AWARDS NOVEMBER 2013

AWARDS NOVEMBER 2013

• East Timor film ‘Beatriz’s War’ bagged Golden Peacock award for best Film at the closing ceremony of 44th International Film Festival of India on 30 November. The film, directed by Bety Reis and Luigi Acquisto. The award carries a Golden Peacock, a certificate and a Cash Prize of Rs. 40 lakh. Indian Director Kaushik Ganguli bags the award for Best Director for his Bengali film ‘Apur Panchali’. The award carries a Silver Peacock, a certificate and a cash prize of Rs. 15 lakh. Best Actor (Male) award went to Alon Moni Aboutboul for his performance in Israeli movie ‘A Place in Heaven’. The award carries a Silver Peacock, a certificate and a cash prize of Rs. 10 lakh. Best Actor (Female) award was presented to Boczarska Magdalena for her excellent performance in Polish film ‘In Hiding’. On the occasion Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting, Manish Tewari said that 44th IFFI was a celebration of freedom of the human spirit, liberated from the mores of conventionalism, imbued with the ability to dare and above all the power of a ‘New Idea’. With this, the 11-day extravaganza of films, discussions and press conferences on films came to an end. Goa Governor Bharat Veer Wanchoo, Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting, Manish Tewari, Chief Minister of Goa, Manohar Parrikar were also present at the closing ceremony. Famous Malaysian actress and filmmaker Michelle Yeoh was the Chief Guest for the closing ceremony.
  
• Malala Yousafzai, Kainat Riaz and Shazia Ramzan on 27 November 2013 were chosen for the GG2 Hammer Award, for their bravery at the GG2 (Garavi Gujarat 2) Leadership Awards 2013 in London. The activist Malala Yousafzai won the number one spot in the GG2 Power List 101 for her work in raising awareness for female empowerment. Malala Yousafzai, the teenager from Pakistan, who was shot in the head by the Taliban for campaigning for girls’ education. She has been named as the Britain’s most influential Asian by a weekly publication. Kainat Riaz and Shazia Ramzan were shot and wounded in Swat Valley last year. The GG2 Hammer Award winner of 2013 transcends every boundary and appeals to the very core of our humanity. The GG2 Power 101 has been compiled by The Asian Media and Marketing Group (AMG) and features the top 101 most influential Asians in the UK, ranging from all walks of life. Now in its third year, the list honours some notable British Asians who hold power and influence not just in Britain, but also globally.
  
• The 18th International Children's Film Festival concluded on 20 November in Hyderabad. A Dutch Film named Kauwboy, directed by Boudewijn Koole won the Golden Elephant Award for best film in the 'International Live Action' category. The film is about a 10 year old boy and a bird. The Golden Plaque for second-best film in the same section was won by a German film Das Pferd Auf Dem Balkon or A horse on the Balcony. The Jury Prize for the best artwork was won by a Hindi film Goopi Gawaiya Bagha Bajaiya directed by Shilpa Ranade. Ernest Et Celestine won the award for the Best Animation Feature. During the film festival, Batul Mukthiar received the best director award for his film Kaphal in the International Live Action. The best screenplay award went to Nono-The Zigzag Kid. The Golden Elephant trophy for Best Little Director category was given to an Indian film Breaking Silence and Tamator Chor. The film festival was organised by the Children's Film Festival India (CFSI), which is an autonomous body under the Union Ministry of Information and Broadcasting and Andhra Pradesh Government.
  
• Pakistani teenage activist Malala Yousafzai, who survived a Taliban assassination attempt last year, on 20 November, received the EU's Sakharov human rights prize at a ceremony in Strasbourg. The European Parliament President, Martin Schulz, presented the award to the 16-year-old who was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize earlier this year. Malala dedicated the award to "the unsung heroes of Pakistan" and to human rights campaigners worldwide. Malala was shot in the head a year ago for campaigning for better rights for girls in Swat Valley of northwest Pakistan, an erstwhile Taliban stronghold. The Sakharov Prize for free speech is awarded by the European Parliament annually in memory of Soviet physicist and dissident Andrei Sakharov. The 50,000-euro (USD 65,000) prize is considered Europe's top human rights award. Malala joins a distinguished list of winners of the prize that includes South Africa's Nelson Mandela and Aung San Suu Kyi of Myanmar.
  
• Dr. Angela Merkel, German Chancellor on 19 November selected for Indira Gandhi Prize for Peace, Disarmament and Development for the year 2013. The International Jury for the Prize was chaired by the Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh, which made this announcement on 19 November 2013 on the birth anniversary of Indira Gandhi. Dr. Angela Merkel is nominated for her exemplary leadership in Europe and the world during the financial crises, her commitment to universal peace and disarmament and her leadership role in strengthening productive and mutually beneficial relations with India and other developing countries. The award is conferred upon the person or an organisation irrespective of race, religion, nationality or other aspects. It consists of award worth 2.5 million Rupees as well as trophy along with citation. The Indiara Gandhi Award is constituted by Indira Gandhi Memorial Trust. Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, the Liberian President was conferred with the Indira Gandhi Prize for Peace, Disarmament and Development for the year 2012.
  
• The 44th International Film Festival of India (IFFI) began at Panaji in Goa on 20 November 2013. Academy award winning actress Suasan Sarandon inaugurated the 11- day cinematic extravaganza in the distinguished presence of Union Minister of Information and Broadcasting Manish Tewari, Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parriker and a galaxy of cine stars. The 44th International Film Festival of India (from 20 to 30 November 2013) is organized by the IFFI Secretariat under the aegis of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India, in collaboration with the Government of Goa.44th edition of IFFI is unique on several accounts. The festival would highlight for the first time Cinema from the North Eastern states of India. A package of 19 films from the North-East will explore the immense ethnic, traditional and cultural diversity in the 8 states of North- East. The Lifetime Achievement Award is being conferred on the legendary Czech film director Jiri Menzelwhose films have been acknowledged as the Czech New Wave Cinema. Renowned actress Waheeda Rehamn will be conferred with the first Centenary Award for Indian Film Personality of the Year. The International Film Festival of India (IFFI) is one of the most significant film festivals in Asia, held every year. The first edition of IFFI was organized by the Films Division, Government of India at Mumbai 1952.
  
• The General Council of Sangeet Natak Akademi, the National Academy of Music, Dance and Drama, New Delhi has declared fellowships (Akademi Ratna) and Akademi awards (Akademi Auraskar) for the year 2013 . A decision to this effect was taken in a meeting held on 21 November 2013 where three (3) eminent personalities in the field of performing arts, namely Smt. Kanak Rele, Shri R Sathyanarayana and Shri Mahesh Elkunchwar as Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellows (Akademi Ratna) were elected. The Fellowship of the Akademi is the most prestigious and rare honor, which is restricted to a very limited number at a given time. Presently there are only 40 Fellows of the Sangeet Natak Akademi. The General Council of the Akademi also selected thirty eight (38) artists (2 Joint Awards) from the fields of Music, Dance, Theatre and Puppetry for the Sangeet Natak Akademi Awards (Akademi Puraskar) for the year 2013.In the field of Music, nine eminent artists, namely Shri Ritwik Sanyal, Smt. Veena Sahasrabuddhe in Hindustani Vocal; Shri Hashmat Ali Khan, Hindustani Instrumental Music (Tabla); Shri Dhruba Ghosh, Hindustani Instrumental Music (Sarangi); Smt. Aruna Sairam, S/Shri D. Seshachari & D Raghavachari Hyderabad Brothers(Joint Award) in Carnatic Vocal; Shri Trichy Sankaran, Carnatic Instrumental Music (Mridangam); Shri Thiruvizha Jayashankar, Carnatic Instrumental Music (Nadaswaram) and Shri Bankim Sethi, Major Traditions of Music (Odissi Music) have been selected for the Akademi Awards 2013.In the field of Dance, Smt. Jamuna Krishnan and Shri B Herambhanathan, (Bharatanatyam); Smt. Rajashree Shirke (Kathak); Shri Kalamandalam M P S Namboodiri, (Kathakali); Shri Chinta Seetha Ramanjaneyulu (Kuchipudi); Smt Sangeeta Dash (Odissi); Shri Jogen Dutta Bayan (Sattriya); Shri Srinivasa Rangachariar (Major Traditions of Dance & Dance Theatre (Arayer Sevai) and Shri Dhaneswar Swain, Music for Dance have been selected for the Akademi Awards 2013. In the field of Theatre, eight eminent persons have been selected for Akademi Awards 2013. They include Shri Rameshwar Prem, Shri Pundalik Narayan Naik in Playwriting; Shri Kamalakar Muralidhar Sontakke, Shri Kewal Dhaliwal, Smt. Prasanna Ramaswamy in the field of Direction; Shri Vasant Josalkar, Smt Kusum Haidar in Acting and Shri Krishna Borkar in the field of Allied Theatre Arts (Make-up).For their contribution to Traditional/Folk/ Tribal Music/ Dance/ Theatre and Puppetry, eight artists have been selected for the Akademi Awards. They are Smt. Raj Begum, Traditional, Folk Music/Dance & Theatre (Jammu & Kashmir); S/Shri T.A.R. Nadi Rao & N Jeeva Rao (Joint Award), Folk Music (Tamilnadu); Shri Gurdial Singh, Instrument Making (Punjab); Shri Mohan Singh Khangura, Rabindra Sangeet (West Bengal); Shri Umakanta Gogoi (Bairagi), Tokari Geet and Dehbichar Geet, (Assam), Smt Lilavati M Kavi (Bajaj), Puppetry; Smt Meenakshi, Instrument Making - Ghatam (Tamilnadu) and Shri Sheikh Riyajuddin alias Rajubaba, Folk Theatre ( Maharashtra).Shri Mysore V Subramanya (Performing Arts) and Shri N Ramanathan (Music) will receive the Akademi Awards 2013 for Overall Contribution/Scholarship to Performing Arts.The honour of Akademi Fellow has been conferred since 1954 and Akademi Award since 1952. The honour of Akademi Fellow carries a purse money of Rs 3,00,000/- (Rupees three lacs) and Akademi Awards carry Rs 1,00,000/- (Rupees one lac), besides Tamrapatra and Angavastram.
  
• India's top scientist CNR Rao, who was recently named for the Bharat Ratna - the country's highest civilian award - has been elected honorary foreign member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the first Indian to be so honoured."Dr Rao is the first Indian scientist to be elected recently (November 4) to the prestigious academy, which consists of several Nobel laureates and eminent scientists of the world," the Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research (JNCASR) where Dr Rao is the founder-president, said in a statement in Bangalore on 22 November. The Chinese Academy of Science had bestowed upon the 80-year-old Dr Rao the Award for International Scientific Cooperation in January 2012.The Bangalore-born Dr Rao is chairman of the Scientific Advisory Council to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh since 2005 in addition to being the national research professor.
  
• An icon for the film lovers and iconoclast for the professionals, Waheeda Rehman will be honoured with the first Centenary Award for the Indian Film personality at the 44th International Film Festival of India (IFFI). The award has been introduced this year and the veteran actor will receive the trophy on the opening day of the festival. It consists of a cash component of Rs. 10 lakh and a citation. The ‘Quintessential Beauty of Bollywood’ is known as much for her performance as for her choice of roles. Born in Chengalpattu near Chennai in 1936, Waheeda Rehman began her career with Tamil and Telugu movies and went on to work with Gemini Ganesan in ‘Kaalam Maari Pochu’ in 1955. Guru Dutt happened to see the Telugu version of this film and offered her a role in ‘C.I.D.’. The pairing of Waheeda Rehman with Guru Dutt treated the cinegoers with such marvels as ‘Pyasa’. ‘ Kaghaz Ke Phool’, ‘Saheb Bibi aur Ghulam’ and ‘ Chudhvin ka Chaand’. A persona oozing grace and grandeur, Waheeda Rehmaan won the National Award for the Best Actor in 1971 for ‘Reshma Aur Shera’ and Filmfare Awards in 1966 for ‘Guide’ and in 1968 for ‘Neel Kamal’. She was honoured with Padma Shri in 1972 and with Padma Bhushan in 2011. In 2004, a Waheeda Rehman Film Retrospective was held at the Seattle Arts Museum and the University of Washington. The first Centenary Award to Waheeda Rehman acknowledges the creative contribution of an artist who opted for roles which were much more than just the appealing shadow of the male actors of the times. SPORTS
  
• Jamaican sprinters Usain Bolt and Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce were crowned male and female World Athletes of the Year for 2013 by the sport's governing IAAF, in Monaco on 16 November. Bolt won gold in the 100 metres, 200 and 4x100 relay at the Moscow worlds in August to take his all-time tally to eight golds and two silvers at the championships, making him the most successful athlete in their history. The 27-year-old, who also has six Olympic gold medals and holds the 100 and 200 metres world records, won the IAAF (International Association of Athletics Federations) award for the third season in a row and the fifth time in six years. Compatriot Fraser-Pryce claimed gold medals in the same three events in Moscow, having previously won two golds and two silvers, and is also the Olympic sprint champion. The 26-year-old Fraser-Pryce collected her first female World Athlete of the Year award. Bolt and Fraser-Pryce also receive a prize of $100,000.
  
• The four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel became the first driver to win eight straight races in a single season, with his victory at the US Grand Prix on 18 November. Sebastien Grosjean came second. Webber coming 3rd with Hamilton finishing fourth.
  
• Magnus Carlsen of Norway won the FIDE World Chess Championship 2013 at Chennaion 22 November 2013.Magnus Carlsen defeated the previous world champion Viswanathan Anand of India by 6.5-3.5. The victory was worth 8.4 crore Rupees for Magnus Carlsen. Anand settled for 5.6 crore Rupees. The match was organized by FIDE and AICF.The Magnus Calsen’s victory was also the end of Anand’s six-year reign as the World champion. It was Anand’s first loss in a world title match since 2007.
  
• Lionel Messi, the Barcelonan forward footballer on 20 November 2013 won the Golden Shoe award. Messi won the awardin recognition of his 46 goals in 32 leagues appearances in the Europe’s domestic football league in the 2012-13 seasons. This is the third Golden Shoe award of Messi and with this win he became the first footballer win the shoe three times. Earlier Messi won the award in 2009-10 for 34 goals and a Spanish record 50 in 2011-12. Lionel Andres Messi (26) is an Argentine Footballer and a captain to the national team of Argentina. At present he plays for FC Barcelona in Spain.
  
• Indian Cricketer Virat Kohli became the fastest batsman to score 5000 runs in one-day internationals when he scored 86 against the West Indies in the first ODI in Kochi on 21 November 2013. Virat Kohli achieved the feat in just 120 matches and 114 innings. He has so far scored 5005 runs, which included 17 centuries, and 27 fifties in his short career.In terms of innings, Virat Kohli has equalled the record of Sir Viv Richards of West Indies, who also achieved the feat in 114 innings way back in 1987 but it was Viv's 126th match. Before Kohli, former captain Sourav Ganguly was the fastest to achieve the feat among Indian batsmen in 131 matches and 126 innings.
  
• The Infosys Prize 2013 in Life Sciences is awarded to Dr. Rajesh S. Gokhale, Director, CSIR-Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology, for his work in the field of lipid metabolism in tubercle bacilli. Each year two million people are infected and die of tuberculosis (TB) and there will be 10 million new patients every year. Dr. Gokhale discovered biochemical networks and new paradigms necessary for the synthesis of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) cell envelope coat that makes these bacteria escape host immune systems. This discovery opens up new avenues to develop new therapy against TB. The Infosys Prize, comprising a 22-karat gold medallion, a citation certificate and prize money of Rs. 55 lakh, ranks among the highest monetary awards in India that recognizes scientific research. The prize endeavors to elevate the prestige of scientific research in India and inspires young Indians to choose a vocation in the scientific research. Prof Samir K. Brahmachari, Director General of CSIR, said that conferring this prestigious award to four CSIR scientists in three consecutive years after its inception in 2009 exhibits that internationally competitive scientific research is being carried out in CSIR and CSIR has an outstanding young scientific leadership in position. .
  
• The Union Finance Minister P.Chidambaram released a Commemorative Coin of Rs. 20 and a circulation coin of Rs.5 to mark the culmination of the 125th Birth Anniversary of Maulana Abul Kalam Azad at a function held in New Delhi on 11 November. K. Rehman, Union Minister for Minority Affairs, Wazahatt Habibullah, Chairman, National Commission for Minorities were present on the occasion among others. This year marks culmination of 125th Birth Anniversary of Maulana Abul Kalam Azad. Maulana Azad was one of India’s most prominent freedom fighters, who espoused the cause of an undivided India. He opposed the ‘two nation theory’ of Muslim League and was a leading proponent of Hindu-Muslim unity. He was India’s first Minister of Education. He was posthumously awarded country’s highest civilian award, the Bharat Ratna in 1992.
  
• The Government on 16 November has decided to confer Bharat Ratna, the highest civilian award, on eminent scientist Prof C.N.R. Rao and cricket icon Sachin Tendulkar. Prof. C.N.R. Rao is an eminent scientist and a well recognized international authority on solid state and materials chemistry. He has published over 1,400 research papers and 45 books. Prof. Rao’s contributions have been recognized by most major scientific academies around the world through conferment of memberships and fellowships. He has been honoured with several national and international awards. Sachin Tendulkar is undoubtedly an outstanding cricketer - a living legend who has inspired millions across the globe. During the last 24 years, since the young age of 16 years, Tendulkar has played cricket across the world and won laurels for our country. He has been a true ambassador of India in the world of sports. His achievements in cricket are unparalleled, the records set by him unmatched, and the spirit of sportsmanship displayed by him exemplary. That he has been honoured with several awards is testimony to his extraordinary brilliance as a sportsman.
  
• Renowned actress Waheeda Rehman will be conferred with the Centenary Award for Indian Film Personality of the Year at the International Film Festival of India 2013 in Panji, Goa. The 2013 edition of the Festival is being held between 20 and 30 November. The award has been instituted to commemorate 100 years of Indian Cinema, and being given annually to an outstanding film personality for his or her contribution to Indian cinema. After extensive deliberations, a five member jury identified Waheeda Rehman as the ideal member of the Indian film fraternity to be the first recipient of the award. The Centenary Award recognizes her prolific body of work through the film industry’s formative years. The award carries a citation, a certificate, a medal (Silver Peacock),a shawl and Rs.10 lakh cash prize.
  
• Shiraz Naval Minwalla, Professor of Physics in TIFR, Mumbai selected for the 2014 New Horizons in Physics Prize on 5 November 2013. He was awarded "for his pioneering contributions to the study of string theory and quantum field theory; and in particular his work on the connection between the equations of fluid dynamics and Albert Einstein’s equations of general relativity". The New Horizons for Physics Prize awarded to promising junior researchers by Fundamental Physics Prize Foundation. The award carries prize money of US $ 1,00,000. The Fundamental Physics Prize Foundation is a not-for-profit corporation established by the Milner Foundation, Russia in 2012and dedicated to advancing our knowledge of the Universe at the deepest level by awarding annual prizes for scientific breakthroughs, as well as communicating the excitement of fundamental physics to the public. The Fundamental Physics Prizerecognizes transformative advances in the field, while the New Horizons in Physics Prizesare targeted at promising junior researchers.
  
• Lord Swraj Paul, a leading NRI industrialist and educationist was presented with the International Indian of the Decade award on 15 November 2013. Swraj Paul was presented the award for his outstanding achievements in the fields of industry, education and philanthropy. Virender Paul, the acting High Commissioner of India to the UK presented the award to Lord Swraj Paul at the 20th anniversary of the publication of India Link International (a monthly magazine). Lord Swraj Paul is the founder of the UK-based steel and engineering multinational company Caparo, which at present employs about 10,000 people worldwide from UK, USA and India.
  
• Information and Broadcasting Ministry has instituted a new centenary award to honour personalities for contribution to Indian Cinema. The minister for Information and Broadcasting, Manish Tewari has announced the institution of a special award in the series of initiatives undertaken to commemorate the 100 years of Indian Cinema. The centenary award would be given every year to an outstanding Indian film personality "A Film Icon" for his/her contribution to Indian Cinema at IFFI. Speaking on the occasion in Bangalore on 7 November, Tewari said that the award reiterated the rich legacy of Indian Cinema where eminent personalities had contributed to its growth through different stages of its evolution. The award is the second in the series instituted by the Government to commemorate the centenary celebrations. He said that the ministry had taken initiatives to promote the growth of the film industry. It had tried to review the statutory architecture under the films paradigm by instituting the Mudgal Committee to review the provisions of the Cinematography Act. The recommendations of the committee were under consideration and the opinions have been invited as the report had been placed on the website of the ministry, he added. 
• Martha Dodray, a health worker from Bihar on 6 November 2013 won the global UN Award for her commitment and dedication to eradicate Polio in India. United Nation has conferred the UN Frontline Workers Global Leadership Award to Martha Dodray. The award was given in recognition of the roles to individuals, organizations, and corporations played in supporting the work of the United Nations’ to advance global peace, justice, and prosperity. The United Nations Foundation and the United Nations Association of the USA (UNA-USA) honored recipients of the 2013 Global Leadership Awards at the annual Global Leadership Dinner in New York City. Martha Dodray is an Auxiliary Nurse and Midwife (ANM) from Darbhanga district of Bihar. She represented the worldwide polio frontline workers. Her contribution cause was recognized by United Nations Foundation in 2013 and awarded
• An Indian-origin doctor has been selected for prestigious "Outstanding American by Choice" award for his valuable contribution to US health sector. Eminent transplant surgeon and philanthropist, Rahul Jindal, will be honoured by the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) on November 13.The initiative recognizes naturalized citizens who have made significant contributions to both their community and their adopted country. Jindal, who recently received the Leadership Award by the International Leadership Foundation, was recently appointed as Commissioner on Service and Volunteerism. He obtained his MD from BJ Medical College, Ahmedabad, and then studied in Britain where he and earned an FRCS from the Royal College of Edinburgh. Known for his philanthropy and community services, Jindal is the director of the National Blood and Bone marrow Drive Campaign which was sponsored by about 600 Hindu temples throughout North America.