Dance the Salsa on June 19!

New Delhi, Jun 16 (UNI) It seems Spanish is the flavour of the season in films, culture and commerce!

At a time when the 'Hispanic' (Spanish) fever is still on after the release of Hrithik Roshan and Spain's Barbara Mori starrer 'Kites' last month, Salsa will be colouring the streets of Delhi on June 19.

Instituto Cervantes, the Spanish language institute created by Spanish Parliament, will hold the second edition of the Spanish Day on the day to celebrate the importance of Spanish as an international language.

With plays, concerts, movies, magic show, dance, games, children's workshops, food tasting and Mexican cuisine, poetry, cartoons, folklore, 12 Latin American and Caribbean countries exhibition and many more surprises, the day will be full of
cultural activities attended by the language lovers in and around the national capital.

Speaking to mediapersons here today, director of the institute Oscar Pujol Riembau said, ''The day is celebrated across the world with the realisation that around 14 million students study the language as foreign language.''

He noted that the countdown to the event has been for a while. The institute had started a website in March 2010 where the internet users voted for their favourite word in the language or play the 'Game of Spanish', he said.

''The final round of the game will happen on the day giving much opportunity to the language lovers to know more about it. The winners will get a chance to win a free trip to the country,'' he said.

One of the other exciting events during the day would be the ''Rain of Words,'' wherein the Spanish words written on small pieces of soft material would be showered from a height and students would catch them.

Efforts on to strengthen India, Swaziland ties: LS Speaker

New Delhi, May 12 (UNI) As part of India's efforts to strengthen South-South Cooperation, Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar has assured continued support to Swaziland government in its development efforts.

''Though we are located in different continents, memories of what India and Swaziland have gone through in terms of struggles and hardships of the people bring the two countries closer and create areas of understanding for each other,'' the Speaker said here recently in conversation with the South African nation's Prime
Minister Barnabas Sibusio Dlamini.

The Speaker has visited the country to attend the Executive Committee Meetings of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) called on the Prime Minister of Swaziland on May 10 in Mbabane.

This is her first visit to the landlocked country.

Expressing pleasure over the same, Dr Dlamini said at a time when Swaziland was trying to find an identity in the global scenario, India had extended unstinted support to the country.

He appreciated the fact that trade and commercial ties were being strengthened between the two countries. ''India has offered line of credit (LOC) of 10 million dollar to Swaziland towards establishing a Science and Technology Park in Swaziland. I hope that it would be finalised soon,'' Dr Dlamini said.

During her visit, the Speaker also met the Indian families in Swaziland, mostly from Daman and Diu, who were engaged in business or serving as professors at institutions of higher learning in Mbabane.

Learn French through Hindi now!

New Delhi, May 1 (UNI) English is no more a bar to learn a foreign language.

Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) has launched its latest programme of learning French via Hindi through distance education. Developed with the support and collaboration of the Embassy of France, the programme will enable all the students who wish to learn the language but are far from the network of the Alliances Franaises.

''A French language tutor has been placed at IGNOU for an year who will assist in the course. In addition, the university has been facilitated with several French learning methods,'' an IGNOU spokesperson said here last night during the programme's launch ceremony here.

The programme was launched by the Ambassador of France, Mr Jerome Bonnafont and IGNOU Vice Chancellor V N Rajasekharan Pillai.

Further, the Government of France also decorated three Indian teachers of the French language with ''Palmes Acadmiques'' for their valuable contribution to the promotion of the language among Indian students. They were Vasanthi Gupta and Padma Natrajan, both teachers at the Alliance Franaise de Delhi and Anuradha Karkun, teacher at the Mother's International School here.

A spokesperson from the Embassy informed UNI that the order of ''Palmes Academiques'', created in 1808, was to honour distinguished personalities from across the world for their intellectual, scientific and artistic contribution towards France and the French language.

Delhi kids knowing about green buildings the Swiss way!

New Delhi, Apr 20 (UNI) Students of Delhi are all set to 'go green' this scorching summer and apply their minds in saving their planet from global warming.

In an effort to motivate students to save resources in times of energy crisis, Switzerland Embassy is holding workshops all around the city creating awareness about green buildings, along with other things.

Organised in 10 Kendriya Vidyalayas across Delhi, the project is a part of the two nations' endeavours to enhance their bilateral relations.

''Out of the many challenges and concerns facing the modern world, the three major concerns which require our immediate attention are Global Warming, Resource Depletion and Energy Crisis. Switzerland is one of those countries which have implemented the concept of green buildings and so it thought of sharing it with the
children here,'' Arthur Mattli, Minister and Deputy Head of Mission, said today.

The workshops include sessions on green buildings, health and nutrition. A session on general awareness about Switzerland would also be organised at the end of every workshop.

''Looking at the response of both teachers and students, we are thinking of taking it further to July as it is helping them in enriching their knowledge and doing good both for the society and themselves,'' Dr Sachikant, Deputy Commissioner, Training, Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan, told UNI.

He further said the European country should diversify this movement in India, especially in the field of education.

This project has been organised by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) in support with Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE). Greentech Knowledge Solutions Pvt Ltd and Nestle have been assisting the two in project application.

''Green building is a holistic approach to minimise the overall usage of resources and energy over the life span of the buildings. They are important for India because India is in amidst of construction boom which is projected to last for several decades,'' Dheeraj Lalchandani from Greentech said.

Mr Lalchandani and his colleague Kanagraj have been holding the sessions on such buildings with the students while Ishita kapoor was the resource person from Nestle for the session on nutrition.

At the end of the workshop, students are provided with an assigment so that they can apply the knowledge gained in the sessions into the practical world.

''They are required to complete the assignment during summer break and present their work in the form of a powerpoint presentation after the schools reopen,'' Mr Lalchandani said.

Pak's Natl Book Foundation cancels participation in Book Fair

New Delhi, Jan 28 (UNI) The IPL fiasco has also cast its long shadow over the New Delhi World Book Fair to be held here from January 30 as the National Book Foundation of Pakistan backtracked from its participation in the nine-day event.

The decision comes hard on the heels of the neigbour country's Chief Election Commissioner and a parliamentary delegation cancelling their visits to India recently.

National Book Trust Director Nuzhat Hassan told mediapersons here today that the Foundation, based in Islamabad, had declined to attend the fair yesterday itself.

''We are disappointed over this. However, there are other private publishers from the country who contacted us directly and will be exhibiting at the fair,'' she said.

On being asked about any particular reason, she replied in negative.

With nearly 2,400 stalls and stands representing nearly 1,200 Indian and foreign publishers and exhibitors, the biennial fair is organised by the National Book Trust here.

A Pakistani parliamentary delegation had cancelled a visit to India a week before after none of the country's cricketers were chosen to play in the the third edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) in March.

Pakistan's cricketers played in the first IPL tournament in 2008, but were not allowed by Islamabad to travel last year due to the tensions after the Mumbai terror attacks.

Mouse couple gets monumental welcome at the Taj

Agra, Nov 1 (UNI) They entered the monument of love, not furtively like their other rodent cousins, but strode in to a tumultuous welcome from cheering kids who had gathered at the Taj Mahal to see their favourite cartoon characters, Mickey Mouse and his girlfriend Minnie.

While Mickey wore a sparkling mustard yellow sherwani with lace and gota with feet shod in not-so-small golden 'jootis', gorgeous Minnie was draped in a multi-coloured saree with elegant stone jewellery. As they entered the alleyway leading to the Taj
yesterday, they were mobbed by fans who also gave them a cheerful round of applause. With camera bulbs flashing all around, they posed for a while, kissing and hugging each other.

"The experience was unique and I still can't believe that I was standing with real Mickey," eight-year-old Simone from Ajmer said blinking her eyes in excitement. She had a chance to pose with the endearing characters created by Walt Disney.

Disney India fans will experience some real Disney magic as Mickey Mouse comes straight from the dazzling world of Hollywood into their lives with his own talk show on stage. A special live event titled 'The Mickey Mouse Show' will be held in New Delhi and Mumbai in November. That is not all as Mickey's friends Donald Duck,
Goofy, Pluto and sweetheart Minnie will accompany him in filling the auditorium with music, laughter and fun-filled vigor.

Mr Mahesh Samat, Country Head, Walt Disney Company, India, said, "We continue to build relevance and reach in the country through our loved characters and stories in our vision to build a family entertainment brand in the country. We are happy to celebrate this festival season with a special treat for Disney fans."

They will entertain the admirers with their lovable antics and all-round fun that families can participate in. "Mickey has a special Bollywood surprise planned for his fans too that will have you singing and dancing on the aisles," added Mr K Seshasaye, Director Corporate Communication and Outreach, Walt Disney Company,
India.

Referring to the designers who created the beautiful dresses for the characters, Mr Seshasaye said, "The costumes have been designed by the designers at Disneyland. Moreover, Mickey and Minnie have their own taste and get involved personally. They love Indian costumes and especially Minnie loves her saree."

Asked if there was any specific reason to choose the Taj Mahal, one of the seven wonders of the world, as their inaugural spot, he noted that Mickey and Minnie were known for their friendship over the years and no other site could have suited best for the reason that Mickey takes his beloved on a holiday to enjoy the festive
season.

He said tickets for the show can be booked at website htttp://www.bookmyshow.com/Disney.

Nine shows with three per day will be held in New Delhi at Siri Fort Auditorium from November four to six. The show will then go to Mumbai in the later part of the month.

The Walt Disney Company, together with its subsidiaries and affiliates, is a diversified, international family entertainment and media enterprise which includes Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, The Walt Disney Studios, ABC, Inc, ESPN, Disney Channel, Disney XD, Disney Consumer Products, television, radio stations and websites.

Korea's First Lady presents Tagore Literature Awards 2009

New Delhi, Jan 25 (UNI) Honouring excellence in fields of art, literature and culture, the First Lady of the Republic of Korea Kim Yoon-ok presented the first Tagore Literature Awards to eight Indian luminaries here today.

In a glittering ceremony, the experts were awarded for their contributions in eight Indian languages -- Bengali, Bodo, Gujarati, Hindi, Kannada, Kashmiri, Punjabi and Telugu.

In the poetry genre, Bengali poet Alok Sarkar won the award for his book 'Apapabhumi' and Kashmiri poetess Naseem Shafai won for her collection of poems 'Na Tshay Na Akas', while in the autobiography section, Gujarati author Bhagwandas Patel won for 'Mari Lokyatra' and Punjabi writer Jaswant Singh Kanwal
won for 'Punya Da Chanan'.

Similarly, there were two winners in the essay section, namely Bodo writer Brajendra Kumar Brahma, who won for his book 'Raithai Hala', and Telugu writer Kovela Suprasannacharya, who won for his book 'Antharangam'.

In the genres of short stories and novel, there was single winner each. Hindi writer Rajee Seth won for her collection of short stories 'Ghame-Hayat Ne Mara', while Kannada novelist Chandrasekhar Kambar won the award for his novel 'Shikara Soorya'.

The awards have been instituted by Sahitya Akademi in collaboration with Samsung Electronics.

Asserting that the awardees had been selected in a much democratic manner, president of Sahitya Akademi Sunil Gangopadhyaya explained the selection procedure to all present in the gathering.

''Altogether 188 scholars from different languages constituted the selection committee who chose the winners after a three-stage procedure,'' Mr Gangopadhyaya said.

The awards will recognise the best literary contributions in eight different Indian languages every year, with 24 languages being covered by the end of the third year.

The same cycle of eight languages being rewarded every year will continue thereafter.

Replying to a question that why the winners did not include any young poets and writers, Mr Gangopadhyaya stated that since it was the first year of the awards, it was decided to honour the veterans first.

''However, if any other country or a big business house offers us to give award to more poets and writers, then they are welcome,'' he quipped.

He noted that the initiative taken by the two countries was a fine gesture leading to promotion of Indian literature as well as cultural and literary bonds between the two.

Speaking on the occasion, president and CEO of Samsung South-west Asia Headquarters J S Shin said, ''The awards are celebrating the power of literature to unify people across, regions and cultures.''

The awardees were honoured with a trophy, a cash prize of Rs 91,000 and a shawl.

The ceremony was followed by a recitation of Tagore's poetry by an Indian child, Somoshree Mahapatra, and a Korean child, Jihun.

Noted actress Sharmila Tagore was also present on the occasion. As the children recited the poem, she was so overwhelmed by their performance that she ran up to the stage to kiss the 12-year-old Korean boy.

However, Jihun much later came to know that he had got a peck on his cheek by a veteran Indian actress.

The evening had a fitting finale with the rendition of a collection of Tagore music on 'sarod' by the famous duo and sons of Ustad Amjad Ali Khan, Aman Ali Khan and Ayan Ali Khan.

Mr Yoo In Chon, Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Government of Korea; Mr Jawhar Sircar, Secretary, Indian Ministry of Culture, Prof Pabitra Sarkar, former vice-chancellor of Rabindra Bharati University and Dr Reba Som, Director, Rabindranath Tagore Center, Kolkata, also graced the function.

Beyond borders: Pakistanis show concern for Indian minority

New Delhi, Jan 22 (UNI) Even though the relation between India and Pakistan has touched a new low after 26/11, people from the neighbouring country work as a binding force as they share views on minority and education in India.

Recently, a group of 30 students from a management institute in Pakistan visited Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) here to interact with the university students on a variety of issues, including the status of minorities in India.

The team from Lahore University of Management Studies (LUMS), often called as the Harvard of the East, was led by professor Rafiq Ahmed.

In an interactive session with Prof Shambhu Nath Singh, Director of School of Journalism and New Media Studies, IGNOU, the Pakistani students showed concern regarding the treatment given to minority population in India.

Replying to their questions, Prof Singh asserted that the concept of minority in India was different from that in Pakistan and said in Pakistan, minority or majority was decided in terms of faith, unlike in India.

''India has various minority communities. The concept is not according to religion, but according to castes, sub-castes, languages and cultures,'' the professor explained citing an example.

A Muslim from Kerala, Maharashtra, Bihar and West Bengal would differ from one another fundamentally and would hardly be able to even communicate with one another, he said.

''India is the unique success story in diversity in habits and lifestyles. The Indian Constitution has not allowed religion to play the main role here,'' Prof Singh said.

The team was also inquisitive about what draws Indian students to developed countries for professional education and not developing nations, including Pakistan.

Subsiding their anxiety, IGNOU students asked how many world-class institutes Pakistan had at present and whether the social ethos were conducive enough to pursue career studies there in peace without tension and worries.

Replying to another question raised by the Pakistani professor on the issue of proportional representation of Muslims in public services in India, Prof Singh said there was no discrimination.

''Most of the Muslims fall in the workers' group and they earn just as other Indian workers do. As there are not many Muslim middle class families in India, their representation is also low comparative to other middle-class groups,'' he stated.