| Africa promises one of the best safari experiences in the world, enabling you to see the five big wild animal groups: the lion, the leopard, the elephant, the rhino and the buffalo. Capturing a good photo of these beautiful animals is not always easy, and very often, it comes down to being at the right place at the right time. But, the pictures below are pretty incredible. So, get ready to enjoy some animal watching with this great photo series! |
| Male lion ignoring a group of Thomson’s Gazelles.
|
When building bridges, engineers and architects don’t always look for the shortest possible crossing. The new ring-shaped bridge across Laguna Garzon in Uruguay’s southern coast is such an example.
The concrete structure consist of two semi-circular bridges, joined at either end to create a ring, and was built to replace a raft crossing between the cities of Rocha and Maldonado. On the bridge’s unusual circular design, its architect Rafael Viñoly has a perfectly logical and functional explanation: the curved design will force drivers to slow down the speed of their cars while also prove an opportunity to enjoy the panoramic views of this amazing landscape. The bridge also has a pair of pedestrian walkways.
Before the bridge was built, the raft crossing allowed only two cars to cross at a time. The raft operated only at certain times of the day, and during windy or stormy days it remained closed. The poor connection has kept the region of Rocha away from further developments compared to what Maldonado has been experiencing in the last decades.
The new bridge will allow some 1,000 vehicles to cross the lagoon, and is expected to help drive the development of Rocha’s coastline.
via Dezeen
Source…….www.amusingplanet.com
Natarajan
The terrorists were armed with AK-47s, grenades, pistols, knives, many rounds of ammunition.
Sepoy Jagdish Chand’s weapons were his bare hands and enormous courage. He died, but not before he had felled one of India’s enemies.
Archana Masih/Rediff.com speaks to the family of Sepoy Jagdish Chand, one of the 7 soldiers martyred in the terrorist attack on the Pathankot Air Force Station, who was awarded the Kirti Chakra posthumously for his courage on Republic Day.
Last week Snehalata returned to her home in Basa village in Himachal Pradesh’s Chamba district after immersing her martyred husband’s ashes in the Ganga in Haridwar.
Sepoy Jagdish Chand, 48, died battling terrorists at the Indian Air Force base in Pathankot on January 2. He was in the cookhouse when terrorists launched an attack and killed three of his mates.
Unarmed, the trooper ran after one of the terrorists and wrestled him to the ground. The terrorist was armed with an AK-47, grenades, knives, many rounds of ammunition. Sepoy Jagdish Chand’s weapons were his bare hands and enormous courage. He turned the terrorist’s own rifle on him and shot him dead. Tragically, he was felled by another terrorist’s bullet.
Sepoy Jagdish Chand had served 25 years in the Indian Army’s 7 Dogra Regiment and was re-employed by the Defence Security Corps after retirement from the army. He had served in Srinagar, Leh and with the Indian Peace Keeping Force in Sri Lanka, where he had won two medals for duty, says his family.
The family in Basa received the news of his passing at 10.30 the following morning. They had seen him just a couple of days ago when he had stopped en route to Pathankot where he had been posted from Leh in Jammu and Kashmir.
“He was very particular about his attendance and very proud of the fauj,” says his daughter Kiran Bala on the telephone.
“He spent that day going to the post office, transferred some money into our account and in the evening called some relatives over for a meal. He loved his food and enjoyed inviting our relatives who lived nearby,” says Kiran who is doing an MA in Economics.
At 6 the next morning, the soldier bade his family goodbye. His wife quickly packed his tiffin and he was off with another fauji friend who was also returning to base.
In less than 48 hours Sepoy Jagdish Chand was dead. The news of the Pathankot siege had started coming on television and the worried family called his mobile phone several times only to find it switched off.
As a trooper for the Defence Security Corps, which is entrusted to guard military installations, he was stationed at the Pathankot airbase, one of India’s frontline airbases. He was posted at the DSC mess when the terrorists opened fire.
As his family followed the news, their hearts raced in anxiety. His phone went unanswered repeatedly. “We called his friend there and were told that he was alright. So we thought of nothing untoward,” says daughter Kiran.
“On the first day the press was reporting the names of two other soldiers who had been martyred. My father’s name was not among them,” she adds.
The next day someone called from the Pathankot Air Force Station and when she answered the phone, the caller asked for a male member of the family. The girl called a cousin who was given the sad news.
Two jawans killed in the Pathankot attack were from Himachal Pradesh. Last year, seven of the state’s soldiers from the 6 Dogra Regiment were among the 18 killed in a terrorist ambush in Manipur.
Himachal Pradesh has had a long tradition of sending its men to the armed forces. Three Param Vir Chakra awardees, including the first Param Vir Chakra recipient Major Somnath Sharma, hail from the state. Fifty-two soldiers from Himachal Pradesh died in the Kargil War of 1999.
“Three generations of my family have been in the army. My grandfather, father and now us — among we four brothers, three joined the army,” says retired soldier Piar Singh, 58, Sepoy Jagdish Chand’s elder brother.
One brother is still serving in the Indian Army.
In every other house in the village, he says, resides a retired soldier. At one time every house sent a soldier or two to the armed forces. “There are only a few serving jawans in the fauj now. Nowadays our boys are not able to qualify in the selection process and are getting rejected,” says Piar Singh.
Sepoy Jagdish Chand’s son Rajat, 21, had tried getting recruited into the army, but was unsuccessful.
Kiran says she is encouraging her younger sister to try for the armed forces.
The family has received Rs 20 lakhs (Rs 2 million) in two cheques and a cash amount of Rs 45,000 so far. Since the death will be treated as a battle casualty, his family will continue to receive the pay he drew. Sepoy Jagdish Chand’s funeral was attended by state ministers, officials, defence personnel and many locals.
Kiran, the oldest of the martyr’s children, has been told by many to be strong. ‘You are the eldest; you have to be a source of strength to your mother and siblings,’ she was counselled by those who came for the funeral.
She does not remember much of what happened that day. It is a haze of permanent grief.
“It’s a day we never want to remember. It’s the day the world ended for us.”
Source……….Archana Masih / Rediff.com in http://www.rediff.com
Natarajan
As India celebrates its 67th Republic Day, Rediff.com takes a look at some brave men who stood their ground to protect their country from those who sought to bleed it.
Lance Naik Mohan Nath Goswami (ASHOK CHAKRA – POSTHUMOUS)
Honoured For: On the intervening night of September 2-3, 2015, Lance Naik Mohan Nath Goswami was part of an ambush in Haphruda forest at Kupwara district of Jammu & Kashmir.
At about 2015 hours, there was a fierce encounter with four terrorists wherein two of his comrades were injured and pinned down.
Lance Naik Mohan along with his buddy dashed forward to rescue their injured colleagues, knowing well the risks to their own lives.
He first assisted in eliminating one terrorist. Sensing grave danger to three of his wounded colleagues, Lance Naik Mohan with utter disregard to his own personal safety, charged at the remaining terrorists drawing intense fire from them.
He was hit in the thigh. Unmindful, he closed in and eliminated one terrorist, injured another and was again shot in the abdomen.
Undeterred by his injuries, he hurled himself on the last terrorist and killed him at point blank range before succumbing to his wounds. Lance Naik Mohan not only killed two terrorists, but also assisted in neutralizing the other two and save the lives of three of his wounded colleagues.
Subedar Mahendra Singh, Sena Medal (KIRTI CHAKRA)
Honoured For: Subedar Mahendra Singh was a veteran of numerous firefights, where, time and again his inspiring leadership, resilience and courage resulted in outstanding successes.
He had been awarded Sena Medal on the Line of Control for exemplary courage and initiative wherein he shot dead a Pakistan Regular Army in 2013.
On September 2, 2015 at 2015 hours, contact was established with terrorists in Darel forest at Kupwara district of Jammu and Kashmir resulting in multiple splinter injuries to two comrades.
Displaying exemplary leadership, the JCO moved with Lance Naik Mohan Nath Goswami to evacuate his comrades, drawing heavy fire in the process. Sensing the danger to his men, Subedar Mahendra immediately returned fire and displaying raw aggression charged and eliminated one terrorist at close quarters.
His audaciousness startled the other terrorist who opened indiscriminate fire at him. Undeterred, he closed in with the terrorists when one terrorist rushed out firing and grievously wounded Subedar Mahendra in the abdomen.
Despite his injury which paralysed him below the waist, he shot dead the terrorist at point blank range. Heedless of the threat posed by the terrorist fire and his incapacitating wound, he, in order to prevent any further casualties, forbade all attempts to evacuate him and endured tremendous pain to extricate himself.
Sepoy Jagdish Chand (KIRTI CHAKRA – POSTHUMOUS)
Honoured For: Sepoy Jagdish Chand was posted with 546 Defence Service Platoon attached with 18 Wing Air Force.
On the night of January 01/02 2016 at 0330 hours, while working on bonafide military duty at Defence Service Corps lines, five to six heavily armed terrorists entered the lines and opened indiscriminate fire on the troops working in the said location.
The heavy firing resulted in two of his colleagues being fatally wounded.
Showing presence of mind and conspicuous bravery Sepoy Jagdish Chand unmindful of his own safety ran after the closest terrorist, chased and overpowered him. Sepoy Jagdish Chand snatched the terrorist’s weapon to shoot him dead.
In the process two more terrorists in vicinity opened fire on SepoyJagdish Chand killing him on the spot.
The great presence of mind, unmatched bravery and valour by Sepoy Jagdish Chand minimized further loss of lives and gave time for the quick reaction teams in the vicinity to react. Sepoy Jagdish Chand’s actions was also a setback to the terrorists.
Colonel Santosh Yashwant Mahadik (SHAURYA CHAKRA – POSTHUMOUS)
Honoured For: Colonel Santosh Yashwant Mahadik, — a dynamic officer from the Parachute Regiment (Special Forces) — was commanding 41 Rashtriya Rifles from July 2014.
Col Santosh with his inspirational leadership and humane skills and altered the narrative of kupwara town through successful Operation Sadbhavana initiatives in education, sports and health care.
Colonel Santosh was leading a search operation based on specific input about the likely presence of terrorists in general area Manigah Forest of Kupwara district of Jammu and Kashmir on November 17, 2015.
At about 1215 hours, he received an input about the likely movement of terrorists in the forested area near Kashmiri Manigah.
Always having led from the front, Colonel Santosh alongwith his Quick Reaction Team expeditiously moved to the suspected site. As the team was deploying, they came under heavy and effective fire of terrorists hiding in the forest.
Pinned down by the terrorists fire in the open, he immediately maneuvered to outflank the terrorists and engaged them from an advantageous position.
Undeterred by the heavy volume of terrorists fire, Colonel Santosh provided his troops an opportunity to take cover. In the fire fight however, he suffered multiple gunshot wounds. Unmindful of his grievous injuries, Colonel Santosh kept the terrorists pinned down till he was evacuated. He later succumbed to his injuries and attained martyrdom.
Major Praphul Kumar Bhardwaj (SHAURYA CHAKRA)
Honoured For: Major Praphul Kumar Bhardwaj launched a special operation in Awankhu village in Phek district of Nagaland, 120 km from the closest existing Assam Rifles post on the night of July 13, 2015.
Negotiating thick forests and treacherous slopes in extreme and inclement weather, Major Praphul’s party reached the target at 2300 hours, July 15, 2015.
At 2345 hours, on observing some movement around a hut, Major Praphul along with a buddy pair closed in to ascertain the movement upon which they drew heavy volume of fire.
Sensing danger to his party, in the absence of any cover and accurate incoming fire, Major Praphul charged onto the hut and neutralized one terrorist at point blank range.
During this action, he sustained gun shot wound in his right elbow as also his weapon was hit by a bullet, thereby jamming it. Despite profusely bleeding, with his weapon now non functional and his party pinned down, Major Praphul crawled and lobbed two grenades in the hut and neutralized the second terrorist.
Major Anurag Kumar (SHAURYA CHAKRA)
Honoured For: Major Anurag Kumar was leading a helicopter inserted 9 PARA (Special Forces) team in search and destroy operations at Lidder Panzal in Baramulla district of Jammu and Kashmir on August 26/27, 2015.
Post insertion, Major Anurag led his squads to the location where terrorists were last seen and organized the search.
At 1400 hours on August 26, 2015, the officer observed suspicious movement behind boulders and deployed his squads before shouting a challenge which drew indiscriminate terrorist fire.
Realising the grave threat to his men from the ricocheting bullets, the officer risked his safety and under covering fire of Havildar Virender Singh and Naik Javid Ahmad Chopan closed in with and eliminated one terrorist.
Major Anurag then established a cordon to cut off escape of remaining terrorists.
At 1100 hours on August 27, 2015, a terrorist attempting to break the cordon rushed out firing indiscriminately. Unmindful of the heavy fire, Major Anurag engaged and shot dead the terrorist at close quarters. He further engaged one trapped terrorist in a conversation thereby assisting Naik Chopan in his apprehension.
Major Sandip Yadav (SHAURYA CHAKRA)
Honoured For: Major Sandip has been operating in Pulwama since July 2013 and his flair for generating intelligence and conduct of operations is exemplary.
On August 10, information was received about the presence of terrorists in village Ratanpur at Pulwama district of Jammu and Kashmir.
Major Sandip while moving cross country noticed a suspicious movement in a paddy field. The two terrorists immediately opened indiscriminate fire at the officer.
Major Sandip stood his ground and retaliated the fire which pinned down the terrorists. Undeterred by heavy fire and showing exceptional presence of mind, the officer redeployed his team which prevented the escape of terrorists.
On August 11, after a grueling eighteen hours of firefight, Major Sandip decided to crawl close to the terrorists in an open area without any cover. As he was doing so, he came under heavy fire. Unmindful of the grave danger, he crawled close and eliminated both the terrorists. The bold action not only ensured elimination of two Lashker terrorists but also prevented collateral damage.
Lieutenant Harjinder Singh (SHAURYA CHAKRA)
Honoured For: On June 5, 2015, Lieutenant Harjinder Singh was the commander of an ambush point in Jammu and Kashmir.
At 2230 hours, a group of three terrorists was spotted.
Lieutenant Harjinder Singh continuously tracked the movement of the terrorists and immediately assessed the situation and engaged the infiltrators.
The effective fire forced the terrorists to move along the anti-infiltration obstacle system to a higher ground. The terrorists split into two groups to divert attention and escape.
At 0500 hours the officer moved to engage the terrorists. Displaying exemplary courage, he accurately fired the Multi Grenade Launcher and neutralized the first terrorist. In the meantime, the second terrorist opened with automatic fire.
Undeterred by the terrorist fire, the officer closed in with the terrorist and neutralized him at close quarters. Despite grave danger to him, the officer continuously maintained contact with the terrorists and eliminated them in a surgical manner.
Naik Satish Kumar (SHAURYA CHAKRA – POSTHUMOUS)
Honoured For: Naik Satish Kumar had been serving with the 21 Rashtriya Rifles since April 7, 2015.
On December 4, 2015, he was commanding a small team as part of search and destroyed operation in Boban Wastar Forest.
Observing speed and stealth, he led his small team to the likely target area, searching the forest cautiously.
At 1305 hours, Naik Anil was suddenly fired upon by terrorists injuring him.
Realising Naik Anil being hit, Naik Satish Kumar crawled ahead to a fallen tree, engaged and eliminated one terrorist at close range. He then provided Naik Anil first aid and ensured his timely evacuation.
Simultaneously, the second hidden terrorist opened fire injuring him on his right leg. Unmindful of his injury, Naik Satish engaged this terrorist and despite profuse bleeding closed in, lobbing two hand grenade towards the terrorist who was still firing and killed him.
However, during his assault towards the terrorist he suffered another gunshot wound and attained martyrdom.
Naik Kheem Singh Mehra (SHAURYA CHAKRA)
Honoured For: On the night of August 8, 2015, three terrorists attempted infiltration in Lara locality along Jumagund Nar on the Line of Control at Jammu and Kashmir. Naik Kheem Singh Mehra was deployed as a part of an ambush to prevent their escape.
At 0530 hours, the terrorist group was spotted by Naik Kheem Singh moving in the jungle across Jumagund Nar towards Line of Control. Displaying tenacity, grit and total audacity, Naik Kheem Singh advanced across the Nala, climbed on the opposite spur and engaged the terrorists at close range killing one terrorist on the spot and preventing their escape.
Heavy exchange of fire commenced between the terrorists, Naik Kheem Singh’s ambush party. Taking cover of boulder and trees, the terrorists maneuvered to flank the main ambush party. Sensing imminent danger to own party, Naik Kheem Singh with utter disregard to personal safety, broke cover and charged the terrorists killing another terrorist in close quarter fire fight.
Sepoy Dharma Ram (SHAURYA CHAKRA – POSTHUMOUS)
Honoured For: On May 25, 2015 Sepoy Dharma Ram was part of a patrol launched by Major Kobitirha Sanyal towards village Kanjikul at Kulgam district of Jammu and Kashmir.
At 1300 hours the patrol came under sudden heavy volume of fire from a nearby house. Sepoy Dharma Ram exhibited exemplary presence of mind to warn his team of the direction of fire and encountered the terrorist fearlessly in a direct firefight.
He selflessly put himself in the face of terrorist fire and fought with nerves of steel to prevent any team member from getting injured.
During the firefight, the individual sustained two bullet wounds on his back and thigh. Unmindful and undeterred from the grave injury and although bleeding profusely the individual exhibited exemplary field craft to crawl to an appropriate position from where he brought accurate fire on the terrorist and injured him gravely. The terrorist was thus neutralised and identified as Lashkar-e-Tayiba District Commander.
Source……..www.rediff.com
Natarajan
They saved their friends, parents, and neighbours from drowning, electrocution, thieves and a lot more – these 25 children, who were honoured with the National Bravery Award this year, displayed immense courage and risked their lives to protect their loved ones. Here are their awesome stories.
New Delhi witnessed the gathering of some of India’s bravest children on January 24, when Prime Minister Narendra Modi presented the National Bravery Awards to them. From a 16-year-old who fought off a tiger, to a 13-year-old who lost his life while trying to save his friend from drowning – these three girls and 22 boys showed incredible bravery in the face of some very dangerous situations.
“For the award winners, this act of bravery should not become an end in itself. Life must continue to evolve and the children should continue to develop their careers and continue to serve society to the best of their abilities,” the Prime Minister told them during the event.
The National Bravery Award scheme, initiated by the Indian Council for Child Welfare (ICCW), was started with the aim of awarding children in the age group of 6-18 years, who display outstanding bravery and inspire other children with their actions. The awards consist of five categories including the Bharat Award, Sanjay Chopra Award, Geeta Chopra Award, Bapu Gaidhani Award and the General National Bravery Awards. The awardees receive a medal, a certificate, and a cash prize. Bharat Award winners get a gold medal, while the others receive silver. As a part of ICCW’s sponsorship program under the Indira Gandhi scholarship scheme, each child is also receives the financial assistance to complete his or her schooling.
Here are the astounding stories of this year’s winners.
8-year-old Shivampet Ruchitha became the youngest person to receive the award this year. On July 24, 2014, Ruchita saved two of her school mates when a train hit their school bus. She noticed that their bus had stopped on a railway track and a train was coming towards them. Showing extraordinary presence of mind, she pushed two students out of the window and jumped off the bus herself too. Unfortunately, she could not save her younger sister who was sitting in the front row. Her younger brother sustained severe injuries, but he has recovered now. 16 students, the driver, and the conductor lost their lives in that accident. She was honoured with the Geeta Chopra award.
“It feels good to have the limelight and get an award from the Prime Minister. But I wish I was able to save my sister, too, as we all miss her,” she told The Indian Express.
In July 2014, a tiger entered 16-year-old Arjun Singh’s house in Uttarakhand. He showed extreme courage and fought it off, saving his mother’s life who had fainted as soon as the tiger entered. Arjun went into a room and picked up a sickle to fight the tiger. As it was too small to hit from a distance, Arjun grabbed a stick and waved it towards the tiger. He did not stop until the villagers reached there and the animal ran away on seeing the crowd. Arjun received the Sanjay Chopra award.
Shivansh Singh, a 14-year-old medal-winning swimmer from Faizabad, was posthumously honoured with the prestigious Bharat Award. He lost his life while trying to save his friend from drowning in the Saryu River.
“I wish he was here. Seeing all these boys and girls enjoy their moment of glory, I wish my son could have been part of this,” his mother, Neelam Singh, told The Telegraph.
Gaurav was only 15 when he lost his life while rescuing four of his friends from drowning in the Ambazari lake. He was a good swimmer and had gone to the lake one afternoon in June 2014. While playing in the water, his friends suddenly started drowning. According to the police, Gaurav swam for 20 minutes and rescued them all. But while trying to pull out the last boy, he hit his head on a submerged stone and drowned. He received the Bharat Award.
12-year-old Aromal is one of the six winners from Kerala. He saved two women from drowning in a 14-feet pond and was honoured with the Bapu Gaidhani Award.
This 13-year-old received the Bapu Gaidhani Award for saving a boy who accidentally fell into a well.
On January 2, 2015, Ramdinthara saved two boys who were stuck on a transformer fence. The 15-year-old pulled the boys out with his bare hands and took them to the hospital. Son of a tea-seller, Ramdinthara was walking past the transformer when he saw that two boys were struggling to free themselves after falling on the fence. He overcame his fear in just a few seconds and grabbed their hair to pull them up. He received the Bapu Gaidhani Award.
Abinash Mishra, 12, saw his friend drowning in Kushabhadra River. Without thinking twice, he just jumped into the river and swam to the shore after saving his friend. He is one of the recipients of the General National Bravery Award.
13-year-old Chongtham Kuber Meitei became a local hero after he jumped into a 10-feet deep well to save a girl from drowning. He was awarded with the General National Bravery Award.
“I won’t lie, I was really scared. But I had to jump into the well to get to her. She would have drowned,” he told The Telegraph.
10-year-old Kashish protected his 15-months-old sibling from a German Shepherd. He received the General National Bravery Award.
14-year-old Muhammad Shamnad showed outstanding courage when he risked his life to save a little girl from drowning in a pond. He received the General National Bravery Award.
14-year-old Mohit saved his 10-year-old neighbour from drowning in Banganga Lake last year. When Krishna Pashtye slipped into the lake, Mohit was the only one of the hundreds of onlookers who had the courage to dive into the lake and save her. He was honoured with General National Bravery Award.
“I knew how to swim and so jumped in confidently. I saw the girl’s leg had stuck in mud in a ditch. I tried to get her leg out and managed to pull her out. When we came out, others rushed and helped us,” said Mohit, an orphan who lives with his paternal aunt.
15-year-old Abhijith was honoured with the General National Bravery Award for saving his friend from drowning in a 25 feet deep pond.
Sarwanand Saha received the General National Bravery Award for saving a man from drowning in Mahanadi River.
This 15-year-old saved his mother from electrocution. His mother came in contact with a live electric wire at their residence in Agapura when she was washing the floor. Sai Krishna was quick to think on his feet and he instantly rushed forward to turn off the mains supply while making sure that he did not step into the water. He was honoured with the General National Bravery Award.
On April 4, 2015, Dishant Mehndiratta was at his home in Panchkula, with his mother and younger brother. His father had just left for work when a stranger knocked at the door asking for him. The family invited him in and Dishant’s mother, Archana, called her husband to inform about the visitor. His father couldn’t recognise the man and asked him to come later. This was when the stranger asked if he could use the toilet. And while Archana was leading the way to show him the bathroom, he suddenly took out a knife and put it on her neck. He started threatening the children, asking them to bring out all the cash and valuables. Dishant made a quick plan and fell down on the man’s feet pretending to plead with him. And after a few seconds, he suddenly stood up, grabbed the knife from his hand, and threw it away. The family raised an alarm and got him arrested. Dishant received the General National Bravery Award for this courageous act.
When a man snatched away her father’s mobile phone, 10-year-old Joena Chakraborty started running after him without wasting a single second, and brought the phone back.
“I knew he would head for a narrow alley, so I reached there before him and caught his legs even though people were shouting that he had a knife,” she said.
Nilesh Bhil from Kothli was awarded the General National Bravery Award for saving a boy from drowning.
14-year-old Beedhovan saved a boy from electrocution and was honoured with the General National Bravery Award.
13-year-old Nithin was honoured for saving his neighbour’s family after their house caught fire in a cylinder blast.
On November 16 last year, a boat got overturned in Sarayu River. 12-year-old Bhimsen, who was present on his own boat, jumped into the water and saved 14 people from drowning.
Angelica Tynsong, 13, from Ri Bhoi district, saved her 7-month-old brother when their house caught fire on February 1, 2015. Her brother was sleeping while she was washing clothes, and their parents were not present in the house at the time of the incident.
14-year-old Anandu Dileep was going to his tuition class with his friends. They were crossing a bridge when his friend slipped and fell into the 10-feet-deep canal. Anandu jumped into the water and rescued him.
Maurice was playing on the terrace with his friend who suddenly got an electric shock. Had it not been for Maurice’s presence of mind, his friend would have lost his life. The 14-year-old picked up a cane chair and started hitting him till he was free.
Vaibhav Ramesh Ghangare from Wardha also received the General National Bravery Award. He saved a 6-year-old child from drowning.
Source……..Tanaya Singh in http://www.the betterindia.com
Natarajan
At an age when many people want to relax and lead a peaceful life, 81-year-old Bagicha Singh is on a unique mission. He has been walking since the last 23 years and has covered the length and breadth of India more than 21 times. His aim? To spread awareness against tobacco and alcohol consumption, child labour, corruption, and other such social issues.
A resident of Panipat, Bagicha Singh started his non-stop journey from Jammu to Kanyakumari on February 22, 1993. After his Class 12 exam, he told his parents that he will never get married because he wants to dedicate his life to the country. He carries a 90 kg backpack with two Indian flags waving on 18 feet long poles.
Throughout his journey, Bagicha Singh met many people including politicians and celebrities. And he has several interesting stories to share:
“On my way from Tezpur to Guwahati in Assam, I had to cross a forest… One has to carry dozens of bananas to cross the forest, as herds of elephants stop their human counterparts and don’t let them go unless they are given their ‘tax’. I carried six kilo bananas, and indulged the elephants. Not far ahead on this journey, I was surrounded by a group of Naga tribesmen…They demanded that I hand over all my belongings…That’s when the elephants came to my rescue! The biggest one among them ran towards the group. The men panicked and fled. The elephant then picked up my bag with its trunk and the whole herd walked with me. Once we reached the road, I was given my bag and the herd walked back in,” he told The Time of India in November 2015, when he was on a break in Hyderabad during his 22nd trip.
After waking up at 5:00 each morning, he walks till 12:00 noon, rests for an hour, and again walks till 7:00 pm. Freedom fighters like Subhash Chandra Bose, Chandra Shekhar Azad and Bhagat Singh inspire this octogenarian, who takes a new route in every trip.
Bagicha Singh hopes that the country’s youth will slowly understand the ill effects of tobacco and alcohol. Watch him talk about his journey here:
Source…..Tanaya singh in http://www.the better india .com
Natarajan
Hello, India. It’s our 67th Republic Day today. The celebrations took place as per protocol. The Prime Minister offered tributes at the Amar Jawan Jyoti and the parade commenced from the gates of the Rashtrapati Bhavan. French President Francois Hollande was the chief guest for this year’s parade. For the first time ever, there was also a French contingent taking part this year.
Here are the highlights of today’s parade:
All photos: Doordarshan
Source……..Meryl Garcia in http://www.thebetterindia.com
Natarajan
The Indian flags seen fluttering atop the Red fort, Rashtrapati Bhavan, Supreme Court, other government buildings, and many such places – they are all manufactured in Hubballi. The Karnataka Khadi Gramodyoga Samyukta Sangha (KKGSS) is the country’s only national flag manufacturing unit and it is located in Bengeri village of Dharwad district.
KKGSS has been certified as the sole manufacturer and supplier of the Indian flag to the entire country, by the Khadi and Village Industries Commission.
KKGSS’ khadi manufacturing units are located in Bagalkot, from where the cloth is first sourced. It is then divided into three lots, dyed accordingly and cut into the required shapes. The chakra is printed on the white cloth and the three pieces are stitched together. The flags are then ironed and packed.
Making Indian flags is a difficult job because manufacturers have to follow strict guidelines. According to the Flag Code for India, there are nine different sizes in which the flag is made. The smallest one is 6×4 inches and the biggest one – hoisted on buildings and forts with high mast – is 21×14 feet. The guidelines include that the width and length of the flag should be in the ratio 2:3 and that the chakra should be printed on both sides.
The flag hoisted on Red Fort, Rashtrapathi Bhavan and medium-size government buildings is 12×8 feet.
The original video was published here.
Source…..Tanaya Singh in http://www.the betterindia.com
Natarajan
Overcoming senses that stray outward is difficult – they are attracted by taste, looks, and feels. The internal tendencies are like pure water which has no form, taste, or heaviness and is good for you! Impure water hurts you and harms you. You must purify your mental behavior, which is presently spoiled by the delusions of the world. If you desire happiness, you must first control and conquer the external delusion. Then your internal tendencies will easily move in the direction of securing bliss (Atma-ananda). Spiritual practices and penance (Yoga and Tapas) are only other names for the path to control and conquer these external tendencies and shield you from delusions. Choose any path through which you feel grace is flowing to you. Liberation is achieved by strict adherence to the rules and observances of following your chosen path. The path will give you the strength to overcome delusion and grant you one-pointedness.
Sometimes, when the steering of a car is turned one way, you may experience the wheels dragging the car in another way – this indicates there is a problem you must fix! When the tyres are flat with no air, they behave as if there is no relationship with the steering. But they can never go beyond the bounds of steering. The steering in the hand must be connected to the wheels below for the journey to happen, that connection is mandatory and inevitable. For the one who has struggled with and conquered their out-going senses, their internal instruments become easily controllable. The external world distracts your senses and attracts you and you succumb by becoming objects of experience. To overcome them is indeed a difficult task. But your internal instruments have no form even though they may be endowed with name; they have experienced spiritual bliss (ananda)before, so they can be tamed with greater ease.
Take off with Natarajan 