Award and Prizes: August 2010

Konkani litterateur Ravindra Kelekar presented Jnanpith Award 2006

• Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar presenting the prestigious Jnanpith Award to octogenarian
Konkani litterateur Ravindra Kelekar.
• The 42nd Jnanpith Award for 2006 carried a citation, shawl, srifal, a bronze idol of Vagdevi
Saraswati and a cash prize of Rs. 7 lakh.
• Ms. Kumar congratulated Mr. Kelekar and said that his literature reflected culture, principles of
non-violence and Buddha's teachings.
Pattnaik wins Sand Sculpture Championship for 5th time
• Renowned Indian sand artist Sudarsan Pattnaik has won the first prize at the 8th International
Sand Sculpture Championship in Berlin for his sculpture that showcased the effects of global
warming.
• Pattnaik's sculpture that had a crying tree trunk and three monkeys saying, “You don't listen,
You don't talk, You don't see, Don't put heads on sand, act now,” won the maximum votes.
Jaipur's Jantar Mantar inscribed in the World Heritage List
• The Jantar Mantar in Jaipur is now a World Heritage Monument. The 34th session of the World
Heritage Committee, presently underway in Brasilia, has inscribed Jantar Mantar in the United
Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation's World Heritage List. Thirty-three
countries across the world had submitted 32 sites for consideration this year.
• The UNESCO website observes that these structures ‘designed for the observation of
astronomical positions with the naked eye, embody several architectural and instrumental
innovations.'
• Located outside the city palace, this large stone observatory with its many instruments was built
by Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II in the 18th century. It is one of the one of the four existing
astronomical observatories in India. The others are located in Varanasi, Delhi and Ujjain. The
fifth one built in Mathura is not extant. The Samrat Yantra in Jaipur is one of the largest
sundials in the world, with its gnomon raising about 73 feet above its base.
• India had also submitted the Matheran Light Railway line for consideration as an extension of
the Mountain Railways of India, which includes the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway, Nilgiri
railway and Kalka-Shimla Railway that are already inscribed as heritage sites.
• The other international sites added to the list this year include, 11 Australian convict sites, the
palace ensemble at ad-Dir'iyah in Saudi Arabia, Tabriz historic bazaar complex in Iran and the
natural site of the Central Highlands in Sri Lanka.
• So far, about 890 properties are included in the list for their “outstanding universal value.” The
committee also oversees the disbursement of about $4 million annually from the World Heritage
Fund.
KCHR, British Museum share award
• The British Museum and the Thiruvananthapuram-based Kerala Council for Historical Research
(KCHR) have been jointly awarded this year's international partnership award by the British
Academy.
• The award, which carries a grant of £30,000, is aimed at promoting research collaboration
 between two partner-institutions, one Indian and one British.
• The research proposal, titled “Indian Ocean Trade: the Archaeology of Technology,” by Roberta
Tomber of the British Museum and P.J. Cherian of the KCHR, was based on major
archaeological research work at the Pattanam site in central Kerala carried out over the last four
seasons.
• Professor Cherian is the Director of the KCHR and of the Pattanam excavations, while noted
historian K.N. Panikkar is the Chairman of the KCHR. The self-governing and independent
British Academy is the United Kingdom's national academy for the humanities and the social
sciences. Established by Royal Charter in 1902, it has fellowship of over 800 scholars.
Leelavathi Award for Simon Lehna Singh
• Well-known physicist-turned author, journalist and television producer of Indian origin Simon
Lehna Singh has been selected by the International Mathematical Union for the Leelavathi
Award in recognition of his outstanding contribution to public outreach in mathematics.
• Named after the immortal mathematical treatise of the great Indian mathematician
Bhaskaracharya, the award carries a cash prize of Rs.10 lakh and a citation.
• It will be presented at the closing ceremony of the International Congress of Mathematicians
(ICM), which will be held in Hyderabad from August 19 to 27.
National Film Awards revamped
• In a bid to give regional language films a bigger chance to bag the spotlight at the National Film
Awards, the government has decided to introduce a two-tier selection system.
• The decision has been taken on the basis of recommendations submitted by an expert committee
headed by filmmaker Shyam Benegal.
• Five regional panels will be constituted to select the best films in their own areas, following
which a central jury will make the final award decision. The northern region will include films
in English, Punjabi, Dogri, Urdu, Bhojpuri, Rajasthani and central Indian languages, while the
western region will consist of films made in Marathi, Hindi, Gujarati and Konkani.
• The southern part of the country has been divided into two regions, of which one will include
Tamil and Malayalam films, while another will consist of films made in Kannada, Telegu and
Tulu. Films made in Bengali, Assamese, Oriya and the dialects spoken in the northeastern part
of the country will all be included in the Eastern region.
• The central jury will have a chairperson and ten other members, of which half will be the chairs
of the regional juries.
• All screenings will be held in Delhi.
E.C.G. Sudarshan shares Dirac Medal with Italian
• An Indian-American professor at the University of Texas, Austin, has won the prestigious Dirac
Medal for his contribution to the understanding of theoretical physics.
• Ennackal Chandy George Sudarshan, 78, shares the Dirac 2010 with Italian physicist Nicola
Cabibbo.
• Professor Sudarshan's contributions to theoretical physics include the discovery of the V-A
theory of weak interactions, which opened the way for full description of the unified
electroweak theory.
• The Dirac Medal of ICTP is awarded by the Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical
Physics (ICTP) on renowned physicist P.A.M Dirac's birthday — August 8. It was first awarded
 in 1985. The winners also receive a prize of $5,000.
• One of the criteria that the recipients must qualify is that they should not have won a Nobel
prize, the Fields Medal or the Wolf Foundation prize till the Dirac Medal was conferred on
them.
• Both Professor Cabibbo and Professor Sudarshan were passed over by the Nobel committee
earlier. The Italian physicist in 2008 and Professor Sudarshan in 1979 and 2005.
• The ICTP was set up by Pakistani-born physicist in 1964 to foster advanced studies and
research in physics and mathematics, especially in developing countries.
Major Jyotin Singh awarded Ashok Chakra posthumously
• Major Laishram Jyotin Singh, who sacrificed his life in the February terror attack in Kabul this
year, has been awarded the Ashok Chakra, the highest peacetime gallantry award announced ,
the eve of 64th Independence Day.
• The Ministry of Defence also announced the Kirti Chakra posthumously to Captain Davinder
Singh Jass and Superintendent of Police Vinod Kumar Choubey.
• It is probably the first time that the Ashok Chakra has been awarded to an officer for an act of
bravery while on a foreign land.
• Major Jyotin Singh, 38, from Manipur, was commissioned in the Army Medical Corps in 2003
and selected to serve on deputation to the Indian Medical Mission in Kabul, Afghanistan.
BEL staffer gets Shram Ratna award
• Nagaraja, Senior Technical Assistant of the Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL), Bangalore, has
been chosen for the Shram Ratna for 2008, the country's highest award given by the Ministry of
Labour and Employment.
• The award carries a cash prize of Rs.2 lakh and a “Sanad” (citation).
• The Ministry also awarded Shram Bhushan to four persons, Shram Vir/Shram Veerangana to 17
and Shram Shree/Shram Devi Awards to 30 persons. The Shram awardees include two women.
• The Prime Minister's Shram Awards is being given to altogether 52 workers employed in the
departmental undertakings and public sector undertakings of the Central/State governments and
private sector units employing 500 or more workers.
• The awards are in recognition of their distinguished performances, innovative abilities,
outstanding contributions in the field of productivity and exhibition of exceptional courage and
presence of mind.
Parliamentarians must work to meet people's expectations”
• With disruptions in Parliament apparently weighing heavily on her mind, President Pratibha
Patil said its functioning must meet an “exacting standard” to set an example for the rest of the
world.
• Ms. Patil was speaking after conferring the Outstanding Parliamentarian Awards to the former
Union Minister, Priya Ranjan Dasmunsi; senior Samajwadi Party leader Mohan Singh; and
Bharatiya Janata Party leader Murli Manohar Joshi for the years 2007, 2008 and 2009
respectively.
Modern Family,' ‘Mad Men' sweep the 62nd Primetime Emmy Awards
• ‘Mad Men,' a dark period drama set in the 60's New York, and comedy series ‘Modern Family,'
a mockumentary about three families, won the top honours at the 62nd Primetime Emmy
 Awards.
• ‘Mad Men' won the Emmy for best television drama for the third time in a row, while ‘Modern
Family' took home the trophy for outstanding comedy at the awards presented.
• ‘Top Chef,' hosted by Indian model Padma Lakshmi, won the Emmy for outstanding reality
series, beating off competition from ‘The Amazing Race,' which has been winning in the
category for the past seven years.