Feature
Yoga Day: Muslims join in, say they feel rejuvenated
New Delhi: Like any devout Muslim during the holy month of Ramzan, Irfan Salmani Dehalvi, 42, woke up shortly before dawn, had ‘sehari’, the early morning meal before beginning the fast, and offered prayers. On Sunday, ‘seheri’ was followed by a mass session of yoga at Rajpath where Prime Minister Narendra Modi was in attendance.
“It was a welcome change to come here for a yoga session early morning while fasting. After today’s experience, I will include yoga in my daily workout regime,” Dehalvi, dressed in a traditional white coloured kurta-pyjama and skullcap, told IANS.
Dehalvi, who is president of All India Jamaat-e-Salmani, said yoga was not contrary to the teachings of Islam.
“People who have spread such lies have a malicious intent. There is nothing wrong with Muslims doing yoga. It’s a natural workout that helps us fight many diseases and infections and keeps us healthy,” he said.
“In fact, most of us don’t even have any reservations in doing Surya Namaskar as well. The matter was unnecessarily blown out of proportion,” he opined.
Agreed Irfan Mirza, 40, a computer spare parts shop owner from Lal Kuan area of the walled city.
“We greet our Hindu friends with a namaskar. So, why would we have any problem with Surya Namaskar (the sun salutation asana that is considered a complete exercise in itself)?” said Mirza as he limbered up on one of the 37,000 pink, blue and green coloured mats that made for a pretty spectacle on Rajpath that stretches about two km from India Gate to Rashtrapati Bhavan.
“But we can’t bow before the sun,” he added.
Among the thousands gathered at Rajpath – the venue of the main event in the national capital that saw participation from people from all walks of life, including school and college students as well as envoys, there was a sizeable chunk of Muslim residents of Delhi, especially from the Walled City, who joined in.
And for many, the experience was unforgettable.
“I never thought yoga could be so refreshing. As I am fasting today, I was a bit apprehensive about working out, but I am feeling rejuvenated,” said Khalid Qureshi, 39, a businessman from Sadar Bazar, after the 35-minute event concluded.
“I am now curious to learn more about this wonderful activity and will definitely encourage others to start practicing yoga as well,” he said.
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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