Bengal gets UNESCO approval for its cottage industry products - sitalpati, madur and shalpata plate

Bengal has received UNESCO approval for two of its cottage industry products - the sitalpati and madur — and the shalpata plate. This is the culmination of the efforts of the government to revive the traditional arts and crafts of Bengal.
The UNESCO approval is an international recognitionunder the category of traditional handicrafts.
This has been reported in timesofindia.indiatimes.com dated 23 January 2017.

The West Bengal Khadi and Village Industries Board has been trying to revive and promote products like the sitalpati, madur, shalpata plates and other such traditional Bengali handicraft items. They have recently received a message from UNESCO recognizing these handicraft items.
Madur is made from madur sticks that are primarily produced in East and West Midnapore. The sitalpati sticks, on the other hand, are produced in areas of Cooch Behar. Due to lack of product promotions, artisans had to sell these products at a low cost. As a result, the industry was dying a slow death. Artisans are now trained and provided with platforms to sell their products directly to consumers. These platforms are the fairs and exhibitions that are organized across the state.


Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org

Tejas Light Combat Aircraft to debut at the 2017 Republic Day parade

Many of the Trump hats are not made in America but in China, Vietnam and Bangladesh

Chinese firm to invest over Rs 1300 crore in Toto rickshaw manufacture in Howrah


Didi visualizes industrial revival via nalen gur (satire)

Lord Shiva and the sight of potbellied policemen (satire)

In the wonderland of health drinks


Shah Rukh Khan's movie Raees to release in Dubai on January 25

James Cameron plans to resurrect his Terminator franchise in 2019

Bollywood actress Vidya Balan wants more power to women in 2017


ISIS destroys portions of Roman amphitheatre in the ancient city of Palmyra

Kim Jong-Un plans to send a message to Donald Trump by launching a missile

Bomb blast in a vegetable market in Parachinar kills at least 20

Nepal to reopen its historical sites to bring back the tourists

Nepal is trying to come out of the horrors of devastation heaped on it by the earthquake in April that left the country and its historical monuments in ruins. While salvage operations have begun, Nepal is trying to woo the tourists back because tourism is one of its plus points.
This has been reported in bbc.com dated 15 June 2015.

The earthquake has killed more than 8,000 people and the destruction was widespread but, despite all odds, Nepal is determined to reopen all the heritage sites in the Kathmandu valley to the public. Among the sites set to reopen are the historic Durbar squares or "noble courts" – these had suffered severe damages.
UNESCO is worried about the safety of these sites but officials have assured that necessary measures have been put in place. Incidentally, immediately after the earthquake, Irina Bokova, the director-general of UNESCO has described damage to the Kathmandu valley as "extensive and irreversible".
UNESCO has, on 11 June, issued a statement advising the public to be extra cautious at the sites. It has also expressed hopes that the decision to reopen them could be re-examined. But, officials have indicated that security will be in place, tourists will be given guided tours and signboards will indicate specified routes to cause minimal disturbance to structures.
(Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org)

A few more must reads -
Airbus to showcase its E-Fan 2.0 silent plane in Paris Air Show

Music is a great healer – listen to classical music and lower your blood pressure

Taxi strike in Kolkata opens the doors for Uber and Ola cabs

Pickles and yoghurt help youngsters to tackle social anxiety


MI5 warns – extremists on the prowl in the streets of Britain

ISIS militants ambush and kill Taliban fighters in Afghanistan

British would-be jihadists are making detour to Syria via Canada to avoid detection


How retired persons keep themselves busy

Learn to embrace the mall culture

Time weighs down heavily on retired men

ISIS on a destruction spree of ancient monuments, shoots children dead near Palmyra

#ISIS #Palmyra #Syria #UNESCO #WorldHeritage The ISIS is determined to destroy all ancient monuments in Iraq, Syria and other locations, monuments that had been standing there for centuries as symbols of a glorious past and not content with killing ordinary citizens, the militant outfit is filming videos of what they are destroying and how. They have already been filmed destroying artefacts in the Iraqi cities of Nimrud and Hatra.
In the latest spate of violence, Islamic State fighters have shot dead 23 civilians near the city of Palmyra – nine of them were children. This has been reported by Rami Abdel Rahman, the head of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. The dead were family members of government employees.
This has been reported in news.sky.com dated 15 May 2015.

The jihadi fighters have their eyes focused on Palmyra, a UNESCO world heritage site. The city, nicknamed "the pearl of the desert", is home to millennia-old tombs, colonnades and Roman temples. In the opinion of Irina Bokova, the head of UNESCO, it would be a shame to destroy these treasures. She has called on Syrian troops and extremists to spare Palmyra because it "represents an irreplaceable treasure for the Syrian people, and the world".
In the latest offensive, more than 138 combatants - 73 soldiers and 65 jihadists - have been killed. Before that, there were reports of at least 26 civilians being killed by IS. Ten of them were beheaded for collaborating with the Syrian regime.
(Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org)

A few more must reads -

Nashik Kumbhmela 2015 – a once in 12-years pilgrimage

Trip to Nashik should take in Shirdi and the Ajanta and Ellora caves

Nashik, a tourist center with links to the epic Ramayana

Nashik, a tourist center with links to the Mahabharata

Kumbhmela 2015 in Nashik – guided tours to wineries and vineyards

Nashik transforms from a place of pilgrimage to an industrial hub


More than 200 Nigerian schoolgirls kidnapped last year by Boko Haram have vanished

Journey to freedom – 5800 migrants rescued from the Mediterranean

Indonesian smugglers stuff yellow-crested cockatoos into plastic bottles to get past customs

Engineering graduate of Hyderabad goes astray, dies because of links with ISIS

Dozens of corpses found in bamboo cages in Thai human trafficking camp

Quick tour of Delhi by ITDC bus