Category Archives: World Opinion

India, Japan sign MoU to develop Varanasi into ‘smart city’

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Green Initiatives / Environment, Nature, Records, All, Travel, World Opinion

Kyoto :

Varanasi, which Prime Minister Narendra Modi represents in the Lok Sabha, will be developed into a ‘smart city’ by using the experience of Kyoto, the ‘smart city’ of Japan, under a pact signed here on Saturday.

A partner city MoU was signed by Indian ambassador Deepa Wadhwa and Kyoto mayor Daisaka Kadokawa at a ceremony witnessed by Modi and his Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe.
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The MoU, which was signed soon after Modi’s arrival here on a five-day visit, provides for cooperation in heritage conservation, city modernization and cooperation in the fields of art, culture and academics, external affairs ministry spokesman Syed Akbaruddin told reporters.

This will serve as framework for smart heritage city programme between the two countries, he added.

Kyoto, which is a he​ritage city with Buddhist culture, provides special symbolism to the visit as the Prime Minister has the vision of “rejuvenating” Indian cities.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> India / PTI / August 30th, 2014

Admin steps in to restore Moti Jheel

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

Agra :

The district administration has initiated steps to restore the Moti Jheel that is located behind Fatehpur Sikri fort complex, following the directions from the central government.

The project is aimed at rediscovering the beauty of this Mughal lake by preventing encroachments and settlements around it. The union tourism ministry wants the water body to be restored near the Unesco heritage site (Sikri fort complex) so as to promote tourism in the area.

Speaking on this aspect, district magistrate Pankaj Kumar said, “The Moti Jheel is a massive project. So, in the meantime we plan to build a pond nearby the fort. The biggest obstacles that would make the task of reviving the Jheel quite difficult, are the settlements and farm lands, surrounding it.”

“The work for constructing the pond will start in the next 15 to 20 days. As far as the Jheel is concerned, we have two options – either we compensate the villagers and ask them to vacate the land or convince them for the same. We are looking in to the matter,” Kumar added.

Sources said kumar recently conducted an inspection of the area along with a team of revenue and irrigation department officials to identify the area, where once this lake existed. The officials were asked to demarcate the lake area with the help of old maps. They were also directed to file a report on the size and appropriate depth of the lake.

The project has been gathering dust for the last two years, but revived once again during the visit of union tourism minister Shripad Naik, who instructed the ASI and the local administration to look into the feasibility of restoring the Moti Jheel.

An ASI official said, “It is the responsibility of the administration to restore the lake. There are historical evidences about the Jheel and about its tributaries. No doubt, it will take time to acquire land before restoration work can starts.”

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Agra / Aditya Dev, TNN / August 25th, 2014

British era police records to be preserved

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

Allahabad :

The Allahabad police has found police records of British era in which casts of Urdu alphabets were used to lodge FIRs as well as maintain records. Now, these records would be preserved for posterity with help from historians and experts of Allahabad museum.

The records, dating back to 1896, reveal that the Britishers had laid emphasis on maintaining history of each and every case systematically in Conviction Registers (CR).

Interestingly, every case registered in a CR had its serial number along with name of convict and number of history-sheet, percentage and caste, place and date of conviction, offence category, punishment awarded, place of crime committed outside village and remarks.

Apart from this, the records had other details also like notes on crime in the village with special references to fractions, land or water dispute, presence of criminal tribes or gang, occurrence of obstructions or damage to railway line within the village, special outbreaks of crime in the village.

SSP, Allahabad, Deepak Kumar said, “After collecting the old police records from different police stations, we have decided to preserve them technically and scientifically. Maintenance of records revealed that the Britishers were keen to compile special references to fraction village wise, land or water disputes as well as damage to railway line within a village.”

Interestingly, the police authorities have decided to consult Allahabad Museum experts and eminent historians to know more about the records and how to preserve them scientifically.

The records also indicated that in British era, ‘gopniya patrikas’ (secret reports) were being prepared regarding public movements, i.e., dharna, demonstration and violence in which a senior police officer also put his remark. The main record was known as conviction register and contained details of criminal cases along with all details.

The Britishers had maintained area wise Village Crime Note Books (VCNBs) like Chowk, Colonelganj, Civil Lines. Each VCNB was divided into five sections. The conviction register was the main part of VCNB while other details were compiled in different sections. The Britishers also had a list of names of respectable persons (area wise), licenced arms holders, people of a particular caste, religion along with religious places.

The British era cops used to take pains to gather and note down all inputs about the people and the area under their jurisdiction and the seniors were putting the remarks once or twice in a year.

The police have also found the notes wherein special remarks were put regarding a particular incident. For instance, a paper wherein an inspector rank police officer had on August 8,1966 noted down his remark regarding an incident of public agitation over power crisis was also found.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Allahabad / Kapil Dixit, TNN / August 21st, 2014

Calligraphy fans come from Jaipur, Japan to hone skills

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Education, World Opinion

Allahabad :

In a bid to revive the glory of dying art of calligraphy, youngsters from Jaipur to Japan have assembled here to receive training of the art from Hyderabad-based artist Mohammad Nayeem Sabri. Majority of them do not are experts in Urdu, still they want to carry forward the legacy of this art.

On Friday, TOI spoke to trainees and trainer in the ongoing workshop at Allahabad Museum.

Harpeet Kaur Chabra, a Sanskrit calligrapher, came to know about the training workshop from social site, Facebook in Jaipur. She contacted Allahabad Museum and sought permission to attend the workshop.

“I am a professional dealing with Sanskrit manuscripts and not well acquainted with Urdu language so I decided to participate in the week-long training sessions,” Chabra said.

Asuka from Japan, who was researching on Urdu, joined the workshop to carry the dying art to her country.

“Calligraphy is a medium of expression practiced in English, Urdu and Arabic and others languages. Since I am researching on Urdu, I decided to join the workshop to hone my skills,” Asuka said. Hamidia Girl’s Degree College (HGDC) principal Rehana Tareeq invited her to join the diploma course in calligraphy in her college also.

HGDC student Farheen Kausar and 15 others have decided to join the workshop.

“We are from fine art background, so we decided to learn the difficult form of art. We have added innovations to it by using brush strokes in calligraphy,” Farheen added.

Calligraphist Mohammad Nayeem Sabri (86), who had dedicated his life to the art after getting relieved from 48 years of service as engineer in Hyderabad, said: “There are couple of girls who can make it big in the art of calligraphy if they practice under the guidance of experts.”

“The art is found on nearly every monument in India and even in English there is a immense scope. The calligraphy at Qutab Minar, Taj Mahal had attracted tourists worldwide. At present, this art is passing through a poor phase so I hope government will look into it.”

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Allahabad / by Vinod Khanal, TNN / August 23rd, 2014

Jhansi soldier won Victoria Cross

Amazing Feats, Records, All, World Opinion

The 7th Light Cavalry, based in Babina in Jhansi was one of the unit that participated in the World War I.

As per records, the unit fought in two theatres of the war. It fought in France in European theatre and later in Middle East.

It won three battle honours in Persia, Marv and Afghanistan.

Not only this, one of the soldier of the unit, Lance Daffadar Gobind Singh was awarded Victoria Cross, the highest gallantry award during WW1 for his role in Battle of Cambrai

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Allahabad / TNN / July 28th, 2014

Vodafone celebrated Independence Day in Lucknow with Delights Kite Festival 2014

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Business & Economy, Science & Technology, World Opinion

Lucknow :

Vodafone India, one of India’s leading telecommunications service providers, commemorated the 68th Independence Day with ‘Delights Kite Festival 2014’ in Lucknow. The one-of-its-kind festival is very popular among the residents of Lucknow. The festival is known for its innovative collection of kites, flown by enthusiasts beaming with sense of pride and free-spirited joy.

One of the special attractions for this year’s festival is the participation of international kite flyers — Mehul Pathak, Andang and Ide. They enthralled the crowd with their kite flying skills and made the event even more memorable. They have participated in numerous international kite shows across the globe. In all, 300 number of people participated in the Delights Kite Festival 2014.

Navneet Sehgal, principal secretary information graced the occasion as the Chief Guest. Appreciating the initiative, he said, “It is a great concept by Vodafone to celebrate Independence Day with the people of Lucknow. I had a wonderful time being part of the celebrations and witnessing the sky full of colours.”

Speaking about the Delights Kite Festival, Pankaj Thapliyal, Business Head, UP East, Vodafone India said, “We at Vodafone are always looking at opportunities to delight our customers with a unique and differentiated experience. It was our endeavour to celebrate the 68th Independence Day in a memorable way with the residents of Lucknow. We decided to celebrate the freedom of expression by making the sky full of colours creating a great spectacle. I am sure people had a good time with their friends and family on this special occasion.”

The gathered crowd witnessed kites of innovative shapes and designs being flown around. Innovative kites like Sponge Bob, 3D Nimo Fish, Pilot Kite 8 sq mtr, Box Kite, Ring kite-10 mtr, Aero Snow, 200ft King Cobra kite, Lobster Kite, Octopus Kite, 3D Parafoil Bee Kite, Long Japanese Girl Kite, Fan Kite, Ring Kite, Opera Mask Kite and 3d Boat Kite were flown.

To ensure a fun filled day for the visitors, various exciting competitions like kite cutting, innovative kite making and kite painting were organised. Over 10,000 people attended the festival.

Vodafone India is a 100 per cent fully owned subsidiary of the Vodafone Group with operations across the country serving over 170 million customers. Commencing operations in 2007, Vodafone in its long-term commitment to India, has built a robust business in a highly competitive and price sensitive market.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Lucknow / Priyanka Singh, TNN / August 20th, 2014

West UP birds like Red-headed falcon now ‘endangered’

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Green Initiatives / Environment, Nature, World Opinion

Meerut :

The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) in its updated ‘Red list’ has featured three birds of UP West – the red-headed falcon, the woolly-necked stork and the Himalayan griffon. The last of these migrates to West UP in winter.

These birds have been added to the list of endangered species recently released on IUCN website. The list is based on the studies jointly conducted by the Bombay Natural History Society and Bird Life International, based in UK.

Rajat Bhargava, ornithologist and senior scientist, BNHS, said, “The inclusion in the list means these birds have now entered the threatened zone. Out of these three birds, the Himalayan griffon is an occasional visitor during winter.”

This year, 172 birds from India are in the endangered list, seven more than the 165 listed last year. “The main reason for the dwindling population of these birds is the shrinking grasslands and wetlands, the natural habitats of these species. Industrial activity and use of chemicals in agricultural processes also threaten these birds”, Bhargava said.

The Himalayan griffon, a species in vulture, has been hit by the use of the anti-inflammatory drug diclofenac, administered to livestock, on which the vultures feed. The increased number of crows and stray dogs, that also feed on carcasses, threaten the vultures.

Birdlife International is the official agency responsible for preparing the IUCN Red List of globally threatened birds. This was earlier done once in three years. The list is now revised every year.

Caption: Woolly-necked stork is seen during winters in cultivation and marshy areas of Meerut. It feeds on lizards, frogs, crabs and large insects.

Caption: Red-headed falcon prefers open country with wide cultivated plain along with groups of trees, groves and villages, and avoids dense forest. Pairs usually hunt in concert by driving prey (small birds, rodents and lizards) out from leafy branches.

Caption: Himalayan griffon is among the largest birds, a species of vulture, and perches on rocks and makes a rattling sound when descending on a carcass. They feed on old carcasses, sometimes waiting for a couple of days near a dead animal.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Meerut / by Sandeep Rai, TNN / August 09th, 2014

40 students from 7 districts express their heritage in German

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Education, World Opinion

Allahabad :

Sangam city witnessed a unique confluence of German and Indian culture when around 40 students from seven districts of the state assembled to creatively express the heritage and tradition of their respective cities in German language. The occasion was a German language camp organised as a part of Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE)’s German language school curriculum. The programme was being conducted by Kendriya Vidyalaya, Varanasi region and Max Mueller Bhawan.

Take for instance the pictorial description of Varanasi with caption by students of class 7 and 8. With ‘Gott Buddha’ for ‘God Buddha’, ‘Fluss Ganga’ for ‘flowing Ganga’, ‘Der Tempel’ for ‘Temple’ and ‘Der Sari’ used to describe the popular Banarasi sari, the poster by students presented a live picture of the city as a cultural-heritage city.

Students from the KV of Allahabad, Rihandnagar, Basti, Shakti Nagar among others expressed themselves in German. 13-year-old Pratyush, student of KV, who gave a vivid description of Varanasi as ‘Banaras is a heritage city through which river Ganga flows. It flows silently…The city lanes are crowded and traffic snarls…’.

Commenting on the workshop and programme, project coordinator at the Goeth Institute, New Delhi, Puneet Kaur said, “children from Kendriya Vidyalas of Allahabad Region have assembled to improve their German language skills while discussing their immediate environment in their city.”

The workshop concluded with the valedictory session, addressed by the deputy commissioner KVS Varanasi Region, PV Sai Ranga Rao. Interacting with the students, he said, “the efforts put in by the host school, KV New Cant is worth an applaud and so is the enthusiasm of the students.”

He also said a collaborative programme such as this would help students in shaping their career as learning German as a second language gives them better prospects.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Allahabad / TNN / August 07th, 2014

The Mehedis of Aligarh – sherwani makers for presidents

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Business & Economy, Historical Links / Pre-Independence, Records, All, World Opinion

Aligarh :

Mehedi Hasan of Aligarh has served as tailor to former presidents Sanjeeva Reddy, VV Giri and Fakruddin Ali Ahmed. He is reputed to have stitched 175 sherwanis for former president Zakir Hussain, who donned these in all his 17 years of political life.

Mehedi Hasan’s shop was set up in 1947, the year India became independent. These days, the renowned tailor’s sons Anwar and Akhtar Mehedi carry forward the sartorial legacy.

Vice President Hamid Ansari, Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi, former prime minister Manmohan Singh, actors Saif Ali Khan and Raj Babbar, RLD chief Ajit Singh and Somnath Chatterjee, formerly of the CPI-M, have all donned Mehedi sherwanis. Rahul Gandhi’s body is easy to design for, the tailors say, while Satpal Maharaj is rather “complex”!

This Eid, the brothers are hard at work. Anwar, an engineer by training, pursued his father’s trade and entered into tailoring as he finds it far more creatively satisfying. “I learnt from my valid (father) the secrets of making a perfect sherwani. The art lies in getting the right cut and fitting and a graceful fall. Tailors in Delhi are also making sherwanis but they cannot get the right fit, all of them are making free-size sherwanis!” Anwar says.

In the month of Ramzan, the sherwani assumes formal importance,

“That is because of iftar parties, which are formal. Sherwanis go with the feel of the get-together, and has a regal look. We can’t wear this and go for work. It is too formal to be worn at the workplace. Even today, I stitch sherwanis for the DIG, DMs commissioners for iftar parties,” Anwar says.

This Eid, orders have been pouring in from across the country. The Mehedis are catering to demand for sherwanis from Mumbai, Pune, Madras, Odisha and Jammu & Kashmir. Orders from the USA, UK, UAE and Australia are also received, the Mehedis say.

“There is slight change in the demand. Youngsters want modern elements in the sherwani, so we give them open collars. But the demand for the traditional style is higher,” Anwar Mehedi says.

Visitors to the shop can see the register, which has letters from the secretaries of presidents praising him or his father for their sherwanis.

The Mehedis prefer working with silk wool, polywool and terrawool – these fabrics give a nice fitting, they say.

“The art lies in the details, and in observing the body type – shoulders, back, chest and arms, and the grace of the fall. Everything needs to be taken care of.” Anwar Mehedi said, adding, “Fat people think it won’t look nice on them, but the sherwanis gives their bodies shape because they are made to fit the body frame.”

As for women, he says: “I have made some five sherwanis for women, and sent them to the USA. But then, which woman will spend between Rs5,000 and Rs15,000 on a garment that is not-too-embellished or fancy?”

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Agra / by Eram Agha / July 29th, 2014

Allahabad dentists to attend training in Seoul

Education, Science & Technology, World Opinion

Two dentists of the city, Dr Sandeep Singh and Dr Vaibhav Shukla has been invited to Seoul in South Korea for ‘Advance training programme in implant dentistry’.

The training is organized by a South Korean company in implant dentistry and education. The two will join five other dental surgeons from Singapore.

Foundation Day: Indian Institute of Vegetable Research (IIVR), organized a programme at Dahakudandi village of Sonabhadra district to celebrate the 85th foundation day of ICAR.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Allahabad / TNN / July 18th, 2014