Monthly Archives: June 2015

Ram Prasad Bismil’s birth anniv celebrated

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Leaders, Records, All

Gorakhpur :

Various programs were organised in Gorakhpur to mark birth anniversary of Pt Ram Prasad Bismil on Thursday.

Rashtriya Sewa Parishad and Uttar Pradesh Yuva Kalyan Sangathan paid floral tributes to the freedom fighter, organised a seminar and a special prayer at Bismil Park.

The photograph of Ram Prasad Bismil was garlanded at Gorakhpur journalist association office.

While speaking on his life, Dr Ashok Srivastav, a social activist said, “Ram Prasad Bismil sacrificed his life for the country. He participated in Mainpuri conspiracy of 1918, and Kakori conspiracy of 1925 against British Empire. He was hanged in Gorakhpur jail on December 19,

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Varanasi / TNN / June 12th, 2015

UP starts cultural mapping of its rich heritage

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Records, All, Travel

Lucknow :

The UP culture department has undertaken a cultural mapping of its tangible and non-tangible heritage. In this a district-wise detailed inventory of music, dance, monuments and handicrafts would be prepared.

Anita Meshram, secretary culture, on Thursday said, “Cultural mapping will help in framing better policies to conserve the richness of heritage UP has.” Letters have been sent to the district magistrates to start the work at their level, she added.

A committee of officials and experts has also been formed at the state level for this work. The department has also prepared a directory of artists across UP which has the details of artists representing 30 forms in four areas namely theatre, songs, dance and music.

In another development, to associate children and youth with the State Museum, the culture department will organise free excursions at Lucknow, Mathura and Gorakhpur museums. Different activities will also be organised for the two groups to make the experience memorable. “We are in the process of tying up with the school,” she said.

* Artists to share experience with Gen Y: In a first, budding artists of UP will get guidance from culture custodians like Pandit Birju Maharaj, Nalani Kamalni, Muzaffar Ali among others. The department has planned a lecture-demonstration series for this.

* Resource centre at state archives: This would ease the process of spade work for any kind of research. The state archives will also start a series of theme exhibitions. “We have lot of material which may be divided into sectors like health, education, 1857, freedom struggle etc.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Lucknow / TNN / June 19th, 2015

Siddharth Univ becomes 25th state university

Education

Gorakhpur :

The 25th state university of Uttar Pradesh, Siddharth University, Kapilvastu, Siddharthnagar at Indo- Nepal border came into existence from June 17 after receiving the approval of Governor and formal order of UP government on Tuesday.

Around 185 colleges of various districts including Maharajganj in Gorakhpur zone, Siddharthnagar in Basti zone, Santkabir Nagar, Balrampur in Devipatan zone and Shravasti district will be affiliated with the varsity. The university is considered as the dream project of speaker legislative assembly, Mata Prasad Pandey.

The founder vice chancellor of the varsity, Rajnikant Pandey told TOI that chief minister Akhilesh Yadav is all set to develop residential facilities in the varsity for Nepalese students which will certainly strengthen the Indo-Nepal ties.

He said, “The foundation stone of the varsity was laid on October 30, 2013 by chief minister Akhilesh Yadav and at that time he made an announcement that the university will be activated in two years and the university started within two years which is remarkable. The varsity will certainly lighten the burden of DDU Gorakhpur University and RML Awadh University as 21 colleges of two districts which were under Awadh University and 164 colleges of four district that were under DDU Gorakhpur University will come under Siddharth University. The students taking admissions in session 2015-16 in all the affiliated colleges under Siddharth University will be the students of first session of Siddharth University. ”

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Allahabad / TNN / June 18th, 2015

Scoring century with a purpose

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

Lucknow :

Senior IAS officer Rajan Shukla on Sunday reached a rare milestone donating blood a hundred times. Along with other blood donors, Shukla was determined to continue the practice.

He termed it unfair to quantify the blood donation process (i.e. number of times a person has donated blood), and said, “The importance of blood donation lies in the timeliness of the act, as it can not only save a life, but also inspire others to adopt the practice.”

Before addressing the group of blood donors, Shukla ensured he registered himself for the 100th donation. Shukla is project co-ordinator (DASP) & principal secretary co-ordination department, government of UP.

A number of blood donors were felicitated on the occasion, including Sant Kamal Kishore (of Saharanpur), Pradeep Ishrani (Varanasi), Swarn Singh Insha (Ghaziabad), Iqbal Singh (of Bareilly), Arlin Mylicent (Gorakhpur) and B L Sharda (of Kanpur).

Sant Kamal Kishore of Saharanpur, who has etched his name in the India Book of Records for donating blood 128 times, said, “If all matchsticks are used for lighting the lamp, it may be difficult to light the same lamp next time. But, if one candle is used to do the same job, it can be repeated a number of times. The same concept holds true for blood donation.”

1965 born Pradeep Ishrani, donated blood for the first time, when was 18 year-old (1984), and on Sunday, he completed 81st blood donation in Lucknow. Recalling one of his earliest blood donation experiences, Ishrani said, “I was moved by an advertisement in a local newspaper requesting for some units of blood. After contacting the party, I went to a pathology to donate blood.” He said he was shocked when relatives of the patients asked him how much they should pay him for the timely blood donation. “This incident changed my life, and I decided to donate blood voluntarily,” said Ishrani.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Lucknow / by Arunav Sinha, TNN / June 15th, 2015

Artistic route, from kiln to kitchen

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Business & Economy

Ceramic wonders

CeramicLUCKNOW15jun2015

A 600-year-old pottery art, whose ceramics are alluring in their sheen, with multifarious shapes, beautiful colouring, varied sizes and usage, has drawn admiration from around the world. Khurja ceramics are made in a city by the same name in the district of Bulandshahr, in Uttar Pradesh, about 85-100 km from Delhi. The ceramic industry here is called the Khurja Whiteware Cluster. Due to the hundreds of factories here, Khurja is known as the ‘ceramic city’.

The ceramics are used for ornamentation, as utility items in the kitchen or as tableware. Vases, crockery (including beer mugs), pickle containers, pots, candle stands and jars come under the awning of Khurja-ware. Also included are artware, bone china crockery, stoneware, earthenware, toys and figurines, sanitary ware and other chemical porcelain items. Khurja ceramic gardening tokens in the form of flower pots and planters are produced.

The ancestry of Khurja pottery is attributed to the many potters who had migrated from Delhi to Khurja during the reign of Muhammad Bin Tughlaq. It is also possible that many potters had settled here from overseas. Khurja ceramics’s appeal is ascribed to their surface embellishment in the form of historical and contemporary designs. Tribal, floral, Mughal and raised motifs are many of the designs exhibited.

One can see many colours on the ceramics: startling shades of blue, sober or dark green, simple hues of white and off-white, glazed grey, sparkly yellow, deep chocolate, muddy brown, sleepy mustard and other earthy and vibrant shades. An old world charm and raw enchantment accompanies these ceramics.

Khurja and some places in Delhi that display these ceramics present a colourful ambience for tourists. Basic processes for Khurja ceramic and pottery creation are similar in most factories, but there are variations within a few units.

The old kilns (downdraft) and the new, more efficient shuttle and tunnel kilns, firing systems and improved methods for the processing of raw materials are used for the production of Khurja ceramics. Raw materials used are China clay, Bikaner clay, ball clay, kundan clay, feldspar, quartz… Generally for ceramics, first the chosen clay is prepared, and depending on the output, it is made to undergo a specific procedure — throwing, turning, casting, jiggering and jolleying — to form greenware (a stage of clay), which is later fed into a firing system. Some products are glazed first, then fired.

Brothers S P Dadoo and Hari Dadoo founded Dadoos Ceramics in Khurja, in 1975. Naman Dadoo, Hari Dadoo’s son, shares, “We are involved in the creation of tableware, like plates, bowls, coffee mugs — in fact, most crockery, and artware, like flower vases, home decor like oil burners and potpourri. The raw materials used are 50 per cent clay and 50 per cent quartz, and feldspar (this could be potash or soda.) We also add some chemicals. Clay options available are China clay, Than clay, Amrapali clay… We usually get our clay from Rajasthan and Gujarat. We follow the jigger-and-jolley process. Moreover, hand-painting is done prior to glazing and firing.”

About the colours on the ceramics, Naman Dadoo explains, “We use high-temperature ceramic colours and chemical oxides in powder form. Colours are blended to prepare new ones. All the designs are hand-painted. Some are called decal prints. We use food-grade paints. There is no lead in our products. They are high-fired wares, that is, fired at high temperatures and are safe for food storage. It’s all handwork. Colours are stronger in Khurja ceramics, unlike on Jaipur pottery, which is only for the purpose of decoration. They use low-fired products and limited colours like blue, yellow and green.”

The brothers inform that their products are exported to Europe, Australia and USA. And, in the domestic segment, they cater to retail and hotel industry.

Images of moulds of clay, machines and processes, a potter’s wheel, handiwork, skills and patience of those craftspeople corroborate the essence and long-standing tradition of Khurja pottery. Coloured motifs following part narratives are engaged permanently on surfaces. Even monochromatic ornamenting, perfected by painters and craftsmen, makes the final pieces exquisite. Of course, they catch everyone’s attention.

source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> Supplements> Sunday Herald – Arts & Culture / by Trisha Bhattacharya, DHNS / June 14th, 2015

Kaushambi’s banana may land up in export basket

Agriculture, Business & Economy

Allahabad :

The low-priced Kaushambi banana may find its way into country’s export basket.

The Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) of the Union government has agreed to set up a ripening centre at Mandi Samiti premises in Kaushambi. As many as 2,132 farmers may get an opportunity to export G-9 variety of banana to foreign countries, including West Asia and Sri Lanka.

A two-member APEDA team arrived in Kaushambi to analyse the prospects of export and held a meeting with district officials.

District horticulture officer (Kaushambi) R S Yadav said: “The district is one the biggest centres of banana production. The crop is cultivated in around 1,785 hectare of land here.” As many as 2,132 farmers are engaged in production. Around 650 quintals of banana per hectare is produced annually. In total, around 1.16 lakh quintals is cultivated.

Kaushambi MP Vinod Sonkar has taken initiative to invite the officials of APEDA and explore the possibilities of export.

Allahabad and Kaushambi regions are known for banana cultivation. Officials claim that there was demand for G-9 variety from many states.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Allahabad / by Kapil Dixit, TNN / June 07th, 2015

‘Fabricator’ on world tour after losing a leg

Inspiration / Positive News and Features, Sports

Allahabad :

BV Narayana was in his early twenties when he lost a leg after being hit by a group of motorcyclists. After three decades, he decided to tour across the globe to make people aware of traffic norms so that they could be saved from the pain that he had to undergo.

A sports and adventure enthusiast, Narayan had earlier gone around the world, covering 59 countries on bicycle in 1979 when he was 19 years old. Narayana started his journey from his birthplace Bangalore on February 5. He passed through the city on way to Delhi on Monday for onward journey that covers around 90,000 kms. He has designed a vehicle in which his bags, medical kits and other items have been kept.

He said, “I want to sensitise people about physically and mentally disabled persons and above all, I want to ensure that people especially children learn traffic rules and strictly abide by them.”

Narayana, who is employed as a marketing executive at a transport company, opts to call himself a ‘Fabricator’. He designs special vehicles for physically disabled by modifying the ordinary vehicles.

Narayana has put a banner on his bike in which he has make an appeal to parents not to give vehicles to minors, use helmet while driving two-wheelers and not to talk on cell phones while driving. He has also make an appeal to get the blood group of bridegroom checked before marriage.

“Scientists says that same blood group of bride and groom may results in deformity of future generation so I have displayed this prominently,” he said. He intends to tour 25 countries across in West Asia, Africa and Europe. “After receiving visa from Delhi, I would to Mumbai from where I have planned to catch the flight to UAE,” Narayana said.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Allahabad / by Vinod Khanal / June 02nd, 2015

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