śrī śrī guru-gaurāṅgau jayataḥ
śrī śrī guru-gaurāṅgau jayataḥ
19th Phālguna, 1334, Saturday
Naśvara Jagat | “The Perishable World”
A dervish was proceeding to enter a royal palace, assuming it to be an inn, when the gatekeeper stopped him and asked in a stern voice, “Where are you going?”
The dervish was somewhat taken aback, but recovered the next moment and replied, “Why, I am going to the inn; why are you stopping me?” In response he was told that it was not an inn, but the Baadshah’s palace. The dervish would not have it. He began to insist that it was not a palace, just an inn. As this argument ensued, many people gathered, all trying to get the dervish to understand his mistake. But the dervish refused to admit to any error whatsoever.
As this commotion carried on, the Baadshah himself arrived at the gate. He inquired as to the cause of the debate and, upon being informed, called the dervish over to him and said, “You are indeed mistaken; this palace is not a roadhouse. It is my royal palace. I am the Baadshah. But you can agree to be my guest in the royal palace.”
The dervish was not such a simple person. He said, “I will not agree to be a king’s guest, but I will stay in this palace. Because it’s an inn!”
The Baadshah understood he was more or less crazy and ordered the horse-drawn carriage to move along, at which point the dervish said with great keenness, “If you don’t mind, I will explain to you why I call this palace an inn.” The Baadshah was rather amused and agreed to hear him out, so the dervish first asked the Baadshah a question: “Who built this palace?”
The Baadshah responded, “One of my ancestors.”
The dervish said, “Okay, after him, who had possession of this palace?”
“Another of my ancestors who came after him.”
“Okay, and who was its last owner?”
“My father.”
“Whose is it now?”
“Mine.”
“Who will be its owner after you?”
“My son, then my grandson, and after that, my great-grandchildren and other descendants will enjoy this.”
Then the dervish said, “So your grandfather and ancestors have been enjoying its occupancy, and after you, your sons and grandsons, etc., will continue to do so?”
When the Baadshah nodded in agreement, the dervish said, “So is this palace the inn I said it was or not?”
The Baadshah was somewhat irked and leaned forward intently, so the dervish, once again in a humble mood, said, “I have taken some of your time, but please grant me a bit more—I have one more question to ask you. What do you understand the word ‘inn’ to mean?”
The Baadshah, “What everyone understands is what I understand it to mean. An inn is a place where travelers come to stay for a few days before moving on, then new travelers come, stay, and go; no one stays permanently. That’s what you call an inn.”
The dervish said, “You’re absolutely right,” and began to explain his reasoning: “First there was one person who lived in this palace, then another person, and after him yet another. In this way, one person after another has lived here and now you are here. You too will not stay forever. You too will go, and afterwards another person, who is your son, will be here, and after him, yet another person will come. Thus this palace is being passed down from one hand to another. Just as no one gets to stay in an inn forever, no one is able to stay in this palace forever. Only its occupancy has changed and will continue to change. Call this palace a king’s palace or whatever you like, but from what I reckon, it’s an inn.”
The Baadshah realized what the dervish was saying was true and, with great honor, had him agree to be a guest there.
Now we ought to turn our attention to ourselves. We read our deed: “Sons and grandsons, etc., will continue pass on or sell the property,” and we become so delighted to be the proprietors of a permanent settlement; sometimes we even become arrogant about it. But when we read what the dervish said, it occurs to us that no matter how much of a permanent situation we have rights to in this world, it will not be ours forever. Perhaps today, or if not, then tomorrow, or in several days, several months, or several years, we will have to leave it. No matter how much land, wealth, etc., we own, we live only in a traveler’s inn. Our permanent home is not in this world. We are but travelers here. We think this body to be “I” and in connection with our body, we think: “This is my house. That is my land. That is my wealth. She is my wife. He is my son.” We are spending our days with all this fleeting “I” and “my”. We are not inquiring about the real, eternal “I”. Is this indication of our intelligence? Now it is necessary to discuss how this delusion can be dispelled.
Jahnu-dvīpa Vivaraṇa | Description of Jahnu-dvīpa
In apabhraṁśa dialect, this place is called Jān-nagar. This place is Bhadravana, one of the twelve forests of the Vṛndāvana pastimes. Vidyā-nagara is part of this island. It is said that one day Jahnu Muni was sitting in this place on the banks of the Gaṅgā performing his ablutions when Bhāgīrathī [the Gaṅgā] swept away his cottage. Seeing this, Jahnu Muni became furious. He drank up the whole Gaṅgā in one sip. Meanwhile, Bhagīratha, having performed great austerities, had been leading Gaṅgā Devī forth to deliver his ancestors. When he arrived in this place and no longer saw Gaṅgā Devī, Bhagīratha’s heart became extremely anxious. Unable to determine why Gaṅgā Devī had disappeared, he was fraught with worry. After some time, he came upon Jahnu Muni and unravelled the mystery of Gaṅgā’s disappearance, so he stayed there and began serving Jahnu Muni. In the end, the muni was satisfied and released the Gaṅgā from within his limbs. From then on, another of Gaṅgā’s names was Jāhnavī. Some time after this incident, Gaṅgā’s son, one of the Twelve Mahājanas, Bhīṣma, came to live with his maternal grandfather Jahnu and learned the teachings of bhagavad-dharma [devotion to Bhagavān]. These were the same dharma-tattva [religious truths] he spoke when questioned by Yudhiṣṭhira. In the Śānti Parva of the Mahābhārata, within the Viṣṇu-sahasra-nāma-stotra, it is said that one day Yudhiṣṭhira inquired of Bhīṣma, “O Brahman, we see mention of many types of dharma in the world. Which of these dharmas is the greatest? Which of these dharmas will yield the result of performing all types of dharma? You know the truths of dharma. You are well-acquainted with all these matters. The various opinions of variou sages have confused my heart. Kindly instruct me on the subject of dharma-tattva.”
In response to this, Bhīṣmadeva taught him that only devotional worship of Śrī Kṛṣṇa and His devotees is dharma. This place is the seat of all knowledge. All the ṛṣīs of all the ages achieved various types of knowledge from this place. The Śrutis themselves worshipped Śrī Gaura in this place for a long time. Not far from here is Vidyānagara.
Vidyānagara—Bṛhaspati incarnated in Śrī Gaurāṅga’s pastimes as Vāsudeva Sārvabhauma and established a school in Vidyānagara, and by the grace of Gaurasundara, he abandoned the sport of ignorance [avidyā-vilāsa] and took shelter of para-vidyā śuddha-bhakti [the supreme knowledge of pure devotion]. Some say the famous naiyāyika [logician] Raghunātha Śiromaṇi, author of Dīdhiti, was the student of this Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya. From reading Śrī Caitanya-bhāgavata, we learn that during Mahāprabhu’s manifest presence, if one wanted to go to this place, one had to pass along the bank of the Gaṅgā through a thick jungle of thorns, brush, and bamboo and cross the Gaṅgā near Jān-nagara. When Śrīman Mahāprabhu came to Vidyānagara to the house of Sārvabhauma’s father Maheśvara Viśārada, the inhabitants of the nagara went from Gaṅgā-nagara, along the banks of the Gaṅgā, through the dense jungle region full of thorns and prickles and crossed one of Gaṅgā’s branches near Jān-nagara to have darśana of Śrīman Mahāprabhu.
“navadvīpe ādi sarva-dike haila dhvani |
vācaspati ghare āilā nyāsi-cuḍāmaṇi ||
śuniyā lokera haila cittera ullāsa |
sva-śarīre yena haila vaikuṇṭhete vāsa ||
* * *
vana ḍāla bhāṅgi loka daśa-dike cale |
* * *
lokera gahale jata araṇya āchila |
kṣaṇeke sakala divya pathamaya haila ||
caliyā jāyena sabhe parānanda mana |
* * *
kṣaṇeke āila saba loka kheyāghāṭe ||”
Śrī Śrī Dhāma-Parikramā Prasaṅga [Report]
Koladvīpa
The day before yesterday, parikramā of Navadvīpa town was performed in the company many devotees, with grand fanfare, and without obstacle. The devotees first crossed the Bhagīrathī in great delight while performing loud kīrtana. On the banks of the Bhagīrathī, foremost paṇḍita Śrīmad Adamāra Viṭṭhalācārya Mahodaya, a scholar of Dvaita-vedānta, and Tridaṇḍipāda Bhakti Hṛdaya Vana Mahārāja delivered speeches on the subject of the Śrī Dhāma in Sanskrit and Bengali respectively. After listening to the speeches, the pilgrims followed the devotees in supreme delight, performing kīrtana of the glories of the Śrī Dhāma, had darśana of the bhajana-sthalī of Oṁ Viṣṇupāda Śrī Śrīmad Gaura-kiśora Dāsa Gosvāmī Mahārāja, and headed towards Campahaṭṭa via Poḍāmā-talā. This day there was a huge number of devotees. It is safe to assume there has never been such a huge gathering since the disappearance of Mahāprabhu. Everyone was holding aloft beautiful flags and banners in their hands. Though the sound of the devotees singing kīrtana loudly in unison to the accompaniment of mṛdaṅga and other instruments and the tumult of trumpets spread in all directions and rent asunder the hearts and eyes of the asuras, it aroused an unprecedented delight in the hearts of saintly persons [sajjana]. Not only saintly persons, but even sinners, religious people, sense enjoyers—everyone except for vaiṣṇava-aparādhī haters of the Dhāma—found the sound utterly enchanting. They all participated in this mahā-saṅkīrtana and became blessed by accruing sukṛti [spiritual merits] for themselves, whether knowingly or unknowingly. In case the asuras caused some disturbance, the Police Saheb [Chief of Police] himself was present along with almost a hundred armed police, to keep the peace. But so what if the police were there, the nature of rogues is such that whether they can cause a disturbance or not, they will definitely try; they won’t be satisfied if they don’t try. Several individuals of this type parked bullock carts in the middle of the road to obstruct the pilgrims. On the order of the Police Saheb, the carts were immediately removed. In this way, the devotees, performing kīrtana of the Dhāma’s glories, moved through Poḍāmā-talā and headed towards Campahaṭṭa. Several photographers were present to capture the sight of this splendid procession on film.
There was such commotion in all four directions. But the happy fact is that none of the asuras could cause any disturbance. The Police Saheb was present with his wife and carefully enforced the peace. For that, we express our thanks to him.
Govinda Dvādaśī
Today is Govinda Dvādaśī—a day greatly revered by devotees. In ancient times, Bharadvāja, Kaṇva, Kauśika and other brāhmaṇas observed fasting on this dvādaśī and attained perfection. It was on the strength of this dvādaśī that the abovementioned brāhmaṇas became endowed with limitless brahma-teja [divine power] and were able to govern the whole of the Earth. As with ekādaśī, the authors of scripture have sung the glories of this dvādaśī in many places. When the śuklā-dvādaśī of the Phālguna month conjoins with the Puṣya-nakṣatra, it is called Govinda Dvādaśī. This Govinda Dvādaśī is renowned as ‘Āmardakī Dvādaśī’.
Upavāsa Vidhi | Rules for Fasting
If Puṣya-nakṣatra conjoins with a dvādaśī, or an ekādaśī that overlaps with dvādaśī, then the rule is to fast on dvādaśī. Otherwise, one will have to fast on the ekādaśī also. As stated in Dig-darśinī:
“dvādaśī ca dvādaśyekādaśyor-abhedābhiprāyeṇa |
kimvā dvādaśyāṁ puṣyā-nakṣatre sati tasyām evopavāsāpekṣayeti |
tad-abhāve ’pi ekādaśyām upoṣayet |”
Upavāsa Mahātmya | Glories of Fasting
If one observes this vrata, it destroys seven lifetimes of sins committed by body, words, and mind at their root, thereby delivering the jīva from the bondage of māyā and bestowing upon him kṛṣṇa-bhakti. Therefore, whether one is sakāmī (having some motive) or niṣkāmī, there is no doubt that everyone who follows this vrata, whether willingly, unwillingly, or by coincidence, earns the qualification to attain its supreme result.
Nānā Kathā | Assorted News
(Local)
Rādhāgrāma News |
Investigation Begins
Kumarkhali, 27th February
Yesterday afternoon, the police’s Circle Inspector, accompanied by Kushtia’s sub-inspector, went to the site of the recent deadly riot between Hindus and Muslims in the Kushtia subdivision of Rādhā-grāma to investigate the incident.
Armed police officials have returned to Kushtia from Rādhāgrāma. Only a few constables are deployed at the scene to keep the peace.
Trusted sources relayed that upon receiving a telegram from the inhabitants of the Hindu neighbourhood of Rādhāgrāma, the District Magistrate of Nadiyā ordered Kushtia’s Sub-divisional Officer, Mr. A. F. M. Rahman, to go to Kushtia to assess the situation. The aforementioned officer had gone to Kṛṣṇa-nagara to assist with border work. As soon as he arrived in Kushtia, he had the aforementioned police personnel sent to the scene to investigate the incident. It has been announced that swift legal action will be taken against the culprits.
Upon arriving in Rādhāgrāma, the Circle Inspector and the Kushtia sub-inspector took the deposition of Lalita-mohana Khāmāriyā, whose home had been attacked, as well as statements from twelve witnesses. They all gave complete, sequential descriptions of the worrisome incident. At 10:30 in the morning, the Kumarkhali policeman arrived with an armed constable and began taking statements himself from the witnesses. He remained at the scene of the incident and is trying to arrest the twenty Assamese mentioned in the depositions. The Circle Inspector and Kushtia policeman have returned to Kushtia.
Durbhikṣa | Famine
Bankura, Barddhaman, Birbhum, and other regions did not have good rains this year. In some places, we are even receiving news of famine. The crops in Nadiyā District also did not do well due to lack of rains. Therefore, a famine has appeared in various places.
This year, an extreme hot spell took over very, very quickly everywhere. Due to lack of rain, there has been a water shortage in many places. Especially in the rural areas of Nadiyā, there is a shortage of water in many places. The locals are using very unpotable water to quench their thirst and falling ill with various diseases. There have been huge outbreaks of cholera, smallpox, and other epidemics in many different places. The death toll this year is much greater than other years.
Rādhāgrāma is now peaceful. This morning at 9:00, Kumarkhali policemen took armed police and numerous security guards to Kaluyā-grāma and arrested around eight Muslims in connection to the Rādhāgrāma incident. The Kaya Union Board has selected two candidates for election—Miajan Jamadar and Ojaman; these two individuals of Kaluyā-grāma are members of Cleric Afsar Uddin’s party. Police arrested them. But the more notorious dacoits were able to flee. The captured individuals have been sent to Kushtia. It is possible many more will be arrested.
Election Officer
The magistrate of the Kushtia subdivision divided the Kayā Union Board into several sections and summoned numerous representatives of both Hindu and Muslim parties to his residence in order to organize proper management of the board and create efficient arrangements for the election process. Though the Hindus agreed to his proposals, the Muslims say that until the current election is finished, it is best to keep the current arrangement. The subdivision’s magistrate will soon announce his decision.
Arrest of the Muslim Gang in Kushtia
Miajan and twelve other Muslims from Kaluya village of Kushtia district have been arrested by Kushtia police as per sections 147 and 435 on charges of forceful entry into a home and inflicting injuries on the residents of the home. The other charges filed against them are for setting fire to Hindu wheat and sugarcane crops.
Readers may recall that several Muslims of Kāluyā-grāma came to the neighbouring village of Rādhāgrāma and told the Hindus to vote for certain Muslim election candidates. When the Hindus did not agree to their request, they mercilessly attacked the Hindus, causing unjust and extensive harm.
Bombay Vyavasthāpaka Sabhā | Bombay Presidency Parliament
(Indian)
Bombay, 27th February
Today, during a question-and-answer session of the Bombay Presidency Parliament, the Revenue Secretary announced that because of low water levels at the entrance of the Vyāṅkaṭa Port in Ratnagiri District, as of 1905, no steamer will use this port; and it is not worth trying to bring the port back to working order.
After this, the manuscript of the Non-Agriculturists’ Loans Act was reviewed. Reception was mixed. Next, additional expenditures in various areas were approved. When a proposal for the additional expenditure of 30,450 rupees in the Excise Department was presented, there was extensive discussion in the parliament. Once the Excise Department minister, who has come under significant burden, expressed his view on the matter, the aforementioned expenditure was approved.
When a proposal to provide 57,000 rupees, which was the revenue of the Liquor Department, to native states was presented to the parliament, it was met with marked criticism. In the end, the proposal was accepted.
Khādi Establishment
The Khādi Pratiṣṭhāna in 24 Parganas, Sodepur, has sold 15, 511 rupees worth of khādi [hand-spun, natural cotton]. Sale of khādi has grown considerably.
Reaction to Ganja
According to reports, Surendranātha Pāla of Mejiyā-grāma in Bankura District was accustomed to consuming large amounts of ganja and as a result, from time to time, he would go mad and create terror in his household. This past 8th of February, he misplaced a single rupee and so was asking everyone in the household where it was. However, when he saw there was no hope of getting that rupee back from anyone, he retrieved a sharpened battle axe from his home. At the time, his elder brother, Kṣudirāma was eating and the ladies of the house were busy in other tasks, so no one noticed him. Surendra attacked his brother with the axe. Seeing this, Surendra’s mother and wife came to restrain him, but he attacked them too. He also dealt a blow to one of Kṣudirāma’s young infant sons. In the end, he swung the axe at his own head. Surendra, his mother, wife, and the infant were brought to the main regional hospital. Surendra has since died.
Vengeance
This past Monday night, on Durgācaraṇa Mitrā Street, a Punjabi tried to kill another Punjabi with a dagger, causing a big commotion in the neighbourhood. Reports reveal that there was a business disagreement between the two Punjabis. Santarāma Punjabi found his rival alone in the middle of the night on the street and tried to stab him in the chest with a dagger. Luckily, the dagger missed his chest and caught his shoulder. Hearing the struggle, many people arrived at the scene and handed Santarāma over to the police. The other man was sent to hospital. Police are investigating.
Mahārāja Maṇīndra-candra’s Speech
The fourth annual convention of the Chota Nagapur Go-rakṣiṇī o Yati-sudhāra Sabhā [“Cow Protection and Mendicant Reform Assembly”] was held in the “Garden” of the local Brāhmacarya Vidyālaya. Mahārājā Sir Maṇīndra-candra Nandī accepted the seat of sabhāpati (chairman).
In the course of his speech, the sabhāpati said, “Cow protection is especially important. Even in countries that do not consider cows to be worthy of sacred worship, there is excellent facility for their protection. Cow protection aids in the development of our dharma, health, and relationships. If we cannot preserve the purity of milk and ghee, we cannot protect our dharma and our health at all. In our country, where infant mortality is so prevalent, the means to remedy that is through preserving the purity of milk. If you can make arrangements to preserve the purity of milk and ghee, you will do a tremendous service for the nation.
“I was happy to hear that in Simadanga and Gola regions, the initiative to prohibit consumption of alcohol has met with particularly positive results. Alcohol consumption is seriously damaging Chota Nagpur and especially this district of Rācī. I hear that the government obtains more than seventy percent of its revenue from its excise department. This is a rather terrible fact. We need to remedy this situation everywhere.
The Scoundrel of Bikrampur
Bikrampur’s infamous scoundrel, Indra-damana Sena, absconded from his home without informing police, so he has been ordered a punishment of three months imprisonment with labour.
Vidhavā-vivāha | Widow Marriage
By the efforts of the Kumilla Vidhavā-vivāha-sahāyaka Samiti, this past month of Māgha, there was one widow marriage in the Kāyastha community and one in the Nātha-brāhmaṇa community. The first marriage was attended by many Brāhmaṇas, Vaidyas, and Kāyastha gentlefolk.
Famine in Bankura
There is heartbreaking news coming from the various small villages in Bankura District because of a shortage of food. Who will save them in these days of dire predicament? If the wealthy people of the nation do not step forward in this regard, there is no knowing how many will die just in Bankura District. We have heard that the Mahārāja-kumāra of Barddhaman will waive some of the citizen’s taxes for the sake of the famine in Bankura.
Dacoity in Mathurāpura
This past Monday, in the night, in Mathurāpura, at the home of Mahendranātha Pāikerī, a dacoity occurred. Reports state that in the dead of night, Mahendranātha’s servants woke up to the barking of dogs and saw three individuals scaling the walls and entering the home. When they tried to stop them, they were attacked. The dacoits then entered the dwelling, tied up Mahendranātha, and beat him mercilessly. While this was going, one of the servants very carefully snuck outside and informed the neighbours; however, before they could reach the scene, the dacoits had made off with many belongings. Police are investigating the incident keenly.
Death by Train
A mahout was crossing the train tracks near Golokganj station. Train driver Mahammad Ismail was driving the train that came upon them. As a result, the mahout and elephant were killed. Police have levvied a fine against Ismail.
Ghastly Dacoity in Mādārīpura
Attack on householders
This past 28th of February, at around 2:00 a.m., a daring dacoity occurred in the home of Nagarvāsī Maṇḍala in Śoṇamaṇḍī-grāma, which falls under the jurisdiction of the Mādārīpura station.
Paśu-kleśa Nivāraṇī Samiti | Committee for the Alleviation of Animal Suffering
The annual convention of the Paśu-kleśa Nivāraṇī Samiti was held at the Y.M.C.A. building in Culcutta’s Chowringhee neighbourhood this past 28th of February. High-court Judge Mr. A. H. Canning assumed the seat of chairman.
The Samiti’s annual report states that in order to mitigate the suffering of cart-carrying bulls, the Samiti has put forth a law that requires bulls to be given rest between 12:00 noon and 3:00 p.m. during the months of April, May, and June. In addition to this, regulations have been put in place that stipulate carts are not to be loaded with more than 45–60 maund [1 maund = 82.28 lbs]. 18,994 people were charged with inflicting animal suffering this past year. Of these, 18,476 have had to accept the charges. Sir B.L. Mitra said in his speech that in a city like Calcutta it is crucial to remove the cow and bull carts and introduce motor lorries.
Mayamansingh Conference
This upcoming 10th to the 11th of March in Kishorganj, the Maymansingh Zilla conference will convene. Mr. P. K. Cakravartī has agreed to assume the role of chairman. An exhibition will open along with the conference. Sir Praphullacandra Rāya will inaugurate it. From Calcutta, Śrīyuta Subhash Chandra Bose, Śrīyuta Śyāmasundara Cakravartī, Śrīyuta Vipinacandra Pāla and Cleric Jālāluddīn Hasemīra may be attendance. The work of constructing the pavilion is almost complete. Stalls for shops participating in the exhibition are being demarcated.
Treville (Italy) 26th February
In a place called Mriyez, a fire broke out in a bioscope house killing many people. The local chief of police was on his way to the scene of incident by motor vehicle when his vehicle got into an accident, whereby his driver was killed and he was injured.
Subsequent News
Thirty-five people are determined killed in the Moriyagor Bioscope blaze and twenty injured. First the machine [projector?] caught fire, then the fire spread to the viewers’ sitting area. There was only one exit from the theater. The viewers were frantically crowding the door to get out. People were even more terrified that the roof would collapse.
Hindu dancer on horseback
Paris, 27th February
A twenty-nine-year-old Hindu dancer named Kumārī Gāyatrī has completed the last leg of a 590 mile race riding on horseback from Paris to Calais and has won. Five people competed in this race. As per the rules of the race, each contestant had to ride a minimum of thirty miles each day as well as feed, water, and rub down their own horses. Kumārī Gāyatrī wanted to go even further, but her companions dissuaded her.
Clash Between Police and Workers
Tokyo, 28th February
Reports say that a workers’ party was gathered in a hall in Tokyo. The police refused to allow several speakers to deliver their addresses and shut the hall. Roughly a thousand people then tried to force their way into the hall and threw stones at the police, as a result of which many were injured. A hundred people were arrested in connection to the incident.
Survivor Sailor’s Ordeal
London, 26th February
The one and only survivor of the engineers and oarsmen of the Alcantara steamship told the representative of a newspaper upon arriving in Southampton: “When I saw the wreckage of the Tovarisch cadet ship, I didn’t think I would be only one of twenty-three crew members aboard the Alcantara to survive.”
When he was filling oil in the engine, he heard the bell sound and ran to the telegraph office. After that, he went and found the chief engineer, who said, “We are in grave trouble.” In a moment, a crashing sound was heard and with that cries of alarm and distress were heard.
The chief engineer shouted, “Everyone quickly get up to the deck if you want to save yourselves.”
“I started running and heard two explosions, which meant the Alcantara steamer’s boilder had ruptured. I caught hold of the anchor chain attached to the stem bar of the Tovarisch and was swinging there when suddenly the whole ship sank beneath the water. A Russian sailor climbed onto the stem bar and threw me a lifebuoy. With the aid of that he pulled me aboard.
Capital Punishment for Murder
Sheikh Ghalib has been charged with killing an iron merchant, Hossein Ali Sharak Ali, last September. Today, High Court judge Mr. Justice Riley found the accused guilty and punished him with a death sentence. The murder victim’s cook, Hossein, has been acquitted.
Airmail Between France and South America
(Foreign)
Airmail between France and South America will initiated this upcoming 1st of March.
Maritime Disaster
Rāgavī, 27th February
Yesterday, in the dead of night, the Russian cadet ship Tovarisch encountered grave trouble at sea and reached Southampton with one surviving oarsman of the 18 to 21 crew members of the Alcantara. Caught in dense fog in the ocean between Hastings and Folkestone with no visibility, the Tovarisch collided with the Alcantara.
As the ship broke in two, this surviving oarsman saved himself by clinging to the stem bar at the front of the Russian ship’s. He was recovered without injuries.
Friday night and all day yesterday, many ships combed the area looking for the drowned crew, but failed to find a trace of anyone else. Airplanes also flew the expanse of sky over the location searching. But their efforts were futile.
Reports suggest that unfortunately a small, ordinary error resulted in a delay in sending help to the ships in trouble. The watchman at the beach station in Sandgate said he received a request for assistance from the Russian ship on Friday night and without delay telephoned Dungeness and Rye Harbour to send lifeboats. After receiving this coded plea for help, he received a radio message from the Russian ship saying there was no need for assistance anymore and that they were alright. From this, the watchman at the beach could not understand that the Italian ship had sunk.
Some time after this incident, the Moldavia of the P&O Company sent word that they had witnessed the final moments of the Alcantara. Lifeboats were then immediately sent from Dungeness and Rye Harbour. These boats reached the spot to find the remnants of the ship’s destruction and could not find a single sailor.
Paris, 28th February
There are reports that the Spanish National Union party will participate in September’s upcoming conference. This is the result of the news of a contract between France and Spain regarding the governance of Tangiers.
(Indian)
Brahmanbaria Agro-industrial Factory Burnt to Ashes
This past 23rd of February at 1:00 in the afternoon, there was a fire in the Brahmanbaria Agro-industrial Factory. Losses amount to 40 thousand rupees.
Terrible Motor Accident
One killed, five injured
Karimganj, 25th February
This past 23rd of February, in the afternoon, two miles north of Charkha on Śrī Haṭṭa’s Kanair Ghat road, as a result of a terrible motor accident, one person, Yakub Ali, was killed, and another five people injured. Police investigation is ongoing.