CM inaugurates 9^th Agriculture mega festival of Central Gujarat in Limkheda:

(Information Bureau): May, 27th:

Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi while criticizing Congress led UPA Government has said, “For the past 50 years, worshiping of “Power Chair” has been in the tradition of Congress, while in Gujarat we have set a new trend of worshiping agriculture and by that we have led our famers towards the destination of prosperity and happiness”. Attributing the prosperity and all round development of Gujarat to small and medium peasants and four lakh odd small-medium industrialists, he said, these small farmers and medium industrialists have brought about the tremendous agriculture and industrial revolution in Gujarat. This is the economic development model of Gujarat.

Chief Minister Narendra Modi, on Monday, inaugurated a mega Krushi Mahotsav (Agriculture Festival) of Central Gujarat at Limkheda town of tribal dominated Dahod district. He warned Central Government that if Centre would not chalk out any solid scheme for the development of small peasants, agriculture sector would not prosper and farmers will be ruined. He lambasted Union for not providing sufficient fertilizer to Gujarat’s farmers.

Mr. Modi said, Gujarat Government has come out with Rs. 3400 crore ambitious irrigation project to provide irrigation water to the tribal peasants, residing on tribal belt of Umargam to Ambaji. He advised tribal farmers to adopt modern and scientific agriculture methods for the bright future of their children. Gujarat Government, by organizing Krushi Mahotsav for the past nine years, has brought new revolutions in agriculture sector, he added. Young jeans clad youth have engaged in farming due to krushi mahotsav. “We have been organizing thousands of cattle health camps, during Krushi Mahotsav, to ensure good health of our cattle, where modern laser method is applied to operate upon cattle. These camps have brought about milk revolution in our tribal area”, he said.

Earlier, he inaugurated a cattle health camp and watched live operation on a bird there. International students from agriculture university of Anand, innovative farmers from central Gujarat and various organizations greeted Chief Minister with agriculture products. He also dedicated skill development centre in Limkheda Arts College. Mr. Modi felicitated innovative farmers and gave away awards to them for their research in their respective fields. He released CD of E Technology package and released books on agriculture products. Cheques worth Rs. 21.42 lakh were given away to beneficiaries.

Education Minister Bhupendrasinh Chudasama, Agriculture Minister Babubhai Bokhiria, Forest Minister Ganpat vasava, Minister Liladhar Vaghela, MPs, MLAs, Guardian Secretary of Dahod Bhagyesh Jha was present.

Rajasthan Royals continues to thrill fans - launches exciting limited-edition Tablet

Device introduced in collaboration with ICE X Electronics Pvt. Ltd.

Royals becomes first sporting club in the world to have its own line of branded smart electronics devices

JAIPUR, 27th MAY 2013: Rajasthan Royals today announced its exciting new partnership with Mumbai based ICE X Electronics, a manufacturer of an exclusive range of tablet computers, smart-phones, and other Android devices. This first-of-its-kind association between the IPL franchise and electronics manufacturer, will see a Royals line of limited-edition smart devices. As a first product, the club announced the launch of the limited Royal Edition of ICE Xtreme Pro, a high-end dual core 3G calling tablet.

The exclusive launch has made Rajasthan Royals the first sports team in the world to introduce its very own range of branded smart devices and adds to the exciting inventory of merchandise the team offers fans. The Royals will be launching many more co-branded smart devices with its new official handset partner ICE X in the future, and these devices will focus on the latest technology.

The newly launched ICE Xtreme Pro tablet comes loaded with exclusive content and RR App that will help cricketing fans to follow the sport and the club on the go. The sleek dual sim calling tablet is equipped with a powerful dual core processor, 1GB RAM and supports 3G data and calling. It also comes with HD display and 8 GB storage, besides Bluetooth, GPS and dual camera. The tablet runs on latest Android Jelly Bean operating System and comes in an amazing limited edition packing, which fans would like to keep for years. As a part of the Royal Fan experience, the

customers would also get one year doorstep service warranty. In keeping with its policy to provide amazing products to its fans at extremely affordable prices, the high end limited edition tablet would be available at a price point of just around Rs.10,000.

The tablet will be sold through the Rajasthan Royals’ official website and exclusive pre-booking will be accepted through online sales partner Snapdeal and retail sales partner Big Bazaar starting 25th May.

Mr. Raghu Iyer, CEO, Rajasthan Royals, said, “We are glad to partner with ICE X Electronics and launch a limited-edition branded tablet for fans. Rajasthan Royals has always endeavoured to take advantage of the best in technology to offer one-of-a-kind products and services.

The launch has made us the first team to have our own line of devices. We are confident that our fans will love the new product.”

Commenting on the association, Mr. Ravi Jakhar, Managing Director, ICE X Electronics Pvt. Ltd, said, “ICE X Electronics is proud to partner Rajasthan Royals in this unique endeavour. The tablet has been designed keeping the RR fans in mind and they will find tablet to be as stable as Dravid, as dynamic as Watson, fast as Tait, and solid performer like the entire RR team.”

The association has been serviced through Total Sports Asia and speaking on the partnership, Mr. Vipin Nair Vice President Sales and Business Development said “We are proud to have enabled the first in its line of sports branded technology products in India, through the partnership between Rajasthan Royals and ICE X”.

Royals has pioneered the use of technology in the IPL, and taken advantage of it to offer the team and its fans innovative services and products. In 2009, it became the first IPL team to bring a Technology Partner on board, which enabled greater efficiency on and off the field and ensured technological superiority over other competing franchises. It recently launched an exclusive mobile application that gives fans access to live matches, scores, players’ lists, and the most recent news.

The team also announced the launch of RR TV, a new media asset that offers enthusiasts a compilation of up-to-the-minute content related to the team and its activities across all media platforms worldwide.

Shimon Peres calls for resumption of peace talks

Israel's president has urged Israeli and Palestinian leaders to overcome differences and resume peace negotiations, saying the sides could not afford "to lose this opportunity." President Shimon Peres issued his call ahead of a gathering of Mideast leaders on the sidelines of a conference hosted by the Geneva-based World Economic Forum on the shores of the Dead Sea in Jordan. Sunday's conference included a rare face-to-face meeting between Israeli and Palestinian leaders, with the participation of US Secretary of State John Kerry, who has devoted much of the past two months to restarting long-stalled peace talks. "We shouldn't lose the opportunity because it will be replaced by a great disappointment," Peres told reporters in Jordan. "For my experience, I believe it's possible to overcome it. It doesn't require too much time." Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas agreed. "Enough is enough. A lot of our young people have started to lose confidence in the two-state solution," he said to a loud applause from an audience of more than 1,000 business and government leaders from 23 countries worldwide. He blamed the growing mistrust on Israeli moves, essentially construction in West Bank settlements and detention of hundreds of Palestinians. Abbas reiterated his rejection of partial solutions. "We will neither accept interim solutions, nor a state with temporary borders or a peace based on economic perks without progress on the political track," he said. At one point in the closing session, Kerry joked with Abbas and Peres who exchanged hugs, kisses, handshakes and emotional speeches telling both from the podium that he had an "agreement you can come up and sign." Abbas peeked at Peres, pointing to the podium. Then both laughed. Palestinian-Israeli peace talks broke down nearly five years ago, in large part due to disagreements over Israeli settlement construction on occupied territories claimed by the Palestinians. The Palestinians say there is no point in negotiating while Israel continues to build Jewish settlements in the West Bank and east Jerusalem, which they say undermines their quest to set up an independent state. The Palestinians want both areas, captured by Israel in 1967, as parts of their state. On his fourth visit to the Middle East since taking office in February, Kerry held talks with Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu last week. He said during his latest regional swing that both sides must make hard decisions to move toward direct negotiations. Peres, who won the 1994 Nobel Peace Prize for helping forge an interim deal with the Palestinians, sounded upbeat and determined to help in peacemaking with Palestinians. "It is time for peace," he said. "I believe this is an important opportunity to (engage), not to waste time, return to negotiations and complete the negotiations with the Palestinians." He said a peace agreement must be "based on a two state solution: an Israeli state, a Palestinian state living as good neighbors cooperating economically and bringing a message to the young generation."

PM Dr Sngh on to Tokyo to seek investment Prime Minister Manmohan Singh leaves on Monday on a three-day visit to Japan seeking to give a new dimension to strategic partnership.Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has expressed his desire for an early signing of a civil nuclear pact with Japan. Singh spoke to NHK and other Japanese media in New Delhi on Saturday, ahead of his visit to Japan starting on Monday. He spoke about India's plan to invest 1 trillion dollars in infrastructure development over a 5-year period, and said he hopes Japanese industries will play an important role. Singh said Japanese investment is needed in India's energy sector, including clean and renewable energy. He expressed hope that such investment will help resolve serious power shortages in his country. Singh referred to the nuclear pact that would enable Japan to export nuclear-related technologies to India. He said he expects progress to be made toward an agreement despite problems on the part of Japan. Negotiations on the pact stalled after the accident at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in 2011. Dr. Singh will hold talks with his Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe on a wide spectrum of issues of mutual interest and discuss ways to bolster strategic and global partnership between the two countries. This is the postponed annual summit between the two Prime Ministers which was originally scheduled for November last year. The visit was deferred in view of the announcement of general elections in December last year. National Security Advisor Shivshankar Menon, Pulok Chatterjee, Principal Secretary to Prime Minister, and other senior officials are accompanying Dr. Singh. Negotiations for the civil nuclear cooperation agreement have not made much headway since Japan was struck by Fukushima nuclear disaster in March, 2011. "Agreements always take a certain amount of time... Discussions have been given some impetus recently but there are a number of stages we will have to go through before we reach the signature. I cannot put a date on it but we would certainly like to progress," Foreign Secretary Ranjan Mathai said in an indication that several issues still need to be worked out. "We hope to make by the end of this year more progress in this field," he said. On whether India has raised issues of nuclear safety during its discussions with Japan, he said, "Safety is one of the issues which we always discuss whenever we have discussions on civil nuclear cooperation with any country. "And in the present atmosphere, safety is in fact probably a very high priority in our bilateral cooperation with any country. Certainly, with the Japanese, we will be discussing this at great length," he said.

PM, Sonia meet injured in Chhattisgarh

Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh has said that the country will never bow down before Naxalism.

"Our leaders, Nandkumar Patel, Mahendra Karma, Uday Mudaliyar have sacrificed their lives. However, our country will never bow down before Naxalism," Dr. Singh said while addressing party workers at Congress Bhavan in Raipur.

Dr Singh was speaking to news persons after he and Congress President Sonia Gandhi visited Ramkrishna care Hospital in Raipur, where those injured in yesterday's attack are being treated.
After meeting the injured, Prime Minister said the first priority of the government is to provide adequate support to the injured.
28 people including senior Congress leader Mahendra Karma were killed in the attack which also left 30 others injured.
Prime Minister has announced an ex gratia of Rs 5 lakh to the family of those killed and fifty thousand to those injured.
Prime Minisrer said Government is committed to bringing the perpetrators to justice.
Dr Singh said this incident should inspire fight against forces of extremism.

Congress President Sonia Gandhi termed the maoist attack as the "attack on democracy."

PM Manmohan Singh last night talked to Chhattisgarh CM Raman Singh and asked him if any Central assistance is required by the state in the wake of the Maoist attack on Congress leaders.

UPA Chairperson and Congress president Sonia Gandhi condemned the incident, saying it was an attack on the democratic values.

PMO sources said Prime Minister Manmohan Singh called up Raman Singh soon after the Maoist attack.

He asked the Chief Minister if more central forces are required urgently by the Chhattisgarh government, the sources said.

The Congress president expressed shock and anguish over the dastardly attack in Chhattisgarh on party workers.

"It is an attack on democratic values which need to be condemned by not only political parties, but society as a whole," Gandhi said in a statement on Saturday night.

"The Prime Minister condemns the attack on Congress leaders in Chhattisgarh as a dastardly and anti-democratic act," a statement from the PMO said on Saturday.

In his telephonic conversation with the Chhattisgarh Chief Minister, Singh offered all help in rescue and relief operations to the state.

Former Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Ajit Jogi also condemned the Naxal attack on his fellow party leaders and said there is little option but to impose President's Rule in the state.

"This is the greatest tragedy that has happened. I request PM Manmohan Singh that there is no remedy and President's Rule must be imposed and we must take on the naxalites head on," Jogi told reporters.

He alleged that 2,000 to 3,000 police personnel had been deployed for the on-going Vikas Yatra of Chief Minister Raman Singh while no security, other than personal security officers, was provided to Congress leaders who were taking out the Parivartan Yatra in the state.

Sonia holds meeting with PM on Chhattisgarh Maoist attack

Congress President Sonia Gandhi on Saturday condemned as despicable the attack on her party colleagues in Chhattisgarh's Jagdalpur district and held a meeting with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh over the shocking incident.

Gandhi, who was accompanied by party Vice President Rahul Gandhi, told reporters in New Delhi after the meeting with Singh, that they are "shocked, astounded and pained by the attack on our colleagues."

She condemned the Maoist attack on the Congress Parivartan Yatra that led to the death of party leader Mahendra Karma.

The UPA Chairperson said the attack on ordinary party workers is despicable.

"Naturally we are devastated... It is despicable that ordinary people engaged in political activity were attacked," she said.

Gandhi also expressed concern over the condition of senior Congress leader V C Shukla, who was injured in the attack.

"Shuklaji has been hit by a bullet in the stomach area," she said.

Gandhi said the Prime Minister has spoken to Chhattisgarh Chief Minister two hours back who had said he will get back but had still not called.

Gandhi said all authorities concerned have been asked to render all support. Gandhi's political secretary Ahmed Patel was also present in the meeting with the Prime Minister.PM Manmohan Singh and Congress president Sonia Gandhi met injured persons in the recent naxal attack in Chhattisgarh on Sunday that left 28 persons, including state party leaders dead.

"We have to be more determined in fighting naxalism. These lives hsould not go in vain," Dr. Singh said at the Raipur hospital where the injured are being treated.

"This incident should be treated as an inspiration in our fight against forces of extremism and violence," he added.

Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi met state Congress chief Nand Kumar Patel's family members on Sunday at Devendra Nagar and expressed his condolence over the demise of the senior party leader. 

Heavily-armed Maoists ambushed a convoy of Congress leaders inside a dense forest in Chhattisgarh's Bastar district on Saturday, killing at least 28 people, including senior Congress leader Mahendra Karma.

The Maoists also killed PCC chief Nand Kumar Patel and his son Dinesh in Darba Gati Valley near Jagdalpur, headquarters of Bastar district.

Minister of state for Home R P N Singh left for the Maoist attack site in Jagdalpur on Sunday as Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde is now abroad.

Home Ministry officials briefed Shinde about the incident.

Bullet-riddled bodies of Chhattisgarh Congress chief Nand Kumar Patel and his son Dinesh, who were kidnapped by Maoists have been found today along with those of eight others in Jiram valley in Bastar.

With the recovery of the bodies, the toll in the lethal Maoist attack on a convoy of Congress leaders on Saturday has climbed to 28.

32 people have been injured in the attack, DGP Ram Niwas said on Sunday.

The bodies of Patel, his son Dinesh and eight others, mainly security personnel, have been recovered from Jiram valley in Bastar division, the sources said.

The Maoists had kidnapped Patel and his son Dinesh after attacking the convoy of Congress leaders.

Heavy rains in the area is hampering the operations of the security forces.

Senior Congress leader Mahendra Karma was killed and former union minister V C Shukla injured when heavily-armed Maoists ambushed a convoy of party leaders inside a dense forest in Chhattisgarh's Bastar district on Saturday.

It's an attack on democracy, says Rahul

Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi, who arrived in Raipur in the wee hours on Sunday, said the party cannot be cowed down by such attacks and will continue to move forward.

"It is not an attack on Congress. It is an attack on democracy. But, we'll not fear from such an attack and continue to move forward with enthusiasm," Gandhi said.

Gandhi also met V C Shukla and other injured leaders at a hospital.

In the wake of the deadly attack, security has been stepped up at the Congress Bhavan in Raipur and other vital installations in the state.

State Congress Spokesperson Rajesh Bissa said, "The body of Nand Kumar and his son have been found. If the state government would have taken care of security during Parivartan Yatra, then this incident would not have happened.

We all are in shock". Soon after the attack on Saturday, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had spoken to Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh and offered all help in rescue and relief operations.

He strongly condemned the "dastardly" Maoists attack on Congress leaders and workers in Chhattisgarh.

The Maoist attack took place in a dense forest near National Highway 202 connecting Chattisgarh with Naxal-hit Bhadrachalam district in adjacent Andhra Pradesh.

Opposition Congress' Parivartan Yatra, comprising senior party leaders, had launched Parivartan Yatra on 12^th April in the state where Assembly elections are due by year end.

The Centre has rushed more than 600 CRPF personnel, including elite CoBRA anti-Maoist commandos, to sanitise and take control of the Naxal attack site in Chhattisgarh.

The Centre has mobilised the CRPF personnel to not only take control of the area but also launch search and rescue operations as it is suspected that some people may be present in nearby jungles.

New feather in NASVI cap

Indian street food vendors to get global spotlight at World Street Food Congress in Singapore

New Delhi, 24 May:  Earning prestige and recognition for its unflinching commitment and work for the street vendors, the National Association of Street Vendors of India (NASVI) has got a new feather in its cap with Makansutra, a Singapore based street food promotion company, and the Singapore Tourism Board inviting a team of Indian street food vendors to join the World Street Food Congress (WSFC) in Singapore from 31 May to 9 June with their best culinary items.  

The eight street food vendors who would be a part of ten member NASVI delegation led by Sangeeta Singh, the manager, street food programs of NASVI include Narayanswami and Akbar  of Dharwar and Bhaskar Urs and Ashok Kumar of Mysore in Karnataka, Gulab Singh and Rajan of Delhi, and Ashok Shah and Vijay Kumar of Patna in Bihar. The WSFC would have 40 corners with street food masters from 32 countries.

Alongside the ten day long international street food carnival, the World Street Food Dialogue would also take place in Singapore on 3-4 June. The dialogue would have presence of more than 50 key speakers including NASVI national coordinator Arbind Singh. Mr. Singh would be speaking on ‘India's Quest to Legitimize Five Million Street Food Vendors, Future Potentials & Vision of NASVI’. The speakers would share, discuss and present on the ways to preserve, professionalize and create new opportunities for street food vendors across countries.

Addressing a press conference here in the national capital along with the team of street food vendors set to fly for Singapore, NASVI national coordinator Arbind Singh said, “It would be a great opportunity to participate in such a wonderful street food advocacy event with a team of selected Indian street food masters.  We hope to gain a lot in terms of exposure, cross learning, professional planning and wider linkages with hosts of key actors involved in promoting the street food across many countries”.

Mr. Singh announced that NASVI would form a national company of street food vendors soon to brand their products. The food vendors would have their own shares in the company and linkages would be developed with the formal financial institutions and the mission driven individuals.

Mr. Singh said, “Many a countries protect and promote street foods as street food enterprise contributes immensely to local economy and tourism. The concept of traditional street food has acquired new dimensions in developed countries, with food streets/ food centers emerging as new tourist attractions.  Evidences also suggest that the street food prepared with safe handling of ingredients and water contain more nutritional values in comparison to the foods served in hotels and restaurants.”

He added, “Though street food culture pervades almost all countries of developed regions, the Asian street food is considered as the best in the world. However, India lags behind several south-east Asian countries.  Our cities trail in the race because there is usually no support from formal institutions to improve street food enterprises or protect them from external influences. The usual response at policy level is generally poor.  We never pause to think that promoting street food and cementing the identity of street food vendors is closely linked with preserving and promoting the social- cultural diversity of place and region, and making economy and society equitable and just.”

Mr. Singh said that the most important challenge is to sensitize the policy makers and other stakeholders on key advantages of promoting street food. The country needs a comprehensive National Policy on Protecting and Promoting Street Foods. The cities  need wider and wider consultations, camps and capacity building measures among street food vendors, health department functionaries,  executives of tourism, transport and railways as well as municipal authorities, police administrators and civil society actors.  Creating Street Food Courts in all cities and towns, and celebrating the  social-cultural diversity of India through showcasing vibrant culinary traditions in events like Street Food Festival are  long felt need of the cross sections of society in fast urbanizing India.

Talking about the details of Indian street food vendors’ participation in the WSFC, Sangeeta Singh, Manager, Street Food Programs, said, “While Mr. Narayanswami with Akbar and Mr. Bhaskar with Ashok would be dishing out lips smacking Chicken 65 with steamed rice, and tamarind and lemon rice respectively, Mr. Ashok with Vijay would be making thunder with Liiti Chokha and special garlic soaked mutton rice. Mr. Gulab Singh with Rajan would make his presence felt with his special Bhelpuri with potato crisps having seedless dates and amchur and Pao Bhaji.”  All food vendors would be travelling abroad for the first time, she added.

“In last three years, we have undertaken sustained street food advocacy campaign.  Organizing successful Street Food Festival is a major component of this street food advocacy.  We believe   that nothing represents the rich tapestry of India’s multi-cultural fabric better than the street foods. The street food is not just palatable, inexpensive and convenient, but also is a large source of employment generation for thousands and thousands of informal workers”, said Sangeeta Singh who has been the soul and brain of successful street food festivals organized by NASVI in Delhi in last three years.

The ecstatic street food vendors who would be leaving Delhi on 26 May morning for Singapore shared how they journeyed over the years coping up with the adversities created by the municipal bodies, police forces and health department people. “We have the acumen and brilliance to develop ourselves as successful street food entrepreneurs. The only barrier is lack of support from government side”, said Bhaskar Urs of Mysore.

Ranjit Abhigyan

Program Manager

NASVI

9650941320

The list of key speakers lined up for the World Street Food Dialogue

KF SEETOH, Founder of Makansutra, Singapore.
Accorded Singapore's Food Ambassador by Singapore's President Mr. SR Nathan, also hailed as the Guru of Grub by CNN and host of TLC's The Food Surprise!

Arbind Singh, National Coordinator, National Association of Street Vendors of India. 

Well known development activist and social entrepreneur, also recipient of Skoll Foundation Award in 2011.  He has played significant role in center staging the agenda of inclusive central legislation in favour of street vendors of India. Organizer of series of Street Food Festival in India

ANTHONY BOURDAIN, USA - Chef, author, TV show host
Author of bestselling book Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly, and host of CNN's Parts Unknown and hit TV shows Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations and The Layover

BRETT BURMEISTER, USA - Managing Editor and co-owner of Food Carts Portland Ate at his first food cart in 1991 and never looked back - logged roughly 1000 visits to street vendors in Portland and beyond

JOHNNY CHAN, China - TV show host 5 million people watched him eat the streets over 30 cities in China

IAN KITTICHAI, Thailand - Thailand's first international celebrity chef. The first Thai national to become the Executive Chef of a 5-star hotel

PAULINE LOH, China - Managing Editor of The China Daily
Published two well-received cookbooks - Love, Food and Dad & Company

CLAUS MEYER, Denmark - Gastronomic entrepreneur
Recently established a foundation whose mission is to help disadvantaged individuals and communities through culinary projects

JAMES OSELAND, USA - Editor-in-chief of Saveur, America's most critically acclaimed food magazine (under his leadership, the magazine has won over 35 national awards),and acclaimed author of Cradle of Flavor (one of 2007's best books by Time Asia and the New York Times)

VO QUOH, Vietnam - Top Vietnamese chef and editor
Editor-in-chief and owner of three Vietnamese cuisine magazines: Mon Ngon Viet Nam, Gia Dinh Vao Bep and Vietnamese Delicious.

RICHARD TAN, Singapore - Divisional Director, Hawker Centers Division at the National Environment Agency. His team is responsible for implementing hawker policies, managing about 16,000 hawker stalls in the 107 hawker centers around Singapore

SIMON TAY, Singapore -Chairman of the Singapore Institute of International Affairs Public intellectual and private advisor to major corporations and policy-makers

IWAN TJANDRA, Indonesia
Best known for his successful food chain, Eat&Eat, the themed food court founded in 2008 that has changed the dining landscape across Java Island

DANIEL WANG, Singapore - Ex-Commissioner of Public Health/Director-General of Public Health

BONDAN WINARNO, Indonesia - Indonesia's celebrated culinary expert. Head of "Jalansutra," an online community for food lovers in Indonesia

WILLIAM WONGSO, Indonesia - Indonesia's culinary expert
Restaurateur, food consultant, critique and TV show host

Upbeat Sharmila all set for the Deloitte Ladies Open 2013

Amsterdam, May 23 2013:  Hero Motocorp sponsored Indian golfer Sharmila Nicollet is raring to go at the Deloitte Ladies Open after her recent success at the Turkish Airlines Ladies Open at Antalya, where she finished tied 17^th. Sharmila, the only Indian at the Ladies European Tour (LET), is playing in the prestigious tour for a second successive year and will compete against some of the top lady golfers in the world. The € 250,000 tournament will be played at ‘The International’ golf course here in Amsterdam, Netherlands between May 24 and May 26, 2013.

Sharmila who made a strong comeback on the final day of the Turkish Airlines Ladies Open is keen to continue the good run and consolidate her position as one of the most promising young golfers in India making her mark in the world. Sharmila has been in good form this season winning one tournament of the three she played at the Hero Women’s Professional Golf Tour 2013. Her performance at the recently concluded Turkish Airlines Ladies Open has given her the much needed boost to score well on the big stage and she hopes to make the most of her good form.

“The Deloitte Ladies Open is one of the most prestigious tournaments in the LET and I am very excited to play in it. This year it will be played at the magnificent ‘The International’ in Amsterdam, which has been termed as a very challenging course with innovative water hazards and other challenges. My performance at the Turkish Airlines Ladies Open has been a real morale booster and I am confident of continuing my good run this weekend ”, said Sharmila Nicollet, “I am confident of overcoming the cold, wet and windy weather conditions and putting up a good show.”, she added.

The Deloitte Ladies Open has grown into one of the most popular stops on the Ladies European Tour. Returning for its 18th edition in 2013, the tournament is headed to an exciting new home in Amsterdam. The International has a challenging layout complete with innovative water hazards, 14-metre height variations, plenty of Dutch polder character and fantastic sightlines for players and audiences.

‘Oberoi Garden City’ Awarded as the ‘Integrated Township of the year’

Oberoi Realty’s Flagship development awarded at the Realty Plus Excellence Awards 2013 - West

New Delhi, May 23, 2013: Oberoi Realty, one of India’s leading real estate development companies focused on premium developments, has been awarded for its flagship development – the ‘Oberoi Garden City’ as the “Integrated Township of the Year” by Realty Plus Excellence Awards 2013 – West, at an award function held at the Trident, Bandra Kurla, Mumbai on Wednesday, May 22, 2013.

Commenting on the company’s achievement, Mr. Vikas Oberoi, Chairman and Managing Director, Oberoi Realty, said, “It is a great honour for us to have won the award for our flagship development - the Oberoi Garden City. Through this development we aim to provide a holistic living experience that fulfils the customers’ live, work, play and other lifestyle needs all in the same location.  This recognition is a testament to our efforts across all our projects and will continue to keep us motivated to create spaces that enhance the quality of lives of our homebuyers."

The Oberoi Garden City (OGC) at Goregaon is a ‘City within a City”, where residential developments are anchored by a mall, an international school, a five star hotel and premium office spaces. The on-going projects in the area include Oberoi Exquisite along with other two more phases of residential development, and Commerz II in the office space segment. Apart from this, a hospital has been planned under the social infrastructure development at OGC.

The Realty Plus Excellence Awards were started in 2009 to honour excellence in the real estate sector in India. The ‘Integrated township of the year’ award is given to the township which has demonstrated excellence in creating a self sufficient and sustainable development to become a city in itself by establishing provisions for physical & social infrastructure, and adopting environmental initiatives.

About Oberoi Realty Limited

Oberoi Realty Ltd. is India’s leading real estate development company, headquartered in Mumbai, focused on premium developments in the residential, office space, retail, hospitality and social infrastructure verticals. Oberoi Realty has an established brand and a track record in the real estate industry of developing innovative projects through its emphasis on contemporary architecture, strong project execution and quality construction. Oberoi Realty seeks to create “destination developments” through its in mixed-use and single-segment developments. It has a total of 35 completed projects across Mumbai, the commercial capital of India. More information about the company is available on www.oberoirealty.com

FORTHCOMING EVENTS - May 2013

FILM: FILMS ON SPIRITUALITY & FAITH a series of monthly screenings in collaboration with the India International Centre --------------   6th June, 2013, 6:30 pm Auditorium, India International Centre Max Mueller Road, New Delhi - 110003 SPIRITUAL WARRIORS  A film directed by David Raynr   99 minutes The film highlights the age old saying, 'Every life has a purpose'. It’s the story of Finn, an out-of-work actor involved in a messy drug deal, who forms an intriguing friendship with Roger- a compelling and patient spiritual teacher. It is under his guidance that Finn realises the truth of his spiritual nature and the purpose of his life. The film heralds love as the source of all inspiration, motivation and success.  Official Selection, Toronto Indie Can Film Festival, 2007 Official Selection, Tel Aviv Spirits Film Festival, 2007 Official Selection, Cairo International Film Festival, 2007           “The film is a terrific voyage, a memorable journey through the light and dark of our lives and ultimately to hope.”                                                 -    Victor Salva, director, Peaceful Warrior and Powder CONVERSATION: DIASPORA: A Tibetan Perspective An initiative to provide a platform to young Tibetans in exile to present and discuss their ideas and suggestions to stimulate dialogue & improve networks of the vibrant Tibetan diaspora. ----------------------------------------------------- 23th June, 2013, 2pm Seminar Hall 3, Kamla Devi Block India International Centre, Max Muller Road, New Delhi let's read & talk with   TENZIN NANGSYAL An Assistant News Editor with Hindustan Times based in New Delhi. An alumnus of Central School for Tibetans, she finished her graduation with English honours from St. Bede's College, Shimla. She completed her post-graduation in journalism from the Indian Institute of Mass Communication. She started her career in Journalism by working with The Indian Express Newspaper at Chandigarh. an initiative of FOUNDATION FOR UNIVERSAL RESPONSIBILITY OF HH THE DALAI LAMA and EMPOWERING THE VISION in collaboration with INDIA INTERNATIONAL CENTRE TALK: MAJOR SCHOOLS OF INDIAN PHILOSOPHYTheir impact on India’s Civilizational Heritage and Contemporary Relevance a monthly lecture series in collaboration with the India International Centre The talk series will explore some of the important philosophical traditions and the impact they have had on the Indian Mind. We hope to help cultivate a deeper understanding of India's civilizational heritage in a manner that is accessible to a lay person. To start with we plan to look at Sāmkhya, Yoga, Nyāya, Vaiśeşika, Pūrva, Mīmāmsa and Uttara Mīmāmsa that advanced Vedic ideas & philosophies. In time we hope to look at the philosophies of The Mahābhārata, Śankara/Rāmānuja, Buddhism/Jainism, Ramakriṣhṇa/Vivekānanda and the four yogas (Karma, Bhakti, Raja, Hatha) etc. ----------------------------------------------------- 13th June, 2013, 6:30 pmAuditorium, India International Centre Max Muller Road, New Delhi Advaita Vedanta by Swami Atmapriyananda (Vice-Chancellor, Educationist, Scholar, Philosopher) Swami Atmapriyananda is the Vice Chancellor of Ramakrishna Mission Vivekananda University, a multi-campus University trying to actualize Swami Vivekananda’s educational vision and devoted to teaching and research in a variety of unique Faculties. On account of its unique features, particularly its emphasis on ‘gap areas’ (areas scarcely addressed by the conventional Universities in India), this new University has been awarded full membership of ‘Global University Network for Innovation’ (GUNI), a Europe-based global organization networking Universities with social commitment. Swami Atmapriyananda received his Ph.D. from the University of Madras, India, in Theoretical Physics for his work in particle theory and has a number of research publications in reputed international journals. Inspired by Ramakrishna-Vivekananda ideology, he joined the Ramakrishna Order of monks in 1978 and was posted at Ramakrishna Mission Vidyamandira, a premier college of Ramakrishna Mission at Belur Math, where he taught Physics for nearly 25 years besides serving as Vice-Principal and Principal for 19 years before taking charge as Vice Chancellor of Ramakrishna Mission Vivekananda University in July 2005. As a monk and an educationist, his present interests are: (i) Swami Vivekananda’s educational vision education for character building in the youth (ii) Yoga-Vedanta vis-à-vis modern science, (iii) Ramakrishna-Vivekananda thought in the context of present day challenges, (iv) Consciousness Studies as taught in the Upanishads, (v) Synthesis of the four yogas as taught by Swami Vivekananda and Bhagavad-Gita, and (vi) Harmony of religions as lived and taught by Sri Ramakrishna. He has a good number of publications on the above subjects in the journals of Ramakrishna Order and of various organizations. Swami Atmapriyananda participates on invitation in various religious and educational seminars, symposia, colloquia, workshops and conferences in India and abroad organized by Universities, research institutes and religious organizations on the subjects of his interest as mentioned above. He toured Europe twice during 2008-2009 on invitation to act as a Resource Person at international and national yoga conferences in Italy organized respectively by Sarvayoga International and Italian Yoga Federation. As a member of the Elijah Board of World Religious Leaders, an arm of Elijah Interfaith Institute, a global organization working for interreligious understanding and peace, he attended on invitation a conference at Haifa, Israel, in October 2009 on The Future of Religious Leadership. He was an invited speaker at the Parliament of World Religions organized in Melbourne, Australia, in December 2009, on The Training of Religious Leadership in a Multi-religious World. He attended on invitation a meeting of religious leaders of various world religions at the ‘Guerrand Hermes Forum for the Interreligious Study of Mysticism and Spirituality’, a project of the Elijah Interfaith Academy and Elijah Board of World Religious Leaders, held at Marakesh, Morocco, during 22-26 February 2011. On his way back, he had lively talks and interactions with groups of interested spiritual seekers at Dubai and Abu Dhabi. During March-May 2012 and again in early 2013, he again visited the following countries abroad: 1. Marrakesh, Morocco, to attend the second meeting of the Guerrand Hermes Forum for the Study of Mystical and Spiritual Life, organized by Elijah Interfaith Institute, held during 15-18 March 2012,  2. Oxford, UK, to attend a meeting of the Elijah Board of Religious Leaders, organized by Elijah Interfaith Institute, held at Oxford during 18-21 March 2012, 3. Curitiba, Brazil, to attend the second meeting of the Executive Council as a member of ’World Day of Prayer and Action for Children’, a global      organization working for holistic welfare of children with Secretariat at New York, during 21-24 March 2012, 4. New York, USA, to attend the first meeting of the Executive Council as a member of ’World Day of Prayer and Action for Children’, a global organization working for holistic welfare of children with Secretariat at New York, during July 2011, 5. Assisi, Italy, to attend the third international yoga conference of ‘Sarva Yoga International’, Italy, held during 29 March – 1 April 2012, 6. Vedanta Centres of the Ramakrishna Mission in USA, viz., Ridgley Manor, New York, Chicago, San Francisco, Olema Retreat, Berkeley, Los Angeles’ Hollywood centre, Santa Barbara centre, Trabuco centre for talks, discourses and interactions on spiritual matters, 7. New York to attend a High Level Meeting convened by the Royal Government of Bhutan, upon the invitation from the Prime Minister of Bhutan, held at United Nations Headquarters in New York from 2 - 4 April 2012 to discuss the developing of a new economic paradigm ‘Gross National Happiness’ in place of ‘Gross National Product’ or ‘Gross Domestic Product’. 8. South Africa during the first two weeks of May 2012 on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the starting of the Ramakrishna Centre in South Africa. He visited and spoke at the main centre at Durban and the satellite centres at Chatworth, Phoenix, Pietermaritburg, Ladysmith and Johannesburg.  9. Marrakesh, Morocco, to attend the third meeting of the Guerrand Hermes Forum for the Study of Mystical and Spiritual Life, organized by Elijah Interfaith Institute, held during 18-21 February 2013. 10. Ukraine to attend the 3rd interfaith meet of the Kiev Interfaith Forum held during 23-24 April 2013. Highlights of the Talk: Sri Ramakrishna, Swami Vivekananda’s Master and Guru, considered the Prophet of Harmony in the modern age, said, in his inimitable language, ‘Tie Advaita Jnana (the Knowledge of Advaita Vedanta) in the corner of your cloth and act as you please’, meaning thereby that Advaita should be basis of our daily life. It is not merely a system of philosophy to be studied for intellectual pleasure by scholars, it is not even a spiritual truth to be practised and pursued exclusively by monks and ascetics in the seclusion of caves and forests, but it is the highest truth about our existence, living and vibrant, to be put into practice and applied in daily life by men and women belonging to all strata of society and all walks of life. Defining his Ideal, Swami Vivekananda said, “My Ideal indeed can be put in a few words, and that is, to preach unto mankind its Divinity and how to manifest that Divinity in every movement of life.” In fact, the manifestation of this Divinity already present in every being is what Swami Vivekananda defined as ‘religion’, for which Advaita is the basis, the very foundation. Swami Vivekananda wanted Advaita Vedanta to be living and dynamic and that it should interpenetrate and percolate into every aspect of our individual and collective life. His famous words are:  “The dry, abstract Advaita must become living -- poetic -- in everyday life; out of hopelessly intricate mythology must come concrete moral forms; and out of bewildering Yogi-ism must come the most scientific and practical psychology -- and all this must be put in a form so that a child may grasp it. That is my life's work.” (Swami Vivekananda’s Complete Works, 5.104). On a similar note, he wrote on another occasion: “I want to give them dry, hard reason, softened in the sweetest syrup of love and made spicy with intense work, and cooked in the kitchen of Yoga, so that even a baby can easily digest it.” (Swami Vivekananda’s Complete Works, 5.104). Advaita Vedanta raises the awareness of humankind to the highest level of Oneness of Existence and Divinity of all beings not through philosophical reasoning or by metaphysical enquiry, but by opening up the unknown chambers in one’s own heart, by revealing the Ultimate Truth about our own inner Self, the self-effulgent, ever pure, ever awakened, ever free Atman (nitya shuddha, nitya buddha, nitya mukta). Since one’s own self is the dearest to oneself, enquiry into its real nature and discovery about the truth of one’s self is the most rewarding, most soothing, most liberating and the most delightful experience one can have in this modern life of mad rush and meaninglessness in which we seek to gain everything outside, but seem to have lost our own self! As the great psychologist Carl Jung’s famous book ‘Modern man in search of his soul’ tell us in a different language, Advaita Vedanta beckons the modern man to come back to his own Self and possess his Self (atmavan, as the Bhagavad-Gita puts it). As Jesus the Christ said, ‘What avails it if you possess everything but lose your own Soul?’ Now that the modern man is most panic-stricken, strife-torn and conflict-ridden, he would do well to listen quietly to the divine music of Advaita Vedanta that is constantly reverberating in the depths of his being.

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