Xavier’s alumni shares expansion vision

Education, Leaders, NRI's / PIO's, Records, All, World Opinion

Kolkata :

This year’s Beyond Boundaries — the annual global convention of St Xavier’s College — will reach out to its global alumni to collect funds to aid the college’s ambitious expansion plans.

The convention is slated to be held at Melbourne between October 10 and 12.

“In the last three years, we have partially reached our vision,” said Fr Felix Raj, the college principal. “The Raghavpur campus, which is the rural face of St Xavier’s College, has benefited around 126 students who have already enrolled in various courses started on the campus. In Raghavpur, we have been able to begin three courses at the moment — BCom honours, Bengali Honours and BA (general) courses. We will soon open history honours and political science honours on the same campus. We are also planning to start a community college and offer certificate and diploma courses along with degree courses on vocational subjects. Primarily, we are aiming to start vocational subjects like mechanics, agriculture, fisheries and nursing, among others. We will also take care of placements,” he added.

Fr Raj spoke about the college’s further plans of expansion. “By 2017, a communication campus is set to be unveiled at the EM Bypass plot which St Xavier’s College has acquired behind the Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute (SRFTI). The campus will offer graduation and postgraduation courses in journalism, mass communications, videography, multimedia and animation. The Educational Multimedia Research Centre (EMMRC), which is now at Park Circus and run by the college, will be shifted to the same campus,” he said.

The St Xavier’s College (Calcutta) Alumni Association (SXCCAA) plays a vital role in the college’s expansion process, said Firdausul Hasan, secretary of the association. “Every year, we have a mission and this year it is raising funds to aid expansion. The Rajarhat campus of the college, inaugurated by CM Mamata Banerjee last year, will also host an engineering college and the convention will help us realise Father Felix Raj’s vision 2020, which is our mission for this global convention,” Hasan added.

“This vision will only be possible with the alumni’s help. They have always stood by us. As president of SXCCAA, I am confident that the vision will be realised because of the association’s support,” said Fr Raj.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Kolkata> TNN / October 01st, 2014

Durga puja ends

Arts, Culture & Entertainment

Kolkata :

Durga puja — the biggest festival of Bengal ended on Friday, as this time the festival is of three days according to the almanac and the Bijaya Dashamibeing on Friday many of the pujaorganisers went for immersion of the idols.

However, most of the community pujaorganisers in Bengal will prefer to go for immersion on Sunday and this time there is a ban on immersion on Monday till 8 pm for Id-u- Zoha.

Until Friday evening 127 idols were immersed in river Hooghly. Most of the zamindarfamilies preferred to have the immersion on Friday going by the almanac, as Dashamistarted from Friday and then there were exchange of greetings and SMSstarts pouring in.

The police have made adequate arrangements in the ghats for immersion and special attention is to prevent people from being drowned.

The year long wait for next year’s pujabegins and the community pujaorganisers have started planning for their next year to bag the best trophies being the biggest crowd pullers.

Some of the pujasorganized by Mamata Banerjee’sministers had been the top crowd pullers this year too like previous years and Suruchi Sanghahad been one on top. Suruchi Sanghais headed by housing and youth affairs minister Aroop Biswas. Again the pujaat Chetla Agraniby FrihadHakim, urban development and municipal affairs minister had been another major hit along with the pujaat Naktala Udayan Sanghaby higher education minister Parha Chatterjee.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Kolkata / by Debasis Konar, TNN/ October 03rd, 2014

In a first, transgender opens Durga Puja pandal

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Records, All, Travel

transgenderKOLKATA04oct2014

In a marked departure from the practice of inauguration of Durga Puja by celebrities, cine stars and sportsperson, a transgender had the rare opportunity of inaugurating a community Puja in the city.

Sobuj Sangha, a club located at Haridevpur in the southern fringes of the city, urged the representatives of the Association of Transgender/ Hijras in Bengal to inaugurate a Puja pandal on Tuesday.

Overwhelmed by the invitation, Ranjita Sinha, secretary of the organisation told The Hindu on Wednesday that the efforts of the club in recognising transgenders and eunuchs should be lauded.

“When Durga Pujas are presenting plethora of themes on socially important issues, we are happy that at least one Puja Pandal committee thought about us,” Ms Sinha said, adding that she asked two members of her organisation to go and inaugurate the Puja. There are over 1,700 community Puja pandals in the area under Kolkata police alone.

This is for the first time that Durga Puja organisers have invited members of the transgender community for the inauguration of a pandal, she said, adding that it is the recent landmark Supreme Court judgment that has brought awareness and recognition for the community to some extent.

Ms Sinha also pointed out that transgenders particularly eunuchs were considered important in religious and social occasions but slowly discrimination led to the community being excluded from such events.

“For the Hindus there are references in the mythology about the significance of eunuchs; the Muslims also consider their presence and blessings of considerable importance,” she said.

Despite the encouragement they may have received from this event, the members of the transgender community feel that a lot more concerning the community and its rights need to be addressed.

“A few months ago the West Bengal Government had proposed to set up a Transgender Welfare Board but there has been practically no follow-up on this,” Ms Sinha added.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Kolkata / by Shiv Sahay Singh / Kolkata – October 02nd, 2014

Photo finish for Sharod Srestho

Arts, Culture & Entertainment

Kolkata :

The day many were waiting for has finally arrived. The list of winners of the Poorav’s Commando Energy Drink presents Times Sharod Srestho has been announced. Pallisree Ultadanga, Adarsha Pally Sarbojanin Durgotsab Committee and Chetla Agrani Club have bagged the honours for Shrestho Pujo while Jodhpur Park 95 Pally Sarbojanin Durgotab Committee, Alipore Sarbojanin Durgotsab Committee and Chetla Agrani Club have walked away with the awards for Shrestho Protima.

Sharod Srestho is a novel contest organized by The Times of India as part of its bouquet of events to celebrate Durga Puja. The eight edition of this contest was a great success with a number of participants winning awards. The initiative was supported by Kolkata Police and organized with realty partner GreenTechCity and jewellery partner Sawansukha Designers Jewellers in association with National Insurance Company Ltd and LIC and co-sponsored by LIC Housing Finance Ltd, Wild Stone and Whirlpool.

This year, the Shrestho Aloksojja award went to Dumdum Park Bharat Chakra Puja Committee. This Puja committee also bagged the Shrestho Bhavna award. The Shera Alankar award by Sawansukha was won by Jodhpur Park 95 Pally Sarbojanin Durgotsab Committee. The Alipore Sarbojanin Durgotsab Committee was declared runners-up while Pallisree Ultadanga stood a close third. This year, two new categories were introduced. While the Shrestho Music award went to Jodhpur Park 95 Pally Sarbojanin Durgotsab Committee, the Shrestho Chomok award was won by Alipore Sarbojanin Durgotsab. Only trophies were awarded in these two categories.

The objective of the competition was to present a unique puja experience while choosing and awarding the best pujas based on a number of parameters. Initially, professors from art colleges did a preliminary round of judging and some of the pujas were shortlisted. Then a panel of celebrity judges visited the pandals and rated them on the decoration, lighting, and other aspects.

This year, the celebrity judges included actors Paoli Dam, Rajatava Dutta, Abir Chatterjee, Konineeca Banerjee and Saheb Bhattacharrya; photographer Indranil Mukherjee; Soumitro of Bhoomi; makeup artist Annirudha Chakladar; TV artists Priyanka Pal and Sonalee Ganguly; music director Raja Narayan Deb and artist Pradip Maitra.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Kolkata / TNN / October 01st, 2014

Heroic turban to be on display at Victoria

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Historical Links / Pre-Independence, Records, All, World Opinion

Maharaja Nandakumar was hanged by the British 240 years ago

: With his head held high, he faced the wrath of the mighty British Raj when he raised allegations of corruption against India’s first Governor General Warren Hastings. Now, more than 240 years after Maharaja Nandakumar was hanged in 1775, the turban that adorned his head will be put on display at the Victoria Memorial Hall in Kolkata.

Some historians have described the hanging of Maharaja Nandakumar, primarily a revenue officer under the Nawab of Bengal, as one of the first ‘judicial murders’ in the country.

“Decorated with a straight zari ribbon, light brown and cream in colour, the turban was purchased by the Art Purchase Committee of the Victoria Memorial Hall in 1984 from Gauri Shankar Roy of Murshidabad,” Jayanta Sengupta, Secretary and Curator of Victoria Memorial Hall told The Hindu.

This rare textile artefact will be put up on display in October, VMH authorities said.

With an aim to preserve the turban and other textile artefacts, in December 2013, the VMH had organised an in-house workshop in which international textile conservation expert Jamie Lightfoot had participated.

Although, Nandakumar had assisted the British during the Battle of Plassey (1757), he generally was hostile to the British, historians have said.

It was in 1775, a year after Warren Hastings became Governor General of India that Nandakumar accused him of having accepted bribes from the nawab and others. However, Nandakumar himself was in turn accused by Hastings of conspiring to coerce a third party to make the bribery accusation against him.

This charge against the revenue collector was soon dismissed, but in an unrelated case an accusation of forgery was brought against him. Despite the fact that the person who had levelled the charges against him was an Indian, Nandakumar’s case was judged under British laws where forgery was a capital punishment. A newly established British court at Kolkata sentenced him to death.

“Maharaja Nandakumar was publicly hanged on the banks of the Hooghly at Kidderpur at a place known as Collie Bajar,” Sankar Kumar Nath, who has worked extensively on the history of Calcutta told the Hindu.

Pointing out that Sir Elijah Impey, the presiding judge who imposed the death sentence on Nandakumar, was a close friend of Warren Hastings, Dr Nath, an oncologist by training, said that eminent statesmen like Edmund Burke and Lord Thomas Babington Macaulay had described Nandakumar’s hanging as a ‘judicial murder’. Dr Nath also pointed out that the turban is an artefact of great significance as Nandakumar’s story can actually be called one of the early acts of rebellion against the British rule, and heralded one of the most important periods of British history in India.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Kolkata / by Shiv Sahay Singh / Kolkata – September 29th, 2014

Bengal Leads scouts on multi-nation odyssey

Business & Economy, World Opinion

GlobeTrottingKOLKATA02oct2014

Calcutta :

Babus from Bengal are packing their bags to go around the world to draw participants for a global business summit that will put to test industries minister Amit Mitra’s ability to attract investment in Bengal.

Sources in Nabanna told The Telegraph that at least six senior IAS officers will visit parts of Europe and Asia after the Puja holidays to hold roadshows for the Global Bengal Business Summit — Bengal Leads, scheduled between January 6 and 8 at Eco Park, on the eastern fringes of Calcutta.

“The industries minister wants to make the event a grand success and so he is sending the officers to hold roadshows…. The officers will visit several countries, hold meetings with investor communities and invite them to take part in the summit and explore opportunities in the state,” a source in Nabanna said.

Although no one in the government was officially willing to comment on the roadshows, sources rolled out a probable list of names of officials and their destinations (see chart).

Apart from the roadshows overseas, the West Bengal Industrial Development Corporation will organise five meetings in Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai, Bangalore and Hyderabad.

“Mitra has gone into Ficci mode…. The success of a chamber event is ascertained by participation, but for a state devoid of investment, the test is in getting investment. The question is can an investor meet achieve that?” asked a senior official.

Although the government did not organise any business meet this year, there was little to talk about the first two editions of Bengal Leads.

If the Nabanna buzz is to be believed, Mitra has promised Mamata Banerjee that the business summit next year would be a “success” and would put Bengal on the map of attractive investment destinations.

The chief minister, sources said, has given Mitra a free hand. “After around three-and-a-half years in the government, the chief minister has realised she needs investment in Bengal… Amitda has promised to deliver,” a Nabanna official said.

Delivering on the promise will be easier said than done in a state where the government is firm on not acquiring land for industry besides fiercely adhering to its stand on not offering SEZ status to any project or relaxing the urban land ceiling act.

Not just policy hurdles, the state is also suffering because of Trinamul-backed syndicates, which mostly supply inferior construction materials at higher prices.

“Domestic investors are shying away from putting in their money…. It is too much to expect that foreign investors will come,” a senior government official said.

The chief minister is confident of getting investment, the official said. He blamed senior ministers such as Mitra for giving her an impression that Bengal is on the verge of hitting a growth trajectory.

“No one talks about the reality here,” the official said.

Mamata had assigned Mitra the industries department keeping in mind his former role as the Ficci secretary-general.

More than nine months have passed since Mitra took over, but his achievements have been few, other than diagnosing Ratan Tata with motibhrom (senility) and organising the Singapore trip for the chief minister and senior bureaucrats.

“Till now, there is no answer to what the government has got from Singapore…. Now, the government will again spend taxpayers’ money and send officials to various countries. This cannot go on,” said Rahul Sinha, the BJP state president.

The ruling establishment can blame the BJP, which is eyeing the principal Opposition’s space, for politicising the issue, but representatives of chambers of commerce and senior bureaucrats have questioned the need for the roadshows overseas.

“The event (Bengal Leads) is in the first week of January and the officials are going for roadshows after the Pujas. How can they assume that foreign investors will come to Calcutta in less than two months’ notice?” asked a senior official of a leading chamber.

According to the official, such events need at least six to eight months’ planning so that the target group for the programme can be reached well in advance.

The Gujarat government had started planning for Vibrant Gujarat 2015, immediately after the previous edition. From identifying focus sectors to giving a detailed programme outline, the organisers had uploaded everything about the show on its website.

The schedule for Bengal Leads, however, remains sketchy despite just over two months to go before Mamata flags off the event.

A veteran of organising events for an industry body expressed dismay when told about the destinations the officials were heading to.

“I heard that a team will visit Ireland with focus on getting investors for food processing…. I didn’t know about Ireland’s achievements in food processing,” the chamber veteran said.

Sources said the food processing team included the Netherlands and Israel in their itinerary. “I understand the inclusion of the Netherlands, but why Israel?” he said.

Several others this newspaper spoke to wondered about the choice of the destinations for the roadshows. “If you want overseas investors, why leave out the US, the UK, Germany?” he said.

No one in the government was available to explain why the government was expecting international participation in an event just over two months away.

“The New Year hangover stays at least for a week… I don’t know whether senior officials or CEOs of big companies would come to Calcutta by sacrificing their Christmas and New Year break,” said a senior officer in a leading chamber.

source: http://www.telegraphindia.com / The Telegraph, Calcutta / Front Page> Bengal> Story / by The Special Corrrespondent of The Telegraph, Calcutta / Calcutta – September 29th, 2014

Slice of Durga worship, a la Kiev

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, World Opinion

Kolkata :

They live in a country that is practically at war. Violent clashes between Russia-backed separatists and Ukranian forces has already claimed around 300 lives after a Malaysia Airlines flight was brought down near Donetsk in July. Advisories from nearly all countries, including India, have warned citizens against taking risks and avoiding mobs.

But the Indian community in Kiev has not allowed these developments to come in the way of Durga Puja and Navratri celebrations.

For the third year running, Indians in Kiev, nearly 5,200km away from home, will celebrate Durga Puja. The idol has already reached Ukraine from Kumartuli, and the purohit is from the Delhi Kali Bari. The community also encourages Ukrainians to participate in the festivities. “We have been celebrating Puja here for the last two years. Due to the unstable condition here in Ukraine, we have decided to celebrate Puja at my residence this year, around 20km from Kiev.

The Indian community here is very small and we all get together and prepare for the celebrations. We have cultural programmes on all days after the evening arti,” said Kasturi Saraiya, who hails from Assam but was born and brought up in Kolkata.

Saraiya is a member of Sanskriti, Centre for Indian Culture, in Kiev. This organization celebrates all Indian festivals and spreads awareness about them among locals. So much so, that Ukrainian dancers perform during the Puja celebrations.

The small community of Indians might be living thousands of kilometers away from home, but they celebrate in style, trying to maintain a lot of the traditions. As far as the actual puja is concerned, there is no compromise. “Our aim is to present and popularize Indian art and culture.

We want to create awareness among the local community about Indian culture, traditions and ethics. Nowadays, there are many Ukrainians who look forward to attending our prgrammes,” said a member of Sanskriti.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Kolkata / by Jayanta Gupta, TNN / October 03rd, 2014

Synagogues on Makeover Mode as Govt Charms Israel

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Records, All, Travel, World Opinion
The Thekkumbhagam Synagogue in Kochi
The Thekkumbhagam Synagogue in Kochi

New Delhi :

The synagogues in Israel may be caught in cross-firing, but those in India are going to be spruced up soon, courtesy the Modi-led BJP government. The files started moving with speed within the Culture Ministry when the Palestine issue got worse — signifying the BJP government’s political stance in the Israel-Palestine conflict.

Though the move to protect the synagogues was initiated during the UPA rule, the Manmohan Singh government developed cold feet later as Israel and Palestine has always been a volatile subject in our country. “Our team had visited the synagogues in Kolkata and had even finalised the sketches way back in 2010. But the project did not go beyond that, as there was some terse communication to go slow,” said an ASI source.

The Archaeological Survey of India is busy moving the files and renovation is expected to start soon. Sources admit that the renovation of synagogues is a political decision. “Home Minister Rajnath Singh and Minister of External Affairs Sushma Swaraj are planning to visit Israel towards the year end and there are enough reasons to believe the renovation is closely connected to the visits,’’ said a government source.

There are around 35 synagogues in India—most of them in Kochi, Kolkata, Mumbai and Ahmedabad. “The synagogues in our country represent a rich cultural and religious tradition. The ASI is actively thinking of renovating the synagogues across the country. Most of them have been encroached upon by private parties and some, even by governments,’’ said a source in the Ministry of Culture.

The source added that the renovation work will start initially in Kochi’s Thekkumbhagam Synagogue and the Beth El Synagogue and the Maghen David Synagogue in Kolkata. The government is also planning to start a “Jewish tourism circuit” connecting all synagogues in the country, the source added. Though the government gave in following pressure and even vouched its support to the ‘‘Palestinian cause’’, it is an open secret that many BJP leaders, including PM Modi, have a close affiliation with Israel. Modi visited Tel Aviv as the CM of Gujarat, a state which has old diamond trade ties with Israel.

Transport and rural development minister Nitin Gadkari, too, visited Israel three years ago when he was the BJP chief while Sushma Swaraj is a self-declared “fan” of Israel. She, as the chief of India-Israeli Parliamentary Friendship Forum in the past, visited Israel last year.

“Both countries are victims of the growing religious fundamentalism and it is natural that they grow closer. It also helps that both share unique ethnic and religious aspects,’’ said a Culture Ministry official, who is part of the renovation project.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> The Sunday Standard / September 28th, 2014

Leander Paes wins Malaysian Open title with Matkowski

Records, All, Sports, World Opinion
Leander Paes,and Marcin Matkowski defeated Jamie Murray and John Peers to lift the men's doubles title at the Malaysian Open tennis tournament in Kuala Lumpur. Photo: AP
Leander Paes,and Marcin Matkowski defeated Jamie Murray and John Peers to lift the men’s doubles title at the Malaysian Open tennis tournament in Kuala Lumpur. Photo: AP

Kuala Lumpur:

Veteran Indian star Leander Paes, who skipped Asian Games to get some valuable ranking points, vindicated his decision by lifting the ATP Malaysian Open with new partner Marcin Matkowski, here today.

The fourth seeded Indo-Polish pair rallied to beat the second seeded Briton-Australian combo of Jamie Murray and John Peers 3-6 7-6(5) 10-5 in the summit clash.

It was Paes’ first title of the season during which his ranking plummeted to 35 from top-10. This win will give Paes 250 ranking points and USD 25065 as prize money.

The 41-year-old had ended runner-up at Washington with Australia’s Sam Groth in July in the first final of the season.

“In a match like that, especially in the final, the margins between winning and losing are very small. What I really like about Marcin’s game after playing with him this week is that he is a student of tennis. On the court, he’s always looking to improve,” Paes said after the win.

“We didn’t play our best tennis in the beginning today. We were playing a team that were very confident. They don’t give you much rhythm. But then when we were down, we found our groove and it was pretty much a different story then,” the Indian added.

In the 2013 season Paes had won two titles, including the US Open with Radek Stepanek.

Matkowski said, he was “happy to play with Paes.

“He’s a great player. We’ll try to play a few more tournaments in the fall, in the indoor tournaments in Europe. We’ve enjoyed a very good start and we look forward to continuing this way,” he said.

source: http://www.deccanchronicle.com / Deccan Chronicle / Home> Sports> Tennis / PTI / September 29th, 2014

Begum Rokeya: She gave the call for emancipation of Muslim women

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Historical Links / Pre-Independence, Records, All

One of the rare rebellions of her time, Roquia Sakhawat Hussain is a name that echoes ceaseless struggle to bring women under the ambit of social respect and admiration. Born in 1880, this gritty and composed lady from a small village of Pairabondh in the then undivided Bengal gave her all towards cementing a respectable position of women during her epoch.

BegumRokeaMPOs29sept2014

A livid exponent of feminist movement in eastern India, Begum Rokeya conceived and implemented the idea of establishing the first school mainly aimed at Muslim girls. Issues like gender equality and women’s emancipation found a new dimension under her prudent leadership. Being the precursor of future feminist movement in India and Bangladesh, Rokeya did her bit to bolster the position of the so called ‘second sex’ in a puritanical society stuffed with orthodox ideologies.

Married off at an early age, hers was in no way a beginning worth remembering. However, the indomitable urge to stand out for a cause and be the guiding star for he contemporaries and the ages to come drove her forward.

Begum Rokeya had the funny bone as well as the tinge of sarcasm that helped her euphemism narrate real-life incidents of injustice forced upon Bengali-speaking Muslim women. She displayed enough valiance to tell it on the face of the oppressors that they are adopting immoral ways distorting version of Islam.

Oborodhbashini (“The woman in captivity”), Paddorag (“Essence of the Lotus”) and Narir Adhikar (“The Rights of Women”) are among her widely read books that openly defied restrictions on women.

source: http://www.headlinesindia.mapsofindia.com / Headlines India / Home> Social Interest News> Women / Friday – March 04th, 2011