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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)
INTERNATIONAL: FOSSILS DISCOVERY: Dinosaur Nest Cluster with 256 eggs found in Narmada Valley, Madhya Pradesh
While dinosaur nests and eggs having been found in the past, too, this recent find raised the possibility of the Narmada Valley having been a fertile hatchery location for dinosaurs millions of years.
A rare discovery of 92 closely located dinosaur nests and 256 fossilised eggs of herbivorous Titanosaurs (one of the largest known dinosaurs) has been made by a team of palaeontologists in Dhar district, which is part of the Narmada Valley in Madhya Pradesh.
While dinosaur nests and eggs having been found in the past, too, by other palaeontologists in the Jabalpur region of MP and Balasinor in Gujarat, this recent find raised the possibility of the Narmada Valley having been a fertile hatchery location for dinosaurs millions of years ago.
The field research was carried out by a team of palaeontologists from Delhi University, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Mohanpur-Kolkata and Bhopal in many villages of Bagh and Kukshi areas of Dhar district between 2017 and 2020.
A paper on their research by Harsha Dhiman, Vishal Verma, G V R Prasad and others was recently published in the PLOS ONE research journal. “A major inference from the three years of research is that the nests and eggs found in the villages of Dhar district date back 66 million years ago.
It’s quite possible that the Titanosaurs either just came to lay the eggs in this area of Narmada Valley or the eggs were also hatched there. The eggs found by us show evidence of hatching as well as not having been hatched,” Dhiman, the lead researcher told this newspaper on Saturday. “Since only nests and eggs and not bones have been found, we need to perform micro CT scan for further research,” Dhiman added.
Egg Diameter around 15-17 cm
The nests found in the Narmada valley were close to each other, which is generally not the case. These nests had eggs which ranged between 15 cm and 17 cm in diameter. “Each nest had between one and 20 eggs,” Dhiman said
source/content: newindianexpress.com (headline edited)
NATIONAL: DEFENCE SERVICES: Woman Naval Air Operations Officer Lt Commander Disha Amrith to Lead Indian Navy’s Contingent at 2023 Republic Day Parade
Navy officials said three women and five men Agniveers will also participate in the parade at Kartavya Path.
Lt Commander Disha Amrith, a woman naval air operations official posted at a strategic base, will lead the Indian Navy’s Republic Day contingent of 144 young sailors and its tableau will showcase the ‘Nari Shakti’ in force.
Navy officials said three women and five men Agniveers will also participate in the parade at Kartavya Path.
Besides Amrith, another woman officer — Sub Lt Valli Meena S — will be among the three platoon commanders of the naval contingent.
A Bachelor of Engineering in Computer Science from BMS College of Engineering in Karnataka, 29-year-old Amrith was part of the National Cadet Corps’s Republic Day team in 2008 and harboured the dream of being part of the marching contingents of one of the three services at the celebrations in Delhi.
“Since 2008, I was nurturing this dream of being part of the Republic Day contingent of the armed forces. It is an amazing opportunity that the Indian Navy has given me (to lead the naval contingent),” she said.
The officer, who hails from Mangaluru, got into the Navy in 2016 and has been posted at a key naval facility in the Andaman and Nicobar islands after completing her training in 2017.
“I am an aviator for Dornier aircraft and have been carrying out sorties in the plane,” she told PTI.
Last month, Navy Chief Admiral R Hari Kumar said the Navy is looking at opening all its branches for women from 2023.
Sharing her experience, Amrith said she always wanted to be part of the armed forces and it was partly inspired by her parents as well.
“My father also wanted to be part of the services but could not. I am proud to be part of the Navy and will continue to serve the Navy with full zeal and dedication,” she said.
Asked about the challenges that women face in the forces, Amrith said, “I became stronger physically, emotionally and I am now more self-driven.” The renowned brass band of the Indian Navy of 80 musicians will be led by M Antony Raj, playing the Indian Navy Song ‘Jai Bharti’.
The theme of the naval tableau would be ‘Indian Navy — Combat Ready, Credible, Cohesive and Future Proof,’ said Vice Admiral Suraj Berry, the Controller Personnel Services (CPS).
He said the tableau is designed with an aim to showcase the multi-dimensional capabilities of the Indian Navy as well as highlight key indigenously designed and built platforms.
“The tableau also aims to highlight ‘Nari Shakti’ in the Indian Navy,” he told reporters.
The forward part of the tableau will showcase a woman aircrew of Dornier aircraft (flying overhead), highlighting the all-women crew of a surveillance sortie undertaken last year.
The main section of the tableau will illustrate the ‘Make in India’ initiatives of the Navy and model of the new indigenous Nilgiri class ship with a Dhruv helicopter deploying marine commandos will take the centre-stage. On the sides of the main section, cut out models of indigenous Kalvari Class submarine will be depicted.
In the rear section of the tableau, three models of autonomous unmanned systems being developed indigenously under IDEX-Sprint Challenge will be displayed.
The Indian Navy aims to induct at least 75 technology/product as part of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav.
The sprint initiative was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the Naval Innovation and Indignation Organisation Seminar in July last year.
These products are being developed under the innovation for defence excellence scheme of the Ministry of Defence and Technology Development Acceleration Cell of Indian Navy, the official said.
source/content: thehindu.com (headline edited)
INTERNATIONAL: BI-LATERAL / INDIA MALDIVES DEVELOPMENT: Jaishankar, Maldives President Solih Participate in Groundbreaking Ceremony of Hanimaadhoo Airport Redevelopment Project
EAM Jaishankar is on a three-day visit to the Maldives and Sri Lanka to further expand bilateral engagement with the two key maritime neighbours of India.
External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and Maldives President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih have jointly participated in the groundbreaking ceremony of the Hanimaadhoo international airport redevelopment project, a “historic milestone” in the robust India-Maldives development partnership.
Mr. Jaishankar is on a three-day visit to the Maldives and Sri Lanka to further expand bilateral engagement with the two key maritime neighbours of India.
Speaking at the groundbreaking ceremony, Mr. Jaishankar said India’s partnership with the Maldives is based on its genuine desire to work together for each other’s welfare and interests.
“It is a partnership that has enabled us to swiftly and effectively respond to challenges, as we saw recently during the Covid pandemic. It is a partnership that has enabled us to deliver results and bring about tangible benefits to our peoples in accordance with their wishes, aspirations and priorities,” he said on Jan. 18 evening.
“Now we all know that the current complex geopolitical environment has thrown up new disruptions which are impacting every country in the world.
“The need for cooperation and collaboration has assumed even greater importance in this context,” he said.
India has extended support to Maldives to address the evolving economic challenges, including through emergency financial assistance and strongly reaffirmed New Delhi’s firm commitment to continued cooperation to Male.
Mr. Jaishankar said the initiation of the Hanimaadhoo international airport development project marks a “historic milestone” in the robust India-Maldives development partnership.
“Joined President @ibusolih and his Ministers and local leaders at the ground-breaking ceremony of Hanimaadhoo International Airport Development Project,” he tweeted.
“This project will bridge the gap between the people of Northern Maldives and the rest of the world and bring our peoples together. And India is privileged to be with the Maldives for its implementation,” he said at the ceremony attended by a broad spectrum of Members of Parliament and representatives from the Atoll councils in the Maldives. Mr. Jaishankar said better connectivity is a prerequisite for greater prosperity and with this rationale, greater connectivity finds resonance in India’s theme for the G20 Presidency – ‘One Earth, One Family, One Future’.
“It is our endeavour to share India’s experiences, learnings and models as possible templates for others, particularly in the developing world and to promote a universal sense of oneness through enhancing connectivity,” he said.
Mr. Jaishankar later tweeted that the rising number of Indian tourists in the Maldives is a ‘reflection of our deepening ties and are outcomes of focus on infrastructure and connectivity, especially under the Modi Government.” President Solih described the airport development project as a well-planned, studied and executed project.
The historic project is the largest and most significant infrastructure project initiated outside the Male region. Funded through an MVR2.1 billion loan from the Exim Bank of India, the project is contracted to India-based firm JMC Projects, Mr. Solih said.
President Solih said the northern region would see economic progress upon the completion of the project as it would increase tourism facilities, including guesthouses and city hotels, drive job creation in the northern atolls, and transform the region into an economic hub.
He underscored that the airport project coupled with the redevelopment of the Kulhudhuffushi Regional Port and connectivity through the Raajje Transport Link (RTL) high-speed ferry services would help the administration transform northern Maldives into the perfect model of a thriving economy.
Providing details on the airport development projects underway in particular, President Solih said that while Hoarafushi Airport and Faresmaathoda Airport projects have been completed, his administration has also mobilised resources for the Maafaru International Airport project.
Earlier, Mr. Jaishankar was given a traditional Maldivian welcome when he arrived at Manadhoo, the capital of Noonu Atoll in the Maldives, on Wednesday.
The Maldives and Sri Lanka are India’s key maritime neighbours in the Indian Ocean Region and occupy a special place in the Prime Minister’s vision of ‘SAGAR’ (Security and Growth for All in the Region) and ‘Neighbourhood First’.
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)