Madeleine Albright who rose to become the first woman secretary of state and had a hand in shaping American foreign policy passed away at the age of 84.
She was the most influential stateswoman of her generation. She was born on May 15, 1937 in Czechoslovakia and went to the United States as a refugee with her family in 1948 and became a US citizen in 1957. Her father was a diplomat who converted from Judaism to Catholicism after her family fled to London in 1939 to escape the Nazis.
She earned her bachelor’s degree in political science from Wellesley College and proceeded to do her doctorate in political science at Columbia University. She joined the National Security Council in the White House during the regime of President Jimmy Carter. She served as US ambassador to the United Nations from 1993 to 1997 when she became secretary of state. She married Joseph Albright in 1959 and the couple divorced in 1982.
Madeleine had a sharp wit and fiery intellect which she used to advance America’s national security and to promote peace in the world.
‘EYE FOR ART’ – An Art Auction by Art Houz to support Project Drishti an initiative by Rotary Club of Madras East
Rotary Club of Madras East was chartered in 1985 and is now the second-largest and premier club in Dist.3232. RCME has several projects worth many crores year on year, to its credit.
Art Houz is one of the leading contemporary art galleries from South-India. Founded in 2012 by Vincent Adaikalraj, the gallery has achieved significant importance, mounting some of the most important shows from the Indian art scene. Our focus is on young emerging artists with an experimental approach to practice and expand the horizons of Contemporary Indian art audiences.
With this auction – Eye for Art– dedicated to Dhristi, by RCME, we hope to support the visually impaired, through an exhibition of artworks. The collection that comprises of 70 paintings features various artists across India and is curated keeping in mind general audience appeal. Through this event Art Houz has a collective responsibility of both supporting a special cause and lending support to the artist fraternity.
The Chief Guest is renowned artist Ms.Parvathi Nayar. A Chennai-based contemporary visual artist, poet and writer Parvathi Nayar is known for her multidisciplinary art, centred on complex drawing practices, video, installations, text and photography.
You can break the glass to activate a fire alarm. Braj Kishore Ravi is going a step further to shatter the glass ceiling! If you’ve watched Gabriela Dawson, Sylvie Bret and Stella Kidd battling many a blaze and saving lives, alongside their male counterparts in the television serial ‘Chicago Fire’, you may have probably wondered why women are not fire fighters in our part of the world.
(Pic: Braj Kishore Ravi, IPS, Director General of Police\Director – Fire & Rescue Services, Tamil Nadu)
Photography: Gurunath Prabhu
After occupying the hot seat as the Director of Fire & Rescue Services in Tamil Nadu, this 1989 batch IPS officer was determined to ‘douse’ inequality and ‘ignite’ the flame of empowerment, instead of just crying ‘hose’ on Women’s Day. “It was surprising to note that we have 22 lady officers working as Station Officers up to the Joint Director level but no women fire fighters.” The Director General of Police rank officer discussed the issue with Chief Minister M.K.Stalin who gave him the green signal as “gender equality should encompass all fields.”
The corridors of power were not alien to a young B.K. Ravi from Bihar. The son of a freedom fighter Late T.M. Ram, former M.L.A and three-time Member of Parliament (Lok Sabha) from 1962 to 1977 and Chandrakala Devi, a home-maker, the lure of the uniform gripped him at a formative age. A Gold Medal in Sociology Hons. from the University of Patna, a scholarship and a junior research fellowship from the Delhi School of Economics during his Masters in Sociology and Master of Philosophy respectively, set the stage for the Civil Services Examination grind, where the IPS was predictably his first choice. Interestingly, his brother S.K.Ranjan also dons the khakhi uniform as an SP rank officer in the Bihar Police, while another sibling R.K.Raju is a doctor.
Right from his maiden posting as Assistant Superintendent of Police – Paramakudi and early stints as Assistant Commissioner and Deputy Commissioner of Police (Law & Order) Madurai to his district leadership in Thanjavur and Virudhunagar, Ravi was known for his strict policing.
After a memorable United Nations Peace Keeping Mission in Bosnia & Herzegovina in the late nineties, the dapper top cop had a fairly long innings on Central Deputation for a decade. Serving the Ministry of Home Affairs with the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) in different capacities – as Commandant of CISF with BHEL in Bhopal, Assistant Inspector General of Police (Administration & Personnel) and Deputy Inspector General of Police (Induction, Policy & Fire) at the Headquarters in New Delhi. These assignments involved “deployment of commandos in 36 airports” across India.
The next 5 year deputation stint was with the Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas as Advisor – Security in Indian Oil Corporation. “Preparing and drafting Security Manuals incorporating the latest technological advancements, surveying of all units such as refineries, oil depots and gas filling stations and drawing up a new security protocol” was his contribution towards “enhancing the security preparedness of IOCL installations.”
Sandwiched between these outstation assignments were law and order postings as Deputy Inspector General of Police – Madurai, Commissioner of Police – Tirunelveli, followed by man management roles as Inspector General and Additional Director General of Police – Home Guards. In his previous avatar as Director General of Police – Vigilance, Tamil Nadu Generation & Distribution Corporation (TANGEDCO) he introduced “intensive mass raids by the enforcement wing”. This led to detection of many electricity theft cases, misuse of meters & tariff.
Pictures gleaned from Ravi’s facebook timeline will reveal his fascination for travel and adventure for “solitude” and a sense of “ground realities” which help him “understand how things are at the unit level.”
Behind the mutton chop style moustache, lies a “reserved” officer who does not fight shy of his tagline: “I am more than what you see.” A single parent, the apple of Ravi’s eye is Anikesh Kishor, who is a visual story teller and film professional with a command over production, direction, cinematography and editing. The real climax will lie in junior making a ‘Chennai Fire Fighter’ series to perpetuate his dad’s legacy. The crime-buster deserves a blockbuster!
(Sanjay Pinto is an Advocate practising at the Madras High Court, Arbitrator, Columnist, Author & Former Resident Editor of NDTV 24×7)
Samantha has unfollowed Naga Chaitanya on Instagram after they announced their separation in October 2021. It has been reported that the couple has filed for divorce and that legal proceedings are going on.
Samantha earlier deleted all pictures featuring Naga Chaitanya on her Instagram page. However, Naga Chaitanya still follows her on the app and Samantha continues to follow Chaitanya’s brother Akhil Akkineni. Samantha also came up with a bold statement that she has cut off all ties with Chaitanya.
There have been reports earlier that Samantha rejected the offer of Rs 200 crore alimony offered by Naga Chaitanya and his family members. Both Samantha and Chaitanya are now putting their full efforts and are concentrating on their respective careers.
Bollywood actor Salman Khan and his bodyguard Nawaz Shaikh have been summoned by a local Mumbai court based on a complaint filed by a journalist regarding a dispute that took place in 2019.
Offences have been registered by the police under sections 504 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of peace) and section 506 (criminal intimidation). The court issued summons and posted the case for further hearing on April 5.
The complaint was filed by journalist Ashok Pandey who sought criminal action to be taken against actor Salman and his bodyguard. He alleged that Salman had snatched his mobile phone while cycling on a street in Mumbai and some media persons started taking pictures. He stated in his complaint that Salman got into an argument with him and even threatened him.
The local police have conducted an enquiry and submitted a report to the court.
Tamil Nadu Health Secretary Dr.J. Radhakrishnan and Rajeev Sampath inaugurated the Sathyalok Free Dialysis Center with 10 dialysis machines and bed facilities worth Rs. 1.5 crore.
The Rotary Club of Chennai Capital is one of Chennai’s leading Rotary Clubs.They have several long term and short term projects including schools , hospitals and also have done mammoth work in Chennai Covid relief flood relief and whatever the need of the hour.
This year, Rotary Club President Rajiv Sampath donated Fresenius German dialysis machines and beds worth Rs 1.5 crore to the Sathyalok Foundation to help people with kidney problems.
The Sathyalok Shanti Lulla MWRT 10 Rotary Club of Chennai Capital Dialysis Center is going to be be giving free or subsidised dialysis treatment to almost 18000 people per year at Porur and surrounding areas.
President Rajiv Sampat also stated that this year 2.5 crores had been donated by the club to various other projects like vision Centers , cancer hospitals schools and orphanages benefiting tens of thousands of people.
The Dialysis machine hand over was presided over by Chief guest Dr J Radhakrishnan Principal Health secretary Government of Tamilnadu and Rtn J Sridhar District Governor Rotary District 3232 among other dignitaries.
Frederique Constant revisits its most iconic collection Classics Quartz GMT
In redesigning its “Classics Quartz GMT” range, Frederique Constant has prioritised the needs of frequent travellers in creating functional, easy to read timepieces attuned to the times and to crossing continents.
The three new models make perfect companion pieces for hubs and major airports. All share a 40 mm steel case, a sunray-brushed dial and a quartz movement powering three hands for the hours, minutes and central second time zone, hovering over a date window at 3 o’clock. The luminescent hour hands are complemented by a central GMT pointer finished with a red arrow, showing the second time zone at a glance, anywhere in the world and without the risk of day/night confusion, being calibrated immediately over 24 hours.
In the same vein, any adjustments to the settings can be made using the single crown. When the hands are at midnight, the second time zone can be adjusted by turning the crown in one direction. Turning it the other way adjusts the date. Simple and intuitive!
The first model, with a grey dial and a brown nubuck-finish calfskin strap, is followed by a very stylish second model featuring a blue dial and a blue strap, complemented by the sportier third variation, complete with a black dial on a steel bracelet.
A two month old baby girl was found dead inside a microwave oven in Chirag Dilli area of South Delhi. The baby’s parents are being interrogated at the police station.
A case of murder has been registered and further investigation is underway. A senior police official disclosed that the initial investigation reveals that the mother is the main suspect as she was upset over the birth of a girl child.
The baby girl Ananya was born in January this year and the mother Dimple was upset since then and fought with her husband over the issue. The couple has a four year old son.
Dimple had locked herself in the room with her son and her mother-in-law raised an alarm. The door was broken open and she was found unconscious inside with her son but the baby was missing. The mother-in-law searched all over the house and found the baby inside the microwave oven. It was a neighbour who informed the police about the baby’s death.
President Ram Nath Kovind conferred Padma Awards to 54 distinguished personalities at Rashtrapati Bhavan yesterday.
Some of the prominent people who received the award are India’s first Chief General Staff, General Bipin Rawat, who died in a chopper crash last December, late Radheshyam Khemka, former chairman of Gita Press that publishes Hindu religious books, Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad etc.
General Rawat and Radheshyam Khemka received the Padma Vibhushan, which is the country’s second highest civilian award, posthumously. The award for General Rawat was received by his daughters while a close family member received Khemka’s award
Tata Sons Chairman N. Chandrasekharan, Ghulam Nabi Azad, Cyrus Poonawalla and five others were honoured with Padma Bhushan, the country’s third highest civilian award at the Rashtrapati Bhavan.
On the occasion of the 8th birthday of the grandson of Chandrababu Naidu, the family donated a sum of Rs 30 lakh to Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam (TTD), the trust that manages the holy shrine of Tirupati in Andhra Pradesh.
Master Nara Devaansh is turning 8 years old today and a one day charity function will also be held in Tirumala for devotees.
Every year, Chandrababu Naidu and his family celebrate the birthday of his only grandson at the hill abode of Lord Venkateswara at the hill temple.
The TTD Trust uses these donations to arrange for breakfast, lunch and dinner for thousands of devotees who visit the temple from across the globe. The shrine is considered to be the richest Hindu shrine.
According to the United Nations, around 10 million people have fled their homes in Ukraine due to the attack by Russia. Many of them have taken refuge in neighbouring countries like Poland, Hungary, Slovakia and other European countries. Some have even sought shelter in Russia.
UNHCR Chief Fillipo Grandi stated that the war in Ukraine was so devastating that civilians were forced to leave the country. Around 90 percent of those who fled are women and children. Ukrainian men who are between 18 to 60 years of age are eligible for military call-up and cannot leave the country.
More than 1.5 million children are among those who fled abroad and are at the risk of human trafficking and exploitation. Though millions have fled their homes to neighbouring countries, others who fled their homes remain within the borders of Ukraine.
Australian cricketer and Royal Challengers Bangalore all rounder Glenn Maxwell got married to Indian-origin Vini Raman in a private ceremony held on 18.3.22. He posted a picture on Instagram of him holding hands with wife Vini and both can be seen sporting rings on their fingers.
Vini posted the following words on Instagram – ”Love is a search for completion and with you I feel complete.”
Glenn and Vini have been dating for over 2 years and decided to take their relationship to the next level. Vini is a pharmacist based in Melbourne and belongs to a Tamil family that resides in Australia. The couple got engaged in February 2020 and announced their engagement on Instagram.
Maxwell is part of IPL 2022 and will be playing for Royal Challengers Bangalore. The opening match of RCB is against Punjab Kings on March 27th at the D.Y. Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai.
India celebrates Holi, the festival of colours today. This spring festival sees millions of people across the country who throw coloured powder at each other. Holi symbolically marks the end of winter.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi extended his greetings to people on the occasion and wished that the festival brings every colour of happiness to their lives. He said that the festival of colours is a symbol of mutual love, affection and brotherhood.
President Ram Nath Kovind too wished people on the auspicious occasion. He said that he hopes that the festival, which is an example of social harmony and togetherness, infuses joy, enthusiasm and new energy into the lives of countrymen.
Several Union ministers including Amit Shah, Rajnath Singh greeted people and wished them peace, happiness and good fortune.
