SKILL INDIA

The Buland Darwaza towers above the courtyard of the mosque. It is semi octagonal in plan and is topped by pillars and chhatris, echoing early Mughal design with simple ornamentation, carved verses from the Koran and towering arches. There are thirteen smaller domed kiosks on the roof, stylized battlement and small turrets and inlay work of white and black marble. On the outside a long flight of steps sweeps down the hill giving the gateway additional height. A Persian inscription on eastern arch way of the Buland Darwaza records Akbar’s conquest over Deccan in 1601 A.D.This colossal monument that forms the main entrance of the palace at Fatehpur Sikri stands as a fine example of the architectural brilliance of the Mughal Empire that showcases an excellent mix of Hindu and Persian styles of architecture. Also called the ‘Gate of Magnificence’, it was added years later to the compound of Jama Masjid as a victory arch by the Mughal Emperor, Akbar the Great in 1601 A.D. to commemorate his successful Gujarat
campaign of 1573. It took around twelve years to construct this architectural wonder.

This symmetrical entrance gate with chhatris or large kiosks atop is quite high than the courtyard of the mosque and is built with red and buff sandstones and embellished with black and white marble. There are gallery kiosks bordering the top centre of the roof which has small minar spires and carved indentations and is inlaid with black and white marble. The semi octagonal gateway is 15-storied high and has two three-storied wings on its two sides. Height of the mammoth structure is around 54 meters from the pavement and can be approached by climbing 42 steps from ground level. The top centre of the structure has three kiosks behind
thirteen small domed kiosks. The gateway is surrounded by small turrets. The main arch of the gateway with a dome atop lies in the middle of three projecting sides and is divided into three tiers having small arches in rows as also flat brackets. The two triangular surfaces, one of the three sides of each of which are bounded by the outer curves of the arch, are in plain red sandstone bordered with white marble and decorated with a flower like design made of white marble. The tip of the arch is also embellished with white marble sculpted like flower. The central arch again has three small arched openings that are outlined with ornamented panels and crowned by a semi-dome.
[10/15, 22:27] SKILL INDIA: Chow Hang-tung
Tonyee Chow Hang-tung born on 24 December on 1985 is a Hong Kong activist, barrister and politician. During the crackdown by authorities on the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China, which began in June 2021 and was mainly based on national security charges over the Alliance’s annual vigils in remembrance of the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests and massacre, Chow was cast into the limelight, having become the convenor of the group after the arrest of leaders Lee Cheuk-yan and Albert Ho in April. Chow was born and grew up in Hong Kong. She studied geophysics at University of Cambridge. Chow realised that human rights issues were her real interest, so she gave up doctoral studies and returned to
Hong Kong in 2010, where she studied law at the University of Hong Kong after having spent some time working at an NGO. Chow serves as vice chairwoman of the Hong Kong Alliance, which organised annual marches and vigils to commemorate the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests. On 4 June 2021, Chow was arrested for promoting an unauthorised assembly on the 32nd anniversary of the protests.
Human rights lawyer and China’s labour rights advocate Chow Hang-tung, currently imprisoned, was charged for “inciting subversion” under the new National Security Law on September, 9th 2021 and faces potential 10 years imprisonment. She, together with other core members of the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China (the Alliance), was targeted simply for peacefully commemorating the 1989 Tiananmen crackdown. He is barrister and woman human rights defender in Hong Kong. She has advocated for the protection and promotion of labour rights, as well as for the rights of persecuted human rights defenders in mainland China. She is one of the current vice-chairs of the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China (the Hong Kong Alliance), a grassroots advocacy group established in 1989 in Hong Kong to campaign for the release of Chinese political prisoners, democratic reforms in China, and accountability for the extrajudicial killings and other violations by the Chinese authorities during the lethal crackdown on pro-democracy protests in
June 1989. As a barrister in Hong Kong, she has also provided legal assistance to activists and protesters targeted by police and judicial actions for their involvement in pro-democracy activities. For China’s Communist Party rulers, historical memory must be vigilantly patrolled. The government attempts to airbrush out events such as the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre.