Category Archives: Business & Economy

NATIONAL: ARCHITECTURE & DESIGN: Balkrishna Vithaldas Doshi (1927-2023) | Pioneer of Indian Modernist Architecture

Indian architect BV Doshi has passed away, at the age of 95. Trained under Le Corbusier, he was the only Indian to have been awarded the Pritzker Architecture Prize for designing IIM, Bengaluru.

One of the most distinguished Indian minds in the world of architecture, BV Doshi, passed away at the age of 95 on Tuesday. leaving behind a tall legacy and an irreplaceable void in the world’s design community.

BV or Balkrishna Vithaldas, won the gold medal awarded by the Royal Institute of British Architects in 2022, joining a select league of international names like Le Corbuiser, Louis I Kahn and Edwin Maxwell Fry.

A Padma Bhushan awardee, Doshi was known for designing the buildings of the Ahmedabad-based Centre for Environment and Planning Technology (CEPT) and Mahatma Gandhi Labour Institute.  His style of architecture — an amalgam of European modernist, brutalist architecture with Indian sensibilities — won many hearts.

Shiv Dutt Sharma (93), a contemporary of Doshi who had worked on the Chandigarh project with Corbusier, describes Doshi as “hospitable, amiable, simple and incredibly humble,” adding “He was a dear friend.”

In October last year, when this correspondent reached out to Doshi, his granddaughter Khushnu Panthaki-Hoof, principal architect, Studio Sangath, said that he was not talking to many journalists and was still recovering from a bout of COVID-19, which he had two months ago. But on learning that the article was intended to highlight Corbusier’s legacy, he made an exception. “I consider him my guru,” he had said at that time.

Apart from designing one of the finest buildings in Ahmedabad, Doshi also created designs for low-cost housing. His 1982 project, Aranya Low Cost Housing in Indore won him the 6th Aga Khan Award for Architecture. In another example of the international recognition of his works, Doshi was awarded France’s highest honour for the arts, the Officer of the Order of Arts and Letters, in 2011.

He graduated from the Sir JJ School of Architecture in Mumbai in 1950 and left for Europe soon after, beginning his journey in architecture with Corbusier in Paris between 1951 and 1954. On returning to India, he worked for Corbusier in Ahmedabad.

The celebrated architect authored several books on art and architecture, including Paths Uncharted (2011), Balkrishna Doshi: Writings on Architecture and Identity (2019), and Balkrishna Doshi: Architecture for the People (2019). Meanwhile, international architects ended up writing books on Doshi. This included William J R Curtis’s book Balkrishna Doshi: An Architecture for India, released in 2014.

In his book Paths Uncharted, former Chief Architect of Chandigarh, Sumit Kaur, points to an excerpt where Doshi wrote: “Frankly, at this stage in life I even hesitate in calling myself an architect because the more I think about what Architecture is, the less I feel I know about its true calling. Every time I felt I have mastered it, each new completed project has made me aware of how much more there is to Architecture. As a result I increasingly see myself more as a person seeking my destiny rather than just being an architect planner or such.”

A statement issued by his family said the cremation will take place at 2:30 pm at Thaltej Crematorium. The message read: “No one loved life more than him, ‘ Anand Karo’ – Celebrate Life, as he would always say. He had so many people that he loved dearly and who loved him back. He will leave for his onward journey from our residence Kamala House.”

B.V. Doshi passed away Tuesday, January 24th, 2023

NATIONAL: SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY: JNCASR Scientists Develop Brain-like Computing with Industry Compatible Nitride Semiconductors

They used scandium nitride (ScN) to develop a device mimicking a synapse that controls the signal transmission as well as remembers the signal.

A team of scientists from the Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research (JNCASR) have used scandium nitride (ScN) and Complementary Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor (CMOS) compatibility to develop brain-like computing.

This invention can provide a new material for stable, CMOS-compatible optoelectronic synaptic functionalities at a relatively lower energy cost and also potential to be translated into an industrial product.

According to the Department of Science and Technology, the JNCASR team led by Dheemahi Rao who were working on nitride-based materials used their background for developing hardware for neuromorphic computing. They used ScN to develop a device mimicking a synapse that controls the signal transmission as well as remembers the signal.

“The JNCASR team demonstrates an artificial optoelectronic synapse with ScN thin films that can mimic synaptic functionalities like short-term memory, long-term memory, the transition from short-term to long-term memory, learning–forgetting, frequency selective optical filtering, frequency-dependent potentiation and depression, Hebbian learning, and logic-gate operations,” states the department.

Compared to the existing materials used to demonstrate optoelectronic synapse, ScN is more stable, CMOS compatible, and can be seamlessly integrated with existing Si technology. It can act as a platform for both excitatory and inhibitory functions. The industrial processing techniques of ScN are similar to the existing semiconductor fabrication infrastructure. Response to the optical stimuli also has the advantage of possible integration with photonic circuits known for higher speed and broader bandwidth than electronic circuits.

“Our work enables neuromorphic computing research with a stable, scalable, and CMOS-compatible III-nitride semiconductor that exhibits both excitatory and inhibitory synaptic functionalities. Unlike the previous works on all-electronic synapse, our work shows an optoelectronic synapse with a large bandwidth, reduced RC delays, and low power consumption,”said Dr. Bivas Saha, Assistant Professor, JNCASR.

Apart from JNCASR, researchers from the University of Sydney (Dr. Magnus Garbrecht and Dr. Asha I. K. Pillai) also participated in this study published recently in the scientific journal Advanced Electronic Materials.

source/content: thehindu.com (headline edited)

NATIONAL: ENGINEERING / TECHNOLOGY: Tata Boeing Aerospace (TBAL) Delivers First Fuselage for AH-64 Apaches for Army

Tata Boeing Aerospace Limited (TBAL) on Thursday said it has delivered the first fuselage for six AH-64 Apache attack helicopters ordered by the Indian Army.

The fuselage was produced at TBAL’s production facility in Hyderabad.

“This is a proud milestone and a testimony of our commitment towards Aatmanirbhar Bharat and the world-class manufacturing capabilities at our joint venture Tata Boeing Aerospace Ltd at Hyderabad,” said Salil Gupte, president, Boeing India.

“The Apache will provide the Indian Army with a significant boost in capability just as the AH-64 has for the Indian Air Force,” he said.

Boeing had completed the deliveries of all 22 AH-64E Apache helicopters to the Indian Air Force in 2020.

TBAL’s 14,000 sq metre facility produces complex aero-structures for Boeing 737 and 777 models in addition to being a global sole source supplier for Apache fuselages.

The joint venture between Boeing and Tata Advanced systems Ltd (TASL) employs more than 900 engineers and technicians and utilizes cutting-edge robotics, automation and advanced aerospace concepts in its manufacturing processes.

“Successful delivery of the first fuselage for Boeing AH-64 Apache combat helicopters for the Indian Army is the result of the hard work and seamless collaboration of the teams at TBAL,” said Sukaran Singh, managing director and chief executive officer, Tata Advanced Systems Limited (TASL).

He said this delivery also positions India as an important manufacturing base in overall Boeing operations.

“We stay committed towards progression of indigenous defence manufacturing with strong focus on the quality and timely delivery,” he said.

TBAL has produced and supplied Boeing’s Apache final assembly plant in Mesa, Arizona with over 190 fuselages. More than 90 per cent of the parts used in these aerostructures assemblies are manufactured within India through over 100 Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) suppliers.

Tata Group recently won the ‘Supplier of the year’ award 2022 from Boeing, from among more than 11,000 suppliers worldwide.

With more than 1,275 AH-64 Apaches in operation accumulating over 4.9 million flight hours globally, 1.3 million of which have been in combat, the attack helicopter holds the reputation of being the world’s most advanced and proven one.

The helicopter is capable of delivering a variety of weapons which include air-to-ground Hellfire missiles. PTI MPB CK

source/content: theprint.in /PTI (headline edited)

GLOBAL RECORDS: ARTS & CULTURE / CINEMA / MUSIC: RRR’s Golden Globes Win set to make SS Rajamouli the First Indian Director in Hollywood’s Top Rungs

RRR’s win at the Golden Globes is not just a win for SS Rajamouli and his team, but a win for Indian cinema. Now, all eyes are on the Oscars and what’s next for the celebrated filmmaker.

In Short

  • RRR has its sights on the Oscars now.
  • Rajamouli has signed with Hollywood’s premier talent agency CAA.
  • The RRR director has said that a sequel is in the works.

Director SS Rajamouli, Ram Charan, Jr NTR, and composer MM Keeravaani are over the moon with the historic win at the Golden Globes 2023. Following the prestigious award win, the Indians are rejoicing around the world. The big win by Team RRR not just made history for the Indian and Telegu cinemas, but has made it a force to reckon with.

The career path for the Baahubali director has now split wide open and Rajamouli is likely to become the first Indian director to be working in mainstream Hollywood. How did Jakanna, as he is fondly called, get to this incredible moment in his career?

CINEMA FOR INDIANS

All the 12 films that SS Rajamouli has directed so far have been in Telugu and, astoundingly, all of them have been successful at the box office. This is not a simple feat to achieve. With Eega, Rajamouli tasted the success of his films in non-Telugu speaking areas as well, as the movie was dubbed and released in various languages. The success of this film made Rajamouli a household name in India. Come Baahubali, he pushed boundaries not just in terms of the story and scale and, with the marketing blitz, his team created pan-India to ensure that all Indians get to see this larger-than-life film. He used innovative promotional tactics and engaged social media and the millennials to get them hooked on his film. This strategy paid off.

Watch Naatu Naatu from RRR

With RRR, Rajamouli, his cast and their marketing team went a step further. They decided to market it to the world rather than just India. The cast flew to various places, including Japan, and made sure they interacted closely with the media and the audience in every city they visited.

Rajamouli has always said his stories connect emotionally with the audiences and that’s what he strives for – RRR hit this brief 100% on the head. In the United States, moviegoers were impressed with the male bonding and the story of nationalism which emotionally struck a chord with the audience there. It became the second highest-grossing Indian in the US (after Baahubali) and Rajamouli knew that this was the opportunity he had to seize to make inroads into the American awards circuit.

Recently, Rajamouli went on the Seth Meyers and spoke about the success of RRR, stating, “I make films for Indians in India and across the globe. When appreciation came in from the West, our initial thought was that these were friends of Indians who had seen RRR. Then celebrities and story writers started talking about it.”

The momentum set forth by the success of RRR at the box office has led it to making history at the Golden Globes 2023 by getting Naatu Naatu the Best Original Song award, beating the likes of Rihanna and Taylor Swift. However, this is just the beginning for Rajamouli.

HOLLYWOOD NEXT

While Rajamouli may talk about the sequel of RRR, this will be a while in the making given the other film commitments that RRR stars Ram Charan and Jr NTR have at this point. The Magadheera director is also said to have signed a film with Telugu superstar Mahesh Babu. It is Hollywood, though, that the director has his sights firmly set on.

Rajamouli has been signed by the American talent agency Creative Artists Agency (CAA), which is the number one agency in Hollywood. American producers, filmmakers, and actors have sat up and taken notice of Rajamouli’s work and, though he has currently worked only in Indian cinema, they understand that his style of storytelling and vision is as brilliant as some of the best directors in Hollywood.

Take the case of Oscar-winning director Ang Lee. Ang Lee, who started his career with Chinese language films, got roped into Hollywood and went on to successfully straddle the world of English and Chinese cinema. This is the possible career trajectory that Rajamouli could be looking at at this point – his heart may lie with Indian cinema, but Hollywood would allow him the budget, the reach and the opportunity of creating films that could turn out to be as big as the Marvel or DC films. Collaborations with American producers and stars could also allow Rajamouli to create Indian films that appeal to both Indian and Western audiences.

For Rajamouli, RRR was a story about superheroes and not just two freedom fighters. The Yamadonga director has stated that he uses his imagination to create different worlds and his stories have always been ruled by his imagination.

South film industry insiders strongly predict that Rajamouli would definitely sign a Hollywood in the coming times. This would make him the first Indian director to sign a mainstream Hollywood film and once that happens, he will again be creating another new paradigm shift for Indian cinema and the Indian film industry.

With an Oscar prediction for RRR as well, it’s just a matter of time before Rajamouli steps foot into Hollywood.

source/content: indiatoday.in (headline edited)

GLOBAL RECORDS: ARTS & CULTURE/ HISTORY/ MANUSCRIPTS: World’s First Palm-Leaf Manuscript Museum in Kerala capital, a Mine of Stories

The facility is essentially a repository of curious nuggets of administrative, socio-cultural and economic facets of Travancore spanning a period of 650 years till the end of the 19th century.

A treasure house of both obscure and celebrated tales of the erstwhile Travancore kingdom that became Asia’s first to defeat any European power on Indian soil, the recently opened Palm leaf Manuscript Museum in the Kerala capital has further brightened the state’s cultural and academic space.

Billed as the world’s first palm leaf manuscript museum, the facility is essentially a repository of curious nuggets of administrative, socio-cultural and economic facets of Travancore spanning a period of 650 years till the end of the 19th century, besides documents relating to territories of Kochi in the state’s middle and Malabar further north.

Besides brightening the state’s culture space, the museum also serves as a reference point for historical and cultural research for academic and non-academic scholars, officials said.

Among the manuscripts that the museum houses are accounts of the famed Battle of Colachel wherein the valiant Travancore king Anizham Thirunal Marthanda Varma (1729-58) defeated the Dutch East India Company at Colachel, 20 km northwest of Kanyakumari in present-day Tamil Nadu.

This 1741 victory ended Dutch expansion in India, and Travancore under Marthanda Varma became Asia’s first state to defeat the expansionist designs of any European power.

The museum, which opened last week, has 187 manuscripts chronicling a mine of stories based entirely on primary sources: Documents written on cured and treated palm leaves consigned to the corners of the records rooms.

The archival material, in the first phase, was chosen after painstaking sifting from a huge stock of haphazardly stored 1.5 crore palm-leaf records from across the state.

Today, the select documents occupy what is the world’s only manuscript museum that solely displays sheaves of palm leaf materials and allied paraphernalia such as styluses and carriers of the Cadjan bundles, they said.

Bamboo splints and copper plates, too, make a presence. Officials are elated about the museum set up on the ground floor of the three-century-old complex which functions as the Central Archives under the state government.

More so, since this is just the first move towards a major heritage conservation project. With its eight galleries that also feature videos and QR code systems permitting the acquisition of information, the facility is wooing common people and niche researchers alike.

The manuscripts also outline the evolution of writing in the region, points out Dr V Venu, State Additional Chief Secretary (Archaeology, Archives and Museums).

“They give visitors an idea about the emergence of the Malayalam script from older systems such as Vattezhuthu and Kolezhuthu,” he said.

“Primarily, the galleries give a glimpse of the complex administrative systems of land management, path-breaking proclamations of the Travancore royals and international negotiations as well as agreements, besides documents that became historical milestones,” said Venu, also a former Director General of National Museum in Delhi.

The museum here is expected to breathe new life into exploring the entire manuscript collection and hopes to attract more researchers and students.

The collection of palm leaf records will soon move to a modern facility in the city, with arrangements for scientific storage and study.

“It is a safe set-up, giving a comfortable space for research,” Venu said. R Chandran Pillai, Executive Director of the government’s Keralam Museum, the nodal agency assigned to set up and refurbish repositories across the state, claimed that the palm leaf storehouse had no previous models anywhere in the world. The manuscripts straddle six centuries, from 1249 CE to 1896, said J Rejikumar, who heads the Directorate of Archives.

According to author-historian S Uma Maheswari, palm leaves have the capacity to plug certain gaps in Kerala’s history.

“The records may not guarantee continuity to past events, but they own a great potential to lend new angles to existing narratives and strengthen their composition as well as colour,” said the writer of the two-volume Mathilakam Records that essays Travancore history of the last millennium.

“Each item in the museum is a commentary on the state affairs: Revenue, defence, administration, health, education, religion, caste, corruption, crime and whatnot,” Maheswari said.

The museum has eight galleries representing as many segments: ‘History of Writing’, ‘Land and people’, ‘Administration’, ‘War and peace’, ‘Education and Health’, ‘Economy’, ‘Art and culture’ and ‘Mathilakam Records’. The tile-roof museum housed the Central Archives two years after the department was formed in 1962.

Before that, it had been the Central Vernacular Records Office since 1887. Till then, the building was a prison under the Travancore ruler and, prior to it, barracks of his Nair army.

source/content: newindianexpress.com (headline edited)

INTERNATIONAL AWARD: ARTS & CULTURE / CINEMA & MUSIC: Golden Globes 2023: ‘RRR’ wins Best Original Song for ‘Naatu Naatu’

The film is directed by SS Rajamouli, and stars the likes of Ram Charan, Jr NTR, Alia Bhatt and Ajay Devgn among others.

SS Rajamouli’s RRR has created history becoming the first Indian film to win a Golden Globe.

RRR won for Best Original song at the ongoing ceremony for Naatu Naatu. The song is composed by music director MM Keeravaani, and sung by Kala Bhairava and Rahul Sipligunj, with lyrics by Chandrabose.

Also Read | Golden Globes 2023: Here’s the list of key winners

Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated the team over Twitter, calling it a “very special accomplishment”.

Ex-Vice President, film personalities congratulate ‘RRR’ team

Former Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu, Telugu star Chiranjeevi and several other celebrities congratulated musician M. M. Keeravani and other team members of ‘RRR’.

Taking to twitter to congratulate the team over its win, Mr. Naidu said, “Every Indian is proud of the global recognition for #NaatuNaatu song from #RRRMovie Heartiest congratulations to ace music composer, Keeravani Garu & RRR team for bagging the #GoldenGlobes2023 Award for the best original song!”

Chiranjeevi, whose son Ram Charan played the lead role alongside Jr NTR in ‘RRR’, described the global recognition of the film as a ‘historic achievement.’ “What a Phenomenal, Historic Achievement!!!! Golden Globes Best Original Song – Motion Picture Award to @mmkeeravaani garu !! Take a Bow,” he tweeted.

“Heartiest Congratulations Team @RRRMovie & @ssrajamouli !! India is proud of you!,” Chiranjeevi said.

Top Telugu star Nagarjuna also congratulated Keeravani and his team for the feat.

“Congratulations to @mmkeeravaani garu and his team on winning the #GoldenGlobes2023 for #NatuNatu song in #RRR on the way to the oscars now,” Nagarjuna said on Twitter.

The original song nominees were “Carolina,” from “Where the Crawdads Sing,” music by Taylor Swift; “Ciao Papa,” from “Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio,” music by Alexandre Desplat; “Hold My Hand,” from “Top Gun: Maverick,” music by Lady Gaga, BloodPop, Benjamin Rice” and “Lift Me Up,” from “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,” music by Tems, Rihanna, Ryan Coogler, Ludwig Göransson.

Drawing inspiration from the lives of freedom fighters Komaram Bheem and Alluri Sitarama Raju,   RRR narrates a fictional tale set in the 1920s. The film boasts an ensemble cast, starring the likes of Jr NTR, Ram Charan, Ajay Devgn, Alia Bhatt, Olivia Morris, Samuthirakani, Alison Doody, and Ray Stevenson.

RRR is also nominated for Best Picture non-English language category.

source/content: thehindu.com (headline edited)

INTERNATIONAL: INDIAN-ORIGIN / LEADERS: USA: Manpreet Monica Singh becomes First Female Sikh Judge to swear in

There are an estimated 500,000 Sikhs in the US, with 20,000 Sikhs living in the Houston area.

Indian-origin Manpreet Monica Singh has been sworn in as a Harris county judge, becoming the first female Sikh judge in the US.

Singh was born and raised in Houston and now lives in Bellaire with her husband and two children. She was sworn in as a judge of the Harris County Civil Court at Law No.4 in Texas on Friday.

Singh’s father immigrated to the US in the early 1970s.

A trial lawyer for 20 years, she has been involved in numerous civil rights organizations at the local, state, and national levels.

“It means a lot to me because I represent H-town (a nickname of Houston) the most, so for it to be us, I’m happy for it,” she said at the oath ceremony.

Indian-American Judge Ravi Sandill, the state’s first South Asian judge, presided over the ceremony, which took place in a packed courtroom.

“It’s a really big moment for the Sikh community,” Sandill said.

“When they see someone of colour, someone a little different, they know that possibility is available to them. Manpreet is not only an ambassador for Sikhs, but she’s an ambassador for all women of colour,” he said.

There are an estimated 500,000 Sikhs in the US, with 20,000 Sikhs living in the Houston area.

Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner said, “It was a proud day for the Sikh Community, but also a proud day for all people of Colour who see the Diversity of the City of Houston in the Diversity of the Court.”

source/content: newindianexpress.com (headline edited)

GLOBAL RECORDS: AUTOMOBILES: India Surpasses Japan to become 3rd Largest Auto Market Globally

India’s sales volume is expected to rise further with the inclusion of pending fourth-quarter sales figures for commercial vehicles.

India eclipsed Japan in auto sales last year, according to the latest industry data, making it the third-largest auto market for the first time, Nikkei Asia reported on Friday.

India’s sales of new vehicles totalled at least 4.25 million units, based on preliminary results, topping the 4.2 million sold in Japan. New vehicles delivered in India totalled 4.13 million between January and November 2022, according to the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers. Adding December’s sales volume reported on Sunday by Maruti Suzuki, India’s largest carmaker, brings the total to roughly 4.25 million units.

India’s sales volume is expected to rise further with the inclusion of pending fourth-quarter sales figures for commercial vehicles, along with year-end results yet to be released by Tata Motors and other automakers, according to Nikkei Asia.

In 2021, China continued to lead the global auto market, with 26.27 million vehicles sold. The U.S. remained second at 15.4 million vehicles, followed by Japan at 4.44 million units. Nikkei Asia said India’s auto market has fluctuated in recent years. Roughly 4.4 million vehicles were sold in 2018, but volume dipped below 4 million units in 2019, due primarily to the credit crunch that hit the nonbank sector that year. When the Covid pandemic triggered a countrywide lockdown in 2020, vehicle sales plummeted further below the 3-million-unit mark. Sales recovered in 2021 to approach 4 million units, but the shortage of automotive chips weighed on growth.

Vehicles powered by gasoline, including hybrid vehicles, accounted for most of the new autos sold in India last year, Nikkei Asia said, adding that electric vehicles hardly have a presence. Autos for the Indian market are seen as having fewer semiconductors than those sold in advanced economies. According to Nikkei Asia, the easing of the automotive chip crunch in 2022 provided a springboard for recovery.

Along with Maruti Suzuki, Tata Motors and other Indian automakers saw sales growth last year. India is home to 1.4 billion people, and its population is expected to outstrip China sometime this year and continue growing until the early 2060s. Incomes are rising as well. Only 8.5% of Indian households owned a passenger vehicle in 2021, according to British research firm Euromonitor, meaning there is plenty of room for sales growth.

The government has started offering subsidies for EVs amid a trade deficit resulting from petroleum imports. In Japan, 4,201,321 vehicles were sold last year, down 5.6% from 2021, according to data from the Japan Automobile Dealers Association and the Japan Light Motor Vehicle and Motorcycle Association. Nikkei Asia said the omicron epidemic and the lockdowns in China greatly undercut production, leaving automakers unable to meet demand.

Japan’s auto sales peaked in 1990 at 7.77 million units, meaning sales have tumbled by nearly half from the all-time high, according to Nikkei Asia. And the country’s declining population offers little prospect for a significant recovery in sales in the foreseeable future. According to Nikkei Asia, China surged past Japan to become the second-largest auto market in 2006. In 2009, China overtook the U.S. to become the world’s largest market.

source/content: thehindu.com (headline edited)

INTERNATIONAL: LEADERS / LEGAL & LAW: Chief Justice of India (CJI) Chandrachud to be Conferred with the ‘Award for Global Leadership’ by Harvard Law School Center

At the event, professor David Wilkins of the Harvard Law School will also have a conversation with the CJI.

Chief Justice of India D.Y. Chandrachud has been selected for the “Award for Global Leadership” by the Harvard Law School Center in recognition of his lifetime service to the legal profession in the country and around the world.

The award will be presented to him at an online event on January 11.

Chandrachud obtained an LLM degree and a Doctorate in Juridical Sciences (SJD) from the Harvard Law School in the United States.

At the event, professor David Wilkins of the Harvard Law School will also have a conversation with the CJI.

Justice Chandrachud, who was part of the apex court benches that delivered several landmark verdicts, including the Ayodhya land dispute case, was sworn in as the 50th CJI on November 9, 2022.

source/content: thehindu.com (headline edited)