Police personal honored with Presidents medal

Inspiration / Positive News and Features, Records, All

Altogether 89 police personnel from the state including 15 for Gallantry have been honored with Presidents Medal on the eve of Independence Day on Friday.

Besides 15 who got prestigious President’s police medal for Gallantry, 4 received President’s Police medal for Distinguished Services and 70 for Meritorious Services.

Binod Kumar Singh, a retired IPS officer, along with sub-inspector Panna Lal (Posthumously), Avinash Chandra, Abhay Kumar Prasad, Devendra Choudhury and Dilip Singh, had to wait for more than 14-years to achieve the top bravery medal. Vinod Kumar, than IG of Varanasi Zone, along with the above cops then posted in Mirajapur and Sonebhadra, managed to kill 15 naxalites during an encounter held in Madiyahan locality of Mirjapur on March 9, 2001.

In another incident, than SSP STF, SK Bhagat, Additional SP Vijay Bhushan, constable Satyendra Singh, got Gallantry Medal for gunning down two hardened criminals in Triveninagar at Lucknow. On May 20, 2006, two separate teams of Lucknow Police and STF led by Ashutosh Pandey and SK Bhagat respectively, intercepted some criminals at Mahibullapur and later during cross-firing they gunned down two hardened criminals one carrying a cash reward of Rs 50,000. The criminals were involved in killing of woman in Hazratganj area after she resisted their molestation attempt. Sub-inspector Girja Shankar Tripathi, and constable Vijay Pratap Singh, both than posted in Varanasi on February 11, 2009, got Gallantry for killing a rewarded criminal Satyendra Tewari.

Sub-inspector Avinash Kumar Gautam, and head-constable, Akshay Kumar Sharma, both than posted in Gautambudhnagar, on October 22, 2011, got Gallantry Medal for their courage shown during arrested of two criminals who had abducted a child. Lastly, then SSP of STF Naveen Arora and sub-inspector Shailesh Pratap Singh, got the Presidents Medal for bravery as on April 26, 2010, both the cops managed to gun down Ashutosh Rai and Ajay Singh, both carrying a cash reward of Rs 50,000 on their arrest.

The President’s police medal for distinguished service have been given to ADG( Human Rights) Biswajit Mahapatra, ADG(CB-CID) Sanjay Moreshwar Tarde, DAP Mirzapur Srvajeet Shahi and Head Constable( Kanpur Dehat) Raj Narain. Among the 70 police personnel selected for the police medal for meritorious services the prominent are DIG( Meerut range) Ramit Sharma along with 10 ASPs, 11 DSPs and 2 inspectors.

Meanwhile, Uttar Pradesh police has also announced honor 250 policemen for their contribution on Independence Day. An official statement here said that 50 police officer workers will be getting the “Utkirsht Sewa Samman Chinha” and 200 policemen will be getting the “Sarahniya Sewa Samman Chinha” for their outstanding contribution to the police services including 2 personnel of the Anti Terrorist Squad(ATS) and 5 of the Special Task Force(STF).

The nominated policemen would also be getting a cash prize worth Rs 10,000 and Rs 5,000 each along with the citation. The following awards will be presented by Director General of Police Jagmohan Yadav.

source: http://www.dailypioneer.com / The Pioneer / Home> State edition> Lucknow / Pioneer News Service, Lucknow / Saturday – August 15th, 2015

Rahul De joins as Marketing Head of MTN

Business & Economy, Inspiration / Positive News and Features, Leaders, Science & Technology

A boy from Uttar Pradesh Rahul De has been appointed as marketing head of MTN – Africa’s biggest multinational mobile telephone network – and would oversee the operation from Nigeria.

MTN Group’s President and CEO Raymond Sifiso Ndlovu Dabengwa made this announcement. He said that Rahul De would be the Chief Marketing Officer and would head the operation from Nigeria.

He is the first Indian to have been appointed at this level. Before shifting his base to Nigeria De was heading MTN’s marketing division in Ghana. “The new assignment would be a real challenge as MTN in Nigeria has been facing pressure in the market for some time now. Half yearly results of the group show that the Nigerian operation has not grown,” De communicated to The Pioneer through email..

Nigeria market is the largest for MTN in terms of subscribers. At 61 million subscribers and revenue of almost 4 billion dollars yearly it does 30 per cent of MTN group revenues.

MTN is the largest telecom operator in Africa with around 12 Billion dollars revenue and 231 million subscribers. It has operations spread across 22 countries in Africa and Middle east

Rahul has been widely recognised in MTN as having turned around its Ghana operations where worked for four years. “MTN Ghana has become the ‘data network of choice’, and has become a pioneer in ‘mobile money initiatives’. Having customers always at the heart of things the company has grown exponentially though their has been serious pressure due to depreciation of local currency (cedis) to dollars,” De said

“My priority would be to create a more youth centric organization, data network of choice, customer experience management and deliver on all brand promises,” De said.

De belongs to Allahabad. He did his schooling from B SC from Allahabad and did research on international marketing trade.

Prior to his assignment Rahul has held a number of senior roles in Reliance, Aircel, Maxis (Malaysia)

source: http://www.dailypioneer.com / The Pioneer / Home> State edition> Lucknow / Pioneer News Service, Lucknow / Thursday – August 13th, 2015)

NABOB OF FAIRLIE PLACE – The mysterious European businessman who gave India its iconic railway book stalls

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Historical Links / Pre-Independence, Records, All, World Opinion

WheelerLUCKNOW27aug2015

At a time when booksellers everywhere appear a threatened breed, the life of Emile Edouard Moreau, who set up A H Wheeler and Co, the chain of railway bookstalls that endure to this day, appears as a fascinating example of a man with interests that spanned continents, and yet about whom there remains much that is mysterious. This story tries to piece the gaps in Moreau’s story, locating his life at the most interesting juncture in world history.

In 1877 (though the date is variously given as 1874), when he was a young man of around 20, Moreau set up what would be the first of the A H Wheeler bookstalls at the Allahabad railway station. The East Indian Railways, which had commenced operations from Calcutta northward in 1854, was then expanding its operations from Allahabad to north India. The line from Allahabad to Jabalpur had already been constructed in 1867 and so for the first time Calcutta and Bombay were connected by rail via these two cities.

Moreau was at that time a young employee of the managing agency Bird & Company in Allahabad. His two uncles, Paul and Sam Bird, brothers of Moreau’s mother, were partners in the company. Bird & Company was a leading labour contractor, supplying workmen to the railway company. It would soon have interests in coal, jute and other industrial enterprises.

Moreau had come to India a couple of years before this. His father was a Frenchman named Auguste Moreau, and his mother was Mary Bird. Emile Moreau (not to be confused with a famous French author of the same name) was born in Oise in France, on July 11, 1856. At 15, he enrolled at the boarding school for boys Framlingham in Suffolk, and, when 17, he took a steamship to Calcutta, where his uncles were already established.

The family tradition

Moreau’s grandfather James Bird, who had died in 1839, had also been a bookseller. He was evidently a local poet of some repute in Yoxford, Sussex where he also encouraged other writers such as the Strickland Sisters who later moved to Canada. After the early 1850s, railway bookstalls were no longer a new feature, at least in Europe. As far back as 1852, Louis Hachette (whose name would go on to be used by the famous publishing house) had the idea of a railway library on trains plying from Paris to other regions in France. His railway library used an innovative colour scheme distinguishing books for different clientele and readerships.

Moreau’s familiarity with the railway station in Allahabad, where he lived as an employee of Bird and Co, meant that he soon noticed the demand for reading material, especially from first class passengers. As the story goes, when a friend of his, A H Wheeler, concluded that he had far too many books in his home library, Moreau volunteered to sell them from a wooden almirah at the station.

Encouraged by the results, he set up, with a few others, the A H Wheeler and Co (named after his friend, who had moved to London by then), in Allahabad. According to this report from the London Gazette, the company began as a partnership Moreau set up with Arthur Henry Wheeler and also Arthur Lisle Wheeler, along with two others, W M Rudge and the Armenian Tigran Ratheus David. It had offices in Allahabad and London.

In the late 1880s, A H Wheeler and Co (or Wheeler’s) found fame and controversy in equal measure. Moreau soon developed bigger plans as well, such as publishing. The railways had expanded and Wheeler’s bookstalls were a familiar feature at railway stations across the United Provinces, the North West Provinces and beyond in the very first decade of their existence.

Publishing Rudyard Kipling in India

In 1888, still in Allahabad, Moreau made a business proposal of sorts to Rudyard Kipling, who then wrote for The Pioneer and also the Civil and Military Gazette, or CMG (newspapers published out of the city), contributing stories and narrative sketches for its weekly editions. Kipling’s first novel, a collection of his writings called Plain Tales from The Hills, had already been published by the Calcutta-based Thacker and Sphink & Co, and, as the story goes, it was Moreau who offered to publish his stories in book form.

Over the next couple of years, several of Kipling’s early novels formed part of Wheeler’s Indian Railway Library Series. The other books, beginning with Soldiers Three were Wee Willie Winkie, Under the Deodars, The Story of the Gadsbys, In Black and White, The Phantom Rickshaw and Other Eerie Tales, which has the famous story, The Man who would be King. Later, the Library Series also republished Kipling’s The City of Dreadful Night. These were sold for one rupee each.

In the agreement signed between Wheeler’s and Kipling (March 1889), the books were published by Wheeler’s, with Kipling receiving an “advance” of £200. Other details included the promised royalty of £4 for a thousand copies, accruing after the sale of an initial 1,500 copies. It was with this £200 that Kipling set out on a “world tour” via East Asia and the US.

It was during this time, first in Japan, that he discovered, much to his consternation, some pirated editions of his own work. In New York, he was somewhat distressed to find his early works being published in America (then under the old copyright laws, which would be changed in a few years’ time), which also entailed that an author first published elsewhere (meaning outside the country) received no royalty.

Kipling reached London and found more fame than he had bargained for. As one story goes, Moreau had sent copies of the Indian Railway Library Series publications to the British firm of Sampson Low, whose reader and editor Andrew Lang saw merit in the works. The other version is that Kipling, introduced to publishers through old acquaintances from India such as Stephen Wheeler, former editor of CMG, now had his own ideas regarding the publication of own works.

Soon the agreement between Wheeler’s and Kipling was to be reworked; all publication rights Wheeler’s had on Kipling’s work outside India were sold back to him; Wheeler’s continued to retain the Indian rights. In his memoirs, Kipling apparently mentioned his early encounter with Moreau, describing him as someone who “came of an imaginative race, used to taking chances.”

Kipling’s views on copyright matters also clashed with those of his editors at the CMG and The Pioneer, and their publishers, Sir George Allen and Pioneer Press. A later book from Wheeler’s and Sampson Low, titled Letters from Marque, was suppressed after publication. It included The Smith Administration, a collection of Kipling’s satirical sketches of the government commission’s efforts to find out how “natives” were faring in British India.


The trial of Henry Vizetelly

In 1888, the trial of the publisher Henry Vizetelly in London, according to provisions of the Obscene Publications Act of 1857, also had reverberations in British India. As one of the largest book chains in British India, Wheeler’s found themselves in some unlikely spotlight. By this time, the book trade had picked up impressively in India; around the 1880s book imports from Britain made up, as Deana Heath has written, as much as half of what was sold within India. By 1894-95, book and newspaper imports from Britain numbered nearly five million units, filling up 500 mailbags a week.

Vizetelly, a writer himself and a long-time admirer of Emile Zola, had published English versions of three of Zola’s novels (where the translator’s name appears as “unknown”). This came to the notice of the National Vigilance Association (NVA), a pressure group that took upon itself the responsibility to “purge” literature of anything obscene and prurient. Following the NVA’s allegations, Vizetelly was prosecuted for translating Zola’s La Terre, Piping Hot and Nana. Initially he was fined, but in a second trial, Vizetelly, then aged 74, was sentenced to three months’ imprisonment including hard labour. It was a sentence that broke his health, as his son Ernest Vizetelly (who later translated and published bowdlerised versions of Zola’s novels) said afterwards.

At the time Wheeler’s was already selling many of Zola’s works in its stalls, and though police officials and some educational officials such as the Reverend A Neut, the principal of St Xavier’s College, Calcutta, asked for suppression of sales, other officials in the Indian provinces chose to either disregard this, or else realised the futility of such suppression (since literature, as some said, in the local languages was easily available and more pernicious). When Lord Northbrook, the returning viceroy, asked that booksellers be warned, the officials in the central provinces and elsewhere pleaded that contracts between the government and the railway companies forbade such interference.

The debate, however, was interesting at several levels. In England, the NVA found nothing objectionable in the original French versions of Zola’s novels that were in wide circulation. The NVA and several others evidently believed that French was more a language of the elite, who could be trusted, but with the spread of education guaranteed by Britain’s Education Act of 1870, they were worried about what the public at large in England was reading.

At the turn of the century, Wheeler’s became almost indispensable in the expansion of the railways, winning the sole rights for running advertisements in publications on the railways’ behalf. Publishing in regional languages grew apace—for instance, the Naval Kishore Press was set up in 1858 and published works in Hindustani and Urdu, and there were also a growing numbers of texts relating to religion and mythology in this period—and as railway travel became both popular and necessary, Wheeler’s stalls were a necessary conduit to the pastime of reading.

Moreau and British propaganda during World War I

Once World War I began, Moreau found himself greatly sought by British government, especially by the ministry of munitions, under which the propaganda department functioned. Britain’s war propaganda department was set up around September 1914, only after realisation dawned about the efficacy of the German propaganda department; it operated from London’s Wellington House. The department’s functioning remained largely secret, and its activities would only come to light two decades or so later, in the mid-1930s.

Moreau’s knowledge and experience of the east made him indispensable, and it was Edward E Long, the official in charge of eastern propaganda, who looked him up at Fairlie Place, the home he had built for himself in Brighton, England in 1906. Spread over vast acres, it shared its name with the headquarters of East Indian Railways, later Eastern Railway, in Calcutta. Perhaps by now his interest as publisher had waned after the incident with Kipling, but he remained a partner at Wheeler’s in London and also at Allahabad.

The propaganda department had numerous writers working for it, including Rudyard Kipling, Arthur Conan Doyle, G. K. Chesterton, John Masefield, John Bunyan and others (there seem to have been no women in the list). The department was set up initially to disseminate propaganda to neutral countries and the British Empire, but soon it targeted the enemy too.

By June 1915, the department had distributed 2.5 million books, in at least 17 languages. In particular, the Bryce Report, written around this time, relating to German atrocities on Belgian citizens in late 1914, was translated into at least 30 languages

Though translations into European languages came faster (depending on skills available during the period), the rise of a local bureaucracy in the Indian sub-continent and increased numbers of “natives” in the ICS perhaps helped in multilingual war propaganda in India as well. Propaganda was also effectively done by disseminating newspapers in local languages and making an endeavour to publicise the British war efforts among the more “moderate” newspapers whose editors were invited to London (in an early example of embedded journalism).

Among the first newspapers for the war effort in British India was Al-Hakikat, published in Hindustani, Persian and Arabic. This was chiefly to counteract the powerful German propaganda in west and central Asia, which also targeted India. Later the Al-Hakikat was written in Turkish, too.

Soon after, the Satya Vani began to be published in Bengali, Hindi, Gujarati and Tamil. In still another improvisation, the Jang-i-Akbar was introduced, and this was written in Hindi, Urdu and also in the Gurmukhi script to address readers in the United Provinces and Punjab. It was the Wheeler’s bookstalls and other local distributors that ensured widespread distribution of these papers. Numbers in the space of one year reached 40,000, and soon provincial governments demanded more. It was for his services, and much of it is really not known, that Moreau was also awarded a CBE by the British government.

A global businessman

Towards the end of the war, in 1917, A H Wheeler split into two distinct branches: with Arthur H Wheeler and Co. operating in London and A H Wheeler and Co. in India. Moreau, however had numerous other interests. He travelled widely, and served as director of companies with interests in rubber, in Java and in the Malay states, and also oil (in the Trinidad Oilfields, where a road in the village of Marac is named after Moreau).

His interest in rubber technology even led Moreau to write a book himself during the time he served as director in a rubber company in Java owned by the Netherlands. It was a book published by Arthur H Wheeler (in London), comparing different ways of rubber tapping.

Despite all his travelling, Moreau lived very much in the style of the “nabobs” of old at Fairlie Place, owning, it is believed, several limousines. He lived here till his death 1937. It remained a private residence till well after World War II, after which it became a school offering secretarial and other vocational training for women.

Little is known of his family life, but he remained devoted to this institute, Framlingham College (a residential school), till his death in 1937. Not only did he serve on the governing board for many years, but he was also its most generous individual benefactor—instrumental in setting up sports facilities for its students and instituting scholarships that carry his name and are provided to this day.

This post first appeared on Scroll.in. We welcome your comments at ideas.india@qz.com.\

source: http://www.qz.com / Quartz India / Reuters-Punit Parangpe / by Anu Kumar, Quartz India / August 24th, 2015

IKEA products: Made in Uttar Pradesh, sold in Sweden

Business & Economy, World Opinion

As it gets ready to open its first outlet in India, home furnishing giant IKEA turns to rural and semi-rural regions to help double sourcing from the country from 315 million to 630 million euros

Juvencio Maeztu, IKEA’s India CEO
Juvencio Maeztu, IKEA’s India CEO

Every day at 8.30 am, Sulekha Bharti steps out of her house in Keshopur Sarpataha in Sant Ravidas Nagar district, Uttar Pradesh (UP), and hails an auto-rickshaw for the half-an-hour, four kilometre drive to the IKEA workshop in Gyanpur, a small town near Varanasi. The day I meet her, she is wearing a bright red sari, her long hair tied neatly in a bun. She is one of hundreds of women in UP who, for the past three years, have been making textile products for the Swedish home furnishing giant.

IKEA, which grossed 28.7 billion euros in sales in FY14, sells ready-to-assemble furniture, appliances, kitchenware and household goods in 46 countries, with its largest markets in Germany, the US and France. Though it doesn’t have a presence in India yet, it has been sourcing products from the country for the past 28 years. In 2014, it procured 315 million euros worth of goods from 48 Indian suppliers; it wants to increase this to 630 million euros by 2020. For now, the goods sourced are mostly textiles, but the Swedish giant is planning to expand the scope and sourcing model, even as it is laying the groundwork for an India store by 2018.

Bharti is part of the retail giant’s most recent initiative—Next Generation—which aims to include and support the development of small-scale entrepreneurs in its supply chain. The handcrafted limited edition products that she makes are shipped to Europe and sold in 31 IKEA outlets across Sweden, Austria, the UK and Switzerland. For the 27-year-old—who, like many of her colleagues in the Gyanpur centre, was married at the age of 15—the novelty of leaving the family house, without the permission of her husband, has yet to wear off. Perhaps it never will. Until three years ago, she was confined within its walls in her role as wife, daughter-in-law, mother (she has two sons aged 5 and 9), cook and all-purpose house help. On the rare occasion when she went outside, she had to cover her face with the traditional ghoonghat or veil.

Then in 2012, after participating in a training workshop, she was recruited by artisan-run social enterprise Rangsutra, which is partnering with IKEA for its Next Generation initiative to produce handcrafted products like cushion covers, pillow cases, table runners, and bedspreads. The Rajasthan-headquartered Rangsutra, which also supplies products to companies such as lifestyle chain Fabindia, is one of IKEA’s 48 suppliers in India. In the south, the Swedish company has partnered with Industree Producer Transform in Bengaluru, which employs around 200 artisans and craftsmen who make shoulder bags, baskets and storage boxes out of natural banana fibre.

Social entrepreneur businesses like these will play an important role in IKEA’s supply chain when it starts shop in India. When the home furnishing company was granted permission to operate in India in 2012, it had announced that it would invest about Rs 10,500 crore over 10 years and open 25 retail outlets across the country. Indian consumers, however, will have to wait for three years before they can shop at an India IKEA store as the company has to build a brick and mortar outlet from scratch.

IKEA recently bought a 13-acre plot in HITEC City in Hyderabad. Though this is the first plot of land it has bought in India, it does not mean that the company will open its first store in the country in Hyderabad. IKEA is simultaneously looking for land in Delhi/NCR, Bengaluru and Mumbai.

The retailer has been struggling to find the right piece of land, especially because a typical store can range from anywhere between 2 and 4 lakh square feet on 8 to 10 acres of land. Its outlets, which can pass off as mini-townships, need to be located near highways with easy accessibility to cities. “We offer about 9,000 home furnishing products for sale. In our stores, we have many room settings that give customers inspiration, a large restaurant and play facilities for children. Therefore, the space required is large,” says IKEA India CEO Juvencio Maeztu, 47.

If all goes as planned, women like Bharti will play an important role in IKEA’s India story, and Next Generation, which IKEA describes as a business initiative with a social mission. The home furnishing company has implemented this initiative with a special focus on countries like Thailand and India that score low on the United Nations sustainable development goals.

Of Veils, Cellphones and Bank Accounts
IKEA takes pride in the change it has brought about among women in the villages of Varanasi. Initially, it was extremely difficult for Bharti to convince her husband and in-laws to let her work. “I faced a lot of taunts from people in my village, including the women. They would ask me if I was working or doing something else [the implications being commercial sex],” she says.

In a happy twist, the women who taunted Bharti three years ago have become her admirers and now work with Rangsutra, which has employed 440 women artisans in UP, in and around two centres (one in Gyanpur and another in Mirzapur) to supply products to IKEA. Rangsutra had delivered about 55,000 pieces to the European company as part of the last order; there are two such orders every year.

source: http://www.forbesindia.com / Forbes India / Home> Features-Boardroom / by Shabana Hussain / August 06th, 2015

Relic of finesse, hub of intellect buried in neglect

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Historical Links / Pre-Independence, Leaders, Travel

Lucknow :

Famous as ‘Shahji ki Deodhi’ or ‘Saat Aangan ki Kothi’ (mansion of seven courtyards), the residence of Amritlal Nagar is now in a dreadful state. Today, the kothi with a significant history is shadowed by past and broken with time. Not just family members, artists, neighbours and culturati want the mansion restored and declared heritage building.

The mansion is facing legal problems over property rights and encroachment issues. Put up for sale, a precious piece of history is on the verge of being lost. Daughter of the writer, Dr Deeksha Nagar said, “Government can transform the mansion into a live cultural museum.” In the maze of Old Lucknow there is a subtle presence of shredded memories woven by Nagar’s writings. “The mansion can be transformed into a place where literature can be created, reworked and performed as theatre,” she added.

When TOI contacted principal secretary culture Anita Meshram, she expressed inability to talk on the issue and said, “I cannot comment on this particular problem.” On tracing the forgotten house that Nagar lived in, it found to be actually a rented part of the kothi which originally belonged to Sharf-ud-Daula. It is said to have been the place where once Shahji had given refuge to Begum Hazrat Mahal, the night before she escaped to Nepal. The part of the kothi in which Nagar lived was the mardana (men’s) area of the Kothi’s original structure.

Saat Aangan ki Kothi may be lying in neglect but has not lost the resonance of beauty. Filmmaker Muzaffar Ali remarked, “Amritlal Nagar’s residence should be protected and marked as heritage of the City of Nawabs.” Some extensions of the kothi which earlier included a Thakurdwara, wooden doors and jharokhas with flawless filigree have slowly worn out over time, added Laavi Tikkha, neighbour of Amritlal Nagar from 1964-89.

Residence of Amritlal Nagar in those times used to attract lots of personalities from the Hindi film industry. “Shashi Kapoor, Shyam Benegal, Raj Babbar and K P Saxena were among the visitors and Junoon (1978) was shot here,” recalled Manoj Kumar Mehrotra, who resided in the house opposite Amritlal Nagar’s.

Though Nagar did not own any property, the kothi used to be an evening attraction of Mirza Mandi till a couple of decades ago. “The evening of courtly entertainment of poetry was part of his life in this kothi,” his neighbour Rahul Seth told TOI. Envisaging the past of 1980’s five and eighty years old Munendra Nath Mehrotra recalls that, “Amritlal Nagar’s kothi used to be a charm of this place but now it is surrounded by buildings on all sides.”

Blended with Lucknowi Tehzeeb and Nazakat, Amritlal Nagar was one of the renowned artistes of Lucknow’s literary repertoire. Former MP of Lucknow Lalji Tandon told TOI, “We tried to restore Nagar ji’s place a few years ago but didn’t make a headway. Government spending crores of rupees on development can easily restore this invaluable piece of history.”

Standing very differently from today’s world the work of Amritlal Nagar have transcended all boundaries compelling the reader to think. Made from ‘lakhauri’ and organic paste with Mughal architecture the mansion exudes an arresting aura of uniqueness. Wild grass growing on the 400-year-old building shrouds this relic of visual and oral arts of Old Lucknow.

(Compiled by Ashutosh Agarwal)

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News Home> City> Lucknow / TNN / August 23rd, 2015

Chitranjan Swarup mourned, House adjourned

Leaders

Lucknow :

UP Assembly was adjourned minutes after the Question Hour when news of the demise of minister of state for parliamentary affairs Chitranjan Swarup was broken by parliamentary affairs minister Mohammad Azam Khan.

Debate was on and Question Hour was about to end when Azam Khan informed the House about Swarup’s demise.

Swarup passed away after a prolonged illness at a hospital in New Delhi on Wednesday. Swarup (69), a three-time MLA from Muzaffarnagar, is survived by wife and three sons.

He was first elected MLA on Congress ticket and then on BSP ticket after which he joined the Samajwadi Party.

Azam Khan recalled his long association with Swarup saying, “He was my associate in the last government as also in this one. He had been a dear friend who made his contribution in setting up of Jauhar University (in Rampur) too.”

Speaker Mata Prasad Pandey also recalled his meetings with Swarup and said he visited his home in Muzaffarnagar to a warm welcome.

Leader of opposition Swami Prasad Maurya, leader of BJP legislature party Suresh Khanna, Congress legislature party leader Pradip Mathur were among others who recalled Swarup’s contribution, especially to the field of education.

A two-minute silence was observed in the honour of the departed soul following which House proceedings were adjourned until Thursday morning.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News Home> City> Lucknow / TNN / August 20th, 2015

UP farmer’s soccer player son heads for Germany

Sports, World Opinion

Lucknow :

For 14-year-old Akash Mishra, a student of Lucknow’s Guru Gobind Singh Sports College, it is hard to tell when soccer turned from pastime to passion. But it sure yielded fruitful returns as Akash and 14 other children from across India have been chosen for a six-year training programme in Germany, during which the youngsters will train under coaches from Bundesliga Club TSG 1899 Hoffenheim.

Son of a farmer from UP’s Balrampur district (Tekuhikala, Pilibhit), almost 160 kilometres from the state capital, the family was initially reluctant to send their only son abroad, but when they saw the training facilities in Mumbai, their doubts and anxiety were gone.

Mishra, who plays at left full back position in his team would be leaving for Germany on Wednesday (August 19), and hopes to represent India in the FIFA World Cup 2017 (for the under-17 age group). Speaking to TOI, Akash said, “I was surprised when I came to know I had been selected for the training programme in Germany. I never expected to make it to the training schedule of Bundesliga.” Mishra and 14 others were selected through a massive talent hunt conducted across 50 cities of India in the presence of experienced coaches of the German soccer club.

Elaborating about his training module, Mishra said he is working on a strategy to use his right limb optimally to yield positive results. “In a tournament held in 2014, we were told about the possibility of selection for the German training programme,” said the budding soccer player, who idolises Cristiano Ronaldo and ace Indian footballer Baichung Bhutia.

Proud of his son’s exploits, Anil Kumar Mishra said, “We were reluctant when Akash was coming to Sports College Lucknow and when we came to know about his chance to go to Germany for a six-year training programme, we told him to decline the offer. But my son and his coaches convinced us about the bright prospects in sports, following which we relented.” Akash’s younger sister is happy for him.

“During the 6-year programme in Germany, Akash would get a chance to be with his family every six months,” said Anil Kumar.

Praising the budding footballer, coach Mahesh Gawali said, “TSG 1899 Hoffenheim is one of the best training grounds in the world and Akash would benefit from the exposure. He is a natural left-footer, a rare characteristic seen in Indian footballers. This will definitely give him an edge over others. Apart from this, he is dedicated and disciplined, an essential pre-requisite.”

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News Home> City> Lucknow / by Arunav Sinha, TNN / August 20th, 2015

Ikka Daud: 200-year-old tradition in Shrawan

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Sports, Travel

Allahabad :

The holy month of Shrawan brings along several traditions unique to a particular area. Sangam City too has a unique tradition of organizing age-old ‘Ghehre Baazi’ (‘Ghehre’ means steps and ‘Baazi’ means bet) or Ikka Daud (horse cart race) on Yamuna Bank Road on every Monday of the holy month.

The race has a 200-year-old history. The tradition was started by pandas of the city and they have continued to patronize it. Around 1940s, zamindars of Allahabad and neighbouring areas started participating in this unique race.

Winner gets accolades and appreciation of the cheering crowd as a reward for winning the strenuous race. No money is given out. “This public appreciation provides an unexplainable satisfaction for the ‘saais’ (horse keeper),” says Badre Alam, who has participated in at least 30 races and won 10 of them.

Alam’s forefathers were zamindars of Katra. He has continued his family tradition of participating in the race, which he feels “is an example of the Ganga-Jamuni tehzeeb of the region. It is held on Monday of Shrawan. Both Hindus and Muslims participate enthusiastically in this race.” Continuing in the same vein he says, “Shiva signifies ‘shakti’ (power). Horse too symbolizes power. Hence, the race is held in Shrawan.”

“The race is unique in many ways. As per the rule, horses used in commercial activities are banned. Only racing horses can canter (movement of horse wherein it moves in fast steps) and not gallop,” says Badre and adds this race helps horse cart owners prepare for the 14-km-long competitive race held in October-November held on the route between Hanumanganj and Shashtri bridge or Sahson and Phaphamau. “This race too is quite prestigious and witnesses participants from Lucknow, Kanpur, Mirzapur, Pratapgarh etc,” he said.

Badre Alam relies on Sindhi horses for Ikka Daud. “Sindhi horses brought from the Sindh province of Pakistan are the best for the purpose. They have inborn talent for moving fast on sand and not gallop. We bring these horses from the famous animal fair of Barmer,” said Alam.

Even the cart of this unique race is equally special and manufactured in Delhi. The huge wooden wheel and the riding platform are made of Shisham wood and best ball bearings are used to give it required speed.

“Two persons sit on a cart. One handles the horse through leash and another, sitting in the rear, navigates the cart by informing the location of other competitors,” he said Alam.

Another regular participant Lalji Yadav, who has named his horse ‘Bhaiya’, said, “It is a pity that no one cares about offering prize money for the horse. Even pigeons are more fortunate as they at least get a prize after winning tournaments held for them.” He also wants proper security during race. “The district administration should see to it that people don’t jump on the road and no vehicles should be allowed on the track,” he demanded.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News Home> City> Allahabad / by Rajeev Mani, TNN / August 18th, 2015

World War I weapons on display in centenary year in Allahabad

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

Allahabad :

To mark the centenary year of the World War I, the Allahabad Museum will set up a gallery displaying arms and armours, including light machine guns and pistols, used in both world wars by August end. Renowned poet William Cowper’s quote, “War lays a burden on the reeling state, And peace does nothing to relieve the weight,” will be the theme of the gallery.

Museum director Rajesh Purohit said, “A light machine gun having a number on the outer side as MG 08/15 and manufactured in 1917 was used during the World War I. Another machine gun maxim MG 08/15 manufactured in 1918, pepper box revolver with six barrels and a six cartridge belonging to the 19th Century are prominent displays which were used during the World War-I. Their advanced versions were used in WW II.”

The other weapons to be displayed in the gallery are a muzzle loading, percussion cap firing system pistol and a smooth bore pistol with ram rod having a size 31cm and 1.6 cm belonging to early decades of 19th Century. Apart from the arms used in the two World Wars, the gallery would also exhibit pistols, swords, khukhri, bayonet and chest plates used by freedom fighters. Dumped in museum’s reserve collection along with 3,000 objects and antiquities, these arms and armours were away from public eye till 2011. After four years of classification, cataloguing and preservation, the objects classified under ‘arms and armours’ are ready to be displayed for visitors. These include various types of pistols, rifles and light machine guns. At present the museum has catalogued 211 weapons. However, the rifles that were in vogue during the WW II are yet to be displayed.

Most of these weapons are in good condition and could be used even after 100 years. The museum had roped in Allahabad University’s department of Defence Studies for cataloguing the guns and other arms. “A brigadier was also consulted to ascertain the present condition of the weapon. AU’s RK Tandon and Onkar Wankhede of the museum toiled hard towards restoration and preservation of arms. A total of 211 weapons are in the gallery,” said Purohit.

However, the museum had not documented donors of these weapons. “The museum started functioning with a small collection in 1931. With passage of time, donations started pouring in. We lack accounts of persons who donated various items, including arms and armours to the museum till 1950s,” said Purohit.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News Home> City> Allahabad / by Vinod Khanal, TNN / August 20th, 2015

Harvard book chronicles Maha Kumbh success saga

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Records, All, World Opinion

Lucknow :

The success of Maha Kumbh 2013 has now been chronicled in form of a book produced by teachers and scholars of Harvard University. Titled ‘Kumbh Mela, Mapping the Ephermal City’, the 447-page book will be formally released by chief minister Akhilesh Yadav in New Delhi on Monday.

A compilation of contributions from acclaimed writers like Dina L Eck, the book praises the chief minister’s efforts to celebrate the mega event as a “Green Kumbh” by banning the use of plastic materials and other pollutants at the Sangam in Allahabad.

Diana L Eck is a scholar of religious studies and a professor of comparative religion and Indian studies at the Harvard. Her earlier books include ‘Banaras, City of Light’. Among other contributors of the book are renowned architect Rahul Mehrotra and a group of Harvard students who camped at the Sangam during Mahakumbh in 2013 on Akhilesh’s invitation.

Published by the South Asia Institute of the Harvard University, the book in a complete narration of various aspects of the event which attracted millions to one single place. Some bound by intrigue, some drawn by interest, some tied to devotion, some in quest of peace, some for research and others by the simple urge of being part of the momentous event that unfolded between January 14 to March 22, says the book

The book, right from its preamble, lists how the spade work on the mega event started, from laying the grid of the sprawling Mela premises, to the logistics and the massive sanitation, sewage disposal and mass vaccination campaigns that were taken care of by the government agencies.

Referring to the Kumbh Mela project undertaken by the South Asia Institute (SAI) of the Harvard University as a “keystone project” the book goes on to discuss in detail the entire multi-year research project findings. During the period of the project, over 50 Harvard professors, students, administrative staff, doctors and researchers made a pilgrimage to the site, with the duration of stay spanning between two days to several weeks.

Meena Sonea Hewett, executive director of the SAI in the preamble states that the book serves as an “example of sophisticated, interdisciplinary researched and produced a set of teaching tools, useful across the disciplines of public health, data science, architecture, urban planning, business, religion and culture.”

The contributors to the book also call the Kumbh much beyond the media spectacle and details the “sheer human achievement of creating the temporary and yet complex infrastructure of the 24-square-mile Kumbh city, compared to almost 2/3rd of Manhattan. Calling the entire process of making this city with an expiry date as “astonishing”, the team of the SAI also details how this city comes up for 45 days and takes in millions of faithfuls.

In the section on ‘Metrics’, the writers detail how the mela area stretches to 23.5 square km and extends to another 15 km stretch due to the receding river that leaves behind additional flood plains. “The sense of elastic accommodation within the temporary settlement is outstanding and unique” the book observes.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News Home> City> Lucknow / by Subhash Mishra, TNN / August 17th, 2015