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Frank Islam receives Pride of India award
New York :
The American Federation of Muslims of Indian Origin (AFMI) has honoured India-born entrepreneur and philanthropist, Frank Islam with the Pride of India award, the media reported on Monday.
India’s consul-general in New York Dnyaneshwar M Mulay on Sunday conferred the award upon Islam who had donated $222,000 in May this year to the Aligarh Muslim University in India, India New England daily reported.
“It is a distinct honour and privilege to be here tonight to accept the AFMI Pride of India award. It is also a privilege to be asked to speak as a part of AFMI’s silver jubilee celebration,” Islam was quoted as saying.
“I have received many awards. But this one is extra special because it comes from this prestigious organisation in its silver jubilee year,” Islam added.
“I must admit that receiving this award and joining such luminaries does not make me proud. It makes me humble,” he noted.
Islam, 63, was born in Azamgarh in Uttar Pradesh and is married to Debbie Driesman, 61.
Apart from being a successful entrepreneur, philanthropist and civic leader, he is also a thought leader with a special commitment to civic, educational and artistic causes.
He currently heads the FI Invest Group – a firm that he established after he sold his information technology firm called the QSS Group in 2007, the report added.
Islam serves on several boards and advisory councils including the Kennedy Center Board of Trustees, the US Institute of Peace, the Woodrow Wilson Center and the Brookings Institution in Washington D.C.
He has written two books on the American condition, titled “Working the Pivot Points: To Make America Work Again” (2013) and “Renewing the American Dream: A Citizen’s Guide for Restoring Our Competitive Advantage” (2010).
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News Home> NRI> US & Canada News / IANS / August 31st, 2015
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Swarup cremated with State honours
Uttar Pradesh minister of state for urban development and minority welfare Chattaranjan Swarup, who died in a private hospital in Gurgaon on Wednesday was cremated with state honours here on Thursday.
The minister’s elder son Gaurav lit the pyre. Earlier UP Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav, state PWD minister Shivpal Singh Yadav, urban development minister Mohammad Azam Khan, political pension minister Rajendra Choudhury along with several legislators and Samajwadi Party leaders paid their floral tributes at the residence of the minister.
Later Shivpal Singh Yadav, Mohammad Azam Khan and Rajendra Choudhury attended the cremation.
Swarup died after a prolonged illness at Medanta Hospital in Gurgaon. A three time MLA,Swarup was also minister in the previous Mulayam Singh Yadav government in 2003-2007.
source: http://www.dailypioneer.com / The Pioneer / Home> State edition> Lucknow / PNS, Lucknow / Friday – August 21st, 2015
CM honours IIT crackers
Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav honoured seven more students who cracked IIT examination this year and said that achievement of these students in adverse circumstance is praise worthy.
“These students did not have resources, but had determination to achieve their targets. Adverse conditions and poverty did not deter them and cracked IIT examination which is dream of students,” Yadav said in a felication function held here on Wednesday.
These students were given a laptop and Rs 1 lakh during a function held at 5, Kalidas Marg, the official residence of Chief Minister.
“The state government is committed to support talented students. Government’s laptop distribution is a step in this direction. The poor students will now stay connected with the world. The Government is also providing free WiFi at some places. These students can avail this facility too,” he said.
Students who cracked IIT were: Vishnu Gupta (Sultanpur), Kapoor Saroj and Shubham Yadav (Pratapgarh), Muzammil Khan and Alok Maurya (Sonebhadra)Nilesh Yadav (Amethi) and Shashank Awasthi (Rae Bareli). Despite his fading eye sight Kapoor Saroj scored fifth position among SC students while Shashank Awasthi scored 97 per cent marks in ClassXII.
Talking to The Pioneer Shubham Yadav said that his only aim was to crack IIT. “I do not have any hobby. I only used to study or sleep. In between I did nothing,” he said.
He along with Kapoor Saroj want to study in IIT Kanpur. It is the best. “I want to go to Mechancial stream, I and Saroj have the ranking to get top position,” he said.
Saroj said he has not taken any coaching. “I cracked the exam on the basis of self study,” he said. Both of them though belong to UP have studied in Navodaya Vidyalaya in Pune.
source: http://www.dailypioneer.com / The Pioneer / Home> State edition> Lucknow / by PNN, Lucknow / Thursday – June 25th, 2015
Woman IPS officer scales Europe’s highest peak
Aparna Kumar, a 2002-batch IPS officer added another feather in her cap on August 4 when she scaled Europe’s highest peak Mount Elbrus (18,510 feet) in Russia. She hoisted the Indian and UP Police flags there.
Aparna Kumar is the first officer of the All India Services (IAS/IPS/ IFS) to scale this summit, according to inspector general of police (law and order) A Satish Ganesh.
No stranger to success as a mountaineer, she received the Rani Laxmi Bai award from chief minister Akhilesh Yadav in March this year after having scaled Mount Aconcagua, the highest peak of South America.
Earlier, she had successfully scaled Carstensz Pyramid in Indonesia and Mount Kilimanjaro i n Tanzania. Recounting her experience, Aparna says, “I was part of the 14-member expedition team that scaled Mount Elbrus. I was afflicted with diarrohea when our team arrived at the base camp for the expedition. The weather also turned inclement when we started climbing. But I did not lose confidence and decided to move ahead. Hoisting the national and state police flags on the highest peak of Europe was a moment to cherish.”
Expressing concern over the dumping of garbage near mountain peaks by tourists, Aparna said it would make an adverse impact on the environment. “We carry bags to pick up plastic bottles and other material left by tourists at the base camp. An Indian Army team visited Nepal to collect the garbage dumped near Mount Everest,” she said.
A graduate of the National Law College-Bengaluru, Aparna said, “My next expedition will be to Antarctica to scale Mount Vison Massif, the highest mountain peak (on the icy continent).”
Aparna was on an expedition to scale Mount Everest in April when an earthquake rocked Nepal. “We had scaled 23,000 feet and were told to return. After completing the Antarctica expedition, I will try to scale Mount Everest again next year.”
source: http://www.hindustantimes.com / Hindustan Times / Home> Cities / HT Correspondent, Hindustan Times,Lucknow / August 13th, 2015