Category Archives: Records, All

Neglected 300-yr-old Ayurvedic manuscripts to be preserved

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Historical Links / Pre-Independence, Records, All, Science & Technology

Allahabad :

Regional Manuscript Library, the lone government manuscript library in the state, has added to its treasure around 300-year-old manuscripts of medical papers and volumes penned by Ayurvedacharyas, who have elaborated symptoms and cure of common and chronic diseases by Himalayan herbs. The medicinal plants described in the manuscripts are now on the verge of extinction.

The original manuscript kept in a dark and damp room lies neglected away from public eyes. Experts have failed to find the authors of couple of letters and date was yet to be ascertained. The first one, which could be for scholars and medicos, is a medical volume ‘Vaidak Granth’ by Ayurvaidacharya Ramvinod Ramchandra Shastri. It describes symptoms and cure of 201 diseases.

The volume comprising 209 papers also has an index of diseases. The medical volume was said to be over 250 years old but experts have failed to use modern technology to find out the actual period to which the papers belongs. In the modern era of pathological tests, the manuscripts also throw light on ways to identify diseases by the colour of urine. Apart from common cold, fever, stomach related ailments, migraine and epilepsy, the letters also suggest treatment of gynecological diseases by certain herbs.

Researchers could benefit from medical letters. The manuscripts originally had 209 letters but two are missing. “‘Yog Chintamani’ is another Ayurvedic manuscript that the library has. It was authored in 1722 and sought by researchers as it is said to be a complete medical guide,” Amit Agnihotri, regional archive officer and in-charge of library said.

The papers are in poor condition. The actual date of the diary and name of scholars were yet to be researched. But by gauging the condition, the date is around 300 years old. Another one is ‘Ayurvedic Nighantu’, which describes medicinal qualities of various herbs and shrubs founds in northern India.

The papers are in Sanskrit and majority of plants mentioned are now endangered and rare. “The manuscripts are being preserved by cleaning with chemicals like chlorobenzene and keeping them away from humid and moist weather,” Agnihotri added.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Allahabad / by Vinod Khanal / June 01st, 2015

UP ‘miracle baby’ born at 750gm, fits into palm

Inspiration / Positive News and Features, Nature, Records, All, Science & Technology

Aligarh :

Doctors at a local medical facility in Aligarh are in disbelief as they attend to a baby who just 750 gm, and almost fits in the palm. Born pre-mature at seven months to Pinki, 20, from Chandaus village, the baby is said to be stable, but still under high-risk.

According to doctors, the normal birth weight of the baby should be around 2.6 kg and the condition is ‘extreme high-risk’ when the weight at birth is less than 1000 gm.

Gynecologist Anjula Bhargava, who delivered the baby said, “The mother had various complications when she came to us. So, we had to go ahead and deliver baby. At seven months, the baby should be at least 1.5 kg. This is a tiny baby with partly developed respiratory system, among other difficulties. He needs to be immediately shifted to a bigger facility to survive,” she says.

But the father of the baby, who’s a BSF jawan, is unable to afford the cost of the treatment outside Aligarh. Immediately after the birth, on May 21, when the family went looking a facility in town, they were simply turned down by because of the risk involved.

They finally managed to admit the baby at Aligarh’s Makhan Lal Hospital & Child Care Centre, where he’s presently undergoing treatment.

Child specialist at the Centre, Dr Sunil Gupta, said, “We took him only after making it clear that there is no guarantee of his survival, though we will give our best. In this case, the mortality rate is high. They told us how they spent hours looking for the right medical facility. All I can say is the child is lucky to survive with no medical care for hours after the birth. A normal child should weigh 2.5 kgs at the birth and lesser than 1.6 kg is low birth weight, and lesser than 1,000 gm is extreme low birth weight.”

At the centre, he is being continuously being supplied with oxygen to strengthen respiratory system. The treatment is also on to keep away Septicemia (blood infection), and to make sure that he tolerates feed, said Dr Gupta.

Uncle of the baby, Om Prakash, who is a farmer, said they were heartbroken when they first saw the baby. “We did not know where to go for help. We just wrapped him in a cloth and rushed from one medical centre to another in the scorching heat. When three centres turned us down, we lost hope. Now the doctors tells me his condition is improving,” he says.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Agra / by Eram Agha, TNN / May 25th, 2015

This two-wheeler won’t budge without helmet

Inspiration / Positive News and Features, Records, All, Science & Technology

Lucknow :

His innovation has power to save lives. On Monday, Himanshu Garg, a student from Agra, received cash prize of Rs 5 lakh from Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav for developing a technology that ensures a motorcycle cannot start until the rider straps on a helmet.

For Himanshu, it is not his first experiment with practical science. His most recent innovation involves a bike that not does start unless the rider wears a helmet. More over, the engine’s power will be cut off if the helmet is removed during the ride.

The electronic fuse can be charged with a solar panel or mobile phone chargers. The price of the helmet, once the prototype is finalised and ready for commercial use, will be higher than of regular ones. Garg also said on Monday he had earlier developed a technology that could prevent train collisions by bringing a train to a halt at a 300 meter distance of each other if they were on the same track. He also said he was felicitated by former Railway minister Mamata Banerjee for his feat.

On Monday, the wiz kid demonstrated the technique in the presence of Akhilesh at the latter’s official residence. Lauding his efforts, the CM recommended that industry bodies like ASSOCHAM help commercialise the product. Announcing the award to facilitate more innovations by Garg, Akhilesh also said his government will set up an Innovation Fund to encourage scientific temper among students.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Lucknow / TNN / April 07th, 2015

Sangam city safeguards rare ‘Agamas’ of Jainism

Historical Links / Pre-Independence, Records, All, Travel
Sangam City is a proud custodian of rare manuscript of a scripture related to 'Agamas' or 'shastra' of Jainism based on Lord Mahavir's teachings
Sangam City is a proud custodian of rare manuscript of a scripture related to ‘Agamas’ or ‘shastra’ of Jainism based on Lord Mahavir’s teachings

Allahabad :

Sangam City is a proud custodian of rare manuscript of a scripture related to ‘Agamas’ or ‘shastra’ of Jainism based on Lord Mahavir’s teachings. A few of its verses are even coated with gold. The script of this rare invaluable manuscript is yet to be deciphered. Experts believe that the text could be in the oldest spoken language of ‘Prakrit’. However, few others believe that the script could also either be Sanskrit, Oriya or Bengali.

The manuscript, currently in the possession of state’s only Government Manuscript Library, has remained out of public eyes owing to paucity of fund. For record sake, the library has been safeguarding the manuscript for the last 55 years.

Due to lack of proper conservation and preservation technique, several lines of ‘verses in gold’ faded away in 1987. Later, the then officials re-wrote the missing part with yellow ink. Currently, the regional archive officer has the additional charge of the library owing to absence of experts.

Regional archive officer Amit Agnihotri said that since the manuscript kept at library was in Prakrit language prevalent among common masses around 2,000 years ago, its composition in writing started around 10th Century AD. “The minute gold work started in later period so its date could range from 1500 to 1600 AD,” added Agnihotri.

He added, “We are in the process of engaging Lucknow University and IIT-Kanpur in conservation and identifying the language in which the texts are written.”

Highlighting the importance of ‘Agamas’, former dean of Allahabad University and an expert in Jain literature, PC Jain said: “Earlier teachings of Lord Mahavir were passed on by his disciples by word of mouth owing to absence of writing technique. Over 500 years after the Nirvana of Lord Mahavir, some disciples led by seer Pushpdant started compiling Lord’s teachings in taadpatra (palm leaves) at a place, around 35-kms from Mangalore in Karnataka.”

For the last three decades, Jain has been involved in restoring places visited by Lord Mahavir during his life time.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Allahabad / by Vinod Khanal, TNN / April 03rd, 2015

Katheria pushes for Agra’s less known monuments

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Historical Links / Pre-Independence, Records, All, Travel

Agra :

Agra is a home to around 100 centrally protected monuments. Most tourists, however, visit only the Taj Mahal, Agra Fort and the nearby Fathehpur Sikri. Union minister of state in the Human Resources Ministry and Agra MP Ramshankar Katheria has now sought that the Centre take steps to promote Agra’s less popular tourist destinations, so that those arriving in the city are also encouraged to stay longer.

Among the lesser known monuments are the tomb of Mariam-uz-Jamani, Rajput princess who married Mughal emperor Akbar and mother of Jahangir. The structure in which the tomb was laid was built originally by Sikandar Lodi in the late 15th century; the tomb was laid in it by 1623, and a crypt was made below the central compartment by the Mughals, who substantially remodelled the structure.

The Roman Catholic cemetery in the Civil Lines area, considered among the oldest Christian cemeteries in north India, is also a little-visited spot of tourist interest. Many early European adventurers and travellers have been laid to rest here. Many of the gravestones date back to the 17th century.

Chini ka Rauza (chini refers to the colourful tiles; rauza is a funerary monument) is the tomb of Allama Afzal Khan Mullah, who served as prime minister in the court of Shah Jahan. It dates back to the year 1635. The building represents a milestone in Indo-Persian architecture, and is the first building in India to have the glazed tiles that give it its name.

Kanch Mahal at Sikandra, near Akbar’s tomb, was used, some historians say, as a hunting lodge by Jahangir. This monument too is not very well known to visitors to the city.

Just five km from the Taj is Ram Bagh, the oldest of Mughal gardens in India – laid by the founder of the dynasty, Babur. This garden too does not see as many visitors as it might, if it were better promoted.

Mehtab Bagh, an integral part of the gardens around the Taj, also sees few visitors. The Chhatri of Raja Jaswant Singh – which some claim is the only monument built by a Hindu in Agra in the time of Mughal rule – is also a neglected monument.

Katheria pointed out that the website of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) does not offer descriptions of the lesser known monuments. Information and photographs of these too should be uploaded, the minister said, in a letter to Union tourism minister Mahesh Sharma.

Sources said Katheria was raising this issue as Mahesh Sharma is set to visit Agra on April 8.

Rajiv Tiwari, president of the Federation of Travel Agencies, said, “Many less known monuments are dilapidated, many have become a den for anti-social activities. Travel agents cannot risk allowing guests to include them in their itinerary.”

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Agra / by Aditya Dev, TNN / April 04th, 2015

All women bus service in Lucknow

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Inspiration / Positive News and Features, Records, All, Travel

Lucknow :

After earning accolades for the introduction of the 1090 Women Powerline in the state, the UP Government seems to have its eyes set on making UP women-friendly . Come May and Lucknow, along with five other cities in the state, are going to see the introduction of an exclusive intra-city bus service for the fairer sex. Tentatively called Sakhi, the buses would ply on the city roads just like the regular ones, but would cater exclusively to the ladies.

“We are aware that women face a lot of hassles while commuting in the city . Keeping this in mind, we have decided to launch an intra-city bus service exclusively for women. In a month’s time, Lucknow, along with Varanasi, Allahabad, Kanpur, Meerut, Agra and Mathura would have their own bus service for the women. There are similar services running in many Indian cities including Mumbai, Bangalore, Chennai and other cities down South,” says Mukesh Meshram, Managing Director, Uttar Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation.

He adds, “The State Government has set up a Dedicated Urban Transportation Fund, which has a kitty of Rs 225 crore per annum. This money will be utilised for the procurement of new buses and improvement of infrastructure. The buses will be equipped with a vehicle tracking system, GPS and CCTV cameras. The conductor would also be a lady , but the driver, for the time being at least, would be a male. We were hoping to find female drivers, but we are yet to find them. The search is still on,” says Meshram.

The UPSRTC launched a similar service on February 27 called the Pink Express. However, that service is inter-city , with the all-ladies luxury bus, equipped with WiFi, CCTV cameras and GPS, plying between Lucknow and Ghaziabad.Initially started as a weekly service, the Pink Express is now set to operate daily between Lucknow and NCR from April 1.

`WON’T MIND USING PUBLIC TRANSPORT NOW’: Young female students of the city , who were till now wary of travelling in public transport in Lucknow, let alone buses, are all praises for the introduction of an allladies bus service in the city . Says Nandini Singh, a second-year English Literature student at Amity University , “I generally avoid using public transport in Lucknow. To commute to college too, I use a private van, or sometimes ask my father to drop me. Basically , I’m not very comfortable with the idea of travelling in public buses or auto rickshaws. But yes, with the introduction of such a service, I won’t mind travelling in it.”

For Hitisha Goel, a student of Lucknow University , public transport wasn’t even a choice, but she feels that the allwomen bus service initiative will have more women opening up to the idea of using public transport. “I would normally not use buses or autos, but with a service like this, obviously there is a sense of security that will come in. I won’t mind sitting in a bus like this now,” says Hitisha.

`FINALLY A SAFE ALTERNATIVE’: For city women, no mode of public transport is 100 percent secure. But a service catering to just the ladies would definitely change things to a large extent. “I live in a hostel, so I have no option but to use public transport. Till now, I was using auto rickshaws because they’re relatively safer than buses. Only twice have I travelled in a bus in the city . But whether I’m in an auto or a bus, I have to cover my face with a dupatta all the time. Men just stare at you or in worse cases, even grope. So a facility like this is a blessing in disguise. I will definitely skip the autos and use this,” says Vatsala Pushpender, a thirdyear dentistry student at BBD University .

“People think that travelling on a rickshaw is safer than travelling in a bus, but I’ve experienced eve-teasing on a cycle rickshaw too. So in those terms, this bus service will definitely solve the purpose.But I just hope that they maintain a certain standard of hygiene in the buses, something which is absent in public transport,” says Anupriya Agarwal, an entrepreneur in her twenties.

`NO HAGGLING WITH THE AUTOWALLAHS’:Anurita Sinha, a third year English Honours student at Lucknow University , feels that the service will not only be safe, but also easy on the pocket. “I normally commute using auto rickshaws. This all-women’s bus service is definitely a brilliant idea. Obviously they will be much safer and cheap too, which autos in the city aren’t. The autowallahs charge an arbitrary amount and don’t go by the meter. I don’t travel by bus just coz of the safety factor, even though it’s extremely cheap. This service will really ease things out,” says Anurita.

Sadaf Zaidi, a first year student at Lucknow University, is also thrilled that there’ll be finally some respite from the autos. “So to say, the autos are private, but the drivers stuff so many people in one auto. In buses, even though there are specific seats reserved for ladies, men sit there and refuse to budge. So this will be a great relief,” says Sadaf.

`HOPE THEY MAINTAIN THE FREQUENCY’: Apurva Tewari, an engineer in her twenties, hopes that the service will have a high frequency for it be feasible. “I remember a similar service starting in Lucknow a couple of years ago, but since the frequency was very less, it was stopped.But the buses were always full. I hope this time they initiate the service with a high frequency of buses which have a fixed timetable. It’ll really reinstate my faith in public transport in Lucknow,” says Apurva, who has to turn towards auto rickshaws when using public transport. She adds, “Autos turn out to be very expensive, so it’s going to be feasible on that front too.”

“I hope these buses will ply at night also. That way , the problem of us travelling alone at night will be solved. It will instil a sense of security among girls,” shares Garima Singh, a second year Arts student at IT College.

source:http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Lucknow / by Saloni Tandon, TNN / March 30th, 2015

Not here to give up, says Agra’s 1st woman loco pilot

Inspiration / Positive News and Features, Records, All

Agra:

Hailing from Samastipur, Bihar, life for 23-year-old Sharda has been on the fast track since her completion of diploma in electrical engineering. She is the first woman assistant loco pilot (ALP) for an electric power run train in the Agra division of north central railway. There are four women ALPs in the team of 367 who ferry goods and express trains.

Sharda, who was on training for almost a year, now ferries passengers bound for New Delhi. On every alternate day, she assists her loco pilot for safe journey of passengers travelling in Agra-New Delhi intercity.

As an ALP, Sharda’s job is to check engine components and coordinate with control room for any emergency and technical snags.

Coming from a middle-class family of Bihar, Sharda says, “No one in my immediate family is working for railway but everyone is really supportive of me and my work.”

On her journey to the job, Sharda said, “After intermediate, I opted for electrical diploma, during my course I came across an interview of girl who hailed from Odisha and was the first ALP for her division. Since then, I had been aspiring to be one and now I am.”

“After clearing the entrance for the ALP post, my best friend Meenu Srivastava and I were trained and commissioned on the same day. At present, Meenu is an ALP at Tundla,” she said.

When questioned how does she feels for being the only woman to be ALP for electric run engine, she said, “Often, I’m been demotivated by some of my male colleagues. They say it’s a difficult job for woman, but I’m not here to give up. No job is difficult for a woman or for that matter to me.”

Like Sharda, there are three more women ALPs in Agra division. Yadav, Rinki Kumari and Pushpa Verma are working as ALPs in diesel engine trains.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Agra / by Arvind Chauhan, TNN / March 22nd, 2015

With right click, city photog clinches Rs 75L in Dubai

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Records, All, World Opinion

Lucknow :

A sudden splash of green amidst a riot of colours and perfect timing in taking the shot helped Lucknow Arts College passout Anurag Kumar bag a prestigious photography award that came with a cash prize of Rs 75 lakh.

“Holi celebrations at Nandgaon and Barsana (Uttar Pradesh) are attended by people from all over the world in large numbers and it is tough to get the perfect shot,” Kumar told TOI on telephone from Dubai, where he won the Hamdan Bin Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum International Photography Award (HIPA). “I had spent a lot of time at the scene, when suddenly a man threw greenish blue colour on the riotous crowd. That is when I got my shot,” added the 29-year-old on the making of the coveted picture. Officials at his alma mater from where he passed out in 2011 are set to honour Kumar for bringing fame to the college and the country.

A native of Chauri Chaura in Gorakhpur district, Kumar pursued graduation and post graduation from Lucknow Arts College and had photographed the Nandgaon Holi scene as part of his travel photography portfolio. In the fourth edition of the Dubai competition, 60,000 photographs from 166 countries had been submitted. The award constituted by the crown prince of Dubai has brought Kumar the opportunity to prepare his photography paraphernalia and portfolio much more professionally. “After the ceremony, winning photographs were put up on display. Many Indians living in Dubai came up and told me how proud they were of me. At that moment it became not just my prize, but India’s grand prize,” he said. Learning photography under Bhupesh Little, it was the appreciation he got that motivated him to keep clicking.

“It is a proud moment for all us. Our students have received national and international accolades, but this one in photography is huge and the biggest so far,” said Arts College principal P Rajiv Nayan, adding, “Once Anurag is back, we will honour him for the achievement and organise interactive sessions with him and the current batch of students.”

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Lucknow / by Yusra Husain, TNN / March 20th, 2015

In Their Shoes: Can Agra’s leather industry regain its lost glory?

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Business & Economy, Records, All
A still from In Their Shoes
A still from In Their Shoes

In Their Shoes, Atul Sabharwal’s documentary on the leather industry of Agra, is making all the right noises. Atul reveals the idea which prompted him to go ahead with this documentary.

“I realised that my father was slowly nudging me out of the family business. The same was happening to my brother as well. My father is a man with a great foresight and he wasn’t happy with the current situation of the family business. He had this idea that it’s going to be a bad phase in future. When I assessed the entire situation, I came to the conclusion that there are certain issues which need the government’s attention,” says Sabharwal.

Sabharwal had already made a mega TV show Powder before directing the Arjun Kapoor-starrer Aurangzeb in 2013, but then he decided to trace his roots.

“See, Aurangzeb was the stepping stone in my career as a filmmaker. That happened and thus after it I decided to go with this documentary because it was also a quest to find answers to some personal questions.”

He further says, “I had some money saved from my fee as director from Aurangzeb. I invested that in ‘In Their Shoes’. I also did some writing assignments. The film was shot in 2013, so it kind of developed brick by brick. Also, the studio was very supportive. I made the film first. I got the first voices first and then later supported them with research during editing.”

There are hardly any filmmakers in Bollywood who go to documentaries after making a hardcore mainstream commercial film. Clearly, Sabharwal is not one of them. “The commerce of Hindi films is different, and making films just for the sake of making it was never my criteria. In my opinion, such constraints should never stop a filmmaker from doing a film of his or her choice.”

Agra is an integral part of In Their Shoes. Atul says, “Agra is very important in the film. Similarly, Mumbai was central in Powder and Delhi-NCR, in Aurangzeb. I was born and brought up in Agra, so it had to bear an impression on the film. There was a strong emotional connect as well.”

“Agra needs the government’s attention. Our shoe industry is getting killed due to the dumping of Chinese goods. It’s time to act to rebuild the age-old industry, especially when our honourable PM has announced the Make In India campaign,” adds Sabharwal.

(Interact with Rohit Vats at Twitter/@nawabjha)

source: http://www.hindustantimes.com / Hindustan Times / Home> Entertainment / by Rohit Vats, Hindustan Times, New Delhi / March 16th, 2015

Meet the Muslims who make ‘Holikas’ for Holi eve

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Records, All, Uncategorized

Meerut:

Nine months ago, Teer Gran in Meerut was in the news for all the wrong reasons – communal clashes had broken out, claiming one life. Several people were injured. Few are aware, however, that Teer Gran is home to the Muslim families that make the colourful Holikas that Hindu communities traditionally burn on Holi eve. This locality is also called ‘Holi Mohalla’.

Around 25 Muslim families here make more than a 1,000 Holikas which find their way to various west UP cities besides Meerut. Mohd Yunus, 50, has a small shop near the lane leading to Bhairon Temple. On Tuesday, there were numerous life-size effigies, decked up and colourful, with feminine features, lining his shop.

“Holika symbolizes victory of good over evil. Hindu legend has it that after demon king Hiranyakashipu demanded that he be worshipped, his son Prahlad remained defiant, and said he would only worship Lord Vishnu. The king’s sister Holika, on instructions from her brother, attempted to burn Prahlad alive by taking him in her lap and sitting on a pyre. Holika had a magic shawl with which she could save herself from burning. She hoped her nephew would be reduced to cinders. When the fire was set, however, the shawl flew and enveloped Prahlad instead. Holika was burnt to death. Prahlad escaped unhurt,” Yunus explains.

For generations, Yunus’ family has been making effigies of Holika that are burnt on the eve of Holi festivities.

“We have no records, but for hundreds of years our family has been making these effigies.” There are about 25 Muslim families that make Holikas in Holi Mohalla. The effigies are made with waste paper, masks and colours.

Shaukat Ali, another resident of the area, said, “We need to make about 1,000 Holikas every year. These travel to Muzaffarnagar, Baghpat and Muradnagar.”

The Holika effigies are the work of entire families. With time, interestingly, volumes have grown. Mohd Wasim, an effigy maker, said, “Earlier, communities would select one place to burn the Holika, which was made on order, and would be quite tall and expensive – we have made effigies 20 feet tall, costing about Rs 2,000, at least. Now, as cities have expanded, even small colonies have their own Holika burning ceremony. Volumes have grown, but the size of each Holikas has shrunk. These days, we make Holikas about five feet tall, costing about Rs 250 each, at most.”

While the Muslim families here make Holikas ahead of Holi, they also make effigies of Ravana ahead of Dusshera. “The Ravanas are rather more difficult to make. For the rest of the year, we make decorations for temples and mosques,” Wasim said.

Asked of his experience during the riots last year, Yunus said, “Buddhi bhrasht ho jaati hai logon ki (people go out of their minds) in time of riots. No one wants riots. These are all politically motivated, and everyone only suffers a loss. Thankfully for us, every time communal tension happens here, Hindu friends ask me to move to a safer place and take responsibility for my shop.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Meerut / by Sandeep Rai / March 03rd, 2015