CIMAP to lead certification system of medicinal plants and products

Agriculture, Education, Science & Technology, World Opinion

Lucknow :

The Lucknow-based Central Institute of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants, and institute under the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research has been assigned a lead role in the Indian Ocean in introducing a system of certification of medicinal plants and their products with a view to promote marketing and utilisation of value added products in Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) region. The development comes close to the heels of another Lucknow-based CSIR laboratory, Indian Institute of Toxicology Research getting the GLP certification.

This decision to assign the current role to CIMAP was taken in the first meeting of medicinal plants focal points of IORA Regional Centre for Science and Technology Transfer (RCSTT) held at Salalah, Sultanate of Oman from June 23 to June 25. IORA is an apex organization, which includes 20 countries Australia, Bangladesh, Comoros, India, Indonesia, Iran, Kenya, Madagascar, Malaysia, Mauritius, Mozambique, Oman, Seychelles, Singapore, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Thailand, UAE, Yemen and 6 dialogue partners including China, Japan, Egypt, France, UK and USA.

According to the Salalah declaration adopted by the participating countries, an ad hoc committee on standards and standardisation for medicinal plants and herbal medicine has been established. The committee chaired by Prof Anil Kumar Tripathi, director of CIMAP will draft a document to introduce a system of certification of each member state in order to introduce a minimum standard acceptable to all member states for commercialisation of value added products of medicinal plants and related technology in the IORA region.

Tripathi who represented India at the meeting at Salalah said that the recommendations made in the meet would help the IORA member states and other developing countries in formulating their plans to ensure cooperation for applied research, technology transfer and commercialisation of medicinal plants and herbal medicine in the IORA region.

It was also proposed that CIMAP will host a meeting of the IORA in 2015 besides organising an international training course on the processing and quality control of medicinal and aromatic plants for the member countries at CIMAP soon.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Lucknow / by Arunav Sinha, TNN / June 28th, 2014

Lucknow school gets NGO status from UN

Education, World Opinion

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Lucknow:

A city-based school chain with over 50,000 students in its various branches has been registered as an official NGO of United Nations, the school said on Saturday.
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uttar-pradesh-mapLUCKNOW30jun2014

Jagdish Gandhi, founder of the City Montessori School, told reporters that the school was registered with the department of public information of the UN as a non-governmental organisation.

This special status will give the school the privilege of “participation in various programmes, conferences and seminars organised by United Nations and put forth its ideas on world unity and world peace in order to safeguard the future of 2.4 billion children of the world”, he said.

CMS was declared the biggest school, as per student population, in the world by the Guinness World Records last year.

(Agencies)

source: http://www.post.jagran.com / Jagran Post / Home> States News / by Jagran Post News Desk / Jagran Post Editorial / June 28th, 2014

A peephole to history

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

What gives late 19th century photographer Raja Deen Dayal’s work the acclaim it has received? An exhibition showcasing arguably India’s first professional photographer’s works tries to dissect.

LISTENING TO THE PHONOGRAPH: DEEN DAYAL, GHALIB JUNG AND FRIENDS AT HYDERABAD 22ND MAY 1891The palpable excitement of Nawab Ghalib Jung and his friends whilelistening to the first phonograph in Hyderabad is visible. Such naturalexuberance is seldom seen in 19th century photography
LISTENING TO THE PHONOGRAPH: DEEN DAYAL, GHALIB JUNG AND FRIENDS AT HYDERABAD 22ND MAY 1891The palpable excitement of Nawab Ghalib Jung and his friends whilelistening to the first phonograph in Hyderabad is visible. Such naturalexuberance is seldom seen in 19th century photography

Lala Deen Dayal was to Indian photography what his peer Raja Ravi Varma was to painting. As a 20-something civil engineer, Deen Dayal was working at the draughtsman office at the Indore Public Works Department when he heard an ominous rumour — all draughtsmen were to be replaced by photographers. It was 1866. Dayal decided to brush up his photography skills; a subject that he had learnt during his final year in college. A decision that paved the way for Deen Dayal to eke out a successful career in professional photography.

Vikram Sampath, Executive Director of the Indira Gandhi National Centre for Arts (IGNCA), says: “The heavy Bellow cameras of the 19th century would have been cumbersome. But his photographs are so extensive that they can be the starting point for fleshing out the socio-cultural aspect of that period.” IGNCA is presenting the exhibition Raja Deen Dayal Photographs, a collection of 150 rare period photographs which will be shown in the city for the first time.

Sampath says he can imagine how hard it must have been for Deen Dayal to get people to be photographed, considering the superstitions around the act. “People believed that if photographed, their life span would be reduced.” It was not uncommon for him to break the glass-plate negative in front of the subject after giving them their photographs, probably to assure them that it wouldn’t be used again. But he would have stealthily kept another copy in the archive.
Grand old man

Here was an Indian photographer appreciated by Indian maharajas (the sixth Nizam of Hyderabad, in fact, wrote a verse in praise of him) and British Viceroys. His photographs were exhibited to great reviews in international exhibitions. He was appointed the court photographer for Hyderabad (1885); Mir Mahboob Ali Khan, the Nizam of Hyderabad, conferred on him the title Musawwir Jung Bahadur (the Bold Warrior Photographer) and referred to him as Raja Deen Dayal. In 1897, Queen Victoria granted him the Royal Warrant, which meant he could cover the Delhi Dubar (1903). He had flourishing studios in Secunderabad, Indore and Bombay that were operated by his firm Deen Dayal & Sons. And even after his death (1905), his fifth generation has photo studios in the twin cities of Hyderabad and Secunderabad. Not bad for a man who was born (1844) in a small town near Meerut.

Luck and talent

In 1870, when Deen Dayal was hired by the Archeological Survey of India, his brief was to capture 78 monuments of Central India. The technique used was refreshingly different. The monuments stood out against the sky as he captured them from a low angle, making them imposing and grand. Some, like the Gwalior Fort, had an extraordinary view of the sharp precipice below the steep path leading up to the main entrance. The portraits of the monuments form an extensive collection of places across India.

Deen Dayal quit his government job to pursue photography when he realised that the albums prepared by him on Indian monuments were a hit with the British officers returning to Britain. Sir Henry Daly appointed him the official photographer for the Prince of Wales’s tour of India in 1875. He started accompanying the Viceroys, Lord Dufferin and Lord Elgin, on their tours. His interactions with Indian royalty gave him unmatched access to their world. By being the court photographer of the Nizam, Deen Dayal secured a generous patron and an easy access to British officers in the cantonment. He was probably the first Indian photographer to have a Zanana (ladies only) studio at Hyderabad which was run by a specially-appointed employee, Kenny Levick.

From glass plates to digital

Deen Dayal’s family had preserved the glass-plate negatives with history recorded on them. Those negatives required long exposures and hours of work. Each comes with documentation of the place and year, apart from the name of the royals or nobles. The commoners were categorised broadly with captions such as ‘Maratha’ and ‘Brahmin’. IGNCA has reproduced the originals after the entire collection of about 3,000 negatives were handed to them by the family in 1989. These were then digitised and the first exhibition took place in New Delhi in 2010. For all aficionados of photography, this show remains the best place to know how it all began for one photographer, arguably the first Indian professional photographer.

Raja Deen Dayal Photographs, 10 am to 5 pm till July 20, NGMA

source: http://www.bangaloremirror.com / Bangalore Mirror / Home> Entertainment> Lounge / by Jayanthi Madhukar, Bangalore Mirror Bureau / June 23rd, 2014

IITR bags global honour for good lab practice

Records, All, Science & Technology, World Opinion

Lucknow :

Good Laboratory Practice (GLP) certificate awarded to Lucknow-based Indian Institute of Toxicology Research has brightened prospects of those involved in micro, small and medium-scale enterprises as also cultivators of mango and betel leaves that are exported all over the world.

IITR is the first among 37 CSIR laboratories in India to receive the coveted certificate (initially for a period of three years). Speaking to media, IITR director Dr K C Gupta said “GLP is a quality system concerned with organisational process and conditions under which pre-clinical health and environmental safety studies are planned, performed, monitored, recorded, archived and reported. The national and international regulatory authorities/agencies require the safety data of all new products including industrial chemicals, pharmaceuticals, veterinary drugs, pesticides, cosmetic products, food products, feed addictives, etc prior to their launch in the market.” He added that GLP is a system evolved by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development and is used for achieving such safety goals.

Dr A B Pant said “this certification states that specified studies in toxicity and mutagenicity studies conducted at CSIR-IITR are in compliance with the principles of OECD principles for GLP.”

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Lucknow / TNN / June 27th, 2014

Aziz Qureshi is new governor of UP

Leaders

Lucknow :

Governor B L Joshi will leave for Jaipur from Raj Bhawan on June 23 at 9am and will be given Guard of Honour by the Indian Army at Raj Bhawan, here at 8.45am. The police will give Guard of Honour at the airport before his departure.

The governor designate Aziz Qureshi will arrive at Amausi Airport the same day in the afternoon. Chief justice of Allahabad HC justice D Y Chandrachud will administer him oath of office in Gandhi sabhagar of the Raj Bhawan at 6pm on June 23. It may be mentioned that governor of Uttarakhand Aziz Qureshi has been given additional charge of UP after resignation of governor BL Joshi.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Lucknow / June 22nd, 2014

Big personalities throng Deepa Iqbal Khare’s art exhibit

Arts, Culture & Entertainment
Jayant Krishna with Deepa Iqbal Khare
Jayant Krishna with Deepa Iqbal Khare

The inauguration of Deepa Iqbal Khare’s art exhibition yesterday was attended by aesthetes like Dr Veena Vidyarthi, Sunanda Prasad, Arun Srivastava, Yogesh Praveen and Krishna Singh.

Jayant Krishna, head, TCS Lucknow, inaugurated the exhibition and was mighty impressed with the works on display .

Deepa showcased a collection of mythological paintings with embossed work, along with portraits of famous personalities like Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, Be nazir Bhutto and Rekha.

While talking about her art, she said, “This is the first time that I have worked on mixed mediums like fibre, brass and ceramic using acrylic colours as well as oil paints. I have also used polyresin art technique in some of my paint ings.” Deepa was a student of the first batch of MFA to pass out of Lucknow Arts College. N Khanna, her professor from college, was also there to attend the exhibition.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Lucknow / by Vidita Chandra / June 22nd, 2014

Hindi-Urdu Sahitya Award Committe organises 25th International Literature Festival in Lucknow

Arts, Culture & Entertainment

chandanLUCKNOW24jun2014

The 25th International Literature Festival organised by the Hindi-Urdu Sahitya Award Committe in association with the UP Sangeet Natak Academy , is dedicated to writers of Hindi and Urdu literature, Dr Harivansh Rai Bachchan and Majrooh Sultanpuri. The inaugural ceremony on Saturday witnessed the presence of famous personalities from the field of art, literature and politics.

Naved Siddiqui, chairman, SNA, and Athar Nabi gave welcome speeches. Writers of Urdu and Hindi literature were then felicitated by Dr Sharib Rudualvi. The awardees in cluded Dr Ganga Prasad Vimal, Dr Sarla Shukla, Dr Seema Sinha, Atul Tiwari, Munawwar Rana and Dr Ali Ahmed Fatimi among others.

Popular ghazal singer Chandan Dass regaled the audience with his performance later, singing ghazals like Dil Mein Dard Ho Toh Dawa Dijiye. Theatre person Salim Arif convened the musical session. The two hour long inaugural ceremony ended with speeches by Technical Education minister Shivakant Ojha and Dr Sharib Rudaulvi, with both emphasizing the need of promoting regional literature.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Lucknow / Renu Singh, TNN / June 24th, 2014

Hi-tech device to clean Charbagh station

Science & Technology, Travel

Lucknow :

Both Luckow and Varanasi stations are on the priority list list of the ministry of railways, for obvious reasons. Northern Railway has not only sent a specially designed machine to clean the tracks at Lucknow and Varanasi stations, it has even made it clear that the machine has been “specially” sent for the two stations of Uttar Pradesh, as Lucknow is the constituency of Union home minister Rajnath Singh and Varanasi of PM Narendra Modi.

The dirty railway tracks at stations all over India are an eyesore. The machine that works using advanced technology and designed by Loco shed, Shakurbasti, New Delhi has been sent by GM, NR, Pradip Kumar to Lucknow division.The machine would function like a vacuum cleaner. Initially, it would be used to clean only the outer areas of the station.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Lucknow / TNN / June 24th, 2014

Young scientists from govt schools bag awards

Education, Records, All

Lucknow :

If you think rocket science is not a child’s play, think again. Rohit Kumar, a class XI student from NAS Inter College Meerut, created a working model of a hydro rocket based on the concept of Newton’s Third Law of Motion using commonly available waste at home.

But, Kumar is not the only greenhorn. Four other school children who were awarded by Council for Science & Technology for scientific innovations and projects did it within limited resources. Entries were invited from all schools in the state and these five, all from humble background, were selected for the coveted award from among 50 entries shortlisted for the final round. Significantly, four out of five students were of government colleges, where quality of education is deemed poorest in the state.

If Kumar was selected for rocket making, Sonali Mishra a class X student from Radha Kishore Government Girls Inter College, Basti was awarded for her outstanding work in the concept of mathematics. Umesh Chandra Jaiswal a class XII student also from a Government Inter College in Basti was awarded for his Unnayan Angle reader machine, a mathematical toy which determines the angle of a fixed object relative to a larger object. Mohammad Sajid, another Government Inter College student of class XII was awarded for his work on a working model of conversion of Kinetic energy into Electrical energy, his father Mohmmad Saeed is a welder. S Samridhi Jaiswal, an SKD academy student of class X received the award for her report on ‘Arsenic Contamination in Ground Water and Soil’.

Rohit explained “the bottle is partly filled with water and sealed. It is then pressurised with compressed air from a bicycle pump. Water and gas are used in a combination resulting in a 60-70 meters flight. It took me around two weeks to make it functional.” Another awardee, Sonali, remarked “I wanted to simplify the much feared mathematical concepts so that students afraid of the subject may also take interest. I was helped and motivated by my family and teachers making it easier for me to dedicate more time towards studies.” Her father Uttam Mishra is manager in a plywood factory. Mohammad Sajid said “my brother gave me the inspiration for this project. The motor utilises rollers in the road to generate electricity, so when any car passes over the rollers they turn to generate electricity,” his proud father Mohmmad Saeed.

The felicitated students of Government and private colleges give force to the thought that if provided with equal opportunities children from all walks of life can perform well on educational front. All of them were given prize money of Rs 10,000 along with mementos and certificates.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Lucknow / TNN / June 20th, 2014

‘Connoisseurs’ of blue and white porcelain

Arts, Culture & Entertainment

My interest in Chinese blue and white porcelain began in the early ’60s. While on a visit to the Sunday flea market in Nakhas, Lucknow, I picked up a blue and white plate and a vase.

They were so beautiful that a visit to Nakhas became a regular feature of my Sunday routine and I collected a wide assortment of objects ranging from a spittoon to a cricket box, incense burners and even a little sail boat.

An interest in learning more about my acquisitions followed. I read every book and magazine, visited every museum and go through every auction catalogue I could lay my hands on.

I was gratified to learn that the items I had bought were worth much more than I had paid for them. But far more gratifying was the knowledge that I had learnt so much about Chinese history and art.

I prided myself on being an authority on Chinese blue and white porcelain. Then something happened, that brought me crashing down to earth.

I had learnt enough to identify an antique from a fake. While it is comparatively easy to copy the good points of each period, it is virtually impossible to copy the defects.

So I was extremely excited to find, in an antique shop, a ginger jar with unglazed portions of the jar burnt a brick red, bubbles under the glaze and a ‘heaping and piling’ effect in the blue, indications that the jar was about 500 years old, from a period when the clay, glaze and cobalt had not reached a degree of refinement.

Considering the antiquity of the piece, I paid a reasonable price for it. It was much later that I discovered that candied ginger was such a popular import item from China during the Ming period, that there were still thousands of these jars scattered all over the world.

Because of this, my jar was worth a tenth the price I had paid for it. One of my friends fared even worse.

Portugal had a long trading history with China and it was not surprising that a great deal of Chinese porcelain had found its way to the Portuguese colony of Goa.

But now, half a century after Goa’s liberation, the Chinese porcelain pieces were few and far between.

My friend, while on a visit, saw an exquisite Kangzi bowl, outside a small sea-food joint, from which a cat was drinking milk. His heart leapt with excitement and he knew that he must have it.

He went about it as circumspectly as he could. He complimented the owner on the beautiful cat, picked it up, played with it and then asked if it was for sale.

An exorbitant price was quoted and paid. The next morning he was back at the sea-food joint. “The poor cat did not eat a thing, did not drink a drop of milk. Obviously he is used to his bowl.

Could you sell me the bowl?” “Sell you the bowl? You must be out of your mind! Because of the bowl I sell eight to 10 cats a week,” said the cat’s former owner.

source: http://www.hindustantimes.com / Hindustan Times / Home> Punjab> Chandigarh / by Harish Dhillon, Hindustan Times / Chandigarh – May 31st, 2014