Recipe with science, sentiment and rice
Excerpts
What makes Kamala unique?
DRR Dhan 100, or Kamala, is the first rice variety in the world developed using genome-editing technology. This cutting-edge method allows for precise crop improvement, making Kamala a milestone in rice breeding. While the US and Japan have commercialised genome-edited crops, India has become the third country to apply this technology specifically to rice.
Why the name 'Kamala'?
Kamala is named in memory of my late mother. Losing her was one of the most painful moments of my life, and since then, I've dedicated all my work to her. Naming this variety Kamala is a heartfelt tribute to her love and support.
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Time of India
3 hours ago
- Time of India
India gets its first privately funded institute for maths research
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Hindustan Times
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- Hindustan Times
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Time of India
7 hours ago
- Time of India
It's all about numbers: Mumbai gets first privately-funded institute for math research
Mumbai: India, said Fields medallist Manjul Bhargava, must fall in love with mathematics again. Not as a "drudgery of formulas" but as an act of "exploration." Bhargava, Canadian by nationality but of Indian origin, believes classrooms need an overhaul—"experimental, playful," he said, with teachers "trained" to spark curiosity. Speaking to TOI on the sidelines of the launch of the Lodha Mathematical Sciences Institute (LMSI), he added: "I'm happy with the new textbooks and the changes brought in them. But they will only show impact in a few years." On the scientific advisory council of LMSI, Bhargava will lead sessions on arithmetic statistics, its new developments, and future directions. State cabinet minister Mangal Prabhat Lodha called it a school "not for an individual, not for a business, but for the nation that always prioritised knowledge over all and for India that gave so much math to the world." You Can Also Check: Mumbai AQI | Weather in Mumbai | Bank Holidays in Mumbai | Public Holidays in Mumbai | Gold Rates Today in Mumbai | Silver Rates Today in Mumbai Entirely devoted to post-doctoral research, LMSI is India's first privately funded mathematics institute, backed by the Lodha Foundation with a Rs 20,000-crore endowment. "We realised that for any nation to become strong, we ought to have original thinking and promote innovation," said Abhishek Lodha, CEO and MD of Lodha Developers. The privately funded mathematics research institute in the country is completely free, he added. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Could This NEW Collagen Blend Finally Reduce Your Cellulite? Vitauthority Learn More Undo Founding director V Kumar Murthy—who earlier led Toronto's Fields Institute—described math as the hidden scaffolding of modern life: the foundation for finance, engineering, and technology. Economist Nachiket Mor, also on the advisory panel, noted that models built in the West often collapse in India because they rarely account for "unique characteristics" like limited liquidity and higher viscosity of adjustment. "This reality makes it all the more urgent for us to build deep capacity mathematics," he said. Murthy explained that LMSI would begin not with students but with teachers. Ten senior number theorists—working in a field almost untouched in India—have been chosen to seed the effort. Faculty will return to their classrooms with fresh knowledge, passing it on. As President, Murthy said he plans to travel across the country, meeting mathematicians firsthand and mapping who is doing what. The aim is to build a network where the "brightest minds" are spotted early, handpicked, and nurtured—whether a graduate is on the verge of a breakthrough or a scholar is trying to prove a theorem. By December 2026, LMSI will host the first Indian Congress of Mathematicians, showcasing contributions of mathematicians of Indian origin worldwide. Ashish Singh, former chief secretary of Maharashtra and now chief mentor of the Lodha Foundation, said the idea of LMSI grew from parents failing to convince children that mathematics is foundational to all STEM knowledge. The institute, he stressed, is one where scholars can do pure research—"no onerous administrative responsibilities, no responsibility of teaching. There's no other responsibility other than the responsibility of pushing the boundaries of knowledge itself. " Inviting those for whom mathematics is a calling, Singh spoke of those who see "symmetry in numbers," find "beauty in logic," and dream like Ramanujan "standing on the shore of the infinite." The big dream, he added, is for an Indian to win a Fields Medal in the next decade—or perhaps to nurture someone who "looks up from his chalkboard and glimpses the truth no one else has seen, some elegant, exact, and entirely human moment of insight. " Stay updated with the latest local news from your city on Times of India (TOI). Check upcoming bank holidays , public holidays , and current gold rates and silver prices in your area.
