Month: December 2014

Categories
Event

Enter this talent show for the elderly

Umang fest comes back with a bang, announces a talent contest for senior citizens to be held in January 2015.
by The Editors | editor@themetrognome.in

We are heartened to see several initiatives – however small – being planned for and involving senior citizens in the city. This is one group of people that require recognition and applause in its autumn years, and any initiative that celebrates them should be roundly welcomed.

In this spirit of things, the Rotary Club of Mumbai Nariman Point and Rotaract Club of Rizvi Law College are coming up with ‘UMANG 2014-15 ‘, a talent show for senior citizens, on January 24, 2015. This is an annual talent show conceptualised and executed by Silver Innings Foundation since 2008, for seniors aged 55 years and above. The programme will be part of the Rotary District 3140 Service Week from January 23 to 29, 2015.

“We have been organising this programme since 2008,” says Sailesh Mishra of Silver Innings. “As there are not enough opportunities for the elderly to show their talent, the main purpose of this programme is to provide a platform for the elderly to display their talents. This is not a competition between the elderly, but a forum to encourage them to demonstrate their hidden talent.” The event is supported by Dignity Foundation, FESCOM Mumbai, HelpAge India, Harmony for Silvers Foundation, 1298 Senior Citizens Helpline, and The Metrognome.

Umang invites entries in one-act play, singing, a solo of group musical or dance performance, skit, mimicry, drama, or any other talent which can be presented on a stage. “We are restricting the number of acts to not more than 25,” Sailesh says, adding that the organisers are currently ‘auditioning’ potential participants over the Internet (via YouTube video links of their performance). The talent show will be held at Birla Matoshree Sabhagriha, New Marine Lines, on January 24, 2015 from 10 am to 12.30 pm.

Do you want to participate in the Umang Talent Show for seniors? Call 9987104233 or 9029000091 for registration and details. Send your completed form with DVD or YouTube link of your performance to silverinnings@gmail.com, or to Silver Innings, J-47/48, Shop no.10, opposite Navgraha bldg, Poonam Sagar Complex, Mira Road East, Mumbai 401107.

(Picture courtesy www.sereneretirement.com. Image used for representational purpose only)

Categories
Read

Review: ‘Beyond 2020 – A Vision For Tomorrow’s India’

APJ Abdul Kalam’s newest book raises several questions, but sadly, does not provide any answers, nor touch upon current realities.
by Humra Quraishi

Beyond 2020 – A Vision For Tomorrow’s India is the latest book written by ex-President APJ Abdul Kalam and YS Rajan. It focusses on India’s future progress in the backdrop of the existing facts and figures and the present-day situation in the country.

To quote from Dr Kalam’s introductory chapter, “Our book Beyond 2020 has fifteen chapters with extensive details on how to take the nation from progress to progress by pushing through missions on industries, services and agriculture. I feel the crying need in the country is not a shortage of plans, but arriving at the correct methodologies to implement the plans and figuring out how to reach the benefits to the people for whom the plans are intended. Today, the challenge before India and every nation is reaching the reforms and benefits to the targeted population…”

Beyond 2020He minces no words anywhere in the volume, often coming straight to the core of the issue with refreshing candour: “Based on my work in universities in India and abroad, during my teaching and research association, I have come to the conclusion that it is essential to evolve a sustainable development system framework, in the way the Providing Urban Amenities in Rural Areas (PURA) project has taken root in India. The major research and action needed is on how the benefits of sustainable development can reach the targeted population of our country.

“Hence, we have evolved two unique systems: one is called the ‘User Community Pyramid’ (UCP) and the other the ‘Societal Development Radar’ (SDR). The UCP is an integrated solution based on technologies and applications for sustainable development with possible users at the bottom of the pyramid. You have to ask yourself, what sort of research you can focus on in the areas of water, energy, waste, pollution, mobility and biodiversity, and how it is going to be connected to the user community. The second system, the SDR reviews and monitors how the user community has benefited from the UCP.”

The book ends on two significant notes, in the last chapter titled ‘Can India do it?’ It reads, “This is our four-point action plan for the nation: Making ample water available for both urban areas and the 6,00,000 villages of the country, and for irrigation…creating an earning capacity for every family, particularly the middle class and people who are below the poverty line. This is about 150 million out of the 200 million families in the country. Working toward achieving sustainable economic prosperity of the nation with the generation of employment potential for India’s 600 million youth. Evolving great cities citizens of India.

Sadly, there is no mention of the communal strains that are once again taking root in the country and steadily spreading everywhere. I wish Dr Kalam had addressed this concern, since he speaks so movingly about the betterment of all Indians and their families.

This is a detailed and thick book, and readers would do well to be aware of recent developments in the country before reading this book. As I read it, I confess I was a little befuddled also by the scores of facts, figures and theories (many of them purely scientific in nature) laid out generously all over the book – maybe I am not of a scientific bent of mind, so I found the going a bit tough with these bits.

Also, I confess I was a little disappointed with the way several important questions and issues have been touched upon, even discussed, but not sufficiently addressed. I wonder why the author didn’t attempt to provide any solutions – even opinions – on these matters.

Get a copy of Beyond 2020 – A Vision For Tomorrow’s India here.

(Pictures courtesy www.livemint.com, www.flipkart.com)

Categories
Deal with it

Young Parsis take up the mantle for the community

Parsi community to promote togetherness and camaraderie through a series of programmes to be organised by the Xtremely Young Zoroastrians (XYZ).
by The Editors | editor@themetrognome.in

The Parsi community is a riddle to all other communities in Mumbai: there are less than one lakh of them in the city, but they are mostly moneyed, highly educated and extremely revered as a community. The Parsis are intimately connected with Mumbai’s history, and though they don’t have the numbers, the community has left its mark on the city’s social fabric.

In order to keep the flame alive and create a sense of belonging and pride amongst the youngsters of the Zoroastrian Community, the newly established XYZ (Xtremely Young Zoroastrians) organisation has devised several programmes in the service of the community.

The organisation was launched yesterday at a South Mumbai-based auditorium, with the motto ‘Pursuit of Happiness’. XYZ would strive towards promoting togetherness and camaraderie through the series of programmes, to be conducted throughout the year.

Children from the Parsi community presented various religious and cultural performances, while there were other community talks and the awarding of an achiever from the community. “The launch ceremony also observed formation of an executive council of young Zoroastrians and an advisory board of renowned dignitaries from the Zoroastrian community. Under the able guidance of their holy Priest, the young Zoroastrians, all in the age-group from 5 to 15 years took the pledge to keep the flame alive by devising several programmes in the service of the community. These young Zoroastrians who would act as office bearers for XYZ were named after their historic figures, such as Daraius’ Daredevils from Colaba, Cyrus’ Superstars from Tardeo, Jamshed’s Giants from Byculla, Homai’s Heroes from Parel, Behram’s Battalion from Dadar, Rustom’s Rockstars from Bandra and Tehmurasp’s Titans from Andheri,” explained Hoshaang Gotla, founder of XYZ.

He added, “The XYZ-organised programmes will begin on Christmas Day, whereby the young Zoroastrians will pay visits to orphanages and old age homes across the city and gift the destitute children and the differently-abled ones. This is an attempt to bring a smile on their face and give them a ray of hope. Further, XYZ would strive towards building a strong sense of belonging and pride amongst the Zoroastrian children for their community. The religious values are an important part of our culture and we want our children to start adhering to them from an early age. The range of activities that would be carried out by XYZ would include developing leadership skills like goal setting, decision making, team work, people skills and money management and ethics.”

XYZ strongly believes that they would be able to create a sense of belonging and pride amongst the young Zoroastrians and preach the values laid down by the Zoroastrian Community.

What do you think of this initiative? Tell us in the comments section below.

Categories
Tech

Review: MAPS.ME app

Maps are important on our devices these days – and this app is fairly decent, though some points require work.
by Manik Kakra | @Manik_K on Twitter

A map is one of the first things we install on a new device – it is essential to one’s commute, planning and organising according to expected traffic jams. Thanks to popular options like Google Maps and Nokia’s HERE Maps, many smartphone users today find it convenient to reach a destination without having to ask around on the way.

ProMAPS.ME is another kid on the block that aims to make your mapping experience more convenient and affordable. The developer team seems quite proud of its offline capabilities, data points, etc. While we already have offline maps features on HERE and Google Maps, it is good to see more and more developers realising how handy this can be, especially when you aren’t in an area with a solid network reception quality, or are running low on data balance.

The service uses OpenStreetMap in the backend for the entire data. The app’s whole UI look and feel is nice and not shabby to use. Settings and other options are simple to reach and select without having to try too hard when using it for the first time. You can search a destination’s route, a place of interest like a food joint, hotel, and many more. If needed, you can also add a place to your bookmarks, which you can later access or check by just tapping on star on the app’s main screen.

When downloading any country’s full offline map, you get options to either download its map or a map with a driving route in place (which makes more sense for most people). As far as searching for places and locations is concerned, the app does a good job. It was able to give a list of places and points pretty much every time I searched. However, when it came to live route directions and traffic condition, MAPS.ME lacks quite a lot, at least for Delhi (where I reviewed it). The routing experience and navigation could be improved and the developers should consider adding more useful information and options on screen while the user is in between.

Plus, there’s still not enough data in place, it seems; there’s no option to check commute to even a popular place via public transport, which I found the most disappointing thing about the service. But because they are new and still cementing their place in the app market, I am hopeful that these few niggles will soon be dealt with.

If you are looking out for a maps app and haven’t given Google Maps or HERE Maps a try, MAPS.ME seems like a decent option, but only if its constrained data and options aren’t troublesome for you. Hopefully, the app will be updated regularly with some work behind the curtain as well.

MAPS.ME is a free app (it was a paid one previously), and is available for Android, iOS and BlackBerry OS 10.

Categories
Learn

Coming soon: Pre-approved energy efficient buildings

TERI and UTC’s Center of Excellence for Energy Efficient Buildings in India will work on reporting frameworks and evaluate existing buildings.
by TERI News Features

The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) and United Technologies Corporation (UTC) recently launched the Center of Excellence for Energy Efficient Buildings in India. The Center has been establishled at a time when the Government of India has introduced the Smart City Programme to address the challenge of rapid urbanisation and the efficient use of energy resources.

The Center of Excellence will work towards the development of an energy-use reporting framework for existing buildings, evaluation of the existing building energy rating systems, derivation of tool and techniques for energy management, real time reporting of consumption, and identification and cost benefit analysis of conservation measures.

Dr RK Pachauri, Director General, TERI, said: “I am extremely happy that we are launching this initiative. We hope that this will be a model not only for this country but for other countries as well. With UTC, we can work together in bringing about a smarter world and a more sustainable world, particularly as it relates to buildings and habitat design.”

Zubin Irani, President, Building and Industrial Systems India, UTC, said: “Given the energy challenges faced by the nation, energy efficiency in the buildings sector is an important priority. World over, there has been a rapid pace of innovation when it comes to technologies and systems that go into making a building more energy-efficient and environmentally friendly. It is important to note that not only do many of these technologies reduce the energy footprint of a building or infrastructure project but they also pay back for themselves in a matter of few years.”

“The Center of Excellence shall have a core research agenda on enabling energy efficiency in existing buildings in India. The collaboration between TERI and UTC in this endeavour shall help unlock the potential of energy saving in this sector,“ said Mili Majumdar, Director, Sustainable Habitat, TERI.

Globally, buildings account for 40 per cent of the total energy consumption. By using energy efficient technologies, energy consumption could be reduced by up to 60 per cent. In India, the building sector accounts for approximately 35 per cent of the total energy consumption and is growing at a rate of eight percent annually.

“One of the primary objectives of the UTC-TERI Centre of Excellence is to evaluate energy efficiency and ascertain energy requirements in existing buildings. The findings of the study have the potential of facilitating the new Government’s ambitious plan of building 100 smart cities as it will involve upgrading existing cities, expanding and building around them,“ Irani added.

The Center will first conduct a Pan-India study of 100 buildings and is scheduled to cover a wide range of climatic zones, covering cities such as Allahabad, Ajmer, Vishakhapatnam, Varanasi, Delhi-NCR, Mumbai, Chennai, Bengaluru, Kolkata,Hyderabad, Pune, Ahmedabad, Surat, Jaipur etc. These have been selected as per the Smart Cities Programme recently initiated by the Centre.

The study will include an energy survey, derivation of tools and techniques for identification and cost benefit analysis of Energy Conservation Measures (ECMs), calibration and validation of simulation tools, development of Measurement and Verification (M&V) protocol for implementation of ECMs, development of financial mechanism, development of remote monitoring protocol and review and revision of existing building energy standards/codes/rating systems. The initiative is expected to deliver the proposed results within the next five years.

Talking about the future plans of the Centre of Excellence, Irani said: “The ultimate aim of the Centre of Excellence is to enhance the energy efficiency quotient in all buildings across the country. Staying true to this goal, the initial plan of the Centre of Excellence is to identify existing buildings and assess energy use and consumption patterns which would eventually help in base lining the energy performance of buildings with a solid roadmap to make them more energy-efficient.“

(Picture courtesy sustentabilidade.allianz.com.b. Image shows the CII-Sohrabji Godrej Green Business Centre in Hyderabad.)

Categories
Watch

Watch: ‘Kiss The Girls’

The 1997 thriller will be screened this afternoon at the US Consulate General, BKC, on a free-to-enter basis. Do not miss.
by The Editors | editor@themetrognome.in

This evening, Friday, December 19, the US Consulate General at Bandra Kurla Complex is hosting a screening of the hit American thriller, Kiss The Girls.

Based on a book by the same name penned by writer James Patterson, the film stars Morgan Freeman, Ashley Judd and Cary Elwes in lead roles. The film begins with forensic psychologist and detective Alex Cross (played by Morgan Freeman) going to North Carolina to investigate when his niece is reported missing from there. He finds out from the cops that his niece is one of several women recently reported missing. Soon, one of the missing women is discovered dead in a desolate forest. Almost immediately, police intern Kate (played by Ashley Judd) is kidnapped.

However, Kate is able to successfully escape from her kidnapper – she wakes up from a drugged state in a dwelling where a masked man is holding her, and probably several other women, prisoner. She sustains severe injuries while escaping, but when she recovers, she joins forces with Alex Cross to track down the kidnapper-killer.

The screening is part of the American Centre’s weekly film shows for Mumbai.

The screening is at 2 pm. Head to US Consulate General, C-49, G-Block, Bandra (East), Mumbai 400051. Call 022 26724231 for details.

(Picture courtesy www.thefancarpet.com)

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