TODAY WORD - PELTON

The Word of the Day for July 6 is:

peloton \pel-uh-TAHN\ noun
: the main body of riders in a bicycle race

Example sentence:
"The first major splits occur in the peloton at about the 110-mile
mark, where many riders find they can no longer keep up." (Michael
Barry, The New York Times, September 26, 2008)

Did you know?
If you've ever watched the Tour de France on television, you've seen
the peloton, the brightly colored pack of riders making up the central
group. You may have also gained some inadvertent insight into the word
itself, which as you may have guessed is French in origin. In French,
"peloton" literally means "ball," but it is most often used with the
meaning "group." It's frequently used in the bicycling context, just
as in English, but it can also refer to a group in a marathon or other
sporting event. French "peloton" can also mean "squad" or "platoon,"
and since we've told you that you probably won't be too surprised to
learn that it is also the source of our word "platoon."

HUSH - A TIKULI POETRY

Hush

She stood on the edge
overlooking the valley.
Her elegant frame silhouetted
in the moonlit night.
Her intense eyes,
Pregnant with grief and pain.
Her gaze,
Penetrating into the quite lugubrious abyss.
The maelstrom inside her,
resounding in the stillness of the night.
Nothing is moving, not even the dewdrops
hanging precariously from the leaves.
A small cub rests in peace
cuddled between her paws.
It’s body cold as ice.
They had been there together
just one night
both mother and child.
Slowly she slumps beside the lifeless child
and licks the furry body.
Tucking it closer with her paws
she embraces it for One last time.
The forest watches quiescent.

- A poem by Tikuli.

RATAN N. TATA - TATA CONSULTANCY SERVICE - CHAIRMAN

Ratan N Tata
(Chairman)

Ratan N Tata has been the Chairman of Tata Sons, the holding company of the Tata Group, since 1991. He is also the Chairman of the major Tata companies including Tata Motors, Tata Steel, Tata Consultancy Services, Tata Power, Tata Tea, Tata Chemicals, Indian Hotels and Tata Teleservices. During his tenure, the Group’s revenues have grown over 13-fold to annualized Group revenues of over $80 bn.

Ratan Tata joined the Tata Group in December 1962. After serving in various companies, he was appointed the Director-in-Charge of The National Radio & Electronics Company Limited (NELCO) in 1971. In 1981, he was named Chairman of Tata Industries, the Group’s other holding company, where he was responsible for transforming it into a Group strategy think-tank, and a promoter of new ventures in high technology businesses. He is also the Chairman of two of the largest private sector promoted philanthropic trusts in India.

Ratan Tata is associated with various organizations in India and abroad. He is the Chairman of the Government of India’s Investment Commission and a member of the Prime Minister’s Council on Trade and Industry, the National Hydrogen Energy Board and the National Manufacturing Competitiveness Council. He also serves on the UK Prime Minister’s Business Council for Britain and the International Advisory Council of Singapore’s Economic Development Board. He is also on the international advisory boards of the Mitsubishi Corporation, the American International Group, JP Morgan Chase and Rolls Royce. He also serves on the board of directors of Fiat SpA and Alcoa.

Ratan Tata is President of the Court of the Indian Institute of Science and Chairman of the Council of Management of the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research. He is a member of the Board of Trustees of Cornell University and the University of Southern California. He is also a member of the Global Business Council on HIV/AIDS and the Program Board of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation's India AIDS Initiative.

Ratan Tata received a Bachelor of Science degree in Architecture with Structural Engineering from Cornell University in 1962. He worked briefly with Jones and Emmons in Los Angeles, before returning to India in late 1962. He completed the Advanced Management Program at Harvard Business School in 1975.

The Government of India honored Ratan Tata with its second highest civilian award, the Padma Vibhushan, last year. He has also been conferred an honorary doctorate in Business Administration by the Ohio State University, an honorary doctorate in Technology by the Asian Institute of Technology, Bangkok, an honorary doctorate in Science by the University of Warwick and the Indian Institutes of Technology of Kharagpur and Madras, and an honorary fellowship by the London School of Economics.

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RATAN N. TATA

BIHAR - AT A GLANCE

History and Geography

Bihar finds mention in the Vedas, Puranas, epics, etc., and was the main scene of activities of Buddha, and 24 Jain Tirthankars. Great rulers of the State before the Christian era were Bimbisar, Udayin, who founded the city of Pataliputra. Chandragupta Maurya and Emperor Ashoka and Maurya dynasty, the Sungs and the Kanvas. Then came the Kushan rulers followed by Chandragupta Vikramaditya of the Gupta dynasty. Muslim rulers made in-roads into the territory during medieval period. The first conqueror of Bihar was Mohammed- bin-Bakhtiar Khalji. The Tughluqs and then the Mughals followed the Khaljis.

One of the major states of the Indian Union, Bihar is bounded on the north by Nepal, on the east by West Bengal, on west by Uttar Pradesh and on the south by Jharkhand. Bihar has a number of rivers, the most important of which is the Ganga. The other rivers are the Sone, Poonpoon, Falgu, Karmanasa, Durgawati, Kosi, Gandak, Ghaghara, etc.

Agriculture

Bihar has a total geographical area of about 93.60 lakh hectare, out of which only 56.03 lakh hectare is the net cultivated area and gross cultivated area being 79.46 lakh hectare. About 33.51 lakh hectare net area and 43.86 lakh hectare gross area receive irrigation from different sources. Principal food crops are paddy, wheat, maize and pulses. Main cash crops are sugarcane, potato, tobacco, oilseeds, onion, chillies, jute and roselle. Bihar has notified forest area of 6,764.14 sq. km, which is 7.1 per cent of its geographical area.

Industries

Major Industries are: Railway Wagon Plants of Bharat Wagon Limited at Muzaffarpur and Mokamah; Oil Refinery of Indian Oil Corporation at Barauni; Fertilizer Manufacturing Plant of HPCL at Barauni and PPCL at Amjhor; Cotton Spinning Mills at Siwan, Pandaul, Bhagalpur, Mokamah and Gaya; 13 sugar mills in private sector and 15 in the public sector located in south and north Bihar with a total crushing capacity of 45,000 TPD. In addition, distilleries at Gopalganj, West Champaran, Bhagalpur and Riga (in Sitamarhi district); Finished Leather Industry in West Champaran, Muzaffarpur and Barauni; Jute Mills at Katihar and Samastipur; Medicine Manufacturing Unit at Hajipur; Food Processing Units as also Vanaspati Manufacturing Units at Aurangabad and Patna; besides Kalyanpur Cement Limited at Banjari, are notable in the industrial map of Bihar.

Irrigation

Bihar has an irrigation potential of 28.63 lakh hectares. It is created through major and medium irrigation schemes and 48.97 lakh hectares through minor irrigation schemes.

Transport

Roads: Up to March 2008, Bihar had 45721.059 km of pucca roads including 3734.38 km of national highways and 3766.029 km of state highways, 7992.65 km of major District Roads, 2828.00 km. of other District Roads and 27400 km. of Rural Roads.

Railways: Bihar has a fairly good railway network. There is a railway bridge at Mokamaha in north Bihar. A few railway routes connecting important places like Muzaffarpur-Samastipur-Barauni-Katihar and Muzaffarpur-Chapra-Siwan have been converted into broad gauge. The main rail junctions are at Patna, Gaya, Muzaffarpur, Katihar and Samastipur, etc.

Aviation: There is an international airport at Patna, besides landing grounds in all major districts of the State.

Tourist Centres

Important places of tourist interest are Rajgir, Nalanda, Vaishali, Pawapuri (where Lord Mahavira breathed his last and attained Nirvana), Bodh Gaya, Vikramshila (ruins of Buddhist University of higher learning), Gaya, Patna (ancient city of Patliputra), Sasaram (tomb of Shershah Suri) and Madhubani (known for its famous Madhubani Paintings).

Mundeshwari Mandir (Kaimur), Rohtras Garh Fort (Rohtas), Jain Pilgrim Place, Kundalpur (Nalanda), Bihar School of Yoga (Munger), Manersharif Patna, Rural Tourist Place Nepura (Nalanda), Kesaria Stupa (East Champaran), Barabar Hills (Jehanabad) and Lauria Nandangarh are also important tourist places.

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BIHAR

 

ASSAM - AT A GLANCE

History and Geography

The word 'Assam' as interpreted by some scholars is derived from the Sanskrit word Asoma meaning peerless or unparalleled. But the widely accepted opinion of the academic circles today is that the term has come from the original name of the Ahoms, who ruled the land for about six hundred years prior to its annexation by the British. The races like Austric, Mongolian, Dravidian and Aryan that came to this land long-long ago have contributed to its composite culture. Thus, Assam has a rich legacy of culture and civilization.

Assam was known as Pragjyotisha or the place of eastern astronomy during the epic period and later named as Kamrupa. The earliest epigraphic reference to the kingdom of Kamrupa is found in the Allahabad pillar inscription of king Samudragupta. Kamrupa is mentioned as a Pratyanta or frontier state outside the Gupta empire but with friendly and subordinate relation to it Hiuen Sang, the Chinese scholar pilgrim who visited Kamrupa in about 743 A.D. on an invitation of its monarch, Kumar Bhaskar Varman, left a record of the kingdom he called Kamolupa. Kamrupa also figured in the writings of the Arabian historian Alberuni in the eleventh century. Thus, from the epic period down to the twelfth century A.D., the eastern frontier kingdom was known as Pragjyotisha and Kamrupa and kings called themselves 'Lords of Pragjyotisha'.

The advent of the Ahoms across the eastern hills in 1228 A.D. was the turning point in Assam history. They ruled Assam nearly for six centuries. The Burmese entered through the eastern borders and overran the territory at a time when court intrigues and dissensions were sapping the vitality of the Ahom royalty. It became a British protectorate in 1826 when the Burmese ceded Assam to the British under the provision of the Treaty of Yandabo.

Assam is the sentinel of north-east India and gateway to the North-Eastern States. The State is close to India's international borders with Bangladesh and Bhutan. Assam is surrounded by Bhutan and Arunachal Pradesh on the north, Manipur, Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh on the east and Meghalaya, Tripura and Mizoram on the south.

Agriculture

Assam is an agricultural State. Agriculture occupies an important place in the economy of the State. The principal food crop is rice. The cash crops are jute, tea, cotton, oilseeds, sugarcane, potato, etc. Noteworthy horticulture items are orange, banana, pineapple, arecanut, coconut, guava, mango, jackfruit and citrus fruits. The State has an estimated 39.44 lakh hectares gross cropped area, of which net area sown is about 27.01 lakh hectares.

Forests

Assam is known for her rich forest wealth which constituted 22.21 per cent of the total forest area.

Wildlife

The State has five National Parks and eleven wildlife sanctuaries. The Kaziranga National Park and the Manas Tiger Project (National Park) are internationally famous for one horned Rhino and Royal Bengal Tiger respectively.

Industry

Of agriculture-based industries, tea occupies an important place. There are six industrial growth Centres in the State. A CIPET has been established at Amingaon near Guwahati. Assam has always enjoyed the highest reputation for her arts and crafts associated with her cottage industries. Cottage industries include handloom, sericulture, cane and bamboo articles, carpentry, brass and bell-metal crafts. Assam produces varieties of silk, Endi, Muga, Tassar, etc. Muga silk is produced only in Assam in the world.

Irrigation and Power

The major power stations are Chandrapur Thermal Project, Namrup Thermal Project and a few Mobile Gas Turbine Units along with a mini hydro-electric project. Revitalising the Thermal Power Station of Bongaigaon and completing the Karbi-Langpi Project will boost the power supply in the State. Approval has been received for Tipaimukh Dam Project.

Transport

Roads: The total length of roads in the State was 37,515 km which includes 2,754 kms of National Highways. The construction of 160 km of barbed wire fencing and 27 kms of the border road along the Indo-Bangladesh International have been completed.

Railways: The length of railway tract in Assam is 2,284.28 kms comprising 1,227.16 kms under broad-gauge and 1,057.12 km under meter-gauge lines.

Aviation: The regular civil air services operate from Lokopriya Gopinath Bordoloi Airport (Guwahati), Salonibari (Tezpur), Mohanbari (Dibrugarh), Kumbhirgram (Silchar), Rawriah (Jorhat) and Silonibari (North Lakhimpur).

FESTIVALS

Assam has an exclusive range of colourful festivals. Bihu is the chief festival celebrated on the three occasions. Rongali Bihu or Bohag Bihu marks the advent of the cropping season and it also ushers in the Assamese New Year. Bhogali Bihu or Magh Bihu is the harvest festival and Kati Bihu or Kongali Bihu coming in autumn is a simple affair.

Religion accounts for a large variety of festivals. Vaishnavites observe birth and death anniversaries of prominent Vaishnava saints through day-long singing of hymns and staging of Bhaonas (theatrical performances in traditional style). Ambubachi in Kamakhya shrine, Sivaratri Mela at Umananda and other places near Siva temples, Durga Puja, Diwali, Dol-Jatra, Id, Christmas, Ashokastami Mela, Rash Mela, Parasuram Mela are other religious festivals.

TOURISM

Important places of tourism in and around Guwahati are Kamakhya temple, Umananda (Peacock Island), Navagraha (temple of nine planets), Basistha Ashram, Dolgobinda, Gandhi Mandap, State Zoo, State Museum, Sukreswar temple, Gita Mandir, Madan Kamdev temple, a magnificent archaeological place of interest, and Saraighat bridge.

Other places of tourist interest in the State are: Kaziranga National Park (famous for one horned rhino), Manas Tiger Project, Pobi-tora and Orang (wildlife sanctuaries), Sibsagar (Shiv Temple-Rangghar-Karengghar), Tezpur (Bhairavi temple and scenic beauty), Bhalukpung (Angling), Haflong (health resort with Jatinga hills), Majuli (largest river island in the world), Chandubi lake (picnic spot), Hajo (meeting point of Buddhism, Hinduism and Islam), Batadrava (birth place of great Vaishnava saint Sankaradeva) and Sualkuchi (famous for silk industry).

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ASSAM

ARUNACHAL PRADESH - AT A GLANCE

History and Geography

Arunachal Pradesh, the erstwhile North-East Frontier Agency shares international boundaries with Bhutan, Tibet, China and Myanmar to the west, north-east, north and east respectively, and the state boundaries with Assam and Nagaland. The terrain consists of submontane and mountainous ranges, sloping down to the plains of Assam, divided into valleys by the rivers Kameng, Subansiri, Siang, Lohit and Tirap.

There are practically no records relating to the history of this area, except some oral literature and a number of historical ruins found mainly in the foothills. Subsequent explorations and excavations have identified the ruins as dating approximately from the early Christian era. The historical evidence indicates that not only was the area well known, but the people living here had close relations with the rest of the country too.

Modern history of Arunachal Pradesh begins with the inception of British rule in Assam after the treaty of Yandaboo, concluded on 24 February 1826.

Before 1962, the area was popularly known as the NEFA, and was constitutionally a part of Assam. Because of its strategic importance, however, it was administered by the Ministry of External Affairs until 1965, and subsequently by the Ministry of Home Affairs, through the Governor of Assam. In 1972, it was constituted as a Union Territory and renamed Arunachal Pradesh. On 20 February 1987, it became the 24^th state of the Indian Union.

Festivals 

Some of the important festivals of the State are: Mopin and Solung of the Adis, Lossar of the Monpas and Boori-boot of the Hill Miris, Sherdukpens, Dree of the Apatanis, Si-Donyi of the Tagins, Reh of the ldu-Mishmis, Nyokum of the Nishs, etc. Animal sacrifice is a common ritual in most festivals.

Agriculture and Horticulture

Agriculture is the mainstay of the people of Arunachal Pradesh, and had mainly depended on jhum cultivation. Encouragement is being given to the cultivation of cash crops like potatoes and horticulture crops like apples, oranges and pineapples.

Industries and Minerals

For conservation and explorations of vast minerals, the APMDTCL were set up in 1991. Namchik-Namphuk coal fields are taken up by APMDTCL. To provide training to craftsmen in different trades, there are five Government Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) functioning in the state at Roing, Tabarijo, Dirang, Yupia & Miao. ITI Yupia, located at Papum Pare District it is the only ITI exclusive to Women in Arunachal Pradesh.

Irrigation and Power

An area of more than 87,500 hectares has been irrigated in Arunachal Pradesh. The installed capacity of the State is about 30,735 MW. Around 2,600 villages have been electrified out of 3,649 villages in the State.

Transport

Roads: Arunachal Pradesh has 330 km of national highway.

Tourist Centres

Places of tourist interest are: Tawang, Dirang, Bomdila, Tipi, Itanagar Malinithan, Likabali, Pasighat, Along, Tezu, Miao, Roing, Daporijo Namdapha, Bhismaknagar, Parashurarn Kund and Khonsa.

Panchayati Raj

The Arunachal Pradesh State Election Commission in support of State Govt. has successfully conducted and completed Panchayati Raj Elections in the State in the month of May 2008 for speedy development in the village and grass root level.


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ARUNACHAL PRADESH