Anthem for Activists

I have principle and no power
You have power and no principle
You being you
And I being I
Compromise is out of the question
So let the battle begin ...

I have truth and no force
You have force and no truth
You being you
And I being I
Compromise is out of the question
So let the battle begin ...

You may club my skull
I will fight
You may crush my bones
I will fight
You may bury me alive
I will fight
With truth running through me
I will fight
With every ounce of my strength
I will fight
With my last dying breath
I will fight ...
I will fight till the
Castle that you built with your lies
Comes tumbling down
Till the devil you worshipped with your lies
Kneels down before my angel of truth.

By Bhuchung Sonam,
an alumnus of M.S.University, Baroda.

Feasting After Fasting!! Best Haleem and Biryani Joints in Hyderabad- Times of India Contest!!!

Eid Mubarak! Feasting After Fasting!! Best Haleem and Biryani Joints in Hyderabad- Times of India Contest!!!

A Very Happy Eid to All

Not long ago Ramazan was a month for Rozas (fasting), Tarawi (recitation of the Quran), all night prayers and all round piety.  

Of late, Ramazan in Hyderabad seems to have acquired an additional hue: of Feasting, especially on Haleem! Mega Iftar Parties (for breaking the fast in the evening) and all night shopping!!!

A friend who is not very familiar with the Muslim religious practices last year asked me very innocently as to when the month of feasting will come as he was dying for Haleem (a delicacy that is available in every nook and corner of the city during the month of Ramadan but difficult to get in the other months).He could not believe when I informed him that Ramadan is actually a month for Fasting!   

But Hyderabadis with a history of Ganga Jamuni Tahzeeb (tradition of synthesizing diverse cultures) have succeeded in beautifully blending the Rozas with Haleem and Fasting with Feasting!!! Now in Hyderabad, Ramazan is as much about Rozas as about Haleem!!

No wonder Times of India is  organising Biryani and Haleem Contest for the past few years during Ramadan to adjudge the best joints in Hyderabad for Haleem and Biryani(another Hyderabadi delicacy). This year the contest was organised on 27th October 2011. To know winners for the Best Haleem and the Best Biryani in Hyderabad, please read on......

A MEMORABLE MEHFIL Giving an all new meaning to the adage Music be the food for love,the grand finale of the Times Biryani and Haleem Contest was one that saw prominent Hyderabadis relish yummy fare and Sufi music.The guestlist included tinseltown stars,top cops,bureaucrats,dignitaries and socialites.Guests bonded over the mouth-watering delicacies and conversations revolved on whose biryani and haleem was the best.Actress Soumya,Jayesh and Rucha Ranjan,Akun Sabharwal,Soumya Mishra,Mohammed Ali Baig,Sherry Jhaveri and son Aleem, Mazher Hussain, Hasnain Saberi, Raunaq Yar Khan,Gita and Uma Karan,Prasoona Reddy,Aanchal,Manjula Narsa,Bani Ahuja,Aamer Javeed,Mehjabeen, Shweta Keerti graced the do and cheered on the qawwali singers Sabri Brothers who crooned tracks like Maula re, Dama Dam Mast Kalandar etc. And the Winners!! Best Haleem: Shah Ghouse- 1st Runner Up: Pista House- 2nd Runner Up: Sarvi Best Biryani: Jewel of Nizam (Hotel Golconda)- 1st Runner Up:Paradise- 2nd Runner Up: Four Seasons A Raje and Deeksha Marur