Zoo gets Himalayan bear, slow loris & leopard cat
After a gap of seven years, vibrancy returned to the leopard enclosure with the arrival of two leopard cats at the Lucknow zoological gardens recently. The leopard enclosure had been lying vacant ever since the death of the last big cat due to kidney failure in 2015.
Besides two leopard cats, three slow loris and two Himalayan bears are the new members. The slow loris is a nocturnal primate. The leopard cat is a small wild cat native to East Asian nations. Besides the Himalayas, the Himalayan bear is found in West Asian nations.
22 mosques defer Friday namaz timing for Holi
At least 22 mosques had altered the timing for Juma namaz (Friday prayer) in view of Holi celebrations in City of Nawabs. Juma namaz along with the khutba (discourse) held on the day, is offered after 12.30 pm as the routine.
This time, in view of the advisory issued by the Islamic Centre of India (ICI), at least 22 mosques in the city decided to shift the time and hold Friday prayers after 1.30 pm. These include renowned mosques like the Jama Masjid at Aishbagh Eidgah, Ek Minara Masjid, Masjid Shahmina Shah and Masjid Chowk.
At the Jama Masjid Eidgah the time has been shifted to 2 pm from 12.45 pm. Similarly, at Masjid Shahmina Shah, Juma namaz was held at 1.30 pm at instead of the regular 1 pm. ICI head Maulana Khalid Rasheed Farangi Mahali had issued an advisory in this regard.
Holi with a difference at Dewa Sharif
The Holi celebrations at ‘Dewa Sharif’, the dargah of 18th-century Sufi saint Haji Waris Ali Shah, in Dewa town of Barabanki are unique. Keeping the Ganga-Jamni Tahzeeb alive, both Hindus and Muslims celebrate the festival of colours in harmony.
The Holi play involved rose petals abeer and gulaal. The Sufi saint is revered as a harbinger of peace and amity as he spread his message of: ‘Jo Rab hai wahi Ram hai’. Perhaps it is the only Dargah where the festival is celebrated with gusto inside the campus, if not inside the tomb. It is not known how long this tradition has been followed, but at least a century old.
‘Baba Bulldozer’ pichkaris fly off shelves
‘Bulldozer’, the word frequently used by CM Yogi Adityanath to warn criminals, became so popular that makers of Holi paraphernalia cashed on in by branding the pichkaris as ‘Baba Bulldozer’ symbolising Yogi.
The Holi markets were flooded with ‘Baba Bulldozer’ pichkaris (water guns), along with the traditional Banarasi ones in Varanasi. The water guns, made of plastic, were shaped like a bulldozer. The shopkeepers in Varanasi made hay with the bulldozer water guns which drew a good number of customers and sale of was brisk even days before the festival of colours.
namita.bajpai@newindianexpress.com