Chhattar Manzil throws up mammoth gondola
Chhattar Manzil of Awadh, once a palace for begums (royal women) which is currently being excavated by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) as part of a conservation project, is throwing up surprises every day. Recently, the 220-year-old monument threw up a 42-feet-long and 11-feet-wide gondola (a traditional, flat-bottomed boat), leaving Lucknow residents awestruck. The excavators have said that it could well have been a royal vessel. However, how the mammoth wooden gondola came to be buried at the royal palace is a mystery.
Signature campaign to end temple row
While a three-member panel set up by the Supreme Court is busy finding an amicable solution to the vexed temple issue in Ayodhya, a group of Muslim intellectuals and professionals have embarked on a signature campaign in support of a negotiated settlement of the Babri Masjid-Ram Janmabhoomi land dispute. The brainchild behind the drive is Aftab Ahmed Khan, DIG, CRPF, who personally experienced and lived through events resulting from the title dispute. The paramilitary force was vested with the task of ensuring security in and around the disputed site from 1990 to 1992.
Shia-Sunni bonhomie on show in Ramzan
This Ramzan, the city of Nawabs is going to come alive with the glitter of festivity and a rare bomhomie between the Shia and Sunni communities will also be on show. Members of the two Muslim sects will come together and host joint iftars across the city. Just to set the tone of bonhomie ahead of Ramzan, Sunni cleric Maulana Khalid Rasheed Farangi Mahali and Shia cleric Maulana Yasoob Abbas hosted a joint iftar. Over 70 rozadars (fasting Muslims) attended the event.
A tribute to motherhood
This Mother’s Day, tiny tots at a government primary school at Kanausi I, Lucknow, queued up to wash the feet of their mothers who were invited by the school authorities to celebrate the day. Many mothers couldn’t hide their tears as their wards washed their feet and presented flowers and greeting cards to them. The initiative was aimed at making children aware of the sacrifices that their mother’s made for them. More than anything else, the event brought out the strong emotional bond that mother’s share with their children.