India’s First Woman Bishop elected by Church of South India (CSI). September 2013 .

In a first for the Indian manistream church, the Church of South India (CSI) created history by appointing Rev.Eggoni Pushpalalitha as its first woman bishop in India.  September 25th, 2013 .

The bishop-designate E.Pushpalalitha is to be installed at a consecration ceremony to be held at the historic Anglical cathedral at Nandyal in Andhra Pradesh on Monday – September 30th, 2013. The moderator of the Church Rev. Devakataksham will adminster the oath and grace the occasion alongwith other dignitaries of the church. She will assume charge as Bishop of Nandyal diocese which is spread over 5 districts in Rayalaseema and part of Prakasam with a membership of over 90,000 people.

She is the first amongst 3 surviving children and was born to a family of agriculturists in a small village Diguvapudu in Kurnool district in 1956. She became a pastor in 1984. Rev. E. Pushpalalitha earned her B.A. degree from Andhra University and then went on to do BD from the Andhra Christian Theological College in Hyderabad. She also attended a few courses in theology in UK and USA.

Rev. E. Pushpalalitha is the second woman to become bishop among all churches of the country. The Good Samaritan Evangelical Lutheran Mission located in Bhadrachalam appointed Rev. A. Katakshamma as their bishop in 1996.

The Church of South India ( CSI): Inaugrated in 1947 is one of the 38 member Churches of the Anglican communion. It is a ‘United’ church – the result of the Union of Churches of varying traditions Anglican, Methodist, Congregational, Presbyterian and Reformed.

The CSI has 22 bishops across all dioceses in the country and Sri Lanka. The mission has over 3,000 presbyters of which around 120 are women.

In India, the Anglican family of churches, include Church of South India, Church of North India, Methodist Church and Marthoma Church amongst others.

India’s First 5500 HP Locomotive Engine. September 2013 .

The engine production unit of the Indian Railways’–   ‘Diesel Locomotive Works’ (DLW), Varanasi, has developed the first prototype of a 5500 HP diesel locomotive (WDG 5). This makes it the country’s most powerful engine with a capacity to attain 100-km-per hour, making it the strongest diesel locomotive ever run on the Indian rail network.

WDG5 has brought to Indian Railways advanced technologies ie. electronic fuel engine which results in higher fuel efficiency and emission control. It simultaneously incorporates International Union of Railways (UIC) and Association of American Railroads (AAR) crash-worthiness criteria for safety.

The high horsepower locomotive design has been done by Research Designs and Standards Organisation (RDSO) and Diesel Locomotive Works (DLW) of Indian Railways with support of US based Electro Motive Diesel (EMD).

First in the World: With the making of this prototype Diesel Locomotive Works (DLW) earns the position of becoming the first ever 5500 HP diesel engine manufacturer worldwide. It is considered to be the largest locomotive to be used on a 22-axle load in the world. There are several countries with more powerful engines carrying a load on higher axle loads.

Presently Diesel Locomotive Works (DLW) are able to manufacture locomotives with horsepower ranging from 1400 HP to 5500 HP to suit compatibility of multiple track guages. Till date DLW has manufactured over 6,700 locomotives and is currently one of the biggest locomotive manufacturers in the world.

India’s First U.S.based ‘ Ritz-Carlton Hotel ‘ in Bangalore. October 2013 .

Ritz-Carlton, Bangalore is a 277-room, 5 star luxury hotel which will offer 7 food and beverage restaurant options, extensive meeting and flexible events space. Bangalore’s new hotel the Ritz-Carlton will also house the Ritz-Carlton Club, a private floor accessible only by elevator key. The opening is scheduled to open by this month end, October 31st.

Nitesh Estates Limited has built and will manage India’s first Ritz-Carlton on Bangalore’s, Residency Road – centrally located in the heart of the Central Business District. The 500,000 sq. ft. property stands on a 3-acre L-shaped plot.

Hugo Montanari, an experienced international hotelier, was appointed earlier on as Director of Operations of Ritz-Carlton, Bangalore.

The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Co. LLC, of Chevy Chase, Md., currently operates 81 hotels in the Americas, Europe, Asia, the Middle East, Africa and Carribean. The Ritz-Carlton is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the U.S. headquartered Mariott International Inc.

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First Indian-American & First South Asian to be Confirmed Key U.S. Pivotal Post in South Asia. October 2013 .

Nisha Desai Biswal was unanimously confirmed by the U.S.Senate, as Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia.

This makes Nisha Biswal the first South Asian American to hold that diplomatic position. She is the first Indian-American to hold a top diplomatic position in the bureau, which overseas US foreign policy and relations with India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Maldives and Bhutan.

She was earlier assistant administrator for Asia at the U.S.Agency for International Development (USAID).

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First Indian Woman B.A.S.E. Jumper . July 2010 .

Archana Sardana, a home maker became India’s first civilan woman BASE jumper, officially one of the worlds riskiest extreme sports that involves jumping off Buildings, Antennae, Spans and Earth with a small parachute.

Born in Jammu the adventure seeking, 40 year, wife of a naval officer and mother of 2 school-going children has several firsts to her credit.

Archana Sardana has completed 290 jumps and has a ‘C’ licence from the ‘United States Parachute Association’. She is a ‘Demonstration Skydiver’ and is the first Indian woman to fly the Indian Tricolour in US skies.

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Spice Mobility Launches India’s First ‘ AndroidLand ‘ Experience Stores in Bangalore & Noida. October 2013 .

Spice Mobility launched the first 2 AndroidLand stores in India. The two exclusively branded AndroidLand retail experience stores are located in Koramangala, Bangalore and The Great India Place Mall in Noida.

These first-of-its kind multi-location stores will offer Android experiences created for its customers and will showcase a range of Android devices, services and accessories. A wide variety of interactive live demo units that customers can play with and experience the Android platforms are readily available in these dedicated AndroidLand stores.

Spice Mobility, a leading Mobile Technology Retailer in India has a chain of 650 plus stores across India. To these retail locations, two additional AndroidLand retail outlets have been added, the first of many more planned across India.

Tata Motors Launches its First CNG Passenger Car. October 2013 .

Tata Motors Limited launched its first factory fitted compressed natural gas (CNG) passenger car in Ahmedabad – the Nano ‘eMax’. Tuesday – October 08th, 2013.

The new bio-fuel product, can run on gasoline as well as CNG. It comes equipped with a 32-litre CNG tank and has a claim of 36km per Kg fuel efficiency.

This is the first of the 5 brands in the CNG eMax series to be rolled out by Tata Motors. Indigo and Indica are likely to be the subsequent ones in the plan.