AR Rahman said as an artiste, it is a pleasure to be part of an innovative cultural program that supports creative excellence and artistic appreciation; and brings diverse audiences together.
AR Rahman named ambassador of Indo-UK culture platform / Image Source : INSTA/ARRAHMAN
Music great A R Rahman has been named the ambassador of British Council’s ‘India-UK Together Season of Culture’, which aims to boost collaboration among emerging artists. The ‘Season of Culture’ that marks the 75th anniversary of India’s independence was officially launched on Tuesday here by Britain’s Deputy High Commissioner to India Jan Thomson and Director (India) of British Council Barbara Wickham. Rahman said as an artiste, it is a pleasure to be part of an innovative cultural programme which supports creative excellence and artistic appreciation; and brings diverse audiences together.
“Today, creative expression and exchange can nurture young talent and create a global stage for fair and equitable access to arts,” he added.
Wickham said Rahman has been a significant adviser to the ‘Season of Culture’ and his work and professional journey truly embody what the ‘Season of Culture’ stands for – working together, and artistic output that captures the imagination of the world.
Over 1,400 artistes will showcase their collaborations to millions of audiences across India, Britain, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, through a wide array of arts such as theatre, dance, visual arts, literature, music, architecture, design, fashion, tech-art, and new media art.
The ‘Season of Culture’ aims to build on the British Council’s work in India and strengthen India-UK collaboration in the areas of arts, English and education.
Wickham said people in both the countries will have the chance to experience innovative and exciting creative work from some of the most promising UK and Indian artists pushing the envelope of creativity and the infusion of creative tech.
source: http://www.indiatvnews.com / India TV / Home> English News> Entertainment / by PTI / New Delhi – June 08th, 2022
The awards were constituted by the Indian American Muslim Council, a Washington DC-based advocacy group, to “highlight stories and amplify voices that are often missing from the mainstream/elite media”.
New Delhi:
Ismat Ara was among the winners of the first edition of the Human Rights Religious Freedom (HRRF) Journalism Awards, taking home the Young Journalist of the Year Award for stories that were published in The Wire.
She was a joint winner in the category with Scroll‘s Aishwarya S. Iyer.
The awards were constituted by the Indian American Muslim Council, a Washington DC-based advocacy group. The HRRF Journalism Awards strive to “highlight stories and amplify voices that are often missing from the mainstream/elite media”.
“This year our jury chose winners in the extremely troubled times when media in India is under immense pressure from the ruling government,” said Syed Ali, president of IAMC.
Ara was chosen as a joint winner of the Young Journalist of the Year Award for stories on a temple-mosque controversy in Delhi’s Uttam Nagar, the tragic consequences of the so-called anti-love jihad law and the lynching of a Muslim youngster in Haryana. She was a staffer for The Wire when the stories were published.
Iyer’s stories covered the aftermath of the Delhi riots of 2020, shrinking space for open namaz in Haryana and the arrest of a Christian pastor in Madhya Pradesh.
Newslaundry‘s Akanksha Kumar was declared the winner of the Best Text Reporting on Human Rights & Religious Freedom category.
Priyanka Thirmurthy of The News Minute and Shahid Tantray of The Caravan won the Best Video Story on Human Rights and Religious Freedom category and Syed Shahriyar was the winner in the Best Photo Story on Human Rights and Religious Freedom category.
Article 14 and the Mooknayak were declared joint-winners of the Best Media Organisation Covering Human Rights and Religious Freedom Journalism.
According to IAMC, the awards received more than 250 entries across five categories. The winners will share a prize pool of Rs 3 lakh.
Speaking at the awards ceremony, Gypsy Guillen Kaiser, who is the advocacy and communications director at the Committee to Protect Journalists, said the watchdog’s annual prison census found that India set a country record last year for the largest number of detained journalists. “The vast majority of journalists detained in India as of December 1, 2021 are Muslims,” Kaiser said.
“The worrying trends in India make HRRF Journalism awards all the more important to uplift and celebrate the invaluable work of the Indian journalist and to remind us of the responsibility that we all share in working to keep them safe,” she added.
source: http://www.thewire.in / The Wire / Home> Media / by The Wire Staff / New Delhi – June 20th, 2022
Sahal Abdul Samad (Photo: Twitter/Indian Football Team)
New Delhi :
Legendary Indian striker IM Vijayan lauded the efforts of Sahal Abdul Samad who scored the winning goal against Afghanistan helping India secure a spot in the 2023 AFC Asian Cup.
Sahal came off the bench to score during injury time in India’s 2-1 win over the Afghans in a third-round qualifier for the Asian Cup in Kolkata.
Vijayan feels Sahal’s crucial goal will provide immense aspiration for youngsters following the rise of Indian football.
“Sahal is a source of pride for the younger generation of Indians and Malayalees. Sahal scored within seconds of entering the field at the most crucial moment. This is an example of a very good reflex action which is the most necessary thing in football. He is sure to rise in a way that will make Indian football proud,” Vijayan, who hails from Kerala, said.
Sahal’s goal on Saturday was cheered on by more than 44,000 fans at the iconic Salt Lake Stadium, where India are playing this tournament on home soil for the first time in more than two years. A higher number of spectators is expected in India’s final match against Hong Kong on Tuesday.
India opened their Group D campaign with a 2-0 win over Cambodia where Sunil Chhetri scored a brace. Chhetri also scored the first goal against Afghanistan. Vijayan believes the national team skipper still has a lot to contribute despite being 37 years old.
“Sunil is a marvel. He is a personality and a player, that all players should emulate. His goal in the match against Afghanistan was of excellent quality. All youngsters need to see and learn how easily he handles open chances. I laugh when the media asks about his retirement. With such a level of fitness playing with such sincerity, he still has a lot to gain. As the Indian team coach said, he still has a lot of goals left to score. One of them could be from the World Cup,” said Vijayan.
Chhetri has 83 India goals to his name, only three behind Lionel Messi, placed third in the list of active international goal scorers. Vijayan, who played for India between 1992 and 2003 scored 29 goals.
India face Hong Kong in the final match on Tuesday. Both teams are tied on 6 points. India need a victory to finish as group toppers. If that does not happen, the Blue Tigers will qualify for a second straight Asian Cup by virtue of being one of the top five second-placed teams in the six qualification groups across the continent.
Vijayan was also impressed by defender Sandesh Jhingan’s contribution in marshalling the backline. “The team has done very well in the last two matches. Especially in defense. The performance of Sandesh is commendable. He is performing well after regaining his fitness level. His presence is an asset to the Indian team,” Vijayan concluded. (ANI)
This report is auto-generated from ANI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.
source: http://www.theprint.in / The Print / Home> Sport / by ANI / June 14th, 2022
Rural women of Bihar engaged in doing Kheta embroidery work. | Picture by author arrangement
Kheta is said to be a 500-year-old quilting heirloom practised exclusively by Shershahabdi women. Today, Kheta embroidery work is getting popular among non-Shershahabdi people with many women formerly associated with making Beedis taking to Kheta work to earn a decent livelihood.
Bihar :
Razia Khatoon of Kishanganj district of Bihar is getting 45 days of training in Kheta embroidery work. The training will be completed on May 14 and is done under Project Samarth, a scheme for capacity building in the textile sector carried out by the government of India. Earlier, she would make Beedi (plant leaf cigarettes) as a livelihood. She said Kheta has given her a chance to get rid of the health hazards that making Beedi brings on.
For several workers like Razia, the Kheta embroidery work, after acquiring proper training, is expected to be an alternate livelihood instead of the hazardous Beedi rolling job.
Believed to be a 500-year-old quilting heirloom practised exclusively by Shershahabdi women, today the Kheta embroidery work is getting popular among non-Shershahabdi people. Earlier, the intricate embroidery work was done on the layers of pre-used print Sarees and chequered Lungis etc, however, today the use of new clothes for making Khetas is widely done.
“Shershahabdi is a term used for Muslims of the Seemanchal area of Bihar who were settled in the region by emperor Shershah Suri. They are said to be ethnic Pashtuns mixed with local Surjapuris,” Ashraful Haque, a Shershahabdi, who co-ordinates with the Kheta weavers, told TwoCircles.net.
“Kheta is so intricate and organised that officials from Delhi first refused to believe it as a handcraft. When a live demo was done, they were immensely impressed. After the efforts of the local member of parliament Dr Mohammad Jawed, who raised this question of Kheta in the Parliament, we have got this opportunity to train our women not only in making more vibrant Khetas but also make them aware of its marketability,” he said.
To make Kheta embroidery work as a source of income, the artwork is being introduced in new forms with the use of new clothes. This embroidery work is now done on bedsheets, notebook covers, bags, pillow covers, mufflers, table clothes and handkerchiefs etc.
As of now, seventy thousand workers are believed to be associated with this artwork.
Noticeably, unlike other embroidery works, Kheta avoids figurative depictions which are considered to be forbidden in Muslim culture. The colours used for Kheta are generally bright like red, green, yellow, blue, and purple.
Razia, 24, is a Shershabadi woman, and like every other Shershahabadi female, she knew a bit of Kheta.
She expressed her happiness in learning new designs and colour patterns of Kheta. She used to earn around 1$ per day by Beedi making. She now hopes to double her income by part-time Kheta making.
More than the money she is happy as she considers Kheta work as “Izzat wala kam (a respectful job.)”
Another trainee Rulekha Khatoon’s husband is a migrant labourer. Khatoon is 25-years-old and is doing Kheta work regularly for the last six years. She learnt the technique from her mother and grandmothers. “Earlier we used to make Kheta only for family purposes like dowry and gifts etc. This training showed us that we can sell our work too. I hope to earn Rs. 3000-4000 per month with the work of 3-4 hours,” she said.
47-year-old Tajgara Khatoon is a top trainer of Kheta. She told TwoCircles.net, “A needle and some threads are required to do wonders in Kheta embroidery but not without great painstaking concentration. Shershahabdi women learnt it naturally but this training is giving them a wider range of patterns.”
Inderjit De and Saumya Pande of Zameen Astar Foundation write in their paper on Kheta embroidery, “The term Kheta stands for straight running stitches in the local dialect and refers to both embroidery and the product. In its similarity to the word, Khet meaning farm, the term Kheta may resemble the meticulous lines of the paddy fields.”
According to the website involved in the promotion and marketing of Kheta, “the array of designs offered by Kheta resonates with ripples of water, materials used in building make-shift huts, flowers, dry fruits, leaves, among many more.”
Yuman Hussain is the executive director of Azad India Foundation which is actively involved in promoting Kheta and arranging training for workers.
Yuman told TwoCirles.net that the “training helps in benchmarking the skill level and understanding the quality control. It formalizes the knowledge transfer and helps in keeping the next generation interested in continuing the quilting practice.”
The training also provides the trainees with an artisan card with benefits like insurance and access to participate in different exhibitions.
“On average, a Kheta artisan can make 4 to 6 quilts (96″ x 60″ size) in a year. They can earn anything between Rs 10000 to Rs 30000 per year depending on how many quilts they are making, sizes of quilts, the skill level of quilting etc,” she said.
Yuman rued that even though most Shershabadi women know how to make Kheta, the supply of skilled artisans is less. “The work needs to be done on both sides to build awareness in the market and a supply chain base for these quality quilted Khetas,” she added.
Sami Ahmad is a journalist based in Patna, Bihar. He tweets at @samipkb
source: http://www.twocircles.net / TwoCircles.net / Home> Lead Story / by Sami Ahmad, TwoCircles.net / May 05th, 2022
Uzma has chosen Lehigh University and will be joining in August 2022. She has also been awarded a one-time relocation allowance by the university.
Jamia Millia Islamia student Uzma has been offered 100 per cent tuition fee waiver
Jamia Millia Islamia (JMI) alumna Uzma Khan, who completed her MSc electronics course from the Department of Applied Sciences, Faculty of Engineering and Technology, Jamia in 2021 has received offers to do a fully-funded PhD from six prestigious American universities. She applied for 100 per cent scholarship in nine US Universities and received offers from six, said the varsity. Her area of research will be ‘underwater wireless communication and signal processing.’
Uzma has been offered 100 per cent tuition fee waiver along with a monthly stipend for an on-campus job of research and teaching assistant in six US universities — Lehigh University, University of Cincinnati, University of Maryland at Baltimore County, SUNY (State University of New York) Buffalo, SUNY Albany and University of New Hampshire.
Uzma has chosen Lehigh University and will be joining in August 2022. She has also been awarded a one-time relocation allowance by the university. “I am joining Lehigh University because my educational qualifications and research interest is in complete coherence with my potential supervisor there,” said she.
The wireless and signal processing lab she is going to join is doing cutting edge research on current and future technologies and will be best suited for her research area which is underwater wireless communication and signal processing, she explained.
After scoring good scores in IELTS and GRE she became eligible to apply to US universities. After sending e-mails to professors with whom her research interest coincides, she subsequently cleared technical interviews with a committee composed of members of the lab/department she wanted to get admitted to.
Uzma has also secured topped in her class during master’s studies at Jamia and for that she will get awarded with a gold medal in upcoming convocation.
She has also received a provisional offer for INSPIRE fellowship by DST, Ministry of Science and Technology.
Earlier, she got placed as system engineer in TCS and Infosys but she chose not to join as her interest lies in research.
source: http://www.news18.com / News18 / Home> News> Education-Career / by Education & Career Desk, News18.com / June 09th, 2022
Amid the gloom, there is a whiff of fresh air. A young woman photojournalist has made Kashmir proud by winning the prestigious Pulitzer Prize this year.
Sanna Irshad Mattoo became the first Kashmiri woman photographer to win the Prize.
She is among the three from India to have won the award this year. Besides, Sanna, slain Reuters photographer Danish Siddiqui and Adnan Abidi have won the award for their images about Covid’s toll in India.
Siddiqui was killed last year in Afghanistan.
Sanna Irshad Mattoo has won the prestigious Pulitzer Prize award in the feature photography category for 2022.
“Congratulations to @adnanabidi, @mattoosanna, @AmitDav46549614, the family and friends of the late, @dansiddiqui, and @Reuters. #Pulitzer,” Pulitzer announced on Twitter.
Sanna, who holds a Master’s in Convergent Journalism from the Central University of Kashmir, has her work published in international media outlets, including Al Jazeera, TIME, and TRT World. She has also done a fellowship with the prestigious Magnum Foundation in 2021.
“Sanna Irshad Mattoo is a photojournalist and documentary photographer based in Kashmir. Ranging from groundbreaking news to in-depth storytelling, her work concentrates on depicting the tension between the seeming ordinariness of life and the stark symbols of a menacing militarised milieu of Kashmir. Her work has been published in newspapers and magazines around the world and has been screened and exhibited in various exhibitions and festivals. She presently contributes to Reuters as a Multimedia Journalist,” Sanna’s Pulitzer introduction said.
In 2020, three Jammu and Kashmir photojournalists Dar Yasin, Mukhtar Khan, and Channi Anand won the prestigious Pulitzer award. Established in 1917, Pulitzer Prize is an award for achievements in newspaper, magazine, online journalism, literature, and musical composition within the US.
source: http://www.indiatomorrow.net / India Tomorrow / Home> Featured> Inspiring Personality / by Ishfaq-ul-Hassan / May 10th, 2022
Dr. Syed Ahmad Khan, who retired on May 31, 2022 as a Deputy Director, Incharge, Unani Medical Centre at Safdarjung Hospital in New Delhi, was honoured during a farewell function hosted by the Central Council for Research in Unani Medicine (CCRUM). His contributions to the cause of Unani medicine were lauded by all who spoke. They claimed that Dr Khan’s devotion and dedication set an example for others.
The function was conducted under the dynamic leadership of Prof. Asim Ali Khan, Director General, CCRUM, Ministry of Ayush at Hotel River View, Okhla on May 30, 2022. It was organised by Dr Rahat Raza, Deputy Director In charge, RRIUM, New Delhi.
Dr. Syed Ahmad Khan served for over 30 years in CCRUM and discharged his duty at various levels from Research Officer (Unani) to Deputy Director.
He was felicitated by the senior officials. He superannuated from the service as Deputy Director Incharge of the Unani Medical Center at Safdarjung Hospital.
Prof. Khan praised Dr Syed Khan on his contributions and dedication to the Unani medical services, and wished him well in his future endeavours.
Officers and personnel from CCRUM attended the farewell party and showered Dr. Khan with praise.
Dr. Khan is the General Secretary of the All India Unani Tibbi Congress, a non-profit organisation dedicated to advancing the cause of Unani medicine and serving as a watchdog for Unani doctors. The organisation monitors the AYUSH ministry’s actions and intervenes if there is any mistreatment of Unani medicine. Since his election as general secretary, Dr Khan has been a driving force behind this organisation. By conducting seminars and conferences, the organisation has helped to popularise Unani medicine in the country and abroad.
source: http://www.muslimmirror.com / Muslim Mirror / Home> Health> Positive Story / by Special Correspondent / June 02nd, 2022
Shamnad was not just an expert in intellectual property rights, but a relentless crusader who worked towards ensuring diversity and representation of marginalised communities in legal practice.
The untimely and tragic death of professor Shamnad Basheer was a bolt from the blue for many of us. As I scuttled to get more information on what initially seemed impossible to believe, I realised that apart from the loss of a friend, the country had also lost one of its finest legal minds. Globally renowned for his expertise in the field of intellectual property rights (IPR), Shamnad was found dead in his car near Bababundangiri in Chikkamagaluru of Karnataka.
As news of his death spread and tributes started pouring in all over my social media timeline, there remained no doubt that his sudden demise was a great loss to the legal fraternity and academia across the globe. Shamnad was a relentless crusader, working day in and out to ensure diversity and representation of marginalised communities in the field of law and legal practice. An alumni of the National Law University, Bangalore and Oxford University, Shamnad was a man on a mission as he championed many causes ranging from internet equality, fairness in IPR, public interest litigation, judicial accountability, to the rights of sexual minorities, visually impaired and physically disabled persons.
For me, Shamnad was more a social justice warrior than a globally-known IPR expert. He was not just the force behind Increasing Diversity by Increasing Access to Legal Education (IDIA), but also Access to Legal Education for Muslims in India (ALEM India).
I first heard of him in 2009, when he wrote a blog about remarks made by then Supreme Court judge Markandey Katju. In open court, Justice Katju equated a young Muslim sporting a beard with a Taliban militant. That year, Justice Katju had rejected an appeal of a Muslim student that he should be permitted to sport a beard in his convent school. Rejecting the plea the judge had remarked that, “We don’t want to have Talibans in the country. Tomorrow a girl student may come and say that she wants to wear a burqa. Can we allow it?”
According to Shamnad, “notwithstanding the merits of the case”, Justice Katju’s comments were “callous and insensitive” and he was “unfit to be an impartial judge”. Back then, Shamnad was the HRD ministry’s professor of intellectual property law at the National University of Juridical Sciences (NUJS), Kolkata. In the conclusion of his blog, he wrote:
“The Supreme Court bench may have been right in denying admission to Salim’s SLP. However, in view of Justice Katju’s statements made in open court that equated every bearded Muslim with a Taliban, the possibility of bias against a community cannot be ruled out. And the Chief Justice must not only censure such remarks, but take immediate steps to have this case reheard before another bench. For justice must not only be done, but also be seen to be done!”
Years passed by, and I kept reading his insightful articles and commentaries in various newspapers and websites. He was prolific, writing on a range of issues related to law, policy and public good. In 2015, a common friend (Tarunabh Khaitan) connected us, asking me if I would be interested in helping Shamnad’s team at IDIA to reach out to the Muslim community. Having admired Shamnad’s writings, the opportunity to work with him was like a dream come true. I readily agreed and eventually, we became good friends.
Shamnad Basheer at a panel discussion of intellectual property rights. Photo: Flickr/World Intellectual Property Organisation CC BY NC ND 2.0
Diversifying the legal field
More than anything, he was always on the lookout for ways and means to ensure that IDIA reaches the remotest parts of the country. To contextualise the need of diversity in national law schools, let me quote a study conducted by the students of NLS Bangalore in 2016. According to the study:
“While the students are somewhat evenly divided across sexes, the income, caste and religion statistics are telling of what constitutes ‘merit’ in this country. While 15% of the students reported their family’s annual income to be above Rs 36 lakh per annum, more than 50% reported an annual income of more than Rs. 12 lakh per annum. Eighty two percent were Hindus and the next largest religious group was the wealthy Jain community (5%), which constitute less than 0.5% of India’s population. On the other hand, Muslims, who constitute 14% of India’s population, make up only 0.5% of that of NLS. The NLS also has predominantly upper-caste students at 65%, with about 27% identifying as Brahmins.”
Similarly, another report found:
“In the last 15 years i.e., from 2000 onwards, only one Dalit advocate has been designated senior by the Supreme Court, and only two from the Muslim Community. The Advocates from backward States like Uttar Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand or Bihar have not been designated at all. The Advocates from rural background are totally ignored. Even with regard to a progressive State like Karnataka, only one Advocate has been designated after a gap of 25 years. It is relevant to mention that in the last round of designation, out of five advocates designated, four of them belonged to one caste.”
Despite being an extremely busy person, Shamnad believed in and practiced mentoring and coaching young minds, individually and personally. Few years ago, when I visited his flat in Bangalore, he was helping two students who were staying at his house to prepare for the CLAT exam. Both belonged to an unprivileged background, a common thread among the spectrum of students whom IDIA supported. A glance at IDIA scholars, like visually impaired Najrul Islam from Siliguri, West Bengal, who studies at the National Law University, Delhi (NLU) or Meraka Mani from Srikakulam district of Andhra Pradesh, currently studying at IFIM Law College, Bangalore, Aparna Amnekar from Nagpur, Maharashtra, a student of Government Law College, Mumbai, Sonia Sabu of Ernakulam district in Kerala, studying at NLIU, Bhopal and Vinatoli of Dimapur (Nagaland), studying at NUJS Kolkata shows an incredible initiative founded and run by him, with diversity and representation at its core.
Learning from IDIA’s experiment and under the guidance of Shamnad, ALEM India was started last year. The initiative tries to ensure access for socio-economically disadvantaged Muslims and improve their representation in Indian law schools.
Personally coaching legal professionals
His objective was not just to coach students for national law schools or produce batches of successful lawyers and legal professionals. He wanted to prepare young minds who are competent yet socially committed. It is hardly a surprise that IDIA produced graduates like Yogendra Yadav, better known as Yogi. The son of a manual labourer (working in Alang, Gujarat) and a resident of Pitij village in Chhatra district of Jharkhand, Yogi graduated from the National University for Study and Research in Law (NUSRL), Ranchi in 2017. He is currently a lawyer in the Ranchi high court. He worked as a newspaper hawker in and around his village from a very early age and it is while distributing newspapers that he got to know about IDIA and CLAT.
In the recently concluded Lok Sabha elections, he contested as an independent candidate. Explaining his rationale to contest the election, Yogi told Bar & Bench, “IDIA always encouraged me to take up community causes and help as best as I could, They were training me to become a CHAMP and this is all part of that.” I clearly remember Shamnad informing us of Yogi’s inspiring story with pride. “Yogendra Yadav, our IDIA Scholar makes his Political Debut!,” read the email he had sent to some of us.
Shamnad was also keen to highlight IDIA scholars to people working in different walks of life, not just those in the law and judiciary. In 2017, got in touch with me to invite the anti-manual scavenging activist and convener of the Safai Karmachari Andolan, Bezwada Wilson, to deliver the key note address at the IDIA conference on creativity and leadership.
Bezwada Wilson. Photo: PTI
“We share the same set of ideals in terms of empowering the marginalised and building a more inclusive India,” he had written to Bezwada, copying me in the email. Bezwada’s key note, according to Shamnad was “a provocative address”. A year later, he also wrote an article on Bandicoot, a robot to replace manual scavenging. He noted:
“Bandicoot is not just a clever idea; it is a game changer, and dare I say a life saver! Putting some teeth back into India’s constitutional promise of “equality” for Dalits and other marginalized sections who’ve had to clean our crap for years. Only a few days ago, the Delhi high court ruled on a case involving the death of two manual scavengers; making the government pay for its murderous negligence!”
His latest email to me was in July this year, a heart breaker titled: “Deeply Disappointing News: 7 IDIA Scholars Still Without Committed Donors!”. “I am deeply saddened to bring you this disheartening message. Unfortunately, of the 12 IDIA scholars that gained admission to leading law schools this year, we found donor support (covering all expenses) for only 5 of our scholars. Which means 7 of our kids are left behind and it will be a struggle to put them through law school without some promise of a committed donor (or donors),” read his email. Little did I know then that this was going to be his last email to me.
Now that Shamnad is gone and we cherish his memory, our duty is to ensure that we carry forward the work he initiated, in the same spirit that he always professed. And that, I believe, would be our real tribute to him.
source: http://www.thewire.in / The Wire / Home> Law> Rights / by Mahtab Alam / August 11th, 2019
Photo of Shamnad receiving the Infosys Prize (Humanities) in 2014 from Mr. Amartya Sen / pix: shamnad.com
Bengaluru :
Indian Institute of Science (IISc) professor Jayant Haritsa and Intellectual Property (IP) academic and consultant professor Shamnad Basheer, both from Bengaluru, are among six winners of the Infosys Prize for this year.
Each prize, comprising a purse of Rs.55 lakh, a 22-carat gold medallion and a citation, is awarded by Infosys Science Foundation, a not-for-profit trust, set up by the global software major and funded by a corpus of Rs.100 crore ($16 million), contributed by the IT firm, its trustees and co-founders in 2009.
“Haritsa, computer science and automation department professor at IISc, has been awarded the prize under the Engineering and Computer Science category for his contribution to the design and optimisation of database engines,” the Foundation said in a statement here Thursday.
Haritsa also heads the supercomputer education and research centre at the institute.
Basheer, founder of SpicyIP, India, bagged the prize for his contribution to the analysis of a range of legal issues, including pharmaceutical patent injunctions and enforcement in the Humanities category.
As India’s premier blog on IP and innovation law and policy, SpicyIP does accurate reporting of IP developments across the country.
Basheer is also founder and managing trustee of Increasing Diversity by Increasing Access (IDIA) in Bengaluru.
Shubha Tole, associate professor at Mumbai-based Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR), got the prize under the Life Sciences category for her contribution to studying the hippocampus and amygdale centres of learning and memory in the brain.
“Tole’s work can lead to a better understanding of human behaviour, cognition and emotions,” the statement noted.
Tole is also a principal investigator at the TIFR’s biological sciences department.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) adjunct professor Madhu Sudhan has been awarded the prize under the Mathematical Sciences category for his seminal contribution to probabilistically checkable proofs and error-correcting codes.
As a principal researcher at Microsoft Research in New England in the US, Sudan also heads the electrical engineering and computer sciences (EECS) department and computer science and artificial intelligence laboratory (CSASIL) at MIT in Boston.
Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) senior scientist Srivari Chandrasekhar at the Hyderabad-based Indian Institute of Chemical Technology (IICT) has bagged the prize under the Physical Sciences category for his contribution to the synthetic organic chemistry with special focus on the synthesis of complex molecules from natural sources.
Abdul Latif Jameel Professor of Poverty Alleviation and Development Economics at MIT, Esther Duflo, got the prize under the Social Sciences category for her pioneering contribution to development economics, including the work related to India and Africa.
Duflo is also founder-director of Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab in the US.
“The Foundation has been able to recognise some of the best researchers of our time through the prize. Their contributions are an inspiration to students and professionals and have the potential for real-time impact on individuals and society,” Infosys co-founder and Foundation president N.R. Narayana Murthy said on the occasion.
A panel of jurors, comprising renowned scientists and professors from the world over, evaluated the noted winners.
The Infosys Prize jury chairs are Pradeep Khosla, Nobel Laureate Amartya Sen, Inder Verma, Srinivasa S.R. Varadhan, Shrinivas Kulkarni and Kaushik Basu.
President Pranab Mukherjee will award the winners and felicitate them Jan 5 in Kolkata.–-IANS
www.shamnad.com
source: http://www.muslimmirror.com / Muslim Mirror / Home> Exclusive Reports> Indian Muslims> Youth / November 15th, 2014
When the businessman, Yusuff Ali, paid a visit to the palace in 2012 Marthanda Varma had expressed his wish to gift the car to him. A year later Varma died (December 16, 2013) and the transfer was delayed due to many reasons.
Earlier, the German luxury carmaker Mercedes-Benz came back to Marthanda Varma with an offer of two new high-end cars, but the royal entity refused to part with his favourite vehicle. (SOURCED.)
Marthanda Varma’s favourite car — a 1955-model Benz nicknamed “Mile a Minute,”– will soon join the fleet of well-known business tycoon MA Yusuff Ali. Varma was the patriarch of the erstwhile Travancore royal family.
The royal family and Uthradam Tirunal Marthanda Varma Foundation have said the late royal figure’s announcement in 2012 in this connection will soon be fulfilled. Many vintage car collectors and businessmen have eyed the vehicle for quite some time. Even the German luxury carmaker Mercedes-Benz came back to him with an offer of two new high-end cars, but the royal entity refused to part with it.
What is amazing is that the old beauty had travelled 40 lakh miles, a rare achievement for a vehicle. People close to the royal family said he bought the car when he was 38, in 1955, and he drove a major portion of the miles it covered on his own and the rest as a passenger. Built in Stuttgart in Germany, Varma bought it for ₹12,000 and got it registered in Karnataka, CAN 42. It got its nickname “Mile a Minute” after it used to cover one mile in one minute.
When the businessman, Yusuff Ali, paid a visit to the palace in 2012 Marthanda Varma had expressed his wish to gift the car to him. A year later Varma died (December 16, 2013) and the transfer was delayed due to many reasons. Though delayed, the royal family members decided to fulfil his desire and informed the business magnate about it. He is yet to react to the royal offer.
The car is with his son Padmanabha Varma and in good road condition. Benz had presented many honours to the car and some of them are placed in front of the car and bonnet, said royal members. Palace old timers say even on his sick bed Varma used to watch his trusted companion. “He was so attached to it and looked after it as his progeny,” said one of them. A multinational businessman, Yusuff Ali, owns the Lulu group. He had a miraculous escape after his chopper crash-landed in Kochi last April.
source: http://www.hindustantimes.com / Hindustan Times / Home> Top News> India News / by HT Correspondent / April 04th, 2022
