Everything you need to know about the holy month Ramzan/Ramadan

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Every Muslim around the world (and those around you) talking about Ramzan as well as the blessings it shower upon the believers. It is a scientifically proven fact that fasting is good for health. Fasting in Ramzan is one of the five pillars in Islam. Ramzan is a ninth month in Islamic calendar. Islamic calendar or lunar calendar consists 12 months in a year with 354 or 355 days. So, each year every month shifts 10 days from the previous year, for example, last year Ramzan started from 26 May and this year it shifted 10 days earlier that is 17 May. Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) had said, “When the month of Ramzan starts, the gates of heaven are opened and the gates of hell are closed and the devils are chained.”

Following are some Ramzan-ic elements that you should know-

1. Breaking the fast- It is preferred to break a fast with date because it was the way Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) used to break the fast. But if a person doesn’t have it then he/she can drink water.

2. Charity- Charity is an important aspect in Islam and every Muslim should give charity as money or in other forms. Zakaat is one of the five fundamental pillars of Islam. It is a compulsory act that Muslim should perform. Zakaat is calculated on the basis of total savings of a person in one lunar year, whatever the savings would be its 2.5% part is zakaat. Sadqa is another form of charity, unlike Zakaat it is not compulsory but voluntary. It can be given at any time of the year, to anyone and it can be any amount a person may like.

3.  30-Days of Ramzaan- 30 or 29 days (depending on moon) of Ramzan is divided into three phases. Each phase has 10 days in it. First phase is known as “Rehmat” (Blessings), second phase is known as “Maghfirat” (Forgiveness) and last one is known as “Nijat” (Riddance from hellfire). We all know that Islamic Holy Book, Quran was revealed in this month. It is said that Quran was revealed in the last phase of this month and in odd night, it could be 21, 23, 25, 27 or 29. But no one knows its exact date.

Besides, in Ramzaan every 1 good deed equals to 70. People do as much good work as possible. It is said that, as it is necessary to clean our house every year, Ramzan does the same to purify the soul. Ramzan is the month of immense blessing, spirituality, recitation and prayer. After all it’s the way to reach Ar-Rayyan (paradise). Charity is important because there are many people in the society who cannot afford the expenses. It help them to buy things for them and their family for Eid.

After observing fast for 30 days what Muslims get in reward is Eid-ul-Fitr (yayy😃). A person can observe fast whole year but it is prohibited to fast on the first day of Eid, because it’s the day of happiness, peace and harmony and above all it’s the day to eat Sewai.

Guido Brunetti on His Way to Solve a Horrid Crime

Lately I’ve read Donna Leon’s crime fiction novel, “A Venetian Reckoning”, based on the work of fictional character Commissioner Guido Brunetti who solved crimes in Venice, Italy. There are series of 27 novels. After the popularity of these books, there was a German television series broadcasted from 2000 to 2015. “A Venetian Reckoning” also known as “Death and Judgement”, was initially published in 1995.

The story starts with a horrific accident that takes place in Tarvisio, leaving both drivers of sixteen-wheeled truck dead on the scene. But what creates the buzz in the mind of people is that the truck contains half a dozen of girls without any information concerning their know-about. Though it’s a matter of utmost importance but soon the investigation of this case fade away because of the unavailability of the information of the girls found in the crash.

Carlo Trevison, a prominent advocate in Venice, Italy. One fine day when he was returning back home someone shot him dead in the train. Next day, when commissario Guido Brunetti is leaving for his work he reads Trevison’s death news in the newspaper. When he reaches his office his head Vice-Questore Patta handles him this case. For further investigation he asks few questions to Signora Trevison but nothing useful comes up. The following day, newspapers informed about the death of Rino Favero, one of the successful accountant. While investigating Trevison’s murder he receives a call from Captain della Corte from Padua police telling him that he finds Trevison’s number in Favero’s diary and that both death might be linked. Both dead men’s connection by some means mysteriously connecting to the same point which is a bar in Mestre. Brunetti along with della Corte decides to meet in the bar which was linked to both dead men. In the bar Brunetti meets a girl named Mara, a prostitute from Brazil.

Each passing day adds up more complications to the case. Then one morning it startles everyone when news flashes that Ubaldo Lotto, brother-in-law of Carlo Trevison found shot dead in his car. Della Corte calls Brunetti to inform him about the restaurant where Favero was last seen and ask him to accompany him. There they get to know that Favero visited that restaurant along with a blonde woman. When they are leaving, restaurant’s owner hand them glasses of that lady which is made up of titanium and Brunetti estimates that these sort of frames cost almost a million lire so it will be easier to find the owner.

To know more about the bar in Mestre, Brunetti along with his officer arrests Mara with bartender Franco Silvestri. After talking to Mara, he comes to know about girls like her that how they come to this country from different parts of the world, and resides here illegally because whoever brought them here has taken their passports. She also tells him about those girls who went missing but no one ever noticed. They have no more work to do so they find themselves in prostitution. When Brunetti asks Franco more about the girls he tells him that he gets all information through an anonymous man’s call, and there is a lady who collects money from him but he had never seen her. Brunetti realises that the missing girls that Mara was talking about were those who found dead in September in Tarvisio.

Now Brunetti knows that the owner of those glasses is Regina Ceroni who runs a travel agency. It’s time for Brunetti to meet her. After asking her few questions Brunetti comes to know that Favero and Trevison both were her clients.

One day while Brunetti is busy in grave case, he receives a call from his wife Paola, asking him to come home as soon as possible it’s the matter of their daughter. When Brunetti reaches home, Paola tells him to watch the tape first before talking to Chiara. The tape contains the brutality of men raping a women and killing her after. After watching that he meets his daughter and then she tells him that this tape was given to her by Francesca, Carlo Trevison’s daughter.

Brunetti in rage, visits Signora Trevison and asks her ferociously the truth about the tape and her husband. Then she told him that Rino Favero and Ubaldo Lotto were his partners. They involved in the making of these videos and were trying to expand this “business” with the help of a woman. Signora Trevison doesn’t have any idea about that woman, but that woman managed their travel-affairs. It rings a bell and Brunetti leaves her house and visits to Signora Ceroni for further queries. One question leads to another where she confesses that she killed all three of them because of their atrocious nature and mentality. Brunetti arrests Signora Ceroni and take her to the Questura, where he held her in the prison but doesn’t record her confession officially leaving it to the next day. When he arrives in the morning next day he comes to know that police from Padua had taken her in their custody before his arrival. He called della Corte in Padua to ask whether she is there or not but he has no idea about anything. But soon after, he informs Brunetti about the death of Signora Ceroni. She had used her panty-hose to hang herself from the heating vent in her cell. Brunetti has no word remains but only a thought that their network is vast enough to do anything they want.

This story unveils the dark world of prostitution, extortion, corruption and evil-doers who resides in the society as clean people. A must read book for those who love crime fiction.

You Are Amazing

She saw that dream again, not actually a dream but a nightmare. She was crying and calling for help but nobody came to rescue her. She heard that, people help girls if they are in need of it, but nobody came for her. Why? Is it because she is not beautiful or is it because she is not fair as a girl should be? She cried again and again wandering to the streets reaching for people to help her but nobody gave a damn about her. She was devastated yet in the hope that she will be fine like all the happy people used to be.
Days passed but the condition became worse than before, nothing good was happening to her or maybe she was so hopeless that she can’t see positivity around her.
One day, she met a few people who suffered a lot in their life and lived like a hero because for them they had won some sort of battle and those few moments gave her hope to deal with her pain.
She was becoming stronger day by day assuming that everything would be okay if she knew how to fight like a warrior.
Then one fine day, she saw herself standing in front of a door. A door which she never saw before and didn’t remember how she reached there. A door which was shining brighter than anything she ever saw before. She was pacing ahead to reach the doorknob. As she opened the door, it was impossible for her to see what was there. But suddenly the light was dimming and then she finally saw that that light was coming from a mirror. A beautifully carved mirror, she once saw in an antique shop. As soon as she touched it that mirror became her. It was impossible to believe for the human eye but that mirror taught her that, “Beauty always resides in you, it does not matter whether you are rich or poor, dark or fair, tall or short. It all depends on you, you are precious. What you’re having nobody has ever had. Be who you are, if you are running behind to be like someone else then you will lose the charm you have. People are depressing themselves with the things they can never have. It is better for you to be happy with what you have right now, because if you cry for the things you never had then you’ll lose the happiness of this very moment. Live your life not just drag your days to death, because you never know when death will take you.”

Check the improvised version HERE

World Press Freedom Day

Every year on May 3, World Press Freedom Day or World Press Day is celebrated, to highlight the struggle and importance of media in the world. World Press Freedom Day was announced by UN Assembly in 1993 by adopting the recommendation of 26^th session of UNESCO’s General Conference in 1991 and marking the Windhoek Declaration, a press freedom principles which was put together by African journalists in the same year. On this day, people also pay tribute to journalists who lost their lives while exercising their profession and to defend the media from attacks on its freedom. Each year, this event is planned in different country. This year the event will be held in Jakarta, Indonesia from 1-4 May 2017.

On this day, also the UNESCO/Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Award is awarded to individual, institution or organisation for their outstanding contributing in the field of media anywhere in the world. The award is created in 1997 and the prize is worth US$45,000 and is named after Guillermo Cano Isaza, the editor of the Colombian newspaper El Espectador, who was murdered in Bogota on 17 December 1986. Each year, a winner is selected by the independent jury of 14 news professionals selected by the UNESCO Director-General from the nominations submitted by the UNESCO member states and NGOs working in the field of press freedom. A theme is selected for targeting the crucial issues. This year the theme is “Critical Minds for Critical Times: Media’s role in advancing peaceful, just and inclusive societies”.