** English teachers’ forum offers courses for teachers

The English language teachers’ forum RIEMATES has invited applications from teachers to join two courses offered by it to improve their language proficiency.

Director K. Chandran, lecturer in the Department of Education, Mahe, said that the forum was associated with the Regional Institute of English, Bengaluru, which offers Diploma in English Communication (DIEC) and Postgraduate Diploma in English Language Teaching (PGDELT) courses.

The classes are conducted every Sunday at Sacred Heart Higher Secondary School, Thalassery.

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** ‘Indianish but not Indian’ describes Mauritius best

From garam masala made with Madagascar spices to fritters stuffed with prawns and béchamel sauce, local meals in Mauritius are familiar yet so exotic

It’s a glorious autumn night in April in Mauritius when a small bus with disco lights and local Sega music drops us off in a village named after piment (chilli, in Mauritian Creole). We are at the house of Ved Bhujun, whose forefathers had set sail from India almost 200 years ago to this blue-green land.

The Bhujun family has retained its Indian heritage, despite a very mixed Creole gene pool now. A temple guards the home’s garden, we are welcomed with lit lamps, and Ved’s son — with the Indian Navy till a few years ago, and now in Mauritius’ anti-narcotics squad — tells me how, when he gets married, he will have not only Indian-style music and dancing but also a “turmeric ceremony”. There is nothing religious about these rituals; they are just vehicles for memories. As is the food. You realise as you taste it, here’s something that is Indianish, but not Indian — spices sans pungency, cultural resonances reshaped into new flavours.

** Gukesh wins La Roda International Open chess title in style

Praggnanandhaa finishes third; Raunak fourth

The country’s youngest Grandmaster D. Gukesh, 15, improved upon his two runner-up finishes in March with a resounding title-triumph in the 48th La Roda International Open chess tournament in Castile-La Mancha, in Spain.

In the ninth and final round, joint overnight leader Gukesh stopped Israel’s Victor Mikhalevski in just 26 moves to finish with eight points.

Earlier, aiming for the runner-up spot, R. Praggnanandhaa did Gukesh a favour by holding the other overnight leader Armenia’s Haik Martirosyan in 37 moves. Martisroyan (7.5 points) finished runner-up and Praggnanandhaa topped a five-way tie for third place at seven points. Raunak Sadhwani was part of those at seven points and took the fourth spot.

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** N. Sankar: An innings of understated achievement ends

The chairman of the chemicals-to-shipping Sanmar Group passed away on Sunday

N. Sankar, 76, chairman of the home-grown chemicals-to-shipping conglomerate Sanmar Group, passed away at his residence here on Sunday after a brief illness. He is survived by his wife Chandra, son Vijay Sankar, who is the Deputy Chairman of the $1-billion group, and a daughter Madhurika, who is a venture investor and writer.

The elder of industrialist K.S. Narayanan’s two sons, Sankar obtained a B.Sc.Tech in Chemical Engineering from the AC College of Technology and a master’s degree from the Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago.

A third-generation entrepreneur, Sankar started his career as a 21-year-old trainee at the group’s flagship chemicals company, Chemplast, in 1967, when his father was overseeing the business. At 26, he made his first entrepreneurial move by helming the acquisition of a major stake in Industrial Chemicals and Monomers, a carbide manufacturing company.

His stewardship of Chemplast, and the Sanmar Group as a whole, saw the group widen and enlarge its industrial and business footprint significantly. A pioneer in PVC manufacture, Sankar came up with some of the original choices for highly integrated manufacturing processes at various facilities of Chemplast.

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** Noted Odia singer, musician Prafulla Kar passes away at 83

Kar’s songs enriched more than 70 Odia films over six decades.

Popular Odia singer and music director Prafulla Kar passed away following breathing difficulties here on Sunday.

He was 83 and is survived by wife and two sons. Kar’s songs enriched more than 70 Odia films over six decades.

Born on February 16, 1939 in Puri, Kar had early exposure to the world of music. His elder brother Khetramohan Kar was an accomplished tabla player and hence musicians and singers used to come to his home frequently. From childhood, he was attracted to music and singing.

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** Lt. Gen Manoj Pande appointed next Army Chief

He will take over on April 30 when the incumbent Gen Manoj Naravane is set to retire.

Vice Chief of Army Staff Lt Gen Manoj Pande has been appointed as the 29th Chief of Army Staff, becoming the first officer from Corps of Engineers to head the 1.3 million Army.

He will take over on April 30 when the incumbent Gen Manoj Naravane is set to retire.

Appointment is still awaited for the post of Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) which has fallen vacant following the untimely demise of the first country’s CDS Gen Bipin Rawat in a chopper crash in December. Gen Naravane is presently the seniormost and front runner for the post.

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** Scotland’s Indian-origin COVID adviser reveals face mask threat

Devi Sridhar, professor of global public health at Edinburgh University who is on the Scottish government’s coronavirus advisory board, told ‘The Times’ newspaper this weekend that she was sent white powder and a used face mask in the post last year.

“I was extremely shaken and it was probably the hardest part because it was in my real life, not virtual or online,” said Sridhar, who often appears on UK radio and television as an expert commentator on the COVID-19 pandemic.

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 ** Know Your City: How World War II pushed IMD’s headquarters from Pune to Delhi

The commencement of World War II in 1939 boosted meteorological operations, particularly those required for aviation services, and necessitated the closer presence of weather experts for aviation in Delhi.

Had the Second World War not broken out in 1939, Pune would probably have continued to be the headquarters of the India Meteorological Department (IMD) for a longer period. In fact, it was only about a decade before the war – on April 1, 1928 – that Pune became the IMD’s headquarters.

As many as 74 meteorological observatories had been operational in British India, including some of the world’s oldest ones located in the then cities of Bombay, Calcutta and Madras.

As meteorology developed in the country, the secretary of the state of India, after consulting several meteorologists in England , decided to appoint an Imperial Reporter tasked with supervising meteorological activities across India.

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** Vemulawada man expert in both Agamam and Sthapatyam 

Unique World Records recognises his feat

According to Indian culture, ‘Agamam’ means ways to perform the ‘puja vidhi’ (Vaidik system) in temples. It is an expertise known only to a very few people.

‘Sthapatyam’, on the other hand, means temple architecture, mostly used in reference to those who construct and design temples, following religious protocols. A person who studies Sthapatyam is called a ‘Sthapathi’.

High concentration and years of dedication are needed to become an expert in one of the two fields. Bagging a world record as a mark of recognition is something that Chamarthi Balabhaskaran Sthapathi, presently working as an assistant Sthapathi at Vemulawada Temple Area Development Authority (VTADA), has achieved.

In February, Unique World Records Limited had recognised him as the world’s first Shilpa and Agama Shastra Sthapathi.

“I have completed both the courses. I am the first person in the world to have completed both. The Unique World Records Limited has recognised the feat and communicated to me,” said Mr. Balabhaskaran, adding that these two were the two pillars for a Hindu temple system.

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** India gets S-400 training equipment

There is a delay in the delivery of the second regiment of S-400 from Russia due to the ongoing war in Ukraine . However some training equipment and simulators arrived in India, official sources confirmed.

“Simulators and training equipment have arrived. The second operational unit is likely to be delayed by a few months,” a defence source said and this was confirmed by another official.

Last December, India took delivery of the first S-400 regiment, five of which were contracted from Russia under a $5.43 bn deal signed in October 2018. The first unit has been deployed in Punjab and is operational, officials have confirmed.

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