Dubai: Kannada translation of Quran by Abdussalam Puthige released
Media Release
Dubai, May 15: Under the patronage of Islamic Affairs and Charitable Activities Department, government of Dubai, the third edition of the Kannada version of the Holy Qur’an translated by noted media personality Abdussalam Puthige was recently released at Movenpick Hotel, near Lamcy Plaza, opposite to American Hospital, Oudmetha Road, here.
The event started at 7 pm until late evening witnessed by more than 250 personalities from various faiths of India and abroad gracing the occasion. The key objective of the event was to disseminate the message of the Qur’an, which originally is in the Arabic language, to the millions of Kannadigas who may want to understand the Qur’an in their own language in simple words.
The programme was graced by Dr Omar Mohammad Al Khateeb, assistant director, Islamic Affairs and Charitable Activities Department, government of Dubai and M K Lokesh, ambassador of India in UAE as the chief guests who inaugurated the event.
The programme was also graced by special guests, Fr Alfred John Pinto, parish priest Kinnigoli, Mangalore and UAE's social activist, Shodhan Prasad, convener of Nama Tuluveru UAE who was part of the programme with their honourable presence. The programme also had Abdussalam Puthige, translator of the Holy Quran in Kannada language who is also the chief editor of Vartha Bharathi News Media in India.
Other prominent guests included Syed Khalil, Herman Lewis from Radio Spice, L V Puthran from Puthran Chartered Accountants, Shareef, chairman of Khushi Group of Companies, and other leaders of various Kannada Associations and Community Organisations in the UAE. Members of the press and media from various online, print and television channels were also present at the event.
The programme started at around 7.15 pm with recitation of verses from holy Qur’an followed by honouring the guests with flower bouquet. Dr Omar Muhammad Al Khateeb congratulated Abdussalam Puthige for publishing such a great piece of work and said that it was the responsibility of every Muslim to provide the Quranic message to the entire world.
M K Lokesh along with Dr Al Khateeb, officially released the book and was joined by all the distinguished guests. During his talk, M K Lokesh said that it was indeed a happy moment for him to witness the launch of the translation of the Qur’an in his very own mother tongue. He said India is a land of many religions and that Muslims have played a vital role over the years in making India the country that we know today.
A token of appreciation was presented by Dr Al Khateeb on behalf of the IACAD to M K Lokesh, Fr Alfred John Pinto and Shodhan Prasad. A certificate of appreciation was also presented by Dr Al Khateeb to Abdussalam Puthige.
A slide show highlighting key messages of Islam and a video showing clippings of launch events of earlier editions of the book in Udupi and Mangalore were also presented during the event. The video included the views of the Dharmadhikari of Sri Manjunateshwara Temple in Dharmasthala, Dr Veerendra Heggade, who said that this book provided the Kannada reader with a clear understanding of the Qur’an in very simple words and explanations.
The key note address was presented by Abdussalam Puthige, who highlighted the various teachings of the Quran, including the message of the oneness of God, God’s message to mankind throughout time and how this book will help the reader understand the Qur’an, the last and final message, and also help eliminate the various misconceptions of Islam which is so prevalent in today’s times. The 35 minutes talk captivated the audience’s attention and was well received by all.
Later, Fr Alfred John Pinto spoke on the religious harmony and said how they were enjoying various celebrations of the well known religious activities together viz, in the form of 'Amar, Akbar and Anthony'. He highlighted on the common message of all major religions and said ‘Diwali, Christmas and Ramzan were celebrated together with leaders of all the three main religious people without any differences’. He soulfully sang few lines in Kannada praising the lord, creator and mother. He concluded his speech congratulating Abdussalam Puthige for the great work and blessed the audience.
Shodhan Prasad delivered his speech in pure Tulu and briefed about the different religions of the world. He emphasized that all the religions speak about the same main points highlighting love, peace, harmony and helping the definitudes while at the same time respecting each and other religious beliefs. He also explained of the writings in the translated version of the Holy Quran in Kannada and said that one needs to first go through the last few pages of the book before reading from the first page, so that they will understand better. These few last pages contain the abbreviations, history and meanings of some of the important words.
Talks were also presented by other guests including Shareef from Khushi Group of companies, Herman Louis, Ganesh Rai ex-president of Sharjah Karnataka Sangha, Sadan Das, president of Kannada Koota in Dubai, Satish Poojary, president of Sharjah Karnataka Sangha.
Abdussalam Puthige was presented a memento by the Alumni members in Dubai of the SDM Law College in Mangalore and also by Mohan from Friends of India, a social organization in Dubai.
Syed Khalil presented the concluding speech wherein he further stressed that human kind originated from a single father and mother and that all of mankind were brothers and sisters. He encouraged the audience to Kannada translation of the Quran to further enhance their knowledge and understanding of this major religion of the world.
Participants opined through the feedback forms that they got a good opportunity to know what is in the great holy book of Qur’an and they were unable to know earlier due to the language barrier. They all thanked organisers for providing such an opportunity.
The event was followed by a sumptuous buffet dinner.
The vice president of Beary’s Cultural Forum, M E Muloor proposed the vote of thanks.