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Hans India
6 days ago
- Politics
- Hans India
CM flags off Tiranga cyclothon for girls from Vidhan Sabha
New Delhi: Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Tuesday flagged off Tiranga cyclothon for girls from Delhi Legislative As-sembly in Civil Lines to Rajghat. Addressing the participants, Gupta said the true glory of the national flag will be realised when girls achieve complete freedom and that her government is committed to securing a better future for them. The cyclothon, aimed at empowering women, was flagged off by CM Gupta along with Delhi Education Minister Ashish Sood. Meanwhile, the Union Culture Ministry's 'Har Ghar Tiranga Bike Rally', was flagged off by Union Parlia-mentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju, Union Culture Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, Union Minister of State for Defence Sanjay Seth, CM Gupta, and several Members of Parliament. At the bike rally, CM Gupta said, 'Have you seen before 2014, that a Prime Minister is leading people with Tiranga in his hands? Leaders left the Tiranga before Independence. Today, people who keep the copy of the Constitution in their pockets don't have Tiranga in their hands.' 'They are the same people who used to claim that they got the country independent but today the same people don't believe in the country's integrity,' she said. The CM added that 'our lives depend on this Tiranga and the three colours represent the prosperity of the country'. 'Every Indian aspires that our Tiranga remains high and immortal. The sky echoes with the chants of 'Bharat Mata ki Jai' as this Tiranga Yatra is being taken out,' she said. Everyone, right from the MPs to our brave soldiers, is expressing their patriotism. Even 78 years after Independence, our love for our country is continuously increasing with each passing year, the CM said. 'I thank PM Narendra Modi for taking this national festival to every household.' Sood urged citizens not to treat Independence Day as a long weekend. 'We should contribute in keeping our homes and locality clean,' he said. India will celebrate its 79th Independence Day on August 15.
Hans India
12-08-2025
- Politics
- Hans India
Delhi CM Gupta flags off Tiranga cyclothon for girls from Vidhan Sabha
New Delhi: Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Tuesday flagged off Tiranga cyclothon for girls from Delhi Legislative Assembly in Civil Lines to Rajghat. Addressing the participants, Gupta said the true glory of the national flag will be realised when girls achieve complete freedom and that her government is committed to securing a better future for them. The cyclothon, aimed at empowering women, was flagged off by CM Gupta along with Delhi Education Minister Ashish Sood. Meanwhile, the Union Culture Ministry's 'Har Ghar Tiranga Bike Rally', was flagged off by Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju, Union Culture Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, Union Minister of State for Defence Sanjay Seth, CM Gupta, and several Members of Parliament. At the bike rally, CM Gupta said, "Have you seen before 2014, that a Prime Minister is leading people with Tiranga in his hands? Leaders left the Tiranga before Independence. Today, people who keep the copy of the Constitution in their pockets don't have Tiranga in their hands.' 'They are the same people who used to claim that they got the country independent but today the same people don't believe in the country's integrity,' she said. The CM added that 'our lives depend on this Tiranga and the three colours represent the prosperity of the country'. 'Every Indian aspires that our Tiranga remains high and immortal. The sky echoes with the chants of 'Bharat Mata ki Jai' as this Tiranga Yatra is being taken out," she said. Everyone, right from the MPs to our brave soldiers, is expressing their patriotism. Even 78 years after Independence, our love for our country is continuously increasing with each passing year, the CM said. 'I thank PM Narendra Modi for taking this national festival to every household." Sood urged citizens not to treat Independence Day as a long weekend. "We should contribute in keeping our homes and locality clean," he said. India will celebrate its 79th Independence Day on August 15.
The Hindu
07-08-2025
- General
- The Hindu
Weaving wonder with words: Deepa Kiran's 30-year journey reviving storytelling in education across India and beyond
In a galaxy of Indian storytellers, Ms. Deepa Kiran stands out as a teacher trainer in the art of narration. Her training aims to enhance learning of the English language and diverse subjects. The one lesson she has learnt from a journey spanning almost three decades is, 'Love and togetherness are what education should achieve'. The Story Arts Foundation, a registered trust set up by Ms. Deepa, works with Central and State government schools and NGOs. It believes in learning, sharing, and growing through the oral tradition of storytelling. Speaking Hindi, English, Tamil, Telugu, and a smattering of regional languages, Ms. Deepa communicates effectively with simple expressions and musical instruments, without having to use any technological gadgets. She enters the classroom, shaking her wrists to produce a metallic medley emanating from alendus ~ Telugu for ringlets, worn by her to draw attention, much like the traditional storytellers. She introduces teachers to the art of storytelling and how to use it to impart knowledge to students. 'I don't offer only one single class of training model. I give three-day-long initial training followed by hand-holding across the next few months for implementation in the actual classroom,' she said. Training is supposed to be practical, filled with activities, and help teachers arrive at new learnings experientially. It helps them embody performative elements, and build competency and confidence. Stories are like frames As a resource person of the Union Culture Ministry, her larger mission is to preserve the cultural heritage in various parts of the country through the mechanism of storytelling. There is a deeper dimension to her storytelling skills. 'As an educator and parent, I am deeply interested in asking myself and other minds to question the stories around us. Who is making these stories, why, and who is going to serve and benefit, what benefit do they get?' she explains, adding, 'Once we begin to ask these questions, we are in a beautiful space'. With the ingress of social media and even before that, multiple stories have existed and will continue to, of the same event or issue, she notes. 'But we have to be watchful of which ones to follow while being open to other stories. Stories are like frames capturing some things while leaving out others,' she reasons. Her nation trotting has taken her to tribal areas including Santhal Paraganas in West Bengal, and Dharmashala in Himachal Pradesh, the home away from home of Tibetans in exile. She communicates with the teachers and students there in English and Hindi using interpreters arranged by the Central Tibetan administration. 'Conceptualising in the context of the situation and context of the learner is very important to make learning more effective,' she explained in a chat with The Hindu. Critical thinking and cognitive development According to Ms. Deepa, oral storytelling not only serves the purpose of learning language but also serves three domains in education of cognitive learning, which are developing the skill of thinking, the adaptive domain of socio-emotional intelligence, and the psycho motor domain, which is related to the body and its movement. In the context of storytelling for young children, knowledge of concepts relating to size, shape, and colour is imparted. Teaching Mathematics and Science to older children entails developing critical thinking skills. It is a holistic approach to language, not a separate vocabulary and pronunciation, and grammar. Not only the verbal aspect of language, but also the non-verbal aspect is integrated. Ms. Deepa's journey Ms. Deepa says informally, she has always been a storyteller in the sense that she was the one who would be asked to narrate a movie if someone missed it in the theatre. She also worked with All India Radio part-time for a couple of years. She was the program executive selected to do an audio telling of Alice in Wonderland for the Radio. That was her earliest formal project back in 1997-98. 'When I started using it in a structured manner in different Kendriya Vidyalayas from 2000, I would get contractual appointments for teaching English as a PGD course where I found students were either afraid of English or not inclined to learn it as a subject, I found story telling very helpful in narrating a chapter to pull them back to the text', she said. In the 2007-2008 period, she began to experience a kidney malfunction. 'This continued for more than six months without any improvement in my condition. I used to take 80 tablets of steroids every day. After six months and no improvement, there was this moment of giving in and saying to divinity: Please take care, I don't know the solution. Then I got this answer through an inner voice that I have to do what I love, and I realised that what I love is being with children, singing, dancing and telling them stories'. She organised a three-week summer camp of three weeks in a small town of Maharashtra. Subsequently, she recovered. 'From 2008, it was a conscious pursuit, a beautiful bonding to connect with those around me whether it was children or teachers or prison inmates or judges of the high court or research scholars at IIT', she says. What began in a small town in Maharashtra continued after she came to the city of Hyderabad, and slowly people got to know about it. I started getting more work in Hyderabad, and within a couple of years, there were some queries from other parts of the country. Story Arts Foundation The approach of keeping up despite hurdles led her to set up the Story Arts Foundation in 2017, and she worked with various government institutions and educational institutions, and traditional storytellers in reviving storytelling. 'This has taken me across the country to literature festivals and cultural festivals like the Kala Ghoda in Mumbai, the Hyderabad Lit fest, and also to many international events, storytelling fests, and workshops like the Scottish International Fest, performing in the Edinburgh National Library, getting a standing ovation. She also worked with municipal school children in Pretoria, South Africa; narrated stories of Mirabai in Iran; performed in seven cities across Austria, telling stories of Devi Mahatmyam in a church where the Mayor was present. Her early influencers were her father, who told her stories and encouraged her to read books, and her mother, who introduced her to Bharatanatyam, which gave her knowledge of how to use the body to communicate non-verbally using mudras (gestures), expressions and movements synchronising with music. Over the past year, she has also taught a course in storytelling and children's literature at Delhi University as a visiting faculty. She has also written the first chapter in a book on Children's literature from India, on oral traditions. She has shot a documentary in Ladakh to capture the simple and contended life of people there away from the hustle, bustle and madding crowds in cities, besides acting in Hindi and Telugu short films on social issues.
The Hindu
12-07-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
Visit forts of Maratha Military Landscapes which made it to UNESCO list: PM Modi
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday (July 12, 2025) urged every Indian to visit the forts of the Maratha Military Landscapes, which have been included in the prestigious UNESCO World Heritage List. The 'Maratha Military Landscapes' include 12 majestic forts, 11 of which are in Maharashtra and one is in Tamil Nadu. 'When we speak of the glorious Maratha Empire, we associate it with good governance, military strength, cultural pride, and emphasis on social welfare. The great rulers inspire us with their refusal to bow to any injustice. I call upon everyone to go visit these forts and learn about the rich history of the Maratha Empire,' Mr. Modi said in a post on X. At the 47th Session of the World Heritage Committee on Friday (July 11, 2025), India's official nomination for the 2024-25 cycle, 'Maratha Military Landscapes of India', got inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List, becoming India's 44th property to receive this recognition. Spanning from the 17th to 19th centuries CE, this extraordinary network of 12 forts demonstrates the strategic military vision and architectural ingenuity of the Maratha Empire, according to an official statement by the Union Culture Ministry. Spread across the States of Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu, the selected sites include Salher, Shivneri, Lohgad, Khanderi, Raigad, Rajgad, Pratapgad, Suvarnadurg, Panhala, Vijaydurg, and Sindhudurg in Maharashtra, along with Gingee Fort in Tamil Nadu. The proposal was submitted to the World Heritage Committee for consideration in January 2024. After a rigorous 18-month-long process involving several technical meetings with the advisory bodies and a visit by ICOMOS's mission to review the sites, this decision was taken by the members of the World Heritage Committee at UNESCO Headquarters, Paris. India also has 62 sites in the Tentative List of the World Heritage, which is a mandatory threshold for any site to be considered as a World Heritage property in the future. Every year, each State party may propose just one site for consideration by the World Heritage Committee for inscription on the World Heritage List.
India Gazette
28-06-2025
- Politics
- India Gazette
PM Modi attends centenary celebrations of Acharya Shri 108 Vidyanand Ji Maharaj
New Delhi [India], June 28 (ANI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi attended the centenary celebrations of the revered Jain spiritual leader Acharya Shri 108 Vidyanand Ji Maharaj at Vigyan Bhawan in the national capital on Saturday. The celebrations mark the formal commencement of a year-long national tribute to the spiritual leader, being organised by the Union Culture Ministry in collaboration with the Bhagwan Mahaveer Ahimsa Bharti Trust, Delhi. Union Minister of Culture and Tourism Gajendra Singh Shekhawat and Rashtrasant Paramparacharya Shri 108 Pragyasagar Ji Muniraj also graced the occasion. During the event, the Prime Minister and the Union Minister attended an exhibition titled 'Life and Legacy of Acharya Shri 108 Vidyanand Ji Maharaj,' which featured paintings and murals depicting the leader's life. PM Modi also presented gifts to the spiritual leader, and the two exchanged a few words. The centenary year will be observed from June 28, 2025 to April 22, 2026, with a range of cultural, literary, educational, and spiritual initiatives across the country, aimed at celebrating the life and legacy of Acharya Shri 108 Vidyanand Ji Maharaj, according to an official statement from the ministry of culture. The Acharya was born on April 22, 1925, in Shedbal, Belagavi (Karnataka). He received his initiation at a young age and went on to become one of the most prolific Jain scholars of modern times, having memorised over 8,000 Jain Agamic verses. He has authored more than 50 works on Jain philosophy and ethics, including Jain Darshan, Anekantvad, and Mokshmarg Darshan. He travelled barefoot across Indian states for several decades, strictly adhering to Kayotsarga meditation, brahmacharya, and extreme austerity. In 1975, during the 2500th Nirvana Mahotsav of Bhagwan Mahavir, Acharya Vidyanand Ji played a historic role in designing and introducing the official Jain Flag and Emblem, with agreement from all major Jain sects. The five-colour flag and the hand-inscribed Ahimsa symbol have since become unifying emblems for the Jain community across traditions, read the statement. He was instrumental in the restoration and revival of ancient Jain temples across India--including in Delhi, Vaishali, Indore, and Shravanabelagola--and was closely associated with the Shravanabelagola Mahamastakabhishek and the 2600th Janm Kalyanak Mahotsav of Lord Mahavir. He identified the site of Kundgram (now Basokund) in Bihar as the birthplace of Bhagwan Mahavir, a finding later recognised by the Government of India in 1956. The statement added that, as a founder of multiple institutions and pathshalas, Acharya Ji championed education for young monks and children, especially in Prakrit, Jain philosophy, and classical languages. He also promoted forgiveness rituals, spiritual egalitarianism, and inter-sect harmony through active dialogue. The inaugural event will be attended by eminent Jain Acharyas, spiritual leaders, Members of Parliament, constitutional authorities, scholars, youth representatives, and other distinguished dignitaries from across the country. The programme will feature a series of tributes and commemorative events. The centenary year will include programmes across India focusing on community engagement, youth participation, interfaith dialogue, temple outreach, and Jain heritage awareness, ensuring that the timeless message of Acharya Vidyanand Ji reaches future generations. (ANI)
