Bengaluru’s designer Ajay Kumar marks his fashion week debut with his quirky menswear collection
At first look, Ajay Kumar’s clothes scream “look at me”. Face to face with the quirkily-dressed man, and you know his collection is all him. He’s wearing floral-printed cream pants, a white sharply cut bib shirt, sports a very Italian brown-brogues-without-socks look, a waxed twirly moustache, and a Mohawk hairdo to boot. He shows me a flaming red jacket he usually wears.
“I like flamboyant,” he declares with a hearty laugh and a twinkle in his eyes. A NIFT graduate who’s worked with Blackberry’s, Indigo Nation, Reid & Taylor, and Peter England, Ajay has embarked on his own creative journey now — he will be launching his eponymous menswear label “Mr. Ajay Kumar” at the Gen Next designer platform of Lakmé Fashion Week in its Winter/Festive 2015 edition in August. “If someone has achieved something they should show it. I was inspired by the movies, by the corporate life and look…you should not hide behind anything. I like to dress up, look bold. You should be someone to look up to,” he says with finality.
The 36-year-old Bengaluru-based designer is from Uttar Pradesh and makes no bones of his lower middle class upbringing. He grew up in Bokaro Steel City, Jharkhand, where his father was Deputy Post Master; he credits his parents with being his biggest support, specially having come from a small town where a career in fashion is far removed from life. He talks of how he almost applied to be an aeronautical engineer, then got through a hotel management course, before he finally landed in National Institute of Fashion Technology, Delhi. He now lives in Bengaluru with wife Lavanya Venkatraman, co-founder at a fashion startup, and son Siddhanth. He wanted to be in Bengaluru, the corporate hub, and live the life with a beautiful house, car, and clothes. Ajay’s collection ‘Consonance & Dissonance’ is taking shape at his newly set-up studio in HSR Layout. On one side hang his sports collection and after-office wear, “bread-and-butter” shirts he designs with his partner Bhupesh. “Every designer uses market input to create something that sells. Then, there are the things he makes for his passion.” He says he styles for photo-shoots to sustain. “I like to style a whole look. I’ve always done that.”
On the opposite end of his studio, is his “passion” — the collection he’s taking to LFW. “Everything has importance in our lives. The problem is that we try to make everything perfect. But in every person there is something positive and negative. And if I don’t have the negativity, I don’t have personality. Even in a piano, the black and white keys are about consonance and dissonance…So my collection has lots of layering of patterns, colours; they are multitudinous. I’ve not tried to synchronise anything.” Earlier everyone looked toward the West but now there’s a turnaround and everyone looks towards India, even for silhouettes, he says.
Out of the eight ensembles he’s taking to the LFW 2015, six are ready. “The silhouettes are structured yet flowy, Indian yet contemporary. I’ve always created very constructed patterns. A guy should look sleek. You’ll find in this collection drop-crotch pants, cowl necked shirts, angrakha styled shirts, Rajasthani- style Bhagatri en’s kurtas fused with formal white collars, a tuxedo-inspired jacket, a kilt-inspired pant with an overskirt…” Black and white geometric patterns are interrupted with colourful flowers, elephants, birds, and motifs of men in pagdi, twirling their moustaches! “This elaborate surface work is hypnotic and like the kaleidoscope.” Bib shirts and layers, really, though, are his thing. “I can wear anything. I can look like what I want. We can experiment. We all have licence to do it.” That quite sums up the man, and his creations.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Features> MetroPlus / by Bhumika .K / July 09th, 2015
Located on the busy Faizabad-Ayodhya Road, and at a stone throw from the Circuit House, Ram Bhawan over the past few decades has become a household name not only for residents of Faizabad, but also for millions of Netaji fans, who virtually started equating this building with a temple, which safely housed their ‘son of the soil’ in exile for almost three years, until he passed away on September 16, 1985.
It was here that Gumnaami Baba alias Bhagwanjee stayed from November 1983 till his demise. Recollecting the days spent with Gumnaami Baba as a tenant in his house, Thakur Shakti Singh said, “It was around mid-1983 that my father was asked by Dr RP Mishra, surgeon at the district hospital, to rent him the small quarter in the back which has separate entry and backdoor. He said it was for his ‘dada’ who wants peace and quiet for his spiritual practice which he cannot get at home.”
Shakti further stated that after initial reluctance, his father agreed to give the room to the ascetic. After moving in, Bhagwanjee had a very strict policy when it came to meeting visitors. It was only in the late evening hours if at all that interactions were allowed to a chosen few, after he had finished his ‘sadhana’ for the day.
Moreover, all of these chose few came to believe that the Baba had some special power. “Once a person entered the premises of Ram Bhawan, his mental faculties seemingly became completely overwhelmed by Bhagwanjee. Interaction only happened from behind a cotton-curtained window between two rooms. Even though the door in between was open, no one ever dared to enter or even peek inside. The only person who had full access round-the-clock was his caregiver, late Saraswati Devi Shukla, whom Baba used to call ‘Jagdambe’.”
Shakti Singh added that even he himself who was living in the same house could never gather the courage to attempt making eye-to-eye contact with him. “One time even a Police Officer friend of mine expressed great curiosity and a wish to investigate and unveil the mysterious Baba,” Shakti Singh recalled. “I told him he was most welcome to raid my house anytime he pleased on any pretext whatsoever. He arrived the very next morning, with force, and strode right up to the boundary wall before abruptly turning back without a word and leaving! That evening, Baba asked me why my friends hadn’t come and introduced themselves. Then he laughed, long and hard.”
After Bhagwanjee’s death, Lalita Bose, the niece of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose came here in February 1986. As soon as she came at Ram Bhawan, and saw the items in Bhagwanjee’s room, she started crying piteously, and said that there things belong to her uncle (Netaji). Later she urged the district magistrate to intervene, and even had a meeting with the then UP chief minister Veer Bahadur Singh, who after assuring help, said, “Ma’am even I have some limits,” and suggested her to move the court.
After the matter was brought to the notice of the court, the district administration was asked to shift 2760 articles kept in Bhagwanjee’s room (containing books, literature and other artefacts) were shifted to the district treasury in as many as 25 sandooks (huge trunks).
“A few weeks after the death of Gumnaami Baba, I observed few children playing around that room. Immediately, I asked them to give a description of the person they had seen (in this place). Simultaneously, I also hired an artist to make the sketch as per the inputs provided by the children. The artist took considerable time to give final and accurate shape to his creation, and when he turned the canvass towards us, we were surprised to see the startling similarities between the photo of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose and that of Gumnaami Baba,” recalled Shakti Singh, with a rare radiance in his eyes.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Lucknow / by Arunav Simha, TNN / July 07th, 2015
Aspiring for a career in civil services, Niharika Bhatt—UPSC all India rank 146— returned to India in May 2014 after quitting a US government job in Washington DC and what better reward than hitting the jackpot in her maiden attempt. Apparently, her first question in the UPSC interview was what made her quit the job and return to India and pursue civil services.
Niharika is daughter of a doctor father and mother is a home-maker. After finishing her electronics and instrumentation engineering from Lucknow’s Institute of Engineering and Technology, she pursued MTech from University of Michigan. “I then took up job of a researcher in department of food and drug administration (FDA) of the US government. Here, I worked for one-and-a-half year on how nano particles impacted human health,” Niharika told TOI.
“During my US government service, I travelled to China. It was then I realised the biggest impact I can make on the society is being a part of the government machinery. And then it struck me, why US and not my own country…India is a growing power, after all and I must help my country move forward” said Niharika, adding that the job of a civil servant is the most prestigious, challenging and diverse.
“It not only gives chance to serve people but also helps understand issues and problems of people. With this thought, I decided to quit the job and returned to India to prepare in May 2014,” she said.
She settled in Delhi where she didn’t attend a classroom coaching and instead studied Sociology—her optional subject in UPSC Mains—on her own. “I only joined the mock tests. During my stay in Delhi, I was cut off from everybody. Except my parents, no one in the family had my phone number,” she said.
Niharika put in 10-12 hours of self-studies daily and made efficient use of internet to understand current issues. For instance, when she read about sanitation drive taken by the government, she consolidated all data such as on sanitation schemes of different governments.
In her interview, she was asked about role of khap panchayats, to which she said, there is good khap and bad khap. The positive side is it held reduce conflicts in societies. The negative side is it takes extra-judicial decisions leading to killings, which should be curtailed.
Since interviews were conducted just before PM Narendra Modi was about to visit China, she was also asked on what should be the priorities of the Modi-led government vis-a-vis China. “Trade deficit was undoubtedly priority number one followed by security issues,” she said was her reply.
Being a women aspirant, she was also questioned on recommendations made by Justice Verma committee, set up after Nirbhaya incident, to recommend amendments to Criminal Law so as to provide for quicker trial and enhanced punishment for criminals accused of committing sexual assault against women.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Lucknow / by Isha Jain, TNN / July 05th, 2015
The district of Pratapgarh, known for anti-social activities, is gradually changing its image. It is now being identified as the hometown of young achievers. A fortnight back, around half-a-dozen youngsters cracked the prestigious IIT examination. Now, success in Civil Services has made this semi-urban district hog limelight.
Four youngsters, two among them a brother and a sister, have cracked the civil services examination, the result of which was announced on Saturday. Madhvi Mishra and her elder brother Yogesh Mishra are children of a bank official of Itaeuri village in Sangipur. Madhvi has got 62nd rank.
Sachin Vaishy, the 94th rank holder, is the son of a local trader, who runs a grocery shop in Sangipur market.
Manish Kumar Khare, son of a lawyer of the district hails from Patti tehsil and has bagged 677th rank.
All the four achievers have done their earlier schooling from the schools near their home. The initial education had laid the foundation of these achievers as they moved to other cities to pursue further studies or prepared for this examination.
Madhvi has done her graduation from a degree college in Lalganj and postgraduation from Allahabad University before moving to Delhi for preparing for IAS.
“I know that my district was more in news for all the bad things but believe me good things take time to get recognized and the same stands true for Pratapgrah where the wind of change has started blowing and soon people will see the talent of the students of this ‘not so advance district’ which is full of potential,” Madhvi said while talking to TOI on phone. She was sad that still the girls are not been given fair chance of getting educated or moving to bigger cities and prepare for reputed examinations like IAS.
Equally enthralled is her elder brother, Yogesh. “The backward places like Pratapgrah represent the real picture of the country and it is for the youngsters like us to change the impression of our district, which is more in news for wrong reasons,” he said.
Sachin Vaishy (22), successful in his first attempt said, “The younger generation is witnessing the changed atmosphere in the country. They are looking forward to the grab the opportunity to serve the nation and carve a niche for themselves. We come from smaller towns but success can be achieved only through hard work and not on the basis of place,” he added.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Allahabad / TNN / July 06th, 2015
Ramsevak Kol, a tribe from the Sidhi district of Madhya Pradesh, stands head and shoulders above other Indians. Genetic studies prove that he is one of the descendants of King Guha of Ramayana. An international team of researchers consisting of geneticists, anthropologists, archaeologists and historians have found that Ramayana, written 10,000 years ago, is a chronicle of events and characters recorded by Sage Valmiki and not a work of fiction.
The mystery behind the characters in Ramayana has been solved by a team led by Dr Gyaneshwer Chaubey, ace genetic scientist of the Estonian Biocentre in Estonia. A three-year long research by Dr Chaubey and his team drawn out from Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology, Hyderabad, Delhi University, Indian Institute of Technology-Kharagpur and Institute of Scientific Research on Vedas has found that the Bhils, Gonds and the Kols, categorised as Scheduled Castes and Tribes by the modern day administrators of India are the true descendants of characters featured in Ramayana. The peer reviewed scientific paper authored by the team has been published by PLOS ONE, a respected scientific portal.
The Kol tribe, found mainly in areas like Mirzapur, Varanasi, Banda and Allahabad in Uttar Pradesh, are the descendants of the Kol mentioned in Ramayana, according to Dr Chaubey and his team. Remember Guha, the chieftain of Sringiverapuram who helped Lord Rama, Sita and Laksmana cross the Ganga during their journey to the forests? “Guha, the Nishad King, is the ancestor of the present day Kol tribe we found in these regions. This ancestry was established by genetic studies. These groups of people carry the basic indigenous genetic traits of India. Ramsevak and thousands like him spread across the States of UP, MP, Odisha, Chhattisgargh are the true descendants of Lord Rama and his contemporaries,” Dr Chaubey told The Pioneer from Tartu in Estonia via video conferencing.
Dr Chaubey and Prof VR Rao, an anthropologist in Delhi University, said that the studies proved that these groups of people have maintained their genetic continuity for more than 10,000 years. “This again sets at rest the Aryan invasion theory. There is no inflow into the genetic traits of these tribes from outside elements,” said Saroj Bala, a specialist in Vedic and Ramayana studies, who shot into fame by calculating the date of birth of Lord Rama based on planetary positions.
Prof Rao said the studies confirmed that the characters mentioned by Valmiki in Ramayana are real life characters. “King Dasaratha, Rama and others were not fictional characters,” he said. Dr S Kalyanaraman, an Indologist of repute, said the Kols are the iron smelters about whom there are mentions in Indus Script excavated from the banks of Indus as well as River Saraswathi.
“This paper by Gyaneswer Chaube and team is an attempt to explain the roots of Hindu civilisation which has been distorted by creating false ethnic identities by the categorisation of people,” said Dr Kalyanaraman. He said a comprehensive study incorporating all tribes should be undertaken which would prove that the breaking up of essential unity of Bharatiya identity based on caste and ethnicity are academic fiction with no basis and a distortion of the history of ancient India.
source: http://www.dailypioneer.com / The Pioneer / Home / by Kumar Chellappan, Chennai / Monday – June 15th, 2015
Apart from a ‘gulab vatika’ (rose garden) and ‘aushadhi vatika’ (medicinal garden), Kukrail now boasts of a ‘parijat vatika’.
Chief minister Akhilesh Yadav inaugurated the Van Mahotsava on Wednesday and 21 parijat (Adansonia digitata) trees were planted at the spot. All trees were more than eight feet in height and the one planted by the CM was about 17 feet high.
“Netaji (Mulayam Singh Yadav) had planted a parijat tree at Lohia park. Now, I can see a depression in the earth around the tree which shows that people have started paying obeisance to the tree. We are planting it on a large scale so that more people may know of the mythologically significant but long-forgotten tree varieties,” said the CM.
At least 21 parijat trees were also planted in Jhansi on the same day.
The Ramayana and Mahabharata mention around 156 tree varieties and some of the prominent ones have been selected by the forest department for plantation across the state depending on soil and weather conditions.
Parijat is an exotic tree and remains green for almost six months. It is said to be one of the gems from the ‘samudra-manthan’. Believed to have been brought to earth by the Pandavas, it is also called ‘kalp vriksha’ as it helped them win the battle of Mahabharata.
Similarly, Kadamb (Anthocephalus cadamba) is mentioned in the Mahabharata as a tree dear to Lord Krishna who played the flute under a ‘kadamb’ tree on the banks of the Yamuna.
Apart from parijat and kadamb, trees like ‘Sita ashok’, ‘tamaal’, ‘maulshree’, ‘tulsi’, ‘harsingar’, banyan and peepal that are mentioned in folklore will be planted extensively at religious ‘parikramas’ and on government land. The chosen tree varieties have huge environmental and medicinal significance as well.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Lucknow / TNN / July 02nd, 2015
For Deepti Vibha, her job as a neurologist does get stressful at times, but it is also a very rewarding and satisfying career. Photo: Arvind Yadav
A lot of sweat, toil and tears go into the making of a neurologist,” says Dr Deepti Vibha, an assistant professor, department of neurology at All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi. “Neurology was my passion as there is no other area of medicine which is as complex as brain/nervous system. I drew inspiration from my teachers while pursuing my graduation and postgraduation. The workload and fascination for teaching were prime factors that motivated me to study neurology,” she says.
Vibha did her MBBS from King George’s Medical University, Lucknow, which is a five-and-half year course. Subsequently, she pursued an MD (medicine) from Ganesh Shankar Vidyarthi Memorial Medical College, Kanpur, and followed it up with a three-year doctorate of medicine in neurology from the All-India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi. Thereafter, she decided to pursue a career in academics and joined a government hospital as faculty.
“At the initial stage of training as a medical student, I was exposed to clinical specialities like medicine, surgery, paediatrics, orthopaedics, otorhinolaryngology, obstetrics and gynaecology and ophthalmology. I learnt how to take down a patient’s medical history and examine him or her. I was taught about para-clinical and diagnostic specialities like pathology, microbiology and radiology during MBBS training. After getting a bachelor’s degree in medicine and surgery, I sat for an entrance examination for the speciality I wanted to pursue,” she shares.
One should be ready for intense hard work, advises Dr Vibha. “The entrance examinations are quite competitive. Therefore, it might not always be possible to get the speciality you are aspiring for. I was interested in medicine and was fortunate to get selected as well. The training includes both theory and practical aspects where one has to spend long hours in reading medical books and attend to patients. Anyone wanting to take up this profession should be aware that it is very demanding and requires utmost dedication.”
Neurology is different from neurosurgery as it deals with managing patients who suffer from disorders of the brain, nerves and muscles which do not require surgery for treatment like brain and spinal cord tumours, head trauma etc which do not come under the realm of neurology.
“Neurologists have to meticulously trace the medical history of the patient and minutely study the symptoms to arrive at a precise diagnosis. They also deal with life-threatening cases on a regular basis. These include acute stroke, acute and chronic meningitis, encephalitis, autoimmune neurological diseases, demyelination, acute neuropathy, myelopathy and myasthenia gravis, to name a few. Timely treatment ensures rewarding outcomes of all these conditions,” explains Vibha.
A day in the life of a neurologist includes attending to patients in the OPD (out-patient department), IPD (in-patient department) and emergency from morning till the end of the day.
“In OPD, I attend cases of epilepsy, headache, infections of the brain, multiple sclerosis, spinal cord diseases, neuropathies, Parkinson’s disease, sleep disorders, dementia and other genetic disorders. In IPD, I attend to patients who are a diagnostic challenge and those who require in-hospital management. Emergencies are seen on a round-the-clock basis at AIIMS,” she says.
Young people wanting to take up this profession “should have an enormous amount of patience and be willing to spend long hours with patients with neurological diseases or problems, record their history and examine them in detail for a correct diagnosis. An optimum management plan is then drafted. Some neurological diseases are chronic and such patients require counselling and rehabilitation support apart from medical therapy. Therefore, neurologists must have empathy and patience,” says Vibha.
One should also have the ability to go beyond the call of duty and ensure a patient’s comfort level. Excellent communication and research skills are a must. Also, one has to constantly stay updated on the latest in the field of neurology.
Is it a stressful job? “There are no definite working hours as such because emergencies can come up any time of the day. It does get stressful at times but it is also the most rewarding and satisfying career. Neurology case evaluation requires a lot of time, compassion and sensitivity,” she says.
Considering that lifestyles have become stressful in today’s time, neurological disorders are on the rise.
“According to a ‘Journal of Association of Physicians of India’ in January 2012, there were approximately 1,100 qualified clinical neurologists working in India, which is inadequate for 1.2 billion Indians. Hence, there is an urgent need for more neurologists across the country. Also, we require more institutes for training, but not at the cost of quality. Very few people are interested in pursuing a career in academics and teaching due to monetary reasons and lack of opportunities in the government sector. Credence should to be given to teaching and research in this field. Also, teaching hospitals, especially those having DM/DNB programmes, need to retain competency in order to raise the standards of training,” says Vibha, who has also received the ML Soni book prize for being the best neurology DM resident at AIIMS.
As for remuneration in the field, she says, “In government hospitals, the starting salary ranges from `60,000 to `1 lakh per month. This is very low when you compare it with private hospitals, where salaries start from `2 lakh to `5 lakh per month. However, there is huge scope in this field. Neurologists are an integral part of any super or multi-speciality hospital, be it government or private. These days there are various sub-speciality fellowships in stroke, neurophysiology, epilepsy, movement disorders, sleep, neuromuscular disorders, neuro-immunology, mostly abroad, which can give doctors an edge over others.”
For Vibha, saving lives, curing patients and seeing a smile on their faces when they go back home fully recovered is extremely satisfying. “I consider these as my rewards. My father is a retired bank officer and my mother is a homemaker. Being the only doctor in the family is a matter of pride,” concludes Vibha.
All about
Dr Deepti Vibha
Profession: Neurologist
Day begins at: 5.30am
Day ends at: No fixed hours
Work hours: Usually eight hours
Social responsibilities: Spreading awareness about strokes, epilepsy and other neurological disorders
Family: Husband is a nephrologist and they have a four-year old son
Vacations: Last year, to the lovely Kashmir valley
When not at work: Likes to read, travel and spend time with family
Getting to know her
Deepti Vibha is an assistant professor at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi.
She did her MBBS from King George’s Medical University, Lucknow, which is a five-and-half year course, following which, she did an MD (medicine) from Ganesh Shankar Vidyarthi Memorial Medical College, Kanpur. Subsequently, she pursued a three-year doctorate of medicine in neurology from AIIMS, New Delhi.
Vibha has received the ML Soni book prize for being the best neurology DM resident at AIIMS.
Vibha deals with neurological diseases such as acute stroke, acute and chronic meningitis, encephalitis, demyelination, acute neuropathy and myelopathy to name a few.
Oncology
Dealing with tumours
Oncology is the study of cancer, a disease characterised by abnormal cell growth in the body. Its sub-specialities include surgical oncology, medical oncology and radiation oncology.
A medical oncologist provides systemic therapy such as chemotherapy, hormonal therapy, targeted therapies and bone marrow transplants.
According to a WHO India report, by 2020, the developing world is likely to have 70% of the projected 20 million cancer-stricken patients globally.
There are, however, far fewer oncologists in India than required, especially for surgical and medical (involving therapy such as chemotherapy) treatment.
As an oncologist, you will need to counsel a patient, make him/her come to terms with the disease and get treated for it.
At times, patients may find it difficult to cope with a life-threatening ailment and might panic or get depressed. Medical experts have to help them stay positive and alleviate their suffering, so inter-personal skills are as crucial.
Endocrinology
Treating hormonal disorders
Endocrinology is a branch of biology and medicine dealing with the endocrine system, its diseases, and its specific secretions of what we know as hormones.
It is also concerned with the psychological or behavioural activities of metabolism, growth and development, tissue function, sleep, digestion, respiration, excretion, mood, stress, lactation, movement, reproduction and sensory perception caused by hormones.
An endocrinologist is a medical doctor (MD) who has specialised in the treatment or research of disorders that affect the endocrine system and the function of glands that produce and release hormones into the bloodstream.
Nephrology
Say no to kidney problems
Nephrology is a specialisation of medicine and paediatrics that concerns itself with the study of normal kidney function, kidney problems, the treatment of kidney problems and renal replacement therapy (dialysis and kidney transplantation).
Nephrologists are physicians who deal with kidney disorders including — fluid and electrolyte disorders, acid-base disorders, kidney stones, glomerular diseases, tubulointerstitial diseases, mineral metabolism, acute kidney disease, acute renal failure, chronic kidney diseases, chronic renal failure, end stage renal disease and dialysis. Nephrologists may further sub-specialise in dialysis, kidney transplantation, chronic kidney disease, cancer-related kidney diseases etc.
source: http://www.hindustantimes.com / Hindustan Times / by Anchal Bedi, Hindustan Times, New Delhi / May 29th, 2015
Allahabad Museum and ministry of culture have organised a one-month long documentary film making course. The course was inaugurated by director, Allahabad Museum Rajesh Purohit and HoD, department of Urdu, Allahabad University, Ali Ahmad Fatmi.
Speaking on the occasion Purohit stressed upon that the documentary workshop is an intensive hands-on course that teaches students to work individually or in a group to produce a documentary on a topic of interest and community relevance. Independently and in groups, students conduct research on their chosen topics.
They identify and conduct interviews with community leaders. Additionally, students learn basic production skills such as camera operation and audio recording. When they have completed filming, the students participate in all facets of post-production, including sound mixing, video editing, voice-overs and title cards.
The students are responsible for all decisions, academic as well as artistic, they decide how to present their material and strive to do so in the most meaningful and logical.
Purohit emphasised the technical aspects of documentary making especially how a filmmaker needs to be a good story teller.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Allahabad / TNN / July 03rd, 2015
It is believed that good things are difficult to get.
Perhaps that’s why every mango grower lives with the fact that his mango orchard will follow the accepted alternate bearing pattern. This pattern, common to mango and several other fruit crops, means that the yield of fruit will not be the same year after year. A heavy yield one year could be followed by a dismal one another year and vice versa.
However, if you pass through Kunwarpur village on Sitapur Road, there will be one mango orchard outshining all others. Here, unlike others, each tree is laden with the king of fruits, waiting to be plucked. This delighting yield is no freak of nature but a result of a well-researched technique and years of hard work.
City-based mango grower Kunwar Raghavendra Singh introduced the canopy management technique in his orchard over a decade ago.
Under this, trees are pruned regularly to turn the upper part of the tree to look like an inverted umbrella, instead of a canopy. Using this technique, Raghavendra has turned his barren land into a 100% productive mango orchard, producing varieties of mangoes including dussehri, langda and chausa.
Even when the weather was playing havoc with all kinds of crops and subsequently with the fate of farmers, Raghavendra was not worried.
His more than 3,500 mango trees were safe from the untimely rain and thunderstorms. “The most harmful factor for any mango tree is the canopy shape. It can have good flowering but not good fruiting. Apart from the fact that it hardly bears any fruit, this form limits the penetration of sunlight in the tree. This affects photosynthesis and the health of the tree,” says Raghavendra. The central shoots are the fastest growing in any tree and draw most of the nutrition and hormones. When the central shoots are removed, the nutrition flows side ways to lateral branches. This results in better size of the fruit, he explains.
Efforts must also be made to see that trees are gradually brought down to a maximum height of 22 feet-a manageable height which makes spraying pesticides easier, he adds.
Ready to extend a helping hand to other mango growers and also to the state horticulture department, Raghavendra claims that unlike a dense mango orchard, an open one reduces the cost of management and results in optimum flowering and fructification even in inclement weather.
The inverted umbrella structure allows free movement of air thus facilitating cross pollination. After untimely rain, the free movement of air helps evaporate moisture, the most devastating factor in the growth and spread of fungal infections.
Dr Mansoor Hasan, a city-based cardiologist, has also implemented this technique in his orchard in Manikpur, near Unchahar since 2011, with the help of his son Aly Hasan.
Happy with his produce, Dr Hasan says, “I have observed that fruits of a well-managed tree are also bigger in size and qualitatively better as compared to a taller tree. Even trees which were not giving any fruit for past many years have gradually started bearing fruit once they were pruned,” he adds.
In the case of mango trees, it seems, bigger is not better.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Lucknow / by Uzma Talha, TNN / June 28th, 2015
U.P. Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav takes a look at solar water pumping solutions at the North India Solar Summit on Friday. Photo: Rajeev Bhatt
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav announced on Friday the waiver of value-added tax on solar energy equipment, and said the State was working on setting up solar power plants and parks here.
“Our State has a vast potential and if facilities are given here, entrepreneurs could make India a developed nation. ‘Make in India’ could not succeed without ‘Make in UP,’” he said.
At the North India Solar Summit, organised by the Indian Industries Association, he said the State had announced its solar policy and the government was working on having solar power plants and solar parks in the State.
He said light and fans would be run on solar power in the under-execution Loha housing scheme. Solar power would soon be supplied to a village with no charge collected from consumers. The State was working to ensure power supply for 16 to 18 hours in rural areas and 22 to 24 hours in urban areas.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> National> Other States / PTI / Lucknow – April 25th, 2015
