The Hindu : Briefly

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Feb 19, 2004

New Delhi

New Delhi

Briefly

Stress on natural products

NEW DELHI FEB. 18. Veteran film star Shashi Kapoor stressed the need for promoting natural lifestyle and extensive use of natural products as part of school curriculum while speaking on the third anniversary of the Foundation for Promotion of Natural Products here earlier this week.

Mr. Kapoor exhorted people to adopt a natural way of life and products and also urged them to practise yoga and meditation for preventing all modern day ills including stress, hypertension and diabetes. Besides, in the presence of former Director of Central Bureau of Investigation, Joginder Singh, he also introduced a new magazine called `Nature and Wealth'.

Awards for science paper contest

NEW DELHI FEB. 18. Seven students were awarded prizes for the "DuPont India Challenge'' nationwide school science paper contest by the Director-General of Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, Dr. R.A. Mashelkar, here on Wednesday.

While the winning entry in the Senior Category (Class IX-XII) was "The Miracles of Cloning" by Pratham Saxena and Ravi Dadhich, in the junior category (Class 6-8) Akshay Kumar of Class VII got the first prize for "Cloning''.

The other student awardees were R. Sindhu, J. Jonathan Hudson, Sulagna Chakrabarty and J. Agnishwar. Two teachers, Indu Chobey and Debjyoti Bose, were also honoured with the Special Educator award.

Efforts to protect heritage lauded

NEW DELHI FEB. 18. The Ambassador of Russia to India, Alexander M. Kadakin, lauded the steps taken by the Government of India for preserving the material heritage of the Roerichs while speaking at a function, organised here by the Russian Centre of Science and Culture and Indian Association of Friendship with Foreign Countries, to celebrate the 125th birth anniversary of Elena Ivanouvna Roerich.

Noting that Elena was not only the wife of the eminent Russian artist, archaeologist, explorer and philosopher Nikolai Roerich but also an exceptional person of rare integrity and multifaceted talents, he said she was one of the highly unorthodox and original thinkers of the 20th Century who gave mankind the invaluable gift of `Agni Yoga' with its lofty ideals of `Living Ethics'.

The Director of the International Academy of Indian Culture, Lokesh Chandra, pointed out that her works were known as the synthesis of the spiritual, philosophical and scientific teaching of ancient times and quintessence of timeless ancient wisdom. "From her very youth, she showed exceptional musical talent and an ardent interest to the sacred teachings of the east, of which she made a thorough study. Also she had laboured quietly and invisibly always helped her illustrious husband Nikolai Roerich".

A date with special kids

NEW DELHI FEB. 18. The India National PolioPlus Committee of Rotary International organised "Empathy 2004 -- an evening with the Polio-stricken kids'' at Dilli Haat here on Wednesday.

At the function, organised just four days before the National Immunisation Day, 55 Polio-stricken children from Akshay Pratisthan and Amarjyoti made an impassioned appeal to all parents of children up to the age of five years to get the children immunised on the forthcoming National Immunisation Day on February 22, 2004.

"This noble initiative is definitely going to help India redeem its pledge of not letting down the rest of the world in its polio eradication efforts," said Deepak Kapur, Chairman of the India National PolioPlus Committee. The function was also attended by Juhi Parmar of `Kumkum' fame.

Central Bank's interim dividend

NEW DELHI FEB. 18. The Central Bank of India has given an interim dividend of Rs. 75 crores to Government of India for the financial year. The cheque for the amount was handed over by R.V. Shastri, Chairman and Management Director of the bank, to N.S. Sisodia, Secretary in the Union Ministry of Finance, Banking Division, here on Tuesday.

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