Chitralekha
Chitralekha is Gujarati news cum features weekly. Shri Vaju Kotak himself a journalist and writer ignited by the passion for his mother tongue Gujarati founded this weekly during 1950. Overcoming all the initial hardships, the weekly has completed 60 years of its existence on 22 April 2010. The magazine occupies a place of eminence and trust in every Gujarat family in India and across the world, respected for its editorial content and credibility.
At a time when regional publications are facing competition from each other and from English publications. Chitralekha has succeeded in retaining the place it carved out for itself in the past 60 years.
The magazine has given a good account of itself in the field of regional journalism, serialized novel writing, regular homour column and so on.
Due to its pre - eminence. Chitralekha plays a large role in discrimination of news and information to the remotest and even to inaccessible parts of the country, thereby serving larger social cause. It also plays a pivotal role a empowering people in semi urban and rural areas by helping create employment opportunities in these areas.
Green Thumb App
New plant sensor and app tells owners when it is time for watering and feeding. The Koubachi Wifi Plant Sensor, which is placed in the soil of the potted plant, connects with a smartphone app that alerts users when plants need watering misting, fertilizer or more sun or shade.
The sensor collects data such as soil moisture, light intensity and ambient temperature, which is sent to the app, available for (OS) devices and through the Web.
Postal Heritage Buildings
Delhi GPO is among the very few buildings of India Post which has been given the status of “Heritage Building” by the Archacological Survey of India and is in close proximity to the historical Red Fort and Chandni Chowk. Opened in 1855, the Post Office was given permanent status in 1865 and it started functioning in the present building in 1885. The land for Delhi GPO was purchased in 1870. It has a floor area of 45,457 sq.ft., It is considered a representative structure of the British period.
Shimla GPO on the Mall, established in 1883 on the site of a house known as “Conny Lodge” is one of the oldest Post Office buildings in the country. During the British Raj, Shimla was the summer capital and the GPO acquired pre-eminence due to its crucial role in ensuring effective receipt and dispatch of Government mail of “Walayat Dak”.
The GPO building is mainly a timbered structure with a tin-roof. It is a three storey building and an interesting element of its design is six large hollow pillars of stone and brick that ‘traversed its height”. Till 1920, firewood was used to warm the building in winter and enable the postal staff to perform their duties. The building is an excellent example of English bill architecture.
On 21st September 1972, a fire on the first floor of the beautiful burnt of the old record. The building was soon renovated and its centenary was celebrated on 31 July 1983. In 1992, this building was declared one of the Heritage Post Office Buildings in the country.
Udagamandalam HPO. The first Post Office at Udagamandalam was opened in 1826 with an establishment of a writer and two delivery peons. There are no records as to where the office oringally was. In the earliest plan of Ootacumurd (1829), the building which afterwards became the Post Office is shown and marked as Government Bungalow. Records show that in November 1833, the Post Office was at Rays house.
A travellers’ Bungalow, later assigned to the post office, was a wretched hovel consisting of three small rooms. It was long used for postal purpose. In 1866, the whole building passed into the hands of the Postal Department, which continued to occupy it until 1878, when it was decided to pull down a considerable portion of the old structure and build a combined post and telegraph office on the same site. The post office was moved to its present quarters in December 1883 and this, along with the Telegraph Office and Law Courts, forms cluster of ornamental buildings on Mount Road.
Coach Behur HPO. The Post and Telegraph Office of Cooch Behur State was opened in 1875 under the administrative control of Rajgpur Postal Division. The Cooch Behar Post Officer was initially functioning in the building situated in the Purana Post Office Para. Today it covers 8893 sq.ft., Maharaja Nriprendra Narayan built the present Head Post Office building and during his regime, there were one telegraph office and five Post Officers in Cooch Behar State. On bifurcation of Rangpur Division, Julpaiguri Divisions was created and later, the Cooch Behar Division was created on bifurcation of Jalpaiguri division on 16th April 1979.
Nagpur GPO : Considered the mother institution in the Postal Circle of the Central Province, it is housed in a majestic Victorium building, once the seat of erstwhile. Postmaster General of CP & Berar, Built on a sprawling 9.5 acres located in the Civil Lines area of the city, the double storey building was built during 1916 – 21 with a plinth area of 26622 sq.ft in a complex that also has the Postmaster’s quarter and a huge garden.
The structure is made of load bearing brick walls, steel columns, beams and ribs encased in time concrete and plastered in time internally with pitched roof in country tiles and battens. The exteriors make use of exposed bricky (painted red) and buff wide verandar and is provided with Tuscan columns, a roman arch in the Central Tower and a Flag mast. The alternating bands of brick and sand stone used at corners give the building as Neo Georgian touch but it interspersed with large semicircular stone screens (Jalls) reflecting the Eastern stone craft of India. The clock which still works, some antique post boxes and fire fighting equipment and the mixed styles of architecture make this building unique.
Lucknow GPO is an example of relatively more contemporary engineering and architecture. Constructed with red bricks and time stone, iron was not used in its construction. Its length is 86.5 metre and width 36 metre. The building has a beautiful 30 metre high tower with clocks on all four sides, giving a majestic look to the building. The ground floor has pillars and arches in sequence. The pillars on the ground floor have magnificent carvings which enhance its duty. The first floor of the building has 25 rooms. A stone embedded on the main gate of the GPO dates the building has 1929 – 1932.
Poverty line in China : China has over 100 million people living below the poverty line despite its emergence has the world’s second largest economic. China may boast a fairly large economic, but its pre-capita income ranks around 90th in the world calculated according to a use standard, china still has more than 100 million people living below the poverty line.
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Page No.
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Gujarat polls announced even as rivals trade charges
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1
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Understanding the obligations of ruling India
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8
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Super optic highway to connect 2.5 lakh villages
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11
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Gender sensitive Parliament can tackle women’s issues better, says Pranab
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11
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India gearing up to fight mid-sea threats in Asian region, says Antony
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11
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At U.N. India and Pakistan commemorate Gandhiji
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13
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Bombings kill 50 in Aleppo
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13
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Foreign students given cattle class welcome in U.K.
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13
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Farmers participatory programme stems coconut tree infestation
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15
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Waste degradation by white rot fungus
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15
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