India’s Cultural Diversity and Military Strength on Display at Republic Day Parade….In Pictures …

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:

rday 1

chiefs of indian armed forces

prez

r day 3

r day 4

r day 5

r day 6

french

r day 8

r day 9

r day 10

r day 11

r day 12

r day 13

r day 14

rdaymp

bravery award r day

flypast

All photos: Doordarshan

Source……..Meryl Garcia in http://www.thebetterindia.com

Natarajan

” This Is the Place Where All Indian National Flags Are Manufactured…”

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.

The flags are made in conformation with the guidelines laid down by the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS).

flag

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.

Find out all about the manufacturing unit here:

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.

Featured Image Credit: Flickr

Source…..Tanaya  Singh in http://www.the betterindia.com

Natarajan

” This Republic Day I Pledge to Uphold My Fundamental Duties….Do You …? “

Nishant Gambhir talks about the importance of fundamental duties.

As a student of law, I have been trained over the years to work around and for equality. Equality is the result of a balance which is attained by creating a system of force and counter force. This is exactly how modern civil and sovereign societies are designed to function. Equality, liberty and sovereignty are the guiding principles of a good state. The other essential feature of modern day society is the rights which are given to the people. However, to establish a counter force as well as balance the rights, there are duties.

Jurisprudence, the science and philosophy of justice, says that rights are what the state owes it’s people, but duty is what the people owe the state in return. It’s a plain and simple barter which maintains equilibrium and helps society progress.

However, over the years there seems to be a constant degeneration of the idea of duties, and now an imbalance has come in to the picture. People are getting more and more protective about their rights, primarily because they’re more aware (and a lot of people like us at Lex Do It are working hard to make people aware of their rights). However, they’re getting more and more ignorant about their duties.

Have a look at how well people know their duties:

A worrying trend, isn’t it? We urge you to be aware of your rights. In fact, come to us and we shall help you with them. However at the same time, don’t forget your duties, they’re equally important. With a lack of balance in the functioning of rights and duties, we as a nation will not reach where we’re destined to reach, where we deserve to reach.

Let’s pledge to do our bit for the nation and abide by the duties. Let us be Indians before individuals.

the-original-and-later

The Constitution of India in Article 51A enshrines 11 fundamental duties upon all citizens of India, namely:

  1. To abide by the Constitution and respect its ideals and institutions, the National Flag and the National Anthem
  2. To cherish and follow the noble ideals which inspired our national struggle for freedom
  3. To uphold and protect the sovereignty, unity and integrity of India
  4. To defend the country and render national service when called upon to do so
  5. To promote harmony and the spirit of common brotherhood amongst all the people of India transcending religious, linguistic and regional or sectional diversities; to renounce practices derogatory to the dignity of women
  6. To value and preserve the rich heritage of our composite culture
  7. To protect and improve the natural environment including forests, lakes, rivers and wildlife, and to have compassion for living creatures
  8. To develop the scientific temper, humanism and the spirit of inquiry and reform
  9. To safeguard public property and to abjure violence
  10. To strive towards excellence in all spheres of individual and collective activity so that the nation constantly rises to higher levels of endeavour and achievement.

Let’s work together to make India a better place.

Wishing you all a very happy Republic Day. Jai Hind!

Featured image: Flickr/Sean Ellis

Source……..www.the better india.com

Natarajan

Image of the Day….” Star Trails…”

Star trails over Forbidden City, Beijing

Below, the Forbidden City in Beijing, China, former home of the Chinese emperor and a center of Chinese government. Above, the Forbidden City’s sky counterpart.

View larger. | Star trails over the Forbidden City, Beijing, China. Photo taken January 23, 2015 by Jeff Dai.

View larger. | Star trails over the Forbidden City, Beijing, China. Photo taken January 13, 2016 by Jeff Dai. Visit Jeff on Facebook.

Jeff Dai captured these star trails around the north celestial pole and North Star – Polaris – in a time-exposure image capturing the passage of the time above the Forbidden City in Beijing, China.

What we in the West know as the Forbidden City is a translation of the Chinese name Zijin Cheng, literally Purple Forbidden City. Jeff writes:

The Purple Forbidden City, a world heritage site today, served as the home of Chinese emperors and their households, as well as the ceremonial and political center of Chinese government, for almost 500 years.

The Purple Forbidden City is a name with significance in ancient Chinese astronomy. Purple refers to the North Star (pictured in the center of the startrails). In ancient China, it was called the Ziwei Star, and in traditional Chinese astrology was the heavenly abode of the Celestial Emperor. The surrounding celestial region, the Purple Forbidden Enclosure (pictured below) was considered the realm of the Celestial Emperor and his family.

The Forbidden City, as the residence of the terrestrial emperor, was its earthly counterpart.

Traditional Chinese astronomy has a system of dividing the celestial sphere into asterisms or constellations, known as

View larger. | In traditional Chinese astronomy, a large area in the northern sky was known as the Purple Forbidden Enclosure. It was considered the realm of the Celestial Emperor and his family.

Bottom line: A photo shows star trails above the Forbidden City – former residence of the Chinese emperor – in Beijing, China. It’s accompanied by an image showing the Purple Forbidden Enclosure, the celestial counterpart of the Forbidden City.

 Source……..www.earthsky.org
natarajan

Tree Tunnels ….

There are few things more magical than finding yourself walking through a tree tunnel on a warm spring evening. Whether naturally formed or painstakingly created, these tree tunnels are sure to bewitch and enchant anyone lucky enough to walk through them, whether alone or in similarly appreciative company.

If they weren’t created naturally, these places are inspired by nature and created in its honor – after all, it is forever the most beautiful builder. It must be said that some of these places were created by accident, such as the tunnel of love in the Ukraine, while others took years of growth to look the way they look now:

1.  Train Station in Jinhae, South Korea 

beautiful tree tunnels

2. Street in Bonn, Germany

beautiful tree tunnels

3. Wisteria Flower Tunnel in Japan

beautiful tree tunnels

beautiful tree tunnels

4. Oak Alley along the Mississippi River outside New Orleans, Louisiana

beautiful tree tunnels

5. Jacarandas Walk in South Africa

beautiful tree tunnels

There are few things more magical than finding yourself walking through a tree tunnel on a warm spring evening. Whether naturally formed or painstakingly created, these tree tunnels are sure to bewitch and enchant anyone lucky enough to walk through them, whether alone or in similarly appreciative company.

If they weren’t created naturally, these places are inspired by nature and created in its honor – after all, it is forever the most beautiful builder. It must be said that some of these places were created by accident, such as the tunnel of love in the Ukraine, while others took years of growth to look the way they look now:

1.  Train Station in Jinhae, South Korea 
beautiful tree tunnels

 

2. Street in Bonn, Germany
beautiful tree tunnels

3. Wisteria Flower Tunnel in Japan
beautiful tree tunnels

beautiful tree tunnels

4. Oak Alley along the Mississippi River outside New Orleans, Louisiana
beautiful tree tunnels

5. Jacarandas Walk in South Africa
beautiful tree tunnels

6. Tunnel of Love in Ukraine

beautiful tree tunnels

 

beautiful tree tunnels

7. Maple Tunnel in St. Louis, Oregon, U.S.A. 

beautiful tree tunnels

8. Ginkgo Tree Tunnel in Japan

beautiful tree tunnels

9. Blossom Path (Location Unknown)

beautiful tree tunnels

10. Bamboo Path in Kyoto, Japan

beautiful tree tunnels

11. Street in Porto Alegre, Brazil

beautiful tree tunnels

beautiful tree tunnels

12. The Dark Hedges, Northern Ireland

beautiful tree tunnels

beautiful tree tunnels

13. Sakura Tunnel, Japan

beautiful tree tunnels

14. Tree Tunnel in Netherlands

beautiful tree tunnels

15. Street in Jerez, Spain 

beautiful tree tunnels

16. Laburnum Tunnel in Bodnant Gardens, UK

beautiful tree tunnels

17. Parque Francisco Alvarado in Costa Rica

beautiful tree tunnels

18. The Path Up To the Halnaker Windmill in Sussex

beautiful tree tunnels

 

Source………www.ba-bamail.com

natarajan

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Images for the day….” Flowers after the Rain …” !!!

Sunlight and a light rain once in a while keep flowers happy, growing and fresh. Flowers love the water, and they are never as beautiful as they are after the rain. After they have had their shower and drink, their colors are renewed and beautiful. Same goes for other tiny plants, and even the little insects look better after the rain, clean, bright and colorful!

flowers after the rain

flowers after the rain

flowers after the rain

flowers after the rain

flowers after the rain

flowers after the rain

flowers after the rain

flowers after the rain

flowers after the rain

flowers after the rain

flowers after the rain

flowers after the rain

Source………www.ba-bamail.com

Natarajan

Sofa from an Ambassador, Table from a Tractor – This Jodhpur Couple Is Creating Magic from Waste

A  sofa made from the discarded portion of an Ambassador car, a table made from a tractor, rugs made of old gunny bags, and so many other handmade products – welcome to the super creative workshop of PRiti International. Started by a Jodhpur-based couple in 2005, it is a company that takes waste material and turns it into something very useful and unique.

“We don’t just want to make things for decorative purposes. We want them to be useful as well,” says Hritesh Lohiya, who founded PRiti International with his wife Priti Lohiya.

The couple came across this idea after several failed ventures, and have been expanding their range of amazing products since then.

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Hritesh and Priti Lohiya

“We started many different businesses, but all of them failed. We started a chemical factory, then a stone cutting factory, and a washing powder business. This was the final one,” says 42-year-old Hritesh.

Today, they have spread their work to three factories with over 400 people designing these products. They manufacture many things like handbags from old gunny bags, military tents and denim pants; furniture from waste tins, drums, as well as waste machine parts; and lamps from bike headlights etc.

“We started a handicrafts business in 2003. We were not getting any orders, and it had become very difficult for us to sustain. That was the time when we found some waste tin boxes in the factory. They were chemical boxes and drums. We turned them into chairs and tables. Fortunately, one customer visited our factory that time and liked those items a lot. This was how we entered into the recycling business,” says Hritesh.

They are now exporting to more than 40 countries including China, US and Australia every month, and the company has a current turnover of $8 million. They usually get their raw material from scrap dealers, but as the business is growing, they have also started attending auctions organized by Indian Railways and Army to purchase waste material. The item is first brought to the factory where the couple brainstorms on how to use it in the best possible manner. Once the design is ready, the final product is manufactured by the factory workers. Currently, they are only exporting their products, and they also participate in several exhibitions worldwide where they get several orders.

Take a look at their brilliant work:

Recycling Waste

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Recycling Waste

Recycling Waste

Recycling Waste

Recycling Waste

Recycling Waste

Source…..Tanaya singh in http://www.the betterindia.com

Natarajan

Meet Rupa Devi – the Woman Selected by FIFA to Officiate International Matches…..

Rupa Devi, a 26-year-old woman from Dindigul, Tamil Nadu, has been selected by the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) to officiate international matches.

According to reports, she is the first woman referee from Tamil Nadu to be selected by FIFA.

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Photo Credit: (L) YouTube, (R) Flickr

Rupa started playing football when she was a student of Class 6 at St. Joseph’s Girl’s School in Dindigul. Her love for the game continued to grow and she started playing at the sub-junior level in her school very soon. She also started participating in district level football tournaments and became a part of the Dindigul Football Federation in 2006. The federation helped her participate in many national matches and also sponsored her education. She continued to play when she went to GTN college in Dindigul for her BSc degree, and then to Annamalai University in Chidambaram for a BEd in Physical Education. She currently works as a physical training school teacher in Dindigul.

“As a child, I used to stand on the sides of the ground where the game was played and kick the ball, whenever it came to me,” she told The Times of India.

According to a report in The News Minute, Rupa lost her parents in 2010 and 2011. She supported herself through the matches she went to play. But during the same period, there were no matches for women at the national level for two years. This was when senior referees advised that she should become a referee. She joined the referee development school in 2012.

She has been a referee for many matches since then. She was chosen as a referee for Asian Football Confederation (AFC) in 2013, for the under-14 football festival held in Doha. She was the only Indian selected as part of the Asian body’s ‘Future referees’ project at that time.

Three years after beginning to officiate matches and giving the FIFA examination, she qualified as an international referee.

Source……Tanaya Singh in http://www.the betterindia.com

Natarajan

10 Rare Pictures of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose That Everyone Must See…

Remembering Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose on his 119th birth anniversary. Generations of Indians admire his patriotism and courage. Here are some rare pictures of him:

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Photo credit: Twitter

Source…….Meryl Garcia in http://www.the betterindia.com

Natarajan

The President Shares Pictures as His Residence Is Decorated for Republic Day…

Rashtrapati Bhavan is being prepared for the celebration of India’s 67th Republic Day, and it is looking as marvellous as always. This Tuesday, the much awaited grand parade on Rajpath will commence from the gates of the Rashtrapati Bhavan. And on the evening of January 29, the Beating Retreat ceremony will be held at Vijay Chowk, with the North and South blocks of the Rashtrapati Bhavan visible on both sides.

President Pranab Mukherjee has tweeted some pictures, as his residence is getting decorated:

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The Jaipur Column

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RD7All pictures: Twitter

Source…. Tanaya Singh in http://www.the betterindia.com

Natarajan