Buddhist Times News – First Buddhist Chaitya, more stupas excavated in Gujarat’s Vadnagar

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Shyamal Sinha

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3 November 2020

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First Buddhist Chaitya, more stupas excavated in Gujarat’s Vadnagar

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By — Shyamal Sinha

The Covid lockdown interval has yielded a serious treasure for the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) crew working at Vadnagar, the hometown of PM Narendra Modi. This features a pretty well-preserved construction believed to be a Chaitya, a shrine with a prayer corridor, and two stupas in the neighborhood.

The word caitya appears in the Vedic literature of Hinduism. In early Buddhist and Hindu literature, a caitya is any ‘piled up monument’ or ‘sacred tree’ under which to meet or meditate.
The historic marvels have been dug up from close to the grain godown in Vadnagar and date again to the 2nd to seventh Century. This time interval coincides with Chinese traveller-monk Hiuen Tsang’s go to to the traditional city in the seventh Century.
A crew of ASI’s Excavation Branch V has been stationed in the traditional city since 2015 to hold out cultural sequencing of the PM’s hometown. Work in season 2019-20 was primarily targeted on two spots – Amba Ghat on the banks of Sharmishtha Lake, and the neighborhood of grain godown close to the railway line.
“The main structure, possibly a Chaitya, was excavated from the site spread over a 50X20 metre area. It is an apsidal (semi-circular) structure. The structure is being closely studied but is believed to be a Buddhist Chaitya because of it’s unique design,” mentioned sources near the event. “The Chaitya structure dates back to 2nd-3rd Century CE. It also shows signs of repairs around 5th Century CE onwards.”
‘Built chaityas rarer than rock-cut ones’

A chaitya, chaitya hall, chaitya-griha, or caitya refers to a shrine, sanctuary, temple or prayer hall in Indian religions. The term is most common in Buddhism, where it refers to a space with a stupa and a rounded apse at the end opposite the entrance, and a high roof with a rounded profile.Strictly speaking, the chaitya is the stupa itself, and the Indian buildings are chaitya halls, but this distinction is often not observed. Outside India, the term is used by Buddhists for local styles of small stupa-like monuments in Nepal, Cambodia, Indonesia and elsewhere.

The chaitya and stupa are situated away from the traditional boundary of the city with a water physique in the neighborhood. These traits are sometimes discovered in historic Buddhist websites. We have all causes to consider this to be a website that will have been one of many 10 websites noticed by Hiuen Tsang,” mentioned an professional.
Archaeology specialists mentioned that discovering a constructed chaitya is much less frequent than a rock-cut one. Devni Mori, one other landmark Buddhist website in Gujarat, had an apsidal construction, they added.
A round stupa measuring 3mx1.5m was discovered from the identical construction, which specialists affiliate with the sooner part of the chaitya. Another memorial stupa — a 2mx2m sq. — has been discovered from the identical website. “It’s identified as a memorial stupa as we have also found a space to keep the revered relics. This structure dates to 5th-7th century CE,” mentioned an professional related to the venture.
Experts related to the venture say the recent discoveries additional cements Vadnagar’s stake as an necessary Buddhist centre in the previous millennium. In the previous decade, a Buddhist construction, believed to be a nunnery, was unearthed by the state archaeology division. Later excavations by ASI have thrown up a superstructure on the banks of Sharmishtha Lake, 23 chambers believed to be a monastery, and a big cache of Buddhist artefacts.

Apparently the last rock-cut chaitya hall to be constructed was Cave 10 at Ellora, in the first half of the 7th century. By this time the role of the chaitya hall was being replaced by the vihara, which had now developed shrine rooms with Buddha images (easily added to older examples), and largely taken over their function for assemblies.

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Oxford Road Fortifies Executive Team – Appoints Steven Abraham as President, Brings on Kraig Kitchin and Jennifer Laine

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Newsdesk

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3 November 2020

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By partnering with these three individuals of stunning reputation and talent, our company has never been positioned to reach even greater heights.””

— Oxford Road Founder and CEO, Dan Granger

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES, November 3, 2020 /EINPresswire.com/ — Oxford Road, a leading agency in audio and spoken word media, today announced three key additions to its executive team, as the company enters a new phase of growth and charts an expanded course of industry innovation and new initiatives. Widely respected global agency veteran Steven Abraham joins Oxford Road as its new President. Audio industry veteran and pioneer Kraig Kitchin joins as Strategic Advisor. Jennifer Laine, former fashion industry leader, president of an experiential learning company, and Oxford Road ally, formally joins the company to lead Marketing and key strategic initiatives.

“I’ve always subscribed to David Ogilvy’s notion that by hiring people bigger than we are, we shall become a company of giants. By partnering with these three individuals of stunning reputation and talent, our company has never been positioned to reach even greater heights.” said Oxford Road Founder and CEO, Dan Granger. “Oxford Road launched in 2013 and quickly became one of the fastest-growing companies in America. In the last few years, we have focused on building a world class infrastructure and deepening our competitive advantage. We are now poised to win our category by enabling our clients to win theirs.”

The appointments come at a time of notable expansion for the agency — with 50 active clients in 2020 achieving accelerated growth across thousands of media properties, it was time to call in the Big Guns. Granger continued, “As many companies slowed down this year, we made a conscious decision to speed up. These hires will allow us to stay Mission Focused and provide the expertise to provide a world class offering to our clients. Steven has been a rising star in our field, being recognized as ’40 Under 40′ for his work in Europe and more recently an L.A. Adweek Allstar. His experience as a Managing Director with Mediacom and OMD will ensure that all of our clients receive the same level of sophistication in strategy and service as the largest brands in America. Under Steven’s leadership, we will help see through our next phase of growth and expand our capabilities as traditional media channels make their final shift into the digital age. We are grateful for his global agency pedigree, and most importantly his alignment with our Mission to provide best-in-market performance at maximum scale for our clients. And besides, everyone knows I’m a sucker for a British Accent.”

While the installation of Mr. Abraham as President immediately adds new horizontal capacities for the agency, it also fuels the critical march toward leadership and core capabilities in audio. Bolstering their position even further, Oxford Road welcomes Mr. Kraig Kitchen as Strategic Advisor. According to Granger, “Kraig has been a mentor to me since well before I started the agency, so I am deeply humbled that he will now be closely advising the team in a formal capacity.”

Kraig Kitchin is a living legend in audio. A co-founder of Premiere Radio Networks, he led the network for 10 years to become the nation’s largest radio network measured by both annual revenues and audiences reached. Kitchin oversaw radio programming hosted by an all-star roster of personalities including Ryan Seacrest, Steve Harvey, Rush Limbaugh, Delilah, Jim Rome, Dr. Laura, Casey Kasem, George Noory, Bill Handel and scores of others. He was named one of the most Powerful People in Radio for ten consecutive years. Kitchin currently operates several businesses in partnership with top ranked and distinguished radio personalities. He is President of the talent management firm, SoundMind, with a focused effort toward managing the businesses of high-profile radio personalities and production companies.

Granger continues, “Kraig is not only immortalized on the Mount Rushmore of leaders in the audio field, he is one of the finest human beings I’ve ever known. This is still very much a relationship business and Kraig’s guiding hand will ensure that we elevate our contributions to client, media and talent relationships beyond anything ever achieved by an agency. His involvement is a critical ingredient to achieve our ambition of being the absolute leader in the space.”

As Oxford Road’s core agency business continues to grow and strengthen, innovation remains a top priority including development of the firm’s proprietary ad scoring system, Audiolytics™ and pioneering work in the evolution of the Smart Speaker landscape. Granger is clear that the road ahead travels toward an expanded purpose, for which Ms. Laine will be instrumental. He noted, “Jennifer has been a brilliant collaborator in orchestrating an agency rebrand (https://oxfordroad.com/) and partnering with us in the launch of work to extend our brand across the ecosystem. We’ve always been strong on substance, and now Jennifer’s contribution ensures we have equal strength in style. What’s more, she has made possible initiatives to further expand our mission as an organization and commitment to live out the idea of stakeholder capitalism during these turbulent times. In addition to helping establish Oxford Road’s podcasting arm and inaugural series, she is masterfully steering the ship on the undertakings we will reveal in the coming months. Stay tuned.”

Three Backgrounds of the Highest Order

Prior to joining Oxford Road, Mr. Abraham was a Managing Director of OMD USA. He has served other posts as Managing Director EVP of MediaCom LA, Global Client Director at Mediacom Global, VP of Media and Advertising Universal Pictures International and is currently a strategic business development advisor to Orfium, a leading software development business in the online content rights management space. An accomplished international media professional with 25 years of experience in the media and entertainment industry, his varied agency and company roles and responsibilities have ranged from planning, developing and implementing global multi-million dollar through-the line campaigns on behalf of multinational companies.

“I’ve been impressed by Dan’s style and approach and the way he has led the agency. Oxford Road is a hidden gem,” said Abraham. “This is a very attractive, appealing opportunity for me to come in and help a team of extremely smart practitioners in media, in a specific space, and enable them to spread their wings into other kinds of media environments, whether that be digital, analog, or any of the emerging platforms that are out there. Furthermore, it’s the agency’s concept of ‘influence’ that resonates here. The aim of adding the element of influence in the messages to consumers that they want to reach, toward helping behavioral changes that are ultimately going to be better for them within the communication that they consumers and getting involved within the conversation rather than just implementing somewhat traditional, two-dimensional advertising. That guiding principle at Oxford Road is attractive to me.”

Oxford Road’s newest strategic advisor, Mr. Kitchin, continues to operate several businesses in partnership with top ranked and distinguished radio personalities. Among other ongoing endeavors, he acts as co-President of Big Shoes Productions, Inc., a radio programming production company, owned by radio host, Delilah and is co-President of the talent management firm, Sound Mind, with a focused effort towards managing the businesses of high-profile radio personalities. He is Chairman of the National Radio Hall of Fame.

Kitchin added, “From day one, Dan Granger and the team at Oxford Road have been genuinely committed to client success. There’s not a time that I have been with any of the team members where I have just not felt this sense of urgency and this sense of competitiveness to want to come through for the client. It’s pure. There’s no distraction. They are entirely geared towards, ‘How do we do great work for clients?’”

Ms. Laine has formally joined the company to oversee strategic marketing and business development in addition to the critical aforementioned initiatives. These include producing “Oxford Road Presents,” namely its limited run series currently in progress, “The Divided States of Media,” focuses on the current polarized state of media as they, and the brands who support them, deal with programming and policy decisions against a backdrop of an increasingly divided populace as well as the culmination of this series, an initiative expected to debut in the weeks to follow the election, Media Roundtable. This initiative soon to be announced is in partnership with the National Institute for Civil Discourse and Ad Fontes Media, creator of the Media Bias Chart.

“With such a long-standing regard for Dan, the agency and their visionary and totally effective ways, the timing is perfect for my officially joining the team at Oxford Road,” Laine shared. “The strategic marketing work is fundamental. But, it’s the expanded vision for business, media partnerships and cultural impact that we expect to make the media industry safer for brands, and better for consumers. And therefore, the daily lives of our audiences who we all ultimately serve.”

Granger concludes, “With the partnership now complete with these three individuals of unparalleled talent, experience and character, there is now only one thing left to do: Win.”

For more information on the Media Roundtable, and how to get involved in the collective for better media business practices, please contact [email protected].

Download “Oxford Road Presents: The Divided States of Media” here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/oxford-road-presents-the-divided-states-of-media/id1510649799

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WIT Strategy
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EU thanks PH gov’t, MILF on designation of monitoring team chair

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Newsdesk

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3 November 2020

0

EU thanks PH gov’t, MILF on designation of monitoring team chair

The European Union (EU) Delegation to the Philippines on Tuesday thanked the Philippine government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) for the recent designation of Heino Marius as the new Chair of the Third Party Monitoring Team (TPMT).

EU Chargé d’Affaires Thomas Wiersing (PNA)

In a statement, EU Chargé d’Affaires Thomas Wiersing also reiterated Europe’s commitment to the peace process. Since 2008, the EU has been one of the biggest supporters of the Mindanao Peace Process through a comprehensive approach.

“The European Union is pleased to note that the Peace Implementing Panels of the Government of the Philippines and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front have designated Heino Marius as Chair of the Third Party Monitoring Team”, Wiersing said.

He emphasized that the EU supports the political settlement through providing a humanitarian and human rights law expert to the International Monitoring Team (IMT) and supports the functioning of the TPMT which monitors the implementation of all the agreements signed by the parties, including the 2014 peace agreement.

A German national, Marius joined the European Commission in 1993 and served in various posts in EU Delegations in Ethiopia and India. In 2000, he was posted at EC headquarters in Brussels, and as Deputy Head of Unit for Pakistan, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and the Maldives. Since the third quarter of 2013, Marius serves as Deputy Head of Division for South East Asia with the European External Action Service (EEAS).

As a key partner in promoting peace, security, and economic development in Mindanao, the EU is also spot-on in addressing the wider effect of COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019) among vulnerable groups through its Peace and Development in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (PD BARMM), a Php1.4 billion funding aimed to improve the social cohesion and resiliency of communities, and at the same time, address the health, social and economic impact of COVID-19 in the region.

The Php1.4 billion likewise helps to consolidate the hard-won peace in Bangsamoro by supporting the new administration, the parliament, the judicial system, and civil society through the transition.

Rise Mindanao, another EU program, focuses on the immediate priority of food security by supporting agro-cooperatives and strengthening the service delivery of local authorities.

With the EU providing Php2 billion, this program helps to provide job opportunities for farmers, women, youth, and indigenous people.

Through its civil society partners, the EU is also working on COVID-19 information campaigns such as advocacy materials to inform communities on how to prevent the virus and cope with the pandemic.

Multi-lingual videos and infographics are being produced and disseminated widely, in particular to youth and women, to increase public understanding of COVID-19.

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EU watchdog slams Germany for lapses in Wirecard fraud

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Newsdesk

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3 November 2020

0

EU watchdog slams Germany for lapses in Wirecard fraud

By Huw Jones, John O’Donnell

LONDON/FRANKFURT (Reuters) – Germany failed to do enough to avert the Wirecard fraud, the European Union’s markets watchdog said on Tuesday as it delivered a highly critical verdict on the country’s handling of its biggest post-war corporate scam.

FILE PHOTO: The headquarters of Wirecard AG, an independent provider of outsourcing and white label solutions for electronic payment transactions is seen in Aschheim near Munich, Germany, September 22, 2020. REUTERS/Michael Dalder/File Photo

Wirecard’s former Chief Executive Markus Braun and other executives have been held on suspicion of running a criminal racket that defrauded creditors of 3.2 billion euros ($3.73 billion).

Those accused, including Braun, deny any wrongdoing.

The European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) began a fast-track review in July into how Germany’s markets regulator BaFin and the country’s accounting watchdog the Financial Reporting Enforcement Panel (FREP) enforced EU transparency rules governing company information for markets and investors.

ESMA said in a rare 190-page rebuke of another regulator that it found a number of deficiencies, inefficiencies and legal and procedural impediments relating to BaFin’s independence from issuers and the Finance Ministry.

“For BaFin … there is a heightened risk of influence by the Ministry of Finance given the frequency and detail of reporting to the MoF in the Wirecard case, in some cases before actions were taken,” the ESMA report said.

German Finance Minister Olaf Scholz told reporters he welcomed the report and that its recommendations were broadly in line with the government’s action plan to address supervisory shortcomings highlighted by the Wirecard scandal.

“So I don’t look at this (report) as something critical,” Scholz added.

There were deficiencies even though BaFin and FREP had adequate resources, though confidentiality requirements prevented them from sharing information, ESMA said.

BaFin’s internal controls failed to pick up that some of its market abuse team were buying and selling Wirecard shares, ESMA noted.

Deputy finance minister Joerg Kukies told Reuters in October that it would ban watchdog staff from trading shares in companies it regulates following the scandal.

CRUSHING VERDICT

Markus Ferber, a German member of the European Parliament, said the report was a “crushing verdict” on financial supervision under the oversight of Finance Minister Olaf Scholz.

Wirecard, whose shares were included in Germany’s index of blue chip companies, stunned markets in June when it said that 1.9 billion euros it had claimed to hold in accounts were missing.

The European Commission asked ESMA to undertake the review and will use the findings to determine if there is a need for more centralised EU supervision of markets to stop such scandals from happening again.

“The Wirecard case has once again highlighted that high-quality financial reporting is essential for maintaining investor trust in capital markets, and the need to have consistent and effective enforcement of that reporting across the European Union,” ESMA Chair Steven Maijoor said in a statement.

In a response included in the ESMA report, BaFin said it disagrees that it should have demanded further examination of Wirecard’s financial statements after allegations surfaced in the press.

“As long as BaFin has no specific indications that go beyond only public publications like press articles, BaFin cannot issue a report to the public prosecutor’s office,” the regulator said.

FREP said ESMA’s findings are “not supported by the evidence and explanations” provided during the review and are “distorted by hindsight bias”.

Fabio De Masi, an influential German lawmaker, said the report was a “slap in the face” for BaFin.

Germany’s coalition government in October agreed a package of reforms to financial and accounting rules aimed at avoiding another Wirecard scandal.

Additional reporting by Christian Kraemer in Berlin; Editing by Edmund Blair, Kirsten Donovan and Louise Heavens

Sudanese government rejects religion workshop recommendations: SPLM-N Hilu

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Newsdesk

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3 November 2020

0

Sudanese government rejects religion workshop recommendations: SPLM-N Hilu

November 2, 2020 (KHARTOUM) – The Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North, led by Abdel Aziz al-Hilu, revealed that the head of the Sudanese government delegation, Shams al-Din Kabbashi, rejected the recommendations of the workshop on the relationship between state and religion.

A workshop on the state’s relationship with religion was held in Juba, the capital of South Sudan, over the past week concerning the gaps between the government and the movement, as a result of the joint agreement between al-Hilu and Prime Minister Abdallah Hamdok on September 3.

“The Movement agreed to the facilitators and experts’ report proposing to separate religion from the state, in order to ensure a peaceful solution,” said the Movement’s spokesman, Koko Mohamed Jagdoul, in a statement extended to the Sudan Tribune on Monday.

“But in the closing session, Kabbashi rejected the outcomes of the workshop after having accepted them and congratulated the facilitators outside the hall.”

Jagdoul further pointed out that the head of the government delegation, Kabbashi, and the delegation’s spokesperson, Mohamed Hassan Eltaishi, were absent from most of the workshop sessions.

Consequently, the SPLM-N held Kabbashi responsible for the failure of the workshop, noting that its paramount goal was to reach a consensus on the relationship between religion and the state.

“Failure to accept the 3 September agreement means not accepting the separation of religion from the state and rejecting the peace process,” stressed the spokesman.

On September 3, the Sudanese Prime Minister agreed to introduce the subject of the relationship between the state and religion in the peace talks with al-Hilu, hold informal workshops, then reach a common understanding on the matter before resuming formal talks.

The SPLM demand made including the relationship of the state with religion in the peace negotiations their chief condition.

The workshop, which took place on Saturday and Sunday, was attended by representatives of both the Sudanese government and the SPLM-North and several experts, and in addition to the Public International Law & Policy Group (PILPG), the African Centre for the Constructive Resolution of Disputes (ACCORD), the PDS consultants, and the South Sudanese mediation team.

The SPLM-N spokesman said that the workshop held deep discussions on the debate about keeping religion out of secular government affairs.

Furthermore, local and international experts presented several models of the separation in a Muslim majority country, but the Turkish model appeared to be the most comparable to the Sudanese situation, he said.

“The two parties agreed on a final report draft proposed by the facilitators and experts, and it was read to the participants from both parties without objection.”

However, surprisingly, the representatives of the transitional government voiced reservations about some provisions, he added.

Sudan Tribune sought some clarification from Eltaishi, the spokesman for the Sudanese government delegation, but he did not comment on the alleged failure of the workshop.

A member of the Sovereign Council commented that the transitional government is looking forward to setting a time for the commencement of direct negotiations between the government and the Movement.

The September 3 agreement stipulates that negotiations will resume only after reaching an agreement concerning the relationship between religion and the state.

Kabbashi and Eltaishi returned to Khartoum on Monday evening.

(ST)

European Observatory, WHO/Europe and European Commission publish special issue of Eurohealth examining health system responses to COVID-19

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Newsdesk

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3 November 2020

0

health workers wearing face mask — Photo by cottonbro on Pexels.com

As countries across the WHO European Region face a steep surge in COVID-19 transmission, the latest issue of Eurohealth, released today, considers whether there is still an opportunity to use the crisis to tackle underlying problems besetting our health systems.

This special edition is a collaboration between the European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies, WHO/Europe and the European Commission, and draws on data from the COVID-19 Health System Response Monitor launched in April.

It includes contributions from WHO Regional Director for Europe Dr Hans Henri P. Kluge and WHO/Europe colleagues Dr Natasha Azzopardi-Muscat and Dr Dorit Nitzan; European Observatory Director Dr Josep Figueras; and Ms Sandra Gallina and Ms Isabel de la Mata from the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Health and Food Safety.

As well as offering perspectives on the pandemic, this issue of Eurohealth provides analyses of the policy decisions, progress and challenges experienced across countries under the following headings:

Preventing transmission
Physical infrastructure and workforce capacity
Health service provision
Paying for services
Governance.

Finally, the publication provides an overview of emerging innovative practices in managing the pandemic and ongoing service provision, and outlines policy lessons for the future.

United action for better health

Understanding how health systems have responded to COVID-19 is an important part of the European Programme of Work’s (EPW) core priorities. The EPW shapes the European Region’s contribution to WHO’s 13th General Programme of Work, which sets out the triple-billion goals: more people benefitting from universal health coverage, more people better protected from health emergencies, and more people enjoying better health and well-being.

Eurohealth is a quarterly publication that provides a forum for researchers, policy-makers and experts to express their views on health policy issues and so contribute to a constructive debate on health policy in Europe.

Connecting impact investors with social enterprises: the European Social Innovation and Impact Fund launches after a successful first closing

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European Commission

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3 November 2020

0

Connecting impact investors with social enterprises: the European Social Innovation and Impact Fund launches after a successful first closing

European Commission Press release Brussels, 03 Nov 2020 It is more important than ever before to support the ramp-up of social innovation and boost investments into early-stage social enterprises.

Religion, love and society: Award-winning play ‘Nadirah’ starring Sharifah Amani, Patrick Teoh back by popular demand

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Newsdesk

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3 November 2020

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Religion, love and society: Award-winning play ‘Nadirah’ starring Sharifah Amani, Patrick Teoh back by popular demand

The play by Singaporean playwright Alfian Sa’at will resonate with Malaysian audiences. — Picture courtesy of Instant Café Theatre

PETALING JAYA, Nov 3 — It is a play that captures the complex nature of religion and love in a multicultural family.

More than a decade since its debut, Nadirah remains just as relevant today, if not more.

Written by Singaporean playwright Alfian Sa’at and set in the Lion City, the award-winning play will be screened virtually to audiences around the globe this month, brought to you by Malaysia’s Instant Café Theatre

The plot follows Nadirah, the popular vice-president of her university’s Muslim Society, played by Sharifah Amani.

She convenes interfaith meetings where she wants to encourage students to talk openly about their faith and to respect one another’s spaces.

Nadirah is the product of an ethnically mixed marriage — her father is Malaysian Malay while her mother is a Singaporean Chinese who converted to Islam.

One day, Nadirah’s mother tells her she’s going to remarry and the man she loves is Robert, a Christian, leaving Nadirah devastated.

How does Nadirah make peace between various religions in school when she’s having the same problems at home?

Can mother and daughter worship different gods?

Although the story is set in Singapore, Malaysians audiences and viewers across the world will resonate with the story as religion increasingly becomes a matter of public contestation, producers of the play said in a press release

Just like many theatre companies around the world, Instant Café has taken their beloved performances to the digital platform to keep the arts alive.

Sharifah Amani and Singaporean actress Neo Swee Lin in a scene from ‘Nadirah’ which will be screened globally this month. — Picture courtesy of Instant Café Theatre

Following last month’s successful one-day screening which sold 749 tickets from 14 countries, requests have been pouring in to rescreen Nadirah.

The production audiences will be watching was performed at the Festival Tokyo in 2016 and stars Malaysian talents Iedil Dzuhrie Alaudin, Farah Rani and Patrick Teoh while Singaporean actress Neo Swee Lin takes on the role of Nadirah’s mother.

Nadirah is presented in English and Malay with English, Malay and Japanese subtitles, directed by Jo Kukathas.

Five per cent of Nadirah’s proceeds will be donated to assist Covid-19 efforts in Sabah where the pandemic has hit poverty-stricken communities.

The rest of the ticket sales will go towards Instant Café’s next project And Then Came Spring with Malaysian-based Afghan refugee company Parastoo.

Instant Café Theatre will be having seven screenings at different times to suit most major time zones around the world.

Tickets are priced at RM13, RM23, RM33, RM55 and RM100 to allow audiences to pay what they can in these difficult times whist helping to rebuild the theatre company.

There are also RM8 community tickets available for those who aren’t able to afford the ticket prices, applicable to those residing in Malaysia.

Nadirah will be screened online from November 19 to 22, visit here for tickets.

For community tickets, email [email protected].

Po Delta: Laudato si’ Garden born out of nature’s tenderness – Vatican News

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officialinstitutions

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3 November 2020

0

Asia Galvani * – Venice

A “health and pleasing interconnection between the territory’s resources, human life, activity, on the productive, educative, social, economic and civic levels, care for nature and for creation, respecting the eco-systems and bio-diversity”. These are the words Cardinal Peter Kodwo Appiah Turkson, Prefect of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, used to describe the Laudato si’ Garden, which rose up in the heart of the Po Delta’s Venice Regional Park. He himself strongly desired that this initiative see the light of day. Present for the inauguration in Rosolina, in the Province of Rovigo on Sunday, 4 October 2020 were the Cardinal and other civic, military and religious leaders. In addition to Rosolina, seven municipalities in the area sponsored it: Ariano nel Polesine, Corbola, Loreo, Porto Viro, Porto Tolle, Taglio di Po.

Inauguration of the Laudato si’ Garden

Table of Contents

The speakers

Sister Alessandra Smerilli, coordinator of the Vatican Covid-19 Committee’s “Economy” task force, explained during the event that the project reveals “a new model of development characterized by respect for the earth and care for each other”. She was also one of the day’s primary coordinators, along with Rosolina’s mayor, Franco Vitale. The Salesian Sister added that it is a sign of how to emerge “better” even from the crisis connected with the coronavirus.

The speakers alternated between people representing various institutions (from Luca Zaia, President of the Region of Venice) and testimonies from others, including that of Cardinal Turkson, Sister Alessandra, “Security” task force coordinator Alessio Pecorario, Beatrice Finh, Executive Director of the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (Nobel Peace Prize 2017).

Father Joshtrom Isaac Kureethadam, the person responsible for the special anniversary Laudato si’ Year and coordinator of the “Ecology” taskforce of the Vatican Covid-19 Commission, wanted to emphasize the “spiritual significance of the garden” during the inauguration, that is, the place “where we are with the Creator, with God Himself”, but also “in community, with the people near us and communion with the earth”. The garden thus becomes a sign of “union with the Creator, union among ourselves and union with the earth and all of the creatures on earth.”

The Orchestra and Maestro Francesco Sartori, Maestro Diego Basso and tenor Francesco Grollo

Musical backdrop

Tenor Francesco Grollo provided the interludes between the various speakers: “Music”, he explained, “is a universal message. It embraces everyone and connects earth and heaven”. Accompanied by the Italian Symphony Rhythmic Orchestra, directed by Maestro Diego Basso, by the Art Voice Academy and Opera House Choirs, he embellished the event with the “Concert for Integral Ecology”, held on a floating platform overlooking the laguna. Those present were captivated by the execution of the pieces “Tu ci sei” (You exist) and “Canto della terra” (Hymn of the Earth), accompanied on the piano by composer Francesco Sartori who wrote the two original pieces inspired by values expressed in Laudato si’. At the end of the performance, members of the orchestra were surprised when they realized that the floating platform had gradually and slowly tilted, following the ripples of the tide. “Nature’s tenderness,” Maestro Basso explained, “accompanied us and brought us where she wanted us to be”.

Presentor Eugenia Scotti with Sister Alessandra Smerilli

The pact between humanity and nature

At the end, Cardinal Turkson inaugurated the Laudato si’ Chapel, a Living Chapel, that recalls the one inaugurated in June in Rome’s Botanical Garden. This was done in the presence of a representative of each continent, so as to establish a sort of global pact between humanity and nature. “We wanted the structure to be simple and quaint so as not to invade the beauty and depth that nature offers us by its very being, but that it might be mingled with it,” explains the Laudato si’ Chapel on the Po Delta’s architect Mario Cucinella. The moment in which he illustrated this aspect of the chapel was particularly moving because it was accompanied by an extraordinary execution of Panis Angelicus and by the rose colors of the sunset that everyone there saw.

Cardinale Turkson blesses the Living Chapel

Reactions from young people

“I am really proud to have this Garden in my own city”, sixteen-year-old Irene Duò from Rosolina declared. She was at the side of Cardinal Turkson and Father Kureethadam during the blessing of the Chapel. Irene continued saying, “I was truly moved when I and the other young people placed a plant in the Cardinal’s hands who then placed it in a small wooden planter. The environmental problem is the most urgent one and during the event I felt strongly responsible for it because I began to understand better that each one of our actions can provide a cleaner environment for those around us”. Twenty-one-year-old Marica Padoan, originally from Treviso who hopes to be a professional photographer, took pictures of the event. “While taking the photos”, she explained, “I became aware of the attention that had been taken to harmoniously place what had been manufactured by people into this Garden. What a gift to discover some of Laudato si’s themes through direct immersion in an extraordinary natural background.”

*Cube Radio – Salesian University Institute, Venice and Verona

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