Troubled Kashmir has not seen many western tourists over the past few years, but a small nondescript shrine in Rozabal locality here continues to quietly attract inquisitive visitors from abroad.
Rozabal is the shrine of medieval Muslim saint Yus Asaf, but several alternative theories floated in the West describe it as a tomb of Jesus Christ. Such was the popularity that its caretakers were forced to close the shrine for Western tourists some three years ago, lest it “hurt local sensitivities”.
Some believe Jesus survived crucifixion, travelled to Kashmir, adopted the name of Yus Asaf and is buried at Rozabal. The shrine has of late found mention in the Lonely Planet guide — a bible for most tourists — leading to renewed interest in the West.
“Some people from Europe claim it is the grave of Hazrat Issa (Jesus) and they had approached us with a request to open it and take DNA and other samples. But we have turned down their requests,” said Mohammad Amin Ringshawl, the shrine’s caretaker.
Full report here Telegraph
Showing posts with label Jesus Christ. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Jesus Christ. Show all posts
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Sunday, April 4, 2010
REVIEW: The Good Man Jesus And The Scoundrel Christ
REVIEW
The Good Man Jesus And The Scoundrel Christ
Philip Pullman
Viking
Rs 499
Pp 256
ISBN: 9780670084449
Hardback
Blurb
In this ingenious and spellbinding retelling of the life of Jesus, Philip Pullman revisits the most influential story ever told. He offers a radical new take on the myths and mysteries of the gospels and of the church that has shaped the course of the last two millennia.
Charged with mystery, compassion and enormous power, The Good Man Jesus and the Scoundrel Christ throws fresh light on who Jesus was and asks the reader questions that will continue to reverberate long after the final page is turned. For above all, this book is about how stories become stories.
Reviews
The Good Man Jesus... Hindustan Times
Blasphemy usually makes for powerful politics. Rarely does an anti-idea serve to fuel a powerful novel. And yet, as you read Philip Pullman’s The Good Man Jesus And The Scoundrel Christ, you realise that this slim book is not a countercultural display of fatwa-inviting heresy but a quiet, impassioned psychological novella. Based on the New Testament, Pullman’s story of the lives of two brothers has the austere beauty of Christian icons rather than the chutzpah of a Monty Python send-up.
“It’s a name and a title,” says Pullman from his London home. “Jesus and Christ (Greek for ‘saviour’). I was dramatising this difference and made two characters out of the one we know of." He admits it’s an indictment of “those who follow the externals of faith”.
Three or four years ago, he had the idea sloshing in his head of writing about the “transcribers” of the teachings of Jesus Christ, those who took a philosophy and turned it into an organisation.” I had the idea and let it mature in my head. Then in 2003, I was in conversation with the Archbishop of Canterbury. He told me that he knew what I thought of religion from my earlier books (His Dark Materials trilogy), but he was curious about what I thought of Jesus. That got me going.”
The Good Man Jesus... shares the same structure as the gospels. Except, as the opening line says, “This is the story of Jesus and his brother Christ, of how they were born, of how they lived and how one of them died.” And then comes the single-whammy: “The death of the other is not part of the story.”
Philip Pullman
Viking
Rs 499
Pp 256
ISBN: 9780670084449
Hardback
Blurb
In this ingenious and spellbinding retelling of the life of Jesus, Philip Pullman revisits the most influential story ever told. He offers a radical new take on the myths and mysteries of the gospels and of the church that has shaped the course of the last two millennia.
Charged with mystery, compassion and enormous power, The Good Man Jesus and the Scoundrel Christ throws fresh light on who Jesus was and asks the reader questions that will continue to reverberate long after the final page is turned. For above all, this book is about how stories become stories.
Reviews
The Good Man Jesus... Hindustan Times
Blasphemy usually makes for powerful politics. Rarely does an anti-idea serve to fuel a powerful novel. And yet, as you read Philip Pullman’s The Good Man Jesus And The Scoundrel Christ, you realise that this slim book is not a countercultural display of fatwa-inviting heresy but a quiet, impassioned psychological novella. Based on the New Testament, Pullman’s story of the lives of two brothers has the austere beauty of Christian icons rather than the chutzpah of a Monty Python send-up.
“It’s a name and a title,” says Pullman from his London home. “Jesus and Christ (Greek for ‘saviour’). I was dramatising this difference and made two characters out of the one we know of." He admits it’s an indictment of “those who follow the externals of faith”.
Three or four years ago, he had the idea sloshing in his head of writing about the “transcribers” of the teachings of Jesus Christ, those who took a philosophy and turned it into an organisation.” I had the idea and let it mature in my head. Then in 2003, I was in conversation with the Archbishop of Canterbury. He told me that he knew what I thought of religion from my earlier books (His Dark Materials trilogy), but he was curious about what I thought of Jesus. That got me going.”
The Good Man Jesus... shares the same structure as the gospels. Except, as the opening line says, “This is the story of Jesus and his brother Christ, of how they were born, of how they lived and how one of them died.” And then comes the single-whammy: “The death of the other is not part of the story.”
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Gauhati HC denies bail to publisher
The Shillong Bench of Gauhati High Court on Monday, March 15 rejected the bail application of Indra Mohan Jha, the absconding publisher of Skyline publishing house.
Jha had earlier been granted an anticipatory bail by the same Bench after a local court had issued an arrest warrant against him. Jha’s Delhi-based publishing house had kicked off a controversy when a cursive writing textbook for primary school had printed a picture of Jesus Christ holding a cigarette in one hand and a beer can in the other. A girls’ school in Shillong had filed an FIR against Jha for printing the picture.
DSP (Crime) Vivek Syiem said on Monday: “As Jha’s bail application has been rejected by the court, he now has to surrender before the police.” He said the police will issue a red-corner notice all over India if Jha refuses to surrender.
Full report here Indian Express
Jha had earlier been granted an anticipatory bail by the same Bench after a local court had issued an arrest warrant against him. Jha’s Delhi-based publishing house had kicked off a controversy when a cursive writing textbook for primary school had printed a picture of Jesus Christ holding a cigarette in one hand and a beer can in the other. A girls’ school in Shillong had filed an FIR against Jha for printing the picture.
DSP (Crime) Vivek Syiem said on Monday: “As Jha’s bail application has been rejected by the court, he now has to surrender before the police.” He said the police will issue a red-corner notice all over India if Jha refuses to surrender.
Full report here Indian Express
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Christ picture: absconding publisher gets interim bail
The Gauhati High Court bench here today granted interim bail to an absconding publisher, whose school text-books carried a scandalous representation of Jesus Christ.
"Director of Delhi-based Skyline Publication, Indra Mohan Jha got an interim bail from the Shillong bench of Gauhati High Court through his counsel," DSP Vivek Syiem told PTI.
A CJM court here had issued an arrest warrant against him on February 23 after the authorities of a convent school here, where the book carrying the controversial picture were supplied, filed an FIR. The picture had shown Jesus holding a cigarette and a beer can.
Full report here PTI
"Director of Delhi-based Skyline Publication, Indra Mohan Jha got an interim bail from the Shillong bench of Gauhati High Court through his counsel," DSP Vivek Syiem told PTI.
A CJM court here had issued an arrest warrant against him on February 23 after the authorities of a convent school here, where the book carrying the controversial picture were supplied, filed an FIR. The picture had shown Jesus holding a cigarette and a beer can.
Full report here PTI
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Warrant for Jesus goof-up
The court of the chief judicial magistrate, Shillong, on Feb 23 issued an arrest warrant against the owner and publisher of Skyline Publishers, Ram Mohan Jha, in Delhi for depicting Jesus holding a cigarette and a beer can in the textbooks of junior classes in Meghalaya.
Meghalaya police had moved for the arrest warrant against the publisher on Monday and the court today granted permission to arrest the offender.
The controversial pictures published in cursive writing books of Classes I to III prompted guardians to complain to St Joseph school authorities on February 17. The deputy superintendent of police (crime), Vivek Syiem, said police registered a case under 295 (A) of the IPC following an FIR filed by St Joseph school authorities here.
A team of police officials will leave for Delhi soon to arrest the publisher with the assistance from Delhi police.
Full report here Telegraph
The controversial pictures published in cursive writing books of Classes I to III prompted guardians to complain to St Joseph school authorities on February 17. The deputy superintendent of police (crime), Vivek Syiem, said police registered a case under 295 (A) of the IPC following an FIR filed by St Joseph school authorities here.
A team of police officials will leave for Delhi soon to arrest the publisher with the assistance from Delhi police.
Full report here Telegraph
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