Breaking faith barriers and saving lives in the name of iftar

Aysha Tanisha | coastaldigest.com

June 12, 2018

It isn’t any gaping matter to have a food outlet providing dates, fruits and samosas for free during iftar in the holy month of Ramadan. Such outlets won’t come across as a wonderment given charity and public service are the central themes of Ramadan.

However, the intention behind setting up a ‘Free Iftar Point’ at Jeppinamogaru, before Netravathi Bridge on the outskirts of Mangaluru city, wasn’t mere charity or providing a facility for Muslims to break the fast on time.

Conceptualized by Zulfikar Qasim aka Beary Zulfi, a Beary musician and activist, this facility bridges gap between communities. Perhaps, it also might have averted many mishaps and saved lives for past four weeks.

Since last two years, Zulfi and his friends have been collecting excess food during iftar and distributing it to the needy. However, this year they went an extra mile by starting an iftar point at an accident prone spot to cater to people of all communities and socio-economic status alike.

Zulfi chose this spot in particular because many people in the past have become victims of accidents because of over speeding during iftar. In Ramadan, many are likely to drive hastily to reach home in time to break the fast which can put them at risk of preventable deaths. Hence, Zulfi concludes that this is an ideal spot.

It started off as a self-invested endeavor. They initially expected around 10-20 people to stop by for Iftar. But as Zulfi puts it, “Our purpose is reaching many people. Now we are catering to an average of 200-220 people every day. As word spread and people learnt about our venture we started receiving support in the form of dates, fruits, juices, snacks etc., we have also made it a point to not accept any cash, we just accept food items that are distributed during Iftar. We also receive non-Muslim brothers and sisters. Basically, it can be anyone who might be travelling past the location at that time”.

Saif Sultan, founder of the Hope Foundation and Human Rights Committee DK team along with Zulfi’s friends have joined hands since the first day. Zulfikar adds that criticism also found its way with many people calling it a publicity stunt. However, we have been getting tremendous response and tons of blessings, he says.

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Elusive bamboo shrimp resurfaces in Mangaluru estuary after 70 years

News Network

December 7,2025

Mangaluru, Dec 7: A rare bamboo shrimp has been rediscovered on mainland India more than 70 years after it was last reported, confirming for the first time the presence of Atyopsis spinipes in the country. The find was made by researchers from the Centre for Climate Change Studies at Sathyabama Institute of Science and Technology, Chennai, during surveys in Karnataka and Odisha.

The team — shrimp expert Dr S Prakash, PhD scholar K Kunjulakshmi, and Mangaluru-based researcher Maclean Antony Santos — combined field surveys, ecological assessments and DNA analysis to identify the elusive species. Their findings, published in Zootaxa, resolve decades of taxonomic confusion stemming from a 1951 report that misidentified the species as Atyopsis moluccensis without strong evidence.

The shrimp has now been confirmed at two locations: the Mulki–Pavanje estuary near Mangaluru and the Kuakhai River in Bhubaneswar. Historical specimens from the Andaman Islands, previously labelled as A. moluccensis, were also found to be misidentified and actually belong to A. spinipes.

The rediscovery began after an aquarium hobbyist in Odisha spotted a shrimp in 2022, prompting systematic surveys across Udupi, Karwar and Mangaluru. Four female specimens were collected in Mulki and one in Odisha, all genetically matching.

Researchers warn the species may exist in very small, vulnerable populations as freshwater habitats face increasing pressure from pollution, sand mining and infrastructure development. All verified specimens have been deposited with the Zoological Survey of India for future reference.

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