Category: RECORDS, INDIA (National)

** The journey of the Thoothukudi Macaron: From Italian nunneries to the Coromandel coast

The final Kucini Tale tells the story of the creolised macaron uniting the Coromandel and Canara coasts, Portuguese and Muslim traders, Arabs and Jesuits, Italy and France, and, finally, our elusive lovers.

When the Portuguese explorer Vasco Da Gama disembarked near Calicut in 1498, he inaugurated a new phase in history. The sea routes were opened up, and the Dutch, French, Danes, and British soon followed. The coastal enclaves they founded became hubs of cultural exchange. Their economic potential attracted many kinds of people, including merchant communities, from outside and within India. ‘Creolisation’ resulted. New, unexpected cultural products sprang up from this interaction between different languages, different gods, different ways of living, and different ways of cooking and preparing food.

** Indian-origin Justice becomes first person of colour to be nominated to Supreme Court of Canada

Justin Trudeau announced Justice Mahmud Jamal’s nomination on Thursday to replace the retiring Rosalie Silberman Abella, the first refugee and first Jewish woman to sit on the top court. 

** Pinarayi Vijayan, KK Shailaja to attend from India as global meet on vaccine internationalism begins on June 18

A four-day summit by Progressive International for Covid-19 vaccine internationalism begins on Friday. It aims at ending “the pandemic as quickly as possible by securing vaccines for all”. The summit will bring together Global South governments, politicians, healthcare workers and vaccine manufacturers from over 20 countries, following criticism of the G7’s plan by the United Nations aid chief Mark Lowcock as “not serious” and lacking “necessary urgency.”

** Rapper Raftaar first Indian artiste to accept cryptocurrency as fees

Rapper Raftaar has become the first Indian artiste to accept cryptocurrency instead of actual currency as performance fee.

“I’ve always been an ardent admirer of blockchain technology. I’ve always wondered why artistes and managers alike haven’t explored the potential of this disruptive medium. Nevertheless, I’ve finally taken the baby steps in this direction and all the credit goes to my manager, Ankit Khanna for making this dream a reality for me,” said Raftaar.

** Govt. appoints Aashish Chandorkar as Director at India’s WTO mission

For the first time, a private person has been appointed at the mission

Ahead of the WTO’s ministerial conference later this year, the government has appointed a private person Aashish Chandorkar as ‘Counsellor’ in India’s Permanent Mission in the World Trade Organisation for three years.

For the first time, a private person has been appointed at the Mission. Mr. Chandorkar is director of Bengaluru-based policy think tank Smahi Foundation of Policy and Research

** Chennai-born man named president of Illinois Institute of Technology

Raj Echambadi is an alumnus of College of Engineering, Guindy

Rajagopal Ragavan Echambadi, Dunton Family Dean at the D’Amore-McKim School of Business at Northeastern University, has been appointed 10th president of the Illinois Institute of Technology, U.S.