Category Archives: Amazing Feats

Oscars 2025: Payal Kapadia’s seat at the big table

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A lack of budget certainly didn’t stop the filmmaker. Her big win at Cannes, along with rave reviews, special screenings and strong distributors with festival know-how have given her an edge.

In the spring of 2022, S.S. Rajamouli’s historical action drama RRR was a huge hit in India and in the global Indian diaspora market when two American distributors floated the idea of releasing it once again — to reach an audience not usually drawn to Indian films.

With great word of mouth and reviews, the film pulled more American audiences. It was quite unlike anything Americans had seen. RRR ended up winning a few critics’ association awards and a Golden Globe for the song ‘Nattu Nattu’. One day before the final Oscars voting began, the distributors, Variance Films and Potentate Films, organised a sold-out screening in the 1,647-seat Ace Hotel Theatre in Los Angeles. A couple of weeks later, ‘Nattu Nattu’ won an Oscar for Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures.

Indian films rarely make such an impact in the U.S. during the awards seasons. I have been observing this for over four decades, first as a journalism student, then an entertainment writer and the festival director of the oldest Indian film festival in North America. Unless it is a work of the magnitude of Richard Attenborough’s Gandhi — a British-Indian co-production that won eight Oscars in 1983, beating Steven Spielberg’s most loved film E.T., the Extra-Terrestrial. Danny Boyle’s Slumdog Millionaire also won eight Oscars, but unlike Gandhi it was a British production with no Indian producer attached to it.

Grand Prix sets the ball rolling

Marketing, promotion, and celebrity endorsements are often a big part of the awards campaign. In the fall of 2001, British filmmaker Roland Joffé (The Killing Fields) called a few of his friends in Hollywood — all members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Joffé had seen Ashutosh Gowarikar’s Lagaan, which was India’s entry for the Best Foreign Language Film. He had liked the film — about a farmer during the British Raj who challenges its officers to a game of cricket to get tax exemption — and wanted to make sure his friends would attend the Academy’s screening.

But in all these years I had not seen an Indian film reach American shores with a stamp of having won an award at a major film festival — not until May 2024, when Payal Kapadia’s second feature All We Imagine as Light won the Grand Prix at the 77th Cannes Film Festival. It was the first Indian film in 30 years to play in the main competition section of the festival.

Suddenly, it seemed everyone was talking about All We Imagine as Light, a Malayalam language drama on three working women and the transformative power of friendship and sisterhood. IndieWire gave it an A rating; they are usually very conservative in their reviews. And senior critic Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian gave the film a five-star rating, comparing it to Satyajit Ray’s Mahanagar and Aranyer Din Ratri.

his followed screenings at the top three fall season festivals in North America: Telluride, Toronto and New York. There were more awards, including from several American critics’ associations. And even though India did not submit All We Imagine as Light for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film, the buzz about it remained strong.

According to filmmaker and film preservationist Shivendra Singh Dungarpur the reason for the success of All We Imagine as Light is the new film language that Kapadia has developed. “She blends fiction with documentary style of filmmaking giving her narrative an almost hypnotic quality,” he says. “You can’t tell where the fiction begins and when it is pure documentary.” Mumbai-based Kapadia worked as an assistant with Dungarpur before she joined the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII). Her journey since has been one of resilience — overcoming wrongful charges of rioting at FTII (where her scholarship was suspended), to persisting with her vision even when her films never found a local audience. Until now.

Under a Golden spotlight

One of the advantages All We Imagine as Light could have had is its European producers. “I don’t know [if there’s a specific] benefit in having a producer from a different part of the world… but if you are keen to premiere at a film festival in Europe, then European producers know the process,” says Kapadia. “Now, many Indian producers are learning about it, along with the American festival system. Look at Reema Das. She is her own producer and has always premiered her movies at top-level festivals. Her films are very local and yet the themes resonate across the world.”

Late last year, several critics and major publications — from The New York Times to Sight and Sound magazine ranked All We Imagine as Light as the number one film of the year. In its recent Instagram post, Sight and Sound described the film as “a delicate, dreamlike tale of loneliness and fellowship” and added that the film recalled works of Ray and Wong Kar-wai. One day after Christmas, Variety named Kapadia as one of the international breakouts of the year.

So, no one seemed surprised when All We Imagine as Light received two Golden Globes nominations, including one in the Best Director category. Variety wrote this reflected “Kapadia’s growing influence in world cinema”. This was the first such nomination for an Indian filmmaker for a film made in India. In 1999, Shekhar Kapur received a Best Director nomination for Elizabeth, but that was a British production.

All We Imagine as Light also received a Golden Globes nomination for Best Motion Picture – Non-English Language. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences only accepts one international film submitted by each individual country, but the Hollywood Foreign Press Association — the body that awards the Golden Globes — accepts submissions by producers of foreign language films. And so the filmcould compete.

For a while now, commentators have said that the Golden Globes have lost their significance. But one cannot deny that Academy members and studios seriously follow the Globes — the nominations and the awards. (And since any film that runs for a week in any of the U.S.’s six metropolitan areas is eligible to be nominated for the Oscars, All We Imagine as Light is a contender.)

Kapadia attended the Globes dressed in a black silk outfit designed by Payal Khandwala and she wore earrings gifted to her by her mother, the painter Nalini Malani. She was accompanied by her two French producers, Thomas Hakim and Julien Graff, and cinematographer Ranabir Das. “It was such a huge honour to be nominated,” Kapadia shares the day after the Golden Globes ceremony. “The nominations really put our film back in people’s attention. And of course, talking to stars you have admired is always a thrill. I met Jodie Foster as well as director Walter Salles who had both seen our movie, and they liked it!”

Kapadia’s chance of winning a Globe was never definite, given the competitive field she was in, but her name has already registered in the minds of many Academy members. Meanwhile, last week, the film was longlisted in three categories for the British Academy Film Awards (BAFTA), including best director.

Celebrity support for Indian films 

The torch of All We Imagine as Light has been kept burning by the film’s two distributors, Janus Films and Sideshow. The former had two other foreign language films nominated for the Golden Globes: Vermiglio (Italy), a drama set during World War II, and Flow (Lithuania), a fantasy adventure about a solitary cat’s survival. Flow won the Globe for the Best Motion Picture, Animated.

“We are lucky to work with Janus and Sideshow who really take care of the films they distribute,” Kapadia says. “They understand this system well and make sure that the campaign effort is streamlined and specific. We don’t have a major studio funding backing this effort so it’s sheer hard work from everyone involved.” A stark contrast to money-backed films such as RRR or even a Gandhi, which had the support of a big studio for its Oscar campaign.

But in a crowded field with Hollywood and foreign language films competing for the short attention span of Academy members, celebrity support for films can be really helpful. Late last year before the Oscar shortlists were announced, Mexican filmmaker Alfonso Cuarón hosted a screening of Kiran Rao’s Laapataa Ladies in London. British film director of Indian origin Gurinder Chadha, who is a member of the Academy along with Cuarón, also attended the screening.

In mid-November, Indian-American filmmaker Mira Nair moderated a post-screening Q&A of All We Imagine as Light with Kapadia at NeueHouse, a small theatre in Manhattan with just 86 seats. The screening was organised by Janus Films and Sideshow to generate interest before the limited release of the film on November 15 in New York City. But it was also intended to start the buzz among Academy members based in the city. The NeueHouse screening was attended by a few Indian-American Academy members, including publicist Gitesh Pandya and producer Shrihari Sathe. Nair is also an influential member of the Academy.

The same evening, Netflix hosted a screening of Laapataa Ladies in New York City. At the time, the film was in consideration for the Best International Feature Film award. Kiran Rao and Aamir Khan were present as was Nair, who did a Q&A with the director and producer. Nair then rushed to moderate the NeueHouse Q&A of All We Imagine as Light. She had seen Kapadia’s film earlier.

Is another nomination likely?

These special screenings by well-known filmmakers are held throughout the awards seasons. In December, Kapadia was interviewed by director Shuchi Talati (Girls Will Be Girls) after the film’s screening at Film Forum, a prime art-house theatre in New York City. Again, the Q&A was meant to create a buzz about All We Imagine as Light as the Academy members were getting set to watch the films in consideration. The film is now in its eighth week of theatrical run at Film Forum.

And earlier at the end of October, Kapadia was in Japan for the Tokyo International Film Festival when she had an in-depth conversation with the Japanese master Hirokazu Kore-eda. (Kore-eda received a Palm d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival in 2018 for Shoplifters. The next year Shoplifters received an Academy Award nomination for the Best Foreign Language Film.)

During the conversation, Kore-eda asked Kapadia her thoughts on All We Imagine as Light not being sent to the Academy Awards. Her response was measured and diplomatic. “I think with this film, it got a lot already. I’m very satisfied with how the journey of the film has gone. And it’s been really more than I expected. So everything that comes its way, it’s like a bonus for me.”

All We Imagine as Light has had a huge success in finding distribution deals in 85 countries. And according to Zico Maitra, one of the film’s producers, it has already opened in 43 countries, including just recently in the U.K., Germany and Spain. After a limited release in India, the film is also streaming on Disney+Hotstar. Kapadia wanted her film to be seen by people across the country. Hence, the screenings took place in major cities, but also those that could be described as Tier-II cities: Guwahati, Chandigarh and Kanpur. The OTT release is a part of the extra bonus Kapadia mentioned.

Voting for the Academy Awards is on from January 8 to 12, and the nominations will be announced on January 19. While no one can predict whether All We Imagine as Light will receive any nominations, this much is clear: Kapadia and her film already have a seat at the main dinner table. She will be there even after the award season has ended.

The writer is a film festival programmer and author.

content/source: thehindu.com (headline edited)

IIT-Guwahati develops advanced nanotechnology for cholesterol, triglyceride detection

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The institute claims that their researchers have focused on a technique that combines nanotechnology and molecular detection, which can further be translated into a point-of-care as device with an enhanced diagnostic precision.

Researchers at Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Guwahati have developed an innovative approach to improve the detection of cholesterol and triglycerides by integrating Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering (SERS) on the nanoscale objects, officials said.

The findings of the research were recently published in the noted journal –Biosensors and Bioelectronics.

According to Dipankar Bandyopadhyay, Professor at Centre for Nanotechnology and Department of Chemical Engineering, IIT-Guwahati, the work utilises bimetallic nanostructures that are 10,000 times thinner than the width of a human hair for the high-fidelity detection of the biomarkers in the human blood.

“The metabolic biomolecules like cholesterol and triglycerides play pivotal role in maintaining a harmonious cardiovascular health of a human body. The high (HDL) and low (LDL) density lipoproteins transport cholesterol to the cellular sites for various metabolic activities,” he said.

Bandyopadhyay explained an imbalance of LDL and HDL causes arterial plaque formation leading to hypertension, formation of blood clots, or ischemia.

On the other hand, triglycerides (TGA) transform into fatty acids and glycerol during digestion which in turn is packaged inside lipoproteins namely very low-density lipoprotein (VLDL), for transportation to the cells. An elevated level of triglycerides leads to atherosclerosis and coronary artery disease, pancreatitis, type 2 diabetes, or fatty liver, he said.

“Therefore, the timely detection of any abnormality and a close monitoring of cholesterol and triglyceride levels in blood is highly sought for. While traditional lipid profile tests of blood are reliable, they often require laboratory settings, are not available as a point-of-care solution, and can take time to provide results,” he said.

IIT-Guwahati claimed that their researchers have focused on a technique that combines nanotechnology and molecular detection, which can further be translated into a point-of-care as device with an enhanced diagnostic precision.

“The researchers employ SERS active bimetallic nanostructures – the silver shelled gold nanorods, which enable a plasmonic resonance hybridisation of silver and gold to produce augmented spectral resolutions as compared to pristine silver or gold nanorods.

“Subsequently, these bimetallic nanorods are linked to two different Raman active receptors and immobilised with the enzymes cholesterol oxidase and lipase for concurrent detection of different concentrations of cholesterol and triglycerides. Such innovations help in the development of a platform for the ultrafast point-of-care detection kit with a higher level of the detection sensitivity,” Bandyopadhyay said.

Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by The Telegraph Online staff and has been published from a syndicated feed.

source/content: telegraphindia.com (headline edited)


INSV Tarini with two woman Navy officers begins third leg of circumnavigation

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Woman Navy officers Lt Cdr Dilna K. and Lt Cdr Roopa A began the journey on October 2, 2024 from Lyttelton Port in New Zealand to Port Stanley in Falkland Islands, the longest leg of the expedition with a distance of approximately 10,400 km to cover.

Indian Naval Sailing Vessel (INSV) Tarini left Lyttelton Port in New Zealand on Saturday (January 4, 2025) morning at about 9. 30 a.m. local time for Port Stanley (Falkland Islands) in the third leg of the ongoing global circumnavigation journey by two woman Navy officers under Navika Sagar Parikrama-II.

This is the longest leg of the expedition with a distance of approximately 5,600 nm (approximately 10,400 km) to cover. This will also be the southernmost transit of Tarini at about 56 degrees South, the Navy said in a statement. “With the frontal weather systems of the Southern Ocean, Team Tarini can expect to experience challenging seas with up to 50-60 knots (90-110 kmph) winds.”

INSV Tarini had arrived in Lyttelton on December 22, completing the second leg of the double-handed circumnavigation, which is being undertaken by two Indian Navy women officers — Lt Cdr Dilna K. and Lt Cdr Roopa A.

“During the period in Lyttelton, the crew undertook repairs and maintenance of the boat with particular focus on the next leg where the vessel will cross the South Pacific, pass through the treacherous Drake Passage, and cross Cape Horn to reach Port Stanley,” the Navy said. “While in Lyttelton, the crew also interacted with the Indian community who were eager to visit the boat and query the crew about various aspects of ocean sailing.”

INSV Tarini was open to visitors at Lyttelton Port of Christchurch (LPC) on Thursday (January 2, 2025). People from different walks of life, including Victoria Henstock, the councillor of Christchurch City Council, visited the vessel and interacted with the crew.

Maori payers for the crew

Members of the Indian diaspora as well as Belfiore Bologna, Honorary Consul of Italy for the South Island of New Zealand and Sue McFarlane, Head of Christchurch Antarctic Office turned up for the Flag Off ceremony of the vessel. Traditional Maori prayers for the crew by members of the Maori community were also undertaken during the ceremony.

The expedition was flagged off from Goa on October 02, 2024 by Navy Chief Adm Dinesh K. Tripathi. After sailing across the Indian Ocean for 38 days, INSV Tarini halted at Fremantle, Australia, from November 9 to 24, and the second leg from Fremantle to Lyttelton was covered in 28 days.

The circumnavigation will cover around 23,000 nautical miles in around 240 days, across four continents through three oceans and three challenging Capes, unfolding in five legs with stopovers at four ports for replenishment and maintenance. The five legs are Goa to Fremantle, Australia; Fremantle to Lyttleton, New Zealand; Lyttleton to Port Stanley, Falkland Islands; Port Stanley to Cape Town, South Africa; and from Cape Town back to Goa.

INSV Tarini, a 56-foot sailing vessel built by Aquarius Shipyard Ltd, was inducted in the Indian Navy on February 18, 2017. The vessel has clocked more than 66,000 nautical miles (1,22,223 km) and participated in the first edition of Navika Sagar Parikrama in 2017, trans-oceanic expedition from Goa to Rio, Goa to Port Louis and other significant expeditions. Both the officers with a sailing experience of 38,000 nautical miles (70,376km) trained vigorously in the last three years.

source/content: thehindu.com (headline edited)

Researchers from the Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati and the Bose Institute Kolkata have developed an advanced injectable hydrogel for localised cancer treatment.

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This innovative hydrogel-based therapy delivers anti-cancer drugs directly to tumour sites, reducing side effects associated with cancer treatments.

Researchers from the Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati and the Bose Institute Kolkata have developed an advanced injectable hydrogel for localised cancer treatment.

This innovative hydrogel-based therapy delivers anti-cancer drugs directly to tumour sites, significantly reducing side effects typically associated with conventional cancer treatments.

The findings have been published in the “Materials Horizons”, a journal of the Royal Society of Chemistry. The paper is co-authored by Prof Debapratim Das, along with research scholars Tanushree Das and Ritvika Kushwaha from IIT Guwahati. The collaborators are Dr Kuldip Jana, Satyajit Halder and Anup Kumar Misra from the Bose Institute Kolkata.

“Cancer continues to be a pressing global health challenge, with millions of patients affected worldwide. Current treatments, such as chemotherapy and surgical interventions, often have severe limitations. Surgical removal of tumors is sometimes not feasible, particularly for internal organs, while chemotherapy’s systemic delivery often results in harmful side effects by affecting both cancerous and healthy cells,” the IIT Guwahati said in a statement.

Prof Das from the Department of Chemistry and his team addressed these challenges by designing a hydrogel that delivers drugs precisely to the tumour site, ensuring localised action.

Hydrogels are water-based, three-dimensional polymer networks capable of absorbing and retaining fluids. Their unique structure mimics living tissues, making them suitable for biomedical applications. This newly developed hydrogel acts as a stable reservoir for anti-cancer drugs and releases them in a controlled manner, responding to specific conditions in the tumour microenvironment.

The hydrogel, composed of ultra-short peptides – biocompatible and biodegradable building blocks of proteins – is designed to remain insoluble in biological fluids, ensuring it stays localized at the injection site. It responds to elevated glutathione (GSH) levels, a molecule abundant in tumour cells. Upon encountering high GSH levels, the hydrogel triggers a controlled drug release directly into the tumour, minimizing its interaction with healthy tissues and reducing systemic side effects.

Speaking about the breakthrough, Prof Das said, “This work exemplifies how scientific innovation can directly address the pressing needs of cancer treatment. The hydrogel’s unique properties allow it to work in harmony with the biological environment, offering precision where it is needed most. We are excited by its potential to transform our thoughts about localized drug delivery.”

In pre-clinical trials on a murine model of breast cancer, the hydrogel showcased remarkable efficacy. A single injection of the hydrogel, loaded with the chemotherapy drug doxorubicin, resulted in a 75% reduction in tumour size within 18 days. Crucially, the hydrogel remained localized at the tumour site, steadily releasing the drug over time without causing detectable side effects on other organs, the IIT Guwahati said.

“This innovative delivery system enhances the drug’s effectiveness while reducing the required dosage, thus minimizing toxicity. Laboratory studies further demonstrated that the hydrogel improves drug uptake by cancer cells, induces cell cycle arrest, and promotes programmed cell death, thereby attacking tumours on multiple fronts,” the institute further stated.

source/content: newindianexpress.com (headline edited)


Manu Bhaker, Gukesh among four athletes to get Khel Ratna award; record 17 para-athletes to receive Arjuna

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“The awardees will receive their awards from the President of India at a specially organised function at Rashtrapati Bhavan on 17th January, 2025 (Friday) at 1100 hours,” the Sports Ministry said.

Double Olympic-medallist Manu Bhaker and chess world champion D Gukesh were among four winners of the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna award announced by the Sports Ministry, which also named an unprecedented 17 para-athletes in the list of 32 Arjuna awardees to honour their resounding success at the Paris Paralympics.

The other two Khel Ratna winners unveiled by the ministry on Thursday for the year 2024 were men’s hockey captain Harmanpreet Singh and para-athlete Praveen Kumar.

The awards will be conferred on the athletes by President Droupadi Murmu at the Rashtrapati Bhavan on January 17.

22-year-old Manu Bhaker became independent India’s first athlete to win two medals in a single edition of the Olympics with her bronze-winning show in the 10m air pistol individual and 10m air pistol mixed team events in August.

In the same Games, Hamranpreet led the Indian hockey team to its second consecutive bronze medal.

18-year-old Gukesh , on the other hand, became the youngest ever World champion while also helping the Indian team win a historic gold in the Chess Olympiad last year.

The fourth recipient will be para high-jumper Praveen, who was crowned the T64 champion in the Paris Paralympics.

The T64 classification is for athletes who have one or both legs missing below the knee and rely on a prosthetic leg for running.

“The awardees will receive their awards from the President of India at a specially organised function at Rashtrapati Bhavan on 17th January, 2025 [Friday] at 1100 hours,” the Sports Ministry said in a press release.

The Khel ratna awardees receive a cash prize of Rs 25 lakh along with a citation and a medallion. The Arjuna awardees are given Rs 15 lakh as cash reward, a statuette of Arjuna and a citation.

The athletes selected for this year’s Arjuna award include Paris Olympics bronze medal-winning lot of wrestler Aman Sehrawat, shooters Swapnil Kusale and Sarabjot Singh and the men’s hockey team players Jarmanpreet Singh, Sukhjeet Singh, Sanjay and Abhishek.

The para-athletes outnumber the able-bodied ones in the list of Arjuna winners this time due to the magnificent Paris showing in which they returned with 29 medals, including seven gold and nine silver.

The official list also includes sprinter Jyothi Yarraji, javelin thrower Annu Rani, women’s hockey team captain Salima Tete, world champion boxers Nitu Ghangas and Saweety, veteran swimmer Sajan Prakash, Olympiad gold-winning chess player Vantika Agrawal and squash star Abhay Singh.

Among the para athletes, Paris Paralympics gold-medallists Dharambir (club throw), Navdeep Singh (javelin throw) and Nitesh Kumar (para badminton) are the prominent names in the record number of Arjuna winners.

Paris Olympics bronze-winning para-archer Rakesh Kumar, para-shooters Mona Agarwal and Rubina Francis also feature in the list among others.

The ministry also cleared three coaches for Dronacharya award in the regular category, including Olympic bronze-medallist Swapnil Kusale’s coach Deepali Deshpande.

The Dronacharya award in the lifetime category will be conferred on former India football manager Armando Colaco and badminton coach S Muralidharan.

The award is given to coaches to honour their outstanding work and for enabling athletes to achieve excellence in their chosen sport in top international competitions.

source/content: thehindu.com (headline edited)

‘First ever’ glass bridge opened in India’s southernmost tip | Key details

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Glass bridge connecting Vivekananda memorial, Thiruvalluvar statue inaugurated in Tamil Nadu.

Tamil Nadu chief minister MK Stalin on Monday inaugurated a glass bridge connecting the Vivekananda Rock Memorial and the 133-feet Thiruvalluvar statue in the Kanyakumari district.

The structure claimed to be the first such one in India, was inaugurated to mark the silver jubilee of the unveiling of the renowned Tamil poet Thiruvalluvar’s statue by late chief minister M Karunanidhi.

The glass bridge connecting the two monuments offers visitors a breathtaking view of the sea. “It provides a thrilling experience of walking above the sea,” a tourist official told news agency PTI.

Key details about Kanyakumari glass bridge

The glass bridge is 77-meter-long, 10-metre wide and 133-feet high.

According to the state government, the bowstring arch on the glass bridge has been designed to withstand the saline breeze from the sea and high humidity.

Tourists who used to travel between the two historical monuments on a ferry can now walk over the glass bridge and reach the other end quickly.

Politics over glass bridge

After the inauguration, Stalin walked over the bridge accompanied by deputy chief minister Udhayanidhi Stalin, state ministers, MP Kanimozhi, and senior officials. A laser light show was held at the Thiruvalluvar statue.

Stalin hailed the legacy of the Tamil poet and announced that last week of every December will be celebrated as “Thrirukkural week” to spread the poet’s teaching in his renowned work “Thirukkural”.

Meanwhile, opposition AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami said the project was sanctioned and granted environmental clearance during his tenure as the chief minister.

“Chief Minister M K Stalin who inaugurated the glass bridge in Kanyakumari on Monday evening did not bring the project. It was brought during the AIADMK regime when I was the Chief Minister,” Palaniswami told reporters here.

“Since Kanyakumari is a very popular tourist destination, I requested (union shipping minister) that a bridge be built to link Thiruvalluvar statue with the Vivekananda Rock Memorial,” he added.

(With PTI inputs)

source/content: hindustantimes.com (headline edited)

National Maritime Heritage Complex at Lothal,Gujarat crucial to make India leading maritime nation: Sonowal

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Union minister Sarbananda Sonowal on Saturday said the ₹4,300-crore National Maritime Heritage Complex being developed at Lothal in Gujarat is a project of national importance and will be a crucial step towards making India a leading maritime nation.

Sonowal, who is Ports, Shipping and Waterways Minister, reviewed the progress of the NMHC project along with Union Sports and Youth Affairs Minister Mansukh Mandaviya and Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel.

Secretary of the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, T K Ramachandran, said, “The phase 1-A of the project, coming up with an estimated cost of ₹1,200 crore, is expected to get over by August, 2025, with 65 per cent of its construction completed.” The entire project, being executed in two phases, is expected to be completed by 2028, he said.

Work on phase 1-A of the project, comprising six galleries, jetty walkway, Lothal town, etc, started in March 2022, before the Union Cabinet approved it in October 2024.

Apart from 14 galleries in phase 1 , phase 2 will have conceptualisation of Lothal city as it existed in ancient times, surrounded by the pavilions showcasing the maritime heritage of coastal states in their individual pavillions, he said. “We are planning for the inauguration of the Phase 1-A of the project by August-September 2025, and the aim is to complete the entire project by 2028. We have completed 65 per cent of the work under phase 1-A,” he said.

The Union ministers toured key project landmarks, including INS Nishank, the Lothal Jetty Walkway and the Museum Block, and interacted with workers at the site to know their challenges and work progress.

Sonowal expressed satisfaction with the significant milestones achieved in civil infrastructure development, noting that the project is advancing on schedule, an official release said.

He said the government is committed to ensuring that the NMHC is completed on time and is of highest standards.

“This project will boost tourism, provide a platform for maritime education, and foster collaboration between India’s maritime community and the global industry. It is a crucial step toward making India a leading maritime nation,” the release quoted him as saying. “The NMHC is a project of national importance, offering tremendous opportunities for growth and learning in the maritime sector.

The visionary leadership of PM Narendra Modi ji has ensured that India remains on course towards all round development of the country and that the people reap the fruit of India’s developmental story,” Sonowal said.

The project will boost tourism, provide a platform for maritime education, and foster greater collaboration between India’s maritime community and the global maritime industry, he added.

The release said this world-class facility will showcase India’s maritime heritage from ancient to modern times, adopting an innovative “edutainment” approach using cutting-edge technology to spread awareness and attract international tourists. Lothal, located some 80 km away from Ahmedabad, was a prominent city of the ancient Indus Valley Civilisation dating back to 2400 BCE.

It holds historical significance for its advanced dockyard, thriving trade and renowned bead-making industry. Artefacts such as seals, tools, and pottery unearthed by archaeologists reveal a rich cultural and economic history, making it a key Harappan site.

Designed as a world-class destination under the Sagarmala Programme of the Union government, the NMHC aims to showcase India’s naval achievements and cultural connections through interactive exhibits, state-of-the-art displays and engaging storytelling.

This initiative is poised to not only preserve India’s maritime heritage but also to attract global tourists and foster a deeper appreciation of its historical significance, the release said. “The idea is to generate a movement regarding knowledge about our heritage.

We are also looking at tourism with the development of several tourist circuits, and nearby heritage sites, oceanic, cruise and coastal tourism will be connected to this.

We hope that in the years to come, this will be one of the biggest complexes in the world,” Ramachandran said.

The ministry has also planned collaboration with 25 countries and signed MoUs with countries such as Portugal, UAE and Vietnam for the project, officials said.

Phase 1-B of the project will have eight galleries, a lighthouse museum, a ‘Bagicha complex’, and a 5D dome theatre. Museutel , eco resort, coastal state pavilion, Lothal city, theme-based parks and maritime research institute and hotel are highlights of phase 2 project.

This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.

source/content: hindustantimes.com (headline edited)

32-year-old Woman Kanchan Ugursandi Becomes First Motorcyclist to Reach Lipulekh Pass

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A 32-year-old woman from Jharkhand named Kanchan Ugursandi has created history by becoming the first motorcyclist to get to the Lipulekh Pass, located at an altitude of 17,500ft.

The Lipulekh Pass, which is situated at the intersection of India, China and Nepal’s borders, is known for its strategic significance. Ugursandi, who commenced her journey from Delhi, battled severe weather conditions and navigated through challenging mountainous landscapes to make her way to the Himalayan pass.

She has travelled to over 20 Himalayan passes in the past and wishes to motivate women through her accomplishments. 

source/content: robinage.com (headline edited)

Rhino Conservationist Bibhab Kumar Talukdar Honoured with Harry Messel Award

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A conservation scientist named Bibhab Kumar Talukdar has been honoured with the Harry Messel Award for Conservation Leadership for his remarkable species conservation efforts.

A conservation scientist named Bibhab Kumar Talukdar has been honoured with the Harry Messel Award for Conservation Leadership for his remarkable species conservation efforts.

The International Union for Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN) Species Survival Commission (SSC) bestowed this award on him during the 5th IUCN SSC Leaders’ Meeting that took place in Abu Dhabi in October.

Talukdar, who belongs to Assam, has been instrumental in developing effective conservation methods, especially for Asian rhinoceroses. He was appointed the chair of the IUCN SSC’s Asian Rhino Specialist Group in the year 2008 and played a significant role in advancing rhinoceros conservation efforts.

He is the founder secretary general and chief executive officer (CEO) of an organisation that focusses on biodiversity protection in Northeast India called Aaranyak. 

source/content: robinage.com (headline edited)

Trump nominates Indian American Kash Patel as FBI Director

Mr. Trump said Mr. Patel played a pivotal role in uncovering “the Russia, Russia, Russia Hoax,” standing as an advocate for truth, accountability, and the Constitution.

President-elect Donald Trump on Saturday (November 30, 2024) nominated close confidante Kash Patel for the powerful position of Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, making him the highest-ranking Indian American in his incoming administration.

“I am proud to announce that Kashyap ‘Kash’ Patel will serve as the next Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Kash is a brilliant lawyer, investigator, and ‘America First’ fighter who has spent his career exposing corruption, defending Justice, and protecting the American People,” Mr. Trump announced on Truth Social, a social media platform he owns.

Mr. Trump said Mr. Patel played a pivotal role in uncovering “the Russia, Russia, Russia Hoax,” standing as an advocate for truth, accountability, and the Constitution. Mr. Patel, 44, served as chief of staff to the Acting United States Secretary of Defense in the last few weeks of the Trump Administration in 2017.

“Mr. Kash did an incredible job during my First Term, where he served as Chief of Staff at the Department of Defence, Deputy Director of National Intelligence, and Senior Director for Counterterrorism at the National Security Council. Mr. Kash has also tried over 60 jury trials,” he said.

“This FBI will end the growing crime epidemic in America, dismantle the migrant criminal gangs, and stop the evil scourge of human and drug trafficking across the Border. Mr. Kash will work under our great Attorney General Pam Bondi, to bring back Fidelity, Bravery, and Integrity to the FBI,” Mr. Trump said.

Who is Kash Patel?

New York-born Mr. Patel has his roots in Gujarat. However, his parents are from East Africa — mother from Tanzania and father from Uganda. They came to the U.S. from Canada in 1970. “We are Gujarati,” he had told PTI in an earlier interview.

The family moved to Queens in New York — often called as Little India — in the late 70s. It is here that Mr. Patel was born and grew. Mr. Patel’s parents are retired now and spend their time in both the U.S. and Gujarat. After his schooling in New York and college in Richmond, Virginia, and law school in New York, Patel went to Florida where he was a state public defender for four years and then federal public defender for another four years.

“So, lots of trials, lots of international investigations, lots of time in court, understanding the federal system and trying cases and learning how to run investigations,” he said.

From Florida he moved to Washington DC as a terrorism prosecutor at the Department of Justice. Here he was an international terrorism prosecutor for about three and a half years. During this period, he worked on cases all over the world, in America in East Africa as well as in Uganda and Kenya.

While still employed by the Department of Justice, he went as a civilian to join Special Operations Command at the Department of Defense. At the Pentagon, he sat as the Department of Justice’s lawyer with Special Forces people and worked interagency collaborative targeting operations around the world.

After a year in the position, Congressman Davin Nunes, Chairman of the House Permanent Select on Intelligence Committee, pulled him as senior counsel on counterterrorism. After April 2017, he spearheaded the Russia investigation of the House Intelligence Committee. It was here where he attracted media attention and played a key role in drafting a GOP memo, which, according to then-President Donald Trump, exposed the role of Democratic party and its leadership in the Russian investigation.

The New York Times described this as a “Kash Memo.” Patel said that this was a “great team effort.”

Mr. Patel is an Ice hockey fan and has been playing the sport since he was six. “I still play and I spend a lot of time volunteering coaching youth hockey in the area.”

Mr. Patel, who attended both the Houston and Ahmedabad rallies of Mr. Trump and Prime Minister Narendra Modi in September 2019 and February 2020, had earlier told PTI that the bilateral relationship had deteriorated under the Biden Administration.

“President Trump and Prime Minister Modi had an extraordinary relationship with respect. And they were working together to counteract the things like Chinese aggression, not just on the Indian border but on the global stage. They were also working together to counteract things in Pakistan when it came to counterterrorism matters and hostage situations,” MR. Patel said.

The two leaders knew that not only the strong relationship but also allowing the economies of scale to be built in India and America were mutually beneficial, Mr. Patel said.

Last fall he wrote the book ‘Government Gangster’ which argued that there is a severe lack of accountability. The book talks about the deep state and is highly critical of the U.S. bureaucracy, which he claims is highly infiltrated or dominated by lawbreakers.

Responding to a question, Mr. Patel then told PTI that the Biden Administration and the deep state are interwoven.

“The Biden administration is filled by these corrupt government gangsters who I list in the back of my book by name and title. It’s not a Democrat or Republican thing. It’s an apolitical thing that these individuals, whether they’re Trump appointees like Christopher W Ray or Biden appointees like Merrick Garland, they are led to this two-tier system of justice where they weaponise government and intelligence and law enforcement to target either conservatives or Trump supporters or call people on January 6th, domestic terrorists,” he said.

source/content: thehindu.com (headline edited)