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VHP to organise Shaurya Diwas, Muslims to observe ‘Yaum-e-Gham’ on Dec 6
Lucknow: The VHP would observe Shaurya Diwas on December 6, the anniversary of Babri Masjid demolition, and also gear up for programmes lined up on the occasion of Gita Jayanti on December 18 to garner support for the construction of a grand Ram Temple in Ayodhya.
With the 2019 Lok Sabha elections round the corner, all eyes seem to be on the temple town as Thursday marks the 26th anniversary of the demolition.
The Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) along with some akharas will be celebrating the day as ‘Shaurya Diwas’ and are likely to hold programmes to mark the day.
VHP spokesperson in Ayodhya, Sharad Sharma, said, “Shaurya Diwas will be traditionally celebrated. In Ayodhya, the VHP and various Hindu organisations are likely to organise a number of religious programmes, including a hawan, so that a grand temple of Lord Ram is built.”
Sharma also said that special prayers for Goddess Saraswati (the goddess of learning) were likely to be held so that the people, especially politicians do not “hinder the construction of a Ram temple”.
“Sarva baadha mukti hawans (hawans seeking to get rid of all obstructions) too will be held. Tributes will also be paid to the innocent karsewaks who faced bullets and lost their lives,” he said and compared the karsewaks to Jatayu, the vulture who tried to rescue Sita from demon king Ravan in the epic Ramayana.
The VHP office bearer said another Dharam Sabha was scheduled to be held in Delhi on December 9 in which over five lakh people were likely to turn up.
On Dec 6th, Muslims to observe ‘Yaum-e-Gham’, VHP to organise Shaurya Diwas:
“On January 31 and February 1, we are going to organise a Dharam Sansad in Prayagraj in which more than 5,000 seers from across the country are likely to participate. Seers from southern states and north-eastern states have been specially invited for this,” he said.
The Dharam Sansad would deliberate on various issues, including the Ram temple, cow, river Ganga, and social harmony, he said.
“Through the Dharam Sabha (held on November 25), we were able to send a message that the Hindu society wants a grand Ram temple in Ayodhya,” Sharma said, adding the road map of the next course of action will be finalised during Kumbh in Prayagraj next year.
When asked, Mahant Ramdas of Nirmohi Akhara said, “We will celebrate the day as Shaurya Diwas, as it was on this day that Ram Janmabhoomi was liberated from a Mughal structure.”
He said nearly 500 prominent ashrams of the temple town would be lit with ghee lamps and illuminated with electronic lights to celebrate the day.
Ramdas said the day would be celebrated like Diwali and hawans would be held at Karsewakpuram.
Secretary (organisation) of VHP’s Awadh praant (region) Bholendra said pledge-taking programmes would be held on Gita Jayanti on December 18 and would continue for a week.
“The VHP would hold pledge-taking programmes at various places in the country. The pledge will be taken for construction of a grand Ram temple. This will begin on Gita Jayanti and continue for almost a week. Apart from this we are holding Dharam Sabhas on a smaller scale across various parts of the country,” he said.
On the 25th anniversary of the mosque’s demolition last year, heavy security was deployed in the twin towns of Faizabad and Ayodhya, as the VHP and the Bajrang Dal observed ‘Shaurya Diwas’ (Day of Valour), while Muslim organisations observed ‘Yaum-e-Gham’ (Day of sorrow).
Taking note of the gravity of the situation and the advisory issued by the Centre, the Faizabad administration had made heavy security deployments in the two towns.
The State Scores Extra High on Gaming-Friendly Industry Index
Meghalaya scored 92.85 out of 100 possible points in a Gaming Industry Index and proved to be India’s most gaming-friendly state following its recent profound legislation changes over the field allowing land-based and online gaming, including games of chance, under a licensing regime.
The index by the UK India Business Council (UKIBC) uses a scale of 0 to 100 to measure the level of legalisation on gambling and betting achieved by a state based on the scores over a set of seven different games – lottery, horse racing, betting on sports, poker, rummy, casino and fantasy sports
Starting from February last year, Meghalaya became the third state in India’s northeast to legalise gambling and betting after Sikkim and Nagaland. After consultations with the UKIBC, the state proceeded with the adoption of the Meghalaya Regulation of Gaming Act, 2021 and the nullification of the Meghalaya Prevention of Gambling Act, 1970. Subsequently in December, the Meghalaya Regulation of Gaming Rules, 2021 were notified and came into force.
All for the Tourists
The move to legalise and license various forms of offline and online betting and gambling in Meghalaya is aimed at boosting tourism and creating jobs, and altogether raising taxation revenues for the northeastern state. At the same time, the opportunities to bet and gamble legally will be reserved only for tourists and visitors.
“We came out with a Gaming Act and subsequently framed the Regulation of Gaming Rules, 2021. The government will accordingly issue licenses to operate games of skill and chance, both online and offline,” said James P. K. Sangma, Meghalaya State Law and Taxation Minister speaking in the capital city of Shillong. “But the legalized gambling and gaming will only be for tourists and not residents of Meghalaya,” he continued.
To be allowed to play, tourists and people visiting the state for work or business purposes will have to prove their non-resident status by presenting appropriate documents, in a process similar to a bank KYC (Know Your Customer) procedure.
Meghalaya Reaches Out to a Vast Market
With 140 millions of people in India estimated to bet regularly on sports, and a total of 370 million desi bettors around prominent sporting events, as per data from one of the latest reports by Esse N Videri, Meghalaya is set to reach out and take a piece of a vast market.
Estimates on the financial value of India’s sports betting market, combined across all types of offline channels and online sports and cricket predictions and betting platforms, speak about amounts between $130 and $150 billion (roughly between ₹9.7 and ₹11.5 lakh crore).
Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Delhi are shown to deliver the highest number of bettors and Meghalaya can count on substantial tourists flow from their betting circles. The sports betting communities of Karnataka, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh and Haryana are also not to be underestimated.
Among the sports, cricket is most popular, registering 68 percent of the total bet count analyzed by Esse N Videri. Football takes second position with 11 percent of the bets, followed by betting on FIFA at 7 percent and on eCricket at 5 percent. The last position in the Top 5 of popular sports for betting in India is taken by tennis with 3 percent of the bet count.
Local Citizens will Still have Their Teer Betting
Meghalaya residents will still be permitted to participate in teer betting over arrow-shooting results. Teer is a traditional method of gambling, somewhat similar to a lottery draw, and held under the rules of the Meghalaya Regulation of the Game of Arrow Shooting and the Sale of Teer Tickets Act, 2018.
Teer includes bettors wagering on the number of arrows that reach the target which is placed about 50 meters away from a team of 20 archers positioned in a semicircle.
The archers shoot volleys of arrows at the target for ten minutes, and players place their bets choosing a number between 0 and 99 trying to guess the last two digits of the number of arrows that successfully pierce the target.
If, for example, the number of hits is 256, anyone who has bet on 56 wins an amount eight times bigger than their wager.
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