Category Archives: World Opinion

Rashid prevails in play-off, wins maiden Asian Tour title

Sports, World Opinion, ,
Rashid Khan. —Photo: Shiv Kumar Pushpakar / The Hindu
Rashid Khan. —Photo: Shiv Kumar Pushpakar / The Hindu

Displaying nerves of steel, Rashid Khan fired three successive birdies, including one in the play-off against Bangladesh’s Siddikur Rahman, to win the $300,000 SAIL-SBI golf title at the Delhi Golf Club course here on Saturday.

Trailing by a stroke with just two holes remaining, Rashid played aggressively for a birdie-birdie finish to tie with Siddikur. On the first playoff hole, Rashid tapped in for birdie after Siddikur missed his birdie-putt.

The triumph, worth $54,000, was Rashid’s first on the Asian Tour.

Last year, this local pro lost the playoff to Anirban Lahiri but went on to top the domestic tour’s Order of Merit.

Rashid carded a one-under 71, his worst of the week, for an aggregate of 18-under 270, a tally that Siddikur managed following a 69 that came after three successive scores of 67.

On a day when Rashid played 29 holes, including 11 of the third round, Siddikur did not take long to stake his claim to the title. Starting the fourth round two strokes behind, Siddikur bridged the gap with an eagle on the opening hole. Though Rashid twice surged ahead, Siddikur soon caught up.

Rashid eventually trailed following a bogey on the 13th and a steady Siddikur stayed ahead until a dramatic birdie from the local pro set up a thrilling finish.

In Rashid’s words, “on the 17th, I actually hit a bad shot, but I don’t know how my ball pitched over the bunker and rolled to one-and-a-half feet to the flag… It was really lucky.”

Both players birdied the 18th to force the playoff. Rashid’s three-wood approach shot from 269 yards set up the birdie before Siddikur missed his birdie from 15 feet.

This breakthrough victory on the Asian Tour earned Rashid an exemption from playing qualifiers in the continent until the end of 2015.

Siddikur, winner of the prestigious Indian Open here in November last year, did not sound too disappointed.

“It was a good play-off. I played my game but, maybe, I should have played the driver. I had used the three-wood in the first four rounds and made birdie every day. But it wasn’t the case in the play-off.”

The scores:

Rashid Khan (61, 69, 69, 71), Siddikur Rahman (Ban) (67, 67, 67, 69) 270 (Rashid won on the first playoff hole); Rikard Karlberg (Swe) (71, 70, 67, 68) 276; Carlos Pigem (Esp) (69, 71, 69, 68), S.S.P. Chowrasia (68, 69, 72, 68), Martin Rominger (Sui) (72, 63, 70, 72) 277; Steve Lewton (Eng) (68, 70, 68, 72) 278; Abhijit Chadha (68, 73, 69, 69), Jyoti Randhawa (71, 69, 70, 69), Anirban Lahiri (70, 66, 69, 74) and Mithun Perera (Sri) (66, 68, 73, 72) 279.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Sports / by Special Correspondent / New Delhi – March 02nd, 2014

Rashid reigns supreme

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Indian kickstarts season with thrilling play-off victory.

RashidKhanMP05mar2014

Rashid Khan launched his first full Asian Tour career with a thrilling victory in the season-opening SAIL-SBI Open as he edged out Bangladesh’s Siddikur in a play-off at the Delhi Golf Club here on Saturday.

Both players finished the regulation 72 holes 18-under par 270, six strokes ahead of Sweden’s Rikard Karlberg. Carlos Pigem of Spain, Swiss Martin Rominger and India’s SSP Chowrasia finished tied fourth.

In the first extra hole, Rashid went for an aggressive all-or-nothing approach shot from the fairway after to place the ball just 20-feet from the pin. He missed the eagle putt but still made a birdie.

Siddikur, on the other hand, took three shots to reach the green and could only make par after missing out on a 10-feet birdie putt. He carded three-under 69 in the final round.

“This is a special win for me because it came at my home course. I had lost last year. So it was really important,” said he 23-year-old Rashid, who managed a final round of 71.

“The way I played on the first day, I was confident but Siddikur played very well in last two days and at the end the title came in a play-off. I am happy,” Rashid, who became richer by $54,000, added.

He had lost to Anirban Lahiri in a play-off at the same event last year here playing on the PGTI card.

Two-time defending champion Lahiri, Asian tour winner Jyoti Randhawa, Abhijit Singh and Sri Lanka’s Mithun Perera signed off tied eighth at nine-under 279.
Starting the day under a laden sky on a chilly Saturday morning, Rashid finished the third round at three- under 69 to hang on to a two-stroke lead over Siddikur, who turned in a five-under 67 for the third successive time.

However, Rashid’s fortunes tumbled early in the fourth round as Siddikur caught up with the Indian at 17-under after firing an eagle on the first hole.

But Siddikur then stumbled on a bogey-birdie patch at the third and fourth holes as Rashid once again gained a one-stroke lead when he scored a birdie on the seventh hole. But a bogey on the ninth, meant the duo were once again on an even keel.

A 13th hole bogey by Rashid took Siddikur atop the leaderboard once again. But a lucky birdie at the 17th hole helped him to claw back as the duo birdied the 18th to take the match into the play-off.

“I want to thank my family and friends but special thanks to Ashok Kumar, who helped me change a few things in my swing and I really hit the ball well,” Rashid said.

The Delhi golfer lost a few play-offs in the past and he said he was happy he could pull off this time. “I played seven play offs in last 14 months and won only three.

Even the last event I lost in a play-off at BILT Open. So I was scared. It was 50-50 for me. With this victory, Rashid will receive a three-year exemption from Asian Tour and the Indian said it means a lot to him.

Leading scores (after 72 holes, Indians unless mentioned): 270: Rashid Khan (61, 69, 69, 71), Siddikur Rahman (Ban, 67, 67, 67, 69. Rashid wins via play-off. 276: Rikard Karlberg (Swe, 71, 70, 67, 68); 277: Carlos Pigem (Eng, 69, 71, 69, 68), SSP Chowrasia (68, 69, 72, 68), Martin Rominger (Sui, 72, 63, 70, 72); 278: Steve Lewton (Eng, 68, 70, 68, 72); 279: Abhijit Chadha (68, 73, 69, 69), Jyoti Randhawa (71, 69, 70, 69), Anirban Lahiri (70, 66, 69, 74), Mithun Perera (SL, 66, 68, 73, 72).

source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> Sports / by PTI / New Delhi – March 01st, 2014

Golf: Rashid Khan triumphs at SAIL-SBI Open

Sports, World Opinion,

New Delhi:

Indian golfer Rashid Khan claimed a play-off victory over Bangladeshi Siddikur Rahman at the SAIL-SBI Open with a birdie on the first extra hole Saturday.

The 23-year-old completed a memorable wire-to-wire victory at his home course, the Delhi Golf Club (DGC), which also atoned for his heartbreaking play-off defeat at the same event a year ago to countryman Anirban Lahiri.

Khan’s maiden Asian Tour victory was worth $54,000 after tapping in his birdie on the par five 18th hole as Siddikur could only make par in the season-opening $300,000 event.

“It feels awesome. It’s my home course and winning here is special. It’s amazing. I lost this event last year. The way I started on the first day with a 61, it was an amazing week. I don’t like play-offs. I played seven play-offs in the last 14 months and I won only three. It’s a lottery,” said a jubilant Khan, who carded a final round one-under-par 71 and totalled 18-under-par 270 for the week.

Khan needed a stroke of fortune in regulation play which forced extra time. He trailed Siddikur by one with two remaining but produced a lucky birdie on 17 to draw level. Both players birdied the 18th hole under immense pressure to take the tournament into a play-off.

File photo of Rashid Khan. AFP
File photo of Rashid Khan. AFP

Khan’s aggressive approach paid off when he produced an imperious three wood approach shot from 269 yards out which landed on the apron before taking two more shots to defeat Siddikur, who missed his birdie chance from 15 feet.

“On 17, I actually hit a bad shot, hit it right, but I don’t know how my ball pitched over the bunker and rolled to one and a half feet to the flag. I was shocked. It was really lucky,” said Khan, who will now be fully exempted on the Asian Tour until the end of 2015.

“I had to be aggressive in the play-off. I had to go for it. I took out the driver and hit a good shot in the middle of the fairway and then had about 269 yards to the flag. I went with a three wood and that was one of the best shots I’ve hit.”

When Round 3 was completed this morning, Siddikur trailed Khan by two but soon tied the Indian with an opening eagle. His hopes of a second title at DGC, after clinching the Indian Open in November, faded as he missed his long birdie chance.

Sweden’s Rikard Karlberg, a two-time winner in Delhi, finished third after closing with a 68, six shots from the play-off duo, while S.S.P. Chowrasia of India, Spain’s Carlos Pigem and Martin Rominger of Switzerland shared fourth place on 277.

Two-time defending champion Anirban Lahiri, who was bidding to become the first man to win three straight titles at the same tournament, closed with a disappointing 74 for tied eighth with Sri Lanka’s Mithun Perera (72) and countryman Jyoti Randhawa (69).

Leaderboard:
270 – Rashid Khan (IND) 61-69-69-71, Siddikur Rahman (BAN) 67-67-67-69.
(Khan wins play-off with birdie on the first extra hole)
276 – Rikard Karlberg (SWE) 71-70-67-68.
277 – Carlos Pigem (ESP) 69-71-69-68, S.S.P Chowrasia (IND) 68-69-72-68, Martin Rominger (SUI) 72-63-70-72.
278 – Steve Lewton (ENG) 68-70-68-72.
279 – Abhijit Chadha (IND) 68-73-69-69, Jyoti Randhawa (IND) 71-69-70-69, Anirban Lahiri (IND) 70-66-69-74, Mithun Perera (SRI) 66-68-73-72.
280 – Rahil Gangjee (IND) 71-70-68-71, Chiragh Kumar (IND) 69-73-70-68, Arnond Vongvanij (THA) 74-69-67-70, Sutijet Kooratanapisan (THA) 71-72-69-68, Akinori Tani (JPN) 66-71-71-72, Scott Barr (AUS) 67-70-72-71.
281 – Thanyakon Khrongpha (THA) 69-73-69-70, David Lipsky (USA) 70-70-71-70, George Gandranata (INA) 68-70-71-72.

source: http://www.firstpost.com / FirstPost.Sports / Home> Sports / by Ashish Magotra / New Delhi – March 01st, 2014

 

Hussain proves yet again he has a nose for the keyboard

Amazing Feats, Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Travel & Tourism, World Opinion, , , , , ,
Mohammed Khurshid Hussain currently holds the world record for typing A to Z on a keyboard in 3.43 seconds. - Photo: G. Ramakrishna / The Hindu
Mohammed Khurshid Hussain currently holds the world record for typing A to Z on a keyboard in 3.43 seconds. – Photo: G. Ramakrishna / The Hindu

The youngster types a sentence using his nose in 47.44 seconds, more than half-a-minute faster than the current world record

Mohammed Khurshid Hussain, who holds the Guinness World Records for typing the English language alphabet in 3.43 seconds on a keyboard, attempted to break the record for typing a 103-word sentence in the shortest time, with his nose, here on Thursday.

It was Mr. Hussain’s second attempt to break the world record for typing the sentence ‘Guinness World Records have challenged me to type this sentence using my nose in the fastest time’ with his nose.

According to the Guinness website, the current record holder is an Indian named Neeta, who achieved the feat in one minute and 33 seconds at Guinness World Records Pavilion in Global Village, Dubai, UAE, on November 16, 2008.

Mr. Hussain’s clock stopped at 47.44 seconds when he finished typing the sentence with his nose, more than half-a-minute faster than the current world record.

“This is my second attempt to break the record. A few months ago, I typed the sentence with my nose in 54 seconds, for which I am yet to receive the certificate,” he said.

Mr. Hussain currently holds the world record for typing A to Z on a keyboard in 3.43 seconds.

The feat was achieved on February 2, 2012, according to the Guinness website. He performed the feat in the presence of S. M. Arif, Padmashree and Dronacharya awardee; Mohteshyam Ali, silver medallist at the Mr. World body building championship; Naina Jaiswal, an international table tennis player; and Iftekhar Shareef, who acted as witnesses for the record-breaking attempt.

The lone Indian doctor in Kandahar

Amazing Feats, Community Involvement / Social Issues, Science & Technology, World Opinion,
Doctor Shah Nawaz with a patient at a private hospital in Kandahar in Afghanistan.
Doctor Shah Nawaz with a patient at a private hospital in Kandahar in Afghanistan.

Shah Nawaz says he is happy to serve the Afghan people

Set to complete a decade in the former power hub of the Taliban, Dr Shah Nawaz, the ‘lone Indian’ here, is happy to help the war-weary Afghan people with their medical needs.

Nawaz, 45, is a doctor working at a private hospital. Officials said Dr. Nawaz is the only Indian working in the city apart from a handful of staff at the Indian Consulate in Kandahar city.

Recalling his journey to Afghanistan, Dr. Nawaz said an Afghan businessman in the dry fruits trade had contacts with his family in India. The businessman often spoke to Dr. Nawaz of the plight of people in Kandahar and their health requirements.

“I then gave him a proposal to build a hospital. He (the businessman) was ready to invest and I expressed readiness to come to Afghanistan and serve the people,” Dr. Nawaz said.

“People here are very simple, their needs are very limited. Actually even basic treatment is not available,” said Nawaz, who hails from Maharashtra.

“I am here since August 2005. My family is not here. They are in Malaysia. I visit them twice or thrice a year and they come once a year to India,” he said. Dr. Nawaz said he was the only Indian working in the city but a number of his compatriots were employed in a huge U.S. military base in Kandahar. According to sources, Indians working at the U.S. base come through Dubai and are not registered with the Consulate.

India last week helped Afghanistan establish its first agriculture university here as part of a major capacity-building project to help the war-torn country increase farm output and attain economic independence.

The Afghan National Agricultural Sciences and Technology University (ANASTU) is coming up in the sprawling Tarnak farm in the former Taliban stronghold of Kandahar.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News /by PTI / Kandahar, February 24th, 2014

Shah Rukh Khan meets former Mexican President

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, World Opinion, ,
Shah Rukh Khan with Vicente Fox and Martha Fox.
Shah Rukh Khan with Vicente Fox and Martha Fox.

Shah Rukh Khan and former Mexican President Vicente Fox met on the sets of Red Chillies Entertainment Pvt Ltd’s film ‘Happy New Year’ on Feb 11, which is currently being shot in RK Studios in Mumbai. Fox was accompanied by his wife, Martha Fox, and the current Mexican ambassador to India Jamie Nualart. They discussed everything from Bollywood films, to things about Mexico and the importance of education. 

About the meeting, Fox said, “We have been visiting many places, but meeting SRK and talking to him we feel he is a great person. The set is fabulous and the activity is just amazing. We hope that Mr Shah Rukh Khan would visit us at Mexico some day.” Well, no-one ever doubted SRK’s diplomatic skills!

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> Entertainment> Hindi> Bollywood / by Reza Noorani, TNN / February 13th, 2014

Mohammed Ishaq no more

Sports, World Opinion, , , , , ,

Mohammed Ishaq, a former Karnataka and BEL footballer, died here on Sunday. He was 66 and had been ailing for some time.

Ishaq turned out for Karnataka in the Junior Nationals of 1964. He also represented BEL for over 20 years.

In a condolence message, the Karnataka State Football Association described Ishaq as a fine defender. He is survived by a son and a daughter.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Sport / Bangalore – February 17th, 2014

Holy revival

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Azam Jah , Shehkar Jah, Princess Esra Jah and Azmet Jah ./ PHOTO: P.V.SIVAKUMAR
Azam Jah , Shehkar Jah, Princess Esra Jah and Azmet Jah ./ PHOTO: P.V.SIVAKUMAR

36 restored Nizam-era Qurans complete with precious gold and gem stone ink are on display at Chowmahalla

Today Chowmahalla palace will be teeming with visitors and lovers of history to see the unveiling of numerous Qurans some of which date back to early 1400 A.D. Princess Esra, of the erstwhile royal family, who has been an important part of the revival and restoration of the Qurans says, “It was a Herculean task but worth the sweat and effort. These valuable Qurans couldn’t have been let to rot in the state they were found. Once we discovered the collection we took notice of the work it needed and set out with a serious pace,” she revealed .

A conservator restores an antique copy of the Quran at Chowmahalla Palace in Hyderabad / AFP
A conservator restores an antique copy of the Quran at Chowmahalla Palace in Hyderabad / AFP

Esra adds, “It’s only for the sake of culture and heritage. When I came here as a bride I was shown night pictures of the lanes and areas and I was in awe of the silenceand solitude . My mother used to tell me ‘you will know once you get there,’ and after I came to Hyderabad I realised what it meant to be a part of the royal family,” she smiled. In awe of the grandeur and the luxury as well as the love that people had for the royal family, she felt humbled. “When I returned after years to see the dilapidated state of the things I had touched and felt, including the Qurans, I was grief-stricken; I couldn’t let them rot away. I am sure even the Nizams themselves didn’t know how many of the precious holy book of scriptures they owned. When the final discovery was made, the total number of the Qurans, of all sizes, stood at 36. There are some very tiny ones as well,” she says.

Conservators working on the antique cloth quran / AFP
Conservators working on the antique cloth quran / AFP

Esra also speaks with pride of another cloth Quran that was found; the entire Quranwritten on cloth. The cloth’s dimensions stood at 9.5 feet x 5 feet. The Qurans are of immense value not only because of their heritage but also the quality of ink used in them. “Besides gold and silver ink, inks made from powdered gems and semi precious stones were also used. In some Qurans mother-of -pearl has also been used as ink,” informs G. Kishan Rao, director of Chowmahalla Palace.

Indian paper conservators restore antique copies of the Quran at Chowmahalla Palace / AFP
Indian paper conservators restore antique copies of the Quran at Chowmahalla Palace / AFP
A conservator restores an antique copy of the Quran at Chowmahalla Palace / AFP
A conservator restores an antique copy of the Quran at Chowmahalla Palace / AFP
Restoration work of the Quran at Chowmahalla Palace / AFP
Restoration work of the Quran at Chowmahalla Palace / AFP

Since no royal item is permitted to go outside the Palace, specialists from The Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) have been approached. “They worked continuously for two years to revive the precious books, with Esra’s continual monitoring. The restored Qurans will be displayed in the room opposite the Council Hall in the palace,” informs Kishan Rao.

The Qurans will be unveiled by Esra and Muffakham Jah’s son at Chowmahalla Palace today.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Features> MetroPlus> Events / by Prabalika M. Borah / Hyderabad – February 06th, 2014

Infosys Prize / Laureates 2013 / Prof. Ayesha Kidwai

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Home / Infosys Prize / Laureates 2013 / Prof. Ayesha Kidwai ... / Prof. Ayesha Kidwai Humanities – Linguistics, 2013
Home / Infosys Prize / Laureates 2013 / Prof. Ayesha Kidwai … /
Prof. Ayesha Kidwai
Humanities – Linguistics, 2013

Ayesha Kidwai
Professor, Centre for Linguistics, School of Language, Literature and Culture Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi

The Infosys Prize 2013 in Humanities – Linguistics is awarded to Prof. Ayesha Kidwai for her exceptional contribution to the field of theoretical linguistics. Her research on syntactic relations in Hindi-Urdu has related wider debates in linguistics to the study of Indian languages and has extended our understanding of India’s linguistic diversity.

Congratulatory Message From The Jury Chair – Amartya Sen

“It’s wonderful for me to have the opportunity of congratulating Prof. Ayesha Kidwai for the extraordinary work she does on theoretical linguistics. India is a country of many languages and she has been able to use her general skills to find ways and means of studying the languages with the kind of international global understanding. That is one of the delights of contemporary linguistics. Totally delighted to be able to count on her being part of the community of scholars that we are honoring through this annual giving of prizes”

Bio

Prof. Ayesha Kidwai completed her M.A. and Ph.D. in Linguistics from Jawaharlal Nehru University. Her research interests include linguistic theory, with particular reference to the (generative) syntax and morphology of Indian languages, philosophy of language, gender and language, the politics of English, and the evolution of language. Her current research interests include the syntax of finite complementation and the properties of adjunction in natural language.

She has authored several papers and a few notable books such as XP-adjunction in Universal Grammar: Scrambling and Binding in Hindi-Urdu, and In Freedom’s Shade, an English translation of Anis Kidwai’s Urdu memoir Azaadi Ki Chaon Mein.

Scope And Impact Of Work

Prof. Kidwai’s research ranges around a wide variety of syntactic topics, united by a preoccupation with the properties and effects of optional displacement operations in Universal Grammar.

Universal Grammar is the radical hypothesis, put forth five decades ago by Noam Chomsky, that the innate human linguistic ability is a domain-specific intelligence that must be modeled as a distinct Faculty of Language. This innate endowment, a system of principles and parametric options, forms the basis for the human knowledge and acquisition of any natural language, and is the source for both the relatedness of and differences between human languages. Prof. Kidwai’s contributions to the field have been the study of the principles and parameters that must be hypothesized to explain the syntactic properties of a number of South Asian languages, including Hindi-Urdu, Bengali, Malayalam, Meiteilon and Santali.

The phenomenon of free word order found in many languages of the world – ‘scrambling’– raises many intriguing questions for Universal Grammar, as such word order variation is apparently optional, and therefore difficult to characterize by grammatical rules. Prof. Kidwai’s work in this intensively studied and debated domain proposes a novel theory of how the referential properties of scrambled noun phrases in Hindi-Urdu may be characterized once the discourse effects of these optional variations are taken into account. These proposals have had important implications for the hypothesized design of Universal Grammar as well as the displacement operations conjectured to be central to it.

Recently, Prof. Kidwai also distinguished herself as an ace translator, having rendered Anis Kidwai’s moving Urdu memoir of the aftermath of partition, Azaadi Ki Chaon Mein, into English, In Freedom’s Shade.

Long Citation

Prof. Ayesha Kidwai is an outstanding theoretical linguist. Her work has earned recognition from leading international experts, as it relates the general theoretical framework of the principles of Universal Grammar to some of the particular syntactic features of Indian languages like Hindi-Urdu, Santali, Meiteilon, Bangla and Malayalam, analyzing these within the structures of human cognitive systems and their general properties.

Central to these achievements is Prof. Kidwai’s work on a wide range of adjunction phenomena. On the intensively studied and debated syntactic phenomenon of ‘scrambling’, her work proposes a novel theory of binding in extensive analytical investigation of Hindi and Urdu.

Prof. Kidwai has helped raise the respectability and significance of the field of theoretical linguistics by providing leadership and mentorship to young linguists in India. She has consistently stressed on the political and cultural importance of the study of India’s linguistic diversity.

source: http://www.infosys-science-foundation.com / Infosys Science Foundation / Home> Infosys Prize / Laureates 2013 / Feb 2014

http://www.infosys-science-foundation.com/prize/laureates/2013/ayesha-kidwai.asp

Cipla chairman donates Rs 8 cr to promote chemistry

Business & Economy, Community Involvement / Social Issues, Education, Leaders, Science & Technology, World Opinion, , ,

Indian business leader, scientist and philanthropist Dr Yusuf Hamied on Monday announced a major financial donation to the Royal Society of Chemistry, the world’s leading chemistry community, to support an innovative chemistry education programme for school students in India. 

CiplaChairmanMPos11feb2014

Dr Hamied, who is the chairperson of the generic pharmaceuticals company Cipla and has pioneered the model of producing affordable medicines for patients in developing countries, is donating Rs eight crore to the Royal Society of Chemistry’s Hamied Inspirational Chemistry Programme.

The programme will be managed by the Royal Society of Chemistry in partnership with the UK’s Salters Institute and leading Indian academic institutes to enhance the skills and knowledge of Indian chemistry teachers and inspire students to study chemistry at university.

Over the next five years, the programme aims to equip 8,000 teachers across India with the specialist knowledge and skills to deliver exciting and engaging chemistry lessons, and to pass this knowledge on to their colleagues. It will also provide 1,600 of the brightest chemistry students from all backgrounds with places at chemistry camps to motivate them to reach the necessary standards to study chemistry at university.

Dr Hamied said: “I am very pleased to be working in partnership with the Royal Society of Chemistry to support the Hamied Inspirational Chemistry Programme. I believe the programme will make a real difference to the education and experience of students studying chemistry in schools across India.”

Chief Executive of the Royal Society of Chemistry, Dr Robert Parker, said: “We are delighted to be working with Dr Hamied and grateful for his generous donation to enable us bring together leading organisations from the UK and India to deliver this education programme and make a real impact.” Dr Hamied added: “To inspire the next generation of great Indian scientists we must equip our teachers with the specialist knowledge and practical skills they need to show their students that chemistry is a fascinating.”

Just as teachers pass on their knowledge to their pupils, the programme will support the most talented chemistry teachers in India to train their colleagues to deliver informative and exciting chemistry lessons – a “train the trainer”  approach. I am very pleased to support this sustainable model for teacher training which will allow the programme to reach thousands of teachers across the country.” Dr Hamied said: “An inspiring chemistry education isn’t just about excellent teachers.

We need to encourage and motivate the best students to achieve the knowledge and skills they need to go on to study chemistry at university and eventually, to make a strong contribution to India’s success. This isn’t just about getting the best grades – we also need students to develop problem-solving and interdisciplinary skills. That is why I am also very pleased that this joint initiative will support the best students – particularly those from disadvantaged backgrounds – to take part in chemistry camps at leading academic institutions and experience a true taste of chemistry at university.”

Dr Simon Campbell, former president of the Royal Society of Chemistry and personal friend of Dr Hamied, said: “This unique programme is a significant educational investment with great potential to train the skilled chemists that will be vital for India’s growth and social wellbeing.”

source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> State / Bangalore – DHNS / February 10th, 2014