Duo give wings to their dreams

Inspiration / Positive News and Features, Records, All
Flying Officers Shivangi Singh and Prathiba Poonia are all smiles at the Combined Graduation Parade at Air Force Academy, Dundigal, on Saturday.

Two more women fighter pilots inducted into IAF

Two more young women fighter pilots, who were inducted into Indian Air Force, were the cynosure of all eyes on Saturday.

The smiles turned to tears of joy and pride for Flying Officers Shivangi Singh and Prathiba, as soon as they came off from the parade ground at the Dundigal Air Force Academy, to meet their families and friends, with hugs, wishes and photo sessions taking over from there.

For them, it was their childhood dream to become a pilot, and their inspiration were Flying Officers Mohana Singh, Bhawana Kanth and Avani Chaturvedi, first women fighter pilots in IAF.

It was Shivangi Singh’s childhood dream to “fly like a free bird” that inspired her to join IAF. Shivangi, a native of Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh who completed her graduation in B.Sc (Physics). said convincing her parents and relatives was a big task for her.

“We stay in a joint family. When I declared that I want to join the forces and serve the nation, my parents and other family members were hesitant . Slowly, I started proving myself in sports and other activities and they finally agreed,” she said.

However, Prathiba said that her father inspired her to join the IAF.

Prathiba, who hails from Rajgarh in Rajasthan, is the daughter of an ex-Army officer Chhoturam Poonia. She did her B.Tech (Computer Science) and then joined the IAF.

The duo will now undergo further training on Hawks in Bidar.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Hyderabad / by Abhinay Deshpande / Hyderabad – December 16th, 2017

Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar University to honour 7 eminent persons

Education, Leaders, Records, All

Lucknow :

Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar University will give awards to seven eminent people on its convocation on December 15. The Academic Council meeting held on Wednesday decided to award Vidhi Ratna to chairman, Central Administrative Tribunal, Justice Permod Kohli, and senior advocate HC Ganeshia.

While president, Indian National Science Academy (INSA) Ajay Sood and chairman, University Grants Commission, VS Chauhan will be given Vigyan Ratna; Guru Nanak Dev University vice-chancellor Jaspal S Sandhu will be given sportsmedicine award; and senior RSS leader Krishna Gopal and former chairman, Indian Council of Social Science Research, SK Thorat will be given social science award for their social service.

The convocation will be held in two parts. The first one will begin from 10.30 am which will see President Ram Nath Kovind’s participation. After giving away medals to four toppers and delivering the convocation address, the President will leave at 11.30am. Sharing the dais with chief guest Kovind would be UP chief minister Aditya Nath Yogi, governor Ram Naik, deputy chief minister Dinesh Sharma and medical and technical education minister Ashutosh Tandon.

In the second shift, the other gold medal awardees will accept it from the vicechancellor.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News> City News> Lucknow News> Schools & Colleges / TNN / December 14th, 2017

Youngest PhD girl gets pat from President Ramnath Kovind

Education, Records, All

Lucknow :

At 17, Sushma Verma is used to earning accolades for academic excellence. She is India’s youngest girl to enrol in a PhD programme, that too, at 15. She was also recognised by the Limca Book of Records as the youngest student to pass class X at the age of 7 years, 3 months and 28 days old, in 2007. Yet, being called ‘extraordinary’ by President Ramnath Kovind was an experience in itself.

So stunned was Sushma that she couldn’t focus on whatever else Kovind said about her. “This was so unexpected. I feel humbled and blessed to have him compliment me,” said Sushma.

TOI has been following her since 2005 when she was just five and had enrolled in class IX at the UP Board-affiliated St Meera’s Inter College. Post her graduation, she joined MSc in Microbiology at BBAU. Not only did she complete her course but was the topper and was given medal by PM Narendra Modi in 2016 at the university’s convocation.

Lauding Sushma and Neelu Sharma, who in April won the UGC’s Swami Vivekanand single girl child scholarship, Kovind said, “Babasaheb (Ambedkar) samaanta ke paksh me the, par betiyan aaj unke sapno se aaagey nikal rahi hai (Ambedkar called for gender equality but girls are surpassing his expectations).” Neelu said, “I felt so important when people from President’s secretariat inquired about my work.”

Neelu enrolled in BBAU’s PhD in mass communication in 2015.

She is also a recipient of ‘Films for Change’ fellowship by a London-based Television Environment.

Both Sushma and Neelu were chosen by the university to share their experiences with the President.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News> City News> Lucknow News / by Isha Jain / TNN / December 16th, 2017

IIT Kanpur graduate launches new company in Seoul

Business & Economy, Education, Nri's / Pio's

Seoul :

Pankaj Agarwal, a 35-year-old IIT Kanpur graduate, has founded a start-up company, TagHive, with a few like-minded professionals in Seoul to pursue his passion for improving education. His mission is to revolutionise everyday experiences with a smart tag solution — a combination of a button type tag, a smart app and back-end analytics that are targeted at reinventing interactions for kids at play and at school.

Based in South Korea since 2004, he had earlier worked with Samsung Electronics. Samsung encouraged him with support for his endeavour. TagHive is a technology company that was spun off from Samsung Electronics in April this year.

TagHive’s new solutions are TagPlus and LEAP. While TagPlus, an award winning solution, is the world’s first toy-centric social network for kids, LEAP is a low cost clicker (Classroom Response System) along with an app (iOS and Android) that will keep students engaged, parents informed and help teachers effectively manage their classrooms.

Speaking to TOI, Agarwal said that TagHive will commercialise LEAP in South Korea in the first half of 2018 and enter the Indian market in the second half of 2018. “We are looking to partner with schools in India willing to ride the new wave of affordable smarter classrooms,” he said.

TagHive pilot tested the LEAP solution in Ambience Public School in New Delhi, as well as in South Korea, with encouraging response.

Some of the key features of LEAP are “one-click attendance” which reduces the morning chaos of recording attendance with students simply clicking their tags. Teachers can now utilise the time saved more productively in teaching more, Agarwal said.

LEAP allows teachers to have an accumulated score for their students on a daily basis and the students will be given incentives to improve their behaviour. It further allows teachers to create their own quizzes and polls for various subjects. Students can record their responses by clicking their tags.

“Teachers can view all student records like attendance, score and quiz/poll results for one day, one week, one month or for the whole semester,” said Agarwal. It also automatically sends students’ performance updates to their respective parents. Parents will also have an app where they can track their kids’ progress in real time.

“I have a 10-year-old son, and I want the best for him,” said Agarwal.

Agarwal is the founder and President of IIT Alumni Association of Korea (IITAAK). He also has an MBA degree from the Harvard Business School. He said IITians have left their mark in most parts of the world and IITAAK wants to replicate that in South Korea and strengthen the reputation of brand IIT.

“We hope that this will not only make our lives here more meaningful but also help in forging more productive cooperation between South Korea and India,” he said.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News> NRI> Other News / by Oinam Sunil / TNN / December 11th, 2017

Lalji Singh, ‘father of DNA fingerprinting in India,’ passes away

Leaders, Records, All, Science & Technology
A file picture of Lalji Singh, former Director of the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology, in Hyderabad. | Photo Credit: Nagara Gopal

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath condoled Lalji Singh’s death.

Eminent scientist and ‘father of DNA fingerprinting in India’ Lalji Singh died following a heart attack on Sunday. He was 70.

Dr. Singh was one of the leaders instrumental in making DNA fingerprinting mainstream in India, both at the level of research as well as for forensic applications.

This was after techniques advanced by him led to DNA profiling being used to establish parentage as well as solve some high profile crime cases in India.

Based on his work he was tasked by the government — in the late 1990s — to establish the Centre for DNA Fingerprinting and Diagnostics (CDFD) with a mandate of making it a nodal centre for DNA fingerprinting and diagnostics for all species and several diseases.

He also set up a slew of dedicated labs that worked on several aspects of genetics such as population biology, structural biology and transgenic research.

Dr. Singh served as a director at the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB) in Hyderabad from 1998 to 2009.

He went on to become Vice Chancellor of the Banaras Hindu University (2001 – 2014), his alma mater.

Until recently, he was active in the Genome Foundation, a non-profit organisation that aims to diagnose and treat genetic disorders affecting the underprivileged, especially from rural India.

PTI adds…

“He complained of chest pain when he reached the Lal Bahadur Shastri Airport to board a flight for Delhi. He was taken to the Banaras Hindu University (BHU) Trauma Centre from there but he could not be saved,” O P Upadhyaya, chief medical superintendent of the Sunder Lal hospital in the BHU, said.

Singh, the 25th vice chancellor of the BHU, hailed from neighbouring Jaunpur district’s Kalvari village.

He was also an alumnus of the BHU and completed his BSc, MSc and PhD degrees from there.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath condoled Singh’s death.

“Lalji Singh was the father of DNA fingerprinting. The country has lost a great educationist and scientist after his death,” he said.

Singh was also the recipient of the prestigious Padma Shri award.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Sci-Tech> Science / by Special Correspondent / Varanasi – Lucknow, (U.P.) / December 11th, 2017

Lucknow’s first woman mayor, 110 corporators sworn in

Leaders, Records, All

Bharatiya Janata Party’s Sanyukta Bhatia was on Tuesday sworn in as the first woman Mayor of the Uttar Pradesh capital

Along with her, 110 newly elected corporators were also administered the oath of office in presence of a large number of their supporters, party workers, family members.

Soon after taking oath, Bhatia said that her top most priority was to improve the cleanliness rankings of the state capital and added that the corporation would seek all support and help from the state government to faster development of the city.

She also batted for more teeth to the civic body and the Mayor as well as implementation of the Constitution’s 74th Amendment. Bhatia also hinted that the municipal corporation would soon crack down on encroachments on roads.

Urban Development Minister Suresh Khanna as well as other senior colleagues like Rita Bahuguna Joshi, Ashutosh Tandon and Brajesh Pathak along with legislators of the ruling party were also present at the oath-taking ceremony.

–IANS

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source: http://www.business-standard.com / Business Standard / Home> News-IANS> Lucknow – December 12th, 2017

Meet the Lucknow girl who designed Anushka Sharma and Virat Kohli’s beautiful Italian wedding

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Records, All, Travel
Anushka Sharma and Virat Kohli | Photo Credit: Instagram

While people can’t get enough of how stunning and much in love Anushka Sharma and Virat Kohli look in their wedding pictures, which are being circulated on social media, not many know the couple who made everything look so beautiful. Lucknow girl Devika Narain was entrusted with the task of designing the wedding and her husband, Joseph Radhik, was the one who clicked all those inspiring photos.

After the couple made their official pictures public on their social media accounts, Devika and Joseph, who had to keep all their work a secret from everyone, finally got a chance to reveal what had kept them busy for a few months.

“Some days, the whole world conspires to make things right. Thank you @virat.kohli and @anushkasharma, it has been an absolute honour and privilege to be a part of your journey,” posted Devika on her Instagram account.

She also wrote a post on her company’s Facebook account, “It’s finally all settling in, the cold is seeping back in and at this point I’m an odd mix of relief and immense excitement. We’ve been keeping a secret for a couple of months now and all of it has come to life today, in a beautiful tuscan village, where Virat Kohli and Anushka Sharma got married. We’re overwhelmed to have been chosen to be a part of such a special day. It means a lot to us to have had their trust, not just in keeping all of this a secret but to create a setting for their big day! Congratulations and thank you! #virushka.”

Devika made several trips to Italy’s Borgo Finocchieto to get every detail in place and make all the arrangements for a wedding that had the nation interested. Devika’s father told a national daily that she had kept her assignment a secret from her family as well.

After completing her schooling from Lucknow’s Loreto Convent Intermediate College, Devika studied English honours from Delhi’s Lady Shri Ram College. She worked at a popular wedding planning company for a few years before starting her own.

Devika has also designed the weddings of Indian cricketers such as Robin Venu Uthappa, Dinesh Karthik and more.

source: http://www.timesnownews.com / Times Now News / Home> Zoom> Entertainment / Times Now Digital / December 12th, 2017

Jungle safari on vintage train in Uttar Pradesh

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

Initiative to attract a large number of tourists from Nepal.

The train will run on a 15 kilometer route and will carry eco-tourists through the forest area

Lucknow:

A vintage train that stopped moving for over 30 years now will start its journey once again.

The train will soon run through the thick foliage of the lush green Sal trees in Laxmipur range of Maharajganj forest division which is famous for the Sohagi Barwa Wildlife Sanctuary that has a huge population of antelopes besides rare and endangered birds and wildlife.

The train will run on a 15 kilometer route and will carry eco-tourists through the forest area.

The initiative for this was taken by UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath who wants to give a boost to tourism in eastern UP.

The railway authorities have already completed the survey of the track and found it fit for operations. The vegetation on the track, however, has to be cleared. Mr Manish Singh, divisional forest officer of the Sohagi Barwa Wildlife Sanctuary, said that while the train earlier used to run on steam engine, it will now be driven by a diesel engine between Laxmipur and Ikma. The forest official said that since the area is near Sonauli border with Nepal, it is sure to attract a large number of tourists from Nepal.

The track that runs along Taungya villages also has a parallel road alongside on which there is a heavy movement of people all day through.

The vintage train that used to run on a narrow gauge track had 56 bogies and four engines, apart from a saloon.

Incidentally, the train was started in 1922 to ferry wooden logs and its operations was stopped in 198

source: http://www.asianage.com / The Asian Age / Home> India> All India / December 10th, 2017

Varanasi gets first woman coolie before woman mayor

Inspiration / Positive News and Features, Records, All
Kamlawati, widow of a coolie Pramod Kumar Gaud, received her badge on Wednesday

Varanasi :

The city before getting its woman mayor after the results of civic polls on Friday got the first . With her ‘Billa’ (badge) no-243′ Kamlawati, the mother of four, is mentally prepared to carry the luggage loads of passengers. Kamlawati, widow of a coolie Pramod Kumar Gaud, received her badge on Wednesday.

“As per policy guidelines of the Railway Board, the badge may be transferred to the family member, irrespective of the gender,” the chief area manager Ravi Prakash Chaturvedi told TOI.

“I am happy that the badge of my late husband was transferred to me. It will help me in rearing my children,” said Kamlawati (35), whose husband died in December 2016 owing to some ailment. She is ready to carry the loads of others to look after her three daughters and a son. Her eldest daughter Saloni (14) studies in class 8th, while Soumya (11) in 7th and Shrishti (10) in 5th class. The three-year-old Shresyansh is yet to begin his schooling. “I know the job of coolie needs physical strength as it is a difficult task for a woman like me, but I will do it for the sake of my children,” she said adding that she will join her duty when asked by the authorities.

Hailing from Deoria district Kamlawati lives with the family of her brother-in-law Sikandar Gaud, who is a constable in GRP, in a railway quarter of New Railway Colony near Cantonment station.

The coolie fraternity at the Cantt station is also haapy and ready to extend all support to her while on duty. “We tried to get the badge transferred to her so that she can earn living for her small kids. All of us will happily provide all support to her,” said the president of Varanasi unit of All India Coolie Union Kedar Yadav adding that she will be the first woman coolie in Northern Railway. According to him, a total of 194 coolies are there at Cantt railway station.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News> City News> Varanasi News / by Binay Singh / TNN / November 30th, 2017

This childless couple in UP are now parents to 51 children

Inspiration / Positive News and Features
Meena (far L) & her family in Muzaffarnagar

HIGHLIGHTS

The couple runs an orphanage on an eight-bigha plot of donated land in Shukrtaal

Nearly a decade into their marriage, they discovered that a tumour in Meena’s uterus rendered her unable to bear children

Currently, they have 46 children under their care and the entire expenditure is met through donations
_________________________________________________

Muzaffarnagar :

Unable to have children of their own, a farmer couple here decided to adopt an abandoned, disabled boy in 1990. Nearly three decades later, they are the proud parents of 51 such children.

The couple runs an orphanage on an eight-bigha plot of donated land in Shukrtaal. There is also a small school on the premises. Currently, they have 46 children under their care — most of the others grew up, took up jobs, got married, and moved away — and the entire expenditure is met through donations.

Meena Rana, 50, of Kudana village in Shamli, married to Baghpat resident Virender Rana, 55, in 1981. Nearly a decade into their marriage, they discovered that a tumour in Meena’s uterus rendered her unable to bear children. They then moved to Shukrtaal in 1990, bought a small plot, and adopted a one-year-old abandoned boy whom they named Mangeram. The child died five years later, but the couple did not stop bringing other abandoned children home.

“I do not care whether they are Hindus or Muslims. All I know is that they are my children. Our main focus is the education of these children,” said Meena.

Of the 46 children living with them now, 19 are girls and 27 boys, many of them physically challenged. The orphanage has a fully equipped kitchen, rooms and a big playground.

“The Shukrtaal gram panchayat provided us with a bigger plot of land. For supplies and other essentials, we mostly depend on donations. Our neighbours provide us with wheat and other basic food items,” said Virendra

Mamta, a 22-year-old raised by the couple, is currently pursuing postgraduation at a district college. “I do not know what my future would have been had they not taken me into their care. I owe them my life,” she said. Mamta is among several charges who have completed their graduation and now volunteer at the orphanage.

“Not many can do what Meena and Virendra have been doing. Giving them the land was the least we could do to help them,” said Shukrtaal pradhan Susheel Sharma.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News> City News> Lucknow News / by Mohd. Dilshad / TNN / December 08th, 2017