Category Archives: Amazing Feats

NATIONAL: HERITAGE : ‘Indian Heritage’ App with details of 143 Monuments launched by ASI, to be updated in phases

The agency also unveiled a revamped ‘adopt a heritage’ scheme seeking collaboration with corporate houses for sprucing up surroundings of monuments and development of amenities.

Information about scores of notified and unprotected heritage sites including geo-tagged locations, public amenities and images will now be available to mobile phone users as the Archeological Survey of India (ASI) on Monday launched an app called Indian Heritage. On the occasion, the agency also unveiled a revamped ‘adopt a heritage’ scheme seeking collaboration with corporate houses for sprucing up surroundings of monuments and development of amenities.

In the beginning, details of 143 ticketed monuments under the jurisdiction of the Survey are available on the app. According to the ASI official, the app will subsequently be updated in phases with additional inputs pertaining to remaining 3,554 notified historical buildings and over 4,000 monuments which are under the control of state governments and union territory (UT) administration.

“The app will have state-wise details of monuments along with photographs, list of public amenities available, geo-tagged location and feedback mechanism for citizens. The users may also tell us about any lacuna or shortcomings they find at any site through the app. The app will enable common man to send information and images of any monument which is not in the list of protected structures of ASI or state. After proper vetting, the details will be added to the database,” said an official.

The ‘adopt a heritage’ scheme was launched in 2017 by the tourism ministry in 2017. The revised version introduced by the Survey aims for better maintenance of centrally protected heritage properties, creation of basic amenities and world-class additions in a transparent and time-bound manner.

The latest version is equipped with guidelines –dos and don’ts and leaner arrangement for approval of proposals for adoption of protected sites.

Corporate stakeholders can express their interest to take over a site for development of an amenity or amenities including cultural activities like light and sound show and interpretation centre.   

“Heritage is increasingly playing an important role not only in the cultural sphere of this country but also creating an evolved image in the making of a new India. Keeping that in perspective, we believe that heritage can’t be maintained solely by the ASI…hence we launched this scheme for enhancing visitors’ experience at any site,” said KK Basa, director general of the Survey.

An e-permission portal–www.asipermissionportal.gov.in–for obtaining permission for photography, filming and developmental projects on monuments was introduced on the occasion.

source/content: newindianexpress.com (headline edited)

NATIONAL: AGRICULTURE: SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY: Prestigious M.S. Swaminathan Award for Scientist P V Satyanarayana for his Outstanding Contributions to Agriculture in 2021-22

P V Satyanarayana, principal scientist at the Agricultural Research Station, Acharya N.G. Ranga Agricultural University, Ragolu, has been awarded the prestigious M.S Swaminathan Award for his outstanding contributions to the field of agriculture during the period 2021-2022.

Satyanarayana’s pioneering work involves the development of high-yielding rice varieties that exhibit resilience against various pests and environmental challenges, including BPH, BLB, Blast, Submergence, and salinity. Additionally, he has made substantial contributions to fine-grain varieties and hybrid rice that have revolutionised agriculture across India.

P V Satyanarayana, currently serving as the Principal Scientist at the Agricultural Research Station, Acharya N.G. Ranga Agricultural University, Ragolu, boasts an impressive list of awards including the National Award as Team Leader for the Best Golden Jubilee AICIP Centre Award in 2015 and the Best Scientist Award by the Seedman Association in 2021.

This award was presented at an event at Indian Institute of Rice Research (IIRR), Hyderabad on Sunday. This biennial national award, jointly constituted by the Retired ICAR (Indian Council of Agricultural Research) Employees Association (RICAREA) and Nuziveedu Seeds Limited (NSL), includes a cash prize of Rs. 2 Lakhs and a gold medal.

Himanshu Pathak, Director General, ICAR and Secretary, Department of Agricultural Research and Education (DARE) was the chief guest at the event. Dr. R.S. Paroda, former DG, ICAR and others were present.

The award selection committee headed by Dr. A Padma Raju, Vice Chancellor of ANGRAU, recognised Dr. PV Satyanarayana for his invaluable contributions.

  1. Prabhakar Rao, Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) of Nuziveedu Seeds Limited, noted that this prestigious award has been conferred upon eight individuals to date, with four of them hailing from the Telugu-speaking states.

Referring to the ban on rice exports, he stated that if the government maintains sufficient stocks and promotes exports, it could prove advantageous for farmers. Prabhakar Rao said Nuziveedu Seeds are actively engaged in research related to high-density farming in cotton, which promises a 30-40 per cent increase in yield. With appropriate management practices, this could escalate to 50-60 per cent higher yields compared to conventional varieties.

The Retired Indian Council of Agricultural Research Employees’ Association (RICAREA) was established in 1997 with the primary mission to promote the cause of agriculture based on the ideals and objectives of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR).

Nuziveedu Seeds Limited (NSL), operating for nearly 50 years, stands as one of India’s largest seed companies. NSL is engaged in crop improvement projects spanning over 30 crops, with breeding stations located across the country, covering a wide range of agro-climatic conditions.

source/content: daijiworld.com (headline edited)

GLOBAL & NATIONAL / RECORDS : INDIA IN SPACE: Moon done for India, over to the Sun as ISRO’s Aditya-L1 lifts off successfully

The first space-based observatory to study the Sun, the spacecraft, after traveling about 1.5 million km from the Earth over 125 days, is expected to be placed in a Halo orbit around the Lagrangian point L1 which is considered closest to the Sun.

ISRO on Saturday launched the country’s ambitious Solar mission, Aditya L1 eyeing history again after its successful lunar expedition, Chandrayan 3 a few days ago.

As the 23.40-hour countdown concluded, the 44.4 meter tall Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) soared majestically at the prefixed time of 11.50 am from this spaceport, located on the Eastern coast about 135 km from Chennai.

It will be PSLV’s “longest flight” for about 63 minutes.

According to ISRO, Aditya-L1 is the first space-based observatory to study the Sun. The spacecraft, after traveling about 1.5 million km from the Earth over 125 days, is expected to be placed in a Halo orbit around the Lagrangian point L1 which is considered closest to the Sun.

Among others, it will send pictures of the sun for scientific experiments.

According to scientists, there are five Lagrangian points (or parking areas) between the Earth and the Sun where a small object tends to stay if put there. The Lagrange Points are named after Italian-French mathematician Joseph-Louis Lagrange for his prize-winning paper — “Essai sur le Probl me des Trois Corps, 1772.”

These points in space can be used by spacecraft to remain there with reduced fuel consumption.

At a Lagrange point, the gravitational pull of the two large bodies (the Sun and the Earth) equals the necessary centripetal force required for a small object to move with them.

After the lift-off at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre here, the scientists would be involved in placing the spacecraft at Low Earth Orbit initially, and later it will be more elliptical.

The spacecraft would be launched towards the Lagrange L1 point using on-board propulsion so that it exits the earth’s gravitational Sphere of Influence and cruises towards the L1. Later, it would be injected into a large Halo Orbit around L1 point near the Sun.

The total time from launch to reaching the L1 point would be about four months for the Aditya-L1 Mission, ISRO said.

Explaining the reasons to study the Sun, ISRO said it emits radiation in nearly all wavelengths along with various energetic particles and magnetic fields.

The atmosphere of the Earth as well as its magnetic field acts as a protective shield and blocks harmful wavelength radiations. In order to detect such radiation, solar studies are carried out from space.

The major objectives of the mission include understanding the Coronal Heating and Solar Wind Acceleration, the initiation of Coronal Mass Ejection (CME), near-earth space weather and the solar wind distribution.

The Aditya-L1 mission carries seven scientific payloads to carry out the study.

The Visible Emission Line Coronagraph (VELC) will study the solar corona and dynamics of CME.

VELC, the primary payload will be sending 1,440 images per day to the ground station for analysis on reaching the intended orbit.

It is “the largest and technically most challenging” payload on Aditya-L1.

The Solar Ultraviolet Imaging Telescope would do imaging of the Solar photosphere and Chromosphere in near Ultraviolet and measure the solar irradiance variations.

The Aditya Solar Wind Particle Experiment (ASPEX) and Plasma Analyser Package for Aditya (PAPA) payloads will study the solar wind and energetic ions as well as the energy distribution.

The Solar Low Energy X-ray Spectrometer and the High Energy L1 Orbiting X-ray Spectrometer (HEL1OS) will study the X-ray flares from the Sun over a wide X-ray energy range.

The Magnetometer payload is capable of measuring interplanetary magnetic fields at the L1 point.

The payloads of Aditya-L1 are indigenously developed with the close collaboration of various centers of ISRO.

source/content: telegraphindia.com (headline edited)

Indian-American scientist hopes to be first woman to make stratospheric jump in 2025

Swati Varshney and two other finalists will undergo rigorous training for 18 months and only one of them will make the historic jump while the other two explorers will remain on the team for support.

An Indian-American scientist, Swati Varshney, is one of the three skydivers who is set to prepare for the first-ever jump from the stratosphere by a woman hoping to break the world record.

Rising United, a non-profit organisation, that aims to inspire young women’s participation in STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art and math) has chosen three young women explorers as part of their “Hera rising initiative” who will embark on the journey to jump from the stratosphere at an altitude of 42.5 km above the Earth.

Taking to X (formerly Twitter), the organisation said, “We’re thrilled to introduce Hera Rising — a pioneering campaign for Female Equality and STEAM Education, featuring the FIRST EVER stratospheric jump by a woman!”

The other two finalists preparing to achieve this historic feat are Eliana Rodriquez of Columbian origin and Diana Valerín Jiménez of Costa Rican descent.

The three finalists will go under rigorous training for 18 months and only one of them will make the historic jump while the other two explorers will remain on the team for ground support and educational outreach, Space.com reported.

The stratosphere is Earth’s second layer of atmosphere which reaches a height of around 12 to 50 kilometers (7 to 31 miles) above the Earth’s surface.

The temperature in the stratosphere reaches a minimum of roughly -80°C (-112°F) at the stratopause.

Swati, who has done a PhD in materials science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in an interview with Space.com said that her career trajectory has been close to skydiving.

“I just did a tandem skydive as a thing, I had an absolute blast. I felt really comfortable in freefall. It became this never-ending journey of another pursuit of knowledge that went alongside my academic career,” she was quoted as saying.

Swati has made over 1,200 jumps with a speciality in vertical freefall.

When it comes to training, we’ll need to do a series of high-altitude jumps, going higher and higher and higher, she said.

source/content: newindianexpress.com (headline edited)

NATIONAL: LANGUAGE: 31 August -World Sanskrit Diwas 2023: Know the date, history, significance and more

Sanskrit is thought to be around 3500 years old, making it part of the ancient Indo-Germanic or Indo-Aryan language family.

Sanskrit Diwas, also known as Vishwa Samskrita Dinam, is celebrated annually on the full moon of Shravana. The 31st of August is Sanskrit Diwas this year. This annual event honours Sanskrit, one of the world’s oldest living languages and a cultural treasure in India.

Sanskrit, sometimes called the “Mother of All Languages,” is an important part of human history and culture. The traditional works in several disciplines, including Literature, Philosophy, Mathematics, and Science, were originally written in Sanskrit, giving the language immense importance.

History

The Government of India’s Ministry of Education proclaimed the World Sanskrit Day. In 1969, on the day of Shraavana Poornima, people began commemorating this special day. Sanskrit is thought to be around 3500 years old, making it part of the ancient Indo-Germanic or Indo-Aryan language family. It is the source of the Latin and Greek languages and has the most extensive vocabulary. Hundreds of thousands of people worldwide, not only in India, consider it to be their native tongue.

Sanskrit has influenced Europe as much as the Indian subcontinent. Sir William Jones, an English scholar who admired Indic languages, travelled to India in 1783 and started researching the language. This makes Sanskrit one of the oldest languages throughout the globe.

Sanskrit linguist Panini developed the Ashtadhyayi, the eight-chapter grammar manual. He led the world in spoken Sanskrit. India honours Panini on World Sanskrit Day. This day sees several Kavi Sammelan activities for authors and students throughout and beyond.

Significance

The historic event in India honours Sanskrit’s rich cultural history and scientific accomplishments. It tries to expand the language beyond Vedas and other Hindu religious texts. World Sanskrit Day promotes this ancient form of communication. Sanskrit Diwas is celebrated to bring attention to and revitalise the ancient language for the modern world.

The Europeans also gave the day its importance in the language. William Jones established the Asian Society and created the English translation of works including Kalidasa’s Abhijnana Shakuntala, Ritu Samhara, and Jayadeva’s Gita Govinda.

In addition, harmony and acceptance are honoured on this special day. Sanskrit is a powerful tool for unity and connecting individuals across the globe.

Sanskrit is fading in India despite its significance in history. The language existed from 1500 to 500 BCE, although it is now lost. Therefore, Sanskrit Diwas was created to restore the language.

source/content: newsroompost.com (headline edited)

INTERNATIONAL & NATIONAL: Prof Pankaj Khanna, Indian Institute of Technology (IITGN) Gandhinagar Joins ‘IODP Expedition 389′ Team as Sedimentologist for Offshore Study of Hawaiian Reefs’ role in Climate Change

Prof Pankaj Khanna, a faculty member in Earth Sciences at the Indian Institute of Technology Gandhinagar (IITGN), has been handpicked as the sedimentologist from India to join an offshore research expedition.

This endeavor, titled ‘IODP Expedition 389,” is a part of the International Ocean Discovery Program (IODP) and aims to investigate climate change patterns through the study of drowned reefs off the coast of Hawaii.

Prof Khanna’s role scheduled to unfold from August 29 to November 1, places him amidst a cohort of 31 leading researchers hailing from various parts of the world. Their collaborative mission will centre on the meticulous drilling and analysis of fossilised coral reefs encircling the Hawaiian islands. This undertaking promises to unearth invaluable insights into the intricate interplay between global sea-level variations and the broader spectrum of climate change on a planetary scale.

Prof Pankaj Khanna, said, “The research cruise will provide critical datasets to dive deep into past sea levels and climate for the last five lakh years for which there are very limited records. The rocks collected through scientific drilling will give critical information on mechanisms that control abrupt climate change. I will be analysing the core samples that will be collected on the research expedition. I am looking forward to what the drowned reefs offshore Hawaii holds for us to expand our understanding.”

At the heart of this enterprise lies the International Ocean Discovery Program (IODP), a far-reaching collaborative effort encompassing contributions from 21 countries, including India. Its goal is to delve into the annals of Earth’s history, structure, and dynamics through the meticulous collection and examination of seafloor sediments, rocks, and sub-seafloor environments.

Within this framework, the European Consortium for Ocean Research Drilling (ECORD), a key component of IODP, oversees specialised missions such as the ongoing ‘Expedition 389,’ designed to probe submerged reefs off Hawaii’s coastline.

Steered by Co-chief Scientists Prof Jody Webster from the University of Sydney, Australia, and Prof Christina Ravelo from the University of California, Santa Cruz, the expedition will unfold aboard the MMA Valour vessel.

Distinguished by its Benthic Portable Remotely Operated Drill (PROD5) system, the vessel will be home to scientific endeavors that span up to 11 distinct sites. These locales encompass fossil coral reefs encircling Hawaii and hold a treasure trove of climate data spanning significant epochs in Earth’s history.

source/content: daijiworld.com (headline edited)

WORLD RECORD: SPORTS / JAVELIN: Neeraj Chopra Scripts History yet Again, becomes First Indian to Win Gold in World Athletics Championships

The 25-year-old dominated the competition and achieved his best throw of the day in his second attempt.

Olympic champion Neeraj Chopra on Sunday scripted history yet again as he became the first Indian to win a gold medal at the World Athletics Championships with a throw of 88.17m in the men’s javelin final here.

In another first, three Indians finished in the top eight with Kishore Jena (84.77m) and DP Manu (84.14m) taking the fifth and sixth spots, respectively. Never before did three Indians finish in top eight of an event at the World Championships.

The 25-year-old Chopra achieved his best throw of the day in his second attempt. He had a foul to start with, but then got 88.17m, 86.32m, 84.64m, 87.73m and 83.98m.

Pakistan’s reigning Commonwealth Games champion Arshad Nadeem took the silver with his season’s best throw of 87.82m, while Jakub Vadlejch of the Czech Republic got the bronze.

Chopra has now become only the second Indian — after shooter Abhinav Bindra — to simultaneously hold the Olympics and World Championships titles.

Chopra, who had become the first Indian Olympic track and field gold medallist at the Tokyo Games in 2021, had won a silver in the 2022 edition of the World Championships.

Before him, legendary long jumper Anju Bobby George had won a bronze in the 2003 World Championships.

The Indian superstar also became only the third javelin thrower in history to simultaneously hold the Olympics and World Championships titles after the iconic Jan Zelezny of the Czech Republic and Andreas Thorkildsen of Norway.

The Indian men’s 4x400m relay team, however, failed to replicate their show from the heats to finish fifth in the final.

Another title

In men’s pole vault, Sweden’s world record holder Armand Duplantis claimed his second consecutive world title on Saturday, but did not have a seventh world record in him.

The Olympic champion cleared 6.10 metres for gold and then — in what turned into the “Mono show” — missed at three attempts to clear 6.23, which would have been world record number seven for the remarkable 23-year-old.

Uganda’s Victor Kiplangat, the 2022 Commonwealth Games gold medallist, won the men’s marathon on Sunday with a time of two hours 8 minutes 53 seconds.

PTI, Reuters

source/content: telegraphindia.com (headline edited)

NATIONAL: Chandrayaan-3 Moon Landing: August 23 to be Celebrated as ‘National Space Day’, says PM Modi

Summary

-Terming the success of Chandrayaan-3 mission as an ‘extraordinary moment’ in the history of India’s space programme, he said the place where the Chandrayaan-2 lander crash-landed on the Moon’s surface in 2019 would be known as

-August 23, the day the Chandrayaan-3 lander touched down on the lunar surface, would be celebrated as

Prime Minister Narendra Modi flew down to Bengaluru on Saturday directly from the Greek capital of Athens to interact with ISRO scientists on the successful Chandrayaan-3 mission and announced the decision to name the place where lander ‘Vikram’ touched down on the lunar surface as “Shiva Shakti Point”.

Terming the success of Chandrayaan-3 mission as an ‘extraordinary moment’ in the history of India’s space programme, he said the place where the Chandrayaan-2 lander crash-landed on the Moon’s surface in 2019 would be known as “Tiranga Point”.

23 August, the day the Chandrayaan-3 lander touched down on the lunar surface, would be celebrated as “National Space Day”, said the Prime Minister, who turned emotional while addressing the team ISRO at ISRO Telemetry Tracking and Command Network (ISTRAC) here, as he lavishly praised them for their dedication and passion.

ISRO Chairman S Somanath briefed him about the Chandrayaan-3 mission. A large number of people, many of them holding aloft national flags, gathered outside the HAL Airport and Jalahalli Cross, which is close to ISTRAC, to greet the Prime Minister.

On Wednesday evening as the Lander Module of Chandrayaan-3 mission successfully touched down on the lunar surface, Modi joined the ISRO team at Mission Operations Complex (MOX) at ISTRAC virtually from Johannesburg, where he was attending the 15th BRICS summit.

Modi had also flown down to Bengaluru on the night of 6 September 2019 to watch the planned touchdown of Chandrayaan-2 mission’s ‘Vikram’ lander. But in the early hours of September seven, barely minutes before it was slated to land, ISRO lost contact with the craft, just 2.1 km above the lunar surface.

source/content: telegraphindia.com/edugraph (headline edited)

INTERNATIONAL & NATIONAL: INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY: Infosys Signs Rafael Nadal as Ambassador for 03 years

Salil Parekh, CEO & MD, Infosys, said, “It is an honour to welcome Rafa – one of the world’s most respected champion athletes and humanitarians – as an ambassador for Infosys.

 Infosys on Thursday announced a three-year partnership with tennis star Rafael Nadal. 
His collaboration with Infosys will be in the development of an AI-powered match analysis tool.

“This tool will be available in real-time to Nadal’s coaching team to simultaneously track insights from his live matches, when he is back on tour, along with historical data from his earlier matches,” Infosys said.

Nadal said, “I love the way Infosys has brought its digital expertise across industries to the global tennis ecosystem. It has transformed the tennis experience for a billion global fans and truly empowered all players on the tour with analytics that they could have only dreamt of a few years ago.”

Salil Parekh, CEO & MD, Infosys, said, “It is an honour to welcome Rafa – one of the world’s most respected champion athletes and humanitarians – as an ambassador for Infosys. He is someone who personifies the spirit of always evolving, never giving up, utmost dedication and determination to give the very best in every situation.”

As the digital innovation partner for the ATP Tour, Roland-Garros, Australian Open, and The International Tennis Hall of Fame, Infosys has helped reimagine the tennis ecosystem for a billion fans globally leveraging AI, cloud, data analytics and digital experiences.

source/content: newindianexpress.com (headline edited)

GLOBAL RECORDS: CHANDRAYAAN-3 Breaks World Streaming Records as 8M Watch India’s Moon Mission

India’s Chandrayaan-3 breaks world streaming records with 8 million viewers, outpacing Spanish streamer Ibai, and prepares for significant scientific discoveries on the Moon.

India’s Chandrayaan-3 lunar mission has not only captured the global spotlight for its ambition but has also smashed live-streaming records in the process. As the country gets closer to achieving its historic soft landing on the moon, the mission’s live stream has surpassed a previous record held by Spanish streamer Ibai.

World Records and Global Eyeballs

Before the Chandrayaan-3 made its historic touch on the lunar surface, it was already setting remarkable records here on Earth. A whopping 5.6 million viewers converged on ISRO’s official YouTube channel at 5:53 PM IST, surpassing the previous live stream record of 3.4 million viewers set by Ibai. As space enthusiasts from all corners of the globe eagerly anticipated the Vikram Landing Module’s descent onto the Moon’s south pole at 6:04 PM on Wednesday, 23rd August, the digital realm buzzed with this unparalleled achievement. By the time Chandrayaan-3 successfully landed, a record-breaking 8M had tuned in, marking the highest peak viewership in YouTube’s live streaming history. This event not only showcased India’s space prowess but also its significant digital footprint.

What’s Next After the Landing?

Once the Vikram Module successfully lands on the lunar surface, it has a well-defined checklist. An initial systems check and diagnostics will be run to ensure the module’s operational efficiency. Subsequently, it will gear up the Pragyaan Rover for its journey onto the moon’s surface. This rover has a mission span of 14 days, during which it will scrutinize the lunar surface for water ice, helium-3, and various other vital elements.

Significance of the Chandrayaan-3 Mission

Developed at a cost of just over Rs 600 crore, the Chandrayaan-3 mission holds significant implications for both India and the international community. One of its primary objectives is to assess the feasibility of establishing a launch station on the Moon for future interplanetary missions.

The mission’s findings could be a linchpin for our clean energy aspirations. Helium-3 (He-3), a potential source of virtually limitless clean energy, is one of the components that Chandrayaan-3 aims to study. Its presence on the moon could drastically change the trajectory of our global clean energy initiatives, positioning the moon as an indispensable ally in our pursuit of sustainable energy solutions.

As the Chandrayaan-3 nears its moment of truth on the Moon, its profound impact on Earth, from breaking streaming records to promising a cleaner energy future, is unmistakably evident. It’s not just a monumental step for India, but potentially, a giant leap for mankind.

source/content: yourstory.com (headline edited)