Science institutes to be set up in Kolkata and Pune Sunday, December 18, 2005 | AY
C.N.R. Rao, Chairman of the Scientific Advisory Council to the Prime Minister, said on Saturday that a Cabinet note on the national science education and research foundation, to be established soon at an estimated cost of Rs. 1,000 crores, has been approved, and the project now has to be sanctioned by Parliament. Dr. Rao said two national institutes of science education and research will commence functioning in Pune and Kolkata from June 2006, and Rs. 500 crores will be spent on each of them in five years. The foundation, will be established on the lines of the national science foundations of the U.S. and China. The foundation will help take up high-level scientific and engineering research across the country.
Film stars comes in support of Dada Friday, December 16, 2005 | AY
The uproar against the decision to drop former Indian cricket team captain and Kolkatta's favourite and famous son, Sourav Ganguly from the Indian cricket test sqaud for the third test against Srilanka which starts on the 18 th in Motera Stadium, Ahmedabad is spreading all over West Bengal. Leading film and television personalities have come out strongly in Souvrav's support and called the selector's action as 'betrayal of the game of Cricket'. Leading film and television artists of West Bengal led by thespian Soumitra Chatterjee today demanded that the cricketer brought back to the national side immediately."What has been done is a betrayal of cricket. It is the shabbiest, shoddiest treatment that a national hero has ever received," said Chatterjee, the veteran matinee idol and a favourite of film maestro Satyajit Ray.Chatterjee said they would send a protest letter to BCCI president Sharad Pawar, and were also in touch with several politicians to ensure that the wrong done to Ganguly was redressed.Stating that they had resorted to protests not merely because Ganguly was a fellow Kolkatan or Bengalee, Chatterjee said "we would have reacted in a similar manner had Sachin Tendulkar or Dravid been similarly axed." "We are voicing our dismay because we love the game and love our country. And that the entire country thinks on similar lines is proved by the huge number of people who have registered their protest in opinion polls done by various television channels," he said.To a query whether it was proper for artists to protest on matters concerning sports, he shot back "Artists are performers. Players are also performers. Therefore, if any grave injustice is meted out to an individual performer on or off the field, we will stand by them." Chatterjee announced that a missive articulating their dismay on the matter would also be sent to Union Sports Minister Oscar Fernandes. However, Chatterjee had no idea about any plan of a film being made on the 'tragedy of Ganguly'.
Come to witness the music festival in the city Monday, December 12, 2005 | AY
The grand music festival in Kolkata is being organized from 11 - 18 December to be held at Nazrul Mancha and Uttam Mancha (12 – 17 December) to celebrate the birth centenary of Pt Krishna Kumar Ganguly (Natubabu), and is being hosted by Sangeet Piyasi. For the past two decades never has such a big classical or music festival been held before in Kolkata and for eight whole days and a total of 37 items. The main USP is that almost all the great musicians (internationally renowned and performing artistes) are drawn mainly from among the best of Kolkata’s musicians. This festival will create awareness among classical music afficionados with the organiser’s first effort of exclusively involving Kolkata’s own resident artistes. The highlights of this music festival, involve Padmavibhushan, Pandit Kishen Maharaj with his son Puram Maharaj, who will perform for the first time in Kolkata.
Sex worker tries to enlighten people of HIV/AIDS Saturday, December 10, 2005 | AY
A former prostitute has taken over as head of a global HIV/AIDS project in W.bengal, promising to completely wipe out new infections in one of Asia's biggest red light districts. Bharati Dey, 40, took over as director of the World Health Organisation-funded HIV/AIDS project for some 6,000 prostitutes of Sonagachi, a teeming red light district in northern Kolkata. Sonagachi's HIV/AIDS control programme has brought infection rates down to around five percent from around 90 percent a decade ago, partly by encouraging prostitutes to refuse sex without condoms. The state runs HIV/AIDS campaigns also through groups like Dey's Durbar Mahila Samanway Samiti, an umbrella organisation of some 65,000 prostitutes in W.bengal.
Direct flights to UK Saturday, December 10, 2005 | AY
Kolkata which is becoming an important IT hub is attracting many tourist as well as businesmen from west. Proving that Kolkata and Frankfurt decided to be linked by a direct flight. Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharya announced that a direct flight linking Kolkata to Frankfurt in Germany will become operational soon and the city will also have a similar service linking it to New York. He also commented that the americans are also eager to start a direct flight to Kolkata.
Jamuna Baruah passed away Tuesday, December 6, 2005 | AY
Leading Bengali actress of yesteryears Jamuna Baruah passed away after prolonged old age-related ailments. Baruah was 86 and is survived by three sons. She had been ill for quite some time and breathed her last at her south Kolkata residence. Called the living legend of Bengali cinema, she was the wife of one of the founders of cinema in India Pramathes Baruah. Jamuna Baruah began her acting career with her husband's famous production ' Devdas' in 1936 and was the film's lead charater Parbati. She went on to make a number of memorable movies in Bengali and Hindi among which worth mentioning is the Hindi production 'Amiri'.
Bhowmik remanded to judicial custody Sunday, December 4, 2005 | AY
One of the most successful soccer coaches in the country, Subhash Bhowmik, was remanded to judicial custody till December 9 by a Kolkata court after he was arrested by CBI on Friday for taking a bribe of Rs 1.5 lakh. Bhowmik's club East Bengal is confronted with a crisis and is all set to rope in a new coach. Bhowmik's counsel however says that Bhowmik has been illegally trapped and connected with the case and that he is absolutely innocent. Former captain Manoranjan Bhattacharya's name is already being tossed about as Bhowmik's replacement.
Some colleges restrained from admitting students Saturday, December 3, 2005 | AY
A writ petition filed in Calcutta High Court by two residents of Malda and Balurghat had allegations that eight Bengal colleges were imparting training in the B.Ed course in violation of the National Council for Teacher Education Act of 1993. The Act provides that no college imparting training in the B.Ed course shall be granted affiliation by any examining body unless it is recognised by the NCTE. These eight colleges had been granted affiliation by the Bengal University but had not been recognised by the NCTE. These colleges are: (1) Satish B.Ed. College, Malda (2) Gangarampur B.Ed. College, Dakshin Dinajpur (3) Raiganj B,Ed.College (4) Moulana Abul Kalam Azad B.Ed, College, Uttar Dinajpur (5) Eastern Dooars B,Ed, Training College, Jalpaiguri (6) Falakata B.Ed.College, Jalpaiguri (7) A.C.Training College, Jalpaiguri and (8) Cooch Behar B.Ed. College. The Division Bench of Chief Justice Mr VS Sirpurkar and Mr Justice Asoke Ganguly passed an order today restraining those colleges from admitting students.
