Here I share what I witnessed about the uproar concerning the remarks of Rajinikanth on Periyar.The new film 'Darbar' by Rajinikanth washed out in Hindi, but that does not mean that on Twitter or national politics he can not trend. The new uproar is over his remarks at the .

#BlackHistoryMonth In the Navy, I was fortunate to serve at Commander Cruiser Destroyer Group 2(CCDG2). I reported to duty in 1981 as Radioman Seaman Apprentice(RMSA), and served through 1985 in the communications division achieving the rank of Petty Officer 2nd Class(RM2/SW) /1

This was my first duty assignment. But my first is not important as the first African-American who served as CCDG2's Commanding Officer prior to my arrival, Rear Admiral Samuel L. Gravely, Jr. He was a trailblazer. He was commissioned an Ensign on November 14, 1944. /2

He enlisted and then became one of the first commissioned African-American officers in the US Navy. He was denied housing and even jailed for impersonating an officer. He withstood a cavalcade of abuse and racism and still managed to rise through the ranks of the Navy. /3

He became the first to serve under combat conditions during WW2. He served during the Korean & Vietnam War. He was the first to command a fighting vessel, and commander of the 3rd fleet. He served as Communications officer on the USS IOWA BB-61 /4

He served as the first African-American to command (USS Theodore E. Chandler (DD 717)); command a major warship (USS Jouett (DLG 29)) - and was the first African-American to achieve the rank of Captain in 1967. /5

Following the demolition of Babri Masjid by 150,000 kar sevaks of RSS, BJP and VHP in 1992, there were a number of mosques which were closed down across India after the Sang Parivar threatened to demolish them as well. The names of those mosques are enlisted in this thread:

Punjab
1. Masjid Dakan Sahay Jalandhar
2. Masjid Noor Saray Noor Mehal

Rajasthan
1. Ahya-Din ka Jhonpra, Ajmer Sharif
2. Jamia Masjid, Tambir

Tamil Nadu
1. Masjid Krishnagri
2. Masjid Arkat
3. Purani Masjid of Kila Dhelore
4. Internal Masjid of Kila Dhelore

[1]

5. Masjid Saadatullah Khan Gajni
6. Two mosques of Injin Gri Kila
7. Masjid Shams ud Din Vilaporam
8. Jamia Masjid Vilaporam

Uttar Pradesh
1. Purani Nawabi Masjid, Faizabad
2. Masjid of Haji Iqbal’s Courtyard, Faizabad
3. Jamia Masjid, Banda

4. Inner Mosque of Kila, Jonpur
5. Atla’s Masjid, Jonpur
6. Jamia Masjid, Jonpur
7. Lal Masjid, Lal Darwaza
8. Jhunjari Masjid, Lal Darwaza
9. Char Ungli Masjid, Lal Darwaza
10. Masjid Sheikh Burhan Zafar Abad, District Jonpur
11. Dhara Masjid, Waransi

12. Masjid Asauli, Waransi
13. Nagina Masjid Agra, Qila Agra
14. Akbri Masjid, Agra
15. New Masjid, Agra
16. Moti Masjid, Agra
17. Inner Mosque of Feroz Shah Tomb
18. Masjid of Tomb Jafar Khan
19. Masjid near ROza Diwali Begum
20. Masjid Fateh Pur, Taj Mehal Agra

Post Independence, Army wanted to select the most experienced Indian commander as Army chief. But Nehru without consulting anyone appointed Gen Rob Lockhart, a senior British Army officer as the Commander-in-Chief (C-in-C) of the Indian Army.

Most people were shocked to know that Nehru selected a British Man after fighting for independence for over 200 years! Major Gen A A ‘Jick’ Rudra of the Indian Army was completely upset with the decision.

One day Lockhart met Nehru with a strategic plan and proposed many government directive defence policies for the country. He placed it on the table and explained the point to PM Nehru. After a while Lockhart walked out of the room and met AA Jick Rudra,+

Lockhart looked shell shocked and stunned. When asked what happened he said “The PM took one look at my paper and blew his top. Rubbish! Total rubbish! We don’t need a defence plan. Our policy is ahimsa (non-violence). We foresee no military threats. Scrap the army!”

One year after the incident the Kashmir crisis had increased and Gen Lockhart used to exchange ideas with the Gen Douglas Gracey who was commander in chief of Pakistan Army.There were many infiltrations along the border which Lockhart knew and took no action. But Lt Gen Cariappa+

Why and how did the ancient Egyptians build pyramids?

Pyramids were built for religious purposes. The Egyptians were one of the first civilizations to believe in an afterlife. Most were built as tombs for the pharaohs and their consorts during the Old and Middle Kingdom periods.

Most accepted construction hypotheses are based on the idea that it was built by moving huge stones from a quarry and dragging and lifting them into place. There are three known chambers inside the Great Pyramid.

All the pyramids were built by Egyptian workers and Imhotep was the architect of the first pyramid and the Saqqara step pyramid. He also built the pyramid of Djoser’s successor, Sekhemkhet. He was later deified as the god of medicine throughout Egypt in the Late Period.

It is not known who designed the Great Pyramid, but the man responsible for supervising its complex construction was Hemiunu, Khufu’s nephew, a senior civil servant who acted as the pharaoh’s vizier.

Despite the mystery surrounding Giza, Hemiunu himself was a flesh-and-blood man, as shown by his decidedly lifelike—and fleshy—statue, found in his tomb in Giza’s west cemetery.

A brief thread on the life, religion, and language of Omar ibn Sa’id, author of the only known Arabic-language autobiography of an enslaved person in the United States.

Omar ibn Sa’id was a Fula man from what is now Senegal. He studied Islamic sciences and mathematics under prominent scholars before his enslavement in 1807 at age 37.

In his autobiography, he writes that he was taken “to a place called Charleston in the Christian language.”

He escaped from his first enslaver, but was recaptured and jailed. He wrote in Arabic on the walls of his cell, attracting the attention of the Governor of North Carolina and his brother, who took Omar to their home, where he remained until his death in 1864.

He continued to write short Arabic theological and philosophical texts through his life - his autobiography in 1831, letters, annotations in his Bible, and passages from the Qur’an.

He converted to Christianity in 1820, but his relationship to Christianity was always ambiguous

He writes more about Jesus after his conversion, but the language he uses is consistent with Islamic views of Jesus - المسيح (Messiah) and سيدنا (our master), but not ربنا, our Lord