Cyberabad CP awarded by ECI for Best Electoral Practices-2014
Cyberabad
Police Commissioner (PC) CV Anand has been conferred with the Election
Commission of India’s (ECI’s) National Special Category Award for the
Best Electoral Practices- 2014.
He has been bestowed this award for the commendable election related measures taken by him in the area of ‘Expenditure Monitoring and Tackling Money Power’ during the General Elections of 2014.
He will receive the award in Vigyan Bhavan, New Delhi on January 25 on the occasion of National Voter’s Day Function.
ECI’s National Special Category Award
He has been bestowed this award for the commendable election related measures taken by him in the area of ‘Expenditure Monitoring and Tackling Money Power’ during the General Elections of 2014.
He will receive the award in Vigyan Bhavan, New Delhi on January 25 on the occasion of National Voter’s Day Function.
ECI’s National Special Category Award
- It was instituted in 2011.
- It recognises the efforts and innovations of the officers and to commend and encourage individual and team accomplishments in diverse fields of election management.
- It carries a cash reward of Rs 50,000 along with a plaque and citation.
- Lok Sabha election 2014 was the first General Election after Institution of the award.
Indian-American Frank Islam presented with Martin Luther King Award
Frank Islam, an eminent Indian-American entrepreneur and philanthropist has been presented with the prestigious Martin Luther King Jr Award.
He was given the award for his contribution to the legacy of the great leader through his efforts in international service and civil engagement.
About Frank Islam
He was given the award for his contribution to the legacy of the great leader through his efforts in international service and civil engagement.
About Frank Islam
- He was born in Azamgarh, Uttar Pradesh to a peasant father. He had moved to US when he was only 15 years old.
- He is an entrepreneur, investor and philanthropist.
- In 1993, he had bought a struggling IT company in Maryland. Later in 2007, he sold it to spent rest of his life in philanthropy, both in India and the US.
- Currently, he heads the FI Invest Group a firm that he established after selling his IT Company.
- He is also board member of several think tanks, academic and cultural organisations including pretigious Kennedy Centre for Performing Arts, the Brookings Institute and US Institute of Peace.
- Books: He has written two well-regarded books on the American condition. They are Working the Pivot Points: To Make America Work Again (2013). Renewing the American Dream: A Citizen’s Guide for Restoring Our Competitive Advantage (2010).
- It is an annual award started in 1991.
- It honors the legacy of noble peace recipient civil right leader Martin Luther King Jr and the legendary Dorothy I Height and their impacts both at home and abroad.
J&K wins National e-Governance award 2014-15 for best district-level initiative
Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) has been selected for National e-Governance award 2014-15 for its best district level initiative in the country.
J&K state has been selected for this award by Department of Administrative Reforms for its e-Panchayat project.
This award will be presented during 18th National Conference on e-Governance to be held at Gandhinagar, Gujarat on January 30-31, 2015.
Background
This project provided platform for a decentralized regime of panchayats in the state by shifting the service delivery from block level to panchayat level.
Purpose of the award
J&K state has been selected for this award by Department of Administrative Reforms for its e-Panchayat project.
This award will be presented during 18th National Conference on e-Governance to be held at Gandhinagar, Gujarat on January 30-31, 2015.
Background
- J&K’s e-Panchayat project was shortlisted among 53 nominees for spot study which was done by PriceWater Coopers Ltd and officers of Department of Administrative Reforms of PMO in November-December 2014.
- Finally it was is selected by the by jury headed by Secretary Administrative Reforms and conferred after approval of Prime Minister who heads Ministry of Personnel, Department of Administrative Reforms.
J&K’s e-Panchayat project
It was launched in 2013-14 for strengthening 147 panchayats in the state.This project provided platform for a decentralized regime of panchayats in the state by shifting the service delivery from block level to panchayat level.
National e-Governance award
It was instituted in 1997. It is given by Department of Administrative Reforms.Purpose of the award
- It recognizes the achievements in the area of e-Governance.
- It seeks to disseminate knowledge on effective methods of designing and implementing sustainable e-Governance initiatives.
- Encourage incremental innovations in successful e-Governance solutions.
- Promote and exchange experiences in solving problems, Mitigating risks, resolving issues and planning for success.
Eminent Sanskrit scholar Prabhu Nath Dwivedi named for Sahitya Akademi Award 2014
Eminent Sanskrit scholar Prabhu Nath Dwivedi has been conferred with prestigious Sahitya Akademi Award 2014 for Sanskrit language.
He was chosen for his work Kanakalochanaha- a collection of 16 short-stories based upon various social issues eroding the system.
His book was selected by a three-member jury of the Sahitya Akademi.
Mr Diwedi is Sanskrit teacher and has been teaching in various universities for more than three decades.
Backround
Earlier in December 2014, Sahitya Akademi had announced names of 22 poets and authors for prestigious Sahitya Akademi Award 2014. But they had not announced the winners of Manipuri and Sanskrit language.
About Sahitya Akademi Award
He was chosen for his work Kanakalochanaha- a collection of 16 short-stories based upon various social issues eroding the system.
His book was selected by a three-member jury of the Sahitya Akademi.
Mr Diwedi is Sanskrit teacher and has been teaching in various universities for more than three decades.
Backround
Earlier in December 2014, Sahitya Akademi had announced names of 22 poets and authors for prestigious Sahitya Akademi Award 2014. But they had not announced the winners of Manipuri and Sanskrit language.
About Sahitya Akademi Award
- Sahitya Akademi Award (साहित्य अकादमी पुरस्कार) is conferred on writers of outstanding works in one of the twenty-four major Indian languages.
- 24 major Indian languages are- Assamese, Bengali, Bodo, Dogri, English, Gujarati, Hindi, Kannada, Kashmiri, Konkani, Maithili, Malayalam, Manipuri, Marathi, Nepali, Oriya, Punjabi, Rajasthan, Sanskrit, Santhali, Sindhi, Tamil, Telugu, and Urdu.
- The award consists of a casket containing an engraved copper-plaque, a shawl and a cheque of 1 Lakh rupees.
SHAR director MYS Prasad selected for Vikram Sarabhai Memorial Award 2014-15
M.Y.S. Prasad, director of Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota Range (SHAR), has been selected for the prestigious Vikram Sarabhai memorial award 2014-15.
He will be presented award by the Indian Science Congress Association (ISCA).
He was selected for this award for his outstanding contribution to R&D in the field of space science in his long and chequered career at the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).
Prior to Dr. Prasad, former ISRO chairmen Dr. Satish Dhawan, Dr. K. Kasturi Rangan, Dr. G. Madhavan Nair and Dr. K. Radhakrishnan have received this prestigious award.
Vikram Sarabhai memorial award
He will be presented award by the Indian Science Congress Association (ISCA).
He was selected for this award for his outstanding contribution to R&D in the field of space science in his long and chequered career at the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).
Prior to Dr. Prasad, former ISRO chairmen Dr. Satish Dhawan, Dr. K. Kasturi Rangan, Dr. G. Madhavan Nair and Dr. K. Radhakrishnan have received this prestigious award.
Vikram Sarabhai memorial award
- It was instituted in 1997-98 by ISCA- a premier scientific organization of the country.
- Every alternate year it is awarded to distinguished scientist of the country in recognition of their outstanding contributions.
- This award comprises a gold medal and certificate and presented at the inaugural function of the Annual Session of ISCA.
ISRO Mars Orbiter Mission team wins 2015 Space Pioneer Award
The team of ISRO’s Mars Mission has been awarded 2015 Space Pioneer Award in the Science and Engineering category by National Space Society (NSS).
They are being conferred with this award for achieving the rare feat of entering Mars orbit in maiden attempt.
Mars Orbiter Programme Team will receive the award during NSS’ 34th International Space Development Conference which will be held in Toronto from 20 May 2015.
ISRO’s Mars Orbiter Mission(MOM)
It recognizes those individuals and teams whose accomplishments have helped to open the space frontier. It was instituted in 1988.
This prestigious award is be given by the National Space Society (NSS), an American educational and scientific organization.
Award memento consists of a silvery pewter Moon globe cast. It is casted by the Baker Art Foundry in Placerville, California. Originally, this sculpture was created by Don Davis, the well-known space and astronomical artist.
They are being conferred with this award for achieving the rare feat of entering Mars orbit in maiden attempt.
Mars Orbiter Programme Team will receive the award during NSS’ 34th International Space Development Conference which will be held in Toronto from 20 May 2015.
ISRO’s Mars Orbiter Mission(MOM)
- It was launched on 5 November, 2013. It made history on 24 September 2014 after it entered Mars orbit in maiden attempt.
- It achieved two significant missions. First, entering into orbit around Mars and secondly, taking full-disk colour imagery of Mars with its onboard high resolution camera.
- It should be noted that, the Mars Orbiter programme team is located in Bengaluru, Karnataka. It is headed by eminent ISRO scientist Mylswamy Annadurai.
It recognizes those individuals and teams whose accomplishments have helped to open the space frontier. It was instituted in 1988.
This prestigious award is be given by the National Space Society (NSS), an American educational and scientific organization.
Award memento consists of a silvery pewter Moon globe cast. It is casted by the Baker Art Foundry in Placerville, California. Originally, this sculpture was created by Don Davis, the well-known space and astronomical artist.
RBI governor Raghuram Rajan wins Governor of the Year award
A British magazine has named RBI Governor and well-known economist Raghuram Rajan as the Governor of the Year in the Central Banking Awards for 2015.
It was announced by British magazine Central Banking.
Governor Raghuram Rajan was chosen for this award by magazine for his disciplined and focused approach in leading the Reserve Bank of India(RBI) during his first year as Governor.
It also mentioned that, RBI Governor deserved the award for his deep understanding of the root causes of India’s economic problems.
About Raghuram Rajan
It was announced by British magazine Central Banking.
Governor Raghuram Rajan was chosen for this award by magazine for his disciplined and focused approach in leading the Reserve Bank of India(RBI) during his first year as Governor.
It also mentioned that, RBI Governor deserved the award for his deep understanding of the root causes of India’s economic problems.
About Raghuram Rajan
- He is 23 Governor of RBI and had taken charge in September 2013.
- Earlier, he was chief economic adviser (CEA) to India’s Ministry of Finance in 2013.
- He was chief economist at the International Monetary Fund (IMF) from 2003 to 2007.
- He is also a celebrity economist known across the globe for predicting the 2008 global meltdown.
- He has authored many books on economics and is professor of finance at the graduate business school at the University of Chicago.
- Fischer Black Prize- In 2003, he was awarded this award by the American Finance Association for contributions to the theory and practice of finance.
- Deutsche Bank Prize for Financial Economics- In 2013, he was awarded this award for his ground-breaking research work which influenced financial and macro-economic policies around the world.
- Best Central Bank Governor award- In 2014, he was awarded this award by Euromoney magazine.
Kamal Kishore Goyanka selected for Vyas Samman 2014
Well-known Hindi scholar and writer Dr Kamal Kishore Goyanka has been selected for the prestigious Vyas Samman for the year 2014.
He has been chosen for this award for his research work ‘Premchand Kee Kahaniyo Kaa Kaalkramanusar Adhyayan’.
He has been chosen for this award for his research work ‘Premchand Kee Kahaniyo Kaa Kaalkramanusar Adhyayan’.
Vyas Samman
- This award is instituted by the K.K. Birla Foundation. It was started in 1991.
- It is awarded annually in recognition of the hindi literary work published in past 10 years.
- The award carries monetary award of 2.5 lakh rupees, a citation and a plaque.
72nd Golden Globe Awards
72nd edition of Golden Globe Awards was organized at Beverly Hills, California.
The winners of various awards in 72nd Golden Globe Awards are as follows:
The winners of various awards in 72nd Golden Globe Awards are as follows:
- Best Motion Picture Drama: Boyhood
- Best Motion Picture Musical/Comedy: The Grand Budapest Hotel
- Best Director in Motion Picture-Drama: Richard Linklater for Boyhood
- Best Actor in Motion Picture-Drama: Eddie Redmayne for The Theory of Everything
- Actress in Motion Picture-Drama: Julianne Moore for Still Alice
- Best Actor in Motion Picture or Musical or Comedy: Michael Keaton for Birdman
- Best Actress in Motion Picture Musical or Comedy: Amy Adams for Big Eyes
- Best Actor in a Supporting role in Motion Picture: K. Simmons for Whiplash
- Best Actress in a Supporting role in Motion Picture: Patricia Arquette for Boyhood
- Best Original Score Motion Picture: Jóhann Jóhannsson for The Theory of Everything
- Best Foreign Language Film: Leviathan (Russia)
Playback singer Asha Bhosle awarded Lifetime Achievement Award at DIFF
Legendary playback singer Asha Bhosle was honoured with the Lifetime Achievement Award, 2014 at the 11th Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF) for her contribution to Indian cinema.
Acclaimed Egyptian actor Nour El Sherif also received the DIFF Lifetime Achievement Award, 2014 for his work in more than 40 films in a career that spanned almost five decades.
Asha Bhosle’s contribution to Indian Cinema
She is renowned for her versatility as a singer in various forms like folk songs, Indian classical music, pop songs, ghazals and bhajans etc. As an octogenarian singer she has recorded more than 12,000 songs and holds Guinness Book of World Records for it.
Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF) – DIFF is an annual film festival held in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Each year DIFF provides platform and presents new and exciting cinema from the Arab world, Asia, Africa and beyond. It was started in year 2004. It is a not-for-profit cultural event, presented and organised by Dubai Entertainment & Media Organization.
Acclaimed Egyptian actor Nour El Sherif also received the DIFF Lifetime Achievement Award, 2014 for his work in more than 40 films in a career that spanned almost five decades.
Asha Bhosle’s contribution to Indian Cinema
She is renowned for her versatility as a singer in various forms like folk songs, Indian classical music, pop songs, ghazals and bhajans etc. As an octogenarian singer she has recorded more than 12,000 songs and holds Guinness Book of World Records for it.
Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF) – DIFF is an annual film festival held in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Each year DIFF provides platform and presents new and exciting cinema from the Arab world, Asia, Africa and beyond. It was started in year 2004. It is a not-for-profit cultural event, presented and organised by Dubai Entertainment & Media Organization.
Indian wins ICT Mountain Development Award
An Indian-Jayprakash Panwar has won ICT Mountain Development Award for promoting innovations and good practices for environmental conservation in the Hindu Kush Himalayan (HKH) region.
Jayprakash Panwar along with Avinash Jha and Sibjan Chaulagain of Nepal, Suleman Mazhar of Pakistan and HELVETAS Swiss Inter-cooperation has won this award.
The awards were presented in the presence of Mahabir Pun, a pioneering social entrepreneur and Magsaysay award recipient at Kathmandu. The winners will receive USD 250 along with a certificate of recognition.
Jayprakash Panwar along with Avinash Jha and Sibjan Chaulagain of Nepal, Suleman Mazhar of Pakistan and HELVETAS Swiss Inter-cooperation has won this award.
The awards were presented in the presence of Mahabir Pun, a pioneering social entrepreneur and Magsaysay award recipient at Kathmandu. The winners will receive USD 250 along with a certificate of recognition.
ICT Mountain Development Award
This award is given by the Nepal-based International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD). It reflects the increasing importance of the potential of information and communication technologies (ICTs) in improving the lives and livelihoods of mountain communities. It even seeks to recognise ICT-enabled innovations, good practices, and applications that help promote mountain development and environmental conservation in the Hindu Kush Himalayan (HKH) region.President presents National Awards for the Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities
On the occasion of International Day of Persons with Disabilities (3rd December), President of India, Pranab Mukherjee presented the National Awards
for the Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities. This award function
was organized was by the Department of Disability Affairs at Vigyan
Bhavan, New Delhi.President also inaugurated the first Interactive Web Portal Swavlamban.info made by the Department of Disability for Disabled Persons.
About International Day of Persons with Disabilities
Since 1992, International Day of Persons with Disabilities is promoted by the United Nations on 3rd December. It was originally called “International Day of Disabled Persons”. The observance of the Day aims to promote an understanding of disability issues and mobilize support for the dignity, rights and well-being of persons with disabilities. It also seeks to increase awareness of gains to be derived from the integration of persons with disabilities in every aspect of political, social, economic and cultural life.Theme for International Day of Persons with Disabilities 2014 is Break Barriers, Open Doors: for an inclusive society and development for all.
Boxer Manoj Kumar receives prestigious Arjuna Award
Boxer Manoj Kumar was awarded prestigious Arjuna Award by Sports Minister Sarbananda Sonowal in New Delhi.
He was awarded this award after winning a High Court case against
Sports ministry. Manoj Kumar is 2010 Commonwealth Games gold medalist.Case
Earlier, Kapil Dev-led award selection committee had denied Manoj this award, due false belief that he was involved in a doping case. Instead of Manoj, the committee had recommended name of another boxer Jai Bhagwan for this award.After this denial, Manoj had approached the Sports Ministry who had assured him that his name would be added to the list in a review meeting. But he was again sidelined by the Sports Ministry.
After he was sidelined, he took the legal route and filed a case in the Delhi High Court against the ministry. He won this case and that led to the ministry accepting his nomination for the award.
About Arjuna Award
- The Arjuna Awards are given by the Union Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports to sportsperson for their recognition and outstanding achievement in National sports. It was instituted in 1961.
- The award carries a monetary prize of Rs. 500,000, a bronze statuette of Arjuna and a scroll.
- From the year 2001, the award is given only in disciplines falling under the following categories:
- Olympic Games / Asian Games / Commonwealth Games / World Cup / World Championship Disciplines and Cricket.
- Indigenous Games.
- Physically Challenged Sports.
Pakistani writer Bilal Tanweer wins 2014 Shakti Bhatt First Book Prize
Pakistani writer, Bilal Tanweer has won the 2014 Shakti
Bhatt First Book Prize for his novel “The Scatter Here Is Too Great”.
The award carries a cash component of Rs. 2 lakh.This year’s judges for Shakti Bhatt First Book Prize were authors Amit Chaudhuri, Aatish Taseer and Mridula Koshy (2009 winner of the Shakti Bhatt First Book Prize).
For 2014 Shakti Bhatt First Book Prize, six books were shortlisted. They are
- A Bad Character by Deepti Kapoor .
- The Scatter Here Is Too Great by Bilal Tanweer.
- The Vanishing Act by Prawin Adhikari.
- a cool, dark place by Supriya Dravid.
- The Competent Authority by Shovon Chowdhury.
- The Smoke Is Rising by Mahesh Rao.
About Bilal Tanweer
- Bilal Tanweer was born and raised in Karachi. He is Lahore-based author.
- He has published fiction, poetry and translation in various international journals. In 2011, he was selected for “Granta New Voice”.
- His book “The Scatter Here Is Too Great” underlines the crucial importance of literature in larger cultural landscape. It balances the universality of existential torment with the often horrifying nitty-gritty realities of its location, Karachi.
The Shakti Bhatt First Book Prize is an award named after journalist Shakti Bhatt, who passed away in 2007. It was set up in 2008 to encourage authors from the Indian sub-continent. 2014 was seventh year of this prize and the prize money was increased to Rs 2 lakhs with support from Priti Paul and the Apeejay Trust.
Other Pakistani writers who have won this prize:
- In 2008- Mohammed Hanif.
- In 2011- Jamil Ahmad.
Dilip Vengsarkar selected for C.K. Nayudu Lifetime Achievement Award for 2014
Former India captain Dilip Vengsarkar has been selected for Col. CK Nayudu Lifetime Achievement Award as part of Board of Control for Cricket in India’s annual awards. He has been conferred with this prestigious Lifetime achievement award for his contribution to Indian cricket.Vengsarkar will be felicitated at BCCI’s annual awards on November 21, 2014. The award comprises a citation, trophy and cheque for Rs 25 lakhs. Vengsarkar is the 19th recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award.
Last year, former Indian all-rounder Kapil Dev was conferred with this award. The likes of Sunil Gavaskar, Gundappa Viswanath, Ajit Wadekar, Salim Durrani and others have received this award in the past.
About Dilip Vengsarkar
- Dilip Vengsarkar is also known by the nickname ‘Colonel’.
- He was a member of the Indian team that won the World Cup in 1983 and the World Championship of Cricket in 1985. He had led India in ten Tests in 1987-89.
- He was Chairman of the BCCI’s Talent Research Development Committee for three years, and the Chairman of the All-India Senior Selection Committee for the period, 2006-08.
- For Test matches played in India, he has one of the highest batting averages.
Neha Gupta wins International Children’s Peace Prize
Indian American Neha Gupta, 18 has been awarded with the prestigious International Children’s Peace Prize 2014. Nobel Peace Laureate Desmond Tutu the patron of the Dutch children’s rights organization presented her with the award in The Hague, Netherlands.She was awarded this award for her exceptional work to raise money for underprivileged children around the world. Her work has helped orphans in India and other vulnerable children.
She is the first American to be awarded with this prize.
About Neha Gupta
- Neha is a citizen of the United States of America, born in New Zealand to Indian parents
- She was inspired to the work for underprivileged children during a visit to India with her grandparents. After this visit she founded Empower Orphans, an organization designed to support orphaned and abandoned children in India and the US.
- Through her own organization, she has helped more than 25000 vulnerable children by raising over 1.3 million US dollar. She started working for underprivileged children of the world at the age of nine.
- The list of projects of her includes opening libraries, developing paths to health care, and promoting education.
- She has also won numerous awards including the 2011 World of Children Award, the President’s Volunteer Service Award, the Congressional Award, and also the national Prudential Spirit of Community award.
About International Children’s Peace Prize
The International Children’s Peace Prize is awarded annually to a child who has made a significant contribution to advocating children’s rights and improving the situation of vulnerable children such as orphans, child labourers and children with HIV/AIDS.The prize is an initiative of Marc Dullaert, Chairman and Founder of the Amsterdam-based children’s rights organization, KidsRights.
The first Children’s Peace Prize was launched in November 2005 during the World Summit of Nobel Peace Laureates in Rome, an annual meeting of Nobel Peace Prize winners and international organisations such as UNICEF and Amnesty International.
Since then, the prize has been presented every year by a Nobel Peace Laureate.
In 2006, Om Prakash Gurjar from India was conferred with this award for setting up network of child friendly villages which aims to give all children a birth certificate as a way of helping to protect them from exploitation.
In 2013, the award was conferred on Malala Yousufzai, who went on to win this Nobel Peace Prize 2014.
Jnanpith award 2013 conferred on Hindi poet Kedarnath Singh
President Pranab Mukherjee conferred the 49th
Jnanpith Award (for year 2013) to eminent Hindi poet Kedarnath Singh
for his outstanding contribution towards Indian literature. He was
conferred this award at a function held at Balyogi Auditorium, Parliament Library Building in New Delhi.Kedarnath Singh as a poet has offered a rare assimilation of rhymes and lyrical prose, exploring both the realms of reality and fantasy with equal felicity. His poetry presents a collage of meaning, colours and acceptance.
He is the 10th Hindi writer to receive the award.
About Kedarnath Singh
- Kedarnath Singh was a celebrated teacher who had taught at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU).
- He was born in Balia of Uttar Pradesh and is known for his work Abhi bilkul abhi and Yahan se dekho.
- He is also an eminent critic and essayist. He was also awarded Sahitya Akademi Award (1989) in Hindi for his poetry collection, Akaal Mein Saras.
- He became famous with a book entitled Teesra Saptak edited by Sachchidananda Hirananda Vatsyayan whose pen name was Agyeya.
- The Jnanpith Award is a literary award in India. Along with the Sahitya Akademi Fellowship, it is one of the two most prestigious literary honours in the country.
- The name of award is taken from Sanskrit words, Jnana and Pitha (knowledge-seat).
- The award includes 11 lakh rupees and a citation plaque and a bronze replica of Saraswati.
- The award was instituted in 1961. It is presented by the Bharatiya Jnanpith trust founded by the Sahu Jain family.
- The award is given to any Indian citizen who writes in any 22 official languages of India mentioned in VIII Schedule of Constitution.
- Prior to 1982, the awards were given for a single work by a writer; since then, the award has been given for a lifetime contribution to Indian literature.
Darjeeling Zoo wins International Earth Heroes Award
The Darjeeling Zoo won an award at the International Earth Heroes Awards. It is the first Indian zoo to have received this prestigious honour. Apart from being the only specialized zoo in India, it is internationally recognized for its conservation
breeding programmes of endangered animals of Eastern Himalayas. The Zoo
is also well-known for its efforts in educating, motivating and
initiating awareness about the importance of conservation of Himalayan
eco-system.The ceremony for the RBS Earth Heroes Awards 2014 was announced at an awards function held at the Indira Gandhi National Centre for Arts (IGNCA) in New Delhi on 4th November.
The finalists for each award were selected by a jury comprising of experts from the field of conservation, bio-diversity, science, government, media, The Royal Bank of Scotland, the National Biodiversity Authority and the Bombay Natural History Society.
Award Winners of the 2014 Prize
The recipients of the RBS Earth Heroes Award, 2014 are as follows:-- RBS Earth Hero Award – Dr. Erach Bharucha
- RBS Earth Guardian Award – The Kenneth Anderson Nature Society (KANS)
- RBS Save The Species Award – Pangti Village Council & Dr. Goutam Narayan
- RBS Inspire Award – Mr. Dhritiman Mukherjee
- RBS Green Warrior Award – Mr Sujoy Banerjee & Shri. P. S Somashekhar
- Special Mention was given to the Padmaja Naidu Himalayan Zoological Park or the Darjeeling Zoo.
Earth Heroes Award
The Earth Heroes Awards is an Award that ‘recognises and honours individuals and institutions who work exceptionally hard to preserve and protect critical eco-systems.’ The Awards were instituted by the Royal Bank of Scotland in association with WAZA (World Association of Zoos and Aquariums) in 2011.The categories for the RBS Earth Heroes awards include:-
- RBS Earth Hero Award (Felicitation) to be awarded to an Individual
- RBS Earth Guardian Award with Prize money of INR 1,50,000 that is to be awarded to an Institution
- RBS Save The Species Award with Prize money of INR 1,50,000 that is to be awarded to 2 Individuals
- RBS Inspire Award for Prize money with Prize money of INR 1,50,000 that is to be awarded to an Individual or Institution
- RBS Green Warrior Award with Prize money of INR 1,50,000 each that is to be awarded to 2 individuals
About Darjeeling Zoo
The Padmaja Naidu Himalayan Zoological Park is India’s largest high altitude zoo. It was established on 14th August 1958. Some other details about the zoo are as follows:-- The zoo is named after Padmaja Naidu, who is the daughter of Sarojini Naidu
- It was established in 1958 by the Department of Education of the Government of West Bengal. It became a registered society in 1972. And in May 1993, it was transferred to the West Bengal Department of Forests.
- Its first Director and Founder was Dilip Kumar Dey, an officer of the Indian Forest Service
- It is a 56 acre zoo located in Darjeeling, West Bengal, and falls under the ‘small zoo’ classification of the Zoo Authority of India
- It has an average elevation of 7,000 feet or 2,134 m
- It was initially established with the goal of studying and preserving Himalayan fauna. The zoo now specializes in breeding animals adapted to alpine conditions, and has successfulcaptive breeding programs for the snow leopard, the critically endangered Himalayan wolf, Himalayan salamander and the red panda. It also provides a home to gorals (mountain goats), Siberian tigers and many endangered birds.
- Additionally, the zoo serves as the central hub for the Zoo Authority of India’s red panda program and is a member of WAZA
- The zoo attracts about 300,000 visitors every year.
Garhwal rifles wins Cambrian Patrol
A team from the Indian Army
beat 140 other participants to win the gold medal in the Cambrian
Patrol that was held in UK between October 17 to 26. The Indian team
consisted on 8 Garhwal Rifles.
Earlier, a team from the Gorkha Rifles had won a gold medal in 2010.
The Exercise requires its participants to cover a 80 km course in less than 48 hrs while performing various military exercises. Each team consists of eight persons. The tests span over two days, during which the participants do not get any rest of sleep. The Exercise aims to evaluate qualities such as leadership, self-discipline, courage, physical endurance and determination. Most teams do not manage to complete the Exercise; the ones that do earn either a gold medal or silver medal or bronze medal or passing.
Earlier, a team from the Gorkha Rifles had won a gold medal in 2010.
Exercise Cambrian Patrol
The Exercise is an annual international military patrolling event that takes places amidst the Cambrian Mountains, with participants from across the world. It was first held more than 40 years ago by Welsh Territorial Army soldiers.The Exercise requires its participants to cover a 80 km course in less than 48 hrs while performing various military exercises. Each team consists of eight persons. The tests span over two days, during which the participants do not get any rest of sleep. The Exercise aims to evaluate qualities such as leadership, self-discipline, courage, physical endurance and determination. Most teams do not manage to complete the Exercise; the ones that do earn either a gold medal or silver medal or bronze medal or passing.
Garhwal Rifles
The Garhwal Rifles is an infantry regiment of the Indian Army. It was initially raised in 1887 as the 39th (Garhwal) Regiment of the Bengal Army. This Regiment was later absorbed into the British Army and eventually into the Indian Army.Richard Flanagan wins Man Booker Prize
The Man Booker Prize 2014 for fiction was awarded to Australian author Richard Flanagan, for his novel The Narrow Road to the Deep North.The Narrow Road to the Deep North
Flanagan’s book centers around the themes of love and war. It is set in the background of World War II, in a Japanese prisoner-of-war camp. Flanagan worked on the novel for 12 years, and wrote five different versions before settling on the final one. The book is inspired by the personal experiences of Flanagan’s father, who was a prisoner-of-war.Richard Flanagan
Flanagan was born in Tasmania in July 1961. He is the third Australian to win the Man Booker Prize. Flanagan’s previous novels, Death of a River Guide, The Sound of One Hand Clapping, Gould’s Book of Fish, The Unknown Terrorist and Wanting have been published in 26 countries.Flanagan also directed a movie title The Sound Of One Hand Clapping in 1998.
Nominations
The Man Booker formulates a longlist, from which a shortlist is further made, finally leading to one winner. The other nominations in the shortlist in 2014 were How to be Both by Ali Smith, We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves by Karen Joy Fowler, The Lives of Others by Neel Mukherjee, To Rise Again at a Decent Hour by Joshua Ferris and J by Howard Jacobson.Judging process
The selection process for the winner begins with the formation of an advisory committee comprising of a writer, two publishers, a literary agent, a bookseller, a librarian, and a chairperson appointed by the Booker Prize Foundation. This committee then selects the judging panel, whose membership changes every year. Judges are selected from literary critics, writers, academics and leading public figures.This year, the Prize was chaired by A.C.Grayling. The judges this year were Jonathan Bate, Sarah Churchwell, Alastair Niven, Daniel Glaser and Erica Wagner.
Man Booker Prize
The Man Booker Prize is a literary award given to the best original novel in English, that has been published in the UK. It is presented by the Man Group, which is a British alternative investment management business. The Booker Prize was first awarded in 1969. It is generally presented in Guildhall, London. The award is open to all authors of English books, regardless of their nationalities.Jean Tirole wins Nobel Prize for Economics -2014
The Nobel
Prize for Economics was awarded to Jean Tirole “for his analysis of
market power and regulation”. He will be awarded prize money of 8 mn
Swedish krona.Jean Tirole is the second Frenchman to have been awarded a Nobel Prize this year. Tirole has been very vocal about the need for greater regulation of banks, and has been in the news for his views ever since the financial crisis of 2008.
Work of Tirole
Tirole’s area of study has been markets which are dominated by a few large and powerful firms or which have a single monopoly. When left unregulated by the government, these firms tend to distort the markets and have generally adverse consequences. Since the mid 1980s, Tirole has been researching such market failures. He analysed these firms in order to determine the best way to regulate them effectively. Governments of most nations had a tendency to place the same set of regulations on the firms in different sectors/industries. Tirole’s work suggested that such a method would be ineffectual, and that there need to be different regulations and restrictions on firms in different sectors like banking, telecommunications etc. His work has helped governments develop a better framework to protect the rights of both competing firms, small size firms and consumers.Jean Tirole
Jean was born on 9 August 1953, in France. He did his doctorate from MIT in Cambridge, Massachusetts. He is currently with the Toulouse University in France where he is the Scientific Director at Institut d’Économie Industrielle in the Toulouse School of Economics.Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences
The Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences is officially called the Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel. It is not one of the original Nobel Prizes established by Alfred Nobel’s will in 1895. The Economics Prize was established only in 1968, and is funded by Sweden’s central bank, Sveriges Riksbank. The bank created an endowment for the Prize on its 300th anniversary.However, the Economics prize follows the same rules governing the original Nobel Prizes and is awarded at the same ceremony. Also, in consonance with Nobel’s will, the Economics Prize is also given to persons who have conferred the greatest benefit on mankind. The selection is done by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, who pick the Nobel laureates in chemistry and physics.
Nobel Peace Prize 2014
The Norwegian Nobel Committee
has awarded the 2014 Nobel Peace Prize to Kailash Satyarthi and Malala
Yousafzai for their “struggle against the suppression of children and
young people and for the right of all children to education.”
The Committee specifically pointed out how commendable it was for “a
Hindu and a Muslim, an Indian and a Pakistani, to join in a common
struggle for education and against extremism”. The Committee also hoped
that their fight for the rights of children will contribute to the
larger goal of “fraternity between nations” that Alfred Nobel has
explicitly mentioned in his will as one of the criteria for awarding the
Nobel Peace Prize.
Malala and Satyarthi will be awarded a medal and $1.4 mn at an special ceremony in Oslo.
17 year old Malala Yousafzai is the youngest Nobel Laureate in the history of the prize. She is also the third Nobel laureate who was born in Pakistan.
Malala fought for the rights of girl children in Swat Valley, Pakistan to attend school. She was shot by gunmen there, and later moved to Birmingham, UK. Since then, she has published her autobiography, addressed the UNGA, been named one of Time magazine’s most influential people in 2013, and awarded the EU’s Sakharov Prize for human rights.
Satyarthi is the eighth Nobel laureate to have been born in India. He is an adherent of Gandhian philosophy. He has upheld Mahatma Gandhi’s
practice of engaging and conducting peaceful protests. He has focused
his agitations against the exploitation of children for financial gain.
He is the founder of the Bachpan Bachao Andolan (Save
the Childhood Movement). Through his NGO, he campaigns for protection of
child rights and to abolish illegal human trafficking.
Malala and Satyarthi will be awarded a medal and $1.4 mn at an special ceremony in Oslo.
Malala Yousafzai
17 year old Malala Yousafzai is the youngest Nobel Laureate in the history of the prize. She is also the third Nobel laureate who was born in Pakistan.Malala fought for the rights of girl children in Swat Valley, Pakistan to attend school. She was shot by gunmen there, and later moved to Birmingham, UK. Since then, she has published her autobiography, addressed the UNGA, been named one of Time magazine’s most influential people in 2013, and awarded the EU’s Sakharov Prize for human rights.
Kailash Satyarthi
Satyarthi is the eighth Nobel laureate to have been born in India. He is an adherent of Gandhian philosophy. He has upheld Mahatma Gandhi’s
practice of engaging and conducting peaceful protests. He has focused
his agitations against the exploitation of children for financial gain.
He is the founder of the Bachpan Bachao Andolan (Save
the Childhood Movement). Through his NGO, he campaigns for protection of
child rights and to abolish illegal human trafficking.Nobel Prize Literature 2014
The Nobel
Prize in Literature for 2014 has been awarded to the French author,
Patrick Modiano, “for the art of memory with which he has evoked the
most ungraspable human destinies and uncovered the life-world of the
occupation”.The last time a French author won a Nobel for Literature was in 2008 when Jean-Marie Gustave Le Clezio won.
Modiano has also been the recipient of other awards including Grand prix du roman de l’Academie francaise in 1972 and the 2010 prix mondial Cino Del Duca by the Institut de France for lifetime achievement. In 2012, he won the Austrian State Prize for European Literature.
Patrick Modiano
Modiano was born on July 30, 1945 in a suburb of Paris. He studied at the Lycée Henri-IV in Paris. His private geometry coach, Raymond Queneau, was also a writer and had a significant influence on Modiano’s career. His writings are in French, though some have been translated into English and other languages.
He made his writing debut in 1968 with La place de l’étoile. His first work was widely discussed and well known but it hasn’t been translated into English. Most of his work centres around ambiguous themes such as memory, oblivion, identity and guilt. His stories also tend to be of an autobiographical nature and draw upon his city and its history. Some of Modiano’s works have been translated into English, among them Les boulevards de ceinture (1972; Ring Roads : A Novel, 1974), Villa Triste (1975;Villa Triste, 1977), Quartier perdu (1984; A Trace of Malice, 1988) and Voyage de noces (1990; Honeymoon, 1992). His latest work is the novel Pour que tu ne te perdes pas dans le quartier.
Other than an author of novels, Modiano has also written children’s novels and movie scripts.
Chemistry Nobel Prize 2014
The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences has announced that the Nobel
Prize for Chemistry for the year 2014 is being awarded to Eric Betzig,
Stefan W. Hell and William E. Moerner “for the development of
super-resolved fluorescence microscopy”. For years, it was assumed that
the resolution that could be achieved by optical microscopy was limited
to half the wavelength of light. These three scientists overcame this
perceived limitation with the help of fluorescent molecules. Their work
has made it possible to “study molecular processes in real time”
according to the Nobel Committee Chair. The winners will share the prize money of 8 mn kroner.
It was assumed by the scientific community that it would be
impossible to study living cells in its tiniest molecular detail. The
microscopist Ernst Abbe had set 0.2 micrometres as the maximum
resolution that could be achieved through optical microscopy. This
development took place in 1873, and for decades no scientist could
achieve a better resolution. These three scientists surpassed Abbe’s
limitation and enabled scientists to analyse the nanoscopic world. The
scientists have been awarded for their work with two different
approaches, namely, stimulated emission depletion (STED) microscopy and
single molecule microscopy.
Limitation on Resolution
It was assumed by the scientific community that it would be
impossible to study living cells in its tiniest molecular detail. The
microscopist Ernst Abbe had set 0.2 micrometres as the maximum
resolution that could be achieved through optical microscopy. This
development took place in 1873, and for decades no scientist could
achieve a better resolution. These three scientists surpassed Abbe’s
limitation and enabled scientists to analyse the nanoscopic world. The
scientists have been awarded for their work with two different
approaches, namely, stimulated emission depletion (STED) microscopy and
single molecule microscopy.Work of Stefan Hell
Stefan Hell developed the STED microscopy method in 2000. To better Abbe’s resolution, he used two laser beams. One beam stimulated the fluorescent molecules to grow, while the other beam cancelled out all fluorescence except that in a nanometer sized volume.Work of Betzig and Moerner
Betzig and Moerner worked with single molecule microscopy. This method is based on the ability to turn the fluorescence of molecules on and off. A couple of different molecules are allowed to glow each time the image is recorded;. Then, all the recorded images are superimposed to form one complete image covering all molecules. This method was first tested in 2006.Breakthrough work
The work done by these scientists enables researchers and other to analyse individual molecules, thus enabling them to carry on further research. With the ability to look at individual molecules, we can better understand the human anatomy and the occurrence of various diseases.About Eric Betzig
Eric Betzig is an American citizen who born in 1960 in USA. He is a Group Leader at the Janelia Research Campus at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute in USAAbout Stefan W. Hell
Stefan W. Hell is a German citizen who was born in Romania in 1962. He is Director at the Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry in Göttingen, and Division head at the German Cancer Research Center in Heidelberg, Germany.William E. Moerner
William E. Moerner is an American citizen who was born in USA in 1953. He is the Harry S. Mosher Professor in Chemistry and Professor of Applied Physics at Stanford University in USA.Nobel Prize for Physics 2014
The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences announced its decision to award the Nobel Prize for Physics to Isamu
Akasaki, Hiroshi Amano and Shuji Nakamura “for the invention of
efficient blue light-emitting diodes which has enabled bright and energy-saving white light sources”.
Isamu Akasaki
Isamu Akasaki is a Japanese citizen. He was born 1929 in Chiran, Japan and educated in Japan. He is currently a Professor at Meijo University, Nagoya, and Distinguished Professor at Nagoya University, Japan.
Hiroshi Amano
Hiroshi Amano is a Japanese citizen. He was born in 1960 in Hamamatsu, Japan and educated in Japan. He is a Professor at Nagoya University in Japan.
Shuji Nakamura
Shuji Nakamura is an American citizen. He was born in 1954 in Ikata, Japan and educated in Japan. He is currently a Professor at University of California in USA.
Although red and green LEDs have been in existence for decades now, development of blue LEDs posed a formidable challenge to scientists and researchers.
Within a LED, current is applied to multiple semiconductor materials, which emit a particular wavelength of light depending on the chemical make-up of the semiconductor materials in question. Gallium nitride was the semiconductor used by the Japanese researchers to develop the blue LED. Growing adequately big crystal of gallium nitride was the challenge that many researchers couldn’t figure out. Akasaki and Amano, worked together in 1986 to get the gallium nitride to grow to a big size, with the help of a specifically designed scaffold partially made from sapphire.
In 1990, Nakamura also managed to induce the gallium nitride to grow to a big size by manipulating the temperature to induce its growth.
Their work in discovering blue LEDs led to the combining of red, green and blue LEDs to form white LEDs.
Blue LEDs are used in many products nowadays. Smartphones, for example, use blue LEDs. White LEDs are used in a plethora of products from lamps tto television screen to computer screens.
LEDs use much less energy than incandescent lamps, and are efficient enough to run on locally generated solar power. It is major development in the 21st century where energy conservation has become vital
Isamu Akasaki
Isamu Akasaki is a Japanese citizen. He was born 1929 in Chiran, Japan and educated in Japan. He is currently a Professor at Meijo University, Nagoya, and Distinguished Professor at Nagoya University, Japan.
Hiroshi Amano
Hiroshi Amano is a Japanese citizen. He was born in 1960 in Hamamatsu, Japan and educated in Japan. He is a Professor at Nagoya University in Japan.
Shuji Nakamura
Shuji Nakamura is an American citizen. He was born in 1954 in Ikata, Japan and educated in Japan. He is currently a Professor at University of California in USA.
Discovery of blue LEDs
The three scientists of Japanese origin have been awarded the Nobel for inventing blue light emitting diodes or LEDs.Although red and green LEDs have been in existence for decades now, development of blue LEDs posed a formidable challenge to scientists and researchers.
Within a LED, current is applied to multiple semiconductor materials, which emit a particular wavelength of light depending on the chemical make-up of the semiconductor materials in question. Gallium nitride was the semiconductor used by the Japanese researchers to develop the blue LED. Growing adequately big crystal of gallium nitride was the challenge that many researchers couldn’t figure out. Akasaki and Amano, worked together in 1986 to get the gallium nitride to grow to a big size, with the help of a specifically designed scaffold partially made from sapphire.
In 1990, Nakamura also managed to induce the gallium nitride to grow to a big size by manipulating the temperature to induce its growth.
Their work in discovering blue LEDs led to the combining of red, green and blue LEDs to form white LEDs.
Significance of blue LEDs
Blue LED is an extremely significant development on its own, and because it was a stepping stone in the development of white LED, it is a path-breaking milestone.Blue LEDs are used in many products nowadays. Smartphones, for example, use blue LEDs. White LEDs are used in a plethora of products from lamps tto television screen to computer screens.
LEDs use much less energy than incandescent lamps, and are efficient enough to run on locally generated solar power. It is major development in the 21st century where energy conservation has become vital
Nobel Prize Medicine winners 2014
John O’Keefe and Norwegian couple May-Britt and Edvard Moser have won the 2014 Nobel Prize for medicine for their work which has led to discovering the brain’s internal positioning system.About Nobel Prize in Medicine
The Nobel award for medicine is given to persons whose discoveries have significantly enhanced the understanding of life or the practice of medicine. The Nobel comes with prize money of 8 mn Swedish kroner or $1.1 mn. The winner is chosen by the Nobel Assembly at the Karolinska Institute which is a group of 50 professors which has an 18 member working body that evaluates nominations from scientists around the world and proposes the names of top candidates for the award. The Nobel Prize for medicine is always announced before the Nobel Prize for other categories. The Nobel Assembly, made the announcement at Sweden’s Karolinska Institute saying that the discovery had provided a solution to an issue that has plagued the mind of researchers and philosopher alike for centuries : “How does the brain create a map of the space surrounding us and how can we navigate our way through a complex environment?”2014 Nobel Prize Medicine Winners
John O’Keefe
![ScreenClip[21]](http://currentaffairs.gktoday.in/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/ScreenClip21-150x150.png)
John O’Keefe is a 74 yr old American-British Professor of Cognitive Neuroscience at University College in London.In 1971, Dr. O’Keefe was studying the hippocampus, when during an experiment on rats he discovered that certain nerve cells got activated when the rat was in a particular spot. If the rat changed its place, then different nerve cells in the rat’s brain got activated. This led to his conclusion that the cells weren’t just registering the location but they appeared to be making circuits that constituted an inner map or ‘GPS’ of the place. He realized that the hippocampus was a spatial system where the memory of a certain place gets stored a particular combination of the nerve cells.
May-Britt and Edvard Moser
![ScreenClip[25]](http://currentaffairs.gktoday.in/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/ScreenClip25-150x150.png)
May-Britt Moser aged 51 and Edvard Moser aged 52 are a married team of neuroscientists working at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology in Trondheim.In 2005, the Mosers’ worked with O’Keefe to further his work. They conducted similar experiments on rats, where they discovered that nerve cells in entorhinal cortex which is near the hippocampus got activated when the animals passed certain places. These nerve cells together laid out a grid like pattern enabling the rat to navigate spatially.
Research
Before the work done by these three scientists, we didn’t have a sense of how the brain processed maps at a cellular level. Their work helps researchers delve deeper into how strokes and Alzheimer’s affect the brain, with the help of their inner navigational chart.Shahrukh Khan awarded with Global Diversity Award 2014
Indian actor Shahrukh Khan was awarded the Global
Diversity Award 2014 for his outstanding achievements in the field of
cinema and his involvement in philanthropic endeavors in UK. The Award
was presented to him by the Speaker of the House of Commons, the Right
Honourable John Bercow, at a ceremony held in the House of Commons
itself. This award was instituted by the Rainbow Foundation. Previous
recipients of this award include Amitabh Bachchan, Aishwarya Rai, Sheikh
Hasina, Lewis Hamilton, Jackie Chan and Dionne Warwick amongst other. Shahrukh Khan is also a recipient of France’s Legion of Honour, which is its highest civilian honour.Vayoshreshtha Samman 2014
Vayoshreshtha Samman or The National Awards for Senior Citizens were presented by Sumitra Mahajan, Speaker of Lok Sabha
in the presence of Thaawar Chand Gehlot, Union Minster for Social
Justice & Empowerment and Minister of State Sudarshan Bhagat.The government has been conferring Vayoshrestha Samman every year since 2005, but it has been given the status of a national award only since 2013. The Awards are given to eminent citizens and institutions in recognition of their outstanding services to the elderly people, especially indigent senior citizens.
International Day of Older Persons
International Day of Older Persons is observed on the 1st of October every year in accordance with a UNGA resolution. This day is used to highlight the contributions of the elderly and also raise awareness about issues such as elderly abuse. The theme this year was ‘Leaving No One Behind: Promoting a Society for All’. The Vayoshreshtha Samman Awards are given every year on the International Day of Older PersonsWelfare of Senior Citizens
The government has introduced a slew of policies and schemes for the welfare of senior citizens like the Plan Scheme of integrated programme for older persons, National Policy on Older Persons and the enactment of the Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens Act in 2007.List of main awardees:
- Best Institution for research in the field of Ageing to Department of Geriatric Medicine : AIIMS
- Best Institution for providing services to senior citizens and Awareness Generation : HelpAge India
- Best District Panchayat in Providing Services and Facilities to Senior Citizens : Dakshina Kannada Zilla Panchayath, Karnataka
Centenarian : Brig. M.L. Kataria (Retd.) - Life time Achievement : Prof. (Dr.) P.K.B. Nayar
- Creative Art : Ms. Sushma Seth
- Sports and Adventure (Female) : Ms. Chandra Prabha Aitwal, Uttarkashi
List of 2014 Shanti Swaroop Bhatnagar Award Winners
The winners of the 2014 edition of the annual Shanti Swaroop Bhatnagar Award were announced by CSIR (Council for Scientific and Industrial Research) at its 72nd
Foundation Day celebrations on 26 September 2014. The 10 awardees have
been chosen from various prestigious research institutions in India. The list of awardees of this year’s prize are as follows:-
Biological Sciences
Biological Sciences
- Roop Mallik Tata Institute of Fundamental Research Mumbai
- Kavirayani Ramakrishna Prasad Indian Institute of Science Bengaluru.
- Souvik Maiti Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology (CSIR-IGIB) New Delhi.
- Sachchida Nand Tripathi Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur.
- S Venkata Mohan Indian Institute of Chemical Technology (CSIR-IICT) Hyderabad.
- Soumen Chakrabarti Indian Institute of Technology Mumbai.
- Kaushal Kumar Verma Indian Institute of Science Bengaluru.
- Anurag Agrawal Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology (CSIR-IGIB) New Delhi.
- Pratap Raychaudhuri Tata Institute of Fundamental Research Mumbai.
- Sadiqali Abbas Rangwala Raman Research Institute Bengaluru.
Govind Mishra gets Saraswati Samman 2013 for novel ‘Dhool Paudhon Par’
The renowned Hindi author, Mr. Govind Mishra received the Sarawasti Samman 2013 for his book “Dhool Paudho Par” published in 2008. The award made Mr. Mishra the second Hindi author to receive the honour after noted Indian poet Mr. Harivansh Rai Bachchan.
About Saraswati Samman
About Saraswati Samman
- Establish: 1991 by the K. K. Birla Foundation.
- Cash Price: Rs 10 lakh, a citation and a plaque.
- Annual award for outstanding prose or poetry literary works in any Indian language listed in Schedule VIII of the Constitution of India.
Indian scientist Kamal Bawa wins the Midori Prize 2014
Indian scientist Kamal Bawa, an eminent professor of biology at the University of Massachusetts in Boston, won the Midori Prize (2014) in Biodiversity for his research, including in climate change in the Himalayas.
Kamal Bawa, founder president of the Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment (ATREE) in Bangalore, will accept the prize with a cash award of $100,000 during the Oct 16-17, 2014 Conference of Parties (COP-12) to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) in South Korea. India, the at present the chair of the COP-11 and India will pass the baton to Korea at the COP-12 in South Korea. The theme of this year’s COP-12 meeting is ‘Biodiversity for Sustainable Development’.
Other Awardees For Year 2014
Established in 2010 at the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the AEON Environmental Foundation, the Midori Prize is regarded a major element “at the service of the objectives of the United Nations Decade on Biodiversity 2011-2020.” The Prize honors 3 individuals who have made exceptional contribution to conservation and sustainable use at local and global levels, and who have inspired several biodiversity-related works, as well as fostering consciousness about biodiversity. Each winner gets a certificate, a memorial gift and a cash prize of USD100,000. The MIDORI Prize serves as a key instrument at the service of the aims of the United Nations Decade on Biodiversity 2011-2020.
Kamal Bawa, founder president of the Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment (ATREE) in Bangalore, will accept the prize with a cash award of $100,000 during the Oct 16-17, 2014 Conference of Parties (COP-12) to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) in South Korea. India, the at present the chair of the COP-11 and India will pass the baton to Korea at the COP-12 in South Korea. The theme of this year’s COP-12 meeting is ‘Biodiversity for Sustainable Development’.
Other Awardees For Year 2014
- Alfred Oteng-Yeboah (Ghana) Chair, Ghana National Biodiversity Committee
- Bibiana Vila (Argentina) Director, Vicuñas, Camelids and Environment (VICAM), Principal Researcher, National Research Council (CONICET) Argentina.
Established in 2010 at the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the AEON Environmental Foundation, the Midori Prize is regarded a major element “at the service of the objectives of the United Nations Decade on Biodiversity 2011-2020.” The Prize honors 3 individuals who have made exceptional contribution to conservation and sustainable use at local and global levels, and who have inspired several biodiversity-related works, as well as fostering consciousness about biodiversity. Each winner gets a certificate, a memorial gift and a cash prize of USD100,000. The MIDORI Prize serves as a key instrument at the service of the aims of the United Nations Decade on Biodiversity 2011-2020.
China bestows “China Book Award” to JNU professor Priyadarsi Mukherji
China
bestowed China Book Award to Jawaharlal Nehru University professor
Priyadarsi Mukherji , for his support to interpretation and publication
of Chinese works. Priyadarsi Mukherji was awarded along with 10 other
winners. China Book Award is a distinctive award to applaud those who
have made great and extensive assistance to familiarizing Chinese books overseas.
Prof. Mukherji is presently working under the Chinese and Sinological Studies department of JNU. He has translated a number of literary works from Chinese into Bengali, English and Hindi. over the last 25 years he has monographed books on Chinese culture and language. Prof. Mukherji has to his credit many works themed around China like “Poems of Lu Xun” – an anthology of 45 poems by Lu Xun from original Chinese into Bengali.
China Book Award was first launched in 2005 by the Publicity Department of the Communist Party of China as a State-level award. It intends to encourage Chinese culture and literature overseas. Awards generally go to foreign sinologists, translators, writers and publishers who have made great headways in familiarizing Chinese culture to the world.
Prof. Mukherji is presently working under the Chinese and Sinological Studies department of JNU. He has translated a number of literary works from Chinese into Bengali, English and Hindi. over the last 25 years he has monographed books on Chinese culture and language. Prof. Mukherji has to his credit many works themed around China like “Poems of Lu Xun” – an anthology of 45 poems by Lu Xun from original Chinese into Bengali.
China Book Award was first launched in 2005 by the Publicity Department of the Communist Party of China as a State-level award. It intends to encourage Chinese culture and literature overseas. Awards generally go to foreign sinologists, translators, writers and publishers who have made great headways in familiarizing Chinese culture to the world.
Harry Belafonte to receive honorary humanitarian Oscar
Oscar organizers declared that they will give a esteemed humanitarian award to US actor-producer-singer Harry Belafonte,
whose efforts as an activist has assisted throw light on racism and
discrimination. It will be presented at the body’s 6th annual Governors Awards
on November 8, 2014 in Hollywood. He wasdnicknamed the “King of
Calypso” for popularizing the Caribbean musical style in the 1950s.Belafonte, (87) spent much of his life campaigning for numerous causes such as education, famine relief, children, AIDS awareness and civil rights. His films such as “Carmen Jones,” “Odds against Tomorrow” and “The World, the Flesh and the Devil” aided portray the injustices of racism and discrimination.
He was a supporter of the Civil Rights Movement and marched besides Martin Luther King, Jr in his prime. In 1987, he was named a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador.
Rajiv Gandhi National Quality Awards for 2012 declared
Rajiv Gandhi National Quality Awards
for the year 2012 were declared by Union Minister of Consumer Affairs,
Food and Public Distribution, Ram Vilas Paswan. The awards are awarded
by the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS).
The award purposes to encourage quality services to the customers and to provide special appreciation to organizations that contribute considerably towards the quality movement of India.
The award is presented annually as per the financial year, and is similar to other national quality awards worldwide like the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award of the United States, European Quality Award of the European Union and the Deming Prize of Japan.
The award is presented to organizations in 5 broad categories:
BEST OF ALL AWARD
Rail Wheel factory (Ministry of Railways), Bangalore, Karnataka
CATEGORY AWARDS:
- Large scale manufacturing: Sakthi Masala P. Ltd., Erode, Tamil Nadu
- Large scale service sector: Tata Business Support Services Limited, Hyderabad
- Small scale service sector: Elin Appliances Pvt. Ltd., Solan, Himachal Pradesh
COMMENDATION CERTIFICATES
Large Scale Manufacturing Industry- Chemical: Dalmia Cement (B) Limited, Kadapa, Andhra Pradesh
- Electrical & Electronic: EOS Power India Pvt. Ltd., Mumbai, Maharashtra
- Engineering & Others: Currency Note Press (A unit of security Printing & Minting Corporation of India Ltd.), Nashik, Maharashtra
- Food & Drug: Mehsana Dist Co-Op Milk Producers’ Union Ltd., Dudhsagar Dairy, Mehsana, Gujarat
- Health care: Apollo Speciality Hospital Madurai, Tamil Nadu
- Others: Engineers India Limited, New Delhi
- Education: Amity University Uttar Pradesh, Noida, Uttar Pradesh
- Finanace: Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency Limited (IREDA), New Delhi
- Engineering & Others: Suprabha Protective Products Pvt. Ltd, Pune, Maharashtra
Rajiv Gandhi National Quality Awards
Introduced in 1991, the Rajiv Gandhi National Quality Award is given
by the BIS to Indian manufacturing and service organizations that show
excellence in their performance.The award purposes to encourage quality services to the customers and to provide special appreciation to organizations that contribute considerably towards the quality movement of India.
The award is presented annually as per the financial year, and is similar to other national quality awards worldwide like the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award of the United States, European Quality Award of the European Union and the Deming Prize of Japan.
The award is presented to organizations in 5 broad categories:
- Large scale manufacturing
- Small scale manufacturing
- Large scale service sector
- Small scale service sector
- Best overall
Hindi Sevi Samman for 2010 and 2011 presented by President Pranab Mukherjee
The President of India Pranab Mukherjee presented the Hindi Sevi Samman for the years 2010 and 2011:
Various Categories included:
Various Categories included:
Ganga Sharan Singh Award
(For work in the field of promotion and training of Hindi)
2010:- Janhu Barua
- Padma Sachdev
- R.F. Nirankatti
- S.A. Suryanarayan Verma
- C Kulchandra Sharma
- Dr. H. Balasubrahmanium
- Robin Das
- T. R. Bhatt
Ganesh Shankar Vidyarthi Award
(For work in the field of journalism and creative literature)
2010: - Dilip Kumar Chaubey
- Ravish Kumar
- Dr. Shivnarayan
- Govind Singh
Atmaram Award
(For work in the field of Science and Technology Literature and Machinery growth)
2010:- Anil Kumar Chaturvedi
- Kali Shankar
- Mahesh D Kulkarni
- Vijay Kumar Malhotra
Subramanyam Bharti Award
(For work for promotion of Hindi in constructive or criticism way)
2010:- Sudhish Pachauri
- Dr. Shyam Sundar Dubey
- Dilip Singh
- Nityanand Tiwary
Mahapandit Rahul Sankrityayan Award
(For work in the field exploration and research as well as for description on its journey)
2010:- Dr. Parmanand Panchaal
- Raghuveer Chaudhary
- Ashgar Vajahat
- Ved Rahi
Dr. George Grierson Award
(Awarded to people of foreign origin for promotion and training of Hindi outside India)
2010:- Samtoff Azad (Uzbekistan)
- JO Kim (South Korea)
Padmabhushan Dr. Moturi Satyanarayan Award
(Awarded to people of Indian origin for promotion and training of Hindi outside India)
2010:
- Madanlal Madhu (Russia)
- Tejendra Sharma (UK)
Noted Kanada writer U.R. Ananthamurthy passes away
Eminent Kannada writer and one of the most heralded public intellectuals in the country, U.R. Ananthamurthy (82) passed away.
He was a contemporary writer and critic in the Kannada language and is considered as one of the path-breakers of the Navya movement.
Awards and Honors:
He was conferred Jnanpith Award- the highest literary honor in India- for the Kannada language. He is the sixth person among eight recipients of the Jnanpith Award for the Kannada language. In 1998, he was honored with the Padma Bhushan award from the Government of India.
Navya Movement
In the 1950s, a new modernist school of writing called Navya evolved even as the Pragatishila merged back into the Navodaya mainstream. A new (Navya) movement, the Navya Movement (Modernist Movement) was born around 1950. Though formally introduced by V. K. Gokak with his Navya Kavitegalu (“Modern Poems”, 1950), it was Gopalakrishna Adiga who best illustrated the spirit of the movement. Gopalakrishna Adiga is known as the father of this form of expression with his Nadedu Banda Dari (“The Path Traversed”, 1952).
The most effective vehicles of the movement were Poetry and short story. The Navya authors questioned the time-honoured standards of plot of the Navodaya; life was seen not as a pursuit of already existing values, but as an introspective search for them, at times narrated in stream of consciousness technique.
The study of Kannada literature is divided into 3 movements:
Noted filmmaker and Poet, Muzaffar Ali (69), has been conferred 22nd Rajiv Gandhi National Sadbhavana Award. Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Sonia Gandhi, the president of All-India Congress Committee (AICC), presented him the award.
Muzaffar Ali has been honored with this award in recognition to his contribution in spreading Communal harmony and peace. He had directed some of the very popular and highly extolled movies like Umrao Jaan, Gaman and Khizan. He had been honoured with Padma Shri for his works in 2005.
Rajiv Gandhi National Sadbhavana award
It is also known as Rajiv Gandhi National Communal Harmony Award and was introduced by All-India Congress Committee (AICC) in 1992 to commemorate the contribution of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi. The award is presented every year on August 20, the birth anniversary of Rajiv Gandhi as Sadbhavna Diwas (Harmony Day). It carries a cash award of Rs 5 lakh and a citation.
Famous film director Muzaffar Ali (69), who had directed the Bollywood classic “Umrao Jaan”, has been chosen for Rajiv Gandhi National Sadbhavana Award
for his extraordinary contribution towards the promotion of communal
harmony, peace and goodwill. The award carries a citation and cash award
of Rs 5 lakh.
Ali also directed over one-and-a-half dozen movies including “Gaman” and “Khizan”. He was also conferred Padma Shri in 2005. The award was instituted to mark the contribution made by Rajiv Gandhi to promote peace, communal harmony and fight against violence.
Previous recipients of the award include Mother Teresa, K.R. Narayanan, Ustad Bismillah Khan, Lata Mangeshkar, Sunil Dutt, Dilip Kumar, Ustad Amjad Ali Khan and Maulana Wahiduddin Khan.
Others who were conferred upon with this award were Jagan Nath Kaul, Mohd Yunus, Hiteswar Saikia and Subhadra Joshi (jointly), Kapila Vatsyayan, Teesta Setalvad and Harsh Mander (jointly), S N Subbarao, Swami Agnivesh and Madari Moideen (jointly), Nirmala Deshpande, Hem Dutta, N Radhakrishnan, Gautam Bhai, SPIC MACAY and D R Mehta.
15th edition of the International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) informally known as the “Bollywood Oscars,” held in US for the first time. The ceremony was held at the Raymond James Stadium in Tampa Bay, Florida,US. The 2014 IIFA Awards honoured the best films of 2013, took place between April 23-26, 2014. Bhaag Milkha Bhaag was awarded the most awards (14).
Hollywood star John Travolta was also awarded at the ceremony for his outstanding contribution to International cinema.
Documentary
“Gulabi Gang” to be screened at the 14th New York Indian Film
Festival that will run from May 5 to 10, 2014. Directed by Nishtha Jain, it is based on the life of Sampat Pal Devi, a child bride and former government health worker. In 2006, Sampat Pal Devi formed the Gulabi Gang of pink sari-clad women and it works for rights of women in destitute Bundelkhand region of Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh.
Movies based on the Gulabi Gang
Ratan Tata (76), the Chairman Emeritus of Tata Sons and former chairman of the Tata Group, honoured by Queen Elizabeth with a GBE (Knight Grand Cross), one of the UK’s highest civilian awards. He is the only Indian among 5 foreigners to be awarded as part of the ‘Honorary British Awards to Foreign Nationals’ for 2014.
In 2009, Mr. Tata was conferred a KBE (Knight Commander) by the Queen.
In 2008, the Tata Group under chairmanship of Ratan Tata had acquired the flagging British luxury car brand Jaguar Land Rover (JLR). The Tata Group has emerged as one of the largest employers in Britain, employing nearly 60,000 people across Britain. Now in its 18th year, the Sir Ratan Tata Fellowship works in collaboration with the London School of Economics.
UK-born
physicist Stuart Parkin won the Millennium technology prize 2014.
Parkin won this prize for his breakthrough in magnetic disk drive
storage capacity.
Parkin’s ground-breaking contribution to the science and application of spintronic materials has led to an abnormal expansion in the capacity to store digital information. Parkin employed the process of Giant Magneto-Resistance (GMR) to produce enormously sensitive devices that can detect tiny magnetic fields, harbingering the epoch of cloud computing. In magnetic disk drives information is stored as “bits” (0s and 1s) mapped by regions of the disk magnetized differently. Thus, if the detector is more sensitive, then the magnetic regions and fields need to be more smaller to store the information, which implies more data can be put on to a hard disk drive – all in digital form. This discovery led to 1,000-fold betterment in the storage capacity of magnetic disk drives with cost remaining almost same.
The foundation behind this award has made services like Facebook, Google, Amazon, etc. possible.
Giant Magneto-Resistance (GMR) and Parkin’s accomplishment:
Giant Magneto-Resistance (GMR) was separately discovered by physicists Albert Fert and Peter Grünberg in the late 1980s and in 2007 they shared the Nobel Prize for physics for their work on GMR. The phenomenon develops when atomically thin layers of magnetic and non-magnetic materials are piled on top of each other. In a plain organization, a non-magnetic layer (typically copper) is sandwiched amid two magnetic layers which act like bar magnets pointing either north or south. On inducing a current in this sandwich, electrons pass through the layers. The degree of interference they go through is dissimilar and depends upon an intrinsic quantum mechanical property of them called “Spin“, which can be adjusted to the direction of the bar magnet or against it. Electrons which have a spin in one direction will travel in a freer manner. Thus, the flow of the current can be checked by the proportional placement of the bar magnets of the top and bottom layers. This phenomenon is called Giant Magneto-Resistance (GMR), as its value is much larger than the MR value received from anisotropic MR that come out from normal ferromagnetic materials.
Parkin’s accomplishment was to prepare a device based on such “Spintronic” effects in which tiny magnetic fields from magnetized regions (that store data within the disk drive) can rotate the direction of magnetization in one of the layers of the sandwich. This outcome is a sensor that quickly goes through large alterations in resistance as it reads the disk drive.
The Union Ministry of Information and Broadcasting announced that the Veteran poet and film lyricist Gulzar (real name: Sampooran Singh Kalra)
has been chosen for the Dadasaheb Phalke Award for the year
2013. Sampooran Singh Kalra’s pen name is Gulzar. Dadasaheb Phalke
Award is India’s
highest award in cinema, conferred annually by the government for
outstanding contribution to the growth and development of Indian cinema.
Awards: Padma Bhushan (2004), Sahitya Akademi Award (2002), Academy Award (2008 – Shared with Music Director A. R. Rahman for “Jai Ho” from film Slumdog Millionaire). He has won 20 Filmfare Awards.
He was a contemporary writer and critic in the Kannada language and is considered as one of the path-breakers of the Navya movement.
Awards and Honors:
He was conferred Jnanpith Award- the highest literary honor in India- for the Kannada language. He is the sixth person among eight recipients of the Jnanpith Award for the Kannada language. In 1998, he was honored with the Padma Bhushan award from the Government of India.
Navya Movement
In the 1950s, a new modernist school of writing called Navya evolved even as the Pragatishila merged back into the Navodaya mainstream. A new (Navya) movement, the Navya Movement (Modernist Movement) was born around 1950. Though formally introduced by V. K. Gokak with his Navya Kavitegalu (“Modern Poems”, 1950), it was Gopalakrishna Adiga who best illustrated the spirit of the movement. Gopalakrishna Adiga is known as the father of this form of expression with his Nadedu Banda Dari (“The Path Traversed”, 1952).
The most effective vehicles of the movement were Poetry and short story. The Navya authors questioned the time-honoured standards of plot of the Navodaya; life was seen not as a pursuit of already existing values, but as an introspective search for them, at times narrated in stream of consciousness technique.
The study of Kannada literature is divided into 3 movements:
- Navodaya (1926-47)
- Pragatisheela (1945-55)
- Navya (1950-75)
Indian scientist awarded prestigious grant under Obama initiative
Partha Mitra, an Indian researcher in the US has been awarded a prestigious research grant under President Barack Obama’s initiative to map the human brain.
The grant will support Mitra’s endeavors to develop a “virtual neuroanatomist”, an artificial-intelligence system that can identify cell types and neural structures in microscopic images of brain slices.
Apart from Mitra, Florin Albeanu is the other scientist at the National Science Foundation who has been awarded Early Concept Grants for Exploratory Research (EAGER) under President Barack Obama’s multi-year Brain Initiative.
The award will provide $300,000 over two years for the development of innovative conceptual and physical tools to move forward neuroscience. The awards are intended to fund short-term, proof-of-concept projects with the prospect of high-returns.
The grant will support Mitra’s endeavors to develop a “virtual neuroanatomist”, an artificial-intelligence system that can identify cell types and neural structures in microscopic images of brain slices.
Apart from Mitra, Florin Albeanu is the other scientist at the National Science Foundation who has been awarded Early Concept Grants for Exploratory Research (EAGER) under President Barack Obama’s multi-year Brain Initiative.
The award will provide $300,000 over two years for the development of innovative conceptual and physical tools to move forward neuroscience. The awards are intended to fund short-term, proof-of-concept projects with the prospect of high-returns.
Filmmaker Muzaffar Ali conferred Rajiv Gandhi National Sadbhavana Award
Noted filmmaker and Poet, Muzaffar Ali (69), has been conferred 22nd Rajiv Gandhi National Sadbhavana Award. Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Sonia Gandhi, the president of All-India Congress Committee (AICC), presented him the award.Muzaffar Ali has been honored with this award in recognition to his contribution in spreading Communal harmony and peace. He had directed some of the very popular and highly extolled movies like Umrao Jaan, Gaman and Khizan. He had been honoured with Padma Shri for his works in 2005.
Rajiv Gandhi National Sadbhavana award
It is also known as Rajiv Gandhi National Communal Harmony Award and was introduced by All-India Congress Committee (AICC) in 1992 to commemorate the contribution of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi. The award is presented every year on August 20, the birth anniversary of Rajiv Gandhi as Sadbhavna Diwas (Harmony Day). It carries a cash award of Rs 5 lakh and a citation.
Outstanding Parliamentarian Award to Arun Jaitley, Karan Singh and Sharad Yadav
President Mr. Pranab Mukherjee presented the Outstanding Parliamentarian Awards to Arun Jaitley, Dr Karan Singh and Sharad Yadav
for the year 2010, 2011 and 2012 respectively. The awards were
conferred upon them for their priceless contribution in discharge of
their parliamentary duties.
President while presenting the awards urged all Parliamentarians to maintain the prestige and dignity of Parliament, as it’s a duty of every Parliamentarian.
Background of Outstanding Parliamentarian Award
The Outstanding Parliamentarian Award was established in 1992 by Shivraj Patil who was then the Speaker of Lok Sabha. The Indian Parliamentary Group selects an outstanding sitting Member of the Indian Parliament after considering his/her overall contribution in Parliament.
President while presenting the awards urged all Parliamentarians to maintain the prestige and dignity of Parliament, as it’s a duty of every Parliamentarian.
Background of Outstanding Parliamentarian Award
The Outstanding Parliamentarian Award was established in 1992 by Shivraj Patil who was then the Speaker of Lok Sabha. The Indian Parliamentary Group selects an outstanding sitting Member of the Indian Parliament after considering his/her overall contribution in Parliament.
Panel recommends Awardees for Arjuna Award, No Khel Ratna
The 12-member selection panel, headed by legendary cricketer Kapil Dev, recommended the names of 15 sportspersons for the prestigious Arjuna Award. However, the committee did not recommend anyone one for the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna. This is the third time when no sportsperson has been recommended for the Khel Ratna since the establishing of the country’s highest sporting award in 1991.
Sportspersons recommended for Arjuna Award:
Sportspersons recommended for Arjuna Award:
- Ravichandran Ashwin (cricket)
- Akhilesh Varma (archery)
- Tintu Luka (athletics)
- H N Girisha (paralympics)
- V Diju (badminton)
- Geetu Ann Jose (basketball)
- Jai Bhagwan (boxing)
- Anirban Lahiri (golf)
- Mamta Pujari (kabaddi)
- Saji Thomas (rowing)
- Heena Sidhu (shooting)
- Anaka Alankamony (squash)
- Tom Joseph (volleyball)
- Renubala Chanu (weightlifting)
- Sunil Rana (wrestling)
Names of Mathematicians for the Fields Medal 2014 announced
The names of four outstanding mathematicians for the
Fields Medal, the most prestigious award in mathematics, have been
announced.
The Fields Medal is given by the International Mathematical Union to between two and four mathematicians under the age of 40 at the International Congress of Mathematicians, held once every four years. The award intends to recognize outstanding mathematical achievement for existing work and for the promise of future achievement.
The four 2014 Fields Medalists:
The Fields Medal is given by the International Mathematical Union to between two and four mathematicians under the age of 40 at the International Congress of Mathematicians, held once every four years. The award intends to recognize outstanding mathematical achievement for existing work and for the promise of future achievement.
The four 2014 Fields Medalists:
- Artur Avila: For his most noteworthy research is in the study of chaos theory and dynamical systems.
- Manjul Bhargava: For his contribution to number theory and algebra.
- Martin Hairer: For his researches on stochastic partial differential equations.
- Maryam Mirzakhani: For her work on the geometry of Riemann surfaces.
Sikkim becomes most favoured destination of foreign tourists in northeast India
Foreign tourists visiting the north-eastern (NE) states of India are choosing Sikkim as their most favored destination in NE region of the country.
As per figures released by the Tourism Ministry, while the state received 23,602 tourists in 2011, it was 26,489 in 2012 and 31,698 in 2013 respectively. Sikkim is followed by Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland and Tripura respectively.
As per figures released by the Tourism Ministry, while the state received 23,602 tourists in 2011, it was 26,489 in 2012 and 31,698 in 2013 respectively. Sikkim is followed by Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland and Tripura respectively.
Kapil Dev to chair Arjuna Award selection panel
Legendary India cricket skipper Kapil Dev will head the Arjuna Awards selection committee for selecting outstanding sportspersons of the country for year 2014. Former hockey captain Ajitpal Singh is expected to head the Dronacharya Awards selection committee.
Each panel will have 15 members, including 12 renowned sportspersons and three officials. The three officials – Director General of the Sports Authority of India and a Joint Secretary and Deputy Secretary from the ministry – will be on both panels.
It is worth recalling that for year 2013, Arjuna and Dronacharya awards selection committee’s were chaired by world billiards champion Michael Ferreira and mountaineer H P S Ahluwalia respectively.
Each panel will have 15 members, including 12 renowned sportspersons and three officials. The three officials – Director General of the Sports Authority of India and a Joint Secretary and Deputy Secretary from the ministry – will be on both panels.
It is worth recalling that for year 2013, Arjuna and Dronacharya awards selection committee’s were chaired by world billiards champion Michael Ferreira and mountaineer H P S Ahluwalia respectively.
Ramon Magsaysay Award 2014: List of Awardees
The list of Awardees for the prestigious Ramon Magsaysay Awards for year 2014 has been announced.
The Awardees are:
The Ramon Magsaysay Award is Asia’s highest honor and is also regarded as the region’s equivalent of the Nobel Prize. It commemorates the leadership example of the third Philippine president after whom the award is named. The award is conferred every year to individuals or organizations in Asia who manifest the same altruistic and philanthropic service that dominated the life of the late and highly respected Filipino leader.
The Awardees are:
- Hu Shuli: An investigative journalist from China whose work was instrumental in the dismissal of corrupt officials. She is the founder and former editor of Caijing a business magazine widely-known for its groundbreaking investigative reporting that has made a significant impact on China.
- Saur Marlina Manurung: The Award recognizes her outstanding efforts to protect and improve the lives of Indonesia’s forest people, and her kinetic leadership of volunteers in SOKOLA’s customized education program.
- Omara Khan Masoudi: The award has been conferred upon him in recognition of his courage, labor, and leadership in preserving Afghan cultural heritage. At great risk to his life, the deputy director of the National Museum of Afghanistan in Kabul led his colleagues in moving some of the museum’s most precious objects to safety during the Taliban’s attack on his country’s cultural treasures in the 1990s.
- The Citizens Foundation from Pakistan: It is an NGO in Pakistan founded by six business leaders. It built 1,000 schools over hundreds of cities and towns in the country which is home to the world’s second highest number of children who are out of school.
- Wang Canfa: He is a Chinese Professor who founded the Center for Legal Assistance to Pollution Victims, which has provided free legal services to thousands of people and imparted environmental law training to lawyers and others.
- Randy Halasan: The award is in recognition of his extraordinary leadership and service to the indigenous Matigsalug tribe. He made huge efforts in teaching the children of the Matigsalug tribe in one of the remotest mountain villages in Mindanao, Philippines.
The Ramon Magsaysay Award is Asia’s highest honor and is also regarded as the region’s equivalent of the Nobel Prize. It commemorates the leadership example of the third Philippine president after whom the award is named. The award is conferred every year to individuals or organizations in Asia who manifest the same altruistic and philanthropic service that dominated the life of the late and highly respected Filipino leader.
Rajiv Gandhi National Sadbhavana Award to Filmmaker Muzaffar Ali
Famous film director Muzaffar Ali (69), who had directed the Bollywood classic “Umrao Jaan”, has been chosen for Rajiv Gandhi National Sadbhavana Award
for his extraordinary contribution towards the promotion of communal
harmony, peace and goodwill. The award carries a citation and cash award
of Rs 5 lakh.Ali also directed over one-and-a-half dozen movies including “Gaman” and “Khizan”. He was also conferred Padma Shri in 2005. The award was instituted to mark the contribution made by Rajiv Gandhi to promote peace, communal harmony and fight against violence.
Previous recipients of the award include Mother Teresa, K.R. Narayanan, Ustad Bismillah Khan, Lata Mangeshkar, Sunil Dutt, Dilip Kumar, Ustad Amjad Ali Khan and Maulana Wahiduddin Khan.
Others who were conferred upon with this award were Jagan Nath Kaul, Mohd Yunus, Hiteswar Saikia and Subhadra Joshi (jointly), Kapila Vatsyayan, Teesta Setalvad and Harsh Mander (jointly), S N Subbarao, Swami Agnivesh and Madari Moideen (jointly), Nirmala Deshpande, Hem Dutta, N Radhakrishnan, Gautam Bhai, SPIC MACAY and D R Mehta.
Gandhi Peace Prize to Chandi Prasad Bhatt
President Pranab Mukherjee presented Gandhi Peace Prize for 2013 to noted environmentalist and pioneer of the Chipko movement Chandi Prasad Bhatt for his contribution towards the environment and society through Gandhian philosophy.
The honor puts Bhatt in the elite club of personalities that includes the likes of Nelson Mandela and Desmond Tutu, who were earlier bestowed with the prestigious prize.
Gandhi Peace Prize is an award that is conferred upon individuals and organizations for their contributions towards social, economic and political transformation through peace and other Gandhian methods.
Chandi Prasad Bhatt:
Born: June 23, 1934, in Chamoli, Uttarakhand
Key Contributions: He was one of the founders of Chipko movement, adopted non-violence in preventing deforestation in the Garhwal Himalayas by embracing trees to prevent them from being felled during the early 70s. The movement later spread throughout the country.
Awards and Honors: He was awarded the Raman Magsaysay Award for Community Leadership in 1982. In 2005, he was conferred the Padma Bhushan, the third highest civilian award in the country. In 2014, he was honored with the prestigious Gandhi Peace Prize for 2013.
The honor puts Bhatt in the elite club of personalities that includes the likes of Nelson Mandela and Desmond Tutu, who were earlier bestowed with the prestigious prize.
Gandhi Peace Prize is an award that is conferred upon individuals and organizations for their contributions towards social, economic and political transformation through peace and other Gandhian methods.
Chandi Prasad Bhatt:
Born: June 23, 1934, in Chamoli, Uttarakhand
Key Contributions: He was one of the founders of Chipko movement, adopted non-violence in preventing deforestation in the Garhwal Himalayas by embracing trees to prevent them from being felled during the early 70s. The movement later spread throughout the country.
Awards and Honors: He was awarded the Raman Magsaysay Award for Community Leadership in 1982. In 2005, he was conferred the Padma Bhushan, the third highest civilian award in the country. In 2014, he was honored with the prestigious Gandhi Peace Prize for 2013.
France confers ‘Officer of the Legion of Honor’ upon actor Shahrukh Khan
France will confer the honor ‘Officer of the Legion of Honour’ upon Indian actor Shahrukh Khan for his contribution to Cinema.
Officier de la Legion d’Honneur (Officer of the Legion of Honour) is the highest award among Civilians and Military conferred by France upon French citizen as well as foreigners.
Shahrukh Khan is the second Bollywood actor after Amitabh Bachchan to be bestowed with Legion of Honour. Amitabh Bachchan received the honour in 2007.
Other Indian luminaries who have been decorated with France highest honor are Lata Mangeshkar and Satyajit Ray.
Previously, Shahrukh Khan was honored with Officier dans l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (Officer of the Order of Arts and Letters) by the Government of France in 2007. The Government of India awarded him the Padma Shri in 2005.
Officier de la Legion d’Honneur (Officer of the Legion of Honour) is the highest award among Civilians and Military conferred by France upon French citizen as well as foreigners.
Shahrukh Khan is the second Bollywood actor after Amitabh Bachchan to be bestowed with Legion of Honour. Amitabh Bachchan received the honour in 2007.
Other Indian luminaries who have been decorated with France highest honor are Lata Mangeshkar and Satyajit Ray.
Previously, Shahrukh Khan was honored with Officier dans l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (Officer of the Order of Arts and Letters) by the Government of France in 2007. The Government of India awarded him the Padma Shri in 2005.
Canada’s York University confers honorary doctorate upon Ratan Tata
Canada’s prestigious York University bestowed Ratan Tata with an honorary doctor of laws degree for his pursuit of innovation and role in promoting corporate social responsibility.
The chairman emeritus of Tata Sons is viewed as one of the great architects of modern India and one of the great global visionaries in business. He has become an international icon of corporate social responsibility and now he heads the Sir Dorabji Tata Trust, the Sir Ratan Tata Trust and other smaller trusts which together hold 66% shares in the holding company Tata Sons.
The chairman emeritus of Tata Sons is viewed as one of the great architects of modern India and one of the great global visionaries in business. He has become an international icon of corporate social responsibility and now he heads the Sir Dorabji Tata Trust, the Sir Ratan Tata Trust and other smaller trusts which together hold 66% shares in the holding company Tata Sons.
Pen Pinter prize to novelist Salman Rushdie
Eminent novelist Salman Rushdie (67), author of Midnight’s Children and The Satanic Verses,
has been named the winner of Pen Pinter prize for 2014. The award was
instituted in 2009 by writers’ charity English Pen in memory of British
writer Harold Pinter.The prize will be presented on October 9, 2014 at
an event at the British Library in London.
Rushdie went into hiding in 1989 after The Satanic Verses triggered extensive protests by Muslims and a fatwa was released from Iran’s Ayatollah Khomeini.
He was conferred Knighthood in 2007 contributions to literature. His other noted books include Haroun and the Sea of Stories and The Moor’s Last Sigh.
Rushdie went into hiding in 1989 after The Satanic Verses triggered extensive protests by Muslims and a fatwa was released from Iran’s Ayatollah Khomeini.
He was conferred Knighthood in 2007 contributions to literature. His other noted books include Haroun and the Sea of Stories and The Moor’s Last Sigh.
Jnanpith Award 2013 to Hindi poet Kedarnath Singh
Renowned Hindi poet Kedarnath Singh (80) has been named the recipient of the prestigious Jnanpith Award for 2013. The award includes Rs 11 lakh and a citation.
Born in Balia, UP, Singh has also penned essays and stories and Abhi bilkul abhi and Yahan se dekho are among his high-flying works. Singh is the 10th Hindi writer to get the award and joins the class of Sumitra Nandan Pant, Ramdhari Singh Dinkar among others.
Born in Balia, UP, Singh has also penned essays and stories and Abhi bilkul abhi and Yahan se dekho are among his high-flying works. Singh is the 10th Hindi writer to get the award and joins the class of Sumitra Nandan Pant, Ramdhari Singh Dinkar among others.
Immunotherapists from US and Japan win the inaugural ‘Tang Prize’
Immunologists Dr James Allison of the US and Dr Tasuku Honjo of Japan were named joint recipients of the inaugural Tang Prize in Biopharmaceutical Science
for their discoveries that have helped advance immunotherapy and has
brought new ray of hope that many types of cancers can be cured.
Prized Discoveries of Allison and Honjo
Dr Honjo:
Discovered PD-1 in 1992, an inhibitor of the T cell, a type of lymphocyte that plays a pivotal role in cell-mediated immunity. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the antibodies against PD-1 as an investigational drug and are being developed as a cancer treatment.
One such antibody is likely to be launched in year 2015 for treatment of non-small-cell lung cancer which is considered to significantly change the approach towards lung cancer treatment.
Dr Allison:
In 1995, Allison became the first researcher to identify cytotoxic T-lymphocyte antigen 4 (CTLA-4), a protein receptor that down-regulates the immune system.
CTLA-4 is found on the surface of T cells, which lead cellular immune attacks on antigens. Allison developed an antibody that blocks CTLA-4 activity. This antibody has been shown to have potential to help fight various types of tumors in mice.
The study led to the development of a monoclonal antibody drug that was approved by the FDA in 2011 to treat melanoma. The therapy and a regimen combining anti-CTLA-4 and anti-PD-1 have been shown to significantly improve long-term survival rates of cancer patients.
The Tang Prize:
A Taiwanese entrepreneur Samuel Yin Established instituted the Tang Prize in 2012 to award leaders in four fields:
Prized Discoveries of Allison and Honjo
Dr Honjo:
Discovered PD-1 in 1992, an inhibitor of the T cell, a type of lymphocyte that plays a pivotal role in cell-mediated immunity. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the antibodies against PD-1 as an investigational drug and are being developed as a cancer treatment.
One such antibody is likely to be launched in year 2015 for treatment of non-small-cell lung cancer which is considered to significantly change the approach towards lung cancer treatment.
Dr Allison:
In 1995, Allison became the first researcher to identify cytotoxic T-lymphocyte antigen 4 (CTLA-4), a protein receptor that down-regulates the immune system.
CTLA-4 is found on the surface of T cells, which lead cellular immune attacks on antigens. Allison developed an antibody that blocks CTLA-4 activity. This antibody has been shown to have potential to help fight various types of tumors in mice.
The study led to the development of a monoclonal antibody drug that was approved by the FDA in 2011 to treat melanoma. The therapy and a regimen combining anti-CTLA-4 and anti-PD-1 have been shown to significantly improve long-term survival rates of cancer patients.
The Tang Prize:
A Taiwanese entrepreneur Samuel Yin Established instituted the Tang Prize in 2012 to award leaders in four fields:
- Sustainable development
- biopharmaceutical science
- Sinology
- The rule of law.
World Food Prize 2014 to India-born scientist Sanjaya Rajaram
Sanjaya Rajaram, an India-born plant scientist, has been chosen for the World Food Prize 2014 for scientific research that led to a stupendous increase in world wheat production.
However, farm activists in the country criticised the prize as mere a public relations stunt by big agri-food companies who fund it.
Sanjaya Rajaram, a citizen of Mexico, took over Nobel Laureate Norman Borlaug as head of the wheat breeding program at the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) in Mexico, where he worked for 33 years. The World Food Prize acknowledges his contribution to the breeding technologies which have made significant impact in providing more nutritious food around the world and assuaging world hunger.
International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center
Commonly called by its Spanish acronym CIMMYT (Centro Internacional de Mejoramiento de Maíz y Trigo) is a non-profit research and training institution dedicated to both the development of improved varieties of wheat and maize, and introducing better agricultural practices to farmers, thus bettering their livelihoods.
CIMMYT is one of the 15 non-profit, research and training institutions affiliated with the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR).
However, farm activists in the country criticised the prize as mere a public relations stunt by big agri-food companies who fund it.
Sanjaya Rajaram, a citizen of Mexico, took over Nobel Laureate Norman Borlaug as head of the wheat breeding program at the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) in Mexico, where he worked for 33 years. The World Food Prize acknowledges his contribution to the breeding technologies which have made significant impact in providing more nutritious food around the world and assuaging world hunger.
International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center
Commonly called by its Spanish acronym CIMMYT (Centro Internacional de Mejoramiento de Maíz y Trigo) is a non-profit research and training institution dedicated to both the development of improved varieties of wheat and maize, and introducing better agricultural practices to farmers, thus bettering their livelihoods.
CIMMYT is one of the 15 non-profit, research and training institutions affiliated with the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR).
Queen Elizabeth confers Knighthood upon Indian-origin physicist Prof. Tejinder Virdee
Professor Tejinder Virdee, a noted Indian-origin physicist known for his work for the Large Hadron Collider, was conferred an honorary knighthood by Queen Elizabeth II in recognition to his contribution to the field of science.
Prof. Virdee of Imperial College London was named a Knight Bachelor for his services to science in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List. Professor Virdee contribution in the Compact Muon Solenoid (CMS) Experiment is considered his most remarkable service to science. The CMS experiment, at the Large Hadron Collider, CERN, Geneva, has delivered significant results in particle physics, including the landmark discovery of the Higgs Boson, or the God particle, a particle that renders mass to other particles.
Prof. Virdee of Imperial College London was named a Knight Bachelor for his services to science in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List. Professor Virdee contribution in the Compact Muon Solenoid (CMS) Experiment is considered his most remarkable service to science. The CMS experiment, at the Large Hadron Collider, CERN, Geneva, has delivered significant results in particle physics, including the landmark discovery of the Higgs Boson, or the God particle, a particle that renders mass to other particles.
Bharat Ratna JRD Tata award conferred upon Somasundaram
Member of Air Navigation Services of Airports Authority of India (AAI), Somasundaram, has been conferred upon the esteemed Bharat Ratna JRD Tata Award 2013 instituted by Aeronautical Society of India (ASI). He
has made significant contributions not only in improving ANS
infrastructure in the country for enhancing safety, efficiency and
capacity of the airspace but also towards smooth ATM and global
coordination.
The ASI has been presenting annual national awards
in recognition and appreciation of distinguished contribution and
outstanding achievements made in the field of aeronautics and airspace
sciences. The ASI gives Bharat Ratna JRD Tata Award to an individual who
has made outstanding contributions in the field of civil aviation.
Anand Mahindra first Indian to be honoured with Harvard Medal
Mahindra Group Chairman Anand G Mahindra became
the first Indian to be honoured with the prestigious Harvard Medal for
his ‘dedication, generosity and service’ to the university. In 1977, Mahindra is an alumnus of the HarvardUniversity. He graduated with Honours (Magna Cum Laude) from Harvard College, Cambridge, Massachusetts. He completed his MBA from the Harvard Business School, Boston, Massachusetts in 1981.
Mahindra is the Co-founder of the Harvard Business School (HBS) Association of India and he is also a instituting member of the university’s South Asia Institute (SAI), the HBS India Research Center, and the SAI field office in Mumbai, India. In 2010, Mahindra made a gift of $10 million to the Humanities Centre which was then renamed the Mahindra Humanities Center in honor of his mother, Indira Mahindra.
Mahindra is the Co-founder of the Harvard Business School (HBS) Association of India and he is also a instituting member of the university’s South Asia Institute (SAI), the HBS India Research Center, and the SAI field office in Mumbai, India. In 2010, Mahindra made a gift of $10 million to the Humanities Centre which was then renamed the Mahindra Humanities Center in honor of his mother, Indira Mahindra.
UN posthumously honors 8 Indian soldiers among 106 UN peacekeepers
The UN honored 106 peacekeepers, including 8 Indian
soldiers, who lost their lives in various UN peacekeeping operations on
the occasion of the International Day of UN Peacekeepers on May 30.
Indian Army United Nations peacekeeping missions
India has been the leading troop UN Peace Keeping Missions since its commencement. Up to now India has participated in 43 UN Peacekeeping missions with an involvement surpassing 1,60,000 troops and a noteworthy number of police personnel having been positioned. In 2014, India is the 3rd largest Troop Contributor [TCC] with 7,860 personnel positioned with 10 UN Peacekeeping Missions, of which 995 are police personnel including the first Female Formed Police Unit under the United Nations.Recently, Indian Peacekeepers were applauded by the UN for their works in checking a massacre in the South Sudan.
Past UN Peace Keeping Missions of the Indian Army
Indian Armed forces’ contributions to the United Nations Peacekeeping Missions since 1950:-
Indian Army United Nations peacekeeping missions
India has been the leading troop UN Peace Keeping Missions since its commencement. Up to now India has participated in 43 UN Peacekeeping missions with an involvement surpassing 1,60,000 troops and a noteworthy number of police personnel having been positioned. In 2014, India is the 3rd largest Troop Contributor [TCC] with 7,860 personnel positioned with 10 UN Peacekeeping Missions, of which 995 are police personnel including the first Female Formed Police Unit under the United Nations.Recently, Indian Peacekeepers were applauded by the UN for their works in checking a massacre in the South Sudan.
Past UN Peace Keeping Missions of the Indian Army
Indian Armed forces’ contributions to the United Nations Peacekeeping Missions since 1950:-
- Korea (1950–54)
- Indo-China (1954–70)
- Middle East (1956–67)
- Congo (1960–64) (ONUC)
- Cambodia (1992-1993)
- Mozambique (1992–94) (ONUMOZ)
- Somalia (1993–94) (UNITAF & UNOSOM II)
- Rwanda (1994–96) (UNAMIR)
- Angola (1989-1999) (UNAVEM)
- Sierra Leone (1999-2001) (UNAMSIL)
- Ethiopia-Eritrea (2006–08) (UNMEE)
- The Indian Armed Forces are currently undertaking the following UN Missions:-
- Lebanon (UNIFIL) (Since Dec 1998)
- Congo (MONUSCO) (Since January 2005)
- Sudan and South Sudan (UNMIS/UNMISS) (Since April 2005)
- Golan Heights (UNDOF) (Since February 2006)
- Ivory Coast (UNOCI) (Since April 2004)
- Haiti (MINUSTAH) (Since December 1997)
- Liberia (UNMIL) (Since April 2007)
Vishwanath Tripathi awarded Vyas Samman
Noted Hindi author Vishwanath Tripathi awarded the prestigious Vyas Samman for the year 2013. He was awarded for his memoir ‘Vyomkesh Darvesh’, a biolgraphy of noted Hindi scholar Acharya Hazari Prasad Dwivedi. ‘Vyomkesh
Darvesh’ is a biographical criticism and its speciality is that the
personality (Hazari Prasad Dwivedi) that it describes, has been written
about by his own student in his (Dwivedi’s) own style.
Vyas Samman is an annual literary award instituted in 1991 by the K K Birla Foundation which carries an amount of Rs 2.5 lakh and is given to an outstanding literary work in Hindi published during the last 10 years.
Vyas Samman is an annual literary award instituted in 1991 by the K K Birla Foundation which carries an amount of Rs 2.5 lakh and is given to an outstanding literary work in Hindi published during the last 10 years.
DeitY’s ”Mobile Seva” project wins UN Public Service Award
India’s Mobile Seva Project started by Department of Electronics and Information Technology (DeitY) has won the 2014 United Nations Public Service Award. The award has been given in the category of promoting whole of government approaches in Information Age.
The United Nations Public Service Awards is the most prestigious international recognition of excellence in public service. It honors the creative achievements and contributions of public service institutions that lead to a more effective and responsive public administration in countries across the world. These awards promote the role, professionalism and visibility of public service through an annual competition.
The Mobile Seva Project is lead by Dr. Rajendra Kumar, joint secretary (e-Governance), Deit. It was launched in January 2012, and won in second prize the category “Promoting Whole of Government Approaches in the Information Age” for Asia Pacific.
The project mainly develops and provides mobile apps for government and citizen use. Available on the government website, mgov.gov.in, some of the active 299 apps include those for passport services, election commission or more. For example, the passport service app -mPassport Seva facilitates users to locate centres, calculate fee for a particular service, track application status and more. There are other apps for intra-departmental use like the employee Leave Management System app, currently live only for Rajasthan. The project covers over 1,000 government departments and agencies from across the country.
The first prize in the category was bagged by the Korean health and welfare information service.
The United Nations Public Service Awards is the most prestigious international recognition of excellence in public service. It honors the creative achievements and contributions of public service institutions that lead to a more effective and responsive public administration in countries across the world. These awards promote the role, professionalism and visibility of public service through an annual competition.
The Mobile Seva Project is lead by Dr. Rajendra Kumar, joint secretary (e-Governance), Deit. It was launched in January 2012, and won in second prize the category “Promoting Whole of Government Approaches in the Information Age” for Asia Pacific.
The project mainly develops and provides mobile apps for government and citizen use. Available on the government website, mgov.gov.in, some of the active 299 apps include those for passport services, election commission or more. For example, the passport service app -mPassport Seva facilitates users to locate centres, calculate fee for a particular service, track application status and more. There are other apps for intra-departmental use like the employee Leave Management System app, currently live only for Rajasthan. The project covers over 1,000 government departments and agencies from across the country.
The first prize in the category was bagged by the Korean health and welfare information service.
15th edition of the International Indian Film Academy (IIFA)
15th edition of the International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) informally known as the “Bollywood Oscars,” held in US for the first time. The ceremony was held at the Raymond James Stadium in Tampa Bay, Florida,US. The 2014 IIFA Awards honoured the best films of 2013, took place between April 23-26, 2014. Bhaag Milkha Bhaag was awarded the most awards (14).Hollywood star John Travolta was also awarded at the ceremony for his outstanding contribution to International cinema.
Winners
Popular Awards- Best Film: Bhaag Milkha Bhaag
- Best Director: Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra– Bhaag Milkha Bhaag
- Best Actor In A Leading Role: Farhan Akhtar – Bhaag Milkha Bhaag as Milkha Singh
- Best Actress In A Leading Role: Deepika Padukone – Chennai Express as Meenalochni Azhagusundaram
- Best Actor In A Supporting Role: Aditya Roy Kapur – Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani as Avinash “Avi” Arora
- Best Actress In A Supporting Role: Divya Dutta – Bhaag Milkha Bhaag as Ishri Kaur
- Male Debutant Star: Dhanush – Raanjhanaa as Kundan Shankar
- Female Debutant Star: Vaani Kapoor – Shuddh Desi Romance as Tara
- Best Performance In A Comic Role: Arshad Warsi – Jolly LLB as Jagdish Tyagi (Jolly)
- Best Performance In A Negative Role: Rishi Kapoor– Aurangzeb as DCP Ravikant, HPS
- Best Story: Prasoon Joshi – Bhaag Milkha Bhaag
- Best Music Direction: Aashiqui 2 – Mithoon, Ankit Tiwari, Jeet Ganguly
- Best Lyrics: Tum Hi Ho from Aashiqui 2 – Mithoon
- Best Male Playback Singer: Ankit Tiwari for Sunn Raha Hai;– Aashiqui 2
- Best Female Playback Singer: Shreya Ghoshal for Sunn Raha Hai – Aashiqui 2
- Best Sound Design: Nakul Kamte – Bhaag Milkha Bhaag
- Best Background Score: Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy – Bhaag Milkha Bhaag
- Best Action: Sham Kaushal & Tony Ching Siu Tung – Krrish 3
- Best Special Effects: Keitan Yadav & Haresh Hingorani (Red Chillies VFX) – Krrish 3
- Best Choreography: Remo D’souza – Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani
- Best Cinematography: Binod Pradhan – Bhaag Milkha Bhaag
- Best Costume Design: Dolly Ahluwalia – Bhaag Milkha Bhaag
- Best Dialogue: Prasoon Joshi – Bhaag Milkha Bhaag
- Best Editing: P. S. Bharti – Bhaag Milkha Bhaag
- Best Makeup: Vikram Gaikwad – Bhaag Milkha Bhaag
- Best Production Design: Wasiq Khan – Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram-Leela
- Best Screenplay: Prasoon Joshi – Bhaag Milkha Bhaag
- Best Sound Mixing: Anup Dev – Chennai Express, Debajit Changmai – Bhaag Milkha Bhaag
- Best Sound Recording: Vinod Verma for Lungi Dance – Chennai Express
Documentary “Gulabi Gang” to be screened at the 14th New York Indian Film Festival
Documentary
“Gulabi Gang” to be screened at the 14th New York Indian Film
Festival that will run from May 5 to 10, 2014. Directed by Nishtha Jain, it is based on the life of Sampat Pal Devi, a child bride and former government health worker. In 2006, Sampat Pal Devi formed the Gulabi Gang of pink sari-clad women and it works for rights of women in destitute Bundelkhand region of Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh.
Gulabi Gang Movement
An extraordinary women’s movement formed in 2006 by Sampat Pal Devi in the Banda District of Uttar Pradesh in Northern India. It comprises of thousands of Indian women activists reported to be active across North India. The women’s group is famous as Gulabi or ‘Pink’ Gang since the members wear bright pink saris and carry bamboo sticks. These women threaten abusive husbands and beat them with bamboo sticks unless these husbands quit abusing their wives.
This region of Uttar Pradesh is one of the poorest in India and is stigmatized by social problems viz. a profound patriarchal culture, unbending caste divisions, female illiteracy, domestic violence, child labour, child marriages, dowry, etc.Movies based on the Gulabi Gang
- “Pink Saris” movie by Kim Longinotto (2010)
- “Gulabi Gang” Documentary by Nishtha Jain (2012)
- “Gulaab Gang” Bollywood film starring Madhuri Dixit and Juhi Chawla (2014)
British Queen confers GBE (Knight Grand Cross) on Ratan Tata
Ratan Tata (76), the Chairman Emeritus of Tata Sons and former chairman of the Tata Group, honoured by Queen Elizabeth with a GBE (Knight Grand Cross), one of the UK’s highest civilian awards. He is the only Indian among 5 foreigners to be awarded as part of the ‘Honorary British Awards to Foreign Nationals’ for 2014.In 2009, Mr. Tata was conferred a KBE (Knight Commander) by the Queen.
In 2008, the Tata Group under chairmanship of Ratan Tata had acquired the flagging British luxury car brand Jaguar Land Rover (JLR). The Tata Group has emerged as one of the largest employers in Britain, employing nearly 60,000 people across Britain. Now in its 18th year, the Sir Ratan Tata Fellowship works in collaboration with the London School of Economics.
British physicist Stuart Parkin awarded prestigious Millennium technology prize
UK-born
physicist Stuart Parkin won the Millennium technology prize 2014.
Parkin won this prize for his breakthrough in magnetic disk drive
storage capacity.Parkin’s ground-breaking contribution to the science and application of spintronic materials has led to an abnormal expansion in the capacity to store digital information. Parkin employed the process of Giant Magneto-Resistance (GMR) to produce enormously sensitive devices that can detect tiny magnetic fields, harbingering the epoch of cloud computing. In magnetic disk drives information is stored as “bits” (0s and 1s) mapped by regions of the disk magnetized differently. Thus, if the detector is more sensitive, then the magnetic regions and fields need to be more smaller to store the information, which implies more data can be put on to a hard disk drive – all in digital form. This discovery led to 1,000-fold betterment in the storage capacity of magnetic disk drives with cost remaining almost same.
The foundation behind this award has made services like Facebook, Google, Amazon, etc. possible.
Giant Magneto-Resistance (GMR) and Parkin’s accomplishment:
Giant Magneto-Resistance (GMR) was separately discovered by physicists Albert Fert and Peter Grünberg in the late 1980s and in 2007 they shared the Nobel Prize for physics for their work on GMR. The phenomenon develops when atomically thin layers of magnetic and non-magnetic materials are piled on top of each other. In a plain organization, a non-magnetic layer (typically copper) is sandwiched amid two magnetic layers which act like bar magnets pointing either north or south. On inducing a current in this sandwich, electrons pass through the layers. The degree of interference they go through is dissimilar and depends upon an intrinsic quantum mechanical property of them called “Spin“, which can be adjusted to the direction of the bar magnet or against it. Electrons which have a spin in one direction will travel in a freer manner. Thus, the flow of the current can be checked by the proportional placement of the bar magnets of the top and bottom layers. This phenomenon is called Giant Magneto-Resistance (GMR), as its value is much larger than the MR value received from anisotropic MR that come out from normal ferromagnetic materials.
Parkin’s accomplishment was to prepare a device based on such “Spintronic” effects in which tiny magnetic fields from magnetized regions (that store data within the disk drive) can rotate the direction of magnetization in one of the layers of the sandwich. This outcome is a sensor that quickly goes through large alterations in resistance as it reads the disk drive.
Gulzar selected for Dadasaheb Phalke Award 2013
The Union Ministry of Information and Broadcasting announced that the Veteran poet and film lyricist Gulzar (real name: Sampooran Singh Kalra)
has been chosen for the Dadasaheb Phalke Award for the year
2013. Sampooran Singh Kalra’s pen name is Gulzar. Dadasaheb Phalke
Award is India’s
highest award in cinema, conferred annually by the government for
outstanding contribution to the growth and development of Indian cinema.Awards: Padma Bhushan (2004), Sahitya Akademi Award (2002), Academy Award (2008 – Shared with Music Director A. R. Rahman for “Jai Ho” from film Slumdog Millionaire). He has won 20 Filmfare Awards.
SC awarded compensation for sewer deaths since 1993
The Supreme Court of India awarded a compensation of Rs.10 lakh each for the families of all the manual scavengers who have died in sewerage work since 1993 and also criminalized entering sewer lines without safety gear.
The Chief Justice P. Sathasivam bench stated that Sewer deaths—entering sewer lines without safety gear should be made a crime even in emergency situations.
The Chief Justice P. Sathasivam bench stated that Sewer deaths—entering sewer lines without safety gear should be made a crime even in emergency situations.
- Identify the families of all the persons who have died in sewerage work (manholes, septic tanks) since 1993 and award compensation of Rs.10 lakh for each such death to the family members.
- Ordered all the state governments and UnionTerritories to fully implement legislation for eradicating manual scavenging and take action against violators, while issuing directions for education, employment and rehabilitation of affected people.
- As per the relevant scheme of the Central or state governments, the children of manual scavengers should be entitled to scholarships.
- The people who were employed as scavengers be alloted residential plot or ready-built house or financial assistance for house construction according to their eligibility and willingness,
- At least one member of their family shall be given training in livelihood skill and be paid monthly stipend.
- At least one adult member shall be given subsidy and concessional loan for taking up an alternative occupation on sustainable basis.
- The Indian Railways is the largest employer of manual scavengers. It should take time bound strategy to end manual scavenging on the tracks and persons released from manual scavenging should not have to cross hurdles to receive what is their legitimate due under the law.
Japanese architect Mr. Shigeru Ban won the Pritzker Architecture Prize 2014
The Japanese architecture, Mr. Shigeru Ban (56)
won the Pritzker Architecture Prize 2014 for his unique approach in
using materials viz. paper tubes, bamboo and shipping containers.
About Mr. Shigeru Ban
About Mr. Shigeru Ban
- Known for his creative and inexpensive designs for disaster relief shelters.
- Purpose: To build an inexpensive and easy-to-construct-and- dismantle structures.
- Designed a range of buildings to help victims of natural disasters and refugees in places viz. Rwanda, Turkey, India, China, Haiti,Japan, etc.
- Uses cardboard tubes to make temporary housing in disaster zones.
- Notable work: the seven-storied wooden office-building in Zurich, and the church made of cardboard tubes and colour glasses in Christchurch, New Zealand.
- Establish: 1979.
- Awarded for: A career of achievement in the art of architecture.
- Sponsor: Hyatt Foundation.
- Prize: $100,000, a citation and a bronze medallion.
Kirti Chakra gallantry awards 2014
The President of India, Mr. Pranab Mukherjee presented gallantry awards to defense personnel for their distinguished services at Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi.
Kirti Chakra awards: Lt Commander Abhilash Tomy, Major Mahesh Kumar and Wing Commander Darryl Castelino.
Two Uttam Yudh seva medals and 10 Shaurya Chakra awards were also conferred to the defence personnel.
Note: Kirti Chakra is the second highest peace time gallantry award i.e. awarded for valour, courageous action or self-sacrifice away from the field of battle.
Kirti Chakra awards: Lt Commander Abhilash Tomy, Major Mahesh Kumar and Wing Commander Darryl Castelino.
- Wing Commander Darryl Castelino: Awarded posthumously for his role in operation Rahat in Uttarakhand where his chopper crashed with 20 personnel on board after he had helped in rescuing lives of more than 80 people.
- Major Mahesh Kumar (Punjab Regiment): Awarded for his gallant acts in counter-insurgency operations in Jammu and Kashmir where he killed 4 terrorists in three separate incidents.
- Caption Abhilash Tomy: Awarded for completing world voyage on his sail ship non-stop and without any external support in 151 days.
Two Uttam Yudh seva medals and 10 Shaurya Chakra awards were also conferred to the defence personnel.
Note: Kirti Chakra is the second highest peace time gallantry award i.e. awarded for valour, courageous action or self-sacrifice away from the field of battle.
Gyan Correa bagged the Gollapudi Srinivas National Award 2013
The debutant director of Gujarati movie “The Good Road”, Mr. Gyan Correa has been selected for the 17th Gollapudi Srinivas National Award 2013. The award would be presented to the winners on August 12, 2014 in Chennai.
Gollapudi Srinivas National Award
Gollapudi Srinivas National Award
- Instituted in memory of late Gollapudi Srinivasa, who died while directing his first film Prema Pustakam (Book of Love) on August 12, 1992.
- Cash Prize: Rs.1.50 lakh and a memento.
Indian Journalist Mr. Shubranshu Choudhary won Google Digital Activism Award 2014 for regional news service
Indian Journalist Mr. Shubhranshu Choudhary won the Google Digital Activism Award 2014
in Barbican Centre in London for his work in using mobile phones to
bring local news to remote Indian regions in their native language i.e.
known by CGNet Swara (Voice of Chhattisgarh).
CGNet Swara (Voice of Chhattisgarh)
CGNet Swara (Voice of Chhattisgarh)
- A mobile-phone service that allows Indian citizens to report on local issues as well as listen to other reports in their language using basic or feature phones.
- Empowers tribals in Chhattisgarh and connects them to the world outside by using various digital means.
- Voice-based portal freely accessible via mobile phone.
- Launched as part of the Knight International Journalism Fellowships, a programme of the International Centre for Journalists.
- A Knight International Journalism Fellow.
- Founded a hyper local mobile news platform “CGNet Swara” in 2004 in Chhattisgarh state.
- Previously, worked with BBC and Guardian and was also a reporter at the Hindi-daily Deshbandhu.
G D Birla award for scientific research 2013: Physicist Prof. Rajesh Gopakumar
Physicist Prof. Rajesh Gopakumar (46) to be honoured with 23rd G D Birla award for scientific research for 2013.
At present, Mr. Gopakumar working as a theoritical physicist at Harish
Chandra Research Institute, Allahabad and has made important
contributions on topics in quantum field theory and string theory.
About G D Birla award for scientific research
Indian
Cricketer Sachin Tendulkar has been voted the cricketer of the
generation by a 50-member jury of current and former cricketers and
journalists. The award is meant to honour the most outstanding cricketer between the years 1993 and 2013.
The award ceremony was organized in Mumbai to also mark the 20th anniversary celebrations for the cricket website.
Winners of ESPNcricinfo Award 2013
Indian author Mr. Pankaj Mishra won the prestigious Donald Windham Campbell Literature prize 2014 in the non-fiction category. The awards are announced by The Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library at YaleUniversity.
Mr. Mishra Mishra is an Indian essayist, memoirist, travel writer and novelist whose work expands our understanding of the encounter between Western and Non-western culture.
Besides the novel, The Romantics, he has published four works of non-fiction: Butter Chicken in Ludhiana: Travels in Small TownIndia, An End to Suffering: the Buddha in the World, Temptations of the West: How to Be Modern in India, Pakistan, Tibet, and Beyond and From the Ruins of Empire: The Intellectuals Who Remade Asia.
2014 prizewinners of Donald Windham Campbell Literature Prize in
The 86th Academy Awards ceremony, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles.
About G D Birla award for scientific research
- Established: 1991 K K Birla Foundation to recognise significant scientific research undertaken by Indian scientists below the age of 50, working in India.
- Cash Prize: Rs. 1.5 lakh and a citation.
“Ekhon Nedekha Nadir Xipaare”- Assamese thriller film bagged Audience Choice Award 2014 in North Carolina film festival
The Assamese thriller movie, Ekhon Nedekha Nadir Xipaare (also known as “As the river flows”) bagged the Audience Choice Award 2014 in North Carolina film festival.
The film has also been selected for the upcoming 14th annual New York Indian Film Festival – North America’s oldest and most prestigious destination for feature films, documentaries, and shorts from and about the Indian subcontinent to be held from May 5-10, 2014.
About the Assamese movie “Ekhon Nedekha Nadir Xipaare”
The film has also been selected for the upcoming 14th annual New York Indian Film Festival – North America’s oldest and most prestigious destination for feature films, documentaries, and shorts from and about the Indian subcontinent to be held from May 5-10, 2014.
About the Assamese movie “Ekhon Nedekha Nadir Xipaare”
- Writer & Director: Bidyut Kotoky.
- Produced by: National Film Development Corporation of India.
- Starring Actors: Sanjay Suri, Bidita Bag, Victor Banerjee, Nakul Vaid, Raj Zutshi, Naved Aslam and Preeti Jhangiani.
- Inspired by the kidnapping of activist Sanjoy Ghosh, who was first abducted in 1997 from the island Majuli in Assam supposed to be by the United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) and subsequently killed.
ESPNcricinfo Awards 2013: “Sachin Tendulkar”- Cricketer of the Generation
Indian
Cricketer Sachin Tendulkar has been voted the cricketer of the
generation by a 50-member jury of current and former cricketers and
journalists. The award is meant to honour the most outstanding cricketer between the years 1993 and 2013.The award ceremony was organized in Mumbai to also mark the 20th anniversary celebrations for the cricket website.
Winners of ESPNcricinfo Award 2013
- Test batting award: Shikhar Dhawan (India) for his rollicking 187 on debut against Australia in Mohali in 2013.
- ODI bowling award: Shahid Afridi (Pakistan) (he won in the same category for 2009).
- Test bowling title: Mitchell Johnson (Australia).
- Debutant of the Year (new category): Mohammed Shami (India) who took 17 wickets in his four Tests in 2013, and 30 ODI wickets.
- Contribution to Cricket Award: Mr. Tarak Sinha (head coach of the Sonnet Cricket Club in Delhi).
- Cricket for Good award: Rahul Dravid (India) for his mentorship of junior and paralympic athletes in India in his association with the GoSports Foundation.
- Statsguru Award: South Africans AB de Villiers (South Africa) and Dale Steyn (South Africa).
- Batsman of the Year, Best Test Batsman, and Most Consistent Batsman: AB de Villiers (South Africa).
- Bowler of the Year and the Best Test Bowler: Dale Steyn (South Africa).
President’s Standard and Colours Award to 112 Helicopter Unit & No. 4 Base Repair Depot
The President of India and the Supreme Commander of Indian defense forces, Mr. Pranab Mukherjee awarded the prestigious President’s Standard to 112 Helicopter Unit and President’s Colours to No. 4 Base Repair Depot of Indian Air Force at Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh.
Winners:
Winners:
- Standard Award: Wing Commander Manish Sharma, Commanding Officer of 112 Helicopter Unit.
- Colour Award: Group Captain S Shrinivas Commanding Officer of 4 Base Repair Depot (BRD).
- The Bangalore-based 112 Helicopter Unit is a premier training establishment for pilots, flight engineers and gunners. The Unit had been awarded with the two Vir Chakras, one Yudh Seva Medal and two Vayusena Medals.
- The 4 BRD specializes in repairing and overhauling turbo-jet aero engines. The 4 BRD has been awarded with five Vishisht Seva Medals and numerous commendations.
Mr. Pankaj Mishra: Indian author won Windham Campbell Literature Prize 2014
Indian author Mr. Pankaj Mishra won the prestigious Donald Windham Campbell Literature prize 2014 in the non-fiction category. The awards are announced by The Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library at YaleUniversity.Mr. Mishra Mishra is an Indian essayist, memoirist, travel writer and novelist whose work expands our understanding of the encounter between Western and Non-western culture.
Besides the novel, The Romantics, he has published four works of non-fiction: Butter Chicken in Ludhiana: Travels in Small TownIndia, An End to Suffering: the Buddha in the World, Temptations of the West: How to Be Modern in India, Pakistan, Tibet, and Beyond and From the Ruins of Empire: The Intellectuals Who Remade Asia.
2014 prizewinners of Donald Windham Campbell Literature Prize in
- Fiction: Aminatta Forna (Sierra Leone), Nadeem Aslam (Pakistan), and Jim Crace (United Kingdom);
- Non-fiction: Pankaj Mishra (India) and John Vaillant (United States/Canada);
- Drama: Kia Corthron (United States), Sam Holcroft (United Kingdom) and No lle Janaczewska (Australia).
Stree Shakti Puraskar 2013
The President of India, Mr. Pranab Mukherjee awarded Stree Shakti Puraskar to six illustrious women on International Women’s Day for their distinguished services for the upliftment of women. The Government of India has instituted six national awards are known as Stree Shakti Puraskar.
- These awards are in the name of the following eminent women personalities in the Indian history who are famous for their personal courage and integrity:- Rani Lakshmibai, Rani Rudramma Devi, Kannagi, Rani Gaidinliu Zaliang, Rani Ahilyabai Holkar and Mata Jijabai.
- Rani Gaidinliu Zeliang Award: Dr. Vartika Nanda (Delhi) for creating awareness on women’s issues through media.
- Rani Lakshmibai Award: Ms. Manasi Pradhan (Odisha) for her work in the field of women’s empowerment.
- Rani Rudramma Devi Award: Dr. M Venkaiah (Andhra Pradesh) for her contribution in the field of women’s health.
- Mata Jijabai Award: Ms. Bina Sheth Lashkari (Maharashtra) honored for her achievement in the field of education and training
- Kannagi Award: T Radha K Prashanti (Andhra Pradesh) for her achievement in the field of providing support to orphans, visually impaired, handicapped and destitute women.
- Devi Ahilyabai Holkar Award: Dr Seema Sakhare (Maharashtra) for her contribution in the field of women’s rights, gender issues, legal counseling and institutional support to women and girls.
- Category: Women Activism (Individual).
- Objective: To recognize recognizes the spirit of courage of a women in difficult circumstances, who has established this spirit of courage in her personal or professional life.
- Instituted: 1991.
- Awarded by Government of India.
- Conferred by the President of India on occasion of International Women’s Day i.e. 8th March every year at New Delhi.
- Cash award: Rs. 300,000.
- Also recognizes pioneering contribution of an individual in empowering women and raising women’s issues.
Oscar Awards: 86th Academy Awards
The 86th Academy Awards ceremony, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles.- Best Motion picture: 12 Years a Slave.
- Best Director: Alfonso Cuarón (Gravity).
- Best Actor: Matthew McConaughey (Dallas Buyers Club).
- Best Actress: Cate Blanchett (Blue Jasmine)
- Best Supporting Actor: Jared Leto (Dallas Buyers Club).
- Best Supporting Actress: Lupita Nyong’o (12 Years a Slave).
- Best Writing – Original Screenplay: Her by Spike Jonze.
- Best Writing – Adapted Screenplay: 12 Years a Slave by John Ridley.
- Best Animated Feature Film: Frozen.
- Best Foreign Language Film: The Great Beauty (Italy) in Italian – Paolo Sorrentino
- Best Documentary – Feature: 20 Feet from Stardom.
- Best Visual Effects: Gravity
- Best Film Editing: Gravity.
- Best Costume Design: The Great Gatsby.
- Best Cinematography: Gravity.
- Best Sound Mixing: Gravity.
- Best Sound Editing: Gravity.
Mr. Chandi Prasad Bhatt: Eminent Gandhian and environmentalist selected for Gandhi Peace Prize 2013
The noted Gandhian and environmentalist, Mr. Chandi Prasad Bhatt selected for the Gandhi Peace Prize for 2013.
About Mr. Chandi Prasad Bhatt
Born:1934.
Indian Gandhian environmentalist and social activist.
Founder of the Dasholi Gram Swarajya Sangh in Gopeshwar, which later became the mother organization to the Chipko Movement.
Known for his work on subaltern social ecology, and considered one of India’s first modern environmentalist
One of the pioneers of the Chipko movement for which he was awarded the Raman Magsaysay Award in 1982.
Awards: Padma Bhushan, Padma Shri, Green legend-Greenies Eco Award-2010, Raman Magsaysay Award, etc.
Note: Gandhi Peace Prize is an award that is bestowed to individuals and organizations for their contributions towards social, economic and political transformation through peace and other Gandhian methods.
About Mr. Chandi Prasad Bhatt
Born:1934.Indian Gandhian environmentalist and social activist.
Founder of the Dasholi Gram Swarajya Sangh in Gopeshwar, which later became the mother organization to the Chipko Movement.
Known for his work on subaltern social ecology, and considered one of India’s first modern environmentalist
One of the pioneers of the Chipko movement for which he was awarded the Raman Magsaysay Award in 1982.
Awards: Padma Bhushan, Padma Shri, Green legend-Greenies Eco Award-2010, Raman Magsaysay Award, etc.
Note: Gandhi Peace Prize is an award that is bestowed to individuals and organizations for their contributions towards social, economic and political transformation through peace and other Gandhian methods.
Indian-origin men win Heinz Awards in US
Indian-origin men, Professor Abraham Verghese and Mr. Sanjeev Arora are among the five recipients who won the 19th Heinz awards 2013 and will be honored in Pittsburgh on April 3, 2014. Each winner will receive a cash award of $250,000 each as well as a medallion inscribed with an image of late US senator John Heinz.
19th Heinz Awards – 2013: Category and its’ recipients
19th Heinz Awards – 2013: Category and its’ recipients
- Arts and humanities – Professor Abraham Verghese, a doctor and author based at Stanford University Medical School, USA was given the award in recognition of his best-selling authorship. In his first book, ‘My Own Country’, he wrote extensively about AIDS in rural areas of Tennesse. He belongs to Kerala.
- Public policy – Dr. Sanjeev Arora, professor of medicine at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque, was recognized for revolutionizing community healthcare using video conferencing technology. He belongs to Kota, Rajasthan.
- Environment – Professor Jonathan Foley, director of the Institute on the Environment at the University of Minnesota where he has conducted research on the global environment and how to improve the efficiency of food production.
- Human condition – Mr. Salman Khan, founder of online Khan Academy in Mountain View, Calif., an educational nonprofit that offers free tutorials and exercises to students around the world.
- Technology, the economy and employment – Leila Janah (an entrepreneur based in San Francisco, USA) was honored for founding the nonprofits Samasource and SamaUSA that uses an Internet to train and employ people in impoverished communities around the world.
- Established in 1993 by Ms. Teresa Heinz, the chairwoman of the Heinz Family Foundation in honor of her late husband, Senator H. John Heinz III, the Pennsylvania Republican.
- Headquarters:Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (separate from the international food company).
- Annually awarded by the Heinz Family Foundation.
- The Heinz Awards celebrates the accomplishments and spirit of the Senator by recognizing the extraordinary achievements of individuals in the areas of greatest importance to Senator John Heinz, who died in a midair aircraft collision in 1991.
- Awards recognize outstanding individuals for their contributions in five areas: Arts and Humanities, Environment, Human Condition, Public Policy, and Technology, the Economy and Employment.
Dr. Madan Babu won the Protein Science Young Investigator Award for 2014
An Indian-born scientist, Dr. M Madan Babu won the Protein Science
Young Investigator Award for 2014 at Cambridge, UK. He got the award
for his effort in the field of biological system and to
understand intrinsically disordered proteins and gene regulation
clearly. MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, CambridgeUK
For
the 2014 World’s Children’s Prize, Pakistani teenage rights activist
Malala Yousafzai, John Wood from the USA and Nepalese child rights
worker Indira Ranamagar are nominated for an award also known as the “Children’s Nobel Prize”.
The world’s largest annual educational program teaching young people about the rights of the child, democracy and global friendship.
Vision: A world where the rights of the child are universally respected and where every new generation grows up as humane global citizens.
Mission: To catalyze the growth and development of a more humane global community through an integrated global educational program, engaging a growing number of children throughout the world.
The award programme, launched in 2000, is supported by 60,000 schools with 29.3 million students in 109 countries and over 600 organisations.
Every year, three Child Rights Heroes are selected by the WCP Child Jury to be candidates for the World’s Children’s Prize for the Rights of the Child.
The annual program concludes with a “Global Vote”, where children work together to choose their Child Rights Hero. “Global Vote Days” are held in schools around the world like a democratic election.
The WCP Foundation is regulated by the Svensk Insamlingskontroll (Swedish Fundraising Control), which protects the interests of donors and ensures that the funds raised are used appropriately.
President Pranab Mukherjee conferred the country’s highest civilian honor Bharat Ratna on eminent scientist Prof C.N.R. Rao and cricket maestro Sachin Tendulkar at Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi.
Under the Constitution, the award cannot be used as a prefix or suffix to the recipient`s name. Though the award winner can use mention as ‘Awarded Bharat Ratna by the President’ or ‘Recipient of Bharat Ratna Award’ in their bio-data, letter head or visiting cards. The recipient receives a Sanad (certificate) signed by the President and a medallion. It does not carry any monetary grant.
Note: The Bharat Ratna has been conferred after a long gap with classical vocalist Pandit Bhimsen Joshi being the last recipient in 2008.
Mahatma Gandhi’s grand daughter, Ms. Ela Gandhi honored with the Prestigious South African Award, ‘Amadelakupha’
by the South African Government. This award was also given to Sunny
Singh and Mac Maharaj of Indian Decent. The South African Government
stated that Ms. Gandhi selected for the award in recognition for her
lifetime contribution to the freedom struggle in South Africa.
She formed the trio of Indian-origin South Africans along with Sunny Singh and Mac Maharaj. These three played an active role in the Umkhonto we Sizwe (Spear of the Nation). The Umkhonto we Sizwe was the armed struggle wing of the African National Congress (ANC).
Former Umkhonto we Sizwe members were incorporated into the South African defence force after the advent of democracy in 1994 following the release of Nelson Mandela to become the first democratically-elected president. Mr. Mandela was the first democratically-elected president of South Africa.
The grand Annual 59th Idea Filmfare Awards event was organized in Mumbai. The following are the winners under various categories:
POPULAR AWARDS:
The Indian-born scientist and Professor (Emeritus) at StanfordUniversity, Mr. Arogyaswami Joseph Paulraj (69), won the prestigious Marconi Society Prize 2014 for developing the theory and applications of Multiple Input Multiple Output (MIMO) antennas.
His idea for using multiple antennas at both the transmitting and receiving stations, which is at the heart of the current high speed Wi-Fi and 4G mobile systems, has revolutionized high speed wireless delivery of multimedia services for billions of people. MIMO boosts data rate by creating multiple parallel spatial data streams and is the key to the latest wireless broadband networks like 4G cellular.
The
Union Minister of State for Human Resource Development, Dr. Shashi
Tharoor named as the Person of the Year by the animal rights body PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) – India for taking steps to advance animal protection. Mr. Tharoor recommended the National Council for Teacher Education (NCERT) to ban the use of animals, viz. for dissection, etc, in training teachers.
By his initiative, in 2012, the Ministry of Environment and Forests issued a directive instructing all the institutes or establishments associated with teaching of medical, pharmacy and other courses in life sciences to follow UGC guidelines for discontinuation of dissection and animal experimentation in universities and colleges and introduce use of alternatives to animal experimentation.
Eminent Scientist and Bharat Ratna awardee Prof CNR Rao has become the first Indian scientist to be elected as honorary foreign member of Chinese Academy of Science (CAS).
CAS consists of several Nobel laureates and eminent scientists of the world. Prof. Rao was recently awarded the Bharat Ratna. In 2012, CAS had conferred on him the prestigious Award for International Scientific Cooperation.
Legendary actress Waheeda Rehman will be conferred with the first Centanary Award for the Indian Film Personality at the 44th International Film Festival of India (IFFI)
to be held in Goa. The award has been instituted this year (2013) which
consists of a trophy, a cash of Rs. 10 lakh and a citation. This award
to Waheeda Rehman acknowledges the creative contribution of an artist
who opted for roles which were much more than just the appealing shadow
of the male actors of the times.
About Waheeda Rehman:
Doris Lessing (94), one of the UK’s most-influential writer and a Nobel Literature laureate passed away.
British novelist, poet, playwright, librettist, biographer and short story writer.
Authored more than 80 books, including poetry, two operas, short stories, plays and non-fiction.
She is best-known for ‘The Golden Notebook’.
Other illustrious works: The Grass is Singing (her first novel), the sequence of five novels collectively called Children of Violence, The Golden Notebook , The Good Terrorist , and five novels collectively known as Canopus in Argos.
Awards and Honors:
In 2001, Lessing was awarded the David Cohen Prize for a lifetime’s achievement in British literature. The Swedish Academy awarded her the 2007 Nobel Prize in Literature.
Eminent NRI industrialist and educationist, Lord Swraj Paul was conferred with the ‘International Indian of the Decade’ award on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the publication of India
Link International, a monthly magazine published from London. He was
presented this award for his outstanding achievements in the fields of industry, education and philanthropy.
Who is Lord Swaraj Paul?
Worked mainly in solid-state and structural chemistry.
One of the world’s foremost solid state and materials chemists.
Rao’s work on transition metal oxides led to basic understanding of novel phenomena and the relationship between materials properties and the structural chemistry of metal oxides.
At present, he is the Head of the Scientific Advisory Council to the Prime Minister of India.
Author of around 1500 research papers.
Authored and edited 45 books.
First Indian scientist to reach the h-index of 100.
One of the earliest to synthesize two-dimensional oxide materials such as La2CuO4.
Rao’s findings have resulted into a systematic study of compositionally controlled metal-insulator transitions. Such findings have emmensely helpes in fields such as colossal magneto resistance and high temperature superconductivity. Oxide semiconductors have uncommon promise.
Made good contribution to nano materials, apart from his work on hybrid materials.
Sachin Tendulkar chosen for the prestigious Bharat Ratna (India’s highest civilian award). Thus Tendulkar will be the first sportsperson ever to be honoured with Bharat Ratna.
Tendulkar retired from all forms of cricket as the most successful batsman with 15,921 runs in 200 Tests and 18,426 runs in 463 matches in ODIs. He was the first batsman to get a double hundred in ODIs. His career of 24 years made him an inspiration for an entire nation.
The eligibility criteria of the Bharat Ratna award was revised in 2012 to accommodate sportspersons as well. This was done especially on continuous demands for Tendulkar to be conferred the honour for a long time. Tendulkar became a Rajya Sabha member in 2012.
This year, Bharat Ratna is being given to Tendulkar along with Professor C.N.R.Rao, the man behind India’s maiden Mars mission.
The Bharat Ratna is being conferred after a long gap with classical vocalist Pandit Bhimsen Joshi being the last recipient in 2008.
New
York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg has been selected for the
inaugural Genesis Prize – an award popularly dubbed the Jewish Nobel Prize given by the Government of Israel. Bloomberg has been chosen for the award in recognition to his long record of public service and philanthropy. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will present the prize to Bloomberg in May 2014 in Israel.
The award seeks to emphasize across the Jewish community and the world at large the significance of Jewish values to the fulfillment of human potential and to the betterment of the world. This way, it intends to strengthen the Jewish identity of young Jews across the world who are rapidly assimilating and losing connection to the Jewish people and their rich heritage.
Prabodh Chandra Dey ( a.k.a. “Manna Dey“) (94) passed away.
Manna Dey was a versatile Indian playback singer. Manna Dey sang mainly in Hindi and Bengali. He also recorded songs in several other Indian languages like Bhojpuri, Punjabi, Assameese, Oriya, Gujarathi, Marathi, Kannada, Malayalam.
Debut as a playback singer in the film Tamanna (1942)
Career (years active) : 1942-2013
Recorded more than 4000 songs
Some key Awards:
Legendary vocalist Lata Mangeshkar was presented the first national
Yash Chopra Memorial Award by the Ministry of Information and
Broadcasting as a mark of tribute to the legendary filmmaker Yash Chopra
on the eve of his first death anniversary.
The Yash Chopra Memorial Award:
Instituted by the TSR Foundation of T. Subbarami Reddy.
It carries a cheque of Rs 1 million and a citation.
It will be presented annually to people in recognition of their outstanding contribution in the field of art and culture.
New Zealand author Ms Eleanor Catton became the youngest winner of the Man Booker Prize for fiction. She claimed the award for her novel “The Luminaries”.
“The Luminaries” is the longest book ever to win the Booker Prize .
Ms Eleanor Catton is the youngest author ever to win the Booker Prize.
American Economist Eugene Fama won the Nobel prize for economics for developing new methods to study trends in asset markets. He is one of the three American Economists who won Nobel Prize for Economic Sciences. He shared Nobel for Economic Sciences jointly with Robert Shiller and Lars Peter Hansen.
Eugene Francis “Gene” Fama is known for his work on portfolio theory and asset pricing. Fama is regarded as the father of the “Efficient Market Hypothesis”. In 1970 issue of the Journal of Finance, entitled “Efficient Capital Markets: A Review of Theory and Empirical Work,” Fama gave the concept of EMH (Efficient Market Hypothesis).
As per this hypothesis, stocks on a stock exchange always trade at fair market value, thus it is impossible for any investor to purchase an undervalued stocks or sell a stock for inflated prices. The only means by which an investor can obtain higher returns is via purchasing taking more risk.
Reading the market is impossible because the stocks are already accurately priced and reflect all available information. Therefore it is impossible to make profit with any trading strategy. Theoretically impossible to make profit from any trading strategy. Thus, there is no way to identify a bargain stock or use past stock price movements to predict future prices. The only way to earn higher returns than those of an index is by purchasing higher risk investments.
So if Ramesh wants to buy a share of Infosys at Rs 3,000 per share he will not be able to make any profit because as per the EMH the intrinsic value of a share of Infosys is Rs 3,000 per share, so Ramesh will not be able to profit from a potential under-valued or over-priced share of Infosys.
2) Semi-Strong Form Efficiency
3) Strong Form Efficiency
In weak-form efficiency, it is said that one can’t predict future prices by analyzing prices from past i.e. historical data. Thus, one cannot earn excess return for long time by his/her strategy based on historical share prices.
In semi-strong-form efficiency, it is said that a share’s price adjust itself to all publicly available new information, thus one cannot earn one cannot earn excess return for long time by his/her strategy based on publicly available information.
In strong-form efficiency, it is said that a share’s price reflects all information, public and private, and no one can earn excess returns for long time by his/her strategy based on all publicly available information and historical data.
There are several reasons why EMH may be incorrect:-
Karan Thapar, well-known television journalist, has been honored with the International Press Institute (IPI) India
Award for Excellence in Journalism. The jury for this award chose Mr.
Thapar ‘for his sharp interviews on the Devil’s Advocate programme on
CNN IBN’.
The Nobel Prize in physics has been announced to be given to physicists Francois Englert of Belgium and Peter Higgs of Britain for their theoretical discoveries on how subatomic particles acquire mass.
Indian social activist Anna Hazare has been honored with the inaugural Allard Prize for International Integrity conferred by the University of British Columbia’s Faculty of Law at a function held in Vancouver, Canada.
Reserve Bank of India Governor Raghuram Rajan was awarded with the Deutsche Bank Prize for Financial Economics 2013.
The award has been given in recognition to his academic contributions
in macro economics research which influenced financial and
macro-economic policies around the globe.
Raghuram Rajan revealed that the relationship between the financial sector and the rest of the economy is so complex and it is not good enough to simply look at the size of the financial sector in relation to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP), as is done so often. Raghuram Rajan also had forecasted the financial crises of 2008 in 2005, three years ahead of global financial crises.
Miss Philippines Megan Young was crowned Miss World 2013 at a pageant held at Indonesia’s
resort island of Bali amid tight security due to threats of attack from
Muslim conservatives. The pageant witnessed participation of 127
contestants from various countries.
Miss France Marine Lorphelin and Miss Ghana, Carranzar Naa Okailey Shooter were positioned second and third respectively. Miss India World Navneet Kaur Dhillon failed to make it to the Top 10 but won the title of Miss Multimedia.
Pond’s Femina Miss India World 2013 Navneet Kaur Dhillon won the Multimedia Award at the Miss World 2013 held in Bali, Indonesia.
The selection panel appointed Film Federation of India (FFI) has chosen filmmaker Gyan Correa’s Gujarati film “The Good Road” as India’s entry for the best foreign film category at the Academy Awards 2013. It is the first Gujarati film to have achieved this feat.
Earlier this year, “The Good Road” had won the National Award for Best Feature Film (Gujarati).
The movie was selected among some very strong contenders including ” The Lunchbox”, “Bhaag Milkha Bhaag”, ” English Vinglish”, ” Vishwaroopam”, Malayalam film “Celluloid” and Bengali film “Shabdo”.
Bollywood
actor Aamir Khan has been chosen for a U.S. award for his television
show ‘Satyamev Jayate’ along with renowned American director Kathryn
Bigelow and the International Center on Nonviolent Conflict (ICNC). They will be awarded at the inaugural awards
by the America Abroad Media (AAM) in Washington DC. As per AAM, their
work exemplifies the power of media to inform, educate and empower
citizens about the critical social and public policy issues of our time.
Scientist Vinod Prakash Sharma has been honored with the Gujar Mal Modi Award for Innovative Science and Technology 2013 for his achievements in malaria research, control and prevention, including other vector borne diseases.
He is leading the Safe Water Campaign of the NASI (The National Academy of Sciences, India). His work on popularization of science, creating awareness and science education programmes of NASI are widely appreciated in the remote areas as well.
Grandmaster Parimarjan Negi (Born: February 9, 1993 (age 20))put up a brilliant performance to regain the Politiken Cup chess Title in Copenhagen, Denmark. Parimarjan had recently won the DC International
Open in US and tied for the top place in the World Open. The youngest
international Grandmaster in chess won the same tournament in 2009. This
was Negi’s second title in the last three outings.
Parimarjan Negi studies in the Amity International School and has won various tournaments there. Negi became the youngest Grandmaster in India on July 1, 2006 by drawing with Russian Grandmaster Ruslan Sherbakov and finished with six points from nine rounds of the Chelyabinsk Region Superfinal chess tournament in Satka.
Noted Malayalam poetess Sugathakumari has been conferred with the prestigious Saraswati Samman 2012 for Manalezhuthu (the Writings on the Sand), a collection of poems in Malayalam.
Note: Ismat Chughtai was the first person to receive Saraswati Samman for his work in Urdu Literature.
RealVNC was awarded the Royal Academy of Engineering MacRobert Award for outstanding innovation, commercial success and contribution to society.
Kolkata (India) born chemist and physicist Sunetra Gupta has joined leading female scientists like Marie Curie at the art exhibition at the prestigious Royal Society.
The exhibition titled “Does it Make a Difference?” displays drawings made by few great artists to celebrate the leading women in the field of science.
Paradip
port has been honored with the ‘Major Port of the Year’ award in
recognition of its excellent performance in 2012-13. In 2012-13, PPT
handled a total of 56.55 million tonnes of traffic, up from 54.25 mt in
2011-12. Also, during the year, the port added 22 mt of capacity
bringing the total to 102 mt.
Zubin Mehta, western classical music conductor of Indian-Parsi origin, will be honored with the Tagore Award for Cultural Harmony 2013
in recognition of his outstanding contribution to cultural harmony. He
has been unanimously chosen for this by a four-member jury — led by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and comprising Chief Justice of India Justice Altamas Kabir, Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj and former Governor Gopalkrishna Gandhi.
- He became the first scientist from MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology to won this award.
- At present, Dr. Babu heads the group on Regulatory Genomics and Systems Biology at the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge, UK.
- Recognizes an important contribution to the study of proteins by a scientist still in the early stages of an independent career.
- Given by the Protein Society.
- The Society represents a global community of researchers dedicated to the understanding of proteins.
Dr. VV Dongre and Prof. Guocheng Zhang bagged International Gandhi Award 2013
The President of India, Mr. Pranab Mukherjee presented the International Gandhi Award for the year 2013 to Dr. Vijaykumar Vinayak Dongre and Prof. Guocheng Zhang for making outstanding contributions in the field of leprosy to eradicate the disease through treatment, training and research at Rashtrapati Bhawan, New Delhi.
International Gandhi Award
- Instituted by the Gandhi Memorial Leprosy Foundation (GMLF) that was established in 1950 to commemorate Mahatma Gandhi’s service and scientific approach towards leprosy.
- GMLF introduced the International Gandhi Award in 1986.
- Recognizes the commendable contributions of individuals and institutions in ameliorating the quality of life of people afflicted with leprosy.
- The two awards are given every alternate year to individuals/institutions for making outstanding contribution in the field of leprosy.
67th BAFTA Awards 2014
The 67th BritishAcademy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) held at the Royal Opera House in London.
Winners of the 67th Annual BAFTA Awards
- Best Film: 12 Years a Slave
- Outstanding British Film: Gravity.
- Best Director: Alfonso Cuarón (Gravity).
- Best Actor: Chiwetel Ejiofor (12 Years a Slave).
- Best Actress: Cate Blanchett (Blue Jasmine).
- Best Supporting Actor: Barkhad Abdi (Captain Phillips).
- Best Supporting Actress: Jennifer Lawrence (American Hustle).
- Best Original Screenplay: American Hustle.
- Best Adapted Screenplay: Philomena.
- Best Editing: Rush.
- Best Cinematography: Emmanuel Lubezki (Gravity).
- Best Production Design: The Great Gatsby.
- Best Costume Design: The Great Gatsby.
- Best Original Music: Gravity.
- Best Makeup and Hair: American Hustle.
- Best Sound: Gravity.
- Best Visual Effects: Gravity.
- Best Film Not in the English Language: The Great Beauty.
- Best Animated Film: Frozen.
- Best Documentary: The Act of Killing.
- Outstanding Debut by a British Writer, Director, or Producer: Kieran Evans.
- Best British Short Film: Room 8.
- Best British Short Animation: Sleeping with the Fishes.
- The EE Rising Star Award: Will Poulter.
- Outstanding British Contribution to Cinema: Peter Greenaway.
- Most awards: Gravity (6).
About British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA)
- Formed: 1947.
- Headquarters: London.
- Purpose: To supports, promotes and develops the art forms of the moving image – film, television and video games – by identifying and rewarding excellence, inspiring practitioners and benefiting the public.
Mr. Vishwanath Tripathi honored with the Vyas Samman 2013
The famous Hindi writer, Mr. Vishwanath Tripathi (82) honored by the prestigious Vyas Samman 2013. He has been chosen for his memoir ‘Vyomkesh Darvesh ‘that is a biography of the noted Hindi scholar Acharya Hazari Prasad Dwivedi.
- The Vyas Samman 2012 was given to Hindi litterateur Narendra Kohli for his historical novel “Na Bhooto Na Bhavishyati” based on Swami Vivekananda.
- Mr. Surya Prasad Dikshit was the selection committee head of Vyas Samman 2013.
- Mr. Tripathi has around 20 publications by his name that includes memoirs, novel and poetry collection.
Ms. Arunima Sinha bagged Amazing Indian Award 2014
Ms Arunima Sinha bagged with Amazing Indian Award by the Vice President of India, Mr. Hamid Ansari, for scaling Mount Everest despite being physically challenged.
- Ms. Sinha is the first Indian amputee who scales the Mount Everest on May, 2013. She is a former national volleyball and football player from Uttar Pradesh.
- She lost her right leg in 2011 after being thrown off a moving train. Two years later she stood on the peak of the Mount Everest with an artificial leg and an indomitable spirit to achieve the unimaginable.
World Children’s Prize (Children’s Nobel Prize) Nominees 2014: Malala, John Wood and Indira Ranamagar
For
the 2014 World’s Children’s Prize, Pakistani teenage rights activist
Malala Yousafzai, John Wood from the USA and Nepalese child rights
worker Indira Ranamagar are nominated for an award also known as the “Children’s Nobel Prize”.- Ms. Malala Yousafzai nominated for her courageous and dangerous fight for girls’ right to education. She started to speak out for girls’ rights at the age of 11, when the Taliban banned girls from going to school in the SwatValley in Pakistan.
- Mr. John Wood nominated for his 15-year fight for children’s right to education. John quit his job as a manager at the Microsoft company to fulfil his dream: to fight poverty by giving children all over the world the chance to go to school.
- Ms. Indira Ramanagar nominated for her 20-year struggle for prisoners’ children in Nepal. She has built up an organisation called Prisoners Assistance Nepal (PA), which has rescued over a thousand children from cramped, dirty prisons.
Indira Ramanagar and Prisoners Assistance:
- Run three children‘s homes, two schools, and youth programs on organic agriculture, arts and crafts, and more.
- Support girls in villages to enable them to go to school. They are also given bikes, since they often have a long journey to get to school.
- Search for relatives and support them to take care of the children.
- Make sure that children get a chance to visit their parents in prison.
- Run programs allowing children to go to school during the day and stay with their mothers in prison at night. They also educate mothers in prison up to Year 5 level and give them vocational training.
- Support prisoners who have been released, so that they can be reunited with their children.
- Speak out for the weakest in society and fight for prisoners – especially women and their children – to be treated in a fair and humane way.
About World’s Children’s Prize (WCP)
Also known as the Children’s Nobel PrizeThe world’s largest annual educational program teaching young people about the rights of the child, democracy and global friendship.
Vision: A world where the rights of the child are universally respected and where every new generation grows up as humane global citizens.
Mission: To catalyze the growth and development of a more humane global community through an integrated global educational program, engaging a growing number of children throughout the world.
The award programme, launched in 2000, is supported by 60,000 schools with 29.3 million students in 109 countries and over 600 organisations.
Every year, three Child Rights Heroes are selected by the WCP Child Jury to be candidates for the World’s Children’s Prize for the Rights of the Child.
The annual program concludes with a “Global Vote”, where children work together to choose their Child Rights Hero. “Global Vote Days” are held in schools around the world like a democratic election.
The WCP Foundation is regulated by the Svensk Insamlingskontroll (Swedish Fundraising Control), which protects the interests of donors and ensures that the funds raised are used appropriately.
New Criteria for National Sports Awards (Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna, Dronacharya and Dhyan Chand awards)
In order to bring more transparency and objectivity in the process for conferring the National Sports Awards, the Union Sports Ministry has approved a set of rules to select candidates for Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna, Dronacharya and Dhyan Chand awards.
As per the new criteria for National sports awards:
* medals won by sportspersons trained by the coach under
consideration for the award. Marking criteria will not apply for the 2
awards to be given for lifetime contribution in coaching. Selection
committee will give its recommendations for such two coaches taking into
consideration the contribution made by them over a period of 20 years
or more in terms of producing outstanding sports-persons.
As per the new criteria for National sports awards:
- 90% weightage to medal winners of various international championships and sports events of disciplines covered in Olympics ( Summer, Winter and Paralympics), Asian Games and Commonwealth Games.
- 10% weightage will be given to the marks awarded by the selection committee for assessment of the eligible sportspersons keeping in view factors like profile and standard of the sports events in which he or she has won medals and qualities viz. leadership, sportsmanship, team spirit, fair play, sense of discipline, etc.
- Except for lifetime achievement awards, points for winning medals will be given to each eligible sportsperson for his/her performance during the last four years.
- Medal winners in the Olympics and Paralympics will automatically be considered for the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna or Arjuna awards (depending on the type of medal won).
- Reserved the right for not recommending the name of any deserving sportsperson as per the given criteria for Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna or Dhyan chand Award. In these particular cases, the committee will have to justify its stance in writing.
- For cricket and indigenous games (not included in Olympic / Asian Games / Commonwealth Games disciplines), the selection committee will recommend the number of awards (not exceeding two).
- Names of not more than 2 Sportspersons ( 1 male and 1 female) and names of not more than 2 coaches in case of Dronacharya award with highest marks will be considered.
- Sports journalists, experts and commentators are included in the selection committees.
| S.No: | Criteria | Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award for most outstanding performance | Dronacharya Award for Outstanding Coaches in Sports |
Dhyan chand Award for life time achievement in Sports
|
1.
|
Weightage for the medals won in Olympic
Games (Summer, Winter and Paralympics), Asian Games, Commonwealth Games
and World Cup / World Championships held once in 4 years.
|
90%
|
90%*
|
70%
|
2.
|
Weightage to the marks given by the
Selection Committee for assessment of the eligible sportsperson / coach
keeping in view factors like profile and standard of sports event in
which medal has been won
|
10%
|
10%
|
30%**
|
3.
|
No. of awards to be given normally in a year
|
1 award
|
5
(out of 5, 2 to be given for lifetime contribution in coaching)
|
3
|
- ** includes marks for assessment for contribution made for promotion of sports after retirement for active Sports career and for qualities like sportsmanship, leadership, and sense of discipline.
President Pranab Mukherjee conferred Bharat Ratna on Prof. C N R Rao and Sachin Tendulkar
President Pranab Mukherjee conferred the country’s highest civilian honor Bharat Ratna on eminent scientist Prof C.N.R. Rao and cricket maestro Sachin Tendulkar at Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi.- Prof C.N.R.Rao is the third scientist after C V Raman and former President A P J Abdul Kalam, to be awarded with the honor.
- Sachin Tendulkar, who retired from international cricket last year, is the first sports-person to be bestowed with the honor. He is also the first active sportsperson to become a Rajya Sabha member last year.
Under the Constitution, the award cannot be used as a prefix or suffix to the recipient`s name. Though the award winner can use mention as ‘Awarded Bharat Ratna by the President’ or ‘Recipient of Bharat Ratna Award’ in their bio-data, letter head or visiting cards. The recipient receives a Sanad (certificate) signed by the President and a medallion. It does not carry any monetary grant.
Note: The Bharat Ratna has been conferred after a long gap with classical vocalist Pandit Bhimsen Joshi being the last recipient in 2008.
Mr. Anand Kumar, founder of Super30 classes bestowed with the prestigious Ramanujan Mathematics award
Leading mathematician and founder of Super30 classes Mr. Anand Kumar bestowed with the prestigious 2014 Ramanujan Mathematics Award at the 8th National
Mathematics Convention organized by a Rajkot-based school. Renowned
atomic scientist Pitamber Patel and famous scientist J J Rawal presented
the cash award of Rs 20,000 to Kumar.
- Mr. Kumar, who is a native of Bihar, is founder of Super30, which imparts free residential mentoring to 30 selected students from underprivileged families for IIT entrance exam and has achieved international recognition for social awakening.
- His papers published in a number of international journals viz. Mathematical Spectrum and Mathematical Gazette of the UK, etc and was thrice invited jointly by the Mathematical Association of America and the American Mathematical Society to present his papers.
56th Grammy Awards 2014
The 56th Annual Grammy Awards
were held on, at the StaplesCenter in Los Angeles. This year the Grammy
Awards weren’t just about the music and they were also about making a
statement in the same-sex marriage debate.
For complete list of Winners and Nominees kindly visit: http://www.grammy.com
Category
|
Album
|
Artist
|
Best album of the year
|
Random access memories
|
Daft Punk
|
Best record of the year
|
Get Lucky
|
Daft Punk , Pharrell Williams and Nile Rodgers
|
Best song of the year
|
Royals
|
Lorde
|
Best new artist
|
- |
Macklemore and Ryan Lewis
|
Children’s Album
|
Throw a Penny in the Wishing Well
|
Jennifer Gasoi
|
Best Pop solo performance
|
Royals
|
Lorde
|
Best Pop Duo/Group Performance
|
Get Lucky
|
Daft Punk & Pharrell Williams
|
Mahatma Gandhi’s grand daughter Ela Gandhi honored with prestigious South African Award ‘Amadelakupha’
Mahatma Gandhi’s grand daughter, Ms. Ela Gandhi honored with the Prestigious South African Award, ‘Amadelakupha’
by the South African Government. This award was also given to Sunny
Singh and Mac Maharaj of Indian Decent. The South African Government
stated that Ms. Gandhi selected for the award in recognition for her
lifetime contribution to the freedom struggle in South Africa.She formed the trio of Indian-origin South Africans along with Sunny Singh and Mac Maharaj. These three played an active role in the Umkhonto we Sizwe (Spear of the Nation). The Umkhonto we Sizwe was the armed struggle wing of the African National Congress (ANC).
Former Umkhonto we Sizwe members were incorporated into the South African defence force after the advent of democracy in 1994 following the release of Nelson Mandela to become the first democratically-elected president. Mr. Mandela was the first democratically-elected president of South Africa.
About Ms. Ela Gandhi
- Born: July 1, 1940 in Durban, South Africa.
- Peace activist and was a Member of Parliament in South Africa from 1994-2004
- Awards: Community of Christ International Peace Award, Padma Bhushan award(2007), Pravasi Bhartiya Award (2014) and Umkhonto we Sizwe.
- Developed a 24-hour program against domestic violence, founded the Gandhi Development Trust.
- Chaired the Mahatma Gandhi Salt March Committee and the Mahatma Gandhi Development Trust.
- And also served as the Chancellor of Durban University of Technology for many years.
Winners of 59th Idea Filmfare Awards 2013
The grand Annual 59th Idea Filmfare Awards event was organized in Mumbai. The following are the winners under various categories: POPULAR AWARDS:
- Best Film: Bhaag Milkha Bhaag
- Best Director: Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra (Bhaag Milkha Bhaag)
- Best Actor (Male): Farhan Akhtar (Bhaag Milkha Bhaag)
- Best Actor (Female): Deepika Padukone – Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram-leela
- Best Supporting Actor (Female): Supriya Pathak Kapur (Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram-leela)
- Best Supporting Actor (Male): Nawazuddin Siddiqui (The Lunchbox)
- Best Music – Mithhoon, Ankit Tiwari, Jeet Ganguly (Aashiqui 2)
- Best Playback Singer (Male) – Arjit Singh – “Tum hi ho” – (Aashiqui 2)
- Best Playback Singer (Female) – Monali Thakur – “Sawaar Loon”(Lootera)
- Best Lyrics – Prasoon Joshi – “Zinda” (Bhaag Milkha Bhaag)
- Best Debut (Male) – Dhanush (Raanjhanaa)
- Best Debut (Female) – Vaani Kapoor (Shuddh Desi Romance)
- Best Debut Director – Ritesh Batra (The Lunchbox)
- Best Screenplay: Chetan Bhagat, Abhishe Kapoor, Supratik Sen and Pubali Chaudhari (Kai Po Che)
- Best Story: Subhash Kapoor (Jolly LLB)
- Best Dialogue: Subhash Kapoor (Jolly LLB)
- RD Burman Award For Upcoming Talent In Music: Sidharth Mahadevan
- Lifetime Achievement Award: Tanuja
- Sony Trendsetter of The Year: Chennai Express
- Best Actor (Male): Rajkumar Rao (Shahid)
- Best Actor (Female): Shilpa Shukla (BA Pass)
- Best Movie (Best Director): The Lunchbox (Ritesh Batra)
- Best Action: Thomas Struthers and Guru Bachchan (D Day)
- Best Cinematography: Kamaljit Negi (Madras Cafe)
- Best Editing: Aarif Sheikh (D-Day)
- Best Production Design: Acropolis Design (Bhaag Milkha Bhaag)
- Best Sound Design: Bishwadeep Chatterjee and Nohar Rajan Samal (Madras Café)
- Best Costume Design: Dolly Ahluwalia (Bhaag Milkha Bhaag)
- Best Choreography: Samir and Arsh Tanna – Lahu muh lag gaya (Goliyon Ki Raasleel Ram-leela)
- Best Background Score: Hitesh Sonik (Kai Po Che!)
- Best Special Effects: Tata Elxis (Dhoom 3)
- Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra’s sports biopic ‘Bhaag Milkha Bhaag’ won six awards including best film, best director and best actor for Farhan Akhtar.
Padma Awards 2014
President Pranab Mukherjee announced the names of Recipients of this year’s Padma awards.
He approved conferment of 127 Padma Awards including one duo case
(counted as one). Padma Awards, the country’s highest civilian awards,
are conferred in three Categories viz. Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan and Padma Shri. The list comprises two Padma Vibhushan, 24 Padma Bhushan and 101 Padma Shri Awardees.
The Padma Awards are conferred by the President of India at a function held at Rashtrapati Bhawan around March/ April every year.
Note: * indicates awardees in the category of Foreigners / NRIs/ PIOs.
# indicates awardees in the posthumous category.
$ indicates one duo case. (treated as one award.)
2014 Padma Vibhushan Awards :
These are awarded for exceptional and distinguished service. This year both the awardees were from Maharashtra:- Dr. Raghunath A. Mashelkar for Science and Engineering
- Shri B.K.S. Iyengar for Yoga
2014 Padma Bhushan Awards:
These are awarded for distinguished service of high order:- Prof. Gulam Mohammed Sheikh, Art – Painting, Gujarat
- Begum Parveen Sultana, Art – Classical Singing, Maharashtra
- Shri T.H. Vinayakram, Art – Ghatam Artist, Tamil Nadu
- Shri Kamala Haasan, Art-Cinema, Tamil Nadu
- Justice Dalveer Bhandari, Public Affairs, Delhi
- Prof. Padmanabhan Balaram, Science and Engineering, Karnataka
- Prof. Jyeshtharaj Joshi, Science and Engineering, Maharashtra
- Dr. Madappa Mahadevappa, Science and Engineering, Karnataka
- Dr. Thirumalachari Ramasami, Science and Engineering, Delhi
- Dr. Vinod Prakash Sharma, Science and Engineering, Delhi
- Dr. Radhakrishnan Koppillil, Science and Engineering, Karnataka
- Dr. Mrityunjay Athreya, Literature and Education, Delhi
- Ms. Anita Desai, Literature and Education, Delhi
- Dr. Dhirubhai Thaker, Literature and Education, Gujarat
- Shri Vairamuthu Ramasamy Thevar, Literature and Education, Tamil Nadu
- Shri Ruskin Bond, Literature and Education, Uttarakhand
- Shri Pullela Gopichand, Sports – Badminton, Andhra Pradesh
- Shri Leander Paes, Sports – Tennis, Maharashtra
- Shri Vijayendra Nath Kaul, Civil Service, Delhi
- Late Justice Jagdish Sharan Verma, Public Affairs, Uttar Pradesh #
- Late Dr. Anumolu Ramakrishna, Science and Engineering, Andhra Pradesh #
- Prof. Anisuzzaman, Literature and Education, Bangladesh*
- Prof. Lloyd I. Rudolph and Prof. Susanne H. Rudolph, Literature and Education, USA*$
- Dr. (Smt.) Neelam Kler, Medicine – Neonatology, Delhi
2014 Padma Shri Awards:
These are awarded for distinguished service in any field:- Shri Mohammad Ali Baig, Art – Theatre, Andhra Pradesh
- Ms. Nayana Apte Joshi, Art, Maharashtra
- Shri Musafir Ram Bhardwaj, Art – Instrumental Music – Pauna Manjha, Himachal Pradesh
- Ms. Sabitri Chatterjee, Art – Film, West Bengal
- Prof. Biman Bihari Das, Art – Sculptor, Delhi
- Shri Sunil Das, Art – Painting, West Bengal
- Smt. Elam Endira Devi, Art – Manipuri Dance, Manipur
- Shri Vijay Ghate, Art – Instrumental Music – Tabla, Maharashtra
- Smt Rani Karnaa, Art – Kathak, West Bengal
- Shri Bansi Kaul, Art – Theatre, Jammu & Kashmir
- Ustad Moinuddin Khan, Art – Instrumental Music – Sarangi Player, Rajasthan
- Ms. Geeta Mahalik, Art – Odishi Dance, Delhi
- Shri Paresh Maity, Art – Painting, Delhi
- Shri Ram Mohan, Art – Film Animation, Maharashtra
- Shri Sudarsan Pattnaik, Art – Sand Artist, Orissa
- Shri Paresh Rawal, Art – Cinema and Theatre, Maharashtra
- Shri Wendell Augustine Rodricks, Art – Fashion Designing, Goa
- Prof. Kalamandalam Sathyabhama, Art – Mohini Attam, Kerala
- Shri Anuj (Ramanuj) Sharma, Art – Performing Art, Chhattisgarh
- Shri Santosh Sivan, Art – Film, Tamil Nadu
- Ms. Supriya Devi, Art-Bengali Cinema, West Bengal
- Ms. Sooni Taraporevala, Art- Script Writing, Maharashtra
- Ms. Vidya Balan, Art-Cinema, Maharashtra
- Smt. Durga Jain, Social Work, Maharashtra
- Dr. Rama Rao Anumolu, Social Work, Andhra Pradesh
- Dr. Brahm Dutt, Social Work, Haryana
- Shri Mukul Chandra Goswami, Social Work, Assam
- Shri J.L. Kaul, Social Work, Delhi
- Shri Mathurbhai Madhabhai Savani, Social Work, Gujarat
- Shri Tashi Tondup, Public Affairs, Jammu and Kashmir
- Dr. Hasmukh Chamanlal Shah, Public Affairs, Gujarat
- Shri Sekhar Basu, Science and Engineering, Maharashtra
- Shri Madhavan Chandradathan, Science and Engineering, Kerala
- Prof. Sushanta Kumar Dattagupta, Science and Engineering, West Bengal
- Dr. Ravi Bhushan Grover, Science and Engineering, Maharashtra
- Prof. Eluvathingal Devassy Jemmis, Science and Engineering, Karnataka
- Shri Ramkrishna V. Hosur, Science and Engineering, Maharashtra
- Dr. Ajay Kumar Parida, Science and Engineering, Tamil Nadu
- Dr. Malapaka Yajneswara and Satyanarayana Prasad, Science and Engineering, Andhra Pradesh
- Shri Kiran Kumar Alur Seelin, Science and Engineering, Gujarat
- Dr. Brahma Singh, Science and Engineering, Delhi
- Prof. Vinod Kumar Singh, Science and Engineering, Madhya Pradesh
- Dr. Govindan Sundararajan, Science and Engineering, Andhra Pradesh
- Ramaswamy R. Iyer, Science and Engineering, Delhi
- Dr. Jayanta Kumar Ghosh, Science and Engineering, West Bengal
- Shri Ravi Kumar Narra, Trade and Industry, Andhra Pradesh
- Shri Rajesh Saraiya, Trade and Industry, Maharashtra
- Ms. Mallika Srinivasan, Trade and Industry, Tamil Nadu
- Shri Pratap Govindrao Pawar, Trade and Industry, Maharashtra
- Dr. Kiritkumar Mansukhlal Acharya, Medicine – Dermatology, Gujarat
- Dr. Balram Bhargava, Medicine – Cardiology, Uttar Pradesh
- Prof. (Dr.) Indra Chakravarty, Medicine – Health & Hygiene, West Bengal
- Dr. Ramakant Krishnaji Deshpande, Medicine – Oncology, Maharashtra
- Prof. (Dr.) Pawan Raj Goyal, Medicine – Chest Disease, Haryana
- Prof. Amod Gupta, Medicine – Opthalmology, Haryana
- Prof. (Dr.) Daya Kishore Hazra, Medicine, Uttar Pradesh
- Prof. (Dr.) Thenumgal Poulose Jacob, Medicine – Vascular Surgery, Tamil Nadu
- Prof. (Dr.) Shashank R. Joshi, Medicine – Endocrinology, Maharashtra
- Prof. Hakim Syed Khaleefathullah, Medicine – Unani Medicine, Tamil Nadu
- Dr. Milind Vasant Kirtane, Medicine – ENT Surgeory, Maharashtra
- Dr. Lalit Kumar, Medicine – oncology, Delhi
- Dr. Mohan Mishra, Medicine, Bihar
- Dr. M. Subhadra Nair, Medicine – Gynecology, Kerala
- Dr. Ashok Panagariya, Medicine – Neurology, Rajasthan
- Dr. Narendra Kumar Pandey, Medicine – Surgery, Haryana
- Dr. Sunil Pradhan, Medicine – Neurology, Uttar Pradesh
- Dr. Ashok Rajgopal, Medicine – Orthopaedics, Delhi
- Dr. Kamini A. Rao, Medicine – Reproductive Medicine, Karnataka
- Dr. Sarbeswar Sahariah, Medicine – Surgery, Andhra Pradesh
- Prof. Om Prakash Upadhyaya, Medicine, Punjab
- Prof. (Dr.) Mahesh Verma, Medicine – Dental Science, Delhi
- Dr. J.S. Titiyal, Medicine- Opthalmology, Delhi
- Dr. Nitish Naik, Medicine- Cardiology, Delhi
- Dr. Surbrat Kumar Acharya, Medicine- Gastroenterology, Delhi
- Dr. Rajesh Kumar Grover, Medicine-Oncology, Delhi
- Dr. Naheed Abidi, Literature and Education, Uttar Pradesh
- Prof. Ashok Chakradhar, Literature and Education, Delhi
- Shri Chhakchhuak Chhuanvawra, Literature and Education, Mizoram
- Shri Keki N. Daruwalla, Literature and Education, Delhi
- Prof. Ganesh Narayandas Devi, Literature and Education, Gujarat
- Prof. Kolakaluri Enoch, Literature and Education, Andhra Pradesh
- Prof. (Dr.) Ved Kumari Ghai, Literature and Education, Jammu and Kashmir
- Smt. Manorama Jafa, Literature and Education, Delhi
- Prof. Rehana Khatoon, Literature and Education, Delhi
- Dr. Waikhom Gojen Meeitei, Literature and Education, Manipur
- Shri Vishnu Narayanan Namboothiri, Literature and Education, Kerala
- Prof. Dinesh Singh, Literature and Education, Delhi
- Dr. (Mrs.) P. Kilemsungla, Literature and Education, Nagaland
- Ms. Anjum Chopra, Sports – Cricket, Delhi
- Ms. Sunil Dabas, Sports – Kabbadi, Haryana
- Shri Love Raj Singh Dharmshaktu, Sports – Mountaineering, Delhi
- Ms. Dipika Rebecca Pallikal, Sports – Squash, Tamil Nadu
- Shri H. Boniface Prabhu, Sports – Wheelchair Tennis, Karnataka
- Shri Yuvraj Singh, Sports – Cricket, Haryana
- Smt. Mamta Sodha, Sports – Mountaineering, Haryana
- Ms Parveen Talha, Civil Service, Uttar Pradesh
- Late Dr. Narendra Achyut Dabholkar, Social Work, Maharashtra#
- Shri Ashok Kumar Mago, Trade and Industry, USA*
- Dr. Siddharth Mukherjee, Medicine-Oncology, USA*
- Dr. Vamsi Mootha, Medicine – Biomedical Research, USA*
- Dr. Sengaku Mayeda, Literature and Education, Japan*
The Padma Awards are conferred by the President of India at a function held at Rashtrapati Bhawan around March/ April every year.
Note: * indicates awardees in the category of Foreigners / NRIs/ PIOs.
# indicates awardees in the posthumous category.
$ indicates one duo case. (treated as one award.)
Dr. Tej Vir Singh won the UNWTO Ulysses Prize for the Creation and Dissemination of Knowledge
Professor Dr. Tej Vir Singh won the 2013 UNWTO Ulysses
Prize for Excellence in the Creation and Dissemination of Knowledge in
Madrid, Spain.
About Professor Dr. Tej Vir Singh
About Professor Dr. Tej Vir Singh
- Belong to Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh.
- Established the CTRD in 1976, a Non-Government Organization (NGO) devoted to the cause of tourism academics and research, with a special focus on India.
- Founding director of the Centre for Tourism Research & Development (CTRD) in India.
- And also founding editor of Asia oldest tourism journal ‘Tourism Recreation Research’.
- Specialist in Himalayan tourism wrote many books on tourism and many papers on tourism development and its impacts.
NRI scientist AJ Paulraj wins Tech ‘Nobel’- 2014 Marconi Prize
The Indian-born scientist and Professor (Emeritus) at StanfordUniversity, Mr. Arogyaswami Joseph Paulraj (69), won the prestigious Marconi Society Prize 2014 for developing the theory and applications of Multiple Input Multiple Output (MIMO) antennas.
His idea for using multiple antennas at both the transmitting and receiving stations, which is at the heart of the current high speed Wi-Fi and 4G mobile systems, has revolutionized high speed wireless delivery of multimedia services for billions of people. MIMO boosts data rate by creating multiple parallel spatial data streams and is the key to the latest wireless broadband networks like 4G cellular.
- Every wifi router and 4G phone uses MIMO technology that was pioneered by Mr. Paulraj.
- Mr. Paulraj is the only India-born scientist to receive both the Marconi Prize and the IEEE Alexander Graham Bell Medal– the two top global IT technology awards.
About Marconi Society Prize
- Also known as “Tech Nobel”
- Founded: 1974 by Guglielmo Marconi’s daughter Gioia Marconi Braga to mark the centennial of her father’s birth and memorialize his spirit of ingenuity in service to humanity. (He was the radio inventor).
- Headquarters:San FranciscoBayArea, United States.
- Prize: $100,000 honorarium and a sculpture and its honorees become Marconi Fellows.
- Annual award
- Rrecognizes advancements in communications awarded by the Marconi Foundation.
- Winners typically include scientists whose mathematical theories and inventions have shaped the Internet and broadband access, public key encryption, Web search, wired and wireless transmission, multimedia publishing, optical fiber and satellite communications.
- Previous winners: Google co-founders Larry Page and Sergey Bin, world wide web (www) designer Tim Berners-Lee, father of internet Vint Cerf, cell phone inventor Martin Cooper and fibre-optic communications developer Charles Kao, etc.
- The society is celebrating its 50th year in 2014.
Sunil Gangopadhyay Awards 2012 & 2013
President Pranab Mukherjee bestowed the Sunil Gangopadhyay Memorial Award for Excellence in Bengali Literature for 2012 and 2013 upon eminent poet and litterateur Nirendranath Chakravarty and Sankha Ghosh at the Raj Bhavan in Kolkata. The award was instituted in 2012 by ‘The Bengal’, a Kolkata-based NGO.
About Sunil Gangopadhyay
Born: September 7, 1934
Died: October 24, 2012
- Known for his poems and novels in both West Bengal and Bangladesh.
- Used the pen names Nil Lohit, Sanatan Pathak, and Nil Upadhyay.
- His wrote thriller ‘Kakababu’ series which became very popular among children and teenagers.
- Famous filmmaker Satyajit Ray had made two films ‘Pratidwandi and Aranyer Din Ratri’ based on Gangopadhyay’s novels.
- He received Sahitya Akademi award in 1985 for his novel Sei Somoy.
He was elected the President of Sahitya Akademi in 2008.
Golden Globe Awards 2014: List of Winners of Motion Pictures
The 71st Annual Golden Globe Awards ceremony was held at the Beverly Hills, California. The winners of various awards are as follows –
- Best Motion Picture Drama: 12 Years a Slave
- Best Motion Picture Musical/Comedy: American Hustle
- Best Director in Motion Picture-Drama: Alfonso Cuaron for Gravity
- Best Actor in Motion Picture-Drama: Matthew McConaughey for Dallas Buyers Club
- Best Actress in Motion Picture-Drama: Cate Blanchett for Blue Jasmine
- Best Actor in Motion Picture or Musical or Comedy: Leonardo DiCaprio for The Wolf of Wall Street
- Best Actress in Motion Picture Musical or Comedy: Amy Adams for American Hustle
- Best Actor in a Supporting role in Motion Picture: Jared Leto for Dallas Buyers Club
- Best Actress in a Supporting role in Motion Picture: Jennifer Lawrence for American Hustle
- Best Animated Film: Frozen
PETA’s Person of the Year: Dr Shashi Tharoor
The
Union Minister of State for Human Resource Development, Dr. Shashi
Tharoor named as the Person of the Year by the animal rights body PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) – India for taking steps to advance animal protection. Mr. Tharoor recommended the National Council for Teacher Education (NCERT) to ban the use of animals, viz. for dissection, etc, in training teachers.By his initiative, in 2012, the Ministry of Environment and Forests issued a directive instructing all the institutes or establishments associated with teaching of medical, pharmacy and other courses in life sciences to follow UGC guidelines for discontinuation of dissection and animal experimentation in universities and colleges and introduce use of alternatives to animal experimentation.
About People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) – India
- Based in Mumbai, launched in January 2000.
- Operates under the simple principle that animals are not ours to eat, wear, experiment on or use for entertainment.
- Focuses primarily on the areas in which the greatest numbers of animals suffer the most: in the food and leather industries, laboratories and the entertainment industry.
- Responsible for the ending of animal experiments by the West Bengal Board of Secondary Education in 2008.
Miss Venezuela, Alyz Henrich crowned Miss Earth 2013
Miss Venezuela, Alyz Henrich was crowned Miss Earth 2013 title at a pageant organized at Versailles Palace, Philippines.
It is the second beauty pageant title for Venezuela this year. In
November 2013, Gabriela Isler, of the same nation was crowned Miss
Universe 2013. India’s contestant Shobita Dhulipala couldn’t make it to the top 16 of the event.
The Top 3 runners-up:
The Top 3 runners-up:
- Miss Earth Fire 2013 Catharina Choi of Korea
- Miss Earth water 2013 Punika Kulsoontornrut of Thailand
- Miss Earth Air 2013 is Katia Wagner of Austria
About Miss Earth:
Miss Earth is an annual international beauty pageant promoting environmental awareness. The contest held its maiden edition in 2001 to promote the preservation of the environment. Nicole Faria, who won in 2010, is the first Indian contestant to have won the title.Malala wins UN Human Rights Prize 2013
Pakistani teen activist Malala Yousafzai, who survived bullet-injury inflicted by the Taliban for championing girls’ education has won the UN Human Rights Prize 2013.
The winners of the prestigious United Nations Prize in the Field of Human Rights for 2013 are –
The winners of the prestigious United Nations Prize in the Field of Human Rights for 2013 are –
- Ms. Malala Yousafzai (student activist), Pakistan
- Mr. Biram Dah Abeid (campaigner against slavery) from Mauritania
- Ms. Hiljmnijeta Apuk (human rights activist and campaigner for rights of people with disproportional restricted growth – short stature) from Kosovo
- Ms. Liisa Kauppinen of Finland – President emeritus of the World Federation of the Deaf
- Ms. Khadija Ryadi – former President of the Morocco Association for Human Rights
- Mexico’s Supreme Court of Justice – the Constitutional Court
What is the United Nations Prize in the Field of Human Rights?
- An honorary award given to individuals and organizations in recognition of outstanding achievement in human rights in every five years.
- The Laureates who won this award later are – Amnesty International, Jimmy Carter, Martin Luther King, Nelson Mandela and Eleanor Roosevelt.
- The Prize not only gives public recognition to the achievements of the recipients themselves, but also sends a clear message to human rights defenders the world over that the international community is grateful for, and supports, their tireless efforts to promote all human rights for all.
Prof CNR Rao becomes first Indian scientist elected to Chinese Academy of Science
Eminent Scientist and Bharat Ratna awardee Prof CNR Rao has become the first Indian scientist to be elected as honorary foreign member of Chinese Academy of Science (CAS).CAS consists of several Nobel laureates and eminent scientists of the world. Prof. Rao was recently awarded the Bharat Ratna. In 2012, CAS had conferred on him the prestigious Award for International Scientific Cooperation.
About C.N.R. Rao (Chintamani Nagesa Ramachandra Rao)
- An Indian scientist
- One of the world’s foremost chemists in the field of Solid State, Structural and Materials Chemistry.
- His work on transition metal oxides led to basic understanding of novel phenomena and the relationship between materials properties and the structural chemistry of metal oxides.
- Currently, he heads the Scientific Advisory Council to the Prime Minister of India.
- Authored around 1500 research papers.
- Authored and edited 45 books.
- First Indian scientist to reach the h-index of 100.
- One of the earliest to synthesize two-dimensional oxide materials such as La2CuO4.
- His findings have resulted into a systematic study of compositionally controlled metal-insulator transitions. Such findings have immensely helped in fields such as colossal magneto resistance and high temperature superconductivity. His oxide semiconductors have uncommon promise.
- Made significant contributions to nano materials, apart from his work on hybrid materials.
- Elected to almost all scientific academies of the world including The Royal Society -London, National Academy of Science – USA, Pontifical Academy of Science, Japan Academy and Royal Spanish Academy of Sciences, among others.
- Conferred 60 Honoris Causa (Honorary Doctorates) by various universities across the globe.
What is h-index (also called the Hirsch index or Hirsch number)?
- h-index (also called the Hirsch index or Hirsch number) is a tool that measures the productivity and impact of the published work of a scientist or scholar.
- Based on the set of the scientist’s most cited papers and the number of citations that the individual has received in other publications.
- Physicist Jorge Hirsch was the first one to coin it in 2005.
- George Whitesides of Harvard University has an h-index of 169, which makes him the highest ranked living chemist.
Waheeda Rehman to receive First Centanary Award at 44th IFFI
Legendary actress Waheeda Rehman will be conferred with the first Centanary Award for the Indian Film Personality at the 44th International Film Festival of India (IFFI)
to be held in Goa. The award has been instituted this year (2013) which
consists of a trophy, a cash of Rs. 10 lakh and a citation. This award
to Waheeda Rehman acknowledges the creative contribution of an artist
who opted for roles which were much more than just the appealing shadow
of the male actors of the times.About Waheeda Rehman:
- Born in Chengalpattu near Chennai in 1936
- Started acting career with Tamil and Telugu movies. Her first film was Kaalam Maari Pochu along with Gemini Ganesan.
- Guru Dutt, her mentor, introduced her in Hindi movies as he offered her a role in film ‘C.I.D.’
- Waheeda Rehman & Guru Dutt served the audience with such marvels as ‘Pyasa’. ‘ Kaghaz Ke Phool’, ‘Saheb Bibi aur Ghulam’ and ‘ Chudhvin ka Chaand’.
- Preformed impressively with the other megastars like Dilip Kumar (Ram aur Shayam, Dil Diya Dard Liya), Raj Kapoor (Teesri Kasam) and Dev Anand (Guide).
- Gathered laurels for her roles in ‘Reshma aur Shera’, ‘Kabhie Kabhie’, ‘Khamoshi’, ‘Delhi-6’and ‘Rang De Basanti’.
- Became famous in media as the ‘Quintessential Beauty of Bollywood’
- Won the National Award for the Best Actor in 1971 for ‘Reshma Aur Shera’ and Filmfare Awards in 1966 for ‘Guide’ and in 1968 for ‘Neel Kamal’.
- Honoured with Padma Shri in 1972 and with Padma Bhushan in 2011.
Nobel laureate Doris Lessing passed away
Doris Lessing (94), one of the UK’s most-influential writer and a Nobel Literature laureate passed away.Doris Lessing:
Born: October 22, 1919, in Kermanshah, IranBritish novelist, poet, playwright, librettist, biographer and short story writer.
Authored more than 80 books, including poetry, two operas, short stories, plays and non-fiction.
She is best-known for ‘The Golden Notebook’.
Other illustrious works: The Grass is Singing (her first novel), the sequence of five novels collectively called Children of Violence, The Golden Notebook , The Good Terrorist , and five novels collectively known as Canopus in Argos.
Awards and Honors:
In 2001, Lessing was awarded the David Cohen Prize for a lifetime’s achievement in British literature. The Swedish Academy awarded her the 2007 Nobel Prize in Literature.
‘International Indian of the Decade’ award to Lord Swaraj Paul
Eminent NRI industrialist and educationist, Lord Swraj Paul was conferred with the ‘International Indian of the Decade’ award on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the publication of India
Link International, a monthly magazine published from London. He was
presented this award for his outstanding achievements in the fields of industry, education and philanthropy.Who is Lord Swaraj Paul?
- Swraj Paul (82) is an India-born, UK-based business baron, philanthropist, and Labour politician.
- Founded UK-based steel and engineering multinational company Caparo which employs around 10,000 people worldwide principally in the UK, USA and India.
- In 1996, became a life peer, a member of the House of Lords, as a Labour memberwith the title Baron Paul, of Marylebone in the City of Westminster.
- 1983: Awarded Padma Bhushan by the Government of India
- 1999: Chancellor of the University of Wolverhampton
- 2000-2008: Member of the London Development Agency
- 2005-2008: Chaired the LDA Olympics Delivery Committee responsible for delivering the land and infrastructure for the London 2012 Olympic Games.
- 2006: Chancellor of the University of Westminster
- 2008: Became first Indian-born Deputy Speaker of the House of Lords
- 2009: Appointed to the Privy Council.
- Awarded with 15 honorary degrees by universities in the UK, India, USA and Switzerland including the Corporate Leadership Award from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Bharat Ratna for scientist Prof. C.N.R.Rao
P
rof. C.N.R. Rao, the man behind India’s maiden Mars mission, to be conferred with the prestigious Bharat Ratna Award, India’s highest civilian award.
rof. C.N.R. Rao, the man behind India’s maiden Mars mission, to be conferred with the prestigious Bharat Ratna Award, India’s highest civilian award.About C.N.R. Rao (Chintamani Nagesa Ramachandra Rao)
An Indian scientistWorked mainly in solid-state and structural chemistry.
One of the world’s foremost solid state and materials chemists.
Rao’s work on transition metal oxides led to basic understanding of novel phenomena and the relationship between materials properties and the structural chemistry of metal oxides.
At present, he is the Head of the Scientific Advisory Council to the Prime Minister of India.
Author of around 1500 research papers.
Authored and edited 45 books.
First Indian scientist to reach the h-index of 100.
One of the earliest to synthesize two-dimensional oxide materials such as La2CuO4.
Rao’s findings have resulted into a systematic study of compositionally controlled metal-insulator transitions. Such findings have emmensely helpes in fields such as colossal magneto resistance and high temperature superconductivity. Oxide semiconductors have uncommon promise.
Made good contribution to nano materials, apart from his work on hybrid materials.
What is h-index (also called the Hirsch index or Hirsch number)?
- h-index (also called the Hirsch index or Hirsch number) is a tool that measures the productivity and impact of the published work of a scientist or scholar.
- Based on the set of the scientist’s most cited papers and the number of citations that the individual has received in other publications.
- Physicist Jorge Hirsch was the first one to coin it in 2005.
- George Whitesides of Harvard University has an h-index of 169, which makes him the highest ranked living chemist.
Sachin Tendulkar chosen for the prestigious Bharat Ratna
Sachin Tendulkar chosen for the prestigious Bharat Ratna (India’s highest civilian award). Thus Tendulkar will be the first sportsperson ever to be honoured with Bharat Ratna.Tendulkar retired from all forms of cricket as the most successful batsman with 15,921 runs in 200 Tests and 18,426 runs in 463 matches in ODIs. He was the first batsman to get a double hundred in ODIs. His career of 24 years made him an inspiration for an entire nation.
The eligibility criteria of the Bharat Ratna award was revised in 2012 to accommodate sportspersons as well. This was done especially on continuous demands for Tendulkar to be conferred the honour for a long time. Tendulkar became a Rajya Sabha member in 2012.
This year, Bharat Ratna is being given to Tendulkar along with Professor C.N.R.Rao, the man behind India’s maiden Mars mission.
The Bharat Ratna is being conferred after a long gap with classical vocalist Pandit Bhimsen Joshi being the last recipient in 2008.
Sushmita Sen conferred with Mother Teresa Memorial International Award for Social Justice 2013
NGO the Harmony Foundation honored former Miss Universe Sushmita Sen with the Mother Teresa Memorial International Award 2013 for her efforts towards achieving social justice in Mumbai. Along with Sushmita Sen, seven individuals and an association, India
Rescue Mission, were also awarded the Mother Teresa Memorial
International Award for Social Justice 2013 for their contributions in
the field of human rights and community development.
List of Awardees of Mother Teresa Memorial International Award for Social Justice 2013 :
- Sushmita Sen: Social Activist and Bollywood actress
- Dr Sudarshan Hanumappa: Tribal rights’ activist
- Diep Saeeda: Lahore-based human rights activist
- Cedric Prakash: Social Activist
- Sindhutai Sapkal: Mother of Orphans
- Arunachalam Muruganantham: Social Activist
- India Rescue Mission: An association for human rights
- Maulana Mehmood Madani: Social activist
- Sam Childers: Rescuer of young boys and girls from Sudan
France confers top civilian honor on Anjali Gopalan
France conferred its highest civilian award ‘Chevalier de la Legion d’Honneur’ on social worker and founder of NGO Naz Foundation Anjali Gopalan for her work on transgenders and HIV positive patients.
She started her carrer as a social worker and worked on issues related to HIV/AIDS and marginalized communities in New York, United States.
The Naz Foundation was founded by her in 1994 which has since then brought positive changes the lives of transgenders, homosexuals and those with HIV positive.
Who is Anjali Gopalan?
Anjali Gopalan (56) is an Indian Human Rights and Animal Rights activist, founder and executive director of The Naz Foundation (India) Trust, an NGO dedicated to the fight against the HIV/AIDS epidemic in India mainly focused on women and children.She started her carrer as a social worker and worked on issues related to HIV/AIDS and marginalized communities in New York, United States.
The Naz Foundation was founded by her in 1994 which has since then brought positive changes the lives of transgenders, homosexuals and those with HIV positive.
Finally Suu Kyi receives 1990 Sakharov prize
Myanmar’s
pro-democracy activist and parliamentarian Aung San Suu Kyi finally
collected the EU democracy prize that had been awarded 23 years ago
while she was under house arrest. The Sakharov Prize for freedom of
thought, named after Soviet dissident Andrei Sakharov, has been awarded
annually by the European Parliament since 1988.
Aung San Suu Kyi is a Burmese opposition politician and chairperson of the National League for Democracy (NLD) in Burma.
In 1988, she got caught up in Myanmar’s pro-democracy protests when she
returned to care for her ailing mother after years of living and
studying abroad. In 1990, she contested general election as the leader
of the NLD and won 59% of the national votes and 81% (392 of 485) of the
seats in Parliament. She remained under house arrest in Burma for
almost 15 of the 21 years from 1989 until her most recent release in
November 2010, becoming one of the world’s most prominent political prisoners. Suu Kyi was awarded the Rafto Prize and the Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought in 1990 and the Nobel Peace Prize in 1991.
Presently, Suu Kyi is a member of parliament after the 2010 elections brought to power pro-reforms President Thein Sein. She has expressed hopes of becoming Myanmar’s next president, although this would require constitutional changes ahead of the 2015 elections. She has urged the EU to push more strongly for amendments to the Myanmar constitution, which according to her is hindering a full democratization of the country.
About Aung San Suu Kyi
Aung San Suu Kyi is a Burmese opposition politician and chairperson of the National League for Democracy (NLD) in Burma.
In 1988, she got caught up in Myanmar’s pro-democracy protests when she
returned to care for her ailing mother after years of living and
studying abroad. In 1990, she contested general election as the leader
of the NLD and won 59% of the national votes and 81% (392 of 485) of the
seats in Parliament. She remained under house arrest in Burma for
almost 15 of the 21 years from 1989 until her most recent release in
November 2010, becoming one of the world’s most prominent political prisoners. Suu Kyi was awarded the Rafto Prize and the Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought in 1990 and the Nobel Peace Prize in 1991.Presently, Suu Kyi is a member of parliament after the 2010 elections brought to power pro-reforms President Thein Sein. She has expressed hopes of becoming Myanmar’s next president, although this would require constitutional changes ahead of the 2015 elections. She has urged the EU to push more strongly for amendments to the Myanmar constitution, which according to her is hindering a full democratization of the country.
The Sakharov Prize
- The Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought, named after Soviet scientist and dissident Andrei Sakharov, was established in December 1988 by the European Parliament as a means to honour individuals or organisations who have dedicated their lives to the defence of human rights and freedom of thought.
- The first prize was awarded jointly to South African Nelson Mandela and Russian Anatoly Marchenko.
- The Sakharov Prize is usually awarded annually on or around December 10, the day on which the United Nations General Assembly ratified the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948, also celebrated as Human Rights Day.
First Genesis Prize “Jewish Nobel Prize” to New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg
New
York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg has been selected for the
inaugural Genesis Prize – an award popularly dubbed the Jewish Nobel Prize given by the Government of Israel. Bloomberg has been chosen for the award in recognition to his long record of public service and philanthropy. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will present the prize to Bloomberg in May 2014 in Israel.Genesis Prize – The Jewish Nobel Prize
The Genesis Prize is instituted by the Government of Israel, the Jewish Agency for Israel and the Genesis Philanthropy Group. It is awarded to individuals who have achieved international recognition in their professional field, the worlds of science and the arts. The award carries $1 million and presented annually by the Prime Minister of Israel at a ceremony in Jerusalem.The award seeks to emphasize across the Jewish community and the world at large the significance of Jewish values to the fulfillment of human potential and to the betterment of the world. This way, it intends to strengthen the Jewish identity of young Jews across the world who are rapidly assimilating and losing connection to the Jewish people and their rich heritage.
Manna Dey, the Legendary singer passed away
Prabodh Chandra Dey ( a.k.a. “Manna Dey“) (94) passed away.Manna Dey was a versatile Indian playback singer. Manna Dey sang mainly in Hindi and Bengali. He also recorded songs in several other Indian languages like Bhojpuri, Punjabi, Assameese, Oriya, Gujarathi, Marathi, Kannada, Malayalam.
Debut as a playback singer in the film Tamanna (1942)
Career (years active) : 1942-2013
Recorded more than 4000 songs
Some key Awards:
- Dadasaheb Phalke Award (2007)
- Padma Bhushan (2005)
- Padma Shri (1971)
First National Yash Chopra Memorial Award presented to Lata Mangeshkar
Legendary vocalist Lata Mangeshkar was presented the first national
Yash Chopra Memorial Award by the Ministry of Information and
Broadcasting as a mark of tribute to the legendary filmmaker Yash Chopra
on the eve of his first death anniversary.The Yash Chopra Memorial Award:
Instituted by the TSR Foundation of T. Subbarami Reddy.
It carries a cheque of Rs 1 million and a citation.
It will be presented annually to people in recognition of their outstanding contribution in the field of art and culture.
First National Yash Chopra Memorial Award presented to Lata Mangeshkar
Legendary vocalist Lata Mangeshkar was presented the first national
Yash Chopra Memorial Award by the Ministry for Information and
Broadcasting as a mark of tribute to the legendary filmmaker Yash Chopra
on the eve of his first death anniversary.
The Yash Chopra Memorial Award:
- Instituted by the TSR Foundation of T. Subbarami Reddy.
- It carries a cheque of Rs 1 million and a citation.
- It will be presented annually to people in recognition of their outstanding contribution in the field of art and culture.
New Zealand author Eleanor Catton wins 2013 Booker Prize
New Zealand author Ms Eleanor Catton became the youngest winner of the Man Booker Prize for fiction. She claimed the award for her novel “The Luminaries”.“The Luminaries” is the longest book ever to win the Booker Prize .
Ms Eleanor Catton is the youngest author ever to win the Booker Prize.
Eugene Fama wins Nobel in Economics for his Efficient Market Hypothesis (EMH)
American Economist Eugene Fama won the Nobel prize for economics for developing new methods to study trends in asset markets. He is one of the three American Economists who won Nobel Prize for Economic Sciences. He shared Nobel for Economic Sciences jointly with Robert Shiller and Lars Peter Hansen.
Eugene Francis “Gene” Fama is known for his work on portfolio theory and asset pricing. Fama is regarded as the father of the “Efficient Market Hypothesis”. In 1970 issue of the Journal of Finance, entitled “Efficient Capital Markets: A Review of Theory and Empirical Work,” Fama gave the concept of EMH (Efficient Market Hypothesis).
What is EMH (Efficient Market Hypothesis)?
It is a hypothesis, which says that no person can perform better than the Market itself without taking more risk than the market, because every information is built in the market itself. In simple words we can say: Financial markets are “informationally efficient” i.e. that price of an asset reflects all information about an asset. Thus, it is virtually impossible to regularly predict asset prices and “beat the market” i.e. generate returns that are higher than overall market on average without incurring more risk than the market.As per this hypothesis, stocks on a stock exchange always trade at fair market value, thus it is impossible for any investor to purchase an undervalued stocks or sell a stock for inflated prices. The only means by which an investor can obtain higher returns is via purchasing taking more risk.
Reading the market is impossible because the stocks are already accurately priced and reflect all available information. Therefore it is impossible to make profit with any trading strategy. Theoretically impossible to make profit from any trading strategy. Thus, there is no way to identify a bargain stock or use past stock price movements to predict future prices. The only way to earn higher returns than those of an index is by purchasing higher risk investments.
So if Ramesh wants to buy a share of Infosys at Rs 3,000 per share he will not be able to make any profit because as per the EMH the intrinsic value of a share of Infosys is Rs 3,000 per share, so Ramesh will not be able to profit from a potential under-valued or over-priced share of Infosys.
3 forms of Efficiencies as per EMH (Efficient Market Hypothesis):-
1) Weak Form Efficiency2) Semi-Strong Form Efficiency
3) Strong Form Efficiency
In weak-form efficiency, it is said that one can’t predict future prices by analyzing prices from past i.e. historical data. Thus, one cannot earn excess return for long time by his/her strategy based on historical share prices.
In semi-strong-form efficiency, it is said that a share’s price adjust itself to all publicly available new information, thus one cannot earn one cannot earn excess return for long time by his/her strategy based on publicly available information.
In strong-form efficiency, it is said that a share’s price reflects all information, public and private, and no one can earn excess returns for long time by his/her strategy based on all publicly available information and historical data.
What do the critics say about Efficient Market Hypothesis (EMH)?
EMH is highly controversial and often disputed.There are several reasons why EMH may be incorrect:-
- All investors come to know of information differently and will thus have different valuations of the stock.
- Stocks take time to respond to new information, investors who receive or act on this information first can take advantage of it
- Stock prices can be affected by human error and emotional decision making.
- Investors like Warren Buffet have proven that they can profit from market consistently over long periods of time
- If EMH is true, then investors should place all their assets in index funds and thus they will earn same returns as overall market and focus on minimizing their risk.
Nobel Peace Prize 2013 goes to OPCW
The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) won the Nobel Peace Prize 2013 for its extensive efforts to eliminate chemical weapons. The award was announced by Nobel Committee chairman Thorbjoern Jagland.
What is OPCW? What are its award-winning efforts?
- The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) is an independent, international body established in 1997 to implement the Chemical Weapons Convention. It has a working relationship with the UN.
- The organization is currently working in destroying Syria’s chemical weapons stockpiles which marks as the first time the OPCW is working in a war zone.
- It conducts inspections of destruction procedures, as well as evaluating members’ own declarations, in order to examine that the convention is being followed.
- Its headquarters are in The Hague, Netherland and it consists of 189 member nations, covering around 98% of the global population. These member states have agreed to work together to create a world free from chemical weapons.
- Current Director-General of the OPCW: Ahmet Uzumcu
Karan Thapar wins International Press Institute India award
Karan Thapar, well-known television journalist, has been honored with the International Press Institute (IPI) India
Award for Excellence in Journalism. The jury for this award chose Mr.
Thapar ‘for his sharp interviews on the Devil’s Advocate programme on
CNN IBN’.MS Swaminathan to be honored with Indira Gandhi Award for National Integration for the Year 2012
Famous agricultural scientist MS Swaminathan has been selected for the Indira Gandhi Award for National Integration for the year 2012.
About MS Swaminathan
About MS Swaminathan
- Indian geneticist and former member of Rajya Sabha.
- Contributed in revitalizing agricultural in the country and led the nation to achieve green revolution.
- Previously served as Director of the Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi.
- Also served as Director General of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research and Secretary to the Government of India, Department of Agricultural Research and Education.
Malala Yousafzai wins EU’s Sakharov Prize 2013
Pakistani teen activist Malala Yousafzai, who survived bullet-injury inflicted by the Taliban for championing girls’ education has won the European Union’s (EU) Sakharov Human Rights Prize 2013. Past
winners of the Sakharov Prize include South African anti apartheid hero
Nelson Mandela and former UN secretary general Kofi Annan.
The Sakharov Prize
- The Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought, named after Soviet scientist and dissident Andrei Sakharov, was established in December 1988 by the European Parliament as a means to honour individuals or organisations who have dedicated their lives to the defence of human rights and freedom of thought.
- The first prize was awarded jointly to South African Nelson Mandela and Russian Anatoly Marchenko.
-
The Sakharov Prize is usually awarded annually on or around December 10, the day on which the United Nations General Assembly ratified the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948,also celebrated as Human Rights Day.
Chemistry Nobel 2013 to Levitt, Karplus and Warshel
The Nobel Prize in Chemistry for 2013 will be shared by Michael Levitt, a British and US citizen, US-Austrian Martin Karplus and US-Israeli Arieh Warshel. As per Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences who announces the names for the awards, the Nobel Laureates in Chemistry 2013 have made it possible to map the mysterious ways of chemistry by using computers.
What are the Nobel winning contributions of Levitt, Karplus and Warshel?
The trio has been credited for the development of multi scale models for complex chemical systems.
They devised computer simulations to understand chemical processes. Their works laid the foundations for new kinds of pharmaceuticals and contributed to exploring multiple options in cyber space.
They devised computer simulations to understand chemical processes. Their works laid the foundations for new kinds of pharmaceuticals and contributed to exploring multiple options in cyber space.
Rothman, Schekman and Sudhof to share Nobel Prize 2013 for Physiology or Medicine
The Nobel committee has announced the winners of the 2013 Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine. The Prize has been awarded to three scientists, James E. Rothman, Randy W. Schekman and Thomas C. Sudhof, all based in the USA for working out how biological cells organize and transport the many molecules they need to function.
What were the discoveries of these scientists which won them medicine Nobel Prize?
- James E. Rothman, Randy W. Schekman and Thomas C. Sudhof have been awarded the Prize for the discoveries of machinery regulating vesicle traffic.
What are vesicles and how they work?
- Vesicles are tiny, membrane-enclosed sacs that bud off from one membrane and fuse with another within the cell. The vesicles gather their cargo- membrane components and soluble molecules- from the donor compartment during the budding process. They deliver the cargo to the target compartment by fusing.
Importance:
- The cargo-carrying and delivery capacity of vesicles is important as molecules transported can’t pass through a membrane on their own.
- The principle of vesicle transport and fusion is the same in organisms as different as yeast and human.
Criticality:
- Vesicle transport is vital for a variety of physiological process – brain signaling to release hormones.
Implications:
- Defective vesicle transport occurs in a various diseases including a number of neurological and immunological disorders, as well as diabities
Nobel physics Prize 2013 goes to Englert and Higgs
The Nobel Prize in physics has been announced to be given to physicists Francois Englert of Belgium and Peter Higgs of Britain for their theoretical discoveries on how subatomic particles acquire mass.
What is the special contribution of Englert and Higgs to physics?
Both the scientists have been credited for their theoretical works on Higgs boson which
they theorized in 1960s. They proposed a mechanism to explain why the
most basic building blocks of the Universe have mass. Their theories
were confirmed last year by the discovery of the so-called Higgs
particle or ‘God-particle’, also known as the Higgs boson, at the famous CERN(European Organization for Nuclear Research) laboratory in Geneva. But it would still take decades for the scientists at CERN to confirm its existence.
Anna Hazare receives Allard Prize for International Integrity
Indian social activist Anna Hazare has been honored with the inaugural Allard Prize for International Integrity conferred by the University of British Columbia’s Faculty of Law at a function held in Vancouver, Canada.
The Allard Prize is one of the world’s largest awards recognizing efforts to fight corruption and to promote human rights.
The Allard Prize is awarded to an
individual, movement or organization that has displayed extraordinary
courage and leadership in combating corruption, especially through
promoting transparency, accountability and the rule of law. The prize
money for the award is $100,000.
Raghuram Rajan awarded with the Deutsche Bank Prize
Reserve Bank of India Governor Raghuram Rajan was awarded with the Deutsche Bank Prize for Financial Economics 2013.
The award has been given in recognition to his academic contributions
in macro economics research which influenced financial and
macro-economic policies around the globe.Raghuram Rajan revealed that the relationship between the financial sector and the rest of the economy is so complex and it is not good enough to simply look at the size of the financial sector in relation to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP), as is done so often. Raghuram Rajan also had forecasted the financial crises of 2008 in 2005, three years ahead of global financial crises.
Miss Philippines Megan Young is Miss World 2013
Miss Philippines Megan Young was crowned Miss World 2013 at a pageant held at Indonesia’s
resort island of Bali amid tight security due to threats of attack from
Muslim conservatives. The pageant witnessed participation of 127
contestants from various countries.Miss France Marine Lorphelin and Miss Ghana, Carranzar Naa Okailey Shooter were positioned second and third respectively. Miss India World Navneet Kaur Dhillon failed to make it to the Top 10 but won the title of Miss Multimedia.
Navneet Kaur Dhillon bags Multimedia Award at the Miss World 2013
Pond’s Femina Miss India World 2013 Navneet Kaur Dhillon won the Multimedia Award at the Miss World 2013 held in Bali, Indonesia.
The Multimedia Award is given on the
basis that how participants presented their web section of the Miss
World website and a Facebook page through which they interact with fans
through status updates, photos and videos.
‘The Good Road’ is India’s entry for Oscar
The selection panel appointed Film Federation of India (FFI) has chosen filmmaker Gyan Correa’s Gujarati film “The Good Road” as India’s entry for the best foreign film category at the Academy Awards 2013. It is the first Gujarati film to have achieved this feat.Earlier this year, “The Good Road” had won the National Award for Best Feature Film (Gujarati).
The movie was selected among some very strong contenders including ” The Lunchbox”, “Bhaag Milkha Bhaag”, ” English Vinglish”, ” Vishwaroopam”, Malayalam film “Celluloid” and Bengali film “Shabdo”.
Aamir Khan chosen for U.S. award for ‘Satyamev Jayate’
Bollywood
actor Aamir Khan has been chosen for a U.S. award for his television
show ‘Satyamev Jayate’ along with renowned American director Kathryn
Bigelow and the International Center on Nonviolent Conflict (ICNC). They will be awarded at the inaugural awards
by the America Abroad Media (AAM) in Washington DC. As per AAM, their
work exemplifies the power of media to inform, educate and empower
citizens about the critical social and public policy issues of our time.Current Affairs: Top Headlines September 6, 2013
Iran to set free Indian tanker after 24 days of detention
Iran ordered release of an Indian tanker
detained by it for the past 24 days at its Bandar Abbas port after
being seized in Persian Gulf while carrying crude from Basrah in Iraq.
The move comes after hectic negotiations between the two nations with India showing strong objections to the detention, saying it was a “colourable” exercise in violation of UN Convention on the Laws of the Sea (UNCLOS) and warning of serious consequences. The tanker belonging to India’s largest ocean liner SCI was impounded by Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) on August 12, 2013 citing environmental and pollution concerns.
Government will not breach 4.8% fiscal deficit: Finance Minister
Finance
minister P Chidambaram on Thursday reiterated that the fiscal
deficit of 4.8% budgeted for the year 2013-14 will not be breached even
as he accepted that the economy was going through a challenging period and that continuous decline in the rupee was a concern.
National Tobacco control program to be expanded to cover all districts
The National
Tobacco control program which is currently operational in 42 districts
of the country will soon be extended to all districts of the country
during the 12th plan. The health ministry is pursuing with the finance ministry on developing a taxation policy on all tobacco products. The government started the National Tobacco control program in 2007 during the 11th
plan period . The programme has taken several initiatives to curb
tobacco use in the country. These include establishing a National
Regulatory Authority, State and district level Tobacco Control cells,
Anti Tobacco Public Awareness Campaigns, establishment of tobacco
testing labs, research, training, monitoring and evaluation to check the
use of Tobacco in the country
Zubin Mehta conferred with Tagore Award for Cultural Harmony
Renowned western classical music maestro Zubin Mehta was conferred with the Tagore Award for Cultural Harmony for year 2013. The award was presented by President
Pranab Mukherjee at a lively function at Rashtrapati Bhavan. Mehta is
second person after late sitar maestro Pandit Ravi Shankar to receive
Tagore Award for cultural harmony.
BRICS to contribute $100 bn to Forex fund
The BRICS group
of nations will commit $100 billion to a fighting fund to stabilize
currency markets destabilised by an expectations of tapering of U.S.
monetary stimulus. The major portion of the currency pool will come from
China which holds world’s largest foreign exchange reserves.
Deepak Sandhu: First woman Chief Information Commissioner of India
Deepak Sandhu, former Indian Information
Service officer of 1971 batch, became the first woman Chief Information
Commissioner of the country. She was administered the oath of office by
President Pranab Mukherjee at a function in Rashtrapati Bhavan.
IOC not ready to compromise on chargesheet clause, delays India’s return to Olympic
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has clarified that the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) has to adopt the chargesheet clause in its constitution which bars charge-sheeted persons from contesting elections for key posts of the sports
body. The stand taken by IOC has further delayed India’s return to
Olympic group. IOA had proposed a compromise formula according to which
the sanction will apply only to those officials who are convicted and
sentenced to a jail term of more than two years.
Crisis risks are high in Pakistan: IMF
IMF suggested Pakistan
to bring in comprehensive economic reforms to tackle the ‘serious
economic challenges’ its faces amid subpar growth and unsustainable
fiscal and balance of payments positions. The International Monetary
Fund suggested it after approving financial assistance of $6.7 billion
to Pakistan to save it from economic crisis.
Banks agree to be lenient towards mining dependent loan defaulters
In a meeting of RBI and other banks in
Goa, banks agreed to be soft towards mining dependent loan defaulters.
They resolved “not to be harsh on the defaulters till March next year“.
Banks took into account the fact that mining business
in the state is in a state of impasse. As per government data, the
loan liability of people dependent on mining activity is around Rs 1,734
crore, of which Rs 570 crore is NPAs through various banks, including
cooperative and urban banks. The state government has also decided to
exempt road tax for mining related trucks.
Sub-debt ratings of 11 Indian banks downgraded by Moody’s
The subordinated debt ratings of 11 Indian banks including SBI, ICICI Bank and HDFC Bank have been downgraded by Moody’s Investors Service. The other banks affected are Axis Bank, Bank of Baroda, Bank of India, Canara Bank, IDBI Bank, Indian Overseas Bank, Syndicate Bank
and Union Bank of India. The downgrade has been keeping in mind the
increasing international trend of imposing losses on holders of subdebt
securities as a pre-condition for distressed banks to receive government
support. As a result, Moody’s assumes that Indian government support is
less likely to be approaching for the holders of such securities.
International Children’s Peace Prize 2013 goes to Malala Yousafzai
Famous Pakistani brave girl and activist Malala Yusafzai who was shot in head by Taliban for campaigning for girls’ right to education, has won the prestigious International Children’s Peace Prize 2013. She is currently living in Britain where she was given life-saving treatment.
About International Children’s Peace Prize:
The International Children’s Peace Prize is awarded every year to a child who has made a remarkable contribution to advocating children’s rights and improving the condition of vulnerable children such as orphans, child labourers and children with HIV/AIDS.Who established International Children’s Peace Prize ?
The prize was established by the Kids Rights Foundation, an international children’s aid and advocacy organization based in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.Who was the first child to get International Children’s Peace Prize?
In 2005, the first International Children’s Peace Prize was awarded to Nkosi Johnson posthumously. He was a South African boy who brought international attention to children with HIV/AIDS and founded the Nkosi’s Haven home for HIV-positive mothers and children.List of Awardees for Khel Ratna and Arjuna Award announced
The selection committee for Khel Ratna and Arjuna Award has released the list of awardees for both the honors for year 2013.
As per the release, double trap shooter Ronjan Sodhi, who is the first Indian to win 2 back-to-back World Cup gold medals at the 2010 and 2011 editions in Turkey and UAE respectively, has been recommended for the prestigious Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award. Sodhi had already been conferred with the Arjuna award in 2009.
Gagan Narang had been presented the award in 2011 followed by Vijay Kumar in 2012. Vijay, a London Olympics silver medalist, was the joint winner along with wrestler Yogeshwar Dutt who won a bronze at the same event.
Virat Kohli (Cricket), Chekrovolu Swuro (Archery), Renjith Maheshwary (Athletics), P V Sindhu (Badminton), Kavita Chahal (Boxing), Rupesh Shah (Snooker), Gaganjeet Bhullar (Golf), Saba Anjum (Hockey), Rajkumari Rathore (Shooting), Joshna Chinappa (Squash), Mouma Das (Table Tennis), Neha Rathi (Wrestling), Dharmendra Dalal (Wrestling), Amit Kumar Saroha (Athletics).
As per the release, double trap shooter Ronjan Sodhi, who is the first Indian to win 2 back-to-back World Cup gold medals at the 2010 and 2011 editions in Turkey and UAE respectively, has been recommended for the prestigious Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award. Sodhi had already been conferred with the Arjuna award in 2009.
Gagan Narang had been presented the award in 2011 followed by Vijay Kumar in 2012. Vijay, a London Olympics silver medalist, was the joint winner along with wrestler Yogeshwar Dutt who won a bronze at the same event.
Who are on the list of Arjuna Award 2013?
A total of 14 personalities have been recommended for Arjuna Award 2013 which are as follows:Virat Kohli (Cricket), Chekrovolu Swuro (Archery), Renjith Maheshwary (Athletics), P V Sindhu (Badminton), Kavita Chahal (Boxing), Rupesh Shah (Snooker), Gaganjeet Bhullar (Golf), Saba Anjum (Hockey), Rajkumari Rathore (Shooting), Joshna Chinappa (Squash), Mouma Das (Table Tennis), Neha Rathi (Wrestling), Dharmendra Dalal (Wrestling), Amit Kumar Saroha (Athletics).
Scientist Vinod Prakash Sharma honored with Gujar Mal Modi award
Scientist Vinod Prakash Sharma has been honored with the Gujar Mal Modi Award for Innovative Science and Technology 2013 for his achievements in malaria research, control and prevention, including other vector borne diseases.He is leading the Safe Water Campaign of the NASI (The National Academy of Sciences, India). His work on popularization of science, creating awareness and science education programmes of NASI are widely appreciated in the remote areas as well.
Parimarjan Negi regains Politiken Cup
Grandmaster Parimarjan Negi (Born: February 9, 1993 (age 20))put up a brilliant performance to regain the Politiken Cup chess Title in Copenhagen, Denmark. Parimarjan had recently won the DC International
Open in US and tied for the top place in the World Open. The youngest
international Grandmaster in chess won the same tournament in 2009. This
was Negi’s second title in the last three outings.Parimarjan Negi studies in the Amity International School and has won various tournaments there. Negi became the youngest Grandmaster in India on July 1, 2006 by drawing with Russian Grandmaster Ruslan Sherbakov and finished with six points from nine rounds of the Chelyabinsk Region Superfinal chess tournament in Satka.
- Parimarjan Negi replaces Pendyala Harikrishna as India’s youngest ever Grand Master.
Sugathakumari conferred with Saraswati Samman 2013
Noted Malayalam poetess Sugathakumari has been conferred with the prestigious Saraswati Samman 2012 for Manalezhuthu (the Writings on the Sand), a collection of poems in Malayalam.About Saraswati Samman Award
Saraswati Samman Award was instituted by KK Birla Foundation in 1991 to honor outstanding literary work in any Indian language which is the part of Eighth Schedule of the Constitution. The Award is recognized as the most prestigious and the highest literary honor in the country. The award carries cash prize of 10 lakh Rupees, a plaque as well as a citation.Note: Ismat Chughtai was the first person to receive Saraswati Samman for his work in Urdu Literature.
Simons Investigators Awards 2013 to four Indian-Americans
Four Indian American Professors Kannan Soundararajan, Rajeev Alur, Salil P Vadhan and Senthil Todadri are among the 13 mathematicians, theoretical physicists and theoretical computer scientists who have won 2013 Simons Investigators Awards.
People Awarded with their field of Study:
Its aim is to advance the lines of research in mathematics and basic sciences. The Simons Investigators program provides a stable base of support for outstanding scientists, enabling them to undertake long-term study of fundamental questions.
About Simons Investigators:
Simons Investigators are outstanding theoretical scientists who receive long-term research support from the Simons Foundation. A Simons Investigator is appointed for an initial period of five years with possible renewal for a further five years. An Investigator will receive research support of $100,000 per year, with an additional $10,000 per year provided to the Investigator’s department. The Investigator’s institution will receive 20% for indirect costs.
People Awarded with their field of Study:
- Physics
- Computer Science
- Mathematics
Why Simons Investigators Awards are given?
Simons Investigators Awards 2013 were announced by the New York-based Simons Foundation, which is a non-profit organisation. The foundation was incorporated in 1994 by Jim and Marilyn Simons.Its aim is to advance the lines of research in mathematics and basic sciences. The Simons Investigators program provides a stable base of support for outstanding scientists, enabling them to undertake long-term study of fundamental questions.
About Simons Investigators:
Simons Investigators are outstanding theoretical scientists who receive long-term research support from the Simons Foundation. A Simons Investigator is appointed for an initial period of five years with possible renewal for a further five years. An Investigator will receive research support of $100,000 per year, with an additional $10,000 per year provided to the Investigator’s department. The Investigator’s institution will receive 20% for indirect costs.
Indonesia’s Corruption Eradication Commission wins “Ramon Magsaysay Award”
Indonesia’s Corruption Eradication Commission has been conferred with the Ramon Magsaysay Award for its successful campaign against corruption in Indonesia.
What is the special achievement of the Corruption Eradication Commission of Indonesia?
The Corruption Eradication Commission or KPK as it is generally known in Indonesia, has prosecuted nearly 100 government officials and others since its first investigations in 2003 and has a perfect conviction record.Other Magsaysay Award winners for 2013:
- Ernesto Domingo: A pioneering doctor from the Philippines
- Lahpai Seng Raw: Aid worker in Myanmar
- Habiba Sarabi: Afghanistan’s only female governor
- Shakti Samuha: Anti-trafficking organization in Nepal.
About Ramon Magsaysay Award:
The Ramon Magsaysay Award Foundation was named after third president of the Philippines and an Asian equivalent of the Nobel Prize. The Magsaysay awards have been granted annually since 1958 to people and organizations for excellent public service and integrity.RealVNC is the winner of MacRobert Award
RealVNC was awarded the Royal Academy of Engineering MacRobert Award for outstanding innovation, commercial success and contribution to society.About MacRobert Award:
- The MacRobert Award is the UK’s longest running and most prestigious national prize for engineering innovation.
About RealVNC:
- RealVNC is the most widely ported software application which is remote access software.
- RealVNC’s technology allows a computer screen to be remotely accessed and controlled from another device.
- It is officially part of the internet including web and email protocols.
- RealVNC collaborates with leading players in the technology industry, including Intel to integrate VNC on chips for PCs and laptops; and Google, who license VNC technology and expertise to enable remote access functionality from its Chrome products.
- It is also recognized as the standard for integrating smartphones with in-vehicle infotainment systems.
Indian woman scientist Sunetra Gupta’s portrait to be displayed in UK
Kolkata (India) born chemist and physicist Sunetra Gupta has joined leading female scientists like Marie Curie at the art exhibition at the prestigious Royal Society.The exhibition titled “Does it Make a Difference?” displays drawings made by few great artists to celebrate the leading women in the field of science.
About Sunetra Gupta:
- Born in 1965 in Kolkata, completed her education from University of London, Princeton University.
- She is now a professor at Oxford University.
- Her major area of work is the evolution of diversity in pathogens with a major focus on the infectious disease agents that are responsible for malaria, influenza and bacterial meningitis.
- The writer scientist has a simultaneous career as a novelist as well and has written five highly praised novels. In 1970s and 80s and wrote her first works of fiction in Bengali. She was highly praised for her works such as “Moonlight into Marzipan”, “The Glassblower’s Breath” and “So Good in Black”.
- She won the Royal Society Rosalind Franklin Award for her scientific achievements.
‘Major Port of the Year’ award goes to Paradip
Paradip
port has been honored with the ‘Major Port of the Year’ award in
recognition of its excellent performance in 2012-13. In 2012-13, PPT
handled a total of 56.55 million tonnes of traffic, up from 54.25 mt in
2011-12. Also, during the year, the port added 22 mt of capacity
bringing the total to 102 mt.Where is Paradip Port?
Paradip is a major seaport town and a designated notified area in Jagatsinghpur district of Odisha, India. Paradip Port is one of the Major Ports of India serving the Eastern and Central parts of the country. Its hinterland extends to the States of Odisha, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh and Bihar. The Port mainly deals with bulk cargo apart from other clean cargoes.Which are the Major Ports of India?
Following are the major Ports in India along with their specialities.
Western Coast
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Eastern Coast
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Kandla (child of partition)
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Kolkata-Haldia (riverine port)
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Mumbai (busiest and biggest)
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Paradip (exports raw iron to Japan)
|
Jawahar Lal Nehru (fastest growing)
|
Vishakjapatnam (deepest port)
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Marmugao (naval base also)
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Chennai (oldest and artifical)
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Mangalore (exports Kudremukh iron-ore)
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Ennore (most modern-in private hands)
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Cochin (natural Harbour)
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Tuticorin (southernmost )
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German ‘Whistleblower Prize’ to Edward Snowden
Former NSA contractor Edward Snowden, who uncovered the
most extensive US global electronic surveillance programmes, has been
awarded German “Whistleblower Prize” for year 2013 worth $3,900 in
absentia.
The prize jury recognized Snowden’s great public service exposing the massive and unsuspecting monitoring and storage of communication data by US and other western intelligence agencies, which cannot be accepted in democratic societies. The jury acknowledged that Snowden took great personal risks in leaking the documents on the operations of the US and other western intelligence agencies, aware of the current criminal prosecution of whistleblowers in security areas.
The prize jury recognized Snowden’s great public service exposing the massive and unsuspecting monitoring and storage of communication data by US and other western intelligence agencies, which cannot be accepted in democratic societies. The jury acknowledged that Snowden took great personal risks in leaking the documents on the operations of the US and other western intelligence agencies, aware of the current criminal prosecution of whistleblowers in security areas.
About German Whistleblower Prize:
The Whistleblower Prize was instituted in 1999 by the German section of the International Association of Lawyers Against Nuclear Arms (IALANA) and the Association of German Scientists. It is awarded once in two years to honor persons, who “expose in public interest grave social injustices and dangerous developments for individuals and the society, democracy, peace and environment“.Tagore Award to be conferred on Zubin Mehta
Zubin Mehta, western classical music conductor of Indian-Parsi origin, will be honored with the Tagore Award for Cultural Harmony 2013
in recognition of his outstanding contribution to cultural harmony. He
has been unanimously chosen for this by a four-member jury — led by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and comprising Chief Justice of India Justice Altamas Kabir, Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj and former Governor Gopalkrishna Gandhi.IIFA Awards 2013 Winners
The winners of the 14th IIFA Awards 2013 (International Indian Film Academy) under various categories were declared at an event held at Macau. The award winners and their respective categories are as follows:
· Best Actress: Vidya Balan for Kahaani
· Best Actor: Ranbir Kapoor for Barfi.
· Best Film: Barfi and the film also bagged 9 awards in technical category- Best Cinematography (Ravi Varman I.S.C.), Best Background Score (Pritam), Best Screenplay (Anurag Basu and Tani Basu), Best Production Design (Rajat Poddar), Best Song Recording (Eric Pillai), Best Sound Design (Shajith Koyeri), Best Sound Mixing (Debajit Changmai), Best Costume Designing (Aki Narula and Shefalina) and Best Make-Up (Uday Serali).
· Best Action and Best Dialogue: Gangs of Wasseypur
Best Editing: Kahaani (Namrata Rao)
· Best Choreography: Ganesh Acharya for Agneepath.
· Best Special Effects : Ek Tha Tiger
· Best Actress: Vidya Balan for Kahaani
· Best Actor: Ranbir Kapoor for Barfi.
· Best Film: Barfi and the film also bagged 9 awards in technical category- Best Cinematography (Ravi Varman I.S.C.), Best Background Score (Pritam), Best Screenplay (Anurag Basu and Tani Basu), Best Production Design (Rajat Poddar), Best Song Recording (Eric Pillai), Best Sound Design (Shajith Koyeri), Best Sound Mixing (Debajit Changmai), Best Costume Designing (Aki Narula and Shefalina) and Best Make-Up (Uday Serali).
· Best Action and Best Dialogue: Gangs of Wasseypur
Best Editing: Kahaani (Namrata Rao)
· Best Choreography: Ganesh Acharya for Agneepath.
· Best Special Effects : Ek Tha Tiger
Three Indian projects to receive U.N. public service awards
U.N. Public Service Awards will be given to three Indian projects for the year 2013. The awards are given for projects that fight poverty and promote sustainable development.
What are these Projects?
The projects are:
1. Project Mass Contact Programme of Kerala:
Launched in 2011 by Kerala government
Aim: Combating red tape and bureaucracy in administration
Key Achievements: Enables interaction b/w the people and the government by encouraging them to approach the government directly to get their concerns addressed without delay or corrupt practices. Under this programme, The CM visits each town and organizes massive events where people can address their queries personally. The programme has facilitated in improving accountability in the State. It has reduced the time usually taken to respond to complaints and actions and has expedited problem solving.
2. Project Swavalamban of District Administration of Dhanbad in Jharkhand:
It is an initiative of Dhanbad administration.
Aim : To improve disbursement of pensions in the district.
Key Achievements: Replaced the manual process of disbursement in the payment of pensions, particularly registration of new pensioners by automating payment and creation of direct cash transfers into pensioners’ bank accounts. It reduced the time from three months to three days. Payment through Business Correspondent in remote rural areas has dramatically improved the delivery of services. Besides, the database of all pensioners was digitized with the help of new software.
3. Graamin Haat programme of Department of Cottage and Rural Industries in Madhya Pradesh:
Aim: Women Empowerment
Key Achievements: The Haat Development Committee that operates weekly markets (haats) is setting up Women Self Help Groups (WSHGs) that operate its own haats. Women now not only had an important place in the haat and thus in society but also control over resources. Now, there are 1,775 shops in 36 haats benefiting almost 1,800 sellers and 4,15,000 villagers from 217 villages. This endeavor has provided women an opportunity to acquire management skills, operate a business on their own and improve overall living conditions in their communities. This in turn imbued a new sense of self-confidence and earned them respect in the family and society. It has also allowed women to gradually become part of the governance of their community.
What are these Projects?
The projects are:
1. Project Mass Contact Programme of Kerala:
Launched in 2011 by Kerala government
Aim: Combating red tape and bureaucracy in administration
Key Achievements: Enables interaction b/w the people and the government by encouraging them to approach the government directly to get their concerns addressed without delay or corrupt practices. Under this programme, The CM visits each town and organizes massive events where people can address their queries personally. The programme has facilitated in improving accountability in the State. It has reduced the time usually taken to respond to complaints and actions and has expedited problem solving.
2. Project Swavalamban of District Administration of Dhanbad in Jharkhand:
It is an initiative of Dhanbad administration.
Aim : To improve disbursement of pensions in the district.
Key Achievements: Replaced the manual process of disbursement in the payment of pensions, particularly registration of new pensioners by automating payment and creation of direct cash transfers into pensioners’ bank accounts. It reduced the time from three months to three days. Payment through Business Correspondent in remote rural areas has dramatically improved the delivery of services. Besides, the database of all pensioners was digitized with the help of new software.
3. Graamin Haat programme of Department of Cottage and Rural Industries in Madhya Pradesh:
Aim: Women Empowerment
Key Achievements: The Haat Development Committee that operates weekly markets (haats) is setting up Women Self Help Groups (WSHGs) that operate its own haats. Women now not only had an important place in the haat and thus in society but also control over resources. Now, there are 1,775 shops in 36 haats benefiting almost 1,800 sellers and 4,15,000 villagers from 217 villages. This endeavor has provided women an opportunity to acquire management skills, operate a business on their own and improve overall living conditions in their communities. This in turn imbued a new sense of self-confidence and earned them respect in the family and society. It has also allowed women to gradually become part of the governance of their community.
India vanquishes England to clinch ICC Champions Trophy
India defeated England in the final match played at Edgbaston in Birmingham city of Englnad to clinch the ICC Champions Trophy which was tournament’s last edition. India defeated Egland by 5 runs, giving their skipper M S Dhoni, the unique record of being the first captain to win three world titles.
Awards:
The Man of the Match and the ‘Golden Ball’ Award: Given to Indian all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja for picking the most number of wickets, 12, in the tournament.
The Golden Bat: Shikhar Dhawan, India’s left-handed batsman won this award for scoring the most runs in the tournament, 363 runs from five matches at an average of 90.75.
Awards:
The Man of the Match and the ‘Golden Ball’ Award: Given to Indian all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja for picking the most number of wickets, 12, in the tournament.
The Golden Bat: Shikhar Dhawan, India’s left-handed batsman won this award for scoring the most runs in the tournament, 363 runs from five matches at an average of 90.75.
International IT forum honors ‘UIDAI’ with 21st Century Achievement Award
The International Data Group (IDG) Computerworld Honours Program, Computerworld Honors Laureate has honored Government of India initiative UIDAI with 21st Century Achievement Award 2013 under the category ‘Economic Development’. The
award has been conferred in recognition to the pivotal role played by
UIDAI in leveraging technology to change people lives, streamline
delivery of welfare services and provide opportunity to people to
participate more fully in society.
The Computerworld Honors Program, recognizes and honours visionary application of Information Technology promoting positive social, economic and social change. Computerworld is honored to recognize the outstanding accomplishments of 2013 class of Laureates and to share their work.
The Computerworld Honors Program, recognizes and honours visionary application of Information Technology promoting positive social, economic and social change. Computerworld is honored to recognize the outstanding accomplishments of 2013 class of Laureates and to share their work.
Knighthood to Indian-origin sculptor Anish Kapoor
Indian-origin sculptor Anish Kapoor has been honoured with knighthood, one of the highest honours in Britain, by Queen Elizabeth II in her birthday honours list 2013 for services to Visual Arts.
Twenty-four other people of Indian-origin have also been chosen for honours including Jasvinder Sanghera, founder, Karma Nirvana, for services to victims of forced marriage and honour-based violence. She is made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE).
About Anish Kapoor:
Kapoor is regarded as one of the most influential and pioneering sculptors of his generation. He is widely known for his monumental public sculptures and his enigmatic sculptural forms that have been showcased all over the globe. He is also the first living British artist of Indian origin to take over the Royal Academy in 2009.
Twenty-four other people of Indian-origin have also been chosen for honours including Jasvinder Sanghera, founder, Karma Nirvana, for services to victims of forced marriage and honour-based violence. She is made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE).
About Anish Kapoor:
Kapoor is regarded as one of the most influential and pioneering sculptors of his generation. He is widely known for his monumental public sculptures and his enigmatic sculptural forms that have been showcased all over the globe. He is also the first living British artist of Indian origin to take over the Royal Academy in 2009.
American author Lydia Davis wins Man Booker International Prize 2013
American author Lydia Davis has been announced the winner of Man Booker International Prize 2013. She was chosen winner out of ten shortlisted authors.
About Man Booker International Prize 2013
The prize, worth £60,000, recognizes an authors’s achievement in fiction. It is awarded every two years to a living author who has published fiction either originally in English or whose work is available in translation in the English language. The prize is sponsored by Man Group plc, which also sponsors the Man Booker Prize for Fiction. Unlike the UK Man Booker Prize for Fiction, publishers cannot submit authors’ works for consideration. The Prize is significantly different in that it highlights one writer’s overall contribution to fiction on the world stage. The judges,who solely decide the winner, consider a writer’s body of work rather than a single novel.
About Lydia Davis:
Davis lives in New York. She is a professor of creative writing at the University at Albany and has had seven collections of short stories published. She has also translated a number of French classics, including Flaubert’s Madame Bovary and Proust’s Du Côté de Chez Swann. She has also written one novel, The End of the Story (1995).
About Man Booker International Prize 2013
The prize, worth £60,000, recognizes an authors’s achievement in fiction. It is awarded every two years to a living author who has published fiction either originally in English or whose work is available in translation in the English language. The prize is sponsored by Man Group plc, which also sponsors the Man Booker Prize for Fiction. Unlike the UK Man Booker Prize for Fiction, publishers cannot submit authors’ works for consideration. The Prize is significantly different in that it highlights one writer’s overall contribution to fiction on the world stage. The judges,who solely decide the winner, consider a writer’s body of work rather than a single novel.
About Lydia Davis:
Davis lives in New York. She is a professor of creative writing at the University at Albany and has had seven collections of short stories published. She has also translated a number of French classics, including Flaubert’s Madame Bovary and Proust’s Du Côté de Chez Swann. She has also written one novel, The End of the Story (1995).
Scripps National Spelling Bee contest: Indian-Americans dominate for 6th consecutive year
Indian-American Arvind Mahankali (13) won the Scripps National Spelling Bee contest, as children from the community created history by dominating the prestigious contest for the 6th year in a row, holding top three positions this year.
This is the sixth consecutive year that an Indian-American has won the contest, which was watched live by millions of people in the United States.
The Scripps National Spelling Bee (commonly called the National Spelling Bee) is an annual spelling bee held in the United States. Anyone who is in eighth grade or below and is under 16 years old is eligible for this contest. Participants from countries other than the U.S. must be regional spelling-bee winners as well. The winner of the Scripps National Spelling Bee receives a $30,000 cash prize
This is the sixth consecutive year that an Indian-American has won the contest, which was watched live by millions of people in the United States.
The Scripps National Spelling Bee (commonly called the National Spelling Bee) is an annual spelling bee held in the United States. Anyone who is in eighth grade or below and is under 16 years old is eligible for this contest. Participants from countries other than the U.S. must be regional spelling-bee winners as well. The winner of the Scripps National Spelling Bee receives a $30,000 cash prize
- A ‘spelling bee’ is a competition in which contestants are asked to spell words.
66th Cannes Film Festival: Top honor to ‘Blue is the Warmest Colour’
Recently concluded 66th Cannes Film Festival held in Cannes, France conferred honors on some of the best films from across the world. The top award- the Palme d’Or went to Blue is the Warmest Colour (La Vie D’Adèle Chapitres) directed by French-Tunisian filmmaker Abdellatif Kechiche.
The film which starred Adele Exarchopoulos and Lea Seydoux is cinematic adaptation of a novel by Julie Maroh.
Other Awards
The film which starred Adele Exarchopoulos and Lea Seydoux is cinematic adaptation of a novel by Julie Maroh.
Other Awards
- Grand Prix: Inside Llewyn Davis directed by Coen brothers
- Jury Prize: Like Father, Like Son directed by Hirokazu Kore-Eda
- Best Director Prize: Mexico’s Amat Escalante for his film Heli
- Best Actor prize: Bruce Dern for Nebraska
- Best Actress prize: Berenice Bejo of France for her role in The Past
Vyas Samman to Narendra Kohli and Ramdarash Mishra
Noted Hindi writers – Prof. Ramdarash Mishra and Dr. Narendra Kohli were honored with the Vyas Samman 2011 and 2012 respectively, for their outstanding contribution to Hindi literature.
Mishra (89) was awarded for his collections of poems Aam ke patte.
Kohli (73) was honored for his Na Bhooto Na Bhavishyati, a historical novel depicting Swami Vivekananda and the pursuit of the sanyasi for national unity.
About Vyas Samman:
It is an annual award established by the KK Birla Foundation is given to extraordinary Hindi literary works of an Indian citizen published during the last 10 years and could belong to any genre of literary writing like poetry, plays, novels, short stories, critiques etc. The award carries a citation, a plaque and Rs. 2.5 lakh prize.
Mishra (89) was awarded for his collections of poems Aam ke patte.
Kohli (73) was honored for his Na Bhooto Na Bhavishyati, a historical novel depicting Swami Vivekananda and the pursuit of the sanyasi for national unity.
About Vyas Samman:
It is an annual award established by the KK Birla Foundation is given to extraordinary Hindi literary works of an Indian citizen published during the last 10 years and could belong to any genre of literary writing like poetry, plays, novels, short stories, critiques etc. The award carries a citation, a plaque and Rs. 2.5 lakh prize.
‘Gershwin Prize’ to Carole King
US President Barack Obama honored legendary US singer-songwriter Carole King (71) with Gershwin Prize for a lifetime achievement in popular music. With this achievement King has become the first woman to be awarded the Gershwin Prize for Popular Song.
Who is Carole King?
Carole King is an American songwriter and singer-songwriter. King and her former husband Gerry Goffin wrote more than two dozen chart hits for numerous artists during the 1960s, many of which have become standards.
She is best known for penning hit songs such as Aretha Franklin’s (You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman. Her album Tapestry released in 1971 made her to become the first female solo artist to sell more than 10 million copies of a single album. The four-time Grammy winner co-wrote her first number one hit in 1960 aged 17 with Will You Love Me Tomorrow, recorded by The Shirelles.
Who is Carole King?
Carole King is an American songwriter and singer-songwriter. King and her former husband Gerry Goffin wrote more than two dozen chart hits for numerous artists during the 1960s, many of which have become standards.
She is best known for penning hit songs such as Aretha Franklin’s (You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman. Her album Tapestry released in 1971 made her to become the first female solo artist to sell more than 10 million copies of a single album. The four-time Grammy winner co-wrote her first number one hit in 1960 aged 17 with Will You Love Me Tomorrow, recorded by The Shirelles.
MP government conferred Lata Mangeshkar Samman Alankaran 2013 to Hariharan
The MP government has conferred the 28th Annual Lata Mangeshkar Samman Alankaran 2013 on famous playback singer Hariharan.
Hariharan is also the recipient of the Padma Shri. He gave his voice to
various songs in different languages including Hindi, Telugu, Bhojpuri,
Malayalam, Tamil, Kannada and Marathi.
Lata Mangeshkar Samman Alankaran
Lata Mangeshkar Samman Alankaran
- Instituted by Madhya Pradesh government in 1984.
- The award is conferred upon to the music composer and singer alternately.
- Music composer Naushad was the first to receive this award.
President presents National Florence Nightingale Award 2013
On the occasion of International Nurses Day on May 12, 2013, the President of India, Pranab Mukherjee, presented National Florence Nightingale Award 2013 to 35 nursing professionals for their services with devotion, sincerity, dedication and compassion.
About National Florence Nightingale Award
The Florence Nightingale Award was established by the Health Ministry to honour the selfless services rendered by Nurses with devotion, sincerity, dedication and compassion.
The Award is given to the outstanding nursing personnel employed in Central, State/UTs. Nurses working in Government, Voluntary Organizations, Mission institutions and private institutions can apply with due recommendation of concerned State Government. The Awardcarries Rs.50, 000/- cash, a certificate, a citation certificate and a Medal.
Ms Aparajita Datta, a wildlife biologist has won Whitley Award for a project to conserve “Hornbill” bird in Arunachal Pradesh State. Aparajita Datta is the Winner of the 2013 Whitley Award donated by WWF-UK.
‘Green Oscars’
DRAMA - "Disgraced" by Ayad Akhtar
HISTORY – "Embers of War: The Fall of an Empire and the Making of America’s Vietnam" by Fredrik Logevall (Random House),
BIOGRAPHY – "The Black Count: Glory, Revolution, Betrayal, and the Real Count of Monte Cristo" by Tom Reiss (Crown)
POETRY - "Stag’s Leap" by Sharon Olds
GENERAL NONFICTION – "Devil in the Grove: Thurgood Marshall, the Groveland Boys, and the Dawn of a New America" by Gilbert King (Harper)
MUSIC - "Partita for 8 Voices" by Caroline Shaw, recording released on October 30, 2012 (New Amsterdam Records)
Journalism
PUBLIC SERVICE – Sun Sentinel, Fort Lauderdale, FL
BREAKING NEWS REPORTING – The Denver Post Staff
INVESTIGATIVE REPORTING – David Barstow and Alejandra Xanic von Bertrab of The New York Times
EXPLANATORY REPORTING – The New York Times Staff
LOCAL REPORTING – Brad Schrade, Jeremy Olson and Glenn Howatt of the Star Tribune, Minneapolis
NATIONAL REPORTING – Lisa Song, Elizabeth McGowan and David Hasemyer of Inside Climate News, Brooklyn, NY
INTERNATIONAL REPORTING – David Barboza of The New York Times
FEATURE WRITING – John Branch of The New York Times
COMMENTARY - Bret Stephens of The Wall Street Journal
CRITICISM - Philip Kennicott of The Washington Post
EDITORIAL WRITING – Tim Nickens and Daniel Ruth of the Tampa Bay Times, St. Petersburg, FL
EDITORIAL CARTOONING – Steve Sack of the Star Tribune, Minneapolis
BREAKING NEWS PHOTOGRAPHY – Rodrigo Abd, Manu Brabo, Narciso Contreras, Khalil Hamra and Muhammed Muheisen of the Associated Press
FEATURE PHOTOGRAPHY – Javier Manzano, free-lance photographer, Agence France-Presse
33 year old Delhi-born Raj Chetty, a professor in the Department of Economy at the Harvard University whose ground-breaking work was quoted by US President Barack Obama in his 2012’s State of the Union Address, has won the esteemed John Bates Clark medal, oftentimes keyed as the ‘Baby Nobel’.
John Bates Clark medal “Baby Nobel”
Pran Krishan Sikand, popularly known as Pran, will be conferred with the prestigious Dadasaheb Phalke Award.
Pran is the 60th film personality to receive this honour. In 2011, Soumitra Chatterjee was honored with this award and then in the year 2012, no one was conferred this award.
Pran has acted in more than 350 films from 1942 – 2007 and is known as a movie villain and character actor in Hindi cinema.
Dadasaheb Phalke Award:
Legendary anti-British revolutionary and Chittagong Armory raid famed Binod Bihari Chowdhury (102) passed away.
Timeline:
Early 1930: Binod Bihari Chowdhury joined the anti-British revolutionary group “Jugantar” and came in close contact with Surya Sen (popularly called as “Master Da”) who was preparing for an armed uprising against the British Raj in Chittagong.
Their plan was to seize the 2 main British armouries in Chittagong, to destroy the telegraph and telephone office, raiding firearms retailers, cutting down rail and communication lines so as isolate Chittagong from rest of British India and finally assassinate the members of the "European Club", the bulk of whom were British officials involved in maintaining the British Raj in India. In the plan leader Surya Sen was accompanied by Binod Bihari and some others.
April 18, 1930: The plan was eventually executed at 10 p.m. Chittagong was freed from British India for 4 days (April 18 – 21, 2013). The Jugantar group attacked the armoury and managed to loot the arms, but they were unable to get the ammunition. On the premises of the armoury, they even hoisted the national flag.
The British Raj then sent a large army of troops in Chittagong.
April 22, 1930: The British troops cornered the revolutionaries in the nearby Jalalabad Hills and then attacked the hills. In the fight 12 revolutionaries and over eighty troops were killed. Binod Bihari Choudhary who was wounded at his neck was captured. Surya Sen managed to flee.
January-March 1932: Trial was held for the revolutionaries and all the captured revolutionaries including Binod Bihari Chowdhury were expatriated to the Duly Detention Camp in Rajputana.
1947: Chittagong became a part of East Pakistan subsequent to the partition of India in 1947 and Binod Bihari Chowdhury preferred to stay in his hometown and then participated actively in the politics of Bangladesh.
Function of CPAC: To approve applications for accreditation from the media, both Indian as well as foreign.
About National Florence Nightingale Award
The Florence Nightingale Award was established by the Health Ministry to honour the selfless services rendered by Nurses with devotion, sincerity, dedication and compassion.
The Award is given to the outstanding nursing personnel employed in Central, State/UTs. Nurses working in Government, Voluntary Organizations, Mission institutions and private institutions can apply with due recommendation of concerned State Government. The Awardcarries Rs.50, 000/- cash, a certificate, a citation certificate and a Medal.
Indira Goswami honored with Asom Ratna Award 2012
The President of India, Pranab Mukherjee honored legendary storyteller and prolific novelist Indira Goswami with the Asom Ratna Award for the year 2012 posthumously.
Sharmila Tagore received the Srimanta Shankardeva Award for the year 2008. It was given to her for her rich contribution to India’s cultural life as a goodwill ambassador for UNICEF and Chairperson of the Indian Film Censor Board.
Indira Goswamy who was also known as ‘Mamoni’ bravely advocated social change in a very unstable period in Assam’s history. She played a significant role as a mediator in negotiations b/w armed militants in Assam and the Government of India.
Who was Srimanta Sankardeva?
Swami Srimanta Shankardeva was an Assamese saint, scholar and social reformer who lived in the 15th and 16thcenturies. He started Neo-Vaishnava movement which rejected caste barriers and sought to create an egalitarian civil society based on the shared values of fraternity, equity, humanism and democracy.
Sharmila Tagore received the Srimanta Shankardeva Award for the year 2008. It was given to her for her rich contribution to India’s cultural life as a goodwill ambassador for UNICEF and Chairperson of the Indian Film Censor Board.
Indira Goswamy who was also known as ‘Mamoni’ bravely advocated social change in a very unstable period in Assam’s history. She played a significant role as a mediator in negotiations b/w armed militants in Assam and the Government of India.
Who was Srimanta Sankardeva?
Swami Srimanta Shankardeva was an Assamese saint, scholar and social reformer who lived in the 15th and 16thcenturies. He started Neo-Vaishnava movement which rejected caste barriers and sought to create an egalitarian civil society based on the shared values of fraternity, equity, humanism and democracy.
Wildlife biologist Aparajita Datt wins Whitley Award “Green Oscars” for her “Hornbill” project
Ms Aparajita Datta, a wildlife biologist has won Whitley Award for a project to conserve “Hornbill” bird in Arunachal Pradesh State. Aparajita Datta is the Winner of the 2013 Whitley Award donated by WWF-UK.‘Green Oscars’
- Whitley Awards – known as ‘Green Oscars’ are organized by ‘Whitley Fund for Nature ‘to recognize the conservators for their outstanding study in the field of conserving the nature, forest and environment.
- Hornbills are ecologically important as seed dispersers.
- The project’s inclusive approach transforms hunters into passionate guardians of nature.
- Expand the Hornbill Nest Adoption Programme from 9 to 14 villages and give local people a sense of ownership.
- Set up a pilot forest restoration project.
- Establish The Hornbill Nyishi Festival to popularize the role played by local tribes in conserving hornbills across the region.
- Publish various papers on tree species, forest logging, seed survival of bird and new bird species since 1998.
- Conserve and improve the status of the bird’s populations and spreading awareness of threat to ecological system.
- Organize a study and create awareness to conserve hornbills in the Indian Eastern Himalayas at the Nature Conservation Foundation (NCF), an NGO established in 1996.
- Daniel Letoiye: Restore grasslands for the coexistence of Grevy’s Zebra and free-ranging livestock, Kenya
- Zafer Kizilkaya: create first community-managed marine protected area in Gökova Bay, Turkey.
- Eugene Simonov: save the Amur River basin and wetlands in China, Russia and Mongolia.
- Ekwoge Abwe: Protection of the endangered great apes of Ebo Forest. Cameroon
- Aparajita Datta: conserve Hornbill bird, Arunachal Pradesh, India
- Zahirul Islam : Conserve sea turtle community, Bangladesh
- John Kahekwa: Protect last eastern lowland gorillas, Congo
- Cagan Sekercioglu: Conserve Turkey from the environment crises and succeeded in getting Turkey’s first bird nesting island built on the lake.
Jenita Mary Nongkynrih – A Woman scientist from Meghalaya gets ISRO award
This year’s ISRO Young Scientist Award was given to Jenita Mary Nongkynrih, a young woman scientist from Meghalaya.
Award: Citation and cash of Rs 50,000
Project: She was awarded for her Urban Information system project in the North East
Fast Facts about Jenita Mary:
Award: Citation and cash of Rs 50,000
Project: She was awarded for her Urban Information system project in the North East
Fast Facts about Jenita Mary:
- Currently working as a scientist at the North Eastern Space Applications Centre (NESAC),
- Holds a Master’s degree in Geography from North Eastern Hill University.
President gives away Padma awards
President Pranab Mukherjee gave away 54 Padma awards at a function in the Darbar hall of Rashtrapati Bhavan.
President awarded two Padma Vibhushan, 10 Padma Bhushan and 42 Padma Shree awards. The list of honours were announced January 2013. Nobody was named for the Bharat Ratna this year. The last awardee was the late Bhimsen Joshi in 2008.
Another ceremony is expected later for presentation of the awards to the remaining award winners.
Click Here to View the Full List of Padma Awards Winners 2013
President awarded two Padma Vibhushan, 10 Padma Bhushan and 42 Padma Shree awards. The list of honours were announced January 2013. Nobody was named for the Bharat Ratna this year. The last awardee was the late Bhimsen Joshi in 2008.
Another ceremony is expected later for presentation of the awards to the remaining award winners.
Click Here to View the Full List of Padma Awards Winners 2013
2013 Pulitzer Prize Winners
“The Orphan Master’s Son” – a novel based on North Korea by 
author Adam Johnson won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction.
author Adam Johnson won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction.
List of 2013 Pulitzer Prize Winners
Letters, Drama and Music
FICTION - "The Orphan Master’s Son" by Adam Johnson DRAMA - "Disgraced" by Ayad Akhtar
HISTORY – "Embers of War: The Fall of an Empire and the Making of America’s Vietnam" by Fredrik Logevall (Random House),
BIOGRAPHY – "The Black Count: Glory, Revolution, Betrayal, and the Real Count of Monte Cristo" by Tom Reiss (Crown)
POETRY - "Stag’s Leap" by Sharon Olds
GENERAL NONFICTION – "Devil in the Grove: Thurgood Marshall, the Groveland Boys, and the Dawn of a New America" by Gilbert King (Harper)
MUSIC - "Partita for 8 Voices" by Caroline Shaw, recording released on October 30, 2012 (New Amsterdam Records)
Journalism
PUBLIC SERVICE – Sun Sentinel, Fort Lauderdale, FL
BREAKING NEWS REPORTING – The Denver Post Staff
INVESTIGATIVE REPORTING – David Barstow and Alejandra Xanic von Bertrab of The New York Times
EXPLANATORY REPORTING – The New York Times Staff
LOCAL REPORTING – Brad Schrade, Jeremy Olson and Glenn Howatt of the Star Tribune, Minneapolis
NATIONAL REPORTING – Lisa Song, Elizabeth McGowan and David Hasemyer of Inside Climate News, Brooklyn, NY
INTERNATIONAL REPORTING – David Barboza of The New York Times
FEATURE WRITING – John Branch of The New York Times
COMMENTARY - Bret Stephens of The Wall Street Journal
CRITICISM - Philip Kennicott of The Washington Post
EDITORIAL WRITING – Tim Nickens and Daniel Ruth of the Tampa Bay Times, St. Petersburg, FL
EDITORIAL CARTOONING – Steve Sack of the Star Tribune, Minneapolis
BREAKING NEWS PHOTOGRAPHY – Rodrigo Abd, Manu Brabo, Narciso Contreras, Khalil Hamra and Muhammed Muheisen of the Associated Press
FEATURE PHOTOGRAPHY – Javier Manzano, free-lance photographer, Agence France-Presse
‘Baby Nobel’ or Won John Bates Clark Medal for Delhi-born US economist Raj Chetty
33 year old Delhi-born Raj Chetty, a professor in the Department of Economy at the Harvard University whose ground-breaking work was quoted by US President Barack Obama in his 2012’s State of the Union Address, has won the esteemed John Bates Clark medal, oftentimes keyed as the ‘Baby Nobel’.- Chetty is the first person of Indian-origin to win this award.
John Bates Clark medal “Baby Nobel”
- Awarded to an American economist under the age of 40 who is
adjudged to have made a “significant contribution to economic thought
and knowledge”.
Widely regarded as one of the field’s most prestigious awards, second only to the Nobel in economic science. - Was awarded biennially from 1947-2009
- From 2010 onwards it has been awarded annually.
- Amongst the previous winners of this prestigious award include Paul Krugman, Paul Samuelson, Milton Friedman, Joseph Stiglitz – all Nobel laureates.
- John Bates Clark Medal is called “Baby Nobel”, as every third winner one of this award has gone on to bag the Nobel award.
Dadasaheb Phalke award for legendary actor Pran
Pran Krishan Sikand, popularly known as Pran, will be conferred with the prestigious Dadasaheb Phalke Award.Pran is the 60th film personality to receive this honour. In 2011, Soumitra Chatterjee was honored with this award and then in the year 2012, no one was conferred this award.
Pran has acted in more than 350 films from 1942 – 2007 and is known as a movie villain and character actor in Hindi cinema.
Dadasaheb Phalke Award:
- India’s highest award in cinema
- Conferred yearly by the Government of India for lifetime contribution to Indian cinema.
- Award comprises a Swarna Kamal (Golden Lotus) medallion, a cash prize of INR 1 million and a shawl.
Binod Bihari Chowdhury
Legendary anti-British revolutionary and Chittagong Armory raid famed Binod Bihari Chowdhury (102) passed away.- Citizenship: Bangladeshi
- Titles: “Biplobi” (Revolutionary), “Agnipurush”
Timeline:
Early 1930: Binod Bihari Chowdhury joined the anti-British revolutionary group “Jugantar” and came in close contact with Surya Sen (popularly called as “Master Da”) who was preparing for an armed uprising against the British Raj in Chittagong.
Their plan was to seize the 2 main British armouries in Chittagong, to destroy the telegraph and telephone office, raiding firearms retailers, cutting down rail and communication lines so as isolate Chittagong from rest of British India and finally assassinate the members of the "European Club", the bulk of whom were British officials involved in maintaining the British Raj in India. In the plan leader Surya Sen was accompanied by Binod Bihari and some others.
April 18, 1930: The plan was eventually executed at 10 p.m. Chittagong was freed from British India for 4 days (April 18 – 21, 2013). The Jugantar group attacked the armoury and managed to loot the arms, but they were unable to get the ammunition. On the premises of the armoury, they even hoisted the national flag.
The British Raj then sent a large army of troops in Chittagong.
April 22, 1930: The British troops cornered the revolutionaries in the nearby Jalalabad Hills and then attacked the hills. In the fight 12 revolutionaries and over eighty troops were killed. Binod Bihari Choudhary who was wounded at his neck was captured. Surya Sen managed to flee.
January-March 1932: Trial was held for the revolutionaries and all the captured revolutionaries including Binod Bihari Chowdhury were expatriated to the Duly Detention Camp in Rajputana.
1947: Chittagong became a part of East Pakistan subsequent to the partition of India in 1947 and Binod Bihari Chowdhury preferred to stay in his hometown and then participated actively in the politics of Bangladesh.
Important Updates
S. Gopalakrishnan new head of CII
S. Gopalakrishnan, Co-Founder Infosys elected as new President for Industry body Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) for 2013-14. S. Gopalakrishnan will replace Adi Godrej, Chairman of Godrej Group.Krishna Kumar is new ED of Canara Bank
V. S. Krishna Kumar took charge as the ED (Executive Director) of Canara Bank with effect from April 4, 2013.India and Singapore ink MoU on Air Services
India and Singapore inked a new Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on bilateral air services. The MoU rationalizes the capacity entitlements of both India and Singapore in terms of seats per week in each direction with a route specific cap for Singapore on each route. The MoU increases by 10%, the capacity entitlement with India.Reconstitution of Central Press Accreditation Committee
Central Press Accreditation Committee (CPAC), reconstituted by the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting.Function of CPAC: To approve applications for accreditation from the media, both Indian as well as foreign.
Jammu and Kashmir Bank wins FE India’s Best Banks Award-2012-13
In recognition of its strong fundamentals and dynamic growth model, J & K Bank won the prestigious FE India’s Best Banks Award for 2012-13.- Ranked as No. 1 in ‘Best Old Private Sector Bank’ category
- 3rd in the overall banking industry in terms of ‘Profitability’.
- 1st in terms of ‘Profitability’ in the category of ‘Old private sector banks’.
Gujarat bags PATWA Awards for “Best Destination for Cultural Festivals” and “Best Emerging Tourism Destination”
The International Council of Pacific Area Travel Writers Association (PATWA).
PATWA has awarded Gujarat as the “Best Destination for Cultural Festivals” at a recently held annual ITB Convention in Berlin. Gujarat had also pocketed an award at the annual ITB Convention 2012, for the “Best Emerging Tourism Destination”.
Objective: PATWA International Award is to honor the destinations entrepreneurs, who have made an invaluable contribution in aviation, hospitality and tourism industry.
PATWA has awarded Gujarat as the “Best Destination for Cultural Festivals” at a recently held annual ITB Convention in Berlin. Gujarat had also pocketed an award at the annual ITB Convention 2012, for the “Best Emerging Tourism Destination”.
Objective: PATWA International Award is to honor the destinations entrepreneurs, who have made an invaluable contribution in aviation, hospitality and tourism industry.
NTPC – “The Most Efficient Maharatna” in 2012
NTPC (National Thermal Power Corporation Ltd.), India’s largest power utility has been awarded the status of “The Most Efficient Maharatna” – in Manufacturing for the year 2012 at the 4th Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs) Awards 2012 by the Dalal Street Investment Journal (DSIJ).
Two-time Pulitzer winner Anthony Lewis passes away
Two-time Pulitzer winner Anthony Lewis (85) passed away. Anthony Lewis was a longtime New York Times columnist.
Educational researcher Sugata Mitra has been awarded the million-dollar TED Prize for pursuing his idea for building the schools in the Internet. Mitra is Professor of Educational Technology at the School of Education, Communication and Language Sciences at Newcastle University, UK. He is best known for his "Hole in the Wall" experiment, and widely cited in works on literacy and education.
“Hole in the wall” experiment:
In this experiment in 1999, Mitra and his colleagues installed and Internet-connected PC in an urban slum in New Delhi and left it there (with a hidden camera filming the area). What they saw was, kids from the slum playing around with the computer and in the process learning how to go online and them teaching each other.
About TED Prize:
TED (Technology, Entertainment and Design) prize is a one-million dollar prize given to people with extraordinary creativity. At the annual conference of TED, the winner talks about the wish to bring changes in the world.
Former Tata Group chairman Ratan Tata has been honored with ‘Ernst & Young life time achievement award’ 2013 for ‘asserting a greater role for Indian entrepreneurs on the global business landscape’.
Godrej Group Chairman Adi Godrej has been given the ‘Entrepreneur of the year (2012)’ award.
Self-Employed Women’s Association of India (SEWA) founder Ela R Bhatt has been conferred with the Indira Gandhi Prize for Peace, Disarmament and Development for the year 2011.
The Prize has been awarded to Bhatt for her lifetime achievements in comprehensively empowering women in India and elsewhere through grassroots entrepreneurship.
Late sitar maestro Pandit Ravi Shankar was honored with the Lifetime
Achievement Grammy award, which was jointly accepted by his musically
gifted daughters Anoushka Shankar and Norah Jones.
Hindustani vocalist Ustad Abdul Rashid Khan (105) has become the oldest person to be chosen for this year’s Padma Shri award.
Previously, in 2011, India’s first woman photo-journalist Homai Vyarawala was honoured with the Padma Vibushan at the age of 97. She passed away in 2012. Khan is also a poet who has penned around 2000 compositions under the pseudonym ‘Rasan Piya’.
Major Abup J Manjali of the Rashtriya Rifles has been awarded the Kirti
Chakra on this Republic Day for the exhibition of exceptional valor in
counter- terrorist operations in Jammu and Kashmir.
Manjali is the only soldier to be awarded the second- highest peacetime gallantry award Kirti Chakra on this Republic Day.
The grand Annual 58th Idea Filmfare Awards event was organized in Mumbai. The following are the winners under various categories:
POPULAR AWARDS:
- He took up such causes as free speech, human rights and constitutional law.
- In 1955, Anthony won his first Pulitzer Prize for National Reporting for his report on a civilian employee of the U.S. Navy, who had been dismissed from his job on the basis of false allegations by anonymous informers.
- In 1963, Anthony won a second Pulitzer Prize in 1963, again in the category National Reporting, for his coverage of the U.S. Supreme Court. Anthony’s famous 1964 book, “Gideon’s Trumpet,” told the story of a petty thief whose fight for legal representation led to a landmark Supreme Court decision.
Anil Ananthaswamy wins British Physics journalism prize
Anil Ananthaswamy, a London-based Indian-origin writer
has won the inaugural Physics Journalism Prize. Anil Ananthaswamy, a
consultant at New Scientist Magazine and author of ‘The Edge of
Physics’.
Anil’s article ‘Hip Hip Array’, that “brings to life” on the Square Kilometre Array, an international project to design and build the largest radio telescope ever conceived, made him the winner.
British Physics journalism prize
Anil’s article ‘Hip Hip Array’, that “brings to life” on the Square Kilometre Array, an international project to design and build the largest radio telescope ever conceived, made him the winner.
British Physics journalism prize
- The prize sponsored by the Institute of Physics (IOP) and the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC).
- Objective: To inspire the next generation of physicists by encouraging journalists to spread awareness about the complex subject.
- Offers an expenses paid trip to Japan to visit world-leading facilities carrying out research at the frontiers of physics.
Navneet Kaur Dhillon Crowned Miss India 2013
Navneet Kaur Dhillon won Pond’s Femina Miss India 2013
Sobhita Dhulipala, from Mumbai won first runner up and actress Zoya Afroz (18) from Lucknow was awarded second runner up. This year was the 50th anniversary of the competition. Ms Dhillon, who also won the Femina Miss Glowing skin award. She will go on to represent India at the next Miss World contest.
Sobhita Dhulipala, from Mumbai won first runner up and actress Zoya Afroz (18) from Lucknow was awarded second runner up. This year was the 50th anniversary of the competition. Ms Dhillon, who also won the Femina Miss Glowing skin award. She will go on to represent India at the next Miss World contest.
- India has won international titles 34 times, second only to Venezuela.
National Bioscience Award 2012
S. Venkata Mohan of the Indian Institute of Chemical Technology, here has won the National Bioscience Award for 2012, awarded by the Department of Biotechnology, for scientists below 45.
He has won the prize for his contributions towards developing technologies for production of clean bio-fuels from waste.
The Fatehpur Sikri group of monuments in Agra has been conferred with the prestigious National Tourism Award 2011-12 for “the best maintained and disabled-friendly monument”.
Malayalam poetess Sugathakumari has been selected for the Saraswati Samman 2012 for her poetry collection Manalezhuthu (Writing on the Sand). The award, instituted by the K.K. Birla Foundation, carries a cash component of Rs. 10 lakh, a citation and a plaque.
As per the Information and Broadcasting Ministry, following films have been selected for awards across various categories:
Tan Twan Eng won the Asia’s top literary prize “Man Asian Literary Prize” for his novel ‘The Garden of Evening Mists’, for the year 2012.
He has won the prize for his contributions towards developing technologies for production of clean bio-fuels from waste.
National Tourism Award to Fatehpur Sikri monuments
The Fatehpur Sikri group of monuments in Agra has been conferred with the prestigious National Tourism Award 2011-12 for “the best maintained and disabled-friendly monument”.Saraswati Samman to poetess Sugathakumari
Malayalam poetess Sugathakumari has been selected for the Saraswati Samman 2012 for her poetry collection Manalezhuthu (Writing on the Sand). The award, instituted by the K.K. Birla Foundation, carries a cash component of Rs. 10 lakh, a citation and a plaque.60th National Film Awards for 2012
As per the Information and Broadcasting Ministry, following films have been selected for awards across various categories:- Best Feature Film Award : Paan Singh Tomar directed by Tigmanshu Dhulia
- Best Actor Award : Shared b/w Irrfan Khan for his role in Paan Singh Tomar and Vikram Gokhale for Marathi film Anumati
- Best Popular Film Award : Shared b/w Hindi flick Vicky Donor and Ustad Hotel (Malayalam)
- Best Supporting Actor Award: Annu Kapoor, Vicky Donor
- The Indira Gandhi award for the best debut film : Chittagong (Hindi) and 101 Chodiyangal (Malayalam)
- Best Director : Shivaji Lotan Patil for the film Dhag (Marathi)
- Best Actress Award: Usha Jadhav for her role in Dhaq
- Best Supporting Actress Award : Shared b/w actors Dolly Ahluwalia and Kalpana for Vicky Donor and ThanichallaNjan (Malyalam).
- Best Male Playback Singer : Shankar Mahadevan for the song Bolo Na from the film Chittagong.
- Best Female Playback Singer: Samhita for the song Palakein Naa Moondon from the film Aarti Anklekartikekar (Marathi):
- Best screenplay writer (original): Sujoy Ghosh for the Hindi thriller Kahaani
- Best screenplay writer (adapted): Bhavesh Mandalia and Umesh Shukla for the film Oh My God.
- Best dialogue Award: Anjali Menon for the film Ustad Hotel (Malayalam).
- Best Lyrics Award: Prasoon Joshi for the song Bolo Na from the film Chittagong.
- Special jury award: Bengali director Rituparno Ghosh and Hindi actor Nawazuddin Siddiqui for the films Chitrangada (Bengali), Kahaani, Gangs of Wasseypur, Dekh Indian Circus andTalaash (all Hindi).
- Best Choreography Award: Pandit Birju Maharaj for the film Vishwaroopam (Tamil).
Tan Twan Eng wins Asia’s top literary prize – The Man Asian Literary Prize
Tan Twan Eng won the Asia’s top literary prize “Man Asian Literary Prize” for his novel ‘The Garden of Evening Mists’, for the year 2012.- He became the first Malaysian author to win Asia’s most prestigious literary prize.
- The author won with his novel The Garden of Evening Mists, which is only the second time the Man Asian Literary Prize has been won by a novel originally written in English. All previous winners, except Ilustrado by Miguel Syjuco (2008), won as English translations.
SAARC Literature Awards
The SAARC Literature Festival which was celebrated in Agra honored 5 writers with SAARC Literature Awards. These writers are:
- Abhay K, India
- Farheen Chaudhary Pakistan
- Abdul Khaliq Rashid, Afghanistan
- Suman Pokhrel, Nepal
- Daya Dissanayake, Sri Lanka
Outstanding parliamentarian award to Jaitley, Karan Singh, Sharad Yadav
The Indian Parliamentary Group (IPG) has
approved Outstanding Parliamentarian Award to three leaders viz. BJP
leader Arun Jaitley, Congress MP Karan Singh and JD(U) MP Sharad Yadav
for the years 2010, 2011 and 2012 respectively. The IPG had instituted
the Outstanding Parliamentarian Award in the year 1994. The award is
given every year to an outstanding parliamentarian on the
recommendations of the award committee and approved by the executive committee of the Indian Parliamentary Group.
The current awards committee is headed by Speaker Meira Kumar whose recommendations were accepted by the executive committee of the Indian Parliamentary Group.
The current awards committee is headed by Speaker Meira Kumar whose recommendations were accepted by the executive committee of the Indian Parliamentary Group.
Rajasthani writer Hariram Meena chosen for Bihari Puraskar
Famous Rajasthani author Hariram Meena will be conferred
with the Bihari Puraskar for 2012 for his Hindi novel ‘Dhooni Tape
Teer’. The novel is based on sacrifices of scores of tribal people at
Mangarh mountains near Banswara in Rajasthan on November 17, 1913 when British forces had resorted to gunfire to contain their revolt.
About Bihari Puraskar
Bihari Puraskar was instituted by the K K Birla Foundation in 1991 and is given annually to Rajasthani writers for outstanding literary works in Hindi or Rajasthani published in the past 10 years. The award carries a citation and a cash purse of Rs 1 lakh. The Foundation also gives other prestigious awards — Saraswati Samman and Vyas Samman — for extraordinary literary works.
About Bihari Puraskar
Bihari Puraskar was instituted by the K K Birla Foundation in 1991 and is given annually to Rajasthani writers for outstanding literary works in Hindi or Rajasthani published in the past 10 years. The award carries a citation and a cash purse of Rs 1 lakh. The Foundation also gives other prestigious awards — Saraswati Samman and Vyas Samman — for extraordinary literary works.
‘International Women of Courage Award’ to Delhi victim
United States to honor the 23-year-old Delhi braveheart with the International Women of Courage Award. The first lady Michelle Obama and the secretary of state John Kerry will present the award.
The secretary of state’s International Women of Courage Award annually recognizes women around the globe who have shown exceptional courage and leadership in advocating for women’s rights and empowerment, often at great personal risk.
The secretary of state’s International Women of Courage Award annually recognizes women around the globe who have shown exceptional courage and leadership in advocating for women’s rights and empowerment, often at great personal risk.
Sugata Mitra wins TED Prize for Extraordinary Creativity
Educational researcher Sugata Mitra has been awarded the million-dollar TED Prize for pursuing his idea for building the schools in the Internet. Mitra is Professor of Educational Technology at the School of Education, Communication and Language Sciences at Newcastle University, UK. He is best known for his "Hole in the Wall" experiment, and widely cited in works on literacy and education. “Hole in the wall” experiment:
In this experiment in 1999, Mitra and his colleagues installed and Internet-connected PC in an urban slum in New Delhi and left it there (with a hidden camera filming the area). What they saw was, kids from the slum playing around with the computer and in the process learning how to go online and them teaching each other.
About TED Prize:
TED (Technology, Entertainment and Design) prize is a one-million dollar prize given to people with extraordinary creativity. At the annual conference of TED, the winner talks about the wish to bring changes in the world.
New Life Sciences prize announced by World’s Technology tychoons
Few of the world’s best-known technology tycoons, including Google
co-founder Sergey Brin and Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg,
established a $15-million annual prize to reward pioneering achievements
in life sciences.
Objective: To generate fervor and financial reward for spectacular scientific accomplishment.
In its first year, prizes of $3 million each were awarded to 11 scientists in the field of cancer and genetic research.
Objective: To generate fervor and financial reward for spectacular scientific accomplishment.
In its first year, prizes of $3 million each were awarded to 11 scientists in the field of cancer and genetic research.
Tech tycoons institute Breakthrough Prize for Life Sciences
Technology magnates, including Google co-founder Sergey Brin and Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, have launched a $15-million annual Breakthrough Prize for Life Sciences to reward outstanding scientific achievements in life sciences.
E&Y lifetime award to Ratan Tata
Former Tata Group chairman Ratan Tata has been honored with ‘Ernst & Young life time achievement award’ 2013 for ‘asserting a greater role for Indian entrepreneurs on the global business landscape’.Godrej Group Chairman Adi Godrej has been given the ‘Entrepreneur of the year (2012)’ award.
SEWA founder Ela Bhatt conferred with Indira Gandhi Peace Prize
Self-Employed Women’s Association of India (SEWA) founder Ela R Bhatt has been conferred with the Indira Gandhi Prize for Peace, Disarmament and Development for the year 2011.The Prize has been awarded to Bhatt for her lifetime achievements in comprehensively empowering women in India and elsewhere through grassroots entrepreneurship.
First corporate sponsorship for Padma Shri Girisha Hosanagara
High-jumper Padma Shri awardee Girisha Hosanagara Nagarajegowda who bagged silver medal in London paralympics has become brand ambassador of nutrition company Herbalife.
Golden Bear to ‘Child’s Pose’: Berlinale
Child’s Pose (Poziţia Copilului) by Romanian director Călin Peter Netzer was awarded the Golden Bear at the 63rd Berlin International Film Festival.
The Alfred Bauer Prize (Silver Bear) went to ‘An Episode in the Life of an Iron Picker’ by Danis Tanović
Best Director Award was given to David Gordon Green for ‘Prince Avalanche’.
India-based documentary ‘Salma’ by British filmmaker Kim Longinotto bagged the second place in Panorama Audience awards at Berlinale.
The Alfred Bauer Prize (Silver Bear) went to ‘An Episode in the Life of an Iron Picker’ by Danis Tanović
Best Director Award was given to David Gordon Green for ‘Prince Avalanche’.
India-based documentary ‘Salma’ by British filmmaker Kim Longinotto bagged the second place in Panorama Audience awards at Berlinale.
Lifetime Grammy Award to Ravi Shankar posthumously
Late sitar maestro Pandit Ravi Shankar was honored with the Lifetime
Achievement Grammy award, which was jointly accepted by his musically
gifted daughters Anoushka Shankar and Norah Jones.Financial Institutions Syndicated Deal of the Year 2012 award goes to YES Bank
YES Bank
has been awarded the Financial Institutions Syndicated Deal of the Year
2012 in its Asia Pacific Region. The award was given for $155 million
loan syndicated by YES bank which was distributed across 9 different
countries from 14 banks.
The award was given away by Asia Pacific Loan Market Association (APLMA), which is a leading trade association for syndicated loan market in this region.
The award was given away by Asia Pacific Loan Market Association (APLMA), which is a leading trade association for syndicated loan market in this region.
L.N. Tallur wins Skoda Art Prize 2012
Renowned artist L.N. Tallur from Karnataka, whose works portray majorly the underbelly of India, has won the Rs. 1 million Skoda Prize 2012 for contemporary art.
In his exhibition titled “Quintessential” Mr. Tallur narrates his theory of ‘5th dimension’. He believes, when an object of art is ‘museumised’, it creates a fifth dimension, and is a further addition to Einstein’s 4 dimensions (time-space).
Artist Rohini Devasher won the Skoda’s 2012 Art India Breakthrough Artist Award.
In his exhibition titled “Quintessential” Mr. Tallur narrates his theory of ‘5th dimension’. He believes, when an object of art is ‘museumised’, it creates a fifth dimension, and is a further addition to Einstein’s 4 dimensions (time-space).
Artist Rohini Devasher won the Skoda’s 2012 Art India Breakthrough Artist Award.
Nayudamma award to VC of BHU
Distinguished scientist and vice-chancellor of Banaras Hindu University (BHU) Lalji Singh, has been selected for the prestigious Dr Y Nayudamma memorial award for the year 2012.
Why this award?
Why this award?
- The award is being given to him in recognition to his extraordinary contribution to life sciences and in honor of his untiring efforts for establishing DNA fingerprinting as a tool for both fundamental research and crime detection. He is also being rewarded for trying to unravel the puzzle of human evolution, in relation to the genetically diverse population especially the Andaman-Nicobar tribes.
- This award was established in 1986 in memory of distinguished chemical scientist and internationally renowned leather technologist Yelavarthy Nayudamma, and is conferred annually on persons who have made important contributions to the development of science and technology in the country.
National award to Vizag for NREGS implementation
Visakhapatanam (popularly known as Vizag) district of Andhra Pradesh was given a national award for successfully implementing the Mahatma Gandhi NREGS and thereby improving social equality.
Obama honors Indian American Scientist
Indian American scientist Rangaswamy Srinivasan has been honored with the prestigious 2011 National Medal of Technology and Innovation by U.S. President Barack Obama.
For more about Rangaswamy Srinivasan:Click Here
For more about Rangaswamy Srinivasan:Click Here
Taiwan business magnate Samuel Yin starts Asia’s Nobel-type prizes
Samuel Yin, head of Ruentex Group, of Taiwan tycoon is funding to establish Tang Prize Foundation with an initial endowment of $103 million. It has been named after the Tang Dynasty of 618-907 ADwhich is venerated by the Chinese for its cultural and scientific achievements.
What this foundation would do?
What this foundation would do?
- The foundation would award Nobel-type prizes to recognize extraordinary works in biopharmaceutical science, sustainable development, study of China and the rule of law.
- As per the founder, the foundation would recognize those fields which bear intrinsic importance for humanity but are not covered by the 118-year-old Nobels.
- The prizes will be awarded biennially starting next year (2014). Winners will receive $1.7 million, compared to $1.2 million that comes with a Nobel Prize.
- The winners will be nominated and screened by special panel set up by the Academia Sinica, Taiwan’s most esteemed research organization.
At 105, Ustad Abdul Rashid Khan is the oldest to get Padma Award
Hindustani vocalist Ustad Abdul Rashid Khan (105) has become the oldest person to be chosen for this year’s Padma Shri award. Previously, in 2011, India’s first woman photo-journalist Homai Vyarawala was honoured with the Padma Vibushan at the age of 97. She passed away in 2012. Khan is also a poet who has penned around 2000 compositions under the pseudonym ‘Rasan Piya’.
Singer S. Janaki declines Padma Bhushan
South-India playback singer Sreeramamurthy Janaki refused to accept Padma Bhushan award announced for her on the 
eve of 64thRepublic Day. She did this showing her dissatisfaction over the number of people from South India chosen for Padma awards list for 2013.
Janaki (74) started her singing career with 1957 Tamil film “Vidhiyin Vilayattu”. She has sung more than 15,000 songs in all southern languages and in Hindi.
She has won four National Awards and the prestigious “Kalamamani” state award of Tamil Nadu.
eve of 64thRepublic Day. She did this showing her dissatisfaction over the number of people from South India chosen for Padma awards list for 2013.Janaki (74) started her singing career with 1957 Tamil film “Vidhiyin Vilayattu”. She has sung more than 15,000 songs in all southern languages and in Hindi.
She has won four National Awards and the prestigious “Kalamamani” state award of Tamil Nadu.
Kirti Chakra to Army Major Abup J Manjali
Major Abup J Manjali of the Rashtriya Rifles has been awarded the Kirti
Chakra on this Republic Day for the exhibition of exceptional valor in
counter- terrorist operations in Jammu and Kashmir. Manjali is the only soldier to be awarded the second- highest peacetime gallantry award Kirti Chakra on this Republic Day.
Indian author U.R.Ananthamurthy in race for the International Man Booker Prize for Fiction 2013
Indian Kannada author U.R.Ananthamurthy (80) is one among the ten authors shortlisted for the prestigious International Man Booker Prize for Fiction 2013. Ananthamurthy became famous with his novel “Samskara” launched in 1966.
The International Man Booker Prize is presented by UK to a living author of any nationality for a body of work published in English or generally available in English translation. It is a biennial event which awards an author for his lifetime work.
Previous Awardees:
The International Man Booker Prize is presented by UK to a living author of any nationality for a body of work published in English or generally available in English translation. It is a biennial event which awards an author for his lifetime work.
Previous Awardees:
- Philip Roth, 2011
- Alice Munro, 2009
- Chinua Achebe, 2007
Winners of 58th Idea Filmfare Awards
The grand Annual 58th Idea Filmfare Awards event was organized in Mumbai. The following are the winners under various categories: POPULAR AWARDS:
- Best Actor (Male): Ranbir Kapoor (Barfi!)
- Best Actor (Female): Vidya Balan (Kahaani)
- Best Film: Barfi!
- Best Director: Sujoy Ghosh (Kahaani)
- Best Supporting Actor (Male): Annu Kapoor (Vicky Donor)
- Best Supporting Actor (Female): Anushka Sharma (Jab Tak Hai Jaan)
Indian researcher to receive Alzheimer’s drug discovery award
Mahaveer Golechha, a London-based Indian
researcher will be honored with Alzheimer’s Drug Discovery Foundation’s
‘Young Investigator Scholarship Award’ at the 7th Annual Drug Discovery
for Neurodegeneration Conference San Francisco.
Why this award?
The award is being given to him to recognize his outstanding research on ‘Naringin’, a bioflavonoid found in grape fruits and citrus fruits. He has discovered thatnaringin bears significant "anti-Alzheimer activity" and will form the basis of further research to develop as a cure for the degenerative disease related to old age, which worsens as its progresses and eventually leads to death.
It is estimated that by 2025 at least 34 million people worldwide will be affected by the disease.
For more on Alzheimer’s disease: Click here
Why this award?
The award is being given to him to recognize his outstanding research on ‘Naringin’, a bioflavonoid found in grape fruits and citrus fruits. He has discovered thatnaringin bears significant "anti-Alzheimer activity" and will form the basis of further research to develop as a cure for the degenerative disease related to old age, which worsens as its progresses and eventually leads to death.
It is estimated that by 2025 at least 34 million people worldwide will be affected by the disease.
For more on Alzheimer’s disease: Click here
‘Krishi Karman Award’ to states with record foodgrain production
President Pranab Mukherjee honored 8 states with ‘Krishi Karman Awards’ in recognition to their special achievements in foodgrain production in 2011-12.
The Awardees with their respective achievement category:
The Awardees with their respective achievement category:
- Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Manipur and Nagaland awarded for their special contribution to total foodgrains production.
- Bihar received the award for contribution to production and productivity of rice.
- Haryana awarded for wheat.
- Jharkhand for pulses.
- Uttar Pradesh for coarse cereals.
The 19th Colors Screen Awards
The 70th Golden Globe Awards
It was the 70th Golden Globe Awards organized at Beverly Hills. The winners of various awards are as follows:
President confers Pravasi Bharatiya Samman on NRIs
President Pranab Mukherjee honored 15 NRIs with the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman awards.
Mauritius President Rajkeswur Purryag, who was the chief guest at the inaugural of the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas, was also one among the awardees.
Other Recipients of the Award:
Mauritius President Rajkeswur Purryag, who was the chief guest at the inaugural of the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas, was also one among the awardees.
Other Recipients of the Award:
- Ashok Shambhomal Vaswani
- Rajkeswur Purryag
- Tan Sri Ravindran Menon
- Rasik Vihari Joshi
- Satendra Kumar Singh
- Gilbert Canabady Moutien
- Mohammed Rabeeh Karuvanthodi
- Ismail Ebrahim Ebrahim
- Bava Pandalingal
- Patricia Maria Rozario
- Narendra Ramakrishna Kumar
- Subash Razdan
- Gursharan Singh Chhatwal
- The Australia India Society of Victoria
- The Indian Doctors Forum, Kuwait
France honors Malala with Simone de Beauvoir Prize
France honored Pakistani schoolgirl Malala Yousafzai, who was shot by the Taliban for campaigning for girls’ education, withSimone de Beauvoir Prize for Women’s Freedom. Malala Yousafzai was undergoing treatment at a British hospital and is awaiting reconstructive surgery on her skull.
For more on Malala Yousafzai, click here
Indian origin scientist Venkatesh Mannar who is President of Micronutrient Initiative, Canada, has been conferred with Canada’s ‘highest’ civilian award – the Order of Canada.
Order of Canada award is given to recognize a lifetime of outstanding achievement, dedication to the community and service to the nation to people in all sectors of Canadian society.
What is Mannar’s contribution?
Mannar has been working for 40 years to alleviate debilitating micronutrient deficiencies among the world’s most vulnerable. He is attached with Micronutrient Initiative which is a not-for-profit organization which endeavors to ensure that the world’s most vulnerable – especially women and children – in developing countries get vitamins and minerals they need to survive and grow through supplements and a food fortification programme.
Social activist Malala Yousafzai from Pakistan who was shot at by a Taliban gunman in 2012, will be awarded with Ireland’s esteemedTipperary International Peace Prize for 2012 in recognition to her courage and determination to speak out in support of equal access to education for every child.
Malala is the second Pakistani to get the award. In 2007, it was given to Benazir Bhutto.
For more on Malala: Click Here
Suspended IPS officer Sanjiv Bhatt honored with the Mother Teresa Memorial International Award for Social Justice for 2012.
The Harmony foundation who recognized Bhatt as one who stood against
communal forces to ensure protection of the vulnerable and insecure
minorities.
Sanjiv Bhatt: He is an Indian Police Service officer in Gujarat who is currently suspended. He is known for his role in filing an affidavit in the Supreme Court against the CM of Gujarat, Narendra Modi, concerning Modi’s alleged role in 2002 Gujarat riots.
For her extraordinary contributions to the field of art and culture, renowned film actress and Bharatanatyam exponent Hema Malini has been selected for the prestigious Bharat Muni Samman 2012.
About Bharat Muni Samman
Named in the honor of author of Natyashastra, Bharat Muni, the award has been instituted by Bhubaneswar-based organisation Kalingayana Touryatrikam.
Malini will be 5th person to receive the honor.
Previous recipients:
For more on Malala Yousafzai, click here
Lionel Messi creates record by winning 4th FIFA Ballon d’Or
Lionel Messi added yet another feather in his cap as he
won an unprecedented fourth, consecutive, Ballon d’Or at a FIFA gala in
Zurich. The awards
makes Messi’s status as the greatest player of his generation after he
left behing Real Madrid rival Cristiano Ronaldo and Barcelona teammate
Andres Iniesta for the prize. Messi received a vote share of 41.60
percent to 23.68 for Ronaldo and 10.91 for Iniesta.
Messi scored a staggering 91 goals in all competitions in 2012.
Lionel Messi:
Lionel Andrés Messi is an Argentine footballer who plays as a forward for La Liga club FC Barcelona and the Argentina national team. He serves as thecaptain of his country’s national football team.
Messi scored a staggering 91 goals in all competitions in 2012.
Lionel Messi:
Lionel Andrés Messi is an Argentine footballer who plays as a forward for La Liga club FC Barcelona and the Argentina national team. He serves as thecaptain of his country’s national football team.
Indian origin scientist Venkatesh Mannar gets Canada’s highest civilian award
Indian origin scientist Venkatesh Mannar who is President of Micronutrient Initiative, Canada, has been conferred with Canada’s ‘highest’ civilian award – the Order of Canada.Order of Canada award is given to recognize a lifetime of outstanding achievement, dedication to the community and service to the nation to people in all sectors of Canadian society.
What is Mannar’s contribution?
Mannar has been working for 40 years to alleviate debilitating micronutrient deficiencies among the world’s most vulnerable. He is attached with Micronutrient Initiative which is a not-for-profit organization which endeavors to ensure that the world’s most vulnerable – especially women and children – in developing countries get vitamins and minerals they need to survive and grow through supplements and a food fortification programme.
Ireland honors Malala with Peace Prize
Social activist Malala Yousafzai from Pakistan who was shot at by a Taliban gunman in 2012, will be awarded with Ireland’s esteemedTipperary International Peace Prize for 2012 in recognition to her courage and determination to speak out in support of equal access to education for every child.Malala is the second Pakistani to get the award. In 2007, it was given to Benazir Bhutto.
For more on Malala: Click Here
Sanjiv Bhatt honored with Mother Teresa Award
Suspended IPS officer Sanjiv Bhatt honored with the Mother Teresa Memorial International Award for Social Justice for 2012.
The Harmony foundation who recognized Bhatt as one who stood against
communal forces to ensure protection of the vulnerable and insecure
minorities.Sanjiv Bhatt: He is an Indian Police Service officer in Gujarat who is currently suspended. He is known for his role in filing an affidavit in the Supreme Court against the CM of Gujarat, Narendra Modi, concerning Modi’s alleged role in 2002 Gujarat riots.
Bhakti Sharma: World’s youngest to cross seven seas
22-year old Bhakti Sharma from India is the youngest in the world to have crossed seven seas, including four oceans. 
Besides, she is only the third person in the world to have swum across the Arctic Ocean, and is now targeting the Antarctic Ocean to become the youngest to swim in all five oceans.
Bhakti, who belongs to Udaipur (Rajasthan), has also been conferred with the Tenzing Norgay National Adventure Award 2012 for water adventure, by the President.
Besides, she is only the third person in the world to have swum across the Arctic Ocean, and is now targeting the Antarctic Ocean to become the youngest to swim in all five oceans.Bhakti, who belongs to Udaipur (Rajasthan), has also been conferred with the Tenzing Norgay National Adventure Award 2012 for water adventure, by the President.
Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship for the Year 2012
The General Council of Sangeet Natak Akademi, the National Academy of Music, Dance and Drama, New Delhi honored 3 renowned personalities in the field of performing arts as Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellows. These are:
Pratibha Ray who is a famous Oriya novelist has been chosen for the prestigious Jnanpith award for the year 2011 in recognition to her contribution to the field of Indian literature. She will be the fourth Oriya author
to get the award. Previously, the honor was conferred on Gopinath
Mohanty (1973), Sachidananda Routray (1986) and Sitakant Mohapatra
(1993).
Some of her applauded works:
Poet and translator Dr Shihab Ghanem has become the first Emirati and
Arab to win the Tagore Peace Prize. Ghanem was given the honor in
recognition of his creative literary and translation works, both in
Arabic and English, and for disseminating human understanding and values
of love and peace Tagore had advocated.
Tagore Peace Prize
Jeet
Thayil, whose novel Narcopolis was nominated for the Booker, has been
one among the 24 authors selected for Sahitya Akademi Awards 2012. He was selected for his poetry collection ‘These Errors are Correct’ in English.
About Sahitya Akademi Award
The award was constituted in 1954 to honor outstanding works in the sphere of literature by Sahitya Akademi, the National Academy of Letters in India. The award is conferred for the works done in 24 major languages of India including English.
Tennis star Roger Federer
has been given the honor of Swiss Male Athlete of the Year. Currently
he sits at World no. 2 spot and has won 17 Grand Slams. He also won this
award in 2003, 2004, 2006 and 2007.
Switzerland’s Olympic triathlon champion Nicola Spirig was named the female Athlete of the Year.
Malaysia-based Asia Pacific Brands Foundation honored Bollywood Actor Shah Rukh Khan with the BrandLaureate Legendary Award.
Malaysia had conferred the actor with the prestigious title of Datuk in 2008. The title is equivalent to the British Knighthood, the highest honor given to an individual in the UK.
Previous receivers of the BrandLaureate Legendary Award include personalities like Nelson Mandela, Nobel Laureate recipient Mohammad Yunus, Ratan Tata, Steve Jobs, Mark Zuckerburg, Michael Schumacher.
- N. Rajam
- T.H.Vinayakram
- Ratan Thiyam
Pratibha Ray to get 2011 Jnanpith Award
Pratibha Ray who is a famous Oriya novelist has been chosen for the prestigious Jnanpith award for the year 2011 in recognition to her contribution to the field of Indian literature. She will be the fourth Oriya author
to get the award. Previously, the honor was conferred on Gopinath
Mohanty (1973), Sachidananda Routray (1986) and Sitakant Mohapatra
(1993).Some of her applauded works:
Aberdeen Shihab becomes first Arab to get Tagore Peace Prize
Poet and translator Dr Shihab Ghanem has become the first Emirati and
Arab to win the Tagore Peace Prize. Ghanem was given the honor in
recognition of his creative literary and translation works, both in
Arabic and English, and for disseminating human understanding and values
of love and peace Tagore had advocated.Tagore Peace Prize
- Instituted by the Indian government to commemorate the 150th birth anniversary of Rabindranath Tagore.
- The Asiatic Society, which was founded in 1784, gives the international award every two years in memory of Indian philosopher, writer, playwright, songwriter, poet, philosopher, educator Rabindranath Tagore.
Indian American lasik pioneer to be honored with America’s top inventor award
Indian American Rangaswamy Srinivasan, has been nominated by President Barack Obama for the National Medal of Technology and Innovation.
Why this award? Why this laser is unique? About National Medal of Technology and Innovation
Why this award? Why this laser is unique? About National Medal of Technology and Innovation
Jeet Thayil among 24 selected for Sahitya Akademi Awards 2012
Jeet
Thayil, whose novel Narcopolis was nominated for the Booker, has been
one among the 24 authors selected for Sahitya Akademi Awards 2012. He was selected for his poetry collection ‘These Errors are Correct’ in English.About Sahitya Akademi Award
The award was constituted in 1954 to honor outstanding works in the sphere of literature by Sahitya Akademi, the National Academy of Letters in India. The award is conferred for the works done in 24 major languages of India including English.
Federer is Swiss Male Athlete of the Year 2012
Tennis star Roger Federer
has been given the honor of Swiss Male Athlete of the Year. Currently
he sits at World no. 2 spot and has won 17 Grand Slams. He also won this
award in 2003, 2004, 2006 and 2007.Switzerland’s Olympic triathlon champion Nicola Spirig was named the female Athlete of the Year.
Shahrukh Khan receives Brand Laureate Legendary Award
Malaysia-based Asia Pacific Brands Foundation honored Bollywood Actor Shah Rukh Khan with the BrandLaureate Legendary Award.Malaysia had conferred the actor with the prestigious title of Datuk in 2008. The title is equivalent to the British Knighthood, the highest honor given to an individual in the UK.
Previous receivers of the BrandLaureate Legendary Award include personalities like Nelson Mandela, Nobel Laureate recipient Mohammad Yunus, Ratan Tata, Steve Jobs, Mark Zuckerburg, Michael Schumacher.
Web Ratna Award – 2012- Golden Icon Award goes to DAVP
Directorate of Advertising and Visual Publicity (DAVP) has been honored with the prestigious Web Ratna 2012, ‘Golden Icon Award for Innovative use of Technology’.
Why was the award given to DAVP? Why Web Ratna Awards are given?
Why was the award given to DAVP? Why Web Ratna Awards are given?
Bharat Muni Samman to be given to Hema Malini
For her extraordinary contributions to the field of art and culture, renowned film actress and Bharatanatyam exponent Hema Malini has been selected for the prestigious Bharat Muni Samman 2012.About Bharat Muni Samman
Named in the honor of author of Natyashastra, Bharat Muni, the award has been instituted by Bhubaneswar-based organisation Kalingayana Touryatrikam.
Malini will be 5th person to receive the honor.
Previous recipients:
- Thankamani Kutty
- Pandit Birju Maharaj
- Pandit Jasraj
- Ratan Thiyam
Pandit Ravi Shankar gets Grammy
Legendary sitar maestro Pandit Ravi Shankar has been conferred with Lifetime Achievement Grammy Award posthumously.
Two other artists who will receive the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award posthumously are : classical piano giant Glenn Gould, who died in 1982; and blues pioneer Lightnin’ Hopkins, who died the same year.
Recently released feature film ‘Life of Pi’, directed by Ang Lee based on Yann Martel book titled the same, has been given two National Tourism Awards by the Ministry of Tourism, Government of India recognizing the impact it has had in promoting India as a tourism destination, especially Puducherry and Munnar (Kerala).
These Awards would be given to Mr. Ang Lee, Director of the film ‘Life of Pi’ and Mr. Yann Martel. The award has been given to encourage more and more Film producers from abroad to shoot their films in India.
Click for more on “Life of Pi”
President
Pranab Mukherjee conferred the Indira Gandhi Prize for Peace,
Disarmament and Development on former Brazilian president Luiz Inacio
Lula da Silva.
This was for his outstanding contribution to the developing world. During Lula’s presidency, relations between India and Brazil steadily progressed. It was during Lula’s presidency that the seeds were also sown for several international fora such as IBSA, BRICS, G-20 and BASIC.
Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva (known popularly as Lula) was President of Brazil from January 1, 2003 – December 31, 2010.
Dr Madhav Chavan has won the WISE Prize.
About Dr. Madhav Chavan and his NGO “PRATHAM”
Two other artists who will receive the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award posthumously are : classical piano giant Glenn Gould, who died in 1982; and blues pioneer Lightnin’ Hopkins, who died the same year.
‘Life of Pi’ receives National Tourism Awards
Recently released feature film ‘Life of Pi’, directed by Ang Lee based on Yann Martel book titled the same, has been given two National Tourism Awards by the Ministry of Tourism, Government of India recognizing the impact it has had in promoting India as a tourism destination, especially Puducherry and Munnar (Kerala). These Awards would be given to Mr. Ang Lee, Director of the film ‘Life of Pi’ and Mr. Yann Martel. The award has been given to encourage more and more Film producers from abroad to shoot their films in India.
Click for more on “Life of Pi”
“Passport Seva” Project: winner of CSI-Nihilent e-Governance Award
Passport Seva Project of Ministry of External Affairs
won CSI-Nihilent e-Governance award for Excellence.
CSI-Nihilent e-Governance award for Excellence
won CSI-Nihilent e-Governance award for Excellence.CSI-Nihilent e-Governance award for Excellence
- Instituted in 2002 by the Computer Society of India (CSI), which is the largest association of IT professionals, in collaboration with Nihilent Technologies.
- Recognizes successful efforts in application of Information and Communication technology for good governance.
Former Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva honoured with Indira Gandhi Peace Prize for Peace, Disarmament and Development
President
Pranab Mukherjee conferred the Indira Gandhi Prize for Peace,
Disarmament and Development on former Brazilian president Luiz Inacio
Lula da Silva.This was for his outstanding contribution to the developing world. During Lula’s presidency, relations between India and Brazil steadily progressed. It was during Lula’s presidency that the seeds were also sown for several international fora such as IBSA, BRICS, G-20 and BASIC.
Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva (known popularly as Lula) was President of Brazil from January 1, 2003 – December 31, 2010.
Indian Origin Autar Kaw among recipients of U.S. Professor of the Year award
Autar Kaw, an Indian born professor of mechanical
engineering at the University of South Florida, is among the four
recipients of the 2012 US Professor of the Year award.
Kaw is known to tens of thousands of engineering students around the world as the "Numerical Methods Guy" via his Holistic Numerical Methods Institute website, his blog and YouTube video lectures.
The US Professor of the Year award is the highest honor in the nation for undergraduate teaching.
Kaw is known to tens of thousands of engineering students around the world as the "Numerical Methods Guy" via his Holistic Numerical Methods Institute website, his blog and YouTube video lectures.
The US Professor of the Year award is the highest honor in the nation for undergraduate teaching.
Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf Chosen for Indira Gandhi Peace Prize
Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf chosen for this year’s Indira Gandhi Prize for 
Peace, Disarmament and Development for being an "inspiration" to women and ensuring return of peace and democracy in Liberia. An international jury, chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, selected Sirleaf for the award.
Indira Gandhi Prize for Peace, Disarmament and Development was set up by the Indira Gandhi Memorial Trust.
Peace, Disarmament and Development for being an "inspiration" to women and ensuring return of peace and democracy in Liberia. An international jury, chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, selected Sirleaf for the award. Indira Gandhi Prize for Peace, Disarmament and Development was set up by the Indira Gandhi Memorial Trust.
Madhav Chavan wins WISE Prize ‘The Nobel Prize for education’
Dr Madhav Chavan has won the WISE Prize. About Dr. Madhav Chavan and his NGO “PRATHAM”
Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak honoured with Kyoto Prize
Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak
Ms Spivak is amongst the recipients of
this year’s Kyoto Prize.
She won the award in the Arts and Philosophy category for her “deep thinking on humanities against intellectual colonialism in relation to globalisation”.
About Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak, Kyoto Prize and father of computer graphics Ivan Sutherland
Ms Spivak is amongst the recipients of
this year’s Kyoto Prize.She won the award in the Arts and Philosophy category for her “deep thinking on humanities against intellectual colonialism in relation to globalisation”.
About Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak, Kyoto Prize and father of computer graphics Ivan Sutherland
Sachin Tendulkar conferred with the membership of the “Order of Australia”
Sachin Tendulkar conferred with the membership of the 
“Order of Australia”
“Order of Australia” - Member of the Order of Australia (AM)
- Sachin was conferred with this membership for his service to India-Australia relations by promoting goodwill, friendship and sportsmanship via Cricket.
- TWO.
- Sachin Tendulkar became only the 2nd Indian after former Attorney General Soli Sorabjee to get the honour.
Persons in News: Ruchir Sharma
Ruchir Sharma bags Tata Literature First Book Award.
Author 
Ruchir Sharma was honored with the Tata Literature Live! First Book Award for his book Breakout Nations: In Pursuit of the Next Economic Miracles.
The book gives a clear picture of the shifting balance of global economic power and how it will play out for emerging nations and the West.
Author Ruchir Sharma was honored with the Tata Literature Live! First Book Award for his book Breakout Nations: In Pursuit of the Next Economic Miracles. The book gives a clear picture of the shifting balance of global economic power and how it will play out for emerging nations and the West.
“Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters” French honor to Aishwarya Rai
Aishwarya Rai Bachchan was conferred the Knight of 
the Order of Arts and Letters (Chevalier dans l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres). The
coveted honor was given in recognition of her invaluable contribution
to the world of cinema and the development of Indo-French cooperation in
cinema, art, and culture.
Earlier Indian recipients include Shahrukh Khan, Raghu Rai, Nandita Das, late Habib Tanvir, and Upamanyu Chatterjee.
the Order of Arts and Letters (Chevalier dans l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres). The
coveted honor was given in recognition of her invaluable contribution
to the world of cinema and the development of Indo-French cooperation in
cinema, art, and culture.Earlier Indian recipients include Shahrukh Khan, Raghu Rai, Nandita Das, late Habib Tanvir, and Upamanyu Chatterjee.
Gulzar honored with Indira Gandhi National Integration award
Famous lyricist, poet and film director, Gulzar 
has been conferred with the Indira Gandhi National Integration Award. The award was given to mark the 28th death anniversary of the late Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.
has been conferred with the Indira Gandhi National Integration Award. The award was given to mark the 28th death anniversary of the late Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.“European Golden Boot” to Lionel Messi
Star footballer of Barcelona, Lionel Messi, bagged 
European Golden Boot Award. The award has been given to him in recognition to his record 50 goals scored in the Europe’s domestic football league.
European Golden Boot Award. The award has been given to him in recognition to his record 50 goals scored in the Europe’s domestic football league. - It is the second Golden Boot award for Messi.
Persons in News:
International Crop Science award to ICRISAT scientist Dr. C.L. Laxmipathi Gowda
The 2012 International Crop Science award was given to Dr. C.L. Laxmipathi Gowda, scientist of the International Crops Research Institute for Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT). It was given to recognize his contribution to agriculture in the dry land areas of Asia and sub-Saharan Africa.
Dr.Gowda has made significant contribution in the development of improved chickpea cultivars with high yield and resistance to pests and diseases.
The 2012 International Crop Science award was given to Dr. C.L. Laxmipathi Gowda, scientist of the International Crops Research Institute for Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT). It was given to recognize his contribution to agriculture in the dry land areas of Asia and sub-Saharan Africa.Dr.Gowda has made significant contribution in the development of improved chickpea cultivars with high yield and resistance to pests and diseases.
Persons in News: Brahma Chellaney
Bernard Schwartz award to Brahma Chellaney
Brahma Chellaney has been awarded with 2012 Asia Society Bernard Schwartz Book Award for his book Water: Asia’s New Battleground.
Who is Brahma Chellaney?
Brahma Chellaney has been awarded with 2012 Asia Society Bernard Schwartz Book Award for his book Water: Asia’s New Battleground.Who is Brahma Chellaney?
- Brahma Chellaney is a Professor of Strategic Studies at the New Delhi-based Centre for Policy Research, an independent think-tank.
- Formerly a Member of the Policy Advisory Group headed by the External Affairs Minister of India.
- He has been a Fellow at the Norwegian Nobel Institute, which through the Nobel Committee awards the Nobel Peace Prize annually.
- Asia Society Bernard Schwartz Book Award is the only award that is given to authors of non-fiction books for their outstanding contributions to the understanding of contemporary Asia or US-Asia relations as well as possible policy impacts relating to the region.
2012 Hoover Medal to Narayana Murthy
NR Narayana Murthy, co-founder of Infosys, was 
honored
with prestigious 2012 Hoover Medal at the Global Humanitarian
Technology Conference in Seattle, Washington. The medal was given to
recognize Murthy for establishing a foundation that forges outstanding
improvements in healthcare, social rehabilitation, rural uplift and education. The Infosys Science Foundation was established in 2009 to encourage science research in India.
Why Hoover Medal is awarded?
Malala Yousafzai: A school student and education activist from the town of Mingora in the Swat District of Pakistan’s North-West Frontier Province. She is famous for her education and women’s rights activism in the Swat Valley,
where the Taliban has at times opposed girls from attending school.
Yousafzai gained prominence by giving interviews in print and on
television. She was appointed as chairperson of the District Child
Assembly Swat.
honored
with prestigious 2012 Hoover Medal at the Global Humanitarian
Technology Conference in Seattle, Washington. The medal was given to
recognize Murthy for establishing a foundation that forges outstanding
improvements in healthcare, social rehabilitation, rural uplift and education. The Infosys Science Foundation was established in 2009 to encourage science research in India.Why Hoover Medal is awarded?
- The Hoover Medal recognizes great, unselfish, non-technical services by engineers to humanity.
Persons in News: Malala Yousafzai
Malala Yousafzai: A school student and education activist from the town of Mingora in the Swat District of Pakistan’s North-West Frontier Province. She is famous for her education and women’s rights activism in the Swat Valley,
where the Taliban has at times opposed girls from attending school.
Yousafzai gained prominence by giving interviews in print and on
television. She was appointed as chairperson of the District Child
Assembly Swat.- She was nominated for the International Children’s Peace Prize by Desmond Tutu, and has won Pakistan’s first National Youth Peace Prize.
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