Writing on the wall: Art’s here to stay

Arts, Culture & Entertainment
(Representative image)
(Representative image)

Allahabad :

The ancient Egyptians did it, the Minoans in Greece did it, the Romans in Pompeii did it, and now the elite in Sangam city are doing it-beautifying the walls of their homes with exquisite and brightly coloured murals.

And they’re choosing age-old Indian traditional art forms to adorn their walls with Pattachitra, Bhil, Manjusha, Madhubani, Tantrik and Gond paintings to do so.

Be they Mithila paintings etched with fingers, twigs, brushes, nib-pens and matchsticks using natural dyes and pigments or Warli paintings attributed to adivasis from the North Sahyadri range in India, art lovers are inviting artists from Bihar, West Bengal, Mumbai, Chattisgarh, and Madhya Pradesh to splash Indian culture on the walls of their houses and even offices.

“It’s a unique experience when you get all the walls of your house painted with Indian folk and traditional art,” said Shooby Bakht who has got all the rooms of her house painted with traditional artwork.

She added, “Creativity has no barriers and art is always fuelled by innovation and creativity.”

Bakht has company in people like Vinay Mehrotra, Rohit Shukla and Praveen Pandey who have opted to get the walls of their houses inked with tribal and traditional folk art.

Says Vinay Mehrotra, “I have chosen Gond paintings from Madhya Pradesh and Madhubanis from Bihar to beautify the walls of my house. Every art form has its importance and value and once painted, it leaves an everlasting impression.”

Bihar-based artist Shrawan Paswan, who is in Sangam these days for some painting projects, said, “The craze for Indian folk art has increased manifold among people across the country. Artists of different art forms are being invited by individuals to paint houses as well as offices.”

“Madhuvani, Bhil, Gond, and Warli paintings are in demand not just in India but abroad as well,” said Paswan, adding, “It takes time and patience to draw outlines and turn barren walls into attractive pieces of artwork.” But for clients who commission these paintings, the results are often breath-taking.

“The pattachitras wherein pattas or cloth-based scrolls were painted with mythological and epic stories put together in a sequence are also liked by many who particularly ask for such embellishments on their walls,” said the artist, adding, “Every traditional art form has ‘hidden words’ waiting to be described with a brush and some paints.”

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News Home> City> Allahabad / by Kapil Dixit / TNN / August 14th, 2016

UP sets world record for planting 5cr trees in 24 hours

Agriculture, Amazing Feats, Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Green Initiatives / Environment, Nature, Records, All, World Opinion

Lucknow :

Uttar Pradesh now holds a world record for planting maximum, 5 crore, trees in a single day. On Saturday, Guinness gave the certificate to state government for planting 5core trees in 24 hours on July 11.

It was on July 11 that more than 5.3 crore trees were planted at 6,166 plantation sites, and 81,000 hectare, in 80 forest divisions of UP. The campaign started with chief minister Akhilesh Yadav planting two Verna trees at his residence.

While chief minister planted trees in Kanpur dehat, SP president Mulayam Singh Yadav planted eight saplings at Kukrail forest division.

Students and teachers, people from different communities, PAC battalion, army jawans, NCC cadets, farmers participated in the plantation drive apart from ministers and MLAs all over the state.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News Home> City> Lucknow / by Neha Shukla / TNN / August 13th, 2016

Tourist spot to glorify Kakori train action

Amazing Feats, Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Historical Links / Pre-Independence, Inspiration / Positive News and Features, Records, All, Travel

KakoraTrainActionLUCKNOW12aug2016

Lucknow:

Kakori Train Action Smarak will be developed as a tourist place with auditorium, library and cafeteria on a PPP (public-private partnership) model.

District Tourism Promotion Parishad has sanctioned Rs 50 lakh for development of Kakori Smarak and work will begin in October 2016 to be completed by March 2017.

District magistrate Raj Shekhar said, “Lucknow district administration has submitted a proposal of nearly Rs 4.5 crore to the tourism department for the overall development of the Kakori Smarak area as tourism destination.

“The proposed library at the Kakori Smarak will have most of the books dedicated to the freedom struggle, including the Kakori Train Action and other prominent historical incidents,” said the DM.

He added that apart from history books, literature pertaining to tourist places in Lucknow will also find place in the library.

The auditorium will be used for screening 10-minute documentary films in English and Hindi on Kakori Train Action showing the glorious revolutionaries of the freedom struggle.

Lucknow district administration is celebrating the ‘Festival of Freedom’ titled ‘Swadheenta Saptah’. In the celebrations there will be a series of eventsbased on freedom. The events began on Tuesday and will conclude on August 15.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News Home> City> Lucknow / TNN / August 10th, 2016

Taste of heaven

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Travel

Neither butter nor cream, makhan malai is right out of a dessert bible, with ingredients that are as magical as winter morning dew

MakkhanMalaiLUCKNOW11aug2016

Come winter and the streets of the old towns of North India – particularly Uttar Pradesh – reverberate with the cries of the makhanwala . He comes every morning on his cycle and calls out to the sleepy residents in his trademark style, compelling them to throw off their thick quilts and run towards their gates to claim their dose of frothy heaven.

Soft and fluffy, makhan malai is neither butter nor cream as the name suggests, but a soufflé made up of milk foam. What makes it all the more special is the delicate dew of the winter mornings, which is an essential ingredient of the soufflé: no dew, no makhan malai.

Having grown up with the calls of the makhanwala in the sleepy towns of U.P., I am particularly biased towards the dessert. Even though there are versions of it found in the lanes of Old Delhi that look the same, they taste a tad different from what I grew up eating in Lucknow and Kanpur. So I grab every single opportunity savour it.

Believed to have been brought to India by the Mughals, the delicate dessert is made by collecting froth that floats on the surface after churning thick milk all night long and soaking it in early morning dew. The froth is then stored in large flat vessels called paraat and mixed, one portion at a time, with powdered sugar called bura . In Delhi, however, grated mawa, saffron, and nuts are also added to it, thus making it much a much richer cousin of makhan malai. This version, quite aptly, is called Daulat ki Chaat. Only this chaat is sweet and cold rather than hot and spicy.

After having my fill of Nihari and Roti at Karim’s, I am now out gallivanting on the streets of Old Delhi with the shadow of the Jama Masjid and wispy winter mist for company. The lanes of the famous Chawri Bazaar, which were asleep until an hour ago, have now sprung into action. Some men bathe at the municipality tap singing loudly to counter the cold; some, already dressed, sip steaming tea at the stalls along the street. Daily labourers have begun their day and are loading their carts with bundles of cardboard and reams of papers (Chawri Bazaar is a wholesale market). But my eyes are looking for something else.

While riding the rickshaw earlier in the morning, I had spotted at least five carts of Daulat ki Chaat, or the Makhan Malai of my childhood. Presently I can see everything – samosas, pooris, kachauris, even paan – but not even one cart selling makhan malai. I wonder where they have disappeared and if I can find them at all in this maze of narrow, winding lanes.

Just when I had started to lose hope, I see not one but two carts. I am now standing right in front of one of the carts, grinning from ear to ear, even as the young man prepares my portion. As I instruct him to be generous with the bura and the mawa and mix it carefully lest the froth settles, I am back to being the 12-year-old standing bare-footed right outside my mother’s house in Lucknow, waiting for my plate of heaven to be handed out to me.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> MetroPlus / Anubhuti Krishna / August 11th, 2016

Kanpur boy develops Web app, wins global competition

Education, Inspiration / Positive News and Features, Records, All, Science & Technology, World Opinion

Kanpur :

Simran Singh, a student of Class 12 of Sheiling House School, brought laurels to his parents and the institution by winning a global competition, ‘Imagine Cup-Earth’ which was conducted by Microsoft. Simran, who had been learning the basics of coding since 13 years of age, managed to design a web application (app) on algae named, ‘Project Vision’ which predicts algae levels and plots it in the form of an image on the desktop monitor or laptop screen.

Simran won the first prize in the competition and was awarded a cash prize of $3000 and a gift hamper. He also had the privilege of meeting Satya Nadella, CEO Microsoft at an event of the company in New Delhi on May 31 where he introduced his web app to him. Simran had never thought of that he would ever get a chance to meet CEO of Mircosoft and when he got a mail from Mircosoft in which he was apprised about his meeting with the top boss of Microsoft, the boy could not believe this. He even practised for days what to say upon meeting Microsoft CEO.

The school which earned a name because of Simran, ensured felicitating this meritorious boy in the morning assembly. The parents of Simran are an extremely delighted lot who see a bright career for their son in coming future. Simran is now both preparing for his Class XII board exams and JEE Mains scheduled to be held next year.

“One day in the month of October 2015, I got a mail from Microsoft in which there was a mention about the global competition named ‘Imagine Cup-Earth’. As I knew coding, I decided to take part in the event and informed my parents about it. Due to my exams, I had to leave the task of developing the app in the midway. It was just two days before the deadline that the app could be readied. Once it was ready, I gained confidence of winning this competition and this proved to be true”, said Simran while talking to TOI.

He mentioned that there was a requirement of developing the web application and posting its three images and a video along with the link to access it on given website address for taking part in the competition. He also said that the friends proved to be of a great help in developing the web application.

On being asked about what this web application can do, Simran said that this app can predict the level of algae in the sea by providing certain details such as weather, level of salt in the water etc.

“I was asked by Microsoft CEO during our meeting in Delhi on May 31 about the future use of this web application to which I had apprised him that this app could be integrated with the computerised machines that do weather forecast. Along with the weather forecast, the level of algae could also be known. I told Satya sir about the functioning of the app,” Simran said.

He added that the level of algae in sea has to be at optimum level. “If algae increases in water it prevents the sunlight from penetrating deep inside the sea and this is harmful for the aquatic life. If the level of algae decreases, it reduces the dissolved oxygen in water,” informed Simran while talking to TOI.

“It was wonderful meeting Satya sir. I had never thought of getting this moment in my life. The school also felicitated me during the morning assembly. My parents are a proud lot and now I look forward to pursue BTech in Computer Science engineering from renowned IIT next year for which my preparations are underway,” said Simran, whose parents own a business in Jawahar Nagar.

Simran’s parents Jaspal Singh and Harvinder Kaur and school principal, Vanita Mehrotra could not stop praising this meritorious boy on achieving this feat.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News Home> City> Kanpur / by Abhinav Malhotra / TNN / August 06th, 2016

Sneak peek into life and times of unsung heroes

Amazing Feats, Historical Links / Pre-Independence, Records, All, Uncategorized

UnsungHeroesLUCKNOW10aug2016

Allahabad:

Much is said and written about the role of Nehru-Gandhi in the freedom movement of Allahabad but less is known about the unsung heroes of that era, without whom the Independence movement would not have gained momentum.

In once such case, the city was booked under Section 144 after people defied the then Bristish government order in 1932. To throw light on this aspect of freedom struggle, the regional archive office has come out with 470 cases of hundreds of unsung revolutionaries, who were caught and against whom cases were lodged in police stations of the city.

The rare documents were kept in dark and dingy rooms of the judicial record room of the Collectorate with other criminal cases for past 68 years. The records will soon be made public. A study revealed that a maximum number of 52 cases were registered under Defence of India Rule (DIR) against freedom fighters with the Kotwali police, followed by the Handia police (38) and 25 cases with Paschim Sharira.

The freedom fighters publishing material were used to be persecuted under Press Act since 1913 in Allahabad, much before Rowlatt Act came into force in 1919.

Regional archive officer Amit Agnihotri said, “It has been seen that historians do not keep a track of thousands of people who were lodged in jails or tried. The Allahabad University students used to take active part in freedom movement and many of them had lost their lives in doing so.”

The record shows that rural people had actively participated in Quit India Movement from August 9, 1942.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News Home> City> Allahabad / TNN / August 10th, 2016

VC of UP Rajashri Tandon Open University honoured

Education, Inspiration / Positive News and Features, Leaders, Records, All

Allahabad :

Making the city and the institution proud, the vice-chancellor of Uttar Pradesh Rajashri Tandon Open University, Prof M P Dubey has been felicitated with the special ‘higher education leadership award. The award, conferred on Prof Dubey for his exemplary role in the field of higher education was given at the 7th World Education Summit 2016 which was supported by digital learning, Asia’s premier magazine on ICT for Education.

The summit, which concluded at Delhi on Saturday, aims to create a global knowledge sharing platform for thought leaders, policy makers, education leaders and industry leaders to initiate change in the entire education system. Earlier summits were held at Kuala Lampur, Singapore, Dubai, Colombo, Dhaka and New Delhi.

This felicitation is the recognition of the achievements of the UPRTOU in the field of ICT as with the aim to meet the challenges, this lone open university of the state has kept abreast the expanding frontiers of knowledge in different branches of learning, tried to prepare skilled and socially motivated human resources. The quest for quality and the concern for excellence in the academic sphere has been made sensitive to the countervailing need for assuring equity through special provisions and efforts to meaningfully help socially and academically underprivileged students, and fulfil the opportunity for higher learning.

As the University trains its teachers in modern pedagogy and updates their knowledge, they would be encouraged to use online material such as MOOCs and TED talks liberally. Mobile Apps developed by the university would make the system much more student friendly. It has implemented CBCS (choice based credit system) since July 2015 by restructuring and modernising all the syllabi.

Steps has been taken to raise the quality of administrative and financial management towards making the system ‘user’ friendly, time-conscious, cost-efficient, self-critical and team-work oriented, speedily responsive to problem situations, amenable to intervention-oriented monitoring and imbued with a positive work ethic. The accelerated automation and computerization of offices and administrative work has been of major help in this regard. The internal quality assurance cell has also been set up for the purpose of creating and maintaining quality and standard.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News Home> City> Allahabad / Rajeev Mani / TNN / August 06th, 2016