Monthly Archives: December 2015
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‘India can develop its global ambitions with UN cooperation ’
Thiruvananthapuram :
India has a powerful opportunity to develop its global ambitions through cooperation with the United Nations, said Kiran Mehra Kerpelman, director of United Nations Information Centre for India and Bhutan. She was inaugurating an international conference conducted to commemorate the 70th anniversary of United Nations here on Saturday.
Quoting United Nations secretary general Ban Ki-moon, Kiran said, “These are the reflections of India’s increasing influence on the international stage. At this moment of time and space, India has a powerful opportunity to develop its global ambitions through cooperation with the UN.”
The conference on ‘Global Partnership towards Peace, Development and Human Rights: India and the UN’ organized by United Nations Information Centre, India and Bhutan in association with department of political science, University of Kerala and V K Krishna Menon Study Centre for International Relations was held at senate chamber.
“Indian and the UN have a long standing and far reaching relationships from the early days of leadership, on racial discrimination and decolonisation. As the successful initiatives like institutionalising equality, end poverty and fighting hunger the world over, we must fight together the threat of terrorism. The incessant rain at Chennai, floods in Uttarakhand and unseasonal heat waves at Andhra Pradesh and at rest of the country all are climate related. It is high time we realized the effects of climate change,” said Kiran.
Mentioning the COP 21 (Paris Climate Conference), an international political response to climate change, to be held Paris from Monday, she said that the 70th anniversary of the UN entails a certain amount of reflection in the past and plan for the future, which will decided at COP21.
Kerala University vice-chancellor P K Radhakrishnan, who presided over the event, spoke about the need for more focus in the conservation of environment and also on the need for peace and tolerance, while Rajiv Chandran, national information officer at United Nations Information Centre for India and Bhutan urged the students to join the district organization of United Nations Associations and update themselves about the decisions of the UN and also share their ideas.
A book on ‘The Changing Dimensions of Security: India’s Security Policy Options’ edited by Suresh R, director of V K Krishna Menon Study Centre for International Relations, was also released by Kiran Mehra Kerpelman by handing over the first copy to P K Radhakrishnan.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News Home> City> Thiruvananthapuram / TNN / December 06th, 2015
Unesco award presented to Vadakkunnathan temple
First time that the Award of Excellence is reaching a South Indian State
The Unesco Asia Pacific Award of Excellence was presented to Sree Vadakkunnathan Temple here on Friday.
Unesco representative Moe Chiba presented the award to Cochin Devaswom Board president M.P. Bhaskaran Nair.
“The holistic restoration of Sree Vadakkunnathan Temple represents a milestone achievement in reviving a living religious heritage site using a combination of indigenous knowledge of vernacular building techniques and contemporary conservation practice,” Ms. Moe Chiba noted.
Even with inappropriate minor repairs and a century of exposure to monsoon rains, the project skilfully stabilised the wooden complex for use by local devotees and restored significant decorative works including murals, she noted.
Addressing the function, Devaswom Minister V.S. Sivakumar noted that the Award of Excellence for the conservation efforts of the majestic Vadakkunnathan temple was an honour for the State’s authentic style of architecture. Three hundred artisans worked for a decade for the conservation work.
The award comprises a brass plaque. ‘Award of Excellence’ certificates were presented to important stakeholders, master craftsmen and contributors to the project. The Unesco established Asia Pacific Awards for Cultural Heritage Conservation to promote conservation of heritage in Asia and the Pacific in 2000.
The award recognises private efforts and also public private initiatives in conserving structures of heritage value.
Since the inception of the awards, India has received the Award of Excellence four times till date.
The honour for Vadakkunnathan temple conservation is the first time that the ‘Award of Excellence’ is reaching a south Indian State.
The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) had been working on the conservation of the temple kitchen, the murals, the wood carvings and the south and west gopurams (gateways) since 1997.
In 2005, the Director General, ASI Delhi, gave permission to Venugopalaswamy Kainkaryam Trust (VGKT), Chennai, the donors, for its overall conservation, as per ASI norms.
“Hindu temples are designed and renovated in such a way that the temple is considered a human body, with life and energy.
“The complex systems of vasthu and tantrasastra are followed to restore and revive the energy and life of the temple lost due to age. Thus the conservation process involved both physical and metaphysical efforts,” said architect M.M. Vinod Kumar, who coordinated the conservation work.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> National> Kerala / Staff Reporter / Thrissur – December 05th, 2015