Embracing Diversity: A Glimpse into the Significance of World Indigenous Day
On August 9th, the world pays homage to the diverse array of cultures and customs that indigenous tribes have preserved. They provide essential insights into protecting biodiversity and addressing environmental issues through their tried-and-true ecological methods and sustainable lives.
Honoring Ancestral Wisdom: The Rich Cultural Heritage of Indigenous Communities
Indigenous peoples have always had a close relationship with nature. They provide essential insights into protecting biodiversity and addressing environmental issues through their tried-and-true ecological methods and sustainable lives. It is the perfect time to take inspiration from indigenous peoples’ healthy coexistence with the planet as we observe World Indigenous Day.
Voices of Resilience: Advocacy and Challenges Faced by Indigenous Peoples
Indigenous communities have scrupulously maintained their history, values, and practices through oral traditions in the absence of written documents. These rituals, songs, and stories function as instructional tools that transmit priceless information from one generation to the next. They are not only cultural manifestations.
Preservation Efforts: Promoting Cultural Identity and Environmental Stewardship
We recognise the continuous fight for cultural preservation and encourage improved They provide essential insights into protecting biodiversity and addressing environmental issues through their tried-and-true ecological methods and sustainable lives. understanding of the particular problems they encounter in the contemporary day by commemorating their legacy.
Nizami Elegance: Tracing the Historical Splendor of Hyderabad
The wealthy and imperial Nizams, who ruled the region, are profoundly ingrained in Hyderabad’s history. The magnificent palaces, elegant architecture, and artistic achievements from this bygone age that can still be seen all around the city are testaments to its rich historical past.
The Charminar Chronicles: Exploring the Heart of the Old City
The renowned Charminar in Hyderabad defends the city’s past, its arches and minarets narrating tales of the city’s rich cultural diversity and enduring attractiveness.
Culinary Kaleidoscope: A Gastronomic Journey Through Hyderabad’s Delights
The harmony of flavors in Hyderabadi food entices the palette.In Hyderabadi cuisine, the balance of tastes entices the palate.From the famed Biryani to the delectable Haleem, the city’s culinary offerings are a reflection of its many cultural influences, creating a seductive mix that food lovers cannot resist.
Hitech City Horizon: Unveiling the Technological Marvels of Cyberabad
Hyderabad has recently solidified its position on the map of the world’s technological hubs, with the expansive Hitech City developing as a center of innovation and entrepreneurship. The impact of the city on India’s technological environment is examined in this section, along with the motivations behind the innovations.
Pearls and Bazaars: The Exquisite Shopping Experience in Hyderabad
Hyderabad has been synonymous with pearls for centuries, with its bustling markets offering a dazzling array of precious gemstones and jewelry. Delving into the city’s bazaars, we unravel the history of its pearl trade and showcase the vibrant shopping experiences that await.
Introduction to India: A Kaleidoscope of Colors and Cultures
India, a sizable South Asian country, is a place that embraces variety in all facets of daily life. India is a dazzling kaleidoscope of hues that has captivated visitors and academics for ages because of its vast geographic size and its colorful culture and traditions. In this article, we set out on a journey to investigate the fascinating tapestry that is India, learning about its illustrious past and the fascinating experiences it has to offer.
Incredible India: A Treasure Trove of Natural Beauty
India has an unmatched geographic variety, from the snow-capped Himalayan peaks in the north to the lush vegetation of the Western Ghats in the south. The nation is home to a breathtaking variety of topographies, including as tranquil backwaters, attractive beaches, lush woods, and dry deserts. This section explores India’s stunning natural beauty and the need of protecting its fragile ecosystems.
Timeless Traditions: India’s Cultural Heritage
India’s rich cultural legacy serves as a live reminder of its long past. The deep-rooted traditions that have been passed down through the years are reflected in the country’s art, music, dance, and festivals. India’s cultural mosaic is an alluring fusion of artistic manifestations, from traditional dance styles like Bharatanatyam and Kathak to the melodic strains of Hindustani and Carnatic music. This section honors the value of India’s cultural legacy and its long-lasting influence on the globe.
Spiritual Haven: India’s Journey of Faith
Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhism are just a few of the main faiths that are said to have originated in India. Millions of devotees and seekers from all over the world visit the nation’s numerous grand temples, tranquil monasteries, and respected pilgrimage destinations. This section of the essay examines India’s spiritual heritage and its function as a shelter for those in search of enlightenment and the truth.
Unity in Diversity: India’s Multilingual Society
With more than 22 officially recognized languages and innumerable dialects, India is the home to an astounding variety of languages. India’s inclusive mentality, in which each language is a doorway to the rich cultural history of its speakers, is reflected in the country’s linguistic variety. This section explores India’s rich linguistic heritage and how language helps its citizens feel united and proud of their country.
Hyderabad: Telangana chief minister K Chandrashekhar Rao on Monday announced Rs 25 crore for the construction of Hare Krishna Heritage Tower in the city.
The Hare Krishna Movement (HKM) organized Bhumi Puja ceremony for the monument, which is 400 feet (120 meters) tall and is meant to be major religious and cultural landmark in Hyderabad.
Taken up at a cost of Rs 200 crore, the tower consists of temples that have a linkage through various religions and will likely be completed by 2028.
About the Tower
The Tower will be constructed on a sprawling six-acre campus at Goshpada Kshetra (land sanctified by cows) in Narsingi. The deities’ of Radha and Krishna along with the eight gopis known as Asthasakhis, will be installed in the grand temple hall.
A traditional stone-carved temple with a large prakara dedicated to Sri Srinivasa Govinda, inspired by the world-renowned Sri Venkateshwara Swamy shrine in Tirumala will be there in the Tower that will draw architectural elements from Kakatiya, Chalukya, Dravidian and other ancient styles.
The campus will have features like a library, museum, and multi-vision theatre for the spiritual and cultural education of children, youth, and families.
Various attractions integrated with the latest technologies, such as hologram and laser projection, will create engaging and immersive experiences for visitors and present our rich culture and heritage in a captivating manner, a grand vaidika samkara hall and pilgrim guest rooms have also been built that can be utilized for large gatherings.
Speaking after laying the foundation for the Hare Krishna Movement’s Heritage Tower at Narsingi, KCR said that the state government would extend all support to organizations, which follow peaceful, devotional practices.
“I am really proud to be here among all of you to share joyous moments. A very very devotional beautiful temple will come up very shortly in Hyderabad,” said KCR.
Recalling that the Telangana government has built the Sri Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy temple at Yadadri in a very decent way and was being appreciated by one and all, KCR said that the Anjaneya Swamy Temple at Kondagattu and Vemulawada and Kaleshwaram temples are also under construction.
Stating that the Hare Krishna Heritage Tower should serve society in both devotional and social ways, KCR said, “If you want to have peace, it can be derived from prayers at temples and other religious structures.”
“Religious ignorance among people creates trouble for humans. No religion promotes hatred but religious ignorance takes people into a trance and forces them to perform inhuman activities,” added KCR.
“Right from school children to IT employees, many were relishing hot, hygienic, and nutritious food through Annapurna Centres. Not a single complaint has been lodged to date. After relishing the food, students and even high-income group people were appreciating the state government and Akshaya Patra Foundation,” added KCR.
Another blast at Heritage Street near Amritsar’s Golden Temple
Amritsar: One person was injured in a blast on Monday morning at Heritage Street near the Golden Temple in Punjab’s Amritsar, the very site where an explosion took place on May 6, police said today.
The cause of the explosion, however, is yet to be ascertained and police said they are “verifying” the cause of the incident.
“We are verifying. The situation is normal here. Anti-sabotage, Bomb Squad, and FSL teams are here,” Amritsar Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police Mehtab Singh told ANI.
He further said that one person has received a minor injury in the leg and the glass facades of some nearby buildings were damaged in the blast.
“After the clarification, we can tell how it happened. The investigation is going on by our teams,” he added. A sweeper who was present on the spot during the incident said, “I am a sweeper here and was doing my duty when I heard a big blast sound and saw heavy smoke,” he said.
On May 6, Saturday night around 11:15 pm there was an explosion at the same Heritage Street near the Golden Temple, police said in which one person was injured.
Amritsar ADCP Mehtab Singh said that both Saturday’s blast and the one today was of a low intensity. (
Chandigarh: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will inaugurate the first-of-its-kind Indian Air Force Heritage Centre here on Monday, officials said.
It was set up under a memorandum of understanding between the Union Territory of Chandigarh and the IAF, signed last year.
Last month, Air Chief Marshal V R Chaudhari visited the Indian Air Force Heritage Centre to review its progress.
Spread over 17,000 square feet, this is the first heritage centre of the IAF and depicts its role in various wars, including in 1965 and 1971 and the Kargil war, and the Balakot air strike through murals and memorabilia.
Its exhibits will be a source of inspiration for future generations and will showcase the indomitable spirit of the Indian Air Force.
Divided into various sections, the heritage centre has several attractions such as aircraft models, aero engines and weapons, including Gryazev-Shipunov twin barrelled guns.
The centre also showcases augmented reality, hologram, virtual reality, and electro mechanical enclosures, interactive kiosks highlighting various facets of the IAF, officials said.
There are also flying simulators at the centre which will give flight experience to visitors.
Among the attractions of the heritage centre include five vintage aircraft and SAM-III Pechora missiles.
A Hindustan Piston Trainer-32 primary flying trainer aircraft has been on display at the centre. Its period of operation in the Indian Air Force was from 1977 to 2009. A MiG 21 single seat fighter has also been positioned.
Besides, Air Force Kanpur 1, which was made by Air Vice Marshal Harjinder Singh in 1958, has been positioned. A GNAT aircraft (Sabre Slayer) 1971 fame is also on the display.
The centre also has a special segment which has been dedicated to women officers in the IAF for their contribution for the service of the nation.
The role of leading women officers depicted at the heritage centre include Sqn Ldr Nivedita Choudhary (Retd), the first woman officer of the IAF to summit the Mount Everest, Air Marshal Padma Bandopadhyay (Retd), the first woman promoted as Air Marshal.
The centre displays the glorious history of IAF with the help of murals depicting various war campaigns of IAF starting with the role of IAF in Indo-Pak war of 1948 to electro mechanical 3D-dioramas depicting the latest operations of IAF such as the Balakot Air Strike.
An audio-visual gallery will present the journey of IAF through time, tracing its evolution from its inception to the modern day as well as promotional movies on IAF.
There is a section where uniforms of the IAF will be shown, besides an enclosure for IAF ranks and badges. One section of the walls also displays several rescue operations of the IAF.
New Delhi: Projection mapping shows have been held at 13 heritage sites across the country, including Red Fort and Gateway of India, to mark the 100th episode of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s monthly radio programme “Mann ki Baat”, officials said on Sunday.
The programme was aired on Sunday morning.
On Saturday night, the 13 cultural sites, including ASI-protected monuments such as Mughal-era Red Fort in Delhi and Gwalior Fort in Madhya Pradesh, Chittorgarh Fort in Rajasthan, Golconda Fort in Telangana, Navratnagarh Fort in Jharkhand, besides the Prime Minister’s Sanghralaya in Delhi were illuminated to mark the occasion.
“To mark the completion of 100th episode of #MannKiBaat, @MinOfCultureGoI with @ASIGoI is celebrating the occasion in a momentous way through activities like projection mapping shows, photo op, message & audio booths at 13 different iconic monuments across the country,” said a tweet from the Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav’s official Twitter handle on Sunday.
It also shared pictures of the some of the sites taken during the shows held on Saturday.
Earlier in the day, a senior ASI official said the projection mapping will be done at these 13 sites again on Sunday.
However, later in the evening, another senior ASI official said the show was held only at the Prime Minister’s Sangrahalaya in Delhi, and not at ASI sites.
“The special show, which lasted for 20-25 minutes, was woven around the theme of nation-building and was people-centric. Each location highlighted the heritage and historical value of the site and the region where it was projected,” the Culture Ministry said in a statement on Sunday afternoon.
The 13 sites also included Sun Temple in Odisha, Vellore Fort in Tamil Nadu, Ramnagar Fort in Jammu and Kashmir’s Udhampur, Rang Ghar in Assam, the Residency building in Lucknow, and Sun Temple in Modhera, Gujarat.
The projection mapping shows were open to the public free of cost, and the sites featured various activities and exhibits to make the evening more memorable.
Attendees could listen to pre-installed episodes of ‘Mann Ki Baat’, share their ideas on a message wall, and even take pictures at a specially designed photo booth, the ministry said.
Since its inception on October 3, 2014, “Mann Ki Baat” has been broadcast on the last Sunday of every month at 11 am on All India Radio (AIR) and Doordarshan (DD). The show reflects the prime minister’s “conviction and desire to have an inclusionary and people-centric approach to governance”, the statement said.
(Except for the headline, the story has not been edited by Siasat staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
With 60000 specimens, the 51-year-old Kashmir University Herbarium (KASH) is the only address for studying the diverse plant basket of Kashmir, Jammu and Ladakh. In near future, it is planning to get digitized, reports Insha Shirazi
Mrs and Mr Dr Ralph R Stewart, the last major botanist who immensely contributed to the taxonomy in Kashmir.
It has been a phenomenal growth. The Kashmir University Herbarium, founded in 1972 by AR Naqshi with a meagre collection of 500 species in a single room, has now blossomed into a haven of Himalayan plant specimens with a staggering 60,000 plant specimens. Known globally for its unique and endemic plant diversity, the herbarium is a magnet for plant enthusiasts and researchers. As early as 1980, the Herbarium was recognised by the International Bureau for Plant Taxonomy and Nomenclature based in New York, under the acronym KASH. Housed in the University’s Centre for Biodiversity and Taxonomy (CBT), it had only 12,000 plant specimens, then. In the last four decades, the collects have gone up five times.
Index Herbarium puts this herbarium and rank three in the North-Western Himalayas of India. Although Central National Herbarium, Kolkata is home to more than 200000 plant specimens and Forest Research Institute, Dehradun, and IIIM of Jammu have more than 12000 plant specimens each, none of these major herbariums has a collection as diverse and unique as that of the Kashmir University Herbarium.
Professionals associated with the herbarium have collected the plant species from diverse habitats across Jammu and Kashmir. It has plants that grow in Guraze, Tulail, Karnah, Keran, Badherwah, Doda, Kishtwar, Warwun, Marwah, Dachin, Padder, Rajouri, Poonch, Drass, Kargil, Zanskar, and Nubra. Part of the collection was sent to renowned herbaria including the Royal Botanical Garden, Kew, besides various others within India.
The Preservation
“Herbarium is a dried plant specimen collected through different techniques. We go to the field and collect them, dry them in newspapers or blotting paper, depending on the moisture content,” Akhtar H Malik, Junior Scientist and Curator for Biodiversity and Taxonomy (CBT) at the Kashmir University Herbarium (KASH), said while explaining the process of collecting and preserving plant specimens. “After drying, we paste these specimens on specialized sheets called herbarium sheets, which have an international standard size of 29×41.5 cm. On the bottom side of the plant specimen, we paste a special label known as the herbarium label that has data like the spot where it was collected, location, date, habitat, etc. After that, we transfer these plant specimens to the herbarium and arrange them according to the Bentham and Hooker systems. Nowadays, we arrange them in herbarium compactors according to the family of the plant specimens.”
However, preserving these plant specimens for long-term storage requires more care. “We use chemicals to preserve these plant specimens at the time of pasting on specialized Herbarium sheet. Then, the second step is to use a small amount of mercuric chloride with glue because plants that we collect from different places, such as aquatic bodies, can be contaminated by pests. After that, we keep them in fumigation chambers with chemicals like Para dichlorobenzene and naphthalene for 10 days until these chemicals are exposed. Finally, we transfer them to herbarium compactors.” Malik added.
These plant specimens last for a long time. “We have species that are more than 100 years old, collected by British botanists from Kashmir,” Malik said. “They collected a lot of specimens from the Himalayas of Kashmir and kept those specimens in Dehradun. We obtained 10 specimens from them and kept them in our Herbarium.”
These plant specimens are not only important for scientific research but also for education and cultural heritage. “Every year we get students from schools, colleges, and Universities. If this herbarium would not be there a researcher or student might have to go to another place to submit their specimen,” Malik said.
The Importance
KASH (Kashmir University Herbarium) holds a huge collection and has emerged as a valuable resource for identifying unknown and rare plant species.
“We have specimens of Kuth (Saussurea costus) and Kahzaban (Arnebia benthamii) that identify the genuine from similar plants, said Malik. “These specimens are not only useful for researchers and scholars but also for students who visit our herbarium to learn about plant diversity.”
The curator at KASH Herbarium at the University of Kashmir explains things to visitors. KL Image Special Arrangement
Herbariums are crucial for documenting plant diversity. “We can create a flora or inventory of plant species based on herbarium data. We can also determine the location of a particular plant species with the help of herbarium specimens,” added Malik.
Off late, KASH has also become a popular destination for students, scholars, and researchers from different colleges, schools, and universities. Besides, Herbariums represent Kashmir’s natural heritage of plants.
Climate Change
The herbarium can be used as a tool to determine how the phenology of plants changes due to climate change. Now, some plants flower in February. “We can take historical data from the Herbarium of these plants whose flowering was preponing, by one month,” Malik said. “The collectors collected these plants for the herbarium when the flowering was seen in March but now it is February. It clearly explains the climate change impact.”
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has declared at least six medicinal and aromatic plant species on the red list of extinction in Jammu and Kashmir. “We can do mapping of extinct plants. We write the herbaria data of the plant specimens, location, its geo coordinates and make a map about their distribution range then and now,” Malik said. “Suppose we have 50 locations in herbarium specimens but on the ground, we can locate 10 or 15 locations and we go for their In-situ conservation.”
The data on medicinal plants in the herbarium is collected by scholars from different locations of Kashmir like Gulmarg, Kokernag, and Daksum.. When they go to collect the specimens after 30 years and fail to locate the particular specimen, it reflects a shift in climate change, land use patterns, population expansion, habitat fragmentation or any other reason.
A Rich Collection
“I have visited the KASH 8-10 times. In comparison to established herbaria, it is an active herbarium of northwestern Himalaya and houses a rich collection of Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh regions. This has a collection of very remote areas which are not found in any other herbariums,” Dr Priyanka, Principal Scientist CSIR, National Botanical Researcher Institute Lucknow (NBRI) said. “If we want to study plant diversity of Jammu and Kashmir and Himalayan you can sit in Kashmir University herbarium and compile a lot of data on plant diversity.”
Priyanka is working on the Himalayas. Though the Herbarium of Kolkata has an almost 200 years old collection, the specimens are not in good condition.
“My 20 students have visited KASH because it is mandatory. It is important for Kashmir and Ladakh flora as they are representing a good amount of plant diversity in India,” Priyanka said. “The main collectors of the KASH are well-renowned taxonomists. The specimens are well-identified and well-researched and represent the Standard reference diversity.”
Plant Collectors In Kashmir
Improvement
With technology shifts in knowledge management, KASH is also changing. “We will go for digitization of all the specimens and we have submitted the proposal also,” Malik said. “We can use a high-end digital scanner and can scan the specimens and we can keep all those scanned images of all the plant specimens on the website by which the student and scholars across the world can asses those scanned images of plant specimens at home. It will take 3-4 years to execute this plan.”
The Financial Assistance for Science and Technology (FIST) grants the Kashmir University herbarium 10 lakh rupees for the herbarium compactors.
“Many herbariums in India and outside India have digitized their herbariums. If the herbarium of Kashmir gets digitized it would be the very fantastic job and it will be very useful for the researcher from outside Kashmir to assess the plant specimens sitting at the home. It will save time and money,” Dr Priyanka said.
SRINAGAR: Union Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports Anurag Singh Thakur on Friday said that G20 under India’s Presidency has set new milestones for the country.
Maintaining that India’s rich art, culture and heritage has left lasting impression on the delegates from across the world, Union Minister said, “Around 103 delegates participating in the Y20 pre summit in Leh are mesmerized by the monasteries, sangam and landscape of Leh and they want to return to Ladakh again.”
Stating that despite statements by many that the pre summit should not be organized in Leh, the Y20 pre summit concluded successfully.
haring details on the outcomes of the Pre Summit in Leh, Union Minister said that there is a consensus on the five themes of Y20 summit among the participating countries and international organizations. He also informed that important suggestions have come on the future challenges including reskilling and Upskilling. |
“The meeting focused on the five Y20 themes of Shared Future: Youth in Democracy and Governance ; Future of Work: Industry 4.0, Innovation & 21st Century Skills; Climate Change and Disaster Risk Reduction: Making Sustainability a Way of Life; Peace Building and Reconciliation: Ushering in an era of No War and Health, Wellbeing & Sports: Agenda for Youth,” he said.
Earlier the Union Minister held Yuva Samvaad with the delegates and said that the runway is ready for youth to take off, whether it is for economy or education, sports or entrepreneurship,skill development or digitisation, and the youth – now have a mission to make a global impact.
He also said that the Y20 summit is providing an extraordinary opportunity for the youth and the world alike to shape their national as well as international discourse and in many ways be proactive in finding solutions to problems our respective regions face.
He further remarked, “I am confident that the young generation will make the advancements of the last century look miniscule compared to the milestones that this new (youth) generation will discover.”
He said that Young people should know that you are living in the greatest time to be alive and encouraged them to – Dream, read, write, think and act fearlessly.
He also added that the Y20 themes have been carefully selected to empower young people to create, collaborate, and contribute to the G20’s development agenda and the global community as a whole.
“We firmly believe, that at the end of this decade, emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, machine learning and the internet will have evolved significantly and data science would have occupied much deeper parts of our lives. Youth should be prepared with these skills,” Thakur said.
He urged that Youth must move away from the constraints of the past and exploit the opportunities of the present, to unleash the potential of their countries in the future!
Hyderabad: Paigah Palace in Hyderabad, which served as the US Consulate in Hyderabad since 2009, will soon see a change in its identity.
With the US Consulate officially ending its lease of Paigah Palace, the fate of the building will now be decided by the state government.
Telangana state museum or heritage hotel in Hyderabad?
While the tourism and other departments had earlier proposed to convert the building into a heritage hotel on the lines of Falaknuma Palace, it now looks like the palace is likely to be converted into a state museum.
According to a report by TOI, Telangana Municipal Administration Minister KT Rama Rao is believed to have informed HMDA officials about Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao’s plan to convert it into a state museum.
History of Paigah Palace in Hyderabad
Paigah Palace was built by Sir Vicar-ul-Umra, a Paigah nobleman. It is spread over four acres of land and is a double-storied building.
The palace premises consist of the main building (G+1), annexure-I building (G+3), and annexure-II (G+3) with a total built-up area of 6,211 square meters.
The US Consulate office in Hyderabad was the first US diplomatic office to open in India after 1947. Until March 15, it was housed in Paigah Palace, Chiran Fort Lane, Hyderabad.
In the past 14 years, the US Consulate approved over 16 lakh visas and processed 42511 citizenship services. However, on March 20, the US Consulate in Hyderabad began its operation at a new facility in Nanakramguda, which is the largest US diplomatic mission in South Asia, built with an investment of USD 297 million. The new consulate office, constructed on a 12.2-acre site, has many new features, including 54 visa procession windows.
Paigah Palace in Hyderabad has a rich history and cultural significance. The building’s architectural marvels and historical significance make it a valuable asset for the state of Telangana.
