Siddharth Kumar Tewary finally finds Draupadi

After a massive search, Star Plus' upcoming magnum opus Mahabharat has finally found its Draupadi. Pooja Sharma, a girl from Delhi who moved to Mumbai a few years ago to pursue her acting dream, has been chosen to play this iconic character. Her look in the show, along with the rest of the cast's, has been visualised by Oscar-winning costume designer BhanuAthaiya and designed by NidhiYasha.

㼩>We have learnt that Draupadi was a combination of an extremely strong and beautiful character therefore the colour red will be seen in most of her costumes. The fabric being used is lightweight sheer silk and all the costumes have also been embroidered by hand.伯i>" says NidhiYasha who spent over 4 years of pre-production on designing the look of the characters visualized by BhanuAthaiya is geared up to bring out a magnificent treat for the viewers.

She also adds, 㼩>The jewellery that she will be wearing will have the lotus symbol depicting beauty and elegance. Creating her jewelry wasnⴠan easy task. Samples were sourced from Kolkata, Gujarat and South India. In fact, Draupadi is the only character wearing stone jewellery.伯span>

Tune-in to watch Mahabharat from September 16^th 2013, Monday at 8:30 pm only on Star Plus.

JUNIOR MASTERCHEF KIDS CELEBRATE JANMASHTAMI

¬ Kids whip 51 kg Makkhan, offer it as a bhog to their favorite mischievous God Krishna¬

Mumbai, August 27, 2013: True to its style, the notorious bunch of Junior MasterChef - Swaad Ke Ustaad celebrated Janmashtami in all gusto today at RadhaGopinath Temple, ISKCON ( Internation Society For Krishna Consciouness) Girgaon Chowpatty Temple , Mumbai. Along with Chef Vikas Khanna, Kunal Kapoor and Surjan Singh Jolly, the contestants prepared special delicious ‘Makhan Bhog’ offering on the occasion of the birth of lord Krishna and danced to his hymns. The bhog specially created for their favorite God was donated to the midday meal run by ISKON. 

The first ever season of Junior MasterChef has garnered quite a fanfare already. With their amazing culinary talent, these little protégées have not only scored points with judges but also managed to win the hearts of the viewers. The kids are surely leaving no stone unturned in demonstrating their innate talent and pleasing the God himself!

Chef Vikas associated with three seasons of Masterchef India said, “It feels great to be part of Junior Masterchef Swaad Ke Ustaad. Isn’t it wonderful that at this tender age they feel responsible not only in MasterChef kitchen but even here today with us, preparing an offering of 51 kg makkhan to Nandlala on the eve of his birth. These children are absolutely amazing and I am completely blown away by their creativity and spirit.”

Don’t judge them by their age as these little chefs are capable of creating nothing less than a storm in the MasterChef Kitchen! Expect lots of new energy, innocent battles and be prepared to see some spectacularly stunning skills on display by these tiny tots.

Don't forget to tune in to Junior Masterchef  Swaad ke Ustaad aevery Saturday and Sunday at 9.00 pm only on STAR Plus!

Nehru Memorial Museum and Library

cordially invites you to a Public Lecture

in the ‘Interrogating Social Justice’ series

at 3.00 pm on Thursday, 29 August, 2013

in the Seminar Room, First Floor, Library Building

on

‘Tribal Situation in India’

by

Prof. Virginius Xaxa,

 Tata Institute of Social Sciences,

Guwahati.

Abstract:

Tribes are enumerated at over 88 million constituting about 8.6 per cent of the total population of the country as per the 2001 census. Though very small in population, they are enormously diverse. They are also distributed over the length and breadth of the country. The distribution is however far from even. About 84 percent inhabit region commonly referred to as central India; 12 per cent live in North-East India, 3 per cent in South and 1 per cent in North India.  Not only geographical distribution is uneven but their situation too is very uneven. Of public attention to tribal population at the national level, Northeast has remained at the forefront. This has been followed by central India especially the eastern part.  The South India and North India has been subject of attention only occasionally.  North-East has been plagued by demands for autonomy of various kinds. It has also been the region of endemic conflict and violence, conflict between state and people as well as between people. The state all through the post-independence decades has presented itself in the North-east in its militaristic form.   Notwithstanding the features described such as above, the tribes in the north eastern region have fared remarkably well in the social development. The percentage of people living below poverty line is much lower than the national tribal average. And so has been the case with such indicators as the level of literacy, enrolment and drop outs as well as health indicators such as the infant mortality, child mortality, under-five mortality etc. Of course there are variations within the region across states. In contrast the form in which the State has presented itself in mainland India has been its developmental character. Not only is the region strongly linked with the rest of India in terms of roads, railways and other communication, but also land, labour and credit market.  The region has also been witness to infrastructure projects such power, irrigation, dams etc. It has also witness to setting up of industrialization projects and mineral exploitation. However, since last one decade, the state has increasingly assumed the role of militaristic state. Despite strong presence of the developmental state, the region has hardly done well in social development sector. The people living below poverty line is highest in eastern India followed by western India. Similarly, in terms of the level of literacy and other health indicators, the region has fared extremely poor. The lecture makes an effort to understand the paradoxes.

Speaker:

Prof. Virginius Xaxa obtained M.A. in Sociology from Pune University and Ph.D. from Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur. He is at present Professor and Deputy Director at Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Guwahati Campus. He taught Sociology at Delhi School of Economics, University of Delhi from 1990 to 2011 and North-Eastern Hill University, Shillong from 1978-1990. He held post-doctoral fellowship under Indo-French Cultural Exchange Programme at Maison des Sciences de l’Homme, Paris (1982) and had been Commonwealth Academic Staff Fellow at SOAS, University of London (1988) and Fulbright Fellow at University of California Santa Cruz, USA (1998). He held Rajiv Gandhi Chair at North-Eastern Hill University, Shillong from 2006-2008. He is the author of Economic Dualism and Structure of Class: A Study in Plantation and Peasant settings in North Bengal (1997) and State, Society and Tribes: Issues in Post- Colonial India (2008). He is also co-author of Plantation Labour in India (1996) and co-editor of Social Exclusion and Adverse Inclusion: Adivasis in India (2012). He is a member of the Editorial Advisory Board of Asian Ethnicity, History and Sociology of South Asia, Social Change and Contribution to Indian Sociology.

Zee announces Dance India Dance Season 4

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Zee announces DID Season 4 :Sanam Johar in Jaipur to announce city auditions

Posted on August 28, 2013 by sagarmedia

Standard

Jaipur, August 27th: Do you believe you were born to dance??? If yes, then the wait is finally over! The days and nights you spent rehearsing and getting every move just perfect will finally pay off. The biggest and the baap of all dance reality shows is back and this time it’s going to be crazier than ever before! Zee TV announces the return of the dance mania – The brand new season of ‘Dance India Dance’ – DID Season 4! Zee TV’s hunt for the ultimate dancers gets bigger and better as the auditions for DID 4 will be held across 19 cities and its happening in JAIPUR on Thursday, August 29th at St. Wilfred’s School, Sector- 10, Meera Marg, Madhyam Marg
Mansarover, Jaipur – 302020 Rajasthan, 9 am onwards.

With Zee TV kicking off an aggressive blitzkrieg of multi-city auditions all through August and September, it’s time for talented dancers across India to come to their nearest centre / cities – Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, Baroda, Raipur, Indore, Patna, Lucknow, Jaipur, Chandigarh, Dehradun, Guwahati, Bhubaneswar, Hyderabad, Dehradun, Chennai, Kolhapur, Imphal, Rajkot and Bangalore to gear up, put on their best dancing shoes and land up at the audition venues! Sanam Johar, the super talented heartthrob of Dance India Dance Season 3 who is, today, a successful choreographer –is in the city ofJaipur to call out to every dance enthusiast in the city to audition for DID 4.

While the first 3 seasons have unearthed some exceptional dancers like Salman, Shakti, Dharmesh, Prince, Rajasmita, Raghav, Siddhesh and Jai Kumar Nair to name a few, the upcoming season promises to showcase the ultimate dancer who will set the stage ablaze with original choreography, immaculate timing, never-before-seen passion and a universal appeal. Dance India Dance has introduced new dance forms like locking-popping, b-boying, cha cha cha, rumba, jive, contemporary, afro jazz, etc in the last four seasons and in this upcoming series, the passion, the frenzy, the camaraderie, the rehearsals, the victories, the disappointments, the hosts, the judges and above all, the spectacular talent  will return with RENEWED VIGOUR!

‘Dance India Dance – Season 4’ is undoubtedly a golden opportunity coming to your city to discover hidden talent. It’s the ultimate platform to showcase the talent and personality of very gifted dancers chosen from all corners of India!  Eminent jury members will arrive in the city on the audition day to identify the best talent who will then be invited to the mega-auditions in Mumbai. So, put your best foot forward and prove that you were BORN TO DANCE.

Shekhar’s Hat-trick helps Apeejay Public School, Noida advance

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Airtel Rising Stars 2013 – Delhi Leg

Shekhar’s Hat-trick helps Apeejay Public School, Noida advance to next Round of Airtel Rising Stars 2013

New Delhi, 27^th August: A display of skillful playing and three well-scored goals by Apeejay Public School’s Shekhar’s powered Apeejay Public School to record a 5 – 0 win over Ryan International School, Noida, in a knock-out match in the Delhi Leg of the 2^nd edition of Airtel Rising Stars, played at Commonwealth Games Village in New Delhi today.

Shekhar displayed spectacular dribbling skills throughout the match and kept the defenders busy at all corners of the ground. He opened the school’s account in the 5^th minute and scored another in the 12^th minute. Teammate Uavand contributed by scoring one goal in the 24^th minute. Proving that he is a player to watch out for, the youngster scored his third and the team’s fourth goal and completed a brilliant hat-trick. Prateek scored the fifth goal to seal a persuasive victory over the boys from Ryan.

In another match played at Ambedkar Stadium, Arjun’s brace helped Delhi Public School, Vasant Kunj drub Modern School, Vasant Vihar 5-0. Arjun scored the first goal in the 19^th minute, followed by Adeeb and Sanata’s goal in 26^th and 28^th minute respectively. Arjun scored his second goal in the 30^th minute and confirmed the win for his team followed by Vatsal’s game ending goal.

In a third match, Ryan International School, Ghaziabad defeated D.A.V. Public School, Noida 4-3 after a 1-1 draw at the Commonwealth Games Village. Both teams were tied 1-1 at full time. Ryan team member Dhruv scored the first goal in the first minute of the match but D.A.V. Public School’s Karan equalised the score in the 5^th minute. Both teams went on to defend well until full time. In the penalty-shootout, Abhishek, Aditya, Badal and Dhruv converted their attempts into goals for Ryan International School. Vishal, Varun and Nitish scored goals for D.A.V. Public School.

RESULTS – Ambedkar Stadium

Delhi Public School, Vasant Kunj (Arjun 19^th, 30^th, Adeeb 26^th, Sanata, 28^th, Vatsal 47^th) bt Modern School, Vasant Vihar 5-0

Chinmaya Vidyalaya, Vasant Vihar (Mayank, Prateek, Pushkar, Sarthak, Anurag) bt Mamta Modern School (Shaurya, Aditya Nath, Rajat, Mukul) 5-4 (0-0)

RESULTS – Commonwealth Games Village

Apeejay Public School, Noida (Shekhar 5^th, 12^th, 26^th, Uavand 24^th, Prateek 31^st) bt Ryan International School, Noida 5-0

Ryan International School, Ghaziabad (Dhruv 1^st; Abhishek, Aditya, Dhruv & Badal) bt D.A.V. Public School, Noida (Karan 5^th; Vishal, Varun & Nitish) 4-3 (1-1)

Father Agnel School, Noida (Cuinkoi 5^th; Brijesh, Kevin & Meingouleng) bt Sahodaya School, Safdarjung (Suresh 24^th; Milian Singh & Rahul) 4-3 (1-1)

Father Agnel School, Noida (Brijesh 12^th, Meinlouw 35^th) bt Cambridge School, Noida (Rituraj 28^th) 2-1

Army Public School, Noida (Satyam 19^th, Anand 22^nd) bt Cambridge School, Indirapuram 2-0

DAV School, Noida (Abhishek 5^th) bt Public School, Mayur Vihar 1-0

National Forum on Tuberculosis: First Meeting

The National Forum on TB,launched on May 8 2013, conducted its first meeting to discuss the critical need for accurate TB diagnostics and challenges of drug-resistant TB in India. TB kills 300,000 people every year in India.

August 27 2013, New Delhi: The National Forum on Tuberculosis held its first meeting in the capital today. The members of the Forum deliberated upon the increased need to introduce new and more accurate diagnostics for TB to ensure timely and appropriate diagnosis. The members also discussed the rise and challenges of drug-resistant TB in India. The Chief Guest at this meeting was Dr. Shashi Tharoor, Minister of State for Human Resource Development and the Guest of Honour was Smt. Santosh Chowdhary, Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare. Dr.Soumya Swaminathan, Director, National Institute for Research in Tuberculosis (NIRT) made a presentation at the meeting on the emergence of drug-resistant TB as well as the challenges of the Indian TB diagnostic landscape.

The Forum was launched on May 8, 2013 with the vision to discuss and highlight critical challenges in TB prevention and control.The launch also saw the release of a Handbook on TB in India.The National Forum on TB will work to raise awareness on the need for improved TB control. The members of the Forum will meet several times in a year to discuss critical challenges in TB control. Based on these discussions, the members will formulate key recommendations to address these challenges which will then be presented to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) for further action.
The Forum consists of an advisory board comprising leading Members of the parliament (MPs). This meeting brought together parliamentarians, policymakers, technical experts, civil society representatives as well as government officials.
Mr. Dalbir Singh, Convener of the Forum commented, 㔨e Forum is dedicated to fight TB and as a first vital step, this meeting has brought together key stakeholders including parliamentarians, policymakers, civil society organizations and technical experts, who are committed to the cause. We are resolved to achieve enhanced TB prevention and control in India.伯b>
TB kills 1 Indian every 2 minutes. India bears the highest burden of TB in the world- 2.3 million annually. This accounts for one-fifth of the global disease burden. TB is the cause of extensive economic losses leading to individual, family and community suffering.TB is also associated with a deep-seated stigma that often leads to discrimination within the workplace and the community.
As representatives of the worldⳠlargest democracy, policy makers, parliamentarians and the civil society play a pivotal role in influencing policy decisions. The Forum will aim to leverage this power to make an impact on the TB landscape in India.

Also please find attached event pictures and both Hindi and English press release.