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India’s First Female Judoka Olympian Athlete . July 2002 .

Lourembam Brojeshori Devi, aged 19 was the first and only female judoka in the Indian Olympic contingent who participated in the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games in the Judo event ‘ Women’s Half-lightweight ‘.

Brojeshori Devi at 19 was a National champion . She  participated in 20 international and 16 national judo championships. Took part in the 2002 Busan Asian Games, the Commonwealth Games 2002 (Manchester) and in 2006 (Melbourne). This judoka won 2 Gold medals in SAF Games in 2006 and 2010. She won a Silver medal at the Vietnam International Judo tournament at Ho Chi Min city. Also represented India in the 2008 Olympics in Beijing (China).

Brojeshori Devi was coached by Deven Moirangthem from Imphal (Manipur)for the period 1995-1988.

L. Brojeshori Devi born January 01st,1981 hails from Imphal, Manipur. She is the 3rd child amongst 5 children born to Lourembam Manglem and Taruni L. of Khagempalli, Huidrom Leikai. She was married to Th Rojen of Tabungkhok Mayai Leikai.

Brojeshori joined the CRPF in 1999 and worked as ‘Inspector’ of Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF). She was undergoing training in July 2013 at the CRPF Training Centre in Coimbatore on a Departmental training programme to become ‘Assistant Commandant’ when she became unwell.

She expired prematurely at 10.45pm, July 21st,2013 – aged 32,  at G.K. Hospital, Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu where she was rushed for health related treatment. Lourembam Brojeshori Devi’s last rites were carried out by her husband Rojen Singh in Tabukhok Mayailekai near Imphal.

First differently-abled Indian Athlete to win Gold at IPC Athletics World Championship, France . July 2013 .

Devendra Jhajhaira scripted history and became the first differently-abled Indian to win Gold as he bagged the first position in the Javelin event at the 6th IPC Athletics World Championship held at the Rhone Stadium in Venissieux near Lyons, France on Monday – July 22nd, 2013.

Jhajhaira also created the record of the event in France by hurling the Javelin to 57.04m in the F-46 category meant for one-armed athletes. He led the 11-athlete field from the very beginning.

India was represented by a 10-member contingent in this July 19-28 Championship. The Paralympics Committee of India (PCI) President, Sultan Ahmed congratulated Devendra Jhajhaira and the PCI announced an award of 5 lakhs.

The 2013 6th edition IPC Athletics World Championship featured over a 1000 athletes from 100 countries and is the biggest gathering of internationally disabled athletes since the 2012 London Olympics.

Devendra Jhajhaira, 32 year old, who lost his left hand in an accident is the son of a farmer Ram Singh hailing from the desert terrain Churu district of Rajasthan, the gateway to the Thar desert. He is a class IV employee of the Indian Railways and is thankful to the Railyways who allowed him to practice and train throughout the year.

It was in 1997, that Jhajhaira was spotted by his coach Ripudaman Singh Aulak, a Dronacharya Awardee in Javelin. He shifted to the nearby town of Kasab for better training facilities. Soon he was training at the National Institute of Sports (NIS), Patiala (Punjab).

Devendra Jhajhaira is the (1) 2nd gold medallist at the Paralympics after Murlikant Petkar (2) At Athens (Greece) he created a new world recored of 62.15m throw (3) He won a Gold medal at the 8th FESPIC Games in Korea.

Following his spectacular performance in the 2004 Paralympics Games, Jhajhaira was conferred the ‘ Arjuna Award ‘ in 2005. He is also the first Paralympian* to be awarded the ‘Padma Shree’ in March 2012. (* Paralympian…. Paralympic sports person).

First Assistant Chief of Naval Staff ( Air Materiel ). July 2013 .

Rear Admiral Srinivas Kanugo assumed responsibility as the First Flag Officer of the newly created post of ‘ Assistant Chief of Naval Staff (Air Materiel)  [ACNS/AM] at the Integrated Headquarters, Ministry of Defence (Navy) on Wednesday, July 17th, 2013.

This new post has been created with a single point responsibility for all matters related to aviation technical management of the rapidly growing air arm of the Indian Navy. He will have 3 sub-directorates looking at air logistics, plans/procurement and perspectives and systems engineering, as well as responsibilty for air technical manpower management.

Interestingly Rear Admiral Kanugo will report to the Deputy Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Pradeep Chatterjee and not the Chief of Materiel, Vice Admiral N N Kumar. This is due to the inherently operational side imperative of air maintenance, which can present an operational tempo different to the other, more traditional arms of the Navy.

The air arm of the Indian Navy operates over 200 aircraft with over 20 different types including fighters, fixed wing maritime reconnaissance aircraft, helicopters, unmanned aerial vehicles etc.

New infrastructure needs of the Indian Navy which recently marked its Diamond Jubilee are being added with new air stations like INS Parundu in Ramnathapuram, INS Baaz in Campbell Bay and several other multiple enclaves across the country. The Air arm of the Indian Navy is growing at a fast pace and the Indian Navy is not restricted to just being a Green Water Navy. ( Green Water means the fleet comprises only battle ships while the Blue Water Navy includes the possession of aircraft as well ).

Rear Admiral Srinivas Kanugo grew up in Hyderabad and did his schooling in many places in the State including a local government school and in Nagarjunasagar. He pursued his Engineering in JNTU College of Engineering, Anantapur. He joined the Indian Navy via his selection to ‘Indian Navy’s University Entry Scheme’ wherein his final years fees was paid by the Navy. Commissioned in 1981 he opted for the aviation stream of the Indian Navy, while the other two streams being submarine and ships. He pursued his Masters from the Institute of Armament Technology, Pune

During his 32 years of commissioned services in the Indian Navy – Rear Admiral Srinivas Kanugo has been Director of the Naval Institute of Aeronautical Technology at Kochi. The Chief Controller of Naval Aeronautical Quality Assurance Service. He held the post of Commodore Superintendent Naval Aircraft Yard – Kochi. He was also the Chief Staff Officer(Technical)at the Headquarter Naval Aviation, and the Principal Director at the Directorate of Naval Air Materiel at the Head Quarter, Ministry of Defence(Navy).

He was awarded Vishist Sewa Medal (VSM) in 2013 for his outstanding service and contribution to the Indian Navy.

First Indian Crowned ‘ Miss New York 2013 ‘ at Staten Island, NY . July 2013 .

Nina Davuluri, a Syracuse, NY native was crowned as ‘ Miss New York 2013 ‘ making her the first Indian to be crowned ‘ Miss New York ‘.

The 24-year old winner Nina Davuluri was crowned by Miss America Mallory Hagan and her predecessor Miss New York Shannon Oliver during a specatular production at the stately St.George Theatre in Staten Island, New York on Saturday July 13th, 2013. Nina Davuluri was attired in a floor length evening gown of light yellow.

Davuluri embraced her culture performing a bollywood dance as her talent. In overcoming her obstacles Nina lost 60 pounds in the last 2 years and did it all with the help of her sponsor and trainer Tia Falcone. ” Just to be on that stage and show everyone how hard I’ve worked to achieve this, just meant the world to me ” says Davuluri. She plans to use the $10,000 she won in scholarship money to achieve her goal of becoming a doctor.

Nina is working closely with the ‘Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals’ to raise funds for the local children’s hospitals.

As Miss New York she will now represent the Empire State, at the forthcoming ‘ Miss America pageant ‘ at the Atlantic City. Th final night of the Pageant competition and the crowning of ‘ Miss America ‘ is scheduled for September 15th. The event will be broadcase at 9pm ET/PT on ABC television network.

www.missny.org/missny2013/ – Miss New York Organization., Inc.

India’s First ‘ Confucius Institute ‘ . July 2013 .

India’s first ‘Confucius Institute’ was inaugrated at the Kalinga campus in Santa Cruz, Mumbai by Mumbai University and Tianjin University of Technology (TUT), People’s Republic of China (PRC) on Thursday – July 18th, 2013.

The Confucius Institute (CI) will initiate a Chinese language course, promote art and culture in India . It will also start a student and faculty exchange programme between the two nations.

A symbolic plaque was unveiled by Rajesh Tope, Minister for Higher & Technical Education. Also present at the occasion were Padamalkar Valvi – Minister of Sports & Youth Welfare, Meng Qingong – Chairman of TUT Board and Liu Youfa, Consul-General of People’s Republic of China (PRC)in Mumbai.

The Confucius Institute, once set-up will be headed by 2 officials, one from Mumbai University and the other from TUT or Hanban. Once Indian teachers learn Chinese, they will then go to China and teach Hindi and English language to the Chinese students and teachers.

Confucius Institutes (CI) headquarters are located in Beijing. They are non-profit public institutions aligned with the Government of the People’s Republic of China that aim to promote language and culture, support local Chinese teaching internationally and facilitate cultural exchanges. The CI programme is overseen by the Office of the Chinese Language International (Hanban).

Hyatt in India Appoints its First Female GM at Hyatt Regency Kolkata . July 2013 .

Hyatt Hotels & Resorts, Southwest Asia has appointed its first Female General Manager – Ms. Britta Leick-Milde who has taken charge recently of the Hyatt Regency Kolkata.

Reinforcing its commitment to diversity and inclusion, Ms.Britta Leick-Milde’s appointment reflects the unique and personal ways that Hyatt celebrates the strength of its co-workers.

Britta’s hospitality career began 20 years ago at the Sheraton Frankfurt Hotel in her native Germany. Subsequently she worked with the Hilton and Kempinski groups. Britta joined the Hyatt family in 2007 as Director of Rooms, Park Hyatt Dubai and was subsequently promoted as ‘ Executive Assistant Manager – Rooms’.

An enthusiastic Indophile she served as Hotel Manager, Grand Hyatt Mumbai for nearly a year before taking up her new assignment as General Manager of Hyatt Regency Kolkata.

www.kolkata.regency.hyatt.com  // www.hyatt.com

India’s First and Only Indian Male Athlete to win Individual Gold in the Commonwealth Games. 1958 .

Milkha Singh the legendary hero is Independent India’s first and only* male athlete to win an Individual gold medal in Athletics Track event at the ‘ 1958 Commonwealth Games ‘ (*as on July 2013) where he won the 400 yards at Cardiff by defeating the favourite Malcolm Fence.

A true champion, a real life hero, a graceful runner Milkha Singh was born in a country, and won medals against all odds in a country that had savoured independence for just 11 years, and where there was no support from any quarter, where facilities were few, contending for medals was then a romantic pursuit.

Milkha Singh a story of guts and glory. A former track and field sprinter was born in Muzaffargah district in Kot Addu tehsil, British India (currently Pakistan) on October 08th, 1935. A village about 10 Km from the city. He was orphaned during partition of India, when his parents, a brother and some sisters died tragically. At the age of 15 in 1947 he moved to Delhi where he lived with his sister Iswar Kaur. Amongst a string of adversities he faced, his temporary home for a month was a platform on Delhi’s railyway station.

In 1951 he joined the Indian Army and while stationed at the Electrical Mechanical Engineering Centre in Secuderabad was introduced to Athletics. The Brigade Meet in Secuderabad was Milkha’s first exposure to a competitive environment where he ran in front of 8,000-10,000 spectators.

Milkha Singh represented India in the 400m competition of the  1956 Melbourne Olympics. It was here that he got the opportunity of travelling by air for the first time in his life during the Melbourne Olympics. In 1958 he set the recrods for the 200m and 400m in the National Games of India held in Cuttack. He represented India in the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome and came 4th. In the 4th Asiad – 1962 Asian Games held in Jakarta (Indonesia) he won the gold in the 400m and in the 400 x 4 relay as well.

Awarded ‘Padma Shri’ India’s 4th highest civilian award in recognition of his sporting achievements.

‘ Flying Sikh ‘ : in 1962 he got the epithet ‘Flying Sikh’ from (then Pakistan President )General Ayub Khan, after defeating Abdul Khaliq, Pakistan’s fastest runner. When he gave away the medals, he whispered to me in Punjabi ” you did’nt run today, you flew ‘. Since then the name crowned and stuck to him ‘ Milkha Singh – The Flying Sikh ‘.

In 1962 Milkha Singh became the Director of Sports in the Punjab Ministry of Education. He retired in 1991 as Director of Sports & Youth Programme , Punjab Government. Married to Nirmal Kaur, a former Captain of the Indian Women’s Volleyball team. They have 3 daughters and one son – Jeev Milkha Singh, Professional Golfer and India’s first Golfer to join the 1988 European Tour. In 1999, they also adopted the 7-year old son of Havildar Bikram Singh, who had died in the Battle of Tiger Hill. He currently lives in Chandigarh and the family run a Trust established in 2003- Milkha Singh Charitable Trust, Chandigarh to help the poor and needy sports persons and their families.

Donated his sporting treasures :

Milkha Singh who in total won 77 of his 80 races, has donated his medals to the nation. They were displayed at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in New Delhi. Subsequently they were moved later to a sports museum in Patiala.

Books: (1) Autobiography: The Race of My Life : an Autobiography by Milkha Singh and co-authored by his daughter Sonia Sanwalka – Published by Rupa Publcation.

(2) Film : ‘ Bhaag Milkha Bhaag ‘ (English: Run Milkha Run) a biographical film on Milkha Singh, released nationally in India and worldwide as well on Friday, July 13th, 2013. Produced and directed by Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra, script by Prasoon Joshi. Milkha Singh’s role played by actor Farhan Akhtar.

(3) website http://www.milkhasingh.co.in/biography.htm

First Ever Indian Woman Entrepreneur to receive Dubai Government’s ‘ Emirates Women Award ‘ for Business Excellence . May 2013 .

Vandana Kumar Gandhi became the first ever Indian woman entrepreneur to receive the Dubai Government’s coveted and prestigious ‘Emirates Women Award 2013 ‘ (EWA) for ‘Business Excellence ‘.

The award was presented at a glittering gala ceremony held on May 26th, 2013 at The Palace Hotel in Downtown Dubai. Gracing the occasion was Shaikh Ahmad Bin Saeed Al Maktoum, President of Dubai Civil Aviation Authority, Chairman of Dubai Airports, Chairman & Chief Executive of the Emirates Airline and Group and honorary Patron of Dubai Quality Group (DQG).

The ‘Emirates Women Award’ is an initiative of Dubai Quality Group (DQG) to encourage women, both UAE nationals and residents to be actively involved in social and economic development initiatives in the country.

The India born entrepreneur Vandana Gandhi was the “Overall Winner in the Business Category” for excelling and providing innovation in preschool education . The award selection was made from among several hundred entries by a jury based on various criteria like leadership, strategy, community services and innovation.

Vandana Gandhi is the  Founder & CEO of British Orchard Nursery – the Middle East’s only ISO-certified Nursery chain, with 10 branches across Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah and including Government franchises. She conceived and introduced ‘GymJuniorz’ – a first of its kind children’s gym & fitness center into the curriculum.

Vandana Gandhi is a versatile personality with varied interests in calligraphy, yoga, scriptural studies, squash, table tennis etc. A Masters in Education with distinction, she is pursuing a Doctor of Education from the University of Birmingham, UK. After initial schooling in Dubai, she completed her Bachelors from Mithibai College, Mumbai and followed up with her Post Graduate Diploma in International Business Adminstration from NMIMS University, Mumbai.