Acknowledging their contribution to sports, vice-chancellor of Chaudhary Charan Singh University, Dr NK Taneja, felicitated three women wrestlers of Rustam-e-Jama Dara Singh wrestling stadium of the varsity for bagging three gold medals at the 12th South Asian Games-2016 held at Guwahati in Assam.
The winners received a rousing reception upon their arrival in the city on Wednesday.
Stadium coach Jabar Singh told TOI, “Our three-member girls’ team participated in the South Asian Games, which kicked off on February 5 and will continue till February 16. Our players, Priyanka Singh, Archana Tomar and Rajni, participated in the categories of 48 kg, 55 kg and 69 kg, respectively. All our players bagged gold medals in their group.”
Stating that it was a moment of great pride, he added, “These gold medals will not only boost the morale of girls but also motivate other girl wrestlers to excel in the sport.”
While felicitating the gold medallists, V-C Taneja said, “The girl players have done us proud. They exhibited extraordinary talent. I also want to congratulate their coach Jabar Singh, who toils hard to train them. All of them have brought laurels to the varsity.”
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News Home> City> Meerut / by Pankul Sharma / TNN / February 11th, 2016
Abhishek Kumar Sharma has submitted his findings with the Centre (TOI Photo)
Aligarh :
The year will end on a “clean” note for 28-year-old Abhishek Kumar Sharma, a research student of environment at Kanpur University, who began a journey on bicycle in November 2014 to endorse Prime Minister Modi’s Swachh Bharat Abhiyan. Sharma completed the trip on December 22 and has staggering numbers and remarkable insights to talk about.
Sharma covered 20,000 km across 25 states, met chief ministers of 18 (Kerala was the best experience as CM Chandy was readily available), interacted with 402 district magistrates and addressed lakhs of students in over 200 lectures on environment and cleanliness.
Sharma submitted his findings with the Union urban development ministry on ‘How to Make Waste our Wealth’. The first seven days were tough: starting from Uttar Pradesh to Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, he battled cold in December, January and faced extreme heat in May-June in Rajasthan and Gujarat.
In Sharma’s opinion, with sensible solid waste management one can make wealth out of waste. “Mysore is the cleanest city. They have a self-sustainable model of waste management wherein they segregate waste as organic, inorganic, and recyclable. Kachra or junk goes to kabadiwallahs, organic waste is used for bio-fertilizers. I think South India is cleaner than North India,” he said.
Also, on his journey around India he found villages cleaner than cities. “This means educated people litter their surroundings expecting someone to pick it up,” he said. A village in Punjab, which has the same sarpanch for the past 15 years, is mentioned by him because the sarpanch invented interesting ways to keep his surroundings clean and healthy. “He made a biogas plant for all to use free of cost,” Sharma said.
The Smart Cities plan can only be successful if surroundings are clean and waste is managed effectively. “Municipal corporations should go beyond dumping waste – from one site to another, honestly that is all they do. To be able to make wealth out of waste they should segregate waste as organic, inorganic, recyclable and so on and put them to use accordingly.”
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News Home> City> Agra / by Eram Agha, TNN / December 28th, 2015
City boy, Ishan Kalhans, student of class IX in La Martiniere College has become a ‘Renowned National Shooter’ under the National Rifle Association of India (NRAI). He scored points much above the threshold in the category at the 59th All India Shooting Championship 2015 on Sunday. Along with this feat, Ishan is now eligible to appear in selection trials for the Indian rifle shooting team.
Ishan scored 580.5 points at the championship held at Dr Karni Singh Shooting range in Delhi in the under 18 ‘Youth’ category in the 10 meter air rifle shooting. “The player needs to score above 570 points to be able to achieve this title. I have become a national qualified shooter now,” said Ishan. After this, he will be participating in the KSS tournament scheduled at Kerala in February 2016, where trials for the Indian team will also be held.
The young boy was inspired by his father Siddharth Kalhans, who had earlier been an air rifle shooter. In 2014, when Ishan’s principal introduced the sport in the school, he started practising and participating. Taking up target practice for three hours daily, he first took part in the Uttar Pradesh State Shooting Championship in 2014 and won bronze medal. This year, he won silver medal in the same championship and also won silver medal in 10meter air rifle team in Uttarakhand State Shooting Championship, 2015.
He owns a German air rifle and wants to take up air rifle shooting along with Indian Civil Services in future. Ishan aspires to represent India at the Olympics.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News Home> City> Lucknow / TNN / December 15th, 2015
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
When Suresh Pal Singh took his first long distance trip on a motorcycle from Agra to Kolkata on a Royal Enfield motorcycle at the age of 19, little did he realize that his passion for riding would make him set a record 43 years later. Meet 62-year-old Singh, a retired mechanical engineer, who has become one of the very few senior citizens from the country to have accomplished the “Saddle Sore” endurance ride, certified by the Iron Butt Association of USA. This competition requires a motorcyclist to cover 1,000 miles (1,610 km) in less than 24 hours.
Astride his Royal Enfield 500, he commenced his ride on October 10 from Agra at 10pm. He traversed the Yamuna Expressway, Delhi, Gurgaon, Jaipur Ajmer, Beawar, Pali and Dingai, before returning by the same route to arrive at the start point on October 11 at 8:40 in the evening. He travelled the requisite 1,000 miles in less than 23 hours, stopping only for fuel and nourishment every 250-300 km during the course of the ride.
“As per my calculation, I was aiming to complete this challenge in less than 22 hours, but for a traffic jam at Gurgaon and refueling problem in Rajasthan,” said S P Singh, adding that he will now be pursuing for Limca Book of Records as well.
The Saddle Sore challenge conducted by the Iron Butt Association is a strong group of 50,000 toughest motorcycle riders worldwide, who share their experience on safe long distance motorcycle riding.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News Home> City> Agra / TNN / October 15th, 2015
Rinku and Dinesh cracked Major League Baseball, a story that inspired a Disney film
Sports and drama are inseparable, and when they combine on the screen, it becomes an irresistible watch. Million Dollar Arm , which premiered on Indian television recently, was a film waiting to be made. The real-life events that inspired it were a gripping saga of grit and determination, a striking David and Goliath plot.
Rinku Singh
Two boys from rural Uttar Pradesh win the “Million Dollar Arm” talent show and go to the U.S to train in, and eventually to play, professional baseball. After rigorous training, Rinku Singh and Dinesh Patel performed in front of talent scouts from 20 Major League Baseball teams in November 2008. The Pittsburgh Pirates signed them, becoming the first Indians to win American Major League Baseball contracts.
Dinesh Patel (above) and Rinku Singh showed immense grit.— Photos: Special Arrangement
In a telephone interview, the pair discusses the challenges and joys of their unusual journey.
“Dinesh and I were javelin players. We went to a small college in Lucknow and trained there and played a couple of international events and represented India. But our life took a complete turn and we have got a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” Mr. Singh said.
The talent show is the brainchild of a sports agent, Jeff Bernstein, who was inspired by Yao Ming, a Chinese athlete and basketball player with major success in American sports.
Bernstein watched a cricket match on ESPN and noticed that the bowlers were delivering at high speeds, something that could work well for baseball. So he created a television show that would find the strongest throwing arm in India and the programme would offer $1 million to anyone who could throw three consecutive balls at more than 145 kmph. It came to be called the “Million Dollar Arm”.
“They went all over India and they could not find anyone who could through hard and fast, and finally Dinesh and I went to the ‘Million Dollar Arm’ competition and both of us got a speed of 145 kmph,” Mr. Rinku said.
Glitzy turn
Their story was turned into a major Disney movie, directed by Craig Gillespie and with screenplay written by Tom McCarthy. Jon Hamm, famous for his role in the television series Mad men , plays Bernstein. Suraj Sharma plays Rinku Singh and Madhur Mittal, Dinesh Patel.
As part of the competition, the two had to travel to the U.S. to train and get a chance to try out professional baseball.
“After we won the competition in India, we were taken to America, to a new country where we did not speak the language; it was a totally different world and we had to play baseball which was a sport that we had no idea about. At that point, we did not speak any English; there were times when we would try to go get food but we could not order anything,” Mr. Singh said.
“We felt like we were not cut out to play baseball because we saw the other players and they were really good. They have been playing this their whole life, ever since they were kids and here we were 18-19-year-old kids going for try-outs to play professional baseball. The experience of the life there itself was amazing. I am still on the journey and trying to make it to leagues. I want to represent India and be able to support youngsters back in India who are not able to have three meals a day. The goal is to be able to give an opportunity to India, and to open up huge doors,” he said.
While he is still in the U.S., working through an injury, to make it for the next try-outs, Mr. Patel is back in India. “I left the U.S. in 2011 and came back to teach kids in India how to play baseball. I just finished my graduation in English and Hindi and even went to China in 2012 to learn how to be a baseball coach. I am still involved with the Million Dollar Arm project and I spent some time with Gaurav, who was the second season winner and helped him train in baseball. The next season is starting as well. So I will be involved with that.”
He just had a baby girl last week and is looking forward to spending time with her, “It’s good to be back home with all this new learning, I want to help more kids to learn and love the sport to hopefully have them train and go to America. I want to teach my daughter to play javelin, I am not sure about baseball.”
Mr. Singh interrupts him and says in Hindi: “ Agar aapki beti ko baseball khelna hai tho hum use sikaenge (If your daughter wants to play baseball, we will teach her).”
The two have surely come a long way from children playing a different sport in a college ground in Lucknow.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> National / by Rini Mukkath / Mumbai – October 14th, 2015
Aparna Kumar, a 2002-batch IPS officer added another feather in her cap on August 4 when she scaled Europe’s highest peak Mount Elbrus (18,510 feet) in Russia. She hoisted the Indian and UP Police flags there.
Aparna Kumar is the first officer of the All India Services (IAS/IPS/ IFS) to scale this summit, according to inspector general of police (law and order) A Satish Ganesh.
No stranger to success as a mountaineer, she received the Rani Laxmi Bai award from chief minister Akhilesh Yadav in March this year after having scaled Mount Aconcagua, the highest peak of South America.
Earlier, she had successfully scaled Carstensz Pyramid in Indonesia and Mount Kilimanjaro i n Tanzania. Recounting her experience, Aparna says, “I was part of the 14-member expedition team that scaled Mount Elbrus. I was afflicted with diarrohea when our team arrived at the base camp for the expedition. The weather also turned inclement when we started climbing. But I did not lose confidence and decided to move ahead. Hoisting the national and state police flags on the highest peak of Europe was a moment to cherish.”
Expressing concern over the dumping of garbage near mountain peaks by tourists, Aparna said it would make an adverse impact on the environment. “We carry bags to pick up plastic bottles and other material left by tourists at the base camp. An Indian Army team visited Nepal to collect the garbage dumped near Mount Everest,” she said.
A graduate of the National Law College-Bengaluru, Aparna said, “My next expedition will be to Antarctica to scale Mount Vison Massif, the highest mountain peak (on the icy continent).”
Aparna was on an expedition to scale Mount Everest in April when an earthquake rocked Nepal. “We had scaled 23,000 feet and were told to return. After completing the Antarctica expedition, I will try to scale Mount Everest again next year.”
source: http://www.hindustantimes.com / Hindustan Times / Home> Cities / HT Correspondent, Hindustan Times,Lucknow / August 13th, 2015
For 14-year-old Akash Mishra, a student of Lucknow’s Guru Gobind Singh Sports College, it is hard to tell when soccer turned from pastime to passion. But it sure yielded fruitful returns as Akash and 14 other children from across India have been chosen for a six-year training programme in Germany, during which the youngsters will train under coaches from Bundesliga Club TSG 1899 Hoffenheim.
Son of a farmer from UP’s Balrampur district (Tekuhikala, Pilibhit), almost 160 kilometres from the state capital, the family was initially reluctant to send their only son abroad, but when they saw the training facilities in Mumbai, their doubts and anxiety were gone.
Mishra, who plays at left full back position in his team would be leaving for Germany on Wednesday (August 19), and hopes to represent India in the FIFA World Cup 2017 (for the under-17 age group). Speaking to TOI, Akash said, “I was surprised when I came to know I had been selected for the training programme in Germany. I never expected to make it to the training schedule of Bundesliga.” Mishra and 14 others were selected through a massive talent hunt conducted across 50 cities of India in the presence of experienced coaches of the German soccer club.
Elaborating about his training module, Mishra said he is working on a strategy to use his right limb optimally to yield positive results. “In a tournament held in 2014, we were told about the possibility of selection for the German training programme,” said the budding soccer player, who idolises Cristiano Ronaldo and ace Indian footballer Baichung Bhutia.
Proud of his son’s exploits, Anil Kumar Mishra said, “We were reluctant when Akash was coming to Sports College Lucknow and when we came to know about his chance to go to Germany for a six-year training programme, we told him to decline the offer. But my son and his coaches convinced us about the bright prospects in sports, following which we relented.” Akash’s younger sister is happy for him.
“During the 6-year programme in Germany, Akash would get a chance to be with his family every six months,” said Anil Kumar.
Praising the budding footballer, coach Mahesh Gawali said, “TSG 1899 Hoffenheim is one of the best training grounds in the world and Akash would benefit from the exposure. He is a natural left-footer, a rare characteristic seen in Indian footballers. This will definitely give him an edge over others. Apart from this, he is dedicated and disciplined, an essential pre-requisite.”
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News Home> City> Lucknow / by Arunav Sinha, TNN / August 20th, 2015
The holy month of Shrawan brings along several traditions unique to a particular area. Sangam City too has a unique tradition of organizing age-old ‘Ghehre Baazi’ (‘Ghehre’ means steps and ‘Baazi’ means bet) or Ikka Daud (horse cart race) on Yamuna Bank Road on every Monday of the holy month.
The race has a 200-year-old history. The tradition was started by pandas of the city and they have continued to patronize it. Around 1940s, zamindars of Allahabad and neighbouring areas started participating in this unique race.
Winner gets accolades and appreciation of the cheering crowd as a reward for winning the strenuous race. No money is given out. “This public appreciation provides an unexplainable satisfaction for the ‘saais’ (horse keeper),” says Badre Alam, who has participated in at least 30 races and won 10 of them.
Alam’s forefathers were zamindars of Katra. He has continued his family tradition of participating in the race, which he feels “is an example of the Ganga-Jamuni tehzeeb of the region. It is held on Monday of Shrawan. Both Hindus and Muslims participate enthusiastically in this race.” Continuing in the same vein he says, “Shiva signifies ‘shakti’ (power). Horse too symbolizes power. Hence, the race is held in Shrawan.”
“The race is unique in many ways. As per the rule, horses used in commercial activities are banned. Only racing horses can canter (movement of horse wherein it moves in fast steps) and not gallop,” says Badre and adds this race helps horse cart owners prepare for the 14-km-long competitive race held in October-November held on the route between Hanumanganj and Shashtri bridge or Sahson and Phaphamau. “This race too is quite prestigious and witnesses participants from Lucknow, Kanpur, Mirzapur, Pratapgarh etc,” he said.
Badre Alam relies on Sindhi horses for Ikka Daud. “Sindhi horses brought from the Sindh province of Pakistan are the best for the purpose. They have inborn talent for moving fast on sand and not gallop. We bring these horses from the famous animal fair of Barmer,” said Alam.
Even the cart of this unique race is equally special and manufactured in Delhi. The huge wooden wheel and the riding platform are made of Shisham wood and best ball bearings are used to give it required speed.
“Two persons sit on a cart. One handles the horse through leash and another, sitting in the rear, navigates the cart by informing the location of other competitors,” he said Alam.
Another regular participant Lalji Yadav, who has named his horse ‘Bhaiya’, said, “It is a pity that no one cares about offering prize money for the horse. Even pigeons are more fortunate as they at least get a prize after winning tournaments held for them.” He also wants proper security during race. “The district administration should see to it that people don’t jump on the road and no vehicles should be allowed on the track,” he demanded.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News Home> City> Allahabad / by Rajeev Mani, TNN / August 18th, 2015
Ace powerlifter from Mirzapur Nidhi Singh Patel bagged bronze at the 2015 Asian Powerlifting Championship held at Queen Elizabeth Stadium in Hong Kong on Thursday.
Her coach Kamlapati Tripathi told TOI that she lifted 345 kg in senior women (57kg) category. Though she was suffering from typhoid and was under medication, she made it successfully. According to him, she also has a chance to get silver if the dope test of gold winner is found positive.
It may be mentioned here that Apna Dal member of Parliament (MP) from Mirzapur Anupriya Patel provided Rs 1.5 lakh to Nidhi Singh to help het participate in the event. Belonging to a poor rural family Nidhi has earlier won 5 gold, 1 silver and 1 bronze in international events, and 5 gold, 2 silver and 3 bronze in national events. It was difficult for Nidhi, a native of Pachera village in Mirzapur district, to arrange the amount for her foreign trip. Her father Girija Prasad Singh Patel is a fourth grade employee at a college.
Earlier also, her three foreign trips to Manila (Philippines), Taiwan (China), and Bournemouth (England) became possible after help from private donations. While she bagged five gold medals in 2011 Commonwealth Powerlifting Championships in England, she won silver in Asian Benchpress Championships in Manila in 2010 and a bronze Asian Benchpress Championships in Taiwan in 2011.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Varanasi / TNN / July 25th, 2015
