BITS-Pilani Hyderabad, National University of Juridical Sciences declared winners of the Great Debate

NEW DELHI, Nov 27:

The Birla Institute of Technology and Science-Pilani, Hyderabad and the National University of Juridical Sciences, Kolkata have won the Great Debate Competition organised by the British High Commission in association with Virgin Atlantic.

The four students Reeti Sarkar, Sateja Paradkar, Arindrajit Basu and Pratik Ranjan Das will fly in style with Virgin Atlantic to the United Kingdom for a week long sponsored study tour.

Following the success of the Great Debate Competition held earlier this year in Delhi and Kolkata, British High Commission and Virgin Atlantic decided to make the event bigger and better.

The competition was organised across the eight cities of Delhi, Chandigarh, Kolkata, Guwahati, Hyderabad, Chennai, Trivandrum and Jaipur. The winning team from each city battled it out at the grand finale on 27 November.

Earlier during the day the finalists met and interacted with the Duke of York and Indian Union Minister for Human Resource Development Smriti Irani.

Later in the evening they debated on several themes around universal health and education, India’s demographic strength, big business and CSR activities, women’s rights and social media and privacy.

The winners were selected by an esteemed panel of judges which included Andrew Soper, Minister Counsellor, British High Commission, New Delhi, Nick J Parker, Virgin Atlantic, Head, India and Middle East and Smita Prakash, Editor, Asian News International.

Sir James Bevan KCMG, British High Commissioner to India said:

"The GREAT Debate is a wonderful opportunity to celebrate the UK and India’s shared tradition of lively, reasoned debate and our close educational ties. It will also strengthen our links with universities across India who have been excellent partners in helping us host these debates in their cities. The debate also highlights a well-established, broad-ranging and expanding partnership on education that UK and India share."

Nick J Parker, Country Head, India and Middle East, Virgin Atlantic said:

"The Great Debate is an exciting platform for the young enthusiasts to participate in and it’s amazing to see all the brilliant ideas and foresight they bring to table. Students are such an important part of every society- they are the future, the movers and shakers. It’s been an enriching experience being associated with British High Commission for this year’s Great Debate and we look forward to many more such interactions with the young minds."

5 Indian University Teams Accept Lockheed Martin Challenge to Design 130J Cargo Aircraft

By Deepak Arora

NEW DELHI, Nov 24: Teams from five leading Indian universities presented their conceptual designs to Lockheed Martin officials in New Delhi last week, launching the C-130J Roll-On/Roll-Off University Design Challenge to develop cargo aircraft modules for disaster relief operations worldwide.

Over the next year, the company will fund grants for each university team to work with local industry partners and mentors from theDefence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) to develop design specifications for their proposed modules.In addition to funding, Lockheed Martin will also support each team with engineering, technical and business development expertise.

The company will award three of the teams a second-year grant in November 2015 to develop a prototype of their module, as well as additional mentoring to develop a go-to-market strategy.At the end of the design challenge, Lockheed Martin will work with each team to explore options with government and industry to mature the prototype for global markets.

“Perhaps more important than producing viable prototypes from this design challenge are the lessons in innovation and collaboration the students will gain from working hands-on with partners in government and industry,” said Dr. Ray O. Johnson, Lockheed Martin senior vice president and chief technology officer. “The challenges we face as a global community are increasingly complex, and we need the best and brightest working together to develop global solutions.”

The university teams participating in the challenge include Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi, IIT Chennai, Delhi Technological University (DTU), University of Petroleum and Energy Studies (UPES), and Birla Institute of Technological Studies (BITS) Pilani – Goa Campus.

In continuous production longer than any other military aircraft, the C-130 Hercules has earned a reputation as a workhorse ready for any mission, anywhere, anytime. To date, almost 2,500 C-130s have been delivered to operators around the world. The Indian Air Force operates a fleet of five C-130J Super Hercules and is contracted to receive an additional six C-130Js through a foreign military sale with the U.S. Government. Roll-on/roll-off modules increase the capability of the C-130 beyond core transportation to that of a multi-mission platform.

As a part of its larger commitment to enhance the growth and development of India’s innovation and entrepreneurial pursuits, Lockheed Martin has been successfully running the India Innovation Growth Programme since 2007 in partnership with the IndianDepartment of Science and Technology, Indo-U.S. Science and Technology Forum, Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry, Stanford Graduate School of Business and the IC2 Institute at the University of Texas.

Lockheed Martin’s urban unmanned aerial system programme with DTU has been equally successful and forms the basis of the company’s future collaborative research and development efforts in India.

Headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland, Lockheed Martin is a global security and aerospace company that employs approximately 113,000 people worldwide and is principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture, integration and sustainment of advanced technology systems, products and services. The Corporation’s net sales for 2013 were $45.4 billion.

Kathak legend Sitara Devi is dead

MUMBAI, Nov 25: Eminent Kathak danseuse Sitara Devi, who was on ventilator and serious on Monday, passed away early on Tuesday at Jaslok hospital in Mumbai, confirms her son-in-law.

"She is in no more," Rajesh Mishra, the son-in-law of the danseuse, who turned 94 on November 8, told IANS.

The funeral will take place on Thursday morning, he added.

"Her funeral will take place Thursday morning. We are waiting for her son who has gone abroad for a show," Rajesh Mishra said.

Sitara Devi died due to kidney failure. The 96-year-old danseuse has been fighting for her life for the last 5 weeks since she was admitted to the Cumballa Hill Hospital and Heart Institute in Mumbai. She was admitted with some abdominal and pancreatic complications and was operated about three weeks ago.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi condoled the death of the eminent danseuse.

"PM has condoled the passing away of noted Kathak dancer Sitara Devi. PM also recalled her rich contribution to Kathak," the Prime Minister's Office said in a tweet.

Sitara Devi became a Kathak legend and is known as a pioneering force in bringing the genre to Bollywood. She is the recipient of prestigious awards like Sangeet Natak Akademi Award, Padma Shri and Kalidas Samman.

Sitara Devi was born Dhannolakshmi in the family of Brahmin 'kathakar' Sukhdev Maharaj in Kolkata in 1920. When she turned 11, the family moved to Mumbai, where she impressed Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore with a three-hour solo recital.

Over the next six decades, she became a Kathak legend and is known as a pioneering force in bringing the genre to Bollywood.

Sitara Devi married director K Asif of Mughal-e-Azam fame and then Pratap Barot.

More Indians opting for higher education in US

NEW DELHI, Nov 22: After a brief period of lull recently, the number of Indian students opting for higher education in the US has gone up by 6% in 2013-2014, while US students coming to India has dropped by 4.7% in the same period.

India continues to be in the second country after China in sending students for higher studies to the US.

A majority of Indian students — 59.5% — have signed up for graduate schools while 27% will take up optional practical training and another 12.3% joined undergraduate courses and 1.2% students joined other programmes.

For the past three years, there has been a drop in number of Indian students going to the US, which has been reversed this year.

According to the 2014 Open Doors Report on International Educational Exchange, the number of international students at colleges and universities in the US increased by 8% to a record high of 8,86,052 students in the 2013-14 academic year.

However only 4,377 American students are studying in India — 4.7% fewer than the previous year.

Efforts are underway to ensure that more US students come to India.

25 Envoys honored with Lions International Life Time Achievement Awards

By Deepak Arora

NEW DELHI, Nov 6: Lions Club International honoured 25 Ambassadors and High Commissioners with Lions Club International Life Time achievement awards at a glittering function here to mark the United Nations Day.

Senior BJP Leader and Chairman UN Day Celebrations Lion Vijay Jolly coordinated the program organised by District 321-A1. Lions Club District Governor Lion Rajeev Mittal, PMJF presided. Tax guru Lion Subhash Lakhotia conducted the program. The inaugural address was delivered by Lion Aruna Oswal from Mumbai & Past District Governor & Current Lions Club Multiple Secretary Lion Kusum Gupta spoke along with PDG’s Lion Tejpal Singh Khillon and Lion S.K. Madhok. The award ceremony was conducted by Lion (Dr) Rita Bakshi. Lion K.L. Malhotra read a message from UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon. Vote of thanks was delivered by Lion J.C. Verma VDG-I.

Traditional Indian headgears, multi red-colored scarf’s and Lions Club Int’l Life Time Achievement Awards were presented on the occasion to eminent diplomats in the capital by Lion Vijay Jolly and Lion Rajeev Mittal.

The prominent among the diplomats honored were Mrs. Elizabeth Paula Napeyok (Uganda), Shaida Mohd. Abdali (Afghanistan), Ton Sinh Thanh (Vietnam), Dr. Deepak Jain (Tuvalu), Kinzang Dorji (Bhutan), Sanjaasuren Bayaraa (Mongolia), Toni Atanasovski (Macedonia), Mrs. Florence Weche (Kenya), Aykut Renda (Turkey), Sanjeev Aeren (Haiti), Jorge Cardenas Robles (Bolivia), Mohd. Hacene Echarif (Algeria), Mohd. Naseer (Maldives), Vitaly Prima (Belarus), Indrek Erikson (Estonia), Justinas Bakunas (Lithuania), Yogesh J. Karan (Fiji), Dr. Sanjay Dewan (Cape Verde), Ahmed Ibrahim (Qatar), Ioannis Raptakis (Greece), Tomasz Lukaszuk (Poland), Frank H.D. Castellanos (Dominican Republic), Freddy Svane (Denmark), Felix Nagoma (Congo), Dr. Janice Darbari (Montenegro), OFBP Netherland Convenor Rajkumar Jagbandhan & OFBJP Russia Convenor Sammy Kotwani.

The Indian National Anthem was played on the occasion. And all diplomats congratulated Lions Club Int’l District 321-A1 for promoting Goodwill, Friendship and Understanding and the great efforts of Lion Vijay Jolly for keeping them engaged in various service projects for the humanity.