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India’s first hot-air balloon flight celebrates 50 years on Children’s Day.

Anil Kumar’s kin watch him board the hot-air balloon on 14 November 1963
Anil Kumar’s kin watch him board the hot-air balloon on 14 November 1963

“I was called the Yuri Gagarin of India,” says Anil Kumar, recalling his experience of having travelled on India’s first hot-air balloon ride on 14 November 1963. The hydrogen gas balloon, launched by the then Karnataka chief minister S. Nijalingappa from the Race Course grounds in Bangalore, was part of Children’s Day celebration. The plan to build a Pestalozzi Children’s Village (based on the principles of Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi, a Swiss educational reformer) was also announced. “They wanted to have a grand event to make the announcement and so a hot-air balloon was brought in from Germany,” recalls Kumar, who was 14 years old at the time. The village was never built, but the memories of that balloon ride remain.

Two trained and licensed pilots from Germany, Hermann Johannes Scheer , the then director of Pestalozzi Kinderdorf, Germany, and Alfred Schulz were flown in for the event. Since the pilots were both German nationals, it was thought appropriate that at least one Indian should fly along with them to mark Children’s Day. “I was at the press conference two days before the event, along with my father who ran a magazine for the Karnataka Electricity Board. Since I was the only child they saw, they asked me if I would like to come along. Of course, I said yes,” says Anil Kumar.

Two trained and licensed pilots from Germany, Hermann Johannes Scheer and Alfred Schulz were flown in for the event. Anil Kumar (fourth from left), then 14 years old, was the only Indian on board.
Two trained and licensed pilots from Germany, Hermann Johannes Scheer and Alfred Schulz were flown in for the event. Anil Kumar (fourth from left), then 14 years old, was the only Indian on board.

The event made front page news in all the leading Indian newspapers. From a height of 18,000ft, Kumar recalls Bangalore as being green and gorgeous. “But the sight I can’t forget was the railway lines and the network,” he says.

“India Post brought out a First Day Cover with a photograph of Kumar and the two pilots in the balloon. “They handed us two mail bags containing the First Day Covers, to be carried as Balloon-Mail,” says Kumar, adding, the balloon landed about 20 miles (around 32km) away in a village called Cholanayakanahalli, on Magadi Road. Kumar was trained by the Bangalore city police to use a wireless communication handset and to keep them informed of the route they were taking. “The direction of a hot-air balloon is guided by the wind, so we couldn’t entirely determine where we would land,” says Kumar.

To celebrate 50 years since the country’s first hot-air balloon flight, Kumar, who runs a placement agency in Bangalore, will travel to Germany and launch another balloon flight in the presence of the Alfred Schulz, the only surviving pilot.

Anil Kumar also plans to start licensed balloon club in Bangalore this year.

India’s first hot-air balloon flight was launched by the then Karnataka chief minister S. Nijalingappa from the Race Course grounds in Bangalore on 14 November 1963.
India’s first hot-air balloon flight was launched by the then Karnataka chief minister S. Nijalingappa from the Race Course grounds in Bangalore on 14 November 1963.

source: http://www.livemint.com / Live Mint & The Wall Street Journal/ Home> Leisure / by Pavitra Jayaraman / Tuesday – July 05th, 2013

Super speciality Cleft centre inaugrated at St. Joseph’s hospital in city

Amazing Feats, Inspiration/ Positive News and Features, Science & Technology, World Opinion
Hans-Gunter Loffler, Deputy Consul General of the Federal Republic of Germany, is seen cutting the tape to inaugurate the new cleft treatment centre at St. Joseph’s Hospital in city last evening as Bishop of Mysore Rt. Rev. Dr. Thomas Antony Vazhapilly; Alexander Gross, CEO, Deustche Cleft Kinderhilfe, Germany; Dr. Brigitte Winkler, Schweizer Hilfe fur Spaltkinder, Switzerland, Hospital Administrator Fr. Mari Raj and others look on.
Hans-Gunter Loffler, Deputy Consul General of the Federal Republic of Germany, is seen cutting the tape to inaugurate the new cleft treatment centre at St. Joseph’s Hospital in city last evening as Bishop of Mysore Rt. Rev. Dr. Thomas Antony Vazhapilly; Alexander Gross, CEO, Deustche Cleft Kinderhilfe, Germany; Dr. Brigitte Winkler, Schweizer Hilfe fur Spaltkinder, Switzerland, Hospital Administrator Fr. Mari Raj and others look on.

Mysore :

Deutsche Cleft Kinderhilfe e.V., a first-of-its-kind super specialty cleft treatment centre was inaugurated at St. Joseph’s Hospital in city yesterday by Hans-Gunter Loffler, Deputy Consul General of the Federal Republic of Germany.

Bishop of Mysore Rt. Rev. Dr. Thomas A. Vazhapilly presided over the function held at St. Mathias School auditorium.

The guests of honour included prominent dignitaries like Alexander Gross, CEO, Deustche Cleft Kinderhilfe, Germany; Dr. Brigitte Winkler, Schweizer Hilfe fur Spaltkinder, Switzerland and Dr. Margrit Leuthold, Executive Director, Swissnex India.

Speaking at the occasion, Hans-Gunter Loffler said, “It is indeed a proud moment for us, as Germany is a good partner to India not just in the business and cultural domain but also in social and developmental activity.”

Addressing the gathering, Alexander Gross said, “Our aim is to make quality healthcare accessible to the underprivileged.”

Deutsche Cleft Kinderhilfe cleft centre at St. Joseph’s Hospital will offer comprehensive therapeutic, diagnostic and surgical facilities under one roof. In addition, the centre will be the first-of-its-kind exclusive facility in the Mysore region to provide free treatment to severe congenital facial deformities like NAM–Nasoalveolar Moulding therapy and orthodontic care under one roof coupled with the many complex and specialised surgeries including orthognathic surgery, rhinoplasty, pharyngoplasty, distraction osteogenesis and many secondary corrections which are quite complex in nature.

Apart from this the Centre will also provide orthodontics, speech and ENT-related treatment for cleft children.

The new cleft care facility is fully equipped with a dedicated high-tech operation theatre and ICU with state-of-the-art high-tech equipments/ technology including laminar air flow, epoxy flooring, high-end anaesthesia work station with ETCO2 and cardiac monitors, sevoflurane compatible anaesthesia machines along with a post operative rehabilitation facility for those who have undergone advanced cleft correction treatment/surgery.

The hospital has an exclusive blood bank having all the 4 components of blood 24/7 and facility of Apheresis which is a one-of-its-kind in Mysore.

Patients requiring cleft correction treatment can contact Dr. S. Manu Prasad, Project Director of the centre, on Mob: 09886701781

About Deutsche Cleft Kinderhilfe: In order to improve the living condition of the affected children and their families, Deutsche Cleft Kinderhilfe was founded in 2002. There are already ten cleft centres in India, in which operations are performed on over 2,000 children and teenagers each year. The comprehensive, free treatment also includes subsequent medical checkups, speech therapy, counselling and accommodation as well as transport costs for the children and their families, who are destitute in some cases.

In India, Deutsche Cleft Kinderhilfe has been actively setting up cleft centres in the past few years and at present successfully runs nine centres at Agra, Ahmedabad, Bhubaneswar, Coorg, Patna, Surat, Srinagar and Visakhapatnam. It also supports a cleft centre in Bangalore and Noida.

With over 10,000 free cleft lip and palate surgeries to its credit in India, the organisation is still midway on its long journey to provide high end comprehensive cleft care. Cleft in most cases, remains a childhood curse, as these otherwise completely normal children are socially ostracised coupled with health issues. If treated well and at a young age they are able to lead a completely normal and productive life.

source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> General News / November 06th, 2013

‘Thinking outside the box’ paid off in India – Mallya

Sports, World Opinion

Force India team principal Vijay Mallya said the team’s bold tactics helped it score its first double points finish since the British Grand Prix last weekend.

F1 Grand Prix of India - Practice

“We wanted to do well at our home Grand Prix,” Mallya told the offici F1 website . “We scored points at the first two races here and we wanted to score points again – if possible with both cars.”

“We knew that the car had a good race pace, even though we didn’t qualify brilliantly, and the only way to assure ourselves of points was to have a very aggressive strategy.

“So we took both the extremes: Paul came in on the first lap and Adrian stayed out as long as he could and pushed the soft tyres also quite well until the end. Yes, it was risky in some respects, but it turned out well for us.

Mallya added he had encouraged his team to “think outside the box” when it came to strategy.

The result has raised the team’s hopes of finishing ahead of Sauber, who are 23 points behind them.

“I don’t want to talk about Sauber,” said Mallya. “We gained six points on them at the weekend – they were obviously hoping to gain six points or more on us, but fortunately it worked in our favour.”

“I don’t know what happened to Nico [Hulkenberg] and why he retired, but he was going well until that point. But be that as it may, yes, we will continue to think out of the box, we will continue to score points and we will continue to make baby steps. This will be our strategy for the remaining three races.”

source: http://www.motorsportstalk.nbcsports.com / Motor Sports Talk – NBC Sports / by Keith Collantine / October 30th, 2013

Biocon No 6 among top 20 global Biotech employers

Business & Economy, Leaders, Science & Technology, World Opinion

Bangalore : 

Biotechnology major Biocon today said it has been ranked No 6 on the annual global ‘Top Twenty Employers’ list for the Bio-Pharma sector by the Science magazine.

Science magazine has ranked Biocon at No. 6 on the annual global ‘Top Twenty Employers’ list for the Bio-Pharma sector, a significant jump from No. 19 in 2012, the company in a release said.

(Biotechnology major Biocon…)
(Biotechnology major Biocon…)

According to the 2013 Top Biotech and Pharma employers’ survey, the three key attributes associated with Biocon are socially responsible, clear vision and quality research, it said.

source: http://www.articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com / The Economic Times / Home> News> News by Industry> Healthcare-Biotech / by PTI / October 25th, 2013

‘King of Good Times’ Mallya confident of India hosting F1 Grand Prix in 2015

Leaders, Sports, Uncategorized, World Opinion

Indian business magnate and the co-owner of Formula One side Force India, Dr. Vijay Mallya has said he is confident that there will be a Grand Prix in India again in 2015.

Dubbed the ‘King of Good Times’ for the playboy style of his younger days and his ownership of Kingfisher breweries, Mallya made the statement following Indian motorsport head Vicky Chandhok’s fears that F1 may never return to India despite promises to the contrary for 2015.

According to CNN, Mallya is confident that there will be an Indian GP in 2015 with 2014 given a skip because of scheduling issues (three new GPs scheduled next year), adding that he has tried to persuade his ‘good friend’ F1 chief Bernie Ecclestone  that India should not be ignored as it has a good market with its economic opportunities.

The report mentioned that Ecclestone shelved the Indian GP, to be held at the Buddh International Circuit in Greater Noida this year, for 2014 because of increasing costs due to rupee depreciation and tax issues faced by the teams.

However, Mallya admitted that there might be need of a new approach from the Indian government to secure the event’s future, adding that although the Delhi Grand Prix is staged by the track owners without any government involvement, he wishes that the Indian government would force some support to F1 to boost its own image.

Stating that India finally holding a Grand Prix was a ‘dream come true’ for him, Mallya further said that although India has its fair share of challenges, there is no drought of potential fans despite cricket holding the No.1 position for which there is still a hope for the sport in the country.

source: http://www.business-standard.com / Business Standard / Home> News-ANI> Sports / by ANI / Washinigton – October 25th, 2013

Mystery bidder buys Tipu’s Sword for Rs 9.7 crore

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Historical Links, Pre-Independence, Records, All, World Opinion

TipusSword03nov2013

London:

Sotheby’s inaugural auction of Art of Imperial India here has attracted bidding from around the globe to hit a whopping sales figure of Rs 182,598,304.

The star lot of the sale, an extremely rare 18th century enamelled and bejewelled gold tray and casket (paan-daan), sold for Rs 65,819,539 (662,500 pounds more than double its pre-sale estimate of 200,000-300,000 pounds).

Over 90 exquisite lots reflecting the broad artistic traditions of Imperial India came up for this first-ever sale by the world-famous auction house, encompassing almost 500 years of every kind of decorative art produced in the region.

“The auction captured the attention of collectors from around the world, with the pieces attracting bids from institutions and private collectors alike,” said Benedict Carter, director and head of auction sales for Middle East at Sotheby’s.

“Interest in Indian works of art has been growing in recent years and the prices achieved at Wednesday’s auction bear testament to the increasing demand for desirable works relating to India,” he added.

A group of 11 works relating to Mysore ruler Tipu Sultan were among the prized collection, selling for a combined amount of Rs 38,689,470. Tipu’s sword, fitted with an English blade, was bought for Rs 97,85,999 by a mystery bidder on the phone.

An 11-bore silver-mounted flintlock duck gun from the armoury of the king fetched 88,900 pounds and a sword taken as booty at the Siege of Srirangapatna, of Eastern-European manufacture, sold for the same amount as well.

Among some of the other highlights included a gem-set gold pocket watch with a painted cover depicting Maharaja Mahendra Singh of Patiala, which sold for 62,500 pounds and a Mughal jade-hilted dagger (khanjar) and scabbard, which fetched double the estimate amount of 20,000 pounds.

source: http://www.deccanchronicle.com / Deccan Chronicle / Home> News> Current Affairs / by PTI / October 11th, 2013

Rolf Frei, Aruna Sunderlal gets a dose of Swiss Orchestra

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Records, All, Travel, World Opinion

It was an evening of soul-stirring music as the Swiss Orchestra performed for the first time in India at the Movenpick Hotel & Spa Bangalore over the weekend. 

The event saw music lovers — including Rolf Frei, Aruna Sunderlal, Michelle and Aslam Gafoor and Manjusha Maheshwari — turn up in droves to get a chance to listen to the orchestra. The guests first spent some time catching up over drinks before they sat down to listen to the orchestra, which was headed by Christopher Morris-Whiting. Later, everyone headed home after an evening they would not forget in a hurry.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> Entertainment> Bangalore / TNN / October 16th, 2013

Silver Lake enters India, invests in Eka Software

Business & Economy, Science & Technology, World Opinion

The Bangalore-based firm will use the money to expand operations

Global private equity biggie Silver Lake, which shot into prominence after acquiring PC maker Dell Inc along with Michael Dell, has made its first India play by investing in Bangalore-based Eka Software Solutions, a firm that creates software for commodity trading.

Silver Lake, which is leading the nearly $41 million investment round through its growth capital fund Silver Lake Kraftwerk, will pick up a minority stake in Eka Software.

“This is a strategic investment in the global commodity marker where technology is playing an increasingly critical role,” said Bryce Lee, a Managing Director at Silver Lake Kraftwek.

“We look forward to working with the Eka team, and helping them explore new opportunities and develop innovative products and solutions for customers,” he added. Eka, which has been growing at a 35 per cent CAGR over the last five years, will use the investment to expand the company’s international presence, bring new product offerings at a faster pace and acquire more companies.

The investment in Eka marks Silver Lake Kraftwerk’s first investment in India, according to a company statement.

“We are very excited to partner with Silver Lake.The partnership will further accelerate our growth and help us achieve our long term strategic vision. We now look forward to working with Silver Lake to further expand and build our platform,” said Eka founder and CEO Manav Garg, in a statement.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Business> Industry / by  Staff Reporter / Chennai – October 16th, 2013

DRDO keen on rocket museum in Tipu court

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Historical Links, Pre-Independence, Leaders, Records, All, Science & Technology, World Opinion
The Rocket Court in Srirangapatna, which is in a dilapidated state.
The Rocket Court in Srirangapatna, which is in a dilapidated state.

Mysore: 

The proposal to establish  India’s first rocket museum in Tipu Sultan’s rocket court in Srirangapatna, which fired the world’s first war rocket during the Anglo-Mysore war, could make  headway now with the new Director General (Life Sciences) of the  Defence Research Development Organisation (DRDO),  Dr. Manas K Mandal seeming more inclined to make it a reality soon.

Dr. Mandal  is expected to visit Mysore later this month  with a battery of DRDO officials to inspect the historic monument in Srirangapatna.

Former DRDO Chief Controller (LS), Dr. W. Selvamurthy, had suggested the establishment of the rocket museum during his visit to Srirangapatna almost a year ago.

But after his retirement the project hit a road block as it had no takers both in the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) and the Department of Archaeology and Museums, Karnataka.

The DRDO plans to have a life-size prototype of BrahMos, a supersonic cruise missile, and models of a wide range of missiles  like Prithvi, Agni and ballistic missiles, besides  an original piece of Tipu’s rocket at the proposed rocket museum.

Additional Director, DRDO (LS) , Ravindra Kumar, says Dr. Mandal wants to treat the project with  priority.    “We will now pursue the matter aggressively and see that the project is realized,” he said.
Currently, the monument has many encroachments and a portion of  its front wall has collapsed.

Former DRDO Chief Controller, Dr. Sivathanu Pillai, had in 2006 submitted a report on the pathetic condition of the rocket court and recommended that it be  converted into a rocket museum.

Former President Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, popularly known as ‘rocket man’ for his exploits in missile technology, has devoted a  chapter to the rockets of Mysore in his book ‘Wings of Fire,’ underlining their historical signficance.

source: http://www.deccanchronicle.com / Deccan Chronicle / Home> News> Current Affairs / DC / by S. V. Krishna Chaitanya / October 19th, 2013

Infosys Engineering Services choosen among global R&D service providers

Business & Economy, Science & Technology, World Opinion

InfosysBF23oct2013

Infosys is one of the fastest growing engineering service providers in the market today

Bangalore, India : 

Zinnov, a leading independent management consulting firm, has positioned Infosys Engineering Services as a ‘Leader’ in its Global Service Provider Ratings (GSPR) 2013.

The study recognizes Infosys Engineering Services as a Leader across Aerospace, Automotive, Telecommunications, Consumer Electronics, Energy, Enterprise Software and Consumer Software segments. The ability to scale up competence across verticals through a strong training engine for engineering R&D, in the form of the Infosys Engineering Academy, gives the company a definite edge, notes the study. It also mentions that Infosys is strengthening and growing its presence in specialty areas like Semiconductor and Electronics, in addition to other areas. Highlights of the GSPR 2013 can be accessed here .

The GSPR is an annual exercise undertaken to assist business leaders in making the right decisions in partner selection across geographies. Over 75 companies were evaluated on their vertical presence, client base, R&D focus, and organization size for the 2013 study. The companies were assessed on their ability to deliver from concept to go-to-market, investments in infrastructure, niche capabilities, innovation culture and IP generation. The evaluation also looked at the companies’ leadership role in forging alliances, leveraging startups, co-creation with customers and academic research.

Infosys is one of the fastest growing engineering service providers in the market today, with strong capabilities across the board serving multiple verticals. With 8500+ engineers and client partnerships with Global 500 companies in more than 30 countries, Infosys Engineering Services provides a wide range of services for the complete engineering product lifecycle, ranging from product ideation to realization and sustenance.

Sudip Singh, vice president and head – Engineering Services, Infosys said: “Our ranking in the 2013 Global Service Provider Ratings assessment is a clear reflection of our leadership in the engineering services business. At Infosys Engineering Services, we have invested systematically to develop capabilities. Specifically, our investments in the Infosys Engineering Academy, for enhancing the skills of employees across various verticals, has been well received and is allowing us to align strongly with clients’ requirements. With established strengths across domains, our value proposition is comprehensive and we are committed to providing clients the end-to-end support they need to build global product lines and solutions.”

source:  http://www.ciol.com / CIOL / Home> Enterprise / by CIOL Bureau / Tuesday – October 08th, 2013