There is an urgent need for preservation and conservation of manuscripts, said former vice-chancellor of Central University of Orissa, Prof Surabhi Banerjee.
She was speaking during the inaugural session of the three-week workshop on manuscriptology & palaeography, organised by Central Library of Allahabad University and National Manuscript Mission, New Delhi, on Friday.
She shared her experience about the ignorance of the value of manuscripts in our society. She urged the AU administration to start a course in library and information science with thrust on manuscriptology & palaeography.
AU VC, Prof RL Hangloo, while delivering the presidential address, enlightened the audience by narrating the contribution of great scholars of Sanskrit and said that the Vedas, which we get to read today was first of all written by Vasuki, a scholar from Kashmir.
Dr NC Kar from National Mission for Manuscripts, Delhi, said that the mission seeks to unearth and preserve the vast manuscript wealth of India.
India possesses an estimate of five million manuscripts, probably the largest collection in the world. These cover a variety of themes, textures and aesthetics, scripts, languages, calligraphies, illuminations and illustrations. Together, they constitute the memory of India’s history, heritage and thought.
For the first time in history of AU, its annual calendar was released during the session. Dr BK Singh, coordinator of the workshop, proposed the vote of thanks.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News Home> City> Allahabad / TNN / May 20th, 2016
Anshul Bhadauria (middle) scored 98.6% to top the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) Class 12 examinations in the Allahabad region. (Deepak Gupta/HT photo)
Lucknow girl Anshul Bhadauria proved everyone, who believe that one cannot score high in subjects that are generally offered in humanities, wrong.
Anshul scored 98.6% to top the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) Class 12 examinations in the Allahabad region, the results of which were declared on Saturday. She obtained 493 marks out of 500.
A student of Manipal Public School, Anshul has scripted history of sorts by scoring a perfect 100 in history, 99 in psychology and physical education, 98 in economics and 97 in English.
“Believe me, it is wrong to say that one cannot score high in arts stream. Stop underestimating students of humanities. Arts stream offers several options today,” Anshul says.
The 18-year-old says if a student loves a particular subject, they are bound to do well and that is a misnomer to say that only students with mathematics and science subjects can score high.
Anshul now wants to pursue economics either from University of Delhi’s Shri Ram College of Commerce (SRCC) or Benaras Hindu University.
Daughter of a banking sector employee and a homemaker, Anshul wants to become an economist to help the country fight poverty. “My heart bleeds to see poverty all around. Even after several years of Independence, the country is not free from poverty,” she rued.
Anshul credits her teachers and parents, who never put any burden on her to pursue a career in science, for her impressive performance.
“I was one of those lucky ones whose parents never put an undue pressure to study science or mathematics. They allowed me to pick a career of my choice. I love economics and psychology and I decided to make a career in economics,” she says.
Showering a heap of praise for Anshul, school principal Anupama Shukla said that she was a bright child and remained focused in her studies.
Unlike most students of her age who remain hooked to social media, Anshul does not have a Facebook account. “I find it to be wastage of time,” Anshul, who likes reading and listening to music, says.
This is not the first time that a student of Manipal Public School scored high in arts stream. In 2014, Kriti Sapra topped in the Allahabad region by scoring 98.2%.
Kriti managed a perfect score in economics, 99% in history and psychology, 97% in English and 96% in physical education.
source: http://www.hindustantimes.com / Hindustan Times / Home / Rajeev Mullick, Hindustan Times,Lucknow / May 21st, 2016
Manzil Saini, the first SSP of Lucknow, may take charge of the office on Wednesday. (HT Photo)
Manzil Saini, a 2005 batch Indian Police Service (IPS) officer, took charges as the first woman police chief of Lucknow on Wednesday..
Popular as “Lady Singham”, Saini had already reached the state capital after getting confirmed about her new posting on Tuesday.
Saini’s posting was confirmed after chief minister Akhilesh Yadav tweeted about her posting on Tuesday afternoon.
Later, principal secretary (Home), Debashish Panda also confirmed about Saini’s posting as new SSP Lucknow while taking to HT over phone. Saini has replaced outgoing SSP Rajesh Pandey, who has been attached with the DGP’s office. Before the coveted Lucknow posting, Saini was the district police chief of Etawah, home town of Samajwadi Party supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav.
Saini made to the country’s police force to become India’s first married woman IPS officer. She was married in 2000 and five years after she got inducted as IPS officer during her first attempt in civil services examination. She is married to Jaspal Dehal, who runs an export business in Noida and belongs to Pandoh, Himachal Pradesh and have two kids. This “special cop” is considered as sensitive and a workaholic officer.
To add to her long list of achievements, Saini topped MBA from Delhi School of Economics after completing honours in Physics from St. Stephens College, New Delhi. During her IPS training at Sardar Vallabhbai Patel National Police IPS Academy, Hyderabad, Saini excelled as an athlete.
It was Saini who busted the infamous Amit Kumar kidney racket in 2008 just after six months of her first posting in Moradabad. She again made news when she was all of a sudden transferred in the midst of 2014 Muzaffarnagar riots along with the then district magistrate, Muzaffarnagar, Surendra Singh.
source: http://www.hindustantimes.com / Hindustan Times / Home / HT Correspondent, Hindustan Times,Lucknow / May 18th, 2016
A team of five students of Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur have developed a workshop kit to spread awareness about sexual abuse of children. (HT photo)
A team of five students of Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur have developed a workshop kit to spread awareness about sexual abuse of children.
Sexual abuse among children, though rampant, remains a taboo subject in India. At least 46% children are subjected to sexual abuse, but most don’t report the assaults to anyone.
Jhumkee Iyengar, who is guiding the team, said the workshop kit is self-sufficient and can be used by anyone with basic communication skills, affinity towards children and an interest in educating kids – teachers, NGO volunteers and school counsellors.
The team comprising of Apoorva Aggarwal, Mitali Bhasin, Sneha Parhi, Sachin NP and Swayamsiddha Panigrahi said it was difficult for them to read about child sexual abuse and understanding the current situation was an emotionally draining process. (HT photo)
Iyengar is a faculty in the Design Program at IIT Kanpur where she teaches post-graduate design students a course that she conceptualised and created on Human Centered Design.
“Children in the age group of 8-12 years and in a group of 30-35 can be benefitted in a single session,” Iyengar said.
“The central message to kids is that being abused is not their fault and that they should freely discuss their problems with parents or teachers. Our underlying vision is to save a child’s innocence through knowledge,” the professor added.
The team developed the kit after extensive research and field studies, which included talking to psychologists, counsellors, teachers, parents and doctors along with holding focus group interviews in Kanpur slums. The initiative was a part of a year-long project that culminated in April 2015.
The workshop includes lessons on personal safety, respecting one’s body and overcoming guilt. It has been designed in a way such that it’s playful, educative and interactive, and also helps the teacher tackle the embarrassment that’s likely to accompany the subject.
“The content has been approved by subject experts and psychologists,” Iyengar said.
“We tested the product internally and iteratively as it was being defined and refined. It was also tested by the staff of an NGO on the children they serve. Pilot testing is being done in schools and the product is being further refined,” shared Prof Iyengar.
The team comprising of Apoorva Aggarwal, Mitali Bhasin, Sneha Parhi, Sachin NP and Swayamsiddha Panigrahi said it was difficult for them to read about child sexual abuse and understanding the current situation was an emotionally draining process.
“Sexual abuse has so many wrong notions attached to it. So, spreading awareness about this issue is definitely of paramount importance. For instance, the middle, upper middle class societies are quick to dismiss child sexual abuse as a problem of the lower classes,” Bhasin said.
Aggarwal said she too had gone through one such harrowing experience when she was a child.
“As a child, there were instances when I was subjected to uncomfortable scenarios that disturbed me for weeks but I was unable to react to the situation at the time. In retrospect, my parents always did everything in my best interests but something was missing,” Aggarwal said.
“While they spared no efforts to send me to the best school of the city, my mom, dad, sister – no one – ever told me how to guard myself from the world. Somewhere they hesitated in giving me that one important life lesson,” she added.
Currently available in English, the kit can be translated into different Indian languages.
source: http://www.hindustantimes.com / HindustanTimes.com / Home> Lucknow / by Rajeev Mullick, Hindustan Times,Lucknow / April 07th, 2016
The first national “desi dhanush”, crossbow, championship will be held in the city from April 29 to 30. Uttar Pradesh chief minister Akhilesh Yadav had inaugurated the logo for the Indian Crossbow Shooting Association in March and said the state government would extend all support to promote the sport. He had also given the sport the name of “desi dhanush”. As many 30 crossbow shooters from five states will participate in the event which will be held at the Prelude Public School grounds later this week.
The crossbow event is the brainchild of Agra-resident and national player Rajat Vij, who is also the president of the Indian Crossbow Shooting Association.
Vij told TOI, “After the inaugural of desi dhanush by the state government, we are going ahead with the first national championship in Agra. Sportspersons from West Bengal, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Delhi, besides Uttar Pradesh will participate in the two-day event.”
While the inaugural session will be held on April 29, the main sporting competition will take place the following day between 8am and 11.30am.
Vij said the sport is not very popular and only a handful of people know about it. The chief minister’s presence at the inauguration of the logo on March 17, has helped bring the sport to mainstream audience. He added that depending on the success of the first event, it would be held on much larger scale in the near future.
On March 17, a 18-member delegations of crossbow athletes from Japan, US, Sweden and Portugal had given a live demonstration of the crossbow event before an audience that included the CM.
Interestingly, during his address, Yadav had exhorted people to promote crossbow or “desi dhanush more than the bicycle”, referring to his party’s election symbol.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News Home> City> Agra / by Aditya Dev / TNN / April 27th, 2016
She can play twice as many instruments as the candles on her birthday cake, pronounces Sanskrit words flawlessly and has the voice to become a singing sensation.
Meet Aarohi Agrawal of Mathura, all of four years old and already a tabla, harmonium, keyboards and bongo prodigy.
On Sunday, Avantika Foundation, a senior citizens’ group, awarded Aarohi the Dr A P J Abdul Kalam Samman 2016 for her talent in music. She was the youngest among the 108 awardees at the event.
Sanjay Agarwal, a member of the organisation, said, “Aarohi is extremely talented. I visited Mathura and spent two hours at her residence listening to her playing, and I was astonished”.
Besides playing eight instruments with ease, Aarohi sings the National Anthem and devotional songs movingly, reflecting her musical inheritance.
Her grandfather, Dr Rajendra Krishna, is a renowned musician who runs a music school in Mathura.
Avantika Foundation chose 108 people from all walks of life, out of 600 names on its longlist. Agarwal said the organisation aims to promote and motivate talented people.
“We awarded her grandfather to motivate him to further help Aarohi, but if he does not do so, we will take back his award.”
BJP’s national vice president Purushottam Rupala was the chief guest at the function and presented the awards.
source: http;//www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News Home> City> Agra / TNN / April 25th, 2016
Princess Diana at Deewan-e-Aam at Agra Fort in 1992. (File Photo)
Two guides in Agra have been contacted by British High Commission for the royal couple’s visit on April 16. However, there is still no confirmation as to who will be deputed to guide the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.
One of them is Varun Rawat, whose father Mukund Mohan Rawat was the official guide to Queen Elizabeth (II) who visited the Taj Mahal in 1961, and Lady Diana in 1992. He was contacted by British embassy about six days ago.
Princess Diana signs the visitor book at Taj Mahal in 1992. (File Photo)
The other guide contacted by British High Commission is Shamsuddin, who is the former president of Approved Guides’ Association.
“My father was the official guide to Queen Elizabeth (II) in 1961 and her daughter-in-law Lady Diana who visited the Taj Mahal in 1992,” Varun said.
“My father used to talk about Lady Diana being a down to earth person with immense interest in the history and architecture of Taj Mahal,” he recollected. “He would tell me how Lady Diana interacted politely with the Taj Mahal ‘khadim’,” Varun said.
Varun had guided former US President Bill Clinton when he visited the Taj Mahal in 2000 and again in 2003.
source: http://www.hindustantimes.com / Hindustan Times / Home / Hemendra Chaturvedi, Hindustan Times,Agra / April 15th, 2016
India’s ‘Green Girl’ Yugratna Srivastava (19), a second year engineering student, will represent youth at the Paris convention on global warming. She is among the six participants selected by the UN for the April 22 ceremony – on World Mother Earth Day – where 150 countries would sign the Paris agreement in climate change.
Elated to be part of the event, Yugratna said, “COP21 (Conference of Parties) at Paris was close to my heart. When the Paris agreement was finalized after two hectic weeks in December, there was a sense of achievement worldwide. But more than that, there was an air of uncertainty. The dream is now turning into reality.”
She added, “I am happy that I will be representing youth and civil society at the ceremony. It is empowering to know that our voices are valued. Despite all differences, we all need to stand together more than ever to make this a reality.”
As to how she was selected, United Nations has rolled out a form for civil society participation wherein about 300 individuals from various organisations applied. Out of those, a selection committee formed by the UN picked six participants.
About 100 world leaders and 150 nations are expected to participate in the ceremony.
Last year, on the opening day at COP21, Yugratna had made a presentation to world leaders, including PM Narendra Modi and US president Barack Obama.
Prior to that, she had attended the conference of youths, held from November 26 to 28. There, she had to prepare youths from 66 countries to talk about climate change before world leaders at COP21.
“Youths participating in the conference made presentations on ‘climate crisis’ and concerns about environment conservation,” said Yugratna.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News Home> City> Lucknow / TNN / April 21st, 2016
From a 65-million-year-old fossil of a frog to a 5carat pure diamond and from a giant natural pearl from Basra to a recently formed basalt rock from Barren Island, the only living volcano in India, the Geology department of the Lucknow University (LU) has added 550 new rare exhibits to its rich collection at the museum. The collection will be on public display from Earth Day on Friday.
Other items include fossils of a 1,600 million year old alga, Grypania Spiralasis, which marked the evolution of earth, polished quartz; a Corundum mineral which produces gems like ruby, blue and yellow sapphires; unpolished, uncut and polished forms of garnet mineral of hessonite species (popularly known as Gomed) and a gallery of Stone Age tools collected from Mirzapur.
“Established in 1943 by Palaeobotanist Birbal Sahni, the museum already has over 2,000 specimens. The 500 new entries will not only help in research and education but will also be an attraction for visitors, particularly school children. Most important part is it will create awareness among people to preserve the earth to safeguard life in future generation,” said Vibhuti Rai, professor and head of the geology department, who collected new items for the museum in past two years.
Along with fossils, new additions to the museum include postal stamps on gem stones, fossils of extinct species, geomorphic features, etc, released from time to time.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News Home> Lucknow / TNN / April 22nd, 2016
A Jhansi youth completed the gruelling Ironman Triathlon held in Putrajaya, Malaysia. Last year, Bollywood actor Milind Soman had completed the same event in Zurich.
Rajat Pratap Singh, 26, participated along with 960 other contenders from all over the world with a physically demanding 21.1km running, 1.9km swimming in sea and 90km cycling — all in a back-to-back sequence in 80% humidity in the event held on April 3. He was one of the 400 finalists who completed the event in less than 8 hours, earning him the title of Ironman.
He is the only person from UP to have done it so far with a time of 7.07 hrs, almost a hour ahead of the stipulated time. Milind Soman had hit headlines last year for completing the same event in Switzerland at the age of 50. “Six months of hard practice and a strict diet control was what was required to achieve the feat in uncompromising weather conditions, with humidity ranging above 80% in Malaysia during the event,” Rajat told TOI.
Rajat said he could have improved the timing but for a ligament tear half way through the event. “Though doctors advised me to quit the race, I was determined to finish it. I had to do an ice message after every kilometer which spoilt my finish timing,” he added.
Son of a police officer of UP cadre posted in Jhansi, Rajat had left the city in an early stage for studies. He is a hardcore mountaineer who has opened an office in Pune to facilitate trekking enthusiasts.
After his graduation, he worked for a number of media houses but his passion was to “concur the heights”.
“During one of my business trips to Switzerland, I came in contact with some mountaineers who helped me change track in life. Till date I have climbed a number of peaks with the highest one being the 7,400 mts Mt Kabru in Nepal.Now I target Mt Everest or Mt Kanchenjunga if someone can sponsor me,” said Rajat.
His father Sharad Pratap said, “We never wanted our only son to go into adventure sports… we were against Rajat participating in the Ironmman contest, but after he qualified we gave a second thought.”
Rajat now aims to be a fitness icon for the youth. and to climb Mt Everest at the earliest
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News Home> City> Kanpur / by Arindam Ghosh / TNN / April 14th, 2016
