Steffi Graf appointed brand ambassador of Ayurveda in Kerala

The Kerala tourism department was given sanction to sign a pact with Graf to become Ayurveda brand ambassador as part of the department's 'Visit Kerala Scheme'. Tennis legend Steffi Graf, 46, was appointed as the Ayurveda brand ambassador of Kerala on 24 June. The state cabinet unanimously took the decision, said chief minister Oommen Chandy. The Kerala tourism department was given sanction to sign a pact with Graf, to become the Ayurveda brand ambassador as part of the department’s ‘Visit Kerala Scheme’, according to Chandy. The tourism department held discussions and reached an agreement with the former number one tennis player. Kerala’s Ayurveda, an ancient system of health care, is famous for its holistic effect on the body as well as the mind. It attracts people from all over the country and abroad, every year. Graf, who had bagged 22 Grand slam single titles, retired in 1999. She married former World No. 1 (mens’) tennis player Andre Agassi in October 2001. Graf was ranked World No 1 by Womens’ Tennis Association (WTA) for a staggering 377 weeks, in total. Source: Article, Image: https://commons.wikimedia.org

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Rs.550 crore given for alternate medicine systems: Azad

New Delhi, July 12 (IANS) More than Rs.550 crore have been given to various states for establishing centres for alternate medicine like homeopathy and ayurveda as part of the National Rural Health Mission, union Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad said Friday. For mainstreaming of alternate systems of medicine under the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM), grants-in-aid amounting to more than Rs.550 crore have been given to the state and Union Territory governments, Azad said, addressing a function here. The money would be used for establishment of new facilities of homeopathy, ayurveda, siddha and unani streams of medicine in 803 primary health centres, 113 community health centres and 24 district hospitals, and for upgradation of 379 such hospitals and 415 dispensaries. “We have a pluralistic healthcare delivery system, where the government provides opportunities to every recognised medical system to develop and be practised, with a view to provide integrated and holistic healthcare,” he said. “We are open to patronising best practices and proven standards for the benefit of the people. That is why naturopathy is also a recognised system in India,” he said. State governments like Gujarat, Rajasthan, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh have recognised naturopathy. Azad said India had incorporated traditional medical services in the public health delivery system since the 1960s. Source: Dainik-Disha

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People must be made aware of India’s defence achievements

Union Minister of State for Food and Consumer Affairs K V Thomas said the nation’s achievements in defence research sector should be highlighted and that it was essential to create an awareness among the public on the growth in this sector. He was inaugurating the valedictory session of ‘Suraksha-2013’, the three-day National Exhibition on Science and Technology Intervention jointly organised by Swadeshi Science Movement, Kerala; Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and Naval Physical and Oceanographic Laboratory (NPOL) here on Sunday. “In order to showcase India’s feats to the people, the ‘defence exhibition on train’ will be used in various parts of the country. For this, a discussion with Defence Minister A K Antony will be held,” Thomas said. According to him, youth should be attracted to the defence sector for which Suraksha-2013 provided a good platform. Thomas also appreciated the organisers for successfully conducting the expo. S Anantha Narayanan, Director, NPOL, Kochi, presided over the function. Narayanan said around 25,000 people visited the expo. The event had brought together the defence industry, academia, researchers and the public. The exhibition has created awareness among the public about the opportunities in defence research and development. “We hope to come back in 2015 with a bigger exhibition in the city and with this Kochi will be a major centre in the field of defence research and development”, he said. T Mukundan, scientist, NPOL; N G K Pillai, secretary, Swadeshi Science Movement; Vivekananda Pai, secretary, Vijnana Bharati; Mohan Rao, DMRL; and E V Radhakrishnan, secretary-general, Suraksha-2013, also spoke. The expo showcased the achievements of over 25 defence research laboratories and related industries. Seminars, panel discussions, students’ interactions with scientists and painting and quiz competitions for students were also held in connection with the expo. Source: Astrashastra

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Men dress as women to fulfill vows in Kerala temple

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News Track India, Chavara (Kerala), Mar 25 (ANI): Thousands of men, young and old alike, gathered at KottanKullangara Devi Temple near Chavara in Kerala's Kollam District to fulfill their vows dressed up as women, as an offering to the Goddess Bhagavathy, the temple deity. In this unique ritual called 'Chamaya Vilakku' or make-up lamp, the men come to the temple late at night in a long procession with lighted lamps in their hands and offer their prayers to the deity. It is an annual ritual held during the two-day festival of the temple, men dressed in traditional female attire follow strict rules and are made to carry a lamp and stand in queue.  Men,  who  participate  in  this

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ritual, take it up to get their wishes such as job, health, a suitable life partner and the well being for their family and relatives fulfilled. The men dress up around the temple premises where temporary sheds are set up to do the make-up part with some assistance from their sisters or wife. According to the legend, the ritual started centuries ago, when few male children playing at the very same temple premises found a coconut  and  decided  to break  it

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only to be astonished to find blood instead of water. When the children informed about the incident to their elders, it was realized that some kind of deity power prevailed at that place and decided to perform an annual ritual by men and also to build a temple at the same place. In local language, Kottan is known as the white inside flesh of coconut and is forms a major part of the worship during the ritual. The worship starts by 8 p. m. in the evening on the first day and remains till early morning till the deity comes out in procession the same is repeated on the second day respectively. By Juhan Samuel (ANI) Source: News Track India

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Out of 421 GCs passing out of IMA

Gentlemen Cadets (GC) from the country passing out at this year’s Indian Military Academy (IMA) parade on December 8, Uttar Pradesh has the maximum share with a total of 76 GCs coming from the most populous state of the country.The demographic statistics of GCs passing out of 131 regular and other parallel courses released by the IMA today had Uttar Pradesh topping the list followed by Haryana with 50 GCs. Uttarakhand stands third with 46 GCs (10.92 per cent). The youth of the small hill state of Uttarakhand with a population of over 1 crore have shown excellent results in terms of its representation in the academy in recent years.There are 30 GCs from Maharashtra, 25 from Rajasthan, 23 from Madhya Pradesh, 22 from Himachal Pradesh, 20 each from Punjab and Delhi and 11 from Kerala. Similarly, 14 GCs from the trouble-torn state of Jammu and Kashmir will pass out whereas four GCs are from the terror-infested Manipur in the North-East. Nagaland and Tripura have one GC each. There are 10 GCs from West Bengal and 13 GCs each from Andhra Pradesh and Bihar. Five GCs are from Tamil Nadu and nine are from the southern state of Karnataka.The Union Territory of Chandigarh has four GCs. Jharkhand too has five GCs. Five GCs are from Gujarat, four are from Assam, two from Chattisgarh, five GCs are from Orissa and two GCs from Meghalaya. Among other highlights of the parade, there is one GC from Nepal who has opted to join the Indian Army. According to the Indo-Nepal Friendship Treaty, Nepalese citizens can be absorbed as commissioned officers in the Indian Army. Source: Atrashastra, Image: photobucket.com

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Teens turn into adventure seekers

Two young inquisitive minds, Apoorva Arora (Class XI) and Himanshu Sharma (Class VII), will host the new show Mystery Hunters India on TV channel Discovery Kids. The show will uncover facts about hidden Indian myths : It’s time for young viewers in India to go beyond cartoons and gather knowledge of the unexplored places in India. TV channel Discovery Kids is launching Mystery Hunters India, a new and exciting show that will feature hidden myths of India. Two inquisitive minds, Apoorva Arora and Himanshu Sharma, will host the show. The duo will travel all over the country and explore its hidden facets. Mystery Hunters will explore sacred and many other places of the country to discover the answers of hidden mysteries. The kids will travel the length and breadth of India to explore the places and delve into the tales which have bewildered people for ages. The kids were cherry picked for the show. Both Apoorva and Himanshu are bright kids with a bent of inquisitive mind. “We went to Peppara wildlife sanctuary in Kerala to unfold mystery behind the existence of Pygmy elephants in the jungle. It was altogether an exciting experience as we unfolded the mystery,” said Apoorva. “We took help of professionals like scientists, doctors, authors and did a lot of reading related to mysteries. We were assisted by Doubting Dev, the resident skeptical scientist, at the Mystery India Lab. He used his sense of humour to conduct fun experiments and uncover the truth,” said the duo. Unveiling the truth behind strange voice heard from Shanivarwada Fort, Apoorva shares, “I personally don’t believe in such unusual sounds. But, my curiosity led me to find out the facts behind the mystery. We found that those sounds were not of evil. Long back in 1773 after the death of the king of Shanivarwada Raja Madhav Rao, his brother Narayn Rao who was then 13 years became the successor. This was not acceptable by Narayan Rao’s uncle. One night Raghunath Rao had sent his guards to kill Narayan Rao. Since then it is believed that Narayan Rao doesn’t allow anyone to come near the fort. To find out the truth behind this mystery, we went to a nearby library to research and investigate the case.” Speaking about what drove the young ones to host the show, Himanshu said, “I was always eager to learn and participate in activities. Since my childhood, I was fascinated by television and I thought to be a part of this. My parents have played a major role in guiding me in exploring my passion.” “My enthusiasm and diligence to hone my skills led me to attend various workshops from National School of Drama in Delhi and subsequently I found myself in the advertisement arena, where I acted in several TV commercials,” said Apoorva. How do they manage academics and work? “We maintain a balance between studies and work. We don’t shoot for more than six hours a day and our entire shooting schedule was during summer vacation. Our parents and teachers are very supportive and we take home tuition on a regular basis which does not affect our studies,” said the duo. While sharing their adventurous experience, they said, “This is an exciting experience with a new concept from Discovery kids. We got to learn so many new things on our journey to unfold mysteries during the show. We are happy because we are getting a chance to share our knowledge with the kids of our age.” Catch the adventure and excitement on the show from December 22 at 6.00 pm. Source: The Hans India, Image: photobucket.com

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Vidya Balan ties knot with Siddharth Roy Kapur

Bollywood actress Vidya Balan tied the knot with UTV head Siddharth Roy Kapur on Friday in a ceremony which saw a mix of both Punjabi and Tamil traditions. The wedding rituals went on for over an hour at the well-decorated Green Mile Bungalow in Bandra in the presence of family members of the bride and groom. “The wedding ceremony is still on, it is a mix of both Punjabi and Tamil traditions. The food served is South Indian,” a source close to Vidya said. The 34-year-old actress underwent three changes in costume during the wedding ceremony, one of them being a mustard saree with a pink blouse, matching the groom's yellow kurta and pink turban. The wedding festivities for the couple began on December 11 with a private dinner which was followed by a mehendi ceremony on December 12. The couple will reportedly be hosting a reception in Chennai. Vidya, who never confirmed rumours about her relationship with Siddharth, stayed mum about her wedding as well and the celebrations are being kept as private as possible. The 'Kahaani' actress, who was born in Kerala and grew up in Mumbai, made her Bollywood debut with the 2005 film 'Parineeta'. Source: Screen India, Image: photobucket.com

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Omanis look to India for medical tourism

NEW DELHI: Despite the ongoing debacle over visa fees in Oman, the country remains heading to India for “medical tourism,” the government here said in a statement. According to the statement, published by Press Trust of India, the number of Indian visas being granted to Omanis in Muscat is dramatically on the rise. The number of medical visas issued to Omanis from Jan 1 to June 30 this year has jumped three times and that of other kinds of visas went up 30 per cent when compared to the same period last year, according to the report. “There was a tremendous increase in the number of all kinds of visas issued to Omanis during the first half 2012. “The statistics reveal that India is turning into a prime destination for Omanis who opt for advanced treatment and also want to have a glimpse of the rich Indian cultural heritage,” a senior official from the Indian embassy in Muscat was quoted as saying by the Times of Oman. Topping the states in India for Omani medical travelers were southern Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Maharashtra and the national capital New Delhi. “The rise in the number of medical visas shows that India is turning into a medicare hub. India has state-of-the-art medical facilities, experienced medics, affordable and quality nursing facilities, cheap medicines, and traditional healthcare centres. This has led to a rush in medical tourism,” the official added. Local agencies say visa enquiries for treatment in India are very high in Oman. Omani families feel the closeness of their ties with India and have opted out of more expensive destinations nearby, including the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia for India, which has a well-developed medical industry at rates often half the price as the Gulf.  Source: Bikyamasr ***

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Where Elephants are Kings

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By TARSH THEKAEKARA: New Delhi: I grew up in a small town on the border of Tamil Nadu and Kerala, cradled in the Nilgiri hills. I grew up in a small town on the border of Tamil Nadu and Kerala, cradled in the Nilgiri hills. I now work as a conbservationist in the same area. Gudalur sits at the start of the mountains, at the edge of the Mudumalai Reserve. Till about 10 years ago, few roads, and only a handful of jeeps passed through the area. The forests and the land belonged to wildlife, and to elephants in particular. They routinely broke down fences and houses, damaged crops, chased jeeps and were the centre of most conversations. Electric fences were introduced only in the last decade, but the elephants invariably outsmarted them - a tusker learnt his tusks were electricity-proof, and used them to carefully snap the wires and a matriarch learnt dead wood could be used to smash through the fencing. But they were respected animals, whose rights were recognised as they never attacked or damaged property without reason. Wildlife sightings routinely happened from my home, we didn’t need to venture into the Reserve. Sloth bears were seen frequently, and with wild boars, were the most feared as they are the only animals that attack without provocation. Gaur grazed in large herds, and we often stopped and watched the light brown calves (which hardly resembled their jet-black parents) playing in the small open grassy patches between the trees. And the rains, most years the monsoon went on for almost six months. It was always cold and wet. The smell of damp lingered in the air, and anything left untouched got covered with mould. But everything teemed with life. Every year, the trees in the estates would be lopped to allow in sunlight and the undergrowth around houses would be cleared, but foliage grew back with surprising vigour. Snakes, mostly rat snakes, but also the occasional cobra and krait, and frogs visited houses. Centipedes, millipedes, ants, spiders, moths and innumerable other life forms shared our kitchen and bedrooms. But life has changed over the years. It was once a wild landscape in which a few

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people lived. Now it is a human landscape in which a few animals manage to survive. In the last decade, the human population has increased, tourists come in troves and the small town has become a big town, where everyone is less keen on having biodiverse homes. Over the years, I have learnt a lot more about this wider landscape, and have come to appreciate it more. The Nilgiri hills are a part of the Western Ghats, a 150-million-year-old rock formation, that is more than twice as old as the Himalayas. It is one of the world’s eight hottest biodiversity hotspots, with over 2,000 endemic plants species. It encompasses a host of protected areas, some UNESCO biosphere reserves, and is home to some of India’s largest populations of elephants and tigers. After deliberations in St Petersburg, the World Heritage Committee recently added the Western Ghats to UNESCO’s World Heritage List, and the fuzzy feeling has not yet subsided among conservation and environmental circles. Though they rise above 2,600 m, geological experts don’t classify the Western Ghats as true mountains. They were formed when the Gondwana landmass broke up about 150 million years ago, and India began to move away from Madagascar. The high altitudes meant that plants and animals evolved very differently in these hills from the rest of the country. These mountain forests are like little islands in the sky, teeming with plant and animal life. Even casual observers, once they look past the tigers and elephants, will notice the phenomenal diversity. Within a 30 km radius, the landscape changes from African grasslands to lush dense rainforests to windy hilly slopes. The Segur plateau and Moyar Valley, for example, at

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about 600 m above sea level, are dry and opens rub forests. Expansive grassy areas inhabited by blackbuck, remind you of the grasslands in Africa. Then you move into the Mudumalai Tiger Reserve, with the deciduous forests. Further west the trees become taller and permanently green, forests become wetter and more leech infested as you head into the rainforests. Move up the hills and at about 1,500 m, the forests redefine themselves to adapt to the cold and mist. Large evergreen trees become small and stunted and their barks sprout almost hair-like lichens, typical of cloud forests. Rolling undulating grasslands colonise the windy open hill slopes in between the forest patches. You are now in the Shola-grassland mosaic, home to the Nilgiri tahr. Though a tiger hunts only about once a week, it could theoretically hunt a blackbuck for breakfast in an almost arid scrub jungle, walk about 20 km up the hills into a sky island, and hunt a Nilgiri tahr for dinner! The megafaunal diversity is just the tip of the iceberg. Ecstatic naturalists have written volumes about the flowers (orchids in particular), butterflies and insects, trees, plants, grasses and even the mosses and lichen. And this is just in the Nilgiris. The Western Ghats start with the Satpura Range in the north, coming around Daman and Diu and Mumbai as far as the Sahyadris, they continue into the Anamalai hills into Kodaikanal in the east and south to Munnar, going all the way past Thiruvananthapuram. They run for about 1,600 km long, and cover about 1,40,000 sq km. Numerous ethnic groups live in this region, and it is safe to say this is also one of the most culturally diverse places on the earth. Paul Hockings, a British anthropologist at the University of Illinois, at Chicago, has just compiled a multi-volume encyclopedia on the Nilgiris alone. In a somewhat simplistic summary of the early colonial writing on the region, he describes it as a place with a “variety of tribal people — hunters, foragers, pastoralists, swidden farmers, sorcerers, peasant farmers, mahouts — and with the most exotic customs one could think of”. While we must celebrate this ethnic and environmental diversity of the Western Ghats, we must first understand the implications of a “World Heritage Site” tag. The Convention concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage was adopted by UNESCO in 1972. It was a unique global agreement, that for the first time brought together the conservation of both nature and culture. The Egyptian Pyramids, for example, are also a WHS. India is also signatory to this convention, and all states that are party to it are encouraged to nominate sites to the World Heritage Committee to be considered for inclusion in the World Heritage List. UNESCO provides technical guidance to help countries protect their cultural and natural heritage, and also gives some financial assistance through the World Heritage Fund (annually about US$4 million for the 962 WHSs, according to the UNESCO WHS website). More than the financial assistance, it raises the global conservation profile of the site, and helps generate awareness both locally and internationally.Sustainable development for the people living in these heritage landscapes is a central tenant of WHS. But the downside is that the convention is not hard law. So despite all the fanfare, there is not going to be any added legal provisions by which the Western Ghats can now be protected. So will this tag change ground realities? On one hand, the tag on its own will not ensure that the cluster of 39 World Heritage Sites in the in the Western Ghats will be much better protected.  Some conservationists are concerned that the selection of only 39 sites (8,000 sq km) within the Ghats is arbitrary, and will open up the remaining 1,32,000 sq km for destruction. But the tag will also bring in more international attention, and can be used by conservationists and civil society groups to stall some of the large-scale industrial and mining processes that are destroying the hills, so that the elephants might once more roam free into the mist. The author is founder of The Shola Trust, working on people-based nature conservation in the Nilgiris. Source: Financial Express, 

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The ‘Missile Woman’ behind India’s test launch

BusinessDay, By  Pratap  Chakravarty:  The ‘Missile Woman’ behind  India’s

test launch Tessy Thomas juggles domestic duties with her day job — as India’s top ballistic missile expert Hailed as a trail blazer in male-dominated India, Tessy Thomas juggles domestic duties with her day job — as the country’s top ballistic missile expert. Ms Thomas was project director for the Agni V long-range nuclear-capable missile which was test-fired last week in a major military advance that will enable India to hit all rival China’s cities for the first time. Celebrated as "Missile Woman" in the local media, she has lent a new and unusual face to the secretive world of India’s Defence Research and Development Organisation. But while the woman from southern Kerala state has changed perceptions of her profession and challenged tradition along the way, she says she remains a doting wife and mother at home. "In Indian culture, we feel women are also supposed to be taking care of the home, so a little bit of challenges are there," she says. "But all my lady colleagues are doing the same. It was slightly tough, but I could do it by balancing my time between home and work. Although i t was tough when my son was in school." Not all of her female colleagues have risen to such a position of prominence, though. The Agni V was a prestige project for India. Its 5000km range is seen as vital for national defence and another demonstration of the nation’s rising power. Indian President Pratibha Patil, another woman in a prominent position, commented after the launch that "the work of Thomas in the Agni programme would hopefully inspire more women in choosing careers in science". In January, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said Ms Thomas was an example of a "woman making her mark in a traditionally male bastion and decisively breaking the glass ceiling". Ms Thomas joined the Defence Research and Development Organisation in 1988 and went on to work for APJ Abdul Kalam, the architect of the national missile programme who later became India’s president. Her initial focus was on guidance systems, and the first Agni variant was flight-tested in 1989. Her stewardship of the Agni V came after the first launch of the 3500km -range Agni III in 2006. Ms Thomas insists there is no gender discrimination in the predominantly male organisation, where about 200 female colleagues work in its dozens of ordnance factories and research facilities: "I always felt like a scientist and (the organisation) never made me feel otherwise. Besides, science does not recognise who is making the inputs." Ms Thomas says she decided to go into missiles — for her they are instruments of peace due to their deterrence value — after watching rocket tests from a launch centre near her home. "As school children we used to go on picnics to watch the rocket tests and I would be fascinated. Besides, I was always interested in science and mathematics." Such is her passion that she named her college-age son Tejas — after India’s indigenously built light combat aircraft. Between her kitchen at home in the southern city of Hyderabad and poring over complex telemetry data at work, Ms Thomas, who holds an engineering doctorate, has now set herself another challenge. "I am currently working on mission and guidance (systems) of the multiple independent re-entry vehicle," referring to proposed new technology to deliver multiple warheads. Source: BusinessDay

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President Pratibha Patil presents Padma awards to 53 eminent personalities

News Track India, NI Wire: The President of India Pratibha Patil facilitated 53 persons with the Padma awards, at the Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi on Thursday, 22 March 2012. The list of awardees included famous people from various fields including public affairs, social work, science and engineering, trade and industry, medicine, education, sports and civil service, who had made remarkable contributions in their respective fields. The country's second highest recognition after Bharat Ratna, Padma
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Vibhushan was given to three people. Famous Assamese singer-composer late Dr Bhupendra Kumar Hazarika was entitled with the award posthumously. The other two are: former Uttar Pradesh governor and Intelligence Bureau chief T V Rajeswar and internationally renowned orthopedic surgeon Dr K H Sancheti. Taz Hazarika, son of late Dr Bhupendra Kumar Hazarika, received the Padma Vibhushan award for his father from the President. In addition to that, a number of people got recognition of Padam Bhushan and Padam shri awards. The list of the
   Bhupendra Hazarika: Image Link Flickr
other awardees includes: Padam Bhushan: 1 Shri Jatin Das - Art - Painting ? Delhi,  2 Pandit Buddhadev Das Gupta - Art - Instrumental Music - Sarod - West Bengal, 3 Dr. Trippunithwra Viswanathan Gopalkrishnan - Art - Classical vocal and instrumental music - Tamil Nadu, 4 Ms. Mira Nair - Art - Cinema - Delhi, 5 Prof. Shashikumar Chitre - Science and Engineering - Maharashtra, 6 Dr. Suresh H. Advani - Medicine - Oncology - Maharashtra, 7 Dr. Devi Prasad Shetty - Medicine-Cardiology - Karnataka, 8 Prof. (Dr.) Shantaram Balwant Mujumdar - Literature and Education ? Maharashtra,
   Arvind Panagaria: Image Link Wikimedia
9 Shri Ronen Sen - Civil Service - West Bengal, 10 Prof. Arvind Panagariya - Literature and Education - USA, 11 Prof. Vidya Dehejia - Literature and Education - USA, 12 Shri Subbiah Murugappa Vellayan - Trade and Industry - Tamil Nadu, 13 Shri Khaled Choudhury - Art - Theatre - West Bengal, 14 Shri
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Sunil Janah - Art-Photography - Assam, Padam Shri: 1 Shri Vanraj Bhatia - Art - Music - Maharashtra, 2 Smt. Nameirakpam Ibemni Devi - Art - Music- Khongjom Parba - Manipur, 3 Shri Moti Lal Kemmu - Art - Playwright - Jammu and Kashmir, 4 Shri Satish Alekar - Art - Playwright - Maharashtra, 5 Smt. Joy Michael - Art - Theatre - Delhi, 6 Shri Natesan Muthuswamy - Art - Theatre. - Tamil Nadu, 7 Shri Kalamandalm Sivan Nambootiri - Art - Indian Classical Dance- Kutiyattam - Kerala, 8 Shri Ramakant Gundecha and Shri Umakant Gundecha - Art - Indian Classical Music- Vocal - Madhya Pradesh, 9 Shri Anup Jalota - Art-Indian Classical Music- Vocal - Maharashtra, 10 Shri Soman Nair Priyadarsan - Art - Cinema- Direction - Kerala, 11 Shri Pravin H. Parekh - Public Affairs - Delhi, 12 Dr. Krishna Lal
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Chadha - Science and Engineering - Agriculture - Delhi, 13 Prof. Rameshwar Nath Koul Bamezai - Science and Engineering - Jammu and Kashmir, 14 Smt. Shamshad Begum - Social Work - Chattisgarh, 15 Dr. P.K. Gopal - Social Work - Tamil Nadu, 16 Dr. G. Muniratnam - Social Work - Andhra Pradesh, 17 Dr. Uma Tuli - Social Work - Delhi, 18 Smt.Binny Yanga - Social Work - Arunachal Pradesh, 19 Dr. Lokesh Kumar Singhal - Science and Engineering - Punjab, 20 Ms. Priya Paul - Trade and Industry - Delhi,
   Jhulian Goswami: Image Link Flickr
21 Shri Arun Hastimal Firodia - Trade and Industry - Maharashtra, 22 Shri Shoji Shiba - Trade and Industry - Japan, 23 Dr. J. Hareendran Nair - Medicine - Ayurveda - Kerala, 24 Dr. Jitendra Kumar Singh - Medicine - Oncology - Bihar, 25 Dr. Nitya Anand - Medicine - Drugs Research - Uttar Pradesh, 26 Dr. Mukesh Batra - Medicine-Homeopathy - Maharashtra, 27 Shri Kedar Gurung - Literature and Education - Sikkim, 28 Shri Vijay Dutt Shridhar - Literature and Education - Journalism - Madhya Pradesh, 29 Ms. Geeta Dharmarajan - Literature and Education - Delhi, 30 Smt. Pepita Seth - Literature and Education - Kerala, 31 Smt. Jhulan Goswami -Sports - Women's Cricket - West Bengal, 32 Shri Ajeet Bajaj - Sports - Skiing - Delhi, 33 Shri Devendra Jhajrija - Sports - Athletics- Paralympics - Rajasthan, 34 Shri Syed Mohammed Arif - Sports - Badminton - Andhra Pradesh, 35  Dr. K. (Kota) Ullas Karanth - Others-Wildlife Conservation and Environment Protection - Karnataka, 36 Shri Swapan Guha - Others-Ceramics - Rajasthan Source: News Track India

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Lottery mix-up shatters hopes of Kerala ‘crorepati’

Indian Express, Press Trust of India : Idukki, Ker, A daily wage earner’s joy of having won Rs two crore in a state lottery was short-lived as he was told by officials a month later that he was not the real winner, as a computer glitch resulted in his ticket number being published in newspapers. 65-year-old George Mammen of Kattappana in Idukki district was declared to have won the second prize of Rs one crore of Kerala Government’s Onam Bumper lottery about a month back. After the draw, the Lottery Department published the prizewinning-tickets number in leading newspapers and on its website. An overjoyed Mammen found that his ticket had brought him luck, and deposited it in a local co-operative bank. The hopes of Mammen and his relatives, however, were dashed when he got a letter from the Director of Lotteries recently saying his was not the prize-winning ticket, and apologising for the faux pas. The official explanation was the mistake was caused by a computer printer error. The Government, however, has promised to give Mammen a consolation amount of Rs 10 lakh for the heartburn caused to him by their grievous mistake. Government sources said four officials in the Lottery department have been placed under suspension for the bungling which dashed the hopes of a senior citizen. Interestingly, no one has so far come forward to claim the prize with the ticket which has won the prize. According to seasoned lottery buffs, the actual winner might have torn off the ticket after failing to see the number in the results published in the newspapers. Source: Indian Express

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India's first 'Rock Theme Park' in Kerala to woo tourists

Alert Go India: A 1000-feet high  rocky  hill  cluster  at  Chadayamangalam  in

south Kerala, believed to be connected with mythical character 'Jatayu' in epic Ramayana, will woo tourists as the country's first 'Rock Theme Park'. According to local tradition, the rock, 'Jatayupara' in Kollam district, is the place where the mythical bird 'Jatayu' fell after its wings were slain by the ten-headed Ravana by his lethal sword 'Chandrahasam'. As per the epic, Ravana, who ruled Lankapuri (Sri Lanka), chopped off one of the wings of the bird when it tried to block his airship 'Pushpaka Vimanam' in which he was forcibly taking away Rama's consort Sita. The project is a blend of ecological and epic tourism and the state government, through this public-private

partnership venture, is building a high-tech theme park on the rocky terrain with a mammoth statue of 'Jatayu' as its core. A host of facilities such as 4D theatre complex, cable van, ayurveda resorts and massage parlours, ethnic cottages and a mural painting gallery are also taking shape at the spot, located about 50 km from the state capital Thiruvananthapuram. The whole site is conceived as a resort where holidayers can relax and have a peep into the culture, heritage and tradition of India through films, paintings in a fitting ambience of panoramic settings, said Rajiv Anchal,  noted  film  maker
and sculptor, who is the art-director of the project. "The huge statue of Jatayu, laying on its back with wings spread out with raised head, will be the heart of the park. The statue, 65 feet in height, 200 feet length and 150 feet width, is designed as a functional structure within which a 50-seat 4D theatre complex will be built," Rajiv said. Once completed, the Jatayu sculpture would be the biggest functional sculpture in Asia. It can be termed as the tallest as well, he said. "The 'Rock Theme Park' will strengthen Kerala's position in the global tourism map. It will open a fresh destination for foreign as well as global tourists," Rajiv said. Source: Alert Go India

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A tourist circuit for every religion, and one that integrates all

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Financial Express, By ANUBHUTI VISHNOI: New Delhi: Seven new tourist circuits will be developed across the country to facilitate travel to and stay at religious places. Work has already begun to prepare detailed project

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Ranakpur Temple: Image Link Flickr

reports for Sufi, Buddhist & Jain, Christian, Sikh, Hinduism and Sarva Dharma circuits. The Sufi circuit will include Delhi, Agra, Fatehpur Sikri, Bijapur, Shirdi, Aurangabad, and the Awadh region, besides the dargahs in

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J&K, Punjab, Haryana and Uttarkahnad. The Christian circuit will have the churches of Goa, Kerala and Tamil Nadu. The Sarv Dharma Circuit, to promote national integration, will be aligned along Tirupathi-Chennai-

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Velankanni-Nagoor and Vaishnodevi - Golden Temple-Sacred Heart Church (Delhi)-Nizamuddin. “India is home to a number of religions and there is a huge scope in terms of boosting tourism to religious places. Our aim is to facilitate a packaged tour like experience to tourists complete with stay and 

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entertainment options. We have already engaged consultants to work on these circuits and hope to engage state governments in the project,” Tourism Minister Subodh Kant Sahay said. Sahay’s ministry has already held a round of discussions on the Sufi circuit with industry stakeholders and some Sufi exponents, sources confirmed. The ministry wants

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Hazratbal Mosque & Shrine: Image Link Indian Express

projects under this scheme to follow a comprehensive approach incorporating all facilities required by a tourist. The Ministry of Tourism has already identified 35 destinations for Phase I and will cover another 89 inPhase II. Consultants engaged by the ministry will help identify gaps in

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The Golden Buddha, Tawang Monastery, Image Link Flickr

infrastructure and amenities, assess Investment requirement and possible source of funds and also evolve business models for investment and operations. The ministry also proposes to bear the cost of preparation of a detailed project report by state governments as well as the cost of setting up

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project monitoring units for undertaking all activities related to a particular circuit. The ministry has proposed a required outlay plan of Rs 9,450 crore for the 12th Plan and hopes to draw in private investment close to Rs 28,000 crore for such projects. Image Link Blogspot, Source: Financial Express

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Gujarat Tourism To Take Amitabh Bachchan Ads Overseas

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Easy Destination Blog: Gujarat tourism has decided to take ad campaign featuring Amitabh Bachchan overseas. Ever since the launch of "Khushboo Gujarat Ki" campaign, Gujarat tourism has posted  very  strong  growth.  The

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campaign was launched in October 2010 acorss India. Among first destinations promoted by Amitabh Bachchan was Gir National Park, that saw huge surge in tourists thanks to the ad campaign. Several other  places

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were promoted following that including Gandhi Circuit, Kutch and the Somnath    Temple.   The    third    stage    of   campaign   will   feature   more

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destinations like Saputara, the only hill station in Gujarat. The success of the campaign has made Gujarat tourism to take the campaign global. Gujarat tourism  officials  confirmed   this  during  the  Travel  Agents  Association  of

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India, annual award show. Gujarat tourism was honored with the award of best tourism department in India beating Kerala and Madhya Pradesh. The state tourism  department  has  take  several  steps  like  organizing  events,

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festivals, tourism  fairs and road shows in several cities across the world to promote Gujarat. Tourism Secretary of Gujarat, Vipul Mitra told that tourism growth  of  Gujarat  is 14 per cent  over  the  past  one  year.  The  majority  of

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growth from domestic sector was made possible by the Amitabh Bachchan. Its worth noting that Congress party  slammed  Mr  Bachchan  for  promoting

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Gujarat tourism.But  today thanks to him, thousands of tourism jobs have been created in the state. Source: Easy Destination Blog

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