Twenty nine-year-old Anubhav Pratap Singh’s happiness knew no bounds when it was announced that he has won a gold as well as a silver medal in two different categories at Indo-Bhutan Big Bore shooting championship.
After all, Anubhav had not just participated in an international championship for the first time but also won laurels for the country. With 588 points, Anubhav bagged the gold medal in 300 metre Free Rifle Prone Men at an individual level and bagged a silver medal in the same category with same points in a team. He had shot the first time when he was only 10 years old and ever since then there was no looking back for Anubhav who is the son of Ved Pal Singh, range in-charge, Meerut district Rifle Association. While his father could play only one national match due to lack of funds for the rifles, Anubhav is living his father’s dreams.
“It is a matter of pride for me and my family because it is my first international medal. The event is still going on in Gurgaon and will end on April 13 but my competitions are over and will be awarded with the medals on April 12. I aim at getting selected in Common Wealth Games and World Shooting Championship now,” said Anubhav, who was awarded Laxman Award in 2016 by former UP chief minister Akhilesh Yadav.
Anubhav has participated in over 60 shooting competitions at national, All India and state level and bagged various medals since he started shooting at the age of 10. His younger brother Anant Pratap Singh is also a shooter, who has played at international level and is currently a shooting coach in Haryana-based university.
Talking about the challenges he faced during the championships, Anubhav said, “Shooting is an expensive game and I only have a 0.22 bore rifle until now, which had cost me Rs 3.11 lakh with accessories. But I need to purchase more rifles to gain expertise over the game. In this championship, too, I had to share the rifle with the fellow shooters. Since I get scholarship from Khalsa College in Amritsar from where I am pursuing MA in English and got money from UP government too last year, in all probability, I will purchase a new rifle by this year end,” he said.
Not just the Indo-Bhutan Big Bore Shooting Chammpionship, Anubhav also won bronze medal in 60th National Shooting Championship Competition (Big Bore) 2017 in 300 metre prone men civilian championship, gold medal in 300 metre rifle prone national championship (team) and 300 metre rifle prone men civilian championship (team). The 60th National Shooting Championship was held from March 28 to April 5, 2017.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News> City News> Meerut News / by Ishita Bhatia / TNN / April 11th, 2017
Just like last year, this year too Kanpur will be hosting two IPL matches on May 10 and 13, to be played at the Green Park Stadium. The two matches to be played between Gujarat Lions, Delhi Daredevils and Hyderabad Sun Risers have the cricket lovers excited.
But what is also special this year is the felicitation of the players from the state playing in these three teams, apart from Kuldeep Yadav who will be specially invited for this felicitation.
Suresh Raina
Among those to be felicitated this year are Kuldeep Yadav, Suresh Raina, Bhuvneshawar Kumar, Pravin Kumar, Amit Mishra, Eklavya Dwivedi and Umang Sharma, among others. “While Yadav will be awarded a cheque for Rs5 lakh and a memento, the rest will be given mementos,” informs Rajiv Shukla, IPL commissioner and director, Uttar Pradesh Cricket Association (UPCA).
“We want to acknowledge the contribution of the cricketers from the state to the game and to the country.
We have decided to felicitate the players in these teams who belong to Uttar Pradesh,” says Shukla, adding, “Seeing the recent performance of cricketer Kuldeep Yadav in the test match against the Australian team, the UPCA has decided to honour him with an amount of Rs5 lakh.
We will also be felicitating Suresh Raina, who plays for team India and Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who plays domestic cricket. This kind of recognition from the state will motivate the players and also promote the sport.”
(L to R) Kuldeep Yadav and Bhuvneshawar Kumar
While last year, the IPL matches in Kanpur saw Tim Cook and Sanjay Dutt as guests, this year too the matches may witness the presence of a few celebrities. “This time too cricket buffs will be in for a big surprise seeing the guests at the IPL matches. We are yet to figure out the invitations and we will shortly make the and we will shortly make the announcement.”
Shukla is also upbeat about the international cricket stadium coming up in Lucknow.
“Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath is quite interested in the development of sports in the state. He has shown interest in the further development of Green Park stadium. We are also happy with the stadium coming up in Lucknow and we plan to bring IPL matches to Lucknow in the next season. The stadium meets all the world class standards and the best thing is that it has a seating capacity of 50,000, which is a fairly decent number,” says Shukla.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News> City News> Nodia News / by Sumit Jha / April 22nd, 2017
Holi khele Raghubira Awadh mein Holi khele Raghubira…
The folk song from Awadh made popular by Amitabh Bachchan would have been a lost treasure had it not been for the efforts of a musician who preserved the festive melody.
Ace classical vocalist, custodian of folk songs and composer Radha Ballabh Chaturvedi compiled notations for more than 3,000 folk songs of Uttar Pradesh. ‘Holi Khele’ was just one of those.
The music fraternity recently celebrated his birth centenary. As a tribute, his compositions were performed by singers.
Though Chaturvedi rose to fame after his efforts for conservation of local songs in Awadhi, Bhojpuri, Braj and Bundeli dialects, his instinct for classical music was inborn. After a bachelors degree in vocal music from Bhatkhande Music Institute in 1936, he dedicated his life to revival of dying folk songs and local compositions of remote places.
Music director Kewal Kumar, a student of Chaturvedi, recalls, “He used to visit remote villages of Uttar Pradesh and bring folk songs from there captured in his tape recorder. I have seen him during his sessions making notations and composing tunes. He used to record songs at Akashvani studios, making them immortal.”
Sunita Jhingran, a classical singer who counts herself among the fortunate ones who got a chance to learn music from Chaturvedi, said, “His book ‘Unchi Atariya Rang Bhari’ is a treasure trove of folk songs. He has gathered songs for all situations including Savan (monsoon), Chaiti (summmer), vivah (wedding), Holi and several others. His work in Thumri, Dadra, Khayal, and Dhrupad-Dhamar-Tappa is commendable.”
“He used to be invited to perform in the national capital for gatherings attended by senior politicians and that feeling of pride for us is indescribable,” adds Kumar.
Chaturvedi’s daughter Neelam says doing something in the field of music was her father’s childhood dream.
“At the age of 15, he left home in Moradabad and came to Lucknow to learn music. At that time, he used to work for various gharanas where he was trained in the basics of music.” Later in life, Chaturvedi also worked at Doordarshan.
Sangeet Natak Akademi had also dedicated its monthly magazine to the music doyen. The last edition was themed on Chaturvedi’s contribution to music. It was released as part of the celebrations.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News> City News> Lucknow News / by Vidita Chandra / TNN / May 07th, 2017
Wishes have no end and a mythical wish-granting tree should never die. More so if the tree is worshipped as a deity and believed to have roots in the Mahabharata.
Barabanki’s revered Parijaat will now have it clones grown in the same campus where the tree has existed for hundreds of years, attracting devotees from all over, in Kintoor village of the district. The objective is to keep the legacy of the tree alive after it’s dead and gone. NBRI would prepare clones of the tree through cuttings and tissue culture.
At least three clone-trees would be planted around the mother tree.
Besides, NBRI would also do a molecular study to find out the place of origin of the Barabanki tree. Parijaat (Adansonia digitata) is an exotic tree, an African specie with peculiar features. It’s a matter of study from where it reached Barabanki.
Though there is no written account of the tree’s history, it is believed the tree has existed from the days of Pandavas. It is said to have come out of the ‘samudra manthan’ (churning of ocean) and brought to earth by Arjun from the garden of Indra for his mother Kunti. It’s said after Kunti offered Parijaat’s flowers to Lord Shiva that Pandavas won the battle of Mahabharat.
Since it’s the age of the tree that has always intrigued scientists and forest officers efforts would be made to know how old the tree is through carbon dating. “We will ask BSIP (Birbal Sahni Institute of Paleobotany) to study the age of the tree,” said senior principal scientist, NBRI, S K Tiwari.
Team of NBRI scientists including the director, Prof Sk Barik, visited the site of the tree on Friday. National Botanical Research Institute (NBRI), a CSIR laboratory, has been treating the tree since February 2016 after forest department, that takes care of the tree, sought help from the laboratory.
Parijaat, said to be a wish-granting tree (kalpvriksha), draws devotees from far-off places all the year round. Due to sugary offerings made at the place, the tree was found infected with termites when NBRI visited the site in February last year. It also had fungal and bacterial infections.
NBRI had administered chemical treatment to the tree initially and recommended a microbial biopesticide (Bacillus based inoculants) to be applied on the trunk and leaves of the tree thrice in a year to keep it clean of infections. The institute also gave Bacillus packets to forest department.
“The base of the tree still seems affected and we have suggested ways to the forest department,” said the scientist. A medicated mud, mixed with fungicide and insecticide, would be put all around the tree upto one feet.
This would control degeneration from the bottom. While the aerial spray of disinfectants would continue to keep tree free of pests and fungi.
Besides, NBRI would also try to establish a link between the other age-old Parijaat trees reported in the state with that of Barabanki’ tree. “We got to know of old Parijaat trees in Basti and Sultanpur. Then these old trees are also present in NBRI campus and zoo. We will do molecular study to find out where the other trees have come from,” said the scientist.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News> City News> Lucknow News / by Neha Shukla / TNN / May 05th, 2017
A city based NGO Human Welfare Association (HWA) has been selected as a winner of National Intellectual Property (IP) Award for the year 2017 in the category of “top individual/organisation for best facilitation of registration of GI and promotion of registered GI in India.” The award will be given by the union minister of commerce and industry Nirmala Sitharaman at a function jointly organised by the Indian Intellectual Property Office and Confederation of Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CII) in New Delhi on April 27, a day after the World Intellectual Property Day (April 26).
Human Welfare Associations’ Director Rajni Kant
“It is a great honour to our organization and our efforts for the promotion of GI goods. We received the letter yesterday from the office of Controller General of Patents, Design and Trade Marks & Registrar of Geographical Indications,” the HWA director Rajni Kant told TOI on Tuesday before leaving for New Delhi to receive the award, which carries an amount of Rs. one lakh, a citation and a memento. The Indian Intellectual Property Office confers National IP Awards on outstanding innovators, organisations and companies in the fields of patents, designs, trademarks and geographical indications on the occasion of World IP Day every year.
“The HWA has facilitated for IPR through GI registration of nine products like including Banaras Brocades and Sarees, Handmade Carpet of Bhadohi, Champa Silk Sarees and Fabric, Mirzapur Handmade Dari, Banaras Gulabi Meenakari, Varanasi Wooden Lacquerware & Toys, Nizamabad Black Pottery, Varanasi Metal Repousee craft,” he said adding that three more handicraft products including Varanasi Stone undercut work, Chunar Sand Stone, Jute Wall Hanging of Ghazipur are under process of GI registration.
Registered in 1991 the HWA has been working to address the need of deprived sections of dalit, OBC and minority community in Varanasi with focus on women, children, youth and artisans and weavers. Kant, a doctorate in soil and agriculture chemistry from Banaras Hindu University, took this initiative in 1993. Organization is working for promotion of India Handloom Brand, Handloom mark, gender issues, and communal harmony. It is also involved in the advocacy on child rights, handloom, handicraft, weavers, artisans, marginalized farmers, women literacy initiative and future rnergy issues.”
We have conducted various GI awareness and post GI workshop in Varanasi and other part of UP,” he said adding that he had also participated in World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) Conference at Geneva, Switzerland held from October 5 to 11 in 2015 on the issue of GI Registered IPR product of the India – Make In India event.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News> City News> Varanasi News / by Binay Singh / TNN / April 25th, 2017
