• Indian Girl is Miss World Tourism
• India Bags 17 Awards in NY Festival
• 'Shanti' Gets Into The Guiness Book
• Brit Varsity Honours Ratan Tata
• American Couple Has a Hindu Wedding
• International Design Award For Desi Slippers
• A Rare Honour For Indian Musician

• BBC Docufilm Salutes Indian Railways
• Aishwarya Rai Gets British Government Honour
• Mallika Sarabhai Among Top French Awardees
• Six Indian Among '05 Lucent Scholars

India's always been known for its beauties. And Saturday reaffirmed that fact when Ponds Femina Miss India 2005 finalist and Provogue Miss 8888 title-holder Sonal Chauhan won the Miss Tourism 2005 title at Miri in Malaysia's Sarawak state. Winning this contest was no mean feat for the Agra-born Sonal, considering that she was up against 30 of the world's most beautiful women. "I am truly honoured and feel extremely blessed that I was adjudged the best among a whole bevy of gorgeous girls. There was no particular strategy that I followed. From day one, I decided to take each day as it came and didn't bother myself with getting nervous or stressed-out," says the 20-year-old philosophy student. What went into her preparations for the pageant? "It's really funny but I had very little time to prepare. But thankfully I had an entire team of designers and stylists who helped put together all my clothes. I owe a large part of my success to Lascelles Symmons and Hemant Lalwani who did my costumes. In fact, my costume for the national round was not ready and so I got to Malaysia two days later than the other girls," says Sonal.

Courtesy: The Times of India, July 28, 2005

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On a train through eastern India in the rainy season, the BBC has produced a documentary film that charts the everyday lives of those involved in running one of the world's most complex transport networks -- the Indian Railways."I find it unbelievable how they manage despite so many problems," producer-director Gerry Troyna said after the first public screening of the 1 1/2 hour 'Monsoon Railway' docufilm on the Indian Railways in Kolkata on Friday.Troyna said he was in awe of the Indian Railways that runs through 70,000 km of track and transports 11 million people daily.The catchline of the documentary is the voiceover: "India cannot survive without monsoon rains. India cannot survive without its trains".It revolves around three locales - the British-built railway colony of Kharagpur in west Bangal, Kolkata and Rangiya railway station in Assam.The "human film" salutes the more than a million railway employees and wades through flood fury, accidents and other odds faced and tackled by those who make a living from it.It has already been beamed six times on BBC 4 during the past two months and got the third highest ever rating on the channel.

Courtesy: Hindustan Times, July 27, 2005

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As the Indian press continues to hammer at Aishwarya Rai, one more international honour has come her way - the British government's The Next Step World Diversity Champion award. The award, to be given by the British foreign office on Nov 24 this year, was instituted to honour individuals who have encouraged pride in being a member of the ethnic minority community as well as a stronger sense of personal fulfilment. The award, in collaboration with the Next Steps Foundation, is considered a prestigious step ahead for Ash in the international arena. She is expected to address issues related to ethnicity at the conference in November, where the other speakers are expected to be former US secretary of state Colin Powell and actor Jackie Chan. Says the actress: "I think it's a great honour. Today beauty has come to be defined by many other far more profound qualities than looks and posture. I hope people would stop holding my looks against me and labelling me giggly and frivolous. "Look at Angelina Jolie. I think she's so gorgeous... and so real. She's a student of yoga and she works for the United Nations. She's a complete personality, and illustrates what feminine beauty means in the new millennium." Murli Manohar, who's the producer of Ash's much talked about Provoked and also a prominent spokesperson of the Indian community in London, says the award is vital to her image as a fashion icon. "She's no longer considered just a beauty queen. And I think her role of the real-life battered wife in 'Provoked' has something to do with her growing image as a spokesperson for Indian women. The fact that she'll be honoured at the 'Next Step For The Next Europe Conference' where the speakers will be former US secretary of state Colin Powell and Jackie Chan speaks volumes of Ash's reach as an Asian icon. "Jackie Chan was chosen for the award some time ago for the same reason as Ash: they both represent the glamorous face of Asian entertainment while championing the cause of their country and gender."

Courtesy: Hindustan Times, July 23, 2005

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The 48th New York Festivals International Design, Print & Outdoor Advertising Awards brought good news for India. It managed 17 wins in the competition. McCann Erickson won 'The Grand' for the 'Print and Outdoor' category, along with three golds and two bronzes. Leo Burnett bagged one gold and five silvers. Mudra won one gold and one bronze. 1 pointsize won one gold and one bronze. And WHY Axis bagged one silver. India had over 30 nominations this year, of which, McCann Erickson alone accounted for seven.

Courtesy: www.business-standard.com, July 22, 2005

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Shanti, an off-beat Kannada film directed by the noted writer, Baragur Ramachandrappa, has earned the rare distinction of being the second Indian film to enter the Guinness Book of World Records. The Guinness World Records has so far selected only three films, including Shanti, for the honours. The first-ever Indian film to earn the distinction was Sunil Dutt's Hindi film Yaadein in 1964. The lone European film selected for the honour was La Derniere Lettre (France/USA), directed by Frederick Wiseman in 2002. All the three films, excluding monologues, are narratives with a single actor. Shanti attempts to explore the multiple faces of peace by juxtaposing symbolism and monologues. Dr. Ramachandrappa told presspersons here on Thursday that the film, though experimental, has not been produced for the sake of experiment. "I have given more importance to explore the creative aspects of the theme than to conceptualise it." Writing the screenplay was a challenging task, as he had to accommodate ideological issues without betraying logic and reasoning, he said. The theme of the film is exploring the means and methods to fight terrorism without compromising with the human values espoused by the United Nations. "The reference to the UN is vital in this context as the world body is the creation of two contradictory state of affairs - war and peace. I have selected the female character in the film as peace is generally considered feminine whereas war is masculine," he said. Realising the bleak possibilities of releasing the film for the public in a commercial cinema set-up, he launched a month-long programme "Samudaayadatta Cinema." Under the programme, he organised the screening of the film in many cities, towns and villages situated between Bangalore and Belgaum. That helped the promotion of art cinema and attracted more people to it, he said. Dr. Ramachandrappa is a former professor of Kannada in Bangalore University. He has produced non-commercial films in Kannada such as Ondu Oorina Kathe, Benki, Surya, Kshama and Kote. Winner of a good number of awards, he was the Chairman of the Kannada Development Authority. Ramesh Yadav has produced Shanti. Bhavana is the only one in the cast. Music is by Hamsalekha and editing is by Suresh Urs while Nagaraja Adavani has handled the camera. The film has also bagged the second best State award that carries a cash award of Rs .75,000 and a silver medal.

Courtesy: The Hindu, July 15, 2005

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Noted scientist C N R Rao and danseuse Mallika Sarabhai are among the seven Indians who have been conferred top honours by the French government this year. At a glittering ceremony last evening to mark the French National Day, Ambassador of France in India Dominique Girard conferred the the 'Knight of the Legion of Honour' on Rao, the honorary president of the Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Research and a world authority on surface and material chemistry. Bharatnatyam and Kuchipudi exponent Sarabhai, dancer Alarmel Valli, artist Naresh Kapuria and Hindi litterateur Nirmal Verma were bestowed the 'Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters'. The 'Knight of the Legion of Honour' award was established by French emperor Napoleon in 1799. The French government also conferred the 'Officer of the National Order of Merit' on public administrator M C Gupta, and the 'Officer of the Order of Arts and Letters' on architect M N Sharma, who played an important role in designing the city of Chandigarh. Presenting the honours, Girard said Rao, a Padma Shree and Padma Vibhushan awardee, was honoured in recognition of his "instrumental role in achieving significant milestones in Indo-French scientific collaboration." Sarabhai, also a film maker and social activist, received the honour as a "tribute to her myriad talents in the field of culture and for changing lives of people around her for the better."

Courtesy: The Times of India, July 15, 2005

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Ratan Tata, chairman of the Tata Group, has been awarded an honorary doctorate by the University of Warwick, one of Britain's top universities. The degree of Doctor of Science was presented at a ceremony on Wednesday by Professor Lord Kumar Bhattacharyya, a distinguished academic and founder-director of the university's Warwick Manufacturing Group. Lord Bhattacharyya said: "Ratan Tata's modesty and lack of ostentation belie his standing as one of the world's leading business figures. He is a man of enormous humanity, a Renaissance man. "He possesses great business vision and acumen. He has transformed the Tata Group and is a standard bearer for Indian business on the world stage." He praised Ratan Tata for transforming the Tata Group with his "vision, flair and skill" to make it an icon of Indian industry. The group's business empire today spans more than 40 countries across six continents, exporting goods and services to 140 nations, with revenues last year of 10 billion pounds and employing some 220,000 people. Lord Bhattacharya described Ratan Tata as a "most remarkable man", overseeing the business of the group's 91 companies in sectors as varied as information systems and communications, engineering, materials, services, energy, consumer products and chemicals.

Courtesy: The Times of India, July 14, 2005

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Four Indian American students and two others from India are among 56 selected to receive the 2005 Lucent Global Science Scholars award for their excellence in science and math. The four Indian American students are: Prishantha Dunstan, of Oak Ridge, Tenn.; Pooja Jotwani, of Pembroke Pines, Fla.; Kirtana Raja, of Bellaire, Texas; and Shrenik Shah, of Cupertino, California. The two students from India are: Cherian Mathew, of Tiruvalla, Kerala; and Poonam Suryanarayan, of Bangalore. Sponsored by the Lucent Technologies Foundation, the Global Science Scholars program supports students pursuing careers in information and communications technologies. The winners will visit the famous Bell Labs during a weeklong Global Science Scholars Summit at the company's headquarters in Murray Hill, N.J. July 22-28. The students will be allowed to shadow Bell Labs researchers, tour laboratories, participate in panel discussions, interact with Bell Labs scientists and researchers, and work collaboratively with other multinational scholars on a research project.

Courtesy: The Economic Times: July 14, 2005

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They fell in love six months ago while they were visiting this popular resort town as tourists and have returned now all the way from America to become man and wife in traditional Hindu style. The marriage of Adriane and Eskala took place at a heritage hotel here on Sunday night at the spot where the couple said they had fallen in love. The hotel staff played witness to the marriage ceremony and arranged a priest for the elaborate wedding rituals. Adriane, an American, and Eskala, an Ethiopian settled in California, had the priest, Ramesh Shastri, translate to them the Sanskrit couplets that he recited. "Being in the travel business I am a regular visitor to India and first saw a Hindu wedding in Rajasthan and was fascinated. Now getting married in the same way is a dream come true for me," said Adriane. (IANS)

Courtesy: The Asian Age, July 12, 2005

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IT's eco-friendly, completely biodegradable, costs all of Rs 12 and has just got India a place in the rarified atmosphere of international industrial design. Pune's Mr Satish Gokhale, the man who designed `solemates', disposable slippers, made out of papier mache, is thrilled that his product has bagged him a bronze medal at the prestigious Industrial Design Excellence Awards 2005 (IDEA) instituted by the Industrial Designer's Society of America (IDSA). But he is doubly kicked because the award came to him after competing with the likes of Nike, Sony, iPod and Motorola which were among the 600 entries in the consumer products category of the contest. "It is a bronze but it is a huge step ahead for India's industrial design space which is maturing fast and growing at a great pace," said Mr Gokhale, a National Institute of Design alumnus who along with his wife, Ms Phalguni, runs design firm Design Directions in Pune. For Mr Gokhale, the award is the culmination of three years of slogging over the product, which he is convinced, has great potential in everyday life. "Hotel chains, hospitals, shop floors, even our homes are where this product can be used. Every time I visit a hospital and am expected to wear the worn-out, dirty looking slipper they offer, I think of what a product like this can do to improve the situation. Even at home, when we expect our guests to use our slippers, it is actually not a very pleasant thing to do," said Mr Gokhale who says the risk of skin infections can be completely eliminated with `solemates'. The slippers, meanwhile, made out of paper pulp are designed to be anti-skid and also `breathe' and break easily for efficient disposal. At current prices the cost of the slipper works out to Rs 12 plus applicable taxes. "There are no subsidies on eco-friendly products or it could have been cheaper," said Mr Gokhale who is now working to make it commercial. "It is a huge amount of work for what is essentially a design house but I have received several enquiries from the USA for marketing it and I am examining my options before taking any decision," he signs off adding that he has filed for a patent for the product. Among the winners, which bagged gold medals in this year's consumer products category is a fetch toy for dogs `spring roll', a smart lunch bag, the iPod Shuffle, the Gerber Sippy Snacker, a Café Solo coffee maker and the Motorola Razr V3 mobile phone. Silver medallists at the contest include Timberland travel gear, a self-watering flowerpot, Whirlpool's fabric freshener and a three-stage baby transporter.

Courtesy: www.thehindubusinessline.com, July 04, 2005

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Noted musician and Grammy Award winner Vishwa Mohan Bhatt has been featured in the Eric Clapton Crossroads Guitar Festival DVD launched all over the world recently. Bhatt had performed at the festival in Dallas, U.S., in June last year. The event had brought together the world's top rock, blues, country, jazz and folk guitarists including the legendary Eric Clapton. The proceeds of the festival were used for funding financial assistance programmes for the patients in need of residential treatment at the Crossroads Centre at Antigua in West Indies as well as for the construction of a new Education Centre there. Mr. Bhatt, who shot to fame by converting the Hawaiian guitar into Mohan Veena, said here on Wednesday that the two-disc set had brought live over four hours of scintillating performance of leading guitarists. Over 40,000 music enthusiasts had converged in Dallas to witness the historic musical event and support the Crossroads Centre.

Courtesy: The Hindu, July 01, 2005

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