• INDIAN NEWS

The ISRO will be lannching the s econd rrnvigational satellite badged Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System- lB (IRNSS - IB) .April 4 evening at 5.14 p.m.

The 1 ,432 kg satellite wiU be carried by Indian rocket Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV).

According to Radhakcishnan, tbougb the IRNSS is a seve n satellite system, it could be made operational with four satellites.

The cwo more navigarion satellites will be launched during the second half of 2014.

Prior to that, ISRO will be launching the French satellite SPOT-7 and four otl1er foreign satellites in a PSLV rocket and also test its heavier rocl<et - the Geosyncluonous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) Mark Ill version, said Rad.halmshnan.

The IR NSS- 1 B satellite with a design life span of 10 years will be part of the sevensatellite Indian regional navigational system. The first navigational satellite IRNSS- lA was launched in July 2013.

The navigario nal syste m, deve loped by India, is designed to provide accurate position information service to users witl1in the country and up to 1,500 km from the nation's boundary line.

The system is similar to the global positioning system of che US, Glonass of Russia, Galileo of Europe, China's Beidou or the Japanese Quasi Zenid1 Satellite System.

The system will be used for terrestrial, aerial and marine navigation, disaster management, vehicle cracking and fleet management, integration with mobile phones, mapping and geodetic data capture and others

While the ISRO is silent on cl1e navigation sys tem's strategic application, it is clear tbat the TRNSS will be used for defence purposes as well

According co the !SRO, the IRNSS- IB has been realised within seven months of the launch of the IRNSS - 1.A.

Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC)SHAR director M.YS.Prasad said: ''Even if a navigarion system has more than four satellites, cbe fu1.al precise data is picked from four sacelli res"

Meanwhile Indian space agency officials are getting ready for the 58 and half hour launch countdown slated to begin April 2 around 6.45 a.m.

"Nor mally 53 hour countdown is sufficient But we have decided to an extended countdow n so cliac some break rime could be given for the officials," Prasad said.

On the issue of 1NSAT- 3E satellite, Radhakrish.nan said the .satellite was launched in 2 003 and its life span has come to an end.

"Users are being migrated to ocl1er satellites," he said.

Three Indians and four persons of Indian origin have received cl1e 2013 World of Difference Awards' from US-based The International Alliance for Women (TIA\'v) for tbei.r work for women's empowerment.

The 100 winners in different categories were prese nted d1e awards b y TIAW president Lisa Kaiser Hickey at a ceremony in Washington recently.

Abbay Khandagle, a Pune Uiuversity professor of Zoology, has been recognised as "a champion for women's empowerment for tbe past 20 years"

He " has been teaching and designing courses for girl students who come from the rura l and hilly areas to make chem financially independent," according to the citario n.

"As a m=ber of Board of Studies, he bas been instrumental in framing a curriculum d1at increases women's employability".

Aysha Rau, who founded The Little Theatre Trust in 1991 in Chennai to raise funds for her outreach programmes, has been given cl1e award for a "Non -Profit/ NGO".

"For cl1e last 18 yea.rs, s he has scripted and produced musicals and shows. Her outreach programmes include theatre workshops and spoken E nglish classes for 200 underprivileged children on a weekly basis," the citation said.

Achyuta Samanca, founder of The Kalinga Jnstitute of Social Sciences KISS) io Odisha, has been recognised as a "Champion, Women's Economic E mpowerment".

Starting with a smaU sc hool in l 993 for tbe indigenous peoples in the region, KISS "has grown into the largest residenrial institute in the world for C\venty thousand tribal children providing education, food, accommodarion, clothing and health faciliries absolutely free".

Among cl1e Indian-ot:igin winners is Tamita Krul-Taneja from the Netherlands, who has been recognised for entrepreneurship.

Krul-Taneja has sec up her own business, New Yardsticks, " which assesses and improves existing social-develo pment programmes that help marginalised women and develops new programmes".

"S he is also involved in t ANS

WORK +SH ELTER, an organisation clrnc provides fair- trade work for desritute women, some of whom also need a safe space to live" in ew Delhi.

Mumbai -born Perv in Todiwala, cofonnder and patron of Cafe Spice Namaste, has been recognised for entrepreneurship in Britain.

"She is a rarity as the ' quiet' hal f of one of the most dynamic and successful partnerslups in d1e UK's male-dominated $3 billion Asian cui.sine industry," tbe citation said.

She is alsC> "a staunch supporter of women's business organisatio ns, including City \"(/omen's Network, Women in Marketing and TJAW".

Vijayawada- born Padmasree Warrior, Ci sco 's cl,ief technology and strategy o fficer, from the US bas been recognised in the corporate category.

"\Xfaa:ior shares her knowledge as a mentor and coach, particularly in tl1e science, technology, engineering and math area (ST EtvQ, and has used her prominence to support otber women foUowing in her wake".

Originally from Guyana, NarineDae Sookram has been recognised as a "cban1pion, women's economic empowerment" for h is work in Canada.

Spending hi s own cin1e and money "Soo kram is dedicated to coaching women in business to give tl1em the skills tbey need to be economically independent," according toTIAW.

0n my recent visit to Kochi, Kerala, I was p leasantly surprised to see an Australian in the newspapers and in what is a rarity with most news these days, i t was heart- watmingly good news. " Daniel revisits Biennale to give a soothing touch" said tl1e Deccan Chro11icle. "Artist wields the brush for a cause" said The Hilldu. They were speaking about Daniel ConneU, an Australian artist based in Adelaide who was in Kerala as pa r t of the Kochi Biennale Fo1mdatioa's Arts and Meclicine project.

Amidst the ever-nois y din of

Kochi, heading ro a quiet s pot in a coffee shop, Daniel spo ke to Tndia11 Link in a phone interview. This was his fourth visit to the city. Wall portraits from his work at lnclia's first Biennale in December 2012 are stiU visible in the city. Daniel \Vas in the news for the wrong reasons that year when his portrait of tea seller Ach.lrn wa s vandalised. "One year on however, the drawing is scill visible and I was warmly received back b y the people of tl1e area", stares Daniel. " It turned out that the event was a turning p oint for the Biennale. Ini tia.l.l y peo ple felc chat ho.lcling such an art event was a waste of pub li c money bm public opinion changed after the attack There was an overwhelming support of m y work, generating sympathetic publicity for the Biennale. Thi s incident only proved what I always suspected - tl1at art cements the ties between human beings and that is frs ultimate objective'', he add5 with emphasis.

Since 1500, the port city of Koehl (fo rmerly Cochin) was rul ed by the Portuguese, Dmch and the British. Danie l found the area of Fore Kochi in particular, a melting pot of cu lrures and densel y populated w i th different communities such as Ioclians of various religious backgrou nds and cultures. There are Hindus, Muslims and Christians of various denom.inations ,Jews, as well as A frican s and Europeans - a perfect p lace to provide him with a lot of inspiration. " Here I am outside of m y comfort zone, looking at different people in a different world", says Danie l.

"J am interested in the act of making portraits and how making portraits creates a sense of dignity and sacredness around the subjects. le d oes not matter tl1at 1 am n ot Indian. The act of giving someone attention for an hour o r so has the effect of breaking barriers and cultural clifferences".

Daniel likes the face dmc wi ch portrain1re, tJ1e subject shares an equal spa ce wid1 the artist He experiments with drawing portraits in a variety of situations.

''When I drew portraits of cancer patients, ic clid not matter d1at Twas Indian o r n ot. The r itual of drawing and payi ng fuU attention to the person g ives pe o ple an op portuni ty for reAecti o n time goes beyond culmtal differences", o b serves Daniel. The Arts and Medicine projec t is about offering peo pl e opportunities for reAection. In a merucaJ situation, where the phys ical body is being treated, norma.lly there are n o frameworks or strucru.res to give people rhe chance co attend ro the spiritual or emotional issues that arise. Daniel found that the act of drawing a pom:air offer s patients and their families, oppormniries for a wider discussion to emerge, other than pain and pain management which happens to be the prominent subject in a hospital s ituation.

Language has n ot been a barrier to Daniel's work. There has been a n ove1whelmi ng demand fo r his arr. He drew rwenty portraits in the 6rst l:\vo days ac the E rn akularn Gen e ral Hospital, later averaging about ten a day. His subjects have been fishermen, bus- drivers, tea sellers, rickshaw drivers and people from many

He patientl y draws tl1ern all and was amused when the person he drew tl1e previous day earnestly described himself as a coo.lie. "It js such a colonial term", laughs D aniel. Whatever their occupatio n s, be feels char at tl1e hospital, ther all are cemrestage. They are the ones being cared fo.r.

Daniel is at home w ith a ll tl1ese people in spite of not b e ing ab le to speak their language.

He has, at ti.mes, questioned the value of bis work but tl1e paliiative care doctors have given him overwhelming positive feedback. Art gives rhe patients something different co m pared to so lace offered by religion or formal counselling, th e y fel t.

Daniel sadly acids, "Dying is terri fying and though I don't focus o n i t or discuss thjs aspect wim t h e subjects or their families, jc js the elephant in the room. This is acknowledged witl1our words".

Th e portra its are now displa}'ed in an exhib ition at the hospi tal and have been a huge success.

Working on tliis pro ject has g iven Daniel an idea about doing a similar project j11 Australia when he remrns to continue research for h is PHD thesis on 'Portraimre and Socia l Responsibility'. He says that it will be interesting to portray and contrast how peop le respo nd to portraiture in India a nd Austra.lia He i s also interested in the Inman diaspora in Australia stradd.ling two cultures, and is worki ng witl1 the Sikh and Malayali communities.

The tenets of Sikhism particularly attract Daniel.

Refer ring to Guru Tegh Bahadur, he says, "The ninth guru sacrific ed his l ife for the Hindu community In the process of fighting for our own identities in today's world, tl1is aspect of fighting for otl1er communities is 110\V lost. 1 want to keep that candle burning tl1rough my art" He is against overrating art f01: art's sake. "The connection between people is more important and tlu s leads to more resilient and stro nger societies Ultimacely th is is w h at 1 am trying to achieve", says Daniel. "Art is a tap on the shoulder asking us to remember our relationships and t he importance of connections", he adds philosophkaUy.

However, art is oor what Daniel always rue!. He was part of a venrure fo r homeless people for 18 years, and involved with advocacy for human rights. Feeling drained, jaded and cyn ical, Daniel says that I ndia provided t he change he needed.

Why India? " 1'.faybe a past life exper ience", he jokes. He fi nd s lndia "very anarchic and compeUing" and life is never ordered or controlled as in Australia His experi en ces have varied from " infuriating and exhausting" to "rusarming and Joyfi.tl". "On the who le, irresistibl e and very intoxicating", he laughs!

Daniel is grateful for the opportunity lndia has g iven hlm to reinvem himself as an a r tist and m ellow down. He feels he can now use art in his activism in a more gentle \vay, in bringing about change.