Ram Temple movement leader and Yogi Adityanath’s guru Avaidyanath passes away

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Leaders

SUMMARY
Former BJP MP Mahant Avaidyanath, who was one of the leading lights of the Ram Temple movement in Ayodhya, died
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Former BJP MP Mahant Avaidyanath, who was one of the leading lights of the Ram Temple movement in Ayodhya, died following prolonged illness in Gorakhpur Friday. He was also the former chief priest of Gorakhnath Temple and guru of BJP’s firebrand leader and Gorakhpur MP Yogi Adityanath.

Avaidyanath (95) was admitted to Medanta Hospital, Gurgaon, three months ago and was on ventilator for the past few days. He was moved to Guru Gorakhnath Hospital on the temple campus in Gorakhpur by an air-ambulance Friday evening. He died around 9 pm.

Adityanath accompanied Avaidyanath from Gurgaon to Gorakhpur.

Avaidyanath was elected MLA from Maniram Assembly segment five times – 1962, 1967, 1969, 1974 and 1977. He was elected Lok Sabha member from Gorakhpur as an Independent candidate in 1970 and won again in 1989 as candidate of Hindu Mahasabha. He was elected MP from the same seat in 1991 and 1996 as BJP nominee.

Adityanath took deekhsha from Avaidyanath in February 1994 who declared him as his successor.

Adityanath, too, won from Gorakhpur Lok Sabha seat for five consecutive terms.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi condoled the death of Avaidyanath, saying “he will be remembered for his patriotic zeal and determined efforts to serve society”.

“Saddened over the demise of Mahant Avaidyanath ji. He will be remembered for his patriotic zeal and determined efforts to serve society,” the Prime Minister said.

BJP state president Laxmikant Bajpai and general secretary (organisation) Sunil Bansal, too, expressed grief over Avaidyanath’s demise.

BJP spokesperson of Gorakhpur region Satyendra Sinha said the party has cancelled the two-day training camp of party workers of Gorakhpur region that was scheduled to begin in Kushi Nagar Saturday.

Satyendra said Avaidyanath’s body would be placed in the temple for public to pay tributes on Saturday.He will be buried on the temple campus Sunday according to the rituals of Sant Samaj.

source: http://www.financialexpress.com / The Financial Express / Home> Miscellaneous / Express News Service – Lucknow / September 13th, 2014

G.B. Pant University honors U.S. Chief Agricultural Negotiator Ambassador Islam A. Siddiqui

Agriculture, Education, Green Initiatives / Environment, Leaders, Nature, Nri's / Pio's, Records, All, Science & Technology, World Opinion

The G. B. Pant University of Agriculture and Technology in Pantnagar, Uttarakhand, today honored its former student, United States Chief Agricultural Negotiator Ambassador Islam A. Siddiqui, with an honorary degree of Doctor of Science. The degree was conferred upon Ambassador Siddiqui in recognition of his contributions to agricultural research and development, as well as agricultural trade policy development and his work’s influence on world agriculture.

“I feel humbled and honored at the same time to be receiving this honorary degree of Doctor of Science. Thousands of agricultural scientists, engineers, and veterinarians graduating from Pantnagar and sister universities provided the foot soldiers to make the Green Revolution a reality. This massive technology transfer of modern agricultural practices – combining education, research, and extension — turned India from a net food importing country to a food exporting nation. As a student of the first batch of this great institution when it opened its doors 51 years ago, I had not imagined in my wildest dreams that one day I would receive this prestigious award.”

Ambassador Siddiqui was born in Haldwani, Uttar Pradesh and attended G.B. Pant University before taking a scholarship at the University of Illinois in the United States. Throughout his career, he has advocated for international cooperation, technology transfer, capacity building, and new technology development to achieve food security in the 21st century.

source: http://www.newdelhi.usembassy.gov / Embassy of the United States, New Delhi, India / Home> News & Events> Press Releases / New Delhi – May 20th, 2011

Lucknow’s art just for art’s sake?

Arts, Culture & Entertainment

Art exhibitions in the city have become popular spots for hobnobbing, but no one is interested in buying art there

Lucknowites take great pride in the thriving arts and culture scene in the city. Art exhibitions by local painters and sculptors are a regular feature on the city’s social calendar. But while everyone wants to be seen at these events, no one wants to buy art from them, rue local artists.

`THE AVERAGE SALE OF ART WORKS IS NOT EVEN ONE PER EXHIBITION’

Laljeet Aheer, Chairman, State Lalit Kala Akademi at Lal Baradari, says the ratio of exhibitions organised to art works sold is dismally poor. “On an average, if 30 exhibitions happen at State Lalit Kala Akademi in Lucknow every year, not even 10 paintings are sold through them,” he says, adding, “I am a sculptor too, and have been in this field for 30 years, but nothing has changed as far people’s attitude towards art goes. People come to exhibitions to meet each other, see the work, but don’t want to buy them.”

A fact corroborated by every single person related to the field.”The average sale of art works is not even one per exhibition!” says Bhupendra Asthana, an artist who now organises exhibitions in Lucknow for other artists. “People in Lucknow will spend lakhs in buying a painting from Delhi, but will not spend half of that money in buying a work from Lucknow, even though it might be better,” adds Asthana.

`IN UP PEOPLE CONSIDER ART AS SOMETHING TO BE GIFTED’

Art curators and artists in Lucknow try to explain the reason for the poor sales of art works at exhibitions. Rajendra Prasad, Head of the Painting Department at the Arts College, Lucknow, feels city folk do not quite value art in the way that they should. “Also, I have noticed that people prefer to purchase paintings from exhibitions in Delhi or Mumbai, but underestimate the talent of local artists, who get a good response if they display their works outside UP,” he says.

“In UP people consider art as something to be gifted, they don’t understand that it’s the passion of an artist that should be valued ,” rues Anurag Didwania, director of Kala Srot Art Gallery and Art Centre that was recently launched in the city , and adds, “I know private art galleries in the city have had to close down eventually, due to losses. But I still took the risk of starting one of my own in Lucknow. We have bookings for exhibitions in coming months and until now we have had two painting exhibitions, but not a single painting was sold from them, even though they received due appreciation from visitors.”

`IF AN ARTIST DEVOTES A MONTH’S TIME IN MAKING A PAINTING, IS THAT JUST WORTH `5,000?’

“Even the paintings that are sold at exhibitions are the ones that are priced very low,” points out Prasad, “mostly in the range of `5,000-`10,000. Sometimes, a client wants a portrait of his done, or an interior decorator places an order for 20 landscapes.So that has become the source of income for artists in the city .”

A very discouraging trend for artists, feels Praveen Sharma, program coordinator at Lalit Kala Akademi Regional Centre, located in Aliganj. Sharma says, “If an artist devotes a month’s time in making a painting, he is giving everything to it – from time to emotion to experience.Is that just worth `5,000?” He also adds that most of the purchases from exhibitions are by corporate houses and industrialists. “Otherwise, Lucknow just does not have a market for art at all. In fact, all of UP is the same. That is why private galleries here cannot sustain themselves and have to shut down; even the Regional Centre runs on funding by the central government. Who can run a centre like this on a rent of `3,000 per exhibition? It’s impossible,” he states.

`BAAT KIYA, PAINTINGS DEKHI AUR CHALTE BANE’

But if no one is intersted in buying art in Lucknow, why are the inaugurations of these exhibitions so well-attended? “For many it has become a spot to socialize and get clicked,” says Bhupendra Asthana, and adds, “On the inaugural day, an exhibition witnesses a large gathering but from the second day , you will notice very few people coming in for it. There were instances when artists coming from other states had to wind up the exhibition before the scheduled closing day , owing to low turnout.”

Agrees Prasad and shares, “People come in full strength on the first day of the exhibition, it is like a fun gathering for them, ki baat kiya, paintings dekhi aur chalte bane.People need to look beyond that, art needs appreciation and the interest of people.”

`THERE IS NO TRUST BETWEEN AN ARTIST AND BUYER HERE’

But not everybody feels that Lucknow lacks an eye for art. Alok Kumar, a renowned painter from the city , says the quality of work displayed at local exhibitions is also to be blamed for the poor response. “We are unable to develop the taste for quality work among people here. Most of the exhibitions are by amateur artists, and people get to see only copied or low quality work, so why will a buyer want to invest money in such art? The established artists prefer to exhibit their works outside UP , as there is no trust between an artist and buyer here. I have done 40 exhibitions in these 25 years, and out of them only five were in Lucknow. The others were in major cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Jaipur, Bangalore, Kolkata and the foreign countries,” he shares.

Not many artists are as lucky as Alok Kumar. Sudheer Sharma, a sculptor who passed out of the Arts College in 1993 rues, “I could not continue my passion for art, and had to take up a government job to run my livelihood. I have done 6-7 exhibitions in the city but not a single work was sold. Then I started taking orders to make sculptures for hotels, political parties etc. I am getting decentlly paid for that.”

`NEED TO CREATE A MARKET FOR ART’

Jayant Krishna, who is a frequent guest at art exhibitions in the city , says there needs to be greater awareness created about art as an investment. “I have bought around 12 paintings in the last five years from exhibitions in the city, and believe we have ample potential here; we just need to create a market for it.”

Prof Rakesh Chandra, another regular at art soirees echoes Krishna’s opinion. “We need to develop the understanding of art as an investment, which over the years cities like Mumbai and Baroda have successfully developed. I believe government, banks and private firms should come forward to initiate the culture of buying art work from art galleries in the city,” he says.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Lucknow / Renu Singh, TNN / September 09th, 2014

Royal Style

Historical Links / Pre-Independence, Records, All

AkbarLUCKNOW11sept2014

Centuries before Peter Stillman the elder, the eccentric/insane professor in the first part of Paul Auster’s The New York Trilogy, had conducted a ghastly linguistic experiment on his son by locking him up in a dark, empty room from birth to find out his ‘natural’ language, a famous Indian emperor had supervised a similar research in real life. In the outskirts of Fatehpur Sikri, Akbar kept a ‘dumb house’, where babies were reared by dumb wet nurses: the emperor wanted to ascertain what language they would speak once they grew up under these laboratory conditions. Disappointingly, the experiment failed, and the children were found to have acquired no god-given or natural language when they were visited a few years later.

This incident may suggest that Akbar was a cruel man but the moral judgment would overlook his keen scientific temperament — this disposition had also led him to order the mating of a goat and a deer. The same urge to look beyond the given and to find out what happens when boundaries are crossed must have inspired him to create Din-i-Ilahi, the syncretic religion that still speaks volumes for that progressive man who could think of a faith combining elements from several existing religions in the 16th century. Akbar’s character, as analysed by Lucy Peck in FATEHPUR SIKRI: REVISITING AKBAR’S MASTERPIECE (Roli, Rs 795), is as intriguing as this palace complex built by the emperor over years and then, suddenly abandoned. Peck revisits the old mystery surrounding Akbar’s unexpected moving of court from Fatehpur Sikri, and although she doesn’t join the dots, the solution seems to lurk somewhere in the emperor’s character rather than in material causes, like the alleged shortage of water there.

Peck’s Akbar is an artist, with all the attendant symptoms and characteristics of artisthood. He seems perfectly capabale of believing six contradictory things before breakfast. However, that may well be because the Akbar about whom we read now is a construct of texts by three different people with different agendas — Abul Fazl, who is all-praise for the emperor; Badauni, who, displeased by Akbar’s religious tolerance and out of favour in the court as a result, is embittered; and the Jesuit priest, Monserrate, whose account is seemingly unbiased because it is by an outsider. Sifting through their stories, Peck presents a flamboyant Akbar whose interests range from block-printing, carpet-weaving, taming elephants, flying pigeons to settling his subjects’ disputes hands-on, debating tirelessly on religious issues, sometimes throughout the night. He is possibly an epileptic — given his frequent trances — a dyslexic and an opium eater, subject to bingeing bouts. He spends nights meditating alone on a rock, seeking answers to life’s questions. Add to this driven, excessive nature the emperor’s prerogative, and one can begin to fathom why, for instance, he ordered the dumb house experiment or built a place like Fatehpur Sikri, with its eccentric blend of varied styles, its mix of austerity and extravagance. As Peck writes of the buildings of Fatehpur: “[They] reveal themselves to be remarkably disparate. One can well imagine Akbar hearing about or seeing an unusual building and saying, ‘I’ll have one of those.’”

Top right is an illustration of the diverse designs that come together in Fatehpur Sikri. The grapevines look European while the pattern on the right panel resembles the stringed decorations that Hindus hang from the top of door frames on festive occasions. Left shows Akbar in the Ibadat Khana, where he held the discussions with people of other faiths that eventually resulted in Din-i-Ilahi. Bottom left is the tank on the banks of which Akbar’s courtiers had met on the emperor’s birthday in 1582 to celebrate the occasion with games of chaupar, chess and cards. Akbar had looked on with mixed feelings at such frivolities until disaster struck: a side of the tank collapsed and the water swept downhill, washing away settlements. The breathtaking ceiling of the Royal Baths is on bottom right.

source: http://www.telegraphindia.com / The Telegraph, Calcutta / Front Page> Opinion> Story / by Anusua Mukherjee / Friday – September 05th, 2014

Atul wins bronze, creates history

Records, All, Sports, World Opinion
Atul Verma
Atul Verma

Atul Verma won India its first Olympic archery medal — a bronze — at the Youth Olympic Games at Nanjing on Tuesday.

The boy from Barabanki (Uttar Pradesh) downed Turkey’s Mete Gozoz 6-4 (29-28, 30-29, 27-27, 29-30, 29-29) in the play-off. Ranked No. 2 in the qualification round, Atul was 4-2 ahead in the semifinals against eventual silver medallist, Marcus D’Almeida of Brazil. The Indian, however, failed to hold his nerve and went on to lose 4-6 (28-28, 30-28, 28-28, 27-29, 27-28).

The gold went to Korean Lee Woo Seok, who got the better of D’Almeida 7-3 in the final.

Verma will be joining the Pune-based Army Sports Institute on his return, said India coach Ravi Shankar, who spotted his talent. “We are very proud of his achievement,” said National coaches, Shankar and Dharmendra Tiwari.

The sport’s first Dronacharya, Sanjeeva Kumar Singh, echoed the sentiment. “We have won medals at the World, Asian and Commonwealth levels, but an Olympic medal kept eluding us. Atul’s bronze is a great achievement and should go a long way in motivating youngsters to take up the sport,” he said.

Unbelievable
“It is a fantastic achievement,” said the former secretary-general of the Archery Association of India, P.N. Mukherjee. “I just can’t believe that India has won an Olympic medal in archery.”

Coach Ashok Kumar Yadav, who transformed the youngster into an Olympic medal winner, said Verma was one of the 20 boys at the UP Sports Hostel in Sonbhadra, a town 108 km away from Banaras.

“But for the contribution of District Magistrate Pandari Yadav and sports officer Atul Sinha, it wouldn’t have been possible for us to produce an Olympic medallist,” said Yadav.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Sports> Other Sports / by Special Correspondent / Kolkata – August 26th, 2014

For him, Paradise City’s where the grass is green

Science & Technology

Panaji :

Goa’s azure allure often has a strange effect on those, largely from North India’s landed parts. Dispensing with such trivialities as checking into their vacation accommodation or even changing their attire for some suitable beach wear, they merrily plunge into the surf. In contrast, the Azamgarh-born N P Singh is guided by a different tide.

The Old-Goa based director of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research rarely visits Colva and Calangute, and even when he does, it’s usually to accompany outstation ICAR colleagues. He says he hasn’t seen Arambol, Morjim or any other popular beaches, but instead likes the village of Siolim.

Urban life seems to put Singh off and it isn’t surprising, since his Goa posting came after a long career of being cocooned in forested areas. He seems visibly uneasy about living along the national highway 4A at Old Goa.

The Benares Hindu University-educated Singh might have wielded the stethoscope instead of spending time in the lab, but he settled on agriculture, as he could reach out to more than 60% of the population.

But it isn’t Uttar Pradesh or Goa but his stint in the northeast (1984-2010) that left an indelible mark on him. “It was a difficult area as insurgents swarmed the whole place,” he says. “We had all sorts of problems, insurgency and natural disasters. Life was difficult as we had to hop over bamboo bridges, use banana-trunk boats for ferrying across water bodies, and all this amidst the fear of being shot by insurgents.”

Perhaps it was the unstinting support of his wife, Nirmala, that got him through it. He married her in 1975, when he was 19 and she 17. He’d completed his Class XII and she, her matriculation. Later, she completed her MA in Hindi as well as her Bachelors in Education, but yet chose to accompany him to the north east.

“It was the best period of my life,” he gushes. He encountered different situations, but it was the people of the northeast who carried him above his trials and tribulations. “They were always smiling and cheerful,” he recalls. In fact, “they laugh too much”, he adds, breaking into a smile. Singh can talk at some length about the northeast, but by no means is his relationship with that part of the country over. Even today, in Goa, he sometimes reaches out to North easterners studying and working at institutions such as the NIO, GIM or St Xavier’s. Another thing he does in Goa is that he partakes in the state’s famous communal harmony. Singh is multi-religious, and visits all places of worship. “I can feel a deep sense of oneness with God in a church, a mosque or a temple,” he says. Oftentimes, he attends masses during the novenas of St Francis Xavier, during which he gets to meet Catholics from the north east. He also visits the Brahmapuri temple on the edge of the ICAR complex, and the dargah along the Panaji-Ponda road.

While at home, Singh is happy in his garden, an activity his wife helps him with. Apart from being a hobby, gardening also makes financial sense for Singh. He says, “I have not bought a single papaya from the market. My chillies, lemons and all vegetables except potato and onion are grown in my home garden adjoining the campus.” He utilizes his knowledge of vermicomposting to reduce garbage. The campus, too, bears visible marks of Singh.

A stickler for hygiene, the staff has been asked to keep the campus spic and span. Regarding the rest of Goa, he’s happy with the greenery and biomass. “We have to protect the green cover through appropriate policies,” he says. His concern about the shifting cultivation, revolving around slashing and burning of forests for crops, had motivated him to develop a technology with his team of officials for Tripura famers to provide suitable alternative no of varieties, especially field crops and vegetables. Goa being a biodiversity hotspot, he stresses the need for village-level planning to manage for sustainable development.

When he’s not worrying about all things green, Singh listens to the timeless tunes of Mohammed Rafi, Lata Mangueshkar and Mukesh. As the campus touches the NH 4A, the thick planation of trees on the ICAR front on the highway are clearly visible. After all, his dream is to turn the spot into one with a beautiful ambience.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Goa / by Paul Fernandes, TNN / August 31st, 2014

Jhansi celebrates Dadda’s b’th anniv with sports meet

Sports

Several events were held in the city to mark 109th birth anniversary of hockey legend Major Dhyan Chand in his hometown Jhansi. The day is observed as National Sports Day.

District Athletic Association organized a 21-km half marathon which witnessed participation of more than 500 girls and boys from different parts of the state. Jhansi SSP Shivsagar Singh flagged off the event at Bundelkhand University. Prizes were distributed by varsity’s vice-chancellor Avinash Chandra Pandey.

Ravindra Kumar of Lucknow won the half-marathon, while Sugriv Gupta of Ballia stood second. Muzaffarnagar’s Sunil Kumar came third. International athlete and organizer of the event Arjun Singh said that it was the sixth consecutive half-marathon organized to commemorate the day. Special prizes and gift coupons were also given away to attract local students.

Finals of two different groups (14 years and 18 years) of ongoing hockey tournament were played at Senior Railway Institute. Secretary, railway institute, Brijendra Yadav said that a sports fortnight is organized every year to commemorate the day. Chess, hockey, boxing, cross-country race, billiards and football tournaments are also organized.

Tribute was also paid to hockey wizard by various social organizations. Social worker Neeti Shastri and other persons garlanded Major Dhyan Chand’s statue at his favourite Heros Ground, the place where he used to practice in his younger days.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Allahabad / by Arindam Ghosh, TNN / August 30th, 2014

LMGC moves alumnae to restore Khursheed Manzil

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

Lucknow :

After financial assistance from Ministry of Culture towards conservation of the magnificent Khursheed Manzil, the La Martiniere Girls’ College looks up to its alumni to contribute towards converting the historical structure into a museum. The conservation work began in mid-June.

In the general body meeting of the La Martiniere Girls’ Alumni Association held recently, the school management had asked alumni to contribute towards renovation of Khursheed Manzil.

Principal Farida Abraham said “a museum is being prepared to preserve all old records and documents so that students present and past can relate more closely with the college’s glorious past.” Public will get a closer look at the antique remnants of this 200-year-old landmark, she added.

The grand museum will spread across three rooms comprising staff dining hall, drawing room and verandah, and would be adjacent to the principal’s office. The museum will exhibit the treasure trove of the historic college.

In an attempt to restore the pristine glory, the college had approached Union ministry of culture with a proposal. In May, the ministry sanctioned Rs 48 lakh. The total project outlay is around Rs 3 crore.

Conservation architect Ashish Srivastava said “the building was in a shambles. During excavation work, the college found pottery, good collection of books and paintings, picture plates dating back to pre-Independence years and other documents like shield, comments by old Martinians, etc.”

The college also plans to set the clock back. A drawbridge that led to the building in the past will be put in place so that visitors get a feel of the 18th century castle. This structure was witness to some stubborn fighting during the first War of Independence in 1857.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Lucknow / by Isha Jain, TNN / September 09th, 2014

Gateway to ancient wisdom on verge of closing

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

Lucknow:

Hindutva may be the flavour of the day, but there are no takers for Hindu mathematics in Lucknow University. This section of the Mathematics department of Lucknow University is virtually closed. It neither has expert faculty, nor students to carry forward research on invaluable transcripts on Astronomy and Algebra authored by great Hindu mathematicians till 1800 AD, which the world recognizes as masterpieces. Major reason for the faculty’s closure is that to study these documents one has to be well-versed in Sanskrit as well as a master of mathematics, which is a rare combination. Paucity of funds has just added to the woes.

Former section in charge Aruna Nigam who headed the department till 2009 says “the section has rare collection of work in mathematics. A lot of awareness is needed to revive the section.” She adds the last student of this department was Japanese national T Ohashi, who came a decade ago to study Indian astronomy. On how Hindu mathematics differs from Vedic mathematics, she said the former has been practiced from 2nd century AD while the latter dates only around 5,000 years Before Christ.

Present caretaker Poonam Sharma who took charge six months back said “these days nobody opts for Hindu mathematics because it does not fetch the kind of money other careers do.”

The section has a unique distinction in that it possesses around 52 priceless transcripts of original manuscripts written by Hindu mathematicians. There are three photocopies of the original work penned by Brahmagupta, ‘Sput Siddhanta’, in 620AD, brought from England and three microfilms in Bengali on algebra and mathematics. Formed in 1939 by A N Singh, the first Indian LU head of the math department, the section does not receive any grant, neither from the University Grants Commission nor state government.

Most transcripts are in Sanskrit and regional languages and they are on astronomy. “This was basically because the people then were particularly fascinated by Astrology and Astronomical wonders,” said Nigam. “That’s why we were world leaders in Astronomy till 1500AD, she said, adding arithmetic, algebra and geometry developed as byproducts of astronomy.

Some of the rare collections here are: ‘Aryabhattiyan’ by Aryabhatt (495 AD), Bahad Jatak by Varahmihir (6th century AD) and Sridharacharya’s Pati Ganit and Dholi Karma. Nigam said very few know there were two Bhaskaracharyas. Bhaskaracharya I (620 AD) was the astronomer and Bhaskaracharya II (1156 AD) the author of ‘Leelavati’. This was brought to light by English mathematician Colebrooke in the 18th century, she informed. She also challenged the popular belief that Leelavati was daughter of Bhaskaracharya II. “Bhaskaracharya used the name Leelavati for explaining mathematical problems, we have no proof weather she was an imaginary figure, disciple or daughter of the scholar”, she added.

Hoping that the section would be revived, former head of maths department, Ram Nivas informed “we had zero, decimal system concept of ‘infinity’ much before the world came to know about it.” Bodhayan derived Pythagoras theorem and calculated the value of pie in 800 BC. Through ‘Surya Siddhanta’ they had calculated distance of sun from earth. They knew about number of planets, their motions, causes of eclipses and trigonometry. ‘Theory of Indeterminants’ was in Indian mathematics since 5th century, while the world developed it after 13th century.

Aryabhatt (495 AD) was the first to discover that earth moves round the sun (west to east) by observing movements of boats. These scholars could read time accurately by measuring inclination of sun rays. They also knew about ‘principal governing observatories’, informed experts. Geometry was known as Dholi Sutra (since it was measured by threads) and arithmetic as ‘Dhool Karma’ and ‘Pati Ganit’ (since calculations were done on sand and wooden planks).

Nigam during her term took up the arduous task to translate these in English. Five books are already available in the department. “It’s unfortunately that the section is now closed,” she added.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Lucknow / by Isha Jain, TNN / September 01st, 2014

‘Ballia independence’ commemorated

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

Varanasi :

In order to commemorate the historic event when ‘Baghi Ballia’ had declared Independence from British rule in 1942, hundreds of local residents assembled at the district jail on Tuesday. The gate of jail was opened for a while. A procession was taken out across the town.

On August 19, 1942, thousands of people of Ballia proceeded to jail to free their leaders imprisoned during Quit India movement. They were armed with guns, lathis and spears. The gate of the jail was opened and the political prisoners were freed. It was the historic victory of Ballia. People had taken control of the town and they declared ‘Independence’ for Ballia on August 20, 1942. A government headed by Chittu Pandey was formed. Every year, on August 19, people carry out procession from the district jail and hold meeting at Bapu Bhawan to celebrate the victory.

People uprising in Ballia began soon after the arrest of Congress leaders taking part in Quit India movement. On August 10, 1942, all the schools were closed and people continued to take out processions. On August 13, Bilthara Road railway station was attacked and the building was burnt. On August 16, Rasra treasury was attacked and two days later the police station at Bairia was attacked. The station officer had removed the Tricolour, which the freedom fighters hoisted on August 15. At least 20 persons were killed and several others injured in police firing.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Varanasi / TNN / August 19th, 2014