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Rashid Khan wins PGTI Order of Merit

Sports

GolfMPos30Dec2013

Kolkata:

Rashid Khan claimed number one position on the 2013 Rolex Rankings, the PGTI Order of Merit, after finishing sixth at the McLeod Russel Tour Championship at the RCGC on Sunday.

Last year`s runner-up, Rashid earned sixth place at eight-under-280 to end up in number one position in the PGTI Order of Merit for 2013.

The Delhi lad, who posted 10 top-10s including two wins in 2013, finished the year with earnings of Rs 46,38,284 to seal the title.

His tied eighth place finish in the Year-Ending championship meant S Chikkarangappa of Bangalore was second on the Order of Merit with earnings of Rs 32,65,313.

“It`s been a highly satisfying year for me. I won two events and was in contention in a number of events,” a delighted Rashid said.

“Importantly, I`ve improved on last year when I finished second in the rankings. This is a huge boost for me as I`ll be playing as a full-card holder on the Asian Tour next year.”

Fondly called `Chikka`, who had one win and nine other top-10s in the season, also won the Emerging Player of the Year race as he recorded the maximum earnings among all the rookies in the 2013 season.

“When I began the year my target was a top-10 finish on the Order of Merit… But as the year progressed, I thought I had a realistic chance of finishing in the top-3 for the season.

“I`m delighted that I managed to finish second on the rankings and win the Emerging Player race as well. The rookies were very strong this year and coming out on top among the rookies is special.

“My putting was the highlight of the season. I really started putting well midway through the year when I started using a new putter,” Chikkarangappa said.

Angad Cheema of Panchkula ended up in second position in the Emerging Player of the Year race with earnings of Rs 26,50,448.

Order of Merit: 

1 Rashid Khan (Del; Rs 46,38,284);   2   S Chikkarangappa (Ban; Rs 32,65,313);    3   Angad Cheema(Panchkula; 26,50,448);   4    Shamim Khan (Del; Rs 26,08,508);       5 Mukesh Kumar (Mhow; 22,59,917);      6   Chiragh Kumar (Del; 21,30,135);       7 Mohammad Zamal Hossain Mollah (Bangladesh; 19,06,180);      8   M Dharma (Ban; 18,21,539);      9   Shankar Das (Kol; 16,41,278);    Abhijit Singh (Chandi; 15,11,702).

PTI
source: http://www.zeenews.india.in / Z News / Home> Sports> Golf / by PTI / Sunday – December 29th, 2013

Veteran actor Farooq Sheikh dies in Dubai after suffering a heart attack

Arts, Culture & Entertainment,

Veteran actor Farooq Sheikh, who is best remembered for his performances in films like ‘Garm Hava’, ‘Shatranj Ke Khiladi’, ‘Chashme Buddoor’ and ‘Kissi Se Na Kehna’, died after suffering a heart attack in Dubai.

He was 65.

“He has passed away,” a family member told PTI, without disclosing any further details.

The actor was in Dubai apparently for a concert when he suffered the heart attack on late Friday night.

His body will be brought to Mumbai later in the day after completing the formalities in Dubai.

Sheikh made a tremendous contribution in theatre, films and TV as well. He started his career in Bollywood in 1973 with ‘Garm Hava’ and is best remembered for his performances in films like ‘Shatranj Ke Khiladi’, ‘Chashme Buddoor’, ‘Kissi Se Na Kehna’, ‘Noorie’.

His last film was ‘Club 60’ and before that he was seen playing the role of a father to Ranbir Kapoor in ‘Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani’.

He also hosted the popular Zee TV show “Jeena issi ka naam hai” in which he interviewed many Bollywood celebrities.

source: http://www.indianexpress.com / The Indian Express / Home / by Press Trust of India / Dubai, Saturday – December 28th, 2013

Former President Kalam to grace Motilal Nehru National Institute of Technology’s convocation

Community Involvement / Social Issues, Education, Leaders

Allahabad : 

Motilal Nehru National Institute of Technology, Allahabad (MNNIT-Allahabad), is poised to hold its 10th Annual Convocation-2013 on Thursday at the Rajiv Gandhi MP Hall Complex. The occasion will be graced by former President APJ Abdul Kalam as the chief guest while Prof VK Saraswat, chairman, Board of Governors, would preside over the function.

Speaking to newspersons on Wednesday, director, MNNIT, Prof P Chakravorty, said that during the convocation, 693 BTech, 77 MBA, 72 MCA, 9 MSc, 6 MSW, 404 MTech and 34 PhD students will be awarded degrees. For academic session 2012-13, 23 gold medals will be awarded to postgraduate students and nine to the undergraduate students.

Further, 18 sponsored gold medals are to be awarded across various academic programmes. This is in addition to the medals to be awarded to the toppers of the first, second, third and fourth years of undergraduate programs.

The coveted and prestigious Institute Gold Medal will be awarded to Shobit Srivastava of BTech (Computer Science & Engineering) for standing first amongst students of all branches of the Institute in the Final Year Examination of 2013. He will also receive a gold medal for standing First in BTech (Computer Science & Engineering) Final Year Examination 2013.

Archan Mudwel of Mechanical Engineering will be awarded the gold medal for standing first at BTech third year examination 2013, while Tanu Agrawal and Priyanshu Srivastava, both of Computer Science & Engineering, will be awarded gold medals for standing first in the second and first year examination 2013, respectively.

He said that the institute has continued to take large strides in its mission of academic excellence. In 2012, 66 new faculty members were inducted in various departments. This has taken the total faculty strength to 199, with 50 professors, 36 associate professors and 113 assistant professors.

During academic session 2013-2014, 1,485 students were admitted for various programs of BTech, MBA, MCA, MSc, MSW, MTech and Ph.D, out of which 92 students are from other countries.

In a new initiative, the institute has organized 22 Short Term Training Programs, Faculty Development Programs and Workshops during 2012-2013. Under the TEQIP II program, the Institute has been sanctioned an amount of Rs 12.5 crores towards implementation of several schemes such as innovative research, curriculum development, educational tours, training programs, networking, procurement of equipments, purchase of books, international visits and laboratory upgradation.

The Institute has maintained its excellent record of placements up to 85% during the session with ongoing placements of post graduate students also.

In terms of providing technical assistance to industries, government organizations, the institute has offered more than 290 testing and consultancy activities during the financial year 2012-2013. Altogether 40 research projects, with total sanctioned amount exceeding Rs 10.91 crores have also been sanctioned from various funding agencies, notably DRDO, DAE, ICSSR, DST, CSIR, UGC, DBT and UPPCB.

The Institute is looking at further initiatives towards renewable energy, rainwater harvesting, reusage and recycling of waste water, disaster management and energy conservation as its focus in coming years, he added.

source: http://www.articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Allahabad> Mnnit  / TNN / October 31st, 2013

INS Circars celebrates 74 anniversary

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Leaders, Science & Technology, Transport, , , , ,

 

Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief Eastern Naval Command Vice Admiral Anil Chopra along with Commanding Officer INS Circars Commodore Saleem M. Anwer cutting a cake to celebrate the 74th anniversary of ENC Depot Ship INS Circars in Visakhapatnam on Thursday./ by Special Arrangement / The Hindu
Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief Eastern Naval Command Vice Admiral Anil Chopra along with Commanding Officer INS Circars Commodore Saleem M. Anwer cutting a cake to celebrate the 74th anniversary of ENC Depot Ship INS Circars in Visakhapatnam on Thursday./ by Special Arrangement / The Hindu

The premier depot ship of the Eastern Naval Command, Indian Naval Ship Circars, celebrated its 74th Anniversary here on Thursday.

Initially established as a small base by the Royal Indian Navy in December 1939 shortly after the outbreak of World War II, the role of Circars changed over the years from coordinating naval operations, functioning as a repair organisation and being an establishment for Boys training, to its present status of being the premier depot ship of the ENC.

Festive look

The establishment currently provides administrative and logistics support to as many as 44 naval units in and around Visakhapatnam, catering to an approximate strength of over 3,500 personnel. Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief Vice Admiral Anil Chopra was the chief guest for the celebrations marked to commemorate the occasion. The naval base wore a festive look, and saw active participation by personnel and families of INS Circars and allied units. A large number of serving and retired officers participated in the celebrations. The traditional cake cutting ceremony was followed by release of in-house Hindi magazine Circars Vaani. Speaking on the occasion, Commanding Officer, INS Circars Commodore Saleem M Anwer said that the depot ship was fully prepared to meet all challenges in its assigned role of supporting the ENC.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Visakhapatnam / by Special Correspondent / Visakhapatnam – December 13th, 2013

Noted Urdu scholar and poet Dr Kamal Ahmad Siddiqui dead

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Education

KamalAhmedMPos24dec2013

Mumbai:

Noted Urdu scholar, poet, linguistic expert, a specialist of Mirza Ghalib and litterateur Dr Kamal Ahmad Siddiqui died in New Delhi Monday at around 11:30 p.m. He was 87.

Family sources while talking to ummid.com said that Dr Kamal Ahmad Siddiqui was admitted to New Delhi’s Apolo Hospital after his kidneys failed to respond some fifteen days ago. He died in the hospital.

Dr Kamal Ahmad Siddiqui was regarded as the expert of Urdu language and Mirza Ghalib, and he was also associated with radio and television for a very long period.

Due to his work on Mirza Ghalib, he was awarded with the ‘Ghalib Award’. His book ‘Ghalib ki Shankaht’ was published by Ghalib Institute.

He was a regular in Delhi’s elite circle of Urdu scholars and was among the most respected ones. He was also one of the key figures in various seminars of Ghalib Institute.

He was also associated with journalism and had a good command over mass communication.

His love for literature can be gauged from the fact that he completed his doctorate from Jawaharlal Nehru University after retirement.

source: http://www.ummid.com / Ummid.com / Home> National / by ummid.com Staff Reporter / Tuesday – December 24th, 2013

GRAB YOUR GRUB : Breaking bread

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Business & Economy, Travel & Tourism, , ,
A view of the open space outside the Griffin. / Photo: Nagara Gopal / The Hindu
A view of the open space outside the Griffin. / Photo: Nagara Gopal / The Hindu

From artisan breads to scones, pastries, sandwiches and pastas, Griffin has something in store for everyone

Fancy some sourdough bread or maybe some ciabatta? You could try Griffin- The Artisan Bread Store in Madhapur, which promises to dish out fresh breads of various kinds. Fairly new, this store was the brain child of Mohd. Mujahid, who wanted to give the city a taste of different breads. The store, which is already a hit with the expat crowd in the area, also offers a variety of short eats for gastronomes.

The little bread store-cum-café has an interesting array of baked goodies that are perfect for those long conversations over a cup of coffee. You could take your pick from their cookies, scones, donuts, croissants, muffins, cheesecakes or tarts. Priced at around Rs. 50 each, they hardly burn a hole in your pocket.

The artisan bread store at Madhapur in Hyderabad. / Photo: Nagara Gopal / The Hindu
The artisan bread store at Madhapur in Hyderabad. / Photo: Nagara Gopal / The Hindu

Griffin can also be a pit-stop for a quick lunch or casual dinner with its selection of pizzas, sandwiches and pastas. You could choose from their delicious pastas in an array of sauces like arrabiata, pesto, alfredo or a juicy sandwich with some smoked or grilled meat or roasted veggies of your choice. You can’t really get bored with their selection of sandwiches, which are served in different breads each day. “I started this store mainly so I could introduce people to different varieties of breads. The idea behind serving sandwiches in different kinds of breads is to give our clients an idea of the kinds of breads we offer and how they can use them in different ways,” says Mujahid.

You can’t really get bored with their selection of sandwiches, which are served in different breads each day. / Photo: Nagara Gopal / The Hindu
You can’t really get bored with their selection of sandwiches, which are served in different breads each day. / Photo: Nagara Gopal / The Hindu

The café section of this bread store is also a good place to spend an afternoon just reading or browsing the internet with a free wi-fi connection available to patrons. For the coffee lovers there are a variety of coffees to choose from while those watching their weight can pick a salad of their choice.

Griffin also has a bread shelf with different breads like sourdough, ciabatta, bagels and baguettes among others that you can choose from. The breads that are baked in two batches a day are brought in from the Griffin factory in Shamshabad. “We want to keep the products as fresh as possible,” explains Mujahid. The breads like the items on the menu are priced affordably with a whole wheat bread costing as less as Rs.50, while a sourdough could go up to Rs.100 The ciabatta and panini cost around Rs. 30, while a Scottish Bap comes for around Rs. 20.

Griffin – The Artisan Bread Store

Where: Kavuri Hills, Phase-1, Madhapur

When: 7.30 a.m. to 11p.m.

Contact: 040-30512844 ext:454

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Features> MetroPlus> Food / by Ranjani Rajendra / Hyderabad – December 12th, 2013

Free Health Camp

Community Involvement / Social Issues

Mysore :

A health-check up camp was conducted by Hazarath Ali Azarath Alsi Ibne Ali Abu Talib Social Welfare Organisation at Masdjid-E- Jafferiya on Akbar road Mysore recently.

More than 700 people availed free consultations by Cardiologist, Neurologist and Orthopedician. Free ECHO, ECG, Blood Pressure, Blood Sugar, Eye Screening was done in association with Apollo BGS Hospitals, Mysore, according to Organisation President Mir Sameem Raza.

source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> In Brief / December 16th, 2013

Zaheer takes 300th test wicket in comeback

Amazing Feats, Sports,
Zaheer Khan (left) waves to the dressing room after taking his 300th Test wicket as Virat Kohli (right) watches during the fifth and final day of their cricket test match against South Africa at Wanderers stadium in Johannesburg, South Africa, on Sunday. / AP
Zaheer Khan (left) waves to the dressing room after taking his 300th Test wicket as Virat Kohli (right) watches during the fifth and final day of their cricket test match against South Africa at Wanderers stadium in Johannesburg, South Africa, on Sunday. / AP

Zaheer Khan became the fourth Indian to take 300 test wickets by removing Jacques Kallis on the final day of the first test against South Africa on Sunday.

Khan’s milestone arrived on his comeback test after a year-long absence from the long format of the game. His last five-day game before the series-opener in South Africa was in December 2012, but the wily left-arm seamer returned with 4-88 in the first innings at the Wanderers before taking Kallis’ wicket in the second.

Khan joins leg spinner Anil Kumble, all-rounder Kapil Dev and off spinner Harbhajan Singh in India’s 300 club. He reached his 300 in his 89th test. Kumble leads India’s wicket-takers with 619 in 132 tests and is third on the all-time list behind Sri Lanka’s Muttiah Muralitharan (800) and Australia’s Shane Warne (708).

www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Sport> Cricket / AP / Johannesburg – December 22nd, 2013

AR Rahman to celebrate the diversity of musical genres in Coke Studio

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, World Opinion,
AR Rahman to celebrate the diversity of musical genres in Coke Studio
AR Rahman to celebrate the diversity of musical genres in Coke Studio

Nearly a decade ago, when composer and theatre director Andrew Lloyd Webber asked AR Rahman to tell him a story, he had none to share. “I said I am not a story guy, I am just a musician,” he recalls. Then it struck him that a creative person needn’t stick to only what he usually does. It sparked the composer’s quest to broaden his horizons and approach his craft with renewed world vision. This universal, all-pervasive quality can be felt in his music, which is a melting pot of sounds. The composer attributes this to be the primary reason for doing Coke Studio@MTV, whose ambitions in a broad sense, are the same as his — a celebration of the diversity of musical genres, a blend of the East and the West with the soul of world music.

“I like the concept of Coke Studio, its unusual musicality. Moreover, it is well produced and it’s watched in so many countries,” says the composer, whose Coke Studio debut will mark his return to non-film music since his last attempt, Connections, an album that was released in 2008.

The composer’s past record reveals that he is comfortable with collaborations too. From music icons such as Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan and Mick Jagger to international pop musician Dido, he has worked with several Indian as well as international artistes. “By collaborating with others, I have grown more confident and trusting towards fellow musicians,” he says.

For Coke Studio, he has a set of six songs. These songs celebrate cultures, under the overarching theme of happiness. “Not the jumping kind, but internal happiness and content,” he says. Apart from Hindustani classical singer Ghulam Murtaza Khan, other artistes who will feature in the Rahman episode include a Jordanian singer and a nun from Nepal. His band for the show comprises instrumentalists such as Sivamani, Keba Jeremiah and Prasanna Ramaswamy. “The episode will celebrate the coming together of two cultures. For example, the Jordanian singer and our Hindi poetry. This apart, we had fun, there are taranas going on with a rap,” he says.

source:  http://www.indianexpress.com / The Indian Express / Home / by Sankhayan Ghosh / Chandigarh – Tuesday, July 09th, 2013

Acting is not age specific: Shafaq Naaz

Arts, Culture & Entertainment,

Actress Shafaq Naaz  currently playing Kunti in serial Mahabharata  is just 20 years old, we asked the actress was it an easy task to play the character that commands utmost maturity on screen?

“Believe me I just went and read the script. While shooting for the serial, never has this thought came to me that I am playing a character of mother of five son! I think that sense of maturity has always been there in me. Also feel acting is not age specific,it is how well you can justify the character.”

Talking about her foray in acting, the actress says it was not planned, “I used to take dance classes in Saroj Khan’s dancing institute when she saw me first. She really liked my expressions and told my parents ki isko Mumbai lekar aao yeh bahut aage jayegi. After finishing my twelfth exams I went to Mumbai and within 5 months I got the serial Bidaai . Otherwise I was aiming for doctor after giving twelfth exams” she says.

The actress says she wants to do a film after serial Mahabharata. “If I get a chance I would like to do a film after Mahabharata.” On being asked any actor that she dreams to work with? She says, “I would love to work with Ranbir. I had a serious crush on him after movie Saanwariyan that continued for 3-4 months. Par ab kuch aisa nahi hai” she clears.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India, TV / Home> Hindi Entertainment> Hindi> TV / by Rinu Singh, TNN / October 22nd, 2013