Lucknow University will felicitate some of its prominent alumni—including Niti Aayog vice-chairman Rajiv Kumar and UP chief secretary Rajive Kumar—at a ceremony on April 28 at Malviya hall, for their contribution in respective fields. Thirteen other former students would be honoured on Friday.
LU spokesperson NK Pandey said distinguished alumni award will be awarded to the following — Niti Aayog vice-chairman Rajiv Kumar, renowned artist Surendra Pal Joshi, Dr Salil Tandon, sportsperson Dharmendra Soti, recipient of Nari Shakti Puraskar highest civilian award for women — Gauri Maulekhi, NRI Ravi Sharma, former UP DGP Sulkhan Singh, Former IIT Kharagpur director SK Dube, UP chief secretary Rajiv Kumar and Justice Vikram Nath.
“The lifetime achievement award will be given to three former students for the contribution in the field of education.
They are UGC member DP Singh and founder-manager of City Montessori School Jagdish Gandhi in the field of education and Justice Khem Karan for his contribution to the field of law.”
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News> City News> Lucknow News / TNN / April 21st, 2018
In all, 12 athletes from UP had participated in the Games out of whom shooter Jitu Rai and weightlifter Punam Yadav could win gold.
Meerut’s Ravi Kumar had a bronze medal in shooting at Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast.(HT Photo)
As India celebrates its third richest medal haul (66) at the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games, athletes from the country’s most populous state Uttar Pradesh could contribute only five medals – two gold, one silver and two bronze.
In all, 12 athletes from UP had participated in the Games out of whom shooter Jitu Rai and weightlifter Punam Yadav could win gold. Other medal winners included Seema Punia (silver in discus), Divya Kakran (bronze in wrestling) and Ravi Kumar (bronze in shooting).
Saraswati Raut (weightlifting), Vandana Kataria (women’s hockey), Ashish Kumar (gymnastics), Mohd Asab, Anuraj Singh and Seema Tomar (all shooting), and Lalit Upadhya (men’s hockey) returned home empty handed.
“The achievement for the state is remarkable in terms of medals. The number could have been higher had there been a professional setup for sports in the state. There is no dearth of talent but we need adequate facility and job security for sportspersons in UP,” former director, sports, Vijay Singh Chauhan said on Monday.
“There is no short cut for success in sports. We need to make sports compulsory in school curriculum. Promotion of sports should also be a priority for the state government if we really want more athletes win medals at events like Commonwealth Games, Asian Games and Olympics,” said Chauhan, who is also known as ‘Iron Man of Asia’ for setting up a record in athletics.
He said special talent hunt in rural areas of the state should be carried out. “Sports and sportspersons should be encouraged in rural areas. Most of the games are based on strength and power. Even a small ground in every gram panchayat is sufficient for the development of sports in villages,” he said.
Former deputy director, sports, Neeru Kapoor hailed the achievements of UP athletes at Gold Coast Games and said more athletes from the state should have participated in the event.
“Being the biggest state of the country, we have a big sea of talent in sports but to motivate them we need to have more encouragement,” he said.
“The overall performance of UP athletes is encouraging but in terms of population, our contribution of medals is quite small. We should find ways to raise the medals tally at Commonwealth Games after four years in 2022,” he said.
A total of Rs 1.80 crore will be distributed by the state government among all 11 athletes. Both Punam and Jitu will be given Rs 50 lakh each as per the government policy while Seema will be given Rs 30 lakh. The two bronze medallists will get Rs 15 lakh each while all seven other participants will receive Rs 5 lakh each as participation allowance.
Meerut’s Ravi Kumar, who had won bronze at the 2014 Asian Games in 10m air rifle before winning a bronze at the Gold Coast Games, said he would try to change the colour of his medal in the Asian Games.
source: http://www.hindustantimes.com / Hindustan Times / Home> Sports / by Sharad Deep, Hindustan Times,Lucknow / April 17th, 2018
With the advancement of technology in India, a lot of things have changed its original place and turned towards modernism. From the number of things technological incursion is affecting, art forms are facing harshest consequences.
One such art is the art of Kalai. Old-timers still remember the kalaiwalas as those who skilfully coated brass and copper utensils. Earlier, copper and brass utensils were used in the kitchen but with the rapid intrusion of stainless steel and aluminium vessels, these vessels have become extinct from the modern day kitchen.
Storing water in copper vessels, Image Credits: Curio.com
A long time ago, people used to store water in such vessels and there is actually a reason behind using them. Interestingly, these metals or alloys attract and transmit Chaitanya (a divine consciousness).
Such spiritual benefits are not obtained from the use of prevalent utensils made of stainless steel or aluminium.
WHAT HAPPENS WHEN THESE METALS LOSE ITS SHINE AND COLOUR?
The artisan who performs kalai on vessels is known as ‘kalaiwala’
When brass and copper kitchenware becomes old, they require tin-plating after six to eight months and the person who does this Re-tinning is known as ‘Kalaiwala’
Earlier these vessels ruled the kitchen, but now with the emergence of stainless steel and aluminium vessels, they have somewhat lost their utility in the society and are now struggling to revive its own identity
HOW DOES THE PROCESS TAKE PLACE?
Process of kalai- a lost art in India
The first step in the process of Kalai involves washing the copper utensil first with caustic soda to get rid it of any surface impurities such as dust
Then the utensil is washed with an acid that contains the gold purifying compound ‘Sufa’, a salt and another element
After this, it is immediately wiped clean otherwise it might bear a mark. The ‘kalaiwala’ or kalaigaar then dig a pit in the ground and prepared a temporary blast furnace, airing it with bellows, heating the utensil afterwards
Then he sprinkles a miraculous component called, ‘Nausadar’ powder (ammonium chloride) and then rubbed onto the utensil with a cotton cloth, which gives out deep white smoke and a peculiar ammoniac smell
Lastly, it is dipped in the bucket full of water. The sudden contact of the hot utensil with the water creates a harsh and sharp sound that dims with the utensil, finally recovering its normal temperature
HERE’S THE VIDEO OF THE ART OF KALAI. CHECK IT OUT:
India is famous for its culture and traditions and the world knows us by the deeply rooted culture within us. If this craftsmanship and the hard work of such artisans will be ignored, like the way it is going on right now, then such art forms will soon become extinct.
It’s time to bring back the lost art forms of India!
(Images by Shaad Midhat)
Kissa Aapka, an initiative by India Today Education is collecting visuals on lost art with the concept of Citizen Journalism. You can send your stories to educationtoday.cj@gmail.com
For more information about this, visit our official Facebook page, http://www.facebook.com/indiatodaygroupeducation
source: http://www.indiatoday.in / India Today / Home> News> Education Today> GK & Current Affairs> Art and Culture / by Nisha Singh / New Delhi – April 19th, 2018
Founders of social media platform ShareChat — hailing from Lucknow, Gorakhpur and Ghaziabad — have made it to the Forbes 30 under 30 Asia 2018 list. The list features young disruptors, innovators and entrepreneurs across Asia, all under the age of 30.
Left to right: Farid Ahsan of Lucknow, Bhanu Pratap Singh of Gorakhpur and Ankush Sachdeva of Ghaziabad. (Handout image)
Founders of social media platform ShareChat — hailing from Lucknow, Gorakhpur and Ghaziabad — have made it to the Forbes 30 under 30 Asia 2018 list. The list features young disruptors, innovators and entrepreneurs across Asia, all under the age of 30.
The Forbes website reads: “Farid Ahsan, Bhanu Pratap Singh and Ankush Sachdeva met as students, and in 2015 they created ShareChat, an online local language-based social media platform.”
All three are alumni of the Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur (IIT-K).
Farid Ahsan, 25, of Lucknow, Bhanu Pratap Singh, 26, of Gorakhpur and Ankush Sachdeva, 24, of Ghaziabad developed the vernacular social networking application ShareChat as a technology led start-up based out of Bangalore.
According to information mentioned on the Forbes website, the youngsters’ aim was to share the social media experience with speakers of South Asian languages, Hindi and Punjabi, allowing them to make profile, upload content and establish followers.
“Their app is used by eight million users monthly. Currently, they have raised $23.6 million from investors such as SAIF Partners and Xiaomi,” reads the website.
Speaking on how their platform was designed to cater to the needs of the Indian internet users, Farid said, “ShareChat is changing the way in which the next set of billion Indian users consume the internet through their multi-lingual user-generated content platform and cutting-edge technology infrastructure. It is the first social network that gathers geo-specific data on Indian content on a large scale and leverages a highly data-oriented approach to cater to the diverse needs of the Indian internet users.”
Bhanu added, “ShareChat app can be downloaded from the Google Play Store and used in various regional languages. It allows users to create posts, follow people, consume multimedia content, interact with other people through comments and share things with various other communication platforms in an easy way.”
Calling the application intuitive and convenient, Ankush said, “ShareChat aims to optimise social media content for Indian users and become a unique problem solver for the mass vernacular audience in the country.”
Backed by strategic investors, ShareChat has an established user base of almost 30 million users spread across the country and provides the platform in 14 languages including Hindi, Malayalam, Gujarati, Marathi, Punjabi, Telugu, Tamil, Bengali, Odia, Kannada, Assamese, Haryanvi, Rajasthani and Bhojpuri.
source: http://www.hindustantimes.com / Hindustan Times / Home> Cities> Lucknow / by Rajeev Mullick, Hindustan Times,Lucknow / April 14th,2018
In a study, King George’s Medical University’s (KGMU) paediatric orthopaedic department has found a biomarker (chemical) in blood which if tested within four hours of injury caused to a child, can help in early diagnosis of compartment syndrome and save the child from limb amputation.
Compartment syndrome is a condition after an injury in which internal bleeding or swelling builds up pressure that causes a dangerous condition which may lead to amputation as only treatment.
The syndrome under trauma usually develops in the forearm or leg.
In the research spanning over five years, head of peadiatric orthopaedic department, Prof Ajai Singh, found that if the biomarker — creatinine kinase — is tested to be six times higher or more in the blood after injury, compartment syndrome can be suspected.
“Compartment syndrome in trauma happens to both adults and children but in children, it is difficult to diagnose. Some of them are not able to explain the pain and others are not co-operative, which leads to loss of time, when the situation to amputate can be avoided,” said Prof Singh.
“We tested the findings of the study and progress of the results on 56 patients, and found that the biomarker was 10 times higher in these patients. So if within four hours of an injury, the test is run for the biomarker and it is found to be six times higher or more, treatment should be headed towards compartment syndrome,” he added.
Prof Singh said that test for biomarker is inexpensive and can be performed at any laboratory.
Prof Singh recently presented the study at the 20th Asia Pacific Orthopaedic Association Congress 2018, at Antalya in Turkey.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India/ News> City News> Lucknow News / TNN / April 16th, 2018
A 3500-4500 years old town has been found in the village of Dwarkapur-Agiyabeer near Uttar Pradesh’s Basti in an excavation by Ancient Indian History Culture and Archaeology Department Team of BHU.
During the excavation, the archaeologists discovered remains of weapons made out of bones, sculptures made of mud, floor tiles and utensils.
The digging of the site, which is now believed to be a settlement of fishermen, started in 1999.
Director Dr Ashok Kumar Singh told that evidence of two cultures has been found- Iron-Stone Age and Copper-Stone Age. Equipment made out of iron, spears, parts of swords, axes were also excavated from the site.
Excavators also found beads which are likely to have been used for beautification.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> News> City News> Lucknow News / by Navbharat Times / April 16th, 2018
The prestigious Agra Taj Car Rally was flagged off on Friday evening from Hotel Clark Shiraz here.
Covering its first “night” leg — 60 km, the rallyists reached the army’s Jeet stadium.
The president of the Motor Sports Club of Agra, Rajiv Gupta, told IANS 74 teams, with 200 members joined the event on Friday, including six teams from the army, five from Indian Oil, and six all-women teams.
Teams have come from Dubai, Delhi, Chandigarh, Indore, Chennai, Ahmedabad, Kolkata, Harvijay Bahia, patron of the club, and a formula car racer in the extreme category told IANS.
Bahia said with support from the Uttar Pradesh Tourism, district authorities, this popular event had firmly established Taj city as the most important motor sports hub in the country.
“No other rally offered such a challenging and picturesque terrain, including, desert, the dreaded Chambal ravines, the river bed, lush green wilderness, plus of course hospitality,” Bahia added.
–IANS
bk/pgh/
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The gharial is threatened by the loss of its riverine habitat, depletion of fishes, and entanglement in fishing nets.(HT Photo)
The Kukrail gharial breeding centre in Lucknow alone houses around 300 gharials — once considered to be the total population of the crocodilian in the country. And there are still eggs left for new ones to make an appearance.
“We have 300 gharials with us. But this figure represents only what is left after hundreds were sent for breeding to different places over the years,” said Ashok Prasad Sinha, conservator of forest endangered species project, Uttar Pradesh forest department.
The gharial (Gavialis gangeticus), also known as gavial or fish-eating crocodile, is a type of Asian crocodilian set apart by its long and thin snout. It is different from the crocodile or the alligator, which exist in bigger numbers. It is native to the northern part of the Indian subcontinent.
The jaws of the gharial are too thin and delicate to grab a larger prey. They keep lying in wait for fishes to swim by and then quickly catch them by whipping their heads sideways. They do not chew their prey, but swallow it.
Sinha said that the Kukrail centre is responsible for sending gharials for breeding to places like Madhya Pradesh and Chennai in Tamil Nadu. “In all, 238 gharials were sent to Delhi, Rampur, Bijnor, Etah, Mathura and Kanpur. Thirty-one gharials were also sent to other countries, including Bhutan, the US (New York), Pakistan and China,” he shared.
The latest batches of 116 gharials left the centre for the natural habitat of Kartania forest range on March 15 and 29. “We are happy that even after sending so many, we still have 300 gharials left. According to wildlife statistics, gharials fall under the critically endangered category,” said Sinha.
The gharial is threatened by the loss of its riverine habitat, depletion of fishes, and entanglement in fishing nets. As its population has sharply declined since the 1930s, it has been listed as critically endangered on the IUCN Red List — a comprehensive inventory of the global conservation status of biological species.
source: http://www.hindustantimes.com / Hindustan Times / Home> Cities> Lucknow / by Gaurav Saigal, Hindustan Times,Lucknow / April 14th, 2018
The award covers the period between January 1, 2017 and December 31, 2017
Lucknow :
Lucknow Metro’s underground project has bagged the prestigious international Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) health and safety awards, 2018. The project will be awarded with the highly acclaimed ‘RoSPA Silver Award’ for the health and safety performance for the period between January 1, 2017 and December 31, 2017 by the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA). This is a British charity organisation that aims for promotion of safety and prevention of accidents in project execution the world over.
For Lucknow Metro Rail Project, Gulermak-Tata Projects Limited (TPL) Joint Venture (JV) are the contractors who have been entrusted with the civil work of the 3.67-km long Charbagh to Hazratganj underground stretch. The contractors have been declared winner of this coveted award, announced the Lucknow Metro Rail Corporation (LMRC).
Officials said that this award is a very important achievement for the team of Lucknow Metro since it was selected among some very prominent international projects. This award highlights LMRC’s continuous commitment in achieving highest standards of health and safety in the project execution for the Lucknow Metro Rail Project. The award will be presented in a ceremony on July 5, 2018 at Birmingham, United Kingdom.
RoSPA Silver Award winners indicate that the company has achieved a high level of performance by adopting good management systems which are delivering consistent improvement and are working towards the level of excellence.
In the recent past, LMRC has also won several prestigious national and international awards, including the Best Urban Mass Transit Project in 2017 by the ministry of housing & urban affairs, government of India, the best metro project for ‘Excellence in Innovative Designs’ in 2016, the ESQR Quality Choice Prize in 2016 in Berlin (Germany) under the Gold Category, Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam Memorial Award on Innovation in Governance in 2016, the ‘International Quality Summit (IQS) Award 2016’ under Gold Category by Business Initiative Directions (BID) Group One – in Madrid, Spain and the Dun & Bradstreet Infra Award, 2017 in Mumbai etc.
The contract for Charbagh – Hazratganj underground stretch of Lucknow Metro Project was awarded in April, 2016. The scope of work includes 3.67 km of tunneling with Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) and construction of three underground stations at Hussainganj, Sachivalaya and Hazratganj. The project is progressing at a very fast pace with about 75% of work having been completed.
“This has been a significant technical and managerial achievement for the team of Lucknow Metro since the work involved construction/tunneling through some of the most congested areas and highly dilapidated buildings of the city requiring extensive instrumentation, monitoring and traffic management”, said officials.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> News / by Priyanka Singh / TNN / April 11th, 2018
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
