Category Archives: Women/Girls (since October 30-2023

INTERNATIONAL: BEAUTY PAGEANT : Meet Dhruvi Patel, Miss India Worldwide 2024, a Gujarati NRI, techie, founder of…

This techie from Gujarat has been crowned as the Miss India Worldwide 2024.

Dhruvi Patel has been crowned as Miss India Worldwide 2024, the longest running Indian pageant outside of India. An NRI techie, Dhruvi has carved out her niche in the pageantry world and this is not the first time when she won a pageant. She has a hall of fame that speaks of the many titles she won and events she participated in. This techie turned pageant winner, started young and has bigger aspirations to complete.

“Winning Miss India Worldwide is such an incredible honour. It’s more than a crown – it represents my heritage, my values, and the opportunity to inspire others on a global scale,” Dhruvi said after her crowning in Edison, New Jersey.

Who is Dhruvi Patel, NRI techie with big dreams

Dhruvi has always been fascinated with world of fashion. Since the age of 8, Dhruvi was inclined towards the glitz and glamour for the pageantry realm. In an interview she mentioned, “Unfortunately, school commitments took precedence, and I couldn’t pursue my interest back then. Now, with a renewed passion, I am eager to balance academics and aspirations as I embark on my journey into the world of pageantry.”

In 2023, she was crowned Miss India New England. She has also won Miss Rhode Island and was a contestant in the Miss World America Pageant.

Patel’s roots speak of rich and vibrant culture of Gujarat. Currently, she resides in Hamden, Connecticut, with her parents and siblings. In a bid to pursue her passion in the field of IT, she joined Dhruvi joined Quinnipiac University in 2021 as Computer Information System student.

Well, Dhruvi is not just another engineer who won a title. The Indian origin techie aspires to one day become UNICEF brand ambassador and also make her debut in Bollywood! She runs a home-based nonprofit called 3D Charities. She runs the organisation along with her siblings Darsh and Dhriti.

Apart from preparing for pageants, working up as Computer Science professional, Patel also enjoys the realm of sports as per report.

About Miss India Worldwide 2024

Lisa Abdoelhak from Suriname was declared the first runner-up, while Malvika Sharma from the Netherlands was adjudged the second runner-up in the same race, as reported by PTI. In the Mrs category, SuAnn Mouttet from Trinidad and Tobago was the winner, with Sneha Nambiar the first and Pawandip Kaur from the United Kingdom the second-runner up.

In the Teen category, Sierra Suret from Guadeloupe was crowned Miss Teen India Worldwide. Shreya Singh from the Netherlands and Shradha Tedjoe from Suriname were declared the first and second runners-up. The beauty pageant is organised by New York-based India Festival Committee and is headed by Indian-Americans Neelam and Dharmatma Saran.

The crown is celebrating its 31st anniversary this year.

source/content: india.com (headline edited)

NATIONAL: IIMCAA Awards 2024: Anup Pandey wins journalist of the year trophy

Shagun Kapil won the agriculture reporter of the year, receiving a cash prize of ₹1 lakh.

The Indian Institute of Mass Communication Alumni Association (IIMCAA) has officially announced the winners of the IIMCAA Awards 2024, recognising excellence in journalism, advertising, and public relations. The event was marked by the crowning of Anup Pandey as the ‘journalist of the year’, a title accompanied by a trophy, certificate, and a cash prize of ₹1.5 lakh.

In the agriculture reporter of the year category, Shagun Kapil emerged victorious, receiving a cash prize of ₹1 lakh. Other awardees, spanning diverse categories, were honored with trophies, certificates, and cash rewards of ₹50,000.

The winners across various categories were:

Rajat Mishra (Publishing Reporting)

Abhinav Goel (Broadcast Reporting)

Surabhi Singh (Producer)

Muhammad Sabith U M (Publishing Reporting in Indian Languages)

Shatarupa Samantaraya (Broadcast Reporting in Indian Languages)

Saransh Jain (Advertising)

Shillpi A Singh (PR)

Ofactor (Ad Agency)

Kaizzen (PR Agency)

The ‘Jury Special Mention’ category recognised noteworthy entries that narrowly missed out on the top honours. Awardees in this section included:

Abhishek Angad, Ritwika Mitra, Ashutosh Mishra, Manish Mishra, and Nidhi Tiwari (journalist of the year)

Diwash Gahatraj (agriculture reporting)

Parimal Kumar and Vishnukant Tiwari (broadcast reporting).

Rohan Kathpalia (producer of the year)

Supriya Sundriyal and Nikhil Swami (PR)

Distinguished attendees included former principal director general of PIB Kuldeep Singh Dhatwalia; ADG Raj Kumar; special commissioner of the Delhi government Sushil Singh; and Rahul Sharma, managing director of the US-India Business Council. The event was presided over by IIMCAA president Simrat Gulati, while executive president Gayatri Shrivastava hosted the ceremony.

During the event, a souvenir book featuring the profiles and accomplishments of the award winners was released by Awards Auditor Unni Rajen Shanker, Convenor Vineet Handa, Coordinator Puja Mishra, and General Secretary Deeksha Saksena.

source/content: hindustantimes.com (headline edited)

GLOBAL: SPORTS / CHESS: Team India win historic twin golds in both Men & Women, for the 1st time at the ‘2024 Chess Olympiad’

Both the Indian men’s and women’s teams secured their first gold medals during the tournament.

Both the Indian men’s and women’s teams secured gold on a historic Sunday at the 2024 Chess Olympiad. It began with the men being crowned champions in the open section.

The team claimed its first gold medal in the last round after second-placed China dropped points on two boards against the USA, while India’s Arjun Erigaisi and D Gukesh secured wins for the team.

Gukesh concluded the Olympiad for both the nation and himself with a victory over Slovenian Vladimir Fedoseev, helping India secure the historic gold medal. Arjun Erigaisi also claimed a win against Slovenian Jan Subelj on the tournament’s final day. Praggnanandhaa also ended his campaign with a win.

The Indian team had an almost perfect run, starting with eight wins before being held to a draw by Uzbekistan, the defending champions.

Nonetheless, India bounced back, defeating the USA in the penultimate round to clinch the title.

The men’s team for the open category consisted of Gukesh, Erigaisi, Praggnanandhaa R, Vidit Gujrathi, Pentala Harikrishna, and Srinath Narayanan. This marks India’s first Olympiad gold when the event is held in person, as the last gold was shared during the pandemic when the event took place online.

With this run in the 2024 Olympiad, India showcased its best performance to date. Their previous best performances were in 2022 on home soil (Chennai) and 2014 (Tromsø, Norway) when they clinched bronze.

Heading into the final round, India topped the board with 19 points, while China and Slovenia were in second and third place, respectively.

Indian Women’s team clinch maiden gold

The Indian women’s team also clinched gold in the 45th FIDE Women’s Chess Olympiad.

The Indian women’s team consisted of Harika Dronavalli, Vaishali Rameshbabu, Divya Deshmukh, Vantika Agrawal, Tania Sachdev and Abhijit Kunte (Captain).

In the final round Divya Deshmukh, D Harika and Vantika Agarwal won against their opponents while R Vaishali had to settle for a draw.

USA, which held title-chasing Kazakhstan to a draw helped the Indian women claim their first gold.

source/content: newindianexpress.com (headline edited)

NATIONAL: AVIATION / IAF’s FIRST WOMAN PILOT: Alma mater hails its former student and Squadron Leader Mohana Singh the first woman fighter to fly Tejas

Celebrating the feat of Squadron Leader Mohana Singh, who made history by becoming the first woman pilot to fly Tejas, India’s indigenously built fighter jet, the Global Group of Colleges sent congratulatory messages to their former student and her family. Mohana Singh became the first woman pilot to fly India’s Tejas fighter jet during the ‘Tarang Shakti’ exercise in Jodhpur.

Sharing sentiments with the entire nation, Global Institute’s vice-chairman Akashdeep Chandi said it was a matter of pride that their alumna has rewritten history and shattered the glass ceiling by becoming a shining example of gender equality in the armed forces. “Mohana Singh was a student of B.Tech (Electronics & Communication) during the period 2009-2013. In 2016, she joined the IAF as one of the first woman fighter pilots. She is truly a trailblazer, whether it’s her feat of flying MiG-21 to joining LCA (Light Combat Aircraft) Tejas squadron, an elitist flying squadron of the Indian Air Force,” said Chandi. He also elaborated on her being a prolific student and an all-rounder. “She was a good student and also excelled in extracurricular activities, as she was always an active participant. Mohana Singh has set new standards for future generations of women fighter pilots, reaffirming that sky is no more the limit but just the beginning for those who dare to dream.”

Mohana Singh, who originally hails from Jhunjhunu in Rajasthan, stayed in Amritsar for four years as her father, Pratap Singh Jitarwal, now retired, served in the IAF as an officer.

source/content: tribuneindia.com (headline edited)

GLOBAL: SPORTS: India Ends Paris Paralympics 2024 With 29 Medals. Pakistan, China Got…

India finishes the Paris Paralympics 2024 campaign with a total of 29 medals – seven golds, nine silvers and 13 bronze.

The Paris Paralympic Games 2024 concluded for India on Sunday, with Pooja Ojha the final athlete in action. Ojha failed to qualify for the women’s kayak 200m final and bowed out of the competition. As a result, India’s medals tally at the Paris Paralympics ended at 29 — seven golds, nine silvers and 13 bronze, making it the most rewarded campaign for the country. Courtesy of the 29 medals, India stood at the 18th position in the points table. Pakistan, who were also competing win the event, ended the campaign joint-bottom at the 79th position, with just a solitary bronze to its name.

India did very well in the 2024 campaign, beating top nations like Switzerland, Belgium, South Korea, Turkey, Argentina, etc. to finish the Paris Para Games among the top 20 countries in the world.

In comparison to India, the traditional heavyweights at the Paralympic Games — China, Great Britain, USA, Italy, etc. did very well gain, finishing among the top 10 nations. India, having shown significant progression in Paris, would be keen to produce an even better show in the 2028 LA Para Games.

On Saturday, India earned its 29th and final medal of the Paris Paralympic Games through Navdeep Singh who clinched gold medal in men’s javelin throw F41 classification.

Navdeep, who competes in the classification meant for athletes of short stature, originally ended with a silver after he upstaged world record holder Sun Pengxiang of China with a 47.32m throw.

However, that was upgraded to an unprecedented gold after Iran’s Sadegh Beit Sayah was disqualified for repeatedly displaying an objectionable flag. Pengxiang (44.72m) finished with a silver.

Sayah had managed to nose ahead of the field with a new Paralympic record of 47.64m in his penultimate throw but lost the medal owing to his antics.

The International Paralympic Committee rules bar athletes from making any political gestures at the event and Sayah was thrown out of the final results for unsporting/improper conduct.

At the same venue, Simran, accompanied by her guide Abhay Singh, clocked an impressive personal best of 24.75sec to finish with a bronze in the women’s 200m (T12) event.

The 24-year-old from Delhi, who was found to be visually impaired at the time of her premature birth, is the reigning world champion in this event. She had finished fourth in the 100m competition of the ongoing Games and Saturday’s medal helped her redeem her campaign.

Track-and-field has contributed 17 medals to this tally, four of them gold. The country is placed 15th in the overall standings, led by China with a whopping 208 medals, including 90 gold.

For Navdeep, the gold makes up for the fourth-place heartbreak he endured in the Tokyo Games.

An inspector in the Income Tax Department, Navdeep has medalled five times at the national level since taking to the sport in 2017. He won a bronze in the para-world championships earlier this year.

Simran, on the other hand, won two silver medals at the Asian Para Games in Hangzhou last year and secured three gold medals in the 100m, 200m, and long jump at the inaugural Khelo India Para Games last December.

She is coached by her husband Naik Gajendra Singh.

With PTI Inputs

source/content: sports.ndtv.com (headline edited)

NATIONAL: HEALTH & MEDICINE: CANCER RESEARCH: President Murmu launches India’s first home-grown gene therapy for cancer -‘CAR-T cell therapy’

President Droupadi Murmu on Thursday launched India’s first home-grown gene therapy for cancer at IIT Bombay.

Describing the newly-launched treatment, named “CAR-T cell therapy,” as a beacon of hope, President Murmu expressed confidence that the therapy will provide a new lease of life to countless cancer patients.

CAR-T cell therapy, considered a groundbreaking advancement in medical science, has long been available in developed nations. However, its prohibitive costs have rendered it beyond the reach of many.

President Murmu said that the therapy is not only accessible but also the world’s most affordable CAR-T cell therapy.

She applauded the collaborative efforts between the Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay, Tata Memorial Hospital, and industry partner ImmunoACT, highlighting the indigenous therapy as an example of the ‘Make in India’ and ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ initiatives.

source/content: ddnews.gov.in (headline edited)

INTERNATIONAL: ASIA : SPORT – BADMINTON : Tanvi Patri wins Badminton U-15 Girls singles Asia title, beats Nguyen Thi Thu Huygen in final

Tanvi Patri’s victory is a testament to her talent and hard work. Her success at the Badminton Asia Junior Championships bodes well for her future in the sport.

Indian badminton sensation Tanvi Patri has clinched the U-15 girls singles title at the Badminton Asia U-17 & U-15 Junior Championships. This remarkable achievement solidifies Patri’s position as one of the rising stars in the sport.

Dominant Performance: Tanvi Patri

The top-seeded Tanvi Patri showcased exceptional skill and determination throughout the tournament, remaining undefeated in her quest for the title. In the final, she faced a tough challenge from second-seeded Nguyen Thi Thu Huygen of Vietnam but emerged victorious in straight sets.

Joining the Elite List

Tanvi Patri’s triumph adds her name to an illustrious list of Indian champions who have won the U-15 girls singles title at the Badminton Asia Junior Championships. Previous winners include Samiya Imad Farooqui (2017) and Tasnim Mir (2019).

Semifinal Battle

In the semifinals, Patri faced a stern test against Kakanik of Thailand, the sixth seed in the tournament. Despite a closely contested first game, Patri ultimately prevailed, winning 21-19, 21-10.

Nguyen Thi Thu Huygen of Vietnam, got the better of China’s Liu Yu Tong 21-18, 17-21, 21-19 in the other semifinal.

Bright Future

Tanvi Patri’s victory is a testament to her talent and hard work. Her success at the Badminton Asia Junior Championships bodes well for her future in the sport. As she continues to develop her skills, she has the potential to become a major force in international badminton.

source/content: insidesport.in (headline edited)

INTERNATIONAL: SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY: Indian American Deblina Sarkar. The girl who flew away on the wings of her mind. Boss of the Nano-Cybernetic Biotrek research lab at MIT, Boston, and harvester of a dozen awards in the past year alone

Boss of the Nano-Cybernetic Biotrek research lab at MIT, Boston, and harvester of a dozen awards in the past year alone. And yet, bet you didn’t know that she comes inspired from a bereft corner of Bengal.

Deblina Sarkar is not keen to tell her story. She is not disinterested either. Over a Zoom call from Boston, US, she comes across as matter of fact, pleasant and rooted in her work — she cannot wait to be done with this interview and return to the lab.

The story of her journey from rural Bengal to Boston is full of silences — studied, not awkward — and shorn of specifics as if she has already measured the distance she wants to maintain between her story and audience.

But when she does talk, she doesn’t do platitudes. When I ask her what it is she wanted to do as a girl, she replies, “I wanted to create knowledge, add to the production of knowledge rather than just implement what already exists.” She says it simply, self-assuredly and in a non-self-important tone. If I slip into Bangla, she too replies in her mother tongue, but switches to English whenever she is discussing her work and the specifics of it.

And, yes, the only time she shows emotion and smiles a wide smile that rises to her eyes is when she talks about her parents, Barid Baran and Asima, and nephews Qubit and Quitron.

Barid Baran and Asima are far more animated when it comes to telling the story of Deblina’s journeying. Which is why, Deblina’s story is best told with them in the role of chief narrators.

“When she was only three, she threw a tantrum because she wanted to go to school,” says Barid Baran. Indulging her would mean quite the long commute. It meant walking two kilometres to the Nangi train station and then getting off at Tollygunge and walking some more to reach the school itself.

It was not very different from Barid Baran’s own story from his student days. In 1960s Bengal, there was no school in his village. So he trekked two miles on foot to go to the nearest school. He wanted to be a scientist, so when the time came to go to college he shifted to the nearest town with one.

Deblina was happy — no, delighted — to go to school. “I am lucky, my parents never treated me and my brother differently,” she tells me. As Asima tells it, if there was anything that made Deblina unhappy as a child, it was the teacher’s red pen. “She couldn’t bear to have anything in her notebook stricken off with a red pen.” Asima narrates a fond tale about the time Deblina was learning her English alphabet. Something about her mother saying “P” should be written in a certain way, and the little girl insisting her way was also correct.

In 1972, Barid Baran took the entrance test for the IITs and could not clear it. But the scientist in him continued to be, dabbling in inventions of his own. Deblina recalls watching her father build a washing machine that ran without electricity, a pulley that could lift heavy objects to the roof of the house.

Do dreams come coded with the DNA or does one contract them from close contact? Who can say? When she was in Class IX, Deblina started preparing for the Joint Entrance Examination. “Even the day before her Class X history exam, she was sitting with her physics texts,” says Asima. “I had to tell her, how will you go to IIT if you don’t pass your boards,” adds Barid Baran.

In 2004, Deblina joined what is today known as IIT Dhanbad. When news got around, the neighbours said, “Now she will be able to pay for her own dowry.” Deblina laughs at the memory. Thereafter, Deblina left for the US — a PhD in nanoelectronics at the University of California, Santa Barbara.

One might think it was a big leap, a big deal, and yet neither Deblina nor her parents make it sound that way. Instead they talk about how she comes home every year and behaves as if she never left, wears her old clothes, enjoys her mother’s maan kochu bata and machher jhol. And how they join her every time she has a conference in a new country — “She sends us tickets,” says Asima.

All three of them are more eloquent when it comes to holding forth on the nuts and bolts of life. Deblina talks about nanoelectronics like she is chatting about the weather. “Nanoelectronic devices consume a large amount of energy etc. etc.” So she started exploring other low-powered computational systems. She says, “If you think about it, the human brain is the most energy-efficient computational system.”

I am not sure if I am following the science talk, when she provides the answer herself. It was this line of inquiry that brought her to a territory she had vowed to never enter. Biology.

There were risks in making a transition this steep, but her mind was made up. To the question of what it feels like to be a woman in STEM, she just shrugs. “If I was ever discriminated against, I would not know,” is her answer.

What she and her team are doing today is this — trying to come up with a non-invasive, wireless nanoelectronic device that can coexist within the brain. They aim to treat diseases such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and even brain cancer using this method. She says with a smile and a nod, “We are hoping to start the clinical trial within the next two years.”

And yes, she is thinking of starting a scholarship for girl-students who need it back home to encourage them to be able to study science in high school.

source/content: telegraphindia.com (headline edited)

INDIA @ PARIS OLYMPICS 2024: Shooting, Hockey, Wrestling, Athletics – India’s Total Medal Tally At Olympics

A contingent of 117 Indian athletes has been competing for medals and sporting glory at the ongoing Paris Olympics 2024, which concludes this Sunday. India secured a total of six medals at the marquee event, including one silver and five bronze, according to Olympics.com.

Manu Bhaker earned India’s first medal at these Games, clinching bronze and becoming the first Indian woman to medal in Olympic shooting. She made history by becoming the first Indian to win two medals in a single Olympic edition, adding a mixed team 10m air pistol bronze with Sarabjot Singh to her tally.

Swapnil Kusale contributed a third medal in shooting, marking India’s largest haul in this sport at a single Olympics.

The Indian men’s hockey team replicated their Tokyo 2020 success by securing bronze in Paris. Neeraj Chopra further enhanced his Olympic legacy by claiming silver in the javelin throw, making him the most successful individual Olympian from India. Aman Sehrawat also added to the tally, becoming India’s youngest Olympic medallist with a bronze in wrestling.

Despite these achievements, India faced significant disappointments in Paris 2024. The nation narrowly missed out on six potential medals, with athletes finishing fourth in their events, including Lakshya Sen, Mirabai Chanu, and Manu Bhaker, who came close to securing a third medal.

Vinesh Phogat’s disqualification just before a historic final also added to the nation’s woes. Indian athletes participated in 69 medal events across 16 sports, including archery, athletics, badminton, boxing, equestrian, golf, hockey, judo, rowing, sailing, shooting, swimming, table tennis, and tennis.

The Indian contingent featured returning Olympic medallists such as Neeraj Chopra, badminton star PV Sindhu, weightlifter Mirabai Chanu, boxer Lovlina Borgohain, and select members of the Harmanpreet Singh-led Indian men’s hockey team.

To date, India has won a total of 41 Olympic medals. The nation’s Olympic journey began with Norman Pritchard’s two silver medals at Paris 1900. KD Jadhav earned India’s first individual medal as an independent nation with a wrestling bronze at Helsinki 1952. Karnam Malleswari became the first Indian woman to win an Olympic medal with her weightlifting bronze at Sydney 2000. Abhinav Bindra was the first Indian to win an individual Olympic gold medal with his shooting triumph at Beijing 2008, a feat that remained unmatched until Neeraj Chopra’s javelin gold at Tokyo 2020.

Men’s hockey has been the most successful sport for India, with 13 medals, including eight golds, followed by wrestling with eight medals. India’s best-ever Olympic performance came at Tokyo 2020, where the nation won seven medals, including one gold.

source/content: ddnews.gov.in (headline edited)

NATIONAL: INDIAN ARMY – FIRSTS: Lt-Gen Sadhna Saxena Nair takes charge as Army’s first woman DG of medical services

Military doctors, once inducted into the Army Medical Corps, can be seconded to any service.

Lt Gen Sadhna Saxena Nair has become the first woman to be appointed as the Director General Medical Services (Army). She has other firsts to her name: she was the first woman to hold the post of DG Hospital Services (Armed Forces) on promotion to the rank of Air Marshal.

Nair began her journey in the forces in December 1985 after graduating from the Armed Forces Medical College, Pune, with a distinguished academic record and was commissioned into the Army Medical Corps.

Her other academic and professional qualifications include a postgraduate degree in family medicine and diplomas in maternal & child health and healthcare management. She has undergone a two-year training in medical informatics at AIIMS, New Delhi.

She was trained in chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear warfare with the Israeli defence forces and in military medical ethics with the Swiss Armed Forces in Spiez. She is also the first woman Principal Medical Officer of Western Air Command, and Training Command, Indian Air Force.

Military doctors, once inducted into the Army Medical Corps, can be seconded to any service. They wear the rank and uniform of the service they are with.

Lt Gen Nair was nominated as an expert member of Dr Kasturirangan Committee for drafting a part of the medical education component of the National Education Policy.

For her meritorious service, she has been awarded the Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Western Air Command and Chief of the Air Staff Commendations as well as Vishisht Seva Medal by the President.