1. Avantika Vandanapu Named 'South Asian Person of the Year' at Harvard University
Tags: Awards
Avantika Vandanapu was honored as the 'South Asian Person of the Year' by the South Asian Association (SAA) at Harvard University on April 9, 2024.
An Overview of the News
She was recognized for her remarkable achievements and significant impact in both the international and Indian entertainment industries.
Avantika was born on January 25, 2005, in California, USA, into an Indian family originally from Hyderabad, Telangana.
She began her acting career as a child artist, starring in Telugu films such as Brahmotsavam and Manamantha.
Avantika gained prominence with her first lead role in the Disney original movie 'Spin' (2021) and later appeared in Netflix's 'Senior Year' (2022).
She expanded her repertoire by debuting in the Indian OTT series 'Big Girls Don't Cry' (2024).
2. Professor Meena Charanda to receive 'International Culture Award' in 2024
Tags: Awards
Professor Meena Charanda, in the role of Principal at Kalindi College, Delhi University, was honored with the prestigious 'International Culture Award' for the year 2024.
An Overview of the News
Prof. Charanda was bestowed with this accolade at the India International Center on March 30, 2024, in recognition of his outstanding achievements in education and social service.
Highlights of the award presentation include the presentation of a memento, plaque, shield and a citation on behalf of the University.
The selection for the award was made by a 5-member committee led by K Yogesh, Chairman, of Socrates Social Research University (Trust), comprising members from diverse backgrounds.
About Professor Meena Charanda
Charanda has taught political science at Kalindi College for over 20 years.
She did his PhD from Delhi University with specialization on Dalit assemblies of Uttar Pradesh and Professor Charanda wrote a book on Dalit MLAs in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly.
Her work includes more than 50 published articles in various newspapers and magazines and currently, she guides two PhD researchers.
3. Hardik Singh and Salima Tete win top honors at Hockey India Awards 2023
Hardik Singh and Salima Tete were named male and female players of the year respectively at the Hockey India Awards 2023 in New Delhi.
An Overview of the News
Indian men's team vice-captain Hardik Singh was part of the hockey team that won the bronze medal at the Tokyo 2023 Olympics and the gold medal at the Asian Games 2023.
Salima Tete, an Olympian, was in the women's team that won a bronze medal at the 2023 Asian Games in Hangzhou.
Hardik Singh also won the Midfielder of the Year award.
Salima Tete was selected as the winner of the Asian Hockey Federation's Emerging Player of the Year Award in 2023.
Munich 1972 Olympic bronze medalist Ashok Kumar was honored with the Hockey India Lifetime Achievement Award, named after his father Dhyan Chand, for his contribution to the sport.
Ashok Kumar scored the winning goal in the 1975 World Cup final in Kuala Lumpur.
Personal Honors:
PR Sreejesh received the Hockey India Baljeet Singh Award for Goalkeeper of the Year.
Manpreet Singh was celebrated for completing 350 international caps for the Indian men's hockey team.
Savita Punia and Harmanpreet Singh were celebrated for achieving the milestone of 250 and 200 international caps respectively for India.
Harmanpreet Singh also won the Hockey India Pargat Singh Award for Defender of the Year.
Abhishek won the Hockey India Dhanraj Pillay Award for Forward of the Year.
The Hangzhou Asian Games gold medal-winning Indian men's team and the bronze medal-winning Indian women's hockey team were felicitated.
Hockey India Awards 2023 winners
Hockey India Major Dhyan Chand Lifetime Achievement Award recipient: Ashok Kumar
Hockey India Balbir Singh Sr Award for Player of The Year (Men): Hardik Singh
Hockey India Balbir Singh Sr Award for Player of The Year (Women): Salima Tete
Hockey India Baljit Singh Award for Goalkeeper of the Year recipient: PR Sreejesh
Hockey India Pargat Singh Award for Defender of the Year recipient: Harmanpreet Singh
Hockey India Ajit Pal Singh Award for Midfielder of the Year recipient: Hardik Singh
Hockey India Dhanraj Pillay Award for Forward of the Year recipient: Abhishek
Hockey India Asunta Lakra Award for Upcoming Player of the Year (Women – Under 21): Deepika Soreng
Hockey India Jugraj Singh Award for Upcoming Player of the Year (Men – Under 21): Araijeet Singh Hundal
4. Star Estate's Vijay Jain receives Times Power Icon 2024 award
Tags: Awards
Vijay Jain, Managing Director, of Star Estate, was honored with the Times Power Icon 2024 Award.
An Overview of the News
Times Group organized a prestigious event in Noida where notable attendees included industry leaders and celebrities like Adah Sharma, who presented the awards.
Under Jain's leadership, Star Estate has become renowned for reliability and trustworthiness in real estate consultancy.
The company has expanded its operations to various cities including Noida, Gurugram, Mumbai, Pune and Bengaluru.
Commitment to Sustainable Development:
Jain's leadership has focused on promoting sustainable real estate growth.
Despite his achievements, Jain is focused on the future, aiming to make Star Estate a leader in sustainability.
Star Estate:
Established in 2012, Star Estate provides consultancy services in residential, commercial and retail real estate.
The company emphasizes sustainable development and community benefit in its operations.
5. Abel Prize 2024 awarded to Michel Talagrand
Tags: Awards
Michel Talagrand of the French National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS), Paris, France, has been honored with the 2024 Abel Prize by the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters.
An Overview of the News
Michel Talagrand was recognized for his pioneering work in probability theory and functional analysis.
His contributions have had significant applications in mathematical physics and statistics.
Talagrand's achievements were deemed groundbreaking by the Academy, leading to this prestigious award.
Talagrand's research primarily focuses on the Gaussian distribution, also known as the bell curve, which influences various aspects of life, from birth weights to school test scores and athlete retirement ages.
The Abel Prize recognizes Talagrand's contributions in three key areas:
Analysis of supremum in stochastic processes, aiding in predicting extreme events like the largest wave hitting a beach.
Development of quantitative estimates for the concentration of measures, where different sources of randomness can lead to more predictable outcomes.
Application of statistics and probability theory to understand spin glass matter, contributing to the completion of Giorgio Parisi's Nobel Prize-winning work in 2021.
6. Bina Agarwal and James Boyce receive the first 'Global Inequality Research Award
Tags: Awards
Bina Aggarwal and James Boyce were awarded the inaugural "Global Inequality Research Award" for their remarkable progress in addressing global inequalities, particularly in the social and environmental sectors.
An Overview of the News
The conferences in Paris are being coordinated with the Socio-Ecological Change (SET) initiative of Sciences Po.
Bina Agarwal's award announcement was broadcast by the Global Development Institute (GDI) of the University of Manchester.
James Boyce's award announcement was broadcast by the Political Economy Research Institute (PERI) at the University of Massachusetts Amherst.
The World Inequality Lab (WIL) and Sciences Po's Center for Research on Social Inequalities (CRIS) have collaborated to present the inaugural edition of the Global Inequality Research Award (GiRA).
The purpose of this award is to recognize significant contributions to the understanding of global inequalities.
The collaboration between WIL and CRIS marks a concerted effort to highlight and honor important research efforts in the area of global inequality.
GiRA Award Objectives
Recognition of Excellent Researchers:
The GiRA Prize aims to honor researchers from all disciplines who have made extraordinary contributions to the understanding of global inequalities.
It will be presented biennially to acknowledge the efforts of notable scholars in this field.
Two major perspectives on inequality:
The award seeks to recognize important scholarship related to global inequality from two different perspectives:
Inequality research has been conducted globally, covering different regions and contexts.
Understanding inequality as a multidimensional issue requires examination from different perspectives to achieve comprehensive understanding and effective mitigation strategies.
7. Aviation Week Laureates Award for Chandrayaan-3
Tags: Science and Technology Awards
ISRO's Chandrayaan-3 mission received the prestigious Aviation Week Laureates Award.
An Overview of the News
Sripriya Ranganathan, Deputy Ambassador at the Indian Embassy in the US, accepted the award on behalf of ISRO.
The award recognizes aerospace excellence, celebrating innovation and exploration.
Aviation Week Laureates Award:
Highly regarded accolade in the aviation and aerospace industry.
Celebrates extraordinary achievements encompassing exploration, innovation and vision.
Over 400 industry professionals and influencers participated, acknowledging the unprecedented achievements.
ISRO's successful Chandrayaan-3 mission exemplifies the tradition of honoring outstanding contributions to aerospace exploration.
About Chandrayaan-3 Mission:
Launch and craft details: Launched from Sriharikota on July 14, 2023, using a GSLV-Mark III (LVM-3) heavy-lift rocket. It consists of a lander named Vikram and a rover named Pragyan excluding an orbiter.
Mission objectives: to perform safe landing, rover exploration and conduct in-situ scientific experiments.
Budget: Estimated Rs 615 crore.
Lander and Rover Specifications: Vikram, 2 meters long and weighing more than 1,700 kg, carries a 26 kg lunar rover named Pragyan for spectrometer analysis.
Landing and deployment: Scheduled for August 23, 2023 on the Moon.
Operational Period: Designed to operate for up to one lunar day, equivalent to 14 Earth days.
8. PM Modi Receives Bhutan's 'Order of the Druk Gyalpo' Award
Tags: Popular Awards International News
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has created history by becoming the inaugural non-Bhutanese recipient of Bhutan's prestigious 'Order of the Druk Gyalpo'.
An Overview of the News
PM Modi received this prestigious honor from King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck of Bhutan during his two-day official visit to Thimphu.
Importance of Award:
The 'Order of the Druk Gyalpo' is Bhutan's premier civilian honor recognizing lifetime achievements.
It has the distinction of being the highest civilian honor given in Bhutan.
This prestigious award takes precedence over all other orders, decorations and medals of the country.
To date, only four distinguished individuals have been honored with this prestigious award.
Previous Award Winners:
Her Royal Queen GrandmotherAshi Kesang Choden Wangchuck was awarded this honor in 2008.
The 68th Je Khenpo of Bhutan, His Holiness Je Thrizur Tenzin Dendup, also received the award in 2008.
His Holiness Je Khenpo Trulku Ngawang Jigme Choedra was awarded the award in 2018.
Recipients include Je Khenpo, who holds the position of chief abbot of Bhutan's central monastic body.
About Bhutan
Capital- Thimphu
King - Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuk
Currencies - Bhutanese Ngultrum, Indian Rupee
Official language- Dzongkha
9. Famous Indian dancer Dr. Uma Rele honored with the Maharashtra Gaurav Award
Tags: Awards
Dr. Uma Rele, the distinguished Principal of Nalanda Nritya Kala Mahavidyalaya, Mumbai was honored with the prestigious Maharashtra Gaurav Award.
An Overview of the News
The Maharashtra Gaurav Award was presented to her by Maharashtra Industrial Minister Uday Sawant and Minister Deepak Vasant Kesarkar in acknowledgment of her significant contribution to the field of Indian classical dance, especially Bharat Natyam.
Early background of Dr. Uma Rele
Her intense love for Bharat Natyam led her to pursue postgraduate studies at Nalanda College of Dance Arts, where she excelled.
In 2001, she achieved another significant milestone by completing her doctoral research on 'Nayikas, Heroines of Indian Classical Dance', demonstrating her deep understanding and expertise in this field.
Dr. Uma Rele is a versatile personality in the field of dance, excelling as a performer, theorist and guru, her influence extends beyond borders.
Global Impact:
His influence transcends geographical boundaries, as he has nurtured many students in India and abroad.
She conducts workshops and judges dance tests in various countries including Doha, Mauritius and the United States.
Adorable Presentations:
Dr. Uma Rele and her troupe have given mesmerizing performances at prestigious stages like Khajuraho Dance Festival and Rajgir Festival.
10. TM Krishna and Neena Prasad selected for the prestigious Kalanidhi Award
Tags: Awards
Carnatic musician T M Krishna has been selected for the 2024 Sangeet Kalanidhi Award and Neena Prasad for the Nritya Kalanidhi Award.
An Overview of the News
The Executive Committee of the Sangeet Academy decided to confer the award during its meeting on March 17, 2024.
T M Krishna will be honored with the prestigious Sangeet Kalanidhi Award by the Music Academy, Madras.
The award to TM Krishna was announced by Music Academy President N Murali.
About T M Krishna
Krishna is recognized for his notable contributions to the field of music, including analytical writing and advocacy of social issues.
Krishna wrote a book titled 'Sebastian and Sons: A Brief History of Mridangam Makers' focusing on MS Subbulakshmi.
About Dr. Neena Prasad
Prasad has been selected as the recipient of the Nritya Kalanidhi Award for 2024.
Neena Prasad received training in Mohiniyattam from Kalamandalam Kshemavathi and Kalamandalam Sugandhi.
Prasad also learned Bharat Natyam from Music Art Acharya Adyar's Lakshmanan, Kuchipudi from Vempati Chinna Satyam and Kathakali from Vembayam Appukuttan Pillai.
Her PhD from Rabindra Bharati University focused on Lasya and Thandava in South Indian classical dances.
