Ravi Kumar won bronze in the final of the men’s 10m air rifle
The shooter from Meerut finished with shots of 10.4, 10.1, 9.3 and 10.2 to finish third with a total of 224.1
Australia’s Dane Samson won gold while Abdullah Hel Baki of Bangladesh claimed silver
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New Delhi :
Bringing further laurels to India on what has turned out to be a super Sunday, shooter Ravi Kumar won bronze in the final of the men’s 10m air rifle to extend the country’s medal tally to 10 at the 2018 Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast, Australia.
Having entered the final after finishing second in qualifying, Ravi shot very well in the final even as compatriot Deepak Kumar bowed out, and it all came down to an intense tussle with Australia’s Dane Samson and Abdullah Hel Baki of Bangladesh. The shooter from Meerut finished with shots of 10.4, 10.1, 9.3 and 10.2 to finish third with a total of 224.1.
Samson claimed gold with a CWG record score of 245 and Baki took silver with 244.7.
Ravi, 29, entered the ongoing CWG with plenty of hope having clinched bronze in the 10m air rifle event at this year’s International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) World Cup.
Belonging to a humble family from Meerut’s Bhainsa village, Ravi obtained his first air gun after his farmer father Ajay Kumar – who left his job as a supervisor in a sugar mill in Khatauli to run a medical store – collected money from his relatives. Inspired from his mother’s maternal uncle Rajpal Singh and his Arjuna awardee son Vivek Singh, Ravi began shooting in 2007.
Earlier in the day, Ravi had finished second in qualification with a score of 626.8 while Deepak finished top with a Games record qualifying score of 627.2.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News> Sports News> Commonwealth Games 208 / TimesofIndia.com / April 08th, 2018
Punam’s younger sister Puja practices on indigenous weightlifting equipment in their native Dandapur village in Varanasi on Sunday
Lucknow :
Yet another farmer’s daughter Punam Yadav braved odds to add another shade of gold at the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games to India’s tally on Sunday.
While the 22-year-old from Dandupur village in Varanasi, was basking in glory in Australia, her elder sister Shashi Yadav talked about the roads of struggle they had to overcome before success came.
It wasn’t easy for the Yadav sisters – Punam, Shashi and Pooja who took to weightlifting despite coming from a family with moderate means.
Their father Kailash Nath Yadav being a marginal farmer, it was difficult for the seven siblings (five sisters and two brothers) from the very beginning.
“We had to struggle all through, not only financially, but also had to break through the societal pressure of playing sports despite being girls.”
Now with both Punam and Shashi employed with Indian Railways, there is financial stability in the family. “The best thing was that our father, himself a sports lover, backed us all through.”
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> News> City News> Lucknow News / by Asheem Mukerji / TNN / April 09th, 2018
CM with awardees at a function in Lucknow on Thursday
Lucknow :
Chief minister Yogi Adityanath gave away the prestigious Rani Laxmi Bai Veerta awards in Lucknow on Thursday. As many as 129 women and girls were awarded. The CM said his government was committed towards the security and welfare of women and all necessary steps have been taken in this regard.
Among the awardees was Pallavi Fauzdar Mishra, a solo lady biker, who is also fashion and jewellery designer. Pallavi made four back-to back world records by covering 3,500 km ride, more than 5,000 metre above sea level, from Delhi to Ladakh.
Speaking to TOI, 38-year old Pallavi, a resident of Lucknow now living in Delhi, who started riding a bike when she was nine, said, “Ek zindagi kam pad jaati hai bahut kuchh karne ko.”
With just a pack of inhaler, drinking water and some clothes, Pallavi started her journey in July 2015 from Delhi to Leh, Ladakh. It took her over seven days to cross eight high passes 5,000 metre above sea level and braved seven avalanches.
In September 2015, Pallavi drove up to 54 km ahead of Badrinath, Uttarakhand, crossing passes at 18,774 feet near Indo-Tibetan border, her world record.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News> City News> Lucknow News / by Urooj Khan / TNN / March 30th, 2018
Saahil Singh has just taken his spot in the room and started to perform a yoga asana with the agility of a gymnast. It’s no wonder because the 21-year-old has represented India as a swimmer in the Special Olympics Asia Pacific in Australia in 2013, winning a silver. A gold in the national championships had come in the same year.
On his birthday in January, he was made the station officer of a police station-a long cherished wish-and is now training to be an assistant teacher in sports at a school for special children.
His achievements are undoubtedly grand for a regular 21-year-old but Saahil is even more special. He has a genetic chromosomal dysfunction called Down Syndrome but is never pulled back by it.
In between colouring flowers on a paper bag and teaching yoga asanas to other specially abled children, Saahil said, “Mai kuch banna chahta hoon (I want to become somebody). I want to be a singer.”
He continued, “I will take my XII standard exam in April and then my yoga exam.”
Spending their time at Dosti-a school for the specially abled-children like Saahil have become role models for their peers with special needs.
Rishi Agarwal, 14, does not have clear speech but it is computers and technology that the young boy finds his calling in.
“He works on the system effortlessly. He is helping out his father in his business. He works on MS Excel and waits to be paid every month for it,” said his mother Bhawna, who is also a special educator at the school.
Class VI student Rishima Srivastava and class V student Abhishri Uniyal, who were in this class, have added a feather to their caps. Both have been integrated into mainstream education and study with other children.
For their parents, it is society’s role towards them that is of utmost importance.
“Society needs to be aware towards such children, deal with them patiently, let them be free and receive unconditional love from them in return,” said Surbhi Kapoor, principal of Dosti.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News> City News> Lucknow News> Schools & Colleges / by Yusra Hussain / March 21st, 2018
A beautiful wooden replica of Buddha’s stone image, which was sculpted during Gupta period and kept at the archaeological museum in Sarnath, has been prepared by a wood carving artisan Chandra Prakash Vishwakarma for the German president Frank-Walter Steinmeier visiting Varanasi on March 22. Besides, a handloom stole displaying Buddhist mantra ‘Buddham sharnam gachhami’ with peepal leaves has also been made by Bachchelal Maurya.
Since the German president will first go to Sarnath, where Buddha preached his first sermon after attaining enlightenment at Bodh Gaya, the artisans chose to make Buddhist crafts for him. According to the itinerary received here by the district administration, after reaching here on March 22 morning, he will first visit Sarnath to see Buddhist sites including Dhamekha Stupa, temples and monasteries.
“It took seven days to complete the carving of Buddha’s image on Kaima wood,” said Vishwakarma, a resident of Ramkatora area, adding that he created this piece of demand of Maha Bidhi Society of India. According to him, the 18×12-inches wooded carved image of Buddha is the replica of the 5th century stone statue put on display at Sarnath museum. According to the museum record, the stone image (155x87x27) of preaching Buddha is dated to Gupta period of 5th century. This image is remarkable example of the form of compassionate one in its spirituality and inner- bliss. The wheel (dharmachakra) occupies the central position on the pedestal. Figure of deer are placed on either side of wheel denoting the place as deer park. The figures of five disciples to whom Buddha preached first sermon are depicted along with a lady and child on the lower part of the image.
Similarly, master weaver Maurya, a native of Chhahi village, worked for 10 days to weave a stole using calligraphy technique showing –“Buddham sharnam gachhami, Dhammam sharnam gachhami, Sangham sharnam gachhami” with the images of peepal leaves. He said that he wanted to showcase the Banarasi art before the world leaders during their visits to the city. Germany is one of the big importers of traditional crafts of Varanasi and eastern UP, he said adding that during his visit to the city the French President Emmanuel Macron also appreciated handloom and other crafts.
Earlier, local craftsmen had also prepared exquisite artifacts during the visit of French President who along with Prime minister Narendra Modi visited the city on March 12. The artisans had prepared several exclusive art pieces of famed Gulabi Meenakari (Pink enameling), wood craft, soft stone craft undercut work, zari-zardozi art and handloom weave. They had also prepared beautiful gift items for the Japanese PM Shinzo Abe during his visit to the city on December 12, 2015. “Main objective of preparing traditional items for the international guests is to catch their attention towards the richness Banarasi crafts so that they could make place in international markets,” said an expert of Geographical Indication (GI) Rajni Kant of Human Welfare Association engaged in promotion of local art and crafts. He said that the art of Banarasi wood carving would get GI certification soon.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India/ News> City News> Varanasi News / by Binay Singh / TNN / March 20th, 2018
A group of citizens and some French nationals, including tourists, have formed a club to give a warm welcome to French President Emmanuel Macron and Prime Minister Narendra Modi during their proposed visit on March 12 and also work for strengthening ties between the people of the two nations.
Formal launching of the club took place at Assi Ghat on Thursday evening. “On my first India visit, I had seen the then French president Francois Mitterrand in Agra in 1982. And now on my 21st India visit, I am getting opportunity to see my President Emmanuel Macron in Varanasi,” said Mustafa, a 60-year-old native of Paris.
Mustafa was leading a group of French tourists who had come to Assi Ghat on Thursday evening to join the Indo-French Club, an initiative of some local youths to strengthen people-topeople contact ahead of the high-profile visit.
The club coordinator, Uttam Ojha, said: “We aim at bringing the people of the two nations at one forum to share history, culture, arts and food. The club will hold various academic, art and cultural activities for the next five days at the ghats along the Ganga by involving more French tourists.”
Portraits of PM Narendra Modi and French President Emmanuel Macron at Assi Ghat on Thursday ‘One life is not enough to discover India’
Like Mustafa, all French tourists in his group have been frequenting Indian tourist destinations for the past many years. Another Paris native, Fabien, who is in India for the12th time, said, “One life is not enough to discover India, which has different cultures in all its parts. I had come to India for the first time to attend marriage of a friend, but started frequenting this country because it teaches you to know what you are from inside and where you stand spiritually.”
“I gotinformation about Macron’s Varanasi visit two days back, when I had already booked a ticket to leave Varanasi on Friday. Had I been aware about my president’s visit before booking the ticket, I would have stayed on,” he added.
An elderly tourist, Marie, of Rennes city in France and her companions like Francoise were keen to know whether they can get passes to see Macron from close. Expressing similar intent, Mustafa also revealed how he converted to Buddhism in 1978 after getting inspired by Lama and visited India for the first time in 1982.
“I saw Mitterrand in Agra in 1982 and now will get a chance to see Macron in Varanasi. also a coincidence that I share my date of birth with Macron, which is December 21. I am his supporter,” said Mustafa, who will leave for Dharmshala in Himanchal Pradesh on March 14.
Several French tourists accompanying Mustafa said spirituality, culture, food and Yoga have always attracted the people of their country towards India.
An assistant professor of French in Banaras Hindu University, Geetanjali Singh, who also accompaniedthe members of this newly formed club, said: “In recent years we are seeing how French embassy is giving a push to the efforts of attracting Indian students towards France for higher and technical studies.
It is also resulting in increasing number of admission seekers in French language classes.” “Most of the students of foreign language are in French classes. It is expected that Macron’s visit will increase the charm of French learning as the number of tourists from France also remains very high,” she added.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News> City News> Varanasi News / by Rajeev Diksht / TNN / March 09th, 2018
Two students from the city have secured top positions in the International Benchmark Test – an international programme of assessments conducted by the Australian Council for Educational Research.
Class IV student Ayush Shukla (10) and Class IX student Atharva (14) have scored 100 percentile in the test. Both are students of City Montessori School.
While Atharva scored 100 percentile in science, Ayush has topped in all five different skills of English language which includes comprehension, grammar, punctuation, spelling and vocabulary.
Both students have been awarded prize money of Rs 50,000 each.
The programme tests knowledge of students in subjects like English, mathematics, science and Arabic.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News> City News>> Lucknow News> Schools & Colleges / TNN / March 19th, 2018
“We are now investigating if osteoarthritis is also associated with appearance of BMP signalling in the wrong place,” says Amitabha Bandyopadhyay (left) | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Permanent cartilage is formed in an embryo due to the mechanical movement.
Formation of joints in the developing embryo and their maintenance after birth is sensitive to mechanical movement. Now, researchers at Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur have deciphered the molecular mechanism underlying this phenomenon. They have demonstrated how permanent cartilage is formed in an embryo due to mechanical movement. They also found out how permanent cartilage is lost and temporary or transient cartilage is formed in its place in the absence of movement.
While permanent cartilage lines the joint, the transient cartilage is a bone-forming one. Earlier this group demonstrated that during embryonic development, a bipotential cartilage population gives rise to both permanent and transient cartilage. BMP and Wnt are two major signals regulating this process. While BMP promotes transient cartilage formation, Wnt promotes permanent cartilage formation.
In patients with osteoarthritis, the permanent cartilage acquires all the characteristics of a temporary cartilage, which affects joint function. Currently, in people with osteoarthritis, it is not possible to reverse the fate of permanent cartilage that has become a temporary-like cartilage. The work done by a team led by Prof. Amitabha Bandyopadhyay from the Department of Biological Sciences and Bioengineering at IIT Kanpur suggests that it might be possible to prevent osteoarthritis from worsening if intervened at an early stage. The results were published in the journal Development. The work was carried out in collaboration with the laboratory of Prof. Paula Murphy of Trinity College Dublin.
On-off switches
BMP signaling — which helps in the formation of transient cartilage — is normally not present in permanent cartilage cells in a joint. That transient cartilage forms in the place of permanent cartilage due to joint immobilisation was already known. And independently, the team had shown that BMP signalling promotes transient cartilage formation. “So we wanted to find out if immobilising the joints in a chick embryo allows the BMP signaling to come up in the joint cartilage cells. We did find that happening,” Prof. Bandyopadhyay says.
The investigation into what causes the BMP signaling to be present in future permanent cartilage cells when the joint is immobilised led them to a surprise finding. The lead author, Pratik Singh, found out that an inhibitor of BMP signaling (Smurf1) is absent in the joint that is immobilised resulting in increased BMP signaling. “The role of the Smurf1 inhibitor is to maintain a BMP-free area thereby enabling the progenitor cells to become permanent cartilage. But due to increased BMP signaling the permanent cartilage gets converted into transient-like cartilage,” says Prof. Bandyopadhyay.
The Smurf1 inhibitor is not directly involved in joint cartilage formation but creates an environment that permits the formation of permanent cartilage by keeping the BMP signalling under check. Mechanical movement seems to act like a toggle switch. In the presence of it, Wnt – the signal that promotes joint cartilage – is on and BMP signalling is off in the joint cartilage cells. The opposite is true when the joint is immobilized. This is the reason why immobilisation of joints causes greater disturbance to permanent cartilage than even inhibition of Wnt signalling.
“We are now investigating if osteoarthritis is also associated with appearance of BMP signalling in the wrong place. If so, we can block the BMP signaling in these cells during the early-stage of osteoarthritis to possibly prevent the condition from worsening,” he says.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Science / by R. Prasad / Chennai – March 13th, 2018
Hiding in a tree, she carefully took aim at the approaching British
The Indian Rebellion of 1857 against British rule saw some of the most ferocious battles fought across the nation. The soldiers were courageous and fought tooth and nail. While the revolt did not succeed, it went down in history as a righteous struggle.
Amongst all the illustrious freedom fighters, Uda Devi’s name stands out for leading one of the fiercest battles in Lucknow against the British.
Uda Devi hid in a tree, and took out more than 30 British soldiers without batting an eyelid.Representative image only. Image Courtesy:Wikimedia Commons
Born to a Dalit family in Awadh, Uttar Pradesh, Uda Devi at an early age, recognised the dissent the local people showed against the British Raj. She decided to contribute to the cause, and approached Begum Hazrat Mahal to seek help, in order to prepare for the battle against the British.
Begum Hazrat Mahal was kind and helped Uda Devi form a woman’s battalion, which the latter would lead herself. Thus, when Awadh was attacked by the British, Uda Devi and her husband became a vital part of the armed resistance.
The Battle in Sikandar Bagh
The Sikandar Bagh gate, where the battle took place.Image Courtesy: Wikipedia
In autumn 1857, north India was in a state of practical anarchy. A general revolt against the growing authority of the British East India Company consumed the cities of Delhi, Jhansi and Kanpur.
In Lucknow, a small British garrison clung stubbornly to life at the Residency (a collection of buildings) on the banks of the Gomti River.
Surrounded by rebels and bereft of adequate supplies, the small British contingent teetered on the edge of annihilation throughout the summer of 1857.
In November, General Colin Campbell broke through the enemy lines and managed to save the trapped garrison. This was the ‘Second Relief of Lucknow’, during which Campbell’s 93rd Highland Regiment advanced along the Southern bank of the Gomti, proceeding toward the Palace of Sikandar Bagh.
Here, the rebels fought desperately, after fortifying their position. A pitched battle ensued, leaving over 2000 rebels and soldiers dead, after a fierce hand-to-hand combat. It was during the battle that Uda Devi’s husband was killed. Enraged, the brave soldier decided to avenge his death.
On seeing the British army approach Sikandar Bagh, she climbed up a banyan tree, disguised as a man, and took aimed, killing 32 British soldiers.
Once the dust had settled, an officer noticed that many of the British casualties had bullet wounds that indicated a steep, downward trajectory.
The needle of suspicion naturally pointed to a sniper, who could be hidden in the nearby trees. British officers fired at a nearby pipal tree, and a rebel fell out of the tree, dead, her body riddled with bullet wounds. Upon investigation, it was found that the rebel was, in fact, Uda Devi.
The British were shocked when they realised the soldier was a woman. It is said that even British officers like Campbell bowed their heads over her dead body, in recognition of her bravery.
Uda Devi is indeed an inspiration, especially to women from non-dominant castes. Befittingly, on November 16th each year, the members of her Pasi caste gather at the site of her fall and celebrate her as a brave rebel, who defied all odds to take British lives, for a cause. It has been over a century since she was martyred, yet the memory of her sacrifice is kept alive by her community, which celebrates her unwavering and courageous spirit.
Uda Devi is also one of the inspirations behind an all-women battalion, of the Uttar Pradesh Provincial Armed Constabulary. The government is keen on recruiting women from OBC and Dalit communities in these battalions.
The women PAC battalions will help the government in crowd control, and during agitations where the participants are mostly women. The government is currently identifying land in Uttar Pradesh, where centres for training these women cops can be built.
The raising of women PAC battalions is an excellent step towards empowering the women from the weaker sections of society, and it is only fitting, that one of the units, derives its name from a ‘Dalit Veerangana’ like Uda Devi.
source: http://www.thebetterindia.com / The Better India / Home> Inspiration> Women / by Rayomand Engineer / March 01st, 2018
Barber scissors hand made in Meerut with scrap metal.
For the first time, a handmade tool from micro and small and medium enterprises in India has been registered for a geographical indicator (GI) tag, an official of a body promoting this sector said on Wednesday.
The tool is a pair of scissors made of metal scrap by a community in Meerut, which is “the only scissor cluster in India” and which has been making the product for more than three centuries, Karamjeet Singh Saluja, Deputy Director- Intellectual Property Rights, Federation of Indian Micro and Small and Medium Enterprises (FISME), IP Facilitation Centre, told reporters on the sidelines of an IPR awareness programme held here.
The programme focused on innovators, micro, small and medium enterprises and other industries. It was organised by the FISME, which promotes entrepreneurship and works to improve market access for these units. The IP Facilitation Centre, sponsored by the Development Commissioner, MSME, Union Ministry of MSME, facilitated the registering of the scissors for the GI tag. Sharif Ahmad, vice-president, Meerut Scissors Manufacturers Special Purpose Vehicle, and a seventh-generation craftsman, told The Hindu on the phone: “The GI tag will make a difference to us. No one else will be able to copy our scissors or misuse the made-in-Meerut tag our handmade scissors offer…”
The tag would enable the crafters to make scissors of standard sizes and of high quality, he said. At present, the size varies, from six inches to 14 inches, and the scissors are sold at a price ranging from Rs.20 to Rs.500.
Known for their sharpness, the scissors are used at home and by industrial garment manufacturers.
They can be repaired, unlike other scissors that are thrown out after use.
In the Uttar Pradesh Hindi, the phrase used to vouch for the quality of the scissors is Dada le, potaa barpe (a product bought by the grandfather, but which continues to be used by his grandson), Mr. Ahmad said, to underscore the scissors’ quality.
The Meerut scissors are made of carbon steel blades sourced from scrap metal found in cars, buses, trucks and railways. The handles are made of plastic, aluminium or alloys, which are sourced from old utensils. All the parts are pre-used. The first pair was made 360 years ago by Asli Akhun.
Meerut has 250 small-scale scissors-making units, employing 70,000 people directly and indirectly. Both the Central and Uttar Pradesh governments have helped the industry.
While men make scissors, women do the tasks that require handwork and pack the products.
They are sent only to the domestic markets, but the makers find it tough to meet the demand at home.
Mr. Saluja said the GI tag was given to products based on certain information submitted to the Geographical Indication Registry, Chennai: proof of origin, the GI map, the statement of case and the history of the product.
At present, the FISME, which is present in Delhi, Hyderabad and Bangalore, is working to get the GI tag for three more products.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Crafts / by Renuka Phadnis / Mangaluru – January 10th, 2018
