Dr Aditi Sen De is the only female winner this year
On the occasion of its foundation day, the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) has put out the list of recipients of the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize for Science and Technology for 2018.
Every year, several scientists below the age of 45 are selected from various institutions across the country and awarded for their outstanding scientific work in the last five years.
Here is the full list of winners this year in various categories
Category Winner Affiliation
Biological Sciences
Dr Ganesh Nagaraju IISc Bengaluru
Dr Thomas Pucadyil IISER Pune
Chemical Sciences
Dr Rahul Banerjee IISER Kolkata
Dr Swadhin Kumar Mandal IISER Kolkata
Earth, Atmosphere, Ocean and Planetary Sciences
Dr Madineni Venkat Ratnam National Atmospheric Research Laboratory, Tirupati
Dr Parthasarathi Chakraborty CSIR-NIO, Goa
Engineering Sciences
Dr Amit Agrawal IIT Bombay
Dr Ashwin Anil Gumaste IIT Bombay
Mathematical Sciences
Dr Amit Kumar IIT Delhi
Dr Nitin Saxena IIT Kanpur
Medical Sciences
Dr Ganesan Venkatasubramanian NIMHANS, Bengaluru
Physical Sciences
Dr Aditi Sen De Harish-Chandra Research Institute, Allahabad
Dr Ambarish Ghosh IISc Bengaluru
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Sci-Tech / by The Hindu Net Desk / September 26th, 2018
Some prominent alumni of Lucknow University, including UP’s chief secretary Rajive Kumar, former DGP Sulkhan Singh, Justice Vikram Nath and Justice (retd) Khem Karan were felicitated at a function on Saturday.
UP’s chief secretary Rajive Kumar, Justice Vikram Nath, former DGP Sulkhan Singh, urologist Dr Salil Tandon, animal rights activist Gauri Maulekhi, badminton player Dharmendra Soti, and Ravindra Verma known for his work on mining were given Distinguished Alumni Award by deputy chief minister Dinesh Sharma.
UGC member Prof DP Singh, Jagdish Gandhi, Justice (retd) Khem Karan and Prof Shishir Kumar Dubey were honoured with the Lifetime Achievement Award.
The alumni shared some interesting anecdotes. Former DGP Sulkhan Singh, who did his LLB in 2005-2008 while he was in service, recalled, “I was stopped by security guards on the first day of the examination. They strictly told me that parents are not allowed during examination. I was allowed to enter only when I showed them my admit card and student identity card.”
Animal rights activist Gauri Maulekhi shared that she also found her life partner in LU when she took admission in BCom in the year 1995. “I met Dushyant on the very first day when I entered the classroom. I fell in love with him and we got married,” Maulekhi reminisced.
Deputy CM Sharma also inauguarated the portal of LU Alumni Foundation. Alumni from across the world will be able to register on the portal. Sharma also released a souvenir.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India/ Home> News> City News> Lucknow News / TNN / April 29th, 2018
The final results of Civil Services Examination-2017 were released by the Union Public Service Commission late on Friday evening. Anubhav Singh (23), son of a farmer from Allahabad, bagged an all-India eighth rank in the coveted exam.
A BTech from IIT-Roorkee, Anubhav did his schooling from government primary schoolin Daser village of Handia tehsil, 55 km from Allahabad.
Another engineering graduate Vishal Mishra of Kanpur, made it to top 50 and secured 49th rank while two 25-year-old engineering graduates from the state capital, Sanjeev Kumar, a civil engineering graduate, and Ankita Mishra, a computer science graduate,secured 89th rank and 105th ranks, respectively.
Anubhav had cleared the exam in his first attempt last year and is undergoing training as Indian Revenue Service (IRS) officer.
He told TOI, “I studied in government primary school andthen atBBS Inter College. It was only in Roorkee that I worked upon my English and personality.”
Anubhav gave the credit for his success to his mother Sushma Singh, a clerk in a private school, and father Dhananjay Singh, a farmer.
“There is only one mantra of success, which is hard work. Internet helped me a lot in preparing for the GS paper,” he said.
Vishal Mishra, MTech from IIT Kanpur, said, “This was my third attempt. One has to work hard, be focused and should not be afraid of failures.”
Manish Kumar, who belongs to Kushinagar, had cleared the exam last year also and is IPS trainee, secured 84th rank. “Being an IAS hasbeen always my first preference so I will be opting for it now,” said Manish.
Ankita Mishra credited her success to her father BK Mishra who always motivated her to become a civil servant.
“I feel daily revision and paying more attention to optional subject helps to score better,” Ankita told TOI over phone from New Delhi.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News> City News> Lucknow News / by Mohita Tewari & Vinod Khana / TNN / April 28th, 2018
Lucknow University will felicitate some of its prominent alumni—including Niti Aayog vice-chairman Rajiv Kumar and UP chief secretary Rajive Kumar—at a ceremony on April 28 at Malviya hall, for their contribution in respective fields. Thirteen other former students would be honoured on Friday.
LU spokesperson NK Pandey said distinguished alumni award will be awarded to the following — Niti Aayog vice-chairman Rajiv Kumar, renowned artist Surendra Pal Joshi, Dr Salil Tandon, sportsperson Dharmendra Soti, recipient of Nari Shakti Puraskar highest civilian award for women — Gauri Maulekhi, NRI Ravi Sharma, former UP DGP Sulkhan Singh, Former IIT Kharagpur director SK Dube, UP chief secretary Rajiv Kumar and Justice Vikram Nath.
“The lifetime achievement award will be given to three former students for the contribution in the field of education.
They are UGC member DP Singh and founder-manager of City Montessori School Jagdish Gandhi in the field of education and Justice Khem Karan for his contribution to the field of law.”
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News> City News> Lucknow News / TNN / April 21st, 2018
After a wait of 32 years, a meritorious Lucknow University student who is now vice chancellor of Dr Ram Manohar Lohia Avadh University, Prof Manoj Dixit, received his two pending gold medals on Sunday.
The 56-year old who topped his masters in public administration in 1986 won the Raja Raghuvendra Pratap Singh and Suresh Chandra Bhasin gold medals for academics.
He couldn’t receive them then as the university did not hold a convocation that year. After being awarded, the VC took to social media posting old and present photographs.
“I won this medal at a young age and I am receiving it when I have lost all my hair. This shows how long the wait for the two medals was,” said Dixit.
Dixit has held various positions at Lucknow University too.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> News> City News> Lucknow News> Schools & Colleges / TNN / April 02nd, 2018
The speakers who addressed the audience during the TedX event in the city on Sunday
Lucknow :
For over last five years, academician Vijay Sahi had been a regular viewer of TED talks, but he could only watch them online. Sahi like many others in the city had been wondering when Lucknow would see a live TED event.
Their wait finally got over on Sunday when Lucknow’s first independent TED event – TEDx Indiranagar – was held.
Eleven speakers, from Lucknow’s youngest disc jockey (DJ) to perform at Asia’s biggest music festival, Sunburn, to German woman Ulrike Reinhard, the founder of Janwaar castle in Madhya Pradesh, spoke at the event.
Others included fashion designer Ken Ferns, co-founder of Sarthak Foundation, Shubendra Pandey working for slum children, founder of Alexis group Aditya Singh, GST expert and mentor Rajeev Kumar Gupta, founder of Project Impact Saurabh Pratap, Venture Catalysts Uttar Pradesh co-founder Vinayak Nath, ICICI vice-president and regional head Najaf Rizvi and social media activist Vikas Pandey.
“It was long due that Lucknow had a TEDx event and it was even more heartening to see youngsters organise it and be part of it as speakers,” said Sahi.
Another attendee, Deepak Mishra, said, “We all are glad that somebody thought of bringing TEDx to Lucknow. The speakers and their stories were extremely motivating.”
Curators of the event Ashish Mishra and Megha Khosla said, “The process to get the event’s license was long and stressful but the entire team is glad to have hosted the first TEDx event in Lucknow finally.”
source:http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News> City News> Lucknow News / TNN / March 19th, 2018
A beautiful wooden replica of Buddha’s stone image, which was sculpted during Gupta period and kept at the archaeological museum in Sarnath, has been prepared by a wood carving artisan Chandra Prakash Vishwakarma for the German president Frank-Walter Steinmeier visiting Varanasi on March 22. Besides, a handloom stole displaying Buddhist mantra ‘Buddham sharnam gachhami’ with peepal leaves has also been made by Bachchelal Maurya.
Since the German president will first go to Sarnath, where Buddha preached his first sermon after attaining enlightenment at Bodh Gaya, the artisans chose to make Buddhist crafts for him. According to the itinerary received here by the district administration, after reaching here on March 22 morning, he will first visit Sarnath to see Buddhist sites including Dhamekha Stupa, temples and monasteries.
“It took seven days to complete the carving of Buddha’s image on Kaima wood,” said Vishwakarma, a resident of Ramkatora area, adding that he created this piece of demand of Maha Bidhi Society of India. According to him, the 18×12-inches wooded carved image of Buddha is the replica of the 5th century stone statue put on display at Sarnath museum. According to the museum record, the stone image (155x87x27) of preaching Buddha is dated to Gupta period of 5th century. This image is remarkable example of the form of compassionate one in its spirituality and inner- bliss. The wheel (dharmachakra) occupies the central position on the pedestal. Figure of deer are placed on either side of wheel denoting the place as deer park. The figures of five disciples to whom Buddha preached first sermon are depicted along with a lady and child on the lower part of the image.
Similarly, master weaver Maurya, a native of Chhahi village, worked for 10 days to weave a stole using calligraphy technique showing –“Buddham sharnam gachhami, Dhammam sharnam gachhami, Sangham sharnam gachhami” with the images of peepal leaves. He said that he wanted to showcase the Banarasi art before the world leaders during their visits to the city. Germany is one of the big importers of traditional crafts of Varanasi and eastern UP, he said adding that during his visit to the city the French President Emmanuel Macron also appreciated handloom and other crafts.
Earlier, local craftsmen had also prepared exquisite artifacts during the visit of French President who along with Prime minister Narendra Modi visited the city on March 12. The artisans had prepared several exclusive art pieces of famed Gulabi Meenakari (Pink enameling), wood craft, soft stone craft undercut work, zari-zardozi art and handloom weave. They had also prepared beautiful gift items for the Japanese PM Shinzo Abe during his visit to the city on December 12, 2015. “Main objective of preparing traditional items for the international guests is to catch their attention towards the richness Banarasi crafts so that they could make place in international markets,” said an expert of Geographical Indication (GI) Rajni Kant of Human Welfare Association engaged in promotion of local art and crafts. He said that the art of Banarasi wood carving would get GI certification soon.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India/ News> City News> Varanasi News / by Binay Singh / TNN / March 20th, 2018
A group of citizens and some French nationals, including tourists, have formed a club to give a warm welcome to French President Emmanuel Macron and Prime Minister Narendra Modi during their proposed visit on March 12 and also work for strengthening ties between the people of the two nations.
Formal launching of the club took place at Assi Ghat on Thursday evening. “On my first India visit, I had seen the then French president Francois Mitterrand in Agra in 1982. And now on my 21st India visit, I am getting opportunity to see my President Emmanuel Macron in Varanasi,” said Mustafa, a 60-year-old native of Paris.
Mustafa was leading a group of French tourists who had come to Assi Ghat on Thursday evening to join the Indo-French Club, an initiative of some local youths to strengthen people-topeople contact ahead of the high-profile visit.
The club coordinator, Uttam Ojha, said: “We aim at bringing the people of the two nations at one forum to share history, culture, arts and food. The club will hold various academic, art and cultural activities for the next five days at the ghats along the Ganga by involving more French tourists.”
Portraits of PM Narendra Modi and French President Emmanuel Macron at Assi Ghat on Thursday ‘One life is not enough to discover India’
Like Mustafa, all French tourists in his group have been frequenting Indian tourist destinations for the past many years. Another Paris native, Fabien, who is in India for the12th time, said, “One life is not enough to discover India, which has different cultures in all its parts. I had come to India for the first time to attend marriage of a friend, but started frequenting this country because it teaches you to know what you are from inside and where you stand spiritually.”
“I gotinformation about Macron’s Varanasi visit two days back, when I had already booked a ticket to leave Varanasi on Friday. Had I been aware about my president’s visit before booking the ticket, I would have stayed on,” he added.
An elderly tourist, Marie, of Rennes city in France and her companions like Francoise were keen to know whether they can get passes to see Macron from close. Expressing similar intent, Mustafa also revealed how he converted to Buddhism in 1978 after getting inspired by Lama and visited India for the first time in 1982.
“I saw Mitterrand in Agra in 1982 and now will get a chance to see Macron in Varanasi. also a coincidence that I share my date of birth with Macron, which is December 21. I am his supporter,” said Mustafa, who will leave for Dharmshala in Himanchal Pradesh on March 14.
Several French tourists accompanying Mustafa said spirituality, culture, food and Yoga have always attracted the people of their country towards India.
An assistant professor of French in Banaras Hindu University, Geetanjali Singh, who also accompaniedthe members of this newly formed club, said: “In recent years we are seeing how French embassy is giving a push to the efforts of attracting Indian students towards France for higher and technical studies.
It is also resulting in increasing number of admission seekers in French language classes.” “Most of the students of foreign language are in French classes. It is expected that Macron’s visit will increase the charm of French learning as the number of tourists from France also remains very high,” she added.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News> City News> Varanasi News / by Rajeev Diksht / TNN / March 09th, 2018
Hiding in a tree, she carefully took aim at the approaching British
The Indian Rebellion of 1857 against British rule saw some of the most ferocious battles fought across the nation. The soldiers were courageous and fought tooth and nail. While the revolt did not succeed, it went down in history as a righteous struggle.
Amongst all the illustrious freedom fighters, Uda Devi’s name stands out for leading one of the fiercest battles in Lucknow against the British.
Uda Devi hid in a tree, and took out more than 30 British soldiers without batting an eyelid.Representative image only. Image Courtesy:Wikimedia Commons
Born to a Dalit family in Awadh, Uttar Pradesh, Uda Devi at an early age, recognised the dissent the local people showed against the British Raj. She decided to contribute to the cause, and approached Begum Hazrat Mahal to seek help, in order to prepare for the battle against the British.
Begum Hazrat Mahal was kind and helped Uda Devi form a woman’s battalion, which the latter would lead herself. Thus, when Awadh was attacked by the British, Uda Devi and her husband became a vital part of the armed resistance.
The Battle in Sikandar Bagh
The Sikandar Bagh gate, where the battle took place.Image Courtesy: Wikipedia
In autumn 1857, north India was in a state of practical anarchy. A general revolt against the growing authority of the British East India Company consumed the cities of Delhi, Jhansi and Kanpur.
In Lucknow, a small British garrison clung stubbornly to life at the Residency (a collection of buildings) on the banks of the Gomti River.
Surrounded by rebels and bereft of adequate supplies, the small British contingent teetered on the edge of annihilation throughout the summer of 1857.
In November, General Colin Campbell broke through the enemy lines and managed to save the trapped garrison. This was the ‘Second Relief of Lucknow’, during which Campbell’s 93rd Highland Regiment advanced along the Southern bank of the Gomti, proceeding toward the Palace of Sikandar Bagh.
Here, the rebels fought desperately, after fortifying their position. A pitched battle ensued, leaving over 2000 rebels and soldiers dead, after a fierce hand-to-hand combat. It was during the battle that Uda Devi’s husband was killed. Enraged, the brave soldier decided to avenge his death.
On seeing the British army approach Sikandar Bagh, she climbed up a banyan tree, disguised as a man, and took aimed, killing 32 British soldiers.
Once the dust had settled, an officer noticed that many of the British casualties had bullet wounds that indicated a steep, downward trajectory.
The needle of suspicion naturally pointed to a sniper, who could be hidden in the nearby trees. British officers fired at a nearby pipal tree, and a rebel fell out of the tree, dead, her body riddled with bullet wounds. Upon investigation, it was found that the rebel was, in fact, Uda Devi.
The British were shocked when they realised the soldier was a woman. It is said that even British officers like Campbell bowed their heads over her dead body, in recognition of her bravery.
Uda Devi is indeed an inspiration, especially to women from non-dominant castes. Befittingly, on November 16th each year, the members of her Pasi caste gather at the site of her fall and celebrate her as a brave rebel, who defied all odds to take British lives, for a cause. It has been over a century since she was martyred, yet the memory of her sacrifice is kept alive by her community, which celebrates her unwavering and courageous spirit.
Uda Devi is also one of the inspirations behind an all-women battalion, of the Uttar Pradesh Provincial Armed Constabulary. The government is keen on recruiting women from OBC and Dalit communities in these battalions.
The women PAC battalions will help the government in crowd control, and during agitations where the participants are mostly women. The government is currently identifying land in Uttar Pradesh, where centres for training these women cops can be built.
The raising of women PAC battalions is an excellent step towards empowering the women from the weaker sections of society, and it is only fitting, that one of the units, derives its name from a ‘Dalit Veerangana’ like Uda Devi.
source: http://www.thebetterindia.com / The Better India / Home> Inspiration> Women / by Rayomand Engineer / March 01st, 2018
It was not an in-your-face impression that one got when entering the sprawling office of the chairman and managing director of Mohan Meakin Ltd at Mohan Nagar in Ghaziabad, on the outskirts of Delhi. The ambience was simple, somber, friendly even — with none of the frills of modern-day corporate offices. Brigadier (retd.) Kapil Mohan, sat in this office for more than four decades, and presided over one of the oldest liquor companies of our country.
My last meeting with the grand old man of the Indian liquor was a couple of years ago. As usual, the patriarch of Mohan Meakin was sitting in his unassuming office — lined with trophies, shields and certificates — and surrounded by about half a dozen people. He was regaling them with interesting anecdotes. He was a known treasure trove of such stories, featuring politicians, bureaucrats and colleagues of all hues.
During one such favourite storytelling trip, I suggested (rather, asked) he write these down as first-person accounts — where all such stories could find a place; he laughed it off, saying that would rub several people the wrong way.
Man behind Old Monk rum, Brigadier (retd.) Kapil Mohan dies of cardiac arrest at 88; was awarded Padma Shri in 2010
Even for his own team, he was never the stiff corporate boss. Senior personnel who have worked closely with Brig. Mohan said his most significant strategy and strength was that he involved the entire labour team for any discussions about company-related issues, and paid due heed to their suggestions. Intensely philanthropic and empathetic, he always showed keen interest in the welfare of labourers — at times even more so than that of his executives. Through his brilliant man-to-man personal skills, he created an environment of friendship for the labourers, and went the extra mile to encourage his staff to do the same.
Brigadier (retd.) Kapil Mohan, and the iconic squat bottle of Old Monk rum. File Photo
This was possibly the biggest reason why Mohan Meakin remained — till the 1990s — the only company in India that never had a labour strike.
The current COO of Khoday India Limited Satpal Chaudhry too had been on receiving end of Brigadier Mohan’s large-heartedness. Chaudhry worked with Brig Kapil Mohan for 19 years before moving on to bigger things. “I joined Mohan Meakin in 1971. I wanted to improve my qualifications, and in 1974 appeared for an entrance test for IIT Delhi for MTech. I approached the brigadier to allow me to do the course; he didn’t even bat an eyelid and gave me permission, that too on full-term basis.”
Chaudhry was emotional while remembering the brigadier. According to Chaudhry, Brig. Mohan was a great visionary who always looked for excellent brands, and better quality for liquor products and beer. “The brigadier went on to modernise the distilleries and breweries, while we could not even meet the demand for liquor, which exceeded that of our supply. At that point, Mohan Meakin was the only liquor producer in India which had such a large number of popular brands,” Chaudhry said.
Brig. Kapil Mohan also had an eye for spotting talent. Chaudhry was among those headhunted by the brigadier. He recollected the time while he employed with Mohan Meakin and received a call from the boss; Chaudhry was asked by Brig. Mohan to come in for a promotion.
“I was working in Lucknow for about seven years, looking after the distillery, brewery and soft-drink plant. One day I got a call from Brig. Mohan to join as ‘Works Manager’ of the company in Mohan Nagar. This was a dream job for anybody: it was a designation next to the managing director himself. Brig. Mohan did not even bother with the senior people who were quite close to the management, but offered me to opportunity to run the operations of the brewery, distillery, malting plant and juice factory. He also made me the engineering chief of Mohan Meakin, which was a personal milestone,” Chaudhry said.
There are many who will remain forever indebted to this man with a golden heart. Not many know that it was under Brig Kapil Mohan’s stewardship that the group was rechristened Mohan Meakin Limited. Brig. Kapil Mohan was the person who modernised the plants and machinery, and brought in new technology and undertook major diversification of three distilleries in India, two breweries and a host of franchises.
Although the iconic Old Monk rum was launched by his father, Narendra Nath Mohan, in 1954 and brought to prominence by his brother Colonel VR Mohan, it was Brig. Kapil Mohan who made it into the instantly recognised and largest-selling rum in India.
Before Indian single malts came into the picture, Old Monk was the one of the most recognised brand available in all foreign liquor stores and airport duty shops across the world. Till 2012, Old Monk was undisputedly the No.1 rum brand, but began to slide in volume, and lost its top position to other brands such as McDowell’s Celebration Rum by USL.
However, the slide has not dimmed the charm of “Boodha Padri” (Old Monk transliterated into Hindi, and fondly called so by its fans) and the iconic squat bottle it comes in.
“I don’t think there is any other person in the liquor industry that can match Brig. Mohan. He was a true architect of the Indian liquor industry,” says Chaudhry.
source: http://www.firstpost.com / FirstPost / Home> Latest News> Living / Bishan Kumar / January 16th, 2018
