Category: RECORDS, INDIA (National)

** Navy’s Offshore Sailing Regatta to set the stage for global solo circumnavigation

38 personnel will be engaged in readying six Indian Naval Sailing Vessels (INSVs) for the 700-km “Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav”

Saturday saw brisk activity at the Southern Naval Command here, with 38 personnel – including eight women, engaged in readying six Indian Naval Sailing Vessels (INSVs) for the 700-km “Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav” Offshore Sailing Regatta to Goa from Sunday.

They include women personnel who circumnavigated the globe in one such vessel in an all-women group in 2017 and have fixed their eyes on doing it solo in a year’s time. Powered by wind, they intend to cover the distance in less than five days. The regatta under the aegis of Indian Naval Sailing Association (INSA), is aimed at fostering the spirit of adventure and ocean sailing.

** Koo user base at about 15 million, eyes expansion to new market in Southeast Asia

The Indian microblogging platform, which has enjoyed a meteoric rise in usage, is currently also available in Nigeria, a market that ‘continues to grow’

Homegrown microblogging platform Koo’s user base has touched about 15 million now, with five million users added in the last quarter, its co-founder Aprameya Radhakrishna has said.

India, the world’s second-largest telecom market and the biggest consumer of data, is a key market for Internet companies like Facebook, WhatsApp and Twitter given the large population base, burgeoning internet and smartphone adoption, as well as explosive growth.

** Woman rides 11,111 kms across India to help generate employment opportunities for women

Jai Bharathi is riding across 20 cities on her bike to encourage more women to learn driving, be self reliant, and use this skill to earn a livelihood.

An architect and an avid biker, Jai set out on the Moving Boundaries campaign on October 11 with a simple aim: that of creating awareness and encouraging women to learn driving to increase their employability.

** Desi in Durban: Indian-origin artists are claiming a space in South Africa’s art scene

A group of LGBTQ+ artists of South Asian descent are exploring diasporic identity and working towards increased representation

Many facets of India’s layered and rich relationship with Africa are buried in the stories of the continent’s three-million-strong Indian diaspora. A consistent exchange of ideas and people has helped foster a deep-rooted sense of familiarity about India in most parts of the region. It’s true that this primarily stems from shared political histories and similar socio-cultural experiences, and is driven by diverse economic engagements, but at the heart of it is the human connection.

** Drone-based ventures take off in the Indian startup space

On the morning of October 1, Marut Drones, a Hyderabad-based technology startup, aimed high. A drone they have christened the ‘seedcopter’ dispersed 1.5 lakh spheres over the KBR National Park in Hyderabad. The spheres made of clay and manure contained seeds of custard apple, gooseberry, tamarind and bamboo. 

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