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Time of India
3 days ago
- General
- Time of India
RU launches comparative literature in MA English
Jaipur: In line with the New Education Policy (NEP), Rajasthan University has introduced a new course in comparative literature under its Master of Arts programme in English. The course, launched this academic year by the department of English, integrates Indian texts and regional literature into the traditionally Western-centric syllabus. The revised curriculum includes works by Indian literary figures such as Kalidas and Premchand, along with selected excerpts from the Upanishads, Mahabharata, Ramcharitmanas, Bhagavad Geeta, and Panchatantra. Officials said the aim is to offer students a deeper understanding of Indian culture and literary heritage by examining it alongside Western texts. "This course will give students a chance to read and analyse Indian texts in English and understand how they relate to or differ from Western literature," said Prof Deepa Mathur, head, department of English. She added that this approach aligns with NEP's emphasis on incorporating the Indian knowledge system across disciplines. Prof Mathur said the course opens up diverse career opportunities. "Many of our students, through tie-ups with departments like French and Spanish, are now working abroad as English professors," she said. The course has seen strong demand, with the department receiving nearly 700 applications annually for just 75 available seats. Eligibility requires a Bachelor of Arts degree with a minimum of 48% overall or 55% in the subject chosen for postgraduation. Get the latest lifestyle updates on Times of India, along with Eid wishes , messages , and quotes !
The Hindu
18-05-2025
- The Hindu
Tenkasi man held for defrauding NRI in land sale
Tenkasi police arrested a man for allegedly cheating his NRI friend by selling his 6.18 acre land. Ramasundaram Swami, a native of Shencottah, an NRI had developed a friendship with a local man named Kalidas, from Elathur Road in Shencottah. Earlier in 2010, Mr. Ramasundarm had bought 6.18 acre land in Panpozhi for ₹33 lakh, police said. Later, when he intended to sell the land, Kalidas claimed that he could sell the land for over ₹2 crore. Believing him, Ramasundaram executed a general power of attorney in Kalaidas's name for the land and also granted him authority to operate his bank account for the purpose of depositing the sale proceeds, police said. Despite the repeated follow ups, Kalidas kept claiming that the land had not been sold yet. In 2023, Ramasundaram visited his native and inspected the land, only to find others were already in possession of it. When he inquired, they informed him that they had purchased the property for ₹1.11 crore, inquiries by the police suggested. Upon verifying the documents, it was revealed that Kalidas had used the general power of attorney to sell the land but had not informed anything about it to Ramasundaram. When Ramasundaram confronted Kalidas based on this, he reportedly issued death threats. Following this, Ramasundaram filed a complaint with Tenkasi district SP S. Aravind. Acting on the SP's order, Tenkasi district crime branch police registered a case and conducted an investigation. The inquiry confirmed that a fraud had occurred, and the police had arrested Kalidas. Further investigation was on.
The Hindu
09-05-2025
- Science
- The Hindu
Vizag scientists find ‘positive features' of irradiation on quartz crystals
The impact of radiation on concrete structures in nuclear power plants (NPPs) is causing frequent repairs, requiring rehabilitation of structures. The University of Tokyo published a paper on the impact of irradiation on concrete structures, by which the crystalline quartz, in aged concrete, is converted into amorphous state. This is the negative aspect, affecting the soundness and durability of concrete. However, N. Bhanumathidas and N. Kalidas, founder directors of the Visakhapatnam-based Institute for Solid Waste Research & Ecological Balance (INSWAREB), during the course of their review on the subject, found certain 'positive features of irradiation on quartz crystals' which convert the non-reactive crystalline quartz to reactive amorphous silica. They interacted with the Scientists of University of Tokyo, and prepared a review report for the benefit of students, researchers and faculty. 'This opens up enormous opportunities for the cement-concrete industry,' say Dr. Bhanumathidas and Mr. Kalidas, who are involved in research on fly ash bricks and had developed fly ash, lime and gypsum (FAL-G) bricks as an alternative to clay bricks to reduce the threat of massive generation of fly ash by Thermal Power Plants (TPPs). Commercial scope The couple found during their review of the research findings that conversion of quartz from crystalline (unreactive) to amorphous (reactive) state through radiation is the redeeming feature to benefit the cement and concrete industry with value addition of multibillion rupees, in addition to serving sustainable development goals. 'The crystalline quartz can be converted at commercial scale into amorphous silica by designing suitable reactors. If its reactivity is studied and established, such product can be used as complementary cement input to improve the quality. This will be more helpful where low grade limestone hampers the quality of clinker,' says Mr. Kalidas. 'By processing high-pure quartz, amorphous silica can be produced that may be akin to 'silica fume' whereby the value addition to cement and concrete could be potentially enhanced. By subjecting the coarse fly ash and pond ash to radiation in commercial reactors, the crystalline fly ash can be converted to amorphous ash to the extent of quartz content, rendering value addition to the inert ash. With over 2,860 million tons of ash in ash ponds occupying about 65,000 acres of land in India, this may prove the most sustainable avenue for exploitation in many aspects. The economic spin off is about ₹2.86 trillion in value addition of the product and ₹650 billion in reclaiming the land occupied by ash ponds,' he says. 'The NTPC has expressed its readiness to take up this project on a large scale once it is brought to a logical stage of implementation. Meanwhile, efforts are in progress to escalate the subject to the attention of the Prime Minister due to the criticalities associated with implementation of this project,' Mr. Kalidas told The Hindu. 'Ippei Maruyama of the UoT has also expressed willingness to partner in the research by INSWAREB, if the Government of Japan approves and funds it. He, however, wanted the Indian researchers to take care of activation by neutron, safety of material, and the running cost of the nuclear plant for the research,' he adds.
Indian Express
30-04-2025
- Indian Express
Opinion The tourists and the locals in Kashmir: The conversations we have and the ones we don't
Visiting Kashmir is a very different experience than going to Gujarat or Tamil Nadu. There is a deep connection between tourists and their Kashmiri hosts and a serious gap between the two sides as well. While welcoming tourists, residents of the Valley want to protect their voice, identity and culture. For tourists from other parts of the country, Kashmir has been and continues to be 'integral' to India. This silent conversation between those visiting the Valley and those who live there was, at last, blossoming when the Pahalgam attack took place. No matter what separatists propagate, the relationship between the two sides is not merely transactional. In the 1980s, while reporting in Ahmedabad on arranged marriages in middle-class families, I came across an educated young woman who was mesmerised by the beauty of Kashmir's mountains from watching Hindi films. Among the many terms and conditions that she laid out for prospective bridegrooms, she asked, 'I have a dream of going to Kashmir for honeymoon. Will you agree?' When you see many newlyweds, the brides with fresh mehndi on their hands, you know the flight is going to Srinagar. In 2024, around 2.36 crore tourists arrived in J&K. According to government data, more than 15.3 crore tourists have visited J&K in the last 10 years. Goa and Kerala confidently compete with the Kashmir fable, but their success is for different reasons. And while domestic travellers are visiting other places, including the Taj Mahal, in greater numbers, Kashmir remains 'heaven on earth'. In many middle-class Indian families, the refrain is 'zindagi main ek baar to Kashmir jana hai'. What is commendable is that Kashmir carries this weight of expectation even though it is not a 'normal' tourist destination. Despite the atmosphere of fear and foreboding, despite its people having witnessed so much bloodshed, violence and suffering, the bond between the Valley and the visitor did not fray. The Pahalgam terror attack has changed some ground realities but, before April 23, a new, healthy interdependence was in the making between domestic tourists and local Kashmiris. This bond was helped by the fact that terror incidents are declining. In 2018, there were around 228 incidents, while in 2023 the number was just 46. In fact, after the dilution of Article 370 in 2019, the tourism sector has flourished because Kashmiris themselves are feeling much safer. Flights to Jammu and Srinagar were nearly always full. Hotel rooms were not easily available even at Rs 25,000 per night in the peak season. There are now more than 100 vegetarian 'Vaishnaw Dhabas' in Srinagar and around tourist hotspots. Around one million people are employed in the tourism industry. Kashmir was at the cusp of many changes because booming tourism would see more money in the hands of people across the value chain. Kashmir will never lose its relevance for tourists because fables that are woven over centuries don't fade easily. The legendary poet Kalidas wrote extensively on Kashmir and the Himalayas, and his works form a part of India's collective memory. In the 8th century, Adi Shankaracharya's walk from Kaladi in Kerala to Srinagar and Amarnath to spread Advaita Vedanta birthed a new era and made Kashmir integral to the history of Hinduism. In the early 17th century, Mughal Emperor Jahangir fell in love with Kashmir and built the Shalimar Bagh for his wife Nur Jahan. He made famous the lines 'Gar Firdaus, bar ruhe zamin ast, hamin asto, hamin asto, hamin ast' (If there is paradise on this earth, it is here, it is here, it is here). These words have turned out to be the best tourism slogan written for any region. After Independence, both Hindi and regional films continued to etch the Valley into the national psyche. In the early '60s, Junglee (1961), Kashmir Ki Kali (1964)and Jab Jab Phool Khile (1965) intertwined depictions of romance with Kashmir. O P Nayyar's unforgettable playful melody Yeh chand sa roshan chehra, set on Dal Lake, defined romance for us. And when Shammi Kapoor screamed, ' Yahoo! chahe koi mujhe junglee kahe ' at the sight of the first snowfall, many young people thought that Kashmir frees you of inhibitions — it makes you dance. There are political, religious, cultural, nationalist and patriotic reasons for Indian tourists' connection with Kashmir but above all, the allure is of natural beauty and being close to the Himalayas, the gods' abode. Some Indians find Kashmiri sufism soothing, some find Persian and Central Asia's influence on J&K fascinating, and many Hindus find in Trika Shaivism their link to the region. Since the late '90s, many aggrieved Kashmiri Pandits have asked why Indians are flocking to the place from where Hindus have been selectively and forcibly driven out. And, for many hardline Hindus, Kashmir is the 'crown of Mother India'. They would like to visit Kashmir precisely because 'Kashmir hamara mukut hai (Kashmir is our crown)'. Only about 10 crore Indians have passports. Exotic locations around the planet are out of bounds for most of us but 'mini Switzerland' is just a flight away. It helps that the people of the Valley are known for their warmth and hospitality. Many tourists have lifelong relationships with those who help make their stay comfortable. But many of them have one common experience. On a return journey, they feel a searing pain when they recall how their shikarawala or a Kashmiri taxi driver asked them, 'Aap India se aaye ho?' This ever-evolving story saw a new beginning soon after the tragic massacre. On April 22, the tourists who were present in Srinagar saw tears in the eyes of local shikarawalas and Pashmina shawl sellers while participating in the protest march. They were condemning terrorism and Pakistan's support for it. Many residents of Srinagar joined the rest of India to mourn the brutal deaths of tourists in Pahalgam. This national dialogue must not end. It should expand beyond tourism, to all walks of life.
