ascending the throne in 1689. It was named after Das Vidya Mahal. The royal palace was held in this palace, which was adorned with interesting carvings. The two-story palace has more than 40 rooms. Inside the palace, there is another palace for the king's only residence, which is called Chitramahal. It has 9 rooms and two porches. The upper floors have been completely demolished, and the roofs of the lower floors are no longer there. There is a step down the back of Rajabakhari. It is believed to have been a secret tunnel. This palace is a silent witness to many events in history. In particular, the building is part of the freedom struggle of national hero Surendra Sai. For the first time during the Quit India Movement in 1942, the tricolor was flown in Rajbakhari.

Prior to independence, Rajabakhari's ownership was embroiled in controversy. The descendants of Sonpur and Balangir of the Sambalpur Rizbhansh were at the door of the court demanding their rights to Rajabakhari. As per the court order, part of the lion's share went to the king of Sonepur. Later, Nityananda Majhi, a lawyer from Sonepur Raja, bought it. And from him, Lady Lewis School authorities took it under his control. However, the school authorities could not use the entire Rajabakhari. As a result, the ruins are now on the verge of collapse due to lack of visibility. Now only the broken walls stand as monuments.

However, the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) took over the repairs in 2000, but due to a lack of maintenance by the municipal administration, it has returned to normal.

However, in the last few years, efforts have been made by some enthusiastic volunteers in Sambalpur to restore it. It has been repeatedly massacred in Rajabakhari and released from the hands of anti-social activists. With the help of Intak, it is planned to return to shine. Meanwhile, the state government has sanctioned Rs 1 crore for the restoration of both Rajabakhari and Ranibakhari. A number of museums have been set up here to attract tourists.

[fast1997]

tej: Tej says Lalu held hostage; Tejashwi refutes allegation | India News

tej: Tej says Lalu held hostage; Tejashwi refutes allegation | India News

PATNA: The feud in RJD chief Lalu Prasad’s family appears to be growing, with his elder son Tej Pratap Yadav on Saturday alleging that his father is being held “hostage” in Delhi. Tej Pratap, who was addressing an event of the Chhatra Janshakti Parishad in here, said, “Despite getting bail months ago, my father is still being held hostage in Delhi.” Tej also alleged that some people in the party…

[jamesclarke99]

The Noble Act Of Anna Daan And Paani Daan ( Donating food and drinking water)

dātavyam iti yad dānaṁ dīyate ‘nupakāriṇe

deśhe kāle cha pātre cha tad dānaṁ sāttvikaṁ smṛitam

Says Lord Krishna in the 20th shloka of the 17th adhyaya in the Bhagavad Gita. This Sanskrit verse translates as:

Charity done for someone worthy because it is the right thing to do, without thinking about returns, at the right time and place is an act of goodness.

Charity or donation are noble acts because you give to others without getting any material gains in return. The noblest of all donations or charity are Anna Daan & Paani Daan. 

What Are Anna Daan & Paani Daan?

The word Daanam is the Sanskrit term for donation or charity. Anna means ‘food,’ and Paani means ‘water.’ Annadaan is the act of donating food, and Paanidaan implies donating water. The practice of these donations exhibits a good-hearted nature and an elevated state of mind of the giver. Anna Daan & Paani Daan have been an essential part of several cultures, predominantly in East Asia.

Donations can be in any form. You could donate money, clothes, gold, or even other articles of daily utility. But Anna Daan & Paani daan are considered to be different and holy. Why is it so?

Every person’s life is a perfect blend of their physical body, mind, and soul. The mind and soul govern the body; however, the soul is at a higher spiritual level than the mind. Material things like money and gifts may lead to a want of more and more for any person. The unending need for more is because the mind always wants more than it can have. But give food and water to anyone, be it a needy person who is starving or a rich man who has all the possible global cuisines at his disposal, and the person will eat and drink only as much as the body allows. They may take the remaining food and water and keep it with themselves, but they will not consume it immediately.

The Concept Of Daanam In Hindu Religion

The Bhagavad Gita, the Vedas, the Puranas are sacred and highly revered scriptures in the Hindu religion. Adi Sankaracharya, a renowned and respected Hindu philosopher who lived in the 8th century A.D, also refers to daanam in one of his Sanskrit sthotrams.

Annapurne Sadapurne Sankara Pranavallabhe

Gyanavairagya siddhyartham bhiksham dehi ca Parvati

The translation of this

Sthotram

is as follows:

Annapurna Devi, Goddess of plenty, you are the eternal consort of Lord Shiva; give us alms together with wisdom.

Annadaan (donating food /donating water) holds great importance and is considered sacred in several Hindu religious ceremonies. Priests often suggest Anna Daan & Paani Daan as part of religious rituals like pooja and havan. Followers of the Hindu religion believe that offering a donation of food and water is a way to seek Punya (reward for virtuous deeds).

Hindu devotees visit several religious places that serve Prasadam like sweet food, fruits, or other simple food. Prasadam is food offered to God in a temple or other places of worship. Prasadam is food blessed by the Almighty. It is distributed among all the devotees and visitors at the temple.

Prasadam may often be a form of annadaan (donating food /donating water), done by people who perform a religious ritual or any other reason. People often arrange to distribute Prasadam in temples to mark their birthdays or other special occasions. Prasadam is always offered free of cost to devotees or anybody who visits the place of worship. Many temples offer extra Prasadam to display that they are not only satisfying your belly but want to please your soul too.

Anna Daan (donating food /donating water) is also possible by sponsoring meals at home for the aged, hospitals, and orphanages, to name a few. Every form of selfless donation of water and food is an act of greatness and humanity.

The Concept Of Bhog

The word Bhog is synonymous with the concept of Prasadam. In the Hindu religion, Bhog is an offering of food given to the Gods. While Prasadam is usually a tiny portion of food, Bhog is generally large and can make a complete meal. The similarity between the two is that both are sacred foods offered to God. The one who consumes food prepared for Prasadam or Bhog is bestowed upon by the blessings of God.

People from affluent families often bear expenses for preparing food for Bhog. Some even participate in the actual preparation of food. Both these noble acts are a form of Annadaan (donating food /donating water).

Many Hindu religious places distribute the Bhog among the less privileged who cannot afford meals. Hindu temples built during the 15th century often had an attached dharma shala (a place where travelers or poor people could find free food and accommodation). Dharma sattra, satram, chhatra are some other words used for dharma shala. But the Hindus are not the only ones to perform Annadaan (donating food /donating water).

Daanam As Practised By Sikh Community

Natural calamities, human-made crises, and wars always lead to a shortage of drinking water and food supplies. The Sikh community is known to step in and offer as much help as possible during such trying times. They have opened the doors of their Gurudwara (place of worship for Sikhs) to everyone irrespective of caste and religion during times of crisis.

Langar is a community kitchen operated by members of the Sikh religion. This kitchen offers food and water to everyone irrespective of socio-economic status, caste, or religion. The meals are free of charge and typically served in huge community halls where everyone sits on the floor to eat. Practitioners of Sikhism also follow the concept of Bhog.

The Langar at the famous Golden Temple in Punjab is known to have one of India’s largest functioning community kitchens.

While the concept of Langars was prevalent in India before the fifteenth century, Guru Nanak (the highly revered founder of Sikhism) was responsible for preaching the importance of running Langars within his followers. Guru Nanak strove to preach and follow equality through the practice of setting up Langars. His successor Guru Angad worked towards establishing Langars in every Gurudwara. Guru Amar Das encouraged his followers to have a meal in the Langar before he addressed them. These great and revered Gurus embedded the concept of Langar into the Sikh culture.

Sufism And Langars

Long before Sikhs embraced the institution of Langar, the Sufi Muslims were practicing it. The practice of Langar was more prominent among Muslims residing in India and Pakistan since before the 15th century. Offering food and water to the needy has always been a part of the Sufi culture. Like Sikh Langars, Sufi Langars serve everyone irrespective of their caste and religion. Muslim tradition involves reciting the word Bismillah while preparing food. This food is blessed, and the one to consume it will be the bearer of Barakat, which is the power that binds one to Allah spiritually.

Many dargahs (shrines of Sufi Muslims) serve food in their Langars. The food is stored in huge pots called a deg.

Jainism And The Act Of Daanam

Offering food and water in donations is a way to gain positive virtues and karma in Jainism. The ancient texts written about the Jain way of living use the terminology Ahar dana. Ahar is a Sanskrit word that means food. Therefore Ahar dana is synonymous with Annadaan (donating food /donating water).

Practise Of Daanam By Followers Of Buddhism

Selflessness is among the basic principles on which Buddhism bases itself. Selflessness is about going out of the way to do good for others without expecting anything in return. Annadaan (donating food /donating water) is one of the most selfless acts, and therefore it is a sacred act among followers of the Buddhist religion.  

Buddhist monks are highly revered people who possess excellent spiritual and religious knowledge by studying the teachings of Lord Gautam Buddha. Since the establishment of Buddhism as a religion, monks have always led a modest life. Offering food to the monks as alms is a virtuous act. The monks and ordinary folk within the Buddhist community are tightly bound to one another. The common folk takes care of requirements like food and clothing for the monks, while the monks bless the folk by sharing spiritual knowledge and working towards the upliftment of the community.

Offering food in the form of alms to monks allows the giver to become spiritually connected with the monks.

Food Charity Practised By Christians

The concept of soup kitchens is quite well known. They are community food centers where everyone is welcome irrespective of their caste and religion, to eat meals for free or nominal rates. Homeless persons, impoverished people who cannot afford two square meals a day, or anybody in dire need of food are always welcome here without discrimination.

Local communities or churches usually volunteer to run these soup kitchens. They take up all tasks right from getting raw material to cooking food to serving and cleaning. People who can afford to spare some money usually pay an amount of their choice as a form of charity to help the soup kitchens running. Soup kitchens do not essentially serve only soup but other food; therefore, they are also called food kitchens.

A famous quote from the Holy Bible goes like this-

“He who has two coats, let him share with him who has none, and he who has food let him do likewise.”

The Bible urges its readers to share food with the lesser unfortunate and make them feel wanted. That is the motto of soup kitchens as well. It teaches privileged people to come to a level where everyone is equal. It teaches people with lesser amenities that all hope is not lost and fills them with a sense of belongings. These kitchens also offer basic amenities like clothing and shelter besides hygienic and healthy food.

Local churches urge their patrons to donate to the food kitchens to keep them running. Sharing your belonging when you have enough, treating everyone with equality, and caring for the less fortunate are considered virtues among those who follow the Christian faith.

God created man, and man created religion. People divided and segregated themselves based on their faith. But all religions teach one thing in common; help those who are in need. Donation of water and food is thought to be exemplary behavior in almost every religion.

Offering food to the hungry becomes a source of happiness to the one who eats and feeds. When a young child is sad, give him an ice cream or cookies or his favorite meal; and see him smile. Such a payback has greater worth than all the wealth in the world.

Indians are firm believers that sharing food with someone and making them happy is a way of gaining good karma. Eating food satisfies your stomach, but truly relishing the food you eat is what pleases your soul, and also the soul of the one who has prepared or offered that food to you.

Sharing food is an act of nobility. You may not get monetary or material returns from it, but it is the form of charity that never goes unnoticed. Donating food will give you what nothing else will, which is the true satisfaction of the soul.

[sa7abnews]

Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Resigns Under Pressure From Military and Mass Uprising

New Post has been published on https://sa7ab.info/2024/08/06/bangladesh-prime-minister-sheikh-hasina-resigns-under-pressure-from-military-and-mass-uprising/

Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Resigns Under Pressure From Military and Mass Uprising

Bangladesh’s embattled Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina resigned Monday under pressure from the military following escalating clashes between police and anti-government protesters that resulted in at least 300 deaths, including more than 90 on Sunday alone.

Reports that Hasina had stepped down circulated before Bangladesh army chief Waker-uz-Zaman confirmed the news in an address to the nation at 4 p.m. local time, prompting widespread jubilation among crowds that poured onto the street, honking car horns and waving flags.

“Prime Minister Sheik Hasina has resigned and an interim government will run the country,” army chief General Waker-uz-Zaman told the nation. He added there was no more need for a curfew or state of emergency at present but urged protesters to return home.

Barricades were removed and internet access suddenly restored as rumors circulated that Hasina had fled overseas. Even before Waker-uz-Zaman’s announcement, which was repeatedly delayed amid negotiations with political players, protesters had already stormed the Ganabhaban, the prime minister’s official residence in the capital Dhaka.

What began last month as peaceful student demonstrations against civil service employment quotas for descendants of the nation’s 1971 war of independence spiraled into a campaign of protest and civil disobedience across the South Asian nation of over 170 million. Hundreds of thousands of protesters had taken to the street over the weekend with crowds swelling to millions by Monday amid calls to march on the Ganabhaban to force Hasina’s ouster. The prospect of a bloody confrontation spurred the military into action.

Until the end, Hasina, 76, had been defiant, leading commentators to assume that her departure was effectively a coup d’etat. In comments following a meeting with security chiefs, she insisted demonstrators were “not students but terrorists who are out to destabilize the nation.” Still, the scale and breadth of public anger made the position of her Awami League party—which was returned for a fourth straight term in January elections boycotted by the opposition and denounced by observers as neither free nor fair—increasingly untenable.

“Public reactions after the brutal crackdown showed that the people were waiting for a leadership to challenge the regime,” says Ali Riaz, a Bangladeshi-American political scientist and professor at Illinois State University. “Keeping with the long tradition of student activism in Bangladesh, these leaders stepped up.”

Hasina’s downfall was especially dramatic as it metastasized quickly out of nowhere. Her chief mistake appears to have been dispatching the Chhatra League, the Awami League’s aggressive student wing, to confront initially peaceful demonstrators. Those clashes spurred a brutal crackdown by security forces, which diplomatic sources tell TIME could in truth involve over 1,000 killed. A subsequent nationwide curfew and internet blackout alienated both private citizens and business leaders across South Asia’s second biggest economy.

After an uneasy calm was restored, security forces set about rounding up student leaders and thousands of opposition activists. This purge alongside a deluge of cellphone footage of unarmed students killed in the street spurred protesters to increase their demand that Hasina step down. In particular, UNICEF reports that at least 32 children had been killed during the demonstrations, many shot inside their homes, further outraged the public. Hasina appeared aloof and callous throughout, ostentatiously crying over damage to a train station while lambasting deceased students as “traitors” and “terrorists.”

Hasina’s position always relied on Bangladesh’s military, which has historically meddled in politics though had recently been staunch backers of the Awami League. Yet on Sunday, Waker-uz-Zaman tellingly said the armed forces “always stood by the people,” while his influential predecessor, General Ikbal Karim Bhuiyan, denounced “egregious killings” of a “disgraceful campaign” and called on troops to return to the barracks.

The U.N. had already raised objections to vehicles emblazoned with its insignia being used to target protesters, prompting calls to ban the Bangladesh military from the bloc’s peacekeeping missions, further alienating its top brass. On Sunday, the U.N.’s human rights chief, Volker Türk, urged the government to “cease targeting those participating peacefully in the protest movement, immediately release those arbitrarily detained, restore full internet access, and create conditions for meaningful dialogue.”

Riaz says the generals were likely assessing the “resilience capacity of the movement in the face of repression, and also trying to see whether Sheikh Hasina needs an exit window” before acting. “It would rather wait until it becomes the only option to the political forces and the public at large.”

Still, the fall of Hasina is only the first step in what will no doubt be a bitter reconciliation process. With practically every government institution politicized by the Awami League, distrust of the security services, military, courts, and civil service runs deep across society.

“There is a huge trust deficit between the ruling party, activists, police and the people,” says Mubashar Hasan, a Bangladeshi scholar at the University of Oslo in Norway. “If there is no effective reconciliation process, the country may go into uncharted territory.”

[doonitedin]

TMC joins Koo, party says 'elated to be on social media platform'

TMC joins Koo, party says ‘elated to be on social media platform’

Image Source : FILE PHOTO Along with the All India Trinamool Congress (AITC), AITC Tripura (@AITC4Tripura) and AITC’s Student Wing, West Bengal Trinamool Congress Chhatra Parishad (@WBTMCPofficial) also opened their accounts on the platform. (Representational image) The All India Trinamool Congress (AITC) has set up an official account on Koo, the Indian microblogging and social networking…