Feature
Locals on anniversary of Babri Masjid demolition want peace in Ayodhya
Lucknow: On the 26th anniversary of Babri Masjid demolition, the academia and locals of Ayodhya are more concerned about education and the nitty gritties of daily lives, even as ‘Shaurya Diwas’ and ‘Yaum-e-Gham’ programmes have become “routine affairs” here every year.
Nilay Tiwari, who teaches at Gautam Buddh Government Degree College, says students of the present age value education and do not wish to muddle in the politics of the land.
“Be it ‘Dharm Sansad’ or programmes like Shaurya Diwas (day of bravery) or Yaum e Gham (day of sorrow), all are organised by different factions of political parties. The students of the present times are very mature and academics comes first for them as they have grown up seeing the Ayodhya dispute and its repercussions,” he said.
“Notwithstanding the hype outside, the life and discussions on campuses here remain normal. Though routine life is disturbed with an inflow of people and media persons from outside, but it has, over a period of time, become a routine affair,” Tiwari said.
Echoing the sentiment, Professor Manoj Dixit, Vice Chancellor, Ram Manohar Lohia Avadh University (RMLAU), said the students are told in clear terms to concentrate on their education.
“The students have been told with clarity to concentrate on their studies. Having said that, if someone has any political affiliation, he cannot be stopped, but majority of the students of the university understand that their future lies in academics,” he told media persons Thursday.
On 26th anniversary of Babri Masjid demolition, locals want peace in Ayodhya:
“Our campuses are functioning normally. Even on November 25 (the day when the VHP organised Dharam Sabha) we did not shut down and functioned as usual. The strength, however, was less due to the hype. But hostellers and others from nearby areas attended the classes,” Dixit said.
As the academicians advocated peace and education, locals prayed for an early court verdict in the Ayodhya dispute.
“We want the ongoing Ayodhya dispute to settle and pray that the Supreme Court gives a decision on the matter soon. It will end the everyday politics here. The common man is struggling to make both ends meet. The political events around the dispute do not charm the locals any more, except those belonging to political parties,” says Gaurav Mani Tripathi, former student leader of Saket Mahavidyala.
Yet, there are many who are proud to be the residents of this temple town.
Vatsala Tiwari, a young employee of RMLAU, says she has always seen Ayodhya hog the limelight.
“I was born and brought up here. I did my schooling and higher studies from here. My father was a professor in the RMLA university. We have seen big gatherings and as a child enjoyed school holidays on such days. We know Ayodhya has been used for ‘political purposes’, but we want only peace here. I am proud of being a resident of the city,” she adds.
On this day, the Babri Masjid was demolished in 1992 by ‘karsevaks’ who had converged as part of a movement by the BJP and Hindu outfits for construction of a temple dedicated to Lord Ram at the disputed site.
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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