The Jnanpith award for 2017 goes to one of the most celebrated Hindi writers, Krishna Sobti.
Following the unanimous decision amidst the members of the Jnanpith Selection Board, the 97-year-old is to be decorated with India’s highest literary honour, in recognition of her outstanding contribution to Indian literature.
“The Jnanpith Selection Board has announced the recipient of the 53rd Jnanpith Award for the year 2017 today in a meeting. It went to eminent Hindi Litterateur Krishna Sobti,” the board said, reports The Indian Express.
Also known as the grande dame of Hindi literature, Sobti has published many noteworthy works since the second half of last century that dealt with bold themes like female identity dysphoria and sexuality.
The Grande Dame of Hindi Literature. Source: Wikimedia.
Born on 18 February 1925 in the Gujarat province of now Pakistan, Sobti moved to New Delhi after partition and had been churning out exceptional literary works ever since.
Most renowned for her 1966 novel Mitro Marajani, which is an impenitent saga of a married woman’s exploration of sexuality, Sobti’s other noteworthy works include Daar Se Bichchuri, Surajmukhi Andhere Ke, Yaaron Ke Yaar, Zindaginama, along with some of her short stories like Nafisa, Sikka Badal gaya and Badalom ke ghere.
“Sobti is a path-breaking novelist. She has immensely enriched Hindi literature,” the statement by the board chairman Namwar Singh, who is a noted scholar, writer and critic himself, said.
Apart from the award above, the nonagenarian litterateur has been felicitated with numerous recognitions and accolades.
From Sahitya Akademi Award in 1980 to the coveted fellowship of Sahitya Akademi in 1996, the lady has also been the recipient of Katha Chudamani Award, Shiromani Award, Hindi Academy Award and Shalaka Award of the Hindi Academy in Delhi. In 2010, Sobti was nominated for the prestigious Padma Bhushan by the government of India. However, she chose to decline the offer.
A melting pot of Hindi, Urdu and Punjabi influences, what makes Sobti’s writing style unlike any other is the way she has chosen to experiment with new writing styles and narrative structures.
With themes far-ranging from Indo-Pak partition and relationships between man and woman to the ever-changing dynamics of the Indian society and the slow decay of human values, most of her works revolve around strong and audacious characters, making her stories engaging and unforgettable.
The Buddhadeo household in Gurugram is celebrating and rightfully so. Earlier this month, Jaysheel Buddhadeo, all of 8 years of age, was awarded the National Child Award for Exceptional Achievement 2017, in the field of Indian classical music and social service. At an age when children are learning to find their voice and be heard, this child has already found a cause he wishes to work for.
We, at The Better India, spoke to the Buddhadeos to understand how this award came about and what it means for the family.
Bhavisha, Jayasheel’s proud mother, says, “It is truly an honour to have been invited to receive this award.”
“The interesting part is my older son (Taksheel) also won this award when he was eight years old. So for us, it is a double celebration.”
Taksheel receiving the award
Intrigued by that I ask her more about the boys. She says, “From a very young age both the boys (Taksheel and Jaysheel) have been very keen on working with nature and doing what they can to protect it. All we did was encourage and nurture that in them.”
Bhavisha and her husband gave complete freedom to the boys to chose whatever they wanted to explore, and this worked for them She says, “My children love cooking and gardening, I have never stopped them from doing either. We have had people ask us if we want our kids to become cooks or gardeners and our answer has always been to let them do what their interest lies in.”
“We also consciously do not assign any gender stereotypes to the activities the boys take up.”
The Buddhadeos
Bhavisha’s older son, Taksheel, is an 11-year-old now and is already actively involved in social work and the preservation of the environment. “I have been making my own compost for a few years now, and also enjoy planting saplings in little pots and handing them over to people. In the last few years I have certainly planted more trees and saplings than I can keep a count of,” he proudly informs me.
Apart from winning the award, Jaysheel has also set a National Record in The India Book of records and The World Records of India as a “Young Crusader To Promote Environment.”
His initiatives for environment conservation have been registered in the United Nations Environment Program.
Jaysheel receiving the award
He is also the youngest recipient of a Diploma in Hindustani Classical Music from Prayag Sangit Samiti, Allahabad and has also been invited and honoured by radio channels as a child artist.
The National Child Award for Exceptional Achievement award was instituted in 1996 to give recognition to children with exceptional abilities and who have achieved outstanding status in various fields including academics, arts, culture, design, and sports etc.
Eligibility criteria:
1. Children residing in India of or above the age of (+5) years and not exceeding l8 years (as on 31st July of respective year).
2. Excellence in any one of the following fields: (Achievements that benefit society will be encouraged)
• Innovations in any area including design.
• Scholastic achievements at national level (e.g. first position in mathematics in two successive years)
• Sports
• Arts
• Culture
• Social service
• Music
• Any other field, which deserves recognition as per the decision of the Central/National Selection Committee.
The 18th Sanctuary Wildlife Awards were recently held in Mumbai, at the National Centre for the Performing Arts (NCPA). These awards aim to recognise the contribution of individuals working for the protection of wildlife and natural habitats in India and bring their work into the limelight.
The awardees were nominated by the readers of Sanctuary Asia, an environmental news magazine, and supporters from all over India.
Here are some of the winners of 2017:
Valmik Thapar: Lifetime Service Award
Valmik has spent over four decades tracking and protecting tigers. He has led several battles for their conservation and served on over 150 committees of both central and state governments. Currently, he works almost exclusively in Rajasthan with the state government. He has been instrumental in the revitalisation of parks such as Maharashtra’s beloved Tadoba Tiger Reserve. He is also an author of 32 books and a presenter of 16 international documentary films.
Jyoti Sharma: Young Naturalist Award
Jyoti is only 13 years old and is a class 8 student at JSM Public School, Sawai Madhopur. She has a deep understanding and knowledge of Ranthambore’s flora and fauna and has been an active participant in nature trails conducted by the programme coordinator Goverdhan Meena (Kids for Tigers). From assisting Goverdhan to coordinating nature trails, Jyoti has done it all. With her principal’s support, she now conducts trails for other schools in the locality, some of which see attendance by teachers as well. One of the three individuals to receive this award. Jyoti is the youngest naturalist of the year and also writes plays on conservation issues.
KS Smith: Green Teacher Award
In 1997, Smitha chose to take up teaching as a full-time profession. Ever since, she has been teaching her students to explore the beauty of nature. She has created multiple nature clubs for her school and has even led an agitation against the Kolkata municipal corporation when it decided to bulldoze dozens of trees for a road-widening project.
Jayachandran S: Wildlife Service Awards
Jayachandran is one of the five individuals to receive this award this year. He has been at the forefront of the fight to save the Nilgiri and Sathyamangalam landscape in Tamil Nadu’s Western Ghats for over three decades. It was in 1990 that he started the Tamil Nadu Green Movement, and has been instrumental in helping the Kerala and Tamil Nadu Forest Departments bust poaching rackets, make seizures and apprehend hardened poachers. He has inspired many poachers to surrender their arms and ensuring that they have alternate livelihood opportunities. Many of these ex-poachers today help the Forest Departments in blowing the cover on the modus operandi and operations of active wildlife criminals.
Rajveer Singh Rajawat: Special Sanctuary Tiger Awards
Rajveer is among the three people to receive this award. He has spent 26 years protecting the Ranthambore National Park in Rajasthan. He has played a pivotal role in helping the Forest Department arrest some of the most notorious poachers operating in and around the park and has assisted in improving the relationship between the local communities and Forest Department. He has also aided the rescue of wild animals in dangerous situations.
The logo of any city is a visual representation of its identity and offers a glimpse into its character and personality. In the 5th Business World Smart Cities Conclave and Awards, held on 20th December in New Delhi, the Union Territory of Puducherry won the award for ‘Innovative Logo for Smart City’ impressing the jury with its logo design, reports The Hindu.
The predominantly blue-hued logo with a grid of muted yellow captures the essence of this francophone seaside town.
The award-winning logo depicting the city of Puducherry
The word ‘Pondichéry’, the name given by the French rulers which still lives on the tongues of residents and tourists, is just above the waters of Bay of Bengal, under which sits the phrase ‘ville smart’ meaning ‘smart city’ in French. Surrounding this image are iconic monuments and geographical indicators that give the beloved ‘Pondy’ its identity. Directly above the name is the silhouette of the Mahatma Gandhi statue with the backdrop of the war trophy from the historical Gingee fort, also known as the ‘Troy of the East’!
On the left side of the statue is the Aayi Mandapam built by Napolean III in honour of Devadasi Aayi who sacrificed her own house so that a water body could be built for the public to manage drought. Next to the mandapam is a cycle, alluding the cycle-friendly nature of the city. On the right, you can see the first lighthouse of east coast of India located in Puducherry’s beach promenade and the statue of French general, Joseph Francois Dupleix.
The logo was submitted by the Puducherry Smart City Mission Limited for Smart Cities Conclave and Awards, which is a platform that endeavours to engage smart cities thought leaders and innovators to bring forth smart and sustainable ideas that can link our progressive cities to solutions that are best suited for them.
The authorities believe that the logo epitomises the collective aspirations of its citizens to transform Puducherry into a Global Tourism Destination by leveraging its spiritual, cultural and heritage values, while also symbolising the emergence of ‘city’ as an organic liveable entity that is set to transform the lives and livelihoods of its citizens for the better.
Aziz Ansari made history as the first Asian-American to win the Golden Globes, for none other than Best Actor in a Television Series Musical or Comedy. This award was given in honour of his performance in the Netflix series, Master of None. In the show, Ansari plays actor Dev Shah, who tries to make it big as a stand-up comedian in the city.
Not only is Anzari the first Asian-American to win the award, but also the first Indian-American to do so.
Born into a Muslim family from Tamil Nadu, Aziz Ismail Ansari grew up in Bennettsville in South Carolina. His parents immigrated from India in the early ’80s and worked in the field of medicine.
His father, Dr Shoukath Ansari, is a practising gastroenterologist who earned his medical degree from Tirunelveli Medical College in India. His mother, Fatima, works with his father at a medical clinic they run together (Sandhills Endoscopy Centre).
From an early age, Ansari was interested in performing arts and even took dance classes as a young boy.
At the same time, he ensured that his grades remained above the benchmark required for attending the South Carolina Governor’s School for Science and Mathematics, a state-run boarding school for gifted students.
“To meet so many kids from different backgrounds with different ideas and interests, it really influenced me,” he later told Charleston City Paper , recalling his years at the Governor’s School.
After completing his schooling, Ansari graduated from the prestigious Stern School of Business (under New York University) with a major in Marketing. It was during these years in college that he found himself drawn towards the impromptu comedy sessions organised by a fun-loving bunch of classmates.
Ansari attended his first stand-up show at the Comedy Cellar in Greenwich Village. Inspired by what he experienced, he started doing open mics at local clubs while still a student.
He often spent his weekends at Times Square, distributing flyers about his shows to tourists.
In 2005, 22-year-old Ansari got his first major gig — hosting Crash Test (a late-night live show featuring rising alternative comedians) on Monday nights at the Upright Citizen’s Brigade (UCB) Theatre. All this while, he continued working at a day job in an internet marketing company to manage his living expenses.
Ansari’s efforts paid off when his quirkily titled experiments with stand-up comedy at the UCB Theatre (Aziz Ansari Punched a Wall, Aziz Ansari Hates Driving etc.) caught the attention of people in the right places.
Soon, the young comedian was featuring in roles — both big and small — in movies (like 30 Minutes or Less) and popular sitcoms like Cheap Seats and Flight of the Conchords. Ansari also teamed up with fellow comedians Rob Huebel, Paul Scheer, and filmmaker Jason Woliner to produce comedy shorts (or internet videos) and a uniquely unpredictable sketch show called Human Giant that guaranteed giggles galore for the audience.
In 2006, Ansari won the Jury Award for Best Stand-Up at HBO’s U.S. Comedy Arts Festival. This proved to be a turning in his life as his show, Human Giant, was picked up by MTV next year. Soon after, the quartet of Ansari, Huebel, Scheer and Woliner got their first big viral hit in “Shutterbugs“, an episode that revolved around a talent agency for children.
For Ansari, there was no looking back after that. His role as Tom Haverford (a fashion-focused, status-conscious underling) on the show, Parks and Recreation, became an instant favourite with the audience, with websites being devoted solely to his spectacular catch phrases on the show.
Over the next few years, he continued to do stand-up while focusing on subjects that were less trivial and more nuanced (e.g. immigration, racism and dating in the modern world). This was also the time when he co-authored a book with sociologist Eric Klinenberg, Modern Romance: An Investigation, that debuted on the New York Times’ best-seller list.
Thanks to the book’s enormous success, in 2015, Ansari made his debut (at No. 6) on Forbes’s list of the highest-paid comedians in the world. The same year, his new series (co-created with writer Alan Yang), Master of None, debuted on Netflix. The ‘dramedy’ series followed the story of an Indian actor Dev Shah (played by Ansari) attempting to make it in NYC.
Interestingly, Dev’s goofy parents on the show were played endearingly by Ansari’s birth parents, Shoukath and Fatima!
The series — which the New York Times called “the year’s best comedy straight out of the gate” — was hilarious yet grounded, philosophical yet relatable. Modeled on Ansari’s own life and experiences, the show’s story highlighted issues such as the subtle forms of racial prejudice in everyday life, the lack of opportunities for minority actors and the annoyingly exaggerated ‘Indianised’ accent expected from Indian actors.
While Master of None’s first season depicted the immigrant take on city life, its much-anticipated second season featured more cultural touchstones for first-generation Americans raised by immigrant families.
The sitcom’s unique worldview was never more apparent than in the episode ‘Religion’ that was inspired by Ansari’s real-life childhood memory of eating bacon at a friend’s house and receiving a scolding from devout Muslim parents.
Having successfully transitioned from a stand-up comedian into a serious power player in showbiz, Aziz Ansari has recast the idea of what a leading man should be.
His passion for using well-tailored, side-splitting references to highlight social issues is also why the impact of his work extends well beyond his television persona.
Just how much can be seen from the fact that Ansari made pop culture history with his powerful monologue as the host of Saturday Night Live (one of the world’s most popular shows) in January 2017. A Muslim American of Indian origin and the first South Asian to host the iconic show, Ansari used the platform to speak out against casual racism just a day after a man who wanted to ban Muslims from entering the country became the President of USA. In the history of comedy, there are very few performances that have left as distinctive an impact as this one.
From the daily wage labourer and housemaid who struggled for 20 years to build a free hospital for the most underprivileged to India’s first paralympic Gold Medallist as early as 1972, the Padma Shri Awards this year have honoured the contributions of over 73 individuals from fields like Arts, Education, Industry, Literature, Science, Sports, Medicine, Social Service and Public Affairs.
And we take immense pride to say some of the awardees have been TBI heroes as well, who have impacted the lives of hundreds of thousands individuals and communities.
This Madurai Professor is known as the ‘Plastic Man of India’. He patented an innovative method of reusing plastic to construct roads. Thanks to his technology, India made it mandatory for all road developers in the country to use waste plastic, along with bituminous mixes, for road construction. This is one step ahead to curb the problem of plastic waste.
Subhasini Mistry’s husband died due to lack of medical facilities in her village. Soon she was pushed out of her home along with her children. Broken hearted, she swore that she would construct a hospital in the very village, so that no other poor villager would die over a lack of medical treatment.
People mocked her saying, “She could not even count her money when she first started selling vegetables. How can she build a hospital when she cannot even rebuild her own home, which is in shambles?”
But she proved everyone wrong. Twenty years after her husband’s death, she started a clinic which was later transformed into a hospital. Read Subhasini’s story here.
His life was never a bed of roses. From struggling for a better life in his village to working as a security guard in MP, Bhajju Shyam’s journey to becoming an acclaimed Gond artist, illustrator, and writer is nothing short of spectacular.
Today, his book, ‘London Jungle Book’, has been published in five foreign languages and his paintings have been exhibited around the globe.
“How did a tribal man like me go from a village in a forest to a city like London? That’s the question in everyone’s mind. It’s quite simple. An artist goes where there is work.”
The man has been around for almost a century. At 99, this freedom fighter spent his life fighting against the British Rule. He then dedicated it to serve the most underprivileged. Founder of the Sri Ramakrishna Sevaashram in West Bengal, he runs free schools, orphanages and dispensaries.
An IIT Kanpur electrical engineering alumnus, he quit his job at Telco, when his mother (who never attended formal school) insisted he do something noble in life. For over 40 years, the man has been taking his love for science and learning to the children of India. He has travelled to over 3000 schools and uses only everyday garbage as the building blocks for making scientific experiments.
Known as the Snake Man of India, the 74-year-old was born in America but took up Indian nationality. He is a herpetologist and wildlife conservationist who founded the Madras Crocodile Bank and is also the founder director of the Snake Park in Chennai. The park was set up to rehabilitate the Irula tribe – who are known for their expertise in catching snakes.
Husband-wife duo Dr. Rani and Dr. Abhay Bang dedicated their lives completely to the social and educational upliftment of the lowest of the low, namely, the tribal people of Gadchiroli district in Maharashtra, by providing effective medical and public health services to them.
Despite having a successful career in the United States, they decided to return to India and set up a grassroots health organization SEARCH (Society for Education, Action & Research in Community Health) in 1986 to help the most underprivileged and backward sections.
Keeping the legacy of Carnatic music alive, one young woman has made the country proud by becoming the first person to receive the Tarisio Trust Young Artists Grants for 2017.
Apoorva Krishna is a 21-year-old violinist, whose composition ‘Bahudari’ in collaboration with percussionists Vinod Shyam and Sunaad Anoor, stunned the organisers and went on to win the third position amidst the top-5 performers in the scholarship competition. They received a grant of $5000.
When Apoorva had applied for the grant, she had reached out to the organisers to explain the purpose of the team’s participation. They wanted to use the money to conduct outreach programmes on Carnatic music and raise awareness about the form that has few takers at present.
The young violinist is already a distinguished name across the Carnatic music fraternity and has shared the stage with stalwart musicians like Aruna Sairam and Chitravina N. Ravikiran.
Apoorva with Vinod Shyam and Sunaad Anoor(left). Source: Facebook.
In fact, during the iconic Margazhi music festival in Chennai this year, Apoorva, who is a resident of Bengaluru, was a part of 21 concerts! She had also performed along with noted singer Shankar Mahadevan on his request during Bengaluru Ganeshothsava.
“I was overwhelmed to share the stage with Shankarji and play the violin as he sang ‘Sapnon Se Bhare Naina.’ What came up as a surprise was his skilful fuse of the raga Sindhubhairavi here gradually slipping into another regional song,” Apoorva told The Hindu.
Apoorva also has the credit of receiving a scholarship from the celebrated Berklee College of Music, under which she had the opportunity of exploring Bulgarian music, rock and funk-fusion.
Hailing from a family of musicians, which includes noted musicologist Rajagopala Iyer and mridangist R Krishnamurthy, it was her grandmother, vocalist Shakuntala Murthy, and parents Murali Krishna and Arathi Murthy, who helped her find her vocation and laid the stepping stones to her interest in Carnatic music.
At a tender age of six, she began learning the violin in California, where she was trained by world-renowned violinists Lalgudi Srimathi Brahmanandam and her daughter Anuradha Sridhar.
Two years ago, her interest in composing tillanas was fueled by Lalgudi R Jayaraman, and there was no looking back.
Apoorva performing with Shankar Mahadevan during Bengaluru Ganeshothsava. Source: Facebook.
The signature style of the celebrated Lalgudi School of music, a tillana is a rhythmic piece in Carnatic music that is generally performed at the end of a concert, and is widely used in classical Indian dance performances.
A video by IndianRaga, which showcased Apoorva’s first tillana composition in Ranjani raga, garnered 30,000 hits within a week from Carnatic music lovers across the world!
This further stoked the fire in Apoorva and led her into creating more tillanas in different ragas. Recently, an album comprising all of her tillana compositions was released by the mobile app Twaang.
As part of her outreach programmes, Apoorva and her team have already completed their first music awareness session at Badarikashrama in Madehalli village of Tumkur district with over 1,000 children. “Such exercises help create awareness for Carnatic music. We would be addressing autistic children at Amaze Foundation in Coimbatore next,” added Apoorva.
For the first time ever, an Indian comedian has been conferred with a doctorate, in recognition of his rib-tickling contribution to the world of performing arts.
The person who has been felicitated is none other than Vir Das, who has cemented himself as the most prominent English-speaking comedian in India, besides being one amongst the country’s top actors, writers, musicians, and festival producers.
Currently, the only Indian artist to have a comedy special, Abroad Understanding, on Netflix, Vir’s alma mater, Knox College in Galesburg, Illinois, has come forward to honour him, making it a rare achievement for an actor-comedian.
The ceremony is scheduled to take place in June 2018, and Vir will be the first alumnus since 1971 to serve as the commencement speaker for the annual commencement ceremony of the college.
Vir Das, the man with humour in his veins. Source: Facebook.
In the past, a long list of celebrated personalities like actress and philanthropist Eva Longoria, US Senator Richard Durbin, journalist William Whitaker, poet Natasha Trethewey, and Presidents William Clinton, and Barack Obama have given the commencement address.
“Knox was this wonderful place that catered to kids like me who couldn’t otherwise afford to study in the US. They had an amazing faculty that made me love performing. They took an economics student and turned him into an actor and comedian. I’m not sure I’m even remotely deserving of this honour. They’ve had speakers like Obama and Clinton and I’m not sure what comparative wisdom I’m going to have to offer. But I’m going to work hard to let the students know that there is a world of choices available to them if they just step out of their box. That’s what Knox did for me. It’s a cool full circle moment in life and an honorary doctorate is fun. The wife is already calling me ‘Honorary Dr Das’,” an amused Vir told The Indian Express.
Vir is slowly breaking into the American entertainment sphere with his exceptional brand of humour, and also has a comedy series which is currently under development, with the international streaming service Hulu.
The Gymnastics World Cup 2018 in Melbourne will go down in history as India got its first ever bronze medal in the women’s vault event.
The feat was achieved by Aruna Reddy, who finished after Slovenia’s Tjasa Kysslef and Australia’s Emily Whitehead, with a score of 13.649. A total of 16 countries were part of the World Cup series event this year.
The 22-year old dedicated her stupendous win to her late father, B Narayana Reddy, who had been instrumental for his daughter’s entry into the field.
Realising that Aruna had the agility and build for a gymnast, Narayana had her enrolled at the Lal Bahadur Shastri stadium in Hyderabad at the age of five.
“I owe everything to him, and if he had been alive and seen me on the podium today, he would have been so happy. He was there in my days of struggle, but couldn’t watch me win,” said an emotional Aruna to The Indian Express.
The Hyderabadi lass, who is a former black belt and Karate trainer, had initially trained under the guidance of coaches Swarnalatha and Ravinder. Later, Swarnalatha’s husband Giriraj took over as Aruna’s mentor after realising her immense potential and was her instructor until his untimely death in 2008.
Then, coach Brij Kishore took Aruna under his wing, and it is under his guidance that the budding gymnast blossomed and went on to clinch many medals at three National Games she had participated in, with the first one being in 2005.
In 2014, Aruna had aroused some hope for Indian gymnasts when she secured the 14th position at the qualification round of Vault apparatus at the Commonwealth Games along with a ninth place finish at the Asian Games.
Aruna came back to the fore when she had finished sixth in Vault during the 2017 Asian Championships.
The young athlete is determined to give her finest performance in the upcoming international events.
“The sad thing about this sport is that once you cross the age of 23-24, it becomes difficult to perform because the body doesn’t remain as flexible. A gymnast’s career is short. That’s why I want to make the most out of things before I turn 23,” she told Deccan Chronicle.
Aruna is also part of the Indian gymnastics contingent for the 2018 Commonwealth Games which will be held in Gold Coast, Australia.
We congratulate the young woman on her extraordinary win and wish her luck in all her future endeavours.
When AR Rahman, Gulzar and Resul Pookutty had won the coveted Academy Award for the movie Slumdog Millionaire in 2009, the country had staked a claim upon the British film as one of its own and left no stone unturned to celebrate the historic achievement, believing that the Indian Oscar dream had finally been realised.
However, unknown to many, the first Indian to ever receive an Oscar had been Bhanu Athaiya, a costume designer, way back in 1983 for the movie Gandhi, Lord Richard Attenborough’s magnum opus.
Bhanu held the prestigious distinction for 26 years before the Slumdog Millionaire crew stole the show.
Here’s everything you need to know about the revered doyenne of Indian film costume designers and her illustrious filmography spanning five decades and 130 films:
Bhanu Athaiya, the revered doyenne of Indian film costume design. Source: Facebook.
1. Born on 28 April 1929, Bhanumati Annasaheb Rajopadhye hailed from Kolhapur, Maharashtra, and her father Annasaheb was a painter.
2. With artistic flair in her blood, Bhanu’s tryst with art began at an early age and soon after completing her schooling, she pursued a degree in fine arts at Mumbai’s Sir JJ School of Art and graduated with quite literally flying colours and a gold medal.
3. Shortly after, Bhanu started off as a freelance fashion illustrator and worked for various women’s magazines in Mumbai, including the popular magazine, ‘Eve’s Weekly.’
4. It was when the magazine’s editor opened her own boutique and broached the idea of costume designing with Bhanu that the young lady took to designing clothes and discovered that she had an affinity for the profession.
The Designer with Sir Ben Kingsley on the sets of Gandhi. Source: Facebook.
5. Her designs found a rising popularity, and even actors began coming to Bhanu for her costumes. Encouraged by the momentum, Bhanu decided to enter Bollywood and made her foray into the filmdom as a costume designer for Guru Dutt’s film C.I.D in 1956 and went on to design the outfits of actors in all the films made under the Dutt banner. Some of her iconic works under this period include Pyaasa, Chaudhvin Ka Chand, and Saheb Biwi Aur Ghulam.
6. Bhanu’s hour of fame came in 1983, when she won the Oscar along with her British counterpart John Mollo for costume design in the great biopic Gandhi. To this date, she continues to be the only Indian woman to have won the Academy award.
7. Her work in films like Lekin (1991) and Lagaan: Once Upon a Time in India (2001) fetched the talented designer two National awards. The last film for which she worked as a costume designer was the 2004 film Swades.
8. In 2010, she published her book ‘The Art of Costume Design,’ which sheds light upon Bhanu’s pioneering vision that helped shape some landmark Indian film costumes, set the fashion trend of the 1960s and 70s, and won Indian cinema the highest acclaim in the international arena.
You can watch legendary Bhanu Athiaya receive the Academy award here:
When Sister Jude Emmy Rose, a native of Malayattoor, which is a village in the Ernakulam district, was appointed to work at the Fatima Hospital located in the village of Maunath Bhanjan in Uttar Pradesh by the Medical Sisters of St Joseph in 1977, it was nothing more than a little dispensary that was frequented by those who were in their final stage of their disease.
In a span of 40 years, she has singlehandedly managed to change the face of the little dispensary to a fully operational hospital that has 352 beds along with all kinds of medical departments under its jurisdiction.
And it is in recognition of her hard work and dedication that has saved countless women and babies from precarious and perilous deliveries, that the Uttar Pradesh government has honoured the selfless woman with the Rani Laxmi Bai Award for her exemplary services in the medical field.
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath recently presented the award to the 76-year-old.
One could say fate conspired in an interesting manner in Sister Jude’s life. Since she was a child, she was inclined towards the idea of leading a holy life, and her dream led her to pursue Gynaecology from Lady Hardinge Medical College in Delhi and subsequently take up the reins of Fatima Hospital.
With no sleep or break, Sister (now Doctor) Jude took on every single case that came along her way to the extent of attending 382 patients on a single day!
Her ceaseless commitment to her work finally had the mother superior of Mau Diocese, and one of the founding members of the hospital, put a 200 patient per day limit on doctors to lessen the impossible burden on Sister Jude who wouldn’t have stopped otherwise.
Also known as Mother Teresa of Mau, Sister Jude’s dedication is the ultimate epitome of compassion and service to humanity for the underprivileged people in the region. The septuagenarian only takes a week off every year from her fully occupied professional life to visit her family in Kerala once every year.
While Sister Jude might not have attained the dream that she had once envisioned, she is nothing less of a saint for the numerous people she has saved in the course of the last 40 years, using her healing powers.
A salute to the unstoppable woman of steel, who would always choose a patient in distress over herself any day.
The 2018 edition of the world’s most glamorous film festival, Festival de Cannes, kicks off on the French Riviera from Tuesday. Scheduled to run from May 8 to 19, the highly anticipated event is expected to bring many surprises this year as a whole lot of new-gen directors are in the running for the festival’s coveted honours.
India will be represented at the prestigious film jamboree by Nandita Das’s biographical drama Manto (starring Nawazuddin Siddiqui as the legendary Urdu writer Saadat Hasan Manto) and Rohena Gera’s Sir (starring Tillotama Shome as a domestic worker who falls for the son of her upper-class employers) in the Un Certain Regard and Critics Week categories respectively.
Interestingly, four National Award-winning regional films have also been hand-picked for screening by the official Indian delegation heading to Cannes 2018. With the aim of celebrating the exceptional talent in India’s regional cinema, these four films will be showcased at the festival’s India Pavilion, organised by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting along with FICCI.
Here are the four amazing regional films selected for Cannes 2018. If you haven’t seen them yet, check the out now!
A coming-of-age Assamese film written, edited, co-produced, and directed by self-taught fimmaker Rima Das, Village Rockstars is about a little girl in a village in Assam who wants to own a guitar and form a band. A story of hope and profound simplicity, this refreshingly original movie has been shot in the nondescript hamlet of Chhaygaon, with the cast being made up of mostly local villagers.
Incredibly, apart from winning the National Award 2018 for best film, Village Rockstars also won the awards for best editing, best location sound, and best child actor.
2. Bhayanakam
Made by ace Malayalam film-maker Jayaraj, Bhayanakam bagged three awards – best director, best adapted screenplay and best cinematography – at the 65th National Film Awards. The beautifully depicted film is based on a chapter in Kayar, the epci novel written by Jnanpith award-winning Malayalam writer Thakazhi Sivasankara Pillai.
Through the life of a postman (played by Renji Panicker), Bhayanakam tells the story of Kuttanad in the pre-Independence era when youths in large numbers joined the British India army to fight in World War II.
3. Sinjar
Made in Jeseri (the dialect of Malayalam spoken in Lakshadweep) by short film director Sandeep Pampally, Sinjar bagged the titles of the Best Jeseri Film and the Indira Gandhi Award for Best Debut Director at the 65th National Film Awards. The movie traces the journey of two housemaids in Iraq who are taken hostages by the ISIS along with the Yazidi women and flee from captivity only to end in a closed society.
Interestingly, the film takes its name from the Sinjar massacre of 2014, in which thousands of Yazidi men and women were targetted by ISIS terrorists.
4. Nagar Kirtan
Helmed by acclaimed director Kaushik Ganguly, Bengali film ‘Nagar Kirtan’ won big at the 65th National Film Awards, with four honours to its credit – Special Jury, Best Actor, Best Costume and Best Makeup Artist. The moving drama revolves around a flute player, played by Ritwik Chakraborty and a transgender, played by Riddhi Sen.
The movie also stars Manabi Bandyopadhyay, Bengal’s first transgender to complete a PhD and become a professor. She is also India’s first transgender college principal. Read more about her here.
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The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) Awards, in their present form, were introduced in 1999 to motivate DRDO scientists, engineers and the organisation’s partners in industries and academic institutions, to contribute towards the cause of national security and self-reliance.
The award scheme has various categories—from the lifetime achievement award to awards recognising DRDO’s laboratories.
This year, the DRDO Awards were jointly conducted for the years 2016 and 2017 and were presented by defence minister Nirmala Sitharaman in New Delhi on May 14, on the occasion of National Technology Day.
Source: Twitter/ArmyRecognition.com
As reported in the Times Of India, P Sivakumar, a distinguished scientist and the Director of Combat Vehicles Research and Development Establishment (CVRDE), won the award for Technology Leadership (2017) for his significant contribution to the development and design of transmission systems for armoured vehicles.
He was also involved in the design, development, manufacturing, test evaluation, user trails and technology transfer and induction of the iconic Arjun MBT Mk-I tank.
The publication also reported that YST Raju of CVRDE won the Scientist of the Year (2016) award, for his substantial contribution to the development of multi-disciplinary engineering subsystems of the Integrated Fire Control System for the Arjun MBT Mk-II prototype, trials of MBT Mk-I, development of an electric turret drive and gun drive hardware for futuristic AFVs, and retractable landing gear for UAV Rustom-II.
The Arjun MBT Mk-I tank is a 1400 hp main battle tank developed by the DRDO, for the Indian Army. It is integrated with an Indian turbocharger and epicyclic train gearbox with four forward and two reverse gears.
Source: Wikipedia/Army Recognition
A Ministry of Defence press release reported that the Arjun exhibited excellent performance under various circumstances, such as driving cross-country over rugged sand dunes, detecting, observing and quickly engaging targets, and accurately hitting targets—both stationary and moving—with pinpoint accuracy.
Additionally, Arjun displays accurate and quick target acquisition both during the day and night missions—in all types of weather! It also has a very short possible reaction time during combat engagements.
The Arjun MBT Mk-I tank is a pioneer amongst defence vehicles and the two Chennai scientists P Sivakumar and Raju, deserve to be recognised for their work!
What is natural capital? In a broad sense it everything we have around us. The global stock of natural assets – encompassing plants, animals, air, water, soils and minerals – which make human life possible is collectively defined as natural capital.
It is from these resources that humans have derived an expansive range of services (known as ecosystem services), giving us everything we have today. The most obvious of these services include the food and water we consume, along with the plant materials we use for fuel, building materials and medicines.
In India, the dialogue on natural capital has been championed since 2013 by YES Bank – through its ‘Natural Capital Awards’. These dialogues include shedding of light on how natural capital is consumed and the accounting mechanisms and conservation efforts from industries and civil society.
Through this platform, the organisation seeks to encourage people towards conservation and help usher in positive policy-related changes. To realize this, YES Bank has been identifying, rewarding and showcasing individuals, groups and organizations dedicated towards spearheading biodiversity growth and environmental stewardship.
One of the prominent facets of the Awards is its ‘Pixel Perfect’ and ‘TrailBlazer’ segments – inviting photographers from across the country to showcase the marvels of our biodiversity through their frames. This year, a special category titled ‘Capturing the Ganges’ was added to show the organisation’s support to ‘Namami Gange’, the flagship conservation programme for rejuvenating the river Ganga under the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG).
“Natural Capital Awards (NCA) is a platform which gives much deserved recognition to photographers like us. It helps create awareness and a sense of natural capital conservation through the medium of photography. I have been participating in NCA for the past 3 years and it has been a wonderful journey. I would like to suggest to the budding wildlife photographers that don’t do wildlife photography only for the sake of a recognition or competition, do it for the sake of environment conservation,” says Baiju Patil, Winner 2013, Runner up in NCA 2015, and 2nd Runner up in NCA 2017.
Here are some of the best photographs from previous editions of the YES Bank Natural Capital Awards, which has become a national platform for wildlife and nature enthusiasts to showcase their passion and help bring out important stories through their periscopic view:
The International Physics Olympiad (IPhO) is an annual competition for secondary school students, which aims to promote physics and the development of international contacts in physics education. It is one of the International Science Olympiads.
The first edition of the IPhO took place in Warsaw, Poland, in 1967, with only five participating countries. Since then, IPhO has become a global event, where more than 400 competitors, from 85 countries compete against each other.
India has been participating in the IPhO since 1998, and for the first time in 20 years, all the five participating students from India bagged gold medals in the 49th IPhO this year!
AtThe IPhO in Libson. Source: Twitter
The five boys—Lay Jain and Pawan Goyal from Kota, Bhaskar Gupta from Mumbai, Nishant Abhangi from Rajkot and Siddharth Tiwary from Kolkata—were selected by the Homi Bhabha Centre for Science Education after a rigorous selection process.
As reported in the Indian Express, this year’s edition of IPhO took place in Lisbon, Portugal, and saw the participation of about 396 students from across the world, of which 42 won gold medals.
The IPhO competition consists of a theoretical and an experimental examination, each of five-hour duration. This year, the theoretical examination had questions based on LIGO detection of gravitational waves, the ATLAS instrument at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) and the physics of blood flow in living tissues and growth of tumours.
Speaking about the experience to the Times of India, Pawan Goyal said, “The experimental component was difficult, but the theoretical exam was easier, and the three of us scored between 29 and 30 out of 30 marks.”
Out of all the participants, the top 8% who scored the highest are awarded gold medals.
Praveen Pathak, a scientific officer at Homi Bhabha Centre for Science Education, a national centre of the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR), which led the International team, spoke to Times of India and said that India performed exceptionally well with this being the best performance yet so far.
Akshay Venkatesh, a 36-year-old Indian-origin mathematician teaching at Stanford University in the United States, is one of the four winners of the prestigious Fields Medal, considered to be the Nobel Prize equivalent for mathematics.
He was presented with the medal at the International Congress of Mathematicians in Rio de Janeiro.
Awarded once every four years to exceptional mathematicians below the age of 40 who have made game-changing contributions to the field, Venkatesh was awarded this medal for his “profound contributions to an exceptionally broad range of subjects in mathematics,” and “strikingly far-reaching conjectures.”
Besides Venkatesh, the other three winners of this award are Caucher Birkar, a professor of Iranian-Kurdish origin at Cambridge University, Peter Scholze from Germany and Alessio Figalli, an Italian mathematician teaching at ETH Zurich. All winners will receive 15,000 Canadian dollars as cash prize.
Venkatesh moved to Perth, Australia, with his parents when he was just two years old. A child prodigy, he graduated from high school at the age of 13, graduated from the University of Western Australia top of his class in mathematics when he was 16, and earned his PhD at 20.
He also won medals in both the physics and math Olympiads (premier international competition for high school students) at the age of 11 and 12, respectively. Following his PhD, he held a doctoral position at MIT and is currently a professor in Stanford University.
According to the Press Trust of India, he has “worked at the highest level in number theory, arithmetic geometry, topology, automorphic forms and ergodic theory,” besides winning a host of other awards like “Ostrowski Prize, the Infosys Prize, the Salem Prize and Sastra Ramanujan Prize.”
The mathematician was “recognised for his use of dynamics theory, which studies the equations of moving objects to solve problems in number theory, which is the study of whole numbers, integers and prime numbers,” according to The Guardian.
“A lot of the time when you do math, you’re stuck, but at the same time, there are all these moments where you feel privileged that you get to work with it. You have this sensation of transcendence; you feel like you’ve been part of something really meaningful,” he told The Guardian.
(Edited by Gayatri Mishra)
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This article is published in partnership with India Health Summit
A little appreciation and recognition always go a long way and awards are a way to motivate people and organisations to go that extra mile by creating positive energy and a healthy competitive spirit.
The CSR Health Impact Award recognises and applauds organisations which have imbibed responsible business practices in their core philosophies, and implemented health-focused CSR ventures that have driven real change on the ground and positively impacted lives.
The second edition of the CSR Health Impact Awards is scheduled to take place on August 24, 2018, in New Delhi. An initiative of India Health & Wellness Summit — the awards are meant to inspire organisations to drive a pan-India CSR–based health movement.
The aim is to appeal to the corporate conscience to encourage participation at a larger scale and deliver nation-wide impact.
Kamal Narayan Omer, Managing Director, Teamwork Communications Group, speaking about this initiative says, “The initiative of CSR Health Impact Awards emerged from the philosophy of India Health & Wellness Summit, the country’s only forum on holistic health. This is based on the belief that health is the precondition for all other developments that aim towards national growth and creation of a stronger India. We also believe that health is everyone’s responsibility. With this, we aim to drive a CSR-based health movement by appealing to the corporate consciousness of all organizations to participate at a grander scale and contribute towards making a healthier India.”
He goes on to emphasise on the importance and need to conduct this event and says, , “A famous quote ‘good begets good’ forms the basis of our belief. It is essential to applaud good work and appreciate efforts for the betterment of others. It is through these small initiatives that the nation is benefitting as a whole. The lives that are being transformed through these impactful initiatives would have stayed in despair if these initiatives weren’t undertaken. Hence, they should be recognised and acknowledged for the good they are doing. It is high time that we recognise good work, talk about positive efforts, and transform the narrative from an ailing India to an India with better health.”
Some of the categories under which awards will be presented are:
1. Food-for-all initiative
– A significant impact on policy and implementation of public nutrition, including acting towards national food security, emphasis on awareness about healthy foods through innovative methods for engagement with end-users, as well as challenging fundamental misconceptions about nutrition and how it relates to well-being.
2. Elderly Health Initiative
– India houses more than 10.4 crore elderly people with limited financial strength who are in need of suitable public infrastructure and healthcare services. This award is to recognise the CSR initiative which is directed to make lives better for these people who are often ignored by the mainstream society.
3. Women and Child Initiative
– Women and children with major health concerns comprise more than half the population of India. This award is to recognise the most impactful CSR project in the field of women and child health and welfare, promoting good health and well-being.
With 12 categories, 36 awards to be given away, and a total delegation of 300 members participating, this event is building on its success by motivating and encouraging corporations to deliver real, on-ground impact.
Speaking about where he sees these awards going in the future, Kamal says, “CSR efforts in India, despite many high impact initiatives, are at a nascent stage. Most of these efforts take place in various distant pockets of India and impact different aspects of the health of the residents in those pockets. The larger vision of CSR Health Impact Awards is to become one initiative, which can become a catalyst by bringing together leading stakeholders and inspiring leaders to potentially drive a consolidated effort of a scale of national-level impact.”
He concludes, “The initiative has started off well, and we intend to make it larger and grander with every passing edition, inspiring many others in the process for making focused and dedicated efforts in the field of health.”
For more details, and a chance to attend this event, do visit their here.
(Edited by Shruti Singhal)
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This article has been published in partnership with CSR Health Impact Awards
The Companies Act 2013 brought several new changes. One of the significant additions was the introduction of Corporate Social Responsibility.
India was the first country in the world to mandate firms with a net worth of Rs 500 crore, turnover of Rs 1,000 crore or net profit of Rs 5 crore, to spend at least 2% of their average net profit for the preceding three financial years on Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) activities.
The concept of CSR rests on the philosophy of appealing to corporate conscience to drive initiatives for greater social impact.
Companies take resources from the society in the form of raw materials, human resources etc., and by performing CSR activities, they are giving something back to the society.
To encourage more companies to actively participate in these activities, the second edition of the CSR Health Impact Awards was held on August 24, 2018, in New Delhi. In its second season, these awards saw the participation of several well-known corporates.
An initiative of India Health & Wellness Summit — the awards are meant to inspire organisations to drive a pan-India CSR–based health movement.
With jurists like Randeep Guleria, Director, AIIMS; Anshu Gupta, Founder, Goonj; Ravi Bhatnagar, Director-External Affairs, Reckitt Benckiser; Gayatri Mahindroo, Director, N.A.B.H; among eight others – these awards aim to acknowledge and award the work in this sector.
Kamal Narayan Omer, Co-Founder, India Health & Wellness Summit, says, “This time, the initiative has been grander, with diverse health projects spearheaded by major organisations being recognised. At the same time, in line with our belief, that size of the initiative matters less and impact matters more, a significant number of NGOs, implementing partners, and small-and-medium-level enterprises were recognised for their good work. I would not be wrong in saying that while the awards were initiated in 2017, they have truly arrived with this second edition in 2018.”
Of the 27 winners this year, 10 won gold, 5 won silver, and 12 won the bronze.
Here is a look at some of the winners under various categories:
1.CSR Food Initiative
Clinching the gold!
Sodexo
The Stop Hunger initiative of Sodexo has been recognised for addressing multi-micronutrient deficiencies, and food safety and hygiene standards of Mid-Day Meals (MDM) served in government schools in Dhenkanal, Odisha. More than 1,27,000 children, (6 to 14 years), in 1,591 schools in Dhenkanal have been partaking MDM fortified with multi-micronutrients since February 2017.
2. CSR Health Campaign
Winning gold!
Religare Health Insurance
The Religare campaign has been recognised for resolving to create awareness on harmful effects of newspaper ink by printing fresh food wrapping paper with edible ink and distributing it to hundreds of street food vendors in Mumbai. In 15 days, over five lakhs fresh paper wraps were distributed that resulted in approx. 55,000 enquiries.
3. Women and Child Health Initiative
Best Women and Child initiative.
Mahindra Finance
The Medical Equipment Donation project from Mahindra Finance supported the Family Association of India (FPAI) in procuring 76 pieces of equipment with annual maintenance contracts (AMC) that would last for three years, covering 19 branches of FPAI all over the country. The total cost was Rs 1.56 Cr. With this aid, these branches have had a cumulative footfall of 1,45,907 and have provided 6,90,862 services in this period.
Recollecting an incident of significance from this year’s awards, Kamal says, “One of the highlighting aspects was the kind presence of Anupriya Patel and Vijay Goel, which gave heads of various organisations a very close and warm space to exchange messages and interact with the policymakers.
Such opportunities of semi-formal interactions not only give policymakers a mindshare of the industry leader but also gives a relatively democratic space for smaller bodies to have their voices heard.
Therefore, the initiative becomes a platform for discourse and a medium for change.”
With events like these that recognise and applaud meaningful initiatives, we hope that many more organisations come forward to do positive work.
Abhay Ashtekar, an Indian scientist who has dedicated the last four years to studying gravitational science, will soon be awarded the prestigious Einstein prize, which was established by the American Physical Society (APS) in 1999.
This year, the award carries a prize of $10,000 and will be conferred upon Ashtekar “..for numerous and seminal contributions to general relativity, including the theory of black holes, canonical quantum gravity, and quantum cosmology.”
Here are six facts you should know about the brilliant scientist:
1. Born in the Kolhapur district of Maharashtra, Ashtekar studied in a Marathi medium school in Mumbai till he was 11 years old. He was introduced to Hindi and English literature only after that.
2. When his school lessons started including physics concepts, he realised how physics is constant whereas art, literature is subjective to cultures, places and people.
Speaking to Edex Live, Ashtekar said, “What is considered great in one language or context could well be mediocre in another. At the same time, I learned Newton’s laws and universality of gravity—what makes the apple fall on earth also makes the planets go around the sun. This was stunning by itself… It was striking to me that the same Newton’s laws are taught and admired in India as in China, Japan and the West.” This was when the scientist in the young Ashtekar was born.
3. Ashtekar completed his undergraduate education in India, and enrolled in the graduate program for gravitation, at the University of Texas at Austin. He went on to complete his PhD from the University of Chicago.
“Later, in college, fundamental physics seemed to me to be the deepest and purest way to pursue [an] understanding of Nature (the external world). In graduate school, I chose to work in general relativity, cosmology and quantum physics because that is where the most fundamental questions about space, time and the nature of the physical universe are discussed,” he said.
4. The scientist has held several important appointments in Oxford, Paris, Syracuse, Canada and India.
His bio-sketch in the National Academy of Sciences reads, “Abhay Ashtekar is a theoretical physicist specialising in general relativity, cosmology and quantum gravity. He is best known for initiating the Loop Quantum Gravity program by introducing new variables to simplify Einstein’s equations, for analysing the very early universe using Loop Quantum Cosmology, and for his contributions to the study of the asymptotic structure of space-time and gravitational waves in full non-linear general relativity.”
5. Currently, he works as the Eberly Professor of Physics and Director for the Institute for Gravitation and the Cosmos at the Pennsylvania State University, USA.
6. This year, the gravitation scientist will be awarded the Einstein Prize by the APS, which he regards as a “lifetime achievement”. “The award, usually to a single individual, is for outstanding achievement, in theory, experiment or observation in the area of gravitational physics. It is open to any scientist, worldwide,” records the APS.
7. Ashtekar is confident that Indian scientists and researchers, like him, are on the path to making groundbreaking discoveries in the near future.
“There are extremely talented physicists in India who are making first-rate contributions to pure physics in areas I have first-hand acquaintance with. I am particularly pleased by the ‘LIGO-India’ project that is now placing India firmly in the front ranks of international efforts. The Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics in Pune, in particular, will play an important role in the major discoveries that will be made with the international network of gravitational wave observatories between 5 and 10 years from now,” he said.
Perhaps pursue a hobby, attend to grandchildren, travel, and even catch up with family members.
Meet 73-year-old former Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) officer J K Sinha, who has found a fulfilling way to spend his retired life.
In 2005, Sinha founded the Shoshit Seva Sangh (SSS) to provide quality education to the Musahar children.
Traditionally, those belonging to the Musahar community caught rats in the fields and ate them, and because of this, were considered to be untouchables. As a result, a majority of them never went to school.
Sinha’s exposure to the community goes back to 1968 when he was in service.
Recollecting the experience, he says, in this video, “When I saw the condition of the Musahars, I felt that it was a national shame. Therefore when I retired, I was determined to do something for the community, in my own small way.”
When the school started operations, they had four students. Recollecting the initial days, Sinha said to The Pioneer, “Parents felt that it was a waste of time to send their children to school. They would instead make their child follow their own profession.”
Not only did his friends think his idea of educating the children of the Musahar community was laughable but he also met with resistance from members of the community who attached no importance to education.
Having sold his flat in Delhi, Sinha returned to Patna with a mission to educate and transform the community.
The school – Shoshit Samadhan Kendra
The school provides free education to students until class 12 as well as free boarding, lodging, clothing, healthcare, and other necessities. It is affiliated to the Central Board of School Education (CBSE).
What is remarkable about the students is their confidence.
The fact that teachers work doubly hard to prepare them for any situation certainly adds to this.
One of the students was invited to participate in a special charity show hosted by Kaun Banega Crorepati. The child who went on to win Rs 25 lakh, decided to utilise the prize money towards the school’s development rather than gifting it to his family, an incident so telling of the difference that the school has made to him.
From four students in 2005, the strength today is 460. Sinha is hopeful to further increase this number to almost 1,000 by 2020.
Student talks
Manoj Kumar, a student of the school, says, “I joined the school in 2009, so I have now spent a decade here. As a child of seven, when I came here, I didn’t know anything outside my village. Being here has instilled so much confidence in me.”
Aspiring to become a scientist, Manoj is just one among the many success stories of this school. While he credits much of it to the founder, he also says that he will return to help in whatever he can.
According to Prem Kumar who hails from Punpun near Patna, “My parents are very poor, and they did not want me to go to school. But Sir’s (Sinha) people managed to persuade them, and so I am now in standard nine,” he says in flawless English, to The New Indian Express.
Recognition
14 years since the inception of the school, J K Sinha has, this year, been conferred with a Padma Shri in the field of Affordable Education.
“I am happy that my work has been recognised. This honour reminds me of the huge work of improving the education system for the needy that lies before us,” Sinha told the publication.
Besides empowering children from this community, Sinha has given each of them a new lease of life and the confidence to take on any situation life brings.
