Month: July 2021

** Boeing delivers 10th P-8I maritime patrol aircraft to Navy

This is the second of the four additional aircraft contracted under an optional clause in 2016.

Aircraft manufacturer Boeing on Tuesday delivered the 10th long-range maritime reconnaissance anti-submarine warfare aircraft to the Navy. This is the second of the four additional aircraft contracted under an optional clause in 2016.

The remaining two were expected to be delivered in the last quarter of this year, a defence official said.

The patrol aircraft was an integral part of the Indian Navy’s fleet and had surpassed 30,000 flight hours since its induction in 2013, Boeing said in a statement.

** India to display relics of St. Ketevan

A part of them were gifted to Georgia on July 10; another part remains in Goa.

Almost 400 years after she was murdered in present day Iran, relics of St. Queen Ketevan that were found in Goa in 2005 are likely to be put on display in India as well as her native Georgia, according to Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) officials.

Queen Ketevan was killed in 1624 in Shiraz for not converting to Islam and parts of her remains were brought to Goa by Augustinian monks. Revered as a martyr, her relics remained lost till 2005 as the St. Augustine Church collapsed in 1842, another official said. A DNA analysis by the CSIR-Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology, Hyderabad, confirmed their authenticity in 2013.

** India to host 2026 World Badminton Championships

This will be the second time that India will host the premium tournament

The Badminton World Federation (BWF) has allotted the prestigious BWF World Championship to India for 2026, it was officially announced on Tuesday.

This will be the second time that India will host the premium tournament, which is held every year except for the Olympic year, after the 2009 edition in Hyderabad.

** Deepak Kabra becomes first Indian gymnastics judge at Olympics

Kabra will be seen officiating the men’s artistic gymnasts at the Tokyo Games

Deepak Kabra has become the first Indian to be selected for judging the gymnastics competition of the Olympic Games, a life goal achieved for the man who knew he wouldn’t have made it there as an active gymnast because of his not-so-strong fundamentals.

** India’s first cryptogamic garden opens in Dehradun

India’s first cryptogamic garden housing nearly 50 species of lichens, ferns and fungi was inaugurated in Uttarakhand’s Dehradun district on Sunday.

Located in the district’s Chakrata town, the garden was inaugurated by social activist Anoop Nautiyal.

Around 50 species have been grown in the garden at Deoban in Chakrata at a commanding height of 9,000 ft, Chief Conservator of Forest (research) Sanjiv Chaturvedi said.

Cryptogamae means “hidden reproduction” referring to the fact that no seed, no flowers are produced. Thus, cryptogams represent the non-seed bearing plants, Chaturvedi explained.

Algae, bryophytes (moss, liverworts), lichens, ferns and fungi are the best-known groups of cryptogams that require moist conditions to survive, he said.

** A family repertory: The contribution of the Alkazi and Padamsee clans to Indian theatre

The Alkazi and Padamsee clans have played, and continue to play, an extraordinary role in the history of modern Indian theatre

“Oh god, it’s a page turner!” That was the cry from various family members on reading the first draft of Feisal Alkazi’s family memoirs published earlier this year. Titled Enter Stage Right — The Alkazi/Padamsee Family Memoir (Speaking Tiger, 2021), it is an irresistible, exciting read. The narrative details are gripping, the pace exciting, and viewing the times described in the book of the two families in pre- and post-Independence India through the lens of Feisal allows us to enter a world that we can relate to from stories that our parents and grandparents told us of the times they lived through.

** HAL set to deliver first batch of 3 Light Combat Helicopters to IAF

Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) is gearing up to deliver the first batch of three Light Combat Helicopters (LCH) to the Indian Air Force (IAF) once acceptance tests are completed. These are part of the 15 Limited Series Production (LSP) helicopters approved for the Army and the IAF.

“HAL has received Letter of Intent for five Air force and five Army LCH for delivery pending contract finalisation of 15 Limited Series Production (LSP) LCH. HAL has produced and signalled out three LSP LCH for the IAF. Same will be subjected to customer acceptance and training shortly,” a HAL source said.

** Diamonds in India’s stepwells

These architectural beauties are the inspiration for Titan Zoya’s new Samāvé collection

Climb down winding steps made of diamonds into a well of Indian craftsmanship — on your fingers! Who knew that our earthy stepwells could inspire a new twist in the world of diamond jewellery?

Zoya, the diamond boutique from the House of Tata, has come up with a setting inspired by these architectural wonders found in the arid western states of India, which, they claim, is the first of its kind worldwide.

The intricate and challenging ‘Zoya Baoli Setting’ is patent pending.

** The 2020 Millennium Technology Prize goes to…

Balasubramanian and Klenerman for DNA sequencing techniques

The 2020 Millennium Technology Prize, announced in May, has been awarded to Shankar Balasubramanian and David Klenerman, “for their development of revolutionary DNA sequencing techniques.” Their work is a perfect blend of science and innovation, and very apt as we have all heard a great deal about genome sequencing in the context of the ongoing pandemic.