Category Archives: Leaders

‘Principal who left such amazing memories to cherish for life’

Education, Leaders

Lucknow:

Shock, disbelief and old memories filled the social media pages as the sudden demise of La Martiniere Girls’ College principal Farida Abraham on Friday opened a floodgate of condolences on social media.

Sharing a unique memory on her daughter Aashrita Dass’s facebook page, an alumna Zoya Seth wrote, “You (Abraham) cut my hair when I was in Class 11, a memory that I share with all kinds of people I meet. They can’t stop being awed over the way we grew up in the boarding. And now, all of a sudden you are gone. The principal who left such naughty and amazing memories for me to cherish. This is unbelievable.”

Another Martinian Taroo Saxena who was part of the recently held Reunion wrote, “Words cannot express the loss of La Martiniere family today. Abraham was an amazing superwoman who had a midas touch. I was standing in school near LMGA office when the devastating news reached us. I find it strange that people should bring wreaths, talk about her body. I wanted to ask Ms Shaw won’t she (Abraham) get up and receive them herself, throwing one wisecrack, witty one-liners one after another for everyone to laugh and marvel at her razor sharp wit. She was such a powerhouse of positive energy.”

She continued, The Feb Reunion 2016 was an ode to her. It happened for a reason.”

Another student Bhavz Gupta wrote, “Your sudden demise has left a big void in the entire Mart community.

For educationists Mala Singh Mehra and Geetika Suri Kapoor, she was a motherly figure. Masm Farida Abraham was what ‘Heroes’ are made of! After mom passed away, she gently pushed me along in my journey. Standing by me in my every endeavour! Always her naughty child and yet she was so proud of me. Treated me like an equal and yet I was besieged with utmost respect for her! Maam you will remain ‘Iconic’ to Lucknow our education system. La Martiniere has lost a great leader. Her ideals shall live on and Aashrita shall take her legacy forward. Her last words to me via Whatsapp were ‘I am always there for you,” wrote Mala on her FB wall. Geetika wrote, In a state of shock, disbelief, sudden demise of Farida Abraham, an educationist par excellence, & a gentle human being.

UP IAS officer Amrit Abhijat wrote, I am at a loss of words. I shared a deep bond and had been working on a lot of things for the school and the city. She was very affectionate and loving towards me. I share your grief and pray to the almighty for peace to her soul and strength toy all of you to face this void she has left.”

A student, Spohiya Nitin Mehra wrote, No one could teach Shakespeare better than you.”

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News Home> City> Lucknow / TNN / February 13th, 2016

IIT Kanpur alumnus given key World Bank position

Inspiration / Positive News and Features, Leaders, World Opinion
Saroj Kumar Jha is an alumnus of IIT Kanpur. (Photo courtesy: Jha’s Twitter handle)
Saroj Kumar Jha is an alumnus of IIT Kanpur. (Photo courtesy: Jha’s Twitter handle)

An Indian has been appointed to a key position in the World Bank with President Jim Young Kim assigning him a role to provide strategic leadership to address the challenge of fragility, conflict and violence.

Saroj Kumar Jha is an alumnus of Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur. Jha till last week was World Bank’s Regional Director for Central Asia based in Almaty since February 2012.

Jha assumed the position of Senior Director for the Fragility, Conflict and Violence Group at the World Bank yesterday.

Jha has been tasked by World Bank President Jim Young Kim to provide strategic leadership to address the challenge of fragility, conflict and violence, working across the Bank Group and in close collaboration with partners.

An Indian national, Jha joined the World Bank in 2005 as a Senior Infrastructure Specialist in the Sustainable Development Network, after significant experience with the Indian Government and the United Nation’s Development Program (UNDP) as a senior executive in the field of public sector management, infrastructure financing, natural resources management, natural disaster prevention and environmental sustainability.

He supported transformative innovations in regional cooperation, water and energy security, social safety nets, inclusive governance and grievance redress mechanisms in various regions of the world.

Earlier, Jha worked as the World Bank’s Global Manager for Disaster Risk Management Practice.

He also served as head of the Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery, now the world’s largest global fund for disaster prevention and post-disaster recovery operations.

In addition, he has led international response efforts to many global catastrophic disasters, the bank said.

source: http://www.hindustantimes.com / Hindustan Times / Home / PTI, Washington / February 02nd, 2016

Jhansi honours its Rani’s descendents

Historical Links / Pre-Independence, Leaders, Records, All

Jhansi :

Mixed emotions gripped 70-year-old Arun Krishna Rao ‘Jhansi Wale’, the great grandson of Damodar Rao, the foster son of Rani Laxmibai, when he stepped into Jhansi Fort. He was here with his son for a felicitation ceremony on the inaugural function of Jhansi Jan Mahotsav on Sunday.

After Laxmibai’s death in 1858 in the battle against the British forces and the subsequent surrender of her foster son Damodar Rao two years later, her descendants were gradually forgotten. Damodar’s family too chose to lead a life in isolation and had hardly enough money to make ends meet. Arun, a retired junior engineer from Madhya Pradesh Electricity Board, did not wish to divulge details of what travails the family went through.

“My father Krishna Rao and grandfather Laxman Rao worked as freelance typists in front of the courthouse in Indore. After the death of Rani Laxmibai, everyone thought that her son Damodar Rao too had died and no one spoke of him. However, he was brought to Indore and settled there by the British government. He was given a monthly pension of Rs 200 by them.”

A photographer by passion, Damodar could not do much professionally. His son Laxman became a typist but the income was hardly anything. After Damodar’s death, his pension was halved and later on, stopped.

As the fifth generation of Rani Laxmibai, Arun says, “My ancestors fought for the sovereignty of this country and if given a chance, I too am ready for the same. I do not expect anything from anyone for myself.”

When asked whether he had any hope or expectation that the government would recognize them as part of a royal family, he said, “How does it matter what I think? It has got no value and no one is going to hear you, especially when you are poor. My ancestors and I are more worried to feed their families. In such circumstances, how can we fight for our rights?

The entire Rao family lived in isolation till 2007 till local journalist and historian Mohan Nepali located them in Indore and felicitated them at a private function in Jhansi.

“It is really very sad that today the descendants of the great warrior, who is still worshiped no less than a God, are leading such a life and there is no one to take note of them,” said Nepali, adding that the government should recognise them.

Arun’s son, the sixth generation of Rani Laxmibai, is 37-year-old Yogesh Arun Rao ‘Jhansi Wale’ (as they love to call themselves). A software engineer in Nagpur, Yogesh said, “It is a matter of pride for me that I belong to the family of the great Rani who had shaken the entire British and the world still remembers her valour.” However, he also has a grudge that maximum people tend to disbelieve his claim after seeing their moderate living conditions which are quite unlike a royal family’s.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News Home> City> Lucknow / by Arindam Ghosh, TNN / December 28th, 2015

AKTU to honour Mars Orbiter mastermind

Education, Inspiration / Positive News and Features, Leaders, Records, All, Science & Technology, World Opinion

Lucknow :

APJ Abdul Kalam Technical University will confer honoris causa on Indian Science and Research Organisation chairman A S Kiran Kumar on its convocation slated on January 22. An accomplished space scientist, Kumar was instrumental in evolving the successful strategy for steering the Mars Orbiter Spacecraft towards planet Mars as well as its Mars Orbit Insertion.

As many as 47 students, gold, silver and bronze in streams like engineering, management, fashion designing and pharmacy will be awarded medals. In the medal tally, girls rule the roost once again. Close to 80% of the medals to be awarded on the convocation ceremony are in the girls’ kitty. Out of 47 medals, 38 will be awarded to girls.

For the first time, graduating students of AKTU will wear a cream-coloured ‘angvastra’ over their traditional dress. Boys will wear white-coloured shirt and dark coloured trousers. Girls will wear saree. Printed on the angvastra will be Lucknow’s heritage and famous historical monuments of UP. In addition, it will also have sermons of former APJ Abdul Kalam. It is also decided that the dignitaries will wear a maroon angvastra and a cream-colour pagadi.

Union home minister Rajnath Singh will be the chief guest at the function.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News Home> City> Lucknow / TNN / December 16th, 20154

Senior SP Leader Yashpal Singh Dead

Leaders

Senior Samajwadi Party leader and former state Minister Chaudhary Yashpal Singh passed away in a Delhi hospital, his family members said.

He was 94.

Singh’s son, Chaudhary Rudrasen said that his father was admitted to Delhi’s Escorts hospital due to some respiratory problems about a month and half ago.

He breathed his last at 11 pm yesterday.

The body of the former national vice president of SP has been kept at his home at Titro for public to pay their last respect.

Before joining the SP in 2011 Singh also worked with the BJP and Congress party.

In 1977, when he was in the Congress, he was the only leader from the party to win a MLA seat in the entire Meerut-Saharanpur division.

He was also at the forefront when Indira Gandhi relaunched her comeback campaign after the 1977 drubbing.

source: http://www.outlookindia.com / Outlook / Home> News / Sahranpur – December 13th, 2015

Ratan Tata impressed with U.P.’s industrial development

Amazing Feats, Business & Economy, Leaders, Sports

Impressed with the pace of progress in Uttar Pradesh, business doyen Ratan Tata on Friday assured full support to the state for its industrial development.

“The development which has taken place in Uttar Pradesh or which is on the cards that I have come to know in my meeting with Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav … I can only say that I am very much impressed,” said Tata, chairman Emeritus of Tata Sons.

Terming the picture of development of the state as fantastic”, Mr Tata also assured that he will extend full support in the development of the state in future.

He was speaking here during the foundation laying function of Shahid Chandrashekhar Azad handicapped sports academy to be set up by Padma Shri Arunima Sinha, the first female amputee to have climbed Mount Everest.

Speaking on the occasion, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav, recalling Arunima’s struggle, said, “when she met with the accident (in which she lost her left leg) I was the state unit president of the Samajwadi Party and on coming to know about it I had also gone to the hospital to meet her.”

“She had later met me in the Janata Darbar and on my question as to where will she go, she had replied that she will go to Mt Everest. I could not believe that she will scale it,” Mr Yadav recalled.

He also said that he had asked Arunima to set up her special sports academy in the capital city of Lucknow but she chose the adjoining district of Unnao for her project.

However, the CM assured all possible support to the academy.

He added that despite the state having a large number of poor people, balanced development is taking place here.

On the occasion, Arunima said that during treatment when she lost her leg in a train mishap in 2011, a resident of Bethar village, Umashankar Dixit, had promised her land and other facilities for setting up the academy and so despite the Chief Minister’s desire she opted for Unnao.

She said that in case the government extended facilities, one branch of her academy will be set up in Lucknow also. – PTI

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> National> Other States / PTI / Unnao – November 28th, 2015

Kothari Group founder passes away at 90

Business & Economy, Leaders

Kanpur :

Founder of Kothari Group, Mansukhbhai Kothari, breathed his last at his Tilak Nagar residence here on Friday morning. He was 90 and is survived by his wife Sharda Ben, two sons Vikram Kothari and Deepak Kothari and daughter Reeta Ben, besides grandsons and great grandsons.

Kothari was ailing for a long time. His death plunged the entire Kothari family into grief. His last rites will be performed at Bhairoghat on Saturday at about 10.30 pm.

Kothari was born in July 1925 in the village Nareli district of Surendra Nagar in Gujarat in the family of Mahadevbhai Kothari. His father was an ordinary merchant.

At a tender age of 16, he started his journey of life away from home and moved to the greener pastures in the field of business and made Kanpur his Karma Bhumi.

Starting with a meager capital of Rs 500, he set up the trading business of consumable products. Year 1973 became the turning point in his entrepreneurial skills, and foundation of his famous family business of a mouth freshener brand.

Many more manufacturing units of FMCG products were later added to the family business.

Kothari was also concerned and aware about the hardships of the society at large especially about the weaker sections of the society and established charitable trusts and educational institutions for medical treatment, scholarships to the needy students, community buildings helping in the marriage of poor daughters.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News Home> City> Lucknow / TNN / November 27th, 2015

Lost his leg, but hero of Keri didn’t lose courage

Inspiration / Positive News and Features, Leaders, Records, All

Lucknow :

Loss of limb in the battlefield in the Indo-Pak war of 1965 at the prime of his youth could not affect his will to live and set example for others. For the past half century, Major Dhirendra Nath Singh witnessed various developments on domestic and global fronts—walking on an artificial limb. The Vir Chakra awardee, now 74-year-old, who lives in a double-storey apartment in Lucknow’s Aliganj, has successfully overpowered his disability and inspired his sons and grandson to join the Army.

On September 18, 1965, Major Singh was commanding a company of a battalion of Kumaon Regiment which was ordered to capture Keri. The assaulting platoons ran into the enemy minefield and there were many casualties. Major Singh moved in front with his men to attack the enemy and lost a leg. He was lying wounded in the mine-field, when he saw an enemy medium machine gun firing nearby and he crawled up with an LMG from one of his men and fired at the enemy MMG to silenced it. Under his able leadership, the post was captured by his men after fierce hand fighting.

“Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri came to see him while he was undergoing treatment at Military Hospital in Delhi,” Major Singh recalled. Later, he went to attend Vir Chakra award ceremony at Rashtrapati Bhawan on artificial limb.

Major Singh, who hails from Gorakhpur, shifted to Lucknow in 1989. While age doesn’t allow him to undertake physical activities now, Singh actively cycled, drove cars and tractors, when he looked after his agricultural work in his native village and had practically no problems in adjusting to life with his artificial limb.

Recalling some of the tense moments, in which there were reports that almost 30,000 infiltrators has sneaked into India, Major Singh said, “Our stay in and around Jawahar tunnel was for almost 10 days during which we drove away infiltrators across river Chenab, and subsequently took over Doda, and then conducted a flag march. During the same period, we were also able to secure the Reasi bridge over Chenab.”

Legacy continues in the family

While Major DN Singh left the Army in 1971, he ensured that successive generations of his family join the armed forces and embrace the olive green uniform. Two of sons – Brigadier VPS Kaushik and Brigadier SP Singh are posted at Kargil and Kupwara respectively, while his grandson Digvijay Singh is a gentleman cadet and is undergoing training at College of Military Engineering, Pune. One of his sons is currently commanding a brigade, which had captured Hajipir on August 28, 1965, while another is commanding the brigade, which had captured point 13620 in May 1965.

Benevolent gesture of Dara Singh & Teji Bachchan

After the war was over Bollywood actor Dara Singh announced cash award for the gallantry award winners. As a result each PVC winner got Rs 250, while each MVC and Vir Chakra awardee got Rs 100 and Rs 50 respectively. While, Major DN Singh was undergoing treatment in Delhi, he was looked after by Teji Bachchan (mother of Amitabh Bachchan).

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News Home> City> Lucknow / by Arunav Sinha, TNN / September 15th, 2015

Adopt UP villages, Akhilesh appeals to banks

Business & Economy, Leaders

Mumbai :

Uttar Pradesh chief minister Akhilesh Yadav appealed to top bosses of nationalised banks to increase credit deposit ratio for improving economy of the state and to provide employment to youth as well as adopt villages for all-round development. At an industrial road show organised by the Uttar Pradesh government in Mumbai on Thursday, Yadav emphasised that credit deposit ratio in the state is 54% and to take it up to 75% there was a need to invest nearly Rs 1.50 lakh crore, hence bankers should motivate corporate houses to come to Uttar Pradesh to set up big projects.

The CM expressed satisfaction over improvement of credit deposit ratio in last three years from 44% to 54% though there was still need to improve it further vis-a-vis the national average and keeping in mind the size of the state. He said the state’s banking sector had improved in the last two years with opening of more than 3,500 branches. “You have opened branches across UP and the state too had supported the development,” said the chief minister at the meeting attended by heads of the State Bank of India, Bank of Baroda, Dena Bank, besides private sector banks like ICICI.

“Lending in the state has increased by Rs 1.65 lakh crore from Rs 2.01 lakh crore in 2012 to Rs 3.67 crore in March this year,” said the chief minister, adding that government wants there to be one brick-and-mortar branch in every 5km with population of 5,000.

Speaking on the occasion, chief secretary Alok Ranjan who was heading the delegation of top offices of the state advised bankers about the important role they can play in UP which is the largest market and tops in production of sugarcane, potato, milk and vegetables.

Responding to the queries of bankers for increasing recovery rate, Ranjan said necessary directions have been issued to officials at district level to take strict action against big defaulters and help banks in recovery of bad debts.

Principal secretary finance Rahul Bhatnagar said there were nearly 11,000 branches in the state and if each branch adopted just two villages, 22,000 villages could be developed. He said despite directions of the Reserve Bank of India, banks were not lending sufficient loans under various programmes. In Uttar Pradesh, they should have extended loans over Rs 2,850 crore to 19 lakh persons this financial year, but have not. He appealed to bankers to increase loaning under various schemes of UP government, including Kaamdhenu, education, minor and medium sector industries. Bhatnagar added, 38,050 branches of various nationalised banks in the state were sick, which the bankers should revive.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News Home> City> Lucknow / by Subhash Mishra, TNN / September 11th, 2015

Frank Islam receives Pride of India award

Leaders, Nri's / Pio's, Records, All, World Opinion
Frank Islam
Frank Islam

New York :

The American Federation of Muslims of Indian Origin (AFMI) has honoured India-born entrepreneur and philanthropist, Frank Islam with the Pride of India award, the media reported on Monday.

India’s consul-general in New York Dnyaneshwar M Mulay on Sunday conferred the award upon Islam who had donated $222,000 in May this year to the Aligarh Muslim University in India, India New England daily reported.

“It is a distinct honour and privilege to be here tonight to accept the AFMI Pride of India award. It is also a privilege to be asked to speak as a part of AFMI’s silver jubilee celebration,” Islam was quoted as saying.

“I have received many awards. But this one is extra special because it comes from this prestigious organisation in its silver jubilee year,” Islam added.

“I must admit that receiving this award and joining such luminaries does not make me proud. It makes me humble,” he noted.

Islam, 63, was born in Azamgarh in Uttar Pradesh and is married to Debbie Driesman, 61.

Apart from being a successful entrepreneur, philanthropist and civic leader, he is also a thought leader with a special commitment to civic, educational and artistic causes.

He currently heads the FI Invest Group – a firm that he established after he sold his information technology firm called the QSS Group in 2007, the report added.

Islam serves on several boards and advisory councils including the Kennedy Center Board of Trustees, the US Institute of Peace, the Woodrow Wilson Center and the Brookings Institution in Washington D.C.

He has written two books on the American condition, titled “Working the Pivot Points: To Make America Work Again” (2013) and “Renewing the American Dream: A Citizen’s Guide for Restoring Our Competitive Advantage” (2010).

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News Home> NRI> US & Canada News / IANS / August 31st, 2015